My 30 before 30 Bucket List

Exactly 3 months from now, I will be turning 30. It makes me cringe to even think how I will soon be a 30-liner! It's not that I think 30 is old but it's just because there's still so much I want to do and want to accomplish! But as they say, age is just a number and life is what you make it. So, before I hit 30, there are few things that I would like to tick off my bucket list. I want to make the most our of my life!

Here is my list of 30 before 30! Most of the things written here are things I wrote on my mind 2-3 years ago. Things I wanted to do then and things that I still want to do now. Though, I decided I would be too harsh on myself if I would try to do everything before I am 30. My 30th is just 3 months away! So, I am making this list as 30 on 30. These things are things I want to do while I am in my 30th. I still have 1 year and 3 months! Yay 

(I will go back to this post ad re-edit until I have done and accomplished all 30 things.)

The reason why I am sharing this is because some of you may also be turning 30 soon. Let this be your guide as well and see if you have done or haven't done yet the things I have on my list. Ready? Let's start!


1.) Watch a K-pop concert live. ✓

2.) Learn how to drive a car.

3.) Be featured on T.V. ✓

4.) Reach 300,000 Subscribers on YouTube. 

5.) Be featured on Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho or Kris TV.

6.) Travel out of the country. ✓

7.) Kiss a person I love under the rain and under fireworks.

8.) Meet Ryan Higa in person.

9.) Run a marathon and Go to the gym.

10.) Ride the MRT from North to Taft; get off at each station.

11.) Eat exotic food. ✓

12.) Own an Instax camera. ✓

Merry Christmas! Finally got the gift I've been wanting for sooo long! Pink Instax Mini 8! Hehe Who bought it for me, though? ME! When youre an adult, you dont receive a lot of gifts anymore. So sometimes, you have to be your own Santa. Hehe #instax #pink #camera #christmasgift #fujifilm #christmas :)

A photo posted by Kristine Roces (@realasianbeauty) on Dec 24, 2015 at 7:32pm PST

13.) Confess crush/love to someone.

14.) Give Mom something expensive bought with hard-earned money.

15.) Sing heart out at Videoke. ✓

16.) See a shooting star. ✓

17.) Travel to Japan and Korea.

18.) Go inside a mansion. ✓

19.) See Cherry Blossoms in person.

20.) Ride a Ferris wheel with a person I love.

21.) Go to Boracay.

22.) Build a snowman.

23.) Watch a movie alone.

24.) Wear couple outfit and couple shoes at a theme park with someone I love.

25.) Learn a new language. ✓

26.) Participate in a volunteer/outreach program. ✓

27.) Travel alone.

28.) Offer to babysit a friend's child for a day. ✓

29.) Write a book then have it published.

30.)  Fall deeply and sincerely in love.


I can't wait to live 2016 to the fullest! I am excited for all the good things that will come! I am excited for all the blessings and opportunities that I will receive! I am excited for all the new people I will meet and new experiences I will have! 

What's on your Bucket List? 

♥

Kristine

December Vlog : I Lost My Cellphone!

Christmas is the busiest month for us here in the Philippines. We celebrate it the entire month, we have parties and gatherings the entire month. It's when families and friends gather, reunite and rekindle the old times. Sad but true, this is also the time when the "bad guys" flee the streets! Why? Because they know, people have money in their wallet, new gadgets in their bag and so much more!

I am not the type that's careless and inattentive when taking public transits. In fact, I purposely make myself look "annoyed" when taking public transportation so as to bug off potential pick pockets, maniacs and "holdapers". But as they say, you could be careful your entire life but that one day you lose focus is also when you unfortunately get caught. 

So, I lost my cellphone. Well, it was stolen. In my bag. That was zipped close. 

And this is why, my friends, I am now telling the world that I am voting for Mr. Duterte.

Please watch the video below to find out the story and hear my rant. Well, a bit of sobbing, too!

If, for some reason, you can't watch the video or if you'd rather read, then let me tell you what happened and how I got robbed. So, the latest MODUS OPERANDI of these bad guys is "SABUNOT" or Hair Tugging/Pulling. 

