teal skies umber eyes

sometimes i wonder why but i see the answers in your smile

[byesymphony]

Happy Birthday in Advance

Dear 20-year-old me,

Happy birthday! You got through the year. You made it. It’s an achievement and you should be proud. I know some things might not have gotten your way, regardless of how little or how big they are, but it’s fine. Just like the past 19 years, this too shall also pass.

It’s okay to feel feelings. It’s okay to be vulnerable. You can cry, you know. (Your body is made up of so much…

View On WordPress

[byesymphony]

5 REASONS WHY I LOVE BFF!

VISIT BFF NOW 😀

View On WordPress

[byesymphony]

People have always told us to “get out of our comfort zones” and try out new things that could test us, all for the purpose of discovering ourselves. But there’s this certain “comfort zone” where I would not mind staying in. It’s just right down the streets of J. P. Rizal in Marikina City, right beside a church I call my home.

From an intensely hectic life back in my previous school overseas, I did not have time for leisure and comfort. I would study from as early as 3 in the morning to as late as 3 in the morning, as well, everyday. Although I give myself at most 4 hours to sleep, the only other times I have time for myself are (1) when I’m on social media, (2) when I go to church, (3) when I need to buy school supplies or food, and (4) when I video call my friends. Other than that, I basically lived outside my comfort zone. Especially since I live without family and friends in another country and people speak a different language, one can definitely infer that my comfort zone is faaaar from reality.

However, when I got back home, the minute I took my first steps into this particular place, when I looked behind the stalls, I found new friends whom I felt would be close to my heart in no time. And after about of month of eating almost everyday in “Brad’s Family & Friends Diner,” I have seen how it really has lived up to its name, because seeing people from all walks of life gather in this place gives one a feeling of home – a step into a comfort zone where everyone belongs and where everyone should try stepping into.

For the past month, I’ve brought lots of my friends to my newfound comfort zone, and they themselves have felt the same homey feel I have felt the first time I ate there. BFF Diner has become this sort of home where the important people in my life and I could be ourselves and catch up for all the time we missed.

Looking back and thinking deeply about it, BFF Diner is really unique from other places I’ve been to. Aside from the wooden boxes at the center of the tables to put your phones in to make more substantial conversations with your peers and relatives, you can rent board games for you to play during your stay! Just go ask the staff to give you this “board game menu” and you’re a step away from an overload of fun! And as far as I know, you can also request what to watch on the TV screen right up the food park!

But of course, if the ambience amazes you already, you should absolutely check the food they serve! They serve a variety of silog meals, street food, barbecue, burgers, sandwiches, frappes, buffalo wings, ribs, potato wedges, Japanese food, fruit juices, tea, milk tea, coffee, pasta, nachos, burritos, cake, ice cream, fruit salad, siomai, siopao, roasted chicken, takoyaki, liempo, crispy pata, chicken skin, and a whole lot more! Aside from having great sets of food, the prices are reasonable!

