Age Is A Number

Dear my 20s Birthday Girl,

I used to dread being 27, really, though I always thank God I didn't grow up liking musical instruments or have great vocals ( but I instead grew up with confidence to sing) or I would either be looking forward to being 27 to commit a creative kind of suicide and join the infamous 27 club. Back when I was 18, I always thought I'd get married 10 years after. I thought family life should start at 25 and I am in no less than, like any young adult, preparing myself for that kind of 'achievement' in life. My mom met my dad at 27 and got married at 28. A friend of mine got his first million on his 26th birthday, watching his business flourish like bottomless iced tea in an eat-all-you-can restaurant. Some friends were getting married or they have their own children at 25 bacause they wanted themselves to still be 'young and pretty' when they attend Parents-Teachers-Conference in their kid's school. So I thought, 27 was three years shy of being 30 and three years is just few years away to being 30, which most of the ladies out there totally digging not to be alone and unsecured  at that big 3 0. 

My friends and family know that I'm not a big fan of parties for birthdays. Of course I had great birthdays where I blow candles, too. But after my 18th birthday, where I was at school lining up for enrollment, and nobody ever greeted me, except for this one message from my brother, in behalf of all of them, greeting me a happy birthday, I've lost all the zest in my body, and soul included, for birthdays.

During my younger years where blowing candles means you're special 

I've learned to take birthdays as nothing special, like my dad used to make us think whenever we get too emotional and cry about him not being with us on Christmas Eve. Growing up with age of reason taught me that birthdays, are meant to remind you that you are another year older and that's it. You wake up the next day and it's not your birthday anymore. So I casually spend 22 hours  of my birthday in the house and  2 hours to have dinner with family, sometimes, with friends. That's how birthdays come to pass for me for many years. 

Don't get me wrong on that though. I may not have the most awesome birthdays prior to being 25, but it, nevertheless, taught me a lot about myself, which I found out to be the only things I should take note of for the rest of my years not to mention will have saved me a lot of moolah.

1.   Throwing a big party for yourself by yourself, doesn't mean you are deeply loved by the ones who are in attendance. Sometimes, all they wanted was to eat and get drunk for free. 
2.   Never ever forget to gift yourself. It doesn't matter if you splurge your month's salary in Hongkong shopping in Mongkok or buy a make up brush set like I bought myself last year. Never feel guilty about that. Nothing is too extravagant or simple as long as it makes you.  Besides, your day comes only once a year. 
3.  Relieve the past months. When it's nearing your birthday, take time to look back and reminisce how you are a year ago and don't forget to count your blessings. Check how you looked like the last time you blew that candle lights out. Remember the people who were with you at that phase in your life, and birthdays are such a great time to say, "Yeah, everything indeed happens for a reason." Don't forget to carry on that smile when you say that. 
4.  Things couldn't go wrong  even when some things get bad. Because I've had enough of bad birthdays, I decided to see things in a different light. Don't go lurking on how some people didn't even bother to remember, believe they have reasons. You have your share of that, too. 

During my 25th birthday, November 2011 when I learned to accept who I am entirely, despite insecurities and so many wonderful things.

