Pretty Little Liars Halloween Special

I'm soooooooooo excited for October 22 (well technically, fans in the Philippines have to wait 1 more day, so October 23, that is) to watch the Pretty Little Liars Halloween Special! It's going to be two hours of suspense and revelation. It seems like Ali is finally going face to face with her friends in this episode, and I can't wait to find out what 'EzrA' has planned out for the girls in his creepy Halloween costume! In the meantime, I'm sharing this teaser until the big day finally comes! 

***************************************************

Did you enjoy this post? For more of my stories and adventures, you can subscribe to my updates via EMAIL or READER, or follow my blog through Facebook and Twitter. Take care, God bless, keep on shining and have a beautiful life! Mwah!

God, Bible, and Me

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6 

I may not seem like it, but I used to consider myself one of those not very sociable and unpopular girls in school. I have always felt a low sense of confidence. Although I have the greatest friends in the world, no matter how hard they tried to cheer me up, I would always feel lonely and left out. I have always wanted to be friends with most of the girls and boys in my class and be close to them. I want to laugh, play, exchange secrets, and do other things with them. In short, I want to socialize more, be friendlier, and have a good sense of humor (not that I don’t have one).

My hand drawn version of loneliness 

I feel this way probably because, even if I have all the things I ever wanted than some kids my age, deep inside, there is something very valuable missing in my life. I was not contented with the material things I had. My family and friends mean a lot to me, but there's still a void in my heart-- a missing piece yet to be filled or replaced.

Since my Dad went to a foreign country, I was deeply affected by his absence. “Why did you leave us?” was my lonely, unanswered, lingering question. My Mom says that he left for a reason— a good one at that. And that he always loves us. I had faith in him, but that was slowly disappearing day by day. How could he love us, when he’s been away for a very long time? I ask myself. The small hole in my faith for him kept growing bigger as time went by. I cried every night, my heart full of sorrow, breaking into sobs every now and then. I just can’t get over the fact that I am losing him, my only Dad, the only irreplaceable one in my heart. 

Ironically, it is in this phase of longing and loneliness that I had found true joy and new meaning to life. I have decided to move on. I realized I should write my own story, because I have my destiny to make and my own path to take. I can make great things happen in my life, for I have found my ‘real Dad’ in heaven— the answer to my loneliness. I have discovered that the greatest joy of all was God, Himself.

My family taught me about religion since I was a young child, but I still ask myself, “What is true religion?” I have known all these years that I am a Christian. I have studied in Catholic schools and I have learned a lot about God, but I did not know the depth of meaning behind His existence. I knew about sacraments, commandments, the cycle of the liturgical year and all the teachings I hear from attending Holy Mass during Sundays and holidays of obligation. I thought I already know Him, but I was wrong. Yes, I have prayed all the possible prayers and I have sung praises before, and I thought that I have worshiped Him enough, but I was wrong. I have not truly opened my eyes and welcomed God into my heart. I haven’t welcomed Him fully with my love.

It is then that the realization dawned into me. Were my feelings and prayers to God meaningless, and my worshiping utterly useless? I was an unemotional robot all along. I haven’t felt real love towards Him in the beginning. When I read the Bible, and felt the power of God’s love, remorse and regret poured all over me. I asked myself once again, “Why have I only realized it now? Why when, after all these years, when I always knew about God, I have only realized this now?” I was truly ashamed with the thought that my worshiping and praising then seemed like a mockery to God— a mockery to His love.

I had begged forgiveness when I prayed that night. I begged Him to forgive me, so we can both start over again. I was renewed as a true, God-loving Christian. As the days passed by, little by little, I have opened up to Him my deepest sorrows, dreams and longings. I had grown to love Him more and more each day, looking up to Him as a father figure I may not necessarily see, but I know who will always be there for me. Even if God has no physical form, to me, He is always there, watching and guiding me wherever I go. He is also my shoulder to cry on and my best friend. I always share with Him my thoughts, feelings, and stories. 

When I started this fresh new phase in my life, I have also renewed my relationship with the Bible. The Bible is God’s plan of salvation for all of us. What was written in it were Christian teachings and incredible stories about Jesus. Whenever I think of my Dad and needed guidance, I turn to the Bible. I flip to a random page and read what message it has in store for me at that particular moment. And every time, I feel that the message accurately addresses what I need to realize at the moment. It speaks to me in a sense that I will never be able to explain, because it spoke to my heart. It is an amazing book, no wonder it is known to contain ‘the greatest story ever told’.

