in the words of penny lane, you are home.

there was no electricity yesterday morning and so to entertain myself, i watched almost famous on my ipod for the nth time. like many others who have seen this cameron crowe film, my favorite is the tiny dancer scene:

i love it because it perfectly encapsulates the essence of music for me - its power to somehow make things better when your life's all awry. like when you're in a bad mood, then a song plays... you start by tapping your fingers to the rhythm, then you sway your head from side to side... until you finally give in and sing along as loud as you can! and then, somehow, it just lifts your spirits up :)

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by noon we were at eastwood where we caught a screening of this is it. i totally enjoyed it! michael jackson was really such an amazing, talented, kind man. at 50, he was still rockin' all those dance moves! it's really sad that he passed away and didn't get to do what would've been such an amazing concert. good thing they came up with the idea of turning it into a movie - as such fans, not just in the concert stops, but all over the world, were still able to experience it somehow. the people who worked with mj for this concert are truly lucky - lalo na yung dalawang pinoy. imagine, dancing/designing for the king of pop! wow :)

i sang and danced in my seat while watching. only a few of us inside the cinema dared to do that. others remained still and quiet, which just didn't seem right to me hehe :) got me thinking how it would've been so awesome if the screening was held in a place with no seats and a party-like ambiance - where people could dance and sing and cheer their hearts out as a tribute to the king of pop. that would've been so much fun :)
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it's my inaanak aj's second birthday tomorrow and to celebrate, his parents are throwing a party for kids whose families were devastated by ondoy. these are families still in an evacuation site, and whose lives have been turned upside down. his dad wanted the kids to be able to have fun, as they are most likely still reeling from the turn of events.

since marami na kong utang sa inaanak ko (hehe), i volunteered to prepare loot bags for the kids. i went shopping yesterday, and went home with chocolates, cookies, visors and stickers.

preparing 30+ loot bags is an easy task... but i have to admit, at one point i actually had to fight the urge to open a choco mucho for myself hehehe. pasensya na, i'm PMSing and was craving like crazy :D

anyways. doing this brought back memories of vounteering for gawad kalinga and sagip kapamilya, which i hope to be able to do again. it may seem like all's okay now, just because it hasn't been raining as much, but there is still a lot to do. life isn't back to normal yet for many people, and they need all the help they can get.

just in case there are still people reading this blog, do help out please. volunteer if you have time, donate if you have resources, and/or bridge information if you have access. take better care of nature while you're at it: opt for reusable shopping bags to limit plastic use and do not litter. makinig tayo sa mmda: maliit na basura, ibulsa pansamantala! :)
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"don't explain. your friends don't need explanations. your enemies won't believe in you."

(quoting coelho, via his twitter)
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turning 30

i had mixed emotions about turning 30. maybe it's because the last couple of years that i was in my twenties turned out to be such a rollercoaster ride in many aspects - work, love, family matters. i was at a place far from where i thought i would be at this age. days leading to my birthday became a time of reflection and realizations.

one thing i realized? i am still very blessed, and i have a lot to be thankful for. sure i don't have some of the luxuries i used to enjoy, but i'm getting back on my feet. material things are very easy to acquire. the non-tangible things, a.k.a. the more important ones, are what i have in my possession and for that i am grateful.

i am grateful i have my friends.

bernadine, sherilyn and i had a triple birthday celebration at krokodile grill in shangri-la. we capped the night by having wine at barcino, where we enjoyed our drinks with cheese and deli. it ws a sunday night and people at bar were pretty mellow. our group stood out with our non-stop stories and loud laughter! :) annej has the pictures and i hope to share some here soon.

i don't belong to a huge circle of friends but i'm happy with the ones i have because they are a genuine group of people.

i am grateful for my sister.

when i was making plans for the big 3-0, one thing i knew was that i wanted to spend it with my sister. and she did a helluva job overseeing things for me. from research to reservations, she took care of it all. in indonesia we got to see awesome sights - my favorite of which is the prambanan, which really took my breath away.

we ate buffet everyday, but the best one of all is the one at satoo, where we spent the eve of my birthday. not only was the food yum, i also got a birthday treat! the waiters brought out a special dessert platter, with candles bearing the scary numbers 3 and 0, hehe :) the waiters also sang to me both in english and bahasa indonesia!

mastermind for this was my sister, along with rocel. thank you so much 'te! not just for the birthday treat, but for everything. i love you!

for pictures, you know the drill :)

i am grateful because i have what really matters.

what i went through the past year was really something. in the process i've gained, i've lost. thankfully, i have what really matters: strength, love... these are the real treasures. like i said, material things are easy to acquire.

i have goals and i have plans. but one can never really plan for everything right? because life may have its own agenda, and it's probably one that's best or meant for you. the way to go about it, i guess, is to just live your life however way it feels right, but be open to accidentally making fortunate discoveries along the way. it's serendipity, and it's a beautiful thing.

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serendipity

tattoo artist: atan of 55tinta

(in addition to strength+love)
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found this on facebook. let's all lend a hand please.
there are still a lot of things that need to be done, pero kaya natin yan! :)
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good buys

say hello to alessandria:

a pretty pair from sole shoes, which i got at archaeology at the powerplant mall. i've been lusting over them after seeing 'em at a girltalk thread, and they were my main reason for wanting to go to rockwell yesterday. thankfully they had it in my size, and even better, i didn't even have to pay for 'em! thank you sergeant :)

another good buy at archaeology was this floral pink dress, which was the exact style i was looking for. not only was the print very pretty and girly, it actually complemented my pear-shaped body very well. yay!

and yay for sales! from shoe salon, i got a pair of vans slip-ons which were at 40% off. i haven't had a pair of sneakers for the longest time, and it was quite funny trying them on :) but they're very comfy, and i could use 'em for going around in indonesia. the trip's only about a week away, and i am so psyched!
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