As I transitioned to the late 20s, birthdays became simple but remarkable. Having the means to do the things you've always wanted to do sets out the standard. Of course, days off on birthdays are a must. What's to enjoy on your big day when you got tons of things in mind at work, or worse, to even be at work? On my 25th birthday, I kinda threw myself some nice dinner with my relatives and close friends wearing mandatory blue clothing! It was to my surprise that all of them complied to my indulgence. At this quarter life, with so many things I went past through---broken hearts and dreams, people passing through and choosing to stay, I learned to overcome myself with my loathing of what I do not have growing up. I learned to accept that I can't have a skin as white as my Chinese friends so I started loving my Filipina skin instead; that I come in second or third place, even last sometimes, because there are things I am good at and there are things I can't even possibly imagine doing.I learned to accept who my parents are, why they chose this and not that, their whys and hows in raising their children. I am in no hold of that, and even the slightest wishful thinking and hatred that we could have better lives if they chose to couldn't be compared to the life itself that they have given. I learned to appreciate people's beauty with outside of what I physically see, that there are far far better things to look at other than a pretty face. And yes, there are girls, sometimes, they even happen to be my friends that are prettier, smarter, and rich(-er) and I just have to accept that fact with this in head: I am no less than special. Maybe, the stars have aligned with them on other things but I believe I have these things, too, that make me someone worthwhile. Everybody is worthwhile, it just takes your own self to accept that. As audacious as this may sound, I believe I can change, not the world really, but a person or two, in my own Mae Ann way. These realizations , usually happened in the shower and in bed during a lazy Home Reserve duty, came in slowly but surely. Aside from love and miracles, realizations need to take time, too. And when that happens, even the strongest winds cannot bend your mountain of learned self.

Ten days before my 26th birthday, I packed my bags and made to fulfill my greatest travel adventure by far. Together with my one of my closest pal, Virna, we went on a 9-day trip to the cities recommended by the article Date a Girl Who Travels that we stumbled upon on the internet.




 We started our trip by boating down on Mekong River, eating a lot of spring rolls and Bam, a local street food made of shredded corn, and drinking Saigon beer, making new friends, and purchasing North Face bags and jacket. We hopped the bus going to Cambodia with our bags and tummies full of appreciation for the Asian life. The 12-hour trip going to my ancient dream come true place has been worth all the hunger and exhaustion, not to mention literal pain-in-the-ass ride because I have Virna with me, who's as out spoken and smart as I have always thought of her. We stopped by the capital city, Phnom Penh, and discovered how brutal humans can be to their own kind after visiting the Choeung ek Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The tour was informative and depressing at the same time we decided to not extend our trip and headed on to Siem Reap. 




The Cambodia tourist capital has been on of my travel wish list since that day our history teacher told us about Angkor Wat and the ancient city that had been built way before Christ. And it was nothing short of what I have expected it to be, in fact, even more than that. While everyone donned a costume and went out to be their favorite fictional characters for a few hours and get drunk, eventually, somewhere else, I was sleeping my way to witness the beautiful sunrise in the place I dreamt only in pictures. It was about 4:30 am (actually a little late because we still have to travel for about 30 minutes), but my prayers to the gods must have been heard because we weren't late for the sun's grand entrance (well, at least for me.). Alas! One item crossed off in my bucketlist! It was pure bliss. It was perfect. The whole day was spent touring the ancient city of Angkor Thom on a tuktuk and we were glad to have ridden the elephant even if it meant losing my deeply loved Raybans. On top of the mountain, the picturesque view of the whole ancient city with the sun setting was the best way to spend our last day in Cambodia. The 6-hour trip to reach Bangkok was another hell of a story. We got scammed by the bus liner, and got downgraded to an old van that tried and successfully fitted 20 people with different sizes, languages and smell. As soon as we reached the border, we have to walk for about a kilometer with our trolleys and big bags under the scorching heat to reach Thailand immigration. We spent the next 3 hours lining up before the immigration office, together with other travellers, mostly caucasians. After that, we were back on the road again, inside a van full of travellers from Europe and the US and at that moment, we didn't care anymore that we were exchanging sweats and we smelled like them. All we did want was to get to Bangkok the soonest time possible. And we made it! We could now officially call ourselves travellers! After almost the whole day travelling, we made it to a good hotel with free buffet breakfast for a cheap price. 



