Shoot at life's complexity

Better late than never

2012-02-01T00:51:00.004+08:00

Among two things, school has probably taken most of my time right now. Projects here, papers there, everyone's been too much preoccupied. Anyhow, I'm still extremely grateful for everything that has passed :)

And I know it's LATE but here's how we celebrated the eve of the Chinese New Year and my mother's birthday at Claire De La Fuente's Grill and Restaurant. Yep, you read that right! It's basically one of the infamous singer's restaurants and it's located at Diosdado Macapagal Avenue near Seaside Boulevard in Pasay City.

While being so eager to fulfill my stomach's desires (MEHGANON), I waited first for the my relatives to look for our viands-in-mind's ingredients and after, made the people there at the restaurant cook for us. The food they prepared were somewhat salty but they were really good! :)

Imagine to our surprise when, while waiting, they had this dragon dance presentation! I was quite fascinated 'cos, despite my father being half-Chinese and all, it was my first time to watch one live! Well, maybe, that dragon dance at school was first but their dance was too far for me. Haha.

That traditional Filipino birthday dish --- pancit! Pampahaba ng buhay!

Buttered shrimps

Sinabawang halaan. Para sosyal, seashells! Charot!

Steamed Lapu-Lapu with Oyster Sauce

Tuna Belly!! Forever favorite :)

Inihaw na pusit

We had a really great time at the restaurant and the waitress who served us was so friendly, she even took photos of my family :D You guys should try this "dampa" experience over at Claire de la Fuente's Grill and Restaurant! Plus, I thought that it was really a nice sight to see other people coming together at the place.

PS: I think I might go for a semi-hiatus and focus more on my very thrilled school life for now. T_T

With this I shall draw.... maybe, not.

2012-01-18T15:18:00.001+08:00

keep drawing from studio shelter on Vimeo.

I'll say it: I can't draw and this is just downright frustrating. I've attended once a sketching class when I was around 8 or 9 years old, those with sketching, shading, nigahigawhatnots, but, sad to say, I never was able to bring anything after it. In short, it never entered my innocent mind to do it else to develop it... if I did have any of "that" talent. I suck at drawings or anything related to that.

So if you can draw, I TRULY COMMEND YOU. No pun intended.

Found this at Jonver David's blog, by the way.

Oh boy, Teriyaki Boy!

2012-01-14T18:14:00.003+08:00

Just as was expected, various social networking websites were bombarded with posts about three words: "Friday the Thirteenth". This significantly reminded me of our recent lesson in PhilSoc about folk Catholicism, of how Filipinos can believe Roman Catholicism and of how we can manage to bring attention to these superstitions at the same time.

Anyway, my earlier part of the day consisted of me being able to enjoy reading Dante's "Inferno". Dorky and nerdy, yes, but the fact that I'm enjoying it surprised me as well! Maybe it's that thought that you gotta learn to love what you're doing. Meanwhile, I went to school for only one class for the latter part of the day, my PE class was a freecut. Fortunately, when I was dying of boredom at home, my parents agreed to dine out for dinner at Teriyaki Boy, SM Megamall.

Despite the "need" to eat sushi yesterday, I couldn't because of my asthma attacks :( So I ordered a beef dish instead, Sukiyaki Beef Teppan Don! And, thanks Teriyaki Boy, for having the healthy Asupara Bacon Maki to somehow substitute my sushi craving. Here are photos, I hope you'll be hungry by the end of this post. Hahaha!

That fetish for taking photos of cartoons found at a number of restaurants.

Asupara Bacon Maki

Gyoza

Dynamite Roll (which I ate, btw, even though I was not allowed to)

My order: Sukiyaki Beef Teppan Don

Mother only order the maki for herself. Diet, 'te? While my father ordered a ramen which I couldn't remember what was the name. I wasn't able to take a photo of it, though. Then again, all of what we ordered were really tasty and was worth it. Even the waitress who served us throughout our meal made sure that we ate heartily by prioritizing our demands. Naks, mehganon? Miss, can you make kuha me some tissue? (Ugh, the effect of those conyo tweets!)

That's how I spent the so-called Friday the 13th! Oh, there's two more coming our way this year... after 13 weeks. So, watch out! Hahaha, I'm kidding. Have a great weekend, everyone! :)

The last pieces

2012-01-09T21:41:00.001+08:00

I've been meaning to post something like this for the past week but guess what, I might've lost the momentum to do so but here it is... a post-Christmas season syndrome! :)

That surprise gift from Love Diva Philippines!
Imagine my surprise when Bloggers United sent me a tweet about this.

Kimono-ish cover-up from Celine! My mother was hesitant to buy this at first and then when she saw me wearing this, nag-iba ang ihip ng hangin. Haha!

Haven't tried this on yet but this was from my friend, Kristine. However cracking nail polishes are magical! I've used The Face Shop's and I didn't feel anything but to be mind-blown.

One of the pieces I managed to hoard in my mother's age-old closet.

Staedtler pens I got from Dani from our high school Christmas party!

Aside from two cute notebooks, Nixie gave me this tomato pen!

Now one of my abused bags which I use in both going to school or casual walks.

From one of my uncles.

And to add, I finally have a copy of Haruki Murakami's "1Q84" from DJ during our block Christmas party. Too bad I wasn't able to have a photo of it but who knows if I'll post it one of these days when I start to read it!

That's probably it for today 'cause I can't manage to tire myself too much because of asthma attacks :( I hope I'll get better really soon, though :)

Have a great day, everyone! :)

Have a happy Yabu new year!!

2012-01-03T23:40:00.000+08:00

Just in time before the year ended, I won this amazing giveaway at Keigh Jalbuena's blog to dine with her (and the boyfrind) at my favorite Japanese restaurant, Yabu! For the record, I swore to myself that I would eat there again after my parents and I did before Christmas. Fortunately, I've been always active in Twitter and tada!

But I forgot to bring my trusty camera :( Thank God, Ms. Keigh had one with her!

Mandatory solo shot? Haha!

What I ordered was the Fish Katsu Set (90g).

Trying out to mix this awesome sauce... literally.

More of the katsu craze!!

Red/pink ba color of the day? Hahaha!

I was surprisingly was in the mood for the entire day 'cause I was feeling annoyingly groggy with the lack of sleep. Oh, and I really enjoyed the hearty meal! :) Thanks again, Ms. Keigh! Don't forget to check out her blog [keighjalbuena.blogspot.com], okay? :)

Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

KyuSiHyuk in Manila Fan Account 2011

2012-01-03T13:31:00.001+08:00

Disclaimer: This post is about my sole, "strongest" fandom in the KPop arena: Super Junior. Read if you must! :)

2011 was undoubtedly an unforgettable year for many of us. Endless opportunities, disappointments and regrets were sure part of it but was it only last year that we had the same hopes and dreams to accomplish in the future? Was it also around last year that many of us made resolutions which we promise to strive hard for?

2011 is what we can now call... "a year that was".

For the very first day of January, my family and I visited my grandparents at the Manila Memorial Park and had some "chill" time around the place. Fast forward to arriving home, my Twitter timeline was flooded with KPop fans spazzing about Siwon coming here in the Philippines. Even @PublicityAsia was able to make some noise by making ELFs (Super Junior fans) speculate if Siwon's going to be the next Penshoppe model next to Ed Westwick and Mario Maurer. This didn't bring about a good effect, though. Anyway, I was enthralled by the thought of the huge possibility of Siwon actually coming here after I read his tweet about coming to Manila:

It was all really sudden that my heart skipped a beat. Seriously. Nobody could believe it at first either. One of my friends from Daily KPop News tweeted if anyone could search of the departure schedule in the Incheon airport's website to see if any of the flights was directly to Manila. Blaming my curiosity and want to confirm this, I immediately consulted everyone's best friend, Google. Yep, there's a flight to Manila and it's just in time compared to Siwon's tweet. It was confirmed, he was to fly here for some agenda. What? No one knew. With whom? No one knew either.

Rumors went on as long as I can remember:

a. there are 3 members who were to come here --- Siwon himself, Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk
b. after an hour, there are 4 --- the three mentioned above plus their leader, Leeteuk.
c. Siwon and Vice Ganda will be both in Showtime (to this, I think this made a huge buzz because of a supposed to be troll tweet or maybe something else)

d. Siwon would be advertising for Penshoppe. ELFs were so much pissed at this giving them either hope or disappointment. You figure out why.
e. After the news of Eunhyuk leaving for Korea last night for his musical, FAME, rumors started about Sungmin and Leeteuk coming here (was it Leeteuk?)

THE LIST GOES ON.

Then again, it was only the first one which was true. Only Siwon, Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk were the ones who made it here.

Upon arriving at the airport, he tweeted a photo of the very much embarrassing arrival area of NAIA. Parang dugo't pawis ang pagpila diyan ah! Other fans also expressed embarrassment of the same thing.

As soon as I woke up, I checked my Twitter for any updates and much to my surprise (again! Life's too full of surprises eh?), he tweeted a photo of their hotel view which I guessed was POEA but I guess I was wrong after reading other people's statuses. It was in Makati, though. One post said it was at some place called Fraser Place near Makati Shangri-la. Anyway, after a while, he posted yet another Twitter status that they were at Orchard Road Metro Manila. Guess what my reaction was? Here goes... "what the fu... may Orchard Road sa Pilipinas?" and I searched Google for it. Much to my surprise, there it is! In Eastwood! Eastwood! A jeepney ride away from my place! HAH! Pero wait, tinatamad ako. The feeling I had was my usual "gusto-kong-gawin-pero-tinatamad-ako" however, the former part played its role right and made me go straight to Eastwood as early as 9AM. Tamang lakwatsa lang. Haha. Based from the photo, I deciphered it was in City Walk 2 and made the cab (I had no time to ride a jeepney!) go straight there.

I walked as fast as I could. I made sure I wouldn't look like a fangirl (based from experience) as I brought a large bag with me.... and even brought my school readings! I expected that there wouldn't be more than 10 people in the area but man, I was wrong. However, I felt glad I was one of those people who first encountered them during the day!

When I finally found a place "comfortable" enough to see them, I wasn't able to see them at first but when these girls gave that screeching-ish sound, I knew they were coming out! My hands were shaking, I can't stand still and my heart's just blah. Although they weren't complete, seeing them three was already an accomplishment. I still wish SS4 would be a dream come true for every Filipino ELF.

I swear seeing them outside the concert arena was different! I wasn't very fond of Siwon but when I saw him like a hundred meters away from me, shocks, ang gwapo mo pala. And he was espasol white! Dang, you do really look like a big company's CEO. You should've ditched that chef uniform. Haha, I'm kidding.

There was Eunhyuk. I didn't get to see him at first but knowing that he was with them, I searched for him and there he was! Hyuk actually looked liked a kid for me but he looked tired :( And in between takes of their chicken dance which I was able to memorize after too many repetitions, he cutely dance f(x)'s Hot Summer... or his choreo for FAME. His body wave was...!!!

Kyuhyun! Kyuhyun seriously looked the most tired of them three. Or sleepy at the very least. Fans were waving at him but still, he's too cute :)

These photos, I still stare in disbelief. I can't believe I actually saw them again! On the emotional side, I feel like crying for this opportunity, that these guys made my Christmas break worthwhile. It was like one in a million chances that they would go here but there they were, right before my eyes, filming their KyoChon Chicken CF. I may have not been able to touch them or even hug them, the sight of them contents my heart the most. That's what I think matters the most. I feel lucky :)

To the accounts who have posted these in their respective pages with proper credits, thank you so much for doing so! It's most highly appreciated and encourages me to strengthen my stalking skills. (HAHAHA forthelulz)

PS: If I manage to remember anything else, I'll edit! :)
PPS: As for people who might take notice of grammatical errors, labyu.

Late Christmas and early New Year greeting, literally

2011-12-30T12:46:00.001+08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND A

HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)

That timeless saying goes, "it's better late than never."
So here's a greeting, at least!

High school never ends :)

2011-12-26T16:18:00.002+08:00

For a couple of failure attempts to actually meet up before December, it finally happened last December 20 and 21! We ate at Banapple prior to that, though. [See that here!]

My morning that day was made up with the usual --- the hesitation of leaving my bed and just staying there for the day but then, this text from Nixie reminded me to prepare myself already for our Christmas party together with Patty, Dani and Leah. Pack, pack, pack... for the sleepover.

When I arrived at Nixie's house, I was welcomed by that Kokey movie she was watching at that time. I never actually watched Kokey before but, wth, was time that fast? My initial reaction was, "bakit ang bata pa dito ni Carlo Aquino?? Matagal na ba yung Kokey?" After slightly making myself interested in the movie, we went to Leah's house and decided to chill at Happy Lemon Eastwood with Mich. Right after, we strolled around the City Mall, specifically the pastry bazaar thing. Although I was very enthusiastic about buying either mochi or French macarons for desert after eating at Kogi (a Korean restaurant), I couldn't because nagrereklamo na ang tiyan ko. lol. Patty and Dani arrived then we got back to Leah's.

