After our mini bookish outing at last Saturday's Dia del Libro, we headed to 26th Street Bistro for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Give the Gift of Light project. We weren't supposed to go anymore but the opportunity to help other kids have the chance to a better quality of life was too good to pass up.
It's easy to take things for granted, especially if they've always been there for us. We just notice the inconvenience when we suddenly find ourselves without the thing (or person) that we take for granted. In this case: blackouts. But for the people of the Dumagat tribe, this is not a temporary inconvenience - this is their permanent reality. And so I didn't hesitate to dedicate a few hours of our Saturdate with the other volunteers that flocked in the 26th Street Bistro.
It's easy to take things for granted, especially if they've always been there for us. We just notice the inconvenience when we suddenly find ourselves without the thing (or person) that we take for granted. In this case: blackouts. But for the people of the Dumagat tribe, this is not a temporary inconvenience - this is their permanent reality. And so I didn't hesitate to dedicate a few hours of our Saturdate with the other volunteers that flocked in the 26th Street Bistro.
It was a delight to see the place packed with people wanting to pledge and volunteer their time, effort, and money to help give light to the kids of the Dumagat tribe. ♡ We weren't able to start on our lamps right away because we had to wait for other people to finish using their soldering irons!
"Madali lang yan! Parang Gundam lang!" were my exact words to Miah.
Assembling the metal parts to the circuit board was easy thanks to the volunteers from My Shelter Foundation who guided us throughout the process.
Buuut we got delayed at the soldering part because my boyfriend is such a perfectionist. Hee.
Seeing our finished lamp light up was sucha relief a proud moment for us! Knowing that a family will not have to live in the dark anymore with the help of our lamp warmed our hearts.
How can I help save the earth? By learning to limit my purchases, not wasting food, bringing a tote bag when I go shopping so I won't have to rely on shops' plastic bags, and being mindful of the stuff I consume and throw out.
It was a lovely afternoon (that extended into the early evening) of giving light. Thanks for this opportunity, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and ARC Public Relations! Special thanks also to my "groupmates" that day: Miah, Jean, Alex, and Ashley.
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| Miah and I with my officemate/ friend Jean and her husband Alex and daughter Ashley |
Assembling the metal parts to the circuit board was easy thanks to the volunteers from My Shelter Foundation who guided us throughout the process.
Buuut we got delayed at the soldering part because my boyfriend is such a perfectionist. Hee.
Seeing our finished lamp light up was such
How can I help save the earth? By learning to limit my purchases, not wasting food, bringing a tote bag when I go shopping so I won't have to rely on shops' plastic bags, and being mindful of the stuff I consume and throw out.
It was a lovely afternoon (that extended into the early evening) of giving light. Thanks for this opportunity, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and ARC Public Relations! Special thanks also to my "groupmates" that day: Miah, Jean, Alex, and Ashley.
♥
Thank god for technology and the way it alerts us to events that might be up our alley and lets us decide whether to go or not. That was what I instantly thought of when I found out about Dia del Libro organized by Instituto Cervantes in partnership with the National Book Development Board (NBDB), Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, WTA Architecture and Design Studio, and the Intellectual Property Office in the Philippines, among others.
Dia del Libro is held annually every April 23 it is an important day in the world of literature. My friend (and my boyfriend Miah's former classmate) Boj informed us that they used to hold it in Kalaw, but this year they held the event in Ayala Triangle Gardens.
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| Wore my fun. wire ring custom-made by Ana because I was sure it was going to be a fun Saturday! |
In Spain where Dia del Libro started, the 23rd of April is St. George’s Day, a day when men and women exchange roses and books. April 23 is also the day two of the world’s greatest authors, Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, died. Thus, UNESCO declared April 23 as “World Book and Copyright Day.”
In the Philippines, April is the birth month of the great classic Filipino poet, Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar, the man behind the epic poem Florante at Laura. To honor him, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts declared April as National Literature Month.
I was so overwhelmed with all the things happening around me that I didn't get to take a lot of photos!
My favorite part of this event was probably the Book Stop, a pop-up library.
but I keep buying new books anyway so this exercise is futile so I wasn't able to get any, but I saw a lot of vintage books that would be interesting additions to my shelves!
Attendees were also given a chance to have their shirt printed with quotations or designs from Filipino-authored books that won the 34th National Book Awards. The shirt-printing booth was paired with a henna tattoo/ face paint station where book lovers were treated to lit-inspired body art and calligraphy. We wanted to have shirts made but seeing as how we arrived at almost 2PM, the line was already too long and they couldn't accommodate us anymore. Oh well.
