2018: Another year without you

Dear dadi,

It's been two years. I've wanted to write this for so long, but the timing never felt right. In 2016, it had felt too soon and in 2017, I'd tried to piece myself back together and focus on myself.

Admittedly, I try not to think of you often because whenever I do, I just feel like bawling my eyes out. And now that I'm writing this, I'm really trying hard not to, but barely succeeding.

How Couchsurfing has changed the way I travel

This is where it all started.

Just a couple of weeks ago I welcomed my 7th surfer to my place. If you aren't familiar with Couchsurfing, then keep on reading. :)

Couchsurfing is a digital platform which allows members to do any or all of the following:
- Host travellers;
- Stay as guests at somebody's home;
- Meet locals or fellow travellers;
- Join events organized by other members.

If you decide to host or be someone's guest, you should know that yes, it is free.

I had heard of Couchsurfing years ago, but never really thought of trying it until my trip to Europe a few months back. My friend, who lives in Turkey, and I decided to travel to VENICE together last June and she wanted to see if we could find a couchsurfer willing to host us for a couple of nights. She's been a couchsurfer for years and I'm pretty open-minded, so I was up for it. However, we couldn't find a host; we just ended up meeting a local, an Italian guy, with whom we had an amazing time. He brought us to Lido, introduced us to his friends, and we all enjoyed the nightlife by the beach. (And it hadn't hurt that I was able to practice my rusty Italian.)

There's no doubt in my mind that this incredible experience was what pushed me to be part of the Couchsurfing community.

Dealing with quarter life crisis

No, I don't have my shit together yet. But I'm getting there.

I hadn't blogged in more than a year and, of course, A LOT of things have happened since my last entry.

I recently turned 25 and, surprisingly, it hasn't freaked me out. Perhaps I'm supposed to break down sooner or later because I still haven't mastered the art of adulting, but the thing is... I'm over my quarter life crisis.

How to shop and ship Amazon products to PH tax free

4 things I bought at halpU (all of which I couldn't find here):
'Eighteen Years', 'How to be Happy: Not a Self-Help Book. Seriously.', Kindle 4 Case, and Fjallraven Kanken in Forest Green/Ox Red.

If you're an online shopper like me, you've probably experienced that dreaded trip to the post office to claim a package at least once in your life. I remember buying several clothing items from a couple of online shops in Singapore years ago and I was asked to pay almost 2000 freakin' pesos (!!!). After that, I refrained from ordering from online shopping sites abroad. Because, honestly, who wants to pay taxes when you've already spent money buying things online?

halpU.com solves that problem by letting you shop and ship Amazon products straight to your doorstep tax free.

PrimaDonna Elite Launch

I am and always will be a coffee lover. The perfect cup of coffee smells amazing and tastes like heaven. I don't drink coffee every day anymore, but at times I get back to being obsessed and end up consuming more than I probably should. A few years back, I used to be okay with just your regular 3-in-1 coffee, but luckily I had the opportunity to work for De'Longhi Philippines (which was actually my first job) and I've recommended the brand ever since.

Naturally I was so excited to hear about and be invited to De'Longhi's PrimaDonna Elite launch. Not only would I get to see my old work mates, but I'd also be part of the first ones to witness the unveiling of the PrimaDonna Elite—in fact, the Elite launch held at Shangri-La Fort was the first one in Asia!

Nobody knows you better. A perfect combination of contoured details and dynamic design, the PrimaDonna Elite is the new generation of De'Longhi bean to cup coffee makers to satisfy every wish with style and taste.

Life Lately

I feel as if I've grown so much in the last few months, ever since I'd dared myself to take risks even to the point of doing things I would have never even considered before. I've met a few unforgettable people along the way and in a lot of ways I think that I've met different sides of me. The last few months have been some of the best of my life despite suffering a great loss. 

Our trip to La Union last weekend wasn't what I had expected it to be. Yes, I knew I'd have fun like I always do when I'm surrounded by friends. But it ended up being more than that. When I think about it, it's actually kinda cheesy (or maybe it just seems that way because I'm not that emotional of a person--most of the time). 

2016 Wish List

I'm still working on my Thailand blog post (but you may watch my video diary here), so I decided to update my blog by publishing my wish list entry before Christmas.

In the lonely hour

*brb crying for a few more hours*

IT'S ONLY BEEN 16 HOURS, BUT I BADLY MISS SAM SMITH ALREADY. He was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. I honestly believe I won't get over it any time soon. I'm still freaking out over the fact that I've finally seen him live. When I had found out months ago that his concert wasn't pushing through in May I was crushed. Good thing it wasn't cancelled (unlike Passion Pit!!! *more tears*), just rescheduled.

Ahhhhh, I'm still so giddy. Sam Smith was all sorts of adorable. He smiled so much and I love how he talked about his songs. He's such a brilliant performer (am I the only one who found his dance moves so cute??)!!! How can someone have such an amazing and soulful voice?!

I made a video compilation so I'll always remember how great yesterday night was.

This could be an early quarter life crisis (or, simply put, life lately)

It's one of those beautiful days when you take a good look at your life and ask yourself, "What do I do next?"

When I was still in college I put this immense pressure on myself to do well, so that after graduation I could find a great job, earn well, and "live happily ever after." (At least I was already smart enough to know that a prince charming wasn't what I needed.) I thought that doing so would propel me towards great opportunities. I honestly believed that. Society had successfully fooled me into believing that a great education and perseverance were the main ingredients in making sure that I wouldn't go astray from the career path that was meant for me.

