I am honored to be a part of this list. Top 10 of Asia magazine has listed down their Top 10 Lifestyle Bloggers of Asia and yours truly is a party of it I am happy to represent our country in the Asian region together with Tricia Gosingtian and Laureen Uy – Filipina bloggers represent!
And of course, I would like to thank all my readers, friends and family who have been forever supportive of my endeavor as a blogger since 2008. This year I also celebrated my 5th year of blogging in May 1 and I celebrated it in the island of Boracay for labor day.
This year has been a great year to celebrate years of being inspired as well as inspiring other people. Nothing is impossible when you put in it. Luck happens when opportunities and preparedness meet. Seize the day, do what makes you happy, and above all – LOVE. Because that is the catalyst to making your dreams come true! Lastly,YOLO!
*This blog post as created by using WordPress for iPad mini powered by Smart LTE. #liveallout
Before I left Boracay, I visited Vietura at Sofitel and chanced upon a wonderful surprise by their lobby. For a Social Media person like me, I appreciate what the Sofitel team had in mind for Social Media Week.
Went to Vietura to get my tummy shaped before my Boracay trip!
and a wonderful surprise awaited everyone in Sofitel’s lobby!
They decorated their lobby’s centerpiece with very familiar icons!
I just had to participate
Hence, here are my Social Media resolutions for the year.
I shall limit selfie posts to once a day. (what? huge sacrifice I say so… yeah :P)
I shall avoid touching my phone or my laptop when I am emotionally vulnerable, to avoid posting stuff I will soon regret.
I should not get affected by trolls! (they will only give me wrinkles)
I should verify facts on my own before believing everything that’s being shared online.
I shall not spam!
I should block people who spam my Facebook / Twitter / Instagram feeds, nakaka-BV! nakaka-stress!
I should not tag people when they are not in the photo and “un-friend” friends who tag ugly photos of me! (just kidding!!! :P)
I should always be “picture-ready” in case someone takes a picture and tags me!
I should only use relevant hashtags on my posts.
Sorry, can’t help it 😛 #selfie
Anyway, if you’ve got your own Social Media resolutions, feel free to share them on the comment section below
I’m so excited for the bloggers of Southeast Asia! This year, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launches the ASEAN Blogger Festival 2013 on May 10-12, 2013 in Central Java Indonesia. Bloggers and social media practitioners from the Southeast Asia region will be on touch base with everone in the beautiful Solo City.
The theme: “Reinventing the Spirit of Cultural Heritage in Southeast Asia”
If you are participating in this event, or want to follow updates, please use the hashtag #ABF2013
Participants get to join seminars on ASEAN Cultural Heritage Linkage and ASEAN Tourism, various workshops tackling online intiatives that impact positive social change (such as online business and advocacy), and enlightening discourse regarding social media development including but not limited to the role of social media in the ASEAN integration process and the ASEAN Blogger Community Plan of Action.
Why do I want to Join this Event
In the year 2008, my life changed. It was the time I started blogging. Back then, I didn’t know a lot of bloggers and I didn’t have a mentor. I just blindly opened an account on blogspot, wrote about the things that intrest me and then it’s all history.
My influences were mainly from bloggers in the US and Malysia. Malaysia’s blogging community was big at that time and I built really close knits with Malaysian bloggers who I actually traveled with eventually.
Bloggers from Malaysia taking me around Melaka on one of my personal trips
In turn I also took them around beautiful Philippines
and in 2014, I am traveling with the to Hanoi!!!
The power of blogging: brings neighbors closer 😉
What Influential?
I think every blogger in the world is influential. The internet stream reaches everyone in the world and one hit on that “publish” button and you get to influence the world!
Blogging is such an influential tool and for 5 years of doing this, I would also say that blogging is something constant in my life. Something I would never give up.
I get letters from readers reaching out to me from various topics: thanking me, asking questions about career, love, and a whole other things! It’s overwhelming but blogging can affect other people’s lives.
I myself have been influenced by other bloggers.
It’s really great to get to know bloggers from other countries, especially in our ASEAN region. What do I get out of reaching out to other bloggers in this region? A whole lot:
I would realize that we may speak different languages, but some words are similar
We are both different but similar at the same time
There are a lot of similarities culture and values wise
There are also a lot of notable differences that are really interesting and essential to understanding another country’s culture
With all this in mind, we get to help each other make blogging and our ASEAN community grow
Share the beauty of each other’s country, and maybe help each other discover each other’s home
Now why do I want to participate in this event again?
