Funny how I dreamt I was saying the word “veracity”, a word I have learned a long time go, but I have forgotten about it and I don’t even use it. Dreams bring up everything from our subconscious minds; the things and memories we thought we’ve forgotten; in other words, it makes us remember our past again. Which also means that we can never escape from our past memories, no matter how deep we bury them into the depths of our minds. It is there to stay, as it is with everything and every people that we have met, and eventually became part of our lives. They are all here to stay, even as memories. 

UNIQLO - Made For All. From Tokyo to Manila.

“I am such a lucky girl.”

This is my tagline this year. It’s probably because of all the blessings that keep on coming my way. I always say this whenever something good happened or is happening to me, and to say that it’s my tagline, you’d probably figure out that indeed, there are a lot of good things that has been happening to my life this year. And I couldn’t be thankful enough. :) Kulang na nga lang lovelife eh. Haha! :)

And once again, this tagline proved to be MY tagline this year as I said it once again last Sunday. Yes, the fun and my luck didn’t stop with that first mochi experience. While we were eating our mochi ice cream while walking around MOA, we decided to stop by at a display of shirts because a lot of people were swarming over that area. Kiko told us that it’s because of the promo of UNIQLO, a world famous Japanese casual wear retailer. There were sales people holding ipads, and everyone can get a chance to vote for their favorite shirt (shirts which were on display) on FB by liking their page and participating on their online voting system. All you have to do is approach one of their people who are holding an ipad, and you can vote on the spot (if you’re in MOA). Since we were waiting for Tito Gene and Tita Bok to come back, I decided to approach this cute guy (yes, I approached those guys who looked like models. Voting was an excuse to get near them and talk to them hahaha! Kanya-kanyang moves yan haha :)) ) and told him that I’d like to vote. I wasn’t really paying attention with what I’m doing because of those cute guys, so when a “Congratulations” note popped on my FB page, it was Kiko who was so excited and I didn’t even know what’s going on. Haha. It turned out that you get a chance to win a free Uniqlo shirt (the one you voted for) when you vote. Imagine my surprise when the cute guy ushered me to the redemption booth to claim my free shirt. :) When I signed my name on the winners list, I was surprised to find out that even though it’s already almost 6pm, there were only 5 of us who won during that day! There were a lot of people who voted, so it’s cool to win one, right? And each shirt costs 790php. So yeah, I was really lucky to be one of the 5 winners during that day. :) Tita Bok, Alyssa, and Jerin also tried their luck, but sad to say, they didn’t win. Sorry girls, haha! :)

My free UNIQLO shirt! With cousins and that cute-slash-hot guy! :) I didn’t vote for this one, but they ran out of stock of the one I voted so they gave me another shirt from the collection that I voted for, which is from designer Lulu Guinness. :)

Lucky girl!

UNIQLO will formally open its shop at SM Mall of Asia this coming June 15. You can check out this shirt and their other uber cool shirt designs from their collaboration with world renowned designers by checking their website, or you can simply like their facebook page and try your luck by voting for your favorite design. Who knows, you might also win a free shirt and a trip to Japan! :)

UNIQLO. From Tokyo, Japan, now in Manila. Style for class and comfort. Made for All.

Ciao! ★J

Visiting the dentist has never been this good :) (aka the sunday family food trip and first mochi experience :> )

It’s hard to maintain my blog nowadays since I only have one rest day every week (either Saturday or Sunday is spent for my usual “wanderings” around the metro, then the other, I sleep the whole day, no pun intended) so expect a week or so delays on my blog posts. Like this one. 

