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Archives for August 2012

6 Things Ice Skating Taught Me

August 30, 2012

I’ve always wanted to try ice skating even though it’s one of the things I’m sure I’d be bad at. I am horrible at any activity that involves balancing, so I was sure ice skating isn’t for me. Yet, I still wanted to try it.

When Renz, my first ever inaanak, stayed in the Philippines for a month-long visit, I decided that it was the best chance to have someone accompany me to MOA and brave the ice skating rink. And that we did. We had a good time trying to keep our balance in the ice. It was a really fun experience and really painful, too.

Ice skating never looked easy and when I first stepped into that ice, I was so sure that I’d end up hurting all over. I left the rink with bruises here and there, but it’s not just bruises that I took with me. I also managed to acquire some really good life lessons to remember for a long while.

  1. Children are the bravest creatures on earth. Oh, I know that they’re fast learners. The way they glide in the ice even though it’s their first time told me that I should have tried ice skating when I was a kid, instead of now, when learning is no longer my strongest suit. But children are really brave and I think that’s why it’s easy for them to learn new tricks. While adults like me could barely take a step and quiver at the slightest movement, children are letting go and gliding despite it all. I learned a lot just by watching them. Really. I had no instructor so I had to copy what they’re doing just so I could skate.
  2. You won’t get anywhere if you won’t take the first step. Once I stepped in the ice, I just wanted to hold on to the railing and never let go. It was slippery and I believed that my skates wouldn’t stop me from falling. But I realized that my P380 would go to waste if I’d just stay in one place. Ha! So despite knowing that the slightest movement could send me from crashing down, I let go of the railing and just tried to skate. If you could call that skating.
  3. It’s good to take risks. I am clumsiest person I know so I knew it would be a disaster when I stepped on the ice. Knowing that, I still took the plunge just for the heck of it. It would be such a waste if I never got the chance to try ice skating just because I’m scared. It’s like wasting a perfectly good opportunity just because I was afraid to fail and to get hurt. And this is something that I should remind myself everyday. At least I tried. In the greater scheme of things, knowing that you tried and did your best is a lot better than just settling on thinking that you can’t. Well, I learned that I really can’t skate but at least I got to prove it! Haha.
  4. With enough practice, you can do impossible things. Figure skaters are forces to reckon with. They are fearless people who can glide on the ice in great speed. Figure skating is an activity that only disciplined people can do. It takes a hefty amount of practice to do what they do. I’m pretty sure that I won’t be a figure skater in the near (or far) future, but I’m pretty sure that given enough time and practice, I’d learn how to skate. It looks impossible at first but I’m pretty sure that the amazing figure skaters on the ice that day started out like me, too. Scared and inexperienced. We all start from scratch, anyway.
  5. Strangers aren’t so bad. You grow up with a constant reminder that you shouldn’t talk to strangers. Then a situation takes place that you slipped in the ice and couples of strangers came up to you just to make sure you’re okay. They’ll offer a helping hand and most of the time, the only sensible thing to do is to trust them and reach out.
  6. Don’t think too much of what other people will say. Maybe it was in my 3rd fall or my 10th, I’m not sure. I soon realized that I should stop thinking that people were laughing at me everytime I fell. Thinking about it makes me too self-conscious and that’s not good when you’re learning something new. It’s not just in trying out new things. In everything you do, stop over-analyzing and just go for it. Don’t think too much of how people react if you do this or do that. Realize that you’re not the only one in the ice, you’re not the only one who slips and falls. You’re not the only one struggling. So it’s okay to fall and it’s perfectly okay if you’re not an A+ figure skater.

I learned so many things except how to properly skate. But it’s okay. I’m pretty sure I’ll be coming back to try it again, not anytime soon though. My left butt cheek could still feel the sting the moment it kisses the ground. And there are still some bruises on my left palm. Ice skating is a dangerous sport but I think a person like me makes it seem so lethal.

Meet Renz. He’s only 15 and already taller than me!

2 Comments · First Time

Day Five in Seoul (Part 2)

August 22, 2012

The last day in Seoul continues, as the the memories start to fade. No, not really. I was so sentimental that day that I tried to remember everything. Everything. Haha. It’s actually quite embarrassing that I’m still done blogging about my Korya trip. How busy could I be! I think a part of me is slowing it down. I guess writing about the last day means my Korean trip is officially over, I’m even done writing about it! I don’t know, I just want to keep going back to those five days. But alas, everything has to come to an end, so thus this Korya thing. I can’t keep dragging it on or else I’d really forget the details!

From the Gyeongbokgung Palaca, our next destination is just right across the street: Gwanghwamun Square!

I waited and waited and waited for the soldier to leave so I could take a stupid photo but he wouldn’t. Haha! You can still see the front gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace at the background.

