A NY MINUTE

I ran to New York for about 40 Hrs and tried to make the most of it. Even though most of it was for work I did hit up a cute restaurant, soho house and the glossier showroom. I'm kind of shocked I didn't grab macarons from Laduree or anything from Dominic Ansel. I need to just go for like 5 days on my own.

I did go to the glossier showroom so all was right with the world. Its in a penthouse in SOHO with a line in the front so you know its hype. You take an elevator up where everything is laid out to test. Then you order on an ipad and the pick and pack in their signature packaging and call your name when its done. I kind of wish more stores were like that. It was super simple and so pretty.... so pretty I'm redoing my bathroom to be glossier inspired. (it's extra, I know)

I ended up watching 4 movies on my total 11 hr airtime flying coast to coast:
Fahrenheit 451
Call me by your name
Love, Simon
Ready Player One
And as a bonus I finished American Vandal season 2.
I recommend them all. I cried watching Love, Simon on the plane. It was so sweet.

I only took ONE pair of sneakers and they were my most understated pair:

I present... Samba Rose.

And thats it. My New York minute. Also, why is NY so expensive? I would LOVE to live there but chile...


XO-TAMARA ALTAIR

WHY IS SUMMER OVER? A photolog.

Summer is almost over, I know Labor day is the official end, but fall equinox is still a few weeks away. In true summer send off spirit I had to jam 3 more things into my last summer week. Summer Friday's ended and I feel like I spent my whole summer trying to plan my future. I did enjoy moments of it, but all July and August have been a literal retrograde. In an attempt to play catch up I fit in a soccer game, wine tasting and a boat day into one week. (Game not pictured because I looked busted that day)

2018 is so weird y'all.
XO-Tamara Altair

BORACAY, PHX

I didn't expect to still be a little jet lag. It was a long week back, my life is always me running from one moment to the next. With that being said, with my trip... After landing in Manila, I took off on a small plane to Boracay!

I had the right to do one touristy thing, and Boracay is that. Outside of the locals further into the island, the beach front was full of foreigners. Prices were higher (but still reasonable), and the beaches were really pretty. Sunsets were even prettier. We snorkeled, hiked, swam, and ate well. When the beach opens back up, visit Hoy Panga! They not only have really good food, but also smoothies and smoothie bowls. They were really sweet and had really good service. 

PHX TRAVEL LOG | THE DESSERT MUSEUM

I AM BACK! I am jet lagged but I am so happy to have gone to my homeland and hang out with my family, city hop, eat good food, and just relax. My first 2 week vacation ever. Thats right. I have never been allowed to go on a 2 week vacation before, so I am extra thankful to not only have the ability to go, but also have the encouragement to take time off to myself. So where do we start? Let's start where my vacation started: MANILA.

I was born in Manila, Philippines. I lived in PH for like maybe a year and then moved to the US. I have been back to PH 4 times now, and it changes so much everytime. I am also much older now since the last time I went, but that didn't mean I didn't want to be a kid and eat desserts and play in instagram heaven. My cousin works for the Conrad Hotel in Pasay City which is just off the Mall of Asia, and also on top of the Dessert Museum. Because of my travel schedule I landed in PH before my mom, so Cyn-cha and I both had a stay at the Conrad and a mouthwatering tour of the Museum.

The Doughnut room starts out with a slide. You slide into the museum. 

A bathtub full of gummy bears is actually kind of an amazing thing. After the gummy bear room we headed into the cotton candy room. When they spun cotton candy the sprinkled it with powdered milk. I was very confused but the flavor wasn't bad. I don't prefer it that way, but it was a unique experience. 

It was really fun! If you find yourself in Manila I recommend going. 8 rooms and 6 desserts later I was a happy tourist.

LOVE, MARA

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HTOWN HIATUS.

I hope everyone has a very happy holiday break. I am very happy to be in Houston to celebrate with friends and family. With that being said, I am going to take a much needed hiatus. This past year has been kind of long for me and definitely different in terms of blogging and creating content. It has had peaks and valleys but I don't want to post for the sake of posting. 

This doesn't mean I am going to stop posting, but I am going to age this blog a bit. I started this site almost 10 years ago when I just graduated high school. Quite a bit has changed since then and I have some new projects that I want to grow outside of what was malibumara.blogspot.com 

Buying malibumara.com was a great step when I graduated college... but now I am looking for whats next. 

