I am really glad that I found Maia Life's plant-based protein blend to add to my daily diet. It is packed with pea, brown rice, and hemp seed instead of whey protein, which I avoid due to hormonal imbalances. Their chocolate flavor also reminds me so much of yummy chocolate drink I used to have when I was a kid, so it definitely brought happy memories. 

In addition to the plant-based protein , it is combined with with adaptogenic herbs, like reishi, chaga, and lion's mane, that provide additional health benefits. Here are some potential health benefits of plant-based protein with adaptogens:

It's important to note that while plant-based protein with adaptogens may provide these potential health benefits, they should not be used as a replacement for a balanced diet and regular exercise. Additionally, individuals should always speak with a healthcare provider before taking any new supplements or making significant changes to their diet.

Learn more about Maia Life plant-based protein powder here.

Did you know that there is a safe way to dispose of unwanted or expired over-the-counter and prescription medications? You can check the link here to find the nearest kiosk. LifeInCheck Consumer Drug Take-Back™​ has created this tool to help you safely dispose of unused or expired medications. Simply enter your zip code to get a list of safe drug take-back kiosks in your area.

The LifeInCheck Consumer Drug Take-Back™​ program helps to educate Americans on the dangers of leaving prescription drugs unattended in the home. From diminishing the risk of drug abuse to helping protect the environment, disposing of your medications properly makes your community a healthier, safer place.

In the US alone, 18 million people over the age of 12 have misused medication at least once in the past year. Patients of unused medications today take many forms, from flushing down the toilet or pouring in the drain, to throwing them in the garbage, or worse. More often than not, the end result is damage to our environment, drug diversion, or the drug being abused by others.

To assist in reducing these issues and bringing awareness to the massive opioid crisis that is plaguing many families, LifeInCheck Consumer Drug Take-Back™​ program provides consumers with a safe option to responsibly dispose of unused or outdated medications in secure kiosks located across the US.

I went to Safeway in Novato, California, and walked to the pharmacy area where I found LifeInCheck Consumer Drug Take-Back™​ green kiosk. After reading the simple guidelines, I was glad to know that they accepted pet medications as well since I brought that along with another expired prescription. I simply opened the drawer and dropped the pill bottle.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar on April 22, 2023, as National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. This event is a safe, convenient, and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired prescription drugs at locations in communities throughout the country.

Add-on bonus: A blogger hack. Free stock photos from Pixabay.

Skyscanner: This is my preferred travel comparison site because it sources from even from smaller airlines. 

Rakuten: If your primary method of booking travel is online, then you must have Rakuten. It offers cashback on the most popular sites, such as Expedia, Orbitz, etc. I use their Chrome extension so it is easier to detect whether the website I'm on is part of the Rakuten program. 

Booking.com: My hotel booking platform of choice is Booking.com since it shows both hotels and apartments (some of which are also listed on Airbnb). More so, they have a filter option for Soundproof, which I haven't seen in any other booking platform. Older, cheaper hotels and some residential homes listed as short-term rentals are usually sub-par when it comes to drowning the noise so determining those with soundproof at the get go is very important.  

Be nice: Here is the most uncommon travel hack of all time. If you run a travel blog or have significant followers on any social media platform with a media kit, be nice when reaching out to hotels or even travel agencies when requesting for media rates. The average media rate discount is around 20%. All it takes is your time to send email inquiries. Learn how to request for a hotel media rate.  

Happy travel hacking!

Disclaimer: Affiliates links on this post. 

I always jump at every opportunity to drive to the secret gem of Central California, Santa Barbara. The iconic sunset amidst the palm trees is unforgettable as well as its coastal cuisine leaves you wanting for more. This time around, my quick trip in Santa Barbara led me to discover California-inspired Barbareño from executive chef/owner Julian Martinez and the family-friendly pizzeria, Bettina, from owner Rachel Greenspan.

California cuisine is characterized by an emphasis on fresh and seasonal ingredients. Local farmers' markets and specialty food purveyors are a staple of California cooking, and many of the state's top restaurants, like Barbareño, are known for their commitment to using locally-sourced, seasonal produce and sustainable seafood. These are evident in all their dishes that I tried -- each of which had a unique story that leaves a memorable experience for any type of diner whether you're solo dining, like I did with my dog in their outdoor seating, on a date or with friends.

