to the year that was! thank you 2014!

i'm writing this in advance chunks (cos i never finish an entry in a single sitting, either i can't find what to say, or i'm babbling too much i don't know how to end) with the intention of publishing it on the first days month of 2015!

sooooo... here are my 2014 highlights! for this list i scanned my blog archives plus my mobile photos to see how the year went for me, and picked the awesome stuff from there haha.

here, i also made a doodle out of it! enhanced using photoshop and vscocam lol. it's originally just black and white >XD i wanted to cap off the year doing something i really really love, so i doodled! >XD

oryt i'll start rambling now [warning: super long post]

homaygas i'm officially an illustrator now *kilig*

The Storytelling Project Book Launch
December 14, 2014
Fully Booked BGC

because i was too lazy, i never got to create a separate post for it. the launch was unlike any other book launch i pass by on the mall haha. it was a children's party and a storytelling afternoon. and i felt proud and super hopeful that more people will come to support TSP. <3

seeing people read the book and look at the illustrations make me so happy. i know i still have a heck lot to improve on but i'm looking forward to this year to turn me into a better artist!

right now, Super Labandera is only available by ordering through Kuya Rey (or me! so i can forward it to him hehe), but this year it'll be out on Fully Booked bookstores! i'll let you know when it's really really out there! weeeeee! haha

my dream phone. bow

thanks to the ipad air i won over from NuffangPh x Globe Telecom's contest about #GlobeProjectWonderful2014, i was able to buy a Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. you knowww, that phone i've been lusting over ever since (read here!).

it's the first high-end phone i bought, and also the first phone i didn't want to replace for the longest time *achievement unlocked!*. maybe because my past units were all mid-range and bars that there's always the urge to upgrade. hehe

won some blogging contests yeyy!

this year i took home an ipad air, a (pending) sponsorship from Globe for TSP, a month subscription from Sky Cable (all channels activated! ambassador privilege -- i recall that's how they termed it >8D), and a couple of free movies: Transformers: Age of Extinction (in 4DX), maleficent, mokingjay, x-men: days of future past, etc.

also, just recently i won a free TRX class at ShapeStream fitness center! haha yeyy 

off Smart and onto Pointwest

i resigned from my first company and got a new job at Pointwest, which is only a good 30 minutes from home. the best thing about this change was that i saved a lot of time for myself. haha

inspiration overload from Graphika Manila 2014

the day i felt most inspired as an artist.

took running seriously...

by enrolling in Milo R2 Apex Running School! i still consider myself a frustrated runner. my lungs are all sorts uncooperative (i think i have paint deposits in them), and so are my knees (esp the right one. read: previously injured). what a combo! but then i looked past them and thought, maybe i'm the problem and not my so-called handicaps lol.

because of MARS i was able to learn a lot about metabolic fitness, i grew some muscles (nakss), i climbed my first mountain, i ran my first non-stop 5k, i became more health conscious, and best of all i gained friends! honestly, i didn't lose weight, but at least i didn't gain any either! hehe >XD

first time at Boracay!

i wasn't able to blog about this adventure with my college barkada but it was one of the best vacations i've ever had! 

bought my own domain!

i've always wanted to buy my own domain because i wanted to push my blogging to the next level. true enough, having my own .com opened a lot of opportunities for me! yeyy!

jeckie and i turned 3 years

we've also been so active in discussing the future, and we both caaaan't wait! oh sweldo, lumaki ka na please! looking forward to acquiring a house/condo unit/whatever. by God's grace! <3

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hm, that's probably it! this entry took so long to finish majorly because i always get distracted haha.

anyway. err, back to work. >XD

Milo Marathon Finals 2014

MARS QC Runners! Photo by Excipio Imago Photography

last year, i wasn't able to go to the milo marathon finals because my legs were still too sore from running at Nike We Run Manila which was a week before the milo run. mejo ambisyosa kasi i pegged for 2 consecutive 10k runs with only a week recovery in between. i was a beginner at running and didn't know best. :P

but finally, after a year, i was able to attend na! woooh! and here's my record:

the Milo Marathon Manila Finals was rescheduled a week later (Dec 13) than the original date (Dec 7) due to the threats of typhoon Ruby/Hagupit. luckily i just live in the metro and had no plans on the 13th so i was able to come. but as for those who came from the provinces who qualified for the finals, spent money on transportation, lodging, etc, and had to extend for another week due to the rescheduling, i feel bad for all of them. they can't be blamed for all the hassles they went through. :( it can't be helped though. the marathon has to push through this year, and there are no more available dates for december. >XS

anywaaaaaay, i was supposed to run with my MARS9 buddy, Ken, but she didn't make it huhu. T___T i came in late so i missed the warm up with the other guys haha okay lang din naman. >XD

the run was... great! haha. it's my second time to run around MOA/Pasay Area, my first time was during Red Cross Million Volunteer Run (which was kindof bad), so this is definitely the better of the 2 runs.

they say RunRio is a great run organizer and i couldn't agree more. everything was actually organized. there were km markers everywhere, hydration was sufficient, and everything was pretty much in place. as usual there were a loooot of people who ran, and since i was late, i kindof got mixed with the non-competitive crowd (ie. students) who just pretty much walked and took selfies at every kilometer mark, or wherever there's a large Milo signboard around. i don't get annoyed with them, at some point, i was like them too. hahaha

i felt bad for those who were running 5k with their backpacks on though. apparently, 5k runners aren't entitled baggage stubs so there. good thing APEX has a tent where we can leave our bags! we were even given a tapsi breakfast after the run, and i was finally able to claim my MAR9 singlet! yeyy! >XD

that's pretty much it! late post i know. let me leave you with a JGH (just got home) selfie i took that day! haha

