A Letter To My 20- Year Old Self

Dear 20- Year Old Kate,

Congratulations in advance for actually making it into your twenties journey. Well, 9 years from now you will have reached only one out of six of what you really wanted to become: HR Professional slash Teacher slash Lawyer slash Forensic Psychologist slash Journalist slash Rockstar based in your homeland, but who cares! You will return to Singapore unexpectedly so you'd have to deal with that move pretty well. Think about how tough you'd be with so many experiences. Things will actually be more awesome than you ever thought of. 

Oh, by the way Kate, I'm writing you this letter to let you know that it's alright. You're nearing your birthday, which'll be the beginning of your last year of completing your Before Thirty Bucket List.

But let's focus on your concerns as a 20- year old. You see, there'd be a lot of screw- ups ahead of you, yet on the bright side, you're off to check out a lot of life's good stuff. Muse over how excited you were as a graduate fresh from college who's about to enter into what they label as the gruesome corporate world. Actually that's the only thing that mattered in your heart: making a mark into a futile environment at age 20 onward. You never wanted a lot of those girly- girl and wifey- wife dreams. You just wanted to become a career freak and to someday adopt a kid. You believed that too much involvement in very personal affairs will get you out of focus. What an ambitious, selfish, and cold- hearted 20- year old. Okay, here's some spoiler for you, skinny girl: your views will kinda change. You're going to experience some balance halfway and you'd better be ready for some slight tweaks in your ambitions. So live it up and stop being too serious at an early age. You will soon be very mesmerized about the importance of family, friendship and love so get a grip.

I've some bit of advice for you though to let you breeze through your twenties ride smoothly:

• Do and take "things" moderation. Otherwise, you'll get cracked up.
• Learn self- defense. Attend that kickboxing or wushu class you've been dying to go to. 
• Use the right defense mechanisms into situations where you feel compromised.
• Research the funniest and creepiest of jokes, stories, icebreakers, and games. These will really be helpful as you enter the HR world. 
• Ever thought about investments and stocks? Then think about it when you turn 24!
• Spend a great deal of time with your family. Be nicer to them. Cook for everybody at home or spoil them with dinner treats when you can. Remember, the first people you should give pasalubong to when you're fresh from a trip are your family!
• Never ever trade your precious reading time for some silly date. 
• Don't feel too complacent that you'll maintain that teenage figure forever, so be cautious of your health and fitness activities. Metabolism stuff? That's true.
• Talk to your father with a free mind and coerce him to help you build your own vegetable garden. Get a car even though he doesn't want you to drive. Don't be scared- he'll never actually pop your tires.
• Lessen the errands you ask of your mother and increase your spa or facial treatments together.
• Go out with your brother more often and ask him to train you in playing poker. Stop doing his assignments for the love of God! Don't be evil to his would- be girlfriends, haha!
• Become a collector, not a hoarder. There's a BIG difference.
• Embrace your beloved grandparents very tightly and take them to the moviehouse. Make sure to buy a lot of turtleneck tops that your Nanay loves. Eat every meal that your Tatay cooks for you no matter how full you are. Work on those brain- twisting crossword puzzles together more often. Visit your Lola in Pangasinan to dance some cha cha cha. You will miss these... them.
• Yes, head to that voice talent audition. 
• Why the hell did you stop making and selling chocolates??? Go get that stupid molder!
• Chill and don't be such a hot- tempered bitch. You need not blame PMS all the time.
• Make your wardrobe colorful. It currently looks like a stack of dominoes with a few mud brown and moss green colored stuff.
• Have a good attendance record. Never get tempted to be absent and tardy due to laziness. Stop claiming that you're suffering from clinomania. 
• Start running. You may hate it now that you're 20 but unbelievably, you will one day get high and run a marathon. One day.

20- Year Old Kate 

About To Turn 29- Year Old Kate

I pray that you'd get through your twenties full of faith and spunk. It may not be as outstanding, but you are going to do a good job anyway. Thanks for that powerful self control that everybody admires, but I need to remind you to let loose and get crazy during your mid- twenties. That innate sense of humor is going to kill a crowd. Your love for food, traveling, and photographs will really get you to places. So put on your dancing shoes and salsa your upcoming years away because everything will be okay. Things will be FAB!

