Never Dainty

• People with curly hair do not need to shampoo everyday. However, conditioning is important every time you shower. Choose shampoo and conditioner that leaves you feeling good, not the ones that make you feel like you haven't cleaned it at all.
• Air dry or blow dry your hair. Choosing to completely blow dry your hair can cause frizz and you don't want that. So stop the drying before your hair is completely dry. Alternate it with air drying once or twice in a week.
• Avoid the daily use of these: elastic bands, blow driers, flat irons, and chemicals.
• Do not use a lot of products. Just use a small amount, rub your palms together to warm it up, then use evenly. Using a lot of products can weigh your hair down. You wouldn't want that. Products that contain alcohol should also be avoided as they dry your hair and often increase frizzies.
• Brushes are the usual culprit of frizz. Use combs or better yet, use your fingers.

Labels: how to, improvement, lifestyle, preservation, street smarts, tips, tricks, women

1. Ball pens (I normally have 2)
2. Coin purse (I don't bring a lot of cash around especially since the frequent robberies here)
3. Glasses (I hate wearing my glasses all the time, but I use them frequently)
4. Menthol stick/cone (for headaches, colds, nausea: Five Cranes)
5. Eye-drops (Celluvisc MD; Sterile Opthalmic Drops Eye Lubricant - opthalmologist prescribed)
6. Beauty kit (just in case I feel like going girly [lipgloss, lipstick, eyeliner,face powder, leave-on conditioner])
7. Cellphone
8. Hair doctor comb
9. Small notepad
10. Company ID

1. Wallet (of course!)
2. Coin purse (it seems I have a lot of coins)
3. Pen
4. Cellphones (yes, I have two...)
5. Ipod Video
6. School Id (unfortunately I still need to enter the campus grouds)
7. Lip Gloss (currently using Sweet Talk by Victoria's Secret)
8. Hair Doctor (brush/comb)
9. Pieces of paper (I need to throw them away)
10. Hand Sanitizer (Bath & Body Works Country Apple)

Labels: daily, female stuff, meme, personal matters, women

1. Even when you're about to breastfeed, we get turned on because we're guys and we just see boobs.
2. When we're left in charge, we break all the rules. (Sorry Trista, I know you said it was too cold for Max and I to go out the other day, but we bundled up and did.)
3. Sometimes we "don't realize" they have poopy diapers and let you discover it.
4. Dads are sensitive too, and sometimes we feel fat.
5. Honestly, we do steal glances at 25-year-olds who walk by. That's why we never leave home without our sunglasses!
6. We really do love having our mothers-in-law around when they help with the kids and give us a break.
7. We're actually really proud when he discovers his pee-pee.
8. It's really sexy when you have no makeup on. Honestly, we prefer less makeup and seeing you in casual clothes.
9. We're scared to death during the days leading up to the due date. We have no idea what to expect during the birth process. Everyone says just focus on caring for your wife...what does that mean? We need more direction than that!
10. We just don't talk about beer and sports with our friends. We actually talk about being dads and how much we love our kids and wives.

Labels: celebrity, Dads, discussion, men, mothers, people, Ryan Sutter, women

• A "Good morning!" One ex-colleague of mine remarked one time while we were on training how not a lot of people actually greet people they meet in the morning with that time-old greeting. Since then, I have made it a practice to greet people, "Good morning!" (with a smile of course) as often as I can. Sure enough, it makes other people smile and feel like they really can have a more pleasant morning.
• Greeting elderly people. Elderly people often feel alone and left out in the everyday hustle and bustle of young'ns. Have a heart. Show those who are in their Golden Age some love by giving them some attention and greeting. No doubt you will warm their hearts.
• Tell an older woman she looks lovely. I've found out that the older women get, the more concious they are with their appearance. They often feel like they are on a verge of becoming a withered fruit. Although she may not be quick to trust you, if you assure her that it is true, I am pretty sure it will make her day complete. See it for yourself.
• The power of "Thank You!" Sometimes when service is given to us, we automatically assume that it is our right that they are serving us and that they should at least be honored that they have us as customers. Admit it! You've got "the customer is always right" written all over your face. You should keep in mind that even if they mess it up or do a good job, they still deserve at least a "thank you" for their efforts. Do it, and for sure you have earned a smile, or at least better service next time.
• Share a smile. I may not be the perfect person to say this, but over the years I've learned that a smile can go a long long way. Of course, bad days are bad days, and sometimes one cannot simply just flash that blinding smile. But bear in mind, what if somebody else had a bad day and was scowling at you, you wouldn't like it one bit. Right?

