The Year That Was

2014 was a colorful year, to say the least, composed of both the good and the bad, sadness and joy, new challenges, new places and an opportunity to grow and live out a new life.  But I am thankful still, because despite all the changes that happened, there are still old faces, old friends who through thick and thin, good and bad times, stuck around and never left.  Of course, I will forever be grateful to the wacky, dramatic, loving bunch of people who always got my back and who fully support me all the way - my family.

Let's see, what did happen to me this year?  I got an operation December of last year so the first 2 months of this year I was trying to get back on my feet and was in recovery mode.  One of my closest friends decided to leave the company and work abroad; I got assigned to head a team in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for a year; my cousin, will leave for the US this month to start a new life with her new family; and another close friend just recently resigned.  

My new assignment in Vietnam is challenging.  Truly challenging.  I haven't felt this stressed for a long time but I guess it comes with learning to adapt to the culture of a new country and with working with an entirely different group of people.  I am still in the stage where I am trying to adapt to everything : work, environment, people and I guess it is taking its toll on both my health and my sanity.  But no complaints, here.  I know its part of the process.  I just need to learn to let some things go and turn off my brain once in a while to relax and unwind and of course adapt as fast as I can. 

Vietnam cuisine is one thing I truly enjoy.  Local food is really good here.  Seafood, fruits and vegetables are abundant here and are quite cheap compared to Manila.  I really enjoy the seafood fare here and the vegetables here are sooo fresh and readily available. The foodie in me is very excited to try all these dishes.  There are also a lot of foreign dishes available.  One thing that got my attention was there are quite a number of Japanese restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City. 

People are also warm and friendly, but generally not all of them speak or understand english.  Communication is a bit of an issue here for me, so to avoid getting lost, I always carry a small notebook with me where my work and apartment address is written in the local language.

Good thing there is an Expat Filipino team working here in our company so I am not completely alone.  This wonderful group of people have become my family here in Vietnam.  My patch of sunshine and most of the time the lifeline that keeps me sane and helps me learn the ropes here both in and out of work.

Since this is my first time to be away from my family for very long period of time, I am missing them everyday.  Plotting vacation schedules to go home to Manila on my calendar has now become a priority.  I take comfort in counting down the weeks or days till I can board a plane so I can spend time with my family and friends back home.  And today I am very excited that I catch myself smiling for no reason since I will be flying home in a few hours :)

So before the year ends and Christmas is officially over, I would like to greet everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Bountiful New Year.  Cheers to new adventures, new friends, stronger relationships, bigger opportunities, happiness and joy and of course lots of love in the coming year :)

Till next time!

- M :)

catching up

New Year, New Books! :)

But before I go into my TBR for the first quarter of this year, I still have to write about the books I managed to finish for the last quarter (more like last half) of the past year.  I was not actually able to finish some of the items on my TBR since work kinda caught up on my reading time (excuses...excuses...).

Anyways, I had some time to catch up on my reading last December since I underwent major surgery and was on medical leave for a month.  So that was one achievement I had during my recovery period (and house arrest haha!).

Below are some of the books I finished:

I will write more about them in the next few days (promise!).  All I can say is that I really loved them all (pang-artista lang :P).  Cuckoo's Calling was a surprise, though I really don't have any doubts about JKR's writing. But all I can say is that I was pleasantly surprised by it.  House of Hades did not disappoint, at this point it only increased my impatience waiting for the next book.  Divergent was also good, but I need to take a breather first before delving into Insurgent.  Thus, I picked up The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which I couldn't put down.

So there.  Now, am currently reading A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness.  Am thinking if I should read Shadow and Bone (Grisha Trilogy) by Leigh Bardugo next or do I move on to reading Insurgent :) (hmm... decisions, decisions...).

Till next time! - M

One Day

Happy Monday ! :)

I am currently loving this song, All of Me by John Legend.  I am (still!) hoping that one day (fingers crossed) someone will sing this to me ... and that would be just awesome (insert fluttering eyelashes here hihihihi) :)

Okay, I think my meds are affecting my brain cells... I have to go now before I say any more ... 

