Have you ever slept in airports???

This post is dedicated to all fresh graduates who are still looking for their first job... Especially those who've been going in and out of company buildings for interviews and exams for months now.

Young and hopeful! Grad-WAITING stage, look at my ID burado na! Hahaha!

It's almost mid 2018! I think today is the perfect time to stop for a while and analyze the past months or so. Honestly, I feel that this year has been dimming when placed side-by-side with 2017 (aka the best year ever) but now that I am trying to recall what happened since January--well 2018 isn't so bad at all!

Greatest achievement for me so far is getting my blog recognized by a local award giving body. I am so glad that I am not only nominated at the Nuffnang Blogopolis Awards for Travel category, my blog also won People's Choice!! I remembered getting the news that I won while I was inside a grocery store in Bali. I was with new friends, so it's a bit embarrassing for me to freely express myself (aka cry or humble brag haha). I think I got the chills, as I ran looking for my new friend Etienne in halls and shelves of Bali's assortment of native snacks and souvenirs. "Nanalo ako!" Haha! I just had to make the moment memorable even though I wasn't physically present during the announcement.

Surprisingly, I found myself at the Uptown Mall in BGC several times this month. Do not confuse this with the one in QC, this mall is the one nearer The Palace in Taguig. It might not be the most accessible mall from my place, but I like going here because of the unique stores and even restaurants. My favorites for food are Melt, Hello Kitty Cafe, and Shaburi. As for the stores, they have rare street style brands (Anti Social, Supreme) carried by The Nines and Popcorn. I also love the Adidas lifestyle boutique here, they seem to carry more styles.

I had two events specifically Korean-themed both located in Uptown Mall BGC. One is a huge shopping party with wasteland Ilahui, while the other is a new store launch of Nature Republic.

Sharing photos from my visit + my haul!

Confession time! I am not a lipstick person, sadly! Haha! 👄

With the many colors, brands, and finishes coming out lately, it's so sad that I cannot maximize this wonderful makeup.

I used to be a red or dark lip girl, but recently I like my looks to be more simple. Nice straight brows, red cheeks, glowing skin are my go-tos. But since I just came from consecutive beauty events where they give out lippies, I decided to at least give them a chance and search for a new "everyday lipstick" that may replace my Bobbi Brown Art Stick in Rose Brown! It's my all-time favorite neutral shade (or MLBB), but it's mahalia at Php 1600!

Anyway, here are the four on my to-try list:

I swear by my April Skincare routine, but found an equally good alternative to it so yey! I tend to be masawain, and love rotating all the products that I have opened already. As much as possible, I want to actually FINISH them before I begin opening new bottles or jars. Ganun din ba kayo?

In this line of work I am usually sent new products to try. Some beauty vloggers will even mention acquiring acne from products that did not worked well with their skin, huhu. Anyway, I feel lucky that so far wala pa namang ultra negative reaction yung mga products sent to me or I personally bought. Sharing my new list of products that I am currently using since last month! I have acne prone, combination skin so these products might help some of you with my same skin type. I had stressful days because of Bloggers United, slept late because I was back to my Kdrama habits, had no time to go to my favorite Flawless facial, but I think my skin remained a-ok!

I think I over-stocked on shirts on that day mid-March when I realized that I cannot wear my sweaters anymore (haha). I bought different kinds from plains to dressy, to my favorite the logo tees, and have overused them all throughout summer. Same with my sneakers, rain or shine, casual or formal, I cannot imagine myself wearing any other footwear. For the few who are asking, I usually shop in sports stores, in Zalora (they have authentic Champion and Adidas), and in Uniqlo (plains, prints, cartoon characters). My recent rediscovery is Landmark!

Sharing this list because my face really cleared up after using these same products in over a month (except during travels). I love experimenting, but this combination really worked for me and a good basis is I did not get any pimples during my period! This is usually given na for me on that time of the month, but since I used these products religiously, I felt my skin started cooperating.

