Every December, the 4 of us are reunited and it becomes this really loud laughfest + catching up + food haven. Hahaha. Welcome home, Rox! It's good to have you back! It's like we're back in high school, but obviously slightly more mature... well, the topics are more mature... but the amount of food we eat plus how loud we become... nope, nothings changed. Haha. 
It feels so good to have these kinds of friends. The kind wherein you know the bond is strong and no matter how long we don't see each other, it's all good. When I think about it, I'm damn lucky to have these girls in my life. When the whole world seems to be going against you, they have your back. They bring you back to reality and guide you into what's right, not what other people would do just to shut you up. They remind me of the true meaning of friendship. With that being said, whenever we're reunited during the holidays, they also remind me of the true meaning of Christmas. Thanks, guys. ​

I ended up in the 2nd room where I laughed my ass off because the people were a bunch of very funny, witty, and awesome dudes. Haha. What's new, Carms? Nothing. Haha. I met up with Carlo at the lobby of the hotel because we were both sure we wouldn't know anyone, but as the night progressed. We made friends and it became a genuine laughfest. Thanks for a great night, Josh! I had so much fun! I don't think I've enjoyed a party that much in so long! You know I love you, man. We clicked the first night we met because you're one of those dudes I would love to sit and talk with (which we do). Your maturity is always going to impress me so, please never change. The world needs more souls like you because you're the kind of person who will always be around to give the best conversations and advices. You still have a long long way to go, but in all honesty, you're doing just fine. You're on your way into being the the best of the best. Never ever ever change that heart, soul, and mind of yours, okay? It's what I love most about you. Happy Happy birthday, my friend! May all your wishes and dreams come true! 

As the new Star Wars movie hits cinemas all over the world, my facebook newsfeed is full of people posting how excited and in love they are with Star Wars. I can't help but roll my eyes when I see some of these posts because... jeez... I've hung out with these people. I grew up with some of them. Never once did they talk about Star Wars, even if I was wearing a Star Wars hoodie or t-shirt in front of them. Back in high school, they would give me this weird look whenever I would go on and on about Star Wars. Some of these people had NOTHING to say when I asked about Star Wars and that's just... nope.

I was scrolling through my newsfeed and saw one of my old classmates update his status message about it. I smiled from ear to ear! Well said, Karl. Go ahead and love the movie, but to the Geeks, you need to tone down with the LOVE you're trying to show. We find it insulting. A lot of you have given us the worst looks, made fun of us, and used our love for Star Wars against us so many times and now you're loving it? Love? Really? You can say you love the MOVIE, but you cannot say you love Star Wars and then all of the sudden proclaim yourself as a fan. It doesn't work that way. Sorry, folks. There are many of us who can proudly say that Star Wars pretty much raised us. Star wars helped us understand what to do with Bullies like you. Star wars gave us so much hope and geekery, it's not even funny. There are a lot of us who took the time to understand the whole Universe. Star Wars was treated like a solitude or sanctuary against these bullies. Star Wars resonated to us in much deeper levels and so all these people who are proclaiming themselves as fans? Hmmm. It's good you liked the movie, it's about time you understood it, but to post selfies and act like you've been a fan for the longest time is SO INSULTING. 

I hope one day, all of you apologize to every single person you bullied for being a geek, nerd, dork when it came to Star Wars or any other Geekdom. 

I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Johnson & Johnson last month to design the stickers for their Clean & Clear products. Let me tell you, what a great opportunity. It was a rush job, so imagine the excitement. The photo on the right shows the final product of my design on the Clean & Clear packaging. 
They requested a design that was catered to young ladies / teens. They wanted to see something more hip and hand written. They sent me a few inspirational pegs to grab some ideas from and these were the designs I came up with. 

