My Travels: Top 5 Highlights 2011

It's the last day of 2011 and it's been a very wonderful year for me. Let me share with you the highlights of my travels this year:

• Manaoag
• Mom and I hopped on a bus and went to Pangasinan to visit the Our Lady of Manaoag. Just the two of us, which is a first because we usually would travel with my sister or with one of my aunts. It was a long trip but the visit is always worth it. Bonding time with my mom.

Our Lady of Manaoag

• Bacolod/Dumaguete
• The very first time that I visited Bacolod and experienced eating in Manukan. The people are really very nice and friendly plus the tone of their dialect is in fact very malambing. The following day, we traveled 8 hours from Bacolod to Dumaguete! It was like a roller coaster ride! The zigzags, rocky roads, a highway in the middle of a field full of sugar canes. Plus we get to ride a RoRo from Bacolod to Iloilo. Wee! It was such an amazing trip!

Stop over from Bacolod to Dumaguete

Native Coffee and Suman (w/Chocolate)

Dumaguete church

RoRo from Bacolod to Iloilo

• Boracay
• It was a surprise that my boss actually included me in the few of the employees who will be traveling to Boracay for our business unit's Strategic Planning activity. Our stay there is extended for us to have a time for some Team Building activities. I had such a blast with the after parties as well.

Strat Plan

Night out with team

Lunch after island hopping

• Vigan
• Another first time for me to visit this place! The food, the heritage village, the churches, the Baluarte, which is only some of the experiences after our visit to one of our dealers there. I really wanted to go back to this place again, hopefully to Laoag as well.

Vigan's empanada

Heritage village

• Cebu (Larsian/Sky Adventure)
• The second time that I have visited Cebu and the first time that I have experienced the Sky Adventure and eating in Larsian! The edge coaster is by far the most scariest thing I did this year!

Larsian

Sky Extreme Adventure

That wraps up my top 5 memorable trips for this year! How's your 2011?

Let's welcome 2012 with a huge smile and lots of love! Happy New Year everyone!

Care Divas

Care Divas

A huge thanks to our friend Aze of Sybex for the complementary invites to this wonderful event! I can't help but to feel ecstatic when I heard about this. I always wanted to watch a play since this is something that we don't do often.

It is a musical drama-comedy about five Filipino transgenders who worked in Israel as care-givers by day, and drag queen performers by night. While desperate to cope with their experiences overseas, they struggle with their experiences in work, cultural differences and loneliness.

The story is mainly about the lives of Chelsea, who amongst the five characters seems to have the nicest employer whom she calls "Daddy Isaac"; Shai, who is most of the time is haunted by the nagging of her mother; together with their friends the buff yet girly, Kyla; the flirty and naive, Thalia; and the taray Jonie.

I enjoyed very much the fun dance performances, their original music and the witty comedy. I was so much in awe that I felt like I forgot that my mouth was open. Hahaha! But apart from that, it shows us a deeper story and see what is really going on behind those hardwork for "pasalubong" or "padala" of overseas Filipino workers.

At the end of the show, we got a chance for a meet and greet with the actors and take pictures with them. They are awesome!

My favorite is Kyla (Jerald Napoles). At the meet and greet, I immediately ran toward him!

Jerald Napoles as Kyla

Next is with Shai (Vincent de Jesus). I like the touch of teddy bears on his wardrobe.

Vincent de Jesus as Shai

And of course, Chelsea. I felt slightly embarrassed afterwards when I blurted out "you're so pretty!", I really just can't help it!!! Coz she is! Oh I mean, HE is! Doesn't he? Well hey, it's a compliment!

My Sky Experience Adventure - Cebu

This is the highlight of our trip! Since the day I booked a flight to Cebu I just can't stop thinking about Sky Adventure... Sky Adventure, SKY ADVENTURE!!!

We went there at around 4pm and it wasn't very crowded as I expected, probably cause some people already spent their money to buy tickets for the Pacquiao-Marquez fight? Anyway, for only about Php1,000/head we get to enjoy The Edge Coaster, Sky Walk, 4D Theater and dinner afterwards.

The Edge Coaster.
This is the first of its kind in the world! You get to ride and tightly fastened on a coaster then you can go all the way to it's maximum tilt of 55 degrees looking down and go around the edge of the Crowne Regency Hotel, it is at the 38th floor lang naman! I was extremely excited when I hopped in the coaster, but I lost my poise when our seat tilted! My hand got sweaty and my shin was aching, I was doing my best not to look down (I was so scared!) but I eventually managed to look up on to the horizon and appreciate the awesome view of Cebu city, I felt better. Whew!



