A CULMINATION OF ART AND TALENT: CANON INVITES YOU TO THE NATIONAL LEG OF THE CANON PHOTOMARATHON

*Currently on thesis-mode, and schedule is super hectic so I've had no time to blog at all. Still praying and doing all I can to hit the deadlines, you know how it is. However I came across this event that Canon sent and thought it might be worth sharing. I know there are a lot of photography hobbyists out there you might wanna join! Prizes are pretty cool. Here goes:

In celebrating the discerning eye for art of different Filipinos, Canon Marketing (Philippines), Inc. holds the much-anticipated photo marathon in the country – the Canon PhotoMarathon! The competition is coming this 8th of November, 2014 at the High Street of Bonifacio Global City.

The Canon PhotoMarathon is an on-the-spot photography competition designed to raise the participants’ creative caliber by letting them capture photos that follow a theme under time pressure. Now on its ninth year, they are expecting to fill up the streets of Bonifacio Global City (once again) with photography enthusiasts from different walks of life, all contending to take that winning photograph.

“We are looking forward to unleashing the potential of our participants. Whether hobbyists or professionals, we are highly encouraging more people to join and challenge themselves and realize how far their creativity can take them,” said Bong Serevo, Vice President of Canon Marketing Philippines. 

Click here to read more >>

BDJ Fair 2014: #LiveItUp Dance to the Beat of your Dreams

How are you going to live it up this 2015? Start living it up by going to the 6^th BDJ Fair on October 19 at SM Mall of Asia, Music Hall!

Live it up and dance your way through life by making new goals, planning ahead and supporting a new advocacy!

Head to the BDJ Fair 2014 at the SM Mall of Asia, Music Hall on Sunday, October 19, from 10AM-10PM and dance to the beat of your dreams by attending inspiring talks, trying out different booths, activities and workshops from the BDJ Team. 

 

This year, the BDJ Fair is entitled: # Live It Up! Dance to the Beat of Your Dreams! The BDJ Fair is a fun-filled event where they will launch their 9^th edition of the BDJ Power Planner and raise funds for the advocacies they support. This year, they will support the students of Sulong Kabataang Romblomanon, Inc. (Romblon scholars), and MoveMNL. It's also where BDJ Girls all come together to learn, experience and have fun through our various talks, booth, activities and workshops. It's where they get to interact with their fellow BDJ Girls and gain new friends and learn from each other! Enjoy a fun-filled event of learning and being empowered and get first dibs to the BDJ 2015 Planner for only 500 pesos at the fair

 

To pre-register for any of the talks, simply visit belledejourpowerplanner.com and choose your top 3 picks from the talk line up.

Talk Line Up:

12:45-1:35 – From GRIT to GREAT with Jonathan Yabut

2:00-2:40 – Life is Your Playground with Ann Jacobe of Project Hardcore Sisterhood

3:00-3:35 – Create Your Own #BeautifulStory with Tricia Gosingtian for Pond’s

4:10-4:50 – From Zero to Financial Hero with Edric Mendoza of ANC

5:10-6:00 – The Fullness of Life with Andi Manzano of GSK

6:20-7:05  – Seasons of Style with Isha Andaya-Valles of Preview Magazine

The event is open to everyone but only pre-registered girls will be allowed to participate in the talks, get a loot bag, and get to try out exciting activities such as zipline and wall climbing!  Slots will be given on a first come, first served basis.

 Save the date for the sixth BDJ Fair! Put on your dancing shoes and dance to the beat of your dreams!

Stay tuned for more details regarding the BDJ Fair! For more information on the Belle de Jour Power Planner, other products and events, log on to belledejourpowerplanner.com or join their Facebook Fan Page, or follow @BDJBuzz on Twitter and Instagram.

***

I'm absolutely excited! I've been a BDJ girl for 5 years now and this is the first time that I'll get to attend the BDJ fair! They say it's really cool. :) I guess this will also be my way of support to the wonderful ladies behind BDJ, because their planner has been keeping me sane for how many years now and I'm really thankful! :)

The Blogapalooza 2014 Experience

IN A NUTSHELL, Blogapalooza 2014 just showed everyone why it's SO MUCH FUN TO BE A BLOGGER.

Nuff said. :)

From being postponed last September 20, WhenInManila and organizers pulled all stops to push through with the event yesterday, October 11, at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura. Over 700 bloggers signed up for the whole day event, it was open to everyone, entrance was free, and so many awesome brands were there!

