travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, influencer, brand influencer, influencer instagram, fashion blogger

Fallin In Love With Big Bear

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I stayed at Cabins4Less and we woke up to snow falling! Growing up in California, I’ve never experienced snow falling so you can probably see how excited I was that I got to dance around with my glitter tutu in the snow. After eating breakfast, we headed to the Alpine Slide Magic Mountain and went tubing! It was sooo fun and probably one of my favorite things that we did in Big Bear.

We then headed to their cute little town village – Big Bear Lake Village. It was filled with cute little shops and restaurants and everything is so close to each other.

For the rest of the night, we decided to to dine in and stay warm with our fire place. The next morning, we attempted to hike the Castle Rock Trail and casually failed. We ended up just having a snow ball fight and finding sliding down the hills.

We had so much fun our Big Bear Weekend Trip that we cannot wait to go to the next one hopefully this year’s winter again later this year or next year. We also loved staying in our cute little cabin and we will probably stay here again.

I could not believe that Big Bear is only 2 hours away from my house! This will definitely one of my winter get aways. Do you have any travel plans any time soon? or even mini road trips?

Xo,

Joy

Read this if you’re sad that you’re single on Valentine’s Day

Today is the day that most people flaunt their relationships in social media about how happy and meant to be they are. But for some people, it can be a day that reminds them of how super single they are and how lonely it is to have no one to hold hands with, to not have any dinner plans with nor have anyone bring you flowers in the office. I have nothing against Valentine’s Day. In fact, I love “LOVE DAY” It has become one of my favorite holidays and it’s not because I’m in a relationship or anything like that —but simply because it’s a day when we can celebrate love in general.

I’m not even going to sit here and pretend that I wasn’t one of those people who once didn’t like celebrating this day. I’ve obviously been broken hearted more than I ever wanted to feel the heart wrenching pain—–I’ve felt lonely and been very annoyed by those couples who just flaunt their love in front of the world. But when i look back and ask myself “why am i so upset and caught up?” —then did I only realize that I had my own demons to silence and my past to let go of. If you just got out of a relationship or trying to get over someone, I was there in your position a year ago and I’m here to tell you that time does heal all wounds. You just have to go with it —feel the pain, recognize it and live. One day you’ll wake up and realize that it’s gone because you kept on going.

Also, whether you sulk here all night and day, people all over the world will still fall in love anyways. So you can’t be upset at people for falling in love, love is love. Sometimes we tend to forget that there’s different kinds of love. It’s not just romantic love —there’s self love, love for your friends, family, for God, for your pets! Every time I look back in my life, when I’m at my lowest —these love that these people had for me were the ones that sustained me and helped me to keep going and to move forward on the other side. It’s at these lowest moments of my life, when I was at my worst —did they not give up on me. They believed in me, corrected me, fought with me to get me to get me back on the right track. So today —on love day, I will not forget everyone that helped me become who I am now and be better. This is one of the best days to celebrate our love with everyone we love. So if you’re out here sad that you’re single, call your grandparents and tell them how much you miss them and love them, or your parents and how much you appreciate them, or hang out with the rest of your single friends and go dancing or simply stay home and cuddle with your pets.

Plus, tomorrow all the chocolates will be on sale!!! So instead of sulking because you currently don’t have the love of your life in front of you right now, appreciate the other loves of your life that you currently have. And I promise you that one day he/she will come in your life and it will change everything. All your questions, fears and confusion will be silenced. But for now, just enjoy your single life. I’ve always thought about it this way —if I ever get married someday, i will have the rest of my life to spend with that one person; therefore, before I get there I would like to do as much as I can before I consider someone else’s opinions/needs along with mine.

My hope for you is that may you see today in a different light —there’s too much in this world that hasn’t happened to you yet. Don’t let your past or that one guy/girl who broke your heart steal your joy. Go out there and have fun! Celebrate the fact that you’re still alive and you still have a chance to meet the love of your life someday (or today or tomorrow), make new friends, land your dream job or travel somewhere you’ve never been before.

I made this dress for my Valentine’s shoot that I collaborated with one of my close friends, Eddie. Isn’t he so talented?! I love that he always makes my photos look so whimsical and magical. I was so inspired by Rita Ora’s and Liam Payne’s For You Music Video and fell in love with her dress at first sight that I wanted to recreate it. We also tried to do some levitation shots as they were levitating towards the end of the music video. Can I just say that it is not as easy as what they make it seem!? This is probably one of the hardest shoots I’ve ever done but also one of my favorites! 🙂

Happy Valentine’s Day Loves!

XOXO,

Joy

February 14, 2018February 14, 2018

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Togetherness, Family & Love

Merry Christmas! The Holiday season can bring some really mixed feelings for so many of us. Some holidays are filled with new beginnings and some tears or prayers unanswered or battles that need to be fought or loneliness or happiness. Fortunately, I am blessed to have a close knit family who is built with traditions, togetherness, strength, communication, hope and love. Earlier this year, I was planning to spend the holidays in Bali with one of my best friends —- now I can actually say that I’m glad that it didnt work out as nothing can ever replace being home with my family. Every year my family and I visit my relatives in the Bay Area and each year, we never fail to take Christmas very seriously, laugh, play and steal each other’s presents as we play “white elephant” and exchange gifts.

