Welcome to 2014!

Hoorah to the new year! I was going to post at midnight, but you guys might know of the multiple social networks one can have and such..



I've had an amazing 2013 even though there were such downs and ups, but that's usual, and I hope 2014 will be SO MUCH BETTER.




To recount what I've had in 2013 I made a video for you guys on my channel..



Just click right there ;D

But that doesn't even have everything that I've encountered! to list all..



* Passed my nursing major classes in freshman year and sophomore 1st sem

* Getting accepted to clinicals level

* Going home and visiting friends and family and having a lot of fun there

* Going to different places in the Philippines whether by commuting or school trips

* Making some of the best friends one can find this world

* Becoming closer to my family members that I just met or haven't talked to in a long time

* Surviving one year in the Philippines

* Experiencing real work in clinicals

* Having youtubers that I admire watch my videos (only once it happened lol) I LOVE YOU annaleeandjesse!

* And just plain growing up and becoming more wiser and more responsible as I should be



I am so grateful of the life I get to live although sometimes I can be quite ungrateful of the trials they give me, but I know now that I can't be someone great until I know how it is to work for what I really want, and I know I have a long way to go in the journey of life, until I am actually happy and content of where and I am and proud of the journey that I've endured to get to my high points.



With that, I would LOVE to tell you guys how I spent the New Years/Christmas season!

I actually FORGOT to film my Christmas celebrations.. (because I'm just that forgetful) but basically when Christmas break started, a bunch of my friends and I went to MOA (Mall of Asia in Manila) and did some bowling and shopping and a lot of eating, which was nice because I was really looking forward to that day, and as I am writing this down in 2014, I'm really sad, because I miss that day so much :( I learned that I am not the best bowler, but did much better from November where I bowled a straight 8 turn of nothing (embarrassing.) the last time I went to MOA. I ate in a AWESOME conveyer belt sushi bar, and finally got to shop in ZARA and F21 (Probs do a New Year haul video at one point?) Sorry if I didn't get enough photos because I was using my friend's DSLR and she never uploaded the photos.

Some of the homies @ conveyer belt sushi bar I ate 7 plates = 14 sushi pieces :D

The next few days were just straight either chilling at my aunt's house, going to malls, going to starbucks and getting planner stickers, hanging out with friends, playing animal crossing, or watching movies, tv shows, and youtube videos which I did ALOT.

List of moviesD

* One Direction, This is Us : AMAZING.

* Boys before Flowers

* City Hunter

* Forest Gump

* Drumline



I finally got to go to ATC (Alabang Town Center) and Festival mall which are right next to each other in Alabang, and it felt like I was in America when I went to ATC. I so wish I spent more time there since I found American Eagle Outfitters right when we were about to leave, but I was with my brother and two of our other guy friends, and ladies know guys when they're annoyed of girls shopping.. Maybe this year I'll go again and hopefully get to shop ALONE or with girls that WANT to go shopping as much as I do ;D As far as Festival mall goes, it's basically like a normal SM mall except with a mini amusement park. I still prefer ATC for it's cleanliness, lack of too big crowds, and structure in terms of everything being organized.

Festival Mall

Inside Festival Mall

Can't get anymore Asian than me

Go-Karts @ Festival



The "Amusement park" @ Festival; SO CROWDED.

I don't think you guys know how excited I was to see this.

ATC: "Welcome to California"

Too dark. Good thing too since I couldn't exactly make the same face..

You best believe I got some! First time inside the store too!

12 dozen for us!

They're the PERFECT combination :)

Where we had lunch!

America?

So surprised they had it here!



Surprised they had this here too! (Excuse my finger..)

Yeah, it's HUGE.

Only girl status in this outing. And the youngest too :/

I really love Christmas decorations and the holiday season in general :D

Handmade candy by melting inside a Flask!

