Photo A Day Challenge (Feb 27 - 29)

Below are my photo a day challenge for the last days of February :).  I made it! yey! :D

27.  something you ate : Sour Punch - pamatid-gutom sa hapon :)

28.  Money : new 50.00 bill.  I like the bright red color of the new bill, and because of that, I will hold on to this  for a while longer hehehe :)

29.  something you're listening to : Dia Frampton! I loved her in The voice Season 1, so glad she came out with her own record.  Some stations are now playing her song "The Broken Ones" on air.

So that completes my February Photo A Day Challenge (at least half of the month since I joined late).  I hope I can complete the succeeding months :)

For March, here is the new list from Fat Mum Slim's Blog (http://www.fatmumslim.com.au/):

I'm thinking if i should bring along my camera (since i have a small, compact point and shoot type one) so i could get better shots.  When i looked at all my Feb photos, almost all of it were taken in the office.  My favorite shot was taken last Sunday in Eastwood for the Night challenge, since it was the only photo I have taken outdoors :P.

My challenge for March : to take more shots outdoors and to be more creative.  Soooo excited to start! :)

Photo A Day Challenge (February 18 - 26)

Since I started doing this Photo A Day Challenge, i tried to stay true to taking pictures every day, but i admit there are days when I did forget (memory gap moments :P) so i just took some of the pics I forgot the next day.  Anyways, here's my photo a day exhibition (naks!) for this week:

18.  Drink

19.  Something you hate to do : working on a weekend!!!! (and doing numbers at that! :P)

20.  Handwriting : obviously am a book nerd :P

21.  A fave photo of you : this was taken in Singapore last April 2010 :)  i took a picture of this photo stored in my iPad :)

22.  Where you work : the JB R&D office :)

23.  Your shoes : my favorite pair of Sanuk sandals :)

24.  Inside your bathroom cabinet : i don't have a bathroom cabinet so I just took a picture of my bathroom shelves :P

25.  Green : my mom's curtains

26.  Night : taken at Eastwood a few hours ago :)

Yey! i completed two weeks worth of photos and I managed to write about it 2 weeks straight! hope i can keep this up.

till next week! :)

Photo A Day Challenge

My friend Claudette is doing this photo a day challenge and being the curious cat that I am, I decided to find out what it was and where it all started.  I found that it was a challenge started by a blogger, Chantelle (www.fatmumslim.com.au).  I love a challenge so I decided to try this one out.  This is the list for February:

Since its my first day, and I am already late in joining the challenge i decided to do the whole week's photo a day thingie (addict mode ON! :P)  so i took five pictures starting from number 13 to 17 :)  Here they are:

13.  Blue

14.  Heart

15.  Phone

16.  Something New

let me explain this one... i was given a new project yesterday and it requires me to do project management, so i need to review!!! :P

17.  Time

That's the last of it :)  I will try to do the photo taking challenge daily and will try to post on a weekly basis (or daily if i can).

Why did I decide to do this in the first place?  To have something else to do aside from work hahaha! :)  i need to keep things light and relaxed and fun even for just a few minutes in a day to keep my sanity in check :)  Plus, this will more or less make me update my blog weekly! yay! *crossing fingers*

till next week!

valentakaw and spantastic date with the girls

As usual, I have no Valentines Date plans, but I was pleasantly surprised that fate has something else in mind for me this year.  Though my date is not actually a romantic one, I had a blast :).

Ghina and Regine called me up to ask if I want to go on a Spa date with them.  I agreed, besides, I don't have anything to do on a Sunday anyways.  It was a pre-Valentines day date of sorts for us three since all three of us are single.  We went to Ace Water Spa in Pasig.  The place is really nice, though smaller compared to their first branch in QC, I like this location better.  The building is new and there weren't too many people.  We changed into our swimwear and excitedly went into the spa area.  We tried all there is to try including the hot herbal pools which was supposed to be strictly timed according to the lifeguard.  We were supposed to try the sauna but when we entered, we literally cannot take the heat, so we just opted to stay in the hot herbal pools.  We stayed for a while there, enjoying and relaxing and laughing and just being silly :P.  Afterwards, we realized we were super hungry.

