Showing posts with label nostalgia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nostalgia. Show all posts

Nostalgia: Yearbook Launch

Monday, November 19, 2012

So  last November 16 was my High School Class/Batch's Yearbook launch after three long years of waiting.


I don't think I have the right to say whether or not the yearbook itself was worth the wait, but what made the yearbook launch truly a success and by all means worth the wait was the company that came with it.

Truly, only 2010 can do 2010.


Ah, so many familiar faces. I think everyone's grown over the past few years and exchanging experiences is always one of the things I sincerely enjoy after long periods of separation.


Yeah, this is what I look like on a normal lab-centric day. All study mode with chipped nails, a simple side pony and a college of science-themed t-shirt (not seen). I only really get a chance to dress up on days when I'm not required to work in the lab, thus my OOTD posts are scarce and spread out lol. And people wonder why I don't take more pictures hahaha


This was my fourth year cafeteria table gang. The rose among the thorns indeed hahaha. We're all not-so-secretly nerds, and I'm pretty sure one of these people here will end up changing the world someday. (I wasn't able to take pictures of a lot of people since my battery was almost dead. Fail me D: Sorry, Estelle, Kat, Alvin, Marz, etc.)

The other half of the yearbook launch consisted of presentations and general merry-making. Plus making jokes of not having seen people for ages (when really you seem them everyday). Because really most of my classmates now in college are from the same high school anyway, but meh.


After the actual launch was a Sportsfest/afterparty-gettogether, but in all honesty, I'm not exactly in that crowd, nor am I one to impose my presence (at least I try not to as much these days), so I just went straight home. Plus, I was pooped from a 5-and-a-half-hour lab period just earlier. Busy busy busy.

That being said, it was a fun night. Nostalgia induced feels were plenty. I'm not entirely sure if I'm ready to reveal my yearbook page just yet -- maybe some other time. For now, I am content.

Ada, signing out.

Photos courtesy of Camilla Carag, Paul Gilbert Castro and Fatima Centeno

Wreck-It Ralph - So much FEELS

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Wreck-It Ralph with Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz in Sugar RushSo I just got back from watching Wreck-It Ralph after having been waiting for it for such a long time.

I'll be honest - I went in not really expecting much since stand-alone Disney films don't seem to do as well as Disney-Pixar films lately, but even from the short film presentation of Disney that accompanied the movie, Paperman, I was captured.

Disney Short Film Paperman pre-screened before Wreck-It Ralph

And the actual feature itself was more than I expected. I laughed, I cried, and I was brought back to the early stages of my childhood. I personally would like to give a huge round of applause to Jane Lynch and Sarah Silverman for really MAKING the movie for me.

I think this was one of Disney's best releases by far, since it transcends so many cultures. Video Gaming is almost universal given this day and age and seeing familiar characters from series such as Street Fighter, Pacman, Frogger, Sonic the Hedgehog, etc really made me smile. Not to mention the tributes to Mario, Halo etc.

Wreck-It Ralph and Q*bert

Wreck-It Ralph with Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz in Sugar Rush

Wreck-It Ralph in Bad Guys Anon with cameos from Bowser, Zangief, Doctor Eggman, etc

Wreck-It Ralph with Jane Lynch as  Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun, the lead character of Hero's Duty
I mean, where else will you be able to find a Disney Movie where the word "Pussy" is thrown out from the likes of one of its main characters? 

Even the soundtrack impressed me, blessed with the likes of Skrillex, Rihanna, Owl City and believe it or not, AKB48.


They were even cool enough to include a short cameo of Skrillex himself animated and brought to life as a DJ in a short party scene for the 30th anniversary of Fix-It Felix, Jr. the game haha.

What really surprised me though was hearing the Japanese-sung theme song of one of the Video Games featued in the movie, Sugar Rush sung by none other than AKB48.


AKB48 Tomomi Itano, Yuko Oshima, Yuki Kashiwagi, Rina Kawaei, Haruna Kojima, Mariko Shinoda, Haruka Shimazaki, Minami Takahashi, Jurina Matsui, and Mayu Watanabe sing the theme song of Wreck-It Ralph Sugar Rush
I think they happen to suit the song pretty well.

