Daily Dose

Join me as I reflect and figure out how to make the most out of life. I believe you're never too old to accomplish greater things. Less stress. More love!

[missdanicaking]

Tagalog Time #1: Are, ayos naman. Ikaw ga?

Siguro tag-lish talaga kasi masyado namang challenging ang tagalog lang :)

So ano nga bang ganap? Bakit ako nagpopost? Narealize ko lang kasi, every time na may magtatanong sa’kin “Uy, kumusta?” ang palaging sagot ko “Mabuti naman” or in a more Batangenya way “Are, ayos naman. Ikaw ga?” E kelan ba tayo sumasagot ng “Hindi ako mabuti. Wala kang pakialam” Ang sagwa di ba? Naka-ugalian na siguro na kapag kinumusta ang palaging sagot e mabuti kahit hindi naman. Plastic na ba agad kapag ganon o pwedeng nag-rereserve lang ng konting privacy? Wala naman ako masyadong pinaglalaban. Minsan lang kasi sumasagot nalang ako ng mabuti para hindi na lang humaba yung usapan lalo pa at wala rin naman akong intensyong magkwento kasi gusto ko muna magmuni-muni saka ayoko muna nung may nakikisawsaw. Hindi naman siguro kasamaang ugali yon.Kapag sumagot ka kasi nang hindi mabuti e tatanungin pa kung bakit. Siguro minsan kailangan lang talaga ng space. Nakakapagod din naman kasi minsan ang buhay pero hindi ibig sabihin ng pagod e malungkot agad. Madalas kasi negative ang iniisip ng mga tao kapag narinig yung salitang pagod. Iisipin malungkot o kaya naman may pinagdadaanan. Para sa akin natural lang naman mapagod lalo na kung paulit ulit. Minsan nasa unang segundo pa lang ng pangyayari, ang masasabi mo na lang, “eto na naman” Minsan wala ka na ring energy na mag-react pa according sa nararamdaman mo kasi emotionally exhausted ka na rin. Tatahimik ka na lang para matapos na. Kapag lumipas edi salamat kung hindi pumikit ka na lang at magdasal. Para mas simple di ba? 

Ikaw? Kapag tinanong ka kung kumusta ka, mabuti rin ba ang isasagot mo?

[missdanicaking]

A Letter to my Future Husband

Letter no. 1

Hi. It’s been exactly 13 months since the first day we both accepted the challenge to forever and since that day, I pray to God every night that He make you my husband.

Yes. I was already sure since then. I already knew that you were the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.

I believe that I have seen enough of this world to realize that a man like you is out of the ordinary and that you have been given to me as a gift to be well taken care of.

I owe you 13 months of my happiness and am looking forward to many more. I owe you 13 months of patience for putting up with me when I roar.

I owe you not only genuine and the greatest of love but also the sincerest friendship. 

Stay put. Hang on. Hold tight. We have just begun.

I love you so much!

Loads of love,

Your Future Wife

[missdanicaking]

Age is just a number

Truth is (especially if you come from a traditional catholic Filipino family) it doesn’t matter how old we are. Even if we’re thirty (not that I’m already thirty), it doesn’t mean we can decide for ourselves  on our own. As long as we live with our parents, we have to stick to what they say. This may sound silly to many and it’s not something that everybody will understand but if there’s one thing Filipinos always do, it’s giving respect to parents.

I highly appreciate how my parents raised me and my brother. I am thankful for the values that they taught us: How to be a better person; How to be a better human being; How to work hard for what we want.

Speaking of working hard, there were times I wanted to decide things for myself so badly. Times when I didn’t want any help. Times when I didn’t want to be told what to do. 

It hasn’t been so easy to keep the balance between allowing them to guide me and seeking independence. There came  a point in my life where I wanted to do things by myself and they weren’t ready to let me. Times wherein I wanted to try new things and beg for them but they wouldn’t let me.

Just now, I realize that seeking freedom is part of life’s cycle. What you beg your parents for isn’t always something to be given permission for. It’s true that they don’t know everything but they do try to give what’s best for us.

On the other hand, it’s also typical that they still see us as their seven year-old kid who should always be looked after. What I learned as I age is to prove to them that I can so they will let me. Sometimes, things need a little push. Parents need to see progress for them to realize that it’s time to loosen up a bit.

With the hopes that I have proven myself to them, I pray that my wish will be granted this upcoming new year. It will not only make me happy but also the man that I love.

[missdanicaking]

- 5 ...

Loving through distance wasn’t something that ever crossed my mind yet here I am, longing to be in another part of the globe 90% of the time. 

Oh well. 

[missdanicaking]

The series of D’s that drama can bring

I’ve never been the calm type. If I get overloaded with stress, I somehow find a way to vent it out on something. Or worse, someone. 

