Jubilant January

They say that how you spend the first days of your year is very important because it determines how you might spend the remainder of your year. I don't know if that is true but I'd like to be believe it is. I went for a mini out of town trip hoping that this year, I will be spending more time out of my hometown. Hihi. Redundancy alert!

I love waiting for the sunrise. I love sunrises more than sunsets. I am rare, you know. :) When sunsets are said to be for hope, sunrises are for  new beginnings and there is something so fascinating about beginning again. 

My January in one word is FRIENDSHIPS. I am blessed with such loving, thoughtful and funny friends. How awesome it is to be reunited with wonderful friends from the best high school years. More than a decade! Just wow!

I think it is cool when a barkada has a name. Batang '90s we are! We are a generation of boy bands and girl groups so I think a barkada name is a must-have. I have a girl group called Healthy Babies and a "boy band" called Pugad Baboy. 

Lunch Date with HB

Our conversations have evolved from puberty concerns and broken hearts to mommyhood and fulfilled dreams.  I am inspired by the lives of these beautiful women. 

We also gave Rhea, the balik-bayan, a midnight harana for her 30th birthday. So glad it turned out to be successful after all the bloopers which even required a 2-minute rule to pacify us all. We are all turning 30 this year!!! Yay!

These old photos from Rhea's baul make my heart melt. I love old photos. These unfiltered treasure give me magical feelings. We love bihon and pandesal from Canteen A. We like having 2 meat breads in Kimball Plaza. We hang out at Home Radio. We go swimming at Lagare Spring Resort and Maharlika Extension. Good ol' days!

All Kinds of Trippin' with Pugad

We visited a relatively new place in Gensan, The Peak. Love their broiled chicken!

Our water tubing trip in Maitum started with an unplanned surprise visit at our City High beloved. So many changes in the school, including its name. From General Santos City High School, it is now General Santos City National High School. Kakaproud!

Photos by Bents and Edgar

We stop by anywhere we like stopping by or actually, anywhere our driver Borj commands. It was a martial law kind of roadtrip. Haha!

My dream shots in one frame! Oh, Maasim you've been so sweet! :)

Next stop is Kiamba. I have been to Kiamba several times. It is one of my favorite destinations on my city escapes. The place is so peaceful and clean. I will never get enough of it. 

It is my first time in Maitum. People are so warm. They make us feel like real tourists. :) We drop by a mini museum located in the Municipal Hall. I love museums! I hope to visit Gensan's. Does it have one?

We also went to a Pawikan Nesting Sanctuary but we were a month earlier from the release of the baby turtles to the sea.  We mingled with the locals instead. We got a little peek at making Maitum's famous dried bangsi (flying fish). It's one of my favorites!

The children got some lessons on posing wacky and using GoPro from Borj. This was fun!

Water tubing in Pangi River at Maitum, Sarangani Province was incredible! It didn't feel as life-threatening as the white water rafting in CDO so I enjoyed it a lot. Bitin! 15-20 minutes of this kind of fun isn't enough. For the first time ever, my kinda adventurous self was screaming for more. I will really be back, Maitum!

I was supposed to write that the highlight of that day was the water tubing but I was brought back to the non-activity moments. The singing and dancing was a blast with an impressive playlist of Bent's sister, amazing voices and energy of Luv and Borj, and a not so special participation of Bents and Guimo. Our favorites were All About That Bass, Fireball, MMMBop, Bring It All Back, Stop. The 5-word storytelling game, whatever category - love story, suspense or hardcore drama, always ended up a comedy. The countless crazy side-trips were exciting. We met 7am and reached our main destination at 2pm! Thanks to our tour guide, Edgar. The no-napping rule was memorable for me. Fifteen hours of roadtrip were all for belly laughs, songs, dances, stories, craziness. We lived by the words: It is not the destination but the journey.

New Hairstyle

Cut my hair really short and had it colored for the first time evah! Not so happy with it though so I am not posting a photo here. Hihi.

Now, on to the next chapter of this year. Hello Love month!

Current Obsession: Midi Skirts

I have a current obsession with midi skirts! I found floral ones from two decades ago in my mom's closet. Yes, my mom is a hoarder and the best thing (or the only good thing) about her hoarding is me getting some hand-me-downs! It is so amazing how fashion trends keep coming back. I could not dare wearing her skirts few years back but now, they have become fashionably acceptable. Hihi. Vintage is cool! :) 

Wearing my mom's vintage floral skirt on one of
those rarest moments when I feel like dressing up.

And look at these skirt inspiration from Pinterest! Can't get enough of these oh-so-pretty skirts!!! Yay! Such eye candies! 