Last Sunday was a happy day for me and my cousins. :) My cousins called me on Saturday night and asked me to join them for our monthly dentist appointment (we’re all wearing braces). It intrigued me because they do not call me whenever we had to visit the dentist, we usually do so on separate days. Then I figured out that they probably want me to treat them since I am the only one who started working already. But unfortunately for them, I found out about their hidden motive just minutes after they called and so their diabolical plan didn’t push through mwahahahaha! >:) I still went with them because I miss them so much and our “Palace insider”, Tita Bok, will also be there with her family. So it will be really fun, as always, since my cousins and I were always a happy bunch (Akiko, Alec [aka the Sunga brothers], Jerin, Alyssa, and myself [aka the triplets]); you know, growing up together kept us really close through the years. And our expenses will be taken care of by our financiers, Tita Bok and Tito Gene, so why would I say no? Haha :) Even our dentist was so glad seeing us all in her clinic, she said “Ang saya niyo pala pag magkakasama!” :)

Anyway, here are our pics AFTER our dentist appointment. We went to MOA for our late lunch and sadly, Alectus Mori (Alec) wasn’t able to come with us because his shift (he’s working at NAIA) starts at 1pm. He was so bitter cause he didn’t get to join the fun, he even texted us all “Ang saya saya nyo siguro. Mga ungas kayo. T_T” HAHAHAHA :)) These are iphone photos, so forgive the poor quality. :)

The triplets with Tito Gene! Trust me, we look better than this if you see us face to face. Damn you iphone. Haha! :)) 

The Sunga family minus Alec. Kiko, Tita Bok, and Tito Gene. :)

If there is one thing that we all have in common in our family, it’s probably our love for fine dining. We all love to eat. I mean, who doesn’t, right? :) Our family loves to try new dishes and dine in different restos every time we go out, and that day wasn’t an exception. We ate at Cafe Adriatico, and I’m glad it didn’t disappoint. I ordered this, it’s Spareribs Adobo Rice. 

Their famous Pancit Palabok for Tito Gene, who already ate somewhere else while waiting for us, so it’s his merienda already. It tastes good. :)

My favorite. Beef Spareribs Ninja for Jerin. It has a spicy kick in it, but it made the dish taste even better. A must try!

Pollo ala Pobre for Alyssa. Grilled chicken with toasted garlic.

Spaghetti ala Carbonara for Kiko. Notice that I didn’t order this dish, my all-time favorite dish, during that day? I just wanted to try something new. :) I didn’t get to taste this one though, so I don’t know if it tasted good. Tita Bok ordered Salpicao Rice, but we failed to take a photo of it. It’s sauteed tenderloin chunks grilled in olive oil and bedded on garlic rice. :)

Eating. A serious thing to do. :))

Alyssa and Jeje. We were all so hungry because it was already 3pm when we arrived at MOA. Good thing Cafe Adriatico served the dishes fast. :)

After our sumptuous lunch, I begged (yes, I did!) Tita Bok to take us to the Mochi stand where they had their first mochi ice cream, since Kiko talked about it. I was dying to taste it ever since I watched Myx’s “Wer U At?” episode where they featured Dezato Cafe’s mochi ice cream. Since the day that I watched that episode, I was begging Cof and my cousins to go there because I want to try it so bad. Unfortunately, we never had the time to do so. :( I had to beg them to buy us mochi ice cream and I wasn’t going to let us go home without trying it. Hehe. So Tita and Tito obliged and took us there. 

MOCHI MOCHI AT LAST! OH, THE JOY! :) I was very happy when I finally tasted it! Gosh. I can’t even put into words how I felt when I took a bite on that cold glutinous rice and into that smooth velvety ice cream. It’s heaven on earth! Haha :) Alyssa had red bean ice cream, Jerin’s was vanilla, and mine was strawberry. I swear Mochi will definitely be the next big thing here in our country after the sensational milk tea. It won’t be long before I find stalls of mochi ice cream scattered around the metro. :)

Hope you had a fun filled weekend like mine(though it’s too late to say that now haha)! Ciao! ★J

The Splash Island Noob Experience :)

Last May 12, 2012, my friends and I went to one of the best summer getaway spots in the country. It is a very popular summer destination which is why a lot of tourists are coming in there and we had to squeeze ourselves just to get inside the resort amidst the crowd of people. 

