innocent+twisted Alchemy

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

03.26.13 - Personal Amazona Set-Up

It's Spring! We were given these GIANT pots of flowers last year. Once the flowers died, we didn't think they would bloom again, but we kept the pots just in case. But here they are blooming! I don't know what these flowers are called but they grow out of the leaves (I can't explain it). O_O; They're gorgeous. I did some macro shots with my camera...

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

03.19.13 - Setting up the Personal Amazona (in Almond)

I've been slowly setting up my Amazona (not as slowly as setting up my Metropol, lol). Mostly because I wanted to finish the week using my Finsbury (Moving from a Pocket Finsbury to the Personal Amazona). So here are some photos...

 My gorgeous Amazona (in Almond!!!!) that I won on eBay. There is a small blue ink mark but it's so small I barely noticed it. I wonder how I can get rid of it though :P This is in bad lighting -_-; It looks like it's going to rain...
 True to color. Took this photo with a flash.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

03.14.13 - Filofax Amazona in Almond and life and such

It's strange how certain things make you check your tracking number every five minutes. I have many obsessions and the Filofaxes have made me stalk my tracking numbers constantly. I don't know what it is about these things but...

Anyway, I don't remember if I mentioned before but I'm taking real estate courses (online/correspondence courses. Recommended by the California Dept. of Real Estate)...  Anyway, my Pocket Finsbury was starting to feel a little cramped because of the classes. So, I started looking on eBay for personal sized ones. Sure, I have my Personal Metropol, but I've already designated it as something else already.

I don't know why I started looking at the Amazona and the Osterley. I couldn't decide... but I know for sure I really wanted the Amazona in Almond. After losing an auction for one, I gave up for a few days and looked at different ones (not an Amazona or an Osterley :P).

Out of pure luck, I found another Amazona in Almond on eBay. The seller did an auction and had a buy it now option. You bet your butt I did the Buy it Now. It was cheaper than what I would've paid in that auction that I had lost!!!

The seller, Karina, is also in the Philofaxers FB group. I wasn't sure if it was her, but when she messaged me, I knew it was her. Anyway, she sent me many progress reports and photos and kept getting me all hyped up and excited about it. ^_^; Unfortunately, I purchased it over the weekend so I had to wait. Why does it seem like I always get them over the weekend? :P


 On the day it arrived (yesterday), I kept checking my tracking number and it never said "DELIVERED". I was getting frustrated and just went to my PO BOX and there it was!!! YAY!

Once I got home, I literally ripped the package open ^_^;;

03.14.13 - Planners I've used...

Hehe! Seems like this blog is starting to be only about planners ;) 

Most of the time, I save my planners. But I went on a cleaning spree a few months ago (totally forgot until I was looking for my planners to post up). These are the oldest-most recent planners I've used/have before switching out to the Filofax. PICTURE HEAVY!

I believe I've mentioned before but I used to be a HUGE anime/manga fan! This was an omake (-aka- an extra) that you had to fill out a postcard to send away for. My friend got this for me. ^_^; This is my oldest planner I have now. I've moved all the dividers to my Filofax Pocket Finsbury and some of the sheets are in there too. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

03.13.13 - Online Business Tabs

This post is for Niaka from the Philofaxy FB Group who wanted to see how I set up my Filofax for my online business.  Please note, it's not finished yet; I'm slowly working on it but this is how I wanted it set up. 

If you didn't know, I started up a mineral makeup (mostly eyeshadows right now) company. It's really small but I have fun doing it :)

Sorry for the first two photos >_>; I forgot this thing called a "flash". I used my Metropol in Personal-size. Half of the binder is used for Finances, Lists, and etc. My business isn't big enough that I need to use a complete Filofax (hehee! See how I didn't mention any other binder/planner!? :P) for it. 

Here's a quick, horribly shot overview of all of my tabs. I used all the dividers (Including the A-Z ones). I used 3 different colored labels:
Black for the main sections
Pink and Green for sub-sections

Saturday, March 9, 2013

03.09.13 - Obsessed much?

