Shopping High

ing Its one of the best feelings in the world to splurge on something and the hours later after your actions have sunk in, to still be happy with what you've bought. That "shopping high" is what I'm feeling today after a visit to a small shop called Wondermomo in Plaza Mont Kiara, which sells designer wear at a fraction of the retail price. I don't even know how they do it and I didn't want to ask how they're able to give good prices for their stocks. (To be fair, they're probably bargain hunters in the US). The selections are few but quite varied, from Diane von Furstenberg to Chloe to Calvin Klein. They also have shoes, bags and belts. I was able to score Citizens of Humanity jeans for RM200 (US$57) and a Shanghai Tang dress for RM116 (US$33). They might not be from the current season, but who cares? I felt so vindicated when I surfed online and found that COH jeans typically cost US120 ++ and Shanghai Tang dresses fall in the whopping $400 - $500 range. Whoopee!

In other news I also bought 2 new pillows and 2 sets of Cotonsoft bedding sets, one of which is already in place on my bed, and the other in reserve for my guest bedroom. For an amazing RM246 (US$71), each bedding set comes with a fluffy reversible comforter, a fitted sheet and 2 matching pillowcases. I'm definitely going to have a good night's sleep with the aircon running full blast.

I'm a Child of the 90s

When I drive to work every morning, there are only 3 English stations I can listen to, Hitz-FM, Fly-FM and Mix-FM. All of them do their own brand of morning show complete with DJs banter, little skits and interacting with callers. The one I most enjoy listening to is Mix-FM when they play Almost 90s at 9, which is 5 tracks in a row and you're supposed to guess which one is not from the 90s. (Note: I shouldn't even be in the car at 9am, listening to 5 tracks. I should be sitting at my desk. But somethings are hard to change!).

The other day's 90s selections were "I'll be There For You" by The Rembrandts, "Say What You Want" by Texas, "Never Ever" by All Saints and "Can't Help Falling in Love" by UB40. Can you remember what you were like, and what you were doing when you first heard these songs? I totally can! It was so much fun, with every track, to remember how different I was back then. I remember college and sitting in the Rizal Foyer, friends and the show "Friends", walking in Greenbelt Park, the first time I saw En Vogue perform at the Grammys, how I tried to scream and shout just to sing like All Saints when they did "All Cried Out", how we used to drive around Paranaque singing songs from Usher's first album. Back then, I couldn't ever imagine where I would be in 10 years. I was optmistic and idealistic and imagined so many possibilities. Listening to 90s music reminds me that its great to feel that way.

The Other Boracay

Boracay in July, which is the island's off-peak season, is a different experience altogether. In my 2nd trip there this year (which I made with even more effort since I had to fly in from KL), I was pleasantly surprised not to spend my time lolling around on the beach for 3 days, with the requisite kayak ride so that I get at least some exercise and don't feel guilty about staying up all night drinking in Club Paraw, Pier 1, Hey Jude or Juice.

There are fewer people on the beach and it doesn't seem like Greenbelt magically transported to Aklan. The prices are much much lower. We got a beachfront "penthouse" room with a veranda courtesy of Casa Fiesta in Station 1 for only P430/night/person. I finally got to: island-hop (with snorkeling and a visit to Crystal Cove and Puka Beach) for about P400, banana-boat for P150, parasail for P900, and take a beautiful sunset glide over the water in Boracay's famous paraw.

Gigi was totally right also when she said that Boracay is different depending on who you're with. I'd like to thank my off peak Bora squad consisting of her, Marj, Mai, and James for a shared sense of adventure, love for good food, ability to help me stick to a budget, and total cam-whoreness. I'd love to book another P1.00 Cebu Pacific trip with these guys soon.

Life is an Action Flick

Yes folks its another driving story...

I'm roaring down the Penchala Link at 100km/hour at around 1am on my way home from a Smirnoff launch party when from out of nowhere a motorbike bursts into my lane. I get freaked and swerve right to avoid him...coming too close to the highway divider so I swerve left. As my car fishtails on the highway I hear my rear bumper hit the divider. Finally I'm able to come to a full stop in the middle of the highway facing the opposite direction, almost a full 180 degree spin. I quickly drive to the shoulder lest other speeding cars come down the highway. Thankfully there are no other cars immediately following me. A kindly motorist stops to check how I am. And I was just so happy to tell him I was ok!

