on the last day of cavorting around Davao City

wearing: DELA high neck cropped halter top by Susto the Label, vintage plaid men's jacket (a personal favorite!), something borrowed ankle boots via zalora ph (old)

Photos by a work mate and travel companion to Davao City (Sinta Felissa)

Some old stuff unearthed from my phone. This was around August 11, I think. We were on our way home to Cagayan de Oro at this time, Sunday afternoon. I was in Davao City with a friend and co-worker who's also a common friend of a couple who's wedding I'd attended there around August 10, the Saturday before this one.

So, I have a tiny bit of an obsession with Susto the Label, yes. They have really nice clothes but I often find most impractical. I know they take good care when it comes to designing their stuff but a lot of it, especially the dresses and tops, skew towards the uncomfortable to wear around everywhere else side that I would default to just tiny pieces like this Dela top from there most of the time. Hmn...that might change in a bit since I see some of their good stuff like the Marlon shorts in the prettiest red and the Masa shorts in some sort of lighter nude and white-ish colors are on sale. And they also seem to carry some good slip dresses I like now. It would be better if they were shorter but they're the midi kind so we'll see how this one fares should I get one of those. I don't see myself getting one, yet, however. The trousers/pants they carry look REALLY GOOD though and seem appropriate for everyday living (perfect for every career woman out there) so I'm definitely looking to getting myself some of those in the generic black. Hmn...yes, we'll see.

Susto the Label has definitely been in my radar as of late where locally made clothes are concerned. I only hope the best for them (and maybe if/when they can improve some confusing-ish designs?) this year of the rat, 2020. 

getting back in the game, let's talk fandom

Hi there, sort of boring...err...Sunday.

Lately, I find myself amassing a lot of things fandom (asian pop music, mostly) so this alone, I feel, warranted a post of it's own. This still has something to do with Taipei's trip last year, October 5-7, 2019. One of the groups mentioned here was the one I went to Taipei for.

A word of warning? This post is photo heavy although most of them aren't high quality...much.

1. Pentagon - Thumbs Up Mini-Album 
I purchased this one two years ago but it came early last year. I think it kept getting delayed. 
I'm not a huge fan of the main single, Naughty Boy, but the B-sides like Thumbs Up among others, are what make this album more full and satisfying for me. This came with a Jinho photocard and an invitation to a Pentagon event with Universe that I couldn't go to because, well...I'm in the Philippines. Maybe next time. I'll definitely try to make it to the Cube Ent. cafe when I am there around Seoul though. Hopefully soon. I've been hearing news that it's more difficult now to go to Seoul. :( They've tightened up some or so.

My favorite track from this album? Thumbs up, currently. I have it on eternal repeat. Kind of.

I am amazed by the all around-ness of Kpop albums granted this is my first Kpop-related purchase. I love the Japanese ones more considering I have lol's Fire! single, Miura Daichi's Right Now single and more (my Da-iCE purchases are also coming in this year so...) but the South Korean pop music stuff are definitely in a league of their own with album booklets that double as photo books. Meanwhile, I have to spend separately for Da-iCE's photobooks and more. RIP wallet, when it comes to Jpop. But Kpop also just about kills the monthly salary/wage as well. Life of an eternal fangirl...

2. Sunggyu's Post Cards and Photocards 
I got these from Shopee thanks to the bff and someone who likely went to Gyu's last concert, Shine, way way back before he went away to serve at the SK military/army forces. (He's back now after 18 months of being away from us so YAAYYYY!!!) Anyway, these are, like, DIVINE because I currently have an obsession with platinum-haired Kim Sunggyu. If only I could rock the same hair color as well as he does. /lesigh.

Infinite's Kim Sunggyu is a current and still ongoing obsession of mine because of not only his full album, Shine, but also because of his variety TV work. The Genius, for one, is one show I will keep on repeat because of how smart he is on there. And of course, many others.

As of this writing, one of the photocards is at the back of my phone and on a wallet I sometimes take with me on whatever trips out. Hmn...

3. Pentagon - Genie:Us
2019 was the year when I amassed everything Pentagon and this was the second purchase I had since the previous one, Thumbs Up! They rarely let me down music-wise hence why I've been constantly getting their mini-albums or so.
Shalala is likely my favorite from here along with the music video for it. And I love, LOVE Round 1 as well though just a bit lukewarm with Spring Snow. I love the stages for the latter though.
As per usual, this came with cool stuff plus an invitation to an event with Universes (their fans' collective name) but alas, as I am in the Philippines...no way can I ever get to that one. Also, it comes with a post card of, I think, Shinwon's arm in a raincoat or so. Hmn...

It also came with some sort of bookmark. I think this one's Kino or...someone else. Hui? I'm not sure. It could also be Yuto though. I'm amazed by the inside of the booklet slash photobook. It's pop-up style and so cute and pretty!

