POSTCARDS FROM TALICUD ISLAND

Photos via Kristine Acharon

Back in our good old college days (naks, old? one month palang graduate! haha), we'd consume our long breaktime planning and daydreaming of an escapade somewhere far away in GenSan. We've been on several trips to the beach but we were really eyeing Davao and Samal to explore together.

So a week after graduation, we had our college-ender weekend getaway trip. It was four years in the making and weeks of allowance saving. We kind of pulled all the stops to make the trip happen because as we all know, life will be different after graduation. Just like now, PAT is already in Dubai living and carving out her own PATH. Uy, wordplay. Haha. Para di sad. :)

Anyhoo, the said getaway weekend was spent enjoying a Friday night in downtown Davao and an overnight stay at Isla Reta Resort, Talicud Island, Samal (pictured above).

I'm quite lost how to elaborate my sharing so here's a laundry list instead.

  

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR TRIP:

• I STEPPED ON A SEA-URCHIN! (PISS, PISS, PISS)

We were just about to start night swimming when I felt something thorny on my left foot. I thought it was just a sharp shell but when I felt hairlike strands piercing through my foot and was starting to get painful, I just knew that I stepped on a fuggin sea urchin ("tuyom" in vernacular).

Good thing my friend Melvin was gracious enough to give his pee (in a bottle) to partly remedy the situation while my other friends begged for more pee. (This sounds funny. haha). Luckily, there was a father who "donated" his pee (still in a bottle) since his own child also stepped on a sea urchin earlier that day. Thank heavens for kind people and warm piss. Haha.

• THE EUREKA MOMENT! (Or more likely THE "IT'S JUST A LUMINISCENT ALGAE, YOU IDIOTS") Haha

Pardon the awkward poses, but here's a photo of us discovering something so amazing....NOT. We were strolling at the shoreline when (not totally sure if it's) Kent spotted something blue and neon-ish thingy on the sand.We first thought it was just a shell (too much shell assuming) but when we touched it, it was "stretchy". Gaah, I don't know how to describe its physicality in an accurate manner but it was amazing! It's like neon powder or something.

So we were all giddy and excited since we thought we stumbled into something magical. We even started conjuring up our own amazing theories. But then turned out, those amazing things were only luminiscent algae or specifically Bioluminiscent algae something whatever. Thanks to Melvin who knows his Biology lessons well and enlightened us.

Not that biolumiscent algae aren't amazing. We were just thinking of something more magical than scientific. Like, a mermaid's poop or kryptonite? Haha.

Truly, ignorance is bliss. </3

• LYING AT THE SAND AND JUST STARING  AT THE STARRY SKY <3

Due to my "tuyom" incident, we stopped our night swimming early. Since we can't swim at the sea, we tried swimming at the sand instead. Hahaha. Joke. Seriously though, Pat, Kim, Kent and I spent the rest of the night at the shoreline. We lied at the sand and calmly watched the sky full of stars. The sound of the waves were so calming. We lay there and just forget the world. Chos. Hashtag pricelessmoments. We  loved every second of it that we almost slept on the shore! Kung wala lang high tide.

• WE ARE THE CHEAPSKATES

Since we were on a tight budget and there were other things to prioritize (food, accommodation, Starr Bar?), we had to scrimp on some things like the transportation. We had to get from point A to point B the cheapest way we can. TAXI was NEVER an option! Hahaha. 

The various modes of transportation we took were the jeep, padyak, tricycle (in the wee hours of the night and in the middle of downtown Davao!) and the yacht ferry boat (which stopped in the middle of the sea when we were on our way back to the city!).

It was tiring but also fun going through all the hassles just to push through with our plans. If there's a WILL (and WHEEL), there's always a WAY. :)

 

And to end this....

DREAM ON. Hahaha.

XX

COME HAIR

Photos from a quick Sunday morning pool with my cousin a few weeks ago.

If you happen to notice in the first photo, I got my hair cut short and had it "repaired" (i.e rebond). Oh no! Andyan na si crush! Hahaha. I must admit that I kind of miss my old, long, thick and wavy hair. I miss the feeling of waking up in the morning and my messy hair is all over my face and then I get to smell that no-shampoo-for-two-days salty kind of scent it emits. Hmmmm! I even miss my nasty habit of plucking out dead hair or cutting out horrible split-ends. No joke.

Also, while I'm now enjoying this new straighter and thinner hair of mine, I must suffer the consequence of not allowing my hair to get wet with chlorine-filled pools or even the seawater for a year. Which kind of sucks because I really like swimming and floating and the beach. Sigh. See? The things we sacrifice for vanity. 

