Change is Good

Photo Credit: Rehoboth

10:23pm Taxi

I'm drafting this entry whilst I'm in a taxi on my way home. Not a good idea I tell you. Now, I'm feeling a bit carsick. Had a late night at the office. Sweating my arse butt off, literally! *gross* Why do they always turn the A/C off after 6pm?!

Anyway, it's the last day of February folks! I don't know why but something feels magical about the month of love. Don't you think? Or I'm probably just biased since I was born in February.

I have some exciting news my dear friends and NO, I'm not pregnant!

Now, just do what I say and no peeking!

READY? 

Hang on, I'm about to get off the taxi. Let me get in the house and grab my lappy.

I'm back! First things first. Look up to the address bar. What do you see? 

U-huh! It's official Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you www.relentlesskarla.com

Have you also noticed my blog underwent a major make-over? I spent the whole weekend, day  and night obsessing prettifying my blog! I'm telling you, this girl who is technically challenged made these!

And I'm so proud! Nevermind my sore back, eyes and arms! It was all worth it.

Finally, I have recently joined Nuffnang Singapore, Asia Pacific's First Blog Advertising Community. 

This morning whilst I was updating my domain details, I saw that my Membership has been upgraded from Ordinary to Glitterati!

I'm ecstatic! Now I'm part of the Exclusive Nuffnang Blogger "club". I can't wait to meet the other bloggers in Singapore! I'm sure one day soon I will. Nuffnang always have exclusive parties for their Glitterati Members. I can't wait! 

So there you go, that about wraps up my day and it's only Monday! 

Best part is, this post crosses #1 off my Bucket List!

- Relentless Karla -

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Childhood Memories Part II - Books

I'm a nerd. So shoot me!

I was chatting to my best friend the other day, the same day when I was racking my brain and couldn't think of anything to write. Out of the blue she said "You love books. Why don't you write about them?"And I thought to myself. "Yeah, why the hell not!"

Can you keep a secret?

Books were my first love. My love affair with books started when I was 8.

I grew up in a small town in the Philippines where we had a local bakery. I would save my lunch money to rent books from them.

"Huh? Bakery who rents out books?" Yes, you've read it right.

My favourites were, Sweet Valley High Twins during my Elementary years (that's Primary school for the Brits) and then I moved on to Sweet Valley High when I was in Highshool (Secondary school) and Archie Comic Books which I eventually collected when I was working in Dubai and had to ship them all to Philippines when I left the UAE.

My Grandmother was strict about fictional books. She thought I was too young to be reading such "non-sense" and she was worried it might "corrupt" me. So I used to sneak it in to the house and I would hide the book inside a textbook to camouflage what I was reading.

20 years after and truth be told. Errrr...sorry Mama, may your soul rest in peace.

I studied in a public school in the province of Leyte wherein the education system is - well, not really that brilliant.

English is not my mother/native tongue and reading nurtured my knowledge of the language. I love how reading transports me a to another world. It strengthened and broadened my imagination.

Let's face it, nowadays book sales are down due to other media sources. Now there's so much recreational stuff to choose from. There's the internet, television, films etc. which definitely made our world much smaller.Thank goodness for technological advancements, now there are digital books. Also, thanks heavens for Google, one click of a mouse and it helps us find all the information we need.

But nothing beats the smell of a good old book.


This is Part Two of my Childhood Memories Series. If you missed Part One, read it here.

*Special mention - Thanks to my bestfriend Charlotte Lungsod for reminding me of how much reading meant to me.

- Relentless Karla -

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The Power of the People

Today marks the 25^th year anniversary of the EDSA Revolution.

25 years on and the Filipino people are still divided. Divided in opinion that is. Some mock the yearly EDSA celebration as apparently The Philippines is in a much worse state than it was during the Marcos regime.

Let me tell you, I’m not a fan of politics. Whenever I hear people talking about politics, I cringe - BIG TIME! *shudders*

Yet writing this piece gave me a sense of pride. A sense of belonging.

