Talking the Talk (3 Years Later)

Yes, this talk is three years overdue. I'm the queen of backlogs a late bloomer, what can I say? ;-)

In January of 2009, we went on a Macau-HK tour and the highlight of the trip for me was the Skywalk. Below is a video my sister took as they watched me behind the glass barrier. This was from an era where I weighed only 80 pounds. I think, if not for the harness, the wind really could've blown me away. =P Watch at your own risk!

We - my sister, aunt, and I - were part of a tour group. And I remember that when our guide asked if anyone wanted to try the Skywalk or the bungee jump, no one raised their hand except me. Initially, I wanted to bungee jump. But they had a weight requirement. I guess, in my 80-pound frame, I would have dangled from left to right instead of dropped when I jumped! Haha. And so the only alternative was the Skywalk. Don't worry, Macau Tower, I'll be back to bungee jump. I'm waaaaay heavier than your required weight now. =P

It was just a one time thing---me being that skinny.  This was from what I call the Dark Ages. :)))) It was my first break-up and it was just one of those times when you want to try out something new. I don't know why exactly. Perhaps it was out of an overwhelming desire to have a really good, new experience that will replace bad ones / terrible memories. And although the pain back then seemed intolerable, I remember that even in those few minutes that I was doing the Skywalk, I felt relieved. There was a sense of freedom. As though stepping out into the outer-rim meant leaving the hurt behind. And for a few minutes, I was okay and the pain was far away. Naks, emo! Hahaha.

Yes, I do laugh at how silly it all seems now. If you asked me back then in Macau if I'd be laughing about it all after three years, I would've dragged you to the tower and pushed you off. =P  It all feels liberating now, being able to genuinely laugh at it. But back then, it didn't feel like it was going to pass. So please excuse my emaciated look---had to learn the hard way. Haha! Like everyone who was going through an emotional struggle for the first time, I just couldn't make my relationship with food work out. :P

Okay, technically, the photos and the video did the talking for me. But I gave you heart, peoplez! Heart! Hahahaha. The Skywalk was definitely a life event (Thank you, Facebook, for the term.). It was exciting and scary and way too intense for the petite heartbroken girl from the province. But it was also a moment's release. It did a lot for my recovery---hearing praises from the people in my tour group, having them call me brave.. It was what I needed to realize. That even during that time when I was so broken and emotionally bruised, I was brave enough to step out of my comfort zone and (even if I was scared shitless) do something eXtraordinary, something other people were afraid to do---something even I myself was afraid to do. :)  I really wanted to bungee jump (Kasi I never want to rebound, I want to fall. =P) but I guess it wasn't time yet. For the meantime, I had to do the skywalk, one foot in front of the other, one step at a time. ;-)

Eventually, I got over the phase when I  was stick thin and my cheeks were hollow and my smiles were empty. Today, I'm just fatty. Hahahaha! And I hahahaha a lot. Hahahaha. =P

My most recent pictorial! At the PHP 10th Anniversary Dinner @ AIM, Makati!

Yes, segue! I just really wanted to transition smoothly onto this one. :))) Watch out for my next update on the PHP event. ;-)



P.S.
I missed blogging! (Maybe sometime next month, I will blog about my semi hiatus, too... both here and on Facebook. For now, I make mini life updates via Twitter. =P)

Haggard Happy Hearts

Haggard Valentine's Day!!!! ^_^ Just kidding. It was a very happy Valentine's Day. It was probably the most eventful V-Day I've ever had, actually. A lot of unexpected things happened, a lot of laughs too. It DOES get tiring to laugh all day, you know. :)))

Celebrated with family and dearest friends---just laughing the entire day, chasing a stray shih tzu and stopping cars so he won't get run over, enjoying videoke, pigging out, robbing my dad for shopping money, and remembering that today is just another Tuesday were it not for the company of the people I love and who love me. ♥

Will post better photos later*. For now, let this cupcake-induced photo collage suffice. Please excuse my facial wash pose on the lower left (or the failed Rawr pose on the top right). This is what February 14 does to me. ;-)



Aaaaaaand as Valentine's Day ends, I hope we keep in mind that just as heartbreaks and disappointments will always come to pass, so too will all the great love stories and relationships eventually fade into either death or discord. Unfortunately, love is as fleeting and temporary as every other hurt and pain that we endure in this lifetime. So, I hope we don't just celebrate love on the fourteenth of one month in a year. Let us never take any single moment with a beloved for granted. I hope that we go to bed with a blessed heart and a genuine smile, with the most positive answer to this question: "If this love story ends tomorrow, will I be proud of and happy with everything I did today?" =)



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*Probably next month




P.S.
Finally broke my self-imposed "silence" here on the blog. Still not done with my project, but hey---this blog needed some love. It is, after all, Valentine's Day. Yuppp, an update right in time for V-Day. How very sentimental. How very cheesy. How very Cherie! ;-)

February's Photography

I'm breaking my own rule of not updating this blog until I'm done with one very important deadline (but you didn't know about that, did you? Well now you do. :P).  Just wanted to share some good news! W00t!

Please grab a copy of this month's Leisure + Adventure Travel magazine (Mega Publishing).

Under the section "Smart Travel", you'll find Candy Lykes's article entitled "Stylish for a Steal" and it features not only my photography but... well, a photo of me. Hahahaha! If you've ever wondered what cheriecity feels like on print (with only a photo or two to summarize it), then check out those pages.  Candy has written yet another enchanting piece, glamorizing bargain shopping and making it sound like it's nothing less than any other sophisticated travel piece.  It's no surprise, though. She's definitely one of the best writers today, someone I really look up to---yes, she's right alongside JK Rowling in my list of inspirational people/writers!

So yes, please grab a copy of Leisure + Adventure Travel mag! Love it! :) The love month started oh so right! ;-)