That sunny Friday

One friday morning, my sister asked me to drive her to Intramuros/ Fort Santiago so she could take pictures for her photography class. With nothing else better to do, I decided to go with her and just enjoy that sunny friday. And enjoy we diiiiid :3 We acted like tourists the whole time! HAHA I decided to document the trip through my film camera (which was ruined half way through the day) but I’m still going to developed them and just hope for the best :) 

Not to bore you with words, here are some photos:

(Looks like I have long legs! HAHA A tip: Ask your photographer to take your photo from a lower angle so you’ll look like you have long legs! mehehe *sneaky*)

(The friendly guard!! He told us where to go, what to do, what to try etc. Aaaaaand I love his uniform!)

Me with short hair? Yay or nay? HAHA 

[White crop top from Topshop | Cardigan from Forever21 | High waisted shorts and belt from Zara | Hat from SM department store | Sandals from Landmark]

I hope you’re not getting sick of my face yet. HAHAHA I suddenly felt shy after all these portraits. Don’t hate me for being vain :(

Anyway, its monday again tomorrow. Have a great week ahead you guys! :3

PS: Figured out how to activate disqus commenting shiz! Yey for me. HAHA

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Trip to that place

Last sunday, my dad had the sudden urge to go somewhere “nice”. So being the travel supervisor (a name I stole from Sheldon Cooper!) I suggested to make a quick trip to Nuvali and then go to Tagaytay. Partly because I was melting due to the humidity here in Manila and also because I want to see the crazy kois in Nuvali!

It was so fun to watch the kois fight for the food! They were so hungry that they’re squishing one another. Some were already out of the water because they were really all over that small spot where we throw the food. It was really funny and entertaining! You should go and experience it! haha

We went to Tagaytay right after feeding the kois. We proceeded to steaktown to have our early dinner. I was rooting for Leslie’s but they wanted steaks. And well, we were all very disappointed. The steaks were really dry and hard to chew. It was like, chewing cardboards. :| 

Anyway, the place was really pretty and the sun is just about to set so it was the perfect time for outfit shots!

(Top from 168 | floral shorts and belt from bangkok | hat from Sm dept. store | shoes from Jellybean)

I also brought my new baby, (Canon A-1 film camera) and tried taking test shots. I hope the results are okay. Once I finished the roll and have them scanned, I’ll try to post them here if the results aren’t too ugly! I’m still getting the hang of it. Film cameras are really tricky because unlike digital SLRs, you can’t just look at the screen (it doesn’t have one lol) and see what settings you need to adjust. Its more of a trial and error. I hope this will train my eye for settings and details. 

Anyway, that’s it for tonight. Its sunday tomorrow and I smell another trip. haha We’ll see :) Can’t wait to post outfit shots with my hair!!

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Misibis Bay: Day 4

Day 4 is all about whale watching! We woke up early to go to Donsol. It’s a 2 hour drive so we had plenty of time to catch up on our sleep. We were so excited for this because its our first time to go and interact with the gentle giant. But I’m kinda bummed I don’t have an underwater case for my DSLR :(

We were the second batch to go there and we were actually nervous because we overheard the first batch saying there were zero sightings of the whales. We are about to waste a huge sum of money for nothing if the whales don’t show up.

We have 3 hours to wait for them and we needed to be ready to jump in when our spotter spots the silhouette of the whales. 

After a couple of minutes, we found ourselves putting on our snorkleing gear fast and perched on to  long bamboo stick at the sides of the boat ready to jump in.

The whale showed up! We were excited and nervous at the same time!

Swimming with the whales is fantastic. They’re so cute with their polka dotted body and flat heads <3

I’m just glad they showed up even though I didn’t get the chance to document the whole experience. 

Some photos:

• That’s the spotter standing on top of our boat.

• Lunch on the island

• Failed photo attempt with the Mt. Mayon’s invisible perfect cone

That’s it for day 4! :)

Not much photos to share.I’m feeling lazy to edit them :P

It’s monday again tomorrow so..

have an amazing week ahead!

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Misibis Bay: Day 3 part 2

This is the second half of our day 3.