Anyway, my sister and I had a pretty good reason why we wanted to go to the Square, the King Sejong statue is located at Gwanghwamun Square, and if you’re a true Kdrama buff, you’d know that City Hunter and Kim Nana’s first meeting took place at the fountain in the square! Okay, I’m exaggerating a bit because I only learned that during my research on places to visit with the filming sets in mind. Heh.

Like everywhere in Seoul that time, the place is just filled with all these pretty Spring flowers. The place was incredibly pretty mainly because of the fog hanging around in Seoul. It was the first clear day after two straight days of rain so it was still pretty foggy. But I loved the weather as I’ve said in the previous post. The place just looked so cold and gloomy and the atmosphere’s just amazing, okay.

It’s probably our lucky day, too, since we saw another celebrity! This time, it’s an actress and we know her! I’ve seen some of her works, and I may not be the biggest fan but it was still pretty exciting to see her in person! Wanna know who she is? I’ve seen her in Three Dads and One Momand Wonderful Life!

Here’s a photo:

HAHAHA. It was unintentional okay.  [Read more…]

5 Comments · Travel

Day Five in Seoul (Part 1)

August 12, 2012

It has been more than 3 months since I’d been to Korea and sad to say, but I miss it already. I think I started to miss the moment I boarded the plane. But try as I might, I couldn’t stop our last day in Seoul from coming.

We wanted to make the most out of our last day so we decided to have an early start. We didn’t exactly have an early during the previous days. Heh. So while my parents were packing up, my sister and I decided to visit Sungkyunkwan University and have a last look around the neighborhood. I don’t know why we had to wait for the last minute to do it!

It was a lovely neighborhood maybe because it’s thriving with students. There are shops that sell clothes and little cafes and humble restaurants specializing in local dishes. In case anyone’s interested in visiting the neighborhood and visiting Sungkyunkwan University (especially you Sungkyunkwan Scandal fans!), the nearest subway station is Hyewa! I’m not sure which bus you can take, though, since we didn’t take the bus. For an exact instructions on how to get there, you can just ask around. Haha!

[Read more…]

12 Comments · Photography, Travel

Tumblr Fair ’12

August 10, 2012

If you missed the Tumblr fair, I feel a bit sorry for you. Well, not really. But you definitely missed out a lot!

I wasn’t really planning to go since I had no idea where San Juan City is but I just really, really wanted to see so many bloggers. Jinky asked me why I know (they don’t know me, but you know what I mean!) so many Tumblr bloggers and I said that I’ve been a user since 2009. Let’s just say that I’ve been stalking quite a lot of Tumblr bloggers for the past 3-4 years. She then asked me why I still look normal (Jinky: Anong nangyari sa’yo?!) because pretty much everyone we saw in the fair are fashion experts or something. Well, I focused on KPOP, okay. Haha.

I digress.

Anyway, it was a rainy Saturday but that didn’t stop me from going. Jinky instructed me on how to get there since she actually lives near San Juan Gymnasium! It’s the farthest I’ve commuted alone excluding my Makati-Laguna friday adventures. Commuting alone still excites me especially when I’m going somewhere for the first time. Thankfully, I didn’t get lost because the lady who sat next to me on my Quiapo bus ride helped me ask the the bus conductor where Pinaglabanan is.

I was too happy not to get lost that I didn’t mind waiting for Jinky at all. Haha! From her condo, we walked to the gymnasium which happens to be a gymnasium of a local public school. If it weren’t for Jinky, I wouldn’t have found the place!

I was surprised to see that there weren’t that many people. I mean, it’s the first Tumblr fair and I’ve seen quite a lot of reblogs for the promotional poster. But then again, it was a Saturday, the place was out of the way, and it was raining! I almost didn’t go myself, but Jinky would probably hate me if I didn’t. Hehe.

I had a fun time people-watching. It’s quite overwhelming to see fashion bloggers in real life! I’d probably be awestruck to see the likes of Kryz Uy or Tricia Gosingtian! Bring the fangirl-ing on! Actually, there were 4 Tumblr bloggers that I wanted to see but I only saw 3 of them. Still, it was enough to make me all giddy! I wanted to approach them but I only ended up visiting their booth and looking around the place. Not even talking because I was too shy hahaha. I’m a sorry excuse for an “adult”. I can’t even talk to girls.

So many people were so well-dressed that I felt quite silly in my jeans and blouse. I didn’t know we were supposed to wear five-inch heels or combat boots when going to the fair. Haha. [Read more…]

10 Comments · Events, First Time


Hello, I'm Janey. I'm a fangirl, a bookworm, a dreamer and a wannabe writer. I'm a couch potato and a traveler rolled into one.
This is my lame attempt to be a travel blogger, but honestly, this is just an archive of my daily reality.


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