Let me begin this post by saying that I love Elizabeth Gilbert. Her book Eat, Pray, Love helped me immensely when I was going through The Major Heartbreak by forcing me to take a good hard look at how ridiculous I was being, letting me snap out of my funk and learn to rebuild myself. It is one of my favorite books and a go-to present to my friends going through the same thing I went through. I am also currently reading her newest book Big Magic and I am savoring every word. 

So yes, I guess you can say that I am a fan. Her Facebook posts never fail to cheer me up because they always feel sincere and authentic, like they came from a real friend who you can call up any time you are down in the dumps. This being the new year and all, I was  inspired to start my own Happiness Jar like the one she mentioned in her most recent post, and I believe this would be a big help to everyone reading this so I am sharing it here.

The post is quite long so I suggest you visit the link to read it in its entirety, but I am sharing an excerpt below.

Every day, at the end of the day, I write down the happiest moment of my day, and I put it in the jar. It's that easy. It takes one minute — if that. I don't use fancy paper or special pens; I usually just rip off the corner of a bill, and jot down the happy moment somewhere on a blank spot and throw it in the jar. 

Done and done. 

There is no simpler or less-demanding spiritual practice in my life than this one — when I literally take note of my gratitude for a moment in my day when things felt good, or I felt lucky, or I merely remembered that I was alive. 

It's incredible how consistently tiny and insignificant these happy moments usually are. There don't tend to be rock star moments — moments of glory or huge success. They seem to be moments of tiny human connection, or an unexpected bit of humor, or the glimpse of a cardinal out of the corner of my eye, or moment of peace during a busy day.
My happiest moments are infinitesimally small, but over the years, they have caused this jar to overflow many times over 

When I say that happiness is a consequence of personal effort, this is kind of thing I'm talking about. I'm talking about showing up, paying attention to the instances of good fortune in your life, putting a spotlight on the small good things, and creating a body of evidence that you are (on ALL days) brushing up against grace. 

Look for it, and you'll find it.

Since I started just today, I decided to backtrack a little and write entries for January 1 and 2.




For January 1, I wrote that I'm thankful I got to spend the first day of 2016 with the people I hold most dear. After hearing the Mass and visiting my Kuya's grave, we went to my Aunt Jean's house in Malinta for a New Year feast. After that, Miah and I had our first datenight for the year. Hee.

For January 2, I wrote that I'm happy I got to nap. I napped after breakfast AND after lunch that I must have clocked in more than five hours of out-of-bedtime sleep!


Time is flying by so fast and I don't want to miss anything, so writing down these little reminders of things that made me happy is an excellent way of remembering beautiful memories to look back to when the year is over.

That Ball mason jar might not be enough for all the slips of paper, movie tickets, Instax photos, and little mementos I intend to keep though, so instead of a Happiness Jar I might use the giftbox Miah gave me this Christmas as a Happiness Box. Much better, yes?

Are you going to keep your own Happiness Jar, too? How about a Happiness Jar Support Group? ♥ 

I was looking forward to another How I Met Your Mother marathon but welp, my portable hard drive got busted. I've had Season 1 of You're the Worst for a while now that I've already forgotten where I first heard about it, so I thought of watching a few episodes just for the heck of it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

BEST. DECISION. EVER. You're the Worst is my new favorite thing on TV!

You're the Worst isn't a typical romantic comedy. Narcissist Jimmy Shive-Overly thinks all relationships are doomed from the start, while stubborn cynic Gretchen Cutler is certain that amorous bonds aren't her thing. When the two meet at a wedding, though, there's a sea change: They go home together and find they're beginning to fall for each other. Jimmy and Gretchen navigate fear, heartbreak, ardor and other feelings, while their situation seems to establish that nontraditionalists sometimes make great partners.

