Established in 1988, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts houses collections and works by Taiwanese artists. The artwork ranges from traditional Taiwanese art, contemporary art to modern art. It was temporarily closed for renovation in 1999 due to the damage caused by the 921 earthquake and reopened in July 2004. Since then the museum began to showcase digital art related exhibitions, events and forums. Below are videos of place from my IG story.
Upon visiting the art museum, you’ll chance upon two shops that sells mostly art related supplies, books, trinkets, and a lot more. The choices were endless. The one that I wanted to purchase was a Van Gogh merch and an Alphonse Mucha item but it was so pricey so I didn’t bother to get it but when I visit again. I might.
The Alphonse Mucha items on display in the NMoFA store.
The Museum also has an art library, cafeteria and areas for kids and teachers. The whole area measures 102,000 square meters making it the largest art museum in Asia. It’s a great place to visit and explore because of the endless display of artworks that were definitely a feast to the eyes.
Take note, I did not show too much photos of the artworks displayed in the museum since for some collections, the artist would not allow to take a photo of it. I believe it is because many people take photos of artworks for social media when they visit a museum and never fully grasp the meaning and some would just read the description then take a photo. Artwork whether traditional or digital takes long hours to do and some artists would finish their work for as long as two years so I guess it’s also a sign of disrespect if you just take a photo of works of art and think it’s aesthetically pleasing. I remember back in college when I took a life drawing class, we were going to imitate my professor’s work. He neatly displayed it in-front but we can’t all see it especially at the back row. It’s like a dot to us so we all started taking a photo of the artwork and he just go really angry and said that if we want to draw it. We should come forward.. yeah.. I guess my prof was a camera hater loljk but I would always vividly remember that scene so I was always careful if I would take a photo of artworks in museum.
Either way, it’s 2020 and we are in a technologically driven world. We’re stuck in quarantine and some museums are having virtual tours. Maybe soon it won’t be a big thing taking photos of works of art. Anyway, It is better to visit the place, it’s definitely worth it.
Address No.2, Sec. 1, Wuquan W. Rd., West Dist., Taichung City
Transportation:
From Taipei, you can ride a bus or Train (TRA) going to Taichung. For more information, you can check this link here. Taxi is also a good option if you’re crunch for time. Note that it’ll be too expensive though.
If you’re in Taichung:
Travel to TRA Taichung Station → Taichung City Bus (No. 71, 75, or 89) to National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
Blackpink just released their latest MV which was ‘Ice Cream’ featuring Selena Gomez. I’ve been a K-pop fan since my college days and I find it really cool that K-pop groups nowadays are now able to collaborate with western artists when it comes to music.
I’ve watched the MV of Ice Cream and I loved Rosé’s overall style:
It looks so dreamy!
I’m in love with her aesthetic that leaned toward pastel pinks and lavender tones. I’m in love with her hair color as well! I would have re-created Rosé’s look but I use that makeup style most of the time so I decided to do Jennie’s look which was a watercolor wash of pink, lavender and mint:
I had a lot of fun re-creating this look especially since I don’t do colorful eyeshadows. I mostly go with two-toned eyeshadows or just one shade. I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone because of her look, this made me realize that no wonder people are so into this kind of look nowadays. If you’ve been checking out Instagram’s beauty community, there’s a lot of people sporting artsy, ethereal makeup looks. I don’t have the skills to do that yet but I might try soon. ✨
I also created a Youtube video about the look and I usually don’t do videos but since I have some free time because of this pandemic I decided to go for it. You can check it out below and tell me what you think ☺️:
It’s inevitable that fine lines and wrinkles will slowly start to become visible as we age. In Korea, young women particularly in the showbiz industry are already including anti-aging products in their early 20s. I’ve noticed this whenever I would watch Korean reality shows as well as K-Beauty & Skincare Vloggers in my spare time. This is not surprising since appearance is very important in the Korean entertainment industry.
I’ve started researching heavily on what anti-aging products I’m supposed to be using at my age. I’m in my mid 20’s and what I noticed over the last few years is that I was more conscious on what skincare products I use and would spend more on them rather than makeup. I guess it was because of how K-beauty has influenced me and so I’ve started my journey in using anti-aging products last 2018.
When it comes to anti-aging, prevention is better than cure as they say. In my quest of hunting out the best anti-aging products in the market, I was deciding between the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II or the Benton Fermentation Eye Cream and after careful consideration I chose the Benton Fermentation Eye Cream. I’ve seen reviews that the product didn’t give any harsh reactions because what I have always been worried about eye cream products is that some of it tend to cause milia and let’s be real here we don’t want that on our skin.
About the brand:
Benton is famous for its best-selling products which are the Benton Fermentation Essence and Snail Bee High Content Lotion. The brand name was inspired by the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” where the main character (played by Brad Pitt) suffers from a rare ailment wherein he ages backwards. He had to leave his lover Daisy (played by Cate Blanchett) because of the disease and with that concept in mind Benton aims to help keep your skin youthful with the use of their products.
