Rainy Day Musings

Who loves the rainy season? Well, I don't!


I hate Manila's intense humidity levels but I prefer it over rains! It's also the season when everyone catches a flu and bed weather makes the general working populace counterproductive. 


Tuesday rains were the worst to the point when classes had to be called off.


On the bright side, the weather gives me a perfect excuse to indulge on Nissin's Seafood Cup Noodles. Seriously, I almost forgot why noodles are a cup of comfort! Good to be reminded after a really looooong time!


Just thought of blogging again since I'm just as close to neglecting this site. Maybe I should finally step-up and start posting on a regular basis. :)

Enjoying my Nissins Cup Noodles as I do my reports for work.

Thanks to the traffic, I was able to get a good shot of the rainbow somewhere in Makati!

Weekend Snippets

SATURDAY: FIRST DAY HIGH

I bid this weekend adieu feeling refreshed and grateful for having been productive. School officially started yesterday Saturday afternoon but I still felt like my weekend was on the right track.

While waiting for our professor to come in, I finished my can of Coke Zero outside of the classroom. It was one of those rare moments when I appreciated being in school on a weekend. I decided to take a snapshot of my view from the LS Building veranda and you can see it below. 

It's the facade of DLSU's Yuchengco Hall. I love seeing old buildings like this still being preserved. 

SUNDAY STILLS

On Sundays, I usually sleep in and my day already starts at lunch time. But this time, I made an effort to wake up a little early and go hear the 8:30 a.m. mass. Well, I didn't make it to the 8:30 a.m. mass so I opted for the next sched, which was at 10:30 a.m.

Later on, I joined my friend Jamie for a healthy lunch of roast chicken which we had with tortilla wraps and condiments on the side such as cottage cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, olives, and olive oil. The experiment turned out so well!

Just when we thought our tummies could not take any more food, the dessert cravings finally set in when we were almost done with the movie! This led us all the way to Molito Center in Alabang, where we discovered a new French-inspired coffee shop by the name of Le Petit Cheri. Though still in their soft-opening stage, they are already serving coffee and pastries. 

What makes Le Petit Cheri cool and unique are the display of books of various literary genres on their shelves that customers can read. All the books were obviously purchased recently because the Fully Booked price stickers were still not removed. You could also tell from the plastic covers, which where still clear and not yellowish.

We picked out a few titles that piqued our interests. Lonely Planet's Travel Book was a common choice since we both share an intense love for travelling. :)

(Top Left: Le Petit Cheri's walls adorned with photographs of everything French, Bottom Left: Wake Up to This Dream, Right: Café au Lait and a stack of books)

Jamie took a candid shot of me browsing through F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, which will have a screen adaptation soon! Can't wait for the movie.

While trying to entertain ourselves, we scanned the Lonely Planet book and decided to pick a random destination where we would go someday by closing our eyes and choosing a page. It was Moldova! 

 I hope you all had a fun and productive weekend!


Cheers,
April

The Gameplan

"Quit your job, buy a ticket, get a tan, fall in love, never return." 

I chanced upon this quote while reading one of the blogs that I follow. Then it hit me.... This should be my mantra. Some of them I've done but some I still haven't. As for "Never Return", I am still gathering courage to do it.

But here's what I've accomplished so far over the past year:

1. QUIT YOUR JOB

I have to say that my decision to leave what could have been a   lucrative career in finance was the biggest leap I've done. Handing over that hastily-written resignation letter to my then boss was ultimately liberating. Nothing could top that experience. And to make things even more exciting, there was no job waiting for me. It was an open-ended vacation that I've been dreaming of.

When you finally let go of that thing you have an attachment to makes it even more easier to let go of others you have less attachment to. 

2. BUY A TICKET

After leaving the company that I gave six years of my life to, I had my whole life ahead of me. One of the first few things I did was to book a flight. My travel buddy and I hardly planned our trip. Everything was done on a whim and yet it still turned out to be one of the best trips I've had. And though it's been almost a year, I bring with me the kickass memories of that short trip to Ho Chi Minh. 

3. FALL IN LOVE

You have to agree with me when I say that falling in love and I mean madly in love is heavenly. No, it's not cheesy. It is true.

They say that the best kind of love does not make any sense at all and that's how it felt with that person. And though things did not work out the way they're supposed to, it was good while it lasted. And I know that one day I will meet that man who can make me feel giddy like a high school girl all over again.

