The Bucket List

I have a bucket list.  It's printed on my personal Facebook account, which I've currently deactivated.  Haha!

I'm writing this here so that some years from now, I can look back and see how much I've accomplished or how close I am, at least.  And oh!  You can monitor it with me.  ^_^

1. Tell people around the world about Jesus
2. Lead praise and worship
3. Visit and help out a church in Japan
4. Serve children, fight for their innocence, teach them about hope and thanksgiving, and love them with a heart that understands and accepts
5. Meet my Syuzi and give her a big hug and a big teddy bear
6. Write a book, paint a masterpiece, and get a tattoo 
7. Visit my mother's province back in the Philippines (I've never been there!), see magnetic sand, and have a picnic by the lighthouse at Fatima
8. Watch and listen to a Jazz performance in a cozy bar/restaurant
9. If God be willing, have true Hessed (חֶסֶד) with the boy I have dreamt about
10.  And he and I will make music, laugh, and watch the stars and the waves pound and foam on the shore

Bonus #11: TIM TAM SLAM!!  ^0^  - Mission Accomplished!

Red, Red Lips

Red lips

Familiar, classic, beautifully sophisticated.

I've been observing a lot of celebrities going for this retro look!  For an obvious reason: it instantly adds a touch of elegance to any wardrobe.

I love how it makes anyone who wears it look so womanly and polished.  Red and lips just go so well together, more than peas and carrots do.  :)

Images:

Red lipstick

Taylor Swift
Scarlett Johansson
Anne Hathaway

On My Way to Freedom

I don't preach without needing the lesson myself.  :)  The last entry was something I had to learn from, especially in terms of honoring or maintaining respect for someone who has wronged me.  It's not easy and I have not been the most successful at it, too.  :(

Last week was really trying...  And if I could just choose to be alone from everyone except for my blogger peeps for a while, I would.  And Simon and Garfunkel's "I Am A Rock" really comes to mind:

"I've built walls,

A fortress deep and mighty

That none may penetrate

I have no need for friendship

Friendship causes pain

It's laughter and it's loving I disdain

I am a rock

I am an island."

As cheesy as this song may sound (which I so like, by the way), the man has a point.  If you read the lyrics further, a lonely life starts to become a little tempting.  But it all comes down to only that: a lonely, cowardice life...

♥♥♥

What has dampened my young spirit so?

Sometimes, some people just make me tick...  No specifics.  :)

So, I have laid out my heart to you all, as vulnerable as it makes me.  I need a forgiving heart...  I thank Jesus for continually redeeming the fallenness of my heart.  

Look At My Eyes, Not My Eyebrows

Ms. Phan once said that our eyebrows "should not be twins; they should be sisters."

My eyebrows are not even distant cousins.

They are mortal enemies.

They've never been similar...  It's as if my father gave me my left and my mother gave me my right.  And the left is higher than the right.  Hehehe...

Oh well...  Ms. Shields seems to have a slightly similar problem.  But no one minds, because she is gorgeous!

So, I'm ok!  I've actually just started to use eyebrow pencil, by snagging my mother's...  Hehehe!  But I've finally invested in my own.  It should be coming in the mail soon. ^_^

Image:
Eyebrow makeup
Brooke Shields

It's a *Sigh* Kind of Night

Who is short, overworked, tired, but still quite cute?

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ME!

"Cute?  How bold!"  Might as well admit it rather than playing that ol' modesty game...  I've played it long enough and I think it isn't doing anyone justice if I kept denying it!  Just look at this:

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Money face!  I make Abe look good!

XD

Hahahahahaha!

*laughs by herself*

*crick, crick*

*Sigh...*  I think I'm so funny sometimes...

So, I'm just blogging tonight to inform everyone that I am alive and well!  I've been super tired this past week.  

*Sigh*  

Imagine yourself in a room repeatedly enunciating eh-heh-heh-heh-very sound in the word "cat" to 6th graders who should have known this already since they were 1st grade, but don't, because they came from a place that did not mandate formal education from their citizens.  What do you get?  A plumb-tuckered out teacher...  A plumb-tuckered out ME!  T-T

But I really do enjoy my job!  I love the kids and my interactions with them.  But yes!  I have my moments.  We have our moments!  I think all teachers do.  Hence, the lesson for today is, "Be nice to your teachers; you don't know what they go through."  And good teachers would also empathize with what their students go through.

