tagged couples!

Got this tag from Daiz .

Copy this entire list of questions and change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then tag and pass it along to other blogging friends. Let’s see how well we can get to know one another!


1. What is your occupation?
Technically, Asst. Project Director ang title ko, basta yun, mahirap explain. Basta naghahanap kami ng mga mababait na tao sa kung saan-saan.

2. What color are your socks right now?
none

3. What are you listening to right now?
In Between Days cover by Korn

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
Tuna Spaghetti and KFC chicken

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
don't drive

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
purple, regal and serene

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
My mom, with Xan crying in the background..yayay kse :(

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Yup, one of the few mommy-friends I've become close with.

9. Favorite drink?
coke light

10. What is your favorite sport to watch?
nada, UFC minsan har-har

11. Have you ever dyed your hair?
years back, blue-black

12. Dog named
none at the moment

13. Favorite food?
pasta, steaks

14. Last movie you watched?
My Blueberry Nights online, Kite Runner at the cinema

15. Favorite Day of the year?
Christmas with my family

16. What do you do to vent anger?
I'm learning to talk to close friends, i used to just sulk in a corner

17. What was your favorite toy as a child?
do books count??

18. What is your favorite, fall or spring?
summer fun on the beach!!

19. Hugs or kisses?
both! slurp-slurp!

20. What kind of pie?
egg pie, my niece's apple pie

21. Do you want your friends to email you back?
Or answer this tag? of course

22. Who is most likely to respond?
i still don't know

23. Who is least likely to respond?
busy people

24. Living arrangements?
squatter, by my lonesome

25. When was the last time you cried?
Tuesday, over Kite Runner

26. What is on the floor of your closet?
shoes/slippers/dust/fallen hair

27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to?
Sugar, since high school

28. The friend you have known the shortest amount of time that you are sending this to?
Purply Hazy, about a year

29. Favorite smell?
baby powder

30. What inspires you?
Xan

31. What are you afraid of?
rejection

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
plain cheese

33. Favorite car?
don't have any

34. Favorite cat breed?
we used to have a black Himalayan :(...pusakal na lang para mura

35. Number of keys on your key ring?
2 keys

36. How many years at your current job?
going on 10, i'm ancient!!

37. Favorite day of the week?
weekends

38. How many provinces have you lived in?
Iligan and Manila; Oroquieta, Lanao del Sur during summer back when i was a kid

39. How many countries have you been to?
HK, Japan, Guam, Thailand, Sg, KL...yun pa lang so far.
*~*

8 Random Things About Xan:

1. Like Mommy, he loves ampalaya, chews on them even if it's still raw.

2. Unlike Mommy though, he eats carrots naman, and onions which Mommy puts on the side of her plate :p

3. He loves Jollibee the moment he saw him. He'd scream and clap his hands and rans to him like crazy hehe.

4. He's travelled to Davao, Zamboanga, Manila, Oroquieta, Batangas. His first airplane ride was at 6 months. But then again mommy was travelling to Bicol, Cotabato, Cebu, even when he was still in the tummy.

5. He was delivered through C-section due to cord coil and his chin was up making him difficult to move out. Bata pa mataray na umasta.

6. He is nocturnal like mommy. He learned his first few steps at around 2am when he was but 10 months old. He'd wake everyone up by dancing and squealing and pulling your hair on the wee hours of the morning.

7. Like Mommy he loves watching Game Ka Na Ba, till Edu replaced Kris. Love niya talaga si Kris, yikes!

8. Kapuso ang anak ko! Change it to a different channel and he'd scream at you, hala!

I'm tagging Haze and her bf, Sugar and the nephews, besties Jenn-Aileen hehe...

Kite Runner- The Movie

so this is going to be another rant/rave post.

a few months back i know i posted some review about the book, how it has made me stay up till late and ended up crying, moved, pondering over some scenes.

then i learned some news that it was to be made into a movie. well, i sort of had misgivings at first. it's a pretty emotional story with controversial themes dealing with human relationships and turmoils and a much more delicate social/political/racial issues. but i was excited nonetheless especially when i finally saw the trailer online which gave me enough reason to watch out for it.

anyway, a few nights ago i actually joined a Pex contest for free premier tickets. i know there has always been a lot of contests in the said forum but i just thought i'd try it out as it's actually The Kite Runner and all i did was copy/paste the answer of previous posters to the question "who is the author of the book Kite Runner?". how simple can that be. i even didn't take note where and when the preem was going to be.

