In Pink Sneakers

Lazy Tuesday

2011-04-25T15:59:00.001-07:00

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Kakai and the Kois

2011-04-22T00:10:00.000-07:00

I didn't know that you can actually feed these carps using feeding bottles

Sisters

2011-04-21T00:44:00.000-07:00

Kakai and me :)

I went to Manila last week to accompany my sister and help her find a place to stay while she have her board exam review. Our little sister, Kakai just tagged along. Gusto niya daw mag starbucks, wala kasi dito yan sa Davao! :) hehe

April Joyce

This is my sis April. We call her Api at home. She'll be taking her board exam this July and we hope she does well.

Kakai at Luneta

Of course, kelangan sulitin and time in Manila. During the day, Api will attend her review classes while gumagala kami ni Kakai. Ka-stress! Nakakapanibago ang Manila! Ang init, ang traffic! It affirmed my resolve to move back to Davao after living there for many years. But of course, love ko pa rin Manila for many reasons. My stay there during college years and after was a time of growing up for me. Kasi mag-isa lang ako, walang pamilya. It's where I found my good friends and learned to live on my own. Walang choice but to mature.

So anyway, saan pa ba pwedeng pumunta in Manila? Kelangan maging creative! kahit ilang beses ko ng napuntahan ang mga sites dito, everytime I go always may bago and it's because of the company I have.

Yung mga sisters ko, walang arte! I thought, Kakai, being a spoiled child that she is would keep complaining from long walks and difficult LRT rides. But we just laughed it off! Tapos lagi ko siyang binibilhan ng food para di niya rin pansin ang pagod! :) haha.

On that Saturday, Api went with us na. Ang goal for the day e Luneta, MOA, Ocean Park. After ng mainit na lakaran in Luneta, nagcool down naman kami in MOA for some fun in the ice. Ice skating ang bet namin ng sister ko. Pareho kaming hindi marunong! Wala pang 5 minutes natumba na kami!!! Nakakahiya. Pero go pa rin ng go hanggang namaga na yung kamay ng kapatid ko from too much cold. Actually, ganyan talaga siya. kapag nababasa ng water, nagpapantal. Parang allergy niya yan.

kakai Feeding the Koi's

Tapos sa Ocean Park, super amazed pa rin kami sa mga isda kahit second time na namin dun. Buti maraming bagong attractions that we were looking forward to.

Sariling sikap pic with the jelly fishes!

Ang saya nung Sea Lion show! First time ko kasing makakita ng ganun, hanggang bird show lang ako. Pero ang saya talaga. I love animals! parang ang cute nila, may isip din. Tapos yung musical fountain show mejo wow naman but I know they can do better. May mga parts kasi na nakaka-"duh".

Sea Lion show

Fountain musical show

The day after, pauwi na kami ni Kakai. We said goodbye to my sister. Ngayon pa lang miss ko na siya. Tinutukso namin siya na mamimiss niya kami.

Super naappreciate ko ang time na to with my sisters. Dati kasi nung college, nagkikita lang kami kapag umuuwi ako ng Davao. Now that I'm based here, mas nagbonding kami ng todo. It's one of the reasons why I moved back. Gusto ko din makasama sila because I wasn't there when Kakai was growing up. Now, I look after my sisters and I make sure they're ok. Mejo naiiyak nga ako when we left Api in Manila. Nandun pa rin yung ate instinct ko na nagwoworry for her kasi she's alone but I know she can do it. Kinaya ko nga nung 16 years old ako umalis, siya pa kaya ngayon. But we'll see her again in June naman :)

Ang saya ng may kapatid. Always treasure your siblings. For me, I enjoy every moment I have with them. I hope next time yung bonding naman with my brothers, if not, yung kaming magkakapatid lahat with our parents.

From Coffee to Tea

2011-04-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

I got my coffee drinking habits from my father. While mine is limited from 1-3 cups a days, he consumes to about 5 or more. Kung di mo lang papansinin, you'd think he drinks cup after cup after cup. He likes his black. As for me, I need caffeine fix to keep me alert. But coffee is dehydrating to the point that I need to drink plenty of water every now and then. Parang twice of what's needed na nacoconsume ko! Hirap! I always make sure I carry a bottle of water with me wherever. So I thought, why not I try tea. Then starts my new love affair.