What happened. (I want to pinch myself every time I would remember this story!)

It was December 8, 2015 when I decided to meet my cousin that works in Ayala in Makati. I am depressed these days and being in my room just doesn't help. I needed and wanted to go out so I asked her if we could meet in Glorietta. After waiting for 2 hours for her to get off work since she had an over-time, we finally met. I wanted to see the lights at Ayala Triangle since I have not seen them yet. Unfortunately, because we went to McDonalds first to grab some dessert, we failed to see the lights show. I was sad because we were right there just in front of the place but we missed it! It was getting late and my cousin had to go home. I took the bus with her without thinking. Later, I realized I was on the wrong bus and if I don't get off, I would be on the opposite side of where I should be traveling to. So, I got off. Since I was not familiar with the place, I called my friend that once worked in Makati to ask her where I should ride. I, not even once, didn't think there were bad people in Makati! I worked in Ortigas for 5 years and have come to somehow trust the place. But, Makati? (What is the Mayor there even doing?!!OMG.) Anyway, I took the bus going to Monumento. I was crazy for not taking taxi since I always take taxi especially when going home late. I don't know what I was thinking, really. Maybe, I was not thinking at all! 

I rode a bus at Ayala Avenue. It was somehow near the area where Ayala Triangle is. It was around 10 PM. So, I was on the bus and sat beside a woman. I always feel dizzy when the air-con is right above my head. Since the air stopper was not working, I decided to transfer to the back. Unfortunately, I sat beside a guy in late 20's who somehow felt he was as handsome as Alden Richards. When I sat beside him, he probably felt I found him cute. So, he started making "pacute" and kept on staring at me. I was so annoyed. Later, I noticed he kept on moving his shoulder just so it would touch my body. YUCK!! So, I had to call his attention for that. I told him "Ano ba ang manyak mo naman! Kanina ka pa naniniko!" Blah, blah, blah. I think I may have sat beside a narcissistic guy. I have never, in my entire life, saw a guy as rude as that guy! OMG. He shouted at me, cursed me and said rude, rude words. I only called his attention because I felt it was not right that his elbow was touching my body and he responded by being a total douche bag. He didn't stop talking and the bus was crowded and I felt dizzy and I was depressed, so I just turned to the other side of the seat. 

Just right then, a man pulled my hair from the back! It was so bad that I had to hit his hand just so he would stop pulling it. I thought it was just a mistake since hair would sometimes get pulled when passengers hold the seat while walking. But what he did was so painful that I had to hit his hand hard to let my hair go. Then, he walked passed me and I had to call his attention as well. He shouted and said "Kung ayaw mo masabunutan mag taxi ka! Ang arte arte mo!" It was chaotic and people were in front of me. I thought it was just a usual crowded bus. I got so pissed off because how can men be this rude to a small, petite woman like me?! I stood up, and then transferred to the front. Since all seats were taken, I had to stand up. A few minutes later, the same area I left earlier (the place beside the woman with the air stopper that was not working) was a guy sitting. He stood up and offered me his seat. I even said thank you! I thought he felt bad for me because I just encountered a maniac guy and a guy that pulled my hair. I felt relieved that a guy offered me his seat!

When I was along Shaw area, a passenger that was getting off told me "Ms., check mo gamit mo. Mga mandurukot yata mga yun." then got off. I was puzzled because I had a sling bad that was around my body at that time and it was always in front of me. I checked my bad and to my surprise, MY CELLPHONE WAS NOT THERE ANYMORE!!!
I immediately went to the maniac guy and asked him to take out my phone. I thought that maybe while he was trying to distract me with his elbow, his other hand reached to my bag and took my phone. Again, he was all rude and nagging! He kept on shouting at me as he opened his bad and checked his pockets.

Then, some of the passengers told me that it was the guy that pulled my hair, the guy that offered me his seat and 3 more guys that took my phone. They said they saw a white Samsung phone and they were replacing the sim card of it. They got off at Buendia Station.

And that my friends, is how my cellphone was stolen.

