12.31.2015

2015: A Year of Fulfilled Dreams, Endless Opportunities and Stronger Bonds.



To my friends, family, colleagues and mentors, thank you so much for everything. To all of my readers and followers over @buckledupbaby and other social media, words aren’t enough to express how grateful I am for appreciating my posts. I love you all.



Cheers to a kick-arse 2016 ahead! ❤️

12.25.2015

This little penguin got a new pair of floral Vans for Christmas. Thanks mom ❤️



P.S. Merry Christmas everyone! May you all be blessed with grace, joy and love today.

12.23.2015

[gallery]

jaxblade:



jester-nene:



godzillaftw:





If vader got to raise Luke and Leia. Priceless





This was an adventure from beginning to end





I am 1000000x in love with these Star Wars comics. 

fuckyasadele:



Adele for TIME Magazine


12.09.2015

If the Stars, Hawks, Capitals, Blue Jackets and Flyers don’t win the Cup this season I’m throwing a party. 

All jokes aside, all I ask of the Penguins right now is to keep their crap together, start playing well enough for a hot streak and make a deep Cup run this summer. It will hurt to see them miss the playoffs which would be the last thing I’d want to happen on the face of this Earth.

12.03.2015

What Have You Done For Me Lately? #4: I Am Spartacus

  • Busy times but it doesn’t mean there’s no fun in my life right now. Speaking of busy times, I’m loving my current job as an accounts (or as some would put it, account) executive for a creative agency. To be quite honest, it wasn’t planned because I always wanted to pursue a writing or digital marketing role for my career. Nevertheless, I’ve learned a lot from attending client meetings and events (with the Uber rides in between), creating presentation decks for idea pitches, future projects, handling projects and creative work such as copywriting and graphic design. Frankly, I couldn’t be happier and more blessed with the path I’m in at this moment. 
  • Who doesn’t love How To Get Away With Murder? I binge watched the first season in three days after leaving them untouched in my TV show folder for two months. The Internet and many of my friends have buzzed about the series for a long time now, so the curious George in me had me interested in riding with the hype. I watched the pilot one lazy Saturday afternoon - and everything went uphill from there. I’ll be catching up with the second season hopefully by Christmas break, haha!
  • I haven’t watched A Second Chance yet. What is life. 
  • I am officially obsessed with Fresh Off The Boat. Eddie and Jessica never fail to amuse me.
  • Lately I’ve been keeping in touch with some of my high school and college friends on social media. Some of them translated to reunions filled with stories and more bonding moments. For starters, I met up with Elai (super friend since grade one) for trick or treat last Halloween then Jeline and Monzie for one cozy reunion at Megamall during APEC week. More of that in 2016, yes? 
  • This may have to be one of the best Christmas advertisements I’ve watched in my entire life. To top it all off, I love Aurora’s cover of “Half The World Away”. 
  • In case you don’t know, “Half The World Away” is sung originally by Oasis. Speaking of which, I can’t stop listening to “Live Forever” and “Whatever”. My ultimate favorite song of theirs, however, is “Stand By Me”. Give them a listen and trust me, you’ll be hooked. 
  • I’m spending my Christmas break with the parents this year! Yaaaaas!
  • Since I’ve finished my tasks for today, I can sit back and relax which is why: 1) I’m blogging ATM, 2) I’m downloading a bunch of episodes for viewing and 3) being the multi-tasker I am, That Thing You Do is currently playing on the background.
  • Movies? What movies? That’s right, I finally downloaded Southpaw and Nightcrawler because I’ve heard it’s good and the Jake Gyllenhaal stars in both films. Yup.
  • Karting is awesome. Yes, I’m saying this from my experience of riding a five-year-old’s kart and losing to a one-year old in the race. A hundred pesos in Robinsons Magnolia well spent. 
  • Lastly, in case you’re wondering who’s Spartacus in the title of this post, this is a reference to one of the lines in That Thing You Do

Adios, gonna continue watching the film now. 

visualmischief:



Glasgow Cloisters | Scotland




Stunning.

11.27.2015

Remembering Bianca

It’s early morning and I can finally write what I’ve been thinking about lately - and it’s isn’t something I come across very often. Four weeks have passed from the day of the incident yet until now I still haven’t completely gotten over with what happened.

I learned of the news on the first of November, sometime before the modem went berserk on our households that left us deprived of WiFi for a week. I was lying on my bed with my eyes fixed at the ceiling when my phone buzzed to a Viber notification from Chini.

“Candice,” she messaged me. I typed back, “Yo what’s up?”

Chini took a little while for her to respond so I went back to the article I was reading. About thirty seconds later, I got a response.

The response, mind you, got me all sorts of emotions existent in this world.

“Wala na si Bonca,” Chini responded with a sad emoji.

Numbness arose in my veins. Everything felt like they disappeared into thin air. Time froze. I just couldn’t believe it.

“Are you serious?” I asked Chini.  She replied back, “Oo =(((((”

Speechless over what I’ve learned, I swiftly logged in to Twitter to check if any of my batchmates and schoolmates tweeted about it. True to word, I was greeted by an overflowing stream of recollections and condolences.

Then it hit me: Bianca, also known to many as Bonca, is gone. My grade school classmate and one of the most beloved batchmates went way ahead of her time.

The following morning, I immediately logged in to Facebook to see friends liking and sharing Bianca’s debut photos from 2012 apart from the overflowing amount of tributes pouring in my news feed. The only question clouded on my mind all this time was, “Why?”

Simultaneously, all memories I’ve had of her flooded my mind, throttling back to 2005 - the time we were assigned to the same section and would remain so for the next two years. Up until now I still remember these little things: our group dancing to “Para Sa’Yo” by Parokya ni Edgar for our Music class in fifth grade, her group dancing to “YMCA” in front of the sixth grade batch, her hosting skills on full display on several occasions in senior year (Bandfest and Seniors Night in 2011 I believe), her ability to make everyone smile with her sunny personality each day in school, all the life and love advice she gave me, her dreams of becoming the Tyra Banks, the speech she gave in sixth grade English class wherein she revealed her parents wanted to name her “Dimas” for unfathomable reasons and so much more.

Bianca was among the girls you’d be enchanted with. When we first got acquainted with each other not only as classmates but also as clubmates in SINAG Creative Writing, one thing that struck me about her was how brilliantly her confidence emanated. Never once did she ever shy away from standing up for what she believed in. Never once did she ever falter in speaking out about certain issues with fearlessness. Also, Bianca was a more than just her stunning, mannequin-like features. She was intelligent, outgoing and a girl of many talents with her dancing, debating and hosting prowess.

Bianca was among the people who showed me the real world when I was struggling to leap from Barbies to Friendster in fifth and sixth grade. Even though admittedly we weren’t super close, she taught me to shed my childish ways and become a more mature person apart from being more poised and less gawky. If it weren’t for her among others, my awareness level on adolescent relationships would have stagnated below zero level. Looking back at all those times I hung out with her group and those stories we exchanged to each other, life would have turned out differently if not for meeting her.

As I write this, I can picture Bianca watching over us from heaven. I wish I wrote this piece sooner but due to unforeseen circumstances wasn’t able to do so. Nevertheless, I am more than to relieved to talk about my fondest memories of her in the form of words.

