A year that was, A year that will be

In a few hours, 2011 will be well on it’s way and I cannot help but stop and ponder on all that has been. I would have wanted to post my usual year-end thanks but I haven’t had much time to write so I think this one’s going to be a little different.

Looking back, 2011 came by so quickly I didn’t even get the chance to savor every moment of it. But I am very proud to say that it has been one very successful year. I graduated from college, got my degree, and became a registered nurse. But it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns, there was a lot of shit too. In spite of all the balderdash, I have grown and I must say that I have become more mature and responsible. Yes.

I wouldn’t have achieved so much if it weren’t for all the amazing people who continuously tapped my shoulder and whispered words of encouragement. I’m not going to name each of them because I know they know how important they all are and how much they mean to me. Each individual I encounter everyday has contributed to the person I am today and I am extremely blessed to have met everyone. Every experience this year has helped me grow and see the world in a different light. I have learned to appreciate life, both mundane and heavenly.

I’m glad the year’s going to be over soon. I’m just relieved that I managed to make it through unscathed. God has been so good to me and my family and I couldn’t be more grateful. A lot of things have changed for us but His love has remained the same.

This 2012, I hope that we all have a great year! I firmly believe that the world isn’t going to end, so we have all the time to become better people and start making a difference, even in our own little ways.

I hope that we don’t take things seriously and learn to lighten up a bit. I hope that despite our caught-up work schedules, we squeeze in a little bit of time for fun and enjoy life’s little gifts. I hope that we do not become afraid to commit mistakes, but learn from them instead. I hope that we make up with those we have had conflicts with and cherish the joys of friendship. I hope that we fall in love unconditionally and feel how amazing it is to love and be loved in return. I hope that we learn when to hold on to things and when let go. I hope that we take risks and be proud of it. I hope that we go do all the things we want to do and go places our heart yearns for without thinking twice. And ultimately, this 2012, I hope that we never forget to thank God for all the wonderful things in life, because everything we have, is all because of Him.

Let us make the most out of this coming year.

Happy New Year everyone!

Hpnotiq

A bunch of us college buddies planned on getting together. So last Saturday night, we went to Hpnotiq @ Catribo. Most of us were able to make it there, the others didn’t. But still it was so much fun!

Me, Chum, and Bruce!

Us girls with Jed

Bruce and Peter

Chum and Jc

We had Rum Coke, Zombie, and lots and lots of beer!!

I la la love my girls!

Me, Chum, Jc, Bianca, and our new friend David

I was so drunk that night! Haha look at how the boys made fun of me!

Bianca, Peter, Diane, Chum, me, and Adrian <3

With Aika!

The night was amazing! We all sang Chum a happy birthday when the clock struck 12! She’s now forever 21! Can’t wait for our next night out!

Sunday night, the same group went to her place to celebrate her party. Photos to come soon. x

Iryn

Hey Jay,

I hope you know that I’ve put my hopes up on the promises you made. I know I shouldn’t. It is wrong. But I’m not forcing you to. Don’t worry, I’ll be here. Just here. If ever you come to realize that promises should never be broken.

x, Iryn

Manila Day 3

The third day, we had breakfast by the pool. It was just amazing!

We didn’t have a specific itinerary for the trip. Really. We went with the flow. Haha. But mind you, I wasn’t really comfortable with it, but still it was fun!

We went around the metro the entire day! Headed off to Greenhills, Robinson’s, Ali Mall, and SM Cubao–where we bumped into AA!! Who would’ve thought about bumping into him there. Our friends from Zamboanga who are now staying in Manila, invited us to go out! So, we also invited AA to join us.

That night, we decided to check out Prive Luxury Club! Chum and I were the first ones to arrive. The place was just amazing! Of course, we got in for free, because it was ladies’ night! Yay! After a few minutes, our friend, Jim, arrived. It was also nice to see him. We caught up with each other’s lives and waited for our other friends to arrive. Finally, after an hour of waiting, they did. Ihra and Jay-R both looked great and I couldn’t hide how happy I was to see them after so long!

