It was a cold starry night celebrating New Year's at our residence. My family and I had a great dinner, and did rituals like any other Asian family do during the New Year's. As I call it a day, I decided to offer a prayer for the year ahead. I prayed for a better year for all of us, for the pandemic to end, and to keep my friends and family safe. I prayed for more friends, friends that are genuine and that I could keep for a lifetime. During that time, I was not sure if they are going to just come in my life or not. I remained patient.

Fast forward to March. I met two people. I know this one person back in September, but we would usually do small talks every time we see each other. We never got the chance on getting to know each other. We'd say "Hi!" here and there, very casual and that's it. They are always in a group of five? I believe, and I would always feel that they are staring at me lol. They would ask questions about me. Some personal questions, but more on what  we do in the place. They know how to keep conversations, and they kept me engaged. The two, I would always see each other. Always together. That one person would always say "Hi" to me, but I did not know his name so I asked him. His name is A (not his real name lol). While the other guy was very quiet, his name is B (also not his real name lol). A was a very curious guy, he was the one who made so much effort to get to know me which I appreciate because I am an introvert lol. We first hanged out at a hotpot place, he loves hotpot. A would frequent give me stuff when we see each other, he is very generous. Meanwhile B, getting to know B was interesting. Turns out, he was the most talkative to the three of us. He can keep conversations as long as he is interested in the topic. Our first hang out together was at a KBBQ place, we had fun. B mostly did the talking, because it turns out and A and I are both listeners lol.

One time, A and I had a conversation about how I prayed for additional friends this year. I told him, that you were the ones that I met this year, and I was thankful that I met them both. It was a little bit emotional, but A was also thankful that he met us both too. We talked about so many things during this conversation, I wish I could share them on the internet, but I cannot lol. 

Summary, I think I found true friends this year. Friends that I enjoy being around with. Friends that I think I can trust, and I hope this friendship would last forever. Like what I always tell A, I hope I did not make a mistake choosing them as my friend because they truly broke down that walls that I built around me. 

I am thankful.

Have a great August ahead! :D

Stay Safe!

xo,

rj

 

August 30th 2019 was a sunny afternoon. I woke up with the sun beaming on my face. I grabbed my phone and scrolled trough my SNS like I always do to see what’s on the news, and check out what my friends are up to. I scrolled through ig and saw one of my friend’s post. It was an Ad from this big company that we all know. I am not going to name the company. I clicked on the provided link, and looked through what they were selling. The prices were too good to be true! It was really cheap for the brand itself. I would say that I stayed on the website for at least 30 minutes. Then the time came where I was about to check out the items that I’ve added to my cart. But as soon as I try to pay for it, I felt something was off since the mode of payment that they were accepting was only paypal. I did not have paypal, so I did not have any other way of checking the items out, though I have already entered my name, address, email, and contact number. Another weird thing was I could not delete the information that I have entered, so I have to close down the entire website and never came back. I reached out to my friend on sc who posted the Ad on ig. My friend said that the account was h-cked, and could not access it for a couple of days. My friend had to ask for help in their school’s IT department, but the account was fine now. As soon as I read my friend’s message, I started to get chills. I was scared for my life, and I did not know what to do. I was just using a hoax website. I do not know what other information they got from me. I started to overthink... I changed my passwords, locked all my cards, and secured all my SNS. I was just worried with the address, and phone number taken from me. I have not ate breakfast nor lunch that day, and lost appetite for the rest of the day. My mind was all over the place. I could not sleep that night, thinking that something wrong was about to happen. That night, I only had about 30 minutes of sleep. Good thing it was summer, so we did not have school. Sleepless nights, constant overthinking, loss of appetite, detachment to reality, extreme sadness, and losing touch with my friends extended for more than a month. I was very irritable, and can easily cry in an instant. I’ve noticed that my weight was changing, so I’ve noticed that something was already wrong with me. I was not okay. People around me was used to seeing me joyful and happy all the time, but no one ever noticed or spoke to me about it. Sad thing is, my parents did not even notice that something was wrong with me. Good pretender, aye? The phenomenon kept ongoing for two months, and kept it all to myself. I would act as if everything was fine, until a teacher approached me and said “Hey, I see that you’re not very smiley lately”. At that moment when I heard him say that to me, I did not know how to respond. I just smiled at him. I rushed to the restroom, preventing my tears from falling, but I could not help it. I cried, and was touched to what he said, it means a lot to me. He was the very first person who noticed that I was not okay. I still kept everything to myself for the next month, but this time I was having extreme suicidal thoughts. I tried to divert my attention to what I used to enjoy doing, but I do not enjoy the activities anymore. Everyday I was thinking about taking my own li/fe. I was aware that I was not okay. It was very unhealthy to me. I would have mental breakdowns in the shower... Until two companies blasted an email for their users stating this and that problem. I started to overthink even more. I was losing weight significantly, my parents did not even notice. I was also staying away to my friends, and never asked for help. December came, and I was still suicidal. I had very few days to fix myself, since my flight to the Philippines was fast approaching. I was still experiencing everything, and had anxiety attacks. It was very horrible, and decided to take melatonin every night. It was not helping me. I was considering to book an appointment with our school psychologist, but everything was full and did not have my availability. I wanted it to be discreet. Again, I was left with myself... and the internet. I was not reading negative news, because I know that it will affect me, so I decided to watch reality shows. Days waiting until our flight to the Philippines, I was still feeling the same, but I still kept a smile on my face and tried to hide what I was going through. I faced my relatives in the Philippines without them knowing what was going on with myself. I cherished every moment I was there, thinking that what if this might be the last time that I get to be with them? I was thankful that I see smiles on their faces, and hear laughters almost everyday. I felt like I was home, it felt like it was truly my home. I would say that I was healed in the Philippines. I still had some episodes in the Philippines, but it was not worse than what I used to experience a few months before that. I enjoyed my time there, especially our out of the country trip where I learned so much. I am very thankful to my cousin who organized that trip, I honestly could not thank her enough. I genuinely smiled and laughed throughout that whole month of stay. I came back to America feeling better, but I would still experience some anxiety here and there especially during this pandemic. It has been a year since I experienced darkness. I hope in the future, I would feel better and be genuinely happy. I hope to live life to the fullest. I have learned my lesson, and I hope you learned something from the blog entry as well.