The brand is part of the Clean Beauty movement in Korea since they provide natural quality ingredients that are dermatologically tested and cruelty-free.
The Benton Fermentation Eye cream is recommended for:
Sensitive/ Dry Skin
Anti-aging
Dull Complexion
Main Ingredients:
Galactomytes Ferment Filtrate is a by-product of fermented sake that originated in Japan. This ingredient is used in skincare products since its beneficial use is to help brighten and provide hydration to the skin as well as delay the signs of ageing.
Bifida Ferment Lysate another fermented ingredient that helps soothe skin inflammation, reduces dryness and improve skin elasticity.
Ceramide / SH-OLIGOPEPTIDE-1 helps combat the signs of ageing, restore moisture, reinforce the skin’s natural barrier and protects your skin from everyday environmental stressors such as air pollution, UV rays and sun damage.
Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil is full of antioxidants and other skincare benefits. This ingredient helps hydrate, soothe and moisturizes the skin and create natural barrier protection.
Use the product after cleanser, toner and essence. Squeeze out the product then pat it lightly around the eye area.
Product:
The packaging is in a tube type container so it’s very easy to apply and convenient since you can easily bring this for when you go to the office or travel. The product itself has a thick yet creamy texture and easily absorbs on to the skin.
I have been using this since February of 2018 and I haven’t notice any changes on my under-eye area, It also didn’t help with my dark circles but it did moisturize and hydrate it. A little goes a long way with this product as this lasted me for more than a year and I’m happy to say that this didn’t have a bad reaction to my skin.
Will I be repurchasing?
No. I’ve been using this for 2 years and I haven’t seen any changes so I’m still on the hunt for a different eye cream product. 😎
I just realised I never shared an online shopping haul on my blog ever since. I always feel like an excited little kid on Christmas Day when my order arrives, I would immediately tear up the packaging and use it on the spot. I buy mostly skincare and makeup online but I’ll be sharing that later since I’m pretty excited to share about the 2 books I bought.
Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
The first one is a book entitled Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. The book is second hand and I bought from @haullo.ph on carousell.ph! This book is a biography about one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. And YEP, you guessed that right. I bought it because I LOOOVE the musical HAMILTON and not because it’s now on Disney+. Sadly, Disney+ isn’t available in the Philippines. They were available a few months back I believe but I guess the contract ended with their partnered mobile brand here so now there’s currently no Disney+ but I hope they will consider coming back to the Philippines!
Anyway, I’m a musical theatre geek. I love broadway and my favorites are Wicked, Les Miserables, Rent, The Sound of Music, Hairspray and La La Land. There was no doubt that Hamilton would always pop-up into my recommendation list on Youtube or on a musical theatre article I’d read or listen to, so I was curious what the fuss was all about with this musical?! I’ve never watched it live but I got the chance to watch it online…and a blurry one at that but hey at least I got to watch it somewhere in the deep dark depths of Youtube. Please don’t tell Lin-Manual Miranda! 🤫 I kid. But seriously speaking, If you further research about him he is against piracy so there’s no pirated copy of the musical online.
There’s a lot I love about the musical first it’s the music style. The show greatly portrayed Alexander Hamilton’s story with a fusion of Hip-Hop or R&B that’s sung by actors of different backgrounds. I noticed that the performers were an ethnically diverse cast! Even in Hamilton’s UK version of the musical where Eliza Schuyler was portrayed by Rachelle Ann Go, A Filipina. 💙 I believe the reason the musical wanted to keep it real as I read in the book, Alexander Hamilton didn’t have American roots. He did not come from a wealthy family and he worked hard at a young age. He worked as a trader for a freight company and there he became more aware of the huge racial gap that’s happening in his hometown (Yeah, I already read the first 30 pages of the book since it’s opened already and I couldn’t wait!).
The musical was released back in 2015 and it addressed the issues that are still relevant until this day such as racial inequality, political mudslinging, war and revolution which is why it’s a hit and a definite game-changer in the musical theatre industry. I’m not American but since we’re in the Philippines I did have an idea who the founding fathers were. I’m familiar with the famous George Washington & Thomas Jefferson since it’s always depicted on American shows but I wasn’t familiar with the others, even Alexander Hamilton so thank you Lin Manuel Miranda. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna go read.
Bye.
Just kidding there’s one more book haul.
A Little Life by
Hanya Yanagihara
I found out about this book while watching a Queer Eye interview on Youtube. Aside from JVN, I love Antoni Porowski! Antoni mentioned that this book was his favorite and I had to search it up. The book’s plot looked very interesting. It’s about four college classmates from Massachusetts that moved to New York. They’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction success and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realise, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.
