Holiday Cheers

My most recent visit to the endocrinologist was a week ago, and things are going well so far. I wasn't surprised by the results of my blood test because I've been feeling great lately. I started taking thyroid medicine again, choosing the generic variety over the non-generic because I am not sensitive to it. I am thrilled that my symptoms of hyperthyroidism have so far disappeared. My doctor advised me to keep taking my medications and gave me a request for a blood test in case my symptoms returned. I can't believe how quickly my body responded to the meds, which led me to believe that if I had gone to the doctor sooner, I wouldn't have had to deal with all the muscle issues and all the additional anguish it brought. I really didn't like taking meds because of the side effects and everything, but due to my disease, I had no alternative.

It is understandable that many patients, regardless of how urgent their condition, could not afford treatment because healthcare is generally quite expensive. I hope that in the future, fear need not be felt over healthcare. I suppose I'm just fortunate that I received prompt treatment, for which I am thankful. I still think that the health of everyone should come first. One key insight I had was that, no matter how hard you work, if you don't take care of your health, your profits would ultimately be wasted. As they say, prevention is still preferable to cure. Visit a doctor as soon as possible if you sense that something is wrong.

I've finished all of my Christmas shopping, and the holidays are just around the corner. I shopped from the comfort of my house for gifts, decorations, etc. The traffic, the crowds, and not to mention the fact that COVID is still around make me despise waiting in lines at the mall, so I wouldn't. The best option for shopping is still online because it is less demanding.

2022 is quickly coming to an end, therefore I'd like to enjoy every day I have left of it.

Halfway Through 2022

Time flies when you're busy, isn't it? I've been working from so I lose track of time, and then boom! It's August already. Freelancing is pretty convenient, but just like any other job, it's exhausting even if you work from home. Working from home is still better, at least for me because I'm an introvert, also not to mention that it pays well even if it means losing a good night's sleep. I'm not a morning person, but if you're someone like me who has worked graveyard shifts for a very long time, I still hope I get to work in the morning but earn as if you are working at night if you know what I mean. I'm not complaining, just saying.

Okay, so I have been online shopping a lot lately. I must say that I'm a lot lazy to go out since the pandemic simply because everything is readily available on the Internet. Oh, by the way, I and sissy got a kitten 2 months ago from our neighborhood through Facebook which means that our 10-year-old cat is now a big brother to a three-month-old sweet baby girl. Imagine how long it took us to finally adopt another cat. Just last month we adopted a male puppy from the sister of our kitten's previous owner. Everything just happened so fast. I just feel sad that animals without breed are often ignored, something I don't understand. I and my siblings decided to adopt a "puspin and aspin" because they are just as loveable, cute and most of all, not high-maintenance. Animals are animals regardless of their breed. 

I've been feeling restless lately, I need my strength back. I've missed a lot of apples too maybe that's why, they say an apple a day, keeps the doctor away. Yeah, I need plenty of apples. 😛😍🍏

Inclement Weather + Online Shopping

Here comes the rain again. I'm no girl scout but due to the inclement weather, I never leave the house without my rain gear. Rainy day sucks for the most part but what can you do when you live in a country where the only seasons available are wet and dry, plus blame the rest of it on climate change. My cat has been sleeping a lot lately so I can tell that it's cuddle season once again. 

Rain, rain, go away...

Bed weather for Atari cat

Rainy season comes with a lot of delay in terms of parcel deliveries, thank God I got all my packages already. I used to shop on eBay a lot but it takes a month or two before my parcel arrives because majority of the shops are virtually located abroad so I opted for something local although these days I heard that even orders coming from overseas no longer take forever to arrive in the mail but still, I prefer to shop from local sellers just to be sure in case a problem arises. I would like to be able to talk to someone I can understand. I thought I will stay with eBay for the rest of my life until I discovered Shopee maybe three or four years ago (this is not sponsored btw). I am so far still satisfied with their service because I am able to receive my packages in less than a week. Of course, I had my share of order problems in the past but it's nothing major and was resolved in no time. I still enjoy online shopping for over a decade now I guess because I am vigilant enough to know if a seller can be trusted or not. I suggest checking buyer feedback on items that you are looking to purchase first to make sure that it's legit and always opt for online sellers with high ratings and good reviews. It's better to be safe than sorry.

