Birthday~

Haha, my birthday (January 27th) was kind of uneventful, since I had work that day...but I got a lot of love and greetings nonetheless (^^)

My family surprised me with an amazing dinner of seafood pasta, and a nice cake!



I was pretty happy with how the celebration went but it kind of reminded me that I was a year older (obviously) and I'm still not close at all to accomplishing the goals I'd listed down last year (>_<)

I'm happy though for several things; one is that my family does love me, even though I often feel irritated with them and the rest of the world. Still though, I'm starting to realize that seriously, I have a long way to go regarding my goals and dreams (no matter how ridiculous they are) and even though I should be happy that I have a job, I really have to take a lot of things more seriously. Some people at work are saddled down with more things to do than me, and it makes me feel bad that I'm complaining about how my life is going and that I apparently have too little time to myself.

And I ask myself over and over again: "What am I doing with my life?"

The answer may as well be: "Nothing."

I need to bring myself out of being lazy and just do what it is I want to accomplish.

I have to work on the mini-projects that I promised myself I would work on, and I will finish them.

Let's see what I can do.

So, for now, I've been thinking about doing some character illustrations on book characters. There are certain books I read that always inspire me, and the Howl's Moving Castle series by Dianna Wynne Jones is one of them. Another is Ella Enchanted, so I'll be trying my hand at making illustrations of those. I've already started on Howl's Moving Castle, so I hope to have something to present by next week. I'm doing a bit of research on fashion and clothing in that era so hopefully something does strike me.

Oh, and I guess I'm missmysty's official fanfic illustrator for her Sekaiichi Hatsukoi fanfics now that we've done one project together. I illustrated her fanfiction "Morning Sun", a Sekaiichi Hatsukoi AU fic. I'm thankful to her since she got me started on this road (even if it was a very rocky process, hah), and I hope to continue.

She's starting a new AU fanfic for Sekaiichi Hatsukoi called "Idol", which I also hope to illustrate as it goes along.

I hope for the best!

頑張ります!

お久しぶり!

It's been a very long time (笑)

I've been busy! My job as a Halloween store sales associate is over, so I went around looking for a job around last week.

I'm extremely happy that I got employed again, this time at a bookstore! (笑) I think I'm only going to be hired for the holiday season, but I think they have a tendency to permanently keep their holiday temps, so I hope I do well (^^)

Today was actually my first day as a cashier there, and the process is very different, but I'm slowly getting used to it. I really want to stay for a long while, so I hope for the best.

Oh, and before I forget, here are some photos from our apple picking several weeks ago!


Here are all the apples we picked (笑)


And me with a pumpkin! Since it was that close to Halloween, there were so many pumpkins. And this one was heavy!

And speaking of Halloween, this was my Halloween costume on my last day of work (笑)


In other news, I have become an almost-regular customer at Kinokuniya! I have so many cute things now thanks to them, but I have to curb my spending now. I need to control my spending! But I'll show you guys what I got sometime, okay? (笑)

I've also been more active on Livejournal again lately; I've kind of turned it into my fangirling journal. I'm probably gonna pop a new little icon for the sidebar soon.(笑)

I've recently become a huge fan of the BL anime/manga Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, and clearly, it has impacted my life that heavily. (笑) For those of you who enjoy reading/watching BL, and enjoyed Shungiku Nakamura's Junjou Romantica, I encourage you to take a look at her spin-off, Sekaiichi Hatsukoi! Granted, there are no official licensed translations as of now, but there are scanlation groups working on it for now. I enjoyed this series a lot more than I did Junjou Romantica, and

I hope to update some more soon! I missed blogging, and I hope I have more things to post!

頑張ります!

Payday!

My first paycheck! (笑)

It actually isn't much, but I can expect a little bit more on my next payday, since I will have worked some more over that particular period of time.

I'm actually pretty happy about this (^^)v

Saa, let's keep moving forward, without hesitations!

Yudan sezu ni ikou. (笑)

I AM NO LONGER UNEMPLOYED!

I just got hired as a temp sales associate for the Halloween season!

I have a job!

Yes, it's only temporary, but it is still a good opportunity! Doing well also means you can get hired permanently.

Obviously my skills in horrifying people was useful in getting this job. (笑)

I also have an interview for anoter job tomorrow!

Wish me luck! (笑)

頑張ります!

Lately...

I've been getting a lot of headaches (^^;)

Must be the weather, it's been very hot recently...

