2014

Positano, you are my new Santorini.

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"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel next, to find ourselves."

- Pico Iyer

step out, self.

Good weekend spent at the beach, doing mostly nothing.

Great advice received - the people we care about have their own lives too.

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"A little less than before."

- Broken Strings, James Morrison/Nelly Furtado

walk on.

Thinking and rethinking. What to do.

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"You can only take so much, walk on."

- Walk On,U2

eternal optimism

Had very interesting conversations the past couple of days. Optimism spells all the difference. Someday, it'll be Paris.

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"Optimism. It's not just a mindset, it is behavior."

- Larry Elder

diptyque

My boss, Wak, and I have been obsessing a lot about French culture lately. It started when she lent me this book called Bonjour, Happiness! and we found out we both had a similar fascination with the French. Two weeks ago, during our morning catch up, she couldn't contain her excitement about a new French find - diptyque scented candles. I was a bit skeptical and told her that there was no way I would pay that much for a small block of wax. She was insisting that it was well worth it since the scent wasn't anything ordinary and it lingered for days in her unit.

When I got to work this morning, I found a small big Rustan's bag on my desk with a note "Pouvoir chaque lumiere amene vous aime, la paix et succes. Joyeux anniversaire" (told you we were obsessed) i opened it and there it was, my very own diptyque candle in baies (berries) which is a perfect combination of roses and blackcurrent leaves. I feel so French now, and so does my apartment!

Merci beaucoup mademoiselle l'entraineur!

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"A scent can trigger spiritual, emotional, or physical peace and stimulate healing and wellness."

- Donna Karan

step back/forward

It's such a privilege to have your birthday fall on a Saturday. You have one full day for anything and everything, and another day after to recover.

I had a pre-birthday dinner with my amazing friends and we waited till 12, had brunch with my siblings, squeezed in a short afternoon nap, gorged on unlimited cake and coffee matched with unlimited laughter, watched the sunset from an observatory and set off a sky lantern with a big wish, thanked God for the wonderful year that was at my neighborhood chapel, then capped the day with some comfort food dinner with K.

I wonder what 26 has in store for me. 25 started with change and ended with challenge. 25 taught me how to make better judgment calls. 25 constantly reminded me that I needed to speak up. 25 saw me grow significantly more than the past 2 years combined. 25 was an abundance of blessings. 25 is indeed one for the books.

Moving on to 26. More books to read, more stories to write, more things to explore, more lessons to learn. Time starts now.

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"Do not want to see the road ahead. Go just one step at a time."

-God Calling

joie de vivre

Back on track. On a high, thank You. Joie de vivre.

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"Drive slow, till we run out of road."

-Fearless, Taylor Swift

new beginnings

It's the perfect time for a fresh start, getting over past hurt, and giving with an open and selfless heart. It's the perfect time for new beginnings.

on a high

Source: Tumblr

Garnered my first niche hire last week, a few days shy from my first month. I received my first major shoutout 2 weeks ago, and I felt a strong sense of fulfillment. I missed that feeling, and it feels good to be back. Haven't been this inspired in a long time. Let's hit the high road, yeah?

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"You got a fast car, I want a ticket to anywhere."

- Fast Car, Tracy Chapman

and the world spins madly on

Source: Tumblr

The past 2 weeks have been all about turnovers, endorsements, cleaning up. Leaving this chapter of my life and gearing up towards the next one. 2011 has been an overwhelming year so far, and I am beyond grateful.

I hit the quarterlife early this year, and spent it with my parents after about 8 years of celebrating my birthday away from them. On the same day, I received the best birthday gift ever - a new job! Talk about answered prayers! I am really ecstatic about this new challenge, just can't wait to start. I extended my birthday celebration for one more week, flew to Boracay with K, and 2 of my really good friends Den and Riz. It was my first time there, and it blew me away. It was just surreal! Will definitely be back this year.

It was vday yesterday, and I've never really been a big believer of it. I think everyday should be Valentine's day. Why wait for a special day to show how you feel? K made it extra special though, in his own way. Nothing of those expensive dinners or grand gestures. He just knows how to make my heart a happy one.

There is a LOT to be grateful for! Let's celebrate life!!! :)

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"Dwell not on the past, only in the present."

- God Calling

becoming

Came across this really good article about the quarterlife. So timely!

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What To Know When You're 25(ish)

Shauna Niequist

Here are the things really worth caring about in your 20s.

When you’re 25-ish, you’re old enough to know what kind of music you love, regardless of what your last boyfriend or roommate always used to play. You know how to walk in heels, how to tie a necktie, how to give a good toast at a wedding and how to make something for dinner. You don’t have to think much about skin care, home ownership or your retirement plan. Your life can look a lot of different ways when you’re 25: single, dating, engaged, married. You are working in dream jobs, pay-the-bills jobs and downright horrible jobs. You are young enough to believe that anything is possible, and you are old enough to make that belief a reality.

Job

Now is the time to figure out what kind of work you love to do. What are you good at? What makes you feel alive? What do you dream about? You can go back to school now, switch directions entirely. You can work for almost nothing, or live in another country, or volunteer long hours for something that moves you. There will be a time when finances and schedules make this a little trickier, so do it now. Try it, apply for it, get up and do it.

When I was 25, I was in my third job in as many years—all in the same area at a church, but the responsibilities were different each time. I was frustrated at the end of the third year because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do next. I didn’t feel like I’d found my place yet. I met with my boss, who was in his 50s. I told him how anxious I was about finding the one perfect job for me, and quick. He asked me how old I was, and when I told him I was 25, he told me that I couldn’t complain to him about finding the right job until I was 32. In his opinion, it takes about 10 years after college to find the right fit, and anyone who finds it earlier than that is just plain lucky. So use every bit of your 10 years: try things, take classes, start over.

