Ted Talk- Graham Hill: Less Stuff, More Happiness

Random thoughts on Ted Talk- Graham Hill: Less Stuff, More Happiness.

What's in the box?
The joys of less
More freedom
More time
Life edited
Crowdsourcing

1. Edit ruthlessly
2. Small is sexy

3. Multifunctional
Different strokes

Make room for the good stuff

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Live the Charmed Life

Image courtesy of Live the Charmed Life

Simple living is a concept that few people can relate to, let alone understand.
So I am thrilled to have discovered Live the Charmed Life; a site dedicated
to elegant simplicity.

Live the Charmed Life talks about the life and times of DeeAnne. A former
executive of The Ritz Carlton Chicago, DeeAnne gave it all up, packed her bags
and moved to the land of Wine, Cheese and Joie de Vivre. At the moment, she is
learning French, writing a novel and falling in love. I know it sounds so surreal.

DeeAnne is also an avid fan of the 100 Thing Challenge. Except her 100 list
includes: Spieglau Wine Glasses, Le Creuset cookware and a bottle of perfume.
Don't mistake this for frivolity, it's really just her take on "quality over quantity".

Check out Live the Charmed Life for another perspective on what simple living
has to offer and where simple living can take you.

Do Something for the Person You will be in 5 Years

As a nation, we Filipinos are still trying to get there.
I know THERE is a bit vague. First World sounds good too.

Let's start with something simple.
How about going from Poor Sight to Foresight.
If more Filipinos made better choices, we might collectively
make a dent on the Things that Need to be Fixed List.

So, if the act of planning for the next 5, 10 or 20 years is too daunting.
Try what this wise professor is suggesting.
Do something for the person you will be 5 years from now.
Makes sense.

100 Things Challenge

I want to screaaammmm! The room is a mess. Christmas is just
around the corner and I promised myself that I will greet the New
Year with a much neater room.

How did we get here??? We have been in the process of moving for
some time now. Add to that the latest addition to our family. Ha!
Imagine a room bursting to the seams. Half of me wants to just
give it all away. Half of me wants to just hold on for dear life.
Obviously, I am torn.

Apparently, I am not the only once faced with this dilemma. Some
people have even taken extreme measures to get rid of the clutter.

Let me introduce you to a guynameddave. Dave started the 100
Things Challenge. You read that right, Dave only has 100 things.
I don't think I'm ready for that. But you have got to admire how
disciplined Dave must have been to have successfully pulled this
off.

10 / 10 / 10

view from my window sill

oh 10 / 10 / 10...

Woke up at the crack of dawn...

Had grand plans...

Had my camera ready...

You obviously had other plans for me...

Got a "panic attack" after breakfast... MIL and BIL told me

Baby M seemed to be losing a lot of weight...

I have sort of recovered... Good thing I can move his check up

to tomorrow... First time mom jitters... ho hum...

The New York Times Interview: Lee Kuan Yew

Photo courtesy of The New York Times

Lately, he said, he had been looking at Christian marriage vows and
was drawn to the words: “To love, to hold and to cherish, in sickness
and in health, for better or for worse till death do us part.”

“I told her, ‘I would try and keep you company for as long as I can.’
That’s life. She understood.” But he also said: “I’m not sure who’s
going first, whether she or me.”

At night, hearing the sounds of his wife’s discomfort in the next room,
he said, he calms himself with 20 minutes of meditation, reciting a
mantra he was taught by a Christian friend: “Ma-Ra-Na-Tha.”

The phrase, which is Aramaic, comes at the end of St. Paul’s First
Epistle to the Corinthians, and can be translated in several ways.
Mr. Lee said that he was told it means “Come to me, O Lord Jesus,”
and that although he is not a believer, he finds the sounds soothing.

“The problem is to keep the monkey mind from running off into all
kinds of thoughts,” he said. “A certain tranquillity settles over you.
The day’s pressures and worries are pushed out. Then there’s less
problem sleeping.” - The New York Times

I am a Catholic. I am a Christian.