I’m really excited to blog about this one because I love my outfit! ;))

Got to wear my very summer-y mullet skirt that I’ve been saving for the longest time because we just went sunset cruising. And before we rode the boat, I had my outfit shots taken first. 

As you guys can see, the wind was not very cooperative that day. My hair was flying in all directions, my skirt’s not swaying in the right direction and I looked like a mess. But still, it kinda works because of my summer outfit!

The Mt. Mayon is once again covered by the clouds! But nevertheless, the sight is still amazing! With the sounds of the waves overwhelming me, I just wanted to stay at that spot forever.

But of course we cant. The waves are getting rockier and rockier and the sky is getting darker, too! So we hurried to the shore and back to safety! And the moment our feet touched the sand, it began to rain! haha

We laughed it off and started to run like crazy back to our villa.

Home sweet home! :)

Thanks for reading my non sense! haha

Misibis Bay: Day 3

Our third day in Misibis Bay was the day my brother have to go back to MNL for his internship. Since we go to different universtities, our schedule don’t exactly sync up. That’s why sometimes, my mom just guess our schedule and wait and see what happens. 

And now, this happened. We wasted 2 days worth of meals and also, the airfare. :| My brother wasn’t able to experience all the activities we did for the next 2 days. :|

But we did catch up on picture taking! And that made mom happy. HAHA

Shortly after he left, following the itinerary, we rode the ATV. It was so much fun!! I get to drive while my sister was left no other choice but to rode with me since she’s not yet 18. :>

The sceneries were beautiful and the road is both challenging and exciting at the same time! It was my first time to ride ATV and its really really fun! Can’t wait to do it again!

(White sheer tee from Topshop | Denim shorts from PRP | white beaded bracelet from 168 | blue hat with big bow and blue beaded necklace from SM Dept store)

I forgot to post this photo from my last post so I’ll just post it now:

Changed the tones to a cooler setting. And look, we’re not too blur!!! haha

Anyway, will post the other half of day 3 tomorrow!

Happy tuesday!

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Misibis Bay: Day 2

A crappy outfit to start off my post. Well, not exactly crappy but I would’ve improved this outfit a lot better if we weren’t too late for our schedule!

After eating lunch, we again, spent the 2nd day lounging around and taking naps. Total relaxation. I spent some time reading Sophie Kinsella’s book, Can I get your number. But in the middle of reading it, the the phone rang! It turned out to be the receptionist asking us to confirm our scheduled water activities.

So after like, 15 minutes of preparing and stuff. We head out to the beach!

The beach is fine. Nothing special. And it’s not as inviting as Coron or Boracay. 

The sand is fine and the color is not totally white. Kind of cream-ish. Also, the beach have small stones and corals all over it. It’s not the best beach for swimming or for little kids but it works well for water activities. Some people also enjoyed the beach. I never really tried to swim there because as I’ve said, its not that inviting. 

We tried the hobbiecat first because we wouldn’t want to get wet in our first activity. (ironic, since we’re there for the water sports.)

After that, we all tried the jet ski. It was fun! :)

After everyone took their turns to ski, we all called it a day and head to our villa. I swam for a little while in the pool and after sometime, bathe and went to the dinner buffet which always take place on the beachside.

I was able to snapped a photo of where it was located that same afternoon. Lookie!

When I headed out to the buffet place, I wasn’t expecting it to be perfect!

The moon is full!

Wait.

That didn’t come out right. Let me try again.

There it was, the biggest full moon I’ve ever seen! The scene was too perfect. And it occurred to me that I actually brought my tripod for the trip so, I hurriedly went back to our villa and brought it out to the buffet. Silly me huh? I actually could feel other tourists looking at me all weird like, “what the hell is she doing with that tripod?! It’s dinner time!”

Well, look at these photos and tell me what you think!

Due to my limited talent (if ever I have one) in photography and also, limited capabilities of my camera, these photos don’t even do half the justice for what we were seeing at that moment. It was magical. Like, the blue moon in the movie smurf! haha

I felt relax and at peace. I forgot all about what it is I don’t want to remember during that time. (uii, chismis!)

