My day started at 5:30am. We arrived in Singapore on time around midnight. Since we are 6, we decided to take a maxicab, which will take you anywhere in Singapore for $50SGD. The driver knew where to go by just saying the name of the place where we’re staying at, Footprints Hostel.

Singapore at night is in itself so beautiful. The city is alive with gorgeous lights and you can see their landmarks lighted beautifully. We saw The Singapore Flyer, The Marina Bay Sands and the Fountain of Wealth at Suntec City. We arrived at the hostel at 1AM. Ryan and I decided to go the corner store, which is open 24/7. I found my favorite Pepero, $1.20/each but when you buy 3, it’s only $2.10 – so I bought 3; got myself a can of Winter Melon Tea and noodles for Ryan.

Our first day was spent mostly at the Universal Studios Singapore. I knew that walking around Universal Studios would wear us all out, but it was worth the visit. Footprints Hostel is near Little India MRT, so every morning we walk towards Little India Stn to go to different places in Singapore.

Off to Universal Studios Singapore

First stop, Harbourfront Station. It’s the first station on the purple line, but it’s 5 stations away from Little India. We get off at Vivo City, went up to Level 3, bought ourselves $3 tickets to board the Sentosa Express. There are 4 different stops, but to get to Universal Studios, we get off at Resorts World.

We watched a lot of shows.

• Monster Rock
• Lights, Camera, Action – must see!
• Shrek in 4D – loved this :)
• Waterworld – amazing stunts, but don’t sit on the blue and green seats if you don’t want to get soaked!
• Donkey Live!

We had lunch at Mel’s Drive-in Diner, $10.80 for a meal. I ordered the Chillie Burger, but it was too bland for me. Good thing I had cheesy fries with it.

We took lots of photos and walked around the whole park from 10AM until 6PM. We were supposed to go to Clarke Quay after, but my parents were exhausted.

Enjoy the slideshow below, well, click on the thumbnails to view our Universal Studios adventure!

Here’s my poorly edited Halloween photo of Booboo. Happy Halloween!

My 4-day summer trip to Boracay Island was over in a flash. I can’t believe that I am back to reality. It was my second time in Boracay and it was better this time around. I will be posting an update to My Boracay Guide because it’s a little bit outdated from my 2009 trip.

NAIA Terminal 3:

We booked our flights with Air Philippines. It was our first time to fly with them and it’s not too disappointing. Our flight was supposed to fly at 11:40AM but we ended up flying at 12:20PM. There was a little bit of delay due to air traffic, but it was a smooth take off and landing, so it was an “OK” flight. We arrived at Caticlan Airport at 1:20PM and we were surprised at how the airport looks like right now. It has highly improved from the last time we saw it. It used to look like an old seaport. I love how the Php20 terminal fee works for us!

Cagban Port

From Cagban Port, we were just a tricycle ride away to White Beach Boracay. The tricycle ride still costs Php100 for up to 4 persons. Ryan and I were both super excited to hit the beach! We arrived at Budget Mart in White Beach after 15 minutes. We already know where to go so we bought some stuff from Budget Mart first before heading to Tans Guesthouse.

Tans Guesthouse – Annex

Here are photos of the rooms we stayed at. Since it was our second time to rent from Tans Guesthouse, we only paid Php5,500/night for 2 rooms. The family room can accommodate up to 6 persons. The room includes a dining area, a kitchen, a water dispenser, a place to cook, a rice cooker, a toaster, a fridge and a veranda. It also has a flat screen TV. We were able to take advantage of the kitchen and cooked our own rice and viand for 2 nights. Review to follow!

Snorkeling

Basically, when we say snorkeling, we do it floating above water with snorkeling paraphernalia. I had my Canon G9 with me wrapped up with Dicapac. There were lots of fishes, but we forgot to bring some bread to feed the fish, so we only saw itty-bitty ones. I think I might try getting certified for SCUBA diving. I think that’s a better adventure for anyone who loves going to the beach.

