Walkin' on Sunshine

Debut Preparations

POSTED ON Monday, September 9, 2013 AT 4:51 AM \\

When I was a kid, I never thought of having a grande 18th birthday celebration, or the so-called "debut". When people asked me, I just shrugged my shoulders and and answer with a firm "NO!". I even thought of just asking money from my parents and buy the things I want and travel.

Growing up, I met a lot of people. With that, I was invited in various debut celebrations and was even part of some surprise birthdays. Every time I attend one, my desire to have my own celebration developed. And only earlier this year did I decide to have a debut for my 18th birthday. I knew we were not in the best situation that time to spend so much money for my birthday. But I prayed to God, because I know he will provide.

I talked to my eldest sister about it because I knew she could help us. I told her to convince my parents and that I really want it this time. And God answered my prayers. My parents agreed. And I swear I was the happiest kid that time. I feel so blessed for my family, and that sister of mine for being ready to help and provide.

So how did I prepare for my most awaited event?

1. Think of a theme

I consulted a lot of people in this one. It was really hard to think of a theme because I didn't if I could pull it off. I decided to have Alice in Wonderland, and then it became Winter Wonderland, and in the end, Whimsical Wonderland. Now that was kind of a general/safe and I was fine with that. I don't even know if my debut looked like it. Lol.

2. Started listing people I want to be included in my 18's

It wasn't an easy task, you know. As much as I wanted to put everyone in there, I can't :( So I had to prioritize people and all. Even added two sets of 18's to accommodate friends that I really wanted to be included.

3. Reserve the venue

My mother helped me with this one. I can't go with my first choice because it's too expensive. And so we went to a pavilion which looked fine and 'naturely' and my theme is wonderland so it was okay really. I was so happy that it was available on my chosen date of debut which was a week after my real birthday. After our reservation, everything felt really. Like I'm really going to have a debut and I loved the feeling.

4. Catering Service, Emcee, and light and sound system

This one was crucial since they'll be the one to arrange the venue and cook the food. Good thing my mother's friend know someone who's known in this business and does really well in his job. The catering service we chose already has a reputation and I kind of felt at ease knowing this. I could see the light that time, everything was so tangible, I can help imagine my night. Lol :))) And yung caterer din nagsuggest na dapat may number ako on my debut, dance number preferably. I was like, WHAAAAT :o Pero ayun, uhh, I'll talk about it later :)) As for the emcee, the caterer referred one who also has a reputation in the business already, the problem is, she has another event that day. The caterer called another one, and she was free that day. So we thought we were done with the emcee. But when we came back to the caterer, he told us the emcee has an event pala. So we were like, WHAAAAT. He called again another one but he's not free. Now, the emcee called our original choice. Turns out, we could do something about it. Medyo inusad from 6:00pm to 7:00pm yung start ng party ko, to give time para makapunta yung emcee from another event. Now the other problem is, mahal ang TF. Pero my mother pushed it para daw sa ikasasaya ng debut ko :""> And yung caterer na rin nag-contact sa lights and sound system :) You see, di talaga kelangan ng coordinator =))))

5. Photo/Video Coverage

Now this one was easy because we have a friend who's doing this business. At first, I was opting for a photo coverage only since it's too expensive. And nahihiya na rin ako sa parents ko, ang laki ng gastos. But good thing, this friend of our's convinced me to take the photo and video coverage with photobooth and he'll give me P5k off. I was so thankful that time. And guess what, I got a surprise same day edit on my debut. Super na-touch ako dun :""">

6. Gowns and dress and dancing clothes

I decided na dalawang palit lang ako, aside from my dancing clothes. Lol. Yung tito ko ang tumahi and okay din kasi nasabi ko yung gusto ko. And kami na rin namili and bumili ng tela. I searched for inspirations ng design. And I chose the simple ones.

