The Perfect Cone

Geometry: It's more fun in the Philippines :P

I've always wanted to go to Legazpi City to see the famous Mayon Volcano. Last February 24-26, I have finally seen it and it's so lovely :D Even better, I have seen it with almost nothing hiding it... I've read from a lot of blogs that when they go to see Mayon, it's usually covered with clouds --- but lucky for me, I've seen it in all it's glory :)

Here's the lowdown of what I did during the 3 day adventure (warning: photo-heavy post!):

We arrived in Legazpi at around 11:00am. The check-in time of the place we'll be staying at is 1:00pm so we decided to head first to Embarcadero de Legazpi to stroll around and eat lunch. We've read from blogs that Bigg's Diner is a must-eat so we went there.

Bigg's Diner at Embarcadero de Legazpi... our first meal in Legazpi City

Pork cordon bleu... sarap! :)

forgot the name of this cake :P

very retro :D

Embarcadero de Legazpi- seaside mall

E-M-B-A-R-C-A-D-E-R-O

After eating and strolling, we headed to our chosen accommodation, Vista Al Mayon Pensionne. We rested for a while then at 5:00pm, we went to Lignon Hill Nature Park to have some great views of Mayon Volcano....

nice, spacious, and clean rooms :)

Long and winding road to the viewing deck

overlooking Legazpi and part of the airport runway

Embarcadero and Kapuntukan Hill

catching the sunset on the way to the top

Finally! Mayon Volcano and all it's glory :D perfect cone indeed!

got to have a pic with Mayon :)

Lignon Hill Nature Park viewing deck

 After spending our time at Lignon Hill taking pictures and savoring the beauty of Mount Mayon, we headed back to Vista Al Mayon

the pension house's garden

inside the pension house... very old world :)

 On the morning of our second day, we were supposed to go to Cagsawa Ruins but it was raining so we have to come up with a back-up plan. We don't want to venture too far as we don't have our own transportation. We decided to go to Sto. Domingo (30 minutes away from Legazpi) and spend some time at some of the resorts there. Prior to going to Legazpi, we've seen the website of Costa Palmera Resort and it's natural seawater tide pool. So we headed there and see what this pool is all about.

Costa Palmera's natural seawater tide pool

The pool turns out to be a seawater pool and it's depth depends on the tide :) When we got there it was high tide so lucky for us, we can enjoy the pool. After our time at Sto. Domingo, we headed back to Legazpi and went to Small Talk Cafe for a late lunch. We tried their specialties and it was so good! :D Love the interiors too :)

Bicol Express pasta

generous serving of pork spareribs :D

receiving area of the cafe

After a very satisfying lunch, we went straight to Cagsawa Ruins since the weather is already perfect to see Mayon

Cagsawa Ruins with Mayon Volcano partly covered with clouds

Finally, the clouds are gone :) A much better sight of Mayon Volcano

 Once we're done in Cagsawa Ruins, we want to back to the pension house to rest since it was really a long day for us. We just ate our dinner in the pension house's restaurant (which was also good, by the way) and slept early. The following day, it was time to go back to Manila :(

airport runway with a view of Lignon Hill and Mayon Volcano

Overall, it was a great 3-day vacation :D How I wish it was longer so that we can visit other towns and beaches but I guess, we can always come back and see the other places :)


XOXO

The Eye

Sorry for the long absence... it's been a very bbbbuuuussssyyyy week in the office :( Anyway, I'm not a great fan of horror and this post is definitely not about the horror movie. Last Friday, we went to Mall of Asia to attend the Travel Fair. There were so many travel agencies and airline companies on that fair, it's just so confusing to choose :P We didn't end up booking any tours or flights there hehe. Since it's still too early to go home, we tried out the MOA Eye. It's not as grand as the London or Sitngapore Eye but it still has a great view nonetheless. I wish we went there earlier for sunset as I think I would have seen better views. The ride costs P150 for a 10-15 minute ride.... which is for me a bit expensive. I had a great time though :D

Here's the pics I got that day...

DOT booth @ the Travel Fair

along MOA

view from inside the gondola

another view

colorful lights :D

with the MOA Eye at the background

I would have to cut short my post as I'll be busy preparing for my Legazpi trip on Friday. I will no longer have time to prepare on Thursday so it's best not to do a last minute thing :)

Good night!

