Day 5: Sentosa (w/ Rix), Pagoda (Chinatown), Dhouby Gout mall, Mustafa Centre (Farrer Park)

Finally, our last day in SG has come. We are actually contemplating on extending our stay but its too expensive to move a flight schedule. :(

I woke up early this time, determined to roam the streets of Singapore as early as possible. Rix was still sleeping when I awoken, so I proceeded to the bathroom to take a bath. After I got out, Rix was already awake.

After dressing up, I went out to look for Mark. Nakaalis na ata. I was looking for his phone na sabi niya na ipapahirama niya this day. I looked everywhere until I ended on Maki's room. Then Rix suddenly told me, "Sabi ni Mark dadalhin niya raw yung phone niya ngayon!"

Oh, no! Hahahaha!

It turns out, nakaalis na pala si Mark habang nasa loob ako ng bathroom! ;p

So yun, after Rix got herself fixed up, we went off. No more lock up this time since I kept reminding Ed the night before to leave the key!! Haha!

As I promised Rix, I accompanied her to Sentosa. Hindi kasi siya nakapunta last time. So we made our way to the MRT and rode until Harbour Front. I told her that we had three options to proceed to Sentosa: either by bus, by cable car, or by another MRT ride.

Cable car would cost 25 dollars, which is a bit expensive. Since Rix heard from her friend that the cable cars were not worth the price, we decided to with either bus or MRT. Eventually, we decided to go by bus since nag MRT na ako the last time I went.

So labas kami on the other side of the MRT station to go and look for the bus terminal. Grabe, wala. We saw a hiking trail though, but decided not to proceed since baka maubos yung araw namin. So we went back to look for the bus terminal. We even asked a nice Indian lady for directions, and she pointed us back to the mall (the MRT to Sentosa). Since we kept going on rounds, we decided to go nalang with the MRT ride. Haha.

Before we rode, we went to look around on the big classy Chinese food court beside the Sentosa MRT ticketing booth. I even bought some gelatin which didn't taste all that good. ;p

After a while, we're off to Sentosa! Following the footsteps of my last visit there (with Ed and co.), we dropped off on the bottom part where the large Merlion base is standing and up into the main Sentosa area. Picture here, picture there! ;p

Still haven't eaten breakfast, we ate at Subway. Yum! ;)

Then Rix and I decided to go ride the Luge+Skyride combo! Their motto, "Once is never enough!", was never so true! Haha! Ayun, we had a great time riding the luge kart down the slope! ;p

Since tirik yung araw, we decided not to take the Skyride yet back on the main area. So we strolled around the beach area for a while. After the sun was clouded for a while, we immediately went for the skyride! We had nice shot during the ride, so we bought the souvenir picture (which Rix still haven't uploaded).

Since its already lunch time, we decided to move on na from Sentosa. We went back to Chinatown to go and check the Pagoda.

Once we got to Chinatown, we went briefly back to that store where I bought the Street Fighter toy. I couldn't help it so I bought another one! ;p

Now on Pagoda. Pagoda is a famous place in Chinatown because its mostly made up of bazaars full of bargain (read: cheap) products great for souvenirs. So that practically made it a tourist spot. Looking around, Rix bought some chopsticks to give as souvenirs for her friends. I managed to buy a magnet for my sister, and a yukata for myself! Cool! ;p

After spending some time on the Pagoda, we proceeded to the Dhouby Gout mall. We just went to look around, and Rix tried some yogurt from some yogurt store. I was a bit hungry so I ate at KFC para may lamang tiyan lang. Hehe. I also texted my sister just to ask her if she wants me to buy her shoes from Charles and Keith since mura nga dito. Unfortunately, we didn't get a reply so Rix and I moved on.

After the mall, we finally proceeded to Farrer Park. This place is like the main town of the Indians. They also hold the famous Mustafa shopping center. The Mustafa Centre is open 24/7, and most of the prices are really cheap (for SG standards)! People there are a little strict though. If you are carrying plastic bags and the likes when entering the shopping centre, they will need to seal your bags with some annoying bag clips to prevent you from opening them inside. This is probably to eliminate some chances of shoplifting items and placing them on the bags. Haha.

During the whole stroll on the Mustafa Centre, I just bought some chocolate cookies. Rix, on the other hand, kept roaming the whole mall! Haha. And being the perfume fanatic that she is, we spent a long time on the perfume section. She was planning to buy some but eventually decided not to. I found it funny though that she kept asking my opinion on some of the perfumes, considering that I have a bad case of colds during that time. Haha.

Tired for the day long trip, we decided to go home na. I dunno about Rix pero ako, sobrang pagod ko na talaga. ;p

When we got home, it was already 6pm. Ed was already there na pala, resting. Since I was too tired (and sick), I couldn't help but to sleep for a while. Once they woke me up, its dinner time and Ed cooked Menudo! My favorite! ;p

In fairness, masarap ang luto ni Ed ah. Ganun ata yun eh, pag nandun ka sa SG, gumagaling ka ng pag luto! Si Maki rin masarap na mag sinigang! Hehehe! ;p

This would be our last dinner as we will be leaving the country that same night. After dinner, we packed up to gear up for departure. Ed and Mark accompanied us to the airport, and there, the goodbyes and thank yous.

