November :)

When a friend texted me last July asking if i wanted to go on a 'kada' Macau trip, I had second thoughts. One, Macau is not on my countries-to-visit list. Second, I'd rather spend my hard-earned money on a different country. Third, I'm not a casino type of person. Fourth, there's no... and the list goes on. No, but seriously, I just think that the money will not be worth it. What made me say yes was the fact that it was going to be us 4 girls, high school best friends. We rarely see each other and one of us who was just there a month ago was willing to go back just to spend time with us. That was more than enough for me to forget all my hesitations. Plus it was going to be my 25th birthday. What better way to celebrate my quarter life in a different country and travelling.

And now, a month and a half before the trip, I am so excited. I'm doing research on the costs, places to go to, great foods and delicacies, transportation, and the must-do adventures in Macau. Good thing my friend already found us a very cheap place to stay in.

I haven't decided yet on whether I'm going to try the bungy jump in Macau Tower, it is VERY EXPENSIVE. But bloggers say it is a must-do in Macau. It is after all the highest bungy jump in the world! Or ride the gondola (teaser for the real deal in Venice, Italy before turning 30) and watch the Cirque du Soleil in the Venetian. But I think I'll be doing all three. Hopefully. Weee!!!

Then the weekend after is another long weekend. Family time in Baguio. Enough said :)

Oh, November, I can't wait to see you!

coke bottles and magic toilets

Played with a friend's phone yesterday where you ask a coke bottle and a magic toilet a question, like a magic8 ball. Both answered what I already know.

We all must admit, I do, that we ask the coke bottle, magic toilet, even playing cards questions that we already know the answers to because:

(1) we want the universe to give us an affirmation that we will get what we want despite the odds
(2) we're looking for hope although we know that the answer is no

When we don't get the answer that we want, we dismiss it and think it's nothing. We even pretend that it's funny. But we know that the magic toilet is right.

When will I ever get it? Maybe I'm asking the wrong question. Maybe I should just change my question. I have a strong feeling the magic toilet will finally answer me with a yes.

Who the hell asks an iphone application a life question? I do. hahaha

Un passo più vicino

Un passo più vicino. One step closer.

Things have been different in my life lately. It must be the high from the flag-football league. Or the fact that a certain not-so-likeable officemate is on leave. Or just the fact that things have indeed changed.

Since that interview with another company, I now have a renewed appreciation of the job that I have. It’s quite hard to admit it, but I’m actually enjoying my work now. I know. It is so not me to admit it. :p But I am. I now look forward to going to work each and every day. It’s been a week. It might change tomorrow or a month from now. But for now, I am happy here. :)

That coffee talk last Tuesday with two close friends who I haven’t seen or talk to for quite some time was a really memorable one. They’re both attached right now, happy with the life that they have. They both shared that it was their openness to life that led them to where they are now. I thought I was going to be really envious and bitter given that I haven’t found my someone, but I was actually excited. Excited to meet my someone (hopefully).

We talked about growing up and how our relationships with our parents have changed over time. I was so happy to realize that my relationship with my parents has improved over the last few years.

We also talked about faith and that we all agreed that it is a personal relationship with Him. While sharing my own experience on finding Him, I realized that I am already doing what I’ve always wanted to do – to start trusting Him and allowing Him to take control of my life.

They also commended the fact that I have been to a lot of places in the last three years. It has always been my dream to travel and I think I am in the right path to achieve this dream.

I am one step closer.

I believe I am one step closer to becoming the person with a better take on life, achieving dreams, and love. I believe that the past few years have taught me so many things. I may not be where I envisioned myself to be a few years back. But I have achieved more in life. I am a better daughter, sister, friend, and a better human being.

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With this, I think a change in my blog address is needed. I am declaring to the universe that I am one step closer. :)

Un passo più vicino.

Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Based on observation and experience from our 4 days stay in Puerto Princesa, I honestly think that Palawan can survive and function on its own. It is so rich with natural resources to provide for the people’s basic necessities and to provide employment from its tourism industry. It also has several laws and ordinances to protect the environment to ensure continuity of the province’s sustainable development. Really admirable.

