The Things I Do for Love

~~ This entry was from my Facebook Notes. I just found out that I didn't post it here in my blog. This was a special day for me because I saw Alodia Gosiengfiao in person. The event was the Animax K-On Cosplay Outing from about a year ago. Exact date is March 16, 2010. It has remained unedited~~ After work earlier this day, I rushed to TriNoma for an afternoon of anime. :) Cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao informed everybody through Facebook of the said event. Animax sponsored this event as a promotion to the newest series K-On! that will be aired on March 16. And as an anime fan, I just had the urge to go.  I waited by the Garden near the cinemas where the event was supposed to start. A crowd was already gathering by the place.  There were cosplayers over there. One sure thing that I have noticed is that they were very conspicuous. Blond wigs, pink wigs, gothic outfit... wow! Some people who didn't know of the event said, "Why do they dress up like Lady Gaga?" H

Active Listening is the process of hearing and understanding the speaker, but it doesn't stop there. It requires you to interact with him/her. In other words, it is an active conversation where both parties exchange information from each other. To listen and understand is a difficult skill to have. Learning to employ imagery and emotion to what you hear is even harder. These are especially true to me. Reading is no problem. I understand it to the core. But if we are talking about ordinary listening, well, we got a big problem. When I read, I can process the whole message of the material. I could feel the emotion, think like the character, and most importantly read between the lines . But when I just listen, my brain goes blank. I can’t process it as fast as reading. Sometimes, the speaker needs to repeat the instructions twice or thrice for me to truly understand. I found out that I have this condition when I worked for a BPO company in Makati. Life sometimes puts us in a place

Two months ago, I attended the BDJ Rendevous: I Dream therefore I Can event. It was a day filled with self-motivation lessons and fun activities organized by Belle de Jour Power Planner . There were lots of prizes courtesy of sponsors. The last activity was about sharing your learnings from any of the talks, and only the first fifteen girls who could make it to the front would win. I was one of those lucky fifteen girls. (^_^). And from it, I won a Browhaus Gift Certificate of one Brow Construction service worth PhP 580! Yay! Last Saturday, I decided that it was time for me to redeem this privilege. Instead of joining the long queues for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 , I went to Greenbelt 5 and searched for Browhaus. The first weekend of any blockbuster movie is said to bring people to the cinemas and abandon everything else. It was different with me, however, I skipped the cinema for some well-deserved pampering. The concierge instructed me to go to the fourth floor,

The next step in my pilgrimage is the church closest to home. The beauty of this church is it simplicity. San Agustin Parish Church, manned by the Franciscan order, has served the people for a long time. It was named after St. Augustine. This is my home church, and this is the reason why I chose this to be a part of my journey. Unfortunately, the church is closed until late in the afternoon. I couldn’t get in to pray at an earlier time. It was a problem because I didn’t want to go home late. But one afternoon of May 4, 2011, I didn’t have plans to visit the church at all. It was about 3PM and I went out to buy food for merienda. :P When I passed by the church, I noticed that the gates were open. Yay! So I happily went inside to pray. :) There was a small group meeting taking place in there. That was probably the reason why the church was open at an earlier time than usual. Other than that, someone was also cleaning and polishing the floors, making the place smelling like paraffin wax

Venice Piazza was the perfect place for a photo op. The European inspired architecture could bring out the creativity from anyone. The building had Roman Pedestals, Turkish arches, and English towers. Cobblestones lined the floors which made it more reminiscent of Europe, along with a modern twist. Venice Piazza is a beautiful shopping mall. This is probably the reason why the June/July Passion Series of Belle de Jour Power Planner was held there. Themed as Shutterbugs Unite! , it was about learning basic photography and further developing our interest towards it. The speaker was Ms. Angela Nina Barcelona of MediaWorld Creatives Co. ( http://www.images.mediaworldcreatives.com/ ). I was one of the lucky fifteen girls who got an invitation to this exclusive event. The organizers instructed us to send an email of the best photo that we took. I personally didn’t expect that I would be chosen. I only have a digital or also known as point-and-shoot camera. Surely, other girls  owned a DSLR

Rejection. It is a bitter thing. As abstract as it is, no one can deny it's sting. I, for one, have been rejected... my love unrequited.  Now here comes the question: my intention was good... but why? I know that this doesn't happen once... but a lot. However, it seems that the frequency is high for me.  Three months ago, I loved this coffee shop. I have always dreamed of working as a barista in there, to see myself sporting that black apron. I have been a loyal customer to that store. The baristas became my friends. They would smile and serve me with care. I really felt that I was welcomed there.  I really want to know more about handling and making coffee. For me, it is a form of art... of flavor, of aroma, and of playing with the senses. But I never had the opportunity to learn that. Working for that beloved coffee shop was the only way.  So when the time came that I decided to be a barista too, I sent out my resume to them. I had all the hopes that I would at

  This year’s Philippine Toy Con was the grandest that it had in 10 years. Not only did it showcased Hollywood’s biggest upcoming movies but it also hosted the making of the movie entitled Cosplay Nation. But apart from that, the highlight of it all was the grand display of toys, from anime to action figures. This big event was held  on June 18-19, 2011  at SM Megamall Megatrade Halls 1, 2, and 3. As I am a big fan of anything otaku, I went there on the Saturday event. The opening ceremony featured a Star Wars theme with Darth Vader leading an entourage of clones, as shown in the photo below. They assembled at the back portion of the mall.    I was one of the lucky few who were able to take a photo of this remarkable view. I decided not to enter the queue at Megatrade Hall 1 as I have to put on an anime headdress. Sometimes, not being to first to fall in line has its advantages. The grand entrance of the Toy Con 2011 was filled with people that there was not enough space to pass