Wow! It's the first time I visited this blog of mine since November of last year. Wow, the hiatus!

Work has been crazy for the past year. My day is mostly meetings - meeting with the Clients, meeting with the Solutions Team, meeting with the Management, and so on. It goes from 5 to 7 straight hours a day. Every.Single.Day. I can't even leave my cubicle to get myself a bottle of water, or go for a really quick pee, or feed myself for lunch, snacks, or dinner. GAHHDDDD!

I can't begin to imagine taking another promotion considering the workload and all the tasks that are expected of me at the moment. A promotion would mean more workload (tons.. if I can measure them), more meetings, more responsibilities, less time for life. HAHHAHAH =)) Now, I realize what long-time work I want; I want to be a House Manager. Yes, a !@$!#!#$!!!' cool House Manager (if you know what I mean).

I know I sound like (and I might be) ranting already, but I'm still thankful and I feel blessed that I have this work. Not only it does sharpen my mind (have to do a lot of analysis to ensure that we met our customer's need), it also helps me keep my sanity intact specially that the beau is away for more than a month already. I miss him. I also honestly feel lucky that I've been hired in the company I'm working for because they do have the best health care in the country (that I know of), which parents can be enrolled to.

Well, I'll have to give myself a pat on the back for this first blog entry this year. I'm hopeful that this won't be the last entry this year. I miss writing. I miss blogging. I miss my old blog site. :)

Christmas Wish

Just a month more and we will be teasing the season to be jolly, and I have all the reasons to get all excited for Christmas 2013. Books! Yes, books. They are always on my wishlist and I just can't wait indulging and losing myself again in my make-believe reality. :D

So for this coming Christmas, I really want to get a boxed-set of Cindy Williams Chima's THE SEVEN REALMS and Jackson Pearce's FAIRY-TALE INSPIRED BOOKS. Oh! I really get all giddy with excitement for these babies. :D

Cindy William Chima's THE SEVEN REALMS

Left to Right: The Gray Wolf Throne, The Exiled Queen, The Demon King, The Crimson Crown

(book 5 will be released next year)

Jackson Pearce's FAIRY-TALE INSPIRED BOOKS

Left to Right: Sisters Red (for Red Riding Hood), Sweetly (for Hansel and Gretel), Fathomless (for Little Mermaid), Cold Spell (for The Snow Queen)

Thursday Movie: Thor 2

Finally Thor 2 hit the Philippine Theaters last Wednesday, October 30, and I got to watch it after its Premier Night in the country. What can I say? It definitely was way better than the first installment. I like that they put humor in the story and Loki did really great in doing those punchlines. Darcy was quite hilarious and it made her look pretty when she tried to be funny. The movie made me love Loki even if he was the bad guy in the first movie. Thor has the body; he's the good guy; he's the hero. Loki is bad; he's funny; and he's quite attached to his mother even if Frigga isn't his true mother. And can I say, we girls love that bad, funny, and passionate guy. 

I'm not really a fun of comics and I didn't get the chance to read Marvel's Thor, but I'm totally loving how they interpreted the story into moving pictures. As a movie junkie, I'd say Thor 2 is a 9 out of 10. I'm not spilling any spoilers here, so you guys should start making your way to your nearest cinemas now! ;) 

We see our better selves in the eyes of those who love us

How well do we really know ourselves? Sometimes, no matter how skinny, good looking, rich, smart, and strong we are, we still have that moment when our insecurities start creeping in our veins. Once that happens, we sit down and sulk, and then we seem to be fatter, a bit dull and boring, unsatisfied with the things that we have, inferior, and weak than we truly are. We are only as good as we imagine and think ourselves to be, and sometimes, we can only see how nice and great we are in the eyes of the ones we love.

