Charice Pempengco won Singapore Idol

This is a fluke!

Charice Pempengco was actually a guest of the recently concluded Singapore Idol 2009. Too bad I was not present at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. I was not able to get some tickets so I just watched it over MediaCorp, a local channel.

There is that powerful and heartwarming performance of Charice and absolutely nailed it. Please see the videos below to appreciate.





Thanks to FalseVoice for sharing the video in youtube. Lastly, hope you guys enjoyed Miss Pemnpengco's wow-er performance.

The Colors of Orchard Singapore and Partying

I am liking to do some photographer's job but I am far from the pros and that's obvious I think because of my limited skill and gadgets. But I still think that I like to do some capturing of moments and thus seeing the suspended inanimate of things.

I went to Orchard yesterday after gyming at Fitness First (FF). I went to the infamous Lucky Plaza to deposit some cash to my bank account. Wow I'm so in debt lols not rich but still grateful as I am able to pay all those credit card bills. After that pay-my-debt trip, I went out and checked the streets of Orchard. My friends and I were planning to go out for a night-out so I checked some long sleeves to wear and I got this black checkered sleeve from Giordano. Not so expensive I guess and the fit was just right for me I guess. So After buying 5 colorful socks - yeah I got some of those for 20 SGD; and the long sleeves, I went out of Giordano and went to the other side of the street where the posh shops are. I then took some photos here and there even if my camera was not that good enough - click, click and few more clicks:









































I thought of buying Zara shoes again but decided not to when I got inside the store. I still have that high-cut chucks Zara style which I haven't worn after that Gemalto 80's party. I decided to go home at our flat and then had dinner with Jason at this green fastfood (Subway).

After that dinner, everyone was calling and sending MMS for the night out. Well, we were planning to go get the loose at Powerhouse. It's a modern and spacious club at St. James PowerStation near HarbourFront / Vivo City. Everyone was like excited especially me ;) Somehow it's going to be my third time gone clubbing and my feet were already so jumpy with all the crumbling of butterflies in my stomach. Anyway, I had a hard time matching my clothes up and so I ended up not wearing the checkered long sleeve. Well the four of us got out of our flat at around 11 PM.

On the cab we have chosen not to ride for a limo but instead the blue vios which came next. Good thing the driver was really cheerful and very chatty and he made the more fun to talk to and calm the atmosphere a bit. When we came to the place, we waited for Razel as she lives halfway of the island state. When she arrived, we proceeded to where most of the crowd was drawn and we found Powerhouse. The queue was huge and the music was really great. When we got inside, it was so packed mostly locals. After looking for a place to park ourselves and booze, we began to heat up the floor and do our moves. The music was beautiful and thought of going back to the club. The DJs were from the land of the rising sun and never thought they played that great. I was also thinking of partying in Japan someday. Well I got a photo of the DJs but it was blurry.

Hope you guys had a great holiday.

Merry Christmas again!

A Merry Christmas in Singapore

My housemates and I started the eve by hearing a mass at a Catholic church somewhere Commonwealth. Obviously I forgot the name of the church, so forgive me.

Anyway, hearing the mass was pure joy to me. The last time I heard mass was like ages ago. I visited some churches in Cebu the last vacation I had two weeks ago but hadn't joined the religious celebration. After that joyous celebration in commemorating the birth of Christ, we went to Cold Storage to buy some snacks and some drinks. Though before we left home for church, we bought and prepared food already - we just wanted to add some finger foods.

We arrived home so hungry and the menudo and pasta was really inviting. With our hungry belly yelling for protestation, people - yeah I call us people wahhahaha; suit themselves and headed to the table. But we need to document and stuff like that so Miss O had to get her digital camera and pause for some poses. Then after that we feast and swarm the table. It was getting 12 which was the time to greet the day with a bellowing Merry Christmas and we started the program. We actually had an exchange of gifts sort of. I received a gift from Yayen but she went back home to Cebu so she was not there to give it to me. I actually received a Targus laptop backpack from her. The gift I prepared was for Olga and I gave her a Guess wallet - not too cheap nor expensive :P. Jason also gave some perfumes to everyone and Razel gave some Ferrero to everyone. There was a bit of fun drama, (hehehehe) minus the crying stuff. The night was even giddier as there was a magic sing karaoke system courtesy of Wengs who also was absent as she had some personal business to attend to in Cebu. The very late night AKA early morning was joggling for a passover so we started it with shots of vodka and wine. People began to really loose themselves and started to sing and laugh and talk anything.

It would have been better to celebrate it with our own family but I chose it here for them and for myself.

Anyway, the celebration was really awesome and I finished the wine by myself while Olga and Dong2 finished the vodka. I was there on the couch a bit sloppy with the microphone trying to read the lyrics on TV and singing out of tune most of the time. Jason and Razel were down and I guess have slept already.... It was 6AM and we decided to call it over - I brushed my teeth wash my face and joined my pillows in bed.

I woke up at 12 noon for a bio-break and went back to bed and get up at around 3M.

I hope the New Year celebration will also be fun with friends ofcourse.

Merry Christmas everyone and hope people will enjoy the rest of the holidays!

8 days in Cebu

I realized the 8 days I spent with family and friends in Cebu was not enough just when my flight via SilkAir went off the runway. There was a nostalgic feeling of everything about my hometown. Even so, I was happy with the vacation as it was a great opportunity for me to see and appreciate the fun and great life I had.

The activities I did in Cebu were dining again and again with friends and also some clubbing courtesy of MJ. Since I missed some home-cooked meals, I had my dad cooked food for us. I bought the sweetest mangoes ever in the face of the planet. I was so surprised that there was an organ in our house and my brother plays with it nicely. He even played a classic song and some piano rendition of Jason Mraz's music. I also had some bit of shopping for myself and for my family. Also bought some delicacies and the various snack foods for my officemates at Gemalto Singapore. I was actually planning to go to some beaches which Cebu is also famous for but there was not just enough time for that. I also visited churches within the metro Cebu to pay homage and also took silent moments for personal prayers. There was just so many things to do for a short period of time but I am so grateful with the vacation I had.

I am planning for a vacation this Sinulog which is a huge and fantabulous festival in Cebu but there was a change in plans. So, this trip back to Cebu will be rescheduled for the next months of 2010. I am so excited of what's going to happen.

Getting back on track

How I wish I had the luxury to watch the sky unfolds from the crisp morning to the radiant flourish of bright red - moments where darkness spit the day. In short I like to slack and just enjoy and be oblivious of the world.

Anyway, I have been slacking lately from going to the gym. From my regular three-times-a-week to just twice. Worse, I ate lots of calorific foodies. So I decided to go to the gym and burn them all for 15 minutes in tread mill and 5 minutes on stationary bike. Fitness First should be thankful or not? I don't know :P Well maybe next week I will be back to my regimen of getting fit.

