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Half Over

Published by Justine

It’s almost the 2nd half the year, y’all! I remember being in this position last year and wishing that time would rush so that I could get over all the bad feelings, the (physical and emotional) pain, the confusion, and all the crazy things I was experiencing at the time. Going through a breakup, a surgery and two more hospitalizations after that definitely took a toll on me. A whole year has passed and when I feel like my days are super mundane I snap out of that reality and focus on how so much has changed. What made me write this was when this entry came up on my Timehop this morning and I was like, damn, that was a year ago, huh. I mean, I went to New York after that!! If it’s not all right, then it definitely isn’t the end.

I wanted to write about the highlights of my year so far but I started to get lost in my thoughts again, then proceeded to go through my YouTube subscriptions. Typical me, can never stick with doing one thing and immediately go through the next one without wrapping things up.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that even though it’s been a pretty eventful year there are things that still haven’t changed, like hardly failing to go through my subscribed videos of late night TV shows each night before I sleep, or that I’m still playing SimCity Buildit religiously, or that my existence on Twitter is still very much alive and possibly the longest commitment I’ve ever managed to keep. Further noting that I have managed to stay shallow and have shallow interests because I am sometimes trash and like trashy things. Hey, no judgement!

On a serious note, I can honestly say that living in Cebu still feels new even though I’ve already been here for a good 4 years; with indirect pressure from my family to go elsewhere. I’ve gained a lot of new friends that feel like family and a simpler outlook on things. Does that really happen as you get older? I remember being 17 and thinking I had infinite possibilities. 10 years later I still do but eventually I just want a small house by the sea with fast internet connection and mobile banking so I can have the ultimate work-life balance. Travel few times a year and broaden my knowledge. Such a simple thing to want but so difficult to achieve with real world getting in the way. Adulting has its moments.

I better get to sleep now. It’s 10 minutes after 2am and my ass is going to get kicked during workout later. Cheers to the rest of ’16!

The Sunday Currently, v18

Published by Justine

FEELING
Healthwise, better than I ever did last week. My nose isn’t clogged anymore but I still have a bit of a cold in the form of excess phlegm (sorry for the visual). A bit nervous too, because I’ll be starting the GM Diet this week. I feel like I ate too much during my trips last month that I need to detox.

WATCHING
I watched Zootopia today and incredibly enjoyed it. Now I’m annoyed at myself for not catching it in the cinema. There are so many movies I haven’t watched in the cinema this year. Boo me!

NEEDING
To get my finances in tact. I really need to be more financially responsible.

WISHING
For this week to be kind of to me, both mentally and physically!

THINKING
About where I put my earphones because I need them — my pink Urbanears Kransen. I absolutely love them and have been using them nonstop since I bought them last year. They haven’t conked out on me and have been surprisingly durable with better than average sound.

WANTING
To go back to yoga again. It’s been almost 2 months.

LOVING
My Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light. I’ve been raving about this ever since I started using it.

Friday’s 10 Happy Things, v12

Published by Justine

It’s been a challenging 2 weeks in terms of work ever since I got back, particularly my tolerance for stressful situations when dealing with clients. It proved me well in terms of not actually breaking down or pulling my hair out, and for that I am grateful! I’ve also been sick the past two weeks so this post will be a great exercise for me to remind me that despite the craziness there will always be good things.

1. Getting back into my daily routine. But not really. I’m not really sure how to go about this, but I’m so glad to be back and waking up in my own room and settling back into my day to day activities. Even though I got sick and have been having trouble sleeping, I’m glad it’s in my own comfort zone and not while I was traveling.

2. Sick-free for (almost) 1 year. Getting sick also reminded me that this is the first time this year and I am so thankful. I got through 2016 without getting hospitalized! In 2015 I was confined for a total of 4 times, starting April all the way up to September with many doctor visits in between but look at me this year. I hope this will be the first and the last one for a very very very long time.

3. Finally getting to use my new makeup. Work and getting sick kept me from using my new stuff (see birthday loot here) but I finally got to use them when I went out last Sunday night! I absolutely love the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette as well as my new Hourglass Lightning Powder. Lovelovelove.

4. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Kimmy and friends were my company in between weird hours of work and blowing my nose to nothingness. I finished the 2 seasons in less than a week and it has made me exercise my brain in understanding the most bizarre of jokes and dialogues. It’s probably one of the most witty TV shows on air right now.