Tha damage to my car is a cracked tail light and a scraped bumper and just now I filed a report at the police station in town for the insurance claim, which was another adventure in itself. I'm hardly in the city so I drove aimlessly for about 40 mins until I spotted a motorbike-mounted cop pull ahead in front of me. I started chasing him down, honking my horn and blinking my lights, wondering at the irony of a civilian chasing a policeman through the streets of KL. Finally he notices me chasing him (I think I scared him a bit), and after he pulled over, I got him to escort me to the police station (may hagad ako!).

At the police station, a "friendly" hustler helped me park and tried to suggest that I not file a report since I would get fined RM 300 for my carelessness, but rather I should just have the damage repaired by his shop for RM 500. I almost said yes because it sounded so deliciously anti-establishment when my brains kicked in and I realized that the repair would cost me RM 200 more than the fine. Duh.

The reporting system is pretty efficient, you type in your report in the "Car Accident Reporting System" or CARS for short (smart name, aint it?) instead of handwriting it and handing it to a policeman for typing which is the typical Philippine practice. Of course I didnt get fined at all, I was just asked to come back another day for the report accompanied by the digitally taken photo.

Just when I think its over, I try to find my way back home, squinting at signs along the way and of course I totally miss seeing an island on the road. I hear a "BAM!" when my car takes to the air and lands on top of the island. Its easy enough to get off.

If the planets are in retrograde, may they get back on track soon! Sometimes too much action isnt a good thing.

Smarts vs Luck

I almost committed a classic Sheila travel booboo! Many minor mishaps have littered my path, but the last major one was 2 years ago en route to Singapore. I stood in line at the PAL check-in counter at NAIA, excited to be going on my first Singapore trip to give a lecture on the Philippine Online Gaming scene at the Asian Gaming Conference. They had my photo and credentials on their website and everything.

About 5 people away from the head of the line I take out my passport and flip to the first page. Its expired by a month. Crap.

I call my travel agency to talk to the owner and find out if there's a way around it. I try to convince her that I can usually talk my way into anything, and most certainly past Manila immigration. She counters with the threat that they will probably deport me from Singapore. I quit while I'm ahead.

I'm flying to Manila tomorrow en route to Boracay and I booked this trip months ago. In my mind, I clearly remember booking a 1:20pm flight. Finally I printed out my e-ticket awhile ago and stapled the pages together. Before I left the office I folded the ticket to put in my bag. Some weird force urged me to glance at the flight details again which is on the 2nd page. The flight doesnt leave at 13:20 or 18 hours away. It leaves at 1:20am which is 6 hours away from now. I almost missed my flight!

Thank God i bothered to check the ticket again! So am I smarter or luckier these days? I think I'd rather be smarter. :-P

Clouds over Langkawi

Its a good thing I decided to arrive a day ahead of my travel buddies as I was able to catch the last rays of sun over Langkawi on Saturday morning before clouds descended over the place after lunch and for the rest of the weekend. I can't complain though because I witnessed an amazing display of nature when the clouds came rushing in full force as we were at the peak of the Langkawi's Mount Mat Chinchang which is reached by the highest cable car ride in the world. We watched the sun get obliterated quickly by clouds which blew over us first, bringing in fog and rain before descending to the rest of the island. You could harldy see a few meters in front of you, which is an even more exciting experience in a cable car! Finally the weather cleared up enough for us to travel down to the curved suspension bridge which seems to have no other purpose but to look pretty.

The rest of the weekend was a food, alcoholic beverage and food trip because the vice products are half-price from KL's atrocious rates because they're tax free. I stayed the first night at Mutiara Burau Bay which seemed to be the quiet hotel near Pantai Kok, and the second night at the Langkawi Lanai Hotel on the busier Pantai Tengah beach. Finally my weekend was topped off by the "Spirit of Alun-Alun", a 2-hour massage-and-scrub treatment at the Alun-Alun spa. Definitely a refreshing weekend despite the absence of the sun.

I'll be late for Harry

Yesterday I booked my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the Times bookstore near my building. This is the cover I chose. Like kids of all ages across the planet, I'm soooo excited for Book 7. I remember last year I also booked HP 6 in advance from the Fully Booked in Glorietta, and I actually went on the first day the book went on sale to pick it up. No one could talk to me the rest of the weekend as I holed myself up in my room to read it.

This year though, on the day the book goes on sale, I'll be traveling. I'll be in Boracay but my nerdy little heart will wish I were in line at the bookstore. Or better yet that I already had the copy and would be able to read it on the beach while getting the tan I've already lost by living in KL. I wish I could ask Harry to wait for me but obviously he can't. No one better dare tell me what the book is like! I'll be starting it 2 days later than the rest of the world.