Happy to say that a few days ago, I bought a ticket again. This time, it's for a trip to Cambodia that I have been wanting to tick off my list for the longest time. But I'm still returning to Manila. In two years time, I will finally buy that ticket and never return. God knows where I'm headed to but only one thing's for sure - that I will make it happen.

Cheers to your personal mantras and having the courage to accomplish them.

April D.

Post-Birthday Musings and then some

"I am what I am!

That's a great thing to be!

If I say so myself,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!"

Happy Birthday to You!

by Dr. Seuss

And the inevitable happened.... Over the weekend, I turned a year older -- twenty eight years to be exact.

Image Credits:

Kate Spade

Blowing of the birthday candles was more meaningful this time around. I celebrated my birthday the way I wanted it to with the people who truly mattered and free from drama and negativity. And for twenty four hours, my Facebook wall and inbox is filled with birthday greetings.

I must say that I've never felt sooooooo good hitting my late 20s. There's a feeling of lightness and inner peace that I've never felt in my past birthdays.  

It does feel good unloading the baggages that have kept me from moving forward the last few years. After all, life is so short to be living in complete misery. 

I may never understand these things now but I've learned to trust that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. 

And so I turn the page feeling grateful for the love, lessons, opportunities, challenges, and second chances. I toast to a life worth living.

Cheers!

April D.

Breathtakingly Busan

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
Saint Augustine

I've loved travelling for as long as I can remember. There's something insanely wonderful about exploring a foreign land and its local culture.

For 2012, my first destination was Busan, South Korea. A miscommunication between my mom and dad brought us to South Korea's second largest city. Because the roundtrip tickets were promo fares, it would cost us more to reroute the flights to Incheon - Seoul's international airport. So my mom felt that we might as well make the most out of the place and maybe just take the KTX from Busan to Seoul.

Personally, I had to encounter several roadblocks weeks prior to the trip. But I must thank the travel gods for allowing me to join my family in Busan.

South Korea is one of those countries in Asia that's been blessed with four seasons and it was somewhere between Winter and Spring during our arrival. 

The moment we stepped out of the plane, I could already feel the biting cold weather on my skin. It was good that I hand carried my coat in the plane.

There is more to Busan than meets the eye. Apart from being the fifth busiest seaport in the world, it has its own distinct charm that sets it apart from its sister city Seoul.

Must see places are the Taejongdae Resort Park and the Jagalchi Fish Market. 

April's Purse Project 2012

I think bags and purses tell a lot about the person toting them. Whether it's that designer bag you blew your life's savings on or one that you scoured at a flea market. More interesting is what's inside these bags.


After stumbling upon this blog post from TheDailyMuse.com, I was inspired to take a picture of my own bag my personal bits and pieces. 


Pardon the quality of the pictures as I used my Blackberry phone to take the shot.

I've been using recently my gray Charles and Keith handbag that I got in their outlet at the Anchorpoint Mall in Singapore sometime last year.


Bag Items (in no particular order):


1. A notebook
2. Starbucks 2012 Planner
3. Dong-A Gel Pen
4. Clean and Clear Oil Blotter Films
5. The Body Shop Blush
6. Muji Swirl Blush
7. Ever Bilena Blush Brush
8. MAC Studio Fix Foundation
9. Maybelline Lip Gloss in Red
10. Lip Ice Lip Gloss in Pink
11. Hair Pins from SM
12. Murad Dewy Finish Primer
13. Philosophy Falling in Love Perfume
14. Cath Kidston Wallet


So now I ask you ladies, what's in your purse? 

A Break in Between

During the course of my indefinite leave, the greatest lesson I've learned is to take a break from whatever task I'm doing. There is nothing wrong with slowing down every now and then. 

Had I done it before, I wouldn't end up becoming burnt out from doing the balancing act between work and studies. 

Leaving a task behind for at least fifteen minutes gives me a renewed energy once I resume doing it. What I usually do is take a power nap, check out an interesting blog, or write in my journal. 

And yes, my 15-minute break has lapsed and I'm back to work.

All Things Shabby Chic

I'm a late bloomer in interior design. Growing up, I remember how I hated being in the home section of department stores because my mom loved to spruce up our home every now and then.

