As mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, due to my school's Academic Readiness Program, my summer break has been shortened into three weeks and three days. Being aware that I only had limited days of freedom, I promised to myself that I would be as productive as I could push myself to be. So as usual, here I am to chronicle the various things I was able to do in a span of twenty-four days:
*Movie watching
- Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I am a sucker for a good movie, which is why there is no way that watching flicks wouldn't be a part of my agenda for this vacation. I was able to watch eight films, namely Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, One Direction: Up All Night Live Tour, One Direction: This is Us, When in Rome and The Fault in Our Stars. Believe it or not, I still have a couple of pending DVDs to watch, whew!
I kicked off my three-week rest with an 80s flashback by watching the first three on the list. Pretty in Pink was my mom's favorite movie during her youth, and I'm glad to say it's also mine now. Andie is a working-class girl who has a serious crush on one of the richest boys in school, Blane. Unfortunately, peer pressure threatens to keep them apart, even if they have mutual feelings of love for each other. But as expected, their love conquers all and they live happily ever after. Although it sounds pretty cliche, I loved it to bits, and I bet any other teenage girl will love it too. (Anyone who knows me is also aware of the fact that I am a sucker for happy endings.)
On the other hand, Sixteen Candles is bizarre (in the best way possible). It basically tells the story of a girl named Sam who's experiencing the worst birthday of her life. Although I'd admit that going through the things she did would have been extremely difficult if I was in her situation, they do make for a great laugh. Of course, the movie also does end with her getting the boy of her dreams (Jake Ryan *sighs* ♥) and living happily ever after.
The Breakfast Club was equal parts confusing and entertaining, since it revolves around the lives of five completely different characters: a criminal, an athlete, a brain, a basket case and a princess. Even if the story didn't really have any climax, it was still pretty fun to watch and it showed me that there are much more to people than their stereotypes. (Plus, that iconic "EAT. MY. SHORTS." line? That was the best.)
Next, as a celebration for being able to buy my tickets to One Direction's show here in Manila, I watched two of my One Direction-related DVDs: their Up All Night Live Tour and their 3D documentary, This is Us. Of course, I was singing loudly, waving my hands in the air like I was in an actual concert and not in my room, and squealing at the top of my lungs if one of the members did so much as flip their hair or smile at the crowd.
I also re-watched When in Rome with my mom, and it still never failed to crack me up. Beth just happens to be the unluckiest girl in the world when it comes to her love life, so it was honestly a joy to see her misadventures in trying to find the man of her dreams. Plus, I love all the twists that kept me hanging on until the very end - when it's your turn to watch it, I swear you won't be able to guess if she gets her happy ending or not! ☺
And last but definitely NOT THE LEAST, I watched The Fault in Our Stars (*cue sobs that resemble the sounds of a dying whale*). SPOILER ALERT: I literally had an emotional breakdown when Hazel found out about Augustus' death, and the ending was so sudden I wasn't able to calm down just yet, and I had rushed to the comfort room, looking like a complete wreck. Although the movie was as equally outstanding as the book, I don't think I could bring myself to watch it again, and relive all the pain and sorrow I felt.
- Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I am a sucker for a good movie, which is why there is no way that watching flicks wouldn't be a part of my agenda for this vacation. I was able to watch eight films, namely Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, One Direction: Up All Night Live Tour, One Direction: This is Us, When in Rome and The Fault in Our Stars. Believe it or not, I still have a couple of pending DVDs to watch, whew!
I kicked off my three-week rest with an 80s flashback by watching the first three on the list. Pretty in Pink was my mom's favorite movie during her youth, and I'm glad to say it's also mine now. Andie is a working-class girl who has a serious crush on one of the richest boys in school, Blane. Unfortunately, peer pressure threatens to keep them apart, even if they have mutual feelings of love for each other. But as expected, their love conquers all and they live happily ever after. Although it sounds pretty cliche, I loved it to bits, and I bet any other teenage girl will love it too. (Anyone who knows me is also aware of the fact that I am a sucker for happy endings.)
On the other hand, Sixteen Candles is bizarre (in the best way possible). It basically tells the story of a girl named Sam who's experiencing the worst birthday of her life. Although I'd admit that going through the things she did would have been extremely difficult if I was in her situation, they do make for a great laugh. Of course, the movie also does end with her getting the boy of her dreams (Jake Ryan *sighs* ♥) and living happily ever after.
The Breakfast Club was equal parts confusing and entertaining, since it revolves around the lives of five completely different characters: a criminal, an athlete, a brain, a basket case and a princess. Even if the story didn't really have any climax, it was still pretty fun to watch and it showed me that there are much more to people than their stereotypes. (Plus, that iconic "EAT. MY. SHORTS." line? That was the best.)