There's a lot of reason to visit Bangkok, but other than shopping for quality clothes at Platinum Mall, it's really the hotels that I like. Some hotels cost you only  a thousand pesos with buffet breakfast so it's really a great deal. And the MTR is such a convenience, clean and big enough to accommodate people even during rush hours. Because I only had limited time to spend there, the only place we went to was  the Royal Palace, the leaning Buddha, and the place where the tallest Buddha stands, as requested by Virna. It was where she prayed to get the international career in the skies and as it did come true so she was back to give thanks. The rest of the hours were spent shopping, as usual, but didn't say goodbye without having dinner by the side walk with your bare hands, a mandatory thing to when you visit Bangkok. I promised to be be back soon. And though I have more than a week's celebration out of the country, I was all by myself at the airport when the the clock hit 12 midnight, waiting for my flight back to Manila. I passed by the Mac Store and bought myself some nice little present, a make up brush set, and then headed to buy Aunt Annie's almond pretzel, and waited until boarding. I figured, being alone somewhere else when it is your birthday is okay except when in the airport, where saying goodbyes and hellos have been overrated. I could bear being on my bed sleeping but the mixed emotions plastered on people's faces really made me hate why I chose to work the day after my birthday. Although I kind of missed all the fun having to attend to visitors or invited close friends for an intimate dinner to give thanks, These are the wisdom  I gained on my trip which, well, in the sense of maturity and wide understanding of things, sort of made me grow up a little. Thanks to that hours of sitting in the bus and Virna, if you happen to read this, feel free to add some thing on the list!

1. You need to be single in your 20s. Many people who found themselves in a relationship since college and are still with the same person in their mid 20s are relationship dependent. They have been so used to being in a relationship that it scares the hell out of them to even think of being alone so they settle for their partners who put them last in their priority list or have had too many flings while being in commitment with them. So if you are in your 20s and still single, never ever doubt yourself. Instead of trying to fix what has already broken, why not go out and see the world, go places, eat street food, know cultures and take a lot of memories with you. Twenty's is the peak of our youth. They say, we only get to be young once, so don't waste it feeling sorry and trying to make a relationship work when it's only you who has been working on it all along.  Which puts me to
2. You need to know who you are first and foremost. If you want to have something that lasts, you gotta have to know what you really want. You need to be earn that too, by yourself, for yourself. Stop wishing for a good man to come along if you have been juggling men here and there. Same goes with the men.  Be the person you want to be with. If earning your best self and waiting for that person to come along takes too long...
3. He probably has lost his/her way and he isn't gonna find you. Kidding. Being single, if you know how to handle yourself (going back to number 2) is so much fun! Imagine having a good amount of money in the bank. For the first time in your life, you can actually save and isn't that a good thing? People in a relationship don't get as much saving as you have when you're single. How about random trips with friends or even alone, finding yourself. Travelling will never be boring. Open yourself up to the world and let them know you. It is just as great as having that one person, trust me. Nothing is more selfish, at the same time comforting feeling, that you only think about one thing, and that is yourself. You can go buy some pretty shoes just because, do your thing without someone to scold you. I mean, it's just another way to see things. That is why you really have to get to know yourself despite being surrounded with your couple friends and watching too many romantic flicks. Which leads me to...
4. Never settle. There will be days, yes, and sometimes there are a lot in a month that you feel vulnerable and unwanted but realize this: You have waited long enough, why can't you wait some more? I feel sorry for a lot of people who end up with someone because of sole security reason, or that they feel like they are getting old to bear children. They throw away the fact that you're going to have to live with that person for the rest of your living years. Movies and television series, even songs we hear are proofs that life's happiness will always come from small things and that wonderful person who will make you feel loved in all your forms. People say, you should choose a person who loves you more, That may be true. I guess it worked out for them having said that. But I beg to disagree. I believe that there will always be that one person who will love me and whom I will love the same way back. Just have faith, and again, never settle. 
5. A lot of books have handed out evidence of a person in love. I'm quite sure that in your 20s, you already know who's into you and who is just thinking of wanting to go to bed with you. If you haven't, read the book or watch the film "He's Not Just Into You" or download Good times with Mo Podcast or read Mo Twister's Ask.fm. 

