My first 10k Run

I'm a sedentary person and I never joined any fun runs. So, as a first timer and a sedentary person, I should have started with the shortest route first which is the 3k but, because my friends opted for the 10k route, I went for the 10k as well. 

trying my best to smile before our run

Me and a friend were planning to back out because we only had an hour of sleep but, since we wanted to support the organizer of the run, despite wanting to go back to bed, we went to the starting line of the run. We filled up the registration form, got our singlets, had our little warm up and we stayed for a moment to wait for the gun shot for the 10k(which is 30minutes after the gun shot for the 21k). We left the starting line at 5:30.

 Before reaching the 1.5k mark which is the water station, I was already tired and I have thought of giving up. Oh, did I mention that I'm the last?haha! But, I'm not a quitter so I still continued until I reached the 5k mark. That was the time I finally had it. When I was already waiting for a cab, I saw two of my companions who were left behind because they got lost along the way. Since I wasn't alone, I pushed through with the run. From the 5k mark to the finish line, we just walked and when we reached the finish line, it's already the awarding ceremony!haha! The worst thing about us being late is, there's no food left for us. So, we were tired, hungry and late!

10k last placers

Though we didn't place and it took us forever to reach the finish line, I realized, it's ok. At least I got to bond with Ate Shine. We've been friends for quite some time but during our walk from the 5k mark to the finish line, we formed a great bond and we became closer. 

face of a happy runner(I look awful in stolen shots!haha)

Because we were tired and very hungry, we went to Citylights Hotel for a buffet breakfast then went straight to the spa where we were massaged til we fell asleep. After the massage, we went to a restaurant and we ate a lot of food again. :)

Miscellany Monday
Monday Meet up 

A date with a dear friend

What I hate most about meeting a friend whom you haven't seen for a very long time is, they get to point out the huge difference of who you are now from who you are years back. Last Thursday night, I had dinner with a friend whom I haven't met for about 3 years. Was very excited(or should I say giddy?haha) to meet him that I went to our meeting place 2hours early. nah. I just didn't have anything to do anymore so I went immediately after our activity so that I can find a "perfect" birthday present for him.

Large Ice Blended Lemon Zest before going around the mall

During our cab ride from our meeting place to Club Filipino, we talked about the good times, our friends, our college days and our new look. One thing is oh so sure, we both gained weight :))

2007

2012

Though we were not able to bond really well because we attended a toastmasters meeting for our dinner and he can no longer join me and my high school friends because he has to go to work early the next day, I'm really thankful that we got to see each other. 

When we bade each other farewell and I was 10 meters..20 meters..30meters..40meters from him, I suddenly had a separation anxiety. 

Good thing is, even if it will be long before we see each other again, the distance can always be bridged by facebook, twitter and cellphone :)

Fabulous Friday,
That Friday Blog Hop

Under the Weather

Hope I'll feel better tomorrow.

Weekend at Liliw, Laguna

This weekend, I went to Liliw, Laguna with a friend to look around the municipality for some shoes, slippers and sandals. The trip was pretty tiring but it was definitely worth it. From Vizcaya to  Manila, it took us 8.5hours then another 4 hours to Sta. Cruz, Laguna and 20 minutes from Sta Cruz to Liliw. 

We reached Liliw at around 9:30AM and we immediately went to the first store despite the hunger and the tiredness. At around 10:30, we decided to have breakfast then we roamed around again. Honestly, I was thinking that there are only a few stores in the municipality and that the place is like the usual municipalities in the country so I didn't bother bringing a camera(big mistake, really!). As we went around, I noticed that some of the houses and stores there  are preserved houses from the 19th century. Below are some pictures of the products they have in Liliw. Wasn't able to take much photo though because my phone finally lost all its energy.

Since I am tall and I love running and walking around, I didn't buy any pair of wedges or heels. I only bought two pairs of sandals, a pair of slippers and a pair of flats.The good thing about the product is that, even at a really affordable price, the product is of good quality. 

In between walking from one store to another, I took some pictures at the street as well.

