The Turnover

2015 does not feel like a particularly an eventful year. I guess I spent too much time inside my room, just doing my thing (painting, watching movies or TV shows, sewing, etc.) or in the kitchen (baking and cooking. Nevertheless, there's a fair number of highlights:

• I went back to school as a part-time lecturer.
• I started painting again. I also started with pointed pen calligraphy.
• I started kendo last March, which I really liked. I made new friends at the kendo club. Unfortunately I had to stop last September because of various leg and knee injuries. However, I was able to return this December and our team even won in the beginners' division tournament.
• I traveled northern and central Vietnam with my co-workers. We went to Hanoi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, Hue, and Hoi An.
• I went to Boracay with friends.
• My Kindle broke and thus decreased my reading capacity. I can't read in the dark anymore-- which used to be my favorite before-bed ritual.
• My dog got surgery. It cost me a lot, including medications but I'm just glad he's fine now.
• I colored my hair (well, parts of it) with blue, purple, pink, and green. Not necessarily all colors at the same time.
• I got the best, albeit a few days late, birthday gift to date: a scholarship for postgraduate studies at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
• I re-read the whole Harry Potter series.
• I traveled central and western Japan by myself. I went to Nagoya, Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kamikochi, Osaka, Himeji, Kobe, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Iwakuni, Kyoto, and Nara.

Ah, 2016.

This is going to be an eventful year, I'm pretty sure. On February, I will start postgraduate studies in Auckland. A couple months ago, it was pure excitement but as my departure comes closer, I'm getting more and more anxious and scared than excited.

It's going to be my first time to live alone for that long and to be so far away from home. I can take care of myself (cooking, laundry, cleaning, budgeting, etc.) and I travel alone in places where I don't even speak the language so it's not like I'm gonna get lost or whatever in Auckland. However we know studying abroad is different. I'll have to cope with the cold weather, loneliness, homesickness, culture shock, etc. I am, however, determined to make the most out of my year abroad.

Some of my goals for 2016 include:

• study and work hard, get good grades and make a quality research project
• join a kendo club in Auckland
• make new friends in NZ
• bungy jump
• travel New Zealand and hopefully Australia too

Compensating

For some reason, July has been quite... melancholic so I tried to compensate by doing things I love.

I made mangoes and cream cheese muffins.

My Kindle Fire gave up on me after just nearly two years (yeah, too short a lifetime) and though Amazon Japan offered to give me a replacement at a discounted price, the discount was too small so I decided not to buy anymore. Suddenly, Fully Booked went on sale so I bought myself two new books. And though I love paper books a lot, I do miss Kindle's dictionary function and being able to read in the dark. I'll probably buy a Kinde Paperwhite once I have the budget.

I made a new bag for my shinai (the bamboo sword we use in kendo).

I bought a couple milk cotton yarn skeins and they're in progress of being turned into beanies. My hat-loving friend who lives in Japan recently came home for vacation so I'm making one for him as a gift.

The color reminded me of House Gryffindor hence the Time Turner and the Snitch

After not having held a paintbrush for more than a month, I made a new 8" x 10" poster.

I also made an attempt at painting a self-portrait. It's not good but I hope it's not bad for a first time lol.

Oh, and I colored some parts of my hair with blue dye! Don't be fooled by the photo-- they're just highlights. As much as I'd love to have a full head of blue hair, I don't have enough patience to maintain that.

I can't wait for July to be over and I hope August will be kinder.

June

Wow, it's already July tomorrow. Pretty crazy how the first half of the year just flew by.

This month, I experimented in the kitchen often.

Vegan adobo: shiitake mushrooms and tofu

Tableya hot chocolate with cinnamon, vanilla and chili powder.

My brother went to Finland (for business) and brought home some blueberries.
We also had ripe mangoes at that time so I made a pie!

Binagoongan rice with green mango and egg

baked potato wedges in butter-sriracha sauce

lettuce, tomatoes, sauteed mixed mushrooms, caramelized balsamic onions,
burger buns, and beef-malunggay patties with cheese

Yay burger!

zaru soba (cold buckwheat noodles in dipping sauce)

This month, sadly, I only made one painting. It is, however, my most detailed painting so far.

This month, I visited a third-wave coffee shop in West Avenue called Coffee Empire.

So much equipment, it looks like a laboratory!

They have a room for storing coffee beans and a roasting area as well.

I ordered a light-bodied capuccino. It was very good and it didn't need sugar.

A mango-bavarian which was good but too sweet for my taste.

This month, I went to Boracay (first trip to the beach this year yay!) with my friends to relax. We mostly just ate, walked, slept and played in the water. Hurray to getting a tan!

Wind turbines! Hurray for renewable energy!

This month, my computer finally crashed and I had to have it formatted. Thankfully, I decided to buy an external hard disk drive last April (by then, my computer has been exhibiting some problems already) so most of my files are backed up.

This month, my news feed has been bombarded with graduation photos, mostly of my former students, and even though it kind of makes me feel old, I'm actually very happy looking at them.