I guess being in your late 20s, you have to relearn some things you might have forgotten because you were so busy growing up and some things, you need to unlearn, too. Never ever think you are too old for a dog to learn new tricks. Take your time but never take your days for granted. "The days are long and the years are short." as Gretchen Rubin puts it. So live life and don't just exist.  Cliche but nevertheless true, age is nothing but a number! 

Xoxo,

Mae

27, blessed, lucky, and loved  :)

Hashtag Selfie

 #selfie

Got bored waiting

Instagram waiting 

Camera ready (which means 

Curled eyelashes

Perfectly drawn eyeliner

Blushed cheeks

And rich lips courtesy of Ever Bilena

Never forget oiliness is next to ugliness

Sometimes poverty)

Slide to unlock

Press Camera by the tip of your thumb

Start to find the light 

While finding that perfect angle where you look like you shed some weight

Or mastering the killer smile, that same smile that hit 20 likes the last time

10 clicks and still not satisfied 

Don't feel like smiling this time 

Change angle

Some hair around face perhaps get messy a little bit 

Seduce that small hole 

Or look fiercely at the face you love the most 

Never forget how lip biting can go a long way

Or the practiced pout 

10 clicks and still not satisfied

Change to duck face or stick out your tongue a little 

While staring at your nose's tip

So you look cutesy trying to be hilarious

After 10 clicks and if you're

more hilarious than cute 

Definitely unsatisfied

50 photos took in 3 minutes 

Start deleting it one by one 

Until you reach the final 16 narrows down to 8 to 4

Torn between photo 1 and 2

Finally, 1. 

Camera 360 

Open in 

Instagram uploading 

Not bored waiting 

For Likes. 

"As she grew older, she would learn about the deep intricacies of human relationships: the little everyday disappointments, the constant battle between forgiveness and giving up, the many, many shades of grey, the hate that grows and grows at the slightest prodding, and all the compromises you have to make for the people you love and the people who love you"

Marla Miniano, From This Day Forward

Telegram from my Papa to Mama dated 1980 

“Did I ever tell you that my mother and father started out as pen pals? They wrote these long, unabashedly affectionate love letters to one another, peppered with clichés and pie-in-the-sky proclamations of eternal devotion. Despite my father’s eventual dishonesty and unfaithfulness, I have to believe he meant every word he wrote at that time, and it was admittedly romantic, uncovering my parents’ yellowed letters, all soft, crumbling corners and black ink stains, one rainy afternoon. Because how can anyone scrawl lies, really, in their own handwriting, the evidence of your own betrayal right in front of you? I sat cross-legged on the floor, holding my breath as I unfolded each letter, fragile and expectant, like a little girl opening her presents on Christmas morning. I sat there and soaked up my parents’ love for each other, and then I wondered where all those feelings had escaped to. I wondered where love went when it was lost—did it travel far, across miles and oceans and forests and deserts, or did it linger somewhere nearby, just waiting for a chance to be summoned again? Wherever it was, I could only hope it had ended up settling somewhere quieter, safer.” 

His first notes, May 2013 

Dear Marla, 

I am looking forward to seeing you and have you signed your book for me. See you on the 20th then? NBS Glorietta1, 5pm it is! 

Big fan here, 

Mae Ann 

PS. There are a lot of people who inspire me but only few get to touch my heart and make me feel this close to writing. Here's to you who makes me want to write more. 

Hot Gone Cold

My tongue has high tolerance to your hot freshly brewed lies. 

I sip only the truth.

KaffeeKlatsch, Baguio/ July13

Because I Am Lazy

"Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make the soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can, and you will get an enormous reward. You will have created something. "

Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country

Dear You (who is like me who's too lazy to write), 

Okay, so I read another article about writing something, anything no matter how mediocre it may be. Of course, I would like to write, if given the chance. I always say that my writing always comes when pressured that I even thought of quitting my current job to find place for my pen and paper. 

