Crowning glory.

Women go to great lengths to make sure they look good. A woman's beauty regimen, from skin to hair care, is therefore of top priority. Which is why I believe that some of the worst mistakes I've made in my life were haircuts. After a few bad hair makeover, I hardly go to the salon (maybe just once every 2 years) and even when I did, I'd ask for a straight cut. 'Cause of that phobia, I've never done anything different to my naturally super straight hair. Thankfully I bumped into one of my girlfriends, Kaiting, who introduced me to Headlines Hairdressing. She raved about her hairdresser, Elein. But it was the fact that her hair did look really smooth and silky that got me sold.

The hardest part about finding a good hairdresser is finding one who actually understands, understand my struggles of having fine hair that tangles and breaks easily, frustrations that no matter how I tong my hair it still falls back straight within minutes. So it was comforting that Elein listened when I shared about my concerns before recommending the hairstyles and treatments that suits me.

I've always wanted curls to add volume and bounce to my otherwise flat and lifeless hair yet never had the courage to do so till Elein reassured me that it'd be a good change. If you're interested, I had the DYNA argan oil treatment done. I shan't bore you with the facts of argan oil 'cause I'm sure we've all heard the rave about its benefits and how it revives damaged hair. But in a nutshell, the DYNA treatment targets the scalp. For healthier hair, you've got to start from the roots (all pun intended). The best part is that the treatment gives you smoother and shinier hair that lasts for about 6 months! On top of that, it can be paired with curling your hair without the use of any other chemicals other than the one used to lock in your curls at the very end.

From straight hair with dying ends to healthier locks! Glad I took a leap of faith and visited Headlines Hairdressing to get my boring hair fixed! Makes me wonder what took me so long. It's a relieve knowing that my hair is well taken care of by a hairdresser who genuinely cares about the condition of my hair rather than making it look aesthetic by piling on the colours or giving me a funky hairstyle just for the sake of money.

Finding the right hairdresser is priceless 'cause it's the difference between whether you leave the salon loving your hair or whether you feel like you just got ripped off or worse still, the need to hide that ugly cut for awhile. Well, they don't call it the crowning glory of women for nothing!

Don't take my word for it till you visit Headlines Hairdressing and try it out for yourself. Do quote my name for perks!

Headlines Hairdressing

10 Anson Road, #03-32

International Plaza

Singapore 079903

Contact: 6223 3133

Website: http://www.headlines.com.sg/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeadlinesbyArtistry/?fref=ts

Instagram: @headlinesip

Photos by Elein & yours truly

Editing by yours truly

"I think that the most important thing a woman can have -- next to talent, of course -- is her hairdresser." -Joan Crawford

With love,

Clarabelle Faith

Wildlife.

Country: Australia, Perth

Location: Caversham Wildlife Park

Another day spent with furry friends, this time at Caversham Wildlife Park which showcases the largest private collection of native wildlife in Western Australia. I must say that it's a great place to interact with the animals, especially the kangaroos since they provide free feed in the park. And while you're at that, don't forget to grab a selfie with them! To be completely honest, I've never seen kangaroos so up close before, let alone a baby joey. So it was pretty amazing getting to witness baby joey hopping out of mama kangaroo's pouch and so intrigued by it's surroundings!

Photos by Ing & yours truly

Editing by yours truly

"Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions." -Peter Hoeg

With love,

Clarabelle Faith

Fremantle prison & markets.

Country: Australia, Perth

Location: Fremantle Prison

Most people will probably cringe at the thought of visiting a prison during a vacation, but the Fremantle Prison is a fascinating piece of living history not to be missed! Far more than just being listed as Western Australia's only World Heritage, stepping inside it's ancient building felt like we were being transported back in time where there are many secrets to be unraveled.

Although the prison offers a range of guided tours, we made a unanimous decision to join the Tunnels Tour for an extreme heritage adventure. It was a rush of adrenaline locking into the fully secure ladder system and descending 20m into the depths below. Exploring the labyrinth of tunnels required a lot of stooping 'cause they were about 1.5m at certain sections. The best part of the tour was hopping into punts and paddling through submerged passageways with our head torches switched off. It was pitch black and no matter how many times you tried to close and open your eyes to adjust to the darkness, you'll never be able to see anything. Totally made me appreciate my sense of sight even more! It's a pity cameras weren't allowed to be taken down into the tunnels. Then again, that makes it even more exciting for you to join the Tunnels Tour to experience the thrill for your own. The convict built architecture were a far cry from flawless, yet definitely inspiring knowing how harsh the conditions were working in those tunnels.