This morning on my way to work whilst I was on the MRT a tweet caught my attention.

My reaction was mixed.

You see, my Grandmother was a Marcos Loyalist and Imelda Marcos is from Leyte (where I grew up) and I am currently living in Singapore.


So you are probably wondering, “What’s the connection?”

Well for one, I share the dream of many Filipinos to see Philippines (in this lifetime I hope) to be like Singapore, clean and progressive.  

I went over to Phnom Penh in 2009 and my heart broke a million times when I saw the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. I thought at the time with tears in my eyes, "My God, the Filipinos are more fortunate, if only all of us can see it!"

Yes, Cambodia had it worse. 40 years after the Khmer Rouge regime, the people of Cambodia are rebuilding their nation bit by bit. And by the looks of it, if the Philippine system doesn't change soon, Cambodia might just be an inch closer to Singapore than The Philippines!

So where were you during the EDSA Revolution?

“The EDSA what?” You say.

Well, to be honest with you, I was 4 years old when this happened. So what do I know?



Photo Credit : iGossip



Well, I know Imelda had a collection of over 2700 pairs of shoes!

Ignorance is not an excuse. As a Filipino I have a duty to know my beloved land's history. And if you are a Filipino reading this, then you are just as accountable as I am! How else can we learn from our mistakes if we don't know how to look back?

If we are looking for change, we have to start within ourselves. We all have the power to influence change individually, no voice is small. Just imagine what we can achieve collectively. THAT I think is the best lesson we can learn from the People Power Revolution.
 

So we should stop with the shoulda, coulda, woulda and the blame game. It's not never too late!

Change has to start NOW. But the question is, are you ready?

Kaya natin to Pilipino! 

*Special Mention - Thanks to my dear friend Elise Aguilar for the inspiration! 

- Relentless Karla -

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A Woman of Few Words




ON-STANDBY!



I am a woman of few words. NOT!

Who am I kidding?

For those who know me well, this statement is just so out-of-character for I talk a lot! Heck, I even talk to myself! But that's normally when I'm at work and that's a completely different story.

Lately I'm sort of lost for words especially when it comes to stuff I want to post.

The above picture illustrates my current state of mind - on standby!

I'm scared this might turn into a photo blog if this writer's block keeps on. And I'm only on my 4th entry for crying out loud! Apparently, writing a blog should be like talking to your bestfriend. So why am I finding it so hard?

I partially blame it on Twitter. I got so used to squeezing 145 characters into a single tweet therefore, I believe that made me into someone I'm not - a woman of few words. Ha!

For those who doesn't know what Twitter is, then you must be from another planet! Just kidding. Twitter is a real-time micro blogging site and a very powerful social networking tool.

So, if this blog doesn't pan out, you know where to find me. Follow @kstride27. Tweet Tweet!

- Relentless Karla -

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Childhood Memories Part I - Virtual Games

The Evolution of Virtual Games: Early 90's to Late 90's

 

I grew up to Battle City, PacMan and Super Mario and based on that statement I think you can roughly estimate how old I am. YES, I'M THAT OLD!

My Mother bought me a Family Computer in the early 90's and since then I've never looked back. Those were the days before Dance Revolution, Counter Strike, SIMS, Diner Dash, Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja were invented.

I am a living witness to the advancement and evolution of virtual games through the years and therefore you have permission to call me a geek. Thank you very much! 
 

Facebook revolutionized the Online Gaming experience with Real Time Strategy games which are really addicting! Some people I know sets alarm and reminders to harvest virtual crops before they wither or serve food they've been virtually cooking!

I must confess. I used to be one of them!
It all started with Yoville. After 2 years I have moved on to Cafe World, Fashion World, Farmville and other FB games and soon tired of them. Yoville however is a different story. Can you blame me with its super cute graphics? It's like SIM City, only a million times better! I will remain forever a Yovillian. *ahem*

As much as I have enjoyed playing with the Family Computer or Brick Game when I was younger, I am one of the fortunate few who was able to play with fellow kids outdoors.