There were just so many things that made this movie special to me. If I can say something about this movie it's don't judge it by the trailer. Because while most of the trailer show Ralph braving it out in a Halo-like environment, majority of the story is actually set in the fictional candyland that is Sugar Rush and there is much more than meets the eye. The message is pretty clear in the end as well.

I don't want to give anything away, but let me just say this - The story isn't as straightforward as it may seem. A few plot twists here and there might just catch you by surprise. Or not.

All in all, this is definitely a must-see. For Video Game Junkies and families alike. Good Job Disney, I approve.

Art Post: The World Ends With You

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Sorry for my absence the past week. TT_TT I miss being able to blog and comment on other people's blogs but somehow I can't even find the time for that. The funny thing is that despite that fact, I still managed to squeeze in a little bit of video game time. I know, I am such a video game geek.

This month I've actually found myself replaying one of my favorite DS games by Square Enix - The World Ends With You (TWEWY).

The World Ends With You by Square Enix

Because it's from Square Enix it has a very Kingdom Hearts feel to it and I'm a real fan of the art. It's just so edgy and comic-booky. And to make it even better, the character design and development is pretty awesome i my book. The story follows the protagonist, Neku Sakuraba and his journey of self discovery in a parallel universe set in modern-day Shibuya. The fact that it's set in Shibuya is pretty awesome, because aside from Harajuku, Shibuya's probably one of the places in Tokyo Japan that you'll find awesome fashion and all kinds of eccentric people.

My personal favorite characters are Rhyme and Joshua but their fashion in the story leaves more to be desired.



Joshua from The World Ends With You by Square EnixRhyme from The World Ends With You by Square Enix

In terms of fashion, my faves would have to be Neku and Shiki though I probably wouldn't be caught dead dressing that way now. In high school maybe, but now? No haha.

Shiki from The World Ends With You by Square EnixNeku from The World Ends With You by Square Enix

So instead I chose to draw, Shiki and Neku in my own style haha. 
Neku and Shiki - The World Ends With You Fan Art by Ada

I actually posted a preview of this on my Facebook Page a few weeks ago haha. I didn't think it'd take me so long to actually get it colored.
Neku and Shiki - The World Ends With You Fan Art by Ada

So as you can see, my style of drawing is monumentally different from the actual video game art, but I still think I was able to capture the characters well enough haha.

I really really really want to do some art of all the Reapers + Beat and Rhyme, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to find the time.

Meanwhile, why don't you guys give the game a try? It's pretty addictive, the food art'll probably make you drool and the fashion is awesome - an awesome testimony to what actual Shibuya is like. And you might just pick up some life lessons along the way.

Ada, signing out.


Vanity: I Miss Formal Events

Sunday, August 05, 2012

I was looking through my closet awhile ago and was struck by certain sense of nostalgia whilst looking through the plethora of formal dresses I own. And it hit me that I probably won't get a chance to wear them ever again unless there's like a huge photoshoot or something.

Sifting through my Two Prom Dresses, My Graduation Ball Dress and a few Bridesmaid dresses had me wondering when I'd ever get to wear such pretty dresses ever again. The closest probable occasion would be my College Graduation Ball, but even then it's not even a formal event and more of a semi-formal to smart-casual shindig.

My Graduation Ball Dress - It's a little too long for my liking.

Haha Our Senior Prom theme was Las Vegas - Of course I come dressed like I just had a shotgun wedding.

Lol a picture of me pre-prom. I like this dress. It actually makes me look like I have breasts ahaha.

This was a for a photoshoot last year. I ended up reusing my graduation ball dress. The theme was "The Seven Deadly Sins". I was envy, but my friends told me I look more like lust =_=

Ah, these photos really show off how short I am, don't they? If any of you are wondering, I'm only a mere 5 feet tall plus or minus a 3/4's of an inch (I'm taller in the morning). People keep telling me I looked a lot different then than I do now, but meh, I don't see it. I sure as hell haven't grown any taller D:

Sigh, I will miss dressing up for big occasions and having reasons to buy such lovely dresses. I mean technically, I could buy more, but it's not like I'd have anywhere to wear them, right? *sadface*

Do you guys have any dresses/outfits you only ever get to wear once or twice? I feel like it's such a waste. Owell.

Ada, signing out.

