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When summer evenings feel like this gif it’s beautiful and it’s worth it

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Manila Ocean Park

Finally, I've visited Manila Ocean Park. This was aging for the longest time on my bucket list. I know it's just around the corner, but I never took the time to visit until now. It's a fun experience, and it feels good to feel like a kid again.

I tagged along two of my friends with me. We are all first-timers, so the excitement is through the roof. It's just a 10-minute walk from UN Avenue Station, but we took twice as long since no one is good with directions.

We loved it. It showcased not only sea creatures but reptiles, birds, and crawlies too. It also had a lot of restaurants inside that offered different cuisines in different price ranges. It is also adjacent to Hotel H20, which has a cafe where coffee is a lot cheaper than Starbucks.

The main attractions for me are the bird and sea lion show. I don't even know what magic they used to have those birds put on that show. They purposely glide through the audience while we roar with applause, accompanied by the soundtrack. And the sea lions! They are basically dogs in the sea. So freakin' adorable. After the show, they played the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and my heart was moved. It made me appreciate animals even more, and we could only give back by trying to preserve Earth. The host said, "Take care of Earth; it's the only home we've got," and that struck me hard.

It was nice to be this close to marine life—a chance I probably wouldn't get on a daily basis. It's quite sad to think that these are not their natural living conditions, especially when I saw that some aquariums are small. Whether the zoo is ethical or not, it's really up for debate, but I just really wish that all their promises of conservation efforts and all that good stuff are happening. I wish that they really did more good than not.

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Watched Rent The Musical. My first live musical theater experience 😭 I love some musicals especially the classic ones like Singin’ in the Rain, The Red Shoes etc but I’m not the biggest fan of it. But this made me appreciate the art more and made me a fan of it. Like everything was pretty mindblowing.

Actors sing, act and dance with no chance for do-overs, and having to memorize every line, step and note plus the props they have to move around - that was mad talent. Plus nothing can beat the added dimension or sense of actually feeling the energy, the emotions and stuff live.

It was an experience.. it was a great first experience. Rent Musical was spectacular and was even better that the film. It make me wanna search for other musicals honestly. I guess it’s a new love story.

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Yeah i’m one of the glass people

Glasses people love to make you try their glasses on to see how fucked up their eyes are. It's a sign of respect in their culture.

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📍National Museum of Fine Arts 🖼️💚

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2023 Top Coach 🏆

This trophy is a sweet reminder that I’m doing something good in this world. My colleagues and my team, thanks for all the hard work you put in, for all the lessons, and for the trust - all of it made THIS possible. This means a great deal to me. I am sincerely grateful.

Additional:

It warms my heart to hear congratulatory messages from those people who have been part of the past chapters of my life, recalling a specific little memory of how I have in some odd random way touched or contributed something positive in their lives. It’s sincerely sweet to know that at some point, I meant something to someone. ☺️

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took myself on a movie date at Cinema ‘76. A cute cinema house with an adjacent cafe that serves cakes, coffee, and sandwiches you can bring inside the theater. I love how intimate the screening rooms are- it kinda enhances the sense of community for people who share the love of films (though I am the only audience plus the couple who sat in front of me during the time slot I picked).

I watched Alex Garland’s Civil War (2024) which is a harrowing film (I’ll probably talk about in a different post) The movie stressed me tf out.

I’ll come back here and watch their quiz nights (I’ve read they are hosting one for film nerds). I might join if I’m feeling brave at the moment.. but maybe not lol. I just love the vibe there. Got me thinking about making a list of cute theaters to visit. Anyway, my heart is happy today!

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one thing i need to start living by is “become the thing that you want” if i want friends who throw themed parties maybe i should start throwing those parties. if i want someone who writes me love letters maybe i should start writing letters for the people i love. if i want to hang out at museums and pretty cafes maybe i should invite my friends to these places. and maybe even then i won’t find the kind of people i want to be around. but then i would have become the exact person i want to be around. and maybe that’s good enough.

