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Showing posts from April, 2018

DINING | Dessert time at Kiss the Tiramisu

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Kiss the Tiramisu's "Midas Touch." Trying to cope with the punishing heat of summer? That's what led me to finally try Kiss the Tiramisu . I've passed by it several times already and found the name quite weird, absolutely clueless that it's a popular dessert cafe chain from South Korea. Now here's a rundown of my solo experience.

DINING | Olas Banditos: Decent Mexican fare in San Juan, La Union

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The writings on the wall. After some disappointing dining experiences at San Juan, La Union , it was such a relief to stumble upon something relatively good. Here's a rundown of our experience at Mexican restaurant  Olas Banditos .

LOOKBOOK | Because it's summer, go Japanese with a jinbei

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Me sharpening my kendo skills. Or at least that's what I think I'm doing. But my form betrays me. Such a poser, I know. Yet nothing betrays me more than this un-cropped photo below.

LOOKBOOK | Loud and louder: Going for more color

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I really love my stash from Uniqlo's Minions Bello Summer t-shirt collection . After dressing up one with matching lightweight seersucker blazer and pants, I'm letting it loose this time with this striped piece.

LOOKBOOK | Summer sweater

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Wearing a sweater at this time of year in this part of the world would probably sound ludicrous. But if you work in an office, that most likely is alright. The key here is to wear one in a lightweight and breathable fabric. Having it in colorful and cheerful-looking patterns to match summer is an option.

DINING: Surf Shack (San Juan, La Union): Where almost nothing is available

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Disappointing experience at Surf Shack. I don't know if San Juan, La Union is just taking the laid-back vibe very, very seriously but here I am again with another disappointing restaurant. After a not-so-pleasant time at Flotsam & Jetsam's restaurant , we were met with a similar--if not worse--experience at Surf Shack .

TRAVEL | Flotsam & Jetsam Artist Beach Hostel: Nice and hip place to stay in San Juan, La Union, BUT...

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All sorts of touches along one of the hallways of Flotsam & Jetsam. Surfing or not, La Union has been steadily figuring out as a go-to destination for quick vacations, particularly the town of San Juan . Several establishments have of course mushroomed in the wake of this boom. Now where to stay in San Juan? We've tried Flotsam & Jetsam Artist Beach Hostel , which, by all accounts is no longer just a humble hostel because it now has a dozen accommodation options. Business must be good. Now here's a rundown of our experience.

LOOKBOOK | Bello, summer: Dressing up a t-shirt for work

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So serious there. I guess the expression goes with trying to look dignified in some way. Because I chose to wear a t-shirt to work when it's not a Friday, I had to dress it up somehow; hence, the matching seersucker pants and blazer .

FASHION | 9 Instagram accounts for your buttoned shirts this summer

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Recently I featured 5 local indie brands on Instagram where you can score swim shorts this summer. Now your OOTD wouldn't be complete without a nice summer-themed shirt , right? I know you can go shirtless on the beach and all but you can't be a total showoff all the time, now would you? So here are 9 local indie brands on Instagram where you can get a new batch of buttoned shirts for summer . Because we also need to cover up sometimes.

LOOKBOOK | A splattering of black

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That's Teacup , one of our six--yes, six!--cats (cue: that " I have six cats " song). Both he and my shoes are splattered with black paint.

FASHION | 5 local swim shorts finds on Instagram

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Nothing more screams summer than a trip to the beach. White sand, black sand, gray sand, pink sand, or brown sand beach , it doesn't matter. But are you ready with your OOTDs? You'll need a new set of beachwear , right? I'm thinking tropical print shirts , tank tops, some linen pieces, and of course, swim shorts . While they're everywhere to be found, Instagram can be a source of some great finds, too. Here's but a few local brands on Instagram where you can get your next set of swim shorts.

LOOKBOOK | Adapting to summer's delayed arrival

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It's peculiar enough that summer hasn't seem to arrive just yet. Holy Week has come and gone and it's been the "coldest" that I've experienced so far. Cold here, of course, is relative because we're a tropical country. Not that I'm complaining (because who wants to be dripping in sweat all the time?) but by this time of year we should already be suffering from temperatures of 30+ degrees. But no. Thankfully.

FRAGRANCE | Vial trial: Diptyque Tam Dao EDP

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Last year I started reviewing sample fragrances given out by sales people from various department store purchases. I playfully called it Vial Trials , and the first one I wrote about was a review of Boss Bottled Night by Hugo Boss . Although it took a while, I'm following it up here with a review of Diptyque Tam Dao .