Everyone Looks Good In Black And White Like My Love Looks Good On You

My current favorite-Bershka skirt, my sister's black Forever 21 tank top that I stole, and my obsession- pointed pumps-which I think every girl should have in her shoe collection. 

Vivian Inspired

     What I am most enthusiastic about photography is its stillness. Don't get me wrong, I love videos too, but what makes a photograph so interesting for me is the fact that it is not moving. Nevertheless, it still captures a thousand words, like the old saying goes. Yet it is only you, the photographer, who knows the entire story. 

     Here's a few shots I took around the city (again!), inspired by this amazingly talented photographer named Vivian Maier. A lot of you may have heard of her already, but to those like me who just recently found out about this woman, she was a nanny during the 1950s in New York City who loved photography. Her work was apparently discovered in 2007 at a thrift auction in Chicago and from then on, wowed the world of photography and inspired many others. Many also believe that she was one of the first street photographers, much like The Sartorialist. What I love about her work is that they're all very genuine yet artistically mysterious. Yes, what you see is urban America in the late 20th century, but what you get could actually be worth telling more. My stuff here is probably not half as good as hers but we're trying to get there :">

08 December 2011

Meat Packing District

Meat Packing District II

You will love this place.

I'm a tree lover.

At one of the community playgrounds. This is on W 16th if I remember it correctly.

"People who want to understand democracy should spend less time in the library with Aristotle,
and more time on the buses and in the subway. " - Simeon Strunsky

Lower East Side

Add caption

Say hello to after school hours

How cute is this

And this one too!

The New York Vendor

Let me know what you think,

<3 Roni

Travel: Bicol Region, Philippines

      Despite the many bad reviews about tourism in the Philippines, you can never deny how beautiful resources this country has. Sans the corruption issues, the crazy politicians, and the government mishaps, the Philippines has so much to offer to this world, I'm not even kidding. It just takes a little bit more love from its people. I'm not even kidding again.

     Take Camarines Sur and Sorsogon. I seriously have never heard of these places except from my Philippine geography class back in elementary school. Located in the Bicol Region, it's about a 45-minute plane ride from Manila. So I was so happy when my friend who's from Bicol offered to show us around (my friends and I have this traditional annual trip we started 2 years ago). It was such a wonderful experience; first of all, because the place was amazing. And second, I was travelling with great people. The weather wasn't that bad either. The whole time we were there, the sun was smiling with us. The food, was unsurprisingly delish. That's a given for this country. Wherever you go, there's always great, sometimes-questionably-exotic-yet-still-amazing hunger busters. I wanna let the photos (i mean caption) do all the talking because I might bore you with my blabber mouth. So here are some of what we took!

Legaspi City

Hello there! At my friends house. 

This is the tip of the Cagsawa church, now popularly known as the Cagsawa Ruins.
It was brutally destroyed by the eruption of the Mayon Volcano in the 1800s and covered the whole church with "lahar".  It was pretty cloudy that day so the usual perfectly cone shaped volcano that comes with this view wasn't too clear. I guess you just have to see it for yourself, huh? Kidding.
Oh and that's our giant friend, Mary. I'm serious.

To believe is to see ;)

Filipinos are very artistic. A lot of really good artists are Filipino.
I guess it comes with the colorful culture that we have and the natural joy that runs in our blood.
You see art in the highways of this country. Literally.. 

My friend said that this place was really popular in Bicol. This is their local version of fastfood.
 The food was actually good though. 

So as what any group of teenagers on a trip without their parents would do, we went out to try the nightlife in Legaspi.
But because we didn't wanna end up being irresponsibly happy kids, we decided to just check out the local stores and hung around a local coffee shop. Pluuus, it was a weeknight..  But then again, you gotta try it.

 Camarines Sur

     After we were picked up at the airport, we went straight to my friend's house to freshen up and headed to CamSur Watersports Complex where we stayed for our first night. It's popular for its wakeboarding facility but it also offers a lot of other water sports. It has spa services located beside the pool and the ambience itself is already relaxing. Good for those who are not really up for the extreme wakeboarding experience. What I love about the place, next to wakeboarding, is the rooms. You can rent  either the bungalow houses or the cute little trailer-like rooms. I really went all giggly because of how smart the rooms were made. I'm so proud of what the local government has done to develop this fast growing tourist spot.

Those are little "bahay kubos" where they hold the spa services.
They look so beautiful at night with all the candles!
Quite romantic and relaxing for some couples out there who wants some private time. 

Heya!

Walking back. Because the heat was really getting hotter! 

    

EXTREME! Seriously, that is what we were saying here.
Haha. We were just too proud to be doing wakeboarding! 

A must try! Bring out the fearless in you.

Little tents by the pool. And what's summer without Palm trees?

The wakeboarding facility and the restaurant. There are bars here too! 

That's me with my dry hair and my dry lips.
Don't forget to condition your hair and protect your lips from the sun too!

Did you know that you can really catch the sunlight?

