Dreaming Every Day

This short story was my homework for English. We were asked to make a personal narrative recounting all the events that happened when we left our homelands. This is an edited version of my essay because I wanted to add some juice and drama (oh yes, that's how cool I am). Expect some pestering exaggeration every once in a while. Can I just make it clear that this is a combined work of my imagination and true events, so this story is told from a point-of-view of a half-fictional character totally inspired by my real experiences in life. Pardon my sporadic writing style and the erratic emotions I tried to inflict in every paragraph. Nonetheless, I hope you like it!! :)


Dreaming is always a fulfilling journey, never an escape – that's what I always tell myself. Many people say that dreaming is for losers. They say that dreams are only for people who can’t tolerate the deplorable consequences of life and for those who don’t want to exist in present reality. I ask them, do you escape reality when each day, you constantly find reasons for living? Oh wait. Only God knows the purpose of our life, but I am certain that it is far more than just sitting there, waiting for your fortune to come and not doing anything worthwhile.

I am a teenager full of ambitious dreams. Whenever I'm asked to describe myself in two words, I would tell them that I'm an “audacious dreamer”. Someday, I want to travel the world. London, Paris, Madrid, and New York City are my dream cities. I’d like to own a house at the age of 25. I want to be an economist or an accountant. I aspire to work for an insurance company, government bank or a world-known corporation someday. It has always been my dream to study at a prestigious university included in the World’s Top 100. I would also like to build a world-class hotel and resort in the future. Just like any other teens out there, I want to be rich and successful. But that desire isn’t just for me alone, but for my family too. Honestly, when I was still in the Philippines, all of these dreams seemed so distant, almost unreachable.

It was one overcast day in March, just when I got home from school, when my father told me astonishing news. “Our visa is approved!”, he greeted me excitedly the moment I reached the doorstep of our house. Not knowing how to feel, all I was able to say was “really?”. He nodded. Still shocked, I went to my bedroom to change my clothes. I briefly prayed, and thanked God afterwards for such a wonderful blessing. But a part of me was still bewildered, raising questions in my mind: Should I be happy because in just a few months, I’ll be able to live in a new country? Or must I be sad because I’m leaving a memorable place, and my awesome friends? Vancouver. Canada. North America. Am I really going to live in North America – where all the universities I’ve been checking up on for so many years are found? Will I finally see those precious red leaves rhythmically fall in September? If I finally see those scarlet leaves, will I ever get tired of them? Is it really possible to get tired of something you’ve dreamt of for so long? In that very second, I was willing to leave the Philippines and everything I had there. I was hypnotized at that very moment, thinking that everything would be fine, absolutely fine. Was I in the right state of mind?


Crazy thoughts seemed to endlessly bug my mind the night before our flight to Canada, just when I was in my pillow-filled bed, about to sleep. What does Canada look like? How different will I be as a person once I revisit the Philippines? Will my friends and I have the same closeness when I come back from Canada? Can I survive in Canada? How different will the Philippines be once I come back? These thoughts ran insanely on my mind for hours, one thought after the other. I still can’t believe how I managed to fall asleep that night. It was because of exhaustion from all the packing, I guess, that put me into sleep.

June 9, 2011 – the day of our flight to Canada, the last day in 2011 that I would be stepping on the lands of the Philippines – was, once again, a dark, cloudy day. It felt like the weather was expressing my feelings. Hours before our flight, I sent a text message to all my close friends telling them goodbye, wishing them good luck, and assuring them that I’d miss them. Almost all of them replied with very touching text messages that instinctively created a flashback of all the good memories we had. How was I supposed to be purely happy and excited when I knew that we would be going in utterly different directions? We would not live in the same country. I would not be going to school with them. I wouldn’t be able to call them over and ask them to watch a movie with me. It was then that I became fully aware that things wouldn’t be the same ever again. I remembered the thought I had on that day when my dad told me that our visa was approved. This time I was convinced that I was too focused on my dreams, that I wasn’t in the right state of my mind to grasp the truth.