True enough, tea isn't as dehydrating as coffee. And this article believes so, too and suggests that it "rehydrates as well as water does"; together with its many health benefits. Tea also gives me a good kick so I stay alert. One more thing I like about it is variety. Tea has many flavors and brands. It's fun to experiment, although some taste bad na sa sobrang bitter. I have yet to try the best labels at magfeeling teasan.

When it comes to flavor variety, I like Stash. I once bought a sampler box with, I think, 10 different flavors that each day is like a treat! I look forward to the flavor in every cup. Now, I bought the Tastes of India sampler pack. My ultimate favorite so far is the Moroccan Mint Tea. Hands down!

Of course, dahil maarte ako, bumili talaga ako ng tea kettle. This one is a steal - bought this for a little over a hundred pesos. It comes with a cup already. I also want to buy another one with a strainer for loose leaf.

Sabi, tea comes second to water when it comes to consumption (all the while I thought it was coffee). From time to time I may post reviews of my favorite flavors. Culture na talaga siya and I want to learn and explore more! For the mean time, I say goodbye to coffee and enjoy each cup of tea.

Tea Lovin'

2011-04-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Lot's of love from these teabags :)

P.S.

I'll make a separate post about this new favorite of mine.

Minimalist Photography

2011-04-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

Bayad utang.

Because I wasn't able to post pictures in the last two weeks and honestly, i have no pictures to show. Eto nalang muna. I was inpired by this website - 40 Examples of Minimalist Photography. Please check the link, sobrang ganda kasi parang you get to appreciate simple things more. This was shared by my friend KZ. I'm a fan of minimalism, though hindi nga lang masyadong obvious sa buhay ko kasi parang ang dami kong ka-echosan haha. I've yet to achieve that.

I thought I'd also share a photo here. This was taken way back.

On other things:

I feel super blessed. Tapos na third semester ko in grad school. I truly enjoy going back to school lkahit ganun pa rin and cramming habits ko. Nevertheless, studying brought me wonderful experiences in a new field of study even though it's different from my undergrad degree. Librarian tapos nag MBA ang far out lang diba? Kahit ang daming stressors this week, happy pa rin. First, I had to submit all my school work and second, inventory at the library where I work. Buhatan portion lang talaga! Ang sakit ng katawan ko at parang next week pa ata ako makakabawi nito. But, this has been a very fruitful and fulfilling week, added happiness. Until next week!

P.S. Please visit/follow this blog for more visual inspirations - SUNSURFER. Click!

Halo

2011-03-20T05:21:00.001-07:00

Nicka's cute shirt. Sometimes, this speaks true of her.

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Traveler

2011-03-15T18:21:00.001-07:00

It's been so long.

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I Smell Summer

2011-03-02T16:59:00.001-08:00

Im so excited for summer. Beach, surely.

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Love and Light

2011-02-24T07:26:00.001-08:00

God is my light and to love is His ultimate commandment

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Cases

2011-02-17T06:39:00.001-08:00

Dear Cases, Please be good to me. Last na kayo for this semester.

Bakit nga ba ako ng grad school? Tanong lang.

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My Cheesy Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T04:33:00.000-08:00

I think you've been warned by the title already. teeeheeee :D

This is our second (yes second pa lang!) V-day together. Last year was special because Jun really didn't want to miss it so he flew to Davao just to celebrate it with me - Sweeet!

Since it's just our second, we're very psyched to celebrate it. Cheesy kung cheesy lang. The night before I baked Jun a cake in a heart shaped mold. Haha! It was also the first time that I did the frosting right (swiss butter cream) but bear with my cake decorating skills.

Jun also made me a heart shaped parmesan and egg sandwich for lunch!

This one's really good.

The egg white was dyed pink!

