Sneaky Ways to De-Stress for Women

Every now and then, we feel like we direly need to take a break and relax. But being a mom on the go, you are always pressed for time. Until you can finish all your deadlines or file a leave from your work and find time for a spa date, here are some ways to de-stress: 

Watch funny vids online
Laughing is a highly effective way of de-stressing. We all know that laughter is good for the soul but since you don't have the luxury of watching the whole season of your favorite gag show, simply get your funny fix by watching vids online - You Tube is a good place to start. 

Listen to instrumental music
Come up with a playlist of soothing music that you can play on your way to work. It can be the sound of surf hitting the beach, Bach or Enya. This can mute out the irritating noise and lift up your spirits early on. 

Bring comfy slippers to work
Pumps and heels do make our legs look wonderful but they do feel painful! Save this tiis ganda factor when you have to meet with clients or talk to your boss and allow your toes a chance to wiggle when you are working at your desk. 

Convince your hubby to massage you before bed
Demand for a relaxing massage by invoking your wifey rights from your hubby right before going to bed. If he's in a giving mood and good with his hands, you'd easily drift off to relaxed and restive state and wake up feeling refreshed and ready for another day!

Catapult Your Freelance Writing Career This 2014!

New year comes with a call for a fresh new start. What are your new year's resolution this time? Mine actually includes a vow to write more and hopefully inspire more to people with my and my family's experiences. While I have a career in public service, I still do write blogs and pursue a freelance writing career on the side. For me this is not merely for the additional income but also for the the continued practice and exercise of my craft. 

A lot of people also want to join the growing trend of of freelance writers. But what does a freelance writer really do? A freelance writer is considered as an independent contractor who provide services to different company or industry who may hire them.They are self-employed and have no formal ties with any company so they can work for one or as many as they can handle. 

How does one become a freelance writer?

People who choose this type of career, must write a lot and enrich themselves with modest education on "search engine optimization skills" and be able to drive traffic to a website. Companies clients or potential employers will not be looking at your educational degree but some may prefer if you have good background in English, Journalism, Marketing and others.  

Your absolute credentials that you can present are to your potential clients are your creativity, courage, your passion for writing and your willingness to show the real story behind what needs to be written. 

Starting a career in this industry can be easy, however, you have to learn the rules of writing and some of basic skills. If you are really serious about this shift, learning will be a piece of cake! Once you've armed yourself with the right values and skills, you'd develop a certain level of confidence to promote yourself to potential clients. Communicate with them so that you will learn and understand your client's needs and be able to produce the articles that they want and need. There are hundreds of freelance writing jobs that you can find today. If you manage this career well, you might be looking at a long term home-based freelance writing career that you love!

Finding Inspiration for Writing

Writing wonderful articles for me is not something that can be easily pushed or pulled. It takes a lot inspiration and motivation to come up with articles that I can proudly claim to be my own - even if it's only a ghostwriting task that I can't even claim. 

Some writers find great art inspiring so they take a look at pictures - nature photos, landscapes and seascapes. Others find inspiration from soulful music or instrumentals from their music player. Bloggers and online web managers constantly create content for their readers. I often wonder where they find inspiration and how they motivate themselves to write great posts every now and then. 

After several months of keeping house, being a hands-on mom to my son, an office girl, I continuously search for what will make me move and inspire me every time I feel like my creative juices has run dry. Here are some tips that have helped me get through this quell. 

Visualizing

Picture what you have to do or write about - find a photo or a journal in an outline form and start describing what you want to say or do. 

Find Some Quiet Time

Sometimes, disconnecting yourself from all the social media and gadgets helps in refreshing your mind. Enjoy the silence and simply breathe. Pray or meditate, relax and calm you senses. Listen to that inner voice then start writing.

Read

Most writers are also readers but because they become very busy with all their assignments, they forgot all the other things that they are passionate about. Have a break and read books about people who are movers and shakers. If you want, you can also watch movies. Many people also are encouraged by victorious and happy endings. 

Go Out and Explore

I'd like to consider myself as a travel writer so of course, nothing would inspire me more than going to a new place or destination. I'd suggest taking long walks along nature trails can stimulate the mind and see things in a new perspective. Exercise also rewards the body, produces endorphin to make you feel happy and clears your senses so that you can write more.

Talk to Friends

Remember that no one is perfect and every one is entitled to some down "moments" in their life. Listen to others. Ask for help and other's opinion then move on with your writing.  

Wherever you are, you can find inspiration and motivation for you to start writing again. You can also be one of the reasons for others to be motivated and inspired - open up and share what's in your heart and see the positive impact you have for others. 

Work on the Road: Choosing Hotels with Wi-fi Connection in Kota Kinabalu

I recently took a 4-day trip to Kota Kinabalu to spend time with Baba. I booked flights from Clark, Pampanga to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in after considering if I should grab cheap flights to Atlanta by using promo code FL15 on CheapOair instead. AfterwhichWhen travelling to another country, wi-fi availability of great importance especially if you carry with you online tasks and assignments. So this is my number 1 requirement when I looked up hotels for my first ever trip out of the country.