The crowd amazing! Everyone was hyped up!!

Chum and I, being the fan girls that we are, just had to take a photo with them!

The night was epic! Everything was perfect and we all enjoyed hanging out with our college buddies! This is something we’ll be doing over and over and over again!

x, Iryn

Manila Day 2

We woke up to a very scrumptious breakfast in bed the following day! After getting ready, we headed off to SM Makati because Chum had to drop something off at Toy Kingdom. Our college friend, AA, met us there. It was really nice to see him again.

We shopped the entire day!! The sale was just crazy! We couldn’t get enough of it. Our next stop was at Glorietta. Again, we did some crazy crazy shopping. In the afternoon, AA had to leave, so it was just us three girls. After some clothes shopping, we went to Powerbooks because I just had to buy Looking For Alaska and The Perks of Being A Wallflower. Unfortunately, LFA was sold out so I only got the latter.

Late that afternoon, we waited for our sundo to take us home because our feet were very sore and we just wanted to rest.

At around 10:30 PM, Ate Faith (the house owner’s daughter), invited us to go out. I was already in my pajamas and we were all lying in bed, so we hurriedly prepped up! Her cousin, Kuya RJ, also came with us. They were both really cool people! First, we headed off to Izakaya for the open mic session with Guji Lorenzana but all the tables were reserved, so we decided to go to Distillery instead. There, we had some drinks and just laughed and talked the whole night. It was my first time to try Sex on the Beach and I must say, it was really good!

After having a few drinks at Distillery, we moved on to our next destination – Last Home Resto Bar at Madison Square, Mandaluyong City. The ambiance was totally different. Musicians gathered there and had acoustic sessions. There was a homey vibe to the place that made me comfortable in a sec! And not to mention, their siomai was to die for! Haha!

Time to get home!

The day was just fulfilling! Despite the tedious walks we had, everything was just worth it!

Manila Day 1

My friends and I have been planning for this trip since forever! When the day of our travel came, we just couldn’t hide all the excitement!

Touchdown Manila!

While waiting for our sundo. We were so hungry that time! We ate Chum’s banana cake with our bare hands! Haha.

When our sundo finally came, we headed off to MOA for dinner. After that, we went around the place and bought some things we fancied!

This hat was so cute!

After MOA, we headed off to Resorts World Manila. My girls and I were all very giddy to enter the casino! We were told that we had to be 21 and above to get in. So we came up with new birth dates. But to our dismay, as we were entering the casino, two guards blocked us and asked for our IDs. We didn’t want to give them our IDs because they would find out that we were only 20! With all the frustration taking over, we decided to go to Starbucks and just talk the night away over mocha cappuccinos. Even though we were not able to get in, the night was still fun!!

After a few hours of non-stop talking and laughing, we finally headed home and rested to prepare ourselves for the long day ahead!

What’s In My Bag?

I have read a number of “What’s In My Bag?” posts over the internet and I have long since wanted to do my version. My mom woke me up extremely early today and I couldn’t go back to sleep anymore no matter how heavy my eyes feel right now. Oh well, what better way to start the morning than to blog about the things inside my blog. I’m pretty sure I will feel sleepy in a few hours, so here goes…