I have friends of other religions and persuasions.
We may or may not have the same beliefs.
We choose to celebrate our similarities.
We choose to respect our differences.

I am glad that MM Lee Kuan Yew was introduced to Christian Meditation.
Yes, it does exist. No need to go looking for it elsewhere.

I have been fortunate enough to have attended the talks of Sr. Mary Niere.
I have attended other contemplative talks and retreats. But I have enjoyed
hers the best.

The Gospel of Contemplation and How to Pray by Sr. Mary Niere are
available at St. Paul's.

The Taming and Reclaiming of Prospect Park West

A few years back, a friend from one of the cities I love
told me, "You're part of a dying breed."

Why? Because I love being human!

I love modern city living.
But I am not consumed by it.
I enjoy the comforts we enjoy in this day and age.
But these comforts are merely "tools".
They are there to enhance the human experience.
Not to take away from it.

Thankfully, I am not alone.

The Taming and Reclaiming of Prospect Park West
Courtesy of Streetfilms

It's that time of the year!

The BER months are back!
Let the Christmas countdown begin!

The 3 Powerful Steps to Phenomenal Success

http://www.flickr.com/photos/showmeone

I will not bore you with my commentary on Bo Sanchez's
latest inspirational message. The article speaks for itself.
Read it and live a phenomenal life!

The 3 Powerful Steps to Phenomenal Success
by Bo Sanchez

"Friend, do you want to be successful in life?
Remember that success doesn’t happen overnight.
Success is a journey.
In fact, you’ll have to pass via three landmarks in this journey.
Between where you are now and where your success is are three landmarks.
Here they are:
Landmark 1: When you discover your talent
Landmark 2: When you develop your talent
Landmark 3: When you deliver your talent

1. Discover Your Talent
A lot of people ask me that question: How will I discover my talent?
Kids ask me that question a lot. Teens ask me that question a lot.
Amazingly, even adults ask me that question a lot.

Let me be frank with you.
One of the biggest reasons why you haven’t discovered your talent
is because you haven’t been saying a lot of Yeses to life.
You’ve been habitually saying No.
To opportunities. To learning. To experiences. To stretching.

You’ve been saying No because you’re afraid.
You’re afraid of making mistakes.
You’re afraid of being laughed at by people.
You’re afraid of falling flat on your face.
You’re afraid of being humiliated.

Discovering your talent is like discovering buried treasure.
Treasure hunters don’t dig in one spot and automatically find
the treasure.

Treasure hunters go through a lot of surveying the area.
They dig in one spot, find nothing, dig in another spot again,
find nothing again, dig in another spot again, find nothing again…
until they dig in this one spot and find the treasure!

God has called you to serve Him with your talent.
So serve Him and be willing to make mistakes.
Be willing to fail.
Be willing to be a fool for Christ.
All you’ve got to do is say Yes to God!

2. Develop Your Talent

But I didn’t stop in the discovering of my talent.
I developed my talent.

Some people discover their talent, but they don’t develop it.
They’re good mechanics, farmers, speakers, writers, thinkers,
listeners, musicians, engineers, mathematicians, administrators—
but they don’t develop their talent.
They don’t hone their craft.
They don’t sharpen their saw.
They don’t expand their expertise.
They don’t increase their initiatives.
They don’t grow their gifting.

How did I develop my talent?
Simple.
I used it.

I said “Yes” to every single invitation given to me to speak.
Tiny prayer groups invited me to speak; I said yes.
Prisons invited me to speak; I said yes.
Hospitals invited me to speak; I said yes.
Poor dilapidated schools in far-flung barrios invited me to speak; I said yes.
I had to cross three rivers before I spoke; I said yes.
Only twenty people showed up; I said yes.
Only ten people showed up; I said yes.
Only three people showed up; I said yes.
In my early years, I would preach every single day.
I didn’t know it, but saying “yes” to every invitation was fulfilling Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 Hour-Rule of Greatness.

