Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Yangon to Bagan, Myanmar. 

My sister and I planned this trip on a whim, booked a ticket and only had eight days to prepare. We’ve been yearning to go to Bagan long before but the cost of airfare isn’t cheap as there are no direct flights from the Philippines to Yangon. You have to fly to Singapore first, then Yangon then a nine hour bus trip to Bagan. I love adventures so hopping from one place to another would be a delight for me no matter how exhausting it would be. My sister booked our plane ticket whilst I booked all our hotel accommodations and bus ticket to Bagan, call it division of labor, each should have a dedicated task so we’re not in disarray. We’re just gonna back pack, no check in luggages just couple of knapsacks, shoulder bags, neck pillows and that’s it.

JJ Express VIP Bus 

photo courtesy of JJ Express

Our plan is to stay for one night in Yangon, take an overnight VIP bus via JJ Express to Bagan the next night (which I have already pre-booked on Facebook over messenger), stay in Bagan for couple of days, then, take another overnight bus back to Yangon on the third day. Speaking of JJ Express VIP bus, it was a breeze reserving a bus ticket online, all you have to do is search for their Facebook page and make your reservation over FB messenger. They will  send in a photo file of the available schedules, ask you to take your pick, send in your seat number then advise you to pay for your reservation at the designated gate once you’re there in Yangon/Bagan. I even requested a seat right next to each other for my sister and I and it was no problem. Btw, I also opted for a roundtrip reservation so all we have to do is to pay for them once we reached the bus station on the day of our trip Yangon-Bagan and vice versa. 

Tigerconnect

This is an optional service offered by Tiger Airways for connecting flights with a layover of over 8 hours which you may pre-pay or pay as you go at the airport. It is already included in your airfare btw if your layover is within 8 hours. We decided to also pre-booked this because we don’t want to go through the hassles of clearing through immigrations every time. If you availed Tigerconnect, all you have to do is head off straight to Transfer Lounge E and skip immigrations. However, you’re not allowed to leave the airport premises as you’re still in transit. Technically you just swing by in whatever country your layover is thus need to pass through immigration if you want to explore the country which is not allowed if you availed this service. With what I’ve read as well, if you have Tigerconnect you need not collect your check in luggage as Tiger will automatically transfer it to the next plane you’re boarding. All you need to do upon arrival at the airport is head straight to Transfer lounge E, collect your boarding pass (check in at a transit hotel/lounge if your layover is too long say 12hrs or so, explore the airport etc.) otherwise wait for your next flight. In my sister and I's experience though we got all our boarding passes all at once as they were  handed to us before we fly out (Manila-Singapore flight) so when it's time for our connecting flight, all we did was find our boarding gate.

Some of my carry-on essentials: Macbook filled with movies
(sorry no inflight  movies for economy flights), medicines, snacks, 
candies in case you feel dizzy, make-up kit, point and shoot camera, 
wet tissues, coin purse, power bank, mobile phone of course, 
ipod, ear phones, a pen and notebook, sunnies in case you fly 
during the day. 

Anyways, In the mean time, let me share my carry on essentials:

• Laptop💻 - this is the best solution if you're traveling on a shoestring budget since most economy flights do not offer inflight entertainment. I usually store my favorite movies in my Macbook in case I'll be flying night time and I don't feel like sleeping. 

• Mobile phone 📱 - you're mobile phone is pretty much useless without wifi and network signal that's why I make sure to store as many of my favorite eBooks to keep me preoccupied or in the event boredom strikes. 😩  And oh, I also use my phone by the way to easily tell the local time in my destination. I often add the city where I'm headed to my phone's clock app so I can easily tell what time it is back home and locally. If you're an iPhone user just simply tap on your clock app and go to world clock > tap on the + sign (upper right) > select the country/city and you're done. 

