simple serendipity

Nesting

2012-01-29T07:37:00.000-08:00

My living space is a bit tricky - its long and narrow with high white walls. I can't do much to the physical structure unless I want to pay lots of money to bring it back to its original form the day I move out.

When I first moved into my studio I did one trip to Ikea to buy what I deemed as essentials. Yes, disclaimer lang because I know many are still amusingly shocked that I "survived" months without a mug (bowls did just fine until someone at work took pity on me and gave me a mug, lol), a trashcan (pwede na plastic underneath my sink noh) and a few other things. If I can stuff a pillow case with laundry and use it as a pillow, then you bet I can get used to living simply ;)

Anywho - after half year of living with "bare essentials" - I made a trip back to Ikea to buy a few more things to make my studio more homey. I've always loved my little space, but I love it more now. Perfect for a homebody like me!

I've hosted a few people in my Singapore home (6x to date!) over the last 8 months I've lived here. One of the deciding factors for me in blowing my initial budget and getting my own little space (as opposed to sharing a larger flat with others) was the possibility of having family and friends visit and stay over. Tomorrow, 2 new guests will be arriving - my mom and my tita! First time family will be visiting actually and first time I'll have 2 people over at the same time.

Palazzito P (yes - hostel chain of Palazzo Plazo, lol) will be full house! It'll be a little tight - I managed to fit a queen-size air mattress in a space as big as the air mattress - but it'll (hopefully) still be comfortable. I've lived in tighter "happy houses" and it's always been a lot of fun. Trial and error for when Palazzito P reaches maximum capacity in May when my A, M & R come and visit!

I'm trying to keep my "stuff" at a minimum though - less clutter is good for my life and my sunday cleaning days! I'm just waiting for a few more things for my wall and then I think I'll be done - for now :)

Sorry naman, I've filed away the original photo - so screenshot from PDF will have to do!
Snapped this picture when I was first deciding on whether or not to get it.

Few more pieces to home-ify the place

A little nature to green up the place

Living area transformed into a 2nd sleeping space

Royal (Design) Wedding

2012-01-27T22:30:00.000-08:00

Went home to Manila over the Chinese New Year break for a number of reasons. One big reason was to attend the wedding of two dear friends I made during my one-year stint at my previous firm.

Devil was truly in the details for this wedding, so I wish I had (1) brought my big camera, and (2) had more time to take pictures. Given my outfit (ie: tiny bag) and my wedding duties (reception host & 1 of the well-wisher speakers) - iPhone snapshots had to suffice.

It was a tasteful, beautiful and intimate wedding. I expected nothing less from the up and coming family of design, but still, it blew me away! The whole affair was straight forward and simple, yet elegant and fun. Couple really did away with the frills and focused on making it an affair their guests would enjoy - very telling of the generous two. Ceremony was solemn and happy (go ACS! hehe). Bride & groom glowed and looked perfect. Cake and food was DELICIOUS. Reception venue was unique and beautifully dressed.

Congrats and big big hugs E + T. You 2 surely know how to throw a wedding! Do it again together next year? hehe.

Invitation wrapped and beautifully tied

Monogram and layout on page perfect captures both personalities to a T!

Love love love - segregation of info, iconography, fonts chosen

No detail left out!

ACS serenaded the couple for the ceremony. Luckily, my kiddie loves were part of the cast
so got to hug them, even if it was for a few minutes

ACS sings - 20+ were available that day!

E & T tie the knot!

Lovely table settings - perfect with the magnificent food that evening

CCP reception - beautifully dressed! Bagay with the woodland creatures theme

E & T - well... T & E. lol

Photo op with first family of design

Long time friend of the E and friend from ACS - got to spend QT with Tr & her family at the reception

With the newly weds (PS: I LOVE T's gooooowwwwn)

Bumped into Bizu owner and freshmen year barkada - Auds!

2011 In Review: Quarter 1

2012-01-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

A little bit late, but better late than never I must say!

Wanted to recap my year in quarters, and as always, through pictures!

2011 was an awesome awesome year - ups and downs but steady climb upward and onwards I'd like to think! Year of blessings for sure.

Through it all though, a constant theme that ran through my 12 months (and all my years I forsee!) is new experiences- no matter how big or small. Through work, travel, family and friends.

Work: photoshoots, books, avp shoots, and event design with B+C, TATLO and ACGC 90th anniversary with ACS, and a build for Renovate to Educate.

Travel: back to baguio for the first time in over 20 years for the wedding of a friend's sister, and first time in Donsol to go swimming with whale sharks!

Family & Friends: continued making new memories with long time friends - dinners, lunches, sleepover all wrapped up in nonstop laughter and merry making. And well, time with family of course!

thank you e.gavas for the photo

These are a Few..

2012-01-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

... of my favorite things!

Letters, and fonts and types and all that jazz!

Pasta noodles that come in all shapes and sizes! love love love

Disney Pasta!

Oh how I love you letters out of different material!

Love and Lust ;)

Home for the Holidays

2012-01-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

Much delayed post about the holidays coming up...!

Hailing from a country that celebrates Christmas very early on in the year, I was very late in feeling the Christmas spirit. So much so that by the time it hit me in mid-December, I wanted to drop everything (ie: work) and just run back to the Philippines.

I figured there were only 2 extreme ways to go: hide or see everyone. After the crazy work weeks leading up Christmas, I was very tempted to do the former. But very happy I ended up doing the latter.

With dinners and errands booked everyday, my week and a half back home flew by. It was so lovely being home that mid-way through the trip, I found myself looking for ways to slow down time and delay having to come back to Singapore.

As much as I enjoyed it though, I have to admit that when I landed back in Singapore, there was definitely a sense of relief and free- breathing. The more I do, the more I need to just be. Thinking I should factor this in next time around if I can help it!

So glad my company gives us the week off between Christmas and New Year. Maybe this year I should do as many of my colleagues do and extend the break a little longer to REALLY make it a holiday. This way, I'll be able to spend it with family and friends, but also quiet time with myself.

ACGC kiddies dinner at BGC. Photo c/o JOM

ACS kiddie couture during the annual Christmas party. Theme this year? Kiddie party! Photo c/o JOM

Matching necklaces for me, my sisters and my mom

My first social engagement for the break: afternoon with L

Having been part of that semi-circle for so many Chrsistmas' - it was a great change to experience it from the audience!

Dinner with P one evening...

...followed by drinks with X & L

Merienda with some of the Sesqui-Tandres girlies

Stopped by the old office...

... and had dinner and catchup with the soon to be weds!

Playing "who can smile the longest" w/ R - new silly game to add to our roster of random games

Home made mini cinnamon rolls with ice cream at a family reunion

Quiet noche buena with the family

It was a hoot seeing my parents Skyping for the first time together with some old friends from J-Town. First time chatting with each other in YEARS!!

With lola, great grandma and mom

Yummy gingerbread people made by M

Pochi

Bakloo Bear

Eeyore

Lola & lolo at a another family reunion

M's new addiction - fruit ninja

The Arts in Singapore

2012-01-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

I think I've mentioned before that one of the wonderful things about living in Singapore is the range of awesome art events you can attend. It is truly a microcosm of many popular art and cultural events famous around the world. Over the last few months I've:

Watched an Elton John concert
Watched the brilliant Kevin Spacey in the wonderful staging of Richard III
Visited the 100th anniversary artifacts exhibit of The Titanic
Watched Cirque Eloize
Meandered through the "Dali: Mind of a Genius" exhibit
Watched, listened and experienced a slew of acts during the "Voyage Night Festival"
Saw grand old masterpieces in "Musee d'Orsay: Dreams and Reality" exhibit

There were a number of other things I really wanted to see but missed (ie: The King's Singers Christmas Concert). Moving forward, there are also a few more things I've booked that are coming up soon (ie: Wicked the Musical).

I also really like how art is very public here - from architecture to installations.

Whether it be the size of Singapore or the budget I finally have to treat myself to these small luxuries, I'm happy to be living in a country where these wonderful events are so accessible.

Wonderful what other great art events I'll get to see this year?

DB Christmas Wishes

2011-12-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

Sharing an image of the company "This is Me" Christmas tree.

The tree is "fuller" since this picture was taken - but it gives you an idea of what this awesomeness looks like. Everyone was asked to design a frame that represented "me". It was really interesting to see how people saw themselves and expressed it through this frame.

We were supposed to get a real tree but this never happened for some reason. lol.

Sharing as well the electronic Christmas card we sent out to clients. An animation of the ever-growing DB tree, updated for our 25th anniversary this year! Click here por favor!

DB Naughty or Nice Christmas Shenanigans

2011-12-18T00:55:00.000-08:00

About 1.5 months ago, management asked myself and 3 others to take ownership of the company Christmas party.

It was a bit of a daunting task to put this together ontop of regular "end-of-the-year-mad-rush-to-finish-everything" work. We started out with grander plans - but due to time, commitment and budget, we trimmed it down and focused on making what we had the best it could possibly be. Why bother if it would come out half-assed right?

This project was really team-work with a capital T, and an awesome team at that!:

4 email teasers and printed invitation accomplished (throw back to my "copywriting" days, lol)
SGD 900 raised for a charity (in lieu of usual Secret Santa)
Lucky draw prizes collected (from rice cooker to travel vouchers to an ipod touch - none of which I won, hehe) & mechanics ironed out
Theme approved that everyone seemed content with (ie: can be interpreted in which ever way to appease the "game" and the "not so game")
Food and booze tested (food was AMAZING)
Venue secured (very much suited our company's quirk vibe - check it out here)
Photo loop sorted
Special cocktail concocted
Hosting hat dusted and shined

Party was yesterday and I'm happy to share that the event was a smashing success! A huge sigh of relief & and accomplishment as all tastes and personalties were satisfied.

