The Working Girl-From Corporate to Casual: Zalora + Ezra

I've never envisioned myself working in the corporate world. Couple of years back, I've settled on the idea that I'll be wearing an all white uniform or scrub suits for the rest of my life. But fate brought me somewhere else far from the one I saw myself to be. Although I love wearing corporate clothes because it makes me feel and that it seals the fact that I'm a professional/career woman. It's hard for me to look for clothes that are versatile enough to wear even if I'm not in the office. The practical side of me always nudges me to buy something I can use for multiple reasons and occasions. Value for your money, as some may call it.

Me, from Mondays to Thursdays

When it comes to clothing, I make it a point not to compromise my fashion sense (which, I believe I somehow do have, lol!). So even when I'm at work, my fashion style still emanates my personality. Most of the time I go for basic colors, like black, white or blue. yet some other times I feel like wearing something out of the ordinary by adding some pop of color or a statement piece to my usual wardrobe.

Boracay 2013 Travel Diary: Casa Fiesta Resort - Boracay Budget-Friendly / Station 1 / Beachfront Accommodation

Since we we stayed for 4 days in Boracay and our accommodations in Astoria Boracay is good for  3 days and 2 nights only, I've scouted the web for a decent yet budget-friendly accommodations in Station 1, which in Boracay, if you’re in Station 1 is a hard find. I didn’t also want us to experience any hassle transferring after we check out at Astoria Boracay. After days of surfing the net and reading blog reviews, I fortunately found Casa Fiesta Resort. It's just a stone's throw away from Astoria and walking distance to places of interests and Station 2 (where most of the action is). When we checked out from Astoria, we literally walked around 2 minutes to Casa Fiesta.

There were a handful of good reviews about this Boracay accommodation and it was a steal for its price since it’s right on Station 1’s beach path; plus you get to have a balcony overlooking the beach. Could that anymore be perfect?! Our Astoria room didn't have any beach view at all, so this was the selling point for Casa Fiesta.

Boracay 2013 Travel Diary: Real Coffee and Tea Café

I’ve been hearing about Real Coffee and Tea Café from friends and have been reading blog reviews about it as well. During my first Boracay trip, I completely forgot about it, even though I had planned beforehand to include it in our itineraries.  But since we stayed in La Carmela, which is at the far end of Station 2 and Real Coffee was still at Station 1 at that time, considering the walk to get to Station 1 would be too long and I know everyone would feel lazy to stroll that far early in the mornings. Besides, afternoon snacks are mostly reserved for Jonah’s Fruit Shake and grilled street foods (isaw and hotdog yum!).

On our latest trip to Boracay, we didn't have any intentions of checking out Real Coffee, but one time we were looking for the seafood buffet at Station 2 beachfront, we walked all the way past D’Mall and saw the new location of Real Coffee. It is now on the second level above Sea World Diving and is looking across the beach. 

Boracay 2013 Travel Diary: “A” For Awesome Astoria Boracay

This is our second time in Boracay and by far the best accommodation I have experienced after travelling around the Philippines for a couple of years now. I've seen Astoria Boracay before, passing by at it on our way to Willy’s Rock, but never got the chance to see the inside of the hotel. We've also been invited at their Manila counterpart Astoria Plaza, once for a birthday party and once for a membership sales marketing promo, where we saw photos of the hotel at the lobby. I've also seen their website, where you can go on a virtual tour around the hotel just while you’re sitting in front of your PC.

Staying in this luxurious Boracay Station 1 hotel was just a day-dream for us. Until one of our couple friends gifted us with flights to Boracay as a wedding gift. But we still didn't have a place to stay in Boracay a week before our flight. Our friends who blessed us with this trip knew someone who happens to have a time-share at Club Astoria and even if it was on a very short notice, she was willing to let us use the membership. After some paperwork, we got a 3days/2nights accommodation at Astoria Boracay! (Of course on a much cheaper price that the published rate, or the one offered by Agoda)

Boracay 2013 Travel Diary: Why I’m Not So Enthralled with Boracay ;-)

I’ve been blessed to have been able to go to Boracay, twice. The first was in June 2011, which was rainy season in the Philippines and in October of this year. That first trip was somewhat awful because I think there was a storm that hit the country on those dates and it was raining hard in Boracay; also it was a long weekend and there were lots of tourists, both locals and foreigners.

When we arrived in Boracay it was still sunny; but when we got to the Tabon Port in Caticlan, it started raining hard. Our boat ride was a little rough because of the strong waves. We didn't also dock at the main port of Boracay Island (Cagban Port) because it was not that safe to do so. Our boat was diverted to the other port, which is Tanbisaan Jetty Port. I took a tricycle ride to La Carmela De Boracay.

Cebu Pacific Air -vs- Philippine Airlines

During our first few travels via air, we only take Cebu Pacific Air as our airline carrier, mainly because they always have airfare promos and theirs were the cheapest. But more Philippine-based airlines are following what Cebu Pacific spearheaded.

On our recent Boracay trip, we were able to try a different airline, which is PAL Express. This trip was a gift from one of our couple friends during our wedding, so we didn't have a say on what airline to take.

PersunMall Wishlist + Thanksgiving Day Coupons

It's almost time for the Holidays! Everyone's going to get busy soon, especially when Christmas and New Year's Eve celebration is just a few weeks or days away. What's likely to happen is that most of us will be  caught up with a lot of parties and get-togethers, left and right, one after the other in one day or one night! And for sure, there's a lot of photo-ops that's gonna happen. And you wouldn't want to wear the same outfit in most of these gatherings, making an impression that you went to all these parties in one day. LOL!

If you're like me, and you also like to plan ahead what to wear in a certain event; for example a top and blouse with early dinners with college friends, a pretty dress for the Christmas Eve with the relatives and a semi-formal dress to the office Christmas party, then this early you can already go shopping for your holiday outfits! Moreover, you'll probably going to give away gifts too, right? But travelling to the mall can get very stressful; since heavy traffic is not unusual when the holiday season is approaching plus the long lines at the counters and crowded stores can get very frustrating. So what's the alternative way to buy clothes and gifts? Shop online!

I'm Inspired to #GetSassooned

Who doesn’t love free stuff? I love free stuff! And I bet you do too! I don’t know if you guys are familiar with SAMPLEROOM.PH but I’ve been an avid subscriber and social media follower of Sample Room for more than a year now.

Sample Room is Philippines' first ever beauty and lifestyle sampling website. It is an interactive community that offers FREE samples, localized product reviews and where all beauty lovers are valued. All you need to do is register and review the samples to earn points. They cater to both well-known international and our very own local brands.