Event of the Year: Armin van Buuren in Manila 2008
November 21, 2008: Armin van Buuren did it yet once again. His second time to play in Manila, I can say that AvB did not disappoint fans with his 3-and-a-half-hour long set and impromptu autograph signing. AvB played some tracks from his older A State of Trance albums, and a few remixes from other famous DJs and dance groups. Most of the tracks AvB played, however, were from his new album, Imagine.
From memory, here is a list of the tracks that AvB played that night:
Imagine
Going Wrong (feat. Chris Jones)
Unforgivable (feat. Jaren)
Hold On To Me (feat. Audrey Gallagher)
In And Out Of Love (feat. Sharon den Adel)
Never Say Never (feat. Jacqueline Govaert)
Time of Our Lives (PvD original)
Satellite (Oceanlab original)
Burned with Desire (feat. Justine Suissa)
Can’t Sleep (Above and Beyond original, feat. Ashley Tomberlin)
(I’ll add more as I remember the tracks.)
I danced all night (yes, I was like the Energizer bunny!) with my hon, Bevs and her friends, and some random people. Haha. I have been waiting for this event for a long time now and I wasn’t going to let it pass by without me getting en-tranced. Haha. It was definitely worth it, despite the long line outside the venue (the organizers were very unorganized, tsk), and the risk of getting pick-pocketed (there were many who lost their mobile phones and I feel sorry for them). I’ve been to other Bigfish events, but I’ve never experienced the same hassle before. I just hope that in the next big DJ event, Bigfish will tighten the security and be more organized.
Imagine a world without dance music. Oh, I can’t! Haha. AvB! Thank you for putting Manila in yet another State of Trance. 
* Below are some photos from the event. If you’d closely look at the photos, you’d see AvB’s trademark pose: headphones in right hand raised in the air. Enjoy.
More photos and videos in my Multiply.
On Getting Married, Saving Up, Going Back to School, and Moving Forward
Recently, there had been serious talks about marriage, and (surprise, surprise!) it involves me and my beloved boyfriend. Apparently, my boyfriend’s parents advised him that it may be time for us to settle down, live together, and start building a future family of our own. (Thankfully, though, they didn’t explicitly say that we should have our own kids soon, cause I sure am not ready for that one.) I haven’t told my parents about this yet, but I know they’ll be just as surprised.
I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting wedding talks at this point in time. I have just turned 23 and still have a whole list of plans, goals, and future realities to pursue. Relationship-wise, however, I believe I am more mature now. My boyfriend, who is very supportive of my decisions, is also not rushing to get hitched. I know, and he tells me, that he still hopes to achieve so many things before he’d want to settle down. In short, we are both not rushing, but yes, we do want to get married. And yes, we want a romantically enchanting yet solemn wedding, so we really have to save up for it.
Before wedding money, however, we need to consider other things. First, I have to save up for tuition so I can finally pursue a Masters degree next year and be a diplomat someday. 
Next, I have to earn a lot and save up, so I contribute to my family’s upcoming home renovation project. And lastly, I need to earn and save even more so I can buy my own car the soonest time possible. All these are just short term goals—meaning, all should be accomplished in one or two years.
Aside from these financial plans, I also have professional and academic career growth plans that are enough to offset any wedding dates. As already mentioned, I will be pursuing a Masters degree soon so I can finally shift to my dream profession of becoming a diplomat. Right now, however, I should strive to do well in my career in the field of IT consultancy, just in case my ultimate dream profession gets pushed back a bit further down the time line.
Almost a week ago, I was transferred to a new project. This brought about fresh challenges, a whole book of things to learn, a different work circle, and new work friends. This is a welcome change, but it also means that I have to be more focused with work. A few days ago, my boyfriend found himself in a similar situation: he is transferring work soon. He just accepted an offer for a higher paying job from a considerably more competitive company than his current one. We both know that these changes are necessary, and I’m just thankful that he is being wonderfully supportive.
In a few days, it will be our 15th month together. It doesn’t mean that people we know will be hearing wedding bells soon, but we sure are getting there. Who knows, maybe in our 30th month? Well, I’m keeping my hopes up.