Sharing an invite, our menu and snapshots of the night care of KC.

FR w/ HI - our Xmas Elf!

Queen of ~~Tarts~~ Hearts & Black Swan

Badboy BS & Angelic SJ

KC with TG (aka Jack Sparrow)

Minnie Mouse in the house

Boys from "The Hangover"

Immortalizing my outfit - as goodness knows when I'll ever wear it again!

AL - our glamour lump of coal

Bright coloured peeps

Ashton & Demi

DVD for Dummies!

2011-12-09T09:01:00.001-08:00

Because I don't have cable, my recent obsession has been renting movies from my neighborhood DVD rental.

I remember thinking to myself every single time I had to remove a DVD from it's case: "why is this so hard to bloody remove from it's case".

I FINALLY figured it out when I saw "PUSH" in the center locking device of a DVD case. You don't yank out the DVD, you push the clamp so it loosens up and then you can pull it out! A total AHA moment. lol

Jusko. It couldn't be more obvious that my knowledge of DVDs (if any at all) is via bootleg copies. IE - CD inserted in crinkly plastic and paper sleeves!

On another note, neighborhood DVD rental. Retro huh? Reminds me of the time I was renting VCRs when I was dorming in college. Or when I would flip through laser disc rentals when going to the supermarket with my mom growing up.

Gingerbread Man

2011-12-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Tangled wires have always bugged me. Case in point? Earphones.

Thought I solved my problem a few months ago when I started using velcro fasters. You know those things that come with Nokia phone chargers? Anyway, it was great at the start but it got old (and annoying) fast. For a number of reasons but mainly because I became too lazy to properly fold my earphones into a bundle.

I've found a lovely alternative that will hopefully be both more effective and quicker. Found it in a bookstore filled with other wonderfully "essential" knick-knacks

Meet my gingerbread man. He looks dashing wrapped in earphone don't you think?

Nothing But Bokeh

2011-12-04T05:37:00.000-08:00

We did an evening shoot to put into context the lesson about long exposures.

I couldn't leave the class without asking how to create an image with bokeh.

According to advancedphotography.net, bokeh: "is the photographing technique of aesthetically blurring the background; to exaggerate the effect of the lights shinning in the background/foreground."

As per my last work stint before moving though, bokeh is an effective tool for creating dynamic and contemporary visuals. Also known to drive work-mates so mad that random shreiking of "BOKEH!" can be expected.

Unfortunately, due to the lens limitations, I really can't do anything BUT an image full of bokeh (ie: hanggang wall paper lang ang dating) - but it's cool nonetheless ya?

Bokeh (and then some) images below! Dedicated to my bokeh buddies :)

Erasers

2011-12-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

Immaculate, white, seemingly crisp edges.. yet.. bouncy! Getting the first few rubs out of these erasers are always so thrilling - I kid you not. I love Staedtler erasers!

Saturday Class

2011-11-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

Recently started the intensive "photography for beginners" course I signed up for a few months ago.

It was highly recommended by D, who said it was the best way to learn how to make the most of my camera's functions. Admittedly, photos shot on a DSLR's automatic mode still make the purchase worth it. But I'd only be cheating myself if I don't learn the1-2-3's of manual shooting, and allow myself more control over the outcome of my photos.

I still have to stop and have a real long think about what to do to what functions. This is especially annoying when you're immersed in an environment with so many great pictures to take and you can't take any of them yet! But fiddling around with settings is one of those things that can only get better the more you do it. I'm just glad that I'm finally getting it. I think. lol.

I have an obvious style that I'm comfortable with. Seeing the work of my classmates though, and chatting with my instructor has gotten me excited about pushing skill and how I see things through the camera.

Photos below are from our first guided shoot in Little India.

Itchy (Career) Feet

2011-11-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

My ready and recent declaration to anyone who asked, was that I was sticking to this career path until I was sure I wanted to do something else.

Why you ask?

Well...

It's a good company; I enjoy the people and the environment
I like the work ENOUGH; it's challenging and I can see how I could grow in my field
Admittedly, I feel I need to build knowledge and skills in an industry

I've spent enough time faffing about in a business which I know I want nothing to do with anymore. This industry that I'm in... has potential. The current focus of this particular company? Definitely not something for me in the long run (famous last words?), but yes, perhaps something in the industry.

Maybe it's my upbringing, a mix of personality and school environment growing up. Heck, it could also be seasonal. But, I've been having one of those "out-of-body-I-want-world-peace" moments when I ask myself "what am I doing with my life /career to make this world a better place?".

Yes yes, very Ms. Universe of me - but seriously, it's a question thats always simmering at the back of my mind. For sure the "right" answer hits me at different scales of grandness. One day I'm content thinking that being the best "sister/daughter/friend/"insert current career role" " is enough. Other days I feel it's not - that I need to be extending myself beyond my current circles of influence and making a bigger dent in this world.

Given my current career climb plus the practical need to finally earn decently and fulfill financial obligations I've personally committed too - what the heck do I do with myself now?!

I know I know, I JUST got here. But life's too short right? For all I know, I'll stay put where I am. But hey, just thought I'd throw it out there.

In the meantime, sharing a photo taken downtown 2 weeks ago. The area was flooded with kids in blue and yellow handing out flower for "World Kindness Day". It was lovely seeing these flowers eagerly being passed out. Almost as lovely as seeing smiley happy people walking around with these yellow blooms sticking out from their bags, hands.. or even behind the ears.

Odd that sometimes the most obvious of things need to be commemorated. But hey, who am I kidding. I am all about celebrating the simplest of joys.

A Silver Anniversary

2011-11-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

DB celebrates it's 25th year this year.

With a "food & drinks trail" theme - each of the offices took a few days off to celebrate. London went to Padstow, Amsterdam went to Maastricht and Singapore went to Siem Reap.

From our invitations, to the beautiful itineraries created, to thought and care that went into every single detail of the trip- the 3day affair was truly at par with the "standard" we practice at work.

Thursday

Flight to Siem Reap
Check in at Tara Angkor
Lunch at NEST
Temple time (as we ran through the temples, I was grateful that I had the opportunity to see these beautiful complexes the year before)
Free time (which was massage time for me at the hotel)
Anniversary dinner at FCC

Friday

Cooking competition! (Market run to buy ingredients then make 3 Cambodian dishes)
Lunch at Tara Angkor (eat what you made.. in fairness, not bad. hahaha), and announcement of winners (we lost, lol)
Free time (K & I rolled around our room)
Closing dinner (which I had the "honour" of hosting)
Dance dance dance all night & drink cheap drinks (at least compared to SG) in a seedy bar with the rest of DB. lol

Saturday

Check out from Tara Angkor
Check in at FCC (K & I extended for a day more)
Final lunch at Champey
Said byebye to DB while K & I stayed on
Thanks to floods everywhere - we rolled around our hotel room.. again
Lovely lovely dinner & quiet evening with K, Z & S. The name of the restaurant escapes me but it was damn good and for quality of food we were eating, damn cheap!

Sunday

Check out & fly home

SK's Big Day

2011-11-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

SK and I have been friends for as long as I remember. Growing up there was horseback riding, altar girls, forced singing &/or dancing performances at parties, slumber parties, Freshman year.. the list goes on.

Naturally, I was thrilled of course she told me she was engaged. And then.. I felt old. Lol. I think it may have all of a sudden hit me that geez, we really HAVE grown up!

SK married her man in magical Bali about a month ago. It was a lovely wedding, and a relaxing weekend away. Aside from a bit of sweatshop work of manually putting together the chocolate giveaways - my only official role was to host... the actual ceremony. Hehe. So while the other bridesmaids were running about attending to the bride, me and a few other friends spent the rest of the weekend relaxing. Leisurely breakfasts, a good number of hours on a sun bed facing the ocean with smoothies and cocktails, massages, having the most amazing meals - you name it, we probably DIDNT do it because we were "busy" lazing about.

Aside from the obvious bumming, and witnessing SK's dream wedding, it was great to catch up with old classmates and the Titos & Titas from the old crew. All in all - an awesome weekend away I'd say!

Welcome drinks and fragrant cold towels upon our arrival at Ayana Resort & Spa

Some of Ayan's lovely details

Pool upon pool upon pool at Ayana

Beautiful door frame @ Ayana

Banana Pancake at Warung Made (nom nom nom)

I think we spent 4 hours just sitting on this sun bed - moving from sun to
sunset, smoothies to cocktails

Love love love this restaurant - beautiful place and delectable French food.
Above is a friend's appetizer of scallops & Foie Gras

After I had my lobster ravioli & rack of lamb - I finished off my meal with some sinful mille feuille

Prep the boxes, cut & tie the ribbons, attach the charms.
Godiva goodies handcarried by R from Seattle to HongKong to Bali

SK & C

The most insane shower I have ever seen - at the beautiful Ayana Villa

Wedding reception

Wish tree at the Reception

Thanks too guys!

Hotel Heaven

2011-11-08T08:05:00.000-08:00

I love everything about hotels: the sheets, the room service, the bathrooms, the breakfast buffet.. I think I could go on and on.