 

 

 

Book Recommendations

Oh young love!!! In normal circumstances, teens are the bravest to fall in love but have the hardest time revealing their feelings. Months or even years of suppressed emotions. Then an awkward revelation. Funny how these authors have outgrown the stage but still have the perfect words to describe every beautiful disaster. 

It never crossed my mind that I'd enjoy this genre. Worse, I never touched a fiction book for years (Yes! How could I?) because I was too focused in the realities of life that I forgot how delightful it is to feed my fantasies. 

Young adult novels are my current obsession because I find them easy to read. Not that the lines are just laid bare but because young love is too less of a complication. And it brings me back so much of good ol' memories causing me giggles and deep sighs. Yay!

Here are the novels I highly recommend because of the effect they have on me. :) As much as I would like to rank them, I cannot decide what standard I should base my ranking on. So this is merely enumerating with a bit of my musings. Note: All book descriptions (in italics) are from Goodreads.

1. The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

This is where my obsession all started. Needless to say, John Green has amazing ways of playing with words. He keeps me wanting from page one and gets me satisfied at the last page. I am all for fairytales. I mean, I want my heroes and heroines to end up happily ever after. And although this book does not give me that, John Green has convinced me it has to end that way. The ending is simply becoming. It is so good it breaks my heart. C'mon, tell me you did not sob!

2. Every Day by David Levithan

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

Such a wild imagination! This book blows me with surprises in every chapter I can't put it down. Once, I was reading this book while dining out. My jaw dropped to the floor when I reached Day 6015. Hwhaaat?!! No No No No! I hoped noone noticed me. :) This gotta be the most entangled situation ever but in the most appealing way. I expect (even demand) a sequel! 

3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie is a freshman.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." I will never forget this line... beautifully written. True friends are really hard to find and I am glad Charlie has found Sam and Patrick and that's how he describes a moment with them. The statement is not even intended for a couple love but it still sounds so romantic. This is not one of those fairytales. Stephen Chbosky walks us through some painful realities as he carefully unfolds sensitive topics. This book does not contain so much fun in it but is still fun to read. 

4.  Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

It took me the longest time to finish this because somehow it has too much of awkwardness in it. I cannot point out the climax. I even do not like the ending because it is painful. No, no one died but it still hurts. Me and my happy ending issue! Only because of that. Hihi. I love how it was written. Rainbow Rowell perfectly recalls how to be a teenager.

5. The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

Distance and post cards! I fell inlove with this book because of these two things. The book completely portrays the pain in anticipation and eventually, the bliss in union. Silence does not always mean absence. It sometimes means gathering of courage. If you have all the time in the world, wait. But if you have waited long enough it tightens your chest, then ask. "All you have to do is ask!" Yay! I love everything about this book. Jennifer Smith did a great job on both the travel and the love stories.

6. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming,beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

The most fun story on the list. I do not care if the story is so predictable because it ends the way I want it. Haha! (I can never give an objective review!) The book is so hilarious and romantic both at the same time. Only brilliant writers can pull that off. Oh, Stephanie Perkins. I adore you! If you want to feel good and are hopeless romantic, this here is for you! 

“I'm saying I'm in love with you! I've been in love with you this whole bleeding year!” 

“I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul.” 

“Will you please tell me you love me? I’m dying here.” 

Let us all  never forget how it is to be young and to be free to love however we want. Enjoy reading!!!

Frozen Blue Birthday

Some people are worth melting for.  Olaf is definitely right! I'm melting for the ever sweetest Math and IT people who put up a Frozen-themed party for Laiza and me! The floating snowflakes, the flying Olaf, the Elsa and Anna cake topper, the colorful balloons! Wow!

It is a usual phenomenon in the office to create something for the celebrators. Thus, I was not supposed to be surprised anymore. Although I did not have expectations, I still felt that they surpassed my expectations. That feeling!!! 

Ems as Elsa and Laiza as Anna :)

Frozen birthday party

Everyday, I am grateful for this job and the people who surround me in it. It is not always a perfect working relationship, like any other relationship but we manage to grow together through love and respect. You are all so special to me!!! Thank you for your creative minds and hands. It was another sweet surprise!

For the record, Laiza and I did not talk about our color of the day. It's just that great minds think alike. :) We were feeling extra playful that day so we thought of having an impromptu photo shoot. Coordinated dresses, birthday balloons, a scarf turned table cloth turned picnic mat, a natural  green backdrop, a willing photographer, and we were good to go!

 

It was too much fun for a first time!!! Birthdays are the second most wonderful time of the year!