I was really surprised by this. Normally, Jun wouldn't go so far in cheesy-ness level but this is GRADE A cheesy for me. The heart shaped omelette is by far the most cheesy of all cheesy stuff he's ever done. We reserved dinner at our fave Italian resto but it rained so hard we had to cancel. Instead, we just cooked, watched Season 3 of Castle, and shared stories. It was lovely.

I am thankful for the time spent together. We started with a long distance relationship and it was difficult. Every month, we travel just to see each other and add to that the separation anxiety. Tiis talaga. Eventually Jun decided to move to Davao so we can be closer and I couldn't be any happier. When he made that decision, hindi ako makatulog. I was overwhelmed by the fact that this guy is willing to give up his comfort zone just to be with me. Super romantic diba? Now, we make the most out of everything and thankful for each moment together.

Yes, I admit. Our relationship is cheesy in so many levels and people sometimes tease us. But cheesy is good. It means the relationship is alive and full of love. You're not complacent, you make things special for your partner. Cheesy is healthy. It makes you happy and blooming, and relieves you of stress. I feel sad whenever I hear stories of a couple's dying romance. There was someone who told me his husband only tells him "I love you" on special occasions. Diba ang lungkot nun? Siguro kasi dyahe na to say it when you're used to each other. Like a teenage kid feeling awkward to tell his mom I love you. But every couple must not lose that romantic bone in their body. A simple I love you, a hug, and a kiss can already make your partner's day. So go ahead, be cheesy. Let's all be. Afterall a simple teasing is just a small price to pay for love. Celebrate heart's day every day!

Up In The Air!

2011-02-11T02:27:00.000-08:00

Mid-air things that make me happy:

1. Fireworks

2. Hot Air Balloons.

I feel sad for not attending this year's Hot Air Balloon Festival in Clark. It would have been fun. My friends and I used to go there. With our VIP passes, we get to be up close and personal with the balloons and pilots - I used to befriend one, a German named Klaus Weisgerber who flies the Die Konigen Balloon. I got to practice my German language with him (I took 12 units of Deutsch in college) and felt every glad when he understood most of what I said.

We'd get up very early and travel from QC to Clark with our baon - packed sandwiches and Lot's signature potato marbles in sinful amount of butter and pepper. Haaay, the good old days :)

So anyway, here are the pics I got circa 2009.

Valentine

2011-02-11T02:00:00.001-08:00

Love is in the air! :)

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My Sister's Portrait of Me

2011-02-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

25 years and happy :)

When you hold my hand I'm fine

2011-02-10T04:43:00.001-08:00

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Date a Girl Who Reads (A Repost)

2011-02-09T03:06:00.000-08:00

*** I got this from my friend Crozy's Tumblr page. I saw this article a few weeks back but never had the time to read it 'till tonight. It's a good read! I'm a book lover myself and I did not become a librarian for no reason. I have hoards of books in my closet some I've read many times, some waiting to be opened. Most of the points in this article are true (at least to me) and I guess, as you read along, you'll find yourself agreeing with it, too. This article was made in response to Charles Warnke's "You Should Date an Illiterate Girl", a post written by a man with angst towards girls who read.

DATE A GIRL WHO READS

by Rosemarie Urquico

(In Response to Charles Warnke’s You Should Date An Illiterate Girl.)

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

Fish

2011-02-07T03:35:00.000-08:00

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day

Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime

This photo was taken last week in my Lola's hometown. My family once lived here for a short time when I was a kid. It's where I learned how to ride a bike and play outdoor Filipino games with our neighbors. I've had a wonderful childhood in this tranquil town. After so many years, the place didn't really quite change. It's still the same rural area where farming is the main livelihood of the people. This photo depicts the simple life in this town.

Red

2011-02-02T22:53:00.000-08:00

my favorite pair of flat shoes

I got this shoes from Suelas. Their shoes are so comfy that I got addicted to it; I already have seven pairs. I must admit I splurge a lot on shoes. It's my some-sort of therapy. Comfort takes top priority when shopping for shoes. No matter how cute a pair is if it's not comfortable I don't buy it. I like it when it can be folded and has a good rubber outer sole that prevents slipping. I also stick to neutral colors that I can match with any clothes. I always prefer flat shoes over ones with heels. I can't last half a day wearing the latter -- the balls of my feet and knee joints hurt -- but I'm still determined to learn how to walk in high heels. One of these days.