All of Me

John Legend

[Verse 1:]
What would I do without your smart mouth
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out
You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down
What's going on in that beautiful mind
I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright

[Bridge:]
My head's under water
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

[Chorus:]
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh

[Verse 2:]
How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too
The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood
You're my downfall, you're my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you

[Bridge:]
My head's under water
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

[Chorus:]
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh

Give me all of you
Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts
Risking it all, though it's hard

[Chorus:]
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you

I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh

lyrics from www.azlyrics.com

Till next time! - M

belle de jour 2014

I am on a roll today :)

I would just like to share how happy I am with my Belle de Jour Planner :) 

Let me tell you how I got one:

I was actually part of the population that collects and redeems stickers to get planners offered by coffee shops in the metro in the past years, so this is actually the first time I got my hands on a BDJ Planner.  I was not able to collect and redeem anything for this year since I underwent major surgery last December and I spent the whole month recovering and mostly stayed at home.  

My friend Ayie, who also went through a medical procedure (yes, our schedules were only a week apart :P), came up with an idea that instead of drinking and spending on coffee, why not just buy a planner? Plus, it IS more budget friendly :)  Soooo, what she did was buy 3 planners (BDJ, Navi and Everything is Possible) and gave them to us as gifts.  She tied each planner's vibe to our personal characteristics :)  I got the BDJ power planner, Ayie got the Everything is Possible planner for herself and the Navi Planner was given to Gen.

I like how the whole planner is set up plus there are other features that I really love like the vacation planner, and the cash flow and bills tracker.  I love the space alloted per day on the weekly spread as well as the fact that there is a Most Important Tasks space on top of each day... I'm kinda OC so that helps a lot haha :P

Plus the coupons ... don't get me started on the coupons!!!!  well, obviously I am happy with the coupons.

We all loved our planners and I have Ayie to thank for this :)

Now, I am itching to buy me a set of colored pens so I can customize how I write entries on my planner ...

Till next time! - M

Live Life

My resolution for this year is to Live Life.  I want to be able to enjoy everything that life has to offer. Along with that, I need to be able to learn to accept things and move on when I need to, laugh and/or cry as each situation unfolds; share and teach what I know and learn from others as well; listen with both my heart and my ears and at the same time be confident enough to voice my own opinions and my feelings when need be.  Love with my whole heart, accept the pain of loss, grieve, pick myself up and face the world again.  Accept pain and feel the intensity of being hurt, enough for me to learn from it and move on from it, but not so much as to trap me in its web.  Experience hardships and trials and revel graciously in success once achieved.  Be humble and kind but still know my worth and not let others trample and take advantage of me.  Find happiness in the small and simple things of life, be grateful for what I have and learn how to accept defeat, when,  after doing and trying everything possible to change the situation and come out victorious, the cards still do not fall in my favor.  But at the same time, know how to pick my battles and fight for what I believe in and not easily give up even when times get tough.  I also want to be able to upgrade my knowledge and skills not just for my career, but more for myself.  Travel, laugh, be in awe of the wonders of nature and of things I haven't seen or done before, play, run, read, sing, dance, look at the clouds and stars, swim, sit still, sleep deep and well, experience peace.

There are a lot of things I want to be able to experience, and all may not happen in 2014 but in which case I want to start now.  I am not getting any younger and I think I have the right now to cast a bit of my careful nature aside and take risks, both in life and in love.  But still, I need to remind myself periodically that while living life to the fullest, there still needs to be balance.  An acceptance that there are things, people and situations that belong and do not belong in my life, regardless of how I feel and how much or how deep my investment is in a person, a project or a career.  I still believe in a higher power, and ultimately both the universe and the Man Upstairs will deal my cards the way it is supposed to be dealt, whether I like the outcome or not.

I Lived by One Republic somehow sums up what I had in mind for 2014, so I figured this can be my song to start off my year.  I would just like to share the lyrics with you and maybe, the song can be your song too :)

Cheers guys! Have a great year ahead! :)

                                                                         "I Lived"

                                                                     One Republic

[Verse 1]
Hope when you take that jump
You don't fear the fall
Hope when the water rises
You build a wall

Hope when the crowd screams out
They're screaming your name
Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

Hope that you fall in love
And it hurts so bad
The only way you can know
Is give it all you have

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain
Hope when the moment comes
You'll say...

[Chorus]
I, I did it all
I, I did it all
I owned every second
That this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

[Verse 2]
Hope that you spend your days
But they all add up
And when that sun goes down
Hope you raise your cup

I wish that I could witness
All your joy and all your pain
But until my moment comes
I'll say...

[Chorus]
I, I did it all
I, I did it all
I owned every second
That this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

[Bridge]
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Oh
Oh
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

[Chorus]
I, I did it all
I, I did it all
I owned every second
That this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

[Outro]
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Oh
Oh

Lyrics from www.azlyrics.com

Image from my.englishclub.com

Till next time! - M