This book also won multiple awards and was a National Book Award finalist. It looks like a pretty deep and dark story but still I went ahead and checked if someone was selling it online. Thankfully, someone on Shopee.ph had it so I bought it from the store @essentialfindsph in Shopee! Can’t wait to start reading it after I’m done with the first book 😎
Now let’s move on to skincare and essentials:
I bought 2 Cath Kidston Hand Sanitisers from Rustan’s online and I was kind of disappointed with the item as it looked bigger on the website’s product photo. When it came it was a slim packaging and small and I don’t think it can be refilled. It got me there.
Still, I love the packaging it’s very cute and I need this for when I go out or use it in the office.
Last but definitely not the least the Estee Lauder Skincare Set.
I’ve been noticing a lot of brands are selling sample size products online now as most of the stores are temporarily closed because of the lockdown they had to find a way to sell out all of their products that’s been stuck for 3 months. As for me, I like trying out products and buying the sample size because you’ll never know if the product is good for your skin or not. I also don’t finish up a full sized bottle so I always, always either buy a small or a medium sized product.
One of the brands that were selling sample sized items were Estee Lauder. I always wanted to try out their brand but it’s just too expensive! The products I always had my eye on from Estee Lauder were the Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II and the Eye cream. I was so giddy when I saw that both the products I wanted to try is included in a set so I bought their Skincare Set with Advanced Night Repair Serum which includes the Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II – Serum, Micro Essence Skin Activating Treatment Lotion and Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex Synchronized Recovery – Eye Cream. I can’t wait to test it out and see how it goes so I’ll be posting a review here or on my IG soon!
Another new post from my Is it worth the hype? series~ Although I might be changing the series title in my future posts so stay tuned!
While I was browsing Watson’s months ago I was shocked to find a couple of Japanese and Korean beauty products on display and not only that I came across an aisle that displayed the Senka Perfect Whip Foam Cleanser along with a few Hada Labo products! I was flabbergasted! I have only come across these products in departments stores at Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong and now it’s in the Philippines!
I immediately grabbed the Senka Perfect Whip Cleanser. I remembered that this product had rave reviews years ago in the beauty community back when there was a growing trend for Japanese beauty and skincare products. I read a lot of reviews about this from Singaporean bloggers I followed back in the day since they had a wealth of access with Japanese beauty brands and skincare, I would just be at awe wishing I could try it. Those were my “Japanese skincare brand addiction” days. I’m happy that now it’s readily available in the Philippines. The Senka Perfect Whip Cleanser is also dubbed as the No. 1 facial cleanser in Japan so my expectations for this product is pretty high. I’ve also read an article recently about products to get as souvenirs when you travel to Japan and it mentioned that tourists in Japan would hoard a lot of these products so let’s check if it’s really worth the hype!
About the brand:
Senka is a Japanese skincare brand developed by Shiseido — a Japanese multinational company that started in 1872. It first started out as a pharmaceutical company then later expanded to beauty. The brand’s first beauty product was a softening lotion called Eudermine launched in 1897 and it’s still sold in their counters to this day!
The brand continued to create more iconic beauty products making Shiseido a household name in Japan. Can you guys imagine that the company is now 148 years old? It’s one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world establishing itself as a global beauty giant that continues to produce different beauty and skincare products that caters to all skin types.
Shiseido produced Senka to create a more affordable range for their consumers. Of course, the best-selling product from this range is the Senka Perfect Whip Cleansing Foam and because of its popularity the brand produced different variations of the cleanser to address different skin issues.
Product Description:
This cleanser is enhanced with Shiseido’s exclusive ingredient which is Aqua-In-Pool a moisture-boosting ingredient that helps protect and strengthen skin against day to day damage. It also contains Senka Perfect Whip’s signature silk cocoon essence, an ingredient known to improve skin’s resilience for long lasting moisture (Silk Cocoon Essence has also been used by Japanese women for centuries to help increase skin cell regeneration). It also includes other ingredients such as amino acids, natural sericin, and potent hydrating agents.
Lastly the product is known for its rich white foam and dense texture to gently yet effectively cleanse your face without stripping off nutrients and moisture.
The product is available in two sizes: Large – 150g and Small – 50g. I grabbed the small one to test if it works for my skin and it cost me at about Php 139. Not bad!
The small packaging comes in a tube type container so when you squeeze out the product you’ll likely get an excess amount since you’ll be making the product a bit more foamy. Honestly I was unsure on how to use it though. While trying out this product and reading the direction on the bottle, it says to put 2cm of product on the palm and gurlllllll I sucked at doing it. I tried putting a thin layer, lathered and put it on my skin and it felt really weird on my face. It felt like some goop was all over my skin, it made me feel uncomfortable as I massaged the product. Then suddenly, it hit me I remembered that this product can create a fluffy, marshmallow foam like solution (I’m getting old lol). I tried adding a little more water then lathered more lo and behold the product became a little more bubbly.
