Lady's Bride Squad in Bali

Bali has become the go-to place for bridal showers. Even our group chose this destination for the many good reviews about hen parties in Bali.

Last August 2018, almost two month's before Lady's wedding, we, some of the bridesmaids and the bride-to-be went to Bali for Lady's bachelorette party. There were supposed to be 10 of us, but two friends were not able to make it on the last minute.

Anyway, we had fun. It's definitely one hell of a weekend! We had a very nice villa (Bali Bliss) in Seminyak and we had nice photos because of Sweet Escape, which gave us a big discount. We also had a really cool and kind driver, who took us to many beautiful places, such as the Melasti Beach in Uluwatu and Uma Pakel in Ubud.

Check out the video of our trip:

How I Spent Spring 2017 in JAPAN

I'm back at my favorite country! Spent three weeks in Japan visiting multiple cities:

Yokohama, Tokyo, Suwa, Matsumoto

Highlights of my trip:
-Coldplay concert in Tokyo Dome City
-family time at Matsumoto Castle
-Ramen Museum and Red Brick Building in Yokohama
-Ichiran Ramen, Yakitori Alley, and more pigout sessions in Tokyo w/ friends
-exploring Yokohama w/ my Japan-based friend, Cheny
-pre-birthday celebration in Disneyland
-sakura aka cherry blossoms everywhere!!!

It's one of my most relaxing and rewarding trips in Japan. I love travelling alone and visiting family and friends. It's really therapeutic! 

Anyway, here's a short video of my trip:

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in Manila 2016

Got a last minute invite to watch Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the Palace Pool Club and of course, I didn't say no. I wasn't able to watch them on their first time in Manila in 2014 because I was supposed to watch them in Kuala Lumpur during the 3rd day of the Future Music Festival Asia (FMFA), which got cancelled. Then their performance in Manila was on the following day but we were still in KL.

Anyway, thanks to Solar Entertainment for the invite. It was a short yet fun concert. The best part was when they jumped into the pool beside us right after their performance. How cool was that? I had a perfect view to tape them. Watch this video to see.

PS. Ryan Lewis is a hottie!

SWV and TLC in Manila 2016

Super late post but I just had to share this amazing concert of SWV and TLC in Manila.

Those of my age who don't know them must be living under a rock! This concert got all the 90s vibes back! Thanks to Vans PH for our tickets. We really had fun! :)

Redfox Unveils New Logo and Promises Luxury Within Reach

On the 8th of August, Redfox Technologies has gathered everyone at Vu's Sky Bar in Marco Polo Ortigas for a wonderful surprise. Redfox Technologies CEO, Mr. Andy Te has revealed their new logo, as a rebranding move of their company. There are also a lot of exciting products that are coming up in the next few months, and everyone should watch out for them.

Mr. Andy Te (CEO) with the new Redfox Logo

Mr. Andy Te (CEO) presenting their new products

The event was hosted by two of my good friends, Farah Ramos and Michael Uy. It was indeed a night of good food, great music, and chill vibe. And the best part, I won a Wizpad Scribe in the raffle! Shoutout to Ms. Bernadeth of Redfox for putting up such a successful event.

And we won a Wizpad Scribe!

goofing around with these two crazies haha

I dunno why I was doing that pose LOL!

Read the Press Release here:

The Red Transformation – Luxury within Reach

Manila, Philippines, August 8, 2016 – Redfox Technologies International Ltd., one of the country’s leading sources of innovative IT solutions, has officially changed its image to strengthen the brand locally and globally. With a new brand identity that supports the tagline, “Luxury within Reach,” the company is set to provide premium products that will cater to the higher-end market and millennials.

Moving Forward

From being a PC manufacturing company to becoming a provider of end-to-end solutions and globally-acclaimed products, Redfox has opted to widen its product portfolio, now providing a premium and luxurious selection of products that include its latest line of smartphones, laptops, gaming PCs, and other peripherals. This is in addition to its existing lineup of pioneering products. Redfox will also continue to offer products dealing with education and the government.

The company has a solid industry experience as an end-to-end solution provider. As it continued to develop, it formed new sub-companies to provide high-quality products, delivering all the hardware and software resources, and engaging from conceptualization, to production, and up to the distribution of the finish product.