I want to be more effecient and effective in delivering change to our communities. By being a part of the ASEAN Blogger Festival, I would get to hear from different speakers and bloggers and learn from their experiences. I want to actively be a part of this movement.
Looking ahead: ASEAN Community goals for 2015
This would be also an insight I would gain when I get in touch with other bloggers and social media practitioners in the region. It would be great to come together again and update each other on what’s new with the cyber world. In 2 years, you never know what happens, if there are other influential social media tools that would change the cyber scene again.
We can learn from our current status and discuss further ways to improve, and even go beyond what we already have today.
Bloggers from the Philippines
Maybe the Philippines can also host an ASEAN blogging convention?
Say Hello to my friend Aseanita
Photo taken in Jakarta, at the AirAsia ASEAN hub
Aseanita is the digital girl of AirAsia – big sponsor of the ASEAN Blogger Festival.
I have been an avid fan of AirAsia – as a customer and as an online partner.
Like me, AirAsia believes in the power of blogging, social media and other online activities that affect our offline lives.
If you want to know more about the culture in AirAsia, you can check out my interview with a very important person – the CEO of AirAsia
I just attended another blogging seminar recently but it’s mainly all about Fashion Journalism conducted by the School of Fashion and the Arts (SOFA) and Fully Booked. ;Most of the things the lecturer spoke of, I already know by heart but since she works for print, I thought it would be nice to get a few pointers from the professionals. ;
True enough, her vision for us new breed of bloggers is to professionalize it. ;While this might be hard because the essence of blogging is all about freedom and being personal, I do get her point, and that is to make sure that we know that our blog is a form of “Service” to the public. ;You give information to online readers WORLDWIDE and with great power comes great responsibility.
I took a few notes but I don’t want to put everything here. ;I encourage you to attend this class and/or the Fashion ;Diploma or Certificate courses being offered by SOFA if you want to better your blogging/writing skills as a fashion blogger/editor.
;
Carla “Larca” Perlas, Fashion Journalism Teacher at SOFA
;
Notes on Fashion Journalism:
Grammar and Spell check
I am so guilty of this. ;I don’t check my grammar. ;There’s an auto spell check feature which is fine, but grammar check is a bit tricky. ;From now on, I will try to edit blog posts (at least once).
Be accountable and responsible for your blog posts
Sadly, this is one thing most bloggers tend to forget. ;You may rant all you want, but ranting gives your readers just a one-way view of things – your side. ;Ask all the journalists and they will say this is bad journalism. ;If you would want to rant, try to give two sides. ;Remember, a blogger is powerful enough to cause controversies, close a business down and condone someone of losing his/her job forever. ;Be responsible and know that your one move could cause irreversible consequences.
Those are the two main points I got out of the seminar, but there’s more to learn especially if you want to hone your skills as a writer. ;Separate yourself from other bloggers by becoming better in writing. ;
To add to this, content is key. ;You don’t want to write about someting you know nothing about like me for example writing about players rewards card. I would rather write about Formula 1 because I love the sport. ;Topics I would want write about are Travel, Sports, Lifestyle and lately I want to write more about Beauty and Fashion. ;That’s why I’m thinking of taking that certificate course from SOFA when it comes to Fashion Journalism so that I would know about the jargons being used in Fashion.
You can check out the programs and courses being offered by SOFA here.
So I got my new Canon S100 from Pixel Pro I got them at a good price.. better price than in Malaysia. So you guys don’t really need to go out of the country to get them cameras!
You can check out their stores at the bottom of the post
So far, I am very satisfied with my new point-and-shoot camera! I tried the manual settings which is way much easier to set than an LX3 or LX5, but I decided to set everything in “Auto” mode and see how intelligent the camera is without me manipulating it.
The only Intelligent Auto I trust so far is that of Panasonic Lumix, but the Canon S100 is not bad!
Here are the photos, unedited, except for the Watermarks I put. You be the judge
Near Sunset
I love how colorful the sky is
Another Sky shot.
Twilight shot… spot the moon!
Indoor, low-light shot. Still reflects vibrant colors, due to the f 2.0
Poker chips!
Pet shots
This is Maddie, a friend’s new puppy!
Chase
and Sari
Macro shots!
Marshal headphones! You like?
again, no edits.. and it’s pretty dim in the room so good job I say!
