The minions survived the outbreak!

Well sort of...

Last 04.13.2014, we had an awesome time during a fun run all thanks to Outbreak Manila BGC 2! It was my first time to run and luckily I did not get injured to ruin the experience for me.. The zombies were too many and too hungry for those health flags it's really a wonder how you'd survive the 5km path with at least a single health flag remaining. From the start of the race, we realized right away how we can't be complacent and not run for our lives. I've ran a 5km fun run before but never did I have to dash every so often... In the end, we decided to just enjoy it and have our pictures taken with the zombies. It was also cool that many people (zombies included) found our costume cool enough for them to ask to have their pictures taken with us. Haha

All in all, for me it was worth the fee I paid (and my sister who also enjoyed it greatly) to join this race. Maybe next time, it will be a good experience to join as zombies...

Alternative retail therapy

I have this friend who is collecting lego minifigures and I've accompanied her countless times when she goes to the different toy stores on an almost daily basis to check out their stocks and see if they have something for her that she could add to her collection. Not once was I enticed to buy one for myself until I tried to get her one abroad but a dear friend paid for it so I decided to keep one for myself as remembrance.

Fast forward a few weeks since, nothing new was added until I got into the hype of getting a chicken suit minifigure.

Then a few days after, since I am a bit stressed and therefore hyper-sensitive and emotional I decided to visit a toy store to see if they have anything that I find cute (ex. i was keen on getting the brave character). You see, I don't plan on collecting but somehow it kind of feels nice to buy those cute ones if they were available. Who would have thought I'd hit the jackpot and the store carried an older series, series 6 to be exact, the one with the sleepyhead! Not only that they just restocked! I had to restrain myself from getting a lot but somehow I still ended up with 4... Since I can't really shop right now, this looks like the (cheaper) alternative for those moments when I feel like indulging or rewarding myself... (Perfumes or sunglasses or watches are way outside of my budget right now...)

Back to basics

Among the many things that the leap of adventure I took beginning last year has taught me so far (really it acted like a catalyst to speed up my learning and help me catch up in maturing), there are still a few changes I'm beginning to realize now.
Over the weekend, and last Monday, I found myself being grounded enough to enjoy just food tripping at the kiosks or just sitting at the food court. While trying to pass the time before our outbreak run (more on that next time), instead of being at one of the fast food chains or trying out the latest craze in the area, me and my sister just bought some snacks at the food kiosks and sat at the mall center to enjoy our food. By Monday, I did the same and the funny thing is I was enjoying it. There was a time, that I'd cringe if I had to eat at a food court. To me it felt like, depriving yourself too much. I guess it also had to do with the fact that my parents didn't oblige me to be responsible for anything huge and I wasn't really focused on saving. Sure I'm frugal and a spendthrift but there are things that I was sort of sensitive about and thus spend money on.
Because, I had time to spare before I met up with my other friends for dinner, I thought of ways to pass the time. I tried window shopping but in the end gave up and decided to just sit down at the food court again, doodle with my phone and wait. As I waited, it hit me, that in the past this was definitely not how I would behave. I would either find myself in a coffee shop or go shopping to pass the time. Amazing how my spending habits are changing due to that investment which is eating up a chunk of my salary. I can still manage but it feels different not having the same amount of money which used to be just extra. I did play with the thought of shopping but just imagining the boxes and luggage I haven't fully unloaded and tidied yet was enough to discourage me. I've accummulated so much stuff I need to sort through. So for now, it's simple living and back to basics for me.

Scent hunt

For some reason, I've been wanting to get a new perfume but I didn't know which one to get. Sure I'm a fan of Perry Ellis 360 and Issey Miyake or also of Clinique Happy, Incanto Charms and Light Blue but since last year I really wanted to try a new one. Just this March I did happen to go through the ICN duty free shops but none really caught my attention. Maybe partly because I was looking for Escada Taj Sunset which unfortunately as confirmed by a friend when I asked her to look it up for me in SG (they say it's a bit cheap there) is no longer available. I came across this while I was out at Funan square with another friend back in SG last 2011 and the scent just sort of stuck with me. I was on a business trip back then and I couldn't really shop due to the nature of the trip.
Then I told another friend about it and we ended up looking for recommendations online, narrowing down the list to 5 based on the descriptions, reviews and popularity:
1. Chanel No. 5
2. Gucci Guilty black
3. Escada
4. CK Euphoria
5. Bvlgari Jasmin Noir

