What a year to be alive!

This is the first time someone read my message in Japanese in a public podcast.

And it was read in one of my favorite Japanese podcast. It has given me so much hope especially during the stressful hours of my life. And for them to read my message has been a great, great honor.

Although my message was really bad 'cause I'm not good at expressing myself well in Japanese at the moment. But at least I tried conveying my feelings to them!

But still, this makes one of the happiest days I had this year.

Great News!

I apologize for not being able to update this blog for the past few months. I was really busy from all those studying for the board exam.

And guess what?

I passed my licensure exam. I am finally a licensed Psychometrician.

The moment I heard about the news, I went running to my parents and cried my heart out to them. It was all thanks to them that I have acquired this success. And also, thanks to those who have given me courage and self-confidence especially during those times that I was really down.

And fortunately, on the same month, I was hired as a part-time instructor in a small college teaching General Psychology. To be honest, it wasn't part of my original plans after the board exams but this could be a good experience for me for further career advancement. And it can give me more time to study for my incoming JLPT this coming December. (Seriously, I never stop taking official exams since last year. wwww\)

でも大丈夫ですよ。私はいつも頑張ります。

I just hope that my students will take me seriously 'cause I actually look like one of them. (laugh)

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno Movie Viewing

Hiya! It's been a while.

I've been very busy focusing on my board exams (occasionally), and working part-time so I have no time to post new stuff.

Recently, I went out with some friends to watch the latest Japanese movie Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno and ate blueberry cheesecakes.

First, we ate lunch at Tokyo Cafe and I had Japanese set meal and it was really tasty.

And while waiting for a movie, I bought a Japanese mochi ice cream and it was really tasty. I really like green tea-flavored stuff and it makes me happy.

And also, I took a few photos with my best friend since it's been a while since we last saw each other.

The movie was really entertaining and it actually even got better after the prequel. The cast's acting skills are superb as always. And it is really nice to see you favorite Japanese actors and actresses in action.

One of my favorite Japanese actors is Kamiki Ryunosuke and he is really cute and cool. I wish I could meet him in real life someday.

My friends and I had so much fun watching the movie. I wish we could watch the next part next month.

After the movie, a guy friend of mine made cheesecakes for everyone as a commemoration for this get-together and for the new members of our self-proclaimed circle. It was really tasty. I wish I could make something like that for everyone at home.

Overall, I had so much fun and I hope we could do it again sometime, since most of my friends are really busy their life. And I also have my incoming board exams to focus on

Getting Fit

Recently, I started going to the gym as suggested by my parents 'cause I'm really out of shape.

I've gained a lot of weight since June and I've accumulated so much stress for the past few days it's driving me nuts.

So perhaps going to the gym can be a good change of pace as well as an opportunity for me to improve both my physical and psychological health.

Hopefully, I could continue on this for the days to come

Starting over again

To make the long story short, I didn't made it to my interview last April. And it was the most devastating thing happened to me. I'm almost one step closer to my desired career and truth be told, I didn't made it.

But perhaps, things happen for a reason. And oftentimes, failures open doors for other opportunities.

So I am starting over, and currently reconsidering my options.

Despite many failures I have encountered in my whole life, I am certain that these will become factors that will make me even stronger as a person...and as an adult.

Driving School

Last month, I started attending driving school, together with my older brother and twin brother.

It is a new experience for me. I never had the intention to learn how to drive at first but I guess it will not hurt if I will try to learn new things outside my personal preferences. And I can have a new valid I.D. 'cause driver's license is considered as one.

There were a lot of hardships at first. Despite that, it became a very fun experience.

I learned a lot of things. I learned about the parts of a car, the clutch and pedals, the signals, how to handle the steering wheels and other things that you need to learn about the car and the road. I committed a lot of mistakes. I got frustrated about myself and my driving. Despite that, I kept practicing and practicing. And later on, I got more used in handling the car and how to drive safely in the road. There are still a lot of things I need to improve on but at least I have tackled the basics at this point.

So yeah, soon I can get my own driver's license.

I am looking forward to it!

iDoodle 2014

Regressing has never been this creative.

