One Friday evening my dad got home from work and told me to cook rice for dinner. Being the lazy but obedient daughter that I am, I did the chore albeit reluctantly. Syempre guys malungkot ako ganyan kasi puro utos nalang sakin sa bahay (haha ang drama ko talaga nung araw na yan) pero while I was doing the chore my dad asked, “Nak, san tayo gagala bukas?” and bes ...marupok ako. Natuwa ako slight kasi ang tagal ko na sinasabi sa papa ko na umalis naman kami kasi nabubulok na ako sa bahay kasi bakasyon ko and I was only thinking of going to the mall LOL but my dad was thinking big. “Tara, Mt. Samat?” so voila, the next day we went to Bataan! 

where we went

1. Mt. Samat - the elevator going all the way up the cross was closed so we only walked up until the top of the mountain :-( for a person who has fear of heights, this wasn’t a really scary trail haha

2. Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar - this place is soooo nice because it’s full of beautiful traditional houses! I heard this is where they shot the death scene in Heneral Luna. Anyway, it was super beautiful but we didn’t push through with the day tour because it’s suuuuper pricey huhu.

3. Dunsulan Falls - the entrance is super cheap (Php50) and it’s not crowded! We didn’t bring any extra clothes so we didn’t swim but we tried their tree hopping for only Php300 each. Again, for a person who has fear of heights, the tree hopping adventure was pretty scary but very enjoyable! You’ll feel accomplished after finishing their six activities! 

I also made a montage of this trip! You can watch it here :) 

hanash mid-2017

Moshi moshi ola ola hello hello kamusta guys!! My last post on this blog was about Christmas 2016 and I suck, I know! So much has happened the last six months. One event that still has me #shookt is the war happening in Marawi right now (more of this at the end of the blog so if u wanna read pls do so!) Because I was not able to post anything on here, here’s a nutshell of some places I’ve been to for the first half of 2017:

Pansol, Laguna

I have a set of friends that don’t just draw their outings! Haha it was my first time to go to Pansol, not to mention also my first time to have an overnight swimming, and also my first time to have an overnight swimming with my blockmates. I can’t remember how much we paid for the resort rental but I know I spent less than Php 1,000 on it inclusive of the food! We were about 10 people in there so it was an affordable deal. I don’t really know how to swim (it’s a bummer, I know) so I spent most of the night singing my lungs out through karaoke and talking about anything until dawn.

Laiya, San Juan, Batangas

I went to Laiya with my family for the first time! Did I mention I don’t know how to swim? I like going to the beach but I can only swim where my feet can still touch the sand huhu. Laiya gives some of that Boracay feels but I wasn’t able to try their banana boat and jetski and kayaking and other fun stuff you want to do when you’re in the beach :( I remember watching Riverdale S01E10 and I also finished reading 13 Reasons Why on this day though haha 

National Museum, Planetarium, Ocean Park

My bff from high school went to a uni in the South and she wanted to go to Manila so we did! It was my first time to go to Planetarium and during that time (this was on April, a few days before Holy Week) the admission was free! I had La La Land feels the moment I entered HUHU. We watched a show about planets where humans can possibly live and I forgot the title but it incorporated Goldilocks in it. It was really enjoyable and knowledge-filled but if you’re a person who is malula-in like me, you might feel like you’re gonna be swallowed alive while watching lol

Brgy. Litlit, Lipa, Batangas

And lastly! We were supposed to have two fieldworks for NSTP but you probably know about the suspension of activities outside the school premises so our fieldwork was reduced into one fieldwork only. To be honest, NSTP was a super hassle subject for me especially during my first term bUT when we had our fieldwork I swear I almost took my wordsback and I had felt so much positivity about life huhuhu I love the kids we encountered and I have ma boy Earnest, there on the left of the picture!! He is so full of energy (Gary V?!) and still so hopeful to achieve his dreams even though he has experienced some situations he shouldn’t have experienced at his age. I hope to see this kid where he wants to be someday.

Back to Marawi. I was in my dorm reviewing for my final exam. I was still shookt with the news of the Manchester bombing when my roommate barged in and told us about Marawi. Guys, my level of shookt was beyond the fear of failing an exam. I was in my dorm, frustrated over acads, while schools are being burned and innocent people are getting killed islands away from me. Reality was hitting me on the face. That was a month and 10 days ago. And now, the war is still not over. Children are starting to get sick, residents are starting to have mental health issues, people are still dying. During Independence Day, I remember seeing the news that government officials in Marawi couldn’t help but cry as they raise the Philippine flag in commemoration of the country’s freedom from years of slavery. Right after the flag was raised, the deafening sound of airstrike bomb ironically planted itself on the land of Marawi. I couldn’t help but keep my tears at bay at that emotional moment. I’m just hoping and praying that all of this will end now. And I hope that the residents of Marawi will not lose hope despite the situation making them think otherwise. God is in control. We will not be shaken by hate.

AND THAT GOES MY HANASH FOR THE MID-YEAR! I feel so bad for not updating huhu but really, most of the time I just study, sleep and watch vlogs, tv series and kdramas so I think this Tumblr is not missing out a lot haha! 

As Christmas comes to an end I hope you’ve received the gift you wanted most this year. We all know the backstory of the most wonderful time of the year but I can’t help but be reminded that the best gift you and I can ever receive came down 2,000 years ago. As a baby. But the story doesn’t stop there. That baby grew up like you and me and died the death we should have died because He loves you and cares for you and He didn’t just die for us, He fought death for us and rose from the dead because He desires to give us hope and life. And because of what He has done we can celebrate Christmas and have fun and errthang!

