Uniforms

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It’s an unusual uniform for such unusual weather but to be completely honest, I would rather be sweating in an all black ensemble than anything else. It seems to be the easiest thing to throw on lately especially now that I’m hardly ever in the mood to go out much less dress up.

If I look back on my previous posts, I realize that I have never really been a summer dresser as I prefer layers and lots of them. So as much as I love a good beach day, rain and lots of it does not seem like a bad idea right now.

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Tote: Nine West

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Top: Online Shop| Vest: Planet Exchange| Pants: Bershka (From the Off- Price Show)| Shades: Sunnies By Charlie

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Also if you’re wondering, this is what my hair looks like exactly after a month. I am planning to bleach it the third time (soon) in order to achieve another color which you will all find out about in the very next future.

So sweating aside, how’s your summer?//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

[Vlog] Things To Do In The South of Cebu

Most tourists come to Cebu thinking that the only thing to do here is to see the whale sharks. Our friend who was visiting from France was willing to endure an almost 8ish hour road trip just to swim with these gentle giants not knowing that there was soo much more to do in the south of Cebu!

First of all, I know a lot of people are against swimming with the whale sharks and I understand all the reasons as to why, but when you have an eager friend whose dreamed of swimming with them for a very long time, you simply cannot deny them of that opportunity. So if you are already offended as early as now, I do encourage you to leave this post but feel free to read my other adventure articles here, here and here.

So here is a quick run through of what you can do while travelling to the South:

3:00 am – 7: 00 am Leave for the city

7:30 am – 8:00 am (OSLOB) Swim with the whale sharks 

10:00 am – 3:00 pm (MOAL BOAL) Go canyoneering but if you’re pressed for time, you can also try out Aguinid falls (SAMBOAN) and/ or 3 other falls located in that area

5:00 pm – Head down to a resort in Moal Boal to set camp. Our resort of choice was Club Serena but I’m always hearing people tell me that Hale Manna is a pretty good place to stay at, as well.

DAY 2

7:00 am (or earlier) – 11: 00 am Go dolphin watching, turtle watching, catch the sardine run

12:00 nn Check out

I wish I had enough photos to share with you however, I did not have a GoPro on me at the time (I was simply hitching to a friends GoPro) and hopefully the vlog will suffice.. for now 🙂

When it comes to your day 2 itinerary, dive shops will charge you around P1,990.00++ for a group tour which isn’t as great as going on your own. Luckily, I was able to save the number of our boatman during our trip and he does allow private tours at a better price. Be sure not to haggle Kuya Michael (0923 462 3156) too much, though. Remember, we still want him to make a good profit.

Happy Summer,

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Konnichiwa from Make Your Own Havaianas 2016!

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The annual Make Your Own Havaianas events hold a very special place in my heart, having been a staff for the very same event 3 years ago! And this year, they are back it and are featuring one of my dream destinations- JAPAN!

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One of the hottest months of the year brings with it the biggest and most anticipated customization event in the country, Make Your Own Havaianas. From April 22 to May 1, step into a celebration of self-expression and creativity inside All Flip Flops SM Seaside City at the lower ground floor of the mall’s Mountain Wing and mix and match buttery-soft, colorful soles with vibrant straps and fun pins.

Havaianas was born in Brazil in 1962, but an interesting fact is that the very first flip-flop was inspired by the Zori, a type of Japanese sandal made of fabric straps and rice straw roles. Today, Havaianas flip-flops show marks of these iconic rice patterns, making it a fusion of eastern Zen and western joy.

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Each year, MYOH highlights a destination or theme that celebrates its heritage or encapsulates the ‘always summer’ state of mind and on its 11th year, it is its Japanese roots that MYOH pays tribute to, from this year’s 2016 limited edition commemorative sole inspired by Shibori, a Japanese fabric-dyeing technique, to its selection of kawaii pins. With Japan being an all-time favorite summer destination of Cebuano Havaianaticos, embellishments such as the The Sakura, Ramen, The Japanese Fan, The Empress, The Zori, Ninja and statement pins, among others celebrate the love for travel and the land of the rising sun’s unique lifestyle and influence on today’s pop culture.