As a regular, it’s really great to try out new food everyday, especially since I haven’t tried every single one from the vast collection. Some hidden gems I have come to appreciate are the following: 1. Chicken Skin (40 pesos or 80 pesos, depending on serving size) from Felipe’s Chicken Fillet – I don’t know how many times I have ordered this from my cousin’s store, because it is REALLY good! Aside from the crunchiness, the flavor of the chicken skin itself mixed with the vinegar is just the bomb! 2. Roasted Chicken (95 pesos, with plain rice) from Siomaity – This is my favorite dinner of all-time! With the juiciness of the chicken plus the sauces and the plain rice that come with the meal, I am always sure to be busog and satisfied after eating this! 3. Almond in Vanilla-Chocolate Ece Cream with Hershey’s Syrup (65 pesos) from Jeriah’s Desserts – With a choice of either chocolate, vanilla, or mixed, this is a people’s favorite, as I have seen from the customers’ orders. They also have these 4-in-1 set with cake and fruit salad, and it is just so worth it! 4. Carbonara (99 pesos)  from iMunchies – I am very fond of carbonara that has this certain milky taste, and iMunchies really met that! I can’t help but order it every single time I pass by their stall, especially with their 89-peso Cheesy Fries! 5. Milk Tea (70 pesos) or Sumo Drinks (125 pesos) from Let’s Drink to That! – Served from actual tea, unlike others, the milk tea from their stall is one of my most-ordered-drinks aside from the Calamansi Iced Tea. When I would have my friends around, they would often order the latter as a Sumo Drink good from 3 to 6 people! 6. California Maki (6 pieces for 75 pesos) from Naruto Sushi – I am a Japanese food addict and Naruto Sushi serves one of my favorite California Maki! It’s perfectly aligned to my taste buds and I wouldn’t have it any other way! They also serve Katsudon that my sisters constantly crave for! 7. Potato Wedges with Honey Mustard (65 pesos) from Briquette – Briquette’s potato wedges are definitely my mom’s favorite! I would always ask her to order this, not just for her, but also for me (mwahaha!) to enjoy! It can also be a delectable side dish for their very tasty Baby Back Ribs! ❤ 8. Cookies & Cream Frappe (75 pesos) from Meat & Bread – I’m not a burger person, but I definitely am a desserts one, and M&B prepares frappes that are sure to please your sweet tooth! All throughout the frappe, you can taste the cookies and cream, unlike other frappes where there’ll be tasteless parts. You should also try out their Choco Caramel Frappe! 9. Barbecue (25 pesos) from Tatang’s Grill – To be honest, I actually love all the tusok-tusok from this stall, especially Isaw Baboy, Tenga, and Isaw IUD, and it’s just so much better with the plain rice, and of course, vinegar! There are also Barkada Packages you can try and Set Meals you can order – very convenient! 10. Tocilog (80 pesos) from PinoyMix – Let me just say that my all-time favorite Filipino breakfast is Tocilog, and PinoyMix serves a tummy-satisfying one served in a clever kawali-like plate with tomato, egg, and vinegar! Much better with their Kikiam and Fishball!

Although this looks like an overwhelming list of food that they serve at BFF Diner, prepare to be more overwhelmed for more! I just can’t help but share to everyone about this place of comfort that I have grown to love and enjoy! Do take some time out of your schedules and visit BFF Diner! It is worth the visit! ❤

Comfort Zone People have always told us to "get out of our comfort zones" and try out new things that could test us, all for the purpose of discovering ourselves.

[byesymphony]

The Invisible Yet Powerful Rod

Pride. Anxiety. Pride. Anxiety. Pride. Anxiety. Pride. These two have been my enemies all my life. Right from the start, I try my best to fend them off, but I always (and by always, I mean ALWAYS) end up defeated. My own family and a couple of close friends know that I have always been letting these two rule my lifestyle. There are experiences, and emotional and spiritual battles I might need…

View On WordPress

[byesymphony]

random post

tell me your thoughts whether it’s about me or not here: byesymphony.sarahah.com 💖

View On WordPress

[byesymphony]

magical box of anonymous messages

tell me your thoughts at byesymphony.sarahah.com 😄❤

[byesymphony]

Dear Future Husband (#4 - Insomnia)

Dear future husband, I don't have insomnia right now, but I do have it sometimes, and it's unhealthy for me because I get just an hour of sleep or even less, as a result! I don't want to interrupt your rest, but I hope that somehow you would feel it tingle in your heart that I'm still awake and I couldn't sleep, and you'd just sing to me the songs you wrote for me to calm me down and make me feel comfortable having you with me. I hope you could also recall the poems you write and let me hear them from you, instead of me just reading them. I hope you wouldn't feel as if I'm overbearing, and instead be happy that I could rely on you for these little problems I face everyday. Thank you in advance for the patience, and for tolerating me, as childlike as I get whenever I'm around you. I'm happy when you're happy! I love you! With all my heart, Your adorably importunate future wife (haha 😄❤)

[byesymphony]

Dear Future Husband (#3 - Waiting)

Dear future husband, First off, I want to say that I love you! I don’t know where you are, who you’re with, nor what you’re doing right now, but I hope and pray that you are safe, you are with good company, and you’re doing very fine. But hey, you know, I went to the movies with my family tonight and watched a romantic comedy film! Then, guess what? Yes, I thought about you! The main characters wrote letters to their future spouse, too, and I was like ‘what a coincidence’, and I just imagined my future life with you! I pray that you’ll learn to wait for me, too, just like the cast in the movie said they would! Please do wait for me and for both of us to finish school, graduate college, find myself stable in a good job that I love and enjoy, and save up enough for my future–our future. I am very willing to wait for you, too! I am confident that God will grant me the patience for that, and I pray that He does the same for you, as well! I am confidently sure that it will all be worth the wait! Please, just please, wait for me 😊❤ Seek God first always! I love you!