7. Dance and Song number

At first sobrang ayokong mag-perform, kasi naman wala akong talent!! Pero since alam naman ng lahat na frustrated singer and dancer ako, I decided to do both for fun :) Felt super blessed to have supportive cousins and friends na ready sa kahihiyan maturuan and masamahan lang ako kumanta and sumayaw. 1 month before nagstart na ko magpractice ng song number with cousins and friends, and yung dance number din with my dancer blockmates/friends. Medyo nagkaproblem pa with my dance number, I thought hindi siya mapupush kasi nabawasan sila nang nabawasan until tatlo na lang baback-up sakin and may prob pa sa scheds so hirap kami sa practice, pero they said we have to do it. And thankful lang ako kasi pinilit nila ko ituloy :">

8. Invitations

I asked my friend who did my photo/video coverage to help me in this one. I told him the style I wanted, which was like a fan (pamaypay) and then siya na nag-layout and edit. So I had two styles on invitations, one for those included in the 18's and another simple invitation for those invited.

9. Pre-debut Photoshoot

I had to fix my outfits and the venue of the photoshoot. For the venue, we just chose to do it in my Aunt's house. They have such big house and garden and we also went near the clubhouse of the subdivison. For the outfits, I bought some, I borrowed some from a friend and cousins, and my Aunt (the one who owns the house) lent me some of her clothes. Everything went well. I was kind of shy and medyo iisa yung ngiti ko lol. Pa-sweet lang kasi hehehehe.

10. Myself

And the most important part of the preparations is to prepare myself, not just for the debut but for the greater world ahead of me. Being 18 entails a lot of responsibilities. People expect more from you. You have to be matured in acting and in making decisions. Other than that, I chose to stay 'me', to still be myself but wiser and bolder. :) Still the same Marize, but Marize version 2.0 =))

Will post photos and the happenings on that special night next time :)

Here's to you.

POSTED ON Monday, September 2, 2013 AT 1:32 AM \\

Here's to the girl..
who just sat on a corner,
got evil stares at her,
shoved away 'cause it's the popular girl's friend's spot,
fought for her right,
and did not win because she's just that girl.

Here's to the girl..
who stopped her tears from falling,
went away to stay on a darker spot,
felt the heavy stares of everyone on her,
humiliated after what happened,
and she will never be the same again 'cause she's just that girl.

Here's to the friends..
who followed the girl to her spot,
decided to stay with her even after the humiliation,
stated random reasons for doing so,
even if they just meant that's what friends are for,
and they are the friends the girl never thought who'd do that.

Here's to the bullies..
who feels they own the world,
who thinks what they're doing is cool,
who looks down on other people,
well, may God's grace be upon you,
your friendship is admirable but it's not friendship when you don't correct each other's wrongdoings.

Here's to that girl..
who cries every time,
who feels so lowly,
who thinks she's alone,
well, you have a God who loves you and is ready to do anything for you,
stand up and raise your head high, the situation you were in does not define who you are now.

Bestfriend.

POSTED ON Sunday, April 14, 2013 AT 4:02 AM \\

Okay. I am watching Definitely, maybe right now and then it hit me. I felt like I need to write about this right now or else I will forget about it. Here it goes.

It was in the middle of this mini-summer when I read a book entitled "Slammed" recommended by a friend. I had nothing else to do. I feel accomplished when I read books.. and finish them. I don't know; it just gives me that feeling. So yes, I was reading this book not knowing where it'll take me. I had just started with the story when something meaningful came up in the book. I mean, I had no idea it was coming. It just came. And then it hit me. Alright, I'm babbling. But here's is this character, Layken, and she turned out to share the same story with me. Well, not totally but at a particular aspect of life.

BESTFRIEND.

Layken had no bestfriend. Well she had nobody to consider one. She had friends but they're not someone she thought she could call as such. She thought maybe she was too busy for bestfriends. Maybe she's not a good listener. Maybe she's not a good sharer.

LIKE ME.

That's exactly how I feel.
I have a couple of friends but I feel like they do not trust me enough. You know that feeling you get when you learn something about them from other people? I know that. It hurts. Every one of my friends have made me feel like that. It's like I'm always the last one to know. That makes me a bad listener. Nobody wants to confide in me.