We didn't get to finish the whole event because  I promised to be present for the 7th birthday of my inaanak aaaand of course promises are promises! So we had to run back to Laguna by around 3:30 PM. We really just had four hours to explore everything. I would have wanted to attend the talks and performances but we didn't have the time.

HOWEVER, one of my main goals was to check out what kind of businesses were there, as this is essentially a Blogger-to-Business networking event, and I think we were able to achieve it in that sense. I'm creating a separate blog for that so I could keep this one focused on the experience and the random things I learned while navigating the whole fair.

What excites me is the fact that Blogapalooza is poised to be an annual event for the whole blogging community, and more and more bloggers will be joining it in the next few years, so might as well share the experiences I had as a first timer, yes? :D

• It helps to come early. We came there an hour after opening but the lines were already long!

• As of the moment, majority of the brands are from the Technology, Food, Fashion, and Entertainment industries, so if you blog those fields then this is for you!
   
  
  

Click here to read more >>

Aamin na Ako: Gayuma ni Maria

Me and Ray celebrated our 3rd year anniversary last September 24. It was a celebration of three years of love, and a countdown to the awesome things to come. Once again, Ray has managed to surprise me  in spite of his busy schedule, and headed over to UP to meet me up right after our lab meeting. It was special in a lot of ways but I'd rather not elaborate that here because I got too cheesy on Facebook already hahah!

When we were discussing where we wanted to have our anniversary dinner, I knew right away that we had to try Gayuma Ni Maria because it's one of the more famous dining places near Maginhawa, and is said to be perfect for celebrations such as ours. Well, Ray has long since accused me of using 'gayuma' on him so might as well live up to that! Hahah! So off we went and boy we sure enjoyed ourselves!

Right from the porch, Gayuma ni Maria already made an impression as a spotlight suddenly lit up right after we hit the steps. We checked out with other guests and it looks like they've got a sensor installed over there. Nuks paandar!

Haha mai-push lang ang pangalan ko! :p

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6 Things We Loved About the Sikat Pinoy National Art Fair 2014

It was supposed to be a simple visit to SM Megamall after attending the mass, when me and Ray suddenly came across the Sikat Pinoy National Art Fair 2014 at the Mega Trade hall. We had other plans but I got waaay too excited and we just had to check it out!

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(Updated) Officially Excited: Blogapalooza 2014

I'm buuuursting with things to blog about!! But I'm a bit too busy right now, with thesis almost reaching its peak and then some. I'm super excited to blog about our recent epic trip but *breathe* patience! Will do that soon. BUT what I cannot put off is joining the biggest blogging event of the year - Blogapalooza 2014!

My friend and fellow blogger Mai mentioned this to me last year however I wasn't able to join, this year, my forever sis Unai reminded me so yes we can't miss this one!

What is Blogapalooza?

Well I've just been reading about it today and in a nutshell, Blogapalooza is one big community that seeks to create ties between businesses and bloggers. One can't deny the fact that blogging has become one of the most influential forms of media in the internet age, and is also one of the most affordable and accessible. Established businesses and start-ups can take advantage of this opportunity to present their products and services straight to bloggers and gain online exposure / advertising.


The event also features various talks and activities to keep inspiring bloggers and help them to improve their craft. This year's speakers/entertainers  include Michelle Gumabao, Karen Bordador, Rene Cruz, and Comedy Cartel.

They're also known to shower bloggers with loads and loads of freebies and whatnots, making this event extremely fun and beneficial for businesses and bloggers alike. And we're talking about huge discounts and coupons on the coolest brands.

While the freebies alone can already convince bloggers to attend, I'm personally more excited on what cool products and services we'll find that can awaken the inner geek in us. Will definitely blog about it!

Blogapalooza 2014 will be held in SM Aura this Saturday, Sept 20, from 10am - 9pm. You can learn more about them at http://blogapalooza.wheninmanila.com/what-is-blogapalooza/ . See you there! :) :)

Update Sept20: Blogapalooza had to be postponed due to extreme weather conditions brought about by Typhoon Mario and his friend Habagat. Huhu. Here's the official statement from the organizers

"Blogapalooza TO BE RESCHEDULED

Newest update as of 5pm.