Thank you so much Bianca for everything. We love you and will never forget you. May you rest in peace with God and the angels above.

11.17.2015

just-shower-thoughts:



Willy Wonka sent out his chocolate bars worldwide, and 5 white kids (4 with first-world problems) still won.




Tonight is the first time since forever that the idea of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory crossed my mind. A decade after I first watched the original version of this film, I’ve finally bumped unto someone who incorporated in writing what we’ve always thought of Willy Wonka, Charlie, the four spoiled children, the hideous band of Oompa Loompas and the precious golden ticket.

11.10.2015

[gallery]

cantbetamed:



LOOK AT THIS LITTLE BABY CAME INTO MY WORK TODAY


11.01.2015

Thank God October is over. It turned out to be the worst month I’ve had this year next to March. There were some flashes at times but overall things went so bad and forgettable my mood was rotten most days. Here’s to a better November.

10.18.2015

[gallery]

What Have You Done For Me Lately? #4: Caught In The Webs of Food and Whatnots

The end of August, September and so far October have been some of the most adventure-filled months I’ve had this year.

Maginhawa, BDJ Veterans Night, Changi, Eighteen Chefs, Swensens and Johor Bahru. That’s all you need to know about where I’ve been all this time. But let me elaborate on each event in chronological order:

August 27-28, Johor Bahru: Earlier that week, I got a heartbreaking rejection email from what I considered my ideal job at the time. The next few days were a blur because I kept on imagining what could have been had I got the job. So when I found out that my family would be going to Johor Bahru for a weekend getaway, I felt nothing but relieved because I needed a break from my internship and all the negative energy from all the stress. Among all the incredible things we did and discovered in JB, the Polaroid display and a shopping quote in a neon board take the cake. Wow.

September 11: It was declared a non-working day in the wake of Singapore’s national elections so it automatically meant an extra day to bond with my parents over Swensens at Tampines Mall. The three chickens in a basket meal was crispy as advertised but the taste was a little lackluster; their mac and cheese and double chocolate sundae were tantalizing enough for my liking though.

September 18: Since my flight back to Manila was the next day, my family decided to have the despedida dinner at Eighteen Chefs, the home of the famous Heart Attack Fried Rice. Not only did I like the interiors of the place due to its doodled walls - the food was uber delectable that could leave you craving for more for days. Their New York steak strips was juicy, the pesto pasta was great and the chicken was well-furnished. All in all, it was one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to in my 21 years of existence.

September 19: Touchdown Manila! Before hopping on the plane bound to my hometown, we had lunch at Astons and checked out this special display on vintage items around Changi. It’s been almost a month since I last saw the radio and typewriter yet the feeling of impeccable nostalgia remains.

October 11: Both of my teams took home the L so I was feeling down last Sunday. My mood lifted when my uncle invited us to a dinner at Maginhawa aka the famed food wonderland in Sikatuna Village, QC. Talk about perfect timing as I’ve always wanted to go there but I didn’t have the luxury of time to do so. Nevertheless, I was as excited as a kid going to her first day of school once we finally arrived at Maginhawa. After some resto hunting, we finally settled in All About Pasta for dinner and Papa Diddi’s Homemade Ice Cream for dessert. My verdict? I’d loooove to go back there.

October 15: BDJ Veterans Night at Marco Polo Hotel! One word: fun.

But wait, there’s more! I forgot to mention about one more memorable event:

September 26: Watched Heneral Luna with friends at SM Megamall! It was great to see them again. The movie, by the way, was stellar from start to finish. Superb acting, cinematography and story.

10.17.2015

[audio https://open.spotify.com/track/0YQz5C7xtpK6leZ22et24G?plead=please-dont-download-this-or-our-lawyers-wont-let-us-host-audio]
[spotify id="spotify%3Atrack%3A0YQz5C7xtpK6leZ22et24G&view=coverart" width="540" height="620" /]

Most of you would identify Indak or Tadhana when asked about your favorite Up Dharma Down song. Turn It Well, on the other hand, is my personal favorite.

Find time to watch their official video on YouTube too - brilliant use of cinematography.

9.30.2015

The Great Job Hunt

Three months following my graduation, I have finally arrived at my destination. The road may have been tedious and lengthy but dedication, patience and motivation propelled me to enjoy the fruit of my labor.

I never really documented about these things in this blog before, but here I am now writing about the many miles I travelled in this journey including the myriad of lessons I learned along the way. With free time in my hands, I can finally get these thoughts off my chest. So here it goes…

It wasn’t long ago when I flipped to this tedious chapter entitled “The Great Job Hunt”. Looking for a practicum site was already tiresome, what more with the first full-time job upon the conferral of my college diploma? As is the norm amongst jobseekers, I sent my resumes online via email and jobsites (i.e. Jobstreet, Indeed, Kalibrr). Many of my applications resulted to either the black hole or a rejection letter in my inbox for they have found the perfect fit for the position.

As we speak of rejection letters, I’m pretty sure all of us have been passed over for a job at least once in our life. Nobody, including yours truly, wants to read those gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, hairpulling emails wishing you the best in your job search. Nobody wants to open a message with the subject “Thank You” or “Position Closed” because it only means close but no cigar for you.Above all things, nothing stings more than getting declined from what you thought was the perfect job. 

We’ve all been there: head up in the clouds because you nailed the interview which further increases your chances at close to 99.9% only to receive a no or a string of crickets in the end.This leads me back to the time when I found an opening for the position of content writer in August. Oh wow, I could finally write for a living! Everything in the job description met the criteria I desired in the ideal job. So then I applied, passed the video interview and finished it off with a writing sample on local organic food. 

Things were going so well I until one Tuesday over lunch when my phone beeped to an email notification over a lunch consisting of noodles and roasted chicken. Slowly I opened my inbox to read the entirety of the incoming message.

Waves of disappointment crashed down as soon as I read these words: “We regret to inform that you have not been selected for the position. There’s a high volume of applicants competing for the spot…” 

There are a few events I could think off from the top of my head that illustrate this heartbreak perfectly: Titanic, an eighteen-wheeler falling off a cliff, that infamous Game 7 featuring the Bruins vs. Leafs, the LA Clippers in Game 6 vs. the Rockets, last year’s Sharks collapse after being up 3-0 in the series, and some Tamaraw hitting a buzzer beater over the Green Archers to reach the UAAP men’s basketball finals last year. The pain was extremely excruciating a stream of tears rolled down my cheek as I tried to concentrate on an infographic I was working for my remote internship.

Between revisions of cover letters and career advice from LinkedIn was a litany of questions. Will I land a job that I really want - one that will give me career progression, high morale, acquisition of a stronger skill set and a jovial working environment? Is there a company out there who’d be glad to take me in? Will I have the same level of success in my job search just like the few who were fortunate enough to land a job a month or two after graduation?

Quite frankly, these desperate times made me wonder, “How am I good enough when I’m almost always passed over for a better candidate?” What came with the staggering pile of frustrations was the doubt reeling over my abilities because I couldn’t get the nod at the final hurdle. Part of me wanted to throw in the towel since the results were underwhelming so far.