• Medicines Kit - we do not anticipate diarrhea, dizziness or catch a cold hours before landing but who knows right? It's always pretty convenient to carry along your prescription drugs and other medicines with you. 💊
• Snacks🍫 - it's good to carry along snacks with you such as candies or energy bars in case you get hungry anytime (i.e. long queue in the check in counter, sudden flight delays etc.)
• Camera 📷 - I always carry a back up camera with me in case my camera phone malfunction or worse case scenario I lose it which of course we are not anticipating.
• Make-up/Vanity kit - I make it a habit to do some last minute touch ups first before the plane lands. You wouldn't want to look haggard and unkempt after a flight.
• Coin purse/Wallet - No money, may it be cash or credit card, you're doomed. 
• Passport Holder - best way to keep your passport of course, boarding passes, receipts etc. it's such a shame to rummage through your purse at the boarding gate and you're already running late. 
• Power Bank - charging your electronic gadgets made easy and convenient in case you do not have access to a power port which usually the case is once you board the plane unless you travel first class. 😉
• iPod and earphones 🎧 - It's always best to keep your favorite music handy during flights. The engine noise can be quite annoying especially when you're trying to catch some sleep that's why I would rather listen to music until I fall asleep. 
• Sunnies😎 - I cannot leave the house without my sunnies because they protect my eyes from the sun's glare. If you happen to travel in the morning and picked a window seat, it's always handy to wear  one especially when the sunlight is at its strongest. 
• Wet and Dry tissues - Touched something dirty or a drink spilled on you? No problem when you carry with you both wet and dry tissues plus it's always sanitary to bring one in case you want to wipe the toilet seat first in the lavatory before you use them, just saying. 
• Pen and Paper📝 - I  use this to write anything important whenever I feel lazy fishing for my phone. 

Warmth in Photography

beauty staples

It's a gloomy Saturday morning and it hasn't rained in a while thus explains todays downpour. The cold is finally starting to mellow unlike these past few days that I had to use a hot bag to keep myself warm. The first quarter of the year is always the coldest here up north. ⛄

Skin, our largest organ..

The biggest challenge living in cold climates is how to protect your skin from becoming uber dry and your lips from chapping so I always lather my skin with coconut oil. Applying make up when your skin is beginning to peel due to the cold weather can be annoying so keep your face moisturized everyday. Seriously, coconut oil is such a cheap and healthy alternative and is a good body warmer too.

Speaking of make up, let me share my everyday beauty staples through flat lay photography. I love nude tones if you may have noticed. 

Eyes

• Etude House liquid eyeliner (black) - I'm allergic to other liquid eyeliners but this one works for me plus it's long wearing. You may need to rub it with oil or facial wash to take it off. 
• Etude House Drawing Eye Brow - I switched from ELF's eyebrow treat & tame to this one because eyebrow pencils are easier to use only if your hands aren't shaky. You can use it in no time if you're in hurry, just finish rimming the edges with your preferred concealer (I use Glamoflauge for this). 
• W7 In The Nude (Natural Nudes eye colour palette) - It has all nude eyeshadow tones you may be looking for, perfect for everyday wear. 
• Elf eye primer (not in photo) 

Lips

• Nyx soft matte lip cream in London - One of my faves, the buttery smell is really good plus it glides perfectly when applied.  
• Baby Lips in electropop lip balm 

Face

• In2it UV shine control pressed powder - It's long wearing as well and does not cake. 
• Hard Candy Glamoflauge heavy duty concealer in medium - I've been using this for ages and it's really perfect to conceal those under eye circles. It is also long wearing and just a little bit of it would go a long way. 
• Revlon Photo ready airbrush effect foundation (i forgot to include in the photo) - I love the glossy finish when applied with moisturizer first. I don't think this would even require any face primer. Also long wearing. 
• City Color Contour Effects - bronzer, contour, highlighter in one. 

accidental bunny ears. From 

Pringles can to diy trash bag holder.

Repurposed Pringles Can..

My latest easy peasy project, a Pringles can. This time around I decided to create something useful to store all those plastic grocery bags although I'm hoping that someday our country will totally phase out using plastic bags because they're extremely harmful to the ozone layer once you burn them and might as well just use those sturdy recycled paper bags instead of plastics. I just used burlap, some ribbons, glue sticks and recycled paper flower for this project. 

Love Yhy Art

Todays breakfast..

my latest masterpiece, all yarns and feathers..

My latest DIY dreamcatcher project is finally finished yay! I worked on it for weeks not because it was difficult to do, I just wasn't in a rush to finish it. It wasn't perfect because I used a smaller hoop so my bad thus caused the wrinkling. To compensate, I decided to adorn it further with colorful feathers problem solved. The feathers came from a craft store btw so I did not harm any chicken in the making.