The usual victim of this disaster is my boyfriend. He’s definitely more tranquil than I am. He would most likely just let me be it and  talk when the waters are calm already. Sometimes, it feels right that way: that I do the drama and he patiently waits until I’m back to normal again. It worked for some time until he got annoyed already because it kept happening. 

He used the word unnecessary

Well, women in general are drama queens per se’. Unfortunately for me, I’m one of those moody mademoiselles who are easily irritable. Not normal, I know. The funny thing is, I am aware how it isn’t normal yet when it happens, I just let it drag me.

From unnecessary he went to disappointing which is definitely a bigger word than the first one. 

Panic. Yes. But the damage has been done. 

It’s disheartening that I disappoint him over something disinteresting

Starting today, I dare to be less dangerous haha and get drunk in love instead. 

I will be more devoted to you, my Dars, so our relationship can develop into a deeper kind of love. The kind that isn’t dark but colorful instead. The kind that will make us forget about distance. The kind that will bring us closer together because that’s what love is all about. Dedication. Driven towards improvement. Dreaming for our bright future and making it happen.

[missdanicaking]

Cry. Smile. Laugh. Repeat.

Sometimes it’ unsurprisingly a lot easier to write about crappy moments rather than the joy of living. Unfortunately for me, it is not a very good time for celebration.

Challenges have always played a big role in my personal growth and it has never been easy to figure out how to get from one state to another. Times like these, I always strongly desire to get past it already and be able to just be amazed how I did it; How I got out of that mess; How I remained strong through it all.

Adulthood often makes me think that life could be really unfair because no matter how much I give, no matter how good I do, it is never enough and maybe it never will.

What sucks the most is I have many times, over and over, convinced myself that there will always be an end to all these struggles but the truth is, when something ends, another one begins.

There is no point in fooling myself with the belief that it will get better because the more I do, the more I get fed up of the same old cycle.

Paulit-ulit. Nakakapagod.

[missdanicaking]

Aaah.. This feeling again

My blog has been literally dead for over a year now and not because I was dead too but because there has been a lot happening.

There were times I kept looking for something because it felt as though something (and someone) is missing in my life.

Just as I started thinking that we can’t have everything as we wish, things fall slowly into place.

I am lucky enough to have a wonderful family but I got even luckier to have someone special to share it with.

Therefore, I can truly say that God’s plans are definitely THE BEST and the most surprising too.

The most memorable moments are the ones unplanned and the ones we think we truly deserve; those which don’t require too much effort but are amazing enough to fill our hearts with warmth and joy through small simple ways.

Today, I am very thankful for my family, love life and career. Those are my three musketeers and I lift them all up to THE ONE who watches me from above because all this is because of HIM.

[missdanicaking]

Happy Siblings Day to my favourite guitarist and the ever gwapo, my baby brother! Ti voglio tanto bene <3

[missdanicaking]

Every day is a blessing

Just as I thought that I'm living my life by routine and sometimes not get so thrilled about it, some people's days are numbered. 

Just today, I received a phone call from a friend telling me that her dad has cancer. Whenever I hear someone who's struggling with that disease, I can't help but really feel gutted because my grandfather died of cancer and so I can just imagine how hard it has been for the patient and his family. Although it's part of life to reach an end, it is never easy to see someone close to your heart go through tough times.

Speaking of tough times, I have another friend whose parents are having trouble getting along. I don't know anything about marriage yet and I'm in no position to judge nor say anything about such matter. All I know is that my friend must be in serious distress.

Today, I pray for my friends, that they may get triumph over life's uneasiness. 

Lessons learned:

Appreciate. Smile. Love more. 

[missdanicaking]

Women today, as in each generation before us, have had to exhibit the immeasurable ability to stay strong and to survive. Our life experiences are an amazing mix of beauty and tragedy and there's only one thing we can do. We must be tough and find our strength in the help only God can give. HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY! 

Woman of worth

[missdanicaking]

Good things take time

If there's one thing I learned it's that you can't actually rush things to happen and let them go as you planned because some good things happen unexpectedly. Sometimes you'll realize that what you've been wanting for a long time hasn't been given to you yet because maybe it isn't what you deserve. 

Oftentimes we question things for happening at a certain time which we might call wrong but for whatever it's worth, whether we take them badly or not, they are meant to teach us something that will surely make us realize that life is amazing and that there is no time to be wasted.

So during this big pause of my life which sometimes drives me a little crazier than I already am, as I am not used to inactivity and unproductivity, I guess I'll have to put up with it a little more because good things take time.

[missdanicaking]

2013 is about to end and I realized it's not just this year but my life has been doing pretty well for a while which I am so thankful for. There were gloomy days, yes, yet the brighter ones outweighed them and brought me where I am today.

