Happy 2013!

Wishing all of you a fresh start, good health, happiness, success, prosperity, love, new ideas, new discoveries, and good luck in anything and everything you wish to pursue this 2013.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

♥Andz

Writing Haikus

I have not just been painting a lot lately, but I also have been writing a lot of haikus. 

Look, I've always had this fondness of writing haikus. I find it really fun counting the syllables, making sure everything I write has the 5-7-5 measure, and it's also very challenging! You can throw all the words you like in most poems (particularly in free verses) and short stories to convey whatever it is that you wish, but in haikus, you only have to choose the best. Not necessarily the shortest, but the best words to be straight to the point and make people understand what you mean in just three lines. 

And the best thing about haikus is that its theme is always about nature. A lot of people write haikus about the trees, the flowers, the animals, and the sky, but if you'll think about it, everything actually is a part of nature, ergo, you can write a haiku about anything in this world!

Here are a few haikus I wrote:

Mirror

I see a monster

Hidden in thick dark makeup

They see a goddess

Clock

Our time here is short

Close to death, one starts to live

A second… well spent

Lipstick

With her little hands

Young girl takes her mum’s lipstick

Paints her virgin lips

Couch

We did it right here

In high school, ten years ago

Bringing you to life

Tomorrow

I’ll do my homework

Maybe tomorrow… Or not

But I’ll get it done

Corsage

Prom night, pretty girl

A corsage fixed ‘round her wrist

Her date out of sight

Pink

It says positive

But the world’s not over yet

Pink lines won’t shake me

Keys

Unlocked, it opens

An old door that was once closed

New soul, better life

♥Andz

Work in Progress

I admit that I'm not the best artist in the world, but I really do enjoy painting, and it kept me busy these past few days.

I'm finally done with my turquoise Hamsa print, which I started early on during the holiday break. I painted a poppy field yesterday, which I'm very much in love with. And just this afternoon, I made this "Must Love London" print, and I'm very happy with it, although the red guards look like they're dancing. Haha!

Since classes will start soon, I won't be able to get in touch with my brushes and palette again. Sad, I know, which is why I'm really making the best of the vacation to do this kind of thing.

I'll attempt to draw a human being next :))

♥Andz

Writer's Block

I'm currently writing the article about Jeric Fortuna, and guess what? I've been writing it for five days now, but I'm barely done. In fact, I've just finished the intro, and I'm not even sure if I'm happy with it. Dammit! Nothing I write seems to sound right these days. 

I'll go scribbling, and then when I reread it, it just appears so crappy, which is really, really bad! Bad for my grade. Bad for my future in the writing industry. And bad, cos awful writing won't give Jeric justice at all! Suffering from writer's block does suck big time!

So, in the mean time, since the photos have long been posted, I'd like to share some snapshots during our interview with the team captain of the UST Growling Tigers :)

Our group is originally made up of four people, but who can say
no to fangirls?

That would be two groups of interviewers with
two Growling Tigers, Jeric Fortuna and Kim Lo

We like calling this a "barkada" picture :))

And finally, a photo with the team captain :)

Photos: Ranberg Abu and Janelle Cosino

♥Andz

Post-Christmas Treat: Fried Oreos

My cousin and I were having an idle time again this morning, so we decided to make some country fair favourite fried Oreos. It was my first time to do it, and I found it kinda fun and extremely easy! This recipe is perfect for kids who love hanging 'round the kitchen :)

~FRIED OREOS~

Ingredients:

-Oreos

-Pancake Mix

-Cooking Oil (about 1/2-1 cup)

What to do:

1. Since every brand differs, follow the instructions written on the box of the pancake mix you have to make the pancake batter. It is also OK to use your own pancake recipe if you have one.

2. Once the batter is ready, preheat your deep fryer.

3. Dip the Oreos into the pancake batter, and coat them entirely.

4. With the use of chopsticks or tongs, place the dipped Oreos into the deep fryer.

5. You will see the batter rise and turn into a nice golden brown colour in just a few seconds, which is a go signal to flip the cookie.

6. When both sides have turned brown, remove cookie from the pan, and drain the excess oil in paper kitchen towel.

7. Enjoy while warm.

*Notes:

-The cookies brown easily, so never ever leave the cookies in the deep fryer.

-You can dust the fried Oreos with powdered sugar if desired.