Mixtape Mondays is back! NEW FORMAT!

Monday, July 30, 2012


Hey guys! Have you missed this segment? Hahaha. I'm back after a two-week hiatus on this segment to bring you a whole new Mixtape Monday. One that is as equally entertaining as the old format (hopefully), but isn't so much of a stress buster on my part.

So for the past month or so the segment has been me selecting songs on the basis of a theme with a new theme every week. I'll be honest - this was pretty hard work: deciding on a theme, finding songs and writing up descriptions and in the end, it became more of a burden than fun, so I've tweaked things a bit to better suit my busy schedule and at the same time still be able to share a little bit of a music fix with you guys!

This is how the new format will work:
Every month, I'll be deciding on a theme, and every week I'll be posting a video/song or two every Monday. By the end of the month, I'll have a full playlist and you guys will have a chance to suggest songs according tot he theme in between each post as well!

This way, I can take my time picking out songs, and I have an entire month's notice to get ready :D Awesome right?

But if you want to get a load of the other past completed playlists, you can check out the Mixtape Mondays tag here or choose among them below:

Feel Good Music (Part 1) (Part 2)

With August right around the corner and with particular importance being given to the weather as of late (whether it's burning hot, raining cats and dogs or the perfect time of year wherever you guys are), this month's theme is:
Songs for Any Type of Weather

I think it's no surprise I'd be picking songs for this theme seeing as the weather where I am has been a spastic mess lately. Some days is hot beyond belief and some days (like today and the day before), it's non-stop rain, wind and general storminess. No matter what the weather is, the perfect song can lighten up the mood (or worsen it on the off chance that your singing is as horrendous as mine and might just cause the next great flood).

Joking aside, let's get this month's theme started with a good old-time favorite of mine from the Irish Girl Group, B*witched.

Blame it on the Weatherman - B*witched

Oh god, that was a nostalgia trip wasn't it? Who remembers when jamming to this type of music in gradeschool was so awesome. These girls were actually pretty big from 1998 to 2002 before they were dropped. Their first four singles, C'est  la Vie, Rollercoaster, To You I Belong, and of course, Blame it on the Weatherman all reached number 1 on the UK charts and if these girls were good enough to open for *NSYNC and Britney Spears, then they deserve some recognition (especially considering the state at which Britney finds herself in right now).

The song is quite appropriate for the theme if I may say so myself. I think it's a recurring joke to me and my peers when PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) makes more than a few wrong calls on the weather, and it's even more of a joke that despite there being a roaring typhoon outside, my college still decides against the suspension of classes.

YES. AWESOME. COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE WATERPROOF NOW! YAY!

That aside, I'm deciding against taking my rants publicly - who am I to say what's best for the everyday scholar? Apparently people think we're capable enough to withstand wind, rain and floods. I should be flattered, right? Passive Aggressive Ada ftw.

Sorry for dampening the mood guys haha. I promise I'll be back next week with a song which is more summer appropriate for all my readers out there who are busy enjoying their vacation. :P Which is why you should all stay tuned!

Feel free to leave a comment recommending songs appropriate for this month's theme, or maybe even comments pertaining to how awesome (or not awesome) the weather is where you are. 


Ada, signing out.

Stress, sweets, history and nostalgia

Saturday, July 28, 2012

  OHGAWDTHISWEEKHASBEENHELLANDIHAVEN'TBEENABLETOPOSTADECENTPOSTINSUCHALONGTIMEANDIMISSBEINGABLETOTALKTOMYREADERSANDONLINEFRIENDSANDIFEELLIKEIMGOINGTOEXPLODE.

Hey guys! I'm back! whoooo~! That's not to say that my life has become considerably less busy. Actually, it hasn't. Not one bit. TT_TT I think on average, my normal day consists of me getting up at 6:30 am, getting ready for school at 8:30 and then coming back home 5:00 to 7:00 PM most days, taking a quick powernap and then sitting through homework, studies and lab reports until 2 or 3 in the morning. So you can probably tell that I've been pretty stressed these past few weeks and thus my lack of posts.

So now that I've actually been able to set aside some time for a new post it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Oh Sweet Baby Jesus Rage Face Meme
Oh sweet baby Jesus that feels good. I can post again!

