you do you 2016

I'm usually not particularly giddy about new year's events because if I take away the idea of the calendar, all that's left in my head are yesterday, today and tomorrow. What I like about categorizing events though is it sort of creates an illusion of a fresh start, a new year, another beginning. Who doesn't want a try for a do-over?

I drafted a year-in-review post yesterday because it's what people do at the end of the year ― summarize, recall, reminisce ― but I left it undone in the morning, and when I came back to finish it in the afternoon, the whole lot seemed absurd already.

So I'm starting this year with these photos of random things that can be typically seen here in our area. For months, I've been thinking of committing to a project that I can pull out from my Neighbor Walk series ― shooting the neighborhoods here, if possible every street, within Cavite City. Doing the Neighbor Walk made me unexpectedly appreciate the look of a typical neighborhood here in the Philippines. Also, I want to tap more in to the realities of my life that is far from the high-end, touristy, manicured spots. I want to learn to embrace the grunge, the rust and the old-looking ― basically, the mess. I'm honestly not sure if I will pull this off, because taking photos in public streets here is very difficult and alienating. I usually get the strange looks from people because nobody thinks a public street or someone's garage/gate here is worth taking a photo of.

So there goes the challenge.

Ah, but for the sake of year-end summaries, here's a quick look-back at my 2015:

• Acquired two new-old film cameras
• Shot 30 rolls of film
• Visited two countries
• Met Lea Salonga!
• A promotion
• Quit some of my social media accounts
• Hoped for a chemistry, failed
• Sold my Canon AE-1 Program and gave away my Holga 120N
• Read 10 books
• Met Bea of Little Film Blog
• Joined an art workshop
• Revamped this blog 287632 times
• Cared less (about social status)
• Surprisingly got interested with makeup

This year, I'm keeping it simple to:

• Keep/update a daily planner/journal
• Care much less (about social status)
• Maintain only one credit card
• Approach people to be photographed
• Buy less

I guess that's it. I wish you a great 2016, friend :)

books i've read in 2015

In the beginning of 2015, one of the goals I've set is to finish a book each month. I like reading for the obvious reasons, but it hasn't been a habit of mine. In the past years, months can pass by without me picking up a book. This year, though I did not exactly achieve my goal of one book per month, at least I was only a couple of books shy. I didn't make an actual list of the books that I've finished while I finish them, so I'm not sure of the number in my final list. As far as I have remembered, I finished ten, and here they are:

1. Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
2. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
3. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
4. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
5. It was the Best of Sentences, It was the Worst of Sentences by June Casagrande
6. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
7. Tell No One by Harlan Coben
8. Who Loves You Best by Tess Stimson
9. Mockingjay  by Suzanne Collins
10. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Ten would seem like a joke for a real bookworm, but I'm happy with this number because I'm a slow reader and the only time I can dive my head into a book is while on the road. I can't seem to focus on a story if I'm at home, which is weird because I assume one should be more inclined to read at home because of comfort, but not me.

I've finally made a Goodreads account, too. Just because. 

For next year, I think I'm going to do the same and allot one book per month just to get the routine going. Then hopefully, I'll be able to fulfill the list of books I want to read that I've written on my List App. I already have a copy of Anne Frank's Diary (given as a fulfillment of my wish for our team's exchange gift for Christmas, yay!) waiting for me to start on the new year.

Anybody else who wrapped up their own booklist for 2015? Please do share! I want to know your book recommendations :)

friday's 10 happy things

It's Friday! And I have time to make this list! This alone makes me happy. 

As I was remembering what transpired this week to put in this list, I realized that most of the things that made me happy are not things that I actually experienced, but more of my fandom sightings. I am such a fangirl of many things and this is probably the main point of this blog: to gush. Because I cannot shut up about the things I love.

1. Seeing Jun Ji Hyun photos and gifs from a Korean award show. 
2. Finally got my Ilford Delta 400 scans from the lab, which took me 4 months to finish and 1 month to develop. I had it developed in Studio 58 c/o Fuji Megamall. Thank God they showed me first the contents of the CD before clearing the transaction because when I checked, the photos and negative belonged to somebody else! Qué horror.
3. New Tinamy photos.
4. Having a person who knows you.
5. Alicia and Sam together. Why don't you throw in Adele in there too, if it's not too much to ask?
6. WLPPR.
7. I have been cooking for myself more often. I really enjoy experimenting even though it's not always a success. My favorite so far is sautéing butter, garlic, thyme, shrimp, and then putting soy sauce, honey and Nando's peri-peri sauce together with it, and then topping it all off to angel hair pasta. Haha it's my go-to comfort food lately.
8. Casually started to drop by Bakers Fresh before catching the train, and eventually turned it into a routine. The smell of their bread -- mmhmmm.
9. Walking Kimi around after months of not being able to do so. 
10. Eating isaw and drinking ice cold coke from plastic. Sarap!

Friday's 10 Happy Things Blog Link-up

the sunday currently vol. 8

I was gearing up toward a Friday's 10 Happy Things post before the weekend, but didn't have the time to do so because of back-to-back dinners after work so, TSC it is. I don't know what exactly I find pleasurable in writing a list of things that has happened to me or that amused me, and then put them out here thinking that it would be good enough for others' reading consumption. Haha. 

