Three Cheers for 3 Years!

It's a bit challenging to think of gifts for anniversaries-- especially my own anniversary with Mr. P. With all the DIY gifts that I've given him in the past years, it's quite a tall order to come up with something unique each year. 

Soooo.... what better way to give a new kick to cheesy declarations of love than an infographic! Haha. Here's to more years of love Mr. P! :)

Great Finds at the Global Pinoy Bazaar

Stepped out into the light today and woke up earlier for the Global Pinoy Bazaar at the Rockwell Tent! It was a refreshing break from piles of paperwork and terabytes of stress accumulated from the previous work week. This is definitely better than the last bazaar I went to (see previous post) because of the assortment of gift/craft/home ideas that I got. All of them, are proudly Pinoy products! What made it more exciting was the fact that most of the sellers were really friendly so you can chit-chat with them while scouring their stalls and get a bit of a background about their biz.

The bazaar is only until November 11, 2012 (Sunday) so I suggest you head out to Rockwell and support emerging Filipino brands! But come prepared-- there's an entrance fee of Php100.00 that's good for the entire day. If you're hungry, there are light snack booths in the tent but I suggest you opt to have dinner/lunch outside.

Of course, any adventure isn't complete without fun friends to accompany you! I went with craft buddy Keevee, her guy Miguel, and sister Sassja. Being with them was such a treat. Today, I realized what a small small world we live in because of the common-friend-network I discovered. haha.

I also got to bring home a stash of goodies from the bazaar:

Fabric and felt pencil case from Fab Manila, a funky printed Little K Crafts tickler, sweet & salty bacon chocolate chip cookie from Bird House Bakers, and a chunk of healthy goodness from Pannzian beach's malunggay oatmeal cookie.  

I definitely had a great time today. How about you?

Craft Crazy: Hip Pinoy Art + Food Fair & Craft Swap

(Photo Roll: 1) Hip Pinoy Entrance, 2) Hey Kessy's washi wonderland, 3) Felt It's feel-good finds!

My fun and crafy friends, my sister, and I went out on a sleepy Saturday afternoon to check out the Hip Pinoy Art + Food Fair in Katipunan Extension. When we got there, only a few people were shopping and there weren't exactly a lot of exhibitors in the fair. First stop was Felt It and we met crafter Celina-- who turns out to be my sister's friend! Their felt headbands are so adorable! I swear I'm getting something for myself soon! 

After we grabbed a few goodies for the niece, we went off wandering around and stumbled upon Mansy's booth--Hey Kessy. I was so psyched because I just signed up for her November Messy Washi Party and we've been exchanging e-mails. It was so refreshing to meet her in person and I was thrilled to know that we have a lot of common friends. Oo na, FC mode eto! Haha. When we knocked ourselves out silly ogling at rubber stamps, magnetic boards, and accessories, the girls and I ran to Banapple for the main event-- our 1st ever Craft Swap!

Each of us brought something crafty to share and we said nothing but "awwww", "cute!", "awwww" the whole afternoon. Of course, the best part of it all was being able to talk for countless hours about anything and everything under the sun! It's so nice to find friends who love the same things as you do. Keevee and I went to the same university and only got to know each other from work. We both met Erikka at the 1st Calligraphy Crafternoon at Pino some months back. We were missing Aya that afternoon, another friend of ours who we met at the same event. Thankfully, Sassja was there too to hang out with us and take our photos! haha.

'Tis definitely the season for crafts so I'm sharing with you some of the sunny steals that day:

Blue star printed washi tape and light green paper straws from Hey Kessy

Stylized wooden spoon and fork set + jute string from Keevee, A cute notebook, a roll of printed tape, scrapbooking accessories, and corrugated paper from Erikka.

And a sweet note to sum up the day!

Really looking forward to our next craft date! :)

Mr. Polaroid's Birthday

I call you Mr. Polaroid-- but ironically, you're not a huge fan of pictures. Oh the things I have to do just to to wrestle you to have a photo of us taken together! You're never one to bask in the limelight and get all the credit for herculean efforts. But today, I think that you deserve to be on center stage.

No, I won't use the "You're the best..." line that you make fun of (because you're expecting it). Instead, I'm just going to say THANK YOU and I LOVE YOU.

Let's face it, you always know how to make a speech major speechless. :)

20 and Awesome

 

When we meet special people in our lives, we can't exactly explain when or how it happened-- it just happens. That magical moment that transforms the most mundane to the most magical and that they say, becomes history. 