so imagine my surprise when i got a message last night that i did bag the two tickets haha! that was almost midnight and i thought of "raffling" my extra ticket among my pex friends or maybe ask my cousin out when my college friend, Ron, popped out on ym. so i just asked him if he's free for the following day and said he is. he didn't even ask what the movie was all about hehe...

so there, earlier this afternoon, i left the office early to get my tickets in makati, where i almost got lost looking for their office. but that's another story altogether.

the venue was at SM Megamall, uhm, i've been so used to the cinemas at Gateway that i think the movie screen is now a bit smaller, haay. and we must be with the wrong crowd as most of them were rowdy and were even talking among themselves while we were silently sniffing. they must have gotten bored and didn't understand a thing *sigh* so enough of my reklamos haha, sorry!

so, finally, on with the film...

first of all, i believe it has a perfect cast, most especially the young Hassan. he's just really cute, not good looking but cute just the same. and he's a good actor for someone so young huh!

as the film progressed and i remember the scenes bit by bit, i suddenly wonder if they will ever show some delicate scenes and if they do i don't think i'd feel comfortable watching it. but then again it is still the main turning point of the story so they simply have to. how they are going to treat it cinematically ought to be a real challenge. but yes they did, along with all the other controversial parts.

i cringed, sniffed, felt revolted, moved to tears, got excited, all throughout the film.

(i realized i could't tell much details about it now as i dunno how to make spoiler tags here, and just the conscientious moviegoer that i am, i don't really dream of spoiling you even if some of you have actually read the book.)

and all i can say really is, it remains faithful to the book and most of the great scenes are shown in the movie. it may not be as detailed but most of the good parts are there. there is one aspect there which was a bit changed but i couldn't blame them as it turns out to be more exciting to watch onscreen.

and i enjoyed the kite flying scenes a lot! it was kinda hard to picture it based on the book, but the movie makes it really fun and exciting.( i have read though that the kids were holding balloons during the filming and was just edited during post-production hehe.)

the lightness and heady feeling of the kites hovering as the kids frantically run about gives the movie an over-all subtle play of emotions. we know and feel that there are some parts that are heavy and intense but how they are being presented makes them appear as some dark stains to an otherwise youthful and hopeful film.

and even if the movie, which was initially set in Kabul during its glory days, showed how it was ravished by the Russian invasion and eventually by the Talibans it still manages to depict a more optimistic and glorious ending for it's main characters which like the older Hassan wrote to the older Amir:

"I dream that my son will grow up to be a good person, a free person. I dream that someday you will return to revisit the land of our childhood. I dream that flowers will bloom in the streets again... and kites will fly in the skies! "

a welcome getaway

Punta Fuego, Nasugbu, Batangas

i never knew summer fun could be this early for me.

a few days ago, my HS bud, Lala asked me if i would want to join them for their Fuego trip. I've never been there, i didn't have any idea what it looks like and i have a lot of doubts about enjoying it there as i didn't have any high hopes for the beaches in batangas. i just told her i wouldn't be too sure as i had my tooth extracted that day too and i knew i needed to rest.

the night before i had some mean party with a few friends and came home late that i wasn't really sure if i could be up early for the trip. but lo and behold, i woke up just before my alarm went off at 5:45am...thus by 7am i found myself dozing off on my friend's car on the way to nasugbu, batangas.

we got there at about 10am and my saying that the place is nice is but an understatement. i love it there! the sand is not so white but it's almost powdery fine, and there's not much rocks in there so it's safe to walk around barefoot, never mind the hot, hot sand hehe.

but the water is really cold, medyo may nangangagat nga lang. they say it's water mites and not jelly fish stings. i had rashes for a while pero nawala din naman. unlike the ones i got in la luz, batangas which left me a few scars from those rashes :-C.

we went to the nearby resort which is Munting Buhangin for lunch as the food in Punta Fuego is quite expensive. we saw a lot of families there and some even pitched tents for a minimal fee.

since Punta Fuego is a membership-only resort, i can't help but just recommend Munting Buhangin instead as they share the same stretch of beach anyway. and it's pretty much easy to just cross over to their resort hehe...i got there brochure and here's what i found:

duplex aircon cottage (6-15 pax) P7500
single aircon cottage (6-15pax) P8000
family inn aircon (9-12pax) P6800
nipa house aircon (4-10pax) P2750
tree house (2-10pax) P2900

pwde rin mag pitch ng tent for P500.oo
may volleyball, darts, kayak, videoke, etc.

