Celebrate joy!

Elections are but less than a month away! Have you decided who you're voting for? Well, neither have I. Yikes! I am hardly a politically aware person, and sad to say, I consider myself quite apathetic about the whole thing. :( But Philippines is getting better... and I am pretty excited with what God has in store for the country. Like the most recent development that Philippines has gained an investment grade rating, which would beckon  investors and tourists alike! This is great news for our economy and lets keep 'em coming by electing good, honest and competent leaders in the senate. At No, wala po akong kamag-anak sa mga tatakbo kaya isinulat ko ang post na ito. :D

If there was one foodie place that I was so ecstatic to have tried out on my most recent trip to Bora, it would be Kasbah! Kasbah: It's time to go Moroccan! Kasbah is located at Station 1 -- they serve Moroccan cuisine and has been the object of raves of many celebrities. That's why when our friend Jona asked for a recommended restaurant where she will throw a mini surprise dinner for her bf, Victor, my friend was quick to suggest Kasbah. And when we saw photos of the place, we were all quick to chime in with our resounding "Let's!"

Sometimes I wonder how differently my 18-year old self will react over something compared to my 25-year old self today. Case in point: My family and I are planning on moving to a new home soon, and I just noticed that while years ago, I may still be looking for a house-house... Now, I just seemed to have confined myself to looking at condos and apartments, because while they are not exactly what my dreams are made of, they are more affordable. Thus, they are pretty much what our current reality could fit in. Maybe it's not so bad--being realistic--but sometimes the issue of faith kicks in and I ask myself, could it also be because I'm not believing hard enough? This is not to say, that with our fervor prayers and passionate cry-out to the Lord, we just await with our hands open as our dreams fall from the skies one by one... But maybe as time went by, I just stopped believing that it could happen, that together, we could earn more and that God is gracious enough to bless us...

Every night before going to sleep, I do a short exercise: think about at least 3 things that I'm thankful for the day. So no matter how tiring the day may have been, I'll be reminded to count my blessings because there is always something to be thankful for. :) I can almost hear you say, "Eh ikaw na ang positib!" haha! But it's actually quite the opposite, because that is precisely why I do this daily exercise -- because it is not automatic for me. It's always so much easier to call it a day and slump my face on my pillow as I brace myself for the amount of work that awaits me the next day. I am no walking sunshine or Ms. Bright-Eyed-Wonder, so this is what I do to keep it together and to smile before going to sleep. So here are 6 things that I am thankful for this week...

Jazz! That's the name of our neighbor's dog! After months and months since my feeling-may-pet post , I finally know the name of this pooch. The thing about it though is that I have been so used to calling it "Doggie" (creative much!) that it just kind of stuck. Hehe! :)

My best friend texted me last night asking me for suggested necklines/styles of my gown as part of her entourage. Yesss, my friend of 22 years is getting married this year! Waaaaaaah! Now, just as with any girl who loves to shop, you can just imagine that this excited me. So I did what any 25-year old girl would do when faced with such decision: open Google then type "bridesmaid's gown" in the search box. Haha! So thank you Google creators for making life so much easier for mankind. We are forever indebted to your ingenuity. So now I'm scouring through tons of styles... and half an hour later, I am still searching for the ONE dress that I'll use as peg... Well, THIS apparently was not such an easy task to take on because there are so many choices! Izzz craaazy!

We were supposed to feast on fresh seafood on our first night at Boracay but we got to the market when they were already closing so they were only a few selections left... And we wanted to really EAAAAAAT, so we changed plans and move the dampa fiesta to some other night. Can you guess where we headed to instead for our first dinner in the island? Think Mexican... with red walls, colorful place mats and  sombreros decorating the interior... ...Think M a ñana!

Where has this song been hiding?? I can't believe that this was way back from '07 and I only heard it a few weeks ago! Disclaimer: This is every bit of a sappy love song, but it's the kind that just makes you want to shut your eyes, imagine yourself under the stars and let yourself be danced away to a place of nostalgia and bliss.