As we went in, I looked at Ed and Mark for the last time in a long while. A couple of months before I'll see them again. And after, I looked at Singapore--a country I so much enjoyed visiting. :)

Inside the airport, we checked in our baggage and saw a money changer. I converted some of my SG dollars for pesos para may pamasahe ako pauwi when I get back to the Philippines. Himala rin na hindi delayed ang Cebu Pacific. When we got to the plane, I was so tired and sick that I was almost asleep during the majority of the trip.

Eventually, we reached the Philippines and that marked our brief, but fun, vacation. Rix offered me a ride but I begged off na since gusto ko nalang straight to my house para diredirecho na. Medyo hindi na kasi kaya talaga ng katawan ko.

So I bid Rix goodbye when we knew na nandun na yung sundo niya. I went on the taxi queue and proceeded home. :)

Once I got home, my ate was eagerly waiting! Akala pala niya na nabilhan ko siya ng shoes! Shit! Yun pala, nag reply daw siya kaagad nung tinext ko siya... pero yun nga, wala kami nareceive. So yun, medyo I felt sorry for her since medyo na-disappoint siya. ;p

So there, that concludes my Singapore trip. It was nice being with my two buddies, Mark and Ed, again... and I couldn't thank them a lot for all the accommodations they've given us during our stay there! :)

Day 4: LOCKED INSIDE THE HOUSE, City Link mall, Chinatown, Clark Quay

It's Tuesday, and its our last "full day", since we're leaving the eve of the Wednesday. Being our last day, Rix and I decided to make the most of it by waking up early, and start roaming the streets of Singapore as early as we could.

As I opened my eyes, the first thing that came to my mind is:

DID ED LEAVE THE HOUSE KEY FOR US!?!

Remember that the front door has a metal screen that is locked. Without a key, the whole apartment unit becomes a cozy prison cell! Haha!

So, was Ed able to leave the keys for us?! The answer is a big NO!!! Hahaha!

After Rix woke me up (she has been working online, that's why she got up early), I immediately asked her if Ed left the key. Sagot niya: "Oo nga noh?" Hehe.

So we immediately texted Ed. After a while, Ed called back. I asked him immediately, "Ed, may spare key ka ba dito?".

Ed paused for like 5 seconds (at which I realized we're in deep shit), then blurted out: "Aaaayyyy puuuuta!"

Wahahahahaha!

So its inevitable: Rix and I were stuck inside the unit until Ed gets home at 4pm! Hahaha!

Rix was pretty much busy the whole time. Since we're locked up anyway, she proceeded with her work nalang. I proceeded to lie down for a bit muna since I'm still sick. After a while, we decided to cook. Mmmmm, chicken nuggets! Haha! Those golden fried goodies turned out crispy black after a while (I overcooked), but it still tasted decent! Haha!

Rix meanwhile cooked our rice. Nagsukat sukat pa kami ng tubig. The finish product was a big sticky pieces of rice! Haha! Nung una, akala namin nagkamali lang ng luto kaya nagkaganon... but later that night, Ed confirmed that we cooked the "sticky rice"!! Yun yung pang-luto ng champorado! Hahaha! And I, alone, ended up eating it since hindi raw magkakanin si Rix! Bwiset! Haha!

While eating, I blurted out to Rix: "Ganito pala ang feeling ng mga OFW na kinukulong ng mga amo nila! Dati iniisip ko kung paano ka makukulong, yun pala uso ang mga metal screens dito!" Hahaha! ;p

After lunch, Rix returned to her work while I tended the dishes. Hahaha!

A while later, Ed called to check up on us. I asked permission to use his computer so I can surf the net while waiting. A little later, Rix was finished with her work so we watched an episode of Heroes. Its the first time I'm get to watch it, and the story seems intriguing. I might decided to watch the whole thing in the future. Hehe.

And before we knew it, its already 3pm. I took a bath, and after I got out, Ed was already in. Pagod na pagod ang nigga natin. Hehe. Turns out, hindi raw pala siya nakatulog last night since ang lakas raw ng hilik ko! Awww, poor Ed! Hehe! So he begged off muna to join me and Rix since hindi niya na raw kaya ang antok! Susunod nalang daw siya later sa Clark Quay after he gets some sleep.

So yun, Rix and I are finally free to roam! First destination was the City Link underground mall. Rix was itching to go back to the Charles and Keith store. Rix said that its so much cheaper there in SG as compared here in Manila. There was also a big sale so most of the stuffs were really at bargain price. She ended up buying three shoes worth just 60 SG dollars! I heard that almost the price of just one shoe, when shopping in a C&K store here in Manila! So, not bad! I ended up carrying the big shopping bag the rest of the day though. Haha!

After City Link, we decided to go to Chinatown! Once we got off the MRT, we came out of the other side and ended up on the Chinapoint mall! The whole structure of the place was like a big spiral, with stores on the side. Looking around, we saw an anime toy store! I immediately looked around and saw some SOTA Street Fighter toys on display!! Some of the toys were really rare ones that you couldn't find in stores nowadays here in Manila! So I immediately bought one for good measure! Haha! I even took a picture of the store just for reference (or if ever I decided to go back here! hahaha!).