(Top photo):infront of the municipal hall,(bottom left):me inside one of the stores,(bottom right):cute slipper decor of one of the stores

(top photo):a young girl selling fruits,(bottom left):a vendor preparing the ferns she will sell)

At around 3:00PM, me and my friend already left Liliw and we went back to Vizcaya. Because of the very little time we had, we were not able to go around the town which is really sad. But, mom said that we will go back to Liliw on the first weekend of October. Something to look forward to! :)


I Love My Online Friends GFC Blog Hop,
Miscellany Monday

a day at the farm

Wordless Wednesday, 
Picture Perfect

Me, Myself and I

1. When you're feeling down, what do you do to pick yourself up?
I bake, drink some beer, read a book, write and/or eat lots of sweets :)

2. If you had to live in a different time period which would you prefer? 
Perhaps the late 19th century. A big part of the Philippine history was during that time. That was the time when Jose Rizal made a lot of things for the country. I could've met him and talked to him(and perhaps dated him since there's a huge possibility that we'd meet then because his hometown is a few minutes away from my dad's.haha) Also, I like the dresses women wore here in the Philippines during the 19th century :)

3. What is the most creative Halloween costume you've ever worn?
Halloween here in the Philippines is not as fun-filled and celebrated as it is in the United States. There's no trick or treats, jack-o-lanterns, costume parties and etc. Just a day full of horror movies and documentation about ghosts on TV so I have never worn a Halloween costume.

4. Five weird things about you we wouldn't know without being told?
1. I love lemongrass tea so it's that or I won't have tea.
2. I have a huge crush on Hugh Laurie.
3. I love hugging---a lot! hugs! :)
4. I still make a wish before I blow a dandelion.
5. I am a huge ref magnet collector so whenever I go from one city to another, the souvenirs I buy are ref magnets.hihi

5. What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

Be honest with what you feel
Enjoy life every now and then and don't just bury yourself with books and worksheets
You'll have an amazing circle of friends
Move on and pick yourself up because along the way, you'll meet that man who will love you so much.
You will learn how to put some make up on

when I was 16 :)

Favorite Starbucks Drink! :)

Green Tea Frappe with Raspberry

Friday Finds and Favorites,
Wordless Wednesday

Lash out Loud

For the past couple of days, i found myself shedding a lot of salty,useless liquid that just continuously flowed no matter how hard I tried to stop it. Now that is one way of exaggerating my description of crying.

Bottomline, I feel so sad, down, useless, unwanted. Everyday, I have this heavy feeling. I have to admit, I am so depressed.

Back in college, whenever I feel down, even if I should review for exams the next day and even if it's already 10PM, I'd catch a cab and go to my fave hang out place just to have some beer. I usually have 4-6bottles of beer and I'd go back to my apartment at around 1AM. I had no close friends who'd understand me. The friends I had then would just go and process me and tell me in my face that I am such a spoiled brat wailing about unnecessary things and then process me again. They're right at some point but that's the time when lashing out and releasing is what I need first. That's the time I needed friends to hear me out first before telling me advices and telling me the right things to do. I think that was also the time I became very close to being alcohol-dependent. I turned to alcohol whenever I feel very down and I found myself just wanting to go to a bar every night.

Now, I'm in this deep, dark, damned pit of depression again and I have no friends to vent out to and this time, I don't have bottles of beer to accompany me. It might take some time for me to get out of this pit again but I know that I'll get out in the right time and the right moment and I know that this won't stop me from living ny everyday life normally.

And YES, I will always powerfuly soar as God's responsible gift of love! :)

Travel Plans!

Yesterday, I printed my travel itenerary for Palawan. Since I was in high school, I've been wanting to go to Palawan for a vacation but because I was still a student and my parents are pretty stingy when it comes to traveling(they prefer spending money on food and the continuous improvement of our home), it's only now that I got to book a flight to Palawan. I'll go to Puerto Princesa 2 days earlier than my friends. Will be learning more on where to go in Puerto Princesa so that I'd go around the city smoothly.

the first place I'll go to in Puerto Princesa.weee!

After 4 days of stay in Puerto Princesa, we will go to Coron, Palawan

Coron, Palawan

A lot of people told me that Coron is a paradise and when I looked at the pictures my aunt took(one of it is the picture above) when she went to Coron, I can say that yes it is true, Coron is a paradise. After 3days in Coron, I'll be going back to Manila and then back to reality again..hehe! So excited for this travel! :)


QUESTIONS:
1. Where do you want to go for a vacation?
2.  How long should a vacation be for you?

Missing Toastmasters

It's been more than two months since I last attended a Toastmaster meeting. Part of the Toastmasters Promise is to attend club meetings regularly and here I am, being irresponsible because since my term as the Club President, out of all the 6 meetings, I only got to attend 2 of them. Aside from that, I am a part of the team of the organizer of the Speechcraft but I was not at the speech craft. I am the Contest Master of the Area Contest but I was not at the contest. I cried so hard that I missed a lot of things. Considering that I am the President and that I play major roles inside and even outside our toastmasters meeting, I am feeling very helpless, sad and I feel like I am letting my fellow Baguio Toastmasters down.

