to butuan with a backpack (part 2 of 5)

When I told a friend that I was bound for CARAGA, she told me that I should visit Sohoton National Park. I thought that she had geography mixed up since the Sohoton I knew were the caves in Samar that I had visited a year ago. So I researched about it and found that we could squeeze a trip to Bucas Grande in our itinerary.

On our second day, we woke up at 0600 and got ready for our day of exploring the islands of Bucas Grande, including Sohoton National Park. Bucas Grande Islands are located South of Siargao in the province of Surigao del Norte. We took a short walk to the Claver Transport Terminal and had breakfast at a small carinderia. We then took a van going to Hayanggabon Port which took us about 20mins. When we alighted, we proceeded to the Tourist Center and got a bit confused when we saw that it was more of a sari-sari store than an information hub. A very accomodating man, whose breakfast we just interrupted, referred us to the local boatman and asked if we had anything else we need. We assured him that we had enough food and water and walked with the boatman to the port.

Hayanggabon Port

yay or nay?

I interrupt the second installation of my CARAGA adventure to share with you what kept me up late last night.

I had first read House Bill 4244 or the Reproductive Health Bill last year when it gained popularity and had been for it since. In the wee hours of the morning, it finally passed through the second reading in the House of Representatives by a margin on 9. Honestly, I had no idea where this will take the RH Bill, and fortunately, the Official Gazette (PH Government's official website, yes we have one) has published a flow chart on how a a law is made.

 

Photo taken from here
Click link to learn about our legislative body


Based on the diagram, the RH Bill will now go to the Third Reading (scheduled for next week, I believe) and once approved, shall be transmitted to the Senate to go through another three readings, before going to the President for final action.

So I went to dinner with my friends and got home at around 2300. I open my twitter just in time to catch the beginning of the individual votes. I follow ANC on Twitter and they were tweeting lines of the Congressmen addressing the house and voting. After the fifth ridiculous tweet I read (which I couldn't retweet since 140 chars aren't enough for the line, and my reaction) I decided to simply write a wrap-up post to release my frustrations, musings, and/or appreciation. I compiled my "favorite" tweets from last night's preceedings. 

This was all I could say last night



to butuan with a backpack (part 1 of 5)

More than a month after I had taken this vacation, I am ready to talk about it. Or what I remember from it.

Mid last year, my travel buddy emailed me with a simple question: "Nakapunta ka na ng Butuan?". I replied with, "Kelan? Magkano?". Turns out, one of his batchmates had over booked a Butuan trip. By mid-September, we had drafted a loose itinerary but the group head count had gone down to around 5. A week before we were set to leave the detailed schedule was finally completed. But there were still no final confirmation from the group. Two days before our flight we had learned that none of the original people set to travel were going. The pair of us decided to go through with it, not being ones who would throw away free plane tickets. Since only 2 of us were going, we didn't pre-book any of our lodging or activities and decided just to wing it once we got there, in true backpacking style.

Butuan is located in the province of Agusan del Norte, part of the CARAGA region. We arrived at Bacasi Airport in Butuan at 1500, without any clue on where to go. Fortunately, there was Tourist Assistance Desk near the entrance and a very helpful man gave us instructions on how to get to the bus terminal and gave us a beautiful Butuan map. We rode a multicab outside the airport which will bring us to the Butuan Bus Terminal. When we got to the terminal, we searched for an airconditioned bus going to Mangagoy which will pass by our destination, Claver. Some locals told us that it would be easier to take a bus going to Surigao and alight at Badas junction, then take a van going to Claver, especially since it was going to be near nightfall. We took their advice and bought some snacks before riding a non-airconditioned (seemed to be the more popular choice) bus bound for Surigao.

Bus bound for Surigao at the Butuan Terminal

surprise shopping

I can't get into my vacation posts (a whole month's worth) because I am still reeling from the surrealness of it all. I plan on accomplishing it during the holiday season (read: tamad mode for all office personnel), once I get an idea on how to start. So for now, I shall bore your with my spur of the moment shopping adventures.