My Shopee haul (L-R): Macbook Air 11 case, 16cm Studio Ring Light & my cute Cat Coffee Teaspoon

A December to Remember

Hello December!

It's only 23 days to go before Christmas...OMGGGG!

So, I went to the mall yesterday and bought stuff for our living room coffee table to put some Xmas vibes on it. I can really tell that the holidays are just around the corner because there are just too many people everywhere I go. Does this mean that 2017 is coming to a close? Yeah, I guess so. 'Tis the most wonderful time of the year indeed.

DIY-ed our living room coffee table decors

Decorating for the holidays doesn't have to cost a lot. You can simply use anything you can find at home and just buy additional ornaments if you feel that it is really necessary to complete the look. We started hanging our holiday lights and assembling our Xmas tree as early as October, I know, it might be a little too early for some but who cares if you really want to experience Xmas early then why not right? I think I spent less than Php500 for our coffee table decors from the gold spray paint (I painted our mini old and boring Xmas tree and reindeer gold) to the little details like the gold leaf, corset flower, and fake grass. I added some colorful balls from our Xmas tree and pine cones for a more festive look. 

Hohoho!

I'm also done with my Xmas shopping I did it super early so I don't have to beat the holiday rush. I bought all my gifts online because it's more convenient not to mention that, it is way cheaper too, but that is only if you are willing to wait especially if it's purchased off eBay it will take about a month (or less if you're lucky) that is why I suggest to do it early to avoid problems like your stuff getting lost in the mail just like what happened to the gift I ordered on eBay for my sister thank God I got my refund because my parcel does not have a tracking number and the seller said that she isn't getting any reply from the courier company. If you've been shopping online for almost a decade now like myself, then you must be aware of the fact that online deliveries are overflowing towards the end of the year and it's a big mistake to order something online just a month before Xmas because chances are, it will not make it especially if it's a present so don't take the risk and eventually get frustrated about it and take it on social media or whatever. In case of lost parcels or any complaints make sure to coordinate with the seller first if they can resolve it instead of stressing yourself, just saying.

Listen up, I also updated my Spotify playlist to my fave Xmas songs as you can see hope you'll enjoy listening while reading my blog.


I guess that's it for now, I hope these tips will help you enjoy this wonderful season.

Happy holidays y'all, TATA! 

Shopaholic

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm feeling excited but haven't started shopping for presents yet. I'm addicted to online shopping I pretty much buy everything online because I love the convenience right at the comfort of my own home plus going to the mall as the holiday gets close is such a pain, the crowd is unbearable especially during SALE season. Online shopping has it's own risks too so make sure to buy from legit sellers only. As a piece of advice coming from someone who've been shopping online for 10 years, make sure to always check for customer's feedback especially if you like to purchase from international sellers just like in eBay.

I was an active eBay shopper until I got tired of waiting for ages for my package to arrive. I like to shop in eBay because that's where I find real cheap imported goodies plus the shipping is free, however, I still pay a postage fee of Php100 per parcel once it arrived in the country. Talk about free shipping but not really.

I was never a victim of bogus sellers (thank God!) because I know how to spot them. I like to shop with ease so whenever I encounter sellers that are quite unresponsive, I will keep in mind not to purchase from them again in the future. I'm not very hard to please. I lover sellers who are very accommodating especially in answering inquiries and those who give updates. I appreciate it when I'm provided a tracking number so I can personally track my package. I know how it feels to buy and sell. I have sold gadgets online as well as managed an online shop in the past so I know how it feels to win the trust of a complete stranger. I had the best and the worse customer experience but the worse of the worse just happened recently through LAZADA so for those wanting to purchase from them, think thrice. You have been WARNED.

Lazada sucks

I downloaded the Lazada mobile app last month because when my niece bought an all in 1 printer months ago she said she got it cheaper and it arrived soon so I thought that I will not have any problem since they are a legit and reputable company. I ordered a MacBook Air 11 on the 20th of November and got an email order confirmation immediately that it will be verified anytime. The following day I got a call from a customer service rep to verify that I really ordered the item. I thought this is good, I like that they really take time to call unlike in eBay, an email notification is enough.

