"What do you look for in a man?" one friend asked.

"Syempre yung kaya akong buhayin," said another.

Biglang napaisip ako. When Jan and I were still dating, it never occurred to me that one day I'll be marrying him because he can provide well for me. I CAN DO THAT ON MY OWN. I still remember those days when he held on to his only pair of shoes (he used for work, beach, sports, practically everywhere) that has been dying on him. He is not galante. And we always do 50-50 on dates. I wouldn't say he's in such a bad, poverty-stricken state but certainly, he isn't well-off. And if I take a look back at the Jan Carlo I knew 6 years ago, hindi nya ako kayang buhayin.

But I stuck with him because he is kind, smart, thoughtful, honest, mature, responsible, level-headed, and most of all, he would always go the extra mile for me. And as his former workmate, I have seen his skills, his drive, and work ethic. That's when I knew he would go a long way. And yes, he did. We both did because we got each other's back.

I won the lottery!

Kaya ba nya akong buhayin ngayon? Absolutely. And the best thing about it, despite all that he has gained, earned, and owned (he now has around 10 pairs of branded shoes just so you know haha), he never failed to put us, his new family, first before anything else. He is still the same goal-driven, kind, smart, thoughtful, honest, mature, responsible, level-headed, and ma-effort man I knew since day one. It's only a bonus that he is good-looking, doesn't smoke, and only drinks when there's an occasion.

So the law-abiding husband got his first infraction because this lazy ass wife crossed the street and chose not to use the pedestrian lane that is just three meters away. We were together but he's the one who's fined. He lectures but has never gotten mad at me. Ever. Sorry, lab! 😚

So enough ba yung kaya kang buhayin? I wouldn't say so. Sa panahon ngayon, dapat maging praktikal. Totoo naman yun. But if that alone is your deciding factor, sooner or later you will be trapped in a loveless and unhappy marriage. I know a lot of people who are stuck in this situation because they failed or worse, refused to look beyond their partner's financial capabilities. How is his attitude? What are his values? How does he treat you? Is he compatible with you? And by that, I mean, does he love you the way you want to be loved and vice versa?

Kaya ka ngang buhayin pero mapapabayaan ka naman. Kaya ka ngang buhayin pero hindi ikaw ang priority. Kaya ka ngang buhayin pero ang sama naman ng ugali. Kaya ka ngang buhayin pero magiging masaya ka ba? Think about that.

I don't want any of these, by the way. But choose a man who makes you feel loved with or without a gift, Valentine's or not. (Image from Life Sense PH)

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think of going to South Korea for a honeymoon (it has always been Batanes). I mean, we did plan about it but that's only because we unexpectedly snagged round trip tickets for two for only Php 8,400+.

Our initial plan to spend honeymoon in Korea in autumn was, however, cancelled because our visas were delayed. But we pushed through doing it this winter even though the tickets we got were already at Php 24,000+ round trip for two because first, after almost two months of waiting (yes, it took that long), we only got a single entry visa; second, I am pregnant. I don't think we still have the time, energy, and resources to travel in the next three years.

This is the most expensive ticket we booked for an international flight but I'm glad Korea did not disappoint. This trip was a string of our many firsts. First out-of-the-country trip as married couple. First below zero degree weather. First snow fall. First fresh cherries. First pomegranate. First time to take photos of us kissing. Woot!

PDA. Haha!

We landed at Incheon Airport around 12 noon, Korea time. Our afternoon was spent traveling to Seoul and finding our way to the hotel, but most of the time, we were just cuddling in bed because, well, it was a perfect cuddle weather. Then at night, we wandered off the streets in Myeongdong and tried different street food. We spent more than a thousand pesos for a few ones (wag na kasi magconvert). Some are delicious, while most didn't appeal to me. My most favorite, however, is their grilled corn.

L-R: Yummy chicken skewers. Odeng/Busan fish cakes (I don't get the hype). Gimbap. Some noodles (I forgot the exact name). Pomegranate juice worth 300Php! Random skewers.

The following days were spent spontaneously. We had our itinerary planned out but the weather had other plans. And we graciously accepted our defeat because staying snuggled under a warm comforter is much more inviting than going out. After all, I'd rather be hugging my husband in a -3° weather. Perfect honeymoon, indeed!

Gyeongbokgung Palace. We were also able to witness the palace's changing of guards.