Toodles and Love,

About To Turn 29- Year Old Kate

First Quarter Stillness

The first three months of 2012 have been really insane. A combo of emotions, hardcore events, and too much sleeping was at work. Even my blogging's been put to hiatus and so accounts of my awesome experiences and travels were just stuck here in my head, waiting for the memory chopper to pick 'em up and drop 'em off into the black hole. Two things though that were constant were the following: a) I did most stuff on impulse, and b) I met MORE new friends. 

My body clock has also become granny- ish lately! Just to give you an idea, I was the perpetually ultimate and crazy nocturnal that one can ever meet! Ever since I settled into my new place though, there's never been a time that I slept for less than eight hours. Total relaxation is sweet! I admit however that this is against my principle of not sleeping so as not to miss out on things because of that "Life's too short" cliche. Haha, so dumb. Now, I would work out and tire myself off so that I could get myself glued to the bed instantly. And I will not wake up no matter how strong the forces of nature have been trying to bug my buzzing. I wouldn't mind even if you go frolicking on my bedside.

I felt that I've done so many things and actually went to some places for the past three months, but I don't want to get into a blow by blow account of all those. Honestly, I lost track of the news because pretty much merrymaking with la vida lately has been so fab. I will just put together all those experiences, places, concepts, and issues that went on from January to March of this year with my li'l cent on the opposite:

a) Kony 2012 video: Filipino slacktivism. I can't believe that a lot have fallen for this. 

b) My February weekend in the Philippines: AWESOME! Family, friends, wakeboarding, food, stairs accident, and alcohol! 

c) Azkals: Wake up! Geez.

d) The Hunger Games film: Josh Hutcherson's exactly how I imagined Peeta to look like. I read the book twice on 2011. As always, the book's always better than the flick. But--- 'ever read or seen Battle Royale?

e) Pinterest: Now getting my ass worked up for the interior of my soon- to- be crib, formal make- up school preps, food porn, and some ramblings.

f) My version of "Look At Me Now": And I bang in the east and I bang in the west... My recorded rap video's still stored in my hard drive. "Do you really wanna know what's next?" LOL.

g) Thought Catalog: I. Am. So. Into. It. I'm wired to be weird.

h) TRX Suspension Training: Are you saying that the body is evil and so it must be punished? I hate how difficult this is!

i) Bintan, Indonesia: Bin- tin (Bintan is Nakakabitin!)

j) Gotye - KMN, FML moments FTW.

k) Wicked: Defying gravity!?

l)  Singapore club scene: I felt so old that the mornings after the hard nights on the dance floor had me going grumpy the following day.


m) Magnum Ice Cream hype: Just because the elite circle in the Philippines are promoting this doesn't make you one of them when you eat Magnum. You're being Punk'd! Stop making duck faces in photos while you're about to take a bite. Get a Pinipig stick instead!

n) Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss: Such an amazingly stirring work.


So the first three months were blah and so- so but I'd still consider them to be kinda cool. It's like experiencing total chill out before summer time. 


I am capping this off with The Burning Man's delivery of Oh, The Places You'll Go. Feel the amazement as I did (and tears were gushing from my eyes for every line of the poem)! By the way, the Burning Man peeps are HOT. Add- on:

Shake It Out, Woman!

Draaat! I only came to notice this song two weeks ago when it was played in the last few scenes of the 17th episode of How I Met Your Mother Season 7. 


SPOILER Alert: So Robin moved out of Ted's apartment. Big changes for the friends, eh? Of course, one cannot live in the same premises with the person who broke his heart. 


Here's my February earworm, Shake It Out by the amazing Flo:


"And I am done with my graceless heart. So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart."

Right? Such an amazing and moving song about life, direction, and freedom. This is now on default. I've always loved Flo whose music's been a part of my "winning- the- dog- days" saga.