According to the order details that I will get the item between November 29 - December 1st but I did not hear from Lazada after December 1st so I shoot them an email and got a reply (yes, they reply fast. Well, at least) that it is still in process by the supplier and that I will get my item no later than December 8 so I uttered to myself "okay, I'll wait then" though I'm starting to have doubts already that there is something that they aren't telling me but I still trusted them, that's how patient I am when I know that it is beyond my control. I started reading blogs and found out that Lazada has a lot of complaints regarding items that are taking way too long to arrive but I just shrugged it off because I don't want any of these articles to kill the excitement that I'm feeling. I stayed positive that I will get my item before the 8th until on the 4th of December, I got another email saying that the item I ordered is OUT OF STOCK from their supplier from the time that I ordered it although it allowed me to check out from their website and that they couldn't find any other supplier that have that model available so they offered me a P200 voucher that I can use on my next purchase. BEAST MODE ON. I was like, you gotta be kidding me... I waited 2 weeks for nothing and you expect me to purchase again and use that voucher? Seriously??? I was totally DISAPPOINTED. Who wouldn't be? They wasted my time. For a first timer in Lazada, this is just UNACCEPTABLE. I replied back to let them know how frustrated I was with their crappy website and that I will NEVER order from them I again. How on earth are you able to order an item that is out of stock? Ridiculous right?!

MacBook Air rainbow case

On the same day that I got the bad news, I went Macbook shopping with my sister in SM Cyberzone unfortunately, it was out of stock too on both Apple distributors thank God one of the sales persons from one of the stores told me that they have a stock coming the next day so I reserved it immediately and paid for the reservation fee. I was ecstatic when I got my MacBook Air the following day but still haven't forgotten about the bad experience. I told myself that if I wasn't too lazy to go to the mall, I would've have saved myself from all the s***. Moving on and lesson learned, if you're looking to buy a gadget do not do it online. It's still best that you are able to see the product that you are buying so you are able to test if it is in good condition, this is one of the things that you're not able to do when buying online plus it's still best that if something goes wrong, you're able to take it back to the store where you bought it to have it checked. Currently, I am pleased with my Mac. I am a first-time Macbook user but I find it very easy to navigate, it's very straightforward compared to Windows. I just love my new baby so I got her/him/it a rainbow case (ordered one from Shopee) that comes with a black keyboard cover, it's super cute.

Unboxed my MacBook Air 11

I guess my new baby will keep me busy again since our senior dog Brandon, is all well again after suffering from diarrhea and dehydration and was on medication for 2 weeks but we still have to watch his diet and administer his vitamins religiously. As of Yumi the tiny dog, she's still positive for blood parasite so this will be her second month of medication. I hope that her next check-up will turn out good. 

Clickatoo

It's a sunny day today yay! Twin sissy's at work while I'll be spending my next few hours in bed I'm going back to work tonight as much as I would like to go on leave forever. I don't want to complain anymore 'since I'll be on leave again this weekend, great. Just in time for the 13th month. Three more days before 13th month I'm so excited I can't wait any longer. I can't eat, sleep, oh wait I'm overreacting haha! Sissy and I got new pairs of ear candies last night that we ordered it online they're so cute we're just happy. 


My newest addiction is online shopping I've never enjoyed technology this much, everything is just right at your fingertips how cool. I don't have to scour the mall to look for Christmas presents all I have to do is to sit in front of my computer and check online stores for cheap and cutesy stuff, pay it via Gcash or bank transfer and get my package delivered in few days it's so convenient. My Christmas gifts are almost ready all I need to do is to boxed 'em up. I'm just curious if I will I get any Christmas present but I won't feel bad if I don't get any, really. If you give something to someone you shouldn't expect something in return. Christmas is all about gift giving.


Off to bed. Goodnight.

Toxic

Rest day + payday tomorrow, yay! Work is becoming so toxic, I hate it. I come to work just to wait for my days off and payday. Can it get any more obvious? I love my job (with much sarcasm) I say that while banging my head on the wall. Just how I'm feeling these days and pardon me if I've been ranting a lot I just have to so I can let this out of my head. 


I slept for a couple of hours but still a little tired. I'm enjoying my newfound hobby, shopping for cutesy earrings online. It's keeping me busy recently. It's like a therapy y' know. No better cure for burn out I guess but finding something that makes you happy than to dwell on nonsense. I'm excited I can't wait for my ear candies to arrive.