Also, I saw Rix' face as I joyfully browsed the toys! It was something like: "Naku si Fil, napaaga ang second childhood!" Hahaha! ;p

After that, we went out again and roamed the other mall beside it. We got to some building with just Chinese antiques on display. And then, we got into another mall which I forgot the name of. After browsing the whole place, we decided to eat dinner. There was a food area on the ground floor. Since we want exotic food, but wanting to play it safe at the same time, we just ordered chicken rice with some vegetable. In fairness, masarap siya! Hehe!

While eating, Rix told me that she needs to meet her friend who's also based in SG. Magtatampo raw kasi so kailangan niyang kitain. The problem was, wala akong cellphone. So mejo alanganin na iwanan ako kasi mejo delikado kung mawala ako at wala akong pang contact! Hehe! So we had to wait for Mark before Rica could leave. Medyo diyahe rin kay Rix kasi she could've left earlier sana if only I had a phone to make contact with Mark.

After a while, Mark came! Nagulat ako na parang kabisadong kabisado ni Mark yung lugar. I asked him kung madalas siya dun, yun pala first time lang rin niya dun! Ang galing. Haha!

Rix then went for the MRT to meet up with her friend, while Maki and I decided to roam the area around for a while. After some time, Mark decided to take me to the Dhouby Gout mall! Now this seems the place that Mark frequents. Once we got there, Mark bought a sandwich from some food store (expensive! haha). While he's eating, we browsed the mall. And lo and behold, there LOTS of toy stores on the top floor! Magkakahilera pa! So we looked around and marveled at some of the more expensive toys there.

And then we got to this one store, and the moment my eyes glazed at that one shelf, my brain processed: SOTA Street Fighter!!!!!

Hahahaha! ;p

I even told Mark something like: "Pre, sisiguraduhin ko na hindi ako lalabas na walang nabibili na toys dito!"

And then I proceeded to ask the girl at the counter, "Excuse me, how much are those figures?"

Girl: "Oh, they're 60 dollars... each!"

Me: (Sa loob ko lang, at kay Mark) Tangina! 60 dollars! Sa toys na wala na sa package (loose)!? Eh brandnew nun, around 20 dollars lang! Nasa packaging pa yun! Ano sila, sira!?!!"

Hahahaha! Tanginang taga yun! It's so laughable that I found it irritating! ;p

So we left that store in a breeze. Moving on, we got to this cool store specializing on WEAPONS! Grabe, ang ganda ng mga samurais nila! They also had big swords, axes, spears, and the likes. Ang ganda talaga. Grabe nga lang yung presyo! Haha.

And as we moved on yet again, I saw a store on the lower floor across us. Sabi ko, "Mark, mukhang ok dun ah.."

Mark: "Wag kang mag-alala pre, pupunta talaga tayo diyan! Bibili ako ng Magic eh!"

Langya! Hahahahaha! Adik talaga itong si Maki sa Magic! Every day ata bumibili ng pack yun eh. Parang kilala niya na yung bantay dun sa store eh! Haha!

As we made our way down the mall, we came across a Giordano store which had a sale. We browsed some of the pants, and while speaking Tagalog in front of the Chinese looking clerk, the clerk butted in... in Tagalog! Alang hiya, pinoy pala! Hehe!
Since we found some great pants, we decided to buy some. Yung promo kasi, 50 dollars for two pants. Its a good buy since I really liked the pants, and Mark did too (we bought the same style).

After shopping, we left Dhouby Gout and proceeded to Clark Quay. Now this place is comparable to Eastwood, The Fort, or Serendra na parang isang malaking area na puno ng mga clubs/restaurants/gimikans. Night life scene.

As we got there, Ed texted Mark telling us na hindi na raw siya susunod kasi pagod pa rin daw siya. So it was just me and Mark, waiting for Rica. It was also Mark's first time on Clark Quay so we decided to look around. The whole place is filled with restaurants and bars. The people are dressed for clubbing. I wasn't really that amazed though because, like I've said, it just reminded me of our very own gimik places.

Decided to sit down for a while, we moved on to the foot of the Reverse Bungee site. We witnessed how the whole thing works, and after seeing it for the first time, Mark knew that he WOULDN'T, EVER, for the love of God, ride that thing! Hahaha! Fear of heights kasi! ;p

I was game, though. Ed actually told me about it, as early as last year. When I looked at the price though, medyo yun ang humarang sa akin! 45 dollars for a ride that wouldn't even last for 5 minutes!?! The whole thing would just fling you up, and then you bounce around for a bit, then its over. I know its the adrenaline rush, but I just don't think its worth it. And Ed wasn't around so corny na kung ako lang mag-isa.

It's 11pm and Rix is still not around. After a while, we decided to call her na. Gabi na rin kasi and Mark still have work the next day. Kita ko narin kasi kay Mark na medyo pagod na. After a while, Rica arrived. I told her na back out na muna ako sa Reverse Bungee kasi nga medyo mahal, eh hindi rin daw siya sasakay kung mag-isa lang siya... so yun, we decided to go home nalang.