While we were on our way to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, my mind played an automatic rewind of the unforgettable moments of the previous school year. It is the best school I ever had so far. I couldn’t help but to feel sad. My mind went back to reality when I noticed the water droplets streaming down the windows of the car. It began to drizzle. Oh great! Isn’t this just like any other scene in a movie – it begins to rain once the protagonist feels sad? Cherishing every second, I took one good look at the places seen from the SkyWay (a long elevated expressway in Southern Metro Manila). My eyes veered from a tall building to a school, from closely built houses to a shopping mall, from newly trimmed trees to the sky. I immediately noticed that the dreary sky was beginning to cheer up. The clouds faded away gradually, letting the sun shine brightly. Upon seeing the joyful fiery sun, I started to shake the sad thoughts away.

Sitting in Philippine Airlines’ business class seats somehow made me feel more important than who I really am. We were courteously greeted by PAL’s flight attendants the minute we boarded the plane. They immediately bombarded us with highfaluting menus that might help us choose our appetizers. I sat beside my mother, while my older brother took the seat right in front of us. I felt ecstatic. For some vague reason, a stream of renewed hope rushed through my veins.  Although I’ve experienced it many times before, I was nervous about the plane’s take off. Thankfully, the plane took off smoothly and gently. We left the Philippines at 4pm, local time. The pilot made a lot of twists and turns for the first ten minutes of the flight, allowing us to have our last glimpses of Manila from different angular views. During the flight, I enjoyed the tasty meals brought to us by polite flight attendants, I slept for two hours, I watched movies through the airline entertainment system, and I carefully followed the journey of the plane through the live GPS (Global Positioning System) available on our screens. It was a long flight indeed. When I saw on our GPS screens that we were only 45 minutes away from landing on the runway of Vancouver International Airport, I lifted the window shade and tried to look at what was below us. The first thing I saw was a group of spectacular snow-covered mountains situated in a body of water. That moment, I felt a new vibe, a weird feeling of mixed excitement and sadness. I am finally in Canada, I told myself. This is where my dreams will come true, I concluded.

I spent my first day in Surrey, at a house where my cousins live. On my first night here in Canada, I found it hard to sleep. Even my weariness from the long flight didn’t help me to sleep easily. That night, I remembered what my aunts and uncles told me when I was still in the Philippines: “For the first two weeks of your stay there, you’ll be energetic and excited. Two or three months after, you’ll start to feel homesick”. I didn’t know if I should be happy or scared that time, all I was aware of is, it was only the first night of our stay here in Canada, and I was already as homesick as hell. I thought of my older sister and my dad who were still in the Philippines. I thought of my friends. I thought of the way I slept for the previous fifteen years of my life, cuddling my pillows, always facing the old-fashioned windows in my bedroom. I closed my eyes. It was 2 am, I estimated. I have no choice but to force myself to sleep.

Just a few weeks before schools re-opened for School Year 2011-2012, I was deeply worried. Again, countless thoughts played in my mind. Will I fit in with the students of Killarney? Can I accomplish the tasks that the teachers will assign for me? Will I enjoy my stay at this school as much as I did in my former school? I fervently prayed to God every day and asked Him to guide me throughout my first year of schooling here in Canada.

On the first day of classes, I was surprised and amazed by the number of Filipino students at this school. I might not know them all, but the mere fact that there are many Filipino students at this school is already a great comfort. I have to admit though; my first week at Killarney was a very tough one. I had to cope with numerous different changes between schooling in the Philippines and schooling here in Canada. Fortunately, the subsequent weeks weren’t as difficult as I thought they would be. Now, I’m having fun studying at Killarney.

