Arbitrary Thoughts

Caffeine Needed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 15:10:00 +0000

Too Stressed Drilon with work and Emily would say "I need enough caffeine in my system", lol! So we went out for coffee - it's Friday anyway and we get to sit down and talk about what needed to be done with work since it's almost the end of the month. 😩 Glad we sorted things out.

Thanks for this photo, Emily. Couldn't help myself, I had to check my emails!

Dinagyang Festival 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 14:41:00 +0000

I had a fun Dinagyang weekend. Friends, booze, party!

January 24, 2016 - Sunday

With my bff Emily, in the streets early in the morning with our coffee, enjoying the festival. She has never experienced to be in the streets during Dinagyang like I do each year, so I dragged her along me with and I'm glad she enjoyed the experience.

And in the evening I went to see Up Dharma Down with a few friends. UDD was amazing. Been waiting to see them play.

#lastsong #UpDharmaDown #UDD #Iloilo #Dinagyang2016 #WhenInIloilo

A video posted by Marie (@mariekwaks) on Jan 24, 2016 at 9:43am PST

January 25, 2016 - Saturday

January 23, 2016 - Friday

I had a great Dinagyang weekend. I hope yours too!

R.I.P Scott Weiland

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 17:19:00 +0000

Sad day in the world of Rock. STP front man, Scott Weiland found dead in his sleep.

When I was in high school, I used to record songs to a cassette from a radio station - NU107, trying to catch a song that was stuck in my head (that's how it worked before the internet, mp3s and iPods). Some of the songs on that tape was "Interstate Love Song". I clearly remember thinking how I got stuck in one genre and that's how I discovered "my music" on my own. That was also the year my mother gave me Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies EP (well, I asked her to buy me the album when we were at the music store), and the same year Kurt Cobain died. Yup, that was 21 years ago.

RIP, Scott Weiland. This breaks my teenage rock/grunge heart. 💔

You will sorely be missed. 😢

Trip to the Laundromat

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 08:30:00 +0000

It's hard to dry the laundry during rainy season. So I made a quick trip to the nearest laundromat in our area or else I'd go naked. LOL!

Washed 14 kilos of clothes and bed linens @ Php55/kilo.

Laundry Day today or naked tomorrow. 😱😁

A photo posted by Marie (@mariekwaks) on Aug 8, 2015 at 9:28pm PDT

Cold, Rainy, Windy Friday Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 21:27:00 +0000

So I woke up to this yesterday morning.

It's 5:22 AM now, and it's still raining hard. I love this kind of weather. I can just stay in all day and catch up on sleep over the weekend. :)

Stay safe and dry, #Iloilo. :)

2nd Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 17:05:00 +0000

My 2nd hurt like like a mad b*tch. But it's nothing I couldn't sit through.

As they always say, "once you start, you can't stop." And I am definitely going to get another one. It has already been scheduled. :)

Hello January 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 04:13:00 +0000

It's the first workweek of the year and work is already piling up. I'm not complaining though, instead I'm thankful. :)

To start off, the luvey came home on the January 4th and we, together with his mom went out to lunch and got him a new pair of shoes for our friend's wedding for the next day.

Yihee: the sound of kilig 😂😁 #EnglishOnlyPlease #love

A photo posted by Marie (@mariekwaks) on Jan 1, 2015 at 10:40pm PST

January 5th, we attended Marvin and Mharl's wedding at the Jaro Cathedral.

Congratulations and Best Wishes, Marvin and Doc Mharl! #wedding #friendstagram #friends

A photo posted by Marie (@mariekwaks) on Jan 1, 2015 at 6:33am PST

At Marvin and Doc Mharl #wedding 😁#friendstagram #love

A photo posted by Marie (@mariekwaks) on Jan 1, 2015 at 2:11am PST

And yesterday was his last day in Iloilo. He had to go back to Pampanga for work so we had lunch with his mom and friends and spent the rest of the day at their house before we dropped him off to the airport. :)

I'll see you again soon, love!

Welcome 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 03:43:00 +0000

I am hoping that 2015 will be good.

Last year was filled with good memories, events and sadness even. There are also new things I've learned from last year.

Happy 2015!

And September Ends

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 16:54:00 +0000

September was filled with a lot of great activities that I haven't really had the chance to update everything on my blog. Posting about it would be awesome but some are better left unwritten.

