Monday, November 23, 2009

Lessons on Love

Sometimes, in our incessant efforts to find the person we love, we fail to see and appreciate the people who love us. We would miss out on so many wonderful things simply because we allow ourselves to be enslaved by our own selfish concerns. We keep on looking so far away when all we needed to do was look behind us.

They say that one will find rewarding happiness not with the the man she loves but with the man who loves her more. To "go for the man of deeds and not for the man of words". I believe that the best lovers are those who are capable of loving from a distance --far enough to allow the other person to grow, but never too far to feel the love within your being.

When you let someone go, it doesnt necessarily mean you have to stop loving that person. It only means that you're allowing that person to find his/her own happiness without expecting him/her to come back. To let go is not just setting that other person free, but yourself as well --- you are setting yourself free from all the bitterness, hatred, and anger that you may keep in your heart.

Bitterness may rare away your strength and weaken your faith. The experience of pain may dishearten you, but you shouldnt allow that. Instead, it should let you grow in wisdom bearing it. Pain will only make us stronger, wiser.

Sometimes, we'd think that we have found peace in just loving someone from a distance not expecting anything in return. But though this can sustain life, it can never give us enough room to grow. We tend to be stuck in the past that we sometimes end up losing ourselves. We can all survive with just beautiful memories of the past but then again, real peace and happiness will only come once we've accepted of what reality is today.

Then there comes a time in our lives when we chance upon someone we get so intensely attracted to. This attraction soon becomes part of our daily lives and eventually consumes our thoughts and our actions. The sad part of it is when we begin to realize that this person feels nothing for us and all they can offer is a platonic relationship. We start our desperate attempts to get noticed and be closer but in the end, all our efforts are unrewarded and we end up just feeling sorry for ourselves.

One doesnt really need to forget someone he/she has fallen for. What is needed though, is to learn to accept reality without being bitter or sorry for yourself. Trust me, you would be better off giving that dedication and love to someone MORE DESERVING. Dont let your heart run your life. Ive made that mistake before. We should learn to be sensible and let our minds speak for itself. Listen not only to your feelings but to reason as well... you'd be surprised at how irratinal one is when letting emotions run her life.

Always keep in mind that if you lose someone today, it only means that someone better is coming tomorrow. Or next week. Or next year. Who knows? Be patient. It will come. If you lose love, it doesnt mean that you failed in love. CRY is you have to. Cry til your eyes run dry but make sure all those tears wash away all the hurt, the hate and the bitterness that the past has left with you.. Let go of yesterday and love will find its way back to you. And when it does, pray that it may be the love that will stay and last a lifetime.

as for me, I'm still waiting.... but i know that when HE comes, everything will be worth it. :)

Saturday, November 21, 2009

almost 8 years ago...

Shot on the first week of April in 2002... a week after i graduated from highschool --which meant i was allowed to do tvc's already since school didnt really allow modelling (all the runway and print work i did were takas. haha)

funny how most of us in this tvc are still intouch and hangout from time to time :)

it's been a long time since this tvc... it's just so much fun looking back tho...Duckie, Bianca & I with Parokya ni Edgar

since embedding of the video isnt allowed, here's the link to the TVC:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THOTnhgQQ4c

Friday, November 20, 2009

The Tides

yet another post that has been long overdue...

Last month, The Tides Boracay flew us in for their 2nd Anniversary party.. Since we had prior commitments, we had to fly in on the second day of the festivities and fly out the next day..

i had such a blast from my breakfast in Real Coffee (as always), walking from station 2 to 1 and back then sunbathing and swimming for more than an hour before heading back to the hotel to sunbathe and swim even more, participated in Yoga Trance Dance, and ofcourse, celebrate with everyone the Tides Anniversary.. it was such a fun weekend indeed :)

Thanks, Tides!! :)

some of the Tides partners:
Stephen Ku, Eric Cua, GP Reyes, Fernando Aracama & Tim Yap



Mond & I were actually in their opening too! :) so it was more of a reunion of sorts..

