Asia 2025

Hello Friieeends!!

Hope everyone is doing well! As for me, I’m doing great, though I’m still recovering from jet lag after a 2.5-week adventure across Asia. It was an unforgettable trip, and I wanted to share my thoughts on the places I visited. Spoiler: I saw some amazing things, and also encountered a few bumps along the way. Let’s dive in!

Singapore

Singapore was an absolute dream. Everything was so modern, luxurious, and yes, very expensive. But wow, it’s a place that lives up to the hype. The streets were spotless, and what caught my attention the most were the trees. Sounds random, right? But seriously, you could tell they were taken care of with love and care—our taxi driver even told us they trim them weekly! The attention to detail is unmatched. They’re called Rain Trees.

We stayed at Marina Bay Sands for a night (if you’ve seen the rooftop pool on Instagram, that’s the one!). Honestly, I can’t recommend it enough. The hotel was beyond what I imagined—luxury at its finest. The rooms were equipped with all sorts of fancy features (like the automatic toilet lid that warmed up, bidet settings, and even cleaned itself!). The view from the rooftop pool was stunning, and we ended up eating at Estiatorio Milos, a Greek fine dining spot. If you’ve ever seen a menu where they don’t list prices and you pick your food based on weight, that’s how you know it’s fancy (and pricey!). But hey, totally worth the experience. Changi airport is huge with so much to see and do!

Maldives

Let me just say this: If you’re ever thinking about the Maldives—go. It’s everything you see in pictures and more. The water? Clear as glass. The villas? Absolutely gorgeous. The marine life? Swimming right past you. Yes, including sharks (but don’t worry, they’re harmless). We stayed at Villa Nautica, which was just perfect, though the food and drinks at the resort were a bit of a letdown (mostly watered-down drinks unless you paid extra). Still, the location was worth it all.

Philippines

Alright, here’s where things got a little more... real. We visited Boracay and Palawan, and while they were stunning, they were also underdeveloped. In Boracay, we stayed at Fairways & Blue Waters Resort—a place I cannot recommend. The resort was outdated, and let’s just say our bathroom had bloodstains on the wall (yeah, not the greatest experience). In Palawan, the hotel was better, but still nothing to rave about.

But despite the accommodations, the experience itself was humbling. I spent time reflecting on the resilience of the people in these areas. Despite living in very difficult conditions—some with little to no access to clean water or basic amenities—their kindness and warmth blew me away. It really put things into perspective for me. We, with all our comforts, take so much for granted. It’s always a humbling experience to travel and see different walks of life, and it reminds me just how blessed I am. Our last stop was Manila, and it definitely felt more modern and wealthier compared to Boracay and Palawan. There were tall buildings, designer stores—you name it. We stayed at the Hilton and, well, it was as expected: top-notch service and comfort.

Whew, that was a lot, huh? But if you made it this far, thank you for reading! Overall, this trip gave me so much to think about and be grateful for. It’s one thing to go on vacation and take in the sights, but when you really stop and think about the people and places you visit, you get a whole new perspective on life. I’m so grateful for the experiences I had and the memories I’ll carry with me.

Till next time, friends! Safe travels and remember to always appreciate what you have.

Also, please don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for more pics and videos - @nyclifeandglam

GRWM 8-3-19

Makeup vids have become so foreign to me but this weekend I felt inspired to record, on my phone but hey.  Makeup isn't something I have much time for, the motivation isn't there but sometimes I have to remember makeup was my first love.  Since kindergarten, back when I'd steal my mom's lipstick and apply it at school.  I was way too advanced but I remember I'd always enjoy watching my mother apply makeup before going out.  She's also dye her hair jet black, actually, it was blue black by Nice & Easy, funny how I once thought black hair was boring but that's all I do now - Jet Black. Ha, I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree.  My mom was the makeup queen so much so she eventually got it tattooed and her BFF was the skin care queen, the perfect duo.  My teachers and my inspiration!!  I remember my mom's BFF (Wanda) telling me to ALWAYS take care of my skin, and I did!  Always have and I always will.  Ha, random memory just popped into my head;  I remember applying bright red lipstick on my little bro.  Good times!  With that being said makeup is art to me, a form of expression.  Gone are the days when you wouldn't catch me without eyeliner or red lipstick.  Still my favorite lip color btw!  Times have changed tho.  But this weekend I applied some and I was in my zone.  I didn't do much but its amazing how little one can apply but how big the impact, it makes me feel pretty, put together, its my "me time", sort of like a meditation where nothing exists except me at that present moment.  

