The day began just like any other day. I woke up at 4:15 in the morning, got out of bed at 4:45, showered, prepared the things I needed to bring like my gym bag as we were supposed to go jogging around UP Diliman later, then left the apartment at 5:24. I arrived at the office at around 5:45.

The day began just like any other day. I wiped my desk with the antibacterial desk wipes provided to us employees, got coffee and water, then settled down to prepare for another eight hours of work.

The day went on just like any other day. Our boss is on VL but TL Paul was there to supervise us. I joked and swapped stories with my officemates, ate bagel with butter during break, and browsed The Daily Mail.

The day went on just like any other day. Before I knew it, it was 11:30. Lunchbreak. I went to the locker area, checked my phone for any new messages, and learned that our plan to go jogging has been cancelled, so we would just work out at the office gym instead. We went down to the diner area, paid for our food, and settled down at one of the long tables to eat.

And then my phone beeped.

My boss, TL Carlo, who has been my boss for about a year and a half, sent us all an SMS advising us he has resigned effective immediately yesterday. No explanations given. I was left reeling. It came completely out of the blue that I am still shocked until now. It felt like a total blindside and never in my wildest dreams did I see this one coming.

We didn't even get to say goodbye.

Yesterday, we also learned that one of my closest friends in the office, Frank, has also been accepted to transfer to another department. Whilst I am happy and excited for all the opportunities that will surely come his way there, I am also sad because I will miss him. A lot.

Goodbyes from all around.

But life goes on. All days begin just like any other day. All days end just like any other day. I just pray for courage to be more accepting of changes that come my way.

This day will end just like any other day, but with an extra tinge of sadness.

As promised, here are some photos I was able to take during the Coca-Cola Big Youth Blowout held last Saturday at the TriNoma Activity Center!

TriNoma was packed with people eager to take part in the fun, and watching last minute rehearsals made us even more excited for the show itself! They also showed three different videos before the program started: The Happiness Truck, The OFW Project, and The 100 Year Old Man's Secret to Happiness. Click on the links to watch them, but make sure to prepare some tissues ;)

We were part of the pre-program, too! Some cameras followed us around as we tried to "act normal" while enjoying the different booths and activities in the venue. I've always said I don't think I am telegenic at all so you could just imagine how hard it was for me not to appear too self-conscious! Some friends who watched the live streaming tweeted and texted me about seeing my face onscreen so that was quite a different experience for me :D

During the pre-program, VJ Chino of MYX asked us to go onstage for a quick chat about our blogs.

And then the program started!

Coca-Cola and Bench are iconic brands so it was really a big honor to have been chosen to take part in the grand celebration as a Fashion Correspondent. It's amazing how my passion for writing has opened a lot of different doors and opportunities for me to reach out to more people and hopefully bring inspiration in my own little way ♥

It was also a great privilege to meet and greet:

Thank you Coca-Cola! Cheers to more successful years in the Philippines and all around the world! I hope you continue to Open Happiness to more Filipino families here and even abroad.

Were you able to see the live streaming? If not, you can still watch the video by going here and clicking the tab at the bottom-right corner! The program starts at 1:12:39 but see us Fashion Correspondents "acting normal" after the 00:55:00 mark! ;)

Here is a quick sneak peek:

Click this link to check out the Coca-Cola Originals by Bench shirt designs!

What a fun and memorable experience! Big thanks to Coca-Cola and Bench! ♥

As chosen Fashion Correspondents for the Coke X Bench Fashion Show at the Coca-Cola Big Youth Blowout held at the TriNoma Activity Center yesterday, we were instructed only two things: arrive at 2PM and be in red.

Easy enough, yes? Well, there are only a couple of problems - I have tubes of red lipstick and numerous nail polishes in various shades of red BUT my closet totally lacks red pieces. Also, I desperately needed a haircut. It is a big event after all, and I wanted to look the part.

I was in SM North as early as 10:30AM to look for THE dress and maybe some accessories to go with it. Lesson learned: avoid rush shopping as much as possible. I forgot that it's hard for me to look for "mature" clothes in my size because I'm too skinny, but I don't want to buy from the Pre-Teens section anymore. Now because I was already pressed for time I didn't have a choice but to buy the first dress that fit. And now I'm regretting it a little because it's too expensive and still a little too big for me. But it's okay because it's so pretty and I know I will be able to use it in other instances and occasions.