Needless to say, I didn't really enjoy the water and the pool pictured above. I was just knee-dipping while looking at my cousin with jealousy as she enjoyed the pool all to herself. Sad.

But all in all, I'm quite contented with the result. It's high-time to welcome change because frankly, if I look at my previous photos nothing really much have changed - at least in physical terms - about me. (Not even my freakin' height!) And wait till you see my graduation pic! I had a fuggin stray hair untucked behind my ear. :(

Speaking of graduation, I CAN'T WAIT! It's only a few days away. But I'll save all my mushy musings about that in another post.

So that's it. 

I don't even know how one can relate the photos above with my writing content. Lol.

XX

GIRLS CATCHING FIRE

Some snippets of our "Single Girls Day Out" last Friday. I was with my lovely friends, Pat and Kim. We watched Catching Fire and this particular line in the movie struck me:

Peeta: "See Katniss, the way the whole "friend" thing works is that you have to tell each other the deep stuff." 

It was very striking because the girls and I were really planning to have a heart to heart conversation about some matters. Uhmm, matters of the heart to be specific. We are together almost everyday but some of our conversations just revolve around the obvious and the superficial. So we set aside Friday to really talk and tell each other "the deep stuff". (I have this theory that small talk is literally cheap while real conversations are not. It has to be at a fancy cafe and over frappuccino that costs more than a hundred bucks).

Anyway, we were in a hurry because we watched Catching Fire twice at the cinema. It was that nice. After the movie, they grabbed frappuccino at CBTL. There, we shot Pat her outfit pics for the day (you can check it out in her blog ) and we sat for awhile. But then, there goes our curfew. Bummer. We have to go home. We haven't really talked as planned.

Anyhoo, it was still a happy day spent with the girls.
There's always a next time. :)

XX

I AM NUMBER FOUR

I'm obsessed with anything that is about the human personality. I suppose that studying the human personality is a form of self-discovery and will eventually lead to self-actualization (Mr. Maslow emphasized the importance of it). When you begin to understand yourself, you also begin to understand others and how they are different from you and life becomes more peaceful.

Last year, my cousin introduced me to Florence Littauer's Personality Plus book. I talked about it a little in this post (See No. 9). I liked it so much. It has become my "personality bible" since then. I even begged my cousin to give it to me haha. The book is now actually being passed around my circle of friends because I've been encouraging them to read it too. It certainly helped me understand myself more and I've become more tolerant to people who do not have the same personality with mine.

I was identified as a Sanguine in that test. To summarize, the Sanguine temperament is:

impulsive and charismatic
tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends
tend to be boisterous
quite creative and often have many ideas
struggle with following tasks all the way through
chronically late
to be forgetful
sometimes a little sarcastic
often, when they pursue a new hobby, they lose interest as soon as it ceases to be engaging or fun
they are very much people persons
they are talkative and not shy
warmhearted, lively and optimistic
they have been called "people-oriented extroverts"

Now I've come across this Enneagram test while riffling through one of my favorite blogs, Nothing Spaces. Enneagram sounds too foreign for me. I don't remember it being mentioned in our General Psychology class. Needless to say,  I was curious and took the test. (You can take it HERE.)

As it turned out I am a Type 4 (The Individualist):

Enneagram Type 4 - The Individualist

Identity seekers, who feel unique and different

People of this personality type tend to build their identities around their perception of themselves as being somehow different or unique; they are thus self-consciously individualistic. Fours tend to see their difference from others as being both a gift and a curse - a gift, because it sets them apart from those they perceive as being somehow "common," and a curse, as it so often seems to separate them from the simpler forms of happiness that others so readily seem to enjoy. Thus, Fours can manage to feel superior to others while also secretly harboring some degree of longing and envy. A feeling of being a member of the "true aristocracy" alternates with deep feelings of shame, and fears of somehow being deeply flawed or defective.

Fours are emotionally complex and highly sensitive. They long to be understood and appreciated for their authentic selves, but easily feel misunderstood and unappreciated. They have a tendency to withdraw in the face of a world that seems harsh or crude, and are often somewhat moody or temperamental. They are emotionally centered and spend much of their lives immersed in their internal mental landscapes, where they feel free to cultivate and analyse their feelings. A desire to manifest this internal world often leads Fours to an interest in the arts, and some do become actual artists. Whether artistic or not, however, most Fours are aesthetically sensitive and concerned with self-expression and self-revelation, whether it be in the clothes they wear or in the overall nature of their often idiosyncratic lifestyles.