25 years

2011-02-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

my planner says it's my birthday

Thank God that after 25 years I'm still alive!

Last year was one of the best I've had and I hope this year will be, too. I'm a great believer of counting blessings and truly, I'm blessed. My family is ok, my relationships with friends and my husband-to-be is smooth sailing and most of all, I've reconciled with myself. Surely, we've all made mistakes in the past and all it takes is forgiving ones self (and also others) that we can truly make the most out of life. Guilt-free and without baggage, I move forward. So that's what I've been doing and to be honest, it's easier. I'm more positive, inspired, and most of all filled with gratitude.

Birthdays are a celebration and mine was completely different this year. Last Sunday, while my family was out celebrating in advance, we received the sad news of my Aunt's death. She died of cancer. It was already too late when she was diagnosed because the cancer had metastasized. She was with us the whole time she was sick and we saw the great pain that she went through. But our family believes that wherever she is we know she's not in pain anymore and we couldn't be any happier for her. The family traveled the day after for her wake and funeral in Butuan (except for me and my sister).

So it was, a birthday with a sad news but the mood picked up a bit the day after and on Tuesday, I took a leave to spend my birthday in quiet solitude at home. At night my sister, Jun and I had dinner at Marco Polo. Wow, was I impressed with their menu that night -- plus they had crabs! Then stayed by the pool for a while to relax. The celebration was simple yet perfect.

Cafe Marco had a superb menu that night!

I feel like they made it especially for me (feeling!)

my sister and Jun at the elevator

The day after, I went back to work. My workmates and the student assistants cooked up a little surprise for me - flowers from Ma'am Nel and a scrapbook of their birthday messages. I was so touched by the gesture. I'm glad to be working with these people. They're sweet. And equally sweet are my friends and family who sent their greetings via facebook, twitter and text. Technology really brings people closer. My birthday was indeed a very happy one.

the scrapbook they made at work

I say a prayer of thanks to God for everything. I thought that by this time, I'd still be complaining about my life, stuck in my quarter-life crisis, completely clueless of where I'm going. I never thought that at 25 I'm content and fulfilled like a 60-year old. Well, I guess I wouldn't know if it's true until I'm 60 but the point is I don't worry nor panic; complain about my perennial state of boredom. I know who and what I want to be and I am very excited about it. I'm living each moment. Cliche as it may be but I'm living instead of just plainly existing. So cheers to myself and the last 25 years! Now, I shall look forward to the rest of my lifetime!

Spice Jars

2011-01-31T18:53:00.000-08:00

Ceramic containers of spices that already has a label on it.

They're beautifully designed, perfect for my dream english-style kitchen :)

***I've been daydreaming of my future house lately, mental browsing the things that I will put in it. It will be minimalistic for sure but elegantly designed. I know nothing about interior design but I think I will do most of the designing myself. hahaha. Talagang feel na feel ko. I hope this becomes reality, though :) A girl can dream!

Waddup with the oversized glasses, Nick?

2011-01-20T05:28:00.000-08:00

Meet my adorable and incredibly smart cousin, Nicka.

She's the antidote to my aversion to children -- the first kid that I ever came to like and will always be my favorite :)

Washed out

2011-01-19T23:43:00.001-08:00

I think these gorgeous photos of oversaturated washed out yellow deserve this week's post. For this set, I especially like the last photograph with the padlock.

engagement to forever

light and lines

Find your escape

------

Random:

I'm enjoying my new job. This year is indeed a fresh start for me, at least career-wise. I used to think that I was born to bum around. well not anymore. Surprisingly, productivity gives me a certain level of 'high' that I bid my lazy ass goodbye (and coincidentally it rhymes)

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Love. Life

2011-01-19T23:39:00.001-08:00

Let me share this message I found online which pretty much sums up my life's mission statement. It's so beautiful i had to write it on my journal to remind me everyday how awesome life is. By the way for more inspiration visit this blog today.