Sorsogon

     Going here was the most incredible, unexplainable experience I have ever had. I never thought I would be able to do this. I never thought I'd be able to swim with a whale (locally called "butanding")!!! A real one, not a Shamu stuffed toy my sister and I got ourselves from Hong Kong Ocean Park when we were younger.

Boat ride to paradise

Need I say more?

Us looking like a fish, ready to dive into the water. You gotta stay in character you know!! Haha

Too bad we didn't have a picture with Mr. Butanding himself. I guess you gotta see it for yourself again! Haha. Kidding! But really. Trust me, it was unbelievable. Nature at its finest, at its 3-inch closest!
(BTW! You are not allowed to touch the whale! One of the reasons why they are called "the gentle giants" is because they are so peaceful, and a little disturbance scares them away. One tourist didn't listen to the instruction video and
actually touched the whale. So poor little butanding swam as fast as he could.)

The whales had spots!

From underwater with love

We asked our boat driver to stop at one of the islands so we can do a little snorkling. These two kids are
one of the locals around the area.

I still have so many pictures from my camera and my friends' cameras but it might bore you
if I posted them all here. So to end this photo diary, here's the beautifully captured coastline
of the Bicol Region, Philippines. Come visit!

Here's a my Travel essentials:

Sunblock. For your face, body, lips, and hair. It's good to soak yourself in the sun and get that little tan, but better do it wihout harming yourself. Just a little healthy sunkissed glow :">

Extra Protection. Hat, for an extra shade. And sunglasses, because it's a mortal sin to squint.

Cute bathing suit / bikini. Just because! :)

Good company. Unless you're on a soul searching trip, it's best to take with you some good friends. It's one of the best highlights of the whole thing, trust me.

Go local. My mom always said that the best way to travel is to travel local. Which means, do what the locals do, eat what the locals usually eat. Going to New York? Skip the limo and take the subway or walk and grabe a bagel! Just like any ordinary New Yorker would do. Manila? Try the famous jeepney. Just don't forget to take extra care of yourself. Hong Kong? Don't miss out on the Cantonese food. For Bicol? Try the bicol express, laing, lechon kawali, and all those good stuff. You get my point? 

Now go, wanderlust. Be Dora.

<3 Roni

My Feel Good, Look Good Mantra

    We all have our bad days, right? And sometimes we stress out for the strangest reasons (I know I do- eyebags/dark circles, that kid on the street who doesn't have family or food, politics, why gravity has to pull my stuff down when i'm carrying a lot of things-seriously, and many more). So we have to have a foundation, a go-to list to constantly remind us that life is beautiful despite it's really screwed up and intentional downfalls, and that we should feel good. Beauty that comes from within shines brighter than any ultra shiny lip gloss or world cup trophy. So I created a guide, sort of a mantra actually, things I have to do to feel good most of the time, that I want to share with all of you. This is also actually a good New Year's resolution list. So think about it.

EAT HEALTHY - You are what you take in.

     Nope, don't worry. I'm not gonna tell you to cut out meat from your diet or eat less because I,myself, can never do that. I love to eat, I even think I eat too much, but lately I've realized that I'm not getting any younger and I don't wanna spend the rest of my life regretting why I ate all those Mcdonald's. But seriously, eating healthy is a huge thing right now, hence all the organic and calorie counts that's been going around. And so, it's very accessible. No reason for us to postpone it for another day.

    I was also inspired by this good show on TV called "Cooking Yourself Thin" (they have a book now too). They help you cook recipes that actually have the same amount of flavor (sometimes even looking mas delicioso) but with much less calorie count. There's also this blog that I love called "The Fat Kid Inside", run by an equally appetizing host (and by appetizing I mean inspiring. Haha) who has a passion for food. So for those of you who have extra time in they're hands, maybe you can check out some recipes that they have and do them yourself. But if you're the type of person who's always on the go, try researching for places or restaurants that actually serve healthy food. There's a lot out there. That's what I've been doing. Trust me, most of the paranoia and stress that you are strangely experiencing sometimes have something to do with what you are eating. Try it for a couple of weeks, the key here is HONESTY ;)

I was never fond of salads but I really love this one from Guy
and Gallard New York. It's called Spicy Thai Chicken salad
and I don't think it's that hard to make either.

Romaine lettuce + carrots + chicken + corn + avocado + balsamic vinegar

Paired it with wheat bread and low fat butter. It doesn't really
look very inviting in this picture 'cos I had a little time to eat
lunch and had so many stuff on the table, but its really
really really good.

wheat bread + low fat butter

GET SOME GOOD AMOUNT OF SLEEP.

    Now this is a department I am never good at. I actually have a really bad body clock. But that's never an excuse. I know we all have a lot of things to do for school or for work and we just don't have time to sleep! But if you really think about it, we can do better work if we HAVE enough sleep. I actually read somewhere that we can make up for the lost sleep that we had. I'm not really sure how true that is but all I know is that once we have the time to rest, do it. And if we don't have any valid reason to stay up, don't stay up... hmmm all the time? Haha. Kidding. But seriously, the key here is TIME MANAGEMENT. I know, I know it's hard, I myself am still working on this but it's better to be aware about it and try. A good rest brings out glow.

