I haven't seen Alden Richards' latest blockbuster with Kathryn Bernardo, but now I am really intrigued!

Here's something I realized: I always find myself back in Cebu at least once a year. 

One time, I was there with my family for a cousin's wedding. He married a Cebuana. If I remember it correctly, the whole clan was checked-in at the Quest Hotel where our new cousin-in-law used to work so we got good discounts. On that trip, I also remember going to Cebu's Abaca bakery for the first time with Cea, and then spontaneously hailing a cab to the Crown Regency to try their infamous sky ride! 😄

Another time, I went to Cebu solo flight to give a talk on travel hacks for an insurance company. I also went there for (not in particular order) a food crawl, a Vios cup, a Miss Universe coverage work stint in JPark Resort, the launch of the new airport, and of course for Sinulog!

I also had a Cebu trip where I celebrated my birthday away from home for the first time. My friends and I had a fancy dinner, and then later on got drunk with red wine in La Maison Rose!

I recently concluded my 80-Hour Korean Language Class, and thought that I'd share a bit of my experience being a student again and learning a new and totally different language. 

August is the Philippines' Buwan ng Wika Ang Agosto ay ang buwan kung saan ipinagdiriwang nating mga Pilipino ang Buwan ng Wika. Ito din ay matatawag nating ating Buwan ng Kasaysayan. Madaming paraan para ating mas maisapuso ang ating pagka Pilipino, lalo na sa mga susunod ng linggo. Ito ay ilan lamang sa mga naisip ko na pwede kong gawin upang masabi ko na ipinagmamalaki ko ang pagiging isang Pilipino!

(Balik lang ako ng English a! 😄✌)

I have had too many rainy travel experiences to complain. From beach to hikes to the city, you name it!

Whenever I see my Accuweather app donning multiple thunderbolts during my travel dates, my only prayer is to spare my flight hours as I don't want a bumpy ride. The rest, I can deal with basta matuloy at hindi macancel ang travel.

The Mercury Retrograde has finally ended, and I can feel August will be a good month for us! No big travel for me yet, but if you are heading to Korea this month (lucky you!), then I am sharing these THREE Kpop music festivals that you might want to watch while you're there!

Hello! Sharing new stuff that you may want to try!

One of the most misunderstood countries that I went to is India. The first thing that comes to mind are all the things that media has shown me prior experiencing this beautiful country myself: It is scary, it is dirty, crime rates are high, etc. 

Through this 10-day trip though, I realized that about 50% 80% off the things we just hear around and read on social media are not true! I like the advice given to me by my friend @beingmisseast on my first day in Delhi:

"Oo mainit ngayon, haha! But enjoy Indiaaaa. I wish I wasn't as praning when I went. I would have enjoyed 200% more. But there's always a next time. I'll be viewing your stories!"

Recently, I find myself missing Singapore!

I went there to watch Coldplay concert last 2017, which also instantly became a barkada trip since my friends and I were already there. I stayed in SG for good 10 days, and although it wasn't my first time in this country, I was fun to visit new places especially with friends! I think that's the magic of traveling, if you are curious and open to anything, there will always be something new to see, taste, and do!

Hang in there self-esteem, I recently had a bad case of breakout (on my cheek, forehead, nose, etc), and it's not even that time of the month yet!!

I'm thinking if it's because of being too stressed out for nothing, or it's because of the new products I've been trying on my face. And so I decided to take things lightly day-by-day, and to shake up my skincare routine. I've been buying random Korean and Thai products online and when I am in the mall (stress-shopping?) making it harder to pin-point the culprit! 

Since I have no idea what product caused my pimples, I thought of using (almost) one-brand skincare. My choice is Korean skincare brand HUXLEY.

Sometimes, social media will make us want to wear new clothes to have different daily outfit posts. I think this is problematic because we tend to: 

1) Buy more clothes (usually at fast fashion stores) which is not good for the environment. 

2) We also lose our creativity when we just wear our new clothes every time we go out.

