We are surrounded by an army of gadgets nowadays. And in no doubt, it made everything easier and a lot more fun actually. Everywhere you look, you'll see electronic gadgets. Its like these new tech devices may be even growing faster than the human race! And by that, domination by these gadgets is no longer impossible. Hahaha! 

But, admit it or not, we cannot actually generalize that every devices coming out of the market is really a necessity. It may have been that manufacturers have made these gadgets much more appealing than what it should have been. Not to mention the coolness meter that'll go way up high if you get your hands on one of these latest gizmos. 

And I am one of those who joined the bandwagon of the gadget freaks. Well technicaly, "almost" a gadget freak. For me to be legitimately called one, I must have had every single latest gadget that has been out on the market and as you may have guessed it, I don't. So yeah, I may have just adopted the idea, but I do love gadgets though. I dread to own every single gadget coming out of now, but its just that my pocket won't allow me to. 

So here are the gadgets I own as of now that I deem very valuable.

Mobile Phone and Smart Phones 

I do have 3 cellular phones - iPhone 5, iPhone 6 and Cherry Mobile P7. You might have been thinking that owning 3 phones may be some kind of unreasonably lavish, especially for someone who doesn't really have that much of luxury to spend with. But I just couldn't let my i5 go, since this was the very first iPhone I got. I got it as a "congratulations gift" from my parents when I passed the nursing board exam last 2012. Besides, I've got lots of memories that I shared with this phone. And I think I would never ever let go of this old friend. 

Then, why buy another phone you asked? Well, this is where my gizmo-hungry persona kicked in. I didn't actually need another phone as you may have known, I was just blinded by its big screen and its new sleek gold back-appearance. So, basically, I mostly use the i5 as my everyday phone and the i6 is for the camera, games and internet browsing.

The Cherry Mobile P7 was given to me by someone so dearly to me. I received it before I bought myself another iPhone so do not judge. I had this be my backup phone, mainly used it (before) during those night duty in the hospital when taking out some touch screen phones out on public transportation can be a bit dangerous. And now, I used it for my Malaysian roaming number, where my family can easily contact me. I also use it for playing songs  loudly when I feel not using any earphones on.

**Thinking of the number of phones I've got, when "The Pulse" (from Stephen King's novel Cell) do come true, I may have been one of first to become the phone-crazies! Hahaha!

Power bank

My sis gave me this as a gift. This is a Xiaomi 16,000mAh Mi power bank that has two USB charging ports, which means I can charge two electronics at once. Brilliant, isn't it? I think I can fully charge my phone (using one port only) for 5 times at least. 5 times!! Can you imagine that??? hahaha. The downside though, this can be a bit heavy to carry.

Pebble Smartwatch

I bought this last year on Amazon. I really wanted to have a smart watch but could not afford the newly released Apple watch so I bought the Pebble watch instead which is way more affordable. And I regret nothing. It may not be colored nor touch screen but this watch does wonder. The watchface can be changed from analogue to digital to a much more cooler one like the actual wording of the time. I also get notifications from my phone to this watch - messages, email, instagram, etc. All I need to do is connect the watch to my phone via bluetooth. And yes, you can also install simple games like Tiny Bird (which is like the Flappy Bird), Tic-Tac-Toe, Hangman, among the few; and applications suitable for your needs like maps.

Asus Transformer 

This is a hand-me-down from my sis, and I was so grateful she gave it to me. I use this for playing, watching movies, browsing the internet, listening to music and most specifically, editing my blog posts. I regard this mainly as a laptop since I don't have one. Yet.

Oh, and it is actually a tablet, so if don't feel like the bulkiness of the keyboard, I can just detach it easily and use this a stand alone tablet. Nice right? 

Portable Hard Drives

Currently, I have two 1-TB hard drives, one is Seagate( I bought myself) and the other one is Dell(my mom gave me). I don't really have that much file to back up with but I do like to separate my files from personals, like photos and documents to entertainment like movies and songs. Plus, it wouldn't actually hurt to backup some of my important files into these to 2 HDs. I think it would be much safer. When the other HD got corrupted, I still have another one to use. That's what you call a backup plan! Hahaha!

Yi Action Camera

This is the latest addition to my gizmo collection. I bought this from my sis actually since she doesn't really use this much. It is kinda like the GoPro. It got 16mp wide-angle lens and WiFi connection for easier viewing and transfer of photos. I find this very useful, especially when taking selfies. It solved my problem on crowding the photos with just my face when taking a selfie. Well with this, I get to take a photo of myself plus a good shot of the background too. Check here for some photos I took with my Yi Cam on my day tour in Malaysia.

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So you see, I don't actually own the latest of the gizmos, but I admit, I do own much more than what I necessarily need. I don't know, I just can't help it. I just feel like I have the need to buy myself these gadget for me to be able to keep up with the ever advancing world we're living in. I might even add another gizmo on this little collection of mine this year. Hahaha!

Toppings & Decoration

☑ 200g Dark Chocolate

☑ 5tsp of melted butter
☑ a pinch of salt
☑ 1pc Twix wafer, crushed



Instructions:
1. Prepare the Cheesecake crust. Since I don't have the pre-crushed oreos, I grind mine with a food processor, until obviously, it was finely crushed. I didn't remove the cream filling unlike what's traditionally done, but you can remove yours if you want. Then add the melted butter and then pulse again the food processor until both were combined. 

Pour and press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the springform pan. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.

2. Make your way with the Cheesecake filling. Whisk the softened cream cheese until smooth and then set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the whipping cream using an electric mixer until stiff, and then gradually add the powdered sugar. Using a spatula, fold and blend the cream cheese into the whipping creme until well combined

Once well mixed, add the oreos broken into pieces and fold it with the mixture.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust and spread it evenly. I did tap the pan so as to distribute it evenly.