CREATE & CULTIVATE PORTLAND

Create & Cultivate Portland was the same week as complexcon and I never got to share this event with you! It was great timing because it brings up a great concept: collaboration not competition. I've been dealing with some adversity at work and I finally am at a point where I just realize I'm always going to make someone mad. Even when it's not my fault. I am a black female in corporate America. I will always piss people off just by existing, so existing and making waves is a formula for some hateful vibes. There are people that will be mad based on insecurity and jealousy, and there are some people that embrace my disruption. The people cheering me on are the ones I am interested in investing time with. The people upset with your waves are people you don't want in your presence. There are ones that cheer you on to your face, but behind your back wish you fail beyond the things they are comfortable of doing. 

My advice is to keep collaborating with the right people and forget the competition. 

Create & Collaborate was a good night to be around other entrepreneurial minded women encouraging each other. The theme was tech but the values were definitely applicable in any field.

HELLO NOVEMBER |

It's almost the end of the year! October has been a true fall month and I am so glad it hasn't been the rainy mess last October was. Below is a collage round up of the month including my Halloween costume from yesterday. We were cards against humanity and I was "Resting Bitch Face." There was a pretty big group of us and I am really mad we didn't win any awards... but it was a good time. 

This November I am starting the month strong with the PDX Create & Cultivate pop-up, complex con, and a few other work projects. I can't wait to recap Create & Cultivate and share some tidbits with you all. 

December will be here before we know it, gotta start Christmas shopping and I have got to buy my flight back to HTX!

Happy November!

LOVE, MARA

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HEY FALL | PUMPKIN PATCH VIBES

Before the weather here gets really wet, we decided to take advantage of a good weather weekend and do fall things. Yes its a little chilly here already and I took the opportunity to head with some gals to a pumpkin patch out in Sauvie Island. Besides getting lost in a corn maze shaped like Damian Lillard, I picked up a cute pumpkin and tried my first elephant ear. Don't worry, its a flat churro. I have never seen it in Texas before, but I recommend it.

Now on to the fun part, decorating your pumpkins...

Here is some pumpkin inspo from pinterest. I am not sure which one I want to do yet but the little fox is screaming my name because he looks like my Toshiboy. Unicorn is also really cute but I would have to paint the whole thing! I should suck it up, I'm just not into carving. 

LOVE, MARA

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COURTYARD MARRIOT SAN DIEGO HOTEL

This post has taken me soooo long but I wanted to be sure to also share how amazing our Hotel stay was. Our first year at comic con will be hard to beat just because it was the first one and our hotel was really amazing. It was on the waterfront with the marina view and we were upgraded to a really cool modern suite with a wrap around balcony.
The next two years we not as lucky, but this year was really cool!

We stayed at the San Diego Courtyard Marriot in Downtown (503 broadway). We were so close that we were able to walk to the convention! Most of the hotels (especially if you book through Onpeak with Comic-Con) have free shuttles from your hotel and the center that run every 15-30 minutes. Our hotel technically had a shuttle but I always walked where I wanted to go. It was within walking distance of Horton Plaza (the really lack luster mall) and Spreckles (where Conan is filmed).

THE UNOFFICIAL START OF SUMMER!

DRESS C/O TOBI

The sun is out and the beloved 3 day Memorial weekend is here. For most people school is out and the vacation planning and pool hopping begins. My job has summer hours so I get to head out after lunch on Fridays. I thought this was great at first but the whole state is apparently on summer hours. Things are so crowded!!!

 In PDX some lows are around 50, it warms up to about 80 but this dress is so perfect for those cool nights! My dress is less than $30 right now and is from TOBI, my hat is last season H&M. 

With the season of sun here it is so important to protect your skin. Did you know that 86% of melanomas can be attributed to UV sun exposure?  The risk of melanomas double in people who have had more than 5 sunburns in their life.However, foods you eat can reduce your risk? These foods include blueberries, green tea, black tea, dark chocolate and cherries! These are already the perfect summer foods. Be sure to cover up with season! I will definitely be following my skincare routine and wearing hats when needed. My other favorite way to protect against the sun is different sunglasses! Every year I buy a new pair of Raybans but since I have a new job I no longer really have a Rayban plug. I have a few options and I will share which glasses I went with soon!

