Dear, Future Self. I hope one day you realize that life at twenty-something isn't so terrible after all. You win some, and you lose a lot. And that's not bad. I hope when you look back at all the mistakes you've made, the only thing that would resonate on your face is a smile, the warm kind of smile. The kind of smile that makes you wonder why you did those things but feeling happy and quite content nonetheless because you learned a lot along the way. I hope that you finally understand what all the pain is all about. I hope you recognize that no matter how tough it gets, the people who love you will always be there--no matter what. Lastly, I hope you finally learn how to love yourself. 

That was dramatic, lol. But I meant every word of it. I had one of the simplest yet happiest birthday celebration a couple of days ago. I ended up going to a spontaneous beach trip and I was also able to celebrate with family and friends, yay! My phone was ringing non-stop and I was annoyed like hell but then I realized just how much these people care to let me know they remembered my special day. I also got five different birthday cakes and I don't know how to consume them all because they're all my favorites! I was also surprised three times, so I guess it does help that I blog about the things that I want to happen as a subtle reminder to concerned parties, haha! I've mentioned several times that I loooooove surprises, so, you can only imagine how happy I am upon getting three albeit looking crappy and all because I wasn't prepared. Note to self, look good at all times on my next birthday in case of surprises, lol. 

This post has been sitting in my queue for quite some time now, over a year to be exact. Yeah, I know. Procrastination at its finest. I was thinking if I should still publish this since it's been months since I last went to the place and things may have changed already, buuuuut, the place is too lovely I just have to share the photos. If I remember correctly, we went on this trip on September 2013, lol, hence the title. I almost choked on my burger realizing how overdue this post is. 

Anyway, let me tell you about this enchanting place called Islas de Gigantes. Our guide told us that it was named such because it was believed that the people who used to live in the islands were giants--and they have the bones to prove it. Our friend arranged everything for us so I won't be much of help in the organizing department. But, I'll share everything I remember about the trip with hopes of helping you guys out should you choose to embark on this journey alone or with your friends. Though I highly encourage you go with your friends since boat rentals can be quite pricey if you're alone.  Plus, everything is certainly more fun with friends in tow! Not to mention cheaper, too. 

Baguio has always been my safe haven. It may be popular to a lot of people nowadays because, duh, it's the summer capital of the Philippines. Add to that the growing number of tourists who visits it to have a view of La Presa, which, for fuck's sake, is made-up name for the place. I'm mad at these people because just like Sagada, tourists lately seem to visit such places due to their association to movies or TV shows, not because they want to be immersed in the culture. I'm not saying everyone does that as there are still a lot of tourists who go to such places to appreciate and experience the culture, and for them, I'm very thankful. 

I love Baguio to bits. If I were to put it in a song, it would be All of Me by John Legend. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections. I admit, Baguio is not perfect because it's now too crowded with people and filled with high-rise buildings, but it is perfect for me. Cold or not, it will always be my safe place. One of the things that made me fall in love with Baguio is the cost of living. I can live there for a week with only a thousand bucks, and I'll still have money left for drinks. In comparison to Manila, which is a hell hole when we talk about cost of living, you do get your money's worth. Especially when it comes to food. Again, I'm not saying this goes for all the restaurants in Baguio because there are some that aren't worthwhile. Which is why I'll be sharing one of my favorites, which will be worth your time and money. Guise, say hello to Canto. One of the restaurants from the amazing Ketchup Food Community. 

I've talked about change on this blog more than I can imagine. I like talking about stuff I'm not very comfortable with, it takes away the nerves and all the irrelevant shit that comes with facing one's fears. In line with welcoming the new month, I also plan to implement minor changes in my life. Baby steps! For one, I vow (naks!) to update this blog's content as often as I can! I have a ton of backlogged entries on my recent travels, recipes and whatnots that I haven't gotten into yet. Starting next month, no procrastinating! That goes for work, too. I've already started several projects to give me a good head start for the year, and they're doing great, if I do say so myself. I just hope I get to sustain this level of positive energy, as I'm not a very optimistic person, all throughout the year. 

