Quick Update

Hello everybody! Today, I just wanted to give a quick update about what's been happening in my life lately. 

I haven't posted anything in the past two weeks because of school work. The week after my last post was the week of my exams and that meant hours of studying and memorizing formula, terminologies, and theories. I also had a Physics project due on that same week, which meant more work for me to do. All went well though and praise God for that!

After exam week, the school finally began doing full run-throughs of our musicale "Home Again", which is an adaptation of "The Wiz". It's been months since I was last in a play and two years since I was in a musicale, so doing this production was very refreshing. Even though the rehearsals were long and exhausting, I am very proud of the production and everyone who worked on it. It was only through God's grace that we were able to pull off the production and I praise God for it.

It was also my birthday this past month! I turned sixteen and I was very ecstatic about it. I even did a countdown on my twitter! I didn't get a lot of material things as gifts which I am actually fine with it because my friends and family sent me heart-warming messages instead, and that to me is much more valuable than material things. I do not feel different though, but I've only been sixteen for a few days so let's just see.

The thing I'm most excited to talk about the most is actually me working out! This is not for me to show off but for me to share my progress. I have been struggling with my eating habits for a long time now, and ever since I started working out regularly, my eating habits have also gotten better. Praise God for that!

On top of that, I'm planning to do the 90 Day Challenge. The goal of the challenge is that by the end of the ninety days, you are a completely changed person because of working out regularly, eating healthily, and being positive and active. It's an ambitious challenge but there's no harm in trying it! Okay, there might be harm in trying because of all the physical activity involved, but you know what I mean.

That's all that I can really say for now. I will try my best to post regularly, but that is it for now! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoy writing. I will back with another post soon.

Until Next Time!

~Luis~

P.S.

Since it is the end of the month, my usual blog post would be a monthly favourites. I will still be posting my October Favourites, and I plan to have it up by next week! Stay tuned :)

Previous Post: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2015/10/15-facts-about-me.html

15 Facts About Me

Hello! Today, I thought that I'd share a few things about me. I share a lot of my thoughts and experiences here on my blog, but there are still a couple of things that you guys might not known about me. Without further ado, here are fifteen facts about me.

1) I stuck 17 marshmallows inside my mouth for a Chubby Bunny Challenge. It was worth it.

2) I have Lepidopterophobia. That means I have a fear of butterflies.

3) I love to collect mugs! I have about 8 or 9 mugs in my house but my absolute favourite is the mug that says: You Have The Same Amount Of Hours As Beyoncé. It was a gift from a close friend. 

4) I have mild lactose intolerance. I can't eat too much of milk, ice cream, or anything with a lot of dairy or else my stomach will turn.

5) I love coffee. I am basically 65% coffee already.

6) My first stage play was Peter Pan, and I played the role of Captain Hook. I was six so I didn't really know what it meant to be Captain Hook.

7) I do not enjoy roller coasters. They make me anxious.

8) I have a trophy from Universal Studios that says "Best Me". It's a daily reminder that I have to be the best possible me each day for Him.

9) Wicked is my favourite musical. Play a track from the Original Broadway Cast Recording and I will gladly sing along.

10) I am a pancake person. Not only do I love to eat pancakes, but I also love to make pancakes. 

11) I have bad eating habits. It's either I eat a lot or I don't eat at all. That's why I'm acidic and heavier than most people.

12) I have been blogging for almost a year now. It's been really fun and I have no plans to stop. I've only just begun to tell my stories!

13) I get anxious quite often, but the sound of rain and words of affirmation calm me down.

14) I love to laugh. I love making people laugh. I love laughing because other people are making me laugh. I love puns. They're puntastic. 

15) I was lost, but now am found in Him who loves me so much.

Those are fifteen facts about me. I hope you enjoyed reading it and I hope you learned something new about me. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it. I appreciate it very much!

Until Next Time
~Luis~

Previous Post: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2015/10/september-favourites.html

September Favourites

It is finally the month of October and I am very much excited for this month! This month will mark the beginning of the second half of my final year in high school. I am so close to finishing the year that it is actually overwhelming to think about. October also holds one very important day - my birth.

As per usual, a new month means a new favourites post! That is why today, I will be talking about a few things that I loved from the month of September.