Happy September! 

September is Suicide Prevention Month*

Stay safe!

xo,

rj

I used to view life with rose coloured glasses on. I started the year happily, and claimed that this was going to be my best year yet. I was focused and continued on with school at ease. It was a very comfortable spring semester for me this year. Summer came, and nothing really special happened during that season. It was just uncomfortably hot, and would personally wear long sleeves outside. People would give me weird stares for wearing long sleeve shirts on a 100 degree weather,... and so what? I am just protecting my skin from the evil sun.
The start of fall semester came, and I started to become depressed. No one in the family has noticed the drastic change in my mood, but I was personally experiencing problems within me. I would get angry easily, over simple stuff. I remember losing appetite during these months that lasted from August to the end of November. Everyday I was hopeless. Almost everyday I thought of taking my own life. I was just worried for my parents. I would go to school, and no one would notice...... except for this one person who asked me, "What's wrong with you these days? I noticed you haven't been so smiley lately. Are you okay?". Of course, I did say that I was okay but in reality I wasn't. I couldn't help myself, so I had to rush to the bathroom. Tears started to fall down. I was balling inside the school's bathroom because I was really not okay. I went back out, and thank God I had my redness relief visine in my bag. Within a few minutes, the redness on my eyes were almost gone. December came, and I am slowly gaining myself back. I did tell a few friends about my situation, and yes they did help, but I couldnt remove the fact that I was really hopeless and useless to the world. Now this month is about to end, I have realised that whatever I went through, was probably God's plan. It was taken as a lesson for me to be stronger for this next upcoming year.
Now, I see the world as if our lives have already been written in a book, and we're just going through its pages at the very moment. Do you think our lives would still continue its chapters? Or our individual book has ended, that we are only waiting for its happy ending?
Though I am still waiting for a few more months to really say that I am now okay, I am looking forward for what 2020 has got for me. I pray that it would be better since I would be starting next year with a bang! I hope I can really document all of the precious moments, that will for sure be posted on a new YouTube channel.
Finally, I am still not too sure if I beat the darkness within me, but I sure did it all with a smile on my face.


++++++++++++

I gathered a list of my favourites that I discovered this year! Enjoy!

✰ MOVIES or SERIES
- Aladdin (English)
- Lion King (English)
- Ikaw at Ako (Tagalog)


✰ MUSIC
- Check my Spotify!


