Breathe

Is it right to give out too many chances to a person who has repeatedly hurt you? Is it worth the trust you’ve wholeheartedly gave, but in return they give you lies and reasons to hurt you even more? 

Perhaps, i have reached my limit. Perhaps my understanding was taken advantage that i didn’t expect it would turn into a more hurtful memory. I have sacrificed a lot of things, but disappointment is what i get. The more i forgive, the more i believe it will happen again.

Is it okay to get tired? Will it be okay to stop? Can i just breathe for the very last time?

Tell me. I don’t know anymore.

Korean Drama Fever

Hey, Reader! It’s been a while since I wrote about something that interests me. Lately, I’ve been watching foreign drama series during my free time. Korean dramas or widely known as "Kdramas" are popular nowadays, especially to teens. I may no longer be a teenager, but I guess young adults like me appreciate them too. Somehow, Koreans’ way of interpreting stories in dramas are very unique that it easily captures the interest of its viewers.  When it comes to genres, my favorites are those of romantic comedies. Romcoms make you laugh, cry and love all at the same time. However, kdramas don’t easily make romcoms where the characters are predictable and sticks to the status quo. There are lots of twists and turns as the story progress, and that’s where the excitement comes.

I’m not much of a blogger, but this entry is mainly a review of some drama series that I have already watched. Normally, it takes about several days to finish a certain series, but for me, I finish them within 2 days, at least. I know, you’d think that I no longer sleep, but I do. I’m just too addicted over them. My boyfriend once teased me, "Tara, punta tayo sa doctor. Ipapacheck-up kita." I was confused at first because I wasn’t sick during that time. So I asked, "Bakit? Wala naman akong sakit ah." And he humorously replied, "Adik ka na kasi sa Kdrama eh." Hahaha.

And so, here it goes. I would try my best to create a review. But please bear with me. It’s my first time to create something like this, so I don’t know if I could actually describe the plots in detail. Generally, reviews are made of paragraphs which summarizes the story to show interest to potential viewers without spoiling the story itself. But as for me, I would make it simpler. I will be using words, phrases, and perhaps quotations from the series. Hope you guys would try to watch these Kdramas. They’re very interesting and has great story lines. Some of them were very popular and some had high ratings and even got awards because of their extraordinary plots and amazing actors and actresses. Just by watching such series, I was able to learn and understand commonly used Korean words.

Pictures are not mine. Got them from the internet. Hope you guys like it. Enjoy!

WEIGHTLIFTING FAIRY KIM BOK JOO

2016. Romance. Comedy. Melodrama. Friendship. Family. Love. Sports. Athletes. Olympics. College. Strength. Weightlifting. Swimming. Rhythmic Gymnastics. Nam Joo Hyuk and Lee Sung Kyung. Nam-Lee Couple. Go for Gold. Reach for Your Dreams. SWAAAAAG! I super love this series. I have watched this several times and even downloaded its original soundtrack album. Additional Info: The two lead actors were reportedly dating in real life since April 2017, but ended their 4-month relationship on August 2017.

SHE WAS PRETTY

2015. Romance. Comedy. Melodrama. Friendship. First Love. Childhood Best Friends. Beauty Transformation. Poor Girl-Rich Guy. Peeking Girl Puzzle Piece. Hwang Jung Eum and Park Seo Joon. This is such a feel good series.

DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN

2016. Romance. Comedy. Melodrama. Action. War. Love. Military. Medical. Friendship. Disaster. Tragedy. Disease. Plague. Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo. Song-Song Couple. You Are My Everything. One of the best story lines and very good looking leads. Additional Info: The two lead actors are dating in real life and to be wed on October 2017.

STRONG WOMAN DO BONG SOON

2017. Romance. Comedy. Action. Fantasy. Love. Super Power. Crime Investigation. Police. Video Games. Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Shik. Bong Bong and Min Min. A very cute series.

OH MY VENUS

2015. Romance. Comedy. Love. Weight Loss. Transformation. Exercise. Diet. Trainer. Lawyer. Determination. Change. So Ji Sub and Shi Min Ah. Daegu's Venus. This will make you wanna improve yourself more.

MY SECRET ROMANCE

2017. Romance. Comedy. Love. One Night Stand. Poor Girl-Rich Guy. After 3 Years. Sung Hun and Song Ji Eun. Spoiler Alert: It has so many kissing scenes.

ROOFTOP PRINCE

2012. Romance. Comedy. Historical. Fantasy. Love. Murder. Investigation. 300-Year-Old Mystery. Time Travel. Joseon Era. Omu Rice. Park Ha Candy. Crown Prince. Park Yoo Chun and Han Ji Min. CHOHAAAAA! Spoiler Alert: It has a sad, but satisfying ending. I totally cried over this!