One of the culprits is Lutong Pinoy food stall at Lucky Plaza err... I love the sinigang, mango salad, pinakbet, chopsuey, bihon guisado etc. From Buona Vista to Orchard, I had my lunch there last Tuesday and another one last Wednesday and I ate pork with vegetables. I think for this month, it's the third occasion I ate pork and to make mention, I had crispy pata at Bonifacio, a bit chic Filipino restaurant in Kret Ayer, and chicken pork adobo at Lutong Pinoy. I must do away with this unhealthy stuff - seriously. I have been successful in my get-away-with-pork meals for the past months or up to a year but lately, I'm missing my plan. Anyway, I must resist the very sinful pork - I'm not a Muslim though but I wanted to change my diet.

I think I need a switch inside my subconscious to utterly remind me of this....

Stop me!

I was not able to blog for like a week already. Well, the weekend I had was spent in Johor Bahru Malaysia, again. My passport must have been complaining of my trips there. Actually, our housemate celebrated his birthday there and we had karaoke with free food and some drinks. It was fun singing and dancing and just letting loose of yourself to the point of looking a bit crazy - sanely crazy :D

Anyway, haven't you noticed guys? I have been writing all the fun stuff I have had. I did so because I just want to remember good things. But sometimes, I still have lots of issues in life in general.... Thank God I could still resist them as compared before where everytime I had some troubles or any gush or flush or angst or something, I write them here. I actually have tons of complaints about things and stuff like that but looking at the bright side is way much better to handle things and for that it's less stressful. Things change, and I hope I only treasure more of the good experiences; but of course, not to forget the lessons in every journey be it maddeningly sad or a joyful exultation :D

Have a great night everyone and always try to find time to enjoy :)

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, boxing emperor

Right now, Manny is the undisputed boxer of our time. He has now 7 titles under his belt in all different weight class division. And today, Cotto bowed down to Manny's power punches.

We actually had a live streaming over the net and it was a bit scary. Manny looked a bit disadvantaged in weight, height and arms' reach. But Manny proved to be a force to reckon with in the ring. Thus, Cotto lost the WBO and WBC title.

Wow! Congrats to Manny Pacquiao. True enough from the interview, he is from zero to hero, and from hero to Nero - the ultimate emperor of boxing....

Hope everyone learns that with the right skill and attitude one can pursue and achieve, whatever that great dream is. I believe Manny is a modern testament to that. Despite all the odds, he managed to prove to himself and to the world what he is made of.

Good luck and God bless to Manny and hope he stays humble and grateful. God bless to everyone also and have a great day ahead :)

Manny is Amazing with the capital A.

Did I say, I worship Zara?

This blog is supposedly not about fashion but yeah, I like Zara stuff. Here in Singapore, this fashion store is everywhere like mushrooms trying to grow in everyone's backyard - at least in my native land in Cebu, Philippines.

Anyway, Gemalto, which is where I work, is having this Dinner and Dance, with this concept of the 80's. I do not personally know how I should look but looking at anything 80's online is just so crazy. From the goth look, to punk, to vintage 80's, to being athletic 80's and the list goes on and on. They said the 80's was revolutionized by the idea of experimentation of self individuality and expression and it shows in the clothes during that time. I did my research and the one thing caught my attention was the chuck taylor shoes. I like it but I wanted to have it with something different. My friends and I were planning to go to JB but we did not just have time. So we went off to malls and looked for what to wear that would at least tell about the 80's. It's a bit of a disaster of you if you're one off a decade or the other way around. So it has to be planned. Since in my line of work, everyone is expected to be a bit geek or nerd or extremely of both as we are in software research and development but then I don't want to be identified as such. I don't want to blend with my crowd even if I like my crowd. So I decided to shop at Zara. It's not just Zara actually because I got my jeans at TopMan - another trendy shop. But the highlight of this dress-myself-up is my shoes:) I had an eye for that shoes when Gemalto's recreation club announced the theme for this year's celebration which will be at Shangri La. And this day, I bought a pair. I also plan to be wearing a shirt on the occasion so I also got a good bargain from the store. It's actually a bright yellow shirt, so it should do the trick.

But yeah, I like the Zara shoes I just bought, and hope this will even give a blast as to how I look on the said event. Hope things, won't turn out to be a disaster and hope all the Gemalto employees will wear the 80's style.

One of those interesting blogs I follow

My Saturday started out a bit late because last Friday, after dinner at Swensen, my friends who are also my officemates decided to have some booze at their place. Before going to their flat, I had to go to our flat first to get my laptop and also change clothes.

To make the story shorter, Olga and I went to Agnes' and Jana's place and we had some fun talk, some beer, some vodka from Cyt and two horror movies which are the, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and "Paranormal Activity",from Christian's collection. We all slept super late like it was 4AM already.

We woke up at around 1PM. I have a bit of headache. Olga and I packed our things and thank our friends and we left. I was like hungry and wanted to eat cake. So we went to Han's but I ordered chicken meal. We had it "to go" and went to our flat.

I had to go to the gym since I had not have been there for like three days already. After the gym, I did have anything to do so I decided to clean the toilets the kitchen floor and the bathroom. I also cleaned my room. I cooked for dinner.

After dinner, Olga shared to me an interesting blog. It was so interesting that I read it after watching, "Maalaala Mo Kaya" or in English, "Can You Even Remember It", sorry for the literal translation but it be on that sense. It's actually a Filipino TV drama where, viewer sends letter to the show about their life story and the the show would try to have it as TV drama for like an hour long. Anyway, the TV drama in yesterday's episode was about exorcism. Well it was not that good but somehow the moral was important and it was there, loud and clear.

Olga then shared to me the website of this interesting blog. It's a blog of a Chinese guy from China who came to Singapore and became a citizen. He has a PhD from Stanford and worked in A*Star. His story began when according to his story had he was forced out of his job without due explanation. What's even more interesting is that, he was not able to get a job that's in line of his old profession which was a researcher at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology. He became a taxi driver.

I had my eyes glued to my laptop for quite rusting four hours and finished 80% of his entries for this year. And after I had my breakfast, I continued reading and finished it just now.

I don't really know what exactly happened and the real score of what happened. But to my opinion, if he felt some injustice of some sort, then he can consult a labor lawyer. I honestly, don't know as well, if how it goes in Singapore but in the Philippines, most of the time, if cases of dismissal without due cause and due process, is a big offense. As I can recall, there was this incident in an IT firm in Cebu, Philippines involved in research and development owned by an American company where she was forced to resign without due process. What she did was like she filed a case in the Labor Department and justice was served - she won the case. The company was ordered to compensate her which happened to be I think a huge sum. I thought so, with all the emotional torment, the trauma and all the expenses incurred to live without a job at hand and then go through a legal battle. But the twist was, she chose to still work in the company and proved her worth and then she is now studying Law.

Anyway, the blog site of this very interesting person I am talking about is: http://taxidiary.blogspot.com/.