He willingly indulged me by going with me to a department store and sniff them out. The sales clerks were kind enough to accommodate us as we figure out which scents were good and which weren't. There were a few other good recommendations but I've sort of forgotten them as two stood out, one more than the other.
1. Chanel No. 5 is not really my type or suited for my age.
2. Gucci Guilty Black - all it took was one sniff and I knew this was good and one smell I'd really love. It was sweet but it still was unique in its own way.
3. Escada - they were good but they couldn't really compare to #2 or maybe I was still hung over when I checked them out.
4. CK Euphoria Forbidden - loved the scent and a cheaper alternative for #2.
5. Bvlgari Jasmin Noir - not my kind of scent again.

There were some that seemed good and light enough as a summer/day scent but I was hooked on 2 and 4.

Too bad, my birthday is still a couple of months away and I couldn't really bug people to get me either. At least now I know which one I'd get given the chance (aka budget). :D

Life's lessons from a hit tv series

Managed to catch up with latest episode from the latest season (yay!). Well until last week that is...

3 Cs

Choice
Chance
Change

You must make a choice,
To take a chance,
Or your life will never change.

Everyday is a challenge and an opportunity. There are safe choices and those that require us to come out of our shells and take leaps. It's a matter of perspective, however. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Cs I made that they will pan out, God-willing.

Disaster waiting to happen..

So clumsy klutz and stupid me strikes yet again leaving battle scars behind. My lower back still hurts. I've got bruises on my knees and a nasty wound-scar just above the bridge of my nose. Never mind that I also cut myself. It's like I'm either a disaster waiting to happen or a magnet for one.

Beyond the physical though, what irks me the most right now is the emotional imbalance that resulted out of plain stupidity. I guess it could have been worse: accident/disaster but sometimes I wonder who's to say accidents are that bad. Those accidents or misfortunes that we think of may actually be blessings in disguise (ex. the abrupt end of my assignment). After all, as I've said it's also about adjusting and making the most out of a situation.

Unfortunately, at the last minute, my guard/wall came down (again) and I found myself weak and vulnerable. It's a good thing, I was able to pull through and played it safe... Else, I would have ended picking up shattered pieces... Again. They say there's two sides to a coin and if I hadn't played it safe I'd be either torn or broken (go figure!). Kind of a lose-lose situation if I stick to the thought that I deserve better. IMHO, it would have been the latter, broken from rejection (again) and of another kind which was new and foreign to me. Gah! Obviously, I'm hating myself for that.

Don't get me wrong, I know my place and very well my worth. That's why I know this moment of weakness won't last long... It ain't my loss.

For now, stupidity strikes again... Grrr...hopefully, next time lightning na (kung sino man)...

Bloom where you are planted

While many may say high school was the best time during their younger years, mine would have to be college. I enjoyed college (and the years directly after it) more than I enjoyed high school. And a large part of it was because of my university, my peers/classmates who in turn became my closest friends and UP ALCHEMES. All others followed because of these three (i.e. UP PRIME and UP ESC). Amazing how the years have passed and now I am a proud alumna of this organization.

Looking back, my reasons for joining were just maybe to some shallow and random. Back then, the organization was very young and the underdog, the child born out of wedlock as one of my former professors said. Nonetheless, it is where I found what it's like to be a UP student, learning both in and outside of the classroom while having fun.

It doesn't really matter which organization you choose to belong to. There's always something good bound to happen whichever choice you make. It's about trying to "bloom where you are planted." Nonetheless, I am happy with the choice I made and I am very proud at how far this organization has come and is going. The culture and demographic seems to be changing than how I remembered it to be but I hope that the members will keep growing with it while still having fun. College starts to define who you are as you try and enter adulthood but that shouldn't hinder you from having fun. It is still that time to be making those mistakes and being carefree after all. And as the organization evolves, may it still continue to strive for excellence and make a difference.

Congratulations and more power UP ALCHEMES!


