......

......

Or, in other words, "the complete lack of posts that is so unlike me".

I was just really tired. I caught up on sleep, did homework, and read a lot of books.

And I took another trip over the weekend.

Sorry, internet.

I was just... tired. There's no other word to describe it. I didn't feel like doing much anything, and my whole routine went out of whack.

I guess I just need a rest.

It all started with a bad migraine that went on for weeks. Not being a sick kind of person --- I'm healthy as a horse, even --- it bowled me over. I missed a few classes, bombed on exams when my Advil (headache medicine) wasn't working, and even missed church.

I'm feeling better though, thank God.

Hopefully, my posts will be normal again.



I remember mentioning in my last post that I'd update on Sunday. Except I forgot a teeny-tiny detail: I wouldn't be here on Sunday.

I just got back from a weekend trip to Manila (our country's capital) about an hour ago. And why was I there, dear Reader?

Because my parents sprung the most amazing twenty-first --- or twenteen-first, as my cousins like to say --- birthday present on me:










To quote the play, it was...

"A lovely night, a lovely night
A finer night you know you'll never see..."
A Lovely Night from Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella

The play was awesome. The effects, costumes, and backdrops were imaginative. The voices of the characters were perfect for their roles. I loved how the people onstage could act while they were singing: the Prince's voice breaking like he was going to cry while singing a sad song, Cinderella pretending to be happy while singing a hopeful song (and how you could see she was pretending to be happy), and other little things like that. There was also a lot of unexpected humor.

One of my favorites was when the stepmother / aspiring mother-in-law-of-the-Prince quipped "Let's pray the Prince is stupider than he looks" after her daughters' lack of ladylike qualities became clear. Then one of the deluded stepdaughters went down on her knees, and started to pray very fervently that the Lord would "please, please, PLEASE let the Prince be stupider than he looks!"

It was the most unexpected and perfect gift my parents could give me.

I guess it's because I don't see a lot of good musical stage plays. Broadway-style productions are a rarity in my country, and if ever they are done, they're usually hard to watch because I have to take a plane to the play's venue.


Thanks, Dad and Mom. And thanks to everyone who has greeted me! :D





I am so doggone tired that my eyes are starting to close by themselves.

I haven't slept much because I've been on a cool weekend trip I can't get into right now.

Because:

1) my birthday's ending --- I have to sleep

2) I just arrived off a plane two hours ago, and I'm tired

3) I'm just really tired.

I mean, look at me, I'm repeating myself.

I will replace this with a proper post on the trip by tomorrow.

Just wanted to actually post something today though.

Good night, everybody. This newly twenty-one-year-old is going to bed.



So where have I been?

a) hibernating on my study table

b) playing Nintendo DS with friends

c) thinking about the distribution of contraceptives

d) all of the above

I bet most people would bank their answers on a).

But no, it's actually d) all of the above.

First, the hibernating. I've gone through two or three sleepless nights since I last posted. I had to cut out almost everything else I was doing to catch up with school. Partly because schoolwork was really piling up; partly because of Elise.


It was worth it though to finally meet up with a good friend my sister and I haven't seen in eight years. The first words we all said were "We're so grown-up now!"

Which we were, considering that we were all tomboys last we saw each other. And now, well, Elise and I were wearing dresses.

We went out shopping --- which amused us since we never would have done so eight years back --- and just talked non-stop for a day and a half. In between eating and the few hours we slept, of course.

We also did a few of the same kiddie things though. We still had fun playing video games --- thus, the Nintendo DS --- and we still read a lot of books. It was a blast.

And now, she's back home half a world away. And we're all studying again.

Oh, and the contraceptives? That was a 26-page paper I was doing on reproductive health in the Philippines (read: one of the sleepless nights).

I guess that's about it for now. Until the next post (Sunday) then!



I was having a short chat with Soham Das, a fellow Post to Post member, when he mentioned that his joy came from photography. I don't know many people who go around talking about their sources of joy, so that was pretty interesting.

And it got me thinking: what is my joy?

1) My relationship with God. I can't explain the overwhelming happiness I get out of this. Knowing Someone up there loves me so much and will continue to do so no matter what I do is freeing. It's my reason for getting up each morning.

2) Learning Chemical Engineering things. I've chosen to be happy about every bit of information I can wring out of my college major. I'm learning new interesting things that force my mind to stretch its capacities. Yes, it's challenging and sometimes tiring. The positives outweigh the negatives though; what's not to like about that?

3) My family and friends. They strengthen me, and remind me to loosen up a little. They're just always there.

4) My pets. My dogs. My cat. The way animals get really excited about the little things --- like how my dogs will go crazy with excitement when I get home from school --- reminds me to enjoy every bit of life.

5) My graphic design hobby. I've always been passionate about my art. Even before I cracked open that 800-page Adobe Photoshop manual that led me to where I am now.

Making that list has made me even more grateful for the things I have now.

So, dear Reader. What's your joy?