I had fun washing my face with this because of the fluffy consistency and to my surprise, after washing it off my skin felt brighter and cleaner.
I also used this to cleanse off my makeup and it definitely did not disappoint. All the makeup and gunk on my face has been effectively removed.
Would I repurchase?
No, sad as it may be my skin did not agree with the product. I believe that there were some ingredients that my skin wasn’t suitable with as after washing the product off, my skin felt so itchy and I had a few pimples after a few days. I am willing to try the other Perfect Whip range from Senka though as I loved how it effectively removed makeup, dirt and sebum on my skin with just one wash.
When it comes to basic essentials, I always include Human Nature since the brand uses natural ingredients and is cruelty-free. My love for the brand started last 2015 back when I used their Sunflower Beauty Oil ever since then I’ve been interested in natural and organic beauty products and I’ve never stopped trying out their products since!
Human Nature – Sunflower Beauty Body Scrub
I never forget to give my skin some love every now and then especially with the summer weather we’re experiencing in the Philippines. My skin gets very dry so I always exfoliate once a week and I’ve been using the Human Nature Sunflower Body Scrub. I tried this out because their best selling Sunflower Beauty Oil is one of my holy grails so I thought I should try their new Sunflower Body scrub too. The main ingredient of this product is of course, Sunflower seed oil known for its effective moisturizing properties. It also contains Vitamin A & Vitamin E. I love how it deeply cleanses my skin while making it feel smooth, supple and moisturized after washing off the product.
Human Nature – Acne Defense Solution Gel
Another one of my HG is the Human Nature Acne Defense Solution Gel. The product’s main ingredient is Tea tree oil which is well known to have antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-fungal properties. It’s also moisturizing as well so if you apply it on your skin it won’t dry it out unlike other over-the-counter acne treatments. The summer weather can have a harsh effect on our skin, for me my skin gets really oily this time around because of the heat and humidity so there’s more sebum production which leads to clogging of pores due to buildup of the nasties a.k.a dead skin cells and when that happens of course, pimples will form. That’s why I get pimples a lot these days so I use this whenever I see pimples forming on my face and after applying this my pimples have either lessend or is almost gone.
Human Nature –Protection For Red Days Feminine Wash
I actually didn’t know that there’s a feminine wash to use when we women get our period so this was an interesting product for me. This product contains natural Tea tree oil and Aloe vera to effectively deodorize and help soothe skin discomfort during Red days. I loved the cooling effect when used and how it dispels period odor. It makes me feel clean and refreshed throughout my red days.
Human Nature – Natural Lip Scrub in Peppermint
Another one of my skincare woes is that my lips get really dry during the summer so I also exfoliate my lips as well and this Human Nature Lip Scrub is just divine, with the help of Sugar crystals it helps lift away the dead skin cells on your lips leaving it smooth and supple as it also contains Sunflower oil, Jojoba oil and Beeswax. Another great thing I love about this lip scrub is the peppermint flavor! You’ll immediately feel the coolness of it after rubbing it on your lips and stays even after removing the product. Quite refreshing!
Image source: BeautyMNL
I’m so in love with this product that I lost it somewhere at home so I had to use an alternative photo. 😅
Human Nature – Natural Sanitizer in Cool Burst
While hunting the shelves for alcohol before the lockdown happened this product was the only one available so I decided to buy it. I needed alcohol for my trip to Taiwan as the last time I went there I think I never found a hand sanitizer/alcohol in their Supermarket or convenience stores so I really needed one especially since I’m traveling. No regrets though, This Natural Sanitizer contains 60% Alcohol (sugarcane-derived ethyl), Mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf essential oil and skin-loving ingredients such as Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, Vitamins B1, B2, B6, and C. What I like is the scent, it doesn’t have the strong smelling chemical scent of alcohol but a really refreshing, minty-scent that’s very relaxing. So everytime I spray my hands with this I would immediately smell my hands because of the relaxing after-scent. It reminds me of peppermint, mentos and Christmas? 😆
Hope you guys enjoyed the post, have you tried any Human Nature products? Share in the comments below! 💖
As if my blog posts did not need any more topics about Taiwan. I realized I frequently travel to this country a lot because it’s near the Philippines and it’s one of my favorite places to visit but I noticed that I’ve been experiencing some strange events in my travels lately. Months ago I went to Hong Kong where we almost bumped into a group of rallyists and now I traveled to another country during a pandemic.
I figured I would share my experience when I travelled to Taiwan back in March 2020. Let’s jump back to before the lockdown happened. I was fortunate enough to travel to Taiwan aside from a few stressful hotel and flight reschedules here and there. Me and my friends booked our flight to Taiwan last September 2019 and then we booked our hotel in January 2020– months before the Coronavirus outbreak happened.