When I'm not day dreaming about marrying royalty (you KNOW you were moved the same way I was when watching Princess Diaries!!), I daydream about marrying someone who will buy me a hotel. None of this becoming a powerful woman and building my own hotel empire - i mean, BUY ME A HOTEL. Yup - found in the same sack of day dreams about becoming a lady of leisure :)

I was lucky enough in October to have stayed in 4 different hotels - all for different reasons. Thought I'd just immortalize it in a blog post.

One of these days I really will indulge in a stay-cation and spend it lolling about a hotel.

Summer '11: (back to) Paris

2011-11-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

10 years later.. I FINALLY come to the end of my blog posts about my summer spend in Europe.

We train-ed back to Paris from Amsterdam - hanging out for 2 days before hopping back on a plan towards reality.

The 2 days was just enough time to finish up whatever errands (ie: shopping) wasn't accomplished first time around, and spend a day at Versailles.

The last time (and first time) I was at Versailles was in 2001with the ACGC. The Chateau unfortunately was closed at the time, so we spent the day exploring it's massive massive MASSIVE grounds. Picnic-ing, watching the others doe-a-deer-ing while biking up and down garden paths, and being dragged around by L while searching for Marie Antoinette's secret garden are a few of many memories I treasure till this day.

Thank you Tita Nanu for this photo. Several pounds gained and
upgrades in cameras later - but do you recognize any of us?

10 years later for D & myself

A 10-year reunion with a few of the people I first saw it was a great way to see it again. I finally got to see inside of the Chateau and daydream about the history that was made in its opulent halls, and seeing the gardens again with older eyes was awesome as well.

Our return to Paris also marked the end of our 2-week summer adventures. I think about it now and am still amazed that I not only afforded it all on my own, but that it happened even with the unexpected move threatening my chances of going. This summer trip was EPIC to prepare for!

What a blessing it is to travel - what more, to travel for and with people you love. So happy I put my mind to making this happen and as always, looking forward to my next big trip :)

This Past Weekend..

2011-11-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

... I did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Ok, I lie - I did have plans. But it was my first FREE weekend in a month. I love traveling, I love that I had friends come and visit me - but seriously, nothing beats puttering around on your own and dictating what you can and cannot do with your free time.

What a glorious (3-day) weekend it was:

I slept (I got lots and LOTS of this.. in fact, I may have gotten too much.. if there is such a thing, hee hee)
I went to the 11:15 sunday mass - which I prefer over the 6pm one. The choir uses the piano and not honky tonk organ music
I quenched my craving for mapo tofu & fried rice - while ~~laughing~~ catching up with N & K
I cleaned & did 2 loads of laundry
I read
I finished my Christmas shopping for my family (yes family - i know you're reading this, I finished my Christmas shopping for you)
I finished a few personal errands - which included replacing a wallet (thanks for the push, J), and buying drawers to dump my shoes in
I exercised
I caught up with J (which included shopping and stuffing our faces at Mozza and TWG) - our first one-on-one time in... 2 months?!?!
Caught a performance by a local Filipino choir
I did some grocery shopping
I finally skyped with M - also for the first time in over a month

So yes - I did everything and nothing this weekend. It was wonderful.

Best thing about a 3-day weekend - you've only got 4 days of work to get through till the next weekend :D

Visual DNA

2011-10-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for personality tests.

I recently took the Times Visual DNA test.

Here are my results:

YOU ARE CULTURE CURIOUS

You have an innate ability to see beauty in things of all shapes and sizes, and your love of the arts doesn't prevent you from having a warm down-to-earth attitude and a calm, peaceful outlook on life. Nature is close to your heart, and you are equally likely to find art in the outside world as you are in a gallery. You are an emotional spirit and you make really strong connections. Good friends and lots of laughs are the recipe for really happy days. And nights!

You're sophisticated and inquisitive with a real passion for art and culture. You pride yourself on being an early adopter of the latest music and films and always like to have a good book on the go. Your ability to bring together very diverse and even dissenting opinions is rooted in your appreciation for all points of view. You believe in immersing yourself in interesting experiences that make you look at people, places and opportunities from new angles. Being sensitive and creative you want to feel connected to the world around you and actively seek out opportunities to explore it. It's all about broadening your horizons and living life to the full. Anything else would not fulfill your curious nature. You'll love the list of The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, the Critics' Picks and Arts Beat.

Whacha think? Sounds pretty close ya?

Making my way home (Singapore)

Inside Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam)

Love love love flowers (Amsterdam)

Rolls upon rolls of colours textiles (Seoul)

Summer '11: Amsterdam, Netherlands

2011-10-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

My usual frame of mind when I travel is "Spending money to go all the way here, so will jam pack my days with every possible thing to do". You will most definitely see this true of many of the trips I've blogged about in the past.

Amsterdam leg was initially planned to roll out in the same manner, day trip to other towns in the Netherlands as well as trip to the nearby towns in Belgium. But the few days hubbed in Amsterdam played out a little differently than planned. Blame it on Amsterdam's super relaxed vibe, beautiful surroundings and fabulous weather that particular weekend? Or possibly easy-going hosts (with cozy home and yummy home cooked food) combined with our bodies needing to recharge from a week of running around Italy and France? Maybe. But at the end of the day, it was EXACTLY what we needed for our vacation - an honest to goodness BREAK.

My first time as well in the Netherlands and I totally fell in love with it.

Albert Cuypt Market
Lots of wandering around Amsterdam and easy-going days
Merienda with an old classmate (whom I haven't seen in 11 years!)
Van Gogh Museum
Vondelpark
Anne Frank Museum
Dinner at Bistro Bij ons & awesome Citron Tarte & chihi at Palazzo Plazo
Watching Gay Pride Parade with awesome all veggie dinner!
More walking about Amsterdam (Red Light District, Jordaan, etc)

Airport Musings

2011-10-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking I've blogged about this before, but thought it would be worth repeating, only because it never fails to stress me out each and every time. I HATE CUTTING IT CLOSE FOR A FLIGHT.

I have friends who don't like wasting their time sitting in an airport, but I love love love it. There's a wonderful sense of anonymous limbo when you're inbetween 2 destinations. I like meandering through shops, reading, grabbing a cup of coffee, getting a foot massage, listening to music, etc etc. he best part is that no one is bugging you (usually) and that you get to spend some quiet me-time before the whirlwind of activity waiting for you when you land.

Thanks to the recent loss of my wallet (and thus, the employment pass I usually need to have with me everytime I enter / exit Singapore), I finally understood what all the hullaballo was about changing passports so they would be machine-readable.

Getting through immigration recently has been a breeze, thanks to the passport reading machines! 20 seconds, tops! I kid you not! You step up to the machine, scan your passport and finger print. If all is well, the little screen personal personally welcomes you to Singapore or wishes you bon voyage. Love it!

Never noticed they had these when going through immigration in Singapore before. And if the Philippine government asked Filipinos to get these recently (ok, not so recently), does it mean they have these machines in the Philippines as well? Why do I doubt that they do? Anyway, yes - I wonder what the parameters are about when we can (or can't) use the machines.

Couple of things I'd like to blog about, including finishing up my Summer '11 series plus 2 trips over the last 2 weekends. Have a pretty busy next few weeks but hopefully I'll get around to it soon.

.... & friends

2011-10-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

In one of my barkadas, we used to heckle each other about the other being the "& friends" in the...

(insert famous person's name here) & friends

.... equation. Naturally each of us claiming to be the name used in the "insert famous person's name here" part of the equation.

Ehm... so as evidenced in picture below... I guess must level up next time around? lol.

Thank you to my "insert famous person's name here" for sending me this picture - grabbed from a Malaysian newspaper if I'm not mistaken (source unsure).

Summer '11: Vatican City

2011-10-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

They weren't kidding when they said the Catholic Church is loaded. The Vatican City and its vast collection of art and history is RIDICULOUS. Exploring the Vatican with a tour group was the way to go when we went; crazy lines and ridiculous heat will make you pay almost anything to get into the museums faster. With so much to see and pushy crowds inside, it was great to have live commentary feeding into my ears as my eyes took everything else in. Plus I love hearing historical gossip/trivia, which our guide peppered her tour with.

Loved the gallery of maps and all the intricate floor mosaics. Special mention as well goes to St Peter's Basilica. Loved the ornate ceilings and the details around the domes and was bewildered at how absolutely MASSIVE it was. In the same way I was surprised by the Sistine Chapel's small size. The difference between a basilica and chapel couldn't have been any more well defined by these two examples.

Trip to the Vatican marked the end of our Italy leg and half way mark of our summer travels.

Ice Cream

2011-10-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

For someone who claims not to like ice cream, I've sure had a lot of it over the last few months.

Awfully Chocolate only has 1 (super rich dark chocolate) ice cream flavour.
Super cute to go packaging noh? I ate this as I walked home from mass.
Didn't wait to see if the packaging would keep with ice cream in it

Milk shake from TWG. Forgot what flavour ice cream was but they have amazing tea infused ice creams.
I've always been obsessed with how teas & wines are described

Sea salt caramel Hokkaido ice cream will have to wait until I find myself at Clark Quay.
In the meantime, the Hokkaido soft serve at Ion will have to do.