After two years of working non-stop, here I am: funemployed and absolutely clueless on what I really want to do next (although, to be fair, also well-rested for the first time in months).

Online shopping

My friends know that I love online shopping because it is so convenient. Some people aren’t into it because they don’t wanna risk buying something they’ll regret once they’ve tried it on. I guess I’ve been lucky in that aspect because anything I’d ever bought online fit me well.
As an avid online shopper, I follow a lot of shops via their websites and social media pages. For those who would like to discover more online shops, I hope this will help you in your online shopping adventure.

FAVORITE ONLINE SHOPS 

• Zalora has to be my favorite because it features so many brands and you can practically find anything you’re looking for. Aside from regularly visiting the website, I also downloaded the app on my phone. I actually have a long wishlist of items I’m eyeing. If you love dresses, check out a variety of yellow dresses in Zalora’s website. I don’t wear dresses often, but even I found a few which I’ve added to my wishlist. Since there are so many brands, I’ll share with you my go-to brands: Something Borrowed, Zalora, and Zalora Basics. There are times when I end up scrolling for hours because there are just too many good finds. I actually bought my favorite black heels at Zalora! 

Hey, stranger.

At times when I feel down or outright shitty, I wish I had someone to talk to other than my family and friends. Sometimes it is interesting to hear a stranger’s perspective, someone who doesn’t know who you are and who wouldn’t judge you and/or your actions.
There are times when I get random ask.fm questions from people seeking advice and I’ll be glad to help if you need someone to be there for you.
You could also download the app Vent, where you can select a specific mood and literally vent about whatever you’re feeling. You can choose to listen to anyone you want and, of course, other people from different parts of the world can opt to listen to your vents, as well. I decided to choose a different handle for Vent, so I can be anonymous. I find this app useful because I can release my frustrations and interact with other people at the same time.

SARTurday

Last May several artists, both international and local, took over some walls in Fort Bonifacio to create amazing murals. My friends and I decided to meet up one Saturday and roam around the area to take pictures of the murals we could find.

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I wasn’t sure if posting this would be a good idea because some people might take it the wrong way, but I was talking to a friend about this whole thing and I just wanna say what I think.

In the last month, I have gotten so many comments about my weight. A lot of people have greeted me with “You’ve gained weight” or “You’re getting bigger.”

My closest college friends used to joke about the fact that, despite being a foodie, I never gained weight. Well, I guess that isn’t applicable anymore. Because yes, I’ve gained weight but, every single morning, I look at the mirror and I don’t see a fat girl nor a chubby one. So no, I’m not gonna starve myself to please people.

The truth is I’m simply not as thin as I used to be. And I’m okay with that. And if I ever feel like I need to lose weight, I’ll do that. For me.

A penny for my thoughts

This was a rough year for me. It may not have seemed that way to other people, but I can’t blame them. I’m not one to open up, not even to my closest friends. I went through a lot of bad days, trying to fight my inner thoughts. But last week, I came across this quote and it perfectly describes my situation.

“Note to self: every time you were convinced you couldn’t go on, you did.” ―Destiny S.

2015 Wish List

Since I don’t really celebrate Christmas and 2015 is only a couple of weeks away I decided to come up with a 2015 Wish List.

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My thoughts don’t make sense sometimes, but I figured that I should use this blog to write what I truly think and feel. I haven’t been in the mood to post anything these past few months because I was too busy trying not to drown. But here I am now. This isn’t a happy list. This isn’t an inspirational post.

Isn’t it incredibly hard to find meaning in the things that you do when you don’t feel anything? Well, of course you feel something, but it’s more of a feeling in between numbness and desperation. And all you can ask yourself is, “How did this fucking happen?”.

Life after college

It’s been more than a year since I graduated from college and life isn’t really what I thought it would be.

I thought I would be able to stick to my first job for at least a whole year, but I ended up resigning 11 months and 2 weeks in.

I thought I would be able to save more money that what I have now, but it’s still an ongoing struggle.

I thought people’s first impression of me would never change, but apparently I don’t appear to be bitchy and/or quiet anymore.

In the past year I’ve gotten to know myself more in ways I didn’t think I ever would. I discovered parts of myself I never thought would surface. I found out how diverse my personality could be depending on the people I’m with.

I definitely had no idea what life after college had in store for me, but now that I’ve gotten a glimpse of it, I can say that I’ve learned a thing or… three.

The happy list vol. 5

The past couple of months have been crazy! I was busy settling into my new job and almost all my weekends were booked. But here’s another chance to make a happy list! :)

A short paragraph on dating

I really don’t get it. I don’t get why guys who already have girlfriends (and vice versa) have the audacity to go look for someone else. Fine, they could be unhappy in their relationships; then why not break up first? Because they don’t want to be left with nobody? That’s such bullshit. I don’t even know anymore how many taken guys have hit on me. Thank you, but NO, THANK YOU.

The happy list vol. 4

It’s always harder to find something that makes you smile and happy when you lose someone very close to you. Just a day after my last post, this happy list was ready to be posted. I was actually just waiting for the right time to publish it. But then, a day after Mother’s day, I found out that my closest aunt had passed away. I was devastated and, of course, updating my blog had become the last thing on my mind. A loss that big is heartbreaking, but knowing mama, I’m positive she would have wanted for all of us to continue looking for things to make us happy.