Since we were near the Kapitolyo area, there were a number of restos the girls haven't tried yet.  Since Regine wanted to have breakfast food (and she has a huge crush on Elmo Magalona who kinda endorses this place) we opted to try out Milky and Sunny.  

The menu has a lot of options and we were excited to try out a lot of things.  Our tummies were grumbling by then so we got the Breakfast Big Plate, a meal complete with rice and hash brown. We also ordered the bacon tostadas, a recommended dish from a blog I read.  We enjoyed the meal so much.  The hungarian sausage slices dipped in spicy vinegar was really good! :)  We were soooo full after this hearty breakfast fare (at 9:00 pm) :P.

menu specials 

bacon tostadas

Breakfast Big Plate

Happy tummy! :)

Our baby girl, Regine :)

It was a really fun day with the girls and one of the best Valentines Date I had in a long time :)

musings

there will always be people who will hurt you.  they may be an acquaintance, a random stranger, or worse a friend (or "friend") or even family.  there will be others who will go out of their way to ostracize and intentionally hurt you.  there are no exemptions, no prerequisites, no conditions.  there are people who, just to make themselves feel better or who feel they have the right to hurt people just because they think their meanness justifies their reason, will actually make it a point to make you feel "unwanted" and will go to great lengths to treat you like an outcast. i know. i felt that.  i have been treated that way by people who i considered to be my friends.

bottomline is you just have to learn to let go.  let go of people who do not see your value and move on with your life with the people who do.  the saying that when a door closes, a window will open or better yet, another door will, is true.  there will be people who will be worth your while.  worth the friendship and worth the trust.  you just have to learn to see, choose and accept who they are.  life will not be fair every time.  we all have to learn to adapt.  you can only take so much crap in your life.  there will come a point wherein you have to weigh things out.  you will have to see if all this and all that is worth it or not. on the other hand, look at it as life giving you the chance to sift through the people in your life. once the sifting is done, you may have been left with only a handful of people, but for sure they are the best of the lot.

in the end, you will know who are worth keeping.  thank God there are people who stay true and still believe in you and whose definition of friendship and family is the same as yours.

11.11.11

today is 11.11.11. last year i posted something on 10.10.10, i just thought it would be nice to post something again on a one-numbered date day.

since a lot of people are making wishes during this time, i might as well post my 11 wishes. here they are:

11. I wish for a DVD player hehehehe ... ambabaw i know, but mine broke down and i want to get a new one, pero yung maganda and durable na brand na yung gusto ko :) ... but the timing is off. i kinda have other things to prioritize pa muna ... hay :(

10. I wish i can overhaul my wardrobe ... yup, last i checked my clothes need to be updated. i feel i need to upgrade my style a little (or a lot maybe :P). plus the last major shopping spree i did was more than a year ago. some of my clothes are showing signs of wear and tear. I want to be able to wear skirts, high heels ... girly stuff, which right now is kind of a rarity (or non-existent?:P) in my closet.

9. I wish to write. writing has been an outlet, a hobby and a passion for me. I wish to be able to publish a book someday, a children's book (like those published by Adarna.... i sooo love those!) or just a collection of writings similar to Jessica Zafra's Twisted series. To start this off, I guess i should start updating my blog often :).

8. I wish to pamper myself. Go to a spa, spend my time getting a massage, scrubs and those detox treatment thingumajigs and come out refreshed and energized :)

7. I wish to get a new look. para naman medyo tumanda ng konti ang itsura ko... naks! ... kidding aside, para naman maiba at maka-attract ng good vibes :) at lovelife na din hihihihi! :)

6. I wish to be fit :) i need to get back to the gym! kelangan pag-ipunan ng bongga. and likewise, i wish to be more disciplined when it comes to my eating habits. after all, health is wealth and my family has a history of diabetes and hypertension. gotta take care of myself as early as now :)

5. I wish to be debt-free. again, a lot of discipline and sheer mind power is required. i wish to have the willpower to avoid unnecessary spending and focus my energy and funds to alleviate my family's financial situation.

4. I wish for strength. Strength to hold on and strength to let go. Strength to face life and deal with all the ups and downs that fate throws in my way. I wish to have enough strength to pull myself together through any situation, strength to accept defeat and admit mistakes when i commit them.