My best friend and I had been in the slumps for the past few days and we totally needed a day to regress and unwind from the stresses of reality

She has been engrossing herself with doodle art for the past few months and this encouraged me to do drawing once again. It's been forever since the last time I drew and visual art is one of my frustrations in life. Perhaps my life would be different if I took Fine Arts in college.

So we joined a doodle drawing contest together with other people at all ages - children, adolescents, and even adults. And since it's been a while since we last joined a contest, we are joining for the win (lol nope in my case 'cause lol)

And here I was with my half-ass self, since I was never prepared for this contest. I only remembered about it the day before the event day.

"I am truly sorry for my half-ass self."

Before the contest, we registered to the event and we were given free shirt and free materials for doodle drawing later. We walked around the mall, and ate lunch at a usual Japanese restaurant.

"Freebies!!!"

The contest started after a few hours. We were given a short orientation about the event and we were given the theme before the contest starts.

While doing the drawing, we were given lots of freebies and yeah... that made joining the contest so worth it! *laughs*

We were only given a few hours to finish our drawings. Here were our finished products:

"Mine's on the left while my best friend's on the right."

I tell you... It has been a while since the last time I drew so it was really hard for me. It took me a while to get into the momentum and my right hand was really aching after I drew my art. Meanwhile, my best friend did hers very neatly and it was really pretty and right for the theme given.

There were some activities while the judging was being held and they gave many prizes to the contestants.

My best friend won a contest related to sending a doodle art together with your selfie and also, to our big surprise, she became part of the finalists and won a cash prize and gift packs. She was about to choke on her drink when her art suddenly appeared on the screen.

It was a great day for us. We had a lot of fun, we learned a lot, and it was the best way to destress oneself.

 

今年の夏はボラカイに行きました！

It's better late than never to write something about this wonderful trip. I've been busy and at the same time lazying around for the past few days. My apologies.

So anyway, it had been a dream of my family to go out of town outside Luzon. And since January, my mother made a reservation for our a trip to Boracay. It was a dream come true!

It was very pleasant to experience Boracay for the first time. It is one of my major tourist spots in my country for its beautiful beaches, heartwarming sunset, and other summer activities that you can enjoy together with your friends and family. And as a Filipino citizen, I should never miss this opportunity to see for myself the beauty of this precious place.

And in addition, this was also the first time my older brother and I experienced riding an airplane. To be honest, I've never experienced going out of the country since I didn't have the opportunity back then. I was really nervous during my first time but overall, the experience was really nice.

"The clouds looks really pretty and amazing when you see them from this point of view"

After our flight from Manila to Kalibo, we rode a boat going to Boracay Islands. And after a few minutes, we reached Boracay and to our surprise, we were amazed by the number of people around the place, from local residents to foreign and local tourists. I'd seen mostly tourists especially beside the beaches. You can see a lot of foreigners from all over the world.

We were taken to our hotel after a short ride from the dock. The hotel has a really nice feel. It has a dining area, a swimming pool, path walks, and some services like massage and spa. And our room is really spacious and cozy. It has everything that we need. It was lovely.

"The room was literally too big for us you can even do a somersault on the floor. Just kidding!"

"Even their bathroom is really nice!"

After taking a short break, my brothers and I went out of the hotel to take a walk alongside the beach. To our amazement, even if it was already past 10 pm, there were still so many people around. There were so many restaurants that you can choose from in case you want to have a splendid dinner. We also saw many spas for relaxing and shops where you can buy souvenirs and local delicacies. My older brother were actually looking for shops that he can visit the next day so I did the same. And we also saw other hotels with both local and foreign tourists enjoying the time of their night life in Boracay.

We stopped by in one restaurant to relax and enjoyed a glass of cocktails and talk about random things. We enjoyed the breeze coming from the beach and had a good laugh until the rest of the evening. And then, we went back to our hotel. We had night swimming and we enjoyed playing around. After a while, we took a short break and and hit the sack afterwards.

"Tequila Sunrise"

The next morning, we had a nice buffet for breakfast and the hotel offered different kinds of meal that you can enjoy. We were so full from our meals that we kind of wasted a few hours relaxing in our room instead of going outside and doing some outdoor activities. Well... it can't be blamed.

