Monday, January 09, 2012

More Fun In The Philippines

Last Friday, the Department of Tourism launched its newest campaign, "It's More Fun In The Philippines". Filipinos all over the world have fun in sharing their own versions of "more fun" by creating personal posters with witty descriptions on why it's more fun here.

I'm really grateful that our people embraced and supported this campaign despite the accusations that the idea was stolen from a Swiss tourism campaign. In all honesty, I think that this is just a pure coincidence because the word "fun" rhymes with "Switzerland" and the phrase "it's more fun in *blank*" is an ordinary phrase. It can be heard from everyone... everywhere, everyday. And "It's More Fun In The Philippines" in Tagalog is "(Sa 'Pinas) Mas Mas Masaya" just like here at TV5! Mas masaya naman kasi talaga. And take note, my boss retweeted this! 

Going back, I wouldn't let this moment slip. We're currently on a high sharing what we've got! I made my own versions, too!

Sam, Marga and Reesha in Baguio City.

With Paolo, Boracay Island.

Corregidor Island

The Magic Stays With You! At Enchanted Kingdom.

A certified only in the Philippines: dirty ice cream!

A lovely sarong. Pagudpud Beach.

Main reason why I wanna go back to Laoag. Paoay Church is a little piece of heaven in the Philippines.

Body massage by the bay? Yes. At Puerto Galera.

I ran out of witty descriptions but I swear, making these "more fun" posters alone is really fun! Please find time to make your own too. All you need is Adobe Photoshop and get the vector and raster template here or get instructions from Jayvee Fernandez or download the Harabara font for free! If you would like to share your photos, you can add them on InterAksyon.com Gallery or email MoreFun@InterAksyon.com. And lastly, like "More Fun In The Philippines" on Facebook and follow @MoreFunInThePHL and @DOTPhilippines.

Show your photos, show your support!

,

Friday, January 06, 2012

12 Things To Cross Out This 2012

We're now on the first week of 2012 and I must say that some of the things I planned to do every day of the entire year is successful. Care to know what are these?
  1. I must be up before 6:30 AM strikes.
  2. I must leave for work by 7:55 AM to make it to the shuttle and arrive at TV5 on time.
  3. I must avoid taking a taxi cab going to North Avenue when I'm bound to The Fort. 
Check, check, check. Yay! :)

I know it's such a pain to live by these everyday simple rules but I'm slowly working on it. I am motivated by the fact that if I'm able to take the free shuttle provided by our company, I'll save up to P150/week (P30 per way going to Novaliches from North Avenue) or P600/month or P7200 in one year! Whoop, imagine that!

But of course there are other things I need to cross out on my checklist this year. I admit, some can be achieved with a wink of an eye or with a snap of my fingers. All I need to do is to make time for this and be surrounded by people who support me (financially and morally). Ready?

1. Get a driver's license. This is on the top of my list. I need this in my life. I want other valid identification cards aside from my passport and company ID. I also want to take the car out and drive myself to places I'm going to without bugging, pleasing and convincing someone to go with me. Plus, it feels legal. And more matured.

2. Save money. I'm employed for almost three years now and haven't saved enough money for my future. I spend endlessly on things I don't really need (makeups I don't use often, shoes I don't wear, milk teas, coffees, junk foods). I'm targeting a certain amount of money for myself this year. Sad to say, expect less travels from me this year for a more bonggacious travel in years to come. I'm also avoiding Topshop, Aldo, Forever 21 and other favorite brands this year but more thrift shops and vintage finds will rule my closet.

3. Buy a bigger closet. Now that I mentioned my closet, I believe it's time for me to upgrade my existing storage. Some of my clothes are hung on my bed pole, in my parents' closet, in my sister's.. they are piled up all over our place. Hence, a bigger space won't hurt and will actually give all those concerned a space to breathe.