To be honest, I don't tell my friends everything about me either. Why? 'Cause I don't feel like they're interested in my life. I feel like my life's not worth sharing, so why bother? And I just run out of words when I'm trying to explain myself anyway. Which makes me a bad sharer.

Yes, I have many friends. But what I need is someone who can trust me, who would want me to be the first one to know what's happening to his/her life, and in turn I can talk to and trust with everything. What I need is someone who will share and someone I can share with.

Having no one to talk to about everything is sad. Having nobody to share this with sucks.

Okay this sucks. Let's end this

Trust issues sa sarili ko =(

POSTED ON Saturday, April 6, 2013 AT 8:59 AM \\

Hello. I'm here.

Everytime I was asked to describe myself, the word ‘trustworthy’ was always on top of the list. Who was I kidding? Right, myself. All my life I thought I was that kind of person. Good thing people around me proved I was wrong. Thank you, my dear friends for making me realize I do not deserve that adjective to describe myself.

But wait..

I do not have the right to call myself a friend of someone if he/she does not tell me what’s going on in his/her life. What right do I have to call myself his/her (close) friend if I don’t even know what he/she is going through (or worse hear his/her situation from other people). I have no right, right. Now I know better. And I am deleting that word from my favorite adjectives.

You’re not a friend if you are not trustworthy. Booyahh, Marize!

~~For once, I just want to feel trusted. Even once.~~

POSTED ON Sunday, August 26, 2012 AT 7:43 AM \\

YAHOOOOOOOOOO! I'm just super happy and still can't move on. So last Saturday, my college friends and I went to EK. Here's the story.

It's a long weekend and we were teasing our friend to treat us for his birthday. Yea, it's a long-planned trip. He agreed with our joke, LOL. So I asked permission from my parents and thank God, blessed, luckily, fortunately, they agreed. I was like, "Are you kidding me? You're letting me join them? Please tell me I ain't dreaming and if I am, please don't wake me up. I LOVE YOUU!!!" But I never really said that. And from that day on, the feeling of excitement haunted me. We even made a group for our plans. And then last Wednesday, our NSTP professor we were going to have a clean-up drive on that day. And it devastated me. Is this the end of our plan? PLEASE TELL ME NO. And yeah, the clean-up drive did not stop us. WEEE!! Of course, we attended the clean-up drive for the sake of our future children and for the betterment of Manila Bay.. and alright, yeah, for the attendance. After that, we went to eat lunch, and then we were in the bus. And tadaaa!! we're in ENCHANTED KINGDOM. It's like my 3rd there but I'm still very excited like it's just my first time. :))) Took some pictures, and then we left our bags in the locker and paid for it -.-

Guess what, it was raining when we entered EK. But it stopped.. and then it rained again. The weather was like that until we left LOL.

(PICTURES AHEAD)

Our first stop? The girls tried the CAROUSEL while waiting for the guys to get settled. Yahooo! This is my first time rising a carousel, I guess. I never got a chance when I was still a little girl :(

DODGEM! They are the boys, too bad the girls don't have pics in the dodgem. Screw you guys! (my first time driving a bump car, teehee)

Anchor's Away beybe!

You should not miss riding this one. This is my first to sit on the farthest/highest part of the ship(?) YEHEEEYY!! Saraaaap :DD That's me raising my arms to its highest level and screaming like I'm on the top of the world :DD

Space Shuttle! :D I'm so a fan of these kinds of rides. Sorry, I'm that adventurous :P

Hurrah for EKSTREME!! It was my 2nd time but yeah, epic 2 seconds pa rin :D

That's me and Rachel claiming our free nuggets and Chuckie drink (which wasn't cold :<)

I forgot the name of this ride!! Is it Roller Skates or Roller Skaters??
But yeah, if you think this ride isn't anything, there's something in it... speed. lol. what am I saying? But the memorable part here was that the batch before us got wet from the rain, and when it was out turn, the rain stopped. Yahoo!

