Lunch Battleplan

We'll be going back tomorrow at Makati Shang. This time we're there for a buffet lunch at Circles. Last time I tried their buffet, I just tasted a bit of a few chosen dishes from every section of food. There were so many that just tasting some (not even all) had me surrender from eating. I was so owned I barely tasted the dessert table even though I wanted to, but I just couldn't eat anymore.

This time, I'm ready! I ate a whooping lot of lunch today to establish my food toleration level. Tomorrow, I plan to eat no breakfast (or maybe just a light wafer) and drink 2 tablets of vitamin C. I shall eat a humongous lot of crab, sushi, eclairs, and more! Roar!

Nagasawa

  

A friend of mine once referred me a book I would never had read otherwise. It's called Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. It's surely un-mainstream. It isn't a page-turner and I doubt it's the kind of book you'll instantly like. When my friend first read it he thought it was boring, now he's a fan of Murakami and he has been collecting Murakami's books ever since. 

It's not a favorite but I liked it on my first read albeit I skipped some explicit parts. The novelty of reading a book outside my comfort zone was intriguing to me. I alse liked it's rythm, it read like a slow song. The characters were different and complex and somehow, I still haven't figured what makes them tick. They're oddly baffling and cliche at the same time. Years after I read it, I still remember quite clearly the characters, their stories, and their names which rarely happens even with my favorite books. My favorite among the characters is Nagasawa. He's such an arse.

Anyway, I recently stumbled upon a site full of beautiful art works and when I saw this (the picture above), it immediately reminded me of Nagasawa. It's somehow like how I imagined him to look like. The artist, Dahlia, got his aura right on too. When I browsed her other works, I noticed that her other characters were glowing with their own unique personality too. It's kind of realistic, in a figurative sense. I love those kinds of art: the ones that tell a story.

Lounging

I had a fun and tiring day today at Makati. I did some shopping! I bought some make up, a princess earring, and shoes.
The splurge i'm most excited for is my first liquid eyeliner! I have no idea how to use it. Heck, I haven't even got the hang of pencil eyeliners. But i've heard that once you get used to liquid liners they're actually easier and faster to apply. I can't wait to play with it.
I don't know what's happening to me. I'm spending my time playing with makeup, surfing the net, watching YouTube videos, anything but studying. I'm getting distracted again. I hope I don't pay for this later.
But I don't want to rant or ruin this day with worrying. Enjoy each moment. And right now I'm enjoying chilling at Makati Shangri-la with my mom.

"Aha!" Moment

I know now what to do with this blog. It's gonna be my happy blog!  I'll be blogging about happy things and whatever makes me smile. Once in a while I'll post some Happiness Zen stuff too. I'm kind of excited. This would help me focus on the good stuff too because lately the dark clouds have been coming often.

Let the sun shine in!

Bullying: What to do

I never thought I would like rants, especially vlog rants. But it turns out, it can be quite amusing too. Here's a vlog which I absolutely love. It's by Blair Fowler, you might have heard of her. She's also known as juicystar07. In this video, she talks about issues that are personal to her, but she was brave enough to share it. I was really inspired by her talk, especially the part where she's doing something she loves even if other people are hating on her, but she keeps doing it because of the people she makes happy with her videos. It makes you wake up and ask, what am I doing with my life?

Listening to her story is not only inspiring, it also teaches you how to deal with bullies, haters, and down-right mean people. When you're young and you feel scared, you don't always know how to deal with these people. It's not like in the movies or the TV at all. The following are tid-bit tips I got from her story by reading between the lines:

• Let people with authority (those who can do something about it) know about your problem, like a well-trusted teacher. When you tell a school personal, it doesn't mean you'll be a telling tom or that it'll just end up in the principal's office with each other's parents. When Blair told two of her teachers, they helped protect her from the bullies. If you don't know who to talk to, the guidance counselor is a good place to start.
• Let your family know, they're a big support. When you can't lean on your friends, know that your family is always there for you. 
• Have extra-curricular activities. Blair's job and YouTubing gave her something to be happy about and also friends who accepts her as herself. Making videos helped her a lot in dealing with all the bad vibes she gets from school.
• Do something you love and enjoy and don't stop to please anyone. If you don't have a hobby your passionate with, try something new! Don't let your fear stop you. Try skating or take some music lessons. Getting a pet would be a good idea too.
• Stay classy. Don't go down to their level. I know its hard, but turn the other cheek. Always be nice and sweet even to those who doesn't deserve it. This is a true test of character. 

This kind of reminds me of reality shows like America's Next Top Model. There would be this girl who seems like she's ahead of the pack because she takes good pictures. The other girls would then see her as competition and try to bring her down. Only when this top girl let others get to her did her performance suffer. Once she let others bruise her confidence, so did her shine. Keep smiling. Keep your head up.Don't let others dictate who you are. At the end of the day, your perception of yourself is what determines who you are and how others see you.

Here's some further reading to help you deal with big bad bullies:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/nov/14/classroomviolence.bullying
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/bullies.html
Jessica Alba to the Daily Mail on how being bullied affects you
Michelle Trachtenberg to Complex magazine on getting revenge on her high school bully

Now what?

My email inbox is in order. My position paper has been written. My Synthesis case has been emailed. Sounds like a productive day!

However, I still don't know what to do with this blog. I'm rather doubtful if I can keep it or if I should, because I'm always busy and I should really focus on my studies. But I want to do something different with my life. All these studying is too much. I wanna do something I enjoy and is lasting.

So far, I think I'm keeping this. Let's see how it goes!

Life in Rose Hues

Je vois la vie en rose 

I see life in rose hues

Bienvenue! This blog's name was inspired by the song, La Vie En Rose which in English meanse Life in Rose Hues or Life in Pink. You know the idiom "to see in rose tinted glasses" means to be optimistic or to see the happy positive things in life. Well that's how I see life. It's easier for me to smile than not. Happy is my default mood, not neutral. And yes, I see the glass as half-ful and speculate that it might even be flavored like raspberry skittles.

Now don't get the idea that my life is a perfect fairy tale. Far from it. But I do believe that happiness is not just a feeling, it's a choice. Much like love.

Bonjour, I am Elisha and welcome to my personal blog.