Freebie Reading

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I love free magazines and newspaper with good content. 

It\’s quite ironic actually, because I can read lots of magazines, literary books (or basically anything that interests me) but nursing books are ignored. My husband reprimands me for this! (When he found out I finished the seven books of Harry Potter but I can\’t finish a few hundred page a driver\’s manual). I have colleagues or friends who are surprised, that I\’m oriented with \”stuff\” outside the scope of nursing. Well, I don\’t want to limit my knowledge. I\’m cool with anything my brain can absorb. It keeps me sane and level-headed.

Back in the Philippines, we have the Inquirer Libre. Copies are distributed mostly at MRT and LRT stations and are gone in a snap. Most of the time, I just borrow it from classmates who rides the train early in the morning.I was still in college when Philippine Daily Inquirer released the first free tabloid in the country. Aside from the news, I love reading the funny and sometimes-right-on-smack quotes in the horoscope.

Here in San Diego, most of the magazines are available in libraries, museums, hotels, malls, coffee shops and gyms. Most of the magazines are printed with glossy covers. The pages are like the sheets of a newspaper printed with colors for the pictures.
                   
                                

SD Reader and USA Today – My dose of current affairs in San Diego.
Old Town San Diego– Guide around the historic Old Town.
101 Things to do in San Diego – To know more of places to go here in SD.
SD Family magazine– Broadway productions that are in town and kid-friendly hang-outs in the county.

The thing I don\’t like with the above mentioned is the ad placement. It\’s basically everywhere! It\’s more visible than the article itself. I understand the publication survives thru ads (a given fact), so I\’m putting into consideration it might be a strategy.

When I was living in Singapore, lots of free magazines are all over the island (malls, boutiques, restaurants, museums, coffee shops etc ).  I can\’t pick favorites because all of it are great. Each has it\’s own niche. Photography, content, ad placement, features are managed in a classified and non-messy kind of way. Made me feel I actually bought it. The websites are worth your time to navigate as well.

 Juice – Fashion, music (local and international) and clubbing. 
 

I-S (Inside Singapore) – Events, Restaurants, Travel, and Shopping
Catalog – I love their front covers! It\’s very graphic and conceptual that made it look playful and unique. In the website they have this flipbook of current and previous issues. Meaning I could read Catalog even if I\’m not in Singapore. Yey!

                                                      

In-flight magazines publication are getting better the past few years. Maybe because travel industry has changed especially now that many can afford it. The content caters to everyone from tourist destinations, shopping, dining and places to stay. I use it as a good reference on future outings.


  Smile - Jan 2014 Latest cover
Another in flight magazine of note is AirAsia\’s Travel 3Sixty.



Looking forward to more goods read this 2014!



Photosources:
Catalog – http://www.catalogmagazine.com
Mabuhay – Facebook page of Mabuhay Magazine.
Smile – Cebu Pacific Smile website. 
Jetstar Magazine – http://www.jetstarmag.com/asia

Trick or Treat!

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(Late Post)

Trick or Treat are for children, I know! When I was younger, we don\’t do one back home. I only see it on American movies or TV shows. It looks fun! Too bad , recently na lang nauuso ang pag-costume. Fast forward to today, I\’m now based in California. I arrived before the end of summer and totally looking forward to Halloween.
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We (me and my sister-in-law Ate Marilou) are supposed to chaperone his son Joelo but he\’s MIA. We went off ourselves. Too bad we\’re too old for Trick or treat LOL.  

Mask and Headband from Party City at a discounted price. Best time to buy Halloween stuff is a few hours before Trick or Treat time.

Only a handful of houses are open for treats. I can\’t blame them because Halloween fell on a Thursday. They still have to work the next day. Nevertheless, there were houses and families who are in the spirit of Halloween. All is good!
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I just admire the patience and effort of my neighbors in setting up decorations.
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Teenagers in their costumes…
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There\’s this open-house-thingy wherein the owner turned their homes into mini-haunted houses. Looks scary all the way through and we are not mistaken. Wow!

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The monitor from the outside shows \”Tales from the Crypt\” clips.

                       
                        

I\’m looking forward for the next Halloween (falls on a Friday). I will try to DIY some masks and headpieces. If I can score a witch costume (my dream costume for halloween) that would be great as well. We still have to plan whether we\’ll be giving out candies because if we will, I need to decorate our front door area. Another decorating challenge for me!

   

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O-hai!

XOXO
                     

Film Photography Explained

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The Analogs
The Analogs by Miss Wander Girl
I lived through the age of film photography. Watching this video from Buzzfeed pretty much sums up my 90\’s experience of film photos. 

Going through our family photos, one could notice chronological gaps:

  1. There was a time when we can\’t afford to develop a film because it\’s expensive. I remember just buying the 12 shot films because it was cheaper than the 24 and 36. It\’s also cheaper when developed. Those were the times that we need to at least have some \”remembrance\” of a family moment. 
  2. Our camera (Canon Pixma) has a different kind of battery and it was expensive. And difficult to find.
  3. As for my personal issues, I was fat so my face looks siopao. I have no idea yet of \”angles\”. There came a time that I lost weight and my chin didn\’t compliment my face (I hate the shitty body image disturbance era in my teenage years!). Most of the time, I refuse for a solo picture. I was too hard on myself back then (sheesh!). If I had known what I know now siguro mas madami akong good memories.

I can\’t delete, redo nor see the photo after shooting.  Selfies are a big no-no and a total waste of frames. My dream camera back then was a Polaroid.

I learned about re-copying photos by borrowing the films used. It\’s  a cheap alternative but photos are likely to be darker in shade. It was a complete hassle when others want to borrow the film as well. Patience was not my greatest virtue back then. Sometimes, I just don\’t bother following up and leave it.

That\’s why I\’m thankful for digital photography (I think relieved is the most appropriate word it). It has its pros and cons. On a personal level , it has stopped the chronological gap of remembering our special moments and memories. 

XOXO

Project Pie

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I was surprised when I found out someone brought Project Pie in Manila. Good job! Way ahead than Singapore, Dubai and Hongkong.

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Broadway, Chula Vista Branch
                     
Originally Project Pie started in Las Vegas. They expanded the business to California with a branch in Hillcrest and Chula Vista. 

Interior is minimalist concentrating on neutrals. The place is spacious and clean.

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On the left check -out the hanging iPad. You can take pictures and post in their instagram account @projectpiecv

I feel like, the place was designed for social media. The wall paper makes a nice backdrop for selfies and group pictures. Lighting (best at daytime) can give you a nice glow.

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Love the hanging light bulbs.

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Ate Marilou and I ordered by number. We decided that we want to try everything first before customizing. I find their dough different because of a certain soft crisp with a little bit moist.

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Starting Left-Up (clockwise): Prosciutto #7, Nutella & Banana for dessert, Pepperoni #2, Grilled Chicken #6. I like #7 the best. It has this minimal sweet and salty taste that mixed well and is far from the typical tomato pizza sauce. 

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Remember to clean as you go…

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We are kilig with the cute manager hihihihihi. He gave us a free pizza. (He\’s the manly dude in black)

Will definitely comeback to try other numbers and experiment with the toppings.
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Manila enjoy Project Pie!

XOXO