boulevard of hopeful dreams


Happy Friday everyone!

You know that itch that you get but try to avoid? Yet there it is, continuously nagging at you, waiting to be itched. I have two of those itches. One being music concerts and music festivals, and the other, is to hop on a plane and go some place else. Call it wanderlust, jet setter, or any other term you have to describe it, but that’s the itch I’m talking about on this post.  The itch to wander.
To travel.
To experience.
To breathe air in a new city and a new town. To sit in a different coffee shop and watch people I’ll probably never meet. To see how people interact within their comfort zone.

So imagine my surprise when my itch decided to hint at me the need to go and everything magically falls into place… for me to be able to head to my favorite busy city- New York City.

This trip allowed me to connect with my LA friends that moved out to New York, see Boston covered in snow, and meet people I never thought I'd meet. I got to show my friend, Madisen, around since it was her first time in the city. The Sunday we landed, it was raining. However, we didn't want to stay in so we set out to head to Time Square for Madisen's first night. It was pouring but I loved it. Throughout the week, we visited places even I haven't been to. Visit Museum of Sex? YESSS. (Tip: Keep a VERY open mind when you go.) On other days, we chose to spend the day by ourselves, allowing us to explore the city on our own. Those days, I spent in and out of art galleries in Chelsea or sitting in coffee shops at East Village.

It's currently "mid" winter and let's jet say I've learned to never show your ankles during winter time. My friend Gale described 45 degrees as "warm," but I was there sitting in four layers because I got LA skin and 45 degrees bites at you. HA! Anyways, ready for a whole lot of photos? Here we go... Enjoy!




Bouncy House of Boobs @ Museum of Sex
Boston, MA


Before I end today's post, I want to talk about choices. We all have choices. You have the choice to stay at the job you hate, to get up from bed, to eat healthy... we make numerous amounts of choices every single day. From the moment we wake up (to snooze or not) to what we eat for dinner, we are always making choices. Those choices make up who you are. I continuously make the choice to get out of my comfort zone. I appreciate getting out of what I am comfortable with and being in an environment that not only allows me to learn about others, but teaches me more about myself when I'm placed in that circumstance. I encourage all of you to be aware of your choices. Don't live on idle mode, be AWARE. Be ALIVE. Be in the moment!

The concrete jungle isn't for everyone. It's hard on the body, and 1000x harder on your wallet. But every time I'm there, it strengthens parts of me.

New York City is busy, it's dirty, and it's crowded. But when you see people smile in a train when a man pulls a bunny out of hat or when you have to tell your friend to delay plans because you end up helping a lost woman, the City turns into a beautiful different world full of opportunities.

"We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls."  
-Anaïs Nin

like a picture book

hello!

happy 2018! here's my first post for the new year. woohoo!

on january 28th, 2018, it was "free-for-all" day for socal museums aka one of my favorite days. so i asked my cousin to pick a museum off of the list from the museums participating that day and we went.

as someone who loves being coastal, orange county is the closest i can get to avoiding the los angeles madness sometimes.  i'm not going to be the only one to say this but the drive from los angeles to orange county isn't a close one. especially with LA traffic, it can make an hour drive turn into a three hour drive. yet there we were, talking and laughing our way through the traffic, making it bearable. on this day we visited the Orange County Museum of Arts (OCMA) with our friend Marielle. once we got to our destination, i was excited for the kind of artwork i was going to see.

i love visiting museums and looking at art. i'm not going to try to tell you that i like art because I'm talented at drawing or i aspire to be the next kara walker. not at all. i appreciate art because every artwork i see enables me to feel a different emotion. however, what i appreciate just a tad more than the art itself, is reading the art descriptions. i like reading about the artists, what inspired them, and what they're trying to convey in their artwork. i can appreciate the different forms the artists has used for their piece. it's like music. while every brush stroke, shade, and color is beautiful on it's own, it gives meaning when used for something bigger... contributing to the piece as a whole.

just as we finished going through the different rooms and looking at each piece, the sun was just starting to set. the beautiful part about golden hour is how it adds a glow to everything and everyone the sun shines upon- making it the best time to take pictures. here are some of my favorite from that day:
we ended the day with some girl talk by the marina. i love spending time with people i care about and learning more about one another. nothing like a good time with some good company.
that's it for today. did you visit any museums on the "free-for-all" museum day? if so, which one? also, do you have a favorite artist or a favorite art piece? i'd love to know. thanks for your time! until next time!

