Take me back to Causeway Bay

There's a place that I would always love to visit, no matter how many times I've been there already. The first time I stepped onto a busy Times Square plaza two years ago, I knew I would keep coming back. It gives me butterflies in my tummy every time I'm there. Just the sight of trams, shops, and the feeling of being a part of the Causeway Bay action makes me wonder why I never thought about staying here forever. This is the main reason why we chose to stay in Causeway Bay right in front of Times Square--we wanted to wake up and come home to our happy place.

These waffle egg balls were so yummy! There's a stall selling these munchies right below our place. They make for a great midnight or pre-lunch time snack.

I really can't get enough of Causeway! During the course of our six-day stay, we explored it and went to the major shops to fully soak in the atmosphere.

Denim jacket and studded top from Topshop, shorts from Zara, Accessorize necklace

On our fourth day, we split up with Jake who went to check out his own brands, so the girls and I went shopping by ourselves. We had a blast at Sogo department store and bought lipsticks, make-up, and bags. I can't believe how cheap they sell Clinique and Nine West here compared to Manila! The girls also took the chance to stock up on YSL and Givenchy lipsticks since we can't find the brands in old Manille.

Me and my obsession with trams. I'm an old-fashioned gal.

We explored the side streets of Causeway and had a grand old time going in and out of the shops. Hong Kong shopping is crazy! I long to find a street here in Manila where you can find back to back shops in every street. The malls were also the best--Times Square, Sogo, and Hysan Place kept us occupied pretty much the whole time.

Knitted frayed cover up from Dorothy Perkins, scalloped top and daisy dukes from Topshop, Aldo necklace

A couple of steps away from our place are the specialty shops. Here's one of BAPE, another Joaquin-favored brand.

And we dropped by Cath Kidston! I was so excited to go here, since we also had to buy stuff for our officemate. It's like a girly land exploded inside.

Here's Jake after our morning shopping. The perks of staying in Causeway while shopping? We get to drop off our bags before we proceed to our next destination! 

I almost forgot to shop at Bershka which was just inside Times Square. Good thing I came across it while on my way to Denim and Supply to meet up with Jake on our last night. I swear it's such a happy place! I got a quilted bag for only $159, what a steal! Trousers were at $199 each!

Happy boy getting his chambray shirt! He's gotten quite attached to Ralph Lauren during our whole trip.

Jake really loved the area, 'cause he got to buy beers at the K shop a couple of steps away from our place right in front of Times Square. Even when it's late at night, the whole place is bustling. I love this place!

Happy times! We're definitely staying at Causeway again next year! I can't wait to walk around this place for days!

What made your heart race today? Useless crap from Topshop

Welcome to another edition of stuff I definitely don't need but who cares I want it:

I definitely want need another blazer for work to add to my collection. I want one in denim or something bright. And preferably one that goes well with my daisy dukes.

And I need coral pants, just because the Duchess of Cambridge herself wore them. Oh, Kate Middleton. I'm going to replicate your entire wardrobe one of these days.

I also want this cut out tunic. I haven't tried it on at the store but I think I can pull it off after a week or two of dieting. Or maybe I can just not breathe and do that "stomach in" thing the whole time I'm wearing it?

I recently made the rounds at Zara and Mango and have spotted some key pieces I need. Oversized blouses, candy colored denim shorts, pastel blazers, and some denim jeans. Now, where do I get the money? I'm really starting to hate the extreme irrevocable measures I've imposed on myself when it comes to saving money. Seriously.

P.S. I'm definitely saving up for Cotton On, though. I will never forgive myself if I don't shop on opening day.

Photo cred

Staring at the seashell waiting for it to embrace me

I almost forgot how tiring Friday night classes can get; and today was a particularly stressful one, work-wise. So here I am, de-stressing myself with happy thoughts of Boracay and to finally finish sharing our trip's highlights.

You know, thoughts of coffee, omelets, and calamansi muffins for breakfast.

Calming memories of getting a massage on the roof deck with an awesome view of the beach.

Happy thoughts of lemon cheesecakes and mango madness at Lemon iCafe with my favorite boys. Or getting to walk around in nothing but a bikini and no one gives a shiz.

 wearing Topshop bikini

Sigh. Why can't I just live near the sea, wear Topshop bikinis, and live la bohème life?

From morning to sunset to sunrise!

Hola, lovers! I'm blogging about isla boheme again (yes, what's new). Well, I don't really care. And so, when we arrived at Station 1, I didn't even have the patience to wait for our check-in time at the hotel. While the boys were drinking late-morning beers at the patio, I rented a paddle board and proceeded to the water like a little kid drawn to a toy store. Or whenever I see Zara.

Soon enough, we all took turns at the paddle-board and paddled our way to giggles and laughing fits. The wiping out was part of the whole package. Jake was a particularly funny sight to watch, always the clumsy boy.

After a bit of siesta, the beer-chugging resumed. Waiting-for-the-sunset happy hour at Sur!

And we discovered Smoke by accident while looking around for places to eat at D' Mall while waiting for Epic's party. El cheapo award-winning food plus no-frills dining!