<3

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Mini

2011-01-13T05:06:00.001-08:00

Jun's surprise: A bouquet of pink roses for our unofficial anniversary! <3

Different wines at La Toscana

An accidental burst of color.

A charming chandelier

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Android is so cool. Totally!

2011-01-09T05:08:00.001-08:00

My boyfriend just can't get over the fact that I'm still using my old iPod Touch for internet surfing whenever I'm too lazy to use my computer so he gave me a new LG Android phone (that's beside the fact that he hates useless Apple products). So thanks to him I'm now on Android. By the way, it was his Christmas/Birthday gift to me and he really put extra effort to find me one in red. How sweet!

I'm getting more fond of this phone by the minute as I can download applications from the Android market. In fact I've gone gaga installing several camera and social networking apps! This device is really convenient and let's me post and update online anytime, anywhere. In fact I'm using it to make this post right now. Cool huh?

Some samples: The first was taken with the built-in camera and the second one with the Vignette app in mini.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book for my little sister. We're hooked with this book series and the movie.

Finally, a cheaper paperback version of this book.

Hello Liz, we meet again.

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*** It's difficult to type on a qwerty keypad with a screen so small! Carpal tunnel syndrome, I see.

Vintage Effect on Gimp

2011-01-04T05:51:00.000-08:00

I just put in some vintage scripts on Gimp and the effect was quite awesome. The lomo effect is great too but it takes so much time to process so I'm settling with this one. Got the scripts here.

Some snaps

2011-01-03T04:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

January 1, 2011

I've been really wanting to have this cute little boy

photo of Jun so when I had the chance, Click!

(Awww, I want my future babies to have those cheeks!)

My watch says January 2, 2011

30 days before my birthday :)

January 3, 2011

Introducing my ever favorite fried rice from some Chinese resto here in Davao.Until now I still haven't figured out the name of this resto because we can't read the Chinese sign and the Filipina waiter could not pronounce it properly for us. But it's my new happy place

Phone Lomo Application

2010-12-20T05:32:00.000-08:00

Photos using Camera 360 & FX Camera Android Applications

Yay! Thanks to these new camera applications in Android, taking vignetted, lomo-ish pictures is now very easy and cheap!!! :) I was kinda hoping that one day a digital lomo camera will be created but these applications will do. Serendipitous color blasts are LOVE!!!

100 Books I Must Read

2010-12-20T03:38:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting meme I got from my friend Ghel. I only got 27/100 books here -- so much for claiming myself a bookworm! Lol. This list contains books that I'm dying to read and perhaps add to my book collection. Lovely! :)

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.

Instructions: Bold those books you've read in their entirety. Italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read only an excerpt.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete works of William Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma -Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Juvenile Fiction Books

2010-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

I love juvenile fiction because it nurtures the child within me, aside from the fact that they're short and easy to read. Some books from my collection were destroyed during the typhoon Ondoy :( It was devastating because I got those books for free & on sale. I rarely buy new books because I love owning materials that have a little bit of history in it (I am sentimental that way). I always wanted a small library rich with juve titles. One day, Jun decided to help me rebuild my book collection and managed to buy some secondhand books from ebay at $20! I was so surprised when these books arrived at my doorstep 'cause I thought they already got lost half way around the world. The package included 23 titles by Jerry Spinelli, Judy Blume, and Beverly Cleary, with my ever favorite Stargirl (already my third copy)! Maybe one day I'll manage to write some book reviews and post them here as soon as I can.

Lists: This year and the next

2010-12-18T04:48:00.000-08:00

I know it's still a bit early to wrap up my year but I feel like doing it tonight. I've been really blessed this year and it makes me more thankful and appreciative of life. Of course, there were ups and downs, monotony here and there but all in all they equate to one fantastic year for me.

