Thanks to my mom for all of those food for thoughts that she’s been feeding me since childhood. One of them is: “Little things matter”.It helped me alot as a person and how to interact with other people.

I try not to forget to pay close attention to the little things that make such a big difference…the smile that means so much to another person, the extra effort I give to a project, or the little touch of creativity that makes my work shine. A simple gesture, like the hi’s and hellos we give to another person, even though we don’t really know them…really makes such a big difference. It might help the other person to brighten up his day but most of all, that good feeling you feel inside, like a natural high or something.

Being a Filipino Catholic, I was brought up with this tradition (which I don’t know if we’re the only ones who are doing it): Like making a sign of the cross everytime I pass a church. I make no exceptions, even when I’m walking or inside a car or even when I’m riding my bike, I make sure that I make that sign. That little touch of gesture makes me feel that I am always safe from harm, I don’t know why, but it does. It also serves me a reminder that I am always blessed and cared for.

I also try to not to forget to pay attention to the little things and gestures that others give me. Even though that little thing doesn’t mean anything to them but it does to me. A personal email from a friend just to say hi ( a real breather from all the spams and forwarded emails that I get regularly in my inbox), those small gestures of thoughtfulness, appreciation and encouragement from others really means alot. I don’t demand all these things, in fact I don’t expect them to happen to me alot…but it really makes my day when I get them, especially if i have little or no expectations at all. Let’s call it a little ’surprise’ for me.

One of Kit’s many endearing qualities is the way he gives me little reminders. I call it ‘thoughtfulness’. Kit knows about the signing of the cross thing that i always make everytime we pass a church. This morning, and everytime he gets the chance, he would remind me that we are about to pass by a church and that it’s time for me to do my thing. That little gesture, really matters to me. He made me feel that he cares.

For those people who know me. They know that I met my husband on the internet. A long time ago, whenever someone ask me about how I met him, I was kinna hesitant to tell the truth. But we are in the internet technology era now and meeting someone from the internet is just as normal as meeting someone in a coffee shop…or let’s say an internet coffee shop. LOL.Around five years ago. When I was still using ICQ, Kit popped up on my screen just to say hi. He saw my profile and liked the quotation that I wrote, then we started talking about Greek mythology, LOL. From then on, we started sending messages and emails to each other, not mentioning the long distance calls, text messages and even flying over to meet me and my family. And of course…you know what happened next :-)

That old exciting…breathtaking…electrifying…exhilarating…galvanizing…inspiring…rip-roaring…rousing, stimulating…stirring…thrilling  feeling still exhists. Married life never prevented us from keeping up with our old traditions. I can wake up each morning and expect an offline message or an email from Kit with sweet little thoughts to inspire me. Yeah, he’s that romantic :-)

I met my soulmate, and even though the way how i met him seems to be unusual or unromantic for some; the important thing is, I found the person that I wanna spend the rest of my life with.

“Space…The final frontier…”

Blogging in a way is therapeutic.. and in a sense it keeps me sane.. and alive to my thoughts. This day, I wanna talk about a part our Friday routines that will forever be changed. On my previous blog,I have mentioned that Kit and I have been shrouded with gloom and sadness.Friday nights won’t be the same…Star Trek: Enterpise has now come to it’s final mission. No more new Star Trek episodes to be seen, they aired the last episode last night (unless the producers will change their minds).

“These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise…”

They have come a long way. If my memory serves me right, it all started in the 1960’s with the creative mind of its maker, Gene Roddenberry. I remember watching the re-runs as a kid. And before, I didn’t really understand it and in some point didn’t even care. But as I grow older, I have learned the deeper aspects of it’s “mission”..it’s not just a sci-fi show about androids, aliens or humanoids, but each and every episode was carefully made not just for entertaining, but also to teach us something (whether it’s about life and love,morality or the essences of our existence).

“Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations…”

Have you ever asked yourself this — “Are we the only ones here in this universe?”…I remember asking myself this while Kit and I were watching the movie “Contact”…And I got my answer after hearing a line in the movie,”if we were the only life forms in the universe it would be a waste of space”. I don’t wanna sound geeky, but I totally believe this, hehe.

Going back to Star Trek. I’m always amazed every time I watch an episode. Not only because most of the words or terminologies that I hear are based from science (which makes it more realistically sound to me), but also the aliens and creatures they have invented for the show were well thought-of. Whether from the languages and appearances but they have also thought about the life and history of each species.

“…to boldly go where no one has gone before.”

