Thank You

Technically, it's not a holiday here in the Philippines but belated HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Many may wonder how Thanksgiving started - how exactly did people come up with a holiday with being thankful as its central theme?

Judging from the heavy exposure of Western TV shows, the mental image of the holiday is often comprised of a family sitting down for dinner with a huge scrumptious turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and other side dishes.Yes, it seems very Western isn't it? I wish eating turkey was more common here, but breeding turkeys in a tropical climate is quite impossible and rather bizarre.

Since I'm in a content  mood and I need a bit of creativity juice in my system, I'll like to share some of the things I am truly thankful for. Not that we should save our gratefulness in one holiday, but it's nice that it is a preserved tradition to really stop and think how lucky we are.

Thank You List 

1. God
I thank Him for giving me everything. He is forever the source for wisdom and guidance, regardless of whether times are good or bad.

2. Family
Even though we're hundreds of miles apart, I still miss them. Over this sembreak, I have come to realize a lot of things, which I probably won't share for the time-being because it's all too personal.

3. Friends
I wouldn't picture college life to be complete without making true friends. I think they know who they are, but thanks for giving me the never ending support whenever the blues come up.

4. Froyos
Still? You may ask. I'm fiercely loyal to the declining food trend. There were times when I would just go to Katipunan at the most random times to satisfy my sweet (and sour) tooth. Thank you Katipunan, for having more than five places to go to for froyos!

5. Mani-Pedis
Yes, I like being pampered and walking around with opaque colored nails :) It's a two-hour break from all the stress a-coming.

6. Internet
Digital generation kids we are, but yes it is the source of entertainment of all sorts. Enough said.

7. Hell Sem
This isn't at all sarcastic, but two weeks down and I think I'm definitely up for the challenge. I know that I'll learn a lot and I'll put emphasis on my priorities something we should all do at one point. Some sacrifices must be taken but so far, it's all good. I just need to make sure that I get enough hours of sleep everyday or I'll end up being cranky and dysfunctional. Time management is of the essence, you see.

8. Church of Gesu 
I love that I live only a walking distance from the Gesu church, one of the most beautiful landmarks of Ateneo. I like to go there whenever homesickness or feelings of stress/depression comes, but also to go there and say thanks. It's better going there at night, where less people are seen and the chilly breeze hits you at the most unexpected times.

9. The Gift of Writing
I've known that writing has always been a passion of mine. Back in preschool, I would make simple storybooks to give to my teacher. Over the years, keeping journals has always been my way of expression.  and I've come to realize that whatever career is destined for me in the future, I hope that writing can be an integral part of it. Finding my writing niche is still ongoing and that there is still room for major improvement but it all seems exciting and by the end of this semester, I'll be able to figure it out.

HP Generation

Lately I've been talking in a dreadful British accent, crying over the death of a 3D animated character and engaging in conversations about what will happen in the next (and final) chapter of the movie.

If Harry Potter aka the Boy Who Lived had popped up, then congratulations! Plus points if you could relate to any of them, since we are living the in the HP Generation - kids who wish their acceptance letters for Hogwarts would come in the mail and scrutinized the budding romances as the characters eventually grew up.  

My first encounter with the book was when I was twelve. Oftentimes I would spend my time in the library once classes were done. One day, I saw a tattered book of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and remembered a couple of my classmates talking about it during lunchtime. It was in the best-seller list in the bookstores I've visited in the mall as well. At the time, the only books I read were Sweet Valley and Babysitters Club.

Fantasy books were never really of my liking, I didn't like sci-fi and preferred to read about stories that I could relate to the characters (thus the chick-lit ;). Despite of this, I decided to read and see what the fuss is all about. After a couple of chapters, I got hooked on JK Rowling's enchanting world of witchcraft and wizardry. Just like millions of others across the globe, my eyes devoured as the adventures of Harry Potter unfolds - from the moment he left his Muggle world till the moment he finally kills Voldemort and lives happily ever after with Ginny Weasley. 

Sadly over the years, I eventually drift apart from my love of reading thanks to the so-called priorities of high school drama. Looking back, a little part of me still wishes I should have finished the series. 

Anyways, back to HP 7. I watched it twice over the course of four days and cried both times. What can I say, Dobby's death was utterly heartbreaking. He may look like a shriveled mutated elf at first, but once you see his loyalty towards Harry Potter and see how kind-hearted he is, the character really grows on you. If I had an house-elf like him, the first thing I'll do is give him a decent looking shirt for once and treat him like a friend. Okay, weird much on writing about house-elves. I swear I am this close to possibly creating a S.P.E.W fan-site.

