Where were you people last weekend? Thanks for fleeing the city and leaving us to enjoy it. Hee. :)

Anyway, I’m not going to rant today for a change, instead, I’m inviting you to go places with me, at least virtually. :)

Since we’re all back to our office cubicles now (or NOT, haha! I meant, YOU’re all back to your office cubicles, LOL), I’m inviting you to browse through your stock photos, find that one place you want to go back to this very minute, then put the words, “Let’s find some beautiful place to get lost” on it, then post it up.

As for me, my happy place is Wollongong, I’d give anything to be transported back to that place again RIGHT NOW, if only I could. How about you? Where’s your happy place? :)

BTW, those words are not mine, I’m not sure exactly who did it first, this is just me, responding to her invitation. :)

Tagging: Joni, Meemae, Aileen, Des, Liz, Ivy, and anyone who wants to do it. ♥

On my walls, I would write…

..HOME.

(Uhm, yes. On all four walls. Heh.)

Then maybe the place would start to feel like it.

(Also, if there’s more space, I’d scribble little hearts. And question marks.)

OT: Thank you, girlfriends, for the gorgeous night. Will upload photos tomorrow. <3

What is love. *bitter pill overdose*

Love sucks. Love hurts. It’s confusing. It’s oftentimes deceiving. It makes you clingy, always wanting, always needing. It makes you forget about yourself, robbing you off your individuality, and blinding you with warmfuzzyblahs and hope and wishfulthinkings.

But what sucks even more is.. however frustrating this thing called love is, and inspite of everything that makes it suck, you know that at the end of the day, you’d still choose to love and be loved. Losers.

Fine, Joshua has a more optimistic way of putting it. I wish I thought of saying that first. ;)

Meanwhile, Riz’s attempt at love, age 25 = RIP. I’m lighting a candle. Join me watch it burn? :P

SPONSORED POST. Filipina Web Designer / CSS Goddess. (Haha, Mae.) Also, PHOTO by Poppy Smiles.

Yvaine, dear Yvaine.. I know how it feels. You wake up from a shallow sleep, and for one moment you wonder where you are and why in the world you’re there. You know you should be in a place where there are no worries, no pain, no fears — yep, that place where all that’s required of you is to shine. But no matter how much you want to go back, deep inside you know that there’s a reason why you are where you are and you have to get through it so you can find your way home.

Image from the movie, Stardust.

So I just woke up from a powernap — one I needed to take because I was feeling tired and stressed and sulky — and these happened to be my first thoughts: stars, babylon candles, pirate ships, and being anywhere but here. (Just lovely, Riz). So much for watching emo films that have the word “star” in them huh. Have I become such a loser? Is there anyone else out there who thinks it’s normal to be feeling the way I do right now? I’m oversensitive. I overanalyze things. I worry about the future. I care so much about expectations. I cry over random things. I want to be anywhere but where I am. I hate myself and I often wish I’m not.. ME. Pretty problematic, huh.

Worse is, I rant endlessly to the boyfriend and the girlfriend about things I cannot change. And sometimes, I become cranky too. Which is weird (and sad) because come to think of it, I’m living a comfortable life, I’m blessed, and I’m loved. At least I know it’s something remotely similar to how she feels. (I’m not alone, yay me!) But I also know that this is beyond PMS or QLC. That this is beyond me. That at one point, this too shall pass, but until then, I need to have the courage and the patience to endure.

Ergo, I try to entertain myself. I think of myself as Yvaine, a star who fell down from heavens. And as I try to figure out how to fly back to the starry skies, someone appears in front of me with a babylon candle. (If you haven’t seen Stardust, the babylon candle allows one to travel wherever he/she wishes. “The fastest way to travel is by candlelight,” Una said.) I can finally fly home.

If only fairy tales are real and I have in my possession one of those babylon candles, I think I know exactly where I want to fly to right now. Three places.

Sydney. Four years of planning and praying to go to Hillsong, still to no avail. But a dream will always remain a dream, and if it was indeed God who placed this dream in my heart four years ago, it will continue to grow in me until its completion. My mind is set, and every year God gives me more reasons to believe that I shall see Sydney in His own perfect time.

New York. Never have I thought of flying to New York until now. It was never part of the plan. My mind says it’s a scary, distant, and unknown place, but a big part of my heart is in New York. If only to find out if my heart is meant to stay there, I’d travel halfway across the world to see for myself.

Heaven. I’d love to see God, and my Dad. I’d love to experience how it’s like to be all free from sorrow and pain. I’d love to get a glimpse of heaven, just so I have a picture of what I’m looking forward to, and what I’m living this life for.