you may contact them at their makati ofc 892-6051 loc. 410/812-5448/818-1975/818-4798
email: buhangin@info.com.ph

i believe this beach stretch of Punta Fuego and Munting Buhangin is way better than that of La Luz, and even that of White Beach in Galera, as the sand here is finer, the water clearer, more calm and predictable.

and the added bonus is a view of this magnificent sunset. it looks so serene and calm. it helped much that we had quite a cool day that time which made everything more relaxing.

we got home past six and dropped by Tagaytay for dinner. too bad we we're not able to have bulalo that time as Leslie's was packed so we ended up having an all-american dinner at Mile-Hi Diner, ok din naman.

of course, i'd like to thank my sponsors, Anne and Lala for the trip and newfound friends Linda and Norma for the company. t'was a totally awesome experience!

dealing with pain

i watched Juno tonight and i just find it really good and heartwarming. i actually cried on the last part (dang, why am i always crying over movies i watch??).

but this time i knew so well why i cried...

ok, this won't be easy for me. it's not like i get to show all the time how wimpy i could be.

well, i'm due for a tooth extraction soon. not that i'm scared of my dentist. i have regular prophylaxis, i've even had a root canal treatment once. and my current dentist who's my high school classmate is actually good at making me feel easy and comfortable on the chair. but i dunno why i got so jittery with this prospect of having a tooth pulled out once more. but then again it has been ages since the last one. i could actually wait up for summer when i get home for this procedure but another part of me is making me push myself and just go on with this one.

i have been thinking about this for weeks now just that i am sort of biding my time. this morning i went to a dentist nearby and asked for an appointment. i have called last week and was decided to do it today, i knew someone is in duty yet i still went there acted as if i'm just interested for an appointment. i sort of changed my mind and had it rescheduled instead for the next day.

I have always believed that i have a higher tolerance for pain. that i have always been able to control, take care of myself. that i could take in anything whether it's good or bad, pleasurable or not.

just that this time, i don't know why, i'm just feeling oh so freaked out. i even texted my mom to say that "i'm going to have a tooth extracted. i am scared".

i had quite a hard time blurting it out to people that i am indeed scared of my coming appointment. it was just a sort of acknowledgment to what i was really feeling.

i cried while watching Juno because i realized how petty my fear is as compared to what other people are actually experiencing and what i have been through in the past.

i cried because i remembered i once gave birth too (yeah, i sometimes i need to be reminded of that). and my, that one wasn't one easy labor. i was in pain for like 4 hours as contractions came in, i was well-dilated as the doctors said (oops, TMI!) but Xan just refused to cooperate as if he didn't want to come out as easily. i was near faint, i was vomiting and pissing all over and hell, he just didn't want to budge a bit that they had to decide to cut me up.

hehe, i was asked several times if i could just go opt for a CS and all i could say was " ask my mom" the doctors must be having the time of their life when they heard that.

indeed they had to go ask my mom who was waiting nervously outside and just gave the go signal. so there, i got cut up right before the anesthesiologist had to wrestle with me so i could get my spine shot.

"injection lang ang masakit, everything else will be ok"

sigh. i so love my mom. that was her reply to my text message. even if i've been far away almost half my life, making decisions, fending, bearing everything that i could, i always turn to my mom whenever i want to. and she's just always there.

oh well, at least i had a good cry. i just hope i'll do just fine. i mean i've had a minor operation once, i have a few piercings, i get regular wax jobs, how much pain could i not take?

i'll just get myself a tub of ice cream right after then.

no sex, no Pex, just this survey...

::People::
Who is your closest friend?
my high school buds, my pex family, tsak, jenn, ai, ally, andrea, hitads...they all kinda know me in varying degrees.

What annoys you the most about them?
when they ask too many questions/ when they don't ask anything at all hehe labo!

Are you single? Or taken?
taken (for granted) haha joke!

If single, are you interested in someone?
uhuh

Who?
chismoso ka ha!

What is your "type"?
someone who can stimulate me in all the right places

::Who did you last...?::
Kiss?
si ally, sayang di natapat sa lips

Watch a movie with?
my mom

Hold hands with?
Xan

Spend time with?
Ron

Tell about something bothering you?
oh my, don't make me start!

