It feels so long since my last post. Our trip to Ilocos feels like ages ago. So much - yet so little - has happened in a week and I felt like I needed time to let everything sink in before I can write about them.

First, one of my mentors emailed me about an opportunity of a lifetime. You may know that one of the main reasons why I am staying with my current job is because I cannot seem to leave my officemates. But while I was in my two weeks-long vacation, I realized that I did not miss my job, not one bit. I mean, that surely is a sign that things aren't going so great, right? I missed my officemates of course, but then again, time will come that we would have to go our separate ways. We will not be teammates forever and the sooner I learn to deal with that fact, the better. Back to the email, it contains something I absolutely cannot refuse - or let go just like that. I sent in my application and waited, but nothing came. I do acknowledge the fact that they needed someone urgently as the post needed to be filled by March 31. Perhaps I was already too late and they have already found someone to hire for the job. Nonetheless I still felt sad as I thought that was already my chance to work for my dream company. Now I would have to stick with my current job and cross my fingers for another opportunity to come. 

Speaking of my current job, something really seems to be wrong with my pay. I ranted here about how I got waaaay less than expected. Because of the glitch in our attendance system linked with payroll, 48 hours' worth of pay were deducted from my salary and I got only half of what I should have gotten. Everything was rectified on the next cutoff and I received what was missing. (It was a blessing in disguise too, as I got extra cash for my Ilocos trip woohoo!) Today was another payday and our salaries credited our accounts last night. I slept early and only got to check it this morning via my Internet Banking. It was only 6:30am when I did and I was still half-asleep but when I saw it I was like WTF where did the extra cash come from?? It looks like they paid me what was missing again! I decided to just wait for the payslip. Around lunchtime Dane and I were texting and we wondered where that extra money was from since I was only expecting a couple thousand pesos bonus. I dismissed it and said my mind must have been still sleeping when I checked it earlier so I should go ahead and check again. I did and again I was like WTF where did the extra cash come from?? My salary's really moody these days. It's either they paid me what was missing again, or another person's bonus credited my account. I should wait for my payslip and if there are any discrepancies I will report it. Because I am good and kind and selfless like that. 0:)

Let's go back to more serious stuff, shall we? Last week, Dane and I kinda decided to take a breather. That's euphemism for a break up. But it's not really a break up since we're not really a couple in the first place so let's just call it a "break up". Hmmm, let's just say that we have different ways of demonstrating love. To quote Ana, "It is like saying that everyone is prone to hurt another, if he/ she stays too close... intended or not. And love is either to stay close even with the pain, or to hide/ run away so as not to make any more harm." Kinda weird analogy since in her post she was talking about Edward Scissorhands, but I hope you get my point. I have spent idle hours of the past week crying into my Wizard plushies, trying to make sense of it all. It seems confusing sometimes, as we are still seatmates at the office, we still have ice cream as we were accustomed to, and he is still acting sweet towards me. Granted that yes, he doesn't call me Sweet anymore and our times together have been lessened, but we still do gravitate towards each other. I don't know whether time will come that I will stop missing what we were, but I guess I just have to trust him when he said that someday, all of these will make sense.

The perfect ending to my two week-vacation from work! My college friends Ed, Kuya Myk, Bamba, Glen and newfound friends Jes, Donna, Belle and I went to Ilocos for a weekend of new experiences and discoveries.

In just one weekend:

We discovered beautiful and unique benches in Vigan.

I changed into my yellow skirt/ tank top combi once we arrived there at 6am

with my travelmates minus Belle who took this shot

We tried on pretty hats and harps.

I bought the straw hat with pink lining I was wearing here. It was sold for only P30 (less than 1USD)!

can we please be part of the orchestra?

We jumped to our hearts' content in the old streets of Vigan.

perfect jump shot :D

We rode on a calesa driven by a small horse to go around Baluarte where we saw tigers, ostriches, wallabies,

oh oh oh please don't run away Mr. Horse, we're posing for a photo :D

and different kinds of birds,

Hello Mr. Parrot, how are you doing?

and hobnobbed with a dinosaur (albeit one made of papier mache) LOL!

