This is a new method of setting goals that I learned from Ali Abdaal's Feel-Good Productivity book. I am excited to apply this for my goal setting process moving forward! ?WORK Mission. Volunteer for a cause (blood-donation + Red Cross training) Why is it important? This will give me a sense of fulfillment because I am giving back to the community Actionable Items: Add to calendar the scheduled activity  Research and inform myself about these activities Document on the blog my experience and learnings How to track progress: N/A (one-time tasks) Money. Process reimbursements Wh ..read more

It's better late than never! I just published a new podcast episode discussing the results of my goals set for Q4 2023. As an overview, here are the results: ? Career - prepare and execute the purpose of the trip ? Financial - be closer in my goal of having my own place ? Personal Development - continue Toastmasters ? Spiritual - deepen my mindfulness rituals ? Educational - pick up trainings ? Relationship - establish boundaries ? Physical and Health -  cut off habits that no longer serve me 5/7 Finished! Wohoo! ? ~o~ Legend: ? Finished ? Aborted ..read more

The Celestial Kingdom Duology, authored by Sue Lynn Tan, is composed of two books, entitled Daughter of the Moon Goddess (book #1) and Heart of the Sun Warrior (book #2). Both books were published in 2022. Daughter of the Moon Goddess was included in the Goodreads Choice Awards for that year, nominated for Best Fantasy and Best Debut Novel. Both books are set in the Celestial Kingdom world, with Xingyin as the heroine of the story. She is the daughter of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess, and both books follow her adventures around the Celestial Kingdom. Xingyin resides on the moon with her ..read more

Since being introduced to the magical world of Kindle reading, I just could not get enough of it. As a bookworm (I've been doing Goodreads book challenges since 2013), I just love the adventure of being lost inside a book, and it just became more convenient, now that I have a Kindle. I have mentioned on the blog before how I was so enthralled by this reading device. There were lots of choices of titles and materials on the Kindle online library. I can browse for titles of my next read on the Kindle itself or search via an online browser. It’s so convenient — with just a few clicks, I ea ..read more

The sky was a beautiful hue of blue that day, and the setting moon was still visible in the horizon. On this peaceful day, we laid to rest one of the most generous souls I know. It's a very curious thing how certain experiences change our lives permanently. The world, as we see it, changes drastically before and after that event. One of those events is experiencing death. Witnessing death in the Harry Potter wizarding world results in one having the ability to see thestrals. It's a taboo, even in that magical world, and every witch and wizard that realizes that they can now see the ..read more

Photo taken at Shirakawa-go, Japan I just came back from a two-week international trip with friends, and since coming back, I was just feeling overwhelmed and all over the place. I felt restless, and I was losing interest in everything. It was a sign that I was entering a slump phase again. I tried to confront these feelings. I tried journaling, but I couldn't seem to find the words to truly express what I was feeling. ? And then slowly, things started to become clearer. I have realized that I was not feeling grounded, because during those days of the trip, I wasn't able to listen t ..read more

It's been a while since I got hooked reading a novel. I thought this was because of my shortening attention span (due all the doom scrolling that I have done on social media ?). However, I realized it just depends on the material that I am reading. In this case, I was able to finish three books in a matter of weeks. That says something about how good the series is. I'm referring to the "Shadow & Bones" trilogy, written by Leigh Bardugo. The series has been picked up by Netflix and created two seasons for the adaptation of the novel.  I have first encountered the Grishaverse (as the ..read more

?‍? Career - prepare and execute the purpose of the trip ? Financial - be closer in my goal of having my own place ? complete notes from seminar ? trim down options that I have ? pros and cons of owning a place ? Personal Development - continue Toastmasters ? finish the video task ? join the coaching sessions ? attend meetings ?‍♀️ Spiritual - deepen my mindfulness rituals ? meditation, journaling ? lock down morning and evening rituals ? tarot cards ? Jason Stephenson's course ? Educational - pick up trainings ? finish the notes ? book more trainings ❤️ Relationship - establish boun ..read more

It's intriguing to think about how we honor our loved ones one last time after they have passed away from this world. We all get together and pay our last respects to the now lifeless body that used to be the vessel of the soul of someone dear to us. It's like a reunion, and together we reminisce about the old times and the memories that we have shared with this person. Experiencing this event, I realized just how powerful being alive really is. This body is our shell wherein we get to communicate and express ourselves to other people. Each of us get to talk to each other and say how we fe ..read more

Our team at work has started to adapt to the scrum method for planning and implementing our deliverables. When it was first announced, I felt some level of shock on how things will be done differently. Coincidentally, I was in this headspace of being a student of life by studying something every night instead of doom scrolling on my phone ?. And so, I decided that this topic will be my first subject to study on. ?Reference  Scrum: Novice to Ninja M. David Green    This book worked well as a headstart on the details of the Scrum process. Reading this greatly helped me in fol ..read more