feeling loved <3

I didn’t have an elaborate celebration for my birthday this year like I did in previous years, but because of my sister, other members of my family and my friends, I feel that my birthday this year was just as fun.🙂

My sister treated me to lunch at a restaurant and then baked my favorite cake–sour cream chocolate chip. And then we sang Happy Birthday together, I made a wish, blew out the candles and then I Skype-d with my parents and then my boyfriend at the end of the day.

And also, this happened:

My friend M asked most everyone in my life to make fan signs for me, and they did!

It was so much fun going through the series of pictures as each showed my friends’ creativity and individuality, and I really felt so loved they all took the time to make the signs.

I couldn’t have asked for a better gift from my friends, this was definitely the perfect thing they could do for me while I’m not in Manila.

Anyway, I usually have get-togethers with my friends during my birthday and because that was impossible this year, I thought my 2016 birthday would be very low-key. But my sister and M made sure that it was still one to remember, and I’m really grateful they’re people I have in my life.🙂

I don’t know what’s going to happen on my birthday next year, but now that I know that distance isn’t a hindrance to enjoying myself, I can’t wait.

#Kidding because of course I can wait and besides, it’s only September now. There’s still other birthdays, Christmas and New Year’s to look forward to.😉

“Oh. It’s me.”

I was on the verge of getting mad at him. He’d said something, I now forget what exactly, but at the time I thought it was important to let him know my negative opinion of it. And it was in the middle of my now forgotten rant that he suddenly said, “Wait.”

I stopped talking. But he didn’t say anything. “What?” I prompted. And still, he didn’t respond. His video was backlit so I couldn’t even see his face properly. I couldn’t get a clue as to why he interrupted me. There had been a few seconds of silence already. I was getting impatient.

The next thing that happened was that a message alert popped up on the screen of my phone:

Anton Alvarez sent you a photo.

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Why are you sending me a photo now?” I asked irritably, wondering why he couldn’t just tell me what he wanted. We were already talking. Why send me a picture, too?

I tapped on the message alert.

“Oh. It’s me,” I said as I found myself looking at my face from a few seconds ago.

He’d taken a screenshot of our video call. “You look pretty there,” he said.

I didn’t say anything I was so caught off-guard. A few more seconds of silence passed.

He broke the ice. “So, what were we talking about?” he asked.

“Um…” I started, struggling to remember. I shrugged. “Nothing important.”

Dear Game of Thrones S6 E10,

SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE WHOLE OF SEASON 6.

Binawi mo ‘yung buong season. I was about to give up on this series and write it off as just another fantasy show, considering so many things happening that were predictable (e.g. Jon Snow being brought back by the Red Lady, the Sand Snakes turning out to be lamesauce, Roose Bolton being killed by Ramsay, Dany killing all the Khals and getting back to Mereen just in the nick of time, etc.) and somewhat typical of other TV shows/fantasy stories, but I know now, they were all just setups for you.

And what a payoff you gave. I was holding my breath the entire time and even now as I type this.

In the future, I guess, I wouldn’t really mind another ho-hum 9 episodes before an Episode 10 as amazing as you, I mean, I understand budget constraints and all that, but how about, at least make half the season as great?

Anyway, as always, major changes to the “game” after this season. And here I thought I was finally free of having to be frustrated because it will be another year before Season 7 comes out. Who was I kidding? Now I feel embarrassed I ever doubted GRRM and D&D.

Somewhat related: I also didn’t find Book 6 of the Harry Potter series as good as the others, so maybe there is just something about this point in any epic.

Is it really 2016?

Posting this here because I am a coward who doesn’t want to be attacked on Facebook. LOL.

Anyway, I’m really happy for my friends that they’re having a baby, but they chose to announce the sex of their baby this way:

They want to tell the world that they’re having a boy. Or a girl who’s into sports, maybe? It’s a little sexist, don’t you think? I mean, what if their kid turns out to be bad at sports? Or good at sports but the sport he likes is bowling? And why use sports-related pictures to tell people they’re having a boy, anyway? Can’t girls be good at sports, too? How do they know their kid will be an athlete? Can’t he be into music or literature? What’s wrong with just saying the word “boy?”

I feel kind of sad that I saw this posted by people I actually know in real life. And it’s 2016.