There was a great number of food --- salmon sushi, pizzas, red velvet cupcakes, baked mac, etc. --- that we hardly can take any more that we ate ramen before eating those. Right after dinner, we went straight to their sala to play The Millionaire's Game.

The game where all of us got bored with... The Millionaire's Game. Hahaha

For the most part, though, we talked through funny high school moments and.. uh, helped Nixie with her thesis introduction which was funny because despite her motivation to finish it early, Mich's laptop (which Nixie was using) became the laptop ng bayan. Some of us took turns using Facebook and Twitter. Anyway, we also had that exchange gift thing! And I got... Staedtler pens from Dani which were awesome since the ones I have are beginning to empty or to dry out :D I'll probably include that in my next post!

Moving on, here are photos from the small gathering we had:

Taken by yours truly :)

Made by Leah! These salmon sushi were awesome :)

All photos from the fabulous photographer, (naks!) Michelle Robles :)

Not again that another proposal!

2011-12-26T09:21:00.003+08:00

Because I still can't get over this video. I even cried during the first two times I watched it :( I came to see something about this event at Tricia Gosingtian's blog about that post about her recent visit to Malaysia when she met up with one of its prime bloggers, Cheesie. Coincidentally, Cheesie's the best friend of the girl in the video, Audrey Ooi Feng Ling! So, yeah, if you wanna go through a slower version of the movie, you can browse the memes used by her fiancé, Tim Tiah (who, btw, is one Nuffnang's founder), at her blog [here]!

Too sweet/cute for words. Gives me another reason to be frustrated in life (Haha, I'm kidding!) Then again, congratulations for their engagement! We all hope for the best :)
Ok, back to my own life...

Bloggers United and Moonleaf Tea Shop: United for a cause.

2011-12-22T15:58:00.001+08:00

Moonleaf Tea Shop in cooperation with Bloggers United: An Interactive Shopping Affair, Punchdrunk Panda and more, invites everyone to shop for a cause!

Visit Moonleaf Maginhawa tomorrow, Friday December 23, 2011 at 10am til 6pm. Meet your favourite bloggers and do some last minute Christmas shopping for a cause.

Mr. Johnoy Danao will also be on hand to serenade kind-hearted shoppers starting 5PM!Proceeds of the sale will be donated to the#Sendong Relief Drive.Give the gift of life, shop at the Bloggers United + Pop-up Bazaar!

Bloggers who will be selling fabulous pre-loved items include Ana Gonzales, Aisa Ipac, Melai Entuna, Ava Te, Sarah Tirona, Lissa Kahayon, Thysz Estrada, Nicole Santos, Jonessa Mendoza and Paul Jatayna.

https://www.facebook.com/moonleafteashop // https://twitter.com/#!/moonleafteashop
https://www.facebook.com/bloggersunitedph // https://twitter.com/#!/bloggers_united

Semi-block Christmas party

2011-12-22T14:42:00.002+08:00

Last December 14, just right after our University Sports Day, we got ready for our block Christmas party at the nearest getaway place of the year: Eastwood! Since we all met up really late, around 10 PM, we decided to have our annual FGF event at Happy Lemon. Bought drinks, took photos while apparently noticing the floral trend during the night and impersonated who we were able to pick.

Oh, and the dress that I wore was the one I bought from Tracy Ayson! :) My mother even liked it1

Chary, Enchees, Irmay and I

Anne and I

We missed the others! :(

We gals :D

Thank you, DJ! :) Haruki Murakami's 1Q84.

Others left early while we stayed there for a little longer and ate first at Tokyo Tokyo (awwgawd, I missed their sushi!!). Homer and Chris decided to go their own way so us two females returned to that drinking place of which name I can't really remember. Went home around 2AM.

Unedited photos from the bagong-bago, wala pang gasgas na camera ni Chris Tenchavez! Thank you :)

Hello there, Christmas. (Part 2!)

2011-12-22T14:20:00.000+08:00

Finally a chance to post these blessings over here :) The Christmas season has already given me its taste over the past week! Reunion here and parties there left my wallet with ease! It's all happening so fast but one just can't reject blessings, can we?

I apologize for the lack of posts here in this blog. Schedule's *coughs* somehow did not permit
me to take a long break from it. Plus, we have this supposed to be programming thesis thing due first thing when we go to school this January.

Both accessories from Jessica Viray's shop, The Bling Project. Thanks to the P500 GC courtesy of Multiply as one of the major sponsors during the Bloggers United 2.

Macarons de Paris? Nah, think again! These are My Heavenly Desserts' [FB] delectable and colorful cake poppers given to me by my then really mysterious FGF for my block's Christmas party (Haha!)

What I recently found (lol) in the Izzo bag I posted here from Ate Anna. I opened the bag's pocket and then, chiching! Thank you so much :) Late ko nga lang napansin even though I've already used it for a couple times already. Haha. I really appreciate receiving letters of any size :)

~~Kahit pa galing sa bangko yan, okay lang~~. Chos!

Drowning Equilibriums x TLTSN

2011-12-21T21:39:00.001+08:00

Just in time for the holidays, Aisa Ipac of Drowning Equilibriums [ipaxme] and the newly-opened The Little Things She Needs are giving away a P1000 gift certificate for a lucky reader!

I was window-shopping a while ago in Galleria and this recently-opened store simply caught my eye with the simple yet quirky ambiance. They're also having a 2 for P1,199 promo for the flat shoes section! Their bags and of course, accessories were very eye-catching and definitely a must-have.

The saleslady's "uniform" was fasyon too with the matching scarf!

PS: New post in a bit!

Of early Christmas happiness. (Part 1!)

2011-12-13T23:55:00.000+08:00

First week of December, I couldn't ask for more! :) Even though my awesome-estest subject Software Engineering tortured me until yesterday, keri lang with life.

So here we go. I received two packages last Friday from Anagon Collection (anagoncollection) and Ate Anna Esguerra (so-stellar.org). Bongga, parehas pa sila ng name!

First was the necklace from Anagon Collection which I ordered

during Bloggers United 2 courtesy of Multiply.

Izzo camera bag from Ate Anna

Charm bracelet from the berdeng burol (Greenhills)

Catchfire shirt!

Family Reunion

2011-12-12T21:14:00.001+08:00

Once every year, family reunions just can't go missing! Last Sunday, the annual reunion for my mother's side was held in Cattleya Resort at Antipolo. 'twas somewhat similar to a private house resort.

Basically a hint of what I wore

This deserves to be black and white :p

With cousins :D Photo from Ate Che.

Food, food, foooood!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :)

Yabu, Megamall!

2011-12-11T00:41:00.001+08:00

My parents and I decided to "joyride" along the streets of Ortigas after attending an anticipated mass.

(Note: I apologize for the lack of consistency in the editing of my photos)

We primarily went to the Port88 Bazaar at the Megatent near Renaissance Hotel in Meralco Avenue. However, due to my father being uninterested about it, we decided to just go to Megamall. We ate dinner first before strolling around the mall. Guess where we ate? :D

Yes, finally! If you're a Twitter follower of mine, you might've already sensed my so-called "desperation" to dine it at this restaurant. Well, frankly, I think a small part of it was that freaking bandwagon and the rave that's been continuously going on with various blogs. On how the taste was so mouthwatering and everything being worth it. I had to see to believe it. Then again, I'm a huge fan of eating at non-mainstream restaurants... I simply want to try everything out. Yup, even though I tell my friends that I'm going *coughs* "vegetarian".

Papa wanted me to choose what to eat. But as you can see, siya na lang ang gumawa. Haha!

Awkward smile ang peg ni mother!

Tonkatsu-themed comics displayed on the walls of the restaurant

Organized set of condiments

Orders up! Chicken and seafood tonkatsu for the win!

And an order of Rosu Tonkatsu! Yuuuum!

The meals were with a set of fruits --- watermelon and pineapples --- and shredded cabbage.

After, we were served free ice cream while filling out the survey since they were still undergoing a soft opening. What's somewhat unbelievable for me is that even though it was already 9PM, there were still lots of customer plus considering the fact that it's only a soft opening! Way to go, Yabu! :)

I definitely had the best bonding moment with my parents earlier! I'll definitely eat there again with friends the next times I'm going there this month.

いただきます! Itadakimasu!

Stop, breathe, don't think.

2011-12-09T16:20:00.001+08:00

My mother asked me ten years ago, “Nature lover ka talaga ‘no?”

Ever since the world has increasingly motivated itself to be physically civilized, it seemed like we have lost control of whatever we might have held before --- our childhood, a relieving sight of the genuinely green environment and maybe, just the simple happiness we can see from the faces of the strangers we've met. Although I’ve lived almost two decades of my existence in the city, I must have discerned a hundred times of what would it feels like to live in the province or simply a place with only the nature to appreciate --- bright blue skies, gracious flowing waters and fresh air.

Nature will never cease to amaze me. And my reply to my mom? I just smiled. Yes, I do love nature.

Port 88: Ready, Set, SALE! Bazaar

2011-12-08T01:52:00.001+08:00

The  LiST  Group is  an  innovative  lifestyle  and  events  management  team,  composed  of  dynamic,  young  and  fresh  individuals  graduating  from  top  universities.  The  LiST  Group  is  the  industry’s  forefront  in  creating  exceptional  themed  events.  It  prides  itself  in  innovation  and  organizing  events  that  are  out  of  the  box,  which  leave  its  guests  with  a  unique  and  memorable  experience.  Some  of  our  past  projects  include  The  Mommy  Diaries:  A  Lifestyle  &  Wellness  Expo and  I’m  Shoe  in  Love:  Find  Your  Perfect  Pair.

In  line  with  this,  the  team  will  be  partnering  once  again  with  the  ICA  Alumnae  Association  (ICAAA)  in  organizing  a  lifestyle  bazaar,  PORT 88:  Ready,  Set,  SALE!,  now  on  its  second  year.  The  event  will  be  held  on  December  10  &  11,  2011  from  10:00am  to  10:00pm  at  The  Megatent  Events  Venue  along  Meralco  Ave.    The  event  will  feature  both  big  commercial  brands  as  well  as  everyone’s  well‐loved  online  brands.  With  more  than  150  booths  of  shoes,  fashion  apparel,  children’s  toys,  house  ware  items,  sporting  goods,  food  and  many  more,  Port  88:  Ready,  Set,  SALE! will  definitely  be  a  great  shopping  experience!  Enjoy  the  great  finds  as  participants  put  items  on  SALE  and  launch  new  products  during  the  event!  And  to  make  this  edition  of  Port  88  even  more  exciting,  there  will  be  a  FREE  GIFT WRAPPING  SERVICE made  available  to  all  ticket holders!

Confirmed  concessionaires  to  date  include  Hang  Ten,  Goody,  Sunnex,  Chef  Tony’s,  Gola,  Rudy  Project,  Philips  Avent,  Suki,  Shoo  In,  Cole  Vintage,  PunchDrunk  Panda,  Trunk  Show,  Holic  Accessories,  School  of  Satchel,  Sophie’s  Mom,  My  Fancy  Flats,  The  Little  Black  Shop,  Apartment  8,  Bachelor’s  Pad,  Loop,  Everybody  Needs  A  Pair,  Island  Girl,  Happy  Feet,  Erzullie,  Hebe  Manila and  many  more!

For more information, you may visit the following links/pages:
http://www.facebook.com/PORT88?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/events/125452854207120/?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/groups/171543586192363/?ref=ts

I've got package!

2011-12-06T19:57:00.001+08:00

Look at what's in the mail today!! It's from Bea Manzano's NYX Cosmetics x Digital Traincase giveaway! This really lightened me up from this headache I had a while ago since I have that fetish for everything that can be delivered through snail mail :) Thank you, Ms. Bea and Digital Traincase for this!

Moving on...

Lipliner Pencil 811 Nutmeg, Auto Eye Pencil Silver and Auto Lip Pencil Cappuccino

Lipgloss galore and eye make-up galooore! :)

Don't forget to follow and check out Ms. Bea Manzano's blog for more make-up and beauty ideas! As well as to find time, and chillax while visiting Digital Traincase's ONLY branch in Eton Corinthian Cyberpod, Ortigas. More info about their products at their Facebook page!

One can only live once, kaya girls (serves also to remind myself. Haha!), prettifying one's self won't do any harm! :)

Blessed!

2011-12-05T02:14:00.001+08:00

Earlier this evening when we finally became Web civilized here in our new home, I was so surprised because I saw this at Anna's blog:

And Bea Manzano from makemecolorup texted me because:

Call it mere luck or whatever but thank you so much, Lord, for these early Christmas gifts! Baka sign na 'to na kailangan ko nang mag-ayos ng sarili. Hahaha!