Hope you guys find an inspiration to his daily encounters. I tell you, there are those stories that would actually tell you how good and how bad this world can be in the eyes of the taxi driver. It's entertaining but would also make you think of some realities in life.

I love his entries and even bookmarked him and also shared it to my friends from Cebu, Philippines.

I am actually reading another blog from someone and it's interesting as well. Ciao for now and enjoy your weekend. And oh, God bless to everyone :)

What really happened here in Singapore?

I was super busy this past few days. The load of tasks in the office were really piling up and everything's hard to manage as they were tagged as critical, high priority ....

Anyway, what else to do in this expensive city? Go out and go clubbing!

My friends and I had free entrance tickets at one of Singapore's foremost club. The entrance fee would have been $35 for male and $30 for females. Expensive I must say. We went there at around 10PM and people were on a queue to get inside. Just before the dance floor was open, there was a fashion show. It was a good start. One of the designers was a Filipino and it was chic-urban themed fashion show. After the show, we decided to buy ourselves something to sip. We had vodka and baileys. Their drink was $12 per glass and it was on a buy 1 take 1. After we finished the set of four glasses, we ordered again. This time tequilla and margarita. After few hours of standing and few chit-chats, we decided to just join this people packed at the center of the dance floor. Daghan gihapon ang offbeat, as in, mas naa pay talent mga Pinoy. But, I had fun. The music was techno, house and trance all rolled up. Sometimes boring na coz the music kept on repeating. The DJ must not have any other cd, my friend thought. Anyway, I danced and jumped like a freeman because the drinks we ordered were expensive and that this night-out can happen like once in a blue moon. What an excuse, hehehehe.

It was 4AM when we decided to go home. Since Olga and I were hungry, we stopped at this cafe shoppe and I ordered congee (pospas ra gyud ni siya). After that, we went to our flat and I slept after I washed my face.

Morning came, I mean almost noon. I just had to prepare for lunch already. I ate bread and this Nesvita cereal drink. I was still hungry .... I also defrosted the chicken fillet. Once readied, I sliced it into several cubes and had it, fried in garlic, onion, and pepper and salt. I got satisfied with that simple meal and then just watched TFC. The show was fun until Manny Villar was aired in Wowowee. I had a bit of disgust on the show. People are simply being used for his end.

Anyway, I must move on and do healthier stuff and not focus on negative things. I went to the gym after I went with Jason to buy some stuff in a pharmacy.

That's it for the week. Ciao and enjoy!

Cebu, Queen City of the South

I really miss Cebu much ... all the Bisaya and Cebuano family, friends, and neighbors (toinks). Food that's really flavorful .... I think the question why people in Cebu or in most parts of the Philippines can't live without rice because our food are really rich in flavor. Now I know :))

Anyway, good thing our Great Almighty spared Cebu from devastating calamities. Hoping our country would start to build better infrastructure and be more responsible in all things. Hoping and praying that Cebu would prosper more and be blessed by the Child Jesus. Grateful that most Filipinos are doing the "Bayanihan" - giving a helping hand to our neighbors.

Just nothing. Sometimes, I wish my vacation leaves were really plenty and that I have super duper cash in my bank account. You know, to go back and enjoy life in my hometown, for a month ??? Hehehehe I so wish!

Christmas, New Year and Sinulog is really great. People are warm and the celebration is not just for the heck of it as it is so unpretentious, colorful and fantabulous.

Well, I have booked a round-trip ticket bound to Cebu already via SilkAir as it is cheaper than Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines. But I wanted to have like two vacations, so I will try to negotiate with my project lead. Wishing he will approve of it.

See you guys in Cebu, Philippines in the nearest future :)

Vacation in Bali, Indonesia

The second leg of our Indonesian getaway was in Bali. This was after the Jogja trip also in Indonesia.

Bali is an Indonesian island located at the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. Its capital is Denpasar.

There were lots of activities we did and all of them were really fun and exciting. We went to monkey forest, eat babi guling which is really like lechon from the Philippines, we had sea adventures like diving, para-sailing, banana boat ride and many more, we also had some chill out moments in two clubs, and ofcourse some shopping. We also went to Dreamland beach, but it was more of a surfing beach than "beach" itself.... I should say the beaches in the Philipines like Boracay, Sumilon, Virgin Island in Bantayan, Panglao, Coron Palawan etc. are much more captivating.

Anyway, I availed to most of the water activities as they were really affordable compared to that of Cebu or Phuket.

I personally would want to visit Bali because the place is very inexpensive and the people are a lot friendlier than that of Thailand.

My Jogja, Indonesia vacation

Yes guys, I have been gone for so long because I had a vacation;)

The last entry was like I am a bit suffering of fever and flu like stuff but then that has not stopped me from going to this planned vacation.

I went there together with some of my officemates. I was still feverish actually and having this headache. I just took my medication before going to the airport.

I took the MRT and was sending some SMS to Kay and Bud if where are they. We actually met at Tanah Merah as the train going to Changi would be there after 6 minutes. I brought my jacket with me so it was not that cold. Together, we arrived at the airport on time and we waited for some of our officemates. We were not late though but boarding proved brutal LOLS. We were running as the gate for boarding was way too far and the queue was long and really went crowded, so we needed to run :)) We arrived just in the nick of time at the boarding gate and the trip jump-started.


What's up for us in Jogja is the very famous Borobudur and it's really beautiful. Go notice the pictures :)

There were Indonesian officemates and they were the ones who organized the trip. Goodness thanks to them for everything went smoothly as things were planned.

For some bit of history, Jogja was an old capital and it has a rich history as well. The Dutch actually colonized Indonesia and in world war 2, the place was in chaos.

Anyway, the people there were friendly and the buys are so cheap. Again, to be with people who speaks Bahasa Indonesia which is the national language, is a great advantage.

I was also super amazed as Indonesians looked so like Malaysians, as well as Thai and so as like Filipinos.

Their counting is similar to that of the Cebuano counting. When I went to Malaysia, their counting is similar to ours as well. Some words are the same in meaning and in context. I was so amused that I learned some of their words like cumi-cumi (read c as ch) or squid, udang or shrimp, babi as pork (babi is the same in southern philippines), ikan as fish etc.

The nice thing about this trip as posted, was we stepped on this world heritage historical site, the Borobudur. I wish I get to see Angkor Wat sometime :)

Have a nice day. Ciao!

I am not feeling well.

When I woke up early morning today, I still am not feeling so well. Actually, last Sunday, I had fever and I asked my housemate if he has paracetamol. So I got well after taking paracetamol but then I still felt tired and weak. And today, it's the same thing except which I don't have fever anymore. I still have runny nose though.