Life Lately, in Paintings

During kendo training last Saturday, our sensei made us wear bogu (kendo armor) and do shiai (sparring). It's actually my first time to wear bogu and to do shiai.

Well, I don't know if my match was a draw or a loss. I'm pretty sure I didn't win because I didn't get a point but I have no idea if my opponent got a score either. While I did manage to hit my opponent a few times, I didn't do proper follow-through, and that's maybe/apparently why I couldn't earn a point. Well, it doesn't matter really if I won or lost because the point of the shiai was to show us the importance of kihon ("basics" or "fundamentals", in Japanese).

It was a really nice experience (and I can't wait to see the videos to see how silly/stupid I looked during my match haha). I'm motivated to train harder at kihon and eventually pass the bogu exam so that I can finally wear a bogu.

"Kihon! Kihon! Kihon!!", sensei always says.

These past few weeks, I've been trying to figure out what I really want out of life and maybe I need to stop fooling myself that I'm fine with what I am and what I have right now. Instead, I need to start going for what I really want.

"I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul."

I know I made bad choices these past few years but I'll make sure that I will learn something out of them.

And sadly, I'm going through a little heartbreak right now. Well, my heart's been broken a few times before. But maybe the word "broken" doesn't cut it... more like it's been crushed before and this one I'm experiencing right now is probably just a little crack-- nothing my resilient heart cannot handle.

And with all that's happening, an emotional Heimlich would be really useful. As Chuck from Pushing Daisies said, "A hug can turn your day around. It's like an emotional Heimlich. Someone puts their arms around you and they give you a squeeze and all your fear and anxiety come shooting out of your mouth in a big wet wad and you can breathe again."

But maybe a nice movie doesn't hurt. I watched Kingsman last week and I absolutely loved it. Action, comedy, gentlemen in suits... just my cup of tea.

Also, Game of Thrones.

Or maybe some meditation.

No worries, I'm totally fine. :)

Thankful for 2014

2014 was indeed much less intense than 2013 although amazing nonetheless and I'm truly thankful for that.

I'm thankful for all the places I visited this year. I'm glad that I was able to go around the Philippines more because I'm learning more about my country and I even learned some Bisaya and Waray. I was able to go to Mindanao for the first time! I also made new friends from my travels this year.

• La Union
• Cebu (Oslob and Cebu City)
• Anilao, Batangas
• Leyte and Samar
• Davao (Mati, Samal Island and Davao City)
• South Korea (Gyeongju, Busan, Seoul, Suwon and Gapyeong)
• Baler, Aurora
• Banaue and Sagada

L-R, top-bottom: (1) surfing in La Union, (2) church in Oslob, (3) sunset in Anilao, (4) boodlefight with the people of Barrio Butig in Eastern Samar, (5) Samal Island, (6) Bulguksa in South Korea, (7) Dicasalarin Cove in Baler, (8) Banaue Rice Terraces and (9) the Hanging Coffins of Sagada

I'm thankful for the new things I tried, did, and learned this year:

• surfing in La Union and decided that it's not my thing haha.
• went to a speed dating event along with a couple of friends and it made me realize how socially awkward I am. Lol.
• swam with whalesharks in Oslob
• watched the sunrise a good number of times!
• joined my first external hackathon with some co-workers and surprisingly won!
• finally got the courage to make bread and the results were actually good!
• brought out my dad's old electric sewing machine and managed to make my own skirt and, just yesterday, a dress!
• experienced the best boodlefight ever in Barrio Butig in Eastern Samar
• said GOODBYE to my BRACES! Bwahahaha!
• started a gym membership and I feel that I'm getting stronger. For the first time, I ran 4.4 kilometers without walking breaks within 40 minutes and that's an achievement for me because I'm really clumsy and weak when it comes to physical activities.
• tried Pilates.
• hiked a mountain alone, without proper gear in South Korea. I think that's the most dangerous thing I've done in my life to date. I really want to go hiking again but no way I'm doing it alone or without proper gear!
• started playing the ukulele and turned it into my stress-reliever.
• finally learned how to knit!
• made pie using pastry crust again after so many years (it was apple pie) and I think I'm gonna make more.
• grew my hair to its longest. I started getting noticeable grays as well but I just decided to shrug it off and embrace it because it's easier than trying to hide it. Besides, my dad already had a lot of gray hair in his teenage years so getting mine in my twenties makes me feel like I should be thankful they arrived at a later time lol.

L-R, top-bottom: (1) the skirt I sewed, (2) macarons, (3) cinnamon rolls, (4) my new ukulele, (5) last weekend's apple pie and (6) the new dress I sewed

Of course, the year didn't go by without challenges.

