INSPIRATION: Geek in Love

What's your favorite?

Illustrations made by Nicole Martinez

Takamine Got Me

Finally had one, again. Say hello to my new guitar from Takamine D Series sunburst acoustic guitar. ^_^  I was supposed to go for the natural color model but this gradient-orangy rich color sunburst got me. When I tested it ayaw ko na bitawan! The grip, body, feel, and most specially its thick and whole auditorium sound suits my satisfaction.

His blessing is always perfect timing.
Thank you Lord. :)

Summer Wanderlust at Tondol Beach

What to do with one of the longest holiday of the year?.. Its time for family bonding, home bumming and beach swimming?! yay. I was longing to go to this beach. I invited friends to come along but they also want to spend their time with their family. I really really want to go there. I’ve read blogs, reviews and articles just to make sure I can go there with much knowledge and readiness all by myself. I am blessed to have the coolest mom because she made a decision to come with me with the whole family..and that made all of us so excited.

The entry way that will welcome you when you get there. When I saw this nabura pagod ko sa byahe. wow Lord.. :)

We arrived there around 1pm and its 'low tide'. Just in time to witness the splendor of the white sand beach. Onti nalng Maldives na! haha.
I got so excited to take pictures! (may kasama pang nginig sa sobrang excitement. haha..) My younger brothers nagpalit agad ng pang langoy. Ang sarap tumapak at tumakbo sa sobrang pino at lambot na sand.

My youngest and uber bibbo brother, Rainer. :)

The photos are quite overexposed and I'm also overexposed under the sun! The skies were clear..salong salo mo yung init. Thanks to my sister who manage to re-apply sunblock maya't maya. 

First photo taken with my lovely sister, Wilt. We set the camera on timer so we can freely move naturally. 

"Be still and know that I am God" -Psalm 46:10. I found rest in His presence. As I watched the calming view and listen to soft waves hitting the shore..God reminded me to trust Him more completely. He made the beach so beautiful, detailed in every way and crafted it excellently. How much more our life? Let Him take over.

Watching the sunset is overwhelming. This natural wonder is just a glimpse of God's awesomeness. Taking this photo while riding on a boat with calm waters and misty wind calms my soul. 

We hopped on the island near the beach to witness the sunset more intimately. Of course, its also time to get photo opportunities. This silhouette is my sister. 

We rented a place facing the beach called Star Inn. The room rates are from 700-2,500 php per nyt. Rooms are similar to apartment type we normally see.We stayed 2 days and a night. Mejo bitin pero ok parin because we are required to make the most of it. (walang pahingang pag-explore at walng humpay na dora mode..haha). What I love about the beach? wala masyadong tao..hindi crowded like mainstream beaches na kailangan mo pang manghawi ng tao to get pictures.haha; Tahimik, spell unwind? wala masyadong nagpapatugtog ng mga party songs..chill na chill lang. Hospitable people, parang lahat ng nakakasalubong ko na taga doon palangiti?..hehe. My sister's boyfriend got stung by a huge jellyfish. Manang cooking near the shore gave him first aid agad, may kasama pang lecture at sermon na tunog nanay ng very light. The cons of the beach? Since its not yet fully developed, may mga part ng beach na maraming halamang dagat na nakakalat sa pampang. Water source, madaming mga suking tindihan dun pero hindi ko trip yung lasa ng tubig nila. Safer siguro mag softdrinks ka na lang or better magbaon ng gallons of distilled water. Wala pa masyadong restaurants and hang-out place. And lastly..ang LAYO. haha..

Will I go back? Absolutely yes! ^_^

How to get there:
It took us 6-8 hours to get there. Excluded the hours we waited for the Bus going to Alaminos.
Take Victory Liner (Cubao) byaheng Alaminos -ticket rate 393php aircon. Isang stop over lang sa Victory Liner (Tarlac). After long hours of sleep, butt burning travel time and endless view of wide rice fields mala-Farm Ville, you will reach the Alaminos bound (where the trip to Alaminos bus ends). From there, take a walk to find a jeepney going to Anda. Pwede magtanong-tanong, libre. Wag lang papa-uto sa mga tricycle drivers na willing to help ang peg pero hindi naman talaga. Haha. Instead, ask vendors or better security guards or mga tanod. Keep walking forward until you reach Alaminos Auditorium.  Dun ang sakayan ng jeep going to Anda. Then from Anda take a tricycle going to Tondol Beach. (Jeep fare 50 plus php tas tricycle 30 each). 9pax kami, much better and efficient to rent a jeep ‘til Tondol beach. 1k plus lang balikan plus you have the assurance na may masasakyan ka pabalik to Alaminos.

What you need:
Eagerness to experience new things
Excitement that never ends
Expectant heart to catch what God will reveal to you

Finding this awesome beach with a bunch of unfailing smiles, unlimited excitement and unforgettable experience with my most beloved family makes the trip full package summer wanderlust.