But you know what? God placed me in these challenges to help me grow not only as a jobseeker but also as a person overall. Faith, perseverance and patience were all it took for me to come back stronger and move on with the rest of my job search. All these shortcomings were His way of telling they’re not in the cards for me and that He has better plans in store. Little did I know, the big man upstairs was indeed preparing me for something greater than my expectations.

Last week was filled with trips around the metro, copywriting exams, qualifying exams more difficult than the the average college entrance exam, interviews, traffic rushes and mobs out of nowhere from recruiters down the street. Everything happened at the spur of the moment even as my internship duties, preseason hockey, 5 AM alarms, prayers and happy thoughts were thrown in the mix of my hectic schedule. If you ask me, six interviews in four days is no cake in the walk considering the venues were a bit distant from each other and there’s no excuse for tardiness. However, I never gave up even when my knuckles hurt from drafting copy at copywriting exams for over three to four hours. At the end of each interview / exam day that week, I whispered to myself, “There’s a job for me out there, all I have to do is to do well and trust God with His plans.” Believe me, it worked - and in the most unexpected way possible.

Last Thursday was my interview for a marketing position at Viviamo, the creator of the fabulous Belle de Jour Power Planner I’ve been enamored with since high school. Questions about my skills and experience were asked and the management elaborated on the company’s culture and the position’s responsibilities. I grew more enchanted and thrilled as time went on. Thirty-five minutes later, one of the heads uttered these life-changing words:

“We’d like to give you the job offer now but we think it’ll be best if we send it via email instead. We’ll text you once we’ve sent it to your inbox.”

Four hours later, I opened my email account with a grin on my face.

After three months of botched cover letters, unspoken lines at interviews and endless career advice, I finally heard the words I’ve been waiting to hear since forever.

I GOT THE JOB!!

Tomorrow will be my first day of work. Almost a week has passed since the initial offer but I still get excited over it. I am sure I’ll love this. What a journey it has been. I’m grateful for God and my loved ones for the unwavering support they’ve given me during the job hunt. I couldn’t imagine what would have been if it weren’t for their support throughout this stage of my life.

On another note, I’d like to express my gratitude to the entire team of picVpic for granting me the opportunity to be one of their digital marketing and copywriting interns the past eight weeks. They gave me the necessary training for a future career in digital media, editorial and marketing and communications - a few of the things I see myself succeeding in for the next five years or so. This internship helped me maximize my potential and I can’t thank them enough for everything during this experience.

Last but not the least, what’s a story without insights gained? Don’t compare yourself to others because each one of us is running at our own pace in this long, winding road to success. Social media can be distressing at times especially when it seems everyone has gotten a job but that shouldn’t be the primary indicator of how you perceive your life. Each one of us is entitled to succeed in our own pace; hence, it’s never too late to land the job for you. Failure is a foundation of success and experiences like these should motivate you rather than destroy you. Most importantly, NEVER GIVE UP. All good things happen at the right time when you continuously display tenacity in everything you do.

image

And that kids, is the story of a rollercoaster ride called the job hunt. I couldn’t be any happier. 

9.22.2015

What I’m feeling right now as I juggle job interviews with this internship I’ve been involved in for the past few weeks. More of that stuff soon.

Everything is awesome despite the stress and thunderstorms. 

9.07.2015

The Ultimate LRT and MRT Survival Guide

I was bored out of my mind this afternoon when my phone’s browser suddenly pointed me to When In Manila. The moment I visited the webpage, I was struck by the first thing that I saw: a post featuring a design student’s illustrative manual on commuting via the MRT and LRT trains which went viral on Facebook just recently.

I shared the post on Twitter after reading it, so I thought I’d share this hilarious and relatable manual to you especially to all the daily commuters of these trains out there. Some of the stuff written in these illustrations are in Tagalog but it’s a must-read nonetheless. Feel free to share this to your friends, family, colleagues and the rest of the Internet universe if you can!

image

9.01.2015

Throwback to two Saturdays ago when my cousins and I had our first Skype session which lasted for over two hours. We played MASH, they recorded me singing to Ariana Grande and swapped horror stories. Thanks to them, I’ll never look at the Hello Kitty stuffed toy in their room the same way again. 

On second thought, say hello to my desktop! Harley Quinn’s on my wallpaper but the Skype window is hiding it there LOL.

8.26.2015

Too much writing. That was Crosby’s takeaway from his recent college course, which he found through the NHL Players’ Association and studied via Southern New Hampshire University.



“I’d call my sister (Taylor) and be like, ‘Do you know how to do a works-cited page on Microsoft Word?’ ” Crosby explained.



Trib (X)

8.25.2015

Creativity is very important to me, creative minds inspire me a lot. When you meet people with talent that are looking to change their worlds, your own world also changes. At the end of the day, everyone is the creator of their own world.


8.18.2015

Editing videos is so easy - just trim the unnecessary clips, insert a soothing jazz track converted from YouTube and you’re all set.


said no one ever

8.17.2015

One of the many perks of the World Wide Web is that everyone gets the opportunity to unleash their inner Vincent van Gogh or Pablo Picasso. What I did was straight out of my imagination - a proof of how creative our generation has become.

EDIT: I made this out of boredom in the middle of the night, so excuse me for my goofy face.

8.16.2015

perhaps the biggest tragedy in love stories, are not the tales of star crossed lovers.



perhaps it is the stories of the ones who were all too perfect for each other, and were torn apart by the word almost.



the worst word | a.h. (via chrisnevans)

8.06.2015

[gallery]

What Have You Done For Me Lately? #3: Movies, IKEA and Ramen

Activities this between the entire month of July and so far August could be described simply by these photos. Can you see a common pattern between them? If your answer is “everything that could keep me productive in my newly-found temporary bum life”, you’re absolutely correct! Now go claim your prize (wink wink). 