(I went on and on at this part of writing but decided to delete it because I don't know what's the point of my thought and/or where I was headed.)

Anyway.....

Currently...

Reading

I was on a reading streak for months but lost it mid-August because I got so engaged and lovestruck with My Love From The Star and I was not able to pick up my reading pace again after that. In short, I'm not in the mood to read a book these days. Speaking of MLFTS, this is not related to reading, but I'm going to go down that path anyway: Man, that koreanovela ruined me. It could probably be because it's my first koreanovela, but I really believe that show had the perfect formula. The way Jun Ji Hyun cries is just..... gut-wrenching. I will always remember that show as my one great love. Haha. 

Writing

Some notes and questions for design projects.

Listening

Overhearing the neighbor's conversations. (A guy steps on poo and tells his mom about it. Mom warns him about taking his footwear inside the house. Hahaha.)

Thinking

Lately, I've been thinking about making modifications around this blog and some sort of direction because my domain turns 2 years old next month. I am not aspiring to be any kind of a blogger, but I currently dream of a nice, interesting layout. Thoughts?

Smelling
Kimi peacefully settled next to me.

Wishing

Ella and I have been spending the last two weekends on data and system analysis, which is seldom because we, or I, at least, want to break away from technical stuff during non-working days as much as possible. It's just amazing to see and talk to someone who knows where she's good at and makes a long-term career out of it. Sometimes, in the middle of her explanation, my mind would snap out of the conversation and wish that I was good at something technical instead.

Hoping

I hope the fairy godmother of discipline sprinkles me with a lot of magic to control my expenses.

Wearing

My ultimate lounge clothes :D

Loving

The List App.

Wanting

To finally let go of my grudges and secret hate to some people. I know how unhealthy this is to my own well-being, but as much as I try, I still get very annoyed by them. Help, any tips?

Needing

I've made a decision and took a risk last week despite the possibility of getting myself into "trouble". The ball won't start rolling until next year so there's nothing yet to worry about. But I will need an open mind and understanding by then. 

Feeling

A bit worried because there's a strong typhoon here again and I hear the wind strongly swoops in from time to time. Also, electricity just got off a few minutes ago and I haven't prepared anything for tomorrow. Most importantly, how do I post this TSC too?

Clicking

Emails.

The Sunday Currently blog link-up

the sunday currently vol. 7

Currently...

Reading

I'm reading Tess Stimson's Who Loves You Best, one of the books I bought from the 20-peso book sale. I think I might finish it this week because I sat with it on a 1.5-hour bus ride along EDSA on a Friday night, so now I'm 3/4 way to the end. I love getting sucked in by a book. If not for it, I would have been out of my mind because of traffic.

I'm actually outreading myself on this one-book-per-month challenge. Last month, I've read two books, one of which is June Casagrande's It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences. With it, I have learned one of the best life lessons one could get out of a grammar book (well, besides the actual grammar lessons):

For one thing, if you're going to swear, fucking swear already.

Yes, Ma'am.

Writing

A lot, quite surprisingly. I found myself writing on one of my journals twice the other day. I said one of my journals, if you missed that. When did I become the jot-everything-down person?

But I'm enjoying this person, to be honest. I'm more open to my journals now than I've ever been on any written form/material. Something is really going down in me.

Listening

Nothing.

Thinking

It truly is beginning to dawn on me, that *WELP* I really might not get married someday. There, I said it! For the longest time, I was never resolved to say it out loud, here or anywhere, in my own words, but there it is. I just told my mum this, too, and I think I got her worried? Haha.

(Oh, but I know that if my 40-year old self is going to read this, she would laugh and cringe at the pettiness of this concern.)

Smelling
Nothing.

Wishing

It's been bugging me for a while: I want to re-read Harry Potter. But when I do so, I wish to read my own copy of the series (because I only borrowed from my college friends back then). And I'd like the books to be the non-Scholastic ones. I really do have a set of specifications for this one, apparently :D

Hoping

I was assigned to do the quarterly presentations next week, and I just hope that I don't embarrass myself too much this time. I'm too old to feel like a newbie!

I tried to practice the whole thing and I got sooo tired from talking. How do people do these things for a living?!

Wearing

The usual pambahay.

Loving

Every relaxing moment I can get for myself these days. Like this morning, I woke up and indulged on missed Aldub episodes (hahaha yes), and then I tucked myself in again with some Mama Lou's left overs, a cup of teh tarik and a book. I love feeling snug, basically.

Wanting

Just to pay the rest of the bills so I could start saving money, like, for real.

Needing

I don't know what I exactly need these days, I'm just pensive. I completely have no idea where this comes from. All I know is that if I could escape being an adult right now and not actively participate in life, then where do I sign up? Ahhh, maybe I need something to look forward to. That.

Feeling

Mmmlahh.

Clicking

• This beautiful meditation on the elusive nature of joy by Anais Nin. HOMERUN.

