Spot on!

Quotes that somehow have been spot on especially since this past year:

Be patient is a good advice. But the waiting makes me curious. - Alice

You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to step away from the shore. -Andre Gide

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams because they feel that they don't deserve them. - manuscript found in accra

Choice. Chance. Change. You must make a Choice, to take a Chance or your life will never Change. - anonymous

When you look into infinity, you realize that there are more important things than what people do all day. - Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)

Everyone's got baggage, it's part of life. But like anything else it's easier when someone gives you a hand with it. - Ted, HIMYM

If you have chemistry you only need one other thing - timing. But timing's a bitch. - Robin, HIMYM

Truth is, everybody's going to hurt you; you just have to find the ones worth suffering for. - Bob Marley

What hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye. - life of pi

Never let your past experiences harm your future. Your past can't be altered and your future doesn't deserve the punishment. - anonymous

Bloom where you're planted.

We are all destined to be great.

Fill your heart with gratefulness.

You don't always get what you want instead you get what you need.

It's not a matter of time, it's just a matter of timing.- timelines, motion city soundtrack

An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it's going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming. - anonymous

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't. And believe that everything happens for a reason... If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it would be easy... They just promised it would be worth it. - anonymous

Have faith that things will work out, maybe not how you planned it but how it's meant to be... 

Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith first. The trust part will come later- MoS

Anxious

"There is nothing wrong with anxiety. Although we cannot control God’s time, it is part of the human condition to want to receive the thing we are waiting for as quickly as possible. Or to drive away whatever is causing our fear. . . . Anxiety was born in the very same moment as mankind. And since we will never be able to master it, we will have to learn to live with it—just as we have learned to live with storms." - paulo coelho, manuscript found in accra

I must admit I am starting to get anxious for feedback and details on what I am thinking is another leap of adventure for me... In one way or another it's been affecting my attitude, stress management and in some cases emotions as well. I have to keep reminding myself to stay patient, bear with it, keep focused and continue to positive. The most important of all, is to stay put and comply as usual. It's no excuse to try and escape on some tasks and get irritable when not getting away with it. Unfortunately, I've fallen into this self-trap several times. Patience...

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