Last Friday, I shared some of my simple joys, and since it only talked about the SJs until Thursday, here's the continuation, featuring the simple joys from Friday and Saturday.

Friday - 29 July 2011

• Seeing the anthurium plant bloom.
• Planting the zinnia seeds in small grow pots using the organic soil-less potting mix.
• Adding more sticks to help the tomato plants grow upright.
• Receiving an invitation for Blogfest 2.0 happening this coming Friday.

Saturday - 30 July 2011

• Doing the laundry... means fresh linens, too!
• Cooking lunch for the family / brother cooking dinner.
• My cat Mommy Teddy asking for some cuddles.

- * - * - * -

I know this is quite early to share the simple joys, as I can just share it on Tuesday for "the Happiness Project," but what made me share it now is because starting tomorrow, there will be some changes here on my blog. I have been reading a lot of articles by Ali Edwards - her "A Week in the Life" project is something that made me finally go on with this project, but really, this project has been running through my thoughts for as long as I remember. In a forum where am a member, I always share my Simple Joys, as my way of updating the thread I created, and if I can list down the things that brought joy to my life, why not share it on my blog, right? After all, this my "autobiography," might as well really document it.

I am more than 200lbs. I live a sedentary life - I eat a lot, I sit a lot. I know that if I don't do something about it, I will die young... but, even if I am the fittest person there is, fact remains that life is very short. Rather than moan, groan, and whine at things, I figured I'd just devote my time focusing on the positive side of things. When I was still very active at Singles for Christ, my household leader once asked us to list at least three things we were thankful for - no matter how small or big it might be. We then reflect about that list, and true enough, it has made me appreciate my life, the people around me, and life in general. Of course, I am but human, and not all days will be bright and shiny. I will talk about that on my posts, too, but like I said, I want to focus more on the positive side of things, so the ranting will be minimal.

Starting tomorrow, I am going to write a post that will not only talk about my simple joys, but also talk about other matters. As I go on with this personal project, I am also going to share some sources of information, so you, too, can start on your own project, if you feel like doing so. Every day, I will talk about different points, namely:

• My simple joys - my gratitude / miracle list.
• Daily reflections - based on "In His Steps," so I could also get to read the Bible - I am so dumb about Bible matters.
• Fitness - yep, I need to work on this, too.
• 30 Day Challenges - I know, I still haven't finished the "30 Days of Truth," so I will go back to that, then do other challenges, until I cannot find any more 30 Day Challenges. :)

Four topics to write about in one post - could be a long read, but on some days it will just be an outline because some life events I will devote a full post to. This project of mine started today, actually, but I will start posting tomorrow.

See you then!

*** Jenn ***

Bring out the popcorn, it's time for us to go to the movies this week on Sunday Stealing!

1. Movie you love with a passion.

> "Moulin Rouge." It is a cheesy love story, but I do love the way the whole movie was presented. Great use of pop songs, too!

2. Movie you vow to never watch.

> "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." I don't think I can handle it. Yep, I am chicken like that. :) Also, I won't watch any of the Chuckie movies, simply because I am afraid of moving dolls.


3. Movie that literally left you speechless.
> "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." I love it!

4. Movie you always recommend.
> For the romantics, I'd recommend "The Notebook," but I'd also recommend "The Bucket List," because all of us need some inspiration. :)

5. Actor/actress you always watch, no matter how crappy the movie.

> Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio. I could say I have watched all of his movies - including the ones he did when he wasn't popular yet.

> Actress: Claire Danes. I don't know... I just like her, even if she said some bad things about my country (she filmed "Brokedown Palace" here in the Philippines). Come to think of it, her remarks about Manila caused the city mayor to make the city look good. :)

6. Actor/actress you don’t get the appeal for.

> Actor: Mark Ruffalo.

> Actress: Miley Cyrus.


7. Actor/actress, living or dead, you’d love to meet.

> Actor: Robert Downey, Jr. is one... as for the dead one, I'd choose Elvis Presley.

> Actress: Reese Witherspoon. She's my favorite since I watched her on "Cruel Intentions" eons ago!


8. Sexiest actor/actress you’ve seen. (Picture required!)

> Actor: Eric Dane. McSteamy, indeed!

> Actress: Kate Winslet. I love how she confidently go nude in some of her movies.

9. Dream cast.

> Hmmm... this will be very difficult, but I love how Quentin Tarantino's way of directing / presenting the story; if Leonardo DiCaprio will be in a Quentin Tarantino movie, I'd be delighted. Oh... dream cast, well, I think the casting of "Oceans 11, 12, 13" is quite difficult to beat.

10. Favorite actor pairing.

> Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. There really was chemistry when they did "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

11. Favorite movie setting.

> The countryside - great cinematography!

12. Favorite decade for movies.

> Present day is good, but am an "oldie" at heart, so movies set from 60s and 70s appeal to me, too.

13. Chick flick or action movie?

> Chick flick. I do love Robert Downey, Jr. and the James Bond movies, but in general, I am not really much into action movies

14. Hero, villain or anti-hero?

> All.

15. Black and white or color?

> Color. I love to see the colors of their clothes, car, houses... and of course part of the good cinematography is to see the colors of the surroundings, too; but don't get me wrong, Black and White movies appeal to me, too, but given a choice, I'd always go for color.