At home, Ed and Mark urged another inuman session (anak ng! akala ko pagod kayo! hahaha!). Since its our "last night" there, inuman na kami. Medyo matagal rin kasi bago umuwi sina Mark at Ed so inuman na! Hehehe!

So yun, apat kami including Jayson. Andaming pinaguusapan, yun pala naririnig ni Rix sa loob ng kwarto! Haha!

After the inuman, I asked Ed and Mark if they have an extra sim. Medyo nahihiya na kasi ako kay Rix kasi lagi akong nakaasa sa kanya because I don't have a phone with me. So if ever sana na we wanted to travel apart, mas ok sana kung may sarili akong phone na dala. Since Ed's extra sim won't work on me, Mark offered to lend me his phone nalang for the next day.

After a while, I dozed off.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Day 3: Orchard Road, City Link, Glutton's Bay

Guess what, I woke up with a fever!!!

Rix and Ed were still asleep so I just picked up my PSP and went online. After Ed woke up, I told him: "Nigga, may lagnat ata ako." Ed thought that I was joking at first. Tapos hinawakan niya yung forehead ko, biglang nag panic! Haha!

He immediately got up and fixed me breakfast! Awww! Ang sweet talaga ng mga friends ko! Haha! Pero seriously, I was touched by Ed's concern. I remember a time dati na nag inuman kaming tatlo ni Dom, and I got too drunk that I started puking even at the taxi cab on the way home. Si Ed ang nag-asikaso sa akin until I was ok enough to go home the next day.

And with Ed and Mark letting us (Rix and I) stay on their pad for our whole trip is a really big thing. They even treated us most of the time. I'm very proud to have friends like them, and the rest of Bakal. :)

Back to the story. Haha.

So Ed fixed me a delicious serving of Mi Goreng noodles and gave me some Biogesic tablets to tone down the fever. I can feel my nose and throat full of phlegm, and my eyesight is a little bit blurry.

This sucks.

But instead of just sleeping the day over, I thought to myself na sayang naman ang trip kung itutulog ko nalang... so I decided to just fight it, and go on with the SG experience! Yay! ;p

It's a Monday and Mark was already off to work when we all woke up. Ed doesn't have work because he fixed his shifts so he can purposely accommodate Rix and I during this day! :)

This time around, Ed is going to take us to Orchard Road!

After fixing ourselves up (talagang naligo ako kahit may lagnat eh noh, pasaway), we're off to go. Once we reached the ground floor, biglang bumuhos ang ulan! Grabe! Haha! As in malakas! We were able to seek cover at some buildings but needed to go through the rain when we needed to cross the road. Thank god Ed was able to bring his umbrella. Medyo maliit nga lang kaya medyo basa basa kaming tatlo! Haha!

We're off to the Sengkang station to alight the MRT off to Orchard Road.

One more thing, my camera didn't charge up! Don't you hate it when that happens!?! ;p

(Antagal naka-plug tapos hindi pala nag charge! We used Rix's cam nalang to take pictures. I'm gonna post nalang after she uploads them.)

Anyhoo, about Orchard Road. The whole place looks like a part of Makati! People bustling everywhere, and stylish people were all around the corner! The malls were also near apart, and you can see that the stores were of high caliber: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc.

Put it simply, Orchard Road is the shopping capital of Singapore! Of course the cost of living is high so mapapagastos ka talaga dito, as Ed said. But Ed reassures that Orchard Road is the place to be during the great Singapore sale in May-July! Mura raw kasi. Yun nga lang, kailangan maaga ka raw kasi pakyawan ang pamimili ng tao, said Mark.

On Orchard Road, we first went to Lucky Plaza. This was the place Ed was talking about. Parang old school mall sa 'pinas! Parang lumang mall sa Cubao or something! Haha! Many pinoys are here, some of them even have stores. Marami kasing remittance centers dito so kung magpapadala ka sa mga tao sa Manila, it seems that this is the best place to go.

Another thing that I forgot to add, mahal magpapalit sa mga money changers dito sa SG. Medyo taga! Buti nalang Ed offered us na sa kanya nalang daw kami magpapalit ng SG dollars! :)

After Ed's remittance, we browsed the mall for a while. Rix was looking for a laptop backpack pero things there were too expensive. After a while, Ed decided to eat muna. He treated us (again) to an expensive restaurant which, at the moment, I forgot the name of. (I'll edit this part after I remember. Langyang memory gap yan eh. Pagbigyan ang may sakit! Haha!)

I was gonna order something cheap (as in the cheapest in the menu, but its still expensive! haha) but Ed urged us to don't mind the price kasi ito raw yung pinaka treat niya! Hehe! Bawi nalang daw ako pag balik niya sa 'pinas! ;p

So Ed and I both ordered a steak--mine medium rare, and his, well done. Since Rix doesn't eat beef (since she have trouble digesting them), she ordered a delicious salmon meal. Yum!

After the delicious meal, we went around Orchard again. Konting libot libot ulit. And then we got to the Condom Store! Haha!

Remember the time when Ed went back, and he brought those naughty pasalubong gifts for us? The glow in the dark condom, and the penis shaped straw for the girls. Haha! The Condom Store is the place where he bought them! So we went inside to look around! Haha!

