It's my fourth time in Tokyo, and Cea's second, so we've been to the usual must-sees. Although our main agenda for this Japan trip is to go to Hokkaido, we both agreed that we will not leave Japan without spending a day or two in the big bright city.
If, like us, you can't get enough of Tokyo but want to steer away from the usual Harajuku, Ginza or Shibuya, here's an alternative itinerary that we did on our latest trip.
Hay nag hihinayang ako. I lost some of my Japan phone pics. I have a whole lot more in my phone compared to my camera for those "instant" moments where I don't need to fuss so much about composition, but just to keep a piece of the memory. I think hindi ko nasave yung photos ng maayos sa laptop kong mababa ang memory (Macbook probs huhu). Mabuti nalang talaga most of these pictures and videos landed on my Instagram, IG Stories, or my family's private FB group. The more that I am grateful na I am the real time poster that I am!!
Anyway, moving forward!
We arrived in Tokyo and the sun was already down. It was dark out as I peered through our taxi's window, I think it was even drizzling. It was cold, but not as cold as Hokkaido. Bright lights of Shinjuku greeted us to Tokyo's modern city. I love it, every contrast our next stop is lending us from where we just came from were perfect.
I had my phone's Google Maps out just in case our cab driver starts to do something fishy, but I doubt it coz we're in Japan. As we were nearing the capsule hotel that I pre booked via Agoda, I felt more and more excited and even at home! Hahaha! Welcome to the KOREA TOWN of TOKYO!
Merry Christmas guys! I still have about travel backlogs from this year, but iniisip ko nalang na at least there are so many stories yet to tell in this blog! Hopefully before the year ends, we are down to zero backlogs so we can start 2019 with new pages!
Anyway, we're down to our last few hours in Sapporo, and honestly the days prior this Cea and I were already running out of ideas. We wanted to do so many things but they wouldn't fit the time frame before our flight back to Tokyo. These other things include a visit to an onsen, a few more day-trips outside Sapporo, Mt. Moiwa, etc. But since we only had 3-4 hours to spare before we check out and ride the airport bus for our flight, we decided to just play it safe and visit one of the places I often see in Sapporo blogs: Shiroi Koibito Park and Ishiya Chocolate Museum.
My hidden talent lol: I can stay in at home almost the whole week, and not even feel bored, haha! In short, I am a certified homebody.
But with the holiday season nearing, I had to go out for either 1) Christmas gifts shopping, which I just finished yesterday in SM Makati's Uniqlo, 2) To attend parties and gatherings (baptism of Aki), and 3) To of course buy some groceries in Shopwise!
Now you can drop the latter, make your list , and tick all of them without even leaving your home!
This year has been crazy for this Kdrama fan girl. Even though I am on a temporary 5am-Club break, I had experienced the most unbelievable thing for a person who looks up to K Idols, and that's to see them in the flesh!
If you know about Korea's celebrity status, sobrang strict nila and you won't just see them in the mall or the streets unlike here in the Philippines or for Hollywood stars. But the lines are blurring because of these organized fan meetings, and I am grateful that out of the thousands of cities in this world--these Korean stars chose Manila as one of their stops (keep them comiiing!).
One of the unexpected K stars who visited Manila year is Lee Jong Suk. I first watched him in W Two Worlds, but the drama that really made it to my forever Top 5 is While You Were Sleeping. I've said this a million times over and I'll say it again, it's the Kdrama na napapalakpak talaga ako every end of an episode. I love the suspense of the storyline, and of course, Jong Suk and Suzy Bae were really A+++ actors in this series!
Months late but let me share to you some highlights of the LJS fan meet below. I also included a video compilation! Enjoy, fellow fan girls, and my 2019 wish is for every Korean fans to see their favorite Korean stars in the flesh!
Ahhh again, when weeks passed by after a trip, my brain starts to take out some of the details which is very unfortunate as a blogger. So I will just try my very best to look back on this day to still make a comprehensive blog even with the delays!
Furano and Biei is a city and town in Hokkaido that traveller friends highly highly recommend. If you have time, budget, and energy to hop from one Hokkaido city to another, then you have to include Furano--and stay there for a night or two. I would have done so if not for time constraints and our huge maletas.
Furano / Biei are known for their lavender fields (Farm Tomita) with a wonderful view of the Mount Tokachi, the Blue Pond, and for their ski resorts. If you are into nature and the great outdoors, then make sure to visit Furano / Biei when you're on this side of Japan.
Good news to those who don't have or don't use credit cards, but have lots of awesome 2019 travel plans already!