Recently discovered Horlicks Crunch McFlurry.
Tastes like vanilla ice cream with cerelac! Yum yum yum

The Weekend That Was and then Some

2011-09-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

From what I've gathered through photos and Facebook status posts - the ACS concert was awesome! Fullhouse, wonderful performance and an overall great evening. I would've loved loved loved to have watched (watched mind you, not sing!)- the ACS mixed in some video tributes and CHOREO. SHET. I've heard the ACS sing but dance? I would've really loved to see that.

Here's one of the video's floating around, tribute to those ACS' loved ones. Yes, yes, same song (but in it's full length), but different visuals! If I knew how to loop youtube videos I would as it really does make me smile.

My weekend on the other hand was eventful- excellent dinner on Friday and a fun night out on Saturday.

I tried butter chicken with naan for the first time on Friday and I fell in love. So much so that I had to have it again on Sunday. Very tempted to go back to the Bar Bar Black Sheep but thankfully, there was an Indian resto near where I was at which had pretty good butter chicken as well. We ended the night relatively early that Friday - I think I was home by 11?

Saturday was lots of fun too- ladies night out, the F1 weekend special. We met up for pre-drinks, then checked out both the Johnny Walker party and the newly opened Pangea. Despite lots and lots (and lots and lots) of drinks, the night was not as messy as I had thought - in fact, it wasn't messy at all! Being over the hill at 29, us old ladies yawned our way to bed at a rather early time - 2ish if I'm not mistaken. I must also proudly share that I survived a night out dancing in heels - the first time in MONTHS. 4.5 inches none the less!

Sunday was spent just the way I like it - quietly. Cleaned the studio, read, went to mass, had a lovely meal (butter chicken i love you!!) and read some more.

September zipped by pretty darn quickly. Now (crazy crazy) October is almost upon us. I celebrate 6 months in SG in October and have 2 trips to take one weekend after another. Right after those trips, I have one friend coming in and staying with me, only to overlap with the trip of another friend staying with me as well. Work has also picked up; couple of new accounts to take on as well as managing the accounts of a friend who's away on and off in October.

Should be fun :)

Couple pictures from my weekend below, as well as some other random pictures I've snapped along the way over the last few months.

Bon Voyage fellow ACGCer! Best of luck in NYC!

Frozen margaritas and new conversations with old classmates

Rows of colours neatly organized! And a finger ruining my shot!

This awesome store J & I discovered (amonth many awesome
stores in that mall) displayed all sorts of Penguin books. Love love love

Mooshi Bakes' Gooey was well.. gooey

Trying out Joo Joo's assortment of yakitori

Old friends slumber partying like old times :)

With our fancy initial pancakes for breakfast :D

I think J and I will be coming back here for more movies!

Milkshake made with TWG's tea infused ice cream flavours. TWG I love you!

MBS from afar

Love my ice cream to go's packaging!

Bus, my (only) choice of transport!

Will definitely come back here!

Johnnie keeps walking..

With K & C

Leaving Pangea

Love love the chairs, love love the colours!

Butter chicken + Naan. One of my many obsessions these last few months!

This Weekend

2011-09-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

I knew towards the end of last year that my stint with choir singing was coming to an end. Having been in a choir ALL MY LIFE - thought this was a very bold declaration. Some of the best years of my life I've spent singing in choirs, especially the choirs I sang with over the last 6 years- the best friends, memories, lessons, experiences anyone could every ask for . But I think I arrived at a point in my life where other things became an urgent priority, so much so that singing in a choir was no longer fun for me and I knew it was time to move on.
Recently, the current members of the Ateneo Chamber Singers have been posting this on their Facebook walls. Not ACS' usual style. BUT, watching and listening to it.. I couldn't help but smile each time (yes, inulit ulit ko siya). Made me remember why I stuck out it out for so long - especially with this group. Genuine warmth and love radiates from the members of the ACS, so much so, that I really do believe it shines through in our music.

So if you're in Manila this Friday, 23rd of September. Do yourself a favor and watch this concert. You'll be in for an inspirational, love-filled evening for sure.

In other news, it's F1 weekend in Singapore. Traffic has already started to build up on this tiny island as people are slowly flocking in by the droves and roads are getting rerouted and fixed up for the night races.

While I would personally love to hermit away at home, I'd be silly not to at least experience the energy of the weekend - and I'm not even talking about the races. I'll start the weekend here on Friday, and will end up here by Saturday. Sunday - you can find me at home, in bed, the ENTIRE DAY.

ACS with Sir Jojo during TATLO at the CCP, Manila in 2011

ACGC pictorial at ADMU in 2003

ACS with Sir Jojo performing in San Francisco

ACGC in 2004; Mamalou's maiden performance at Philamlife, Manila

ACGC competing (and winning) in Marktoberdorf, Germany, 2001

thank you FB and my FB friends for all of these photos :)

Lesson from a Crab

2011-09-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Taken at Maosonon Island, Palawan in 2009

Some lessons you learn as a child, and you only really learn their value as you get older.

An iconic crab (or is it lobster) once said "You want something done, you've got to do it yourself". Ok, so maybe Sebastian of Little Mermaid wasn't the first to say this - but that's who I initially learned that lesson from.

The older I get, the shorter my patience grows. When I get excited about something, I'm learning not to expect that same level of excitement from others. Or at least, same level of translated action. If I sit around and wait, I set myself up for disappointment. In my new mind frame of molding my own life (and not letting life mold me), this particular phrase has become a glaring mantra that needs to be practiced lest I pull out my hair.

This being said, I'm glad I've finally got a pending plan going since the idea first popped up start of the year

Summer '11: Florence, Italy

2011-09-18T02:12:00.000-07:00

Birthplace of the Renaissance, how could I not go? A rather painful-to-the-wallet trip to take for a day but we did so anyway. As we only had a day, like in Rome, we opted to explore the city instead of spend hours in line for museums. Next trip around, I'll hopefully get to check out the thousands of arts pieces Florence has tucked away in their museums.

Oh Italy, I can't wait to see more of you in the future!

Lunch at Mercato Centrale (nom nom nom)
Capelle Medicee / Museo di Casa Martelli
Basilica San Lorenzo + street market @ Piazza San Lorenzo
Palazzo Medici Ricardi
Catedrale di Santa Maria del Fioro + Piazza Duomo
Gelati (nom nom nom)
Piazza Annunziata
Piazza di San Marco + shopping along via roma
Piazza della Repubblica
Piazza della Signoria + Palazzo Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio
Dinner at Le Antiche Carozze
Ponte Santa Trinita + Museo Ferragamo
Window shopping along Via Torna Buoni
Palazzo Strozzi + Piazza Santa Maria Novella

Social Media Detox

2011-09-18T01:26:00.000-07:00

Taken at Arles, France (0711)

It's been two-ish weeks since I decided to take a break from social media, which meant:

No Twitter
Limited FaceBook (going on to do specific tasks ie: finish posting all my freaking trip pictures, & at that, limited to the weekend)
No chatting - facebook chat (which I've always hated), gmail, YM, & skype.

Twitter was harder than I thought. There were a number of times I had something I wanted to get something out of my system, or an observation I wanted to share- why it's come to the point in my life that I want to disperse these into Twitter universe is beyond me, but yes, harder than I thought. But have succeeded thus far!

Facebook wasn't too bad as I really didn't cut this out of my system completely. I cut out the "aimlessly checking for any status/photo updates" bit of it (which is also what I wanted to avoid on Twitter). I've been on once or twice a week to post my own photos or to respond to mail directed at me. Admittedly, I have been tempted to check- usually when there's something at work I'm avoiding doing, hehe. But yes, I'd think it's been a success as well!

Not being readily available on chat programs has been good too. Gives me less reason to focus on what I'm really supposed to be focusing on. I am now also in the process of decluterring the millions of yahoogroups I've been a part of since forever.

The flip side to not being connected to what everyone else is doing is that huli ako sa balita. A lot can happen in the social media world when you disappear for a while. These sites have really been a source of ready connection to the "outside" world - even reminders about people's birthdays I've left up to Facebook etc to remind me about. I still keep my Facebook account pseudo active by sharing photos - I don't want to become one of those Facebook users who annoyingly have NOTHING on their page (I have a number of friends who are like this.. you know who you are! lol). The day I stop participating on Facebook, I'll delete my account. Which makes me think, should I delete my Twitter account?

Isolating or hermiting myself away? Ehm.. hindi naman. I just want to give my life my 100% undivided attention. So I've been emailing, reading, planning, muni-muni-ing, doing little things here and there that I believe are keeping me in the now of life.

In the absence of social media, I've found myself missing people more. But I figure, if I want REAL connection, I'll drop them an email or a text message. Now whether or not they respond, is a whole other story ( ya ya ya, I know some of you know what I'm talking about!), but at least my friends know I'm thinking about them? Likewise, if people really need to find me, they'll know how to do so.

No idea if this plan is forever, I mean, I don't want to regress into a cavewoman here. But in the meantime, I do think I'll keep it up.

Summer '11: Rome, Italy

2011-09-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

I've always always always wanted to go to Italy. So when I knew I was going to Europe I made sure Italy was on the itinerary even if it was a complete departure from the areas we were coming from- thankfully my travelmates were game to head here as well. Luck was on our side when a flight from Nimes to Rome opened up A WEEK before we left!

We also lucked out in the place we stayed at (MyGuest Roma) - awesome awesome bed and breakfast. Charming charming place and perfect for our little tour group - a great mishmash of contemporary furniture, vintage pieces and quirky touches. We rented a flat so it was rather spacious. My favorite part was the living room / kitchen where we spent our evenings unwinding from a full day. Owners were awesome and took the time to really make our stay comfortable and convenient.

