The calm (?) after the storm. 😅 #ABSCBNBall2018 @metrodotstyle 📸 @magicliwanag ✨ • Makeup: @mawsdiaz Dress from @karimadonph (Thank you, @terry_dy and Auntie @josiego ❤️)

Four little, seemingly mundane things that make you—extraordinary. 1. On our first date, you discreetly tipped the server at the restaurant. I pretended not to notice, but I was observing how you treated the staff. You were patient and kind, and you said thank you every time our food was brought to the table. I also watched you hold the door for others. I smiled and knew it was a start of a good date—I’d always believed small things like saying thank you say a lot about one’s character. 2. Consistency. You consistently messaged me for more than a year—but we both knew we weren’t ready. We both came from broken relationships, and we knew it wasn’t the best season for us to engage in something serious. I remember how I would reply to your text message after one month (sometimes, even three!), expecting you’d lose interest and never message again. But you still did—and you even sent a post card as you were back-packing across Russia. It’s funny how we both met at the wrong time, but somehow crossed paths again, with our hearts wiser. And this time, ready. 3. You always think of others—both in the grand things and in the everyday. It amazes me how every year, you fly, drive, and sail to far-off barrios with no toilets and electricity to volunteer at a week-long medical mission. I also appreciate how every time I’d ask if you were free to drive me to an event, you’d always reply, “Sure, do you have friends who need to hitch a ride with us, too?” Thank you for humbling my heart, reminding me to serve others. 4. You treat me as an equal—side by side, we’re partners-in-crime. We recognize our weaknesses, but we complement each other with our strengths. We give each other freedom—on what to do, where to go, what to wear, and even who to be. This may sound petty to some, but I came from an extremely toxic relationship where I’d be called a slut for wearing shorts or hanging out with guys—and honestly, I never knew that there existed a kind of love that’s liberating. Not until you. Happy 28th birthday to my bestfriend, supporter, food trip buddy, adventure partner, proofreader, and let’s-live-life-together-til-we’re-gray-and-old-er. ❤️

The ‘70s called—they want their flared pants back! 😋 I’m in love with these #PromodEugene jeans...or should I say...Eu-jeans? (Badumtss.) • You guys, @promodph is having a super sale right now! 🙌🏼 Buy 1 pair of jeans and get the second at 50% off. Hurry because this promo ends on September 9! • Top, jeans, shoes, AND headband (don’t forget the headband!😉) from #PromodPH

One of those rare times a test shot actually turns out nice 😅 #heyhersheyootd

Nothing but big smiles when it’s you behind the camera, @josh4everyoung 🤗 (Who knew that one day, I’d fall hard for a guy I turned down four times? 😅 Funny how our story started, huh? Hay this guy. He’s always gonna be my favorite plot twist.) #InstagramBoyfriendAppreciationPost #TheBoyfriendIsNotInThePhoto #BecauseHeTookIt #HeHasOfficiallyGraduatedFromInstagramUniversity #IAmNothingButProud #DoPeopleStillReadHashtags #BaconIsOverrated #ThereISaidIt

People have asked me why I haven’t bought Instagram followers yet—after all, numbers really matter these days, and if I want to make a career out of blogging, I have to up my game. • But I always tell them: a person’s worth is far more than their social media likes and followers. I’m not going to lie, in my 7 years in blogging, I’ve been tempted to take the easy route and just “pay my way” to fame. But then I take a reality check and remind myself of my Why. I write not for fame, but to share stories and to connect with others. • Four days ago, I was invited to give a talk about fame and social media influence to Grade 12 students at La Salle Greenhills. I was hella nervous. It was my first time to talk to an all-male audience! My whole life, I’d always been surrounded by women—my grade school extra-curricular activity was ballet, where all my classmates were girls (PS. I’m still not a good dancer lol). In college, I was a sorority girl, and today, I work as a fashion and beauty writer in an all-female editorial team! But I knew in my heart that God wanted me to step out of my comfort zone and reach out to the next generation. That of course included 17-year-old boys. • Moses wasn’t a great speaker—but God used him to lead His people out of Egypt. I prayed for Jesus to humble my heart—this talk wasn’t about me. It was about Him using me. • We had a relevant discussion on how much influence we have at our fingertips. We may not be aware of it, but all these digital platforms help us touch hundreds of lives everyday. Sure, we’re not all “famous”, but we’re all influencers in our own ways—and that’s why it’s crucial that we use our “powers” responsibly. • Real-life isn’t always picture-perfect. The world is so much more than what we see on our curated feeds. With fake news circulating the internet, we need more influencers (that means me and you) who will uphold integrity and truth. Together, let’s type, post, retweet, and fight for a safer digital space. Together, you and I can give hope for the next generation. 🙂