♥Andz

Happy Christmas!

Wishing you a warm Christmas this holiday season!

♥Andz

Catching some Z's

Day 1 of Christmas break, and the thing I remember doing most is sleeping. Yes, sleeping. I've never really got the chance to catch some z's, so that's what I did today. I even skipped lunch just to snooze! I also got to read a few pages of Skin Deep, and I'm halfway through, and I'm currently painting the Hamsa, hoping that I'll finish it soon.

Now, before I forget, I just want to post this to-do list so I would be reminded about my duties is school every time, despite this festive season...

Things to do:

-Filipino project - which I've totally forgotten about

-Rizal Day newspaper article - snip a few after the 30th and spot errors

-Make a CV of Rizal - 5 pages , size 12, Times New Roman

-Rizal report

-Essays about Rizal

-JRN interview article

-Review for the preliminary exams (January 15-18)

-Philippine History report

-Philippine History paper

Happy holidays, Andy!

♥Andz

Sneak Peek: Avatar: The Last Airbender "The Search Part 1"

 

After the conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise comes another exciting comic book trilogy from award-winning author Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru - The Search. 

*Spoiler Alert*

The Search picks up a week after the events in The Promise Part 3, and centres around the Royal Fire Nation Family and Zuko's relentless search for his long-lost beloved mother, Ursa, with the help of Team Avatar and a very unlikely ally - Princess Azula.

The first book of The Search will be released on the 20th of March, 2013 under Dark Horse Comics and is already available for pre-order in Amazon. 

♥Andz

Playtime

*Note: This is a free verse I wrote for the childhood I enjoyed and will always miss. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Playtime

Remember when we were young?

How we ran and played till the sun set in the horizon?

The warm hues that painted the sky at twilight?

The birds at flight heading for home?

Perhaps, you remember the wilted flowers in our hair and around our necks

How we used them as tiaras and jewelry

As we ruled cardboard castles

And got captured by pirates?

Remember how we could be anyone we wanted to be?

Teachers, doctors, presidents

Rockstars and knights

Even a being a dinosaur was a profession back then

Maybe, you remember the time when we got scolded by our mothers for bathing in the pouring rain

And got sick the next day

Have you counted the scars we bore?

When we fell off our bikes

Tripped on rocks

Or slipped off the monkey bars?

I think I have seven… or more

I’m not so sure

Remember the nights we spent in the streets every December?

Christmas carols perfectly memorized

Makeshift tambourines and drums in our hands

As we sung our hearts out for even a little amount

Do you remember our day-long Japan tour?

How about the food we tasted in exotic India

Or the celebrities we met in Hollywood?

God, I miss those trips

Maybe we could scuba dive in Fiji someday

Just give me a call

Remember how dinner time is the best and worst part of the day?

Best because we get to fill our hungry stomachs

And worst because it’s time for us to part

I can still picture our filthy little hands that waved goodbye

Knowing that tomorrow would be the same

But, tomorrow has become today

And nothing’s the same at all

♥Andz

Last Day in School for 2012

May I just say that today was amazing? Well, it still is, but the events that happened earlier were far more awesome, and if today really is the end of the world, I could die in peace. 

We had our class Christmas party today and had some fun, before hitting the books again during the break for the upcoming preliminary exams (bummer). There were a lot of singing and dancing and laughter and food and some gifts too (thanks Kai, Milky, PL, and Vinz!). 

I must admit that it wasn't the best party, but in my defence, it's really difficult to slip into the festive mood after being harassed with tons of school work since school started this November, and knowing that your holidays are jam-packed with paperwork.

After the party, it was time for a school project again, though this one's the best one in our to-do list, and it's a bit saddening that it's over too soon. But what the heck! WE GOT TO INTERVIEW THE TEAM CAPTAIN OF THE UST GROWLING TIGERS - JERIC FORTUNA!

It was a long wait, actually. We - especially Jica, who's a die-hard Fortuna fan girl - had been sending him hopeful text messages over the past few weeks, anxiously waiting for a reply. If Jica's fingers were a pencil, it would be dull to the wood by now, waiting to be sharpened. But it happened. It really did. And, I wish I could post a photo right now as a proof to you, but the pictures are still with Janelle (who tagged along in the interview), and she's probably celebrating UST's Paskuhan with my other classmates by now.