Little Night of Music

Click on the photo to link to the line-up of Malaysian indie bands who will be peforming at Laundy, The Curve in Mutiara Damansara this coming Thursday night (July 12). I'm looking forward to my first taste of the local music scene here in KL.

Daily Wisdom

I've already admitted repeatedly that I'm a fortune-telling junkie, so of course I also subscribe to my daily horoscope from Astrology.com. Here's last Friday's gem of wisdom:

Dear Sheila,
Here is your horoscopefor Friday, July 6:

Are you getting what you need from life, from your romance, from work? If not, it might be time to ask yourself why. To fulfill your dreams, you have to identify them. Next, you have to believe that you're worth it.

Ok, not that brilliant right? But the thing I like about getting these daily fortunes is it reminds me about the most practical thing in the most impractical way. One of the things I wanted to learn by coming to live here in KL is my own value.

Funny enough though, I was just chatting with a friend awhile ago on msn and I told him that coming here was also supposed to be a profound journey of self-discovery in which I thought I would learn undiscovered things about myself. Its been almost a month and what have I learned so far? I like the same things here as I like back home: reading, watching TV, keeping fit, getting massages, alcoholic beverages, chocolates, fortunetelling, massages and the beach. The undiscovered part? I learned that I like myself. Its a great lesson.

Kuching

Kuching, Sarawak was an even shorter stop than Kota Kinabalu, which was a shame because they put us up in the fancy Hilton Kuching with the soccer field size bedroom, the Crabtree & Evelyn bathroom toiletries (which i saved to bring home) and a view overlooking the Kuching River. I stayed in the room exactly 9 hours, in between clubbing on Saturday night and a focus group discussion the next day.

Though I was tired because of the past 2 days in KK, I couldn't miss the experience of clubbing in Sarawak. There seems to be only one strip to go to with 2 clubs: Grappas (with the gay and straight community mixing uninhibitedly), right next to the very full but less interesting Soho (with aggressive black guys who shove themselves in your face--- "yeah lets dance babeh!! oh yeah!"). As with most Malaysian clubs I've been to, the music is predominantly hiphop which Goes to show you music is universal, even in East Malaysia where you are required to fill out an immigration card as if it were a separate country.

Before we left on Sunday, I was able to taste the famous Sarawak Laksa in Khatulistiwa along the Kuching Waterfront, which is open 24-hours. It was so good that I had to try it again in Alexis Bistro in Bangsar just a few days later. Just for that, and the gorgeous river view, I think it might be worthwhile to pass by that area again.

Kota Kinabalu

The sunset over Kota Kinabalu is world-class, especially when viewed over the rooftop terrace of the Promenade Hotel. I didn't spend much time in KK, as the Malaysians call it, but what I saw of it was reminiscent of one of our urbanized cities in the province such as Bacolod or Davao.

During our one night in KK, we had a fabulous seafood dinner at Salut with my boss and people from the research agency in we working with. Then I stepped into party mode. We tried Bed along the waterfront, but the crowd was made up of young, lousy dancers and the entertainment was a really bad (I'm sorry for this) Filipino cover band. Our last stop was Shenanigan's, an Irish pub/club at the Hyatt and that's where we found more fun partyers and a really good R&B group. We also met a cool Malaysian restaurateur and photographer, Suchen, who invited us to his newly opened wine bar & restaurant, XO Grill, in Jalan Gaya. We made it there the next day after lunch at this superbly exotic restaurant called Ocean's Seafood right beside the Promenade Hotel. Lobster, tiger prawns, crabs and mantis prawns...no wonder I broke out in an allergy right after lunch! It was worth it though. At XO, we had a glass of wine (that was a tad warm) while Suchen told us about his trip to 18 countries in 3 years, saving money working in a bar in London to make the trips, the collection of photos he had amassed at the time which he would be publishing as a coffee table book. Such an interesting life.

Then we ran off to our next stop, Kuching.

Growing Up

I've been living alone for exactly 13 days doing grown up stuff like cleaning the house, throwing out my own trash, remembering to switch off all the lights and outlets before I leave the house, and cooking gourmet delights for myself such as tortang talong, tuna casserole, and beef steak with rice. Its so different having to remember things because no one else will pick up after you or do things for you. But all that didn't make me feel as grown up as my recent decision regarding a guy I was seeing before I left Manila.