By 12NN I was already done shopping so I went to TriNoma where I enjoyed a solitary lunch at Kenny Rogers before things got crazy busy again, then at 15 minutes before 1PM headed to FIX Lab for my haircut. I've learned my lesson during our department's Christmas party last year so I really made sure I had an appointment yesterday. I LOVE MY NEW HAIRSTYLE! Thank you Pabs, you're awesome. Big thanks also for advising me to change into my event-clothes and apply my makeup there :)

I arrived at the venue at quarter past 2PM where I met with my fellow Fashion Correspondents Ava, Alex, Aisa and Cheyser. What a fun bunch of fashionistas! I'm glad and honored to have been a part of this whole experience with them ♥

I'll share more photos from the event on my next post, but let me share with you the details of my outfit. After a couple of hours of panicky rushing through the two malls, here is the look I came up with:

By the way, only the dress and necklace are newly-bought. I've had the rest for quite a while now so please don't think I am a spend-aholic :)

What do you think?

My next post will be about the event already so watch out for that! ♥

First of all I would like to thank everyone who voted for me to walk the runway at the Coca-Cola Originals by Bench fashion show that will be held at the TriNoma Activity Center tomorrow! I didn't win but I would still be a part of the event as a Fashion Correspondent so I'm pretty excited about it. Congratulations to Vern and David! They would walk the runway tomorrow with other Coca-Cola ambassadors Enchong Dee, Joseph Marco, Kathryn Bernardo, and Julia Montes. (I also heard from the grapevine that my crush David Chua will be there... Yiheeee ♥)

Ehem. Back to what I really wanted to share with you guys. Do you remember the environment-friendly billboard Coca-Cola Philippines unveiled last year? Done in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund under the Live Positively sustainability program, the billboard utilizes recyclable materials AND plants that absorb air pollutants! So amazing, right? Now, prepared to be amazed once more as this time, Coca-Cola has unveiled billboards made entirely out of crowns!

In line with its 100th anniversary in the country, Coca-Cola simultaneously unveiled three tansan billboard structures (the first of its kind in the world!) in key locations across the country (North EDSA in Quezon City, Highway Seno in Cebu and Ulas Highway in Davao) last January 17. All three bears the special insignia of the brand’s 100th year celebration headlined with a simple “thank you” message to officially open up the year of happiness in the Philippines.

One of my secret childhood dreams is to be a ramp model. I am skinny enough, yes, but seeing as I don't have model-like features and I totally lack the height needed to be one that dream was immediately scrapped. But guess what? I have the chance to walk the runway this coming Saturday, thanks to Coke and Bench!

In celebration of Coca-Cola's 100 Years of opening happiness, they have partnered with Bench for the Coca-Cola Big Youth Blowout which will be held on January 28 at the TriNoma Activity Center. I am one of the 12 bloggers they have chosen to be Fashion Correspondents, and among us 12, two will be picked to be a runway model at the Coca-Cola Originals by Bench fashion show!

To vote for me, all you have to do is:

Only votes tweeted by 11:59PM tomorrow (25 January 2012) will be counted, so please vote before then!

BIG THANKS to everyone who has already voted for me even when I have nothing to offer but wishes of peace, love and happiness! I know this will be a long shot as I'm up against really famous fashion bloggers, but being chosen as one of the 12 is already a big honor, so thank you, and good luck to all of us! ♥

I really enjoyed this trip, mainly because my family hasn't done this for a while. We spent the long weekend there and left Manila last Saturday night because we still needed to attend my uncle's birthday party. After six hours at the bus, we reached cold, cold Baguio at around 5 o'clock on Sunday morning :)

The house we rented was just walking distance from the Victory Liner terminal station. After resting for a bit, we got ready to explore the city!

We then walked to Burnham Park where we:

We then went to SM Baguio for lunch where we feasted on KFC Bucket Meal and

Determined to visit every tourist spot in Baguio, we then went to Mines View Park, where we

Our last stop for the day was the Botanical Garden,

We headed back to our rented house to rest. We had some low-key leisure time by

We were up very early the next day because we wanted to squeeze in more places to visit since we were due to leave later in the day.

We then went to the

to get some

and

We were supposed to go home already, but Alexis recommended for me to check out Mt. Cloud Bookshop in Casa Vallejo. Well, you know me and the lure bookshops hold to me, so...

The bookshop was really nice. It has its own rustic charm and wonder and I really felt magic upon entering the door; it was like walking into history itself. It's one of my dreams to have a bookshop just like this one, and I know one day I really will. Someday, someday.

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. We reached Manila at around 11 o'clock last night bearing great memories of our short but wonderful trip. I'm thankful for opportunities to see and experience more of life through travelling. As they say, "A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not why ships are built."