Annyeong! I'm back! I realized I haven't done an updated skincare post in a while because I got into a reeaaaally really lazy phase! I've been using sheet mask for weeks, most especially during my consecutive travels where I cannot afford to bring all my jars and bottles! Haha!
It's the most wonderful time of the year once again! Sharing to you this good vibes story on the best gift ever this Christmas: A home--a space where you feel at ease and loved. ❤ Read on!
Note: Story not mine, just want to share this to everyone! Other than the good vibes, I think that a lot of us might find this useful.. especially Loc&Stor Self Storage solutions that I just heard of now!
Korean girl group Momoland (Hyebin, Yeonwoo, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin, and Nancy) is back in Manila for an exclusive, one-day-only fan meeting organized by multi-level marketing company Frontrow International. This private event is the company's way to thank its loyal distributors.
I have to admit, I am one of those whose go-to dish when tasked to cook is pasta, haha! Sure kasi na no-fail and masarap. It's also my staple meal at home when I am alone, since my sisters all go to office daily and I work home-based.
If like me sawa ka na with the usual red sauce, then check out these five exciting new flavors brought to us be Del Monte's Spa Sarap Squad!
NOTE: All pictures used in this post are screenshots from footages using GoPro HERO7.
I really want to edit the clips I was able to take from our Enchanted Kingdom day with GoPro weeks ago, but I still have to find the time + buy my laptop a new external hard drive because #memoryprobs. Anyway, I got our videos from the GoPro Hero7 lent to us, and decided to share screenshots from this fun theme park day.
Ang saya coz I've always loved the craziest and the most extreme rides, but never had them documented like this day!! If I have an ultimate wish this Christmas, Santa please give me a HERO7 for my travel and adventures this 2019!!! 😍🙏
I am so excited to take you around Hokkaido's quaint harbor town of Otaru. ❤
Imagine this: The sound of waves crashing on the shore and the sunlight peeking through the window wake you up on a lazy Saturday morning. You slowly open your eyes, afraid that you're just in the middle of a dream. But you're not. You stand up as you feel the gentle sea breeze touch your face. You go out of the porch and look at the horizon. You take your time to enjoy the beauty of the blue skies and the deep sea. The yacht will be waiting for you whenever you're ready, anyway. That's the promise of Avara Nature & Yacht Club-the easy life of the seaside.
I have a lot of fond memories with Korean beauty brand INNISFREE.
It has been proven... I get more inspired to dress up during and after my autumn trips! I love the colors associated to this season, and it's so lovely to watch people walking by the streets of Japan or Korea with well-coordinated clothes imitating the colors of trees during fall: golds and reds, oranges and browns. Everything's so breathtaking from the nature view to people's fashion sense!
I used to ask how travels go when you're part of a cruise. I experienced it first hand just recently when I joined a Royal Caribbean cruise.
Malaysia is one of those countries that you can easily go back to every year. I love going here as it is close to home. Aside from being rich in culture, food is also good (lots of vegetarian options!), and you can travel to Malaysia even on a budget. Their transportation system is also easy to learn, plus they have some Korean stuff we still don't have here in the Philippines (an Innisfree store, some Korean magazines in their bookstores, etc hehehe--priorities!). I can go back to this country for these + to see more of its other cities like George Town, Malacca City, and Kota Kinabalu.
I didn't realize that I've been going to Malaysia at least once a year for the past three years. If you're running out of ideas on where to go and what to do, I listed in this blog post the itinerary for our short trip for Tourism Malaysia and Cebu Pacific. You might pick up a thing or two! Happy reading. :)
For this month, I decided to take it easy on my skin. First, I suddenly feel lazy to go through my usual 10-step routine since about a year or so of starting one. Ngayon lang ako tinamad uli ng ganito!
Second, I really want to test out the Taiwanese sheet mask brand
Dr. Morita's effectivity by not mixing it with too much products. I received a box of the
Hyaluronic Acid Essence Mask variant (10 pcs) during their Manila media launch more than a week ago. Up to this day, I still use a Dr. Morita mask DAILY, and even repurchased in Lazada because I already finished up the ones they gave me!! Highly recommended!
I had two consecutive guest speaker stints in less than a month, and as an introvert, I still can't believe that I was able to pull off both public speaking engagements well! I mean, I am not greedy, I am already satisfied after committing just a few minor buckles and no dead airs so yey! 😂
Sobrang minsan lang ako mapalakpak sa isang Kdrama, and I did this so many times while watching While You Were Sleeping. 👏 The plot is sooo good, yung pag bagsak palang ng dramatic background music sobrang perfect timing, plus backed with great actors--I can't help but put this drama on my top Kdrama favorites!