I love how traveling makes one feel so small in a super awesome way (you know what I mean?). In this photo, you’ll see a 5 ft Hershey sitting next to a huge medieval church built in 1215! Internet, meet the Duomo di Siena (aka the Siena Cathedral)—isn’t she a beauty?💛 • Siena, a quaint, rose-colored town in Tuscany, is one of my favorite places in the world. I fell in love with the architecture, the culture, and the food—I’m so surprised not a lot of people know about it! (I’m guilty, too. After all, I only found out about #Siena from my sister @thebellissimamma, who recently migrated there.) • Well, in the same way that Italian cuisine is more than just pizza, pasta, and gelato, Italy offers way, way more than its most touristy cities. ❤️🇮🇹 • On my newest blog post (LINK IN BIO!), Joshua and I wrote about 2 underrated cities in Italy, because there’s more to it than Florence, Venice, and Rome!! Please check it out when you have the time. Click the link in my bio or go straight to #HeyHersheyBlog.com❤️🤗 • #thewandererwonders 🌏✈️

My friends often make fun of me because I don’t know how to dance— I laugh along because it’s true 😂 😅 Funny thing is, I took jazz and ballet lessons for 7 years, but alas, all my attempts to get rid of my ~awkwardness~ were in vain. But that’s okay! If there’s one thing I learned from dance class—it’s owning the stage and being CONFIDENT! 😂 So what if you’re not as graceful as your friends? You can still bust some moves and join them on the dance floor! 🙌🏼 Don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun, loosen up, and enjoy the moment—life is always better when you dance like no one’s watching. 💛 • Turn dancing extra fun with #Promod! These ultra stylish jeans fit so well—they’re comfortable enough to twirl, jump, moonwalk, and even breakdance in. 😉 Oh, and awesome news: they’re on Buy 1, Get the 2nd at 50% Off ‘til September 9. • Join the global campaign and be one of the three winners to win a P5,000 SHOPPING SPREE! 💃🏽 Simply upload a video of you dancing in your favorite Promod jeans. Check out @promod for more. #LetsDanceWith #PromodPH • #HeyHersheyBlog Video edited by @whatawacko OBB by @danaragonowns

A bee flew by when this photo was being shot. 🐝 😂 HAHAHA! #fail . Can you believe that I was able to snatch these gorgeous#YSL shoes for only P5,000?! I know, I can’t either! These used to belong to celebrity #ToniGonzaga, who donated them to online charity sale #SignedSoldDelivered. Yep—all proceeds go straight to charity, so you’re shopping for a cause! 💛 Read all about how YOU too can get celebrities’ pre-owned designer items—click the link in my bio! #heyhersheyblog #heyhersheyootd

Every Sunday, I meet up with my friends in Katipunan to talk about life. We share funny anecdotes (today, the top story had something to do with fried chicken), what we’re grateful for, how we can practically apply lessons from the Bible in our lives, and everything in between. • Earlier, as we read the story of creation in Genesis, I couldn’t help but tear up, knowing that the very God who created the universe is the same God who created me. An image of the Grand Canyon flashed in my mind. Yesterday, I was telling my boyfriend about that massive river valley—it was the most beautiful, breathtaking thing I’ve ever seen. • I can still remember how my knees trembled as I stood on the edge, overlooking the valley, soaking it all in. The perfect gradient of pink, orange, and blue. The quiet skyline. The million-age rock formations standing still. Majestic. Wise. I was in love with Creation—how it made me finite and infinite at the same time. I remember whispering a two-word prayer in my head, over and over again: Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! • But wait—that’s not the end of the story. God created all these beautiful mountains, valleys, rivers, and oceans—but He also commanded us to take dominion over them. We have the responsibility to protect and respect creation. Wait, what? I found it hard to grasp—how I, an imperfect, impatient, incredibly small human being, have dominion over something as majestic and massive as the Grand Canyon. • But in His word, He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” • Sometimes, it’s easy to think that our lives don’t matter—that we are small and insignificant. That our decisions can’t make a difference; that our lifestyle can’t create a ripple of influence; that our voices can’t call for change. But let’s remember that we are fearfully, wonderfully made. That we were created by the Creator. That God gave us a purpose far bigger than ourselves, far greater than what we can imagine—far grander than the Grand Canyon.