I also tested Canon S100’s video which is at 1080p FULL HD (an upgrade to the S95). Check out the video here
Pixel Pro Branches:
Greenhills
3rd Floor V mall, Greenhills Shopping Center
San Juan City
(02) 726-9387/ 584-5356
Mega Mall
4th Floor Mega Building B, Cyberzone Area,
Mega Mall, Mandaluyong City
(02) 470-3903
Park Mall Cebu
Ground Floor, Park Mall
Mandaue City, Cebu
(032) 420-9155
http://www.pixelpro-online.com/
It was one grand night. We had a limited time to prepare and rest because we had a 12-hour travel from The Fort to DMIA Clark to Sepang Malaysia to Putrajaya.
Finally a familiar sign – that means we’re finally in Malaysia!
So near, yet so far… me and Jane inside the bus to our Hotel in Malaysia.
I was also glad to be travling with online / offline friends Nikki and Angela!
I spent most of the traveling time sleeping.. bus, plane, bus
Finally, I peeked outside our bus window and saw our Hotel!
We stayed at the Marriott Putrajaya Hotel
when I saw the bed…
I just had to nap a bit!
12 hours and we had to get ready for the Nuffnang Blog Awards night 2011!
A few friends from Malaysia and Singapore that I met throughout the night:
Sneak peek and a few photos of the night that happened!
I always love going to Malaysia and this time we stayed at the Marriott Putrajaya hotel = <3
It’s a bit far away from the City Central but we got really good rooms and great accommodations!
Jane is my roomie!
The Grand Ballroom that night was packed by bloggers in the Asia Pacific region and us from the Philippines are here to reprhuuzent!!!
Will post more photos later… but I wasn’t able to get a lot of photos this year I know not having my SLR is not an excuse but I just got tired from the 12-hour trip we had @__@
I got re-energized for the after party at Zouk! It was so much fun…
for now…
Check out the list of winners for the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards 2011! I hope I listed everything correctly, just let me know if there are any corrections
Today, I conducted a 30 min talk on Social Media and Marketing at the Lyceum Northwestern University in Dagupan. The half-day activity is titled “2011 Conference on IT Concepts: A Slice of the Web Today“.
Vigilant Net Surfing and Nettiquette – Mr. Gerald C. Bataoil, MIT
It was a great day of learning for everyone, including me. Thank you for the hearty welcome and the energetic welcome! The students were very attentive and eager to learn and this inspires all of us speakers to continue sharing what we know about the triple W!
Congratulations to the student organizers, volunteers and faculty members for drafting this successful event!
It was a pleasure speaking in front of everyone. I hope you all learned a few important things that can change your life and challenge you to Ready.Fire.Aim!
My apologies for submitting the wrong set of slides. It has been a busy week for me, but do know I took time to prepare this – I think it got me too excited I misorganized my files and sent the wrong version.
Let me make it up to you all and I post here the entire contents of my correct slides 😛 <— I use a lot of emoticons! Social Media and Marketing – Hannah Villasis Slides
Please feel free to read through again, you can ask me any questions here or if you want to mail me privately, do so at [email protected]
I took a creative writing class at Modern Academy last month and I couldn’t believe I’m writing stories now! I took a vow to better my writing for my blogging and possibly write more articles for print and other online publications. But guess what, I’ve gained so much more than that! I’ve learned to stretch my imagination and work on a story on a tight deadline!
If you’re a blogger, an aspiring writer or you want to put your stories into writing – make it better and take writing classes. There’s nothing wrong with being self taught, and just doing your thing (that’s what I have been doing). But putting more structure in your stories, aligning them to your readers’ interest would help you share your stories better.
Their next creative writing classes is scheduled to start on September 17, 2011.
Apart from creative writing, Modern Academy also offers other classes. I’m planning to take professional makeup classes here too 😛
Creative Writing
Comprehensive Basic Photography
Ignite: Leadership for Teens
Language, Culture and Travel: France
Personal Imaging
Personal Financial Management
Practical Photography
Presentation Essentials
Personal Advancement
Social Graces and Etiquette
Social Media Marketing and Management
Studio Lighting
Now here’s my first Fiction, my fairy tale story… in the land of Ascoff (first edit)
*this story is my copyright, use of this story or distributing it without permission is illegal
Once upon a time, in the magical island of Ascoff, there lived a King and Queen who are blessed with only one daughter and they named her Princess Mia.
