Our last full day in Beijing was spent shopping in Joy City along Xidan District. I was too engrossed with shopping, so the only photos I was able to take were the ones before and after our not-so-little buying spree. One of my favorites is of a Uniqlo ad with a model that looked like Jian from afar. Naturally, we forced Jian to pose the same way. I was about to take a picture of him beside the ad, but one of the store personnel shooed us away. We had to resort to shooting outside the store, which was kind of a killjoy though the result of the two photos placed beside each other is still funny.

We rushed to the airport the next day, leaving barely any time for picture taking except for squeezed in outfit shots. It was around 1:00 p.m. when we arrived at the airport, though due to a misunderstanding between the Dragon Air staff and Tita Jeanette, we wouldn`t leave until nearly 8:00 p.m. By the time we had reached Hong Kong, it was just a few minutes short of midnight. We hardly had enough hours to sleep and freshen up for the flight back to Manila the following morning. It was a good thing our tickets were upgraded to business class, giving us much needed relaxation before going home.

This concludes my Beijing diary! I`ll finally be able to resume my outfit posts, so keep visiting. :)

Our fifth day in Beijing was probably the most hectic, having visited four locations where the Summer Palace was first on our agenda. It was a bit of a shame that we visited it during the fall. The haze proved to be too thick for us to enjoy most of the view; albeit I still enjoyed staying by the bridge just because I thought it looked relatively elegant. Again, I seemed to have found the simplest of structures the most quaint.

We briefly visited one of Beijing`s silk factories, then proceeded to a tea house. I must admit I`m more of a coffee person, though I was genuinely amused by the whole ceremony involved in serving and drinking the tea, and the vast array of tea flavors. By the end of our tea ceremony, I figured the fruit tea was my favorite.

Before heading back to the hotel, we went to see the Bird`s Nest and the Water Cube, from afar of course. We tried to take jumping shots, except we never succeeded with a decent one. Still, all that jumping brought up our energy levels until it was time to conclude a good night. 

We started the day with a quick visit to the jade factory. It was amusing to see the different kinds and colors of jade. I didn`t even know there were other colors of jade aside from green until then. I was rather regretful because I didn`t bring much cash and I wanted to purchase a jade bangle for my mom. Fortunately, we left for the Great Wall before I could start sulking.

The Mutianyu region of the Great Wall wasn`t very crowded, which allowed us to wander at a more relaxed pace. Jian and I couldn`t help but notice how the simplicity of its structure highlighted the age and grandeur of the Great Wall. Then, a sweet kind of awe occurred to us, as if it were only then that we realized we were in China together.

Before we left for Beijing, I stayed with Jian`s family in Hong Kong for a day. Tita Jeanette, Jian and Sean picked me up at the airport at around 3:30 in the afternoon. It took us around an hour and a half to settle at Tung Chung Crescent. Afterwards, Jian and his brothers took me out to the nearby streets, and in exchange I bought the kids their Chocolate Cream Frappuccino. We watched the sunset by the bay, and arrived back in their flat just before nightfall.

Before heading back to Manila, Jian and I stopped over to have some wine and a good view of Taal Lake. I missed out on the name of the place, but it`s the restaurant with a roofdeck at the forefront of the Starbucks porch.

Jian and I were both born in the Year of the Rooster.

I was so amused that Jian and I appeared as if we talked about what to wear when we actually didn`t. Maybe a year of being together does that two people.

Bumblebee!

The food was great, and since it was a special occasion, I ate pasta (plus the bread that`s not photographed)!

Jian and I took his brothers (and ourselves) out yesterday to have a quick snack after lunch and watch Captain America. THE MOVIE WAS JUST DAMN AWESOME, and to those who haven`t watched it yet, wait for the after-credits! After the film, we hung out at Fully Booked so Lance and Patrick wouldn`t get bored while we were waiting to be picked up.

I haven`t gotten around wearing much make-up since our summer trip to Boracay. It has given me a much lighter and cleaner feeling, really, but whenever I see myself looking like this in photos, I can`t help but cringe just a little bit. It was too early in the day to overload my skin with products though (We watched the 12:10 p.m. screening.), so maybe that`s what finally convinced me to skip the maquillage.

Topshop button down, Nava Belt, Cotton On skirt, Zara boots

Armani bag

How appropriate is the hazy effect for the extremely lazy weather this week? Ah, I love the rain!

Cotton On button down, Topshop shorts, Rubi bag

Style Prodigy ear cuff

Jeffrey Campbell Wrecker

A belated happy monthsary to the man who takes most of my photos, deals with my bitch fits, argues with me when I`m wrong, kisses the tip of my nose, allows me to shop for clothes I know would look good on him, takes care of me always, and everything in between.

I was still in Singapore on the 10th, so Jian and I decided to celebrate our monthsary the weekend after I arrived home.

One of my favorite dates with Jian was when he took me jogging around Luneta, and afterwards we roamed about the cobblestone streets of Intramuros. The weather was quite gloomy then. When it started raining, Jian pulled me by the waist and kissed me. I was still in my workout clothes, drenched in both sweat and rain, but in that moment I felt infinitely glamorous.

I was the one who broke up with Jian, so I just thought it appropriate that I should be the one to get back together with him. In my attempt to be romantic, I took Jian out on a surprise date to Intramuros. And yes, it was also raining!

He was only allowed to take out the blindfold after I kissed him under the rain. HAHA.

The pipe organ at San Agustin Church

Millais blazer, Bleach shirt, Topshop leggings, Preview boots, The Ramp necklace

(Trivia:  I bought this blazer for only Php 300 from Kookie B. at the Bloggers United Bazaar.)

After Jian`s classes and my training, we went out to watch (finally!) Fast Five. The clothes I packed to change into after training was actually a button down and a skirt paired with wooden heels, but since it was raining rather hard, I went home for a quick change before heading to Eastwood. I already made it a habit to take advantage of rainy days to wear boots. Hehe.

Do excuse the pale face. My eye infection just healed, and I also didn`t want to bother with lipstick reapplication.

Topshop dress, Zara boots, Marks & Spencer scarf, John Salcedo purse

I love the faux ostrich feathers on this purse! John actually gave this to me for free to match the prom gown he designed for me two years back.

This was just too cute for me not to post.