We had our group christmas party last night, and the theme was "White". Yes, just white. Do not get me started on how "white" is not even a color, let alone a theme. The invite asked us to "come in our white outfits", and I forsaw a gaggle of employees looking like nurses and caregivers. My boss also hated the idea and loathed the unglamorous theme. Since our formal event in August, she's been wanting to don fascinators. Not letting a moment of kalandian pass, I suggested that the ladies of our department wear fascinators to spice up our white outfits. So last Thursday, she sent me and our office mother on a mission. To go to Divisoria and secure fascinators for the 9 ladies in our department, and phantom masks for 5 of the men.

We took the LRT from Katipunan to Recto and a jeep to Divisoria. We arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon and loads of people, clothes on hangers and on the floor, and the sweltering heat welcomed us. The last time I had gone to Divi to shop was when I was still in first year college, so I was hot on the heels of my companion, otherwise I will be a lost duck.

We first ventured onto Tabora Street (farther end) and quickly found Phantom masks for the guys in our department. We found white full face masks for Php30, and asked the kind kuya to cut it into phantom style for free. We continued on, but had no luck finding white fascinators. We exited the street and went to the entrance of the famed 168Mall. But before we entered, my Divisoria Seasoned companion told me to cross the street since there was a small two-storey shop on the other side who sold lots of accessories. We climbed to the second floor and I saw walls and racks and shelves filled with earrings, bracelets, rings and other accessories. I momentarily forgot my mission and beelined towards the rings. To cut the long story short, I had purchased the following items for myself.

 

We left that store without any fascinators (they didn't have white ones) and proceeded to venture into 168. We searched high and low, without any luck. Our office mother called a friend (a veteran Divisoria shopper) and asked a better place to look for the fascinators. She told us to go to 999 Mall the newest (I think) mall in Divi and just across 168. As we entered 999, the first accessory stall thankfully had fascinators! In white! So while my companion was busy selecting 9 (although there weren't a lot to choose from), I was distraced by the display of cocktail rings that were priced 3 for 100. Needless to say, we accomplished our mission and I got to score some Php34 rings!

I had bought two other nail polish bottles one in glittery green and one in matte crimson for Php70 each. Clearly, these are imitation OPI products but I didn't care.
 

rainbow rings (Php50 for 6 rings), rubber bracelets (just last Sunday, I saw some in SM although I doubt the price can compete with my Php18 bargain), cocktail rings -- including a 'stache ring! (3 for Php100), rose metal ring (php50 for 3 rings), silver and blue slim rings (Php20), stone gray matte polish (Php40), "OPI" Polishes (Php70 ea)

metal madness

A few months ago, I saw silver foil nails on Pinterest and I knew immediately that I had to have those nails for the holidays. I've found several distributors on Multiply, but I have yet to place my order. A couple of weekends ago, I saw a Sally Hansen Stick-on Metallic Nail Polish set that retails for more than Php500. It's not as if it's something that is reusable, and by computation that would amount to Php50 per finger. It was just too much. Luckily as I walked on, I saw this Bobbie Stick-on Metallic Nail Polish Set for only Php65! The designs were a bit more cheesy but it was worth a try. So I bought 2 sets, and decided to bring one of the sets along on my trip to Baguio. It was written in the package that it's "Easy to apply anywhere and anytime" so I decided to test their claim and did it on the bus as the daylight was already streaming through the windows.

True enough, it was very convenient to apply, but you do need to have some fine scissors on hand, especially if you have smaller nails. My application wasn't so bad, considering I only had a self defense blade on hand, and I had to do it in a moving vehicle. Another plus side to this is it is easy to get rid off, no more need for cottons, removers and none of thosesmudges and traces fo polish left on the cuticles. Perfect for night when you need to be back to your prim and proper fashion the following day. Over-all, this is an easy way to color your nails for a fun night out.

crisp climate

My "Vacation Marathon" was jump started by a weekender in the Northern part of the country. My cousin invited me to a trip to Baguio, because her friend (who has also become my friend) had a coupon for a night's stay in a new establishment in the city.

