Unfortunately, Fortunately

Ever since I came here to Japan, I've realized that aside from having opportunities to improve my skills for the career that I want and contribute more to my family, I am also given the chance to experience other things, even smaller things, that I won't be able to in the  Philippines. For example, spring. Where better can I experience it first? Here in Japan, of course!

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 3

Finally, day 3 of our Cambodia tour! This post will be picture heavy instead, as I truly believe in the saying that "A picture speaks a thousand words". That and I have a lot of things to catch up with for school.

Part 1: Our Hotel - Angkor Spirit Palace

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 2: Temple Run and Night Market

Part 1: Temple Run

Day 2 was our most tiring day back in Cambodia, as we scheduled to have our temple tour. As I've mentioned from my previous post, I wanted to go to Cambodia because of the beautiful temple that I saw in a Tomb Raider movie back in 2001. On our second day, I fulfilled that goal. Of course, we started with the amazing Angkor Wat.

We, along with dozens of other tourists, hoped to see the sunrise. However, since it was almost the start of the rainy season in Cambodia, we were not able to see any ray of light when we got there. That missed sunrise is one reason why I want to go back to Cambodia! Still, the our second day was still promising.

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 1

My first term of graduate school just came to a close. Thankfully, I passed all my subjects with considerably flying colors. My second term already started last Wednesday, so before my schedule go crazy again, I decided to finally blog about my trip to Cambodia last June! F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!

Why Cambodia? Because I'm a big fan of Tomb Raider, and I've been playing it ever since I was in grade school. I think I suck at the game, but I love it nonetheless. When I first watched the movie in 2001 and saw Angelina Jolie jumping around the rocky temples of Cambodia, the ten years old me wanted to be there. So I told myself that I have to go there no matter what. And that became a reality last June, and woke up with this view right outside our room:

Homecoming

Truly, new places can be our second homes. No, that wasn't what I was thinking about when I first set foot in my Alma Mater. Instead, I was terrified. The place seemed too big and too scary. As I went along, the school became smaller; the places became familiar; and the fear faded slowly. College  life wasn't perfect, but it definitely was something. Until now, I still remember the last day I walked those corridors as a student. It felt saddening and comforting at the same time; it felt awfully yet elatedly real. I wonder when I'll ever feel that way again.

Divisoria for the nth time

I went to Divisoria today with my mama. I was supposed to do a little canvassing because my office mates and I will be going back there on Friday to buy stuffs for our company outing. But due to the rain, I focused more on what I planned to buy. :) I'm very glad that Divi did not disappoint me (there are times that it does). There were new stocks, and they even have end-of-season and mid-year sales. Who knew, right? Anyways, I withdrawn P3,000 to splurge today, and here's what I bought:

I bought three jeggings (P200/P200/P250) and one pair of pants (P330).

More finds after the jump!

Happy Wagon: Summer @ Quezon

For the whole of April and until now, I've been complaining how difficult this year's summer (in the Philippines) is. It's like nothing I've ever experienced in my whole 21 years of existence (thanks to global warming). However, summer is also a good time for outings, and since my office mates and I are desperate to get out of the office, we decided to find an available resort and get some relaxation. At first, we wanted to go to La Luz in Batangas, which is where some of my college friends went years ago. However, we weren't able to book in advance, so we (specifically KM and Ninky) desperately tried to find a new resort, so we found Tamarind Tree Resort in Quezon. It was my first time traveling to Quezon. The farthest I've ever been in the Philippines is Cebu, and that takes just a quick airplane ride. To Quezon, however, I had to sit for almost 8 hours to reach the resort. But the travel was worth it.

 

This was our "Duhat" Kubo. It was very basic, as we only had three futons (I bunked with Ninky & Jimm), a mosquito net, and one electric fan. It was an humbling experience.

More after the jump!

Link Love: Pampered Pumpkins

As I've mentioned here, my friend, Pampeem, was getting ready with her online accessories shop. And last March 14, 2012, she already published her blog. You can check it out here. In the meantime, here are some of my favorites from her summer collection:

(This Miu Miu inspired necklace is jut adorable!)

Be a gem and drop by her blog!

What I Did Last Sunday

Last Sunday, I had my very first project as an amateur photographer. No, I'm not trying to make this a profession and a source of living, but I do enjoy tweaking with my camera all the time and helping out my friends. For this project, I helped out my friend, Pampeem, for her promotional photos for her soon-to-be-launched online shop. She wanted the photos to be colorful and lively, as it is already summer here in the Philippines, so I baked colorful cupcakes (which I am selling for a very decent price. Soon to blog!) for her. I can't post the final photos yet, because I'm letting her post it on her own first. Here's a  few peek though of the behind-the-scenes:

And here's a short peek of the actual shoot:

I'll be posting her new blog once she's ready. Her accessories are great (I helped pick them too), so I hope you'd be her customers!

On "Hugo"

My friend, KM, and I watched Hugo today. I had no initial background on what the movie was about. I only heard about it when schedules of the Oscars are airing, and I never saw any trailers of it. I  even thought that it would be the adaptation of the game Hugo I use to play when I was little. It turns out, it was an adaptation of Brian Selznick's novel, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret", and it features films of Georges Méliès.

After watching, I must say that it was really a good movie, especially for those who think their losing or lacking purpose in their life (which I am a little guilty). The movie presented many philosophical, specifically existentialist, ideas and thoughts to ponder about. I don't know how movie review works, but I hope that this quote from the movie gives you a glimpse of what I learned from it:

"Right after my father died, I would come up here a lot. I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason too." -- Hugo Cabret

How about you? What is your purpose in life? Have you found it yet?

Taiwan: Pingxi Old Street

This was the place that I insisted on going to when we planned our trips to Taiwan, and I must say, it wasn't boring for me at all. Perhaps it's my fascination for old things and antiquity that made me love this place so much.

 Bamboo wishes...

 Souvenirs...

 Old models...

 I think I'm having Sheldon Cooper (of The Big Bang Theory)'s love for trains and train stations...

 Love letters...

...and for the finale, lantern lighting, which was the primary reason why I wanted to go here. There goes our wishes. :)