Ice GodDhez ♥ Blog by Chai Chen @chenmeicai

I originally started this blog as a Fashion & Beauty Blog in terms of category since I took it off from my personal blog at xanga and moved here to blogspot. Since 2011, this blog has evolved from that category, to include more of my random ramblings and musings in the fields of style, lifestyle, food, gaming, tech, more reviews and so on. I guess I need to ensure this blog also stays delivering the "fashion sense" I wanted to instill in it so yeah, I thought I'd give a new outfit post again after like, some years? Haha! I normally just document my corporate outfit or daily work attire. While most of it is all-dressy (required for my role), I also do casual likes like this one when it's towards the end of the week already.

Black and White Off the Shoulder Top (Unbranded) |
Jellybean PH Skinny Jeans

I don't normally wear jeans to work. In fact even on casual days, most of the time I'd wear a casual dress instead. So when I do wear jeans, it comes as a surprise at work. Haha! But that's the thrill of it too, to surprise the people around. I own only a few pairs of jeans and I have more shirts (that I normally wear with shorts) so whenever I wear jeans like this one, I find it a little bit challenging to match it with a nice top to make it still good for an office environment yet stay stylish and slay! This one's one of those good casual tops to wear with jeans and flash that blue jean outfits looks best for casual days.

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They said that a girl who cuts and styles her hair is bound to welcome wonderful changes in her life. I guess that's true then! At that time, I wanted drastic changes in my hair and overall look. And there's a local celebrity that I also like who's really very gorgeous! She has such a beautiful face, skin, and lovely hair! That color, and bouncy, wavy, lively hair ... I wanted it! And Ellen has just been posting a lot of her selfies with this new hairdo on her Instagram account. So what to do next? I contacted her hairstylist and said, I want that Ellen Adarna Hair!

Ellen Adarna - Photo Reference
Hairshaft Salon #FREDIFIED Hair

It didn't taken long for me to scout her hairstylist. They had a number of Instagram accounts & stylists available but the owner himself, Fred Panales, is Ellen's main hairstylist so I went straight to him and found his cell#. I initially inquired about the pricing, the overall process, and the time it'll take. Fred walked me through all this via viber conversation, analyzing how my hair looks currently and what needs to be done. It was rather overwhelming but, I wanted it so I proceeded ... read more ...

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I did say I ain't a "beach person" right? But when I do go out for a swim, I make sure I stay fashionable like my recent summer-y posts Trendy Summer Korean Swimwear Pieces from Korean Rose Shop and OPPO F1s: Summer #OOTD. I mean, don't we all? LOL. Don't we all want to stay cute and fashionable this time of the year? And these outfits are best strutted on beautiful beaches like this one here ... you've seen me and my bestie at the Bolinao Falls in one of the OOTD photos ... and now, lemme bring you more of the beauty that is Bolinao!

Me at Treasures of Bolinao Beach Resort
Bolinao | Patar, Pangasinan, Philippines (Travel)

It's the time of the year again where we look for affordable travel packages or search about things we can do at beautiful beach resorts like this one. Or if you're already familiar with some beaches in the Philippines, surely you'd surely have heard about Bolinao Beach Resorts in Patar, Pangasinan. Check after the cut to see more of this wonderful beauty in the Philippines!

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It's officially summer time! Vacation time! I ain't really the "beach person" type. I rarely go to swimming activities, either with just swimming pools or big, beautiful beaches. One thing I always think of is ... what am I supposed to wear? The fashionista in me thinks that every time we'll go to an outing, I need to have a new outfit. Hahah! Do you guys think the same? But then again, that'll be too expensive! The travel expenses + all the different swimwear to wear, right? Thankfully, there are online shops now that really offer great quality and affordable pricing for swimsuits! And my pick this time is My Korean Rose shop, where I got these fashionably cute swimwear!

My Korean Rose - Korean Swimwear

I have a few swimsuits but they're not as fashionable as these ones I got from Korean Rose shop. Plus the fact that these are in Korean fashion style, I know I can swim in style! I love Korean beauty products and Korean trends / fashion / clothing! Combine them in these swimwear pieces, and voila! I guess we'll look like kpop stars then! LOL. Click after the cut to read more ...

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The Philippines is very rich in culture and tradition, and one of the reasons why is because of the many different countries that tried to make us as their colony in the past. There was for a time, the Chinese barter trade, the Japanese colonial plot, the American regime, among others ... the longest of which is the Spanish era where we mostly inherited our language (i.e. most Spanish terms have been embedded in the Filipino language, ex. "lamesa" for "the table"), dressing, beliefs, religion, and many others that have been passed on to us from generation to generation. Aside from the beautiful natural wonders and magnificent beaches that our country has, one of the things we can say we take pride upon is the centuries-old set of churches we have across the country. Each of which is rich in history. And we need not look farther as we have quite a number already here in the city, Metro Manila.

