Valentine’s Day Top Tips for the Luxurious, Budget-Conscious and Parental Kind

February 13, 2017February 16, 20178 Comments

It’s the eve of Valentine’s Day. Have you already thought of something special to give to or do with your significant other? Are you one of those people who loves to celebrate the Day of Hearts and make it more meaningful and special for your loved ones? Well, I am one of those people and through the years, I’ve already had my fair share of celebrating the season of love. And because of this, I’ll be sharing with you some of my most favorite Valentine’s Day celebrations that I did in the past, both big and small, expensive and affordable.

This blog post will be divided into three parts with my top 3 tips each so please bear with me. If it’s a a little luxury you need this Valentine’s Day, just read the first part. If you’re the frugal kind and it’s the budget-friendly tips you want, head straight to the second part. If you’re like me who now has a baby / toddler and you’d like a few advices on how you can celebrate Valentine’s with your spouse sans the mess a child brings into the picture, then read the third part.

So let’s begin… Continue reading →

Best Western Plus Subic Hotel Review

February 10, 2017February 10, 201714 Comments

It was around Valentine’s last year when we went to the Balloon Fiesta at Clarkfield, Pampanga and checked in at Best Western Plus Subic Hotel on our first night. This hotel is quite pricey compared to other hotels we’ve stayed at.So it’s a good thing that we got a 50% discount via Agoda and it already included a breakfast buffet. Perfect! If you’re planning to go to the balloon fiesta this year, you can check my Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2017 Guide first. If you’re traveling with an infant, don’t fret. It’s easy. Just check my How to Travel with a Baby guide.

So anyway, it’s my second time to experience checking in at a Best Western Hotel. The first time was in 2013 when I went to Bangkok, Thailand with friends and I can say that though that particular Best Western hotel branch one was a lot bigger (it was in Thailand after all! and I will blog about that sometime soon), it had the same kind of chic ambiance… Continue reading →

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2017 Guide

February 6, 2017February 22, 201723 Comments

I can’t believe it’s already the second month of the year! Time really flies so fast when you’re having fun! So many things have already happened; the new goals we set out for this year are already coming along smoothly… and slowly, things are falling into place for this new venture we’re doing. I will share with you the details in the future, when it’s already successful. For now, we’re keeping it a secret for it to not be jinxed. Hehehe.

Anyway, February is actually one of my favorite months because aside from the fact that I’ll be celebrating my birthday in less than two weeks, February, for me, has just so many fun activities in store for everyone, especially if you’re living here in Luzon.

Having said that, this will be a 6-part kind of February blog post which will cover:

1. 21st Hot Air Balloon Fiesta
2. Best Western Hotel Subic Hotel Review
3. Horizon Hotel Review
4. Budget Tips for Valentine’s Day
5. Panagbenga Flower Festival
6. My 39th Birthday and How to Celebrate It

Okay, let’s get on with it then… Continue reading →

How to Travel with a Baby? (A 2016 Travel Recap)

January 30, 2017January 13, 201936 Comments

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone!

I took an almost month-long break from blogging to enjoy the first month of the new year. I didn’t work as much, I had some legal stuff to take care of and we headed to exciting adventures as a family. Now that the Chinese New Year has just ended, we’re back home concretizing our new plans and new adventures for 2017. It’s gonna be exciting!

New year, new set of goals and travel plans. Yey! Like I said, we just started traveling again, hence, the super busy schedule we now have — juggling parenthood, business plans, work and leisure. But before I share with you about our current adventures, I want to do a recap first of the travels we did last year through this blog post of knowing how to travel peacefully and enjoyably with a baby. Plus, I still want to share with you one by one those places we visited before that I still haven’t published yet (to be done on some future blog posts). But first things, first…

Continue reading →

How to Take 100% Responsibility For Your Life

November 28, 2016August 20, 201936 Comments

A BUSY introduction

I know, I know, I KNOW. It’s been 10 days since my last post and I have so much to share! Before baby Tuz’s first birthday, my life partner, Mahal, and I have been having sleepless nights taking care of work, parental stuff and domestic duties because we wanted to celebrate our baby’s first birthday on the date of his birthday itself, which was the 17th, a Thursday. We could have just decided to have it on a weekend so all our work responsibilities have already been done by that time and we can all relax and enjoy our son’s birthday beach celebration. Well, we did enjoy, but it could have been better. And it’s all because we wanted it celebrated on the birthdate itself, which, now, looking back, has been a semi-terrible idea! Continue reading →

Cake Story – Our Baby’s First Birthday Bash

November 17, 2016August 19, 20198 Comments

Our precious little miracle from heaven, Baby Tuz, has just turned one. He was born on Nov. 17, 2015 at 11:47 PM after a whole day of a painfully induced labor which still ended in an emergency C-section. Still, Mahal and I are just so overwhelmed right now with so many emotions we couldn’t help but become teary-eyed with happiness… overjoy… disbelief… amazement… plus over fatigue from a full year of being full-time, hands-on, work-from-home parents with no yaya nor helper, just us three all this time. We couldn’t help but wonder how we were able to raise Tuz — a happy, fussy, gimmicky little boy who wears us out every day, every dawn and every single night to the point of insanity but whom we love so, so much!!!

Having said that, my next several posts for this month will be about our little big boy Tuz plus how we celebrated a year of sleepless nights, tremendous joy, mood swings, unexpected blessings and so much more!

Let me start by sharing with you the cake story… Continue reading →

The Power of Meditation and What I Learned in Taiwan

November 2, 2016August 16, 201914 Comments

The year is almost over and I still have so many things to accomplish on my plate — work, business, pleasure and leisure, passions and hobbies, the upkeep of the house and everything it entails, maintenance of good health, taking care of relationships, etc.

