The Misadventures of a Stay At Home Writer

Work is no joke.

Earning is no joke.

Saving is also no joke.

If you are like me who stays at home and makes a living out of internet connections and finding clients to write for on top of staying motivated, then you know the story very well.

Writer gets up, consumes coffee, half a breakfast of raisin bread (at least for this particular morning) and then  sits in front of the laptop still in pajamas and stays that way responding to emails, double checking deadlines and then gets up to have a drink of water.

With a lifestyle like this, I should be living under a rock.

After getting up for a quick pampering session in the bathroom which is actually referred to as a waking up process:

• Exfoliating the face
• Washing the hair
• Waking up the rest of the body,

Subject then dries and brushes hair, puts on torn and ripped clothes and puts feet up on bed while the rest of the upper body is anchored towards the laptop on the table. 

There, now I am an official stay at home writer, so that only leaves me one more task on my CV: update my references and look for a more stable job. 

Note to self: pay bills... 

Outfit Post: Black and White Floral Dress

It's been a while since the last outfit post, and frankly, I bet nobody reads my outfit posts because I absolutely look like an overweight kid in clothes. Must be because of my height. But here I still am doing the crazy outfit posts especially if there are rare occasions where I get to dress up.

So last night was our thanksgiving dinner with people at work, and people related to work, and people who we got to know through work. This is what I wore, a black floral dress from Adah Belle with black lace flats. I just brought a black blazer along just in case it was too cold and of course, my grandmother's ever trusty leather bag which is so much older than me.

Filigree Lace Earrings were to complement the lace design of my flats 

Well it's really no secret that I am uber comfortable walking around in flats especially in a big venue like Astoria Plaza where our gathering was held. But do you make it a point to wear sexier heels even if it hurts throughout the night? I know a lot of women who have spent half of their lives walking effortlessly in heels- I am somewhere stuck in the middle of it... 

Black Floral Print Dress: Adah Belle

Lacey Daisy Black Flats: Ziggy and Zooey  

Filigree Lace Earrings Thrifted 

Photo Credits: Damon Steine 

Hype my look people? =D 

I Was At the SPF 13 With All My Books!

Yes, it's not that obvious that I was excited to be there, as a concessionaire and I got to experience my very first bazaar at the Summer Peace Festival (SPF 13) at La Vista del Mar last April 30. So there I was, with all my books and handmade tissue holders neatly displayed, waiting for good people to take them home.

Of course, I was with my ever supportive Mom who thought the idea was crazy but she enjoyed the concert too. It's not all the time we get to have a breather from our lives and take a break and bond over food and music. I am also grateful that she was there, I got to borrow the car and the driver because we went home late.

You might have seen these on my Facebook timeline, these are the tissue holders that are handmade at home and have been on sale at the SPF 13 at my booth. All the cows went sold out, and we have only a few of the pigs remaining. It's all Mommy's idea. =D

And here are all my books for sale. I know that Zambo is not really a city that reads in general, but I was glad to have met various people who visited my booth and discussed with me their favorite authors. So touched! The contact cards that I printed ahead of time were all gone even before my time at the concert was up, and more interested people were looking at the other available titles I had to offer. You can see if you find something you like here in my page.

Sis and I took advantage of the henna tattoo bar and got my dragon that night, my sister got a tribal tattoo because she thought the butterfly was too kikay lol. 

It was a fun time for me, I got to meet new people, enjoyed my time with my cousins, aunties and my mom and sis. Even my brother joined in. The only regrets I had was not to ask for the recipes of new found dishes being served by the restos that were there and my booth had very bad lighting, something I wished the organizers took note of. Perhaps I will be there again with my books next time.

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Opportunities and When To Grab Them

I have signed up for a jobs database a couple of years ago back when I was fresh out of college and had big dreams and was a little too ambitious for my own good. But lately I felt like I needed to find other options and think if staying in a small city is what I really want to do.

A couple of months ago I have thought deep about trying out other options, and even looked at working under magazines or publishing houses as an editor because I know that writing is something I can do.

So I received a hit from the database and I thought that I could apply for a web editor position in a really cool company. I submitted my resume, and true enough, I received a call today for an invitation to take their exam and interview on Wednesday.

But there is a problem though.

It's all happening in Makati, and I am all the way here in Zamboanga. I don't think the company would be shouldering my travel expenses even if I have a good chance of passing. I really did keep my fingers crossed though.