I wonder if the real ones are bigger? :D

We also visited at least three churches and cathedrals like the Vigan Cathedral, Paoay Church, and St. William's Cathedral which is famous for its Sinking Bell Tower.

which I climbed up to the very top in spite of my fear of stairs (especially wobbly, wooden ones) and heights.

We went to a pottery.

where we witnessed firsthand how they make clay into vases and jars.

We then went to the Burgos Lighthouse

and my cheesy and mushy self thought how romantic it must be to be proposed to here ♥

and the Kapurpuran Rock Formation - which is really one heck of an example of nature's wonders.

excuse us while we practice our ANTM poses

big rock formations shaped by water, wind and sand

Next we went to the Bangui Wind Mills which is an important source of wind power/ energy.

seeing the long row of windmills turn simultaneously is so relaxing

(sorry for the reflection, I took this photo inside a moving van)

it also provides a great background for photos :D

Last stop for the day was Pagudpud Beach where we also stayed for the night. The sun has already set when we arrived so we were not able to swim anymore. We just ate dinner at the restaurant in the resort. After dinner the others went out and met new people but Donna, Belle and I stayed in the room and slept early.

Belle and Donna

The next morning, the three of us woke up early and went to the beach for a dip in the waters.

of course, taking photos is part of the plan :D

I got my first(!) henna tattoo! I chose a fairy. I love fairies.

When the rest of our travelmates woke up a little after 7am we ate a hearty breakfast, checked out of the resort and went to our next destination - Patapat Bridge.

the view is just simply amazing-magnificent-splendid, you guys! :D

Another amazing place we visited is the Bantay Abot Cave

... where I felt like we entered another dimension when we went through the cave

...where I literally stood at the edge of the Philippines! That is already the South China Sea. Cool!

... and where we almost got swallowed by the big waves! Brrrrr!

The kind caretakers of Saud Beach and Agua Grande let us in just so we can take photos :)

I was looking very awkward in this photo because I was afraid I will slip in the big rocks, bump my head and die :D

My favorite would definitely have to be our last destination, the Blue Lagoon Beach

... where we spoiled our eyes with lush greenery and an amazing view of the sea

... where we clothed ourselves with waves - literally

... where we chased the waves

... and let it chase us back

... and lastly, where we abandoned all inhibitions and jumped with joy like there's no tomorrow!

We left Manila at 10pm on Friday (March 19), arrived at Vigan at 6am the next day, then went back via Laoag - Cubao Partas bus at 3pm on Sunday (March 21). The trip back was much longer; I arrived at my Quezon City apartment at 3:30am on Monday (March 22), then went straight to work at 6am. Technically we were there for a day and a half only but it felt so much longer because of the number of places we went to. It also helped that we rented a van that took us around all these awesome places.

long bus and van rides but I did not mind them for I'm with the best travelmates a squeamish girl like me can wish for :)

This trip is definitely worth it! I did not go over my travel budget and even if I did, I wouldn't mind it for I can earn the money again, but chances like this do not come much often.

If anything, this trip made me really appreciate the Philippines and how beautiful my country can be. Rich in culture and history, there are just so many places here I haven't been to yet. My dream is to explore the Philippines as much as I dream of visiting my other dream destinations, like Greece and Italy. :)

I may have left a piece of my heart in Ilocos, but I took home lots of fond memories and new experiences.

Also, my sunshine and serenade-in-a-box and very good friend Ed gave me this beautiful heart-shaped coral he found.

I hope you enjoyed my quite-long and image-heavy post and I also wish that I made you want to visit Ilocos. Take me with you, will you? :)

Yesterday was one of the most amazing days of this year because yesterday, I got to watch Jason Castro perform live! For some people who might not know him, he is the 5th runner up in American Idol season 7 where David Cook emerged as the winner (whose concert as well as David Archuleta's I also got to see last year ;p).

