Celebrate joy!

Celebrated my 29th birthday two weeks ago and hey look at that, I didn't even had to think twice about putting in my age! Haha! I don't know what it is about 29, and while it's my last year to say that I'm in my late 20's, it's also the time where you just care less more (did I confuse you with those 2 words?)... One of my friends asked me how old I was, to which I answered 29. and she joked to say, " dibale nasa kalendaryo ka pa!" This may have come off as offensive to me months ago but I just smiled and said "Si Lord na bahala" knowing for certain na Siya na talaga bahala. I guess, being at this age means that you get to see so much of God's goodness already that everything that happened and will happen in the future -- you are able to trust God for. I have seen Him come through so many times already, and I know that He has my present and future in His trustworthy hands. This has also been the most no-fuss birthday ever -- a s...

I have to say that it's different when people open their homes to you. The other night, the Facio family opened their lovely home to us Kids Core team and everything was home-cooked! From the spinach artichoke dip to the pork belly, to the salmon, to the pasta --- we were digging our forks and helping ourselves to hearty servings of these delicious treats over random conversations! The amount of effort and energy to put together everything was greatly appreciated! Even though we lost the Yes-No game (kelangan talaga sabihin haha! ), we had fun playing! And of course the cutie Facio kids were there too spreading the lovely cheer around! :) Kids Core team with Verapie and Peppa pig! haha! :D #KasaliDinSila

Just arrived from Baguio early this morning and it was such a fun trip :) It's been awhile since I've been there (8 years ago) so that was a much-welcomed weekend with a bunch of crazy friends! I seemed to have a lot of crazy friends nh? Ganun talaga!!! Haha! Will write about it soon! Here's a picture of us at Baguio Craft and Brewery, just enjoying our drinks (Yup, that's strawberry beer!) under the stars and the full moon. Overlooking skyline pa! No kidding! It was such a perfect place to just chill and hang out :) Hope you all had a fun weekend! Cheers!

Ask Filipinos 5 years ago whether they celebrate Thanksgiving, and you would probably have gotten a shrug... Fast forward to 2014, and you soon find yourself looking at photos of relatives and friends celebrating this festivity in social media. And what's not to love about this season? It's all about looking back and being thankful for things big and small. It's a quick shout out to the world saying, " It's not so bad after all - the good things always outweigh the bad in the end! :)

Hey pretty ladies! Throwing a bridal shower for your dear friend soon? Here are some ideas that you may want to explore :)

I hope everyone has people in their lives with whom they wouldn't feel the need to filter anything. It's a good thing for the soul to just sit there and be at your most comfortable - just blurting out everything that comes to mind. :) Last weekend held the longest bridal shower in history -- spanning for 24 hours! Lol! We threw a party for Potchy and it was like an amazing race -- her exact words -- because we hopped from one place to the next with changing outfits in between :P It was the whole shebang!

I'm sure most of you have already visited the stretch of restaurants along Maginhawa and its neighboring streets... but as for me, it was my first time to dine in the area last week. :) Last Saturday, my clubhouse friends and I decided to eat at Wicked Kitchen. When we got there around 12pm, it was only us. But after about half an hour, the place was packed!

Woke up this morning with a bad case of cold so this is like an involuntary free day for me at work. Sunday mornings are great, but Monday mornings mean that I get to have the  house all to myself, so I can read and write peacefully. Whoopie!

Hi! First post for October! :) Just celebrated my birthday last week, and the million-dollar question is this: How old/young are you??? :) I guess I have reached the age when I would think twice before saying it out loud. HA! So, do I feel old? Hmm… Not really, although the age 27 (there, brave ol me, I’ve said it out loud :P) also surprises me. Really?? I’m ALREADY 27??!

Last weekend, we went to this Starbucks branch in Tagaytay and it was really lovely. It was situated below a steep driveway, and unless you know where to look, it would be quite easy to miss. But it's a spacious lot -- with glass doors, paintings, couches, benches and wooden architecture -- it may just be my favorite Starbucks by far.

