Blame It On The Weather

This year started pretty dreadful for me. I sprained my ankle and was sick for almost a week. I even stayed overnight at the hospital because once my fever, due to my sprained ankle, was through, my stomach started acting up and I now have gallstones. Slow claps, please.
I abuse my body, I know. I stay up late, oversleep, stare in front of the computer all day, eat a lot, not eat at all, smoke and drink, but I never thought I'd have gallstones or any serious shit. Sure, I get fevers and colds from time to time but not to this extent where I know I have something that shouldn't be inside my body. I googled gallstones after I got my ultrasound results back and it scared the shit out of me. Then my fever keeps on coming back. The doctor told me I should just take in paracetamols but I was so sick of being sick, I took antibiotics. I started to feel better, yeah, but rashes started appearing all over my body. It was depressing to look at my arms and legs. It wasn't itchy, though it looked like I was on fire. I did water therapy for two days to flush off the meds and then I was back in the game.
If you would think about it, I basically suffered 3 illnesses in that week. My sprained ankle, gallstones and the fever. Sad. I think the fever was because of the sudden temperature drop. It is so freakin' cold!
On the bright side, it was a good decision for me to take my dieting seriously late last year. Office people had this Biggest Loser thing and I joined. I didn't win but I really got into healthy eating and exercising. After the holidays though, I kind of lost it. I went crazy over the heaps of food. Planning to get back on my feet this February. I must!

Other than that week, January 2013's treating me good. Just last weekend, I get to hang out with the gang and my sisters with bb Ella. Best weekend, I must say.
I needed that weekend. I mean, I'm good but considering that this is my birthday month, I'm not feeling anything special. It has been gloomy. I don't know if this is because of the weather (hell cold but I likey it), hormones or what else. It just hit me now as I type this that I rarely feel special anyway. It has always been me who makes myself feel special so what the hell am I looking for?

I remember this scene from SATC where Samantha wants this expensive ring so bad and then her boyfriend bought it for her, she was like "Ugh, why did you buy this for me? I was gonna buy this for myself." I guess I was expecting too much to feel special but I'm not doing anything to make it happen so I'm left feeling blue. That's why, though I would rather sleep the weekend off, I'm glad I spent it with my friends. And I still have a few days left to feel awesome this month so I will make the most out of it. Shake the blues away, baby.

So yeah, it's definitely the weather.

Now And Next

This post is going to be cray-cray as I have a lot to talk about but also consider this as my 2012 year-ender post, okay?

I have my Diana F+ baby now! It's so beautiful. I got my money back and asked Ella to accompany me at Team Manila. I'm done with my first 3 rolls from lomography.com and I bought a fresh Kodak 120 mm and 2 expired films at Quiapo. Lomography.com films are so expensive so if you're on a tight budget like moi, go to Quiapo (Hildalgo St.). Drop by Wellmanson's (Villalobos St.) too for a kikay ride too. Randy and I went gaga, thanks to Dani. They have lots of accessories there and the price is reasonable.

See how giddy I was?

Hello, baby! No name yet. Any ideas? 

Loading the 120 mm roll I got at Quiapo. 

I used it for 2012's holiday season, 

mainly during our trip at the Ayala Triangle Gardens 

for the Lights Show.

Tap, at the office, vaping. 

Quite disappointed with this as the symbols from the back paper 

reflected on the film. This is what analogue shooting is, I guess. 

I'm happy to learn. Still got some nice shots though. 

Goodies I got at our Quiapo trip. 

Accessories are from Wellmanson's and 

the Adobo magazine's from Dani.

Reminder: Read it. 

I'm serious about Lomography. I got my books and movies and I will add Lomography to my hobbies. I kinda lost touch with my editing skills too and I will get back to it this 2013. I am an artistic person (whew!) and I ran out of inspiration and creativity. I will work on it. 

There's this issue I had with my hair. I've been wanting to do the Ombre since June 2012, or well, since I saw it on Khloe Kardashian and instantly convinced myself I can pull that off. I couldn't find a salon here in the metro who does that until freakin' Anne Curtis had it done. I have crab mentality issues with local celebrities, whatever. My googling skills paid of as I found Azta Urban Salon. They do Ombre and I've read reviews that they're pretty good, it's just that I have to shell out at least 6,000 bucks for it. Now of course that got me thinking. 6,000 for hair is way too much. I've never done anything drastic with my hair, I've always kept it long and jet black. I got the money but I was hesitant, conflicted and even guilty, to spend too much just for my hair. I could have done so much with that money, right? I talked it out my mom, Ella and Carlo. But eventually, my passion for some changes in my life won and seriously, I knew I'd look good on it so, voila!

The top part's Mahogany and they bleached the bottom. 