Stephen, myself, Erwan, Mond & our mojitos :)

Coco avant Chanel

Sorry i havent been posting anything lately..

anyway, here are some photos from the special screening of Coco Avant Chanel in Gateway..

ofcourse most of us had to get our double C's out :)

It's the first ever event that Chanel has done here in Manila.. ofcourse, only Chanel make up and fragences are the only ones you can buy here for now,, but soon enough, all those bags and accessories will be well within our reach :)

the movie was so inspiring! to say that i loved it is an understatement... especially the alst part when she was seated on those steps --- i couldnt help but remember the Rachel Zoe project episode wherein Rachel went into the House of Chanel in Rue de Cambon.. it showed those famous steps among others... in the movie it was so apparent how Coco really had the eye for elegance, style & beauty... she is a legend indeed.




Anne, Bea, myself, Mond, Chynna :)

Saturday, November 7, 2009

"In the end, only three things matter ---

how much you LOVED,

how gently you
LIVED,

and

how gracefully you
LET GO of things not meant for you..."

Halloween Hangover

As if Halloween wasn't enough for us to play dress up, Chynna and I had a photoshoot scheduled 2 days later... then Daiana, Kuya Pao & Railey joined us too.

Originally, our pegs for the day were Steampunk for me and Alice Cullen for Chynna... but as the day progressed, we ended up doing other pegs as well.

Since Jay (Tablante, the photographer) saw me last Halloween wearing the Psylocke costume, he decided that he wanted an additional layout for the superhero shoot we did before. And since the others came along also, we decide to just shoot a Cullen family portrait as well. Too bad Emmet, Carlisle & Esme didnt make it. hehe :)

Props


Psylocke & Jay


Steampunk


Alice Coolen :p



"family portrait"

Friday, November 6, 2009

for everyone

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.

So love the people who treat you right.
Love the ones who don't just because you can.

Believe everything happens for a reason.

If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.

Kiss slowly.

Forgive quickly.

God never said life would be easy. He just promised it would be worth it.

xx

Monday, November 2, 2009

Hallow's Eve

Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.
-Mean Girls

that being said... here's giving u an idea about my Halloween 09.. i had sooooo much fun! definitely one for the books!! my friends and i really went all out! :) here's a rundown of what everyone in our group dressed up as:


Me -- Psylocke
Mond -- a frumpy lolo
Carla -- Natalie Portman in Closer (slut)
Heart -- beaten slut

Belle -- Pocahontas
Juan -- fashyon police

Adrien -- Prince Charming
Liz -- stylish mummy

Ava -- Little Red Riding Hood
Laureen -- slutty devil

Anne - a boy
Vince -- scarecrow

Nik - a dude from the 50's
Dustin -- Greek God

Bea - sexy cab driver
Solenn -- She Wolf

Eric -- genie in a bottle
Erwan -- Wolverine
Mike -- Where's Wally
Franco -- SWAT

Xmen's Psylocke & Wolverine

a frumpy old geezer was stalking me :p

our table was named after "Gossip Girls"... i wonder why

group pic in our last stop :)

hope everyone also had a good halloween!! :)

so... what did YOU dress up as on halloween?!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

It is difficult to ignore our past, but it is more painful to see our "love scars" haunting the present relationship.

- Paulo Coelho

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Happy Birthday, Tita Annabelle!

the Orphans from the House of refuge hold a special place in my heart. that's the reason why, upon meeting them on my birthday as i spent it with them,, i felt the urge to find reasons to make them smile even more.. As early as August, i've had meetings with Timezone, Everyday is Your Birthday Foundation and Tita Annabelle to hold an outreach party for the orphans to be held in October for Tita's bday. As October neared, everybody got excited --- but then again, Ondoy happened and the orphange was in deep waters. These kids, who have already been through sooo much already, had to go through this tragedy. They swam through the floods just to save themselves and their fellow orphans to go to a neighbor's house that was higher that the orphanage. Thanks to angels like Vince & Patricia Hizon who gave them shelter for 3 days before they could find a new apartment to stay in, they all survived.