 

I was last in Baguio in December 2010 and January 2011, and I doubted that much had changed so I wans't really craving for much activities. The long bus ride, the change in scenery and being away from the regular things I do was really already enough to scratch my "itchy" feet. We planned to take the night bus from Cubao so we'll arrive very early the following day in Baguio so that we can maximize the time. We left Cubao Victory Liner Terminal at 2:00AM and arrived at Baguio around 8:00AM. I was wearing clothes from Friday night which was a dress, and slippers. We unboarded the bus and a cool gush of wind welcomed us. I quickly put on my jacket to combat some of the cold. We decided to look for a place to stay for one of our companions. The coupon we had was only for 3 people and we thought that we might have to pay a large sum for an extra person in that hotel. We walked to Hotel 45 but found that there were no available rooms. I suggested that we have breakfast first because I was getting hungry since we only had strawberry taho as we left the terminal. We ate at Jack's in Session Road. We finished eating by 9:30 and the sun was shining so brightly. The wind was still cold, so it was a really pleasant time to be on the street, save for the backpacks we were lugging. We decided to go to the hotel, even if we couldn't check in yet, we could just leave our bags at the reception area. So we took a taxi and headed to Azalea Residences.

 

A few minutes later, we pull into this beautiful driveway and I cannot help but smile. I wasn't expecting a swanky place like that. We went in to ask the receptionist if we can leave our bags. Lucky us, the room is already available and we could check in already! Yey. So we went to our room, and it was beautiful! Plus it could fit 4 since it had a queen size bed and a sofa bed that can accomodate 2. We washed up (since it's been 24hours since our last bath!) and went out to explore.



Day One: Burnham Part, Orchidarium, Good Taste



light and ladylike

So last Friday, I met up with my lovely cousins (from my mother's side) and had a salon day at Azta Urban Salon in Katipunan. My eldest cousin and I have been talking about having our hair colored (she does this regularly, but I, on the otherhand am a hair-color virgin) for months already. We finally found time to meet up (our offices are about 10mins away from each other) and do it at the same time. We invited our younger cousins to join us and have dinner after. My other cousin who was not a stranger to having her hair colored, just recently dyed her hair blue but went anyway to get a treatment.  

 

I am so thankful that I chose Azta to be my first color-er. Saves me the trauma of a blotched dye job and the staff were so friendly and gave a lot of information. Plus, they had a promo when we were there. BOGO on Lycopene Treatment (something that would condition colored hair and keep the color looking good) for Php700. It was worth it because my hair is relatively still softer even after almost a week. Plus I have the free treatment I can use before my grand vacation. Yey, me! So after three hours of sitting in the salon chair, loudly catching up with my ladies (we had the salon to oursleves, probably because everyone else was friday night partying to celebrate the beginning of sembreak), here is the end result:

top (l-r): lian, shanta, me, laura (yes, her hair is a confused shade of green; it was bleached then dyed blue by her bf [obviously, not a professional stylist] a month prior)
bottom (l-r): after, before (should be the other way around. my editing mistake. haha)

 

pale pippi long stockings

Of all the Disney Princesses, I've always loved Sleeping Beauty aka Aurora the most, because of the flirtiness of the curls at the ends of her hair. This style is not uncommon these days because of the rise of KPop, bringing with them Korean Salons which gave boom to digital perming. I've been thinking about undergoing this service, as an alternative to my regular straightening treatments. But because I am not used to that service, I am apprehensive because it might cause more damage to my hair. Or it might not turn out the way I want it to. So I searched for ways to get the style, only not (semi) permanently. Of course, the primary way is to get a curling iron or straightening iron if you're more patient or skilled (or simply cannot afford a curling iron and already have a flat iron on hand) and heat your hair until it curls. But excessive heat damages hair. Really really bad. So I searched the web on how to achieve Aurora's curls without the heat. Lo and behold, I found Curlformers, unfortunately this was not available in our country. Or it is but it is quite expensive. Fortunately, many sites featured a knock-off, called Magic Leverag. The disadvantage is there are no size options in Magic Leverag (both in length and in the size of curls) but it would serve my purpose so I did some snooping and found out that it was available in Landmark and SM Department Stores. But after a week of searching, I couldn't find any. So I took to ebay and finally had heat-less curlers for my own.

