Christmas At Casa Alcaraz

{ Mini Nutella + Gigantic Elsie's Croissant }

{ Lazy Girl's Guide To Gift Wrapping: Tie with twine and make cards out of old business cards with washi tape and your trusty labelmaker.}

{ Raspberry Pie on the lips, Callalily on the tips. }

{ Simple dinner with mi familia ♥ }

 { With Ate Elena who prepared our Noche Buena.}

{ Nutella Crepe Cake from Dessert Du Jour. My brother's fitting description: a crepe version of Quadratini! }

 { My dad's face of glee riding his brand new wheels. }

{ My favorite 3-in-1 and my dad's gift from the grocery—which my brother paid for, hahaha! }

{ Managed not to open my treats till after 12mn. Yay for pretty things! }

 { I am aware I am no longer 15, but thank you to family and friends who indulge me and this ridiculous obsession. My small 1D collection, hahaha! }

{ Impromptu MRT ride because Shangri-la was not open and we didn't know till we got there. Whoops! I love my new sneakers. }

 { Christmas Dinner with my dad's relatives. So sad there were no lumpiang shanghai leftovers for today! }

 { My niece who shares a mutual love for the boys. So happy she read through this in one sitting! }

Ten Things I'm Thankful For

♥ Finalizing an interview assignment and not sounding like a gushing fangirl, hehe
♥ A yummy burger and a cocktail that makes me wish I were drinking it by the beach.
♥ Good news—two in a row right before 10 am!
♥ Getting an unusual amount of money in your account. Yay, 13th month pay!
♥ Chimichangas and a mango margarita to celebrate the end of the week and the start of the long weekend.
♥ An awesome episode of The Vampire Diaries—I'll pretend there was no Stefan/Caroline scenes during the last few minutes.
♥ Staying in bed and not changing out of my pajamas all day. Long weekends are always awesome.
♥ Getting some Christmas shopping done
♥ ...and treating yourself to a few gifts too (:
♥ My favorite cream cheese pastry <3

13 Going On 30

Right before I turned 25, I was a mess. I was insecure, afraid, and didn't know if I was where I was supposed to be. But I've come to realize that you can't compare yourself to others or pattern your life after someone else's. And I think that's why I've been more carefree and have finally let go of worrying about what people think. I'll live my life the way I know best. (:

Who knew that at 30 I would...
♥ Still love my job the way I did almost 7 years ago.
♥ Flail over Nick Jonas, Logan Lerman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and One Direction with the same intensity? HAHA!
♥ Work on 3 books and a fan magazine.
♥ Contribute to a house that my brothers and I work very hard for.
♥ Welcome my third decade at a veggie resto (loved my salubong at Pipino, where Patty took this photo of me).
♥ Be okay with not having some grand celebration and instead take time to be with people I love.
♥ Learn to know when it's time to let go—of things, of people, of issues.

I'm really excited about this new year in my life. I can feel something big is just waiting for me around the corner. (:

Happy Thoughts: Kababawan Edition

One of my outfits got featured on the newly-launched the mall.

I wore my red lippie today and a former officemate commented, "You look like you could be in a movie!"

Saw an old boss, who I haven't seen in years! She said, "I love your hair on you. So nice!"

Just yesterday, my seatmate told me I was looking a lot thinner. And though I'm really not (haha), it still felt nice to be told that I was.

Compliments may not come my way very often, but when they do, I get super kilig. So, thank you. (:

Happy Thoughts

Completing silly projects like wearing a pair of sneakers every day. (I am still missing one pair but am not in the mood for sneakers today.)




Having a cup of instant hazelnut mocha. My brother went crazy at a duty free shop a couple of weekends ago and this was part of his loot.



Putting my fate in my hands. A DIY nail job with alcohol and newspaper.



A family I'm so blessed to be a part of. Celebrating Father's Day with my boys and getting complimentary headphones (well, I sort of begged for them) from my brother. Good thing I didn't but that ridiculously expensive pair I was eying!



A happy long weekend perfect to fuel another long week ahead.

Good Eats and the Good Things

And just like that, it's four days until December. Where did 2010 go? This week felt so long yet whizzed by just like that. I ate so much this week, I believe my stomach is hurting now because I overexerted it. Ugh.

Tomorrow will hopefully be a successful shopping trip for presents. I am on a mission to tick off all of those names on my list (which I will actually print out on a spreadsheet—inspired by super managing editor Mimi, haha). And I shall sneak in some yummy things (as if this week was not enough for my tummy) in between.