Other activities for the day were poetry recitals, dance performances, plays, jazz concert, rewriting of the classic book Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes by hand (to be participated in by 500 volunteers)...
I flitted from one booth to another, taking stock of the books available in each booth and manually computing my budget in my head.
Book purchases were supposed to come with a free rose but the stalls where we bought our books from proved to be popular and ran out of roses early, but we got a Spanish poem for free.
We didn't stay long because we also went to the 26th Street Bistro after to give the gift of light, but it was such a unique date/ experience and we had a great time!
As what Miah told me yesterday, he wasn't a big book-buyer before and this is all my influence on him. (Did you know that he also bought a lot of new clothes and shoes in a span of a month? He's turning into a shopaholic!) I hope I am not being a bad influence, but I'm happy that he is dipping his toes into and sharing my interests in the same way that he has expanded my views and my world. #cheese
Happy Dia del Libro, everyone!
P.S: It's also the book birthday of Once Upon a Sticky Note today! Happy first anniversary, Nate and Tanya!
My favorite part of this event was probably the Book Stop, a pop-up library.
A project of the WTA Architecture and Design Studio, the non-profit mobile library aims to bring the books directly to the readers and encourage the development of a community of book lovers. The long-term goal, according to one of Book Stop’s architect designers, Manolo Guanzon, is to eventually set up permanent Book Stops in open public spaces.
A three- by four-meter space, the Book Stop will be open at the Ayala Triangle for two weeks before moving to Intramuros, Manila, for another two weeks. The other places where the Book Stop will be set up are yet to be announced.It is said that the Book Stop at the Ayala Triangle has more than 500 titles gathered from private donations. Anyone can get one book by giving another book in exchange to replenish the Book Stop’s shelves. I didn't bring any books to exchange as my unwanted pile of books are in my aunt's house in Malinta in my attempt to clear some space in my room
Attendees were also given a chance to have their shirt printed with quotations or designs from Filipino-authored books that won the 34th National Book Awards. The shirt-printing booth was paired with a henna tattoo/ face paint station where book lovers were treated to lit-inspired body art and calligraphy. We wanted to have shirts made but seeing as how we arrived at almost 2PM, the line was already too long and they couldn't accommodate us anymore. Oh well.
Other activities for the day were poetry recitals, dance performances, plays, jazz concert, rewriting of the classic book Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes by hand (to be participated in by 500 volunteers)...
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| ... and puppet show for children. |
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| I HAD A COPY OF THIS BOOK BEFORE! But I lost it in a fire back in 2001 *sniff* I didn't get it, but if I saw One Boy Too Many I would've gotten that for sure. |
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| It was hot and humid but we made sure we were hydrated and wore weather-appropriate clothing. My The Beat of My Own Drum long top from the Oxygen x Billboard collection paired with gray couture shorts (also from Oxygen, bought five years ago) and tie-up sandals from SM Parisian proved ideal. |
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| I REALLY wanted to get this but I couldn't reconcile the P704 price tag (P563.70 after the 20% discount) with the paperback version. Or maybe I was just being stingy because I've already spent more than P4,000 this month on books alone. Yeah, probably the latter. |
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| And look, she also gave me a paper rose. ♡ |
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| Our book haul: Trese for him and Eliza Victoria's Wounded Little Gods and Project 17 for me. |
Happy Dia del Libro, everyone!
P.S: It's also the book birthday of Once Upon a Sticky Note today! Happy first anniversary, Nate and Tanya!
♥
Do you remember those power outages in the early '90s? I think I was in Kindergarten or Elementary that time, and I remember feeling majorly inconvenienced because it was difficult to read in the dark. But I persisted, with the help of candlelight. The oldies say that's the reason why I had to wear glasses at an early age, but joke's on them because the reason I wear glasses is astigmatism.
Anyway. I'm so glad that power outages are now a rare occurrence, but spare a thought for the people in some communities in the Philippines that still continue to live without electricity in their homes. To them it's not just temporary; it's a permanent reality.
To celebrate Earth Day, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®, through its Caring Cup program, is supporting the United Nations’ 7th goal for sustainable development: AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY. Recognizing that a great number of communities in the Philippines still continue to live without electricity in their homes, one of the most basic necessities for decent living conditions, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is hoping to do its part to respond to the need by giving the gift of light through its partnership with My Shelter Foundation for its Liter of Light project.