Location: Fremantle Markets

The Fremantle Markets is only open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It's undoubtedly one of the well-known markets bustling with life. The market was filled with plenty of souvenirs, trinkets and tons of delicious local food.

Photos by Ing & yours truly

Editing by yours truly

"It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves -- in finding themselves." -Andre Gide

With love,

Clarabelle Faith

Happy down under.

Country: Australia, Perth

Location: Cohunu Koala Park

Heading to Cohunu Koala Park was the best decision we made to kick-start our Perth adventures as we managed to get up close and personal with furry friends native to Australia. It was definitely an easy decision to make as well since it's the only wildlife park in Western Australia that welcomes you to cuddle one of their many lovable koalas and take your own photographs till you're satisfied. Such indescribable joy it was carrying Jemma the 8 months old koala and watching her chomp away hungrily. Happy down under indeed!

Photos by Ing & yours truly

Editing by yours truly

"Traveling -- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." -Ibn Battuta

With love,

Clarabelle Faith

Changing shorelines.

Dress: MGP

Shoes: Converse

Bag: Rebecca Minkoff

Shades: Ray-Ban

Country: Philippines, Bohol (Maribojoc)

Location: Punta Cruz Watchtower

The Fuerte de San Vicente Ferrer, more often known as the Punta Cruz watchtower, is located at the western tip of the municipality of Maribojoc. This Spanish colonial era watchtower was built in 1796 by Augustinian Recollects in dedication to Saint Vincent Ferrer. Well known for being the only perfect isosceles triangle watchtower in the Philippines, the iconic fortress tower was erected near the seas South of Bohol. As an excellent viewpoint of the surrounding waters, it served as part of a wider defense network built along the Visayan coast against the Moro pirates who plagued the people of Bohol.

Behind the watchtower stands a large wooden cross in a rock clip, facing the sea. The townfolks believe that they were protected by this Holy Cross. According to local legend, whenever the Moro marauders attempted to raid the town, the cross emanates a bright glaring light that confounds the attackers.

With such a rich heritage, the Punta Cruz watchtower was declared a National Historical Landmark in 2009 and subsequently, National Cultural Treasure in 2011 along with the other watchtowers of Dauis, Panglao, Pamilacan, Loay and Balilihan.

From the highest deck, the rampart offers a magnificent view of Cebu, Siquijor and Mindanao. It's such a pity that I wasn't able to take in that breathtaking view for myself 'cause the 7.2 magnitude earthquake on 15 October 2013 resulted in substantial damage to the watchtower.

After that devastating earthquake, the Punta Cruz watchtower is no longer directly adjacent to the sea due to the uplift of portions of the intertidal zone of Maribojoc. Plate tectonics is one my favourite modules in Geography, so you could imagine how amazed I was when I saw the 400 hectares of uplifted seabed. Reading and learning about lithospheric plates, plate boundaries, continental drift, seafloor spreading, etc was one thing, but seeing the evidence of plate movement right before my very eyes just brought the experience to a whole new level!

I actually read up about the earthquake and thought it'd be interesting to share a thing or two. The seismic event in 2013 occurred along a previously unknown fault which has been named the North Bohol fault (NBF). Shoreline changes was caused by ground uplift. An approximately 50-100 meters shift in the high tide mark was measured, implying that Maribojoc is on the upthrown block of the reverse NBF. When the water eventually receded, the sanctuary in which a highly diverse community of coral species thrived in was exposed. Without being submerged in seawater, the corals started bleaching.

Oh, Bohol! Your beauty is inescapable even after all the destruction. The Punta Cruz watchtower area will always be a geological monument. It holds mystery and valuable lessons of geological phenomena with respect to plate tectonics, as well as, biological and ecological survival following a change in environment entirely.

To get to Punta Cruz watchtower, you can take the bus from Tagbilaran Integrated Bus Terminal that heads towards Tubigon.

Before I end the post, Maribojoc celebrates its town fiesta on 5th May (which is tomorrow) in honour of Saint Vincent Ferrer and the Holy Cross, so HAPPY FIESTA to you folks in Maribojoc!

Photos by Ing

Editing by yours truly

"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again-- to slow time down and yet get taken in, and fall in love once more." -Pico Lyer

With love,

Clarabelle Faith