Hi There, It’s been a long ‘for awhile’ diba? Well, Covid19 hit and turned life completely sideways. You can read more on my Instagram, but I wanted to make a proper goodbye here as well. This sweet ole blog has been with me for five beautiful years. I am so grateful for the outlet I had to write and share and even crazier, is that people like you read it. MARAMING SALAMAT PO. THANK YOU! Writing this blog created the greatest community I have had in life so far, I don’t say that lightly. Living in Manila feels like a dream life. I never understood the feeling of individuals always chasing afte ..read more

Magandang Umaga Po! As we find ourselves house locked during this fragile COVID19 time I want to share some activities to still help you love where you live. I started a project called, Kita Kita Manila, a year ago in hopes that it would be turned into a book. Unfortunately, that never happened but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I wanted to give Manila an offering for all the love she has shown me and what better way than for us to reflect on her beauty and our relationship with her. During the next few weeks every Monday I will share a Kita Kita Manila printable to help you find beauty, or s ..read more

Magandang Umaga Po! As we find ourselves house locked during this fragile COVID19 time I want to share some activities to still help you love where you live. I started a project called, Kita Kita Manila, a year ago in hopes that it would be turned into a book. Unfortunately, that never happened but it wasn’t for lack of trying. I wanted to give Manila an offering for all the love she has shown me and what better way than for us to reflect on her beauty and our relationship with her. During the next few weeks every Monday (I know it’s Tuesday today - late post!) I will share a Kita Kita Manil ..read more

One of the ways I finally felt at home in Manila was when I started learning of and supporting local small businesses. A hashtag our Instagram community uses ,#perksofpinas, focuses on finding the good we have right here. It’s easy to miss your previous normalcy or favorites from home and it’s also a treat when the brand makes it all the way here to Manila. However, I found that when I became a champion for local products I felt more connected to the community here and felt like I was integrating and planting roots. One of those local favorite brands that I love is jeweler, Hey Jow. Hey Jow ..read more

LIBERATION! Dinosaur’s Island is the first real adventure I have been on outside of the city since I broke my foot in November and I came alive again. Because the Philippines is so densely populated, has so many islands and different ethnic groups, it is such a diverse place! You needn’t travel far or look too hard to find such cool offerings, for example: FEED A T-REX! Insectlandia| I didn’t know Insectlandia existed until I arrived at Dinosaurs Island and to be honest, it didn’t enhance the experience. My kids liked it a lot which is important but I don’t think you’re missing out if you ski ..read more

News Flash: My husband and I are big board game nerds! Full Disclosure: He is a much larger board game nerd than I am. :) I will try my best to do the board game community justice with this post but I assume it wall fall short. All you need to know is that, in Manila you will always find what you’re looking for. A few years ago my husband got super into board games. No, not Monopoly and any ‘tabletop gamer’ will scoff at you if you say you play board games and mention Monopoly. I am talking intense board games that require painting your own pieces, reading lore and purging your savings fund ..read more

My kids know more Filipino than I do. We have now lived here for 9 years, my kids have lived here their whole lives and attended schools where Filipino was a mandatory subject. Their classmates, playmates and yaya are all fluent in Filipino. As for me, I have to actively attempt to learn Filipino as most communication can be done in English in Manila. I think it’s both a blessing and a curse to have English as one of the dominant languages of the Metropolitan. In many Asian countries English is not the dominant language and you are forced by default to learn the native language or at least eno ..read more

And what do we have here? A delightful little bake shop almost secretly hidden away in BGC’s Shangi-La reception. BGC was our first home in Manila from 2009-2010 and things have changed dramatically. I feel more like a foreigner now when I visit BGC, like I don’t belong. I could list all the ways I do and don’t belong but I share simply that I feel like a tourist in BGC. I always enjoy my time wondering BGC like I do many of the neighborhoods of Manila and appreciate the hidden gems that even she has tucked away, such as The Bake House. BAKE HOUSE MANILA| Bake House is as darling as it is d ..read more

It’s really incredible to me the love young creative Filipinos have for their country and the Where-To-Next journal is a testament that speaks volumes to this empowering community. Where-To-Next| I received WTN journal as a Christmas gift from a very thoughtful and kind neighbor. Knowing of my love for the Philippines and locally crafted items I found myself with this delightful journal. The WTN journal stands out among locally crafted items because of its thoughtfulness and quality. The WTN journal stands out as a very well executed travel journal and a Philippine prized possession. I am con ..read more

Oh Manila, you are a gem! In today’s Manila Museum series we have Lakbay Museo. Lakbay Museo is an immersive and experiential museum which highlights many of the Philippines favorite destinations and cultural celebrations. Lakbay Museo offers a taste, both literally and figuratively, of the diverse offerings of the Philippines. Filled with color, sound, touch and taste, Lakbay Museo invites all to come experience the Philippines with their senses. A Few Things To Note: We visited during the Christmas week so attendance was low and we enjoyed our visit so much because it was very personal. Tic ..read more