My first month of stay here in Canada was undeniably hard. I had to learn the transportation system. I had to be familiar with Canadian money. For one week, we had to patiently look for a strategic house to rent. Afterwards, we had to move to the house that we decided to rent. Step by step, we got settled. We gradually grasped the Canadian way of life. Thankfully, each month just kept on getting better and more convenient. My dreams, together with my family and faith in God, kept me strong. Without them, I would already have bought a ticket back to the Philippines a long time ago. Without them, I would have given up from the very first day. I used my dreams to motivate me every day. I eventually accepted the fact that I will be far from my sister for a long time, that I won’t be living in the same country with my closest friends that I knew from my first sixteen years of existence. But hey, it’s already 2011 (almost 2012 now actually)! Skype and Facebook are always there whenever I want to talk to them. But I don't want to talk to them... cause they suck...like, BIG TIME. Hahahaha no I'm just kidding. I love them!

I am blessed. Now, I realize that. Not every teenager in the world has the chance to immigrate to another country. Some people are dying to go to Canada – to find fortune – but they aren’t granted the same chance that I’ve been offered. So, instead of fretting and fussing, I’m choosing to be happy. I am choosing to enjoy everything that I currently have. I am grateful to God for giving us such an amazing opportunity to come here in Canada. Everything still feels surreal. But now that I am closer to my dreams, I will work hard every day to achieve them. I will start travelling my way to success. I will enjoy the view that I will get on my way there. And when it's a rainy day, I won’t hide under my umbrella and wait for the rain to stop. Instead, I will let go of my umbrella and joyfully dance in the rain.

10 things that make me a loser

This is just a pathetic, haphazardly-written countdown of trivial things that I didn't get to experience.

10. I've never owned a Nintendo gameboy. Yeah right, doesn't almost every kid in town possess this device - from the kids in the train, to the children in restaurants? Honestly speaking, I never really liked playing gameboy ever since it came out to the market. I just don't get the sense of playing with this handheld device when it's already the age of more high-technological devices like Desktops and Laptops.

9. I'm not a Harry Potter fan. I've never read a Harry Potter book. I have only watched one of the 8 movies released, and I can't even remember which one it was. I am not a Harry Potter hater. It's just that I never really had the patience to read those thick and heavy books. I have to admit it though, I wish I was able to follow the Harry Potter journey. It's more than because people all over the world are talking about it, it is because it could have built up my passion for reading and my love for books!

8. When asked to draw a person/people, I can only draw stick man/men. I love art! I really do. But way back when I was in grade school, "art" was just a school subject where the teacher asks us to make mature drawings even if not everyone in that class really knows how to make one. Hello? Haven't they heard? People have different talents. Unfortunately, I don't have this "drawing" talent and skills. Hey, at least I know how to appreciate beauty and art.

7. I still haven't watched some of the best/most talked about movies ever. Until now, there are movies that I still want to watch even if they've been released a year ago, or two years ago, or four years ago, or even eight years ago. The Notebook, Bridesmaids, Thor, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Transformers (the entire series), Sherlock Holmes - these are just few of the hundreds (I guess) of movies I haven't seen yet. If only I know where and how to watch them, I will watch them all tomorrow!!

6. I've never been to any live concerts. That's right. I have never been to any live singer-artists' concerts. Pffffttt. I can't believe how I have allowed numerous concerts to pass without watching even one of them. I can't explain how I badly wanted to go to most of those concerts. It's always because of two main reasons: my parents not allowing me to go to the concert, thus not having money to buy the tickets + school schedule/family plans. But it's okay, now that I'm here in Vancouver, I feel like it's easier to watch those live concerts. Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Adele, and Usher, just you wait!!

5. I've never been to Europe. I'm not bothered by this at all. I'm still young. i still have lots of time to go there. But I want to be there soon. Europe is just my dream travel destination because it's so historical. Also, each European country has its distinct culture that's just easy to love.

4. I've never been on a cruise. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of afraid to ride boats. Maybe this is due to the fact that I can't swim, or probably I'm just always overwhelmed by the immensity of the ocean. I will be exhilarated if I'll get a chance to be on a cruise, though. Caribbean cruise will be lovely!

