the bookworm in me

i've always been a fan of reading, ever since i was a kid. because we had this bookshelf filled with illustrated storybooks (mostly of Bible stories), i fell in love with reading and getting lost in the wonders of the stories. in school, it was never a chore for me to do readings (note: novels and story-related readings, not geeky-slash-nerdy science stuff or whatever, but i can barely survive). way back in high school, i can finish a book in one sitting - that's how into it i get when it comes to reading.

i read more for relaxing and stress-relieving, rather than for learning. i mostly like feel good books and inspirational ones. i read mostly fiction, but not much of those mystery-thriller types. i prefer those with happy endings (haha, so fairytale-ish), but i also prefer reading ones that would make me think and emotional.

anyway, since i got my iPhone early this year, i got so excited with the iBooks app. finally i can carry around a "library" with me anywhere, without any bulk, and i can read anytime! since then, i've filled it with books that i've been wanting to read for so long, and new ones that i feel are expensive for me to buy! grateful for all these free epub books downloading site, i've been saving a lot of money (HAHA) and it fills up my "library"! now i have so much to read, i wish i can have MORE time!

currently on my 11th book til i complete my reading challenge for this year. i made my reading challenge more "workable" this year, 12 books assuming 1 book per month, because last year i set my goal to 20 and didn't get to reach even half! (i was soooo busy then too, and not so much money to buy books! haha, being defensive!) i feel proud of myself for being able to go through with the challenge and being (according to Goodreads) 3 books ahead of schedule! and, i still have waaaaaay more books in store in my library that i HOPE i can read all of them by this year. :>

current books on my itunes library! book count: 20 books.
done with 7 of them, currently reading one. 

before i started reading from my "library", i was able to buy 3 books for the first 3 months of the year. i blogged the first one over here, which sadly, i wasn't able to continue doing with the rest. :( i'll just give a brief run down of the ones i loved, and some others:

top 3 favorites:
• John Green's The Fault in Our Stars
oh how i love Augustus Waters! :")
• Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower
read it because the movie's coming out soon, but i fell in love with it more than i thought!
• Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall
how she writes those thrills.. i cannot explain. once you start it, you won't be able to bring it down.

books i'm excited to read:
• Why We Broke Up (Daniel Handler)
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson (mainly because John Green and David Levithan are the authors, haha)
• Delirium Trilogy (Lauren Oliver)

anyway, i record what i've been reading and planning to read on my Goodreads profile. you're welcome to add me there as a friend! though i still haven't explored that so much, i promise to update it soon (and more often, hihi). nerd much, i know.

PS. any other recommended readings? i have no plans to read the Fifty Shades trilogy, not a fan of those kinds of books.

a tribute to summer days

since last week, it has been raining every single day, and then now - it has been non-stop. as i've mentioned in this blog not so long ago, i'm really not a fan of rainy days. i prefer those bright sunny days of summer, than this rainy season.

and with that, i'm missing more of those summer days. warning: you'll be flooded with my best summer memories / photos from recent years.

let's start with 2012: the memorable Fontana experience last June! it was our first out of town sleepover + swimming trip with college (aka dudung-slash-super) friends. we did mostly swimming and eating, then watched adele's concert + a bit of one more chance. epic fail moment: we slept through the whole morning! goodbye early swimming / basketball / jogging / watch manny pacquiao fight / breakfast outside and those other plans. nagkahiyaan na mag-gisingan, ang sarap kasi ng tulog! hahaha!

epic Fontana moments with Angela, Alyssa, Gerald, Marcell, and Dotay.
super friends = super love <3

tourist photo moments! at the entrance of the water park, by the bleachers at the olympic pool area,
by the man-made waterfalls, and the bridge. fontana tour talaga! :D

my favorite group shot! courtesy of Dotay, hehe. 

for 2011, the most memorable one was Acts Manila's HK Missions Trip. it started to rain already in Manila when we left for HK, but since it still fell on the supposedly summer months, included na siya in this tribute! mehehehe.

