Saturday, January 28, 2023
On a random Saturday morning, my good old friend Aya invited me to Antipolo. If you've been reading my monthly blogs, I mentioned him a lot of times before. We've known each other since High School and to this day, we still meet very often. Can't believe this bitch loves my company so much lol
He told me he wanted me to try something there, the hanging bridge in Cloud9. He's well aware I have fear of heights but still had the audacity to suggest it. But I said yes, because why not? I was feeling adventurous that day despite having barely 2 hrs of sleep from my shift the night before. Honestly, haven't been going to Antipolo that much so I have quite a number of reasons to say yes to this spontaneous trip. In short kaladkarin lang talaga ako.
We met up at Buendia Station and took the LRT to D. Jose. Switched to LRT2 and got off at the last station which was Antipolo Station. Ngayon na lang ulit ako nakapag LRT/MRT after pandemic omgg!
Rode a UV to Antipolo Church coz we got to be blessed💅 first. There's a wedding going on when we went! Lit up a candle and offered prayers. Indeed a refreshing way for us to start our day. 💗
We walked our way to the jeepney terminal going to Cloud9.
The weather was a bit cloudy, with some light drizzle. I instantly got scared walking beneath the hanging bridge. Looking at it from down below made me almost back out. But I wasn't there to spoil the fun so we paid the entrance fee of Php100 (if I'm not mistaken).
photo or it never happen lol
Loving the viewwww♥
We headed to the platform after. Waited a couple more minutes too.
Was trying to cheer myself up!
Desperately calming myself and trying not to panic or else I'll cry!!!! The last time I tried walking across a hanging was in Masungi and that was years ago! Never have I ever focused on my foot and hand rhythm like my life depends on it! It became scarier when you're almost at the top. I even pulled out my phone and took a vid just so I can distract myself. The sad news is I didn't get to enjoy the view, but I'd rather make it through the end alive than go sightseeing lol
And I fucking made it! Another step to overcoming my fear. I think I can go skydiving at this point. hell nah
So a mass of couples welcomed us at the top viewing deck posing all cutesy and shit for the camera. Nice. Lovely view indeed. The air up there even smelled different. Smelled like love bombs, situationships, and bullshit.
Charot hahahahaha
Grasya stop being salty!
Us after using a handful of wipes, and disinfecting because the railings were so rusty!
We barely had a spot to take our own photos 😅had to ask some people to move over a bit lol
and this is me doing the pokpok pose because I survived!
The picturan mo ko kunware emote pose.😂
Side note: Saw some people writing on the floor which is not allowed!! Declaring their love for each other by doing something prohibited? Seriously. Sana okay lang kayo. Can't you just enjoy the view?
We didn't stay that long since more and more people were coming. The deck was quite crowded already.
Went down and headed to Kaulayaw Coffee to have dinner. We were starving!! All that uphill walk and the hanging bridge drained tf out of me juskolord
Waited for almost an hour in line.
Probably, one of the most beautiful restaurants I've been to. The interior felt homey and relaxing. They have a viewing deck too! Overlooking the city.
We got a table near the deck for the ultimate viewing experience!
Daming mag jowa na naman tapos kami ng tropa ko tamang bardagulan with a view lang lol
Look how beautiful the sky is♥ Give off "Lavender Haze" vibes!
I got their Pesto, and a Spanish Latte (Matcha wasn't available 😭) while Aya had Chicken Inasal, we also ordered this toast with grilled cheese for us to share. For dessert, we had Strawberry Cake. Couldn't recall the names on the menu. Sorry!
Overall, I enjoyed the Pesto I think it costs around Php350-ish? The waiting time was approximately 15-20 minutes. Not bad for a jampacked restaurant. Given we went there on a late Saturday afternoon.
Commuting can be a little tiring though. Kindly greet my back, and my knees they'll be turning 87 tomorrow lol
Anyway, this unplanned trip wouldn't be possible without my dear friend, Aya. Thanks so much for tagging me along! I had fun 💖😁
We're almost done with January, and I'm liking how things are turning out right now. I swear I'll make more short trips/vacations this year so hopefully, I'll be able to do it.
See ya on my January dump blog!
Til next time
xoxo
Grace
Monday, January 23, 2023
Don't call me out for posting a 2022 recap when we're almost in February! I got so busy with life.😿 But here it is, and it's quite lengthy but if you have time feel free to stay. ☺
I can't believe the last time I did a recap was way back in 2018! I usually do this yearly but life, and Covid happened. So since 2019, this blog has been idle. Everything was a lot to take in, and blogging was just not my top priority then.
