The Nutcracker production - Philippine Ballet Theatre

First time seeing a ballet performance. Needless to say, it was magical! So much beauty and emotion expressed through human movement. My favorite parts were the dancing snow fairies and each solo parts.



Ah Christmas~ with the lights and decor. I love this season! <3

~

Setting aside the rumors behind CCP, it is truly beautiful at dusk. I am completely in awe of its architecture and the sculptures placed around it.

~

After event ritual, Eat-until-we-stuff-ourselves-sick!

Forgiveness is a gift

This year has been a mad roller-coaster of emotions. I tried out a lot of things, quite a few didn't work out and I learned a heck of a lot! The kind of things I will never do again because of all the juju it took out of me. Surprisingly though, I feel better. Did I just survive this year of epic fail-ness? Yes I did!

~

Self love. I learned that there is no other love more giving and fulfilling than loving yourself. The love I hoped to find elsewhere is within me all this time. I am whom I seek.

Roads to take. What will I be? I am as confused as ever. I am still working on it. I recognize time is ticking so I need to work twice as hard. I know who I want to be and that's what I will keep on aiming for.

Reality. Dreaming is good but reality is better. Let your mind soar but don't let it sit in the clouds too long. Start small and believe in the beauty of your dreams.

~

Before I enter the new year I want to focus on forgiveness and making amends for all the wrong choices I made. For all the times I let myself fracture and break into pieces. Forgiveness after all is a gift you give your self.

Life recently 39

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. This was September and October. Sacrifices had to be made. I have professional and career goals after all. Still it does feel like time wasted because I have nothing to show for except that I lived, breathed, and worked.

Anyway, glad that was over.

Hello November! (｡◕‿‿◕｡)ﾉシ ♫♬♪ ☆彡It really feels like spring after a long bout of winter. Finally some sunshine and color for my soul. I may have overcompensated a bit 'cause now most of my days are fully booked.

1. Hoarding of books is a given. I am currently in the middle of a lot of books thus this book remains half read. I am trying to catch up but slow reader is slow! ヾ(〃￣￣￣￣▽￣￣￣￣〃)ﾉ

2. Is moderately obsessed with Glaiza De Castro's new album. I meant to gift myself one this Christmas. Meanwhile here are samples: Barcelona, Country Tree, Dusk till Dawn. ♫♬♪♫♬♪

I am still kicking myself for missing the QC Film Festival. Where can I watch Sleepless?

3. Came to work looking like a bat. :p I love Halloween.  ~

4. First time seeing a ballet performance. Wow! So much beauty and emotion expressed through human movement. The Nutcracker production by Philippine Ballet Theater at CCP.

5. An afternoon spent prowling the halls of National Museum. Photos on my next post!    

Island Life, Bantayan: Cebu travel diary #2

Long overdue I know.（￣◇￣)ゞ Anyway here is part two of my Cebu Travel Diary. I walked around the island to get a feel of the place. Lots of old houses and Spanish style architecture. I used to dream of modern houses when I was a kid but as time passed I've grown more fond of styles I used to see in my grandparents' ancestral house – wood furniture, lace curtains, doilies, vintage knick knacks, old photographs and plants all over the house.

I love the details on this house and the windows – so pretty. (〃＾-＾)  Don't let the seemingly abundant breeze from the photos fool you, it was unbearably hot that day despite the wind. I would have taken more photos but the heat got to me.

Out of the few churches I have seen, the Bantayan church is the most beautiful. Which got me thinking how limited are my experience in terms of travelling or knowledge in my own country in general. There is so much to see here.

Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Church is 5 centuries old and was made from corals and stones unique to the island. So much history in every corner of this beautiful church. I heard it received quite a bit of damage during Ondoy. Some parts were actually under construction.

I have a thing about doors or doorways.

When you enter inside the church, prepare to hear the chatter of birds. I loved how active they were. It adds up to the praying experience. I could stay here for hours,

And they have a glorious collection of stained glass decor. *so pretty*

CEBU TRAVEL DIARY:

- Touchdown
- Streetart

Thinking out loud

Lately it feels like my world is all about my work and my future. I haven't had the time nor the energy to do the things that make my spirit soar. Yes my work fills a different void inside me and I love that I finally feel some sense of purpose in where I am right now professional wise.

