That was how long our relationship lasted. Eight years of ups and downs. Eight years of going to different places. Eight years of companionship. Eight long years before one accidental mistake from me broke and shattered him.

Is there a worse feeling than seeing your iPod touch smack the ground and hearing the unmistakable crack of glass?  Is there a more heart broken scene than picking it up and realizing that the screen is shattered from top-to-bottom? 

This happened to me a couple of days ago. You see, I always carry my iPod with me wherever I go. So while out on a window shopping spree, I pulled out my wallet from inside my bag without noticing that I also unknowingly pulled out my iPod. As you may have guessed, it succumbed to gravity and left me not knowing how to react for a few seconds there. Now, this isn't the first time this had happened for I had dropped him a couple of times before but this time he didn't survive. Surprisingly, it still works well despite the spider web of cracked glass across its screen. I mean, the touchscreen still work as well as its music player but it's just so painful to see/read the words, images and what not's thus I could not use this as a back-up for my e-reader.

So far, I'm left with two options - repair or replaced. What do you suggest?

The "Ber" months are finally here! Cue in the "Christmas Carols, Christmas Decors, and the happy disposition because the Holiday Season is just around the corner! Sorry, I'm just so excited because Christmas is one of my all-time favorite holidays. I'm seriously counting down the days till December and is currently planning on what gifts to purchase! Okay, enough about that one. Since another month had ended and a new month came in, it's time for my monthly wrap-up post.

Seriously, I've been struggling for days on what to include on this entry because I feel like I didn't do much in August. I was so damn exhausted from the shift change at work (morning shift to a graveyard one) that my life lately has been on a work-eat-sleep-repeat schedule. 

What Have I Been Up To:

August was a crazy and at the same time fulfilling month at the office! Crazy because of the shift change that I still haven't adjusted yet and I am fulfilled because finally, I have bonded with my new team - in and out of the office. 

In case you missed it,

I've posted some of my favorite lines from one of my favorite self-help book, Mandy Hale's The Single Woman that you can check here. 

What Have I Read:

My Favorite Reads:

I gave a five-star rating to these books because they got me hooked up from start to finish and made me wanting for more.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - Seriously, this book left me completely speechless. I went into this book with a clear head and no idea at all what this is about only that it's from one of my fave New Adult authors. I didn't read the blurb or any reviews because I wanted to be surprised and damn this left me out cold. If you want a book you simply cannot put down, get one from Colleen Hoover!

A Beautiful Funeral by Jamie McGuire - like Colleen Hoover, I'm also a huge fan of Jamie McGuire and her Maddox Brothers series. Fact: her book, Walking Disaster started my love and addiction for the New Adult genre and ever since then, the Maddox brothers has been a constant part of my list and this book is not an exemption. Though told in multiple POV's, it wasn't chaotic and confusing. Just a heads up though if you plan on reading this, read the other books first and prepare a box of kleenex ;)

Bossman by Vi Keeland - This is my 6th book from this author and it's my favorite so far! The witty dialogue, their unusual first meeting, their banter! AH! pure fun read. It has been a long time that I've read a hot boss hero and Bossman renewed it for me. 

Moonshot by Alessandra Torre - I've been raving about how talented Alessandra Torre is. Seriously, I haven't read a book from her that I wasn't satisfied. Every book of hers are different from each other yet at the same time you'd know that it's from her (you get what I mean?). Moonshot has everything that I wanted in a good romance novel - intense, second-chances, mystery, angst plus it's a sports romance that I haven't read in a while. 

...

Like the vast majority of the general public, and to also satisfy my Potterhead fangirl side, I got my hands on the newest Harry Potter Book, The Cursed Child. I haven't started reading it yet because I've read some not quite good reviews about the book online. Honestly, I don't want to ruin my love for the series that's why I've been pushing it back but maybe I'll start reading it this month. 

