I received this article in my email today and found it very helpful that I want to share it with you bloggers out there. Non-fiction and poetry writer Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ wrote it, and she is also the creator of WriteSparks!, a software that can generate story sparks to help writers to "jumpstart their writing, break out of a block, get rid of boredom, write away their frustrations, and write for the sheer joy of writing."

Happy reading!

Writer, write with passion.
The kind of writing you produce shall oftentimes reflect the current state of your emotions. Be indifferent and your writing will be indifferent. Be cheerful and watch the words dance across your page. Whenever you sit down to write, put your heart and soul in it. Write with passion. Write as if you won't live tomorrow.

Writer, write with purpose.
Be goal-oriented. Do you write everyday with the purpose of getting published tomorrow?

Writer, write with awareness.
Be alert. Be observant. Extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. Your job as a writer is to capture as many of these things and write them down, weave stories, and create characters that jump out of the pages of your notebook. Don't let anything escape your writer's eye, not even the way the old man tries to subtly pick his nose or the way an old lady fluffs her hair in a diner. What you can't use today, you can use tomorrow so it is good to store these in your memory or better yet, have these jotted down on your little notebook.

Writer, write with your voice.
Don't even try to copy your favorite writer's writing style. That's being unfair to your writer self. You were given the talent to write, not the talent to be a copycat. Learn to trust your own voice. Write how you are supposed to write. Write what your inner voice is telling you. When someone reads your story, they won't say, "Oh, her style is like (insert a famous writer's name here)..."

Writer, write with clarity.
You're a writer, therefore, you have no excuse to have your words buried in mediocrity. Write to be understood. Writing in a precise and clear style is the stuff that makes a writer successful in connecting with her readers. So get rid of those big words, unnecessary phrases, dangling modifiers and what-have-yous. You aren't writing to impress anyone. You're writing to tell a story and make your readers understand what you are telling them.

Writer, write with confidence.
Tackle each writing assignment with confidence. There will be days that you will feel you are writing blah. There will be times that you will get rejection letters. There will be times that your finished product will fall short of your or your editor's expectations. Don't let these discourage you. Learn and grow from the rejections, the bad days, the shortcomings. Believe in yourself.

Writer, write with discipline.
Writing, like any other form of art, work or talent, requires discipline. It won't ever be enough that you say to yourself that you are a writer. Only when you write and write with discipline can you call yourself a writer. Like playing a musical instrument, your writing will get out of tune if you don't practice and instill discipline within. Write everyday. Write even though you're in a bad mood. Put yourself in a writing routine.

Writer, write with proper grammar.
Correct grammar is the beginning of writing well. Master it, and when you do, you'll know which ones to break.

Writer, write with the richness of your experience.
Write what you know. This is the beginning for writers. Write about your experiences, what you have learned, what you have lived through. There is a lesson in there somewhere that your readers will find interesting, helpful, uplifting and even motivating.

Writer, write with gusto.
Tackle each writing activity with enthusiasm. Your zest, your enthusiasm will be reflected on your writing. This will help your readers feel excited and enthusiastic too.

Writer, write with wisdom. Your life experiences will give you the wisdom. Being wise is being able to differentiate between truths and falsehoods; what is elemental, deep and superficial.

Writer, write with faith. Being a Christian writer doesn't mean you have to write religious-oriented themes only. It doesn't mean that you have to write about your religion or your belief exclusively. Writing with faith means you write with the purpose of sharing the good you have experienced, the bad that life threw at you, and inspiring and motivating your readers that good always triumphs over evil. Walk with faith, write with faith, and your writing will shine through.

Copyright © Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

What is "The Secret" that many people have been talking about? If you check out the official website http://thesecret.tv, you may find it a bit creepy -- it actually reminded me of Da Vinci's Code.

The Secret is a movie created by Australian Rhonda Bryne, and she tells people that if they follow its philosophy, you can create the life you want - whether that means getting out of debt, finding a more fulfilling job, or even falling in love. Intruiging, huh? For those who prefer to read, there is also a book written by Bryne.

I may not agree to all the "secret" teachings but what struck me was how the author's life was changed because of her discovery of this "secret". "Since I discovered the Secret, every single moment of my entire life has changed, and I am living my life for the first time", Rhonda says in Oprah's show.

Here are some of the "secret" teachings on relationships taken from the website:

You can completely transform any relationship, no matter what it's like right now.

