Morning Musings

I've been longing for mornings like this. Quiet and peaceful... just me, my thoughts and a fresh brew. The past few days have been tiring and grueling, both physically and emotionally. Work has been tough. We lost "Monzy", 1 of our triplets the other day, we now have his brother "Ipe" fighting for his life, and "Baste" our little fighter just overcame a major heart surgery and is still being stabilized. If you are reading this, please pray for our babies. Please.

One of the reasons why going to work is a feat as well is because several of our NICU staff are leaving for UK and Abu Dhabi to pursue a career there. It's actually quite sad go to work with some friends/co-workers gone. Its makes me want to leave the Philippines so badly, but I realized that there are some things that can't be rushed. I'm excited tho when that time comes. I feel like I've been settling too much already in my comfort zone and that it's time for a change. 

Last musing for the day, I've been "seeing" an old guy friend lately (you know, texting, talking on the phone and getting coffee) I've tried so hard to see anything in him I could like/love but nada. Wala eh. Have you ever had that feeling of trying so hard to feel something, recognize a spark or be just plainly stupidly over the heels for a person but just can't? That's how I'm feeling right now. I just can't see it. I know it's harsh but I just stopped answering his messages/calls. How am I gonna find the right guy if I'm this choosy you may ask? I don't know too. I'm still praying for God to write me my love story. In His right time. So while I wait, message to self: NEVER EVER SETTLE.

There are a lot of things going in my mind these past days and it's so hard to take it all in with my extremely tiring and demanding schedule. Thank you God for this morning tho. I needed this.

Exhilarating Sagada

10 hours of travel time from Manila to Sagada was totally worth it. The town was different from other tourist spots I've been to. Sagada was traditional, conservative and quiet... nevertheless, beautiful, immaculate and exhilarating. Will definitely be back for the Cave Connection and some good ol' Sagada brew.

Bucket List: ✔️ Banaue Rice Terraces

Oooh, the things I did to see this wonderful view! We crossed rivers, passed thru caves, hiked our way up muddy trails and rocks (slipped a few times and got bruises pa!) Hahaha yep I'm clumsy like that.

😜

Pagoda tragedy was all worth it tho. Bucket List: ✔️ Sagada Hanging Coffins

All this time, I thought I was gonna relax and go on a foodtrip in Sagada. Hahaha di pala, aakyat pala kami ng bundok. 

😂

Next time I'll be ready! Will come back for the Bomod-Ok Falls. For now tho, Bokong Falls muna!

I see Yoghurt House often from pictures of friends who've visited Sagada before, so this was the first place we tried out. The place was nice ambiance-wise, but I think that's all to it. Their service was poor, the server who attended to us was not accommodating and courteous, and the food was nothing special (except that it's too nice for pictures). Meh.

Foggy Kiltepan Peak

We dropped by Ben Cab in Baguio then had lunch at Cafe Sabel.

 Al fresco dining overlooking the Benguet forest. Aaah, life is good.

This, consequently happened over dinner. We weren't able to resist Cafe by the Ruins. We just had to go there.

3 Voices, 1 Journey: A Night of Music with Top, Jinky and Joey G.

June 19, 2015 | Music Museum

I’ve always loved the songs of Freestyle(the original band), but it was only recently that I learned of the greatness that is Top and Jinky as individual artists. A few months back, Fattie, a friend of mine watched a gig of them together at Off the Grill, fell completely in love with them and showed me videos she took. Since then I was hooked and late nights were spent watching old Freestyle, Top and Jinky videos/gigs/concerts on YouTube. I've been binge-ing on videos of them for several weeks now so imagine my anticipation and giddiness to watch them perform live on stage. To make it even better, Joey G. from Side A was also there to collaborate. I felt like a fat kid waiting for a big slice of chocolate cake. And boy was the fat kid in me satisfied. I had an amazing night!

It was a rainy Friday night so my friends and I were a bit anxious not to make it in time for the concert. Kez (who came from a seminar that ended at 6pm from Makati) and I braved the EDSA freaking traffic war for 2 hours. Good thing the show started late, probably anticipating the people who'd be stuck in traffic. All was well tho as guests were treated with the nice and vintage ambiance of the Music Museum, overflowing food and drinks, a wonderful show of lights and a stage that felt very organic.