✰ TECH

This 2018, I know that it was not the perfect year for me--- there were loops and holes here and there, but I know for sure that it was a great one. I kicked off 2018 with a bang. I remember the first day that my cousin and our mutual friend were out at a place and hanged out. On the way home, I heard a song that truly changed my life. Lol. Not really change, but I did not expect that I would like that type of music. It was a different genre that I never imagined myself listening to. I have no idea what happened to myself, but I like those music that this artist release. Oh, I started watching KDramas this year, but only the select ones lol not everything. The first month overall was fun, and a lot of discoveries popped out of nowhere. I learned a lot since this year for me was also a very creative one, and I am planning to continue that for sure next year. The last three months of the first half of the year was quite a struggle to me. I was taking my last math class ever, and I just felt a lot of pressure to passing it since I am not good at math, really. Summer was mostly relaxation at home. I just wanted to sleep all day, feeling that I deserved those days just binge watching movies after a semester in school. We went to California's Great America, and it was my first time there. To be completely honest, it was kinda dry in there that I think that is going to be my last visit in that place. I did not enjoy the place, that I would rather go to Santa Cruz's Beach Boardwalk than Great America.
Second semester of school came, and this is where most of my problems were really bad. I was very concentrated in school during these months since I was struggling hard. I know that my family did not really notice this because I just tend to show that I am doing fine in school. Well, I have been always doing good in school, this was the first time that I really struggled acedemically. I would be disappointed and sometimes cry over my grades, but in the end I still made it through successfully. I am happy with my grades for the second semester even though it does not look that great compared to last semester. I also went to Reno, Nevada this year for a campus tour. During the first few hours, I actually considered going to this University but then I realised and told my friend that they were just showing the good and new sides of the campus. Yes, they really were. We would see old buildings from afar, and even visited their dorms. I was not impressed to be honest. Yes, the tuition was pretty reasonable, but the expectation was not met. I have visited better campuses around norcal.
My favourite people were really really really a big part of my 2018. Thanks to them. No one would understand how they helped me this year. Can I say that they were my saviours? Yes.

That would be all. Until next time ;)

====
I gathered a list of my favourites that I discovered this year! Enjoy!
P.S. None of these are sponsored, unless otherwise noted.


2 0 1 8     F A V O U R I T E S

✰ MOVIES or SERIES
- Crazy Rich Asians (English)
- 13 Reasons Why (English)
- Seven Sundays (Tagalog)
- The Hows Of Us (Tagalog)
- Kasal (Tagalog)

✰ MUSIC
Go check out my 2018 Music playlist on spotify!

✰ TECH
- iPad Pro
- Handheld Microscope
- Google Home

✰ PLACES
- California's Great America
- Reno, Nevada

✰ FOOD
These were my first times
- Garlic Chicken
- Crispy Deluxe Sushi
- Samgyeopsal
- I had mini octopus but it was not my favourite
- Samosas
- Galatine Candy from Italy
- Honey Butter Almond from S.Korea

✰ APPLICATIONS
- Amazon Prime: for convenient and fast shopping
- Split (Screen App): for multitasking
- Duolingo: where I am currently learning my 5th language
- Quizlet: I use it to study
- Good Notes: I use it to take notes on my iPad
- Adobe Illustrator: It is free, I still have to look for a better app to use for drawing on my iPad
- Starbucks: I've had a lot this year hahaha
- CashApp: for easy debit
- Zepeto: I use it when I'm bored

✰ K-DRAMAS
- Weightlifting Fairy (series)
- I Am Not A Robot (series)
- Pure Love (movie)
- My Annoying Brother (movie)
- Andante (series)
- Rich Man (series)
- 100 Days My Prince (series)

✰ FIL-DRAMA
- Ngayon at Kailanman

✰ SKIN CARE
- Nature Republic's 92% Aloe Vera Soothing Gel


*****
This is going to be my last blog post of 2018. I hope you had a great 2018 just like I did, and if not, I hope 2019 would be a better one for us! 2019 will be the best year yet! Let us claim for a happy and prosperous year ahead :D Have a blessed 2019! Always, Good Luck!
*****

xo,
rj

I am back to school today, and this year's summer did not really go as planned. A lot of happenings were spontaneous, but some events that were planned prior to summer were unfortunately cancelled. What's new aye? Anyway, I just want to share how this year's summer went for me.

Summer for me started on the last week of May because finals were on the third week, obviously lol. That first week of summer was fine, we did a minimal amount of shopping (I was with my mom and it serves as her 'therapy' if you can say). I don't know, but every time I would ask her why she wanted to go somewhere, she often tell me that it relaxes her. How will that relax her if the body is constantly  walking? xD The thing is, she does not really buy a lot of stuff, which is good, I guess. She just wants to look at the clothes, and if she likes something then maybe she would purchase it.

The first few weeks of June was amazing for me. I got to experience Korean Barbecue with my cousin and aunts for the first time! I honestly ate so much that I could not breath. It was amazing, we ordered food after orders--- it was non-stop!
In June, I got to watch the NBA 2018 Finals at the Oracle Arena! I know that I have been to their games a few times,  but this one was really special to me :D Always, I treasure every experience. After another game, Golden State Warriors were once again the NBA Champion.

