Happy Holidays, everyone! 🌲❄️🎁🎉🎊❤️🎅🏽

As 2015 is about to end, I'd like to take a look at how it all went... The year started off bad for me as early as January 1st and I just wished that I could repeat 2014 all over again.  I got sick more than once at the first five months this year and the first time sent me to the hospital. 😖

Things went pretty bad for me and I thought that even though theres more than half of the year left, I came to the conclusion that this would be the worst year to date!  My sleeping habits were becoming out of line.  I had to take Melatonin to help me get to sleep as I badly needed rest!  Good thing that I only used it for a couple of times and my sleep went back to normal again.  BTW, Melatonin is not a sleeping pill.  It just helps you regulate your natural hormone so that you could go to sleep.

Midyear came and things were looking up.  I had road trips and quick getaways with friends and other planned travels as well.  I always love travelling no matter how short the trips are.  I don't know if this is weird but I enjoy solo flights as I get to disconnect with everything and get to have that alone time even just for a short while.  I was able to do that a couple of times last May and I had Odezsa on playback on all of them👍🏽

School was stressing me out at some point and I had a bit of trouble juggling both school and work but despite of that, I was having a great time.  For so long (many years) I invested so much of me and yet I still go home feeling empty and helpless sometimes crying myself to sleep (a lot of times it was just due to PMS 😂).  So it was an uncharted territory for me. You know the feeling that you don't have to exert too much effort to feel happy?  I felt that and it was good!  Its different when you feel good on the inside because no matter how busy or stressed you are, people won't easily get on your nerves and you won't get sick that easily!  Aside from school, work and romantic/kilig feeling (esp that time when I unexpectedly received cake at work from someone I was dating) in between, I managed to squeeze a lot more out of town trips on some weekends and enjoyed quality time with people I love.  I just didn't have time to exercise at all so I am in a bit of a bad shape if you may say it 😁 

I did not fall short on gastronomy as well.  I am not a big fan of sour and spicy food, so when I had my first Tom Yum in Champey Restaurant In Siem Reap, it really came to a surprise that I would love it👌🏽 Actually, the whole Cambodian food trips with my barkada was so good that it gave us more reasons to want to stay a little while longer (if only we could 🙄). The Pad Thai experience on Khaosan Rd., Bangkok was also superb👌🏽Eating Curacha's while on the sea at Sibadan, Surigao del Sur; yummy sizzling spare ribs in Seagull Steakhouse and Cafe, Buda; carbonara cravings satisfied in French Baker (just in SM Lanang though 😅); discovering and loving local organic food in Echostore, Diversion road; and detoxifying all those goodies (and a lot of junk as well) with SoulKitchenCo's cold pressed juices in Torres/Mabini St.

I would have never imagined myself being able to do so many things, eating a lot of good food (esp sweet treats) and travelling as much as I did, although its really not that much for others.  Also, I never expected to be blessed with so many opportunities as well!  It was a bit overwhelming as I kept thinking if I deserve such good things but I'm really thankful that I was able to receive them all.

Nothing will ever be the same, you get some and lose some.  We celebrate newborns and we weep for those who have already gone ahead of us.  So try to reflect on the people who are always there for you no matter what situation you are in and be grateful for them and make them feel it while you can, as I have also mentioned in my previous post, Missing Out.  These are the gifts that we need to treasure for a lifetime as we get to share with each other not only happiness but comfort in times of sorrow as well.  Also, when you're feeling like the whole world has turned its back on you, always know that it wont last as everything will be okay in the end.  If its not okay, then its not the end yet 😉 Thinking about this makes me compare it to the seasons.  The leaves may fall for winter.  But spring brings in hope that better days are yet to come.

This year was nothing but complete delicious ambiguity.  I hope that you all had an amazing year as well and that a whole new set of 366 days will provide opportunities for us to feel and share goodness with everyone we love.