I decided to take a warm shower. Things were manageable I supposed so I did not bother much how things are. I went to the office a bit early like it was 9:30AM, but then I felt tired. Kay, an officemate, noticed that I looked sick, so she advised me to go see a doctor at Dover Medical Clinic. Since Gemalto had an HMO for it's employees, I need not to worry about the expenses. I asked my project lead for permission to go out and see the doctor. The clinic was just a few walking distance from Gemalto. I got inside the clinic and signed things. The attendant was looking for my E-Pass but I was not able to bring it with me. Good thing I have my Aviva health insurance card. I called Kay to ask for a favor and bring my E-Pass, I thanked her of that kind effort. Kay arrived at the clinic, and I was already inside with the doctor asking me questions. He asked me if I have cough and told him that not really a cough but more of a dry throat. I told him that I had fever yesterday but I took a paracetamol. I told him that I have runny nose. He then checked my temperature and then using his stethoscope, checked if I had some infection. He also touched my neck of some nodes. He then gave me medicine and he asked if I needed some medical certification, and I agreed. The doctor gave me one day leave of office. I waited at the lounge for my medication and Kay was also there for a check-up of her allergy. After that, we went back to the office.

I told my project lead that I have a medical certificate from the doctor and I will be absent. He then asked me to submit the project DLL (dynamic link library) to one of my officemate for her to re-validate if it will work. I have shut down my pc already prior to informing him that I will be on leave so, I turned my PC again. After that, I have composed the email, I shutdown my PC then inform my officemate that I'll be going to have an MC.

I waited for the bus 91 to arrive in the waiting shed and good thing it arrived earlier than expected. I honestly don't like to take medications for some runny nose and cough. The doctor actually gave me antibiotics which personally I don't like. I decided to have a fresh fruit diet today and so went to the supermarket. I bought lean pork meat, a liter of carrot juice, two fuji apples, three oranges, two tomatoes and light soy sauce. I want to cook food for my self instead of buying one at hawkers.

When I arrived at our flat, I changed clothes and after that prepare things for the food which I will be cooking. I first washed the pork and then sliced it into cubes. I then the cubed pork into a bowl and put some vinegar, soy sauce, minced garlic, pepper and a bit of salt. I left the pork for about 30 minutes soaked in that particular mixture to marinate it. I did the same for carrots and the potatoes, washed them and sliced into cubes. I also want to add some fresh tomatoes so I washed and sliced them too. I opened the television and while preparing things, I was watching this episode in Discovery about alien or extra-terrestial life. It was interesting and fun to watch. After I finished the slicing, cutting and stuff, I heat up the pan in our gas range. I put some oil on it and once it warmed up, I put some minced garlic and onions. I waited for few seconds then placed the pork one by one on the pan. I covered the pan and left it for a minute or two. Then checked for the pork to be a bit brownish. Then I placed the carrots and mixed it then leave it for 3 minutes. Then got back again and mixed it with potatoes with the stocked water and left it for 5 minutes. I checked the viand and it was smelling good. I added some black pepper and one sliced sword red pepper. I put some dried basil leaf cut into small squares. I left it again for 3-5 minutes I think. I checked the meat using a fork and it was a bit tender already so I just needed a few minutes for it to be fully cooked. After some few minutes, I could smell how good the food was, I checked the taste and it lacked some salt so I just put it two pinches of salt and mixed it a bit with the little soup and viola it's ready to be served, ready to be served for myself=)) I have actually cooked rice as well so things were ready for lunch. I prepared a bowl for the viand and a plate of rice. I washed then sliced two oranges and one kiwi fruit. I then ate for lunch and enjoyed it much.

I kind of start to like preparing food. I wish I can enroll in a cooking class someday. Also, I wish I'd be okay for I must :)

Good day to you all and ciao!

Weekend activities

There's not much to do today. I think I need to control my shopping urges. Singapore is a place where people's past time would be shopping, simply because, there's a lot of sales in all its malls. Right now, I decided to stay at home.

Things I usually do when at home is have some movie series marathon. Last Saturday, I just finished season 1 of Merlin. Then I watched the third season of Avatar. I also read the Naruto Manga online. And right now, I'm viewing House MD season two. I have watched the first season when I was in the Philippines so I just am continuing right now where I left off of this great series.

I think the availability of good movie series, thanks to sponsors, helped me not to go out and shop. I need to save since I am planning to have a vacation in Cebu in the near future. And we all know that vacations would mean that I have to have extra money for all the purchases and services I want to avail. I have actually bought my round trip air tickets with SilkAir online and I am just waiting for my project lead to approve my vacation leave application.

Anyway, I was also watching some of Leona Lewis video and really loved her Summertime rendition. Go see:


Got to continue my House MD marathon. Ciao!

What happened on Sunday?

Olga had to go earlier to catch good stuff at West Coast and I was there in my room, enjoying "Legened of the Seeker" series or LOTS. My housemates went to church and I was still on my room with eyes glued on my laptop monitor and ears plugged with my two neon green ear phones. After some few minutes my phone rang which was actually connected to my laptop via USB to be power-charged. I answered the call immediately as it was from Olga's. She told me that the Nike Store in West Coast is really having a good mark down on their merchandise. I did not have to second guess as I myself would want to buy a new Nike shoes. I did not know how to get there so I asked Olga what bus should I take. Well it was kind of simple because I just needed to take the MRT and then stop at Clementi station then go to the bus station at the right when facing forward to Jurong East. I had to take bus 189 and it was two stops away from that station. That was it! I turned my laptop off after finishing LOTS episode 9 and hurriedly went to the shower. After the shower I blasted off my way to West Coast Plaza.

There was a lost moment like I crossed the other side of the road and was walking my way to West Coast market. I sensed that I was walking the wrong direction so I called up Olga and she told me not to cross, instead, go straight and I should see the sign. I cross back and then walked straight ahead and there you go, I found myself at West Coast Plaza.

I searched for the Nike Factory Store and saw Olga at the entrance. We went in and checkout their displays. I checked the racks of shoes towering almost to the ceiling, and there were five of them. I was having difficulty of choosing which one to buy because most of them looked cool to me. I said to myself if I have the luxury then I will have to buy most of those pairs but I have to just pick a pair for a tight budget like mine. I found this high cut top sider I think and was choosing which color. I tried both of them and both looked good. So I was thinking really which one to buy and asked Olga a lot of times which one should I pick.... It boiled down to buying the first pick priced at 79 SGD. After deciding what shoes, Olga and I checked some shirts and I bought one priced at 20 SGD. Olga bought the waffles limited edition of Nike at 18SGD for a price of two. I just thought that if I buy something from Nike, I should go check that store and see if they have what I like.

After that mini shopping, we went to this bookstore nearby where Olga bought two books. I needed a bookstand so I went around looking for it. But, prior to that, I checked some books of Paulo Coehlo and found two new issues which I don't have yet in my collection and also found a new cover of Dan Brown's. Well I still have like 15 books to read so opted not to buy and went on looking for that book stand. I found one located at the far east of the store and it was at the lowest rack so it proved really a bit hard looking for that. I thank God that I had more patience now to go on and search for that. You see, my books were in dump on top of my cabinet drawer and really in a bit of chaos. Olga wanted to have one so we bought two. Then we saw this store with bags and check it out but did not buy. I mean that was it for the day. I have like many bags with their corresponding functions and I needed not one anymore.

