Simply Average

Sunday Tunes: Jose Vanders' Man on Wire

2015-08-23T22:08:00.003+08:00

"Would there be another list of 99 things that I missed, just because I had a fear of failing."

We all have regrets. The things we never got to do. Or the things that we never should have done in the first place. Sometimes we wish we have a time machine just to try fix every mistake we think have done in your life. To improve ourselves and be better versions of our present self. But we're stuck. Stuck with the decisions we've chosen, good or bad, that made us to who we are right now.

♫

I'm Back!

2015-08-05T12:10:00.001+08:00

I graduated a few months ago and freedom from school it's not fun at all. I've been bumming out all day and it is not doing anything good. It makes me lazier and more miserable (and probably crankier). And so I though I should try to be more productive (other than finding a job). I need to get the writing gears running again and do something with this blog. So yes, I'm back!

Will be posting new things soon and change a few minor things around the blog but for now, ciao!

☮

[Hiatus]

2014-08-03T12:03:00.000+08:00

There's this tiny bit inside me that wants to completely shutdown/delete/obliterate this blog. It's not because I have nothing to write. I have seven posts that are in need of writing and tweaking, no longer wanting to be categorized as Drafts. It's also not about school either though the stress of my last year in college will get the way of everything sooner or later. Maybe because it's laziness, or lack motivation, or maybe I have this big plan for this website.

But for now, goodbye. I'll be back soon. I hope. Probably after I graduate where I could write about what it's like to have no job or finding one.

Summer Goals

2014-06-04T22:00:00.000+08:00

It's been a long time since I posted here. OJT, laziness, and some meaningless things got in the way of my posting. Or maybe it is my annual "Write a new blog post? That's a bother" thinking? Nonetheless, I'm kinda back. I'm officially on summer breal! Although I've been wasting time these couple of days, I decided to do some productive things in the coming days. And just so we are clear, when I say productive, I mean productive as in not just sitting around with my laptop surfing the net but sit around the television hahaha.

Finish all the TV series! I really don't know why I decided to put most of my TV series on hold and decided to start with a new one (Yeah Dharma and Greg!). I guess I wanted to focus on my Korean dramas and comedy series, and just marathon the heavy series so I could deal with all the emotions in one go. Which I realized is such a wrong idea. Sherlock S3 and Game of Thrones S4? Must I torture myself with all these feels? However there's also Pride and Prejudice (1995) series to comfort me hahaha (source)

Bring back the otaku. 2013 was kind a no anime year for me. My siblings had been gushing over some of these series, and I would sit and just listen to them and it's becoming a bother. I missing fangirling over anime stuff! So on my to watch list this month are: Kimi no Todoke S1 and S2, Silver Spoon S1 and S2, Chihayafuru S1 and S2, Durarara!!, Kuroko no Basuke S2, Golden Time, Haikyu!!, and Mekakucity Actors. Woah, freaking too much!!! (source)

Check off some books on the list. This is gonna be another long list. I'm already reading The Princess Bride, my to read pile is growing, and I still want to buy more books before I leave. So on the list are: George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons, David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Stories: All-New Tales (Various authors), Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, and probably some other books that I might find.

Write, write, write! Write daily on my journal. Write blog posts and schedule them. Write articles for my org. Then hopefully start writing the first chapter to my new story. Hopefully (source)

Burn those calories to the max! I honestly don't know why, that even if my weight was one of my biggest (emotional) problems, I've never done anything to it. I know last Christmas break I was able to jog/walk 45-minutes daily for about, I don't know 8 days? But I stopped and continued eating. I really never learn my lesson. Curse my lack of motivation and determination. So right now, I'm starting again. I hope I could accomplish my goal this time.

x

Throwback: Saturday at Baguio

2014-05-01T08:08:00.000+08:00

April 26, 2014. I really needed some time to cool off and forget the disappointing week I had. So when my mom asked me if could go to Baguio, I immediately jumped on board! What better way to de-stress than with some family/cousin bonding time, strawberry taho, and a chance to ride a bike after a very long time at cool and cold place. Of course our trip was the usual tourist trip. Explored Teacher’s Camp and got to see their sunflowers. We went to Burnham Park and rode bikes. Consumed 2 glasses of strawberry taho because I couldn't get enough of it. Got stuck in Mines View Park because of the heavy rain. Bought vegetables and food goodies at the wet market. It was kinda the same Baguio routine. The only thing new was Cordillera World, this mini museum/souvenir shop at Mine’s View featuring a lot of souvenirs, statues, wooden sculptures and a lot more. Definitely the highlight of the trip for me and a must visit if you're going to Baguio!