A few weeks later, hahahaha this was really spontaneous. One day, I decided to go to a pet store and after roaming around, I saw that there were fishes available! The fishes were so beautiful, and they were iridescent as they swim around. I wanted one! I chose a fish that you might have seen on my snap :) I bought a water conditioner as well as its food. At first, I was worried of keeping it alive, but it is still living even up to this day!

Now, on the picture above. This trip was planned way back in April, and I believe that it is the only 'planned' trip that actually happened xD. It was three hours away from home. To be completely honest, my first impression about the park was sad and dry but I kept that impression to myself until---- wait for it please keep reading lol. When we walked inside of the amusement park, there were not a lot of people visiting. It was so quiet and still. In my opinion, the park was a bit small and there were not a lot of rides available at the time that we came. We were limited to stay inside the park from eleven to three, so as soon as we arrived, we have to eat lunch where we had to walk for thirty minutes to get to the food area. Of course, we ate quickly and even took the cable cars to speed up our transfers. I tried to vlog every moment, but I felt like I did not take enough footage to share since I cannot really shoot videos when I was in the rollercoaster. Honestly, I tried lol. The place was kinda boring for me, and if you would ask me, I'd choose the place where we went last year than Great America. When we were leaving, the people with me also said that the place was so quiet and sad. The ambiance was just empty for me, so I agree to what they were saying. I was not alone for what I was feeling. After all that, (well not that a lot huh? lol) we headed back home.

July came, and of course, we celebrated fourth of July! We *LIT* some firecrackers outside the house, and had some bbq after. I was originally going to watch the fireworks show that the city hosted, but did not get a chance to. After a few days, we watched a drone show hosted by intel where 500 drones were used to do exhibitions. It was a pretty cool experience to be honest. People were really proud that they had the same exhibition during the 2018 Winter Olympics in SK.

On that same day, I also got my first vehicle. The hunt only lasted for three days. Well for me, I think that was short, but the following week my friend got another car in just one day lol. I think that was quick. My decision was spontaneous, the car had the features that I wanted so I went ahead and got it. After a few weeks, I got a new iPad and its Apple Pencil. It took me a minimum amount of time to realise that I want it, but on the day of purchase, I kept on vacillating whether to get it or not. In the end, I still got it since my old iPad Mini is already six years old and evidently used to its full capacity. It had to retire. So far, I am enjoying it and I am looking forward into utilizing it over the next couple of years.

Yes, my summer was quite boring. Hopefully next year, we'd travel SoCal? Oh, I know this won't happen, but we'll see! ;D

~~~
Did you travel a lot? What did you do? I hope you had a great summer!
~~~

'Til next time.

xo,
rj

To some people, 2017 was the best year so far for them. To some people, 2017 went a little too fast. To some people, 2017 was a tough and a challenging year for them.
For me, 2017 was really tough and challenging especially on the first half of the year. During the first month--- on the second week, I received an email regarding to a personal issue. This lasted for three months, and I had to resolve the issue between that time span. On the second month, the entire clan was down due to a family member rushed to the emergency room, and was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. This family member stayed in the hospital for more than a month, and was on strict monitoring after. The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh month was a complete stressful months for me. I was not showing this to my family, and I just kept it to myself. On the other hand, summertime was quite a bit adventurous for me. I went to places that I have never been. On the Eighth month, a family member was rushed to the emergency room, had a mild stroke, and was later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. That family member later stayed there for a week, and was transferred to a rehabilitation center. It was hard for me, and I was sad seeing that family member struggle with every single of his/her actions needing assistance at all times. The Ninth, and Tenth month for me was stable in real life, but kinda stressful and toxic regarding to social media. Now, for the Eleventh month, a plot twist to my year! I loved November so much. That sudden trip to the Philippines was the best that happened this year. I could not explain how happy I was went I went back home. Though, I was expecting to be back during the summertime, I still had the chance to go back at the end of the year. Honestly, I lost hope that I wouldn't be back in the Philippines this year, when July was about to end. November was the best because I got to reunite with my family back in the Philippines. We had occasional bondings, and of course, our nightly karaoke sessions. Even though we were there for a short period of time, I really really enjoyed that trip.
Usually when I get back here in America from the Philippines, I get sad or like have a separation anxiety with my cousins there in the Philippines, but this time, I was not sad at all. Well, to be honest, I cried after two days since I arrived from the Philippines. It just hit me that I am not in the Philippines anymore. The next day, I was excited to finally be back hopefully hopefully this 2018! On the Twelfth and last month of the year, we celebrated Christmas like every family does. This year, our celebration was nice and simple. I ate a lot of food! Lol.

