I’ve been in an emotional rut for the past few days, and it doesn’t help that there are just so many school-related things I need to worry about. Every now and then, I’ve been trying to get a hold of myself, trying to dismiss anything that will let me fall into a relapse. I guess the stress helps me focus on the things that should matter for the time being. I have to make the most out of everything.

Saturdays are meant to be days of indulgence for myself. My tito happens to be one of the regional directors under the Department of Tourism, and he invited our family to visit the Philippine Tour Operations Association’s 18th Philippine Travel Mart at SM Megamall.

It’s really, really interesting, and I was quite delighted to be in a place full of activity! There were stalls representing the various regions and places all over the country that you will end up having this urge to travel around and realize how many wonderful places there are yet to visit in this country. There were also free food samples, exhibits and shows. Travel agencies were everywhere, so you can see a wide range of promos and travel packages to suit your liking. My mom, who was oh-so-excited grabbed a handful of brochures, cards, leaflets to compile for our next vacation destination. haha. My sisters and I were just as excited that we went around scouring for places we can’t wait to visit. The picture on the left is me with the famous tarsier in Bohol. My mom desperately wants to go there soon.

After Megamall, I headed over to Bonifacio High Street and met up with my girlfriends at T.G.I Friday’s for dinner. Lately, I’ve been having these girlfriend withdrawal symptoms, and all the frustration from school doesn’t help at all. Being with them is really my happy pill. We get to have our own time and talk about anything. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t complete, but seeing them still was definitely a breather from the madness brought about by college life in the Ateneo. Picture on the right is some random mirror shot taken inside the bathroom with Billie and Jazmine.

After dinner, we headed to my new favorite place, Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street. Seriously, I can live there. I guess Serendra and Bonifacio High Street are the new “it” places of the moment. I can understand why… good crowd, good food, good stores and good atmosphere. It’s also a great place to people-watch and soak up a night of moment-worthy escapades. And because we still had time to sit and chat, we headed to Miss Desserts and chowed down on really, really superb sweets. I highly recommend tasting their chocolate souffle.

Right now, I’m taking a break from a lot of PolSci madness, and the nerve-wracking hype from our unbelievable win against DLSU earlier. I’m not missing the next game, damnit. Afterwards, I’ll continue with more PolSci. Hell week…err…month ahead. Brace yourself, Pearl.