UPDATE AS OF 15 MARCH 2012: Katharine MacPhee's character, Karen Cartwright of the new TV broadway musical show (and currently my addiction) SMASH, performed this song in a bar mitzvah gig during its 6th episode. It was sooo good! 

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

CNY 2012 is rainy here in Singapore. Nonetheless, this wouldn't keep me from going out to enjoy the festivities and greeting everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! It's the freaking YEAR OF THE DRAGON!

A HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE DRAGON KATOL! Tira lang ng tira, my friends! Carpe Annum!

It's More Fun If You're Not A Prick

No, I really wasn't planning to post something today, until I saw this article by Mon Tulfo which pushed me to pursue the posting. 


I know that it's more fun in the Philippines, but for the heck of it, I hope that these "guests" coming over don't act ridiculously towards denizens and abuse all the FUN over there. 


And please, Pinays deserve to be treated with respect.

To be oppressed in another country is sick, but to be treated like crap in your own land is just offensively atrocious.

ON TARGET:

The Ugly American

By Ramon Tulfo

Philippine Daily Inquirer

12:56 am | Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

A Korean-American who holds a top position at the US Embassy shouted invectives at a young Filipino woman whom he nearly bumped with his car last Friday.

Dean I. Chang, the American Embassy’s second secretary, cursed Princess Cordova, 22, after he got out of his Toyota Forerunner car with a Korean-looking woman, apparently his wife.

“You’re a bitch, you’re a bitch!,” Chang was heard shouting at the shocked Cordova who was crossing the driveway of a Korean restaurant on Jupiter Street, Barangay Bel-Air, Makati City.

Chang and his wife were apparently in such a hurry to get into Kaya Restaurant and nearly ran over Cordova, who was also entering the same restaurant with a female friend.

When Cordova told her uncle, Dindo Danao, an advertising executive, about the incident outside with Chang, Danao told her to go to Chang’s table to apologize.

Danao, who was waiting for Cordova inside the restaurant, told his niece she was probably at fault and that’s why the man was angry.

Even if she knew she was not, Cordova nevertheless obeyed Danao and went to Chang to apologize.

She got another mouthful from a man who’s supposed to act like a gentleman since he’s a diplomat.

“Next time I’ll run you over if you get in my way,” Chang shouted at Cordova.

When Danao protested the shabby treatment his niece got from the Korean-American, Chang reportedly challenged him to a fight.

“You wanna square off with me?” Chang said. Danao called the police.

Chang was arrogant with responding policemen. He wouldn’t show his ID, but gave his name and his position at the US Embassy.

Chang’s identity was confirmed when the head of the responding team, Insp. Rico Ramos, checked with the US Embassy through the numbers Chang gave him.

Ramos told Danao they couldn’t hold Chang as he has diplomatic immunity.

Danao called this columnist who asked to talk to Ramos.

I said that Ramos could hold Chang for a while until members of the media came.

Ramos said he couldn’t do that, but didn’t prevent Danao from barricading Chang’s car.

Chang refused to talk to the media and went back to the restaurant with another US Embassy official who came after he phoned for help.

While Chang, his wife and the other American diplomat talked inside the restaurant, I took down the plate and windshield sticker of Chang’s car.

I surmise that based on his car stickers, Chang is a US serviceman.

One sticker reads: Dept of Defense, B6B 3C3, West Point, New York.

Another sticker says: New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, 20-6-12, No. 0806947.

He has a temporary plate: 097 Diplomatic.

*  *  *

This is probably the first time a ranking US diplomat quarreled with a Filipino outside the embassy grounds, and a young woman at that.

At the risk of generalizing, in Korea, home of Chang’s forebears, most men have a very low regard for women.

A joke goes that during the Korean War, an American soldier at a checkpoint noticed a man walking some distance behind his wife.

When the American GI asked the Korean man why he walked far behind his wife, the Korean said: “She step on land mine, me safe.”

*  *  *

Chang is not alone.

The US ambassador, Harry Thomas, is so different from his predecessor, Kristie Kenney. He once said that foreign tourists came to Manila for sex.