Next, as a celebration for being able to buy my tickets to One Direction's show here in Manila, I watched two of my One Direction-related DVDs: their Up All Night Live Tour and their 3D documentary, This is Us. Of course, I was singing loudly, waving my hands in the air like I was in an actual concert and not in my room, and squealing at the top of my lungs if one of the members did so much as flip their hair or smile at the crowd.
I also re-watched When in Rome with my mom, and it still never failed to crack me up. Beth just happens to be the unluckiest girl in the world when it comes to her love life, so it was honestly a joy to see her misadventures in trying to find the man of her dreams. Plus, I love all the twists that kept me hanging on until the very end - when it's your turn to watch it, I swear you won't be able to guess if she gets her happy ending or not! ☺
And last but definitely NOT THE LEAST, I watched The Fault in Our Stars (*cue sobs that resemble the sounds of a dying whale*). SPOILER ALERT: I literally had an emotional breakdown when Hazel found out about Augustus' death, and the ending was so sudden I wasn't able to calm down just yet, and I had rushed to the comfort room, looking like a complete wreck. Although the movie was as equally outstanding as the book, I don't think I could bring myself to watch it again, and relive all the pain and sorrow I felt.
*Ticket buying
- My summer did not start with a trip to the beach, my hair flying in the wind and my skin smelling like the salty water. Well, no: I fell in line for nine hours to get my hands on a ticket to One Direction's concert, which is still on the 21st of March, 2015!!! Being a fan of theirs ever since their Up All Night days, I was ready to do whatever it took to be able to see my sunshines. Luckily, after numerous fights with scalpers and line cutters, conversations with newly-found friends in the same line as I was and several announcements of sold out tickets, I was finally able to get my Titanium ticket! The hunger, fatigue and loss of temper I experienced was so worth it!
- My summer did not start with a trip to the beach, my hair flying in the wind and my skin smelling like the salty water. Well, no: I fell in line for nine hours to get my hands on a ticket to One Direction's concert, which is still on the 21st of March, 2015!!! Being a fan of theirs ever since their Up All Night days, I was ready to do whatever it took to be able to see my sunshines. Luckily, after numerous fights with scalpers and line cutters, conversations with newly-found friends in the same line as I was and several announcements of sold out tickets, I was finally able to get my Titanium ticket! The hunger, fatigue and loss of temper I experienced was so worth it!
*Road tripping
- For as long as I could remember, it's been a tradition of my family to go to Baguio every summer, and this three-week vacation was clearly not an exception. On the 30th of May, we took a trip to the City of Pines once again, and this was a different experience compared to all the other ones we have had before, because this time, my parents and I decided to stray away from the usual routine we follow every time we visit. We still stayed at Ridgewood Residences, the hotel we've been checking in for the past few years. The service was still exceptional, my breakfast of cereals for the first day and oatmeal for the second were still satisfying and the WiFi connection was still incredibly strong.
- For as long as I could remember, it's been a tradition of my family to go to Baguio every summer, and this three-week vacation was clearly not an exception. On the 30th of May, we took a trip to the City of Pines once again, and this was a different experience compared to all the other ones we have had before, because this time, my parents and I decided to stray away from the usual routine we follow every time we visit. We still stayed at Ridgewood Residences, the hotel we've been checking in for the past few years. The service was still exceptional, my breakfast of cereals for the first day and oatmeal for the second were still satisfying and the WiFi connection was still incredibly strong.
But for a change, instead of having our usual lunch of porkchop at Sizzling Plate, we went to Yellow Cab! We had their very own take on mojos, a bowl of the creamiest fettucini alfredo and a sumptuous all-meat pizza. As much as I missed eating at Sizzling Plate, since there aren't any branches of it in Manila, I definitely don't regret having Yellow Cab for lunch. Definitely a great start to such a great visit!
The next day, we decided to have lunch at the highly-recommended Café by the Ruins. The homey ambiance alone was great, but the food made the experience a thousand times better. Though their pasta, spinach noodles with mushrooms and cream, was a tad bit bland (it was easily fixed by some parmesan cheese), their Baguio bagnet made up for its insuffiencies. It was crispy, flavorful and probably the best of its kind that I have tasted so far.
