Please make it stop.

I cried in the train today amidst many people while listening to Belief by Gavin DeGraw because I realized You are so consistent in my life. I thought about our relationship through the semi-melancholic love song and realized You stayed. And that we will get through this. I just need to believe.

Please make the pain in my heart go away.

Yes, I am coming to you now, believing fully that you hear me and that you care. I am sorry that for the past months I lost sight of that. I am sorry that in my attempt to protect myself from those that could hurt me, I have also shut you out. Again.

Well here I am now, standing extremely vulnerable and desperate in front of you. Please make it stop.

I wake up to reminders of how messed up the situation is right now and how hopeless the circumstances seem. Sometimes I lie awake at night trying to comprehend how things could go so out of hand and how one wrong perception turned my life upside down.

I wanted so bad to understand how people could remain so unforgiving and vile, but now I just want it all over.

Thank you for pursuing me despite of me. I pray that this grace compels me to persevere one more day. I pray for my adversaries. May you bless them every time they curse me, and may you shower them with your transforming love. Lord, I pray for my heart – that in Your perfect time, I may be able to completely let go of all the anger in my heart.

They may call me names but You claim me as yours and that is enough.

I know you will fight for me. (Exodus 14:14)

Thank you for reminding me that I am your child and because of that, I can stand with my head held up high. Yes Father, I know I am not perfect, I stumble and fall but thank you for the reminder that despite that, I am worth loving. I am worth fighting for.

Thank you for the great reminder that whatever I am suffering, you understand. You know the pain of betrayal, the suffering that mocking brings and the tragedy that ill-intentioned rumors cause. And you tell me Lord, “it is finished.” (John 19:30)

I will not walk through this valley alone. I will walk through.

Father, please take my clenched fists once again and open them. And then take my pain. Take all of it away. If you have to pry it open, please do. I trust You.

Give me the strength to choose to be brave. I now know You are by my side, you have assured me that throughout this past weekend. You said through Your word, no man is ever too far from the saving hand of your grace. I cling onto that now. Please protect me Dad, and envelope me in your arms. Do not let them take the victory.

I write this knowing that I can only come to you in prayer through the death of your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for the cross, Dad. If Jesus could forgive, then I want to believe that I could as well. Anyone can.

Father, in your perfect time, in the most perfect of ways, show them the light that they may find that the only way to ever live is to love. And that that is the only thing that will remain.

I love you.

Lianne

Belief, makes things real.
Makes things feel, feel alright.
Belief, makes things true.
Things like you, you and I.

Belief by Gavin DeGraw

I have always wondered how many lives Wile E. Coyote had. Growing up with the Looney Toons, I was fascinated by how many episodes involved an anvil dropping on Wile as he chased after Roadrunner. The anvil looked heavy, and I thought he had some sort of super powers to withstand its weight over and over again.

I guess I will never know if he is truly immortal or see the day that he actually catches Roadrunner. What I do know is that getting an anvil thrown at you poses a painful and daunting task. I’m not talking about actual steel anvils. I’m talking about the kind of anvils that life hurls at you especially when you least expect it.

Lately, I feel like I have been sinking under the weight of my own anvil. I was on the verge of slipping back into my TV-ice cream-TV-sleep-TV routine when God jolted me with a reality check by giving me a great weekend. I got so many encouraging text messages from friends and family, went out for a good conversation with my girls, and spent two long days with relatives for my grandmother’s 80th birthday. Then I got to watch people I love try their luck at a sport I love (rugby) and had awesome food (again) afterwards. I was refreshed, and became hopeful again. The long weekend ended with me coming home to a basketball game.

There were about 20 seconds left on the clock and the opponent was up by 9 points. Miraculously, in a blink of an eye (that is what it seriously felt like), the points slimmed to a 1-point lead and I was screaming my head off with anticipation. I was rooting for the underdogs. Unfortunately, time was not on their side and with missed shots, the game ended. That was when I had the epiphany.

