As cliche as it sounds, "New Year is all about New Life and New YOU" and for most of us, we want to start a new year in the right way; you know, forget all the mistakes and wrong decisions we have made in the past year and continue thriving to become the better version of ourselves.


So how can you start a perfect year?

I personally made a list here and hopefully it can help you too.

1. Forgive yourself and let go of all the things that hurt you
   In order for you to achieve a breakthrough, you need to start the change in you. So start by saying "Thank You" to yourself because at the end of the day, you only have yourself. Even if you have a good support system, if it doesn't start within you- the support and the love, everything won't make any sense.
   
   I remember when I was on the process of healing, I go to church every Sunday and I just prayed so hard for an emotional freedom. I'm not a religious person, but strengthening the faith that you have with God (or whatever the name of your God is) is a beneficial step for you to strengthen your core. Soon enough, I woke up without any pain at all. I was happier, motivated and much clearer with my goal.
   
   Letting go of the hatred is a perfect feeling! It seems like a huge weight will be lifted from your shoulder. One of the best things you can do is write everything down and then burn it or throw it away.
   
   Personal healing is the key to achieve personal freedom because once you are healed, you can learn from all the pains and help you move forward.
   
2. Set a goal
   As old as it may sound but writing a New Year's Goal is a good way to start the year right. It's a motivation for you to achieve better than what you had in the past year. This will also keep you grounded with what you want to become.
   
   I remember I don't write my New Year's Resolution because I believed then to do it NOW but then on a side note, I realized that writing them down can be a good way to keep me reminded about the things I need to achieve. It may not be as big as "I'm going to buy a car" or whatever... no matter how big or small it is, write them down- remind yourself that you have a goal and you have a brighter future.
   
   To me, my New Year's Resolution consists of emotional control, organization and of course, budgeting and weight loss.
   
3. De-Clutter
   You may be as busy as you are but remember. This year, you will buy more stuff and if you don't give them room to place them, your space will tend to be messy which may affect your perspective in life.
   
   It's better to de-clutter your old junk and re-organize your life. Personally, it was a therapy to me. After I see how my space changed, it gives me a strong drive to work.
   
   Also, De-Cluttering can also be a good way for you to let go all of the past most especially if those moments are not meant to be treasured. Throw away your ex's gifts or give them to less fortunate, don't dwell to none sense things because in reality, you can have much better stuff than that.
   
4. Target your budget
   Ohh, here comes the budget. How many of you didn't meet their target budget for this year? We're the same.
   
   Which is why, targeting a certain budget for a certain period of time is a good way for you to have a spectacular new year and it will also give you more opportunity to save. Just remember, make your budget realistic!
   
   To me, working as a freelancer, my budget is not really fixed so I tend to be more flexible with my spending habits and focus more on saving.
    
5. Start a new hobby
   All new years are a signal for you to discover new things for yourself such as starting a new hobby but this is purely optional. You don't have to pressure yourself but it's will be beneficial for you to step up in your comfort zone.
   
   I have to admit, I didn't start a new hobby in 2019 because I realized that there's too much on my plate so I try to prioritize everything and lose some things in the process but 2020 will be much different, I'm planning to start home working out as my new hobby. Last December 27, I went to Generika to have a body scan (I forgot what it's called but it basically counting your body fat, metabolisim percentage, skeletal thing and so on) overall, my body is like a 44-year-old person already. Yeah, real shocker! Which is why, this 2020, I will try to be more active. 

Christmas is one of the biggest holidays in the Philippines. As they always say “Lahat ng tao may pera ngayong pasko” even though the life can be quite challenging for the entire year, it is fair enough to say that Filipinos are able to pull it off and survive in the most glorious day!

Most of the time, Filipinos would love to spend time with their loved ones but some would opt to be with their family and go to various places such as Kawit in Cavite which is one of the most sought-after historical sites in the country today and it is one that you should visit this Christmas Season.

Kawit, Cavite is home to some of the most historic sites in the Philippines. This is where the Aguinaldo Shrine is situated wherein the Philippine flag that we know of today was first waved publicly announcing our Independence by none other than the first Filipino President Emilio Aguinaldo. There’s also a lot to learn about our first president and how he has lived his life and times during the revolution era. Beyond the Shrine also are other sights to see including the “Museo ni Baldomero Aguinaldo” hailed towards the cousin of Emilio Aguinaldo and grandfather of Cesar Virata who as a prime minister in the 1980s.


Kawit also boasts rich crafts and delicacies including the Pandayan or the local blacksmithing shop. Blacksmithing is an endangered craft that needs to be promoted and preserved. The local Pandayan is still active and you can still buy handcrafted knives and bolos made the same way during the Revolutionary era. The Christmas specialty – Puto Bumbong or rice cake with shaved coconut and muscovado sugar is a staple food trip stop that shouldn’t be missed when visiting Kawit.