Jimmy is a novelist/ writer while Gretchen works in PR, but those are not the main reasons why I love this show. Jimmy can be a tad dramatic and a bit overbearing at times especially when he goes on his endless rants but somehow his British accent makes it okay. Heh. Meanwhile, Gretchen is like the coolest girl in your class that you want to be friends with. Ugh, she's just so pretty I can stare at her face forever. Lending support to the duo are Gretchen's best friend Lindsay who is married to Paul, a wealthy executive who seems to have a LOT of time for his hobbies, and Jimmy's roommate Edgar, an ex-war veteran dealing with PTSD who seriously wants to turn his life back around. Rounding up the cast are Jimmy's ex Becca and her husband Vernon and Gretchen's clients Sam Dresden, Honey Nutz, and Shitstain. Yup. They are all terrible people who make terrible decisions but somehow you find yourself identifying with and rooting for them. Except for Becca. Becca is the worst. LOL.


Aside from the great cast, snappy script, and witty banter, I love the show's character development. The description is right, though; this isn't your typical romantic comedy so don't watch it expecting grand gestures. Instead, watch out for those secret smiles, those little nuances that show Jimmy and Gretchen's feelings develop over the course of the two seasons. It also tackles mental issues like PTSD and clinical depression without taking it lightly or making a joke out of it. I don't want to spoil it for you so I won't say anything more except that YOU REALLY HAVE TO WATCH IT NOW.

I love that the show isn't drawn out too long, but I hate that I'm already done binge-watching it in just a short period. I want need moar.

Read also:

• 6 Reasons You're the Worst is the Best Show You're Not Watching . . . Yet in Pop Sugar
• You’re the Worst is the Best TV Show You’re Not Watching in Vogue
• Why You're the Worst is the Best Show You Didn't Watch in 2015 in Decider

K thanks hibernating until Season Three is out.

New calendar, new beginnings, and a blank slate to fill with more stories and memories. Happy New Year, boys and girls! How did you welcome 2016? I hope it was with a lot of merry-making and joyous hearts.

One of my favorite things about welcoming the new year is jazzing up my chosen planner. 2016's planner of choice is the Giving Journal from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and I've already started putting my personal stamp on it using stickers, photos, sticky notes, markers, and, rubber stamps.

I don't really do New Years Resolutions, but I do write down things that will help me make the current year the best one yet.

This year, thanks to the n number of times I've seen the 2015 Cinderella movie, I will "have courage and be kind" not only towards other people, but also towards myself.

I will have courage by:

actively pursuing happiness • accepting that I'm turning 30 and so it might be time to invest in premium skincare • saying what I mean and meaning what I say • letting go of stuff because I have waaay too much stuff it's crazy • writing more stories and letting other people read them • letting go of relationships that drain me and do not add value to my life • choosing love.

I will also be kind:
by expressing more gratitude • to my skin by not forgetting sunscreen • to my family and true friends by cherishing every moment spent with them • to my time by not wasting it on bad movies, books, and TV shows • to myself by exposing myself to different adventures, visiting new places, and learning as much as I can.

I feel like I've changed so much over the last couple of years, that self-discovery is needed. I am looking forward to reading this:

So many things to get excited about, but I only have my eyes on this:


What a great start to 2016. I am so excited for all the Big Magic to unfold! Hope you are, too! ♥

Another year draws to a close, and with it comes introspection.

Much of this day was spent watching and crying over You're the Worst digging through my memory orbs with Sadness to decide on this year's highlights, and as is my custom, I chose a word that perfectly encapsulates the year for me. For 2015, I chose 'extraordinary'. 

This is the year I: got promoted again; went to Balesin and Boracay for the first time because of work, and I had a GREAT time; joined two fun runs; wrote and published a Young Adult story; launched an ebook; met Miah; finally saw Owl City perform live; walked without shoes; worked on a bunch of food events for our clients; got over my fear of public speaking to talk in front of (and hopefully inspire) high school students (and I had to do it twice!); tried to write another New Adult novella and failed; attended Asia Pop Comicon and my first Manila International Book Fair; wrote and published my first fantasy short story; launched my second ebook; had my hair colored lavender and purple; and finally launched my stationery brand Krissyfied Makes by releasing postcards of my watercolor paintings! Whew!

Back in November I shared with you my lavendream hair c/o the BEST hair dream team ever: Sir Jude and Miss Rose of JuRo Salon Exclusif. I ended that post with a statement that I don't think I'll be going back to black anytime soon.