The island kingdom is far away from the mainland and is rich with natural and magical elements that are unique to their soil. Pirates, warlocks, and other kings have always visited this island who attempted to grab a few of the natural resources themselves.
On one of their battles with the pirates, they captured the queen and killed her. They left a message saying, “This is just the beginning. Surrender your island to us, or we will do the same to your baby princess.”
The King had no choice but to seek help someone from the magical world to protect the island, his people and his daughter. He wanted make the island hidden from the ships that pass by. He sought help from a fallen siren named Adriana, a dark woman from the sea who betrayed the Goddess Hera for her selfishness and in turn was banished to the sea of loneliness. Adriana often walks by the shores of Ascoff, hoping to lure men to overcome her loneliness.
The king knew that he might regret making a deal with Adriana someday, but is left with no choice.
Years passed by and Princess Mia celebrated her 16th birthday in the castle. The island has never been more secure. Everyone in the kingdom was happy except for one person. Mia loved her dad very much but often rebels at their strict guidance over her. She felt like she cannot move around without the Royal guards tailing her everywhere.
Mia never had a memory of her mom as she was growing up because her mom died when she was barely learning how to walk. Mia honors her mom of course but she often thought that it must somehow be a blessing for her that she didn’t feel the pain of losing someone. She understands how her dad feels though and how she sees him sad, lonely and daydreaming despite a happy kingdom.
Her dad never loved another woman and now, he is getting old.
She often wondered what lies beyond their island and she wanted to explore it so bad but the King wouldn’t let her because it was too dangerous.
And now that she’s 16, the King talked to her after the party. He felt that he might be dying soon and if this day comes, no one will protect her. He wanted her to marry soon. He wanted her to marry the head of the Royal Guard – Rohan. Someone he really trusts with his life who would someday rule the kingdom with Mia.
It was too much for her to take. Rohan has been a great knight, but she cannot take the fact that she is somewhat being forced to it – like she always doesn’t have a choice. Like everything is planned.
She walked away crying and ran off by the shore where she seeks comfort from her friend Selena. Selena is a mermaid and they have been friends since they were little. Mia envies Selena because she can go to different islands including the mainland.
Despite that, Selena can only see the mainland by the shore because she couldn’t walk on land either. Not yet. Her mother Adriana kept the necklace with the golden pearl of Ara that should enable her to transform and have legs on land. Adriana forbids Selena to walk on land for the same reason that the King wanted to protect her daughter.
Mia confided in Selena her desire to run away and go to the mainland.
Meanwhile, Rohan followed Mia and overheard their conversation.
Mia, Selena, if you are planning to run away, at least let me come with you. The journey will be too dangerous, let me protect you.
“But why?” asked Mia. Why do you want to help us?
“You will never stop being curious.” Rohan said. And if we get married, you will never be happy unless you find out for yourself what lies ahead.
“So, are you betraying the King for me?” Mia asked.
“No, I’m doing them a favor. You will run off on your own anyway. At least when I’m around, you will feel safer. And besides, I believe that it’s better to ask for forgiveness than seek permission in some instances.” Replied Rohan.
“Mia, I haven’t been out of the island for a long time too but trust me – it is pretty dangerous out there. Are you ready to risk and face the consequences of what you are about to do?” asked Rohan.
“I have lived like a stone my entire life. I was told what to do, and they mold me into this stone mannequin by their liking. Sometimes, I feel like I don’t even think for myself anymore because I know that every decision comes from the king and I have been an obedient daughter. But I have a heart Rohan, and I feel that it is time to make my own decisions now.” Mia said.
“Very well then.” Selena said. “I might need to steal my mom’s golden pearl first so that I can walk on land.” She added.
Rohan trained Mia to use the magical sword and shield of her mom. Her dad gave it to her as a gift. The sword and shield are very portable. The sword is disguised as a ring while the shield as a bracelet.
Meanwhile, Selena stole the golden necklace from Adriana.
They finally set sail to head of to the mainland.
Adriana found out that the golden necklace was gone. She searched the ocean for her and found her with Mia and Rohan. Adriana felt instantly attracted to Rohan and she forgot all about the golden pearl and did what a siren does best – lure the man of her liking.
While Mia and Selena are asleep, Adriana appeared by their boat on her best form. Adriana sang her song and instantly, Rohan was bound by the spell.
Fortunately, a fisherman was nearby and saved Rohan by exposing a black pearl to the siren. This was one way to repel the siren as the presence of a black pearl nearby will harm the siren’s skin.
