So  I think everyone's into this new (?) hype called Snapchat. It's just another messaging application available for download on your Apple or Android phones, which allows you to post/send photos/videos to your friends/"story" (basically your timeline/newsfeed) which will self-destruct after 24 hours. It maybe is just a mobile app but it constantly ruins and defines my life. HAHAHA

I joined snapchat just last year (September I think?). Being the memory-hoarder that I am, I didn't much appreciate its auto-delete feature at first. Why would you delete such precious, random, fun photo?! I even have this private album in Facebook which contains snapchat photos I cannot dare leave and be forgotten forever. (HAHA OA)

But after a couple more posts, I realized that some were just random shits I need not in my life. HAHAHA so now I got the concept of the app.. But there's just some memories you want to share not only on snapchat but also on all social media platforms! Good thing there's also a save option! However stalker-ism isn't so cool since if you happen to screenshot someone's post, they'll be notified about it! So much for sneaking around HAHA

So anyway, I got to appreciate more of the app's features when I got involved in a ridiculous, spontaneous, unwanted roadtrip. HAHAHA

So last March 19-20, my officemates Jana, Edzell, Karlo and I had a quick beach escapade in Cagbalete Island, Quezon (more of this on my next post). We thought we had everything planned well, starting from us leaving the office on Friday (Mar 18) and having a sleepover at Karlo's place so we can leave as early as 4AM, Saturday morning (Mar 19); until everything random happened Friday night.

Friday.
Expectation: Leave the office at 5pm. Eat dinner at Yellow Cab. Do grocery shopping at Trinoma. Sleep at Karlo's place.

Reality: Karlo had an appointment in Alabang at 3pm. Left the office early, told us to meet him in BGC after his date with his girlfriend; leaving us three lost and confused. HAHA So Jana and I decided to have our pedicure first while Edzell waited. Then we went to Market Market to eat dinner (Tokyo Tokyo), did some grocery shopping, then waited for Karlo to finish his date. I think it was 9PM when all 4 of us had finally gathered. Little did we know our night was just about to start. HAHAHAHA

When we finally met up with Karlo, he was with his sister whom he needs to drive back to Alabang. So we tagged along thinking we can go straight to his condo in Espana afterwards. But after dropping her sister off, we headed (AGAIN) towards BGC to pick up his bestfriend and his bestfriend's girlfriend who were also staying in Espana. This was the time that I finally realized I need to share this in snapchat HAHAHA

From Alabang. On our way to BGC!

While waiting at BGC.... We look happy but also tensed (Can we ever sleeep?)

When Karlo's bestfriend finally arrived, he asked if we could all drop his girlfriend off at Cubao Terminal (!!!!) since she needed to catch the bus bound to Baguio. So off we went!!! It wasn't that smooth tho since the traffic was still crazy and there were so many waiting time. Oh well, at least we can never be bored (chos)

- - Technically Saturday - -

When everything was then settled, ie the girlfriend was dropped off, we were finally finally on our way to Espana! (Spoiler alert: I think I'll be using more "finallys" towards to the end of this post) We dropped the bestfriend off at his place, Karlo needed his 'break' then we're off to his place.

All the while we thought we can finally sleep in peace for at least 2-3 hours. We were even planning who to take a bath first, etc. But then, we were not allowed to enter the condo since visiting hours were only until 10 PM. With nowhere to go to, we then decided we should proceed to Quezon, at Edzell's place in Dolores, which is 2 hours away from Mauban Port (where we would ride the boat towards Cagbalete). (WHAT WERE WE DOING?! HAHAHAHA)

Time we arrived at Karlo's condo

ON OUR WAY TO QZN!!!

We first had a quick break at Petron to fuel up (our minds, bodies and souls. LELZ). We also wanted to be fair with Karlo who was driving. We promised no one would sleep, hence the need for coffee. HAHA

We still seemed pretty happy despite the roller coaster ride!

Going to Dolores, Quezon was not easy tho! We traversed what seemed like forever, and Edzell's house was very far from the city! But we're still thankful we arrived safely and we had the chance to take a bath, eat our breakfast, and take a nap (well, only Karlo was able to nap. He deserved it. HAHA)

Passengers still alive and kicking while the poor driver slept peacefully HAHA

FINALLY ON OUR WAY TO CAGBALETE!!