A couple of weeks after that blog post, I turned into a purple belle, all thanks to Sir Jude and Miss Rose!

On December 4, I marched into JuRo Salon Exclusif for a haircut. I was ecstatic to be sitting on JuRo Salon's magical chair again! Sir Jude, ever the wizard with a pair of scissors, worked his magic on my hair and I felt even more chic in no time!

My roots peeked out after my haircut and we all thought it provided a nice contrast against the lavender, but Miss Rose had other plans. She said she'll color my hair purple-blue, and how could I refuse? In just less than three hours, I went from being a lavendream girl to a purple belle!


With my purple-blue hair and my pixie cut, I couldn't help but remember my childhood fantasies of being a purple faery! I'll be like Tinkerbell, only with a cooler outfit and edgier hair. Hee.

Now that it has been almost a month since my visit, what are my post-purple thoughts?


It's easier to maintain than my lavender hair. When I had lavender hair, I had to use the Elgon I/care Haircolor Rinse Coloring Conditioning Cream in Viola Intenso (Deep Violet) at least once a week to make sure the color remains vibrant and does not fade into oblivion that quickly, whereas I never had to do that with my current purple hair.


I was happy to bust my bright lipsticks out of storage again. When I had lavender hair, I only ever used my pink and nude lipsticks. Now I also get to use my reds and plums again! My purple lipsticks haven't seen the light of day in weeks, though, because I don't want to look like a walking ube jam. Heh.

In case it's not obvious yet, I am SO HAPPY with my hairstyle and color that I really don't want to go back to black anytime soon! Thank you so much, Sir Jude and Miss Rose! More than my awesome cut and color though, it's the duo behind JuRo Salon that makes the experience much more enjoyable. December is one of their busiest months and it was full house that night owing to the fact that many people were booking appointments for their holiday makeovers; I'm sure they were already feeling tired but we never heard a peep. The JuRo power couple remained energetic and jolly all throughout the day, and emphatically swapped stories with everyone. Such is their passion and dedication to their craft, and it shows on how happy their customers feel not only upon leaving the salon, but also days and even months after the JuRo Salon experience! I can personally attest to this!


If you are in the mood to treat yo'self to a New Year Makeover and you have the means to do so, then I highly recommend that you contact the JuRo duo for a consultation by calling (02) 822 5673. I promise you that it'll be a life-changing moment. I don't even know why I made do with my haircuts from before; Sir Jude and Miss Rose forever ruined other salons for me, and it's worth it.

Ohai, this is my last Currently for the year, and I can't believe I was able to reach the proverbial finish line without skipping! I mainly created this blog so that I can have a virtual diary to record my thoughts and memories in, and now that I started this weekly habit I am assured I have something to look back on. It's nice, is what it is. I think I'll keep it up until next year.

How was your Christmas? I hope you had a wonderful day with your loved ones. I did, and the festivities continued until the weekend, when I had a Merry Xmas Staycation with my friends.

My friend JV booked a suite in Astoria for our potluck party, and it was so great to see old friends and meet new ones over overflowing food and drinks!

Reluctant to go home immediately after, some of us had a lunch-date in Wingstop Promenade. A little date with Miah was the perfect way to cap off my Christmas weekend. (^_^)

Here is this week's [and the last of the year's] Currently!

READING
Still The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. I'm putting immense pressure on myself to finish it before the year ends!

WRITING
My New Year's Resolutions. What are yours?

LISTENING TO
Silence. It's almost midnight and not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

THINKING OF
Birthday plans as early as now. Adulting is hard, you guys.

FEELING
Excited for my new planner! I need to get more stickers.

LOVING
You're the Worst. It's my new favorite thing on TV right now! I want to make a more comprehensive post but right now I would just like to say YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS. NOW.

WANTING
Midnight snack. I'm hungry.

NEEDING
Midnight snack. See above.

WISHING FOR
A calm and steady rest-of-the-year-2015. I still can't believe 2016 is coming in a few days. Whoah.

Are you ready for 2016? Because I sure as hell am not.

Oh well.