we danced in several churches and schools, went around the city for prayer walk, and had time together with artists from HK Disneyland through another EN branch in HK. it was a really awesome first time experience of ministering to others through dance, and in a different country. can't wait for the next missions trip!

and as a "surprise" treat, HK Disneyland on our last full day! it was part of our city tour!

at the Avenue of Stars - city tour first stop!
(or jewelry thing?)

yay, finally in Disneyland! <3

of course, it had to be in ballet poses! :")

2010: first out of town trip with the dudungs! destination: Subic! funny how we got there, coz we were just planning on having a swimming day in Marcelo Village just here in the south. but then, Angela had this trip pala with her family to Subic on the same day we planned on the swimming. so, instead of canceling and postponing, they (the Dorio family) just invited us to come with them - and so the Subic trip! the beginning of endless fun with ze dudungs!

Dudung Day with Gerald, Tracy, Angela, and Tringy!

mehehe, i love this picture :")

mehehe, i love you friends <3 

2009: Anilao - the overnight beach adventure with HS batchmates! i srsly didn't get any sleep during that trip. but anyway, it was fun having to cook and prepare our own food, haha. and that boat ride to the beach with sand. (sadly, this was the last beach trip i have so far with HS friends! :| i wonder when's the next one? hihi)

yo food preps!

boat ride to the beach + swimming time

aahhh best HS friends :")

fave! *insert hearts here*

insert: some pretty sunrise shots. (told ya, didn't get to sleep!)

2008: i'm giving two best summer memories from this year. let's start with the beach trip to Laiya with HS batchmates! this was the first one i've had with them. fun fun, of course!

why hello there :)

♥

favorite couple - iel and cej! they have so much photos from that trip, haha.
cutieeeee, miss 'em both so much!

that jump shot

i lalalalalalove this photo just because. 

and for the second part of 2008: the sleepover + swimming surprise for Teacher Chelo! it's THE BEST ever (so far) that we've had! we did all the photos + scrapbook stuff (insert wii moments) until about 4am. then the next morning, swimming surprise! epic and fun; there's just so much love with the ballet buds! <3 <3 <3

such a productive sleepover! (time check: around 4am)

the pretty photo string to welcome Teacher Chelo

The Company of Acts, 2008 :)

we are cool and fun

so much lovin' for these girlsssss! :")

i'm srsly missing summer days. i actually enjoyed doing this because i'd get to browse and reminisce memories. i hope mr. sun decides to finally come out tomorrow. i'm tired of the rains and they make me want to cry all the time already, haha. anyway, summer days, i long to see you soon. (even though you're still so many months away)

the milk tea addiction

oh yes, i am one of those who are into this milk tea craze addiction obsession. the newest Serenitea branch in Festival Mall opened earlier, and even though i have tried (FOR A MILLION TIMES) their milk tea, i still got excited with the new store opening and looked forward to buying in that new store. srsly, obsessed milk tea drinker over here.

Serenitea's new branch in Festival Mall!
located outside, Starbucks area, beside Aggy's.
(from my instagram)

so anyway, since i blog so much about the things (and people) i love and what matters to me, why not create a special post too about my love for milk teas? :") as i was thinking about creating this post, i also realized i have so much milk tea photos on my phone, haha.

my personal milk tea "craze" started in 2011, when Serenitea had this promo card of getting a free large drinks after completing 10 stamps. i didn't realize i was having it so often; it started as once or twice in a month, then became every week.. and then more than twice a week. i think i completed around 4 cards then, so imagine 40 LARGE MILK TEAS = 4 thousand + pesos spent for milk tea!

but let's rewind a bit further. Serenitea wasn't the first ever milk tea i tried. i fell in love first with ZenTea's Nai Cha. it was then the ONLY milk tea place i know, and because it was located near Benilde. i loved it then because it was cheap, 45 or 55 something for XL size, and they have yummy pearls. :") so when i discovered Serenitea in ATC, i found it expensive (at 105!) because i got used to ZenTea's cheaper milk tea. after graduation, i missed ZenTea so much that i finally gave in to trying Serenitea just to compensate my milk tea cravings. i forgot what i first tried there, but when i was recommended to try the Wintermelon Milk Tea, that was the beginning of everything.. i srsly fell in love.

