get up, get out, get living: personal

/ˈTHaNGkfəl/ 2015

12:08 am

All in all, this feels like such a long list but, in reality, is only a short list of all the things I have to be grateful for. These are the ones that made me feel alive this year.

~ 18 Things I Am Thankful For ~

1. Started the year with a bang at my 2nd Bastille concert with Patch and Emil! I wrote more about it here. Side note: can't wait for them to release their next album!

2. Ati-atihan. I won't divulge ~~too much~~ anything, but I had a pretty embarrassing experience here and I was silently cursing for a consecutive 20 hours but, in hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise. Because of it, I was able to break the ice with some of my cousins and got to know them better.

3. I got to go to Boracay almost free of all expenses because of a company outing. SCORE. I was able to get to know some of my coworkers outside of an office environment and soak up the sun. All. Expense. Paid. Work? Or play?

4. 5 day weekend!!! My family and I opted to fly out of the city and get some lazy beach time in Cebu. Needless to say, I returned to work the following week 3 shades darker than I was the previous week.

5. In April, I got to go to Isla de Gigantes with my cousins! This was our first time going on a trip together without our parents, so that was pretty cool. You can read more about it here and here.

6. YES, another beach trip - zero complaints here. I was able to visit Phuket for the first time for Ate Lesley's bachelorette trip! I made a separate post about it here!

7. What follows a pre-wedding event? The actual wedding of course! There was an abundance of love the entire day that it makes me smile just thinking about it. ♥

8. I am grateful to have work that allows me different opportunities and experiences that help me grow professionally and push the boundaries of what I think my limits are.

9. Easily my favorite trip this year was our family trip to El Nido. I was 110% in my element with the people I love most. Kayaking, snorkeling, diving, laughing and having a room right by the ocean... can't get enough.

10. Coron with Pam and Isa. Such a memorable trip with my girls. Making friends with our awesome bangkeros and another couple from our tour group. Being silly in our room with snorkels, rap songs, and food babies. This is also the trip where we tried out free diving inside sunken ships. Plus 100 xp.

11. Bali with Pam and Isa!!! ♥ Visited beautiful temples and rice fields, and ate our hearts out. Some things will never change, and my love for these girls is one of those things.

12. In August, I flew to Singapore for a weekend to visit Larissa. I went around the city - really loved Gardens at the Bay and Haji Lane, but that wasn't the most memorable part. This was the trip where I ended up getting the most drunk I have ever been and not remembering anything after 1 AM. According to reliable eyewitnesses and several photos & videos, the rest of the evening consisted of talking to strangers in red pants, taking a nap in a restaurant, casually sitting in the middle of the road then running across the street at a green light BUT also somehow managing to remove my contacts and make up in the bathroom (and basically finishing the rest of my night time routine), and refusing to go to the bedroom because I didn't want to throw up anywhere near the bed. LOL thanks for hosting me, Wissa! ♥

13. I attended the Harvard Project for Asian International Relations (HPAIR) in Manila and participated in the Energy and Sustainability panel and case study. Although I was really nervous about it beforehand, I ended up having more fun than I thought, and meeting people from all around the world.

14. Went diving with cousins in Anilao. It was such a restful weekend and at night, since it's away from the city, the sky was darker and the stars brighter. Looking forward to more dive trips with them this year.

15. I finally feel like I have some direction in my life (jeez it's about time). I can't recall if it was a specific "AHA!" moment or if it gradually happened, but, either way, I don't feel completely lost anymore. Hurrah! (Now for the execution...)

16. Our family is separated at least 2/3 of the year, so the time we are complete is all the more precious to me. This year we were all together for a little over than a month; it wasn't enough, but it was (does that make sense?). Special shout out to Viber and Snapchat for keeping us together when we're apart.

17. Took my first trip down under - Australia! Though it didn't go as smoothly as I planned (what does) and the weather didn't cooperate 100% - nothing changes the fact that I was able to spend the holidays somewhere new with my favorite families. ♥ I also got to go bungee jumping and skydiving again!

18. None of these would've been possible were it not for being healthy! No hospitalizations, no sprained/broken anythings or major illnesses. This year, I learned to listen to what my body needs; I have a new found appreciation for my health that I plan to continue. As a bonus, it seems that I have reeled in my parents!

What are you grateful for? xx

2015

WHO AM I?

4:24 am

2015

All I Want for Christmas

10:49 pm

2015

Dad and I

1:52 am

personal

Variety

6:44 am

Or rather, the current lack of variety.

I started blogging mostly as a way to help stay in touch with friends and family; a lot of people have moved to different parts of the world, and while there are more and more ways to stay in touch with each other - I suck at it. I really do. I've tried to work on this in the last few years, but it's happened in shorts spurts of catching up with people then several months go by before we talk again (with the exception of liking their Instagram pictures, or commenting on a few Facebook posts).

When I started, I also told myself that I would post about anything and everything that interests me so the blog would reflect all my interests instead of just one aspect. Looking through my previous posts, I realize they're basically all about different trips I've taken.... plus 2 Bastille posts (yaas). Given, these are the more interesting and fun parts of my life, but my life isn't all travel and sun (unfortunately). SO. Basically. New resolution! I'm going be more faithful to me. I'm not a brand, I'm a person. I have different facets to myself, and they all deserved to be expressed. Like I bet you didn't know I can ramble - which I think is what I'm doing now.

On a tangent, I want to share my struggle with social media. When I join a new platform (usually late), I tell myself that it doesn't matter how many followers I have, how many likes I get, or how pretty my feed is - I should just be me. In the beginning, it's almost a mantra: "It doesn't matter. It does not matter. It. Does. Not. Matter. Remember that." All is well and good until I start receiving affirmation (e.g. likes, comments) and then the mantra gradually fades into the background.

It's like noticing you get a few more likes than usual when you post sunset pictures and when you use hashtags, then BAM before you know it 99% of your feed is sunset pictures captioned with #sunset #sunrise #whoknows #blessed #beautiful #life #happyplace #thinking #hashtag. I rarely ever use hashtags, but I'll admit my Instagram feed is basically all beach pics........ so hey if you like beach/sea pics go check it out L O L jk. (really, I have an abundance of sea pics cause I think it's the most beautiful place to be). I'm getting away from my point; in a nutshell: whatever platform I'm on, if it's a personal page or account, it should never be so carefully curated that the result isn't me.

ANYWAY. My mantra is back and determined to stay. Stick around (if you like) for more me and more variety. ☮ ♥

(I can't NOT throw in a gorgeous sea pic)