Oh Baguio, you're so pine!

I was having dinner at my brother's house one evening then he asked me if I wanted to come with 2 of his friends to Baguio since the others can't come. How could you say no to an offer of rest and silence for 3 day, plus free accommodations? So yes, that weekend leveled up my being kaladkarin.

So we left last Saturday. My brother told me that he'll pick me up at around 5:30am. Major fail because I woke up at the sound of the car honking like crazy bwahahah! They waited for me though to fix up then off to Baguio we went! It rained the whole day, even in Baguio, so I wasn't really ready for the super cold weather. Forgot my scarf and I should have brought more jackets but I survived :)

It has been a while since I last saw Baguio this foggy so yes, I became more excited to do my itinerary for the day: SLEEP.

{Life Lately: The weekend that was}

This past weekend was so fun I wouldn't want it to end but hey, I got to get back on reality so I'll just blog about my weekend so I can read it anytime I want :)

FRIDAY

After a quick catch up dinner with AJ, I headed to Conspiracy for Ebe's long gig. I think I said it before but I will say it again, I love Ebe Dancel and his music. While waiting for Ebe, the conversation over beer and nuts is about people's problems on their love lives (I'm just so lucky, I'm done with that phase of grilling haha!). I'm not really sure if this was a preparation for Ebe but it was a good conversation with great people. Makes me still believe in love ❤

While Ebe was playing, all I could think of is how amazing his songs are. It just hits you right to the core! Amid all the heartbreaking songs, he still makes me want to fall in love again and again. Salamat Ebe.

The gels

#wathaak

SATURDAY

I'm not sure if I can write about this without tearing up but we had Marianne's bachelorette party last Saturday. We planned for one week and surprised our bride-to-be with the most wholesome bachelorette party! I won't go into the details but we all had fun. We had a short program, a few games (remembering it still makes me laugh haha), some sex tips, drinks and heartfelt messages for the bride-to-be. 

I just can't believe that Marianne's getting married. I've been friends with her since Grade 5 and I really saw how she grew as a wonderful person. I'm just so happy that she's happy and I can't wait for baby Mariannes/Pauls (hopefully next year or early 2016!). I know in my heart that she will be a great mom! 

The bride-to-be

BFFs

Commuting. More fun in the Philippines.

I was browsing through Facebook this morning for my daily dose of news and cute videos (hehe!) then I stumbled upon this news: LTFRB exec proposes EDSA traffic scheme. When I read this, I thought of many reasons why this is not going to work in our current transportation system. I think this proposal will be a good idea if we have a better public transportation system. I mean, seriously?? Are you proposing this now? Have you seen how the buses/jeepneys/taxis acts like they rule the road?? And you guys are the one who give them the license to run. Please, fix the public transportation first before giving out proposals like this one. (I'm sorry, I just hate those buses/jeepneys who doesn't know how to follow the traffic rules and who feels like they can stop anywhere they want!!)

Okay, the problem may be because of the huge volume of private vehicles on the road everyday because people who can afford cars will definitely buy one (and cars are so affordable nowadays). They wouldn't want to risk their life riding a jeepney or bus that may contain snatchers or drivers who doesn't even know defensive driving. Have you seen how these buses drive in Commonwealth? Hanggang may butas, lulusot! HELLO, we have a yellow lane for you guys! Also, if you've been watching the news regularly, there will always be news about a jeep/bus that got into an accident or bus that caught fire. If the authority assure the people that the drivers of the public transpo can drive safely and will stop at their designated stops, then I believe more people will use the public transpo. Offer the people a system that they can believe in and I assure you, there will be lesser private vehicles on the road. Would people choose this over the hassle of bringing a car??

Parking is a pain in the ass (especially in Makati or Taguig) so personally, I would love to commute rather than bring my own car but since, I'm too scared to ride a bus or the MRT, I'd rather have a hard time looking for a parking than risk my life or waste my time in line.

I think this is where MMDA/LTFRB should focus on. Invest on an efficient public transportation system then implement it. We may have a better system in the future but implementation sucks here in the country. For example, when the MMDA released the bus segregation system in EDSA, I think it was a good idea but it wasn't implemented properly. So yes, it was a fail. I hope the authorities can impose right discipline to the drivers and the commuters.