Sadly, the Bible is often treated like an everyday possession by most Christians. It remains unopened, gathering dust and cobwebs in most homes, waiting to be read. Sometimes people even pile things up on top of it! It is a sacred book meant to be treasured and respected. Most people don’t realize that one of the best ways that God communicates with us is through this book. All we need to do is to open and find out God’s message and reflect. I believe the Bible can change one’s perspective in life, because it changed mine. Try to discover how it will transform yours, today.

My Dad is still away, and I miss him— nothing has changed that fact. But what greatly changed was how I have come to accept that all things happen for a reason, most of the time far beyond our human understanding. We must trust God’s plan and His eternal goodness and wisdom. Just like a father plans grandly for his child’s future, so does our Father in heaven. Imagine how much more can the one who holds all the riches of the entire universe bless His children? Immensely and immeasurably!

God loves you. All you need to do is to reach out, ask, and listen.

***************************************************

Did you enjoy this post? For more of my stories and adventures, you can subscribe to my updates via EMAIL or READER, or follow my blog through Facebook and Twitter. Take care, God bless, keep on shining and have a beautiful life! Mwah!

Turning Korean { Part One }

Anneyonghaseyo (hello)! =) The theme for this certain post is about my favorite Korean dramas! Thanks to my Korean-obsessed super best friend (no offense to my other super best friends!), I have been persuaded to love Korean songs and dramas, as I have been the last few years thanks to my mom (THANKS MOM, YOU’RE THE BEST!!!), but over time I have began to forget my love for it as I concentrated more on anime and manga. But well, congratulations to my friend, because I began to love it again! =) 

Anyways, moving on! Although the other dramas were great, like the Master of Study and Rooftop Prince and other series, my most favorites are You’re Beautiful or He’s Beautiful, Boys over Flowers and Heartstrings! Even though they have already gained immense popularity, they still stayed as my favorites because I really enjoyed watching them and will not mind re-playing their stories all over again. For this blog post, I will present........dan da da da! You’re Beautiful! Squee!!! 

I will rave about You’re Beautiful in this post because it is a cute and very fluffy love story. The series is all about a girl, named Go Mi Nyu and three handsome band members. Go Mi Nyu is a sister-in-training. Her twin brother, Go Mi Nam auditioned for a famous band named A.N.JELL. But something happened to him causing him to leave for America to correct a certain type of plastic surgery. Her brother’s manager pleads for her to pose as Go Mi Nam for the time being while he recovers. She was against it until she she agrees to go later to fulfill her dream to find her mother. After that, she cuts her hair until she looked like Go Mi Nam and meets the band. First is Jeremy (Lee Hongki), Kang Shin Woo (Jung Yong Hwa, my favorite!), and Hwang Tae Kyung (Jang Geung Suk). Tae Kyung does not like Mi Nam and makes her life hard, and Shin Woo and Jeremy are friendly to her. Tae Kyung discovers her secret and threatens to reveal it, and also Shin Woo discovers it but does not reveal it and develops feelings for her. Jeremy later on, also develops feelings for her, but Tae Kyung secretly likes her too. The story follows their lives away from the cameras and Go Mi Nyu's efforts to keep her secret. So there is like, a love square (LOL) and I can’t help but to fangirl scream! 

Anyways, if you are dying to watch it, don’t just stand there! (sit there, I mean) Aren’t you being filled with my un-mortal enemy, suspense! Go and watch it online, or buy it on DVD! Truly a must watch, I tell you! If you don’t watch it, you will be sorry because you will be missing out on a lot! :(

JUST KIDDING!!! =) 

But seriously, you should watch it. It’s like, REALLY GOOD and it will keep you entertained! You will never get tired of it and later, after watching all the episodes, you will find yourself re-playing your fave episodes, just like me! And you will download all the songs found in the series and listen to it all over and over, like me! And then you will keep on squealing when there is a super cute part, just like me! And then, you will announce your crush on one of them in Facebook, just like me! And you will... 

Okay, that is enough of me. I am just like that, okay? So please bear with me. But I can’t blame you if you do the same and say that I am rubbing off on you. =) 

After this really short post, I just want to say I am very sorry if you have been long waiting for my articles. You need to have to a looooooooot of patience because I don’t update very often. As you can see, I slack off a lot (mostly because of anime and school), but I greatly appreciate and thank those who still visit my blog and check out my posts. Really, there is so much to be said, but I just cannot express it into words. 

Okay, enough of the sappiness here (Is ‘okay, enough of’ starting to be my catchphrase?). I will TRY to update more often, as I have said so many times in my previous posts. Bye for now, wishing you good vibes and love, love, love! :)

***************************************************

Did you enjoy this post? For more of my stories and adventures, you can subscribe to my updates via EMAIL or READER, or follow my blog through Facebook and Twitter. Take care, God bless, keep on shining and have a beautiful life! Mwah!