  1. We watched Antman out of the blue in Cathay Cinemas as we were walking around Orchard. Talk about perfect timing because I was reading a lot of rants and raves about the film on my Twitter timeline the day before. Surely the hype surrounding Antman was well-deserved because it was a superhero film with an incredible blend of humor and adrenaline that keeps everyone’s butts glued to their seats. It was so good! After watching the film, we passed by this virtual photobooth and had our photo taken as if we met Antman in real life. 
  2. We’ve been following the Mission Impossible film series for quite some time now so watching Rogue Nation was a bit anticipated already. what I can say? Honestly I enjoyed the fifth installment the most among all the ones I’ve watched.
  3. Yay for a new book! Margaret Heffernan’s A Bigger Prize is a comprehensive look on the different facets of competition and how it should not be treated akin to the “may the best man win” philosophy. Rather, freedom and cooperation should be emphasized greater than hierarchy and competition. Definitely an inspiring read!
  4. I never knew how essential an external hard drive is to a busy bee like me until when I switched laptops a few months ago. My Mac only has around 200 GB of additional free space so it was not enough to store over 300 GB of photos, movies, music and documents from my Vaio. I searched high and low for a good HDD capable to store all of my extra files until luck came on my side when Popular bookstore had this weekend sale. The Seagate 1TB HDD’s original price was SGD 119 but thanks to the sale I got it for only sgd 89. Talk about a cool bargain! 
  5. July 17 marked a public holiday in Singapore because of Hari Raya Puasa or the end of Ramadan so it was a perfect day for my family to head over Tampines for IKEA and Giant Supermarket. Furthermore, it also marked the first time I visited the famed Swedish furniture store equipped with a showroom that can make you feel at home. This was my favorite display of a sample bedroom in there because it was adorned with everything I want in my dream room. #bedroomgoals
  6. Another notable thing about IKEA is their canteen with interiors akin to a typical high school lunchroom in a teen movie. Boy, the food was delectable! The chicken wings, penne pasta and Swedish meatballs were baffingly tempting to the inner core. A fun fact: I think their Swedish meatballs taste like Jollibee burger steak - in other words, tasty! I’d love to return there someday!
  7. Everything we’ve eaten at Menya Musashi, hailed as one of the most popular ramen restaurants in its native Japan. Their maki was fantastic and so was their spicy seafood tom yam ramen.
  8. After meeting with a career consultancy company in Chinatown, I headed over to the Telok Ayer Market aka the Lau Pa Sat foodplace for lunch where I had my favorite combo of chicken curry and vegetables since most of the stalls were closed. My dad once told me that eating there is a wonderland because not only you get to choose from a lot of stalls featuring different international cuisines but also you get to appreciate its beautiful Victorian architecture. Now I’ve experienced eating there, now I want to go back there for dinner since it’s said to be better in the evening.
  9. Days prior to my graduation, I promised myself I would make an effort to keep myself fit. Going to the gym at least twice a week may be exhausting yet it’s rewarding to maintain a healthy lifestyle while I’m at home most of the time (for now). I’ve achieved 1 KM in 9 minutes at the treadmill plus 6 KM in 25 minutes at the exercise bike, so I guess there’s progress in my exercise routine. I still dread jogging though, haha!

P.S. I may be a decade late on this but I’m loving Friends right now! Currently watching Season 3 :) 

7.28.2015

[gallery]

soymilklesbian-deactivated20171:


Revenge is never a straight line. It’s a forest, And like a forest it’s easy to lose your way… To get lost… To forget where you came in.

[gallery]

vintagegal:



“Think of the happiest things. It’s the same as having wings.” Disney’s Peter Pan (1953)

Ah, the first film I ever watched in my entire life. How could I forget all those times I watched it on VHS almost every night before bedtime? ;) 

I can’t seem to binge watch eight one-hour episodes in a row because I tend to either doze off or stick to reading. 

Case in point: I started watching S3 of OITNB almost three weeks ago. It’s four days before August and I am currently watching the last episode of the season.

I need to practice.

7.21.2015

Collect your tears, shoot ‘em down
Even giants hit the ground

It’s been a while since I created a typography project because I was running out of ideas on which quote or song I’d posterize. Ultimately, I chose Youngblood Hawke’s Pressure because I’ve been obsessed with the song ever since I heard it inside a Pull and Bear store back in May. A totally underrated ear candy. Listen to the song below and thank me later!  



[spotify id="spotify:track:5o2rm0QYy7h9pTQZlz6TLp" width="300" height="380" /]
[gallery]

gyllenjake:







Jake talks with bigboy about romance and dating.

7.04.2015

What Have You Done For Me Lately? #3: The Graduate

As I write this, I can’t help but smile ear to ear because the week of my graduation turned out to be a blast I’ll never forget. 

Yep, you read it right - I am now officially a proud graduate of De La Salle University with a degree in Bachelor of Arts major in Communication Arts! I graduated last June 20 with an honorable mention award for having achieved a minimum GPA of 3.000 which is so far the best accomplishment I’ve done in my life. Marching down the halls of PICC with a gigantic smile on my face as you shake hands with the chancellor to receive my hard-earned diploma was only a highlight of how awesome that week went.

Reunions, mocha frappes, celebrations, selfies, memories to cherish for a lifetime. What more could you ask for? So my dad and I returned to Manila from SG for my graduation activities on June 12, mom’s birthday. Before that, we learned that my mom was supposed to join us but for work-related reasons she couldn’t make it so there was no other choice but move on (cue sad music here). We arrived in NAIA Terminal 1 at around 9:45 PM where we were fetched by Tito Rodel, Tita Janet and my cousins Abby and Reese then headed over to their house in Cavite where we spent most of our stay in the days that followed.

The weekend was spent with mall trips, pizzas and family bonding at my grandparents’ (dad’s side) house despite the humid, intolerable weather in Cavite. June 15 marked the day of my return to my house where my mom’s side of the family currently lives in Manila. Right before I returned home, however, my Tito Dilts and I accompanied dad in renewing his driver’s license at the LTO outlet in SM Manila which was followed by a java chip frappe at Foss Coffee and lunch at Adobo Connection. Delicioso! 

June 16 was my dad’s birthday but we decided to celebrate it with my mom’s side of the family instead on the 18th as it was a huge burden for him to drive back and forth from Cavite to Manila and vice versa daily. Nevertheless, it was a great day as I went to Starbucks Retiro after my dental appointment to meet up with Che who spent a month-long vacation here from Liverpool where she migrated shortly after our sixth grade graduation. Hurrah! We were exchanging delightful stories for about two hours until Nicole came from a writing assignment in the Inquirer to bond with us. A few minutes later, the three of us headed over to Bugis Singapore Street Food (as per Nicole’s suggestion) where we talked some more. Then at around 6PM, Camz finally arrived and the four of us had a merry time together over Singaporean food, travel plans in the future and France. It was great to catch up with three of my STC friends after years of not seeing with each other because of other commitments. What delighted me the most, however, was seeing them succeed in their own ways: Che with school, Camz with her diplomatic work with international embassies aside from a post-graduate degree in France, Nicole as a UAAP correspondent and Inquirer contributor. Isn’t it wonderful to see all of you be happy and accomplished?

Hold on for a second, I may be getting a little wordy as to explain why you might be falling asleep in the middle of reading this entry. No no no, how about keeping the details about what happened after June 16 short and concise as much as possible? Good, now keep on reading because I haven’t finished telling my story yet.

June 17 could be described wholly in one word: awesome. I attended the College Recognition Rites to formally receive my honorable mention medal, spent my free time with Comm Arts loves, bumped into old blockmates and friends also part of the same graduating class as mine, claimed our academic attires and took selfies of us proudly donning our “grad swag”, survived the boredom of a two-hour rehearsal in a Razon parking lot and finally capped off the day with a late night dinner at The Barn. I was supposed to order their signature beefy mushroom but there was none available anymore so I opted to order roasted chicken instead, and it was the best decision ever. Before heading home with my friends, Monzie treated us to a Magnum ice cream bar. Yummy! 

The next day was just as fantastic. My dad and I along with my mom’s side of the family had lunch at Savory’s in SM San Lazaro then met up with my Ninong Georgie at Dencio’s Grill in Harbour Square for dinner. The sisig and gambas we ordered were O for outstanding for it was tasty and not greasy at all. 