There are always two sides of the story thus, authority should also discipline commuters who doesn't know where to wait/go down. Another reason why the MMDA's bus segregation system failed is because commuters doesn't know where to go down. They would like to go down to the place convenient for them (and they do not think of the hassle they are giving to cars behind the buses they are in!!!) They don't want to go down at designated stops because it's far from their destination... then ride a taxi if you like to go down right in front of where you are going!! (Sorry, another pet peeve!) Also, commuters sometimes wait at the middle of the road for jeeps/buses! As in middle of the road. So obviously, jeeps/buses will stop at the middle of the road too which causes inconvenience to cars behind them! For the commuters out there, know your place, please.

I know that this is possible because other countries have excellent transportation system that people follow. I saw how efficient it is in Singapore and I believe that this is possible for the country if we all help each other. Also, lesser cars on the road means lesser pollution! (yey!) Create a better system for public transport, train drivers to drive properly!, implement the system properly and discipline commutes. If this can be done, then I think we'll have smaller problems in our hand (then you might not need this proposal of banning private vehicles.)

Knowing your worth

To all the girls (I loved before, joke!) in my news feed,

This is for you, girls. I'm tired of reading posts on how you hate your life or how everything is falling apart. I don't like it that you're pretending to be happy even if you are not. I know the feeling, I have been there and it suck so so much. I think we all go through that phase. I have been one of those people who reblog quotes on Tumblr about faking a smile, crying myself to sleep at night and all those drama / emo posts. I don't judge you for feeling that way but know when to stop.

"When you've done all you can and things don't seem to be going the way you want, end the struggle, accept and choose the path unfolding."

Do not get stuck there, please. Do not choose that way of living. You have way greater things ahead of you. You are just too focused on all the things lacking in your life that you can't see the life unfolding ahead of you.

"It's easier to fake a smile than to explain why you're sad" 
This quote is just so true but damaging at the same time. Yes, it is easy to fake a smile but why would you want to pretend to be happy rather than attain real happiness? Please let go of that way of thinking and move on! Again, I've been here and my heart felt heavy for not showing my real emotions.

I am not a happy person, I can say that, but I'm done pretending. I tell people when I'm sad and I stopped faking my smile months ago and life has been better. I have my own problems that I am dealing with right now and sometimes, I don't even know how to deal with it but I'm doing fine. I breakdown most of the time but I don't let sadness fill my life anymore. I may have problems but I don't let it dictate my life. It is just a phase. There are still so many things that I should be thankful for and that's where I'm focusing all my energy rather than focusing on what I lack. Before going to sleep, I remind myself of the things that I'm grateful for for that day. Maybe you should do this too :)

Know your worth, ladies. And I'm sure that your worth is way way way greater than what you believe. Don't let other people treat you less!

Surround yourself with people who will bring out the best in you. Choose people who will never leave you when you're down and will listen without judgement! I know these people are hard to find. I'm so glad I have mine and I found them in my darkest days. Be a person who will listen without any judgement at all and I'm sure you will attract people like that.

Being happy doesn't mean not having problems. It's just a matter of perspective... focus. If you see the bad things in everything, then we clearly have a problem. Start seeing the brighter side of things, it can change your life. I know this is hard, I had a hard time but you can't start without accepting the fact that you want your life to be better. First step is always knowing that you want to change your life for the better and I'm sure, you'll find the next steps. Every person has different ways to deal with problems, that's why I believe that there are no clear steps on becoming happy. It's your own life. Decide how you'll get there.

“What you have to decide is how you want your life to be.
If your forever was ending tomorrow,
would this be how you'd want to have spent it?
Listen, the truth is, nothing is guaranteed.
So don't be afraid.  Be alive.”

{Life Lately: Getting back up}

Going through a lot these past few months and I just don't know where to go. Fortunately, I am finding my way back up so sharing a few tidbits of my life lately (all positive because I don't want to rant about my problems anymore). Also, it's the first of September, almost there and I will say good bye (again) to another year of ups and downs.

The best friend during my alone time

I can never go wrong with chill / happy vibes / kilig books like Eleanor & Park to make me happy. I have finished reading books like this (Paper Town, Everyday, Why we broke up etc) in 2 weeks time. I swear, you guys (if ever someone is reading this), read this kind of books when you are feeling down :) It helped me realize things about my life (friends, family etc). It may be patweetums / pacute but it can give you life lessons that can help you forever!

The rainy days and its perks