Seoul

Day 18 » A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.

I had the opportunity to visit Seoul, Korea last March, a week after my birthday. I was there for a business trip, and so unfortunately, i was not able to go around and do touristy stuff.

When i went there, spring was just about to start. So it was pretty cold, around 4 degrees, which is the coldest weather i've experienced. I remember regretting missing the winter season though, as i've never seen snow.

But lucky me, it started snowing on my second day. According to the colleagues i visited there, it rarely snows in March. So i guess i was really lucky. Unfortunately, i was not prepared for snow. The only shoes i had with me were these heeled suede shoes. 

I kinda regret missing the chance to see just how beautiful Seoul is. I don't think i've seen even one-tenth of it. Hopefully, i'll get the chance to go back and have a proper look.

it's too hard to choose just one

Day 17 » Your favorite movie.

I don't know what's my favorite movie anymore. There's a lot that i like and can watch over and over again but nothing really sticks out as my favorite movie of all time.

Well, i think i can say that my favorite movie is probably here somewhere.

Hmm.. okay. Maybe that's quite a big selection. So maybe my favorite movie is here somewhere.

Throughout college and early 2000s though, i thought My Bestfriend's Wedding is my fave. It was one of the first DVDs that i bought. I've seen this movie countless times, and i've almost memorized the dialogue. But it's my favorite because no matter how many times i've seen it, that boat cruise scene still makes me cry.

So far, 500 Days of Summer is becoming something like that. I've seen it 6 times already, 3 of which was from the movie theater. The scene by the bench still makes my heart ache. Same thing with the Korean movie My Sassy Girl and the "I'm sorry" scene. And Bridget Jones's Diary. And Moulin Rouge. And Lost in Translation.

Ah, this is so hard. I love movies so much i don't think i can choose just one.

two me's ago

Day 16 » Another picture of yourself.

It's my dad 60th birthday on Saturday. And so i've been asking my friend J to scan a lot of pictures for me so i can make it into an AVP. Some old pics of mine got mixed into the pile as well and so i've rediscovered old memories like this one.

This picture was taken inside our old house. Before my parents were able to buy our own house and lot, we were renting this old Spanish style house. And yes, there was a grotto inside the house, in the sala area. It would have been very nice house, if it was maintained well. It got demolished after we moved out.

Apparently a grotto with a pond in the sala area is not the only weird thing in this picture. Looking at it now, i can't help but think, "why the hell am i wearing the same thing as the sofa cushions?!"

arigato gozaimasu, japanese tv!

Day 15 » A TV show you’re currently addicted to.

Well, it's not just one show that i'm addicted to. I'm currently addicted to japanese dramas or jdramas.

Strictly speaking, the first jdrama that i saw was Nodame Cantabile. And as much as i loved Nodame, the one that really got me addicted on the genre was the show Zettai Kareshi. In fact, i discovered Zettai Kareshi because of Nodame.

Photo credit: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Nodame_Cantabile

Since we liked Soshi so much from Zettai, we looked for his shows and discovered Hana Kimi. From Hana Kimi, we liked Nakatsu and looked for his shows. Then we discovered real-life Nakatsu has a real-life bestfriend, who i now have huge crush on, and we've started watching his shows as well.

So since seeing Zettai last August, i've already seen and finished 8 jdrama series. The last jdrama that i saw is this show Voice, which is where K and I got the idea to play Pinoy Shiritori.

I got addicted to jdramas so much that i'm able to finish the whole series in just 2-3 days, and that's considering that i only just watch them after work. So a while back, i've taken a 3-week hiatus from them. And now, i try to limit myself to just one series per week. Oh yes, control!

I love jdramas because they are short (usually just 11 episodes) and are very well made even if it's just for TV -- the acting is good, the soundtrack is nice, and the stories are well thought of.

Anyway, next in the pipeline is probably another of Yamapi's show called Code Blue. I hope it's good. But with jdramas, i've never been very disappointed so far. And knowing that Yamapi is there anyway, i don't think i'll regret it. :D

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Code_Blue

to sixteen years of friendship

Day 14 » Your best friends.

I love and hate this picture at the same time. 

I love it because almost all of my closest friends from high school are here (only Allen is missing). And this shot was taken in the back lobby of pisay, our favorite hangout place. 

I hate it because i'm not in it. And i have no idea where i was when this was taken.

Well, there's been too many pictures since this. We've been through so many changes in life. But i'm lucky to say that i'm still enjoying their friendship after all these years.

I've always wondered what kind of person i will be if i never went to pisay and never met them. I'm sure life would be a lot more difficult. And for having them, i'll forever be grateful to my alma mater.

Akira

Day 13 » An animal you’d love to keep as a pet.

Photo credit: http://www.designswan.com/archives/cute-baby-animal.html

I've always been a "cat-person" and i dreamed of having a pet tiger one day. That was until a friend told me how much a cub costs. And how much and how often i should give it temper shots so it will not go crazy and eat me. Well, that basically ruined the dream.

Good thing i'm not really the type who's crazy about pets, and so i'm not that heartbroken. But if i'm able to get a pet tiger, i really can't tell why, but i'll name it "Akira".