Refrigerate the cheesecake in the fridge overnight.

3. Decorate it. This is optional though. I opted to have a chocolate ganache topping and crushed twix topping but you can choose anything you want.

For the ganache, microwave the dark chocolate. Make sure not to heat it for too long for it will be burnt. Better do an intermittent heating, meaning I tend to remove the chocolate from the microwave every 15-20 seconds and then stir it. Once it was completely melted, I added the melted butter and a pinch of salt, just for some taste. 

To make the drip effect, spoon the ganache near the edge and then gently push it towards the edge with the back of the spoon. Do this until you've covered all the way around. And then finish off by pouring the remaining ganache into the center to fill to top entirely.

Add the crushed Twix wafer for some added decoration.

That's it! You've made yourself a very delish and mouth-watering Oreo Cheesecake. I hope you'll enjoy this comfort food as much as I did. 

Ciao!

It has been years since I last made myself a yearly goal, which was way back on 2012 I think? Actually, that last yearly goal I made was on tumblr, where I actually started my mini-blogger-wannabe-persona. Why the sudden urge of some goal-digging?? I was actually wondering myself why l am doing this when in fact, quarter of the year had already passed. Maybe because for these past months, I felt like I was actually lost with what's happening to me and that surrounds me that I was living in a "just go with the flow" kind of life. I felt like I have literally nothing to look forward to. Maybe with these goals I've set myself into, I think, and I believe too, will actually give me some kind of a direction for the rest of this year and heck maybe, more of like a purpose for myself.

Air Itam Dam (Penang, Malaysia)

So here are my goals that I must dig for the rest of my 2016:

1. Start my first overseas job and finally get back on track with my career. I am literally dying to start my nursing career again. 5 months have already passed since I last practiced my RN skills. I left my home country in hopes of finding better opportunity overseas as a nurse. Luckily, if everything goes well, I will start my job by the end of this year.
2. Learn my 3rd language. Knowing the languages of Tagalog and English is not enough for me to survive in a foreign country specifically in the Middle East. I need to also learn, somewhat, the locals language which is Arabic. Although most of the people can speak English, still, it would be a good advantage to know the local's language. I know, if I can be exposed in my everyday life in an Arabic conversation, I can slowly learn it. Or maybe, I can find myself some friends to help me.
3. Give back to my parents. Yes, one of the main reason that I started a new chapter of my life abroad is for me to give back what my parents have been giving me for the past 24 years of my life. For these years, all I do is just ask anything from my parents and wait for it to be given to me. But now, its time for me to spoil  'em and give them the life that I've wanted them to have. 
4. Fujifilm X-A2. I have been eyeing this camera for months now. I love its tilting LCD feature which makes taking a selfie a no problemo. Plus, it has its built-in WiFi connection that I can connect with my phone for easier transfer and obviously for uploading! Its 16.30 megapixel resolution makes it feel like using a DSLR camera, but less than the bulkiness. For a vain person like me, having this very vintage but cute camera is a must have. Not to mention the blog-worthy shots I'll be finally getting with this. I really want to get my hands on this baby! 
5. Have a clearer skin. I've been having an relentless battle with acne ever since I went out of the country to pursue my career.  It may be from the stress I've been dealing with, the scorching hot weather of the Middle East, or the change of diet I've had, I really don't know why! But this has got to stop now, one way or another. I need to cope up and deal with these changes so that I can win this battle with acne once and for all!
6. Explore. I was literally stagnant during my first 90 days in Qatar. If not for the job-hunting, I would not go out. I opted to just stay in the house and spent my days watching some of my favorite TV series. But that ends there.  As I would be starting my new life again (this time,seriously), I cannot waste years of my life just crouching in the bed watching these flicks. Instead, I must start having an adventure, and enjoy the real-life flick that Qatar has to offer, may it be visiting museums and some tourist spots, trying some local Arab foods or mingling with people of different culture.
7. Blog a bit more often. In an attempt to make this little personal blog alive and kicking, I must do blog posts, every once in a while. Posting everyday would be an overdo so maybe I think at least once a week would suffice. Oh boy, I hope I could keep this up.
8. Be more optimistic and self-confident. For years now, I have been looking down upon myself. I don't actually believe on my own capabilities and more often than not, think the worst on what I do. Since I will be starting anew, might as well start changing myself too. I guess I should not let my negatron-self get the best of me. I may not "always" maintain a positive and a self-confident me, but at least for once in a while, I should try to be, right? Believe in yourself and everything else will follow, agree? Ahh! Easier said than done, I think. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try. 
9. Learn how to cook. Well, I did tried cooking some experimental ones before, but what I want are not just some experimental cooking or some easy-to-make dishes. I want to learn how to cook some complex dishes that I only see my mom cook, may it be Kaldereta or Carbonara. And I want others, not just my family, to appreciate and like my cook. So make way for the soon-to-be-Masterchef! **fingers-crossed
10. Get back to books. I was really not a bookworm back then, but I do read books every once in a while. And then things distracted me that I closed the books and put it down. It wasn't until now that I realized how much I've miss it -- the limitless world it creates along with the awe-inspiring characters you get to meet. So, its time for me again to escape the real world and enter the realm that the books have to offer.

And there it is! I hope I can live up to these goals and achieve every single one of them. Ah! I can't wait to cross-out every goal I've accomplished! Maybe by the end of the year, I will check out if I've accomplished every single one of it.

Air Itam Dam (Penang, Malaysia)

So without further ado, let the goal-digging begin! And may the odds be ever in my favor!