Monday, November 26, 2012

Book Finds

It's bazaar season once again. My boyfriend and I have been going to different bazaars every weekend of November so far. Aside from the usual accessories, clothes and bags, people also sell lots of other interesting stuff; I was surprised yesterday to see a booth selling second-hand books!
Bazaar Books
Here are my most recent finds - Chinese Cinderella for P20 ($0.50) and The Time Traveler's Wife for P100 ($2.50)!:D I can finally update my Goodreads account with two more books :)

Ahhhhh, I just love bazaars. Don't you? :)

Friday, November 23, 2012

Farms and Threes

This week was a challenging week in my world of farm animals and three year-olds.
My Juniors went on a trip to the zoo yesterday!♥
After our trip to Ark Avilon yesterday, our class continued talking about animals - particularly ones you can see in a farm. We reviewed the animals, properly putting an X or a check mark, depending if we saw them in the zoo. As we went through them one by one, I used our farm stamps and labeled each animal below. We started with pig, then sheep, and so on until we reached goat. That's when I realized I had a problem since I apparently didn't have a goat stamp. So I had to improvise. Today, I actually learned how to draw a goat! It's not an amazing drawing, but boy, am I proud of this! (Yes, I have really under-developed terrible drawing skills. Haha!)
So today, I drew a goat in class. :))
In the end, we were able to finish our lessons (and play, too!). The kids were happy; I was happy. So it was pretty much a good day. I couldn't ask for more. Thank you, Lord! :)

P.S. If you're planning to take your kids or class to a zoo, Ark Avilon is the place for you! It's near Tiendesitas in C5 and is very child-friendly. You can take photos with birds, an albino snake and an orangutan, see animals both wild and friendly, and even feed them!;) Entrance fee is P300 for adults and P200 for children :-)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Congratulations to the Newlyweds :)

My boyfriend and I attended his close friends' wedding last Saturday. We didn't actually get to see the ceremony because we arrived really late, nor did we get to join in on the festivities during the reception since we had to leave early. But,we were able to take a moment with the newlyweds and even saw them in a supermarket the day after!
With the newlyweds :)
lovelovelove.
(Photo during dinner somewhere in the cold winds of Tagaytay)
-
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Cabanlig! Best Wishes! ❤❤❤

P.S. I'm looking forward to our Samurai X double date in December! Haha!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Floral Overload

Just a quick update since I still have a lot of work to do tonight!

As I mentioned in my previous post, the family went out last Monday to go shopping. The main purpose was to buy my sister shoes for school since she always borrows from me and my mom :| Lol.

Anyway, long story short, my sister and I both gained new pairs of shoes from that trip. You can try to guess what I bought, or you could just take a look at my shiny new sneakers below!
Floral Overload x Keds


Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Busy Weekend

Classes were suspended today due to the heavy rains we experienced last night. Even though I work at a school, I'm still supposed to come in to work even if the kids aren't. Today, I decided not to, since I figured I'd get more work done at home with my laptop + internet connection. But I was wrong. The entire day, our internet connection was really crummy, not to mention the fact that I'm reading a new book, Fifty Shades of Grey. A friend of mine sent me the ebook which I started reading last night. I'm halfway through it now and I'm curious to see what happens next. Ugh. So much for getting some work done. Lol.
Fifty Shades of Grey
This weekend was a real busy one, but in a good way. I was able to spend Saturday afternoon shopping and catching up with an old friend. Then I had dinner with my boyfriend and one of his friends who, by the way, is a pretty good artist. Here's his quick cartoon drawing of us at Cookbook Kitchen, Eastwood. Their placemats make good sketch pads, and the food was yummy, too. Hehe. :) Thanks again, Uno! We promise to hang this on one of our walls in our future home. *kilig*
Bettina + Mic
Then yesterday, I went to Spa101 with Michelle, Mike's sister. Just some much needed R&R + girl bonding :-) Foot spa, scrub, massage & a mani/pedicure for the both of us. Yay! The staff were really nice as well. I'll probably visit them again soon since I highly doubt my nails are going to last long thanks to the kids at school. Goodbye, pretty pink nails (sorry, I forgot to take a picture).