The Liter of Light (or Isang Litrong Liwanag) project is an initiative that brings solar lamps to communities that lack electricity. Recent developments have enabled My Shelter Foundation to convert common kerosene lamps into a medium that gives people access to sustainable light. Kerosene lamps are one of the cheapest light devices in energy poor areas, yet the downside is that they let out toxic smoke harmful to the health of individuals. Through the Liter of Light project, the kerosene lamps are made clean, becoming a source of light that does not give off harmful fumes through a combination of a simple circuit, LED, solar panel, and battery.
Anyway. I'm so glad that power outages are now a rare occurrence, but spare a thought for the people in some communities in the Philippines that still continue to live without electricity in their homes. To them it's not just temporary; it's a permanent reality.
To celebrate Earth Day, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®, through its Caring Cup program, is supporting the United Nations’ 7th goal for sustainable development: AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY. Recognizing that a great number of communities in the Philippines still continue to live without electricity in their homes, one of the most basic necessities for decent living conditions, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® is hoping to do its part to respond to the need by giving the gift of light through its partnership with My Shelter Foundation for its Liter of Light project.
The Liter of Light (or Isang Litrong Liwanag) project is an initiative that brings solar lamps to communities that lack electricity. Recent developments have enabled My Shelter Foundation to convert common kerosene lamps into a medium that gives people access to sustainable light. Kerosene lamps are one of the cheapest light devices in energy poor areas, yet the downside is that they let out toxic smoke harmful to the health of individuals. Through the Liter of Light project, the kerosene lamps are made clean, becoming a source of light that does not give off harmful fumes through a combination of a simple circuit, LED, solar panel, and battery.
I was feeling too lazy to get out of bed this morning. I was still tired from the major event we had last Thursday, the extreme heat and humidity were not helping, and San Juan is too faaar. But I just couldn't let this pass me by. Also, waffles. So instead of spending the day lounging in bed, I spent it feeling the feels and celebrating Filipino romance books with fellow Filipino romance lovers through an event organized by #romanceclass – April Feels Day!
And what a wise decision it was. ♡
For only P200 entrance fee, I got a free book, unlimited waffles by Pegi Waffles, and a tarot card reading by Caryn Paredes-Santillan and experienced hearing live readings of choice romance class books for the first time.
I was supposed to prepare and sell print copies of my story Once Upon a Sticky Note but things got crazy busy at work that I rarely had any energy left for other things when I get home from the office. Being an adult is so hard. (‘﹏*๑) The cover is already done though and I just need to find the time to prepare the inside pages. I promise to finish this soon because seeing people buying books earlier was the drive I needed.
Instead of having books to sell, I gave away free Krissyfied Makes postcards instead.
A LOT of people came and it was so nice to see friendly, smiling, and kilig faces.
I uploaded videos of some of the live readings online via Facebook Live. You can see them here: Salve Villarosa and Hervin Alvarez reading Choco Chip Hips by Agay Llanera-Reyes; Rachel Coates and Jef Flores reading That Kind of Guy by Mina Esguerra; and Rachel and Gio Gahol reading All's Fair in Blog and War by Chrissie Peria. Note the very warm reception of the audience.
What a fun, productive, feels-filled day! Sure my wallet is bleeding (as I have spent nearly P4,000 this month on books alone, HAHAHA) and I would most probably have to bring packed lunch until the next payday, but who cares, right? Will work for books.
All titles are listed in the Romance Class website where you can also see how to get copies in different format (ebooks or print) of each. I'm a little sad that Loveless. Childless. Clueless. by Miren Flores was not available for sale, though. But I guess I could always contact her and buy online, yes?
Congratulations to the organizers and volunteers for a hugely successful event! If anything, I hope this inspires us to churn out more books so that we can do this regularly and release more [romance books] out into the wild. What a beautiful and supportive community this is. Visit the #AprilFeelsDay hashtag to see photos. I can't wait to attend more #romanceclass events!
And what a wise decision it was. ♡
For only P200 entrance fee, I got a free book, unlimited waffles by Pegi Waffles, and a tarot card reading by Caryn Paredes-Santillan and experienced hearing live readings of choice romance class books for the first time.