Said sub-companies are Redfox Laboratory International Ltd., a company that puts effort on the Research and Development (R&D) of Redfox products, with offices in Shenzhen China, Hong Kong  (hardware), and Philippines (software); A.L.e-Component Int’l. Inc., a company based in Cavite, Philippines, focusing on Redfox’s Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS); Asiantech, a company also based in the Philippines that focuses on the distribution, logistic and warehousing of Redfox; and Wiz Store, Redfox’s concept store, catering to retailers and kiosks, with two (2) branches located at SM North and SM Marikina.

Stepping Up the Game

As a company currently positioned in the market as an original equipment and design manufacturer, Redfox is determined to step up its game and position itself as an Original Brand Manufacturer (OBM), catering to the upper and middle class customers, as well as millennials, here and abroad.

The new brand identity, “Luxury within Reach,” will help promote products that strike quality and elegance at a reachable cost. Constantly committed to offer the best customer service and satisfaction, Redfox aims to provide the finest and luxurious commercial products that exude confidence and sophistication. In line with this, Redfox is building a global RMA and nationwide service center that will provide customer support 24/7.

Embracing Change

To support the new brand identity of Redfox, consumers will soon get to see the first UXperience Center in Southeast Asia that will offer interactive E-Sports and learning centers supported by E-Blue. This approach is expected to catapult the brand into the global stage.

Consumers will also get a treat, as Redfox plans to do mall road tours to promote its first ever luxurious smartphone called “Aurea.” The Redfox Aurea is set to position itself as the brand’s latest flagship smartphone.

Redfox is embracing change, continuously developing gaming ideas and cutting-edge technology for its smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop, and gaming PC segments. Redfox is also securing more successful partnerships, not only here in the Philippines but also in the global scale, to attain more powerful principles in facilitating business opportunities.

For more info, please visit www.redfox.global.

Travel Tokyo on a Budget!

A Budget Traveler’s Guide to Surviving One of the World’s Most Expensive Cities

(As published in the December 2015 issue of Hardware Zone PH Magazine)

Oftentimes, fist timers and budget travelers get intimidated about traveling to Japan, particularly it’s capital city, Tokyo. It has been consistently listed in the top 10 most expensive cities for the past few years, which shies away budget travelers.

On my recent trip to Japan, I have realized that traveling to Tokyo can be cheaper than traveling to Hong Kong, which is the usual destination of Filipino travelers. But now, you have to know that Tokyo has fallen off from the top 10 most expensive cities due to the weakness of the Japanese Yen against the US Dollar. While this is bad news to Japan, this is good news for tourists as this would be the best time to travel there. Their government is very considerate to tourists now. I got my 5-year multiple entry visa in just 2-3 business days.

Let me share 10 tips to help you enjoy Tokyo without spending so much:

1.     Plan ahead! Make an itinerary, have a budget, make a shopping list, know what you want. This would help you save time and money as you go around the city. In Japan, everything is on time. I’m glad I brought my Veloci watch that got me constantly updated with the time.

Veloci Time

2.     Watch out for a seat sale! You would be surprised that my roundtrip airfare only costs around Php 4,000 (roundtrip Manila-Cebu-Narita), which I purchased during on April 2015. I took advantage of the seat sale and bought another ticket from Nagoya to Manila at Php 2,000, just so I wouldn’t have to pass through Cebu anymore.

a photo with Hachiko as soon as I arrived

3.     If you’re a solo traveler, CouchSurf! Not only you would meet new friends, you get a free accommodation too. Visit www.couchsurfing.org for more info.

4.     If you travel as a couple or a group, go AirBnB. This is way cheaper than getting a hotel room. You get to have your own place at the city’s top locations at just around Php 800 to Php 1,500 per person.

5.     Try a capsule hotel or a manga kissa for a unique experience. I don’t recommend this if you intend to sleep long hours. Most capsule hotels have a spa and you can stay there comfortably at a rate of Php 1,200/night. A manga kissa is a 24-hr internet café, where you can read manga books, surf the internet, use the shower, etc. for 30 minutes up to 12 hours. I have tried Manboo, near the Shibuya crossing. I paid around Php 580 for 5 hours, inclusive of unlimited drinks. Since the lights are out, I was able to use my Euroo LEDlit while I was searching through my stuff inside my assigned cubicle.

checking in at Manboo! Manga Kissa in Shibuya

6.     Get a Suica or PassMo IC card. It costs 2,000 yen but 1,500 yen is all consumable and it’s for a lifetime use. It is a reloadable card, which you can use for payments in the subway, convenience stores, restaurants, etc.