Fine, the first paragraph is an exaggeration. Haha. We actually went to Splash Island. :) I was really happy when Eds decided to plan this outing because I haven’t really experienced a summer vacation yet this year. Like what I said on my previous posts, I started working immediately after grad, so I never had a vacation. Which is why even though I didn’t get the chance to experience Boracay this year, I still said yes and I was excited because it was my first time to visit Splash Island. And although we were only 5 during that day(the others were already busy looking for jobs, some have night shift duties), I had so much fun. :) I was always scared of slides, but I faced my fears and tried every slide that they offer. That’s why it’s called a water theme park anyway; people came for the slides which are the main attraction of the resort. So I had to do it. And it’s true what they say; when you finally face your fears, it’s really nothing compared to the happiness or success that you will gain afterwards. :) And true enough, it had been a really happy day for me. :)

See for yourself. :)

Welcome to Boracay Island. Haha :)

With Vinvin and Cof :) I told them: “Ipho-photoshop ko na lang ‘to! Gawin kong Boracay Island tapos lagyan ko buhangin” hahaha :))

Demure effect :) See my Boracay-ready outfit? Obey even told me “Naka-pang Bora nga si Madam!” Haha :) I told them to let it be, because this will probably be the only summer vacation that I’ll ever have. So I’ll wear whatever I want! Haha :))

I’m sexy and I know it! Haha! I usually wear only two piece swimsuits whenever (and wherever) we have swimming [outings], but I had to wear a top during that day because there were a lot of people there and no one’s wearing a mere two piece bikini. I got shy. Haha. 

Random shots :>

:)

Stolen shot DAW (even though it’s so obvious that there are no people nearby haha)

With vinvin :) while waiting for our food :>

Failed photobomb! Why did you smile, Eds and Mr. Bench Body?! :))

Ang dami namin noh? :D

Bench body ang peg! :))

Looks like a scene from Survivor :)

About to go home :)

Sorry for my very awkward pose. Ben Tulfo, host of “Bitag” (and one of the Tulfo brothers, obviously, who have become really popular recently) was nearby and they were urging me to have a photo with him. But I was really shy, so we didn’t have a picture with/of him. Too bad though, they’re(Tulfo Brothers) hot items now due to that NAIA incident. Haha.

We left Laguna at around 5pm and we decided to drop by Gateway to watch a movie. Unfortunately, it was already past 8pm when we got there so there were no more films for viewing. :( So we just had a dinner. 

\

Charles went there because as what I’ve said above, we were supposed to watch a movie and we invited him. He didn’t join us at Splash Island due to some skin problems that he has but he was really kind enough to join us for dinner. :) That’s why we love you Cha! Awww :”>

And that was my summer vacation so far. Haha. :))  Ciao! ★J

Closing Time

So it’s been more than a month since I graduated from college with a degree in Management Accounting. My apologies for not uploading these pictures earlier; I’ve been busy with a lot of things, and I started working 5 days after my graduation. But, here it is. Finally. :)

Last April 11, 2012 at Manila Hotel, I finally graduated from my college alma mater, Centro Escolar University. My 14 years of education has finally ended. Our graduation is probably one of the most memorable, if not the most, that CEU has ever had. Our batch was blessed to have [with us] some very distinguished guests during the ceremony. We had no other than the President himself, His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III. He was the honoris causa chosen for CEU’s School of Law and Jurisprudence. Aside from him, we also had Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima (FYI: Her son, a CEU Masscom student, also graduated during that day), and some government officials which I failed to recognize. So there were media men present, and the security was tight. It was something to be proud of, because CEU is not as big as Ateneo or La Salle, but still, we had the President of the Philippines during our graduation ceremony. Unfortunately though, Pres. Aquino’s speech wasn’t really inspiring, more so appropriate for the graduation rites since he simply discussed about the judicial system in the country (which was also meant to bash Chief Justice Renato Corona, obviously). Good thing we had a very great speaker, Ms. Maria Ressa, the CEO of the Rappler website.

“Choose to learn. Embrace your fears. Have the courage to say no.”

