Anne's Scribbles and Doodles

Hello. How have you been? Is anyone still reading this? Do people still read blogs these days? I hope. Call me old school but I still love long-form content. There's something about it that just feels familiar and nostalgic, like an old treehouse you used to play in with your childhood friends.

Dear Diary: It's Been a While

Dear Diary... It's been a while. How have you been? My writing, in its purest and most personal form, has taken the backseat for a few years. I didn't think the journey would be this long but it was. It came with so much introspection, unlearning, rediscovering and soul searching. There were no maps or signs. Not even any directions or a random stranger to ask help from. But I'm here now and while I'm not sure if this is home, it sure feels like it. I feel like myself more than I've ever been and isn't that comforting? Home? Home.

Taking the Backseat

In the past year, I have come to realize that a person can have a lot of passions. They can be anything really, even out of this world. The thing with passion though is that it’s not something we’re born with. It’s something we come to discover on our own over time. What many (and I for a while) fail to understand is that they evolve. They have seasons and they come in different frequencies and timeframes. They arrive in numbers or slowly and every so often. Some of them we outgrow while others we have yet to discover. It’s normal and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Word Vomit: Don't Listen to Society

Writing this feels rebellious. As a kid who grew up wanting to always do what's expected of her, putting my thoughts into words is both liberating and treacherous. I say that because I've been known to always watch my words (and my heart). 

Word Vomit: 25 and Perfectly Imperfect

I used to think that I'll have things figured out by adulthood. (Read 20's post-university.) Surprise! I don't. While 10 year old me would be disappointed and my 16 year old self would definitely panic, present Anne would be totes okay with it. Wow, I never thought I'd say that. Time apparently changes a lot of things. Even people. Even me.

Word Vomit: On Turning 4

Four years ago, this blog was born out of sheer thirst for creativity. I was fresh out of college. After some memorable years of burrowing my nose in accounting books and burning my bushy eyebrows, I needed a creative escape. What I initially intended to be a platform for my poetry and short stories ultimately became a diary of sorts.

Word Vomit: 24 and Unfiltered

I never thought there'd come a day when I'd cringe at the thought of my age but not for the reason that most people would think. I'm a year older now, 24 to be exact. It feels surreal because so much has already happened and yet so much hasn't. I feel like I'm in an "in between" phase. I think I know what to do and yet I don't. But looking back, 24 years is quite a lot of time and boy I never imagined it to be such a roller coaster.

So today, I decided to spit out some word vomit. Don't worry I'm not going down the Cady Heron/Regina George highway. Think about this as a more personal and casual post. A friend talking to a friend. Something a little more easygoing and unfiltered unlike my fictional, poetic and well-curated posts. This is more of me and my thoughts spilling. Just spilling.

Change The Way You See Friendship

If you told me that I'd make good friends by virtue of the internet, I would have laughed in your face. It's scary. That's dangerous. You're begging for trouble. There's a stigma around forging such connections through cyberspace and I for one can't blame people. But believe it or not I managed to find kindred souls, in most cases by happenstance, and this has changed the way I see friendship forever.

Blog Anniversary + Giveaway [Closed]

Hey you! What makes you super? For Clark Kent and Kara Danvers aka the super-cousins from Krypton, it's totally the glasses. Sorry folks, it's not the cape. So to thank all my readers and make you feel like the superhero that you are, I teamed up with Firmoo for the blog's 3rd anniversary!

Bloggers United #BU9xSMART

How does one tick an item off of their bucket list? Do you simply cross it out or will you make a diary entry out of it? I'm full on sentimental so diary entries and photos will have to come with little mementos too. I'm happy to announce that I've finally ticked an item off and brought home some souvenirs. Last Saturday marked my very first Bloggers United experience and boy was it epic! Living in Cebu meant having to hop onto a plane which wasn't really feasible at the time. This year however, the stars aligned. Not only did I get to attend but I scored tickets for myself and my sister thanks to a contest hosted by the generous BU team. So pardon the fangirling, the extreme gushing and the humongous photo dump. An epic diary of last week's Bloggers United experience is coming your way! 

Two Years Down Memory Lane

Sometimes I wonder if time is in a hurry. It flies by so fast like an arrow piercing through the air. Forward it goes as if running is the only thing it knows. It's been two years since I started this blog and even I could not fathom how the days flew by. Ticktock was how the clock went and all I know is that every second spent on this online journal was nothing but blissful and heaven sent.