3. I don't know how to cook. Well, I know how to make a sunny side-up or a scrambled egg. I also know to cook hotdogs/sausage/spam. But that's the farthest I can go. I want to learn, I extremely do! But I'm too anxious to take cooking classes for I might not easily understand the teachers' instructions, and just ruin every meal I'll make. I know, I'm being unusually pessimistic. I guess I'm just putting myself out of embarrassment. Hahaha!

2. I'm not technically knowledgeable to play any musical instruments. I was a member of Drum & Lyre club when I was in third grade. Oh, the joy of being a grade schooler! We had regular Saturday practices. I was taught the basics of playing the lyre. I easily learned the first four songs taught to us and played them well. When Lupang Hinirang was taught to us, I just couldn't catch up. Whenever we had school parades, our club was always asked to play. I remember just hitting at any note and making annoying sounds that would ruin our harmony. After that school year, I just didn't want to play any musical instruments anymore. I don't know if it's my defense mechanism, or it's because I have this idea in mind that I once sucked at playing an instrument, but I never really had the desire to play a musical instrument again.

1. I'm not a bookworm. Sad, right? As much as I'm forcing myself to read as much novels as I can, I've only finished three books in my entire life. Two of them (Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and The Giver) are books required for book reports, so I was forced to read them. The third book I finished was The Winner Stands Alone - which I just finished this summer. After reading the book, I learned a lot. I also became inspired... by many things - by how greed eats all of us and by the fact that our dream can either recreate or kill us. After reading that book, I really promised myself that I would read more often.

Forget the title. It's just a way of saying "Yeah right people, call me loser. But just because I don't have these things/experiences I'm already a loser". I love life. I am grateful for life. I don't hate anyone or regret anything just because of the things listed above. To be honest, those things make me excited! They tell me that I still have lots to experience in life! One day, I will cook madly delicious food too. I'd love to go on a cruise and go to Europe someday. Books and I will also have a long, wonderful relationship together!

So there you are, those are the ten things that make me a loser ... me! :)

The brilliance of each day.

Just lately, I have been spending my days reading The Winner Stands Alone (by Paulo Coelho). I'm not really a patient reader, I may read a book for 6 days straight and then if I get tired and lazy, for the next 2 months, I won't even make a move just to touch it. I just read whenever I'm bored or whenever I need inspiration. So far, this book never fails to give me that.

"Even if you're doing the same thing over and over, you need to discover something new, fantastic, and unbelievable that went unnoticed the time before."

Coelho has always been so spot-on in his one-liners in the book, and that quoted line above is just one of them. It's amazing how he says something that I'm already aware of, yet he's still able to cause that "so right!" expression to pop in my head. It's like hearing someone say that the sun is the center of the solar system and still be surprised with the fact that it really is.

I've been in my summer vacation for nearly six months now, and I'm neither proud nor ashamed that 50% of all these summer days are just "plain, boring" days. Going to bed at night being uncertain of how I could make the next day exciting and fun has always been my dilemma. I always ask myself "what shall I do tomorrow that will make my day memorable?", "where must I go to see something exciting?", "what activity can I do to make my brain active again?". I often try to write a schedule - from the time I'll wake up, to the number of hours I must only spent in front of the computer - but it's never observed. Of course, I know that the schedules I make won't be followed. I just need to write them so somehow I can make myself believe that I can still discipline myself.

I always do the same thing - living every day without being certain of how will my day be. But I see to it that I do something new, something elating, something that I've never done before - however preposterous or normal it may be - to make most out of my day. I suggest that you do this too. Find something exciting that went unnoticed the time before - may it be the scent of your garden flowers that you've never noticed before, or the color of the sky before the sun rises, or the cuteness of your seatmate's smile in school, or the priceless taste of pizza in your new favorite pizza chain, or the softness of your pillow, or how your neighbor takes care of his garden, or even how weird the sound of your laugh is - and these will be your new reasons to smile. Don't worry, our world is so fantastic that it will always have something new, exciting, and fantastic to offer. Do this and you'll learn to love the world and appreciate every single thing in life.

