Song 23/100: a chill pill kind of song for you

Last night, I fell in love. 

I fell in love with a song that isn't even new, one that I've heard many times in the past but hardly paid much attention to.

Until last night, surfing SoundCloud for inspiration, I made a new discovery.  A cool yet warm-like-red-wine velvety-voiced lady who goes by the name of Runt/Runtlalala covered Don't Know Why by Norah Jones on and kaBOOM!  I was head over heels.

Here's to the real you

I love that. I love anything that reminds me that I have permission to mess up and I always love a good Go Ahead And Mess Things Up permission slip from hot mama Danielle. 

But. 

Today is not going to be about mess-ups, no ma'am, because today, we're talking about Jian.

That A Word

Strawberries from Ontario and Blueberries from Chile

Antioxidants. 

That word.  We've never heard that said back in the day.  If ever we did, it was not often enough that it became mainstream.  I think it's because back in the days of my childhood in Davao City by the sea - oh, Lord, I feel old! - there were fewer poisons.  

Stick-To-It-ness and Happy Monday, Inartéstas!

"Find what works for you and stick to it!" ~ Amanda, Creator of FridayLoveSong.net

The Flora Illumina Series
©KatShots Photography, 2010

There's no denying it.  We live in the myopic age of Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD.  Diagnosed or not, whether we admit it or not, you and I experience it in different degrees.  Many times over in a single day.  Imagine that.  In one day.  One...day...

Now where was I.  Oh, yes.  Short attention span.  Sorry. :)  

The world has gotten so very, very fast.  Even faster for us who grew up in the laid-back 70s and 80s without all these gadgets that get upgraded weekly and become obsolete every other hour.  Remember slowly digging in the dirt?  Sigh.  

I've learned to pray before any creative task now.  If I go by my own puny non-existent will, it'd be midnight before I get to the page and by then, my brain is mush.  It takes me superhuman brainpower to get any task done, especially if it's got to do with The Work.

Case in point:  I planned to sit down and write this post at 12:00 noon.  After giving the kids breakfast  (it's PD Day in these parts) and bonding over funny stories about dreams and nightmares.  Sacred stuff.  All good.  First Job, check!  

But the question remains: Did I really need two hours of puttering?  It is now 2:48pm.    Yes, my office table is dusted and very tidy.  I've emptied a couple of bins of its month old rubble.  I've had a quick hi-and-goodbye chat with dear friend, Marjo.  While I'm writing this, a quarter of my brain is on the pot roast in the oven and another part is calculating the time it takes to get Oona's three batches of cookies and Chocolate Cherry Mice project done just in time to get to Mom and Daughter Yoga.

             

"Why do it then, girlie!?"  

I see my PYS Diva Monster is in the house.  

"Just leave it be.  Chi-i-ill.  (Interesting that the word "ill" is in "chill".)  Why the battle with the dragon when you could simply bake and sample those cookies and continue with the next episode of Drop Dead Diva?"

Answers HERE.

Good times. Good times.  You see, my dear reader, I share this with you to let you see the underbelly of keeping to one's true nature.  As hot-guru-mama, Danielle LaPorte shares so eloquently ~  Following your intuition ain't always an act of grace -- it can be a total grind. You will have to burn things. You might sweat, toil and dig dig dig to do what you know must be done. Following your intuition might call on you to do the hardest thing you've ever done in your life. 

Like Amanda, the powerhouse behind FridayLoveSong said, it has never been so important to find what works for us and sticking to it.  

Here's a list of my tried and true.  If I'm able to stick with the program, then my wills are sure to work for that day.  If I don't, you're sure to meet Moody Mommy at the door on your visit!  It's a cycle of give and take.  At the end of the day, everything is, my darling.  

What Works for Me

1)  Writing the Morning Pages
2)  Daily (or best and sincere effort) of morning workout with...
3)  Music.  Must.Have.Music, preferrably the motivating, heart-thumping kind, during the workout.
4)  Creative connections and inspirations.  Taking time to *meet* with them.
5)  The GreenLight Angels.*  Acknowledging them each time I get a pass.
6)  ❤Hugs❤
7)  Color*full toys, i.e. doodling pages, pens, journals, and Instagram.
8)  Solo Mama Moments.  Weekly.  At the very least.
9)  Sharing.  Courageously and with vulnerability.  One and the same thing, really.
10)  Green smoothie drinks!  I❤you, Vitamix.

And now that I've done my part and slayed the dragon of resistance for yet another day, I can continue joy*fully onto my other jobs with ease and grace and less drag.

What works for you?  It's always good to bring out these tools more often. Listing them down helps.  😘

Wishing you creative ease and stick-to-it-ness,

12 Things | It feels so good to connect with you again.

Jan. 15, 2013 @ Sheridan Nurseries Limited, Mississauga ©KatShotsPhotography

Jan. 15, 2013 @ Sheridan Nurseries Limited, Mississauga ©KatShotsPhotography

Thing 1 ~ I've fallen in love - hard - with macro photography.  I'm head-over-heels and like a fellow photographer friend, Zeetzjones said, "Naku, may naa-adik na." which is Filipino for "Oh my, someone's getting addicted." :)

It's really one of the healthiest kinds of addiction, this business of creating things, don't you think?  I use the Squidcam and am very happy with the results.  Many thanks to amazing macro artists Teresa Franco and Maria for showing me the way.

Potted pink flowers I got myself - that's right, I got these for me! - and then photographed with my then brand new Squidcam.  Used the fisheye on this one.

Thing 2 ~ Celebrated Birthday #45 this week!  First, we surprised the kids and pulled them out of school midday to have a birthday brunch with us at our favorite Sunset Grill.  Then J and I took off for our reserved overnight stay for two at the Old Mill in Toronto.  I was extra-happy-dance-happy because Samantha at the front desk moved us from a King Room to a large Suite!  I say a little prayer of thanks to the gods of upgrades and relaxing and fun moments for this. 