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, So Be An Alien.

photo ctto

It's Valentine's Day indeed! The time of the year wherein chocolates and flowers are so in demand, restaurants are fully booked because of dinner reservations and hotel rooms with jacuzzi are selling like hot pancakes. The question is, do we really have to wait for Valentine's day to tell people how much we love them? 

Valentine's day is like Christmas day for lovers as they get to celebrate their togetherness and reminisce the excitement when they first met, fell in love  or what not. Personally, I find Valentine's day corny but don't get me wrong, I'm just not the cheesy type of person and I believe that love shouldn't be limited to this day alone, so as presents and chocolates and flowers, it should be expressed every single day as life is too short to wait for Valentine's Day to tell someone how much they mean to us. 

And please to the single ladies and gents out there, don't be too desperate to have a bouquet of flowers and box of chocolates delivered to yourself in the office just so your officemates wouldn't think nobody loves you on Valentine's day, trust me I've seen a lot of these in my lifetime. That's just totally mental. Being a non-conformist is totally fine besides flowers are overpriced during Valentine's day right? Sit back and relax, this day too shall pass lol. 

Flat Lay Photography

My V-Day Breakfast: rolled oats with
mixed fruits, raisins, non-fat milk &
blueberry syrup 😋

I have been stoked with flat lay photography lately so I often attempt to make one of my own just for kicks. I hate selfies because I just have this notion that vanity is a subtle form of narcissism just in a modern day context but it's still narcissism. Anyways, with flat lay photography you don't have to involve yourself because your subject can be anything. You can throw in anything and create a tiny work of art in form of inanimate objects. Inspiration I guess is the key. I don't know but I just think the most fitting word would be minimalism. 

Don't Judge The Book

Jagger at four months old. He loves the front door
so much.

My sister and I decided to take Jagger, our Dad’s dog for a walk this morning just around the village since we kind of noticed he’s turning limp lately probably due to lack of exercise which is really bad for dog his breed. Jagger just celebrated his one year with us last November and he’s grown surprisingly big which is not supposedly a wonder since German Shepherds seems to have growth spurt, one day they’re cute and tiny then the next few months they turn into giants.

My Dad and my other sister bought Jagger from a local pet shop inside the mall when he was just a four month old puppy (he's now one year and two months old) in lieu of our ten year old GSD Brandon who passed away few days after Christmas back in 2015 which I also wrote about here on my blog. They were just supposed to have a look at Jagger and not bring him home but his sappy character melted their hearts so they ended up buying him instead. We were heart broken with Brandon's demise so we told our Dad many times to not anymore own a big dog as it’s no joke to care for one. Brandon was really special to my Dad, he even enrolled him to a canine academy to train him and even had a certificate for finishing the course when he was few years old. A canine academy is a training school/ground for future bomb sniffing dogs or police dogs basically. I know how silly it may sound but yes GSDs are highly specialized dogs being trained for such purpose. Brandon was entirely different from Jagger because he went to a canine school: he was disciplined and doesn't hate cats, does not bark for no reason nor eat anything thrown at him by strangers other than his owners and he could care less about any feline passing by our house, Jagger was the opposite. During Jagger's first few months with us we wondered eventually how come we never heard him bark until one fine day he did so our worries dissipated afterwards. It was our first time to have a GSD puppy as well because Brandon was about seven months old when he joined our family. 

Jagger the GSD, he's turning
two this year. I took this photo
of him inches away from
my face 😂

He sounds like a trombone every time
he howls 🎺

Anyways, going back, while walking Jagger, this couple turned up and I saw how alarmed the woman looked after she saw Jagger from afar which I totally understand since many people have this german-shepherds-will-always-bite impression every time they see one big of a dog like ours. Totally scared to her wits, the woman asked does it bite? (pertaining to Jagger) before she went ahead and pave her way which of course we said no. Jagger isn't really interested with humans to be honest and he's too kind for a GSD.

My sister and I have been talking why such stereotype is attached to dogs his breed that they either will bite, maul/tear you apart, attack people while in fact, with proper training, GSDs aren’t really vicious but are highly intelligent dogs and won't hurt anyone unless they are provoked or sense any threat. When Brandon was still alive, never was I've seen him attack any of our other dogs at home. I know, I know, it’s not easy to not get scared of pit bulls neither so I guess it also applies to huge dogs like German Shepherds.