I'm not sure who I got as a photocard for this one. I forgot...I'll unearth it somewhere later.

4. Pentagon - SUM(ME:R)

Hands down, my current favorite of the bunch and therefore the one Pentagon album on eternal repeat for me on a daily-ish basis.

The contents of this one is the best and even my friend/s confirm so. If there's anything I'm devoted to, it's finding gems like this mini-album that's summery and sunshiney and warm. (I actually became a fan of Golden Child because of this...if that's any sort of help or indication of...stuff...) I love everything in this album from 접근금지 (Humph!) to Round 2. But my favorite will have to be 판타지스틱 (Fantasystic, I think?) as it is the best BOP in there~

And whoopy yay! That's a Yuto photocard, yes, and a Yanan post card. I kind of miss him, yes.

5. Pentagon - Happiness

Not pictured but this came to me from Japan. And to anyone interested in getting Japan releases from Pentagon among others, you can go here and request it: @kg_0917. 

I haven't listened much to it but know that I enjoy the music video/pv for Happiness a lot. It's sooo mood for me along with Da-iCE's Damn It. The freebie is a poster and it is immaculate. I'd like it framed, by the by along with other things.

6. Miscellaneous everything from Japan including Da-iCE's Fake Show single (also got Da-iCE's Best album...)

Da-iCE. When it comes to them, I'm usually Hanamura Sota-biased so most I got were Sota everything including a clear file or two I have no idea what to use for. I thought they were big-sized bromides. Hmn...

Also, some fashion magazines, err, well, a Vivi because I love Vivi. And finally, a Junon! Yay! Another one is coming in the mail yet along with a secondhand but still functioning Instax cam I got at a good deal. Er...low price of 3000 JPY! A seriously good deal, like...seriously. 

Not pictured, Da-iCE's Best album that came after. It's a 2-4 CDs in one sort of thing safely nestled now in my music fandom corner nook of the bedroom self with the others.

7. Golden Child's Re:Boot full-length album

My first Woollim Entertainment purchase. Yay! This is also the most recent purchase of mine that was just delivered in early this month.

It's not the whole thing and these are just pages of the booklet plus that Jaehyun photocard but I was awestruck by how tall this one was. It literally took up my shelf dedicated to the fandom stuff and...it also towered over three of my Pentagon albums that were...comparatively just a tad bit smaller.

Anyway, these are just pages showing my favorites: Bomin looking regal, there's also Joochan in pretty pink hair (congratulations on him rejoining Golden Child after recovering from injury! this is late but yeah...it still stands), and Sungyoon/Y.

What I liked about this one? It came with a 2020 calendar so this pretty much stopped me from buying or looking for one of Takeuchi Ryoma's or some other as I have already retired Pentagon's Season's Greetings from 2019. Problem? The calendar doesn't have anything I can use to hang it somewhere to unlike Pentagon's Season's Greetings. I'm too afraid to ruin it so it's just sitting at a desk as of this moment, still unopened.

Still others I got for fandom's sake and being a random fangirl, Infinite Kim Sunggyu's platinum haired 20cm doll I have yet to find clothes for. It came with freebies so, yay~

Others to come soon: the Produce 101 Japan fanbook, Da-iCE's Back to Back single, JO1's (from Produce 101 Japan) single/s I haven't ordered yet. I also have yet to get Produce 101 Japan's Fanbook plus or volume 2. And JO1's single, Protostar. It's for pre-order yet and comes in three types so RIP money. Hmn...I'll pre-order this one, maybe next month. 

Yep, I've been spending so much on fandom lately that I need to get a higher paying job so, yeah, I'm going to toil on this one tomorrow. I have somewhere to be after the work shift tomorrow so wish me luck? It's for the future of myself I have in mind...yet.

Fashion Everything In Taipei last October 5-7, 2019

Time for catch up posts! This is number 1!

Way back October 5-7, 2019, I was somewhere in Taipei, Taiwan for Fashion Week... Not really. I was there for a different event I'll be blogging about later. So wait for that one, yes. (Hint? It has more to do with my life as an eternal fangirl and a mostly pop music lover). I do wish I was there for fashion week though. I just got lucky it was and this fashion and style-obsessed girl here felt, well, she was in heavenly bliss then. Someone take me back there please and thank you!

I'll let the photos speak for themselves to cut this short. 

P.S. 
I'm still dreaming of owning a Balenciaga city bag in black, gray or white...some fun color would be nice too just probably not too hot pink. Hmn...whenever will come the time I'll have enough money for that and the highly covetable because it's so spacey and pretty, Givenchy Nightingale? Maybe never. This makes me sad.

going vegetarian in cagayan de oro: Pili-an Cafe and Restaurant

I'm SO behind a lot of posts but I'm still alive, yes. Just drowning in a ton of work and because I'm saving for a laptop for blogging and everything right now so yaaayyy! Soon! The posts will come in droves the SOONEST, late into this year. Or early next year. I have a ton of posts to catch up on including a quick trip to Taipei I had last week for something and another one I had to Davao for close friends' wedding there from a month or more ago or so. 