I gathered a list of my favourites that I discovered from this year! Enjoy ;D
P.S. None of these are sponsored, unless otherwise noted.

2017 FAVOURITES

✰ Movie(s)
- The Space Between Us (English)
- Beauty and the Beast (English)
- Vince and Kath and James (Tagalog)
- Love You to the Stars and Back (Tagalog)
- Loving In Tandem (Tagalog)
- Unexpectedly Yours (Tagalog)

✰ Music
- I suggest you to check out my 2017 music playlist on Spotify!

✰ Tech
- Bose Revolve+ SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker
- SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive
- iPhone 8+

✰ Place(s)
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, California, USA
- Lingayen Beach, Pangasinan, Philippines

✰ Food
These are my first times
- Silvanas (frozen cookie made with nutty meringue and filled with rich buttercream)
- Crispy Pata in Bagoong

✰ Application(s)
- Amazon Prime ~ I love their 2-Day Shipping
- Amazon Prime Video ~ This is where I watch some movies that goes with the Amazon that I paid for.
- HUJI CAM ~ This was a trend in 2017. Download this app if you like your pictures to look as if it was taken with a polaroid camera.
- Telegram
- Headspace ~ In 2017, I learned that mindfulness is really important. If you feel stressed, or burned out, take a break and let this app help you with that. It only takes three minutes. Mental Health is also important :D

✰ K-Drama
- Goblin ~ This is my first Korean Drama in years!

✰ Fil-Drama
- Wildflower
- Hangaang Saan

✰ Skin Care
- Mario Badescu Drying Lotion ~ It honestly dries up your pimple after two days! Do not use it during daytime, because you'll look silly with it. Try using it before you sleep.

*****
This would be my last blog post for 2017! I am surely going to miss this year. Thank you to those people that helped me achieve my "micro-goals" that would soon have a "macro-effect" to my dreams. Thank you for being a part of my 2017 journey. To my friends, you know who you are, thank you. To those people who underestimate me, watch out--- because 2018 will be my year!! #ClaimIt. Even though that this year was not the best year in my life, this year will still be remembered.
*****
I hope you guys have a blessed 2018 ahead!
*****

Lots of Love,
RJ

As the years go by, I noticed that I have been missing out with various Filipino Traditions that filipinos do during Christmas. Well not all five facts are not mainly me missing out. lol
Here are 5 Facts About Me During Christmas Season!

5 - CLASSROOM DECORATIONS
Okay. I think that most schools in the Philippines would host a 'Classroom Decorating Contest' before their Christmas Parties. I know you know what I am talking about. Alright. In our school, even first graders get to decorate their classrooms with various Christmas decorations. Through the years, our class have not won anything yet from this contest until we went to high school.
Our Freshman President lead our classroom decorations, he basically planned how it would look like. Judging came, and of course, we lost. That year (when we were freshmen), sophomores won the contest.
Sophomore year came, and this time our class adviser was really hands-on with us. She was really serious about this, and she wanted to win for the second consecutive time. Little did we know, that her trick into winning the contest was placing a "Belen" inside a classroom which my classmates and I helped together to set up. Our adviser brought actual hay for the "Belen". After the judging, we finally won!

4 - OH CHRISTMAS TREE
You know how every filipino household would at least have a Christmas tree for Christmas. I remember the time when we first had our real Christmas Tree, that we picked up. It is very different from having a fake one, because you still have to water the tree every now and then. A real Christmas tree has a distinct scent to it. The house would smell like Christmas, and it is fun to decorate!

3 - SECRET SANTA GONE WRONG
We were young at that time. This took place in school, and I cannot remember what grade we were in. During our Christmas party, we exchange gifts. I peacefully gave my gift to the person that I got. When my name was called, I went up and opened the gift in front of the entire class. My secret Santa handed me his gift, and I noticed that his gift was small. I did not take it seriously, and opened the gift. My gift was a six piece Yu-Gi-Oh cards!! My friends and classmates were getting nice gifts, but I get a six piece Yu-Gi-Oh cards. lol. Mind you, the amount was supposed to be no less than PHP150. hahahaha. My Secret Santa was an exchange student from South Korea that time, and I believe Secret Santas were not a thing before to them. My teacher grabbed her gift, and gave it to me instead. The ending? I had the best gift than the rest of my classmates. xD

2 - PUTO BUMBONG
Hold on. Yes, the kakanin. The purple stuff that they cook outside the church. Yeah. I never had them before. I never had Puto Bumbong before, and I do not know why. Maybe because I often prefer Bibingka with salted eggs? I need to try this when I go back to the Philippines!

