Posts in Life & Travel
Masungi Georeserve, Philippines

You will need a car to get to Masungi Georeserve and it’s a bit of a drive from Manila (thanks to that Manila traffic life), but the view and the experience is all worth it.

You’ll go through a few obstacles but there is an “easy” path for those who want to skip the courses. The obstacles weren’t too difficult to complete, I found them to be a lot of fun. Get ready to walk a lot, squat, and work those calve muscles of yours. Take your time walking through each section and listen to the nature around you. Carry a light back, bring water, and don’t forget your sunscreen and mosquito repellent.

P.S. I highly recommend that you stop by the Silayan Dining Room before your hike if you can.

London 2018 Travels

What a blessing to be able to travel and work for an organization that gives you enough days to go on vacation too.

I’ve always wanted to visit London, so when I finally had the privilege to do so, it felt like someone stamped me right into a movie. I’ve only seen the streets of London and its architecture on screen and in print, so it felt surreal to be here in person.

There’s still so much left for me to see, so I will be back, UK.

Atlantis Resort, Nassau Bahamas

I was going through old photos and cleaning up some folders, and came across these memories.

This was taken in 2014 during my college spring break trip with friends. We stayed at Atlantis, where we got to enjoy the waterpark, fall asleep by the beach, and just bask in the warm sun and escape from college.

This resort is all age appropriate and family friendly. They have a wide variety of hotel/price selection. We ended up staying at the cheapest hotel at the resort, where (not surprised) all the other college kids were staying at, so it did get a little loud at night with other people blasting music at times. Parents/adults/anyone trying to avoid college kids, either stay at a higher end hotel or avoid the college spring break period.

P.S. I don’t gamble, but for those who do, they have a Casino in the resort.

Someone, take me back to paradise.

Day 3 & 4: Shopping Day at Meyongdong

I actually don't have a lot of photo for day 3 since we spent most of the day shopping at a Lotte Department store and at Meyongdong (you have to check out Stylenanda's interior (link here) when you visit).

We had lunch a Lotte's food court since they have a grand selection and before that, we walked around Namdemun market. 

At night, we decided to venture out to Sinchon to grab drinks with my friends, but because I didn't bring my camera out with me, we just used our phones to capture film for my vlog

On day 4, we decided to hangout in Gangnam. If you're looking for a fun photo-opp spot and good Korean make-up, check out Jung Saem Mool's store. 

 

Day 2: Nami Island & Petite France

Hello, Day 2! We went to Namiseom IslandPetite France, and lunch at this random dak-galbi (닭갈비) place for lunch.

To get to Namiseom from Seoul, you'll have to reserve an ITX tickets and get off at Gapyeong station, then take a cab or bus to the ferry station, and then finally make your way over to Namiseom.  

To get to Petite France, once you head back to the mainland from Namiseom, you can either take a bus or taxi. There isn't much to do there, but if you're a huge kdrama fan and you want cute photos, then it might be worth stopping by.

P.S. I highly recommend that you rent out a bike when you're at Namiseom. I promise you won't regret it and it'll make the trip 10 times better. 

Day 1 in Korea: Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)

I still can't believe this trip happened.

One of the friends who I went on this trip with and I have been singing about going to Korea ever since we met back in 2012. We jokingly talked about going to Korea in 2018 with my guy friend when he came to visit DC back in late 2017, so when we actually booked our flights and met up in Korea, it all felt surreal.

This whole trip still feels like it was a dream. 

I didn't take photos at every single location since I've blogged about it before/jet lag was really real on day 1, but here's how our first day played out: 

We started the day at Gyeongbokgung Palace and rented out a hanbok. They have shops at almost every corner in this area, so you shouldn't have any issues finding it. Admission to the palace was free since we were dressed up! 

We then walked over to Samcheong-dong (link here and here) which was about a 20 - 30 minute walk and ate at my favorite Sujaebi restaurant (link here). Although I wanted my friends to try out this amazing red bean soup (link here) next door to the Sujaebi restaurant, we were desperate for caffeine, so we decided to run to a cafe instead. 