Every single relationship you have is a reflection of how you feel inside about you. You are a magnet attracting to you all things, via the signal you are emitting through your thoughts and feelings. Every relationship you have and every interaction with every person, is a reflection of your own thoughts and feelings in that very moment.

To transform every single relationship you have in your life:

Fall in love with YOU!

Make lists of hundreds and hundreds of wonderful things about you. Keep adding to it every day.

Know that you are perfect. Do not think any negative thoughts about you.

Know that you are worthy and deserving of anything and everything you could possibly want in your life.

Focus on the wonderful things in every person. Look for only those things.

Do not blame or criticize anybody, ever.

Set an intention that you are going to see the best in everything and everyone.

Make your happiness the number one thing in your life. Happiness is an inside job.

Free yourself of the responsibility of trying to make other people happy. Respect and love them enough to allow them to take care of their own happiness.

Get your attention off those things in others that don't make you feel good.

Appreciate and love yourself in every moment you can.

Do not expect others to behave in a way you want, so you will be happy. Release yourself forevermore and know that you alone control your happiness and it is a choice, no matter what anyone else is doing.

Love and respect yourself completely.

Know that you are perfect right now.

my name is chun and i'm a coffeeholic.

i'm hooked on coffee. i drink coffee first thing in the morning, and if there is a chance i drink another cup in the afternoon. if i do go out with friends in the evening to chill in a coffee shop, i wouldn't think twice to get another cup.

as i write this piece, i'm sipping coffee since it helps me clear my mind of unwanted thoughts. i'm not very hard to please though; i would drink any available coffee there is whether it is instant, brewed, or something fancy such as a latte with art on the foam, created to perfection by a barista, or probably even coffee-based cocktails.

a coffee-scented candle adorns my living room, and i have a coffee-tint lip balm and lipstick in my purse. i once made a personalized greeting card and used coffee as paint for the cover. i collect coffee-related memorabilia. i signed up for a local online community for coffee-drinkers.

i have 3 drip coffee makers, a french press, and  a personal one-cup press-and-mug-in-one. the aroma of coffee gives me a natural high. the coffee shop is my mobile office and studio. and i wish designers could create a car with a built-in coffeemaker.

coffee is the most confusing beverage, as numerous studies worldwide point out both its good and bad effects. still, coffee remains my power booster. it is not just a drink but an inspiration. not only a regular part of my diet but also an essential part of my lifestyle. it is a venue for me to connect with people and to rekindle ties. it is a vehicle of change and a path to artistic freedom. it is both mundane and magical.

no matter how a cup of coffee is prepared, or where it is from, it will always have a special place in my heart.

For those of you who regularly check out my blog, you may have read my post about my defective keyboard and how it made me realize that "little things matter".  Yesterday, my PC experience got worse: my desktop randomly shut down a number of times. Aargh. Luckily, I had a "spare" CPU in the house. I thought I would regain my writing life again.

Then I encountered my next challenge: the DSL connection. For some technical reason, I couldn't connect to the server. Kainis! After several attempts to tweak the network connection, I gave up. This blogger needed to go wireless.

I gathered my urban essentials: my Acer Aspire (thanks, mom!), my Palm TX (which I often use as a WIFI catcher), my personal Starbucks tumbler ("seaside", stocks running out?), my BayanTel wireless landline (the cellphone type, not the chunky one ok?), a digicam (in case I spot a celebrity and I get star-struck), a couple of memory cards for maximum space, my now-obsolete and actually-defective ipod shuffle (the original version, I might sell it soon for P500 --you need to bend it to get sounds on both sides of your earphones hehe), my Blaze OpticalMini mouse, and of course, a cellphone that has unli credits.

My first choice was Starbucks Tomas Morato since it was near my home. I was already anticipating the coffee I will order: a tall White Chocolate Mocha Americano in my personal tumbler, with a P5 cup discount and a small token of appreciation to Mother Earth. Unfortunately, the WIFI was offline. Aargh No. 2!!

It started to rain, but I didn't let it dampen my spirits. Briskly walking along Morato, I let my PDA did the searching. And that's how I ended up here at CBTL. For someone who needed to go online, this place was just right. It had Airborne Access, e-yellowpages, and the coffee shop's own network. The peace and quiet on the 2nd floor was a bonus! There were lots of empty tables and chairs, an available outlet, and just a handful of customers. Perfect!

But the nirvana was too good to be true. A dozen ladies in their 40s suddenly appeared and settled in the tables right in front of me. Can you imagine all the chattering?? 12 ladies!  So I had to do what I had to do, i.e. eavesdrop. Yes, as a writer it is better to keep one's senses open and learn as much as possible from your surroundings.

