Since I made the move to Germany to study and finally be with my partner, I promised myself to try to make the most out of living in Europe and to travel as often as possible. It seemed like a no-brainer at first, but soon proved to be a lot harder than anticipated, because my boyfriend has his career and it’s been hard for both of us to have time off to explore. Nonetheless I tried to make it work, even if that means we could only spend a weekend away, which is rather short but I managed to jam pack it with all of the cool stuff I’ve been wanting to check out. Anything is possible if you’re determined, create a solid itinerary, and keep to it! So alas, peep the Rome itinerary that I think hits most of the hot spots if you’re only stopping by for two days with just a backpack.
As the year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on this past year. It has been without a doubt a year full of large milestones in my life, and it changed me indefinitely. So I think about what has happened that instilled these new changes in myself, because I feel like it’s important to myself to acknowledge them and, well, because my memory is awful so it’s good to have something to look back on to remember.. It’s something I suggest you do as well! Sort through the bad and good things that have happened so that you can charge 2019 head on with full confidence.
Gift sets aren’t just for friends and family – which is why I treated myself to quite a few things, while taking advantage of the & Other Stories 2018 sale. I’m not aware if this sale applied to other cities and countries, but in Berlin the store had 25% off gift sets and 20% off all beauty. Score! What’s also great about these gift sets is that they’re available yearlong and not just the holidays, so these make the perfect birthday or other special occasion present. Now let’s see what’s inside!
We’re already almost half way through the month of December, that’s crazy! I love shopping for gifts for friends and family, and I always pick up a little something here and there for myself while I’m piling things into the basket, and I usually come prepared with wishlists from those I’m shopping for. When asked for a wishlist from someone to buy for me, I always put in the usuals for every year- socks, a certain lipstick, a candle, etc. But this year is when I’ve changed the most as a person and within my situation- I moved to Berlin, Germany to study to become a graphic designer. With that, my priorities shifted. I became focused on creating and finding inspiration to help better myself in my future career. And I’ve realized along the way that a few items would really help me with long nights, exhaustive creative blocs, and stressful conundrums that abruptly stopped my workflow. So I present a gift guide for designers! If your friend is a designer or creative, go the extra mile to show them that you acknowledge and appreciate their creativity by gifting them things that would help them prosper, or just enjoy some nice things in life that winks to their passion.
Iceland. I have always been intrigued by the mystical island. My snapchat and twitter handle is IcelandicBaby, although I have never been there: Until now. So why did I go to the cold little island of 330,000+ inhabitants? Well! My favorite band is Sigur Rós, and by the context of this blog post you could probably tell where they are from. I received an email one day about their special Icelandic winter tour, right in their hometown for a few days as they hosted the festival norður og niður with other artists for four nights at the Harpa Concert Hall. I knew immediately that I would go because this was a rare opportunity to watch my favorite band for the fifth time in Iceland. I saw it as a twofer, basically. So I impulsively bought tickets to see them two nights in a row without thinking about how and where I will accommodate myself, because as I later learned in Icelandic, Þetta reddast. Meaning, “It will all work out okay”.
The thought of traveling with your pet can be scary. Let me rephrase that, the thought of traveling with your pet is downright terrifying. Yet, thousands of pets are transported yearly so it’s obviously possible and if they can do it, you can too! I’ve racked the internet for pet traveling stories and experiences just so I can have a mental simulation of every scenario that could happen in case I need to be prepared. I’ve read about the biggest airline approved carrier, which airline is the most pet-friendly, if I should sedate my pet, etc. I’m here to tell you exactly what I did, where I traveled, and how I traveled from Los Angeles to Berlin. Mind you, this is a post about bringing a pet in cabin only.
Moving forward with my reviews of the hotels I’ve stayed in within the Philippines and also I found that the most recent review of the place was in 2013, I present to you: Fort Ilocandia Resort! After we traveled to Palawan, we made a pit stop in Manila for a day or two, then flew out to Laoag City, more specifically Ilocos Norte, a region where some of my family live and where my ancestral family originated. Ilocos is a wonderful region in the province that surprised me with markets, malls, and other sprawling towns. We visited Vigan for a day, which was a small town that delighted me with its old world Spanish colonial buildings that presented rich history and kalesas (horse carriages) clip-clopping on the cobbled streets. At the end of the day we’d regroup at an aunt’s home for a big dinner then we’d drive only five minutes to our interesting resort.
I finally had the pleasure of traveling back to the Philippines, my second ancestral home after nearly 14 years. I always considered these 7,107 islands to be beautiful, and was lucky enough to venture out to new provinces I had never been to before. My family and I flew to Coron, Palawan in the middle of December and spent a few days in the luxurious and wonderful Busuanga Bay Lodge, located about 25 miles (40 km) from the town of Coron. The moment we landed at the small Francisco B. Reyes Airport and was shuttled for an hour to our resort, we felt nothing but excitement. We awed at the rural scenery in winding narrow roads scattered with shacks in the fields or makeshift homes and sleepy dogs laying on the gravel almost a foot away from oncoming vehicles.
Happy Valentine’s Day! I have no idea about the history and origin of this day but I always knew I loved it. The stores are paraded with heart-shaped balloons and chocolate boxes and most everyday household products are temporarily tinged pink. I love how love is in the air, but more importantly, I just love how my birthday was the very next day. It felt like the fun wasn’t over after the 14th, and it was great to get discounted decorations for birthday parties! I rarely did anything special for Valentine’s Day so I never cared if I didn’t have someone to share it with because I looked forward to my birthday instead. But for the past six years, Valentine’s Day has changed and it was no longer all about me. It was about me and my boyfriend, Philipp. When people first ask me about having a boyfriend, they’re always surprised when I tell them that he lives in Germany. Then I get the next question every time: How did you guys meet?
Happy second month of the year! February is my favorite because not only is it the so-called month of love, it’s also my birthday month! So my wishlist for these four weeks is going to be all over the place because I’ve had my eye on these items for awhile now- and I think I should treat myself for making it to 23 years, right?