I love Bali!

Although it is on my bucket list, travelling outside the Philippines is not really my priority unless there is really a need to do so because of the fact that I am hooked at work and other activities in my place. I am also an economical type of person that does not want to toss money around because I know how hard it is to earn it. I like saving my extra pesos for future uses and for my expensive list of wished items. Travelling can be very expensive especially the airfare and place accommodations. If you don’t want your pocket to get empty then this might not be a good option for you. Although it is like that, travelling to other places or at least to one country annually surely offers lots of good things for your life. It is kind of addictive. For most people, it fulfills their souls, curiosity and inner desires. A person is not destined to stay in one place forever and ever. 

A lot of my friends travel from places to places and countries to countries.  As for me, I have traveled to several islands here in the Philippines and to one country abroad – Bali Indonesia! I was with a few friends on that trip and it was one of my most unforgettable adventures. I have learned more of myself on that trip. I can talk for hours about what were my days like when I was in Bali, but for now, let me just share about a very lovely day I had in Bali that I will never forget. I will be writing more posts about my Bali trip so stay tuned.

Through Airbnb, we booked ahead a place that we could stay and sleep. We chose VillaVictoria. It costed us more than five thousand pesos per night. Since we were five friends, it was just affordable to us because we divided it. The place was very beautiful. It resembled a mini jungle in the middle of the city because of the many flowers and plants. Even the bathroom had wild plants!

After eating my dinner the night before, I went straight to the bedroom to nap for 10 minutes. I planned to take a shower, clean myself and brush my teeth after that 10 minutes that I've set in my mind. The bedroom was very cool and cozy. It was pure white all over and there were kalachuchi flowers scattered around – on the floor and on the bed. Smelled so good, ugh! Guess what? I never woke up on that night! Hahaha. My sleep was so deep. I am pretty sure our mountain and temple adventures the day before contributed to my uninterrupted sleep, but the bedroom played a great part as well. And oh, I love the curtains over the bed and the plants at the corners of the room.

For me, this is one of the many ultimate highlights of that day. My first ever floating breakfast! Yes, I ate breakfast in my swimsuit. I have heard of drinks by the pool and party by the pool but breakfast in the pool sounded like a fantastic idea! Even better! Anybody’s Bali vacation will not be complete without trying their famous floating breakfast. A Floating Breakfast is not just something you do for the ‘gram, its entire existence was created purely for it.

If you are wondering if it is in any way practical, I don’t think so. Our floating breakfast was very expensive. Because of that, we ordered a floating breakfast good for one person only (hahaha). We just added other foods in the floater since we bought foods and other important items in one of the grocery stores the day before. Good thing I was with my four good friends. I liked all the foods, fruits and drinks that we prepared except the Balinese bacon that was included in the floating breakfast meal. I didn’t know if it was just me but I found it’s after taste like rotten clothes soaked in the dirt. Sorry.

If you haven’t known yet, I really, really like soaking myself in a bubble bath. It is one of my favorite forms of relaxation. It distresses me. After a long day, there is nothing better than soaking in a bubble bath until the stress melts out of my brain. (Plays a slow jam, lights the candles, gets undressed, steps one foot in at a time, lays down and sips wine. Yas, paradise in heaven!) Too bad I don’t have a bath tub in my home. I only got to do this when I have getaways and stay in hotels and resorts.

Good thing I have experienced a bath in Bali! It was not just an ordinary bath but a flower bath. I was with thousands of pink and red flowers. So relaxing! I was so happy.

It was quiet an expensive trip but it was very worth it (dopamine rush)! This travel made me realize to would definitely travel more especially to other countries soon. If you are wondering if I want to travel to Bali again, I am definitely down for it but next time,  I would like it to be with my one and only. ♥

A big Thank You for all the life lessons and opportunities. 

You let me experience what it was like to be a friend, a colleague, a lover and an independent woman. Random challenges were what you had prepared for me along my path. Some were easy while some were hard. They all helped me become a better version of who I am. You made me feel about people and what various characteristics there were in general. You threw rocks on me, some hit me hard, some did not and by then, I knew the ways on how to guard myself from those. From you, I learned so much about myself and my limits. You offered me bounty of life lessons that I could carry throughout my life journey. You taught me to see my failures as part of something great on what was ahead for me. I saw my limitless potential that I never I knew I had before.  You stretched my comfort zone by forcing me to confront my fear instead of running away. You tested my resilience, my persistence, and my determination to live truly and authentically and I was so glad that I rise above the challenges and be myself.