I finally made up my mind about what I wanted while I was here. When I found out something extremely disappointing he did, I confronted him about it. And when he told me he wasn't ready but offered to still continue our friendship, I decided to let go for my peace of mind.

The old me would have kept quiet, kept on slugging it out until I got beaten down by my own false expectations. But it seems like this new me would like to get what I deserve, all or nothing. One of the toughest decisions I've ever made, certainly a sad one, but definitely I'm proud of myself for making it. It also helped that this guy was a good friend and I could be totally honest with him (and he was willing to listen), but that teaches me a lesson too, about becoming friends with someone I'm seeing instead of putting them on some sort of pedestal where you only show your best side.

I travel to and from work every day for a total of 90 minutes and this song always plays on the radio...definitely cheesy but pretty apt:

Big Girls Don't Cry
Fergie

The smell of your skin lingers on me now
You're probably on your flight back to your home town
I need some shelter of my own protection baby
Be with myself in center, clarity
Peace, serenity

The path that I'm walkin, I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown
Fairy tales don't always have a happy ending do they?
And I forsee the dark ahead if I stay

Like a little school mate in a school yard,
We'll play jacks and Uno cards
I'll be your best friend
And you'll be my Valentine
Yes you can hold my hand if you want to
Cause I wanna hold yours too
We'll be playmates and lovers and share our secret world
But it's time for me to go home
It's getting late dark outside
I need to be with myself in center,
Clarity, peace, serenity

I hope you knowI hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal
Myself and I
We got some straigtening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But I've got to get a move on with my life
It's time to be a big girl now
Big girls don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry

Spot the Difference (My 1st week in KL)

There are so many similarities between Kuala Lumpur and Manila sometimes I forget that I’m not just in another part of town (Caloocan?). The people look similar, when I go to the mall or the grocery the same superbrands are available, and the weather is pretty much the same. So I go about my day thinking that I can probably easily get the hang of things but then I start spotting the differences, some big (like right hand driving on the left side of the road) some small (groceries come in bulk, not in single packs). In my first week I’ve learned so much I’ve gotten quite excited (and sometimes afraid) of what’s coming next in the life of a girl who’s never lived away from home.

Lesson # 1 Pirated DVD shopping
I thought it would be like going to my favorite ”suki” vendor in the nearby tiangge and selecting the DVDs. Here the vendor actually has a shop in Bangsar Village where he pretends to sell original VCDs and DVDs but the shop is half empty so its obvious there are more wares in the back office. I flip through the title selections, get disappointed they don’t have Ugly Betty (yup I got hooked on that cheesy series before I left Manila) then fork over some cash for Nip/Tuck, House and Lost. Suddenly within a few minutes they close up shop, roll down the steel grille and get our numbers so they can pass us the pirated goods later on when the police aren’t watching. After 15 mins (in heavy rains) we meet at street corner and shop manager (wearing a cool bluetooth headset) directs us to his cohort in a running car who hands us the DVDs through the window while urgently instructing us to keep it in our bags. It’s like dealing drugs!

Lesson # 2 Shipping cargo
I brought over a balikbayan box with more clothes, bags, shoes and books than could fit in my 20kg baggage limit on the plane and I thought the smartest and cheapest way to bring it over would be through the unaccompanied luggage methodology (airport to airport) wherein my box would be picked up from my house, loaded onto a Malaysian Airlines flight and then be ready for pick up at the KL International Airport a day after I arrived. I envisioned going to KLIA (which is an hour away from my condo), picking the box up from a conveyor belt and merrily going home. This isn’t what happened.

Thankfully accompanied by a local driver, we head off to the KL Cargo Terminal (not KLIA as I expected), get fill out 2 forms to get 2 passes to enter the compound (which is roughly the size of the UP Campus), go to a far building to get them to issue us a guide to go to Customs (in another building) for some clearances and payment, and then another building to pay some local charges, then still another building to finally get my box which seemed less important as time went by. Finally you get it checked by Customs in a different station, then go back to the Customs building for final clearances before surrendering your pass at the exit. Time elapsed: 2 hours (excluding 2 hours of travel time). I’m never doing this again!

Lesson # 3 Language
Yes they speak English everyhere but its of the British variety. I’ve found myself stumbling several times:
Example:
Me to Guard: Excuse me, where can I throw my trash?
Guard: Huh?
Me: Trash…you know…garbage? Where is the garbage can?
Guard: Huh?
Me: Umm…dirty stuff container?
Guard: Oh…you mean rubbish bin!