♥♥♥

I need a release!  

So, I will blab about random things about my day- just let it gush out like a waterfall!  

My sister and I went to Macy's after work and simply had the most wonderful shopping experience.  I really like talking to salespeople, and the particular person who helped us out today was extremely delightful!  We were joking and laughing together, you'd think we've long been best friends!  I think good salespeople have such noble jobs.  It takes guts to talk to hundreds of strangers a day without making them feel squeamish, and there really is an art in human interaction.  Not everyone is cut out to be in sales, that's a fact.  So, I think I love her a lot already and will buy from her when I gets me some moolah!  ^-^

♥♥♥

Next, I will show you pretty photos from Mama's garden.  Yay!

I love where I live.  ^____^  I love that my Ma loves flowers and tries her best to grow them.  She has a green-thumb, for reals!  So, I don't think the plants make her put out so much effort.  They gladly bloom for her, I think ^___^

♥♥♥

Lastly, may he serenade you to sleep.  I love Landon Pigg's voice, kind of reminds me of Garfunkel's.

*Sigh*

What is up with me and coffee shops?

*Daydreams*

You think you know why?  Well, snap out of it! :D

a Moment for Tea

Have you ever wondered where I got the name for this blog?  Probably... probably not...
But why not coffee?  Why not chocolate?

Coffee is cruel to me, although I love it.  And chocolates...  Hmmm...  I would have loved to name this "a Moment for Chocolate" but it sounds so indulgent.  It is the gentle notes of tea that have truly made the most impact on my memories.

If you have been one of my pioneer readers, I mentioned that I got the idea from that one time when I was drinking tea while writing a paper for class.  My essay was on Noli Me Tangere and the role of women in an oppressive government and an even more oppressive religious system.  (Hehehe... there's a feminist of some extent in all of us.)  Then I started to address passion being a virtue and eventually wrote my first work on my personal Facebook.  The point was that we are constantly being pursued by the most passionate person in History whose thoughts about us are as "countless as the sand on the seashore."  That was a beautiful, I thought...

Actually essay time Fall semester 2010.

Many of the fondest times of my life were shared over cups of tea.

I remember acquiring the taste for that bitter liquid when my mother would make honey-lemon cups of it when I was ill.  Mother had a type of tea for any ailment.  It's funny yet amazing!  Chamomile to soothe sleeplessness.  Black tea for a pick-me-up.  Pomegranate for UTI.  Ginger to comfort an irritated throat.  Mother and tea make sweet memories in my heart.

♥♥♥

Another moment for tea was making some for sick friends.  Just like how Mother made it: honey-lemon black tea, with a hint of ginger.  I would make it perfectly.  : )  My friend tried to make some for herself, but I was the only one who could make it just right.  She said so.  ^__^

♥♥♥

One of the most memorable moments for tea I've ever had happened this past summer break.  Summer was fading away and was being quickly replaced by the gloomy rain clouds of fall.  Work would begin a couple of weeks later.

It was a cold morning.  I could not sleep the night before so I got up early to pray and start my chores.  By the time he arrived, it was eight o'clock- too early for most cafes to be open.  But he persisted until we came upon a small, yet lovely one, tucked in the heart of Hågatña.  The warmth of the cup felt good on my fingers.  Green tea for me and vanilla for him.  He was friendly to the barista and even tipped him.

The bricks and the cement of the sidewalk glimmered from the downpour of the night before.  And we walked.  And we talked.  Comfortable enough because we were friends.  And awkward still because we were friends...  It went on as such for a few more minutes until he brought up the topic.  He began by complimenting me.

"You're an amazing woman," he mentioned and those words burned into my head.

"But..." he went on.  "But... I don't want to ruin this friendship.  I just want to stay as friends."

Mustering a wide grin and a puzzled look. "That's exactly what I want!"  I blurted out.

Rewind back a few seconds before he dropped the bomb on me, my honest feelings were of nervousness.  I knew what he was going to say.  And I was also scared because I was not ready, not ready at all, for anything more.  But what can of worms did I just open?  So of course, there was a twang of pain.  Because no matter what wise decisions I wanted to follow, my heart was on the line.  Put simply: a rejection is a rejection.  Hehehe...