This year:

1. I quit a job I didn't like.

2. I continued going to school even if I had to drag myself.

3. I baked! Finally!

4. I took the board exam, passed it and placed 8th!

5. I got a new job and I'm starting next year.

6. I'm in a relationship with a great guy I am head over heels in love with.

7. We got engaged!

... this list can go on forever.

Awards at the Oath Taking

This year I got to know myself better and explored possibilities that I didn't know I was capable of. The whole board exam experience taught me patience and hard work and proved to me that when you just do your best all the efforts will pay off. More importantly, I made my family and friends proud. I share this honor especially with my parents. It's a child's dream to make her parents proud and I beam with delight whenever I make my parents happy.

On Love...

I like the line that goes "The heart has reasons that reason cannot know". Sometimes I ask myself why I love Jun and find no answer to it. You just love someone, period. Of course, there are countless things I like about him such as why he makes such a good boyfriend, future husband and father of my kids but have no idea why I love him, at all. I just feel that way.

We're together for almost a year now and it still amazes us how things have gone from slow-mo to warp speed. But things just naturally unfolded and when you're in love, time frames really don't matter. You just put yourself out there. Now we're engaged, imagining a future with our kids (we want to have 4!), and thinking of baby names.

On Girl Friends...

photos courtesy of Lot & KZ

You know you have real friends when you feel their love even if you're a thousand miles apart. I am lucky to have my rah! rah! girls. They're like sisters to me and I miss them everyday. There are just too many things that remind me of them and sometimes I find myself suddenly laughing at random hilarious memories, or getting sentimental whenever I'm at McDonald's -- our favorite late night place. I still have their pictures in my purse. They are one of the most wonderful people I've ever known.

All of them above are the people closest to me. When I feel unmotivated and hopeless I just turn to them and I feel better. Life is hard to deal with alone and am ever so thankful for having them in this lifetime.

Next year I intend to make things bigger and better!!!

Next year I will:

1. Keep on reading good materials

2. Get serious into baking

3. Be good at my job

4. Be good at school

5. Jumpstart my plans

6. Push myself

... and do what else I can possibly do because...

Life is good and I am hardcore, kick-ass, and awesome.

Away

2010-12-18T03:30:00.000-08:00

Life is a cycle of happy-sad-happy-sad and in some days I just want to get away.

Cookies and cupcakes

2010-12-08T02:48:00.000-08:00

I love my new hobby. The kitchen is one of the many places to get creative and with baking I can do that and more! I can't exactly remember when I started to take interest in it. Was it during Kim Sam Soon marathon or watching food channels? Ironically, I don't have a sweet tooth but I enjoy the art and creativity. Cooking has always been a challenge for me but with baking my experience is entirely different. I call it beginner's luck.

My first was a disaster. I tried to make a cookie but had put too much egg on it that the form didn't hold. I think I got the same on the second try but on the third, I got it perfectly fine both in form and taste. Jun also thought my cookies went well with coffee as the sweetness was just right.

perfectly shaped cookies

So after my triumph with cookies it was time to move up to cupcakes. Cupcakes are easier to make but the frosting was tricky. Honestly, I had no idea how the buttercream frosting should look like. I was expecting a more stiff finish but it turned out fluffy, which was alright. I had to practice first before frosting. It turned out ok but I think the frosting is too sweet for my liking.

first try at frosting

I still have more to improve! There are so many recipes readily available online that I'm dying to try and I really can't wait to get formally enrolled to a baking class. I also hope that I can turn this one into a small raket and who knows this might be the beginning of that dream pastry shop.

Engagement

2010-11-29T02:39:00.000-08:00

November 15, 2010

Joy and lots of tears :)

The Board Exam

2010-11-26T04:48:00.000-08:00

To anyone who have taken or is about to take the boards, I know you agree with me if I say it's nerve wracking as hell. I was constantly anxious, tormenting myself with the thought of failure. I always asked myself if I studied enough. But during this time I all the more felt the support of the people who love me. My younger sister and cousins prayed that I get a perfect score, but I jokingly told them not to because I might need to take the exam again if I perfect it. Sabi ko in jest, kahit ten mistakes lang :) Jun constantly reminded me to take some rest and invite me to go out and watch a movie every once in a while, whenever I was looked t exhausted studying. During the board review, I also managed to squiz in baking.