Today was supposed to be my catch-up day, my stay-at-home-so-I-can-work day. But when I woke up, my parents and siblings were at home! Everyone ended up taking the day off. So after lunch, we decided to go shopping and have dinner out. Lol. It's 10:20pm now and I'm hurrying to finish this post so I can finally start working. I'll share what I bought next time!

For now, please pray I get some work done tonight. xo :)

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Recent Buys: Apple Accessories

Being a lover of all things polka-dotted, imagine my excitement when I got home tonight and saw my package from Digitalism Philippines waiting for me in my room! And to think I only paid for this yesterday! That's what I call great service! :) They sell different cases for the iPhone, iPod Touch & more! The case I bought is for my iPod Touch (as you can probably tell from the photo below). I actually really like the blue & white polkadots case, but I decided on the red & white one because I already have too many blue & white polka-dotted items - pouches, bags, tops, hair accessories (yes, I have more than one of each kind. lol). Plus, it matches the watch and bracelet I always wear to work :-)
Red and White and Polkadots
I also bought the prettiest keyboard cover for my Macbook (also from Digitalism Philippines)
Yummy Yellow 2
Yummy yummy yellow ❤

Thank you so much, Digitalism Philippines!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Boracay in Ten Photos

I was in Boracay with a couple of friends last July 13-15. I'm very thankful that I was able to spend yet another weekend relaxing. Looking forward to more of these awesome weekends! :P For now, here are some Instagram photos I took on the island.
White Beach


Friday, July 13, 2012

Chasing Deadlines

Another bad week at work. So much stress and so many requirements that needs to be completed. To add to that, I'm sick! I have a terrible cough and cold ++ I lost my voice (and therefore, unable to teach.) It's really sad. Been spending yesterday afternoon and today working on everything that I need to finish before my beach weekend. I hope all this goes away tonight so I'll be able to enjoy the beach tomorrow.

P.S. I have the best boyfriend ever! He visited me at home last night and gave me the prettiest necklace from Forever21. You made my week.
Shiny Heart
Well, what can I say, I'm a lucky girl. ❤

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The Great Escape

Having trips away are no longer like they used to. Nowadays, even if you're on vacation, you're still not completely away from work. Even if you're some place else, you still think about what you left behind.

I want to be in a place where I can think without anything or anyone bothering me.
IMG_1876


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Before and After

I remember a couple of months ago, my boyfriend and I had our hair trimmed on the same day.

Here's what we looked like before and after.

Before:
Before
After:
After
My hair hasn't grown to the same length as the first picture, but I feel like making a change again. What do you think? Perm? Hair color? Bangs? Lol.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

A Leap of Faith

At The Edge
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
(Taken at Buho Rock in Camotes Island, Cebu)

First thing first - no, I did not jump off this cliff. One, because I didn't have any spare clothes with me at the time. And two, I can't swim.. anymore. (Long story. Don't ask.)


Saturday, June 23, 2012

How Cute Are They!?

Polar bears!
Polar Bears
Taken at Everland Resort in Yongin, South Korea, last April.

My second favorite place in Korea. The first is Nami Island. Will be paying this place another visit sometime during this lifetime. *_*

Monday, June 18, 2012

The Good Life

On the way home from an overnight trip in Zambales (Pundaquit Beach, to be exact), I was trying to get some shut eye when the song Good Life by One Republic started playing on my iTouch. It made me think about where I am in life right now, and I can definitely say I'm living the good life.