Repeating your outfits is okay, but I think the best trick is to repeat your old pieces of clothing and make them look as if they're new! How? By styling them DIFFERENTLY! Here are some simple fashion formulas I've been using:

We had 4 full days in Chiang Mai, and to make my travel organizer life easier, I just booked one activity per day via travel app Klook! This is not sponsored! 😃 I just want to show that if you're in charge of the trip, and you don't want to think too much na or you don't have time to make intensive itinerary, Klook has a lot of offerings na sobrang okay and sulit. I'd like to think that hindi ako napahiya sa friends ko, haha!

Klook tours usually already include your transportation the whole day, free buffet lunch, and a tour guide. I like it pag na ti-tita mode nako sa isang trip and don't want to navigate or think of where to eat lunch na may pwede sa lahat. I can't believe I'll be in this stage of my travelling life, haha! DIYs are cool and maybe even cheaper, but going on tours doesn't necessarily take away the fun in travels.

I was thinking of how I should blog the activities that we did in Chiang Mai differently, and not just present them point by point like I always did before. Yesterday during mass, I had an aha moment when I realized that some of the stuff that were included in our tour turned out to be controversial (most of which I found out when I got home na, huhuhu). 

Instead of steering clear from this topic, here's a post dedicated to just that: How do we travel ethically? How do we know if an activity or tour supports abusive behaviours for money? 

More than a month has passed since my summer in Chiang Mai with two of my closest friends. We decided to go to this city because none of us has been on this side of Thailand, and it is something different from the usual places we've been to recently (plus, Ava needed the MomCation, and Paul wants to hug elephants irl!).

First of all, I am so happy to travel again! I enjoyed planning this trip for my friends coz they're all very game with whatever I present to them. Budget hostel? G! Klook activities instead of pure DIY? G! It made creating our itinerary easier and more fun coz everybody's so open to any ideas! Walang stress or diva, hehehe.

So here's the first part of our wonderful wonderful Chiang Mai trip! ❤ Was supposed to just post one blog entry for this, but there's just so much photos to share! Haha!

I think it was 2 years ago when I slept in Singapore's airport. It was a layover for a red eye flight to Myanmar. We had few hours in Changi International Airport, so we took our sweet time. I remembered having late dinner at the 24-hour food court, riding the empty connecting Skytrain of Changi Airport, and then finally spotting empty chairs of a closed cafe which we assigned as our "beds" for the night.

It wasn't a comfortable sleep, but we survived. More importantly, it was a story that won me a blog award last year! Haha!

This year, I earned two free flights from my work with the airline SCOOT. I picked Chiang Mai because it's a place that my younger sister Cea had been raving since her own trip with her friends. I invited Ava and Paul to join me, and glad that they were super game to travel! Paul really wanted to hug elephants, while Ava naman said she needed the MomCation (Mom Vacation) which was perfect at that time since the kids were on summer school break.

Getting hooked on simple jewelries

After years of just wearing a standard black watch with my outfits, I am currently getting into jewelries again. I like necklaces and bracelets, and sometimes I also wear a simple but pretty dangling earrings to compliment my look. 

I only want a few pieces of jewellery that are meaningful to me, and so I am also looking into getting cheap custom jewelry with either my name or initials on it. Like the standard black watch, I am sure a personalized piece will be something that I'll wear everyday and keep for a long long time!

I am sharing what keeps me busy during my down time because this (and YOU!) are important to me!

I’m sure you’ve heard this so many times but putting your money on the bank is okay, but growth will be slow. My ultimate financial goal is to make money even while sleeping.. and this is possible through stocks!

I only went to 2 Kdrama locations during my recent Seoulo trip, and one of them is from Park Bo Gum and Song Hye Kyo's 2018-2019 series Encounter. 

It would have been nice to visit colorful and lively locations from the first episode of this aesthetically pleasing Korean Drama, but since we can't fly to Cuba now, this is the next best thing!

One of the Seoul scenes that struck me the most was when Kim Jin-hyeok (Park Bo-gum) brought Cha Soo-hyun (Song Hye-gyo) to an "outdoor art gallery". At first she was reluctant that there's any art gallery that she does not know of in Seoul, but surprise surprise!

Been out and about lately and discovered new brands and products from fashion and food categories. Sharing them to you below!