We went down of the mall from the second level and then tried looking around something. I went to the Guardian pharmacy and the nearby competitor to look for a facial wash and some shampoos. After that, I saw Subway and realized I was hungry. I only took lunch as I woke up really late. Olga and I got a good seat we thought as the table was wobbly and we had to transfer, and once settled with our orders, we ate and talk a lot. We were not noisy though.

After that dinner so called dinner? Hehehehe. We went home. I tell you the walk was long it's as if I was doing a tread mill. It was good by the way as I was not able to visit the gym last Saturday as we went to Johor Bahru Malaysia.

That's for now, good day!

Johor Bahru, Malaysia with Friends

I was so flat when I arrived home. I did not even notice that I have slept thus, leaving my laptop on in my bed. Good thing I did not damage it. You see my bed is of a single size that truly fits just a person (obviously in my case).

Anyway, at around 9AM yesterday, I woke up and went to the shower room immediately. My friends had to wake up sooner so I began to make some bit of noise. Actually, I was singing different songs while having my bath. After I finished the shower, my housemates woke up. Good thing they did because the time that we have to meet at Woodlands was 11 AM. Well people were in queue so it was a bit slow in progress and we a had to rush. At around 10AM, I sent a message to Kay and Olga asked me if I sent a message to her and told her nope. She clarified if the message to Kay was a broadcast and told her otherwise, so I checked my phone and there you go I sent it to Olga and not to Kay. My housemates were in hurry already as we have to meet Kay at Woodlands. It did not help much as the rain came pouring hard. When we got out of the flat, we decided to take a cab going to Buona Vista MRT station. The ride took us around 45 minutes and Kay while waiting for us at Woodlands decided to have a coffee break. When we arrived at Woodlands, I sent an mms to Kay and we met at the exit area. There was this Lutheran guy asking for donation and asked him if any amount will do, so I gave him 5 SGD. He then rounded up my friends. Anyway, some of them just pretended to be doing something else, as the guy was a bit persistent.

The five of us went to the bus terminal for Johor Bahru and we got lost a bit. This was my third time and we still got lost. Anyway we found it and then took the short trip to the end of the Singapore border. The process was just fine when entering Singapore. Since we were citizens of the ASEAN member countries, we need not have any visa at all. After the filing of immigration documents, and checking with the officer, we were in. We need to hurry to get to the bus again. After a short ride, we arrived at the Malaysian terminal and it was another round of immigration check. Everything went smoothly.

Since it was lunch time, the first order of the day was to check for Stone Grill restaurant after we had our money changed to the local currency. We looked for the restaurant in their food court and found it. Kay and I tried the New Zealand steak. Olga and Yayen had the grilled chicked while Jason had the spicy spaghetti with tuna and a vegetable salad. He's on a diet I guess. Well light flashes before we started to eat (cam whoring).... The food was fun to eat and do as we were actually grilling it in our table with this super hot stone grill. After that lunch, we decided to look around and agreed to meet at Starbucks coffee after two hours and so we set our alarms at 4PM.

I went around and found this factory outlet store and bought like 4 shirts after choosing and fitting one by one of which one was nice. I was thinking of buying another one but I had to stop myself. I walked around and found this underwear shop. I bought two renoma trunks. I walked around again and saw Olga at the bossini boutique so I called her and told her of the factory outlet store to check it for themselves as it was selling nice stuff at super low prices. Well Olga and Kay together with me went to this FOS. They had purchases and lots of them specially Olga. Actually, those buys were expensive if bought in Singapore. When we checked it was past four and we thought of meeting Jason and Yayen at Starbucks as agreed and so we hurried ourselves to get there. There was no Jason or Yayen. I don't know if we were late or they were late. The three Gemaltians decided to take a coffee break of some sort and while checking on what to order, Jason and Yayen came out. They were later than us. Hehehehe.... Since we got tired of all the roaming around the mall, we had to sit down and ordered stuff. We had an hour or chit-chat. It was fun talking about office bloopers.... When the break was over, we agreed to meet at around 7PM in that same place and off we fled and started roaming again.

Kay had wanted to buy a bag and so we went to Padini. I like their displays there but I need to control myself not to burn my cash. Somehow I did not give in to the whole lot of temptation and Kay, was able to get that nice bag for a good price. I would have wanted to buy the Lee Cooper shoes but it turned out that I was not convinced with it. So we went round and about at inner city for the Converse shop. We were a bit lost actually of where the Converse shop was. I knew it was there but I couldn't recall where exactly the store was located. After some minutes of looking, we found it. Olga had to choose with utmost scrutiny of the shoes she wanted to buy so Kay and I went out of Converse and check out the nearby shops. Olga did not have to buy any as nothing had a good fit to her liking. The three of us went around and Kay bought a dress. Olga bough also some stuff. Since it was around 7PM we need to go back to our rendezvous. We arrived there and after a few minutes Jason and Yayen were there too. We decided for dinner at this Japanese restaurant at Innercity.

We found ourselves at Nippon. I ordered Ramen with Kimchi plus Gyouza, Kay had Ramen with Kimchi, Olga had the udon, I think Yayen had an udon too but of a different type and Jason had the udon set. I'm not just sure hundred percet about the orders if I got them right. We were having some photo ops, and when our orders came, another set of cam whoring. The food was good, and I found myself really full. I think my friends had a great dinner too. We were kind of laughing as our cash ran out and we need to keep track of the prices of the ordered meals. After some fun dinner and fun talk, we decided to go back to Singapore. But since people wanted to check the Karaoke, we got up of the mall where the cinema was and checkout the Karaoke schedule and price. After that, we decided to call it a day.

It was really tiring but had a great fun with our Johor Bahru adventure. Hope to doing it anytime soon. I think I'm going to shop to Malaysia and not in Singapore.

P.S. Pictures to follow.

Vacation : From Phuket to Bangkok

MJ and I were not done yet with our vacation as we were heading to Bangkok through a very long bus ride which had started from Phuket town. Imagine, it was a 14- hour bus ride.