When the Coronavirus outbreak became critical back in late February our flight inevitably had multiple reschedules and cancellations from the airline. I cannot even count how many reschedules we had and cancellations we faced. Due to this one of our friends gave up because she was scared to fly not only because of the virus but also because her employer is requiring her to be self-quarantined for 14 days if she returns back to Manila. Stress added when the Philippine government issued a travel ban to Taiwan and if we had to leave the country we needed to be quarantined for 14-days. Thankfully the travel ban to Taiwan has been lifted since they only had few cases of the virus compared to other countries.
Originally we booked our flight on March 17th, 2020 and the date was fast approaching. We thought that it was all well and done until my friend checked our flight days before and found out that it was cancelled, without announcements from the airline! Because on the date of our flight the government was issuing a lockdown and many people are scrambling to book airlines on or before that date. We panicked and had to thoroughly check airlines that had available flights for that date and well, there was none.
It was intense.
We wanted to leave the country and just travel for pleasure because we were stressed at work and wanted to enjoy and just have good food and see the best places. And yes, what we were doing was risking our lives, our family and friends were stopping us and sending us news about the virus and lockdown. It was an ‘Us against world’ kind of moment but since it’s already booked and me and my friend, knowing each other for so long doing the craziest things ever since high school, we decided to push through with it.
Before, doing this was stress-free but now what we were going through was utter hell. I had to cancel a hotel booking for the second time and me, being superstitious, thought that traveling there might not be meant to be with all the cancellations we were facing and stress we were going through with refunds but we got through it with teamwork. We both agreed to reschedule the flight as early as March 15th, 2020 as with a sheer amount of luck my friend saw an available flight for that date. We finally departed from Manila and flew to Taiwan on the morning of March 15th, 2020.
Taiwan’s Preparedness:
Traveling with masks has become all new to me. The plane we were on had fewer people and what I found different was we were not only given an arrival card but also a health slip with questions such as, if you’ve been sick for the past few days. And if you don’t wear a mask throughout your travel in Taiwan you’ll be fined a big amount.
After arriving in Taiwan we headed towards the immigration and the first thing that greeted us was a team of airport security checking temperatures, asking questions about people’s travel history and if they had been sick for the last few months. They were all wearing face masks, had sanitizers on their table, and wore protective gear. The level of precautions taken in Taiwan is nothing like what I saw back in Manila. After giving the health slip to one of the officers, we had to go pass through a temperature check area then the immigration.
I noticed these signs on the elevators everywhere in the airport. They are really taking precautions in a whole other level.
Using Resources Such As Tech & Digital Platforms As Well As Learning From Past Experience:
Once we got out of the airport and rode a train to the city everybody was wearing face masks. From the hotel we stayed in, to the bus drivers, all of the citizens were wearing it.
In the MRT they were practicing social distancing, yeah, they would be close to each other in trains because of the seating but they would create a little gap especially in crowded areas.
And I was surprised that Taiwan had these cute posters of Shiba Inu’s being sick. One poster had a Shiba Inu sneezing and two of its friends are covering their faces with masks.
Even buildings in Taiwan are sanitized. This is in Taipei 101 I didn’t get to take a photo on the entrance which says “This building is sanitized every 2 hours” or somewhere along those lines.
Throughout my stay in Taiwan I got to learn why they handled the virus very well. I was always checking the news since there were rumors that Metro Manila is banning local and international flights.
Which means there’s a possibility for us to be stuck in Taiwan still, it remained very unclear to us as the news outlets were giving different kinds of information to the point that it got confusing as hell. So me, being anxious AF had to tune in to the news about Manila and Taiwan from time to time.
Anyway, I learned that the reason why Taiwan efficiently managed the Coronavirus was because they learned hard lessons from the 2003 SARS epidemic, from this experience the Taiwanese established a central command centre called the Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan) or in-short CECC for epidemics in case another outbreak might happen in the future.
Taiwan informed the World Health Organization (WHO) when they first learned that there had been a mysterious case of pneumonia emerging in Wuhan. They informed WHO through the International Health Regulations (IHR) a framework coordinated by WHO to let countries be informed of possible public health events but as WHO doesn’t consider Taiwan as a country since they’re part of the “One-China” principle they dismissed the claim. Oooof ~*Politics*~ i’m not going to further explain that my blog post will get longer…moving on~ 😜
Another fact is that Taiwan is also well known for its impressive health care system. All of these reasons are why they were able to proactively inform their citizens of measurements to take to prevent the virus using online platforms and digital media ads. You’ll definitely be informed no doubt. That cute Shiba Inu poster definitely made me remember to wear a mask, use alcohol every now and then, and cover my mouth when I sneeze. Due to their preparedness and urgency in handling the crisis they’re ahead of other countries in preventing the virus which is why as of this writing they currently have 429 cases.
