Tuesday, October 25, 2016

September Song

It’s been a while since I posted anything on my social media accounts. I’ve been in a rot lately. I’ve been through a lot too. I’ve been struggling with depression and anxiety. It was in the latter part of September when an unfortunate event happened (it was beyond my control), and from there, everything went down like a domino. Amidst the misfortune, I woke up one day and I felt very alone (except for the fact that I have my family and friends and they’re so supportive). I started hating who I was. I hated my arms, I hated my cheeks, I hated my face, and I hated everything. Yes, weeks ago, I was that person. I wasn’t very nice to myself.

Until one day, I was listening to some songs and I came across this song by JP Cooper which is titled – September Song. Ironically it’s a love song about remembering how he spent his summer when he was 15 (summer happens to be around August to September in non-tropical countries). But it was through this song I was able to come to my senses. And then it flashed back to how I started my September this year, I was quite happy. There’s a line in the song which says, “Our love is as strong as a lion”. Then it struck me. I talked to myself, “hey Lil, how come we have drifted apart?” I used to strongly love me, but why did I let me down? I was sad, I struggled. There was no easy way out, and it’s hard to get away from it. But then it’s a process. People were telling me “things are gonna get better”, but I just felt like people were just saying it because they didn’t know what else to say to a person who’s very sad. Coz what else can you say? It sounded so cliché, and you don't really feel that it's gonna get better. BUT IT DOES! The thing with going through anything is to just “go through it”. Then one day I woke up, and I wasn’t so sad anymore. I didn’t hate me anymore.

So why am I saying this? What’s the whole point of even blogging this? What have I learned from all of these? There are a lot of questions popping out. But yeah, I guess being creative is a perfect way of channeling out all devastation that you’re feeling. As for me, Snapchat and Twitter has been my outlet and it helped me a lot! Writing, it’s my passion. And in everything that I’ve been through, writing essentially played a big role for me to move on. I’ve also come to realize that, I am not the only one in this world who is this sad. And things are not always what they appear to be. There was a time in my life that I was more depressed and nobody knew about it, no one in my life really knew how depressed I was. You just never really know the war and struggles in someone’s mind no matter what they may appear like on the outside. The key to overcome all these is to just have faith. Have faith in what’s gonna happen, have faith in your family and friends, have faith in yourself and most importantly, have faith in God. No matter what your beliefs are, there is one divine being who is always by your side. I believe we’re all here for something, we’re all put in this earth for a purpose. Nothing in our lives is for no reason.

Now I don’t know how to end this hahaha! Oh well, I should park it here and just end it with this:


“Focus on getting better, I’m going through something bad right now, but I can push through it. I CAN DO THIS!” 

I CAN DO THIS!

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Birthday in Baguio



Every new chapter in your life requires a new version of yourself. Welcoming another year of adventure, challenges, happiness, success and what-nots.
Say hi to my modelesque niece, Bea. Yes, she deserves all the exposure hahahaha!
I still suck at stabilizing though. Any suggestions on how could I improve? 😁
—FAQ:
*What camera do you use?
Gopro Hero 4 Silver
*What do you use to edit your videos?
Gopro Studio
MUSIC:
Begin Again by Purity Ring



Monday, June 20, 2016

A Nature Adventure on Independence Day (Masungi Georeserve)

Happy Independence Day!

The Philippines has been free from bondage for 118 years (on June 12, 1898 to be exact).

Being one with nature. It's now apparent to me what the colonizers (is there even a word? Lol) have seen in our country. There is definitely a lot to love! One is that, the Philippines is blessed with a very rich biodiversity.

It is a breath of fresh air to be away from the city and see such spectacle. A spectacle so pure and totally unadulterated that you won't be able to keep in the deluge of your emotions.

Hope you enjoy this melange of videos taken on a holiday!

P.S. Apologies for Mei's annoying laugh at the end of the video hahahaha!