God made this beach so awesome and amazing how much more your life?
Life is not about finding yourself, its creating yourself. -Oscar Wilde
always remember to create oneself into His image.
^_^

WOODstruck!

Going back to the basics apart from the advanced high technology materials, let's go back to where they all started. Here are some of my favorite things that brought my life more meaningful -all made of wood.

Camera
For keeping my memories alive.
This is a organic wood camera educational toy from little sampling toys. Its a good alternative for plastic toys.

 

Shades

Because I love taking images outdoors and letting the sun shine on me, sunnies are essential.
I would be pleased to have one handcrafted Canby Pendleton sunnies from Shwood.
Click here to see how it was made.

Acoustic Guitar
My partner for more than 7 years never failed me. My guitar accompanies my creative sanity. It's getting old and need to re-fret, or maybe I'll buy another one. *blessings please :)

Pencil 

For writing and keeping tracks of my mental randomness.

Bed
This is where it all happens. :)
One of the best things in life -a free relief from all our toils, sleeping.
I would like my room to be like this. I got this room inspiration from Gavin Daniels.

SOCK eet!

Wearing socks was not my priority at all not until I found these pictures that can easily lift any outfit. Don't be afraid to play with colors with your flattering flats, plain platforms and favorite shoes. Just make sure it matches and compliments the color of your clothes.

Here are some inspirational pictures on how to SOCK-eet!
Enjoy.

www.gormanshop.com.au

www.arabellaramsay.com

www.laurenmoffatt.net

happy socking.
^_^

My future kids

I will train my future kids to start collecting pictures while they are young and let them create their own history.

photo from bleubird

What to do on a holiday?

taken by my 6-year old brother Rainer

Today is Quezon City day and my additional rest day. What to do on a holiday?..

Stay at home and bond with your sister! 

Do dvd marathon, give updates to each other, sing with the karaoke, eat like pigs, talk about boys, sleep in the afternoon, wake up to eat again, tell stories about randomness, share hopes and dreams and pray about it.

That's what we did and I'm looking forward again for holidays. 

The Biking Experince

from women of sartorialist

I miss biking around the city streets. Going on circles, chasing with dogs and catching the wind, were some of the things that made me feel alive and free. I wish I can go anywhere along with my bike again. I imagine going to work, to the nearest grocery shop, nearest parks, coffee shops, library and taking pictures without fear. I want to live in a place where they normally practice biking freely doing it wherever and whenever they want.

Let's move to Amsterdam. :)

The Ultimate Breakfast

picture taken @readandbrew before eating

Tocilog’s sweet tocino smell, sunny side up egg and garlic rice is tempting!  It is one of the most favorable breakfast meals of many Filipinos. It is also considered as one heavy breakfast.
Take pleasure of pairing this meal with a sunshine in a cup (nescafe 3 in 1).

Have a good morning everyone. :)

The greatest therapy

photo by: bleubird.com

Sleeping is my greatest therapy.  It gives you rest, gives you relief and it is refreshing.

The feeling of sleepiness when you are not in bed, and can't get there, is the meanest feeling in the world.  ~Edgar Watson Howe

I can sleep 12 hours in a day or more or even the whole day. Soft white blanket embraces me, my favorite pillows lean on me, sweet scents from my sheets relaxes me. I'll wait for the moon waves goodbye, until the stars lose their spark.

Zzzzz..

Alarm sets at 5 snoozes. Oh what a day!
It’s always such a lovely experience every time I woke up from long hours of sleep.

Start your day with meditation to keep your life on track.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.  ~Irish Proverb

Here’s a playlist that can revamp your day.

1. Make it Mine - Jason Mraz
2. Mr. Blue Sky – Electric Light orchestra
3. Oh What A Day – Ingrid Michaelson
4. Strings – Young The Giant
5. I Might – Wilco
6. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
7. Beautiful Day – U2
8. High Hopes – Paolo Nutini
9. No Such Thing – John Mayer
10. Something in the Water – Brooke Fraser

Enjoy your day! :)

Robot Man

i admire their obedience to their masters

More than what I expected

"one morning waiting for the sun shine on my face"
(picture taken at Eastwood City Libis- view outside the office)

The 23rd year of my birth came, so as the unexpected things along the way.

I love surprises!! God never fails in doing so.

Here's what happened.

A week before my birthday I created my birthday wishlist.
Posted things that is attainable, just to make sure I can have it all on my day. :)

The first and the BIGGEST surprise I had was a promotion.

Now I can call myself a WRITER because now I am doing it professionally.

Here's a glimpse of how HE moved:

It all happens one chilly afternoon in the office..while searching data for our website being built.
Our SEO specialist asked who can write?..

Chills became giggles of excitement..then I told him I can.