Anyway, let me preface this one by saying I've had a long history with being vegetarian. I am mostly pescetarian and I don't think I can ever go full vegan because honey is heavenly in my salads, smoothies and some juices. But if I ever do go vegan successfully...hmn...I guess I can always live on coconut nectar, stevia and other plant-based sweetener alternates. I can't say where this history with the obsession with being vegeterian of mine started but I remember being a Carrie Underwood fan during American Idol. She's vegetarian, probably vegan now, so I learned, idolised her then and still now and therefore wanted to go the same way. I never followed other American Idol seasons as faithfully as I've ever had Season 4 with her, Bo Bice and more on it since. Anyway, on a more serious note, I've later realized that I've always wanted to be vegetarian for health, primarily, and environmental purposes.

Aside from wanting to be vegetarian for good health and the environment, I'm also an avid fan of clean skin care and beauty products particularly from those of Human Heart Nature. So since this is mostly my case now, or MY LIFE now, I've recently decided to just go and be pescetarian->90% vegetarian. Hmn, I think I'm about done with being a yoyo dieter. 

And onto the point of this post: Pili-An Cafe and Restaurant. I've been frequenting this place after every payday at work as of late. Nothing else comes close as a favorite right after it, here, in downtown Cagayan de Oro City. The other vegan restaurant I'm curious about, Buen Provecho, is in the uptown and quite far from here. I haven't been uptown in sooo long a time although it's my favorite place to shoot photos for this blog for with friends. Err...among other crazy activities I get myself and friends into when our free times jive with each others'.  

Pili-an Cafe and Restaurant offers a lot of fun things and when I mean 'a lot', I mean A LOT. For one, it's a cafe where you can get sikwate or tsokolate (local or homemade hot chocolate) and suman (local sticky rice dessert and/or snack) while just hanging out and watching the world pass by outside the window on any random day of the week. Just watch out when they're closed for whatever reason like rest day of their staff. Then they're just inaccessible for that day. This does not happen often though, thankfully.

Two, it's a restaurant, of course. You can get both vegetarian and vegan food here. Below are my favorites from them and those they offer in their menu.

The huge bowl of Veggie Bibimbap is HEAVEN. I've had this twice now. The most recent just being last week because the last payday was last week. Their Fresh Tomato Herbed pasta is also really super good. If vegan, you can just opt without the bread.

It's not THAT clear but this is their menu. I have other things I'm curious about from this one too so I may as well try some of these some other time...SOON. I predict I'll be more frequent here anyway. (Sometimes, I just wish there were more vegetarian and vegan haunts around here but there really aren't much so...)

And three (lastly), they are also a mart of sorts where you can get something like this vegetarian snack. It's the vegetarian version of the chicharon (cracklings frequently made of pork or pork rinds). 

My other favorites to get there are a bottle of laing (a local Bicol-area vegetable-only, coconut milk-based dish) in mild spicy variant and I'm still thinking of getting their soy sauce-like dip of sorts. A bottle is Php 150 so good luck to my budget this week and next week...hmn... They also have muffins-cookies hybrid that I like: Mookies. A box is now 145 Php or so but trust me when I say it's worth it because it is! These are really good, heaven-sent protein-, energy-heavy not-so-tiny, tasty things!

For more about them, you may check to their facebook page here: Pili-an Cafe and Restaurant.

Their Limketkai Mall-Robinsons Shopping Center branch used to be my go-to for late lunches way back. They served 3 kinds of rice toppings, all three use brown rice. Plus they're really not that heavy on the pockets compared to when eating at fast food restaurants here. But last week, I found out they had just closed. I guess the rent there is really high now so they couldn't afford to keep said branch. This is the saddest for me because I frequent that branch as it's quite close to my current workplace.

I predict I'll be here again sometime next week, maybe over the weekend. Friday is payday at work, after all! Yay!

current human heart nature favorites

in the photo: human heart nature natural sunflower beauty body scrub and natural sunflower beauty lotion

The best time for a pick me up do-it-yourself (DIY) pampering is Saturday and as of late, I never really can do without these two Human Heart Nature staples from their new sunflower beauty line.