Puka Beach

One of the destinations for our Island Hopping was going to Puka Beach. What we did here was take lots of photos and we ate lunch at Tesebel’s. Unfortunately, we were all hungry that we forgot to take photos of the delectable dishes that we devoured! Their Prawn in Honey and Butter was to die for! Well, not really, but it was really good. I also bought pearl rosaries here to take home for my family.

Reef Walking

Early the next day, we headed out for our first water activity, reef walking a.k.a. helmet diving. You can watch our video if you want to sort of experience how it’s done.

Helmet Diving costs Php350/person. That includes 30 minutes of being submerged in 30-feet of sea water, mingling with the fishes and getting photographed by the guides. Some of us were reluctant to take a dive because some of us don’t know how to swim.

Walking and breathing down below felt normal. I guess, the only thing that is different is the pressure that you will feel in your ears. Other than that, it was a walk in the park sea.

Buggy Carts

We rented buggy carts to do side trips in Boracay Island. We rode 3 buggies to go to Everland Aviary Farm, where birds, bats and other animals can be found.

We were able to go up top to overlook the island of Boracay.

Red Coconut

After all our morning activities, we were famished! We decided to eat at Red Coconut.

We had Pesto, Bolognese, Carbonara, Pizza and Crepe for dessert. Their pesto needs more salt. The desert is nothing special, but it looks delicious, right? The pizza is okay, the cheese tastes yummy.

Swimming with Friends

Why else are we in Boracay? To enjoy swimming and Frisbee!

Our next barkada trip will be to Palawan! But this November, I’m off to Singapore.

See for yourself!

He said he was sorry, but I don’t believe that there’s a tinge of sincerity in his apology. I mean, if he was really sorry, then why was the album still open to be viewed by “everyone”. He didn’t attempt to make that album private. It was posted on June 12, Philippine Independence Day, and I was still able to access it by 6AM today.

To All Animal Lover and to all over the world” please read this:
Gusto ko humingi ng tawad sa nagawa kong kasalanan sa aking alagang aso.. Sana mapatawad nyo ako at pinapangako ko na hindi na mauulit… ~
Jerzon Senador

Here’s a video clip of his TV Interview.

I don’t think that he is aware that what he did is punishable by the law. Yes, PAWS exists. No one in their right mind would think that hanging a poor puppy on a clothesline is a funny joke. It is not.

I heard from the radio that he said that he only hang the puppy for a few seconds. Few seconds, my arse! He was able to take a photo from different angles!

Jerzon Senador clearly needs psychiatric help. Maybe he feels so ashamed of what he did, but being ashamed of it and not take the necessary steps to correct it is not going to help him in the long run. His name will be Googled by future employers and they would see that he once posted photos of his puppy hanging on a clothesline.

I don’t think that poor puppy even had the energy to cry from this painful ordeal that his owner did to him/her. I can’t even stand it when my dog, Booboo, is in pain when she’s sick. Our male labrador, Jasper, is currently in pain because of a urine problem. My sister is the one who helps him pee via a catheter, while we try to administer his meds, which is a daunting task. We spend a lot of money just to take care of our dogs. Seeing irresponsible owners just breaks my heart.

One of Jerzon Senador’s supporters said that if we really are animal lovers we should donate money to animal organizations. We don’t need to go to that extent just to say that we love animals. Just by loving and caring for the animals that we already have is enough reason to say that we abhor such cruelty towards them.

Everything in our office is new. Since I am one of the first to transfer to the new office, I was able to choose one of the best seats. I chose the corner workstation, beside the window. Our new office is still bare. We don’t even have a trashcan yet.

It is actually a refreshing change from our previous office. The old office is in a old building with old facilities. The air conditioning doesn’t work all the time, the vending machines sometimes house ants, and the restrooms are always infested with cockroaches. Now, I can actually wear layered outfits without worrying about feeling warm. The restroom is always stocked up with tissue and no roaches! We even have free coffee from the pantry. Hurray for free coffee!

Hopefully, tomorrow’s commute will be much better. I still plan to wear my training shoes. I hope all this walking will help me lose a few pounds!

Going to Disneyland has always been a dream of mine since I was little. I grew up watching a lot of Disney films, and I loved all the Princess movies. I know a lot of little girls love Cinderella, Snow White, Princess Aurora (a.k.a Sleeping Beauty), Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, Pocahontas and Mulan. Over the years, Disney has produced a lot of films that tickle the hearts of both young and old.

