Just trying something out

I saw this in my PayPerPost qualified opportunities and I just thought I'd try it out. It's a site where you can get blog photos that are high-quality and free which you can put on your webpage without having to worry about the images eating up your webhost's disk quota. That's because the images are hosted at www.acobox.com!

I looked for an image I can try out on this post and I saw this. It reminded me of my elementary days at Montessori where we learned geography by putting together a wooden puzzle of the world map. If you're wondering where the Philippines is, it's the red group of islands just above the blue group of islands (Indonesia), located at the south east :)

Soon-to-be Dancing Queen

I can't believe it took me more than a year to start working on my "To-Enroll-In" list. Well, better late than never, I say. Just this month, I enrolled in Cardio Hiphop and Bachata dance classes at Studio 116, together with my officemates. Cardio Hiphop is at Tuesdays and Bachata on Wednesdays so that's a total of 8 dance sessions for this month. We started last week and we found it really enjoyable. Although I found myself wishing I was more fit so I didn't have to stop every now and then to catch my breath and drink some water.

World of Microsoft

Sorry for not posting for the past few weeks. Aside from the hectic project schedule, my pc got hit by trojans and malwares so I had to do a reinstall. I even seriously considered using Fedora for my OS instead of Windows XP. Unfortunately, most tools we use at the office are Microsoft-based so moving to Linux would be more of a hassle than a relief.

Continuing Education

Don't you ever feel that you want to do so many things and you've only got so little time. I feel like that most of the time. There's so many books to read, so many movies to watch, so many hobbies to pursue, so many new things to learn. Yep, I've always loved and and enjoyed the learning process. Even now that I've finished school and have a full-time job, my thirst for knowledge still cries out to be quenched so I check out schedules of short courses or classes every now and then. Although, I haven't actually enrolled in any yet, the following are in my "To-Enroll-In" list:

1. Philippine Center for Creative Imaging - I want to enroll in their photography classes, ranging from their basic to specialized courses. Although for starters, I would like to enroll in The Alcove because they have lower fees and have after-office schedules.
2. Studio 116 - If there's one talent I'm sure I have, it's dancing. Unfortunately, I've always put it in the background and have never actively cultivated it. I've never joined any dance clubs in school because practices tend to finish late and I had no way of getting a ride home. At least now, I can have the chance to have formal dance training if I enroll. I want to progress through the social dances because I think I'm stuck in hip-hop. Again, classes are after-office and I won't have any problem going home late because I get home late everyday anyway (curse you EDSA traffic!).
3. Japanese Studies Program - I took Japanese as my foreign language elective in college and I even planned to pursue a Minor in Japanese Studies. However, my JSP102 Basic Japanese 2) professor was so terrible, I didn't learn anything from her so I thought I wouldn't survive Intermediate and Advanced Japanese if my Basic Japanese education was so poor. Now, I want to resume my Japanese language studies and I even dream of taking (and passing) the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Classes are every Saturday so I have to rethink because that will eat into my precious weeknd. Meanwhile, I'll content myself with online resources and exams.
4. PhilNITS Exams (JITSE) Review - I've always wanted to take the Japanese IT Standards Examination ever since I graduated. I even registered for the 2003 exams but I backed out when I saw the review materials. Half of the things in there, we didn't even cover when I was studying! Now, its name has changed but I still haven't taken it. At least there's a review center I can enroll in, if and when I decide to take it. I dunno, it's just something I need to prove to myself as a Computer Science graduate.
5. Registered Financial Planners Program - Here's something I can go into if I decide to take a career shift - becoming a Professional Financial Planner. But for now, I just wanna learn so I can better manage my personal finances. The program fees are high though, so the education is an investment in itself.
6. Stock Market Investing - Another finance-related class, this time about investing in the stock market. Trainings are scheduled on Thursday afternoons so I would have to take a leave from work if I want to attend. No seminar fees though so that's a plus!

In a way, it's a good thing that I don't have the time yet to enroll in these courses 'coz then, I'll be worrying about the money. Hehe.