Safe & Conscious Travel in the New Normal + Places I Want to Visit

We're only 2 months away from the new year! Can you believe it?! I swear it seems like it was only yesterday when we're ringing in the year 2020 on the street, giving a toast (online and offline) complete with resolutions & aspirations, sharing a laugh over drinks with friends & family, watching fireworks, yet utterly clueless about the devastation it will bring to our lives and the world. A few months in and overnight all of our lives turned upside down. I admit, it took a while for me to finally accept the reality that things will never be the same again. I even shed a few tears whenever I think of all the things I took for granted like crowded places (which I hate so much), dining in a resto, casual strolls, commuting, social interactions, hugs & kisses, gatherings, blog events, work, shopping without having to disinfect everything every time (such a hassle huhu), going to the movies, and I could go on and on but truly one of the things I miss so much is traveling. (insert crying face emoji) We're nowhere near this outbreak's finish line but things are slowly getting back to "regular programming" with new routines and protocols in place. For weeks now, Nico and I have been discussing where we could possibly go that's nice (a beach, lake, mountain, etc) yet safe and budget friendly. In BTS Army's words, we badly need to go "Namjooning" (take time out to relax, think and commune with nature) just to recharge & decompress. Here are a few places we want to visit, as well as some safety tips...

I miss you Siquijor ;)

Going Back to Basics

Spent this week catching up with HS friends. I've missed them a lot! I'm too lazy right now to transfer photos from my camera to my laptop, so I'll save that for later. For now, here's an outfit post taken last week during (yes during talaga haha) a dinner and tea date with crazy HS friends (hi Cecille, Miki and Gsel!). Photos and then more kwentos below.

 Basic House checkered top, Romwe tweed shorts, Ruckus necklace, Meister watch, Aldo gift from Jear bracelet, Fab Manila bag, FitFlop DUE ballet shoes

Okay, this 2013 I vowed to only keep and buy lakas makayaman and good quality apparel. I think if you're in the fashion industry, you should really invest in nice clothing pieces. First impressions or any impression could be formed rapidly based on the clothes that you wear and how you wear them. If you're always on a tight budget (like me haha), trust that you'd be able to find amazing pieces if you just search patiently and eagerly. You don't even have to spend too much! Believe me. You know I'd never buy overpriced anything. I breathe for ukay ukay, and thrift shops are still my not-so-secret heaven. And I always ask myself this, "Bat ngayon ko lng to naisip???" hahaha.

  

Anyway, back to my outfit! The plaid top is another treasure from Basic House. I actually got it from the Men's section! I think Tracy got hers from there too. Hihi. Got the smallest size and I think it works naman when worn. Fell in love with the mix of color and print!  Mich was the one who plucked this from the rack for me. She intentionally got this coz she said she wants to wear this too. Haha. Sneaky!

Now that summer's almost here, am now stocking up on shorts! I love high-waist shorts because I have a long torso and short legs, and it's the perfect way to balance them. I'm now into the more versatile ones, those I can wear in the mall and also to meetings. This one from ROMWE is perfect! Love the fit, the material, the gold chain details and the fringed pockets! Notice that it added more inches to my hips. Woot. Ifringe ko kaya lahat ng pockets ng shorts ko. Wahehe.

The bag from Fab Manila could fit EVERYTHING. So spacious! The watch is from Meister's new spring collection and I love that you could wear this with dressier pieces of clothing. Fitflop's ballerina wedges saves me from the misery of shoe selection when I only want a little height and comfort. I wanna say thank you to my bessy Jear for my new lakas makayaman bracelet!!!:) All of these are my new basic go-to pieces.

Speaking of basics, there's a new house that's sure to satisfy your korean fashion cravings. Yes, this brand came all the way from Korea!!!

Girl's section!

 Boy's section!

Ana looking every bit the koreana she is haha! Cuuute.

i missed you Aie girl!!!

hello girl hihi

Already shared with you one of the pieces I took home HERE. I still have one more to post! Remember my red pants? You already saw it on my New Year's eve post, but I decided to style it some other way nalang. So watch out for that!:) I suggest you head over to Basic House STAT. Check out what you've been missing! It's a little pricey (shirts are P1500-P2k+) but I guess it's worth it naman coz you're actually paying for quality and versatility. I think basics (and classics) really define the term wardrobe staples (or is it the other way around?). Remember, trends come and go but basics are forever! :)

 

Basic House is located at The Shops, Greenhills & 2nd level, Metroeast.

 For updates, follow Basic House:

http://www.facebook.com/BasicHousePH

https://twitter.com/BasicHousePH

http://www.basichouse.co.kr/

Fitflop Due Launch at Sonyas, Tagaytay!

I originally planned to make 2 blog entries for this, but since I have a gazillion backlogs (hehe) I decided it would be faster if I just put everything in one post. So here goes! Went to Sonyas Garden, Tagaytay 2 weeks ago with the FITFLOP team, several blogger loves and press people for an exciting weekend getaway + the launch of Fitflop's newest collection! It was one of the best blogger events I've ever been to. Sweeear. This is how you do it guys. Hehe. Kwento thru photos!

we love our service! cozy!

Laira of Fitflop briefing the bloggers

my busmate

breakfast at The Boutique! Fancy!

us being bloggers hehe

the breakfast club!

Now prepare to drool...

instagram galore!