Rocking the Front Seat

There was this one Sunday, that my mom and dad wanted to go to Surrey (not too far from Vancouver) to check some things out. I went with them because it was Sunday - family day, and a day to hear a mass. In Metro Vancouver, there are two main ways of public transportation - buses and automatic trains. Riding the Skytrain is more convenient than taking a bus and is the most efficient way to go to Surrey. So we rode the Skytrain! What is Skytrain?

"SkyTrain is the oldest and one of the longest automated driverless light rapid transit systems in the world. The Expo and Millennium SkyTrain Lines connect downtown Vancouver with the cities of Burnaby, New Westminster and Surrey. The Canada Line connects downtown Vancouver to the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and the city of Richmond." - (from Translink's website)

Just to clear it out, I'm not advertising or doing anything near that, I'm just sharing my experience in a quite detailed way (hahahaha). Reading that paragraph from Translink's website somehow tells me that I should be proud that I have ridden the world's oldest automated driver-less LRT!!

When we entered the train, there were lots of vacant seats. I choose the front seat, which gives you the chance of fully seeing the train's railway and the view. Since it was a driver-less train, seating at the front seat makes you feel like a driver - only without worrying too much and all you care about is the view. I enjoyed the ride and took some pictures.

The i-don't-know-the-name bridge that connects New West and Surrey!

Some people call this the Skytrain Bridge.

When I first saw the bridge, I got kind of scared because when you're on the road looking at this bridge, it seems so high and long. I thought that I would worry too much the moment we pass this bridge, but thank God no childish fears came. Hahaha

It's already Surrey on the other end of the bridge.

The blue rectangular screen that is seen at almost every Skytrain station. It says Sunday, July 31!!

The view from Surrey Central Skytrain station.

Surrey Central - Skytrain Station.

The Skytrain route map

Other shots from Vancouver to New Westminster

This is one of the littlest things in life that make you love the world. ;)

Kitsilano Beach Park

T'was the third Sunday of July 2011 when we went to Kitsilano Beach Park (Vancouver, BC). Kitsilano Beach Park is nowhere near a tourist-spot-resort, though you can swim in the beach, it is best known as a family picnic place. It is a perfect place if you just want to enjoy the sun, get a spectacular view, play some outdoor games, or just to eat out with your friends or family.

What I loved about this place is the variety of things that you can do without going too far way. When we went there, a beach volleyball competition took place. You can get a glimpse of what's going on in the competition because the park, though it had a lot of trees, has a vast open space area which enables people from one end to look easily at the other end of the park.

We chose a place that's both close to an open ground (for outdoor games) and the beach. Going here was a breath of fresh air because it captivates you with the view it offers, it makes you appreciate the birds and swans (or ducks) wandering close to you. Those were significant relaxing hours.

Up In The Sky

June 9, 2011 - 4:40pm (Philippine time) was the date and time of our direct flight to Canada via Philippine Airlines. It took 12 hours and 10 minutes to reach Vancouver International Airport from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Days before our flight, I've been thinking of things to do while I'm occupying my designated seat at the plane - while we're up in the air for more than 12 hours. Thankfully, I wasn't bored. HAHAHA I sat beside my mom. My seat was 12C, her seat was 12A (that's the seat beside the window). I thought my legs were going to hurt because of the long flight but they didn't. Thanks to the spacious leg room of PAL's business class seats.

The flight attendants were, though kind of old (hahaha), very polite and attentive. They immediately asked us to choose the dish we want for dinner. After selecting meals for dinner, my focus was on the airline's entertainment system. I browsed through the different channels available, and the movies simultaneously showed were: Rio, Big Momma, The Green Hornet, Hall Pass and Just Go With It. Those movies were played around 6 times. On the third showing, I was finally able to catch the entire showing of Just Go With It. It was a cute, entertaining movie.

Other than the entertainment system and food, I continuously checked the view from the window. In the middle of our flight, I exchanged seats with mom. I like checking the views from the window. I have some pictures to prove it. I find it cool that we had two noons and one night within just twelve hours!! HAHAHAHA

Sorry for my kid-like amusement. Thank God for this long, though air pocket-y, safe flight!

