I’m quite neutral about this famed day of love. Probably because I believe that you can celebrate love everyday; we need not wait for February 14! Still, it’s heartwarming to see all the gestures of love from friends, family, and even in social media.
This might seem like a cheesy post, but I’m still on a high from yesterday’s sweet surprise so I’ve decided to share it with you all.
So I unearthed this old poem from my Tumblr account. I used to write a lot of poems. Many were sad. This one is one of the most emotional ones, I think. I shall write more poems again, happier ones.
……
Not that you asked, but I want to tell you how I feel.
I feel stuck, immobile, unable to extend action or compassion far enough for you to feel and acknowledge.
Not that you asked, but I want so much to be by your side.
I want to hold your hand when you feel pain and despair. You are not alone.
Not that you asked, but I want to be your source of courage and strength.
I want to help you accept what we cannot change and cannot foresee with an open heart.
Not that you asked, but I want to tell you every day that you will be okay.
Though we both know that ‘okay’ can amass to countless meanings, everything will always be okay in the end.
Not that you asked, but I want to help you rise above this obstacle.
I believe you to be a great many things, one of which is no quitter. I know you will keep standing up.
Not that you asked, but I want to make you smile and laugh when you feel like there is no longer any reason to.
Laughter was our greatest companion;let it be so again.
Knowing my place is knowing that I can’t give anything voluntarily without you asking.
If only you’d ask.
– Aug 31, 2011
I recently got sick. Not the three-day kind that just temporarily knocks you off because you haven’t been getting enough sleep. It was the kind that really steers you off and getting back is not as simple. I had an infection that kept recurring for two weeks, I was brought to the ER twice, and I had to rest A LOT.
Those who know me are well aware that I love to exercise. Being sick meant zero exercise to allow my body to fully recuperate. While I knew this was absolutely necessary for my overall health, I also knew that this meant I’d have to start all over once I resume my many fitness activities.
The first day back is always very difficult. It’s frustrating and it’s very tempting to just wing it and just continue what you were doing. Stop right there! I would not recommend doing this. You don’t want to just pick up where you left off. You might just hurt yourself or get sick again. Instead, you want to be sure that the choices you make on day one are going to help you regain the fitness level you were in prior to the illness (not the other way around). So, based on my experience, here are a few tips for your first workout after getting sick.
During my first trip to Japan last February, I felt that I had only seen a glimpse of Tokyo. Fortunately, I had a second trip coming up. I was anticipating my return so, so very much.
This is dedicated to all the girls out there who are simply afraid to let go of their long locks. I used to be that girl. I used to have long hair all the time and I didn’t want to cut it short. EVER.
I was a ballet dancer for most of my growing years and dancers need to have hair long enough to keep in a neat bun. So I was used to long hair. It was the norm among the girls I was with and in the environment I grew up in.
It was also during my teen years that hair re-bonding became a real big thing. Everyone was doing it and all the shampoo and conditioner commercials promoted long, straight hair. Today, we already have commercials that talk about hair having body and nice waves. But back then, waves weren’t cool. Everyone wanted straight, silky, and smooth long hair. I did too.
So for the longest time I had long hair and never considered cutting it short. It was what I was used to and it was what was “beautiful”. Until one day, I wanted change. I had just started working and I felt I needed to look, well, different. As they say, “new life, new hair” (HAHA!). I also wanted to look more mature because according to a lot of people, I still looked like a student. Finally, after a lot of encouragement from my then officemates, I took the risk. And you know what, I loved it! So allow me to share 5 reasons why I love short hair. True, it’s not for everyone, but you’ll never really know unless you try. And hey, some of the benefits are real winners! So here goes.
I’ve been gone for a while because well, as the wedding drew closer, I was just all over the place trying to make sure everything went well and according to plan. I’m now back adjusting to the daily grind and I’ve finally found this window in time to write. I’m so excited to tell you all about this trip!
Traveling is something Pocholo and I decided to do as much as we can. And Greece has been at the top of our bucket list since day one. Hence, it was easy to pick our honeymoon destination. So, we simultaneously planned the wedding and the honeymoon because we wanted to make sure we’d leave right away. And we did. By the evening of October 3 (just two days after the wedding), we were on a plane to Greece.
Our first stop was Athens. We booked a tour of the city that included a trip to the Acropolis and the museum right beside it. Our objective was to absorb as much of Greek history as we could. Boy, did we get what we asked for, and more! The museum was full of ancient Greek artifacts. I must have looked silly with my “ooohs” and “ahhhs” at each and every specimen and exhibit (not that I cared about what others would think). We weren’t allowed to take photos in a lot of areas inside the museum, so these are just a few photos from specific exhibits only.
This event deserves an entry because it made me so happy! Let’s start from the beginning so I can share how this day unraveled into something I didn’t expect at all.
As far as I knew, I was going to go to my third fitting with my good friend, Ashley. I was supposed to go to my fitting with Pocholo but since he had work, Ashley had agreed to accompany me. We were running a bit late, so I texted my designer to inform him of our delay. As I hopped into the car and started to give instructions to the driver, Ashley interrupted me and apologized saying that we had to do a last minute errand prior to heading to the fitting. Since it was on the way, I didn’t see it as a problem. We went down at Molito and started walking towards 25 Mushrooms Kitchen to meet Ashley’s tita. As soon as we entered, …. SURPRISE!!!! The room was filled with some of my longest and closest girl friends, and I saw a sign that said “Micki’s Bridal Cookout”. I was so overwhelmed by the revelation of what I had just walked into that I cried! So apparently, there was no fitting scheduled that day, and Pocholo didn’t have work. Congratulations to everyone in on the planning because I really had no idea.
I’ve posted this product in Instagram several times over the last three years. I’d always mention that it’s my favorite but I never had the chance to explain in detail why. Allow me to finally justify my social media raving about this one.
Last Saturday, I got out of bed at seven in the morning to attempt fifteen laps in the pool with my dad. We had been doing ten laps two to three times a week. I was kind of getting addicted to swimming because it’s such a refreshing activity. Whenever I’d swim in the morning, I start work feeling energized, charged, and ready to pounce on the day’s load. I feel very alive and eager to burn my checklist (For those who know me, I live on checklists. It drives me haha!)
Micki Josue 