It’s also typhoon- and earthquake-free. Just a little trivia. ;)

Our vacation was filled with wonderful and unique experiences. Met prisoners who walk freely around their correction facility, held a baby crocodile, cave spelunking, rainy underground river experience, snorkeling, island hopping, and feasted on great food.

held a baby crocodile :)

Ugong Rock Cave Spelunking

Underground River

Island Hopping!

calm and clear :)

four boxes

It must be the wine or the 'question' yesterday, or the fact that my 25th is just around the corner. But I find myself reaching for those four boxes up in my closet.

These four boxes are loaded with letters, print-outs of poems and blog entries, chocolate wrappers, journals, and all other sentimental stuff.

The oldest one is the shoe box covered by a pink floral cottony material. Forgive me, I think I was only 9 or 10 when I made it. It houses loads of snail mail letters (back when the internet was not yet popular here in the Philippines) – in yellow paper, bond paper, and scented stationeries. The first ever letter was from my cousin who was living in Zambales, I believe it was one of her school projects. I replied and it was the start of almost 6 years of writing to each other. This box also houses letters and cards from childhood friends in Zambales and that one cute little address book from a former admirer (he is now one of my close guy friends). It also used to house several love letters from a childhood sweetheart. Let’s just say I was too immature back then so I threw them all away. I should have kept them. haha It is also home to 3 diaries – stories of grade school and high school crushes and everyday encounters with them, school grades, and a few family issues. I was a very passionate and really emotional young girl. I find myself laughing while reading details of those daily encounters.haha

The second one is the box of my first cellular phone with my signature and a heart beside it. I was 13. This box houses birthday cards and letters from high school and college friends, invitations to debuts, and a few snail mail letters from a superfriend who migrated to Australia. It is also home to my UP Diliman Freshman Survival Kit, dorm and org primers. Even thank you notes from college classmates, now I remember the name of my Art Studies 2 crush. :D

The third one is a Nokia 2100 cellular phone box. It houses photos with high school and college friends. Most of which are photos from ROTC days and Kalayaan Dormitory days.

The fourth one is my Nikon D40 box. Only a few notes and letters are here and 2 chocolate wrappers. Most are blog entry print-outs from my own blog, from friends', and from random great writers' and bloggers'. Most are write-ups and articles on life and love. My 2 favorite items in this box are (1) a sketch done by a friend of our table in a Starbucks coffee shop, and (2) a bond-paper-folded-into-two birthday card with a stick drawing of a girl and a boy holding balloons as its cover. It also houses 2 journals, journals that are addressed to Him. It is also home to three non-acceptance letters and email print-outs from graduate schools; flight print-outs, boarding passes, and receipts from domestic and international travels. This box is quite heavy, literally and figuratively. This box has been a house to my happy, angry, and sad emotions and memories. But it’s my favorite out of the four boxes, it’s the most personal.

It’s not a box, but it was also up there – the wonderful scrapbook made by my MIB friends. Their effort to print the photos, design it, and get messages from everyone was just too heart-warming. :)

These boxes remind me of how great and exciting life has been for the past 15 years. They bring me back to those happy, sad, and sometimes even pathetic days. But looking at them four together tells me that it has been great. Really really great. :)

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Here's to my fifth (online) box. welcome to my new blog. :)

thanks, maya. ;)

my old blog: http://doublevanillalatte.blogdrive.com/

where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I'm trying to remember if there was a time in the last 5 years when I had an answer to that question. I think I had one back in senior year, which was 4 years ago, I thought I was going to be studying abroad right now. Or 3 years ago when I thought I was going to be a junior in law school by now.

Well, things happened. I've changed. I don't want to say it didn't work out. I'd like to think that life had a better idea.

Plans pop into my head from time to time. But there was never really a thing that excites me more than the thought of still traveling 5 years into the future. Or having coffee with my wonderful superfriends. Or just having dinner with my family on a cold Baguio night.

I really don't know what and where I'm going to be 5 years from now. I could still be in finance or a different industry, I can be studying, or even have a family by then. Who the hell knows. Life is just exciting that way.

So if I am to answer that question, well not in a job interview setting, I'd probably say that I don't know. That's too far into the future. Life has taught me two important lessons in the last 5 years: (1) stress and worry are unnecessary emotions in life (2) to strive to be happy in the now and let Him do his Plan for me. :)