Nicole Andersson

A lovely welcome from Discovery Shores! :) Little things like this make our stay extra special. :)

Meron pa silang nalalaman na pet towels!!!

My failed attempt to get a tan. *wearing a Dorothy Perkins bikini top*

After the chaos of a break we call Holy Week in Boracay, everyone set off back to Manila. I was supposed to be one of them. However, due to some friendship duties, I decided to extend my flight. Only problem was, the next flight out I could get was on Tuesday pa (three days after my initial flight). Buti nalang I over packed!

Now that Boracay was starting to look more like itself and less like Manila, Maxene and I set off to do all the things we wanted to achieve that was “Bora-ish”. Things like:

1) Food trip - eat chori brugers and have a Jonas shake

2) Be adventurous - It was Maxene’s goal to make Neil and I try isaw for the first time. (pictures below)

3) Tan - or at least try. As you can see from our photos, hindi kami umitim at all!

4) Happy hour by the shore while watching the sunset

Here are some photos from our short adventure:

Man vs. Isaw…

Nang-damay pa si Neil… So I tried isaw. I can see why other people like it. It’s just really not for me.

Nick, Kyla, Me.

Bamboo Lounge had such talented fire dancers - this girl was so sexy! I can imagine the hard work and dedication these dancers go through to be as good as they are. Lalapit pa sila sa audience at sasayawan ka nila with the fire.

Here’s a picture of them with Ervic.

Solenn, Bianca, Michelle.

Michelle busts out a move. She’s still got it. We miss you 33!

Maxene enjoying the view that Boracay has to offer.

And this is where our Boracay trip ends… No matter what anyone else says, iba talaga ang aura ng island na ‘to. Boracay may be more commercialized and populated than before but the memories you take with you will never change.

BTW: I’m sorry I didn’t take so many outfit photos. I’ll do better next time! :)

Vacation mode - diet forgotten… :s

I think saying na ‘lumamon’ ako sa Boracay is an understatement… I did try to watch what I ate, but I think I took it too literal naman. Yes.  I watched as I ate it all! #fail

Oh! before I forget - Maxene made me try Isaw baboy and isaw manok for the first time ever. I’m sorry pero naloka ako! biglang may lumabas na chevers pag kagat ko. Never again. I know some people like it, but at least I can say I’ve tried it na. It’s just not for me…

Anyway, here are some of the dishes I tried. Not everything was great, but nothing was BAD naman.

Shangri-La’s room service (Nasi Goreng and Chicken Adobo) - both okay just a little over-priced. I was already expecting that, this being the Shangri-La after all.

Shangri-La’s Chicken Satay the chicken was cooked well but the entire dish was just a little bland.

Now before anyone starts getting upset, I do have to say that the breakfast buffet at Shang was great. I was overwhelmed with choices and the service was great. What topped the cake for me, though, was their home-made yogurt. The moment I tried it, I had to ask the waitress to find out if I could ship a box home with me. If anyone knows the recipe to that yogurt, or how I can get my hands on it, pls let me know! I’m obsessed :p haha!

Other things I tried…

Two Seasons’ Nachos (best pica pica during merienda!)

What I liked:

Breakfast:

-Real Coffee’s Great White Omelette with tuna and pesto

Lunch:

-Hawaiian BBQ chicken and prawns

Snacks:

-Chori / Longa Burger - either from the stalls by the beach or the snazzy version of Jonas that comes with cucumbers,lettuce, and egg :)

-Jonas’ Mango shake (no milk) and ChocoBananaPeanut shake (no milk)

-Real Coffee’s calamansi muffins. I heard their cookies are good too.