I was supposed to prepare and sell print copies of my story Once Upon a Sticky Note but things got crazy busy at work that I rarely had any energy left for other things when I get home from the office. Being an adult is so hard. (‘﹏*๑) The cover is already done though and I just need to find the time to prepare the inside pages. I promise to finish this soon because seeing people buying books earlier was the drive I needed.
Instead of having books to sell, I gave away free Krissyfied Makes postcards instead.
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| I brought 30 pieces chosen randomly because I turned 30 this month. Heh. |
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| The wonderful voice talents who gave another dimension to the characters of the chosen romance class books and the authors who first breathed life into them |
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| I also got a tarot card reading care of Caryn, whose words rang so true it's almost creepy! In a good way, mind you. |
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| With Mina Esguerra, the Mother of Romance Class. Thank you so much for you and all that you do, Mina! |
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| With fellow (yiheee) authors Pierra Calasanz-Labrador, Justine Camacho-Tajonera, and Ines Bautista-Yao ♡ |
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| With fellow authors Chi Yu Rodriguez, Six de los Reyes, Tara Frejas, and Jay E. Tria |
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| With fellow author Ana Tejano |
What a fun, productive, feels-filled day! Sure my wallet is bleeding (as I have spent nearly P4,000 this month on books alone, HAHAHA) and I would most probably have to bring packed lunch until the next payday, but who cares, right? Will work for books.
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| My April Feels Day loot: Romance Class shirt from WearDPT, Cities by Carla de Guzman, Beginner's Guide by Six de los Reyes, The Bye-Bye Bouquet by Chi Yu Rodriguez, and Finding X by Miles Tan. I also got free stickers from Tara and Chrissie and a button pin from Caryn. I got Blast from Two Pasts from Kristel Villar as a freebie when I registered and paid the admission fee. Kismet: it's actually on my to-buy list. |
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| I wear my heart on my sleeve |
♥
Got passion for music and fashion? You will love this new collaboration. á’„₍⁽ˆ⁰ˆ⁾₎á’ƒ♪♬
Music and fashion enthusiasts, mark the date. Oxygen, the preferred fashion brand of the stylish youth, is holding a pop-up music fest on April 14 at TriNoma’s Activity Center to launch its exclusive partnership with global music giant Billboard.
The event will feature live musical performances from Sam Concepcion and some of the country’s upcoming bands and DJs like Never the Strangers, She's Only Sixteen, DJ Toby, and Kat DJ. Music buffs can also update themselves on the latest global hits with a featured music station that plays the most current chart toppers from today’s hottest artists. Most importantly, guests can take their pick from the Oxygen x Billboard pop-up store which will feature pieces from the collaboration AND Instagram-worthy spots for them to shoot their own OOTDs in.
The Oxygen x Billboard collection features items for everyday use including graphic tees, pullovers, jackets, dresses, and accessories like caps and bags. The designs, which take heavy inspiration from the rock and hip-hop genres, come mostly in black and white save minimal pops of color here and there for select items, and scream of New York street fashion.
The collection is now available at all Oxygen branches! Tell me if you've checked them out already, and please do tweet me if you're coming to the event on Thursday so I can meet you! You may also RSVP to the official Event Page here. See youuu!
Music and fashion enthusiasts, mark the date. Oxygen, the preferred fashion brand of the stylish youth, is holding a pop-up music fest on April 14 at TriNoma’s Activity Center to launch its exclusive partnership with global music giant Billboard.
The event will feature live musical performances from Sam Concepcion and some of the country’s upcoming bands and DJs like Never the Strangers, She's Only Sixteen, DJ Toby, and Kat DJ. Music buffs can also update themselves on the latest global hits with a featured music station that plays the most current chart toppers from today’s hottest artists. Most importantly, guests can take their pick from the Oxygen x Billboard pop-up store which will feature pieces from the collaboration AND Instagram-worthy spots for them to shoot their own OOTDs in.
The Oxygen x Billboard collection features items for everyday use including graphic tees, pullovers, jackets, dresses, and accessories like caps and bags. The designs, which take heavy inspiration from the rock and hip-hop genres, come mostly in black and white save minimal pops of color here and there for select items, and scream of New York street fashion.
The collection is now available at all Oxygen branches! Tell me if you've checked them out already, and please do tweet me if you're coming to the event on Thursday so I can meet you! You may also RSVP to the official Event Page here. See youuu!
Connect with Oxygen
"I was put on this earth to accomplish a lot of things.
Right now I'm so far behind I will never die."
