13 Reasons...

I am proud to be called Filipino because...

1). No matter how bad things get, we always seem to find something positive or something to smile about to keep ourselves going.

2). We work hard for our families and value education and success in everything that we do.

3). We are always willing to go that extra mile despite enduring hardships, just to help someone out.

4). Only in Manila can we go through 2-3 extreme emotions within a span of a minute.

5). Whenever we have visitors over, we go an extra mile to make their stay worth it. Nothing compares to Filipino hospitality.

6). We value relationships over material things any day.

7). Music is an important part of our culture.

8). We have a deep respect for our elders by uniquely addressing them with 'po' and 'opo.'

9). October pa... pasko na! ( It's only October and Christmas is already here!)

10). We make the most of a situation. One piece of chicken is accompanied with four cups of rice!

11). We have a rich culture that will never die. Plus our FOOD IS AMAZING!

12). We have the perfect combination of street smarts, intellect, compassion, and adaptability.

13). We are patient and forgiving. Because despite the chaos in this world... we still believe in GOD...

=)

Escape...

Sometimes all you want in life is something simple.

A few minutes of peace and quiet would be enough to make me happy right about now.

But sometimes even the simplest of things such as peace and quiet seem impossible.

Rescue me.

Cause I am ready to escape...

Surprise...

Happy Birthday Little Sis...

HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY little sister!

Sometimes I Think, Sometimes I Don't...

Sometimes I think, sometimes I don't.

It's a fact of life and we all face it one way or another.

But in this desperate moment you must also choose your direction.

Will you fight to stay on the path while others tell you who you are? Or will you label yourself?

Will you be honored by your choice? Or will you embrace your new path?

Each morning you choose to move forward or to simply give up.

It's up to us to choose what path we will take.

The question is, what will you do when you finally face it head on?

Meet Matt Jason...

There are only a few people in this world that are lucky enough to be blessed with a younger brother, but even fewer people that can honestly say that they can look up to their younger brother as opposed to always looking down on them.

My brother is no exception to that few.

Being the quirky, eccentric, random, and really funny little brother that he is, he can be a little bit annoying once in a while. (OK more than that just a little.)

But he backs it up with great intelligence, humor, grace, and perseverance in everything that he sets his mind to.

Couple those characteristics with his winning attitude and a headstrong mindset and there you have the makings of my little brother.

He is everything you hate and love in a little brother, but I wouldn't trade that for the world.

He continues to inspire me to keep trying to be the best big brother that I can be, and I am more than proud seeing him become the person that he is.

That is what makes him who he is.

And I couldn't be any happier knowing that he is my little brother.

Meet Matt Jason...

Happy Purple and Gold Day...

Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody! Well almost everybody.

As a kid, I've always made it a priority to wear "green" every year on St. Patrick's Day. But this year, I'm starting to have second thoughts.

As any Lakers fan, I am still bummed out from what happened to us at the 2008 Finals.

Losing in the Finals is one thing, but losing to our most hated rival is another.

As a result, the color "green" has come to symbolize much more than just a color to me, and if you are a die-hard Lakers fan as myself, then you all know why.

So this year instead of saying "Happy St. Patrick's Day", I'll be saying "Happy Purple and Gold Day a.k.a. (F#*K BOSTON CELTICS DAY!)" in support of my Los Angeles Lakers and their quest for another ring here in L.A!

And if I get a few pinches here and there, well then I guess I can live with that...

=)

p.s. Oh by the way, I went to the store to buy some Blue Books for my test and the cost equaled $4.97. So I paid with a $5.00 bill and of course I was expecting 3 cents back. I was surprised when the girl cashier gave me $2.03 cents back!!! SO I ENDED UP GETTING 2 EXTRA BUCKS! Haha, just wanted to share that with everyone. I still can't believe that happened! I swear that never happens LOL!

What's in a Name...

What's in a Name?

Is is something that we use that to describe the type of person we are, or something that we use to hide who we really are.

The name given to us is not by mere coincidence but rather an alias, an identity.

An identity that makes us who we are, what foods we like, and the choices we make.

