Bangkok bliss.

There’s a little charm in this city! I’ve been here multiple times but every visit has always been different. 

Food, Spices, views & aroma! Everything around you tickles your senses. 

Arriving in Bangkok: you need to start with authentic Thai food.Yum to all the spices! It’s like a party in your tummy. But what makes you’re Thailand food trip a more exciting one ? 

STREET FOOD!!! 5 baht! 10 baht! The best part tho! Thai fruits!!! And coconut ice cream! 🍎🍐🍋🍊🍨🍨Now for some culture! Making our way to the Kings palace where the thailanders mourn for their kings death, it seemed more like a celebration of his life. 

We headed towards this place called: SALA Rattanakosin where we caught the view of the palace of dawn. A nice place to catch the views and sunset. Let’s talk a bit about the interiors. 

Modern, sleek, rustic. A very nice contrast from the traditional Thai views. They used exposed concrete finishes and bricks against wooden panels and high gloss reflective wall panels. – a very comfortable space to sit back and unwind. Temple run! Facinating details in these temples. Such rich vibrant intricacy. Evening escape! Dine at Thai fusion cuisine Naamsah! – hyper chic restored ancestral home interior with prints and bold colors, this place plays with all your senses. Do not mess with a place that hangs feather boas as the center lighting piece! Cap your night at one of bangkoks rooftop bars- LEBUA! The place where hangover 2 was filmed. There’s so much more to see in this amazing city. Just the lack of time. Kap kun kap! 

Girls who eat. 🐷🐽

It’s one thing to say girls pick salads on first dates. Or, they choose the tiniest thing on the menu. Wrong! Not this bunch. 

Breakfast is our favorite meal of the day, and this is how we share it together. 

Pig and palm’s breakfast menu: the new hip spot in town. As simple as waffles with bacon and scrambled eggs on toast, that’s all we really need.

Definitely not ur regular “Filipino” breakfast. But you wouldn’t even think you are dining in Cebu. 

The interiors: 

Warm and cozy. This fusion mix of castle like walls with the wood contrast against open floor to ceiling glass partitions, and walls they divided and called communals, make the place a little bit more interesting.

Here’s the catch! This amazing avocado toast with poached eggs, topped with chili flakes! 

It was a done deal! Not many places in Cebu does avocado as a savory dish! And I’m sure glad they do over here. 

Oh breakfast! Always enjoy your favorite meal with good company. ✌🏼️

Hong Kong quickie ✌🏼️

IM BACK! After a whole year of just keeping my travel tips and adventure photos to myself I decided to start again and share it.

Lots of people have been asking where to go, what to eat, and what to see from the places I’ve been, so here goes.

Let’s start this with a glimpse of HK over coffee, food & interiors. 🇭🇰  

Mercedes me cafe: Queens road, central.

Great place to catch brunch!  (Mixed fruit Acai bowls, manchego cheese omelette w/avocado, smoked salmon bites)

THE INTERIORS: Warm cozy interiors. A combination of wood & metal, make this chic cafe inviting, i couldave sat there for hours!Now off to the next spot: DIMSUM! 

When in HK, you must dimsum! Straying away from traditional , The Drunken Pot adds “cute/instagrammable” dimsum dishes. 

The druken pot, @ causeway bay.  

Note: not only was the dimsum cute, the interiors of this place was quite modern oriental chic! Plus they have a view of the harbour skyline👌🏼Keep moving: Walk around a bit and we caught ourselves stumbling back to central where HAPPY HOUR was in order. 

Enjoy a cocktail @ The Armani Prive: if u get lucky with good weather the outdoor area is a great spot to sit and enjoy the afternoon sunset.

In case u decide to skip happy hour, have tea and cakes instead- drop by LADY M @ the IFC.

Have a bite of their amazing crepe cakes! Layers of greentea & earl grey goodness! & pair it with an iced green tea latte & rose tea. 🌸🍃Afternoon delight @ lady M

Now time for dinner! Just when I thought I had enough dimsum. You cannot visit HK & miss this! 🙊

MOTT 32: the best dimsum hands down! It’s clean yet full flavor hit the spot!

Lobster hakaw, Xiao long bao with black truffle caviar. 

The interiors: winding down that glass spiral staircase, the interiors great gatsby inspired definitely made the experience more memorable. 

Your day can’t just end just yet! Even on a Tuesday HK is alive! 

Listen to a live saxophonist @ FOXGLOVE while enjoying this speakeasy bar. 

To end your night, cap it off at one of HK’s amazing concept bars: The Iron Fairy

The ceiling dressed in preserved butterflies, inside this dungeon like interior with cast iron domes. A night cap is a must getting lost in the potion that this place gives.

Still so much more to see! Every corner every stop, HK u have this charm that keeps impressing me.  

you have grown on me & will be back ✈️❤️ for now, back to reality. 

Local Saturdate.

Making date nights easier. 

Round one.

Tapas + ambiance = great conversations. Start your night with sangria’s in this cozy modern Spanish interiors restaurant.

Gorliz: tapas + vinos | located at the latest addition commercial arcade – streetscape. Wine and dine in such a unique spot in the heart of Cebu city.  The interiors: modern eclectic Spanish design. 

Your eyes gravitate to the eye candy wall of handpainted floor to ceiling tile. Open kitchen layout surrounded by a combination of wood, brick and exposed caged wine display. The seating: leather tucked & tufted, definitely first world design trends.