I called the Japanese-American Society as I said I would, and thankfully they told me to send over my resume. However, they would be closed on August 1-8, so if I get an interview, it would have to be after that. I hope things go well(>_<)

Somehow, when it comes to organizations or places like this, I feel more confident answering people's questions about it. Maybe because I know it better, or I know what I want? (笑)

I find that I am very happy whenever I am allowed to immerse myself in Japanese culture and art. Of course, I have other things that I like, but somehow, reading about it or seeing pictures makes me feel very happy. I guess I really do like Japan, even if I have never been there.

I think that everybody has their own silly little dream, and for me, I guess it's being a star of some sort, like a performer, that is my silly little dream.

I mean, I blog like a Japanese actor/singer, and even fashion my blog after them. (笑)

Realistically though, I want to be known someday as an artist/designer and blogger. I think that my skills fall under these, and these are skills I can hone, and market to others. It may take some time, and I don't mind that as long as I can chase after my dreams.

I posted before about the things I wanted to do directly after getting a job, and I honestly think I would stick to it. I want to make my life better, but most of all, I want to make myself better.

I saw a quote of Confucius on Twitter earlier: "When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps."

I think this is very relevant to me, since there are so many things I want to accomplish. Many times, I think we are forced to abandon most of our dreams because we think they can't be done, but all we have to do sometimes is rethink the situation and find another way towards that dream.

I think my problem is that while I have a goal, I never clearly set out the steps that I need to take for it. (笑) It's real proof that I need to think more about what my goals need, huh?

I have some of my steps laid out, but I need to get to those stages before I start seeing what needs to be adjusted.

For now, I've been reading a lot of books and sources on art and other subjects, and I hope to emerge a more knowledgeable person. I'm also trying to start a comic or story, so I'm looking forward to the moment I set my first few pages out.

頑張ります!(笑)

My haaaaair

The hairstylist didn't want to cut it at first (笑)

She kept saying, "But your hair! You have beautiful hair!"

I think I'm happy enough with this length (> <)

I might cut it very short someday, though!

We'll see. (笑)

Speaking of cutting it very short, the stylist also suggested that if I were to cut it short after growing it so long, I may as well donate my hair to make wigs for cancer patients. (笑)

I would actually be very glad to!

I would even consider shaving my head (笑)

Finally!

Thanks to help from my bff-waifu Kimm, I managed to understand and edit the HTML for this blog, and now I've given it an overhaul!

What do you guys think? (笑)

I'll probably add more things to the site as time goes by. (^^) It was difficult, staring at the HTML and cleaning up some of it, searching for other templates and doing research, just to get this result. Thankfully, in the end, it was actually a simple enough process. (笑) I'll be able to handle it better next time~

I know that it's been a very long time since I made a proper blog post, and I owe everyone some photos. (笑) Not to worry! I'll make sure to write more!(I hope.)

So far I think I'm surviving, and I'm also a little pleased that my deviantART account is starting to live again. I've been working on my drawing and coloring lately, and I hope to get better.

I feel like I always say that, but never really finish?

Easier said than done, I guess. (笑)

I might be spreading myself a little too thin over the things I want to do, but I think eventually things will even out, and I'll know what I can accomplish.

I'll do what I can!

Oh, and, I made a very emotional post on Tumblr yesterday, regarding the Harry Potter series.

I don't think I want to post it here again. (笑) I don't want to cry!

But yes, Harry Potter has been my childhood...I learned a lot from it, and it has made an impact on my speech and writing...it encouraged me to read...I feel very sad that we've come to the end of an era.

I'll be watching the final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, tomorrow in New York.

I think I should bring either a handkerchief, or a box of tissues. (笑)

Blog overhaul within the next few days!

As you can see, I finally managed to put the navigation links for previous and next posts (^^)

I'm still figuring out how to add another sidebar (^^;) and I'm thinking of making a new header...But yeah. Hopefully by the end of this week it'll be all finished, depending how long I have to stare at Blogspot HTML to fix this. (笑)

I'm finally home~

And I was just given a most expensive gift @_@

This little crystal Buddha is a Baccarat. It's a crystal glassware imported from Baccarat, France; it's known for its quality and its...well, price. According to the little pamphlet it came with, "Baccarat is a master of light, creates objects that infuse the everyday with a scintillating atmosphere of enchantment", and "light becomes substance in its purest form". So yes, I take that to mean that they're good at what they do, have been at it for generations, and that this crystal is major quality. (>_<)

I was given one by a family friend, telling me that she had heard that Buddhas should be given, not just bought, and that it was for good luck.

Of course, I appreciated the gesture, but I was really amazed. For those who have read the book Ella Enchanted (I stress: the book, not the movie), it was like receiving an Agulen work. Agulen is said to be the master of pottery among the elves, and his work is most coveted. So when Ella is simply given an Agulen work just by admiring it and appreciating it from the bottom of her heart, she is overwhelmed. I think it was that same feeling, the feeling that you can't accept such a valuable gift, but your hands close around the gift anyway.