Forward after the words that exploded out of my mouth like Old Faithful, it was his turn to look puzzled.  "I just didn't want to lead you on..."  Under his breath but I heard, "I guess I was the one being led on..."

The morning walk continued pleasantly where we talked about politics and God and job applications and ants in cereal.  It was nice.  He said so, too.

The first and the best rejection "date" I've ever had.  Haha!

Well, thankfully, our friendship was not ruined.  It's a little different.  I got to know this person more and found he really is a kind person.  Moody, yes.  Does things without needing the recognition of others.  But hard to read... needs a lot of digging.  Awkward still sometimes.

Once you open a can of worms, you cannot close it to the way it was before.  But ah... now we can go fishing.  ^____^

Real Life Sundays, ed. 15

Another installment of my photo diary.  It's been around three weeks since the last one.  There had been a bunch of colorful going-ons since... IF (notice the emphasis) you actually think my life is interesting enough.  XD

Of course, certainly, my life may seem as dull as dishwater, and I may just be oblivious to it.  But it's all about the attitude, baby!  Attitude!  Carpe diem is all about that!  But just don't do anything you'll be too embarrassed to tell your future husband and/or children.  :D  Hahaha!

Finally got the guts to purchase this cool photo app!  It allows more light to
your photos.  Notice that the left is with the app and the right is without the app.

Haagen Dazs' take on tea and cakes.  Fancy!

And my nails just matched the pastel of the ice cream ^.^

Guam has a vast and beautiful sky.

Prayer Walk at my friend's church.  The church property overlooks
the ocean.  Simply breathtaking!  I couldn't walk while praying,
so we sat and prayed.  ^___^

At the cross is where my life began.

Lesson on goal setting: my student is definitely getting his priorities straight :D
Oh! And they call this work??? 

And they call this work... -__- Paperwork is only fun sometimes...

The closest I can get to Tim Tebow: lil' Timmy.

"Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead
of briers the myrtle will grow.  This will be for the Lord's renown, for
an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." Isaiah 55:13

My dearest Syuzi, I've loved you even before I met you...
My next goal is to see you. The very thought makes me very happy.  ^___^

So, was that dull enough for you?

NO WAY!  Since my photos are so fine and beautifully edited!  :P

Hahaha!  

*Laughs by herself*

*Awkward silence and crickets*

Ahem... alright!  It's been great, everyone.  Stay tuned for the next post!  ^____^  I hope you have a great hump-day Wednesday.

Update Update Update

Ok, peeps.  I just studied my blog and decided that I MUST write a product review soon.

That'll be my next commitment.  I will write one next week during labor day weekend...  Which one?  Which one?  Make-up, skin care, etc.  You'll just have to wait and see.

I'm just simmering about what I should write about aside from my life, make-up, music, God...  How about more fashion?  Maybe I'll work on that.  I got some incredible deals from Esprit: $18 for a shirt- yes!

That's it!  But for now, I'll let you listen to some music that I am currently ga-ga over.  Couldn't sleep last night at all because of drinking coffee at 8:00 pm.  Ended up getting out of bed and uploading these on my personal Facebook page.  Enjoy!

Poem: "A big fish in a small pond"

A big fish in a small pond
Dared to jump- to take a leap of faith
Now a little fish in a big pond
Amongst bigger ones
Where I do not belong
And you have kept me at arm's length
Never drawing me close to your heart
Not caring whether I drew you close to mine
But you put me through your hurdles and hoops- your circus
That I should be so lucky to be in the presence of greatness
That I should be so lucky that many were called but few were chosen

O clanging gong!
You preach to me
But neither do you see the wounds you cause
Because you have no real love for me

O the Saul to my David!
Amongst friends
Until a spear flies aiming at an already wounded heart
Because you have no real love for me

To make Him smile
To restore the joy of His salvation
If you only understood my heart
You'd have compassion for my passion.

~Written by Ruthee Cee- that is me! ^_^

Image:
Koi pond

Poem: "Your eyes that"

Your eyes that
Speculate
Intimidate
Captivate me
That look at me with affection and amusement
Your eyes where I am lost and have me feeling
So small
So young
So silly
And that maybe you only want someone
So beautiful
So mature
So perfect
And that you'll always only be my friend
And I can accept that:
Your eyes
No, the memories of them,
Are all I will ever have
And I can accept that!
BUT why did God make your eyes so beautiful?