3. I wish for love. I have wished for this for so long, and i am still praying and wishing that i will be granted the blessing to be with someone whom i can share my life with. if possible, i do not want to go through this life alone. I am an only child and i already spent more than half of my life alone, i wish i can spend the rest of my life with someone i love and who loves me back.

2. I wish to be happy. happiness is a state of mind, it is a feeling, a lifestyle. i wish for that day when i do not have to remind myself to be happy, because i just am.

1. I wish to be a better version of me. I pray and wish that i will continue to grow and learn in all aspects: career, life and love.

My wish list is complete. From the simplest to the complicated. For some, i have the capacity to fulfill my wish in a short span of time. While for others, it will take more than just time. It will take patience, discipline, willpower and heart, plus a little something called blessing and guidance from Up above :).

Uncharted by Sara Bareilles

no words,

my tears wont make any room for 'em, oh

and it don't hurt

like anything i've ever felt before

this is no broken heart

no familiar scars

this territory goes uncharted

just me

in a room sunk down in a house in a town

and i don't breathe

though i never meant to let it get away from me

now i have too much to hold

everybody has to get their hands on gold

and i want uncharted

stuck under the ceiling i made

i cant help the feeling

i'm going down

follow if you want, i won't just hang around

like you'll show me where to go

i'm already out of foolproof ideas

so don't ask me how to get started

its all uncharted

each day

i'm countin' up the minutes till i get alone

cause i can't stay

in the middle of it all, its nobody's fault

but i'm so low

never knew how much i didn't know

oh, everything is uncharted

i know i'm getting nowhere

when i only sit and stare

like i'm going down

follow if you want, i wont just hang around

like you'll show me where to go

i'm already out of foolproof ideas

so don't ask me how to get started

its all uncharted

jumpstart my kaleidoscope heart

i love to watch the colors fade

they may not make sense

but they sure as hell made me

i won't go as a passenger, no

waiting for the road to be laid

though i may be going down

i'll take in flame over burning out

compare

where you are to where to wanna be

and you'll get nowhere

i'm going down

follow if you want, i won't just hang around

like you'll show me where to go

i'm already out of foolproof ideas

so don't ask me how to get started

i'm going down

follow if you want, i won't just hang around

like you'll show me where to go

i'm already out of foolproof ideas

so don't ask me how to get started

its all uncharted.

Camping in Nagsasa (Dec 27 - 29, 2010)

Scrapbook generated with Smilebox

bonding with the cousins (december 30, 2010)

This free scrapbook design customized with Smilebox

10 random facts about me

Since its 10.10.10, i figured i would write down 10 random facts about me. so here goes:

1. i love books (kinda obvious). my taste in books is eclectic, depending on my mood.
2. i love music. i love to sing, was a choir member all throughout my elem, HS and college days, until now that i am working, i am still part of the not so active company choir =)
3. i am an only child. i would like to believe that i am not spoiled or bratty. but when i do get my moods and my bitchy self comes out, i use the excuse that i am an only child, so i naturally have a license to act bratty =P (well, the excuse does come in handy haha!).
4. i sleep most nights with music in the background. it kinda helps put me to sleep (insomniac alert).
5. i remember a lot of things: facts, names, events that happened in the past, but i tend to forget birth dates, except for those people really close to me (but sometimes, i still do =P).
6. i love the color blue. when shopping my eyes automatically look for blue stuff.
7. despite the fact that i am quite sickly, i have never been confined in a hospital (proud!).
8. i cannot sleep without a water bottle (or pitcher, or glass) beside me. i wake up in the middle of the night thirsty.
9. i love spicy food. i eat most of the time having fish sauce as my sawsawan or soy sauce and calamansi, both with siling labuyo in it =)... my mom said my yaya while growing up was bicolana, thus i was used to eating spicy stuff since i was a kid.
10. i dont like bananas ... as in! but i can eat the occasional pinasugbo from iloilo =) that's about it .. my taste buds and my tummy and bananas are at odds, they really don't get along! ... my nutrition prof in UP said it might be psychological (hhhmm, pwede ... psychotic naman ako paminsan =P).

there you have it, my attempt to do something 10-ish this 10.10.10 ... hhmmm, it was kinda hard to put it together though ... have to stay clear of the emotional things to keep the list factual, well except for the bitchy self entry haha! ...