Since I became a member of Toastmasters, I became very active. I attend club meetings of the different clubs in Baguio because it is in the Toastmasters club that I grew not only as a speaker and as a leader  but also as a person. The truth is, I became very active in Toastmasters because of the people in it. The bond I had with them, the care they're giving and the lessons they make me realize. Learning as a speaker is a far second reason. But of course I truly miss the proceedings in the Toastmasters meeting, the lessons I get from every speech and the evaluations given for the speakers and the entire meeting from which I learn from.

Hope to attend a Toastmasters meeting before the month ends :)

Hanging out at HeBrews Bookstore and Cafe

This is where me and my friends hang out if we want to simply be together but not really talk to each other.haha!The reasons are, because the mere presence of each other is enough, we have things that we need to do and we're doing it there and, we have lots of time to talk to each other when we go to a restobar anyways..haha!

THe first time I went to He Brew's was when I attended a Toastmasters meeting. Since we're encouraged to order because we're using the venue, I ordered spaghetti and an iced tea. The food is definitely great considering its price so that night, I just found a perfect place to review. 

One afternoon, I got bored at my apartment so I asked a friend to go out with me. We met at He Brew's since he wanted to try something new. He had a breakfast meal in mid-afternoon while I had some pesto and a pot of tea

Longganisa, scrambled egg and steamed rice and a glass of iced tea

chicken pesto and a pot of jasmine tea

After we both finished our meals, we ordered a cup of lemongrass tea because we felt embarrassed staying there for almost 30minutes after finishing our food!haha

a pot of my favorite lemongrass tea

The great thing with He-Brew's(aside from their food) is, they have this mini library where you can look for a book you might want to read while staying there.

Books you can read while eating

Because of the cafe's floor to ceiling glass window, you can clearly see the buildings in Baguio and middle part of Session Road(go there at around 6 for a more magnificent view!)

View from the resto

So, after almost 3hours of stay at He Brew's, we finally left and went on our separate ways--him going to his school for his exam and me to our toastmasters meeting. :)


entry for:

--and--

Things to do this week! :)

1. Article for our Newsletter "The Advocate"
-Our newsletter in our toastmaster's club is scheduled for release on the 3rd friday of this month. As the president, I asked our VP-PR to release the newsletter on that date. Apparently, despite being the one who set the deadline, I think I am the only one who has not submitted an article yet! Will submit my article hopefully before Wednesday :)

2. Jog at least 4 times a week
- Been planning to do this since the 1st week of August but my laziness immediately strikes before I even change my clothes. Just gained 12pounds in 6 weeks so it's not really good. This week, I promise I will do this!haha!

3. Clean my room
- Whenever I go out, I change my clothes at least 4 times before settling down with what I'd really wear so basically, some of my clothes are on the chair or on the bed or are not neatly arranged in my closet. Also, my table is a bit messy so cleaning my room is definitely a must!

4. Groceries
- I miss baking. Don't have much ingredients to make even just revel bars so I have to buy them. Also, we need to buy some cold cuts for breakfast. :)

5. Attend our 70th Day
- I think all of us in LEAP(Leadership Excellence Achievement Program) team are still having separation anxiety that's why we have almost weekly meets, gigs, coffee meet ups, 50th day and now, the 70th day. I think after the 70th day, we'll plan for a 100th day.haha! This is the one I look forward to the most this week or even this month

7. Go back to reading again
- Before I went to college, I am this high school bookworm who reads the books of David Baldacci, Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham, JK Rowling and a lot of other authors. But now, I am reading a different book--facebook. I guess I have to bring back the bookworm in me :)

Second week of September 2012, bring it on??!haha! :)

Frontyard Calamansi

We have calamansi at our front yard. Mom just placed the seedling there and it grew in just a few months and it bore lots of fruits. The fruits are even more than enough that even though we use them as juice, there's still a lot left. Because it is very sour, my bro and my sis doesn't like it that much. But me and my mom? We love it! It's one great source of Vitamin C! :)

more micro shots at Macro Monday

a dragonfly along the way

You're braver than what you believe,

stronger than you seem and

smarter than you think.

Macro Monday

Strawberry Parfait @ Filling Station, Camp John Hay

The perfect company when I was burdened with a lot of concerns.

That was the 3rd time I had it as my dessert. I usually order their Strawberry Delight but since I tried this one, this became one of my addictions. It's so delicious that you'll enjoy every morsel of it and it's big that you can even share it with another person(in a romantic date perhaps?)

Food Trip Friday