Love locks and city views in Namsan Tower. No need to buy these love locks. We already got ours sealed. ♥♥♥

This is the first time we traveled outside the country without booking any group tours. The nCov outbreak scared us a little but it did save us a lot of money. It didn't matter if we missed those must-visit tourist spots. We avoided crowds and Jan didn't want me to feel exhausted because I was 11-weeks preggo at that time, so we only covered at most two iconic tourist spots in a day.

Nami Island.

Anywhere with you.

Sure, we missed a lot of places. But wherever we were, we always had a great time. Plus being spontaneous brought us to places that are off the beaten path but are equally breathtaking as the popular ones. We had the place all to ourselves most of the time.

Pocheon Art Valley. Most scenic/romantic place we have visited in South Korea. When we went here, we didn't know it was a filming location for various Kdramas such as Legend of the Blue Sea, Hwayugi (A Korean Odyssey), My First Love, Melting Me Softly, and Moon Lovers: Scarlett Heart Ryeo.

Always fascinated with snow.

Our last day was the highlight of our honeymoon. We were exiting the subway when we saw what seemed like little pieces of white paper confetti being blown all over from the exit. I sprinted and was already outside before I could finish saying, "OMG snow!" Jan caught up and blurted out anxiously (and excitedly), "mura man kag dili buntis (You don't act like you're pregnant)." . We laughed about it, looked up to the heavens, and celebrated.

It was surreal. For a moment there, winter didn't feel so cold. Seeing snowfall for the first time feels so magical. We were like little kids dancing in the snow. It was one of the best times of our lives.

Our first snow fall experience at the War Memorial of Korea.

I know there's an ongoing Korea vs. Japan: Best Place to Travel debate. And I am absolutely an ass to be butting in. South Korea, in all honesty, is a huge step down compared to its neighbor, Japan (at least, for me). It is less of everything Japan BUT when you don't do it for the 'gram and when you spend it with someone you enjoy spending even the worst days with, everything, including random streets become too beautiful.

At Starfield Library. Still wondering how you get those books on the top shelves.

South Korea is beautiful and unique on its own. It may not be as romantic as Paris or as picturesque as Bali. It may not be one of the first ten places that come to mind when it comes to honeymoons. But one thing is for sure, South Korea made our honeymoon extra cheesy and so memorable I would not have it any other way.

Jan and I, being complete newbies to true winter, spent our late honeymoon slash babymoon (never knew there is such thing) in South Korea, where the temperature dropped to -6°C. Although we were told that the current winter is warmer than usual, it is by far the coldest we have ever experienced.

Coming from the Philippines, particularly in Davao where we are located just one planet away from the sun, we prepared to bundle up but realized we can never really be prepared against this unimaginable, despicable cold. We survived anyway.

From 32°C to -6°C.

Layering is the key

I am a wuss when it comes to cold. 16°C already bothers me, how much more when temperatures go negative? I layered and this is what I have on:

• On top: A HeatTech long sleeves, a sweater, another ultrawarm HeatTech layer, and a padded winter jacket/coat with insulation. This combo can get me warm and cozy enough. But not until the wind blows. Winter winds, no matter how mild, are a killer, just so you know.
• Bottom: Heattech leggings and any jeans/pants
• Footwear: Thermal socks plus any shoes that is comfy and has good traction so it doesn't get slippery when paths are icy or wet.
• Other accessories such as mask, bonnet, ear muffs, scarf, or gloves.

My first snow fall experience.

The cold weather can drain your batteries drastically. So better bring extras and/or a power bank since you will need your device when navigating in an unknown place.

Packing for winter

Packing for winter can be difficult. Especially when you have all these cute winter outfits set in mind only to realize you do not have the luxury to pay for extra luggage space.

Here's how I managed to stay warm and still look good without paying for excess baggage.

1. Stick with neutrals.
Neutral tones are easy to mix and match. That way, I do not have to bring a different set of outfit for each day. My inner layer clothes are usually grey, white, and black.

My baby bump is showing. :)

2. Pack items you will wear at least twice.
During winter, since I never sweat (and I take baths even when it's freezing), my clothes do not automatically go to the laundry after one use. I would usually just change the order of layers so that it would look like as if I have changed clothes. Haha.

For example, my day 1 clothes compose of thermal long sleeves, white thermal, and grey sweater (in that particular order), then I would don a large pink over-sized coat.

The next day, I would wear the same thermal, same grey sweater, and this time it's the same white thermal sweater that's showing under my brown coat.

