Around Ilocos in Three Days

Here are more pictures from my trip to Ilocos! My family and I only stayed there for three days, and with the little time we had, the tour guide brought us to as much tourist destinations as possible. I got to visit the famous Bangui Windmills, Paoay Church, Baluarte Zoo, and Vigan City, just to name a few. The tour was so jam-packed that I didn't have any time to go to the beach! Oh well.. With all the food I ate, I wouldn't have wanted to expose my large belly anyway. :3

Paradise in the Sun

Many moons ago, my family and I traveled north of Manila to tour around Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Here are some pictures I took when we visited the Kapurpurawan Rock Formation. Maybe you can tell from the bright and sunny sky (as well as the luminosity of these photos), but it was incredibly sunny and hot; I had to carry around an umbrella with me so that I wouldn't get sunburn. 

Heat aside, it was a wonderful experience visiting this place. We had to trek towards the actual monument, passing through fields of grass, hills, puddles of crystal clear water, and a lot of rocks. Some locals offered horse rides through the path for a quicker and less tiring walk, and there were even drink vendors in some spots, ha ha. On the way, I noticed a bridge and a path being constructed, which makes me a little sad that they're adulterating the natural landscape. Oh well, at least it would make the trek to the rock formation much safer. One of my mom's friends tripped and scraped her knee, although I'm sure that the view was worth a few battle scars.

Out and About at Saint's Alp Teahouse

The milk tea craze has really been on fire here in the Philippines, and I hope it doesn't fizz out like the frozen yogurt because I really really enjoy getting fat with a large cup of milk tea! Saint's Alp only opened recently near my university, and my boyfriend and I decided to try it out.

I ordered myself some green tea with milk and pearls, as well as a piece of peanut butter toast. Yummy, yummy. They were definitely made better by the ambiance, gotta love cafes with cute furniture. I can't believe I missed the free black tea with milk promo :<

Afternoon on the Galactic Highway

These photos are long overdue. I haven't had the time, the energy and the motivation to blog with all the tests I have to study for and lessons I have to catch up with, not to mention having to say goodbye to two people that I care for a lot. The feng shui people were spot-on when they said this year would be bad luck for those who were born on the year of the rooster. They also told me (read this from a large paper with fortunes written for all years in a temple) that I must take precaution because I may get kidnapped or something. They're trying to scare me.

Back to the photos, I took them on the way to a resort.. with a wave pool! No wave pool pictures, I didn't want to risk getting my camera splashed with water by those wild creatures, I mean kids. So most of these photos are of me, some by me, on the road. I hate how my hair gets so oily from travelling. WHY. does my blood circulate faster when I travel? Does my blood circulate faster, thereby making my glands produce more oil when I travel? Ok, gross, sorry. 

Har har.

Summer Shopping

Shopping spreeeeeeeee!!

Gosh, lately I've been spending so much on myself, but at least I bought these goodies from inexpensive stores *cough* Greenhills *cough*! There's nothing like a good bargain hunting on a boring day. Honestly, I am very happy (and tired) with the things I've bought today, though I really gotta cut down on the expenses. (_ _;;)

Item #1: a Zebra-print cardigan

The cardigans I've bought/seen from Forever 21 and Zara similar to this design cost around P900 - P1,000. That's about $20 - $27! That's already a huge chunk of my prize money *cough* (from graduation). Plus, I have yet to see any cardigan like this (with zebras AND stars) from big brands. SO, how much do you think this cardigan costs?

Drum roll please . . .

P250!! --- or $5! --- Ho my gots!

. . .

Now I feel bad about not buying the other cardigans from that store. There were three other cardigans in different designs. Actually, there was another cardigan with the same pattern but differently colored. If I remember correctly, the cloth of the cardigan was navy blue, and the zebras were colored a light blue and red, and the stars were colored yellow. I would have purchased that one instead, had my sister not stopped me and said "It looks like a pajama top," and "Why are the zebras blue and red??" I mock her with a ditzy voice.

Item #2: crocheted vest

This I bought from a boutique inside the mall called Nava. This store is definitely one of my new favorites! The store attracted me from a distance away, with their delicately dressed mannequins and their brightly lit store ornately decorated store. Nava sold clothes that remind me of Japanese fashion magazines. They sold maxi dresses, vests, sun hats, shorts, sleeveless tops, belts, knee-length dresses, skirts, caps, etc., all in such cute fabric. Many of these were floral prints, others were not.

GOSH, I GOTTA GO BACK THERE.

Item #3: Bow/butterfly-thing hair clip

&&

Item #4: a pair of Blue and green scrunchies

Lately, I've begun to realize how much the littlest details can add so much to the entire outcome, so I bought these hair accessories from another boutique called Amanda's Place. The store sold both clothing and accessories, the clothes a little not worth it too plain for me, but the accessories were pretty cool. Had I been given the chance to buy more accessories from there, I would have. But, luckily for me, my stomach was stoping me from buying any more. No, not my gut. I was pretty hungry by the time I had gotten to this store (after hours of window shopping and walking, walking walking), I was already shaking. LOL. So I hurried and went to the food court. c:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I've got more loot goodies to bleurgh about, but so little time. Wow, it's already 9:30 pm! I've missed my bedtime. Goodnight, whiskers.

~Cocoa Channel