Maybe not now, but I was hoping I could at least give it a try. But I think there are many factors that are going against it. Now that it's here, (it is what I have been hoping for all weekend), I can't unless the company offers to shoulder my travel expenses.

The one way ticket costs 9k and I have to have more pocket money that is good for two days, and make sure I keep my cool and show up on time when I do take the exam.

In the meantime, I think God has other plans for me.

March-April Nails

Not a lot of you know that I have a weakness for nail polish and I collect them like bookmarks. But here they are, and I already have enough to start a little compilation. If you are right handed like me, you will see that all my polish are properly applied on the left hand because I have better control over the brush.

This was the color for the duration of the Holy Week to show off some summery, cheerful spirit. 

I changed it into something more appropriate for the office though and added glitter on the fourth finger. 

I remember this was for Chinese New Year when I was still not so good at applying glitters. 

Some time after New Year, I had this on, just some good old pink and glitters.

What do you have on your nails right now? How often do you change your nail polish? 

Currently Reading: Sex and Sensibility by Genevieve Field

There are times when I need to switch to a more lighter reading material, which could be a combination of funny short stories, novellas of my favorite authors or just a magazine for weekend reading. To alternate from my last heavy reads that are usually too scholarly or academic, I have chosen Sex and Sensibility compiled by Genevieve Field. It is a compilation of 28 stories by women writers about singlehood, love, sex and loss. There are some stories that will make you laugh, there are some that will make you sad and also reflect your emotions.

But let me not spoil it all for you. Back description on paperback:

It's all about you. Your apartment. Your job. Your dates. Your sex life. Your time off. Your exercise. Your food. Your music. Your future. What are you waiting for? Who will you love? What is it, really, that you want? 

The life of a single woman in the twenty-first century is full of new connections, new sex, new love, and new loss. It's about letting the laundry pile up, sipping strong drinks with near strangers, and dishing to girlfriends on those foggy-headed, flushed morning-afters. But it isn't all heightened connections and steamy dates. The single girl is no stranger to the scramble for a Saturday night plan, the oh-so-promising guy who took her number at a party and then -- poof! -- disappeared, the ever narrowing circle of unattached girlfriends.... 

In Sex and Sensibility twenty-nine of today's most acclaimed -- and often bestselling -- female authors write about the push-pull between independence and vulnerability, fearlessness and self-doubt that defines single life. Jennifer Weiner, Pam Houston, Laurie Notaro, Amy Sohn, and Julianna Baggott are just a few of the real-life heroines whose stories about long-distance dating, twenty-something divorce, online crushes, and thrilling one-night stands make up this funny, frank, and unabashedly erotic celebration of singlehood and sisterhood -- a quintessential handbook for today's independent woman.

What are you reading right now? Do share!

About That Book Review Section

You must be wondering why I have a book review section in this blog. It's plain dead simple really.

I am a book collector and owner of a home library. I want to share my latest reads. I can share with you what I thought about the book, its highlights, characterization, its author- the list can go on. I read anything, from science fiction, chick lit, fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, young adult, novellas.

Another thing is that I do offer my book review services. I'm also an established Ezine Author and you can keep track of what I am reading or have next to read in my Good Reads account. There are many formats of book reviews I can follow and I can provide my own format to you. You can drop me an email at maimaihf513@gmail.com.

To make it more fun, you can suggest which books you would want me to review and post here. Tell me and you will be seeing it here, Bound and Bookmarked.

My Holy Week reading list 

Where It All Happens

This is where it all happens

That is the roof of our house, and my writing corner is at the second floor. Here, I have completed e-books, numerous articles, blog content and all sorts of writing projects. This photo was taken at the start of summer. If you want to know what it looks like during winter, just imagine a horrid downpour of rain. Yep. 

In the afternoon, I take a walk. And I take this road. I'm gone for twenty or thirty minutes to clear my head and trust me, this road is the best to take for purposes like this because it leads to higher elevations of the mountain and I can feel what it is like to just "get lost". 

I don't take walks alone. These babies keep me company. It is a treat for them to sniff on anything at all. Anything at all. 

Author News: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Stephen King.

He is the king of all contemporary horror and suspense stories if you ask me.

