it's been two months

and today is the first time i thought about him.

i miss him. i still miss him.

just when i thought i was doing better. too much for baby steps huh?

trick or treat 2011

for my nephew's first trick or treat, he came as tarzan...

last year, he was a scarecrow...

this year, he owned Jack Sparrow

my sister is genius. he made all of miguel's costumes! amazing  huh?

too bad i missed it though...

my first sakura sighting

it's the beginning of winter and sakura blossom usually in spring.

today, however, as we went inside the The Imperial Palace grounds, we were fortunate enough to see 2 sakura trees in bloom.

i almost died :)

must. learn. nihonggo. soon.

i love love love japanese food (my url isn't stoicsushi for nothing).  imagine my excitement and anticipation when i learned that i was gonna be assigned here in Tokyo for a couple of months! 

sushi. fresh, succulent melts in your mouth sushi.

ramen. rich, hearty. the kind that makes all booboos go away.

it's been a week and i have to say, everything i've eaten were all oh-so-yummy!

however, ordering them is a task. a long, frustrating yet funny task.

so, i shall learn the language. at least the more important ones. read -the ones that can help me order the food in the menu! hahahaha!

oh tokyo, you are one cool city. 

i can't wait to be friends with you :)

happiest birthday for my bestest friend ever

this is it! of all the pivotal events in your life, this, by far is the one i will never ever forget. it took all my energy not to shriek when you told me the good news.

you are going to have your happily ever after.

more than the bling, it's the thought that you are soon to say i do that gives me the chills.
you have found the one.

as shrek is to fiona and prince charming is to cinderella, you have found the one.

“Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love.” 

good things indeed come to those who wait. i am happy.

i love you. happy birthday :)

moshi moshi

so my trip to tokyo finally pushed through.

for the next 2 months, i will be eating all the sushi and ramen i could get hold of.

i'm excited.

the apartment is cozy. very cozy.

oh, and the tub almost gave me a heart attack! hello claustrophobia :D

but i'm not complaining.

i. love. my. job.

Fried brains anyone?

It's monday and my brain refuses to send signals for the rest of my body to function. Well, except for my fingers who are too stubborn to tweet and blog and update FB! Hahahha!

and so somebody kissed me

and i don't even know his name. hahahaha!

i was too drunk to even remember how he looked like! all i know is i was having the time of my life.

happy birthday to my dear friend nishy. your party was the bomb.

ps. it was more like lil pecks on the cheek. baka may kanin ako sa pisngi hahahha!

deleted

for the nth time, i decided to let himhim go. while i may have tried and failed several times in the past, i know i SHOULD  try again one last time.

last night, as i was on FB, i saw him. read his updates. lurked at his page.

and then it hit me. i felt like a friggin' teenage stalker. yaiks!

so i did what a normally sane, composed adult would do. i deleted him. 

one single click and he's gone. at least in all my social media.

the madness had to stop. 

baby steps. little tiny baby steps. makakarating din ako.

well rested

my sleeping habits are usually normal after a long trip abroad.  usual being 2 days of falling asleep long before the  late night news ends (or starts).

it's been 5 days. except for one night where i had to go to a wake, i've been sleeping like a baby. FOR 8 STRAIGHT HOURS! can i say i wanna jump and scream?

so, i won't break the spell. imma sleep early tonight.

could it be that all those tricks i did in Joburg are finally taking effect???

and so my wacka wacka journey ends

it's true what they say...there's no place like home..

in a few hours i shall bid Johannesburg a bittersweet farewell.....my home for the last 3 months.

i say bittersweet because i can't wait to go back to manila but at the same time, i know i will terribly miss the friends i've made while i'm here. South Afrikaans are wonderful people. gracious and polite and ever so friendly.

i wouldn't mind going back as i know there's still so much to see. more people to meet. a lot of things to explore.

so long Johannesburg. i will miss you. i can say i've grown and for that, i am thankful.

to all the shiny happy people i've met, maraming maraming salamat. my stay here was made extra special because you guys are around.

see you next year :)

last 2 nights in Joburg

I

CAN'T

WAIT

to the EX..ulit

seeing you still with her after all these years brought a smile on my face...

our break-up was not in vain.

you ended up happy and gotten your act together.

i'm proud of you. really.

mas maganda man ako sa kanya, masaya naman siya sa yo.

she had her happy ending and at the end of the day, that's what matters :)

to the EX

to the one who broke my heart,  the reason i've become the jaded person i am today, i'm happy to see that you are happy.

really.

PERO mas maganda pa rin ako sa kanya!

oh hindi ako bitter, honest lang.

but seriously, i'm glad you look happy.

5 days to go

so my trip to KL  got cancelled.

which means i will officially be home on the 21st.

I. CAN'T. WAIT.

5 days til...

...i see my family

...i eat my mom's adobo and sinigang

...manang takes over my laundry

5 days til i'm home.

6 days left in Johannesburg

   

and i have packed most of my stuff.

really.

bought my pasalubongs weeks ahead so i'm done shopping.

excited much?

crazy as a schedule can be

so i'm leaving joburg on the 20th.
will arrive in manila on the noon of the 21st.

and then i'm off to KL for another project on the 22nd for a few days.

which means i'll be officially home on the 26th!

woot woot!

heaven in a bottle

Lovoka

seriously. it is.
haven't tried the chocolate but the caramel is oh so yum!

one of the best that South Africa has to offer.

unconventionally moisturized

it's a known fact. winter doesn't do one's skin any good. AT ALL!

since my entire stay in Johannesburg will be the whole duration of winter, i had to find the perfect moisturizer. the regular ones just don't work.

vaseline aloe fresh hydrating was the best i could find.

or so i thought.

i read somewhere that it's good to use hair conditioner when shaving legs. i tried it and voila! it was perfect!
not only were my legs hairless, they were shiny and soft and smooth! without having to put on lotion.

so tonight, i thought why not use it all over while in the shower.

was i a happy camper. now i have skin as soft as a baby's bottom. who knew right? thestepfordwitch will be proud hehehe!

freedom day

today marks the time i stop to care. i'm done. and i'm so glad it finally came.


funny thing is, i actually feel a sense of freedom. 


i've been cooped up in a world where a day starts and ends with all the stress of thinking about him.  
all the what ifs, could've beens and all the drama that IS him.


or i could have been in an uber long bangunot that i just had to wake up.


just like that. 


and as nightmares go, the bad things just stopped the moment i opened my eyes.


just like that. 


i am back. with a smile on my face. 


salamat universe.