Now I miss the cold, the rain, and my jacket. Stuck again in the city where summer is never fun especially if you have OJT.

x

DIY Hand Painted Phone Cases

2014-04-07T09:51:00.000+08:00

Ever since my sister, Erika, and I decided to open an online business, I've been pitching the idea of having hand painted phones cases on our product list. Unfortunately, our business is still under construction and possibly won't open until, I don't know, probably never. However, I still wanted to see what a hand painted phone case would look like. And well, having some mod podge and an extra phone case in hand, I just had to ~~nag~~ ask my sister to make one. Having an artist/painter sibling really have its perks.

Here's what you'll need: 1. Plain phone case - even it's colored, it doesn't matter, 2. Brush/es, 3. Mod Podge, 4. White paint and other colors you want (acrylic paint is used in this case), 5. Some inspiration, 6. Sandpaper (optional)

First thing to do is the base color or what will act as our "canvas". Using the white paint and a brush, cover the entire case with a few coats. Let it dry overnight. Once it's dry you can either use a sandpaper to smoothen the case or leave it as is to give it some texture. The next step is to start the actual design. Look for patterns, designs, or inspiration you could incorporate in the case. For this DIY, I asked my sister to recreate her red, white, black abstract. You could use different brushes, your fingers (finger painted phone cases!), or whatever you think will help you achieve the design you want. Let it dry. The last step is to brush on some mod podge. This will "seal in" the design and will give it a nice polish look. And voila, you're done!

♥

Beginnings and Breakfast

2014-03-29T13:22:00.000+08:00

It summer break - the call for a new post, the beginning of lazy days, and the beginning of making tough decisions. So I guess it’s time to start again with this blog. How long have I let this blog rot into inexistence? Probably long enough to the point that I try to be all sophisticated. To the point that I forgot I’m actually making a post about beginnings and breakfast which I now see has no connection at all. But that is not stopping me. I feel the need to write something senseless. . .something about breakfast. Clearly I just need an excuse to write.

So let me start again. . . uhm. . . beginnings. Every day is a new beginning of a new blank page. A blank page that needs to be first stained with coffee, egg yolks, butter, jam, vinegar, or whatever you are having for breakfast. So yes I'm one of those people who believe in breakfast. The need to eat something before facing the crap of the world behind the walls of my house. The extra push I need to get me through the day.

Banana Yakult (Buttermilk) Pancakes made from scratch, Spam Bacon, and Poached Eggs

I feel today is the beginning of when I'll see the results (or probably consequences) of my decisions these past few weeks. Life is either gonna be crappier or happier or something in between. But whatever happens, I need a decent breakfast to get through this.

♥

Sunday Tunes: Mikky Ekko's Stay (Original Demo)

2014-03-02T08:00:00.000+08:00

On today Sunday Tunes, I was suppose to feature a song from a new band that I love. The post was ready to be written and scheduled for today but I discovered something even better, grander! It was big coincidence actually. Yesterday, I heard someone singing Rihanna's Stay and the song was stuck in head all afternoon. It wasn't the first time that I heard it. My friend, Andy, introduced me to the song last year and pretty much it became the only Rihanna song that I really love. But what I really stood out for me was Mikky Ekko, the other voice you hear in Stay. I became an instant fan. I listened to more of his songs namely Kids, Pull Me Down, and Who Are You, Really?, and feel even more in love. Yet, I wanted to hear his own version of Stay. I only saw a video of him singing it live but no, that was not enough. Hearing Stay again yesterday after such long time, I wanted to listen to his own version even more. I was about to tweet about it when I stumbled upon his Facebook page and apparently he already released one a month ago. And well, I just started screaming (thank god I was alone in the house).

I love it. I've been waiting for this since forever and I'm totally in love with it.