It was an adult store, obviously. Tons of sex toys and the likes adorned the store's walls. There was also a funny segment while we were there...

While Ed and I browsing some of the display, I saw a coffee mug with a bulging boobs (complete with a bra!) and thought it was amusing. I was planning to buy it, so I asked the sales lady right beside us:

Me: Miss, how much is this mug?
Girl: Ummm (looked around the mug), 30 SD sir!
Me: Oh ok. Thanks.

Thinking that the girl was Singaporean, I blurted out to Ed, while the girl is right beside us: "Tangina, baka basagin lang ng katulong namin yan sa bahay eh.."

The girl suddenly blurted out, "Pinay po ako! Haha! Mukha ba akong Singaporean!?"

Shet! Hahahaha! Takte bigla akong napahiya dun. Hehe. Segway nalang na, "Uuy! Filipino ka!? Akala ko Singaporean ka eh! Astig yung store niyo dito ah! Hehehehe!"

Hahahaha! ;p

After that, we received Mark's text message. He got off the office and is going to meet us somewhere so that he could join us for the night.

So after learning that Mark is in CityLink Mall, a nice underground mall connected to the City Hall MRT station, we're off to there!

At CityLink, we wandered around for a bit. Rix finally saw one of the store she was looking for, Charles and Keith. She told me that it was cheaper daw in SG than here in Manila so she like to browse around. It's also great that the store had a 70% off sale! She wanted to browse there right off the bat, but we had to meet up with Mark who's already waiting for us. So we decided to go back nalang the next day for it.

Eventually, we met up with Mark. We proceeded to walk outside City Hall and into the Esplanade and Marina Bay area. Likewise, we saw the Merlion statue that was spewing water on its mouth. I think this is the first and original Merlion statue of SG, but I might be mistaken. Going through, we saw the Makansutra Gluttons Bay area where we're gonna have dinner later! ;p

From there, we can already see the Singapore Flyer! It's that gigantic Ferris Wheel with cabins as its capsules. It's so big and gigantic that you can see it from far away. Dahil nga nakikita na namin, akala namin malapit na so we decided to walk towards it.

AT GRABE, MALAYO PA PALA SIYA! Akala lang namin na malapit na kasi nga malaki! Haha!

Medyo mahaba habang lakaran din yun! But the effort was well worth it. The Singapore Flyer is EPIC! For some strange reason, my camera suddenly got power, although limited! Picture time! ;p

But like I've said, sobrang laki nung Singapore Flyer that I had trouble taking pictures of it with an ordinary point and shoot camera. Kung SLR pa sana.

So we went inside and bought tickets. Medyo mahal din siya. I think it was 25-30 Singapore dollars. After getting the tickets, we went up the station and into the actual loading part of the Flyer. It never stops so you have to get in quickly while a capsule (cabin) is right on the station.

And sosyal ang cabin! Air-conditioned, complete with a sound system. Panalo pa ang mga tugtog during that time, mga old school love songs from the 80s-90s! Hahaha!

So starting from below, our cabin slowly inches towards the top just like an ordinary Ferris Wheel does. And to say the least, the view was breathtaking! You can almost see the whole of Singapore! It was a great feeling of reaching the top. Mark, who had fear of heights, was a little uneasy during the trip! Hehehe!

Pero yun nga.. I think, of all the rides I took in SG, the Flyer is my favorite. Reaching the top of the Flyer was a great feeling. Feels like you're on top of the world! Haha!

But just like every other wheel, you have to go down eventually. :(

After reaching the ground station again, Mark was overjoyed! Haha! Ayun, its time for dinner! Instead of walking back, we decided to take a cab this time around. Haha!

Now we're back at Makasutra Gluttons Bay! The whole place is a mecca of exotic Asian foods. There were stalls where you can order different kinds of food. We ordered that chicken/pork BBQ looking thing which tasted different! Haha! Then some chicken wings which were really good. And then the Stingray which Mark was recommending. Yum!

All the while, a live acoustic band is performing in a nearby restaurant so we can hear all the songs. Haha! Obvious na pinoy yung singer since yung song selection niya composed of all those old love songs na sumikat sa 'pinas dati! ;p

After finishing the food, and kwentuhan galore, its time to go home. It was already 11pm, I think. Ed and Mark both had to go to the office early the next day, so its time to call it a day. We walked back to the City Hall station, but not before we had to go to the CR. Medyo bininyagan ko muna yung City Hall station CR! Hahahaha! ;p

Eventually, we got home. Since the next day is going to be our last "full" day in Singapore, Rix and I decided to make the most of it since kaming dalawa nalang ang roronda at yung nga kasi last day na namin para makalibot completely. So plano namin, gising kaagad ng maaga para makaalis kaagad! ;p

So it was a goodnight sleep, getting ready for the next day!

Day 2: Sentosa

I woke up with running nose. Mukhang sinipon ako sa Jack Daniels ah. Haha! When I got up, Ed was already awake. He asked me to go with him to the nearby grocery. Since Mark was still asleep, it was just the two of us.

