Best Night Ever: Paul van Dyk in Manila 2009
Paul van Dyk’s 2009 Asian tour, promoting his new single Home, is one awesomely memorable night. We had to stand, walk, and dance for six freaking hours (I was in high heels!), but we don’t care.
Seeing Paul van Dyk, hearing his entrancing music, and best of all getting to touch his hands and face, make it all worth the ankle, leg, and knee pain.
I am still at a loss for words, so I’d let the photos do the talking. Have fun!
Chiquito Turns One: Happy Birthday to the Best Dog in the World
The best dog in the world, our adorable Chiquito, turns one today, October 12.
He sleeps upside-down, sometimes with his head on a pillow; stretches out his arms and legs like he owns the bed; sometimes snores like a man and often sighs like a baby. He wants to eat what we eat and drink what we drink, but of course he can’t have his way all the time. He barks and chases at cats and birds, runs after strangers who ‘smell’, and patiently waits for his mommy and daddy to come home with ‘pasalubong‘ for him.
He loves sticking his head out of the car’s open window, obsessively thrusts his pink nose into anything that catches his attention, and playfully digs his teeth and cute little paws into sand, soil, blankets, toilet paper, and anything with a texture he couldn’t resist.
He despises the smell of cigarettes and refuses to kiss anyone who smells of it. He hates it when fire is lit in front of him, especially if from a cigarette lighter—actually, he’s just scared. He abhors any form of violence (e.g. fighting, shouting, and pushing), and tries his best to stop it by jumping on the people (pretend) fighting.
He likes being in the limelight and tries to be as cute as can be when surrounded by people he know and like. He snuggles when he feels cold, or when he senses that you are not feeling well. He licks people’s faces when he likes them, when he wants them to wake up, when he’s hungry and want them to feed him, when he’s happy and thankful for them doing him a favor (really), or when asking for their permission so he can go out and play.
He’s lovable even without him trying to be, and he’s adorable even when in his worst mood.
I know there will be more birthdays to come for our little Chiquito, and we’re sure that each year will be just as exciting as the next. I can’t wait. <3
Untitled, For Now
I’ve been thinking and feeling a lot lately. I want to write down everything in my mind, but my thoughts run continuously around my head the same way I seem to aimlessly go through my current career path. I want to articulate every single emotion I feel, but they are as complicated as my beloved country’s (and also, the world’s) current weather conditions.
Right now, my fingers type what my conscious tells it to. I hear a neighbor shout something unintelligible then his dog bark, and it irks me a bit. I feel my boyfriend shift in bed then hear his heavy breathing, and I smile contentedly to myself. I listen to the soft patter of rain outside then thought of the super typhoon and my family in another city. I remember an upcoming event I am so looking forward to attending, and I get excited. I briefly consider the prospect of traveling (in the distant future) to a lovely destination and I feel happier. All these in the forefront, but at the back of my mind, it is an entirely different situation.
It’s an hour and a half past one, but I still can’t seem to force my eyes to close. Yesterday night, I was feeling anxious for reasons that I can’t discern. It could be from lack of sleep, from emotional stress due to the typhoon, from the pressure of societal duties and responsibilities, or from unbelievably petty matters that have gotten into my nerves. Tonight, I am no better, albeit I am more calm.
I am not bothered, however, by my sense of aimlessness right now—in fact, I savor every moment of it. I have questioned my goals, purpose, and existence for so long, it’s time I give it a temporary rest. Why shouldn’t I smile without having to feel a bit guilty (because I know, somehow, I made someone unhappy)? Why shouldn’t I take on daily setbacks and failures with my bravest face and without the slightest feeling of shame? Why shouldn’t I say out loud that I don’t care because I really am uninterested, without the fear of being shunned?
Lately, I’ve been living each day with no other purpose but to be alive and thankful. I go to bed the latest I can and wake up early to get ready for work. I eat my breakfast for lunch or my lunch for breakfast (and sometimes I eat none). I put on my favorite pair of shoes, smile, feel confident, and walk tall. I put more creamer than coffee in all my cups and never fail to appreciate its creamy goodness (never mind the extra fat). Doing all these feels liberating.
I know it’s my conscious telling me to live with, think, and feel all these. In the back of my mind, there will be that tiny guilt, that slight shame, and that lingering fear—but I don’t care. Yes, it’s confusing, so I’ll leave it untitled, for now.