Dinner:

-Discovery Shores’ Salmon Fillet - you may have to allow for some time to order this because, for some reason, orders take really long here. The first night I ordered it, they actually forgot to put it through. Took me one hour to realize na lahat na kumain except me! So rather than waiting, I walked all the way to Cocomangas’ area and bought myself a ‘pity burger’ :(

Pasalubong:

-Turones de Mani

-Barquillos

-Pastillas

Great! After writing all this, I’m hungry again… :s

Being the first one to arrive from our group, I had a little time to take photos and relax before everyone else arrived in Boracay. Thank goodness for that because after all the chaos and delays from my flight, I needed some ‘me’ time and there’s nothing like the beautiful beaches of Boracay to put me to ease.

For our first few nights, we stayed at the Shangri-La Boracay Resort. Aside from it’s great amenities, I found that the staff were the best part of the whole place. They were all very accommodating. I barely had to lift a finger. One of them, in-fact, approached me and led me to my room then told me that he followed me on Twitter and that’s how he knew so much about me. Had he not disclosed that vital piece of information, I would have been very scared. haha!

Not bad for a welcoming sight - Shangri-La’s semi-private beach.

(Chloe shades, 50th Avenue crop top, TopShop shorts, Indian bangles, Zara heels)

What I wore to travel - not the smartest choice. Oh well!

I have no idea why I thought heels would be good to bring to the beach. I wore them once and then back to the suitcase they went and stayed for the rest of my stay. I don’t know if you can tell in this photo, but I had painted my toe nails alternate colors . I wish I had taken a better photo. I guess not everyone was ready for this yet ‘cause I had Nelson Canlas worried that I had forgotten to paint some of my nails. I had to explain pa to him during my interview na “sinadya ko talaga yan.” I hope he doesn’t think I’m crazy…

The view from our balcony - afternoon.

The view from our balcony - sunset.

(Maxene, Raymond, Elvis, Richard, Myself, and Neil)

Finally everyone made it na din - Just in time for merienda! :) Speaking of food, I’ll make another post for the dishes I tried during our stay, since it’s such a different topic.

But just before we could meet up with everyone else and get into vacation mode, Raymond had to do a quick spiel for Showbiz Central (*see below).

This didn’t take much time naman kasi one take lang mag spiel si Mond. #youalready #award-winninghost

—> OFF TO THE BEACH!!!

The Beach Boys: (George, Raymond, Paul, Jec, and Nick)

Michelle showed the boys that kaya din nya makipag sabayan sa sports. Go Girl!

haha! This is how I stand sa beach #chos

(Forever21 earrings, Dorothy Perkins bikini top, my mother’s sarong)

This day I was in the mood to play around with my outfit. I decided to go with print-on-print (paisley with leopard). What do you think? As you can see, I also like mixing and matching my bikini tops and bottoms. That’s usually for two reasons: 1) i like being different since we have limited options in Manila. 2) The sizes of my tops and bottoms are often different :(  #baby,Iwasbornthis way

(Polish: The Face Shop’s Nail Colors # 57 & 58)

Finally, my diagonal, color-blocking nails… this is the only close up I have of them but it should suffice. Who says I had to stop with just my outfit? :) Nails na din!  Forget the fact that their super cute/ ‘mod chic’. They also made great conversation starters! I had so many people ask me about them, Nelson Canlas included. :p

People to thank:

Raymond Gutierrez & Jec Lacson for being my patient photographers :)

Salon Isabel for my nails and new hair color.

my mom’s closet :)

Maxx, Myself, and Mond in a taxi - heading to IFC :)

 There was a line outside Chanel. It’s like lining up to get into a club. #kalerky

(Armani Exchange shades, Vintage top, Bazaar-bought jacket, TopShop Skirt, H&M tights, Forever21 boots, Chanel bag)

Raymond G. looking fly, as usual…

Maxene was excited to use her new bag.

Maxx’s Balenciaga (Yellow) ~ My Balenciaga (Green)

Outfit change. Madz, Maxx, and I are ready for a night out.

The whole crew (Maxx, Mond, Jec, Madz, Me, and Neil) underground. A bit over dressed to take the subway, I’d say.

  Love this outfit of Maxene! If I’m not mistaken, everything was bought in HK.

