Grace, and nothing else

In a matter of a week back in June, I've seen two amazing, life-changing concerts and you can only imagine how full my heart and soul were after everything! Music continues to play a key role in my life and has been truly instrumental in bringing forth who I am today, so being able to attend both shows is definitely a blessing!

Paradise long found

Summer is well on her way and I am more than ready to jump in, what with the shortest hair I've had in forever and my unusual sunburn after being out in the field weekend after weekend (intended spoilers, eep!). Consider me a proud daughter of the Sun! In the Philippines, Boracay is the go-to place not only during the summer but for any chance tourists and locals alike could get. The clear, pristine waters and the white sand beach is what the people have been coming back to in this little yet self-sufficient and fun-filled island.

These Bora features have always been familiar ground to me as my family vacationed there almost every other summer back when I was a kid. Over the years, I grew out of the usual family bonding to be spending a good few days in the famed white sand beach with different crowds. That had been an experience on its own.

Last year's March visit was truly unforgettable. When I applied to the travel magazine company I worked for same time last year, I knew going places would be a huge part of the job. But never did I imagine that there would be time for "play" as well. I recall coming in on my final interview only to be told that I got the job and asked if I wanted to join the staff outing in Boracay three weeks from then—now that's what I call instant benefits! Besides enjoying the company of such interesting strangers/soon-to-be-friends, we made the most of the perks which came with working in the publishing industry. Of course we still had to squeeze in some work while we're at it. It pays to be productive and keeping your head in the game, we had an impending deadline to meet. Anyway, back to the party...

Filling the void

I'm still alive, yes. Just trying my hardest to keep up with such a hectic month. Although I'm grateful to always find the time to squeeze in some me time by scouring the Internet for artsy, inspiring things. Glad to be able to pause right now and be reminded to just keep pushing, courtesy of this amazing quote and the incredible video that follows:

"Pursue something so important that even if you fail, the world is better off with you having tried." ― Tim O'Reilly


Looking forward to get back to the regular programming of this sweet blog o' mine. Keep on keepin' on, kids!

Auld lang syne

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art—write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself." — Neil Gaiman
Phew! It had been a long year, but one that's filled with so much love, mixed together with travel and music. Faith goals-wise, 2013 was also, surprisingly, good as each item have either been checked or touched on—progress, eitherway! I feel lucky enough to be able to capture some highlights via video and so here is a last-minute compilation I put together (in no chronological order) earlier today with a rundown that follows after:

At the top of the world

Knock, knock...is anybody there? Just checking in to get rid of the dust bunnies and cobwebs collected on my little space in the Internet. I'm sorry I haven't been around lately; I know nothing can beat last year's adventure and blogging spree. Suffice to say, I moved on and have kept my mind and my hands busy typing away...for business matters this time.

Of course I can't deny that I miss every second of my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual journey that is 2012. No doubt, the letting go process ironically involved sleepless nights spent going through photos and videos and reading every journal entry for the nth time. However, grow up I must...but that doesn't mean I can't have my fair share of throwbacks and flashbacks be it Thursday or Friday or any other day of the week!

On the morning of December 10th, I bid Los Angeles and the relatives goodbye and hopped on my Manila-bound plane. Little did I know that that twenty-hour (more or less) flight home had with it pleasant surprises enough to be swooned over and make me fall in love with life all the more. Basically, here are the three reasons why the ride has been memorable:

A snow story

As a child coming from a tropical country, naturally I have always been curious about snow. The wet and dry season we have back at home is nothing compared to the loveliness of autumn. But the fall season has come and gone and although it has had me feeling tingles on the insides, I was equally as giddy to experience a White Christmas month. So you could imagine my disappointment when I flew out of the East Coast without experiencing the slightest hint of snow. Since then I never stopped wearing the necklace with a tiny snowflake pendant my Tita Jan gave me as remembrance, to remind myself that someday luck would be on my side when it comes to witnessing that kind of winter.