Fours are somewhat melancholic by disposition, and under stress tend to lapse into depression. They also tend to be self-absorbed, even under the best of circumstances, but when unbalanced, easily give way to a self-indulgence which they perceive as being fully justified as a way to compensate for the general lack of pleasure they experience in their lives. Rather than look for practical solutions to their difficulties, Fours are prone to fantasizing about a savior who will rescue them from their unhappiness.

Intellectual Fours tend to mistakenly type themselves as Fives, and a heavy wing can certainly exacerbate this tendency. Fours however, unlike Fives, tend to be self-revealing and comfortable with emotional expression.

I have a mixed feeling towards it. I'm surprised that most of it are really true but I was thinking it's a little contradictory to my Sanguine temperament. I was expecting I was more of a Type 7. But I realize I also have this other side. It dawned on me that this is exactly what I need to reveal about myself.

In my group of friends, I'm dubbed as Miss Korny (see post here). Corny not only because I throw the most nonsense jokes and punchlines but also because I can be deep and philosophical at the most inappropriate times. It rings true too that I am emotional. I have a huge thing for sentimentality and profound thoughts. Sometimes, I suppress showing it because I don't want to bore people. I'd rather make someone laugh. I don't want people to diss me as someone too mushy or too cliché even if deep inside, I really am.

I think Jennifer Love Hewitt's "Barenaked" song got it right:

Do you ever feel so deep
That you speak your mind
To put others straight to sleep
You wonder if anybody cares

Thankfully, I have friends that relent to me once in a while and they patiently listen to my pa-deep and profound musings. No wonder meaningful conversations (preferably over frappuccino) truly make me happy. This makes me think too that maybe it's my Type 4 personality that lures me into the art of writing. Hmmm...that explains.

There are still a lot of things I want to pinpoint and discuss. Yet at the same time, I'm still taking it all in. Finding out true things about yourself can be overwhelming, in my case at least. I can not translate further all my thoughts yet but I'm glad I found out this Enneagram thing today.

Try it too!

XX

SEMBREAK 2013

 Quickie recap of le last college sembreak!

In no particular order.

1. PHOTOSHOOTS

 We started the sembreak with a photoshoot, blogged about HERE and HERE.

And we ended it with another one! 

To be blogged about SOON!

2. BIRTHDAYS AND SURPRISES

 Melvin's pre-birthday celebration. Dinner, videoke and dancing!

 Nise's birthday surprise! See the video HERE

Charm's post-birthday treat. Busog! Thank you :)

3. ALONE TIME DAVAO

 Whenever I have time, I make it a point to visit Davao. Not just to see family and friends but to have some much needed alone time. How I love wandering around the city all by myself. :)

4.DAD 

I like wandering around lawn cemeteries. Parang park lang but with lesser crowd and calmer ambiance. Ha, I know where to bring my first date, I'll let him meet my Dad! Hahaha

5. HIGH SCHOOL BESTIES REUNION

 I'm deeply grateful that despite the time, distance and even past disputes, this friendship is still at its strongest.

I love these girls. :)

6. MOVIES AND BOOKS!

I've FINALLY watched this cult-classic! :)

(Disclaimer: Photo not mine)

FINALLY again, a Nick Hornby book. I got one with the similar cover at Booksale! 

Nice and light read.

7. CELEBRITY SPOTTING!

Ish and I fangirling over Kuts Friddie Ruts! Haha

But don't be fooled. In the three weeks of vacation there were also days spent being idle, just lying around, staying at home and cleaning the house all day. Haha. Classes just started. Let's get rollin' last semester!

XX

P.S

I know. Here I am blogging about how I spent my semestral break when our brothers and sisters in Visayas are suffering the rage of Typhoon Yolanda. Let us donate anything we can. I did my small part of help through a friend. And let's not cease on praying.

HAPPY ONE YEAR CHIC CHEAPSKATE!

Did I just greet myself? Haha.

YEY!!! I can't believe this blog has been up for a year already. :))

Just like any other girls out there, I am inspired by fashion bloggers like Jane Aldridge, Rumi Neely, Nicole Warne, Jessica Stein and locally, Laureen Uy, Camille Co and Kryz Uy (to name a few). I would swoon and browse endlessly at their blogs and wish upon a star that someday I could have my own blog.