It is with a heavy heart that we have to unfortunately reschedule our Blogapalooza event as we feel that the safety of the bloggers and exhibitors may be at risk with the heavy weather.

We are not able to formally announce the new date as many of our venue partners are also stranded from the rains and we may not be able to confirm the new date until Monday.

We ask for your patience and understanding in this matter.

Thank you so much and please stay tuned for the new announcements on the new date for Blogapalooza 2014.

If your URL's does not appear on the bloggers list here- More that 500 Bloggers registered Kindly re-register so we can include you on final list"

***

At first it was just a reschedule to a later time, but they still ended up postponing it, which is understandable of course knowing how much preparation time it requires to set up the whole thing. I just hope that all speakers/ invited companies still get to participate in spite of the mess up that it has probably done to their schedules.

Well I guess the only good thing about this is that you can still register and attend, yes?  Visit http://blogapalooza.wheninmanila.com/ now!

***

Update Sept 23 : Blogapalooza will be held on October 11! Same venue and schedule! Are you excited??  See you theeeere!!

Amazon Freebies for College Students!

I recently signed up for this Amazon affiliate marketing thing. It's basically just posting a product link of your preference on your page and you get a 4% referral rate for every sale. Nothing to lose! And well I think it's cool that I have a link to the purchase of the Game of Thrones collection right at my side bar. :p Yeees people it's about time you read the books so you'd stop getting buggered by people who kept coming up with spoilers. What's amazing about the show though, is that they come up with small deviations from the books and it keeps everyone on their toes. But that's a different story...why should Season 5 take too loooong.

Anyway, while looking around the website, I found out this promo they're having that's quite worth sharing: The Amazon Student offer. With the recent calendar shift, I'm sure a lot of college students are still getting used to going to school, doing research and all. Good news, Amazon's got some freebies for you!

When you sign up for Amazon Student, you get to have these FREE for the first 6 months:
a. Free 2-Day shipping
b. Exclusive deals and promos for students
c. Earn $10 when you refer a friend
d. Unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows  how cool is this??
e. Borrow Kindle books for FREE
f. Access to streaming over MILLION songs and playlists

All you need is a ".edu" email address, one that is provided by your university to make sure that you really are a student (if you don't have any, you can still submit a proof of being a student), and credit card details (because after 6 months you'll have to pay for subscription).

More and more people are now going to Amazon for their online purchases because of it's great credibility and reliable service. It's interesting how they're doing this for students now.
Click below and give it a try!

Inspiration Over At The Ayala Museum Part 2

(Continued from: Inspiration Over At The Ayala Museum Part 1)


The Paintings

The third floor was an exhibit by the painter Fernando Zobel (1924-1984) entitled Journey into Space: The Visual Odyssey of Fernando Zobel. He's a Spanish - Filipino painter and businessman, and the uncle of the famous Jaime Zóbel de Ayala. His father was a patron of Fernando Amorsolo, and this exposed him to Amorsolo's tutelage and art at a young age.

I have always loved visiting art galleries but I'm really not one to pretend that I actually understand what they're trying to say hahah! This was more of an abstract/ impressionist kind of set, and when you do these things, you do not try to communicate concrete thoughts but you try to invoke a certain kind of emotion. Sometimes it's hard to understand what the painting is trying to say because you're like 'uh okay what's that straight red line doing in a sea of muddled blue and green?' LOL.

And in this aspect, I appreciate the Ayala Museum's attempt to bring paintings closer to the common audience (e.g. non-art intellectuals and shiz) by adorning the walls with some of Zobel's famous quotes and perspectives. This way, the audience is able to connect the man with the painting and somehow is able to understand the medium better.

I particularly liked the Black Series because Zobel was able to come up with dynamic images by simply using the color black as the 'muse'. It really appealed to me how the concept of 'nothingness' can come up with something beautiful (emo not intended :p). It draws you and it pulls you away.

Photo from the Ayala Museum website

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Inspiration Over At The Ayala Museum Part 1

It was a wish come true for geeks and nerds all over the metro when Ayala Museum had a free museum day last July 19. I was particularly excited because I've been wanting to visit this museum with Ray for almost 2 years now but we never got around to because the entrance is  a little pricey (p600 per person.. update: wow just learned that the price is now p425 for non residents and p225 for residents!!! nice!!). And so when Ayala Museum announced they were having a free entrance day, we just could not let the opportunity go!