7.  Don’t miss shopping in Don Quixote, Daiso, and in shopping districts: Ueno and Akihabara. Don Quixote is a cool shop where you can buy a lot of interesting stuff. You can find one in Shinjuku and Ginza. Daiso, of course, is a famous 100-yen shop. Ueno is an area where you can buy clothes, perfumes, bags, chocolates, and everything Japanese at a cheaper price. For consumer electronics, Akihabara is the place to be. But after all the shopping, use a Euroo digital luggage scale to ensure you won’t exceed your baggage allowance.

Shibuya shopping district is the home of local designer brands

crossing the famous Shibuya crossing

You can buy these KitKat flavors from the stalls in Ueno

Found a lot of Totoro items at a Game Center in Ueno

fresh flowers at the Ueno shopping district

8.     Dine at hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Authentic Japanese food is not as expensive as you think. An average set meal would range from Php 200-Php400.

thanks to my friend Dra. Anika for the treat

we spent around 2000+ yen for these yakitori goodness

9.  You need not spend for good photos. You would spend a few hundreds for multiple subway rides but you don’t need to spend for admission fees all the time. You can visit the Meiji Shrine in Harajuku, Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa, and the Tokyo Imperial Palace for free. You would only have to pay entrance fee if you would like to go up the Tokyo SkyTree and the Tokyo Tower.

this was probably my third time in Asakusa temple

Speaking of good photos, don't miss having a Purikura sesh! You may find them inside Game Centers

10.  Enjoy Tokyo! Go to Disney Sea, cross the Shibuya crossing, visit the giant Gundam robot in DiverCity, take a selfie with Hachiko at Shibuya station, eat at Tsukiji Fish Market, and more!

huge Gundam Robot at Diver City, Odaiba

Better come super early (like 5am) at Tsukiji Fresh Market to witness the fish auction but in case you miss it, you can still eat fresh sashimi anytime at the restaurants there

I survived with just 30,000 yen pocket money for 4 days and 3 nights in Tokyo and I challenge you to do the same. Game?

the colors of autumn

BONUS post:

While we were there, we were able to visit the Tokyo Big Sight for the 44th Tokyo Motor Show. The exhibit was too big that we weren't able to explore all exhibit halls, but everything we've seen was just amazing! :)

a futuristic car from Benz

While we were also there, we got to visit Maria Ozawa in her bar in Shinjuku. On my last night in Tokyo, I came back as Maria offered to send me off before heading to Nagano to visit my relatives.

with my friend Ly and Maria

Watch out as I'll be posting my Nagano-Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe adventure soon :)

And one of my best friends was crowned Ms. Philippines Earth 2015!

I couldn't be any happier for her because I know this is her dream. I've been a witness to her struggles and to how she worked really hard to reach where she is now. I'm a proud bestfriend, and sister (from another mother), I must say.

Once again, Congratulations, Angelia Gabrena Ong, from the City of Manila, for winning the title of Miss Philippines Earth 2015! This is just the start. You have a long journey to go. Go on and prove to the Filipinos and to the rest of the world that you deserve this title. We'll be supporting you all the way. Good luck and God bless, Miss Crystal Queen!

Ladies and gentlemen, please support her campaign, #wewillbecausewecan and let's all pray that she wins the international pageant in November to give the Philippines a back-to-back Miss Earth title for 2014 and 2015.

and we gave her 3 victory parties :)

My Blog Name is now a Reality Show :))

Just tonight, I typed "City Girl Diaries" on Google and found on the top of the search results a link to Style Network's website, featuring its newest reality show with the same title as my blog.

I followed multiple links about the City Girl Diaries reality show to know more about it. Apparently, it started airing last July 20 in Style Network; but it has all been filmed last year. It's a story about 5 women best friends at their 30s, who are now conquering New York with their choses careers. It's like "Sex and the City" reality show version.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading this article written by one of the characters of the show, to describe her experience while filming the show. She also described her real-life best friends who were with her in this show, and they all got interesting personalities. I'm curious that I wanna see at least its pilot episode.

When I put up my blog, I knew I wanted to share here the things I love to do: travel, shop, dress up, eat, party, organize and attend events, watch/do sports, etc. Since I was born and raised in the city, and because I just love the city life, I chose "City Girl Diaries" as my blog name. However, I knew it won't be that original since there's a great chance others can be able to come up with the same thing too. That's why I just registered my own domain just to add more identity to my blog site. But now that there'a TV show with the same name as my blog, I think my site would gain more hits haha!:)

xoxo,

city girl