This is one of the most awesome things that have happened in my life, to date.

A week has already passed since that trip, and yet it still has not sunk in to me that I have been to the US. It had never occurred to me the possibility of actually travelling there, but I did!

I stayed there for almost two weeks. The first half was for work, and the other half for leisure! ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ


This is my first ever overseas trip and I am overwhelmed because everything was new - the place, the food, the people. the weather, the currency used, and the culture!

There are A LOT of things that I would be talking about in the next several posts and I am bursting to write it all here in the blog! But first of all, I sincerely thank our management (thank you bosses!) for giving me this chance to finally meet face-to-face the people I have been working with for a year in our office in San Mateo. Second one is a huge shoutout and thanks to my colleague Krishan for a memorable sidetrip around Los Angeles.

[travel posts in progress...  stay tuned!:D]

I don't frequently go to the movies. I usually just see those titles that I have been looking forward to for over some time. But recently I am getting to appreciate seeing movies out of curiosity and interest. Dracula Untold is one of those movies.


I am interested with this dark character in general, and I was curious on how his story will be portrayed in this version. I must say I am satisfied. At last, Dracula is able to redeem his image from the teeny mushy creature the Twilight series gave to vampires. Don't get me wrong with that. I (used to) love Twilight, but it's about time vampire's true image is reclaimed in the media, and this movie knocked it off perfectly.

Vampires lust for blood. 
They are violent.
They have no mercy.
They are out to kill.

With all the action-packed sequences and great battle scenes, I still think the plot of Dracula:Untold is a bit lacking, The series of events are somehow predictable already. Though despite these weak points of the movie, I am satisfied on how Dracula's character was projected- as a noble warrior, not as a nightmare monster.


~o~

Thanks to colleagues Krishan, Jo,  and her boyfriend Roy for this movie treat! Great thanks also to GMovies app for making our movie-buying experience hassle-free this Friday gimmick night! :D

There are a lot of artists that I would want to see in a concert. Fortunately, a number of them are actually coming to Manila for a concert stop! Here's a list of music events that I am planning to attend to (and if I have to go there alone, I would!)

Jason Mraz and Raining Jane
November 27, 2014 8:00PM
Smart Araneta Coliseum

I am all set for this one! Already got my ticket! Yay!
[Update: The concert was awesome! Check out my post on this!]

The 1975
January 24, 2015 
Mall of Asia Arena

I have already grabbed my ticket for this one too! Wohoo!

[update: The concert was awesome! Check my post for details. :D]
Ed Sheeran
March 12, 2015 
Mall of Asia Arena


I promised myself I would never let a chance pass by to see those artists that have touched my soul through their music. I have already missed Switchfoot (they had a Manila stop in 2011) and Vanessa Carlton (during her mall tour in Ayala malls). These two artists have a slim chance of coming back to Manila again for a concert, and I sincerely regret not catching them during their stop here. I will never let this happen again for the other artists that I love.

So if your beloved artist comes here, don't think twice - see them in concert! It's not everyday they have a world tour so never let an opportunity slip. Go see them and enjoy them perform their music live. \m/

Have you ever had this feeling of helplessness because you have a lot of things going on in your life, and you just never seem to catch up?

THIS. This is exactly what I am feeling now. The past months have become like a roller coaster ride to me. There are a lot of things to complete and accomplish both in my work and personal life, but it seems like I am not finishing anything and the pile of to-do list just continues to grow longer and longer and I feel like I am always in short of time to finish anything.

It has always been like this since I don't know (the start of time? lol). My to-do list never ever goes empty. I know we all have 24 hours per day to accomplish everything that we need to do, and it just kept me wondering how other people can complete their tasks and even accomplish beyond what is needed and demanded?

I just had to pause and catch my breath with all the rush around me. I took a break from work today because I am not just feeling well physically, but also mentally and emotionally. Am I close to breaking down from all the stress? I hope not. I believe I am just not having enough "me time" and that I just needed some sort of break from everything. In this line of thought, I am thinking of a way to motivate myself (yes I do really need that).

Hey universe, I just need to send these out to you, hope you hear my voice and see the frustrations of my heart.

missing the LA sky...

The KFestival stage

Oh hello there standees. (✿ ♥‿♥)

Booth Activities

Aside from the booths with the travel packages, there were lots of activities for the attendees of the event.

