Excited for June - Home Bound Baby!

Excuse my random photo above, I'm getting a bit hyped for the next days to come despite a very busy schedule. There are things that unexpectedly happened this year and although some came unplanned, there's one thing I am definitely sure of - I'm bound to visit my home country this June! Yeheeey!

I did not mention this directly but I planned to go out of the country thrice this year, and Philippines is my 2nd destination in June. I'm going to Doha next week to take my cousin's pre-wedding photos.

I only got a week to spend time in the Philippines and geez, I'm finding it hard to agree on a schedule to meet all of my friends. I missed everyone and I'm pretty sure that we all need a lot of catching up to do.

Thoughts On Shopping Items for "Pasalubong"

It is a culture in the Philippines to bring stuffs for family (and friends) because not all authentic items can be found in our home country. My big sister, for example, would definitely want the latest edition of Longchamp and would rather let me buy it here in Dubai to make sure the bag is authentic. 

The only hassle that I find in buying stuff here to take home is it takes a lot of space in my luggage. Who would want to carry an extra 5kg on the baggage allowance? Another thing is that sending it through a package a month before cannot guarantee the items will be received on time. Or if it will even reach home (hello box smugglers).

I find it cheaper in Dubai when shopping from my favorite stores like H&M, Forever21, Bershka, Pull and Bear, Zara, Topshop, Mango, and Call It Spring. What I'm actually planning to do is to buy lightweight items here and shop online for the heavier ones to make sure the items that I bought arrives home a few days before I get there. I can always get Mango's latest arrivals in ZALORA Philippines whenever I want to. Luggage problem, solved!

So this June, here's where you can possibly catch me up:

1. 3 days in the city to catch up with very close friends and to check out the newest hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Manila
2. 2 days in Pangasinan, my parent's hometown and my place to reflect and ponder on things
3. 1 day to spend for my cousin's wedding in Nueva Ecija
4. 2 days in a beautiful tropical island

And if you ever fancy a coffee date, hit me up on Twitter or Instagram and I'd be more than happy to share a good conversation about Dubai and the Middle East.

See you soon Pilipinas! :*

Joy C.