We arrived a little after lunch and we had Nica and her officemate with us. The lines were loooong, almost three thousand people flocked to the museum that day! Nevertheless the it wasn't too uncomfortable, and friendly ushers were there to guide people around.

They had a unique style of registration, where you only get to enter once you tweet or post on your Facebook the answer to this question: How do you inspire everyday? My answer was: "in hindsight, I realize too that living an impassioned life would be the best way to #InspireEveryDay " Nuuks! :p

Crossroads of Civilizations

We started at the fourth floor, and I was very excited to share the amazing Gold of the Ancestors exhibit with Ray and Nica. The legacy of our pre-hispanic ancestry just never fails to make me feel awe-struck by the grandiose of the whole culture. There's also this tragic realization that these dignified people were reduced to mere slaves when the Spaniards came and that's just sad. They erased almost all traces of this culture from the succeeding generations of a large percentage of Filipinos, and that these relics are the only proof that a time like this really existed. However, it still makes me smile thinking that at the very core of each and everyone of us, a link remains that binds us to these amazing people.

It's a pity we couldn't take photos, but I do understand this policy because these items are too precious  that it would be blasphemous to damage them by mere camera flashes. So as a sign of respect I attempted no such thing (okay I think I remember attempting once but decided against it lol!)

I just got this one from their website:

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My Tatay Passed the Real Estate Appraiser Examination 2014! :D

First off, what is an appraiser? As Wikipedia puts it: 

"Real estate appraisal, property valuation or land valuation is the process of valuing real property. The value usually sought is the property's market value. Appraisals are needed because compared to, say, corporate stock, real estate transactions occur very infrequently. Not only that, but every property is different from the next, a factor that does not affect assets like corporate stock. Furthermore, all properties differ from each other in their location - which is an important factor in their value."

An assessor is for government properties, while an appraiser determines the value of private properties. An assessor is automatically also an appraiser, but an appraiser cannot be an assessor until he passes the licensure exam.

The licensure exam took place last July 13, 2014 at the Manuel L. Quezon University over at Quiapo, Manila. But before this day, Tatay had to take review classes from Cesar Santos that spanned a month of whole-day review sessions and he would even review at home. A few weeks prior the exam he would stay up until the wee hours of the morning just studying and solving problems. Imagine someone in his 50's who was still willing to go through all that effort to pass the exam... it was very inspiring!

I kept asking him if he was nervous but he just laughed it off and said he had faith in God. :D

Come exam day, me and mama were in full support of tatay and accompanied him to the exam venue.  Unfortunately there wasn't an allotted parking space, but we were lucky we got there early so we got to park right beside the gates. Mama didn't want to walk around the place so we spent the whole day just stuck inside the car. Thank goodness we had newspapers and other reading stuff so we didn't really get too bored. I think I even blogged there. Lol.

I managed to take a couple of snapshots from the exam venue so well here's what it looked like:

Aaaand before we knew it, the exam was over. The exam took one whole day (just like the UPCAT!) and  Tatay got tired so we headed over to Pancake House at the Mall of Asia to eat.

We only found out the results about a week after, but it appears that they already released it 3 days after the exam. Turns out the exam was harder this year, with just a 36% passing rate. Buuuut yeheees!! Tatay passed!! Yeahmeeeeen!!

You can find the complete list of successful examinees here:

http://www.prc.gov.ph/uploaded/documents/REA0714se.pdf

I am SO SO SO SO proud of Tatay! Of course we're really grateful for all the help that God has blessed us with, BUUUUT you have to admit that you really won't go anywhere if you don't put hard work into it.

So! If there are any real estate properties, both privately or government-owned, that you would like to have appraised, just contact me or hit the comments section below and I'll refer you to my Tatay, okay?? It appears that there's a lot of technicalities involved in these things that you really need a professional to work these out. My father is also a licensed real estate broker, you can visit his Sulit (Olx) page here for available properties (majority in Laguna, Cavite and Batangas area).

So yes, contact us! :D

Congrats again Tatay!

The PROMAP Manufacturing Learning Series

Back when I was still working, I've always been keen to observe how the industry operates both in the macro and micro scale, and I must say that I sure have learned a lot in 5 years. I liked the customer meetings because it allowed me to take a peek on what our customers problems were, and how multinational companies related to each other. I also liked the production floor meetings and chatting with operators, technicians, and facility personnel because I liked to learn how things operate at their end. Being a process engineer granted us that advantage and I tried to learn all I could from it.