Our name is everything that gives us meaning.

And it is that realization that ultimately makes us who we are...

Beauty Undefined...

There comes a time in everyone's life when they wake up one morning and don't recognize the face of the other person staring right back at them.

Not knowing why or how they ended up where they are, good or bad.

Not realizing just how fast time can change someone.

But looks are only skin deep. Beauty will be forever defined through the soul.

And it's that soul that will continue to grow and live despite earthly limitations.

Beauty on the outside is very easy to be described.

You can be ugly, pretty, cute, perky or whatever.

But the beauty inside, the soul, is something that cannot be easily expressed.

The soul will always be beauty undefined...

The Unexpected...

There are times in your life when all you see around you is negativity.

The things we don't have usually stands out much more to us than the things we are blessed to have.

We are naturally selfish and that's how its always going to be.

But there also comes a time when the most unexpected thing can turn your whole perspective around.

It's funny how the things that don't make sense at first, makes the most sense in the end...

Sometimes...

Sometimes I wonder if anything's absolute anymore.

Is There Still right and wrong? Good and bad? Truth and lies?

Or is everything negotiable,left to interpretation, grey.

Sometimes we're forced to bend the truth, transform it, cause we're faced with things that are not of our own making.

And sometimes things simply catch up to us...

Ready, Set, Cue!

Goodbye February, Hello March!

I don't know why but February has been a lethargic month to me for some reason. It was probably just a lack of interesting stuff to write about, but none the less it was pretty boring.

I know it's been awhile since my last post, so I felt like I needed to write something to help make up for it, especially for this past month.

Come to think of it, it wasn't because February was an awful month, it was just a lazy month to say the least.

But to start, yesterday I took my siblings and Celynne out to celebrate her 12th birthday.

Happy Birthday Celynne! The day began as I had to pick up my sister and brother from choir practice (whoopee, sarcastic cough lol), only to find out that she had to stay and extra 30 MINUTES for an EXTENDED REHEARSAL!

Ugh, talk about unexpected. ( Thanks a lot Krystel)

Anyways, when she finally got out of choir we went out to get some Juice It Up! (yummy) and then went out to go to Cue! Studios for some pics.

Ok to backtrack, this was my first time driving to Cue!, so I wasn't sure where and how to get there. So I relied on my sister's sense of direction to help me get us there.

Oh man what an adventure ( well, not really an adventure, more like a nightmare cause we got lost more than once while finding that damn place!)

But yeah, after maybe 35 mins. of getting lost, frustrated, angry, hungry, tired, and questioning each other's sense of direction ( Krystel again, cough cough) we finally arrived. Finally!

Once we stepped inside, let's just say chaos ensued. My siblings were running everywhere, marveled at the many Japanese photobooths that were in there.

We couldn't stop laughing at each other, especially when we couldn't read the damn instructions! All we did was press buttons, whether it was right or wrong. We just waited for 3..2...1.. Flash!

But the worst was yet to come, (drumroll please!)

The editing!

Oh man, I swear we must have spent a good solid HOUR of editing our photos! "Should I put a heart there?" Hey I like that effect!" Ewww, no I don't like that! Take that out!" Haha. You had to be there to see how lame we were!

But it was really fun, nonetheless.

After having so much fun at Cue! Studios, everyone decided that they wanted to get a bite to eat. But Celynne told me that she wanted to go to Best Buy to buy something for her friend.

So off we went to Best Buy where she got what she wanted to get for her friend.

When we left, we decided to get some dinner. Everyone decided that they wanted Islands so we drove there to get some good burgers and fries.

Man where we stuffed after that, me especially ( I basically ordered 4 sliders and I only ate 2! How pathetic is that right?)

What's even more pathetic was figuring out the tip! Haha!

Well after having a good dinner, we decided to call it a day. We drove back home, tired from the day's adventure.

Celynne even slept in the car on the drive back. It was the cutest thing.

And you know what, that was the only thing I needed.

Just knowing that she had fun made the car trip, detours, arguments, and jokes, even more memorable.

Happy Birthday Celynne...