You don't wanna be caught sleeping at the
middle of your graduation ceremonies,
do you? YIKES. Haha

photo courtesy of Joan, my sneaky friend. Haha

EXERCISE.

   I am a sports fan. I love sports. I've tried soccer, volleyball, softball, frisbee, rowing, boxing, and fencing. And I am very thankful that I do because I don't know what I would look now if I hadn't gone with my friend to soccer tryouts that day in elementary school. Not most of us are fond of sports though. But we still have a lot of other choices to try and get our bodies movin'. So once again, no reason to postpone. If you don't have the time to go to the gym, try running up and down your stairs at home or walk around your village for a few minutes maybe twice or thrice a week. Just to at least sweat out the stress and toxins in our body. Yet to those of us who like a bit of a challenge, there's a whole lot of exercise programs to choose from.

Running- fun runs are so in right now. It encourages a lot of people to be healthier, and well, it's fun, hence the name. You can go with your friends or family and actually take it as a time to bond. Also, what I love most about fun runs is that it is usually a fund raising for a good cause. So it's actually a win-win situation. You get to shed some extra pounds while saving mankind.

Boxing- I've tried this and I must say it is very addicting, not to mention therapeutic. It's true what they say that it literally releases stress. And isn't it nice to actually punch your problems out without hurting someone? This is also a good form of self-defense in case you get into some shady situations.

Core Kinesis- A lot of celebrities have been doing this program and it seems interesting. According to Women's Health Philippines, it helps tone the body using 360-degree movements and improves flexibility. This is going on my things-to-try list!

So there you go, just a few suggestions from me. You can actually go to a professional trainer to have yourself evaluated. A lot of facilities do that so you can find the right program for you. Goodluck to us!

PRACTICE A REGIMEN.

   I would be such a hypocrite if I say that all we need to take care of is what's on the inside. No, that is not true. It's always good to have a daily routine in taking care of our outer beauty. Some of the basics are taking a bath and brushing our teeth (which I'm sure are the most important). But it's also very nice to actually follow a regimen that keeps our skin extra pampered. This may be a job for a dermatologist or just yourself. Start from identifying the type of skin you have. This is very important because what you use on your face (or entire body) will depend on your skin type. You can't use a strong facial cleanser if you have dry skin, right? And then, try and look for the best products for your skin. A little effort now will go a long way.

What I think are most essential:

Wash your face before you go to bed. I suggest you do this once you get home before you do all your homework because by then your eyes are strained already and it's not advisable to wash tired eyes. A nice hot bath is actually nice. It's relaxing, and helps you free your mind before you start working.

Moisturize. Yes, even you guys. There's tons of different moisturizers out there for every skin type, man or woman, skin problem to skin problem. You just have to find the one that's best for you, which is the most crucial part.

Drink lots and lots of water. A lot of people think that drinking too much water is bad for you. I don't know how true that is because I'm not really a scientist but I believe water is the most effective cleanser. It's liquid so you actually release it after you drink it. What I do is take sips every once in a while. It's more of the rehydrated feeling that I go for.

SPOIL YOURSELF, RESPONSIBLY.

    It's not really bad to spoil yourself sometimes. A little shopping spree, some food trip once in a while. But make sure you're doing it for a reason. Had a really long day at work? Get a massage. Nailed that thesis defense? Probably a night out with friends. Went to all of your exercise appointments with the trainer? Perhaps a cupcake or two (make it cheat day! haha). The term "spoiling", i believe, is not as bad as it seems. I'd like to think that the word is subjective. This is actually also a good motivation!

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH.

Live. Let's be real, we will never know if we're going to be hit by a bus tomorrow or get bitten by a snake today. So don't waste your time dwelling on the things that make you boring, set your goals and start living for your dreams now.

Love. Because it's the best gift you can ever give to someone.

Laugh. Because a wise man once said, it's the cheapest medicine. And you know how it is with wise men! Haha

And so as I end this mantra of mine, I hope I kind of gave you an idea on how to start feeling good about yourself. I decided to make this post because I haven't been feeling well the past few days myself, and going through it actually made me feel better. And I thought, well, another year is coming to close and one is fast approaching. Give yourself the chance to become better everyday.

Let me know what you think,

<3 Roni

Sketches

I love to draw! It's also one of the things that take me away from everything that I have to worry about. I don't actually know how I got to do this project but anyways I just wanted to share it here.

The story: Two of my aunts asked me to sketch some dresses for them. Both of which are for very special occassions. Hmm I'm not really good at it 'cos I never went to school for it but if you, who is reading this, could let me know what you think, I'm happy to accept your opinion (be nice? :">)

These were all done in my handy dandy... sketchbook! :)

I would really appreciate some feedback! I actually haven't heard from both my aunts which makes me really really nervous. I wanna know if I should work on it or actually go to school for it. Haha!

<3 Roni