Sports. I have always loved sports. I grew up in a typical Filipino family that loved basketball fiercely. One of our favorite bonding times is sitting in front of the television and jumping up and down cheering our favorite team (we only had one, except for my grandfather who refused to conform) while eating. As I grew up, I began to get exposed to different games and even played a few during my earlier years in school. Volleyball, for instance. Then for some strange reason I joined the badminton and table tennis team during my junior year in high school plus attempted to learn rugby. Point is, I have great respect for games and even though I will never be a national athlete, I will always be a fan of people who go out there and just play with such discipline and passion.

You know, say what you will about the ravages of sports in this corporate age where overpaid athletes expect prima donna treatment, but there is still something so unifying about sport in its purest form, when athletes rise above themselves and touch greatness and, in doing so, remind us all that we also have greatness inside of us. – Mouth McFadden, One Tree Hill.

The epiphany I had while watching a losing team pour out their hearts and souls into scoring no matter what, made me realize that life is a lot like sports. We all have different areas and like my underdog team, we all have victories we want to achieve. But, like my team, there are times when we are the underdogs and our opponents or the world or life in general are the heavyweights. Heavyweight, like an anvil. And in those times, I realize that it is okay to be the underdog because that is what makes the story, our life, so great and a game so wonderful to watch. It is what gives us awe as we witness the will to survive a defeat gracefully exceed the will to win. It is what draws the excitement as we hold our breath for the last few seconds. Life becomes so beautiful when we are “overruled” by the so-called heavyweights or anvils of life because we carry the hope that on a surprising day, the underdog will win.

I hope for that day, and I pray that you do too.

I may have been sinking under the weight of my anvil, but sometimes I guess you have to sink so you have room to rise. And I guess at first you really need to get beaten by the weight of it so you know how much strength you possess. And that you are a winner. You always have been.

So when life throws you an anvil, do not fret. Throw one back at it.

Personal favorite #1

Personal favorite #2

Personal favorite #3

Anyway, I remember back during my freshman year in college, all my friends would say that it’s really different in Manila. They said it really pushes you to be more independent and the city has a culture of its own. I remember thinking to myself, how different could it be? But then again, I would never really find out because I would never end up being in Manila except for an occasional UAAP game or to visit  a relative. It was just too far.

I also remember that back in my senior year in high school, I was really impressed and thrilled with the brochures / promotional stuff that universities abroad would give out. Before that time, the only universities abroad I knew of were the usual big names in the Ivy League and of course, Oxford. That year, I began to realize, with the help of my batch mates from all over the world, that there were other colleges and universities (there is a difference between a college and a university – I didn’t even know that till then haha) to consider. I remember going over brochures sent to us with my roommates and saying “Oh that’s a good tag line,” or “Oh they excel in medicine!” or “Oh that college has their own nuclear plant!” Up to now I still have some of the most memorable brochures and I remember thinking to myself wow, the people behind these are amazing and I cannot do what they do.

Life really is an interesting journey because who would have thought that several years later, I would be spending most of my time in Manila — working and earning a second degree. And God really works in mysterious ways because who would have known that I would be working in the field I was in awe of, academic marketing.

In the year and a half that I’ve been with La Salle, I can honestly say that I fell in love with the city of Manila. In my first few weeks, I would dread walking on the puddles or the lopsided roads and was horrified at the thought of the long journey via two trains home. Now I cannot imagine not ever knowing the city. Everything in it – its imperfections, quirks, FOOD, people and chaotic driving and pedestrian culture – has contributed to the person that I am. And if I must say, everything contributes to its charm. I now truly believe that the city really challenges you to be quick, independent and practical – traits that I think we could continuously develop through life. It really has a distinct culture, and I am blessed to have had the opportunity to experience it. Plus, I keep thinking to myself that if I could survive the sardine-like LRT1 then I can survive the other trains in the world right? (True enough, being in the packed Tokyo train early last year was a breeze haha).