The manic guy? Well, he kept on nagging the entire time until I got off where I was supposed to get off. 

* * *

What I lost.

I cried on the bus and when I got home. And the next day. And the day after that, Until today. I cried not because I lost a Samsung phone. I do feel bad that I lost a phone I bought for P35,000++ thousand, yes. But more than that, I cried because I lost memories. Videos and Photos. Not just selfies or food photos or photos of my dog. But, memories that would never ever happen again. Memories I can never get back.

• My Sim Card that I have been using for more than 10 years now.
• Php 300 Globe load I just loaded that morning.
• Viber chats that I treasure and re-read when I am sad. (Sadly, no backup! Ahhh)
• Screenshots of messages...
• Photos and Videos of my Grandfather and Grandmother that both passed away in August 2015. Those were videos of them when they were still able to talk and they told me stories, told me they missed me, told me they love me... ALL GONE!
• A letter that I treasure that I kept at the back of my phone case.
• Photos and Videos that I took from the day I got my phone until a week before it was stolen...
• Photos and Videos when I traveled to Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Photos and Videos of my stay in Tarlac. The place where I am not sure when I can visit again. Photos and Videos of people I am not sure when I can see again or if I would see again.

* * *

What I learned.

I learned that nothing in this world really is permanent. Not even memories. That sometimes, even memories could be stolen. So the best we can do is to really just divulge and enjoy a moment as we are on it. We could take thousands of photos and videos to remember it, but those memories could be hacked, could be damaged, worse could be stolen! And the sad part is that, the person that stole it won't even care how much you value those files. It would only take a few minutes for him to reformat the gadget. Then, poof! All you memories gone! I learned that memories in our head and in our heart are truly memories that last. I learned that feelings are the best memory keepers. That how someone made you feel is what you will remember forever. Not how cute you looked in the picture or how bubbly you were in the video.

I also learned that it is important to back up! Backup, backup, backup!! I do this when I am editing a video. I have the regular file and then I Save As it using another file name just in case the original project crashes. I was so not thinking when I just left all those videos and photos there on my phone thinking I'd have them forever. I didn't even transfer to my laptop or hard drive. Well, I was actually thinking of doing it soon when I get the time. So there, another lesson learned! Always do now what you can do. Later may be too late and tomorrow may never come.

* * *

What I will do.

Because of this, I am now 100% voting for Mr. Duterte! I am so tired of this dirty country. Sad and hurtful but true. We are dirty in every sense of the word. We need a reformat, if that is even possible to do in a country. I would want to wake up in a city that is trash-free, pollution-free, drug-free and crime-free. Or at least, lessened. I am so tired of having to look annoyed in public transportation just so pick pockets would not steal my things. I am so tired of having to be paranoid in public when I ride tricycle because I'm scared the driver would drive to a far place and rape me. I am so tired of watching the TV and hearing all the bad news about bad people doing bad things. I am just so tired! And I mean, aren't you? Yes, you could be rich, have your own car and not have to worry about anything because you live in a secure place. But, would you wait until that day your "safe world" becomes unsafe? We need a change! We need it now!

My dream is someday, we could be as safe and as prosperous as our neighboring Asian countries. People in Singapore and in Japan take pride in their country. And that's why you see tourists flock their country. My dream is to be able to text my Mom that I am on my way home at 11 PM while walking the streets and be freely able to hold my phone without being paranoid. My dream is for the Philippines to be just SAFE. Yes, a SAFE COUNTRY!

Because, right now, it is sad but true, the Philippines is a very unsafe place to be.

♥

Kristine

Why I Was Gone Version 2

Hello! I am sure you were wondering where I went, what happened to me and why I was gone for so long. I was not able to update this blog and upload videos for a month because my half-sister, Karen, went here to the Philippines to spend time with me. She is from the USA but she is currently residing in Japan. And since she is closer to me now, we grabbed the opportunity to get to know each other more since we were not sure if we'd be able to once she goes back to the USA in 2017.

I also felt guilty every time we would go out but at the back of my mind, I know that I have pile of blog posts to do and videos to edit. But I couldn't help but just sigh and hope that you guys would still be here once I get back. 