So as you can see, we were finally bound to Cagbalete at 6:30 am!!! (So happy that I could finally say my last finally!! HAHA) What a very loooong night (and dawn)! I think we regretted nothing.... HAHAHAHA

This is the definitive proof of the importance of travelling with good company; despite ALL the changes from our simple, initial plan, everyone remained cool and excited of what were ahead of us! Also a proof that snapchat is the best app ever. CHARZ HAHAHA Kidding aside, I now realized that being a memory hoarder isn't a bad thing. My brothers told me taking too many pictures would only make it hard for me to "move on" from a life event, and I would get stuck in the past. But I believe cherishing best experiences does not make me miserable; these memories instead inspire me to go on to the next chapter of my life, and to make the most out of everything.

Will be sharing our Cagbalete experience next time! :)

Wanting to feel this kind of happiness, ASAP!!

I've been MIA for a while now since life happened. You know, life... So anyway, I don't know if it's my hormones talking but I feel bad about how my life's going on lately. I feel stressed with simple things that should not bother me. I feel sad knowing that there are issues I cannot solve, and are getting worse than I expected.
Every morning I tell myself that my day should be good. But this time, even how many times I tell myself to 'have a good day', I always fail. So today, I promised myself that OCTOBER 14 BETTER BE NOT LIKE THE OTHERS. I decided to try to see the good in everything; and that I'll try to solve all these issues I'm going through. Let me go through my so-called 'issues'

Being catcalled.

The bad: Catcalling is an act of whistling/ shouting/ or commenting of a sexual nature to a woman (or maybe men) passing by. This happens to me a lot. Not that I'm proud of it; I actually hate these instances. Whenever I'm getting catcalled, I don't actually feel good of myself but rather scared. Praises, greetings or whistles (that you know have other and deeper intentions) like these are actually not flattering. It makes me be conscious of how I look like, do I look like a whore? is my skirt to short? do my pants look fitted? is my bra showing? And it feels bad. It's also scary because what if he drags me somewhere? is he a rapist? they're so mean. And I can't even easily share it to anyone because obviously they're just going to make a joke out of it "wow, ikinaganda mo yan!"
The good: I can now share these issues with my friends because it's an impending concern; they too are experiencing it!! (not really a good thing tho, hehe) There are also a lot of rants and posts in the social media about this issue. I'm glad that finally someone spoke up about this matter. I can now also confide this to my brothers and tell them they should not do it to other girls, too. Think they listened to me! So a while ago, on my way to the office, when my usual cat-callers 'meow-ed', I just thought that at least, someone's wishing me a good day by saying "Hi ganda, ingat ka ha" and "Good morning, Ms. Ganda, kelan mo ba ako papansinin?"

On a lighter note,  check THIS funny video from Buzzfeed. HAHA

Unexpected trial.

The bad: Last month, my uncle had stroke and was on a critical condition. He was admitted in the ICU for more than a week, undergone brain surgery because 70% of his brain's already covered with blood clot, and majority of the clot was not removed during the operation due to some complications. His ability to speak and walk was affected, and the right part of his body cannot function and feel. We're also bombarded with almost a million on hospital fees. This, by far, is the most challenging thing that happened to our family after the death of my father in 2008.
The good: God really provides. We were so lucky that we have the resources to pay for the bills, however this affected a huge chunk of the whole family's savings. But then again, my lola always tells us that money can be easily earned with hardwork but the life of our tito isn't. Also, this trial brought our families closer than ever. My Tito's already out of the hospital since last week, and we're taking turns on watching over him. He's quickly recovering as per his therapist, and we can see that he's really working hard for his immediate recovery. With continued prayers and therapy, he'll be regaining his strength and abilities in due time!

Friendships and conflicts.

