Saturday, December 31, 2011

Awesome 2011 is Awesome!!!


This is how i conquered my 2011


January-March
These months weren't so much eventful, but I'm thankful for it nonetheless. Got into some hulabaloo for this production for the school, certain people challenged me, but then I got through it alive, and I've moved on from it. Then turned in my resignation to pursue my graduate studies, supposedly, full time. But I guess God had other plans for me. :)
Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah
Cebu Skywalk Adventure
Cebu with great friends!



April
BORACAY with my favorite people!
And because I was no longer working, I spent the time of my life in a long long vacation in Iloilo and everywhere else with my family!

Concepcion Family
Our family is awesome.
Roasting mallows and making smores!

Jose Concepcion Family!

May
I decided to enroll myself in PETA's Creative Musical Theater workshop, together with just some of the best friends ever haha

ENTABLADO reprezzent!
My first time to perform at the PETA Theater!
with awesome mentors Sir Vincent de Jesus and Maam Upeng Galang-Fernandez

and met new amazing friends!!!
The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber c/o Ate Vir! (thank youu!)

June
My graduate studies have been put on hold, so I decided to return to work. It got better from that point on! :)
David Archuleta LIVE in Manila!
July 18, 2011
Got THIS close to David! that's his arm behind the bouncer's evil hands!

I came unprepared for the concert.
My kind of perfect

July
Watched AIDA with Pinky!
It was a nice stroll down memory lane, because we did this when we were in 2nd year highschool!

August-September
and then this changed my life. in a moment. haha!! This was perhaps the greatest blessing I received this 2011! Thank you PETA for giving me this chance to be on stage with you.
WILLIAM happened.
VAREKEI!!
Can't believe that i'm the fool again!!!

October
Finally in Kota Kinabalu!
Vian's awesome halloween party!
Move over Sue. The new cheerio is in town.
Mr. A to Z live in Manila!

November
Finally got myself enrolled into graduate school! Say hello to your candidate for MA DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY! I believe that children are our future! yehey!
22 and loving it!

December
another amazing year with our boys!
and princesses!
Christmas!
with loved ones!
JAKEY!

So for 2012?




Thank you to everyone who MADE my 2011! It rocked! Raise your glass to an even more epic and amazing 2012!



Thursday, December 29, 2011

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

myself first.


i'm sick, i'm vulnerable, i'm insecure, i'm sorry. - @meann31
(meann pagamit ha, mejo ganyan ako ngayon hehe)

i feel like crap. i felt like i just had to hide, wallow in self-pity, self-inflicted pain, whatever. it was all just too pathetic and i hate myself for feeling this way. so pathetic. i am cringing in disgust at myself, for feeling pathetic and sorry for myself. but i hope i'm through with this, i'll get over this like i always do, i'll do things i'm best at, keep myself busy, get myself together. i will not allow myself to feel the way i felt tonight, or for the past couple of days. the future me won't have to worry about that, i will take care of things now. an emotional wreck now, yes, but i will not succumb to this any longer. this is enough. this is pathetic and this is not me at all. myself first above anyone else. i deserve this. 


- PHD by 25  or
- MA DEVPSY AND MA SPED by 25
- pen a book by 2012
- it's time to give back. get involved in more volunteer work.
- spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally healthy.

there. 2012, i'm embracing you. 

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Kota Kinabalu day 2!

October 15, 2011

We had to go to a money changer the next day, so we waited for the mall to open at 10:30am. Supposedly, we were leaving for Park Kinabalu, a 2 hours bus ride from the city, at 7am. But we didn't have money yet, so we waited, and had breakfast at, guess where ---

They have grape jam! But their sausage mcmuffin and even the drinks tasted like it had curry in it. yech. The air smelled like curry, the people smelled like curry- curry was written all over KK. It wasn't mabaho, it was an ambiance. :) 

After we had our money changed, we went to this bus station just 15 mins away from our hotel. Btw, we walked around the city proper because it was walkable. It was like Shoppersville Katipunan to Mcdo. Yes, it's far, but we were exploring and it was fun! We asked around how to get to Park Kinabalu (the travel guide online said to take the bus in Wawasan Bus Station to Park Kinabalu), AND NO ONE UNDERSTOOD US. Are you serious. Even our jeepney and trike drivers in Pinas know their English. We asked a local how to get there, and so she told us she was also going to that direction and that we should go with her. She looked like a nice lady, so we went with her. 