Anyway, I just wanted to share about what me and my sister did for almost a month. Enjoy reading! :)

My sister got here on October 26, 2015. My step-dad, Tito Alex, and I picked her up at the airport. My dad asked our uncle if we could use his condo unit in Eastwood while my sister is here. Glad that my uncle allowed us to. So when we picked her up, Tito Alex dropped us off at the condo. I was excited to see her but I was also excited to get my "pasalubong"! hehe

Have you guys tried this Fettuccine Peach Candy? It is seriously the best gummy candy EVER! You should try it! I asked her to get some for me since it is not available here in the Philippines. :(

The next morning, I prepared simple breakfast for her. We did not have a lot of kitchen utensils and food supply so I had to be creative in preparing meal for her. Crap, I even forgot the honey back in my home!

Nonetheless, my pancakes were still delicious! 

That afternoon, we went swimming at the condo's pool. The place is nice but I hate how it is so windy! It is located on a roof top and is at the center of tall buildings. So every time the wind would blow, it wold go straight to the pool area therefore making swimming chilly and cold! I love swimming and I could last hours in the water but every time I would go swimming here, the most I would last in the water is 20 minutes. It's just so chilly!

Wind didn't stop me from taking some photos for my Instagram, though! Are you following me yet? It's @RealAsianBeauty!

We also went to the The Walking Dead Breakout At Trinoma! I have been wanting to try it since I've been a Walking Dead fan sine Season 1 aired. It's my family's bonding time every Monday! (PST)

But since my sister was too scared, I had to brush away the urge of wanting to see walkers and having to escape the room before my brain gets eaten by them! :(

At least we got to take photos! Next time, I promise I will be back for you, Walkers!

The next morning, I prepared breakfast for her again. Hehe Corned beef with no garlic nor onions. 

Then we went to Star City with my parents and with her cousin. Good thing we still had some tickets left from my Star City ticket giveaway.

The next day, we went to Tarlac. It was a bitter-sweet visit as a lot of things happened. It was also my last visit to the place which made my emotions even more intense. Oh well, at least I learned a lot of things. 

On All Saints Day, we went to the church first thing in the morning. If you recall, my Grandfather and my Grandmother both passed away last August. We went to the church to pray for their souls and also to pray to God. 

This is the St. Rose Catholic Church in Tarlac. I have a lot of memories here. This is the church where my Grandmother used to go to and she would always take me with her. This is also the church where my Dad married my half-sister's Mom.

Later that night, we went to the cemetery! OMG, have you guys tried going to cemetery int he province in All Saint's Day?? It was such a fun experience for me and for my sister! The place was crowded but we liked it the way it was! We also loved how the candle lights illuminated the place!

The cemetery visit is definitely one of the highlights of our vacation!

We also went to Isdaan restaurant in Gerona, Tarlac. It's funny because it was also my first time going there even though I pass by it every single time I visited my grandparents. 

We enjoyed the place and the food! What I appreciate about my Sister is that she never complains, she's low maintenance and she's so easy to get along with. She rides my jokes and my childishness!

OMG, I finally tried the famous Tacsiyapo! I will be doing a separate blog post featuring Isdaan Restaurant so please stay tuned for that. You will love the place, too, I promise!

Most of the time we were in Tarlac, we spent watching the kids play. There were also times when we actually played with them. Most people I know don't understand why I love hanging out with kids. But there is just so much love and sincerity in them! When you are with adults, you talk about problems, love life, financial instability, dramas in life... sometimes, even gossips! But when you are with kids, they just laugh and hug you and tell you how much fun their game was! If you were us, which crowd would you want to hang out with, honestly? Plus it's a vacation. People are supposed to have fun on vacation, right? 

Karen was supposed to go back to Japan on the 16th of November. But because of APEC, her flight was moved to November 22. We were disappointed at first but later we realized it was rather a blessing since we'd be able to bond even more! We spent a week in Manila. She went to her Mother's side to spend time with her Aunt's and Cousins. While I fan-girled over Sunggyu at the Infinite Effect concert! I also attended some blogger's events. Blog post on those will also be up very, very SOON!