I figured they were former classmates preparing for a 3D2N out of town trip for their reunion getaway. One lady in red, who complained about the size of her pistachio pastry, and acted as the "organizer" of the group declared it will be safe to go in August since it will not be rainy, but September will surely be a stormy month. Another one wanted to have it in November, but somebody said it will definitely rain too. My gosh, these ladies are weather experts! Someone was distributing flyers, an invitation to a spiritual event somewhere. I couldn't get much details since the font was too small for me to see from my seat.

After some time, I realized that this "thing" before me is something very beautiful. It is not just chattering but an exchange of experiences among the members of the group. It is about sharing your passion to the rest, may it be religion or a penchant for asking discounts from the right people. It is about sharing time with people and enjoying a cup of coffee with them -- never mind if the pastry was too small! More importantly, it is about friendship and how they attempt to nurture it despite the time that has passed.

My afternoon was not so bad after all.

The much awaited movie "WANTED" finally opened in theaters worldwide yesterday and OMG, it was WOW. Hey, I'm an Angelina fan -- what can I say? Seriously, this movie is heart-pounding, soul-provoking, and mind-twisting. The car chase scenes gripped me, and made me secretly wish I could actually and legally drive like that once in a while.

I shrieked in the cinema a number of times. It was gory, had a lot of swearing and profanity, but the element of suspense was well incorporated into the film. Never mind that Yahoo Critics gave it a B- rating.

Forget about the popcorn. Your attention will be 100% on the screen. Well, at least that's what happened to me. Fox, you ROCK!

My sis took this candid shot of me as I was busy making a choice over my veggies. I love groceries that offer a wide array of fresh produce, an in I go nuts.  Big yellow bell peppers. Cherry tomatoes. Fresh strawberries. Perky sayote tops. I want to be able to decide if I'm getting the iceberg lettuce, or the arugula, or romaine.

I'm also a huge fan of stores with extended hours, such as Shopwise which closes at 11pm, and Ever Supermarket which is open 24 hours. Of course there is the trusty 7-11 but you can't find ground beef there at 3am, can you?

Tody my encounter with the keybord hs mde me relie the importnce of little things. You see, some of the keys do not work so tht explins ll the typo errors you see here. Of course there were some short term solutions I did to get by, such s the cut-nd-pste techniue, but it ws very tiring. I just hve to go on blogging even without these much needed chrcters.

These missing letters represent the things we sometimes overlook in life. Dy in dy out, there re people we see, ctivities we do, nd items we use everydy. We my tke them for grnted, nd believe tht they will lwys be there no mtter wht hppens. Then one dy you lose them nd life is not the sme nymore. It tkes some effort to understnd life, much like the messge I'm trying to write here.

nd it's just three letters missing.

This afternoon I was browsing through some books at Powerbooks when I came across a little blue book that caught my fancy. It talked about boredom, and I wondered what the author had to say about it. Here goes:

"We're taught from childhood that doing something (anything!) is preferable to doing nothing. But allowing yourself to relax into boredom can be very rewarding, as it gives your mind room to process your thoughts. Turn your  attention inward and you'll find there's a lot going on in there. Boredom makes you realize what your worries and priorities are. Watch it without judgment and you'll experience a very comforting feeling - that your thoughts are not you, just things you're thinking. So next time you feel bored, just sit with it and let your brain bounce around until it comes to a peaceful pause."

This is a photo of Beethoven, jimhankey's lovely dog courtesy of Flickr photostream. I'm still waiting for the puppies that Leslie is going to give me. I still miss Yuki, though. Yuki, it ain't the same without you.

My daily online routine is never complete without checking out what www.tripadvisor.com has to say. For this week's newsletter, it lists the top 10 beach destinations in the world, and still going strong is our very own BOWRACAAYY!! Check it out: 

1. St-Tropez, France

3. Fiji

6. Seychelles

7. Boracay, Philippines

What I like about Trip Advisor is that I could get real advice from real travelers  -- well, alright, other travel sites also do that -- and many times I have made good travel choices based on the reviews I find there. In my recent trip to Baguio, my sister and I chose Microtel Inn and Suites and we were not disappointed. With the convenience of online payment, reservation was a breeze. And I kinda liked their chiropractic beds too! Plus, free-flowing coffee: it ain't Starbucks but it was ok. Not to mention that Microtel is located just beside the Victory Liner bus station. Perfect for that quick getaway! 