Selena and Mia woke up because of the siren’s shriek.
“You there.” Said Adriana pointing at Mia. “Daughter of the King of Ascoff.” She said, intently staring at her. “How is your father?”
Adriana revealed that she had a child with the King of Ascoff. Mia wouldn’t believe at first but since Rohan can feel if someone is lying or not, he could tell that Adriana was telling the truth.
Selena was also baffled. She was the only daughter of Adriana, that means she is a daughter of the king as well? And that Mia and her are sisters?
“Indeed my child, I think it is time for you to know.” Adriana said, now in a soft voice. “I was very lonely at that time as I was banished by the Goddess Hera to this horrible sea. She took my wings off, and I grew a tail to adapt to my surroundings. I was the only one of my kind in the sea and for selfish reasons; I lure men to be with me even for just a while. I am not a bad person. I don’t murder, I don’t even use my magical powers against any other human being. Trust me Selena. I was just too lonely.” She sobbed.
“Then, your father approached me one night seeking help for my protection. I agreed in exchange for a child in my womb. And that is you my dear Selena. I happily protected the kingdom now that I have you.” She added.
“I didn’t want you to walk on land because you are still young, your powers aren’t developed yet and you are half human. Meaning, I can’t predict how your powers will grow in time. If the pirates will know that I protect the kingdom and I have a daughter, they might take you away from me and use it against our advantage.”
It took a while for Mia and Selena to process this. No wonder they always had that sisterly bond. They were sisters.
They continued their journey and the fisherman went with them to guide them to the mainland. Selena and the fisherman fell in love with each other. And so are Mia’s feelings for Rohan.
They finally arrived at the mainland and they were disappointed. The land was a mess and it looked like there was a battle that took place.
“It’s sad when they keep on destroying just to claim lands and treasure.” The fisherman mumbled.
And so Mia, Selena and Rohan went back to the island of Ascoff only to find out that the king was dying. She blamed herself thinking it’s her fault that her father is dying.
“It’s not your fault Mia. I’m very old and I’m lucky even to have lived this long without your mother. There is something I need to tell you my child.” He said.
“I know father. I know you will do everything to protect me, I know that you have a daughter with the siren.” Mia interrupted.
“Forgive me Mia. I didn’t mean to hold this upon our family. I had no choice. Your mother died without knowing the truth.” Said the king.
“She is probably looking down upon us right now, happy that we are safe in the island. She is with the gods now.”
“If there is one thing I learned from my journey, it’s no matter how we make our own choices, you cannot control the choices of other people. You can force them, but you definitely can’t control their emotions. People make decisions, risk and make mistakes. And they do have their own reasons.”
And then the king died peacefully. Rohan stood by Mia’s side and never forced her to anything until one day Rohan felt that Mia loves him back, he finally asked her hand in marriage.
At my quarter life (assuming I’d live till 100), I’d have to say I have a lot of check marks on my to-do list already! And I just checked another one when I finally boarded a cruise ship!
The Asian cruise is part of the Fly and Sail package of AirPhil Express for only P24,888 (all in). This included our overnight stay in Singapore with breakfast, the cruise itself (food included) and a short day tour in Malaysia.
I was afraid of getting seasick but I think that with my pole dancing, surfing and driving race karts – I am already immune with motion sickness. That didn’t excuse me from bringing medicines and thank goodness I brought them with me. It saved me from getting allergy attacks and headaches.
What’s in your travel bag? I broadcasted a livestream showing readers the insides of my travel bag here.
I was SO excited to be on a cruise ship! I never imagined myself in one because I thought that cruise ships are only for rich people. I didn’t know that AirPhil could make it happen – to be affordable for everyone! You definitely get your money’s worth.
Welcome aboard the SuperStar Virgo
OMG!
Passengers are given this card that would also serve as your credit card inside the ship. You don’t have to take out your cash while enjoying the different ammenities inside the ship, but you do have to settle your bill and accounts at the reception booth upon docking.
Before this photo was taken, I stayed in Harbourfront Centre mall in Signapore because I had to unlock my Facebook and email accounts. They all got hacked!!! I was supposed to try Pole Dance classes in Singapore on our free time but I had to lock and reactivate my accounts. Imagine the stress?
Good thing I was about to board the SuperStar Virgo – stress gone!
Aloha! This is SuperStar Virgo
We boarded at HarbourFront Centre in Singapore. Our destination: Port Klang, Malaysia!