Then after realizing what it is, it becomes that moment in The Princess Diaries where Mia is given the locket with the Genovian crest, along with a jewelry box that belonged to her grandmother's great-grandmother. That part where she's all, "I will keep this safe. I will take good care of it." And proceeds to stuff the jewelry box in her bag, with all the clanking and shaking and basically, mishandling. (@_@)

Of COURSE I knew better than to just stuff the Baccarat box in my bag, I fixed my stuff around it and everything. But still. An overwhelming moment for me, thank you. (@_@)

But yeah. I'm finally home from nearly four days of staying and cleaning out my grandparent's apartment with Aunt#1, so admittedly, I'm a little tired. But I have to do a little cleaning of my own, in my bedroom. My mom and Aunt#3 did some work in my closet, and now I'm clearing away most of the things. Also, I do need to make space for some stuff on my desk.

Also, the highlight of today: I FINALLY KNOW WHERE NINTENDO WORLD IS. YAAAY~

At the end of it all, I'm still alive, and that's what matters~

Adventure in Manhattan!

I'm surprised at my own daring!
Today, my mom and aunt were working at East 61st street in Manhattan, New York. They let me tag along, and told me that if I wanted to, I could go explore the city while they were working. So, I took the opportunity to have an adventure!

They probably expected me to look around Bloomingdale's or something. (笑)

I'd done a search on Google Maps of the area, and the thing was, I was looking for a new age or occult store, because I had been unable to buy a set of tarot cards for myself before. The nearest store, Enchantments, was on East 9th street, which is actually 2.6 miles from East 61st. I would need to walk down 1st Avenue, which was around the corner from my mom and aunt's working place. Still though, I had enough confidence in myself, so I prepared myself for the walk.

I was actually really shocked by the distance. I walked past so many things--by the time I'd hit East 46th street, I'd passed the UN Headquarters! I slowed down when walking past the Philippine flag...It really reminded me of home.

While I was doing that though, I noticed how empty the streets were and the number of NYPD officers out on the road. Then motorcycle officers passed, along with several black cars, and later, a limousine with the American flag on the hood.
I realized that all the security was because of President Obama! (笑) He was scheduled for a speech at Ground Zero that afternoon. I was amused that I was able to see his car pass by.

I walked on, and the rest of the walk was pretty uneventful until I reached 9th street. I found the store, but was dismayed since it would open at 1pm, and I had arrived at 12 noon. Still, I was there, so I waited. I hung around a nearby herb and root shop called Flower Power, which sold such a wide variety of herbs, spices and oils that I was fascinated. It reminded me a bit of an apothecary, or a potion ingredient shop. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if it catered to that, too. (笑)

Eventually though, I came back out to wait outside Enchantments, until a blonde girl came up to open the shop for me and another waiting customer, who said he was a beginner at magic. Of course, I immediately went to look at Tarot cards, and I was happy that the people who ran the shop were friendly and helpful. I suppose it really did come with the territory. They seemed very down to earth despite what they practiced, and I appreciated that very much.

I bought my own deck of tarot cards (at last). I decided to buy a smaller, pocket-sized deck, since my hands are pretty small. (笑) The shop also carried herbs and roots, like Flower Power, but I appreciated the staff here--back in Flower Power, the people there seemed rather stiff and unfriendly. Here in Enchantments, they were very accommodating and I didn't feel shy about asking things.

I took one of their cards for future reference. Perhaps I'll use a money order service to get another item from them someday! I hope to visit this shop again.

Still though, I had to make it back to East 61st, and there was little time. I had promised to be back by 2pm, and since I has waited and spent some time there, I needed a faster way to go back, and a taxicab was not an option. The blonde who had opened the shop for us told me about a bus that ran down 1st Avenue, and, since I didn't have a Metrocard, even offered to change my bills for quarters, so I would have fare for the bus.
But before I could hand over my money, the other customer who was waiting with me offered to give me his Metrocard. He said there were still a few dollars in it, and he was willing to give it to me. I was overwhelmed, of course, and was a little shy about accepting it, but he told me to take it anyway. After all, he said, it was good karma.
I thanked them profusely, left a a dollar in the shop's tip jar, and later took the bus back to East 61st. While I sat there in the bus, I reflected on how eventful my day in Manhattan had been, and just how accomplished I felt, even if all I had done was wander about on my own. My mom was impressed at how far I walked and how I had made it back without getting lost.