Devansh was my first close friend when I moved to Singapore. He made me feel welcomed to the new place and I thank him for that because it made being away from home much easier. He's such a great friend. He's also funny, entertaining, intelligent, opinionated, and pretty mature for someone his age. You don't meet a lot of people who know how to handle all the difficulties life gives them. This dude does it so damn well. Dave, thanks for being straight forward with me. Thanks for being the all-around person that you are. Thanks for making sure I was always okay and checking up on me all the time. Thanks for dropping by my room from time to time to just hang out and... eat my food... haha. Thanks for building an awesome relationship with my mom. She loves you! Haha. Thanks for being the person I would depend, trust, and look up to in Singapore. My stay in SG wouldn't have been the same if you weren't in my life. THanks for everything Davey! You're one very awesome person. Stay that way! :)

If people only knew my history with Abs... hahaha. We've known each other since primary school (we both attended Woodrose since 1st grade) and back when we were kids, we got along great. However, when we reached our tween years, something happened and we became mortal enemies until high school ended. It was bad. We would bash each other like crazy. We would make horrible hate faces at each other. We didn't like being in the same classroom. Funny cos we were in the same high school group of friends. All throughout grade school and high school, it was the whole "should we invite carms or abs? If we invite them both, will they fight?". If someone had a party, the most famous script was, "Carms / Abs is going..." Haha. It took ONE phone call to end YEARS of hate and aggression towards each other. I will always remember that night because it shocked me so much and that's why Abs is in this list. Thank Abs, for defying popular opinion. There is a way to forgive and let go when it comes to Enemies. There's a way to see past the differences and just grow up. You taught me that, man so i'm always going to be grateful for you. Today, you can rant / vent to me as much as you want because you know i'll always listen to you. I'll give you the best advice I could possibly give. Thank you for exposing me more into the Crafts world because it has become my peace. Thank you for being there when I was down. You didn't really know what was going on, but you took the time anyways to hang out with me and it was awesome. So yah man, you probably don't know how much you mean to me at this point. You really did teach me such an awesome lesson about life. I always consider that PHONE CALL OF PEACE to be something we both should be really proud of. We both set aside the past and thought about how dumb it was to keep fighting. We took down our prides and apologized to each other. We both just gave all the hate up because we wanted a change in our lives. We were both at the same place so I'm glad you took the initiative to give me a call. Thanks dude. Really. 

HEY CARLO BELTRAN! Hahaha. If there was an actual list of most wonderful people in the world, Carlo would be on that list. This guy has so much spark and awesomeness in his life. He's one of those down-to-earth individuals and there's no doubt he's so much fun to be with! Thanks, Carlo, for being such a kind and beautiful soul. Every single time I'm with you, you shed so much light in my life. Not only that, you're one smart dude. Considering your age, you're most definitely one of those young millennials who's got so much in him. Our age gap is pretty damn far, but you should hear this guy talk about business and life. He can back it up. He can talk about it for ages. He knows what he's talking about. He knows what to question without pushing it too far. He can find solutions to problems. He can defend his points. This guy is legit intelligent and I need to thank him for that. There are so many young people today who only follow trends and have a skewed vision towards their life. Not this guy. This guy is mature to the bone. It's so nice to see someone his age actually balancing fun and work. It's so nice to see someone with a complete vision and goal. I admire you, Carlo. You're really one of a kind and I'm so thankful your'e in my life. Thank you for randomly thinking about me and dropping all those awesome messages (especially when they're Lego related!). Thank you for hanging out with me. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for laughing and joking with me. You're awesome, man. Keep it up. You're always going to be that awesome lil' sweetheart who makes all the girls feel special. :) I'm sure a lot of people will side with me on this. You're such a wonderful person and I'm lucky to be in your life.  