When we arrived in Bangkok, we did not actually know where it was specifically. All we know is that, it was in a bus station beside a mall. All we knew, was that we need to commute going to Khaosan. Well asked around and then we were directed to this group of motor bike drivers. We asked the driver how much was the fare before we went there and he pointed it was 35Bahts which was written on their board. Then we rode the motorbike and we went with our helmets on. The driver then stopped at this expressway and he negotiated that he was going to collect for 250 Bahts each. We were so surprised at what he did but then we replied that it's just close, actually we did not know if was really close, and before MJ and I discuss things, her driver swiftly started the engine and left us and the motorbike which I was in followed suit. It was actually just a 7 - 10 minute ride so it was relatively near. When the motorbike dropped us at Khaosan, he was insisting that we give 250 Bahts which was really too much. Not unless we did not know that they were playing at us because we were tourists but the point is we knew and besides we did not agree on their proposal. He said that he would want to call the police and I said yes call the police and let's settle it with them. But the other guy would want us back to his motorbike and bring us back to the terminal which we did not agree. There was this guy who looked different and he was like eating on something and said that we can agree to pay 2oo Bahts. Even if we knew they were just milking us, we agreed to prevent any further argument. I nearly uttered swear words in front of the drivers. Anyway, we were very tired and we did not have any reservation. We walked around and there the drizzle came. We first checked the nearest hotel on our site but it was a bit expensive. We walked around and looked for another one and so we found Star Dome hotel . It was not as nice or grand as Baumanburi, the one we had in Phuket but it was just well within our tight budget. We got the place for 400Bahts per night. Since we were very tired already and pissed off, we decided to forget that bad incident and slept our way for tomorrow's activity....

The ventilation was not that great. It was already 10 AM when we woke up. We need to get going for the schedule walk-tour around Khaosan's neighboring temples and castles. After the bathing time, we went down for our brunch. After branch we headed to our first temple, Wat Chansongkram. After that we went to park where one could take a glimpse of the Rama VII Bridge. We continued to walk to Wat Sangwei, Amataro and Phraya. We also bought bottles of water just to replace the loss of water due to excessive sweating as we were under the extreme heat of Bangkok streets. We were actually going to the old palaces of the Thai Royals. At about 20 minutes of walking, we saw the king's statue riding a horse. Then on the other end was the Royal Throne Hall. The building did not resemble anything Thai as it was more of a Renaissance architecture. After taking some pictures of the place we proceeded to the Rama V Rd. where all the other palaces of the Thai monarch were erected. We took pictures and then we went to the ticketing office but prior to that, there were some we-were-lost moments. The entrance was only 100Bahts and it was a value for money. In fact, the tour inside the royal palace was a bit of knowing Thai history. It was fun but sometimes, I don't understand the words coming from the guide as their English accent was different. But we tried to just appreciate the collections adorning the palace with all the finest fit for royalty - just feasting our eyes for all its worth. I somewhat imagined being one of the royalty, like how it was to be really one of them. Anyway, after the tour, we had a chance to take pictures.

After the palace tour, we got so tired so we decided to have a tuk-tuk ride going to Khaosan for 100 Bahts. We arrived hungry so we decided to eat - we did not have our lunch so that was it. We went back to our hotel after that super late lunch. MJ decided to go down to use the internet and I decided to stay in the room. But the room was really hot and the aircondition together with the not-so-mighty ceiling fan could not make the room conducive for a good nap, I decided to go down and look for MJ, but I could not find her. I then decided to just walk around and found myself in a grocery store. I bought some soaps and two boxes of Thai Gaba rice - I just thought of trying it out as it advertised itself as a healthy substitute of some sort of the regular rice. I went back to Star Dome hotel and found MJ using the internet with her eyes glued on facebook. I also used the net since I did not want to wait and do nothing. After 10 minutes of checking my mails, and now MJ was waiting for me, we decided to back upstairs and prepare for a night out.

We went to my Thai officemate's spa. I had a foot massage while MJ had a full body massage. It was relaxing in fact. After that, we went to a bar and had a bottle of San Miguel beer light then finished it off with a cocktail which has vodka on it. After that simple drink, we decided to call it a night and we headed back to our hotel . So we won't be charged much by the taxi driver, we just got inside the taxi without talking a word and when the driver would push the meter then asked us, we just say Khaosan and then stop from talking or anything until we arrived to our destination.

The next day was a Saturday and we planned to visit the Grand Palace and the surrounding temples. We actually took our breakfast at McDonalds. MJ had a chicken meal and I had a vegetable salad and pie. After that simple meal, we walked and looked for the Grand Palace. Since it was a holiday, the Palace was close. So we just took some photos outside. We visited few temples and took some pictures. Then we decided to go back to our place. By the way, we also tried some street food ala Thai style and it tasted good. After some few go-and-see, we went back to our hotel. We then went around Khaosan, and see some things to buy. I bough two shirts and one painting. MJ bought some shirts as well. After that, we went back to our hotel again and did some bits of packing for the Sunday, which my flight was scheduled at 12:35 in the afternoon. Knowing the Bangkok traffic, we had to be prepared. After that simple packing and stuff, we went out to booze. We tried Chang beer and it was a bit strong as a downer. After finishing a plate of fried Thai noodles, and two glasses of beer, we decided to call it a night.

Sunday came and we woke up around 7AM. We decided to just have our breakfast at the airport. For the last time we took some photo and bid goodbye-and-see-next-time hug. MJ's flight was schedule late in the evening so she called her friend in Bangkok and she had a tour while I was on the boarding area.

My Thailand get-away was really nice except for that one incident but, I'm definitely coming back in the near future to go see Krabi and next time to shop around Bangkok, Thailand.

Phuket Adventure 4

This is another entry of me and my friends vacationing in Phuket.

It was a Tuesday, and it was time for Olga to go back to Singapore. The three of us had to wake up early and get a good breakfast, still at the hotel's dining area. It seem to me though that the food was getting boring, no offense but it's almost the same every morning. Anyway, after breakfast, Olga had to go immediately to her room and get her things. She was hurrying a bit for her early morning flight. Olga left at around 8AM, I guess.

Since MJ and I had not much thing to do, we were deciding to take bus from Phuket to Bangkok. Yes, we were not over yet with our vacation and we were going to Bangkok. The plane would cost us 1900Bahts and the train plus bus ride would cost us 1000 Bahts. So what we did was, we first soaked ourselves in the hotel's pool and after that, planned to go on an excursion in Phuket town. We asked hotel staff how to get there and good thing, we got the information we needed. It was really not planned on how to go there but we were bolder to having a great and exciting tour of Thailand.

Anyway, after cooling off ourselves from the hotel's pool, we went to the bus station just 5- 10 minutes walk from our hotel. We road their bus which to me looked like a bigger version of a jeepney in the Philippines. We waited for around 10 - 15 minutes before the bus would start firing it's engine up. The bus would drive slow picking up some commuters. When we got out of Patong, the bus started to speed up. Well the fare was only 25 Bahts, so not much of a concern. Anyway, after an hour ride, we arrived at our destination, the Phuket town bus terminal. We got inside the complex and looked for this bus company that would send us to Bangkok. Hehehehe. Good thing we got a good schedule in the morning, 9:30AM, from Phuket to Bangkok due for the next day. After such an easy task, we felt we need to eat, so came looking for a food shop or restaurant and we found one just near the bus terminal. After that hot and spicy meal, we decided to check out Phuket town.

Did I or have I mentioned that most Thai people looked much of a Malay as well? So what happened is that, people would tend to converse in Thai when we go out and ask some directions, haggle for prices or even passing by stores where sales people invite us?