Great job for Dreamworks for another animation masterpiece: Kung Fu Panda. I laughed my heart out watching Po and his quest to become the Dragon Warrior!!! This movie totally rocks! And I could totally relate since food played a vital role in Po's discovery of his strength. Find out what the secret ingredient in the secret ingredient soup is!

I also enjoyed the fact that Angelina Jolie provided the voice for Master Tigress. She's truly ass-kickin' in this film! I can't wait to see her in her next movie, Wanted, as she takes on another ass-kickin' role as an assasin. Can't w8!

It's 11pm and I feel like I am just starting my day. I've always been comfortable staying up late, just tinkering with my PC and surfing the web for anything that would interest me. One time I googled myself and found the links to the following sites: this Multiply site; a comment I made on Lori Baltazar's food site, "Dessert Comes First"; a blog archive of Food and Beverage World Magazine featuring an article I wrote on kitchen fire safety; and a comment I made years ago on www.unionbankph.com regarding their Cash Management Seminar at UP College of Home Economics. Anyway, when you time in your hands, try it -- it could gauge you how active you are in cyberworld.

This morning Mo Twister was prophesizing over the radio that the recording industry will soon die because of the internet. Actually I don't know why I keep on listening to this morning show even if I'm not really a fan of his. I'm more of a Mojo fan but I think Mo has a point. You see, everyone could simply upload their music videos to You Tube and get instant fame around the world. I am still amazed at how The Journey found their new lead singer Arnel Pineda through this crazy famous website.

One day, aside from googling myself and blogging, I could also upload my bellydancing clips. Hehe.

Last week, Rufus couldn't go to work with me since he was not feeling well. He was feeling intense pain on the same spot where he had a minor surgery some months ago. I didn't expect he would undergo the same sickness again. He had to stay home for almost a week, since I didn't have the time to take him to the doctor for a checkup.

Today, Rufus was brought to the hospital for another operation. It cost me 2,500 and I am hoping he will remain in good condition for the coming months. I am still saving up for another surgery since his side needs to be reconstructed due to a minor accident we encountered before. I'm optimistic that Rufus will soon be good as new. It ain't the same without him.

Stay healthy, Rufus! And stay safe!

Btw, Rufus is our trusty Ford Lynx. 

I came across this website some weeks ago and now I'm hooked! It's a great place to post your restaurant reviews, and any other review on events and the nightlife in the city. If you're a foodie like me, you'll enjoy reading the -- and probably writing your own -- reviews! See you there!

Some years ago, I wanted to organize a writing club. Deep inside, I knew I couldn't do much as an individual, and so I thought of gathering other individuals who share my ideals in life. I started making some flyers to give away, but the plan did not materialize. Somewhere along the way, I got distracted by the things of the world. The aroma of coffee was too much to resist.

Today I read what I wrote in the flyer, and was reminded of that dream:

Who and What We Are…

We are a group of women striving to achieve a common goal.

A goal to uphold the dignity of human life and restore the true glory of society.

We see the world and look at it with hopeful vision rather than with eyes of cynicism and apathy.

We see the burdens of an unjust environment and seek solutions rather than criticize.

We believe in the power of media and use it to build, rather than destroy, society.

This morning I was watching Martha Stewart and learned how to shuck a scallop. Many of us have seen the grocery version, but not too many have a chance to shuck one straight from the ocean. Scallops are actually bivalve mollusks, and a very popular type of shellfish used in cooking. The ones we see in the grocery are actually just the adductor muscle of the shellfish, which is white and meaty.

A very simple way to prepare scallops is just to season it with salt and pepper right before pan frying it in a little oil. Or you may grill them. Others make it as a ceviche, especially if you have them fresh and not frozen, or as a quiche. You can also add scallops to sauteed garlic, tomato concasse, and fresh basil, and topped it to your favorite pasta. 

And if you're a wine lover like me, go ahead and pair your scallop dish with a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Bon appetit!

There are summer people, and there are those who prefer the rainy season. I can't decide what I season I like better. I enjoy walking in the rain, but there's something about the summer heat that does wonders to me.

Summer brings back the fondest memories of my childhood, enjoying halo halo sold in the local neighborhood, or perhaps Twin Popsies from the roving ice cream man, with that familiar bell that seems to ring at the same time every afternoon.

It's that time of the day when we were asked to take naps in the afternoon so that we grow tall -- well, it didn't work. I would always look forward to our afternoon merienda, prepared with love by mom. And yes, that hammock in the garden where we would lazily hang around, enjoying school-free days, without a care in the world.