As much as I wanted to stress myself over preparations for my 30th birthday (I kid, I kid), I couldn't really do it because I was tied up with work. I love planning parties, but couldn't really muster the energy to plan something for what is considered a milestone birthday. When I learned about the Pinoy Bookstore Tour organized by the National Book Development Board though, I decided THIS WAS IT! My birthday plans served to me on a silver platter!
There was only one problem: slots are limited and I didn't make it.
Still, people were encouraged to go so I thought, why not go to Baguio for the weekend and make a trip out of it?
I had another problem: no one could go with me.
All hopes to have a memorable 30th appeared to have been lost. Up until a week prior I didn't have definite plans; all I know is that I didn't want anything grand and that I wanted to make it all about moi. And so on the day itself I had a Combination Swedish and Shiatsu massage and a delizioso Italian dinner with my boyfriend. ♥
And then, when you really need them, people pull through.
It was a beautiful weekend visiting different shops, eating, and being a tourist in a city he lived in for about two years before. I've only been to Baguio twice before, and it's interesting to see how things have changed since.
Our main reason for going to Baguio was, of course, to follow the Pinoy Bookstore Tour that had its last stop in Mt. Cloud Bookshop scheduled for April 10, Sunday. We dropped by on Saturday night and it's a good thing we did because we got to meet Edgar Calabia Samar before the bookstore tour participants even did!
He also wrote the Janus Silang books that I got the next day: Books 1 and 2 and the graphic novel version of Book 1 - three books bundled at a special price of P560 only.
The next day...
LOL remember when I lined up for Manix's autograph for six hours?? I AM NOW WILLING TO GO OUT OF TOWN FOR MY IDOLS. THE EXTENT OF MY FAN-GIRLING HAS COME TO THIS.
My fan-girling satisfied, we bought pasalubong and left Baguio at around 2PM.
It's a relatively short trip when you think about all the other places we could've visited, but I couldn't have been more satisfied. It was my and Miah's first time to travel out of town together and I'm happy that we got to know each other even more and how each one behaves in unfamiliar territories. He knows how important this trip was to me and he pulled all the stops to make sure my milestone birthday was one of my most memorable birthdays ever. #blessed
Saka mas masarap mamasyal sa Baguio kapag may ka-holding hands.
There was only one problem: slots are limited and I didn't make it.
Still, people were encouraged to go so I thought, why not go to Baguio for the weekend and make a trip out of it?
I had another problem: no one could go with me.
All hopes to have a memorable 30th appeared to have been lost. Up until a week prior I didn't have definite plans; all I know is that I didn't want anything grand and that I wanted to make it all about moi. And so on the day itself I had a Combination Swedish and Shiatsu massage and a delizioso Italian dinner with my boyfriend. ♥
And then, when you really need them, people pull through.
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| My handsome boyfriend ended up going with me! |
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| We passed by the Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral and marveled at the beautiful stained glass windows |
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| Do you get kilig also when your special someone takes sneaky photos of you? I do. (ღ˘⌣˘áƒ¦) |
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| Ginumis with panutsa ice cream from Pamana Restaurant |
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| Minted Hot Chocolate from Cafe by the Ruins |
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| Mongolian Vegetables from Ocha Asian Cuisine |
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| Modeling my copy of Samar's 101 Kagila-gilalas na Nilalang, photobombed by Sir Kidlat Tahimik |
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| Edgar Calabia Samar signing my copy |
The next day...
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| Manix Abrera showing samples of his work and talking about where he gets inspiration for his comics from. Answer: from snippets of everyday conversations he has with people or overhears from others. |
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| Falling in line to get my book signed: Kikomachine Komix #11: Mga Kirot ng Kapalaran with a different cover |
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| Small talk with Manix while he signs my copy |
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| Group photo! Miah is now a fan ^_^ He also went with me to Manix's exhibit in UP Diliman before. |
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| For the birthday girl ^_^ |
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| We also got to take a group photo with Edgar Calabia Samar this time. |
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| New books for the birthday girl! |
It's a relatively short trip when you think about all the other places we could've visited, but I couldn't have been more satisfied. It was my and Miah's first time to travel out of town together and I'm happy that we got to know each other even more and how each one behaves in unfamiliar territories. He knows how important this trip was to me and he pulled all the stops to make sure my milestone birthday was one of my most memorable birthdays ever. #blessed
Saka mas masarap mamasyal sa Baguio kapag may ka-holding hands.
♥
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