From Quintus to Saga

Hi all,

Recently made the decision to change my Wordpress site's theme from Quintus to Saga. It seemed time for an update. I've been using the previous theme for around two years, I think.

Since my website is where I post chapters of my manuscript, Quintus had the best features for me. Readable, simple and customizable. Here is a preview of what the theme looks like and what I did to it:

The Saga theme is simpler than the former. It has a clean look and responsive in design. The info in Quintus' sidebar is now hidden under the menu button. Thus, more space is given to the posts. Here are the images:

The free theme isn't perfect, but I like its overall look. Hadn't made a lot of modifications yet. But, hopefully, I'll get to add a banner header of sorts. Am preparing something special for it, though the image is still under the works (keeping my fingers crossed on this one that get to finish it...).

For those who wish to visit the website, its address is gone2write.wordpress.com. It's completely different from this blog since I write random topics here like recipes, updates on what I've written, and opinions.

I haven't actually fixed the appearance of this one, especially the pages here... Sorry... Am juggling work, study, and my personal project (City of Mysts).

If you have ideas you wish to share or queries, feel free to comment. I'll try to respond as soon as I may. :)

Cheers! ;)

Liebster Award

I was nominated for a Liebster Award by a fellow blogger Isabel from The Sunny Side of This. Thanks, Isabel.

It took me a long while to get back to this. I can't say I can continue the trend: 1) my visits in this particular blog is sporadic at best and 2) I don't know anyone who 's new to the blogging world. Still, I'll give it a go in answering the list of questions which were painstakingly thought out for this nomination. :)

1. Who is your blogging inspiration? 

I can’t name all of them. Every writer I see online who blogs is an inspiration to me. As an aspiring fiction writer, their posts help me write better and encourage me to pursue my dreams. 

2. What’s your biggest dream? 

My biggest dream would be to witness universal peace. My second dream is to become a published author. Someday, I would like to hold a finished copy of my book and learn that my work inspired someone.

3. Who’s your idol and why? 

José Rizal. He’s what you call a renaissance man. I would have loved to meet him and talk about his beliefs and convictions.

4. What do you wanted to be “when you grow up” as a little kid? 

Oh boy. I kept changing my mind about what I wanted to be when I was a child. A doctor, professional ballet dancer, writer, computer programmer then teacher.

I was a ballet student for a while but reading and writing were, by far, my favourite hobbies. Then again, I loved to share what I know – specifically, computers.

In a way, I achieved some of my dreams. I taught and am currently taking my M.A. while writing in my free time.

5. Which 5 items you can’t leave your house without? 

Umbrella, wallet, keys, notebook and pen. A girl’s gotta write when a girl's gotta write. ;)

6. Which are the TV Series you’re currently obsessing with? 

Arrow, The Flash, and The Musketeers. I can’t wait for the new season of Game of Thrones and Sherlock.

7. Which is your happy place?

My happy place is wherever I can read or write in my leisure.

8. Which’s your favorite motivational quote of all time? 

“Ignorance is chaos” from the movie Lucy. I find that it’s actually true. If we knew everything, the effect of our negative thoughts and actions around us; the lives, especially the planet’s, we are responsible for; the balance of nature; perhaps, we would strive for peace.

9. What’s your favorite thing about your hometown?

I grew up with the neighbourhood kids. It’s always nice to see a friendly face and know they got your back when you need it most.

10. What do you usually do on a Friday night? 

I unwind. It depends on my mood: writing, reading, watching a movie…

11. Which is your favorite movie and why?

Lucy is my current favourite. Just the possibility of a human capable of using a hundred percent of her brain is something that’s worth contemplating. 



Well, that's about it. I hope you learned a few things about me. 
Nominees for the Liebster Award, good luck! :D

Spice Up Your Salad

Hi everyone :)

It's been a while. I've been recently busy juggling school, work, and writing my manuscript at Wordpress.com and Wattpad. With the impending holy week, I'd like to share a simple salad dressing I invented last week. It's a fusion between Asian and European, I guess. It goes like this:

Ingredients:
1 ½ tbsp Kewpie Japanese Mayo
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp Parmesan
Wasabi

Procedure: 
Mix everything together and serve with Romanian lettuce.

Easy peasy, right?

If you have novel recipes of salad dressings, I'd love to hear from you.

Cheers! :)

First Local Online Shopping experience

It's not my intention to write my first bad review when the 2015 has just begun, but here goes...

Despite the feedback I've read from Google, I ordered an Acer Aspire Switch 10 through Lazada Philippines last December 12, 2014. The process went smoothly at first. A representative called to confirm my order and advised me to track its status via their website. They also stated that I would have it within 1-7 days.

By December 16, 2014, I received an email that my order has been fully shipped through a third party carrier 2GO. They supplied me a new tracking number that I would have to enter in 2GO's tracking page. I used it and the website came with 0 search results.

On December 29, 2014, the package came.

Lo and behold! They delivered to me a selfie-pod/monopod. The courier himself knew that it was a far cry from the parcel I was expecting (He has a copy of my transaction from Lazada).  He told me that it must have been switched in the warehouse and would report the incident to the main office. He suggested that I call Lazada to verify the status of my order.