My Interview with Ms. Bianca Valerio for Total Girl Magazine September 2012 8th Birthday Issue!

Konnichiwa minna-san {Hello everybody}!!! Gomenasai {sorry} for the late update! I've been so busy sleeping, watching and playing to my heart's content that I forgot to blog... again, for the umpteenth time.

How is your long vacation a.k.a. SEM BREAK? Mine has been awesome so far! I plan to enjoy it until the last day of vacation, which is tomorrow already (boo hoo!!!). 

Anyways, looking back to the recent major event in my life, I'm finally sharing what happened last September, this November:  I WAS FEATURED IN TOTAL GIRL MAGAZINE PHILIPPINES SEPTEMBER 2012 8th BIRTHDAY ISSUE!!!

Total Girl Magazine September 2012 8th Birthday Issue 

Yes! I was given the chance to interview a celebrity who is a TV and events host, bestselling author, endorser, makeup artist, columnist, personality development speaker, blogger, model, and a mom -- the one and only... Ms. Bianca Valerio!!! How cool is that?

The interview!

At first, I was shy to even mumble a word to her, but after she talked to me, I felt like I was speaking to a good friend of mine. She shared about how to handle bullies based on her very own personal struggles in life. She explained how bullies try to make others feel miserable and feel bad about themselves, but in reality, they are actually wearing masks because they are afraid and want to hide their weaknesses. She was bullied for a very long time and she didn't have friends. But she has overcome that phase in her life by being close to God,  living a positive life and focusing on her dreams.

Learning so much from Ms. Bianca's experiences

The interview is full of lessons, hope and inspiration. I feel lucky to be given the opportunity to meet someone like her who succeeded despite the hardships she went through in life. I believe she is very blessed to be all the things she wants to be... all at the same time! 

We talked about a lot of things-- the greatest lesson she learned about growing up, her childhood dream, proudest tween moment, crushes, and so much more. Now, she knows my secret crush too! :) You can read all about it in the magazine {except my crush}. Hopefully you can still grab a copy. :))

Final pose after the awesome interview! :)

Ms. Bianca tweeting about it :)

Be in TG, Page 10

Be in TG, Page 10 {Close Up}

Role Model Section: 'Braver Than Her Bullies'

Braver Than Her Bullies: Pages 62 and 63

My thoughts!

"I had a wonderful time interviewing a person like her. She shared so many lessons in life that truly inspired me to believe in myself and follow my dreams, no matter how impossible they seem. I will always cherish her words of wisdom, try to live by them and become a positive inspiration too, to those around me." ~ Chestene, 11

Well technically, I was still 10 years old when I interviewed her, because it was July 13 then {my birthday is on August. More about it on my next post}. It's my luckiest Friday the 13th ever!  

A sweet personalized message on the book!

As a surprising bonus, she gave me a copy of her bestselling book entitled Face to Face: The Healing Power of Make Up, which features amazing make up transformations. Mom and I got Stila lip glaze too! Thank you!!!

More tweets!

I would like to thank Ms. Bianca Valerio for the great interview. I hope you don't mind me snagging your tweets for this post. I just had to share! :) It's also a  pleasure singing 'Call me Maybe' for you and tell a joke {though corny, hahaha!}. And to the awesome people behind this Total Girl Magazine Philippines Role Model Section interview -- Ate Mara Agner {Thank you for giving me the chance!} Ate Katsu Modomo {who is a fellow anime fan!} and Kuya Alfred Mendoza {for the beautiful photos!}. 

I LOVE TOTAL GIRL !!!♥

***************************************************

Did you enjoy this post? For more of my stories and adventures, you can subscribe to my updates via EMAIL or READER, or follow my blog through Facebook and Twitter. Take care, God bless, keep on shining and have a beautiful life! Mwah!

Disney's Friends for Change Ambassadors Stand Up to Bullying

Hello dear friends!

This video features my favorite Disney Channel stars Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman, along with other kids who shared experiences and helped each other stand up to bullying.

I personally support this cause, being a victim of bullying myself. I believe each one of us has been bullied at one point in our lives and whenever we look back, we wish we had the courage to do something at the time to stand up for ourselves.

Now here is our chance to make a difference, because it's never too late to encourage others especially kids, to be confident and believe in themselves. Let's all unite and spread the word to stand up to bullying! 

***************************************************

Did you enjoy this post? For more of my stories and adventures, you can subscribe to my updates via EMAIL or READER, or follow my blog through Facebook and Twitter. Take care, God bless, keep on shining and have a beautiful life! Mwah!