PS: Last na, Lord. Can I have Asianvogue GC/s too?

Bloggers United 2!

2011-12-04T19:09:00.001+08:00

I knew I had to go here.

Right after class, with which I can say that I'm very lucky that it ended too early for our 12NN dismissal, I briskly walked to Shang to ride the MRT to Ayala and ride the shuttle going to Market! Market! I was fortunate I was a little bit experienced going around The Fort area that I didn't get lost. Thanks to the shuttle signs, though! :) At kay manong guard.

Back to the first line, I undoubtedly knew I had to be at the Bloggers United 2 at Treston College International. It wasn't primarily because of me being unable to attend its first installment but for the reason that I think I finally found what I can enjoy for the mean time at the very least. And despite being the sun overly being... sunny... I took photos while I walked through the streets near the venue!

Oh. Yes, I was alone but still, it wasn't enough reason for me to not enjoy the event! I saw my good old friends (not literally, though!), Czarina, that chinky-eyed girl we were with at the Love Diva PH event (sorry, I couldn't remember :() and Aly with her friends.

Here we are! Treston College International!

The food stalls (DQ, Mrs. Fields and Red Mango among others)

outside Treston's multi-purpose hall where BU2 was held.

To the right of the entrance was Meg Magazine's stall.

They gave away magazines of their September 2011 issue!

Tracy Ayson's stall

Kryz Uy's area

That necklace I spotted...

Lovely couple, Seph and Shai's area near the stage

Look who I "spotted": Laureen Uy

I got a P500 GC from Multiply! (Follow them on Twitter) Thank you also to Ate Ana for this :)

I bought accessories from Anagon Collection and The Bling Project!

Tin Iglesias' stall

Clothes, clothes, clothes and travel bags I spotted everywhere... Hahaha

HAHAHAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY, ANAGON COLLECTION! :)

Divine Lee and Laureen Uy for the Nikon segment

Tomato stall. They gave away bracelets!

Before finally leaving the event after 4 hours of taking photos, stalling, browsing through the stalls and ordering from Multiply stores, I knew I needed to also have photos of these awesome bloggers who made this event possible.

Meet my ate. Chos!

Yayy! Photo with the ever-talented Reese Lansangan!

Ms. Style and Soul, Melai Entuna.

One of the organizers of this event with Aisa Ipac and Ana Gonzales.

Beauty blogger Marj Sia

Valerie Chua was there too!

Of course, David Guison! Lissa wasn't there when I approached their area, though :(

Ms. Aisa Ipac

There was this Christmas cake thing event at the lower floor of Treston

wherein various schools designed their cakes.

Look at who I saw before leaving! Ms. Kookie Buhain!

To the whole Bloggers United 2 team (Ate Ana, Ms. Melai, Ms. Aisa and other staff and bloggers), I just have to say that I know everyone had a blast during the event! It was a success not only to give fasyonistas an opportunity to meet their local fashion idols and buy much cheaper pre-loved items from them but it lived up to its name.... Bloggers United, indeed! :)

One of the things I bought: this mini dress from Tracy Ayson's booth.

Flaming Wings, White Plains

2011-12-02T12:55:00.001+08:00

By now, you guys must've already noticed my first love: food. I know I should probably have to save up all the appetite for the whole Christmas break but just so you know... it's gonna be one of the hardest things I'll have to do. Haha!

Yesterday, instead of pushing through with our supposed to be adventure at the Meralco building and El Pueblo in Ortigas after school, two of my friends --- Anne and Dale ---- and I opted to eat out at the newly opened Flaming Wings in White Plains, Quezon City. It's still on a dry run mode.

Chicken Tenders ordered by Anne. Dale chose the same but with a different flavor.

For a change, I put my newly vegetarian-slash-low carb diet to the side for a while and

ordered this Seafood Marinara. The serving was waboosh --- di ko naubos. Haha!

This, you can't definitely miss at any Flaming Wings branch!

Their specialty, the infamous Wicked Oreos with ice cream.

The difference between the Katipunan branch which I've gone to was that the White Plains branch had less people. Maybe consider the fact that it's not so much near to a more commercialized environment? The servings were, however, less than the former's. My tummy's more than satisfied with my order, though :) And to add, the waitress there who welcomed us was like the newly installed lights in there --- so bright! Wagas ang kanyang pag-welcome!

Now I'm off to some more serious stuff! See you at Bloggers' United tomorrow! :)

Where did the banana and apple come from?

2011-11-30T21:11:00.001+08:00

So I just had to divert myself from continuously thinking about shoes, Christmas and a school paper due tomorrow. Thus, food must be my last resort.

Earlier this evening, my dinner date with Nixie, Leah, Patty and Mich finally pushed through after weeks of continuously planning which seemed to never get through our different schedules. It was in one restaurant in Katipunan which was undoubtedly not unnoticeable when people pass through the area. For one, its exteriors is very inviting with that castle-ish style and with the fact that its parking area is always full! Then I wondered what's this thing about Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes.

While waiting for Mich. Nixie, Leah and Patty!

We ordered our respective food from this cozy counter. This menu isn't complete though. They have this separate one which they give out upon entering the restaurant.

Baked Creamy Cheesy Penne (P185)

Fettucine Jacinta (P170)

Fetuccine Magnifico (P170)

My order: Banapple's House Salad (P135)

I missed you, Nixie!

...and Mich too... and everybody else!

Yay! Hello, Mich :) Just in time for dessert!

After eating our main courses, the usual chika-han session about random things went over for around two hours. And then Nixie and I finally decided to order a slice of Santa's Chipper Chocolate Cookie Cheesecake:

Despite its long name, this scrumptious slice was definitely worth it! We can't even breathe properly with what we've all eaten.

I swear we had a hard time choosing which slice of cake we should buy!

Next must-try: Potion Cake!

Of course, we wouldn't miss that obligatory group photo! :)

Over-all, Banapple is one of the restaurants which I consider to have really reasonable prices with commendable amount of serving! The waitresses were also very accommodating and friendly. However, there were times when people ordering from the counter cause the lower floor to be somewhat crowded. Then again, their servings and reasonable prices were able to make up for all of it! I should definitely go back soon.

This should be the first of the semi-gluttonous holiday that I'm expecting to have. Haha!
Happy December 1st! :)

What's a girl to do other than wish?

2011-11-28T11:43:00.001+08:00

The Christmas feel is absolutely in the air! As for that, a wishlist should be good, eh? :)

Jeffrey Campbell's Night Walk!

I swear I'm even dreaming about these for weeks already!

Canon D60: definitely my type of camera.

With 50mm lens na din, please? And tripod? Hahaha chos

These Kylie G babies from Rajo! for Parisian

That cape, those cutie patootie booties, that vest!! Basically, something like Camille Co's wardrobe. Haha.

I don't know exactly what it's name is but these are singularly called "The Booty" which I found in

Inna Santiago's blog (thelittlebigspender). Oh, please do join her and RK Manila's giveaway here! :)

Lissa Kahayon's feeyyarrsssh blazer from The Ramp.

No doubt for this one :D I even asked this for our block FGF last year.

A literal money tree. HAHA! Dollars pa yan!

What I and my friends were talking about last night over at Twitter:

BB Creams! This one's a Tony Moly BB Cream Skin 79 Pink suggested by Nixie :)

And finally, OBVIOUSLY not the very least:

Another great Christmas with the family and friends! :) And for my relatives based in

the States to return home for a vacation :)

I've never really been this too much for Christmas wishes but this is what Christmas is all about! :) A new hope, not only materially, for everyone. It's a season for happiness after all!

Ok, enough with the ~*cheesy*~ parts. Haha. In advance, I hope you guys have a good, fun-filled Christmas season! :)

Peppah Lunch

2011-11-27T09:31:00.001+08:00

I know most of you have heard about those free restaurant dine-in or out options when you shop with your credit card and it's probably the nicest thing next to the fact that you're... in debt. Then again, it's food that we're talking about here and might as well make the photos do the talking! :)

Just for a brief story-slash-explanation, yesterday I was off to a Saturday family day --- a first one for the longest time --- at SM Megamall (yes, again! Hmm.. it seems like just yesterday that I've gone there). When my mother told me she's got those free stuff for Kenny Rogers, Pepper Lunch, Häagen-Dazs among other ones, I hurriedly convinced them to eat out for lunch thus:

Shake! Shake! Kani Salad -- my mother's

(I find that Shake! Shake! part really awkward. Haha)

We had two meal options and ordered them both!

Teriyaki Pepper Chicken

and Teriyaki Beef Pepper Rice with fried egg

The past two days have been quite refreshing 'cause I managed to somehow catch-up with both my friends and family.

Happy Sunday, everyone! :)

PS: I've been too "conscious" of carrying my camera lately...

You're so Peri-Peri...

2011-11-26T23:41:00.001+08:00

Ola! Welcome aboard to Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken! :)

My Fridays are typically made up of being a couch potato and starving myself because of laziness. Yes, one day, this inactivity will finally eat me up alive. Haha, I'm kidding. Well, except for times of chillaxation (wtf), parties and close-distanced events, I'm usually kicking. Chos lang, echuserang party girl ang peg ko tonight! Hahaha

SO! Moving on, last Friday I had a very nice dinner with two of my closest college friends-slash-blockmates, Irmay and Enchees at Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Megamall.

The place was seriously jampacked at 7PM!

Irmay's chicken with carbonara

Enchees' chicken meal

...and my grilled chicken salad!

Plus, that "soup and drinks all-you-can for P49" was totally worth it... at least by observing them. Haha! But seriously, everyone should try eating out at Peri-Peri for once.

Hospitable waitresses/waiters, check! Savings friendly, check! Ambiance, check! And finally...

"Eto na yun. Mura na, malaki pa serving!"

Miranda, 2011

First and counting, hopefully.

2011-11-23T15:54:00.001+08:00

I've never really posted had the guts to post any so-called outfit post before (blame my lack of self-confidence) so this'll be my first for this kind of thing lol

Lace dress: custom-made

Necklace: Love Diva

Shoes: Tinsley Shop

You can find more here, though :D

And I found these photos over at the Love Diva page! Yay!

Hello, world!

Bloggers United II!

2011-11-23T14:45:00.001+08:00

Manila’s finest fashion bloggers will leave their laptops at home once again to attend BLOGGERS UNITED BAZAAR (Part 2)on December 3, 2011 at Treston International College, Taguig, this coming holiday season.

It is the second installment of the first-ever Bloggers United: An Interactive Shopping Affair (link your past entry if you like), which was held last May. Due to insistent demand from readers and bloggers alike, Bloggers United(http://www.facebook.com/bloggersunitedph) team in partnership with the country’s largest online shopping website, Multiply Philippines (http://multiply.com/) have gathered Manila’s fashion bloggers to sell their pre-loved but very stylish closet pieces!

This event is the perfect opportunity for both bloggers and their adoring readers to mingle and personally interact with each other. Fun contests and exciting giveaways from sponsors and entertaining performances from bloggers (Walkie Talkies, Reese & Vica) themselves will definitely keep this event from being a dull one.

Some of the notable bloggers attending the event include Divine Lee, Laureen Uy, Kookie Buhain, Lissa Kahayaon, David Guison, Karl Leuterio, Patricia Prieto and Preview Magazine’s own Daryl and Andre Chang.

But because Bloggers United wishes to go beyond the geographic limitations of the archipelago and extend its reach beyond Metro Manila and so for this event, they are flying in some of Cebu’s very own fashion bloggers which include Kryz Uy, Eden Villarba, designer Yves Camingue, Gillian Uang and Mildred Zapanta and a few more.

Part of the proceeds from this event will go to the GMA Kapuso Foundation (http://www.kapusofoundation.com/) for its school building project, a small but significant step to improve the Filipino youth’s access to education.

The organizers behind BLOGGERS UNITED BAZAAR (PART 2) are Ana Gonzales (http://anagonzales.com), Melai Entuna (http://styleandsoul.blogspot.com) and Aisa Ipac (http://ipaxme.blogspot.com), a team of blogger friends encouraging camaraderie and sense of “community” among Manila’s (and eventually, the country’s) fashion blogging community through events and productions like this.

This is a one-day-only event that you shouldn’t really miss! It will be in a bigger venue with twice more the number of participating bloggers to meet! This is the perfect shopping day this Christmas because the most affordable and most fashionable clothes, accessories and footwear will be up for grabs. See you!