Email?
budget proposal

Text?
my phone's been silent so no one

Dance with?
myself :p

::Places::
Where did you last go?
Xocolat, just across admu

What country do you want to visit?
europe and the holy land

Where do you feel the safest?
my room, with Xan

What grocery store did you last go to?
rustan's

Where would you want to get married?
where i will be taken to get married

If you were going to die tomorrow, where
would you go?
huh? mamamatay na maglalakwatsa pa ba??

What state do you not want to go to?
in his state of mind (korny!)

::Colors::
Does red mean love or hate?
passion

What do you think of orange?
very vibrant

Is yellow the worst color on cars?
not really

What do you think of when I say green?
la sallista, yuck! haha!

Blue- water or sky?
sky

How many shades of purple can you think of?
violet, plum, lavender, lilac, periwinkle, blue violet, magenta

::Think about it::
If the love of your life just got dumped by their boyfriend/girlfriend, how long would you wait until you made a move?
haha! not in my books, sorry.

If you were on your way to a job interview and a person accidently bumped into you, causing them to spill their coffee on you, what would you do?
be annoyed..but i dunno really. have never really been to a job interview haha!

If a person you were in love with looked you straight in the eye and whispered "I
hate you", what would you say?
i'd be flattered. that means he loves me that much to be able to say he hates me straight in the eyes.

If someone was to propose to you tomorrow, who would you want it to be?
wag muna hehe

If you were to choose one car to drive for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
no idea. though gusto ko ng mini cooper talaga. kaso di kasya jan yung pamilya ko sayang.

::Random::
Do you look for crabs in those little pools of water at the beach?
..and shells and nice pebbles too.

What do you think of the word "moist"?
hmmm....chocolate cake na lang para safe haha!

When do you make wishes?
whenever i feel like

Do you have scars on your right hand?
nothing visible

Have you ever wondered how much people would care if you got in an accident?
oh yeah..especially on those times when i'd feel so KSP

Have you ever played Red Rover?
ano yan??

Electric or handheld pencil sharpeners?
electric! sosi naman..kahit ano basta alam ko gamitin

What is the most interesting thing on your wall?
the lyrics of Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen), had it for years

::Body::
When was the last time you washed your hair?
this morning

Have you ever had lice?
when i was a kid

Do you pluck your eyebrows?
it's waxed

Do you wash your face daily?
yup

Are your ears pierced?
yup

What is your opinion on your nose?
it's the same shape as my mom's

Do you crack your knuckles?
when i was in HS, till someone told me it's supposed to make them bigger

What kind of soap do you use?
dove, safeguard, kojic acid

Have you ever painted your nails?
just my toe nails

How much of your skin has been seen by a member of the opposite sex?
every inch haha

Are you comfortable with the way you look?
i'm ok with it

Do you shave your legs?
not anymore, wax advocate na

you sure you wanna be in fight club??

got this in my email and just thought of sharing this with you ...

HOW TO CONTROL EMOTIONS

This would give you guides on how to control your emotions towards your better-half, friends, officemates and all the people around you, . The rules of practicing " ugaling langit, ugaling kaaya-aya" :

#1 Ang naunang magalit ang may karapatang magalit. Pag naunahan ka na ng galit niya, tumahimik ka na lang muna.

#2 Walang taong nag-aaway mag-isa. Pag hindi kayo sumagot o pumatol, titigil din daw ang taong nakikipag- away sa inyo.

#3 Ang taong galit, 'bingi.' If someone is angry, wala raw pinakikinggan, so, don't try to explain and fight back. Hindi ka niya iintindihin dahil wala siyang naririnig kundi ang sarili nya.

#4 Ang taong galit, 'abnoy.' Ayon sa pastor, Biblical daw ito? because the Lord said when He was crucified, "Father, patawarin mo sila dahil hindi nila alam ang kanilang ginagawa." Modern term for these kinds of people are abnoys, so you better not get angry para huwag kang matawag na abnoy.

You should also know and realize that the persons who make your day bad are jewels , because you need them for you to mature. Hangga't andyan daw sila at kinaiinisan mo, ibig sabihin, immature ka pa. God will not take away those people; it's for you to take away your bad feelings towards them. You'll know na mature ka na pag dumating 'yung time na hindi ka na naiinis sa mga taong ito because you have learned to accept them and to have patience with them.

#5 Finally, the best part of this is to tell yourself na, because of this person, "I will grow mature," and that DAHIL SA CONTRIBUTION NIYA SA MATURITY MO, KUKUNIN DIN SYA NI LORD.