  
Could be romantic, or simply casual for a first date. You initially forget you are dining in Cebu! 

The food: 

1. Guava jelly + manchego cheese (what an amazing refreshing combination) 

2.  Tapas! Tapas! & more tapas: one of the most flavorful mixes I’ve tasted. Definitely Spanish food at its best. 

3. Arugula + jamon, oranges, tomato, manchego w/ sherry vinaigrette- fresh crispy goodness! 

 

What’s Spanish cuisine without Paella? It was cooked to perfection! The flavors simply infused together making you crave for more.  

 Dinner was perfect! Nothing like feeling in Spain in a small city like Cebu. 

Round two. 

Date night is not complete without a night cap. 

What about art + locally crafted beer for a change ? This was the flight of testers at the “Cebu brewing company”   My personal favorite is the mango + blueberry ale. Brewed to perfection. Sweet and flavorful! A perfect girly beer. 

The flavors: Raspberry + almond + mango + blueberry + hazelnut + bitter & amber ale.   A perfect size flight for only php 150! ($4) 
Complete your night & stroll around upstairs while you enjoy the local artist work at Qube gallery– crossroads.   

  
It’s always a fun night when you put culture and art, food + design. Something different to take your mind away from the busy week you had.

One of the paintings that captured my attention, and described my mood last night.

This. A Saturday date night must do experience. 

ROOFTOP VIBES.

This. 
The photo speaks for itself.   

Not exactly a place you would expect in the middle of the buzzling highway of Mandaue city-Cebu. This is a perfect Friday night getaway.

  
“Don’t wear heels“- that was the message I received before hand. The five flights up was worth the walk after the 4 course meal prepared by THE LAZY CHEF. 

The appetizer: 

1. Kale & broccolea yogurt dip with soaked bread. -a fun way to enjoy a healthy appetizer.

2. Kairos garden salad: organic veggies– what a refreshing delight in your palette. Fresh crunchy salad- just the right portion for your greens of the day. 

 

The main course: 

Mushroom sisig on top of brown rice served with a soft boiled egg! Eating healthy has never been so enjoyable. 

   
 
I’ve been a peschetarian for 8 years now, and this meal really reminded me on why I don’t need meat in my life anymore. 

The dessert: 

Truly not a big fan of sweets. But take a look at these babies. 

1. Vegan lemon cheesecake! – yes, sounds a bit too healthy. But this was such a delight. Biting into layers of compact goodness with a hint of lemon and poppy seed= perfection! 

 

2. Not your ordinary blue berry cheesecake: yogurt base instead! Fun fun way to use this as an alternative to a healthy dessert. Not too sweet at all.   

Burp! Now For the ambiance and details. While I enjoyed my food I was also fascinated by the design and creative things around me. 

 Interior + design – vintage distressed, industrial chic
Everything was photogenic! Every corner of this roof top was well thought out. From the separation of the wall treatments of brick and the textures of the secret doors. 

This place is every designers perfect Pinterest board in life size! -truly inspiring and made from the heart. ❤

This is where you want to be. Under the stars looking up at the sky – enjoying life.   
To the Lazy Chef = thanks for helping me leave my problems out the door. 

Girls night out.

JOSE! Johnny! JACK! Jim! – all the big J’s in life brought out the party last night. Dirty feet in bed + sore throat in the morning = you know it was a good night. 

The drinks parade at the + politics, escario central!      

There’s never a better feeling letting your hair down and dancing the night away after a few sips of my favorite kryptonite. 

The breakfast club.

7am on a Monday morning- the hardest time of the week to get out of bed. Today I wanted to try something different from the usual Monday morning routine. Headed to Abaca Baking Company to get a kick of their morning specials.

What’s for breakfast ? Unlimited coffee + fruit Danish + cozy interiors. 

The Danish– the perfect combination of crispy dough of fruits with cream. Definitely crafted to perfection. It’s a party in my palatte.

The interiors– a nice touch of rustic, artsy design. Combining mix matched furniture pieces to compliment the natural use of elements such as wood, stone and exposed ceilings. The use of hanging lightbulb lighting (this year’s trend) adds a warm cozy feel to the interior emphasizing on the local artist paintings on the wall.

Sipping on warm free flowing coffee, listening to the acoustic soundtrack of Sam Smith.

A must do on a Monday morning. 

the prelude.

it dawned upon me- where do i put all these extra thoughts & words on my mind? Initially i thought, having it up on Facebook, twitter, instagram, or even snapchat could really get my posts liked, commented & talked about…. How about my worse fear- misinterpreted.

So this is how i came & decided to blog. I have to admit, im not good with words, and writing is definitely not my strength. As i keep getting to know myself more, i realize i have to overcome some fears to feel more accomplished. Public speaking, writing and getting it read, and simply sharing things that i’ve encountered in life = petrifying. However, i need to overcome my fears, today i decided i would like to share with everyone.

Do you know that feeling when you are experiencing something so amazing and seeing it with your own eyes, but the camera cannot capture the same effect of how you really see things? I wanted an avenue to share the things that i get to see and capture- whether it be travel, design, food, culture and the other amazing things that catches my eye.

This is a glimpse of my life. A small town girl from Cebu City, Philippines- showing you what you might be missing out on, one blog, one photo at a time.

                                                                                                                                                            –miami florida 2015