And I now passionately believe that marketing, most especially, academic marketing, is a science. It really is. The research, the thought, the creativity that all goes into it is such a wonder. I highly respect the pioneers of this field and I feel honored that I got to work in it. At the end of the day, nothing beats knowing that you helped shape society and most probably brightened a kid’s future.

I cannot tell you how *kilig* I get when I see someone wearing one of the shirts we developed, knowing full well that a huge portion of it goes to a fund that will support someone’s education, as idealistic as that may sound. Plus, I get the bonus of meeting all kinds of people who are passionate about learning. I have met some of the most interesting professors and students in my life because of my job and I feel so privileged.

Why am I writing this post? I don’t know. I guess lately I have been doing a lot of reflecting and I realized that there are so many things to be grateful for despite the trials that come. I also needed to look back to reassure myself that no matter what I am facing now, I will get through it because life goes on – beautifully for those who persevere.

The apostle Paul said, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) and that gives me hope. He said in ALL things – no exceptions. That includes all the things I am anxious or clueless about at this point in my life. I have gone through so much and when I look back, the good always outweigh the bad. In so many instances, God has rescued, vindicated and blessed me. How can I not go on?

I mean the foolish girl who did not think Manila could offer her anything and the fearful girl who thought she couldn’t offer anything to academic marketing has been proven wrong. I’d like to think that my thoughts of not being able to survive the storms now would also be proven wrong — and more.

Thank you God, for Manila, for La Salle and for the great chances to grow and help others grow. Animo

You see, when I was thrown into the middle of all these changes the past year, I cringed and shunned Him. I did not really do it consciously. I  mean I would still talk to Him, still run to Him when there is trouble but at the back of my mind, I stopped trusting Him. Somewhere along the breaking up and the adjusting to a demanding schedule and people leaving my close circle, I stopped trusting Him with the good part of my life — because it appeared to me as if He did not want me to really have it.

What I did not realize was that, while I was busy ignoring the pain of all the changes, God was busy preparing the best for me.

God allowed the good to walk away in my life because he wanted me to have space for the best.

When I began to see this, I began to drown in awe of His love for me, and felt ashamed of having broken up with Him in the first place.

God made me see that our lives here on earth is, indeed, short. He wanted me to see that despite me, He wanted me to experience this short life to its fullest potential — and that won’t happen if I’m clinging onto the good instead of drawing close to Him where I can find the best.

While I was in Hong Kong, I said a short prayer to Him. I told Him I wanted to know what the next move was — I needed His guidance because I was scared to take a leap of faith in many areas of my life for this year. As I got up from the table where I was sitting, I saw something that made me stop. I was both struck with wonder and laughter. Yes, I get it. Our life on earth is short.

I was staring right at a huge wall with these words, the very answer to the prayer I just uttered.

It was staring at me, as if it was urging me to just drop everything and go. God, you amaze me.

So that was my biggest adventure of the year — breaking up with the love of my life because I did not see what He was doing, and getting back with Him because He made me see it.

I don’t know where you are at in your life right now but I do know this: God wants you to keep going, and to never give up.

So don’t. Keep living, keep persevering, keep holding on.

And if something is holding you back from living your life to the full, let it go. What God has in store for you in His presence is much more beautiful.

Do not lost hope. The best is yet to come. Happy 2012 to you

So today was my first ME quality time. For the past weeks, or you can even say months, I have been juggling school, work, extra work (volunteer and non), ministry plus social obligations. Today was the first day as far as I can remember that I did not have anything on my schedule. I pampered myself — nail and foot spa, lashes perm, some book reading and massage plus got my milk tea and soy garlic chicken fix. On the side, I got to do last minute Christmas wrapping. Even though I loved every moment of meeting up with people in my life, I was really grateful to have quality time with myself, and God.

This entry could have not been timelier because, another big part of my adventure to my 27th year was walking on water with my relationships.