I am trying to publish most of my pending blog articles before the month ends, because I know there would be a lot of things coming up! I am so excited to write about it on the blog! Details soon! :D #planning #travel


~o~

Read here our travel to Boracay (post #1)


Seeing the famous beauty of Boracay with my own eyes is priceless. I've heard a lot about its clear blue waters and powdery white sand but it's never the same to experience them first-hand. :D


Arrival at the Hotel
Our hotel, MR Holidays, is located at Station 1. This is one of the cheapest hotels in the area. It's well-furnished though and good enough to serve as sleeping place for a trip to the beach like this.

We got room #1!

The first thing that we did was of course to check out our room. It's actually only a room for two but because we took mom with us at the last minute (I'll splurge more details on that on a later post!), we had to just request for an extra bed.

The room was okay, complete with the basic amenities. Actually I'm happy enough that they have cable (the TV screen was small though) because they have several Korean channels! Yay!



With the comfort of the cool bed and the Korean show on TV, I was already very happy. I can survive staying in this room and not go outside anymore. This remark kind of made my sister annoyed (haha!) so even though I was so tired (I just wanted to sleep!), we left the room to explore the place.


Our First Meal on the Island
Up to this day, me and my sister still remembers this as one of our best meals during this vacation. We were really tired and hungry when we arrived (it was already around 2PM and we haven't had lunch) so we ordered food at Beach Bites, which was just outside our hotel.

no filter needed :D

Every photo is postcard-worthy. （*´▽｀*)

Smartphones nowadays play a huge part in our daily lives. Once a luxury item, phones have become a necessity. Honestly with me, a day doesn't pass without me checking my phone for online updates (I can't even imagine going through that!).

My phone is a Nexus 5 and I am very much satisfied with it. It has been my buddy ever since it landed on my hands. As an Android enthusiast, it was the perfect phone for me. Of course, the choice of phone will vary with different people. The kind of phone will definitely depend on how the person plans to use it.

My sister wanted to upgrade her smartphone so I accompanied her to the SM BF Cyberzone to check out the phones available there.

The Cyberzone at SM BF Paranaque

My sister is actually targetting to buy an LG phone, so we looked around to see what's available there.


There are lots of brands and models to choose from in the market today, and to make things easier for you, trim down your choices based on your answer to the question-

How do you want to use your phone?
(aside from the basic SMS and calls of course)


* Portable entertainment system
You will use your phone mainly for watching videos and playing music, among others. You may want to find a phone that has a micro SD slot for your video and music library, because more often than not, you will consume up the internal memory with all the media files that you need. Also, the screen size should be taken into consideration to maximize your entertainment experience on the go.



* Social Media Gadget
Are you always on-the-know of the latest gossip, trending topics and issues online, and also active in sharing your thoughts, selfies, and #OOTDs? I'd recommend you get a phone that is LTE-enabled so that you can stream and upload the latest updates online! Also you won't need to scramble on the nearest coffee house or mall to connect to a WiFi signal to check what's happening online.



* Portable Camera
It's a huge help that the latest models of phones today are equipped with cameras. This enables spur-of-the-moment photos that will be captured and forever immortalized once uploaded online. I believe that to be a great photographer, you don't need to have the best camera. The specifications of smartphone cameras nowadays are more than enough to cover anyone's photo-shooting needs (number of megapixels won't really matter, unless you need to have a blown-up size of the photo).

The front camera of this phone looks great!

* Gaming Console
I would have included this one under the entertainment section but I realized there are some specific demands if your phone will be used hugely for games. Aside from having a big memory (some games come in large files, ie. >200MB), the phone should have a good processor, with a nice screen resolution to give you to optimal gaming experience.


* Personal Organizer
I think this purpose has the least demand as for the specifications of a phone. There are lots of productivity apps available at the Google Play and Apple store. Having a smartphone is a big help in organizing your schedule, listing down to-do notes, finding your way around through the maps, and tracking your calorie intake among others.


You know what, through my phone, I get to do all of these! amazing! Kinda a negative thing also because I find myself really dependent on my phone.

Having an idea of where you will mostly use your phone for is a huge help in choosing the right one that will suite you.