A few days after the Ondoy Typhoon, Patricia tweeted me a picture of the kids talking excitedly about the upcoming party, as they were really looking forward to it more than ever. The picture touched me in so many ways i cannot even explain.

A few days before the party, Tita Annabelle kept asking me what she had to do, what she had to bring, what she could donate for these kids... Tita was as excited to bond with these orphans as they were. I was reminded later on that she, too, spent some time in her childhood in an orphanage,, so this party really meant something for her..

Come party day, the kids all arrived on time, full of energy... We were supposed to have an hour and a half of playtime, but thanks to Timezone's generosity, they let us play for more than 3 hours... The kids even had a special song number & violin playing for Tita Annabelle!!

At the end of the day, everyone was so exhausted, but with smiles in their faces... I couldnt wipe the smile off my face seeing the happiness in their faces...

So once again... thank you so much Ana Benitez and Raffy Prats of TIMEZONE for all the generosity -- for the unlimited playing cards & lootbags, to all the food from Texas Grilled Bbq House, Oliver's Super Sandwiches & Krispy Kreme who served really yummy treats, and to Everyday is Your birthday Foundation for setting me up with the House of Refuge... also thank you Lorenz Manalang for being the one who set up my meeting w Timezone :)

Thank you Jun Lalin, for helping out with the invites, and the coverage that made other people even more aware about the House of Refuge.. Thank you for those who went --all the Royale Era talents! i saw how much fun u guys were having with the kids... Thank you Doc Cielo Adajar of Adajar Dental Services for the dental packages you sent over for the kids... Chard & Tita Annabelle for the cheque donations and Ate Ruffa for the boxes of clothes and toys for the orphans...

And to the orphans, thank you so much for touching my heart in a way that no one else has ever done so....

Thursday, October 8, 2009

the Class of 2009

our little barkada was featured on Philippine Star's SUPREME for it's Anniversary issue last September 27... we shot this right before heading to my bday dinner weeks before (it was also Francis' actual bday that day)...

here's the feature:



MANILA, Philippines - A wise lady once told me that no matter how old we get, always remember that it all boils down to high school. Now, that should simplify the complications in our lives. But wait, what was once complicated is now simple and what was simple is now...

It all boils down to high school.

Okay, before we continue with any complex compounds, let’s proceed to a trendy theorem. Cute people plus artist types plus artistas plus cool kids equals a fresh, new scene.

Supreme gathered the new and the now and put them all together for this special shoot. You usually see them inside your favorite nocturnal hot spot or at the pages of your favorite magazine. Why, most of them you even see on TV. But gathering ALL 16 of them for a photo shoot is another thing!

This class photo has all the ingredients — comedy, drama, gloss, grit and a few foreign languages in between. It never lacked social studies, and the fashion sense alone can make you pass geometry. Their chemistry is one-of-a-kind and they’re not so bad with home economics, either.

This batch boasts of good moral standards, better manners and the best conduct. Supreme gives them an “A” for A Very Bright Future.

The Prom Queen

Georgina Wilson

Most likely to: Live all over the world and make the Philippines proud.

Class Sexy-tary

Belle Daza

Most likely to: Be an all around “It” girl

The Actress

Anne Curtis-Smith

Most likely to: Win acting awards and live forever

The Principal

Raymond Guttierrez

Most likely to: Become a multi-awarded TV host and edit the society pages of a top fashion glossy at the same time

The Fashionista

Liz Uy

Most likely to: Fashionably get over from a breakup while setting new trends

The Good Student

Bea Soriano

Most likely to: Be a model and have a few heartaches in between before meeting “The One.”