Sunday, May 22, 2016

A Daring Feat in Cebu

At the end of every adventure, I make it a point to have a memorable keepsake for us to share when we get old... Enjoy!



Monday, March 14, 2016

Coron, Palawan 2016 (Our Date with Paradise)

This video montage pretty sums up all our escapades in Coron, Palawan; which made us all emotional when we got back to Manila days after. Vacation hangover at its finest! Showcasing my dear friend Nicky's superb video editing skills (apologies on my annoying laugh at the end of the video though hehehehe!). Enjoy!



Video credits: Nicklaus Denosta

Sunday, January 31, 2016

People of my year 2015

It has been the fastest year so far. Just like that, it ended swiftly and blissfully. 2015 for me has been so different. Different in so many ways nobody could ever imagine. It has been my yearly routine to pay tribute to the people who gave significance to my year (it’s a month late though lol), coz going thru this year would never be complete without them:

1.       Buena Familia
Rommel, JB, Mami Tina and Ray-ray. We are brought together by one common denominator – THE LOVE FOR TRAVEL. Planned or unplanned, luxurious or on a budget, name it! We’re always up for an adventure. Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer, hence I gained a family in them. May we continue to feed each other’s wanderlust this 2016 my friends!



2.      Unit 1503 Girls
Apple, Che and May. We’ve met thru olx. It was in January of 2015, I was looking for a new place to stay. Fast forward to November 2015, we travelled to Cagayan Valley (May’s province). It is in this trip that we discovered each other’s background, personality and CRAZINESS! And we’ve been inseparable ever since. May’s moving to Singapore, but I’m still positive that we could still travel anywhere, soon. Love you girls!

May, Che, Apple and Me at the breath-taking Palaui Island, Sta.Ana, Cagayan Valley

3.       Enerel
My beautiful Mongolian friend, Ene. I went to Shanghai, China on Halloween of 2015. It is the most memorable out of the country trip for me, coz I got to meet Ene. And together, we sightsee Shanghai. If I get to go there again, I would love to explore Shanghai again with her. See you soon Ene!

Ene and Me at East Nanjing Road, Shanghai
4.       Pamangkins
2015 has been a gracious year for me as an aunt. Talking about milestones each of my pamangkins achieved makes me overwhelmed. Aside from the reminder that I am not getting younger (that’s a known fact I suppose hahaha!), their achievements are also a realization for me, that they’re not meant to stay kids forever (walang forever as they say). Kimboy’s now residing in Tokyo, Japan; Bea’s now a full-time Pharmacist at St.Lukes Medical Center; Nikko and Moshe are now more than halfway thru college; Trixie and Benedict already graduated high school and are now college students; Nyle is now in preschool and Nate can now walk. Whew! Time really flies so fast…



5.       Manang Al
2015 is such a memorable year for my sister, for this year she turns 50 years old. Golden girl na! Age is still a number, coz Manang does not look like 50 at all! It is also in 2015 that she is the proudest Mom, coz she got 2 out of 2 Valedictorians! It is very unlikely in a graduation ceremony that the Class Valedictorian happens to be your son and the Guest speaker is your daughter, I never thought it could really happen (as in never ever!) until last March. Manang must be in cloud 9 at that very moment hehehe!

Manang Al with Bea (the ceremony's Guest Speaker) and Benedict (the class Valedictorian)

6.       Mommy/Lola Techie
“How’s my facebook notifications?”, “How many likes has it now”, “I have already uploaded the pictures” or “it’s trending now”. It’s not everyday that you hear these statements from a 73-year-old woman hahaha! In the advent of technology, my mom’s not making herself late. She proves to every senior citizen in this world to not make your age a hindrance to connect with family and friends thru social media. Her bag’s so heavy though, because of the pocket wifi, phones, tablet and cables inside hahaha! 

Mom on the way to Rock Island, Mactan, Cebu

Sunday, January 10, 2016