I finally saw prices for food inside the grocery. Mahal talaga. From the chips to the vegetables to the meat. I also saw how much the liquors were! Akala ko exag lang si Ed nung sinabi niya na mahal ang alak! Grabe, MAHAL talaga! Yung Jack Daniel dun, 89 SD! Eh yung nabili ko sa Duty Free, 39 SD lang! AND, mas malaki yung binili ko ah! Grabe! Hehe!

After grocery, Ed and I ate breakfast at Long John Silvers. I treated him this time. Sayang at wala si Mark.

After breakfast, Ed and I went back. Rix texted and told us na susunod nalang daw siya later since sabog pa siya. Hehehe.

Back at home, the four of us (including Jayson) had lunch. A little later and we're off to Sentosa!

Now this is the first time I get to ride the MRT. Sobrang linis! And there's no pesky security guards to check you out before you go inside. I think part ng awareness ng mga tao yung pagiging vigilant, like reporting something kaagad when they notice something suspicious, so mababa ang crime rate at hindi na kailangan ng security sa lahat ng sulok ng stations. Hehe.

Ed asked me to bring along my PSP since its gonna be a 30 minute ride. We played NBA Live along the way. Haha! All the while, I thought Ed stopped playing his PSP. Ayun pala, he brings his PSP over everytime he goes to work! Haha! And we had a great game. It was Lakers vs. Rockets. Ed smashed me in the get go, at tambak ako ng more than 20 points. Buti nalang naka-adapt ako immediately sa game, thanks to fixing the camera angle! Haha! Naging close fight with Kobe scoring most of the points. I got under a point, pero Ed proved to be the better player! Araw araw na atang minaster yun! Hehehe! Ang galing eh! ;p

Before we knew it, we're already at Harbour Front, the last station. Sengkang, where Ed and Mark live, was the 2nd to the last station on the other side. So the whole trip was like going from our very own Q.Ave station towards the Taft station. Only that the places were much far away in SG. Ed and Mark ride towards Harbour Front every time they go to work.

Also, there was a mall connected to the station. Isa pa pala yun. Almost every MRT station has a mall inside! Sosyal! Hehe!

There were three options to go towards Sentosa. Either MRT, cable car, or a bus. I wanted cable car sana pero its too expensive at 20 SD. So we took the Sentosa MRT nalang. It was a short trip. About 5 minutes siguro.

I think its Jayson and/or Mark's first time to Sentosa too. Kwento raw nila, trabaho-uwi ang routine nila everyday since mahal nga raw ang gastusin. Since minsan lang naman, at kasi andito kami ni Rix, ngayon na rin daw sila lumalabas.

So back to Sentosa, the first noteworthy view we saw was the LARGE Merlion! I think its Singapore's most symbolic icon (the large lion head). At first, I was asking them what the other people found interesting at a bunch of pink cow figures that they kept taking pictures of it. Once I shifted my view upwards, grabe! Yung Merlion pala! Hahahaha! At ang ganda nga. I snapped many pictures of it! ;p

Browsing around, we saw a garden part where many notes were tied around the tree branches. It was a wishing place! The other part, some place with Indian props, complete with a tent! Haha!

Proceeding upwards, we saw the Images of Singapore building. I think its a museum or something. Never went inside though kasi may bayad! Hahaha!

We proceeded to the Luge and Skyride. Enjoy ito! Haha! The Luge is like a kart style where you hold into a steering lever. You pull it to break, and let it go to continue sliding down. And of course, you can steer it to go left or right. The whole course is downhill as to let the kart slide down. Ingenious.

So we queued up. Surprisingly, the ticket booth girl was a Filipina. Nagulat ako na biglang tinagalog ni Ed! Hahaha!

What we took nga pala was the Luge+Skyride combo. We ride the Luge downhill, then take the Skyride upward to return.

The Luge was fun! Those three guys really drove fast! Hahaha! Ako naman mabagal lang kasi baka sumemplang ako! Hahaha! In the end, a camera will take your pictures so you can see it, and if you like, buy it as a souvenir. Nung tinignan namin yung pic, nakakatawa yung mukha ni Ed! Nakakagat talaga sa labi, parang kinareer talaga yung race! Hahaha! ;p

I'm gonna post it here once Ed gets it scanned! ;)

Now that we're below, we're gonna take the Skyride to go up again. Grabe, ang ganda ng view! I think it was 5pm that time and the sun was still shining bright. Parang 3pm lang! Hehe! The view at the beach was great!

I didn't know Mark had a fear of heights! Hehehe! Pulang pula talaga yung kamay niya sa higpit ng hawak sa railing! Hahaha!

After those rides, we took a break and ate Pizza. Since may colds ako, I can't really taste it. Badtrip. So I just took one slice! Haha!

After eating, we took a free bus ride to go down to Sentosa beach. We browsed around, taking pictures. This is when my camera batt died down. Pfft. We used Ed's camera instead. Grabe, ang daming foreigners. I think this beach was man made. It looked artificial, pero still a nice view. There's even a beach part there called Palawan! Rip off! Haha!