3. Be like Jan.
My husband, Jan, who doesn't care about having the same clothes on the pictures from day 1 to day 5 only brought a few inner layers and two easy-fold down jackets with him. He was able to fit his whole 5-day winter wardrobe in a backpack, and that even included his extra shoes.

4. Use a vacuum bag when packing.
It saves a looooot of space.
That's it.

I wasn't built for the cold. I will never be. But being prepared for all of these definitely made us enjoy Korea's harsh winter. With the right clothes on and simple warming hacks, I think we can survive any winter. We're now looking forward to seeing the northern lights in Finland or spending Christmas in Grindelwald, Switzerland. Not soon but someday. ;)

I got a call from Club Ultima that I won a 3D/2N stay at Crown Regency in Cebu. Honestly, this isn't new to me. I experienced it sometime two years ago with a competitor company when we were in Boracay.

It is true when they say you can claim the gift certificate without financial obligation, but there's a catch. There will always be a catch. You have to sit in with them and listen to their presentations. And for us who had nothing better to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon, my husband and I decided to accept the invitation. What do we have to lose anyway?

So we went on with the usual procedure. We ate, and we listened. But this time, we took it seriously and listened intently.

This is what you'll expect in a Club Ultima presentation.

A quick Google search about Club Ultima will lead you to negative reviews. And these reviews are mostly coming from people who have not gone as far as listening to the presentation. So for someone who has attended, heard, and understood what the presentation is all about, I dare say, Club Ultima is not a scam.

But I have to be brutally honest here, the manner on how they lure you to attend their presentation so that you can listen to what they have to offer is somewhat annoying and invasive to the point that it will lead people into thinking it is a scam.

First, they call you and can be aggressive about it. You see, I hate taking calls, especially when it's coming from someone whose name is not registered on my contacts list. It gives me anxiety. And it doesn't stop there. Once you have confirmed, the texts keep coming in, reminding you about the time, asking for your whereabouts, and whatnot—which is honestly, a little off for me. And from what I've read, this is how they invite potential clients.

Second, comes the profiling. Once you are there, you have to fill up a form with your details. I am not so eager to give my complete information, especially when it comes to my salary. The only person in the world who knew how much I earn is my husband. And with them insisting that I fill up completely was another eye-rolling moment for me because I find it irrelevant. I mean, if I wrote minimum wage, would that matter? I would still be listening in the presentation anyway. But I wrote an estimated minimum to get it over with.

Thirdly is the today-only offer. And we're talking about a hefty amount of your hard-earned cash here. Such amount needs thorough thinking—when one isn't emotionally clouded under such a tempting offer. But that isn't the case here. You have to decide then and there, on the spot, pronto about shelling out your cash. This gives the people an impression of a desperate move, thus, a big red flag for them.

Lastly, it is not for everybody. But to me, it seemed like they are offering this to anybody. And I bet 9 out of 10 would come unprepared just like us who only had a hundred and twenty pesos in our pockets combined.

I know I am in no position to say this since I have not studied marketing, but from a customer's perspective, they're targeting the wrong market. To give you an idea about our lifestyle (please, don't think about this as bragging), we can afford at most three international travels and a few domestic trips in a year on top of our insurmountable bills, payment for car plus gas and maintenance, house mortgage, tuition fees, funds for stock market, and can still splurge on a few things. But even if we significantly cut those unnecessary expenses, we still could not afford the Club Ultima membership. So for most people who are on the same financial bracket as us, this might not be applicable.

But to tell you again, despite the Club Ultima's seemingly eyebrow-raising marketing strategy, it is not a scam at all. It is honestly worth taking a look at if you have the money and the time to put into it.

The agent we talked to was amiable and explained everything in detail. I would have loved to walk you through about everything I learned that day, but I was overloaded with information that I do not know where to start. But here's what I mostly remember:

• Club Ultima offers you a lifetime club membership where you are entitled staycation privileges in any of their affiliated hotels (mostly Crown Regency), plus you can also use this for international travels since they have tie-ups with different hotels and resorts outside of the Philippines;
• You can carry over this annual room privilege in the following years if unused or you can use it in advance if you need more vacation time for the year;
• Members are entitled to free use of many amenities such as gym, pool, and library (amenities offered will depend on your location), which could already offset the annual fee if done regularly;
• Membership is lifetime, does not expire, and best of all, transferable.

Honestly, for someone who loves traveling, it was a pretty attractive offer. We already have a slight idea of how much their tie-up hotels outside the country cost (since we frequently scour the internet for different hotels), so while they were doing the talking, we were also mentally computing the value and savings. Although our results were only a rough estimate, we could say that the fees, even with the add-ons, are pretty reasonable.