Growing up, I never imagined being close with my siblings. We were worlds apart. My memories of this little one vividly revolved around lashing temperamental outbreaks at them and not even caring what they did or what they liked or who they hung out with. Little did I know that this indifference would transform into a beautiful friendship in the years to come. It was that moment, as she recounts, when I held her hand one time when we were strolling in the mall as kids, that made all the difference. She felt that somehow, in that little gesture of comfort-- she was loved.

Fast forward into the future I realize that between the two of us, I am the most loved. The tiny tot with the raspy voice has become the voice of reason I listen to everyday. It's amazing how much we learn from one whose years are behind us. I am most loved because she taught me to be patient and understanding. From her, I learned that discipline and compassion can co-exist. 

Dearest Sassja, I wish that you soar higher and dream bigger in the years to come. May you have all the blessings that your heart desires and truly deserves.

Like Katniss Everdeen at the reaping, ten times over, for you I would still say "I volunteer as tribute".

Love always,

Ate Trinna

 

Backlog: Calligraphy Crafternoon

Photo Roll: Instax-ed memories of the crafternoon session with the girls and Alessa, Erikka's photos of us, Fozzy Castro-Dayrit giving us tips on using flexi nibs

My new job and I are in a whirlwind romance. Things have been happening too fast, too soon. But I tell you, it's been a blast ever since my first day. More of that later.

I promised myself to make things different this time around-- to make an active initiative to promote having a WORK-LIFE balance. So I dared myself to be a part of something I've always wanted to do: be a part of Alessandra Lanot's crafternoons.

Crafternoon sessions are merry gatherings of crafty people who want to exchange craft ideas and/or learn new tricks. Many might say that these afternoon parties are somewhat "Grandma" interests, but I dare to accept this and say "Yes, I am a very grandma person at age 24".

Good thing that my new found friend and craft soulmate Keevee was game enough to sign up with me. So we headed out to Pino Resto Bar in Malingap for a delightfully geeky time! It was a bit gloomy that day but everything turned into a burst of color when we met our craftmates for the day: Apple, Erika, and Aya!

I didn't get to bring my own pens for the day so I was really lucky that Scribe Writing Essentials put up a mini booth at the venue. Though the dipping pens looked wonderfully vintage (and felt so intimidating to use!) some of the girls and I opted to get a J. Herbin 1.5mm nib calligraphy fountain pen for beginners!

The beginner set came with 5 cartridges in various colors. How cool is that?

As someone who doesn't really write in script, I enjoyed and appreciated how beautiful letters look when written in calligraphy. I was so amazed that I could really write well with this. Now I really want to get fountain pens to use for signing office documents! Haha. The handouts that Alessa gave out that afternoon also helped us practice our "skills". She handed out various worksheets and typefaces and I discovered that I loved writing letters in small caps more than the elaborate upper case letters.

At the end of the session, Alessa asked us to post our "finished products" so we can see the fruits of our labor(?). We all panicked a bit when we were handed out sheets of paper but took everything in stride as we continued on with our chika session while we were at it!

Can you guess which one's mine?

The best part about that day was not just learning a new skill, but meeting funky new friends to have crafts with! I'm really looking forward to our next crafty date!
  

Ais-ing on the Cake

I absolutely LOVE birthdays. So I was so excited when the team decided to do a surprise for Ais. Unfortunately, everyone was so busy yesterday (her real birthday) that we didn’t get a chance to do anything special. It’s my 1^st surprise for someone at work and I’m glad she was all smiles. 

Happy birthday once again Ais! 

Bonne Journée

I'm back! 

It's been an overwhelming roller coaster ride of emotions and transitions the past months, but at last I can finally say it over and over again-- I'm back! For one thing, Mr. P and I have decided to stay in the metro. Some months ago, we had our hearts set on soaring greater heights elsewhere, but fate steered us to a different direction. I'm actually happy that we're staying. Things might not have worked out the way we wanted to, but it's becoming clearer to us that great things are ahead of us!

We left alright, but we took it as a chance to get a much needed vacation. My backlogs are a dime a dozen but little by little I'm sure we'll be able to pick up where we left off! For now, all I can say is that my renewed disposition has allowed me to appreciate more of the blessings that I've received. I'm enjoying my new work and I've been so fortunate to meet people who share the same views, values, interests, and even quirkiness with me. Believe it or not, for the first time in my career-- I finally feel like I'm working with the right people.

S and I have also been able to shake the worries away! That deserves a "hooray!" (hey, that rhymes!) It hasn't been easy but we're getting by fabulously.