#6...this is my own contribution, and my favorite actually for all couples out there: when you are angry with each other, take all your clothes off and just hold each other's hands. wrestle if you want to. let's just see if you really wanna continue fighting.

chopsuey

wala lang ako maisip na title..magulo utak ko..i just want to write all these stuff down.

******************

great party last saturday, yey! just that i don't feel like goin to side bar for a while muna. i'm not so crazy over those diluted drinks, nah, sorry. i still miss the plain, good, old beer hehe.

*******************

i watched Trainspotting that friday night. the Brit accent will always be cool. but that film is one crazy, crazy ride. :p

*********************

watched Basic Instinct that saturday, ho-hum...Michael Douglas seems to act the same whatever movie he stars in haha. Sharon Stone looks immaculate but she's almost like some mannequin, perfect but lifeless. the love scenes weren't really that hot. or maybe i'm just so full of xtube (oops, lol!)

**********************

sigh, Wicker Park is and will always be a good one. i peeked on those deleted scenes and found it to be more interesting. will start scouting for it's original french version when i get the chance.

**********************

oh yeah, do drop by the second floor at metrowalk for those hard to find dibidis, from classic films to the artsy, obscure ones. i hope to go back there for more.

***********************

feeling pretty bit messed up the past days. my apologies for everyone else who's got the blues too. it's not that i don't wanna acknowledge your hurts, just that right now, it's ours that matters to us the most.

*************************

i'll forever be grateful for friends who understand and show that they care. let the prayer brigade rage on! =)

**************************

i love weekends when there's not much to do and no place else to go. when i'd get too excited about what film to watch next, what the updates are in my online community. just that sometimes, i'd get frazzled as to whether i should eat first or take a bath or just let on and sleep. i thank God for food deliveries when my cupboard runs empty. but i've to admit that at most times i'd rather sleep or munch on crackers when i'm almost too lazy to call/count my change/choose what food to get/let it cost up to the minimun food order. yeah, i'm that lazy sometimes, eh ano naman. :p

****************************

i'm not feeling all blissed-out these days. i'm emo as emo can be, yuck!!!!

amazing!

URBANDUB with the MANILA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

i hope they do come out with an album together, unless meron na hehe...

never home alone

had a blast of a party last friday. came home around 5am, whoa! wasn't really that wasted though, after all we had a filling italian meal at amici before proceeding to side bar in el pueblo. and though the cocktails and shooters were at rather measly prices i didn't feel that knocked out at all (diluted? hehe!). went to starbucks metrowalk after, had my usual tall macchiato paired with longsilog which we bought at lugaw republic. nah, i didn't finish all of it as it was to be my one and only meal that following day.

because yeah, i chose to hole up again in my side of the world. enjoying solitude but never really feeling alone. wanting to feel numb but ended up feeling all too emotional for whatever had happened to other people.

spent my supposedly weekend watching hallstrom films and posting on message boards and talking to people. discussing issues which we ought not to have discussed at all as it doesn't really directly concern us. but i believe, as we get closer to people, no matter how far away they are, we get entangled with their businesses, with their lives, without us really noticing it that much. it's not really for the mere fun of it nor because we are just plain usisero (darn it, sana nga ganun lang!) but because we do care. sometimes i just wanna say screw caring for once! and turn back to my indifferent, snobbish self. maybe things would have been easier, more peaceful for me and to everyone of us.

a friend once told me never to pry too much. it's like trying hard to pry open some can, you'll never know if all you'd get are worms in it. eh di pa naman ako marunong gumamit ng abre-lata *bop*! which is exactly why i'm a big fan of those hunt's pork and beans with easy open cans wa-hoo!

oh well, yeah, that should be a lesson for me.

it's at trying times like this when we get to know ourselves and other people better. i'm still so pissed off at white lies, at seeming deceptions. but maybe it's more for my own selfish reasons. somehow i have to have a more open mind as to why people say and do things they opt to say and do. and still manage to get past through it.

i am still insanely human.

but yeah, i am no longer the rock goddess i've always wanted to be. little things affect me already. or maybe i should just stop watching all those over dramatic films. but then again watching other people wallow and yet still manage to triumph from life's adversaries is actually good to keep our hopes up alive.

just the same i'd like to believe that i had a good enough weekend. and am still grateful for everything that took place. and i know i could still carry on for more. gimme more, gimme more (lecheng britney yan na-LSS pa din ako waaah!)

with that i shall all bid you:

"Goodnight, you princes of Maine. You kings of New England.!"