It turns out that I didn't have to wait too long for that happen: on my last day in America we made our way to Big Bear City to play with snow!! Since we barely had enough sleep because of our family get-together the night before, the two-hour drive up the mountains gave us a chance to catch up on some shuteye. We woke up to some lovely views of the lake, tall trees, and log cabins; it tells us how far away we are from the jampacked highways we got so used to in SoCal. The place had a totally chill and cozy vibe, I really wished I have the chance to camp out there next time!

Always my Mama's girl

It's quite unfortunate that I've been stuck in this writing rut for a while now. Bouts of negativity have been piling in front of me these past months and it's frustrating to not be able to rely on words to make it all better. Where writing fails, however, music and my mom (most especially) saves the day, as always.

As much as I hate to admit it, even at the "adult" age of twenty-one, when my life gets sidetracked, I am easily comforted by Mama's voice on the phone, calling me from over six hundred kilometers away. Just her calm tone of telling me that "It will be okay" assures me that it already has. That, with our usual round of videoke sessions whenever I'm at home and insane episodes of crying out to tunes like Since You've Been Gone in the middle of the night while my twin sister giggles in the background.

On a serious note: Mom, thank you for putting up with all my drama; there had been lots in the past year alone. Thank you for being you, for taking care of us five in the way you think is best for us. I may question your parenting style most of the time, but I have always appreciated that you stuck by us in spite of everything.

The world is my home now

A little less than a month left until my soul-searching adventure comes to a close and I couldn't help but feel grateful as each day goes by. Aside from being with family and friends and getting to see what my dream country has to offer, this trip has widened my perspective tremendously. Unconsciously I have grown in almost every aspect of my life that I feel quite armed to face the "real world" and try my luck in the workforce as I head back to the Philippines. Life is such a blessing!


The past week in dinners I made: Bistek Wednesday, Chicken Katsu Thursday, Chicken Inasal Saturday, and Sweet Pork Tuesday #growingup
And yet, I am always missing the small town I call home. I think a part of me always will, ever since I decided to leave it for college in metropolitan Manila and even more now that I am aiming to begin with my job hunt there. The people, the places, and especially the food of Iloilo are definitely unforgettable. (In spite of my desperate attempt to prepare them by myself, nothing beats the original.) Re-watching this video by BlueQube Inc. makes me want to immediately hop on that plane and devour all the meals I could get my hands on the moment I land.



* * *
In other news, I am proud to say that I have finished reading Eat Pray Love even though it has been three months since I first opened it. More than anything, I was so amazed and overwhelmed by Elizabeth Gilbert's wonderful writing I wanted to cling on to it and never let go. Also, it took me a while to get past the Eat chapters because it featured two of my favorite things: food and Italy. But after that I found my rhythm and was able to breeze through the pages that followed. For two days I got so focused on watching over Remy and reading the novel that I have done the unthinkable: I stayed away from my laptop the entire time. You know how hard that can be for me! I felt so accomplished, I rewarded myself with the full-length movie.

Perhaps I'm doing the same for Under the Tuscan Sun—read the book first and then watch the movie. I've been doing otherwise all my life just so I don't get to say "The book is better than the movie" like everyone does. Either way the reading/watching experience is still spoiled, might as well choose what you think would be best for you. I'm glad I'm not one to judge a movie based on its book and vice versa. I believe stories have value no matter what form they come in. I hope you do too.


Bidding you ciao with another well-made video but this time, of Italia and as I dream of wandering along those paths one day... Buona notte!

New York minutes

Sorry I disappeared mid-August; real-life got pretty interesting for a while I had to shake myself to make sure that everything was actually happening.

A week ago today I was happily channeling my inner Gossip Girl, walking on the streets of the Upper East Side, chasing the Subway train, being on the lookout for filming and celebrities (to no avail!), and doing everything I could to make my Big Apple experience unforgettable. And it surely was!

