'Tis the day after Christmas, so let the preparations for the New Year commence!

One of my favorite things about the turning of another calendar year is picking out a planner for the year ahead. I'm still old school, you know. Even with two smartphones (one personal, one for work) and hundreds of productivity apps at my disposal, nothing beats putting pen to paper. My brain is wired to retain more information that way.

For 2013, I used a Moleskine Le Petit Prince planner. For this coming year though, I decided to get a Belle de Jour Power Planner. I've been a fan of BDJ ever since they started and I got my 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 planners from them. I stopped buying when I felt that the more recent designs left little room for customization though. See my customized 2012 Moonleaf Tea Shop planner here. When I saw samples of the 2014 version, I was sold! It was time to get myself a BDJ planner again. ♡

Imagine my delight when the Belle de Jour team emailed me saying they'll send me a complimentary planner! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧


This arrived early this month, and I seriously had to restrain myself from jotting down anything before I could take some nice photos for posterity. Here are my favorite parts of the Belle de Jour 2014 Power Planner, although I took a photo of almost e-ve-ry part so, yeah, here you go. o(^▽^)o

Blank inside front pages I can fill with my photos with family and friends

A powerful quote

I refer to these as the monthly cover pages hee. I can also list down books read and movies watched within the month in that blank square at the bottom.

Weekly display I am really happy with all those blank spaces because blank spaces = more space to write on!

Each month is preceded by an article, with every single one aiming for self-improvement and empowerment.

And of course, what BDJ is known for: coupons! There are so many and I'm glad because I know I can use most of them! Some, I can give to my girl friends.

Coupon Tracker Very helpful in, uh, tracking the coupons you've already used, and what you still have left

2014 goals-in-a-glance I seriously don't know what I'm going to write there yet.

They say you can fulfill your dream better if you create a vision board, thereby inspiring you to work harder towards fulfilling it. I'm going to fill this dream board with stickers and doodles. I can't wait!

I already have a Menstrual Tracker app in my phone, but it might be helpful to have a "physical" version.

(Ulp) Bills Tracker and Cash Flow Tracker These will be very helpful to me when it comes to managing my finances. I swear I am going to be more responsible by filling out the fields here regularly.

2014 and 2015 in a glance

There is a compartment at the back with a plastic sleeve where you can keep your coupons in and STICKERS! Who doesn't love stickers, right?

As an added bonus to BDJ planner users, everyone also gets a Belle de Jour Lifestyle Card that offers a lot of discounts and freebies from partner establishments!


My favorite is the Free Upsize privilege from all The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf branches!

If I have any gripe about the planner at all, it's that I wish they didn't put ad spots in it. Or if they must, I wish those could have been as inconspicuous as possible. In any case, I've already collated some photos and quotes to print out so I can personalize my Belle de Jour Power Planner. Yay!


I will make my life a masterpiece by being more passionate (if that is even possible), feeding my insatiable hunger for learning, and saying YES to possibilities. Thank you, BDJ team. I can't wait to jump start 2014! I just know this coming year is going to be amazing!


Disclosure: The Belle de Jour 2014 Power Planner was sent to me for free as a "thank you" for my posts about my old BDJ planners. You can get yours by ordering online or by visiting the local bookstore nearest you.  All opinions are my own.

I seek magic, I seek adventure - those, I find between the pages of a book.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman has been in my to-read list for so long. Seeing that it is a cult favorite and one of the most referenced fictional works in pop culture history (most recent I've seen is the third episode of How I Met Your Mother's ninth season, Last Time in New York), I thought perhaps it would be a nice book to end 2013 with.


I finished it in less than 24 hours and I couldn't have been more right. I know I am generous when it comes to hyperboles but really, I regret not reading this earlier as it is definitely one of the most wonderful books I have ever read, even besting Neil Gaiman's Stardust in my personal list of favorite fairy tales.

What is it about, you ask? "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles." Royalty and pirates, too. I don't want to give too much away for those who haven't read it yet, but in a nutshell it's about a farm boy named Westley and a beautiful girl named Buttercup who fight against a war-loving prince and R.O.U.S.s (Rodents of Unusual Size), all for true love. "Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches."

