Chill Saturday

We don't (and I think we never will) get tired of seeing each other's faces, so last Saturday (Mar. 23) we hung out AGAIN!

le friends (and my bag)! lol

Actually, we had this alumni meeting which, while being a real brainstorming, was also a great excuse to meet with college friends. Clevah! LOL.

moning, jusz, je, sarah

Our meeting with Ate Clarize and Sarah had been productive. We're now on the planning stage of the upcoming event for the CAS alumni. And because we’re all equally thrilled by it, the ideas and suggestions poured in quickly and smoothly! Imagine the crazy vibe on that day! All the past CAS batches under one roof! It's gonna be ONE WILD NIGHT!J

serious??? haha!

After that, Kreng, Jusz, Jonas, Sarah, and I decided to hang out at Jerome's place. Pancit canton parteeeeyyyy! HAHAHA. 

sarah & kreng.

whaddup, kreng? lol

le me chillin' like a villain! i'm on bummer mode!

We were supposed to watch Life of Pi, but we got all excited about our summer getaway in Cagbalete that we just decided to discuss it instead. Woooooo! Can't wait!!!

like a boss! HAHA!

feeling restless, eh? BWAHA.

Then, there had been some more chitchats and confessions on the rooftop! Talked about the thing we love talking about most: FTB-ying! (Secret what FTB means! Hihi! My blog is a decent blog! (Hint, hint!) Lol!) 

I love days like this. So chill and easy. Gives me the feeling nothing can go wrong. I hope every day would be just like this worry-free Saturday. 

JJJ

*thanks to Jonas and Sarah for the photos!

When things take a turn for the worse, then for the better

You know that moment when you get overly excited about something, then that something goes wrong and everything else follows? So freaking disappointing, isn't it? Sadly, that was exactly what happened to us last Friday. Relate, relate!

We'd been anticipating the date as that was the opening of this year's AFC Challenge Cup. My first ever time to watch a football game live was during the Peace Cup last year, which was such an amazing experience that I looked forward to watching another football game live again. Azkals were supposed to play against Brunei's team, but due to unavoidable circumstances Brunei backed out! PFT!!! So the hyped excitement turned into a major disappointment. We already bought tickets, so there was nothing else we could do but watch even if the Azkals wouldn't play.

The only photo I have of the game. Turkmenistan massacred Cambodia with a 7-0 score!

But maybe God loves us so much he didn't want us to go home without smiles on our faces. And we definitely are such fun-seeking individuals that we found ways of making the most out of what we could do while we were there.

The sure ball, no-fail formula:

Friends + Food + Chitchat + Laughter = Fun J

(Fine, I know this is a bit cheesy and corny but it’s true.)

Before we headed to Rizal Memorial Stadium, Vyna, Kreng, Je, and I first ate at Zark's Burger! If you haven’t heard of this place yet, it’s a resto which boasts American-sized and mouth-watering servings of burgers with fries. As a fan of TLC’s Man v. Food, I’m always thrilled to eat here ‘coz it feels like I'm eating in a diner of the same caliber as those featured in the show.J Woooh! Expect your cholesterol level to skyrocket(bacon and patty overload)! Aftereffects: neck and nape pain, headache and nausea. BWAHAHA!

blurry photos 'coz we were all laughing hard! :D

Then right after the game, we went straight to Makati to meet with Jusz at Glo. Dessert indulgence at Conti’s followed! Kids with sweet tooth.J Hurray for happy tumtums!J

We also spent some time strolling around Ayala Triangle, making fun of each other, singing to songs only we know the lyrics, camwhoring (excluding me) with overexposed shots, and talking confidently to each other using an alien language. LOL.

taas ng araw 'no, Kreng and Vyna? LOL.

shy me!

shy friends! LOL

Good times, good times.J

*Thanks to Je for the photos!

Bato Springs: Something Amasi

Another one for the books!J

Last Sunday, the 17^th, Sarah, Jerome, Kreng, Jonas, and I went streamhopping at Rio De Cambaliao and Bato Springs Resort!