Only when I started working did I finally learn to appreciate the art. It does help when a childhood friend of yours is engaged in the profession.

There is one interior design style that I'm particularly attracted to and that, my friends is Shabby Chic.

Our trusted friend Wikipedia defines Shabby Chic as "a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their age and signs of wear and tear or new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique. At the same time, a soft, minimalistic, and feminine feel is emphasized to differentiate it from regular vintage decor; hence the "chic" in the name."

If you find the time to browse for Shabby Chic interiors, you will notice that one color dominates and that is white. Very minimalist but nonetheless elegant. 

Houses designed in this style give off that rustic feel. Someday, my own place will be an expression of Shabby Chic.

Below are just some of the details taken from Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Website. Enjoy!

Source: http://www.shabbychic.com/

Steady Eddy

If you ask me how my weekend usually goes, I can describe it in one word - steady.

People hardly believe me when I say that clubbing and partying aren't exactly my cup of tea. Sure, there was a phase in my life when I partied a lot but that was only short-lived. As I approached my mid-20s, the trendiest hotspots and the loud music no longer appealed to me. It's a lifestyle that clearly isn't for me.

These day I find contentment in exchanging meaningful conversations with friends over a glass of Rosé wine or Taboo game nights that become intensely competitive. These are what I define as quality weekends. 

So, what's yours?

Perfect Timing

I've always believed in the idea that God allows things to happen in His perfect time. And God's perfect time, more often than not, does not always coincide with our definition of it. 

I'm writing about it because of a wonderful news concerning an equally wonderful friend of mine. Her life is the best example of God's perfect timing. After years of waiting and trying, she and her husband have finally received that blessing - a baby. And as her friend, I couldn't be happier!

I guess it was also His way of telling me to hold tighter to my faith. Just a few days ago, I've been feeling crappy due to the disappointing results of my job applications. Has it ever happened to you - what you once thought was the right decision suddenly feels like the opposite? It made me question whether leaving a job without a replacement was a completely bad idea at all.

One thing's for sure - this funk I am in isn't permanent. In God's perfect time, the right job will come knocking on my door. I just have to believe.

 

Relish

verb [ with obj. ]

- enjoy greatly: 

Anytime soon, I'm about to kiss my unemployment life goodbye and say hello once again to the corporate world and the fast-paced life I used to live.

Barely a month after my resignation, I was already anxious to start working again. Friends would constantly remind me to enjoy first my indefinite vacation leave. The dream job or so I thought - which I ended up not getting - was probably the Universe's way of telling me to slow things down.

Hence, the reason for using the word "RELISH" as the title of this post. Probably on of the greatest lessons I've learned in the last four months was simply to relish the moment. It's those little things in life that we often forget to do - whether you are seated in a coffee shop having a cup of cafe americano or browsing through titles in your favorite book shop. 

Yes, I can confidently look back at the last four months without any trace of regret. I relished the moments when weekday afternoons meant being able to take naps or drive by to the nearest coffee shop and read a book. 

Try doing it. It's a liberating feeling.

Hola 2012!

I've neglected this blog far too long. Admittedly, I did get caught up with the holiday frenzy - that is Christmas and New Year.

After a really long time, this is my first time to feel the holiday groove despite attending less Christmas parties. It was also my first time to attend the dawn masses despite not having completed all nine of them.

The days leading to Christmas weren't that exciting but the ones before New Year definitely made up for them. 

For someone who is used to spending holidays with family and relatives, it was my first time to welcome 2012 with an after-party! It has always been a wish of mine to party till the wee hours of morning on New Year's Day and it happened. Yay!

My 2011 was far from smooth sailing but that doesn't mean it's any less meaningful. Yes, the year marked gargantuan changes in my life. I took a leap of faith by leaving a job that no longer gave me fulfillment. Likewise, major changes took place as far as my personal relationships were concerned. 

Even so, I look back without any ounce of regret. These experiences, when fused together, form a mosaic of a life well-lived. 

It brought me to places I never thought possible. New friendships were established whilst old ones were strengthened or rekindled.

I guess that's the magic of life. You never know who will come or who will leave. As the saying goes, "All we really have is between hello and goodbye."

With that, I wish everyone an awesome 2012 filled with limitless blessings, possibilities, opportunities, hope, and second chances!

CHEERS!