Cheers to being twenty-seven!

photo from Pinterest

Thank you to everyone who greeted me on my birthday. Today I woke up to the sounds of tricycles and noises of a town in a province where my Dad was born. There was no fancy food nor a birthday cake but I was with my family and it's more than enough. Life has been an uphill battle lately, I've been on a slump and the thought of staying in bed gets to me most mornings and almost wins. My wallet got stolen four days ago. And yet, I'm still thankful. I'm pretty sure I have more than what I need. I am healthy, I am strong, I have a job, and my family is two hours away at most. I have a man who loves me. I get to sing for the choir. I started becoming active again with badminton and I've been eating healthy five days a week. I already lost a couple of pounds. To make myself more excited in the mornings, I started dressing up more thoughtfully and made sure my days are filled with happy thoughts and good vibes. I sing more. I read more. I write more.

I usually don't wish for anything on my birthday, but my 2014 motto is "Try something new." So on my first day as a 27-year-old, I listed my dreams and I'm claiming them. I asked God that if He granted just one of those things, I'm set. If He grants nothing, I'd still be thankful. Because I know He must have something even greater planned. My life has certainly seen better days. But then, there's no way to go but up! :)

It's Definitely Summer!

This heat is something else, huh? I'm a person who gets cold easily, and I still use a kumot (flat sheet) even when there's no air conditioning. But lately, I often wake up in the middle of the night with my neck and nape sweating, even when my fan is right next to my face. I have to turn on the aircon so I can fall back to sleep! And don't even get me started on going outside. I'm lucky I stay in the office most of the day. The five-minute walk from the MRT station to the office is horrible.Make sure to hydrate often! I just saw a headline that a councilor re-electionist died of heat stroke in Camarines Sur.

Summer goodies! Juicy strawberries & my ultimate comfort food: Good Shepherd Ube Jam.

Speaking of hydration, my mom just came from Baguio and she brought home strawberries for me. And that only calls for one thing: Strawberry Smoothies! :) It is so refreshing and what I like most about my homemade smoothie is it doesn't contain the syrup (read: liquid sugar) that most commercial fruit shake stalls use. Here are the four simple ingredients for my strawberry smoothie: fresh strawberries, ice, milk, and honey! Easy peasy.

Make your fruit smoothies at home! It's cheaper and healthier.

Now on to the real point of this entry. When I'm feeling down, I usually turn to this quote from Rita Mae Brown's Hiss of Death:

photo from Pinterest

And right now, I have two of the three things: someone to love (my boyfriend) and something to look forward to (an upcoming trip abroad). I just need something to do! No, my work doesn't count. We need to learn something new every day.

It's perfect because this summer, so many classes and workshops are happening that you just need to choose what interests you and voila! You add something to your noggin' and you make productive use of your time.

I am so excited because I've signed up for two classes happening this month and next month. I won't tell you what they are just yet, but I am happy because I know it's something I can further hone and who knows, maybe even earn from.

What are your summer plans? :)