Although technically I was only there for two days and a half, I haven't had the chance to tell anyone the entire story of my little escapade until the best friend telephoned and demanded it from me yesterday. Nor had I the liberty to browse through all the photographs I took, until today. I barely even noticed that a week has already come and gone. I needed time to take it all in; it's still so hard to believe!

A few teasers before the entries I'm truly excited to start writing:



"Check-in" snaps from my uncle Johnny's phone, some of which he insisted to be
uploaded right away on my Facebook (Nothing like real-time sharing, he said):

1. Warm Times Square welcome 2. View from the rooftop 3. Wru, Chuck Bass?
4. Wickedly awesome! 5. Shake-shackin' 6. Right above the Met Museum
7. Brooklyn Bridge greetings 8. Pleasures from Little Italy 9. Serena is back?!




For a while now I have been thinking of documenting my short-but-sweet trips on video, yet somehow those plans never pushed through; I was contented with the still images I capture and the stories I narrate that go with them. But upon the request of my dear friend Suukyi and because I wanted New York City to be really special (not that it already is), I pursued the age-old idea. I haven't edited simple video montages in so long and I must admit that I missed it.

Since I've been having this battle with my dying laptop I decided to cut my trip into two, as shown in the videos above: Day 0 & 1 and Day 2 & 3. Clips of which were taken by me and my Tito Tatan. As for the soundtrack: Video #1 features songs I've been hearing while I was there, upbeat tunes that remind me of a fun-filled summer. Meanwhile, Video #2 also uses fun songs but this time from two of my music heroes. Hope you guys like it! Hit the comments below, I'd love to hear what you have to say!

And while you're at it, brace yourselves, this is just the beginning of what may be a series of entries written with so much detail and straight from the heart. New York has changed me by surprise, and I would do anything to share it all with you. I guess you can say that I'm still on a NYC high...and I'm loving it!

It's a twin thing!

(Because The Mary-kate to my Ashley: a movie marathon and a preview of what it's like to have a twin would make for a long title)

Theirs were household names for over a decade ago. From movies to television series to dolls to clothing and eventually to all other products one can think of, the Olsen twins took Hollywood—and soon enough, the world—by storm. Together, Mary-kate and Ashley grew up behind the camera, sharing their talent and life to the public. The crowd loved them and they became role models to a lot of young girls.

My twin sister and I are no exception to this; to say that we were huge fans would be an understatement. They were our idols, our life pegs. And like all the other characters that we love and would come in pairs, it has been an unspoken rule for us that at the beginning we must name who we favored more: Karina would always associate herself with Mary-kate, and I with Ashley. We collected whatever item with MK&A's names and/or faces on. Of all the merchandise, our favorite would probably be their home videos. I could still recall waiting for and watching their movies over and over again during our childhood!

This year, ten years behind our crazy fanatic phase, I told my sister that we should watch all the movies again, just like old times. However as we are currently nine thousand miles apart and she is busy working while I have all the time in the world (cheers!), we couldn't really push through with our plan. Instead of waiting for our much-awaited reunion, I went ahead and had my own movie marathon.


Mary-kate and Ashley Olsen movies from 1995-2004
As I was never good with big challenges such as this, it took me half a month to painstakingly finish these eleven movies (I didn't even bother watching their first two feature films, just because). At some instances it got really uninteresting—a couple of movies needed a better storyline—but most of the time I found myself laughing at everything while remembering things that happened when Karina and I were still little tots. I ended up feeling grateful that I pursued such endeavor; Mary-kate and Ashley reminded me of how lucky I am to have Karina in my life.

Growing up with a twin has been my go-to and overused topic for college essays, the recent one was for grief and loss class, asking what life would be like without Karina. So, unfortunately, since I am not in the mood for yet another sobfest to write more about that, let me sum in up with this short clip from what they thought would be their last movie; The Challenge ended with a quote by Mary-kate and was followed by, quite fittingly, a video montage of scenes from their past films.