Kawit celebrates the Christmas season through a spectacular display of lights at the Aguinaldo Shrine and Freedom Park. The Christmas lighting event was held last December 14, 2019 and a number of distinguished guests and celebrities joined in celebration of the event. A fireworks display and lighting of the Christmas lights at the Freedom park was also held.


Make sure to visit Kawit Cavite this Christmas Season and enjoy the season filled with pride of our own heritage and historical sites in Kawit. The Municipality of Kawit welcomes everyone who wishes to visit Kawit during the Christmas season.

I know I have been on hiatus for a very long time, I know... and here's the reason why...

Lost motivation

This would be the first thing on my list why I was gone. Don't get me wrong, I was in a very good state of my blogging/vlogging career, brands and PRs are coming in and I have several commitments I need to fulfill. It was fun at first but then I came to a point wherein I got overwhelmed, exhausted and then lost focus.

I feel like since I am committed to them, I won't have the freedom to say whatever I want or work to whomever. I realized I can work better if I'm independent. I can give myself the freedom to work on my own pace, work with brands that I truly believe and stop whenever I needed.

Preoccupied work, studies, life balance problem

If you have been with me for a very long time, I know that you are aware of how much I put effort into everything I do. Now that I'm finally a graduating student and there are so many things on my plate, I need to sacrifice things to put more effort into the things that are more important. Don't get me wrong, blogging is very important to me. However, I need to put attention to balance my work (that one who gives me stable income), studies (I'm going to graduate next year), life (I cannot take aback to my responsibilities).

I just need to make a 180-degree term in my life and perspective.

I had to accept that I cannot handle many things all in one time.

With that, I need to let go of some things to allocate my energy to the ones who are more important today which is my studies, life, and my regular job. (Also, I have to be honest that during this process, I was able to build a business with my bestfriend which was pretty awesome)

Newly found love

Jerico, my one-year partner has been in most of my social media posts and I have a series of blogs with him in it. Tell you a little bit about him, he is a chef and he's working in a well-known restaurant in the Philippines. He was also a blogger and he was my follower way back my Tumblr days.

Meeting him was fate and with him in the picture now made me a new idea to rebrand my whole persona in my blog- Not your ordinary girl by Mhow so that is something that you need to look forward.

He's a very supportive guy and I couldn't thank him enough for all the love and support he has been giving me and Edmund; something that I didn't expect. Ever.

So what's next?

I want to end my year with something awesome! So hopefully, I can get my sht together and compose more blogs. What's different now is that my blogs have better substance compared to what I normally post. Expect that this will still have beauty blogs, reviews, features, and more travel blogs because Jerico and I loves to do a staycation, I will also do more blogs related to self-empowerment which is one of the things I am aiming to do but not implemented until now.

I'm excited about the future. ♥

You have read my Tagaytay Escapade happened last February and there's a little bit of our adventure that I didn't show there because I intentionally made a separate post, hence, this blog post.

My boyfriend and I are pet lovers (to be honest, it's more of him than me *lols*) and it has been my ultimate dream to try out a dog cafe but because of a hectic schedule, I haven't had a chance to visit and indulge myself with a fun day with doggos.

On our final day, we left early in our condo unit and since we're bumped that our vacation is almost ending, our friends decided to have a stroll and think of where we would be spending the remaining days before we go home.

While driving going down Tagaytay, we stumble upon a tarpaulin of a dog cafe and since we are simultaneous people, we decided to give it a go.


The long-run

Looking for the destination, we used the WAZE app to tell us where to go as soon as we got the photo of the tarpaulin, we pinned our drop off location and started driving. However, when the WAZE ended the trip because we "have reached" the destination, we saw an abandoned-like house. Curious because we didn't saw Tabby Town Cat Cafe & Corgi Club, we decided to call the number provided and my friend, Abby asked a bystander to find out that it usually happens- several tourists are looking for the same location but it seems that the address written on the tarpaulin was incorrect.


The Salvation

Good thing the number provided on the tarpaulin was working and we asked for the correct address which was the one we pinned on Waze and started driving. Ahh, Tagaytay air never fails to make me feel relaxed. I wish that I don't need to go home - really.


The Little Nook of Good Heavens

Tabby Town Cat Cafe & Corgi Club is a small cafe that offers drinks to guests in exchange for a free visit to the dogs and cats. They actually have three options: to visit the dog cafe only, to visit the cat cafe only or both cafes. Since I'm allergic to cats, of course, we don't have any choice but to visit the dog cafe.

As soon as we enter, corgis immediately said hello and I was really stunned since it was my first time to see a real-life corgi.


Their dog cafe has tons of dogs that you would surely love. My favorite was their two poms who are so sweet and picture friendly.



Overall, Tabby Town Cat Cafe is something that you look forward to when you like to just relax with the comfort of animals. To be honest, their price for a milkshake which is the only thing from their menu is something on the pricey side in my own opinion (maybe I'm just a cheapskate) but the experience with the dogs for over 2 hours is something that money can't buy.