Bloggers United is in partnership with:
Multiply Philippines (http://multiply.com/)
GMA Kapuso Foundation (http://www.kapusofoundation.com/)
Treston International College (http://www.treston.edu.ph/)

Event is co-presented by:
Nikon (https://www.facebook.com/nikonphilippines?ref=ts&sk=app_190322544333196)
Primadonna
Accessorize (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessorize-Philippines/83267796457)
Audioline (http://www.audiolineph.com/)
Columbia Digital (https://www.facebook.com/nikonphilippines?ref=ts&sk=app_190322544333196)
ETC (http://www.facebook.com/etctv)
Meg Magazine (http://www.meggurl.com/)
When in Manila (http://www.wheninmanila.com/)
Gadgets Magazine (http://www.gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/)

In cooperation with:
Bankard
Lorys (http://www.facebook.com/loryshaircream)
Kotex (http://www.kotex.com.ph/)
Tomato (http://www.tomato.ph/)
Nail It! (http://www.nail-it-salon.com/)
Manels (http://www.manels.com/)
Ferretti (http://ferrettishoes.com/)
Giordano (http://www.giordano.com.ph/)
Lapdance (www.lapdancebags.com)
Unionbank (https://www.facebook.com/unionbankph)
Xend Business Solutions (http://www.xend.com.ph/)

Special thanks to:
Posh Nails (http://poshnails.com.ph/)
Nivea (https://www.facebook.com/NIVEAPhilippines)
SM Dept Store (http://www.smdeptstore.com/)

Online Shop Donors:
Belle York (http://www.facebook.com/SoleSisterLifestyle)
Shop Dainty (www.shopdainty.com)
Asian Vogue (http://asianvogue.multiply.com/)
F-STOP (Fashion Stop) (http://fashionstopshop.multiply.com/)
Anagon Collection (http://anagoncollection.multiply.com/)
Archive Clothing (http://archiveclothing.multiply.com/)
Extreme Finds (http://www.facebook.com/mustloveExtremeFinds)
Sparkle Shop (http://www.mysparkleshop.com/)
Flattering Tops (http://www.facebook.com/flatteringtops)
Posh Pocket Shoes (http://www.poshpocketshoesonline.com/)
Scrunch (http://www.facebook.com/SSSCRUNCH)
Sole Sister (http://www.facebook.com/SoleSisterLifestyle)
Maris (http://marisonline.multiply.com/)
Bubbles (http://tatibubbles.multiply.com/)
Sweetetite (http://www.facebook.com/pages/SweeTetite/255652547788474)

Location Details:
Treston International College
University Parkway District, 32nd Street corner C-5 Road
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila Phillipines

I suggest commuters to take the bus bound to Market! Market! from the BGC Bus Terminal. You can find the terminal when you turn right as you get down from the MRT-Ayala Station! You guys might wanna check out a more detailed route over at the blog of the Fashion Commuter herself here.

Now who's excited?

Shindangdong Makati x Tous Les Jours

2011-11-21T06:39:00.006+08:00

Shindangdong might've been your typical Korean restaurant in Makati but then again, I thought, what certainly set it apart from others was that there are tons of photographs who dined in at the restaurant from that certain time. Plus, that noticeable "to try: tteokbokki* with grated cheese" written on a white board made me definitely want to try the dish!

*tteokbokki = Korean spicy ricecake stew

The waitress there cooked the tteokbokki for us and some ingredients were rice cakes, fish cakes, ramyeon noodles, eggs and chili powder (they chose the "regular spicy" flavor for this).

The group can't certainly miss an order of kimbap! :)

Takoritang, a Korean spicy chicken stew.

Same as the tteokbokki except for the eggs and ramyeon noodles.

For every KDrama/Hallyu Wave fan, Tous Les Jours might've been the bread shop you've been seeing for quite a couple of times in various dramas and one of which is the some-kind-of-musical drama, Dream High!

Anyway, Tous Les Jours recently opened their doors to new and old Filipino foodies who might wanna try their fresh pastry products that will absolutely leave you salivating. Their first branch welcomed their first visitors last 11.11.11 at The Block at SM North Edsa and better check out their next at SM Southmall! :)

And speaking of Tous Les Jous' cute and delightful cakes, thanks to Kuya Jonah's thoughtfulness, two of my friends from my first-ever KCC class recently celebrated their birthdays with this luscious mocha cake! Happy Birthday, Ate Kristen & Patrick! :D

Forever young, Ate Kristen!

"Shy-type" daw siya, Patrick!

Dahil isa siyang dakilang tagasindi ng candles... Kuya Jonah! :)

He lit up the birthday candles for at least 6 times during that time.

Slice of cake, anyone? :)

One word: FIERCE

2011-11-18T00:00:00.004+08:00

While I may be so ignorant and outdated of the online world during the last few days because of the inexistence of an internet connection in our new home, I had the opportunity to have a photoshoot with the awesomely confident photographer-slash-model Pauline de Asis. Together with her are the kalog and model friends, Jane and Grace. It's basically for the "I Choose Tattoo" Globe Tattoo Contest. At stake are cash prizes and.... a billboard! I'm running more for the cash prize, though. Hohoho.

I, honestly, put in so much effort to be not conservative with this (haha) and without further ado!

With the help of, again, the photographer, stylist, make-up artist (and everythiiing!), these were all made possible! Make sure to visit her blog here :)

Stopped hating myself a long time ago

2011-11-13T21:57:00.005+08:00

SOOOO Before I push through with (finally) reading Dante's "Inferno" for our MedLit class, I first took time visiting my favorite bloggers' respective online cribs. One of which is Aisa Ipac's. (Click here)

And what's the latest? Her styling stint for Manila Bulletin's TRIBAL BEAT featuring Danica Magpantay! Plus, one of her assistants was Ava Te (here!), another fashion blogger of whom I've been following in Twitter and Blogger.

Here are the photos which I got from Ms. Ipac's blog.

Moving on, Fashionmonger's Nadine Natalin is having her very first blog giveaway! (Yay! Thanks for inviting me to your blog!) Join join join!! Get a chance to win these:

Cool, right? These are only TWO of what you can possibly win! So what are you waiting for? Click here NOW for more details :) Oh, and be sure to check out That QUAINT Store on FB, her sponsor for her giveaway, as the store have the cutest stuff!!

PS: Random title right there! Did that "fool" you? Haha :p

First Day

2011-11-11T07:40:00.004+08:00

, While I may be thinking why I wasn't so far neither enthusiastic nor too tired to go to school yesterday, it was my blog which fueled my senses. The continuous thinking of whether what I should post in here somehow kept me energized. For the record, I am actually in full gratitude to myself that I finally found that feeling again after how many years --- the enthusiasm for blogging. Then again, these bloggers I have come across, even at random, inspired me to get back to my thoughts, to think again and to breathe like a true blue blogger.

Speaking of the word "random", I just decided to post these scrap photos until I find another decent event to blog about namely later's Make a wish this 11-11-11 at Banchetto in Ortigas which was what everyone's raving about --- in Facebook or Twitter at the very least. To give a brief idea of what it is actually about, this event was organized to celebrate the 11-11-11 belief for prosperity while lighting up lanterns. You may view more about it here. Another perfect time to celebrate with loved ones!

Our team's prize during the Love Diva Bloggers Camp event. Story here.

Etude House's BB Cream! The one that saved me from freaky, large eyebags.

We got the DIVA going on

2011-11-08T21:11:00.001+08:00

I was never a large fan of accessories: I never wore accessories too often and all I have as my "regular accessory" is my age-old watch I got back when I was in second year high school. Anyway, it was all like that until I recently became fond of browsing through fashion bloggers' pages such as the ones of Lissa Kahayon, Camille Co, Kryz Uy among other numerous fashion blogs in my bookmarks bar.

Yesterday, Love Diva organized an all bloggers event at the Alabang Town Center called the "DIVA BLOGGERS' CAMP" wherein known local fashion bloggers with the names of Ana Gonzales, Kookie Buhain, Melai Entuna, Aisa Ipac, Ava Te, Cheyser Pedregosa, Tin Iglesias, Alyssa Lapid, Vern Enciso, Tracy Ayson, Sarah Tirona and Angel Rodriguez (effort, te?) chose 2-3 'blog sisters' to be with them during the event. Fortunately, I was one of them and proud to say that I'm one of Anagon's little sisters for the day! :)

Welcome, Bloggers!

Upon entering the store, I was dumbfounded by the accessories which appeared in front of thine eyes! They were all displayed in a really organized manner --- by colors and by style.

I really loved this! It totally stood out from the rest!

Despite the overwhelming heat inside the store, Ms. Ayet, Ms. Jaide Carpio and the other owners of Love Diva did a really fantastic job for organizing the event. As part of this camp which we really felt like it was an actual class (dapat overnight naman sa susunod para F na F! Hahaha), four of the fashion bloggers who were present talked about styling, blogging and the opportunities that may come with these.

First to talk was the ever so fierce THE Kookie Buhain! Being the possible first ever fashion blogger in the Philippines, she talked about her fashion inspirations which she often get from international fashion bloggers. Frankly, to have seen her in flesh might be an understatement as she is one of the most awesome fashion bloggers locally. Oh, and how can I forget that she's so Ms. Personality and I love the humor!

I was really inspired by her talk, as well, because I could totally relate considering that she once wore tomboy-ish clothes and that somehow kept my hopes up. In line with that, Ms. Kookie talked about her personal style which may not be as feminine as the others ("GO FEMININE!") but a style that anyone can say which can still stand out from the rest.

Second to go under the spotlight is none other than Ms. Melai Entuna of Style and Soul! She was really friendly :) Plus, she rocked her sisters' styling during the mini-styling contest with the reyna from Cotabato-ish theme.

Anyway, what she talked about was the opportunities from blogging --- fashion blogging, in particular. There were lots that she mentioned but some of which that I can vividly remember are:

1. Fashion bloggers often get invited to events... even more than what they want! These events range from store openings to book launches to fashion shows.

2. Opportunities come from a high number of traffic which these fashion bloggers get from their blogs. Some bloggers take this as an opportunity to sell their homemade accessories through their blogs and at the same time, some, like Ms. Melai, made blogging a way to endorse F-Stop, her own store.

3. Other bloggers "sell" themselves. An example she mentioned was Tricia Gosingtian who is widely known to have modeled and photographed for huge magazines and the like thus, giving herself a huge break for it!

The effortless fashionistas, as Ms. Melai puts it as she introduced them, Tracy Ayson and Tin Iglesias basically talked about their forte, styling. It was only then did I learn that styling had different classifications and what they were able to mention were those of the print/editorial, runway and commercial. For their personal picks, Tracy and Tin chose print and runway, respectively. Tracy shared to us that with print, different styles can be achieved without the readers having to know the "insides" of the photos. You may guess what they are, though :p Meanwhile, Tin, being the fashion designer that she is, liked runway styling since she loves seeing her designs being worn by the models as they walk through the runway.

Also, they were asked on how they handle criticisms which served as another reminder for both starting and blooming bloggers, in general:

"You can't please everyone."

After the talk, we had a mini-styling contest for our ~~bigger~~ ~~older~~ more mature sisters! Me and my other sisters, Bei and Bea (have I only realized now that they're both Beas) came up with this:

We really had no plan in mind when we came up with this except for Bea's bohemian theme. Our "headdress", as you might've noticed isn't really one, same as the ones that served as Ate Ana's "belts", are necklaces. The feather earrings, tons of bangles and rings were part of the Anagon-like style. We're really glad we were able to match our styling with her personal style! :) And then...and then...

Lo and behold! We actually won the styling contest :) Great job, sistahs! Haha.

That felt visibly heavy...

Ms. Angel with her cutie-pie daughter who kept on running around during the event

The event finished with a bang as the organizers announced that all of us present there were to get a P1000 (or less) worth of accessory/ies! Dinner was served at Cyma, ATC after :D

Me and my sisters during the day. Thanks to Ate Ana for the photo!

Shot from Bea's blog!

The best part of the night... food, food, food! Hahaha, chos lang!

Over all, the whole event was totally amazing and very fresh! Not only that, the fashion bloggers were also soooooo (times 10!) cool and nice. I will never get tired of saying that the fashion bloggers I have encountered during that day were the people who inspired me to start investing more on myself one step at a time. Also, it felt really good to have "siblings" at such one time in my life. Kahit nabagsakan ng camera, keri lang! It's amazing to have met various bloggers and made friends like Pauline, Czarina and, of course, my sisters, Bei and Bea! :)

Cheers to everyone who attended the first-ever Diva Bloggers Camp!
Please check out Love Diva PH's FB page.

/edit

I won't be publishing my supposed to be blogger appreciation post anymore :( I look Haggardo Verzosa during the whole time but I shall be tweeting them tomorrow!

DIVAlicious Sisterhood

2011-11-06T03:14:00.002+08:00

This is a little too late for this contest but since I really wanted to go to this event because it sounded really interesting and, above all, new for me! :) I'm glad I'm finding ways to better interact with the awesome bloggers rather than just face my screen and look through their pages.