There are many great reasons to travel the world and explore new destinations. Traveling is good for your mind, body, and soul and will help you gain a new perspective on life.

It’s good to step outside of your normal routine every so often and take a break away. If you’re ready to do more traveling overall, then you’ve come to the right place to learn more. The following information will advise you on how to make traveling a bigger part of your life so that you can make this a reality.

Make it A Priority

If you want to make traveling a bigger part of your life then you must make it a priority. There are many different things you can spend your money on so be picky about setting it aside and using it for travel. Make a bucket list and know where you want to go next. Free up valuable weekend time by getting the chores and your errands done during the week. Keep yourself inspired to want to travel by printing out photos of your past trips and looking at them regularly.

These are some effective and useful ways to make traveling a bigger part of your life. You’ll find that the trips you take and memories you create will be forever cherished. It’s all about how you choose to approach this matter and that you commit to making travel a priority going forward.

A Warm "Bula"
After arriving in an early morning flight from SFO to Nadi, my travel buddy and I were greeted with a "Bula!" to welcome us to the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa; "Bula" means welcome in Fijian, and I later discovered that some locals even say it with more gusto! I could feel the warm South Pacific morning breeze as we were whisked away in a golf buggy cart to the newly renovated, exclusive 'adults-only' Watui Beach Club. 

The hospitable staff at Watui Beach Club making his rounds with happy hour snacks.

The exclusive beach club is for adults only.

The Watui Beach Club recently re-opened after a renovation.

Decked in yellow-gray color palette, the Watui Beach Club has a more sophisticated vibe than the general lobby area, which has a tour desk with Rosie Holidays and also a check-in airport counter. The beach club welcomes guests with their own open-air reception area and definitely goes above and beyond the regular hospitality expected of an international branded resort. Even though the check in time is in the mid-afternoon, our room was already ready that morning. With a modern, open floor plan of the bathroom vanity and a private deck facing the resort's serene garden, our room exudes a modern, tropical vibe. Plus, free daily laundry is available for beach club guests!

The chic bathroom vanity is adjacent to the bedroom.

The hotel grounds with its modern outdoor furniture.

Located in Denarau island, which was developed starting in the 70s to cater to the bourgeoning tourism industry and is an easy 20 minute cab ride from the Nadi international airport, Sofitel is connected with other big-brand, deluxe international resorts. Once we rejuvenated ourselves with a short nap, we had a leisurely walk to explore the other resorts along the shoreline. Apart from the resorts, the island now houses a golf course, apartments and a port marina with restaurants and retail stores.

Sunset at the Robinson Crusoe Island
After a much-needed downtime in Sofitel, we were once again feeling the tropical breeze as we departed for a late afternoon cruise with Rosie Holiday, one of the large travel agencies in the island, in the Tuva river to the island of Robinson Crusoe. While chasing the sunset though, our boat's motor decided to take a break half-way through the excursion, and our boat carrying about 2 dozen or so tourists was hauled to the island by another boat.

With our little misadventure behind us, the villagers of Robinson Crusoe greeted us with a big "Bula" and welcomed our group with a kava ceremony. Other Polynesian islands also partake in the kava ceremony, but in Fiji, kava or also known as yaqona is a mildly narcotic drink made from mixing powdered root of a pepper plant with water and is served on a half coconut shell. The end result tastes like unsweetened chocolate drink.

Kava is scooped out of the bigger to a half coconut shell.

We were shown the traditional way of cooking meats, creamed vegetables, and other root crops in an underground oven called as lovo. As a former British colony, the island attracted many Indians to settle in country even up this day who are now called as Indo-Fijians. Because of this history, Fijian cuisine is highly influenced with spices from India, and I tasted them mostly through the vegetables served that night. Then after a satisfying lovo dinner, the unique fire dance of the Robinson Crusoe tribe started and ended with an astonishing finale - a combination of fire dancing and fireworks display.

The fire dancing finale. Watch it in the video below.

Fijian Island Hopping is a Must 
An island destination is never complete without island hopping. The port marina in Denarau is the starting point location for island trips to famous islands, such as the Mamanuca group of islands where the famous Tom Hanks movie, Cast Away, was filmed in the island called Monriki. The Turtle island nearby is also the film location of the 80s hit Blue Lagoon, which sparked my interest in island living as a young child.

