How to Stay happy at work

Interesting read i found online...i know ive shared a thing or two to friends and colleagues how to stay happy at work since i have been working for the same company for 13 years. There's really no secret according to this article...just stay positive, try new things, don't compare yourself to others and leave your personal baggages at the door. Oh yes and have a clutter free workspace. hehe!

Read along....

If Mondays are bad, Sunday evenings are even worse. The thought of returning to work the next day can easily dampen your mood, making it difficult for you to enjoy the last bits of the weekend. With such a mind-set though, you can’t expect to have a satisfying week ahead.   Work shouldn’t end up being something we dread, especially since we spend plenty of our waking hours at work. Here are 5 simple tips that could help you stay motivated and happy at work.  

1. Make your workspace special.   It doesn’t matter how many meetings you attend. At the end of the day, you’re still going to come back to your very own cubicle. A workspace scattered with unorganised documents and a heap of trash can be uninspiring. To make your workspace cozy and comfortable, try adding simple decorations and personal mementos, such as family pictures, motivational posters or even your favourite Star Wars figurine.

2. Surround yourself with positivity.  Do you have an incredibly optimistic colleague at the office? You might wonder what their secret recipe is to staying positive. Truth be told, this ball of energy is probably optimistic by choice. They have set their priorities right and that’s what you should do too!   A good way to avoid negativity is to dismiss baseless conversations, gossip and unhappy colleagues. Instead, surround yourself with supportive colleagues and pals.  

3. Avoid comparing yourself with others. Everyone begins from a different rung and has unique strengths. If you start comparing yourself with that highflyer from the office, you could lose sight of your strengths and abilities. Plus, it just fuels other unnecessary emotions such as jealousy and bitterness. Don’t put yourself down for a reason that doesn’t exist.   Remember that you are your own competition. Therefore if there is anything that you should be comparing, it is your past and present self.  

4. Leave personal problems at the door. A person who leaves his or her emotional baggage at home will always be more content at work than the one who is shackled by personal problems at the office. Unpacking your emotional baggage at work is not ideal as it raises tension amongst colleagues and hampers productivity. Remember that life is seldom smooth-sailing, so make it a habit to compartmentalise your emotions.  

5. Try something new.  Routine can result in boredom, which contributes to work dissatisfaction and unhappiness. This is especially prevalent in employees who have been at the same job for years. Get the enthusiasm back by trying something new at work. For example, you could volunteer to train or mentor new staffs. You could even ask colleagues from other departments if they need help. Such efforts will help you to gain new experiences and make your job scope more interesting.  

With that said, happiness is not something readymade – it comes from your own actions and how you choose to react to your surroundings. Sometimes the only thing stopping you from being happy at work is actually yourself.

From Yahoo! SG

http://ct.moreover.com/ct?haid=ab041d31c910d6511392357568967d8fc5c34fb54a98&co=f000000014336s-3420426311

There's always room for Desserts

Its always nice to do catch up with friends that you don't get to talk to nor see everyday. Mary, Raffy, Joyce, Kitchie and I  as busy as we are... make time to get together for lunch on Thursdays to keep in touch and enjoy food. However, our schedule just couldn't find a free time for everyone... (my friend Raffy even sent us a google calendar appointment to confirm our availability haha) we have postponed this lunch several times because of meetings and prior engangements, doctor's appointment and even traffic were some reasons of cancellation. But the only way to see each other before the end of the year is to break our usual Thursday lunch schedule to Sunday.. however, we are still not complete 'cause Kitchie couldn't make it... I always look forward to Thursday lunch with these guys...and since the first time Momma Mary is 6 months pregnant, conversations has been about baby tips and baby products...

Lunch was served at Casa Verde (beef ribs are very tasty just too much fat ) I was too hungry to take pictures and for us there's always room for dessert at Cafe Shibuya in UP Town Center in Katipunan Quezon City

Next Thursday Group Lunch will be about baby making tips.. as Joyce and  Hubby will be flying to the US for a much needed R&R and operation: project baby this January. Until next time guys

Our Christmas Holiday

Christmas Day and New Year's day falls in the same day. And that's Wednesday. And since its in the middle of the week, there is this work day that is being sandwiched called Monday. But hubby and I decided to use our leave credits to spend a bit of quality time with the family...