Hook, Short Curlers and Long Curlers
(a complete set includes 1 hook, 8 long curlers and 8 short ones)

wander and wonder -- or vice versa ;)

On Sunday, as part of my really good friend's birthday celebration, we had planned to visit the Mind Museum at The Fort. We've been wanting to drop by ever since he saw in the newspaper that a modern science museum was being constructed. It was very fortunate that my company had sponsored part of the museum, which they honored by placing a marker inside the museum and by giving us free vouchers for distribution during our Vendors' Night. And because I was one of the few who labored for that event, I made sure that I would be rewarded with at least two vouchers. Otherwise, Adult Tickets cost Php600, but discounted tickets are available for students and teachers.

 

 

ceremonies and country men

What a way to start the week. For the second time since April, I have been asked to be the master of ceremonies (emcee) for the Monday morning flag ceremony at our company.  Today's program was good run, better than my first one, since I have gained courage to cut my script and do a bit of adlib. I hate public speaking but I recently learned how to swallow my shame and just get on with it. Perhaps the reason why I was more confident today is because I had caused a blunder, only a month ago, also on the same stage which was quickly forgiven by the whole company.

 

On September 03, following our successful Vendors' Night in Makati Shangri-la (arranged with the leadership of yours truly) I was asked to lead the recitation of the Panatang Makabayan (the old version, which IMHO is more beautiful) during the flag ceremony (featuring the previous night's festivities). I thought to myself that if I had survived emcee-ing two weeks into my work, I could handle this short segment. What I failed to realize was that the Panatang Makabayan was to be said in Filipino.

 

So I go up the stage, and start, and stutter through the word, "kapakipakinabang". I tried to say it, around 5 times until finally giving up, apologizing (yes, I said "Sorry", out loud), taking a breath and got through the word slowly. I was very much grateful for the crowd as they waited for me to gather myself. It was embarassing, more so because I found myself having a harder time talking in my mother tongue.

 

I recalled this incident to my friends from another company when we met and after laughing at me (or should I say, with me), we went into a conversation about the beauty of the Panatang Makabayan.

Image Source: http://onwardphilippines.blogspot.com/2012/03/true-pinoy-defined-in-panatang.html

 

southbeach and size 12

It's been more than a week into October! My, my, how the days pass by so quickly. WAKE UP, for September has already ended. It is the fourth and final quarter of year 2012, and what a busy quarter this is.

I would like to start this quarter by making an announcement. I AM ON A DIET. Yes, I had to say it because I have to see it through. Why, you ask? For one thing, my clothes don't fit me anymore! I've been wearing (and buying) dresses and stretchy skirts for the past six months that it didn't occur to me how much thicker I've been growing. Aside from the obvious large pooch that is my stomach, and the larger than average size of my tighs, my normally great-fitting bras feel a tad uncomfortable already. Secondly, we have a bikini baring vacation in a months time and I want to at least look decent in my photos!

I do not want to dwell on how I got to this point and I do not want to say that it was due to my rekindled romance with baking. What is important is that I am going to try and go back to that beautiful place I was before, when I felt more confident felt light on my feet and loved going out. My ever supportive mother has convinced me that the best way to go about this quest is to try the South Beach Diet.
 

A few years ago, she had gone through this diet and lost a lot. My brother was another success story. Now, I'm hoping that I will be too. So I spent the better half of the first weekend of the month preparing my meals for this week. Since I work worlds away from where I live, I don't have much time when I get home so I pre-prepared my breakfast, lunch, some dinner, and snacks for the weeks ahead. The diet requires me to skip carbs and sugars (including fruits) for 2 weeks. I've survived the first week with only one incident of hyperacidity. And even kept my commitment through a triple celebration dinner at a dessert restaurant. Yey me! :) Here is a sample of my office lunch during a good day:

Kani Asupara Mock Maki, Chicken Satay & Miso Soup (just add water!)



pretty as a princess

I feel pretty today. It has been a good day. :)

Loving the red lip. Been playing around with newly bought Maybelline Gel Liner and Very Cherry Sensational Lip Color.