The girls after Rio Grande Rapids!! :DD
I was all wet o.0 It was my first there. HAHA. The boys made the ride fun. All I heard were curses from them ><

Flying Fiesta to dry ourselves :)) I felt like a child, weeee!!

That's Rachel enjoying the ride! weee, I'm so happy for her 'coz it's her first time in EK and she didn't say no to any ride :DD

The boys doing gay poses. troll!

This was after JUNGLE LOG JAM (OH MY I DO NOT KNOW THE SPELLING, boo me!)

FYI, we did the ride 2 times. And I got really wet, we splashed water on each other! lol

they know too many poses. lol. kayo na!

And guess what our last stop is? FERRIS WHEEL <3 p="p">

Before this, I was worrying because I didn't have a decent pic for my PP on fb. lol. So I grabbed the chance :))))

Oops :)

And that's Miko, the birthday boy, wearing our gift, TOTORO HAT! :D We were so happy with his reaction when he opened our gift for him. He was like, "Wow! You guys! I was planning on buying this in the future and you gave it to me as a gift! Thank youu!!" And he's the reason for our trip. That rich kid. :))) Thank you bro (though I know you won't be able to read this :P)

MEET THE GANG!! We just unleashed our spirits of adventure <3 p="p">

It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is getting wet while riding an extreme ride. :)))))

The Teenage Queen's Back-To-School Giveaway!

POSTED ON Saturday, May 19, 2012 AT 2:25 AM \\

Check this out guys and gals! I just joined a contest by Hershey, The Teenage Queen (@theteenagequeen ; http://www.thediaryofateenagequeen.blogspot.com).

The giveaways (or should I say prizes?) are just sooo awesome to resist!!
Here's the story. I was checking out posts on our batch's group and I happened to read this post by a batchmate from a different course which says she's holding a sponsored contest. I instantly went to her blog and read her post. And guess what? The winner shall receive a satchel from Bagellia Filipinas, a planner from Planet Slate, a hoodie from Dance Flava, accessories from SIMONE'S CLOSET, a box of 12 cupcakes from Spoonful of Sugar, and a mani-pedi treatment from Posh & Glam Boutique and Home Spa! Spell a-w-e-s-o-m-e :DDD

This is my first time to join such contest. I know I'm not very lucky in this kind of games but there's no harm in trying, right? :)) Winning this contest will surely ease my worries and concerns in entering college.. 'cause honestly, I have no idea what's waiting for me there.

Hey! Feel free to join the contest as well. It's open to all COLLEGE STUDENTS and it's very easy to join and submit entries. :)) Click this link for more infos.

SINGAPORE 2012

POSTED ON Tuesday, May 8, 2012 AT 11:31 PM \\

Last May 1-5, we went to Singapore.. care of my oldest sister. :)))))) So first time namin mag-out of the country. hehe kaya superrrr excited ang lola niyo :DD

so this is me looking at the view outside the plane.

after landing in Singapore, we went straight to the Hotel.

this is me at the train station. i really miss the trains in Singapore 'coz it's really comfortable there.

my ditse and i inside the train :D

our first night in SG. walking around the city

city lights? it's awesome in SG :)

first try of foreign cuisine :))

you see that image behind us? that's the famous Merlion

the next day, we went to Sentosa :DD

nice view :)

went straight to Universal Studios Singapore. it's like the Enchanted Kingdom in the Philippines. here are some of the rides (or whatever you call them that we tried:D): Lights Camera Aciton, Transformers The Ride, The Mummy, Waterworld, Shrek 4D, Donkey Live, that one in the Jurassic Park which I can't remember haha, Battle Star (?) both the red and blue rides, and many moreeee. i can't remember the names anymore. lol

the next day, we went to my sister's house in SG.

inside their house.

went window shopping. haha

nice message :)

we also rode a bus. i was quite disappointed because i wasn't able to experience that bus with the second floor, what do you call it? haha

night safari!! if you take the trail, it's very scary but it's cool for adventurous people. you can also take the train to tour the place. there are a number of animals there including CARABAOS! haha :D