My very first full length encounter with King was Salem's Lot. It was a small pocketbook which could fit in any jacket pocket. It made for great reading while travelling or when I was outdoors camping out, or just wanted to get lost and be in touch with nature.

The only problem with Salem's Lot was, well, it wasn't really a problem-but it was just so downright scary. I read it only during the daytime because reading it at night kind of freaked me out. I lost that certain copy of Salem's Lot. A friend borrowed it from me and I haven't seen it since. It was a really old copy and I bought it for only Php 80 ($2) in town one day from a second hand book shop. Its pages were already browning at the edges, it had a dusty smell, as if it were just sitting there in a corner waiting for a four eyed girl to scare.

My friend replaced it with another Stephen King though, this time Four Past Midnight. But I haven't finished reading it. I don't even remember what it is all about. That was five years ago. And the rest of the titles I have accumulated over the years. A look at my Good Reads account could give you an idea. You can add me up if you want.

My Stephen King haul earlier this year, all second hand books 

About Doctor Sleep

Now back to the King and his newest addition- Doctor Sleep is the sequel to The Shining. It will be released September of this year, and it just gives me enough time to read The Shining.

Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

Synopsis:

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and tween Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted readers of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon. (goodreads.com)

Different Covers of Doctor Sleep 

What are your encounters with Stephen King? Will you be reading Doctor Sleep when it comes out? 

PlagScan and Plagtracker: Comparison of Free Plagiarism Checker Online

The reason why I am comparing plagiarism checkers online today is because I have writing assignments that are due in the next 36 hours and I need to check the uniqueness of each article that I submit to my clients. The online software that I have been using for many months now seem to be uncooperative with me today and here I am, comparing two new ones. I figured if they detect any duplicate content, I can correct it before submitting to clients. And I must say, these online tools have detected even the most common phrases that could be overused by many people all over the globe!

PlagScan

Go to PlagScan and sign up if you are using it for the first time. You can then verify once you have clicked on the link in your email inbox and you can then claim 25 credits which is good for 2500 words. In the dashboard once you are logged in, you can see at the left section that you have the option to add more points in your account.

Adding text to be scanned is very easy, all you have to do is drag the file into the white space in the center and it will accommodate your file, and all you have to do is click scan so that you can see the results. Another helpful feature is that there are hints at the bottom and the scan allows for multiple files to be checked. 

Results after scanning with PlagScan

Some of the detected phrases in the document

The speed and preciseness is fine, it is able to complete the scan in less than four minutes for a 500 plus word article, maybe faster if my internet connection is better. I am in the outskirts of the city as of the moment and the best that I have is a 2G connection but still. It is able to detect even the most common phrases in the document, but I still went ahead to revise it. 

I also received a message in my email inbox from PlagScan regarding the scan results complete with the plagiarism level. 

PlagTracker

The second plagiarism checker I used is PlagTracker. It is very easy to use and all it takes is a copy paste feature. Once you have pasted your whole text, you can click the big red button on the right side that says Start Checking and you can wait for the results after a minute. However, the tool itself will be sending the results straight to your inbox together with a verification link that you have to follow. 

Best Feature is that you can have a free account immediately set up for your future use. You will be given a temporary password and you have to log in to change it. The results message in my inbox arrived after thirty minutes, again maybe if my internet connection were faster, it could have arrived earlier. 

Your free account can be used to:
Monitor the status of submitted documentsReview the history of all your plagiarism reportsUpgrade to Premium to get access to instant reports and additional features.

PlagTracker free online tool 

What is great about these tools is that they are:

1. Both free
2. Easy to Use
3. Fast-depending on the speed of your internet connection

If your plagiarism tool is uncooperative like mine and if you are looking for a second-or even third opinion, you can easily try them out. 

Starting Anew

It's not the first time I'm blogging. The other one is more of a personal blog, more like a documentation of the hits and misses of what it was like to start with barely any idea of what it would require: writing late at night, technological problems, bills arriving like clockwork monthly, and clients who demand too much but pay nothing.

I've learned. And so, maybe I can write what my writing and reading experiences lead me to. Maybe here I can write without hiding. I can write in a semi-private corner of the digital world because I am not giving up on pursuing that dream.

I can still stand up on my own. All is not lost.

There is just something quite fresh and appealing towards starting anew, getting up after the fall, after being defeated and cheated.

But for now, I'm not wasting any more time.

I'm content to be able to wake up to this every morning.