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Here’s the pair that I’ve pre- made for myself from their website. What’s yours?

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To An Old Friend

I thought about you today. Not just today, in fact, I think about you a lot.

I think about how our friendship was and what it was like to be able to call you at anytime and just talk about the most random things. But I mostly miss talking about the serious things.

A lot of times I miss our friendship because let’s acknowledge for at least once-  we had a pretty good run. And I’ll be honest, losing you was one of the toughest friendships I had to let go of but I know it was meant to be. But at the same time, losing you also taught me that if I could let go of someone like you who stuck by me for so many years, I could let go of the petty friendships I felt obligated to keep. And now, the only friends I keep are the ones who I know will last. They are few but they are my world.

Truthfully, the thought of you irritates me but it’s no longer because of what you did- it’s now because I miss you. I hate not knowing what’s going on in your life, I hate you not knowing what’s going on in mine. I hate that we live so close by and yet we never run into each other. I hate that we are strangers. Strangers once again.

Please don’t take this as a piece offering because we are better off on our own sides of the world and I owe you nothing. But if this open letter makes it way to you, I would want you to know that you are in my thoughts and you are missed. My memories may be clouded by the good and the bad but on most days, I still think about calling you.

I don’t really know why I’m writing this but I’ve thought about it for a while and maybe I should just get it over with. Maybe when this is done, I can completely let go of the thought of you.

So I wish you happiness and content. I wish you success and peace. I wish you friendships that do not falter like ours did. And lastly, I wish you love. Because no matter happens, you deserve it.

J.L.G

When In Carcar: 1878 Restaurant

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Took a trip down South over the Holy Week to visit my boyfriend and to explore the area with my family. We overheard that there was a new restaurant that had opened a couple of months ago and we were eager to try it out since we were already in the area and had ticked off most of the things we intended to do during our visit.

Paolo, who was our tour guide for the day, did not really know much about the newly opened restaurant so we put on our adventure boots and headed out to find 1878 Restaurant. 

Considering the Car- car is a small place which means that word travels around fast, it was not long til we found ourselves standing in front of a green gate along San Jose St., Poblacion 1 (one of the back roads from the City Hall/ church)

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We were greeted by a quiet, peaceful and homey backyard- turned- restaurant that was surrounded by lots of plants and hanging lights. Surprised and delighted were the first emotions that overcame us because for a very long time, we had the impression that Cafe Terraza was one of the very few restaurants located in the area.

We eagerly found the closest seat to the counter and braced ourselves for our brand new gastronomical adventure.

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1878 Restaurant has a lot of food offerings that are both interesting and intriguing like their ever famous steamed rice which was the main reason that led us there. A lot of the food on their menu seemed to be Chinese influenced which we discovered was because the head chef spent many years working for Ding Qua Qua before moving back to his hometown where he now works.

We opted for the steam rice, quail egg siomai and lumpia shanghai.

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Steam rice – P 35.00

I wouldn’t say that it tastes exactly like our good ol’ Dimsum Break but you know what, it’s still pretty good. If I were to compare it to anything, I would say that it is closely similar to Braddex and for the price and location, it’s a very good deal.

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Quail egg siomai (7 pieces) – P 80.00

We really enjoyed this dish and the fact that it cost only P 80.00 for 7 pieces! It is very unlikely to find anything as affordable as this and flavor wise, we were not disappointed.

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Lumpia Shanghai – P 100.00

The last dish we had on our short trip was this lumpia shanghai. It was definitely flavorful and fried exactly to my liking. It wasn’t my favorite but I still enjoyed it anyways.

About a month after our first experience, Paolo has shared with me his frequent trips and discovery of their handful of dishes. I trust his judgement in food and so, I am confident to share with you his recommendations which are: the fried rice (P 80.00), chicken cordon bleu (P160.00) and calamares (P 200.00).

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1878 Restaurant is a good place to visit especially for my Car- caranion readers who are looking for a new place to spend their meals with friends and family.

Their servings are generous, the food is good and the ambiance is definitely a good break from the hectic city life.