Manila Cathedral at Night - Chai Chen 2017

For millions of us in the Catholic faith, the Lenten Season won't be complete without the traditional Visita Iglesia that is primarily set to happen on a Maundy Thursday. It's an annual tradition for me and my family to go and visit at least 14 Churches for Visita Iglesia but in the recent years, since my parents are already old, they weren't able to join in the long walks anymore. Last year, it was only my dad and my sister who did it and this year, I did it solo. On a Good Friday, we normally light up candles for a traditional procession in our parish church. Let me take you down history lane and share this common practice, that can be enjoyed in this post despite religious affiliations and beliefs that we all have! Let's appreciate the beauty and history of these beautiful churches that I've compiled and maybe, you too can take this route every Holy Week. Click after the cut to read more ...

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NOTE: Share count have been reset for this post due to an outage as advised by ShareThis (April 2017). Share Counts here reflect the shares after the week of the outage only, that is, after April 10, 2017.

I am such a fan of desserts. No wonder my weight has been experiencing a yo-yo effect! I go hard on the gym for my workouts but then I experience more cheat days haha! And ice cream is one of my weaknesses. I easily give in to tubs of yogurt ice creams and the gelato types thinking that it's also a lesser evil than regular ice creams! Still, this kind of diet won't let me achieve that bikini body that I've dreamed about lah~ Oh well! The love of food wins! But I've recently discovered this ice cream brand that promises to be all fun and less of the guilt. A game-changing alternative to the dessertporn goodness! It's a local brand called Super Scoops Premium Vegan Ice Cream.

Me and my Sister @lizhongtan
With our Super Scoops Premium Vegan Ice Cream

Me and my sister decided to put it to the "Ultimate Taste Test." Well, sorta! Meaning, we just really wanted to devour it right then and there haha! We recorded a vlog as a reaction video to how these flavors will taste. It's the first time we're getting a taste of vegan ice cream types. I initially had doubts as to how it will taste like - I felt that they might not be too-sweet nor won't taste like ice cream at all. They might lack that flavorful taste. But since it's a vegan ice cream and that in itself connotes that it's a healthy option, I was already "ok" with it all along. There aren't much lactose free ice cream brands or non dairy ice cream brands around (or so I thought ... I was just probably not searching haha!) and this is actually the first I heard of those vegan ice cream brands so I gave it a shot. What can this brand offer and what other benefits does it have? Click after the cut to find out ...

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How to achieve hair goals? I also always wondered how. Our crowning glory ... the hair! Bow! It's one of the most high-maintenance part of our body, I believe. Hair care is the first thing to consider. Well, that's because for me, I have such a heavily damaged hair already given all the past treatments I had and some, probably wrong decisions I made like those radical colors, among others. With that, I tried using different types of shampoos, conditioners, hair masques, etc. just to maintain my hair or even improve it. I tried venturing into using sulfate free shampoos as I've read they are better for dyed hairstyles; and also hair care products with argan oil. However, I can't avoid styling my hair when I attend events and I need to be always ready for shoots as well so my hair gets a lot of stress too from the ironing and blowdrying and all other treatments at salons. At times, I just want a simple product that help me care for my hair at home without damaging it further. Thankfully, I received this new product and I'm excited to try it out!

Me taking on the challenge #TakeAShowerWithUs
Hairstory's New Wash

I must say this is really a bold and challenging way to change my hair care routine. Hairstory New Wash is a detergent-free, non-toxic, and one-for-all hair cleansing alternative! It's so challenging that will really make me ditch my traditional hair story and the products I currently use and just replace it with this. Can I really ditch shampoo and conditioner and all those products I'm used to with just using this? What's in this product anyway and how can I benefit from it? Read on ...

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You might be wondering why I categorized this blog as under "Tech" but there's a "Summer OOTD" alongside that title as well ... well my friends, I'd love to share a few outfit ideas best suited for summer indeed, yes, but it's also best to capture them with a gadget that's best-suited to take photos this season. And you probably guessed it right ... I want to talk about capturing the best summer outfits with this chic gadget namely, Oppo F1s that'll definitely make it easy for us to snap & save our OOTDs!

Me and my Bestie Randolf @randolf_0903
Summer Getaway at Bolinao Falls

Who doesn't like to take selfies nowadays anyway, at least once every season? Who's not in any social media platforms? The millennial population overcrowds the social media stream among many forms! Oh ... and I'm still included there! HAHA! So hop on and click after the cut to read more as to how we can savor this summer heat with trendy outfits that match our style; and have the best selfies that show our quirky personalities, captured by one of the best tech gadgets we can find in town ... the Selfie Expert ... Oppo F1s ...

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#ATTENTION DEAR READERS / FOLLOWERS

Due to recent news that Google Reader is retiring by July 1, 2013; this means I may not be able to follow the feeds of the blogs I currently follow / read. Same thing with my readers. So to keep up with each other's updates, kindly follow me back on these other alternatives.

Thank you very much! I promise to do the same to fellow bloggers I'm currently connected with. (^_^) Just let me know my dears!

And if you wish to FOLLOW EACH OTHER, please read this post first to know my views about it.

My Thoughts on Follow Each Other Requests

If you're one of those I used to follow but now I'm no longer following you, either your blog was changed to private; no longer existing; or simply because you fall in those categories I mentioned in this article. Sorry but I wish to keep a friendly group and remain true with my blogging principles. Thank you.