So there goes my August Wrap-Up post. How about you? How was your August?

graphic art by Elmer

I first met you one quiet afternoon on July 20. I had just finished my lunch and was getting ready to take an afternoon nap while watching the longest running noontime show on Philippine TV when I saw Wally Bayola, all dressed-up, looking every bit like Grinch exchanging lip syncs with Jimmy Santos via split screen. I laughed hard, sleep forgotten and was so intently focused on the comedic spectacle on my tv screen. I was confused at first what the hell was this dubsmash girl, the one that has been making rounds on my Facebook timeline, and actor Alden Richards were doing on Eat Bulaga and why all of a sudden, I started to feel a little kilig about their brief split screen interaction. Curiosity got the better of me, so right after the show ended, I went online to search about the two when I stumbled upon their July 16 episode and cliche as it may sound, the rest, as they say, is history.

I got to know you pretty quickly those first few days - your characters, your unusual plot, your quirks etc. Soon, being with you became a habit I couldn't shake. I found myself awake at exactly 12:00PM just to catch every single episode. I didn't mind that I just came from a night shift and had barely enough slept at all because of you. I followed Maine and Alden's social media accounts and even followed some fan accounts on twitter and Instagram so as not to missed any news and happenings about them. I found myself buying every magazine that featured my favorite love team on the cover. and had even spent a good two hours everyday reading newspaper and online articles about you or AlDub. I barely noticed that most of my time was devoted to you. Every time I couldn't see you, I'd spent hours re-watching episodes online, and scrolling through twitter and Instagram posts. Even my friends complained that they rarely see me because I had to schedule every get-together or gatherings after Eat Bulaga and weekends are a NO-NO. In short, I got hooked and it scared me to admit it back then. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not scared to be tagged as baduy or too mainstream or cheap. I'm just scared because nobody has ever made me feel this way. No one has ever made me feel the way that you do. No one has ever made me so hooked-up to a local love team to the point of personally defending them to online bashers. No one has ever made me so personally attached to an on-screen couple like what AlDub did to me and it's because of this that I can honestly say, I wouldn't be able to take it if they would be separated and had to part ways someday. 

Time indeed flies so fast. You were such a big part of my life that I couldn't imagine myself without you in it. I saw you grow from being nothing but exchanging dubsmashes to something big. I saw you conquer social media with millions of tweets about your name. I saw you being recognized not just locally but all over the world. I saw you being noticed by not just loyal Eat Bulaga viewers but other people as well even international personalities. I saw you receiving accolades and yet you remain humble. I saw how you changed other people's lives - redeeming an actor from his otherwise unforgivable scandal, making a phenomenal star from an unknown nobody, for giving another actor his biggest break to date. You were such a game changer.

So thank you. 

Thank you for making me happy. 

Thank you for re-installing Filipino Values to us millennials. 

Thank you for the laughter, fun and tears

Thank you for teaching me about Tamang Panahon

Thank you for introducing me to the AlDub Nation Fandom where I was able to meet such talented individuals

And most of all, 

Thank you for introducing us to AlDub and making all of us believe on "love wins" and "forever".

Things might be totally different from last year and a lot of your viewers already gave up but just so you know, what you've achieved will be so hard to replicate or shall I say will never be replicated by anyone. 

Thunderstorms, heavy rains, traffic woes and getting wet. These are the things that greet me this July. It might be summer in some parts of the world but here in the Philippines, it's been days of endless rains. Let me get this straight, I'm a pluviophile and bed-weather is my ultimate zen but the traffic woes this heavy rains caused is too much for me to handle. Okay, let me take a breather before this post will turn into a full blown weather rant. Now, where were we? Oh, that's right, my goals for the month of July.

I already did a wrap-up post for the month of June and it's crazy to think that six months had already gone down and before we know it, it's already Christmas and then we're ushering in a new year and I'll be turning 30 - oh how time flies! Looking back at the past six months, I'm a bit disappointed at myself for failing to do at least one goal on my bucket list. I know, I've been a slacker but even though I'm disappointed with my progress, I am determined to start fresh this July.

Blog Clean-Up
Ever since I came back to blogging last April, I've been sorting my Archives and did a little bit of clean-up (i.e deleting old posts, updating old links, etc.). When you've been blogging for long and have accumulated quite a number of posts even though some of them doesn't really make sense at all, blog clean-up is quite a job. Hopefully, this month, I'll be able to get it done and properly sort my posts into the right category.