Going on, we had such a good time in that small excursion and Phuket town has those clothing and related stuff in Patong, priced similarly. Somehow the need to go back to Patong is calling me and MJ could not find a good money exchanger. So our next plan was to go back to our hotel and check some money exchanger. We walked to the bus terminal and good thing, a bus just passed by when we have crossed the opposite side of the rode, so we we went back to the other side. The bus was scheduled to go back to Patong and off we hopped inside the bus. But the driver had to have a stop over so we waited a bit. After 20 minutes of waiting, the bus started it's engine and same things happened, it drove slow collecting some commuters mostly children wanting or needing to go to Patong. There was a bit of a traffic jam at this main highway but nevertheless we arrived safe and sound in Patong after another hour or more. We got tired actually of all that excursion so it was a lie when I mentioned sound. Hehehehe. When we arrived at our hotel, we took a short rest, then prepared ourselves for some last night-out at Patong. When we got outside, we were greated with this beautiful sunset and so we decided to do some last minute action. The sunset was really beautiful. I have said to myself what a good life there is here. Anyway, after some sunset experience, we were refreshed but we can't deny the fact that it was getting darker and we were hungry for dinner. As usual, while walking along the beach road, we dined out at this same restaurant where I ordered the food that is fish curry with vegetable and MJ had a vegetable salad. I was a great dinner with all the cultural music and dance from Thailand. The other day, when we were there, there was this Filipino band playing, so it was also good of a sight and sound and there was variety which challenges boredom. After that dinner, we decided to walk around Bangla and same thing, fascinated with all the lights and music, and people going round and about the place. It was such light and fun experience. We need to go back to our hotel for a good bed rest as our trip for the next day is going to be really long and tiring. At around 11PM we went back to our hotel....

The next day, we had an early breakfast and after that, we checked-out from our hotel and went to the bus station. We decided to take a bus as it was way cheaper than a tuk-tuk or taxi that would cost us 400 Bahts. It was already, 7:30 when the bus decided to shoot and drive and same thing, it has to go slow to pick other commuters but when it was out of Patong, it drove faster. We arrived in the bus terminal at around 8:30 and that, there was already a bus going to Bangkok. Our schedule was on 9:30 that is an hour after but then the bus captain allowed us to ride the bus. It was another exciting moments for the two Filipinos journeying Bangkok.

The country side is really peaceful. Passengers were greeted with all the forest and mountain on the other side and beach on the other. It's really amazing to see huge mountains and visible water falls on it. Since we can over recline our chairs, most of the time we were just sleeping while listening to music in my phone. But, we did not fail to take some photos.

Bangkok, the second leg of our vacation will follow soon. Good day for now and enjoy the weekend guys!

Phuket adventure 3

On our third day, we had to wake up early. Remember on the previous post, we went back to our hotel at around 4AM, so basically we only had like few hours of sleep as our schedule for our activity on that day is Island hopping, which would actually start early at 7:30AM. We went to the hotel dining for our very early breakfast and we were still a bit sleepy but managed to went through all that, because island hopping for one thing is really exciting. We had finished breakfast at around 7:20AM. We waited at the lobby as the tour agency van will be picking us up at 7:30. It was actually 8AM when the van arrived. It was a 30 -45 minute ride going to the pier where speed boats were docked for the day's activity. The island hopping activity master educated us about the trip, basically the "Dos and Don'ts". After the lecture, it was time to blast off with that speed boat aligned at Chalong.

It was actually a very long trip before we could reach Tonsal Bay. The very beautiful cliffs like magnificent tower rising above the emerald waters of Phuket were awesome. I was actually taken aback of the wondrous encounter. I had never seen such a thing in my beloved Philippines. We actually had a stop at this certain island and had 45 minutes to enjoy the place. After that 45 minutes, we had a chance to check out the other cliffs and slowly cruised through. On the way to Phi Phi, the tour master showed us the Viking cave. Then, we stopped at this snorkeling site but it was a bit disappointing because the corals were all dead. There were fishes swimming around you though but it just doesn't make-up for that obvious over exploitation in the area. Anyway, after some snorkeling, we went to the King Kong island were monkey's inhabit. They were a bit wild. In fact they were very territorial. The only reason they let us in to their island for a few meters from the shore it's because of the bananas we brought for them. No denying they were cute especially when one tourist gave a bottle of softdrink to one of the monkey's and it was a fun to watch the tiny creature gulp from the bottle. After spending around 20 minutes in King Kong island, we then had a another long trip going to Phi Phi island itself. We reached there after 45 minute speed boat ride and good thing when we reached there, it was a welcoming scenery, very timid yet it's silence is a beautiful kind. We actually had our lunch there and we were to stay for 1 hour. Since it was really really hot as a furnace, we need to re-apply sunblock. After the said lunch, we will have another long ride, around 1 hour and 30 minutes, more or less, to get to the next attraction which is Koh Khae Island. The waves were a bit rough but it was still okay. I have been into some great and beautiful islands in the Philippines riding in simple motor boats, and so with my friends MJ and Olga. Of course the photo session and all that cam whoring can't be stopped so everything were documented. Goodness gracious, when we arrived at the island the white sand is beautiful. We hurried at applying some sun block and after some 5 or wast it 10 minutes we went to the beach at the far right for a good snorkel. At knee deep, the fishes were plenty. The corals though were dead so sad but we were there to enjoy so we decided to have fun.... I think I am really a beach person wahahahha. We stayed there for an hour and 30 minutes and after that our tour captain called everyone for it was over and we need to head back to the Chalong port which was 30 minutes ride on speedboat. When we arrived at Chalong, we were tired and I was a bit sleepy. Our service van took us to each of our hotels and our group was the last one to get off from the van.

This was our third day in Phuket, Thailand. It was with a blast.

Phuket adventure 2

August 30, 2009 was our second day in Baumanburi Hotel.

I woke up around 9AM. Since we had a free breakfast included, we need to catch that because they will only serve it until 10:30AM. To my recollection, it was Olga who rang me through the intercom and I had to go to the bathroom and wash my face. I was still a bit sleepy then. Olga went to knocking in my room and let her in as I was still preparing for breakfast as fast as I could. We went down together from the building and went to the dining area which was beside the pool . I ate a lot to regain my strength and beef up for the upcoming activity. The plan for the day is to have ATV, elephant ride etc. So after we had breakfast, we went to our rooms and prepare for the next activity. MJ my friend from Cebu was also coming to Phuket and will be my roommate. She was still in Bangkok as there was no direct flight from Cebu to Phuket. When we got out of the building heading for a good walk to checkout some activities, there was this girl on a scarf with a long hair which looked familiar and I blurted MJ and there she looked back and saw me. I then approached her and helped her in the hotel check-in counter and then we went back to our room. Since she did have breakfast and it was still 10AM, I advised her to get a good breakfast and after that, I told her that we are going to check for some tours and that she can get a few hours of nap.