Over and over again I sail towards joy, which is never in the room with me, but always near me, across the way, like those rooms full of gayety one sees from the street, or the gayety in the street one sees from a window. Will I ever reach joy? It hides behind the turning merry-go-round of the traveling circus. As soon as I approach it, it is no longer joy. Joy is a foam, an illumination. I am poorer and hungrier for the want of it. When I am in the dance, joy is outside in the elusive garden. When I am in the garden, I hear it exploding from the house. When I am traveling, joy settles like an aurora borealis over the land I leave. When I stand on the shore I see it bloom on the flag of a departing ship. What joy? Have I not possessed it? I want the joy of simple colors, street organs, ribbons, flags, not a joy that takes my breath away and throws me into space alone where no one else can breathe with me, not the joy that comes from a lonely drunkenness. There are so many joys, but I have only known the ones that come like a miracle, touching everything with light.

• I'm not yet in mid-life, but this. I also shared the article on my Facebook because I felt like my singlehood has been on the spotlight for the past week, and I want to kind of let them know. Don't you want to knock people off their high horse sometimes? With a baseball bat? Embellished with spikes? Let me share a line from the article that I relate myself with so much:

Tracy is lucky to have a travel companion but she gets grief for that: "My best friend and I have been accused of being lesbians because we don't date, we take vacations together, and spend a lot of time together. I don't get it. We enjoy each other's company -- who else are we supposed to spend time with?"

The Sunday Currently blog link-up

friday's 10 happy things

Something doesn't quite add up to this week. I think my introversion has spiked up, because all I yearn for in my floating moments is to escape the daily routine: sit with a cup of tea/coffee or tuck myself in to a cave. Nevertheless, everything went on as they should, and so did the things that made me smile:

1. New journal and pens. I deliberately did so, to sort of break the fogginess of my mood this week. I just knew I needed something tangible.
2. CBTL talk with my bestfriend over some matcha. Heart-to-heart talks are the end of me.
3. Caffera. A tiny camera-themed coffee shop in Maginhawa :) Darn cute!



bodies #believeinfilm #35mm #film #VSCOcam

A photo posted by April (@grewlegs) on Aug 2, 2015 at 2:15am PDT



4. Books for Less' 20-peso book saaaaale! Braved the first day of sale, and it was a combination of sweat and trigger happiness. 17 books for only $8 :) :)



all for the price of 1 regular book 💘 #dugotpawis #booksforless #booksale #books #VSCOcam

A photo posted by April (@grewlegs) on Jul 31, 2015 at 8:58pm PDT



5. I volunteered to revamp Q's blog, and had a blast. The layout's super simple, but I enjoyed it so much, I swear I almost wished it was mine hahaha.
6. New small notebooks and a bookmark. Again. I think I'm taking jotting down stuff seriously. I now have a separate notebook just for this list. It's actually fun, you know.
7. Cappuccino Muscovado + Sansrival at Cafe Mary Grace. My newly discovered definition of perfection.
8. Polly's Iceland posts. The colors are so rich, I want to slurp it.
9. Lea was killing time and open to entertain some questions, so I took a shot, tweeted her and got an answer in 1 minute.
10. FLAWLESS.

Let's all dive in to this weekend, shall we? :)

friday's 10 happy things

Hello! I decided to start on another blog link-up, the Friday's 10 Happy Things! I usually cannot fight not sharing it when I see/hear/feel something amazing or something that simply made me smile, but since I'm trying to shut myself up in social media, I thought it would be suitable to just keep them to myself for a week, and then dump them all in this list. So basically, it's a list of things that made me happy this week. Let me go ahead and just start:

1. True Confessions with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler - Oh my, how I would love to get my own swivel chair and be the fourth person in that table?! Tina Fey is my hero, and Amy Poehler is just always hilariously smart. And then there's Jimmy who has a darn cute laugh/snicker :) I'm that loser in school who just want to be friends with this group.
2. Let's not go further: the release of the first Sisters' trailer. Those parts where Amy says 'I don't get this dress, one of my apples keeps rolling out of the bag' and Tina says 'yeah, congrats on that wrestling championship' just make me want to step it up and be a better person in life. And my life after this.
3. The list could be done with those two alone, but let me just keep going for compliance's sake: I made a video of my recent travel to Malaysia, and this made me realize that video editing is probably what I really love doing but I only got diverted into taking photos.
4. I made a Google Sheet to track my savings for my next year's travel. Yes, that trip needs serious amount of discipline to save up for that I had to put it in a tracking sheet, with COUNTIF formulas and all.
5. I spoiled myself by getting a Swirl Rewards Card :)
6. Sarah Geronimo in The Breakup Playlist :D With her cute/rocker chick/law student/perfect messy hair in a bun vibe.
7. I am quite taken by the awesomeness that you can now send GIFs in Facebook Messenger. I feel like I communicate better through GIFs haha!
8. When you're in the shower just thinking about life.
9. My nephew, Francis' almost daily goo'mohnin' voice messages.
10. Omigosh, I learned how to change the fonts in my blog without using the ones in the template. It is such a game-changer in my non-programming world.