Our Room
Did I tell you that I totally forgot about my hacked cyber life the moment I stepped inside this ship?
Ah yes, look at that Happy face!
This room is good for quad sharing. One of the furnitures inside (bottom right, can barely see it -yes that yellow thing) can turn into a bed. It’s a mutant I tell you and I want one in my house for guests 😛
I had the best roomates – Vanny and Jas! They had chinese herbal medicine with them which prevented the flu virus to take over my entire body. Thanks for that Pei Pa Koi, it soothed my throat and took away my sniffles. Remind me to bring one in the future 😛
Facilities and Entertainment
It’s a floating 5 star resort! They pretty much have everything on board – even internet! But it’s a bit expensive at around SGD 0.20 per minute. *gulps* I never thought I’d survive a day without internet! But hey! This ship had so much more to offer that I didn’t miss my laptop at all!
List of Facilities and Entertainment:
Galaxy of the Stars (Live music, dance lounge and cocktail snacks, afternoon tea and cocktails)
The Lido (Showlounge)
The Picture House (Cinema/Auditorium) movie time!
Out of Africa (Karaoke)
Oasis (Games of chance)
The Mahjong Room (Mahjong games)
Celebrity Disco (Discotheque)
Sports & Fitness
This is the Lido Theatre and this is where live performances from magic shows, concerts to acrobatics happen.
The guy holding me is “Philip” or Philippart
(entrance is free)
He’s one of the performers. He does comedy, magic and he sings too! We were seated up front and oh yes, you know in some magic shows they ask for volunteers? Being seated in the front row is given.
They also had Reflections of Russia (entrance is free)
There were gymnasts, acrobats, a couple of super flexible folks danced on a pole too! I was so amazed how they were able to pull their tricks with their pants on… (we usually pole dance with skin) the more skin the better for our grip to the pole 😛
example:
ohai! It’s me 😛
and since I missed my Pole Dance lesson in Singapore, I had to do this:
I had to do this quickly because they might arrest me or what!
If only airplanes have poles like trains have.. I’d love to do tricks 32,000 ft above the ground!
I wanted to do pole tricks in Singapore’s MRT… but you know how strict they are there, I’d get arrested 😛
Staying in shape and keeping fit need not be boring. They have comprehensive range of facilities that make working out anything but mundane. After sweating it out at the gym, end your session at the Apollo Spa and Fitness Centre. Choose to rejuvenate your way from any of the exotic spa treatments.
Amphitheatre (Jumbo chess board, Jumbo checkers and table tennis)
Universal Gymnasium (Gymnasium)
Parthenon Pool (Outdoor swimming pool, jacuzzi (4), sunbathing)
Aquaswim (Jet current exercise pool)
Star Track (Jogging circuit)
Other Facilities
They also have a business centre that is equipped with telecommunications systems to help you stay in touch with friends, loved ones or business associates. Otherwise, choose to shop through SuperStar Virgo as you would a shopping mall. They also have Chinese medicine here 😛
Ports O’Call (Onboard shopping)
Computer World (Computer centre in the child care centre)
Starlight Video Arcade (Video games) – they have time crisis, daytona usa, and many other arcade games
Oscar’s Hair and Beauty Salon (Hairdressing and beauty salon)
Library/Writing Room (Book loans and reading room) – my favorite place!
Charlie’s Child Care Centre (Children’s playroom and nursery)
Dining SuperStar Virgo
SuperStar Virgo offers so much more than first class dining and entertainment – it takes you to places where the sun, sea, people and culture blend colourfully well. Every deck onboard SuperStar Virgo teems with endless fun, entertainment and activities. As you cruise to the most exotic parts of Asia on this floating five-star resort, its more than 25 outlets of food and beverage, entertainment and recreation outlets will impress you. In fact, it is the only cruise ship in the world that has an authentic Indian restaurant on board that is certified ‘halal’!
There are 3 restaurants you can dine without extra charge in your card. This is already included in the package and these are: the Mediterranean Buffet and Terrace (halal certified), Bella Vista (International Cuisine) and The Pavilion Room (Chinese Family Restaurant). Other restaurants are with moderate charges.
All three restaurants serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Mediterranean Buffet restaurant serves supper (midnight snack anyone?) 😛 The only restaurant that I haven’t tried was the Chinese resto. Food was okay, there were some great dishes I liked in the Mediterranean buffet.
The Bella Vista cuisine is somewhat fine dining. Be sure to dress properly in this restaurant. I loved their cheese and buiscuit.