Olga and I went straight to the beach front as there were lots of stalls lined up the street offering tour packages. We stopped by at this stall and asked for the tour price. We got a good price for the ATV, elephant ride and monkey show for 3100 Baht which was good for three persons. I'm not really sure if it was a good deal but when we converted the whole thing in SGD, it was way less expensive than doing those activities in Bintan, Indonesia, an island just 30 minutes ride from Singapore. Well, we agreed to be picked up at our hotel lobby at around 2PM. Since it was still around 11PM, Olga and I checked the beach front and had some photo ops aka cam whoring lols.... When it was around 12 noon, we went back to Baumanburi. MJ was actually taking a hot bath so she was not able to open the door when I knocked it a few times. So I went to Olga's place and gave MJ a ring on the intercom. Then I came to my room and knocked again and at last it was opened. She was half finished with her hot bath. I told her of the itineraries. I rang Olga when things were ready. We went to the stall where we planned to book the day's activity. Since it was lunch time, we went to Burger King. After the meal, we had some photo sessions along with it on the street. We then went back to our hotel as we would be picked up there by a private car. When the clock strucked 2PM, a metallic silver toyota arrived and it was our service for the adventure trip. We rode for like 20 minutes and we stopped at this mountain top and we had this great view of Phuket and so it spelled another photo session. After that, our driver took us to the elephant ride activity. I was so excited because there's really no elephant in my dear Philippines and it's my very first time to see and ride one. We were not failed by our expectations. I had great ride. It was really wobbly but I braved to ride atop of it like being the actual driver. I could feel the warmth and the pricking fur of this gentle giant on land. It was so amazing and a great experience. I definitely would want to try it again and next time by the river banks. The adventure that we had with the elephant was on the mountains. After the ride, we had some feeding sessions with the elephant which costed 50Bahts per basket. After the elephant ride, there was a monkey show. It was also fun when the monkeys did there various tricks like unleashing me when I volunteered to be tied up, when the monkey did a push up and bent knee curl up, when it did cycle a mini bike and when it did some coconut harvesting. After the show, we had the ATV. It was Olga's prior request as she had fun with it in Bintan. Well after the ride, it was truly fun as we had a chance to do it in an actual paved road and also in this rugged terrain in the mountain side where a cliff hangs and in the horizon was a great view of the see South China sea. After the activity, the driver toured us around and he brought us to this food and pasty house and then to this jewelery complex where Olga bought a nice ring for her mom. After all the day's activity, we went bank to our hotel and took some naps ready for then nights activity.

At around 9pm, we got up and prepared for dinner. We walked to the beach front and had dinner at this cozy restaurant which I forgot the name. After that dinner, we proceeded to the party strip that is Bangla. As expected the crowd was wild and after a very long stroll and sight seeing, we settled at this mini pub and boozed. We went back to our hotel very late in the morning like around 4AM of Monday.

It was another blast at our 2nd day in Phuket.

Ciao!

Phuket adventure 1

I had a blast last week for almost nine days. It was like me being placed in a bottle and tossed to the oceans with all its ebbs.

Olga and I went to Phuket for a vacation. We were excited and in fact, two days before the trip I was like busy packing stuff. Anything I could think of what to bring to Phuket. I even had issues with my baggage if it was already 7 kilos.

Anyway, on the lastest Saturday of August, was our flight to Phuket via AirAsia. The flight took only 2 hours. It was not that tiring. When we got out of the airport it was drizzling a bit. It was not cold or anything but the idea of going to the beach should be sunny.

On our way to Patong, the mini cab had a stop at this center of various tours and activities in the island. Olga and I decided to get the Phi Phi Island tour for 1500 Baht. The girl named Lilly, also offered other things but we decided to get just one tour from her. When we arrived at Patong, it was in the afternoon. We did not have any lunch yetand the drizzled had stopped. We just unpacked our things at our hotel and fix ourselves for the next activity and that is to pig out. Well, we wanted fresh sea food and we were never denied of it. Our bill was a whooping 800 Baht. After that late lunch, we just walked around and decided to go back to our hotel. Since I was so tired, I actually had a nap and so with Olga. After that nap, we headed to checking out the place. We checked some shops for good buys and also roam the road nearing the beach front. Since we loved to take pictures, we had all the sorts of shots and poses.

We had to have an endless fun walk and so we took the liberty of soaking ourselves with the Bangla crowd. With which, I described as wild and crazy. It was fun taking pictures with all the chaos in a non aggressive and torturing way. I never had such chaos in Singapore so that was maybe the case. It was even fun just watching all the passersby.

We also checkout the JungCeylon mall and took some pictures of those interesting metal art of the predator. It started to rain actually so Olga and I decided to have some snacks at Starbucks. I ordered chocolate cake and Olga bought a souvenir. But mind you, the rain did not stop the crowd from having that earthly fun. It was pretty tough as it is. Well after Starbucks, we decided to go home and so we bought a cellophane raincoat for about 50 Baht a piece. The long walk going back to the hotel made my feet ached and a hot bath did all the trick.

I had so much fun in our first day.

My friend died from Lupus

My friend came here in Singapore to work - seeking greener pasture and give a better life for her family. She applied at an agency and got accepted at company **Tooooooot** located at **Toooooot** . She worked for almost two months here but she got sick.

****Tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot****

Then, she decided to go on sick leave but she did not inform her company that she was going home to the Philippines. In the Philippines, she spent only two weeks and last weekend, she was admitted to the hospital and was in ICU last night. Then she lost her life today, August 16, 2009.

All of us in our flat were in shock and some of my friends cried upon hearing the news. That was all we could do, just wept.

To my *tooot* , her *toooot* was *tooot* by the *tooot* *tooot* she had at T***t. All about lupus can be found in this wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systemic_lupus_erythematosus

I don't like to talk about it but I have to. This is for all people to know that stress really is a silent killer. As much as possible we need to avoid it. If things get toxic, be it the boss, the work or any situation for that matter, try to get out of it first for a few hours and allow ourselves to breathe and then go back to it once recharged. We should not forget to also eat healthier and never ever forget to exercise.

I pray that she meets our Divine Creator and she be at peace for eternity. Hope she would be able to seek the light and face God.

We were friends since college days and I know she is a good friend and person. She is very responsible and in fact, she is the bread winner in the family. Hope and pray that her family will be able to survive this great burden that has come along their way. May God carry her body and gave her all the comfort she did not have when she walked on earth.

What a loss.... God bless to everyone.



Note:
The toot's(*******) there were made because originally I placed the actual company name and address here in Singapore but they called my friend and my friend who is ever innocent asked her who I was and they threatened to sue me if I do not take out my blog entry. It's gonna be me versus a multinational who is a competitor or her previous company NCR (they do some atm, pos machine stuff). And I think this company has been monitoring the web probably through web crawlers (software that analyzes the web for some keywords useful to the company, sometimes gathering information related to the company or their competitor).