Bato Springs!

But there’s more to the story…

This outing was a post-celebration of Sarah's birthday. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN, SARAH!J) There had been so many options as to where we should go. We kept on changing the planned venue until finally we chose to just stick with Rio De Cambaliao in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. All we wanted to do was just pass the time and have fun together, so anywhere near and not costly was fine.

When we got to Rio De Cambaliao though, there was already this bad feeling that we made the wrong decision. And I was right! Barely two hours had passed when we made up our minds to leave and go someplace else. I don’t know what happened; the place wasn’t all that bad. Maybe it just didn’t click for us. Well, that’s life. LOL.

had to walk on our way out 'coz vehicles rarely pass by this remote area. hew!

the loooooooooooong road out of Cambaliao.

jonas, sarah, jerome, kreng

the heat was killing us!

Moving on, so… whereto now? Bato Springs Resort’s name came up. We got excited because Jonas told us the place was nice. By then, another concern arose – do we have enough M.O.N.E.Y. left? Remember, we didn’t know we’d be going anywhere else but Cambaliao. We didn’t bring extra. (In my case, that was just a lame cover-up ‘coz the truth was, I had nothing more to bring. HAHAHA.) Ever the risk takers, we hit the road and off we went. Yeeeeeeehaaaaa!J

guys with no direction! HAHAHAHA!

We were excitedly chatting on our way to Bato (located in Brgy. San Cristobal, San Pablo City, Laguna) when we came across a signage which says, “Welcome to Brgy. Bulakin, Dolores, Quezon.” Say what? QUEZON?!?!?! What in the world???!!! HAHAHAHA! Laguna, then Batangas, now Quezon? But how?! HAHA! We were all shocked that we just nervously laughed while scanning the place, which already looked very rural. More trees, less houses. OMG!

Apparently, Bato Springs Resort is nestled between Mt. Banahaw and Mt. San Cristobal. You gotta take the road to Dolores, Quezon to get there. LOL. Amasi, isn’t it?

 

FYI, Bato Springs Resort has man-made falls and stream. Pools are also a bonus!J There are tables, huts, cottages, and private rooms to choose from depending on your budget. I personally think their rates are pretty cheap for the great accommodation and amenities they offer.

pan up!

Once you plunge into the water, expect an icy-cold sensation to run through your veins. LOL. Nothing to worry, it’s bearable.J The place is surrounded with trees and plants which provide shade. Girls who’re complexion-conscious will like it here.J Amasi!!!

that's me! peg?! LOL

It’s perfect for a quick getaway. See, even if we never thought of going there on that day, we survived.J

You may be wondering as to what this “amasi” thing, which I keep on saying, is. Well, Sarah started this all. Her family owns a mini parlor named Amasi Salon. It’s so catchy that it got stuck in our heads the whole time. Eventually, we discovered that “amasi” means amazing (according to Ms. Sarah). Just the word we need to describe the adventure we had that day!J

pan right!

I’m still trying to get my head around the things that happened. I mean, we woke up that morning not planning on going anywhere far, but there we were, brought by fate to Quezon! Amasi! HAHAHA. It was totally an adventure. I’m so glad we did it even if we had to go home “purdoy/udong” (moneyless; broke in Batangueño) and indebted to Sarah. HAHA!

classic Nona poses. hahahahaha!

kreng, je, sarah

To the Amasi friends I was with last Sunday,

Terapakalu misa gayaha. Furira lama kupiwa. Mesa na tupipa ne. Soloso komo. Hagasa minatyal kurpili mi. Metala! (If you’re gonna ask about what I just said, DON’T. I myself doubt if those words even exist in a sane human being’s vocab. Haha!)

Signs point to good things for summer!J This is just a warm-up. Things are about to get crazier!

Next up: Cagbalete!!!