I don’t know why it took us that long to understand each other.

Vive l'difference!

Driving in the Wrong Lane

Omigod I just drove to and from work by myself today! Picture this: right-hand driving in the left side of the road on a major highway (the North Klang Valley Expressway) at an average speed of 100km/hour and it still takes 40 minutes from my condo in Bangsar to my office in Cyberjaya. My heart was in my throat most of the way but that was the easy part.

What should have been another 40 minute trip back home turned into a congested tour of KL outskirts, exotic places like Subang, Sunway, and god knows how many other wrong turns into the strangest places (imagine a long dirt road under a flyover that leads into a dead end). The end result: 2.5 hours wasted and a long scratch on my passenger side. *sniff*

In other news, I’ve found Max’s long lost brother! I named my Manila car Max Sterling in honor of the ace pilot and Skull Squadron leader from the Robotech saga (a throwback to my geeky anime past), and because of course the car’s color is sterling silver. I tearfully left my car in the care of my mom and sis back home (oh god), but the car they gave me here is his exact replica! Well almost…it’s a slightly more powerful engine with automatic everything. And all the controls are on the right side. For that alone, my first loyalty will always be to Max.

Going, going, gone...

Its official. We've finally told everyone that I'm leaving just last week. Time flies by so fast that its actually my last day in the company that's been my home for 4 1/2 years. It was so hard to make the decision to move on because I've been so happy in Level Up. I've accomplished so many personal goals here. I helped pioneer an industry, turned the Filipino youth into the "Ragnarok Generation" (as Sandy Prieto was quoted as saying in the Inquirer), produced an album, a TV show, a book, a massive event (the biggest ever World Trade Center has ever seen), and launched the Philippines' biggest videogame titles. This company now is a far cry from the organization I entered back in 2003 when all it had was a small staff, an office, and a unique concept that didnt exist in the country and I am so proud of that fact. More than that, I've created friendships here that are meant to last a lifetime. I thought I was ready to move on because I feel like I've done so much, but to this day I suddenly realized that there is still so much left for me to do. But then, there are other personal goals left for me to accomplish, one of them to live independently and in a different country. So a little less than a month from now, I'm taking the plunge and moving to Kuala Lumpur to start a new career in the telecoms industry. I know it will never be the same as what I've found here, but its time to explore how it could be different.

I've told a small circle of friends about this some time ago, and despite it being a big change, the reaction from them has been so heartwarming. They have been sad, supportive, and very hopeful for what I'm about to do. Some of them have even had the most unusual reactions which I will probably get to talk about one of these days. So although I will definitely miss my home and my family, I'm looking forward to the adventure I'm about to have. Wish me luck!

Singapore Eating-lah!

There is no eating and drinking in moderation when faced with stingray, fried rice, beef, chicken and prawn sate from Lao Pa Sat, Black Pepper Crab, Cereal Prawns, Oyster Omelette from Jumbo and Raspberry Beer from Brewerkz both at Boat Quay, Hainanese Chicken Rice at Wee Name Kee near Novena Square, (so good even the Malaysian PM and Erap are reported to have stocked up on it), grilled prawns, Kai Lan veggies at Newton Hawker Center, siomai and Yang Chow Fried Rice at the Chinatown Food Street, Chocolate Mud Pie and Chocolate Mint Truffle tea at the Fullerton Hotel lobby and finally Jim Beam Cola at all the local 7-11s. Singapore is just a gastronomic delight!

Special thanks to my gluttons in crime Marj, Rommel, Bong, Fadzly, Anton, Helen and Phoebe for joining me on this food “sojourn”.

Singapore Shopping-lah!

Singapore skyline taken with my new Fujifilm Finepix.

What I Was Supposed to Buy in Singapore:

1. Nothing

What I Actually Bought:

1. 6 pairs of Reef flipflops on sale from 20 to 50% off at all Ripcurl shops. Sale naman eh! And I unselfishly bought 2 pairs as pasalubong for my mom.
2. 3 sets of Indian bracelets at the Little India Arcade. 1 for pasalubong.
3. 3 pairs of shoes from U.R.S. & Inc. Almost had a narrow miss at Charles & Keith but thankfully I had already fulfilled my necessary color palette at the other store.
4. 3 bikinis from various sources. One can never have too many. I just met someone on the trip who wears a different bikini to swim and changes under a towel on the beach to another one just for porma purposes. Wow!
5. A Phantom of the Opera brooch. So I’ll always remember the Phantom…
6. An external hard drive, a flash drive and a memory card. One always needs more storage.
7. A 5.1 MP Fujifilm digital camera because mine crashed the day I got there. Of course I bought it to take lovely photos of Pulau Redang in Malaysia where I would be spending a few days only to find out when I get to the beach resort that I forgot the camera charger at my friend’s house in Sing. Waaah.

