HELLO DECEMBER!

It's that time of the year again! And, no, it's not the universe's yearly period (what) it's actually: DECEMBER! People everywhere deck out their red stockings and Christmas trees and Christmas songs that never get old. Jack Frost and Santa Claus (squeee) go nipping at your noses and leaving presents that you've been asking for for sosososo long, respectively. Snow falls, temperatures drop, the days become a tad bit shorter and nighttime comes early. Yep, definitely my most favorite time of the month. Not just because of the sentimental value of the month or because of our Saviour or something like that - it's because of the food. Yeah, I'm a teenager who's physically insecure but also loves to stuff herself up to the bursting point with glazed doughnuts and FroYo. Not only that, but also because it's my birthday! *forced cheering*

Ah yes. The weird little bundle of baby fat that is me popped into the world on the 8th of December, in 1999. (December 1999 kids ROCK) and December is also the month Taylor Swift is born! SQUEEE! Major fangirling moment. 

I would also like to take this time to greet any future December birthday celebrants blowing out the candles anytime starting tomorrow (because it's November 30 here).

Yep. Here are 12 tips on how to reflect on the last month of 2014 *sobs* without regrets.

1. Every struggle you have faced in your life has helped shape you to be the person you are today. Be thankful for the hard times for they can only make you stronger.

2. The right way isn't always the easiest.

3. We are not given a good or bad life. We are given life, and it is up to us to make it good or bad.

4. You'll never be successful if you don't encounter failure.

5. Build your dreams, or else someone else might hire you to build theirs.

6. You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have left.

7. It's never to late to begin.

8. Life is too short so smile while you still have teeth! 

9. It's better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for something you're not. 

10. Don't complain about things that you are not willing to change. 

11. Everything is worth the wait.

12. It'll be alright in the end.

Oh, and thanks for dropping by! 

PRISAA 2014 - Day One

In case you were wondering... that's me in the middle right there. I got a gold one for 50 m backstroke. Believe it or not, it still mystifies me as to how I managed to win that one. Oh well, it's another event to swim in the Regional PRISAA in Bacolod City, I guess. I didn't make it to the integrated meet (curse minor technicalities), and it may have bummed me out more than usual, but the one thing I learned from these two consecutive days, is that I'd make a pretty darn good [butter]flyer. As long as I put all the effort into it, this time next year I'd be a shoo in for 200 m IM. Now here's hoping I won't accidentally embarrass myself when someone from the team sees this.

Photo credits go to people who posted these on Facebook. Thanks!

Oh. And thanks for dropping by!

An Essay I Did On 'Killer Instincts'

Killer instinct (n)

Dictionary definition:

·       An aggressive tenacious urge for domination in a struggle to attain a set goal.

·       A very strong desire to succeed or win.

Question: Do I want to win?

I remember, exactly one year ago, PRISAA 2013. I remember the loss. The feeling of seeing what should be mine being given to someone else. I remember feeling disdain, disappointment, and frequently asking myself, ‘why didn’t I work hard enough?’I trained with the same people and did the same work out as they did. Dad was right all along. Not only does the physical part of the athlete matter; the mental toughness contributes a great deal to the outcome.

And that is what I think I lacked, and only began to find in me earlier this year. I told myself to learn from my mistakes, and not let disappointment get the best of me. There is always, always room to improve. Though I was sidetracked because of my hand operation, I promised myself that I would show them. I will show all of them, that Frances is something special. I lacked killer instincts.

Anyone can be an athlete, but it takes someone truly dedicated to their cause to excel and deserve to be called a champion. Not everyone is born with killer instincts. Almost all champions, some point in their lives, gain it from experience. They never settle for ‘okay’. They will almost always want to do better than their teammates, stand out, and are willing to do whatever it takes.

Though sometimes, athletes gain it through harsh experiences with others. Champions are never complacent. They strive to improve, because they possess the drive. They make bad races stepping stones, meticulously go over what could have possibly have hindered them from performing above satisfaction. Sometimes you’ll win, sometimes, you’ll learn.

When I stepped on that diving board after almost two months of not being able to set foot in pool water, I retrieved that memory from the dark corner of my mind. That small memory. The feeling of losing, my stomach flipping, head swirling, filled with disappointment. 

That was enough to ignite a spark - not a big one, but a small, steady speck – then it hit me. I never want to feel that again. And when the buzzer sounded, I let all my fears go. All my worries, my insecurities, floating further away with every stroke.

And for the first time in ages- I felt the burning desire to not let this opportunity to show them what I am capable of slip away.

It’s all those days of hard sets, late-night workouts, supplements and extra words of encouragements. They are the factors that have been adding up to this moment. Now either go hard, or go home.