As most of you know, I went through a break up late last year. Because I have learned to value the meaning of privacy and sensitivity and all of that more this year, I am just going to say this: it was tough. I have never been a let go person, I am fiercely loyal in all the relationships I build so to have God ask me to let go of one of the most important relationships in my life to date was, indeed, tough.

When I asked God what to do next, He did not tell me. Instead, He told me to just keep walking and He would take care of everything. Again, being the control-and-fix nut that I was, it was tough.

But all by God’s grace that provided me strength and courage, I kept on walking on water and braved the adventure of relationships.

This year was a year of discovering and re-discovering relationships.

I was so afraid to do it because I have gotten so used to the familiar and the routines that when Jesus called me to be brave and just take the plunge with my relationships and give my all, I doubted so much if I was going to live through it. My heart, to be more specific.

God taught me an extremely important lesson this year and that is: a broken heart, when withheld from the world can only satisfy the pain of one person but surrendered and abandoned to God, it can impact a multitude — and find itself healed.

I thought — and the world made me believe — that a heartbreak could last for decades. I would not deny it. Yes, sometimes at the memory of the loss, I still feel a pang in my heart. I have built a history and it is not so easy to disentangle myself from the strings that bind but God really blew me away by showing me that I did not have to be confined by a certain timeline, or to conform to the world’s standards of healing.

He made me see that as soon as I accepted Christ into my life years ago, the cross has guaranteed me freedom — and that included freedom from all heartaches. I was more than a conqueror (Romans 8:38-39), and any kind of pain could not (or should not), overpower me. We were created to be in fellowship with others and if we choose to give our hearts to the one who designed relationships, everything will turn out alright no matter the aches along the way. We were made to build each other up, not tear each other down. We were made to build relationships, not walls. Grieving should be done of course, but in Christ, that too shall pass.

I am so grateful for the people who stayed and the people I met this year (aside from my family of course whom I just have a lot of love for). Words cannot fully capture how valuable it was (and is) to me in this journey of healing and growth. I hope you all know who you are.

Truly, God showed me the two sides: that some people do stay and new relationships are worth the investment.

To the people who have been with me as far back as I can remember, thank you. And to those who proved to me that trials and changes do not define a relationship, I am so grateful. To the people I recently just met and started to build a relationship with this year, maraming salamat. I praise God He allowed our paths to meet, and I look forward to writing histories with you – and diving deeper in our relationships.

Thank you God for making your love tangible through these people. I now know it’s not about how it turns out, but how each encourages the other to keep moving forward and allowing the heart to love to the fullest.

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers (Ephesians 1:16)

Merry Christmas

*For those whose pictures are not here but reached out to me this past year, please do not think that I forgot you. It might just be because we did not have a picture this past year. I’m talking about Alvin, Star, Maya, Stox, Frank, Elsie, Abby, Nics, JR, Jam, Dianne, Roxy, Jen, Gian, Steph, Panelo, Nen Aniag, Taka, Micky, Anj, Kate, Andrea, Mansi and all my lovely apos. Zeus, I don’t have a pic with you because it’s either probably with you or we don’t have one because you’re always the one taking mine! Haha. Regardless, this post is still for you. THANK YOU.*

Woman 1: Should we go?

Woman 2: I think so. What do you think?

Woman 1: Well we should. So that they don’t think we’re uninterested.

Woman 2: But if we arrive early, those boys might think we’re eager.

Woman 1: We’re going to go dinner first then arrive then. That way, it’s just in time. They would think we’re interested but not yet too interested. That’s how you do it.

As I walked out of the restroom, they laughed and high-fived each other.

I could not help but think, was that really all there was to it? Relationships, I mean. It all seemed like a game with all these rules and tips. And people, mere tools.

I mean I won’t be a hypocrite and say that I have never looked at things in that perspective. I have. I don’t have a clean record when it comes to relationships / dating.

There was a time when an acquaintance of mine said I change dates like I change clothes. That’s because every time I ran into him, I was either not dating the guy he previously met anymore or dating a new one. Little did my acquaintance know that to each date, I gave my best shot. Most of them just ended so badly or just ended.

