Baby steps

In one of my previous posts, I wrote about my dream overhaul for this blog and now I'm so happy and proud to say that EMANCIPATION[on going] is taking some baby steps towards that goal. Well, that dream overhaul doesn't necessarily involve very drastic changes from the previous look but one can now see an improvement in the header. Hurray! Finally a picture header! *big smile* I've been wanting to put something like that for who knows how long. Haha!

Lovely Spring Sunday

After several months of bittersweet, cold winter...spring has finally come! Happiness! I am loving the warmth of sunlight, the flowers in bloom, and everything that spells SPRING. My Sunday afternoon was spent capturing the beauty of this new season--

clear, blue skies

clean, flowing river

cherry blossoms in full bloom

brightly colored flowers

willow trees lining up the path

fun-filled kids

people with their loved ones

I must say spring is giving me that feeling of new energy, of things being brought back to life after a long time of just being dormant. 

Have a wonderful spring everyone!

Note: 

For my To-Do's in Spring: Unwind in the park - checked & will still do this more =)

"Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss...But every once in a while, you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare." -Wendelin Van Draanen, Flipped

New season, new plans, new life

I am writing from the lab today. This is risky business. But since I have a free time, might as well do a post here. So today is Friday and Friday really gives me that big smile on my face. Although it's a gloomy and rainy Friday, it's still Friday nonetheless. And it's also the last weekday of March, which means that next week is already April! Whoa, it's the fourth month of the year already! April, I hope you'll be awesome! Also, I must say that Spring has officially come and is here to stay. Buds are already everywhere and flowers are starting to bloom and the weather is just perfect.

Spring is definitely making me a hyper individual, with lots of things planned to do for this season. Probably because I was in a state of dormancy the whole winter. 

So, I just want to share my list of Random Things To Do This Spring:

• Exercise
• Unwind in the park
• Rent a bike
• Dress up
• Explore other places in Daegu
• Grow a plant (eg herbs or flowers in a pot)

I'm just so excited to be able to do all those things. Yay! New season, new plans, new life! 

Live Beautifully: Skin care

It's past midnight already but I must do this. Haven't blogged for some time now and I really, REALLY miss blogging. So here it goes. By the way, just a little reminder to myself: enough of writing laboratory-related stuff (as much as possible). Laboratory spells Stress so I'll do my best to avoid that here.
A few weeks ago, I decided to focus on a particular goal, which is to LIVE Healthily, Happily, and Beautifully. 
Here's my take on the part of LIVE Beautifully. As a teenager, I experienced what it's like to have those unwanted acne in one's face. Then came college, and guess what? Up until now! Yes, I'm in my mid twenties and my hormones are still raging. Geez! Add to that my stressful days in the lab (oops, err sorry can't help but mention) and my almost sleepless nights. Considering the fact that I'm in the land of acne-free, smooth and fair-skinned Koreans, my confidence level was definitely in its lowest. Something has to be done! ASAP! So I asked a friend, who has a very clear and smooth skin, what's his secret. Turns out he is seeing an esthetician here in Daegu. So armed with the desire to have a beautiful skin, I also went to his esthetician, Ms. Diana, two weeks ago. She advised me to have a micro needle and repair treatment and gave me some home care cosmetics. And OMG, those cosmetics are nothing but expensive! Currently, they are my most expensive buys. I already got a big discount, especially in the treatment, but the prices are still high. But then again, I'm still thankful for the discounts! By the way, here's a glimpse of what they look like.

 my crème de la crème skin care regimen 

So far, so good. I am loving every single thing. I feel like a rich kid whenever I lather them on my face. Haha! And the fragrance is perfectly right! Not too strong, not too dull. I just hope they do their job well.

Note: Products are made in Europe, which explains why they are so expensive (shipping, tax, etc).

I just haven't met you yet.♥

Blabbers at the start of the sem

Geez! It's nice to be able to write something here again. One entry last February (sad face). I feel like a lousy blogger (another sad face). Tsk tsk! But life happenings entitled me to become extremely busy the past month. I needed to work on my lab works and lab meetings, so my days and nights have been devoted to such. I also went home, in the Philippines, and stayed there for 12 days (now this deserves a happy face). I hope to be able to write a separate post for my short vacation but in the meantime, let me just blabber about the things that are needed to be done in the coming days.

The semester has officially started and I just had my first day of classes today. Two lectures and one seminar. Didn't take Korean Language 3 because I already took that much dreaded Department's Korean exam before going home. Thank God I passed! I'm supposed to take it in the coming summer break but the professor told me to just take it during the winter break. It was really a grueling week for me but I'm thankful for the help given by the senior from the other lab. He was the one who corrected my essays the night before the exam. I must say he's a good teacher, he was the one who corrected my final compositions in my two Korean subjects, too. I didn't even heard him say, "Why did you use this? It's too easy." unlike the other senior. Pinuno, as I fondly call him (a Filipino word for senior or sonbae), corrects my work and suggests words that are still within my grasp. He's indeed my hero when it comes to Korean Language.

So back to this sem. No more Korean Language, just focus on the major subjects and of course, my thesis. Yes, thesis, thesis, THESIS! I want to finish you now! Huhuhu! But I'm still in the middle. Halfway to go! Okay, think positive! Just halfway to go! On Friday, I'm going to report in our lab meeting but I got some problems/delays with some things in my experiment because it's kind of hard performing two experiments at the same time. Sometimes when you focus on one experiment, you tend to forget about the other. Darn. So I really have to budget my time and re-organize my schedule of lab activities. Okay, enough of all the rants and blabbering. I have to go back to the apartment now.

By the way, I need to start the semester with a clear view of things, literally and figuratively. So I got myself new contacts and glasses. However, I might need lakas ng loob to wear my glasses in the lab.

To wear glasses (in the lab) or not? I'll just base it in the result of my report. Hala!

Love stories

The second month of the year is already here. And when we talk about February, there's one major thing that comes to mind - Valentine's Day! Even though I'm still stuck in the world of singleton, I do hope and pray that someday, somehow, I'll meet that one special person God has destined for me. But for now, since my own love story hasn't started yet, I'll just let myself be "kilig" with the love stories of other people.

The following video shows the wedding of the lovely couple, Cheska Garcia and Dough Kramer. It was filmed by Jason Magbanua, a famous wedding videographer in the Philippines. OMG, all I can say is that his works are really, really amazing! And this one is no exception! 

I am loving the gown of Cheska. It's not your typical white wedding gown. It's very fashionable, classy, and elegant. It's perfect for her. And oh, she reminds me of Blair Waldorf. Wish I also could wear something like that on my big day.

Of course, a wedding is not without the vows made by the bride and groom. These are the things that make everything all the more romantic and special...

Your tantrums are out of this world but I would painfully, gladly put up with it because your are my comfort, my partner, my best friend, and my number one cheerleader. -Dough

I knew when we got together that you were the one for me. I could never imagine a day without you. Today my fairy tale has begun and my prince has come. -Cheska


You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. You are the one I want to see the first thing in the morning and the last when I close my eyes. You are the one I have prayed for, hoped for, and longed for. You are my dream girl. -Dough