Chocolate Kiss!

Day 12 » A photo of your favorite place to eat.

This is not my favorite restaurant because they serve the best food, nor because it is the coziest or prettiest place. I think Chocolate Kiss became my favorite restaurant because of the number of memories i have of this place.

http://www.thechocolatekiss.com/index.html
Photo credit: http://arlenelegaspi.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/chocolate-kiss-cafe/

I lived in Molave Residence Hall for 4 years during college. And when dorm food gets really really bad and we have some money to spare, we would usually find ourselves in the neighboring 'Bahay ng Alumni' (which is not a house, but a building), eating at Chocolate Kiss. Given our little student allowances, eating at Chocolate Kiss was considered fine dining since it would usually cost us 200-250 pesos to eat there. But we'd hang out there a lot - even if just to drink bottomless iced tea, or eat cake, or sing with the pianist, or talk.

Given that the nearest branch is in Quezon City, it's been a year and half since my last visit. I went there to have two of my favorite things. First, the bottomless iced tea. As you can see here, i'm greatly enjoying it.

They serve the honey separately, so you can control how sweet you want it to be.

Second, the chocolate chip cheesecake. This is the very first cheesecake that i've had. Before this, i thought cheesecake only comes in 2 flavors - strawberry and blueberry, both of which i don't like.

Photo credit: http://waw-sisters.weddingannouncer.com/restaurants.html

As i said, their food may not be the best. But they really do serve some good stuff. So i think you won't regret the visit -- even if it's to a far away place like Quezon City. :D

mi familia

Day 11 » A photo of you and your family.

Ever since i was young, i'd hear my parents talk about taking all of us out on a trip or a vacation somewhere. But we're not the kind of family who has lots of money to spend on trips. My dad would have these unpredictable work shifts. Then my brother went to college. Then i went to high school. Then we kids all started leaving our Bataan home.

Years later, after my dad retired, my brother has got his own family, we kids all got jobs, and more importantly, we all got our passports, my parents' dream finally came true. We never thought that vacation would take us to Hong Kong. But it was the most practical one to get, and everyone else except for me, has never been there. Besides, we thought my nephew would enjoy Disneyland. But i think we grown ups had more fun than he did.

So here we are, during the H1N1 scare last year, enjoying our little trip to Hong Kong.

I really try not to be vain, but i just realized how fat i was here. :|

We're not the kind of family who really hangs out much. I really can't say we're close. But i love my family. They all drive me crazy sometimes, but i know i'm really lucky to have them. I'm really looking forward to having another trip with them, hopefully soon (SG?). And this time, we'll have little James with us. :)

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I'm delayed by a day with my blog challenge. But i'll continue anyway. Hehe! :D

Date

Day 10 » Your most romantic date.

It started a few days or a week before the actual date. I haven't seen him in a while and so i was really surprised to see him when he came to pick me up after class. As we were walking out of the building, the "harana" started. After he dropped me off in my dorm, that's when he asked me to be his date in a formal dinner party their dorm was having.

The formal dinner was a blur. He picked me up, brought me to the place. We ate dinner and danced a lot. I don't remember now if he was in a suit or a barong. But i remember wearing this tight red velvet dress i borrowed from a friend. I learned a few years later that due to that, his friends would refer to me a his "lady in red".

This date was nowhere near my idea of a perfect date. Quite a number of items were missing. But i guess in terms of "kilig" factor, this would be my #1.

the doctor is in

Day 9 » What’s Who's in your room? 

This is my friend, Tami. "Eric" for his patients. He is currently crashing on my bedroom floor. Good thing Tami does not read my blog. Otherwise he'll kill me for taking this picture and posting it in the world wide web. 

Tami is from Pangasinan. He suddenly had to come here to Manila because MMC called him on Tuesday to say that his residency application is being considered. And so he has to "work" (for free!) in the hospital for 3 weeks while he's being evaluated. His first day of work was on Wednesday though.

So obviously, with no more time to look for a place, he ended up on my floor.

Does anyone know of any bed space or transient rooms for rent here in Makati? I don't think he can stay on my floor for three weeks.

yamapi love

Day 8 » Your celebrity crush.

It all started with K finding the "love of her life", by the name of Toma Ikuta. From there, we discovered that Toma has a real-life best friend who is also a popular japanese actor. 

His name is Yamashita Tomohisa, aka. Yamapi. And that's when i found the "love of my life".

Photo credit: http://www.mesra.net/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t72950.html

We have seen a lot of Yamapi's drama shows - Nobuta wo Produce, Kurosagi, Proposal Daisakusen, Buzzer Beat, and now Code Blue. And he gets hotter every time. You should see his opening shot in Code Blue.

Photo credit: http://community.livejournal.com/_yamapi/132775.html

Here he is with the supposedly BFF. They are both so cute and cool, right? No wonder they are friends.

but he will never be baaaack ***

Day 7 » A photo of yourself five years ago.

This picture was taken on Sept 30, 2005 in an 8-degree cold lounge bar called EskiBar. It was during my last business trip to Singapore. Here i am hanging out with Nitin, our former Forum Nokia trainer, and Je, my former officemate.