It may be a profit-scheming plan to make the last movie in two separate installments, but all I can say is well done. I wouldn't want to say goodbye to the magical world anytime soon. 

RIP Dobby, the House-Elf
To jumpstart your Remembering Dobby days, please watch this 'tribute' video

Cheers to being the generation who grew up with Harry Potter

Right after we watched the first time

Our attempt to make the Deathly Hallows sign (Mikee G. and I - The Most Powerful Wand, Margs and Carol - Resurrection Stone,  Miko and Miguel - Invisibility Cloak)

Yes, we all have a little HP geekiness inside all of us. 

Easy A

I sense many girls will wear this as a Halloween costume next year :)

After all the rave reviews and buzz it's been getting, I finally watched Easy A last Friday.  Have you noticed that it's been the longest time since a critically acclaimed movie centered around high school life was released? Directed by Will Gluck and partially inspired from the classic The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Easy A goes to show that a seemingly mediocre storyline can quickly be saved by a great performances and a witty script. 


Fake adultery has never been this funny

Olive (played by Emma Stone) tells a white lie about losing her virginity and pretty soon, everyone knows about it. Instead of retreating with humiliation, she embraces it with a huge bang. From changing her wardrobe to corsets and short shorts and flashing the red A (Don't worry, it's explained in the movie), she struts around campus with every boy on their knees and every girl rolling their eyes.

Pretty soon, she finds herself accepting gift certificates and cash in exchange for guys to say,  and please excuse my French, they tapped that. One of them is Brandon, a closeted homosexual. The fake bedroom scene during a house party is hands down, one of the best scenes. Everyone in the theater was completely hysterical.

I will have to agree with those who say that Emma Stone is perfect as Olive the witty protagonist. She has the natural knack to deliver the wise-cracking punchlines and semi-awkward mannerisms, making her more likeable in every scene. This is definitely her breakthrough role, and I expect her to get more leading star opportunities in the future.
Another thing to look forward to in this film - it has an all-star cast such as Patricia Clarkson and Staney Pucci playing her free spirited parents, Aly Michalka as her cleavage-up-your-face best friend, Penn Badgley of Gossip Girl plays her love interest, Amanda Bynes as her Christ-loving rival and Lisa Kudrow as the guidance counselor.

Another reason why I enjoyed this movie was because it payed homage to John Hughes and 80s movies (I am a huge believer that teen flicks back then were so much better). 

With the likes of Mean Girls and Napoloen Dynamite, I have a feeling that Easy A will join the list of most memorable teen movies of the 21st century.

Sadie

You know those times when you want to listen to music, and you rely on your wandering mind to choose the type of songs to search for in Youtube. Aside Katy Perry and Pocket Full of Sunshine (thanks to watching Easy A), I've been going back to the tunes I listened to as a high school kid.

Like many other people, Youtube is the website I rely on since there's no song that you cannot find there. Surprisingly, when I looked up Gratitude (the band) the search results only consisted of odd song titles and other online videos expressing the noun. So back to old-school Myspace!

Growing up, getting straight 
Move forward, so look around 

But what a mess, we've gotta make 
To get there 
Look around, around 

- Taken from the song, Sadie 

I heard somewhere that Jonah Matranga wrote this song for this daughter, Sadie (duh). For me, it's a song that is filled with sweet and overflowing with high-school nostalgia. From the times when I would just put this album on repeat before I go to sleep or listening it on my i-pod during class breaks, it marked a simple time, before growing up came knocking.

New Sem, New Dreams

It's almost a tradition to write a list for self-reminders when a semester starts. A new beginning calls for better you but like the new year's resolutions, the chances of this making through the first month is slim to none. Still, it's not bad to have an ounce of hope right? 
While you're at it, read my online article for g on new semester resolutions to find out whether you need to fix those resolutions you don't really need at the first place. 

Resolution Self-Reminders

1. Learn how (not) say sorry - Say it when you only really mean it and not make it just as common as saying hello and goodbye. The more you use it, the more the meaning is lost.

2. Devote at least fifteen minutes to read the news per day - Hello, because it's important to know what's happening around you and beyond schoolwork, chimis and reading blogs.

