5.29.2012

The Perishers - Nothing Like You and I


This is incredible. I was just about to sleep, but I'm sorry, I can't help but share this really romantic, indie-ish, makes-you-wanna-fall-in-love song. ♥

Go get 'em.

I just wanted to share an excerpt from something really beautiful I read a few days ago from The Shine Project. I hope you all find it as inspiring and moving as I did (and still do). :)



Get used to working. Get used to long hours that really suck and make your feet hurt.
And when you get that pay check, save it for things that are important.
Because one day, if you do things right, you will have to use it to take
care of someone that you care about far more than yourself.


While you're working, for a while you might have a job that you hate.
Suck it up. But don't suck it up for too long. You need to be smart about being 
self sufficient, but you also need to find a job that makes you excited to live.
This might mean that you have to start your own work.
People might tell you that you're crazy, but if you believe in what you are doing,
do it. It's the crazy people who change the world.


You're going to fail. I promise you at some point, or more than one, you will want
to fall on your knees and beg God for help because you can't do it anymore.
Learn from these moments. Be prepared for them. When you know that
things aren't always going to go your way, it makes it easier to deal with.
Use failure as fuel to fight even harder for what you want.


Even though you're growing up, people still can be mean... really mean.
They'll get jealous of your career, your married life, your kids, anything that they
think you do better than them at. Love them anyway.
When people tell you that you can't do something, it's only because they
know that they can't personally do it, so they figure that you can't, either.


Stick up for what you believe in. When it's not politically correct, when it seems the
whole world has lost its moral value and you're standing face to face
with persecution, defend what you believe in.


While you go through life, there is one thing that a lot of people are missing,
and that's love. Not just the kind of love that is found when you meet your mate.
But love for all people. Love the person you have never met who is behind you at the grocery store, love your post man, the gas attendant, and every person who ultimately means nothing to you.
Love them. It will change you. Do things for them. This will change you even more.
And even better, it is how you will find true happiness.


Go get 'em.

5.26.2012

Bargainsss

Today has been nothing but blah...

I was supposed to go shopping (yes, actual shopping and not window shopping!) with my Momma at Forever 21, but we had to cancel at the last minute 'cause I was injured. I had a bad case of stomach cramps a while ago and my foot's swollen, until now actually. Not exactly the ideal condition for shopping, huh? So instead, I'm going to talk about what I did yesterday (which is probably to blame for my foot's state today), because that is wayyy more interesting: GOING TO GOOD OL' DIVISORIA! :)

There's nothing that gets me happier than an amazing bargain, and Divisoria is the place for just that sort of thing. You can call it the "Best Kept Secret of Thrifty Filipinos", but I call it my shopping haven in Manila. Beats out all those other tiangges and thrift shops if you're patient enough, hands down. It's a HUGE PLACE filled to the brim with overruns, cheap imported goods, China-mades, and downright fakes. Streets no, scrap that, you can't even see the streets anymore because of all the street vendors armed with their own loudspeakers, carts, and mats. There are pretty decent "malls" (168, 999, etc.) with air-conditioning, filled up with little stalls side by side for those who can't brave the extreme heat and the amount of pushing and shoving that goes on outside. And I swear, if you know the right places to go to, you will certainly find the bargain you're looking for. Divisoria has everything you can ever imagine - from shoes, bags, accessories, clothes, perfumes, to toys, gadgets, textile, household items, and many more.

So my little trip to Divisoria with my mom yesterday was for the purpose of "getting ready for school". My little brother needed new uniforms, and I, being over and done with my High School blouse and skirt forever, needed a civilian college wardrobe - badly. And I did a pretty good job of finding some new additions to my closet at a good price, if I do say so myself. All in all, I bought 2 tops, a belt, a pair of shoes, a bag, a bottle of perfume, and some unmentionables for only a little over a thousand pesos.

Hooray for spending the same amount of money a lot of other people I know would've spent on a single shirt! :)

5.24.2012

All That Hype

As of today, May 24, 12:25 am, I officially declare that I am excited for college. :)

I know, right? Me, actually looking forward to college in June. To all the new teachers professors, new subjects, new thick books, new classmates, new environment. That's something I never thought I'd actually say. I do still have my apprehensions about the future, and I do still feel kind of scared/worried about the whole I'm-still-so-unsure-of-which-college-I'll-actually-end-up-in thing, but I'm embracing Ateneo wholeheartedly right now. I realize that a LOT of people would love to have my slot in the Ateneo because in all honesty, it isn't a bad school at all, so I figured I might as well just enjoy and make the most of it.

I guess what got me really excited at the whole prospect of going to college was all the hype surrounding me nowadays. All my friends, former classmates, and batchmates are putting up their respective schedules and trying to find people with common break times. Block lists have been posted and everyone's at a mad scramble to know who their blockmates are and make friends with them online ASAP. Prep courses and orientation seminars are being announced here and there, and I'm being asked to complete a survey of which courses I'd like to take (more on that very interesting topic later on. or maybe I'm the only one who finds it cool, ohwell)... All that college vibe eventually made its way into my head and so here I am, feeling all jumpy like it's going to be my first day of school ever. Crazy! 