But now that things have changed, and I'm a little emotionally, and mentally stable now so why not bring this blog back to life? RIGHT??
WELL, A LOT HAPPENED.
My grandmother passed on January this year. We all saw it coming. She'd been bedridden for quite a while, and slowly fading of old age. My cousins and, I would nurse her at home. Changing her diapers, preparing, and feeding her. She'd lived a long, and joyous life with us. And while it's still heartbreaking that she's gone now. We all know she's living a healthy and happy life with Papay in heaven. No more struggles, no more complications. Just peace. An eternal one. I miss you, Mamay!
Still, in January, my Levi Nendoroid finally came! It's a 6 month-long of waiting and I became so anxious just thinking if I could still be alive by the time it arrives. Because who knows? A lot can happen in those 6 months. Call me negatron if you may, but I'm just so happy Levi is home. Can hardly wait to put it on display once my room is done. :)
Came February, and I was at my biggest. I was about 76kgs and I'm pretty sure I hit 80kgs at some point too. It was craaazy, I was working remotely at that time so I never had any exercise. I was just eating a lot, and not caring about my weight. Basic house chores requires so much energy. I'd have trouble breathing even tying my shoelaces. My belly was peeking out of my clothes. It made me frustrated. I did not like what I see in the mirror. It's just literally fats over fats.😭 But it still did not motivate me to lose weight so I just continued eating twice or even thrice the normal portion. IKR??😭
This is a selfie I took and you can see my bilbil na galit na galit pumapantay sa dibdib ko! Jusko.
Valentine's Day? Nahh I did not do a fucking thing. I was at home doing my job. If I were in a relationship, you could see me flexing my man in socmed. Throwing some lame-ass greetings lol but Imma say hard pass for now.
March, was when had my sister's, Gender Reveal. I was desperately wishing the baby to be a girl so I could dress her up all kawaii, and shit. But he turned out to be a baby boy. I guess I should make my own lol Labyu Bogart, regardless of what gender you take on later in life!
In April of this year, our office required us to report back on-site. It was stressful dealing with the commute, the costly fare etc. But on the other hand, it was nice seeing your favorite workmates, and your office friends! We were just so noisy all the damn time. The bay was always crowded. True that working from home is so much easier, but getting to see your friends every day, and knowing they got your back is so much better!
I also attended an Anime Con wearing my AOT Jacket! I'd love to attend more of this in the future.
Lastly, this is the month I decided to lose some weight. I would have a 15-20 minute walk every day to get to work so I took advantage of that exercise and decreased my portion intake at the same time. I started at 76kgs.
May, was when we had our team building, it was also around this time when the company had officially declared that they'd be laying us all off by June. So we're just basically making the most out of our remaining days there.
Still in May, my friends, and I had our staycation at Selah Garden. It's also the first time we met my now bestie, Gail! who would've thought we'd get along so well? The whole stay was literally us singing at the top of our lungs in our room. Renting out their karaoke as if all the acapella, and guitar jamming weren't enough.
Came June, as I mentioned earlier. The month my coworkers and I dreaded the most. We had our last day on June 16 and had a mini farewell party held at our pantry. There was a short program too. Of course, it made me cry. That was my home for 4 whole years. It wasn't just a friendship we had built, but rather a family. I still keep up with my folks there and we all swore to meet every now and then!
Just a couple of days after being laid off, we had our last get-together as a team!
Missing y'all mga tropa!
Last week of June was when Bogart, my dear nephew was born! I couldn't be happier. So much that it felt like I was the mother lol I literally cried seeing him for the first time, and I'm just so excited to see him grow into a fine, young man or woman, who knows!
From our last day until July, I took my time off from work. I did not apply for a new job yet. I thought I deserve some rest after working continuously for years. It was nice not doing anything and not setting up my alarms. However, it became boring, and I felt dull afterwards.
In between being palamunin, I renewed my passport coz' I might get myself an afam soon jk! Sana di ka lang pang ID putangina
I also decided to get myself some tattoos! You probably thought I got a job? Nah. Been dreaming about getting one ever since I was a kid. Yes, as early as 12 years old and I would never understand why people see it as "dirt in your body". Tattoo is art, and a way to express yourself. It's not just some "dirt", there's a whole story behind it. And I hate pain in any kind of form. I hate needles or getting my blood drawn. But that day, I told myself "fuck it". If I die from the pain of getting a tattoo, at least I died doing something I've dreamt of.
