2015 Christmas Wishlist

It's October and I have yet to clear my backlogs. Anyhow, at this very moment I am taking a break from playing cheesy Air Supply songs on violin and thinking about how much I would want a new violin, I decided to blog a bit.

None in my wishlist has been realized so far except for the art materials which I wanted a few years ago and which I also put in my wishlist in the office secret Santa gift-giving activity. As if people would go to great lengths to get what I really want. Thinking about what to want for Christmas is very hard for me.

Since lately I have been more focused on music, I would very much want to have music-related stuffs for Christmas. Those and going to theaters, museums, and maybe a long travel to think things through before the year ends.

1. Tickets to concerts and musicals

 Next year, Les Misérables will be staged here in Manila. I'm saving up for that but it would be really reaaly cool to have my ticket for free.

2. Movie dates

  While I am the type who prefers to go solo when watching movies, it would be nice to have someone to watch Le Petit Prince with. It just so happens that it will be in theaters within my birthday week this year. 

3. Food trips

  My sisters and close friends know fully well how much I love food and how adventurous I am when it comes to food. Going on an all expense paid good trip is an excellent way to make a girl happy. Whoever said that diamonds are a girl's best friend is a liar. The best way to a girl's heart is through the stomach. Always.

4. Long walks

  It's a real pity we do not have that many parks here so this poor hyperactive girl finds it hard to release extra energy. While I do walk on roads, I couldn't enjoy as much because of the pollution. Ugh!

And no, walking in malls is not my cup of tea. I easily get bored seeing all the merchandise on sale which we humans really do not have a need for anyay. [*curses consumerism]

5. The Mind Museum

I've been wanting to go. I did get to visit one time in August but only at the lobby to attend a talk on the origins of the universe. However, I can't seem to afford the ticket.

6. CDs

  Of musical giants. For the longest time I have been listening to sax, mostly by Kenny G. It's hard to find violin music so I might as well put that on my list.

7. Musical instruments

  I'd like something to add to my winds collection. Probably a harmonica or a clarinet. Or maybe a sax? But saxophones are way too expensive. Sigh!

8. Travels

  This girl is itching to travel but is on hiatus for now. I'm saving up for sometjing important so I'm holding my money tight. So it would be lovely to get a free trip again before the year ends. Wanna go to the beach to contemplate about life, love, loss, death, and redemption. Or about the origins of the universe. Or how we can achieve world peace...

9. Books

  Ah this girl's best friend. I'd like some intelligent books on history. I like books focused on lesser known heroes and/or intellectuals. Or books on music. Or perhaps books on crazy ideas. Would appreciate books on dating, too. I am seeing the wisdom in a friend's suggestion to read up on dating only now... because that's where I fare poorly.

10. The wisdom to guide me every step of the way, the courage to enable me to do the things I should do, and the strength to carry on doing what I need to do.

Last but not the least, a chance to throw it all to the winds again--- my dreams, my frustrations, my sorrows, my joys. I want to empty myself and start anew.

Christmas Wishlist 2014

The second BER month is about to end so I might as well list down what I want for Christmas. Not that I am expecting anyone to give me anything on my list but let's see if the universe will conspire to grant some on it.

Christmas is never for me. I get depressed during the holidays. Must be SAD (seasonal affective disorder). The festive atmosphere is supposed to cheer one up, right? But no, the warm lights on the Christmas tree, the Christmas songs one hears almost everywhere at this time of the year, the sights of mall sale, the sudden increase of people in Metro Manila, the advertisements, they all make me pensive.

And I would always wish I were somewhere quiet, where I can bask in blissful solitude. The mountains would be a most welcome retreat, but who would join me when families are supposed to be together for Christmas?

Also, I dread getting useless stuffs, mostly recycled gifts. I dread the organized exchange gifts in the workplace, though I participate for the sake of pakikisama. And who knows maybe somewhere out there somebody might just pack one awesomely unique gift for me, or something I can use, not something I'll just dump somewhere in our already messy room (thanks to me).

Contrary to what many think, I am actually quite easy to please. I don't want cheap things which you can buy anywhere. I have no need for cute things which I can't even use. I dislike things people give just so they can say they have given gifts. Just imagine how many tons of useless stuff factories produce everyday worldwide and just imagine the the amount of resources used to produce these useless things which usually just end up in the dumpsite. No wonder this world is so sick, it is so drowned in consumerism it forgets life's simple pleasures.

What I want is something more personal, something that truly comes from the heart, something that is exclusively meant for me. And the best part is that you don't have to spend that much when considering a gift for me. Life is simple and simplicity has always been associated with me for as long as I can remember.

Write me a poem and I'd keep it and treasure it as if it were some piece of jewelry. Create a card for me showing your artsy side and it will easily be one of my prized possessions. Write me a long letter, and I'd keep it somewhere safe but easily accessible for when I would miss you, I would just take it out and read it and then my heart shall smile at the sweet memory of you.

The best gifts I have received are not the most expensive nor the most beautiful. But they are the best gifts because the givers really considered what I like and they made sure these gifts are things that I will simply put on the shelves to gather dust. Friends who have given me books know my thirst for literature. Friends who wrote me letters are the best; I think they know me as a sentimental person who takes pleasure in walking down memory lane. Friends who invite me to go someplace new know my love for adventure, the same for those who bring me to restos be they expensive or dirt cheap. In the end, it's always the thought that counts.