Sometimes, young preachers come up to me and tell me,
“Brother Bo, I want to preach as good as you do.”
“Great!” I say. So I ask him, “How often do you preach?”
“Oh, about once a month…” he says.

I want to strangle him.
“Once a month? By the time you’ll be any good, you’ll be 150 years old.
You should be preaching every single day!
Create opportunities for you to speak!”

Here’s the truth: The only way to develop your talent is to use it.
Let me say it again. If you don’t use it, you lose it

3. Deliver Your Talent
One of the things I’ve found out about this world is that
you don’t get rewarded for discovering your talent;
you don’t get rewarded for developing your talent;
you only get rewarded for delivering your talent.
In other words, do you have the ability to launch?

Planning to launch is not enough.
Preparing to launch is not enough.
You have to actually launch.

There are those who like tinkering with their work endlessly.
So they delay. And delay. And delay.
And they never launch.
It’s the sickness of corporate world.

Again, the reason why people don’t deliver is fear.
It’s same old enemy.
They’re afraid of failure.
They’re afraid of rejection.
They’re afraid of public humiliation.
So they want everything perfect before they launch.

And there lies the mistake.
There’s no such thing.
They don’t understand that perfection doesn’t exist.
What you need to do is launch and re-launch and keep on re-launching
until you get it right.


Give your talent to God.
Just say “Yes” to Him.

May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez"

Giving It Your All

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vshioshvili

"Once upon a time, I asked this question: Why is God so demanding?

Just look at the greatest commandment. Why does God want you to
love Him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your
strength. (Matthew 22:37)

Shouldn’t He be satisfied if you loved Him with half your heart,
¾ of your mind, and 58% of your strength?

Why does God want you to give your all?

Helloooooow.

God doesn’t need your time.
He’s the owner of eternity. He invented time.

God doesn’t need your talents, definitely.
He can just snap his finger and ten thousand battalions of angels
kneel before him to serve.

And obviously, God doesn’t need your money.
He’s owns the universe.

So why does He want you to give your all?

Here’s why: When you give, you create a vacuum. An empty space.

When I was a kid, my Grade 6 science teacher said, “Nature abhors
a vacuum.” Nature wants to automatically fill vacuums. That’s why
vacuums are powerful magnets. That vacuum—that empty space—
attracts blessings. What blessings? The stuff that you gave away will
be returned to you, only of far better quality and greater quantity.

Listen carefully. The more you give, the bigger the vacuum you create.
The bigger the vacuum, the stronger the magnet—and the more
blessings you’ll attract into your life.

That’s why giving your all is the secret of big returns. There’s magic
when you give your All. Because you also attract All that God wants
to give to you." - Bo Sanchez

This is powerful stuff! Lately, I've been dreaming, planning, praying,
hoping, and moving to accomplish one too many stretch goals. This
is a great affirmation that all my efforts will one day bear fruit.

All in God's good time!!!

How to Have a Hair Makeover

I have been with my stylist for more than 10 years now.
She knows what I like and DON'T like about my hair.
On the upside, I have never left her chair with a bad
hair day. On the downside, I always end up with the same
look.

S knows I will never have anything new done by her.
But she knows I'll be back for my regular cut. And I'll
have my hair fixed when I've had something done that
wasn't quite my liking.

#15 Solo Flight on my 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days -
Have someone else cut/style my hair

I've finally crossed that off the list. Yes, my hair
looked great when I left the salon. Yes, I do not have
a stylist much less a blow dryer at home. Yes, my hair
suddenly has a mind of its own.

My fault really. I kinda told V to just work her wonders.
I forgot to tell her that putting too many layers will
bring out my natural curl (aka buhaghag) and will make
my hair fly every which way(aka tikwas). Can you imagine
my dilemma?

