Travel Diaries: Bangkok Day 2 (Safari World & Marine Park, The Marble Temple)

Our second day in Bangkok was super packed!  We were in Safari World & Marine Park most of the day then we passed by the Marble Temple and lastly, we passed by the first ISO certified jewelry shop and apparently its the biggest jewelry shop in the world.  Good thing our breakfast the whole time we were in Bangkok was a buffet breakfast.

Let me just say there were so many tourists!  When I got the itinerary and read that we had Safari World, I had thoughts of animals in their respective cages or animals free to roam and us transferring to a separate vehicle that would bring us around to view the animals.  But when we entered, still in the van, it took us a while to realize that we were already in the safari. Vans and buses were all slowly moving with tourists and school children viewing the animals that were free to roam the area.  It was quite a challenge to take photos.

Deers (? LOL) are so photogenic!

And that ends the actual safari.  It took us less than an hour I think to go around and see the animals.  After that it was actually time to enter the zoo and watch the shows.

First up was the Orangutan Show.  They were so human like!  They had a boxing match.  Its a great show for kids. 

Next was the Sea Lion Show who drew so much viewers.

Before the third and last show we watched, we had a lunch buffet.  Again, the noodle soup was present.  And it seems like Thailand is very much abundant with watermelon as we've been having it for dessert from the beginning of our trip (in the airplane).

This is me and the kids. :)

Yes, I am a scardy cat.

The amazing view of the safari!

 Finally, the dolphin show.  After this, we left Safari World.  Going to Safari World and leaving Safari World took a while because it was actually quite far and the traffic didn't help.

We visited the Marble Temple which was amazing, but I think Bangkok has much more stunning temples.  Unfortunately, we were only able to visit one. 

As I said earlier, our last stop was the jewelry shop.  I ended up buying a simple ring to remind myself of the trip.  It was interesting to see the people making the jewelry in action.

And that's that for our second day in Bangkok.  I have a few days more! :)

Travel Diaries: Bangkok Day 1 (Siam Niramit)

Two weeks ago I was invited to join a trip to Thailand and Hong Kong.  For someone who hasn't been out  of the country in a while I was super excited.  Eight days and seven nights to explore two different places, to get to try new food, and of course to shop!  Travel is a chance to get away from stressful things and for a while, be oblivious and carefree.  Fortunately, I had the chance to travel with a great family who were so accommodating and fun to be with.

If you live in the Philippines you'd think that it would be a breeze to get to Bangkok, which was our first destination, but in our case we had to go through a 6 hour drive from Manila to Baguio.  If you're up to date with airports, you'd know that our airport isn't one to boast. 

Well, the long trip was worth it.  Bangkok was great!  We had an itinerary and a tour guide, Tuk-tuk (Yes, she has the same name as their country's version of our tricycle.).  There are upsides and downsides to having a tour guide, but in this case we did enjoy having a tour guide.  We got to our hotel, Arnoma Hotel, rested a bit, and headed to the nearest mall beside us to grab something to eat.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take much pictures of what we've eaten there, but I should tell you we had noodle soup several times during this trip.  It was at every buffet.

Our first item in our itinerary was to have a dinner buffet and watch a popular show among tourists, Siam Niramit.  We enjoyed the show very much despite rushing our dinner buffet, which was our first amongst several buffet meals in Bangkok.  We got our first taste of Bangkok traffic and got to the restaurant about 30 minutes before the show.  We ate what we could and headed off to the show which ended around 10  or 11 PM cause there was a short delay.  There were so many tourists and to think it was a Thursday.  I really didn't analyze what the play was about (probably because we haven't recovered from the travel) but you could get a gist of it nonetheless.  There wasn't much dialogue, but their actions and choreography was great.  It was so colorful and creative that none of us got bored I think.  The set was amazing!  There was a part when the stage suddenly turned into a river out of nowhere!  Then a man dived and there were boats coming in.  And they had I think 2 elephants on stage!  Too bad you can't take photos.  I didn't even try taking any with my mobile phone.  I guess, its just something you should try yourself when you get the chance.