♪ ♫

A quick trip around Manila

2014-02-25T19:45:00.000+08:00

It was February 13 and I was freaking out. Not because I didn't have a date on Valentine's Day (as if!) nor it was because I was looking for a present for my imaginary boyfriend. I was actually busy looking at google maps of Manila. My friends and I had to go to different places in the city to take some photos for our Photo Journ class, and well the three of us knew nothing (insert Jon Snow gif here) about going around Manila. I was afraid that we'll get lost and be late for our afternoon class. Fortunately, nothing bad happened! All was well. I finally visited Escolta Street, home of 98B, the monthly Future Market where they sell vintage and handmade stuff though I didn't know where their building was (bummer). Got to go to Fort Santiago after nearly a decade (that wedding reception didn't count). And well, classes were cancelled. HA!

♥

Cupcake Baking Addiction: Time for chocolate!

2014-02-21T09:30:00.000+08:00

When I first decided to bake, the word cupcakes popped into my head. You’d think seeing my mom and my sister make cookies mostly would influence me but no. The whole baking cookies process scared me. How would I know if they’re cooked? You can’t stick a toothpick in one, can you? It relies on time, sight, and gut feeling. And you can’t trust those things with me. My eyes and feelings just can’t be relied upon. Cakes, though you can prick it, were another thing. I might as well ruin a couple of cupcakes than one big cake that will probably go to waste and in the dumpster. I can’t risk that consequence. So, cupcakes it was!

The first time I baked own my own, they turned out good and a bit better than I expected. I wanted to make some more and decided to bake some for my friends. It was really getting addictive. If we had more cupcake liners in our baking cabinet, I might whip up a batch every time I go home on the weekends. However last Saturday, I couldn't take it any longer. I had been dying to make some chocolate cupcakes and the fact that we didn't have cupcake liners wasn't stopping me (hello DIY cupcake liners).

I found this super easy chocolate cupcake recipe from Simply Recipes (what a coincidence). It had no eggs, no milk, and no butter in the batter (Vegetarian cupcakes! How crazy is that?) but it tasted so delicious and was absolutely moist! I would have wanted more chocolate in it but the yummy frosting made up for that.

However I’m still not satisfied. I’m still looking for that recipe that will make me 100% happy. Well, better make some of Sally’s Death by Chocolate Cupcakes next :)

♥

Back from the [blogging] dead

2014-02-19T10:05:00.003+08:00

Finally! My blogging mojo is back! Working on a few things for Simply Average like a new layout and more [scheduled] posts (hooray!). No giveaways as of this moment since I'm saving for my future (hahaha) but if there was, it could be something about books. Hopefully I could keep the blogging gears running until school ends while balancing laziness, school, and procrastination.

♥

Back in Time: Film Camera

2014-02-17T14:18:00.000+08:00

When I was finally a third year college student, it meant only one thing for me - Photo Journalism class was here! It was that one subject that I've been waiting since freshmen year since it meant that I could finally get my hands on the DSLR I had been wanting. Unfortunately, my professor had other plans. We were going back to the basic old times before getting all digital.

The arrival of my Minolta XG-M meant that I wouldn’t get a DSLR any time soon (probably until I graduate). I could have just said no and let my other friends buy one of their own or borrow from others. But no, I decided to choose film for personal reasons. Of course I’m still dreaming of having that Nikon 3100, like right now but I’m happy with my Minolta. It (with my professor’s help) taught me a lot of knowing the right aperture to use, setting the right shutter speed, and the most important thing: getting the right shot without knowing what it will look like after you press the shutter button.

However I’m still not there yet. My focus isn't the great. My composition still sucks whether I’m using a film camera or not. But hey, practice makes perfect, right?

♥

Sunday Tunes: Some Filipino Loving

2014-02-09T10:24:00.000+08:00

There was a time when I knew "a lot" of OPM (short for original pinoy music or what we Filipinos call our local music). I really didn’t know the name of the bands or the title of the songs but when it played on the radio, I sang along with it. Who cared if I had a horrible horrible voice, they were awesome songs.

Fast forward to high school and the discovery of Jam 88.3, a local radio station that plays alternative music, I grew less fond of OPM and knew less. The only time I listened to OPM was when I’m riding a taxi or jeepney. – their radios tuned in to the local stations.

But, now, I guess its high-time that I immersed myself in some OPM again. My iTunes is just so loaded with American/British/Japanese bands and singers. Heard that the alternative/indie genre is rocking the OPM scenes. Better get my start there.