Like Eminem once said, “If you had one shot, one opportunity to win everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it or just let it split?” –Lose Yourself

“You only have one shot, do not miss your chance”

In conclusion, yes, I want to win. I want to win as much as I want to breathe.

PLAYLIST FAVES

Hey everybody! I just wanted to share my top 50 favorite songs on replay right now. They aren't picked from the Billboard Top 100, I can assure you that! They're what touch my heart the most. Quite dramatic at times, but also funky and I hope you'd find the time to listen to them too!

1. Hall Of Fame - The Script
2. All Too Well - Taylor Swift
3. Out Of My League - Stephen Speaks
4. I Want The Sky - Lucy Schwartz
5. Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
6. The Scientist - Coldplay
7. Honeymoon Avenue - Ariana Grande
8. Almost Is Never Enough - Ariana Grande ft. Nathan Sykes
9. Forever And Always (Piano Version) - Taylor Swift
10. Six Degrees Of Separation - The Script
11. All I Want - Kodaline
12. Somewhere In Neverland - All Time Low
13. Never Knew I Needed - Ne-Yo
14. I Knew I Loved You - Savage Garden
15. The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script
16. You And I - One Direction
17. Long Way Down - Tom Odell
18. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake
19. Not A Bad Thing - Justin Timberlake
20. If These Sheets Were States - All Time Low
21. Come Back, Be Here - Taylor Swift
22. Moment Of Truth - FM Static
23. So Close - Jon Mclaughlin
24. Amnesia - 5 Seconds Of Summer
25. Blow Away - A Fine Frenzy
26. Boom Clap - Charli XCX
27. Collide - Howie Day
28. Come Home - OneRepublic
29. Cruise - Florida Georgia Line
30. Empty - The Click Five
31. Exit Wounds - The Script
32. Tee Shirt - Birdie
33. Stuck In The Moment - Justin Bieber
34. Someone Like You - Adele
35. Say You're Just A Friend - Austin Mahone
36. Please Don't Leave Me - P!nk
37. Only You - Matthew Perryman Jones
38. Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
39. Fall For You - Secondhand Serenade
40. Exit Wounds - The Script
41. Everything About You - One Direction
42. Gravity - Sara Bareilles
43. Half A Heart - One Direction
44. Hate That I Love You - Ne-Yo ft. Rihanna
45. I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys
46. Near To You - A Fine Frenzy
47. Marry Me - Train
48. Lost Without You - Adam Jensen
49. In My Veins - Andrew Belle ft. Erin McCarthy
50. Invisible - Taylor Swift

Thanks for dropping by!

HELLO NOVEMBER! [Late Post]

Hey guys! So it's the 3rd day of November today (pretty late for a 'Hello November kind of post, huh?) I've been away for quite a while, thanks to school, the upcoming playfest and swimming competition all summed up into one word: LIFE. Yes, life can be the cause of many terrible things. So why not make the most of it? I'll be spouting out ten seeds of inspiration that I've hoarded from various sources and bringing them to you, hoping you'll be able to relate to a thing or two.

1. Letting go is like pulling a tooth. When it was pulled out, you were relieved, but how many times does your tongue run itself over the spot where the tooth was? Probably a hundred times a day. Just because it wasn't hurting you doesn't mean you didn't notice it. It leaves a gap and sometimes you see yourself missing it terribly. It's going to take a while, but it takes time. Should you have kept the tooth? No, because it was causing you too much pain. Therefore, move on and let go.
-David

2.That moment when your muscles ache, your stomach knots, your breathing is shallow, your mind is weak, and all you can think about is giving up. That is the moment that counts the most. Keep going. -Anonymous

3. "If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do." -Michael Phelps

4. "If you have a bad thought about yourself, tell it to go to hell because that is exactly where it came from." -Brigham Young

5. Everything has beauty. But not everyone can see it.

6. "Fall in love with someone who wants you, who waits for you. Who understands you even in the madness; someone who helps you, and guides you, someone who is your support, your hope. Fall in love with someone who talks to you after a fight. Fall in love with someone who misses you and wants to be with you. Do not fall in love only with a body or with a face; or with the idea of being in love." -Unknown

7. "Maybe there's something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go. It's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt because it matters." -John Green

8. I go to seek a great perhaps.

9. "What we find in a soul mate is not something wild to tame but something wild to run with." -Robert Brault

10. "Just because you haven't got it all figured out doesn't mean you never will. Someday you may even look back and wonder why you were ever worried." -Anonymous

Remember to make the most of the LAST TWO MONTHS OF 2014! I'll be posting my New Year's resolution and HELLO DECEMBER, GOODBYE 2014, and HAPPY NEW YEAR POSTS soon.

Thanks for dropping by!