New Job. New Challenge
Today's the first day of the new job opportunity I mentioned here. I'm a little bit nervous and at the same time excited for what's in store for me. Since this is different from what I was used to doing, I know it would be a challenge and I'm determined to give it my best and survive the first month.

Save.Save.Save
This has been a constant presence on any of my life goals and for this month, I'm making this my priority. My goal is to be able to save at least 20% of my monthly income by the end of the month.

I was really close to my father or Tatay (to us) while growing up. My relatives would often tell me stories on how I would cry ugly tears every time he went out and of how I would always look for him when he's not home. Which isn't really surprising at all considering that a huge amount of my personality has been chipped from him. Yes, I am his female version.

You see, like me, my father is a man of few words. He rarely get's angry. In fact, I could only count the number of times he raised his voice because of anger. Let's just say that between the two of them (my parents) he wasn't the disciplinarian. You can't count on him though if you want to ask for advice right away because like what he always say, he was a seaman, a farmer, a carpenter but not a teacher. He wasn't really good at delivering words needed but as it turns out, words really don't mean that much in the grand scheme of things because what he wanted us to learn, he showed it through his actions. And among all those lessons he showed us, these had stuck to me the most and I love to share it with you.

• Education matters a lot. My father is the seventh child from a brood of ten. His father was a farmhand and his mother a plain housewife but was able to send them all to College. Growing up, he had instilled it in us that education is worth pursuing because this is the only wealth that he could leave on to us and that no one can take it away from us.

• He taught us about hard work and responsibilities. He always believes that success can be achieved when you work hard for it. His motivation encourages me to work my hardest and to be responsible for all of my actions.

• Look at the brighter side of things. When he wasn't able to go back abroad due to health reasons, he took it positively by telling us that this would mean he would be able to stay and spend more time with us. He always tell us that there's always a reason for everything and that there's always a rainbow after every rain.

• Get on the floor with your kids. When we were young, he would always play board games and card games with us. He accompanied us to the beach or to go hiking. And he does the same things to his grandkids. Even if he's busy and is tired from work, he would always have time to play with his grandkids, make them toys and tell them stories. He would always say that my daughter would only be a kid once so make them remember you at this stage by playing with them.

• Value family and spend time with each other. My father's first priority is us. Everything he does and everything he thought for is always for our well-being. I only have my daughter with me but he always tells me to keep the family closely knit and that no matter where we are in this world and what we're doing, know that family will always have our backs.

A few days ago, social media went crazy when a female journalist from a big TV network was wolf-whistled at a press conference by none other than the president-elect. Two years before this incident, an experiment video showing women getting catcalled while walking down the streets of Manhattan went viral. A couple of years before, while walking home after school, I got my first catcall. I was 14.

"It's just a form of compliment, 

you should be grateful"

I don't know about you but getting catcalled bothers me - a lot. Though truthfully, I've gotten so immune to this after countless incidents, it still doesn't change the fact that it makes me uncomfortable. Despite men's claims that it's just a form of appreciation, harmless in nature and that women should "learn to take it as a compliment" it doesn't make me less mad about it.

"Catcall is  not a form of flattery  

and is 

definitely not harmless"

Do you know what goes on our mind every time we got catcalled? Do you know the internal conversations we do with ourselves when you do that? Do you know how we consciously checked our surroundings and what we're wearing for that matter?

Catcalling vs Complimenting. 

Personally, genuine compliments from strangers on let's say - a bag or shirt I'm wearing, doesn't bother me and I always smile at them as an act of gratitude but there's just something about strangers complimenting your look while grinning creepily and looking you up and down that is downright rude. This is not a compliment. It is street harassment and sad to say, happens to almost everybody even while you're doing the most mundane things.

I could list down quite a number of arguments on how catcalling is so wrong on all levels but then again it wouldn't make any difference. Why I even need to explain this is so beyond me. But one thing's for sure, it isn't and will never be a sense of validation nor another method of flattery. I'm a woman and I want to be respected not objectified.