NOTE: Since I've finished most of these products, I tried different brands and variants just because it's so fun to shop and try out a variety of skincare. For the first time in ages I noticed I got a big zit on my forehead! I might go back to the ones featured here!!

I've been a long time wearer of contact lenses. I've tried a lot of them, from clear to colored to monthly to yearly. I cannot imagine going out of the house without them.

 I haven't really gave daily contact lenses a chance, but after trying them out and learning more about Alcon Dailies (DAILIES AquaComfort Plus) during its launch last May 15, 2018 in iDarts BGC--I think I'll become a convert!

Sporty Chic OOTD for the event:

The past days in Taiwan had been pretty eventful, we were always on the go and out of town. So on our last full day (flight home is already that night / madaling araw) Tita suggested that we just stay put in Taipei. It's also Ava's birthday so I just let them decide on what we can do to fully maximize the last hours of our trip.

Tita decided to bring us to a wharf just a few minutes from where we're staying. It's also na-ttrain, so heading there is easy and chill. Here's how our day went!

(you know last day na ng trip ko when I am wearing patche-patche / randomly put-together outfit na hahaha)

This trip went by so fast, on our 4th day we were speeding again for the train station for our booked tour with Klook. I did not expect this although I was the one who put together the itinerary, we booked TWO DAYS to go to areas that are both in TAICHUNG! Haha! Kulang ako sa research talaga for this trip!!

I was really looking forward to this!

On our third day in Taiwan, I woke up early as usual for my coffee. For this out-of-town agenda, Ava's mom will join us on our trip outside of Taipei City called Taichung. Unlike in Korea where transportation system is pretty much consistent whether you are in Seoul, or in Busan or Daegu, Taichung is pretty much a challenge for a first timer. Maybe it's like Jeju where there are not much train stations that will drop you near the tourist spot? Anyway, get ready for cab rides or walkathons!

During my first time in Taiwan, my Ate's itinerary revolved basically just around the city including temples, restos, observatories and night markets. Since pass na kami parehas ni Ava dyan, we were both game for nature adventures including this recently famous Taiwan tourist destination Yehliu Geopark.

Sabi ni Ava, she realized that she has been to Yehliu na before, long long time ago nung hindi pa daw ganyang katao. That time wala pang mga harang or red line markings indicating till where lang pwede mag lakad, and definitely wala pang officials na pumipito every time may pasaway na sasandal or umaakyat sa mga bato (hahaha). Iba na talaga ang dynamics ngayon ng traveling! People really go out of their way to take the best of the best pictures, haha! When we went there, medyo nashock ako sa flow ng tao, talagang riot! Haha! To think hindi pa ito ang peak day and hour, so asa "pwede na din" sya!

I have a little secret since end of last year. It's my love-hate relationship for luxury bags! 😅 Okay, I do super love them, but the "hate" part is just because they are addicting and it is not a cheap addiction! Haha! 

I usually just throw away my boarding pass after a flight as they only accumulate in my passport holder (unless I am planning to go back to scrapbooking or journaling again). But with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, your boarding pass is not only your ticket to your destination but also for exclusive discounts from SSI premium brands including travel brands Samsonite, American Tourister, and Lipault!

Super love my small pink Lipault luggage! I am so tempted to get another luggage in medium from either Lipault or American Tourister!

As you all know, I went to Taiwan a few weeks ago with one of my blogger besties Ava. We've been friends for a long time, but this is our first ever out of country travel together so I was really excited! We often go together in local destinations or when we wanted to see something just within the Metro (exhibits, new restos, film festivals) and I knew we really click and would make great travel buddies for many many reasons!! We have same interests, same food faves, Ava's so G (my kind of girl), and we are very patient with each other, haha! So this trip is a few months in the making. We bought the tickets on sale the moment we saw a good price online (Php 7000 round trip via Cebu Pac, not so mababa pero pwede na). Other than that, I did not really prepare so much for this trip, and just made a rough itinerary a few days before our flight. It's a given na that since Ava's mom is from Taipei, we already have an instant home during our stay (t i p i d!). Other than that, I said to myself to just wing it!