Tumblr = Inspiration / Motivation.

It's refreshing to know that in the middle of these past plain, boring, hot summer days, World Wide Web has still something amazing to offer. Well yeah, it really has a lot to offer because Internet has been my life this summer. But there's this one site that just inspires me. It's called Tumblr, I'm sure you've heard about it. It is a blogging site that allows you to post photos, music, chats, videos, or any text post you want. You can also 'reblog' a post that has already been blogged by another person.

What exhilarate me oftentimes are photos that make me realize a lot of things. There are times that I'm just completely inspired by the photos posted all over my dashboard.

I'm a teen with tons of dreams. I dream big. So it means a lot to me when I see photos of my dream cities/places or just photographs of things I want to do someday. It motivates me to do something each day that would bring me extra closer to my dreams.

I like to share some of the photos that have just touched my heart. If I reblog photographs of places, it means that I aspire to go there someday. If I reblog text-photos it means that I can relate to them, or at least made me laugh.

Awesome places:

(Above) This is NYC. One of my biggest dream cities.

(Above) I'm guessing this is Cape Town, South Africa. But I really don't know. I just wanna be here someday.

(Above) This is the viewing deck of Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. I've been to Singapore once. But it was still under construction-completion that time. Look at the pool and the view. I swear I'll be there in the future!!

Some of my favorite text-filled (inspirational) photos:

Those are some of my favorite Tumblr posts. I do not own those images, I just imported them from Tumblr. Check out my Tumblr account - http://seanisnotyouu.tumblr.com for the credits of the owners. :) You can follow me, and check my Archive for these photos.

As you can see, I like reblogging city streetlights at night. I love nights, the streets, the busyness of cities, and the lights - they just make up my dream cities. And as you may notice too, typographies about valuing time and reaching your dreams are my favorite topics to talk about. I guess my principle about life revolve on those, that's why they mean so much to me.

I believe that we should all value time, and we should not be afraid of dreaming. As I always say, "Dare to dream. Dreaming is always a journey, never an escape." I'm just tired of hearing people say that dreaming is for losers, and that dreaming makes us deny the reality. I've always believed that dreaming is a journey we must enjoy. It is a journey in which we are destined to be on top. And I love that, I think I'll enjoy reaching the starts and fulfilling my dreams. Now you can see why I love Tumblr so much, can't you? Tumblr is just a great place of thinking and making up my mind about my dreams. Today, all of my dreams may be just pure 'fantasy', but watch me as I chase those dreams and make them reality.

Masterchef-ish.

Today was just another boring summer day for me. I woke up at 2 pm, had lunch right after I got up, and surfed the net afterwards. Around 4pm, my tummy seemed to scream to me. I know I'm hungry, but I'm thinking of food to satisfy not just only my tummy but also my tongue. I don't want another eat-this-cause-your-hungry snack. I want some delicious stuff. Last week, I wasn't queasy and that delightful about our food for dinner. So last Friday, I went out to the grocery to buy some snacks that I like. I tried not to be expensive, so I ended up buying nachos and fries. Well those weren't bad choices at all because each pack contains a lot inside (a lot nachos and fries *wink*). I got so ecstatic last Friday to test my cooking skills, wait let me correct that, POOR COOKING SKILLS. I tried to cook some fries and toasted some nacho chips. But I wasn't so good. I burned some nachos. Some fries are half-cooked and very wet and soggy.

But today, I tried to do the same. I toasted some nachos, and cooked some fries. With correcting some errors I've realized, I was able to produce some tasty and delightful chips! You may say that I'm over reacting because it's only effing Fries and Nachos. But hey, you have no clue how bad I am at cooking/preparing activities. I also tried to add milky cheese dip on it so my tongue would be happier.

Here's what it looks like:

I may sound bias when I say this, but those fries were really great. They're even greater with that dip. I'm just happy with what I've prepared. I've prepared some good pancakes before, and created my own recipe of fried rice too... so I think I really am now a masterchef. Well maybe just masterchef-ish. Hahaha, I know that I'm a beginner in cooking, but I'd love to learn how to cook and produce delicious stuff in the future!