1 - MISA DEL GALLO
You go to church, and hear mass early-- very early in the morning, and you start doing this from December 15th until Christmas. So you go to church in the morning at probably 5am for ten consecutive days. You know. I never completed Simbang Gabi before. People say that once you completed the ten days, and make a wish during the last day of church, your wish will come true. But I never completed Misa Del Gallo or Simbang Gabi before, so I am not sure if a wish would truly come true. I am personally not a morning person, so I have a hard time waking up and go to church that early. I have tried it before for at least 4 consecutive days, and until I forget about it in the morning, but I still go to church even if I miss a couple of days. Until up to this day, I still have that on my bucket list, and I hope I can cross that out for the next years!

---
Merry Christmas!

x,
rj

It has been a few weeks since my summer ended. I know, I have not posted an entry since after the 'Sunday Currently' that I wrote a few weeks ago. My summer was not that grand unlike last year's, but I am happy that I got to try different stuffs, and went to different places this year.

My summer kicked off by attending my cousin's high school graduation. Yes, I am basing this blog from my Snapchat Saved Memories hahahaha. I attended my cousin's graduation, of course I was in charge with my camera, and took pictures of the ceremony. After the graduation, we took pictures with the family, and took pictures with the friends. We celebrated this time at home, and I was so excited since we get to eat cake! Lol We do not normally buy cake.

At the beginning of my ''Sweet Summer '17'',  I decided to watch this Korean Drama called, Goblin. It was actually my first time to watch a Korean Drama since I was a kid. This was my first serious KDrama that I watched. The storyline was great, actually. I kinda prefer Grim's, and Sunny's storyline though. Anyway, I still have to finish the series! I think I am on episode ten? I do not feel like finishing it, for now.

Okay. I want to insert a picture for this, but I prefer not to because it is embarrassing hahahahaha. This time, we came over to my cousin's girlfriend to play a water balloon fight. I did not want to get wet, so I volunteered to just record them, and take pictures whilst they play. After that, we had Mexican food and it was so good!

On the Fourth of July, it was my first time going to a Whole Foods Market. The stuff that they sell there was so expensive! No joke. But the most exciting part of this day was an unexpected trip to the Cheesecake Factory! I was so excited when I heard that we are going because I have been telling them that I wanted to go there. The place was really nice, bougie, and really clean. I could even choose my order at first because I was not familiar with their menu. Anyway, the appetizer came and it was so good! Well, I was hungry at the time. hahahahaha. My order came, and I was a little bit skeptical at first because there was a prosciutto that it came with! I got excited lol. Though, the pasta had no dressing or sauce or whatever you call it. Wait, it came with olive oil! Oh no. After we ate the food, I wanted a cheesecake, but the rest did not order any, so I did not order either. I was so happy that day! We headed home, and I planned to watch the fireworks, but ended up staying at home.

Now, the picture above. We went to a lake, and it was not planned at all. It was a sudden trip. I was wearing jeans at a lake, and it was so hot! My cousins, and his girlfriend jumped into the water, but I did not. I did not have extra clothes! My cousin wanted me to jump in, but I still chose not to. We were there for like three hours, and went straight back home. I took some cool pictures, and clips when I was there. I hope I can share them starting next year?

I went to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for the first time! I was really looking forward for that day to come in months! Of course, I went to some rides! My favourite ride was the Giant Dipper, they say that it is famous. We went to one attraction, and it was the fright walk. I hate scary, and creepy things so this was a little bit exciting for me. I really enjoyed this day, and of course I took pictures and videos. I cannot wait to be back. I will share them soon!

My cousin, and his mom arrived from the Philippines. It is their first time here in America. Though we waited at the airport for almost four hours, but it was all worth it.

A week or two after we went to Boardwalk, we went to Six Flags. My cousin that just came was his first time at Six Flags. I have to be honest, I was scared of big rides because I do not want to feel sick, and start throwing up all over lol. I enjoyed my visit at Six Flags this time, unlike the last time. I loved it, and I wish I can go back some time soon! Oh! I went to this ride called Wonder Woman, and after the ride I felt really sick. Do not want to do that again. Before we head home, we watched the dolphins do exhibitions. It was amusing!

Oh. We went to see the Golden Gate Bridge!

