Visited a friend @ the hospital

My friend since high school is in the hospital right now.
A friend of his got drunk on a drinking session and got so out of hand that he hit my friend on the head with a beer bottle - twice.
He had to undergo surgery twice and is due for a reconstructive one in the following weeks. A part of his skull, where the bottle hit, had to be removed and now only his skin is protecting the brain.
Despite all these, he remains to be the good nature guy that he is. Lovingly joking and fooling around with his nurses and visitors. We even did a "dramatization" of the event.

this is us, doing the dramatization. he can still ham it up for the cameras.


The guy who did this to him is taking all the responsibility, though no lawsuits have been filed. It was settled that he would be the one to take care of all the medical bills and other expenses required. That's the kind of guy my friend is, even if all of us wanted to sue the guy he was the only one who didn't.

So I am asking for everyone to pray for his speedy recovery. He is too young to be taken from this world and still has a lot of things to do in this world. In October he is due to take the Engineering board exams. Pray that he will be able to recover and take it in time.

cupcake love

I am absolutely in love (again) with Marta's cupcakes, located at Serendra, Global City, Taguig.
I first tasted this lovely confection in BF Homes when it was still sold at a local bakery. Its been years since I've had it because of my one year stint in Jakarta and my family moved to a new house.



So glad to know that they have their own place.

The best part about it is that I don't have to fall in line and wait forever for my order to be taken and its more affordable. I can have my cupcake fix without breaking the bank.

Sweet.

Calling all Filipinos

PLEASE CONTINUE VOTING FOR THE PUERTO PRINCESA SUBTERRANEAN PARK.

Log on to www.new7wonders.com and vote!

It is currently holding the #2 spot on the category of nature reserves, national parks.

Puerto Princesa is one of the most beautiful and majestic places in the Philippines.


photo from http://en.wikipilipinas.org

Most recent works

For more please visit aliyyas.multiply.com and leave a comment or two. constructive criticisms are much appreciated.

spectacular birthday dinner

For my birthday this year, my friends and I went to Mamou for some superb meal.

Mamou has some of the best tasting steaks I have ever had.


We also had the Healdsburg salad; greens with cherry tomatoes, some berries and nuts for some crunch with berry dressing.

We had such a great time!
The food was great, the ambiance, the service, and of course the people I was with made it all the more special.
For my actual birthday celebration with my family, we also dined here. Hahaha..What can I say? They serve good food here.
Cant wait to go back soon!

gloom*

My boyfriend will be leaving this June 6 bound for Thailand. He will taking his M.A. in Korean Studies. He will stay there for a year and a half before going to South Korea for a practicum of sorts.

Though it pleases me that he has been accepted for a scholarship by the ASEAN, and in addition for being the only Filipino to be accepted, I cannot help but be sad about this news. Yes, its a great opportunity for him and for us--for our future, cannot help but be selfish. No matter how much I try to reason with myself that this is a wonderful thing for him, I just end up crying.

I am immature that way, though I don't believe I have issues of abandonment.

I do however, have issues when other people are happy despite my depression. I feel like if I am depressed then other people should be too. As I've mentioned before, I am selfish.

Maybe its just a phase I am going through...I have no idea.

school update..

Last Saturday was my first day of school. I was half expecting that the professors would want us to do something heavy like write an essay or a poem or something similar. Instead, my classmates and I were met by substitute professors, and we were tasked to write one of those "what do you expect from this course" kind of papers. I felt like I was wasting my time. Second period was better I think, we got to read and do something! Finally. But it was not to last, we only had class for about 45 mins or so. After that, my classmates and I went to the library to find the readings we were assigned to do. It was quite an adventure..more like an initiation with all its twists and what not. We went to one place to find a book, only to go to another one then back again to where we started, and get drenched by the rain in the process..whew!

I was starting to get used to being a student again, then bad news struck. Apparently, a foreign exchange student from who-knows-where had the AH1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu and is now in the care of the health professionals. School is now closed till further notice. And I am very sad about it, since I was looking forward to another day in school this time with real lessons to learn..

I pray that none of us caught this virus from this person, who ever she might be, and that school will resume soon.

My San Jose Trip

Got back from my trip to San Jose last Sunday! Had so much fun! Despite the typhoon and the long delay at the airport.we were stranded at the airport for hours! our flight was supposed to be at 5.30am but we still had fun despite of it all

We went to Aroma beach for two days straight---all thanks to Typhoon Emong. The waves were huge! Each wave hitting us felt like we were smacked at the back of our heads!
First day:
Second day: the waves were calmer than the day before..better to swim in! Had a taste of bubble gum flavored lambanog..surprisingly yummy that my boyfriend and I drank the whole bottle.

yummy food and drinks!great waves!