If you know me – you know for sure that I like to travel everywhere and have the need to explore; however, as I look back at my trips, my favorite ones are the ones that I get to spend some time and make new memories with the ones I love the most — my family and best friends. I take these special days to focus on the important things in life — and it’s not the presents that I receive or material things — it’s togetherness, family and love. It’s the light within us that shines brightly when we’re going through difficulties. Every tear, wait, confusion, “no”, breakdowns, setbacks and fear was worth every moment of every laughter, peace and contentment knowing that everything works our the way it’s suppose to. If you are where I was last year, I hope you can take comfort in knowing that every setback makes this moment now so much better whether you celebrate Christmas or not. I may not have all the answers now or not have everything together but I am content with knowing that if we just let go and let God or the universe (whatever you believe in) do all the work, everything will fall into place. May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; the spirit of Christmas which is peace; and the heart of Christmas which is love.

Wishing you a happy, merry, joyful Christmas from my imperfect family to yours! <3

December 26, 2017

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Pure Gold

One of my favorite classes that I took at FIDM is draping. Most of the time when I create, I get inspired by the how the fabric feels, the colors, the texture and how it flows. Little did I know that this class would be so helpful now that I’m always running around doing photo shoots. When I havent gotten a chance to make an outfit, I tend to bring fabrics with me and end up just wrapping it around myself to make a dress.

For Labor Day Weekend, I went on a mini road trip with my friends to Arizona and Utah. One of the stops that we did was to see the Antelope Canyon. We signed up ahead of time to see it through Chief Tsosie’s Upper Antelope Canyon Tour We had so much fun as the tour guides took us to the location as we rode a mini jeep. They helped us take the best pictures where you can see the light pass through the canyons. This has been on my bucket list and I was so excited to be able to see the canyons in real life. It was pure magic.

I will be doing more adventure blogs soon.

What do you guys think about these kind of posts?

XOXO,

Joy

September 29, 2017

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A Summer Of Love

Can you believe that summer is almost here? Other than the heat (which I’m not a huge fan of), I can’t wait for the long sunny days filled with fun, ice cream, summer concerts, festivals, beach days and road trips. As summer arrives, it is very important to find your summer essentials. I am very happy to share that I found one of my favorite brands as it was a love at first sight at “A Summer Of Love. Everything they have is boho chic that has the feminine and trendy vibe. I especially love this “My Michelle Belle Crop Top” that I wore at Coachella as it is so versatile, flirty and fun! I wore it with a draped skirt with a side slit that I made while it was super hot during the day and I also wore it with the “Lucky One Ripped Jeans” as it got a bit cooler during the day. What are you guys and gals looking forward this summer? Don’t forget to shop at “A Summer Of Love before summer fully arrives and don’t forget to use my code “JOY4ASOL” to get 15% off your entire purchase! 😉

XOXO,

Joy

May 5, 2017

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Why I Still Believe In Magic

In this crazy, sometimes difficult world that we live in, sometimes (we or at least I) tend to forget that magic still exists, that true love exists. We are often so busy making m0ney from our 9-5 jobs, the pressures of this life, the bills and the stress that we forget the little things, the little triumphs and that the world is still magical if we choose to see it that way.

Because the sun still rises and sets beautifully whether you watch it or not.

Because of how ecstatic and excited my dog is when I come home.

Because of how artists pour so much soul, blood and tears into their art.

Because there is still kindness in this world.

Because of how two strangers can turn into lovers in an instant.

Because of friendship, chemistry, joy, hope, love and grace.

Because of new beginnings, of resilience and of courageous people who do things they never thought they could do.

Because of the fools who dream, the weird people, the poets, artists, music makers, dreamers, designers, outsiders and risk takers.

Because of all the gorgeous places I dream to see in my own eyes.

Because of how flowers still grow after being stepped on.

Because there’s rainbows after the rain.

Because of laughter and of the indescribable feeling of happiness when you’re in a room filled with your favorite people.

Also, this is one of Secretly A Mermaid‘s newest two piece set that I will be wearing at Coachella this year. It is made out of purply iridescent mermaid fabric. I love the way it hugs my body and that it is high waisted. Grab yours now and stand out on your next rave or music festival! 😉 For my next few posts, I will be sharing different festival looks. So stay tuned for more! <3

XOXO,

Joy

March 18, 2017March 18, 2017

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Summer Falls

After 14 years, I finally got a chance to come back and visit the Philippines for the first time. A lot of mixed emotions were involved as I was excited, afraid and nervous at the same time. But as soon as I saw my family from the Philippines, all of this went away and all our childhood memories were relived. I made a few outfits specifically for my traveling adventures and for this photoshoot, I wore an enchanted, flowy, off shoulder dress at Hinulugang Taktak – it is found in Antipolo City, Rizal where I spent a huge part of my childhood years growing up. Although, we are not allowed to swim because the water has is polluted, this gorgeous fall has become a national park where people hold concerts, weddings and other ceremonies here.What do you think of this outfit? Have you traveled anywhere this summer?

XO,

Joy

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016

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