We then walked around Bukchon village, made our way to insadong afterwards, and then crawled into bed and called it a night fairly early.

Hello, Korea 2k18!

Hello! I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted. It's been a crazy past few months. I went from traveling to Korea, Philippines, back to DC, to having friends visit, and now packing up to get ready for a new move since my apartment lease is up. 

Safe to say, 2018 has been anything but dull and slow. Stay tuned for more food photos and blog posts from my trip back to the motherland. Until then, here's a quick preview of my travels with two good friends. 

Cherry Blossom Season, D.C.

It's that time of the year again: allergy season - just kidding, cherry blossom season.

It’s the time of the year when everyone tries to catch the cherry blossoms at peak bloom, myself included. I come back every year and (usually) end up taking the similar photo shots, but despite the repetition, this is one view I'll never get sick of. It always reminds me how beautiful DC is and a great excuse to go on a mini photoshoot with friends.

Happy spring (even if it's below 40F right now as I'm writing this post)! 

Plants at the Little Leaf, DC

I recently came across this cute shop, Little Leaf, around 14th Street, DC. I loved the vibe of the whole shop and although the space was pretty small, I felt like I could stay there for a while. 

They, of course, had different plants you could take home, books about plants, small home decor, cards, and more. If you're ever around 14th Street and you're looking to buy new plants, you should definitely stop by this place. 

The store owners were warm and extremely knowledgable, so they'll be able to help you out if you have any questions about plants and will encourage you to browse and take photos.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

So glad I was finally able to check this place off my list. These are my favorite types of museums, so I could easily get lost here for hours. There's so much to see, so much to learn, I wish I had more time to explore each section more intimately. I stopped taking photos after awhile to take-in what I was learning, but here are a few images I was able to capture.  

My Experience at The Farm at San Benito, PH

Someone, please take me back to The Farm at San Benito, Philippines.

The Farm is a wellness/spa retreat and you can either choose to make a day trip here or spend a few nights in their villas. It is a bit of a hike to get here though, it's about a 2 hour drive from Manila. 

Once you enter the gates of The Farm, you'll be greeting by tall coconut trees, birds chirping around you, and a slight cool breeze. The Farm does a great job in controlling how many people are allowed to enter this area at once, so I loved how this place didn't feel like it was overly crowded but rather felt like you almost had the place to yourself. 

Everyday, they have a set of different wellness activities you can participate in. They have everything from yoga, fitness classes, a nutrition class, to cooking class. The Farm also has multiple pools you can relax by, massages, and more. 

If you're looking for an escape from the city, I highly recommend stopping by The Farm for a nice relaxing getaway. 

Korea's Chinatown at Incheon

I can't believe it took me as long as it did to finally make my way over here. My family and I decided to take a day trip up to Korea's Chinatown in Incheon. If you're ever in this area, you have to go to this jjajangmyun place I wrote about; it will change your world. Also, walk around this small town and go find the red bean dessert pictured below. Since they make this on the spot, you'll get to take a bite out of a fresh, steaming hot, red bean bun. There might be people waiting in line, I waited about 30 minutes, but it was worth it. 

Photos from SamCheon-Dong, Seoul

There's something so attractive about the SamCheon-Dong Village that always makes me want to go back and visit this place. A lot of tourists usually visits the neighboring Bukchon Hanok Village, which has a lot of old traditional Korean homes and feel.  I love getting lost in this neighborhood. They also have a two of my favorite restaurants: a sujebi and a red bean porridge place. 

Starfield Library, Coex Mall, Seoul Korea

There's something so attractive about bookstores and libraries. I'm sad I didn't get to spend a lot of time exploring all the different book selections but I loved how they set up this place.

There were a lot of people stoping by to take photos (myself included), and then leaving shortly after. You'll find a few desks on the second floor and on the bottom level too, but there didn't seem to be an abundance of space like you would see in a typical library. There's also a lot of people walking in and out, so this place was fairly noisy, so if you're looking to get some studying done here, best of luck. 