We conducted the interview in Starbucks-Dapitan, avoiding the crazy UST crowd, although there were still a number of girls who interrupted us, but not in a bad way - the team captain kindly granted every photo-op and autograph requests.

Jeric Fortuna is surprisingly nice, not that I stereotyped him as one of those air-headed jocks usually seen on TV and the movies. I just like how humble and how patient he was with us, who were obviously unprepared, despite the many weeks of anticipation.

I will be posting our interview soon enough, as I want the photos to support my article.

Have a good night, everybody!

♥Andz

Saturday ♥

Yesterday was my kind of Saturday.

I couldn't remember the last time I enjoyed the start of a weekend. I reckon that I've always been piled with school and org work ever since the second semester kicked off early last November. Yesterday, however, was different. Yesterday was simply about pure fun, and fun means no doing of homework, no reviewing, nothing school-related at all - just yummy food, some friends, and a good movie... like Talaash: The Answer Lies Within.

Yes, Talaash - the latest film of Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan.

You wouldn't guess how thrilled I was when I found out that it will be releasing in the country shortly after its premiere in India, which was on the 30th of November this year. 

I was literally hyperventilating, as I held the entertainment section of the paper last Wednesday morning. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing - a full-fledged Bollywood movie to be shown in Philippine cinemas. Right then and there, I just knew that I had to see it with none other than my equally Bollyood-crazed friends Vinz and Kai.

We took the afternoon screening, and we had the theatre to ourselves! Well, there were about two other people in the cinema, but we didn't care at all! We loudly discussed about the how the film might turn out, screamed and shouted when we felt the need to, and just sat on the edge of our seats as the suspense of the story intensified.

Now, I wouldn't tell you about how the story went, and it's not just because of the spoilers I would possibly spill, but it's the request of Mr. Perfectionist himself. So I would just say that Aamir Khan and the Bollywood film industry continues to blow me away with their exciting plots, good music, and unpredictable twists.

I also love how some of India's social issues were integrated in the film, just like many of Aamir's previous projects. As the story progressed, "we had a counting game of the social issues that were presented in Talaash and we were able to identify police brutality, leakage of investigation procedures, dawdling process of police cases, blackmailing, prostitution, and infidelity" - as Vinz puts it. 

Bollywood movies may not be as popular as any other foreign films in the country, such as the Chinese's, the Koreans' or the Thais', but I really do think that Filipinos should give it a chance, as the realities exposed in their movies are very much similar to that of what we have here in our country, making Bollywood film settings and characters highly relatable to Filipino movie-goers, which is why I am beyond ecstatic and grateful that SM Cinemas have decided to widen their selection of films to their patrons, by adding Bollywood films to their exclusives.

Talaash will be in SM Cinemas all over the Metro until this week only, so be sure to catch it!

♥Andz

TGIF

I'm just a week away from my (very short) Christmas break! 

Yesterday was my last basketball class for the year, and I can't wait till we meet again next year. It's so fun, and I'm very proud to say that I scored for my team! I have no regrets for choosing this sport for my last PE class in college.

I am also very excited to read my pending books, as schoolwork won't be as demanding next week - I can breathe :)

♥Andz

Monday

It's the start of a new week, and also the start of a whole new bunch of tortures. And although I know I'll be having a crazy, crazy week ahead, filled with quizzes, paperwork, and what not, I still spent this Monday for some fun!

I met with my cousin in Glorietta to watch Dreamworks Pictures' "Rise of the Guardians", which we've been itching to see. It was awesome! The story, the characters, and the voices behind the characters (Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, and Jude Law) they were all perfect! 

Watching it made me feel like I were a kid again! And I've got a new-found love in Jack Frost, who had been portrayed awfully in stories and movies in the past, but in Rise of the Guardians... We saw a different side of him. Just... wow.

♥Andz

Christmas Post: The Wishlist!

I'm taking a time out from my jam-packed to-do list to post these stuff I'd really, really want to receive/buy myself this Christmas. Just by looking at these amazing items lifts my stress a bit.

La Sardina "The Guvnor" Lomography Camera

I first saw this La Sardina edition when I dropped by a shop that sells Lomo cams in the country, and it was love at first sight! I mean, what's there to not like about this camera?! It comes in the colours of the Union Jack, and it has a creative word collage of the most famous places in London all over it. Plus, this camera comes with a Fritz the Blitz flash and colour filters in blue, red, yellow, and white, a lens cap, and a "Seeing the World Through a Sardine Cam" booklet.