5. Birthday parties and reuniting with friends. After being away for almost a month–in addition to not seeing a lot of friends for a while, one of my girlfriends had a birthday party that became an instant reunion for a lot of us. It made me realize that I really have found a home with these group of people and that I don’t feel so lost in Cebu anymore, which was the case when I first arrived 4 years ago. The night went on to become morning and the next thing we knew, we didn’t wrap up until about 6am. Good times.

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Post Birthday Thoughts

Published by Justine

It hasn’t sunk in that I’m 28. It’s a weird feeling of either “because I can’t accept it” or the “I couldn’t care less because I will always feel mentally 19 anyway” mixture of emotions. I mean what’s new, right?

My birthday was a blur but it wasn’t a bad one at all. In fact it was pretty damn great, if we’re talking about scale. The birthday weekend was so packed that I was hardly able to keep up with all the happenings. Ending a busy work week in Singapore and flying off to Jakarta in time for my birthday weekend full of lunch and dinner parties with friends and extended family, hosted by my ever supportive Aunts in Jakarta who not only want to give me the best but also love the thrill of event planning.

Birthdays will always have that stress factor. In addition to the pressures of “adulting”, there’s also that need to celebrate because you’re so blessed to be loved by people that you want to share it all around. If it were up to me, I would have preferred to take a step back and have a quiet night by reflecting on what a year it has been (oh WHAT A YEAR). In retrospect, my birthday was definitely spent differently and while I was so lucky to be able to celebrate it back in Jakarta where I spent all of my formative years, I’m also getting older and starting to feel the shift in my priorities, despite my love for shallow things.

Post birthday hibernation is now in full effect! The month of May was a busy, full, crazy, travel one. For now, I’m glad to be back home in Cebu, in my bed, in the city I’ve called home for the past 4 years. So so so grateful for this life and for everything. Cheers to what this 28th year has in store for me.

What’s Been Up III

Published by Justine

160519 WBU

And just like that, it’s already May and my birthday month. I’m in Singapore right now working and spending my pre-birthday week, and by Friday I fly off to Jakarta until the end of the month. Just like 2015, this year is proving to be a travel-friendly year and I am always grateful I get to have moments where I can escape for a while and always renew my perspective on things.

The last 2 months have thankfully been eventful for me and many times I wanted to put it into words and write about it. Obviously that did not happen and sometimes I beat myself up for it but then again, what can I really do? I always want to be better at blogging regularly but I realize that pressuring myself to write doesn’t always come out great. Hey hey hey, here I am.

Elections

I voted for the first time ever! It felt quite empowering to be honest, lining up with fellow men and choosing the most rightful leader in my perspective. It’s crazy how I’ve lived 27 years and not have voted a single time. I’d like to blame that on living abroad and not caring about my country’s state but in the end I blame it to myself for being lazy and not putting much effort in the betterment of my country.

Also yes, I voted for Duterte. I chose not to be vocal about it on social media with lots of backlash and media coverage surrounding his campaign. My parents are also in favor of another candidate and it became a week of debates with them during the weeks leading up to election. I don’t agree about many of the things he says and will not apologize for his lack of judgement about sensitive issues or his potty mouth, but I stand by my reason on voting for him and with my research about his platforms (or lack of it–if you want to go there) and decisions, in my eyes he is the most suitable candidate for my country’s leadership. I will end it here.

Manila Trip

I went to Manila last weekend to meet up with some friends and catch up with Rob, who just got back from London and who I haven’t seen in almost 6 years. Even though we talk every single day, it was so great to finally catch up with him and other friends who I met online and have become so close to my heart. I will always be thankful for mediums like Blogger, LiveJournal, Tumblr and Twitter for letting me meet people outside my comfort zone.

New friends

I was introduced to a group of guys last month who have quickly won over my heart. We bonded so quickly despite age difference and the best part is, they spent almost a week in our ancestral home so I got to spend a bulk of summer with them. I always agree on the saying that you should be able to hang out with different age groups to improve your outlook in life–whether young or old you always have something to learn.

CUT & COLOR

Around March I finally decided to lighten my hair and get beach highlights! I was lucky to find a really great hairdresser who knew what she was doing and was able to achieve what I really wanted for my hair. For the reason that this summer in Cebu is extra hot, I decided to chop off my long hair and go really short (in my standards). I haven’t had short hair like this since 2007 and it took about 48 hours of constant validation seeking and getting used to but I couldn’t have made a better choice. It’s one less of a problem this summer.

Turning 28

What can I say? Birthdays are inevitable. No matter how much I overthink it I can’t change the fact that my age will change, but I can always try my best to shrug it off. It’s 2 days away and I am always thankful for this life despite what a crazy rough year 27 was.. I am ready to level up!