We figured Rome was a good place to immerse ourselves in Italian culture. Though it wasn't built in a day, we ran through all the major sites in a full day.

Colosseo
Palatino / Foro Romano
Piazza Venezia
Via Dei Giubbornari (for a bit of shopping)
Lunch at Camp de' Fiori
Piazza Navona
Pantheon
Gelato break!
Fontana Di Trevi
Piazza di Spagna
Via del Corso (for some more shopping)
And what to eat for dinner in Italy?! Burger King. lol

Not bad for an extremely hot hot hot day noh?

Neighborhood Digressions

2011-09-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Living in this area, and in my studio has it's ups and downs.

Downs? I apparently can't get cable as per my landlord's last try! Because we're only 12 units, it's too costly for Starhub to wire up this whole place!! Harumph! Will try my luck anyway and see what they say.

Another down which I was quite aware of when I came in, is of course, distance from an MRT. Bus is fine and dandy but sometimes, you just wanna get somewhere a little faster without having to pay a mint for it. Flashback to an evening I spent $50 on cab fares because I had to shuffle back and forth from the city to my home due to bad planning from my end.

One big up, is the immediate neighborhood. I like that I'm surrounded by a maze of homes. While this new patchwork of homes are ironically more magulo than what I have back home, it definitely makes my evening (power) walks feel more familiar as jogging about the neighborhood has been a long time practice of mine.

I knew the details of my old neighborhood like the back of my hand - what to expect on certain streets, and would always notice when something was different. Familiarizing myself with my new neighborhood and paving my exercise route will take some time, but just as living Singapore went from unfamiliar to familiar FAST, surely it will be the same for this.

I always find it interesting to look at different types of abodes and get a glimpse of what people are up to. In Singapore, I've found that people are not as private as in Manila.. or perhaps maybe because it's safer? While the gates are closed, many home owners leave their front doors and windows wide open.

As always, I digress. Back to "up" experiences.

I recently made my way to East Coast Park, which runs along the shoreline. It's a 15 - 20 min walk from home so it will be a nice route alternative for daylight exercise bouts (which hardly ever happen). I've seen grander parks for sure, & coming from a country with 7107 islands, it is FAR from being remotely beach like. BUT, i must give it to the locals as they seem to TRULY enjoy the space. Never mind that a major highway runs along one side, and oil tankers can be seen in the far distance on the other side - people enjoy this park like its no one's business. I only explored a portion of the park, but the little I saw was bustling! There were groups of people kite flying, bike riding, pitching tents and lolling about, picnic-ing and BBQ-ing, building sandcastles (in this little square patch of land for sand castle building, lol), jogging, skate boarding, enjoying water sports in their small man-made lagoon... the list goes on.

Lastly, another big up are the amount of doggies in the neighborhood. I seriously can't get enough of it. Every morning while I wait for my bus, I see dogs being walked. I go out for an evening jog, I see even more dogs being walked. I think on average I see about 15 dogs in the evening? Not including the doggies I see woofing at me from behind closed gates. Another special treat is the pet supply store below my studio. Owned by some peeps who train dogs for competitions, I always ALWAYS get a kick out of peering into their store and seeing their 6 look-a-like black and white doggies jumping about. I saw a help sign on their window recently and was very tempted to call. hehe.

Ups for sure outweigh the downs and I hope to God that rent doesn't go up next year as I'd like to build my home here while I'm away.

Voyage: Night Festival 2011

2011-09-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Over 2 Saturdays, some friends and I checked out Singapore's "Night Festival", themed "Voyage" for this year. It was an awesome mix of free exhibits, light installations, theatre & music performances and film showings.

Google it - you'll find lots of references that give better info as to the goings on and rationale behind the festival. I'm just hear to share my photos :)

I think what amazed me most was that it was ALL FREE and really out in the open for everyone to enjoy. And in fairness, the festival was very well attended. Many of these acts flew in from all over the world, and yet, ALL THE PERFORMANCES WERE FREE. Amazeballs. One of the plus sides I would say about living in a tiny country that give major props to culture and the arts.

We didn't stay too long both nights - just enough to catch little snippets here and there. That, plus kain and catch-up, always make for a good evening.

I love my burgers! (Meat Works @ ION)

Details (MeatWorks @ION)

In Parking Mad (Le parking en folie), Benedetto Bufalino explores the surrealist possibilities of our environment by introducing the driveway with a row of parked Volvo cars that have gone wild. Flashing lights from their windows, they seem to be engaged in frenzied conversation with one another, having been given a life of their own by the artist. (blurb from http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/)

The Shin's flutist (who looks like Tony Bourdain)

More of The Shin (fusion jazz band that combines Georgian folk melodies with jazz, famous native polyphonic singing with scat, and tunes of the near Orient and flamenco with a modern Western sound. (blurb from wikipedia)

Corazon de Angeles in Paradise: In a cinematic journey which combines music, dance, film,
acrobatics, live performance and pyrotechnics, Belgian group Theater Tol consisting of sculptors,
musicians, dancers and actors, takes the audience through a world of voyages and encounters,
fascinating and magical, akin to summer night dreams.
(blurb from http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/)

More of Corazon de Angeles in Paradise. Spectacular spectacular
using facade of the National Museum as its backdrop

Corazon de Angeles in Paradise

Niyaz's tabla player (who looks like Seinfeld, hehe)

Performance by Niyaz "mystical music with a modern edge", a blend Sufi mysticism
and trance electronica (blurb from wikipedia)

Out and about the Night Festival

Visitor!

Lyrical Perspective is a visual projection that relies on the public's voice to
distort the SAM façade. Through the interaction of light, sound and architecture in their installations,
1024 Architecture aims to cross the boundaries between real and virtual space.
Courtesy of Fête des Lumières de Lyon (blurb from http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/)

More of Lyrical Perspective

Singapore Art Museum

In Curiositiés, architect Alain Benini transforms the SAM courtyard into a dwelling for
luminous jellyfish, creating an imaginary realm which the artist invites you to lose yourself in.

(blurb from http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/)

Courtesy of Fête des Lumières de Lyon

Singapore Art Museum

Boo

Singapore Art Museum

Art corner for kiddies at the Singapore Art Museum

Animation/movie showing held inside the "Chapel" of Singapore Art Museum.
SAM used to be an all boy's school back in the day

Kulit

Even more kulit

Testing the boundaries of sexuality...

.. but quickly foiled by a kiddie! S'pore society not ready perhaps? :)

Interactive art: creating "pixelated" Mona Lisa

Kiddie face painting at SAM

Inspired by the world-renowned architect lamp, art collective TILT populates the walkway

walking through the street. Through the collective’s work on stage lighting and set designs,
TILT offers the possibility of experiencing public spaces in a new light

with Lampounettes
that illuminates and renew the experience of

Courtesy of Fête des Lumières de Lyon
(blurb from http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg/)

Summer '11: South of France

2011-08-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

Wedding we attended was in the South of France, so we stayed in the regions for a few days. There we ping-pong-ed across a few townships/towns, namely: Nimes, Caissargues, Bouillargues & Arles.

Summarizing the weekend in (my favorite) - a bullet pointed list:

Train to SoF, check in at Etap
BBQ dinner at the Duhamel home - with kwentuhan and rehearsals
Out & about in Arles (farmer's market, UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Roman Theatre, Arena, around town and Old Hospital of Arles (subject in Van Gogh's paintings AND where he severed his own ear))
WEDDING!
Out and about in Nimes (more UNESCO sites - Arenes de Nimes, La Maison Carree de Nimes)
Paella lunch in Bouillargues c/o of the Duhamels
Flight to Rome

And of course, a run down in (A LOT of) photos:

Contemplating...

2011-08-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

Cutting down on social media from my life. Twitter I can probably cut out, but facebook I'm thinking I should still maintain for (1) photo-dumping (though even this I'm thinking about), and (2) ready-venue for keeping in touch with friends. I'm pretty good about not checking when I'm at work, but usually spend a lot of my commute time (about 35 min each way), mindlessly flipping through these tools. Should just focus on living my own life as opposed to finding out what ever else is busy doing with theirs.
Getting cable. Hahahaha, yes I know, I feel like this is on the total flip side of my first bullet point. But I usually have the TV on when I'm doing chores! And would also like to have it handy for guests (like I have so many people coming over right?!). I think cable + my long overdue library membership will be good company for those days I just want to bum at home. Would you judge me if I opt NOT to get news channels? I'm thinking, cartoons (sorry, I LOVE cartoons), lifestyle, movies and educational channels. There are budget considerations of course for getting cable, so I must crunch some numbers and see how I can make it work.
Being more pro-active with planning my schedule. I've got a number of things to look forward to from now until April, but majority of these events are there because of my situation (obligations, invitations, etc), not because of any forward planning I did on my own and made happen for myself. Rather than be pushed around by my circumstance, would like to start molding my life with my own hands (wow, did that sound cheesy). Inline with this is a "just do it" attitude that I've been trying to take on for quite some time now, and ironically, a "live in the moment" attitude as well.
Regulating my hours. This includes getting out of work on time (goodluck), some regular exercise (mmmhmmm) and getting 7 - 8 hours of sleep (I can always dream can't I). Uhuh, I crave routine, and always look for it. Getting there.. slooooowly but surely

Ok, enough contemplation for the time being, there's action to be done!