Photo Credit: Philippine Stamps


Nowadays, you will seldom hear shrieking kids playing outside in the streets as most of them are busy on the internet or playing online games. It's very saddening for me to see children now as young as 2 years old with their own laptops and iPads when they can be enjoying the great outdoors instead.

Kids games and past times changed just as generations changed, some arguably for better or worse. The biggest change is moving from a generation where games could be played outside with real friends or games played in groups to a whole new virtual world of games interacting with people from all over the globe.

This is Part One of my Childhood Memories Series. You can read Part Two here.

- Relentless Karla -

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What's in a Name?

Photo Credit: Amazon

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

- Juliet, Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

The word NAME according to the dictionary, means a label by which a person is known.

Coming up with a name is always a challenge.

It took me days before I came up with my blog name. More of that on my first post here. Imagine how long it will take me if I was to name a baby! Not that I need to anytime soon. Just a thought.

I was born Karla Natasha.

My Mother named me after Lucy Rose's spy names. A character from the book Eye of the Needle, *a spy thriller novel written by British Author Ken Follett. The book was made into a Motion Picture in 1981. I have yet to get my hands on the book or the DVD so that's all I can tell you for now.

So what's in a name I ponder, this is the story of my name. What's yours?

*Source: Wikipedia

- Relentless Karla -

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Back to Basics

Why hello blog world! It's been a while. My writing skills is a bit rusty so pardon me.

Finally after countless hours of deciding on a blog name, not to mention the headache of actually setting set up a blog. *drum roll please*
 

Relentless Karla was born!

Hey! Cut me some slack. I thought creating a blog was idiot friendly!

New Year for me starts on my birthday, 6th of February. Incidentally it always coincides around Chinese New Year. To mark my 29th birthday, I have made a bucket list. My countdown to the BIG 3-0! Eeeeek! That’s less than a year away! *hyperventilating* Let these be my Birthday resolution and my way of spring cleaning!  

May the White Metal Rabbit bring you lots of love and luck! GONG XI FA CAI! 

(In no particular order)

1.  Write a blog 

2.  Become a Domestic Goddess – HA!

3.  Learn how to swim – no, doggy paddle doesn’t count

4.  Go Diving – to conquer my fear of the underwater world

5.  Finish the Rosetta Stone Spanish course – yes, the one that’s been gathering dust for a year in the bookcase

6.  Go Parasailing – to conquer my fear of heights

7.  Try Rock climbing and zip lining – to conquer my fear of heights which is a constant battle

8.   Eat healthily – so that means more fruit, less pork, ditch junk food and fizzy drinks for moi

9.   Exercise regularly – aim is to run at least three times or more a week

10. Fix my sleeping pattern – go to bed at least 11PM every night and wake up earlier, say before mid-day?

11. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! – put away at least 10% of my monthly income

12. Drink more water – before my kidneys shuts down. Currently, a cat drinks more than I do

13. Support a charity – World Vision

14. Enroll in a Pole Dancing course

15. Have a go at Muay Thai & Bikram Yoga

16. Run the Standard Chartered Bank Marathon 2011

17. Invest in a property

18. Travel more

19. Explore Philippines more and help promote tourism – w/ 7, 107 beautiful islands, this one should be fairly easy!

20. Take more care of my skin – so that means cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize and apply sunscreen!

21. Try Pilates

22. Actually use the make-up I hoard

23. Pursue Photography again

24. Get my 4^th ink

25. Quit smoking

26. Get LASIK

27. Move to a more fulfilling job

28. Be more sympathetic – I’m Aquarian, I can’t help it!

29. Swear less – Yes, I curse like a sailor

30. Be more spontaneous, stress less

There is an exception to every rule. And that’s my excuse for not adding conquering my fear of Snakes/Reptiles to the list. I am most terrified of crawlies! They give me the creeps. So for now, I will leave them out from my list. Who knows, it might make an entry on my 40^th birthday! 

- Relentless Karla -

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