So, I'll update through photos. :)

Look Who's Back In Town!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 13:16:00 +0000

Yup, Hec is back and he surprised-visit me while I was still asleep at home on the day (09/16/2014) that he arrived in Iloilo.

As of this writing, I'm waiting for him to pick me up at home. ;)

Take Vacations

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Apr 2014 14:46:00 +0000

Excited for the weekend. :)

Sunday Brekkie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 05:39:00 +0000

Today is Hec's day off. He woke up early and prepared breakfast.

Thanks for this, love. :)

Cebu Pacific and Tigerair Share Booking System

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 05:30:00 +0000

I let my friend took my plane ticket for me online and didn't notice that he got me a flight for Tigerair, until I was lining up at the check-in counter. But it was also my fault for not reviewing/checking my flight deets. :P

Anyway, I just learned that Cebu Pacific air and Tigerair (Tiger Airways) share booking system. So, that's kind of messed up. This is how it looks like when you select and book for a flight to Cebu Pacific or Tigerair:

So, lesson learned here is to check my flight details prior to my scheduled flight. I don't want to fly with Tigerair again - terrible, terrible take off and landing experience. I felt like I was riding a paper plane. The only consolation to this is that the flight was not delayed and 20 minutes early on arrival. But I will never fly with Tigerair again.

Learn the Korean Language Through Translation Services

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:57:00 +0000

There are a lot of translations services online available nowadays like the Rosetta Translation, providing accurate Korean translation into English and vice versa. However we all know too well how unlucky someone could be when mistranslated words happen. This is very common particularly if other people would like to have a Korean character or text tattooed permanently on their body, not even trying to research or find out what it means.

Many people depend too much on online Korean translations services because they do not put too much thought into it. Sometimes because of a sudden decision, some people won't bother to look up for Korean characters online - what it means or how the character would look like.

However the sadder part is that even for more important instances of translation, people still choose to trust the online resources that give instant results, but do not have any real basis for the accuracy of their translation, when there are many reliable Korean translation sources they could check with and which are also easily available online.

Korean translation therefore is very complex and detailed, compared to other types of language translation. The best thing to do is to check out a translation agency and hire someone who has an intensive qualifications in linguistics, particularly phonetics, and must be an expert in reading and writing in Hangul. Not all linguists may be proficient in both skills so at some point, you should figure out first what kind of Korean translation you want - written or just phonetics.

Boracay 2014 With My Sister

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 15:49:00 +0000

I spent the weekend with my sister out of the busiest of the city and immerse ourself in Boracay. Every time I visit the island, I see many changes - it is progressing and staying. Change is good.

It was actually an unplanned trip. I asked my sister on Friday if she wants to go to Boracay, since she hasn't been there yet we packed our stuff get ready for an overnight stay in Boracay. It was a sweet escape. After all, it's our birthmonth.

I am amazed at how my sister grew up so fast. It was also nice to actually bond, drink and talk with her. It's great to see the changes in her.

Needless to say, we had a fun weekend. Hope to do it again soon. :)

The Beach is Calling

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:52:00 +0000

Getting ready for the weekend!

My First Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 17:54:00 +0000

I always wanted to get a tattoo but never had the chance to get one. On Saturday I got my first ink. I would like to say it was an instant decision, although I already have talked to my tattoo artist before and how I would like it done. I had it done earlier than the original schedule since I got nothing to do for the weekend, so I thought it would be the best time.

Having the common design in mind + a few modifications on the original design made me psyched. I never had any tattoo before, so I had no idea how painful it is or how to deal with pain. I have heard stories that it hurts a lot while some said it's tolerable.

So I went there calm and collected. The session started after 10 minutes I got there and I was already ready for it. The needle biting into my skin was so new to me - it hurts but not too painful. The design is going to be bigger than I anticipated. I am getting a full back tattoo.. but I'm doing it per session.

Two hours after, I braced myself for more pain. I knew that this was going to be more painful when the needle started drilling near my spine. But, it was still bearable.

I maintained my sanity with my smartphone - listened to music while checking Facebook to keep me occupied. Then my friend came over to check the progress while taking pictures. My conversations with my friend and tattoo artist made me relaxed and forgot about the pain.