The bad: I've been enduring these 'friendship issues' for quite some time now. I tried to be neutral, to not choose sides, but it's really hard when you know both sides of the story. You see both their rights and wrongs, and it's quite harder to manage. You really can see a person's true identity when you're all faced with certain circumstances. And I feel bad that now, tho I tried not to have my bias, I'm getting distant from my middle position, from my uncommitted judgment. I want to regain my stand, to not choose sides, but it's hard when you really can't see the other's point. And I'm the type of person who's usually ignorant of other people's issues. I often don't interfere as long as I'm not involved, especially if it will just cause bigger trouble. But this matter is really really concerning. I don't want to be in a place where there are factions and a lot of backstabbing.
The good: I'm starting to unwelcome all the gossips that I'm hearing. I'm rejecting the intriguing stories, which may all be true, but will just cause me another dismay. I'm also planning on talking to this 'other party' so as to end this ridiculous war. I hope I can do this within the week and may we both have open minds!

These issues may not be a biggie for others, but for someone like me who's emotionally weak (chos) I'm really losing a peaceful sleep (and for others who personally know me, they know how I love to sleep HAHA); maybe that's why God's not granting me a boyfriend yet because He thinks I still cannot manage the pain. HAHAHA So anyway, if you're reading this, please have a good day! Because good days are rare as you 'adult' :( :)

Just last month, Pixar released an awesome movie entitled Inside Out. At first I thought the movie would be the typical Pixar film that would melt our hearts, turn everything into life lessons, affect us in different ways, and eventually forget the story as if it didn't touch our lives; but it was more than that! Well, Pixar's Pixar! We'll never know what they're up to! And kudos to them, they again messed up with our minds (and my life, actually)! Through the movie, not only did I realize that there's really so much going on in our/my subconscious (although the human emotions and brain action were well-taught on our sciences subjects way back elementary and high school, but who would even remember all of that? lels); it also made me reflect and ask the questions what my personality islands were and what were crashing/ had crushed/ were prone to crashing; what are my core memories; who probably is the lead emotion in my mind; and basically my whole life was bothered! Up to now, I think I'm not sure what are the answers to each of my questions, and I'm still thinking about it. I just felt sad that at my age (well, 21's not that old and is still the period of self-discovery), I'm still having no hint on who I really am/ what I'm really good at.

So I've decided to use the movie's characters Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger as headings of my monthly life updates, instead of just merely enumerating the things that happened to me the past month. By this, I would know what are the usual emotions I'm feeling! :)

Joy
I'm happy and excited for our HK trip three weeks from now! I've not yet polished our itinerary but who cares! I know our trip's gonna be fun, especially that we'll be celebrating my mom's 50th birthday there!

Sadness
Last September 6 was my father's birthday. He would have been 50 too! I'm sad that he's not with us as we celebrate his birthday, but I know he's already peaceful wherever he may be. I'm just bummed that he's not visiting me in my dreams anymore (that I remember of), unlike the previous years where he does occasional visits and we bond just like how we used to. I miss that kind of feeling when I know I had a good sleep because of him!

Disgust
This category is not limited to me feeling all icky or disgusted about something. This also includes some events that I'm turned-off at, and even disappointments I've encountered. And the disappointing event I'm talking about was during my interview at a known corporation in Manila. I was upset that it didn't turn out as expected. Since it's a known corporation, I thought it would have more distinct goals.. Just to summarize my experience, I think this opportunity is not for me, and they should define more what they want their prospect employees would eventually do. So anywaaay...

Fear
My contract here in my present organization is about to end. Although my renewal's already ensured, I'm still looking for new job opportunities which offer a regular position. I'm eyeing this another agency for a while now, and I'll be sending my application within the week, but I'm scared on all the possibilities on this application. If I get in, I would be really glad for the new opportunity but at the same time scared of leaving the agency I initially loved and got comfortable with. But if I won't be fortunate to get the job, it would also be disappointing and I'll be back to square-one. I don't know what to feel right now!! But I'll follow my gut feel and send in my application, just for a back up plan. It's better to have an option than none!

Anger
Fortunately, I haven't felt any anger or hatred lately.. I never wish to feel such, tho! I know anger's a heavy emotion and I'm not the kind of person who can handle it well! Please ignore my previous statement! Got stranded in the office due to heavy floods and intense traffic! Grabe talaga, even got late the day after since I can't book any taxi/car! Manila traffic's getting more unbearable... Hope this be resolved as soon as possible!

