Dear God,

Wow, it's my birthday today! Thank you for the wonderful 26 years you've given me.. Thank you for all the countless blessings. 

Thank you for my family who continues to love and support me.. Thank you for keeping papa and mama healthy and safe. It's been a bit tough this past few weeks but thank you for getting us through. Thank you for saving Ate and the baby in her tummy. Thank you for watching over Raemon when he was lost. Please continue to guide us and to keep us away from harm..

Thank you for my true friends. Thank you for bringing them to me in times when I most needed them. Lord, a good friend lost her baby and a new friend lost his father, please give them strength and heal them like you always do.

Thank you for being there when my heart was broken. Thank you for giving me the right answers to my confused questions. Thank you for healing me when I was in so much pain. Thank you for making me value and love myself again. Thank you for making me feel that I am not and will never be alone.

Thank you for showing me how beautiful life is. Thank you for the strength to overcome difficult situations. Thank you for reminding me of your greatness whenever I seem to forget.

Thank you for all the succeeding years you plan to give me..

Thank you for everything...

Archery Lesson#1

From Wikipedia: Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow! 

Like you don't know what Archery is, right?! Everyone knows that it requires the use of a bow and arrows. But not everyone knows that it is not an easy sport! Looking at pictures online or seeing it in movies, seems like it is as easy as 1 2 3! But when I tried it yesterday... let's just say that my left arm and shoulder and a part of my back are still aching today..

I, together with two other friends, went to Gandiva Cafe and Archery Range! We rode the bus and walked from Meralco Ave to Gandiva.

Bestfriends Zaicy and June and Me

We didn't have a hard time looking for the place since they are located in one of the high rise buildings in Ortigas along Julia Vargas, One Corporate Center!

Lili, one of my fav bloggers, thought that we were just playing with the name! Ganda+Diva=Gandiva lol! 

Before starting,  we decided to eat first to gain the much needed energy that this sport requires. We ordered the 18" Hawaiian Pizza! Interestingly, their food are all vegan! I wonder what the "ham" is made of, it tastes like vienna sausage to me.

After the quick brunch, we're now ready for the real challenge! Safety first! We were made to wear some protective gears!

We have a leather shield for the left arm (which makes it hard for you to bend your arm), metal+leather thingy that you put on the 3 middle fingers (the ones you'll use to pull the bow string) of the right hand, and the "pouch" where you put the arrows! Sorry but I don't know the technical names for these stuff, I'll do some research later! 

Another safety reminder is you have to wait for everyone to shoot their last arrow before you get yours from your board.

Katniss Everdeen Peg! :)

I look sexy, right? Lol! But there are a couple of right and wrong things here (these are just based from what I recall, but definitely not in a professional point of view):

-Position is right; sideways from target (check!)

-Left arm is good; should be straight as it is (check!)

-Holding the bow right (check!)

-Right elbow is good too (check!)

-Right hand should be just chin high (wrong: a bit too high!)

-Only the 3 middle fingers should pull the string (wrong: bad pinky!)

-There should be equal weight with left and right foot (wrong: hips!!! I'm putting all my body's weight in my right foot!)

Any improvement with the second photo? A very little tiny bit!! I know what to do, I just can't do them right! It's hard to think of the position of your left arm, right arm, left hand, right elbow, fingers, left and right foot all at the same time!

Other challenges were that I think the string is too tight! My instructor thought about loosening it up a bit after half an hour of practice.. that's when he noticed that I am already having a hard time keeping my hands steady! He also said that I should use my right eye to focus on the target, which was a bit difficult for me because I can't wink my left eye. Oh, that little orange hole that you use to peek thru your target? It was a bit high for me too! I should have asked the instructors to make adjustments so I was more comfortable..

My last 3 shots!

Those were like the best shots that I had! Yes, they were the best! The worsts? One arrow went past the board and was out of sight! Another one went to someone else's target board! Haha!!