I've not felt this pretty since coming home from the Vendors' Night wearing Bloom Cream Liner and remnants of Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti.

That's the farthest I go with make up. Some liner and lip color. I don't think I'll get farther than that, but whatevs.

Fourth and final quarter of the month. It's going to be a marathon. I can't wait!

<3, dee

a note to GLOBE

Dear Globe,

 

 I have been a loyal subscriber for 13 years (and counting) and throughout this time, your telecom service has been well within my tolerance, even recently what with all your major connection fails. I wish I could say the same for your customer service. I find it has degraded as the years passed by.

 

 I’ve encountered multiple bouts of terrible customer service from your company and I am saddened because these past few months, I have been campaigning (albeit passively) that GLOBE’s customer service is still better than SMART’s (partly because I really believe so, taking from friend's experiences; also because I work for a sister company; and because I would like my contacts to remain in the same network) but goodness, my arguments has become very old and invalid. It is frustrating that we, mobile users, have to choose the lesser of two evils. It is disheartening that you spew your taglines of having things MY WAY and giving it HASSLE FREE, yet give your customers anything but what you promised.

opera and oven mitts

I am so very grateful that a lot of international artists are bringing their shows to the Philippines. I am particularly happy that a lot of broadway productions have made their way to local stages. This enabled me to quickly scratch of an item in my bucketlist ("Have a night in Broadway") when I got the chance to watch Mamma Mia just a few months ago.

This week, I got to scratch it off again. About a few weeks ago, a college friend asked us if we wanted tickets for The Phantom of the Opera (Manila), because she could get some through her company for half the price. My theater buddies were up for it, and being the kaladkarin that I am, I decided to join in on the fun. Truth be told, I had little idea what the show was about. I knew that it was about a very talented composer who had a physical deformity who fell in love with the theater's singer. I wasn't even familiar with the songs.

We had tickets for the September 20 show and little by little, the excitement grew within me more, since I didn't know what to expect. Finally, the night of the show came and I met up with my friends and proceeded to CCP. The events that happened once we stepped into the theater is a blur in my mind. I was blown away. Perhaps because it was the first time I encountered the story,I was so moved. Or maybe it was because of how the Phantom sang his songs. I cry. I have no other words. It was  magnificent, emotional, engaging, simply beautiful. I particularly loved "Point of no Return" and "The Music of the Night". Not only are the lyrics beautiful, but the Phantom sang it with such emotion.


Pardon the very poor quality, this was all my phone could do.

"haba" holiday

In Filipino, "haba" means length, which is totally appropriate for the extra long weekend that passed. You see, Aug 20 (Mon) and Aug 21 (Tue) were declared holidays for 2012. Coincidentally, it was the same weekend my friends and I were booked to take an adventure in a not-so-popular holiday destination. We were set to leave on Aug 16 (Thu) and come back on Aug 19 (Sun). So I was on leave for two days, then the weekend, then two more days of non-work. I love it!

The trip I took this weekend was the first DIY trip that had to be executed on my own. There were a lot of times when I'd miss my partner-in-crime, but at the end of the day, I was really proud that I had done it all and the trip was a success. There is a lot of room for improvement, which I have all noted, but I am very thankful that my companions heeded my call times, well, most of them at least. I was asked by someone on the trip if I had kept a blog of my numerous adventures, DIY or otherwise, since I loved to travel, and more importantly, loved to travel on a budget. But the answer is No, I don't.

I reason that I am too lazy take note of every situation, that it's not in my nature to take a picture of every turn that I take. But it is mostly because I feel that the adventures I have are too remarkable that my words might not bring them justice. But who knows, maybe someday soon, I might just start back tracking and sharing my experiences as input to other people who want to have their breaths taken away on a budget.

When I got home from my trip, I was greeted by my big family at home. Since it was the weekend, they gathered at our house for good food and mahjong/ps3/monopoly deal sessions. Our house just got silent this morning. During our chill time, as we were waiting for sleep to befall us, we played around with the henna ink  my friend got me from India. Years of writing my name in different strokes, as well as my practise with glitter glues paid off.