What makes me say this, you ask? Well, for one, I'm doing something I've always dreamt of - teach. Second, I was able to spend some R&R twice already this month, and it's only the 17th! Third, I have a loving family and boyfriend who support me in everything I do. I feel so blessed and I really can't ask for anything more. Erm... actually, a pay raise wouldn't hurt. Hahaha (I'm not kidding) :P

I'll try to post photos from Cebu some time this week. I didn't bring my camera to Zambales, so unfortunately, I won't have any photos to show you from the trip, but it was a pretty fun one, especially since we played ultimate frisbee in the pool! Yeah, we're awesome like that :D I'll just steal photos from my friends once they upload them. ;)

P.S. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially to mine. Thanks for being so funny and cool all the time! I love you, Daddy Yo!
Happy Father's Day 1
Happy Father's Day 2
Happy Father's Day 3Happy Father's Day 4

Sunday, June 10, 2012

A Quick Getaway

By the time this post gets published, I will already be in Cebu exploring the beach and soaking up some sun.

I really need to make the most out of this trip because when I come back on the 14th, school have already started (yes, I'll be missing the first day of classes) and I won't have time to relax anymore =P One of the teachers even told me that I should pamper myself with a massage and a manicure/pedicure while I still can. Haha! Good luck nalang talaga. Please pray that my kids will cooperate with me and that everything goes smoothly, especially during the orientation weeks where the parents will be inside the classroom with their kids while we teach. It's to help the kids adjust from being away from their parents (or the parents from their kids :|)

Anyway, enough work talk for now. Here are some of my recent photos with my boyfriend instead. Happy 4th, love! ♥

Retarded face is retarded :))
Popbooth 3
Love this :)
Popbooth 2
Random thought: Will teaching 3 / 4-year olds help me lose weight? =))

My chubby cheeks need to disappear soon! Have any tips for the lazy? Please help! :P

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Room by Emma Donoghue

I recently finished reading a book entitled Room by Emma Donoghue. I bought it some months back but haven't had the time to read through it until I started my job two weeks ago (strange, I know). I dunno, I guess I've just been slacking off on my reading. I lived the bum life from January until late May and it really took a toll on me. I'm so lazy now. I mean, when I come home from work, I'm so tired, I wanna sleep at 9pm. I used to be able to stay up until 2am. Oh well. I really need to get back to living right. I want to catch up on my reading and reach my goal of 15 books this year (last year I was actually able to finish 16 books!).

Room is told from the perspective of a five-year old boy named Jack. His entire life, he has been living in Room. Room, to him, is not just any place, but the only place that actually exists. Everything he sees in TV isn't real; only Room, and everything in it, is.
Room is a definite must-read. If I say any more, I'd already be spoiling it for you. Just grab a copy, you won't regret it.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Take Me To The Sea

Yesterday, my supervisor informed me I needed to work on two classrooms for the Parents' Orientation that was to happen in less than 48 hours! She gave me two transportation-related themes to work with - sailors and bus riders. I immediately sat down with my assistant Danica to figure out how we were going to decorate the rooms and make them appropriate for the children that will be occupying them for the next nine months. It was pretty hectic; the system in our school is that if we request for some materials today, the earliest we can get them is the following day. So when we got to work this morning, we still had to wait 2 hours to actually get started on the classrooms. We were also asked to view the work of the teachers from a different branch, so that's another hour lost. Less than 24 hours left! Gaaah.

When we got back, we worked. And worked. And worked. Around 4pm, we only had a few things done for the Sailors' room and absolutely nothing for the Bus Riders'. Eep. We were hella stressed, but it paid off, because when our supervisor saw what we were able to do in just a few hours, she was really impressed.
The empty part at the top is where we'll be sticking boats with photos of the kids plus their names and birthdays, while the lower part is underwater, so you can see fishes and seaweed. :D

That's not all! We also made a huge sailboat on one side of the room. Definitely tedious, but I'm happy with how it turned out.
I couldn't have done it without the help of my partners Minerva and Danica, and to Olivia, Edgar and Raymond too, for always making me laugh. I still need to prepare a lot of stuff tomorrow, especially for the Bus Riders' room; I'll try to take more photos then. =)
P.S. I'm really enjoying this whole art attack thing... Except for the cleaning up part. Haha :p

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Infinitea: Now Open at Alvarado Street in Manila

Yesterday was the opening of the new Infinitea branch in Alvarado Street near Chiang Kai Shek College. Families and friends of branch owners Jan Urik and Maria Christina gathered to support the lovebirds in their new venture.