Right after college, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer but landed a job on an academe. It went on for a year, not writing anything, just reading for my students' sake. I thought I should take my writing into hibernation since I had too much of it on my last year, completing thesis, at the University. While my other friends from my course went on to become content writers while some pursued law, and others found joy in the academe while I chose to leave it and considered growing myself, personally and professionally, in a world far from the shadows of literature, so I decided to try and luckily got accepted in the aviation where reading and writing became places to go and people to meet. Though I still picked up few reads from time to time, I completely stopped writing. One thing about going away from it was because I am very, very seriously deeply insecure (about my writing). Back during University days, my block mates, used to be the EICs of their school paper, joined National Schools Press Conference and spotted a place, or their hobbies include reading and writing while I chose pigging out and do make up with friends, and escape every possible practice for First Friday Mass and Graduation. So meeting them and getting to know each of them as they became my friends, who were so helpful on all my writing exercises ( so a big thank you to them),  well, I made it through college. They say, that in a sea of being in a State U, being surrounded with these kind of people, you either swim with the waves or let yourself be drowned. I might have chosen the latter. 

It was my insecurity that I carried on even after college that made me turn my back to writing. But I guess, as much I would like to run away from it, I still have not forgotten about it completely. Perhaps, it was like a love that grew in me every single day since day one of the five years that I have spent writing and reading. Like one of the Filipino Poets in English said, (was it Gemino Abad? I am not sure) referring to writing a poem, "you can choose to stop as long as you don't forget about it entirely and return to it as soon as possible." I have dreams of it, most of the time it comes to me as it usually comes during the time I was still writing, in the most unlikely places, like during ground stops and take offs and landings. It comes when I am not drunk of emotions. I write when I separate myself to it, taking a step back to see the bigger picture. 

I have no excuse to this, I am lazy. I have been lazy writing down my thoughts. In fact, writing this, took me 3 days (hopefully I get to finish this today) to finish. There are tons of drafts in my blog dashboard, unfinished notes on my phone and outdated journals. And I wonder how ironic it is that I have been bailing out to write  while getting inspired by a good read. I have time in my hands but I always choose to do other things than pick up a pen and paper, and in this case, this ipad. 

I have always wanted to write whenever I am ambushed by inspiration, but it's like I always find a way to break away from it. It scares me, I guess. It scares me that I have not invested on books when I first knew how to read, that I have limited vocabulary today. It's scares me that, you who's reading this, expects too much from me knowing that I finished a creative writing course. It scares me to be always compared to  which I freakin' hate the most.

And why I'm writing  this now? I write merely to complete this 500-word challenge. Maybe this is also the best way to confront all the things that have been haunting me, by putting it into words to which I find it to be the only cure--- to write more. I don't care that my subject and verb don't agree, or I write non-sense, or I write for myself alone. I am very sure I am not the only one in this world who is struggling into writing and finding a place into oceans of different genres of literature. So to you, who is just like me, I say, write more. Anything. Write about the places you've been; find art in the bathroom or under the sheets. Write about yourself, your top tens,  your first kiss, your recent heartbreak and find humor in it. 

Write. I promise I will, too. 

Xoxo,

Mae Ann

So much about L-O-V-E

Look what I found at the BenCab Museum earlier. 

I put you in a shoebox

In a room 

of thunder storms and blunders

of perfect summers and surrenders

of midnight fogs and early breakfasts

In this bed 

I sleep and wake up to the end of every rainbow 

dreamt swimming on all these pots of gold 

but knocked up to the aroma of coffee and freshly baked bread 

I lie awake and bask in the sun's rays, feel its warmth to my losing eyes and my palm surrendering to it, pamper 

on these mattresses, and think of our memories 

like butterflies fluttering 

So I slip my hand on to a familiar territory 

Under the bed where I contain all that

Is that is in this room,

All sensation

Catching butterflies and letting them live inside 

Alain de Botton, On Love

“It was no longer her absence that wounded me, but my growing indifference to it. Forgetting, however calming, was also a reminder of infidelity to what I had at one time held so dear.” 