Right now, I’m still happy that I can still watch old episodes…Thanks to Spike TV, hehe. But mostly, thanks to my ‘archivist’ husband, that he was able to record all the episodes. I know that these episodes are now available on DVDs but nothing compares the recorded series from the ‘tube’. Watching it has a different effect on me, thanks to the included commercials…it’s like, taking you back to the time you have first seen it on tv. A real time space warp! LOL

About three days ago, Kit and I went out to look for a new printer. We badly needed one, at least for right now coz I have lots of documents to print and the good thing is, I won’t be using other’s printer anymore. We ended up buying this HP all-in-one printer(it has a built-in scanner and copier too) at Staples. It was our first time to go there, coz we usually buy our stuff at Best Buy, Circuit City or Office Depot because they’re closer to our place. The Staples Office Superstore is a bit farther, but driving up there was really worth the trip. Their sales people were very accommodating and were very nice to us. We didn’t feel that we’re being pushed to buy something,they let us take our time to browse their store and gave us an ample space to breathe,hehe… and that’s a good thing! I hate those sales people who would try to violate your private space,like following you around or crowding you, it’s like you’re being bombarded by clueless sales people! Yep, some are clueless,some don’t even know about the products they are selling and I really hate it when they make you feel you’re ’stupid’! Pushy sales people really get on my nerves and would just make me not to go back to their place. Kudos to the sales staff of Staples, they’re very nice and helpful and the best thing is, they really know what they’re doing and selling. We’ll definitely go back.

Now, that’s not the natural high that I wanna talk about. It’s the little surprise that Kit bought. I wasn’t expecting it. All I knew was that we’re just buying a printer and my mind was totally set to it. We did go to the digital camera area and we were just looking around…and I really thought that we were just ‘looking’. After paying for the printer, we headed out and we’re still talking about the digital cameras. I was thinking ‘is he…? or isn’t he…?’. It was still very early so we decided to go to Circuit City and maybe to look for more cameras. I already know what I wanted (Coz I’ve been secretly researching online for digital cameras for months! I was not rushing to have one, I really wanna make sure what’s the best and will suit my needs)Nikon is my best choice,their cameras have good reviews and the important thing is (for me), it’s a camera company. I’m not against Sony or Canon or the others, I just wanted a brand that only focuses on cameras, some brands have their own line of computers, televisions, dvd players and other electronic products. At least with Nikon, they focus on cameras and maybe some other ‘vision’ products like microscopes,lenses and stuff (this is what I know).

Going back to my topic,hehe…I found the Nikon that I wanted at Circuit City but they don’t have it in stock. I was crushed, coz we spent alot of time comparing and testing the displayed items. By that time, I really know that Kit was gonna buy one, I was really happy inside (i just didn’t wanna show it to him hehe). So Kit and I went back to Staples just to see if they have the model that I wanted. Looking at the the displayed cameras, it was not there, I’m glad Kit went to look for Dave (i think that’s the name of the salesperson).Dave browsed their computer for stocks and they have it! Without any doubts and second thoughts, Kit bought the camera and ‘mina was a happy-purring kitten’ hehe.

We really didn’t have to buy a new camera, coz we already have one (the ever reliable Olympus 35mm camera) and our sony videocam that can also take digital pictures with it’s memory stick. But, there were times that I wanted to take spur-of-the-moment-pictures and at the same time share it at once, I couldn’t do that with 35mm camera. And the videocam is not small enough to put inside my bag to carry it with me all the time. This Nikon Coolpix is just the right size,cute and compact… I love this new ‘toy’ of ours,hehe. Thanks to Kit for this unexpected gift, it’s definitely a natural high :-). (PHOTOS: Me and my new Nikon Coolpix 4600)

It’s amazing how fragrance or scents of certain perfumes or colognes changes our lives in ways we never dreamed possible. It’s like it’s an extension of our personality or the mood we are in. Sometimes, it changes our mood or it powerfully evoke memories and emotions.

The other day Edc and I had our usual chat online. It was one of those ‘chatting’ days where we usually just reminisce. One of the topics that came up were about perfumes and scents and how they stimulate our brains with flashback of memories, emotions and moods.

I think some women tend to be drawn toward certain common fragrances. In my case I tend to like perfumes that can go for both(men and women). I like muskier,earthy scents (if i wanna feel sexier, hehe) and citrus,fruity or woody scents(if I wanna feel fresh and clean). I tend to shy away with ‘just’ floral scents. A hint of flowery fragrance with a blend of fruity, musky or woody scent, works fine for me.

Booster by Lacoste…is my all time favorite scent, I know it’s a men’s cologne, but I like wearing it! It has a sharp fruity scent, but it’s still subtle for me. Edc said that Booster reminds him of our ‘apartment days’ during college…it also has the same effect on me! :-)
Burberry of London…ahhh another favorite of mine. If I would choose a perfume that I could wear everyday, this is the one. Emporio Her (She) by Giorgio Armani and Clinique Happy would also fall to this category. Burberry has a sentimental scent for me,coz it reminds me of the day when Kit and I first met. A very special day :-)

It’s sometimes hard being away with close friends and families, even a quick sniff of certain perfumes or if you accidently smell someone with a scent that you can relate with, could trigger your senses and transforms you in a reminscing mood. Like for instance, Burberry Weekend reminds me of Edc. Tommy Girl reminds me of Chelo. Clinique Happy reminds me of Gemma. Romance by Ralph Lauren reminds me of my sister Pam, CK One reminds me of my sister Susan, 360 perfume by Perry Ellis reminds me of my mom,and the list goes on and on.
Discover your perfume personality, your scent sensibility.Fragrance is definitely an ‘emotional cosmetic’ !

(PHOTO: Kit and Mina)