Come to think of it, it was probably a mistake to stuff ourselves during dinner. Jake, Mike, and I walked all the way back to Station 1 to rest for a while 'cause it was taking forever for the party to start. We all fell asleep and next thing I know it's 6am and we missed the whole thing. At least Jake had some pinacoladas with the rest of the guys before conking out. 

No regrets, though, I was alive and kicking at sunrise the next morning and had a quiet beach all to myself. I like Boracay best when it's peaceful like this.

Also saw Biz and Berch returning from Epic and we all had brekky at Jonah's while the others were still sleeping! Nothing beats early morning mango banana shakes!

I never saw Friday the golden retriever again since we last saw her in 2010. This little chihuahua was such a cutie patootie, though! She was hanging outside Jonah's and kept running along the beach. Such a fickle little thing.

Too early for a maaah-ssage :(

But had a crowd-less beach for jump shots :-)

 wearing Forever 21 sheer aztec print top, Topshop daisy dukes, Rayban wayfarers

And guess what! We discovered our hotel's amazing roof deck! Just look at that breath-taking view! There's also a massage area where you can lie down and gaze at the beach. In fact, our place deserves its own write-up. Blue Lily was perfectly situated on Station 1 right by the grotto, so we were steps away from Jonah's, the happy hour party places at White House and Sur, and a couple of minutes walk away from Station 2. I can't even count the number of beers the boys had at the patio. 

We all loved that patio.

2012 wardrobe wishes

This year, I've decided to invest in some key pieces to make me look more presentable but youthful at work. I have always been against the staple corporate attire pieces and would rather go for fun and versatile items that can make up a capsule wardrobe.

Because I change styles erratically, here are some of the pieces I'm currently lusting after:

A perfectly fitted cardigan. I need one that can double as a casual suit so I can wear my tube and sleeveless tops without getting a citation for inappropriate attire. I know I've been trying to boycott Zara after an unpleasant incident with their customer service so maybe I can look for another style from another brand?

Denim tops and a jacket. I blame this one on Jake. (Topshop)

Anything oversized, really. I have a current thing for butterfly sleeves and loose tops which I can't explain. I guess they make me look more skinny? (Topshop)

Time to save up! Or maybe I should wait for Hong Kong and spend all my moolah on H&M and Cotton On instead? 

As if I'd last THAT long.

That Topshop song you can't get out of your head

I have no idea if it's just me or if every girl who shops at Topshop instantly becomes addicted to their I-wanna-dance-while-I-shop music that leaves one lss-ing for hours. I do know I have annoyed some of the salesladies whenever I nag them to give me their playlist just so I cab track it down and download it from some obscure artist who's probably all hip and indie--in other words, someone I'm absolutely clueless about as my knowledge of music only includes all things Britney, Miley, and Swifty.

So, after a couple of minutes on Google, I found out there's a lot of shopaholics out there who also want to get their hands on the playlist of Topshop stores around the world. There's even a site (aptly sub-titled "The Songs You Hear But Never Know The Names Of") dedicated to researching the lyrics of the songs just so they can download the set list. Thank you, shallow-minded girls like me!!!

I also dropped by Inside Out, Topshop's official blog, to check if they finally include specific songs from their On Our Playlist tags, but no. I got these awesome pictures of some of the artists, though.

Happy thoughts and shopping memories while I'm listening to my new Topshop playlist!!! :-) 

Turning 23 with the boyfriend

Turned twenty three last week and celebrated with the boy, my family, and the girls. I am blessed to be surrounded by these people. I'll blog about my three-part (yeah, I tend to celebrate my birthdays for a whole week or so) celebration, first up is lunch with the boyfie on the day itself.

First, he surprised me with my favorite yellow rose. Sweet! It's been ages since he got me a flower.

And this is why. Haha.

Then, we went off to Little Tokyo for some authentic Japanese. I originally planned to eat yakiniku at Urameshiya but found out they only open at 5pm so we ended up at Seryna, which was an even better choice. Because it's my birthday, the gods though they'd cut me some slack and had a table ready for us. We were lucky to be seated during lunch hour without reservations at the jam-packed Seryna. Winner!

As always when at a Japanese restaurant, we over-ordered. Seryna's one of the best authentic places here in Manila, apart from Kikufuji!

We went inside Little Tokyo to check out the place. Up next on our Japanese food trip: sushis at Kikufuji then off to Urameshiya!

wearing Topshop scalloped top and eyelet shorts, Aldo gladiators, H&M bag, Promod necklace

Yeah, I have a thing for statues.

After a year of nagging Jake, we finally had our Chocolate Fire date! He's the sweetest, yes? Haha.

They have the BEST cheesecake we've tasted so far, well maybe not the best 'cause I'm sure Jake would beg to differ. But definitely one of the best we've had, and we have tasted  A LOT. It almost made me regret getting the Fire & Ice sundae and not another slice instead. I'm thinking of buying a whole cake just to make myself happy.

That day was pretty awesome, and not just because Jake treated me to shopping sprees at Topshop and Zara and behaved like a good boyfriend. Haha. I love birthdays.