Stars shine for you. ;)

Have you ever had a day that just felt so wrong? Like your world has stopped and just can't catch as the world of others continue to move forward? I have.

Sometimes we just feel so restless and feel like something's making us sad. But no matter how hard we try, we can't figure out that 'something'. We then start to think of possible reasons to blame of why we really are feeling down. But most of us don't know that this makes our feeling worse. We start to see the wrong in us. We start to look at the flaw of almost every thing around us. This is normal, and this is healthy - that's what I think.

Sometimes acknowledging our sadness helps us. It reduces the pressure we feel inside. It heals the pain we feel. I also believe that once we know our flaws, we begin to appreciate them. Life is just so ironic and crazy. Today it'll make you happy, the next thing you know it's slapping you with problems. But I guess as a fifteen year old, I don't have a clue of what life is yet. But I know that the stars will always be there. And I know that the stars shine for me. So you have the right to feel sad and feel bad sometimes. You just have to get your positivity back and know that life is challenging, but always fabulous. You have to remember that stars shine for you, and they will shine brighter tonight.

Idol Finale Season 10

So yesterday, it was American Idol Season 10 finale. I got blogged once about this Season so I think it would be just fair to blog about the Grand Finale of this Season.

So it was down to the pride of Garner, NC Scotty McCreery (17) and the pride of Rossville, GA (16). I'm a follower of this season, so I'm close to knowing to every detail about this season. If you read my previous blog about American Idol season 10, you know

that Scotty and Lauren are my personal favorites. And hooray me for having a great taste! They're this season's Top 2.

The finale was, as usual, divided into two nights: the performance night, and the results night .

Performance Night

They sang 3 songs. The first song was a song that they already sang in the competition. Their second song was a song chosen by their idols. A song that will be released and will serve as their first single was their third song. I have to agree with the judges - I believe that Lauren won the night! Her final song 'Like My Mother Does' was like a winning piece from her. That was amazing.

Results Night

The Grand Finale / Final Results Night this season was memorable and, just like other finales, star-studded.

And the winner is..............

Scotty McCreery!

Congratulations, Scotty! You deserve it! :) Personally, I love Lauren more but they both deserve to win. So I'm happy with whoever wins.

This has been really a great, talented season. Hoping for a better and more entertatining American Idol Season 11! :)

Watching the sunset

March 18, 2011 was the last day of regular classes for the school year 2010-2011. Technically, the last day of Junior year. This day was definitely a memorable day. It was definitely an "I will miss you, Sean" day - not just because the school year was ending but also because I won't be spending my senior year with my classmates. For those who don't know yet, my family and I are migrating to Canada.

I know that migrating will be hard - leaving all your friends in this country, dropping the dreams you thought that will happen in this country, and many more. But I know that God won't let us have our application approved if He doesn't have good plans for us. I also believe that going there will provide me more opportunities that could benefit my future. So to my dearest friends, I also wish that I don't have to leave you and go there considering that it'll be our senior year. But, I know that God has planned this well. Besides, we can still talk to each other even if we're miles apart. Thanks to the modern technology!! Before I get any cheesier, I'll better post now the pictures that I haven't uploaded yet. These pictures were taken on March 18. They will forever remind me of how different and great this day was.


Ms. Marcos dismissed us (Bea and I) early for our last club meeting. Bea and I saw Marc near the Fiorgelatto-Oval area so we went there. These were some of our vain shots:



Soon after, Lara, Cheska, Nikki, Junelle and Laureen (who're all Samahang Pilipino club members), were also dismissed so they joined our bonding with the camera too.



I tried to treasure every second of that day as much as I could because I know that I couldn't turn back the hands of time. I'll definitely miss these people. Looks like the sun is setting on us. But I don't care, even if we will be away from each other, we still have each other. We must remember.. there's a sunrise after every sunset. :)