my 2013 update!

Hello everyone!

I really missed writing for my blog! T.T Please forgive me if it took forever to once again update my posts. I have been really busy in school. Med life is challenging and at the same time wondrous for me. I became so focused on studying because I would absolutely want to become a good doctor in the future.☺♥

Alright! So much for my introduction, this post will be about my 2013 (since it was the year I stopped blogging). WARNING: this will be a lengthy post but please try to bare with me until the end. Thanks!

 Since my last posts about the upcoming Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Bangkal, Makati, fund raising activities were known, I am pleased to inform you guys that the OLFC Concert was a BIG success! Thank you for everyone who came and cheered for us. All the proceeds were donated in a church in Iloilo, for the rehabilitation of their parish community from the super typhoon Yolanda.

Another good news came right after the concert week! The Our Lady of Fatima YOUTH CHOIR won the 1st ever chorale singing competition! :) I couldn't tell you how much the kids screamed and celebrated for their efforts during the preparation for this competition. They were soooo ecstatic!

The winning piece was "Munting Sanggol" :)

Christmas came! :) 

The Acostas, all wearing football jerseys! :) 

Karaoke night with the OLFYC! :)

The Legaspi's 2013 Reunion! :)

A, me, ate Verna, Julianne :)

New year! WELCOME 2014! :)

with the OLFC! :)

The next section would be random pictures from the rest of the year (2013) :) some may be from the early months of this year. 

medschool loves ☺♥

moments I'm not really proud of HAHAHA! 

Chenie and Juley! :)

wacky doctors to be! :)

with Rael and Jhona :)

with Larizze, yummmm!!!

 At Dad's with the Reyes Clan :)

There you have it! :) I'll save some for another entries! Thank you for reading! 

*shine!

OLFC Experience: Recording Studio

Hello everyone! 

I hope you guys are doing well and enjoying the semester break. :)

In celebration of the 44 long years of singing and serving the Lord, the Our Lady of Fatima Choir, aka OLFC or Fatima Parish Choir, will have a benefit concert entitled: Through the Years, this coming December 7 at the OLFP church. In preparation of the said concert we will also release an album of the songs very dear to the group. These songs will then be recorded as a legacy of the choir.

Luckily for me, a newbie, I was invited by one of the choir masters, Tito Tongie, to join the recording. Initially, I did not commit myself in attending the practices because I  already do have a lot on my plate as a medical student but I thank God because I was able to make up for the lost time by practicing on my own and listening to my fellow altos' recordings of the punched notes. I may be talking Greek here, hehe, but those of you who are choir member might understand the uttermost importance of the said punched notes. 

The first of the many more recording session happened this last Thursday, October 24 at the Scandic Palace Suite in Brgy. San Isidro, Makati City. My over all impression of the place was relaxing. I mean the pool side, where we stayed is just so cute and refreshing. :)

Here's the scene: the recording will be done per voice section since the recording studio is just enough to fit a group of 10. Altos goes first, then the Sops, Tenors and last but not the least, the mighty Basses.

When the time comes for the altos to record, I had butterfly flutters in my belly. I also had mixed feelings before, during and after the recording. I can't really explain it but I can really conclude based on my first hand experience and data gathered from my choir mates, RECORDING A SONG IS HARD. Kudos to those who are recording artists and SoundCloud people, you guys rock! Perfection-ly wise, I think is painstakingly hard. The first time is the hardest, based on my OWN opinion and experience but as we progress along the night, I think all of us gained confidence to deliver justice to the songs. :) 

here are some photos of the studio from my BFF, Marlon. 

the equipment. :)

this is the other room, for the solos I think.

the view from where we stand recording w/the lyrics of the songs

meet the EXCITED me. LOL haha

just posing for the cam! smile! :)

Another day well spent! As you've seen in my last post, I did another 1st again. This is my first time ever recording not just 1 but 3 songs in a recording studio! Isn't that awesome!!! YEAH! I am still really happy about it until now. I do have that "hangover" hehe. 

So, that's about it. I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I'll write to you soon!
*shine!

They are Our Dream Come True. :)

For together we stand, divided we fall
Together we climb to the top of the world
We can be what we want for the world to see
We are the children of yesterday's dream

October 15 is a very special date for 2 of my good friends, Ate JM and Kuya Bry. It's their second wedding anniversary plus their son, Joab's, 1st birthday. :) They have decided to spend that particular day by sharing all the wondrous blessings given by our Lord, Jesus, to the little orphan girls living at Ang Bahay ni Maria.

Joab-Bryan-Joanna

There we were, happily celebrating the love and compassion of the Jebulan-Lardizabal family with 55 precious little girls plus 1 young boy. The experience touched everyone who attended the event. We started with a prayer, then to break the ice Kuya Bry and Ate JM thoughtfully initiated one of my favorite games during our PYM team buildings, BAHAY, BAGYO, TAO! Oh boy, that game never fails! After playing, those kid's adrenaline shoot up and delightedly sung along with us with a song.