This year, my social life suffered a bit. I guess work-from-home situation really is taking its toll on me. I spent more time at home (many times alone) than outside the house. I've become really lazy to get out of the house unless I'm traveling. My aversion to crowds has gotten terrible (and it's actually one of the reasons why I don't like going out). More than half the movies I watched in the cinemas this year, I watched alone. I always find myself holed up inside my room working or crafting or reading a book or watching something. I guess I really just enjoy the solitude but I think I also have to work on my rusting social skills and on my relationships with family and friends.

This year was also full of challenges in my career and many times I find myself questioning my life decisions but I'm just trying not to put too much pressure on myself. I also neglected my blog a bit but I'm positive I can catch up!

Thank you, 2014 for being amazing. And here's to our 2015 hopes and dreams! Cheers! 

The Juliet Club

If you've seen the movie Letters to Juliet with Amanda Seyfried, then you must know about The Secretaries of Juliet.

I'm not really a fan of chick flicks though I do like romantic stories every once in a while. However, I have a weakness for movies that are set in beautiful places (characters traveling or staying in an interesting city). Letters to Juliet is no exception because it's mainly set in Italy.

from Letters to Juliet

This movie is where I learned that in Verona, Italy, there's a place called Juliet's House where people would stick their letters (usually about love) addressed to Juliet to the walls. In the movie, all the letters are replied to by a team of ladies who call themselves the "Secretaries of Juliet". I was like, "OMG I WANT TO BE A SECRETARY OF JULIET!!!!" I mean, it must be a lot of work writing letters by hand to strangers sharing their love situations but how on earth would a snail mail-lovin' hopeless romantic *coughnotmecough* not want that?

from Letters to Juliet

Though, of course, I figured that's practically impossible to happen so I just settled with a goal of going to Verona someday, sticking my own letter (hopefully, by then, I can write something happy and interesting) to the walls of Juliet's house and wait for a reply from one of Juliet's secretaries.

from Letters to Juliet

Yesterday, however, for some weird reason, I felt like googling about Juliet's house and the existence of the "secretaries of Juliet" and I discovered The Juliet Club. I read that they have an internship program where you can join the said club in their activities. Now I don't know if being an intern would allow you to reply to one of the letters but joining the said club just sounds so amazing!!!

Someday, maybe? I have to work REALLY hard to get to Verona.

Life's Little Joys

1. Our office's new neighbor is a flower shop. During lunchtime last Tuesday, I asked how much the flowers were and I got a whole bunch for free The owner said she didn't wanna sell these lilies because they're not so fresh anymore and therefore would not last very long... but still... Hurray for free flowers!

2. I managed to cover a switch plate with washi tape.

3. I made sukiyaki last weekend using this recipe. I made some Cambodian green mango salad too.

raw egg for dipping the beef!

4. Our dog (a nine-year old black Labrador-Dalmatian mix) was sick last week. For a couple of days, he would not eat unless the food came straight from my hands and even then, he wouldn't eat as enthusiastically as he normally would. He barely moved around too. I brought him to the vet where they took some of his blood. The results returned with some elevated values but thankfully, the next day, our dog became his usual [energetic though mischievous] self again. I'm so relieved. 

The Intensity That Was 2013

2013: most intense year of my life to date, I would say. It's the year when life had me thrown around (both literally and figuratively).

It started with my grandmother's passing, then an issue with a person I used to date and then a failure to attain that goal which I had worked so hard for. Triple kill during the first month of the year.

I resigned from my teaching job, my first job. I quit graduate studies. I got recruited into a new job in a different industry. I am now a developer for a startup software and web development company.

I went to Baguio, Kuala Lumpur, Nepal, Hong Kong, Macau and Siem Reap.

breakfast with friends at 50's Diner in Baguio

a 10-hour stopover in KL allowed me to visit the Petronas Towers

at Bhaktapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal

the Hong Kong skyline

at The Venetian Macau

at a wall near Baphuon in Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia

I went beach camping in Nagsasa Cove in Zambales with three of my co-participants from last year's Summer Course (including Rachel who came all the way from Texas!)

Nagsasa Cove with friends from SC2012

I got hit by a car while crossing C.P. Garcia Street. I was in the hospital for two days. I suffered a concussion, bruises, wounds, a sprain and a nasal fracture which required a surgery. It was my first surgery (if you don't count a wisdom tooth extraction).

First journal publication, co-authored with my SC2012 teammates.

I went to Japan for a summer program hosted by The University of Tokyo, which I initially didn't think I'd be accepted into. There I met a bunch of really smart people from all over the world. I had time to hangout with my American friend Rachel again (in Kamakura, this time). I visited Filipino friends Ma'am Cherry and Kyle. I bought a yukata and learned how to wear one by myself. I did a homestay program in Tono City, Iwate Prefecture (for one night lol). I also went to the public bath not once, not twice but three times! Woot!

I met amazing people at The University of Tokyo's summer program
photo taken from my Indonesian classmate Ita

I had a lot of difficult moments. I cried many times. There were days when I thought I couldn't handle things any more... but I didn't give up. And now, despite everything, I feel that there's a lot to be thankful for.

Dear 2014, please be kind to me. (And please, dental braces be gone this year!)