Those were the lessons told by Ms. Ressa. She was a very great and inspiring speaker that everyone in the hall was listening intently and some, like myself, were even holding back tears because of the ‘depth’ of her message:

“I wish you the courage to fail – because success and failure are two sides of the same coin. You cannot succeed if at some point you haven’t failed. I’m not the first to say this, but I can tell you I’ve proven it first-hand. You can’t accomplish anything important if you don’t take risks. And you won’t risk if you’re afraid to fail. So “fail fast. Fail forward. Fail better.” “

“That’s why I believe it’s so much better to confront your fear than it is to run away from it – because when you face it, you have the chance to conquer it. In doing that, you define who you are.”

“I’ve learned that the worst fears are not what other people can do to you. What’s harder is when you are alone and answer the tough questions of every day life: What do you stand for? What do you believe in? How far will you go to stand up for what you believe?”

Those are some of the excerpts from her speech. I wish everyone in this country had the chance to listen to her say those things. It will change a part in your life, I’m telling you. It did with me. 

Anyway, here are some photos from the most important event of my life as a student:

CEU and government officials with Pres. Aquino

His Excellency. I think he looked funny in that cap. :)

Ms. Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler (hands down!)

DIPLOMA. Finally; after 4 years of hard work, sleepless nights, and tears.

With mom, right after I received my medal :) I look funny, sorry :p

With Jerin my cousin and Tita Babes

With the Manato family :)

Let’s volt in! (harhar)

Beks with our favorite professor, Mr. Edgar Tichepco :)

My loves <3

With Khate(in blue), my longtime friend (since HS), Jerin, and Eds :)

With Oliver and Charles! :> Lunch buddies! Together with Divina and Oliver’s baby bro :)

With Vinvin :> She got Php50,000 from Security Bank because she was the top Accountancy graduate from our batch :) 

With BFF, Cof :>

With my other sister (Cof’s sister), Catricia Bell. :)

With our mommy! :) Cof’s mom; I also call her mommy haha :)

My mom and Vinvin’s mom :) They just met on that day, since Vinvin and I were awardees :)

With baby Travis! Who isn’t really a baby anymore. He was a bit ‘touchy’ during that time; he kept on touching my legs! Naughty kid haha :))

I didn’t really feel sad afterwards because I know we’ll still be seeing each other even though we will be working in different companies. Now that I’m already working though, what I miss the most is learning itself. It’s really different when you are already working as compared to when you were still studying. I appreciate my education more now than I ever did before because it is truly a very different experience. My only regret is that I should’ve given the best that I can, because I know I could’ve done more when I was still a student. Oh well, that’s life. And I’m just starting to live in the real world; there isn’t a need to have room for regrets. :)

So there. Ciao! ★J

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.

Books, anyone?

I am starting to acquire this habit of going out during weekends to enjoy a moment of solitude in different coffee and tea shops around the metro. I always bring a book with me to keep me company, and I enjoy reading my books in the said places. It’s one of my guilty pleasures to read while having a coffee or tea(which is really popular nowadays; I see more tea shops than coffee shops now) in a shop because of its ambiance. I prefer them because these shops have that peaceful and scholarly ambiance. It relaxes me and relieves me from stress. I usually visit SM Manila since it’s the nearest mall with coffee/tea shops from my house(20 minute drive). I don’t really like to do this in malls because it’s too noisy in there, but as much as I would love to spend time in shops separated from the malls, there are no shops like that in my area and if I really want to visit one, I’d have to go visit Makati or Quezon City areas. 

Sorry, no picture of myself. I don’t like people to think that there’s a vain, attention-seeking girl inside the shop. :p

I am a self-professed bibliophile and I could never leave the mall without visiting a bookstore. And it makes me happy whenever I see bookstores crammed with people who are absorbed with what they are reading. I think people should realize the importance and the joy of reading books. And I mean “real” books. I prefer “real” books over e-books, though I also have e-books on my phone just in case I forgot to bring a book when I go out, simply because it is a completely different experience. There is that unexplainable joy when you see and feel the cover of a book for the first time, when you flip through its pages and smell the fragrance of its prints, and the marvel of wondering how a person could write a story with such passion and dedication. There’s absolutely nothing like a real book. 

And yesterday, something made me really happy.