The three accommodation arrangement I made are:

1. City Park Lodge at Jalan Pantai

Among the three choices, I wasn't really sure about booking this because of the "Pleasant" rating it has on Agoda, but arriving here was really a "pleasant surprise." The place looked clean and well maintained. The staff were all friendly and the wi-fi connection is really good! They charge from RM 64-73 per night and wi-fi is available at the lobby/reception and public areas. I actually gave this hotel a very high rating (8.7)

2. Borneo Gaya Lodge

We were a bit disappointed with our stay here though the wi-fi connection is good enough to reach the rooms. I booked a double room from Agoda for RM 68, the pictures looked nice but we were given a room without a window and the hot shower wasn't working. If it's not located centrally in Jalan Gaya, I wouldn't give it a passing rate. Next time I visit Baba in KK, we won't be coming back to this hotel.

3. Cititel Express

For our last night in Kota Kinabalu, I choose a nicer hotel and though there are several complaints on the small-ish rooms, we were quite satisfied and really had a great stay here. I booked a sea-view room for RM 103 and we paid an extra RM10 for 1 day unlimited wi-fi connection. The hotel was a short walk to the waterfront and surrounded with shops and restos. Baba and I decided that this hotel was really a great choice, though we wish that wi-fi will be free next time!

Understanding the Role of the Ghostwriter for Blogs

I have recently been accepting on-demand ghostwriting jobs for several bloggers and I'm starting to like it. For one it pays really well and there's not much technicalities to the articles required.

The key to being a successful ghostwriter really is about understanding your role in the process. You are writing for someone else and you have to put yourself into their shoes most of the time. In most cases, I read about my client's blog first to understand how they write. I have to set aside my own ideas in approaching specific topics and learn to keep my ego in check. I may be the one writing it, but really the client still has the last say.

Collaboration with the client is also important as you need to regularly check whether your material really captures the voice and ideas of your client. You need to do researches and provide output that puts your client on the active voice. Being flexible helps a lot when you work as a ghostwriter, with this you can develop long, productive working relationship with your blogger clients.  

Great Tips for (Solo) Working Moms

Filipinos have close family ties and most families are very patriarchal, meaning the father is the head of the family and decides for everyone. Mine was a bit like that, but I was too mule headed to stay and listen. Like any new graduate, I wanted to discover the world and start a career to earn my own money. So, despite his non-acceptance on my decision to work, he wasn't able to do anything. 

Now with the freedom I experienced also came some sticky situations where soon I found myself on the way to motherhood. And with the very conservative culture of Filipino families, I decided to pursue a more stable career away from home. It was difficult at first, but I know many will agree, when you feel that little being slowly growing inside you, you'll feel utmost responsibility for it and find all means for both of you to survive - he will give you strength in body, mind and spirit.

As a young, solo, working mom, I implored other moms in my circle for tips to make working and mothering go well together.  It's no secret that single parents are sometimes looked down upon in many companies here in the Philippines, lucky for me, I got a welcoming working family who supported me all through out. Here are some tips that my "mommy's nook" gave me in my struggle to thrive and survive being a solo, working mom. 

1. Build a Network of Moms

This I did offline and online. Mother's where I work had been more than helpful with the things that I should expect as I progress with my pregnancy and even after I gave birth. I also started reading fora and mommy groups over internet along with my search for inexpensive hospitals and other baby stuff. I gained friends and confidants who made me feel stronger despite my situation. I received trinkets and useful advice and information ranging from breastfeeding, baby formula, food and a lot more! These moms from both online and offline worlds provided constant support all throughout. 

2. Build Stronger Family Ties

Despite issues that arise over my untimely pregnancy, my parents were insistent upon providing me all the help that they can. Yes, they were nagging, they have a right to be. Well, we are Filipinos and you know that your family will always be there for you no matter what happens. And we let bygones be bygones and started with thriving yet happy days with proud grand parents and strict tita doting over the first baby boy in the family (Welcome, Teloyskie!)

3. Find an Exceptional Yaya (nanny)

For those who don't have their families or relatives in close proximity, finding an exceptional nanny or yaya is very significant in being a career mom. Even if Teloyskie was with my mom, we were still lucky to find someone genuinely caring for him. Yaya Eden was someone that we can trust our home with and one whom we can easily communicate with. Having her during the critical 2-3 years was simply a blessing!

4. Set boundaries that you can stick to.

Work and family time should be well managed. When my son is with me, I try hard to finish work at 5pm so I can be home at 6pm. Once I get home, I won't be available for work related calls until my son sleeps. I guess I am also lucky to find a moderately demanding work where I can have some time off and it's very rarely that I need to work beyond 5pm. 

5. Do what you love and Relax

If you don't love your job, then you'll only be spending the day wishing you are home with your child. It's hard enough to be a working mom, so find something that you love to do so it feels more rewarding.