It was semestral break last year that I finally had the courage to put up this blog. I was so bored. Haha. Really, I'm just trying to sound funny but deep down, it has been years that I've been pre-meditating and planning to create and maintain my personal online space. I was skeptical at first because I don't have the proper resources. But I had the passion and conviction that I just can't shake. Indeed, if there's a will, there's a way. The point is, just get your shiz out there and do it wholeheartedly.

Although I was inspired mainly by personal style blogs, this humble blog of mine is more than just about fashion (fashion-for-less in my case). It is also about life, its goodness and things to be grateful about despite all the craziness and struggles (naks, profound!). It has become my diary of sorts. It serves as an artistic outlet for my childish ideas and somehow, an avenue to unleash the inner-slash-frustrated writer in me.

This blog, albeit it may seem narcissistic in the long run, keeps me in track of my own life and self. It pushes me to be at my best because after all, I had the audacity to show off myself in the world. Also, this blog keeps me up on my feet. It makes me look forward about something. Whenever I have a concept in my mind that I want to materialize here, I always get very excited.  Have you ever felt that energized and hyped-up kind of feeling? That's what I feel. It doubles more when I see my ideas come to life in this blog with the help of my lovely friends. I'd feel a great sense of fulfillment whenever I'd hit the "Publish" button. Best feeling in the world? Doing what you love. :)

NOW, this blog wouldn't be conceived and last a year (so far) without the help of a couple of people. I'd like to give a shout out to my friends for making fun of my blog. HAHAHA. Joke. But really, I want to thank my friends for supporting me no matter how lame my ideas are. 

I'd just like to give a SPECIAL THANK YOU and HEART HADOUKENS 

to my dear friend, Kristine Acharon

Thank you ish for inspring me to do this whole blog thing. 

I've said this countless times that you're one of the chic-est persons I know. It feels so nice to do "blogger" things with you. It's great to have a partner in crime or better yet, a style sister. Thank you too for helping me with the photo contents for this blog. :)

Visit her lovely blog at The World According to Kristine

OF COURSE, my SUPER THANK YOU and POWER HUG 

also goes to my equally dear friend, Nise Romero

You've probably seen her name on every post of mine. I declare that she is this blog's "resident" photographer. She's responsible for most of the visuals and photos of this blog. Thank you Nise for painstakingly keeping up with my annoyance to take photos of me and upload it. Thank you for always being patient. Haha. You're one budding photographer to reckon with.

 Let's shoot some more! :)

FOLLOW HER ON INSTAGRAM! (@niseromero)

Most importantly, THANK YOU!

(Photo found at WeHeartIt)

Whoever you are reading this, thank you for dropping by my humble online nook. 

Thank you for wandering at this side of the cyberspace.

I am happy to share not only my cheap sartorial choices but also the "happy-nings" in my life in the past year and hopefully in the years to come. 

Congratulations! You just wasted your time! HAHAHAHA

Jeez, I hope I didn't bore you.

 Visit again!

XX

SISTER FROM THE SAME MISTER

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to my super gorgeous and lovely sister from the same mister...

Mae Laurence :)

It's her birthday today! Would you believe she's already 23??? Haha. Mas babyface pa siya kesa akin.

Let me share to you things about my sizzy...

I couldn't be more blessed to have a sister like her. She's one of my first playmates. Childhood was memorable and happy because she's part of it. I remember we used to imagine na si Richard at Lucy parents niya and sa akin si Zsa-Zsa at si Dolphy. She's pink, I am yellow. She's the doctor, I am the nurse. And I remember mas takot pa ako sa Ate ko kesa sa nanay namin because she was always the "disciplinarian". Isang tiger eye niya lang, takot na ako. It was really fun growing up with her. (But come to think of it, we really didn't grow up.)

We like the same things, songs, blogs, and even people to talk about. Haha. She's the jolliest and most sanguine person I know. She's always a happy and funny thought. She never runs out of jokes na always havey. (Minsan nga mga punchline ko, galing sa kanya). Whenever we are under a family crisis, she always remain positive and never the worrier type. She turns things into comical instead and just make us laugh. She's strong and always ready to take her position as the "Ate" especially after our Daddy died.

But what I really look up to her is her ability with people and how she maintains friendship with them. I remember once naglalakad kami sa mall, she was back after a job stint from Butuan, and she bumped into four people all of whom she hugged and shared a laugh with. 

To you Ate Mae (hoy bakla...haha)... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Thank you for everything. I miss you so much. All our chikka and skemfet.

I love you. 

We love you.

Enjoy your day.Nan. 

:)

XX

12 GOING ON 20

(Photos via Charm Emnace)

I turned 20 yesterday! Haha. 