Sky Walk Extreme Sky Adventure.
It is about a 15-minute walk around the edge platform on the 37th floor of Crown Regency. The fun part is you walk on a see-through platform with nothing to hold on to, but you sure are safely buckled into a harness and cables connected on the back of your jumpsuit. It was not really that scary at all, I even did a "one foot stand" on the edge for a photograph - ha!


Cameras are not allowed when on both the Edge Coaster and the Sky Walk, but they have official photographers who will be there to capture your extreme moment.


After the Sky Experience Adventure we went in the 4D theater where we get to pick which film we want to see. We chose Lost Island. It short film wasn't that bad but the 4D glasses really kind of made me feel dizzy. Then we had our bonggang bonggang buffet dinner.

The whole Sky Experience Adventure is amazing! And I survived! Do you think you can survive too?

"Larsian sa Fuente" Experience - Cebu City

It is a barbecue place
Those are the only words I was told. I really have no idea what else to expect aside from "everything barbecued". This picture in my head came in, it is probably situated in a nice place where you can just relax and enjoy your dinner. Maybe like "Gerry's Grill", then the scheme is like "Dampa" where you can pick the fresh seafood, pork, chicken, etc and have them cooked the way you wanted them. But it looks so different from the picture I have in mind.

Holy smokes

So finally we arrived. Standing in front of the place "Larsian sa Fuente", I was so curious what the place have in store for us. We stepped inside and we were engulfed in this thick cloud of smoke, it was as if we were walking on clouds. Are we in heaven? I admit that I was quite a bit shocked but that moment actually gave me a sudden feeling of excitement.

Welcome to Larsian
The place is surrounded by different barbecue stalls with lots and lots of tables right in front of each stalls towards the middle! The noise of the vendors calling, inviting and attracting prospective customers amused me. If you close your eyes it is as if they're calling your name wanting your autograph or picture with them (haha). You might also be surprised with the mix of the crowd here. I saw a few foreigners, some dating couples, a young group, a some kind of family gathering. Everybody is welcome!

Lami Kaayo

We had this dozen sticks of pork, liver and gizzard, chorizo, I don't know what else is there... and oh! Chicken. Plus it is served with "hanging rice" or what they call puso. You can say lami kaayo which means delicious.They do not have spoon and fork so forget about table manners and eat with your bare hands! I see some people wrap their hands with plastics so that their hands wouldn't get dirty.

Chicken

Assoted Pork, Liver, Gizzard, Chorizo.

 

My favorite Pusit!

Hanging Rice aka Puso (sing with me: Sana dalawa ang puso ko.).

The Experience
It is truly a fun, wacky, and unforgettable experience and the smell of the food will surely stick to your clothes. It really is so much fun and it is worth sharing and I hope you guys visit this place too! It is located near Fuente Osmeña and Chong Hua Hospital.

Can't Hardly Wait for "Immortals"

I just found out that Immortals won't be released today (11-11-11) and we will have to wait until November 30th.

When we saw this trailer a couple of months ago and it got us excited, well ok it's most likely a bit like 300 meets Clash of the Titans but I assure you that you'll be engaged with its cinematography.

Early this week excitement rushed over us as we anticipated it's official international release (November 11, 2011). However, and for whatever reasons, sources states that the Philippine release date for Immortals will be on November 30, 2011.

Anyway, for now let me show you the trailer and let's all together wait for its release here:

Dollface Palettes

This week I have been deciding which of these Dollface palettes I should buy. I already have NYX Eyeshadow Palette but I need more colors. But I still can't decide!

Vanity Palette

 I like their Vanity (Combo) Palette because it has eyeshadow, lipsticks, blush and contour. However, the eyeshadow collection is pretty much similar to my NXY eyeshadow palette (below), doesn't it?

More Dollface's Eyeshadow Palettes:

Avant Garde Palette (I like this one so that I have darker shades)

Contour and Blush Palette

I wanted to get them all! 

Peacock Theme

This pair is perfect to jazz up your plain tees and jeans outfit. Also works if you are bold enough to put an accent for an evening dress. Got this pair for only Php150.

I did a peacock inspired makeup (before my purchase) wishing I finished my look with this pair! Oh well! What you think?

Read more of my makeup blogs here.

Etude House: Precious Mineral BB Cream Sheer Glowing Skin

Three weeks ago, Beverly Tanyag and I walked in Etude House and there right in front of us are the BB Creams! With Sandara Park as their image model- so gorgeous!

I have been hunting for a BB Cream, no no- wait, not for just a BB cream but a really goodBB Cream that works well on Asian skin (and my sensitive skin too). Bev and I tested the products on our hands. The effect of the Sheer Glowing Skin caught my attention! After days of reading reviews about Etude House's BB Creams, I must say that the BB Cream Sheer Glowing Skin is bagging a lot of good reviews. So I finally decided to get one and see for myself.