There's so much to look forward to in the coming months and I'm set on embracing progress all around me.

2012, you're mine.

Dada's Day!

Everyone needs a cheerleader. Someone to pat their backs for a job well done, to send a few words of encouragement, give them big hugs when their scared, and constantly find ways to make you smile. 

My dad has always been my number 1 fan. Ever since I could remember he has always been beside me-- watching me close by as I ripped out newspapers to practice my motor skills as a baby and ensuring that I don't gobble up the entire page; prodding me on to be brave enough to ask for extra ketchup or napkins at the fast food counter when I was a toddler; keeping my silly drawings of mermaids and cartoon appliances when I was learning to draw in grade school; staying with me during theater rehearsals in high school; e-mailing me nuggets of hope during my loneliest days in college; and reassuring me that I could conquer the world after that.

I admire my dad because of his zeal for life and appreciation for the simplest yet most meaningful things in  this world. We share the same fascination for relishing exceptional little wonders of life like capturing a mesmerizing sunset, getting lost in a book store, discovering an interesting website, or trying out new recipes. He never fails to give people a reason to smile. I believe that this is something I take after him. 

It's been five long years since my dad and I last saw each other. This is something brought about by unfortunate circumstances, however he allows us to feel like he is always with us. While most people are surprising their dads with cakes and gifts, giving them big hugs and planning Fathers Day lunches for tomorrow-- I'm left to daydream of the next time I'd get to rush to him and  give him a big hug.

Thank you for being my biggest cheerleader and my super hero, Dada. Your love keeps us stronger everyday. 

I love and miss you.

Guns and Roses

I'm not a huge gun person. I used to shriek when my brother would run around with his pellet gun and pretend to aim at me. Admittedly, I'm a huge scardey cat and I never thought I'd be the one to pull the trigger. One seemingly normal dinner ended with an invitation for a trigger-happy afternoon with Mr. P and our friends. 

The next day, we set out to Stronghand Shooting Range in E. Rodriguez, Quezon City for an insane experience! 

The shooting range was at the basement section of an unassuming building that sold motorcycles. I could hear my hearbeat in my ears when I reached the counter. Out of our five companions, only two of them had experience in target shooting. I was almost about to pee in my pants when I saw the lady attendant hand over the guns and bullets to our friend Kevin. 

The shooting range looked and felt like the training facility in Hunger Games. I could just imagine tributes running around the range, expertly shooting targets/rolling/shooting again. My mind wandered off a bit during that dream action sequence.

The range officer greeted us with a precautionary introduction: "Safety is paramount here at the range". I died a little, thinking of what could happen while I clumsily try to shoot. My poor hand-eye coordination was put to the ultimate test.

Thankfully, a range assistant was assigned to us that time and kuya was so helpful to teach us the basic steps of loading the magazine, securing it in place, and the proper way to hold/aim/fire a gun. I let the boys go first as well, boys are more adventurous by nature. Haha. I felt like I left half of my soul in the car when it was my turn to go. My palms were sweating like hell and I was so nervous, I felt like I was going to miss the target.  The words "light press. aim. shoot" were reverberating in my head as I surrendered to the unknown. I felt the empty bullet fly out and my world went blank for a split-second. But much to my surprise and the surprise of the boys, I hit the target! Wooooh! 

I went on for about 3 more rounds and surprisingly hit close to the target. Our friends were warning Mr. P "mag-ingat ka diyan, marunong pala bumaril".  haha. It was an exaggerated adrenaline rush! However, at the end of that afternoon we proved to be better shooters than we thought we were. I felt awkwardly bad ass at that moment. 

The range officer commended us for a job well done after that session and even encouraged us to get a membership at the range if we wanted to hone our "skills". Haha. 

Shooting is a costly hobby because at Stronghand, the range fee is Php500/person, gun rental is another Php500 and the bullets are Php10/piece. What's good about their range is that everyone is so helpful, it's air-conditioned and superbly spic and span! The attendants are so keen on cleaning up the bullets after you fire. And the best part is that their bullets are non-toxic unlike other bullets-- which eliminates the risk of you inhaling killer gun powder. The downside though is that they didn't really give us the in-depth orientation on guns and safety. However, our friend Kevin said that it would have incurred additional cost. 

I'm not exactly sure if I'll pursue this but it was definitely an experience to remember. Thank you again Cymons for the photos and for making this possible!

___

Stronghand Shooting Range
La Défense
1660 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue
Quezon City, Philippines 1111
T +632 721 7171 to 72
T/F + 632 721 7173