Accessorize - Bloom Applique Flower Pouch 

 It's been a while since I bought a bag (last August, I think), and this is simply the bag that I want! Not too big, not too small. Just the perfect size for my mobile, wallet, pen, notepad, and maybe, a pocketbook too!

Smiggle 2013 Diary

I've never been a keen user of planners before. I would usually start out writing in some things during the first few weeks of the year, but I would later feel too lazy to update the pages. That was until I got myself a diary from Smiggle during a visit in Singapore last year. Gosh, the illustrations were so adorable, tempting me to draw more. There are free stickers in the back. And, they also have allotted some pages for drawing exercises, games, thoughts, and sketching. 

"American Born Chinese" by Gene Luen Yang

I happened to read an excerpt of this wonderful award-winning graphic novel by the awesome Gene Luen Yang during my free time in school a week ago, and I found myself drawn to the story. It's funny, it's heartfelt, and the illustrations are amazing! If there's a book I'd love to read in the holiday break, it would be this one.

Marks & Spencer's Hello Kitty London Body Spritz

If there's one word to describe this spritz, it would be yummy. Bursting with the fabulous scents of zesty orange, juicy apples, and dreamy, creamy vanilla, this is just perfect for a day out under the sun, or even under the grey skies of London.

♥Andz

Must Read: Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope

As today is World AIDS Day, I would like to share this inspiring and heart-warming book I've read a few years back - Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope by Jenna Bush.

Ana's Story is a biography of a young girl born with HIV, whom the author met during her work with UNICEF. The book allows the reader to take a peek inside the life of Ana, who, like many children around the world, is excluded from basic care, support, and education. 

I was in my sophomore year in high school when I read Ana's Story, and it was the time when I found out how passionate I am about global issues. I was very much into environmental problems at the time, but when I read Ana's Story, I realised that it's not only the environment that's suffering so much, but the people as well. 

Through Ana's life, my eyes were opened on the painful realities of the society, including child sexual abuse,  lack of health care in a lot of countries, and how everyone is vulnerable to HIV. That just made me realise how lucky I am to be healthy and well with my family.

After closing the book, I took a trip to the UN office with my pa to read more about HIV/AIDS and how it's affecting children all over the globe, and most of the time, my head was filled with the question: "How can I help?"

I have to be honest and say that I've never done anything drastic to help (yet), but simple conversations with people, joining discussions like those in UNICEF's Voices of The Youth, and writing pieces regarding various social issues, somehow, raised awareness among my friends and readers.

Ana's Story is not one of the books that you'll soon forget. It sticks with you. It haunts you. It makes you thank for the life you have. It makes you reflect on a lot of things you don't think about on a regular basis. And I think, Ana's Story is the book you have to read today.

♥Andz

First of December

Today's the first of December, which means... CHRISTMAS IS COMING SOON! 

My heart is simply filled with joy and excitement, despite the stress and drama going on in school and in my life. So you see, that's what I love most about the Christmas season - you just become happy. 

This Christmas, I'm staying in the country. No trips. No plans. And although I miss Singapore terribly, nothing beats the Christmas spirit of the Filipinos - us Filipinos - and that's enough reason to be happy to stay home with my whole family during the last month of the year.

I've started doing my Christmas shopping runs, too, yesterday. I've ticked several friends out of my list, and I've got a few more to shop for. I have to admit that I love shopping for Christmas presents! I tend to be extravagant at times, which can burn a hole in my and my 'rents' pockets, but yeah, Christmas is the season of giving! In fact, I enjoy giving gifts more than receiving them, and that's no lie at all.

Now, to tell you about my day, I had my last NSTP fieldwork this morning, and the fact saddened me - well, it still does. I will really miss seeing my student, Alena. She's this really sweet and smart little girl and getting to spend some time with her in the past few days was just one of the most wonderful experiences I've ever had.

As a goodbye and advance Christmas present, I got her a Barbie doll and a magnetic plush toy from Disneyland (which had been sitting in my wardrobe for quite some time). She actually gasped in joy! Her expression is simply priceless. Turns out, the Barbie I gave her is her first!

♥Andz