Tadashi Shoji Pre-Fall 2016

Fashion will always be my happy pill. A new favorite designer I've recently discovered is Tadashi Shoji (see his website here). I am, in particular, eyeing the Pre-Fall 2016 collection. Being a type of person who's not a fan of over-the-top designs, I really appreciate that this collection is simple yet full of intricate details, feminine yet doesn't show too much skin, full of blacks but rich hues are also added.

(all images are from Tadashi Shoji's site)

Blues and All That Jazz of Grad School Pursuits (More of Blues Though)

It's a cold and gloomy and rainy Saturday morning and I am sitting here in a coffee shop listening to some Christmas songs being played in the cafe's speakers. Gosh, Christmas is just a few weeks away. In other words, the year is almost over but I am still here. It's as if I am still in the same place when the year started. There's no major breakthrough whatsoever. A lot of the people I know are already living their dreams but here I am. At this point in my life, I have only dreamt of one thing - that is to get into graduate school, do my PhD, and be a full-pledged scientist. It's very frustrating when I feel like I have already done so much but all my efforts seemed futile.

I remember, at the start of 2016 (literally on New Year's Eve), I began emailing professors inquiring if they have an available PhD position. A word of caution, it's not a good idea to do what I did. Do NOT email professors on a holiday! For the next couple of months I've been looking at different graduate programs in different continents. I wanted to do a PhD study on the molecular aspect of Alzheimer's Disease so I've been looking at a lot of neuroscience programs, emailing neuroscience professors, and applying to several Neuroscience Masters or PhD studies but to no avail. Two things: either the professors do not have a vacant position or I get rejected into my application. It's depressing to receive news like that. More so if it happens not just once, not just twice, but several times. It's like a never-ending cycle - inquiring, emailing, applying, then being rejected. I have to admit, it's so depressing, I get too emotional, I cry. I cry alone and I prefer it that way than cry on someone else's shoulder. Of course, keeping it all to myself is also not a good idea, so sometimes, I talk to some of my friends about it. I'm very selective, so I just tell it to people whom I know understands what I'm going through, or those who have been on the road that I'm into right now. Doing those two things really helped.

While experiencing those emotional ups and downs, I was also reviewing for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The GRE is one of the requirements when applying to graduate schools in the United States. So even if I was emotionally drained, I had to pick myself up and...study. Halfway through the year, I realized there's a 0.00000001 probability of me being accepted to a neuroscience program so I changed my direction. I looked at molecular medicine programs, molecular biology programs, even back to plant molecular biology. Researching the programs while emailing profs while applying to scholarships while reviewing for the GRE is not an easy task. Add to that, that I also have a job. After a day's work, instead of relaxing at night, I still need to do some graduate school hunting and studying for the GRE (and in some nights, unleashing the dramatic side of me a.k.a. cry). The weekends are also spent like that. You know the drill. Haha!

So, basically, that's what my whole 2016 is all about. There were some fun things that happened on the side though, travelling with my family in May and my solo trip to South Korea in August (which I still haven't blogged about yet). As of now, I'm still looking at graduate programs, still reviewing. I just wish that one day, I will receive some good news - that I get accepted somewhere, where I will grow as a scientist and also as a person.

Wish me luck guys! And, please pray for me.

P.S.

Whatever you're going through right now, I wish you well on your pursuit of being. We can do this! We will rise above the challenge! We will never give up!

 

Another one added to my (future) wedding playlist! ♥

But, seriously, my life is currently full of stress right now, this song/cover is one of the few reasons that keeps me a little bit less anxious.

Where did the time go?

It's already the last week of October!!! *me into a panicked frenzy*

Guys, I'm just droppin' by to say Hello! I hope to get back to writing/blogging (e.g. travel posts, life reflections, and random thoughts) once I'm done with the busyness of life.

Ciao!


image source here

Looking Forward

Today marks another low point in my life.

I cried a little.

I'm afraid though that I'm starting to get used to it.

But then I remember this...

image source here

Solo Traveler

Here's a compilation of the videos I took during my first solo adventure last August.

More details to come soon! ♥

Trip to Baguio (Part III)

Finally! Here's the continuation of our second day in Baguio.

So after dropping by at The Mansion, we headed to Mines View Park. It's also one of Baguio's famous tourist spots but, in my opinion, it really doesn't stand out compared to the other places we've been to in Baguio. But anyway, what I love about it is that there are lots of plants on display, err, for sale.

These succulents captured my heart!

And then, there's also this beautiful, delicate carnation.

My mom got these flowers (pictured below). We call it "everlasting" because it takes a long time for them to wilt. They can last for up to several months!

We also spotted some kids having a picture taken with a huge and fluffy Saint Bernard dog. 

And another kid sitting on a horse. Look at the smile on his face!

And I wondered what it felt like. I've never ridden a horse before, let alone be up close to one. At first I was really, really excited but then I felt kind of nervous I wanted to back out. And this situation happened several times! Haha!

But in the end, I went for it. Here's a picture of me sitting on a pink horse. I was smiling but deep inside I was kind of nervous the horse might run and we both plunge into the deep located just a few meters away. (Note: In the picture below, beside that tree, it's already a cliff.) But, thankfully, none of those bad thoughts happened and all went well.

The afternoon was spent at Camp John Hay. It used to be a military reservation of the US army, now it's a touristy area with hotels, shops, and cafes. There's also a golf course and the ground is filled with agoho trees. It's a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city proper.

Located inside Camp John Hay is the Choco-late de Batirol. I found good reviews online so we checked it out. We had some snacks and different flavors of hot chocolate. But I have to say it's overrated and a bit pricey.

Before leaving, we found a good spot nearby and decided to take some photos. Solo shots, group shots, jump shots, wacky shots, blogger shots...you name it! We had so many photos but posting them all here will take a lot of space. Haha! So here are just some.

All in all, I think we covered a pretty much number of places in exploring Baguio for two days. It was tiring but fun nonetheless. And more importantly, I get to spend time with my family.♥

By the way, hello September!

You've come pretty fast.

Please be amazing! =)