That's it for now.
Wait for my travel series. I hope I get to it soon!

Later!

<3, dee

bun basics

So lately I've been looking into remixes for the basic pony tail, since my hair is due for rebond in a couple of months and its frizz behavior has been unpredictable. I've found so much tutorials on the internet but I haven't gotten the chance to try them all out yet, until yesterday.

I wore my hair in a bun, a sock bun to be specific. All my co-workers found it really cool, and little did they know that it wasn't all my hair. This is the tutorial that I found on how to DIY.

beach braids

During my beach combing days I put on my ever reliable braids to keep my hair in place. I prefer a braided mane because it's a refreshing departure from the regular ponytails, it can tuck in thick hair better even up against strong winds, sea water and sand, and of course it looks fancier in pictures. I'm really glad my hair is "textured" (it's been 9 months since my last rebond!) so it can hold do's better.

fantasy fashion

I've been MIA since forever! Pardon the absence, I shut down when I encounter drama and it took about two weeks for me to recover. But by then it was summer, so you know. I went to here and there. Can you believe this year's heat? So perfect with sand and sea. Anyway, I would gladly recount my summer trips (the count is down, but both were amazing) but I'm saving the reminiscing for the upcoming rainy days.

And so I'm rambling.

During the past month, I have been scouring the web for outfit ideas since I'm running out of things to wear for the office. During this hunt, I stumble upon Polyvore, which I am familiar with as it is used by multiple bloggers. I signed up and the next thing I knew, I started creating sets. Most of my sets are lightyears away from my reality, but I enjoy it just the same.

set can be found here

Have fun with the rest of the day!

<3, dee

deep and desperate

I just need to get this out of my head -- so I can focus on all the other things I need to finish.

It's been a year since we became "friends" and we'd already had two episodes. It's just recently that I realized that I have developed feelings for you. Or maybe it was because I heard you were finally single that I admitted it to myself. I guess I should've asked for your confirmation first before I had gone and let myself go. What am I going to do with these feelings now that you've told me that you were not yet single. I'm tired of playing the waiting game because I couldn't seem to catch a break. But I'm not going to wear my heart on my sleeve this time -- it's not strong enough for that yet.

Oh hell. Protect me from what I want.

out and about

I have been swamped with family, work, studies and most of all, drama the past two weeks. Thankfully, today, I had time to breathe and go out with my two college buddies to go to the theater. I had second thoughts about going out since I have so much work to catch up on but I went anyway. We watched Leading Ladies at Onstage in Greenbelt and it was hilarious. The show is on until next week and you should go see it! I'm so happy that I get to watch stage plays because they are such an out of the ordinary experience -- not your typical movie night.

Speaking of extraordinary, a week ago, I had the chance to watch Mamma Mia at CCP! I loved it so much. It was unfortunate that I didn't get to snap a photo of my outfit that night -- I felt so sophisticated and cultured. Haha. The only remembrance I got for the night are the tickets! Anyway, it was doubly fun because watching the show crosses off another item in my bucket list. Oh joy!

to know unconditional love

My dog died today. I remember looking into her eyes yesterday,asking her to get better. I think she already knew. I wish she'd held on for me.

I wish she felt from me what I felt from her.

I don't know if I would have felt better if I'd seen her as she passed. Maybe it was good that I didn't.

I'm not ready. I just can't... :'(

Vienna at 3 months

<3, dee

01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101

Not to come off a bitter but I've always believed that Valentine's day is a pointless "holiday", exaggerated by advertisements for the profitability of capitalist. It is a highly commercial day when people spent loads of money for gifts that die or expire easily.

In my 25 years of existence, I have never had a valentine. Even worse, my ex boyfriend and I broke up on Feb 14 last year. Imagine us ending our relationship amid a sea of doe eyed couples. Just perfect. 

