HELLO 2017!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Can you believe it? It is already 2017! 

I love the start of the new year because it always represents new beginnings and fresh starts. & even though you can technically refresh & restart any time throughout the year, the new year itself is great because everyone is doing it as well. It serves as motivation. 

As I've done for the past few years on this blog, I've documented a few goals I want for the year, both blog-wise and personally. This year will be no different. Here are my goals: 

Blog goals: 

[] Post consistently every week, regardless of frequency

[] Make new business cards

[] Attend as media to one event

[] Attend at least one blogger/networking event

[] Venture out beyond this lifestyle blog :) 

Personal goals:

[] Travel to a new part of Australia

[] Travel outside of Australia (not counting California) at least once

[] Go back to school for something I am passionate about (I am actually working on this as we speak, please pray for things to work out the way they need to!)

[] Get into doing devotionals either by myself/with my husband, doesn't have to be daily

[] JOURNAL

[] Read at least 3 novels for pleasure

[] Physically create (paint, draw, sculpt, etc) 

[] Enroll in a creative fitness class (dance/silks) 

[] Learn to cook at least 2 Filipino dishes really well (so far I can cook 3) 

I write my goals down every year to keep myself accountable, to see how I change by the end of the year, and also to encourage anyone who may be on the fence or thinking about any specific goals as well. With my blog goals, because I failed so miserably with what I had for myself last year, I am keeping my list fairly short and simple this year. With my personal goals, I just hope to keep exploring and growing more and more. This will also be my first full year married (CRAZY) so that will be new for me as well. 

Here's to new starts! I hope you have a strong one to your new year :) I'm excited to see where this journey takes us. 

2016 Overview + Looking Back on Goals

Hello from the Philippines! I've been having such a great time here, hence the lack of posts (which I warned about haha) but at the same time I'm also getting new ideas for future posts, and potentially... videos? 

Anyway, 2016 was a huge year of transitions for me. I moved to Australia, I got married, and I've been pretty much adulting for the rest of the year after that hahaha. Although a good chunk of my life wasn't documented here as it happened, I was still pretty active on social media (ahem, Instagram), and don't worry, many things I've experienced this year can also be saved for separate posts next year ;)

With the blog, I took a purposeful hiatus this time. Last year it was accidental and this year, while it was initially unintentional, I decided that I can't apologize for living my life in the moment. HOWEVER, I have gotten back into writing more regularly and it's been good (despite me being on vacation & slacking here haha, but you understand). Instead of pressuring myself to get straight back into my old schedule when I'd write 3 times a week, I now just have one post up a week until I feel comfortable to get back into more frequent posting.  As I've done with previous years, let's look through my goals for this year: 

Blog Goals: 
[] Get back to at least 2 posts per week  [] Send out a biweekly newsletter [] Have Instagram following hit 1500 [] Have Twitter following hit 1k [] Meet up with at least 4 other bloggers/influencers [] Start selling something (whether physical or digital) [] Make the move to self-hosted [Does my wedding count if I use the photos for my blog? haha] Pose in at least one full-on photoshoot (with a makeup artist/hair stylist, photographer, etc) 
Personal Goals: [] Go on a road trip with friends (carry over from last year) [x] Take at least two major trips (domestic or international) [x] Move. away from SoCal (;  [] Read at least 6 novels for pleasure [x] Go on a trip with Darell to anywhere [x] Become fully self-sufficient (parents do not financially support in any way at all) [] Take some kind of creative class (dance, crafting, etc) [x] Regularly attend a small group

Okay, so I clearly slacked in my blog goals but like I said, I'm not going to apologize for living my life! That's the hardest part about being a content creator, I think. It's the fact that while it's something you love, you always need to be thinking about the next thing. When you're out with friends, it may be taking photos or videos for a blog/vlog post. When you're at home with your partner relaxing, you might actually be writing instead or planning out what to do next. It's a hard thing to do, but it is definitely worth it when you can nail it all down. For me personally, having a full time job also really drained me from being able to write as much as I wanted to, but thankfully I'm done with that so I can focus more here!

