I started to read a new epic fantasy novel the other night and I can say that it is an awesome book because the first few pages held me captive. The only thing that's keeping me from turning the pages is the fact that I still have work in the morning. Bummer.

First, I would like to thank the slight, almost unnoticeable pain in my jaw that I felt when I got home tonight. I realized that I have been laughing and smiling most of the time for the whole day as my officemates and I talked about the wacky and catastrophic episodes during our company's team building that happened just last Saturday. Well, we all had a blast and we definitely have something fun to talk about. Two days, and we still can't get over it.

Second, who wouldn't love it when one of your bosses comes over your desk to give thumbs up and commends you for a job well done? It feels oh so great!

And lastly, an officemate brought a box full of mango squares and it was my first time to eat one. I'm not really into sweets, but this one takes the cake. I got one happy tummy, yay!

This Monday has really been good to me... it's definitely a triple treat. September has been awesome. It started well and it ended well too... Thank you Lord! :)

Everyone who knew me and those who read my blog know that I've been working at home ever since I got my first job. July this year, I was quite devastated when I heard the news that the company I work with (and came to love) has to put me from full-time to contractual work since sales and AU dollar rate have been declining. Meaning, I only have work to do and get paid when the need arises.

It's actually the biggest heartbreak of my career because: One, my bosses are really nice. You will seldom see nice (and forgiving) foreign bosses like them. Two, I had a great team. A project manager and developers that I can collaboratively work flawlessly with, beat that. Three, it's the highest paying company I've ever been to that my salary as a designer can equal to that of a developer (or even higher compared to other companies).

I admit it, I know it's shallow, but the last one bit me the hardest.

September marks the month of transition. Well, to most Pinoys, the start of BER months mean a transition from the ordinary days to the festivities of Christmas. As early as the first day of September some friends are already posting Christmasy statuses on Facebook. So if you're getting a Christmas greeting in social media as early as the first of September, we have not lost our minds. It's just a culture thing.

Well, yeah, I feel the transition. But this September begins a bigger transition in my life. Starting tomorrow, I will be a WAHM (work-at-home-mom) no more. Yep, you heard that right. I will no longer be waking up at the heat of the sun on my face, turn on the laptop and work on my jammies. Starting tomorrow I will have a new routine which includes dressing smartly, beating the rush hour, getting stuck in the traffic, going up the elevator, and checking in.

For months I've been going back and forth the sites Share Your Shelf and Book Shelf Porn.  I really enjoy looking at other people's bookshelf. They fascinate me. And I easily fall in love with bookshelves no matter how organized and disorganized they are. Finding new reads, seeing what others read, what books we have in common, how one organizes his shelf... I think it's orgasmic. I believe that is every book lover's nature. Right? So, I thought I would like to share and bring you on a virtual tour to my own bookshelf.

I don't really organize or arrange books in particular way. Although, I do rearrange my books (for hours!) from time to time because I find it comforting. Mind you, I am a very messy person, but when it comes to my shelf, OCD always kicks in. hahaha. Although I was never one in the first place. It's like some OCD inducing bug bites me whenever I get near my shelf. LOL.

....through photos!

I was born in 1985 in Manila, but we moved to Mindanao before I turned 1. I spent 27 years in Davao but only cared about my hometown when I turned ten. I never really got to see the beauty of Davao in the late 80s and early 90s. But thanks to Davao of the Past | A Repository of Old Davao Images, I got the chance to visit my beautiful hometown even in the earliest times.  Yep, even as early as the days of Spanish Colonization.

Delight came over me as my eyes feasted to more than a hundred old photographs. I feel so nostalgic even though I know I haven't been to that time, but I know it is where I always belong. Seeing the beautiful and developing years of Davao has made me happy; but sadness coupled with yearning also dawned upon me as I know I will never be able to visit those places. Not in their grandiose form, to say the least.

These are just a few of my favorite photos that I grabbed from the page (circa 1920s-1980s, in no particular order). Way better than any instagram filter, right? So see for yourself the beauty the old Davao has to offer. What would I not give in a heartbeat to jump back to this era? :)

The old cinemas in Claveria where we used to watch a movie doubled with another movie.  Of course, this photo is way older.