EMERGENCY COUPLE

2014. Romance. Comedy. Drama. Medical. Marriage. Divorce. After 6 Years. Love. Hate. Regret. Interns. Doctor Oh. Choi Jin Hyuk and Song Ji Hyo. Values about Relationship and Marriage.

WE BROKE UP

2015. Romance. Comedy. Music. Youth. Love. Break Ups. Park Sandara and Kang Seung Yoon. I accidentally saw its trailer on Youtube and decided to watch it out of curiosity. What i liked about this is that the leads  actually sang the songs played in the series. They're popular singers in real life. The opening song is really catchy and sets the main plot of the story.

MISSING KOREA

2015. Romance. Comedy. Miss Korea Pageant. Unification of North and South Korea. Park Sandara and Kim Jeong Hoon. This is more like a movie rather than a series.

PRINCESS HOURS (THAI VERSION)

2017. Romance. Comedy. Drama. Friendship. Fixed Marriage. Love. Crown Prince and Princess. School. Ungsumalynn Sirapatsakmetha and Phiangphor Sarasathapheng. This is actually a remake of the original Korean version entitled "Goong".

CINDERELLA AND THE FOUR KNIGHTS

2016. Romance. Comedy. Drama. Friendship. Love. Brothers. Poor Girl-Rich Guys. Artist. Playboy. Serious. Park So Dam and Jung Il Woo. Ahn Jae Hyeon oppa is also here. It has different story twists which revolve around all the characters.

BLOOD

2015. Romance. Comedy. Action. Suspense. Melodrama. Medical. Vampire. Virus. Cure. Surgeries. Ahn Jae Hyeon and Goo Hye Sun. Additional Info: The two leads are happily married in real life. They fell in love while doing the series.

FIGHT FOR MY WAY

2017. Romance. Comedy. Love. Friendship. Dating. Life. First Love. Dreams.Business. Martial Arts. Taekwondo. Fights. UFC Tournaments. MMA. Announcer. Soju. Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Woon. This series is such a happy pill. It has a lot of funny moments.

         I normally watch kdramas online because it takes so much time to download. So, if you guys wanna give it a try, you can watch at KissAsian or ViewAsian. They have complete episodes and updates regularly for new and upcoming series. They also have Thai, Chinese and Japanese series, movies and variety shows you can watch. Enjoy! :)

P.S. Will definitely add some more series  reviews from time to time. FIGHTING! ;)

Home Alone

          Bored. I'm a little sleepy, but i can't go to bed yet. May brother's not yet home and i need to stay up just so someone could open the gate for him. Been browsing through common social media sites for the past 4 hours. Gaaah! I want sleep. I need sleep. I'll do anything for sleep. My work sched's manageable, but still i find it hard to get some rest. Now I know how it feels. Tama nga sila... Mas masarap ngang mag-aral kaysa mag trabaho.

          Last day of training store duty tomorrow. I can't believe it. Time flies.



P.S.

I WANT SLEEEEEP! -___-

Go Crazy Wondering What If

          At first, I never thought I'd ever read The Selection Series (Trilogy) by Kiera Cass. I have always come across them whenever I went to bookstores to look for potential books to read. You see, I don't have the luxury to buy books all the time (even if want them so bad). What I do is stall along the vast shelves and list the titles and authors that I think are interesting. Once I have them, i look over the internet and download them in e-book forms, if they're available, and so, I get to read them for free. I know this somehow disrespects the author, but I do make sure that I leave something in their site or other social links that lets them know that I appreciate and adore their work.

          Anyway, looking at the book cover, where a lady wears a very long and elegant gown, somehow didn't made any impact for me. I don't know, but maybe the impression of Princes and Princesses doesn't interest me that much. Only then a very close friend of mine suggested I read them for fun and promises that I'll like it.

          With a span of three days, i finished reading the trilogy. And guess what? I LOVED IT! :) Haha. :)) Maybe because it wasn't what i thought the story would be. You know, the usual love stories where royalties would find someone to marry so that there would be a never-ending hierarchy by blood. But the story was not at all about love and its other usual ways. Instead, there was something about values, responsibilities, bravery and fighting back. The twists would make you think about things, but still end up being surprised by the outcome. However, we can never deny the happily-ever-after fact. It's inevitable.

          Nevertheless, Kiera Cass had made such a great novel. It's something people would get hooked to, especially to those who somehow believe in fairy tales And so, like what i always do, I've written down the lines that i liked. I hope this would interest others to check out and read the series. :)

THE SELECTION

Meant to be heard and not seen.