Nonetheless, one of these awesome bloggers is Ana Gonzales, the woman behind the infamous term, "fashion commuter"! On November 7, 2011 in Alabang Town Center, from 4-6, she and other fashion bloggers, with their respective fashion sistahs which they will be personally picking, will be joining this event by Diva:

DIVA is a new brand of accessories that will cater to a younger generation of fashionistas (teens 15 - 19)--also brought to us by M2 Fashions, the company behind Accessorize. This event is really a sisterly bonding with all of us and our readers. The bloggers will be like a big sister to their readers or younger bloggers; just as Accessorize is like an older sister of Diva. There will be a styling and blogging workshop, so it'll help you become better bloggers and learn more about personal style!

Join the anagon's contest now! :D Click here.

Eat then drink!

2011-11-05T13:28:00.000+08:00

Chicken, in any way it is cooked (roasted, fried, steamed, inasal, etc), seems to be the most popular specialty for those putting up new restaurants today. From the international McDonald's and KFC food chains to our very own "bee", Jollibee, food entrepreneurs, both inside and outside the Philippines, have shown an apparent interest in "chicken business". However this topic may seem to be so interesting to tackle about --- where and how they can acquire huge numbers of chicken daily --- I have no interest to do so. (Haha!) I can only enjoy the best thing in life, eating.

So, yep, yesterday was another taste of chicken. My high school friends and I went out for lunch and since that another chicken restaurant have become largely overrated over the past two months, we decided to "chicken out" at Chicken Charlie in San Juan :) Sources --- aka their Facebook fanpage and their official website --- tell me they have branches in Banawe, Malate and Paranaque and Katipunan while a new branch is soon to open at Panay Avenue!

We ordered an 8-piece drumstick set (P379), one half of it was spicy while the other half was the normal flavor. Then again, if you might think a P380 is a bit overpriced for an 8-piece chicken order, there was the sulit factor me and my friends were able to enjoy. We divided the set into two chicken per person and, man, we felt really full afterwards! Oh, there's also the free pickled radish with the chicken!

We had so much fun sharing high school-aged stories over at Chicken Charlie that we weren't ready yet to leave that we looked for a new place for tea... Tea Tap Café! The staff was really warm when we got there :) And this cute dog even greeted us at the front door.

Same as the rising chicken market here in the country, milk tea places have suddenly come to rise in anywhere most of us go to and some popular ones are Happy Lemon, Serenitea, Moonleaf, Gong Cha and Cha Dao place.

The interior was, if to quote Kangin of Super Junior, prection and this "Keep calm and drink tea" sign has become my motto in life from that time on when I've seen it. No, seriously! I love drinking tea, especially green tea, that it has, with coffee, almost taken over my life at any given stressful moment.

As for my drink which I didn't get the chance to take note of (sorry for that) because I was too busy taking photos of the place, was really delicious! At the counter, we were asked for our desired sweetness level for our drink and all of us decided for 75%. It wasn't too sweet nor too bitter, though! Toppings can also be added for further satisfaction of the soul (hahahah). At the top of that, what was really catchy about the tea containers were with those phrases printed in the cover.

Of course, dahil choosy ako, I went for the one with the orange cover. Haha.

Tea Tap is found in Wilson, San Juan while Chicken Charlie is in V. Cruz Street, San Juan.
All thanks to Google Maps!

PS: The first last two photos were taken with my phone camera so it's of the "err" quality. Haha

Tap... Tap... Tap...

2011-11-04T18:33:00.003+08:00

A visit to Tea Tap Cafe we scouted around the Greenhills area! :) More later!

PB + TGBC!

2011-11-03T22:25:00.004+08:00

I've been specially stoked for this day for two things which I spent with three of the most awesome people in my life, Arysse, Filane and Ayeza!

1) Praybeyt Benjamin

...was seriously "unkabogable!" There were some really corny lines during the movie but there were too many funny lines to enumerate. My favorite was that of the "kasim" one though I never can really remember the whole line and there was this one line which went like,

The scene was the confrontation between Carlos Agassi's role and Vice Ganda's.
Prior to this line, Carlos told Vice Ganda's gender as being "abnormal" and

Vice Ganda's comeback, probably being the most pilosopo of all the pilosopo, was this.

"Ikaw nga abnormal diyan eh, kalalaki mong tao, ang laki ng dede mo!"

2) Blueberry Cheesecake from Conti's! My very first entry for my TGBC project :)

Let the Search for the Blueberry Cheesecakes Commence!

2011-11-03T10:27:00.005+08:00

Most, if not all, of my friends know that I eat almost every food my eyes lay upon on and recently have I found cakes and macarons (or macaroons... however you spell it, you get the idea :p) as the subject of my cravings. And in line with that is a new-found interest that I should focus on the search for the best blueberry cheesecake in town. This was inspired by Angel Castillo's "The Cupcake Challenge" in her blog (click here, please!) which got me so giddy with the idea that I decide to start up with my own... The Great Blueberry Cheesecake (TGBC).

Blueberry Cheesecake sold at the Subspace Coffeehouse in Ortigas.
Check out my Tumblr post about that here :)

Well, a big "yay!" for this. Haha

(Slightly!) Unmasking BJ Pascual

2011-11-01T11:23:00.006+08:00

Ever since I got the chance to take hold of the latest two-covered Sparkling Magazine featuring Kim Hyun Joong and Block B, it was inevitable for me to not be curious of who actually was responsible for the great covers especially those of the former KPop artist's photos in the issue.

Flower boy Jaehyo of Block B. He's forever a charmer!~

A scanned photo from Sparkling Mag I snatched from a Kim Hyun Joong-inspired blog.

BJ Pascual, a name I've repeatedly heard for quite a number of times now but I've never really bothered to know who he was or what his works are all about! Little did I know that when I start Google-ing about him that I will start to take notice of the beautiful photos he has taken starting from portraits to fashion shenanigans to travel photography found in his website! (Click here.) And his not-so-latest blog entry last June about his trip in Greece left me awestruck! I particularly loved this panoramic view of Rhodes:

Despite of the word being too much of a cliché already, I find this very breathtaking! The very clear water plus a peaceful view of the city! I've never considered going to European countries in the future but this is a first of my travel list :)

MWOOOOOOARR!

Plus, plus, plus! Check out Stache's latest issue... it's none other than BJ Pascual for a "photography in fashion"-themed magazine!

Outtake from Stache Magazine FB Fanpage

The 20th Filipino-Korean Festival

2011-11-01T01:38:00.002+08:00

Coming back from a recent quote-unquote house arrest and a visit to the cemetery, I prioritized about organizing my thoughts about this entry about the recently held 20th Filipino-Korean Festival at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex in Manila. I apologize that I sound majorly nerdy however, only half of it were true: yes, I actually thought of the event during my whole stay at our soon-to-be new home but I only edited photos for this entry's sake.

The hosts: Hyoun Sun Kim and Jojo Alejar

"Did you know that our president's mother, Cory Aquino, yes, the mother of Noynoy Aquino, was actually named after Korea?

Kore-aquino."

A joke shared by Mr. Jojo Alejar, apparently the liveliest and funniest host I've ever encountered, which was enough to make the audience go, "WEEHHH." Then again, it was a really good show and all the contestants had very interesting singing and dancing talents.

As usual, I won't go on blabbering with any more intensive details on how the event went but I'll just show these photos...

Republic of Korea's Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Lee Hye Min;

United Korean Community Association's (UKCA) President Lee Won Joo and;

UKCA Vice President/Event Chairperson Lee Jong Sub

Filipino Speech Winner who perfectly recited a speech in Korean.

THE CONTESTANTS:

Willy Cordovanes - "Forever"

Lee Hae In - Regine Velasquez' "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang"

She won the second place worth P10,000!

Choi Soo Eun - Sarah Geronimo's "Ikaw"

(I swear her performance deserves a "Cutest Performance Award" :3)

Angelique Caballo - "You and I"

John Llorito - "Sarang"

(Hanongsavehhh ng leather costume ni kuya with matching

luhod effect sa dulo ng kanyang song performance?)

The mind-blowing folk dance turned Spaghetti performance of Kim Star!

Goose's Dream - Benjie and Rowena

(Gown and suit palang pang Regine-Ogie na!!)

Cebu's Generation Next - So Nyeo Shi Dae Dance Remix

Here are fancams of some Filipino cover groups who performed during the event:

A.Mi.Go - Dance Remix (3rd place)

Special performance from last year's Grand Prize winner:

THE X-CREW!

Dasuri Choi's special performance along with reps from respective CG's

And look who's got the crowd screaming for more:

None other than "The Man!" JM De Guzman!

Even the guys behind me screamed when he got out to perform, lol

Julie Ann San Jose was also part of the special performances.

Indeed, a great performer! After a really fast-paced Super Bass and although she even admitted that she was out of breath after that, she still managed to song a high-note song!

Yes, di po siya pumiyok. I'm now a fan :D

Finally, after the performances, plaques of appreciation were given out to all those who made the event possible. From the contestants to the event organizers to the invited guests who had special performances.

AND! Who was the winner? H3AT!!

H3AT - Dance Remix (Grand Prize)

Their performance totally stood out from the rest!!

Saturday?

2011-10-26T10:52:00.007+08:00

I guess this should be the most tiring and, of course, most exciting Saturday ever!

First off would be the most anticipated Philippine-Korean Cultural Festival which is going to be held at the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex in Manila starting at 2 in the afternoon. KPop cover groups and aspiring to-be individual idols would be there to showcase their respective talents. Go to Arirang Town PH's Facebook page for more details, be sure to add them up first!

Thank you to RainbowPH for the ticket :)

Next one: Vans' Show at the Philippine Fashion Week at the SMX Convention Center! Thank you, Inna Santiago (thelittlebigspender) for the passes :)

and, finally! MTV Exit's most anticipated event of the year! A free concert featuring Jay Park, Evaline and VJ Holly as the host!

Who's going where? :D

Be gone, by gone.

2011-10-26T01:57:00.001+08:00

I never thought that the actual phase of having to move out all my stuff from our present house to a new one was hard. I had to carefully choose which I have to transfer.

On another note, I’d like to say that despite my efforts to actually think of something sensible and that is so nostalgic about my family’s “move” to an expectedly better place to my school, I have nothing right now. The caffeine’s effect must’ve left my body already that instead of talking about gibberish whatnots, I’ll just share photos of our soon-to-be new home :)

The first installment of my stuff… more to come, I guess.

The new neighborhood I’m gonna be seeing.

And, hopefully, not our everyday dinner lol
Spam + Andok’s chicken + fried chicken… there’s too many chickens in this world.

Anyare sa manok?

I'll say go to Asian Vogue

2011-10-25T18:04:00.003+08:00

They say diamonds are a girl's best friend but I beg to differ. It's shoes that I would choose if I would be ever given a chance to choose between the two. But, as of now, I should stick to online window shoe shopping and keep praying that I win Ms. Angel's (of Asian Vogue!) giveaway :)

As soon as I read about it, like just now in Twitter, I knew I had to join. Why, why do I bother joining? Because Asian Vogue has been, like, my dream shoe store. No pun intended, you guys. Haha. But, seriously, seeing those fashion bloggers strut their way to fashion events that I've forever drooled at as I browse through the store's Multiply, I just want to grab them to make them mine. Then again, I can't.

So here I am, making my move to actually hoping to win this whooping P5K GC from Asian Vogue :) If you want to also join, though, here are the mechanics!

In order to qualify, you have to do the following:
1. Follow Asianvogue during the contest duration. - +1 entry
2. Reblog this post - +1 entry
3. Add our Multiply Account - +1 entry
4. Like Asianvogue's official fan page (the one with the pink profile photo) - +1 entry
5. Post anything on your wall telling us why you love Asianvogue or just a simple note and tag the fanpage - +3 entries
6. Follow our Twitter account - +1 entry
7. Tweet something about @asianvogueshop - +2 entries
8. Place the Asianvogue badge on your site/blog - +5 entries

(Code can be found right here! As Blogspot automatically converts the HTML thing)

9. Blog anything about Asianvogue - +5 entries

Total of 20 entries :)

Email your name and email address including all the entries you've done, your fb/multiply/tumblr/twitter account's username/link and blog url/link where you placed our badge or blogged about Asianvogue.

Send to asianvogueshop@ymail.com with the subject "BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY ENTRIES".

-If your account is set to private, please attach a screenshot.
-Giveaway is open to all Philippine residents only.
-All entries are subject to verification.

Giveaway will end on October 25 and winners will be chosen via Random.org on November 1.

I LOVE COFFEE! ('nuf said)

2011-10-21T01:28:00.006+08:00

My favorite mug with coffee! :)

This semester has gone completely wild and intense! But for that reason, there was something which kept me up for the all-nighters and extreme papers due for MINOR subjects... hello, coffee! I think, while I'm on a break mode from a 2-hour diagram-making for this final project we're making, it's basically a time for making a tribute for coffee now.