Coach bag (which I borrowed/stole from my Mom) with a handy Bath & Body Works anti-bacterial hand sanitizer in vanilla scent - because I love the smell of anything vanilla
Lancome make-up bag – because every girl needs one!
A pack of Kleenex (which I keep inside a Ziploc bag, yes, I am OC like that) – because you’ll never know when you have to wipe something off
Airline tickets – because I am leaving this afternoon
A comb
Phone charger – you know why..which reminds me, I did not include my phone in any of these photos because it’s what I used to take them. Haha
A pack of Doublemint gums – for the plane ride later
My pill-box – because I am very drug dependent! Haha and because you don’t know when you might be needing them. For emergency purposes.
An umbrella – because the weather here in the Philippines is crazy, so it’s good to have an umbrella with you all the time
A box of Curly Tops chocolates – Haha this one I placed in my bag for the trip. Because we will never know when we get hungry!
Liz Claiborne wallet
Pink pouch (which I’ve had with me since I was a college freshman) – it has two compartments. The first one is where I keep my prayer books and my rosary. The other one is where I keep my flash disk, my house keys, and some other random stuff.
iPod (with no earphones) – just because!
Penshoppe Optics wayfarer sunglasses – because it’s always sunny in the Philippines!

Sony T-77
G-tec 0.3 pen - because I like scribbling random thoughts as they come to mind
A hanky – because my life is incomplete without a handkerchief
The Little Prince book  - I always carry a book with me just because. I chose to bring this book for the trip (even though I have read it for the umpteenth time) because the book I’m reading won’t fit in my bag anymore. This one’s thin and light so it won’t take up a lot of bag space.

Off mosquito repellent spray – to keep me safe from those pestering mosquitoes!
Aromacology Sports spray – with SPF 15, because, as I have mentioned, it’s always sunny here
Hair scrunchy – I have gotten used to tying my hair since it has reached its awkward stage (from a bob to somewhere near my shoulders)
Clean & Clear face powder – because it keeps my face matte and fresh!
A set of hair pins – because I just need them! Haha
Lancome CILS booster XL mascara base and Lancome high-definition mascara
Hair shine from Watsons – this I don’t use often but I still have to have it with me all the time
A set of lip tints, lipsticks, and lip gloss
Another comb (which glows in the dark) - because I’m such a sucker for glow in the dark things!
Eyelash curler 
A teeny-weeny bottle of Gucci ENVY Me perfume – because we gotta smell good all day long and this scent is to die for!

Close up:
Beauty RUSH lipsticks in Grape Fruity and Clementini
Beauty RUSH Yummy Berry lip gloss 
Lancome Juicy Tubes in Coral Rush
Aromacology lip and cheek tint – this, I always use because it’s less complicated and it gives color to my lips and cheeks that lasts the entire day.
MAX Factor lipfinity
The Body Shop Born Lippy strawberry lip balm 

FYI, I just like to bring everything with me because you’ll never know what shade you feel like using. Okay?

So, that was my version of “What’s In My Bag”. Just so you know, I am the type of person who likes to keep everything handy so I like using big bags for everything to fit in! These are the usual things I take with me everyday, except for the airline tickets. Haha.

I plan to buy myself a small notebook and label it “Dear Iryn” so I can scribble notes to myself and not forget them. Another addition to the things in my bag!

That’s about it. That was fun!! I think I might do more of these later on.. Oh, and guess what? I was wrong, I feel sleepy already! I better get back to bed and prepare for my flight later. x

Iryn

Again

I have always had a blog. I was in high school when I started blogging. When I got home from school, I would rant about the most mundane to the most whimsical to the most in-depth things online–not caring whether other people gave a damn. The only thing that mattered was that I wrote and I had an outlet for my day-to-day musings.

Through time, I frequently got bored with my old blogs and created new ones. Until one day, I grew tired of updating.. and due to time constraint, my blog died a natural death. A few months have passed since I shut my blog down, I’ve gotten used to the casual micro blogging sites that are Tumblr and Twitter but none has satiated me the way having a real blog does. A lot has happened since I stopped blogging and I feel that now is the best time to start documenting my life again and sharing my most random thoughts or my latest shenanigans.

Sometimes I regret shutting my old blog down because of all the years I have spent there but wouldn’t it be nice to start anew? Not to mention the existence of some posts I’d rather not re-read.

So to make things short, I’m giving myself another shot at blogging. I hope this lasts long enough and I will try to post whenever I can.

Here’s to new hopes and long-lasting homes! x

Iryn