Anybody here a fan of alternative or indie OPM? Can you please answer this survey? In would mean the world to me. Thanks.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1K0BjO2QoF0Y1uiOEZhyafdV4NsnwyanJtpPEZA0rdEA/viewform

Never the Stranger's Davenport

Cattski's Gap

Solenn and The Morning Episode's Until the Sunrise

♪

Last Minute Meals: Bacon Ramen

2014-02-06T14:44:00.001+08:00

Ever since I watched Tampopo last year, I've been craving for ramen. Even though, I already had some of Rai Rai Ken's Batchoy Ramen, ugh I was still dying to eat one. Watching The Mind of a Chef's ramen episode didn't help. So I decided to make my own - such a "big goal" from a person who's semi/somewhat good in the kitchen. But my plan was simply, very simple, laughable simple. Cook some instant ramen and mixed in some vegetables and egg. The result was something that I hated. It tasted good (thanks to instant ramen seasoning) but I didn't like it because it wasn't what I expected. So I decided to turn up the notch, said goodbye to instant, and hello to homemade!

Here's the recipe that resulted from my limited knowledge of making ramen courtesy of a TLC show and a few google searches which I'm happy to report turned out better than I expect. Bacon probably does that to everything.

For the broth: I boiled together some pork bones with a little meat on them, onions, garlic, bacon, and 1/3 a chicken broth cube on low heat for around two and half hours while occasionally adding water when the soup evaporated too much. Add a squeezed of calamansi (calamondin), a teaspoon of sesame oil, and/or fish sauce.

For the noodles: I used egg noodles for this recipe (which I slightly, just slightly, overcooked accidentally).

For the ramen toppings: Sautéed tomato in butter with a pinch of salt, sautéed baguio pechay (kinda like wom bok/Chinese cabbage) in butter with a pinch of black pepper, (a failed) poach egg, and the star of this dish, fried bacon (lots of it).

Happy cooking!

♥

The red velvet madness

2014-01-12T10:20:00.000+08:00

When I first heard about red velvet I thought it was chocolate with red food color in it. It all sounded simple so I was wondering what was all the fuss surrounding it. I know chocolate can taste heavenly but seriously? Did the red color change the flavor or did it just made it look even more delicious? It all became too confusing when watching cake shows of people wanting both chocolate and red velvet flavors, and becoming slightly addicted to the show Cupcake Wars. Why want the same flavor on your cake? Why does Florian hate it so much but loves chocolate? There has got to be a difference between chocolate and red velvet. And well, there is. Turns out red velvet has less cocoa in it, ranging from a couple of tablespoons to less than a cup, and buttermilk that gives the cake a slight tangy flavor.

With my mind finally at ease with the whole red velvet confusion and my siblings getting baking bug, I finally decided to do some real baking last December. It was the perfect time. Christmas was just around the corner. I was broke and didn't know what to give to my family and I wanted to give something special. What better than to do something from scratch! So I searched for recipes for some red velvet cupcakes and marshmallow fondant to give my cakes an extra umph.

The first thing I did was the marshmallow fondant (recipe from Bake Happy). The number of ingredients may make it look easy but getting to the "fondant" stage is difficult. All that kneading, crisco, powdered sugar, and sticky marshmallow can get pretty messy. It took me probably an hour or more to finish everything but it was all worth it. Adding food color and shaping them was a different story - less messy, easier, and more fun! My siblings, cousin, and I acted as if we were playing with play dough, making some pretty cute Christmas stuff.

Baking the cupcakes was slightly scary. I wanted it to be perfect so I carefully read the recipe I found on Pepper.ph multiple times even while I was baking to make sure what I was doing right. Placing them on the oven was scarier. I occasionally check the clock, check on the cakes using a toothpick, and was being paranoid that it would be burnt. Luckily the cakes turned out better that I expected! My family was pretty much happy with my present.

I made these babies twice already but I'm still pretty scared about the whole baking process. Yet I'm excited in trying other recipes. Chocolate cupcakes, you're next!

♥

Welcoming the new year [through photos]

2014-01-01T11:00:00.000+08:00

I guess whether we're just settling down in our new home, spending the last day of 2013 and New Year's Eve is still fun and awesome as ever. As long as I have my family around, everything will be fine. All photos taken by Erika Dino.