Finally opened on June 3, 2012
Infinitea 1

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Busy, busy

I know I've been MIA for a while now. Sorry, I've just been busy the past couple of weeks - going to this school, observing and helping out with their summer classes and preparations for the upcoming school year. I'm happy to tell you that I am officially a preschool teacher. It has been my dream for a while now to teach little kids their ABC's and 123's (and a lot of other stuff too, of course). I'm actually a Management graduate, so I really appreciate the school for giving me this chance and a big thanks to the people who encouraged me to pursue this. I will be handling 3's and 4's and also tutoring some Graders in English. I'm pretty anxious because there's still a lot of deadlines to be met, the classrooms still need to be set up; heck, I don't even have a curriculum for June yet!

The last week has been spent coming up with activities and making sure everything's ready in time for the parents' orientation this Wednesday. There you go, just a quick update with what's going on in my world. The next two weeks will be hell of a lot busier, so wish me luck! :)

my facebook status two weeks ago

I can't wait!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

It's Finally Here!

 My photo books finally arrived last Thursday (see related post here).



Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Status: Complete

So I finally finished working on my photo book yesterday and should be getting it by next week. I CAN NOT WAIT!! I've worked on this for days and I'm just really excited to see how it's going to turn out. I actually ended up not using the layout I showed you guys in this post but I assure you, it's going to be a lot nicer than that :)

It's been a while since I've done something this productive and photography-wise, this has been my best project so far. I really enjoyed spending the last couple of days working on this, looking into every little detail and making sure that everything's perfect (to me, at least).


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Work in Progress

Currently putting together a photobook-slash-portfolio. As of now, I have one complete page.
The rest still needs a lot of work. Please let me know what you think of what I have so far. I would really appreciate any comments or suggestions regarding the layout of this page and the other pages I still need to work on.

Thanks a lot! :)

Monday, April 9, 2012

Squirt, Milky & Sunny

Yesterday, Mike surprised me with an adorable stuffed animal he won from Enchanted Kingdom. Meet Squirt! I named him after one of the turtles from the animated movie Finding Nemo. Isn't he cute? :)


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Snow White & Some Gelato

Yesterday, my mom, my siblings and I went to the mall to have our photos taken for our visa application for Korea. Since we had to wait for the photos to get developed, we decided it would be a good idea to check movie schedules. It has been a while since the family saw a movie together on the big screen. We'd usually just watch a DVD at home then go to sleep right after.

Anyway, we ended up buying tickets to Mirror Mirror. My brother wanted to watch Wrath of the Titans, but I had already seen it with my boyfriend and his siblings, and my sister was more interested in fairytales than action films. He was outvoted 3-1 so he had no choice but to watch Mirror Mirror with us. Better luck next time, Bro! :D We then headed to Gelatissimo (my favorite place in TriNoma) since we still had some time before the movie started.

L-R: Forest Berries, Choc Chip, American Chocolate, White Chocolate
A closer look at my sister's American Chocolate drizzled with Nutella


Then came movie time..
Mirror, Mirror was a lot of fun to watch. It added humour to the fairytale, plus some twists here and there. The movie starred Julia Roberts (as the Queen), Lily Collins (as Snow White) and Armie Hammer (as the Prince). I especially loved the scenes where the dwarves were teaching Snow White how to fight, and when they ambushed the Prince and the Queen's men. It was great too, that the dwarves were given specific roles to play; my favorite was Half Pint, because he was so in love with Snow White. :)

There are lots more to look forward to in that movie. If you haven't watched it yet, I suggest you do so this weekend. Go spend some fun family time this Holy Week :) Have a blessed one!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

A Chili's Tuesday

Since my boyfriend started working, I have been spending a lot of time alone, mostly in front of my laptop, looking for new shows/movies to watch, playing Words with Friends, and post-processing random photos. It has been a boring lonely couple of weeks, so just imagine my excitement when my mom told me that we were going out for dinner last night! (Finally, some human interaction!=P)

We all headed to Chili's to spend this almost-Holy-week-break Tuesday.