Ever since I was born, I was very close to my Ninang (Aunt). She was the one who took care of me when my parents were away for a bit. She was the one that gave me all the awesome presents an Aunt could possibly give her niece. She was the one that showed me endless amounts of love and care. She's my 2nd mom. She's my happy place. Thanks Nangs for being so active in my life because you are part of the people who show me what love is really all about. I call you my 'happy place' because it's with you I also find peace. Whenever I need to feel happy while I'm feeling down, but I don't really want to talk about my issues, I come to you and we have fun together. We go to the mall. We eat out. We take the little ones out for a day trip. It's always so much fun and filled with happiness when I'm around you. Thank you for always showing me importance. You check up on me when mom and dad aren't here. You ask about my life and how I'm doing when you see me. You trust me with the apos. I'm so happy you're in my life and thank you for being in mine. Thank you for all the out of the country trips. Thank you for taking the time to bond with me. Thank you for giving me all the loving smiles when you see me. Thank you for being an inspiration. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for my cousins who also show me all the love and care I need. Thank you for my Ninong Ben who sheds so much intellect in my life. Thank you for loving me at my worst and uplifting me to be the best I can be. Thank you for always being there when I need you. Thank you for all the amazing memories I've made with you. I Love you Nangs! Always! 

I can thank my mom for a list of things, but on this thank you note, I will thank her for the top two things she's given / done for me. First, Thanks mom for being my angel. If i'm in a good or bad place, my mom's the first to figure it all out. I guess it's motherly instinct? But whatever it is that gave her that superpower, I thank her for it. There are times I don't want to talk, but she somehow gets it out of me. There are times I'm very quiet about my whole life because I'm not ready to confront it, she finds ways to drop hints here and there. There are times she talks to me about life and she makes me talk about what I think or should be done (which ends up being a team effort). So, at the end of the day, she's my angel because whatever comes my way, she will give me the best of herself. You see, my mom has this ability to shed light in so many lives and I believe that's her calling. My mom has such a big heart and always wants to help others. She won't even talk about it like other people, she'll just do it and find happiness in whatever she does. Sometimes, I only get to hear about it when she's done planning and taking action on her little random acts of kindness towards people (or animals). So thanks mom for teaching me what being compassionate it all about. Whenever someone would hurt me, she never taught me to hate on them back. She'd always tell me to understand and be kind about my actions. Whenever I was angry, she'll tell me to relax or give me a hug to calm my heart down. She's really my angel on earth. 
The second thing i want to thank her for is always believing in my capabilities. When the whole world felt like it was crumbling down on me, it was my mom who uplifted me. When I was really losing my mind over what to do with my life, she'd sit and talk to me and tell me how much she believes in me. My mom always believed in my skills and talent. She'll always tell me to do whatever it takes to reach my goals. Without her, I don't think I would have the same drive. Thanks mom. 
Thank you, Ma, for being my angel and superhero. I love you. 

I created my lil' monster iphone dock! Hahaha. I had a lot of fun making this and it's a nice addition to my work table! 

AMS! This little girl is the eldest kid in the 'next generation' (meaning, after my sister, cousins and I). So, i'm not surprised she had a huge impact in my life. She's not my kid (doi), but being a 'NINANG' (Aunt) for the first time was a huge game changer because I had certain responsibilities I never had to face before. I found myself being part of raising a child to be good hearted. Not directly... the way her parents or grandparents did, but she crossed my mind whenever I had to make decisions, especially when it came to someone else's well-being. I'd end up asking myself, "Is this the kind of world I want Ams to be part of?" Thank you, Ams, for being the Peace in my heart. You gave me a different kind of solitude which brought me to believing in acts of Kindness. Thank you for being the one who always made me smile when we would have our little play dates. I'm always going to remember taking you to playgrounds and jungle gyms. I'm always going to remember the smiles that appeared on your face when we would enter toy stores and we would go crazy over all the new toys. Thank you Ams for being one of the greatest gifts life could ever give me. I love you and I want you to know I'm always going to be here for you! I promise to always teach you the awesome part of life. 