*Sigh*

*Doublesigh*

But of course. Of course. At the end of the day, there is no babylon candle. And the only way I could reach Sydney or New York is if I work hard and pray even harder. And the only way I could reach heaven is if I already accomplished what I was made to do here on earth, or attempt suicide — which I won’t do, of course, because life is too precious.

Gah. Would I sound too icky-emo if I say that perhaps I don’t need a babylon candle, after all? That maybe, I can bring Sydney, New York, and heaven where I am — like, right here, right now? Hmm.

Hmmm.

Here’s one of the things I love about blogging. I’m feeling so much better now.

Apparently, someone found this weird looking post-card which depicts this weird race that Filipino is. Now, they’re spreading it around. Join the fun. :)

Tagging: Joni, Liz, Tina, Mae, Jeric. Go go go! :)

The Rules:
1. Download the scanned front and back of this postcard and resize to fit your blog.
2. Enter your independence day message on the back and post both images on your blog.
3. Title of post should be “Only in the Philippines!”
4. Tag five fellow countrymen :)

So we interrupt our regular programming to make way for this rare meme that originated from I don’t know where and I can only go this far to trace where it came from. Anyway, what do you know, it reached this site. That’s what matters.

Here are the rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Ayt. Let’s do this. ;)

If a pirate were to kidnap you and made you walk the plank, how would you use your SEO skills to bargain for your life? I won’t. He’s a pirate my goodness. Unless he’s a pirate who carries around a laptop, or anything that resembles, I duno, a Treo maybe, or an iPhone, which he uses to surf the net with or something (then again, even with those gadgets I probably wouldn’t bother), I wouldn’t waste the last few minutes of my life explaining to him what SEO is. It’s hard enough explaining SEO to web designers, and to web copywriters, how much more to a pirate? So most likely, I’ll do something else, like, charm him to death, and promise him true love or something. Otherwise, I’d rather die a peaceful death. :P

You mentioned in your tech blog (pinkseo.info) that you’re set on buying a Nikon D40. If you suddenly saw a limited “PINK” edition Canon DSLR for the exact same price, would you forego that choice for the aesthetics? Why? There’s a pink Canon DSLR??! *beaming* I’d choose pink anytime. I’m predictable that way. Haha. But no, of course there’s no PINK canon DSLR. So Nikon’s still the way to go babyyy!! Yeaah! :P

Explain SEO in the form of a haiku.
Stuff keywords and links
Index me, crawl me, rank me
Google please love me

Would you rather have split ends or heavy eyebags for the rest of your life? Explain your answer using references from any fairy tale. Split ends. A prince climbing up Rapunzel’s hair is not nearly as romantic as Belle staring into the beast’s eyes and not caring about anything else but that which she sees in his eyes.

You wish your future children to have everything that they could ever ask for, except one thing so that he or she may always have something to aspire for. What is this one thing? Luxurious life. I’d want them to have everything they’d ever need, but I also want them to grow up living simple lives — contented with the basics, and happy with what they have. I don’t want them depending on us, their parents, or anyone for that matter, to make life easier for them. I want them to learn to work for it, after all, the (extra) luxuries is not the icing on the cake, rather, it’s the self-fulfillment that came with working hard and doing your best to achieve something is that which matters most. ;)

Thanks, Jayvee.

It’s your turn now. You know what to do. :)

Edit: On the second thought, I find thinking of questions to ask even harder than answering someone else’s questions haha. So okay. If you want to annoy me, or challenge me or whatever, ask me to interview you. (But don’t worry Kuya Arnold, I’m already making your interview questions. Hehe.)

So okay, I know I’m weird, but do you really have to make me highlight my weirdness by tagging me, Marc? Hehe. And Joni, I know this is long overdue already, but last night I had a grand time counting blessings and thinking about the great things that are happening in my life right now, so hehe, let me do this, late as it may be.

Blog Meme #1 from Marc. Here are six weird things about me:

1. I consume packets of coffee creamer, without the coffee. I don’t know how it began but long before I started drinking coffee, I make papak coffee creamer straight from the pack (or sachet, or whatever you call that). Soon, I discovered that it tastes even better with Mcdo’s caramel sundae (gaah, now I’m craving). Then I started experimenting and eating coffee creamer with pandesal, and peanut butter sandwich, and oreos, and chocolate cake, and bananas, and the list goes on. Funny thing is, when it comes to coffee, I like it black. :P

2. I wet my feet before I go to bed. Every night, after the usual bedtime rituals (taking a bath, brushing my teeth, etc), I’d wash my feet last. I would deliberately refrain from drying them off with a towel, and I’d simply go to bed with my feet wet, allowing it to dry as I sleep. Wala lang. Malamig lang sa paa. :)