After that, we proceeded to the Underwater World. Its a museum for fishes. As usual, state of the art ang equipments nila like aquariums and the likes. Notable fishes that we saw there were the stingrays, the SHARKS, the jellyfishes (which changes colors), and that cute crab I saw. Some of the aquariums also allows you to touch and feed the fishes. Great stuff.

Once we got out of the Underwater World, we called it a day. It's time to go back home. Before we left the Sentosa area, we saw the recently concluded Sounds of the Sea. Never got to watch it though. Mga 9pm na kami nakauwi. I was so tired that I started dozing off. Rica arrived around 10pm na. I took a shower and proceeded to sleep.

Day 1: Singapore Zoo

Ed's room is so cozy! Haha! Sarap ng tulog ko! ;)

Once we woke up, ligo, then out na. We took a taxi onwards to a mall where we are riding a bus towards the zoo. We we're also meeting Mark's friends which we were traveling with.

While waiting, Mark presented us our own EZ Link cards. These cards are basically the means of paying for transportation. These are used for the MRT, LRT, as well as buses. I also heard that you can use this card to pay for McDonald's though I never got to try it.

While there, Ed and Mark thought us how to load up and use the EZ Link. Parang ATM! Haha! You place the cards into the sensor, then from a set of menus, you can choose to load up. Insert money like a vendo machine, then voila!, you have a functioning EZ Link card. Now if only our country have hassle free loading systems like these for our MRT cards...

Anyhoo, we browsed around the mall while waiting for Maki's friends. Rica found some Yogurt store so we bought some. We also found a short checkered skirt on some store, in which Mark exclaimed: "Nako, mga fetish ito ni Pilep ah! Dapat bilhan natin nito si Che!" Hahahaha!

After a while, we got to the bus station and met up with the others. High tech yung bus, di-swipe din ng EZ Link yung payment! This is great since you swipe/pay right when you get on the bus, thus no more pesky conductors to bother you during the trip. The inside of the buses were clean too. The space is wide so it can accommodate a lot of passengers. The seats were few though, it was a Saturday so we were able to seat. I just don't know how jam packed this buses get when its weekdays though.

Another thing, you need to swipe the card again before you leave the bus. Parang log in, log out. Malaki raw yung fine kung hindi mo i-log out. Rix and I almost forgot to log out kasi nakalimutan sabihin nila Ed! Haha! Kaya nagtataka kami ni Rix kung bakit lahat ng bumababa eh nag sswipe ng card! Haha! Buti nalang nahabol namin before the bus completely left! ;p

After an hour long ride, we finally got to the Singapore Zoo! It was also Ed and Mark's first visit to this place. One thing to note too, sabi ni Ed first time palang daw niya nakapunta sa zoo! Kahit daw sa 'pinas, hindi pa raw siya nakakapunta sa Manila Zoo! Hehehehe!

About the SG Zoo, I must say that its soooooooo BIG! As in kailangan talaga ng map for it. And you can call it a world class zoo! The facilities are, once again, hi tech! ;p

Ed and I were looking forward to seeing those white Tigers. The reason is that, a year ago, an incident here happened. Some guy went over the fence and into those Tigers. Of course, those Tigers got mauled him and he eventually died of neck bites.

The white tigers looked ferocious enough. Two of them were far away, sleeping. While one tiger kept pacing back and forth. Naisip ko, baka part sa training niya yun so people can take pictures of him Hehehe.

Then we also saw a bunch of other animals. The kangaroos, which is an open area and you can interact with them. The crocodiles. The snakes. There's even a small show where the zoo staff employs animal participation as part of the show! Hehe! Then there's some Samoa dancer which looked suspiciously like Filipino. Hehehe.

Since we only walked around, we got so hungry! Haha! After getting lost using the map, we finally saw a KFC! Lunch time! Again, it was Ed and Mark's treat! Haha! We ordered a bucket meal which had 8 pcs of chicken, and some side meals. One thing I must say is that iba ang lasa ng food sa SG. Medyo nasa matabang side. That's why they offer many condiments for your food. Kung sa pinas kasi, malasa at maalat, doon medyo walang matabang. Iba rin ang lasa ng mashed potato and gravy nila! Hehe! Still enjoyed lunch parin anyway! ;p

Another thing to note is that, while eating, we saw some guy who looked like DALE! As in pati yung porma at hairstyle! Hahahaha! Gusto ko sanang picturan kaso malayo yung guy since nasa labas siya, at nasa loob kami ng KFC! Magpapapicture sana ako kasama yun, "Niggas in Singapore!" Hahahaha!

After eating, we finally went back to strolling again. Ang laki ng zoo talaga. There's even a wedding being held there during that time! Hehe.

The highlight of that zoo, at least for me, was the POLAR bears. Yes, POLAR. I didn't think they'd survive a tropical habitat! Haha! Turns out, they had an air-conditioned room next door, while the show room had deep pools which you can see under! Ang galing talaga. The bear even dived down deep into the water, then swam across to play with the rubber ball! Hehehe!

We also saw some Jaguar and a wolf on the way back.

Once we got out of the zoo, we were soooo tired! Lakarin mo ba naman yung ganung kalaki na lugar! Haha! By the time we were on the bus ride home, tulog na ako! ;p

At home, we rested for a bit. It was already 6pm pero tirik na tirik parin ang araw! It looked like it was just 4pm! Abnormal! Rix said na baka mali ang timezone ng SG. Hehe.