"We'll always have each other, and that's not just in the movies."
Speaking of which, I figure it's fairly appropriate that I share with you these pictures from our friend's debut almost three years ago. A costume party is a good enough excuse for us to play our favorite twins.


A still from their last movie, New York Minute. Ultimate life pegs, I tell you!


Our version of Roxy and Jane Ryan, complete with nail polish and bangle bracelets! We also had a boho bag and stuffed dog with us, but we left those items on our table when this photo was taken. (I know we had a photo of our complete look, I just couldn't remember who had a copy. Must look for it!)


With our college roommates Tam and Lisa, two-thirds of the Charlie's Angels.


And of course, our photobooth photo. It's not a party without a photobooth.
I end this entry with a shout-out to my twin sister who I enjoyed chatting with just two nights ago: I miss and love you so much! See you soonest! xx

P.S. Check out my post about our twentieth birthday here. #oldiebutgoodie

La Vie en rose, the French connection

Today I finally knew the title of the French song that has been stuck in my head for ages.

It's kind of a funny story, actually—

Over the past few days I have been browsing photo blogs of people who use analog cameras and live in Europe. I can't keep myself from admiring the beauty of their photographs and of their countries. I now understand why most of my friends want to visit or even live in that side of the world. I too would want to go see France, Italy, and the entire Europe for myself.

Last night, at around this time, I finally(!) started reading the ever-intriguing Why We Broke Up after laboriously slaving over my last book. My heart breaks a little every time I "turn the page" because even at the first few parts I could already tell how amazing it is (The premise of the novel itself is, dare I say, pure genius!) and that I would love it no matter what happens in the story. That the plot and the characters are somewhat familiar adds to why I cringe at almost every paragraph. I am drawn to the storyteller/narrator/letter-writer, Min Green, how different/arty she is, and her love for French films. She reminds me of me, somehow.

However, this morning, instead of finding out what happened in the book, I came across a certain blog and ended up browsing through and reading all the entries. I just can't help it, hers was a love story straight out of a fairytale book. Then I got around to listen to her covers and man, the comments were right, her voice was so angelic!

La Vie en rose was one of the songs Inky loved singing. I, on the other hand, believe I never heard the song before (This was prior to me hitting the play button). I have this friend who claims that that particular song was her all-time favorite, but even then, I never got the chance to look it up. This was the time, I told myself. As I pressed play, I instantly fell in love. I also looked for the original version and other covers, and they were all so good.

And then I remembered that there was this French song that has been haunting me for a few years now. But at that moment, I don't even know why, of all moments, I forgot how the tune went. Although I do know it's been overused in several movies and so I decided to do a little research. Luckily, the Internet gods were in my favor today, that only after a few clicks, I found out that...

Guess what, it's the same song! My heart is currently full of glee! Ahh, la vie est belle!


P.S. Felt a bit sad today, which is why finding out the title of this song meant a lot to me. Always glad to end my everyday with a smile on my face. And with that, I thank You. And Dani, for reading my mind.

Dim the lights, here we go

I may be rooting for Jessica Sanchez (for several reasons, other than the fact that she too is Filipino), but the first time I ever heard Phillip Phillips sing I had a feeling he was meant to stay in the competition. And now that he was just crowned as this season's American Idol, I would like to extend my congratulations to this true artist!

Instantly fell in love with Home! Everything about it was perfect! Thinking of watching one of their tour shows so I would be able to hear him sing it live...

Home by Phillip Phillips

Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home

Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you’re not alone
Cause I’m going to make this place your home

Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found

Just know you're not alone
Cause I'm going to make this place your home

Twitterverse was full of unwarranted hate tweets earlier this morning. And sure, I do admit I got really sad about the results. But I need not worry (and so shouldn't the rest of the country/world), Jessica has a huge career ahead of her anyway. All's well that ends well!

With arms outstretched

I need to keep myself from making excuses so that my life would get going. Now to start writing that bucket list and accomplishing my faith goals for this year!