It was a fun yet a tiring experience! After the one hour training, we went for the real "Hunger" Games peg! We went to Megamall and ate in J.Co and Teriyaki Boy!

Forest Glam, Coco Locco and Tiramisu

Philly Cheese Rolls

Will there be Archery Lesson#2?? We'll see...

Love love!

Sunglasses Giveaways!

Sunglasses have always been part of my lifestyle! Number 1:  Since I need to wear contact lenses for my +375/+350 eye grade, I need extra eye protection from the sun and the wind whenever I commute. Number 2: I work in a call center, I go to work at night and get out in the morning when my eyes are really tired so I easily get dizzy from the sun's glare! Number 3: I'm a beach lover, there's no need for extra explanation as to why I need the sunglasses there, lol!

Fortunately, I saw this post about the world’s most popular online eyeglass store, Firmoo.com! They, together with Balut Manila and Run! and Keep on Runnin are giving away 10 Sunglasses as Giveaways! 

I viewed Firmoo's website and I so love those Stylish Prescription Sunglasses! I used to own one but it got lost in one of my swimming escapes! Sad! I particularly like the Women’s full frame wrap around plastic sunglasses #OTO2503! Simple yet elegant!

"May the best eyes win!", said Balut in her post! Do my eyes (minus the eyebags that I collected from 6 years of working the graveyard shift, lol!) got what it takes to win? Haha..

I got this invite from wonderful blog Balut Manila to join this fun and exciting contest! Thank you!

Much Love! :)

**For more details, click here!

7 days to go....

I'm getting older! Yikes! I feel so old, yet I look so young, lol! Time really flies! It feels like it was just yesterday that I started with kindergarten.. Since, I'm feeling a little emo because I'm turning 18, I mean 22 26 (OMG!), I looked into some of my childhood photos!

My 1st birthday!

Trivia: Days after my first birthday, I got shot by a gun (a real one) in the neck! The doctors said that I was just a hair-thin away from death! It was a miracle that I lived... and a blessing, for my mom swore (based from her stories) that she will jump off the hospital's 9th floor if I died.. 

My growing up pics..

Takot sa bike?

Melody (the dog), Kuya Jay and Me

Ang taba ko! :)

So then, I started with school, which I really enjoyed! I finished kindergarten with flying colors! #proud?!

Quiz: Anong mali sa larawan?

What's really memorable were the weird costumes that we're ought to wear during field days! Teachers just love to make fun of their students! But I enjoyed dancing then..

La Bamba!

Ang kati nito!

The Bump!

Hawaiian!

Skirt made with crepe paper

Muslim Dance

Taray da ba?

Where are my high school and college pics?? My Prom and Grad pics? Could have misplaced them somewhere when our house was renovated..

Anyways, I'd like to share why I so love long hair so much.. because of this...

Don't I look ridiculously funny?! lol.. My mom said that I should cut my hair short since I don't have the enthusiasm to comb it! I didn't know that it would be that short, I remember crying like crazy then!

Much Love! ♥

Lunch Out!

Last Saturday, I asked Mama what she'll cook for lunch. She said she has no idea and is feeling a little lazy to cook! So I told her that we can just eat out as a pre-Mother's day (simple) celebration. We ate in Palmera Dimsum House because they haven't tried there yet.

Mama and Jaydrex

Papa and Chin-chin

We ordered Lechon Kawali (P150), Chopsuey (P100) and Sharksfin and Siomai (P40 each) and plain rice. 

It's my second time to dine here and all I can say is that the food is really great! Papa loved the chopsuey, Chin finished the siomai all by herself, I liked both the sharksfin and lechon kawali, and Mama appreciated all of them (si Jaydrex nang-gulo lang!).

Happy Mother's day ulet Mama! Thanks for being an ever supportive and loving mom! Bibilhin na natin yun gift na gusto mo sa restday ko! Yey!

FYI:

Palmera Dimsum House 
57 Rizal Ave. Taytay, Rizal  
401-5695 / 385-8025

Learning to Swim @ 25!