I joined undressedskeleton's (aka the very inspiring Taralynn McNitt who taught me to be more health-conscious rather than having thoughts of crash-dieting for particular needs) coffee contest! :)

What got you hooked?

Frankly, this semester was the thing that taught me to drink coffee... and to savor it although I never drink it hot. Anyway, it started one night when I was studying for a test 'cause I was panicking that I would fail it and I decided to have a mug of coffee to keep me awake. During the time that I was drinking it, my brain, like, suddenly had a boost in speed and my mind got extremely energized.

It was my first time to make my own coffee and it wasn't so bad! I passed that test, btw, thanks to this. *all hail*

How do you drink your coffee?

It's the common coffee we have here and... brown sugar really works :D I'd rather add milk than the usual creamer for a healthier choice, though. I also love tasting coffee from various cafes! Plus, sipping my coffee soooo patiently is a must!

What’s your favorite coffee Cafe?

Purple Potato Latte!

The tastiest coffee I've ever tasted was that from Subspace Coffeehouse (here's my post about it: http://fracking-kor.tumblr.com/post/10766749485/savvy-subspace) here in the Philippines! It's basically a Korean-themed cafe with all the cutesy stuff and an invigorating feel. Their specialty is the Purple Potato Latte which made my friends go "huh?!" when I mention it to them. It's really interesting, though, if they really put potatoes in it lol Anyway, I loved it there since and everytime I get the chance, I see to it that I visit there for some "me time."

(Maybe I should do a less rushed entry about coffee one of these days during the break for a more "proper" tribute <3 Nonetheless, coffee's my energizer!)

Untitled.

2011-10-02T21:31:00.001+08:00

A million words would not bring you back, I know because I've tried. Neither would a million tears, I know because I've cried.

- whats_upmildred@Twitter

No particular meaning but this tweet just struck me.

Ugh, stop.

2011-10-02T02:09:00.006+08:00

For the millionth time, I've been asked, "are you on a diet?"

Well, here's to you, future person who's gonna ask the same question. Yes, I am absolutely on a diet, a healthy diet. Not those slimming diets, mind you. I can barely put myself into restriction when it comes to bread. Also, I'd love to clarify, that for some reason I grew tired of eating rice. "Impossible! Is there even such a thing?" Apparently, yes, considering I'm a person who easily gets tired of things when I've already gotten much of it. And, eating rice just doesn't give me a good feeling anymore for some reason I won't elaborate more in here. Although if you're so curious why, ask those who I've talked it to about: my friends.

Am I anorexic? No, I am not. I still eat as much as I can but I can get pretty irritable when I am not able to eat something healthy during a meal. These healthy stuff range from my growing love for vegetables and fruits to seafood viands and a partial amount of meat. And I love drinking tea: green and ginger teas. I still eat chocolates, cakes and other sweets once in a while; as much as possible, I avoid eating processed meat except when I actually crave for them.

Plus, I'm on a school stress "battle" recently.

I just had to let these off. It's getting too much of an annoying topic recently since I'm not a fan of repetitive questions. Alright, this should probably it.

I want a salad.

Wake me up... or let me sleep.

2011-09-27T21:14:00.002+08:00

Everything has gone ~~completely~~ absurd... and fast. It felt like I've been chasing time for the past months since June. What happened to the "I'm gonna rock this sem!" thought? Has it vanished?

I'm not completely isolating the idea that yes, at least, I have accomplished and achieved a matter of things but what I'm feeling now is absolutely different. I feel so tired and rest is just another word in the dictionary that I've been neglecting. Blahblahblahworkworkwork.

On the on the other note, though, I'm telling myself to have more than a liter of optimism to get me done with the things that have to be done. Besides, it's only my own self that should do that. I guess, let us (you, me and everyone!) have a piece of cake think of happy thoughts like Peter Pan does, shall we?

Let's cheer to another month in 4 days! :)

The overflowing satisfaction for my Korean food cravings. (a repost)

2011-09-17T22:52:00.002+08:00

A repost from my Tumblr account :)

An hour after our Korean language at @KCCPHIL began, 비키 선생님 and the class decided to go to the not-so-nearby Korean grocery in The Fort. We settled down ourselves with the food we bought and talked amongst ourselves our plan for next week's graduation. *tears* How time went so fast.... *starts singing Arirang...*

Anyway, these are some of the food we bought...

The ice cream sandwich I loved very much at the Sun Han Mart in Taguig~

My classmates and sunsaengnim mixed packs of Korean junk food and distributed it.

This tikoy-ish snack from Lotte from Ate Kristen :)

Little did I know that it wasn't the end of it because we actually ended up at Shin Dang Dong, a Korean restaurant in A. Venue Mall near P. Burgos Street in Makati.

The oh-so-awesome-and-always-hungry Kimbap Team Ate Flor, me and Ate Kristen with the team's "honorary member", (as they called him XD) Patrick.

Ate Toni holding the dear patbingsoo, Kuya Jonah and Cathy 어머니~

The uncooked tteokbokki which was later added with cheese (see sign :P) and ramyeon.

Chicken! :D On it are peanuts, btw.

The never-ending dosage of kimbap... We're living up our team name... lol

Patbingsoo~ nomnom~ Despite the fullness of our stomachs, we managed to finish a large bowl!

Finally, I can say that I'm not craving for Korean food anymore! And I'm pretty much preparing my appetite for tomorrow's agenda, a make-up class at another Korean restaurant just near this place. Oh, thank you to Ate Kristen and Ate Cathy for a big part of this :D Team Kimbap 대.....박!!!

Madness!

2011-09-15T21:41:00.005+08:00

Kimbap

Bibimbap

For what I thought was complete stress-free night, I finally convinced my father to have our dinner at Jeon Won, Don Antonio. It was our second time to dine in there. The first wasn't so much of a pleasant experience for both at my parents at that time as they were saying that the food I ordered were too spicy. (I'm sorry I didn't know!) Anyway, I'm glad my dad found it delicious now that I've ordered nothing spicy meaning, kimbap and bibimbap.

Now that I think about it, what I've ordered were too heavy for my stomach to be full. Bap in Korean means 'rice', by the way. That must've been the reason behind it --- why it's so heavy that I can still feel it until lunch time tomorrow. I just know it.

Yesterday felt glorious, though. The sky was just amazing... same as how my phone camera was when I took these photos:

I'm sorry for the low quality-ness. Hello there, stress. I'll fight you off and let optimism emerge.

Looks like there's no class in the morning tomorrow.

2011-09-13T23:10:00.005+08:00

Mirror, mirror me
Horror, Horror, Scary, Me
Happy Holloween

This haiku attempt of Chris for Dave's supposed-to-be topic about his "narcissism." It was intended as a joke.

After being dismissed from our Philo Anthro class, I went straight to La Salle to meet up with Arysse. The plan became like this: since I really wanted to eat ramyeon because my father wasn't so welcome with the idea of it yesterday, we decided to first go to Holly's and order our drinks. Afterwards, we went straight to Mashitta... or Masshita, a Korean-Japanese restaurant at the University Mall in Taft. Aside from fulfilling my craving for ramyeon, I also ordered kimchi being still bitter about not being able to "celebrate" Chuseok yesterday.

I used my phone camera to take these pictures so the quality's like, VLAH.

Finally, Holly's! ♥

The regular Hollycino (left) I ordered was decent but the other

called White Chocolate was somehow sweet for my taste.

Blogger’s Congress

2011-07-19T00:27:00.001+08:00

Last Wednesday, dated July 13, 2011, I attended the very first Blogger’s Congress in the St. Andrew Building in the De La Salle University. I was beyond ecstatic before the event itself because it was the first time I was able to attend such event, particularly one which is related to blogging. How ignorant was I that I have never joined something as fun as like this before?

Four inspiring speakers collaborated, along with the Office of the Vice President of Internal Affairs, to give bloggers and blogger-to-bes a worthwhile and inspiring talk.

First was the fresh graduate Ms. Jill Bantang of thefoodscout who, during her spare time when she just graduated from college, thought of sharing her thoughts on the online world. It was not that easy, though. She said, at first, that she was hesitant of even the thought of creating a blog since there are already a lot of more accomplished bloggers than she was. Anyway, her talk was very much of an appetizer since her blog mainly focuses on food! How fortunate that she did push through with blogging! If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be much more interested on blogging about food :) Seriously. Also, she was able to come up with an acronym, B.L.O.G. It stands for B-elieve in yourself, L-ook for your interests, O-rganize your thoughts and G-o for it, go lang nang go!

As I said earlier, it’s very nice that she pushed through with building a blog like this and like that B in her acronym, she believed in herself and she already reached an important aspect of her career as a blogger, to win an award from some blogging awards (lol, I’m sorry I can’t remember the award’s name :P)

Ms. Nina Fuentes, meanwhile, became a representative of travel bloggers! The introduction before she stood to talk to us with her experience being a travel blogger was the most interesting I have ever heard as a travel enthusiast. Apparently, she has gone to many different countries already, specifically Asian ones, for free. Yes, probably by now, you’re probably as much as surprised than I was when I heard it.

On the contrary, one of the points Ms. Fuentes tackled was that being a travel blogger is not always about take-your-time trips but during her visits to other countries, her time is very limited mainly because her itinerary is already planned. Not by her but the ones who invited her to tour and take a review of their tourism spots. There was even a time, she shared, that during a trip, she was only able to take in the beach breeze for half an hour even if her hotel’s already located by the beach side!

During her talk, I and my new-found friend kept on discussing on how fun would it be to actually travel at a very young age and independent. She even shared that after the time of her school graduation that she decides to go on a trip somewhere… I just can’t remember where.

I just had to cut this into half or I’ll die with my thoughts exploding on an entry… besides, I feel tired and sleepy already :( This is gonna be a long week!

Next blog post: The Scene Stealer and The David at the Blogger’s Congress :D

Discernment: Who am I really?

2011-07-07T19:28:00.002+08:00

A question I have never answered, a code I have never cracked. Who am I, really? Some answers I have already sought out, some I have not... just yet. Honestly, as I am writing this paper, I have no idea what to say but just the obvious ones: a human individual brought about my parents whose sperm and egg cell have “met” during the process of conception. A human being who, fortunately, is normal: present with all body parts and capable of doing ordinary things, not extraordinary ones. Most of all, I am a creature who is of intellect and free will. Nevertheless, I have to dig deeper into myself and ask myself “who am I actually?” Presently, living in this world for almost two decades, I have only distinguished only a few of who I am.

Just like any other human, I am being who was blessed with a soul and body however, regardless of my belief in my religion, I am still rather confused of how humans came to be, of how I came to be. Why is there life and why do we need to die? Is there another life outside of this world? There’s this curiosity inside me that I, someday, want to learn and discover about. My questions never ended which often leads me to random questioning of my neighbours. I am even more curious how philosophical anthropology would teach me more about an individual’s existence, not limiting it to actual human beings. Well, of course, all beings serve each other a purpose. For example, plants emit oxygen while humans inhale it to breathe and live; humans emit carbon dioxide and plants take it to their system in order to produce food. Furthermore, sometimes I actually ask myself if there’s really a god who watches over us and how did such people came into conclusions about how we were created. When will we ever know when humans actually existed, did we really descend from monkeys? I want to know. Then again, these questions follow me through my daily life, even during the simple times when I leave school, walk through the streets of Ortigas and ride the MRT. I am a being who likes to observe people and either appreciate or criticize them as my eyes lay upon them. Then again, these thoughts often lead me to overthinking, such as thinking what would have happened if an incident or event never happened. If it hadn’t happened, will it be the best for everyone or will it shut off people from the world they have come to know?

Who am I? I am an individual who knows that experience can make a being, including me, stronger, more powerful and smarter. The bad experiences make me reflect on either how to make myself better or the thought of some kind of retribution to the people who made me feel my worst during that time. Then again, there are those good experiences which are worth reliving and saving for the future, those that can give me a sense of inspiration, hope and trust. Nonetheless, I also think of myself as a selfish person in a sense that I have been brainwashed and made numb by the pain I have felt during my younger years. I know I have to fight for myself because if I wouldn’t, who would? I needed to feel cared for so that I can sense my purpose here on earth. The hurts I feel often give me the tendency to not appreciate others’ purpose as well. I actually don’t know the reason why these kinds of experience lead me to the worst however, despite all of these, there’s still the side of me who wants to show the love that I feel but never really had the guts to do so. Honestly, I think I’ll never know when to say those three words seriously. Furthermore, this leads me to my parents to whom I have never said those words before. With all due respect to them, I am in forever gratitude for them for keeping me alive and caring for me all these years but sometimes, I only want them to show their more humble sides, just a simple “I’m sorry, I was wrong” for instances that they blamed me for something wrong. Despite this wish, though, I also never had the guts to actually be angry at them because I always teach myself that I have no right to be mad at them, not even the slightest one because I respect them, I am in forever in debt because of what they have given me. This thinking makes me realize that I should give them back something in return, the very least I can do is to make the household chores and have high grades.