The Foreign Exchange Student

Adrien Semblat

Most likely to: Fall in love and settle in the Philippines

The Jock

Francis Ricafort

Most likely to: Be a top model in Asia and then shift careers to banking

The Cheerleader

Bubbles Paraiso

Most likely to: Become everyone’s big sister and hands down favorite party partner

The Artists

Erwan Heussaff

Most likely to: Shift to hotel and catering management and then travel the world in style

Solenn Heussaff

Most likely to: Become an artist’s muse while being an artist and designer herself; will have a string of magazine covers and weaken men’s knees

The Class Adviser

Carla Humphries

Most likely to: Enter the ballroom wearing the biggest gowns and out sing everyone in karaoke

The Teacher’s Pet

Nicole Anderson

Most likely to: Live abroad and win in every single quiz night in your local pub

The Bully

Franco Daza

Most likely to: Join Star Magic and be the resident bad boy in teen movies

The Freshman

Fargo Baillet

Most likely to: Study film in New York and win the Best Director plum in Cannes film festival

The Nerd

Michael Concepcion

Most likely to: Have a blonde girlfriend named Kirja and then live the corporate life while enjoying weekends at his beach house.

the day before...

no one was able to predict the tragedy that was Ondoy.. that's why we were all unprepared.

The day before it's wrath, Sept 26, was a day full of birthday celebrations... from Venice's "fairy" 5th birthday to Ynna's "Grease" debut to Sen. Bong's birthday party.. it was a night filled with fun, who knew that the next day would be such an eye-opener that led volunteerism to new heights?

Anyway, these pictures are long overdue so i decided to post them already...

PARTY # 1
VENICE's 'FAIRY' BIRTHDAY

Only the kids were required to wear costumes, but i decided to wear something 'fairy inspired' for fun.. i mean, when else would i be able to have an excuse to wear a poofy pink skirt? :)


skirt from Glitterati


w Tomas as Batman, Chard & Kuya Pao

PARTY # 2
YNNA's "GREASE"-themed DEBUT

it wasn't a very formal affair so guests were required to wear something a bit retro... i decided to wear this cute peplum dress and pink shoes to go with the theme :)

Glitterati dress, Zara shoes

w Mitch & Carla

PARTY #3
Sen Bong's Bday in Whitespace


we dropped by after the debut and stayed for a few minutes....



w Tita Annabelle, Carla, Ate Ruffa, Miriam

Friday, October 2, 2009

Relief Operation in Marikina..


Last Wednesday, I, together with some friends & colleagues joined the Kapuso Foundation's Operation:Bayanihan distribution of relief goods in San Isidro Parish in Greenland, Marikina...

Since Mond, Lorenz, Nik & I were running late to our 2:30pm meeting time in GMA, we then went straight to the location and made the rest of the group go ahead..

On the way, i saw how the once cleanest city has become full of filth. It was incredoulous. I could only imagine what went on when the typhoon was happening... The areas we passed seemed so devastating,, and you would see how the people from there were trying to rise up after that.. they were all busy cleaning their shops, houses, etc... It made me realize even more how lucky i was. yes, my house also got affected by Ondoy, water on the first floor was till my thighs, but it was nothing compared to what these people went through.

As we reached the church and got briefed, we watched as the truck filled with goods open.. and everyone in the crowd cheered. We then proceeded to the frontline and started giving out the relief goods by pairs.. it felt so good distributing those bags.. i wasnt even able to take pics anymore when we got to the frontline -- i wanted to give out as much bags as possible.. (i was only able to take one shot when i was waiting for the bag i was gonna give)

Ondoy may be over, but the threat of Pepeng is alive... people havent even recovered yet. It is a sad, sad reality.. but right now, all we can do is pray... then when the rain stops falling, it's time to put my rubber boots back on and start helping..


furniture obliterated by the flood



the black car was actually ON TOP of the red one


mud everywhere :(




check out the barko!



inside the church, getting ready to go to the frontline :)

people cheered as the truck opened up revealing all the goods

this couple made all of us go "awwwww..."

other volunteers helping to get the goods ready for distribution


heading over to our positions...