Overall, my summer was just a simple one. I hope you enjoyed your summer! We are soon headed to fall, probably my favourite season of all. Hahahahaha :D

~~~
I hope you enjoyed what you read!
Until next time!

Always, Good Luck!

x,
rj

Join The Sunday Currently


The past few weeks have been very busy for me, and survived all of it! I am still busy otherwise, but I think that everything is manageable. After a month without blogging, all I can say is that it is actually kinda weird writing stuffs in here especially this type of blog post since it has been more than six months since I had a Sunday Currently.

CURRENTLY

Reading
I am currently reading different tweets on twitter (obviously), and just reacting to it. Oh! I have been seeing funny viral tweets, and they are really amazing!

Writing
I am currently writing about this "secret" project that I am doing. It is actually exciting, and I am just currently waiting for their replies as a whole. This project will be out soon, and I hope you guys can ehem ehem, read it as well.

Listening
I am currently listening to "You are so beautiful by Eddy Kim" it is actually a song from a Korean Drama called, Goblin. Yes, I do not typically watch Korean Dramas, but this is an exemption since it has taken the world by storm, and I thought of also watching it as well.

Current Favourites:
- The entire Goblin Official Soundtrack
- Dua Lipa's self-titled album
- Khalid's American Teen album
- Myles Parrish's Vomac album
- Toinks by Maymay Entrata
- Strip That Down by Liam Payne
- Bon Appetit by Katy Perry
- Swish Swish by Katy Perry
- Witness by Katy Perry
- I'm The One by DJ Khaled and Justin Bieber


Thinking
I am currently thinking on how to execute something that I am planning for next year!!!

Smelling
All I can currently smell is the febreeze with Tide scent that is behind be. hahahahaha

Wishing
2017 was a roller coaster ride for me, and all I can say is that it has not been a great year for me. I am wishing for a better year next year.

Hoping
I am currently hoping that I could finish this year happy. Well, I'll keep you updated with that. xD

Wearing
What I am wearing right now is so opposite from my last Sunday Currently last year! Okay, I am currently wearing a grey sweater, and basketball shorts.

Wanting
I am currently wanting those people that I chose to tell something about this project. Lol I want to go to San Francisco. I know, it is only like a few minutes away, but I still do not manage to go there somehow.

Needing
I need to get rid of my colds. It has been here for a few days now. I will get better soon though.

Feeling
I am currently feeling happy, and excited!


***
I hope you guys have a great week ahead!

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY TO YOUR DAD!

Until next time.

x,
rj

It all started in August. And it all started with this one girl named, Marydale Entrata. I am a big fan of Pinoy Big Brother, and I have watched every season of it.
In the past season, the time when the teens finally get to meet each other, I was very excited about it because I knew that teens would be a big hit once again, or probably bigger! The first teen housemate that was introduced was Marydale, and was followed by Edward. They first time that they met was kind of eye-catching. Well, the sense of kilig was sudden! When all of the boys were already complete, Marydale told them that it is time to eat dinner! Christian (a housemate) tasted what Marydale cooked for them, but he said that it does not taste like anything, so he tweaked the flavours a bit. Marydale let Edward taste the sour stew, and he said that he liked it. Edward said that it is not perfect, and that's what makes it more special. Since then, I started to follow their journey throughout the entire season even up to this day. Though many hurdles came along the way, these did not stop them and us, supporters.

The day before my birthday came, and this is the first time that I am going to celebrate my special day as a Flyer and a part of the fandom. Many of the flyers were greeting me in social media, and I am very thankful to have them. I waited for midnight for my actual birthday, and I was thanking the people that greeted me one by one, until I suddenly fell asleep.

And so I dreamed.....

I will tell you what my dream is about as detailed as possible.

As usual, you do not remember how your dream started. But what I remember is that I got an e-mail from this random e-mail address, and there was a video attached. In my dream, it was said that I was at the mall when I got the e-mail. I opened the message, and watched the video. It turned our that it is MAYWARD!!! Yes! Marydale Entrata and Edward Barber!!! It was a video greeting for my birthday!
"Hello, RJ MAGALONG! Happy Happy Birthday to you! (said by Maymay). We heard that you are a big fan of us, and we hope to see you soon! (said by Edward)." I repeated to watch the video to see if it is real! I watched it again, and yes it is real!
After I watched the video, I SCREAMED...... a lot!!! And I screamed so loud inside of the mall, that all of the people that were shopping looked at me like crazy. I started balling in tears until the police came to help me. The cops asked me what's wrong, but I said no, I am fine. They asked me once again, and I replied that I am okay. I was on the floor crying, and the people were still looking at me. I was outside of Forever 21, and the staffs came to me, and helped me got up but the endless tears kept on coming. I tried to get myself together, but I cannot do it from what I saw. The cops was following me, and even told me that they will bring me to a Psychiatric Urgent Care (whatever that is, I do not remember what they said). I looked at them whilst I was crying, and told them that I am not crazy.

Now, I cannot remember this part of my dream. I do not know how I ended up in the Philippines.


So one night I was with Master (MWOfficial), Mariz (PNE), Yana (PNE), Dana (PNE), Ace (MWRetweeter), Dism (Maywardism), Pastel (PastelVibrant), Daddy Kevin, Mommy Cathy, Marydale Entrata, Edward Barber, my cousin, Jonas Gaffud and Pia Wurtzbach. Let me just calm down............... I CAN'T CALM DOWN!!!!  I was so happy deep inside!!!! But I need to show that I am all relaxed! Okay, it is kinda weird how I am with these people, especially with Jonas and Pia! hahaha kinda weird. We were on a dinner! I have no idea how I ended up with them, and I do not even know most of them, well maybe I know them from social media, but I do not know their faces. Of course, I know Master, Daddy Kevin, Mommy Cathy, Yana, Pastel, MayWard, Jonas and Pia.
The dinner went like this...

Okay. Let me calm down once again. Sorry to all flyers, but I was sitting in between MayWard! Juskolord!
I do not remember our exact conversations, but Maymay and Edward would always tease each other! Hahaha. Moments later, Edward asked Maymay if she is his girlfriend! The entire place was in complete silence! Namamatay ako deep inside nung narinig ko iyon! Maymay was just smiling, and started to get red! I was in the middle of them, so I tried to scoot away, and sat beside Maymay. She was just smiling, and Edward was patiently waiting for her answer. I called Maymay's name as a signal to answer Edward's question. Maymay nodded her head saying yes. Edward asked, "So... tayo na?" Maymay replied, "Oo na!" I screamed, "OH MY GAAADD!!! This happened in front of me?!" I was really shocked! I started to go down on the floor looking like a worm all crazy! Pia said, "Kiss!" and the rest of us chanted, kiss! Kiss! Kiss! We were the only ones who were in that place, so it was my chance to say, "Tayo lang nandito! Walang pictures! Kiss na!!!" Maymay did not want to make the first move, but Edward's head was slowly nearing her face. Maymay did not want to because she was being shy, so I shoved Maymay's head to Edward's! Their head bumped each other, I did not know if they kissed because I was beside her, and she was turned back at me. We all screamed, and Maymay started to slap my shoulder, laughing out loud! I asked her, "Kinikilig ka May?" And she answered, "Oo. Ang gwapo eh!'' Jonas said, "Hahaha! Kinikilig siya!"
"May, okay lang." said Mommy Cathy. PNE girls said, "Kiss! Kiss!" After a few moments, Edward turned Maymay's face into him, and started to kiss her! Sobrang sigaw kaming lahat!!!!!!!!! BUUUSSSHHHAAAKKK!!!!!! They hugged each other, at nag holding hands na sila habang kumakain kami. The dinner went well, and I woke up because was the morning of my birthday.

I woke with a smile on my face. Happy Birthday to me! xD

