PS: Yes, I have been watching Spy x Family and I superr love the series! So much love for the Forgers 💝

(31MAR23) In less than 2 months, I can’t believe that I’m back in Asia! Moreso, I am thrilled to spend this year’s Lent in Japan with my family❤️ I know a week’s never enough to tour another continent but I pushed through with this for personal reasons (and I’d save that story for another time, maybe?Haha!) and also to attend my cousin’s wedding. Nevertheless, it’s great to continue my “Japan Tales”—the post-pandemic era. 💓
Of all the countries that I went, it’s Japan that I have visited frequently and it’s a country that I wouldn’t really get tired of going back. It has a very safe community no matter which city you head on despite the language barrier. And apart from being a tech-world and a fashion district, Japan is known for its gastronomical cuisine.

I made a lot of Japan contents over the years already so as answered from my previous Instagram stories, here’s a random entry about my trip in Tokyo which will focus more on the food that I ate there! 😅 I have to say that Japanese food is a necessity for Asians like me and an interesting palate for other walks of life. 😉

Thank You 2020, Next?

 

will COVID go away if we say 10 nice words a day?

Thank goodness that this year has reached its end; The world has faced so much struggles and devastating events throughout this time from the occurrence of a pandemic to societal issues. 2020 may not be the perfect vision that we expected but I believe that there are still little sparks of joy while we adjust to 'the new normal'. Hence, here's my top 5 precious moments during the this 2nd decade.

#2019Recap

Another year has passed and it turned out to be an emotional trainwreck despite my travelventures. From the loss of a family member to bidding farewells to loved ones, it’s been heavy yet I happily survived. ;”) Everything seemed like blessings in disguise with these whir of events.Hence, lets cheers to the ones that I got!

Japan Tales: Winter at Mt.Fuji

03JAN19 My family and I went on another Mt. Fuji day tour courtesy of H.I.S Japan Local Tour. This was our 2nd time to embark on this snowy mountain yet what's more exciting is that we're going here for the winter experience!You may check out Tokyo (Part2) about my trip to Mt.Fuji's 5th station.

Japan Tales: TOKYO! (part 3)

My first travel happened too early and so does my comeback to Japan! This is for the reason that we want to experience the winter season. Thus, here we are in Tokyo! Several have been asking me if either Tokyo or Osaka is better--yet I CAN'T choose between the two! They are both lovely to visit with all the good food, shopping and attractions and I highly suggest to tour them separately as one or two days is not enough. Anyhow, Japan's capital is such a wide metropolis in which each town has its own unique theme.On this post, I will highlight briefly some of the cities that I went plus a few tips on how to travel savvy in this wonderful city. :)

A day at USJ!

I have conquered another visit to another Universal Studio branch and this time,it's the one in Osaka! This is actually one of the reasons why my family wanted to go in the said area of Japan because of its breathtaking attractions (which I should say, more unique than in Singapore). But I enjoyed both of it so much (you could read my USSG experience HERE) that I will recommend either of those to be seen!So here's a recap of my tour to USJ.

Japan Tales: To Sakuras and Namba foodtripping.

I'm back in Japan and it came in early as 1)I'm travelling with my family and 2) We finally made it to cherry blossom season! :D God knows how much I have fought at work to get my VL's approved this month (especially the fact that unexpectedly, I got transferred at the adult ER..but lets not talk about that for now.Haha). Our departure flight had a stop-over in Taiwan which got me more excited even if we just stayed there for an hour (and we were only inside the airport!). Yet I still find it thrilling and definitely got my hopes up that this will be my next trip soon! *fingers crossed* Though I have other Asian countries in mind to visit for the next quarter..hmm. ;)

#2017Memories

This year has left me with a lot of learnings once again and a question suddenly occurred to me:"Have I become one of the Titas of Manila?" Haha! But one thing's for sure: I've been adulting during ze year and it's never been easy! My priorities are driven for my career yet on the side, I managed to embark on a trip on my own and day-offs spent for family and friends ❤️ Here are my top 5 moments and you may click some picture below to read the full review.

5) 2017 FILMS.
The movies that made me laugh,surprise,"kilig" and...cry.lol I used to not cry in watching but films such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "Coco" had kept me teary-eyed.Though I was touched 'cause it was beautifully produced and yet I have watched these twice in the cinemas! And of course,who would not add Fifty Shades on the list?I can't wait for my fave love story to end next Feb.❤️

4)my newest inspiration.

I've become a huge fan of Maria Poonlertlarp eversince Miss U 2017 began. I find her as the prettiest beauty queen even if she just made it to ze top 5. Majority of her latest updates are in Thai but I really don't care (lol); Some of it have translations which made me like her more and I'm proud to be one of her Asian fans☺️ I hope she gets to tour Asia someday!


3)Nihao HK//Macau!
So this is how my family spent our summer this year: visiting the outskirts of Hong Kong and cruisin through Macau.I certainly enjoyed Macau from its street foods and casino spots even for just a day. While I strongly recommend HK as a go-to place for first time travellers.My 'nihao travel series' might continue next year as I go to Taiwan!



2)Britney Spears' Concert (061517)
Her songs will always be the anthem of a teenager born in the 90's.From the classic "Baby One More Time" to "Oops I Did It Again",I believe everyone could relate to those songs! Likewise, The concert was definitely worth the wait,and worth the expense. 'nuff said!