Thank You for the great relationship.

I used to associate endings with regrets, fear and loss of something good I had once. I was drowned to the idea of broken pieces of hearts, things and my whole self. My young self thought it would not get better. In reality, it would get better. Things improve overtime and everything would be whole again. You helped me realized more that for every hard goodbye, a fresh new beginning was waiting and very excited for me. Though far geographically, a loving man was there for me all throughout your 365 days. He did not miss a single day of making me feel he was just there for me, laughed with me and planned the future together with me. When I was happy, he was happy for me, too. How did I get so lucky?

Thank You for the good health and my family.

You taught me that health is wealth. I used to sleep for only four hours before but you helped me change that habit into at least 7 hours or more. Change may be shocking and painful but often necessary. My life is mine. I am responsible for myself and living and expressing my most beautiful dreams. I could not fulfill my desires if I was sickly. I knew the hype of technology would left me awake all night long if I gave in to myself's wants. Thanks for making me do something that matters to me.
Family is a home I could always go back when things fallback. I am beyond blessed for their support and advises. 

Thank You 2018 for the sweet victories and challenging trials. You made me a better version of myself now.

Who run the world? GIRLS!

It is International Women’s month once again! And with that, I intend this post to be a little extra special as this tackles about women. Yup, I am one of them and so are your sister, mother, grandmother, aunts and even some of your neighbors.

The role of women personally and professionally all over the world is growing by leaps and bounds. Corporations, countries and most people are showing and recognizing values that women encompass. I am a firm believer of women’s power. I have a strong faith that we, women, have so much potential within us that we should be proud of.

To impart a short personal tale, I was a small, poor, province girl who had no idea what I would want to be when I grew up. I thought my life was meant to be calm, plain and peaceful just like my mother and the rest of the women in my village who did household chores and took good care of the family. I never knew I had so much in me until I uncovered them one by one. Thanks to the people and opportunities that helped me mold who I am today.

It is always a good story to tell about how someone who started zero from the ground, rose into something better anyone could have imagined - even myself. Helping the people that matters to me and improving myself are such a great relief when I think about it. I know I am still young and very courageous. Countless of adventures are out there waiting to be ventured and I am excited for it. My life right now is still what I sought - calm, plain and peaceful but with an added twists, unimaginable opportunities and bounty of happy moments in between.

At my early age right now, I can say that these four characteristics have personally helped me. I share this to some of my friends when we have serious conversation. I am glad to be writing it here as well.
Let us make sure to lead each of our step towards goodness and success. Let us be more valuable out there.

1.  Be versatile
This means our flexibility to being able to adapt to many different situations. This is a thing we should never neglect. Equipping ourselves with skills and knowledge in many areas will mold us into an in-demand well-rounded individual. Who wouldn’t want that? We all have the time needed for this. How about if we push this through? *wink*

2. Be hungry for knowledge
Curiosity is one of the key things that keep our lives full of adventures. Just because we are considered an expert in our field, doesn’t mean we don’t need to learn anything more. Learning new things will only make us more successful. As they say, “Get out of your comfort zone and you’ll be amazed at what you learn.”

3. Be hurt and move on
Human as we are, we are bound to get hurt. It’s one of the most effective teachers we can have in our life. We need to accept that we won't always make the right decisions, that we will screw up totally bigtime sometimes, that we can say unimpressive statements and many more negative things. The key there is to learn from our mistakes, make an effort to correct them and then be better next time.

4. Be the best version you can be
Each day is a new opportunity to grow. Each day we can be better than yesterday.
We hear it all time; “Do your best!” “Be the best you can be” “Be confident”. In a world where standards are raising, everything is more complex and more competitive, if we’re not doing our best – it feels like we will be left behind. Surround yourself with great people you feel you have connection with. Be open to new learnings – own it, learn, push and stay excited.

You go girl!

By the way, if you want to meet like-minded professional women here in Cebu, we at Google Developers Group Cebu, are organizing an event called Women Techmaker Cebu (WTM). It will be held on April 7, 2018 at The Company Cebu in Mandaue City. WTM will feature talks from women in technology across various fields, networking opportunities, and more--all geared towards increasing visibility, community, and resources for women in technology. I will be there and together with me are awesome women with careers in technology. See you there!

My version of "blogger pose" during  #iLuvCebuInstameet 5.0.

