Back in 2008, I made a huge decision that impacted my life in a huge way: I moved out. I did it mostly for practical reasons, as my work shift then started at 5 AM and I lived far away from the office, but I can honestly say it gave me far more benefits than the shorter commute time.

I learned to take charge of myself, basic and advanced house chores, budgeting and managing my finances wisely, and dealing with the consequences of my decisions. I mean, learning about these things, especially house chores, is not really something one should brag about I imagine I must be more sheltered if I didn't move out at the age of 22. I still don't cook but I know how. I have also started baking and I'm going to share more about that in a future post.

Since the first time I moved out I have already moved in to five different apartments, each more memorable than the last. But I guess nothing really beats the first time. Last Saturday I met up with my friends from my first ever workplace/ my first ever housemates, and it's like no time has passed!

We went to Bulacan to visit Ruther and Robin in their house, and it was so much fun although we had to travel far. Thank god for P2P for making the journey faster and more convenient.

It is amazing to think how far we have come from when we first met as new officemates in HSBC back in 2007!

We woke up early on Sunday morning to have breakfast al fresco at the Bustos Dam Eco Park.

I very rarely do this these days as city life has consumed me, but it's great to be near nature again! I'm glad Asther went home for the holidays so we could get together and that our schedules in the first weekend of 2020 freed up. It pays to plan well in advance. 

It's also great to be back in TriNoma and eat at my favorite Bigoli again (even though quality of the food is no longer the same) after several years! Between moving to Makati to be near the office and my family moving to Valenzuela, I didn't really have reasons to go to this part of Metro Manila.

I am grateful for friends that remain through the years even though locations and circumstances change.

Having said all these, I am moving again to a new apartment! From a condo unit in Poblacion, I will be moving to a new room still within Makati, and hopefully it will be a good change for me.

Looking forward to new memories I will make in my new temporary home. :)

Happy New Year, my friends! I hope you welcomed 2020 with happy hearts and merry bellies. 

I am always excited to welcome a new year because a new year means new planners and journals.

This year I have three: a 2020 Essentials Planner, a TN-sized fauxbonichi from Mommy Lhey Designs that was part of my #EatPlanLove2019 loot bag, and a Belle de Jour 2020 Power Planner (Leather edition).

I customized my 2020 Essentials Planner with travel tickets. :)




I love its minimalist interface that lets me customize every page however which way I want it. Aside from using it to jot down my to do's for the week, I also write here anything I need to note. Everything goes, and there really is no specific category for its contents.

As for my Traveler's Notebook-sized fauxbonichi, I don't have anything written on it yet but I was already able to set it up. I am planning to use it as a diary/ journal where I can record my thoughts and feelings.



Pretty, yes? It's a watercolor painting by my friend Meream, in the cover of a TN-sized insert. Visit her work here and here.

Lastly, I will be using my Belle de Jour 2020 Power Planner for day-to-day planning and work schedule.

There is value in putting pen to paper, and I proved that once again when I was preparing my 2020 Planner's Dream Board. I printed out photos from my El Nido trip to include in my Dream Board, and what do you know, I got amazing news even before I glued the photos!


You can view the rest of its inside pages here.

There is value in writing things down, and every year I list down my goals here on the blog and on my journal. For 2020, I would like for my Word of the Year to be FOCUS. I intend to give undivided attention to whatever I am doing or whoever I am with in the moment, and just be present.