(The Cider House Rules)

what's eating gilbert grape

realized how full of angst we are back in the 90s. not just in the songs we listen to but also in the movies we watched.

saw what's eating gilbert grape a while ago. my first after i saw it on the movies more than 10 years ago. i remembered we saw it then at Sta. Lucia Mall when it was still new. we were at the top floor and we just sat there on the floor, facing the window right after. my schoolmate kinda exclaimed na" kung di totoong special child si Arnie sobrang galing lang nya talagang actor!" of course, we all know now that Leo diCaprio is indeed normal like us (or some of us) and is just one hell of a good actor.

The scenes and lines were still very vivid to me. and i still cried at some scenes. it also has one of the most cathartic ending for an all too emotionally filled film. it made letting go and moving on actually easier to do.

oh, bought this dvd at the Chinatown in Singapore for $5 (roughly PhP150) =)

movie tag

Rules Of This Tag:

1. Link back the person who tagged you and write what was the movie his/her family enjoyed watching recently.

2. Now your turn to tell about the movie your family had just watched.

3. Tell something about the movie and spoilers are accepted (hehehe).

4. Lastly, write anything that has something to do with movies: Trivia, your top choice or favorites and why, your family's story about your favorite motion pictures, the first film you watched with your husband, any traditional film the family 's been keeping etc...etc...

5. Copy and paste the rules of this meme on your blog and pass the tag to as many friends, bloggers and movie lovers you want. Don't forget to tell them they're tagged and leave a comment here if you're done with the task.

1. I've been tagged by daiz, they just recently saw and enjoyed movies as the bee movie, cloverfield, juno and memento.

2. saw cloverfield recently too with my mom. i didn't quite enjoy it as i was too tired and sleepy. just got back from an early morning flight that day and it was hard enough keeping my eyes open. worse was the film's camera shots made me dizzy. made me want to hold them with steadier hands instead hehe.

3. the lead female characters were all gorgeous though. nevermind if they were virtually unknown. just that i wasn't that caught up with the human drama. and the monster just came out of nowhere and it wasn't even known what happened to it after. kudos to the effects though. especially after seeing the monster up close, wow! that was some visual delight i might say. how they ended with saying "i love yous" was a bit tad mushy. but then again maybe when you're in the brink of death too you'll end up saying them to anyone and everyone with you. :p

4. I'm still a big Ethan Hawke fan, it's not just about his good boyish looks but how he chooses his films well. Great Expectations, Before Sunrise/Sunset and Gattaca are big favorites. I'm still endlessly searching for his Hamlet dvd din pala. Our family watches Lord of the Rings series and all of Harry Potter on Christmas and New Year's eves. Same with The Ten Commandments and Jesus, Christ Superstar on holy weeks. Xan is still terribly on his Blues Clues stage. though lately he's learned to alternate it with Dora, Diego, Sesame Street and his a-b-cs...yun memorized na din namin. I've yet to take him to the theater, baka magwala kse sa dilim. =)

5. I'm tagging aian, jenn, karl and mec.

slingin' singapore

oh well...

isn't it kinda disappointing that one takes great pains in planning for a trip, researching for the must-see places to go to only to find out that all your companions really wanna do is shop? and worse, you have no more money to shop so what you can do is just hang around wherever they wanna go or be someplace else by yourself and just take pictures? hehe...

we arrived in Sg at past 10pm after almost 6 hours on the bus from KL. it took us a while to get a cab as apparently most taxis there are on call. meaning you have to call up their operators on the phone and ask them to send you a cab. unless you are on some pretty crowded places where taxis can wait and be flagged. but that was almost midnight and most taxis have status as "busy", "hired" or "on call" hahaha ang damot! we finally got to make a couple of calls from a nearby store to get us two taxis and after giving our address we got to our host's place safe and sound. we were so hungry and tired that we rested right after being served with a great meal of crabs and chicken, wow!