And so in spite of my resignation last year, I wanted to keep myself updated somehow. This time though, I already had the time to look beyond the semiconductor industry.  Fortunately, I bumped into Dr. Richard Chu from the UP Eng'g, Chemical Engineering department, and the adviser of my college org Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He mentioned that the senior professional chapter had an upcoming seminar about Rootcause Analysis, so I decided to come last July 5 just to check it out.

Click here to read more >>

Rediscovering Newspapers

One of the activities that eat up a huge chunk of my online time is reading articles. Sometimes I catch up on news, sometimes I read on social commentary,  gossip, and whatnots like Buzzfeed, Thoughtcatalog, etc (my favorite is Lifehacker). While it is of course healthy to take a peep into the perspectives of different people from different belief systems, there are times when I think some of these are just carefully-worded junk. It's funny how people with twisted reasoning can gain sympathy and believers by simply relying on witty rhetoric. But then again that's what makes the internet interesting.

Even if I love reading these articles, I'm realizing that the overload of content and the fact that just about anyone can publish their work, is turning this end of online content into a pile of confused mess.  Just like how videos of cute dogs and cats can now be considered junk because there's just waaaaaaaaay too much of them. It can be tricky to sort through the ones with real value.

Even self-declared news websites can produce a lot of crap nowadays (though not all really). If in the pre-internet era you can trust all the facts you see in new articles, nowadays you'd have to take things with a grain of salt because they tend to make typographical mistakes, errors in citing references, and sometimes even their facts are just downright wrong. I don't really get what their editors are doing, but I think they're less strict on their online articles because they know that they can undo their errors by simply hitting the "edit" button. And all this while acting like arrogant journalists at that (*ehem*ehem*tamaan-na-ang-tatamaan*lol).

Anyway, this line of thought has prompted me to rediscover the one medium that has been grossly affected by the rise of online journalism - the newspapers.

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Of Work Dates and Coffee

This is one of those random blogposts that I blurt out just because. :)

I really like it when we have these working dates. It's when he needs to work on something and I need to work on something entirely different and we do it together. We just find ourselves a good coffee shop to crash in then spend a whole night minding our own businesses. I think it started back when I was desperately trying to learn the Matlab programming language and he'd stay around to teach me and watch me work my way around it. Eventually he realized he wanted to learn other things too while I sat and studied for exams and problem sets.

On of our earlier working dates at Starbucks Makati, December 2011

So the practice has gone on until now. We tend to learn in different ways: he likes video lectures while I'd rather read e-books and articles. We could never read together because I tend to flip pages too fast heheh!

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Behold the Loomband Craze!

Don't you find it fascinating that in the era of smartphones and Facebook, tiny little rubberbands in different colors have suddenly become a huge hit?

Loombands are pieces of colorful rubber bands that one can 'weave' and turn into happy bracelets. Rainbow Loom, the company that popularized loombands as we know it, was started in 2011 by a Malaysian named Cheon Choon Ng, based in Michigan. With only a $10,000-investment, Rainbow Looms have taken numerous playgrounds, classrooms, and homes all over the world by storm.

I personally don't do loom bands but I'm really fascinated by all these Facebook posts I see from friends who have become addicted with these. One of them is ate Flec, almost every weekend she posts one or two "themed" loom bands and people rush to buy them hahah. I love how she's able to mix and match colors to come up with really cool representations of various themes. Here are some samples (all photos taken from their Facebook with permission):

Belgium Origami

Red Velvet

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Say Hello to Cebu's Napoletana Pizzeria!

Two weeks ago me and nanay made a weekend trip to Cebu. I thought it would be an uneventful  2-day visit but hah! I was wrong!  We had a grand time  during our short stay, it's just sad that we didn't get to see everyone but we can always come back next time!

What I'd really like to share here is our visit to my cousin Kuya Jeremy's brand new pizza place. Okay so who among you DOESN'T like pizza? BOO!! Hahah! I strongly feel that pizza is among the top ten gifts of God to mankind lol! It's  the favorite comfort food of many and a staple among lots and lots of group dates. So when I found that Kuya Ji now had a pizza place of his own, we just HAD to check it out!

Napoletana Pizzeria is a cozy hole-in-the-wall dining place that serves authentic wood fired brick oven Italian Pizza. Here in Manila, we have Gino's Brick Oven Pizza over at Makati and Katipunan and it's definitely a hit!