For inquiries and reservations:

032 487 7145

0977 839 4488

Burp,

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[Vlog] I’m Apparently Not Very Asian & Some Other Life Updates

Mabuhay! Ah, lol.

I think you’re all going to hate me when you discover my answers to this Common Asian tag game. Nobody really tagged me but I went ahead and did it anyways because it’s fun to talk about yourself and because I want to have a regular posting schedule of videos every Tuesday and Thursday.

Please subscribe to my channel, guys. It would make me the happiest person in the world. ❤

Also, I have been booked to give a talk about Urban Fashion this Friday and I am super hyped about that! Will let you guys know how that goes once it’s done.

Lahat ng akong pag- ibig,

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[Vlog] My Hair Transformation from Black To Ash Grey

It’s been the fifth day since I had my hair bleached and dyed- basically the most drastic thing ever to be done to my hair. As I finger comb through my newly woken up bedhead, I still feel like nothing has really changed in terms of the texture and strength of my hair. Maybe one more bleaching session will kill it for sure but I have a month to let my head rest and let’s hope for the best.

I have noticed though that my hair is a little harder to comb now (because I have started combing) especially when I skip the conditioner. My strands become clumped up but once it’s dry then I don’t have a problem with it anymore. Maybe I’ll try air drying it today and we’ll see how that works!

Again, I want to say thank you again to Blanche of The Hair Goddess for hooking me up with this tight look. I am so in love with my hair and I highly suggest anyone who is considering to DIY their own hair to check out her blog for lots of tips and tricks. I know she has an entry that breaks down the bleaching and dying process one by one.

Enjoy,

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Turning Grey with The Hair Goddess (Warning: Long Post)

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As soon as I found out that there was finally a Cebuana hair blogger, I could not resist myself from touching base. Blanche or The Hair Goddess, was more than willing to help me out, answer all of my obsessive questions and even do my hair for me!

I’ve been wanting to do something crazy with my hair for a long time now which is why I cut it short some time last year but somehow, I still had that itch to dye it a different color. My logic to this crazy hair transformation was that hair will eventually grow again no matter what I do to it so yesterday, I finally made the bold decision to go for grey.. or whatever color my hair is now. lol.

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Questions that kept me up at night (and the answers to these questions):

1. Will my hair die if I bleach it?

I knew that by bleaching my hair, it would eventually die out. The process of bleaching your hair is extremely long and damaging to your hair and even Blanche will tell you that herself. Surprisingly though, after a day of having been bleached, my hair is just a little bit dry, none of my hair fell out or has been falling out and we think it’s because I hardly dye my hair or do anything that could potentially damage it.

Also, Blanche was very careful and considerate of my hair the entire time. She used a lower developr

2. How long will the entire process take?

Since my hair is very dark, we had to bleach it two times before even dying it. The entire process of double bleaching and dying took around 5- 6 hours.

3. What kind of treatment is required after?

Mostly conditioning and minimal shampooing.

4. Will it hurt?

Some parts of it will hurt but it’s totally manageable. At one point, I was scared that all my hair would fall off from my head but I exaggerate sometimes. I am completely fine and the pain was only temporary.

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This is what I looked like after my hair was bleached a couple times. And as you can see, my hair is very orange and I guess that’s just how my hair reacted to the bleaching detergent. Will go back after a month or so to have it retouched/ re- bleached so I can go for a lighter shade of grey. Again, I am doing this process very slowly but surely. I know I don’t comb my hair a lot nor do I generally do anything specific to take care of it but I wouldn’t want to end up with really damaged hair either.

Also, the roots of my hair are actually a bit green- blue which hopefully after a few more washes will turn it grey/ silver ash which is the color I am trying for. Then, I’ll try for other colors like teal and/ or purple! #theopossibilitiesareendless

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I’m still getting used to my new look and I realized that I might need to change my make up routine a bit. I feel like I started looking a lot more Chinese than I would prefer so I’m going to do some experimenting and hopefully I’ll figure it out.

I really do suggest checking out The Hair Goddess’  blog if you want to learn more about hair and how you can dye it on your own. She is such an amazing, smart and witty person so I’m sure you’re going to enjoy her entries!

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My hair is going to be all sorts of crazy this year,

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