(Armani Exchange shades, Vintage top, Bazaar-bought vest, Aleli Yap shorts, Hong Kong brand boots)

This was our group’s first out of town trip together and we were all really excited to be spending it in Hong Kong - especially me! The last time I was in H.K. was about ten years ago. The weather was still very cold at that time, hence our layering. I think it would be safe to say that almost every meal we had was Chinese and involved some sort of duck dish. Buti nalang hindi na kami mukhang duck pag balik namin ng Manila!

I was so hard-headed that I refused to listen to anyone about shopping in flats. That didn’t last long. By 8pm, I was close to tears from all the pain and blisters. So finally I gave in and bought a pair of black, suede flats from H&M - best purchase of the trip! I learned my lesson. Well, not really! haha! Next time I’ll just bring a pair of flats in my bag just in case.

photo credit: Raymond G. and Maxene Magalona

          Gown by Boying Eustaquio

          Our entertainment for the evening.

          Goofing around with the man behind the camera (Mikhail Guingon).

One of our events at the Skal congress in New Delhi, India was a national pride dinner where everyone was asked to come in their national costumes and represent. Of course, hindi mag papatalo ang pinoy! Thank God I found this lovely gown by Boying Eustaquio that was definitely a show-stopper. I was so in-love with this dress that I just had to have Mike sneak out with me and take pics in the hotel lobby. People probably though I was weird pero okay lang kasi wala naman nakakakilala sakin sa India diba?!

          Danny didn’t mind sharing the spotlight with the crowd.

          Yes. I cried when they played ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’. (ignore the face)

         Liz and Laureen got carried away too.

After singing my heart out to all their hits in Araneta Coliseum, I got the opportunity to meet members of the band (Glen and Danny) in a more laid back environment. What was supposed to be a very short conversation ended up to be 2 hours long! By 2 am I realized that my plans of going home early were out the window.

Time flew by as they shared stories of life on the road and experiences with fans. In return, we taught them a few silly Filipino phrases (i.e. “Tama!”). In that moment, we were all peers. Not once did these guys make anyone feel their celebrity status. They may be rock stars on that stage but tonight I saw the real men behind the music…

I write this post not to show-off, but to share my humbling experience you guys because it was exactly that: humbling.

I’ll upload a video from the concert later today! Stay tuned…

             Coachella 2010

             Erwan, Martine, Mond, Myself, Anne, Solenn, and Fargo.

Anything goes in Coachella. Proof - Raymond embracing his inner “indie-ness”. Last year we saw people dressed as avatars, a neon chubaka, and even a robot… I have nothing but fond memories from this trip. Hopefully, next year we’ll all be able to go.

Qutub Minar.

Hiding in the shade.

Getting a Henna Tattoo :)

Riding the auto rickshaw with Mikhail. This was so scary! I swear. Notice the lack of safety measures (doors, seatbelts, airbags etc.)

You might as well know now how silly I can get…

I have to admit, I was scared to board the plane for our flight to New Delhi. First of all, our flight was PAL’s inaugural non-stop flight to India with their brand new Boeing 777! Add that on top of all the stories I hear about theft, pollution and malaria. So you can imagine how “praning” I was. I could swear I packed my suitcase like I was going off to be on Survivor. However, I’m hoping that my photos will show you that I really didn’t have much to worry about. Not only was this just another fun vacation, but also a great opportunity to experience such a rich & lavish culture. I would recommend anyone to go check it out at any opportunity they get, but do so with an open mind! :) 

*I’ll write more about my experiences in my next post. For now, it’s time to go to bed…*

photos by: Mikhail Guingon

It took very little convincing to finally get me to start blogging again. A little nudge here, a shove there, and I’m back on the bandwagon! For this I have my friends - and now fellow bloggers- to thank. 

Since I am completely new to this domain (Tumblr), I ask that you guys be patient with me and my posts. It may take a while for me to get used to all this again. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to throw me a line…

Now that that’s off my chest… Let’s do this!