How about you? What's your stand on catcalling?

It is always quite the treat to travel with the family and spend a day or two with each other. With everyone so caught up with their busy schedules or simply just living their own lives, quality time spent together is hard to achieve these days. Thus, it has become a yearly tradition of ours to get-together every month of May.

As mentioned in my previous post, for this month's family reunion, we decided to go to Malapascua Island - the northern most tip island of Cebu. Since, all of us we're in Leyte, we hopped on a rented motor boat from our hometown - Villaba and spent an hour or two going to the island itself. Even though this isn't the first time we had spent our family reunion on this island - as it is one of my family's favorite places, Malapascua never loses its charms.

Aside from its white sand beaches and crystal clear blue waters, what I really love about Malapascua is how serene it is. One can just lay around on the beach, swim and snorkel, take endless photographs of postcard-worthy views, walk along the beach barefoot or mingling with the locals without minding the time. And unlike some beaches where life blooms after the sun sets, here in Malapascua, a raucous nightlife and beach parties is nothing but a nuisance. I first came here in 2012 and still nothing has changed. You wouldn't see any big establishments, no noise pollution, no crowd and instead of disco lights, the only light you would see at night (aside from the resorts') are the ones the local fishermen used to catch their goods. 

Speaking of swimming and snorkeling, this trip was also a memorable one for me in the sense that it was my first time to see a Crown of Thorns starfish in its natural habitat while snorkeling. I was following a school of fish when out of the corner of my eyes, I saw something brown that moved. I thought nothing of it and dismissed it as just a seaweed but then it slowly moved towards me. So I took a closer look and almost had a heart attack when I saw it up close. To be honest, I didn't know what it was back then, all I know is that it's a strange looking starfish, quite larger than the regular brown ones I saw and with tentacles that looked like the ones from a brittle star - only larger. I had to google it after swimming to see what it was and that's when I knew its name and why it's a scary looking creature because it's a predator.


It's just sad that this beautiful paradise also received the wrath of super typhoon Yolanda back in 2013. When I first came here, I could still see quite a number of coconut trees along the beach front that would make a really great shade from the scorching heat of the sun. But today, most of them are nothing but a living evidence on how a natural disaster leaves its mark.













There's a reason why Malapascua holds a special place in my heart and to be back here again with my family is truly something special. What about you? Have you been on a recent family trip this summer?

I just turned 29 two months ago and celebrated it with so much food and fanfare - just kidding. Truth be told, since it was Holy Week, I just stayed at home - alone, had instant noodles for dinner and watched random YouTube videos online. Yes, I was and still am living a monotonous life, so very far from who I was back when I hit my 20's. 

I don't know about you but my early 20's have been nothing short of a beautiful mess. I've overcome my shyness and met lots of people, became friends with them and lost some in the process. It was also a decade where I've fallen in love - hard, did things that I couldn't believe I was capable of and got my heart broken by the same guy I fell head over heels in love with. My 20's was also a decade when I embraced my inner wanderlust and went to places some of them experienced it as a Backpacker. It was also the decade where I stop being an adventurous girl because God gave me a beautiful gift - my daughter.

So it was on the day of my 29th birthday when I was all alone at home that I had a big reflection of my life and sort of feeling sorry for myself for not having achieved what everyone else around me seems to have. By the way, if you're curious, I'm not freaking out - not yet. Going back, having this realization, I began to jot down things I want to do before I hit the big 3-0. I know, I only have less than a year to do all of these things so I'm making this list as realistic as possible. Good luck self, you can do it!

April just went by in a flash and had left me hanging and wanting. The whole month was so uneventful that I couldn't remember if there's any significant thing that I did that would have made April so unforgettable - well except for a little reunion we had with my college friends. Looking back at it now, I somehow cringe at myself for living a monotonous life - yet again. Anyways, since that has passed and we just entered the month of May, I'm pretty optimistic that something good is going to happen. I claim May my month!