My mom has a phobia with deep waters and that led her in not allowing us to go swimming. My two older brothers still managed to learn though, but not me and my sister. But after 25 years (almost 26!), I finally have the courage and motivation to learn how to swim!

I've always wanted to try different water activities like snorkeling, parasailing, reef walking and surfing! Although not all of them requires that you can swim because you have the option to wear life vests, they still need you to be in control and relaxed, which is the total opposite of what I feel whenever I'm in the waters! I'm always hesitant and in a state of panic whenever the water level reaches chin high!

But since we have scheduled surfing lessons in July in La Union, I guess I need to learn the most basic swimming strokes or just even how to stay afloat! And this is my lesson#1. My instructors? Friends Dan and Zaicy! Thanks a bunch! ♥

Zaicy and Dan!

I guess it's a lot more difficult to teach me than a 3 year old child! Because kids are more adventurous and they don't have the fears that I have. Plus, they don't get exhausted as fast as I do and can keep their breath longer than I can! But I'm up for the challenge and I promised myself that I'll try as hard as I can!

First things first, learn to stay afloat! It is not as easy as it sounds though. My instructors used all possible techniques to show me how to do so.. Internalize! Think like your a log! Or a frog! But I'm a human being and not a log or a frog, lol! The best method that worked for me? A friend asked me to hug my knees together so they touch my chin, in a fetus-like position, and she said that I will float effortlessly! And just like magic, I did float! Yey! Then, all that's needed was to stretch my body like a.. log? Ironic, haha!

Second, learn the right kick! They said that it should be done in a reverse bicycle way. When I can't even ride a bicycle! And reverse the movement? My mind just went haywire! I will get it right in the first few strokes, and then.. How's that again?! Zaicy would tell me "you're forgetting it!" and we'll just laugh together because I know I did! 

Then, add the hand movement! "It's just like dancing", said Dan. Oh how I love to dance! But not in the waters?! The hand movement isn't that hard, what's hard is putting it together with the kick! But I was determined to learn, and so I practiced more and finally got the hang of it!

Yey! I'm done with the reverse bicycle style (I'm making up these names because I don't think that they'd really count as a swimming stroke!). Next is the frog style, lol! They said that this would make me swim faster! Instead of doing that pedal-like movement of the feet, it would be more of scissor-like!

I can't help but laugh everytime I watch these videos! I still look exaggerated and lousy despite one whole night of practice! But I guess that's good enough for the lesson #1! I hope I can practice more this week, need to be prepared for all upcoming water activities! But more than the recreational stuff, swimming is a survival skill that I really must take seriously! Aja!


**Again, thank you so much Dan and Zaicy!**
**Naloka rin ba kayo sa background song ng second video, hahaha!**

Team Building @ Guillean's Place!

This is our first official team building activity after almost 2 years! Plans have been made before but never was it taken seriously. Until I had the proposal that since it's still summer (at malapit na bday ko!), we can go swimming and my teammates agreed (dahil makulit ako!).

We chose to stay at Guillean's Place in Antipolo City. It's a private resort and we paid PhP5000 for 12 hrs stay (7pm to 7am) for 15 persons!  

The package is inclusive of use of the pool and outdoor jacuzzi, multi-purpose hall with kitchen and videoke!

For food and drinks, we decided to have a potluck! The food's great, lahat masarap! Wala lang rice, pasaway!

Chips ba?!

The night was filled with lots of laughter, stories, singing, shouting and water splashing! I also had some private swimming lessons with my friends Dan and Zaicy! Yey!

 We all had so much fun and I hope this won't be the last! Sana out-of-town naman next time! :)

the finale jumpshot

FYI:
Guillean's Place
Bonanza Ave, Ponderosa Heights, San Roque, Antipolo City, Philippines
+632-6559043 / +632-6563174 / +632-9156339 / +639155983330
http://www.guilleansplace.com