Seriously you guys, I've never felt more like a princess than in the last two days. 

Last Monday (my last day of work for the week as my rest days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays), I asked some of my officemates to do this for me:

What I was not expecting was seeing some of my favorite blogfriends do something like this when I woke up on my big day. Among the sea of sweet texts, sweet Facebook wall posts, and sweet tweets, are these treasures:

Tiara started it all by posting this on her blog:

She even asked Nashe to do one for me!

Before I knew it, these beautiful ladies did the same:



It did not stop there. This morning, I saw this in Andhari's blog:


Ejannz, Rick, Ana, and Meream also mentioned my birthday in their posts. This led to a barrage of greetings from new friends and acquaintances who all made me smile and feel really, really special :)

To everyone who greeted me online via Blogger (to those who commented on my birthday post, I promise I'm going to pay each of your blogs a visit so I can thank you personally), Facebook, and Twitter, via phone calls (special mention to one of my best friends from college Jinna who called me very unexpectedly just to sing to me Happy Birthday) and SMS, and personally, I only have this to say to you:


I know you're all very busy, but still you took the time to do this for me. It does not take much to make me happy and your gestures have left me so pleasantly surprised. I am filled with big doses of blog love and my heart is just so uplifted seeing all your kind and sweet messages. Really, there shouldn't be any reason for me to be sad as there are lots of people who love me. Thank you everyone! Ice cream toast!

PS: Sorry for this birthday SPAM folks, I swear all these will be over once May's here. More to come, I hope you won't get tired of me. Told 'ya it will be a month-long celebration. :D

...and I'm feeling positively awesome! I woke up to sweet messages in my Facebook wall, sweet texts and sweet tweets. Tiara even made a blogpost dedicated especially for me (with a special participation by Nashe) while Ejannz included me in her most recent post. Thank you all for making me feel loved. :)

I was feeling the blues up until yesterday but they all disappeared last night. I should just accept that there are some things I cannot change but that should not stop me from being my fab and awesome self.

I won't hold a party this year but I intend this to be a month-long celebration. April 2010 should beat May 2009 as my best month evarrr. :D

Today, my family and cousins will go to a private pool resort and swim this sweltering summer heat away! My Mama and Papa woke up extra early to go to the market and buy ingredients for a BBQ at the resort. We'll be leaving in a few minutes and I am so exciteeed!

I've always been intrigued by this book whenever I pass by bookstores but always got turned off by the hardcover's steep price. I kept on saying, "Next time, next time" and then get myself a different book. But that time never came so I appreciate that the director incorporated pages from the book into the movie. Without giving too much away, let it be said that the animations were fun to watch :)

It's a story about middle school student 12 year old Greg Heffley's quest to be considered cool so he can be included in the special section of the yearbook. Some most of his plans backfire though, and he is left with some repercussions that seem funny - if you are not him. Generally it was a fun movie that can take you to a trip down middle school memory lane, but you won't miss much if you don't get to watch it. Cute and witty dialogues, though :)

I tried to rifle through 855(!) photos of my high school batch's Facebook page for some photos of me in high school (this was during a time when digicams were not yet considered a basic pouch necessity so you can just imagine how rare those photos are) but I cannot find a decent photo. Almost all were of me having short (and very thick and stubborn!) hair and bushy eyebrows. Add that to the fact that I wore glasses and braces, and you've got the token stereotypical nerd. Yep, that's me! The one who gets the most number of medals during Recognition days, the one whose hands shoot up the air even before the teacher has finished asking the question, the one who got high grades and gets sad whenever she gets two incorrect answers in examinations; I was kinda my high school batch's Hermione Granger. 

When I got in college though, I learned that there were people worse than me, and I realized having that attitude sucks as it takes the fun out of learning. In all fairness to me, I wasn't competitive then, I just really, really loved learning new things (yes, I'm awesomely nerdy like that). But some people were willing to fight dirty and drop so low just so they can get better grades. I said, screw them, and I - together with my Sinister Sisters Recks, Minnie and Jinna - just did the best I could, without losing myself in the process. And I had fun. There was more to life than just incessant studying - friendship and learning to adapt are two things that were far more important. Surely, those years were some of the best I've had :) 

Now I made myself miss school *sniff*

Anyway, since I cannot don't want to show you my fugly photos, I guess I'd just show you my present self (after I've learned to trim my brows, have the hairstyle that suits me, and primp and prettify a bit) :D

I love that even after all these months of not seeing each other, we still think alike! Yesterday, without planning it, both of us wore white tops, jeans, dangling earrings and blue (just different shades) nail polish! We even had the same face powder!