"I have no interest in making a work that doesn't elicit a feeling." - Kara Walker

Cebu Adventures: Whale Sharks & Kawasan Falls



Two words. Whale. Sharks

According to national geographic, whale sharks are “the largest fish in the sea, reaching lengths of 40 feet or more,” but they are gentle and calm. 

On the last full day of our Cebu trip, my family and I woke up at four am to get ready for the day. We readied our belongings, packed our lunch, and made sure our phones and cameras were fully charged. At five am, our driver picked us up to drive us down to Oslob. It took about two hours to drive from Moalboal to Oslob. We all fell back asleep because it was too early, and after the two hour drive, we woke up at our destination.Oslob's Whale Shark Watching. We paid our fees, met with our guide, and got on the boat.

FYI- There’s a P500 fee for people who speak Tagalog and a P1000 fee for those who speak foreign language. Also, YOU CAN’T WEAR SUNBLOCK.

As our guides kayaked out, you can’t see the whale sharks from afar. However, once we got to the middle, we were able to spot them going around the circle of boats. As soon as our guides said we could go in the water, I put on my snorkeling goggles, took off my life vest, and was the first one off the boat. I swam towards the whale sharks and watched it before trying to get photos. How could I not take the opportunity to watch such beautiful and delicate animals? 

We spent a good amount of time watching the whale sharks and taking pictures with them. When our time was up, we kayaked backed to shore where we washed off and ate lunch.

After Oslob, we drove back north towards Badian for our last stop- Kawasan Falls.  Before going to Cebu, I told my aunts and cousins that the main reason I wanted to go to Cebu was for Kawasan Falls. I saw videos and pictures of it on Facebook and Instagram, and wanted to see it for myself. After a thirty minute walk, we get to the waterfall. It did not disappoint. The water is blue. Trees and plants enclose the waterfall. There are picnic tables surrounding the area where you can eat and relax. It’s a stunning site. The only downside to having the picnic tables are the big groups that gather and crowd around. It was crowded and the surrounding grounds are very slippery. Nonetheless, it's a beautiful place. After taking pictures in front of the waterfall, we had the opportunity to go under it. We got on our stomachs on the bamboo raft and the guy pulled us towards the waterfall. As we prepared to go under the waterfall, the guy described it as a “hard massage.” But it felt more like a quick neck beating. HA. 

Now, time for pictures

Whale Sharks at Oslob


Kawasan Falls


That’s it for my Cebu adventures! Thank you for your time and for reading about my experiences while in Cebu. I hope you enjoyed reading about them and looking at the photos as much as I had writing about my experiences. Shout out to my aunts and my two cousins who went on this crazy, packed, sleepless adventure with me. 

A month ago, I came to the Philippines to visit my grandpa and the many relatives I moved away from when I was six years old. When we all reunited last year, I promised to return again to create happy new memories with everyone. I did just that this past month. I’d like to give a BIG thank you to my mom’s family (my grandpa, all the Lugay sisters, husbands, and cousins) for all your generosity, love, and care while I’ve been here in the Philippines and during my island hopping trips. I have jokes I can only make with my family here at the Philippines because no one else will know how to understand it since they weren’t here. I have pictures I get to look at and know I’ve been to a place I didn’t think I could travel to. I have so many stories that I get to carry along with me and an abundance of memories I get to keep because this past month has been full of experiences. I get to love because I have been loved by the most loving, caring, and thoughtful individuals. None of my adventures could’ve happened without any of you. Thank you. I love each and every single one of you.

There are over 7,000 islands here in the Philippines and I plan on seeing as much of them as I can. I’m just getting started….

Till next year!

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comforts of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things. -air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky. -all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese
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