Who am I? I am a person not yet ready to talk personally about anything referring to sexuality or such. Yes, I can talk about femininity and masculinity but all the others, I just can’t. Frankly, I feel a cringe in my body just the thought of it that I might not as well talk about it here.

Lastly, as I have discussed with my friends recently, I am a being who still does not know her purpose in life. What am I doing here? How am I supposed to know what my purpose is if I don’t know what the future will be? See, as I am reflecting with myself right now, I have only discovered how much thinking I could put into this. Going back to my lack of knowledge of my purpose, these same friends replied to me such ideas like “maybe, you’re a late bloomer.” Although I never really understood what that meant, I accepted it knowing that she could’ve known better since she already knows her purpose here. Furthermore, I am an individual still searching of what my identity is and wanting to use it as a part of enriching myself for whatever may come.

A two-page essay I made for my Philosophical Anthropology class. At first, I thought it was such a nerve-wracking thing to do, to think about yourself philosophically... or near to that. However, as I began to start writing, the thoughts just poured out.

Written Words

2011-06-18T07:25:00.001+08:00

Thoughts put into words. Words put into paper.

Minutes ago, I was far from busy about this thing because I only wanted to find a “recyclable” current 1x1 photo for a paper requirement for Theology. However, my eyes caught something else: a glass box. A glass box full of letters which I thought to be already covered in dust since these can be traced back as far as when I was still in my 5th year in elementary school.
Most of it were retreat/recollection letters or better yet, “palancas” as we called these. This kind of letters is made to honestly speak out our minds about someone’s attitudes, positive or not —— it’s your choice on how to say it.

Retreat letters these were, the good old days where I spent the nights cramming just to give my classmates, even those who I wasn’t close with, a piece of my mind about what they should change about themselves or improve in any aspect.

Digging deeper in this box, I found more heartfelt messages, those that were unexpected ones given by your best-est friends… or even those who weren’t! Messages that I know were from their hearts: wishing me the best for a quiz, staying with me through the hardest times of my life, greeting me a good morning or even just a random “you’re my #1 fan!” joke…. those little things. It was also very touching, though, that these friends also put in effort by choosing a paper colored with my favorite color, orange.

In this box contains more than a lot than from what I remember what it contains or haven’t I noticed until now? A random drawing from my 6-year old cousin, a silly lollipop wrapper which I first bought in Starbucks, my then nerve-wracking schedule in high school and a letter about a petty fight among other things.

Looking back, a lot of things have happened during those years wherein I still managed to sleep 8 hours. I achieved a good friendship with people who, I’m more than glad to say, I’m still close with or, at the very least, I can still talk to about random things.

In these letters have I realized that it isn’t how creative or cute the paper used are, or if you used a very special stationary. It’s the things that touch people which is more important, the things that come from our hearts.

Towards the light

2011-05-17T22:32:00.001+08:00

What it might seemed like only a day to watch Filane’s show for Teen Ambassadors of the Earth 2011 became an unexpected “photoshoot” for the three of us, Melissa, Filane and I. Melissa being the photographer, Filane being the model (as always) and I… a “model-modelan.”

As for the show itself, Mel and I became Filane’s back-up dancers because she danced our never-ending favorite Rainbow song, “A.” Too bad we weren’t able to capture any video of it since we were on a rush to get the music ready for the performance itself.

Filane and I in the backstage area

The next photos were taken at the back area of Burger King in Marikina. Thanks to the people who provided us dinner! :D

Yayyy, Technicolor power! ♥♥♥

Dear Mom

2011-05-08T19:08:00.002+08:00

My mother, the source of my being and the only female I could possibly talk to about everything. The person who was always there despite me being hard-headed, low-tempered and cranky most of the time, the one who’s mostly caught up with my teenage mood swings and inattention.

I know I may never have had the chance to say those three words for some reason I can never explain until now but thank you so much for everything! From the hard labor you had to experience back to when I was born to the disappointment that I wasn’t a Merit Card Awardee in high school anymore and to the near failing GWA I’ve had my first year of college. I know I may not have been the best daughter that I should be, I knowing that I’m slightly a spoiled child. These words are probably the last things I want to say because I’m too afraid of letting my actual feelings show.

I want you to know that everything I’m doing now… striving so hard to have high grades and exerting effort to change my negative side are all for the family and please never feel that you’re “always the last one” to know. You’ll always be the first not because it’s obligatory to do so but for the reason that I want to and everything is from my heart. I feel so blessed to finally have a mother who’s always been there, patiently waiting for me to grow up and realize my mistakes.

You’ll always be the woman I will call “Mama.” One and only.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mama!

And to all mothers out there, here’s a song for you. Happy Mothers’ Day, as well :)

Last piece of that Saturday

2011-05-04T17:23:00.002+08:00

I’m still probably hungover this period in my life but, oh well. Might as well leave it hanging first for school.

2AM on a hot, sunny day

2011-05-03T21:51:00.002+08:00

Anything you will read here would possibly be the fan account that you’re looking for or the story that will make your heart flutter.

Two months prior to this event, I didn’t have any intention to go nor do I have in my thoughts to spend any amount just to see them. 2AM, how do I even describe the fandom, if there is any, that I have for them? At first, I was only, more or less, interested in their nice vocals. I was more of a 2PM fan because they’re all funny. 2AM? Who are they? Quite frankly, they have lesser shows than the latter, they only focused on singing ballad songs. However, as the time went on since their debut, all of them have showcased their abilities. Take Jokwon for an example. Who would ever think that this hardcore abs guy (well, male artists from JYPE have abs but whatever XD) can do a ssanti dance? (“Ssanti” dance can be thought of a “cheap dance”). Anyway, I'm not here to actually debate on how these guys have abs and nice vocals but I will share how their showcase have leveled-up my love for them.

*back to the past two months*

“Woah! Pupunta 2AM dito? Bigatin magpapapunta dito nun ah!” Yes, that was my first reaction but that was it. So, the two months have fast passed.. I got bitter for not being able to watch the Script, I’ve cried over my Computing project, blahblahblah. I was even busy sending the company who’s presenting them here details about Daily KPop News’ intention of covering the event but to no avail but that wasn’t actually the main “drama,” if you’re looking for any, here.

The sun was up already when I woke up, worried that my mother wouldn’t allow me to go to Eastwood as early as 11AM to avail of the CDs to even catch a glimpse to 2AM. I’m telling you, me being a fan of KPop is very much “not” costly because I always want to watch every idol who goes here in our country though I’m not a fan of them. (Echusera, kumbaga) Anyway, I’ve already thought of cleaning the house to catch the good vibes I needed for that day and at the same time, help my mother. Fortunately, she agreed! The only thing which obstructed me from getting to the venue earlier was the heavy traffic in Libis. When I arrived there to buy my supposedly P650 of a CD, I bought the VIP thing instead. It was worth it, though. Their 3CDs, a poster and a shirt! However, I really thought I wouldn’t be able to see them up-close because there were no IDs left, my friend said, but! Much to my surprise, the people there at the counter released a final set of 10 VIP IDs. It was destiny. (LOL) We waited for the gates to open from 12NN to 3:30PM with, yes, feet hurting from stupidly choosing to stand up for three hours. During that span of hot, feet-trembling time, some fans started shouting like crazy and then that adrenaline rush came over me and imagine me shouting with them. It was crazy. 2AM ARRIVED EARLY! Around 2:30 plus, I saw my tan, Korean-looking crush. (Echusera.) Not to mention, naka-shades pa kaso naka-backpack. Back to 2AM, they had their technical rehearsal just hours before but a tarpaulin covering them. They sang parts of “I Did Wrong.”

The “chosen hour” has arrived *trumpets sounding* We wanted good seats but were so disappointed not to have them. We still waited for a couple of minutes though. First up the stage were Krissy and Ericka who sang the same set of the song, according to my friend, they sang the day before that at the The Venice Piazza in McKinley Hill. Nonetheless, although the two were singing onstage, I sensed more of the anticipation of the crowd to see 2AM in their Grand Showcase. And finally, they were introduced onstage! Upon hearing their names, I ran to the front without second thoughts. Why? I don’t know if it’s either excitement or just my adrenaline rush again. Anyhow, their entrance was great and full of emotions, not the usual “annyeong haseyo, *insert group name here* imnida!” They sang “I Won’t Let You Go” first. They were the most mesmerizing group I’ve ever watched… well, take aside Super Junior XD Then there was Jinwoon who suddenly turned to our side and smiled. Attention, everyone just melted.

Jo Kwon

Jinwoon and Jokwon

Changmin

They performed four more songs after that. I was dumbfounded at their performances and how they were all ~*gwapo*~. Here’s their cute random solo intermission number started by Jokwon with his infamous ssanti dance. After him, the crowd just started to cheer Jinwoon, Changmin and Seulong, respectively, to dance theirs!

A sweet surprise was also held for Changmin and Jinwoon’s birthday on last May 1 and 2, respectively! Such a sweet thing to do for them! And there was also a cake! In return, the boys sang an English song. Best harmonization ever. One of…

Im Seulong

Jinwoon, Jokwon, Changmin and Seulong with their translator

Jung Jinwoon :”>

That should be it for now. Hello, energy vampire!

1..2..2AM! (Teaser)

2011-05-01T01:15:00.001+08:00

Just like with what I have done with my Facebook wall which I flooded with some pictures of today’s event…. *drum roll please* 2AM’s Grand Showcase in Eastwood! I’ll just tease for just now, though, for the reason that 1) I have to sleep already, time check is 1:04AM and 2) I’m dead tired.

Book overload.

2011-04-20T18:48:00.001+08:00

When I went upstairs to get the book I’m reading, “The Wildfire Season” by Andrew Pyper (which, btw, I bought for only P50 because of this sale at National Book Store!), I randomly remembered those books I’ve always intended to finish but never had the chance to. These books have been in my so-called book library since forever. I vividly remember being able to touch them since… last summer! It’s even been almost a year. “The Winner Stands Alone” should be already in the books-already-read list.

Anyway, if I may add, I chose the Pyper’s book out of all the books present at the sale last week because it’s got some catchy feeling on the title cover. Not all books talk about wildfires! So might as well try.

Meanwhile, as I was enjoying my spare time with Tumblr after a long time, this post from Crae of followandreblog caught my attention from my present activity of watching Leighton Meester’s movie, “The Roommate.” Might as well share it with everyone:

Seven deadly sins — seven lively Asian cities. We all stray off the path of righteousness from time to time.
So if you’re going to end up in hell due to a temptation to eat more than your fair share of stinky tofu, take a detour to Taipei first. Or if pride’s your vice, take a turn toward Manila.
These Asian cities take a sin and turn it into a raison d’être.

1. Gluttony: Taipei, Taiwan

Cheap eats, everywhere, day or night.
Taipei sports 18 streets dedicated to nothing other than food. Where you might usually expect a bus shelter, instead you’ll find a barbecue. Sidewalks become snack stalls. The pungent smell of stinky tofu fills the air.
Night markets in Taipei have become famous for their snack selections, or xiaochi, literally meaning “small eats.”
The dishes may be little, but so are the prices, running around US$1-2 dollars. A fat gut never came so easily.

2. Sloth: Seoul, South Korea

Seoul’s Internet has been honed, sculpted, streamlined and sped up to such a degree that no one really needs to move, at all, ever, except maybe when the orc hordes descend in “World of Warcraft” and some rapid double-clicking is required.
South Korea has been ranked the 15th laziest country in the world (and the first in Asia) by The Daily Beast. And there’s every reason to assume they’ll get even lazier.
A recently proposed government policy seeks to advance digital technology in the capital, partly influenced by demand for online gaming and streaming video, and will take Internet speeds to 1,000 Mbps by 2012.
So if some of the 39 million connected South Koreans wanted to emulate their favourite national soccer heroes, they may as well just do it via “FIFA Manager.”

3. Pride: Manila, Philippines

Much is made about the loveliness of the Filipino female. But you wouldn’t know it by talking to the Filipino men — they’re too busy gazing lustfully into the mirror.
According to a study from Synovate, Filipino men are the most narcissistic in Asia. A whopping 48 percent consider themselves sexually attractive.
And if the ladies reading this think the guys’ encounters with the brow tweazers are for your benefit, sorry — nine out of 10 Filipino men polled said they liked to look good for themselves, not anyone else.
By way of comparison, just 25 percent of men in Singapore considered themselves sexually attractive, 17 percent in China and Taiwan and a measly 12 percent of Hong Kong guys think the same.

4. Greed: Shenzhen, China

The financial crisis is for suckers.
When everyone else was tightening the belts, Shenzhen carried on regardless, pumping out billions of dollars worth of high-tech products.
Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, with a provincial GDP of US$42 billion — that’s more than some countries such as Guatemala and Lebanon, and four times more than Iceland.
Meanwhile, China’s millionaires keep millionairing — it won’t be long before there are 1 million U.S. dollar millionaires in the country, guided by Shenzhen’s philosophy: if you can’t make a million, make a billion.