We planned to get dessert earlier in the day but still felt full (and I felt a dull and throbbing headache) so we just called it a day, with a fervent wish that she can come with us to the beach on the 20th - 21st. Come on Recks, you should go with us! You deserve a break from all of the studying you do! :D

I like: that it's my birth-month! My 19th 24th birthday is on Tuesday, April 6! :)

I don't like: that things aren't going so well for me and my body. My head and upper back have been hurting for four consecutive days now. The pain plus a slight fever when I woke up this morning added to my low energy levels make me a bit cranky. I know whining can be really annoying so I try my hardest to just shut up. Earlier I went to our office nurse and she advised me to have my eyes and back checked because I might need new glasses and might have scoliosis.

I want you to know: that I really, really, really want a surprise birthday party! But I guess you already know that from reading my previous post :D

I've planned: to make the most out of this summer! I have three swimming outings planned out - one with my family on my birthday, one with my friends from high school on the 10th, and another trip to the beach on the 20th - 21st! :D

It feels so long since my last post. Our trip to Ilocos feels like ages ago. So much - yet so little - has happened in a week and I felt like I needed time to let everything sink in before I can write about them.

First, one of my mentors emailed me about an opportunity of a lifetime. You may know that one of the main reasons why I am staying with my current job is because I cannot seem to leave my officemates. But while I was in my two weeks-long vacation, I realized that I did not miss my job, not one bit. I mean, that surely is a sign that things aren't going so great, right? I missed my officemates of course, but then again, time will come that we would have to go our separate ways. We will not be teammates forever and the sooner I learn to deal with that fact, the better. Back to the email, it contains something I absolutely cannot refuse - or let go just like that. I sent in my application and waited, but nothing came. I do acknowledge the fact that they needed someone urgently as the post needed to be filled by March 31. Perhaps I was already too late and they have already found someone to hire for the job. Nonetheless I still felt sad as I thought that was already my chance to work for my dream company. Now I would have to stick with my current job and cross my fingers for another opportunity to come. 

Speaking of my current job, something really seems to be wrong with my pay. I ranted here about how I got waaaay less than expected. Because of the glitch in our attendance system linked with payroll, 48 hours' worth of pay were deducted from my salary and I got only half of what I should have gotten. Everything was rectified on the next cutoff and I received what was missing. (It was a blessing in disguise too, as I got extra cash for my Ilocos trip woohoo!) Today was another payday and our salaries credited our accounts last night. I slept early and only got to check it this morning via my Internet Banking. It was only 6:30am when I did and I was still half-asleep but when I saw it I was like WTF where did the extra cash come from?? It looks like they paid me what was missing again! I decided to just wait for the payslip. Around lunchtime Dane and I were texting and we wondered where that extra money was from since I was only expecting a couple thousand pesos bonus. I dismissed it and said my mind must have been still sleeping when I checked it earlier so I should go ahead and check again. I did and again I was like WTF where did the extra cash come from?? My salary's really moody these days. It's either they paid me what was missing again, or another person's bonus credited my account. I should wait for my payslip and if there are any discrepancies I will report it. Because I am good and kind and selfless like that. 0:)

Let's go back to more serious stuff, shall we? Last week, Dane and I kinda decided to take a breather. That's euphemism for a break up. But it's not really a break up since we're not really a couple in the first place so let's just call it a "break up". Hmmm, let's just say that we have different ways of demonstrating love. To quote Ana, "It is like saying that everyone is prone to hurt another, if he/ she stays too close... intended or not. And love is either to stay close even with the pain, or to hide/ run away so as not to make any more harm." Kinda weird analogy since in her post she was talking about Edward Scissorhands, but I hope you get my point. I have spent idle hours of the past week crying into my Wizard plushies, trying to make sense of it all. It seems confusing sometimes, as we are still seatmates at the office, we still have ice cream as we were accustomed to, and he is still acting sweet towards me. Granted that yes, he doesn't call me Sweet anymore and our times together have been lessened, but we still do gravitate towards each other. I don't know whether time will come that I will stop missing what we were, but I guess I just have to trust him when he said that someday, all of these will make sense.

The perfect ending to my two week-vacation from work! My college friends Ed, Kuya Myk, Bamba, Glen and newfound friends Jes, Donna, Belle and I went to Ilocos for a weekend of new experiences and discoveries.