4. Go to Little Tokyo. Paolo and I, as well as my friends from the Monthly Period, have been planning this for so long but did not ever find the time to go here. See? To think that this little Japanese cuisine paradise is located in Makati... Oh well, I promise to visit this place on or before I turn a year older. Mark that!

5. Enroll in a school. Be it a short course for fashion styling (again), makeup, cooking, dressmaking, writing or anything that interests me, I'd love to learn new things and improve what I already know. I also want to take the opportunity to start on my Masters this year, now that my youngest sister is finishing college this summer. Time is gold!

6. Practice my writing. I know I'm not a pro but writing is and will always be my first love. I did not take any academic course or whatever to be called a writer and I don't want to label myself as a known blogger, too. But even without titles like these, I want to, like to, need to and love to write.

7. Read more books and magazines. I want to put the blame on books and magazines for losing a perfect eye vision but every time I think of all the ideas, things and stories I read back in the days, I forget how unclear my sight is. I am beyond thankful that I spent sleepless nights finishing an R. L. Stine or a Francine Pascal book, or ditched an Uno game with my sisters just to read a dictionary or an encyclopedia. Books, like shoes, take us to good places, and I want to go places one page at a time. 

8. Live healthy. I always make sure to get at least an 8-hour sleep at night, I try my best to drink glasses of water, I take Berocca, eat fruits and vegetables but these aren't enough. I still get sick. I also stopped smoking (I consumed five sticks of cigarettes the entire 2011, sorry) and now an occasional drinker (I used to drink almost everyday when I was working in Makati). And the worst case of my eating habits--putting a spoonful of patis on my rice--is now brought to an end. Alright, I'm trying. It's really hard for me to eat without patis but I'm staying away from it now. I swear. And lastly, exercise. I possess a lazy a$$.

9. Take more, and better photos of myself. Admit it. Choosing a profile picture on Facebook is quite stressful especially if we do not have good ones to show our friends and strangers. I envy those who can strike a pose in public places and those who are brave enough to bring out their cameras in a crowded place. And one more thing, photos aren't for kikay girls alone! Someday, we'll look back at our old selves. Photos are the best memory keepers!

10. Watch Gossip Girl, Seasons 1-5. Reading this from Blair Waldorf's number one fan, it's hard to believe that I haven't seen even a single episode of season 5. I did not even manage to finish season 4 and missed a number of episodes of season 3. I want to devote a weekend doing nothing except for a Gossip Girl marathon... and Twitter. Now, where can I download these five seasons? Or please be kind enough to give me a copy of your copies if you have one. Thank you!

11. Discover new places to eat and new foods to eat. This may oppose items 2 and 8 but hell yeah, next to fashion, makeup and traveling is food. I don't care if it's a street food or a chef's compliment, homemade or delivered. Trying out a newly-opened restaurant or a carinderia  popularized by word of mouth won't hurt.

12. Do things I never thought I'd be doing. Surprise, surprise! Who knows? :)

Now I have a year-round to do this. One item per month, maybe? Let's see! I still have other things in mind but they pop out like yeah when I'm in the shower or when I'm doing anything else.

Have a great Friday night, you all! It's the first weekend of the year. Have a blast! :)

,

Unfurgivable

ARC Marketing and PR's Gerrick Ortiz once again invited me to join a campaign by STRIP, The Ministry of Waxing Manila for PETA--Unfurgivable, a photo exhibit by Miguel Miranda and fashion show by Wanderlust. It will be launched on January 12 at the Prive Luxury Club, The Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.


Famous faces like Phoemela Barranda, Isabel Roces, Queenie Padilla and our very own TV5 Princess Jasmine Curtis Smith are one of the many who support this campaign.



PETA X STRIP TEASER: UNFURGIVABLE from Ynigo Santos on Vimeo.
 
See you all there!