Summer '11: Paris, France

2011-08-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need to, should, post about the 2 weeks I spent in Europe. Especially since it's been about a month since we arrived! But how do you compress 14 days of exploring, and site seeing and bonding with friends in one blog post?

Rather than talk, will just show you in little bite size entries :)

I've learned to travel relatively light, and have learned the importance of having luggage that is easy to maneuver. When you hop from one place to another, which I find myself doing on many of the trips I take, being able to manage your own luggage is important.

After 16 hours of traveling via Cathay Pacific to Paris, we check into Mimi & Petepete's "love nest". They very graciously offered their place to us while they went ahead to Petepete's home town in the South of France to prep for the wedding.

First full day in Paris was packed - we did all the usual touristy sites and pretty much bull dozed through City of Lights. Quite an accomplishment I think given our full day(s) of traveling the day before. Wonderful to see these sites again, don't think they'll ever get old!

Here's a quick run down:

Moulin Rouge
Mont Marte
Sacre Cour & lunch @ Petit Creux de Mont Marte
Louvre facade
Merienda at Angelina
L'Orangerie @ Jardin des Tuilleries
Champs Elysees
Arc de Triomphe
Notre Dame
Eiffel Tower

Computer Fix

2011-08-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

Finally got my hands on one of these from the office equipment pantry. So so so happy with this. I've never been happy with the distance between the laptop on the table and myself. If I bring my chair down, I feel like I'm squatting at my table. An office chair with adjustable height + this little table extension + mouse + extra keyboard are Godsend. No more placing my laptop ontop of a stack of books to get my laptop at a good level!

Yay!

Home Happiness & Then Some

2011-08-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

One last home discovery I forgot to mention in my last entry:

Dylon: my jeans stained this bright yellow silk shirt I recently bought. Was pretty bummed as I didn't even have a chance to wear it. Was wandering through a random store this weekend and found (in the arts & crafts section no less), a product called DYLON. This particular product claimed to restore "items stained by colour runs". I figured what the hell, let's give it a go. Guess what? My shirt's as good as new. Now if only I could get my hands on a product that would iron / press laundry so when you pull it out of the washing machine it's wrinkle free.

On another not so happy home note:

Iron Burn: Thrilled to finally use my mini table top ironing board from IKEA (which I think I bought more because I thought it was cute), to iron my sheets. I sat on the floor doing this only because I thought it would be easier to manage a bed sheet that way. Unsurpisingly, the iron found it's way out of my hands and onto my bare thigh. Thankfully thigh lang diba? You shouldn't be too surprised to hear though that this isn't the first ironing accident I've had - I burned my costume the first time I ironed on tour in 2001. Then on another tour in 2006 I burned my hand. Ironing burn victim twice on tour and once living on my own - I think I've pretty much given away my personal ironing habits.
Internet: the connection has been more spotty than usual. I should be grateful for the "free" internet but it's recently been getting to me. Hopefully the people providing the upgrade (fibre optics!) will do it soonest.

Home Happiness

2011-08-22T04:49:00.000-07:00

Made some recently "needed" acquisitions that sweetened my last week:

Hand Vacuum: At an attempt to create specific areas in my studio, I purchased a rug without realizing the kind of upkeep it needed. In true cheapskate style, I tried to get by cleaning the rug by brushing, sweeping, "lint-rolling"(ie: SCOTCH TAPING). All of the above took too damn long so I caved in an purchased a hand vacuum. Recently finished with it's initial 16-hour charge, it is patiently waiting for me at home so I can give it a test drive tonight.

Suction Fixtures: tried to stay away from this for the longest time as I've always found them kinda tacky. Unfortunately, I can't drill holes into my walls without having to go through the trouble of plugging up the holes when I move out. And between suctioning something to a wall, and drilling holes- suctioning was an easy choice. Hee hee. Thankfully the fixtures I found weren't too much of an eyesore. And now my mind is soaring with everything else I can adhere to walls via suction / strong adhesive. I currently have a small shelf in the bathroom and a "towel" rack in my closet. The bathroom fixture's main purpose is to provide me with a place to hang up a hand towel and my jammies, PLUS make use of some badly used space in an already small bathroom. The rail in the closet was a solution to hang used clothes for reuse (ie: jeans, etc). Will need to add an additional rail above that, as well as some "S" hooks for my necklaces. Weeee! Excited.

New Sheets: I borrowed really lovely sheets from a friend. I changed them recently with some sheets I purchased at IKEA when I first arrived here. While visually quite lovely, it feels incredibly different to the touch. Magnify that by my body's surface area. While I didn't think it would make too much of a difference, my body apparently felt differently as I tossed and turned the whole night :) So while I didn't get the exact sheets I wanted (bloody expensive!), I did get some sheets which I do think will be a nice middle ground. Never mind that I discovered I purchased a size too large when I went home, I'm excited to try them out in a few weeks. But "bloody expensive" sheets - I've got my eye on you. I'll own you one day!

I was wondering why I've recently not been too excited to purchase clothes / shoes / bags. Looks like the girlie need to shop is still there, I've just expanding the objects of my desire.

Tea Time!

2011-08-22T03:17:00.000-07:00

"Roasted brown rice & green tea" tea! Squealed with glee when I found this last week at the Korean grocery near work. This was the same place I discovered the yummy korean ice cream I was craving- and yes, I also squealed like the little piggie I can be, when I found the ice cream. If I discover that awesome Korean BBQ I had in Seoul then I'll tumbling for days!

ANYWAY, yes, very happy to find this tea. The first time I tried it was in New York. Then I remembered to look for a box when I visited Seoul last April. I relocated shortly after so never got to sample it again till I visited my family recently. It was during that time I was reminded of how yummy it was & made a note to look for it in Singapore.

While I wish one tea bag provided more cups (or in the case of my ghetto kitchen setup: bowls), I couldn't be happier to add this to my relatively bare cupboard. Warming, nutty & comforting, its a welcome switch up from my usual evening cup of green tea.

I'mmmm baaaaack

2011-08-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

After 20 days, 4 countries (yes, Manila included in that count!), 9 cities, I'm back in the Lion City - rounder, blacker, broker, but definitely refreshed and reeling from the last few weeks.

Trip was wonderful of course. Nothing like taking a break from routine and getting to know the world at large, while learning more about yourself as well through the process of exploration.

I originally considered flying immediately to Singapore and going to work on Friday. VERY happy that i opted differently and that I'm slowly transitioning from surreality to reality.

With my quick layover in Manila, I was able to check off some of my priority errands: family time, pamper-myself-in-Manila-because-I'm-too-cheap-to-pay-for-it-in-Singapore time, fill up on some favorite meals (homemade spicy tuna pasta, chuckie, lily's pb + baguio strawberry jam sandwich, seryna, etc). Kept it on the downlow with friends (ie: i purposely didn't see anyone) due to short time span - strangely i think seeing too many peeps would've stressed me out more than relaxed me.

I opted to head back to Singapore late Saturday evening because I wanted Sunday to prep myself for full on reality immersion on Monday; get bearings on my finances, laundry, and after 3 weeks of ALWAYS being with people, some quiet time with myself. I thought I wouldn't be too excited to be back at the loft, but pleasantly found myself happy to be somewhere that was both familiar and mine.

Just like, half the year is gone. Will hopefully be able to plan another "big" trip 3rd quarter next year.

In the meantime - let me sort through my 25 gig worth of photos...

Unwinding at home with roasted rice tea from my trip to Seoul &

bonne maman tarts (thanks for the suggestion D!) from Paris

LOOOVEE chuckkkiieee

Dinner (our usual fare of oystercake & fried rice) and dessert with J on my Sunday off

QT time!

Seryna my love! Till next time!

Packing and Other Pseudo-Related Thoughts

2011-07-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

My stuff from Manila has finally arrived! Happy to have a few more wardrobe pieces to choose from outside of the 2-weeks worth of clothes I lugged over with me when I first arrived here.

Good timing that my stuff arrived for unpacking the same evening I was to pack for long-ish trip. Amusing that the shipment arrived, only so I could bring some of it back home for my quick layover before Europe.

(Almost) set to go - one more "little" thing to get done before I go, ie: WORK.

Like all my recent trips, this is going to hit me in the face only when I'm on my way to my destination. Personal planning for a trip before was serious business - researching, surveying, etc - which totally helped build the anticipation of the trip, months before.

Now the time between booking a trip and actually going on a trip is spent.. i don't know where it's spent actually, working? Whining about work? Hehe. I still remember arriving in Seoul, shivering cold in my summer attire because (1) i didn't research on the weather, and lost (2) because I didn't research how to get to hotel. lol. Thankfully, all of my mini-adventure have worked out and I come home with lots of great memories.

Time to head to the office on this bright Sunday afternoon to iron out my work and turnover. Looking forward to seeing my family, my doggies, exploring new places with "new" travel mates, seeing old friends in new environments, going on this adventure that has been over a year in the making!

Blessed Sunday folks :)

Results Are In

2011-07-19T00:26:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!! After:

Worrying about how I'd manage the application with my new work/living situation
Worrying about how to pay for all of the things I would be spending on
Worrying about not being able to refund any of the things I had already spent money on
Booking an interview (and figuring out if I'd get all my papers done in time)
Going through the process of getting all of my papers together
Dealing with my nerves as I applied at one embassy, only to be told to apply at another embassy
Getting all my paper together AGAIN for a new embassy, and booking another interview (ie: repeat steps 4 onwards)
Being questioned at the new embassy why i was applying there and not the other embassy
Harassing people for documents and prayers
Waiting for the results of my application

I finally, FINALLY have my freaking VISA!!!!!

