Things I Love Thursday is a movement started by Gala Darling, where her readers try to look for things they love and post about them every Thursday. It’s been a while since I’ve done a TILT, but I think that it’s a good time for me to sort of shift my focus on to nice things, as opposed to keeping my mind on things that I want to beat with my fist.

Comfortable clothes!

I’m not a particularly fashion-y person, so I don’t even know why you’d listen to me when it comes to good clothes, but what I do know is comfort and lately, I’ve been wanting to live in these chambray shorts from Cotton On. This awesome tie-dyed shirt is from my friend Jamie‘s clothing line called Willow and Jack. (Link to the shirt.) I’ve only worn this out once because I spilled Moroccan Mint Tea Latte on it and it stained~ but I’ve been wanting to go ahead and wear it anyway, in spite of, since I pretty much want to live in this shirt.

The latest issue of Frankie!

I forget where I even heard of Frankie, but I’d been in a love affair ever since. I only have four issues (cries) but they are absolutely in my Top 3 Favorite Magazines (if there was ever such a list). This one, Tippy brought from Australia, since she’s visiting Manila for a bit. I’ve leafed through it and I’m super excited to read every single word of it. Frankie is great because it has a very specific voice (that appeals to me), and a specific aesthetic (that also appeals to me), and it’s generally very interesting (e.g. In this issue, there is a feature on bearded competitors, unconventional families, an Aboriginal single mother, and so on).

WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is an app that allows smartphone users to message each other. At least, that’s what I was told. Zoe told me to get it when I first got my iPhone, and it’s been the main way I’ve been interacting with her. Since she lives in Hong Kong, one might imagine how easy it is to be out of touch, but I find that my days are filled with tiny conversations with her. While we have been having meaningful conversations, we also talk about a lot of other stuff. Here, we are talking about her asparagus soup! Because I want to know how to make it. Because I miss it.

ALSO: My iPhone in general. I love it so much, it is unreal.

Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a very, very good book. I’m not finished with it, so I guess my full review will just follow. But it’s a damn good book. Lives up to the hype, etc. etc.

Other Notable Things:

• The Internet.
• The Social Network and other affiliated parties and individuals.
• Google Reader.
• My books! I did not anticipate the number of you who would actually like that post. Might be my most commented on entry that is not a contest post. Would you imagine that? Hope for the future!
• Future Plans. No matter how shaky and tentative they are. I like projects. I think I just need a little bit a push and some follow-through a lot of the time, really.
• Almond Snickers.
• Australia Day! Photos to follow.
• Work (today) was good. Surprisingly!

So, I’m trying to relax and focus on good things. It worked pretty well today, considering the first half of my day was not the best way to start it. I’ve been keeping myself busy, too. I think a lot of the time, I pause too long and those pauses grow into terrible stretches of time where I can’t seem to muster enough energy to soldier on, or to care at all. An appropriate quote posted on my Tumblr dashboard today:

“‘The best thing for being sad,’ replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, ‘is to learn something. That’s the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.’” — T.H. White

I think this is a good plan.

Ministry Work (and Wood Textures)

I don’t get to do a lot of ministry work anymore, so when someone contacted me to design something for CCF, I got excited. After a bit of bumps, I was able to layout a few pages and I made a cover for the materials. This isn’t the final design, though, but I’m posting it because I’m kinda liking the pretty lightbulb (c/o Jeanine Garcia!) with that wood texture.

 
Television: Watching and Writing About It
Currently spazzing over LOST and a few comedies (e.g. Community, Modern Family, Parks & Recreation). Also getting into animated series (e.g. Ugly Americans, Archer) and this HBO series called How To Make It In America. I know, I’m a little bit crazy but I really can’t say ‘no’ to good T.V.! Sometimes, I can’t even say it to bad T.V. but that’s beside the point.

However, I still do love my old favorites, so I wrote a piece on New Slang about Jordan Catalano and Brian Krakow. Please read it, if you please!

 
Blue Roast
To be honest, the whole thing kind of felt a little exclusive (as in… excluding a lot of us, LOL. Just kidding. But I felt a little alienated is all, I guess), but I was with great people, and there was great music, and there were great films. So more or less, I had an O.K. time. :)

Making a Blue Roast video… Or trying to. Stay tuned for it!

 
Sribbler Too!

I already posted one over here, but it’s so fun to use to write or draw with. Try it!

 
Gifts!
My friend Carla found this little gem and gave it to me. I was super happy because I’ve never seen a license plate with my name on it (I usually end up getting ‘Samantha,’ which is my second name). So, thanks, Carla! I really love it so much, I could cry.

Recent posts to Nothing Spaces will probably lead you to believe that all I care about is television. This is not entirely true. Last Tuesday, I went to the beach with a couple of friends and strangers to shoot a video for Ateneo’s graduating batch, aka ours. So here’s a Things I Love Thursday, concerning the beach and pretty cool people and things in between.

Convenience stores & gas stations.

Sunrises.

Sunsets.

Talented friends. (Hi, Jan!)

Gorgeous views.

Soy milk.

Pretty jewelry.

Happy people.

Funny car rides.

Wading.

Throwing rocks and fistfuls of sand into the ocean.

Ripples.

Good music.

Good literature.

The ocean.

I have some more photos here & here, although the video that Jan & Co. shot will be shown during the Blue Roast program. This excites me, as I haven’t seen it yet.

To close, here’s a video of the day, set to another Thing I Love, a song called “The Next Time Around” by Little Joy.

click the photo to view larger.

I haven’t done this in a while. And technically, it is already Friday, but who cares. (!)

(1) Free things.
(2) Finding things that are lost; friends who help you out.
(3) Breakfast with my sister.
(4) Breakfast in general.
(5) My television class. We are watching Doctor Who, series one right now.¹
(6) Angry kitties.

Also, other things that I love, although not photographed: productivity, kind & good people who are kind & good to me even if I am pretty much unworthy, television in general, learning new things, world history, art history, people on the internet (minus pervs and creepers) and references to popular culture, preferably in the course of normal dialogue.

———
¹ I love my professor. He watches the series with his one-year-old baby and he says that every time the TARDIS noise plays, the baby turns to the television screen. So frakking cute. My professor said, “I think he is growing up to be a fine young man.” True story.

I know it’s not Thursday yet, but I’m an impatient mofo. So here’s the past week’s notable notables (Gala Darling style). And yes, complete with photographs!

Vietnamese Food

Fried noodles!

… especially when you have it with your mommy

… after shopping for cheap clothes.

Having coffee by myself while waiting for fabulous people.

By ‘fabulous people,’ I mean my BFF, Isa!

This is her posing with a pirate!

FROZEN YOGURT.

Observe my glee at green tea flavored yogurt.

Trike rides by my lonesome

Except, I’m totally sitting beside Che Guevarra.

LUSH’s Sonic Death Monkey

One of the best smells ~*ever*~ I’ve been jonesing for a bottle of this since forever and my parents were nice enough to get me some while they were out tonight. I am beside myself with glee.