I guess I just want to feel the wind on my face, see things behind the lens again. I want to travel, go on book signings, art shows, music gigs etcetera.

It's no use lamenting over it really. If there is one thing I have learned in the last two years, it is this: powerful thinking gets stuff done! I am sure if I want something bad enough I'm gonna get it. And if life get's stingy well then other doors will open for me.

So what am I saying really? Weed out mindless consumption. Don't spend time on urgent stuff else you forget the important ones.

xx Art from Pinto Museum

Life recently 38

A whole new way of living started for me this August. I went back to school and got a new job. (｡◕‿‿◕｡)ﾉシ SPELL busy! I'm super woman lately. haha

I'm learning a lot from both. I now realize that my past mindset was mediocre. I tried to do my job well but I missed the whole point by light years. It's not about getting used to what you're doing. It's about learning and having passion for your job.
Yesterday was especially hard. I broke down from too much stress. I am looking at it as growing pains. The usual way I'm doing things is no longer effective. I need to adapt in order to excel. It's a really hard process but I am positive I will make it through fine as the days go by.

1. It's really nice to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to go to work. I love dayshift!
2. My weapons in life ;)
3. The way I deal with stress is food binge! Ugh I already gained 5kgs and it won't budge!
4. Words of wisdom in the most unlikely place.
5. Knowledge is a path to a better place.

Find your Courage

In line with my plans for the next 3-5 years of my life – focused on investing in myself – I have gone back to school. It's quite exciting really, being back after so many years. The understanding comes easy. Though I have a lot to re-learn.

Why go back you ask? For the very same reason we read books. We want to learn. We want to expand our thinking beyond the four corners of our room. I was guilty of the mentality "I'm too old for school". Like there is a set range of years to be in it. But now that I have gained a wider perspective, that kind of thinking – I realize – is mediocre. We have one life to live. Are we really prepared to spend it un-lived?

I prepared for this great leap months ahead. I also work full time so I had to really put effort into it. I knew what needs to be done and where to go. Actually doing it though is another thing. I had to find my courage. I woke up one morning, put on a nice pair of shoes and dove right into it. Sometimes overthinking doesn't get you anywhere. Find your courage.

Life recently 37

1. July started off with bad weather while my nerves were feeling pretty much the same.  Honestly I only gave this my 80%. I have really bad studying habits. (¬_¬) Results are in July 27!!! OMG!! Σ（￣o￣lll)
2. Taisho Ramen~ perfect for bed weather. Meal after JLPT exam.
3. Zero visibility with 3 storms hitting the Philippines one after another.
4. Tempura heaven~~
5. To cap off July, I won 2 free tickets for BIGBANG MADE in Manila~ (｡◕‿‿◕｡)ﾉシ
6. July you have been good. Thank you!!

Ahem did I just eat all throughout July?! hahaha

July book haul

I was supposed to study at JFM library but I woke up late so I decided to go to FullyBooked BGC instead. I wish I'm here every week. It's so cozy~

Ahem...and Yes I bought more books despite my very slow reading progress. In my defense, they are really small thin books. （￣◇￣)ゞ

Finally got around to reading The Little Prince but I don't think I absorbed it enough. Hmn I just have this bursting feeling to talk about it with someone. Discuss it further and suck the marrow out of its pages. It's that kind of book. 彡

#Booknerd Wishlist: Kobo Glo reader

For a time I didn't see myself owning an eBook reader because I'm a traditional bibliophile. I love running my fingers across the spine of books, smelling the pages, and flipping across each page with gusto. So as it turned out it is that same desire for books and stories – and my lack of bookshelf space – that had me thinking I may just need one.

01 ≈ As much as I want to buy all the books I want to read, it is impractical and there are certain books that I don't necessarily want to collect. My bookshelf is only 3 layers after all and full enough as it is. And I have this feeling of guilt whenever I buy a book that I know I'm never going yo re-read. Besides there are some things you are allowed to experience but not to keep. (#hugot! hahahaha Anyway...) I'm throwing off a Nabokov quote here, "One cannot read a book: one can only reread it". Thus the solution would be eBooks~ I can read all the chicklits and the romcoms I want without breaking my budget! This would open me up to other genres I would otherwise pass up.

