TRAVEL | Pinto Art Museum: For art, food, OOTDs, and selfies

The roof deck of one of Pinto Art Museum's several buildings.

Everyone's probably been to Pinto Art Museum already, or heard of it at least. But because I'm such a lazy driver and I dread the traffic going to Antipolo, it took me forever to finally decide on making that trip.

Pinto, (pronounced pin-TÔ, as in door) of course, is primarily intended to be a venue for showcasing art. But its idyllic setting along an expansive, tree-covered, hilly terrain, coupled with its white arched buildings, landscaping, and layout in general, has made it more than just about art. It has now become a destination for the Instagram and selfie-loving lot.

LOOKBOOK | Oversized shirt and joggers

Hello, weekend! Now wouldn't you want to feel comfortable as you go about these two most precious days of the week? Wear something loose, like a blousy shirt or an oversized shirt.

By loose, however, I don't mean lousy. Loose-fitting pieces are specifically tailored that way but somehow the proportions still conform to your body's measurements. So if you're a size medium, it doesn't mean wearing large or XL because the overall fit would simply be off. You still wear medium.

LOOKBOOK | Dressing up a t-shirt for work

Uniqlo is one of my favorite brands. Every time I go in any of their stores, chances are I leave with a paper bag of stuff. They always seem to have something that I like--and can afford--there, this Super Mario tee being but one example.

TRAVEL | Pililia Wind Farm: A closer alternative to Bangui

So close to Metro Manila, this wind farm.

Everybody knows about the coastal wind farm of Bangui, Ilocos Norte, which through the years has turned into a tourist attraction and is now practically a requisite stop for anyone traveling to Laoag or Pagudpud. But did you know that there's now such a wind farm that's so close to Metro Manila?

Although it's really no secret, a lot of people probably still haven't heard of the Pililia Wind Farm. Located on the hills of Brgy. Halayhayin in the town of Pililia, Rizal, the place is steadily becoming a tourist attraction of sorts, though most likely as a brief stopover on the way back to Metro Manila.

LOOKBOOK | Lousy blousy

They say fit is everything and oft we've been told by many a menswear bible to wear shirts that stay close enough to the body but not too much that the buttons are pulling at the fabric. But what a boring world it would be if everyone wore form-fitting shirts all the time! After all, loose is also a type of fit, right?

Yes, I perfectly understand the concept of wearing the right fit, and in fact I abhor shirts with too much excess fabric around the waist when you tuck them in. But there are shirts that are intentionally tailored to be loose-fitting in the first place, like this blousy pastel checkered long-sleeved shirt I'm wearing here.

DINING | Aleng Taleng's Halo-Halo in Pagsanjan, Laguna

Tempting, isn't it?

It was my first time trying the famous Aleng Taleng's Halo-Halo in the town of Pagsanjan, Laguna but apparently I had no idea just how popular it is. To say that the place was packed when we arrived at half past three in the afternoon is probably an understatement. It was chaotic!

Normally I would have bailed out when faced with a long wait at a restaurant but we thought, since we were already there and it's not everyday that we get to drive to Pagsanjan, we might as well brave the storm.

LOOKBOOK | Dialed-down nautical for cloudy and rainy days

Summer may have officially left this part of the world but it's still hot AF despite the rains. Besides, the sun still makes a frequent appearance in between. So might a little touch of nautical in your weekend outfit still do?

Hell yeah!

DINING | Ted's Kitchen in Sta. Cruz, Laguna

Countryside feels with Ted's Kitchen in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

So we spent two nights at Ted's Bed and Breakfast in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, which we called our base as we ventured out into nearby towns like Pagsanjan for food and Luisiana for its waterfalls. The B&B, however, is just an expanded venture as Ted's is, first and foremost, a restaurant.

Design and ambiance
Ted's Kitchen evokes some countryside feels with its design--from its signage, to the wall shingles, and down to the distressed door and furniture. Inside, the shabby chic aesthetic is also carried out in its walls, which are lovingly decorated with all sorts of random paraphernalia.

TRAVEL | Ted's Bed and Breakfast (Sta. Cruz, Laguna)

Bonfire pit, cottages in the background.

When we called Sta. Cruz our base for a not-so-recent getaway to Laguna, we were met with questions like: "why Sta. Cruz?" "what's in Sta. Cruz?" or "what are you gonna do in Sta. Cruz?"

Admittedly the town has little to offer--at least that I know of--but we just needed a place to stay from where we could drive to other places of interest like the Hulugan Falls in Luisiana, Laguna. Suffice it to say that we found in Sta. Cruz a bed and breakfast that looks just like our kind of place: small, nice, and quiet.

Here's a rundown of our experience at Ted's Bed and Breakfast in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

TRAVEL | It comes in threes: The waterfalls of San Salvador, Luisiana, Laguna (Part 2: Hulugan Falls)

Read: [Part 1: Talay Falls and Hidden Falls]

This is the last of two parts.

A closeup of the upper part of Hulugan Falls.

After sweating it out to get to Talay Falls and Hidden Falls, we were ready to see the pride of San Salvador, Luisiana--the more than 200-foot high Hulugan Falls.

The trek
We traced our way back to about a quarter of the trail to the first two waterfalls and came back to a clearing before diverting to a different route. The clearing is said to be a camping ground for those who wish to stay overnight. According to the barangay captain, they purposely designated a campsite that was far enough from the falls to prevent littering as well as for safety reasons.

The trail took us through gigantic pandan (screwpine) plants that are several feet tall. Or should I call them trees already because of their height? The pandan I know are much smaller, so seeing this variety was a pleasant surprise. Pandan, by the way, is one of Luisiana's agricultural products.