Overall, this day has been good. It's just one of those days that really make me believe that not all is lost in the world. Whenever I go out on my own, even when I am nervous, or even if it's my first time to be somewhere, I always feel like I am surrounded by angels who guide me. It's an oddly comforting feeling. It's a belief I've always held that even people who cross the street with you, so that you can cross with them safely, are like angels. People who help you when you are in trouble, too. People who pick up that thing you dropped. Really. I feel very blessed. It's these little things, every day.

I hope to have more days like these.

Alive again~

I arrived in New Jersey on the same day Osama Bin Laden died. I find it very ironic. (笑)

Some of my friends joked that I was to be his replacement. (笑)

Since I'm pretty much over my jet lag, I'm adjusting a little to life here.

There were many things I experienced on my way here. It took several connecting flights for me to reach home: one from Manila to Tokyo, a second from Tokyo to Seattle, and a final one form Seattle to New Jersey.Here are several highlights of my trip:
-I actually met the first dean of my university's school of management and his wife. They were wonderful people. His wife treated me like her own granddaughter. I felt very touched. They treated me to Mcdonald's while we were in Narita airport in Japan.

-Speaking of Japan, I have finally been there! To the airport at least. I pretty much bought random things in the airport shops, and got a free taste of mochi~ ♪
I was very excited about it--Japan is really, really beautiful, when you view it from the airplane window. The trees, fields, and buildings that you can see...they just look amazing, almost unreal. I couldn't stop staring out the window when we landed in Japan, and when we took off from it.

-Japanese toilets are also very interesting. So many buttons! (@_@)

-While I was in the airport, the dean's wife asked me to draw this bearded man in a turban sitting several rows away from us. This was the first time I'd ever been requested to do such a thing, and with realism in mind.

-Shifting across timezones is very freaky. If I think about it, I'd been traveling for more than 20 hours, I think, and yet I landed in New Jersey on the same day! (Which makes sense if you remember than there are 24 hours in a day, but still, it's a little freaky.)(笑)

-Static can be a little alarming.(>_<) I experienced it with my hair and clothes, which caused my hair to go haywire on the plane. Also, whenever I touched certain things, i would feel electrocuted. Static electricity is (for lack of a better word) shocking!

-I lost my chocolate cake dessert somewhere on the floor due to my own clumsiness. I felt very very depressed afterwards since I was really looking forward to a sweet. (>_<)

-Also, for the first time, I felt displeased with service on the airplane, because I was not given my pre-arrival snack. Again, I felt a little depressed as my seatmate ate his snack, while I had none. I had to press the button for service, and it took more than twenty minutes for them to notice and respond. (>_<) I got my snack in the end though. (笑)

Ah, I haven't adjusted the time zone here yet. To be honest, I'm reluctant to change time zone settings on my laptop. I like to be reminded what date and time it is at home. No matter, I'll figure it out eventually.

For now, I will rest again. I have so many things to adjust to!

UP Diliman!

Last week, one of my uncles took me out to UP Diliman, to talk about things, walk around, and take photographs.
It was actually a pretty fun day, and I'd never been able to walk around UP like this before, so it was really an experience.



We had dinner at Tomatokick afterwards. Up there is their stuffed tomatoes. You can't tell from the photo, but I think we ordered a little too much food. We were very full by the end and almost couldn't finish our orders. (笑)

I hope to go out with my uncle again soon, this was a very fun time.

some old photos!

This was taken during "One Big Lay", a mini-event at the university when we were all invited to lie down on the school field and reminisce about the four years we've spent as college students. I swear, we had a pretty nice time. Ran into random friends on the field, and we even saw a floating lantern, like in Tangled! There should have been more lanterns. ♪


These, on the other hand, were some posters I made as props for this seminar:

It was basically a seminar on the promotion of Children's Rights through media, and it was actually quite informative and rather inspiring. I wish I'd been able to help some of the students out with their dance though--it looked as though they really could have used it. Oh well. (笑)

The past few days have actually been telling and convincing me to stay here where I love the things I do and experience. I'm not afraid to be on my own, but of course, family is important too. I wish there was a way to reconcile everything...

I need a job! (笑)

Though, my jewelry designs have been a little popular among people lately ♪

Plus, I have this new jewelry book. Maybe I should really open a shop? (笑)

Wish me luck!

Thesis Defense!

I passed my thesis defense last monday~ ♪ This is me in my defense attire (笑)
Ironically more like a Von Karma?!

As of now, I've just finished making the final edits to my thesis (^^) I hope that I will be able to print and bind it soon~ ♪

Sunday~

Went to school in the morning to study for an exam that afternoon. The library was closed, but I studied by the fountain instead.