Only problem is I don't actually have anything substantial to blog about. Ah, the reality hits - I haven't  been able to plan a post at all. *sadface*

Really all I have to talk about right now is my latest Daiso find. Hahaha I know, I'm a sucker for Japanese thrift store goods. Sue me.

This find however was a lot more meaningful to me because although this wasn't beauty or cosmetic-related, it still had me jumping like a giddy little toddler.


BEHOLD! I HAVE FOUND MY CHILDHOOD!


Sakuma Shiki Drops サクマ式ドロップス from Grave of the Fireflies

SAKUMA SHIKI DROPS!!!

It may seem like I'm overacting but words cannot express how much this candy means to me. Some of you might actually already be familiar with it for the same reason I am so sentimentally attached to this candy.

Actually, it's from the 1988 Japanese animated film Grave of the Fireflies by Studio Ghibli (the people responsible for My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle).

The movie tells a tale of war-torn Japan through the eyes of two orphaned children, previously the offspring of a celebrated general, thrown into the reality of war - starvation, homelessness, discrimination all in the context of the bombings of Second World War.

image credits to:  http://pisceschick.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/sakuma-drops/
In all honesty, I find it hard not to cry just thinking back on the film. It's such a hard-hitting story and no matter which side you happen to be on at each end of any war - it tells the harrowing story of families broken by war, children forced into hardship as a consequence of it and just how horrible the consequences may be.  It's definitely a movie I recommend to everybody.

My first encounter with "Sakuma" drops was actually when I was in fifth grade, about a month after having watched the movie. I happened to see a familiar looking tin in the Unimart Grocery at Greenhills and started begging my dad to get it. Little did I know that the tin I actually got wasn't the actual brand of drops mirrored in the movie, but heck it was close.

Sakuma Shiki Drops サクマ式ドロップス from Grave of the Fireflies
image from:  http://mighty-mint.blogspot.com/

See, it's a similar concept and almost the same flavors but it isn't by the same company haha. But I was a child and I didn't care. The sentimental value these things held was enough for me. (For a detailed comparison of the differences between this brand and the original Sakuma Shiki, you can check this out: http://taro.haun.org/sakuma.html). After this tin, I couldn't find anything similar or remotely close to it for 8 years. But  after all this time searching and looking for these, I finally came across some tins in my local Saizen. I was ecstatic to say the least, and in my excitement, I bought two tins *_*


Sakuma Shiki Drops サクマ式ドロップス from Grave of the Fireflies

Sakuma Shiki Drops サクマ式ドロップス from Grave of the Fireflies

Sakuma Shiki Drops サクマ式ドロップス from Grave of the Fireflies


It's easy to tell after having tasted these why Setsuko held them so dear. There are about thirty to forty drops in each can with flavors derived from natural fruit juice. They're honestly the best hard candies I've ever tasted. There are flavors like mandarin orange, lemon (their lemon drops are legit yo), green apple, pineapple, grape, strawberry, mint and chocolate. My personal favorites are strawberry, pineapple, green apple and chocolate.


There is something about the nostalgia that accompanies these candies that gets to me, and it makes the experience of just having them when I'm stressed all the more meaningful.

Have you guys seen the movie? Or have you tried the candy? If you haven't you should. You're missing out haha. Lol, I swear this post isn't sponsored, but it'd be awesome if it was. SEND ME YOUR AWESOME CANDY JAPAN.

I promise I'll get back to better posting ASAP, and the newest format of Mixtape Mondays is coming soon, so watch out for that as well.

And don't foget! MY GIVEAWAY is still ongoing, so keep entering while you can! You can tweet and comment daily for more entries! :) I'm giving away a 1000 peso gift certificate for Fully Booked and 500 pesos worth of gift certificates for Robinsons Establishments (which also happens to include Saizen, the place where I bought these awesome candies). ENTER NOW!


Ada, signing out.

Art Post: My History in Art

Saturday, June 16, 2012

So I've been a very art-oriented person since I can remember. It may seem quite pompous of me to say, but my earliest memories are of people complementing on how well I drew or how perfectly shaped my circles were and how good I was at coloring in the lines. Haha. Either I was really talented or they were just really patronizing of an overconfident child.