When I was invited to come for a trip to Hong Kong, I got so excited because I knew one of our stops was Disneyland! The first thing that we did when we arrived was eat at the Starliner. The food was quite expensive, but the servings are good enough for two. I spent $61 for my meal. Then we spent a lot of time exploring. By 3PM, we were already waiting for our friend. He’s part of the parade. The theme for Hong Kong Disneyland’s 5th year is “Flights of Fantasies”. It was our first time to watch German, our friend, perform during the parade. He’s been working there for 4 years now. If I was as talented as he is, I would’ve joined Disney’s HK performers!

“Look at this stuff… isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete? Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl The girl who has ev’rything? ~ Ariel”

We all enjoyed watching The Golden Mickeys. This show will really take you back to your childhood. It showcases musical-awards ceremony that gives honor to Disney’s famous characters. Bebe, a Chinese performer, was the one who hosted the show. She sang and danced with the Disney characters, while announcing the nominees for the different categories.

For friendship, Woody and Jessie were featured. They performed “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from Toy Story 2. Heroism was represented by Mulan, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and our favorite Tarzan! We all know what Tarzan wears…his abs were phenomenal! *blushes*

Lilo & Stitch and Ariel were nominated for Adventurers. Ariel’s Under The Sea performance was amazing. She was suspended in the air while her background was of the sea. It really seemed like she was under the sea!

Under the romance category, Beauty and the Beast was nominated. I have a huge movie poster of them in my room! They performed two songs, “Something There” and the “Beauty and the Beast Song”. Then there’s Pinocchio’s “When You Wish upon a Star”. I want to go back and watch it again!

After watching The Golden Mickeys, we watched the Festival of the Lion King. Basically, it’s a 30-minute musical that narrates how Simba became the King. All the performers sang LIVE. I was amazed! The dancers were so graceful and everyone played their part well.

German highly recommends watching Philhar Magic, so we all headed to the theater to experience 4-D for the first time. I really enjoyed the show. Everything seemed like you can touch them in front of you. There jems, food, sprinkles of water! It did seem like you were in the show! You can even smell the apple pie, feel the wind in your hair, feel the spritz of water! If you ever go to Disneyland, don’t miss out on Philhar Magic!

If you want to experience a quick thrill without the loops, ride the Space Mountain. You feel like you are riding your own rocket in space, with unexpected twists and turns. You’ll see black holes and stars, and if you have a weak stomach, you’d definitely get a headache after the ride, but I didn’t! I loved it!

Our final stop was the Disney Castle. The fireworks started at 8PM. The lights and the fireworks were synchronized with the music. For some reason, I felt tears in my eyes while watching the fireworks display. I guess, it makes you remember the great times during your childhood.

We can’t leave Disneyland without buying souvenirs! We headed over to the Disney shops and browsed through so many things. It’s a great thing that German was there with us. We enjoyed his 20% employee discount. Woot! I got myself a shoulder bag, key chains with Mickey and Minnie on them, and I also bought a Mickey backpack for my sister, and a Mickey t-shirt for my brother.

We headed over to Mong Kok to eat dinner. We went to a local diner called “Eat Together”, and ordered myself “Pork Rinds with Hand Stirred Noodles” at $19, plus a $5 Coke. After dinner, which was actually 10PM, we headed over to the grocery and got ourselves something to cook for breakfast, well, I cooked for breakfast.

We turned in at around 2AM to be ready for the next day’s adventure.

*$ denominations are in Hong Kong Dollars*

Our flight left at 7:30pm on February 18, Friday. I haven’t had any sleep yet from my shift, so I left for 1 1/2 hour during the flight. Imagine travelling to another country with no ounce of sleep for more than 24 hours! A pain. But our flight landed on time in Hong Kong at 9:10PM. I didn’t expect the cold. Our friend, Philip, who works at Disneyland, welcomed us at the airport. When we exited the Terminal 2, my face was touched by the cold. It’s much colder than Baguio! I wore my trusty pink bonnet and we walked towards the bus stop.