So what's the difference? Most pizzas use conventional ovens that take forever to cook and can either make your pizza too stiff or overcooked. You don't get these from brick oven pizzas.

Behold 'ze Brick Oven! (photo taken from the Napoletana FB page, click the photo!)

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Of Love, Friendship, and Paper Lanterns | This is it :)

I woke up a little disoriented. I checked my watch and found that its 6:30pm. I must have slept by more than an hour. In front of me, Suzette soundly sleeps. Oh I missed this lady, and the rest of the gang.

I stood up and checked myself in the mirror. My hair is a mess. I remember how my boyfriend Ray told me that we have to help in the preparations for this evening because tonight we're having a bonfire. Wee! We're composed of 4 vans, and almost 50 people, all from the process engineering department. They're technically my second family, as my first 5 years as a professional really evolved with these people. In spite of my resignation a couple of months ago, these people remain close to my heart.  There have been a lot of new engineers, but what's really cool is how a lot of engineers brought their families and special someone's to this outing. It's not every day that you can organize a whole department trip to Potipot, Zambales anyway! Hat's off to Sir Francis for that! It’s our best summer outing to date!

  

I looked for Ray but he was nowhere to be found. I tried to get back in and look for him in the kitchen, in the other rooms, and in the other areas of the resort but I couldn't find him. And I started to notice how the rest of the group wasn't in the resort either.

Soon, Ate Hya and Kuya Francis arrived. “San kayo galing” I asked. "Naghanap ng kahoy sa bonfire", they answered.

I didn't stop looking for Ray. I kept asking people around where he was and I was slowly getting agitated. Then I finally saw him and I was like "Kanina pa kita hinahanap san ka galing?", and Ray just answered "Ah naghanap lang kami ng kahoy sa bonfire".

So lahat ng tao naghahanap ng kahoy sa bonfire ganon??

And so we had a sumptuous dinner courtesy of kuya Philbert and his wife, and the much awaited bonfire began.  We huddled around the fire, with Zane, Sham, and Reinald doing the singing, and me the ‘saling ketket’. Zane and Sham are two of my dearest friends and I've always loved our jam sessions. Zane has the most beautiful voice I’ve ever known and Sham’s musicality is both energetic and fun. Reinald is a pretty new engineer who sings and plays the guitar really well. ;) Together, they would sing the soundtrack to the most unforgettable night of my life. :)

A couple of minutes after, a series of slides were displayed on our improvised projector-by-the-beach. They showed pictures of us in our outing last year, at Muntingbuhangin Batangas. They were fun memories that everyone laughed along with. Then I saw a photo of me, sound asleep, mouth-wide open, leaning on papa ray's shoulder. EMBARASSMENT haha!

Then the succeeding slides started to show my pictures with Ray. It had our pictures in batangas, pictures in tagaytay, pictures in random dates. I was getting embarassed again I mean what the hell are these things doing here? But then I saw the caption "I just want to make you happy". Oh man. Ray is up to something.

Zane and the gang sings Bruno Mars's "Just the way you are". I try to join in by making use of the shaker. But I find it hard to keep in tune because I see some of our officemates fussing about something, with Ray seemingly tense. Why?

Then one by one, dear friends of mine approach me, holding pictures on wooden paperclips. These are me and Ray's photos starting from the day we've met, our favorite dates, random night-outs, and out of towns. I struggle to read them all but the pictures just keep coming and coming! Ray loves to relive memories and experiences that we've shared, I'm torn between smiling and staring at Ray in bewilderment. It was like taking a trip down memory lane.

The last one I would not forget, Ate Hya Insisted that I read this first. It was a photo taken in Majayjay 2 years ago, where he knelt down in front of me as if asking for my hand, under a waterfall.

MY MIND WAS SPINNING.

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Potipot Zambales

This will have to be one of the best summer outings we've had to date. We're composed of 4 vans, and almost 50 people, all from the process engineering department. They're technically my second family, as my first 5 years as a professional really evolved with these people. In spite of my resignation a couple of months ago, these people remain close to my heart.  There's been a lot of new engineers, but what's really cool is how a lot of engineers brought their families and special someone's to this outing. It's not everyday that you can organize a whole department trip to Potipot, Zambales anyway! Hat's off to Sir Francis for that!