Good thing there's a Gadget Sale at SM Cyberzone where we can choose from a lot of gadgets depending on our needs!

Go ahead on your nearest Cyberzone branch and get that awesome phone that you've always wanted. :D

Get yours now at the SM Supermalls’ Cyber Month Tech Sale!! #31HappyCyberDays #EverythingForTheTechieInYou

Have you recently travelled to Korea?

Did you take photos during your trip? (I'm sure you did!)

Do you want to flaunt to the world those beautiful images that you took?


If you answered YES!! to all the questions above then this one's for you!

source: asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr

Calling all Korean enthusiasts out there! The start of the 17th Asian Games is slowly approaching and you have a chance to go to the opening ceremony itself on September 19 in Incheon! Read on to know how!


The Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee is giving away passes to the opening ceremony.

Visit this link to join!

Prizes at stake are Alive Museum tickets and tickets to the Asian Games opening ceremonies (with hotel accommodations)!


The opening ceremonies of the Asian games have always been grand and spectacular. The past ceremonies were held in huge stadiums with colorful presentations and performances.

Plus if you are a KPOP fan, you'd be happy to see JYJ, EXO, Big Bang, PSY, and Kim Soo Hyun perform live, right? (Me!! OMG JYJ+Big Bang+Kim Soo Hyun in one stage!! I would kill to grab hold of one of those tickets!!)

Well unlike me, you don't need to murder someone (Ψ(｀▽´)Ψ). Just click on the link to join the contest. Very simple.

Good luck and (hopefully) we'll see ourselves watching the opening ceremonies on September 19! :D :D :D

I have been exposed to the Korean language for years now through watching kdramas and listening to kpop. Because it's quite some time already, my ears have began to catch some familiar words/phrases from the lines of the actors and singers.

As part of my goal in learning Hangul (especially now that my trip has been officially set!), I am listing here some of the words that I have learned through the years. :)




Random Words

행복하다 /haengbokhada/
to be happy

우리 가족은 항상 행복합니다.
Uri gajog-eun hangsang haengbokhamnida.
Our family is always happy.

This weekend was one hell of an emotional ride. I was just at home, and the feeling of isolation just creeped into me and I realized I have to do something about it.

They say you would regret more the things that you didn't do than the things you did. I have been forever haunted by the things in the past that I have left behind unacommplished, by the words that were left unsaid. I was unable to respond to him when he confessed, even if I was feeling the same way for years (Hey this has happened thrice in my lifetime so far! I just realized this now. Omg.). I didn't claim the letter that contained my application status in an org, which left me emotionally tortured for the rest of my college years. I didn't give them the chance to show their "good side", because I only let their evil side sink to me believing it's their true colors. I was not able to tell my best friend my honest feelings because all I wanted was the best for all of us.

Whew. I think I've opened cans of worms in there huh. To get straight to the point, I have repeatedly denied myself of that happiness that I deserve, because I was afraid and because I thought it's the best thing to do for that situation. The latest entry on this list happened last week and it has something to do with my obsession with a group named JYJ.

I have expressed before how much I wanted to see them perform live. It seems like the universe challenged how much I wanted this to happen. I have a friend who went to their concert in Hongkong. JYJ is currently having their Asian tour, and this is their last stage before they enter the military. This means that this is the last chance for their fans to see them. It would take at least another 3 years to see them perform again, if they still would.

If I just said yes, I would have come with my friend to HK to see them. Honestly, I had the resources to do so but I know better that I shouldn't because I had responsibilities. I have more important things to do than go overseas and satisfy my fangirling needs. I have attempted to follow my "hormones" the first time the opportunity opened up, but I failed. I knew better now. The concert was over and I can feel how my friend enjoyed her experience. To quote her, it was the craziest decision, but the best she has done. She has fulfilled her bucketlist, and I am proud of her because she was able to achieve that. I perfectly know the happiness that she's feeling at the moment because I know that I would feel the same too. Though in my case, that's the exact happiness that I have denied from myself again. I have tried to end all of this craziness years ago, but I guess until I have accomplished what I really want to do, that's when I would finally be able to let go.

I hope my plans for next year would push through. Then finally, maybe finally, I would be able to let go and move on.


I think I would cry in case I hear JYJ sing this live. *sigh* I really hope there's still a chance for me to see them live. :(