One of the things that I liked about Hong Kong is that there is an organized bus system. Maybe in a month, I would know all the bus stops and drop offs around Hong Kong. When we arrived at our stop, we entered the Tung Chung Terminal, and used the 24 hours walkway inside the CityGate Mall to La Rossa Tower A. The flat we stayed in is on the 35th floor door F.

Here’s a look at our flat:

My sister’s flight was at 10:55PM, so they arrived at around 1AM. Since I haven’t slept for more than 24 hours, I turned in early and slept until 7am the next day.

Our next day was scheduled for Macau. We headed out at 9AM. We rode the Orange Line MTR to Hong Kong Station, also known as the Central Station. Getting directions wasn’t too hard, since people there understand and speak a little English. After getting off from the Hong Kong Stn, we walked hopped to the transfer train to Sheung Wan. Before buying our ferry tickets, we ate at KFC. Their breakfast meal filled me up quickly. I spent 22HKD for 2 bread buns, 1pc chicken, a hash brown, an egg and coffee. You don’t need a VISA to go to Macau from Hong Kong.

We were set to meet with Tin and John, who came from Singapore, at 3PM at The Venetian Hotel Macao. We explored the huge 5-star hotel. It’s got a casino, a mall, a food court with fake sky, Gondola rides and more. We didn’t get to explore the outside much because it was raining and it was too cold in Macau! You know, winter and all… We rode the Cotai Jet to Macau and it took us an hour to get there. From the ferry terminal, all hotel buses will take you to the hotels for free, and if you want to go back to the ferry terminal, just ride those buses again for free!

We met up with our friends and headed over to the Ruins of St. Paul College, found on Rua de S. Paulo.  Of course, we took a lot of photos along the way. The streets going to the Ruins of St. Paul is so beautiful. It was already night time, and all the lights add beauty and grace to the atmosphere. After exploring the streets around the ruins, we walked towards the hotels. We were able to catch the fountain show at Wynn found at Rua Cidade de Sintra. When you find Wynn, you’ll also see the Starworld Hotel, New World Hotel, Grand Lisboa, and the MGM Grand. At 8:30PM we were already beat, so we decided to head back to Hong Kong.

At the Ferry Terminal, the Cotai Jet ticketing booth was unmanned, so we decided to take the Turbo Jet instead. The schedule for the cheapest fare is at 11:45PM, which we can’t risk boarding, since the MTR closes at 12:45AM. The earliest boarding time is at 9:15PM for the Turbo Jet Super Class, which costs 275HKD. We were so lucky that the person manning the booth is Filipino! He sold us the tickets for only 176HKD. I am so grateful for Pinoys in Hong Kong! We got back at around 12mn. Slept for 5 hours.

Next stop, The Peak. Getting around Hong Kong is made easy by the MTR. I love the MTR! Anyway, from Tung Chung Stn, we took the train to Hong Kong Stn (Central Stn) and walked up to the J2 Exit. Yes, exits are marked with ABCs. After exiting, walk up to the ground level, and this is the tricky part. We were so lucky to have met Ate Marie, another helpful Pinoy in Hong Kong! She was on her way to St. John’s to hear Mass. She walked us to The Peak Tram.

From the ground level, turn right through Chater Garden, cross Queen’s Road Central, and look for Garden Road. We passed through the Bank of China Tower and the Citibank Plaza on the left, and then on the right is St. John’s Cathedral. You will see a stone sign The Peak Tram. That’s it. Tickets are at 25HKD, one way.

Riding the Tram was like riding a roller coaster. It doesn’t have any loops, but riding up a steep hill will give you a thrill. Okay, that rhymes. The main reason why we went to The Peak is to go to Madame Tussauds. It’s a wax museum where some A List celebrities are featured, the presidents, Madonna, Lady Gaga, The Beatles, The Royal Family, and even Shakespeare! It took a whole lot of our time going through each wax figure. They looked so real. Even David Beckham looked waxy-hot!

After taking loads of photos at The Peak and Madame Tussauds, we headed over to Disneyland! Now that’s a whole other blog entry!

