Man life isn’t easy when you’re on your own. Although there’s a discipline to be taught, when times get tough, they really get tough. Let me put it this way; it’s now the second year where I’ve been living alone here in Manila, getting by on my own terms. It’s been a tough run really experiencing first hand what it’s like to be deserted from all your friends and family and just doing my own thing and finding my own way. Although I’ve never really made a big deal about it in my life, I keep it to myself knowing that one-day people will want to hear my full story. I’ve got a long way to go and this is just the start of it all.

The vision is set and ready to unfold; all I have to do now is stay consistent and most importantly, stay focused. When you’re 22 living on your own, it’s very easy to end up going down the wrong path. Mummy isn’t there to clean up your mess. Even though that was the best thing about growing up as a kid – eventually, yeah we have to let go and learn from our own experiences. You can never say that your life’s in order, because there’s always something new to learn, or something old to fix. You just have to keep yourself grounded and accept the new challenges waiting to happen.

I always enjoy mixing up navy blue with white; to me navy blue is the equivalent of black. The colors are every effective and nothing too serious. Blue and white are usually colors that don’t cry for attention but somehow, when you put the two together, they effortlessly become an appealing ensemble.

Boy London tee, thrifted bomber jacket, Timex nato strap watch, Cheap Monday stovepipe skinny jeans, Converse All-Star high tops.

For those who follow my blog outside the Philippines who are unfamiliar with the city of Vigan, it is a World Heritage Site in that it is one of the few Hispanic towns left in the Philippines. Vigan is well known for its unique architecture that fuses Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction with colonial European architecture.

Everyone is very friendly to one another, very respectful towards each other’s privacy. The locals do as they please and it’s a really great vibe the moment you take your first steps throughout the cobblestone streets. Although we were a big group to start off with, we all eventually paired up into smaller groups so we could all do our own thing. The antique stores really got my attention, admiring the old furnishings and traditional catholic antiques. Everything was bargain and if I had the time and space, I would do all my furniture shopping in Vigan.

One of my favorite shots of the trip. The boys and I were fortunate enough to ride on the tray of a pick-up truck - something highly illegal back in Australia but was a great first experience. What was really funny was when the truck picked up high speeds, and seeing the reactions of my friends because they had little to hang on too. Hahaha.

 I honestly felt like I was in outskirts of Barcelona

We ate too many Empanadas...

Apologies for the delayed blog post. Many things have happened in the past week, good things of course. I’m actually in the process of redoing the layout and format of my blog, which is looking really dope at the moment. I can’t wait for you all to see my new format. I’m also about to make a job offer for anyone interested in becoming an intern photographer for me, so if you happen to know of anyone that would be interested, please keep him or her in mind.

If you’re curious as to where these photos were taken, it was actually done at the ZALORA warehouse out in Paranaque. I had just finished my photo shoot for their online store and seeing it was a change of scene, it looked pretty cool to go with the grunge vibe inside the warehouse. I’m hoping the weather doesn’t consistently rain like it has been recently, because it’s been a real challenge for me to get around, seeing as I don’t have a form of transportation yet in Manila. Wish me the best of luck getting around!

Green and red is always a nice mix but the hard part about pulling it off is by not making yourself look like you're dressed for a Christmas celebration. With this outfit, I feel I can get away without that first impression due to the pattern shirt and my new mustard high-tops from Sebago to relax the contrast of the colors. But I always like to mention, if you're happy with what you wear, then by all means go with your mood.

Mustard shoes from Sebago, green chino pants from Zara, Cheap Monday shirt via Zalora and custom watch.

What started off as a simple conversation about travelling and sightseeing in the Philippines, actually escalated into an actual out of town trip to Vigan two days later. The biggest thanks goes out to Chelsey Singson for being able to make it all happen. I have been dying to get out of town for months now since arriving back to Manila from Australia, and when this trip was set in stone, I lost my shit! It’s such a dreamlike voyage to have the opportunity to just go out of town whenever you like, or even leave the country as you wish when you have your own private jet(s). What’s cool about Chelsey is that she doesn’t boast about anything at all like what I have actually witnessed from big-noters in the past. She’s a very humble breed haha.

As a young child, I would travel to Vigan often with my family to digest the picturesque, Spanish orientated town. From what I remembered at the age of 12 compared to now, I can actually say that it’s such a beautiful destination to escape to. Now that I’m a little older and more visually inspired, I’m really able to now appreciate the surreal feeling of travelling and sightseeing compared to back in the day when I’d find any form of travelling to be boring haha. You only live once, so absorb as much as you can before time runs out.