Of course, my overly photograph enthusiastic mom insisted to pose even though I already pointed out it will turn blurry because it was set to a very slow shutter speed. But still, she insisted so, this are the results:

Blurry but she still loves them! haha

Anyway, with that photos, I end my day two. :) 

I shall post the next entries next time.

Have a great weekend! :)

Misibis Bay: Day 1 

Finally, here’s a photo diary of my day one in Misibis Bay. 

After arriving in Legaspi airport at around 7 30 am, we then proceeded with our scheduled itenerary which includes a city tour. I’ll just show you where we went through the photos :)

Super messy hair because I slept in the van.

I initially don’t want to come and take photos because I was too sleepy. (Imagine waking up at 4am to catch a 6 am flight?!) I was groggy the whole trip! But nevertheless, my mom convinced me and so… here’s a messy photo of me. I posed infront of the Cagsawa ruins. On a cloudless day, the perfect cone of Mt. Mayon is also part of the backdrop. 

Trademark jumpshot! :)

There were a lot of photographers that offer their services. They can do these funny trick shots which includes the ones above. They don’t ask for a fee though. Just a donation OR you can also buy their photographs of the Mt. Mayon size 8R for 150 php. For these trick shots, I guess it will be easier if you use a digital camera instead of a DSLR because just like the photo above, using a DSLR can blur out some details especially if the aperture is not properly adjusted. 

There were a lot of shops that sell flowers and abaka products. They are really cheap too! A lot of souvenirs items can be found there also. I bought little chili keychains as souvenirs for my friends. :)

After that, we then proceeded to our next stop which is the Daraga Church. Its really beautiful. I love the whole facade and the architectural design. Too bad they painted some parts with white paint. In my opinion, it has more impact with the original color rather than the “modernity” of the white paint. The original blocks made the church more ancient and mysterious looking. But our tour guide said the paint wil eventually fade so that’s good.

After some poses, we light up some candles, said a little prayer and left. 

After a few minutes inside the van (I dozed off again in those few minutes.) We finally arrived! It was just 11 am by that time so after we ate our lunch,(which quite frankly didn’t lived up to my expectations) we went to our room and spent the whole afternoon in bed. Well, actually, they did. My sister and I spent the afternoon reading our books. 

I read. She spent the entire time playing with my iphone. :P

After sometime and after finishing the entire book, we explored the resort a bit which also meant.. outfit shots!

Paired this pastel printed top with my neon orange striped shorts and added neutrals to complete my outfit. I left out the cardigan behind for the shots.

(Pastel printed top from Dorothy Perkins | Neon orange striped skirt from Cinderella | Weaved bag and cream cardigan (seen from other photos) from Topshop | Shades from Aldo |Gartered sandals from SM department store | Bracelet from Boracay )

That’s basically my first day of vacay. :)

I’ll post again soon.

In other news, my pup is currently smelly and dirty! That’s despite of bathing her yesterday. She spent the entire day running around outside thus, leaving her white fur gray. I’ll probably bring her to the groomers tomorrow. 

Anyway, how’s your wednesday?

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Rest of the days

Posting this photo series of the rest of my stay in China. Hope you like them :)

I wish we have these wings and curry chops in our local KFC. They’re absolutely yum! 

A glimpse of my outfit I failed to take a photo of. And a fat baby!

The village.

A well outside our house! My relatives used to use the water for washing clothes before. I’m not sure if they use it till now. 

But I took a peek and its still working because there’s still water! I find it a little creepy though. 

On our way to my granpa’s grave. Its located on the mountain slopes. (I know!!) its really hard to explain. But the  graves are huge unlike here in Philippines where the cemeteries are almost over populated. And we need to take a very tiring and for me, dangerous hike in order to visit the grave. 

All the branches and trunks are like, peeling. I guess it has something to do with the cold weather.

One of the graves we visited.

