I’ve mentioned before that my father has his roots from Barili, a town in the outskirts of Cebu and we used to visit the place mostly on special family gatherings. Last week, after Christmas day, we went there to fetch my lola and off we headed to a six-hour round-south trip! Alright, that was even more than six hours! :)) The last time we had this kind of trip was during my grade school days so it was still exciting for me! :D

And to give our father an extended Christmas treat, my brother and I volunteered to drive so he could just relax and enjoy the ride. Yay! We took turns behind the wheel and that was the longest time I was driving in my whole life! Haha. Three hours nonstop plus blind curves and buses and cliffs along the way! My feet felt like jelly when we got home. :x

We passed by the different towns and their famous landmarks and how could we simply sit our butt and overlook this tourist spot upon reaching the municipality of Alcantara? I saw it one time from one of my followed blogs and I just had to include it in my bucket list.

For an entrance fee of P10 for adults and P5 for children, you actually get more than what you see in the ad and I am not even sure if the pictures gave justice as to how the place was beautifully made. So here are some photos of the side trip (and by far my favorite part) during our escape:

Mangroves (bakhaw in our dialect) all over the place, bamboo boardwalk, different species of bird and other creatures, and the best thing? A beautiful sea view at the end of the trail!

We brought food (of course, that’s always part of the itinerary) and we had lunch inside the car.

Defining the entire trip as FUN is an understatement. Sometimes we need to be away from the polluted city, breathe fresh air, take pleasure in the comforting ambiance of the province and most of all, spend quality time with our loved ones. <3

Cheers to another year! But before anything else, allow me to look back to the past year that in all honesty, molded me into the person that I am today. This is a bit lengthy but please bear with me. :)

The start of 2012 was tough, really tough. Waiting for the result of the December 2011 Nursing Licensure Exam was indeed agonizing! It was a moment when all my sacrifice was put at stake. For two months, everything was uncertain.

I honestly do not want to open up about the relationship that I used to have with someone in the past mainly because it’s over and there’s no point of repeating it here but I love you my readers so I guess it’s fair enough to mention it once more. It was a typical kind of boy-girl relationship but for some reasons, it just had to end. Early that year, my heart was torn into pieces.

Fortunately, I got hired by one of the BPO companies so I had other things to dwell on aside from the throbbing heartache. And Our Father above has been so gracious that in the afternoon of February 16, I received a very good news! The one that I’ve been praying for! On March 5, I took oath as a registered nurse. My family also ventured to another type of business thus, we opened our 5-door apartment mid that year.

The remaining days of 2012 were spent contemplating how life could be so vulnerable to change and that change is constant. I have learned to value patience, to wait until everything falls back to where it should be. 

To my family, relatives, friends (not to mention the new-found ones), mentors, some stranger and to those who in one way or another made the previous year extraordinary, my biggest and sincerest gratitude! And to Him who never left me, who kept me strong amidst the trials, my source of life; Lord, no words can express how amazing and great You are! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!! Starting off with shouty capitals and some exclamation points because it perfectly fits the big and loud celebration, don’t you think? This time of the year when everyone seems to be very busy and excited doing all the preparations to make the event worthwhile. December is indeed a pretty significant month!

I haven’t been blogging lately because there are things that I need to do and I have this really hectic schedule, but I guess it would be too wicked of me to let a one-time occasion pass without posting something about it.

This year’s Christmas happens to be extra special to us simply because we get to spend it with our father. Oh yes, you won’t read ‘the dilemma of working abroad’ in this post. Hihi. It’s a rare opportunity and I could not be thankful enough! It’s just the best gift a family could ever have!

Taken after the holy mass last night. “The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” ~Burton Hillis

I thought of filling this post with pictures of bokeh because it’s through Christmas that beautiful lights are emphasized, lights that bring hope, peace and joy. I hope everyone is having a great time with their loved ones! Wishing you all the best on this season of love. And of course, let us not forget the main reason of celebration. Happy birthday Jesus! Thank YOU for everything! ❤

Pasta is always on my top list and I simply love everything that comes with it - cheese (and lots of it), garlic bread, etc. Of course, who could go wrong with the garlicky kick in your dish? :) Let me share a very easy garlic bread preparation from one of my favorite blogs that you will surely enjoy with your favorite pasta as much as I did. :D

I am no pro when it comes to posting recipes (not to mention this is my first time haha) and this is the modified and nonspecific type so please bear with me. Yes? ;) I’ll do better next time. Hihi.

Pardon for showing only the finished product, but trust me, this is way too easy that you can even close your eyes while working! You will need the following:

• butter
• garlic
• bread
• parsley (optional)

I did not include the measurement because it depends on the amount of bread you have. First, melt the butter or keep it out of fridge 30 minutes before. Finely chop the garlic or use a garlic crusher. Mix garlic and butter.

Slice bread diagonally. Spread the butter-garlic mixture to one side. In the original recipe, the parsley was added to the mix but we put it right before we place everything in the oven. And because we’re resourceful like that, we used the microwave oven instead! Heeee~ It’s aromatic, healthy (as long as you use low-fat butter) and absolutely delish!

We, ladies, always have this problem about our hair, whether to cut it short or keep it long, to curl or make it straight, to dye or maintain its color and the list goes on. This time, I’m having an issue with my bangs. Trim? Yay or Nay? What do you think?

Took this photo right when the sun was about to set so I had to make use of the available natural light in my room. I do the simplest edit on my photos (I usually work on the curves and filters) but this one effortlessly and amazingly turned sepia-ish! Thanks to the instant blend of colors (plus the shadow effect) and I just closed Photoshop. Hihi. And it’s Saturday again! :)

A cousin from Davao had a weekend vacay and while we were shopping for pasalubong and other girly stuff, I thought of bringing her to some cozy place where we could continue our giggly chitchat about Koreanovelas. We’ve been talking since her first night that even our sleepy heads did not win over us. Haha.

We ended up at Cobo which she found new and interesting. Well, who wouldn’t love their ever cute and colorful doodles? ;)

We both had the best selling Honeydew Smoothie with Strawberry Bursting Bubbles. It was equally refreshing as their other drinks and the bubbles never failed to excite our palate! :3

My beautiful cousin, Cherisa, in her signature V-pose. Yay! I hope she had a great stay despite the limited time.

They have exactly the same ambiance with their branch in J Centre Mall and you always leave having a smile for a Cobolicious experience! :)

Hello there! Seems like I’ve been away for a long time. Truth is, I am just within the walls of my comfort zone trying to contemplate about the beauty and complexity of this bittersweet scenario. I do not want to sound melodramatic but yes, it sometimes occurs to me whether or not I am defining the famous ‘live life to the fullest’ notion.

I want to do a lot of things, pursue the things I love, but there’s something that hinders me in which I am unsure of. Is anyone familiar of that I-do-not-know-where-to-go feeling? I am not even sure how far this uncertainty will take me. Anyway, it feels great to be back after the long hiatus, the longest that I’ve ever had! With that, I did a mini page overhaul - new DP, new Twitter link and a widget for my Instagram. :) I hope you guys are doing well and cheers to another -ber month! It’s almost Christmas! Yayyy!