Oh dear, what have I done? :P

While looking through YouTube Filofax videos, I came across someone posting about their Personal Amazina in Almond. Andi thought it was the most beautiful ever!!! I had to have it (this was a month ago btw) but it was discontinued and I couldn't find it :(

I looked on EBay and still couldn't find it. I decided to forget about it and to just get the Personal Metropol in lavender.

Anyway, after I got my Metropol; I kept seeing posts about the Amazona and it was driving me crazy.

A few days ago I found one on eBay. So I bid on it but lost *cries*. yesterday I see that someone else posted it and this time they had a buy it now option. mwahaha! you bet your arse I got it! well,... I have to pay for it once I get home from work (where I am now lol). The seller lives in California too (a few hours away) so it won't take Long for it to arrive! Im so excited

But you're like what? another one?! As much as I love my pocket Finsbury... I've found that since I'll be starting my real estate courses that the pocket won't fit my lists :( We'll see though. And I know you're probably asking 'well what about your Metropol?'

I've already designated it as a business/finance binder. it's all laid out already I just have to fill it in.

Anyway, my lunch break is over...

03.08.13 - My Planner Story

I should be studying >_>; but instead I decided to write about how I started using planners. I thought it'd be interesting to read about [for some people! I'm one of those people!!! :P] I plan on doing a post on all (most?) of the planners I've used. I've saved most of them. This will be a text post... it's late at night and I don't feel like taking photos ^_^;;;

It all started when I was a freshman in high school. I've never used planners before, I've never seen anyone (meaning my peers) using planners either. Suddenly, it's my first week of high school and my English teacher tells us that we will have a weekly planner. It wasn't store-bought or given to us but it was in the binders were were forced to keep for our class. Every Monday, he drew a table on the chalkboard and write in things that were going to happen for the week. We all had to copy it down. As the days go by, we would add to our "planner". Yep, that was my first experience with a planner. It wasn't much but... maybe it's why I fill my planner the way I do. I do the same thing now. Every Sunday, I write down all the things that need to be done and fill in each day as need be. Is that the same for you? Or do you fill it in every day?  (Just wondering! :) )

I thought it was a chore (as did most of the people in my class ;P). The next time I came across a planner was my senior year in high school. One of my classmates was the Student Body President, President of a billion clubs, etc etc etc and more! I noticed that she always carried a planner around. It wasn't a weekly planner or a Filofax but a monthly planner you can buy anywhere. I would watch her meticulously write in it every single day [she sat diagonal from me, so I could see :P]. Being the stationery obsessed-freak that I am (heheh), I wanted one too. So I got a really cheap monthly planner. I tried filling it out but I didn't have as many duties/obligations as she did. So that failed ^_^;;;

A year later, it was my first year at college and all the assignments and due dates overwhelmed me! So I picked up a student planner from the University's store. I had seen a bunch of other students with them, I thought "I need to try that too!". It helped a bit but I kept forgetting to fill it out and just wrote due dates on my class notes -_-; 

I believe it was 4 years ago (?). I had been a member of Livejournal and they started having Communities. On the front page after you logged in, LJ posted a thing where they feature Communities. One of them was the Organizers community [The most recent entries are only viewable to members in the group]. Members posted their week's entries. It was fascinating! Some of them made them so beautiful and etc etc. Like I said, being the stationery-nerd that I am... I was ITCHING for a planner! 

By this time, I was out of school (because we moved here) and was working a full-time job with nothing else except I was really  into my art/drawing comics. But I didn't care! I wanted a planner! ^_^;

Most of the members of that group posted Moleskines. I thought it was too plain so I looked everywhere for the perfect planner for me. I found one in the local Sanrio store. It was a Kuromi planner. I loved the layout. But I got tired of it really fast. I filled it with my art "duties". [example: Pencil page 12 of my comic; Ink page 11] 

For the next few years I would go through different planners, mostly bound ones. Mostly: Sanrio or Moleskine. I did find some adorable Korean planners. In fact, the site that sold them sold them for CHEAP so I ordered a BUNCH (I believe I ordered 8 at that time). <--The site is gone now and most of them have been used with the exception of one of my planners. I gave a few of them away too. The only planner I have left and hasn't been used is the Alphonse Mucha one. I couldn't bear to use it. I think I've had that planner for 3 years now...