*cartwheel*cartwheel*cartwheel*cartwheel*cartwheel*

I'd like to b*tch about my passport and whine about how needing a visa to almost anywhere else in the world simply because I'm Filipino is beyond irritating - but I'm too happy to complain.

A group of us have been planning this trip for at least a year now - purchasing tickets, planning itineraries, booking and reserving flights and accommodations. With everything that's happened in my life from then till now, I had absolutely no idea if I'd still be able to go on this trip - but pushed forward anyway, feeling confident that it WOULD work out. Admittedly, at one point, I almost did give up. Thankfully I didn't. And thankfully, the support from the people involved has been amazing.

It's a little photo finish - finally getting a go-signal for a trip you've been planning for a while, a week before you actually need to leave? But a go-signal now is better than a no-go-signal!

Few more things to sort out before I leave, but thankfully, the biggest thing I had to sort out, has been sorted!

And in celebration of my joy, sharing a few of the gazillion pictures I took, from the some of the places I got to visit last time I was in Europe.

Paris, France

Mt. San Michel, France

Honfleur, France

San Sebastian, Spain

Bilbao, Spain

Granada, Spain

Normandy, France

Cordoba, Spain

Barcelona, Spain

Lost at Fort Canning Park

2011-07-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

I had a date to meet up with K and her family at the Singapore Food Festival. I got to Clark Quay early so I thought to explore the area a bit.

Took some more pictures of this cute building (Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts) - which never fails to make me smile every time I see it.

Then I saw stairs that lead up to Fort Canning Park. Never been, so I thought why the heck not?

Large complex and will probably go back and explore some more. Lots of people (all armed with really decked out cameras!), lots of interesting things going on. Almost lost my way as I wasn't allowed to go back the way I had come in (closed for a wedding), but finally found my way out and to my friends before it got dark.

Be(a)sty Weekend

2011-07-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

Good friend of mine was in town last weekend, so we spent some time wandering around Singapore.

DAY 1

Arab-Malay Quarters: Also known as Kampong Glam. Hot hot day so spent most of the time here along the partially shaded Haji Lane. Lovely lane with lots of interesting things to see. This was after our morning "teh tarik" (where I had spotted Anthony Bordain the week before!), and lunch at my favorite Moroccan place.

Little India: This was a quick pit spot only because we were so freaking tired by the time we reached here. We walked from the MRT all the way to Mustafa, then zoned out a nearby resto with Lasi's and cheeseballs to reenergized.

Marina Bay Sands: We ended the evening at Marina Bay Sands, exploring the giant expanse of a mall and having late dinner with a friend at Mozza Pizzeria by celebrity chef Mario Batali.

DAY 2

Orchard: After checking L into his hotel, we met up a friend for late brunch (ie: at 2pm!) at PS Cafe. I'd been hearing so much about it (and their famed truffle fries) that I thought it'd be a good opportunity as any to try it out. We spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around some of the malls along Orchard.

Lau Pa Sat: how do you not go to Singapore without trying some local fare? Stuffed ourselves silly at dinner with satay, fried oyster & carbs.

DAY 3

Din Tai Fung: Introduced L to the wonderful world of the Xiao Long Bao

Many of these places I've seen before, but as I was going there under different circumstances, it may have well been the first time.

Firsts

2011-07-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

Prepping my lunch for tomorrow and I found myself googling this:

I can scramble an egg. I learned last year how to poach an egg.

Yet how to boil an egg? Yeesh. Beats me. I may have well googled "how to boil water". lol

Finally living by myself (for real this time! not "live-by-myself-for-5-days-then-go-home-over-the-weekend-to-have-my-laundry-done-&-bring-some-food-back-to-my-studio" living by myself), I'm coming face to face with a number of "first time" experiences.

There are the big things, such as, looking for a place on your own, that really scream "INDEPENDENCE!" - but it's the smaller things, the things you take for granted, that really solidifies your status as a self-sufficient human being.

So simple that when you actually need to do it yourself, you realize... wow.. THIS is a first!

Some things that come to mind:

Buying a mop - that was first. lol
Slicing a cucumber (ya ya - i don't cook, so what)
Sewing (ok - so I put a hole in my favorite pants recently, and I have yet to actually sew up the hole, but you get my drift)
Choosing the best all-purpose cleaner
Burning my first pan
Buying my first frying pan & cooking pot (only to realize that they don't work on an induction cooker... grrr)

Thankfully, other things, such as paying for my bills, cleaning the bathroom, weren't too new for me.

I'm sure the list will continue to grow. Can't wait to add things like: roast my own chicken (in my oven toaster! ya!), change my first light bulb (no idea how I'm going to do that, but i'll cross that bridge when I get there).

Letters

2011-07-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

I remember when getting a physical letter in the mail was exciting. Heck it's still exciting.

I hear it a lot, people saying that we don't receive snail mail enough because of the internet.

I got a "letter" in my virtual inbox today and was just as excited to receive it. Thanks to social media, proper letters through email are also not so frequent anymore.

I love letters though, regardless of the format they come in. With the infrequency of it all - I'll take what I can get!

Choosing Essentials & Other Money Related Ramblings

2011-07-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

I'm on self-declared frugality for the next few months. This move, plus other financial commitments have totally kicked my butt from now till the end of the year.

Only the essentials from now till end of the year.

essential purchase #1: camera (SQUEEAAAAAAA!!!!)

I've been wanting my own camera for a long long LOOOOONGGGGGG LOOOOONNNNNGGGGG LOOOOOOOONNNNNGGG time now. So yes, this is considered essential. I was a good girl and opted for the very basic kit and held off of any other camera-related purchases. First reason was a tip I had gotten from a good friend about testing it out first and seeing what kind of photographer I'd like to be (thanks Deeps!). Second reason was well... see very first paragraph of this blog entry. There are a couple of trips I'm taking this year; some of these places I've already been too, while other places I'm going for the first time. Regardless, it'll be great to capture them with a new "eye".

essential purchase #2: eyeliner

I've been an eyeliner girl since time ~~and memorial~~ immemorial, a liquid liner girl at that. My face took a hiatus from any sort of primping over the last few years, but now that I'm in a new place... well, hopefully sowing good habits? (Yes. Make up = good habit, lol). Finishing up my stock of liquid liner (after a few months you toss it diba?) & moving to gel liner. I've heard from a friend it's wonderful so I looking forward to testing it out. This particular brand is for sure of a different caliber than my trusty everbilena liquid liner, but hey, my eyes can afford some luxury every now and then ya?

essential purchase #3: glittery shoes

I have a number of friends who would deny me being their friend for saying this but: I LOVE CROCS! They're cute & comfy - especially if you're ehm.. big boned and giant footed. But seriously, these are essential for again, the trips I'm taking this year, where I expect to do a whole lotta walking! They had the same variety but in red but I opted out. I'd hate to accidentally tap my heels together while traveling and find myself home!

And last, but for sure, not least... essential purchase #4: giant paper clips

Everyone needs giant paper clips to sort out their files - duh.

I've been eating food that doesn't need my own cooking because the 2 pans I did buy don't work on the freaking hot plate, and have been drinking my hot beverages out of a bowl. Why these aren't on the list essential purchases is beyond me - but if you haven't noticed already, I do have a skewed sense of what is essential.

Through this exercise, I've observed that 3 of the 4 "essentials" are items I've had my eye (eyes?!) on for quite some time. If I'm (1) googling it, and (2) still thinking about it months down the line, I've realized that it's something I must buy - lest I go crazy. I've known myself to visit shoes at a department store over and over again until they finally disappear and I become very sad. Hopefully I don't graduate to the likes of luxury bags or else I'll really be done for!

But seriously, on the original intent to blog about penny pinching - I've had a good look at my finances recently, and will seriously and consciously be watching my spending. I go through cycles where I diligently track and budget my finances to modes where I really couldn't care less. The discipline of learning to live within your means has been a battle I've been fighting for a while now; I'd like to think I'm getting better at it with age. So the next few months shouldn't be too difficult right?

Weekend Mornings

2011-07-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

I live for lazy weekend mornings.

Thank you "patch-of-green-outside-my-window"for enhancing my morning coffee & toast.

Happy weekend folks!

Office Sharing

2011-07-01T02:07:00.000-07:00

Someone at the office sent this out. So I in turn, am sending it out as well

I Can't for the Life of Me..

2011-06-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

... get up earlier than 7:30 am. Whether I clock in 10 hours or 5, whether I sleep with the lights on or half standing up - my mind refuses to wake as does my body.

I put on a familiar outfit and explored the neighborhood recently. But this was only because I finally had a free day over the weekend while the sun was still out.

I've always jogged late in the evening, in the safety of my village. I'd like to say it's because I get home late, but even if this is a fact, I've really always preferred night to day.

It would really REALLY be great to make the most of my day though by maximizing my mornings.

But I can't for the life of me, get out of bed earlier than 7:30 am.

Will attempt to do so again in the morning. Wonder how that will go.

New Old Friends

2011-06-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

One of the many things that has helped me transition into life here are friends.