Since I was hospitalized last year, I also had to make drastic changes on my diet and my sleeping habits. Can you believe I'm a morning person now? I've been eating three times a day and I also make sure that I drink lots of water, ack! I hate water because it's boring. But what can I do, I'm supposed to take in 8 glasses a day, huhu. I also want to take more photos of myself so if I ever become ugly one day because of all the smoking and binge drinking, I get to look at old photos and show them to friends as proof that I was once pretty, lol. PS, I'm going easy on the ciggies, too. The drinking? Maybe next year. 

If you were to eat only three cuisines in your life, what would they be? A lot of people ask me this question all the time, and for the most part, I've always answered : Filipino, Japanese and Persian. I think at some point I thought of replacing Persian with Italian cuisine, but no, can't let go of my beloved Persian addiction. Though I was wondering if I had cheat days, I would definitely go for Italian.

When I was still lurking at the bottom of the pit called the corporate world, my friends and I would frequent this Persian place along E. Rodriguez because of the price and the food. That was before I discovered there's a whole different planet of Persian restaurants out there. Aaaand, that was about 4 years ago. I think my palate has matured since then. Even if the food seems mediocre at best, I still have a certain affinity for this place because of the memories built around it. Even if I say the food is mediocre, it surely is worth the mediocre amount of money you'll spend. 

I've always had ugly skin. I have 3 sisters and they all have the perfect skin and complexion that sometimes I wonder if I was adopted, loljk! But I wasn't kidding about the part where I have ugly skin. My face was pretty low-maintenance until College. I started having really bad breakouts during my first year and sort of had this epiphany (lolwhut) that I need to take care of my skin. Back then, taking care of my skin meant a facial cleanser and a basic moisturizer. Well, that actually went on until last year, haha. Thanks God for friends who look after you, even if that meant criticizing every inch of your face. Before 2014 ended, I consulted a dermatologist because I had two unflattering red dots on my face and they won't go away! December was the time I wanted to hide from my friends and avoid any client presentation as much as possible because I felt uncomfortable with those two red dots looking like  targets on my face. I was told to go through the whole shebang : a regular facial, a deep cleansing facial and an anti-acne treatment. I felt like they were more painful than when I was having my tattoo done! I suddenly remembered why I don't like going to the dermatologist!

With that, I was also prescribed after treatment care. Everything was so tedious that I swore I would start taking care of my face and my skin so I won't have to ever go through everything again. It also didn't help that I had to make those appointments during the busiest month of the year! Traffic was unforgiving and setting up an appointment was a pain since everyone seemed to want to look beautiful before the year ended. Anyhoo, those two big red dots (as seen on my Christmas and NY photos) are almost gone and I'm relieved that I can finally go out without having to think too much of what people are saying when they see me, lol. Anyhoo, I've decided to share my new beauty regimen, and yes, I've graduated from the basic cleanser + moisturizer phase. Please don't laugh at me!

2014 was an extremely difficult year for me. I had to deal with a lot of changes on different aspects of my life. Anyone who reads this blog knows that if there is something I'm allergic to, other than an ugly pair of Crocs, it's change. I don't know if my aversion to change stems from the fact that I love routines and I hate having to start over because that requires a lot of energy and I'm a lazy person or if I'm just one of those people who's not open to such things. Either way, big boss at my new work always tells me that it is unavoidable and the only way to deal with it is to keep moving forward. I knew that, but I think I have to be reminded several times before I actually start doing something about it. This year though, I think that may have to change. 

For 2015, I don't want to make promises or resolutions or whatever you want to call those inspirational bullshit. This year, I want to focus more on getting the things that I need and the things that I want. I intend to be have a higher EQ, God knows how unstable and low my EQ is especially when I see things that sparkle, well, among other things. I also want to travel more and spend quality time with the people I love the most. People who are always there when the going gets tough, people who are always there when I feel like giving up on life and people who are always there despite seeing how destructive I become when pushed against the wall. Damn, I really have a tendency to be overly dramatic, hahaha! That I must also change this year! Less drama, less problems! More money, more travels. Yay! With that, let me show you a sneak peak of my New Year. Well, more like what we wore for New Year, haha. These photos were taken on the same spot where we had our Christmas photos, so, not much of a change. I decided to include the fist GIF because I love how it starts with my birth year. I don't think it signifies anything, I just think it's really pretty. PS, I still have those pesky red dots on my face.