On my first day and my first time, I was quite excited to test it. So I started by pumping a pea-size amount onto my hand. Applied dots on my face then did gentle patting motions with my fingertips until it is blended smoothly into my skin. When I finished, I got this pinkish and a bit gray-ish look which got me worried! First-timer jitters? If there is such term. I tried waiting for the BB Cream to set on my face for a while until it later blends on my skin tone very well -whew!


After three weeks of using this, It works great for me, considering that the coverage is so good that the dark spots and blemishes are no longer very visible. No need to put concealer! I must say that this looks great if you want a dewy finish. Plus, Etude House BB Creams all has whitening properties, has SPF30 PA++, and an anti-aging formula!


If you have oily skin (I have combination), better test it first. Though some has oily skin but this works okay with them. You can just pat a little powder on your forehead and nose. Otherwise you may want to consider the Sheer Silky Skin which gives a matte finish and has more oil control.

Have you tried this product? What do you think? ♥

You can find more of my makeup blogs here.

MUA Project: Kids

This is my very first time to do make up on little kids ages 2 to 11! It is very challenging since children's skins could be very sensitive on the harsh contents of certain cosmetics! My co-MUA and I was very strict in choosing the right cosmetics for our little models. Everything should be hypo-allergenic and disposable to avoid irritation on the little ones' skins. Sponges, eye and lip applicators... these are all disposable!

I got in the studio a bit earlier than our 8AM call time. Gotta prepare all the things that we need for the kid's hair and make up. Until batch by batch they started coming in our station. The batches of the little girls are pretty easy to manage since some of them do love make up, while some of the boys are really quite aloof. Although after explaining to most of them that we just need to put powder on their noses and foreheads (to avoid shiny faces on photos) they already felt okay with it.

We finished the whole 12 layouts for the URC Flour's 2012 Calendar at around 5:30PM. It was so dead tiring but we had soooo much fun! "Shooting 30 kids in one day is not a joke" @JamirDesign tweeted. But it was just so fun to see the kids enjoy the photo shoot, they are all so cute! Unfortunately, I didn't get to take photos with the kids since I was very very busy to simply get my camera and take pictures with them.

However, here are some behind-the-scene photos from sir Junie Jumig:

That's Jamir, the photographer for this project. 

While Karen checks the shots in the computer.

Jamir and Karen, discussing the shots.

More kulitan pictures from Jamir:

Destination: Vigan City, Ilocos Sur

"We've only just VIGAN" (ha-ha OK corny!). Finally, I got a chance to visit this for the first time and appreciate its beauty up close. I'm so thrilled since I only used to see this place in paintings and photos. Vigan is located in the northern part of Luzon and is the capital of the province of Ilocos Sur. It is known for its old colonial houses and buildings around the city. There are also ancestral houses which are turned into hotels and inns. The place makes you feel as if you're living in the past. I was so excited to take pictures until... the screen of my camera suddenly showed "internal memory full" - whaaaat?! I checked again with frustration, silly me I forgot to bring the memory card! Argh! Thank goodness for camera phones!

We first visited Baluarte owned by Governor Chavit. It offers a mini zoo which is open to the public for free.

White peacock.

Blue Peacock

They're sleeping. :D

After the meet and greets with the wild animals, we visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity which is one of the oldest churches of Ilocos, it is built in 1590. In some way, this church reminds me of a cake. I love visiting old churches and taking pictures of it.

 

 

Near the shrine is the Bell Tower.

After the interesting tour inside the church and enjoying the fresh air on top of the bell tower, we found this person selling tinubong. It is a sticky rice sweetened with sugar then cooked and stored in a bamboo stick. I'm not a fan of kakanin, but I liked this one!

 

Later, we dropped by the Heritage Village. I love this place! This is the one I see in photos and paintings!!! (LOL). It's bee-yoo-ti-ful!!!

 

 

 Time for merienda and my co-worker Toni brought me to this place near the Vigan Cathedral where people jam in to eat Vigan's very own empanada. I was quite surprised to see that their empanada is very different from the empanada I used to eat in Manila. The empanada I know is made of bread with stuffed meat. However, here in Vigan, their empanada is composed of mixed vegetables, a piece of longanisa and egg in the center, all wrapped in a thin locally made dough. Deep fried to cook, taken out of the frying pan and then it is served to you with a vinegar.

Here is manang cooking empanada.

 

 

Here's the empanada served with vinegar.

After our food trip, we walked around and visited the St. Paul's Cathedral. Unfortunately, it was a weekday and it is closed.

The whole Vigan trip was amazing, but I'm insatiable. I want more! Plus, I am aching to go back since I'm not satisfied with my photos. Hehe. It is still better to take pictures with a D/SLR or digicam, right?