It was a full day of chatting, catching up, swimming, and simply exploring the island. The beach was a bit rocky, but what made Potipot special was the fact that you're swimming in a sea surrounded by the mountainous terrains of Zambales. We spent the whole afternoon bathing ourselves in the sun (and sun block lol) while of course, cam whoring. I loved seeing the new engineers really bonding and having a good time with the Korean bosses who actively participated in the games with us.  

And then something special  happened :) We'll share that with you on the our next blog, for the meantime, this video really did a great job in showing the beauty of Potipot island, so enough of the talk! Hit the play button!! :D

2014 Amkor PE Summer Escapade | Potipot Island, Zambales from Pheltheray Segismar Mayol on Vimeo.

Level up ang Mayolcreations! hehe! Everything was taken using our friend Papa Leo's GoPro3+ Black :D :D

Oh Java Jazz!

It's been quite a while since I last blogged. Been up to a lot of things the past few weeks. But I sure won't like to let this one pass without sharing with you. This is one of my newest favorite stops in Tagaytay. It's been a while since we visited this place but I never got to blog about it because a lot of *other* priorities got in the way. But hah! I won't let this one go!

It's easy to miss it, but have you been to the Java Jazz café? It's located at #442, Sungay West Calamba Road Tagaytay City. It's a small cafe that doesn't really stand out because of it's brown paint and bungalow style, save for the small signage saying that it's actually a coffee shop. Oh but it looks really pretty in the evening. The red lights and the very laidback-in-a-hipster-kind-of-way atmosphere reminds me of stores at Cubao X.

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Taal Church and Kaybiang Tunnel, Batangas

We took a whole round trip to Batangas today, me and my parents. We wanted to check out the new tunnel that connects Ternate, Cavite to Nasugbu, Batangas. It's called the Kaybiang Tunnel. What makes it cool is that they had to drill a hole under a mountain to create it. I hope the damage done wasn't too serious though. We thought it was a long stretch but it appears the tunnel was only about 500 meters long. Still pretty cool though.

The parents :)

On our way to Batangas City, we were able to pass by the Taal Church and dear God, I mean dear Holy Lord that church is BEAUTIFUL! Now I understand why people love church-hopping (visiting various churches, like visita iglesia, etc), it's because these old churches are simply too awe-inspiring for words. I was amazed at how majestic this church was (or maybe I'm seeing things from a different set of eyes now?)

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400 Lux - I Want That Orange Juice!

Let me just quickly say this - I officially love Lorde. This kid is something!

And this song:


This has to be the next single and I hope they make a good video for it this time.
I love how this song is romantic in a very urban-real way.

I love these roads where the houses don't change (and I like you)
Where we can talk like there's something to say (and I like you)
I'm glad that we stopped kissing the tar on the highway (and I like you)
We move in the tree streets
I'd like it if you stayed

She deals with youth in a very in-your-face-kind-of-way. I mean seriously, who gets to have their first kiss on top of a hill beneath a mistletoe anyway? It's a stark contrast from your usual sugar pop that idealizes falling in love too much. I love how she is able to paint the usual mundane things about life yet make it sound really wonderful.

Now we're wearing long sleeves and the heating comes on
(You buy me orange juice)
We're getting good at this

Orange juice!! How cool could it get?
And I love how she's a teenager who doesn't talk about boys all the time. Yes young ladies, there's more to life than boys!


I wanna know how far this young lady could go :)

The Caleruega Church Enchantment - Nasugbu Batangas

The Caleruega Church is one of the more popular tourist destinations in Batangas because of its famed church and  nature park. Both being nature lovers, we definitely had to pay this one a visit. I frankly didn't have very high expectations but what I found was so beautiful and enchanting that I couldn't help but smile. No wonder its always among the top lists of churches to get married in!

It's pretty near Tagaytay, just a 40 minute bus ride from Rotonda. We rode the Nasugbu bus and dropped at Evercrest, Batulao. From there, there are already tricycles that will take you to Caleruega for php40. The tricycle driver's cellphone number is written inside you could text them to pick you up when you're ready to leave. This will cost you php50 on the trip back, well at least you get an additional textmate hehe!

The Transfiguration Chapel is not really as big as photos make it look like but  it makes it precisely more intimate and solemn. 

The stairs leading up to the church make for a perfect wedding procession (click photos for a better view)

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