Sooo.... for today's How To:
How to Have a Hair Makeover

1. Figure out WHY you want to change your hairstyle.
- Do this because you want a change. DO NOT DO THIS
because you need to make changes in your life. If you
feel like jumping off a cliff, a new 'do just wont do.
2. Do your research.
- Look around. If possible, show the stylist some
pictures. This will help you avoid a "Surprise!".
3. Give the stylist a heads up on what will and wont
work for you.
- Consider your life and your lifestyle. A photographer
has more artistic license on his hair than a doctor.
If you're low maintenance like me, forget having a style
that requires blow drying. Believe me, it's not gonna
work.
4. Have a Plan B.
- If your worst case scenario suddenly comes to life,
what are your options? Do not skip this step as it may
save your sanity.
5. Take the Plunge.
- If you've thought about it a gazillion times and you
still want to have it done, then go for it!

As for me...
Well yes, my hair will grow back. But I will probably have
to wait more than a year to have my old hair back. I just
remembered that I've had this "new" style before. Back
then, I had to grow out my hair then rebond it to get it
back to normal. I'm currently breastfeeding so it's gonna
take awhile. Ho hum ho hum.

Perfect Timing

God's timing is perfect - it's never too early; it's never too late, it's always
on time.

A few weeks ago, T and I were at a function. I asked her how their recent
family trip went. The kids had loads of fun! And that was that... or so I
thought...

I found myself up and about at 3:00ish in the morning. Not unusual as
Baby M feeds at the oddest of hours. And then it hit me... Just as I was
about to crawl back into bed, I suddenly got a clarity of purpose; an
answer to a question I didn't even know I had...

Suddenly, I found myself with renewed energy and strength. Suddenly,
I had courage. Suddenly, I knew what I needed to do and why it needed
to be done.

Sometimes we ask if God is listening. Maybe we should be asking ourselves,
"Do we listen to Him?" I believe He speaks to us in many ways, sometimes
all we need to do is LISTEN.

Welcome 2010!

Sorry, my bad, I had so many things going on these past few months that I
didn't have time to update the blog...

A couple of days of Baby and Holiday Shopping
A few hours of Child Birth Classes
Tons of "General Cleaning"
Half a dozen Holiday Get-togethers
1 Baby Shower cum Despedida cum Birthday Party
1 House Warming
1 First Birthday Party
1 Wedding Shower
1 Wedding
2 Funerals

I don't know how I managed to get it all done, I'm just glad I did.

I'm now 38 weeks pregnant! No return, no exchange! Ready or not, the baby
is coming! I'm just wrapping things up at work and then I can finally say
that I'm "ready" for the big event.

Let me rephrase that, I'm ready to GO to hospital. I'm still bracing myself
for the giving birth part. And then there's the newbie mom angle.

2010 is definitely going to be a major year for me! Wishing us all more love,
peace, happiness, good health and success this 2010!

The Cab Driver

"One of my favorite encounters on this book tour was my driver in San
Francisco.

As you can see he was very elegant and practically oozed self-confidence,
dignity and pride in his work.

I love people who show pride in their work, regardless of the job.

This man's car was spotless, his shoes were shined and he knew exactly
where he was going. He wasn't dressed like that for me, he had no idea
who I was, this was just another day and just another ride done in his
own stylish way.

I've said this so many times before, and recently in the intro of my book.
Even though this blog is about fashion I don't really think about fashion
when I look at this photo. I think about how he is communicating his sense
of pride and self-worth; not by how expensive his clothes are but by how
he wears his clothes, his posture and his politeness. This man is pure style."

~ The Sartorialist - October 26, 2009


I was rather impressed with the driver in this picture!

Kudos to all who do ordinary things extraordinarily well!

Refund for Baby Einstein Products

I've long heard that children under the age of 2 should not be
allowed to watch t.v. Of course, each parent has their own
opinion on this.