......

......

Or, in other words, "the complete lack of posts that is so unlike me".

I was just really tired. I caught up on sleep, did homework, and read a lot of books.

And I took another trip over the weekend.

Sorry, internet.

I was just... tired. There's no other word to describe it. I didn't feel like doing much anything, and my whole routine went out of whack.

I guess I just need a rest.

It all started with a bad migraine that went on for weeks. Not being a sick kind of person --- I'm healthy as a horse, even --- it bowled me over. I missed a few classes, bombed on exams when my Advil (headache medicine) wasn't working, and even missed church.

I'm feeling better though, thank God.

Hopefully, my posts will be normal again.



I remember mentioning in my last post that I'd update on Sunday. Except I forgot a teeny-tiny detail: I wouldn't be here on Sunday.

I just got back from a weekend trip to Manila (our country's capital) about an hour ago. And why was I there, dear Reader?

Because my parents sprung the most amazing twenty-first --- or twenteen-first, as my cousins like to say --- birthday present on me:










To quote the play, it was...

"A lovely night, a lovely night
A finer night you know you'll never see..."
A Lovely Night from Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella

The play was awesome. The effects, costumes, and backdrops were imaginative. The voices of the characters were perfect for their roles. I loved how the people onstage could act while they were singing: the Prince's voice breaking like he was going to cry while singing a sad song, Cinderella pretending to be happy while singing a hopeful song (and how you could see she was pretending to be happy), and other little things like that. There was also a lot of unexpected humor.

One of my favorites was when the stepmother / aspiring mother-in-law-of-the-Prince quipped "Let's pray the Prince is stupider than he looks" after her daughters' lack of ladylike qualities became clear. Then one of the deluded stepdaughters went down on her knees, and started to pray very fervently that the Lord would "please, please, PLEASE let the Prince be stupider than he looks!"

It was the most unexpected and perfect gift my parents could give me.

I guess it's because I don't see a lot of good musical stage plays. Broadway-style productions are a rarity in my country, and if ever they are done, they're usually hard to watch because I have to take a plane to the play's venue.


Thanks, Dad and Mom. And thanks to everyone who has greeted me! :D





I am so doggone tired that my eyes are starting to close by themselves.

I haven't slept much because I've been on a cool weekend trip I can't get into right now.

Because:

1) my birthday's ending --- I have to sleep

2) I just arrived off a plane two hours ago, and I'm tired

3) I'm just really tired.

I mean, look at me, I'm repeating myself.

I will replace this with a proper post on the trip by tomorrow.

Just wanted to actually post something today though.

Good night, everybody. This newly twenty-one-year-old is going to bed.



So where have I been?

a) hibernating on my study table

b) playing Nintendo DS with friends

c) thinking about the distribution of contraceptives

d) all of the above

I bet most people would bank their answers on a).

But no, it's actually d) all of the above.

First, the hibernating. I've gone through two or three sleepless nights since I last posted. I had to cut out almost everything else I was doing to catch up with school. Partly because schoolwork was really piling up; partly because of Elise.


It was worth it though to finally meet up with a good friend my sister and I haven't seen in eight years. The first words we all said were "We're so grown-up now!"

Which we were, considering that we were all tomboys last we saw each other. And now, well, Elise and I were wearing dresses.

We went out shopping --- which amused us since we never would have done so eight years back --- and just talked non-stop for a day and a half. In between eating and the few hours we slept, of course.

We also did a few of the same kiddie things though. We still had fun playing video games --- thus, the Nintendo DS --- and we still read a lot of books. It was a blast.

And now, she's back home half a world away. And we're all studying again.

Oh, and the contraceptives? That was a 26-page paper I was doing on reproductive health in the Philippines (read: one of the sleepless nights).

I guess that's about it for now. Until the next post (Sunday) then!



I was having a short chat with Soham Das, a fellow Post to Post member, when he mentioned that his joy came from photography. I don't know many people who go around talking about their sources of joy, so that was pretty interesting.

And it got me thinking: what is my joy?

1) My relationship with God. I can't explain the overwhelming happiness I get out of this. Knowing Someone up there loves me so much and will continue to do so no matter what I do is freeing. It's my reason for getting up each morning.

2) Learning Chemical Engineering things. I've chosen to be happy about every bit of information I can wring out of my college major. I'm learning new interesting things that force my mind to stretch its capacities. Yes, it's challenging and sometimes tiring. The positives outweigh the negatives though; what's not to like about that?

3) My family and friends. They strengthen me, and remind me to loosen up a little. They're just always there.

4) My pets. My dogs. My cat. The way animals get really excited about the little things --- like how my dogs will go crazy with excitement when I get home from school --- reminds me to enjoy every bit of life.

5) My graphic design hobby. I've always been passionate about my art. Even before I cracked open that 800-page Adobe Photoshop manual that led me to where I am now.

Making that list has made me even more grateful for the things I have now.

So, dear Reader. What's your joy?