Jagger’s crime so far? He’s dug up and eaten some of our house plants, chewed on a front yard wall outlet (the plastic part) and my niece’s bike (one of the pedals) but we love him dearly no matter how he love food like crazy and seemed possessed come eating time. I’m just hoping that someday, people will eradicate these common misconceptions that GSDs do not do anything but attack people and bite whilst they can even serve the army and happened to be a very reliable house pet to guard your homes. They just cannot stay put though because they are curious dogs and love to learn, think thus gets easily bored when they’re stagnant. 

Much ado about nothing..

Breakfast of Champions 🤘🏽

Moving on, I had rolled oats with apple chunks, raisins and blueberry syrup for breakfast which I totally enjoy because I don’t crave for food that much whenever I eat oats in the morning.

Selecta's new ice cream
sandwich is oh so good 🍦

By the way, let me also just share how I love Selecta's new ice cream sandwich in chocolate vanilla as it reminds of Orchard road in Singapore where they sell those cool treats for 1-2 SGD each. Actually they sell them everywhere in Singapore ‘cuz I also found their stalls in botanical gardens and parks. Why do I keep on talking about Singapore lately? I guess I miss their chicken rice and Makansutra’s Aglio Oglio. Maybe I’m homesick to a place I don’t know where. 

Related Post:
http://musingsofabatgirl.blogspot.com/search?q=german+shepherd

On A Whim

Lang Leav's Anthology of Love box
set. (Photo courtesy of National Book
Store)

I feel so far behind now that Lang Leav has released her latest epic “Sad Girls” whilst I haven’t even scored my “Anthology of Love” box set why oh why?

It sucks ‘cuz I collected couple of her poetry books “The Universe of Us” and “Lullabies” just to find that a box set would be out so soon arrrgh. Ok, I guess I did not pat attention that much that’s why. Well, anyways, I technically just bought one of those books because my copy of “Lullabies” was a Christmas present. The “Anthology of Love” box set isn't cheap though as the set cost ₱1,745.00 (roughly $35.00) which includes her bestselling titles “Love & Misadventure”, “Lullabies”, “The Universe of Us” and the newest “Your Words are Your Power Journal" in National Book Store. Then, after I turn around again I saw “Sad Girls” on Instagram and I was like hey wait up I haven’t even saved up for the box set yet!? Anyways, I shouldn’t be a hoarder because I don’t even have that much time to read books lately so I guess I should just relax for the time being and just focus on those new succulents my sister and I bought (sour graping). 

basking in the sun is life...

I don’t know If I just don’t have a green thumb that’s why my succulents die out after a long while or its the environment they are subjected to that’s causing them to eventually die or maybe it’s the lack of sunlight or water or… (?)  Alright, I promised myself to take care of them this time so I researched that they should have enough sunlight and that you only need to water them if the top soil has gone dry and that you should allow some air which I understand because they also need those stuff like any other living being to survive, water, air, sunlight as without those they will definitely not live long. I also read that tea is a good food for them which I’m not wondering why since tea bags have ample use from eliminating odor on shoes to plant food etcetera. I am currently experimenting on crush egg shells for my succulents and hopefully it would help in prolonging their life span. 

Moving on, I have been enjoying watching this vlogger on youtube who’s currently living on her own in Japan teaching English and Acting. I have been yearning to live abroad for a long time now and I know how it feels to be independent thousands of miles away from home because my sister and I both backpacked to Singapore back in 2011 and lived there for a couple of months after we celebrated our birthday we pretty much enjoyed our stay then decided to extend our Visas for another month just on a whim. It just feels good to experience other culture. I’m just sad if work would get in the way this year then we won’t be able to travel abroad for our birthday or whatever, anyways, we’ll see how it goes although I hate to not travel on my birthday geez as it's the time of the year I really save up for (whimper). 

And So It Is

And so it’s February, the love month.