The Cebu Blogging Community Rendezvous

I used to live inside a shell. Call me an oyster or a snail, whichever suits your imagination. I would however prefer the former given its ability to make pearls. Plus, my bestie is deathly afraid of snails and so the word escargot was considered a taboo while brine solutions are life savers. I'm a self professed introvert and I used to feel anxiety build up whenever I had to go some place where I knew no one. Although I was never acutely shy given that I frequented joining several clubs and participating in plays when I was still studying, there was a certain unease when it came to falling short at meaningful engagements and fun conversations with people. I guess just like any other person, being a wallflower scared me. But that was a thing of the past and then came the fateful day when I accidentally stumbled upon the Cebu Blogging Community's Facebook Group on my sidebar. I clicked the "join button", applied and the rest was history. You might call it chance but I consider it fate.

Food for Thought: Confusion

Confusion. It's a state of the mind. It's a befuddling element. It's a word that is as hard to define as it is to understand. It is by all means something that both the heart and the mind find hard to grasp. Are you confused? I believe we all are. At some point and in some way, we are struck with bewilderment.

Food for Thought: Confessions of a Photo Lover

One of the best things that happened to me on my way to Manila for the holidays was when our plane flew over the Taal Volcano. It was around 6:00 am in the morning and majority of the passengers were asleep (my mom, sister and cousin included). I felt like I was in a state of bliss as I gaped and stared at the natural wonder. I was in a deep state of awe that I forgot all about my camera, hence the lack of a photo. But hey, it made it even more special. It also made me realize that our eyes are the best lenses there are in the world. No device can ever compete with the beauty that our eyes can see. Don't get me wrong. I find photography an art and a way of living. I happen to revel in it too. But have you ever wondered how sometimes no matter how we angle our shots, they still don't appear as vivid and beautiful as the way we see them?

Merry Christmas

There is so much buzz and cooking happening around me right now as Christmas Eve nears. In fact I'm in the middle of making photo booth props for our family reunion tomorrow but I can't let this day go by without greeting all my lovely readers a wonderful and Merry Christmas. This blog has been a wonderful part of my life and It holds a special place in my heart as much as you guys do. Thank you for making all this worthwhile. But before I get up and take a taste test of the dishes I smell simmering in the kitchen, allow me to share a short and heartwarming story that was shared by one of my teachers in elementary. After all, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and we have to greet him a happy birthday too! Let us not forget that. Now, here goes the tale...

Falling and Flying {Thoughtful Thursday #12}

Sometimes you’re not sure what you want in life or where you’re headed to go. It can drive you nuts because for many of us uncertainty is scary. It scares me too. You never know what’s out there but then again your heart longs for something that’s invisible to the naked eye. You aspire more. You begin to dream. You chase happiness. You get ready to fly. However, we can’t help but ask: What if I fall? What if I can’t make it? What if I don’t end up happy after all? 

Food for Thought: Out and Cold

There are days when my eyes begin to water and I have to constantly pinch my nose. Here we go again. The uninvited common cold rears its ugly head. I try to shoo it away with lots of aqua but alas, it comes even when unwelcomed.

Stars {Thoughtful Thursday # 11}

Funny how it seems that the weather can perfectly mirror how I feel. All this rain and chilly gusts of wind are blowing my hair and my spirits across the expanse of the universe, sending words from my head and my heart to my fingertips.

Twenty Two

Birthdays are special, would you agree? There's something about them that's simply magical and extraordinary. The year that was was a roller coaster ride. There were uphill climbs that brought me to the horizon while there too were trips that sent me spiraling downhill to the ground. It was a lot of things both good and bad for which I am very thankful for. Last week I turned 22. It was the simplest birthday so far with no shenanigans and whatnots but it sure was one for the books! All I had was cake and good company and I couldn't ask for more.

The Liebster Award and Getting Personal

Chain letters. Love 'em or hate them? For me it actually depends. In the world of blogosphere we have it too but it's not the type that annoy, tell you to do stupid things or give you bad luck if you don't pass it on. We call it the Liebster Award and according to Mr. Google it aims to bring the blogging community together and allow everyone to know each other better. Yeah, chain messages like this totally rock! So here's my take on it.