Ana - my soul sister who I also met online - and I scheduled a meetup just because the last time we saw each other was at the Eraserheads' Final Set! concert last year. We were supposed to go at The Fort (just because I have been there only twice and I want to have new experiences during my two weeks-vacay) but she had a meetup with a customer of her online shop Anagon Collection so we decided to just go to TriNoma and  watch Jason Castro who had a scheduled mall tour that day.

I got at the mall about ten-fifteen minutes later than she did. Have I ever told you I have the sweetest friends ever? Not yet? Well, I do! Guess what, Ana got me a copy of Jason's EP with the free poster so we can have it autographed after his show! Awesome!

We sipped fruit shakes and sat at the Garden while swapping stories. After that we then went around Landmark and shopped for last minute travel essentials for my beach trip. We had so many stories to share! When our stomachs grumbled, we ate a very hearty meal at Chow King. We then wanted to roam around the mall a bit again but we saw a great number of people have already gathered at the Activity Center. We wanted good seats so we went with the throng as well :D

We were upset at first when we learned that only people with stubs (i.e. people who are Ayala cardholders or people who can present receipts amounting to P1,500 worth of purchase) were given priority and they were the only ones let inside. However, three minutes before the show the big and beefy bouncers let Ana and me in! Yay!

After the show we lined up to have our CDs autographed. Too bad cameras were not allowed while he's signing the autographs. I wasn't able to have a photo taken with him but I was able to shake his hands!

After the show Ana and I parted ways because she had to go to Glorietta to meet her mom while I went to the terminal to ride a PUV to my apartment.

Have I ever told you I have the sweetest friends ever? I have? Okay, but I am saying it again because it's true! For my birthday next month, Ana gave me an advanced birthday present! :) 

Do me a favor and check out Ana's store, she is a very skilled accessories designer and entrepreneur! I am so proud of her for managing her own store and being very good at it! A one woman-show; she thinks of concepts, creates the accessories she sells, schedules shipping and meetups, single-handedly respond to customers' queries, and still finds time to travel abroad and delegate time for her family and friends (which is the most important of all, methinks). I know she will be big someday! Her creations were even featured already at numerous local magazines :)

This was another experience that is even more memorable because it is shared with a friend :) After posting this, I would already have to go offline and pack my bags. I'm going to the beach this weekend! My friends from college and I are going to Pagudpud and will be back on Sunday evening, and on Monday I go back to work. I might not be able to go online until Monday. Don't miss me too much, mmmkay?

PS: The title of this post is the title of Jason Castro's first single off his EP. :)

I would LOVE to take a chance and join if not for the age limit (yes, I look like I'm 19 but I'm actually 23 years young lol) and my initial dilemma of not being telegenic. So if you meet all the criteria (must be 16 - 20 years old, good looking and wants to make a difference), then what are you doing here still reading this? Go the this link now and join! Last day of auditions is April 15, 2010. Who knows, you might gain fans, be super famous, star in more TV shows and movies, and then go on to win acting awards! Isn't that awesome?

PS: If you do win, it would be great if you can send a nice blowout my way. Kidding! Not really :D