I stopped getting the Sanrio planners. I didn't like their layouts. The only layout I really liked was the Kuromi one that I got a long time ago. I purchased two other Sanrio ones but I didn't like them any more. So I stuck with Moleskine for awhile. 

I only discovered Filofax recently. I was watching a YouTube video. A "What's in my bag?" video and she pulled out a Filofax. After that, I was still meh about them. I couldn't understand what was so great about loose-leaf-type planners/binders. 

If you've read this blog (not like it's very interesting :D), you'll know that my parents (whom I live with) had left to San Francisco for a few months. My Dad's a contractor and they were working on my uncle's house. Anyway, during this time; I found that my Moleskine wasn't working [I was using the Weekly + Notes]. I had extra duties/chores/errands I had to do. 

I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a daily planner. I didn't make it fancy or anything [no decorations... just scribbles]... After a month of that... I wanted to make my planner pretty :(

Then I found a few other videos on Filofax setups. After that, I was hooked. I had to get my own. I watched more videos and when I found out they were having their 60% off sale; that was when I promptly purchased my Pocket Finsbury. ^_^;

Yep, there goes the uninteresting tale of how I came to use the planners. Although, the ending was kind of abrupt. 

Here are my fave planners that I've used (not in any order)
Moleskine Pocket Daily Planner
Kuromi Weekly Planner
Moleskine Weekly + Notes Planner
Filofax (hehe)





Tuesday, March 5, 2013

03.05.13 - Insert something interesting here :P

I really suck at titles. 

A few things have happened that's quite... stressful? I haven't written about life-things in awhile. Lol, it seems my blog has become obsessed with my Filofax. ^_^;;; More of those posts to come, btw ^_^;;; Hehehe!

Is it sad that Filofax has made me happy? ^_^; Mostly because I've been decorating and filling it (well my, Metropol...). 

I used to go to work to get away from stress at home. And life at home, is very stressful. But we're not talking about home right now, I'll be talking about work. The last few weeks have been extremely stress and anxiety-filled. Everyone's scared of losing their jobs, including me. 

Last week, one of our supervisors, M, got fired. It wasn't official until yesterday. [We have to wait until our corporate office confirms it] She's the one that transferred here and got the position that I wanted/was supposed to get. Two weeks ago, she got suspended for three days for messing up and when she came back, she was late every single day that she worked. That's what got her fired because she was still on probation.

Anyway, my manager went to a few of the supervisors (he didn't go to me!!! Maybe that's a good thing???) and told them that they're doing whatever they can to fire us so try not to make any mistakes and especially, don't be late. <--That could be why he didn't tell me. I'm never late. I'm always 30 minutes early. When he told us that, all the supervisors were freaking out. I was freaking out because I make a lot of mistakes :( I try not to but sometimes when you're distracted... It happens.

I've been so stressed that I'm surprised my hair hasn't gone all white :P Also, I haven't been sleeping or eating much lately. When I eat, it feels like a brick in my stomach. So I just have a few bites and yeah.. that's it. Sleeping is torture. No matter how tired I am, my mind is overly active. It just won't let me sleep. 

I totally lost my train of thought. Well, the Filofax has been giving me a little happiness in life. It's strange that a planner could do that but it takes my mind off of things. I'm still trying to work on filling my Metropol

I was distracted because I'm talking to a friend on Facebook right now and he just gave me a link for the scanlation for Koe no Katachi  which is a one-shot manga that just came out in Japan's Shounen Jump and it's causing a lot of controversy because it's about bullying. 

Well... I guess that's it for this post ^_^; Since I"ve completely lost my train of thought lol.