More movies tomorrow as I am going to showcase a movie about a famous person.

*** Jenn ***

"The Happiness Project" and "Friday Favorite Things" are two blog memes that have found a soft spot in my heart because it talks about the simple joys in life, and now that I wanted to grow more as a life artist, I am trying to document (read: take pictures) of certain life moments so I could post it here on my blog - my way of immortalizing myself.

I have been reading a lot of Ali Edwards' "The Week in the Life," as well as Becky Higgins' "Project Life" and once I scribble down all my thoughts about it, I will be sharing some simple joys in my life through these two blog memes.

Things I am thankful for this week... well, from Sunday 'til yesterday, that is:

Sunday - 24 July 2011

• Learning new things through the priest's homily when I attended the mass - 1) Finding treasure deep within us: good health, pure happiness, etc. 2) Something about the pearl: it's not shiny and smooth, but it has a big value... just like us, we are imperfect in many ways, but in God's eyes and in the eyes of the people who loves us, we have a very big value.
• Buying new stuff: batteries and memory card for the camera, organic soil-less potting mix and zinnia seeds for my garden.
• Spending time with my mom, and being a choir member (just for a day) when we attended the mass.

Monday - 25 July 2011

• Watching "The Bucket List" on DVD. A bit surreal, but like they say nothing is impossible. This movie touched my heart - it made me laugh at their simple exchange of words and it made me cry a lot.
• Cooking Pork Adobo for dinner. The last time I cooked this dish I burned it to the point that it was like eating barbecue, so today I was so thankful that the dish turned out well - and I was a happy foodie because I saw my family happy with the dish I cooked.

Tuesday - 26 July 2011

• With heavy rains causing two road accidents in the Metro, I decided for sister and I to stay home instead. I am thankful the family is home safe and sound.
• Harvesting two more ampalaya from the garden, which I cooked for dinner. Yum yum!
• Changing the header of my As the Shutter Clicks" photo blog using the freebie digital scrapbooking kits I have downloaded.

Wednesday - 27 July 2011

• Eating Filipino-Style spaghetti using canned corned beef and chicken hotdogs. My lunch was more delish because of the hot cup of Nescafe Brown and Creamy coffee to go with it.
• Learning about how to change the font of the blog's post title using fancy fonts not available in Blogger.
• My cat Oreo wanting be cuddled... even jumped on my lap just so I would hug him and play with him for a while. :)

Thursday - 27 July 2011

• Knowing mom's eye check up went well.
• Tasting the Jollibee "Crunchy Chicken Burger," which mom bought as her pasalubong to brother and I.
• Playing "The Sims 2."

*** Jenn ***

There are actually a lot of things that made me happy this week, but some things I wasn't able to jot down, some I wasn't able to take pictures of, but...


... one major thing that made me happy this week was trying something new. Food wise, there was the whole wheat pancakes my siblings cooked, then a hot cup of this Twinings tea. There is already happiness in doing things (or in this case eating things) that already brought me happiness, but it's still fun doing something new.

Last Saturday, my camera's memory card died. It has seen better days; I knew it would retire sooner or later, and I was just thankful I already transferred all pictures before it died. I wasn't able to use my camera for two days, but Sunday afternoon, mom and I went to the mall after the church org event, and I was thankful that I found a cheap (but good brand) of memory card to replace the old one. Let the shooting resume! :)

Also, before coming home from the mall, mom and I passed by ACE Hardware to buy a curtain rod, and it led us to buy other stuff. I bought a bag of Enrico Organic Soil, a pack of zinnia (pink) seeds, and two pairs of rechargeable NiMH batteries. No more problems about the upcoming trip with mom, and... I could start testing my green thumb again. Well, I could take pride in saying I can grow vegetables from seeds, but flowering plants can be different, so we'll see in the coming weeks or months if I can also grow flowering plants.

*** Jenn ***

I was supposed to post this yesterday, but I got a little busy... anyway, this week couchers talk about "Witchcraft," and my choice of movie is:



Practical Magic (1998). Sally and Gillian Owens have always known they were different. Raised by their aunts after their parents' death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but typical--their aunts fed them chocolate cake for breakfast and taught them the uses of practical magic. But the invocation of the Owens' sorcery also carries a price--some call it a curse: the men they fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death. Now adult women with very different personalities, the quiet Sally and the fiery Gillian must use all of their powers to fight the family curse and a swarm of supernatural forces that threatens the lives of all the Owens women. [Source: IMDb]

- * - * - * -

The time I watched this movie, I think witchcraft was a big genre - with TV shows like "Charmed" and "Sabrina: the Teenage Witch," which I loved watching, too. This was the movie that made us (brother and I) like Nicole Kidman because she just looked very pretty (I personally like women with red hair - because of "Anne of Green Gables"), and she and Sandra Bullock made a good team up in the movie.

Much of the story I already forgot, but I do know that after watching this through VHS, I still watched it the time TV networks showed it on their "Sunday Night Movies." Of course, the most unforgettable parts of the movie were when the Sally (Sandra Bullock) sought the help of their neighbors to perform exorcism, and that scene when Sally saw Gary's eyes - blue and green. Such a sweet moment! :)

*** Jenn ***