It’s the other way around actually. I had fruits for appetizer (which I prefer) and cheese and buiscuit for dessert.
Sea Bass! My favorite!
List of shops, restaurants and their specialties aboard the SuperStar Virgo:
The Taverna (Poolside snack bar)
Café Gelato (Ice-cream, fresh fruit juices and desserts)
Mediterranean Buffet and Terrace (International buffet)
Samurai Restaurant (Japanese restaurant)
The Taj (Indian (halal) buffet)
Bellini (Champagne bar)
Blue Lagoon (Southeast Asian favourites)
Noble House (Chinese fine dining)
Palazzo (Italian fusion specialty restaurant)
The Pavilion Room (Chinese family style restaurant)
Bella Vista (International dining)
Gelato bar for your sweet tongue
That’s it for now guys. It was really a nice experience for me. I was never bored on board (it rhymes!). Even if I couldn’t use my laptop. I even felt like I lacked time to explore everything in the ship. We had the 4 days 3 nights trip. I’m thinking of doing this again. Longer though and I might take the route to Penang and Phuket!
Finally! I’m going to travel again via Airphil Express and will be sailing from Singapore to Malaysia <3 My feet is definitely itching for some travel, my heart thrives for some adventure and my stomach cries for asian food! Milk teas, Bah Kut Teh and Char Kway Teo – whaddup! Come to momma! Oh Char Siew Fan, Chilli crab, Nasi Lemak and more! I’m such a piggy!
I also have been doing something new lately and I have been trying out “lifecasting”
If you don’t know what it is – Google or Wikipedia But seriously, it’s just me broadcasting my activities via livestream! I love technology!
I was just testing out live streaming on Justin.tv and surprisingly I get a lot of views (internationally -whaddup!?!?!) without me even advertising it. I see a really great potential in expanding my online influence and this medium is one way of doing it.
This actually includes my Twitter feeds and latest YouTube videos
IKR, it’s official!
Viewing the Flaircandy app on my own Nokia e63.
Don’t you know that you can make your own Nokia Ovi app too? Just follow the instructions on the Ovi app wizard and you’re ready to go! It’s free and very easy to set-up! So make an app for your blogs too and make your blogs officially MOBILE!
Today is a very wonderful day! A very touching incident just made my day and it reminded me of why I continue to share my experiences on this blog
I get emails here and there from readers asking further questions about my blog posts on my travels, food blogs, fashion and beauty thing-a-majigs and many other things. Sometimes I get feedbacks or comments from readers around the world thanking me for sharing some blog posts I have. But that’s about it, sometimes they say thanks, sometimes not all good… 😛 but anyway, today… I have never been so touched with what I read earlier.
Today, Garnier Philippines just launched their “Bright Eyes” music video featuring different ladies, mostly Garnier fans on facebook, who live different lives and different careers. Other than us being fans of Garnier on Facebook, we have one thing in common – we are REAL ladies, and we work hard for what we want. You can see the determination even with the making of the music video. In my experience, shoots usually take long and often extend on late hours. Most of us stayed late for the shoot and I know shooting videos could be tiring for everyone including the directors, the talents and the technical staff, but the result is all worth it seeing the final music video and knowing that this could help inspire some *girl power* vibe to everyone.
Today, Garnier officially shared the video to their fans on Facebook. I visited the page and saw Hazel and Jonha’s sweet comments. It’s such a big deal to me and I feel great that someway, somehow, I can make a difference.
And with this, ladies and gentlemen, I am inspired. This is where I get my inspiration from.
I hope that with the many happy things I share, I also inspire many girls to follow their dreams because once upon a time, I am a dreamer, but then… I woke up and live it! Just work hard to be who you want to be because there are no shortcuts in life. Every successful people I know, actresses, businessman, athletes – they work hard to keep their dream real. They don’t just sleep like a monkey 😛
And so, dance if you want to… work on your voice if you want to be a singer, take guitar lessons, learn how to fly a plane. If you don’t have money to do this, work hard, save for it or apply for scholarships. And when you finally live your dream, maintain
And now, I share this inspiring quote. It’s my boyfriend’s favorite quote by Steve Jobs.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
I am happy to represent our country in the Asian region together with Tricia Gosingtian and Laureen Uy – Filipina bloggers represent!
I know not having my SLR is not an excuse but I just got tired from the 12-hour trip we had @__@ 