While reading Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Prince, I stumbled on this excerpt: “While he lived and they were friends, Yu Boya wrote some of the greatest music that we know. Would he have been able to do that alone? Our hearts, they need a mirror, Tessa. We see our better selves in the eyes of those who love us. And there is a beauty that brevity alone provides.” This is James Carstairs words to Tessa Gray, and this is one of my favorite lines that I came across in a book. In times when we are just by ourselves, with no friends and fun around, we tend to belittle ourselves and underestimate what we truly can do, and we forget how beautiful and capable we are when we start our reveries.

We are not as bad as we think we are. In our parents’ eyes, we will always be beautiful and will always be a source of their joy. In our siblings’ eyes, we might be the most annoying creature that exists, but to them, we will always be the best friend they asked God for. In our other half’s eyes, we will always be the loveliest person that brings them with so much happiness, and we will always be the reason why they choose to be good. In the eyes of the ones we love, we will always be enough. In the eyes of the ones we love, we will always be the best person that we can be. For the ones that we love, we will always want to be our better selves. For the ones we love, we become the person we never thought we can be – a person full of love, greatness, compassion, and wisdom.

We always have a choice to be the best version of ourselves – and most of the time, we achieve that through the help of the people we love, people who encourage and love us unconditionally. J

"We see our better selves in the eyes of those who love us." - James Carstairs

Sometimes, we are not as bad as we think we are, or how others see and think of us. Sometimes, people who love us are the ones who know us most - the ones who see the goodness in us. -- KMP

"Why do you love me?"

“Do you love me?” when we, girls, ask this question and get a yes from our other half, most of the time we have our “Why do you love me?” follow up questions. Does it really matter? Of course it does matter, big time. But why do we ask this question from them – what’s really our reason?

 I always ask this question to my boyfriend and he would always answer me with “I love you because you love me” and yes, I never was satisfied with that answer because it’s so plain and dull (hahaha). Then, I start asking myself – what do I want hear for an answer? Do I want “I love you because you are the most understanding person I’ve ever met” or “I love you because you are so charming and pretty” or “I love because you always make me laugh” or “I love you because you know me so well” answers. Well, I really don’t know.

One time, my friend and I had a discussion about this and she said that she asks the same question to her boyfriend, and we came to realize that girls ask this question because, somehow, we are secretly hoping to be appreciated by them – fishing for compliments. Hahaha, funny but it’s actually true. Most of us have this need to be appreciated, to be praised, to be noticed, and to be admired, and we try to get those compliments by asking our other halves over and over again – “Why do you love me?”

It hit me. I don’t really want an “I love you because you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, because you’re smart and funny, because you understand and know me so well” answer. Because what happens if I’m no longer pretty in his eyes, or I grow dull and slow, or if I fail to understand him and he suddenly becomes a stranger to me? I want my boyfriend’s “I love you because you love me” because I know I’ll love him for the longest time – and with that and with his answer, then I know his love for me will last as long as it takes. J

I love you because I have so much love to give

 and because you love me, too. :)

Yaey for today! :)

It has been more than 6 months already since the last time I published an entry for my blog. Boyfriend has been encouraging me twice a week to go back to writing or blogging. So, here I am. :)

Yesterday was our payday, and I guess almost everyone felt like they were millionaires for a day. Lunch outs in expensive restaurants or dinners in fine dining places were agreed on and I bet everyone was enjoying the sumptuous meal they’ve feasted on. Ladies, I bet, were in Shopping Malls (no longer drooling this time) owning their favorite items, which of course they’d be using as their “ootd” to be posted in Instagram *wink*. Isn’t Pay Day a happy day, guys? It is for me, of course.

I got restless yesterday since I was wearing my high heels (I’m only used to wearing wedges), and got frustrated because I wanted to buy my own guilty pleasure, but was not able to. I can’t do long walks on high heels. I know, poor me *sad face*. So I needed to wait a day more for me to roll on the floor with happiness *teehee*.