Brings me back to one of the scenes in the film Before Midnight, where this old woman was talking about remembering and forgetting her deceased husband. 

Who wouldn't shut the virtual world off?

If you’re reading this on a computer, on the internet, you have more than most of the world does. And yet, despite this, you find reasons to complain (we all do). The lesson? The more you have does not translate to the happier you are.

23rd March

Dear You, 

I don't even know what I am doing, where I am going, who am I becoming. For two months now, I have been dragging myself to work. I have two insignificant missed assignments in less than two weeks and I keep asking myself if I still love what I am doing.  I used to be more than this but right now, there are a lot of questions in my head that desperately need answers. I wish I have you to talk about these things. I wish I could tell you how deeply alone I feel right now despite the company of my friends, that my quest of seeking my Great Perhaps has been failing me pretty badly. I wish, you could tell me this is just a phase, that I just need to give myself time to motivate so I'd be back with a new energy, new eyes to see the real beauty of  this life unfolding before me.  I wish I could have, not your shoulder to cry, but your arms to keep me warm in the coldness I feel towards dreams, reality, and everything in between. It's as if something in me longs for something I can't grasp, may it be something I lost or something I have yet to discover. I don't know, I have yet to find my place in the purgatory of Nirvana of myself, of people, of my parent's eyes. 

Perhaps I never could have contained these feelings, that I have revealed myself to a complete stranger. It was one of those early morning flights, that this stranger whom I was flying with for today handed me a pack of M&Ms for nothing. He stands tall, his complexion fair, his body yet to meet the gym. His eyes were a set of almond hazel brown with his long thick lashes looking afar as we tackle about our industry's jargons. It was his 6th productive flight, which made me think that I am indeed getting old with my almost 4years flying. That left him with no choice but to sit next to me in the next 5 hours. Five hours that used to be just some 2-sector flight to General Santos but I felt like I would be working all day, tired and unhappy. 

 I didn't know how it happened. In my sleek hair tied in pony tail and face paint of foundation and blush and black mascara, I said, "I am lost these days." The second I uttered those words was the moment I wished I could curb  myself into a ball, or shrink or be a bubble that vanishes into thin air. Okay, so the cat got my tongue or probably, more on I actually handed the tongue over to him. But instead of shrinking or vanishing, we kind of ended of talking about college, the sunrise in Angkor Wat, about Alaska and Gus and Hazel Grace. He listened to my Spoon and Fork Legend that I made for Children's Literature subject despite my many ummmhs and sighs and never ending 'and then' which is quite funny because I never told anyone about that except for my closest friends who have the patience to wait for my words  when I talk too slowly. 

Five hours had gone by so fast and then we were back to our own worlds where I am too impatient to wait, and too fast to do office duties  and too excited to go back to sleep in my own bed across the office. The social networking sites really delay sleep and our caretaker told me somebody was looking for me, a guy was looking for me and I asked her who the hell was it while heading to the door and then there he was,  the complete stranger smiling by the door, handing me the commission from inflight sales I intended to forget. I told him he shouldn't have dropped by for some 30 bucks. I should have texted him, I said , since we got each other's digits for John Green books he promised to lend me so I can read his favorite, Looking for Alaska. Too many reasons mentioned and I said thank you anyway and we said our goodbyes. 

That felt good, though, like a breath of fresh air. I have never talked to anyone about writing for the longest time. This guy writes, by the way. I really think there's a lot more to him than his pretty face. It's like college all over again.  I  wish one day, we could talk about things like these too. Things that I am interested in that interest you too. 

With all love and waiting, 

Me 

Tears

I wonder how your eyes since yearned for me

Not yearning, but yearning so much.

