GO SAN BEDA FIGHT!!

The best thing about watching live is singing the umpa and doing the wave with everybody! Too bad I have to work today. 

Poetry : On love and commitment

I never gave a lock of hair away

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I never gave a lock of hair away
To a man, Dearest, except this to thee,
Which now upon my fingers thoughtfully,
I ring out to the full brown length and say
' Take it.' My day of youth went yesterday;
My hair no longer bounds to my foot's glee,
Nor plant I it from rose or myrtle-tree,
As girls do, any more: it only may
Now shade on two pale cheeks the mark of tears,
Taught drooping from the head that hangs aside
Through sorrow's trick. I thought the funeral-shears
Would take this first, but Love is justified,--
Take it thou,--finding pure, from all those years,
The kiss my mother left here when she died.

:'(

I heart Beijing

Birthday celebration

Rewind to April 2011, my father and I decide to celebrate both of our birthdays in Beijing, China. Without hesitation, we book ourselves a flight along with my mom and my elder sister Czarina. Fast forward to July 23 - my father's birthday and the eve of our scheduled flight, we run a list of the things to bring, the places to visit, and the important phrases to remember. My brother then starts telling stories about some people he knew who met misfortunes while on vacation in the city. Most were thieved or ripped off by the locals. We chicken out for about 30 seconds primarily because we do not understand Mandarin. But heck, there's no stopping us from setting foot in the glorious, glorious city! I don't think I was able to sleep at all that night. :)

The city

Studying the subway route. =D

Touchdown!

Because we did not pre-book any of our tours, we got to experience Chinese culture first hand. It is true that very, very few speak nor understand English, so we communicated with the locals either by a) pointing at the pinyin or Mandarin translation in the phrase book; b) paint me a picture; or c) smile nalang with a lot of nods to signify affirmation! To get to and fro the tourist destinations, we frequented the bus and/or the subway and you bet we absolutely looked like idiots staring at the subway maps. It took us a day and a half to finally get the hang of it. It is also so funny how we ended up in the police station one night because we could not find our way back to the hotel. The best part is, none of the officers spoke English so we were frantically pointing at the mandarin translations for "lost," "subway station" and "directions." We thought we'd never get through them but then the boss said something to one of the officers then all of a sudden we were being escorted to the next station! So nice of them!

I saw some kids eating this and I felt the need to taste it too

 

Scorpions, anyone?

Sidewalk vendor. Parang Pinas lang!

Everything is mega-sized 
I do not exaggerate. Everything really is mega-sized so we had to do a lot of walking! It's a good thing I was in my flats! The city is much bigger in real life than how it is described in the internet. Remember how I said we got to immerse ourselves with the culture? Boy we really did. Before reaching a destination, we had to stop for water and snacks and had a little chit chat with locals or fellow tourists. Note that we were walking so much that my sister shed off a lot of pounds in just a day. And me? Never mind. Hahaha.

At the garden of the Emperor's summer palace which goes on and on. We literally climbed a mountain!

The forbidden city. And this is not even the rest of it!

Still, the forbidden city

More walking at the Bird's nest Olympic stadium

The Great wall of course, was a different story. We were so tired from all the walking in the forbidden city tour that we booked the first Great wall tour we saw. The tour was inclusive of meals, transportation and a tour guide so it was worth it!

The cable ride on the way to the Great Wall.

The Mutianyu Great Wall of China.

The Great wall experience with my sister! :)

Of course Beijing will not be complete without experiencing the traditional tea ceremony, medicinal foot massage, a visit at the silk factory and having our fill of authentic Peking duck! Yummy!

I love Beijing and its entirety! I will definitely be back!! :)

Remembering Princess Di

Today marks Diana's 14th death anniversary. 

Let us remember that even as we mourn her death, we shall always celebrate her birth.

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you." 

"I don't want expensive gifts; I don't want to be bought. I have everything I want. I just want someone to be there for me, to make me feel safe and secure."

In Madame Tussauds Hong Kong with her wax figure. :))

Lipstick: can't live without

I must admit that I cannot NOT have lipstick on. I can do just fine without powder, mascara or blush-on, but no sir, not without lipstick. It's my miracle worker. 'Coz really, it works wonders for me!

Some gifts from my mother. Except for the silver tube which is a pasalubong from when my brother went to Korea. (Hmm... Come to think of it, I rarely buy lipstick.)

On a bad hair day, I put red lipstick on, and boom! I'd feel pretty. On hot summer days, pink lipstick keeps me cool. Bright lipstick on rainy days brighten my mood. At work, I usually go for nude. On glam nights, I mix and match them all!!

So ladies, before stomping off to the warzone, let's take a good look at ourselves in the mirror and dab some color to that cute pout. Who knows, the enemy just might retreat! 

P.S.
For all the magic that it has done to and for me, I salute thee who invented lipstick!!! (Wiki says it was the women of Mesopotamia. Not so sure about this.)     

Let's paint the town red! In this case, Bangkok! :)

"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, and a kick-ass lipstick." - Gwyneth Paltrow (I couldn't agree more!)

Girlfriends flaunt their lips after eating chocolate ice cream. :)

Pre-quarter life crisis

On the eve of my 24th birthday, I lay in bed with a warm Christmassy feeling, giddily waiting for morning to arrive. In between thoughts of which shoes to wear and what to eat for lunch, I suddenly start to run a mental list of the promises I had made to myself for the past 360 days. I begin to think of the movies I swore to watch, the books to read, the courses to take and the weight to achieve. Then there's the career path I've sworn to pursue and the socials I promised to attend. Slowly I begin to realize that there are a LOT which I have not yet gotten around to doing as yet. Maybe I was really busy. Maybe I had other things in mind. Or maybe, I was just plain lazy. Whatever the excuse, the following top my list...

..I still haven't gotten around to reading Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.

..I still do not know how to cook (hotdogs ang eggs are as far as I can go!). 

..I still do not have a limitless shoe collection. 

..I am not enrolled in graduate school. 

..I still haven't gotten around to learning a new language. 

..I am not in tip-top shape. 

..I am not yet a member of a charitable institution. 

..I have not yet found my Prince.

..I do not have a business of my own.

But then again, as I looked deeper, I came to realize that despite the broken promises and failed attempts, my life is actually pretty amazing. I have a supportive family, good wonderful friends and a budding career at a reputable Company. I can pay my own bills, buy a decent wardrobe, travel, and pamper myself every now and then. I am passionate, willing to learn, and purpose-driven. I have loved, hurt, been hurt, and matured. I've even gotten around to starting this blog! I am imperfect, yes, but I am aware of my flaws and I acknowledge my mistakes. More so, I challenge myself everyday to overcome my insecurities and correct my shortcomings. 

At 24 years old, I know for sure that I am happy and that is all that matters. It is true what they say that there is really more to life than being defined by titles, flashy outfits, wild parties, or ostentatious jewelry. But then again, it won't hurt if I buy that little black dress I've been eyeing for weeks now. In the words of Oprah, "You can have it all. Just not all at once!" ;)

Beautiful birthday bouquet from my friends... :)