Winter Wonderland, Seoul Korea

First day back in my motherland, Seoul, and I wake up to all this snow. This is one of the many reasons why winter is one of my favorite season. I was debating whether I should post the cropped photo to hide the buildings, cars, and playground in the back, but thought I'd post the non-cropped photos instead. Welcome to my backyard and make sure you stay tuned for more photos of my trip to Korea!  

November

Autumn. Words can't describe how much I love this season. 

I recently got a car and I've been debating for years whether I really needed one. I work/live in the city and next to the metro, and uber/lyft would come handy when public transportation would breakdown. So, I kept going back and forth, was it really worth all the additional expense? 

Yes.

Getting a car opened my eyes and it honestly felt like I inherited wings. I love how I can freely go wherever I want, whenever I want -- my options are endless (aka I can now get good Asian food whenever too). 

But it's not just this new freedom I love. 

Over the past year or two, I started to feel suffocated living here. I still found this city beautiful but it just didn't excite me as much as it used to. I had this urge to get out and thought maybe moving to a new city would be a good solve, but once I got my car, this feeling I had started to change its course.  

I forgot how much I love being encompassed by nature. 

There's a lot of greenery in MD/VA and a lot of parks/hiking trails. Having a car now lets me go on these spontaneous trips and surround myself with nature. The DMV lets me stay close to both nature and the city. Does this mean moving to a new city and starting a new chapter is off the tables? Absolutely not, but having this car has helped me fall in love with this area all over again.  

Lincoln Memorial, DC

Time to play tourist. 

Anyone who lived in DC for a while will tell you that the time to stop by the monuments is during the night. Why? Because you get to avoid all the tourists and you get to see the reflecting pool sparkle. A friend was visiting DC for the first time, so I of course had to hit all the touristy spots during the day to show him around.

I still recommend coming here during the night so you can have your one-on-one time with Lincoln, but wow, it’s been a while since I stopped by the memorials during the day. It’s still as breath-taking during the day as it is during the night.

Renwick Gallery, DC

I love how The Renwick Gallery constantly changes up their exhibition. They keep you on your toes making you want to go back and visit. Their current exhibition is this "Parallax Gap", which you can read more about here. See below for a few photos! 

The one thing I love about DC is their museums. I love being immersed in them and could probably hop from one museum to another all day. They also happen to make great (free) photo op locations, in case you're looking for some fun insta worthy spots, and did I mention they're free? 

Stylenanda, Seoul Korea

Hello! 
I'm currently in Korea for a quick trip and as I was roaming around meyong-dong, I came across this cute store: Stylenanda. Each floor had a different theme. The first was a hotel lobby, then there was a bathroom, dressing room, laundry, pool, and a cafe. This place is ridiculous but I'm glad I walked in to snap a few photos. See below! 

This place covered everything from your basic t-shirts, accessories, swim gear, to cosmetics. I didn't end up buying anything but am glad I stepped inside to take a few photos. 

AU Graduation Class of 2017

It's graduation season once again. A good friend of mine graduated this past weekend, so of course I had to take my camera out and take a few photos for her. It feels like just yesterday I too was graduating from college, it always amazes me how quickly time flies.

Sarah, congratulations on graduating. I could not be more proud of you. 

Boracay, PH 2016

The last time I was here, I came with my High School batch after graduation. I can't believe it's been that long since I last visited Boracay. I wanted to go somewhere warm and a place I could doze off by the beach, so my family and I decided to visit Boracay for our winter trip. Coming here with family was definitely a lot different than coming with my friends but I still ended up having a lot of fun. See below for photos! 

Bowling at the White House!

I never thought I'd ever get to say, "yeah, I went bowling at the White House." But, yeah, I went bowling at the White House (!!!!!).

What an amazing city. What a beautiful city. This is just one of many reasons why I fell in love with D.C. 

Stony Man Trail - Shenandoah, VA

After lunch, we decided to go on another quick hike before we headed back to the city. We decided to visit the Stony Man Trail. It took us about 1 - 2 hours to go up and down since we were taking our time and enjoying each other's company. See below for photos!  

& that concludes my trip! 
P.S. If you couldn't tell from my photos, but it was an extremely windy day and my hair was on the biggest struggle bus.