And, guess what honey, I survived lol. I actually got two of them. Despite getting some snide remarks from my father about it, I did not give a fuck. I have never felt so brave, alive, and free after getting those. Will probably have more of it in the future but for now, this bitch got to chill. My dad still sees me as his rebellious teenage daughter. Pido, I'm almost 30 😒
July has been quite eventful, my friends, and I had another staycation in celeb of my best friend's birthday, Bill! Learned to play Avalon too! Such a fun activity lalo na kung gago mga tropa mo WAHAHAHA! Jobs, cooked a lot and I was in charge of dishwashing. That's the role you take when you suck at cooking lol
Still tracking my progress, I was at 63kgs here not much of a change but hey I'm losing some belly fat! Getting comfier wearing swimsuits now 😭this one is not even high-waisted. I lost some fat on my face too since I cut off sugar.
Then on the last week, we went to Baguio with my former workmates turned friends! Ah to be back in my most beloved City! It was completely nostalgic. I desperately wish to return this year. But this time, alone!
In August, I started working again. I got hired as a Recruiting Consultant. A different from the BPO-ish environment that I got used to. I took on a different career path in hopes to succeed in this field. Let's see how this one goes lol coz I'm not gonna lie, this is REALLY CHALLENGING.
First day at work!
Did some DIY photoshoot for my Linkedin profile para di mukhang scammazz
"Ang 5k mo gawin kong 10k ko" starter pack.
As the peeps in Tokyo Tokyo would say, Irasshaimase!
September flew by in a blink of an eye. I was still adjusting to my work so I was preoccupied, stressed, and just straight-up clueless about what I was doing. I remember being so frustrated that I would always go out every weekend to meet up with friends for a quick breather. Just a trip to a coffee shop gives me so much peace.
October was quite eventful though. I got a haircut twice. Went out with my nephew, and some of my friends.
I lost approximately 16kgs by this time and that was without doing any workouts. And lastly, incorporated green tea into my routine. Best decision I ever made!
Also tried dining alone.
Had a few trips to cafes last November. Toured my nephew in BGC too!
ay di pala to cafe hehe
Coffee Project's Matcha Latte is surprisingly good. Been hearing a lot of negative feedback, but this one is not too sweet!
Yes Bogart adore your Tita, para may pamasko ka.
Casually stocking up on green tea!
Random heartfelt letter I left in a cafe.
Then came December. WILL ALWAYS REMAIN THE BUSIEST MONTH for me. With my nephew's baptism, my birthday, and Christmas in the same month. Can I have a minute to breathe? I already made a December blog so click here if you want to read it in detail.
Met up with my friends at my new work! Hi Skye! She told me she's reading daw my blog!! huhuh thanks vebs sana magka sampu kang subs. Love yaaaaa 💕
The unlimited cocktail did it for me. Imma press that Golden Buzzer!!!
Then Christmas came.
If there's one thing that I'm most really proud of accomplishing this year, it will be my weight loss journey. This is the lightest I've been after so many years. I feel so much more confident in my body compared to my previous weight, I'm at 60kgs now still quite a long way to go but I'm happier and feel lighter inside. It's just purely diet, drinking lots and lots of water, and green tea. Trust me, it does wonder!
Here are some of the before and after photos I compiled. Please don't expect too much lololol
Currently, my weight has been ranging from 58kgs-60kgs, depending on the portion I take lol My then 38-inch waistline is now at 27inch. Best part? buying from normal-sized shops! Being fat all my life, my choice of clothes is limited. But now I can risk buying that medium shorts from Shopee and they would fit just fine.😭😭😭 I think I've lost most of my water weight, so the last option to continue losing is to do some workouts na! Lord give me the motivation to exercise! 🙏Hopefully, will lose more this year!
So we've finally reached the end of this blog. This year has been a roller coaster ride for me. I was literally hurting all year & I wanted to give up so many times but didn’t. Things happened to me that shouldn’t have. I grieved, got a new job, dated people, and got another heartbreak because what else would you get from dating the wrong people. DUH. Grasya, when will you ever learn lol and who would have thought I'm still capable of love? That was a major surprise. EVEN FOR ME. I will never ever let myself get sidetracked like that again.
New year, new trauma.
Charot
Anyway, this is quite long, so I'll be ending it here.
Thanks to everyone who made my 2022 unforgettable.
I'll be leaving all the negativity, the heartaches, and the drama.
I’m so ready for a new year & new blessings. 2023 is my year‼️🤞🤍
xoxo
Grace