HELLO MARCH

Can it be? We are already into the 3rd month of the year! I still don''t believe I live in Portland. I'm not sure when it's supposed to settle in... maybe when I actually have real furniture and a house that looks like a home. Alas, a lot of my stuff is still sitting in Houston and we keep making plans but like the say, you can plan a picnic... But you can't predict the weather. This move didn't sound that difficult to begin. Don't get me wrong, PDX isn't bad, it's just not perfect, but I think a lot of that is me being alone up here. I really miss my pup and having stuff. Slowly but surely, at least my things will get here eventually.

In wrapping up February: If you haven't be sure to enter my Jord Giveaway.

I think I have been wearing my hair curly for 2 weeks now. I was flat ironing it so much I wanted to give my hair a small break. I just want my hair to be super long, I wish I could grow it 6 inches overnight.

My highlight of February was definitely visiting NY. I'm not sure when I got used to the cold, but the snow didn't bother me in NYC. It is probably because the streets were immediately and constantly salted. The vibe was just good. I like being able to walk everywhere and how everyone is always hustling.

I could definitely go for a couple more mini burgers and fries. Today is ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent. Besides not eating meat on Friday I am giving up cookies, brownies and cake. Cookies are really my major vice so this is going to be difficult but really good for me. I also am going to try to go to the gym at least 3X a week. I was going to say 5, but I need to be realistic... The gym isn't conveniently located down the street anymore. Also, I am going to be better about evolving my blog content. It has been hard to focus without things being how I am used to. I am working on some good plans to get on the right track. It will be very different, but I think it's going to turn out really good.

PHEWWW, before we know it it will already be April.

LOVE, MARA

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PHOTOLOG: Concrete Jungle Vibes

This post has taken longer than usual, my body is finally crashing! I have been going home and falling asleep. NO BUENO. It is luckily a 3 day weekend so I will be able to get some work done but also fit in some real rest. NY was so fun, I need to visit for fun later this year. The day we arrived it was an amazing 60 degrees, and then by day 2 we woke up to a mini blizzard. I DIDN'T HATE IT! NYC actually salts the sidewalks so it wasn't scary trying to walk around or get anywhere that we needed to be. Major WIN.

PHOTOLOG: SUPER BOWL WEEKEND IN HOUSTON

Coming to Houston, even though for a short time, was a great idea! I sat outside with a short sleeve tee, ate crawfish and got to spend time with my favorite people and pup. The night before the Super Bowl LI I wanted to experience at least one event. Being gone made me really sad, there were so many cool things going on around the city. I made my way into one of the largest events of the whole Super Bowl with the help of our friend Dom... THE MAXIM PARTY! If I had to only get into one thing, this was a great option. Downtown was over capacity and Maxim was in Sugarland. It was like the stars were all aligned.

Kyle, Mara, Dom (IE: Best friends forever)

Dj Khalid, DNCE and Travis Scott performed making the vibes major key by default. Chamillonaire brushed past but other "stars" like Nick Cannon, Carmen Electra, Fergie and Ludacris were in the building.

DNCE, Maxim did not allow professional photography so I couldn't get any good ones of Travis Scott or DJ Khalid.

For the actual Super Bowl we headed to Kyle's brother's house for a crawfish boil. It was great being outdoors in a short sleeve tee having my pick of the 90lbs of crawfish that were sacrificed for the game. Since there was an ice/ snow threat / cold and rain situation in Portland I was glad to just not be wearing a jacket and see sun. Crazy how something that simple makes me very happy.

They also bought a new puppy named Domino, a cute Dalmatian pup. He is so cute right now but he's going to get really big!

Overall Gaga did great, the game featured the first overtime ever and largest deficit comeback. Houston was pretty flawless when it came to the events and got MAJOR praise from attendees. This is the city that runs the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo, we got big events on lock.

 I am so happy to have been in Houston to feel the vibes in person. Heading back to Portland Tuesday then Wednesday morning.....


I'M OFF TO NEW YORK annnnd its Fashion week!
Whirlwind to say the least.