~~~
I hope you liked what you read, until next time!

x,
rj

Netflix's new-released series entitled, 13 Reasons Why storms social media.
I had no plans for our Spring Break, so I decided to join the bandwagon, and might as well watch this series since almost everyone is watching it. I finished fourteen episodes in less than three days which got me shookt. A friend of mine finished it in one sitting hahaha. The series was short for me! I had so much questions that must me answered!
I tried not to read reviews, discussions and forums on social media about 13 Reasons Why because I know that somehow, they will spoil the whole purpose, or plot of the series. Don't worry, there are no spoilers in this blog post, well at least no big spoilers xD
Spring Break was over, and finally my friends, and I get to discuss about this topic. A friend of mine have not finished watching it so we had to talk quietly. We all asked each other's questions, and surprisingly none of us had a definite answer. We all talked, and talked as if we were in Monet's (we were actually in a taco place) until my friend told me that the series was shot near us. I said, "FML?" and my friend told me that she was serious. I replied, "FML Forever?!?!", she says yes. I was shocked because I recognize the places while I was watching it, well just the bridge that Clay was looking at, at the beginning, but I thought it was just a film edit, or whatnot to make it seem that he was in that actual spot overlooking the bridge.
My friend kept on telling me that the place was shot at ********, a city that is right next to us!!! Monet's Café, Baker's Drug Store, and the Cinema place was in downtown of the city that was next to us! How bizarre?!?! The places looked good in the film!!! I didn't expect that at all!
I wanted to visit those places now since I am obsessed with the series.
Yes, you may think that the book was a better version. I did not read the book before actually getting to see the series, but I am still planning on getting the book, and try reading it. I know some people like to read, and watch the film, but that is not my thing at all.

x,
rj

Join the Sunday Currently

First of all, yes, I am fully aware that today is not Sunday. This blog post was supposed to be published yesterday, but I forgot to. It was just hanging on my drafts.