We took that big sosyal "City Bus'' as they would call it with the lady for 50 cents each. Dolly gave Singaporean money by mistake, and the konduktor just stared at us. Haha. So we went on, thinking the ride would last for 2 hours. But no. 3 mins later, the bus stopped in front of the mall where we had our money changed. The people took a bus from the station to that mall, 3 mins away. Yung kaya namang lakarin, pero kung gusto mo i-trike pwede rin. Yes, they took the bus. Almost half of the bus went down the mall. Wtf? We were so proud of ourselves, we could walk this far. So anyway, we went on, and then stopped again. The lady said, we go down here. WHAT?!  
We ended up in this park just 5 mins away from our hotel. wtf. We walked all that way to the bus station, just to go back a few blocks away from the hotel. The lady said we had to ride a mini-bus (mind you they call it "bas") going to Ranau, and we just have to tell the bas driver to drop us off at Kinabalu Park. She was so nice, she even left us her number in case we got lost. :) She was the only accommodating Malaysian we met. Make me realize even more that we are so hospitable. 

2 hours later, we arrived at Kinabalu Park around 1:30. We were so hungry, so we decided to eat first at the restaurant outside the park.
Entrance of Kinabalu Park
Fries and Tom Yum Soup. What a combination. haha
Lemon Chicken!
Food wasn't delicious, but we didn't care, we were just so hungry. We paid 15RM to get inside the park. We were given a map, and, that's it. 
Map of Kinabalu Park

Mount Kinabalu behind us!
 Mount Kinabalu was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and since the climb to the top usually took 2 days, we just decided to stay at the foot of the mountain, the Kinabalu Park. There were museums, botanical gardens and gift shops around the park.

First stop was the Kota Kinabalu museum. It was a display of plants and animals you usually find in KK. We found this funny sign amongst the leaves.
shhh. 

The Rafflesia Flower.
 Malaysians are extremely proud of this, it's the biggest flower in the entire world, and I think it only grows on their soil! It doesn't have a stem, and it's really huge. I also think it's very smelly. hehe
 There were more displays like animals, plants, rocks etc. Nothing you couldn't find in the Philippines. Even this Bahay Kubo was similar to ours. Their tools, utensils, weapons, musical instruments-- feels like home. haha!



rock termites! cool!

and other animals. 
We walked around some more, found ourselves in the middle of the forest, so we went off the trail and went down the river just so we could take these shots. haha

We found the botanical garden, charged us another 5RM for the entrance. There was no tour guide available for us, since we had to book it daw before, soooo. we just read the signs. Plants, plants more plants.
Pink Maidens from the Botanical Garden
 Then we stopped by the gift shop, where they sold canned oxygen.
Gift shop selling canned OXYGEN.

for 35RM!!!!! The air you breathe for 35RM!! (P490)
Before, people used to laugh at bottled waters. Don't be surprised if canned oxygen becomes the next in thing.
 After the gift shop, we went straight to this road, because the map said exit. Well the map wasn't clear, so we didn't really get it. We realized there were no more signs, no more street lights, no more cars or people in the road we were on, so we thought, maybe we're lost. And look, fog! We could reach the clouds! haha


 Finally, a car passed by so we asked if we were in the right direction. Number 1, they laughed at us first before they gave us an answer. haha. Number 2, yes, we were in the wrong direction. and last, 3, we realized, that people usually took cars to go around the park. That's why no one was walking around with us, and that's why people came in cars and buses. Because no one walks. kanina pa yan!! no one walks around here! Everyone takes cars and buses! We were just so proud of ourselves. So to celebrate, we rolled around and planked.


After all that walking, we were just so tired, good thing the same mini-bas driver went back for us and brought us back to the hotel. We slept, and then went out at around 12mn to party in the Best Entertainment Destination everr! haha no really, the name of the place was BED (Best Entertainment Destination). Lots of foreigners, young and old, lots of jologs also, drinks were expensive, we spent 100RM that night. haha