Labels: daily, friendship, improvement, people, prayers, smiles, Sunday Goodness, women

Though it seems like a great way to get a lot of things done, at the end of the day, I feel like I have been dragged through every room of the house. That happens on most days. There are days, though, that I don't feel too tired. Perhaps my body has adjusted to the multitasking.

One thing at a time.

After all things considered, I realized that it is best to do just one thing at a time. That way, you can work your absolute best, and concentrate more on what is being done at hand. Scheduling the things that must be done is indeed a good idea. I am trying real hard to do this. Somehow, I find myself almost always short of time. And then these would be the moments where I wish I would be able to have 36 hours a day.

Doing things one at a time allows you to sort out your activities and plan them carefully. Something I need to do. It is most definitely going to be an uphill battle, but from the bottom of my heart, I think this is for the best. God knows, perhaps this is what I needed all alone.

Indeed, the great PoohBah knew a lot when he told me when I was a n00b that burn-out should be

Introducing GTD (Getting Things Done) by David Allen

Have you ever heard of GTD? I have. I've known about this for a year or so now, but I have never been able to put it into practice. I've read a lot about it, but procrastination is indeed a curse, and it has put my goal of learning this into the back seat. All the more that I need to learn it now.

So I renew my goal of learning GTD. I got the following from Wikipedia in hopes of sharing it with you, too. In case you're one dove-tailing person like moi. Read up about this more and let's see what happens. So anyway, here is the process of GTD, and a step towards organization (still under GTD).

Process

When processing a bucket, a strict workflow is followed:

* Start at the top.
* Deal with one item at a time.
* Never put anything back into 'in'.
* If an item requires action:

* Do it (if it takes less than two minutes), OR
* Delegate it, OR
* Defer it.

* If an item does not require action:

* File it for reference, OR
* Throw it away, OR
* Incubate it for possible action later.

If it takes under two minutes to do something, just do it immediately. The two-minute rule is a guideline, encompassing roughly the time it would take to defer the action formally.

Organize

Allen describes a suggested set of lists which can be used to keep track of items awaiting attention:

* Next actions — For every item requiring attention, decide what is the next action that can be physically taken on that item. For example, if the item is, "Write project report," the next action might be, "Email Fred for meeting minutes," or, "Call Mary to ask about report requirements." Though there may be many steps and actions required to complete the item, there will always be something that needs to be done first, and this step should be recorded in the next actions list. Preferably, these steps are organized by the context in which they can be done, such as "in the office," "by the phone," or "at the store."
* Projects — Every open loop in one's life or work which requires more than one physical action to achieve becomes a project. These projects are tracked and periodically reviewed to make sure that every project has a next action associated with it, and thus can be moved forward.
* Waiting for — When an action has been delegated to someone else, or when one is waiting for some external event before a project can be moved forward, this is tracked in the system and periodically checked to see if action is due, or a reminder needs to be sent.
* Someday/Maybe — Things to be done at some point, but not right now. Examples might be "learn Chinese," or, "take diving holiday."

So! Let's get this multitasking out of our system and embrace the Art of organizing and getting things done!!

Cheers!!!

Labels: getting things done, good finds, improvement, multitasking, opinion, personal matters, productivity, tips, women

Tracy LaGondino (Before pregnancy and becoming Thomas Beatie)

Thomas Beatie - Pregnant Man (with wife Nancy)

Labels: discussion, female stuff, men, opinion, pregnancy, Thomas Beatie, women

Over the short course of three years, I have managed to give birth to two beautiful (if I may say so myself) babies. At a relatively young age of 23, I am already a mother of a 2-year old girl and a 1-year old baby boy. And I am very much happy with both of them. Thank you very much!