So we took a walk outside and it was really, really hot. The scorching heat from the sun makes you sweaty all over even if you are just merely standing in one place. But of course, that would be a waste of the whole point of having this summer getaway if you are just going to be one killjoy for not enjoying the sun.

And because of my recommendation ,we tried the Fish Spa I saw last night while strolling with my brothers. And it was really nice, I tell you! You have to dip your feet on water filled with special fishes and they will take care of your dead skin cells by literally feeding on them. It was very ticklish at first but once you get used to it, it becomes really relaxing.

"FISHES!!!!!"

We enjoyed a nice buffet for lunch in one hotel several blocks away from our's. And then we went for a walk alongside the beach and we saw many interesting things.

"I lost it at this one!"

Afterwards, we took this opportunity to have a boat tour ride on some parts of the area. We rented a boat where it can take us to many places and we saw many beautiful scenery, many buildings, and other people enjoying their vacation. 

So yeah, I got a little lazy taking other pictures and I'm pretty scared to accidentally throw my iTouch in the sea. OTL

After our short tour, we finally swam at the beach and enjoyed the rest of the day under a very nice sunset.

We had dinner after and went out for a walk again. I was desperately looking for a massage place since I've always wanted to try having a massage. My back is killing me lately and I really nice a moment to unwind from the stresses of reality. We also bought presents and souvenirs to bring back to Manila after our trip. After that, we went home and slept soundly.

We woke up early, ate our breakfast, and prepared for our checkout. We rode a boat going back to Kalibo and rode a van going to Roxas. We planned to visit some of our relatives there. It has been a while since we last saw them and this was a good opportunity for us to hang out with them again. And we also saw other beautiful places.

We went back to Kalibo to wait for our flight. And we wait for a few hours until this dreamy experience of Boracay became over. We spent the rest of the hours buying souvenirs and looking at our pictures from the trip.

And we went back to Manila. It made me sad to leave Boracay behind but at least the amazing night view on our way home compensated for those feelings.

If given the chance, I want to go back to Boracay again.

二週間不安

It's been two months I quit my job as an office worker. And I haven't attempted to look for another work lately since I want to focus on enhancing my Japanese comprehension skills further (but my grammar still sucks) So far, I can maintain a normal (?) conversation with a Japanese speaker but I still need to improve more on my vocabulary and on making compound sentences.

However, for the past two weeks, I was given an opportunity to apply to a job that I've always been wanting to do ever since high school. To be honest, it not really my dream job but I think it is a good starting point to improve my skills more and become an effective and successful Counseling Psychologist someday.

I applied for the position of the Guidance Counselor in my previous high school.

However....

I was really all over the place. I feel awkward. And I spoke in broken English and my skills as a English speaker suddenly flew out of the window. And I'm not sure if I was able to perform well during the mock demonstration and panel interview.

I am very unsure if I will pass or not.

This is the reason why I've been miserable lately. I am not motivated to do anything at all. I have a fluctuating self-esteem. And I don't feel like meeting with some of my peers who are currently doing well with their career at the moment.

I was told that they will tell me the results a week or two from now. And I cannot calm unless I have heard whether if I passed or not.

I just want to get rid of this anxiety already.

仕事を辞めましたと青い髪

Two weeks have already passed since I quit from my full-time work.

It was a decision that I have decided for a long time. I have to quit to give more time for my incoming board exams this October and also perhaps to give myself a break.

The work itself was okay. I am really thankful to be able to work for such a prestigious company  However, the environment was really stressful. And perhaps, it was not the kind of work that I want to do for a long time.

And yeah, I dyed my hair blue, though I have to go back to the salon one of these days since it was...well...not made well... Hahaha! Serves me right, I guess.

But yeah, at least I have more opportunities and I have more time for other things.

あけましたおめでとう！

I totally forgot that I have a blog to operate. /hits head

Anyways, for those who are still following this blog...

BELATED MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A WONDERFUL HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope you guys had fun during the holidays.

I had fun during holidays! Don't worry!

And I also celebrated my 21st birthday with my twin brother. I feel kinda old though but yeah another year has passed and I just got the greatest gift this year! <3 <3 <3

Anyways, as part of my New Year's resolution, I'll try to make an update her as possible as I can.

Again, thanks for reading and I hope that this year will be a good one.