Instead of going on to the next day of the trip, I'm cutting this post short and posting the rest by pieces to make it easy.  I still have photos to fix.

Until next post! :)

Tumblr

Hi!

I have a Tumblr by the way which I actually had way before I had this blogger account.  Tumblr's great!  I believe its one of the first sites where you can "reblog" something and like something.  This site has informed me of what a hipster is and what yolo is and that sort of thing. LOL.  On my account, I usually reblog music I enjoy, quotes that I seem fit to my current situation, and blah rants and sometimes dramatic things.  LOL.

If you wanna check it out, click here. =)

Thank you!

Love,

P.S.  I feel like I have a pen pal or something.

Bus Rides

Long time no blog.  And a long time ago I promised myself to write or at least never be empty handed of pen and paper when I take long trips, especially going back and forth Baguio and Manila during college days.  Somehow, I have more thoughts during these trips than when I'm actually sitting down and waiting for ideas to come flowing.  But I never did keep that promise.  But here are some experiencess that I remember:

Recently, I was seated beside a student, I assume, of my alma mater.  He had that maroon baller with that naked man on it and was reviewing his reviewers when he got enough sleep. He was simple with just a hoodie on and had a beaten down phone. He was on the phone as soon as we sat by each other, softly speaking to that person on the other end at 6 in the morning. We maintained nice and pleasant seatmate ettiquette.

One time I sat beside this Korean. The time was when I was still in college and was finding it hard not to cry every time I left home to go back to Manila.  I wasn't alone with the crying that time though.  I actually didn't know if it was funny. First, he was a guy.  I didnt expect a guy to cry right there.  His friends were waving good bye as the train moved and he started to tear up.  I was already sobbing then.  Second, as soon as his friends were out of sight, he opened a letter, started reading, and cried.  We both were crying.  And I realized it then that it was so funny to be seated with someone crying as well, so it sort off cheered me up.

Last thought for today would be the time I rode the bus on my birthday years ago.  I rode the bus earlier than I normally would on a school day and the bus ride took forever!  A normal trip would give you two stopovers - Tarlac and Sison, but unfortunately for me it took a stop in Dau as well.  I didn't have a seat mate just yet until that stopover.  This Mr. Dentist chose to sit beside me even if there were vacant seats before my row.  In my head I was like, "Okay, he doesn't seem to bad.  I'll just sleep the whole ride or read or something, or do something that will not make him talk to me.".  But no, he did talk to me the whole trip!  And if I did sleep he'd let me lean on his shoulder which was way awkward for me.  When he told me he was a dentist I told him, "So... You're checking out my teeth now?".  And I covered my mouth.  That is by far my weirdest birthday. 

Hope you liked my stories. :)

Beauty Shots

Hi there!

My friend Krizia asked me to shoot for her makeup portfolio a while back.  Her dad allowed us to use his lighting equipment which is essential to beauty shots.  I don't think the shots are perfect, but I guess they're good enough for someone who doesn't really get to practice with lighting equipment. LOL.  

By the way, I was one of her models too.  My shots were taken by one of the models, Allyne.  The look Krizia did on me was the colorful one among 3 looks.  She used 3 colors of eye shadow and a louder lip color, which is supposed to be the high fashion look.

Next up is Gaso's look, the night-out look.  Instead of going for a black smokey eye, Krizia used more browns. 

Lastly, we have Allyne who took on the bridal look.  

And here's a shot with Krizia, the fab makeup artist.  =)

Shooting with light equipment really does need practice.  I can't wait to get my own and hopefully, some space where I could set up a small studio of some sort.  LOL. Now I get why photographers take a while with their test shots.  Photos were edited in Lightroom.  I didn't do much actually, just some exposure adjustments and skin softening.

For inquiries on the makeup, contact Krizia at 09158726010. =)

Have a beautiful day!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Hi!  Its been a while.  Obviously, people have been busy due to the over pour of rain here in the Philippines.   Fortunately, here in Baguio it hasn't been that bad.  Things have been getting better now I believe.  It actually reminded me for a while of that song from The Sound of Music .  Hence, the title.