The show started with a medley of songs from Earth, Wind and Fire, to songs that influenced their genres, then to duets of "Perfect combination" and "What do we mean to each other". These 3 are amazing, I love how their voices blended really well together. A running joke then ensued as Jinky repeatedly said all night before they sang, "Let's duet!!" (Let's do it!).

They also did a medley of their top hits “Before I let you go”, Tell Me"", "So Slow", "Till I Found you", "Set you Free", "Bakit ngayon ka lang" and "Forevermore".

This was the BEST part of the concert for me! Everyone felt nostalgic singing along to their favorites and everything was just beautiful. Truly, nothing beats the original.

From the classics, they then sung current songs from Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" to Bruno Mars' "Treasure" and "Uptown Funk". I took a video of Joey G. grooving to the beat, the guy has the moves! I love how they transitioned from love songs to upbeat ones and from old to new, a testament of how versatile they are as artists.

Jinky's "Love Me Like You Do" was EPIC!! I dare you now to go to YouTube and look for a good version of Ellie singing this song live! Nope, you won't find any. Jinky's voice was soulful and powerful, I wonder how she manages to breathe in between notes! It's actually funny because NO ONE of us took a video of her singing that because we were just in awe. Sabi nga ni Fattie, "Tulala" daw siya the whole time! Ang galing galing kasi!!

I loved Top and Jinky in Freestyle but seeing them now as individual artists doing a team-up as a vocal duo is just as great, BETTER even! I love how their stage presence now is very comfortable and PDA-ish, especially when they sing their original love songs. It brings out more feelings and 'kilig' to the people watching.

Jinky’s powerful vocals were breathtaking, it takes you into another world the moment she starts to sing. Top’s swoon-worthy voice was smooth and captivating, it felt like not only was he sharing his gift of singing, but also pouring his heart out to everyone in the crowd. These two might have their own thing going on, but they still make beautiful music together every time they sing. Also, they never fail to make me kilig with their duets! Hihi. And well, you know Joey G. (who had 3 costume changes during the show :P) has the magic to make anyone believe in forever. *cue in Forevermore* Ha.

The ticket we got had a backstage pass so we had the chance to meet Top, Jinky and Joey personally. Top was accommodating and wonderful during our photo op. He asked us if we enjoyed the show, which was really nice coming from someone like him. I mean, this guy is an institution! Lol, I think I was mesmerized or something I couldn't even pronounce REUNITED for God's sake! I was trying to tell him that their Reunited Concert was awesome and that there should be a part 2, but the giddy and excited fan girl in me had me mumbling words. Hahahaha! Let me just get this out, Top was really cute! He doesn't look his age. Plus he's really really nice to his fans (shocks, so i'm a certified fan now :P). This guy is amazing. Hihi love you Top!!

Jinky was also very accommodating. Taking pictures with her felt like taking selfies with your bestfriend. She's sooo makulit and funny! The whole time she was onstage, we kept gushing about how beautiful and sexy she was, hashtag #girlcrush! It's really nice how the soulful and incredibly captivating diva on stage can be so down-to-earth up close! My friend, Acey asked her for an autograph at the back of her ticket but she only had a pencil so she told Jinky "Sorry po pencil lang ang dala ko eh.." to which Jinky replied, "HAHA, okay lang yan girl! May pambura ako gusto mo?" literally laughing out loud, which had us chuckling too! From that moment on, Acey became an instant Jinky fan vowing to follow her gigs now and forever. Hahaha. I didn't have a decent selfie with Jinky tho, the shots I had were all blurred. Joey G. on the other hand had some other business going on during our photo op so we weren't able to interact with him much. But he did join a groupie with us, so its fine :)

We also took a photo with Rancis De Leon, the guy who played the sax! I This guy was awesome at the Reunited Concert!!

Fattie, Kez, Acey and I had an amazing time! We slept over at Acey's house after and that night we fell asleep to my Top, Jinky and Joey playlist playing and serenading us to wonderful dreams. Thank you God for the wonderful gift of music! :) 

♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ 

A Breathtaking Place: Puerto Princesa, Palawan