Go crazy wondering what if.

True love is usually the most inconvenient kind.

THE ELITE

I wish things were easier sometimes, normal.

Time. I was asking a lot of it these days. I hoped that if I had enough, everything would somehow fall into place.

You know that you've found something amazing, and you want to hold on to it forever; and every second after you have it, you fear the moment you might lose it.

Love is beautiful fear.

Sometimes I feel like we're a knot, too tangled to be taken apart.

THE ONE

There are bigger things than love.

It doesn't really matter how you feel about your character; it just matters what you do with it.

Mistakes mean it's real

Bravery hides in amazing places.

Sometimes it's about what you want to do, not what you have to.

Keep from letting fear make you settle for second best.

You are sunlight falling through trees. You are laughter that breaks through sadness. You are the breeze on a too-warm day. You are clarity in the midst of confusion.

Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.

          For these two, well I haven't read them yet, but I know these covers the sides of the two main male characters in the story: Prince Maxon, and Aspen the Guard. These would probably show more of their thoughts and feelings as to what America, the main female character, have thought throughout the trilogy.

Stash

Graduation Pictures - Raw/Unedited

(c) Young Photography Studio

UNIFORM

In my blue department uniform.. I'll definitely miss wearing them everyday, even if i have complained about them a million times. =))

FILIPINIANA

I don't actually know why do we need to have this kind of shot. Perhaps, tradition? But it looks elegant. :) Oh yeah, i'm wearing jeans underneath. ;)

TOGA

The main purpose of this photoshoot was to have a picture wearing a toga. :) But where's the tassel???

CREATIVE

Honestly, i have no idea what or who to portray. Instead, i sat at the grooming chair and told the make up artist, "Gawin niyo po akong Diyosa." And i guess, i somehow turned out to be like one. :)

BARKADA

Unfortunately, we're not complete. Some of my friends were already working so they weren't able to come during the shoot.

The Lancaster Way

          It is such an overwhelming experience to have been able to experience what the hospitality industry is all about within a 3-month time frame. From applying to numerous hotels, to hopes of being called for interview, to processing requirements, to actual training, to learning experiences, and finally, to having your freshly printed out certificate of completion.

Hotel's Facade

          I was first assigned at the Housekeeping Department. At first, I was kind of hesitant about everything. I wasn’t sure if I can handle all the work knowing that housekeeping is a very tiring job. You have to be fast and focused when it comes to cleaning rooms. For trainees, we are assigned either as a runner or as a partner to a Room Attendant – we call this “tandem”. As a runner, you are tasked to follow everything what the Team Leaders, Coordinators, Linen Attendants and Room Attendants asks you to do. Runners run guest and Room Attendant requests. They fold linens whenever the laundry arrives. They prepare daily operation materials such as linens, towels and amenities, and does inventory every month. Being a runner is not very tiring, however, much of your time is taken by the slowness of the service elevator whenever going to different floors. On the other hand, whenever in tandem with a Room Attendant, trainees also act as a Room Attendant. They get to do and experience all the work that RAs do. They remove trash, strip linens, clean bathrooms, wash dishes, set up beds, sweep and mop floors, do dusting in all the furniture in the room, and set up clean towels and amenities for arriving guests. Every day, each RA must obtain a minimum of 16 points – where 1 bedroom is equivalent to 1 point – regardless if it’s a Vacant Dirty (VD) or a Make Up Room (MUR). There was a time when the hotel’s occupancy rate is high and each RA was given more than 20 points to accomplish. Most of them had to work for unpaid overtime. And so, they would always tell us that they’re thankful that they have us trainees to help.

Bed Making

          As for my second department, I was transferred to the Food and Beverage Department, mainly in Banquet Service. Trainees are tasked with a lot of things including setting up function rooms, ironing table napkins, cloths, toppers and runners, arranging center pieces, skirting tables, setting up buffet tables, monitoring the coffee and water station, serving food and beverages to guests, and clearing (bust out), washing and drying plates, glassware and utensils. All of these procedures are done for every event or function. There were times that our duty lasts for a minimum of 10 hours, depending on the length of the event. We got to experience going home late and tired because of all the work. However, being at banquet service had been very challenging for me. It enhanced my skills and abilities regarding creativity, time management and communication. I became more sociable by dealing with numerous guests in one event.

