Do you have a specific time of the day to plan your stuff? Like say, when you wake up in the morning or after taking your breakfast? Most people do. There are so many apps (yes I'm a geek!) that teaches you relax your mind so that you can better plan ahead.

But why do I ask? Because I find mine odd. I can think or plan most when I'm in the bathroom, just sitting there staring at nothing. Or when I'm in the car, either as a passenger or as a driver.

Some people do their thinking when they are in a meeting room or a conference room or in their own offices. For me, it depends. Sometimes in a meeting I just wanna listen.

It is when my mind can truly wander that I can think of so many things. I find the scenery during travels as a time for me to think. I find the silence in the bathroom as a time for me to think. How about you, do you have a special time to think?

Pilot Petite

A few weeks back I stumbled upon these tiny pens that were so cheap about P100 each. So naturally the hoarder in me just had to get them. I've been so curious with these pens I saw online that I was so happy to actually see them at SM Department Store. I decided to get the blue, orange and apple green. At the time I thought the inks that went with them were just black or blue as it usually comes with. I was surprised that it came with inks the same color as the pens. These are Pilot Petite.

Each cartridge inside has a secure cap. You have to take it out before you can psh the ink cartridge into the pen.

Here's how the ink flows. My paper was just ordinary paper. So you can see some blots. 

If you like small pens, you might like the Pilot Petite.

Apps for Reading

In my previous post I've talked about some devices that you can use if you like ebooks. Some sellers on Instagram and Facebook sells unlimited access to their collection for about P300. Some sell ebooks at P1, P5 or even P10 each. Just type in ebooks and a lot of accounts would pop up.

Here are some of the devices that I know. 

Here is Kindle. This is just one of the products that they have. They have those cheaper ones that are black and white. This is Kindle Fire. I've read great review about it. Runs on Android I think. If you wanna buy their books, they offer free ebooks. But perhaps those you like would cost you something. You can download ebooks in Amazon. Or maybe you can put ebooks through your computer and just transfer them to your devices. You can buy them through Amazon or you can get in touch with GMET Trading on Facebook. They are Philippine-based sellers. They can buy the item for you in the US and you just pay them in peso plus shipping fee. 

Kindle

This one is from Kobo. Again, they have so many other products that you can choose from, depends on what you like. National Book Store carries Kobo. The cheapest one I saw is about P3,000 to P4,000 I think. Again you can download the ebook on your computer and just transfer them to your devices.

Kobo

Now perhaps you don't wanna buy those devices and just wanna use their appls, there is also some apps available through Google Play Store or Apple App Store that you can download. Here's a few of them. 

The Kindle app is good. You can change the lighting in your background, change the font if you want. You can also download the books across all your devices if you have other devices that has Kindle App in it. But I just noted that it crashes most of the time.

Kindle App

The Kobo app is a good one as well. It tells you how many percent of the book have you read. Plus if you have friends who also uses Kobo, you can see what they're reading. You can change the background light, the font, the font size. But I find that it takes time for the app to move. Like it slows down sometimes. Doesn't react automatically with your gestures.

Kobo App

This is the latest and the only one that I had the courage to subscribed to, Scribd. They offer ebooks, audiobooks, music notes, journals and other items. They have Archie comic books, and can show you what other people are subscribed to. The downside is, they didn't carry all the authors. Like they don't have Og Mandino or EE Cummings. But they have a wide range of other selections that you might like. You can store your library offline or let it stay on icloud.

Scribd App

Last on my list is the iBook. I have to be honest. I find other devices to be confusing. I'm a control freak and I find that when I use other devices other than Apple products, I get this headache. I think I have more than 400 ebooks in my collection that I haven't finished reading. Some I downloaded on the internet. When you finish downloading pdf file on the net, it would give u choices on where to open the book, I always choose iBook. There are other apps that would let you annotate or put mark up, but I find iBook simple enough to provide me with what I need. Believe me I've tried other apps, though I find them good, my headache tells me to go back to the simplest :)

iBook App

So there you go, I hope it helped. If you think I missed some of the best devices and apps out there, do let me know in the comments section below. Would love to hear your side.