Because of our really big age gap, he became the little brother i never had. I never in my life spent this much time and love towards another human being the way I did with Mari. When we was younger, he was my best escape from reality. He was (and still is) one of the driving forces in my life. I'm also proud to say, he grew up to be such an incredible person and that makes me very very happy. Thank you, Boo, for always being there for me. You have always been the person who I found solitude in because you're always there to talk about anything and everything. Not only that, just being around you always made me feel more relaxed. There were so many times I would feel so down, but when you visited me or I took you out to movies, you just took away every negative feeling I had inside of me. You always made me smile and that's never going to change. Also, thank you for not being you. You've always been that curious and smart guy. You'd question the things you don't understand. I always knew you did your best in everything. You're such a good person and I can only hope and pray you'd always be this way (and I really don't have to worry because I know you're always going to be awesome). You see, we may not have had the same deep conversations like I have with my friends, but I know (100%) you can talk to me about anything. We have a bond that can never be broken and I need to thank you for being one of the people who showed me who I can be for another. There's really no other way to say this, but you taught me how to love. There are so many things I want to tell you about life and what you really did for me, but I'll wait until you're much older because there are things you're really not ready to hear. Not yet. I want you to experience life at the fullest. You still have to go down the toughest roads and come out strong, so you'll understand everything that I want to share with you. 
Thanks Mari for all the love and care you've always given me. Even with the age gap, you're always going to be my best friend. No one in the world understands this the way Mom, Nangs, and your dad understand what I'm talking about here. They have always seen our bond and friendship. They know how much I love you. They know the positive effect you had in my life as I was trying to figure my life out. Just know that I'm always going to be here for you.

Oh Hsiang... Haha. You will forever and ever be my best friend because you're the cutest and most lovable person I've ever met. Haha. The impact you have in my life can never ever be replaced. I think it was back in 2007 when you convinced me to switch to Multimedia Arts in Benilde because you told me you saw me in studying Graphic Design more than Technical Theater. For that, THANK YOU. You see dude, you changed my life back then and it's never been better. Because of you, I found what I was truly passionate about. Not only that, man! You showed me what I was actually good at. Back then, I didn't know what I wanted. I was so confused about my Art. The only thing i knew was, "Carms is artistic." Haha. But you exposed me to a whole new side of Design and we from there, the rest was history. We clicked so much that we ended up spending so much time together. We understood each other because we were pretty much the same. Even the clothes we wore matched. The music we listened to matched. You even made me a better gamer! Thanks for giving me a life. Without you, I know i wouldn't be this person today. I wouldn't have found what I was truly good at. You made me grow into a more fun and loving person. Your hugs will always make me feel better! Your jokes will always make me laugh! There was never a time you let me down. You really brought out the best in me so thank you so much for that. I'm never going to forget all the spontaneous plans, sleepovers, food trips, road trips, late night conversations, and game nights. I'm never going to forget the random drop bys we would do at each other's houses. I'm never going to forget spending my 6 hour breaks with you. I'm never going to forget how we both tried going to the gym, paid a ton of money, but got so bored after a month or so... hahaha. You're my best friend, Hsiang and you will always be. 

Before ending this note, there's one, very obvious, thing i was to thank you for. I really want to emphasize how you really taught me what friendship is all about. We had our big fights and fall outs but we always found a way to see past it, but when things got really tough, you stood up for me and didn't abandon me when everyone was trying to bash the living hell out of me. You listened and made your peace with me. You did your best in understanding everything and I have to thank you for that. You also got married without telling ANY of us about it, but that's okay. You'd think we would be angry or sad, but we were truly happy for you because when Roy entered your life, we were the first people to meet him and get to know him. We can comfortably say hello to him when we skype! Haha. Thanks for being such a great friend to me, Hsiang. I love you man and thanks for giving me the kind of friendship that I know will last a lifetime. No matter how far we are from each other. 

This guy has changed my life in so many ways. He's one of the very very few people who takes the time to understand me and it so happens, he appreciates what he sees in me. Sooo... Matthew! Thank you! You've become one of the closest and dearest people in my life (and trust me, there's not a lot of you). You've surpassed my expectations and that's just amazing. Thank you for always listening to me. It's hard to find people who really know how to listen. Thank you for being the brutally honest person in my life. Thank you for pushing me into always using my brain (i honestly love that about you). Thank you for spending the countless hours of conversation about life and weirdness. It's rare to find someone you can talk to for hours and hours about everything and anything. I appreciate all the funny conversations we have that send us laughing our butts off. I appreciate the deep conversations we have about each other's lives and what we can do to improve ourselves. I appreciate all the experiences you share with me because they're interesting and fun. Thank you for reassuring me about what I want in life. There are times I question how well I can do something or if I can do something I've never done before, you push me into believing I can reach my goals and dreams. Thank you for playing video games with me! This is something that blows my mind away. We actually play for hours and hours of Civ and we actually talk about strategy and gameplay... do you know how awesome that is?! It's so much fun! I have so much fun with you around. Thank you for making me feel i'm important. There are only a few people who really do this for me and for some reason, you were able to make me believe in myself more. You give me a boost of confidence and that's what I really need. Thank you for making me smile, especially when I'm feeling angry or sad. Thank you for understanding me when I'm talking about things I'm passionate about. 