Hope you guys have a great weekend.

PS
I'm thrilled that the fashionable bunny has been replying to my tweets. Haha, it's kind of hilarious how starstruck I am.

On my happy list recently

I'm quite the shallow person when it comes to things that make me happy. Recently, I've been on a streak—and hopefully I won't break it.

In the grand tradition of making lists, here are my instant cheer pills lately.

1. Silly boy crushes. I get all giddy like a high school girl with a crush whenever I see stuff about my current faves. I once spent half the day reading through 300 questions on Logan Lerman's formspring (and eventually falling in love with him ever more, hahaha! I know, I know. I'm 27, he's 18. So what? Haha!). Then when I read news about Nick Jonas playing Marius in Les Miz, I listened to Nick Jonas and the Administration the entire day. HAHA! I can get pretty obsessive.


2. Cheap thrills. Roch recently discovered this P16 treat in the grocery that almost tastes like Kinder Bueno. Yum-o! Look for a P100 pack of Tronky (strange name). It has 6 sticks of chocolate. I'm a sucker for anything with hazelnut chocolate.
   
   I also snagged a pack of Iced Gems at the grocery. I loved this when I was still in school—and apparently, I still do!
   
   And just this Monday, I snagged a bunch of nice stuff from ukay! I missed my usual haunts and got this super cute cardi for only P50!!! Can you believe it? Can't wait for Baguio ukay when my friends and I head up there.
   
   


3. Quality time with friends. I spent two nights in a row, hanging out with one of my favorite couples (hello, Kaich ♥ Ry!) spontaneously! First night was in honor of Sprinkles cupcakes semi-fresh from LA (they were yum even if they got a bit dry from being refrigerated—DO NOT REFRIGERATE, the box said hehe) and then congratulatory crepes the following night for my little victory at work. (:
   
   
   
   
   
   Just got home from a shoot (yes, on a Saturday) with my friends (I love that I can call them this and not just officemates). Treated them to Serenitea (our faaaave!) to celebrate said victory. Hee.


4. A piece of paper. Isn't amazing how a single piece of paper can totally make your day? Two days ago, I signed a piece of paper that—to me, at least—meant I was doing a good job. After four years, I can happily say that I am in the right place. (:


5. Cool nights. It's a luxury for me to turn on the AC at night. Even if it's only for two hours before I sleep, I always feel guilty for turning it on. So now that it's been raining and it doesn't feel to hot anymore, I can get by with just the fan. (: Pretty sure our electric bill will be happy about it, too.

So despite four consecutive weekends of working (seriously!), I am tired but happy and fulfilled. Now if only my connection would be a tad bit faster, I'd be ecstatic! Have a good weekend!

Cheap Finds

Sometimes, getting out of the office (away from the computer and the harsh fluorescent lighting) is a welcome break. Today, we got invited to try out this new nail spa (will post it on Candy soon!). It had a beach theme going on and they had a "menu" where you could choose your treatment. It was super fun! And I'm glad I went with the other Candy Girls.



After the event, we decided to check out the department store before heading home. Eep. I was supposed to buy white plimsolls (my boss found super affordable ones) but I ended up getting a dress (floral!), a tank (white and bright green stripes), a bikini (halter top, string bottom!), and white bermuda shorts. Oh, and the white plimsolls, too (they were only P199.75!). All reasonably priced and all stuff I've been wanting to buy. I guess I sort of preempted my payday splurge. Hahaha!

Hopefully this week will end on an awesome note. Can't wait for Friday. ♥

Take me on a trip, I'd like to go someday

I didn't realize I haven't been updating until a friend told me to blog here already. And when I checked this morning, I saw that my last entry was over a month ago!

I've gone on three vacations already (2 to the beach and 1 to the mountains). Almost through fixing all my requirements for another vacation. And celebrating the birthdays of my May loves.

I got on a plane by myself this year. Waiting two whole hours alone in an airport and did not once wish I had someone with me. Treated myself to a well-deserved vacation and enjoyed immensely. The last time I did this was two years ago.

Just when you think things aren't going to get any better than this, God still has some surprises up his sleeve. This year is turning out great. (: Couldn't ask for anything more. I am so blessed.

happy thought

Last night, before going to sleep, I turned on my TV and switched the channel to HBO.

Stranger than Fiction was on and I switched right in time to hear my favorite line in my favorite scene from the movie. "I figured, if I was going to make the world a better place, I'd do it with cookies."