To satisfy our late afternoon cravings, we also stopped by our favorite donut shop, J. Co, and bought a box of six for the three of us to share. My personal favorites have always been the Blue Berrymore and Coco Loco, so I chose those to snack on that day. I had also wanted their regular yogurt topped with mango bits, but since it wasn't available, my mom bought me a chocolate frappe as a substitute. Honestly, it wasn't horrible yet it was not spectacular either. Well, I did come for the donuts anyway, right?
Our first Baguio visit for the year was without a doubt, the best we've had. It served as a great avenue to discover new things, go sightseeing and photo taking in beautiful places and strengthen our bond as a family.
*Sketch pad doodling
- A few weeks ago, I made the brilliant, spur-of-the-moment decision to invest in a fifty-page sketch pad and some decent drawing tools. Ever since, I've been extremely obsessed with drawing anything and everything that could pop in my head: from Tumblr-inspired #ootd's to band logos. Honestly, I never would have imagined in a million years that out of pure boredom, I would be able to produce decent pieces of art.
- A few weeks ago, I made the brilliant, spur-of-the-moment decision to invest in a fifty-page sketch pad and some decent drawing tools. Ever since, I've been extremely obsessed with drawing anything and everything that could pop in my head: from Tumblr-inspired #ootd's to band logos. Honestly, I never would have imagined in a million years that out of pure boredom, I would be able to produce decent pieces of art.
*Book reading
- Since I had used up most of my savings to buy my One Direction concert ticket (and am currently saving the remaining portion of it in case 5 Seconds of Summer decides to visit the Philippines), I was only able to purchase one book: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Fortunately, if I would be given the option to only read one book for the rest of my teenage life, I would gladly go with Eleanor & Park, so it was well worth my money. I was also able to re-read most of the books in my collection, such as The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (I was heavily influenced by the fact that the movie would be out soon), The Art of Doing by Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.
- Since I had used up most of my savings to buy my One Direction concert ticket (and am currently saving the remaining portion of it in case 5 Seconds of Summer decides to visit the Philippines), I was only able to purchase one book: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Fortunately, if I would be given the option to only read one book for the rest of my teenage life, I would gladly go with Eleanor & Park, so it was well worth my money. I was also able to re-read most of the books in my collection, such as The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (I was heavily influenced by the fact that the movie would be out soon), The Art of Doing by Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.
*Manip making
- I've recently been obsessed with the editing app, Superimpose, for the specific purpose of making manips, aka edited pictures of me with celebrities who are unaware of my existence. Before, I thought it was impossible for me to come face to face with my idols, but I learned that being right beside them just took a few airbrush and magic wand techniques. (To learn how to make your own manip, you can either browse for tutorials on YouTube, or better yet, contact me hehe!!)
- I've recently been obsessed with the editing app, Superimpose, for the specific purpose of making manips, aka edited pictures of me with celebrities who are unaware of my existence. Before, I thought it was impossible for me to come face to face with my idols, but I learned that being right beside them just took a few airbrush and magic wand techniques. (To learn how to make your own manip, you can either browse for tutorials on YouTube, or better yet, contact me hehe!!)
*Music hunting
- I spent majority of my summer, accompanied by an array of 8tracks playlists and radio countdowns. Thus, I've been able to listen and appreciate much more artists, spawning a great number of songs on repeat for the past few days. Some of my favorites that I wish to share with you are How Soon Is Now by The Smiths, Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana, Do the Whirlwind by Architecture in Helsinki, Two Sisters by Fiction Plane, Nørgaard by The Vaccines and All of the Stars by Ed Sheeran.
- I spent majority of my summer, accompanied by an array of 8tracks playlists and radio countdowns. Thus, I've been able to listen and appreciate much more artists, spawning a great number of songs on repeat for the past few days. Some of my favorites that I wish to share with you are How Soon Is Now by The Smiths, Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana, Do the Whirlwind by Architecture in Helsinki, Two Sisters by Fiction Plane, Nørgaard by The Vaccines and All of the Stars by Ed Sheeran.
So, that's pretty much my summer vacation. I'd love to hear about yours!
Contact me at my official blog e-mail: [email protected] or tweet me @ angxlmartinez.
And if you're interested in seeing my life in the form of square-cropped photos, head on over to my Instagram and give me a follow @ meow.angel
xx Angel
Contact me at my official blog e-mail: [email protected] or tweet me @ angxlmartinez.
And if you're interested in seeing my life in the form of square-cropped photos, head on over to my Instagram and give me a follow @ meow.angel
xx Angel
My favorite song from this album, not just because of the rocking melody but because it serves as the theme song of my OTP (one true pair), a.k.a. Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys (who sang this song lol) and his ex-girlfriend *sobs violently*, Alexa Chung a.k.a. Queen!