Syempre, my super thoughtful boyfriend always managed to work some surprises. In between my readings were notes saying sweet words and the day before my board exam he gave me a bouquet of flowers to wish me luck. My friends, kahit malayo from each other, they still cheered me on.

After the first day of the licensure exam, I was worried sick that I stayed late to study some more. I think it helped calm my nerves because the day after I was relaxed. Halfway through the next day I was already dead tired, finished the last exam as fast as I could and went home straight to bed. But what's more exhausting is the long wait for the result.

After three days the result came out and I was so relieved seeing my name on the roster, I cried. I cried and I felt stupid for worrying that much for a long time. I thought I learned a lot from Dale Carnegie but things like this, geeeeee. However, my faith was tested and it draw me closer to God. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", I would repeat. I believe that God's grace is far greater than my own knowledge and in the end, He gave me more than what I asked for. Let me say thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this ordeal and sent their warm congratulations, afterwards. Wow, it feels great to really become a professional. Can't wait to get my ID.

First cupcakes

2010-11-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

I think I'm meant to bake! It's like my life's mission or something. haha. just kidding :) Anyway, so I've been wanting to bake some cupcakes and finally did it tonight. Here goes one of them. It's my first batch of cupcakes and honestly they're good. It's texture is even better than most of the cupcakes I've tasted to be honest, but I still have no idea how it happened. Must be the new hand mixer or something. I'm enjoying this new hobby, in fact I'm thinking of making this a christmas raket :)

Baby shoes

2010-10-27T01:58:00.000-07:00

Found this cute pair while at a shoot last week. Me thinks that if I have kids, they'd have adorable shoes, too. I wish I can post Baby Iko's photos here but I give my friend the honor of posting them first.

Donut and Tea

2010-10-27T00:52:00.000-07:00

Relax. Have some tea. This is gonna be an awesome day!

Our very first cookies!

2010-10-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

Jun & I have always wanted to learn how to cook and bake professionally but we don't have time for that yet so once in a while, we take matters into our own hands such as now!

OK, the cookies aren't bad. In fact, they were better than what I expected, except for how the cookies looked like in the pan!!! LOL. Halfway through baking time, the sides of the cookies were already burnt! They turned out crispy almost like biscuits but it tastes fairly well.

I had to make up for the picture above and tried to make the cookies look pretty in the cookie jar hence the photos below :)

I was completely satisfied with our very first batch of cookies (as there will be more to come) & it was truly fun baking! :)

Update! Finally, Right? and a Photo Essay

2010-10-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been many weeks! I know! I've been very lazy and surprising as I may admit, I've really been busy. School is crazy and I'm reviewing for my board exam, which basically gets to my nerves these days. I've been a good student, going to classes and submitting school requirements on time. School really is getter tougher. I've never been this exhausted with so many requirements and to think I have lesser academic units enrolled this semester. Accounting is eating my soul but I'm still not hateful with Math.

So yeah, I'm reviewing for my board and I'm having a hard time remembering what I learned way back. I graduated in 2008, it's 2010! But I'm really doing my best. We can just forget about that much awaited sem break but I really, really, really hope that I can go out of town soon. Kahit beach lang nearby, I'm game.

Anyway, not to bore you with my rant here. I know I promised to update my blog with photos and I am so guilty of not doing that so here's just a lovely photo essay from TIME that just blew my heart away. These photos are just marvelous and state of the art. I give it to the National Geographic guys. They're just awesome!!!.

Please check this out. You think you've seen the best photos until these. So enjoy!!!

Here's the Link: AFRICAN PLAIN AT NIGHT / by Martin Dohrn from TIME.com

P.S. I'll be having a photo shoot with my super adorable subject, Baby Iko soon and I promise to post them here.