Stay tuned for more pics!

 This was one of Chelsey's two private planes which I was totally blown away by. The plane we took catered to a larger group whereas her father's other plane is a legit Learjet!

Enjoy the slideshow!

BLOG GIVEAWAY #2

Life isn't always about the party and social life, it's also about being able to give back and appreciate how lucky some of us are in life. This weeks competition is this sweet messenger backpack I picked up thanks to SM Accessories. Please by all means go ahead and take chance to win! Definitely the perfect piece to top off that preppy look.

How to win:

1) Follow and like my Instagram photo via www.instagram.com/robbieoffduty


2) Instagram or Twitter me a photo with the hashtag #robbieoffduty of you wearing your best chosen outfit that you would pair this awesome bag with! (Don't forget to 'tag' me in your Instagram pic) or email to robbiebecroft@yahoo.com if your Instagram is on private.


Winner will be once again announced this coming THURSDAY, 13th. Goodluck! 

On Brent Javier: Shirt from Zara, New Era 5panel cap, UNIQLO shorts and Nike runners.
On Robbieoffduty: Cheap Monday plain tee, Lee Swagger Skins, Seven For All Mankind button down, Boxfresh shoes and Panda sunglasses

I think many of us have been waiting for this to finally happen. Two male fashion enthusiast/models here killin' it together in one shoot. It was great to catch up with Brent as he got me to model for his online clothing website (www.pormada.com) shooting 40 layouts in a span of 3 hours. It was really a perfect collaboration. I actually have a lot of respect working with Brent because he already has an idea with creative direction from his long-time modeling experiences. We were also able to bounce back and forth different ideas and concepts that made the shoot even more interesting.

Knowing Brent for quite some time now, he was happy and willing to give a lending hand when I asked him to be part of today's blog post. It wasn't really anything serious as you can see, but it was great it included him just so I can change it up a little... I'm honestly sick of looking at myself so it was great to be able to not focus on me for the first time.

New favorite song! So inspiring.

It was 8:30am when I received a phone call from Coleen, waking me up saying “Rowb, come na lang with me to ABS kasama ni Krissy & Erika. They’re going to watch Showtime and you should come with!” I wasn’t really sure how to respond seeing as I was caught by surprise – not sure whether I should have been excited or a little anxious. Seeing as I was pumped for a busy week ahead, I talked myself into starting the week with a little backstage photography so people can get an idea what it's like behind the set.  

After cooking an awesome breakfast (scrambled eggs on toast with chilli sauce and pepper), I quickly got change in preparation, ready to be picked up by Coleen and the rest of her entourage - all set for what would be a day in the life of my little sis Coleen Garcia.

Walking through the backstage vicinity of ABS-CBN television station, it was really overwhelming for me to discover how colossal the networks location really is. Having lived close by for nearly a year now, I never really paid attention to the architecture and size of its location, so it was all so new to me.  For a TV station that's been situated for decades, I have to give it to ABS-CBN for being very well maintained, taking in mind that tens of thousands of people walk in and out each day.

Catching up with small chit-chat and discussing plans ahead, a lady shortly after barges into the Coleen’s dressing room screaming “Miss Coleen, we are live in 40 seconds!” Coleen drops everything, unravels her tightly curled-up hairdo and bolts down the corridor running at full pace in her neon green high heels! Everybody makes way for her. “Holy shit!” I thought, “now that's Filipino timing!” what a transition that was from make-up, shortly followed by live on air! Believe it or not, that's just a regular day in the office for these guys.

Shortly following Coleen to the set, the guards escorted Krissy, Ericka and I to the main seating area where we finally caught our first glimpse of Showtime, live on air. It was amazing. I could not believe what my eyes were seeing. Everyone was dancing, jumping up and down with excitement as the show kicks off with its introduction spiel.  The feeling was very surreal, definitely a feeling I could get use to.

I love this guy. He's a stage operator and at the same time a part of the act. You can just tell he's loving life. Happydayze. 

There was definitely some strange and interesting acts performed but nonetheless, everyone including myself were all in laughter.  

Towards the end of the show, I thought to myself - for a TV show that airs live for roughly 2 hours, Showtime is definitely packed with a variety of mystery and surprises. Taking the time to exhibit everything first hand is also an adventure of its own and for sure it won’t be my last time to visit. I highly recommend it if you ever have the opportunity to catch any of their live shows at ABS-CBN. Even just witnessing everything happen is a whole different experience of its own.