Lately I’ve come to realize that dating is not a game. This is what I’ve believed all along but somehow the chick magazines, peer pressure and Hollywood managed to convince me otherwise.

As I began to discover God’s love more and more, I began to see how valued each and every person is — how precious everything on this earth is.

That’s when it dawned on me that no one should be treated like a mere pawn in a chess board. And relationships really go far deeper than we would like to believe.

I have tried most, if not all of the dating rules and tips in whatever book there is, and it did not work. Not to hurry into commitment, to hasten commitment, when to be truly honest about feelings, never be honest about feelings, etc. It all made me anxious that if I do not play it right, I will lose — and lose badly.

Even when I knew I played it well, I still lost.

That is when I really told God I’m sorry for putting things into my hands again, for playing god over my life… for thinking I know best when I do not even see the bigger picture.

It’s so tiring – that never ending game of getting together, then trying to figure out how to stay together, then being bothered by the thought if it is actually going to last. It’s one sick cycle and I personally got exhausted.

Right now I am realigning my mind. I am seeing that relationships are a faith thing. You can have no guarantees, you can only hope for the best and your license to do that comes from giving your best – no half hearts, no majorities but the best. It is trusting the Great Author with the pen of your life – no strings attached.

Guess what? It works. It really does. I am no longer anxious of what I could keep for how long or what I could lose when. If there is genuine love communicated, and both give their best effort, things fall into place no matter what the obstacles are.

You do not have to play the dating game because the One who knows it all knows you are worth more than that. It is not a win for you that He is after, but He longs to give you the best there is for you.

When January rolled in, God told me to prepare for adventures. He told me there will be a lot of changes. He told me that it will be wild. I remember thinking, maybe He will ship me off to some distant land where I can live the life of a hermit.

Well, looking back, I did anything but live the life of a hermit.

On the year leading to my 27th birthday, God took me on adventures that I did not plan for and would have missed out on if I allowed myself to confine grieving, healing, restoration and basically life in a box.

There were so many things that took place that I think I’ll have to separate all the adventures into three parts based on how I think they would be best classified. I guess for the first part I will start with

Places

God took me to many places on the year leading up to my 27th. I was telling Him how I plan to save for particular trips so I could have time alone, and grieve (yes be emo hahaha) and I was thinking soon as in two years from now. Traveling heals a soul. But come December last year, He surprised me with a trip from my mom to Hong Kong. Hong Kong has always been like my second home and being there was absolutely refreshing. The city is so full of life it just draws you in.

Then come February, mom tells me we have free miles and Charice is inviting us to a concert in Tokyo so we were heading to Tokyo. The last time I was there was about 7 years ago. When I got there, I fell in love. Tokyo is really a beautiful place, and the Japanese are beautiful people.

As if that was not enough, come April, and dad announces we have a free trip as a gift from one of their clients. We went to the States and I got to spend quality time with all my relatives, including my grandmother whom I haven’t seen in ages. I enjoyed really getting to know people all over again and rediscovering old places like Stanford (!) and New York City.  :)

When the first term ended, I got to go for the first time to Boracay with my grad school friends. After a draining term, it was a chance to relax and break free from a hectic schedule. It was awesome and Boracay is beautiful. It is now one of my favorite places on earth

I am truly blessed by God’s love. He knows that I love traveling and He knows I do not really have the means to. Though He didn’t have to, He allowed me to really heal through all these trips. In every trip I went on, God reminded me how big the world is… and that it doesn’t stop. It keeps going. I realized that though I was in pain, it was not enough reason to quit. There are still so many things to look forward to, and so many things to dream of, and hope for.

I may have been grieving earlier this year and felt the need to give up, but God kept pushing me to persevere. These surprise trips were great avenues to breathe.