I'm very blessed- a number of old acquaintances live in Singapore, including 2 very dear friends who have been key in my moving and settling in. As Singapore is such a popular transit locale - I've also already seen friends from back home and having visitors pop in over the next few months.

Come to think of it - I think I've seen a lot of new old faces in my last month & half here than I have in a years time in Manila. Funny how that works.

After visiting a few friends around the U.S. 2 years ago, I remember thinking to myself how it great it was to see old friends in new contexts - getting to know them outside of the world I originally had known them, not hearing about their new stories through email or chat, but actually living it with them for a few days.

Still experiencing the same sentiments now - same friends, different context. It's a lovely position to be in as you're presented with the opportunity to get to know someone just a little bit more.

Decluttering

2011-06-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Its no secret that I like to declutter.

I recently cleaned up my computer.

Before:

After:

Can't you see me turning cartwheels in my head?

Ah simple pleasures. Nothing quite like them.

Ok Ka Ba Tyan?

2011-06-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

I love seeing everyday brands doing something a little different every once in a while. One of my very first posts on this blog in fact was about the variety of Kitkat I saw in Japan.

Here's something new for me that I saw while shopping for groceries over the weekend... Yakult: original, orange, apple & grape!

House Hunt

2011-06-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

One of many things that consumed my mind when I moved, was finding a permanent place to live. I ideally had a month to find my new home. In reality, "house" hunting began 2 weeks after my relocation - firstly because I was too cheap to take on an agent to do the hunting for me, and secondly because work consumed my every waking (and yes - sleeping) moment.

I had a lot of parameters going into the hunt; and as I saw and learned more about Singapore property and Singapore living, my considerations changed... considerably.

How much was I REALLY willing to spend? Should I live with roomies, flatmates or by myself? How far away is too far? Why is rent so friggin' expensive? I'm going to save myself money and just rent a room! How near is too near? Seriously... why is it so expensive to get a place on your own?! HDB or private condo? Hells- I need to be comfortable! Maybe I should get an agent already? Will this place do? Yup, never ending stream of declarations, questions, NOISE took up the whatever brain space was not being occupied by work.

So in that time I had and opportunity to view a bunch of places, from "just beyond my budget" to "hellz no!", to everything in between. Many I considered but there were always 1 or 2 things about each place that didn't sit well with me, and ultimately kept me from wanting to seal the deal.

A week prior to moving out of my hotel - I was set on rooming with a friend of a friend of a friend.. and her friend. Pressured to find a place? Maybe. But the last place we found was real nice! Super close to work, fully furnished, in a modern apartment and all for a pretty good price! Never mind that it was smack in the middle of Singapore's red light district. Besides, the agent who posted one of the places Mom had scouted for me, that looked promising... wasn't reverting!

Two days before moving out of the hotel - said agent above reverted. Mom urged me to see it.. "you never know...". I saw it the next morning and an hour after seeing it, I sealed the deal.

Yes.. you read that right... my unit name is: Flamingo. And no, the name had nothing to do with my decision to sign the lease for this place! More like a happy bonus. lol.

Clocking in 6 weeks in Singapore, 1 week at "home"- finally finding a place of my own has been a huge anchor to the general mess of activity and emotion that's been whirling about in my life for the last few weeks. Totally looking forward to making this house into a home.

Apple Packaging

2011-06-05T01:06:00.000-07:00

I find it amusing that rather than praising the genius of the iPhone, I'm going to spend this entry praising the genius of the packaging of the iPhone.

Love it's compact size
Inspite of size, everything is organized by layer and compartments
I love that tiny little "key" that you use to push open the sim drive
I love the little folder that comes with the manuals
I love the makeshift tab that helps you lift the layers to access the compartments underneath
I love how even the PLASTIC that they use to wrap the components are specially cut and made to suit that particular element
I love how the plug has a little bed with holes so the prongs can be inserted properly and the entire plug compartment is secure

Amazingness!!!

WC Signage

2011-06-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got a little taste of signage and way finding, I've taken a strange interest in bathroom signage- at how people can take universally known symbols and make them just a little bit more interesting.

Sustainable design at Anvaya Cove, Bataan - i love how the shape of the figure matches the shape of the signage.

@ Fluid Post, a sound studio in Manila. All of their room identified in a similar manner. Very awesome.

@ a hotel in Korea. Wala lang. It was so uninspired, that it was inspiring. If that makes any sense. lol.

@ Ion Mall in Singapore. Takes on rounded lines & bright blue LED-ish type lighting of the primary signage.

Outside the bathroom door at my new work place.

Inside the same door. My favorite to date only because it's so makulit. lol

A (week)Day in the Life of Relocated Newbie

2011-05-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

I wake up in the morning now to this...

And because I generally have a hard time waking up, I had to buy myself one of these...

I hop on one of these (the bus, not the kids!)...

get off here...

walk down this street...

And make my way to my new work place...

through the lobby...

and over to my desk in the client servicing area.

I'll head upstairs....

into the pantry for some coffee in the morning...

Or a glass of wine in the late afternoon...

Lunch I'll grab in the area...

Usually some Malay...

or generally Asian cuisine...

Moroccan...

or sometimes even Mexican.

Sometimes at the end of the work day, the company will celebrate something out on the balcony,

like an upcoming trip...

for an upcoming event.

Evenings, I'll either grab dinner

or drinks (or both!) with friends...

before hoping on one of these (or an expensive taxi)...

and heading home for the evening, where I'll tuck msyelf into bed.. and do it all over again the next day.

Hallelujaha! I've survived 3 weeks of this new life I've jumped headfirst into. My old life feels like a million years ago.. and at the same time, this new chapter seems both familiar and strange at the same time.

Week 4 coming at me shortly. Will keep you posted.

textures: holy week '11

2011-05-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

I love patterns. I love textures. Here's a look at my holy week trip through design-tinted glasses.

Kitchen flooring in the over 100-year old Locsin home (Jaro, Iloilo)

Stone steps at the Talisay Ruins (Talisay, Bacolod)

Ornate old frame on wall of Balay Negrense (Silay, Bacolod)

Rosaries galore being sold at Jaro Cathedral (Jaro, Iloilo)

Exterior facade of Jaro Cathedral (Jaro, Iloilo)

Open window at Jaro Cathedral (Jaro, Iloilo)

Friends making way out of banca (Jordan, Guimaras)

Bamboo at Trappist Monk Abbey (Jordan, Guimaras)

Door at Miag-ao Church door (Miag-ao, Guimaras)

Miag-ao facade (Miag-ao, Iloilo)

Street side cotton candy as (one of many) roadtrip snacks (Iloilo)

Empty glass bottles (Jaro, Iloilo)

Light switch at Nelly Gardens (Jaro, Iloilo)

rant: phooonnneee eetttiiiquuuueetttteee

2011-05-02T02:54:00.000-07:00

So, there are a number of things I'd like to blog about given the events of the last few weeks, but will need time to compose each of things I'd like to share. Time I still have yet to make, but may not find this week.

But there is ALWAYS time to rant and share the little irritations in life that make it more... interesting? This particular one has been my flavor of the month recently:

When you're super in the zone working on something and you pick up a phone call to hear: "Helllloooo....?! Goooodd affternoooon. Thiiisss issssss blaaaah blaaaaahh. Maaaaayyyyy I plllleeeaasseee spppeaaaakkk toooooo...."

Ay yay yay! Get to the point people! And get to the point FAST!

I'm connected to the main trunk line so I KNOW i'll always get a call like this everyday. So when I'm in not in the mood, I'll never want to pick up the phone. I always do though. And when I'm in a super irritable mood, I am always so tempted to respond by putting the phone down. But I never do. Hehe :)

belated happy bday

2011-04-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

AFTER MAD RUSH OF TODAY, I FINALLY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT & BE STILL... 35 MIN AFTER THE END OF MY BIRTHDAY. MUST B SOUNDING LIKE A BROKEN RECORD ALREADY, BUT I DONT THINK I CAN EVER EXPRESS ENOUGH GRATITUDE FOR ALL THATS HAPPENED IN THE LAST 365 DAYS. READY & RARING TO CELEBRATE THE NEXT YEAR! I WRITE THIS AS I WAIT TO BOARD MY FLIGHT TO KOREA, HEAVY SLEEPY EYED, LOOKING AT A MAN WITH THE GRIZZLYIEST LOOKING TOE NAILS I EVER DID SAW, TRYING TO IGNORE THE ACHE IN MY THROAT & STRANGE SMELL OF MY NEW TRAVEL BAG AND WONDERING WHY I AM ONLY ABLE TO BLOG VIA MY MOBILE IN CAPS AND BLOCK PARAGRAPH. AND YES, NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE LONGEST RUNNING SENTENCE IVE WRITTEN TO DATE. BUT YES, GRATEFUL, EXCITED & READY FOR MY 29TH YEAR :)

simple serendipity: summer time

2011-04-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

While summer brings on crazy heat (which in turn, can bring out the crazy in people..or the crazy in me at least), it does bring out the best in Mother Nature.

Trees fat with fruit and bursting with blooms. Green isn't just green, it's GREEN. Foliage of all shapes and textures and sizes pulse with life. My gulay, could I go on...

beautiful tree i see while walking out of the village

orchid snapped during a recent shoot

fruit bearing trees in our garden

awesome tree we kept on driving by in iloilo

layers of green from a tree at the trappist abbey in guimaras

pretty pink blossoms from the trappist abbey in guimaras