My Most Memorable - 2011

Earlier this afternoon, I tweeted about my 2011.

However, when I was compiling the pictures I have shot this year, I realized how I wasted much of my time worrying about tomorrow when I could perfectly enjoy and get lost in the moment. How this was a good year never really struck me until its last few hours.

Japan

My 2011 started in Japan. I've grown quite accustomed in independent living for quite a while, in retrospect, I actually enjoyed it. My friends and I also traveled from Tokyo to Kamakura, to Hakone, to Kansai Region (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara), to Hiroshima.

I'm so blessed to be given the opportunity to just travel this year despite many things.

That's me in thick clothing in one of those steaming areas in Hakone where a scenic view of Mt. Fuji could be seen.

Here are some of my most favorite shots from my living in Japan.

I saw one of the most beautiful and historic cities ever where I'm eyeing to stay for retirement, Kyoto.

The most breathtaking tourist spot I've seen (Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto). Looks like a shot from postcard?

This one's the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome.

I also experienced working as a part-time employee in a store in Ginza, tutoring Japanese students while being a foreign student myself, some really cold winter weather and snow, amazing (and very breathtaking) Tokyo moments.

Besides that, of course was March 11, 2011, 2:46 PM, the Great Tohoku Earthquake. I hope that will be the only time I'd experience a magnitude 9 earthquake.

Proud of that country that was able to slowly move on from such a disaster.

Tokyo is very much like a love affair, and leaving was very much like a break-up. I had a terrible and difficult time moving on. Sometimes I still experience relapse, though I am a proud of the little progress I have made adjusting. :)

Internship with Selecta

When I got back Manila last summer, I was still looking for things to do when a good opportunity opened up for me. I was able to get an internship in Unilever for none other than...ice cream! For one summer I got to eat so much free ice cream my tummy grew happy.

Completing a Degree

So this is how it feels like to have graduated from college. I haven't attended my graduation rites yet, which probably is the reason why I felt like graduation is just like suddenly stopping schooling, except you've finished it. I was so blessed to graduate Magna Cum Laude. Man, those sleepless nights must have paid off!

Really missing Diliman badly!

Nestlé MILE

Another opportunity that was opened up to me was being part of this year's batch of MILEes! Even if this experience lasted only four days, it seemed like there were so many things I've brought out with me from this experience. MILE was a chance for me to explore things I did not know I could do. It was also an opportunity to build friendships.

Manila Foodistas

And before the year ended, I got to join a food blog, Manila Foodistas. I'm no food connoisseur nor have I any professional knowledge on nutrition. The great thing about food blogging for me is the fact that you don't need to be a professional to share some of your thoughts on eating... you just have to be hungry and love food.

...And many other things

I've had some personal bouts which I treasure about this year. The dog that I loved the most died all of a sudden, and that was really devastating for me. This December too was not really a good month for many reasons, but I still choose to put my faith in Him.

I was able to strengthen my family relationships, re-build relationships with others, and form new ones- some of which are those which are really precious to me.

My sole resolution for the new year is to walk more and sit less.

Thanks Lord for what was 2011.

Danne

Gotta Stop

I always had a never-say-die attitude when it comes to two things: workaholism and worrying. People close to me would know that I rarely give myself a break when it comes to these two things. Workaholism probably stems from my being driven and from the belief that time is never enough and so many opportunities out there are to be taken advantage of; and worrying from my attitude of always taking calculated risks for whatever it takes.

And as young as 22, my body is telling me to stop stressing over things. I would like to shift to having a healthier lifestyle. I want to have a sound mind-- to breathe more and hold my breaths less.

But then such a shift in thinking and lifestyle has to have some operational definition (like what we do in Psych) in order to actually happen.

At the moment however, here are just some of the thoughts I have:

1. Life should be at least: 50% serious and 50% pure fun.

We have responsibilities which of course, need to be taken cared of (such as work, duties, etc), but from what I noticed those take up 90% of my time and effort. I rarely do things just for fun. Therefore, I think I should increase the frequency of fun, relaxing, nonobligatory duties if I wanna live a long, healthy, swell life.

2. Dismiss worry thoughts.

It's a struggle to actually do this, I find it difficult to not build on my worries. However, if I could not do anything at the moment about my worries, I should let go and let God take care of them.

3. Live for the present.

Worrying and being driven are both cognitive mechanisms targeted to the future. I keep thinking, I want my future to be this and that, but I do not enjoy the present, which was the future I was thinking of yesterday. So what's the point right? It's counter intuitive to not enjoy the present moment. (Makes sense, huh?)

So those are very random and unstructured thoughts I have for being stressed out and consumed all the time.

Gotta stop it!

Christmas Cards

Since Christmas is nearing and I still can't feel the fuzzy feeling I decided to make handmade Christmas cards! I'm thinking of sending these out by snail mail but I wonder if it will ever get to people's houses so until I think about what to do with these, I might as well share them with you guys!

They pop-up when you open them!

Hihi Merry Christmas

メリクリスマス！

Edit: I'm selling too! You can commission me to do a design you like! :-) Leave a message in the comment box. :-) Merry Christmas

On The Top Of Their Game

Before you read on and before you are able to understand how much passion I have of this band, you should watch this. (You're not gonna regret it.)

I was lover of hit charts and music when this band released one of their first big singles ever, Yellow. However, the problem was I disliked them. I dunno why, I was a judgmental young girl who childishly thought boring music videos equated to poor music. I was blinded by MTV.

Fast forward to almost ten years after here I am loving this band to bits I could not even contain it. So I am writing about it.

I used to write a fan mail to them in 2010 which I doubt they ever read. But I'm happy that in 2011 they released a new album called Mylo Xyloto, probably their best yet.