♥,

Monday, January 02, 2012

Holiday Hangover

Cheers to 2012, everyone! Here's my first ever blog post for this new year. I got so busy over the holidays, barely had time to visit Superloved and post new entries. And since the Yuletide spirit is still with us, I'm rolling all the happenings (from Christmas parties to birthdays to reunions, etc) this recent holiday in a single post. But prepare yourselves for a real photo-loaded story, I tried to cut the number of images but.. it was hard. Enjoy reading! :)

Tropang Logbi Christmas Party 


The same college barkada Paolo and I share celebrated Christmas last December 17 at Garahe 25. It's a big  group mostly composed of boys so don't expect to see some gift-giving activities for boys hate giving presents! :P The party poured beers however. Add sexy girls who promote beers.. it was really fun, at least for them. But seriously, it was a fun night. Year-end party plan did not push through, though.

Monthly Period Christmas Dinner


We had the North Park in TriNoma all by ourselves last December 19. We did not reserve for exclusivity but we loved the fact that the place was not too crowded because it was a Monday night. We exchanged gifts and gave my friends some cheapo presents but I'm so happy they liked it.

Yang Chow overload! And dim sum and noodles and all Chinese goodies! So yummy!

Mia gave me a 5-piece brush set from Charm. Yay! :)

"Our future is so bright, we must wear sunglasses!"

Exclusive for Monthly Period. ♥

We had numerous Christmas parties in the past, add grade school and high school parties to that, but this one's really memorable! It was the night we became friends with our dearest Lovi Poe, too! And this dinner did not involve drinking alcohol. I am so proud of ourselves for we put career first and fought alcoholic temptation. Yeah!

Mark's & Irene's Birthday-Slash-Christmas-Slash-Reunion-With-Grade-School-And-High-School-Friends-Party


Whew! This epic party happens every 21st day of December of the year. If it's true that the world would end this year, then you will know where we are and who we are with. :P And after two years of not bringing Paolo with me, I finally brought him back at the Pelayo's residence this time. Shocking for him to see my friends grow bigger... and better!

With the "outstanding" birthday boy, Mark!

With the birthday girl, Irene, and Toto and Kay: my friends since 1993!

My high school bffs and our bfs! So cute!

As usual, this annual epic party is awesome! I also skipped alcohol that night (and drank milk tea with Mika instead) because I learned my lesson the day after I drank with Tropang Logbi people. I almost puked on the third night of Simbang Gabi! Told myself to continue fighting that kind of temptation until I complete the novena Mass and hey, it was a success!

Christmas 2011


The best people to spend Christmas with: FAMILY. Never, ever fails. Happier this time, too, because our dearest Mama Nene (my Dad's sister, in peach top), went home from Taiwan to spend the holidays with us. Our cousins from Cavite also took a trip up north to celebrate Christmas with us.


Made these for Noche Buena!

My gift for my lucky baby monita! And greetings from Hello Kitty too!

Dedma sa gulo ng garahe. Paolo came to celebrate Christmas with us! We look like cousins already.

The girls with Mama. :)

I got half of my Christmas wishlist this year! Thank you to those who surprised me with presents! But what made my Christmas the happiest is being with my family and my boyfriend. Not a single thing can ever compare to what I feel when I'm with them. <3

My Mom's 50th Birthday


Our golden wonder woman turned 50 two days after Christmas. I took a leave from work to help my Mom prepare her much-awaited birthday party. I'm also proud to tell you that it was me and my elder sister, Ate Mai, who threw this party for her with my dad's and younger sister's support! Seeing her happy is priceless!

Cupcakes from Blushing Cupcakes!

We do not have enough photos because we got so busy that night. And another highlight of Mom's party is the attendance of Paolo's family! My family finally met his mom and his siblings at home! Such a wonderful occasion! Now I want them to be friends on Facebook. :P

2012 NEW YEAR'S EVE


The last day of Yuletide celebration is the first day of the year. Life's like this, so the best thing to deal with this irony is to be with your family. For 2012, we had the "Shining, Shimmering" theme. Just in case you did not notice, we wore something with sequins, glitters, lights and anything glowing!

I LOVE YOU.