Suite 503 had a receiving room with a desk and a stereo that was already playing my favorite classics (plus points for that, Old Mill!), a living area with a fireplace and heavy drapes...DRAPES and many lamps all over.  I love a well-lit room.

We also had a kitchenette and dining area with and a table for my writing toys, of course!

Mega plus points for the whirlpool in the very large bathroom practically the size of my office. :)  It had the jet bubble thingies, baby!   

We are definitely coming back, Old Mill, thank you very much. Next time with the kiddos.  You have exceeded our expectations in a grand way.  I just love when that happens.  Bonus when it happens on your birthday!

As I was saying...45th and right smack midlife, assuming we reach the 90's, and no crisis here, Thank You.  Well, let's wait 'til menopause and see how it goes then.  I've heard a lot of close-to-horrible accounts from dear girlfriends about how it can range from uncomfortable to downright unbearable, those heat-flashes and hormonal imbalances and mood swings!  Which is why I've decided, wholehearted to embrace...

Thing 3 ~ My Green 2013 Plan!  It all began with little aches and pains here and there.  Elbow, what's that annoying ache you're showing me today?  Tennis, anyone?  Man, I don't even play the game and I have what?! Tennis elbow?!?  Jack says it's a condition that's quite common and gives me his standard "Don't worry about it!" He then bought me an elbow brace to wear during my workouts.  Sigh.  My sweetheart.  Thanks, my love.  It still bugs me though.  There are other pains, I suspect are psychosomatic and chemical imbalances.  Then there's the fogginess one can't shake off even after mugs of coffee!  Some people will conveniently say: Ah, we're just getting old!  In a great part, true.  But my gut tells me, both literally and figuratively, that it's the abuse I've been putting my body through all these years!  The Pinoy diet isn't exactly a healthy one.  I've loved on my Spam and Sarangani Sardines and Palm Corned Beef, the longganisas and crispy patas and bacon, oh, I love you, bacon.  Salty-sweet deliciously umame poisons from childhood eating habits that need to be controlled if not completely removed from our diets now.  We know better, we do better, right?  My grand plan is to fight back with everything I've got.  

Enter, The Vitamix. 

Yes, it deserves that much reverence, this thing some call the "Lamborghini of Blenders", for what it's done for me.

Big thanks, too, to my positive and beloved influences like Myrna and Grace who have shown me the value of eating more raw foods and greens and the carb-less/no-carb way, I've been at it for almost three months now - first with my  

Hamilton Beach blender and last month, this powerhouse got me gobbling down gloppy green smoothies  which, I swear by the green gods, has given me much  more clarity and a better, firmer handle on my moods.  Bad foods, especially carbohydrates/sugars, simply bring out the monster in me, plain and simple.

One of my regular morning smoothies: grapes or apples, kale, half a banana, bell peppers, pineapple, almonds and flax seeds.  Blended to 10 for a smooth and velvety green and nutritious glop!

My present-favorite Sweet Cherry Tomato soup recipe.  I simply add a handful of tomatoes and parsley or basil.  After blending to a fine liquid, I add it to my already sautéed garlic and onions in a pan.  Light and fresh and very yummy!

Things 4 to 11 ~  My toys. They make me happy.  ^_^

Anybody who says grownups can't have toys is one very sad body.  Toy #1, The Premium Sketchbook, I discovered while browsing the paper section at my happy place, Chapters.  The pages have perforations so it tears beautifully for when you want to give your artwork as gifts to friends and family.

Toy #2, I like the Staedtler triples fine liner that doesn't get dry even when you leave it open for days and isn't that amazing!  Especially when you have little ones who love to borrow your stuff and forget that pens have caps. :p) along with the newly discovered Faber Castel Pitt Artists Pens in 4 sizes: S,F, M, and B.  S being my favorite because it's super fine!  

The colorful paper Toys #s 3, 4, 5 and 6, I found at Walmart while searching for just the right family calendar for the kitchen.  I love the colours and designs so much that I got the whole set: the 2013 planner with pockets inside for papers (for work), the weekly planner (for family activities), the project planner for all the projects I dream-up and will make real in 2013 and of course, the journal which keeps my morning pages.  I was smiling so much that my dear J thought I was going just a bit nuts "over paper".  You'll never understand, my love.  You'll never quite understand.

Toys #10 and #11, the iPhone4s now has its twin Squidcam attached to it at all times got more interesting and fun because of it.  Same with the iPad since I got the green case for it.  It used to have a sturdy but boring black case for it.  Color does add life to things.  

Thing 12 ~ I love snailmail!  

Here are some of the birthday goodies I got this week from dear friends from all over:

Eternity Scarf from Zeetsjones and Wanderfoot

My very own "Fat/Calorie/Guilt-free" handmade chocolate cake from my BFF-since-U.P.-days, Myrna V. 

My BFF also made a moustachioed
 mug cozy for the Hubster and cute Angry Birds characters and a pink donut for the kids!

Rediscovering the simple joys of snail mail in this lightning fast world of instant messaging is something that I'm very grateful for.  I cherish Vina's inspiration on this one - she's been doing the the Swap project for a while now.

I'm ending where I started, with these inspiring words from Seth Godin's latest book, The Icarus Deception ~

We are all artists now, and the connection economy we're living in relentlessly rewards those who do work that matters.  Okay, you knew that.  So why aren't you?

For a long time, I stopped connecting, and let the monsters take control.  It's time to start again (and again and again) and it feels sooooo good!  The writing and sharing are their own rewards.  

Looking forward to connecting with you more and praying to God and Her muses that this continues in 2013 and beyond!!

Courage in creativity,