August is considered as the "ghost month" because it is the seventh month in Chinese lunar calendar. Traditional Chinese folks believe that this month is unlucky especially in terms of traveling, on investments, and businesses. No wonder sales and promos of different establishments fall during this month! Although considered the ghost month, I don't believe August will bring lesser luck!! It'sjust half-way through the month and I feel like I'm becoming more blessed! <3

1. Not my own luck but my friend's. After more than a decade, my childhood friend, Dedeth, will finally see and be with her parents in the states!!! I feel so happy that she'll finally fulfill her American dreams, study abroad, and catch up with her parents at the same time!! She had a #dethpedida more than a week ago, and instead of feeling sad that we won't be able to see her for at least 5 years, we all felt happy and proud for her! I think she's not just lucky but indeed blessed! Hooray for reunions! We'll definitely miss her because she brings sunshine to our group, but we know we can still see each other again soon! :)

Epic #dethpedida! I think everyone got drunk! HAHA

2. For the first time, I was able to watch an actual shoot of a TV show! I was one of the audiences in Chef Boy Logro's cooking show, Idol sa Kusina. Our episode will be aired on 23 August, and I think I'll always appear in the background! Haha. At first I was not included in the list of audiences from our company, but thanks to Sir Al, he gave me his slot!! HAHA

Update:
I did appear frequently on the background! HAHA It was awkward watching my awkward self trying to smile all the time HAHA Nakakahiya :)) But I had the most supportive friends and relatives ever!! Kala mo ako guest eh! hahaha. :D

3. For almost a month now, I've been on my no-rice diet. I'm getting used to it, and thank God I'm not craving for rice! But I think I've been eating too much sweets HAHA Anyway, I noticed that some of my pants fit kinda loose, as well as some of my shirts. Based on my record, I've lost 2.5kg in three weeks! But it doesn't physically show yet, of course. And I don't want to feel confident about it! The more confident I get upon this weight loss, the less stricter I can get in terms of my diet. So, I'll just continue this habit, more frequent zumba sessions after office, and less lounging during weekends! My progress may be slow, but I can get there!!!! (Side chika: I was happy when our masseuse noticed that I'm losing weight! She even asked if I got sick. HAHA)

4. Experienced yet another first time and 'lucky' moment when I had a staycation in Taal Vista Tagaytay! Already blogged about this experience, check it out here! HEHE

5. I'm really saving up for our family's incoming HK trip. I'm thinking of other means of having extra money, and I thought of selling my old, pre-loved clothes! My mama and I have been doing this at least once a year, and spend the earned money in buying school supplies or necessities of my cousins Carla and Noreen. But this time, I'm the one in need so the proceeds will go to our HK shopping money! HAHA. So, I created an IG account where I'll sell my pre-loved and brand new clothes/ other stuff. Check it out!! :)

Will be selling some of the YS flats I bought (as featured in one of my previous posts) since my mom doesn't approve of the design; thinks these may be too age-inappropriate for her and my tita's. Should've bought the larger sizes for me instead!!! choz. BILI NA GUYS!!

6. Recently received a job interview invitation from one of my dream companies!! Yay! I feel so blessed! <3 My college professor recommended me to her friend in that company, so I'll be having my interview on the 3rd of September!!! Just in time since my contract will *expire* by the end of September. Although I was planning to extend *here* until December so I can get Christmas perks and bonuses! HAHA But if this opportunity would be great, I'll forget about the bonus (bye Go Pro) and take this job!!! :))


And since this post is about all the luck I've gained this month, I'll be ending my post with a quote, "The amount of good luck coming your way depends on your willingness to act." -Barbara Sher

It was my first time last year to do Christmas gifts shopping for my loved ones using my own hard-earned money. Since I'm already earning, I decided to give something symbolic to my relatives unlike before when I depend on my Mama in thinking of perfect Christmas gifts for everyone.. However, I didn't know that shopping for gifts can be really hard (but fun at the same time!). Not to mention that I crammed my gift shopping, 4 days before Christmas day! Good thing there was a bazaar going on that week! But I think I got too excited that I ended up overspending. HAHAHA lelz.