So going back, I've listed what I have planned for this month and hopefully these will give me that satisfied, cloud 9 feeling of happiness I didn't had last month:

National Elections

I'm a registered voter, a taxpayer and sometimes a government grumbler so May 9, got me so excited. Its that time of the year for us Filipinos to choose who will lead us to greater heights (though I really doubt it so far). I have watched all Presidential (Vice-President too) TV debates and have also read news articles on all them so I admit that I have already selected my choice and I'm so ready to cast my vote on that day. 

Beach Trip

We usually celebrate our annual family reunion (Father's side) this month and as of this writing some relatives abroad and Manila had already confirmed their attendance. If there are no changes to the  pre-made plans then I'm looking forward to another beach trips to these Islands:

• Kalanggaman Island - crystal blue waters + sandbar. The last time I was here was way back 2014

• Malapascua Island - Island Paradise. The last time I was here was way back 2011.

How about you guys? You  know it's the last month for summer vacation. Any plans made?

If you've been reading the last two posts (prior to this) on my blog, you'd know that I recently reconnected with my College friends after more than ten years. We didn't do the whole shebang typical of a reunion. We just met at a coffee shop and spent hours talking about things and our lives in particular. And one of the topics that they didn't fail to asked me was the real reason why my ex and I broke up and if I had really moved on. I kinda expected them to after all I had gone AWOL from any events back then because of him.

Now, just a little bit of history here. My ex and I met when we were still in College. We've dated for almost eight years and had a daughter in our fifth year into the relationship. Though we didn't live together under one roof, we have spent quality time with each other's side of the family. So you could say that everyone rooted for us to end up together and a lot of hearts were broken when we parted ways (two years ago) - including these bunch for I left them because of him.

So going back to the discussion that we had, I told them that it wasn't easy but right now, I can honestly say that I've moved on - no hesitation on that part. So as expected, follow-up questions were raised as to how I got over an eight-year relationship and how I've moved on from that "devastating break-up" - their words and not mine. So today, I thought I'd share what I did to get to where I am right now. 

Allow yourself to cry if you need to

Crying is our natural response to pain - physically and emotionally. So don't be ashamed. Cry. Let those tears fall down from your eyes. Get those pillows to work and cry over him in your sleep. I couldn't remember how many times I did this back then but it was really a lot. Sure, I was really a mess but who doesn't right? So girl, grieve that failed relationship. Crying releases tension, stress, and emotional burden so go have at it. Trust me, it helps you process the break-up and heal. You'll thank me later when you realized you've reached the point where you don't have to excuse yourself to go and sulk in the corner every time you see him or hear his name. 

Get yourself back not get him back

A common mistake for us girls after a breakup is to find ways to get your ex back. I did this before and I'm not so proud of it. So, do something for yourself - start a new hobby, travel, join any clubs, begin a workout routine - basically anything that will keep you busy. This will not only get your mind off things but it will also help your personal growth. When I was still with him, I rarely went to places and rarely went out with my friends so when we broke up, I used that time to travel with my friends. I'm not telling you to do the same but my advice would be to start with doing something you didn't do when you were still in a relationship. Have a major make-over in all aspects of your life and think of doing it for your own self.

Stop Stalking him on Social Media
.. and that includes stalking his new girlfriend too. I was so guilty of this. When I heard about him having a new girlfriend, I stalked the girl and engaged her in a social media "cold war". I even went down to creating another account just so I could "anonymously" stalk them and truthfully it wasn't one my proudest moment. In fact, it did me more bad than good. It took a lot of willpower on my part but I put a stop on it. So do the same. You don't want to see him happy with someone else. You don't want to see him creating new memories with her. In short, just let him go have a life and let go.

P.S

Avoid posting any details of your failed relationship or airing your grievances on Social Media. It might be an easy outlet for a sudden burst of emotion that you're currently into but trust me, you'll save yourself from any future embarrassment.

Stop blaming yourself 

I've learned this from a friend of mine who also had somehow help me moved on: Relationship is a bond between two people. There were two of you in it. Thus, the problem wasn't just you but the two of you as a couple. Yes you can allow yourself to be angry but never at yourself. The sooner you realized that it wasn't only you that fucked up, the sooner you will accept things and get yourself back.