But this year, I feel indifferent. I mean, to each his own. I don't have any other words for it. But for those who relish this day, here's an awesome representation of what you're celebrating. I hope you have a good day!

cover artwork of the book Strange Attractors -- Poems of Love and Mathematics
Binary Heart : Love is either a Yes or a No :)

Leaving you with a poem from the book, entitled Counting by Philip Larkin

Thinking in terms of one

Is easily done --

One room, one bed, one chair,

One person there,

Makes perfect sense; one set

Of wishes can be met,

One coffin filled.

But counting up to two

Is harder to do;

For one must be denied

Before it'd tried.

<3, dee

of backpacks and baggages

Yesterday, I went to climb Mt. Pinatubo with the couple who took us in while we were in Netherlands. It was my first time to go and I was quite excited because I've seen picture of the crater and it looked amazing.

We left home at 3 o'clock in the morning and reached the jump off in Capas, Tarlac before 8 am. Because the "skyway" was destroyed by Ondoy back in 2009, the 4x4 ride was only for an hour, and we had to trek for two more hours to reach the crater. But boy, the exercise was so worth it. The crater lake took my breath away. Never mind that the wind was cool and strong and I was wearing a dri-fit shirt, I felt so warm and tingly as I took a mental snap shot. I haven't gotten a copy of our pictures so the snapshots will have to remain in my head for now.

More than the crater, what I loved most from my Pinatubo trip was this segment of river that had a bed of red rocks. The first time I saw it as we rounded a corner, I immediately thought: blood -- in the good sense, though. It looked like flowing blood, so graceful in it's fluidity, so regal in the color. And it brought out the poet in me.

In the arena that is alive

with the clouds so divine

dost thou take away

your breath, nay, mine.

As the water hums

with the whisper of the wind,

the river bleeds red

for a heart ready to mend.

Tomorrow will return,

heavy albeit small.

Because I didn't want that,

I wanted it all.

<3, dee

dots and stripes

It's errand day today! :) And also nail grooming day! I had to skip on the polish to let my nails rest a while, plus my new company is a bit conservative and discourages loud polishes. Still, one of the simple joys in life is having very very very clean nails.

Speaking of my new job, yesterday was my 8th day and so far, it's been fun! I'm so lucky to have my training group mates because we are so in sync with the things that matter. It's so weird because there are times when I keep thinking that I have already met the two of them sometime in the past. They seem so familiar but I cannot figure out when or where I met them or who they remind me of. I told one of them that I feel deja vu-ish with him and he said, "If you're having deja vus, then it means you're on the right track". And I would like to believe so. This year started so right, I hope it goes on well. :)

Anyway, errand outfit!

Top - Terranova

Skirt - Dorothy Perkins (they're culottes with pockets, FTW!)

Belt - Gene Gozum

Happy Weekend!

<3, dee

pressure builds

Will there ever come a time in our life when we stop feeling pressure? In our work, in our lives, from our parents, from our peers, from society, and from ourselves?

:'|

purple rain

It seems I am attracted to the color purple these past few months. Last month alone, I think I have bought or worn 4 purple items of clothing.

I wore purple to work on Friday. My new company doesn't really have "casual" Fridays so I didn't want to wear jeans. So I wore the new dress I bought from Promod the other week. It's a knit dress and it made me warmer than usual, which I loved because it was really cold in my seat at the office. 

Dress - Promod
Cardigan - Landmark
Belt - Gene Gozum
Shoes - Twinky

hope helps

Yesterday, I finally had my license renewed. I was supposed to do it last Friday but LTO couldn't connect to their servers so the system was down, NATIONWIDE. I went back a day after my birthday, because of course I didn't want to spend my birthday doing errands. I got it renewed and paid an extra Php75 as penalty for late renewal. I was so pissed off because it was partly their fault that I had to come back today and not finish it last Friday as planned. I asked the cashier about this and this was how our conversation went:

     D: Wala po ba kayong consideration dahil nasa application for renewal ko naman po, January 27, pati medical po nung Friday natapos na.
     C: Nasa system na kasi yun. Basta late may penalty.
     D: Pero di ba kayo naman po may kasalanan bakit hindi na-process nung 27. Kasi down ang connection.
     C: (very defensively) Hindi ako ang may kasalanan, ha!
     D: Ah. O sige po, kasalanan ng LTO...
     C: Dapat kahapon ka nagpa-renew.
     D: Kasi po birthday ko kahapon, may plans po ako. Kasi nga po dapat nung 27 pa tapos.