First time to actually do Christmas gifts shopping without Mama's help!! Time to give back to my loved ones! Even if these almost cost all of my salary CHOZ 😂😂😂🎅🎁🎄

A photo posted by Faye Calangi (@racelline) on Dec 23, 2014 at 11:46pm PST

This was the end result of my panic buying HAHA I also got too excited to wrap them all! Look at the beaut <3

So anyway, I've learned my lesson! This year, I plan to shop for Christmas gifts way ahead of time to avoid spending too much all at once. Howeveeeer, it's already July and I haven't started buying gifts yet!!! Besides the fact that I'm saving up for my HK trip on September, I'm the queen of worse timing when it comes to clearance sales on different malls! HAHA HUHU But thanks to some websites like Manila on Sale and Manila Shopper, I'm quickly reminded of the upcoming sales and promo offers of different malls, outlet stores and establishments! That's where I discovered that Yosi Samra is finally on sale!!!!

This was just a sneak photo so I apologize if I cannot feature the designs on promo.. But hey, look at all the shoe boxes displayed!! However, majority of the latest designs on sale were sizes 9 and 10 which were too big for meee. Huhu!

I see YS whenever I do my weekly visits at SM Aura. But since I'm really not a fan of doll shoes, I opt buying sneakers or slip ons instead. However, work may really demand office-appropriate footwear especially during conventions and seminars. I've tried buying more affordable flats, loafers, and sandals that promise comfy soles; but after series of trials and errors, I've already spent a fortune not getting satisfied with its fit! That's when I've finally convinced myself that it's alright to buy a pricey shoe, given that it should really provide the comfort I need! So when I tried YS, I instantly fell in love with its comfy-ness! Not to mention its elegant designs and convenience (it's foldable, btw)!! And thanks to the gods and goddesses of sales, they heard my plea! I was able to buy myself a pair!!!!

I almost bought all the available designs left on size 8. But I thought of the need to save up for my upcoming trip so I was able to resist the shoe temptation ("SHOEmptation" CHOS HAHAHA). And in relation to my previous story (on buying gifts for my relatives in advance), I bought 3 more pairs for my Tita's for Christmas day!! :)) I think this is a relatively good deal since I was able to buy 4 pairs, all on 50% off! So, yay!! :)) However my Mama thinks that this was again a panic buying situation.. Haha. Oh well, I better musn't miss this sale or else I'll still be on zero progress on my Christmas gift shopping.

And as the saying goes, "Good shoes take you to good places." I'm hoping my YS pair (and also the pairs for my Tita's) would lead us somewhere nice and grand! :)

July came by pretty quick! Didn't even notice that it's also gonna end soon.. I don't even have an idea if I've maximized this month really; everything I did seem like a routine.. I hope I can come up with a productive-looking life update! Hahaha.

1. July is Nutrition Month!!! Since I'm in a nutrition-related organization, we welcomed the month by launching the NM theme, "Timbang Iwasto, sa Tamang Nutrisyon at Ehersisyo." At the end of the event, we had a pledge board where the participants written their commitments engaging on a healthy lifestyle. My pledge was pretty simple so that I can make sure of its accomplishment. I vowed to eat healthy (come to think of it, it's not really simple after all!).

Placed my pledge on the heart of this boy <3 HAHAHA

2. I had an interview with Rappler!! :) Still in connection with the NM, I was interviewed regarding the common myths on obesity. You can read the article HERE.

3. I was tasked to do a lecture on the Right Foods to Eat on a company in BGC. This will be my first time, and I'm so nervous!!! It was initially scheduled on 21 July, but (fortunately) it was moved til mid-August! More time to prepare and study for that lecture!!! I'm scared I'll get bombarded with difficult questions. But I always try to say to myself that I know nutrition concepts better than my 'students' HAHA So much for confidence!!!

4. I started to realize the value of true friendship. I did not literally lose close friends, only constant communication with them. And I'm happy that whenever we get to communicate again, it feels like nothing has changed. Well, sort of! Lels. Of course there are changes.. Especially with those friends that I did not have any news for years, and even thought had already forgotten me. I'm just really glad that despite the gaps and lack of communication, we can easily catch up and start over.