Every moment was heart felt especially when the children started to sing 2 action songs that tickled everyone's lacrimal gland. One song was about Mama Mary and the next was Children of Yesterday's Dream.When they sung the 1st song, there was a line there that made an impact on my heart.

"Our mother's name is Mary!"

These five words. These simple five words that even a four year old could understand meant a lot to them. It seemed that they are telling us that, our Mother, Mary, is caring, loving, and praying for us always. I was on the brink of letting my tears fall but alas! Control came over when I saw them smiling back at me. :)

here are some photos from that day with the kids grabbed from Ate JM's facebook :)

One of my favorite shots of that day. :)

A Million Roses for Peace

"look up, tayo!" -the girls

It was a day to remember. :) I just want to thank the Jebulan-Lardizabal gang for letting me and A experience this kind of deed. This event brought more depth in my view of sharing and caring for our country's future. Meeting these young princesses, hearing their laughs, and receiving their warm embraces made me want to strive harder as a medical student. Definitely in the years to come, they'll be a source of inspiration and hope to other young girls and boys.

What a very momentous way to kick-start my month-long semester break! :) I hope you guys liked this post!
For more details in the planning of this event, follow Ate JM's blog here. :)
Write to you again soon!
Remember to SHINE! :)

OOTD: transitions.☺

happy 6th month of the year to you my dear readers!☺ we are already halfway done for 2013! yey! good job guys! now only 6 months to go!

so this blog is about how i wore my summer pieces and create a "rainy day" look for the La Niña seasons. (too bad the Philippines has only 2 seasons. *sigh)

A and i supposed to have a lunch date at Ma Maison before he left for Boracay. however later on that day the sun was shaded by dark, sinister rain clouds. it poured soon afterwards. so i came up with an idea to use my F21 black boots i bought 2 years ago and only worn 4 times. i just thought that using these on a rainy day is appropriate and stylish. :))

i paired up these boots with a light linen tunic from Petit Monde. :)

the look wouldn't be complete without my ultra black tights, black watch from Guess, and to add a pop of color i grabbed my  red M&M's bag from American Boulevard.

there you have it! a simple look with just 5 pieces. :) 

write to you guys soon!

*shine!

PUERTO GALERA ESCAPADE: Planned it. Did it.

good day everyone! :)

how are you doing? sorry for being absent from my blog for a long time. i just came home from a recent trip away from the busy, fast-paced life here in the urban. :) sometimes it really just amazing when you get an enormous amount of blessing from our Lord! He let me and my church friends to travel 130 kilometers south of Manila to this isle of White Beach, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. 

this is my first time traveling for a real VACATION. :) so i'm just really super excited! haha! it took us months to plan for this summer's fun out and i must say it was worth it! 

Puerto Galera is dubbed as the "poor-man's Boracay" mainly because of the similar white sand on its coast. there are so many things to love about this place! 

1. Budget-friendly- based on experience, traveling here with a group makes everything survivable. for more or less than 3 thousand pesos, you can stay and try all of the activities for 3 days and 2 nights.
2. People- i love meeting new friends anywhere because i'd like to hear their stories and life experiences. one of the things i noticed about Galera is the friendly people. they are honest and hard-working. in our 3-day stay there no one tried to con us or take advantage of us. they earn their living true and clear.
3. Food- okay, where do i start??? hahaha! i just love the perfection of their grilled pork, squid, chicken, kebabs. plus the rice is screaming, "EAT ME! EAT ME!" delicious! the prices are not at all bad. food budget for each meal ranges from 99-200 pesos at most. :)
4. Environment- its every Biologists' dream to be surrounded by diverse wildlife, well, Puerto's got snorkeling and hiking! perfect for searching crawlers, fish and corals. ♥.♥ the beach is also kept clean and preserved. :)
5. Activities- everything that they offer is for 200 pesos each person. just to mention a few:

• SNORKELING and ISLAND HOPPING
• HAIR BRAIDS
• MASSAGE
• TAMARAW FALLS TOUR

okay so now i'll stop blabbing and show you guys the photos from the trip. 