And she scolds me, saying that I could renew my license at least 60 days (not sure) before it expires. I was angry, not because of the measly fee. I thought about how this incompetency affects the working class -- who has to sacrifice leaves, or worse a whole day's pay to take care of this things, and how we cannot do anything about it. And what about the fact that out of all the arguments I was saying, she picks up on the "kayo naman po may kasalanan" and defends herself? Shouldn't employees, both in government or private sector, be representatives of their organization, even just from 8am to 5pm?

I looked around the place to see if there was a hotline to call or an address to send a complaint to but there was none, and that made me even more frustrated. Sometimes, when we are unsatisfied with the product or service we get, it really is a big thing to have an outlet (preferably a branch manager, direct hotlines, etc) where you can give feedback to. There may be no guarantee that this complaint will be heard, much less acted upon, but at least a message that it is not tolerated was sent. I think that's one problem our nation has: we are so tolerant, so understanding that we become complacent and just take things as it is. But who can blame us? Who would want to frustrate themselves over things they know they have no power to change? I do. I hope you do. I believe we do. Because even if we complain day in and day out, I know lots of people still love this nation so much. And so we care about it. And so we hope. :)

I'm glad I wore this outfit yesterday, brightened up my mood immediately. :D

Top - F&H (very old, used to have puff sleeves but I ripped them out because they turned my arms into sausages)
Cardigan - gifted from Australia
Pants - F&H (i think they are men's pants)
Shoes - Keds (teal wedges!)

I love those shoes to death because it's so comfy to move in and it has waded with me through the thigh high flood along Espana to Taft (from Algeciras to Pedro Gil) during Falcon's heavy downpour (June 23, 2011). I had it thoroughly washed after that with lots of water and detergent, and it's still in one piece! The (half) price I bought it for was totally worth it!

Oh, it's the first day of my new work today! But I'm too sleepy to talk about it, so...

Later! :)

<3, dee

finders february

Having a new job means being on payroll again which ultimately means that I will have my own money again! I've zeroed out my savings during my two bum months (which included Christmas and two four-day getaways). I cannot wait for the first salary day when I can finally cross off things from my wishlist. Savings be damned -- I will spend half of what I get to go shopping.

Here is my wishlist for February.

It's unfortunate that the End-of-Season sales will end by Feb 2, not quite in time for my first salary. I do hope I can find any one item from this list to be within my budget (anything more than Php500 is expensive,  I'm cheap thrifty that way) even without the mark downs. 

It's going to be a scavenger hunt this coming month. I'm so looking forward to it. :)

<3, dee

Green Floral Kimono Shrug Warehouse, Beige Printed Kimono Shrug Top Shop, Shimmer Cardigan and Sequined Blazer Zara, Pink Electric Pleated Skirts Bazaars, Open Toed Nude Pump Payless, Open Toed Nude Wedges and Nude Wedge Pump Christian Loubotin

happy birthday

Aside from painting my nails silver to mark my 25th birthday, I have decided to create a new blog. If I follow my routine, this post would contain packets of information about myself and what I would probably be posting about -- an abstract if you must. But considering the success of my previous blogs, I'm going to forego the tradition and let succeeding entries form my complete self; I am bound to talk about everything about me sooner or later.

I would like to think that I will still have the time and energy to blog once I rejoin the ranks of full-time employees, while attending masters classes two nights a week. I only have a day left before starting in my new work and it would most likely be spent completing my driver's license renewal and application for an SSS ID. (I have been working for three years, and I haven't gotten my SSS ID yet.) I am very excited to start working again, I am both thrilled and nervous for what I'm going to do and who I'm going to meet. More than that, I am also looking forward to work in close proximity with my old-work friends (my new office is in the same compound -- we share canteens, sports facilities and parking areas). I know this is going to be really good. I hope other people can join me in continuing my awesome journey.

What is a first post without an introductory photo, right? Here goes!

25!

Later!

<3, dee :)