Reunited with some of my college BFFs! <3

Visited my alma matter to support the Batch '11 graduates! <3 #nostalgia

Chika over coffee with the Pukesa's (and also celebrated Trina's first month of employment and sweldo. HEHEHE)

Chilling at Cafe Curieux with the Halaman Congregation

5. I'm currently on the 4th day of our after-office Zumba sessions! I'm happy that we've finally pushed through with this activity. This not only encouraged us to get fit and healthy, but also urged us to get more productive and finish all the work we need to do before exercise time! I hope we can maintain this habit!

6. I'm starting to panic with all the preparations I need to do for our HK trip on September! It may not seem to be taxing for others, but for me, it's really (slightly) stressful! I'm still supposed to do our itinerary; and Mama's bugging me to consult a travel agency our relatives contacted when they had their own trip. Of course, booking with an agency will be a lot easier, but also more expensive! And we'll probably be limited with the destinations pre-selected in our package. I really want this trip to be more personalized. But if booking with an agency would make Mama happier/ less problematic, I think I'll get the offer. After all, mama knows best! Lol. hahaha.

Only 9 days til August and I don't know what to feel! Time flies soooo fast I'm not sure if I'm able to go with its pace! But I'm still feeling positive that I have all the time in the world to accomplish my dreams. Hoping for more productive days! <3

Subscribing at Manila On Sale fired up the shopaholic in me! With its daily updates on which establishments or malls are on promo, I became not only updated with the discounts but also became a frequent mall visitor! Good thing I also have a Herculean-frugal-soul, or else I would be paying debts for life! Chos.

So one of the updates this June was the mid-year sale of Fullybooked in BGC Atrium, Taguig. It announced that books are commonly priced at P50 to 200 only, and some are offered with as high as 50% discount! Right after knowing this, I urged my friends to go book shopping with me.

These were some of the racks with hundreds of books on sale!

To be honest, I expected too much on the discounted books. Those available were mostly on the historical genre and philosophical fiction.  I thought and secretly hoped these would include the must-grab YA books, those books by authors of this generation or even the classical ones which were only skimmed through during our high school English literature subjects.

However, I don't wanna be mistaken as a hater of this book sale. I still loved its collection!! I will definitely drop by again Fullybooked when I'm not carrying a big shoulder bag and heavy groceries! Haha.

So if you have time, go visit Fullybooked, BGC branch!! Definitely an eye-candy to all those bookworms! :D

So I finally decided to put up my life's monthly updates to pressure myself (lol) into being more productive! Hope this helps! :))

1) June started pretty rough at work. During the first week, I experienced three straight days of OTs!  :(( For the record, that's a big thing for me since our OT's aren't paid! Hayy, life is hard!

2) I'm handling a project at work which is a good thing since it can be a means of my contract renewal!!! (Contract ends at the 30th!!)

3) Renewed my passport (as I have detailed in one of my blogposts this month! :>)

4) I have finally, finally, finally registered for my PRC license! Failed to do such last year since accdg to our law, RNDs cannot register for their license unless they're > 21 years old. (Which I'm really against at!! Why allow us to take the exam in the first place??) Anyway, all's settled and I can finally get my license on July!! :))

The bloody oath form! Luckily, they allowed me to use my oath form accomplished last year during my first registration attempt! :)

5) Still convincing myself to get fit/ work out often! Self discipline, please!

6) Went to Baguio with my officemates as our team building activity this year! :)

Team NPPD at the Lion's Head

7) Celebrated independence day with my relatives. Night swimming!! :))

8) Went to Vigan for the Philippine Society of Nutritionist-Dietitians (PSND) Convention, and had a one-day side trip in Pagudpud and Laoag! :)

9) My office BFF, Tin, will be leaving by the end of the month... I'll be all alooone! :((

xx,

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” 
― Albert Einstein

For 20 years now, French Film Festival is being held in Manila to promote not only the French culture, but also classical and contemporary Philippine films. I was so glad that I was able to watch one of the 20 featured films before it ended yesterday, 9 June 2015.

I (randomly) watched Les Garçons et Guillaume, à Table! (Boys and Guillaume, to the table!) or Me, Myself and Mum, an autobiographical comedy film about an effeminate French guy named Guillaume (his real name, and also the director) and his journey on learning to accept his heterosexuality, even though his family's convinced that he's homosexual. It was a stage-to-film adaptation and has been nominated and won many awards.