Shoe business is kind of slow lately, but if there's one thing that I am thankful for - it's that friends and old customers come back to me for orders when I need it the most. You see, I need to earn back the travel spending I've done over my last two trips so this small biz is helping me with all my expenses (which grows together with your age) and savings. :) So thanks girls! Some people are not too keen on having their pairs delivered after 2-3 weeks (since SMFW specializes in made to order shoes), but friends and loyal customers of SMFW come back to get their comfy and affordable flats, especially when the heavy rains have left us with wet and ratty pairs of office shoes. Glenda has soiled 3 of my flats! That's the typhoon aftermath for some of the shoe-loving populace... Better the shoes than people, right? :P

Sometimes it's easy to just merely react to everything that goes our way, that things stop being intentional. And it is these series of reactions that leave you to find yourself that it's already Friday, then it's already the month after, then before you know it, the year is already halfway through... and the things that you were hoping for and those that you have penned as goals at the start of the year... are still that-- GOALS. I met up with an old friend and we started going through this material at church and I asked her to write down things that she was believing for - for the year. My list which I wrote months ago was tucked in between the pages of my Bible so I just held on to it while she drafts hers.

Sometimes when you want to get away, the perfect solution is to not be in one, but in SEVERAL make-believe worlds :) While Disneyland is a kid's happiest place on earth, Universal Studios is for the kids and the kids-at-heart (aamin na, kasama na kami dito :D)- - specifically those who have a fascination for movies and who can't help but be wowed by the brilliance of film-making. My friends and I were definitely looking forward to this experience because we're major movie buffs, and maybe we can say this about majority of the Filipinos, we appreciate world-class entertainment! Well enough introduction, come and see USS through these photos :)

They say that you truly get to know people when you travel with them, and I have learned that statement to be especially true for this trip :) Good thing we're a bunch of honest-to-goodness   crazies that we ended up laughing over things that totally pissed us off minutes ago. That's when you know you've found true friends... right, Kim, Val and Mhe? When you can make a joke out of something that seemed pretty serious awhile ago, you know you've crossed the threshold to being "friends-for-keeps." Ha! :P Pinatibay na tayo ng panahon, mga 'te! Apir!

The moment I landed in Changi Airport, the first thing I looked for was food. The travel time from Manila to SG was about 3.5 hours and I regretted not shoving in my bag the peach-mango pie that my dad bought me for baon that day :( So upon arriving, my eyes quickly settled on the nearest signage that would cater to my rumbling tummy.

There are photos to satisfy the appetite of FB and IG users, THEN there are stories behind the photos made especially for this platform. If you're thinking of taking your backpack somewhere local and lovely, may it be the beautiful Northern Mindanao :) Got back from our 4-day trip in this province last month and I still have a travel-phile hangover from the scenic views and crazy activities we did. It wasn't exactly the best time of the year to go to the beach or anything nature-y but God has blessed us with good-enough weather that allowed us to do everything in our itinerary! Woot woot! Thank you, Lord! :)

In elementary, Science taught us that matter is anything that occupies space. Somehow it only hit me just now how totally apt that definition is when it comes to everything in our lives.

It's Tuesday but I'm gonna put the spotlight on weekends. :) I think weekends should be down there on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Every human being needs a rest -- a recharge, a Sabbath day.

Last Thursday morning, Ate Flo texted me to invite me to the Passion Manila concert that night. I have heard about it before but in the last two times that the group visited the Philippines, I wasn't able to go, and being the kaladkarin girl that I am, I immediately sent "gaaaaame!" :) It was such a great thing to have--what for me--is the best seat in the house! We got Patron seats and I can really see the faces of David Crowder, Kristian Stanfill and Louie Giglio, and it's an amazing sight to behold.

You may see me as a kikay girl, but I am practically clueless as far as make up is concerned. I have always been fascinated with people who can do eye make up. How I wish I could do those smokey eyes without looking like raccoon and without finishing off all the dark-colored eye shadows. So lo and behold, a few weeks ago, I was able to watch how make up artists spring into action as they take out their palettes to create a masterpiece with the face as their canvas. And I kid you not, they seriously have palettes--like painter-kind of palettes :)