On Graduation Eve, my dad and I met up with his longtime friend for brunch at Aristocrat’s followed by a stroll around Robinsons Midtown before returning to Cavite. That night I was stricken with insomnia because I couldn’t sleep out of excitement as I knew I would finally call myself a college graduate in only a few hours.

Then the day arrived: June 20, 2015. PICC. Everything about that day was perfect with the exception of one thing: I forgot to pin my medal on my toga as I left it at home </3 Either way, it went everything I hoped. I felt like a rockstar when my name was called on stage to receive my diploma, there were a couple of pictures with friends, a lunch at Dampa that got us swimming in shrimps and squids and a cozy afternoon at SM Mall of Asia with my one and only squad. My meet-up with Monzie, Jeline and Mikhel at Jamba Juice and Krispy Kreme may have lasted for about four hours only but we still had a blast talking about future plans and the usual old-timers like those sweet, random nothings. We missed each other so much. 

A sidenote: the great thing about DLSU’s commencement exercises is you could watch a livestream of the ceremony online which is how my mom was able to see me graduate with flying colors!

June 21 was Father’s Day slash my post-grad lunch with dad’s side of the family at this Chinese restaurant at The District plus J Co donuts for dessert at my grandparents’ house! After all these happenings, Tito Rodel and Tita Janet brought my dad and I to NAIA in the evening as our flight back to Singapore was scheduled at midnight. Boy, I really enjoyed this short trip to Manila because everything panned out smoothly plus I had so much fun bonding with family and friends. 

I’ve been sending out resumes ever since I graduated two weeks ago with some of them being internships for experience. For the record, I attended two interviews the past week with another one this coming Monday. Fingers crossed, hope I finally land a job that I will love anytime soon!

Now I’m done telling my story, let’s move on to the pictures!

Lunch at Savory. It was also the first time my dad saw baby Caleb, and it was love at first sight! 

I love these awesome people + dad! These photos were taken during the baccalaureate and graduation. Wish could’ve taken more photos with more people, but I’m still grateful to have keepsakes like these! Credits to the owners for some of the snapshots here. 

Great to see Che, Nicole and Camz! <3 (Credits to Che)

Post-grad lunch + Father’s Day celebration!

“Pang-Vogue ito ha!” Reese remarked. Probably my new favorite photo of Abby, Reese and I. Abby’s only 12 but she’s already taller than me huhuhuhuhu =((( 

Dampa for lunch on grad day with dad and Tito Dilts. Wish you were here in Manila, mom!

I love the college squad forever aka The A Team (insert Kevs and Tisha in here)

Animo Forever! Thank you Erika for this portrait (Forgive my campus pass’ presence lolz)

Bb. Pilipinas candidate number 20, Miss Candice! HAHAHA kiddin’ XD (Thanks April for this shot!)

My dream has been accomplished: to graduate with honors! Now I don’t feel bad about all those times I didn’t make the list of outstanding students back in elementary and high school. I’m more than grateful to God and my loved ones for guiding me throughout my journey.  

These buttered garlic shrimps and garlic rice were so “humongous big” (quoting Bryzgalov’s infamous phrase hehe) we brought them home once we were full from eating them plus the calamares, bangus belly and veggies. 

Chicken BBQ in Aristocrat’s is nothing but divine.

Tita Badet claimed my graduation photos for me last week, and here is one of me and the proudest man alive.

C and little C!



Once again, congratulations to all of the graduates! Thank you also to all those who congratulated me via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text and in-person. I truly appreciate each one of them *big hugs for everyone*

6.24.2015

Unforgettable Moments in College: A Memoir

Flashback to April Fool’s Day 2011 when I was lining up at the registrar’s office to have my less-than-stellar senior year report card validated so I could confirm my slot in 2401 Taft Avenue. My phone was out of load so I couldn’t reply to my dad who was impatiently waiting for me in Gate 3 but the main focus of my thoughts were two things: my eleven-year tenure in STC QC ended not with a fizzle but with a bang before heading off to college (cue the Easy A reference) as well as a hint of disappointment because my grades weren’t as great when many of my classmates were so satisfied with the outcome of their report cards. My mood was definitely not at its brightest until a classmate’s mom started telling me how one’s high school performance has no bearing in predicting his / her success in college right after I opened up to her about my frustrations.

The advice my classmate’s mom gave me that day is still ringing in my ears four years later. Whatever she said became the pinnacle of my motivation to do well in all four years of college. On another note, never did I imagine how amazing life has been since the moment I entered the green pastures of the university known for its signature “Animo” ambience. It was at college when I learned the tricks of the trade that I barely experienced back when I was in high school, but not without a number of inevitable mishaps along the way. Many of these moments are so unforgettable to me I could enumerate them one by one right at the top of my head, maybe even in chronological order from my LPEP to the day I left my hardbound copy of my undergraduate thesis in the secretary’s table inside the Communication Department. Whatever, I’m up to this challenge.

Where do I begin? I’ll make this simple for the sake of readability and save everyone’s energy: categorize those school-related memories as written in phrases, no matter how amazing or awful it was, just the way it happened even not in chronological order. Whoever gets the opportunity to read the next dozen lines of this entry, I hope you are able to grasp the memories I’ve had without falling asleep.

First year:

Attended a two-day LPEP orientation from May 11-12, 2011. Met the rest of LR23. Learned to dance “Live It Up”. First official day of classes as a Lasallian on May 25, 2011 greeted by an elevator line in Andrew building that reached until the Gokongwei entrance. Lunches at Papa John’s, Gravy Fix, Agno, the sixth floor cafeteria in Andrew, any restaurant known to man inside EGI. Part of the ENGLCOM cluster A that was filled with random YouTube videos and an epic group project on grammatical errors wherein my groupmates and I roamed around U-Belt despite the rainy weather. Had a huge blunder as I forgot the rest of my memorized speech in FILKOMU yet got a 3.5 as my final grade. Missed the chance to appear on Unang Hirit during their live coverage of the Centennial Celebration on June 16, 2011 because the call time was at 3 friggin’ AM and there’s no way in hell I’d want to ride a jeepney in the dark but it was compensated by spending the rest of the day with my fellow IV-3 classmates Gox and Ange. Chilled and drew doodles on paper cups at Noriter. Mang Inasal and Mcdo Retiro lunch one hot Saturday in June with IV-3 which began a string of reunions with my beloved high school class: yearbook distribution in September, Ferica’s debut in October, Ocho’s debut in March 2012. Learned ballroom dancing, drank a few shots of cocktails and had a blast with my blockmates in the culminating activity inside Razon all during FWDANCE. Roundtrips to the library to photocopy readings. Went to Grand Valley for our SCIENVB field trip and it wasn’t exactly the best experience ever for many reasons. Survived Dr. Hila (KASPIL1), Sir Graeme (INTSOCI), Dr. Buendia (POLISCI), the one and only Miss Manlagnit (INTHROP) and so many other professors that year. Got furious over my embarrassing GPA in my first term of my freshman year when almost everyone made the coveted Dean’s List left and right only to be a first honors DL the following term after miraculously getting a 2.0 in SCIENVC (aka that chemistry subject I am pretty sure I flunked the finals yet survived) and made the list once again (second honors this time) in third term. Kevs’ and Monzie’s double birthday celebration at Robinsons Galleria, Tisha’s birthday lunch at TGI Friday’s, road trip from Sofia’s condo in Marikina to Zentea in Taft during my first term break, 18th birthday celebration with friends in Chowking and dinner with dad at Shakey’s Mall of Asia. Got a new Sony Vaio Y laptop not only as a Christmas gift but also as a reward for making the DL / replacement for my faltering Acer netbook. Finally was able to convince my mom to buy me a Blackberry. Basic hip-hop to the tune of “Fireball” and “Love on Top” for our first LEAP session held on Valentine’s Day with matching  yogurts and epic ice skating fail in MOA. CWTS in Caloocan, so hello white shirts every Saturday morning. Met the best college squad ever in Monzie, Jeline, Tisha and Kevs plus a lot of other friends in and out of LR23. Gave in to Kevs’ pleas and tried out for Malate where I was admitted into the Marketing and Events session. Another road trip to UST, National Library and UP Diliman for our FILDLAR documentary on Philippine ghosts complete with no-sleep, 12-hour editing including subtitling the entire 20-minute video that I finished at 5 in the morning. Enrolled together with Tisha and Kevs in Robinsons Midtown on 11/11/11, the first time we got mired in the annual MyLaSalle Hunger Games. Interview at Philippine Daily Inquirer for our POLISCI final project in which I edited the video for three days.