* * * 

Our Father was kind enough to sponsor us a trip to Baguio. hehe He sent us money for the van rental fee, food and for everything else that we would need to spend on. Thanks, Daddy!

It was probably my 6th or 7th visit to Baguio. But it was my sister's first time. We did everything, including horse back riding and strawberry picking. Though there weren't any strawberries in the field when we went, but my point is we went all the way to the Strawberry Farm! hehe

Uber cute horses! They stink, though. hehehe

When we got back to Tarlac, one of the things in our itinerary was to watch sunset. I always tell you guys how sunsets in Tarlac are always so pretty! I wanted her to experience it as well.

We also had a "Meet and Greet" with the pigs! I am kidding you not but the phrase "meet and greet with the pigs" was seriously on our list!

We celebrated our Lola's birthday on November 17. She would have turned 88 if she was still here. After preparing my Sister's Adobo and my Buko Pandan Salad, we went to the cemetery to visit her and greet her. She was not there physically and I don't believe either that spirits are still here with us once people die. But it was sort of self-gratification, I guess, to have to say the words "Happy Birthday" and "I miss you" right where she was buried. 

As our last bonding activity in Tarlac, we went to the KCT (Kart City Tarlac) for some thrill! It was our first time to ride it and it was so fun! Though, we wished the Php250 lasted longer than 5 minutes! You pay Php250 for only 5 minutes which would take around 3 to 4 laps! 

Yes, I totally drove a kart in skirt and sandals. hehe 

When we got back to Manila, my parents took us to Greenhills Shopping Center. She wanted to go there for the Rita's ice cream but it was passed 9 PM when we got there so the store was already closed. Anyway, I wanted her to see the Christmas Display (live Belen) so it was still a good idea to go. 

The next morning, my parents and I took her to the airport. Don't you think it's funny how all her bags were wrapped in plastic? We do, honestly. But I told her she'd rather look silly to people she doesn't know that be forced to pay Php 30,000 or Php 40,000 because of the "Laglag Bala" scam. 

So that's why I was gone for soooo long. I hope this blog post somehow makes up for all the time that you guys didn't hear from me.

OMG, now that I think about it, I have a lot of work that I need to get done. Here are some posts that you should expect in the next few days : Infinite Effect Concert Blog, Isdaan Restaurant Blog, Beauty MNL Review, Pink Sugar Lipsticks Review, Whisper Skin Love Blog Posts plus a lot more! I already feel tired just thinking about all the things I need to do. hehe

It's December 1 soon! Are you guys excited? Thank you for reading today! Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, @RealAsianBeauty, for behind-the-scenes of my life.

♥

Kristine

1st Year as a Full-Time Blogger

August 2015 is almost over. Just one more day and we'll be welcoming the "ber" months. But do you know that something else is happening this month? I am celebrating my FIRST YEAR as a Full-time Blogger!

A year ago, I decided to leave my job as an English teacher to Koreans and decided to take another road. The road to becoming a full-pledge YouTuber. So, on the last day of July 2014, I bid goodbye to my loving students and to my friends and colleagues. I was so excited at first because I wanted to give more time to my passion. But when it was time to say goodbye, I was also sad. True enough, there's no happy goodbyes. Every single goodbye may open a new door but it will always make one feel sad. On the last day ,I even asked myself why I decided to resign from my job. 

Thankfully, God gave me so much answers to my questions. He not only gave me a lot of blessings and achievements, but He also gave me a lot of TIME. Because of that, I was able to do more and achieve more! 

Let's look back in the past year that happened. If you are a new reader, then let me take you down my memory lane and tell you the things that happened on my first year as a full-time blogger.

Featured on BUS TV
On the start of the journey, I was blessed to be a part of the BUSTV Bloggers campaign. RRCG buses in Manila played some of the YouTuber's videos on board. My videos were one of the videos that they showed their passengers.

Traveled Out of the Country TWICE
I have to be honest. One of the main reasons why I left my previous job was because they din't allow me to take a one-week off from work for my Hong Kong trip. I wanted to stay in the office but when my request wasn't fully granted, I took that as a sign that it was finally time to leave and move on.