I for one do not agree that a baby should be allowed to watch
t.v. (educational or otherwise)... I'm currently a fan of the
Glenn Doman books. The "Teach Your Baby..." activities
encourage a lot of interaction between the parents and the baby.
No time for t.v. watching here... But let me give the final verdict
on this AFTER the baby has arrived hehehe...

Then there are those who think highly of the Baby Einstein
series. For those who like the products, you may want to
read this bit of news I got from The New York Times
regarding the refund Walt Disney Co. is offering
for Baby Einstein videos...

As they say, there are no instruction manuals for parenting.
There are no shortcuts to it either. And if it seems too good
to be true, it usually is.

What can you do with a paper clip?

A few eons ago, I came across this question in a “psych” test. It was
supposed to be an exercise at creativity. Due to my lack of time – or
imagination??? – I didn’t get to list down much.

Here are some interesting uses for a paper clip: homemade compass,
flashlight part and camera tripod...

Pretty mundane right? Except that someone used a red paper clip to get
his dream house.

Moral of the story: Sometimes, with a little creativity, the impossible
can suddenly become possible.

Waiting for Typhoon Pepeng

As I go about today's activities, I can't help but feel dread over the
coming hours and days ahead... The thought of no electricity and/
or no water and/or more floods is making me antsy...

The country has not yet recovered from Typhoon Ondoy. But we
must brace ourselves as Typhoon Pepeng (International Name:
Typhoon Parma) is already on it's way.

The Catholic Church has encouraged the public to pray the Oratio
Imperata for Deliverance from Calamities:

“Almighty Father, we raise our hearts to You in gratitude for
the wonders of creation of which we are part, for Your providence
in sustaining us in our needs, and for Your wisdom that guides
the course of the universe.

We acknowledge our sins against You and the rest of creation.

We have not been good stewards of Nature.

We have confused Your command to subdue the earth.

The environment is made to suffer our wrongdoing, and now
we reap the harvest of our abuse and indifference.

Global warming is upon us. Typhoons, floods, volcanic eruption,
and other natural calamities occur in increasing number and
intensity.

We turn to You, our loving Father, and beg forgiveness for our
sins.

We ask that we, our loved ones and our hard earned possessions
be spared from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made.

We beseech You to inspire us all to grow into responsible stewards
of Your creation, and generous neighbors to those in need.

Amen.”

For now, all we can do is prepare, pray and wait...

Typhoon Ondoy

We rarely go to the North; our life pretty much revolves
around the South of Manila. Unfortunately, we had a
commitment to be in Cubao. Who would have known that
Typhoon Ondoy (aka Tropical Storm Ketsana) would bring
about one of the worst floods in Metro Manila history?

Basically, it took us the whole day to get back home.
And we're one of the luckier ones. Countless others are
still trying to recover from the floods.

There are numerous relief centers out there. Do take the
time to help out.

My 090909 Day

Day to day life has it's regular rhythm and pace. Okay, that's a nice
way of saying that life can be one big routine. But routines are good,
they provide us with some semblance of order. However, every once
in awhile, doing something different can do one some good.

Yesterday was 090909. It was an auspicious date for some. Fo me, it
was a chance to check off something from the 101 Things to Do in
1001 Days List. 090909 was a chance for me to look for something
extraordinary from an otherwise ordinary day.

The day started where the previous day ended. H decided to work until
really late. At around 1:45am, H decided it was time to hit the sack.
Oh man, I had to get up as I was "resting". I had to do my night routine
as I was too lazy to have brushed my teeth earlier. Then I noticed that
the toilet did not want to flush; no problem, it just needed a minor fix.
And then, our roof started to leak from the heavy rain; no problem,
nothing paper towels couldnt fix. So before you know, it was 2:45am.
Okay, this day was not turning out the way I was expecting it to.