There was a time when I was legitimately considering pursuing art. Back when I was in fourth grade, I had accounts on sheezyart and deviantart and a good number of people following me and my art. I was quite a child back then, and if you've followed me long enough on this blog, you'd know I wasn't always the happiest of children. This was my art from somewhere between fourth and sixth grade:

by Ada Agupitan
I was a rather sad child haha

Yehp. Dark theme, anime looking style, horrible proportions and bad shading. It's the telltale signs of a pre-teen acting out ahaha. But it wasn't always that depressing.

by Ada Agupitan

Ahaha, I always laugh at how large I used to draw females' breasts. I think it's a phase I went through. And I'm not exaggerrating when I say I used to draw them large.

by Ada Agupitan

It's sad to think that my first ever colored work, circa sixth grade was of a busty Japanese Anime woman with a badly drawn dress. I think I was overcompensating for the lack of cleavage I knew I would eventually have to deal with ahaha. Seven to eight years later and I'm still as flatchested as ever :P

I had such a complex that someone dared me to draw something without boobs, and this was the result:

by Ada Agupitan
I tried.

But the point is that for most of my life, I always thought I'd have a chance as an artist, even a writer, or maybe a scientist. Heck, one point in my life, when I was a competitive figure skater, I thought I'd make it to the olympics, but that's another story to be told at a different time. The point was, I really didn't have any focus when I was young. I was one of those people who was good at a little bit of everything, and not exceptional at anything, and I think that's how I am even until now.

It's stuff like that that makes it hard to decide what career path to choose, and eventually I ended up choosing to center myself around Science. Thus, I attended a science high school, Philippine Science High School - Main Campus to be specific. It's actually quite prestigious although I did hold some past resentment of it during my days there (sift though my 2008-2010 posts, you'll see what I mean)

I did all this at the expense of my pursuit of art, but somehow I managed to keep it alive, although I haven't really improved much since then.

by Ada Agupitan

This was the earliest I could find of my art in high school. Excuse the tackiness of it all. I was young and I was essentially a n00b at Photoshop. This was my class and there are far too many inside jokes for you to even fathom what it all means, but for your reference, that's me, third from the left at the first row from the bottom. Yes, I used to have short hair then. I know, it seems like a downgrade from my art in grade school, which is saying something because that was when I had transferred from my original school to PSHS. You can tell that my priorities were different and art was more of a hobby now that I was science-concentrated.

When I was in my second year of high school, I started to question why I was even concentrating so much on science. I drew a lot more then and spawned a few decent works:


by Ada Agupitanby Ada Agupitan
Self-portrait 2nd Year HS

Finally, my art was getting back on track (and my coloring on photoshop wasn't as tacky) - but this time in expense of my grades. Second Year was by far my lowest year grades-wise. It was almost as if my art and my good grades could not co-exist. That sucked for me, because I legitimately enjoyed drawing haha.

But somehow, between second year and the years that followed, I was able to find a nice balance of the two, and I got better at both over time. You've seen a lot of my art posts from this period of my life here already, but here are a few I dug up from my closet.

by Ada Agupitan

by Ada Agupitan

by Ada Agupitan

by Ada Agupitan

And I got better with digital work as well.

By Ada Agupitan

by Ada Agupitan
Self-Portrait (somewhere between 2nd year and 4th year)

by Ada Agupitan
This is unfinished, but  thought it was pretty, so meh.

And now here I am with my current style of drawing (it hasn't changed since 2009), which is a hybrid of realism and some sort of anime, I'm not actually entirely sure. I'm not even sure if I've improved or gotten horrible over the years.

HEY! SAY! JUMP Inoo Kei 伊野尾慧 Colored Drawing Sketch お絵描き by Ada Agupitan
This is the colored version of my art post here.

So I guess all I'm trying to say is that although I'm not an artist, I still really value art. I may not be as good as all those professionals out there, but I'm not letting that stop me. And for all you other art-oriented people out there, you shouldn't let it stop you either. I'll continue to make art and who knows, maybe in addition to my passion for Molecular Biology, I can sideline as an artist/writer as well? Hahaha.

by Ada Agupitan
Self Portrait, 2012

Don't forget to Live, Love, and Laugh! :)

-Ada xoxo

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