It took them years to make this record and I must say that it shows how their motivation for creating is art rather than profit.

As a fan, I believe that I have followed their career closely and that I would know when my favorite band's fully "ripe" and on the top of their game. I could not stress any much more how their time is now.

My thoughts were further affirmed when I heard on the radio that they are on their way to becoming legends.

Their songs have a story and that's what I like best about them. The sound of their instruments come in close second.

In case you didn't notice I really love Coldplay.

:-)

Danne

Weekdays & Weekends

Trying to go out as much as I could, to see the world!

Yum Yummy Weekend

I had a very eventful weekend full of eating, and it's to go on until tomorrow! We have a bloggers' invite for a buffet and I'm preparing my tummy!

I will post most of my food pictures soon. I realized that food is one of the most photogenic things ever.

Meanwhile, check my latest blog post on Manila Foodistas about The Iscreamist. Click away! :-)

Har har.

Danne

I Wish We Had A Lot Of Museums

In the Philippines, we have lots of malls. Malls are sprouting like seedlings everywhere. It's not like it's bad. It shows that people are spending money, which could actually be good for the economy (if you look at it that way).

We have very few parks and museums though. Those are two places where it's good to be after a tough day, on a date or just to clear our head out.

Museums are places where we could be inspired, brought back to the past, be reminded of beauty in a chaotic, wicked world.

The star in most museums all around the world are paintings. There are breathtaking works, and then there are abstract works which make you think hmm I could have done that-- splattered random paint all over the canvas, that is.

My most favorite painter is Vincent Van Gogh, for the most part, because of his story. The anxiety is there. You can feel it emanating from his works.

The first one I've ever seen was his work entitled Roses. This picture I took of it (from the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo) doesn't give the painting justice, but I'll post anyway just because I was so happy I couldn't contain it when I took this photo!

It's like being a Beatles fan and seeing Paul perform live onstage. O_O

Here's a Van Gogh lithograph I'd like to see in real life. It's called At Eternity's Gate which was eventually painted two months before Van Gogh shot himself.

(Photo not mine)

Sigh sigh! I wish we had more accessible museums here in the Philippines where we could just randomly go at the end of one stressful day.

I hope they'd build more parks too.

Danne

Ergo, nomics

One of the most interesting things I have read about is ergonomics!

No it's not about demand and supply. Instead it's about how machines around us are designed to make us perform optimally and promote our well-being.

I'm the kind of person who wants everything to be 'sulit' (getting the most worth out of everything around), and I think that is the reason why ergonomics appeals to me. Getting the most out of little effort or actually having efficient systems around make life a little less hassle and a little more sulit!

Before you think ergonomics is too complicated to try to comprehend, I'd give you some helpful tips I have read throughout the Internet which you may find helpful and informative.

1. When typing, your wrists shouldn't be arching upwards.

When I read about this, I caught myself doing exactly what the picture above shows! And then I tried to straighten my wrists out and realized that woah! There was so much strain happening while my wrists were arched. Imagine that multiplied into 10 hours of computer time everyday! Whew, I should revise my typing habits! Or else, I might have carpal tunnel syndrome by the time I'm 60!

2. Laptops aren't ergonomic.

I just realized how using laptops, especially the smaller ones tend to be harmful in terms of posture. The rule of ergonomists (is there such a word?) is to have the screen at eye-level and at the same time, wrists not strained. Since the screen is attached to the keyboard, laptops only allow for one of those mentioned. So it's either you strain your eyes and neck or you strain your wrists. :/ Not good news!

3. Door knobs versus door levers

I appreciated door levers (right) because I had them for my door in my room in Japan. Whenever I carried dishes and laundry baskets from my room to the kitchen or laundry, I could easily open the door because they were easier to maneuver. Japan is probably one of the most ergonomic countries there is. They believe in ease of use, among many things, which allows living there to be more convenient in so much more aspects.

Anyway, back to door levers. Those could be opened by disabled people who have no hands by using their elbows, and so could we if in case we are carrying a lot of things. That's probably the reason why, besides its sleek design, that door levers are actually used more and more these days. I read in one site however, that levers can easily be opened by children or pets, so it's a handy thought if safety should be considered.

These are things we barely stop and think about and yet they make so much impact on our everyday lives. Do you agree?

I hope when people design homes or workplaces, they imagine the people who will actually be using them, and consider their convenience. That will definitely be a more wonderful world to live in!

Ergonomics is probably one of the most practical studies there is around!

Danne

Foodie

I like to blog about nice things, dreams, sleep, beautiful photos, poetry, stories, books, pop culture, art BUT never have I thought I'd blog about food.

But then there's room for a lot of new things in this new phase of my life so I decided to accept the invitation of one of my friends to join a food blog. I've known the founders of this blog from college so I decided to hop on and join Manila Foodistas. I love taking pictures, and now I have food to include in my subjects.

Kindly pay a visit to Manila Foodistas: Food, Lifestyle, Travel (<--click this)! There are several nice things to read about over there!

And for my photoblog for today:

I realized that lately I've been posting more snaps than actually writing. Is it because I could express myself better in photos? O_O

I am reading more so I could get back from my writing hiatus. I have no idea if reading and writing are actually correlated but I'd give it a shot anyway.

Danne

Poetry

Sometimes I like to read poems just because they are so beautifully written. The main difference between prose and poetry, probably is the idea that less words are used for poems, so every word has got to count and contribute something to the whole idea of the poem. Premises, reasons, spurs of emotions have to be given in lines, and they have to be properly segmented so that they deliver the real emotion. With that alone, a poem really, is a well thought-out art form, isn't it?