[missdanicaking]

Carpe diem

When I feel like putting thoughts into words, I sometimes do some other things first until all the ideas I had previously are all gone. I let them slip away. Just like that.

It is true that when you feel the urge to write, write immediately because most great thoughts are meant to last 30 seconds and if you don't jot them down, you could regret not being able to narrate like the way you wanted.

It's like tasting food for the first time I guess. You come across it and it's all new to you. Your palette seems to enjoy the new taste and it's great. The second time you taste it, it's still great but you knew it would've been great because if not you wouldn't have tried the second time.

[missdanicaking]

So this is me and what music does to me

I felt like watching old videos of my performances in some parties and events but this event at Florence way back in 2007 where I sang in front of thousands of people was probably the most crowded one. I was singing a love song of how big girls don't cry and I was only 17.

I remember how a talented woman was nailing her performance minutes before I stepped onto the stage for my turn. I was looking at her as she was truthfully utterring the lyrics and she looked so sure of her gestures with which to send the message of the song. And I was there, with butterflies in my stomach, wondering if I could do the same. I was praying not to be the one who has to sing after her because she was terribly good and I wouldn't want to lower down the energy of the crowd by singing a song which I think I still couldn't relate to. Last thing I know, I was making my way to the stairs of the stage, about to pass out and had a very dry throat. So with my shaky hands I grabbed the microphone and breathed one deep "ehem" and said thank you to the lady who sang before me because through her I have set myself a standard to do good. 

The music was playing and I was just blown away by it. I hadn't been in love back then but I sang as if I did. My voice was a bit shaky at first but I sang as though I wasn't nervous. I was actually having fun. All those tiny little footsteps and hips moving? I don't know where they came from. 

I was smiling while watching a 6-year old video because I didn't know where I got all that confidence and all that smile. 

Wait.. I now do. Thank You God because through notes and melodies You allowed me to show who I really am and voice out what my heart tells by means of singing. 

That memorable vid is a click away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM-HXJiMVDI&list=PL390B455A059FA6A5&index=1

[missdanicaking]

We must not look for the right man for he should be the one searching for us. The one whose eyes can make us feel beautiful each day through unending words of affirmation but also capable of turning those into verbs. That someone who would look for us when we're not around; Who would tell us about his day without us having to ask for it; Who would not give us dead end conversations; Who would never get tired of making surprises; Who would be able to put up with us even during our mood swings; Who would write us pages of love letters; Who would sing for us even if he's out of tune, but most of all.. someone who can get our tummies full. Not just of butterflies but of foods that make everyone drool

[missdanicaking]

Anything less than mad, passionate, extraordinary love is a waste of time

[missdanicaking]

The curious realization out of playing Candy Crush

I wonder what can impress people today. What catches their interests and what consumes their time when not in front of their ipads taking selfies or hashtagging about their recent posts on Instagram almost every hour of the day. Shall I say we? Because like many others, I’m guilty of that pastime too. Well, 35% of my time and that percentage worries my amount of daily productivity specially when Candy Crush gets in the way. Haha! I don’t want to get blinded by just what’s new. I still want to give value to my roots although many have already forgotten how and this is the whole point of this post.

Every once in a while, the idea of leaving too much behind crosses my mind. How the world fastly evolves and humans just willingly go with everything turning around them. (Okay I didn’t mean to sound very extraterrestrial) 

I mean, did it ever get to you? How from cassette tapes we can actually not move our bums to the nearest record store because we can just download songs on itunes without having to sacrifice a single drop of sweat? Or how from all those pages of love letters made romantically with pen and paper most couples nowadays exchange text messages, send each other pictures and have unlimited calls via hundreds of free apps available globally? How books are now e-books? How everything seems to be controlled with a CLICK and not by our own bare hands? Should I go on because the list is pretty long. Not everything that’s old is to be thrown away. After all, vintage is more expensive, right?

I do not hate technology rather its influence to people. Like a spell it brings us to another world and suddenly we can’t help ourselves from it. It has become a part of our routine, yes, but how do we know it’s not reliance to it? 

High technology as well as many other aspects in today’s lifestyle seem to be so normal that when we look back to the days when our grandparents and great grandparents live the happy days, things look so old school we even laugh about it without realizing that that laughter is caused by the simple living back then with which each and every one of us is brought to this world. Those were the years in which simple people turned out to be the timeless geniuses we look up to until today. Thanks to those geniuses our life is so much easier. The invention of photography made every special moment’s capturability possible and I must say we are perfectly aware of that(Not to mention mostly non sense floods of pictures in every social networking site)

Finally, what I’d like to pinpoint is: May we not forget where we came from because it is there where our success is from and let it be a reminder that real happiness lies in the simplest of things. We just have to have the eyes to see it.