02 ≈ Oh look battery life is 1 month! It may also depend how often you use it though.

03 ≈ I like to wander and bringing books I'm currently reading has been a real pain – physically too, lugging around all those books. Now why do I need to bring them with me in the first place if I'm just going to do errands and stuff. You would not believe how much reading time you can do when you're outside. These days it seems we need to queue in line for everything and those idle packets of time are perfect to read. Just stop fiddling with your phone for a while. Those posts are not going to disappear if you don't read them now!

04 ≈ I am planning to do a bit of traveling locally towards the end of this year and at least one in Asia by next year. I'm going the backpacker route so I am not bringing a lot!

05 ≈ ah I'm getting way ahead of myself.~ I'm going to stop myself here because I'm not going to get myself one right this moment. I intend to practice the lost art of delayed gratification. Break the habit of getting everything easy without conscious effort and deliberation.

06 ≈ Though I have savings for times like this, I will start from 0 so I will feel the weight of this purchase. I hope to minimize my impulse buying behavior.

07 ≈ I want to treat this as a reward for myself after I complete my 2015 reading challenge. It also stops me from hoarding too many books without reading them. My TBR pile is already threatening to engulf me. ( T_T)＼(^-^ )

Kobo is available in National Bookstore. (No this is not a sponsored post! I just fell in love with it that's all~ :p)

Leona's Art restaurant: Maginhawa

I live relatively close to Maginhawa St. but sadly don't visit as often as I would have liked. I still have a slight apprehension against eating alone you see. If I'm in a cafe I wouldn't mind but doing so in a restaurant is just not fun. Food just taste a lot better when I'm with company.

And so on one particularly tiring day we decided to eat dinner here after running around Makati the whole afternoon. I guess we were lucky, there weren't that many people. Maybe because it was Monday?

BIGBANG #concertbreak: A fangirl's account

Happenstance maybe or just destiny? Three years ago BIGBANG was in Manila for their Alive tour. That concert I prepared for and obsessed about. I even won a rehearsal pass for my soul-wrenching fangirl post. Haha. The universe though had a different plan for their second world tour. Two days before BIGBANG MADE in Manila I received a message from KitKat PH giving me – what I felt at that time – was the Eiffel Tower of all opportunity! As part of their #ConcertBreak promotion they gave away 2 free tickets to lucky lucky lucky fans on concerts happening in SM MOA Arena. They are sponsors for the whole year of 2015. Imagine my surprise when I found out I don't only get free tickets. I got a VIP pass so we didn't line up (although that is fun but definitely tiring!). We were seated at the KitKat PH lounge right smack in the middle of the stage! We also get our own ladies room about 20 steps from the viewing deck. So if you need a quick dash that will not be a problem. How awesome is that?! Imagine, it's only August, how many more concerts are lined up in the coming months! Join the #concertbreak and enjoy these perks like I did!

Thank you KitkatPH! *sending lots of love* ♥♥♥

I'm sorry for my tired I no longer care how I look photo above. haha. Oh and warning! This post is image and #fangirl heavy starting from here. ~

Spaces / Places 01

I have, for a time now, flirted with the idea of pursuing a career in Interior Design. While I can definitely will myself to do so if I really want to, however with the number of things I want to do and the limited amount of energy I have at the present moment. This dream will remain on hold. I will tag it as a #hobby for now. And thus the start of another blog series.~

Spaces / Places is where I will share moods and looks that I like. You might want to check my previous design dumps here: Inspiration.

This is Jen Chu's 1/2 bedroom apartment. It fits her bed, closet, office and boudoir while still having enough space for decorations, art and knickknacks. I am seeing a lot of design principles that I can hack for my own bedroom – it is quite similar to this one but mine is filled with clutter and I primarily use it as my bookshelf.

One awesome tip she mentions is her use of pages from art magazines as art within her house. She cuts it out and frames them. The images change depending on what she has. This is a cheap and practical way to beautify a house if you don't have access to real art.

Suzi West and I have a lot of things in common. I would love to have a chest of drawers someday. It's the biggest piece in her house but it's also the one with the most charm. You instantly notice it!