In just one weekend:

We discovered beautiful and unique benches in Vigan.

I changed into my yellow skirt/ tank top combi once we arrived there at 6am

with my travelmates minus Belle who took this shot

We tried on pretty hats and harps.

I bought the straw hat with pink lining I was wearing here. It was sold for only P30 (less than 1USD)!

can we please be part of the orchestra?

We jumped to our hearts' content in the old streets of Vigan.

perfect jump shot :D

We rode on a calesa driven by a small horse to go around Baluarte where we saw tigers, ostriches, wallabies,

oh oh oh please don't run away Mr. Horse, we're posing for a photo :D

and different kinds of birds,

Hello Mr. Parrot, how are you doing?

and hobnobbed with a dinosaur (albeit one made of papier mache) LOL!

I wonder if the real ones are bigger? :D

We also visited at least three churches and cathedrals like the Vigan Cathedral, Paoay Church, and St. William's Cathedral which is famous for its Sinking Bell Tower.

which I climbed up to the very top in spite of my fear of stairs (especially wobbly, wooden ones) and heights.

We went to a pottery.

where we witnessed firsthand how they make clay into vases and jars.

We then went to the Burgos Lighthouse

and my cheesy and mushy self thought how romantic it must be to be proposed to here ♥

and the Kapurpuran Rock Formation - which is really one heck of an example of nature's wonders.

excuse us while we practice our ANTM poses

big rock formations shaped by water, wind and sand

Next we went to the Bangui Wind Mills which is an important source of wind power/ energy.

seeing the long row of windmills turn simultaneously is so relaxing

(sorry for the reflection, I took this photo inside a moving van)

it also provides a great background for photos :D

Last stop for the day was Pagudpud Beach where we also stayed for the night. The sun has already set when we arrived so we were not able to swim anymore. We just ate dinner at the restaurant in the resort. After dinner the others went out and met new people but Donna, Belle and I stayed in the room and slept early.

Belle and Donna

The next morning, the three of us woke up early and went to the beach for a dip in the waters.

of course, taking photos is part of the plan :D

I got my first(!) henna tattoo! I chose a fairy. I love fairies.

When the rest of our travelmates woke up a little after 7am we ate a hearty breakfast, checked out of the resort and went to our next destination - Patapat Bridge.

the view is just simply amazing-magnificent-splendid, you guys! :D

Another amazing place we visited is the Bantay Abot Cave

... where I felt like we entered another dimension when we went through the cave

...where I literally stood at the edge of the Philippines! That is already the South China Sea. Cool!

... and where we almost got swallowed by the big waves! Brrrrr!

The kind caretakers of Saud Beach and Agua Grande let us in just so we can take photos :)

I was looking very awkward in this photo because I was afraid I will slip in the big rocks, bump my head and die :D

My favorite would definitely have to be our last destination, the Blue Lagoon Beach

... where we spoiled our eyes with lush greenery and an amazing view of the sea

... where we clothed ourselves with waves - literally

... where we chased the waves

... and let it chase us back

... and lastly, where we abandoned all inhibitions and jumped with joy like there's no tomorrow!

We left Manila at 10pm on Friday (March 19), arrived at Vigan at 6am the next day, then went back via Laoag - Cubao Partas bus at 3pm on Sunday (March 21). The trip back was much longer; I arrived at my Quezon City apartment at 3:30am on Monday (March 22), then went straight to work at 6am. Technically we were there for a day and a half only but it felt so much longer because of the number of places we went to. It also helped that we rented a van that took us around all these awesome places.

long bus and van rides but I did not mind them for I'm with the best travelmates a squeamish girl like me can wish for :)

This trip is definitely worth it! I did not go over my travel budget and even if I did, I wouldn't mind it for I can earn the money again, but chances like this do not come much often.

If anything, this trip made me really appreciate the Philippines and how beautiful my country can be. Rich in culture and history, there are just so many places here I haven't been to yet. My dream is to explore the Philippines as much as I dream of visiting my other dream destinations, like Greece and Italy. :)

I may have left a piece of my heart in Ilocos, but I took home lots of fond memories and new experiences.

Also, my sunshine and serenade-in-a-box and very good friend Ed gave me this beautiful heart-shaped coral he found.

I hope you enjoyed my quite-long and image-heavy post and I also wish that I made you want to visit Ilocos. Take me with you, will you? :)