What comes after the blues

It's not that I've been busy lately why I haven't posted anything in a while. In fact, the week was not as hectic as I thought it would be. I'm positive that I would have time to write here, and man have I a lot to tell you.

But what with still not getting a copy of the Hot Air Balloon Festival photos paired with my extreme OC tendencies to update chronologically, this terrible muscle pain all over my upper body in addition to the cuts, bruises, and stratches I've had since Saturday all thanks to our Social Psych sportsfest, and my final finals week right ahead of me (Good thing my first exam is still on Thursday. More time to cram study!), I just can't bring myself to say anything.

Well, maybe just this: I can't wait for the rest of my life to begin. Any time now.

Weeks go by like days

In a matter of 7 days...

I made an appearance in 1 music video. Faithful by Wildfire is for the Building Faith Campaign of our Church, Victory QC, which was premiered during the Sunday service. If you check the 2:05 mark, you'll see my sister and I with what we're believing in God for this year, specifically for Ateneo: (to) open hearts.


Faithful from Nomer Manuel on Vimeo.
I crossed out 3 items on our Crazy Things To Do list for our Social Psychology class. With my pair and some of our classmates on Monday afternoon, we went to Star City and rode a famous attraction, jogged in PICC, and entered a five-star hotel in not-so-classy clothes. That it was fun would definitely be an understatement.


I celebrated Chinese New Year (for the first time!) through a Hap Chan dinner with 6 of my girlfriends. Our tummies were more than happy as we got back to the dorm.


I pledged not to watch all my shows until the weekend so I could focus on my schoolwork. (Only 5 of them had an episode this week, I think!) It forced me to think about my priorities more, that's for sure. I'm just glad to have reunited with them yesterday.

I was able to convince 8 people to let me give them either a proposal kiss or a frog hug for bonus points. For Social Psychology again, what else?! Our professor makes us do all sorts of unusual things, it makes us question why and how it is related to our subject. But I we really can't complain, we do enjoy doing most of them.


I took 9 rides to get to Roxas Boulevard and back, for my mom's business-related errand that she asked me to do. For a homebody like me, getting out of the dorm takes a lot of willingness and effort. So you must understand how hard it was for me to commute all the way to that area. But ranting aside, I did it because I had to.

I crammed/prepared for my 10-minute thesis defense presentation. Despite having to battle with myself every now and then, my defense turned out pretty well. Best part was getting to hug my thesis adviser afterwards. It was really a pleasure being one of Ma'am Guevara's advisees. And of course, I would like to thank Ma'am Tessa Rosana for being my reader/panelist. It was such an unforgettable experience, especially when they both agreed that I might have a future in the field of research.

I survived the hell week with 4 academic requirements. I know I should be expecting the consecutive hell weeks from now on, since our final exams are fast approaching, but I guess the thought of it hasn't sunk in me yet. I'm just so glad to have survived this week with grace despite my Philosophy midterm exam, Thesis defense, Social Psychology long test, and European Film paper.

And I celebrated the end of the week by attending 2 awesome events on Friday, NightLife and ARSAfest Rapture, with friends that I consider family.


That, ladies and gentlemen, was my week in numbers! Hope y'all enjoyed. 'Till next time!

'11 Proud Moments

Perhaps the best and only way to let go of the year that has been...

1. Gaining pseudo-independence. My twin sister's flight to Singapore marked the start of my year and soon made me feel like I'm in a new world entirely. I'm used to having her around and doing most of my daily activities with her that it seems like I've forgotten how it's like to be on my own. Her semester abroad brought me loneliness, but thankfully, the good kind: It helped me grow up a bit faster than usual.


Skyping on our first birthday apart
2. Finishing the (EB) race. I may not have gotten a spot in The GUIDON's Editorial Board, but if there's one thing the semester-long pursuit has taught me, it's never to give up on the things that made you who you are. For me, newswriting is and always will be one of them.