~ Disclaimer: I am not paid to advertise any of the things that I mention below. I also am not affiliated with any of the companies that I mention below. ~

"Drunk In Love" by Beyoncé + Ed Sheeran
This collaboration was done as part of Beyoncé's setlist when she performed at the Global Citizen Festival. The acoustic take on the song with Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran's vocals is really amazing. I always amazing when I describe my favourites, but I really cannot think of any other word to describe this collaboration. Also, their blending is on point.

"Where Are Ü Now" by Pentatonix
Pentatonix has been really releasing songs from their latest album, Pentatonix, which comes out on October 16th (another reason why I'm excited for October). One of the songs that they've released in order to promote the album is a cover of Jack U and Justin Bieber's song "Where Are Ü Now". The arrangement has "La La Latch" feels, which I am perfectly fine with. Listening to it with headphones is definitely the way to go.

Heneral Luna
I don't think I have ever been more proud of a Filipino movie before watching Heneral Luna. The movie revolves around the life of General Antonio Luna, the greatest military strategist of the Philippines, during the time of the American occupation. Not only does the movie show the struggle of the Filipinos against the Americans during the American occupation, Heneral Luna also shows the struggle that the Filipinos had with their fellow countrymen. Although set way back in the 1900s, the movie reflects the current situation of the Philippines. There's a problem and instead of working together to address it, we're divided by our own personal agendas.

Aside from that, the technical aspect of the movie is something worth praising. The cinematography, the make-up and design, and score were really good. While it isn't at par with all those other great Hollywood films, Jerrold Tarog, director, writer and composer for the film, has definitely taken a huge step in Filipino cinema. He showed that Filipinos can achieve the same quality of films as internationally acclaimed films. It's definitely a must watch!

Entrance Exam Buster Kit
This past month, I took two college entrance exams. One at the Ateneo de Manila University and another at the University of Santo Tomas. My entrance exam buster kit has been extremely useful because it definitely made taking the test easier. Here's the list of what I had in my bag:

3 Mongol #2 Pencils (That's the standard pencil type for entrance exams)

Eraser

Sharpener with a case (the one that catches the shavings)

Notebook/Book to place my test permit in

Umbrella and Jacket

Snacks

Those are the items in my bag that made entrance exams easier to conquer. I might a detailed post about it soon, but for now that's all I have to say. If you're going to take an entrance exams at colleges, considering bringing these items with you!

My Bed
Numerous academic requirements and college entrance exams were the main "highlight" of September, and it has been extremely exhausting trying to survive this past month. Coming home to multiple requirements has been difficult to cope with, but this past month, my bed has helped with that coping process. After a long and stressful day at school, there is nothing more relieving than lying down on a very comfortable bed. My bed has been very supportive (pun very much intended) and that's why it's part of my favourites for September.


Those are all my favourites from the month of September! The links to some of them will be below so that you can check them out for yourself too. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I appreciate it very much! I hope you enjoyed reading this and I will back with another post soon!

Until Next Time!
~Luis~


Links:
Drunk In Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u38mh1VlhAY
Where Are Ü Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMrh3wYb1mM
Heneral Luna Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_T1ykhy3Fg

Previous Post: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2015/09/things-people-need-two.html
Other Favourites: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/search/label/Favourites

Things People Need Two

Hello everyone! After three months of being on hiatus, I am finally returning to blogging! While I have been able to write a couple things from time to time, they have mostly been academic papers and book reports. I have so much planned for this blog, and I am so happy that I can finally start on some of my plans. While I was on my hiatus, I have learned and discovered a lot of things, and I am very much excited to share these all to you!

Today, I will be doing something that I have actually already done before. As you have probably read on the title, I am doing a "Things People Need" post again. I wrote the first one last April and it is honestly one of my favourite posts. Since then, I have found more things to add onto the list of things that people need.

Much like the first post, this post will be answering the question: what do people need? Instead of answering that question with the usual answers such as clothes or food, I will be answering the question with sentences. It's difficult to explain the concept, so I'll just show you!

1) People Need To Understand That Things Change.

Oftentimes, we go through life with a clear idea of what we want to happen. We have everything planned out, and just thinking about life not going according to your plan scares you. When life does not go according to your plan, you get frustrated and angry at everything and anything. It's important that people understand that things change. Your close friend now might not be your close friend anymore. Your plans to migrate to another country might not be your plan anymore in two years time. Your job right now might not be your job in a few months time. Things change, and understanding that prepares us for those changes.

