A wise person once told me, “what does surround you, defines you.”

Perhaps, that person is right.

Remember the times when you’re surrounded by things that affect your life greatly–from toys to gadgets, from kiddie dresses to sensuous LBDs, from impish childhood friends to mature friends. Everything seems to be ever changing, yet every little thing puts an imprint of influence on you, making you a wiser, more experienced person as you as you embark a sojourn on a journey to life.

They are either good or bad. They create either a little or huge impact in your life. And, there’s definitely a lesson learned for every road taken. That lesson is, you know what you deserve, and who/which deserves you in return.

Like me, for instance, I have never been so happy with what I have right now, and I will never stop getting more ecstatic each day. Happiness is something earned in order for it to be gained. But, honestly, happiness is actually a state of mind–you can even ask your shrink about it.

Not everything is made of happiness. That’s why, rather willfully purge all the bad. Sometimes, bad things are masked by deceitful guises. You’ll never know how disdainful, perverse, precarious, or worst, nefarious it is until you unveil the real color of mire. Who wants to be stuck in the reeking rut anyways? Who wants to be infected by the stench?

Things that surround me are far more different than what it was a year or two before. Here are a few things that influence me today, for example:

Nature: Keeping our Planet Green

*Taken whilst riding a van going to the province*

*Taken staying in a beautiful house in the suburbs*

I have discovered the wonders of nature, or say appreciated it the most, as soon as I traveled halfway around the world. You may actually think that both images are taken in Belgium, but they’re not! The first picture is taken in the Philippines, whilst riding a van going to Subic. I believe that’s somewhere in Pampanga. The latter is taken in Ghent, Belgium, in a place where I used to stay for a while.

Never did I care about nature this much, or at least in my very own way. I keep paper and plastic bags, and reuse them after. I never ever throw trash elsewhere besides the bin. I use the clearer side of hard copies for reprinting documents, and then shred them once all sides are used to be recycled later on. As much as possible, I try using my Starbucks tumbler, rather than asking for a plastic container when ordering a drink. I know I can hardly ride or own a hybrid car here, nor brisk walk instead going to and fro the office. But, no matter how little deeds they may be, they contribute a lot to our environment!

I suggest starting your own little deeds as soon as NOW, and help save mother nature.

Need some motivation? Watch Planet Green on Discovery Channel today!

Books & Work

*South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami – Php 495 in bookstores*

Works pretty piled up, but I never complained. Well, better piled up than empty, should I say. I bought a book from Haruki Murakami weeks ago to convince myself to start reading again. I haven’t started on this one to be honest, since I resolved into leafing Neil Gaiman‘s Stardust instead.

Don’t feel like reading? Watch Stardust the movie on dvd instead!

Belgian Chocolates

*Marc’s Brood Banket in Drongen, Ghent, Belgium*

I guess, this is something that will never ever fade in me–my love for sweets! Hence, my fervid love for chocolates heightened when I passed by a local store in Ghent. Oh my gosh, these are lots! i never ever got enough buying boxes of them.

Take a bite by getting a yummy boxful of Belgian Chocolates from Leonidas.

Laptop Sleeves & Other Cutesies

*Laptop Sleeve from Jansport. Keyring from a thrift shop in Brussels*

Laptop always makes the work more conventional. It’s everyone’s computer on-the-go. Hence, pairing it with a cutesy laptop sleeve made of deluxe Denier Polyster deserves its worth. Add a bear keyring into it–and voila! It makes staring at my laptop less stressful.

Shop in Jansport & grab a cutesy laptop sleeve of your choice.

Gladiator Sandals

*Gladiators, Php 795 from Meg*

Adieu Havaianas for now (well, not really). I’m feeling all the comfort sans sacrificing a bit of fashion donning gladiator sandals to work. Albeit it takes a HUGE toll in my time putting the straps altogether, wearing this never felt uneasy. It’s great for commuters like moi who are always required to walk all the time!

Feel like taking home a posh pair of gladiators? Try looking for one in Bluefly.