Finished it the next day ;)

The time I spent in my aunt's house was really nice since I was away from my university for a while and not having to worry about using all of my gate passes and such. I spent Christmas with her family and also my other cousins in which we had some fun games and basically a really good time!



Christmas games with the cousins



I also got to celebrate Christmas day a little bit different and go to a water park called "Splash Island", and it's a mini version of Hurricane Harbor in Texas. It was nice in the morning because there were less people there, but by the afternoon, there was A LOT of people there. I'm actually surprised people would go to this kind of place for Christmas since usually Christmas day is spent with family and there's potlucks that last the entire day and such, but I guess the tradition is different here. The only thing I didn't like about this waterpark was the fact that all of the rides and activities have scheduled times you're allowed to go into compared to other water parks that let you go on all the rides all day long until closing time. For example, one ride was only available I think for 30-45 minutes which is not the smartest idea since people would flock to that ride, and waste their time waiting and not being able to go on. Otherwise, it was a nice day with a lot of swimming, climbing stairs for tube and mat rides, lazy rivers, stacking tubes, jumping waves, and zip-lining. (Got to end the day positively right?) Sorry I didn't take photos! too busy swimming of course ;)



With my brother, my cousins, and their girlfriends

The wave pool where you can go kayaking as well LOL

I also got to stay in the Shangri-la hotel in Makati and OH MY TABLE FLIPPING GOODNESS GUYS, it is the most AMAZING place in the world. It's a five star hotel that just blows my mind away with amazing brunch buffets, a complete gym that actually got me to work out because it was so amazing, hot tub, sauna, hot showers, and steam room in the gym hotel. I just can't express to you my happiness in that place. If I could stay there again, I SO WOULD.. but it's so expensive.. I really felt poor when I went there since a lot of the people who I observed staying there were super rice people.. It was my first time in a five star hotel so you can just imagine how I felt in that environment. Nevertheless, Makati is a amazing place if you want to get out of the Manila traffic and such. My brother and I walked around Dec 31 at night to see if anything was open but sadly, everything seemed to close down at 6pm except starbucks which closed around 10pm. GUYS, even the starbucks was amazing there too.. it felt like a cool environment for college students who just want to chill out. I can't say everything since I made a vlog about it so I'll just post it here for you guys to see!

BRUNCH BUFFET SON

I finished plate 1 and almost plate 2.

They had a 4K Pesos party for NYE

The main lobby/mini cafe after NYE

17:27 minutes for a 5K bike ride = noodle legs



Not a lot of people for the 1st day of 2014



5-Star hotel pool status

Makati Starbucks = ultimate college student hangout



Ayala tree light show

Hipster photo wannabe

One of the numerous jump photo fails

Blurry yet successful jumping photo xD

Eating on a banana leaf! that curry though!

View from the hotel roomnight time @ Shangri-la Makati

View @ day time



Beautiful decorations!

-right here when I get to finishing and starting editing it..

Anyways! I hope the new year is inspiring us all to have new resolutions to actually fulfill, and I know I have a list of my own in which I hope to accomplish..



* Lose weight and maintain that desired weight: because I complain too much of it

* Study: because I'm so weak in Anatomy and general nursing knowledge I should know since I'll be a junior this year

* Become more lady-like :because I feel like I was a teenage boy in my past life

* Be more cultured: because I like things that teenage girls like and I shouldn't since I'm a bit older..

* To not be so rash and negative: because I can be

* Be more confident: because I can't be at times and that's usually my case in getting in trouble for that during clinicals

* Read books: which goes in the same direction of being a cultured person



I know that's A WHOLE LOT of things on my list, but I intend to become a better person which I'm sure a lot of people have on their resolution lists. We just all need to become optimistic in accomplishing these things, and to not waver because if we do, we all know that we'll complain about it later down the road. So instead of complaining later, we can celebrate our efforts and accomplishments!



To cut things short, I hope you guys have a prosperous 2014! and I'll talk to you again soon!



-Abigail
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