SHAPE lives of others. UP ALCHEMES. from Derek Baterisna on Vimeo.
Service is not just something we do...
Humility is not just something we practice...
Academics is not only being promoted...
Professionalism and Excellence are not just ways of life...

They are our CORE VALUES.


University of the Philippines
Academic League of Chemical Engineering Students (UP ALCHEMES)


*Music: 'Paperman' by Christophe Beck

Timing

"Do you ever wonder how you got to here?
It's not a matter of time, it's just a matter of timing"

If I had to learn "everything happens for a reason" the hard way, the end of my assignment is teaching me all about timing... I guess a lot of it would still depend on your optimism, drive to move forward and a healthy+grounded state of mind but somehow this is how things are starting to make sense for me.

When one door closes, another if not a window, opens. I am lucky and blessed enough to have so many doors open for me. Many may say that I need not make a choice right now but then again, there are those that somehow present itself wide open right smack in your path and call onto you... It's enticing enough to make you want to venture into another yet unknown and take another leap of adventure, another chance for exploration, more lessons and living. *fingers crossed. He definitely has perfect timing. Thank You!

"Timelines"
Motion City Soundtrack

Sifting through the broken glass
The echoes of my ancient past
Keep flooding into every pore
Like scattered seeds of sycamore
Suddenly I started wondering how I got here

Was it a matter of time?

Catholic school my private Hell
I stuttered 'til the age of twelve
Discovered sex at seventeen
And soon thereafter Self Esteem
The days did not matter
And years were a lifetime away

Drowning in a heavy stock
Of teenage girls and Indie Rock
I flunked out of each college course
And set my sails for no remorse
The nights were for nowhere
And that's where I wanted to be

Someone said,
"It's not a matter of time, it's just a matter of timing"

Do you ever wonder how you got to here?
It's not a matter of time, it's just a matter of timing
Do you ever wonder how you got to here?

Branded, marked and paper thin
This angry saint went marching in
To war with scores of ninety proof
Found nothing but the ugly truth
The decade of wastage an instant
And everything's changed

Woke up feeling 35
Though grateful that I'm still alive
Another chance at normalcy
To chase the dream but now it seems
That days run away like wild horses over the hills

Someone said,
"It's not a matter of time, it's just a matter of timing"

Do you ever wonder how you got to here?
It's just a matter of time
It's not a matter of time, it's just a matter of timing
Do you ever wonder how you got to here?

Take it in and hold on while you can
All the destruction will one day end
And you'll finally know exactly who you are
It's just a matter of timing

Do you ever wonder how you got to here?
It's just a matter of time
It's not a matter of time, it's just a matter of timing

Do you ever wonder how you got to here?
It’s just a matter of time
It’s not a matter of time, it’s just a matter of timing

Do you ever wonder how you got to here?
Do you ever wonder how you got to here?

http://youtu.be/FJBqja9Z6Ms

Prayer Request

*posting this nice and apt prayer that was handed out last Sunday at the Blessed John Paul II Parish...

Dear Lord,

I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me.

Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said, or thought that was not pleasing to You. I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my minds so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me NOT whine and whimper over things I have no control over. And it's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those who don't share. I pray for those who don't believe.

I thank You that I believe. I believe that You change people and change things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers, for each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love, and joy in their homes. I pray that they are out of debt and all their needs are met. I pray that every eye that reads this prayer knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than You. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into hearts of every eye that sees it. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Plans

For several weeks now I've been struggling because nothing seemed to go my way or how I wanted... A lot of plans no matter how small would come crashing sometimes at the last minute... Murphy's law has been hounding me it seems.. And sadly my health has been suffering at the most inopportune moment: during weekends. I badly need a break and an escape but even them have to be given up. I am trying to counter all these negativity that's been weighing and dragging me down but so far it looks like this is going to take awhile.
You make plans based on how you want your life to pan out and what your priorities are but there are those moments when life it seems have other things in store for you. It's like a tug-of-war pulling you in another direction. You try and resist it burdening yourself all the more. Giving in leaves you with the feeling of defeat and emptiness. In the end, it's better not to plan anything at all since none of the odds are in your favor anyway to avoid anymore disappointments.
Then comes the epiphany, that light bulb moment when you realize that there is nothing wrong with planning as long as you don't expect it to become an immediate reality. Life throws in a lot of surprises because sometimes our plans are not enough. God has something better for us out there and He wants the best for you, nothing less. Maybe your plans have to be given up because they are too complacent... And maybe there are some things that shouldn't be planned at all because they will just come along. Hope after all is the dream of a soul awake. In the meantime, plan along what you can and where you are being pulled at. And know that, we are all destined to be great! And then who knows, maybe lightning could strike... Hopefully...