I remember my cousin told me once that: "Birthdays are for the too young and for the too old. If you're in between, don't make too much fuss out of it." So, I celebrated simply. Mom and I lighted candles at the church. Afterwards, we bought flowers for Lolo Lino (maternal grandfather) at the cemetery since we share the same birthday. Then, we had a simple late lunch with family. By night time, I treated my lovely friends dinner at a cute fancy cafe (pictured above). Thanks to my sister and brother for being my sponsor! Haha.

In a cheesy and corny side of life, I'd just like to share this touching birthday message from my highschool bestfriend: (Sa mga nangangailangan ng speech pang debut or birthday diyan, you can copy paste this. Haha)

"Tummy, happy happy 20th birthday. There's nothing really much more to say about you and our friendship because time and distance have defined it for us. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being Tweet. And now that you're 20, I pray to God to give you wisdom that you may be the wisest in all your decisions, and that if you fail, you'd still be wise enough to know where you should be heading. 

May life's experiences sharpen and nurture you to the fullest. I'm forever right here beside you. It's 'beside' because I'll walk with you in all of your endeavors. I love you. Please send Tita (your mom) my regards. Tell her I thank her for bringing you into this world and that I salute her for raising you into a such kind-hearted person. God bless you and our friendship.  (*Insert cheesy stuffs here*)"

~Princess Anne (sent via text)

NOTE: My nickname is "Tweetums" (don't even ask) that's why it's addressed for "Tummy" ;)

Birthday outfit post soon!

XX

FEELING JULIA

Wednesday means NO UNIFORM DAY.

And just last Wednesday, we decided to wear again our "Friendship Shirt".
(Yeah, we officially call it the "Friendship Shirt". How childish noh?)

We were walking at the school field and we spotted a carpentry "something" area.
There were lockers that were being repainted and wooden stool chairs were scattered.

And guess what we imagined....

PEG:

 Julia Barretto on the June 2013 cover of Preview

REALITY:

HAHAHAHA! So do you get the title now? "Feeling Julia"

And everyone took turns on taking a photo on the wooden stool. Haha.

 Akemi

Kent

 Nise and Staven

Kristine

Speaking of our dear friend Kristine, that same day we also helped her with her cool " fashion project". 

Check it out in her blog (Click HERE )

I know they'll find it korny of me to say this, but how I loooove these creatures.Hihi. :))

Till the  next post!

XX

UNPHOTOGRAPHED

In this time of camera phones, iPods, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, when one does not have a photo of a happening, it didn't happen. But that's not the truth of course. Just like the case last Friday.  

The whole group was invited by Pat/Kristine to hang-out at their place after a week of stressful exams. It was for us to relax and celebrate. We all trooped together at their place despite the threats of rain.We sang videoke (sans microphone), we danced along with the Xbox Dance thing and challenged each other. We had burgers and chips and Pat even bought a cake with "HELL YEAH, EXAM'S OVER" all over it just to emphasize our celebration.

We literally brought the party in Pat's place by blasting real loud music and danced foolishly like no one's watching. It was sooo fun because everyone was unguarded. Everyone was really having a good time. We all danced foolishly and no one really cared if we all looked crayzeeeehhh!!! Haha. Sexy dance. Party dance. Low jerk. We danced it all!!!

Sadly, Pat's camera memory card got reformatted. Dyahe nga eh. It was disheartening at first but then we thought, "Hey, the important thing is we had fun and no amount of photos could actually justify how much awesome time we had." :)

I  just really feel like sharing this. 

There may be no pictures to brag about in Facebook or even in this blog, but who cares?

We had soooo much fun. :)

No picture? No problem.

XX

SUMMER 2013 PHOTODIARY

Water Gran with Staven, Nise and Kent 

(Thanks for the invite! Hihi.)

Internship at an Accounting Firm. 

The "GORA NA SA BORA" outing with the gang. <3

Enough downtime spent for reading ( I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!)

Bonding time with highschool bestfriends. (No enough photos could be posted!!!)

Touring around Davao with relatives from the maternal side. :)

I really couldn't put into exact words what a great summer I had. I feel like I've been at the right places, met and talked to the right people (cute stranger included), learned the right lessons, read the right books, did the right things...I just feel so blessed, blessed beyond belief. All these things, I owe to God. <3

I'll keep this post short and sweet because today is the first day of my last college year! Yey!
 Isn't that exciting??? Hihi.


I'd love to hear too how your summer was. <3


XX