3 and a half hours it was done. I survived - inked and breathing. My pain threshold was A-OK! It was nice to see the finished work of my first installment tattoo and I am happy. My second session has no date yet, but it's going to be sooner. :D

My ink is an expression of my faith. It symbolizes God's presence, my mom (my angel) who love, support, protect and guide me.

Travel Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 13:14:00 +0000

Just excited for April. Been saving up for this. Traveling with Hec and fam again. :)

50 Ways to Take a Break

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 05:14:00 +0000

Caviar Manicure

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 17:10:00 +0000

My friend gave me a caviar manicure set on Christmas

and I just used it today for the first time.

Not bad, right? The violet color on my ring fingernail is just Caronia and I got the caviar from Plazuela. :P

I love nail polish/nail color. Although I change nail colors every week, there are also days that I give my nails a break from polish to breathe. I also love doing nail art. I've used nail decals twice, but most of the time I do it with nail colors alone - with or without nail art tools. I've posted 'some' of my nail art designs in my Instagram. Feel free to browse. :)

NFL Halftime Show - Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 07:49:00 +0000

I am one of the many who always gets excited during the half time show. This year, it's Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

My reaction when the halftime show started.

Check out the halftime show performance. Enjoy!

I love it! I wish I could see Red Hot Chili Peppers perform live. They are coming to Clark, Pampanga on February 22, 2014 for the International Music Festival.

When I learned in December that they are performing in Clark, I started saving up (cause you know, the ticket is expensive) and wanted to go even if I am alone. But I don't think I can be there, since I've extended my vacay here in Iloilo. So I'd rather spend my savings for the upcoming summer vacay. :D

Saturday - Dinagyang Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 08:41:00 +0000

How was your Dinagyang Weekend? Well, if you ask me.. I had a great one! I just went out in the evening to be at Flownation Dinagyang 2014 at Flow Superclub with my girl friend, Kristiane. It has been almost 2 years that I haven't been partying/clubbing.. so I definitely had a great time. Plus, I have seen many of my friends there too.

I took a short video of the party. Please bear with the sound quality.. I took it using my smartphone only. :P

That's Martin Pulgar of Republiq on the deck.

We only stayed there for like 3 hours and went to Pietro Kaffee to meet some of my friends who happened to be in the area.

Dinagyang Fever

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 17:24:00 +0000

I was not feeling well this morning, so I guess right now it's getting worse. I'm starting to get a sore throat and a cold. Yikes! No, I can't get sick.. it's Dinagyang weekend! I gotta take my meds to make me feel better in the morning. I want to feel the Dinagyang fever, but not literally. ;)

Happy Dinagyang 2014, Iloilo!

Thank You Tita April

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 05:08:00 +0000

I was so busy dealing with crazy handful of nothing. The busiest days are taking its toll. It's overwhelming. Then I received a Viber message from Tita April, my boyfriend's mom which made me feel better upon reading it. It's really nice to know that somebody is thinking about you. It made me feel loved. This is not the first time she checks up on me. It just that today is perfect timing to make me feel better. So this deserves to have an entry here. You may say this is just a corny or shallow post, but I just wish I could share the rest of our convo. I'd rather not, 'cause I don't want to spoil and maybe jinx the good stuff. :D

I love her not because of the things she does for me, but because she is really a nice person.. not just to me but also to anybody. I always tell Hec that I still feel very shy whenever I'm with her mom (because); she would text or call me and invite me over for lunch or dinner or movies.. and many other things. It's not a negative thing, but I'm just shy 'cause it's always on her and won't take my share. Every time I come home to Iloilo from Pampanga, she would fetch me at the airport (and back). Last year, she took a break from class just to fetch me at the airport. I thought it was just her driver, but she was there too. Her generosity towards me makes me very shy, and to say 'thank you' is not enough. .

She is just so sweet and loving. And I'm more respectful to her as well. I really appreciate that she considers me like a part of her family. I remember when she was at my mother's funeral, she hugged me for like two minutes and said, "I will always be here for you". That's one of the nicest things a person has ever said to me that day. So thank you tita, for the love and for making me feel special. :) I'll see you when you come back from training.

The Tee-Tones Covering Miley Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop - Vintage Version

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 13:17:00 +0000

I love Miley's original but this one is worth a listen. I love it! Enjoy!

Check out Scott Bradlee Music YouTube channel for more post modern jukebox-like covers. Love 'em! :)