Some of my travels.

I know a few people (close friends at that) who have availed of the membership, and I could see that they are enjoying the perks. We were able to experience it too when one of our friends (whose parents are members) got our barkada a premier suite in Crown Regency for our Christmas Party for free.

Crown Regency in Davao. This is where we stayed.

So I don't get how people labeled it as a scam when in fact, Club Ultima DOES NOT FORCE YOU TO BE A MEMBER. They even kept on repeating that we should sign up ONLY when we can afford it. It is a luxury. We were, however, offered a 15-year trial pack, which is honestly affordable. But despite that, it was easy for us to decline politely since we already have our priorities sorted out.

IT IS NOT FOR EVERYBODY. But to be fair, their offer is quite useful if you are a big-time business owner who is also a frequent traveler. It is not a scam. You just have to know what you're getting into because you might just end up paying for something you do not actually need.

"Such a precious moment."

Those were Jan's exact words while he read the result for the nth time.

He's been reading this nonstop. At the hospital, inside the car, and countless times at home. :)

It was mid-December of 2019 when we got two lines on our home PT. It was one of our happiest moments. After testing four times on different days, I found pleasure in tracking my pregnancy on various apps, paying attention to seeds and fruits I never really cared about before.


But anxiety slowly took over and the recent weeks ran really slow. While Jan is becoming extra cautious over protective towards everything, I was consumed by fear day after day after day.

Mild abdominal cramps? Google it. Had a bit of cola? Google it. Hornier than usual? Google it.

Yes, this is what we normally do when we are borderline panicking. We turn to the internet for immediate answers. And I found myself seeking advice by spending most of my time reading different situations of these equally hormonal strangers who had no clue what they're going through. Something I knew I should have not done but did it anyway.

So if I can give one advice to soon-to-be moms, it would be to never waste a single second on pregnancy forums because it does not help at all. Trust me, the abbreviations are not only going to kill you (BFP, AF, DH, the hell are those) but you see, pregnancy-related fears are very normal but lurking around forums that share perfect pregnancy journeys and heartbreaking stories has just gotten me more and more paranoid than I should be. What if the pregnancy is not viable? What if it's a blighted ovum? Or worse, ectopic?

So for our own peace of mind, we had a first trimester ultrasound earlier than what my OB scheduled. And boy, we couldn't get down from cloud nine! I still vividly remember how Jan's face lit up when he saw our 9-week old little bean. More so, when he heard the heartbeat!

There's our baby and the recorded heartbeat.

It was pure bliss. Such a precious moment indeed!

And now, I have my peace. I have a growing baby inside me. I want this pregnancy to become joyful rather than fearful. So I swear, I will never open another pregnancy forum again. I don't need it, especially when I am already neck-deep in attention, care, and support coming from the husband.

It's weekend and I still have a lot of incomplete tasks needed to be done at work but I'm still having a hangover from the holidays and I can hardly function. So before I totally ditch blogging about our year-end trip (like what I did to the other trips), I'll throw in a few snaps of our Siargao getaway.

Our first Christmas as married couple was spent in Siargao with family. Five days and two nights in paradise is definitely not enough, especially when were not able to cover everything the island has to offer. We spent a day or two tuck in bed when Typhoon Ursula came raging in. Still, it is one of the best islands I've been to.

Boarding our plane.

Lunch at Kermit Surf Resort and Restaurant

Naked Island.

Guyam Island with my sister, Abi.

Buffet lunch served at Daku Island.

Magpupungko Tidal Pool

Low tide, big waves.

The guesthouse we stayed in surprised us with this cute and yummy cake! Thank you so much, Ohana Guest  House!

Cloud 9.

Yummy curacha!

Our ride, driven by Jan. Might blog about this.

That's not all but that pretty much sums up everything.

We were not able to go to Sugba Lagoon since the coast guard had strictly prohibited voyage on all watercrafts due to typhoon. I was not able to surf because, well, Jan has become too overprotective of me (8-weeks prego here, btw). So it follows I was also not allowed to climb up an iconic coconut tree in Guyam (just for the gram), swing at the famous coco swing, or jump off from a huge rock at Magpupungko. Aside from eating and basking under the sun, this was the most I can do:


I had limited activities but I enjoyed nonetheless. Siargao is indeed beautiful. Missing a few tourist spots is definitely an invitation to go back.