So, yaey for today! Armed with my favorite slash over-used pair of wedges, I braved the heat and walked the long walk (so much drama, I know.) just to purchase some good reads. Woot! Hello, Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess! Clockwork Angel wasn’t available in Fullybooked, so, I guess I just have to check out National Bookstore later. I first heard of Clockwork Angel from a childhood friend of mine, and I didn’t find it interesting then. My mind changed and I got really interested in Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices when an officemate of mine was able to convince me that this series is seriously a great read. Plus, the paperback covers are really tempting me to open these babies already, but I still can’t *sad face again* since I don’t have the book 1 yet. I’m so excited already to get hold of Clockwork Angel. :D

Oh well, Pay Day’s really a time to pamper ourselves, and I love my pampering moments. :D

And oh, I’m actually planning to do some book reviews on the books I’ve read and will be posting them here in my blog. This will help me remove the virtual cobwebs from my blog. Hehe.

Yaey for today! :)

Paul McCartney's This Never Happened Before

This song's been raping my head for the second day. Hope you enjoy the song as much as I did. :)

I'm very sure, this never happened to me before
I met you and now I'm sure
This never happened before

Now I see, this is the way it's supposed to be
I met you and now I see
This is the way it should be

This is the way it should be, for lovers
They shouldn't go it alone
It's not so good when your on your own

So come to me, now we can be what we want to be
I love you and now I see
This is the way it should be
This is the way it should be

This is the way it should be, for lovers
They shouldn't go it alone
It's not so good when your on your own

I'm very sure, this never happened to me before
I met you and now I'm sure
This never happened before (This never happened before)
This never happened before (This never happened before)
This never happened before (This never happened before)
This never happened before

Friends+Laughter = Perfect Friday! :D

Having my Vacation Leave on a Friday didn’t stop me from going out with friends to laugh, smile, giggle, and have fun. We decided to have dinner in Dong Juan (Gaisano Tabunok) since it’s a day before Patricia’s birthday. Yes, Dong Juan now has a branch in Cebu’s Southern part and that actually is a “big grin” for us. Yaey for it! Now we don’t have to go to the busy city to have good food.

Patricia and I arrived first so we took the chance to stroll and do some window shopping in Gaisano’s Department Store. It’s actually her birthday today (September 22) and I haven’t bought her a gift ahead of time so I bought her one while we were eyeing for clothes. I know I suck at doing surprises. HEEHEE. But I’m glad my bestfriend likes my gift (Of course, she got to choose them. HAHAHA).

The skirt spells PAT and blue is its perfect pair! :D

Dale and Mary Ann were already in Dong Juan when we got into the place. I haven’t seen Dale for quite a long time. I think the last time I saw her was in High School, so that’s like 7 years ago? HAHA. I miss my Momi Dale and it was great seeing her again. Patricia, Maimai, and I often hang-out and it was great that Dale, Mary Ann, and Belle Mae were able to join this time. Friends-not-seeing-each-other-for-a-year means a lot of catching up and God WE TALK LIKE WE OWN THE PLACE. HAHAHA! Well, we talk a lot and we eat a lot – that’s us. HEEHEE.

(TOP L-R) Dong Juan Cheeseburger, Mozzarella Sticks 

(BOTTOM L-R) Fish and Fries, Dong Juan's Cheese and Garlic

(L-R) Gambas Al Ajillo Pasta, Linguini Carbonara, Linguini Meatballs

(L-R) Belle Mae, Dale, Pat, Meee, Maimai, Mary Ann

The Aftermath. WE NOT SO HUNGRY. :D

Dong Juan closes at 10pm so we moved to AMARE, a coffee shop in Lawaan. Patricia, Maimai, and I usually spend our “blabber” moments in AMARE because the place is not crowded at all and it’s very homey, the place is very accessible – it’s 15 minutes from our place, their coffee’s oh-so-good and you don’t have to spend a 150peso for it! YAEY for yummy and affordable coffee! :D

I love my Caramel Macchiato! :D

If I have to blog about everything that we did and talked today, I think it will take me an hour to narrate everything. HAHA. Plus, they’ll kill me if I spill them secrets out. HAHA. All in all, nothing beats a good laugh with great friends! TEEHEE. :D

Good friends are like stars. You don't always see them, but you know they're always there.