I was so emotionally invested that when the storyteller said that Westley has died for the second time, I literally wanted to throw my Kindle against the wall. "Like Buttercup's, my heart was now a secret garden and the walls were very high." Yes, my Kindle is one of my most prized possessions, but such was the intensity of my despair. "It was too unfair. You expected unfairness if you breathed, but this went beyond that."

Even more than the plot, I was blown away by the literary device that William Goldman used. Because of the quite lengthy and elaborate introduction and asides peppered throughout the book, he made me believe that it was originally written by S. Morgenstern and he is just telling us an abridged version that includes all the "good parts" his father used to tell him, removing all the other satirical parts Morgenstern has supposedly put in. I found out the truth soon enough, heh. Because I have the tendency to obsess over books and movies I found awesome, I read up on the subject as much as I can. That's how I found out, heh.

Today, I watched the movie adaptation. Twice.

They removed several elements (like the Zoo of Death and Fezzik's back-story) and changed some things here and there, but the essence, fun, and wit of The Princess Bride was still there. Did you know that the book was written in 1973 and the movie was shown one year after I was born? Timeless, indeed. I loved it.

Rarely does it happen that a minor character captures my interest more than the main protagonists. In both movie and book, Inigo Montoya easily became one of my ultimate favorite fictional characters. He has such a soft heart and a sad back-story that it felt really good to see him succeed in the end. I wanted to cheer every time he's in the scene.

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I am so happy that I finally got to read the book and watch the movie. They certainly don't make them like they used to. Now watch me force my friends to read and see it, too recommend this to all my friends, too.

But really, who can look at Westley like this and not want to fight the world for a chance at true love? "This is true love; you think this happens every day?"

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The Princess Bride has earned its rightful special place in my heart. Looking forward to more magic and adventure. On to the next book!

Handmade gift tags because why ever not?

I hope everyone is having a grand time! And just because it's still relevant, I'm reposting here the Christmas mix-tape I made last year.

May your bellies be full and your hearts merry, and however which way you plan to celebrate this day, I pray you celebrate it with the people you hold most dear. From my family to yours, Happy Christmas!

Hola! How are you? And you? And you? Are you done with your Christmas shopping yet? I hope so! And I hope everyone's feeling chipper, especially now that there are only *gasp* a little more than 24 hours before Christmas!

As for me, I spent the whole weekend holed up in my aunt's cozy house in Valenzuela and I couldn't have been more refreshed and recharged.

All I did were eat, watch TV, check my social media feeds via my phone, read, and sleep. A lot. It was definitely cozy and quiet there. Maybe a little too quiet for my own liking because when I woke up this morning all I wanted to do was go home and get ready for work.

Except I didn't have work today. I have a five-day Christmas break and am not required to go to the office until Thursday. Quite a nice change of pace from my old job where we needed to go to work even during holidays, but the moment I got home for real this afternoon, I was itching to turn my computer on and answer some emails for work. I work in PR, and although I acknowledge that industries won't necessarily collapse nor the natural order of the world will be put in chaos if I leave those emails unanswered, I don't really want to wait until Thursday to reply. It didn't take me more than twenty minutes to answer everyone, anyway.

And since it was the last weekend before Christmas and I am thankful to enjoy the comforts of my aunt's house while the rest of the world are probably going crazy with last minute preparations, I decided on a holiday read to, you know, set me in the mood for the holidays or something - if I weren't in the mood enough hee.

Let It Snow is a bundle of three Christmas reads in one: The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson, A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green, and The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle. At first I thought the stories were independent from one another like those Shake, Rattle & Roll movies. It wasn't until I was beginning with John Green's contribution when I realized that the stories were all actually interconnected, like Love, Actually (a very astute observation, LOL). I finished it in less than two days, and I liked it because it's witty and funny and the characters are not without flaws. In short, very believable. I liked it, although I think I liked David Levithan and Rachel Cohn's Dash & Lily's Book of Dares more.