I loved how the turn of events eventually molded Guillaume into the person he has become at the end of the movie. The plot twist made me realize that sexuality issues can be really (really, really) sensitive, and we should not judge nor assume others' gender preferences even though one acts like it. This movie was also inspiring in a way that Guillaume stood firm with his decision that he actually want to marry a woman, despite all the doubts his family has been showing.

Quality movies like this should be more often shown in the country to open the minds of the viewers on the common, but still very sensitive, issues everyone could possibly face.

Just recently, I booked a flight going to Hong Kong as our gift for Mama who's turning 50 this September. So of course all of us need a passport, but mine and mama's already expired, my Kuya's passport on the other hand is nearly expiring, and only Yeboy had a new one since he had a trip to Singapore earlier this year. Good thing, DFA in Robinsons Lipa is open even every Saturdays (our only common time).

So we planned on going to Rob as early as 5AM! But of course, we cannot do that given our family is very appreciative of sleep (lelz) so we reached DFA by 7AM. Mama's quite anxious that the lines will be endless, but shockingly the queue's not as long as we expected! Maybe because not everyone knows that DFA is also open on Saturdays! (Now we know, Hehe.)

The application process of passport renewal is as follows:

1. Filling out of application forms
By 8AM, the guards started distributing application forms for everyone to fill out and respective queue numbers. After that, they told us to return by 9AM. They also reminded (and announced using their megaphone) that proper attire should be observed. Meaning, no sleeveless shirts/blouses, plunging necklines, shorts, short skirts, beach wear and slippers! And i was precisely the perfect model for not following the dresscode! The guard was even looking at me while announcing the awful news. Haha! Well, it was really my mistake because I didn't think of what I should wear. I just grabbed the comfiest outfit I could easily get. HAHA

Fortunately I had an extra collared blouse in our car, and I managed to borrow an extra pair of pants and shoes from my Aunt who lives in Lipa, just near Rob. Haha! So when my attire's already settled, we returned to Rob-DFA at 9:30 AM. We're #62-64 in line so we didn't stick to the call time. When we got there, we're just right on time since #30's already being called.

2. Processing of documents
When our numbers were called, the personnel instructed us to have our old passports photocopied. There's already a photocopying booth there, you just need to pay 5Php/page. Afterwards, we waited for our turn for our documents to be finally processed. Unfortunately, mine was not processed!! I forgot to bring my NSO- authenticated birth certificate! Actually, I knowingly left it at home since the only requirements in passport renewal are your old passport and valid ID. The problem was that my old passport is literally old-- expired last 2008! So, the staff wanted an identity check since I look very very young in my old one. HAHA As if I'll file for another person! So anyway, I wasn't able to proceed. But my Kuya and Mama were! So I just waited outside for them to finish.. :)

3. Payment
Passport renewal costs P950. Make sure to keep your receipts!

4. Encoding
During encoding, your photo will be taken as well as thumb marks of both hands. Afterwards, you'll be asked to recheck your details (spelling, etc.) Reminder: make sure you're not wearing contact lenses during photo taking or else they will ask you to remove them. And also your jewelries. :)

Even though I wasn't able to renew my passport, the staff noted in my form that I can return anytime between Mondays to Saturdays at 12 noon, and doesn't need to fall in line again. I just need to present my NSO birth certificate and proceed with the other processing steps! Whew.

So, lesson learned! Other than observing the proper dress code, you should also bring the necessary requirements! It was really stupid of me to leave my birth certificate behind. It didn't have any weight so it cannot bring any hassle! Haha. Anyways! So much for regrets :))

WHAT TO BRING:
- Ballpen
- Old Passport
- NSO-authenticated Birth Certificate (just to make sure)
- valid government ID
- photocopy of first and last page of your old passport

After the application process, the passports can be claimed after 30 working days :)

Fun runs have been a well-loved activity by sports junkies, fitness nazis, and people who enjoys running around with friends. Besides its main concept of making running/jogging activities fun, it can be a form of bonding among friends who wants to stay fit together, or just have the leisure of time to gather (HAHA).