Second year:

First term was the worst in all of the 12 terms I’ve had as a Lasallian. Advanced enrollment as a perk for being a first honor DL the previous term, resulting in long breaks with less company since my friends had different schedules. Don’t get me started with WIKAKUL and CITIGOV. First time to cross-enroll for MATAPRE in a frosh block coming from the College of Education (CED) where I was supposed to get a terror professor but ended up having a chill one in Sir Rigs instead. All those times I made sure my Blackberry’s battery is fully charged because of BB Social and constant hour-long recordings of Miss Velasco’s hilarious yet mindblowing lectures in INTFILO. All those suspensions. The qualifying examinations for Literature I failed twice, causing me to be delayed for a year which also directly led me to my decision to shift to another degree program. Being in GENDERS A55 aka the best among all the floating subjects I took in my entire stay, among which I was part of Luntiang Tadhana or the play we did for our finals. Got almost grounded for my poor performance in the first term but was then redeemed by two straight terms with very good grades, including a first honors DL award in the third term. Met new friends in all of my floating subjects. My experience as a student telemarketer for the Development and Alumni Relations Office while meeting some of the best colleagues. Tisha’s birthday celebration around Makati with the friends. All those times we watched films. Shopping trips with my girls. That moment when I watched a Cinemalaya film for the first time at Trinoma with only around 100 pesos left in my pocket. Attended Kath and Khar’s debut / concert and reunited with my HS friends. Applied to shift to Comm Arts and AB Psychology; got accepted in both but I didn’t hesitate to confirm my slot in Comm Arts. All those adventures when Monzie and I shared a SEVEN HOUR BREAK on Mondays and Wednesdays. That epic University Week concert and LEAP in 2013. Applied for Green and White and Green Giant FM, got accepted into both. Watched my former blockmates’ play for DRAMWOR then went to Exile with my girls on the last day of the school year. 

Third Year:

Officially made the transition from Lit to Comm Arts. Studio tour in ABS-CBN for our INTBROD class. Bought a SLR for FOTOCOM, only to make it more useful than expected. Learned the following terms: overexposed, underexposed, rule of thirds, long shot, wide shot, close-up shot, portrait, landscape, panning, shutter speed, ISO. All those trips to UP Diliman, Quirino, SM Mall of Asia, and where else just to complete our FOTOCOM portfolio. Endured an hour-long line just to get a free Mochi after the Green Archers beat the Blue Eagles. Tried to keep myself awake from the boredom of MASSCOM every Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8AM. Stayed in school after my classes to boothman for the Green and White yearbook registration. The unforgettable first Student Media Congress, Green Giant FM DJ Hunt and the first Lakan Cup with my org. Watched Citizen Kane, The Bicycle Thief, Broken Blossoms, Singin’ in the Rain, Rashomon, etc. for my INTFILM with Sir Doy, the professor who went on to be my thesis mentor a year later. Made pitches for public service campaigns and stories for CONCEPT with Direk Joey. First time to do street photography, produce a horror / action / comedy film and music video for VPRODUC, learn how to write a decent screenplay, write an annotated bibliography, create my own radio show and public service announcement (PSA) for RADIPRO, write a police beat for WRITING, go to a lambanog distillery in Laguna for INSERCH and attend an overnight teambuilding activity for Green and White. Conquered Dr. Diaz and INSERCH by finding out I was a 0.2 points away from failing the subject and be potentially delayed for a year altogether the day after New Year’s Day 2014. Witnessed the DLSU Lady Spikers and Green Archers basketball team win championships in the same year. Watched the deciding game of the epic UST vs. DLSU UAAP men’s basketball finals October 17, 2013 = Animo Night aka the best night ever. Edited subscribers’ write-ups and revised my literary pieces for the yearbook not once, not twice, not thrice but FOUR times. Interviewed a travel agent and a high school principal, learned InDesign for PUBLISH while enduring Sir Gary’s endless stories on Christmas Island. Got extremely disappointed with my third term grades because had my RADIPRO grade been 3.0, I would have made the DL again. 

Fourth Year:

The Virgin Labfest and Cinemalaya 2014. Met a bunch of personalities everywhere. Attended the second Student Media Congress. Produced a talk show, news program and game show for TELVPRO. Wrote a lot of screenplays and one-page concepts as a romantic techie story for a DIRFILM final project as part of my WRIFILM with Direk Joey. Sleepless nights and missed events due to Sir Groyon and his gut-wrenching NARATIV class in which I made a Narrative for Dummies booklet, wrote on my seedblog everyday for three months, and made my brain hemorrage by writing all these nine-act structure plots, character profiles and plot / character-driven narratives. MSMEDIA speaker series, watched a bunch of Pinoy indie films for INDIFLM, pitched a documentary series about people in photographs and interviewed TV editors, directors and executive producers for PRODUCE, stayed in school until 9PM and made a post-World War II horror film for DESFILM. Accepted the challenge of doing thesis alone, took two tries before my thesis proposal for the Agatha’s Six screenplay got finally approved, defended it on April 22, got 3.0 and had it hardbound for the University archives. The whole experience of being a production intern for my practicum in Matanglawin at ABS-CBN and Probe Productions for Dr. Tullao’s lecture series. 

Everything and everyone encountered that school year.

There are so many memories of college I just want to remember for the rest of my life. Surely there are some moments I’d rather forget yet the pain it caused me through those experiences made me a stronger, better person overall.



Thank you to LR23, my CAM classmates, friends, professors, colleagues from Green and White, colleagues from my Matanglawin experience, Malate Literary Folio and Green Giant FM, START teammates, friends from different batches, family and God Himself for giving me four of the best years of my life. Truly, you made me a proud Lasallian. You made all these experiences worthwhile.