Banquet Service

          I would just like to suggest that the hotel should have a more established and organized management. They should conduct orientation of the proper procedures in the different departments before deploying trainees in the actual operation. And also, for the betterment of the hotel, they should invest in equipment, materials and industry standard machines to improve facilities and service. My 500 hours of training at Lancaster Hotel Manila had been one of the best experiences I ever had. I have met new people and gained knowledge at the same time. There were certain problems that I have encountered, but eventually, everything was resolved through proper handling and communication. For my training as a whole, I have experienced it “The Lancaster Way”. :)

Possibilities Beyond Borders

          Lately, I’ve been thinking way too deep than I usually do. What does my future hold? Will I be able to manage things the way I’m used to? Or will it be such a challenge now that I’m about to enter the world of reality and endless possibilities? Whenever I think about graduation, I feel happy, sad, brave, scared, overwhelmed, confused, excited, frustrated and a whole lot more of mixed emotions packed in one. I’ve been completely torn between choices and options. But what’s the difference between the two? None. Because either way, I’m bound to make decisions, those of which will make or break the path I’m opt to take. 

          But what makes me more utterly baffled is that, I’m not really good at making decisions. Whenever I take a look at the weight of things, I tend to consider the pros and cons in a careless manner which results to disappointments and regrets. Of all things I hate, I don’t like being disappointed. I extremely dislike the feeling and the fact that I put so much effort and expectation on a certain thing, but ends up letting it slip my hands and worse, not getting it. Gah, just the thought of it makes me want to continue this writing in SHOUTY CAPITALS. Like that. Hahaha. =)) Oh, the irony. But somehow, I get hints from people around me. There’s always room for 2nd opinion, even 3rd, 4th, 5th and so on.

          Regarding my hotel practicum, it’s been weeks since a hotel called me for an interview. But lately, there had been none, and it makes me panic because I feel like I’m running out of time. Most of my batchmates have already been preparing their requirements for OJT (i.e. transcripts, certifications, recommendation letters, medical clearances, etc.). And what’s more, others have started training mid-October already. I envy them. :|

          Well, technically, I already have a hotel to hold my practicum: Best Western Oxford Suites Makati. But in some way, I’m not whole-heartedly confident about it. Why? Let me enumerate that for you.

1. HOTEL CLASSIFICATION. I have no idea if Best Western is a 3 or 4-star hotel. Google somewhat posted varying ratings which were based on reviews from TripAdvisor, Agoda and other travel blog sites. I’m kinda aiming for 5. 
2. REQUIRED TRAINING HOURS. Best Western asks for 500 hours of hotel training, but our course only requires 300 for completion (I think). 
3. GOING THERE AND BACK. The trip seems too exhausting. Even if it’s only one train ride from MRT Cubao Station to Buendia, I don’t have the strength and enthusiasm to keep up and squeeze myself in with the huge number of MRT passengers every day, six times a week, multiply that by 2. K I have tried it once for my interview, and I swore to myself I will never do it again. 
4. LOCATION MATTERS. Best Western is unfortunately at the heart of Makati’s Red Light District. Hotels, pubs and bars from left to right. You’ll see foreigners with girls dressed in miniskirts/shorts and cleavage-level tops. You get the picture. You know what I mean. 
5. ENVIRONMENT IS ANOTHER CONCERN. Even if Makati is one of the most clean and disciplined cities in Manila, I still cannot fathom the environment where the hotel is. I’m just scared. Okay, coward. I don’t know. A lot of things can happen. Even just by walking in the streets, I once imagined that someone might pick on me. Jeez, I can’t run too fast. And worse, I might be in heels if ever such thing happens. 

Best Western Oxford Suites Makati

(Photo taken from the Internet)

          And so last night, I asked for a sign. Is it going to be Best Western? Or should I wait for other hotels? For bigger opportunities? I hold at the thought not later than this morning. Miss Jo de Guzman, the one who interviewed me at Best Western, texted me once again after two dull weeks. Her text reads, “Can you start November 4 already?” The first thing that came to me was, “Is this the sign?” And so, I texted her back saying, “Yes miss, I can.” without hesitation.

          Have I made the right decision? Or is it one of my clumsy-reflex decisiveness? Now I’m starting to weigh things again. I asked my parents, my boyfriend Gelo, and my close friend Toni about this. They all said I should take the opportunity. They even added “Who knows, they might even absorb you for employment afterwards.” which I haven’t thought of. For now, the hotel asks me of one thing, my recommendation letter. And once I hand it to them, I could start my training. Oh, the thought of working in a hotel makes me want to jump with glee. But re-thinking my reasons for considering Best Western, my joys are flushed again with doubts and what ifs. I just hope I get to finalize everything. I know that there are risks, but hopefully, all will be well. I’m still hoping for something better though.