Someday...

Someday, I will have an office inspired by this.

And I will go to work in outfits like these.

Source: atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com via The Levo League on Pinterest

Source: stylemepretty.com via Erin on Pinterest

And then go home to a guy that looks like this.

DIY Guide to a Restorative Weekend

Everyone deserves a nice, relaxing weekend after a long week at work, even though some people cannot submit to the idea of rest. They see it as a waste of time. In fact, I've heard some people say that they can't even have a full body massage because they can't make themselves not do anything! Unfortunately, these people are robbing themselves of one of the most yummy things in life, and the truth is, it's not only good for you, it is necessary for optimal work. Rest and relaxation are crucial if one wants to be as productive as possible. Without rest, you won't be taking care of your body, and it will eventually run down.

Here are some tips for a relaxing weekend, on-the-cheap!

1. Sleep-in! Yes, sleep-in for an extra hour. It feels sooo good.

2. Do some Yoga or Tai-chi for about 20 minutes. It will give you a calm mind, energized body, and fulfilled spirit. Greet the beautiful morning. Be thankful you are alive. :)

3. If you have stuffed your body full of junk during the weekend, it deserves some TLC. Treat your body to a day of good, yummy food. Here are some recipes I've encountered. Click on the pictures for the recipes. 

Healthy Recipes by Frances Marie Advincula on Polyvore.com

Jumbo Shrimp Stuffed with Cilantro and Chiles Recipe : Food Network...
Easy, Healthy Breakfasts Under 300 Calories: Honey & Pear Oatmeal with...
5 Healthy Muffin Recipes | Women's Health Magazine
Easy, Healthy Breakfasts Under 300 Calories: Black Bean Breakfast...
Arugula and Pear Salad Recipe
Thai Salad Dressing Recipe (for Thai Mango Salad) | Dianasaur Dishes
Summer Picnic Recipes – Best Recipes for a Summer Picnic - Country...
Grilled Chicken Salad with Seasonal Fruit Recipe - Allrecipes.com
Lemon Crumbed Fish with Avocado Salad Recipe - Birds Eye


4. Do something you love, even just for an hour. Paint. Watch a movie. Sing. Go outside and get some sunshine! Just make sure you don't forget some SPF! Fly a kite, walk with your loved ones, or simply sit on your porch and read a favorite book.

5. Get some spa time! First set the ambiance. Listen to spa music, like Yanni Pure Moods 2 or Polynesian Spa Music. Put on some candles and relax in your room.

• Get a body massage. Or, try doing a self-massage.
• Make your skin glow with a body scrub. Combine coffee grounds and olive oil for an awakening body scrub, Balinese style.
• Soak your feet in warm water. After 15 minutes, scrub with regular sugar. 
• Warm lotion:  Place your yummiest flavored lotion in a bowl of hot hot water. After 10 minutes, rub all over your body. You will not believe how glorious this feels.

6. At home facial

At Home Facial by Frances Marie Advincula on Polyvore.com


Step 1: Cleanse your face. 
Step 2: Steaming. Put some warm water in a bowl. Put your face near the water and cover you head with a towel for 10 min. 
Step 3:  Scrub you face gently with circular strokes.
Step 4: Put your favorite facial mask. 
Step 5: Either used sliced cucumbers or cold tea bags to soothe your eyes. Relax with mask for 20 min.
Step 6: Rinse mask away and moisturize.

7. Take a nap. Yes, take a nap. Love your body!

8. Spend time with your loved ones. Play a board game with them, or snuggle with your better half.

9. Bath. Take a nice long soak in your tub. Let some petals float in the water, and put on some votive candles. Just don't fall asleep.

10. Sip some herbal tea right before going to bed. Don't set an alarm clock and just let yourself relax. The more you let go, the more your body will heal. Spend some time praying before bed time. Be thankful of what you have.

There you have it! An enjoyable, cheap, and relaxing weekend! 

Yoga Challenge

Before last summer, I was in a yoga phase (and if  you know me, you know that I'm a phase girl). Unfortunately, life happens. Between classes, software projects, and other business, I've forgotten that I need to take care of myself. It's ridiculous! I sleep late, eat junk, and ignore working out. I'm also so stressed! Not very alpha-female. Not being a good steward of my body.

That is enough. No more of that! I've vowed to revamp my lifestyle. In the next three weeks, in my own version/implementation of this challenge, I'm making a promise to myself to do the following:

1. Sleep before midnight.

2. Wake up before 6 a.m. (waking up early = productivity).

3. Yoga in the morning, everyday for at least 20 minutes.

4. Absolutely no junk food.

5. Water, water, water.

6. Pray more.

Since this post is dedicated to yoga, let's focus on it, shall we?

 I'm inviting you to my yoga challenge from now, August 10, 2010 to September 10, 2010 (yes, even during finals, Arra!) No, we are not aiming for Nirvana here, or some serious yogic meditation; we are aiming for a calmer spirit and fitter body. It's simple. Just do yoga everyday for at least 20 min! There is a catch --you have to record what you did everyday (and because I'm evil, comment on my blog often for the duration of the challenge). By September 16, I will draw a name from all the entries, and you will win....something-something special! I don't know yet...see a blog update. It's either a yoga class in Bikram Yoga Manila, a yoga mat, a movie date, a Belle de Jour Planner..something! (Suggestions welcome).

The downside is that yoga is expensive...If you are doing yoga at home, here is my dump of all the yoga workouts that I love. You have any? Post it on the comments!