Written by: Ruthee Cee- that is me! ^_^

Success!

Yes!

Yes!

YES!!!

I made my first ever Deco!  And boy, I think it turned out well!  I wanted to put a diminutive in front of "well," but no!  I cannot be modest about it because I am totally stoked!

 *Sigh*

I'm so happy I could faint.

Enough with my immodesty.  Just see for yourself my handicraft.  ^_^

Cupcakes for extra かわいい-ness

And Effie nails to boot to make Madame Trinket proud.

Lastly, I'll leave you with this:

This video contains my dream of jamming like this with my friends (who STILL haven't replied to my suggestions!)  Woe to me because I cannot decently play any instruments!  I am at the mercy of uber-talented friends and whether they'd give me the time of day.  TT_TT

My Response

Now that the giveaway is done, I wanted to take some time to answer my own question.

THAT'S RIGHT, BABY!

My favorite character in The Hunger Games is Peeta Mellark ^___^  (And it's not only because of Josh Hutcherson, ok?)  As I've said to some of you, I do like Katniss, definitely- being the protagonist and a butt-kicking huntress at that, but reading the book, a special place has been left in my heart for Peeta Mellark for a great many number of reasons.  Here are the top five:

1. He is kind, honest, and pure at heart.  While Katniss baffles herself about what is the right thing to do, Peeta has always had a radar for simply doing the right thing.
2. He will always champion for Katniss.  (SPOILER ALERT!) That's why I cried myself to sleep when the Capitol twisted his mind.  Durn you, Capitol!
3. He is an artist.
4. And a buff and handsome blonde at that! :P
5. Finally, it never, ever, ever hurts that this boy can bake bread! 

And oh!  He also has some of the best weak-in-the-knees, butterflies-in-my-stomach lines in the book (and movie):

And the Pièce de résistance ! 

That's it!  I won't overkill it.  Actually, it's getting plenty cheesy even for me.  Heehee!  Now you know what a geek I am: getting so emotionally invested in a book and its characters.  Haha!  ^^;;

Anyway, I really did enjoy holding the giveaway and having the chance to communicate with some of my readers.  Thanks for that opportunity!  

As for now, good night! ^_______^

Image:

"Real Men Don't..."

"I'm more than..."

"If I win..."

Real Life Sundays, ed. 11

Hmmmm...  I think I want to write a product review... someday!  Harharhar! :D  But I do have a few on my mental list: K-Palette One Day Tattoo (eyeliner), Danahan Ecopure BB Cream, Danahan Ecopure Cleansing Foam...

But want to know what I want to do for a while?  Chill~~~~  Hang out with good friends, do fun things, live what I love!

Anyway, I'm preparing for something great, great, GREAT!  But really busy!  I'll tell you all about it when I've done it.  I'm pretty excited!  わかわか！\(^0^)/

Moving on...  Some photos that I've collected over the weekend.  I've got myself some really awesome apps that I've been experimenting with.  TT^TT  I'm so happy with their coolness, I'm crying!  :P

Youth Rally with so many other churches on the island coming
together- it's energizing!

Mustache and glitters?  I think YES!

Attempted a top knot/bun (?)  not succeeding completely but
giant chiyo flower makes everything better.

I thought that this app was too cool!  ^_^
Nope, this is not my home-home, by the way.

Deconden is expensive. T_T The local craft store finally had
a shipment of rhinestones.  Now I just gotta find the time.

Who doesn't love the movie?  ^-^
So, I thought I gotta read the book.

A bigger one of this, because I'm cute
here.  XD Ha!  Oh, vanity... (-.-)

I read this quote quite a while back.  I made this layout but the
photo is not mine.  Audrey Hepburn is so beautiful and she says
wise things. ^____^

That's all for now!  Thanks for staying up with me in these wee hours of the night and keeping up with my oddness.  ^^;;  You guys are way cooler than the apps.  Hehehe!  :D

Oh!  And please don't forget to enter my giveaway!  Only 4 days left!

Good night!