There is a bigger world out there, just like there is a bigger picture. All things work together for a purpose. Although I do not see the whole picture yet, I know the task is not really to know it but to just keep going. Sometimes that alone is a great feat in itself.

Cheers to more traveling

Often, I am asked during job interviews what kind of friends I have. Always, I tell them, “I have a melting pot of friends.” I truly love that. I am blessed that God has given me such a diverse set of friends, and I cherish them all.

I have also had the chance to meet many interesting and admirable people because of the kind of work I do. Many of the people I have and still work with are brilliant, inspiring and extremely talented. I feel so privileged that I have had the opportunities to work with them.

Out of this great big bowl of people I interact with, two things make a person stand out to me – humility and passion.

I really admire people who can keep both feet on the ground despite a lofty pile of accomplishments. It’s rare, and it’s easy to spot. These people remind me that life does not have to be complicated; that the true beauty of life is found in the simple things. They remind me that accomplishments do not define a person. We are all beautiful on our own, and if we embrace that, it is what we do that becomes beautiful.

Passion is another thing that gets my attention because genuine passion is really contagious. When people love what they do, it shows. It comes off naturally. They do not have to state it, it just shows.

During a trip I had last month to Boracay (at last), I met passion in the person of Kuya Rhafy. He was the guy who assisted us during our stay in Shoretime.

From the moment we stepped off the plane, I already received a text message from him welcoming me and reassuring me that they were just outside the airport waiting for us. He was so accommodating the whole ride to Caticlan. He was bursting with excitement as he struggled to point out all the important locations on the road and discuss the lifestyle of his hometown.

The rest of the staff were great, but my friends and I agreed that Kuya Rhafy was exceptional. You could tell it wasn’t a money making task he was doing, he loved it.

I commend people like that. I myself felt convicted of my own perspective with work. It’s so easy to get complacent the longer we stay in a job or to settle for a job just because. I am glad people like Kuya Rhafy remind me that what I have is a blessing and I truly love it despite the stress, and where I am placed at this point in my life is where God allowed me to be for a purpose.

I pray for more Kuya Rhafys in the world. And I pray that they become so contagious they infect everyone to passionate living.

I guess there is some truth to that. We should never, ever take for granted the talents and skills given to us and always look for avenues to nurture them. However, I personally don’t believe that anyone, or anything for that matter, is indispensable. What I truly believe in is that we are all unique and no two people could ever be the same.

I have been planning to write my entry on my lost iPhone 4 for quite some time now. I haven’t quite gotten around to it because it’s been hectic at work and with school, but I think there is no best time than now.

I lost my iPhone 4 almost a month ago. Got held up at MRT-Ortigas station around 7pm, after a natural high from the victory of UP and DLSU in the UAAP Cheerdance Competition. It was just a matter of seconds, really…barely a minute. I rummaged through my purse after, desperately hoping that the robber accidentally dropped it on his rush to escape.

Obviously, it wasn’t there anymore. The shock left me that night when I saw the box and my charger on my desk. It was really gone.

Of course, it was just a phone. At the end of the day, there would be many other phones. And it would not compare to losing my life. I could still purchase another one. I could wait for the iPhone 5 which will probably be better. But that’s just it. Even though I could get other phones or even if I could purchase another iPhone, it cannot be denied that there would not be another one like the one that was stolen — my first iPhone, my first big investment on myself just because, the one I spent months looking at in different Apple stores, the one I spent hours at night filling with my favorite songs, the one I took pictures of New York with and the one I tweeted with when I got excited at the discovery of a new dish.

In this almost hidden tiny corner of my unscathed, raw heart, nothing is really indispensable because everyone, and everything is unique somehow. But life has to go on, this I know. Apple will go on as being a technology giant while thousands of Steve Jobs fans would continue mourning through the gadgets he left behind. I would most probably get a new phone. And I would love it the same, if not better.

Losing something or someone is really a great tragedy. It is painful, sometimes even heartbreaking. Yet it is not the end of the story. It is, more often than not, a beginning of a new chapter. Losses don’t really destroy us, it makes us stronger.