I called Lazada up and told them in detail what had happened. They emailed me stating that I should make sure to accomplish their return form. I wrote a narrative reported of the incident and told them that I hadn't filled up a return form since I never even got to hold parcel. The representative replied that I email them a scanned copy of the return receipt issued by 2GO.

I called 2GO once more only to find out that the status of my order is "refused to accept", which I duly informed Lazada again.

I visited 2GO's tracking page, which "finally" displayed the status of my package. Alas! It states : "UNDELIVERED - Reason: REFUSED TO ACCEPT CANCELLED". I contacted 2GO to verify this new information and was advised that I reorder the product from Lazada.

I'm not sure who's or, maybe, what's to blame in this scenario. I understand that it was at the peak of the holiday season. I was willing to accept the fact that the deliver came late and the item delivered didn't reconcile what's on the paper. After all, it was Christmas. I'm not the only one with the grand idea to order online along with hundreds of other consumers. But the last straw was the status I read from 2GO's tracking page. Firstly, I didn't refuse it. Their courier refused to give me the item. Secondly, I didn't cancel my order. I simply acknowledged the mistake and was willing to wait the correct item to be delivered.

If you're asking me if I'll reorder the product online, the answer is no. It's a waste of time to wait for several weeks only to be disappointed again.

Perhaps I'll order a product from them when there's a distinct improvement on their services.

New and old stories

Hi, people.

It has been quite a while. I've been pre-occupied with the process of publishing Liyanna Book I: The Realms of Ethair, previously known as Journey. What are the changes? Well, the most obvious are the title, my pen name Cecilia Beatriz, and the book cover. The plan is to have my ebook published in Kindle, but since I'm enrolling it in a program, I''ve removed the story temporarily in Wattpad.com. However, sample chapters are still available there.



But why is the statistic for number of reads so low?! That would be my mistake. In my excitement to remove some of the chapters, I kind of deleted everything. So. I had to re-upload it again as a new story. Sorry for the inconvenience.

The release date hasn't been set yet. But, I'm hoping to have it published this month. No worries, I'll post it here once it's available in the market.

Anyway, if you're planning to self-publish your book, in e-publishing platforms like Kindle and Smashwords, I'd say the process is challenging but worth it - if you're seriously thinking about being a writer. You'll also get to know some authors online who made it to the indie publishing route via their blogs and they're very supportive of aspiring writers.

What else? Hmm...

Ah, yes. I've gathered up the courage to edit my ten-year old manuscript. I was very young then, so you could imagine the challenge I'm faced with right now. My ideas weren't as cohesive as it is now and I used terms in a funny way. Hehe.
If you were my classmate who read Villa de Luna, you know what I'm talking about. As for now, I've changed the title to The City of Mysts and edited four chapters. Yehey!

Just click below to read a revamp of my story. Don't forget to tick the star in Wattpad if you liked it. Hoping to hear from you soon.  ;)

Nerd, Geek, Weird...Who?

When I was fresh out of college, being called a nerd would have hit a nerve. I rather preferred to be called a geek then. I have a penchant for gadgets and love to get my hands dirty from exploring the features of a new Tablet to exploring the innards of my computer's CPU. But I'm also a bookworm. My genre ranges from comics and mangas to alternative news. Whenever a subject pops up and I know something about it, I couldn't help sharing what I've read. Moreover, I love word games (remember Text Twist, Hangaroo and the classic Crossword puzzle? I've played those.). Am I academically inclined? I was studious. I didn't compete with anybody, I had high standards set for myself. If I know I can do better, I usually give my best to avoid wallowing in regret for mediocrity. So, perhaps that's where it started. My colleagues called me a nerd.

Recently, I've been to sites which try to distinguish between who is a geek and who is a nerd to a point that one website has an infographic and another even made a study out of it, complete with a graph, stating the similarities and differences of the two groups. It was interesting, but was it worth it?

If you live in a house that is brimming with reading materials from the mundane to the spiritual and born in a family of artists and freethinkers, can you classify yourself as a geek or a nerd? When people catch you wondering aloud why were you born in this world and what it feels like to share a connection with Mother Earth, do they take a step back and ask who are you? Or, do they start saying you're weird?

We have a tendency to put labels into everything in the vain attempt to understand what is in front of us. Thus, we forget that each of us are unique individuals and cannot be truly classified in one specific category.
We have our own set beliefs and principles. We think, speak and react differently to situations. Must I go on?

So, are you a nerd, a geek, or a weirdo?

Or, are you YOU?

Update on Liyanna I

Hello, dear readers.

I haven't been able to visit this blog for a while. There have been changes in the book I've been writing, which you may have noticed in Wattpad. Title has been changed from Liyanna I: Journey to Liyanna Book I: The Realms of Ethair.

The novel is complete and has undergone revisions. Currently, I've been jotting down some key points in book 1 that will be addressed in the next sequel. If you have read my work and have comments/suggestions and questions, please feel free to send me your queries by posting it in the comment box below or through my email.

Thanks. J