But since we only have 24 hours a day to do everything we can to be productive and live a balanced life, more often than not, it really takes a strong willpower and determination to be able to squeeze in everything we need to do day in and day out including the not-so-important and urgent tasks. Because of this need to be “superwoman” (or superman for our men out there) in so many ways, I remembered the importance of meditation. I am after all, a full-time and hands-on work-from-home mom, which means I am an all-around 24/7 caregiver, helper, yaya, breadwinner, homemaker, partner, cheerleader, and everything else in between and I need all the help and support I can get to remain sane, healthy and happy. I am just so thankful because I have a male counterpart doing same things I do to lessen the burden while at the same time doubling the joy and fulfillment in our little family. But still, there are days when I get so overwhelmed and having a great partner is not enough… Continue reading →

Top 8 Things to Do in Nuvali 2016

October 25, 2016October 26, 201615 Comments

“Set to bring fun and one-of-a-kind activities and events all year-round, activities reflect NUVALI’s values anchored on the Evoliving (Evolved way of living) principle.

Structured on a system that encourages modern, responsible living supported by a belief in maintaining balance between development and nature, NUVALI’s framework allows each individual the space for a well-enhanced sense of oneness with the natural environment and its bounties.” – http://nuvali.ph

Even before Nuvali opened to the public, this has always been their principle. I was one of the lucky few who got invited back in 2010 to witness everything Nuvali has to offer and as the years passed by, I make it a point to visit the place once in a while because aside from Sta. Rosa being near where I live, Nuvali is just really a fun place to be whether you’re alone, with your significant other or with your family. Continue reading →

Nuvali Night Sky Cinema 2016 Family Event

October 24, 2016November 30, 20165 Comments

I blogged last time that we were attending the Nuvali Night Sky Cinema event. So that’s where we came from last Saturday with my family and as usual we had a blast! We were there early in the afternoon so we did a lot of things first before finally heading to the Open Fields for the 2016 Night Sky Cinema. I’ll blog about that on another post after this — about things people can do in Nuvali.

For now, here’s a photo essay of how our Pre-Halloween Family Get-Together at Nuvali Night Sky Cinema went and a guide as well for those who plan to do this next year in case you missed it last Saturday. Continue reading →

Surfing – a History of Conquering Love and Fear

October 20, 2016August 9, 201922 Comments

When I started this new blog, I’ve shared with you that I’m re-reading Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project because I want to bring more happiness into my life, the kind that really comes from within me and not the type that is pressured into my life by other people or caused by pride and envy (which is why I started this whole new blog and let go of my old persona even if people close to me advised me against it). I want to be just me. Be me. Be Jen. Which is why I am writing a lot more now about my life, my thoughts, my past experiences, etc. because I am first and foremost a diarist more than a typical blogger, more than a marketer or any other kind of writer. I like looking at my own past experiences, enjoying those happy forgotten memories and using the positive energy they give me to bring more good things into my present life so I can forge ahead with a bit more wisdom, inspiration and strength towards a brighter future. And one thing about my not-so-far-off past that gave (and still gives) me so much joy is SURFING.

This is more of a story of love and letting go of fear rather than a pure guide to surfing. Although there’ll be bits and pieces about how to surf, where to surf, how much it costs and what not, more than anything, I’d be sharing with you a photo journal about it and how this water sports activity has changed my life and influenced me (hopefully for the better). Continue reading →

Sonya’s Garden Tagaytay Restaurant Review

October 16, 2016November 30, 201610 Comments

Sonya’s Garden’s full name is Sonya Garcia’s Secret Cottage Restaurant Inc. At least that’s what it says on their menu which someone handed out to us as soon as we stepped out of our car after parking. And I’m just so happy that finally, I’d be able to eat here… and during our 2nd Anniversary at that!

Amidst the verdant and flower-laden garden, with nothing but thick hibiscus shrubs and romantic hydrangeas as witnesses, the young man knelt on one knee before the lady and asked her if she would be his sweetheart. She replied with a single-minded “Yes!”

And what better way to celebrate the overflowing of the heart than with the filling of the belly? Dinner had to be served! The table was draped with fine embroidered linen and laden with freshly picked lettuce and arugula, sweet-fleshed mangoes, pineapples, and other fruits in season, and an array of dips and sauces for drizzling over salads and pasta. It was an explosion of flavors and feelings. From this proposal began the public’s love affair with Sonya’s Garden. – SonyasGarden.com

I can’t believe it’s been two years since Mahal asked for my hand from my grandfather, parents and siblings in Cagayan de Oro. Two years? Wow! It seemed like only yesterday! I can still feel my surprise when for the first time my grandfather talked to a suitor of mine. He never did that to any of my exes!

Anyway, it’s actually our 26th monthsary yesterday, October 15, which we almost forgot because we were in Eastern time zone, we had so much going on with baby Tuz’s vaccine, checkup, errands and work around the house (that got a bit flooded recently during a sudden heavy downpour) and we were so busy with so many other things (like soap making) that we didn’t have anything special planned. The weather is also not very cooperative with typhoon Karen making a landfall this dawn and another one on the way come Monday (stay safe, everyone!).

But last August, on our 2nd anniversary, when the weather was still so nice and cozy, we had a series of anniversary celebrations (in case you haven’t read about some of my posts about that yet) and we headed to Tagaytay once again. It was just a simple lunch but we super loved it because we had it at Sonya’s Garden! Continue reading →