While I was walking down the street near SM Manila, I saw lines of books on the pavement. Some street vendors are now selling books, and not just ordinary books, but affordable and best-selling ones. I was surprised to find that aside from food, clothes and other amusing stuffs that you can find on the streets(even pets for sale), you can also find books in there now. Whoever thought of doing this deserves a high five (HIGH FIVE! PAK!). And that’s not all, regular price is only Php 200! I controlled myself from buying one because I already bought that book on the photo above last week. I have a tendency to buy a new book even if I haven’t finished reading one yet, so I’m trying to break that habit. 

Visit the underpass (near SM Manila) and see for yourself. :) Faith in humanity, restored! :D

Ciao! ★J

Hello first salary. We finally meet. :>

I finally got my first pay slip last friday. :) My hard work, intense labor, and sleepless nights for the past 2 weeks finally paid off! (Haha) And the result is this baby right here! I can’t disclose the information beneath that black print though. I’d keep it to myself. >:]

Ah, the joy of being a career woman! 

Look at me now - A better version of myself :D

It’s amazing how time changes everything. I was looking through my old pictures and I couldn’t believe how I’ve changed a lot through the years. Seeing myself now, I can proudly say that I’ve been getting better and better as time goes by. :)

As promised, here are my graduation pictures from Nursery to College. And my creative shot. :D See the difference for yourself. :)

Nursery (the cutest! :3)

Kinder (the most ordinary)

Grade School (the messiest! Look at my hair! I look sick.)

High School (the funniest! Esp. the one on the yearbook haha :) My college classmates couldn’t believe that this was really how I looked like when I was in High School. I posted this on my FB wall and they were all shocked. :)) )

College (the fairest of them all! :D See my transformation? The printed one looks better than this, though. But still, the puberty fairy blessed me so well. Haha! Puberty - I’m doing it right!*wink*)

Creative shot (Cougar? Hostess? I really don’t know what character I portrayed in here haha! I just let the make-up artist and costume designer do what they had to do. :) This is actually the most demure creative shot that I have (yes, the most demure already). I cannot post the others here because they are all too daring! It’s rated R, really. Like FHM poses. Haha! :)) My mom even forbade me to post those pics online because they were that provocative.)

Barkada shot (Bonus! Sorry for the white lines, I just scanned it. Roman is such a lucky guy! :D With Eds [top] and Vina [right]. I have other Barkada shots (with Vina’s group and my guy friends] but no one uploaded it so I guess I’m just going to enjoy this one with Roman haha :D) 

I really couldn’t believe how my looks transformed dramatically when I went to college. I remember how my teachers and classmates way back in High School used to tease me a lot about my appearance. But now? Eh di wala na sila masabi. Haha! :)) I guess I’m just a late bloomer. :) Even my childhood friend was astonished when she saw me (last year, if I’m not mistaken). Aside from the appearance, I must say that my life changed for the better as well when I went to college. I became more confident, and I gained a lot of friends. I was more active and I embraced all of my fears by showcasing my talents. In return, I became an achiever and a social butterfly(in a positive way; you know, someone who is a friend to everyone). :)

This just proves that anyone can change their life and anyone can become better versions of themselves. Just keep this in mind: Be fearless and have fun in everything that you do. :) And little by little, you will see your life turning better and happier. :)

So there. Ciao! ★J

“This is not goodbye,” she said. “It is just time for me to rest my head.”

I’m scared.

I don’t know what scares me more: what’s ahead of me, or what’s behind me.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I am about to start my “new life”; if the life of finally working after 14 years of education is called that way. It is all happening so fast, I just realized I really didn’t know if I was prepared for it. And while I’m pondering about my future career, the skeletons in my closet came back to haunt me again. The day after my graduation, my heart was feeling weary due to something that happened when I woke up in the middle of the night. I went to Starbucks alone in the afternoon, settled myself in one secluded corner, and thought for a while in that moment of solitude. There were a few tears, but I managed to let it all out without attracting attention from the people in the shop. It wasn’t enough; the next day I went away again, this time, in Glorietta, and I brought a book to keep me company so as not to get too emotional when I lose myself in my thoughts. I enjoy moments like this; I like to be alone most of the time because I can think without interruption, and I can be emotional without the need of explaining the reason why to someone else. 