Here's the video, not the best quality but who's judging lol - right? 

I Am A Gardener Now

I harvested this arugula from my garden.  It's such a wonderful feeling eating what you grow.  

Cutting mint for my water

If you follow me on IG then you've seen this buddha in my living-room.  Once I moved I new I was gonna put him in the garden surrounded by some flowers and spotlights.  I'm in love with this view!!!

Soooo pretty!!!

A chill day consists of the above 

My favorite!  I've harvested several strawberries, they're tiny but delish!

Tiny cucumber!  Unfort this baby didn't make it due to not being pollinated.  I have no pollinators in my garden with the exception of 1 bumble bee that I occasionally see every so often.  So I'm pollinating manually.  Wish me luck!!!

Some Italian and curly parsley I harvested so far

Eggplant blossoms are so pretty

Red beef steak tomatoes coming through

Green bell pepper

Aaahhhh this yellow cherry tomato plant really surprised me.  At first it did not grow, at all!!!  I was contemplating on just ripping it out the ground and disposing of this plant BUT something told me not too.  I continued to water it and fertilize it with absolutely no expectations.  Here we are, 7 tomatoes later.  Now lets see if they actually ripen.  

hot peppers

A baby zucchini - how cute

Really wasn't expecting this to grow but it is doing very well.  Yellow and green zucchini, hot and sweet peppers, and onions hiding in the back.  This little area here was the experimentation.  I had extra plants / seeds so I decided to plant them here.  Again, with no expectations but I'm surprised yet again with how much this has grown and continues to grow.    This is where I went wrong, I planted too much too close together but again its doing well.  Probably better than my garden bed.  I have blueberries in the pot and strawberries hanging and the struggling yellow tomato plant to the upper right.  

Cilantro and more strawberries to the upper left.

Garden bed which has been growing out of control.  There are 2 plants I didn't plant growing a voluntary tomato and pepper plants.  Is that what they call a volunteer plant?  The tomato plant to the upper right is taller than me.  Please note it had heavily rained so some of the leaves look wilted but they're not, they're just drenched.   

Writing this as I sit at the salon with jet black dye on my hair.  I should be relaxing while this dye soaks in and gives me the illusion of a “younger” me.  Instead I decided to type this post really quick.  Where have I been?  Well - I’ve been working and focusing most of my time in the yard  / garden.  I never thought I’d actually grow anything besides the herbs I’ve always grown at home but a simple task turned into a full on garden with several veggies and fruits.  It is such a physically exhausting task since not only was I trying to start this garden but also trying to fix the yard.  It has been “abandoned” since my mom passed away.  As exhausting as it is, it is also very rewarding.  It’s been a little over a month but to see the transformation that has taken place thus far has been amazing!   So far I’ve harvested strawberries, arugula and mint.  I truly can’t wait until everything is ready!  Lately I can’t wait to run home after work to check what awaits me and on the weekends I can’t wait to get up, make my coffee and run to the garden.  As I sip my coffee I walk around and do my inpections and plan what has to be done for the day.  I never expected this to be the place I want to spend most of my time.  Yes, like I mentioned it’s exhausting YET so mentally relaxing / therapeutic. 

So, as some of you know, this is my very first garden, my first time growing fruits / veggies.  I decided to do both a garden bed and earth.  My mom and step-dad did this often (pots and earth) and they’re the ones that encouraged me to do it. With that being said as things progress I can already see where I went wrong, what I’d do differently, what isn’t working and what I won’t attempt to grow next year.   I’m currently planning what fall crops to plant - pumpkin for sure!!!   Needless to say I’m excited and hopeful for a successful harvest.  I invite you to embark on this journey and I’m even open to suggestions / advice. 

As always - THANK YOU!