♥

Sunday Tunes: James Arthur's Cover of Wrecking Ball

2013-12-01T14:41:00.000+08:00

It's been a long time since I posted something here. School work, writer's block, and my annual "should I stop writing on my blog or just delete it" syndrome pretty much got in the way. But I'm back (for now, I guess), living life in the most normal way possible. Not too much drama, or probably none at all, happened in the last couple of weeks since the second semester of school started. There were problems about film cameras but that's for a different post. If there were others, well I might have been oblivious, ignored them, or I might have erase them from my memory.

So my so ordinary couple of weeks can only mean that today's Sunday Tunes isn't related to my feelings or anything that happened, in the past or recently. This particular song is just such a good cover that I prefer this from the original. Not that I'm saying Miley's version wasn't any good but the way James sung it gave it an extra edge.

♫

[DIY] Notebooks for school

2013-11-10T12:33:00.000+08:00

It was just last year when my sister Erika developed an interest in bookbinding. Using old materials like used canvas cloth and coffee-stained papers, she has created a planner, sketch books, a scrapbook and small notebooks for her and her friends. It was such an amazing project that my sister wanted to sell them online. I was immediately on board! I mean, who wouldn't want handmade notebooks? Unfortunately, our plan didn't push through (again).

But that didn't stop my sister from creating my notebook for the second semester! Okay, I asked her if she can and she said yes. . . and well, provided that I bought the materials. At first my sister planned on creating separate notebooks for each subject but I prefer filler-type notebooks since when you hit college, you apparently write less notes and read more photocopied materials.

I was planning to create a tutorial unfortunately the instructions is a bit hard to follow since I didn't have enough photos to show the process. And well, I wasn't the one who made the notebook. Fortunately, Google has plenty of tutorials that are easy to follow. I decided to read some since I'm planning to create some next year.

Here are the tutorials I've found.

• Grace Bonney of Design Sponge's Bookbinding 101: Five-Hole Pamphlet Stitch

• James Darrow's Book Binding Tutorial

♥

I (kinda) baked: Banana Cheesecake

2013-10-31T10:11:00.000+08:00

My sister made some Chocolate Chip Chessecake for my parents civil wedding anniversary. They were some cream cheese left and my mom boiled some saba bananas last Sunday and so I thought, why not?

I searched for some recipes and luckily the top searched result was Jessica's (How Sweet It Is) banana cream cheesecakes. So I baked last Monday. . . or actually just mixed some ingredients then placed it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Thank god for the people who discovered no-bake recipes!

Although, being an amateur in cooking/baking, I decided to tweak a few things to accommodate my taste (I didn't know what I was thinking) I replaced coconut milk with all-purpose cream, added a few tablespoon of sugar to the cream cheese mixture, and used a cup of crushed graham crackers instead of the original. Unfortunately along the way, I discovered a few mistakes.

I realized that I had not enough cream cheese (NOT ENOUGH). That I should have used a blender for the bananas (why haven't we bought one yet?). That I probably should have not used saba bananas. That I have not pressed the crumbs enough on to the pan. Okay, so I made a lot of mistakes. Hence the crumbly fried beef with chunky mushroom gravy looking banana cheesecake. It kinda sounds less appetizing but it tasted actually good.

One small step for an amateur, no?

♥

Halloween "Costume" Idea

2013-10-29T09:54:00.000+08:00

If you're still wondering what your Halloween costume should be, here’s a great idea! Technically this is not the whole costume, more like halloween make-up but who cares? Just show what’s inside. Literary. Just a grab some paint/make-up, brushes, reference photos or some grisly imagination, and your good to go!

These awesome paint jobs were done by my sister Erika. The first photo (courtesy of my sister's friend) was done using face paint, done during an event at our university. This blood oozing, partially stitched wound is a sure winner to gross out your friends and strangers. The second photo, on the other hand, was done using oil paint. Though not as entirely gag-worthy as the first, the facial muscle "mask", which took over an hour and half to finish, is still awesome!

Take note that oil paint is not safe on your skin for long hours. The muscle paint was done for a quick photo shoot for my class project, not for partying till midnight hahaha. So to be safe, face paint all the way!