3. Save over impulse-buying, PLEASE - I never had that satisfied experience to actually own something from your savings. I relied on those special occasions of the year (Christmas, birthday, the day when final grades come out ;) when I ask my parents for 'reward' haha. This semester, I want to try saving up for once and buy something that will last. 

4. Stop being such a messy-bessy - A product of procrastination and laziness, it all hurls at you in the end. It's been a tradition where in the end of each semester force, us dormers have to stuff our possessions into the tiny cabinets and desks before we jet off to our homes.  I It's something that I never ever look forward to because you realize how much clutter you have. From the empty water bottles underneath the bed to the pile of crumpled shirts in the closet, it's a damn nuisance. So yes, it's time to gain control of my disorganized ways (materialistically, of course). 

5. Go back to being a bookworm - I miss those days where I would just lay in my bed and be completely absorbed by a book. It's been a long time since I had days like that, just engrossed by the wonders of storytelling through the gift of words. So shake the dust off the book collection and get reading! 

6. Attend mass at least once week - With no parental supervision, it's easy not to go up for Sunday mass with the excuses to myself of 'too much schoolwork' and 'I'll attend mass next week, promise!' . I've been doing that in the past semester and it will not, happen again this time. 
7. Be the best trainer  - Long story short, we're having a mini 'Biggest Loser' in the room, where we'll  be compete with each other to lose weight (the healthy way, of course). We'll have our own weight-loss regimes, and ours is jogging (hell yeah) and eating what you want (for me, anyways).  Let's see how this goes! 

Blissful Bali

Sunbathing in Legian beach

My first trip to Bali was just what I needed right before a hell semester started - recharge my batteries from the city full of busybodies and get a much-needed dose of beach therapy with my dad and my good friend Aika, whose been to Bali numerous times. I heard so many stories about Bali from my friends - from the crazy nightlife, market streets and being a tourist haven all year round which prompted my imagination to run wild. After visiting it, what can I say? It's a true beach paradise with a rich historical and culture value.

Thanks to my dad who attended this coperate governance seminar, we stayed in Nusa Dua, which is famous for their topnotch Bali resorts so we got five-star hospitality. The bad side of this was that it was far away from Kuta, where the real action thrives. Everything in Nusa Dua is terribly tourist-priced and the taxi fares going to Kuta and back made a huge hole in our pockets.

Note: All photos were taken by the lovely Aika Lim :)

Ayodya Resort Nusa Dua (it used to be the Hilton!) Picture taken from the internet

Sunbathing!

Dinner in Jimbaran - fresh seafood by the beach shores 

Happy sunbather! :)

Hot Aika =)

Relaxing massage by the beach 

Nusa Beach mid-afternoon

Tanah Lot 

Legian Beach - a true surfer's paradise

Had lunch in Kudeta - chill vibes and delicious food!

With Willy the beach dog! He decided to join us while sunbathing in Legian beach =)

"Looks like we're in the moon!" 

Sweet scenery on the way to the beach 

One thing I judge on how good a hotel is through their breakfast buffets, and Ayodya definitely aced that. Every time, we had four-five trips to different parts of the buffet (first - cereals/yogurt, second - chicken nuggets, omelette and anything fried, third - pastries, fourth - fruits, fifth - anything else that deserved a second helping)

Aika enjoying the long white stretch of pristine beach 

We went to Kuta twice and had a great time shopping in the markets. Aika being the shoe-aholic, bought around 7 pairs of pretty snakeskin sandals!

Posing with the hipster glasses found in a shop in Kuta

Pretty Aika with a beanie while shopping in Animale 

We also went to Tanah Lot where we touched a holy snake. The owner said that the people who touched will have great blessings, something I desperately need in this upcoming sem!

Aika (with her Bali bag!) with my Ninang Lety walking around Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot

Super dark :|

The last day was pretty swell - we just stayed in Nusa Dua and swam in the beach and swimming pool which left us with super overdone tans. Now it's time to bring out the body scrubs and start exfoliating!

Taken in front of the hotel lobby, right before we left for our flight home

Sadly, four days in this true beach haven simply wasn't enough with lots of unchecked things to do in our list - from seeing the temples in Ubud (where the movie Eat, Pray, Love was shot), experience the nightlife and shop like crazy (again) in Seminyak/Kuta :| 

Oh well, we're planning to go there next year again and hopefully, we'll bring more people and I can check some of these things off my list! :)