Before the Ball Drops

Who will you be kissing when the ball drops? 

And for a while, I wished I had someone to kiss too. Oh 2010, you've been very bad to me. I'm really just happy to leave you behind and make a fresh start with a new year and a new... NOT! Haha.


I'm quite excited for the coming year, especially with Yahoo! Horoscope's 2011 forecast for the Geminis.

Gemini

5/21 – 6/21

Year 2011 Overview

As the consummate social butterfly of the zodiac, you'll be thrilled to hear that the major planetary emphasis takes place in your social sector in 2011. Expect your agenda to be chock full of parties and events to keep you busily buzzing without pause.

The year begins on a romantic note with Venus gracing your relationship sector. But as the year unfolds, you'll be making so many new friends and networking contacts, you'll barely have time to think about intimacy with one person. The more the merrier is one of the year's central themes. You have a knack for attracting interesting characters from every walk of life and finding what's special about them. It's your insatiable curiosity that brings out the gems in all you meet. And the more you can learn about yourself through the continuous onslaught of new personalities and alliances livening up your social scene, the happier and more fulfilled you will feel.

With Pluto still excavating the depths of your soul, your interest in psychology and desire to plummet your own depths only gets stronger throughout 2011. Asking the deeper questions about what really makes you tick can open many wonderful doors. Self-knowledge is power. When Jupiter, the planet of philosophy and expansive thinking enters your subconscious sector right around your birthday, you'll be blessed with amazing vision, renewed perspective and a series of Eureka moments and kismet meetings with amazing people. 2011 is the year for expanding your horizons, meeting kindred spirits and finally creating the community of your wildest dreams.

Wanna know yours? Click here.

How To Cut Your Bangs

Disclaimer: Not necessarily the nicest or most proper way to cut them though.


I woke up this morning thinking I badly need a haircut, but my mom greatly disapproved because she said my hair looks better long and because graduation is coming in a few months, hence the need for longer hair. Not much logic there. Haha. So fine, I regressed and settled into cutting my bangs instead.


You see, I’ve accustomed myself to cutting my bangs myself instead of going to the salon and paying an unnecessary amount just to have some hair trimmed when I can do the same thing myself. Of course, do-it-yourself’s rarely turn out as polished as the real thing, and this remains true for everyone. I mean, it’s nice to be artsy and creative once in a while, but seriously, DIY has been cursed to turn out with a few glitches. This remains true for me, not sure if it turns out the same for you.


Anyway, here are the steps into cutting your bangs – Mia style.


1. Gather the preferred amount(?) of hair you want to cut in the middle of your face. If you want thicker bangs, gather more hair. If not, do otherwise. I’m lucky enough to have old bangs that I use as reference when I want to shorten my bangs, so I don’t have to worry if I’m cutting too thick or too thin.

2. Twist the gathered hair like the one shown in the picture. This is actually the trick in cutting bangs so they won’t turn out awkwardly straight since as you cut, you form a crescent outline from your new bangs.

3. Using your scissors (I used the usual paper scissors at home), cut based on your preferred length. BUT WAIT. First thing to remember, what you see is not necessarily what you get! If you want bangs that are just a little above your eyebrows, you are NOT supposed to cut the twisted and gathered hair on that same level of your eyebrows. Otherwise, you’ll end up with bangs that are WAY above your above your eyebrows. What you should do is cut at least one inch below your eyebrows if you want your bangs to fall just above your brows. Got it?

And voila! Trimmed bangs done at home!

But as mentioned, my DIYs more often than not turn out badly and this little experiment this morning was no exception. I wanted my bangs longer, but I think I cut them too short. Now I have short hair with unexpected and unwanted full bangs. Oh well, as any bad haircut relief quote would say, it’ll get better after a few days.

 My assistant/photographer for today

Inked and Colored

One of the benefits of having a younger sister is that I always (or almost always) get to be her chaperone in a lot of things, like playing enedlessly at Timezone, staying at home to babysit (definitely the best perk for me!) and accompanying her to the nail salon. You see, whenever she likes something, she’ll always find a way to get it. Being the baby of the family, my little sister can pretty much get anything she wants, although not as easy all the time.

So tonight, we went to the recently opened Dainty Nail Lounge located near our house. We spent almost two hours getting both our nails done. It was nice to know that they don’t charge an extra fee for the more expensive nail polish like Orly since most of the nail salons I’ve been to in QC usually charge an extra 50 pesos for nail brand upgrade. What’s nicer is that Dainty actually has a selection of matte nail polish from Orly. I like how matte nail color looks on my nails, very clean without the shining shimmering gloss girls usually get. One major downfall however from this nail salon was the half-baked job the manicurist did to my nails. I am currently typing with my fingers with polished nails with excess color around my fingers. I could have probably done a better job, or at least a cleaner one.