Jai ho! I pouted and found out I was wearing a mask.

My baby girl Reesha gave me the sweetest kiss!

Some of the girls in the family!

The cute kids and proud titas!  

I hosted our new year's eve party and the kids had a severe hangover on the day of January first! They all woke me up at 10 in the morning and demanded me to throw games for them. I made some cupcakes for them instead because I'm suffering from sore throat. The smile on their faces while dancing Teach Me How To Dougie and Super Bass (the ONLY songs we played that eve) and while playing parlor games like paper dance, stop dance, bring me, simon says, trip to jerusalem reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas for children.

***
Again, happy holidays and let's cheer to this fresh, new year! I promise to post a follow-up blog entry for 2012, my to-dos, goals to achieve and resolution-like ideas to make me a better person this year. Aaaaand keep posted, Superloved's birthday is fast approaching. This blog is turning one this month!

♥,

Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011, A Year Of Friendship

Friendship. Such a fragile word for me. I have always been so sensitive when it comes to friendship for all relationships should be founded by this. In my life, I have built a wonderful, unyielding friendship with my family. Then here comes an affectionate friendship we foster with our partners, our significant others. And lastly, the basic friendship we develop with our circles, our friends--the family we have chosen. Therefore, friendship is love. We can never say we love these people until we establish the kind of friendship we have with them.

My 2011 took me to a roller coaster ride. I've touched the clouds, felt the ground, floated in the midair, twisted me into the loops and oops of life but in the end, my safety belt buckled up by people who love me faithfully kept me alive. I almost gave up, but I was secured by the kinds of friendship I just defined. And just like any other rides, roller coaster rides come to an end. It stops on the right time. And it's up to you if you're willing to take risks and want to ride again.

If I were to answer my own question, yes, I want to ride again. There must be some views I missed because I'm too scared so I closed my eyes. Who knows, I might be braver this time.

Friendship rekindled, friendship rediscovered. New-found friendship, friendship wiped out. Best friendship remains. Welcome to my 2011.

It's quite challenging for me to post this year-ender blog. First, I don't know how to start and second, I have a lot of things to note I don't know which to prioritize. I don't want to call this the best of my 2011 because clearly, I share even my saddest emotions. Let's just go with the flow. But nonetheless, this is also my way of saying THANK YOU.

 I've been to a beautiful island called Guimaras.
This 2011, I turned a year old in the good hands of TV5.
Rachel and I have finally patched things up.
We also celebrated Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary this year.
I watched Justin Bieber's concert without dropping a Hamilton.
And this year, I finally step a foot on SoFA.
I got to see the NBA superstars like Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose in real life for free and Kobe was this close to me.
My dream of becoming a fashion stylist happened in collaboration with my favorite online brands Royal Kouture, MARiS and Loca Trends.
For the first time in my life, I went to Puerto Galera and braved the strong winds and waves on our way there.
Also, Resorts World Manila brought my forever favorite The Sound Of Music. I can't describe the feeling!
2011 is really a year of firsts. My college friend Kim tied the knot with her long time boyfriend, Mon. She became my first girl friend who walked down the aisle.
Another first is my first beach trip with my high school best friends Mika, Maro and Ailyn. We went to Boracay in one, two, three, four days!

I went to places I've never been, met new people and called them good friends.

Two of the best highlights of my 2011 is my 23rd birthday. I threw a party and asked my guests to wear something with animal prints on it. Truly, they made the night I turned 23 memorable. Turning another year older is always wonderful, just like when Paolo and I turned seven.

So many things to be thankful for! I can't even enumerate all so if I missed something, it doesn't mean I forgot you. I'm just too clouded on what to prepare tonight and I'm not feeling well.

But here's a special shout out. My 2011 is dedicated to all my friends. It's a year of friendship and I look forward to spend the same, best times with these people who love me unconditionally without judging me, without asking for anything in return. They know who they are. :)

Cheers to 2011 and 2012!

♥,