1. Reese's Witherspoon's Yoga Workout
2. Skinny Jeans Workout
3. Jen Aniston's Yoga Makeover
4. Complete Guide to Yoga

My favorites in youtube:

1.  Yoga for Weight Loss
2.  Shiva Rhea Sun Salutation
3.  When I am in extreme Stress

P.S. To join the challenge, you have to say so in the comments section of this blog. Happy yoga :) 

If you are in the US, I will give your prize next time I'm in town. If you live outside of Manila or Southwest Missouri, I will mail you your prize. 

Love, 

Fran

Android Project: an Experience on Doing Something You're Scared Of

"You must do what you think you cannot do." -Eleanor Roosevelt

I'm in my first term of my junior year of my Software Engineering degree. We go on our internship next year, and the professors are not wasting their time, let me tell ya. I have two software projects for now, and there are more to come. One is for Software Architecture, and we chose an Android App to apply core principles that we are learning.

Our app is the w5 Notifer. Basically, it accepts who, what, where, when, and why keyword inputs from the user, generates a proper English text, and automatically sends it to 3 of your specified contacts (which are saved in your phone's memory).

Well, we are finally done! It may look a bit basic, but for beginning Java developers, Android can be finicky and quite detailed. Abe will put up the app in the market soon (it's free! ..it's Android!), and I will post a link here.

Here are some of the things that I found useful. A note about Android: Since it's relatively new, and it keeps on updating, make sure the tutorial you are learning from matches your current SDK version; otherwise, it won't work. It's actually quite a bit hard to find tutorials on Android since it's just now getting popular; that's why I decided to post what we found useful here.





This is a GREAT GREAT GREAT tutorial on the UI of Android.

Part 1: Layouts
Part 2: Views
Part 3: More Views
Part 4: Even More Views

...and of course
SMS messaging in Android

...and let's not miss Shared Preferences.

and finally, leaving the best for last
http://developer.android.com/index.html.

The API has everything you'll ever need.

Yours Truly,
Fran

My Dream Morning

My dream morning is to wake up to the sound of beautiful piano lullabies, with all the windows open, and the curtains freely blowing every which way. I love mornings. I love the sun, it's warmth. I love that each morning,you can always start all over again.

My Dream Morning by Frances Advincula featuring Monsoon accessories

For someone so special, please know that you write your own destiny, and that you have made many people's lives beautiful indeed.  You know who you are. ♥

Confessions of a Worry-wart: Advice for the College Gal

I used to be a hardcore worrier; I worried about everything under the sun, but thanks to a really, sweet, good "friend" of mine - and a lot of Oprah magazine, I have learned a few tips that has made me an itsy-teensy less stressed.

1. Whatever it is you are so worried about, it will not matter so much in 5 years. This was my mantra when I got a 35% (over a hundred...yikes!)  in an Assembly Language Programming exam. Well, it hardly matters now, much less in 5 years!
2. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Asking for help doesn't make  you dumber than the rest of the class. You are meant to ask help in college; thus, the word prefix co-.  
3. Sometimes, easing up a bit might be the best thing you can do. I was really antsy each time there was a class in Assembly Language. I kept telling everybody how I hated it and how I'm not good at it AT ALL. Then, one of my dearest friends told me, "If you keep saying that, you brain will believe it." From that day on, I forced my brain to think that I was good at that subject. Soon, my brain acted like I WAS GOOD. I became confident to ask questions in class. I googled. I joined study groups. I was more relaxed during study sessions. Would you believe it-- I got a flat 1.0 on it?!?! (Thats a 4.0 for y'all in the US of A). 
4. Pray. When you pray, you put things in God's hands. I mean,some of the worries we have in life are too big for us. So, give them to God. Let him worry about them. Knowing that God has your back gives an inner sense of calm. 
5. Know that God's answer might not be the same as yours. You did pray to God, but you must also TRUST him. Trust him that He knows better. Then, no matter what happens, you know that God DOES have a plan for you. Be open and ready for unexpected changes.
6. Stop worrying about what other people think;  otherwise, you will be worried your whole life. You do not have control about what others think, say, or do. As long as you are living your life in a God-pleasing way,  stop caring about what others say about you, and live the way you want to. It's your life. 
7. Elminiate toxic people from your life. Seriously. Wait--! Don't kill anybody, though. If a "friendship" is just draining you, let it die a natural death. I mean, stop meeting that person! He or she will eventually get it.  If your family is draining you out, seek some space or put some boundaries. Distance yourself from them for a bit.  Have a "mean" girl at school (who likes screaming at the top of their lungs at 10 pm -ahem)? Avoid them as much as possible! If you must be with them (like in a group, or in class), just forgive, take a deep breath, and don't care. Put yourself in a nice little bubble. No one can make you feel bad without your persmission.
8. YOU ARE NOT ALL THAT - SERIOUSLY!  I used to be so worried about my life, that so-and-so is smarter than me, that so-and-so is more liked, that this-and-that can never happen to me, that i will never understand something...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I was horrid, like that, until my mother told me, "Frances, you know why you are so stressed all the time? Because you think too highly of yourself!" It struck me right there and then: I AM NOT PERFECT! I don't have to look put together all the time. I don't have to know what to say all the time. I don't have to be a size 2. I don't have to get an A all the time. I don't have to understand a programming lesson all the time.  YOU ARE NOT SUPERWOMAN EITHER, so give yourself some slack.

Well, that's it for now. I have to go to class! I actually have an exam (which I'm not worried about, promise), so wish me luck!

My Book Wish List

Dear Loved Ones,

If by chance any of you wish to surprise me, or for my, not-so-near birthday, I have

a few suggestions...

I love you, all, and I promise that it'll be money worth spent. 

Love,

Fran