Teamwork & Collaborative Effort:
You also have to notice their citizens participation. At the hotel we were staying at I noticed the front lobby was frequently watching the news, well I notice most of the Taiwanese were. Not many people go out and the buses in the city were mostly empty except for the train station though. Throughout all this the Taiwanese citizens are well informed and follow executive orders. Think about it. If citizens won’t listen then what would happen? Despite the measurements Taiwan is doing, it will be worthless if their people aren’t following orders to help combat the virus. So yeah, teamwork, collaborative effort and fighting the Coronavirus as a nation is what I’ve noticed also. And their President, Tsai Ing-wen is very hands-on.
Side note: Now I just noticed this but I find President Tsai Ing-wen’s name very interesting. Her name in Chinese characters is read as 蔡英文 the last two Chinese characters 英文 (yīng wén) literally translates to English, correct me if i’m wrong. So her last name would mean ‘English’? I guess? I just find it very cool and amusing.
While we were on one of our trips to Shifen surprisingly there were other nationals taking the tour and the bus was full. In the middle of the tour our Klook tour guide announced that Malaysia and Singapore had already issued a lockdown at that time since we were traveling with Malaysian nationals. We were worried ourselves as there were rumors that Taiwan is banning foreign nationals from entering the country due to the impact of the virus and people are not allowed to leave the country. It was also at that day where it was announced that travel to and from Metro Manila is suspended.
My anxiety was rising through the roof with all the news we’ve been reading so we decided to reschedule our flight back to Manila on March 19th, 2020. Me and my friend were worried because what if we were stuck there until the ban had been lifted? We did have two options if that were to happen but I was still having second thoughts as while it was okay with me being stuck there because I’m unemployed I was worried for my friend who has a job. What if she gets fired because she couldn’t travel back to Manila?
There was a time where we had accepted our fate of staying for a month if that would ever happen. Another thing happened, by another sheer amount of luck our hotel room was upgraded. We each get our own room it was then that we were at the point where we were enjoying yummy Taiwanese food, the cold weather and a tour that we wanted to stay a little longer so me and my friend decided to have a serious talk before deciding to reschedule our flight back to the original departure date which was March 22nd. With that being a sudden decision we couldn’t change the rescheduled flight as it’s already departing on the day we decided to change it. We had no choice but to travel back to Manila.
Right now at Taouyan, Taiwan 🇹🇼 airport before immigration. Just being here now makes you want to self-quarantine 😨😨😨 #COVID19 Tip: if you have a Taiwanese mobile number you can skip the massive queue by registering online via special app. pic.twitter.com/uQupSPPKlq
— Sky (TPE 🇹🇼, SG 🇸🇬, TKO 🇯🇵) (@famouslabs) March 18, 2020
At Taoyuan International Airport we encountered a long line at the arrivals area with airport security holding a sign that emphasized “Quarantine for 14 days”. Coincidentally it was the date where Taiwan announced that foreigners were banned from entering the country so people who just arrived in Taiwan were all scheduled to be self-quarantined. Out of curiosity when I got back to Manila, I ended up researching what happened to the people at the airport. Since we had difficulty getting transport back to our house as we landed early in the morning, the Philippine government wasn’t allowing transportations from 8 PM until 8 AM. So we had to excruciatingly wait at the airport tired and hungry.
Apparently, the Taiwan government partnered with hotels so that people who just arrived in Taiwan will stay there for quarantine, they have also partnered with private taxi’s to transport the visitors back to their house/their hotel. Along with this they’ve created a mobile phone-based “electronic fence” that uses location-tracking to help them track citizens who are quarantined and ensure that they stay in their homes. This does pose a privacy threat for other people as it feels like you’re every move is being watched but it’s the only thing that prevents the virus from spreading as of now.
Me and my friend at Taipei 101 ❤️
Well aside from that, we did have a lot of fun during our travel to Taiwan. It was my friend’s first international flight which is the reason why we went through with the flight. She loved Taiwan and is willing to go back again someday.
Leaving this cute little Corgi I found in a mall at Ximending. And another poster of Shiba Inus I took at their MRT station. Their obsession with Shiba Inus izzz reallll~~~
What about you guys how are you and how have you been coping during this quarantine period? I’ve heard that traveling this year won’t be possible and will merely be just a dream but that won’t stop travel bugs like us from preparing travel plans for the future. Any plans on where you want to travel in 2021? 🐱
These are definitely trying times. Since the start of the Quarantine weeks ago I would get anxious whenever I hear an ambulance drive by our house, especially when my mom told me one ambulance stopped by our neighborhood since they were picking up people who are affected by the virus. I find Manila very different at this time, people wearing masks, practicing social distancing sometimes it made me anxious and I would distract myself by drawing or making artworks. Since being cooped up all day in the house is very boring I decided to find ways to kill the boredom during Quarantine. Check out the list down below so you can also be productive during this time:
Workout and Get #Quarantoned!