Long time ago 

Waking up under moonlight sheets of  your solace 

I held you together 

Felt the warmth of your skin under my cold rivers

I never wanted a show off so i have kept 

hidden

Myself 

beneath your 

frozen emotions 

and cursed sentiments 

and promises broken 

Calloused heart                  'Never so easily'

You said it goes 

armstoyourarms to             arm's    length

and 

on

and

on

And now at this very moment in time

I am unwanted 

or perhaps it felt like you longed for me long enough

To emerged brave 

To put myself out there 

Looking at the same ducts where I lived a thousand days 

Right across from another sight

Your eyes

glistening as I float to the curves of your nose to your bony cheeks 

I should have died right there 

Swallowed by the soft pillows and blankets and mattress

'Such heavenly way to die'

But there's even more beautiful way than to die like that

I figured 

When he holds me by the warmth of his thumb pressing me against your soft skin

drops burst and I turn into lake 

or an ocean 

Or joy. 

One Day, David Nicholls

“The trick of it  is to be courageous and bold and make a difference. Not change the world exactly, just the bit around you. Go out there with your double-first, your passion and your new Smith Carona electric typewriter and work hard at ... something. Change lives through art maybe. Write beautifully. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well.Experience new things. Love and be loved if at all possible. East sensibly. Stuff like that.” 

Dear You,

I love you. 

All the time.

And so, so much. 

Me 

I don't care, I was born hopeless romantic.

Bucketlist #10. Finding someone truly amazing that's almost magical. That I would feel like I am a better person when I'm with him. That it would be easy for me to give my heart away. 

They say, there's a difference between who we love, who we settle with, and who we're meant for. I hope I can find these three descriptions in one and the same person. Well, I must say I never lose hope that there'd be one person out there for me. 

My Prada

If most girls splurge on bags and jewelries, I on the other hand splurge mostly on travels and if there's a material thing I would like to splurge on, this would probably be a Tempur Bed. I usually find it hard to sleep, hence the eyebags, so I guess it's not a question why I'd want a bed this good for myself. Whenever I pass by the Tempur store at Bonifacio High Street, I usually stop and imagine myself lounging on it. Haha. I don't know how many tempur bed and mattress and pillow photos I've got on my phone but this is the latest I got from this week. My Prada is so big I could sleep on it!

Xoxo,
Mae

Lonely.

“Independence is the luxury of all those people who are too confident, and busy, and popular, and attractive to be just plain old lonely. And make no mistake, lonely is absolutely the worst thing to be. Tell someone that you've got a drink problem, or an eating disorder, or your dad died when you were a kid even, and you can almost see their eyes light up with the sheer fascinating drama and pathos of it all, because you've got an issue, something for them to get involved in, to talk about and analyse and discuss and maybe even cure. But tell someone you’re lonely and of course they’ll seem sympathetic, but look very carefully and you'll see one hand snaking behind their back, groping for the door handle, ready to make a run for it, as if loneliness itself were contagious. Because being lonely is just so banal, so shaming, so plain and dull and ugly.”
― David Nicholls, Starter for Ten

First of Summer

Since Philippines has only two seasons, I guess it's a given that most us choose summer as our favorite time of the year. Besides, we have a lot of beautiful, pristine waters to brag about that one needs not go any further  than an hour travel by air and kick off summer in the overrated,  world-famous party island. Boracay has always been my favorite place though I can't still figure out why people don't spend much time swimming on the white beach. This year, I missed out on a plane ride and instead got myself some few good friends  and stories to tell along our way to Batangas, a 4-hour drive from Manila. Since I grew up in the South, exploring the Northern part of the Philippines excites me just as much as whenever I travel out of the country. 

With my good friends Meg and her husband Mel and Tish at Bag of Beans

We left Manila at dusk, around 6 am, and then traveled to reach Tagaytay in time for breakfast. We stopped over at Bag of Beans (Rotonda) where we savor the healthy sunlight and warm breeze of Tagaytay and a beautiful backdrop of the lake as we ingest some good food.(Their cheesecakes were to die for, paired it with their bottomless coffee.)

