I decided to film "A day in the life" content as some sort of tangible memorabilia so I can have something to remember these days by. I feel like if I don't, it'll casually slip my mind. And in between everything that's happening--a global pandemic, moving to the province, getting engaged and raising a dog for the first time--these are days I want to romanticize, these are days I want to remember forever. I find myself creating content more for myself more than others. If other people enjoy what I put out, great. If not, that's fine too because again--I'm creating all these mostly for myself and I hope others would too. 

I'm so tired of seeing content being dished out only to make us buy something, it's getting tiring. I miss the old days where I'd read blogs about random people I don't know. I want to see the same for Youtube; I want to know what you're up to without you necessarily telling me to buy this, buy that etc. In this day and age where I don't get to see a lot of my friends and family anymore due to the pandemic, I really just want to see content that will resemble the tiniest bit of human connection and that's letting people in. Which is somehow what this vlog is all about too--letting my dear readers and viewers into my life too. Hope you enjoy having a peek. ♡

 I've always had a love-hate relationship with my body. I remember calling Marie France (an aesthetic clinic) when I was 12, asking how much a scar removal would cost because I was a pre-teen who couldn't imagine wearing a bikini because of all my chickenpox scars. I also wanted a boob job and I wanted to have fair skin. I wanted to change so many things and I was never really quite satisfied with my body. A lot of factors come into play--media's portrayal of beauty, how society defines beauty and the environment I grew up in that that really just highlighted these insecurities. From whitening products, to the media's portrayal of what a beautiful woman should look like. I'd see this in magazine, newspapers--everywhere and I wanted that. 

It's been years since that phone call but I ended up taking those insecurities with me going as far as seriously considering surgery and incessant dieting throughout the years. I've always been skinny but when you see a different standard of beauty on the media, you always want to be skinnier. My body before was okay but I would go on crash diets all the time and I feel that it ultimately ruined my metabolism. It became harder and harder for me to lose weight as I ate less--and my last straw at this was when in 2017 while I was on Keto. I was eating solely protein and fat and didn't realize how it was affecting my mental health. I was always hungry and drunk because it was becoming too much. I weighed 39kgs when I finally decided to stop because I realized it wasn't sustainable. I binged hard after that. I wanted all the carbs I lost and overate all the time--this went on for 2yrs which eventually led to my heaviest weight--60kgs. 

The Philippines has one of the longest lockdowns documented during this pandemic, and to be honest, it's getting frustrating. I've spent two birthdays on lockdown, but I'm thankful for the one I had this year because I at least had the chance to connect with nature, breathe fresh air and enjoy some peace and quiet. This trip was one of the best I've had during this pandemic, I mean, not like we've had a lot. But it's definitely one that I needed--physically, mentally and emotionally. 

Even if we brought our own food, we couldn't resist but try some of what they have to offer. Upon arrival, we immediately ordered a Mango shake and Pork BBQ, something light to quench our hunger and thirst. The boyfriend then ordered a meal after even if we were set to grill hotdogs that night lol. He said the food was good. Camp Sandugo also offers local craft beer and other refreshments. Upon arrival, we were also presented with quite a huge cooler which was like our personal mini bar. It has alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. We're good with the alcoholic drinks so we just got a couple of gatorades in the morning which we also had to pay for. 

Baguio has been home to me since 2005 when I first stepped foot on its cold mountains and took a whiff of its foggy air--I've been enamored and in love since. I spent my formative years aka College lol roaming the city, enjoying the view and always wanting to just live there. At this point, I still haven't made that goal materialize but I'm getting there. Hopefully when I look back at this blog in 10yrs time, I'll be doing so while hanging out in my cold, foggy patio in Baguio. 

Aside from all the things I mentioned, the place really is a treat and a nice breathr from all the hustle and bustle of the metro. The place is spacious with light shining through as you dine in, coupled with an awesome view of the pine tress with just the cold breeze as your companion. Grmpy Joe really live up to its name of being one of Baguio's go-to restaurants, not just for tourists but for locals alike,