There's one thing I really have to thank you for though... I've always felt weird and different from everyone around me (you know these reasons). I've always felt like my physicalities were looked down upon. People would always judge me for it, but you come along and you remind me to always be myself. You don't tell me to change who I am. You gave me this lesson because I KNOW when 'normal people' look at your tattoos and beard and etc etc, they'll think you're one of those 'scary Rockers', but you're not. You're a sweetheart. You always care. You're smart. You always have something to say. You know how to communicate well. You're respectable. You have everything a girl would want in her man. So, you totally defy what people say and think. I LOVE THAT. Don't get me wrong, you're tough to handle because... well, i understand this part because I'm exactly the same way. People always doubt this side of me, but I see so much of me in you and that's why you're in this list. I have to Thank You for making me believe again. You opened my mind and yup, THANK YOU. 

If there's anyone in this world who knows me to the core and i mean... DOWN TO THE DEEPEST PARTS OF MY SOUL... it's this woman. Haha. Lexy, Thank you so much for being there for me. You are one of the handful of people who truly understands me and it's unfortunate we don't get to see each other as much as we used to, but nothing, and i mean NOTHING, will ever take away the worlds I've built with you. When I used to question myself and got so damn lost, you were always there to listen. You were there to give me the best hugs and smiles whenever I would cry to you. You were there when i thought people lost faith in me. You stood up for me and didn't leave me out in the cold when people were bashing the heck out of me. Talking to you is one of the best times of my life because it's one of the few times I really get to be passionate about the many things I love and dislike. You always have a response for me and I appreciate you so much for that. As we get older, the more our minds get to connect in so many levels and it feels so good to have someone like you in my life. Thank you for taking the time to know me and understand where I'm coming from. Thank you for all the awesome sleepovers and food you gave me. Thank you for all the bruises you gave me from our pillow fights. Thank you for being a tough but sweet cookie with me. Thank you for confronting me when it's needed. Thank you for loving and caring for me at my lowest times. Thank you so so so much for being one of my pillars in life. I know without you, I wouldn't be this strong today. You always opened up my mind to infinite possibilities. You always reminded me to keep dreaming. You helped bring out the romantic in me, even if I got super awkward with it. You were the friend I'd talk to about all the Film and Music Video ideas. Whenever I was drunk, I knew you'd take care of me! Even if it was your fault why i was so drunk... haha. We have too many memories. So, thank you for all of them. I learned so much from you and I hope one day I can repay you for all the things you did for me. I love you, man and that's never ever going away. 

And I thought I was going to have an ordinary work day... Hahaha. If you're looking for a place to work peacefully with a quiet, homey, and natural setting, this place is going to be your 2nd home.
So, I had a meeting with two really awesome guys, Mike and Dom in this absolutely stunning workplace called The Office Project. The moment I entered, my jaw dropped because it was beautiful. The smile on my face wouldn't leave because the interior design was just.. WOW... All the detail really comes together and it makes you want to stay there for a very very long time. Haha. It's so welcoming and even with all the detail, it's not at all distracting. It's actually inspiring. The colors all blend well together so it doesn't interrupt your thinking process. The use of different materials and wall fixtures makes the place more homey and you feel relaxed. I was really blown away by this office space. I got to know the owner, Mike, and he shared with me some incredible detail of how this space came about and I must say, GOOD JOB GUYS! Awesome. Awesome. AWESOME.