because of this "addiction", i have tried different milk tea stores. my top three are:

1. Serenitea
it really tops my list, for my most favorite milk tea is from here - Wintermelon! i shall dedicate a separate post about this, because i just have SO MUCH to say. you will get bored if i say everything over here, haha!

me and my favorite milk tea ever - Serenitea's Wintermelon! <3

2. ZenTea
of course, it comes second because this was where my fondness for milk tea started. their Nai Cha will always be my favorite, forever. i just wish they have a branch here in the south. and even though they don't have sugar option, their Nai Cha isn't too sweet - tastes just right. :)

thank you google for ZenTea's Nai Cha photo.

3. Chatime
the first time i tried Chatime, i got disappointed because the pearls don't come with the drink by default! i didn't know i had to order them as additional sinkers, haha. my ultimate milk tea partner, Tracy, then told me to just get the Pearl Milk Tea next time, which already has pearls. i only got to try them before whenever we were in Makati, because there was no Serenitea branch yet there then. when it opened in Alabang, i had it more often (alternating it with Serenitea) because their Pearl Milk Tea (in 50% sugar level) tastes like ZenTea's Nai Cha. and, their pearls are way better than Serenitea! i also got to try their new Strawberry Choco Milk Tea and liked it too. and i discovered a new favorite sinker, their rainbow jelly! YUMMY INDEED! it reminds me of Serenitea's black diamond (which they phased out, boo), but they're white, hahahaha. next time, new Chatime mix that i should try is Chatime Milk Tea with rainbow jelly. i can already feel it would be SO GOOD. :>

Chatime's Strawberry Choco Milk Tea with Rainbow Jelly!
oh-so-yummy! :) (from my instagram)

i've tried Gong Cha too, but it didn't make it to my top list. i love their House Special Wintermelon Tea. without mixing the cream, the tea tastes good as is already. and the cream is yummy too. well mixing them tastes better, but asdfghjkl, sometimes i enjoy not mixing them, haha. i disliked Gong Cha before because i tried one of their milk teas (which i already forgot) and totally didn't like the taste. and same with Chatime, pearls weren't included with the drinks automatically! but anyway highway, after trying their Wintermelon, Gong Cha has redeemed its brand, hahaha. sad though that they don't have sugar option for their Wintermelon! (and i feel their cream's fattening, so i rarely buy from Gong Cha, haha)

Gong Cha time with ballet friends :) (from my instagram)

major disappointment for me was Happy Lemon. tried it once when we went to Eastwood for a dance engagement. i tried their best-seller (based from their recommendation) - Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese. i'm sorry but i really didn't appreciate it because i didn't like their cocoa mix (too sweet and there's a taste with it that i cannot describe). and i found it too expensive for the drink size and taste. :( i dunno if i should try Happy Lemon's other flavors, but since they don't have a branch here in the south, i won't make an effort to visit their store in the northern mountains just to try a different one, mehehe.

the other milk teas i've tried are:
BonAppetea - i love their caramel jelly sinkers!
Simple Line
Infinitea
Tea Talk
..and those are the ones that i can remember, haha. i just wish they also have the sugar level option, because i already find them too sweet. (currently, i order in 25% sugar in Serenitea and 50% in Chatime, naaaks!) they don't taste bad either, they can already pass as "legit" milk tea, hahaha. when we went to Hong Kong last year, of course i had to try milk tea there as well! we tried from like 3 stores, but my most favorite was the one in Mongkok, like one of those "street food" stores there. i lalalalalaloved it! :")

anyway, i guess i've said TOO much already about my milk tea craze addiction. i shall continue soon with my special post on my ultimate milk tea fave - Serenitea! :)

how about you, what's your milk tea flavor? (tell me what's you flavor, ooooh!)