So peaceful~ and the still waters reflected the trees so clearly ♪

Tomorrow will most likely be a day of chaos, so this one day of peace is very good ♪

3rd Gig! Musikero Open Night~

Last night~

It was an acoustic performance~ ♪

Admittedly, I felt a lot less prepared for this gig than I ever had in my life. And for the first time, we sang an English song, "Drive" by Incubus.

But my favorite song to sing that evening was "Butterfly" by Wada Kouji. It's such an energetic song to sing, and even with just an acoustic set-up.

But i miss the whole band together! The sound is just so different, and more than ten times more awesome, with all of us together.

Here's Kae and me singing Butterfly. Sorry if the sound isn't too great.

Immersion!

This was the setting for my so-called "wilderness sabbatical". (笑) We went to Mexico, Pampanga; we spent three days and two nights there. We planted rice, leveled the field, and basically immersed ourselves in farm life.


However, what really kept us busy was the children. As you can see, I practically got buried here. (笑) It was fun playing with them, and honestly, out here, they have a chance for a real childhood, playing and running, and I find them really, really lucky to be able to have that. Our last night was spent playing with the children and putting on a show. Practicing for that, singing random things and just feeling the bond between us in our immersion group was cool. Honestly. I'd never felt happier. (^^)


What amused me most, though, was the turkeys. I've never seen turkeys before, so yes. The turkeys crossed the road. (笑)

THE NUTCRACKER!

Oh, ballet~! How I missed you~ ♪


I can't believe I was able to catch The Nutcracker last night! (笑)
The performance was amazing, to say the least. I'm really glad that Ochibi and Kin-chan invited me to watch, as I had nothing better to do anyway, and this felt like the chance of a lifetime. And I was glad, too. (^^)

Some random moments after the performance:


Me trying to pose against a backdrop of Lisa Macuja. I never made it to toe shoes back when I was still taking ballet, so this pose was difficult to hold, and had to be repeated several times. (笑) My ankles will never be the same way again. (^^;)


Kin-chan, Ochibi and me against one of the curtains of the ALIW Theater during one of the intermissions. Now that they had seen part of the ballet for themselves, my old ballet training was so much more evident, according to them. I kept getting teased all night.(笑)


After the performance, we went to CCP in order to buy Fanta from the gift shop. I had told Ochibi about it some time back and now that we had the opportunity, we got her the Fanta she always wanted. I ordered a Dr. Pepper, and regretted it: it really tasted like medicine! I will never drink it again. (>_<);;


One of the best moments of the evening: Kontra-Gapi's performance at the CCP Night Market! As it turns out, every first Saturday of the month, CCP holds a Night Market. Sometimes there are guests invited to perform, and we saw Kontra-Gapi that night. Kontra-Gapi stands for Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino, and they're an ethic music and dance ensemble from UP Diliman. Their music was wonderful, and it was a good end to a culture-ridden night. (笑)

Although they wanted to pressure me to dance. (笑)

And before I forget:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIOU MASAHARU!
Your trickster ways will always live on in my heart.

WakuWaku's First Anniversary!

A big thank you to Kuya Joma for inviting us :D

We really enjoyed their tea time, snacks, and fun games.




It was really cool, despite the major pressure put on me (and pressure I put on Kae) to sing at the event. (笑) ごめん、けいーちゃん～

There were major moments of hilarity, like when Kae was thrust into a game of Pinoy Henyo with Miguel Mercado, a very popular cosplayer who had been invited to the event, along with Jin Joson. Our friend Leslie was incredibly starstruck. (笑) She's been a big fan of Jin since forever. She looked ready to pass out. :))

Some priceless moments of lulz during Kae's game of Pinoy Henyo with Miguel:

Miguel: "Does it have to do with Japanese culture?"
Kae: "Yes."
Miguel: "....porn?"
Everyone else: *bursts out laughing*

Miguel: "Does it have anything to do with food?"
Kae: Uhhhm. Pwede. Yes?
Miguel: "....Malaki? Masakit?" (...Big? Painful?)
Everyone else: *starts laughing again*
Kae: *while laughing* No!

When it was all over, we got to keep our teacups from the event. I had made a poster for Kuya Joma, and he asked everyone to sign it before they left. I'm pretty much proud of my handiwork.(笑)

Until the next event, Kuya Joma! Wakuwaku!

HARRY POTTER 7 PART 1!!

I have nothing else to say except: AWESOME.

I cannot wait for Part 2~

ALSO I GOT MY EARS PIERCED. ACHIEVEMENT!