As Christmas comes to an end I hope you’ve received the gift you deserve most in your life! “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” -Romans 6:23

Memory Lane, Tagaytay

Hey guys! I recently turned 18 and no, I did not have a fancy debut celebration but I did celebrate it with my family and was surprised by my high school friends! I'm still breathing in the fact that I am already in the age where #adulting starts and there is that inkling part in me that is super excited because I can already do this and do that but there is also another part in me that says to take things one step at a time, to be still and don’t stop depending on God.

Anyway, on the 31st of October my family and I went to Tagaytay to eat lunch. I’m from the South but I was still particularly surprised that it only took us like an hour and a half to get to Memory Lane. My mother suggested this restaurant which is a family business of Jolina Magdangal. I found this restaurant really cozy because it’s literally a house turned into a restaurant! It’s a small place and could not really accommodate that much people which I honestly lowkey like. There were vintage items plastered all over the place and because we went there on the day of Halloween, there were a bunch of spooky decorations too. I personally loved the vintage juke box, telephone and television set! The telly was still working and screening black and white ‘80s shows! The food tastes great but is kind of pricey but my parents were the ones who paid so who am I to complain about it lol.

After eating, we went to Skyranch (just to eat again huhu), Taal Vista, Good Shepherd (thought they only have this in Baguio but...), and stopped by Gourmet Farms (I’ve visited this before! See my Plant Tour post hehe) before going home. 

Two days ago, I had one of the most spontaneous trips with my roommates. We went to The Yard on a school night because we can, haha! #thuglyf. But actually, we didn’t have morning classes due to the university-wide faculty meeting the next day which allowed us to do more than drown in sorrows because of acads lol. Yes, the food is a bit pricey (it’s around P200 per food) but it’s worth your money!! I forgot the names of the restaurant where I bought my food but I had chicken steak and shared nachos and a raspberry mint drink with my roommies. As the night stretched on, we all brought home (or dorm, rather) a satisfied stomach and a pocketful of laughter and memories :-)

I am five days late of posting from the concert day but I had a major post-concert depression the next day of the event so everything is still pretty clear to me. I only had three hours of sleep the day after but I literally cannot stop talking to anyone about the concert even if they don't care and until now I still song some of the songs performed in the concert. Help me.

I had a lot of firsts attending this concert. I've been going to concerts alone but this time I went together with my two blockmates and it was a lot more fun than I expected! Also, I can definitely say I have attended the most sulit concert so far because the music festival lasted for 7 hours! 7 hours, WHAT! And we were late because I didn't want to cut class lol but everything was worth it! And finally it's my first time to see the bands that performed which I am so so so so so happy about because I love all of their music!

ONE CONFERENCE 2016

Last Saturday, July 30, I attended a conference that empowered me. You ever get that ache in your chest--the good kind of ache--when you feel so overwhelmed? I did. I was so overwhelmed to worship God and to know that He has a lot of breakthroughs coming for me and for the campus, for you! He has prepared amazing plans for me and you! So why are you okay in dealing with your pain alone? Why are you content with just a grade of tres when you can have an uno? Why are you satisfied with the temporary happiness of lust when you are worth so much more? Don’t settle for less just because you think that’s all you can get in life. God has so much in store for you and He is not yet done with you! He is working in your life and you may not be feeling it for over a month now, a year, or even your whole life, but why don’t you talk to Him? Why don’t you tell Him about your struggles and addictions, about your achievements and things that made you smile today, or about the boy who’s been running in your mind? Why don’t you ask Him the questions you’ve been trying to find the answers to for quite a while now? Because God has been knocking your heart all this time, waiting for you to experience His love that will change your life. 

The Artidote has mentioned Elon Musk said that “If something is important enough, even if the odds are against you, you should still do it.” Choosing to accept Jesus in my life is the best decision I’ve made. I get to experience His love everyday that I wouldn’t get from anyone or anything and I want you to also feel it, to experience Jesus, to understand that Someone died for you because He loves you and only wants what is best for you. Because it’s not just your once in a lifetime privilege, it’s your right.

Photos grabbed from Every Nation Campus Philippines :)

15 days from now, I’m officially going to be a sophomore college student and I know that I wasn’t really able to update anything about my acads during my first year because I was too busy adapting that blogging became the last thing on my priority list. I also lost a gadget just a night before Paskuhan (sucks, right) so I didn’t have the opportunity to take any pictures for the whole second sem. Microbiology and Parasitology (MCR-PRS) was one of my courses last sem and I super duper enjoyed the whole lab experience although it was really tiring and I admit there were a lot of times that I felt down because I kept flunking exams and performance tasks.

The third photo was taken by my blockmate Pau and I used my groupmate Angela's iTouch to capture the other photos so I give credits to them! Keep reading to know the stories behind them:

July 14, 2016 Vikings MOA

I'm one of those people who like matcha in some food because I don’t really have a sweet tooth and for me the matcha balances the sweetness in the plate. I made a bubblegum green tea ice cream topped with oreo crumbles alongside strawberry gummy candies (or uhh, potchi lol). Although the green tea flavor was kind of overpowered by the bubblegum, I loved it!

I’m not really a big fan of the rain especially when I’m in the mood to go out or when I’m actually outside with no ride. It poured so hard in my area and I don’t want to risk battling against the flood so I had no choice but to stay in. Today though, my family and I went out to go to church and the mall that I’m so so happy I felt like my itch to go out has been finally scratched! It's also been a while since I last posted a TSC entry so it seems fitting to update that I am currently...

First you jump, then you fall

First I was afraid, I was petrified. Char. Not really. When I found out that the jumping is only for an hour I was actually kinda sad because, really? 1 hour for a good amount of money? but when I stepped inside the park and started to jump, I found myself already gasping for air only to realize that it has only been 5 minutes since I entered. Wew. 1 hour is going to be a looong time.