Write it down
Have so many things to say to him? to yourself? to the new girl? to the failed relationship? grab a pen and a notebook and write it down. This really helped me a lot. Instead of posting any hurtful and painful things on social media, I started to jot down what I was feeling back then. Writing them down became my emotional outlet and the good thing about this is once you've finally moved on you can read it again and laugh about yourself back then plus it makes a good hugot story for someone who needs it.

Flirt but don't Rebound
Sometimes, other people put their selves back on the dating market after just a month or two. I would say that I do somehow understand them but girl, your heart was just shattered to pieces the worst thing that you can do is finding someone to fix it right away. I didn't get into another relationship (up until now) but I did flirt with a guy or two. There's nothing bad about it. It actually boosts up your confidence and makes you feel you're still a desirable person again after being dumped. Just don't jump into a rebound relationship right away, you're not just saving yourself but you're also saving the other person from being a temporary fix.

We've all been there. Break-Ups, no matter how good or bad it is, still makes our world stop for a while. Trust me, there's no quick-fix to get over a heartbreak. No fast-forward button for moving on.  No rewind button either to correct the past because this is an inevitable part of our lives that we can't escape. We might live in a fast-paced environment but believe it or not, you can get over it if you choose to. Just allow yourself to heal in a healthier way and give yourself - TIME. 

How about you? How did you get over your heartbreak?

I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. 

I believe in PINK. 

I believe that loving is the best calorie burner.

I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. 

I believe in being strong when everything seems to be wrong.

I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. 

I believe that tomorrow is another day and 

I believe in miracles

It's already 2013 in my part of the world but sadly I was not able to celebrate the new year because I was working. That's the sad part of working in a BPO Industry, you could never have Holidays. But I'm not complaining. I'm not born with a silver spoon so I had to earn a living to survive. So enough of that! this post is about my own reflections on the year that was.  2012 was a good year for me. I could not remember anything that made me sad or was not happy about. This was the year that I re-opened this blog and decided to blog about the thing that I loved the most. This was the year that I signed up with one of the best social media network in the web, Goodreads and met new friends. This was the year that I read the best YA and Dystopian series and occasionally slipping into erotica not for perverted reasons but more of satisfying my curiosity about the latest buzz in the book world. This was the year that I discovered a number of indie authors and loving their work. This was a year of great book finds and great read. And I'm so happy that I got to share it to you.

So I'm looking forward to even greater books and challenges in 2013. I know a lot of it has to be the sequels of my well loved series that will be released this year. But still, as a bookworm, I'm definitely on the hunt for a great book read that will highlight my whole 2013.

I spent my holy week at my hometown in Leyte. We were supposed to leave Tuesday night but all of the boats even fast craft ones are all fully booked. Thus, we had no  choice but to leave at 7am for Bogo, Cebu which is a 4-hour bus ride from Cebu City to catch the ferry boat bound for Palompon, Leyte. Even though, it was a tiring four hour land trip and a two-hour ferry boat trip, it was still all worth it cause I enjoyed my 4 days Holy Week vacation in my home town.

From the day she was born up until now, I'm breastfeeding her but apart from this being good for her, this is also the reason for her crankiness lately.  As you can see on the photo below, she has rashes all over her body. These red spots occurred a couple of days ago which is also one of the reason why we visited her Doctor. So, we found out that she's starting to develop Skin Asthma a common skin condition caused by allergens attack that causes inflammation, redness and itchy rashes. Her doctor said that it might have been triggered by something she had ate and since her main food source came from me, I have to watch what I ate this time. So this means, I had to stay away from eating eggs, chicken, dried fish & seafoods. 

Born: June 22, 2011 @ 6:10 PM

Although I dreamed of having long wavy sexy locks ala Victoria's Secret models on the runway, I actually prefer (since high school) short hairstyles on my hair that requires less styling and combing effort, in short - hassle free. And because of this, I look for past photos of me sporting short hair styles that I had loved.