Will be writing about my graduation week in my next post!

https://vine.co/v/MeLM6FOHTKY/embed/simple//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js

akie-sensei:



hnnhtylr:



troyeboyish:

ryan:

YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW MANY TIMES I JUST WATCHED THIS

if anyone is unhappy please for god’s sake, just watch this over and over

BABY



This baby raps better than Igloo Australia

6.15.2015

[gallery]

The great Bangkok adventure, better known as the ultimate highlight of summer 2015: May 20-23. 

6.13.2015

[gallery]

If you’re having a bad day and in dire need of a good laugh, just browse through your Facebook profile pictures from 2009-2011. Trust me, you’ll feel better in an instant.

P.S. I arrived in Manila last night and currently staying with my cousins in Cavite. Spent the whole day with my grandparents in their house today and went to SM Dasmarinas. :) 

P.S. 2: GRADUATION IN A WEEK!!!

6.10.2015

[gallery]

graceburgess:






D
ear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did was wrong. But we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us—in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal. Correct? That’s the way we saw each other at 7:00 this morning. We were brainwashed.

1. Do not say “I love you” if you do not mean it. 2. Do not date someone just to make another person jealous. 3. Do not cheat. 4. Do not lie about your feelings. 5. Do not date someone just because someone else is unavailable at the moment. 6. Do not play with someone’s emotions. 7. Just be a decent person.


If you love someone, don’t ever give up (via clinginess)

6.05.2015

Your life is nothing but a reflection of your mind. If you want to change things, change thoughts.


Liam Tinker (via unmaiden)

5.31.2015

Sports are entertaining, but the fans can make you love or hate it.



Real talk: I’d love to see a different Stanley Cup champion this year. The TB Lightning (Bolts) isn’t even my number one team (Penguins) but they’ve impressed me so much in the playoffs. Like I said before, the Hawks are a great team but they have some of the most arrogant fans I’ve ever seen in social media. It would be great for the Bolts to win it all this year just to show that they’re just as good as the Hawks, and for the latter team’s fanbase to realize that they can’t win everything all the time.



If you’re a Penguins fan complaining about everything with no logical reason, seriously be thankful at least Sid, Geno, Flower and Tanger gave you a Cup at least once when other teams never did.



Oh, and tomorrow I’ll find out whether I graduate with honors or a participation ribbon. Toodles!

5.28.2015

What Have You Done for Me Lately? #2

I’m down with a slight fever and colds, so bear with me if I won’t be posting any photos because I feel a little off right now. But it’s a good thing I have plenty of time to rest so yay for…home rejuvenation!

Anyways here are some stuff about life lately: 

  • I started watching The Flash two weeks ago thanks to Shaun when she replied to my tweet while I was watching Game 7 of the Rangers-Caps series that has totally nothing to do with Barry Allen and Co. The convo went like this: 

@candiceleocands: PLEASE TWITTER DON’T GIVE ME SPOILERS

Shaun: Spoilers for what?? =))

@candiceleocands: Haha I’m watching a hockey game  =))

Shaun: Do you watch The Flash? I’ve been raving about it for a few weeks now!

@candiceleocands: I’m finishing Gotham pa so I’ll check it out soon! Is it nice ba?

Shaun: Yessss! BTW I miss you!

@candiceleocands: I miss you too!

Fourteen episodes later, all I could say is that The Flash is must-see TV. 

  • Che, my friend who left for London after our grade school graduation, is currently in Manila for a vacation until mid-June! It’s a good thing she’ll still be in the country by the time my family arrives home from Singapore for my graduation. The moment I heard of the good news, we already planned to meet before she leaves on the 19th so hooray for reuniting with old friends! I always love it when I catch up with people I haven’t seen in a long time. 
  • Meanwhile on a Facebook convo between my college girlfriends, Pat told us she’ll be in Manila until June 6th and she wants us to meet up. Too bad I won’t be back by then *sobface* :( 
  • The Bangkok family vacation last May 20-23 could be described in a single word: SPECTACULAR. Great food all around, beautiful attractions, dozens of cheap thrills, and riding the tuktuk was kickass even with the super hot weather we endured all four days. It would have to be the best adventure I’ve had with my parents so far, hope we get to return there soon or hop to another destination like Hong Kong because Disneyland LOL. More details in a separate post!
  • Three days to go before the graduates list comes out online! Fingers crossed…
  • Whiplash is a movie that will shoot you right in the feels. The acting was superb, the scoring was something you’d love to listen over and over again, and the story was emotionally wrenching. True enough, it deserves all the accolades it has received. 
  • Needless to say, I’ve been updated with friends as I have been more active on Facebook and Instagram lately - liking more posts, following more friends who use the mobile app. I could vividly recall those days in late 2010 and 2011 when I barely responded to other people’s messages, comments, posts…you get the idea. I can’t believe I was a huge lurker on social media back then to the point some complained how come I never replied back to tweets and left their friend requests pending for a month (I did that once and it was awful), Things really do change; i’m glad I kicked that stupid habit out of my system by being more involved.
  • Last but not the least, I have a new phone! That is all.
[gallery]

5.19.2015

“God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.” Elbert Hubbard

What you’re seeing in the picture above is the product of all the sleepless nights, the times I had to work harder than I should to avoid the possibility of failing a subject, the criticisms I endured, the countless readings as to learn more about a certain topic, the ups and downs of teamwork, disappointments, expectations, triumphs and all the sacrifices I made in my four years of college. 

Even before thesis term rolled around, I always said to myself that doing this undergraduate requirement without a partner would be one tough challenge. Many times did I ever think twice about my decision upon hearing those horror stories about students who went solo and went on to fail the thesis proposal stage more than thrice as the panelists expected more of them. Nevertheless, I overcame those fears and doubts and instead just did my best in my thesis. the road may have been rocky but it was worth it in the end. My defense was a success, my grade was good enough for my work to be archived in the University library and my legacy as a Communication Arts student has been cemented forever. 

Meanwhile, I have yet to hold my breath until June 1 to see if I officially qualify for honorable mention because I met the CGPA requirement (> 3.000 for ID 111 students) plus I have never failed a subject in my entire stay. I haven’t announced whether I’ll be graduating with honors on social media because nothing’s official until the school registrar posts the graduates list on the said date. Either way, I’m satisfied with my grades for my last term ever. Don’t expect anything = good results.

image

I’d like to thank everyone who supported me all throughout the making of my screenplay: my wonderful thesis mentor Sir Doy, CAM coursemates, friends, parents, family, professors and the Almighty God himself. I would not have completed my thesis in just four months without your guidance. 

One last thing: hours before my flight, I had a short conversation with Direk Joey as I left my hardbound copy of my work inside the Comm Department. He asked me about my thesis defense and I replied that the panelists chuckled at my screenplay. The advice I got from him inspired me so much because I could tell from his aura that he has faith in my capabilities. He said, “Nothing can stop you, even your panelists, from doing what you love. Just continue developing your gift.” 

Word. 