Focus on my the pinky and the dirty finish. Awesome matte color though :)

As for my little sister, she was very pleased with the way her toe nails turned out. Violet base with yellow and orange flower nail stickers made her say that she had a good time at Dainty. Good for her then.

Orange Yellow Orange Yellow, all on violet base

During the day, we tried out my little sister’s new tattoo maker she bought from Paseo during Christmas. My brother had a unicorn and I had stars on my right arm. It made me think how awesome it could be to have a permanent tattoo. But then again, I thought of my commitment to be a future galloner (one who donates a total of one gallon of blood) for Philippine National Red Cross. I’d rather try to be a hero and save lives than to ink myself with stars and other cute things, like a watermelon. Oooh temptation! I’ll think about this dilemma some more.

What is left of my star tattoo. Those marked with red circles are supposed to be the stars that were inked on me for the whole days using my sister's magic tattoo maker.

And now, my tattoo pegs for your viewing plasure...

I really want this watermelon!

On Christmas Day

It’s becoming a tradition in our family to go to Tagaytay during Christmas. We started this tradition only two or three years ago upon realizing that it’s actually nicer to go to places like this than to stroll around the mall. (Yes, we used to spend Christmas at Town.)

For this year, instead of eating at the Korean Restaurant across Taal Vista, we decided to try Bag of Beans. I’ve been here once for our grand SIBS Summer getaway (which I realize I have not posted here!). We wouldn’t have decided to try this restaurant if my dad hadn’t first eaten there two days before Christmas. Compared last May, it was chilly and very Christmassy at Bag of Beans this time around. The sun was there, but the cool Tagaytay breeze was definitely felt down there. Lunch was really good although a bit pricey. We spent around two hours just eating our lunch, sipping our coffee and enjoying the nature. One thing I like about Christmas lunches is that we don’t have to rush ourselves. It’s okay for food to arrive late since we have this much greenery to feast our eyes on.

Some sisterly love right there

I like the Christmas tablecloths they used.

For the rest of the afternoon, we went down to Sta. Rosa to visit Nuvali and Paseo de Sta Rosa. Traffic was such a pain, but even more painful for those going up to Tagaytay. Very bad experience for Christmas day. :(

Nuvali, on Christmas, was like a local SM mall. I’m not sure if you’d count that as a good thing. We were in and out of Nuvali in 15 minutes. Paseo, on the other hand, wasn’t as crowded, but it did not meet my expectations.

The only cool things in Nuvali. Haha! Bikes used by the security guards

Still at Nuvali. The original picture looked a lot more cloudy. Made us look very dreamy.

A first-timer in Paseo, I thought it would resemble the outlets I’ve visited in LA or Las Vegas. Ho-ho, the only outlet stores that I see whenever we pass by before were the only outlets you can see there. Oh well, dinner at Kanin Club made the visit worth it anyway. Crispy dinuguan, for me, will always be a winner!

Although not as nice as US outlets, I liked how Paseo is an outdoor mall. I especially liked walking around these paths.

Not much Christmas gifts this year, mostly money from parents and relatives. What I really like though was the purple card from Stores Specialists Inc. that I got from my older brother. It pays to have a sibling who now belongs to the working force. Haha!

I can't wait to use my card hihihi

Someone just had her best Christmas gift!

Matching slippers on Christmas morning

Happy Christmas! *with fake British accent*

And also, have I mentioned that I got published? Oh yes! But more on that in the succeeding posts. I am off to play an nth round of the Game of LIFE.

Christmas Miracle!

It’s been a while since I last posted anything here. I guess I just didn’t want this site to be another dump where I can just type away the negative vibes that I’ve been feeling for the longest time. I have my friends, periodical facebook status messages, and my planner for that. I told myself, this blog is my happy place. This is where I write the things, the people, the experiences I am most happy about.

Last Wednesday was the one of the happiest days and nights of my life in college. It started out with Philosophy midterms (which I really didn’t spend much time on studying) and by 10 in the morning, I was on my Christmas break. I spent more than six hours of my day exploring Makati with two really good friends. Lunch at Bon Chon, Ayala Triangle Gardens followed by baby-sitting job with Angel as Mike did his Christmas shopping in Greenbelt. Ended the afternoon in The Collective, Malugay Street. I feel bad I wasn’t able to bring my camera to document my afternoon adventure in Makati. Anyway, that’s just half of the fun for this day.