I say, Love is Enough. :)

Is it true what they say, that sometimes love just ain't enough?

I've heard a lot of "love" stories from friends, saw it in the movies, and heard it in songs. Two people who are still inlove with each other, but then choose to go on their separate ways. It's really hard to grasp and understand everything that goes with love. A person chooses to let go even if she is still in love with him. She breaks it up, she knows what's hurting her, she knows what makes her cry at night, she knows that the days and nights are so lonely without him, she knows that he's her happiness. So why not chase after her happiness?

Isn't love supposed to be simple? If you miss him, call him. If you love him, tell him. If you are sorry for what you have done, apologize. If you still care, hug him. If you want him back, then make the move. It's supposed to be that simple, right? But why do we always choose stopping what we feel, why do we choose to keep the hurting, why do we choose to be content with just catching a glimpse of them each time they pass by? Why don't we choose being true with what and how we still feel? Why do we not choose our happiness?

I know that love isn't that easy, but I also do know that deep inside, we all know love is always worth a try.

The song says "Baby, sometimes, love just ain't enough," well, I really don't agree. --- Well... except if there's drama behind it like your obsessed suitor will kill your "one true love" if you're not gonna break up with him like the ones we see in the movies. HAHA

Love is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.

Everything happens for a reason

One of the cliche goes like "Everything happens for a reason," but sometimes most of us still get frustrated no matter how we tell ourselves that everything does happen for a reason. What's so frustrating about it -- well, it's waiting for the "reason" part.

You didn't get the promotion and you tell yourself "Everything happens for a reason." But why? Why didn't you get the promotion when you are more deserving than those who got it in the office? What's the reason?
You missed your HongKong Trip with your bestfriends and you tell yourself "Everything happens for a reason." But why? Why did you have to get an urgent task at work and why did it have to be on the same day as your trip? What's the reason?
Your boyfriend/girlfriend broke up with you and to comfort yourself you say "Everything happens for a reason." But why? Why did it have to end when it felt so right, when you did everything to make it work, when you loved and gave without asking anything in return? What's the reason?
You didn't graduate on time and you tell yourself "Everything happens for a reason." But why? Why did you have to extend another year when you were a consistent Dean's Lister? Why didn't your Thesis pass? What's the reason?
You didn't win the Singing Contest and you tell yourself "Everything happens for a reason." But why? The audience knew you had the best voice in the group. What's the reason?

"Everything happens for a reason" is an over-used quote we tell ourselves for us to feel better. It's over-used because it's true and everything really does happen for a reason. Don't wait for the "reason" because if you will, you won't enjoy your life and you'll miss the opportunities that are opening in front of you. Just go with it, just go with the flow, just have faith and let God steer the wheel for you. Sooner or later you'll find yourself saying "Oh! That's why it happened. :)"

I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go. Things go wrong so that you learn to appreciate them when they're right. You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself. And sometimes, good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
-Marilyn Monroe-

Dreaming the same dream

Lately, I've been dreaming the same dream at night. It was heartwarming and it’s the kind of dream that makes you weak, makes you put your guards down, makes you fall, breaks you, and makes you cry for happiness. I remember the first time dreaming that dream, I felt so sad when I woke up because I realized it wasn’t really the reality. The second time was worst, because it was like Inception, a dream within a dream. So this “happy moment” happened in my dream and my mind got worried that everything might just be a dream.  But then in my dream, I thought I woke up from it and I thought I was no longer dreaming and this “happy moment” happened again just for me to realize that I was still in my sleep.