Day 1: we were supposed to start early the following day but we were just so tired the previous days that we adjusted our sked a bit. we left past noon for vivo city. the trip going there was an adventure in itself as we did not have any guides with us save for the map (yes, the map! para kaming si dora haha!) and some quick instructions from our host. it's an advantage that Sg's bus and train system are so organized. each bus and train stop has directions and lists of each stop. sobrang tanga na nga ata ang maliligaw pa dun. besides most of them can speak english.

after a good meal of chicken rice and yes, chicken and all other food stuff at vivo, we then got to the third level for the monorail ride to Sentosa. nothing special really, as we passed by sites which were still under construction. and before we even got on the ground it rained. no, it poured hard haha! we were planning to watch the Songs of the Sea later that evening but they didn't sell tickets while the rain kept pouring.

we proceeded to the Underwater World as at least it was indoors. and yes, i love the feel of being underwater too. it was not as big as Ocean Park's Atoll Reef but we circled it 3 times making me a bit dizzy too hehe...

then we rushed out for the scheduled pink dolphins show. though they didn't look pink to me, they were more like grayish, or baka nabura na ang kulay umulan kse :p

after getting on a tram for a short ride around the island we all went back to vivo...had some kopi tiam and toast and strolled around a bit. next stop was Mustafa in Little India. We got back on the train and stopped by Farrer station where Mustafa was just a short walk. we've been warned of the distinct, err, smell so i was a bit prepared to half-breathe all the way if there is such a thing haha! we were able to buy a few souvenir items. it was not relatively cheap compared to the ones in KL but they say it's the cheapest already everywhere in Sg.

and here's the funny thing, we were supposed to get dinner but we didn't want any indian food, and there's nothing but indian restos in the area. but of course, we were in little india after all. i searched my map again (yes, the map! haha) and looked for the nearest shopping center (as i was not satisfied with what i bought). i saw Bugis so we all hailed a cab and went there. we finally had our dinner at..tadaa...burger king! yey, western food for a change.

the oldies went home ahead after dinner, while we opted to stay longer and scour the night market. we were able to find good stuff at better prices. then we all went home ala amazing race, running after the the last train trip to the next as it was almost midnight. oh we got home without hitch alright except for that last bus where we had to alight off again as it was going the opposite way. yeah, right bus number, just the opposite route bleh!

Day 2: First order of the day was to go to Orchard Road. uhm, i didn't see anything special with the place except for the long stretch of malls and shops and more malls. but they got a big Borders shop there though. one sweet haven for book lovers like me.

from orchard we got on the train again and stopped at the City Hall station where we saw raffles place, a short walk and we saw the peninsula, and funan for the gadgets again. my other office mate went ahead for the stamps museum, while the rest of them went on to funan. what i did was walked on ahead looked for the city hall, the supreme court, the old and new parliament, found the st. andrew's church along the way too. if it wasn't for the rains i could have walked on to the merlion park as well. i could already see the esplanade at a distance.

when we all met up again i led them walking back down to where i passed by going to the merlion park. we were able to pass by the art shop, victoria theater and the national museum. we were able to get good photos at the merlion park before rain poured in anew.

we asked around for a bus that stops by suntec city. we could have walked but it was raining and they were all tired. we saw the fountain of wealth in suntec. we also had our dinner there. we were supposed to go to the night safari as our last stop but they said they were all tired. woe to me. :( so to stall a bit, we looked for a bus that could take us to our home. at least we could still sight see on the 25-30 minute bus ride before finally calling it a day.

Day 3: is friendship day. my boss-pari said mass at the community church to a group of Filipinos there. after which the house where we stayed in had their house blessing. i had to leave them as i was to meet my high school friend, Sylvia back to vivo city. yes, i went back there by myself. may map naman ako eh hehe. after a hearty buffet lunch of salads and pastas and meats she brought me to Page One where her hubby loves to scour books din pala. i introduced him to neil gaiman, he bought neverwhere upon my recommendation, and they bought me fragile things (my choice) as a gift, yey! the best thing i got actually aside from the godiva chocolate which they also gave me.

i met up with huck right after and we had coffee at starbucks. for once i just wanted to sit still while sipping my macchiato and just watch Singaporeans pass us by. yeah, singaporean males are quite buff you know. i am amazed at how their bodies look so lean and muscular. drool. haha!

from there we went to chinatown where i was to meet my officemates for dinner. we strolled the area a bit. it was still raining, darn it. before we met them we sat down on some food street and got ourselves some tiger beers and satay. nam-nam!

that was to be my dinner already. i finally joined my officemates for our train ride back home where we had to catch our flight back home later that night.

phew! if not for the rains i might have enjoyed the trip more. i still wanted to see the zoo and the night safari and the museum but we lacked time. our bodies were all aching and sore already. our flight was delayed pa, thank you cebu pac! hmpf! we left past 3am instead of the scheduled 1240 am flight.

but hey, we got back home safe and sound. i've slept a bit, regained much of my energies already. twas a good experience and yeah, i don't really wanna complain anymore. babalik pa ako, after all i still have about two dollars in my ezlink card, sayang naman haha!

more pics here! =)

missing KL

yeah, i actually miss the place.

i knew all the research and planning for the itinerary made me quite dizzy and unexcited for a bit but arriving at the city all bustling and crowded awakened the wanderlust in me.

