Archives for January 2014

Korean Night: Top Dish and Caffé Bene, Makati

January 31, 2014

There are three reasons why that night couldn’t be more Korean. One, I ate dinner with my Elementary Korean 1 classmates, along with our sonsaengnim. Two, we had dinner at Top Dish and coffee at Caffé Bene. And three, we spent all night talking about Korean dramas and our oppadeul. So really, I can’t think of any other adjective to describe that night. Well, very fangirl-ish comes close. But we’re not all girls, so there’s that.

Even though our Elem 1 class ended last December, our class still talks online from time to time, and we still plan on seeing each other again. We won in the video-making contest at KCC last term so we have a few more GCs to spend. [Read more…]

Vietnam Food Diary

January 27, 2014

Four months after I visited Vietnam, I’m still not done blogging about it. And believe it or not, there’s still a few more posts queued for writing. I took a lot of photos that time, maybe because it was just Jinky and me. Traveling in small groups allows for more leisurely time. We spent a lot of time just walking around Old Quarter, and it was definitely one of the best things I enjoyed in Hanoi.

And of course, there’s the food. Suffice to say, we ate a lot of good food for really cheap price. Pigging out in Hanoi, specifically, was inexpensive. We opted for traditional restaurants with huge crowds. After all, it’s not the interior that people try again and again but good food, right?

Dining is truly a unique experience in Vietnam. I love how it’s so low-maintenance and unpretentious. Most restaurants have wooden interiors, a very basic menu, and seating that extends to the sidewalk. Yes, every store has little chairs and tables outside where customers can eat. But being shy people (heh), Jinky and I usually sat inside.

It gets kind of awkward because they thought we’re Vietnamese, too! They end up asking for our orders in the local language, and we didn’t know how to respond. Haha. I guess Filipinos and Vietnamese have the same facial features and skin tone? 🙂 [Read more…]

Say Hello to Oh My, Janey!

January 25, 2014

My adam’s apple says hi!

After months of wondering if I can really invest on a domain and a week of pestering my officemate and hours of tweaking the theme and redirecting the old blog, I’ve finally set up my new home online! And this time, I hope that it lasts for years and years and years.

For the last 3 years, I’d been blogging at Nakawtingin (which now redirects here hihi). It was my companion from the first few months right after graduation up until this month. I had the option of leaving it behind and just transferring all my contents here, then deleting that blog. But I opted to transfer all the my files and posts and comments and whatnot AND redirect it to this blog. Nakawtingin’s too close to my heart for me to just disregard it forevaaah.

The most difficult bit is deciding on a domain name (I wanted nakawtingin.com!!!) and coming up with a new blog title. I suck (!!!) at coming up with good and not-cheesy titles. My first choice was From Me to You (Kimi ni Todoke lol) because it sounds romantic or whatever. The second choice was heart of a (fan) girl. Yes, small caps because it’s cute. But it also sounds hella cheesy so I scrapped that. Then that’s when I decided on Oh My, Janey! because I remember my now inactive Tumblr blog ohmydrivel. Actually, Oh My Drivel is a runner-up, too. But I was afraid no one would read my blog because they’ll think I’m just spewing drivel. Mehehe.

So now, I’ll try to embrace Oh My, Janey! even though I will miss Nakawtingin. But you see, I’ve always wanted a domain! But I’m just so lazy and I thought it’ll be really expensive. Good thing it’s not so yay new home! I think the only word that can describe how I feel right now it kilig. I didn’t know I could feel kilig for a blog.

I’m so so so excited to share new adventures with this blog. I’ve always been a blogger, but I have learned to stay away from blogging too much personal stuff haha. Hopefully, I can blog frequently and meet more people. Wish me luck, please! You know how my motivation often runs short. Hehehe.

(Text bubbles source.)

love,

Fourteen Somethings

January 20, 2014

Hello! I think this is the first time in years that I’ll be blogging this late in a month. So many things have happened since my last post and I’ve been busy with work and my Korean class that I barely have time for anything else. My laptop’s also acting weird for the past few weeks so spending time in front of my computer doesn’t come easy. Huhu. But I finally had some time last night to organize this post, yahoo.

My favorite blogger ever, Arriane the Wanderrgirl, proposes an idea of setting a theme for your year. Since I already have little goals listed, I only had to think of a “word” that encompasses everything I want to accomplish this year. And the first word that crossed my mind was INITIATE.

I think it’s a very fitting word for me, because I lack initiative. I’m lazy (and shy) as hell. There are so many things I want to accomplish but most of the time, I fail to move an inch. So this year, I want to take that first step, and keep on taking another step until I achieve what I want. And I really need to want it hard enough to motivate me.

I have 14 goals for this year, because it’s 2014. LOL. But really. It’s not a bucket list, because I think it’s too general to cross out each one. It sounds so many, but I always feel like there’s a ticking bomb I have to beat somehow. Also, I’m already 23, and I haven’t achieved something that I’m proud of. Sadly.

So here’s my over-the-top 2014 goals. I hope to achieve at least one. Dream high, butterfly. Heh.

Pretty much the cause of my quarter-life crisis last year, I just don’t know where I’m going in my life. Believe me, I understand how I can use my three years of experience in SEO to flourish in the field and maybe use it personally. But I’m always seeking for something more. I’m always wondering if I’ll ever get to be a ~writer~. Sometimes, I also miss teaching. I want to know and decide what I really want to be!

I can’t give up writing. I want to go back to teaching. And I don’t think I can ever escape SEO! So this year, I need to somehow find a way to make these three work together! It sounds impossible, but I’ll make it possible. I mean, you can’t be passionate about multiple of things and not find a way to practice all, right? So by the end of the year, I hope I’m no longer moping about my career. I’m sick of hearing myself be so whiny about things I can control. [Read more…]