“A dream is a wish your heart makes

When you're fast asleep

In dreams you lose your heartaches

Whatever you wish for, you keep

Have faith in your dreams and someday

Your rainbow will come smiling through

No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing

the dream that you wish will come true”

-Cinderella-

At The Pantry for our Itinerary Planning

Maiza, Louwill, Agnes, Melody, and I met last night at The Pantry to plan our trip this November. I got to the place last because I overslept in the afternoon. HEHE. So when I got to the place, the girls have already made their orders for dinner. Yes, we had sandwiches for dinner. HAHA. Louwill and I shared the Monte Carlo sandwich which was great with mustard and ketchup. I forgot what Agnes, Mel, and Maiza had since I was so hungry to check :D. Overall, I think the food was great, but I don’t think Agnes found her sandwich good because she was having a hard time swallowing the veggies in it. See the picture below?  HAHA

What's left of Agnes' attempt to Healthy Living. HEEHEE

So after our stomachs settled down, we started planning our Itinerary for our 5-day trip this November to Manila. Coming up with the Itinerary for a 5-day trip isn’t that easy after all T__T. Anyways, we came up with Zambales and Subic in our list. After a while, the girls got tired of thinking which place to go where we can do a lot of things during the trip, so we ordered our dessert to freshen up our brains. ICE CREAM!

 Maiza, Mel, and Agnes

DESSERT! 

Left: Kasoy, Green Tea, and Chocolate Mint

Right: Vanilla, Mango, and Cocolate

Basically, our meeting ended up with the decision of recreating or re-planning what we have come up with. HAHA. But anyways, the night still ended great and I missed the CHINATOWN EXTENDED girls. I haven’t taken a picture of us five since we got that really busy with brainstorming. HEHE. :) 

Sorry, Red Velvets. I can't have you for dessert.

Random Friday

Last night, Daryl set me up on a date with his best friend, Jade. I was awful because I didn’t even know his name when we got to Handuraw to have our dinner. I didn’t bother taking pictures of us and our food since I wasn’t thrilled with the food at all. HAHA. Maja and I had Fish Fillet with Basil Sauce which was really dry, thus, we asked for more Basil Sauce. NYAHAHA. Jade had Grilled Pork Teriyaki, Daryl had Pork-Something , and Marlou had Sizzling Pork which I guess was the only YUMYUM food that was ordered last night. HEHE. After finishing our food, the boys introduced us to the “below zero” drinks so Maja and I tried the Antonov Apple Below Zero drink. There’s nothing really new and amazing about the drink except that it’s really brrr… BUGNAW! :)

Then Daryl decided to bring up one of our conversation in OC, well it was really a debate. So he said “Is it fair if a girl entertains more than one of her suitors and a guy courts more than one girl.” So of course, Maja and I strongly disagreed. It’s not fair at all – It’s not the norm! HAHA. Daryl also tried his jokes on me and got busted since in the end the joke was on him. HAHAHA =)) Poor Daryl.

Well, after Handuraw I got really sleepy since I had a bottle of Antonov and really wanted to go home. Since Patrick thought that the night was so young for me to go home (it was 10pm), he then decided to bring us to the Casino at Waterfront. Sooooooo – me-sleepy-no-more got really giddy and excited. Well, it was just not me. Maja and the rest of the guys were as giddy as I was. Patrick exchanged his 500-peso bill to five 100-peso bills for us to play the Slot Machines. I think we spent most of our time looking for Slot Machines that accept a 100-peso bill since most of them accept 500-peso bill or 1000-peso bill. But then, we were just so lucky.. or.. we were lucky because Maja was with us. HAHA. With her, Patrick’s 500 was increased to 750 (I know, we’re happy like that. HAHA). And so we finished our 1-hour Casino escapade with big grins on our faces.

Below photo: Marlou, Me, Maja, Patrick

Patrick and Hermie then suggested spending our winnings (HAHA at winnings) at Starbucks, but because I prefer Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf over SB, then CBTL we went. So this is the part where the “what you see, what you hear, when you leave, leave it here” is on. HAHA.

We all went home at 2 in the morning and I was really glad I went out with the guys. Oslob next Saturday! Yaey! :)

This is a test post.

So my friend told me "Join the fun!" So here I am! I'll sing my heart out here. :)