For this post, I am sharing to you my While You Were Sleeping shooting locations, but as a Kdrama tour itinerary. I think you can accomplish this in a day or two. I still have a lot on my Korea bucket list, and might follow this when I have the chance to go back again in Seoul soon!
Where to go, where to eat, and what to do???
Let's follow Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong Suk) and Nam Hong-joo (Suzy Bae)'s journey!
Last weekend, I decided to book for a staycation in QC area because of my tight schedule. We celebrated a friend's last few weeks as a single lady last Saturday night at around Ortigas, and early morning of Sunday I have a shampoo bar making class with my sister in Tomas Morato and a fashion event in Trinoma. All my life I live in the south, but the past weeks my commuting experience was the worst! I think spending a few bucks for a comfortable weekend was worth it!
Anyway, I decided to post my Php 1000 makeup challenge since I did packed my lightest and most affordable makeup for a weekend away from home. I've been on the lookout for affordable makeup after getting requests whenever I post anything beauty related on my blog or Instagram... so here it is!
Thinking about it now, my main activity involves lots of brain churning.
I am a writer, and I have been writing for over a decade. I started with feature articles for different publications including Smart Parenting, Candymag, and Current (Meralco's company publication). My course in college is journalism. Now I write solely for my blog, and have since been used to writing with my own voice. So when it comes to writer's block, I think I've been through it so much that I want to talk about it in this post.
I just finished watching the final episode of the latest JTBC Kdrama My ID is Gangnam Beauty starring Im Soo-hyang (Kang Mi Rae) and Astro's Cha Eun-woo (Do Kyung Suk).
The drama's plot is about a girl who went through full face plastic surgery before entering college, after getting bullied for not fitting society's standards of beauty during her whole childhood. Will this change her life?
I am sure a lot were able to connect to these characters in one point of their lives. From growing up feeling they are not enough, from caring too much for what others will think, and seeing the things beyond what the eyes can see... Here are some of the lessons I picked up from one of -- if not -- the BEST kdrama of 2018!
(Spoiler Alert!! Do not go beyond this if you are not yet done with the series!!!)
Celebrities Bela Padilla, Ella Cruz, and Donnalyn Bartolome will lead TikTok's 1 Million Audition in the Philippines!
As most people say about life: The journey is the destination.
Or a huge chunk of life, at least. Imagine just eyeing your great goal and then forgetting everything else happening at that moment. I now realize that this also applies when traveling. We often just see photos or videos of travellers once they reached that coveted Instagram-worthy tourist spot, but how often does one enjoy and write (or vlog) about how they slept in airports, or how they still made sure to do their nightly skincare in a small cubicle toilet of a sleeper train, or went claustrophobic seating on a tiny reclinable chair of a night bus?
When I look back to these in-transit travel moments, I cannot imagine how I survived with just the bare minimum!
I know!!! I am super late to the party, mwahaha! But hey, with all the good reviews for this brand, I am sure Sunnies Face is here to stay! Hopefully a month late won't hurt!! 👅
My family has always been based in the south, and long before we had sports stores in our main malls (Festival and ATC), we've always had Toby's Sports.
Last night, I celebrated with Toby's Sports as they marked their 40th year anniversary with a grand party called "It's Game Time". The event was held in a huge venue in Metrowalk Ortigas, graced by Toby's supporters from all walks of life: from the big bosses, employees, franchisees, partners, athletes, and us friends from the media. They commemorated all the people that were part of their four successful decades in the industry. It also coincides with the retirement of Toby's chief executive officer Mr. Bobby Claudio.
Sharing photos from last night's event, and my "if I have the money" list of stuff I am eyeing in Toby's!
"Glass Skin" equates to poreless, dewy, translucent, and even healthy skin. It's no wonder why a lot are going gaga just to achieve it! I first heard about Glass Skin from Koreans I think almost a year ago. Amidst all the clamor for anything matte (lips, face, etc), here is a look that finally made me appreciate my oily skin. The key here is to look more natural and effortless.
There are several ways to fake glass skin through makeup, but I learned from yesterday's events that when you take care of your skin, Glass Skin becomes effortless! I am thinking of writing a separate post on how to achieve glass skin with makeup since I did need
to cheat a little a little help for having uneven skin tone and acne marks. But for now, the base is important so let's focus on skincare!
