Spring

Spring is settling in in this part of the world, and it actually feels like it's battling with summer already (blame global warming for that). It's my second time experiencing spring and, for me, it's definitely not the same as before.

Photo Diary | 3.1-2.14

Last weekend, I went to Puerto Galera for the first time. It was a short visit, but I needed to take a break. Days before the trip, I received the news that I have been waiting for since December. But more on that later. For now, I'd love to revisit how relaxing and a little adventurous my weekend was. You see, my friends and I have been wanting to go out of town for a while already. We've been planning and planning for years, but we never get to actually go to those trips. But for this one, everything was spontaneous: the hotel, the transportation, the food, and the activities. Everything was left to opportunities.

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 3

Finally, day 3 of our Cambodia tour! This post will be picture heavy instead, as I truly believe in the saying that "A picture speaks a thousand words". That and I have a lot of things to catch up with for school.

Part 1: Our Hotel - Angkor Spirit Palace

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 2: Temple Run and Night Market

Part 1: Temple Run

Day 2 was our most tiring day back in Cambodia, as we scheduled to have our temple tour. As I've mentioned from my previous post, I wanted to go to Cambodia because of the beautiful temple that I saw in a Tomb Raider movie back in 2001. On our second day, I fulfilled that goal. Of course, we started with the amazing Angkor Wat.

We, along with dozens of other tourists, hoped to see the sunrise. However, since it was almost the start of the rainy season in Cambodia, we were not able to see any ray of light when we got there. That missed sunrise is one reason why I want to go back to Cambodia! Still, the our second day was still promising.

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 1

My first term of graduate school just came to a close. Thankfully, I passed all my subjects with considerably flying colors. My second term already started last Wednesday, so before my schedule go crazy again, I decided to finally blog about my trip to Cambodia last June! F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!

Why Cambodia? Because I'm a big fan of Tomb Raider, and I've been playing it ever since I was in grade school. I think I suck at the game, but I love it nonetheless. When I first watched the movie in 2001 and saw Angelina Jolie jumping around the rocky temples of Cambodia, the ten years old me wanted to be there. So I told myself that I have to go there no matter what. And that became a reality last June, and woke up with this view right outside our room:

Homecoming

Truly, new places can be our second homes. No, that wasn't what I was thinking about when I first set foot in my Alma Mater. Instead, I was terrified. The place seemed too big and too scary. As I went along, the school became smaller; the places became familiar; and the fear faded slowly. College  life wasn't perfect, but it definitely was something. Until now, I still remember the last day I walked those corridors as a student. It felt saddening and comforting at the same time; it felt awfully yet elatedly real. I wonder when I'll ever feel that way again.

Happy Wagon: Summer @ Quezon

For the whole of April and until now, I've been complaining how difficult this year's summer (in the Philippines) is. It's like nothing I've ever experienced in my whole 21 years of existence (thanks to global warming). However, summer is also a good time for outings, and since my office mates and I are desperate to get out of the office, we decided to find an available resort and get some relaxation. At first, we wanted to go to La Luz in Batangas, which is where some of my college friends went years ago. However, we weren't able to book in advance, so we (specifically KM and Ninky) desperately tried to find a new resort, so we found Tamarind Tree Resort in Quezon. It was my first time traveling to Quezon. The farthest I've ever been in the Philippines is Cebu, and that takes just a quick airplane ride. To Quezon, however, I had to sit for almost 8 hours to reach the resort. But the travel was worth it.

 

This was our "Duhat" Kubo. It was very basic, as we only had three futons (I bunked with Ninky & Jimm), a mosquito net, and one electric fan. It was an humbling experience.

More after the jump!

Link Love: Pampered Pumpkins

As I've mentioned here, my friend, Pampeem, was getting ready with her online accessories shop. And last March 14, 2012, she already published her blog. You can check it out here. In the meantime, here are some of my favorites from her summer collection:

(This Miu Miu inspired necklace is jut adorable!)

Be a gem and drop by her blog!

What I Did Last Sunday

Last Sunday, I had my very first project as an amateur photographer. No, I'm not trying to make this a profession and a source of living, but I do enjoy tweaking with my camera all the time and helping out my friends. For this project, I helped out my friend, Pampeem, for her promotional photos for her soon-to-be-launched online shop. She wanted the photos to be colorful and lively, as it is already summer here in the Philippines, so I baked colorful cupcakes (which I am selling for a very decent price. Soon to blog!) for her. I can't post the final photos yet, because I'm letting her post it on her own first. Here's a  few peek though of the behind-the-scenes:

And here's a short peek of the actual shoot:

I'll be posting her new blog once she's ready. Her accessories are great (I helped pick them too), so I hope you'd be her customers!