Steve Jobs was a great man – one of my best friends said he read somewhere that he was had a ‘reality distortion’ aura because when people talked to him he made them believe that they could do great things. The world indeed lost a significant life, but his life and his work has breathed a new generation of dreamers (myself included) towards the right direction. Hopefully, these dreamers would pursue their dreams into reality just like he did.

I will miss my iPhone 4. I was prepared to spend a lifetime with it. I looked forward to building more memories with it but alas, our time together was cut short. Although I look back on the robbery with a sense of frustration, I can honestly say I do not have regrets because I know I loved it, and I loved it well. I know this loss can only make me appreciate more the future blessings God has in store for me.

So here’s to the end of the meaningful life of Steve Jobs – to his contributions and the inspiration he gave that propels us to create. Here’s to my iPhone 4 – to the robber who is now enjoying it or the person who bought it from him. Here’s to my heart and everyone else who is grieving today – that our losses would compel us to live our life to the fullest.

Here’s to the unique YOU — just because you are beautiful, wonderful, able and INDISPENSABLE May God bless you, sweep you off your feet and blow you away Keep dreaming.

To say I have been stressed is an overstatement actually.

However, by God’s grace, I am much better now. I am practicing gratitude to make it a habit. I want to be able to concentrate more on what I have, than dwell on what I do not.

Having said that, I just want to say thank you God for the one thing that really inspires me to hold on one more day when the going gets tough: food.

I have been going out a lot to eat, and it has done wonders for me. Below are some snapshots from some of my pig out episodes.

Had yogurt at White Hat (the cookie combo) with my girl, Wendy at Megamall and then the following week with my office mates after lunch. The softness of the cookie dough with the yogurt is heaven

Then I went to Teaology with Luis (he and one of his best friends Kiko designed the logo). I ordered Royal Milk Tea. It was great. The place was really nice. After a week or so, I went with my long time best friend (Sandra) and ordered Strawberry Milk Tea – it’s now one of my favorites! Milk tea is really love. The place is really great for down time and talk time. It’s located in Katipunan, right beside the building where KFC and BPI is. It’s on the same building as Security Bank.

Cha Dao was a delightful surprise. I celebrated the birthday of Isa (everyday-isa.com) with her over dinner and then we drove around Katipunan to look for a good milk tea place. She suggested Cha Dao which I honestly have not heard of until then. The lady behind the counter was very helpful and friendly. The drinks were so affordable and the serving size is huge! I felt like milk tea was going to come out of my ears already. It was great. For those of you who want to try it out, it’s located near the corner where RCBC is and on the same street where McDonald’s is.

And then one evening, after a hectic class week and hell week at work, my grad school “block mates” decided to watch One Day at Glorietta. We ate at Sakura, this hole in the wall Japanese restaurant in Glorietta 4 near Italianni’s. I LOVED it. I was really full, and I did not pay much for the tray of maki and Japanese salad that I ordered. All of us were happy and satisfied moviegoers after that treat. I really love Japanese food.

Then just the other day my brother and I went to Moshi Moshi, the newly opened Japanese place in Katipunan (I am really loving the fact that I live here). The place was nice and they sell green tea Kit Kat (!) and my friend Barby and her partner are the interior designers for the place. The dessert we had, mango crepe, was good as well.

Last but definitely not the least, I ate at Mom&Tina’s (I swear, with the list of restaurants opening in Katipunan, I will gain weight for the months to come). It was AWESOME. We enjoyed the chicken lasagna, the steak and the famous mango cream pie. The interiors of the restaurant was cozy, welcoming and everything in between.

So there you have it. When in pain, eat. Haha. I really just wanted to share that I love food, and God loves me so He gave me so many opportunities to eat and drink good stuff. It is amazing what a good meal can do to a really bad day or after a traumatic incident such as what I experienced. If I had to live my life all over again, I would seriously consider being a chef. Haha.