I've heard this Color Manila Run few years back when I was still in college. Besides the fact that it's often held in Manila (and I happen to study in Los Banos, Laguna), the event just didn't seem to match my school schedule. So now that I'm already working and usually free during the weekends, I have finally experienced this color blast mayhem! :)

Last April 19, 2015, Color Manila together with Watsons held the fun run at SM Mall of Asia. It was different from other CM runs since it's considered a 'challenge' due to the obstacle courses set up in most stops. I came with my college buddies Miki, Daniel and Tin. We registered for the 5K run for 900Php, inclusive of race bibs, singlets, sunnies with strap, finisher's dog tag, color packets, and sponsors freebies.

The 5K route at MOA

Pre-preparations:

Race kit claiming:

The claiming was scheduled at 10-12 April. Daniel claimed mine and Tin's kits since he was the one available during the weekends to drop by MOA. So, check!

Body conditioning:

Of course, running a 5K route isn't always easy especially if you do not have practice! All of us (well, except me :( haha) jogged around weeks before the event to not collapse (or any other worse that could happen) because that could be humiliating. HAHA. I was not able to do body conditioning since I just recently came out of the hospital due to dehydration (after my Palawan trip) so I need to rest for a couple of days and recover.

Actual run:

Challenge #1:

With the gun start at 5:40AM, we planned to meet by 5AM in MOA. Miki picked me up at our condo at 4:45AM since she would pass by C-5 coming from Laguna (so, YAAYY for meee! Thanks BFF :D) We arrived at MOA by 5:15. But due to unavailability of parking slots near the venue, it took us 20mins to park! Good thing the gun start got delayed (I think? :)) and the 5K runners were still lined up at the arc.

Challenge #2:

As I previously mentioned, Daniel claimed our race kits. But by 5:50AM, HE'S STILL NOT THERE/ ANYWHERE NEAR!!! I can't even contact him! I was thinking that he's just not checking his phone during his commute, so I didn't panic much. But then when he picked up my call, HE'S STILL AT HOOOOME! And his home's in QC! Now feel our panic! By 6AM, we think 5K runners already started running. Every gunshot felt like my heart was being stabbed! So we then consulted the info desk rep if we can still join the run without our race bibs. Fortunately, we were allowed to go but we should watch out for the 'checkers' scattered around the race area.

Ran with the 3K runners! Better late than never! :)

Challenge #3:

It wasn't a wise idea to wear black! Besides the fact that I'm with the few who wore black, it might catch the checkers' attention and recognize that I don't have a race bib! Spoiler: I wasn't caught :)

HE HAS ARRIVED!

By 6:50AM, Daniel arrived! WOO! Poor thing, he rode a taxi from QC to MOA just to make it to the race! He looked tired and stressed out. But, the race must go on!! Still, thanks to him we were still able to wear our singlets and run with no worries. Haha!

Not only did we catch up with the race, but also with the colors! We're one of the few left 'clean' Haha!

We also still managed to run the 5K route! There were still others left rolling on the floor and enjoying the color powders!

The most amazing part was the after-run party held at the concert grounds! Since we all have our color packets, we all hurled our color powders at the same time while dancing and jumping with the music! It was incredibly colorful and lively! 

Look at how awesome this looks like!!! Photo grabbed from CM gallery. :)

This has been a very memorable one! Among the fun runs I've joined, this one's hard to top!!! Not only because of the 'challenges' experienced (without Watsons' arrangements, LOL) but because the experience was one of a kind! 

Of course, a groufie! :D

Post-run:

We loved our shoes more when stained! Haha! #colorburst

Challenge #4:

But the challenges didn't stop after the race! And I think this was the hardest! TO REMOVE THE COLOR STAINS. HAHA. Good thing I brought with me towels, extra shirts and shorts. And also, it's a good idea to wear leggings! Didn't dwell much on removing stains from my legs. But the hardest was removing the colors in my upper body! Haha. Came home having red skin! I even bathed for three times that day because the colors won't come off. But CM shared tips on how to remove the colors using oil, which was very useful and effective!

We look like we're tan! Nope, just red! HAHA
Thanks BFF Miki for the ride! :D