Having said all that, I am pretty proud of myself and my personal goals, however! I accomplished almost all of them, which is really great. I went to Gold Coast, Australia and here now to the Philippines for my two major trips. I moved away from Southern California. On my trips I went to this year, I went with Darell, my new husband :) I have become fully self sufficient financially. And I also finally began regularly attending small group at church, something I hadn't done for maybe two years or so until this year. 

I've been seeing a lot of memes about people saying 2016 wasn't that great of a year, it wasn't anyone's year, etc, but honestly it was my best year yet! Yes, it was the hardest and most emotionally draining for many reasons (hello, US election) but I wouldn't change anything I did this year for the world. I'm excited (but kinda shocked) that 2016 is done already, and I cannot wait for whatever next year brings! 

I hope you are able to celebrate the end of this new year on a positive note even if the year itself wasn't very positive! Happy new year, and I will see you next year ;)

2016 - Be Brave

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wow, I can't believe it is 2016, but you know what, I am ready for it! I kicked off the new year lying in bed because why not (I also have work on New Year's Day) and I'm not mad that I did. It was actually nice for me to chill & relax by myself. 2015 was a very hectic year and I want to embrace the rest that I can get before going into full swing for 2016.  Anyway, it's a new year, so that means new goals! Here is my plan for the year:  Blog Goals:  [] Get back to at least 2 posts per week  [] Send out a biweekly newsletter [] Have Instagram following hit 1500 [] Have Twitter following hit 1k [] Meet up with at least 4 other bloggers/influencers [] Start selling something (whether physical or digital) [] Make the move to self-hosted [] Pose in at least one full-on photoshoot (with a makeup artist/hair stylist, photographer, etc) 
Personal Goals: [] Go on a road trip with friends (carry over from last year) [] Take at least two major trips (domestic or international) [x] Move. away from SoCal (;  (I will talk more about that verrryyyy soon) [] Read at least 6 novels for pleasure [x] Go on a trip with Darell to anywhere [x] Become fully self-sufficient (parents do not financially support in any way at all) [] Take some kind of creative class (dance, crafting, etc) [x] Regularly attend a small group B E  B R A V E. Last year, having "pursue" as my word of the year was something that I didn't fully realize until about October. It wasn't until very late in the year that I realized just what pursuing God was doing in my life. I was planting seeds for the whole year and I started seeing them flourish, funny enough, during the time of harvest.  This year, I am deciding to have the word "brave" as my word of the year, but my phrase of the year will be to "be brave." This year is going to be a huge deal for me, especially because this will be the first time that I am not in school since I was in kindergarten.  There are a lot of things happening in my life and I will be sharing them soon, but this year I need to be brave in everything that I do. Not only do I need to just do what I set out to do, but I need to silence the noise around me that is only tearing me down. I just know that there are things that will happen this year that will be unconventional in many ways and that people will have their own opinions on (good or bad), but I need to be brave enough to seek God and go wherever He leads me despite how crazy it sounds. As a people pleaser, this phrase will really test me this year (not to mention, it will also help me accomplish all of my goals on the list above!).  If you want to follow along on my journey or if you want to join in and "be brave" this year, I'll be using the hashtag #bebrave2016 on social media throughout the year. I hope to see you join in on this movement with me this year!  And with that, I'll end this post for now. Don't forget to #bebrave2016. 