On our way down. I’m too scared to slip because there were a lot of sharp rocks that can easily fracture my head if ever I slip OR cut out my cheeks. I swear, I’m just not cut out to hike wearing boots! I saw other Chinese women wore heels up there and I was just, amazed! They must have super powers! haha

LASTLY, here’s a photo of a weird variety of Lay’s. 

CUCUMBER FLAVOR!!!

It tasted like…cucumber and its super WEIRD! 

Anyway, how do you like the photos? 

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

China 2012

Here’s a photo diary of my most recent China trip. These photos were all taken the same day. This entry might be photo heavy but sadly, this set is the heaviest. I don’t know if I should even separate my entries day by day because my succeeding days in China were spent shopping and visiting my grandfather’s grave (more on that) but yet I did, just for the sake of being organize. And, I don’t even have a proper outfit shots. It’s because I’m too shy to pose in front of my Chinese relatives and I don’t know how to explain that its for my “blog”. haha

Anyway, here’s my first day:

Upon arriving at the airport, my dad had a brilliant idea of going to this place I’ve never been to (even though we practically go to China yearly to visit my grandmother and other relatives) We went to the beach side! We even rode a boat! I didn’t even thought that it exist in that area! 

The water is surprisingly clear and nice too. But its not as inviting as Boracay or Palawan (biased, i know!) The beach is golden and according to my dad, a lot of people go there to swim during the summer. The weather was cold kasi when we went there. :>

This is my dad and her sister. They look so cute right? :) They’re pretty close and for me, they look so much a like too!

There were a lot of street vendors around the area but I’m scared to take photographs of their merchandise because they can be very possessive of it. One time, I snapped a photo of some shoes in some chinese department store because I thought it was cute and a saleslady reprimanded me (rudely so!) and told me to delete the photo infront of her. I was so embarrassed because everyone in there could hear her. I wanted to cry then and there. Isn’t it ironic that they are so scared of product imitation when they are the biggest manufacturer of fake items? Just a thought.

Anyway, this is some of the street food I dared to try. It looks yummy right? Well, it is! Although its a little too spicy for my taste. The squid was fresh and chewy. YUM!

Oyster cake and their versions of hotdogs.

Ate at this fancy restaurant that didn’t lived up to my expectations. The soup they served was cold. The food was expensive and bland and the service is terrible! :|

My dad also challenged me to climb 32982890472 steps! I was dying when we got to the hill top :| But the view was amazing and the wind feels nice and cold that I’m glad I did it.

This tree looks like cherry blossoms <3

(turquoise tunic  and boots from landmark | black long sleeves and heat generating tights from Mark and Spencers| brown belt and leopard print scarf from Bangkok | necklace from 168| bag from Aldo

We also saw some pretty peacocks and birds :)

After that, we decided to catch the last boat and go to our house in China.

That’s the end my first day :)

Anyway, since the last day of my exam is done, I have more time to blog and do non sense stuff! Yey :) I guess I’ll be able to blog more often.  I’ll try! (Plenty of distractions you know)

So, how’s your vacation treating you?

And oh, how do you like my new editing style? :>

be sure to tell me what you think!

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Thailand day five: Bangkok to Manila

These are just some shops along Pratunam street (first few photos) and inside the famous Platinum fashion mall. The moment I stepped inside the mall, I felt sooo happy. (retail therapy works, I tell you!) Everything is just so lust worthy! See the bags in 9th photo? We bought 3 colors of their heart bag because it was that adorable in person! The prices in Pratunam street market are lower compared inside Platinum mall but I guess all in all, everything’s relatively cheap that;s why we bought so many stuff! My sister and I even had to buy a large bag with wheels just to carry everything we bought! 

Anyway, that’s the last post of my thailand adventure. I’m currently procrastinating and typing this blog post instead of studying for my 2 exams tomorrow. I guess I better hit those books.

Have a great evening! :)

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Thailand day four: Pattaya to Bangkok

On our fourth day, we were set to go back to bangkok. But before we did, our guide took us to this open safari. I had a great time!