I was blessed with TIME to be able to take trips out of the country. My Hong Kong trip was my first out of the country trip ever and it was so fun and memorable!

Hong Kong

Macau

After a few months, I took another trip to Singapore! It was also fun and memorable. I would love to go back to Singapore and explore the country again.

Singapore

Malaysia

Attended K-pop Events

Because I have so much time and leaving the house any time or any day wasn't an issue anymore, I was able to attend more blog events! Some of the memorable ones were the K-pop press conferences that I covered. (Though, I am still waiting for the day I get to attend INFINITE's Press Conference! At the Infinite Effect, Ms. Happee Sy?)

B1A4

CNBLUE

Attended Vloggers Meet-up
I was able to attend a vlogger's meet-up where I met a lot of aspiring vloggers and YouTubers. It was so nice to be able to share to them some of the things that I know and have learned about being a YouTuber.

Hit 100,000 Subscribers on YouTube
After 3 years of being on YouTube, we finally hit 100,000 subscribers! I got this Silver Play Button from YouTube as a token and it is now tagged as one of the most prized possessions I have!

Visited Tarlac Often
Since I have more time, I was able to go to Tarlac often. I was there monthly since December 2014. Thank God I did go back. The last time I was there was in 2009. I hated myself somehow because I forgot how much I loved the place and the people. Glad that I was able to go back and spend time with the people that I love!

Took Oout of Town Trips
Because I have no fixed schedule, no boss and no curfew, I am able to take more trips! I went to Baguio and to Pangasinan with my relatives. Just some of the things I know I won't be able to do if I were working full-time at an office.

Baguio

Dasol, Pangasinan

Celebrated my 29th Birthday
I also celebrated my 29th Birthday with the people that are close to my heart. 

Hello Kitty Party with Friends

Pink Party with my Tarlac Relatives

Signed My First Exclusive Endorsement
I have promoted, reviewed and endorsed a lot of products and services. But none of them actually got me to sign an exclusive contract other than Flawless. I have been promoting their products and services for the past few years here on my blog. I'm glad they finally acknowledged me and got me as one of their blogger ambassadors! (That doesn't mean I will just promote their services without trying/being honest. As always, I will only review and recommend products and services that I like and believe in.)

Flawless Blogger Endorser

Took a Sponsored Trip
It is one of my dreams to be able to travel for free. Work and Leisure together! And it was made possible this year by Cetaphil. I was able to take a 3-day trip to Batangas at The Farm in San Benito.

Cetaphil's The Experience

Hit #1 on TopBlogs
I have always had this topblogs counter on my blog. I remember, though, when Camille Co and Laureen Uy also had this on their blogs, I was far back in number 56 or something. Through the help of loyal readers like you, we were able to climb up. Just a few weeks ago, we have finally reached the #1 spot!

Was Part of the YouTube Fanfest Manila
The last and final thing that happened on my 1st year as a full-time blogger was to be a part of the YouTube FanFest! It's a famous gathering of top YouTubers around the world. Last June, they had their stop here in the Philippines and I was blessed to be a part of the line up of performers on stage! I couldn't be more happy and grateful to YouTube because of this!

Every time I get questions whether I was able to reach my goal on YouTube since I started doing it full-time, the answer is always a NO. I only have 100,000 subscribers until now. Far from what I have imagined. But if you ask me if I am happy now, the answer is YES! Ask me if leaving my previous job to fulfill my dream was worth is, the answer is YES! There are some things fame can't replace and that is true HAPPINESS. For the past year, I may have achieved less than what I was imagining but what I failed to visualize was the happiness this journey would give me. I was able to go places and spend time with people that matter to me. And those things, I know, are things that I will be able to take with me until I get older. 

I am excited as I enter my 2nd year doing this full-time. This time, though, I promise to double the effort and be more passionate. I don't know for certain the things that will happen but I will always stay hopeful and positive. I hope you all stay with me and let's take this journey together!
Thank you, as always!

♥

Kristine