The End Result:
4.3 kilos in excess baggage

I can’t wait for what it would actually be like during a Great Singapore Sale!

Good Friday

Me and a gorgeous flower at Caleruega chapel, Tagaytay. More photos here.

As I look back at the last few posts it seems that my life has been fodder for melancholy and sentimental drivel but honestly for the last few weeks life has just been zooming by at breackneck speed I have't had the time to shift gears on my blog. Even if I heard very recently that the jerk I dated has been telling people that the reason things didn't work out between us is because I was expecting more from him then was on the table (obviously dreaming up this fantasy while conveniently forgetting all his misleading actions and the fact that he still owed me money), I can't really get fazed. They said happiness is your own choice and I didn't realize how true it was until everything started happening to me at the same time and I seemed to be blowing the major wind under my sails. Spending time reflecting on the situation last Holy week where I miraculously spent time at home however helped me realize how lucky I am to have the support of my friends, my family, and of course the Guy Upstairs.

Last Good Friday I took a trip with friends up to Tagaytay and down to Taal Lake, another good day in a series of great more than sucky days that I've been having for the past few weeks. I am so thankful to be living this life. I'll write about the exciting things to come for me very soon when everything is straightened out but all I can say is that its going to be amazing! And scary....

Things to do before I turn...27!

I'd like to thank Ate Gigi for fulfilling my vain fantasy of taking a turn down the catwalk at the ForMe go-see last week for Philippine Fashion Week. Its something I wanted to try before I turned 30...now its 31. I headed over to the Rockwell tent one afternoon last week with artificially wavy hair, without lunch (as if skipping one meal would help) and mentally practicing my new birthday ("Me? I was born in 1981!") because a 30-year old trying this kind of thing seemed way too old.

There were close to a hundred girls of different variants of skinny. Happily I wasn't the shortest one and I didn't look like the oldest one, though I had to look away several times lest I caught the eye of some of the models who I'd already hired as talents before. ("Ma'am Sheila?? Wag ka na kasi maki-agaw ng projects namin!") By 5pm I was dying of hunger and afraid of tripping flat on my face, but I figured what the hey, I just had to try it once.

Gigi recently sent me the video she took with her phone of my "audition" and I might have the guts to post it someday, but so far I've only shown it to some close friends. She also accompanied it with a nice note that best summarizes what happened, and also shows you how wonderfully lucky I am to have such supportive friends:

"Sheila was so beautiful that afternoon! There were almost 80 models in Rockwell Tent in that ForMe go-see. For perspective, the brand is all about body shapes. The task was to choose only 6 models per body type (e.g., hourglass, rectangle, triangle & inverted triangle). Sheila belongs to the athletic rectangular shape. She was not chosen coz the brand mostly got the veterans na. However, my officemate Alex was raving about your lola’s byutiful fes at ang sabi nya mataas daw ang standards nya. There were other go-see for the imported brands ulit the next day but syempre Sheila only wanted to experience how it is to do the catwalk in super high heels. She did it! (Though next time, I told her she can smile & walk a little more slowly hehe!)."

Cheers to small adventures that take us out of the usual daily routine. :-)

Time for Happy Songs Now

Unwritten
Natasha Bedingfield

So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Oh, oh, ohI break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten


Pink Life
Gyskard

Searching for a day, a simple life
Among the clouds, the sky is blue
Water, stars falling around at night
My dream, your dream
Dreams come true,
Trying hard

Always follow what’s in your heart
Always listen to what’s inside
Always fly high & don’t come down
And don’t come (down)

Don't push yourself far over the limit
Push your mind ahead with your spirit
Push it to where you never thought you could go right
And never come down

You run away from a very stressing life
And take some time to think of you
Try to change the color of your life
My dream, your dream
Dreams come true
Trying hard

Always follow what’s in your heart
Always listen to what’s inside
Always fly high & don’t come down
And don’t come (down)
Don't push yourself far over the limit
Push your mind ahead with your spirit
Push it to where you never thought you could go right
And never come down