Social networking has become part of our routines. It is a very effective way to communicate with people and even find those who you haven’t seen for ages. We have Friendster, Myspace, Multiply and Facebook (at least they are the leading the industry). My beloved sister likes to update her profile and torments me by making me her photographer so she can update her pictures. Hahaha. It’s funny how we’ve become addicted to these sites. I’ve had my share of logging excessive hours just trying to catch up with everybody. But which of them is the best?

Personally, I’m not a fan of Friendster because it’s too cluttered for me. I don’t like how it’s so easy to clutter it with booming music and backgrounds/images that make the text hard to read. Myspace is not pretty for me. And while Multiply has fantastic functions, again, same with Friendster, it’s just not friendly to my eyes. I guess, it all depends on your taste, and the setup you’re comfortable in. For some, it’s where their most friends are at.

Facebook is the ultimate winner for me. I love the fact that it is very clean-looking. The functions are marvelous and I’m floored by how easy it is to share and communicate with the updates carefully shown and logged. There are no random music that almost gives you a heart attack if you’re not aware. No clutter of cutesy, tacky things. I like the privacy, too. I wish it stays looking professional while making it fun for the users.

And just as we have these sites, our famous pet rabbit, Booni has Bunspace. Bunspace has come a long way in improving their features and making it as a community that is very much alive. They have photo contests, you can give virtual carrots and gifts to other bunnies. There are blogs, forums and simply everything buntastic. It is as if our pet bunnies have finally found their voice and started showing us what their world is all about.

In the end, I’m just glad we are finding new ways to communicate. It seem we are magnetized here in the dork side. But if dorky makes us smile and dorky helps improve our relationship with others, then so be it. :)

I have this one picture that will hopefully make you giggle as it did with many bunny owners over at Bunspace. On Monday, Booni won the “Bunnies acting like humans” contest. My family was thrilled and Booni is now more spoiled than ever.

Because I’m one of the boys!

Booni was still tiny here and he wanted to play with my nephews but it was past their bedtime. So I guess he just joined the slumber party. You can just imagine how we giggled and laughed but tried hard to not wake these boys up and ruin their perfect sleeping position. I hope you liked it. :)

Where do you and your pets socialize?

The French novelist Gustav Flaubert’s motto was: “Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work.” I likey-likey.

I prepared for this week knowing that my special projects will be due. Over the weekend, I rediscovered Mark McGuinness’s brilliant (and free) e-book titled “Time Management for Creative People” in my files. In one of the chapters, he suggested that we ring-fence our attention and get ourselves in the right state of mind. The author had some experience in hypnotherapy that taught him how sensitive the nervous system is to triggers in our environment. In other words, we need to trigger our creative state. I chuckled at the story of a poet who liked the smell of rotten apples beneath his writing desk. Funny but very inspiring, right?

So it got me thinking what my triggers were. Let me share my perfect environment with you:

1. Well, if you know me, I like to work knowing that my office is tidy. For that, I did some last-minute changes in my office setup on Sunday night just to make sure I’ll be as comfortable as possible. Uncluttered office, check.
2. I want to be able to tackle my day all fresh and clean. So before I hit the office, I’ve already showered and eaten a hearty breakfast. My nails are done, my hair blow-dried to perfection, too. Pretty factor, check.
3. As much as I can, I try not to have an open web browser in the background to limit myself from surfing. That’s actually the biggest challenge right there. Same goes for instant messaging tools. It’s easy to get lost chatting up a storm with friends. So somehow, I got to limit my connection to the outside world when I’m working. Less distractions, check.
4. I keep a small glass and an aluminum water bottle on my desk for water breaks. It’s nice to be hydrated and have to get up to use the bathroom every once in a while to make sure that I can still feel my legs. It’s a chance to stretch and step out of the office. H20 and a breath of fresh air every once in a while, check.
5. My planner is always on my left side (I’m left-handed) so that I’m aware of my to-do list for the day. My colored pens can be seen scattered about above it. I’m getting into the habit of also marking my planner with different doodles in random colors to keep it looking like a happy place. It’s nice to be able to have a clear grasp of what I spent my time on. Colorful and effective planner, check.
6. I would love to put that I start off my day in the office with a mug of hot chocolate but then it might be the culprit behind my nocturnal asthma lately. Well we also have to be aware of sickness triggers, right? Hot chocolate = asthma experiment, check.
7. Lastly, and as quirky as it can get (I also just noticed this weird habit of mine) I like put on my current favorite shoes while I work. Most of the time, these shoes are new and in dire need for some breaking in. It must be the feeling of my constricted feet barely able to move through the material. It just simply works. I might have to allocate special funding for monthly shoe shopping though. Cute shoes, check.

Just like how I can only draw one eye, I can only draw one shoe. Thank you, fantastic tablet.

It was a nice experience being able to clearly define my triggers. It allowed me get in the moment as comfortably as possible and most importantly, I formed new habits that help me spend my working time with relaxed concentration.

How about you? What are your triggers? :)

A lot has happened this year and it’s just a matter of days now before we welcome 2009. One of the many big decisions I have made was to drop my other job to have more time for Passionistta. I must say that it was a tough journey. The overwhelming pressure, the expectations of the people around me, my own great expectations, the effects of the recession written everyday in the newspapers were always in the background.

I like to think that tough times build character. More than anything, it is an opportunity to shine. These past few days as I neared the completion of a full Passionistta overhaul, I felt like an unstoppable energy- it must be the core of my being. I designed and re-designed, in sickness and in health, until I finally came up with this. I am proud to say that I reached maximum contentment because I kept going and going. Thank you, persistence and determination.

I’ll let you in on a secret, hidden beneath the codes of this web page I have this somewhere for inspiration:

I just recently watched an artist’s comeback performance in a certain show in London and I had this glorious feeling. To be perfectly honest, it got me almost teary-eyed that she’s back. It’s an honor to be stepping it up once again at the same time at hers. This is my comeback. And as a true Britney fan, I believe this is my “Womanizer.”