There is this quote from the movie “Lion King” which I hold dear to my heart:

“Yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.”

See, the point is, I always run away from the past. I never really confronted some of my problems head on, and I just let it be the way it is. And after I’ve forgotten them, they start to appear again, in the form of dreams. It’s like my subconscious mind kept telling me: “Jekka, you can’t run from it forever.” I’ve learned a lot from all my experiences in the past, but there are some issues which I failed to address and failed to end. And now, it’s keeping up with the present. I was wondering how could I ever live in the present, knowing that there is something, or someone, a part of me which is not alright? How could I ever welcome this new life ahead of me with all these issues that keep on coming back to haunt me?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a coward for running away from those past issues. I could take on a fight with anyone if I know I am on the right side. It’s just that facing those issues is so..so heartbreaking. I am really tough, but I am also very emotional. I remember this recent big fight with a friend. I was so tough at her, saying things on Twitter while she did the same. My friends and classmates admired me for being so brave, because this friend of mine is really one tough cookie. She had other fights before, but none of those people involved had the guts to say something about her like what I did. But we never really confronted each other. And it was breaking my heart. If my professor did not intervene, we probably won’t confront each other even after we graduated. I am brave, but I never really had the courage to face those issues head on. So I ran away from it.

And right now, this issue which involves a person close to my heart, suddenly came back and I don’t know why I’ve been thinking hard about it lately. When I got out of Starbucks, I immediately went to Booksale, since reading books is my way of relaxing my tired mind and heavy heart. I picked this book near the counter, a children’s book entitled “Todd and the Talking Piñata”. I didn’t know why I picked it up, but I read it anyway. There was this page when Todd asked the talking piñata about sacrifice. It goes something like this (not the exact conversation):

Talking Piñata: “Do you know what sacrifice means?”

Todd: “I don’t know. What is sacrifice then?”

Talking Piñata: “Sacrifice is when you give up something that you want the most because it’s the right thing to do.”

I don’t know if reading that book unintentionally was a sign from heaven or something like that, because I’d like to believe it was. God amazes me so much because he knows the right things to say when you need it the most. I’ve sacrificed my happiness a long time ago, because I believed that was the right thing to do then. Which is why I don’t know why I feel this way. Or why I’ve been thinking about it lately again. Probably because a part of me still holds on to it, or to him, unknowingly. I mean, how could I not? He was the only person in this world who knows everything there is to know about me. But I had to do the right thing because I never want to hurt anyone else. Even if it meant that I had to take the hurt for myself. I mean, I’m not like them. I’m not like her. I will not let anyone feel bad just to make myself feel good, or to have what I want. She could take him all for herself if she wants to. If that will make her happy. I know she was happier when I decided not to be in his life anymore. I just don’t like that I had to think about it all over again, and I had to feel that same old feeling whenever it comes to mind. Maybe, it persists because I never ended it right. I just ran away from it.

I don’t know what to do right now. I don’t know how to end this feeling. Or how to start my future on a clean slate. 

Time to rest my weary mind. Thinking for a long time makes you lose your sanity, you know.

The zombies are coming!

Zombie apocalypse. :)) This just made my night. :)) I was feeling a bit down since yesterday due to some past issues that I’ve started to think about again recently. Good thing I have these guys with me! :)I never had dull conversations with them. I was laughing so hard I had to muffle my mouth so as not to wake the people sleeping in the other room. This is what I’m going to miss when we all start working already. Sigh. :( I hope we’ll still be the same, just like this, even though I know there will be inevitable changes. But still, I’m getting my hopes high. We once talked seriously about our future, 4 years from now, and how we would meet again on that same place (Starbucks at Rob Gal) to talk about our lives and the things that happened to us in that 4 years. They were my companions for the past few months, and I will surely miss them. You don’t always find friends like them. :”) 

But we’d still sacrifice Charles if ever the zombie apocalypse will take place. :”> HAHA :D

Ciao! ★J