Last Monday I was feeling pretty bored and lamenting that it's my vacation and I SHOULD be having fun when my classmate and friend from college Dewi texted me to invite me to the premiere night of The Lovely Bones. Of course I said yes! (Krissy's note: I should have blogged about it since a couple of days ago but I was waiting for the pictures from Ed but since he still hasn't uploaded them 'til now I might as well just write about it now before I forget the details :D) Before I go on, let me tell you that I am the most geographically-challenged person I know; I have a very little sense of direction and it is very easy for me to get lost, most especially if I am not familiar with the place. Where did I go? People from Manila who read this might laugh at me, but I actually got lost on my way to Glorietta! Yes, Glorietta which is like one of the most famous malls here, accessible by trains or cabs. I only had to take a jeepney to LRT R.Papa station, ride the train, take the adjoining MRT at EDSA station, then alight at Ayala station, go inside SM Makati then there is already a shortcut there to Glorietta. I know all of those, and I still got lost. I was really stressed at the onset because I would be coming from Navotas and only had an hour and a half travel time before the movie starts. Add to that the fact that the LRT got stuck in Carriedo station for about 15 minutes because of some booboo and that I went down EDSA station meaning to just take a cab (and did not get any available ones so I had to go up the MRT station again which I should have done in the first place) so the end result was I called Dane while walking, bawling that I might miss the movie already and that I should just go home haha! I literally cried! But yeah, I figured I should just still try since I was already there and all. And I made it! I met with Ed, Dewi, Karlo and Eden just before the lights at the cinema were dimmed and the movie started! Isn't that awesome, or what? :D

Wow, that was a very long introduction.

Anyway, I have actually been waiting for this movie for so long ever since I read the book my lovely blogfriend Marj sent me in December. I honestly thought it would never be shown here anymore as the movie was screened in the States back in December 11. I even bought the *cough*pirated DVD*cough* just last Saturday because I wanted to see it so badly. Good thing I haven't watched it yet, thanks for inviting me, Dewi! :)

I love that the movie did not deviate too much from the events in the book. All of the actors performed really well and did a great job at portraying their characters. Saoirse Ronan brought life to the character of Susie Salmon, and Susan Sarandon was so funny as Grandma Lynn. Rachel Weisz was gorgeous, Mark Wahlberg was hot, and of course, Stanley Tucci was so creepy as Mr. Harvey and very well-deserving to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the Oscars. The movie had great visuals and Peter Jackson did a great job at putting just the right touch of suspense and drama. I mean, I already knew what was going to happen as I have already read the book but I was screaming with the audience at the terrifying parts! He might just have overdone it a bit on the effects, but I am not complaining as he painted a beautiful, beautiful picture of the in-between world.

After the movie, we bonded at Starbucks, then grabbed a bite at McDonald's Greenbelt where we stayed until 2am just reminiscing about our college lives. Fun times! It was great to see them, especially Eden who I haven't seen since we graduated almost three years ago. Three years? Wow, has it really been that long? In a few weeks I would be celebrating my 20th 24th birthday and I still don't know what to do yet. I mean, I want someone to throw a surprise birthday party for me but I don't know how to go about hinting it lol :D

It was already too late (or too early in the morning, take your pick) when we decided to leave and I was scared to go home as I might be Lovely Bone-d lol so I opted to sleep over at Dewi's  house in Marikina. We chatted some more on our way home and she gave me an overnight bag that I can use to Pagudpud (yay!), slept at about 3am, then woke up at 7am. (I am an early riser no matter what time I sleep) I left their house at around 10am, then finally reached my parents' house in Navotas at around 12:30pm :)

If you haven't seen the movie yet, I recommend that you go see it. And read the novel as well while you're at it. :) Meanwhile, I should be preparing to leave now because I will meet up with Ana later, then watch Jason Castro perform at TriNoma. Yeehee! :D

In a few minutes, Owl City's concert here in Manila would start. But instead of lining up to see Adam Young perform his songs live, I am here in my room with the speakers on full blast, alternating between the two CDs included here:

I wasn't able to coax someone to go the concert with me and I didn't want to go alone so Dane bargained with me and said he'll get me the CD instead. Isn't he the sweetest?

We got this yesterday. I am telling you, if you haven't listened to any of their songs yet, you definitely should. The lyrics are just so simple yet dreamy and have the power to lift you up when you're down or relax you when you need to de-stress. They're perfect happy-place theme songs. Right, Tiara? ♥♥

Some more photos:

I love all the songs included here, but I would have to say one of my favorites is The Saltwater Room. Here's a video I found in Youtube with lyrics to the song and cute doodles:







Now excuse me while I drown in mush and cheesiness. ♥♥