To mark the end of our year and to be one with everyone in this season of Christmas, we had our Kythe Christmas Party at Casa Tio Cuison. (pictures to follow!) A few minutes after we got to Angel’s house, a friend told me NMAT results were out. Note: highlight of the night! With hands trembling, I typed in my application number as I tried to fight back my tears. Just so you know, I was nervous and was just thinking of the possibility of screwing this up again.

History: The main reason for my absence in the past weeks was the whole NMAT/medical school hurricane. I as just really really scared that I didn’t want to put into writing this fear of the unknown, this fear of not getting the only thing that I’ve been praying for for the longest time, this fear of letting go of something I really want.

Going back, I downloaded the PDF file and then, history happened.

*HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF*

I’m sorry if posting this comes off as too proud. I guess, this will be one of the few things that I’d be proud of. Aside from Kythe, my extensive list of PopCap games, and my family of course.

I am thankful for this Christmas miracle that I actually get teary-eyed whenever I think about this mini achievement. I am thankful that God heard my prayers and has now brought me back on track. My future, if not certain, is sure.

And yes, happy days are here again.

Making Room for New Ones

I went home to Batangas for the long weekend, which meant a bit of shopping in store for me. We decided to check out the St. James the Great Christmas Bazaar at AAV yesterday.

I managed to buy a few nifty finds. Although not very cheap, the ones I bought looked really cute and interesting.

Brown flats from Entrada

This pair's actually not from the bazaar. My mom picked them up for me when she visited Liliw, Laguna a few weeks ago. They look very easy to pair with anything no?

Beige suede flats from MCYX

This is somehow a result of my impulsive buying. We were about to leave when I spotted this stall and figured that I haven't bought much stuff yet from the bazaar. I hastily picked my size not thinking the material can easily stain from dust and mud. And I'm the type of person who doesn't like to wash her shoes even if they look very dirty already. Plus, my feet look really fair on these shoes.

Owl Connector Ring

At first, I told myself I wouldn't ride this cocktail ring fad, but I saw this really cute connector ring that gave me a Hedwig vibe. The decision was to buy it only because I don't have any cocktail rings yet and this one is a good way to start a collection.

Sunshine Cocktail Ring

This was too expensive for me, but the color really struck me I had to buy it. Medyo masikip and masakit sa finger, but looks cute no? Very eye-catching. But I think, the collection has to end here. I really don't know where to wear these rings.

Cupcake Notepad

Probably the best one I bought from the bazaar. I'm deciding on whether I should use it or just save the sheets since they're too cute to be written on. I wanted to buy more, but I was with my dad when I bought this. He'd tell me we have lots of papers, in different sizes and colors, for me to use at home.

It was fun spending the weekend de-stressing. Why did I not realize earlier how good it feels to go home and just forget the tons of readings and problems I have back in Katipunan? I think I should go home more often.

On Matters of Death and Cellphones

I've always wondered how other people would react or feel after I die or disappear, and today I saw the future.

In my excitement to come to school early for my Cellular and Molecular Biology class, I left my two phones at home. This wasn't the first time that I've done this; it has happened twice or thrice already this year. So when I realized that I wasn't able to bring my phones to school, I thought to myself, wala naman magtetext sakin, so I didn't feel the need to go back home and get them.

Little did I know that my mom has already left me with more than 20 messages and more than 50 missed calls from each phone. She has contacted almost everyone she knew from my circle of friends, both high school and college. My brother and sister also helped in trying to locate me or even one of my friends. They were able to contact my landlord and asked her to open my room and see if there's someone or something there that could possibly say where I could be.

While all of this was happening, I was busy running errands for school and spending most of the day walking and commuting for thesis work. I did not realize at all that everyone else was panicking, thinking I was already dead, or kidnapped, or gone missing. I got home around 7:10PM after my Literature class, and saw all these messages and missed calls.

A part of me feels good that I have a family that cares for me, worries about me, and remembers me. I'm thankful for the friends who panicked and helped my parents to look for me. But a greater part of me feels awful for being very careless and for not bothering to text my mom that I'll be coming home late today and that I forgot to bring my phones with me.