On the third day, we finally got to go to the white island. The typhoon was gone, and we were all singing praises!

our transportation going to the islandscenic white island

an incredible sunset

On the fourth day of our trip, we played airsoft at an abandoned ice plant. Another fun, fun day!

us with our "hostage", the one before is me posing with the gun

Cannot wait to go back in December for the wedding of our dear friends! :)

Going to San Jose tomorrow!

...and I will post the photos as soon as I come back from my trip!
Cannot wait!

must love bags

bags made of natural fibers that is..

this one was bought in a trade fair in Jakarta
while this one was bought in Bayo, a local franchise here in Manila

Bags made of natural fibers can be quite sturdy and are better than bags made of plastic and synthetic leather as they will last longer..

Scarf-ity blues

I've been trying to learn how to tie a scarf into one's head, but failed miserably.

I want to look like my friend Jane, here.I want to know if there is a site somewhere in cyberspace that teaches people like me how to use scarves aside from draping them on my neck, or using them as headbands..

Like so. See? Told you I failed miserably at this..

Model: Valorie

Meet one of my longest friends, Valorie or Val, as I call her.
She's been wanting me to do a photo shoot with her.
So here it is:
Let me know what you think.
For more photos: go to aliyyas.multiply.com

post-it fever

I have an addiction for post-its. I just don't go and buy the usual colored ones, I buy those that have cute sayings, graphics, etc.

This week, while shopping for scented oils with my mother at Alabang, I chanced upon this little cutie.

"You're a putz."


Its so direct.
So concise.
So funny.
And yet, not at all rude or hurtful.

Wonder if I can give one to my friend's boyfriend and erase the last line of the note.

"You're a putz, and that's all there is to it."

Now THAT would be funny.

hahahaha!

week with fabulous friends

This week started fabulously for me.

Monday was declared a holiday by the government, so my friends and I decided to catch up at Alabang Town Center. It was a day to remember for sure! We celebrated 3 events that day; one was the despedida of my best friend, Reina, who was going to New York with her family next week, and the birthdays of our friends, Fatima and Jihan.

Jihan, a nurse, didn't come since she was busy with work, but we still celebrated her birthday without her.

We went videoke-ing, (if there is such a term), and we went berserk singing songs from our "childhood"?! hahaha..After that, we had a nice dinner and talked about a lot of things, mostly about love.

I miss my girls so much and I cannot wait for another get-together with them! Here's a few photos from that fabulous day:Then just this afternoon, I met up with two friends, Cher and Jaira. All those times spent with them from high school came flooding back to my head. They've made my high school memories so much more memorable! It was sad however, that we didn't enjoy the presence of another dear friend, Alex, since she is based in New York now. Hopefully, sometime soon we will get together again, all four of us.

Visit our new site!

http://wehaveaneye4photography.synthasite.com/

For all your photography needs.

We cater to everything; from birthdays to baptismals, debuts to weddings, birthday celebrations to graduations, corporate events and model portfolios.

We also have our own make-up artist.

For any inquiries, please leave an email and visit either (or all) of the following sites: aliyyas.multiply.com, carmelliphotography.multiply.com, mychalcastillo.multiply.com.

My Boho-chic bag

Last weekend, I went ukay-ukay (thrift) shopping with my sister and I spotted this little beauty. Originally, it was priced at P280 but after much haggling the sales person agreed to sell it at only P200 (roughly, $4). Ordinarily, in an ukay store, that price is already expensive but I just couldn't resist!
When I got home, even my mom and other sisters liked it.

I even added a vintage scarf just to give it some color.

All in all, I'm happy with my purchase. :D
see?

My recent photo works

These are the most recent photo works I did.

March 27, 2009
A friend's cousin wanted to model and needed photos for her portfolio. Here are just some of the ones I like:
Here she is in her "school uniform" against a white wall. And in here, she is with her cousin and my friend, Day.March 28, 2009
There was a drifting event at the Alabang Town Center's parking lot and my friend and I just couldn't resist a good photo-op. My favorite of all the cars was the one sponsored by the Yellow Cab pizza, because it had the Philippine flag on it. So yey!
For more photos, you can go to my Multiply site: aliyyasphotography.com

first entry

Hooray! I finally have a site for Blogspot after years of using Friendster and Multiply as my primary blog dens.

First off, let me explain why I entitled my blog site as Chocolate Turquoise. Its quite simple really, for they are just two of my favorite colors in the whole spectrum: chocolate brown and turquoise. So there. hahaha!

I'm still not sure though how I would use this blog. Maybe just use it as a display of all my favorite things! From bags, food, animals and everything in between. I'll also use it to document travels and adventure. Perhaps some knowledge about a few things I've acquired through the rough 22 years of my life. Also, I want to showcase my photos as I am a photographer as well as a writer.

So for anyone who passed by this little site of mine, thanks for stopping by. And if its not too much trouble, you may also visit my Multiply site: aliyyasphotography.multiply.com. Thanks a heap.