Story time: What first got me into Human Heart Nature is their classic sunflower beauty oil. It now comes in the bloom variant which is also a favorite of mine. I love to mix the classic sunflower beauty oil with other carrier oils and some other essential oils to make unique, self-made body oils. I've long ditched body lotions since then. Or I very rarely use body lotions now, likely, only on weekends and some isolated holidays from work. With this background, it comes as to no surprise that I am now a huge fan of their Sunflower Beauty Line. What is a surprise is that I have also become a fan of their natural Sunflower Beauty Body lotion, although I only would use this on Saturdays and Sundays or from Fridays to Sundays. The Sunflower Beauty Line started with the Sunflower Beauty deodorant and it's the only thing I have yet to get. I'm still stuck on the blue, powder scented one they have because it's pretty affordable at Php 99.75. I'll complete the Natural Sunflower Beauty line soon. Maybe next week? Who knows?

I'm not sure yet how to describe the effect these two have on me but they sure work as pick-me-ups on weekends when I am too tired to think about doing work in general, especially those done in the office. They definitely are the perfect two things to have and use to unwind in those minutes alone in the bathroom and in the bedroom, right before getting ready to go out to lunch somewhere with friends or just to stay home and lounge around the house.

So yes, expect me to be using these today as well! It is...a SATURDAY after all. Enjoy the weekend, y'all! I know I will. 

Also, yes! You can shop these at Treasure Chest of Sorts on Human Heart Nature!

to come on treasure chest of sorts and what went down on a pretty Saturday afternoon

photos by @michi.dums on instagram

wearing @treasure_chest_of_sorts, red ninewest clutch, secondhand gucci backpack, zalora ph heels (black) - from last year, so fab! via zalora ph modern heels - from last year

The BFF and I shot a storm of stuff yesterday afternoon for the shop and others...well, this blog. It was a random bite of the creative bug, I suppose, for both of us. I was there mostly just for photos of items I am putting up on the store here: @treasure_chest_of_sorts. 

Yes, I'm uploading clothing items for sale on that instagram shop account soon so watch out for it! The soonest is this coming week.

Kind of can't wait for another shoot up next week. I'll have to probably add more clothes to the fray soon. Yep, soon. I have other summer-friendly stuff in mind I'm adding to it, of course, yes...among other things. I intend to make @treasure_chest_of_sorts not only a local beauty and skin care as well as all things eco-friendly store but also a shopping destination for all things fun to wear over the sunny summer season to answer the beach wardrobe needs of most people! So yes, feel free to visit it from time to time and shop! I am always available for direct messaging on the said site! 

Photo of my shoes I wear to events and more on rotation reminds me I need new stuff soon. I'm, admittedly, a shoe addict. It's where most of my budget for clothes go... yep.

Until the next post, then!

Siquijor in random photos

Steps to Cambugahay Falls

Fresh coconut/buko from a seller in Cambugahay Falls

Jump board/Diving platform (9 meters) in Salagdoong Beach

These are just a few random other photos from the Siquijor trip. I've shared a few others on my personal Instagram account as well. You can click on the links part of this page to see that one.

We only toured the island for a day so we had to pack in all the sites that are the closest and the easiest to access from our home base in Lazi. The first stop was Cambugahay Falls, right after a quick trip to Lazi Convent next door to our accommodations. The falls was full of tourists, foreign and local alike. I've met some that came from Dumaguete City, right across the pond as well so that was good. The upside of the falls being sooo crowded? There's Php 30 coconut, the freshest kind there is. I was able to secure one from a seller (and there are others that sell other things like barbecue, if you're into that...and buttered and grilled bananas, we call this one ginanggang here, and more...) nearby the area of the falls we sat at. I don't recall ever seeing Cambugahay Falls this busy way back in 2013 with the good friend and dorm mate. 

Funnest thing to do in Cambugahay Falls aside from eat? Pay the attendant at the swing thing 20 Php and you get unlimited go's at it and get to go like Tarzan and dive into the cold water. But because the water was cold---it is a waterfall---I never tried it nor would I dare because I prefer hotter water to this one. I've grown up swimming almost all the time in very cold springs so I've gotten sick of it, basically and wouldn't go near anywhere cold water is in...at all.

Diving or jumping in that platform in Salagdoong Beach comes with no-charge at all but there's a fee when you go in with your crew. I really wanted to jump but because my eyes were lasic-ed, that killed entirely my chances to do so. I'm not allowed to do any extreme sport that comes with pressure whether underwater as in scuba diving or from high up there, skydiving. Diving or jumping from high places like this is included, of course.

To be honest, I liked Kagusuan Beach better than this one, Salagdoong Beach. I prefer a quieter beach as this one was really crowded at the time we were there. Sadly, Kagusuan Beach has been closed for quite some time now. So much things happen there that everyone is now fearing for safety...of their things and money. My friend and I were among those who has had our money stolen there from way back 2013.

So in my next trip, I hope to be able to find a secluded beach all to myself and others who're going to come with me then. Also, I'll try the vegan offerings of the island from Lazi to other towns in it. Yep.