Anyway, this is a 3 or 4 part blog series of this Taiwan trip! Sobrang excited nako to blog about this but time--always time--is the enemy! Haha! Like Ava, I've already been to Taiwan before so you will not be seeing the usual Taiwan itinerary on my posts. But we tried to revisit some places (like the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall) well just because they are must-sees. Anyway, here goes the first part of that cray summer in Taiwan!

My oh my, this addiction for online shopping has gone wild since I got home from my trips!

First of all, ANG INIT! I cannot take the heat when going out just to buy stuff so I resort to online shopping. Second, I don't have the time to browse real stores (sadly!!!) so dinadaan ko lahat sa apps and sites on my phone whenever I am commuting or before going to bed. And third, TRAFFIC. I would rather stay at home!

Anyway, one of my shopping apps na humahaba na ang wishlist is Shopee! I love that they have almost anything and everything that I can think of, and at super low price at that! It's almost as if I shopped in Divisoria na! They even have free shipping and wholesale promos on some shops and selected items! Download their app to see what I am talking about (available for both Apple and Google stores).

Sharing below some of Korea and semi-Korea related Shopee wishlist! I was surprised that they have most of my must-have items, and even more.

See anything that you also wanted?

This Bali trip is quite short, and I am sure there's more to see and do in this beautiful summer destination in Indonesia. But who am I to complain when I've been given a glimpse of this island on an all-expense paid trip?!! (Read more on how I got this trip HERE). When I think of it now, this trip is actually the kickstart of my summer 2018! Hoping there will be moooore opportunities in the coming weeks! .....

Unlike my past travel posts, sadly I cannot give extensive travel tips on Bali because I was a part of AirAsia Red Talks' group tour. Meaning, I did not plan anything for this trip, but for a change, I enjoyed just following their itinerary and just c h i l l while I explore a bit of Bali's go-to town named UBUD.

Hi guys!

So I was supposed to delay this post for another week, but I realized that these are my lighter days already! I have to anticipate the busiest weeks when Bloggers United and my blog work both come in together in a week or a month. I guess better to start the travel blogs now!!

If you're following me on social media, you'll know that I just came home from two consecutive trips, at wala ng uwian. It gets tiring now that I am back in Manila, it's so hard to adjust and go hustle mode again. All I want to do was stay in bed, watch Youtube, go to the gym, do the groceries, and other mindless stuff, hehe! I am still wishing for a week of this routine, but then, work starts tomorrow! 😄 Anyway, the first destination for my Summer 2018 travels was in Bali--and this one came in a bit more unexpected than my Taiwan trip.

Didn't know this day will come! You can now BOOK HELICOPTERS ONLINE like how you book Grab or UBER!! And it's my first time to ride a helicopter just to try this service from Ascent!!!

A few weeks ago, I was able to kick-start Summer of 2018 with a water activity with my friend Ava. I may not be a girl of this season, dreading the heat and the tight outfits people go to in this temperature, but a good consolation is the chance to try out fun, outdoorsy activities I won't even attempt on rainy or cooler days.

It's my third visit in Affinity Dental Clinic, the first was in Alabang for my first ever teeth whitening (na super effective!), and the second was already in Makati for consultation with a tooth problem I've been dealing with for I think two years now (kids, wag ako gayahin, haha). I felt a huge hole on my far end tooth, I think a result of my wisdom tooth extraction. Hinayaan ko nalang sya because hindi naman sumasakit. But I realized now that the worst pain I ever experienced is when my tooth aches, hindi talaga ako nakaka tulog. I should not wait for this to happen before addressing a tooth concern!

Anyway, I went back to the clinic last week before my long trip. My dentist Dra. KC said that I needed a root canal. Prior this appointment, my mom was already warning me of the pain from this kind of treatment. But with my experience with Dra. KC and Affinity Dental Clinic in Makati, there were no discomforts!!  

You all know that I am big on hostels. It's not because I hate luxury hotels, in fact, I do love them but I just don't have the personal budget for them pa. But this doesn't mean I cannot enjoy traveling, I have other options without breaking the bank. Thank God for hostels and guest houses and even dormitories, I can explore my dream destinations at a good price! 