I am currently living in the heart of Cebu province – in Cebu City, a place where all things are possible for a millennial like me. You name it! Learn new courses, attend to one-of-a-kind events and activities, participate in hackathons/technology meetups, grow the network of friendship, build startup businesses and then there is Instameet.

I started living in this place since I was in college and I could still remember my introverted self few years ago.  Afraid to go out from my tiny little shell in order to venture what opportunities could offer; scared to say “hi” to people I met in the hope to gain new friends; reluctant to acquire things and learning needed to be my own kind of unique self now. It’s a little bit funny to think of these but a sigh of relief and gratitude as well thinking that somehow at some point I overcome these. Okay, enough with the drama. Let us go back to “Instameet”. What in the world does it mean and why I am I correlating this to my self-improvement particularly in the friendship aspect of my journey. 


Instameet is literally an Instagram Meeting by instagrammers. If you have no clue what instagrammers are, these are literally users of Instagram application. In a nutshell, this is an event where people gather in a prearranged place and time to meet new friends, share stories and ideas, take photos and upload it to Instagram of course. That’s it really, growing the network of friendship both offline and online! Plus, you get to meet your favorite Instagrammers that you’ve been Insta-stalking forever.

#iLuvCebuInstameet 5.0 is an instameet specifically organized by Doyzkie of iLuvCebu.com with an aim to give an avenue for everyone especially millennials to meet up and share best social media practices. Held last 15th of October 2017 in The Glass House of Montebello Villa Hotel, it had the theme “We Meet Again” commemorating its fifth anniversary. The said event was supported by the country’s No. 1 Pizza Chain – Greenwich Pizza and Pasta.

Everything Greenwhich :)

1. Meet new faces and gain friends. Making new friends can be intimidating especially when making your way to those that have unapproachable appeal individuals. I’ve been there, kinda scary but the trick is, just be an open-minded individual. If they’ll like you, they’ll respond. If not, then go find another. Let us not complicate things, shall we? Hehe. Nonetheless, I tell you, Instameet participants are very friendly - all of them. I usually instantly become friends with them. That's how feeling close (FC) I am, lol. Instagram influencers grew their network by gaining friends. So be prepared to meet new faces. There is no harm in talking funny and humorous topics along the conversation to spice up the conversation. Just don’t be too personal and keep it unobtrusive.

Unity in diversity, lol. Feeling close na kami agad even if we just meet. :)

2. Learn new ideas and techniques. Ever wondered how instagrammers manage their accounts, how they gain followers and how they curate/beautify their shots? Well, I learned it from this event. Broad number of Cebu influencers as speakers  of the event tackle different areas regarding such topics surely helped. Plus, multiple methods and tools to help us and a whole lot more. Who wouldn't want that? How to properly use Snapseed, VSCO and instagram filters were tackled.

3. Picture here, picture there, picture everywhere. iLuvCebuInstameet 5.0 was a half day of getting reaquainted with previous meets and newer participants. When I arrived at the venue, I could see people scattered everywhere taking photos. Such a good thing because I belong, lol! Well, you actually don’t have to be an amateur in photography when taking photos. Just be creative and unique. Find the best spot you could think of. Show yourself  through your pictures. Luckily, Montebello Villa Hotel, where the event was held, has picture perfect scene in every corner. I grabbed some few  friends and took pictures of each other. Voila! Some of my shots are here:






4. Raffles and prizes. Get a chance to win awesome prices and giveaways offered by the event. We participated in Best Barkada Shot (Group Award) and 5 Most Creative ILuvCebu Instameeter.

5. Good food. The event was sponsored by the country’s No. 1 Pizza Chain – Greenwich Pizza and Pasta. Good food were served. Lucky for us it was saturday which meant "cheat day". Yas!

Lafang :)

6. It's all about promotion. Put yourself in the spotlight. It's yours!

Ako ang dyosa! :)

…because it’s basically about Instagram drama, so why not pull off a unique OOTD (outfit of the day)?

On the bridge of the pond. "I wish there's a bridge I can take towards you." Genern!

I was happy to be one of the participants of iLuvCebuInstameet 5.0. Aside from I ditched my computer at home which basically is my prison, I had the chance to know and talk to awesome instagrammers of Cebu. I had relaxed my mind from the city noise. My blogger friends were also there making the experience extra special.

Blogger friends. She's the thorn among the roses, hahaha.

Love Instagram? Participate in iLuvCebuInstameet!
If you are interested to join the next events, you may follow iluvcebu.com in their official Facebook page and website.

See you in the next #iLuvCebuInstameet event!