*Thanks to Sarah and Jerome for the photos!

artsy pansy wall

#artsy pansy wall

I’d like to show you a small part of my room – 1/19^th of my wall. J Blame Tumblr and boredom for this deed if it’s so much of a crime. Just played with some random cutouts and stickers of anything colorful and meaningful (?), and voila! Don’t you just love the result? Put them all together and they make a cool art (that’s how I see it). J This collage is now what connects me to this space which was once alien to me. There’s now something that I can identify myself with in my own room. So, this is a work in progress. Guess I’ll just continue adding more stuff on the wall once boredom strikes again. What do you think? J

THE HOST by STEPHENIE MEYER

The Host is one of my all time favorites! I love everything about it, EVERYTHING. ♥

The Earth has already been invaded by souls.  These souls take over humans with a new identity; leaving only a person’s body a vessel. Wanderer (Wanda), a soul, finds it hard to totally wipe Melanie, a resistant host, out. As they live together in one body, Wanda eventually learns to feel the same way Melanie feels about Jamie (Melanie’s brother) and Jared (Melanie’s lover). This led them to find the two in a cave along with other surviving humans. It has not been easy for Wanda because, though she is sincerely after the good of the humans, some are still not convinced she’s on their side. Among those who resist is Jared himself, which made everything complicated. The situation is also worsened by the other not-so-little-issues among them in the cave. Solutions wouldn’t come easy, for sure.

It’s not the face, but the expressions on it. It’s not the voice, but what you say. It’s not how you look in that body, but the things you do with it. You are beautiful. – Ian (♥)

The Host is a story about love – for family, for friends, for someone – that transcends humanity in all its sense. 

I think how Stephenie Meyer came up with this idea was brilliant, but how she had written it was genius. Brilliant idea since this is the first time I read something of this idea. Genius writing because I do believe it takes a lot of contemplation and imagination to write a novel of this kind. And, to make sure it is a story where readers can actually put themselves into is a different thing altogether.

The novel’s being a very unique story makes it all the more interesting and riveting. It gives readers a lot of new things to ponder. And since it is far from reality, the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ within the story would surely bug the minds of those who’re reading. Earthworm-like creature in the head, eh?

More reasons to love The Host: it is ultimately a fictional story, yet it is still able to touch and play with its readers’ emotions. Readers are supposed to find it hard to relate to the book because the story is next to impossible, but it still effectively and convincingly found its way to the readers’ hearts. Stephenie Meyer made great use of this unlikely romantic story to show people what all-encompassing love can do and how far it can take a person. It’s amazing. How she made it possible is beyond my reach. Thanks to the author. J The Host is a moving story, so moving it lets all your emotions out. It is one that breaks your heart, and then makes it whole again. That’s what’s really good about this book. It doesn’t leave you sad, it doesn’t leave you hanging. Can I just say I love the happy ending for everybody! Very satisfying and sooo full of hope!

I knew it would begin with the end, and the end would look like death to these eyes. I had been warned. – Wanderer / Wanda

This is already the second time I read the book, but the way I was affected felt like it was just the first time. Oh, how I cried buckets and buckets of tears felt like I never had any idea what was going to happen next, like I didn’t know the story yet. This novel made me realize how much of a tearjerker I am. HAHAHA.

I also doubt it if you’ll ever get bored reading this. It just has a lot of complications, like really. You have here the struggle of Wanda and Melanie being in one body, Wanda’s being on the side of the humans, the Seeker’s never-ending hunt for them, Melanie’s love for Jared, Wanda’s feelings for Jared and Ian, and a lot of other sub-complexities. J

P.S.

The film adaptation of The Host is set to hit theaters by the end of March. I am both intrigued and scared. I am not sure if they can give justice to this fave of mine. I wish they wouldn’t make a mess of it. J

P.P.S.

Big thanks to Kreng for lending me her book. Love you, Kreng!J

Right now, if I was given the choice between having the world back and having you, I wouldn’t be able to give you up. Not to save five billion lives. – Jared (kilig!!!)

*Poster source: http://readinguntildawn.blogspot.com