☠

Sembreak. . .

2013-10-28T10:30:00.000+08:00

The past two weeks of sembreak have been one lazy day after another. I've been staying in what is officially my 3rd home where the internet is either working for 30 minutes a day or around 10 pm. I've probably stared at my laptop screen for who knows many hours just waiting for the net to freaking work.

Of course there are also the endless movies and TV series I have in my external hard drive but unfortunately I haven’t touch/watch them. Well except when my brother came over for a couple of days and decided to have a movie marathon before he immersed himself with medical books. Well at least I was able to watch Pacific Rim, The Croods, and listen to After Earth while reading Shingeki no Kyojin.

However the highlight (which could be what this post is actually about) of my short vacation is, well not my books or watching my favorite American TV series but actually Korean dramas!

When I heard Park Shin Hye and Jung Yong Hwa will be in another drama, I was tremendously excited. Of course, it was said that Yong Hwa will be the second lead and Lee Min Ho the first but who cares, I just want to see my Dooley couple in a drama. Unfortunately, Yong Hwa backed out and joined another where he was still the second lead (bummer)

Yet I actually don’t care that they are in separate dramas. Shin Hye’s chemistry with Lee Min Ho in Heirs (a.k.a The Inheritors) is undeniable strong. It is also an amazing drama to watch, and I’m not just talking about the actors. Yong Hwa’s drama, Mirae’s Choice (a.ka Future’s Choice or Marry Him If You Dare) is funnier and lighter than Heirs. He has definitely improved his acting where you can feel his comfortable with his character rather than look stiff/forced. His chemistry with Yoon Eun Hye is there however I’m all aboard the first lead ship. Eun Hye’s scenes with Lee Dong Gun are just. . .my heart just can’t handle the cuteness!

But I have to go back to reality soon. I have one more week to be a bit lazy and be a bit productive. Maybe refresh my mind with some Spanish terms before the second semester begins. Organize my school stuff, and well, get a start on those movies.

♥

October (Old) Movie List

2013-10-17T10:02:00.000+08:00

I'm officially on my 3-week school break! After all the stress and coffee I drank for the five months, I can finally relaxed. And what better way than watching movies! I currently have a lot on my to watch list but when my Politics professor let us watched El Cid (1961), I thought it would be better to immerse myself with some classic/favorite films this sembreak. Technically, these five films are not really old (well, two of them are) but I was either born before they were made or too young ( 2-7 years old young) to appreciate any of them.

1. The Usual Suspects (1995)

It was one of those nights when I was busy reading the movie section on Cracked.com. A post caught my attention and pretty soon The Usual Suspects where on my movie folder. Shallow reason, right? (Photo)

2. Fight Club (1999)
When you keep seeing/hearing a quote from a movie (The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club.), you'll get pretty intrigue. So I decided to read about it on wikedpedia and well. . . BIG SPOILER ALERT! Yet despite knowing the freaking ending, that was the actual reason why I decided to put this on my list. Other than Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. (Photo)

3. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

I've been trying to read different genres of books lately. It's not because I had enough of my mystery/thriller/murder books, I still love them so much. But I wanted something different. The first (different) book I bought is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. I seriously love the courtroom chapters and Atticus Finch. So when I found out the book had a movie and it was labeled by the American Film Institute as the number one courtroom drama movie, I just couldn't contain my excitement. (Photo)

4. Vertigo (1958)
Since I was looking for some classic films, I stumbled upon AFI's 10 Top 10 lists (yeah!). They divided the list into 10 categories, and one of them is mystery (double yeah!). Of course, I decided to go with their top choice. . . for now. (Photo)

5. American Beauty (1999)
When she was young, my sister, Kay said that her favorite movie was American Beauty. The movie kept on popping on my mind every time I was thinking what I should add on my list. Long story short, I did. (Photo)

♥

The Last Week School

2013-10-15T16:00:00.000+08:00

It's been a long time since I posted here. School work and exams just took over my schedule last week. Yes, finals week. For some unknown reason, the date of the deadline our projects and schedule of 2 final written exams fell on ONE DAY (Oct. 9). For four days, I would sleep at around 3 in the morning, relying on coffee just to finish everything before my 3-week break.