Just a disclaimer, this trip was actually during spring, thus the jackets and layering. But I realized that since hotter days are coming to Korea soon, it will be nice to feature spots ideal for those who are going to Seoul during summer.

I had a workation (work + staycation) last Friday in a property in Makati called KL Serviced Residences. I had lots of stuff to do around the area before the big India trip this weekend, so staying for a night in a more central location worked well in my favor as I live in the south. 

It's already a known fact that I book hostels, dorms, and guesthouses for my solo trips in Korea. It's not because of preference, but it's just what I can afford at the moment without asking for any sponsors to cover for my personal travels.

It's amazing how a hostel in Korea can go as low as Php 500, and it's already in prime location. Average cost of the bed spaces I've stayed in Seoul is around Php 1000 (inclusive of extra charges). This just proves that Korea travels are more affordable compared to Japan! You can read more about my budget accommodation experiences in Korea in this post.

Through the hostel life, I also discovered so many things about myself. The things that I can endure, and what irks me! It also makes me proud how I can watch over myself, especially when I stay in spaces with minimal privacy.

Gwangju is the hardest to grasp for me for this Spring 2019 trip. It was frustrating! I thought it will be Yeosu since I only had less than a day to explore this city. But Gwangju, I had the same feeling during my last day in Busan--sobrang bitin! I haven't figured out the city yet, but I already have to leave.

Gwangju's must see sites, aside from the ones I was able to visit, are about 2-3 hours away from the city proper. These include a bamboo forest and a green tea farm from neighboring cities. I had to take long bus rides to achieve these side trips, which will take up my whole day. It wasn't possible on my day 1 since it was just my arrival, and my day 2 since it was also the SBS Super Concert day. And sadly, even my day 3 was already set as my transit day for Seoul (plus it was raining!).

Having glowing skin is more than just using makeup products like bronzer or highlighter, it is actually making sure you are healthy! It means you are "glowing from within".

One of my goals now that I am on my 30s is to have clear and bright skin through a healthier lifestyle. There are many ways to do this, here are some of them.

While making my itinerary for this trip, I saw a gap day between Jeonju and Gwangju. Instead of extending a day in either of them, I decided to pick a random city in between. I don't know how I landed in Yeosu, but what I do know is that I have a spot for port towns. Anything by the beach is instant good vibes! My short stay in Yeosu was definitely worthwhile.

The past months, I've been in contact with my college classmate and friend Arete for his upcoming Korea trip with his misis (wife). 

From their visas, to their itinerary, to the little details like Korean Won money exchange, we tried to exchange tips to make their first trip to Seoul A+. As I've said before, I may have travelled and write about Korea travels so many times, but I still learn a lot from people I get to talk to about their own travel experiences. 

Yesterday, Arete messaged me that they are finally back in Manila after a "super fun" Korea trip. Then, he also sent his tips and lessons from their own personal experiences, which I realized might be helpful to some of you! I asked if I can share them here on my blog. 

I already have my own "standard Korea travel 101", usual airline, usual travel agency for the visa, usual place where I withdraw my Korean Won, so basically my tips might be limiting when it comes to these things. Again, there are no right or wrong in travelling, but there are OPTIONS. And so I am sharing my friend's lessons as a guy who travelled to Korea for the first time with his wife. I hope you find them helpful! Here goes!

Many women today turn to hair extensions so that they can enhance the look of their hair, or easily achieve the style that they want without cutting their actual hair or waiting for it to grown. Choosing the right extensions takes some time on your part so you can make sure you get something just right for you. Since buying extensions is an investment, you want to do all you can to get something of the best quality, get it installed properly, and learn the best ways to take care of your hair. Here are some steps you can take to properly care for the virgin Remy hair you have purchased, and make the most of your investment by making it look great all the time.

Maintenance is Important

Since the virgin hair you purchased is unprocessed and natural human hair, it requires maintenance to make sure it stays in the best condition possible. The damage that you may cause to your extensions because of improper or lack of care is irreversible, you will end up wasting your hard-earned money on something you can no longer use. Taking the time to perform daily and regular maintenance on the hair to keep it looking the way you want it for a longer time.