Disclaimer:

*Photos are from Amazon. Some are my own screenshot from my iphone.

*I was not paid for this post. 

iBooks and Other Stuff

Confused ... that's how I sometimes feel. I'm the kind of person that wouldn't be complete if I didn't bring this or that. That's why my bag feels so heavy. Every week I have to do the 5s (sort, sweep, systematize, standardize and self-discipline. Well well, I remembered something from my classes :)) Aside from the fact that I change bags almost every week depending on my mood. Okay wait I'm far from my point today.

Again, I'm the kind of person who would wanna bring the whole house with me, if possible, wherever I go. And I know some of you feel the same way. That includes books. I've said countless times that I love to read books. I used to have one in my bag all the time. It wasn't until the Fifty Shades of Grey series that I started using ebooks diligently. I used iBooks before only with my medical books. I didn't wanna have to bring those big books around. The iBook made it so convenient. A lot of devices are available actually that offers the same thing. There's the Samsung tablets that are in the market. There's also the Kobo which National Bookstore carries. There's also Kindle. Depending on what you really want, there's a lot of available devices in the market. I'll put that in another post.

But once in a while, a nice book is what you need. Especially for times when you're head is spinning from looking at the devices. That you would want to just enjoy the day with the smell of the books and the sound of the pages flipping. You'd know if that person really loves books or papers if they get into the detail of smelling the books.

The downside of books if the weight. Some books are heavy especially for hard bound books. The advantage is in the learning curve. I've read that using physical books (if I might say so) are better in retaining memory, which means you study better with actual books.

I'm thinking of putting up a lending business for books (wink). We just have so many that we don't know how to dispose them. What do you recommend?

Diplomate Course in Occupational Medicine Module 1

My mother pushed me several times to go on residency training. I wanted to do so. But time and chance didn't have it for me. So I continued as a general practioner but I have had so many trainings given by different private organizations and government agencies. 

I was able to take my basic training in Occupational Medicine back in 2013. I've always wanted to pursue a diplomate training. But it wasn't offered in Davao City... until now.

You never know what you will have until you try it. Before attending this training, I had second thoughts. I've been telling my husband that I didn't wanna go but he kept pushing me. He saw my excitement when I first told him about it and perhaps he knew that I really wanted this. But on the day before the training, I was really nervous, not knowing what to expect the next day. 

But he insisted that I should grab the opportunity and so on I went. It was really fun and educational. I got to see my schoolmates in medschool and I go to test what I learned.

Here we are, finally done with module 1. They said it's just the beginning. Wait till we get to the next module it's gonna be a different story. So onwards I go!

My Cacti

On my birthday, I don't really like to celebrate big time. I look at my day as a day when I can finally just lay down in bed without hubby getting mad. Which I did by the way.. hehehe. But before I could do so, my co-workers surprised me early in the morning by singing a birthday song PLUS these gorgeous cacti. OR I think they are.

Some cacti I planted on a soil but these were quite different so I decided to take a few hours out of the bed to plant them.

Here I have some pebbles which we bought and hand-picked based on size and color. On the side is my mother's old ashtray. Well first I had to clean the rocks which were freshly picked from the shore, and then I had to clean the plants too.

I first filled the ashtray with pebbles, then I placed the cacti on different areas. And Viola!

Here's another shot of the plants. 

Buntis Congress with UNFPA

Last month, Buntis Congress was held in Barangay Demoloc together with 3 other barangays namely Kilalag, Pinalpalan and Datu Danwata. This was the first time that UNFPA or the United Nations Population Fund gave assitance to Malita. This was also in partnership with IP-MNCHN and DOH. This program aimed to celebrate pregnancy and the importance of ensuring the safety of mother and child by visiting their health providers, which in the local community, is their midwives.

A preview of exercises that pregnant women can do.