My dear, I have to let you go... As much as I wanted to stay and have what was supposed to be my farewell set of awesome adventures, I have to move on. It was really short-lived and I thought that there was still so much more to do and experience. I can't thank you enough for all those moments. It was one of my best years, if not epic. My only regret is not being able to say goodbye. But who knows, I still hope I can visit you some other time... Now, I look forward to whatever great new adventures God has in store for me.

Struggling but lucky

Quite honestly, I am still struggling to deal with whatever has been coming my way since the 4th.. I can't seem to recover that my patience/tolerance is way too low it's easy to trigger the waterworks.. I guess you can say I'm broken for all sorts of reasons right now... I'm just trying to make one step at a time for me but I sincerely hope this will be over soon... I am tempted to give up at times already... Yes, maybe for some I am that weak but I am already trying to be numb and detached still I can take only so much right now..
Nonetheless, I am thankful for my support base - friends and family who I lean on. Although in this case I am trying to deal with it alone and less dependent on others unlike in the past...

Lucky to have sweet, thoughtful, caring and reliable friends... Thanks really!

4.

Since high school, I've developed a particular fondness for the number 4 and considered it to be my lucky number. My reasons were quite shallow but nonetheless I held on to it as my favorite number. I didn't mind that Chinese consider this to be a very bad/unlucky number... The book I'm reading talks of a mental illness where 4 haunts the protagonist and symbolizes death...

Unfortunately for me, this was the date that God put me through another test... I'm trying to be strong and positive about things but so far it's been like one test after another... Everything seems to be beyond me and beyond my control. This is hard especially for someone of my personality who wants to be in control. I can't get a good grip of what's happening... I'm trying to just take it all in being a firm believer of the saying "Everything happens for a reason..". I need to have faith...

I know I can still take it but the only way I am coping right now is by just relinquishing control other than hopefully making that trip to say goodbye... Somehow, things are happening too fast, too soon though for me while I'm still recovering and reeling from that blow. I can't even take a moment to say 'hey, let me take a moment to figure out what I'm gonna do and where I want to go... ' I can't make sense of what's been happening so far. I know it doesn't have to but the fear that somehow the events and decisions being made by others for me right now may ripple into the future... I want to really say, "please enough now, please let me get my bearings first" but somehow I know all the more will there be tests. So, I'm just floating without a backbone... I am so lost, confused, disoriented and trapped in limbo right now. The problem is I don't know how to get out. Even the simple act of making a stand is hard because of my emotional instability and doing so might lead to further disappointments and the like. It's just all mixed/messed up. For now, I have to pray that whatever direction I'm being pushed to will do while I'm trying to figure things out...

It takes its toll sometimes and I find myself emotionally drained. It's overwhelming at the moment and I could sure use some words of wisdom and spiritual advice.

Quite a bad start, 02.04.2013. I will probably forget you but not now.

you live, you learn

It seems that the only way for me to learn some lessons are through some first hand experiences... It's a good thing that I'm relatively a fast-learner..
Still learning, still blooming...
Bouncing back up. ^_^



"Please, please, please let me get what I want" - 500 days of summer OST

A friend (and a former crush) who I don't often see, made a timely comment on top of complimenting me... "ang tatanga ng boyS mo"... Timely, because I was struggling to stay strong and keep my head up during that time. Flattery was a good way to boost my morale. Sure, I may have made some pretty bad choices in the past but I don't have any regrets. Little by little, I think I'm improving.

P.S. this same guy also said that if I came in the picture earlier, my life would have been a whole lot messier... If I understood this statement correctly, then I am somewhat flattered. ahahaha :D