Besides from a photo op in the famous Help Me scene in the movie, we also went on a unique bush walking tour, in which some of us got to experience firsthand what it's like to be living on the island barefoot, highlighting some other scenes in the movie. Can you find Wilson below?

Tip: Don't go barefoot if you're not used to little spiky bushes on the sand. 

Help me!!!

Reminds me of the Naked Island in Siargao, Philippines. Smooth white sand + crystal blue waters.

Exploring the South Coast 
Our next day was full of car misadventures. Our tour with Discover Fiji had a delay on the way down to the South Coast- what was supposed to be a 3-hour trek turned out to be 4 hours. But despite the set back, we eventually arrived at the Koromakawa Village, where we took a river cruise to a waterfall - this time without a glitch - and then was welcomed back into the village with a kava ceremony and local dancing. In our entire trip, I had the most sumptuous lovo buffet lunch in this village with their authentic Fijian version of pumpkin curry being the runaway winner.

One Last Hoorah 
Most of the flights departing to the US are in the evening, so on our last day, we took a half-day morning tour with Valentine Tours Fiji to the Sri Siva Subramaniya, the largest Hindu temple in the South Pacific, the sleeping giant garden, a village tour, and mud pool.

Tip #1: Be forewarned that the sleeping giant doesn't have a big statue as shown on Tripadvisor and other sites. It got its name from the formation of the mountain that looks like a giant is asleep.

Tip #2: The Tifajek mud pool and hot springs guide is an expert photographer, but please don't go with a white swim attire as it would be difficult to clean thereafter. The hot spring is also 40+ degrees celsius, which helps with sunburn but is really prickly to the skin.

The pond with lots of frogs at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant.

Vinaka Vaka Levu
Before it was time to say goodbye to the Watui Beach Club, we did get to experience their breakfast, dinner and happy hour service. The morning breakfast in the beach club sets itself apart from the usual buffet breakfast since guests are highly encouraged to order from an ala carte menu in addition to the few buffet items that are also available, such as fruits croissants, champagne, and dried fruits. I took note of the unlimited morning champagne to make my own mimosa! What I would have loved to see though for breakfast in this restaurant are more choices on fresh fruit juices and tea instead of powdered juice or iced tea, respectively.


With a more romantic vibe, dinner service is more apt for a celebratory meal, which we did so with New Zealand oysters, more fresh seafood and steak, among others in the menu. We cheered to a relaxing trip that went by so quickly and was blessed with good weather.

In our last hours at the Watui Beach Club, we joined in their happy hour with free wine, champagne and canapes. Then, the staff once again astounded me with their Fijian hospitality when they helped us secure another room to shower and change before our flight because the spa room, which is typically where guest who have already checked out can shower, was broken.

Vinaka Vaka Levu means thank you very much in Fijian!

Despite the locals embracing Fiji time, I was surprised that all our tour pickups were always on-time. So here's a video below to see what it truly means to be in Fiji time - a time to relax and reflect what is truly important in life.

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A post shared by Gastronomic MisAdventures (@c3lsius) on Nov 23, 2019 at 5:28pm PST

Disclaimer: I was offered a media rate by Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa, Rosie Holidays, Discover Fiji, and Valentine Tour Fiji for this collaboration in Fiji. 

Pigeons greeted me as I started my morning walk at the revitalized Venice Beach. The early-bird surfers from afar took the waves with much aplomb. As I watched spray painters giving a graffiti wall fresh paint and skate boarders practicing in Venice's seaside skate park, I noticed the refreshed vibe at the boardwalk.

A few minutes away is Dudley Market, a wine bar with emphasis on seasonal seafood tucked away in an unassuming part of Venice Beach. The night drive on the one-way street to Dudley Market was a misadventure at first, but I found a parking spot at the busier Pacific Avenue street. After a safe, short walk to the restaurant, I rewarded myself with their fresh catch of the day, which surprisingly came in a colorful plate of melt-in-your mouth sashimi. 

Without doubt, the revitalized Venice Beach is eager to welcome back tourists and locals to experience its eccentric, surfing vibes anew.