It had to be bleached twice as my hair color won't fade. 

I have a long and thick black hair, you see, so I think 

it was a good and safe choice to have it done at a salon. 

Thanks to my stylist Miss July and Ate Rox

at Azta's SM San Lazaro branch.

Now at work, I got past the contractual stage, probation stage and finally got regularized last month. This is it, you know. This job really saved me in more ways than just having a job. I can make a career out of this now. I just need to work a little bit harder. And I will. I'm perfectly happy with my work, especially the people I'm working with. 

Normal Friday.

2012 Christmas Party.

L-R: Mami Anne, Tap, Ma'am Bev and me.

Photobooth at Cris' birthday party.

As for my old, solid friends, here's what went down. Let's start with my high school loves.

Verlyd's 23rd and despedida party. 

She left for the U.S. last October for good. 

We both cried at the airport and I cried alone back home. I know there's Skype, Facebook and iMessage and all but it's still different when you know you just live like, 10 to 15 minutes away from each other. You can just send a text and then you guys are drinking, smoking your lungs out and doing silly things you will probably laugh at 30 years from now. I told her I'd laugh at her if I ever see pictures of her with some of our not-so-much friends in L.A., but really, I would probably be jealous as hell because they get to have coffee, cigs and talk and laugh with Verlyd. And I won't. Not for a very long time. Yep, the joke's on me. It will be years before we can do those things again and I miss her so much.

Lights Show at ATG just last week. 

Walked in the middle of Ayala Avenue!

Also had dinner with them at Aya's 2 Sundays ago.

Enter my college friends. 

I wasn't able to see any of my First Year College friends AKA A.P.I. which is sad but for some news, Yel's pregnant and Alex passed the board exams for Physical Therapists. Also, I got to see Poly and Niko, some of my classmates back then. 

Now, ola MassComm people! The gang can't live without seeing each other for two weeks so updating everything about 'em will take too much space. We literally had too much coffee, cigs, unhealthy food, pictures and issues but no drama. We hate drama. I love these bbgurls (Jess is a bbgurl) to bits. 

Randy's 23rd.
L-R: Fong, Jess, me, Randy, Aika.

Somewhere in Ortigas.

Happiness over pizza!

At an event for Dani's work.
We're kaladkarin like that!

Of course, the annual Pizza Party AKA Jess' birthday blowout!
L-R: Adjie (he's here for a month, yey!), Dani, Carol, me, Randy, Aika and Ella.

Of course there's my one and only bb, Ella. I have no words to describe how thankful I am to have her in my life. I'm fighting tears as I write this! I wouldn't be at this moment, happy and at peace, without her. She saved me. 

I love you so much, bb!

Now my Aquino family! Working around our schedules was hard but when I see them, I'm all good. I know I'm way over my head sometimes but these guys keep my feet on the ground. As what Florie said, "from sweet foods to sour moods, we have each other." Carlo and I aren't in good terms right now but I know this will pass. We're both just taking time. 

Yep, Coffee Bean at Rob Midtown's our spot.

I love you, sibs!

Lastly, my fam bam. Papa's back from Dubai. There are inevitable hostilities, mainly because of the power struggle when it comes to handling the TV, but all in all, I'd say everything's in place. I missed him and his cooking. I get to eat Ilocano dishes again, yay! Down side is though, I rarely get to see my grandparents now. Since Papa cooks, we don't need to go next door to eat. That's bad, I know. That's why I am looking forward to spending time with the grandparentals this February when my Tita Arlene goes on vacay here for a month. Speaking of that, I am so happy and excited! It's been 12 or 13 years! I miss her so much! The second I see her, tears will pour, I'm sure.
As for my dearest Mama, as usual, she's busy but we still talk. We usually talk now when she wakes me up for work, as she just got home. I was able to treat her lunch this one time and it was really good. Of course, I'd love to spend more time with her but I also understand the demands of her work and quite frankly, I'm used to not seeing her around that much. It's fine.
My brothers are now done with school. They are just waiting for graduation. Pretty much why the house is so crowded. Nah, just kidding. I am so proud of them.

Fam bam love!

2012 was the year I was able to turn things around. Plain and simple. So sad that it went by so fast but that just means that everything in life in temporary. Sad moments will pass. Happy moments will too, which is why you should hold on to them. And also that, I didn't just exist. I participated. I am participating. And it feels so damn good. Thank you, 2012.

I envy bloggers who do very nice year-end posts and I have always planned to do so, I just never really got around to actually doing it. But since I'm dead serious on keeping this one, ahem, I think it's just right have this short messages to the people who made my 2012 the best year so far. I told you, this is going to be one crazy post. I hope I made sense.

So this is where I'm at. I'm excited, nervous and ready for what comes next.