Eva Soquena Interview":"Philippine Lifestyle"," Food and Travel

I met Eva when we were both invited to the grand opening of Xoi Vietnamese Kitchen. Eva blogs about lifestyle, fashion travel and food at the Whatever Eva. We became friends shortly after. Eva’s been to more places than I’ve been so I felt like sharing her perspective on this blog and decided to do this interview.

Hi Eva, we’re glad to have you here on Philippine Island Living. Just so our readers will have a background, can you tell our readers about yourself and your blog?

Hi there. Well, for starters, I’m a 20-something blogger who works full-time at a BPO company. I’m into fashion, photography, visual arts, and traveling. I’ve been blogging for about five years. My first blog was a literary blog but it’s no longer updated. I currently have three active blogs. One of which is a personal blog, the other is a photography blog, and the third one is my focus blog, is all about fashion, food, travel, and lifestyle.

You write a lifestyle blog that has a mix of fashion, food and travel. How do you get to pick food places you go to?

I always like to try out something new. So whenever I go somewhere, I would always pick a restaurant or food place that I haven’t tried yet.

Do you go to hole in the wall type of food places or fine restaurants? Why?

Both. I’m not really picky about food places. I can do fine dining and all that but you can also take me to hole-in-the-wall types. You can even make me eat street food. As long as the place looks clean then it’s fine with me.

Can you share with us some examples (and maybe a few pictures) of places you like?

One of the places that I like is Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Well, love. I love everything about Vigan. I love the vintage feel of Crisologo street. I love how being there seems to transport me to another era. And then there’s Negros(Note: There’s a town in the Philippines called Negros, there’s no racist pun intended). I like how small the whole area is but there is just so much to see. I particularly fell in love with The Ruins in Talisay, Negros, which is what’s left of the Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson Ancestral Home.There’s also Boracay which has the two things that I love: beach and a good night life. Oh, and for somewhere that’s closer to home, there’s Intramuros. Again, vintage. (Links: Bacolod, Boracay)

Boracay:

What do you enjoy most about life in the Philippines?

I love variety and there’s a lot of it here in the Philippines. It’s like you don’t run out of new things to see and new experiences worth remembering. You get different cultures just by going from one place to another. And the travel time is really not that long. A couple of hours can take you to a place where the dialect is different, the food is different but you’ll never feel alienated. That’s the good thing. You’ll always feel right at home.

Do you have a regular place you travel to?

Yes. For one, there’s Iloilo. I go there once every two years. Both my parents are pure Ilonggos. Our roots, both mother side and father side, hail from Visayas. Then there’s Bacolod. We also have some relatives there. Lastly, whenever I want to just get away from the city, there’s Batangas, Tagaytay, and Los Banos, Laguna. Batangas for the beaches. Tagaytay to relax and unwind. Los Banos for nature tripping and because I consider it as my second home. You see, I studied in UPLB so I lived there for about five years of my life.

Could you tell us a story of the most unforgettable travels in the Philippines?

One of my most unforgettable travels is our class fieldtrip to Ilocos. It was for our Humanities subject. That wasn’t my first time to Ilocos though. We stayed at a hotel in Kalye Crisologo in Vigan for three days and toured around Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. We even went to this beach in Pagudpud. And on the way home, we stopped by Baguio for some sight-seeing and souvenir shopping. Three epic days of my college life.

Then other one is just very recent. I went with my friends to Baler in Aurora. It was unforgettable for me because it has always been my dream to surf. Well, dream come true. I learned how to surf. Yes, I actually got to stand up on the board. Then I was wiped out, and got hit by the board and got tangled with the leg rope. Hahaha. But it was scary and fun and I’d really like to do it again some time. (Links: Ilocos Trip Photos, Baler Photos)

Thank you so much for sharing. Are there any tips that you’d like to share with our readers?

Hmm. I would just like to share a tip for bloggers out there. Never go out without a camera, even if it’s just a camera phone. Because sometimes, those blog-worthy moments are the spontaneous and un-planned ones. So that’s it. Thanks for having me here. I had fun sharing my experiences.

Want more of Eva?

Read more about Eva’s trip to Baler here. Read her blog Whatever Eva. Follow Eva on twitter.

Written on July 31st , 2012 by Kevin Olega