H and I were celebrating a birthday so we decided to take the day off.
We were supposed to just pass by the office. "Passing by" rarely or
never happens. So, I was not surprised to find ourselves there until
lunch time. For lunch, we decided to try the new Jollibee Chicken
Barbeque. Not bad. I have to hand it to Jollibee, they're R&D is pretty
good.

Tsk tsk tsk, half of the day had already gone by. We decided to spend
the rest of the day doing what needed to get done. Unfortunately, my
doctor did not pass by the clinic. H, on the other hand, couldn't have
his haircut as the guy had his day off. So, H worked on his paper. I
then decided to just kill the next few hours searching for a new baby
book. Before you know it, it was 6pm and we were off to mass.

Our day ended with a nice dinner at Crustasia. Boohoo, I forgot my
camera. We had Tom Yum Soup, Shrimp Pancakes, Singaporean
Chili Crab (Wow! Was that crab huge!) and Pad Thai (complimentary).
Yum yum.

As a whole, I'd say nothing extraordinary really happened in 090909.
But as a whole, it was a good day. H and I are in great shape. Sure, we
have our fair share of joys and "challenges/opportunities". But at the
end of the day, I'm glad everything is under His control.

Things to do this September

Today is September 1, 2009. In the Philippines, the start of the
"BER" months used to signify the start of the Christmas Season.
However, due to more financially difficult times, the Christmas
Season now starts at around November or December; depending
on whether it's a good year or a bad year.

Last year, I started preparing for Christmas as early as September.
It was our first Christmas as a couple. Suddenly, I had to learn
how to shop for 2! Of course, I had to make a "career" out of it!

As serendipity would have it, the 2008 Ramadan Season started
on the 1st of September. It was a Legal Holiday and I decided to
grab the chance to check out department stores in Makati.

I can still vividly remember the Christmas displays at Rustan's!
The Christmas decors just lifted my spirits and put me in a
holiday mood.

In the end, I made the right decision as I was on bed rest the
entire month of December. By that time, I was already done
with my shopping and was not stressed out over Christmas
preparations.

Here are a few things I picked up from last year's experience.
Spoiler Warning: this is not for those who enjoy the adrenaline
rush that comes when doing things last minute!

Things to do this September:

1) Start your "Spring Cleaning".

Spring Cleaning is not really a part of Philippine Culture. The
closest thing we have is the tradition of cleaning up the house
before Christmas and/or New Year's.

Starting this early will give you ample time to really assess your
home environment. Something you will not be able to properly
do if you start on December.

Do yourself a favor. Don't just do some cleaning. Go do some
clearing! If it doesn't work, doesn't fit, will never get used, etc
do dispose of it! If it is still in a decent condition, donate it to
family, friends or a charitable institution. Otherwise, throw
it away! Don't unnecessarily burden other people with your
junk!

2) Finalize your Christmas Shopping List.

Last year's Christmas Shopping was a breeze. It didn't feel as
"painful" as previous years. Firstly, my expenses were spread
out over a period of 3 - 4 months. Also, instead of buying things
at regular price, I was able to wait for sale events and bought
things at sale price.

I also had a "tea box" theme for a few relatives and friends. I
found a bazaar stall, with reasonable prices, to buy quite a
number of items from. This worked to my advantage as I was
able to bargain for wholesale prices.

3) Work on THAT SCRAPBOOK.

I have a few scrapbooks that I need to get done before the baby
comes. They're scrapbooks on stuff H and I did together. I'm
sure if I don't get these done within the year, these scrapbooks
will never see the light of day.

Each year has its own fair share of memories. You may want to
work on "documenting" this year's precious moments within
THE YEAR. Trust me, next year, you too will find yourself too
busy with other "more important" things to do. And do count
on next year to have its own share of adventures and
misadventures, wanting to be documented.

Let me know how things work out for you...

I hope these tips will help you experience the Holidays in a
a more enjoyable way!


I love lists... There have been so many that I can't
recall them all...

This is my ode to the humble list...