However, in as much as I do love my babies, I really do not want a third bouncing baby. I mean, it is just too much for me to handle, I guess. I would like another baby.. but just not right now. You get my drift?

Honestly? I am not a whiz at determining if I am pregnant or not. Up until a couple of months ago. :) My paranoia at getting pregnant has taught me a lot to watch out for symptoms and signs that I think I might be getting good at it. Hahahaha..

Recent events got me researching all over the Internet and asking around as to how to tell if one is pregnant. What happened? Oh nothing really... Just a bunch of people asking me if I'm pregnant or not. Some say I must be pregnant because I lost weight, while some ask if I am because I gained weight. Some asked because I seem to be blooming, and some, well, some people just ask because it seems I keep spawning. LoL

I would like to share them with you, just in case. Here are ways to determine if you've got a bun in your oven. Not all of them may apply, but you are welcome to try ALL of them. It never hurts to try, you know.

• hCG test - Nothing like a good test to get rid of all anxiety and get to the bottom of things. Although there are some versions of this test that just do not work. So it does not exactly work 100%, but then again, what does? I did not know I had my second baby because I took 3 hCG tests and 2 came out negative and 1 positive. I believed the Negative. Wahaha.. Yeah, I believe what I want to believe.
• Frequent Urination - One sign that was a dead giveaway for me was the frequent urination. Especially in the middle of the night. Even at work, I wondered why I had to urinate every hour or so. Then again, that happened to me recently, too. But I realized I just drink a LOT of water these days. :D
• Drowsiness - This one, for me, hits the mark. When I had my first baby, all I could think about was sleep. I just wanted to sleep, sleep, and sleep. And sleep I did! If there is no reason why you should be sleepy all the time then, CONGRATULATIONS!
• Increased appetite and cravings - For some women, the increase of appetite simply means menstruation is just around the bend. However, I believe it is when the would-be-pregnant woman would crave for something that is often illogical to crave for, THAT is it! For example, when I was pregnant with my second baby, I would ask my husband to buy me banana cue at 12 a.m. :D OR like my aunt who would ask her husband to go to events and stuff and make sure he brought home the private part of a girl lechon for her to eat. If he couldn't bring it, then he better not come home at all. See!
• Increase of weight / bloating - Well, there are many explanations for an increase of a woman's weight. Sometimes this is due to the menstruation, still. But if she continues to gain weight, then what else could it be?
• Missed period - Of course! If you miss it, then there must be wrong. This should be warning enough for you, right? Then again, I've had times where I missed it for a couple of months, then it just comes back...! *whew!*
• Quickening - This is defined as the movement of the baby inside the womb. This actually almost made me faint. When I felt my baby move, I was then pretty sure I had something. Worms wouldnt make much movement, right? What else could it be? Hyperacidity just does not kick that much.
• Heartbeat in the womb - If there is a separate heartbeat inside of you, I believe you should have yourself checked. Because if that is not a baby, then you really should be worried.
• Moodiness - Women tend to have PMS (Pre-menstrual Syndrome). However, in this case, the if the moodiness does not go away after a while, then, "Houston, we have a bun in the oven."
• Unusually big midsection - Sometimes it comes out as a beer belly (yes, some women have beer bellies), and sometimes it is actually a baby. There are some cases, though, for some lucky women where the midsection does not grow as big as it is supposed to. These are the cases when one does not really know for sure.
• Glowing - I am not saying that the woman glows like a glow-worm. All I'm saying is that a pregnant woman has this GLOW around her. I really can't explain it much. It just is.
• Breast tenderness - The breast area often becomes tender and somewhat swollen when the woman is pregnant. I believe it is the hormones. A friend of mine asked me once about this, and I think that there is this fine line between the tenderness when the woman is about to have her monthly visitor, or the woman would not be in contact with that visitor for another 9 months or so.

I think I have listed a couple of signs already. I will try to update this as I go around and pick up more clues.

I do believe that children/babies are blessings from God. God would not give you something that He knows you cannot handle. That's why I keep my head up. I keep pushing and pushing because I know that I can do this. It is a shame to bring a child into this world, only to let it suffer. Be smart! ;) I know I'm trying. Hehehe..

Labels: female stuff, how to, opinion, pregnancy, tips, tricks, women