2015: The Year of Making Things Happen - Review

Can you believe it?! 2015 is already coming to a close! This year has been such a rollercoaster ride in so many ways & I honestly cannot believe that I am where I'm at, at this point in my life. Through it all, God has remained good and faithful to me & I already know 2016 is going to be AMAZING.  The end of a year always brings upon some reflection so I thought I'd look back at the goals I set for myself this year & see where I came out of it and how much I really accomplished.  Blog Goals: [x] Rebrand/redo the blog design (only tweaks, not a complete overhaul :) [] Get back into #ootd posts, at least biweekly [] Host at least one giveaway every quarter [x] Have Instagram following hit 1K [] Have Twitter following hit 1K  [x] Attend at least two blogger events [x] Develop at least 2 new blogger friendships [x] Collaborate with more local brands and shops [] Launch my two projects I'm working on by June of this year :] [] Participate in at least one full-on photoshoot (with a hair stylist, makeup artist, a stylist, everything) [] Get published in a large publication (online or print) [x] Host my first blogger event
Personal Goals: [] Go on a road trip with friends [x] Get my own apartment! [x] Learn to cook a Filipino dish that isn't lumpia [x] Travel out of the country [] Find a job that will give me a stable income (or at least have my current job give me a more stable income) [x] Turn 21 haaaay  [x] Have my first legal drink (after I graduate and am off contract from my school, of course #Vanguardproblems) [x] Witness Darell graduate & receive his AA!  [] Have a GPA of at least a 3.5 or higher for my last two semesters of college [x] Go to Camp Whittle  [] Go back to Royal Family Kids Camp [] Read at least 6 novels for pleasure (since 12 didn't work last year) [x] Go on a date with Darell where we look like tourists/too rich for our own good haha [x] GRADUATE COLLEGE Honestly, I could not be more ready for 2016. I think that things can only get better from here. It was a great year, but I believe that 2016 will be better. Happy New Year, everyone! 

2015: The Year of Making Things Happen

Happy New Year!
I hope that you all had a fun and safe New Year's Eve celebration last night. I know I did! But now, it is finally 2015, so let's get down to business. (points if you finished those lyrics and got that reference!)
2015 is going to be a big year for me. I'm going to hit a lot of milestones, and I'm also going to be celebrating some with the boyfriend, Darell, as well. There is a lot that I want to accomplish this year, and everything that I do this year will set the tone for next year (I also have some huge goals for 2016 as well. I know, I'm thinking waay ahead). 
I know that everyone talks about resolutions for the new year, but I don't like using that word because I feel like there is a more likely chance not to accomplish your goal if you use that term. Because let's be real: how many people actually finish their New Year's Resolutions from the beginning of the year to the end? 
Because of that, I refer to my "resolutions" as goals. Here are my goals for this year, not only for this blog, but my personal goals as well: 
Blog Goals: [] Rebrand/redo the blog design (only tweaks, not a complete overhaul :) [] Get back into #ootd posts, at least biweekly [] Host at least one giveaway every quarter [] Have Instagram following hit 1K [] Have Twitter following hit 1K  [] Attend at least two blogger events [] Develop at least 2 new blogger friendships [] Collaborate with more local brands and shops [] Launch my two projects I'm working on by June of this year :] [] Participate in at least one full-on photoshoot (with a hair stylist, makeup artist, a stylist, everything) [] Get published in a large publication (online or print) [] Host my first blogger event
Personal Goals: [] Go on a road trip with friends [] Get my own apartment! [] Learn to cook a Filipino dish that isn't lumpia [] Travel out of the country [] Find a job that will give me a stable income (or at least have my current job give me a more stable income) [] Turn 21 haaaay  [] Have my first legal drink (after I graduate and am off contract from my school, of course #Vanguardproblems) [] Witness Darell graduate & receive his AA!  [] Have a GPA of at least a 3.5 or higher for my last two semesters of college [] Go to Camp Whittle  [] Go back to Royal Family Kids Camp [] Read at least 6 novels for pleasure (since 12 didn't work last year) [] Go on a date with Darell where we look like tourists/too rich for our own good haha [] GRADUATE COLLEGE
Okay, so one of the main things I'm excited for is graduating college. As of right now, I'm set to graduate this December, and even though that's not until the end of the year, it's a pretty great thing to look forward to. And I also want to take this blog to the next level too. I'll be going on 2 years with the blog this year, and I want to really propel it into what I envision it to becoming. 
I'm declaring 2015 as the year of making things happen, and I hope that you will declare that for your life this year as well. Here's to a new year!
What are your goals for this year? What are you going to do differently?