i am invincible

i am invincible
i feel i am so, i know i am so
i am invincible when i know what i'm doing
when i know what steps to take
what to look for, how to solve a problem,
how to decide what's best.

i am invincible
when i can control things,
the outcome of an experiment, a study
when i can say with certainty
"approved without thinking"
when i can decide with my eyes shut
without even needing to see, feel, hear, more than once.

i am invincible
when i know i am right
when i know that those i love
are behind me no matter what
i feel invincible

when i feel loved, trusted, appreciated

when people say i can do things i normally cannot do
when people say that i have potential
when people recognize something in me
that I myself cannot see.

i am invincible ... or am i not?
at this point, i feel cracks in my walls
a tremor in my solid ground
as doubt begins to take seed and fear starts to knock.
my fortress is being besieged
by forces i cannot control
by forces i cannot fathom
loneliness, anxiety, sadness, doubt, fear
enemies i have no known protection for.

am i invincible?
i hope to the heavens i am
whatever made me think i am, i need those now.
but before i regain my strength
i need to repair my fortress
fill in the cracks, stabilize my foundation,
refill my ammunitions.
i need to find my center, my passion,
my inspiration, my purpose.
and for these, i need more than just time ...
i need myself to be whole.

am i invincible?
i hope to God i am
with every fiber of my being
i hope and pray that i can overcome this siege
i need to outrun it and outlive it
for me to regain my strength.

my summer book loot

my latest book stash is composed mostly of young adult reads. i find them refreshing -- the stories are short, but engaging. the plots may seem predictive and simple (but at times not!), but the twists and the characters add more zest to the reading experience.

i am actually looking forward to reading the hunger games series as i read a number of favorable reviews about the books =). dawn of the dreadfuls, one of the 2 only non-YA in my stash, is also an anticipated read as i loved pride, prejudice and zombies. the second non-YA in my stash is ilustrado by miguel syjuco, another book which gained numerous favorable reviews.

well, i hope to finish reading them during the summer and am looking forward to raiding the bookstores again after. actually, i am waiting for prince of mists by carlos ruiz zafon (i already reserved a copy in powerbooks megamall hehehehe) which will come out on may 14. (thanks aileen! =) ur the best! - - aileen is our trusty book consultant in powebooks, in short she is responsible for half of my book loot hahaha! )

sooooo, here's to a summer filled with books and numerous adventures! =) and all of these adventures i can experience without leaving the airconditioned confines of a cafe or the safe haven of my bedroom =).

i wish

i wish ...
i can make things better for you,
that i can hold your hand through tough times
that i can somehow ease your pain and hurt,
that i can help you move on and heal

i wish...
i can make things brighter for you
that i can make you smile and laugh
and enjoy the simple pleasures of life
like friends and easy conversation

i wish...
i can make you listen
that i can make you appreciate and understand
the things that you keep taking for granted
and the things that you choose to ignore

i wish...
you will realize that life is never what it seems
that what you think is right may not always be good for you
that life can be both fair and unfair
depending on which consequence or reward you deserve

i wish...
you will just look around you
and appreciate what you have
fighting for something may not always be the right course
especially if that battle has already been lost.

*image from http://www.sxc.hu/m/m/mr/mrinkk/505428_holding_hands.jpg

book ends

I recently finished two books : Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame Smith.

Beautiful Creatures started out slow but the storyline was good. A gothic novel that has interesting twists and turns. Though quite dark, there are bits of humor injected that makes it less serious and light.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was quite a read. I haven't read the original Austen classic (since I am quite intimidated by the classics =P), but now I would like to grab one and read it (more to compare it with the zombies version). I really had fun reading the book =). There exists an interesting contrast between the writing style and what it describes (imagine a katana-wielding heroine wearing a long dress while battling and beheading zombies in the english countryside while speaking in the old english tongue). For me, this adds to the charm of the book. I can't actually wait to read the prequel = Dawn of the Dreadfuls.