1)Goin' Solo!
My week-long trip to Osaka has been one of the best experiences I've ever had!❤️Truth be told,many people will always doubt the wonders of solo travel but prove them wrong! My brave soul has taught me to be more independent and even with the slightest mishaps I've had there,I was still able to visit a lot of towns around the Kansai area 😍 Ergo,I promise to come back soon! And this won't also be the last time that I will go on a solo flight. ;)




Lasltly,thank you to all who have been reading my entries! Some of my old entries are underconstruction so please bear with me.I'm finding time to retrieve my other photos and likewise, I assure y'all that I'll make more updates soon!

Japan Tales: The other side of Kansai

Part of my sidetrip on my vacay to the Kansai region was to visit 3 other towns aside from Osaka namely, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe. Last Oct.17th, I joined a 12-hr sightseeing tour by Limon Shinki Bus Tour. The whole trip was literally just sightseeing and picture-taking as you only get to spend for around 90 minutes per town so therefore, there's little time to shop for that matter.Haha

Anyway, we started at 8am from bus pick-ups at Umeda and Namba-OCAT. We were quite a mix of foreigners who joined the trip so they provided English and Chinese tour guides. Besides that,we were given our itineraries as the tour offers different packages like some do not include meals or others end their trip in Nara only. Mine consisted of having a set lunch instead of a buffet and journey to 3 towns. :)

Japan Tales: OSAKA!

Here goes my yearly travel in Japan! And this time,I fly to the Kansai region,Osaka! ;D

Japan Tales: TOKYO! (Part 2)

Nov 4,2016: We had a whole day tour at Mt. Fuji courtesy of Sunrise Tours.I was very excited as I have high hopes of finally seeing snow there this time (well,apart from going on top of the mountain,haha).It was a 3hr bus ride from our hotel at Shinjuku and along the way, our tour guide shared a couple of facts about Mt. Fuji-san as what the Japanese calls it. A few facts that I could remember was that the mountain is surrounded by 5 lakes which you could see along the road.Another would be the fact that the mountain is also filled with Shinto shrines having this as the main religion in Japan. Hence,many would believe that climbing up there is a sign of good fortune. :) Moving on, we reached the 5th station at around 11am and the weather was lovely--sunny yet cold at zero degrees celsius!

#2016Memories

2016 has definitely been a year for CHANGE .I've gone through periods of adjustment to survive the year.I couldn't say that it was one of the best but it was fun and thrilling.Although this time,I only have 5 top mems because of such shortcomings ;( Inspite of the drama, I guess it's a disguise that my dream to explore the world came true this year ;) So here goes my top 5 mementos.

Japan Tales: TOKYO! (part 1)

Firstly,I'd like to apologize (again) that i wasn't able to post for a very long time! My computer broke down 3 months ago and it's still on repair; Hopefully my files there will be backed-up as soon as possible. This is also why I couldn't post my blog entry about my trip to America! ;( Though anyhow, I really hope it'll be fixed.


It feels soo good to be back in Japan!! Me and my family went on a trip to Tokyo last November 2. We stayed at Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku district. I love it that the place is just a walking distance from the shopping centres ❤️

Japan Tales: Fukuoka (part 3)

June 3-4: Shopping at Tenjin Core and Canal City Hakata
That morning,me and my relatives went to one of the fashion districts in Fukuoka: Tenjin Core!

#2015 Memories

Basically,2015 has been a lot of ups and downs for me.It was full of trial-and-error periods that at the end,all those hardships were worth achieving.Let it be the events I've attended,the things I started to like and the people who became so important to me.So here goes my traditional rundown of the year ;)

Japan Tales: Fukuoka (part 2)

June 2: Temple Run at Dazaifu + Drink night with the cousinsThis was our only day tour for the whole trip: to go to the temple of Dazaifu.

Japan Tales : Fukuoka (part 1)

This post has been very delayed for I've been soo busy over the past few weeks! Having a 16hr-duty once a week or a 4-days work was such a burden.But anyhow, this is gonna be a 3-part entry as I had my very first touchdown in Japan 2 months ago! :)

June 1:Hello Fukuoka!
Me and my mom had a 4-day vacay at Fukuoka where one of my relatives live. We stayed at Grand Hyatt hotel which is beside Canal City, one of the popular malls in town.The view from the hotel was quite lovely as the mall's buildings are very colorful. I bet you can't tour the whole mall for just one day! We just skimmed through the shops for now and took pictures (the tourist way! Hahaha).

welcome drinks from ze hotel! Haha isn't it so complete? ;D




There's actually a couple of photobooth stalls at the mall wherein it works like the Camera360 app. They call it "porikula" and it costs ¥400 per shot. How I wish we have this in Manila! This is so much fun to do with friends ;D The picture can also be sent on your e-mail via their website.

So we tried this particular booth since this is endorsed by my cousin,Elaiza Ikeda (the girl with the yellow bow) Then ta-dah!here's what we've got:


Then by night, we took a walk around Tenjin Central Park and had ramen for dinner-–yes,authentic ramen!! The service reminded me of Ramen Nagi; but of course,this one's a lot better! From eating in a ramen bar to having free servings of soup,it was all worth it costing ¥750.


I like how savvy it was to order through an automated machine.While,this is how the bar looked like..




the lovely night lights in Fukuoka.❤️
Then after that, we went to Don Quixote to buy make-ups and Japanese delicacies. This is where I started to appreciate the green tea kitkat. It was so delicious that I have to buy more than 4packs for home! :)) While for the cosmetics, i bought a lipstick from Chifure and a blush on. I also bought a pack of nail stickers which I'll be using on my next trip soon. ;)
to be continued..