Cheers to the New Year!!! 🎉🍻



"But I will hold on hope and I wont let you choke on the noose around your neck.  And I'll find strength in pain and I will change my ways.  I'll know my name as its called again." - The Cave, Mumford and Sons

"Something big I feel it happening out of my control. Pushing, pulling and its grabbing me, feel it in my bones." -Something Big, Shawn Mendes
Have you ever watched The Ellen Show?  If you haven't yet, then you should.  Watching her show just lifts up my mood.  How she scares her guests, staff and audiences, how she lets her friends go undercover and makes them do/say anything she wants, and how generous she is to her audiences and viewers.  I wish I could watch her live someday.  Don't retire just yet.  Okay, Ellen? 😊

During break times at work, my office mates and I enjoy watching her show individually on Youtube and start laughing and sharing if the other has watched whatever it was that made them laugh.  Whether it was an interview, a prank, or just playing games.  Have you watched the episodes with Kevin Hart?  The one where Ellen gave him slippers and the other one where they played jenga?  Hilarious! 😂  He tried to save the pieces when they were about to fall.  Also, watch the episodes with Sofia Vergara (I love her accent plus she's funny!).  I especially like the one where they played Heads Up and the 5 Second Rule where she explained the muscle psoas.

Anyway... weeks before our company Christmas party we started to brainstorm some games.  And Heads came up of course since we watch the show so much.  But due to technical difficulties we ended up downloading Charades instead.  It is quite similar with Heads Up.  So how do you play the game?  When I play this, whether in teams or not, I just go for quick play.  Then you choose what kind of category you would like.  Animal kingdom, movies, anime, sports legends, and a lot more!  You hold your tablet or phone facing away from you so only your team or partner can see whats on the screen.  You can place it on your tummy or chest.  The instructions on the games says place it on your forehead.  As the game starts, they will try to act out or describe the word or phrase on the card and you try to guess it.  If they tell you its correct you tilt your gadget down.  To pass, tilt it up so you can proceed with another card.  Team mates can also tap the right portion of the screen for correct, and left for pass.  The person or the team with the most number of correct guesses in 60 seconds wins.

Click Fergie and Sofia to watch celebrities play Heads Up with Ellen.

I don't know if they also have this function with Heads Up, but Charades has this option wherein you can add your own category and add your own cards or items on it.  This is very helpful as a lot of the cards on some categories are western, so there's a lot which are unknown to us Filipinos/Davaoenos.
This game is so fun I even had this played on our barkada's/friend's mini Christmas party.  I also had this played on one of the boys' house party.  It was extra funny because we were GUI-ing (guessing under the influence of liquor).😂  And I'm pretty sure that I'll have this played on other gatherings as well thanks to Ellen for introducing it.  So go ahead and download Heads Up or Charades and play this with your family and friends on your Christmas gatherings.





Sometimes we bury ourselves with too much work and other stuff that we barely have time for family and friends.  Others may feel like money is the most important thing in the world so they grind day and night, some even do it 7 days a week, not knowing they are missing out on much greater things.  They are missing out on the first laugh of their child or the fun times at the beach with the barkada/friends or the 50th wedding anniversary of their parents or beauty in life in general or probably missing out on taking care of themselves as well.  

It is a known fact.  We know people like this.  And it is sad that no matter how much money they have, if their body collapses, sometimes even money can't help.  Holding on and hoping that they will survive the worst...  but what if it is already? 😢💔 

No matter what the case may be, there's no easy way in saying goodbye.  A family member, a relative, or a close friend.  So maybe this season we can reflect and spend time with the people you love most.  I mean not just for this season but all throughout the days of our lives!  Spend time with people who helped you grow and especially those who stood with you thru the tough times and learn to ask for forgiveness and forgive those who caused you pain.  We never know when its our time to go.  Whether we are in good shape or not, we do not know what is going to happen a minute later.  Technology provided us a lot of ways to communicate with people that we love all over the world, so send them even a short but sincere message so they know you're thinking of them before its too late.

Life is worth living.  And it is worth sharing with the people we love the most.

My deepest sympathy and prayers to everyone who lost their loved ones.  And prayers to those who are fighting a hard battle as well. xx


Give anything to hear half your breath.  I know you're still living your life after death.
-I'll be missing you, Puff Daddy/Faith Evans-