When I miss where I grew up, I find comfort in looking at my old photos. For me, the quaint town of Bolinao is the anchor of such memories.  Bolinao is a place where you can smell the ocean and feel the warm sun. Every photo I take there takes me back to special times. It’s also where my children first fell in love with nature’s beauty. Read more ..read more

That's me, going around Dubai on a budget. Okay so I live here, and for me, a budget experience in Dubai is very different to a tourist’s. Heading to friends for dinner certainly takes the sting out of a pricey restaurant cheque, and taking a long drive with grammer friends – in their cars – into the desert or anywhere off the beaten path is an inexpensive way to relax. But for visitors flying into the city, Dubai can appear very expensive indeed. Fear not, there are tons of ways to make the most out of your trip to this magnificent city without breaking the bank, here are my top ti ..read more

A portion of this juicy Canadian beef went to my tummy right after that hot air balloon experience from Landrover. An invite to attend Taste of Canada to experience different Canadian delights at The Ritz Carlton JBR came in and who am I to say no? Read more ..read more

Photo captured by @thepandastudio 2 months after giving birth, here I am back to blogging. In case you don't know, I gave birth via C-section - something that I didn't plan but with God's grace everything went extremely smooth and I recovered faster than the usual. So let me introduce my newborn Dani Elise, the official plus 1 of TheThriftTrip.com . Read more ..read more

2018 The year that was: chaotic, fun, surprising, and painful at the same time. Hello dear readers, how have you been? I honestly thought that my half-baked May 2018 post about Iftar, just before the NMC License has been implemented in the UAE, would be my last until something else (beautifully) happened thus this reflection sheet I've been drafting during the last days of the previous year but obviously failed miserably. I've been on and off social media - especially in September when I was expected to be present at the most, flaunting off my Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (I did on my Instagram ..read more

  Hello, blogging world! Just quickly dropping by to say I'm gonna be active here once again because... Dani and I just moved to my parent's hometown! I'm quite excited about the things that I will be sharing here soon - most especially the things that can help you get around Bolinao, Pangasinan! Follow along and subscribe to my blog, see you later ..read more

I was about to write my first sentence in this blog post when Dani cried - she needs to be fed in between her sleep. If you have been following/stalking me on the rest of my social media channels, you probably know by now that I am exclusively breastfeeding my daughter since birth. After today's blogging session with my friend Kieth (I love sharing what I know about the blogging world), I planned to publish a long-overdue first mommy post kasi many of my followers on IG have been waiting for updates about my mommy life. But just like what happened, I've been pausing any blog related a ..read more

From Asia to US/Canada and everything in between - you'll find the top resource from hotels, resorts, tourism companies, and airlines were all at the Arabian Travel Market 2018. This was my 5th year of attending the annual travel exhibition and every year, it gets bigger and better. Check out my latest video on YouTube (and don't forget to subscribe, lol): Read more ..read more

Brunch menu at Sean Conolly at the Dubai Opera If you're thwarted by the scarcity of Saturday brunches and haven't tried dining at Sean Conolly at Dubai Opera,  then this place is for you - they have this incredible (and ridiculously fun) Jazz Brunch at the Garden and I encourage you to go. Read more ..read more

Ramadan season is here and you know what I have always been looking forward to? Iftars *tummy clap*! I've written countless articles about Iftars in Dubai on my blog for the past 4 years and likewise, I'm here to do another round-up - this time, for a list of the most reasonable Iftar selection around town! Every year, lifestyle bloggers like myself get invited for these kinds of event not only to sample food but also to get acquainted with other influencers. And mind you, this is not just about endless eating - we provide the facility an honest feedback about their food because we get to ..read more