Relationships

Now is also the time to get serious about relationships. And “serious” might mean walking away from the ones that don’t give you everything you need. Some of the most life-shaping decisions you make in this season will be about walking away from good-enough, in search of can’t-live-without. One of the only truly devastating mistakes you can make in this season is staying with the wrong person even though you know he or she is the wrong person. It’s not fair to that person, and it’s not fair to you.

Counseling

Twenty-five is also a great time to start counseling, if you haven’t already, and it might be a good round two of counseling if it’s been a while. You might have just enough space from your parents to start digging around your childhood a little bit. Unravel the knots that keep you from living a healthy whole life, and do it now, before any more time passes.

Church

Twenty-five is the perfect time to get involved in a church you love, no matter how different it is from the one you were a part of growing up. Be patient and prayerful, and decide that you’re going to be a person who grows, who seeks your own faith, who lives with intention. Set your alarm on Sunday mornings, no matter how late you were out on Saturday night. It will be dreadful at first, and then after a few weeks, you’ll find that you like it, that the pattern of it fills up something inside you.

Don't get stuck

This is the thing: when you start to hit 28 or 30, everything starts to divide, and you can see very clearly two kinds of people: on one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find God and themselves and their deep dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults. And then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely. They mean to find a church, they mean to develop honest, intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party. But they don’t do those things, so they live in kind of an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than they were when they graduated college.

Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. Walk away, try something new. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal. Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? What have I learned about God this year? What parts of my childhood faith am I leaving behind, and what parts am I choosing to keep with me for this leg of the journey? Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?”

Now is your time. Become, believe, try. Walk closely with people you love, and with other people who believe that God is very good and life is a grand adventure. Don’t spend time with people who make you feel like less than you are. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned. Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path.

Taken from Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist Copyright © 2010. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com

new decade

Source: Tumblr

2010 wasn't the most stellar year in my book, but there was a whole lot to be grateful for. I'll be hitting the quarter life in a few weeks, and the birthday blues are getting to me. But despite everything, I'd like to believe this will be a momentous year. Bring it on 2011.

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"And you ask me what I want this year

And I try to make this kind of clear

Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days."

- Better Days, Goo Goo Dolls

myfavoritetimeoftheyear

Happy Holidays everyone! :)

dog days are over

Life is what you make it.

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"Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back | the dog days are over | the dog days are done."

- Dog Days Are Over, Florence & The Machine

you/world

Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard.

Do not let the pain make you hate.

Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.

Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.

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"A moment, a love, a dream, a laugh, a kiss, a cry."

- Sweet Disposition, The Temper Trap

bad dreams

I've had more bad dreams the past 2 weeks than I've ever had in my 24 years of existence. There have been explanations that bad dreams represent the things you fear the most, or they serve as premonitions for what's about to happen. I don't know if I should believe either. Earlier today, I came across this article from a friend's tweet, I think this explains it best. At least for the time being.

Top 7 Lessons Learned on Dealing with Bad Emotions

Any other interpretations?

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"Obsessed, depressed at the same time

I can't even walk in a straight line."

- Just A Feeling, Maroon 5

make me a library

Source: Photography Served

Came across this photo on Tumblr and staring at it brought me back to winter in Australia, 2006. I had a lot of time on my hands, exploring Perth on my own, and when my feet retired there was always the library willing to take me in. On my first week, I was so jumpy I didn't know where to start. I shuffled between the city library and the state library, browsing through endless aisles of these hardbound goodies. I eventually found my spot in a cozy corner in the city lib, where the librarian was a friendly Vietnamese lady who offered me a permanent resident borrowers card because I was there every single day.

The extent of modern and updated titles is amazing. None of those forgotten pieces about to fall apart, but a lot of new releases hot off the press. I love the smell of freshly bound paper, just like how coffee addicts react to hot brewed coffee. On my first visit, I thought I was in a bookstore as they had almost every single magazine to suit a wide variety of interests, they even had Instyle! I wonder when the Philippines would consider spicing up the National Library. That would be the day.

Libraries, and some select bookstores for that matter, always make me feel safe. Enough of this daydreaming, back to work.

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"You've got to love libraries. You've got to love books. You've got to love poetry. You've got to love everything about literature. Then, you can pick the one thing you love the most and write about it."

- Ray Bradbury

urgent emergency

Cliches only become what they are - overused, familiar, unoriginal - because they apply to almost everyone. Try to get to the bottom of it, and you'll be able to relate at one point or another.

My Dad sent me an email this morning, and it was about an analogy on life we've heard before. But I guess things can have a different effect on you, depending on your current state of mind, where you are in your life. If I read this 5 years ago, I'd probably have a slightly varied take on it.

Sharing an excerpt:

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air - WORK, FAMILY, HEALTH, FRIENDS & SPIRIT.

You will soon understand that WORK is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other 4 balls - FAMILY, HEALTH, FRIENDS, SPIRIT - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it.

Work efficiently during office hours and leave on time. Give the necessary time to your family, your partner, your friends, and proper rest."

We're all caught up in the rush that is called work. We always complain about time, the lack of it and how it goes by too fast. We always reason out that we're too busy for this and that, but we're all aware that's never an excuse. Before we know it, we've missed out on life. Let's all try to slow down and focus on what really matters. Now there's your cliche.

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"I can't explain the urgency, it's an urgent emergency."

- Urgent Emergency, Cara Beth Satalino

wasted time.

I still can't get over it. I was looking forward to the weekend since Monday and all I get is a wasted Saturday. That's time I can't get back.

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"How much wasted time will you survive?"

- Duncan Sheik, Wishful Thinking

waiting is a b*tch.

I REALLY, REALLY HATE WAITING.