One of these was creating a 50-page magazine, our final exam for our Feature Writing class. My friends and I (who were my groupmates) were pretty excited in creating one. Before our professor even announced this, we already had a concept (a health magazine named, The Healtheist, meaning health believer), topics, and a bunch of other ideas. It was fun writing the articles especially the "guilt free halloween treats" were we actually cooked some pretty tasty dishes! Layouting the magazine, well, was another story. It was a bit fun but really really stressful.

Second were the written exams. Out of our 8 subjects, four subjects required us to take written exams (the other four were projects, speeches, and a research paper). Two of these were scheduled on October 9. You'd think it would be easy but when you were layouting a 50-page magazine and at the same time doing another video project due also on the same day, you'll get pretty stressed. And the fact the both exams tackled all the lectures since Day 1 of the semester, well. . . dead.

There was also our second project for our Art Appreciation class. Last time, I did a film/performance art. This time, I had planned on doing a video again but I was press for time so decided to do my second idea, a photograph/digital art. But since I was making a static artwork, I still had to document the actual process of taking the photo and editing everything, meaning I also had to create a video. The photo above is just a peek of what I did. I asked my sister to paint my face to make it look like facial muscles. Cool and weird.

The last thing I did (a.k.a I just did it last Sunday) for this semester was a 5-page essay/final exam about Juzo Itami's Tampopo. It's an absolutely hilarious and amazing movie about food, especially ramen, and life. However, I should warn you that once you watched this, you'll be craving for some ramen! Take it from me. After I submitted my paper, my mom, my sister, and I went out for some book shopping and I pretty much insisted on eating ramen for dinner. Nothing says "reward for all your hard work" like hot a bowl of Rai Rai Ken's Batchoy Ramen.

♥

Sunday Tunes: Under the Bridge

2013-09-29T07:00:00.000+08:00

On the last week of August, something snapped inside me that released all these kinds of emotion. It felt horrible. The things it did to mind made it worse. But I rather not go into detail. I'm out of that place and I feel wonderful now.

♫

Taking the stage at BlogCon

2013-09-25T16:20:00.000+08:00

Weeks ago, I was approached by my organization's (TomasinoWeb, the online publication of my school, UST) president to be one of the speakers at BlogCon, this blog conference my org was doing. I honestly didn't know what came over me but I said yes without a second thought. I mean, did I suddenly forget that I was extremely shy and have stage fright? Or when I was in the first grade, I backed out at the very last minute (the MC was calling my name already) for a performance I was suppose to do in front of the whole school? I guess my head was probably saying "carpe diem".

I was tasked to talk about Campus Blogging and Blog Styling, and I was pretty excited. Unfortunately. . .you'd think for a first time speaker, I'll be preparing days before but I didn't. I "practiced" my talk, and made my presentations and the note cards the day before the event. I was even on the verge on crying at one point. I slept at around 2:30 am and woke up at 6am. The event was scheduled at 8am.

When it was my turn on the stage, I actually didn't feel anything (me and my emotional problems). I was able to discuss how things go around in the blog section of TomWeb and talk about some basic tips on styling a blog. Messed up a bit, forgot something, and I was out of the stage in less than 30 minutes. I guess I just wanted to leave the stage as soon as possible. But I had to go back for the panel discussion with the other morning speakers which was worse because I suck at on-the-spot complicated questions. My brain was just not made for those kind of things!

Despite that, I'm really really thankfully my org trusted/believed in me in doing this as it was such an awesome experience. I sat next to Saab Magalona, a Filipina actress and blogger, silently while waiting for our turn to speak and smiled at her once. I met and chatted for a bit with Ace Libre (pictured above), singer and pianist of this amazing band called Never the Strangers and he told me I had good taste in music (freaking died!). I got to listen and learn from some awesome people about the different genres of blogging and how they balance it with their life. And I also met my other org mates! (I told you guys that I'm really really shy)

Lastly, I'm so glad to have an awesome family and friends for all their support. I actually thought of backing out but I couldn't do that to my org, my friends, and my family. And I wanted to prove to myself that I sometimes need to face my fears head on and learn from the experience rather than chicken out before anything happen.

I'm still shy, I didn't change overnight. But I'm happy I'm somehow one step closer.

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If you want to know more about happened at BlogCon and who the other speakers were, read an article here. More photos can be found here and here.

♥