Sweet!

Message from Ate Elena at 6:02pm: "Gud nun po! Eto n ata ung mixer n mtgal m n hinihintay! xcited c dady m malaman m kya pinatxt ka nya"

Simultaneous YM messages from Nior and Manu: "guess who has a package downstairs? hahaha" and "dumating na mixer mo"

OH MY GOD. Ito na ang pinakahihintay kong araw.

At shempre, dahil ang swerte ko, may event ako tonight and I'm not going home `til late tonight. HAHAHA!

But I. AM. SO. EXCITED to go hooooooooome.

Happiness is...

Maybe I should stop saying I'm feeling better, because it kind of jinxes my recovery. So, yeah.

I will just list a few things that could possibly make me feel better (not saying that I'm already better, okay? *shakes fist at the universe*), because you know, I could still be in a hoodie, shivering and sniffling. But I'll leave that up to your imagination.

1. My sweet officemates being silly, making me a fan page on Facebook. Become a fan here! I don't even have a Facebook account so I don't know exactly how it works. I want to add pictures and everything, but I don't own the page (like I do Candy's). So indulge me.
   
   
2. Santogold by Santogold. Ever since we danced to Switch and Sinden's remix of "You'll Find A Way," I've been listening to her album. It's awesome! I should've looked her up ever since I spotted her on the cover of my brother's Fader magazine a few weeks ago.
   
   
3. My daddy. Ever the comedian, we spent the entire ride home trying to understand his kwento, with matching sound effects. As in, "Vroom, vroom!" Hahaha! My goodness, we were in stitches! Also notable was the chicken teriyaki-stuffed fried bread (whatever you call it) from Ministop that he bought for me for the ride home. Aww. I told you my dad is the sweetest boy alive! Never mind that the oil in that thing made my head throb all night.
   
   
4. A new computer! Well, in the office at least. I wasn't even there when they set it up, but woohoo! Can you imagine how excited I am to come to work on Monday? Yeahhh. (Also, we got our report cards yesterday and I'm happy with mine. d:)
   
   
5. My brother's in Malaysia truly Asia! Chicosci is this year's Philippines Favorite Artist at the MTV Asia Awards. Woot! He brought my camera so I'm gonna get first dibs on those backstage pics (not to mention the after party's! Woohoo!).
   
   
6. My "Don't Walk, Just Dance" play list that makes me want to bust a move. Because sometimes, I don't want to listen to a gloomy, rainy play list on a... gloomy, rainy day.
   
   
7. Bacon drowning in maple syrup—my favoritest breakfast food EVER. And I am glad to report my taste buds are no longer MIA. Hoo-ray.
   
   
8. Lipton's Green Tea Citrus. Tastes like Grapefruit and Orange. Never thought I'd say this, but I love it! I downed 3 mugs in the office yesterday. Mmm.
   
   
9. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist's trailer! Michael Cera is ♥. I can't wait to see this movie. I strongly urge you to grab the book and read it. Like, now.
   
   
10. The bad first: I woke up at 2:30 in the morning today. Shyeah. I don't know why, either. I tried my best to go back to sleep but after tossing and turning in between a rerun of Late Night with David Letterman and Beauty and the Geek, I gave up and went to my dad, who I assumed was already up. We sat through a screening of Radio Romance on Cinema One. HAHAHA! Laugh trip. How can that not make you feel better? :)) Hello, Claudine Barretto pre-eyebrow plucking, Rico Yan, Jolina in her colorful days, and so on. :))

Oh, I can tell this is going to be a good day despite the storm brewing outside. (:

Moments

♥ having my Daddy bring me to work
♥ having ice cream with good friends
♥ getting a cheque for something you've written
♥ getting assigned to do another article
♥ a bubblegum float and large fries
♥ a complimentary copy of Grateful
♥ re-connecting with old friends
♥ looking at photo albums (maybe not the actual physical ones, but the feeling is just the same)
♥ listening to music and forgetting about the rest of the world

More happy thoughts

Catch the Europino Food Fest at Two Serendra from today until Sunday.

This post is for Maan. < ^_^ My ugly post is getting pushed down. Hehe!

What are your happy thoughts today?

Where are my happy thoughts?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse from Red Ribbon

On a side note: I really wish people would mind their own business. People really like blowing things out of proportion. STOP IT. It's not your ass on the line. So like I said, SHUT UP. You don't know what happened. Or you're just pretending that you do. You did a mighty fine job of creating a story at my expense. SCREW YOU.