PS: thanks for the ride back kris! >:D

my happiest 5k!

wooooh! this afternoon's jog was the best i had so far. in terms of record and overall feeling. i jogged 5.02km in 43 minutes! that's quite a milestone for me because that's my fastest 5k, and i jogged without stopping! HAHAHA sorry naman sa "PR" ko (kung maituturing). still on my way to 30 minutes! <3

i really wanted to call it a run, but at the (literal) rate at which i was going, i was more jogging than running. nonetheless, i never stopped! that means i'm probably doing something right on account of my breathing skills. haha! skill talaga, yes. cos at some point in every run, we need to pause to catch our breaths. most runners do that on a light jog, i do it on a walk... which drags the record lower so yeah. will work on that! >XD

even though i had a great jog, it wasn't really that smooth. come 3k and my feet started blistering! so i had to adjust my steps to lessen the impact on the sore areas. huhu. then after a kilometer i was feeling side stitches naman! common running problem; so i had to slow down a bit. :(

magkaganun man, push parin!!!

when the nike+ app announced 5k, i was sooo frakking happy i could imagine the gray pavement turning red, lanes being drawn with white strips, and a finish tape waiting to be breasted in slow-mo. BEST. FEELING. EVER.

i don't know what else made this run special, could it be the coffee i drank some 30 minutes before, or the #Drop10Workout i did a few hours back, or just the fact that i'm on vacation? lol. whatever the other reasons may be, THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS RUN! <3

i'm still struggling to realize why i'm so slow. at my age i should be breaking the 30minutes barrier already. after MARS9, i felt stronger, and my succeeding runs have finally become injury-free. for the first time in my life, when i stiffen up and poke myself, i finally feel some hardness and not some disappointing jello of fat haha. >XD

i'm suspecting i have weak lungs. though i have to check w/ a doctor parin. for some reason i want to try getting checked-up at Peak Form! ever since that summer where i lived in a newly painted dorm, my health has declined radically. my lungs are just so blah. better check with the doctor. >XS

anywaaaaay, that's it!

btw i'm so excited this season cos i have a lot of personal projects in tow for the coming days, like:

- selecting works for a new portfolio
- a desk calendar!
- watercolor and lettering stuff
- an obligatory year-ender post
- 2015 wishlist
- backlogs, backlogs, and more backlogs
- reviving #ProjectKorra even though the entire Avatar franchise has just ended and by the time i'm finally Korra-ready, no one could probably relate to my fitness peg anymore. haha

sooooo.... i have to gooo!!!
happy Christmaaaasss!!! <3

Breastfeeding and getting pregnant

Oops! Don't get me wrong, I'm nowhere near getting pregnant and having a baby, not just yet, but just recently I learned something informative about it that I just wanted to share it with you guys. A couple of my friends are in the family planning stage and I thought this is a very helpful thing to know. Here it goes:

click for source

Many women decide that they would like to get pregnant while they are still breastfeeding. However, many women do not realize that breastfeeding is actually a natural contraceptive that disrupts ovulation. Breastfeeding makes it harder for ovulation to return to normal after giving birth, and can keep women from being able to get pregnant again. According to Pregnancytips.org, there are a few things that you can do to try to improve your chances of getting pregnant while breastfeeding if that is something that you want to do. First of all, once your baby begins to sleep through the night, you can try to space out your breastfeeding sessions as much as possible. The longer you space out your breastfeeding, the more likely you are to “trick” your body into beginning to ovulate again. The same is true for when your baby begins to eat solid foods. The truth is, the older your baby gets, the more likely it is that your periods and ovulation cycles will begin to return to normal, and you will be able to get pregnant again.

So ultimately, the breastfeeding phenomenon acts as a contraceptive. So for parents out there who'd like to get another baby while the mother is still on it, spacing is the key!

You're Invited! The Storytelling Project BOOK LAUNCH!

Finally! The Storytelling Project will be launching "Super Labandera" and "Si Uligmaya at ang Dambuhalang Buwaya"

Imagine. Create. Share

The First-ever TSP Book Launch

Featuring stories written by Jim Mark of Dagupan and Aprille Joy of the Mountain Province

It will be on December 14, 2014 (Sunday)
4:30pm at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street (BGC, Taguig)

Admission is free!

here's the official facebook event page :D

see you all there!

to give you a short background, these books were written by children who were part of TSP's Storywriting Workshops. If you don't know TSP yet, they're a team of passionate people who travel to remote communities in the country to teach children reading, storytelling, and writing; following a comprehensive 3-phase program, Imagine-Create-Share which is best explained here at their FB page's About section (expand on the long description please!) hehe

i'm so excited because i'll be signing for Super Labandera as the illustrator! moreso, it's going to be my first time to see the book for real because i wasn't able to participate during the proofing process. haaay busy kasi haha.

this is such a freaking dream come true not just for me, but for the many kids in far flung places who will be inspired to dream BIG! imagine, Jim Mark and Aprille were just ordinary children who wanted to learn story writing, AND NOW THEY HAVE A BOOK! amazing grabe!

i hope you all go and support the cause! the books will be sold at 150 pesos each, and next year it will be out on Fully Booked bookstores!