ENJOY!☺

@ Batangas Port 1. we got the round trip ferry ticket for 500pesos.

boarding the bangka. :)

inside the bangka. :)

Ate Joy & Kristel, Ate Sarah & Ate Jhing :)

Marlon, Angeli, Jek, A & me

we arrived after an hour on the bangka. :)

this is the Lagundian, our home for the 3 days we've spent in Galera. it is located on top of a mountain. you have to climb the stairs to get there. every step that you take is really worth it because once you've reach the top, the view is breath-taking. :) in terms of privacy and security, this place is a guarantee!

our rooms. :) spacious and equipped with a television in one and a fridge in the other. :) each has its own bathroom, air conditioner, cabinets, and a pantry.

the view from Lagundian. :) 

White Beach. :)

FUN ACTIVITIES! :)

• watch bold and talented fire dancers on the beach font!
• try their MANGO and STRAWBERRY scramble! :) this is so delicious! i could taste real fruits being used and not just flavoring
• visit TAMARAW FALLS. this is a must! for 200 pesos each person  you'll get to have an adventure  that you'll never forget. 
• ISLAND HOPPING- we went to 2 islands. :)
• FOOD TRIPS. :)
• SHOPPING for souvenirs.
• SNORKELING!
• let's not forget to try the famous drink, MINDORO SLING.

those 3 days were really blessed with friendship, fun and most of all love.♥ i would like to come back there and try the other activities like riding the banana boat, para-sailing, trying out the extreme sports (riding motor bikes), and of course hiking! having a henna tatoo can also be on the list. haha. so much activity so little time. 

thank you for reading! i do hope that you guys could visit Puerto Galera, you won't regret it!

the next post will surely be more photo heavy! be ready! 

*shine!

spark it up!☼♥☺

hello everyone!

lately, i have friends who are affirming my blog and my posts. :) as the creator/author of Kimpoy's Notes i felt really blessed that my entries were a source of joy and inspiration to them to make blogs of their own! not only that writing is a way of expressing yourself but its also a way (for me) to touch their lives.

but there's this inevitable question of "HOW DID YOU START BLOGGING?" i am not a popular blogger here in the Philippines nor an expert journalist, all i can share with you guys are the things i did when i started blogging.

Multiply was the first site where i encounter the word "blog". i am clueless about what's supposed to go in that particular tab since i was internet illiterate until the end of my fourth year in high school. so what did i do? ANALYZE. i defined the term first then started searching for blogs online. there i found that blogging is like an online journal where any thoughts, emotions can be published for the public eye to read, even criticize, and of course solicit subjective information about a certain topic of interest.

i was never a stranger in writing. :) i have been member of journalism classes since i was in elementary until after i finished college. it just came to me naturally and brought me awards and recognition. these honors and experiences made me think that i could write a blog of my own. 

MY TIPS:

1. before anything else...i thought about the things i'm passionate enough to write about. well for me...its my PERSONAL LIFE and every thing in in are the things i love! 

-my love for clothes, shopping and UKAY.

-food i eat, restos where we've eaten.

-places i visit.

-people that i love.

just every thing that makes my life really really vibrant! yours can be short stories, poems, or news! it can be your photoshop projects or an online portfolio. or business advertisements! possibilities are endless!

2. next things that i considered were the AUDIENCE. who are the people who's interested in visiting my site? what age group do they belong? are they mostly male or female? so writing would be focused on OUR SAME interests and wouldn't be patches of this and that. this i find helpful in searching for certain topics like DIYs, fashion, food, travel, reviews, and of course personals.

and of course the MEDIUM/LANGUAGE of choice. using English would probably be more acceptable than my native Tagalog for me to connect with international readers. if ever i used a Filipino term it will be italicized and translated into english. 

3. after those 3 were settled i opt to find which BLOGGING SITES would be best to host my blog. you could chose from a variety of blog hosts. i just happen to use Blogger which is really easy to use and maintain but you could try Wordpress or Tumblr.

you could even search for reviews in which of those top sites are better to use. those reviews will give you pointers in which one to chose and some would even break down each and every detail for your convenience! well that's helpful and informative! 

4. let's say you've chosen a blog host then its time to CREATE the account/blog! :) of course after you've chosen what is/are the things you love to write and share about. 

for example. like mine. my title pertains to my love of NOTE TAKING. and this is MY own blog so i used my nickname. tadah! kimpoy's notes was created. hmmm...not really dramatic right? i never really put hard effort in my blog's title. but it is what it is, its ME. :)

5. START BLOGGING!☺ my advise in the first entry is to introduce yourself and what your blog is about in order for people to know what to expect from you.

another one is to "THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK." 

remember that a blog is made for the public to see. and when i mean public i mean a whole world of a billion people who can read and perceive "what kind of a person you are" just by reading your blog entries. they might not know you personally but they can scrutinize and assume that you're this kind of person based on the topics you write about or your moods and tone implied on the write up. 

its real difficult to explain that last point but i know you guys get me. :) don't get me wrong people! i'm not saying that you should pretend to be someone else by blogging, i'm just encouraging inspirational and interesting topics that will bring entertainment and happiness to the person reading it and not the opposite.

i hope these tips that i shared based on my experiences could help anyone who would want to start a blog in the near future.☺ and please ask me more questions if you want, i'll make sure to answer them in a post or message.

goodnight everyone!

*shine!