And so Christmas eve and Christmas Day was spent at hubby's grandparent's home in Batangas so our son can spend time with his cousins and while waiting for Noche Buena, the husband and his cousins where having some drinks and some catching up. Also while listening to the stories of their cousin who had a first hand experience surviving the Typhoon Yoland and what led them to leave their home and lives in Tacloban... i still have goosebumps everytime i recall his stories... the kids were up by11:45 pm and were waiting for what seems to be the longest 15 minutes of their lives to open their gifts... after all the gifts have been opened and stomach have been fill with food... we hea to bed and the next day we spent the whole day lining up at the cinema to catch the MMFF  screening of Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy.

For the New Year's Eve, we decided to spend it at a studio hotel in Makati to be free from the firecracker noise and  pollution (both my boys have allergic rhinitis and my little guy has asthma) and some accessible shopping with Greenbelt 5 just across the street. Though its unfortunate that no fireworks were visible from our window which i know my son would enjoy... but he did get his wish to play some bowling on our way back home.

So I hope you had a restful and peaceful holiday with the family. And God bless us in 2014.

And next holiday, we will be doing this again but in a diffrent place with visible fireworks from our hotel window ... (note to self, book months before)

For now, Just want to share some of our family photos during the holidays :)

Condo Living... Soon!

This is a late post. I wanted to post these pics but then my phone died on me and cannot retrieve my photo files from dropbox cloud. Good thing hubby still have these photos. This was taken during our tripping at Tivoli Gardens in Makati. Not the exact replica, but close enough (this was the only 3 bedroom available for viewing at the time) The one in the photo is only 66 sqm but the one we got was 83 sqm with balcony).But basically the fixtures, tiles and paint will be the same. We had to be able to visualize ourselves living in a condo before we make any life changing decisions....Lets take a tour shall we?

Hubby checking out the living room.

This unit  is only 66 sqm, a smaller area than the one we purchased which was 83 sqm with balcony,

Heading to the bathrooms and bedrooms

Master's Bathroom would look like this.

Its the shower -  the deal breaker

the communal bathroom for the 2 other rooms

Master Bed, Queen Size is just right for the size of the room.

Bedroom # 2

Bedroom #3

The kitchen, its small but I can work around it. (my Space! Mine)

Dining Space

Dining Space and Kitchen

Roof deck view

Ventilation, Check! not the wall to wall hotel type of hallway

Gardens on every 5th floor of the building

Roof top lounge

After our tripping, I've updated my pinterest and pinned some condo interior ideas ... and our theme...gonna be a modern minimalist :) is it 2019 yet?? haha!

xoxo,
S

Pandesal Hawaiian Pizza

When you have kids, you want to be ready when hunger strikes. I envy those parents where their kids eat whatever is served. But my son is a very picky eater. He does not eat the normal snacks /food that kids enjoy... he prefers to eat slice cheese (no bread just cheese), does not like chocolates, but enjoys popcorn, does not like spaghetti but likes to eat ice. He loves oatmeal but does not eat any other fruit aside from banana. At a fast food, He only eats cheeseburger (no pickles) and fries and pineapple juice and it should be McDonald's. But what i'm proud of is that he eats vegetables but only those with soup (sinigang, nilaga, tinola etc.) not those with tomato sauce nor any thick sauces for that matter.

I long for that day when i get to enjoy a lunch or dinner out in a restaurant with him...Without me ordering at McDonald's first with his usual order.

One day i decided to do homemade pandesal pineapple  and ham pizza (Hawaiian) knowing that he loves cheese i hoped he will love this one... i failed! Oh well maybe next time.

In case your kids are not as picky as mine.. here's how to do the Pandesal Hawaiian Pizza:

6 pandesal slice in halves
1 pack del monte Italian pizza sauce
1 Small can of pineapple tidbits
Pack of cooked ham
Cup of grated Cheese

Prepare ingredients. Spread the Italian pizza sauce on the pandesal, put in the pineapple tid bits and cooked ham. Topped with cheese. Preheat oven toaster for 5 minutes and toast pandesal pizza for 10-15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serve immediately with favorite drinks

Bon Appetit,
S