Mainly because first, we remain seated in the comforts of our air conditioned bus! We don’t have to walk which is so great because frankly, I’m tired from all the shopping and walking around. Second, we can open our windows during the ride for better photos! We can even touch some of the animals (except for the wild ones of course) and lastly, we saw a lot of animals doing their thang! Let me show you through the photographs I took :)

I also had the oppurtunity to feed the tall giraffes! That’s the reason why they’re standing near the hut on the 9th photo. 

I never realized that their tongue were that long! Kind of freaked me out because when I ran out of bananas to feed them, somehow I imagine them licking me because I still have the smell of their food! haha paranoid me :P

We also had the opportunity to feed the birds! But.. the birds were too scared to go near us. 

But another tourist managed to seduced the bird with his sunflower seed and when he got his photos, he “transfered” (for the lack of better word haha) the bird on to my sister’s hands! Good thing it didn’t flew away so we had our photos taken too! :>

After that we did tourist-y stuff like watch different animal shows and take a bunch of photos. We also ate lunch at this huge buffet place after our feet got tired and our tummy grumbled. Here’s my silly face after eating:

We spent the rest of the afternoon travelling back to Bangkok and some light shopping after.

Anyway, here’s what I wore during shopping in bkk. Changed my bag into something bigger so my wallet could fit in. 

Anyway that’s it! Will try to post a new blog tomorrow!

Have a great night! :)

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Thailand day three: Pattaya

I’m a huge beach bum! I love the crystal blue waters, the warm sand, the sound of waves crashing onto shore. I love the sun and everything about the beach! So when our tour guide told us were going to this island, I hurriedly packed the essentials (sunblock, shades, hat) and was the first one to be ready! :>

I was just supposed to wear my high-waist swim suit and a crocheted cover up but my mom insisted me to wear this white summer dress so as to not be too revealing while on the boat ride.

Best. Decision. Ever.

That boat ride

was the scariest boat ride EVER!!!!!!

The waves are too high and strong for our medium sized boat. The wind was too strong too and very very cold. I can feel myself shivering despite the vast movements of the boat. I was half expecting for our boat to turn upside down.

I’m usually excited about this kinds of boat ride but damn, it was too much!! So when it stopped to this huge platform in the middle of the ocean, we were so relieved! 

We waited for a few minutes for the a new boat that will take us to the island.  While waiting, we had fun watching some of the other tourist parasail :) It was too funny! 

Then the boat arrived and we proceeded to the island. Thank god the waves are calmer the second time! My sister and I even went to the front seats of the boat. 

This is what we saw approaching the island :)

We settled down on this folded chairs (that we have to pay 15 baht each! Can’t believe its not for free! Kinda disappointed there.)

Anyway, the wind was still too cold that I can’t swim. The water’s too freezing (for me). I know there’s plenty of sun in my photos but its too cold and I don’t know why! haha

After an hour or so, we wrapped up our relaxation and went back to pattaya island :>

I thought “Finally! I can change my ugly outfit”

But I was wrong :( We went straight to our next destination which was the park :) We had fun taking photos of the amazing designed arcs made out of pots and some tigers and elephants too! :)

After that, we proceeded to the zoo where we saw so many elephants!!!!! We watched the elephant show and it was so amazing!

Here are some photos:

the cutest little baby elephant everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

After the show, we went back to our hotel and enjoyed a little relaxation time. 

No outfit photos because as you guys can see, its really not a “bloggable” outfit.

But I’ll leave you guys with my favorite photo for this day :)

I have so many backlogs I can’t wait to post it :)

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Pattaya Night Market

Some of the photos I took in Pattaya night market. It somehow reminded me of Boracay because the stalls are just a few steps away from the sea :) (refer to photo 4, you can see the sand!)

I’m currently working on my backlog. School is just too demanding these past few days. I’m always so busy (not to mention, sleepy!) thus, little time to blog my whereabouts. Anyway, I’m currently here in my parent’s house for the Chinese New Year. Same old preparations needed to be done so I’ll keep this short :) 

Happy Chinese New Year!! :>

Thailand day two: Bangkok to Pattaya

On our second day in Thailand, we woke up early to go boating. It was so cold that morning so I wore my floral blazer to keep me warm. 