5. Lust: Tokyo, Japan

According to “Pink Box” author Joan Sinclair, “Japan offers absolutely everything imaginable.”

From gratuitous puke porn (and worse) to the barely titillating maid cafes, Tokyo is like a dirty old man in a teenager’s body. But one who celebrates his lewd desires with the gusto of an exhibitionist poodle on heat.
Head here to indulge your fetishes or simply to have yourself bathed by a pretty young thing in a uniform.

6. Envy: New Delhi, India

More Indians emigrated in 2010 than any other nationality in the world except for Mexicans, according to the World Bank’s Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011.
Some 11.4 million Indians headed elsewhere to find a better life, drawn by the lure of things done properly.
India, and its capital New Delhi, has the world’s worst case of grass-is-greener syndrome.

7. Wrath: Pyongyang, North Korea

Pugnacious, belligerent, quarrelsome … the North Korean capital is the moody adolescent of the continent. But unlike most spotty delinquents who express their angry insecurities by piercing body parts or coloring their hair, this one sinks ships and shells islands.
North Korea’s national sport is Taekwondo. If there’s a food shortage, the military get served first. Propaganda films talk of the “invincible power” of the North Korean army and posters in the capital state, “The way to peace is on the point of a bayonet.”
Its army comprises nearly 1 million troops, out of a nation of 24 million.
Still, the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il does claim to have made the world’s best ever golf score— an astonishing 38 under par on a regulation 18-hole course incuding five holes-in-one. And that on his first ever attempt, too.
Perhaps he’s not so bad.

Are we in.. or out?

My summarized reason for blogging is…

2011-04-17T21:35:00.001+08:00

Some random crap just dawned upon me. That is, I could never live without a blog. It’s probably my online life now since I could do whatever I want with this, my personal space in which I could possibly hide anything from my parents at the very least.

My second Blogspot blog, I deleted the first one :( First entry ever written in here was February 2, 2006 with (lol, jejemon attack):

my name is frances lim and i study at shs... first post ko toh...wala lang...hehe... galing kaming bicutan ngayon at bumisita sa rehab center... camp bagong DIWA... pangalan pa ng section namin ung rehab na un... natural nag-interview kami nung mga lalabas na ng rehab...hehe... ang unang ininterview namin ung mga higit na mas matatanda sa amin...mga 23 and up..sina kuya ronald and kuya eugene ung second naman mga medyo mas matanda sa amin mga 7 to 14 y/o. one on one yun... ung ininterview ko 14 y/o na lalaki... 3 y/o pa daw sya andun. ang tahimik nga nya e... ako na lang palagi nagtatanong [natural interview nga e...]. pero madaldal daw talaga sya sabi ng iba... may nalaman ako.... ang mag-bf o gf pala dun nag-uusap ng sign language... ang hirap noh? sinabi ng isang mas matanda na nagbabantay sa rehab... alam ko na ang sign language ng i love you at i hate you!!! bawal nga daw ituro sa amin yun e pero pinilit na lang namin nina arysse, bea at jamie... kaia ayun nalaman namin..hehe so umalis na kami ng 3:15 dun at dumating sa school ng 4:00... feeling ko iniiwasan ako nina ____________ ngayon.. hayyy... okay lang un... meron pa naman diyang ibang tao, dba?! hehe nayt na lang!!!

I first used Xanga around 2003. Xanga was that huge blogging platform around that time and became a bandwagon among people who were so much into using the internet. Yep, including me. I remember, during that time, all I ever did with my blog was post chain surveys which were circulating everywhere I click a Xanga blog. Anyhow, being me as a Xanganian, or whatever you call us at that time, soon came to an end when I “discovered” Wordpress, Livejournal and Blogspot. Being the go-with-the-flow person that I am, I tried the three and eventually, I got tired of being so obliged to update every single blog that I have. Plus, I signed up for numerous social networking sites just to satisfy my curiosity, take Myspace and hi5 as examples, so it really took up my time. Well, Wordpress could be the possible cleanest, really organized platform I encountered while Livejournal was where I posted most of my then random fandoms, JPop, anime, etc. (Yeah, I was also one of the people enticed to watch anime in my earlier times. Fushigi Yuugi, Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Flame of Recca and Ghost Fighter!) However, I decided to just stick with Blogger… I don’t how I put my decision to use it for, like, forever since I befriended many people in here.

Livejournal blog circa 2009. This is possibly the most presentable blog I’ve ever had.

Third Blogspot blog. That makes the present my fourth one!

The interesting thing about blogging, though, as I could summarize it in just a little paragraph, is the blogger’s willingness to experiences his/her experiences to strangers, those people we, bloggers, have never met before. I don’t know, it just feels good to be of help and inspiration to others? (Though I doubt I ever inspired someone to blog. Haha, I’m not “fishing”!) Blog hopping, as we have may call it since the start of the blogging era, was such of great help to meet new friends not only in the country but, yes, also internationally. Oh diba, bongga? There were even instances that I’ve seen people discuss relevant matters in someone’s blog thus, creating a positive output if one takes these expressions into good consideration. Anyhow, the point of this is that, one of the greatest things I have ever received from years of blogging is the freedom of being able to vent whatever I wanna say and also to be able to relate it to other people with the same opinions, issues and lessons learned in life. It’s not everyday that you encounter someone with the same thoughts that you have, you know?

Dahil gutom ako, idaan sa Chocolate Hills.

2011-04-15T19:32:00.001+08:00

Just decided to post the photos inline just in case internet connection’s pissing us off XD

Sagabayan Peak, LEVEL 1 of the awesome view of the Chocolate Hills.

Main tourist view for the Chocolate Hills Carmen, Bohol.

Who ever thought that this whole forest scenery was man-made? (The Man-Made Mahogany Forest)

Loboc River Hanging Bridge. Inihaw na saba :”> Pamalit sa turon,

The view of Loboc River from the mountains. First picture: the P250 buffet eat-all-you-can floating restaurant. Second picture is of some Kreeyans riding the cable car and the third one is supposed to be the… zipline. Hahaha!

I’d love it if you look at the rightmost wall. Have you seen anything?

*insert Wow Philippines-Leaving on a jetplane remix*

Oh, it’s Friday todayyy :D

“Ang ganda ko!”

2011-04-14T23:10:00.001+08:00

- Sabi ng Pilipinas

Oo, itong post na ito ang papansin ngunit… ate, koya, napansin mo na ba ang ganda ng bansa mo? Nagsimula kami sa Cebu (akala mo, tumu-tour sa buong Pilipinas eh HAHAHA), ngayon naman ay ang tahanan ng mga tarsier!

Daungan ng mga bangka/barko sa Tagbilaran, Bohol

Sa paligid at loob ng simbahan ng Dauis.

Palabas ng Kweba ng Hinagdanan

“Pipicture-an ko ho kayo doon sa labasan ng kweba para naman may proof kayo na lumabas kayo ng kweba… at hindi kayo lumabas ng imburnal”

- ang aming “ispektakyular!” na tour guide

Simbahan ng San Agustin, Panglao, Bohol

Bohol Bee Farm

Gusto mo ng pandan ice cream?

Ang…. BITS… este, languyan sa Dimaluan

Gusto kong pasalamatan ang i-sponsor ng bakasyong ito.

Ikatlong kabanata, susunod!

The sun rises at the “Queen of the South”

2011-04-12T21:02:00.002+08:00

Departure time from Manila was around four in the morning that we had to get up really early. Two hours of sleep was….

Our first stop after eating breakfast at Jollibee and dropping off the hotel was the Magellan’s Cross.

Meet my “Japanese” cousin

The Sto. Niño Basilica

The Cebu City Cathedral

Oh yes, that’s the Ayala Mall in Cebu. Probably one of the malls with the best view.

Fresh seafood in "Neo Neo." You can’t definitely miss this out when you decide to go to a trip to Cebu! The best ihaw-ihaw restaurant I have ever gone to!

Uncles picking out which ones to be cooked.

A photo with my “Chinese” cousin this time XD (One Chinese man mistook him as a Chinese during our HongKong trip, that’s why.)

That’s it, for now! I’ll post more when I have time tomorrow :D Bohol pictures, coming up!

I live today for summer.

2011-04-10T19:15:00.001+08:00

A teaser photo for my post about our Cebu/Bohol trip, April 7-11, 2011. One of the best trips ever.

The day I thought I lost my phone… again.

2011-04-05T21:23:00.001+08:00

WHAATTTTT? Well, yes, it was during Cy’s brothers’ grad party that I thought I lost ~~my phone~~ my mother’s phone that I borrowed from her after I lost mine. I was even at the verge of tears because of that thought that if ever I lost it, I would never have a phone that I wanted. (Please don’t mind me if I say I don’t feel using Cherry Mobile for some reason or myphone because their phones always have a Philippine map at the back XD)

Anyhoo, this should be the last event before Cy will go to New York for the whole summer. We’ll miss you >:D< …and we’ll find a sub for you and when you get back, you’re gonna dance with us again, ayt? ;) (The ‘ayt’ expression is an inside joke. Haha!)

Our performance in front of people who’re in total ignorance of Korean pop (probably) was just embarrassing. Hello, blank stares! Thank God, though, because there were people who appreciated us when we danced it the second time around in their garage. Check out our ‘LOL’ video =))

Our supposed to be perfect private performance for Cy's relatives....

Technicolor without Ayeza :(

Filane, Melissa, Nicole, Arysse, Frances (yours truly) and Cyril

Rated PG: Megi Melegrito

2011-03-31T12:20:00.004+08:00

Just as her Tumblr page goes, "adventures of a twenty-one year old fangirl." Megi Melegrito isn't the common going-wild-and-screaming-when-they-see-their-idol KPop fangirl everyone must see as however, what probably sets her apart is the initiative to share her photos to other fangirls, those who are less fortunate to have a glimpse of their idols . There's also her artistic drawings found in her Deviantart.

Without further ado, in my second week of Rated PG, here's (Ate) Megi!

Name: Megi Melegirto
Current work: Segment Producer, MYX
Camera Equipment: Canon EOS 400D, Samsung PL101

How long have you been a fan of Korean Pop and what was the first instant that made you appreciate it?

I have been a KPOP fan for almost 6 years now. Hehe. First instant that made me appreciate it? To be honest, it's because of their pretty faces and unique hairstyles. XD

Who's your number 1 bias? What makes him/her set apart from other idols?

I'm torn between, Kim HeeChul of Super Junior and G-Dragon of Big Bang. I like both of them because HeeChul has this "blood type AB" personality. He's really playful and has a really good sense of humor but he's a bit conceited sometimes. But I like that about him. Plus he's really really pretty. *o* G-Dragon's the "serious musician" type. I love him for his deep love for music and fashion. I can't even call him an idol anymore because he's a real musician now, he makes his own music and he has also created his own identity outside Big Bang. But I still can't decide who's my number one because I need both of them in my life. Haha!

Recently, KPop has been invading the Philippines. How do you cope up with the want to see your favorite groups?

A couple of years ago, having a KPOP group to have a concert here in the Philippines is a like a dream. I have already accepted the fact that the only way to see them live is to go to Korea or in Thailand. But now, it's different. We're one of the luckiest countries. That's why I'm really really thankful that KPOP has invaded our country. I don't need to think about where to get the money for my plane ticket and accommodation fees anymore.

Looking at your Tumblr, many people like your posts but basically, how do you end up with really nice photos?

Well, I got into photography during college. Joined photography clubs and learned tons of things. But I'm too lazy to really study hardcore photography. I only know the basics. Hehe. When taking pictures, I always imagine that every idol standing in front of me is my bias. Because I'm not taking these pictures only for myself. I wanted to share it to every fangirl who doesn't get the same opportunities as I am. But when it comes to post processing, I don't really like using Photoshop that much. I only use it to put watermarks, adjust the brightness, contrast and size. I just like being honest with my pictures. :)

In general, what inspires you the most when you take photos?

Medyo cheesy pero...it really feels good receiving compliments from KPOP fans from all over the world. Especially to those fans who haven't seen any KPOP groups in person. Because a long time ago, I also spent the whole day in front of the computer staring at other people's pictures and reading their fan accounts, while dreaming that someday I will also take pictures of my favorites KPOP groups. Now that my dream came true, it's my turn to share them. :)

Travelling is one of the things photo enthusiasts get inspiration from. Do you think the same too? What do you usually take pictures of when you travel?

Yes. Because there some things that you can't explain in words. :)

What photo of yours can you consider as the best one? (Note: apparently, she's torn between two photos :D)

BEAST's Junhyung during BEAST's Manila tour.

Tumblr page: megiyah^_^