Now, it's also important to note that God does not change. He is constant throughout time. His Word is just as true today as it was yesterday. Through all these changes, He remains the same. God brings changes in our lives and also allows changes to come into our life for several reasons. Some of these reasons are: to refine us, to protect us from danger, and to bless us. All of these reasons come together for the sole purpose of glorifying God. We may not see the good in the change that happens to us, but God is working in our lives and we should remember that He is faithful and merciful.

2) People Need To Learn To Value What They Have.

It is a sad truth that we only find the true value of things once they have already changed or gone. Yes, we can say that we know the value of something right now, but once that something goes away, is that not when we truly discover what that something meant to us? It is important that people learn to value what they have right now. Learning to value what we have right now allows for us to appreciate what God has so graciously given to us. Value the friendships that you have. Value the education that you have. Value the time that you have. Don't wait for these things to go away before you value them.

3) People Need To Be More Careful With Their Jokes.
It concerns me a lot how people can easily make jokes that relates to suicide, mental health, eating disorders, skin colour, and gender. No matter how many times you say that it is just a joke, that will not compare to the amount of hurt that you have caused to a person. Growing up, you might have thought that it was alright to call someone out for having a different skin colour or being fat. Well, I am telling you right now that it is not. I am not exempted from this. I have made hurtful jokes before and I have seen the effects of what I have done. Don't wait until someone gets hurt before you start being conscious of what you say.

4) People Need To Rest.
Not a lot of people get to rest anymore for several reasons. Work. School. Responsibilities. Chores. Whatever the reason may be, people lack rest. While it's important to fulfil our duties, it's also important to rest properly. I am not saying that we should give up our responsibilities because we need to rest. No. All I am saying is that we should not let go of something good just because we want to work on something else that is good. There should be a balance between rest and work. Putting one over the other will not benefit you in any way. Your body needs time to recover from the day's work. You deserve to rest, so rest!


Those are the four things that I thought needed to be added to the list of "Things People Need". I hope that I was able to enlighten you on a few things. I know that these do not necessarily apply to all of you, but I hope that you still took time to reflect and reevaluate yourselves. Writing this was also a time of reflection, and I hope that reading this was also a time of reflection for yourself.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my lengthy post. I appreciate it very much! I hope you enjoyed reading my post as much as I enjoy writing. Links to my previous posts will be below. Feel free to check them out!

Until Next Time!
~Luis~

Previous Post: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2015/06/hiatus-again.html
Things People Need: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2015/04/things-people-need.html

Hiatus Again?

Okay. I haven't really been posting regularly for the past few weeks and it's because I've been extremely busy.

For the whole month of May, I had review classes going so my mind was jammed with a lot of academic information which didn't help the flow of my creative juices. I was also busy preparing for my school's first week of classes. It's called Orientation Week and it's basically a lot of games that test your physical capabilities, emotional capacity and spiritual strength. Aside from that making my body sore, I had to prepare for this past week, which was the first week of learning. That meant adjusting to the new schedule, new set of teachers, and new set of classmates. Aside from that, learning new lessons while recalling old ones was a bit difficult too.

I'm extremely blessed to have teachers who are understanding of the gravity of being a senior student, but the stress is just extremely overwhelming. Aside from the load of responsibilities that senior students get, we also have college entrance exams coming up. That entails a lot of preparation in both the academic and spiritual aspect.

College is an extremely faith-stretching topic. Just thinking about it makes me anxious. It might be the uncertainty that comes when deciding on what course to take up. It might also be the fact that whatever you take up in college will have a huge impact on your life later on.

With that in mind, I need to take time to reevaluate myself and talk to my God about everything that has been going on and will go on in my life. That means that I have to take a break from writing on my free time here on my blog. This is just temporary. I will get back to writing as soon as all these are done. I will try to write from time to time just to give an update on what's happening but don't expect something every single week. I will definitely miss writing for my blog but I need to prioritise what's ahead of me.

I hope you enjoyed reading it even if it was a bit lengthy. While I'm on hiatus, you can check out my other posts! I will put the links to some of them down below. That is all I have for you guys today!

Until Next Time!
~Luis~

Previous Post: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2015/06/bucket-list.html
Links to other post:
http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/p/monthly-favourites.html
http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/p/the-creative-project.html
http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/p/favourite-posts.html