So long, my friend.

My senior year seatmate and good friend, Sanghoon Chea, left for Korea today for military service. We didn't have the chance to hang-out before he left and that's what makes me sad right now. I'm gonna miss you so much, Korean perv. Come back soon. 

Photos c/o Robert Lesterio

Here are screenshots of our latest conversations which I will surely miss.

GVI

One of my friends who's very active in outreach activities and volunteer work told me to check out GVI. She applied for a short-term volunteering program in Kenya and she is now processing her papers because she's bound to leave on June, right after her graduation. Just a short background about GVI:

GVI is a non-political, non-religious organisation, which runs over 100 projects in 25 countries. GVI volunteers fill a critical void in the fields of environmental research, conservation, education and community development.

Global Vision International (GVI) was formed in 1997 to provide support and services to international charities, non-profits and governmental agencies, through volunteering opportunities, internship programs, training and direct funding.

GVI is guided by a unique commitment to its volunteers and to its partners. To the volunteer it offers safe, responsible travel experiences, exceptional training and career development opportunities, and facilitates the ability to make a real difference.

To our communities we commit all project ownership and all work undertaken to their direction, in conjunction with our local partners.

International partners include the South African National Parks Board, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Jane Goodall Institute, Rainforest Concern and Kenyan Wildlife Service. From 2007, 70% of all volunteer contributions received were spent directly in the field.

GVI runs over 100 volunteer programmes that are consistently amazing. How do we know this? Because we built them. Our organisation is globally renowned for its sustainability and for providing safe, friendly and inspiring experiences. By and large, we run our own operations from the application process to the field work which means the leaders you meet on-site are employed by GVI, living and working at our locations year-round to ensure the longevity of our work. Our projects are designed to adapt to the communities’ most urgent needs, from education to construction, to conservation. We include the local community members in our efforts and decisions, fostering these relationships to build stronger, healthier communities for the future.

Our bases are home to some of the most remote and pristine environments in the world. Find yourself on our South African reserve where you’ll share in the excitement of tracking a cheetah earlier that morning with your Field Guide. Or sway in a hammock on a breezy day at our base in Mexico, listening to your favorite tunes while studying the marine life down on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Wherever you are based, our bases are places of profound discovery, awe-inspiring observations, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. You will work side-by-side with those around you to feed the fire of the GVI spirit as people from all walks of life come together in one place to achieve a shared goal: improving the quality of life for indigenous communities and the natural environment by building sustainable systems that last for generations to come.

Note: Info taken from the GVI website.

Tina's 18th

Super late post! Tina, one of my closest friends in college, celebrated her 18th birthday last January 28.
Kels, Eloisa, Nicole, and I decided to give her a gift that she wouldn't forget: a cake from Kink Cakes! ;)
We had dinner @ Red Crab then had some drinks and karaoke @ Red Box (all at Greenbelt 3). Tina's childhood friends, Danica, Maria, AJ, and Alexis were with us. IT WAS DEFINITELY ONE FUN NIGHT.

@ Kink Cakes Makati

Eloisa! First time to see her with her hair down + she's wore a skirt!! Too bad I didn't have a picture. 

Nicole

Kels

The cake! From your pretty friends ;)

Tina's birthday cake

@ Red Crab

Stress and friends.

I only had one class for today (PE) and it was free cut 'cause our prof didn't show up. My friend, Kels, and I took the opportunity to take the ITEO exam. We rushed to the 14th floor of our building and a long line of fellow froshies waiting to take the test at A1403 welcomed us when we stepped out of the elevator. We decided to go to A1003 instead but the room was already full so we rushed once again and went to the 3rd floor where we finally took the exam. It took us about an hour and a half to finish it then we proceeded to take our medical exam. To make it short, it took us about 2 hours to finish everything ---from the vision test, physical and dental check-up to the x-ray.


Afterwards, Kels and I met with Tina and ate at McDo. Kels and I were so hungry so we used up all of her McDo coupons. Tina asked us to go with her to Rockwell to look for a dress for her debut. We looked for the perfect red dress (Tina is Chinese and she wanted to wear something red for her birthday) and we almost gave up since most of our suggestions were too conservative for Tina. She wanted something edgy and sexy for her 18th. We went to People are People and voila! There were a couple of red dresses for her to try on and Kels and I were acted as the judges. She finally came up with a red tube dress with a black lace design at the back.

Kels and her made-for-you burger

My diet is ruined. :(

Shoes from Aldo

Tina

Got bored at People are People

People are People shoes. I love their heels. :)

Bored and tired.

My ever so trusty pair of Keds. They're so comfortable.

People are People's glittery clothes.

My outfit. :))
The Beatles top - SM
Bandage skirt - random
Sneakers - Keds
Watch - Swatch

We got bored so we tried on these pair of glasses.

Fan mail

This one made my day. It's from one of my followers in Tumblr, tor-hay. Thank you so much. :)

OC hits.

I had no plans for today (bummer) so I decided to organize my stuff. I started with my desk; I removed all the trash so that it would be clutter free. I tried to re-write my notes but I failed because I'm such a lazy ass. 

My newly organized desk 

French book 

Old notebook. Goodbye. :(

Stationery.

Left - 2nd term binder
Right - 3rd term binder

Stickers for my imaginary planner! :))

My Post-Its which I rarely use.

After 30 minutes, my desk's messy again. :|

Reunited.

My cute cousins who came all the way from London because of our grandpa's death. Haven't seen them for 3 years! I wonder if their mom named them after Adriana Lima and Alessandra Ambrosio. HAHA


Photos taken via Instagram

Alessandra (a.k.a Alyssa)

My tita w/ Adriana (a.k.a. Yanna)

Tahanan.

Tahanan 

Samantha Benitez (played by Lauren Young), a college student, goes on a journey to find her inner peace in the company of orphaned children, at Bahay Kanlungan. As a young heart encounters different stories of hardships,  twelve children teach Sam a great deal about love, courage, and family.

Starring Lauren Young, Mark Gil, Angelina Kanapi, Sabrina Man, Miguell Tanfelix, Khen Aldovino

Directed by Krizzie Syfu

Watch Tahanan in SM Mall of Asia, SM Manila, Sm North Edsa, Sm Megamall this coming January 25-31!

Tahanan trailer:

From Dapitan to Taft.

 JANUARY 20, 2012

A good friend of mine, Jealine, went to visit me in Taft right after her exams in UST. Her main purpose for visiting me was Cafe Noriter, a Korean-inspired coffee shop. I couldn't blame her for nagging me to accompany her to the place. I fell in love with the place when I first visited it last June 2011. Here are some photos I took using Instagram.

Jealine's lunch. Ham and egg sandwich and iced vanilla frap.

Admiring the place.

More photos here: From Noriter with love.

Follow my friend, Jealine, on Tumblr. thelovelyrecklessdoll.tumblr.com