Thanks to workout videos online we can get fit while at home. You can find a lot of workout videos on Youtube that can fit your type of exercise. Personally for me, I don’t like intense workouts such as HIIT I mean, I do them sometimes but it’s just too intense so the Fitness queens I follow on Youtube do very easy-to-follow workouts that are quick yet effective because hey, I’m a lazy girl when it comes to exercising but I need push myself to workout every now and then since it’s good for your mind and body. I’ve listed below the Fitness Youtubers that I think you guys might like:
Blogilates:
I personally follow Blogilates since 2016 her workouts are very intense. It looks simple to do but maaaan once you start it gets more and more difficult but you will definitely feel the burn! She’s very well known for her 30 Day Workout Challenge and Taylor Swift did one of her challenge which was the 30 Day Ab Challenge.
Chloe Ting
I’ve been following Chloe Ting when her niche before was more on fashion blogging then she ventured to Youtube and now does Fitness videos. She’s well known for her #ChloeTingChallenge and her videos are short, easy to follow yet very effective. Try out her Ab Workouts or maybe challenge yourself and do the #ChloeTingChallenge!
PopSugar Fitness:
Popsugar Fitness offers different types of fitness exercises from Kickboxing, Cardio Dance, Pilates to Yoga Workouts. I find myself really bored when I follow the same workout routine so I always check out their channel for new workout videos to follow. They have very creative fitness exercise contents that are really fun and apartment-friendly and I love the host Anna Renderer, she’s always smiling on the workout videos and doesn’t look like she’s in pain when doing it while I’m dying from exhaustion. lol
If You’re into K-pop…
Emi Wong
I just started following her months ago because I was looking for a K-pop workout video (don’t ask me why lol).
Still back then I was looking for K-pop workout dance videos back in 2017 and she was the only few Youtubers who posts them (What? I was adding spice to my everyday, torturous workout life back then). Anyway, she now posts a lot and you can try feeling like a K-pop star and check her out:
2. Freelance
If you really need to make money during the quarantine period, try to find a freelance job online. It makes you feel more productive, enhances your skill and will help you in your future career.
3. Listen to a Podcast
You can learn a lot of things these days just by listening to a Podcast I just started listening to them and find it very entertaining and learn a lot from it. I listen to podcasts about Career, Business, Religion and a lot more. You can get a lot of information just by listening, it’s free and beneficial. I usually listen to:
The Morning Rush – Since I don’t have a radio, I missed listening to The Morning Rush. I would listen to them on the way to work and I’m so glad that they have a podcast now. The Morning Rush is a radio show, they have very interesting topics that would make you laugh out loud a very good way to start out your day.
Raw and Real with Danah and Stacy – I follow them since their Plump.ph and Youtube days and now they’re on Podcast. They talk about Life, Womanhood and Faith. They’re twin sisters that have a really genuine and great personality and I like that they’re very relatable, one of the reasons I listen to them is I don’t read the Bible enough since I’m always swamped with work and I love how their talk shares about how Jesus has touched their life and helped them with their challenges and it’s pretty amazing to listen to their stories.
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness – I just started watching Queer eye months ago and among the group, Jonathan caught my eye. He was very entertaining, bubbly, lively and I just love his personality and I was so happy to come across his podcast on Spotify! He talks about anything and everything. I like his talk with Reese Witherspoon and I found out a lot of the things like how she started a company to make women about the center of their stories since she observed that the parts of women in Cinema or Television are very limited in the United States and how she’s one of the producers for Gone Girl. Blowed my mind.
4. Learn a New Skill
I drew Taylor Swift. 💖You can also follow my Art blog
A lot of companies are offering free tutorials online right now due to the Quarantine period. This is your time to learn a new skill you’ve always been wanting to try or find a hobby you like whether that’d be cooking, painting, poetry, drawing, putting on makeup or learn a new language so you can understand you’re favorite K-drama stars are saying. You can learn a lot of things from Youtube or online websites such as:
Learn a new language with Duolingo or what I personally like, Lingodeer.
5. Get A Social Media Detox!
Social media has become a part of our daily life. It’s where we get our news, talk to our friends and families and check out what’s been going on with them but with all the fake news circling around and people just panicking about the Coronavirus try to turn off your social media for a day. It might sound strange or feel like you can’t do it but it does wonders, you can connect with the real world, appreciate the little things and really live in the moment.
8. Read
There are a lot of free downloadable e-books online that you can read or if you’d like, read a Manga. Just read, learn new words, find new stories, distract yourself and be immersed in your imagination. To further challenge you’re reading try out Goodreads.
9. Binge-watch
So many shows are coming out on Netflix right now and a lot of streaming sites are offering free 30 day trials so you can binge-watch all day if you want. Nobody’s going to judge you~
10. Journal
Put your thoughts to words, write a gratitude list, free-write or if you want to be creative try creating a bullet journal.