XOXO

Daily Outfit: Be My (Pink) Valentine

This was my work outfit yesterday, Valentine's Day :) I really don't want to wear red but in keeping with the Valentine spirit, I wore a pink dress (with red floral prints) and shoes instead. It was relatively hot yesterday so this dress is really a perfect outfit to wear since it's cotton. I finally wore the fuschia pink flats I bought at SM (see my previous post). I just love how the pink shoes matches with the dress.

dress: bazaar-bought, belt: Landmark, earrings: gift from friend, flats: Solemate@SM Dept Store

On another note, I'm really excited on our upcoming trip to Legazpi City! This is my first time going to Bicol Region :D I will finally get to see the actual Mayon Volcano instead of just seeing pictures of it on countless textbooks :P I just hope the weather will be on our side...

I'm really sleepy now. I spent an extra 1 1/2 hours in the office today so I'm tired.

Goodnight! :D


XOXO

Shopping Time!: Solemate

Happy Valentines Day!!! :D

Sorry for the long absence. I got sick (yet again huhu) and then I went home to Baguio City to celebrate my mother's birthday. Anyway, my post has nothing to do with Valentines Day with all the notion of soulmate and everlasting love :p This is regarding the brand of flats I recently discovered at SM Department Store. When I went home to Baguio, I unfortunately brought flats that gave me really painful blisters. I was forced to find new shoes that will help me ease the pain. I stumbled upon these pairs when I saw a sign that says "Buy 2 pairs for P399.75"! One pair costs P299.75 so I really got a big discount by buying 2 pairs :) There are a lot of colors to choose from; some were even printed. In the end, I chose 2 plain but colorful pairs.

Fuschia Pink

Red

The best part is the materials used. The cloth is similar to a sweatshirt or jogging pants so it's super comfy and flexible. Too bad part I can't used this if it's raining :( I guess there are some sacrifices to make to compensate for comfort :D).

Nothing much to talk about today's happenings since I was in the office the whole time. However,our company gave red heart-shaped balloons & chocolates to each employee so we were not totally left out from the "festivities" :P

Hope you enjoyed your day :)


XOXO

Style Inspiration: Jessica Quirk

As I mentioned in my last post, my outfits are getting simpler so I rely on accessories to "quirkify" me. I've been following a blog for some time and I think she is the perfect example of what I want my outfits to be --- simple & basic outfits but in really amazing colors matched with gorgeous "look at me" accessories. If she does wear prints, she does it with flair. So who I'm I talking about? Her name is Jessica Quirk (love her last name too!) and her blog is What I Wore.

She even wrote a book about style tips & inspirations and of course, her daily outfits :) I wish I could get a copy of this book in the Philippines but it looks like it's only available in the US and online. I tried to look for this at the local bookstores but unfortunately, they don't have it.

book cover

For now, I just have to stalk browse through her blog. Hope you'll enjoy reading her blog too :)

XOXO

* picture courtesy of Ballantine Books

Daily Outfit: Clean Slate

Almost forgot to post this hihi. It's already in my Chictopia page last weekend. Anyway, an unusual very simple outfit for work (Friday casual day). Unusual because of the simple color and style which I'm really not used to...

top: Tommy Hilfiger, given by my sister, jeans: Jag, wedges, Keds, bag: Therapy

Love Keds! It's comfy & stylish :)

bracelet & earrings: given by a friend, ring: Forever 21

I also notice that my outfits are getting a lot simpler these days... not that it's bad, by the way. I guess when I realized that I'm already 30 (I turned the big 3-0 last year), I know that my style also has to change if I have to look my age. I'm still not in that phase but hopefully I can get there. Right now, I rely on accessories instead to "quirkify" me and finish off my look. Too bad I don't have enough pics in my 20s so that I can show you how I used to style myself :D That style folks... hit or miss! I just hope that the next 10 years will give me more style wisdom and that I can streamline my look :)


XOXO

Daily Outfit: Girl Scout

Hi again! :D This is my Thursday work outfit. The colors of the dress reminded me of the Girl Scout uniform hehe. The shades of green & brown are the exact shades of the uniform. Anyway, I love this dress because it's comfy, simple yet vibrant, and it looks like a top & skirt combination :) Nothing much happened to me that day except that it's a usual busy day at the office :(

dress & bag: thrifted, heels: Parisian @ SM, necklace: Landmark

up close pic of the bag & heels

To not look like I'm going to camp, I finished my outfit with two printed accessories (heels & bag) with shades of brown, green & orange. I love that both of the accessories have the same color set even if I bought them at different places & time :D

Ok, go to go... I need to go somewhere today... until next time! :D

XOXO