A lot of things went on around the world since my last blog post, from Trump’s executive order on immigration down to the recently concluded 65th Miss Universe held here in the Philippines.

finished product. my diy
 crocheted dream catcher 🙃

I’m really not happy with what’s going on in the U.S lately since Trump started his reign as President which was of course a cosmic surprise to me. The order suspended the entire US refugee admissions systems for 120 days and  also prohibited entry of citizens from the seven Muslim-majority countries namely Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq to the U.S for 90 days which means that even if you’re already a green card holder or an American citizen yet happened to be a Muslim then travelled outside of the U.S, you will not be allowed re-entry for three months. I mean WTF? Immigrants took 10 years before they became green card holders just to be denied their constitutional right to go back to their now country because the new U.S President believe that this is a precautionary measure to prevent the 911 attack from happening again. Oh wow, it’s been 16 years overdue plus Trump is totally missing the whole point because none of those seven countries was the home-base of the nationalities who carried out the 9/11 attacks as they were from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

🤡  😂   😂   

Some Americans stressed out, what if you attended a funeral or flew outside of the U.S for a business trip? Does that mean you won’t be able to come back to the U.S if you are a Muslim until after three grueling months which is long enough for someone to lose his or her job. This travel ban is totally ridiculous and unconstitutional. I read that the British people are signing a petition to prohibit Donald Trump from entering the UK shores. I think this executive order will also cause the lives of many refugees trying to get out of their country to escape the war. This is very heart breaking because this is not what humanity is all about, where is compassion? A lot of refugees fled from their countries because they’re hoping for a better life. I watched this Tehran movie one time and learned that they scurry to their basements once the siren wails as it’s an indication of another missile strike. What would you do given the situation but find a better life someplace else.

On a lighter note, the 65th Ms. Universe...

I have long forgotten that the next host country for Ms. Universe is often the country where the last Ms. Universe hail from unless there’s a valid reason not to (natural calamity or economic crisis probably?) since the last time I watched Ms. Universe was way back 1994 which was also held here in the Philippines wherein Sushmita Sen (Miss India) won. I used to watch Ms. Universe when I was still a kid every year and I mean consistently each and every year because I always look forward to the evening gown part for some reason. I guess that’s the way it is with little girls, you think the contestants are Barbie dolls decked out in colorful and elegant costumes. 

Going back, Maxine Medina represented the Philippines despite speculations she will not make it ‘cuz she’s not fluent in English. I thought, why not give her a chance and let’s see how it goes before judging her although it’s a given that the Q&A portion is a make or break part as it separates the beautiful from the articulate ones. Since we are the host country (I figured) the farthest Maxine would go, if speaking in English is really a challenge for her is to make it to top 6 which she eventually did. I would say the questions given to the candidates weren’t actually a no brainer as those will require you to have very good logic and must be abreast with current events and I think this is where Maxine fell short.  She was beautiful and projected very well on stage hats down however she did not nail it during the Q&A portion not just because she did not make use of the interpreter, her response to the question was somehow irrelevant which I understand because she was obviously nervous and I would, of course, feel the same given the situation. Nevertheless, I admire Maxine for trying and I saw how she did her best 101 percent.

my version of flat lay

Everyone had mixed reactions after the Q&A portion: Some netizens said, Maxine should’ve just spoken in Tagalog whilst some said even if she had an interpreter if she’s clueless about the question then speaking in vernacular won’t help or that she’s not brainy enough yadda yadda. All candidates had butterflies in their stomach of course and it wasn’t just Maxine who was nervous, some stuttered, some groped for words. Pia Wutzbach was also nervous, so as Steve Harvey, I mean who wouldn’t?  The question thrown at Maxine was about the significant change she may have noticed within the past 10 years on a global perspective,  she answered that it was the ‘unity’ she saw during the Ms. Universe beauty pageant. Others said she could’ve answered women empowerment or social media. I would’ve answered women empowerment because over the course of ten years more and more women are joining the army, politics etcetera, but, I wasn’t Maxine lol. Like I said, it’s totally different if you’re on live TV and is being viewed by billions of people all over the world. So, for those who are saying that the question
was easy, try joining Ms. Universe and let me know. Anyways, Ms. France bagged the Ms. Universe crown. Based on the Q&A portion my bet was either France or Colombia but the later won 2nd place and Ms. Haiti won first place. Ms. France,  among the three ladies gave a better answer, not really the best but better than the other two just in my opinion. She said having no borders is good so people across nations are able see what’s out there which is very timely nowadays since the U.S just closed its borders to refugees and immigrants because of Trump’s executive order.

Moving on, I am working on my new project which I am yet to decide whether to turn it into a dream catcher or a center piece. If it gets big enough (as in the size of a plate) then I will use it as a center piece maybe. My other recent project is my blog header. I decided to channel flat lay lol to best describe what my blog is really all about which is travel, crafting, succulents and pretty much everything under the sun.

center piece or dream catcher?