3. I cry over my hamsters. When my first hamster died, (some stooopid cat bit him in the head), I cried hysterically and demanded my Mom to raise him from the dead and cried some more because she couldn’t. I was 10 years old then. I had several hamsters since then, and everytime something bad has happened, I would cry. Just last month, Chuchu and Chichi’s cage was attacked by a big house rat (that’s why I haven’t been blogging about the hamsters lately). :( Chuchu got a big cut on his one limb, and even though he’s still alive and well now, the wound still hasn’t healed yet and will most likely leave a permanent scar and deformity to his fragile body. :( The first time I saw Chuchu with that ugly cut, I went crying like crazy. I thought he was gona die. :( I even called up a friend and cried some more as if it would solve the problem. Gaah. I always get too emotionally attached to my pets. :(

4. I used to hate pink. When I was a kid, my favorite color was blue. Even when I turned 18, my debut’s motif was blue. Growing up, I had one (just one!) pink dress, but mostly, my clothes were all blue and green and black and white. I think there must have been a time when I would wear floral-printed dresses when I was a kid, but for the most part of my childhood, I wore jeans, and shorts, and sneakers, and large, baggy shirts. And none of those were pink. Now, I just can’t imagine a world without this prettyful color. Pink is love. ♥

5. I grind my teeth when I’m asleep. Some doctors say there’s some psychological and biological explanation to this, and some don’t even know why this happens but that there’s nothing really serious about it. It’s more of like, an in-born thing (Mom says I’ve been doing it since I was a kid). What bothered me lang was when my dentist told me that by unconsciously grinding my teeth, I become stressed in my sleep too. Which probably affects my sleeping habits, and my tolerance to stress — I get stressed easily because I don’t get a full rest at night. But hey, to whoever you are whom I’m gona be sleeping beside with for the rest of my life *yihee*, worry not. This ain’t anything like snoring. I assure you, you will still be able to sleep peacefully at night. ;)

6. I’m not a fan of MACs. So okay, it’s powerful and it’s everything a geek would dream of, but er, not me. My brother is a MAC user, so more or less, I’ve experienced playing with it already, but I always seem to get lost. Oftentimes, I’m more comfortable sticking with what I’ve gotten used to already. So say, if I were to choose between a MACbook, and a pink Sony Vaio (that’s Vista compatible), I’d probably choose the later (even though I once said that Vista sucks) — just because it’s pink. And I wouldn’t mind going through all the trouble of downgrading its OS to XP all over again. So there you have it. Either I’m NOT really a geek, or I’m a weird geek. But, yeah, all geeks are weird. So.. I duno. I’m confused already. (Then again, if there happens to be a PINK macbook, I’d definitely have second thoughts.)

Oh, and would I totally ruin this whole meme thing if I add another weirdness in the list? :P

7. Whenever I’m using parentheses, I feel like those parts that are enclosed in parentheses are invisible to everyone else and I’m the only one who can see them. I mean really. Try to observe my twitter faves. See what I mean? :P Oh, and sometimes, when I chat, I use parentheses a lot too. It’s as if these special characters give me the courage to say what’s on my mind. So say, if we were chatting, and I typed “(I love you too)”, you’re not supposed to respond, because as far as I’m concerned, you didn’t see that part. (Okay, I’m sounding weirder by the minute, I have to stop.)

Ok. You’re turn, Jeric, Camz, Mikey, Bheng, Sarah, Reah (and Joni? Have you done this na?)

Thinking about all these weirdness and imperfections make me feel good about myself. I mean, seriously. It is when you’re in your weirdest state that you feel you are most loved. Coz there you see those people who stand by you, and accept you as you are. And I’m sure you know, and that you’ve felt it also at one point in your life, that there’s this certain warmth and peace that comes with knowing that you’re an imperfect person loved perfectly.

♥ ♥ ♥

So hey. I got a lot of happy thoughts, and this is pretty long already so I’ll just quickly enumerate them.

Blog Meme #2 from Joni. Here’s me, counting my blessings:

1. A whole year of milestones and defining moments that I will carry with through time. Beautiful experiences happened this year, not necessarily without pain, but beautiful nonetheless. But I think this deserves a separate post. :)

2. Being blessed with the best Mom in the world. And having been raised by the best Dad, who, even when he’s already gone, is still changing lives and making a difference through the legacy that he left us with. And growing up with two macho brothers who always care (kahit minsan hindi halata, hehe).

3. Love-hate relationship with my job that makes it even more challenging and worth it. And knowing that I have a whole bunch of lovely lovely officemates backing me up, making me survive each day in spite of the odds.