And so I realized, I don't want to die without having to say goodbye or without seeing the people who mattered the most to me. I don't want the kind of death that doesn't prepare you - a swift death. I'd rather go through a slow death; although painful, it gives me the chance to savor every last moment I can possibly have with my loved ones. And so today, I realized the value of having a cellphone and making sure it's always with me. Funny how most of our lives now depend and circulate on these little inventions.

Bad day #2 just beat yesterday's bad day #1. Please please dear God, these bad days cannot go on foreveeer.

Monday

In spite of the very filling breakfast I've had today along with two cups of coffee, I was feeling really lazy and gloomy today. I'm not so sure why I'm feeling this way today. I'm not even bothering to think of reasons for my mood today. Too lazy even to think or analyze. A friend suggested that I have to go soul-searching as soon as possible, but my immediate reaction was that I don't have the time to that. I need results asap! I need it now! Hay life. I hope tomorrow won't feel as gloomy. I really need to do something. I feel like I've been idle for the past two weeks, too idle to even stand up and do something new.

The only thing that got me through today was signing up for Friday's Bike Run.

I'm kinda scared since it's been months since I last rode my girly bike and because I've never actually biked with other people. Oh well. I hope it'll be fun! I'm excited!

Help me find a new hobby!!!

Waste Management

Friday was no holiday for me. My thesismates and I decided to grab the chance to go to the different schools to conduct interviews with the program directors of the wast management program. I would say it has been a very productive Friday as we were able to cover two schools in one day, UST and Miriam College.

Materials Recovery Facility of MC

MC's very organized waste disposal scheme

Pat on her very first motorized pedicab ride

Pile of garbage

UST's garbage bins

Obviously very inefficient :(

I did not foresee that we'll be going to the dump sites of the school as part of our thesis. Garbage bins, yes, but not the place where the maintenance crew would pile all the school waste. Nonetheless, it was actually pretty exciting to see how our thesis is finally taking shape. From 3 out of the 5 schools that we were supposed to interview, we can already see the big differences in terms of planning, execution/implementation and effects of the waste segregation program to the schools. I can't wait for the FGD's that we'll be having sometime in late November and December.

For other news, my Christmas tree is already up! I designed this one during one of our visits to National Children's Hospital earlier this week. Like it? :)

***

That was a very boring post, wasn't it? I feel bad that I've been turning this blog into a photo blog instead of a place where I write down my uncensored thoughts. Maybe it was the camera that somehow lured me into posting lots of pictures and less text. Whatever was the reason why I am writing less and letting the pictures speak for me, I figure it's not the best way to convey my message, especially because my pictures are not the best ones you can see in the web. So, I've decided maybe I should write more and upload less pictures and only pictures of sensible and worth-seeing. Here's to hoping for more word vomit in the succeeding posts!

Sisters' Night Out

In celebration of today's holiday, I called up my sister from UST and told her to stay over at my place so we can eat out and have some sisterly fun. But since I got out of school a bit late and because there was a transport strike going on in the major roads around the city, I decided to take her somewhere more quiet and less crowded. I couldn't think of a nicer place than Maginhawa St. and last night's choice was Gayuma ni Maria.

Meet my sister! :)

Very cute tablecloth design

Rock My Baby: Pork Barbecue Ribs with Mashed Potato

I've always been a fan of the ribs and mashed potato combo. I was happy to see that this item on the menu is finally available. When I saw my food, I was quite surprised to see the weird redness of the sauce. Maybe it was the warm white light that made it look red, but the picture does not lie. It was really red, like wine red? But the taste was not even close to tasting like wine sauce, but more of hot sauce. I like hot sauce but this one doesn't look very appetizing for me, especially because the hot sauce overpowered the barbecue sauce. The mashed potato was however very delightful.

Beef Pot Pie

Sister got this beef pot pie which turned to be extremely oily. She didn't even get to finish this meal. :(

After dinner, we decided to check out the new spa named Silong Spa beside Gayuma. From the outside, it looked like an old Filipino house decorated with Christmas lanterns, but when we entered, the place looked so much bigger. The interiors were very cozy and clean. We checked out the rates and the prices for the services actually seem very reasonable.

Lobby and Waiting Area

We both got the swedish massage with tea tree oil and lavender oil. We were the only customers during that time so the receptionist offered us to take the VIP room with no extra charge. Although they didn't have a sauna room, I was pleased that they provided a shower room for people like me who aren't very comfortable with having a massage without taking a shower beforehand.

After the massage, we were given Silong juice aka Calamansi juice. I'm not complaining though because the one-hour massage for only P300 seemed worth it. I'll probably go back here to try out the other services.