Positive life

A negative mind will never give you a positive life.

I always share or post things that I do, things that I buy, places I visit or food I eat because I am always grateful. I am happy with all the things happening in my life. My instagram says "themonicapia: living an awesome life" because I believe that I do. Cultivate the habit of being grateful.

I am grateful for mornings like this. I love waking up early in the morning. I am definitely a morning person (disregard my college days when I party till the wee hours and still wake up early).

I love waking up in the arms of this man! I am truly blessed to be with him and to spend forever with him. :)

On the first day of St. James bazaar, Rudden and I went to shop for christmas gifts.

We were very excited to use my Rolser- the 'Rolls Royce' of shopping trolleys. The boyf had fun using it and I'm sure other boyfriends and husbands will love the convenience of not having to bring gazillion shopping bags! :)

Shopping tips

1. Bring a huge shopping bag or trolley so you don't have to use plastic bags or brown papers
2. Use a sling bag because it is secure, very convenient when getting your wallet and leaves your hands free for choosing. Use hand bags some other time.
3. Take into consideration the patience of your shopping buddy. Thank you honey for staying with me for 6 hours! :)

La Union Soul Surf (brand: Guess) shirt, shorts from Forever21, flipflops from Tory Burch, leopard shopping tote from Max&co by Max Mara, watch from DKNY 

Don't forget to check on the right panel of my blog for the bazaar schedules and for the list of my recent travels. 

Live life to the fullest!

Till next time, Baguio!

Before leaving Baguio, we had early lunch. We ate at Solibao which is owned by the family of my sorority sister, Dr. Mitos. There are several Solibao branches and we chose to eat at Burnham Park.

We don't want to be so full because it will be a long trip back to Manila.

fresh lumpia

inihaw na liempo

barbeque

Solibao boasts of homemade Filipino dishes and puto bumbong and bibingka. For a change, i tried the new item in their menu: Puto bumbong shake!!! oh my!!! I love puto bumbong and I love shake! When combined, oh wow! I had to try it even when it's cold in Baguio, haha!

Puto bumbong shake

Quick dinner in EDSA before heading home

beef brisket

fish with tausi

You'll never be hungry in Baguio. It boasts of good restaurants and quirky coffee shops.

It is also home to a lot of artists and the general ambiance of the city is just so mellow and cozy. 

This is definitely a perfect vacation before I go back to the hospital. :)

food and souvenir shopping

Good morning again from Baguio!!!
It is our last day, we woke up early because we have to buy pasalubongs.

I just had pancakes

He had sausage and toast

Our first stop is Good Shepherd were everybody goes to buy jams. We bought several bottles of strawberry jams, ube jams and alfajors.

We walked to Mines View to stroll and buy more souvenirs and pasalubongs such as Romana's peanut brittle, lengua de gato, boogers aka kulangot, choco-flakes and more.

strawberry taho

maxi skirt from Calliope, cropped top from Cotton On, sandals from Forever21, bag from Kate Spade, watch from DKNY, sunglasses from Forever21, necklace from India

We had an awesome time, Baguio!

Cafe by the Ruins

The last time I was in Baguio, this cafe was undergoing renovation. I've heard and read a lot about this must-try in the city. Luckily, this is just walking distance from our hotel so after Christmas village, we went here for dinner.

hot dayap tea

oohhh so perfect for the weather!

Camote bread

with herbed cheese

Ernie's BLT with camote chips

Rizal's Tsokolate-eh

dress from Terranova, jacket with fur from Giorgio Armani, sandals from Forever21, Le Pliage bag from Longchamp, watch from DKNY, necklace from Funky closet

Our La Union-Baguio trip is our second vacation for the year after our Bohol-Cebu trip last summer.

Our Baguio trip is really more for dining, exploring artsy places and just unwind and spend time together.

"Take vacations, go as many places as you can. You can always make money. You can't always make memories." 

Christmas Village

We went to Baguio Country Club to check out the Christmas Village and of course, buy raisin bread.

dress from Terranova, jacket with fur from Giorgio Armani, sandals from Forever21, Le Pliage bag from Longchamp, watch from DKNY, necklace from Funky closet

snow!!!

He said "every Filipino kids' wish" haha

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

turband always comes in handy

another lovely night

This is my favorite time of the year!
Can you feel the Christmas spirit? I do! And despite the typhoon, I can feel the Christmas spirit more because of the kindness that is pouring to the victims not only from our fellow countrymen but from all over the world. :)

Spread the Christmas love!