Tagaytay is merely an hour and a half away from Manila, still have a long drive to go to reach Batangas. On our way to there, we passed by this Pick and Buy farm of Salad! This Bautista Organica is a series of farm in Batangas where  they grow and sell 100% organic products. They supply to some big hotels in the Metro.  

Talk about big veggies!

All varieties of lettuce for P150/ kilo! What a Bargain!!

I would want to have a garden like this, seriously!

At Nasugbu in Batangas we met with Barn who took a day off from work to accompany us to our destination,  Pico de Loro. Since Barn's family owns a condominium at the Hamilo Coast, he  automatically becomes a club member and can bring in guests who only have to pay P300/guest for their whole stay. Guests then can use all the amenities available without having to pay, except for the food, of course. Condo units are being sold at  3.8M up but that automatically makes them member of the Pico de Loro Country Club worth P800,000. And if only I have that amount to splurge, it would be a great deal to spend it here. But Barn said, Condominiums at the Hamilo Coast are being sold like pancakes even if they are only for pre-selling yet. The tagline's true afterall, Pico de Loro is a piece of paradise! 

Capped the night with a yummy dinner along the hi way of Tagaytay, Tish's favorite Bulalo and Liempo! We were supposed to go to Bagiuo but then, there was last minute change of plans, and here we were and I couldn't be any happier for this getaway. We have Barn, who took us to Pico de Loro, Mel who is an Art Director for a TV network who took these great photos of us and the beautiful location, and I have us three, Me, Meg, and Tish, few of my closest friends. What more can I ask for for a summer kick off? Happy Summer, everyone! 

xoxo,

Mae 

PS. ALWAYS GO FOR RANDOM TRIPS! :)

Me.

Why is it so hard sometimes? Well, you know what they say... Kapit lang (Just hang in there)!

A Weekend of Everything that Flies

Lack of sleep didn't hinder me from going to this year's A Weekend of Everything That Flies, an International Hot Air Balloon Festival hosted by the Philippines and held at Freeport Zone in Clark Pampanga. It was a 3-day Festival held last February 21-23. We went there on the last day and I I wish we could have gotten to the location earlier so we could have watched the balloon being inflated, which is everyone's favorite time since it could be a good backdrop for a Profile picture. We departed Manila and went for an hour and a half drive to Pampanga around 4 which is quite late if you want to see the balloon before they try to reach the clouds. Cars and people were everywhere, and that means traffic which we anticipated, that was why arrived at the place at almost 7 (Which was quite late already). There, we met with my friend Tin and her siblings who were there at 4am and saved a great spot for the viewing (and yes, they brought a tent which was awesome because I like picnics). Around 830, the much anticipated Breitling Airshow was up. Oh boy, I was speechless. There are a lot of moments that I found myself with my mouth open! Given that I work for an airline gives me the idea how it not a joke, in fact, very ridiculous to fly planes, close to each other, make a 360-degree turn through the skies and the planes themselves!!! I AM IN AWE. I even felt, at that moment, beyond that. Awesome, awesome show! Everything we have done to get there was all worth it!!! We were supposed to wait for the balloon comeback at around before lunchtime but the heat was suffocating so after the show, off we went to have brunch and so some grocery shopping in Clark Commercial Zone where you can find the cheapest imported grocery items at Puregold Duty Free Supermarket! We missed out, however, on the booths because we didn't come back after lunch so we could go home and rest early since we have early morning work the following day.
I have always loved long drives and unexpectedly good shows like the Breitling Show. I think I could never get over that. Ever. Anyway, here are some photos I have taken using my IPhone. This makes me nostalgic of my deeply loved Nikon. How could it miss moments like that? :(

Thanks to Tish, Chi, Tin and Dave who attended to us like a Kuya!! Hahah Till next time!