For those who don't know, the lead sings about her favorite things one night when it started to rain to cheer up the kids.  And the song goes... I simply remember my favorite things.  And then I don't feel so bad.  So, I would like to share my favorite things. =)

Aside from over-sized sweaters, coffee breaks with a book on hand, and music and friends to accompany me, here are my go to things whatever the weather may be.  The picture might seem like a "what's in my bag" post, but I just seem to like almost everything in my bag.  What I mean to say is, if I see these things they automatically give me a happy feeling except, I guess, for my phone which keeps me busy and so goes my planner.  And if I lose one of these things I'd probably feel bad about it.

1.  Burberry purse/hand bag - my go to purse during Sundays when I don't have to lug around a bunch of notebooks and don't really need an overflowing make-up kit.

2.  Heart (i-don't-know-what-to-call-that-pattern) coin purse with a Paris key chain - the purse and the key chain just go together don't they?  Bought this at the kids section of the department store.  The key chain's from a friend.

3. Jewelry from mother - she has this story that the ring was the first piece of jewelry she bought with her own money or something like that.  It sort of serves as a reminder of my mom and that I too would like to buy my own jewelry some time soon. =)

4. Bvlgari Omnia in Amethyst - FAVORITE PERFUME EVER! =)  This is actually my second bottle.  I've come to the point where I don't even smell it on myself after I've applied it for a few minutes since I'm so immune to it.

5. Neutrogena Lip Sheer Moisture (not sure of the name.. letters of the sticker below were too small) - its sleek, color is great, and I don't need a lip balm with this.  Unfortunately, its not readily available here in the Philippines.  I guess that's why I treasure it more. =)

6. Fossil watch - I like that it has a big face and that its in a pale pink color.  Watches are my favorite accessory next to earrings.  I think I'd still choose earrings over watches, but watches do come close.  Its pretty and serves a purpose.  But with mobile phones at reach, you don't need a watch that much.

7. Samsung SII - speaking of phones, here's mine, which I've included in my list, because it really makes a difference.  I don't want to be dependent of it, but it just has everything and I seem lost without it.

8. Planner and pens - Even if I've just said I'm pretty much dependent on my phone, I still like to jot things down on a planner and not in a phone cause I think I'm more effective that way.  Plus, I still want to have good hand-writing, which is sometimes the cost of technology.  I'm thinking of getting a Moleskin next year, but there are prettier planners coming out every year.  Its actually something you have to think about cause you're going to be writing on it for a year.  Of course, you want it to be nice, and better if it were different, unlike the usual Starbucks planner. LOL.

9. Bow hair tie - I have this fascination over bow hair ties.  Right now I have 2 and I don't even know where the other one is, but the one in the picture is my favorite even if the rubber's not good anymore.  The others, I've already retired.

10. Mirror from Accessorize -  this is just a plain mirror from Accessorize, but it has a rose detail at the back.  I like that its white and small enough for a bag/purse, but functional enough for touch ups.  Because it has a handle, I feel extra nice when I look at myself on it. LOL.

So those are some of my favorite things.  I think you know more about a person by the things he/she uses.  I don't know what you'd think about me based on this post.  But it was fun sharing. =)

Current State of Mind

I'm not much of a writer (yet I have this blog).  All my thoughts are unfortunately locked up in my head and I find it quite difficult to express some thoughts that I do have especially when there are a lot.

• SONA 2012
• Sales quota
• Inconvenient weather
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (current read)
• One Day (Yes, I've watched the movie but I wanna read the book)
• Clothes and other things I'd like to buy (They keep piling up.  Must have eye covers such as those that horses wear when walking around the mall, or even logging in Facebook.)
• And other things that can't be publicized.

What I lack in writing prowess, I hope I make up in photographs, although this is just made up of 2 photos. LOL.  Well, that's me on the phone.  Believe me, I have tons of pictures with me on the phone with different facial expressions.  I might even make a collage of all my on-the-phone photos.  This was taken by one of my friends (I don't even remember who) during dinner and I didn't know which post processed one to upload so I uploaded all.  LOL.

Yay, 2 posts in a row!  Let's hope for a third one tomorrow. =)