What about you guys, what things have you been doing during the Quarantine period? Share in the comments below!I’d love to know or if you know any fitness workouts I can try link them down below!
There’s more to explore in Taiwan aside from its lively night markets brimming with awesome street food, this country is also overflowing with vibrant art spots that are worth the visit!
Yes, I know what you’re going to say about my outfit. Don’t worry, I was told by some random grandma in Taipei on why I wasn’t in school. 😂
Painted Animation Lane:
If you’re a die-hard anime fan this place is definitely for you! The Painted Animation Lane is located in a quiet neighborhood in Taichung. The street walls are decorated with chockful of anime paintings ranging from beloved classics such as One Piece, Dragon Ball, Ghost Fighter, Hunter x Hunter to modern-day favorites such as Assassination Classroom, Kuroko no Basket and many more!
The best thing about it? No entrance fee since it’s located in a neighborhood, just don’t make so much noise while taking selfies since it’s still a residential area.
Address: Lane 100, Linsen Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403
Rainbow Village:
When you get to the Rainbow Village, you won’t miss it as the place boasts a punch of vibrant, eye-catching design. The place is painted with colorful and quirky works of art, and the creator behind it? A former soldier by the name of Huang Yung-fu or also known as the ‘Rainbow Grandpa’. He draws inspiration from celebrities, singers, animals and things that he likes.
Behind the eye-catching colorful works of art is also an awe-inspiring story. Huang Yung-fu painted the village to protect some of the homes as it was at risk for demolition in attempts to build a more modern apartment complex. He was offered money or housing to have him move to a different house but Huang refused to accept it, he considered the place as his home in Taiwan so that’s when he decided to paint. Eventually, his artwork was discovered by local university students. The students launched a campaign to save the village, thanks to that the authorities agreed for the place to be preserved. Now it’s considered a tourist attraction, drawing in more than a million visitors yearly. Huang also gets to keep his home!
I was happy that I was able to spot him while I was visiting Taichung last 2018, he was busy painting, creating more amazing artworks for this village and I didn’t want to disturb him. If you’re lucky you can spot him drawing too!
Address: 408, Taiwan, Taichung City, Nantun District, 春安路56巷25號
Huashan 1914 Creative Park:
This uber-cool park is a creative space for artists in Taiwan. You can catch artistic street performances, a wide array of pop-up stores that totally reminded me of BGC’s Art Mart! There are also shops, cafes, restaurants, a theater house, and exhibits. I’ve noticed that this place is aesthetically pleasing there are decors that can spice up your IG with hip and artsy photos.
With the cool air Manila has been experiencing lately, our skin can’t help but feel dry, dull and flaky. I needed a moisturizer right away and it turns out I only had the Purlisse Blue Lotus Balancing Moisturizer that my friend gave me and it was the best product I’ve used in a while so I had to share it with you guys!
About the brand:
Beauty Through Asian Wisdom
Pur~lisse was created by former actress, Jeniffer Yen. The brand is a culmination of Asian wisdom and modern philosophy, they partner with the best chemists and research labs in Korea, France and beyond to deliver a results-driven skincare collection. Pur-lisse’s main ingredients are Blue Lotus and White Tea and their mission is to reinvent time-honored wisdom into high-performing, multi-tasking and skin-loving modern essentials.
The Purlisse Blue Lotus Balancing Moisturizer has a lightweight texture that quickly absorbs onto your skin while delivering intense hydration giving you that ultimately soft, smooth and supple skin. It contains Blue Lotus extract, an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory benefits known to combat against free radical damage, it also has White Tea, Vitamin E and French Marine so it not only offers anti-bacterial and skin soothing abilities but it also helps to prevent premature ageing, improve skin texture while retaining moisture and revive dull, uneven skin.
Thoughts:
TBH I’ve never tried this stuff out when it was given to me since I wasn’t familiar with the brand. All I knew was that it’s a brand from the U.S. but I’ve never bothered to research it further and I regretted that. Really. It’s hard to find a moisturizer these days since there are many of them in the market but most of it didn’t really help with my skin problem which is why I never use a moisturizer. But this baby changed my view on it, this product gave me seriously soft skin after putting it on and I woke up to hydrated, plump, moisturized skin in the morning! What I also like about this is it moisturized the side of my lips since my skin tends to be very dry around the mouth and I can’t help but pick on it but it flakes off! I searched for a long time that would help me address it but the only thing that my skin likes is the Celeteque moisturizer but I hate how it had a greasy feeling so this product saves the day! It’s also suitable for all skin types and a little goes a long way too!
Final Verdict:
I am in love with this moisturizer, it’s lightweight, hydrating and makes my skin soft and smooth! You can also use this as a primer for your makeup. The downside is it’s a bit pricey and it’s not available locally. I’ve checked that it’s only available on BeautyMNL so hoping that they expand and be available here.
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