Book List : 50 books this year

2009-12-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

Just this year I joined Project 50 Leaves -- a challenge to read 50 books in a year. I finished 12 books so far which of course, is a massive fail on my part. I used to read a lot of books until I started acquiring magazines, following blogs and subscribing to feeds.

Before, I never leave the house without a book. I read while commuting, during gap times and even when I eat my food. A book is love. It understands. It keeps you company especially when sad. And it gives you a dose of fantasy and romance when you desperately need one. Of course the first book I bought was Cinderella even when I have heard and watched the story a million times already. Stargirl Caraway rocked my world (nobody is too old for Juvenile literature) and Camilla Morton is the new it author!

I will refresh my list and hopefully, really finish 50 books in the next 365 days. The following are currently lined up for reading. I will highlight the title when done.

1. How to Walk in High Heels / Camilla Morton
2. Conversations with God / Neale Donald Walsch
3. Good in Bed / Jennifer Weiner
4. A Year in High Heels / Camilla Morton
5. Time Traveler's Wife / Audrey Niffeneger
6. The Alchemist / Paolo Coehlo
7. Like a Flowing River / Paolo Coelho
8. Chasing Harry Winston / Lauren Weisberger
9. Love, Stargirl / Jerry Spinelli
10. Eat, Pray, Love / Elizabeth Gilbert
11. The Little Prince / Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
12. Like Water for Chocolate / Laura Esquivel
13. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid / Jeff Kinney

14. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2/ Jeff Kinney
15. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 / Jeff Kinney

16. The Witch of Portobello / Paolo Coelho
17. Until I Found You / John Irving

18. Persuasion / Jane Austen

19. Summer Sisters / Judy Blume

20. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living / Dale Carnegie

21. Think! / Michael R. LeGault

22. Mein Kampf / Adolf Hitler

23. Paradise Lost / John Milton

24. A Tale of Two Cities / Charles Dickens

25. The Prince / Niccolo Machiavelli

December 1 is my new New Year

2009-11-30T21:45:00.000-08:00

Endings mark new beginnings and sometimes, perfect timing is key. As my favorite author says: establish the mood.

FYI: I came from what my friends would say, the "worst-break-up ever". I rode the emotional roller coaster -- wallowed, indulged, took in everything without apologies at my own pace because my fragile feelings were not to be hurried. There were good and bad days but I endured them with a fervent prayer (or song) that one day, "it will all get better in time".

But time cannot fix us.

We fix us. I fix me.

No other person or amount of time can heal me without my own free will. But will comes only after acceptance.

I accept what happened. Crappy things happen. That's life. Now move on. Start Over.

I know, it's not that easy. But saying it out loud makes it a lot better. I know bad days will still come, nightmares will haunt me in my sleep, dark clouds will hover but to recognize them is already a big achievement. I finally saw the silver lining.

To wake up feeling way, way better than I was the day before (and the days before that) is a good sign. To finally have the resolve to take charge is better. Coincidentally, today is the first day of the month and I found my new New Year.

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New Year's Resolutions:

1. Eat healthy
2. Learn new things
3. Embrace thrill and adventure
4. Stop procrastinating --- a frequent on my list
5. Save, Save, Save --- avoid retail therapy
6. Get driver's and scuba license
7. Read 50 books this year!
8. Reconnect with the people who matter and disconnect the baggage
9. Be more patient; enjoy the wait
10. Make this blog last for at least a year :)
11.
12.
13.
...
...
...

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Self Talk

Why In Pink Sneakers?

You know how much it sucks when you have a good blog title in mind but someone already owns it and you have no choice but to pick something random? Well, that's what inpinksneakers is. It just so happened that I was wearing my pink sneakers when I created this blog.

A new blog? (again)

I know. It's my nth blog. I lost count. But the previous blog I've been maintaining brings back too many painful memories. A new blog to a new life is in order.

What do I wish to share in this blog?

Random things that reflect my personality, opinion, and interest. I still love taking photos and traveling and just like my previous blog, I will write about them here.

Seriously? Will this blog last a year?

(fingers crossed)