You're in UP

original post from FB's Overheard at UP page... astig! =)

Dr. Jose Dalisay: "You're in UP 'cause you can think and speak for yourselves by your own wits and on your own two feet. And you can do so no matter what the rest of the people in the room may be thinking. You're in UP 'cause no one can tell you to shut up if you have something sensible and vital to say. You're in UP 'cause you dread not the poverty of material comforts but the poverty of the mind. And you're in UP 'cause you care about something abstract and sometimes as treacherous as the idea of a "nation", even if it kills you."

(posted by SJ San Juan)

from Overheard at UP

naaliw ako sobra sa entry na to as posted in Overheard at UP FB page:



may sumakay na 2 ale na medyo madaldal parehas.. tpos may ksakay din kming mga marine students yta..nagbayad ung mga marine students tapos cnabi nla na estudyante daw..tpos eto na nangyari...

UP STUDENTt: ma, bayad po isang estudyante..

ALE NA MADALDAL 1: tingnan mo sa UP, wla clang uniform. di tuloy mukhang estudyante.. tignan mo ung mga yun (mga marine students) pormal na pormal.. mukhang kagalanggalang..

ALE NA MADALDAL 2: oo nga, iho (knausap ung nagbayad na UP student) bakit ba wla kaung uniform? hindi tuloy kau mukhang estudyante.. mukha lng kaung mamamalengke..

UP STUDENT: (ngumiti) ah eh, WALA DAW PO KASI SA ITSURA PAGIGING ESTUDYANTE, NASA UTAK!(tawa ng malakas ung mga marine students, tinamaan yta.. syempre pati ako nkitawa na rin)

ALE NA MADALDAL 1: sabi sau wag kang magtatanong ng mga ganyan sa mga tga-UP, laging may bala yang mga yan eh!!

[by: Jiro Castellano]

start your week right ...

i got this off my friends' FB status:

We heal our minds whenever we let bad memories go; we heal our souls whenever we pray; and we heal our hearts whenever we forgive.

meaningful reflections

a friend sent me this SMS this morning. the message hit a number of spots and i found it to be truly meaningful.

Lenten Reflections:
1. Sometimes, God breaks our spirit to save our soul.
2. Sometimes, He breaks our hearts to make us whole.
3. Sometimes, He sends us pain so we can be stronger.
4. Sometimes, He sends us failure so we can be humble.
5. Sometimes, He sends us illness so we can take better care of ourselves.
6. Sometimes, He takes "everything" away from us so we can learn the value of the little we have left.

Happy Easter Everyone! :)

it's time

after a week of sadness, confusion, heartache and anxiety, i woke up today decided to have a change of heart. i suppose it would be better to face each day with a smile and a sunny, positive disposition. maybe, it would help me better cope with the situation i am currently in and hopefully a positive attitude can one day bring good news and a better future. kinda idealistic ... sounds a lot like those motherhood statements we see and hear during positive reinforcement seminars... but at this point i don't have anything to lose. and besides, i already look like a panda with huge circles under my eyes, so a smiling panda for starters would be better than a mopey one. soooo, as dramatic as i am the past few days (my past entries can attest to that), i wouldn't let this day pass without writing another entry. ending my week or rather starting my week with a more hopeful tone =)... (my wish now is that i be able to have the strength to keep this up and not go into relapse ...)

its time
to stop moping and start coping
to stop crying and start smiling
to stop hurting and start healing

its time
to wait in hope rather than in anxiety and dread
to pray for better days than to blame the past
to live each day at a time and not hide from it

its time
to find strength in patience and understanding
to smile again amidst the hearts' chaos and confusion
to find joy again even in the simplest of things

its time to face each day with renewed hope
that one day soon everything will be alright
for now, i just have to start to wake up and breathe
for me to be able to laugh and love and once again live.


*image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashting/2143482916/

learning and waiting

i learned that...

there are consequences to things both said and unsaid,
and to actions done and not done

intentions however honest or even noble
can still be misconstrued and be perceived as malicious

people who know you well enough
are still prone to believing lies about you
when anger and jealousy take part

i learned all these in a short span of time,
drowning me in the process.
and now trying to understand and grasp reality
while waiting for a judge to reach its verdict

i can say everything i want
to prove my innocence
but deaf ears do not hear nor see reason
they only feel dark, illogical wrath

for now, my only ally is time
hoping it does heal wounds
wounds accidentally inflicted
by naive actions and honest intentions