4. That even though this world is full of people you can’t trust, you are assured that when everything else crumbles down on you, you have a set of friends (the ones who have been there althroughout and have stood the test of time) who’s always ready to back you up.

5. Love. Love everywhere. What more can I ask? ♥

Your turn to count your blessings, Marian, Romz, Jaypee, and well, ALL OF YOU!! Now is the time to count blessings, people. Go go go. :)

Here’s a tag from Tina. I was too lazy to think of a title I copied hers nalang. LOL.

The RULES:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Media Player, iPod, Winamp etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press play.
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
5. When you go to the next question,press the next button.
6. Don’t lie and pretend you’re cool.
7. When you’re finished, tag some other people to do it!

Okay, let’s do this. :)

A. Opening credits: Here Without You by 3 Door Down
Gaah, ain’t this too sad for the opening credits?

B. Waking up: December Dawn, sang by my friend, Sheila Juan
It’s a Christmas song but I actually think it matches the waking up mood. Chorus goes like:

Coz no gift will be more perfect,
more perfect than you
You’re the only wish I pray for,
I pray would come true
I can’t wait to wake up to a new December dawn
With you by my side, from this Christmas on..

I like. :)

C. First Day of School: Screaming Infidelities, Dashboard Confessionals
Pretty screaming for a first day, eh?

D. Falling in love: I’ll Be by Edwin Mccain
Hmm. Works for me. :)

E. First song: High, The Speaks
Not bad. Love the guitar accompaniment. But, er, not for this category?

F. Breaking up: In My Life Medley, Aiza Seguerra
Okay, confession time. I’m a closet fan of this girl. I just like her songs, bat buuh. (I admire people — yes, girls included — who can play the guitar and sing along at the same time.) And I think this particular song matches the category too.

G. Prom: Take Me Out of the Dark, Gary V
Ok, that didn’t match at all. LOL.

H. Life: You Said by Hillsong
Cool! *Nods* I like. :)

I. Mental breakdown: Pop Goes my Heart, Music and Lyrics
Haha. Okaaay. This is totally mental. :P

I said I wasn’t gona lose my head
but pop! Goes my heart!

J. Driving: Alipin, Shamrock
Is it too jologs to have Shamrock in my playlist? I actually think they’re good. And this song is super senti, and has great acoustic accompaniment too. So okay, If I’m driving in a quiet high way with trees swaying and the skies blue, I don’t mind having this senti song in the background. :)

K. Flashback: You’re Beautiful, James Blunt
I like the song, but I don’t see the connection. Besides, the song reminds me of Happyslip’s Mac Beautiful. LOL.

L. Getting back together: I Still Believe, Mikks
Wah. I didn’t realize I still have this in my list. It’s from my ex, by him too.

I still believe I’ll find my way to you
Coz with every step I take
The signs are leading me to you
I still believe I’ll find my way to you
You are the source of direction
The light for my way is you
That’s why I still believe I’ll find you

Definitely a getting-back-together song. (Why do I feel nostalgic oh so suddenly?!)

M. Wedding: I Could Not Ask for More, Edwin Mccain
Wow. This shuffle is working out great for me. Haha. Fits!! I want this to be played on my wedding. (Or, to have my groom sing this for me?) I know this ain’t necessary, but the lyrics just sooo fits. :)

Lying here with you,
Listening to the rain
Smiling just to see the smile upon your face
These are the moments I thank God that I’m alive
These are the moments I’ll remember all my life
I found all I’ve waited for
And I could not ask for more
Looking in your eyes, Seeing all I need
Everything you are is everything to me
These are the moments I know heaven must exist
These are the moments I know all I need is this
I have all I’ve waited for
And I could not ask for more

I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
Every prayer has been answered
Every dream I have’s come true
And right here in this moment is right where I’m meant to be
Here with you here with me

N. Birth of a child: Sleep all Day, Jason Mraz
Sleep all day while giving birth? Or sleep all day when the baby is crying like mad because he’s not being fed well? Haha.

O. Final battle: Tiny Dancer, Tim McGraw
I like the song, but, er, not for this category. Hehe.

P. Death scene: Baby I Love Your Way, Bob Marley
Some death scene this is. Haha.

Q. Funeral song: Dare You to Move, Switchfoot
Eh? Hehe. I think it’s kinda awkward to say “dare you to move” to someone who’s inside an open casket. (Takot nyo lang. Hehe.)

R. End credits: If You’re Gone, Matchbox20
Hmm. Sige na nga rin.

Ok, this is looong. Now I’m tagging: Joni, Marian, Camz, Normi, Mae, Jam