Truly yours, Your patient future wife 💗

[byesymphony]

Dear Future Husband (#2 - Missing You)

Dear future husband,

I am crazy about you! If I haven’t told you enough, you make me go insane! You make my cheeks blush, you make my heart race, and you keep my mind busy thinking about you. Even though we talk face-to-face or even just through the phone, I probably already miss you soooo much! That basically means I miss you all the time! Every second, every minute, every hour, everyday, you name it! I miss you always because you never leave my mind! You are the love of my life, and I am grateful to God for giving me you! I never thought I would deserve and receive such a man like you! Because God has manifested an abundant amount of love in me and my life, I am sharing to you that love! Not only the love dripping because it’s the excess, but including what can already fit in this heart of mine <3 I know that I should be rest assured that you are just there for me always even though we are apart, but spacing out and realizing that you are not beside me pains me because I always carry you with me in my heart! But you know? The rings (that I will have been wearing by then after our engagement and our wedding) remind me of your vows (that will have been so wonderful even though I have no idea what you would say) and I would probably just tear up a bit because of the amount of love we share. By this time, I could say that I couldn’t imagine life without you (and God, too, of course)! I love you! Unconditionally! Forever and ever, sharing in the love of God!

Don’t forget that I ALWAYS miss you, okay?

Yours truly,

Your future wife who is crazy for you

[byesymphony]

Dear Future Husband (#1 - Anxieties)

Dear future husband,

Firstly, I want to thank you for taking this risk of actually accepting me for who I am. You know all the flaws I have--including the fact that I have sweaty hands from my father and that I am emotional like my mom--and yet you still choose to stay with me to tolerate all of that. As I probably would have told you a million times, my depression, anxieties, and insecurities have been stuck with me for so long, and with you, my mind just clears out and focuses on just you and God, as you continually lead me to Him. Although I may feel safe and secure around you as God manifests His love in you, these hints of my dark days still come back to me and I would suddenly feel that I am unworthy of any love and attention. I pray that God whispers to you what my heart cries and my mouth cannot speak. I pray that He will give you the patience and the insurmountable love for me to remember how much He loves and cares for me that He blessed me with such a filled man. I am really blessed to have you and I await the ways God will use in the relationship He has formed between us.

I love you with the love of God!

Sincerely,

Your future life partner

[byesymphony]

Out of the Blue

It’s been long since I had the time, chance, energy, courage, and heart to write an entry here, and honestly, if it weren’t for a single person, I wouldn’t be publishing this now. Back in Busan, during the latter part of my first semester, I was losing all hope that I would still resume as a student in my school, because I was ingressing towards my “dark days”, when I would feel as if no one…

View On WordPress

[byesymphony]

Thank you @nichjals.art @nicholasjalea for the sketch/late birthday gift!!!! 👌👍❤💚💜💙💛 ipapalaminate ko to pramisss 😍😄

[byesymphony]

Indispensable Gratitude

I told myself that I’d be posting here on my birthday, but time is just so stingy, I have not been able to receive enough to take this time to ponder again. What you will be reading about is some sort of testimony I have after months of faith-testing trials and circumstances. This is the road I took towards achieving my dream of being chosen as one of the 15 international students in KSA of KAIST…

View On WordPress

[byesymphony]

Goin' back to the future with the Doc 😛 #BackToTheFuture #BTTF #Marty #MartyCap

[byesymphony]

one of the best news i have received this week ❤️❤️❤️ #kaist #korea #seniorhigh

[byesymphony]

you'll see the difference between them once you learn to appreciate them both ❤️👍 Outside the Kamogawa Universe Hotel is a breathtaking view of the city, shore, and the Pacific Ocean. I wish all of you were here to enjoy this place with us! #JENESYS2016 #JICE #PHILIPPINES

[byesymphony]

Endo-Tokyo Museum ❤️😍 It was fun learning about Japanese history through hands-on experiences 😁 #JENESYS2016 #JICE #PHILIPPINES