I chose this picture because it shows a lot of how much my life style and myself changed in the last five years.

1. I had black and straight hair. And i didn't need to get a salon treatment for that.
2. I used to wear dangling earrings on a regular night out.
3. I used to go bar-hopping with friends. And with Nitin, we would always have to go somewhere where there's dancing.
4. I was still working for a different company. And i get to go on business trips at least twice a year just because we have to be there for every Forum Nokia training.
5. I only get to travel due to business trips. I can never afford spending my own money for a trip.

Except for loosing my straight, black hair, i am quite thankful of these changes in my life. It is still nowhere near perfect after five years, but i do think i am in a better position in life now. I just hope i can still say the same thing five years from now.

*** The title has no relevance to the blog post whatsoever. But this was the only "lyrics" in the song Five Years by Sugar Hiccup, which has been playing in my head ever since i started thinking about what to write.

Nomnomnom

Day 6 » A photo of your favorite food.

French toast, bacon and eggs -- i love breakfast food! 

Unfortunately, i never get to wake up early enough to have them as often as i like. But there's nothing like grease to keep your heart light. 

So when times get rough or when i'm stressed, like an old friend, no matter what time of the day, i can depend on them to cheer me up.

L & J

Day 5 » A photo of something that makes you happy.

There is nothing else that never fails to make me smile than my adorable nephews.

sakura mind speaks

Day 4 » The meaning behind your blog name.

Six years ago, most of high school friends started blogging. And I had to be with the "in" crowd so i started this blog as well.

During that time, we always play DoTA in the office come 6pm. My nick would always be "sakura" which is a rough japanese translation of my name (K might argue with this though).

And well, i thought what would i write about in my blog. I guessed it would just be everything that comes to my mind. Speak your mind, i heard that somewhere (is that even correct?). 

Well, this is what the younger me came up with.

banana pancakes

Day 3 » A song to match your mood.

It's 2am. It's officially Saturday and i have to go to work later. I'd really rather stay in and eat banana pancakes. Hopefully it won't rain.

If a guy with that kind of voice is singing this to me, i don't know why i'd ever leave the house.


Jack Johnson - Banana Pancakes ( AOL Sessions )
Uploaded by AeR-. - See the latest featured music videos.

no place like home

Day 2: A photograph of the town you live in.

Bataan - my permanent address. The place i go to about 5 times a year. A place where i don't really have any friends.

People go here for the beaches where you can see tortoise or dolphins. Or to visit the old nuclear power plant or vietnamese refugee camp. Or to trek the old Death March route. Or to see the remnants of World War 2 in Corregidor island. Or maybe to visit the new Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar.

Well i've never been to any of those places... except for this one.

Picture not mine. Photo credit: http://angpaglalakbayniearldio.blogspot.com/2010/03/mt-samat-ang-nakaraan.html

I have no idea what life is like in Bataan. Still, this my home. My hiding place.

challenge begins... with a hair-over?

Day 1: A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

It's O+K's wedding this weekend and so i've been itching to go to the salon to have my hair dyed (again). As it turns out, Fix has a 50% discount promo for all dye treatments this month. So lucky me!

But instead of keeping the 50% savings, i've decided to use the money for a haircut and pedicure as well. So here's how the new haircut turned out.

Looks like it will take some time for me to be comfortable with the "bangs".

In other news, Les Miserables is celebrating it's 25th anniversary and for some reason i have Les Miz fever. I found myself still up until 4am and checking YouTube clips of their 25th anniversary concert last Sunday. My hours in the office were spent listening to the original broadway cast's recording. And now, i end this day watching their 10th anniversary concert. I dream of seeing this musical live again soon.

And just as i end this blog, we're now in my favorite part. Here it is for you to enjoy as well!

the 30-day blog challenge

it's all mapet's fault.

now J and K are doing it also. and as a member of the STTS Academy, it is my duty to accept this challenge in order to uphold the academy's principles.

so starting tomorrow, expect at least one blog from me. i'll be using mapet's topics as guideline, though with some modifications. except for the first and last topic, i've also randomly reordered the other ones -- just so we won't be talking about the same things at the same time.

Day 1 » A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 » A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 3 » A song to match your mood.
Day 4 » The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 5 » A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 6 » A photo of your comfort food.
Day 7 » A photo of yourself five years ago.
Day 8 » Your celebrity crush.
Day 9 » What’s in your room?
Day 10 » Your most romantic date.
Day 11 » A photo of you and your family.
Day 12 » A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 13 » An animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 14 » Your best friends.
Day 15 » A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 16 » Another picture of yourself.
Day 17 » Your favorite movie.
Day 18 » A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 19 » Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 20 » A letter to someone who you miss and rarely talk to.
Day 21 » 15 facts about you.
Day 22 » What’s in your bag?
Day 23 » Your favorite musician and why?
Day 24 » Your dream job.
Day 25 » A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 26 » A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 27 » A place where you want to go.
Day 28 » Something you crave a lot.
Day 29 » A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 30 » A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days.

and since i just discovered blogger's Pages feature, i'm creating a separate page for this just like mapet!

well, here we go. let's see how long i'll last. :D