After reading Let It Snow, I checked my Kindle and noted that I was able to finish 32 books this year via Max. 37, if you count rereads. "Physical" books, I'm not sure as I wasn't able to count, although I know I read Books of Adam and Kikomachine Komix Blg. 9 this year. Resolution for 2014: make sure to note all books read so as to make sure I made good on my personal goal of at least 52 books before the year ends. Movies, too. I think I will be able to clock in at least two more books before 2013 ends, and so since I have a flair for the theatrics, I made myself go through the unnecessary drama/ pressure of choosing which to read.

I chose William Goldman's abridged version of S. Morgenstern's The Princess Bride because I have read far too many lists recommending both the movie and the book (it was even referenced in a How I Met Your Mother episode!), and because it has been in my to-read list for years now! I stopped at the chapter with Fezzik's story this afternoon, and I can't wait to go back to reading it right after I click on Publish.

I wouldn't want to take too long now. I just dropped by to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas, and I pray we don't forget why we're celebrating it.

Christmas jar (with nuts, almonds, walnuts, cashew, marshmallows, and chocolates!) from Healthy Monsters. All my aunts and uncles are getting one from me this Christmas!

Happy holidays, everyone! May your bellies be full and your hearts be merry!

This is a review of Anne Plaza's book In Over Head for Book Junkie Blog Tours. View the links of other participating bloggers and join the giveaway by visiting this link.

All she wants is to get even... 

Erika Apostol's quiet and unassuming life gets disrupted when she learns that Richard Javier, the very same person who broke her heart many years ago, is now back in the country. Her world is turned upside down as old feelings she thought were buried resurface to haunt her once more. 

Determined to give Richard a dose of his own medicine, Erika finds herself involved in an outrageous plan devised by her friends. They enlist the help of Jerome Gonzales, an attractive and charismatic DJ (with a playboy reputation), to pose as her significant other. 

As the plan goes in full swing, Erika discovers Richard's jealous side, and that there's something more to Jerome than meets the eye. Will this grand charade work out the way it should, or will she be left with nothing in the end?

Amazon | Smashwords | Goodreads | Paperback

My takeaway from all of this? Be honest to one another. You don't have to tell your boyfriend/ girlfriend every minute detail of your life, but at least tell him/ her about the stuff that matters. And if you're going to break up with him/ her, have the decency to say the real reason why. You owe it to the yourself and the other person. However much it would hurt, being honest is being kind and in the end, being kind is ultimately the most important thing.

I am not a chocoholic per se but I do love me a good batch of brownies. Meanwhile, my mom and siblings are huge chocoholics and brownie-lovers that whenever I bring home a box of Brownies! Unlimited (which are their absolute favorite), they'd end up fighting over it, albeit playfully. Imagine their delight when I took these home:

Are you curious about those packs of Brownie Chips? Well, imagine your favorite brownies. And then, imagine them being flattened very thinly and then made a little bit more brittle. Can you visualize it now? Great! The new Brownie Chips are actually the very first of its kind that I've seen, and I love it because it's so yummy and chocolate-y. Not too sweet, it's just right. If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can pick up a pack (or two, or more!) at all Brownies! Unlimited branches nationwide. 

My friends and I enjoying the Brownie Chips This photo was taken last Friday so my hair wasn't red yet. ^_^

And here's the most important news of all! Aside from the existing flavors of brownies we know and love, Brownies! Unlimited has added TWELVE new flavors to their menu!

Click the photo for a bigger look, you know you want to!

My favorite is the Red Velvet. I always make sure I get dibs on it every time I take home a box. These would make excellent gifts to your friends and colleagues, too! Flexible, too. Here are the boxes available together with their price points as a guide:

• Box of 4 for P90.00 - Red Velvet, Choc O' Malt, Sunburst, Kriss Kross
• Box of 6 for P120.00 - Rocky Road, Mississippi, Walnut Swirl, Potato Strings, Choc O' Chips, S'mores
• Box of 10 for P150.00 - Two pieces each of Black & White, Mississippi, Sunbursts, Kriss Kross, and Rocky Road
• Box of 12 for P220.00 - One piece each of all variants