This is Dra. Sabay of UNFPA who brought with her some kits which included towels, baby clothes, toiletries among other stuff. Here she's showing a poster specifically made and translated to the local dialect for Malita. Will do another post on these posters.

Staff from IP-MNCHN, NCIP and UNFPA showing the audience what's inside the kit.

Miss Elenette Calinawan, a PHN from RHU-Malita and Miss Leah Labis, a midwife showing pregnant women how to do breastfeeding. Some women has the impression that it is easy to do. But in reality, it's harder than you think. For someone who has breastfed and pumped milk for 3 children, it is a skill. It doesn't come naturally. And with the growing pressure of using formula milk, more stress has to be made to ensure breastfeeding.

A few BHWs from 4 barangays doing dramatizations of different situations of pregnant women.

Here with Dra. Lala Wachurna who is a Doctor-to-the-Barrio, a very very hardworking woman (trust me when I say hardworking).

Just to show you the pregnant mothers who joined us that day.

Posters

Here are the posters made by IPHC. This concentrated on MNCHN or the Maternal, Neonatal, Child Health and Nutrition Program. This was translated to Tagacaolo tongue.

Celebrations

If there's one thing we take pride of in every family, it's when we find success not only for ourselves but also for others. This was a celebration of 3 persons who passed different licensure exams: achitecture, CPA and medical technology.

This was in Jaca Resort at Matinga Pangi. We had the whole place for ourselves.

Well kids love water and as you can see they were having a great time. Spending a lot of time in their lolo's pool helped them learn to swim. 

Hubby's Very Own Spanish Sardines

One day, my husband had this idea of making his very own spanish sardines. But since sardines were harder to find, he opted to use small bangus or milkfish. This was the first batch we made with different amounts of salt.

This was cooked inside a pressure cooker directly. 

And this is the final product. 

Wait for the release soon.

Hubby's Birthday

Let's just say he was surprised. We didn't tell him we had something prepared for him. The kids were waiting at home to surprise him. it was a good day for him.

We prepared a small feast, made him blow his candle too:)

We invited a few friends of his.

Overall, it was a good night.

First Communion

A few months ago R had her first communion. I tell you, I'm a cry mama. Whenever my kids reach a milestone, a drop a tear. It's just so good to see the kids reach their potential as they grow. I didn't went through this. I studied in a Chinese school so I didn't get to do this. And to see my kids pass it, the feeling is just overwhelming. Here's a few shots of that.

Provincial ELA

Once every three years the local government undergoes an executive legislative agenda where the two sides of government service meet and dicuss the different programs that the executive side wants to implement. This is a great venue to discuss matters that would lead to smooth implementation of the different programs. This is also a great opportunity for the executive side to lay down its plans for the legislative side to understand. It was also a great avenue for the legislative body to get to know the different department heads.

The first day was the presentation of the different program by the department heads. Not only were the  Sangguniang Panlalawigan members there, the Mayors and Vice Mayors of the different municipalities were also invited.

Here I was presenting the health data for 2015. You wouldn't notice but I was so nervous standing in front of the SP members for the first time.

The second day was also filled with so much learning. Regional Directors from different National Agencies were there to give their insights.

And before the workshop ends, it would not be complete without a group photo. Here are the different employees of the Provincial Government.

And here we are again with the SP members. Some of the department heads were not present during this photo was taken because of an engagement on another area.

The Voice

I love music. No, no. No more explaining to do. Take it as it is.

I looooooove music. 

I don't have a great voice but I know a good one when I hear it. So with that said, here's a tv show that features great voices... yup, it's "The Voice".

(Photo taken from the internet)

And what's more is this time, they have Alicia Keys (OMG!!!) The woman has a wonderful wonderful voice.

The contestants... ooohhh, how am I gonna say it, it's a surprise one after the next. and it's a good good surprise. (Can you hear the excitement in my words????) Yap I'm watching it right now. Now go, see it for yourself.

Shadows

I'm not usually good when it comes to using brushes, even with my digital artworks. So if you notice most of my digital artworks are made with pens and markers.  But nontheless, it doesn't stop me from trying.