Weekend Wrap-Up| Its only been a week

It's only been a week since Donald Trump became president but it has had my mood way down. I hate logging into facebook and twitter. I want to be informed but the things that are happening make me mad and sad. Sorry I took a little break but getting on the internet wasn't fun for a moment. It still is rough but my blog should be an escape from that.  Besides all of that political nonsense this week was low-key... received a few shoe pick ups and more:

1) Kim Chi has become a staple in my life. I basically polished off this jar in a week. As it states, it is a great probiotic for your stomach! I like it to add it to rice and a protein. Its actually not that spicy to me but sooo good. This brand is not fishy which is great but it definitely smells gross if you throw away any left overs.

2)New Pickups:  NMD Tricolor and all white EQT! NMD is my favorite adidas model in general but the EQT is super comfy. I might has messed up buy grabbing all white but they are sooo good.

3) My friend Mandy went to Paris a few months ago and brought this back and I only had a tiny bite but it was sooo good. Milk chocolate and oreos, how can you go wrong? Well at Fred Meyer I found it stateside and DIED. SOOOO HAPPY. I don't know where you might find it but Fred Meyer is like Kroger so those two stores are ones to check.

4) In continuing my IHAVENOONETOTAKEMYPHOTOS struggle, I snapped this while roaming the employee store on Friday.


Thank god I will be completing all of my shoots when I am in Houston next week.
Besides that, I WILL BE IN NEW YORK FOR A WORK TRIP DURING NYFW. That should be interesting!

LOVE, MARA

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WEEKEND WRAPUP: San Antonio Love

I wish we had a bit more time to explore San Antonio a little bit more but between the wedding festivities and needing to pick up Toshi we didn't have time. The weekend was devoted to my friend Grace's beautiful wedding! I am so happy for her and her husband William!
Friday was spent for a rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and general last minute wedding errands. Saturday was the wedding and was a day full of basically getting ready and then the actual wedding. It was so fun spending the day celebrating Will and Grace.

Anything to take my mind off of moving.

LOVE, MARA

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WEEKEND WRAPUP: Fashion Filled Week in HTX

PHEW, its been a whirlwind of a week. Between all of the fashion events and changes in my personal life I feel bad I've been more exhausted to blog. I went to both the Neiman Marcus and Tidbits It Girls of Instagram event as well as the Vogue and Simon Luxe show.

Some of my favorite trends this season are dressed up sneakers, bomber jackets, embellishments and chokers. I ran into a few familiar faces and even met Deandre Hopkins at the Vogue event!

I'll be discussing fall trends and transitioning your wardrobe all week so stay tuned!

LOVE, MARA

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BACK FROM BELIZE

Living in Houston made it easy to take a trip to Belize for my friend Grace's bachelorette party! Southwest has a direct flight via southwest for under $300 (well when I bought it) and its only a quick 2.5 hr flight. Belize was beautiful and the weather was delightfully sunny the entire time. 

We stayed at a resort and enjoyed the beach, paddle boarding, a catamaran with snorkeling, lots of food, and lots of pool time. I am at least 6 shades darker from the sun and I regret nothing. 

Belize has a lot of cultural foods and their version of seafood ceviche was one thing I never said no to eating. On the Catamaran they made it for us and I actually was seasick! I threw up right after our first 1 hr snorkel session. Swallowing saltwater does not go well with already feeling an unbalanced equilibrium. 

Sharing a laugh with the Bride to be! 

The lovely ladies from the weekend! We are just missing Sebastian! We ate dinner at the cutest spot on the island! Everyone was so sweet. 

One of my favorite parts of Belize was Caye Caulker Island. The beach looked like a postcard. It looks so unreal. Of everything on the island Caye Caulker did look the most damaged from the hurricane. They were already in the process of rebuilding but the beach looked AMAZING. 

One of the snorkel stops was Shark Ray Alley. Im really upset that I got seasick because this looks AWESOME! Belize is somewhere I wouldn't mind going back to. In Belize we stayed off San Pedro which is a super quiet and chill smaller island. After arriving at the airport in BZE you will need to take either a small plan or a boat ferry to San Pedro Island. I took the small plan upon arrival and its only 15 minutes. THE PLANE FITS LIKE 10 PEOPLE! Its so small. After our trip we took the boat ferry which is nothing like the ferry's in Galveston. It was larger than a speedboat but I swear it went as fast as one. Our boat took about 2 hrs.
I have a few more photos from this fun trip! I'll be doing a couple more travel posts this week to share them all. I just want to be on the beach again.

UGH, Cheers to the work week!

Have a great weekend!

LOVE, MARA