Review of 2014 Goals

On the first day of this year, I wrote a post about my goals for this year, both personal and blogging related. I figured that the best way to end this year and the most fitting last post for 2014 would be looking back at what I've been able to accomplish, and looking forward to dreaming even bigger in the coming year. 
Here are my goals and what I've accomplished: 

Blog goals:

[x] Fix up site design

[x slacked on this in the last couple months, however] Consistently post 3 times a week

[I'm getting there!] Schedule more posts!

[x] Connect and collaborate with other bloggers

[x] Take better photos

[This worked up until October. ] Post YouTube videos on my channel (also meant to partner with this blog) at least once a week

[x] Film better quality videos with the boyfriend

[x I went to one this year and met some bloggers that have now become real-life friends!] Participate in a few events with brands and/or other bloggers

[x] Have at least 500 Facebook fans

[x] Increase following on all social media!

[x overall] Hit 10,000 pageviews

Personal Goals:

[] Thoroughly study through at least half the Bible

[x] Get back on with daily devotions

[x] Pray more

[Sadly, not even close.] Read at least 12 books by the end of the year

[x] Get my car PLEASE

[x] Get a job off campus

[x] Find a place to live for the summer

[] Get my community college transcripts omg I've put it off too long haha

[] Learn to cook a Filipino dish

[2 out of 3 ain't bad] Travel to at least 3 different states

[x] Go on a roadtrip

[x I attempted this one] Do a cover video

[x] Go to a museum

[x] Do something touristy in LA

[x] Try a new type of food!

[x] Do a pinterest craft in real life

Okay so I did a pretty decent job at completing my goals so far, right? This year was intense, emotional, and very busy for me. A few of my personal goals I didn't get to accomplish but next year I want to make that change. Despite that, I still say that 2014 was a great year for me! I learned a lot about myself and the people around me, and it was a year of growing pains for me and Darell as well, hands down. I didn't talk much about my favorite personal moments of this year like I did last year, but it's okay, I'll remember those moments in my heart, as corny as that sounds. 

Well that's it! That is my last post for 2014! Tonight, I'll be spending New Year's Eve with the boyfriend's & his family. FUN FACT: We've never spend any holiday in the holiday season in the almost 5 years we've been together! So tonight will be very memorable for me :] Until tomorrow, Happy New Year! Enjoy tonight with your loved ones. 

What have you accomplished in 2014?

Welcome to the New Year!

Happy New Year! Can you believe that 2014 is already here? I sure can't. It's time for a brand-new start in every aspect.

Every year I set goals for myself. I don't like calling them resolutions because I feel like that would make me more prone to not following through with them. To make myself be more organized, I usually try to organize my goals into categories. With this blog's one year anniversary coming up in May, I have huge plans for this blog and cannot wait to see it all come together!

Blog goals:
[x] Fix up site design
[x] Consistently post 3 times a week
[] Schedule more posts!
[x] Connect and collaborate with other bloggers
[x] Take better photos
[] Post YouTube videos on my channel (also meant to partner with this blog) at least once a week
[x] Film better quality videos with the boyfriend
[] Participate in a few events with brands and/or other bloggers
[x] Have at least 500 Facebook fans
[x] Increase following on all social media!
[] Hit 10,000 pageviews

Personal Goals:
[] Thoroughly study through at least half the Bible
[] Get back on with daily devotions
[] Pray more
[] Read at least 12 books by the end of the year
[x] Get my car PLEASE
[x] Get a job off campus
[x] Find a place to live for the summer
[] Get my community college transcripts omg I've put it off too long haha
[] Learn to cook a Filipino dish
[] Travel to at least 3 different states
[] Go on a roadtrip
[] Do a cover video
[x] Go to a museum
[x] Do something touristy in LA
[] Try a new type of food!
[x] Do a pinterest craft in real life

I could probably go on forever, but that is the general idea of what I want to do next year. I already have a few plans that will help me accomplish some of these goals, so we'll see. Come on 2014, I am ready for you!

What are your plans for the new year?