5.11.2015

[gallery]

What Have You Done For Me Lately? #1

Starting with this post, I will be labeling photosets of everything happening in my life as “What Have You Done for Me Lately” - just because :)

1. On the day before I left Manila to spend summer with my parents (April 27), I went to school with the initial intention to meet with Sir Doy and learn whether my thesis is eligible for bookbinding since you need to have a final grade of 2.5 and above to do so. But what was supposed to be a half-day meeting turned out to be a whole-day affair with my friends. I helped out April and Monzie in editing their thesis for their DVD, waited for Sir Doy to arrive at around 3PM, chilled in the library, freaked out over our thesis and practicum grades in the Communication Department website and went to Mcdo before going home. I had fries as an appetizer then dinner at home since I was SO BROKE from printing my screenplay and thesis proposal plus the bookbinding price was expensive. My last full day as a college student was just fantastic, and it wouldn’t have been such without my friends, thesis mentor, the thesis that will soon be archived in the library, and the good grades I got! #blessed (Photos from Monzie, collage made by yours truly)

2. On the day of the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, my family was strolling around Bedok Mall when we encountered Ilaoilao Frozen Yogurt right in the corner. My mom and I didn’t hesitate to order a tall one, and it was one of the best decisions we’ve made! The one we ordered had apples, bananas, Chips Ahoy bits, and caramelized cookies with the froyo on top. Grade A dessert that should open a branch in Manila soon! 

3. Also on the same day as the Ilaoilao froyo, we had lunch at Popeye’s aka one of our favorite fastfood chains. Their chicken is a top three of mine (the other two are KFC and Texas) not just because of it’s irresistible taste but it doesn’t ooze a lot of oil that will make you ick. My mom took this photo of dad and I as a proof of how much we love their food. 

4 and 5. Yesterday was Mother’s Day so we had lunch at Lenas in Tampines One. Their grilled chicken with cheddar cheese was fantastic, but what made it even more fantastic was spending that special day with my one and only queen <3

6. Ladies and gents, I present to you the first nine photos I uploaded on Instagram. What the heck was I thinking when I uploaded all of these? I didn’t have VSCO Cam and Afterlight back then so I compensated for it by using Camera 360 and Pixlr-o-Matic for my photos. Sheesh. I always appreciate new followers and I post stuff about my life in there, so go press the “Follow” button @candiceleocands (same as my Twitter handle)! 

P.S. I promised I would blog about my thesis earlier but I haven’t done it yet :( I SHALL MAKE IT THE SUBJECT OF MY NEXT BLOG ENTRY.

P.S.S. I haven’t officially graduated from college yet but I’ve been job hunting on LinkedIn, Jobstreet and other websites the past two weeks. So far, I received an email today from the managing editor of Juice.ph saying she will be forwarding my CV and writing samples to her colleagues as I applied for the position of online editor in the website. Fingers crossed! 

P.S.S.S. I honestly don’t know who to root between the Rangers and Caps now they’re going to a Game 7 on Thursday morning since the friggin’ Caps just blew a 3-1 series lead AGAIN. Either way I would love to see a new Cup champ this year. But anyways, I hope Canada wins the gold in Worlds although I don’t get to watch their games since they stream late at night :( 

P.S.S.S.S. I finished the second season of Orange is The New Black in six days, and now I may want to start with Fresh Off The Boat because my other Tumblr’s dash is filled with GIFs from the newest sitcom. Gahhhh I need to find a new show to love!

5.09.2015

No offense but...

the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year sucked after the first round (minus Lightning vs. Canadiens). Heck, I just either check on what’s happening with the World Championships or read stuff or watch TV shows or spend quality time with my family.

I don’t really rant about sports in this blog but this might be the first time I’ll talk about some of my thoughts about hockey in general. Not a lot of you watch it anyway but that’s okay because we all have our own interests and I respect that. So here we go…

5.03.2015

Me and My Lappy

Back when we owned a desktop computer in my house, I’d always consult Google for tips on how to transform Windows XP into something similar to Mac’s Snow Leopard OSX even without going through the complicated process of patching. My problem was somehow solved when I downloaded those Mac skins off Deviantart, the mecca of all art and techie resources, and my fascination for Apple’s operating system grew fonder by the day ever since.

My dad asked me to choose between a 13″ Macbook Pro and Sony Vaio Y as his Christmas gift when I became a first honors dean’s lister for the first time in December 2011. I chose the latter, so my dreams of owning a Mac was put on hold for the meantime. My Vaio was my baby through all the paperworks, Internet troubles, random screenshots, bad battery life, and decreasing memory in my hard drive. It was also the very laptop that summarized all four years of my college into one unforgettable chapter of my life. 

But as the old folks would always say, things come and go. I always knew there would be a time when I have no choice but to let go of the things I loved dearly. This was the case for me and my Vaio when the battery started acting like an annoying robot in June 2014. I would charge it for two hours only to have it drained within thirty minutes. Four months later, my laptop was struggling so bad I always had the urgency to find an electrical outlet since it won’t turn on without plugging in the charger. The struggle is real, right? This was one valid reason as to why I needed a new laptop. 

Another factor that played in the decision whether to buy a new laptop or not was my necessities not just as a Comm Arts student but as someone who wants to pursue a career in media particularly production. I’m the type of person who’s more than willing to spend time working on magazine layouts, photo manipulation, writing and video post-production. With my Vaio, everything was fine except for the post-production because I couldn’t edit videos without surviving those lengthy rendering times and app crashes. I tried Adobe Premiere Pro, Corel Video Studio and Sony Vegas but neither worked well with my laptop which was frustrating for someone who wants to practice her editing skills. 

With all those reasons mentioned above, I asked my parents if I could have a new laptop as a Christmas gift last year but they told me it would be best if I could wait until after graduation for that. This idea gave me more motivation to finish my thesis and do better in my schoolworks.

Then one April evening, I checked my iPad to see an iMessage from my mom with an attached photo of some mystery item in it.

I shrieked the moment I opened the message. 

IT WAS A 13″ MACBOOK AIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH MOM AND DAD! <3

image

**This is a photo I took of my brand new laptop! I don’t have the photo my mom sent me on iMessage since my iPad was left back home. 

No more Mac skins off Deviantart, no more swirly eyes whenever I pass by an Apple store - all because I finally have the real thing. Transferring files from my Vaio to Mac might have been tough but it’s all worth it. Hope to get an external hard drive (500 GB or 1TB is enough for me TBH) for my movies and TV shows soon! 

Dreams do come true, eh? I am more than thankful for blessings like this one since it came on the right time :”>

5.02.2015

Late Night Thoughts

Before summer officially kicked off, I always told myself I would binge watch as I have to keep up with all the TV shows and films popping out of nowhere the past few months. True to my word, I finished six episodes of Gotham a week before my thesis defense. On the other hand, I’m currently blogging and watching Season 2 of The Inbetweeners at the same time. Definitely this won’t be the last time I’ll binge and blog during the entire summer aside from traveling and reading and catching up with my loved ones. 

Is this what a bum life feels like, thinking of sunshines rather than schoolbooks? The movies and TV shows on your bucket list rather than deadlines for papers? Hmmm.

One final news: I’m finally done with thesis! Gonna write more about it in my next post :)

4.30.2015

I wish I watched the entire Lightning vs. Red Wings series, but Game 7 was awesome.

On another note, I miss the Pens.

I need to start rewatching Friends soon.

4.27.2015

See you in June. #dlsu #vscocam 🎓 (at De La Salle University)