Blue Ballot, one of the many requirements
3. Starting a legend, sort of. Other than my GUIDON responsibilities, being co-head of the the first ever ARSA House Cup kept me busy. I must say I worked too much that semester partly because I just wanted to distract myself from personal issues. I know it may sound bad, but juggling monthly, weekly, and daily meetings was such a learning experience. Not only did it make me part of an awesome team but I also have understood a lot on how organizations actually work. Besides, I think the House Cup turned out pretty well.


We surely opened with a bang, with torches and all
4. Producing a heart-wrenching video. As a final project for our TV/Video Production class, my group pulled through and made this video in less than two weeks. After a short while, we received a lot of positive reviews for it and the A we honestly deserve.


Thereafter from Tboy on Vimeo.

We all want to be happy--if only we could stay happy forever. We cringe at the prospect of saying goodbye. But when something beautiful ends, it will always leave behind a special part in us. For the moments that once touched us, those things that we gave our all to, they will remain in us and be cherished forever.

5. Playing the sister act to overachievers. With Karina on scholarship for her exchange program in the very prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS), Kara and Kendi consistently on the top of their class, and Rafael finding his passion in soccer, being great at it, and eventually earning a spot in his high school varsity team (He's one of the only two freshmen!), it makes me feel blessed and honored to call them siblings.


With my sisters during their recognition day
6. Traveling abroad. For someone who has been itching to get out of the country for a vacation, I seemed rather calm upon knowing that my mom has finally booked me a round trip flight to a fro Singapore that summer—but fact of the matter is, deep inside I was beyond excited! My eight-day stay was, although with a maximized schedule due to a rather tight budget, everything that I could ask for. I visited every museum, mall, theme park (Universal Studios, ftw!), and university imaginable—only via bus or train! I had no problem; I had my sister as my personal tour guide. Who knows what four months could do to a person? I know for certain that she enjoyed so much, and I can't help but feel glad.


Beautiful Singapore at night, with my sister and my aunt
7. Serving as Head Dorm Assistant. Never in my years in college had I expected to be the one overseeing the entire dorm scholars community, but the job had my name written all over it. And how could I refuse when this was my only way of saying thank you? A rare chance like this shouldn't be wasted, and so I didn't. Plus, working with such crazy people is a good enough reason to accept. It was a great couple of months to be serving the dorm as an assistant, but even greater to help them and the community grow.


On our last meeting as SDAs
8. Dealing with Grief and Loss. Driven by both curiosity and choice, I enlisted myself in what turned out to be one of my favorite classes in college. I learned a lot and dealt with problems I have long ignored. In retrospect it is without regret that I took the class. As I have mentioned to my friends, it was like a semester-long session in the guidance office, only less boring and supplemented with a lot of fascinating activities (Blogging was my favorite, of course!). Thank you, Miss Cathy Babao-Guballa, for this wonderful opportunity.


My very personal blog for class
9. Strengthening ties with my spiritual family. I'm very much thankful to have such strong and faithful people to help me in my day-to-day endeavors, especially as I get to know God even more. They were the ones who believed that I can lead my own small group someday, and inspired me to grow more and deeply in faith.


On one of our several gatherings
10. Learning to spend my free time well. Although 2011 was the year the homebody in me found rest: saw a few movies, watched all my favorite shows and read a couple of novels, it was also the year the adventurer in me let loose. Along with family/friends, I took spontaneous road trips to Concepcion, Boracay, Tagaytay, and Subic. Besides that, I braved traffic and the tiresome commute (to Alabang once, Taft twice, and among others) to catch up with friends I haven't heard from in a long time, and even to make new ones. And to top it all off, I climbed a mountain! I guess this is me stepping out of my comfort zone, one day at a time.


At Tagaytay with the girls
11. Claiming "Thesis it!" I'm a final copy and a defense away from getting Thesis over and done with and I can't help but feel fulfilled. Here's to all the sleepless nights spent cramming for weekly submissions and the high grades I got away with anyway.


As I heaved a sigh of relief
I'm praying for better things this 2012. This is my year!