He gave me a product model then write about that in 250 words.

Owkey then.
So, I took the challenge. Started writing with high hopes and full of faith.

Passed the article and wait for the reply....1..2..days..

Reply: "Very impressive". -by our Client

Hello sunshine rainbow ice cream orange lemons chocolate mallows!!!!

In short, Hello SUNSHINE and hello promotion. :)

Just amazing.

I wasn't expecting an early promotion from my almost 2month-old job.
This is His gift.
Getting the position was enough for me.
No more wishlist.
This gift is huge.
I am fulfilled.

But it doesn't end there, I was wishing for a 50mm lens..the package would cost up to 7k..then I was praying for this second hand item,that is almost new. If its for me, it can wait until my payday.

After 2 weeks..I got it half the price! :)

God is extraordinary.

Then on my birthday..some of my wishlist follows..bag, shirts, chocolates.

This is my new year celebration of His favor and goodness in my life.
God is so good, He have plans for us.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Just hold on to His promises and completely entrust your life to Him.

After hiatus moments while working,
(under the amazement of getting over on His mighty move)

I created this blog.

This uncontainable feeling should be shared.

This is HIS story.

I want to make dreams while I'm awake.

You and I

This song turn my night into morning sunshine. :)
 

Fun and realistic.

Hidalgo

I was thinking for a tough name of a guy.. 
tough enough to shoot outrageously..
strong enough to overcome the wilderness.

Then I started not to think and close my eyes.

Open up. Grab him and felt the spark.

Then HIDALGO came up.



 Welcome to my world Hidalgo.

Whattah face?! -Toy Story 3 review

" Whattah Face?!"

I never thought watching these funny faces characters left me in tears!

Andy (owner of  the toys) is all grown up and he's leaving for college. Now, how about the toys? 

He will not be needing those toys anymore.Will he keep them? Donate them? or just put them in junk? 

So, how will these toys be played again? 

And that's where the story begins.

The characters in the flick were more entertaining and funnier. I love it where BUZZ lightyear was switched-on to Spanish mode and how he kick his ass off. Lots'O the strawberry-scented bear; meek outside but dark inside. Mr.&Mrs.Potato Head; on how they transformed into a super-agents by their detachable body parts. Barbie and Ken; where Ken was more vain and fabulous than Barbie. The orphans! (haha..) Chuckles; the clown with a mad face (who sounds like Rorschach from The Watchmen) on storytelling their adventure on how they get abandoned. Jesse: showing how annoying a girl can be and accepting her faults in the end. Andy; how he gets matured,appreciative and how he introduced each of his toys to--Bonnie; the cute-little-funny-freckled-cheek girl, the new owner of the Toys.And of course, Woody.

He was the only toy Andy wants to take with. But he refrained from going with him. He never turned back from his friends whom he called his family. It was never easy for him. Even the the gang turned their backs to him.The adventure was different. It has many twist. Being lost, saving the whole gang from Sunnyside, helping a traitor and finding the one new-rightful owner.Bonnie.

I was amazed on how he faced the phase of letting go and embracing the new life without any regrets. 

And how Andy appreciated each of the toy telling how much thy mean to him.

( ..and tears started to fall..)

I can see myself in his character. Of being one of the craziest in the gang, meant to have a strong personality and yet having trouble when it comes to decision-making on choosing between love ones.

Watching as kid of a child-oriented flick is quite different watching as a grown up.

As a kid, all you have to do is to watch the movie by observing their actions carefully so you'll know when to laugh and act like the characters. As a grown up, your not just observing their actions, you can now understand more the words that they say, more attached to the characters and have full understanding what the movie is all about.

 This very moving-tearjerker-heartfelt movie is a must see!

You'll get the whattah face?! reaction from others coz' you'll find yourself crying and laughing out of it.

This will make you crazy.

unexpected surprises!

 I was just hoping that my day will turned out the way I planned.

and..it NEVER did

Why? maybe I never planned it very well, less preparations.. not effective plan B...or maybe God didn't allow it to happen because He has a better one.

I always rely on my mini-organizer to make my day really organized. Every night, I'll marked the accomplished one's and make comments and comparison's about planned and unplanned things happened throughout the day.

I noticed, there were lots of surprises and unexpected things that came.They were more brilliant and elated!

"If anything happens by chance..
it's not blessing in disguise, it's God's move! "

Try to observe. See the difference. Be blessed.

End start of life.

I didn't realized I got here here so soon.

Graduation day is the most perfect day to make a deep sigh.

A sigh arise from positive emotion called relief., while your mind saying  "sa wakas!" with a smile on your face.. It can be also a gesture of  "speechlessness" and giving it all up to God. :)

Graduation day is merely not the end of our sacrifices, its the start of the true race of life.

I AM

I created this for a client.
T-shirt design not only for couples also for couple of things,too. Haha..