I am excited to explore Disneyland. I’ve always been a fan of Mickey and Friends. I grew up watching Disney cartoons, and reading fairy tales. I am going to have my picture taken with all the Disney characters I can find! I am also going to ride all the rides I will enjoy.

Here’s a photo of our friend, Philip:

Along with our Disneyland tour, we will also be exploring all of Hong Kong, if we can. We will be there on a Friday, and leave by Tuesday. Hopefully, that will be enough time to explore HK. I also want to go to Ocean Park, the entrance fee is $250(HKD). I’ve always been fascinated with water creatures, except frogs. I don’t think there will be frogs there, so we’re good on that.

I am also interested in taking a lot of photos. I think my camera is already sad.

There are so many things to do in Hong Kong, and if you’ve been there, please feel free to drop notes on the comments area.

Since September, I have been working for another call center as technical support associate for a US-based ISP1. I met 11 new friends from my wave, and we’re all lucky because we had 3 great trainers, who became our friends, too. In those two months of training, I’d have to say that it was worth giving the BPO industry another shot.

This week, all of us are trying to adjust with our new team. Lica and I are lucky to be assigned to one of the top 10 teams in our account. I’m glad that we’re together in one team, at least, it wouldn’t be too hard to fit in a new group. So far, my teammates have been very helpful and friendly to us. Our team leader invited us to eat with them for lunch on our first day with the team. They all made us feel that we belonged.

Still, Lica and I miss our wave. During lunch breaks, we would walk the floor and find our friends. We have different shifts, so sometimes, we can’t find anyone.

It’s been a stressful 3 days, but hopefully, after this week my body clock would be back to normal. From 8am to 5pm last week, to 8pm to 5am this week!

1. Internet Service Provider [↩]

They also had an available unit which can serve as a temporary refuge for those of us who were stuck outside, freezing. When they opened the locked unit, we thought that they were actually opening up their hearts and are letting us in, but NO! They had their 5 dogs enter that unit and let them poop & pee inside. After about 2 hours, the owner finally decided to let us in, but Ryan and I decided to just stay outside because the unit smelled of dog poop and pee. The unit doesn’t have proper ventilation, so you can only imagine the smell!

By 9:30pm, we braved the flood towards Valley Golf, but we weren’t able to go past Park Place because the flood-water beyond that point is enough to drown me. We decided to stay at “Tuhog, Tsibog, Busog“ eatery. I actually thought there was food there, but unfortunately, they were affected by the flood, too.

We were wet from the hips down. It was so cold, my teeth were chattering. It was a good thing that I had an extra shirt with me and a thick jacket; and of course, I am so grateful that Ryan was with me. If not for him, I would’ve broken down. It was the longest night of our lives. There came a time when all the stranded vehicles, especially the buses, turned their engines off. The quiet was so eerie. Every time the wind blows, I hugged myself as tight as I can to keep myself from freezing. Ryan, of course, embraced me tightly, too.

The next day, Ryan woke me up and told me that we should try to walk towards Valley Golf, but the water was still chest-deep. A container van (truck) helped us go past Bayanihan Village. I saw a neighbor, also waiting for his friend, and I told him that we haven’t eaten anything yet. He gave us a jar of corn flakes. I have never been so so so happy to see corn flakes in my entire life! I actually embraced it like it was a baby!

We walked from Brookside Hills Subdivision up to Valley Golf, where we saw the remnants of the flood. A lot of vehicles were affected. There were concrete barriers out of place. Thick mud covered the streets, cars and different establishments.

I am very disappointed that no one from the local government helped us. The policemen who came didn’t bring anything with them, except some ropes to help the people cross the raging current of the flood-water. After tying the ropes in place, they even had time to drink coffee! Until the next day, Sunday, a lot of people were still waiting for help, but none came.

This tragedy brought out the best and worst out of people. I wish more people would open up their hearts and help those who are in need.

I am so grateful that Ryan and I survived that horrific event, at the same time, I am saddened by the fact that a lot of my friends were greatly affected…

Material possessions can be replaced, but, the lives of our loved ones… I can’t imagine how it would make anyone feel to lose one.

My prayers to everyone!

{Photos Here}