Day 1: i slept on the trip from katip to clark where the budget terminal was. i even slept through the 4 hour air asia trip to KL. nevermind if those rude Indian guys beside me were gambling on flight. the hell! how rude and noisy can you get. buti na lang di naman sila nangamoy. or maybe i just didn't smell it as i must be half-breathing all throughout the flight. the plane was pretty small and the claustrophobic me almost felt like panicking but i just had to take quick short breaths to pacify myself and tried hard to sleep.

we arrived safe and sound in KL and was greeted by heavy rains. our host had warned us of KL's erratic weather so it was ok. we took a taxi to our accommodations and felt like just travelling to subic hehe. twas kinda hard to imagine we were on foreign soil.

we got to our host's place at past 6pm, settled down a bit, fell asleep while waiting for the rain to stop then went to the mall at past 8pm to grab some dinner. oh, the sun doesn't set in KL till way past 7pm! but then again it doesn't rise till almost 8am anyway.

first stop was to the mall haha! midland megamall pa. sows!

but the food was great. so spicy and tasty and yummy!

we went home after milling around a bit. after all we had quite a long day travelling and there's still the next day for the real fun to begin.

Day 2: we started out quite early the next day for genting highlands. we didn't plan on getting on those rides (yeah, corny hehe). we only went there to check out the place. naman, cable car ride pa lang nanginig na tuhod nila eh haha!

twas just like enchanted kingdom just that it's much colder. yun lang. or siguro kse di naman kami nag rides. but then the rides in Ocean Park looked cooler as it was overlooking the South China Sea. kaso sempre di rin kami nag rides dun haha!

we went back down after lunch. after all it's almost two hours of bus ride to the city. then we stopped by chinatown and walked all the way to plaza low yat where all the electronic gadgets are supposed to be sold cheap. but then i'm not into gadgets, nah, make it i don't have any budget for that so all i bought really was a 2 gig flash disk for 39 rmb or roughly 500 bucks. not bad really.

then they went more shopping while i took more pics and looked around. and we all headed to KLCC for the petronas towers, yey!

there's a posh mall on the lower floors that we felt we were so dugyot upon getting in. for once nakakita na din ako ng magaganda hehe. pero wala pa din tatalo sa ganda ng mga Pilipina!

finally got two grab myself two pairs of vincci shoes, yeah, two pairs! i still dunno when and how to wear them though :p

after dinner and more shopping/window shopping, we went to the fountain area for a better view of the towers.

it looks awesome from a distance. it looks more amazing up close!

though it's pretty hard to get good pictures. i had to almost lie down on the cement floor to get this one. but who cares, all the other tourists followed suit as well hehe...

went home feeling bit yet still exhilarated. the following day is yet another day, and we were to travel to Singapore late in the afternoon.

Day 3: the oldies opted to stay at home while us, the younger once went out to buy tickets for our Sg trip and yes, do more last minute shopping and sightseeing. the bus ticket to Sg was at 30 rmb or a little over 300 pesos we went to central market, which doesn't really look like a market. we bought more souvenir items, like tshirts and ang walang kamatayang key chains haha. bought more trinkets and decors and had great food (again!). we set out again, walked a bit to the capitol, merdeka plaza, saw more of chinatown even if the sun was up shining brightly. then we tried hard to squeeze in to check out the malaysian eye. after all we failed to go up to petronas towers as tickets were to be distributed only till 10 am when our day has just started.

somehow i love being up there, makes me feel more light and powerful and carefree and liberated. and i've seen that part of the amazing race in which they had to go up the London Eye to look for the clue for their next destination. wala lang, feeling na naman ako :p

my officemates felt freaky, they were half closing their eyes and tried hard not to peek. sayang, ang ganda ng view. i was moving around pa naman for good spots to have my pics taken haha.

then we all had to rush home to catch our 430 pm bus. we thought we were gonna be late as it took us forever to get a teksi goin home and another one going to puduraya where all the buses are. kaso Filipino time din pala sila. the schedule was at 430pm and we were supposed to be there by 415. we got there at around 420 and the bus was still nowhere in sight. it arrived past 5pm and we left KL at past 530 haha! we got to Singapore at almost 11pm haaay.

the following day is yet another day!

more photos here!