While on the boat, we got to see some of Thailand’s great architecture. And of course, I just had to take some photos of it despite the rockiness of the boat and minor splashing of the water. I was so scared to get my baby wet so some shots are not as good as what I would’ve liked. 

at the end of our route, our tour guide bought some funny smelling bread from merchant on a boat so that we could feed the fish.

After the river boat ride, we then proceed to a looooong drive to pattaya. It was still so early, so a 2 hour drive sounds good to us. That way, we can sleep and rest which is exactly what we did! haha

I took these during the pit stop :) 

We arrived at our next itenerary 2 hours later. And surprise, surprise, We’re at the zoo! We first ate lunch (thai and chinese food, anyone?) and proceed to do some fun zoo activities!

You probably saw the post on tumblr, the one with the depressed mommy tiger because her babies died and the zoo people wrapped piglets with tiger printed cloth and gave those pigs to replace the tigers baby?

Well, I saw several of those in this zoo :)

And look, here’s a mommy pig with a little tiger! so cute!!!

And apparently, it is so common in this zoo. Like, omnivore and carnivore living together in peace kind of thing!

We also played this game with a long pellet gun. All we have to do is shoot the bull’s eye and when we do, the small box of food will open up and feed the tigers! 

A cute tiger waiting for food! Heehee <3

After wandering around, and since there’s nothing much left for us to do there, we felt tired so we left for our next destination. Then suddenly, I remembered that I was supposed to ride the elephant at the zoo! I was so sad I thought I missed the opportunity! But our guide assured us that there’s plenty of opportunities to ride the elephant in Pattaya and he was right! We just arrived at out next stop!

YEY for elephant ride!!

The location was so beautiful! It was near the beach so while riding the elephant, you can snap away at the cinematic view :)

and needless to say, that’s exactly what I did because silly me forgot to left my camera to my mom so she could take photos of us. haha

But our “driver” was kind enough to take our photos at the middle of the “trip”

After one point, he even told me to sit ON the elephant! At first, I really didn’t want to because the elephant’s neck was so hairy! And I was wearing shorts so imagine those hairs “poking” your skin! Also, the hair is thick and kind of hard. Its like those plastic thingies where they put the tags on a brand new shirt. (okaay, off topic) But, I finally gave in. Awkward pose:

After that elephant ride (which my mom recorded via her phone) we then proceed to our next stop which was the floating pattaya market :) 

We shopped for a while but we were getting really tired so… we just took photos of each other while waiting for my mom who’s (at that time) was not yet done shopping! But after a few minutes, she came and we fled to our last stop.

Look at my haggard face after shopping >_< 

We finally got to our hotel! yey :) This was supposed to be the location of my outfit shot but when we reviewed the photos, it was all blur and this is the only shot that is acceptable.

And as for my outfit shots, I settled inside our hotel room: 

I’ll post our night shopping trip in another entry! 

anyway, have a great weekend! :)

(Source: tearsofjoyce)

Thailand day one: Bangkok

Finally found some time to edit the 800+ photos we took in Thailand and sort them into folder (‘cause I’m an organize-freak that way). It was my first time to use the new lens my mom bought me for Christmas so I kind of bombarded my camera with random shots and sceneries.

Anyway, we arrived at bangkok at around 2pm. And on our way to the hotel, we saw this:

An unfinished building is burning up! 

We stayed in the highest hotel in Thailand which have a mall!!! (yey) the amenities of the hotel were pretty awesome. An indoor golf course, pool, a revolving view deck at 84th floor etc etc. But sad to say, I was kind of disappointed with the rooms. It just didn’t lived up to my expectations.

Anyhoo, after resting for a little while, since we have an itinerary to follow, our guide took us around the city for a little city tour. 

We also ate dinner at a chinese buffet place (as per my parents requested) 

Anyway, I didn’t have much photos of myself since I did all the taking. So my outfit shot was taken inside our hotel room.

Anyway, that’s it for our uneventful first day. We were too tired to function but we did a little night shopping at thei night market infront of our hotel which was awesome!! :”> More to come! :)

Till the next time!

(Source: tearsofjoyce)