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Manila Trip

I just crossed another item on my list to visit and I tagged my friends along with me. I’ve visited the National Library for the first time. It’s always nice to continue experiencing “firsts” so I battled laziness and made time for it. I don’t know why I held it off for so long since it was just literally in Manila and it’s free. Maybe it’s because I don’t wanna look like a fool back then navigating the huge place lol. Anyway, I finally checked it out and instantly realized and regretted not having to utilize this during my high school days.

It’s a very conducive place for learning. It’s well-lit, spacious, and organized. The interiors are quite picturesque too. You can browse their catalog through a computer database using your account. Yes, there is an online account for this - used to borrow the books, thesis, or newspaper clips you want to check out and to see whether it’s available. It’s like online shopping apps. Then you’ll get to pick up the book in the circulation area. Most of the tables have an electric outlet so you can charge your phones or something.

I also got an ID that can be used for life for only a hundred bucks. Overall, it’s a cute experience. I borrowed mythology books, haha to look at some pictures. I didn’t plan to actually read books that day, we just want to register and know how the library works.

Our second stop was the National Museum of Natural History. Also, free! I’ve visited this a couple of times, so I just accompanied my friends. It was still beautiful. It’s nice to know it was maintained well.

Here are some pics I took:

And of course, some selfies:

I will be updating you guys with the part 2 of this. We are planning to check out all the free museums around Manila. Until next time.

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Dune Part Two

Spent the weekend catching Dune Part Two in the theaters and boy did have a super fantastic time in the cinema. I brought myself and my casual knowledge of Dune that I gained from watching the first film by Denis Villeneuve in 2021. I loved the film. It was a perfect setup for what would be a masterpiece that is Part Two and it did. Part Two was an instant sci-fi classic, a masterpiece, and an achievement in sci-fi filmmaking. It made me from a casual fan to something more. I am considering digging deeper and buying the books.

Going back to the movie - I was moved. The world-building was intricate. Denis took his time to set everything up and it paid off. He concocted some of the most jaw-dropping images and frames in the genre that is also uniquely his. And the soundtrack? My god. Hans Zimmer really cooked some magic here. There is this scene where Chani and Paul kiss in the desert and that heartfelt symphonic film score is played. I cried. It's just so magical. I feel my heart swelled up in wonder.

Every actor played their part exceptionally well, but Denis made them all somehow better. There is something about his direction that could make any actor 10x better.

When the credits rolled, the cinema lit up in warm orange light. It's like they intentionally set it up like that. The score played and I was just there staring blankly, stunned by what I'd witnessed. I stayed there a little longer and relished the moment with what would be a core memory.

Overall, that was one of the most unforgettable moviegoing experiences that I will hold dear forever.

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If I’m being honest..

..if I’m being true,I don’t know where I would be if I never met you.” 💙🤘

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thankful for 2023.

Thank you, Lord, for all the love I get this year and also for the opportunities to block the unnecessary drama and shit before it gets to me.

I am cozy at home doing the small hobbies I love, my family is healthy, and I have a good set of earphones. I am grateful.

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been thinking about everything too much and i’m realizing how lonely we all are and how we get up each day trying to get out of this bubble of sadness thats around us and how hard we try to ignore the fact that everything ends someday but oh despite everything there’s still love

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we are all just sitting in our own little bedrooms all across the world with our headphones in listening to our little songs aren’t we

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so I tried ice skating..

and it’s not as easy as it looks in movies or cartoons. In fact, it’s extremely hard, especially for someone like me who gravely lacks a sense of coordination or rhythm in the body. I stayed on the side walls for roughly an hour trying to find my balance. I fell off twice when I tried to be a little confident and went for a cute little slide. I landed on my butt but I played it cool and acted like it didn’t hurt because there were people everywhere.

My feet went a wee bit sore, my body hurt, and sweating - it felt like a freaking whole cardio routine.

Some people are not born to be a Yuzuru Hanyu. I’m just happy to try new experiences and to discover other things I’ll probably suck at doing 😅

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weekend photo dump 📷

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Braved the storm yesterday to see Alanis. It’s a teenage dream fulfilled to see her singing the entire Jagged Little Pill - the album which I took inspiration from in trying to write poems and stuff (which is something I haven’t done in a loooongg time).

The moment felt unreal. She’s a legend and a true rockstar. @alanis, Thank you for the music!