These “diplomats” remind us of that 1960s movie “The Ugly American,” based on a novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer about Americans  in Southeast Asia.

I’m not referring to their looks, but their character.

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/125295/the-ugly-american

Well, Mr. Chang, hindi nakaka- immune ang diplomatic immunity mo. 

Pwede kang ipatumba anytime. Alam mo bang unpredictable kami pag napupuno?

You just don't know what you're in for. So hey there guests, NEWSFLASH: make sure that you know your limits when you wanna have FUN in the Philippines.

#ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines: AMININ NIYO!

Mabuhay! Isang maligaya at masaganang bagong taon! So kumusta naman ang mga atay natin diyan?! Qualified for donation pa ba? Yung mga daliri ba'y kumpleto pa? Okay: finger and liver check muna, guys! 


Anyhoo, dahil bagong taon na nga ay nagsi- sulputan din ang mga bagong trip at pakulo. Pero eto, astig ang DOT sa inilunsad na proyekto para sa turismo ng Pilipinas ngayong pagpasok ng 2012. Well eckchually, nagtaka ako kaninang umaga kasi excited ang mga nasa Twitter at ang ibang taga- media naman eh nainip sa pag- uunveil ng programang ito. At itechiwa pala yon! Ang bagong slogan at website ng gobyerno para i- promote ang Pilipinas. 

                      #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines


Siyempre, post naman agad ang lola mo sa Facebook!!!

Trending sa Twitter. Props to Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr.!

At ano pa nga ba ang sumunod kundi nangolekta ako ng mga tweets mula sa ilan sa aking mga sinusundan. Yung iba, nag- hashtag at pumasa naman sa taste ko. Tapos, pinagtagpi- tagpi ko na sila. EFFORT!

From author Neil Gaiman himself. Wow. 

May mga Pinoy na tila gumamit lamang ng sentido kumon, kinurot ang pinakamalikhaing bahagi ng utak, at bumanat ng comedy upang makaisip kung bakit nga ba masaya sa Las Islas Filipinas. Nostalgia galore ito! Keep them coming, people! After all, walang halong stir itong It's More Fun In The Philippines drama! Sana nga lang ay malikom ang target na 12 milyon na turista by 2016. Kaya i- ekis ang mga daliri, magkapit- kamay, at nawa'y hindi lang Bourne movies ang i- shoot sa Pinas. 


Paalala sa iba diyan, huwag munang magpaka- KJ at negatron! Bad vibes kayo eh. Aminin niyo na okay naman talaga sa atin lalo na ang mga fudamz, lugar, at iba pang interesting na bagay. Yung mga setbacks, yan pa nga ang mas nagpapa- fun eh! Kung tungkol naman sa ka- EPAL- an ng mga tao (when the word 'EPAL' is of frequent usage in the country), huwag kang mag- alala. Kahit saan meron niyan at wala kang kawala. May multo pa kamong kasama.


Ayaw mo pa rin pumayag? Hala, sige, magbalot- balot ka na at gumawa ka ng paraan para makalayas ng Pinas. Fly ka na papuntang Uranus. Basagan pala ng trip ha. 


TANONG: Eh bakit ako nasa Singapore? Mahabang kuwento. Read all about it here. Nosebleed factor. Naging isang matinding sagupaan sa utak ko ang #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines VS #ThePayIsMoreInSingapore na ito ilang buwan nang nakakaraan!


Basta, I'm proud to be Pinoy kasi nga naman, no matter what, #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines. SOLID.


To cap this off, here are some photo memes. Enjoy enjoy, chickenjoy!

Of course, hindi ako magpapatalo sa paggawa ng photo meme at meron din ako:

Jeanette and I at Star City

Me and Mai at Max's Restaurant

Madami pa yang photo meme ang susulpot... Give it an hour. Creative kasi ang mga Pinoy. Para sa'kin, orig ang ideya ng DOT dahil sa panahon ng pagkakalunsad dito. Own it and you're headed for more fun.