After our hearty breakfast, filled with laughter of course, we then headed to our crib for the weekend... the very charming Sonyas Garden!

some ladies and gents from Fitflop greeted us and carried our bags. so spoiled!

wow! we feel so special hehe.

Mother Earth, Tracy, Ana, Mark and Cheyser:)

at this point we were like children in candyland. super excited. hehe

so serene:)

happy kids???

lost in paradise ang peg ni Mark. hehe

ikaw na cute Mark! hehe

wearing the same sunnies from Forever 21. emoteras. haha

We were then ushered to the main hall for a general assembly. They served us their signature dalandan juice (which was heavenly) and then we were given our room assignments.

happy campers! excited to see our room!

Cheyser loves her bed.  This is what we call the China corner. Hehe.

books all over the room

our room! while we were sleeping taken by Mother Earth:)

one of our 2 bathrooms.

sweet treats waiting for us! aww

i love personalized press kits:)

We had an itinerary to follow, so we had to cut our picture taking session. We gladly headed to the spa house for our much needed massage and pampering treat. This is the life. Hehe.

We all came out of our private room, relaxed and ready to snooze. But first.. more more picture taking! Haha!

I skipped the pasta cooking demo, but I had the chance to taste it and it was delicious! I should have watched. Heh. Afterwards, we went back to our room to recharge and freshen up. And then it was dinner and presentation time! :)

happy foundation day to me. sorry ang hirap mag powder pag yellow yung lights! Haha.

love the setup:)

the new collection of ballet shoes - I love them!:)

cute table setting:)

we were serenaded by kuya while eating. galeng!

Prepare to drool again!

i had 3 servings of this. Grabeee. all of these are organic and grown in their green houses. Niiice.

appetizer. omg we devoured this like wolves. Haha. The pesto dip was our fave

create your own pasta!

dessert. taragon tea and chocolate cake.

Now on to the program!

forgot the host's name but she was amazing! you all should hire her!!!

Opening remarks by Fitflop's manager Ms. Melody Nubla:)

every table has this screen and we simultaneously watched a short video introducing the new collection, Due Flats! We love it!

very informative and fun talk by the very fabulous image consultant, Ms. Vicky Abraham. 

So in summary, Fitflop has a new collection, the Due Flats!:) This is perfect for girls who wants style AND comfort! The mini wedge also adds a little height. More height, more confidence. Agree? You could totally run in these babies. Swear.

my favorite is the red one! its classy and it looks good with everything.

After the presentation, we just had to try everything on. Haha. The crowd favorite is the 2-toned one. :)

Anyway, it ended early and of course being the adventurous kids (yes bagets?) that we are, we huddled and deliberated how we'd spend the rest of our night. Mother Earth asked permission for her babies (thanks Mother!) and after an hour (and our mini tea party) we were out and about!:)

 fun!

We went home after midnight, but the fun didn't end there. Haha. Tracy, Cheyser, Ana and I continued our girl bonding and chika'd til 4am! Oveeer. Love you girls:) 

breakfast was amazing too! drooling right now. and finally, we had meat! haha

siesta time after brekky! haha. si tracy nakisiksik talaga samin. wahaha

After our mandatory outfit photos, we sadly left our gorgeous weekend abode:( So long sweet room, so long sweet Sonyas!:) Passed by their souvenir shop where I went cray cray. I wanted to buy everything! If you love spa products then this is heaven on earth for you. Haha.

bought one! effective naman! hehe

i want this! yes it's for sale for P5k. hehe.

So practically you could buy spa products here-- massage oil, room & linen spray (which I bought), homemade balms, accessories,  tarragon tea leaves, mosquito repellants, different oils for relaxation, hair products too! I had to buy their addictive and famous gugo shampoo! I still use it now. I also bought a bottle of Hairmore. I'm on this not so secret quest to thicken my hair. I'll let you know if it's effective.

cute lounge areas. lakas maka diwata/encantadia ng peg!

:)

kuya was kind enough to give us samples of their cheese bread. OMG, I DIED. I took some home to Mich and she died too. Ansarap swear. 

We left Sonyas Garden with smiles on our faces. But the trip didn't end there! Our last stop was Bag of Beans for lunch and a coffee making seminar. :)

nakakalulang buffet. so many choices din for Ana who's a vegetarian:)

my happy plate. in fairness masarap lahat!

We had  30 minutes before the seminar, so how did we spend it? More outfit shots. Lol.

buwis buhay yesss

girls of Style Manila! Hello!:)

Mark Buenaobra of Stylebible!:) So kyooot:)

couldn't help it! i just had to wear my new Fitflops as soon as I got them.

we were introduced to different varieties of coffee beans! 

bag of beans.:)

coffee making demo!

Ended our trip with coffee and cookies. Just perfect:)

Thank you Bag of Beans!:)

Thanks again to the Fitflop team for taking such good care of us. I hope this won't be the last! Wishful thinking. Hehe. Thanks Laira!:))

For updates & to know where to buy them, follow Fitflop!

http://www.fitflop.com/

https://www.facebook.com/FitFlopPhilippines

https://twitter.com/FitFlopPH 

 

Sonya's Garden
Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines
(near Tagaytay City)
For reservations, call or text: +63-9175329097 / +63-9175335140 / +63-9175231080
E-mail: info@sonyasgarden.com

 

 

Some photos from:

http://www.stylemanila.com 

http://www.earthlingorgeous.com/ 

http://www.anagonzales.com/