I remembered this tidbit about me during Mountain Dew's event last April 13 at the 55 Events Place in QC. 

"Price should never be a barrier in chasing your own personal thrills,” says Katrina Paras, Flavors Marketing Manager of PepsiCo. "Whether it’s extreme sports, gaming, vlogging, or anything, as long as it gives you a thrilling, exhilarating experience, then you should CHASE IT." I think my quest to see Korea in all four seasons and its different cities is my own Lupit Sa Sulit story. Imagine getting able to see these places and experience these seasons, but only spend Php 500 - 900 per night for my accommodation! Haha! Lupit!

Anyway, sharing pictures from this fun event! I got to spend time with new and old friends from the world wide web, meet the new #DewIdol James Reid, and also try the new #LupitSaSulit Php 8 for 8 oz Mountain Dew glass bottle! Ang sarap nya, and grabe yung 8 pesos lang sha!!!

With my bff in budget traveling Paxieness!

I think I've been to so many parks in Korea, especially for this spring trip since my agenda is to collect as much cherry blossoms experience as I can. 

Besides, it's such a waste to stay indoors on a beautiful spring day!!

Filed Under: Alternative Things To Do When In Seoul.

In all my Korea trips, I've never once set foot in Itaewon. I've heard a lot about it as a cool party place, and the perfect area to grab a bottle of beer (or soju) to loosen up and have fun with friends. It's funny that my first time in Itaewon is for something cutesy and wholesome--haha! 

BT21 is Kpop boy band BTS and LINE Friends' collaboration and I am in love with it! The Bangtan boys created their own cute characters, which LINE Friends produced into merch (clothes, key chains, stickers, etc) and even food in their own cafe. You can see all these in Line Friends' flagship store located in Itaewon, so after Yongma Land abandoned theme park adventure, I asked Jari if we can have our coffee or dessert here kahit medyo malayo instead of just going to a random cafe (team tuhog, hehe). Thank God she's up for it! Woohoo!

Like most Line Stores in Korea, they have the HUGE Brown stuffed toy in the middle of the store, where guests take turns to have their photos with!

My fascination for abandoned theme parks started when I saw an Instagram post around 2 years ago of a Pinay who went up the railings of a roller coaster in an abandoned amusement park in Japan. I forgot who the girl is and where the theme park is exactly located, but I found it cool and interesting to visit something that long before was a happy place. Pwede pala yun noh? Once a smash hit is now napabayaan na, or that you can still visit these places and still find them interesting. Sabi nga nila "full of stories"! 

Anyway, when I got back from Seoul after my main mission of chasing spring in Daegu, hala I had no more plans. I still have TWO FULL DAYS, so naisip ko maybe it's time to visit that abandoned theme park in Seoul?! MABUTI NALANG TALAGA, my new friend Jari messaged me to let her know lang if I am back in Seoul and kailangan ko ng kasama, haha! I know I can do it by myself, but I think a trip to an abandoned theme park is more fun (and less scary!) with a friend!

I am a country repeater. Never thought I'd type that four or five years ago. I've always been the type na mag hihinayang if I go to same places again and again--instead of spending the travel budget to see a whole new place. But then again, am I seeing the exact same things whenever I go to Korea?

Well not really! I am so used to people saying "KOREA NANAMAN!?" or "Tumira ka na kaya dyan?" HAHA! But they don't understand, I cannot afford to live in Korea yet HAHA! The most is 10 days. Also, it's not as if I go there just to see the same places again and again. Masawain akong tao by nature. First, there's the different seasons that we don't have here so I still enjoy them (winter, spring, and autumn). And secondly, I choose to focus on different cities on my every visit. For Spring of 2018, my 7th time in South Korea, I decided to go to their non-touristy city which is DAEGU.

I think no other scene in this wonderful world of Korean drama made my heart flutter as much as Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo's theme park episode when Joon-hyung fulfilled Kim Bok Joo's secret bucket list.