5 June 2013, 15:42

Nagcarlan + Liliw: Solo Laguna Adventure Trip (Part 2)

This post is a continuation of my solo Laguna Adventure Trip to Nagcarlan and Liliw.

I parked my car just outside the Nagcarlan Outpost. This is where you could park your car if you’re going to Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery Historical Landmark. Parking is free as well. Imagine how cheap this trip is if you’re not going to think of your gas expenses. So far, I’ve only paid for a grande-sized Caramel Macchiato and toll.

I asked the tricycle drivers who were just outside the outpost if they knew were Cafe Arabela was. Before going to the underground cemetery, I already asked some of them if they knew were Arabela was. Such a mystery.

I went back to the outpost to ask about Nagcarlang Church or the St. Bartholomew Parish (according to Ms Elena). The tricycle driver I asked if he knew where Arabela was went up to me and said that it was located in Liliw. He asked where it was but since he couldn’t go that far, he referred me to another driver who could take me there. I decided to take a tricycle to save on gas. Times are still hard, man.

It took about fifteen minutes for us to reach Liliw from Nagcarlan. The locals pronounce it as Nagcarlang, by the way. On our way to Liliw, we passed by the river that my friend had mentioned to me before. We stopped by Talahibing Bridge just to take a couple of shots of the river. I was in love with Nagcarlan at this point.

This is Liliw, my friends. It was beautifully situated beside a mountain. The main street where the slippers and shoes were sold was closed. Fun trivia: It’s the slippers capital of Laguna. While walking, I immediately thought, “Oh. So this is like the Marikina of Laguna.”

Along the road, there were food stalls ranging from fish balls, halo-halo, and corn. They were also stalls selling ice cream and milk tea!

Parking spaces were very hard to find. It was a wise decision to leave my car in Nagcarlan. I paid fifty pesos to the driver for bringing me to Liliw. I don’t know what the flat rate is, but I didn’t have loose change so that’s what I gave him. Not so wise after all.

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5 June 2013, 14:14

Nagcarlan + Liliw: Solo Adventure Trip (Part 1)

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Last March 6 (Yeah. That long ago.), I went on a mission. No. Seriously. I was really on a mission - an ocular mission. My Mega Fashion Crew alums and I have been planning to do a location shoot for quite some time now. I took the liberty of going to Laguna to look for churches that would fit with our baroque-inspired shoot. Based on my research, Laguna fit the bill of numerous baroque-inspired churches.

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Nagcarlan is a two-hour drive away from Manila. Take it from me who didn’t plan this throughly, my supposed two-hour journey turned into three hours. And kids, in Manila, never leave during rush hour. I did and it caused major annoyance on my way out of SLEX. It didn’t help either that there was also an accident along SLEX.

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I went to a nearby Starbucks to get my caffeine fix. I haven’t had breakfast at this time. Actually I did - I ate banana oatmeal. I was just thirsty. Coffee is part of a very very awesome food group.

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This was along the Sto. Tomas Highway, if I remember correctly. It was after the Calamba Exit. I really thought I was lost because I saw signs leading me to Batangas. I also thought Google Maps and Waze were being useless. I had to ask around if I was on the right track. Once I saw the Nagcarlan road signs, I was starting to get really excited.

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My friend had been inviting me since college to go to Nagcarlan. He has relatives there and has been telling me about the river and how cold it was even in the summer. No plans ever pushed through. I actually called him while I was on my way just to confirm if the directions I got were right.

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Nagcarlan is popular for its underground cemetery. It is a historical landmark and is protected by the National History Commission of the Philippines. It’s a cemetery beneath a church. The church was built by a Franciscan friar named Vicente Velloc in 1845. The graveyard, by the way, is fifteen feet below the church.

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31 May 2013, 23:11

Editorial: Sunny Side Up @ Blanc Magazine Online

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{Photo: Christina Zabat; Styling: Raizel Dy and Tin Ledesma; Hair and Makeup: Theresa Bello; Photographer’s Associate: Gee Plamenco; Model: Kim Fernandez @ CalCarrie’s International}

I was part of Blanc Magazine’s Best of Cebu issue. This editorial was shot in March of last year. It was supposed to be submitted in a broadsheet but something happened along the way. After that, I submitted it to Blanc for their July-August issue. However, it had to be put on hold because their July-August issue was an all-male issue (as far as I can remember). But alas! We finally saw it published online last December.

I was really thrilled when the photos came out. It was mostly because after almost a year, people got to see our work. The members of my team here, all of us, were still newbies in the arena. Most of us were fresh out of fashion school. So it was a small triumph for me as well. That was some journey just for this set alone!

Here’s a link to Blanc Magazine’s Best of Cebu issue. Check it out.

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And as a throwback, here’s the team behind this editorial we did a year ago. It ain’t Thursday yet, but I’m a sucker for breaking the rules. I have hideous hair back then. The eye bags stayed the same. Lol.