I guess that must be one reason why I find it hard to give gifts. I tend to project my tastes unto the recipients and they must be disappointed whenever I end up giving them small cards or colorful letters or whatnot. Still I am happy to have found friends who truly appreciated the small things I give. I was even surprised when two of my male friends told me they keep all the letters I have given them in their wallets. I guess that's what you call friendship.

Anyway, the material things I want for this year:

1. Boxes of dark chocolates (preferably with mint or orange)

2. Old and rare books

3. Yacht cruise (Mediterranean or Caribbean.... Or both)

4. Free movie passes or tickets to concerts and theatrical performances

5. Ride in a helicopter

6. International and domestic trips

7. Europe trip! (perhaps two months will do but I wonder if I could have such long leave)

8. Notebooks and pens

9. Dinner in unusual restaurants

Last and the most important are two things which always go hand in hand. I always wish to have courage to do the things I have to do and to have strength to continue doing what I have to do.

Batanes 05112014 Day 4

May 11 is the second Sunday of the month and is also Mother's Day for this year. I committed a mistake when planning for my travels because I thought Mother's Day falls on the 3rd Sunday. I made a mental note to make sure I send an SMS to mom and greet her a happy mother's day.

We woke up very early to catch the sunrise at Diura, a fishing village in Mahatao town. The beach there was full of boulders and it was there where I scraped my knee when I fell after stepping on a very slippery rock. Ugh!

After watching the sunrise for around two and a half hours, my buddy and I separated ways. We both wanted to explore Batanes the hard way but I don't know how to ride a bicycle on rugged roads so I planned to just walk.

I was dropped off at the foot of the hill where Tayid lighthouse is located so I had to hike up all the way. My first few minutes of being alone made me question what I wanted to achieve after all this. Talk about sudden regrets but the tricycle had already sped away. [And there's also my pride to protect.]

Fortunately the road to Mahatao was gently sloping downwards so it wasn't that difficult. The challenge is dealing with the very fickle weather. One moment it rains and another the sun shines ever so brightly. Good thing I brought my raincoat with me.

I got to Mahatao just in time for the mass to commence. I ran all the way to the church and even was relieved to see the priest and his "staff" were just about to enter. Whew! Needless to say, I was super drenched in sweat and with a bleeding knee on which I poured lots of alcohol to prevent infection.

Because I was all alone, I could visit places of interest to me but which may be weird for others. I went to Mahatao cemetery afterwards, then walked towards Basco, determined to make it in time for lunch [or maybe I'd just collapse and sleep the whole afternoon]. It was already past 9 in the morning and sun's rays were not friendly anymore. Still I tread on, feeling like a 浪人. When I was running out of water and seeing the long stretch of road ahead of me [and also thinking that I must have covered 4 kilometers already], I decided to bring out the magical thumb while on the highway. It was my second time to hitch a ride (the first being on my return to Manila from Vietnam and a fellow plane passenger would also pass by the Makati area where I used to work).

The driver's name was Richard. I was happy because he's a chatty guy. He told me interesting tidbits about the Ivatan culture, like how they raise animals in Goat Island but slaughter the animals for meat there to be transported to the populated islands. They do not transport live animals due to their superstitious beliefs. He also told me that Amboy's is the only place where you can get beef tapa because normally the delicacy is just for household consumption.

Since his destination was Batanes Resort, we had to part ways at that point and I had to go by foot again all the way to Marfel's Homestay in Basco. By that time, I could already feel like collapsing any minute because of the heat. I think I must have walked more than a kilometer just to get to the inn. WHEW! [I'm never doing it again! On second thought, I might if only for the sense of fulfillment...] My buddy had returned some 20 minutes earlier than me.

Ate a quick brunch of leftover pinakbet and fish and went straight to sleep. I tried to go over the materials I got about the history of Batanes but my body was already craving for sleep.

Late in the afternoon, we explored Basco again. We planned to have dinner at the famous Bunker Café near Basco lighthouse. At the same time, we wanted to see the sunset there for the second time. Our dinner consisted of mushroom soup, beef steak, fish with wasabi mayo, upland rice (YUMMY!), turon, and stir-fried veggies. Of these, I loved the fish best!

In short, this day was mainly about getting awed [and burnt] by the magnificent sun. [But this girl is a Moon Goddess...]

Batanes Day 1
Batanes Day 2
Batanes Day 3
Batanes Day 5 

Pimples and Body Fats

Just this week, while an officemate and I were talking about pimples and creams available in the market, I asked her what toners do and their difference from facial wash and moisturizers. Toners, she said, can dry the skin, so it’s good for pimples. But after using toners, one has to apply moisturizers. Also, she adds, it’s not true that if one’s face is oily, toners would be the remedy. The face would be forced to produce more oil because the skin suddenly becomes dry, thus making one’s skin oilier.

There’s a solution to losing fats! I just had to quip. I explained that if that’s the case, then tummy fats can be used up if ever there comes a point wherein the amount of skin oil is at its limit. The body should be able to use up unwanted fats from other parts of the body just so the skin can produce oil to prevent itself from dryness.

And yes, she laughed at me and at my weird idea.

It’s just that my mind is so playful that I always come up with weird ideas like this. J