Well, a week from now, I'll be meeting some of my new blockmates for the Political Science Preparatory Course. The only thing scary about it, aside from my initial awkwardness with extremely new and unfamiliar people, is their slogan: ANG BUHAY POLSCI AY NAKAMAMATAY (POLSCI LIFE IS DEADLY) with a matching "stay alive" quote from Haymitch Abernathy of The Hunger Games. Way to welcome freshies, yo. :)
Guess I'll have to see for myself, eh. I'll update you guys on that! Good night, gotta catch the live finale of AI tomorrow morning! :)

HEY, I JUST MET YOU...

and this is crazy, but here's my number, so ohmygoodness, no, I'm not even going there. HAHAHA. I've probably heard the song a thousand times already, and it's stuck in my head. It's so infectious and dancey, I'm even tempted to do a video ala Selena Gomez and Ashley Tisdale!

Check this one out, just a little something that made my day yesterday. It features the most glamorous people in the Philippines right now (in my opinion, at least) totally being anything but. All in the name of Carly Rae Jepsen. #itsmorefuninthephilippines :)


5.23.2012

Karmin - Brokenhearted


If you guys didn't know yet, I LOVE music. Good music might just as well be good food; it's definitely food for my soul (or something of that sort). Well, before I call it a night, I just wanted to share this music video of Karmin. I think her voice is amazing, and that the soon-to-be-weds' tandem is adorable.

Oh, and the reason I posted this one is 'cause I've lately been finding myself belting it out in the shower. One of these days, I might just have the balls guts to upload my own cover of this song. Sans the video, of course. Just my voice. Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see. :)

5.22.2012

JESSICA SANCHEZ FOR IDOL 11!


YES, I am shamelessly campaigning for Jessica Sanchez to win this season of American Idol. :D

I'm not doing so only because she and I are both half-Filipino. If so, I should have done the same shameless campaigning for Thia Megia last season. But I didn't, because I didn't quite believe she had the chops to win everything. And no, it's not because I hate Phillip (and his ridiculously contorted face when he sings); I actually find him quite attractive and I respect his artistry very much. I think he has a really good shot of winning Idol, frankly, if the girlies vote triumph.

BUT if American Idol is still what it claims to be, which is a singing competition, and not only a popularity contest, then it's Jessica who definitely deserves the title. I mean, everybody knows she can sing! She can sing the phonebook, the dictionary or whatever, and her vocals will still sound amazing. She can sing like there's no tomorrow and hit every single not she has to. And she can sing to touch and reach out to her audience. I'll keep it short and simple now: Jessica Sanchez is the complete package that Idol is or should be looking for.

Nevermind that she's only sixteen. Pleaaaaseeeee vote for the BEST. VOTE FOR JESSICA SANCHEZ!!! ♥

5.19.2012

Summer snapshots!














I'm missing the fresh air of the province already...

So, as promised, here are some pictures I took on my vacation. :) These are pure, unedited shots straight out of my digital camera. I'm crazy proud of myself, especially of this beautiful sunset right here. HAHA! Most of these are views from my bedroom window and the balcony, and the rest are of the other parts of the house. Every time I look outside, I can't get over how pretty everything is. I mean, there's greenery in all directions, the color of the sky is incredible, and it's just...AMAZEBALLS!

It was really nice and comfortable staying in the new house (a long shot from the small bungalow we used to live in), and I just had to capture the moments. For all I know, it might be the last time I'll get to visit in a long time. *cue sniffing* But hey, maybe the next time I come back, there's gonna be a swimming pool in our backyard! YAY! :) Seriously, they are talking about having one built, and if I know my grandfather enough, he'll have it built even if he can't swim in it himself. He's adorable that way!

5.13.2012

SUMMERRRRR!!

I AM BACK! 

Back to civilization, proper internet connections, noise and traffic and pollution, and everything else I love and hate in the city!

I was gone for a month, stay-cationing in Iligan City, all the way down in Mindanao, with my brother. I finally got to see the glorious new house that my grandparents and my uncle (read: old goat. Apparently, that's what you call male spinsters. HAHAHAHA!) are now staying in. Did I mention that it is HUUUGE? And made almost entirely out of wood from trees that my grandfather planted? Cool, huh. :)

So I was there, basically just being a couch potato three-fourths of the time. But I did get to do a lot of other stuff, like swimming (and getting a tan, finally!), sleeping over at my cousin's house, and playing frisbee and billiards. Plus, I got to learn how to shoot a gun! HAHA.

More about my summer later on, and I promise to include pictures too. Meanwhile, it's just really good to be back, even if it is busier here than it ever was in the province. I've missed the city life!


PS. Payphone by Maroon5 is just stuck in my head right now. I ♥ Adam Levine. Just wanted to put it out there. :))


"I'm at a payphone trying to call home
All of my change I've spent on you
Where have the times gone baby
It's all wrong, where are the plans we made for two

If happy ever after did exist
I would still be holding you like this
All those fairytales are full of sh*
One more f*ing love song I'll be sick"