Anyhoo, the plan is that we're going to Clarke Quay later that night. Eh masyado nang pagod so we decided na bukas nalang. Mark decided na mag inuman nalang that night since Jack Daniel is waiting for us na! Haha!

Rica, able to contact her friend who's based in SG, went out to see her friend. I think she was able to go to Clark Quay that night, and went clubbing. I believe she told me about an Indian trying to buy her a drink! Haha!

Back to us bakal boys, we bought some stuff from 7/11 for our inuman. Bagong trip na nila Ed and Mark ito... Jack Daniel with Coke Light! Sarap! Hahahaha!

Since Jayson was out, kaming tatlo lang muna. Kwentuhan galore. Stuffs that can only be shared during inumans! ;p

I really missed these two! Buti nalang at uuwi sila sa May! ;p

Jayson went home around 2am and joined us for a few rounds. After a while, we called it a night. We were going to Sentosa the next day! ;)

Arrival

We boarded at around 8pm, and since its a 4 hour trip, we expect to arrive at around 12am.

True enough, we arrived 12:30am.

I also just realized that I forgot all those Goldilocks goodies that I bought Ed! Damn that amplifier, got me too preoccupied. Ayun, ate ko nalang tuloy yung nakinabang! Haha!

I asked Rix if Ed has already texted. I was using that Globe sim that Che gave me months back, and the roaming request was still not activated. After a while, Ed texted na malapit na raw sila! Anak ng! Akala ko kanina pa sila andun! Hehehe!

So we proceeded muna to the little Duty Free store inside the airport. I bought one Jack Daniel as promised to Ed and Mark. And while Rix was inside the CR, I glimpsed two guys waving at me from the outside window. Upon closer inspection, it was Ed and Mark! Hahaha!

It was so great meeting those two guys again! It shows how much I missed them! ;)

After the initial reunion, we got in a taxi and proceeded to Ed and Mark's place!

My initial reaction about Singapore is, its so CLEAN! And you can hardly see any cops since mababa ata ang crime rate sa kanila! The whole place looks so safe that you can stroll around til the whee hours of the morning and still maintain a carefree attitude!

Also, there were hardly any houses around their place (Sengkang). Most of the homes were large buildings with apartment units. I think the only one's with houses were the really rich people (pretty much like in Korea).

Plus the whole transportation means were hi-tech. That cab we were riding on even has an LCD monitor which, I think, features a Global Positioning System (GPS) to show you your location in case you're missing. Plus, it even tells the driver to slow down every time he exceeds the speed limit! Ooooh! Haha! The MRT and Buses were better, but more on that later.

And so we arrived Ed and Mark's apartment. Ang ganda ng place nila! Nakakaaliw yung elevator kasi ang bilis, unlike here in our country, na para mag aantay ka ng pasko bago dumating! Haha!

Once we got inside, we met Jayson, Ed's cousin who's also working in SG. Jayson is the third housemate. The fourth housemate, Neil, was still out during that time. And to celebrate our arrival, Ed treated us to McDonald's! Haha! Ang uso pala dun, you order online! So Ed tapped the McDo website to place our orders.

And its an ice breaker. It opened my eyes that... food in Singapore is EXPENSIVE! Yikes! Haha! While we were choosing our order, I was looking at the prices: (6 dollars, 7 dollars, etc). My mind involuntarily started to calculate and convert the prices to Philippine peso... 1 SG dollar = 31 PHP...

I suddenly blurted out, "Shit and mahal ah!". Hahahaha! They laughed and Ed jokingly told us, "Fil, don't calculate!" Hahahaha! Si Mark din daw, nung unang dating, nag cacalculate rin daw sabi ni Ed! Hahaha! ;p

And I was thinking that since its more expensive, siguro mas malaki rin yung servings. Langya, same servings rin! Haha! So it integrated into my head that mataas talaga ang cost of living sa SG as compared sa 'pinas.

While waiting for the food, kwentuhan galore! Haha! I borrowed Mark's laptop to check my mail. I saw Che online so I buzzed. Turns out, it was Pilep! Haha! I told him na andito na ako sa SG. Sabi ni Fifi to activate Skype because he has something to show me! And so I logged into Maki's account and Skype'd Pilep!

And what was that he was gonna show me? Akala ko nung una may kabalastugan na gagawin si loko.. Hahaha! And then he showed me...

M.BISON!!!!!!!! That SOTA Street Fighter figure which I was furiously saving for! Hahaha! Na-excite ako bigla! I immediately asked him, "Ayus pre, mag-cocollect ka narin!?" In which Fifi replied, "Hindi, para sayo yan!" Yahoooooooo!!! Hahahahaha! Tumalon ang aking puso! Hahaha! And of course it wasn't for free, as always, may dare yang CHELIPS na yan as kapalit! Hahahaha! Kailangan daw may pic ako with Ed and Mark kissing them daw! Hahaha! Taena! Malamang fetish na naman ito ni Che! Hahahaha! jk! Sad to say, I failed the dare! Hahaha! Pero I talked to Che yesterday at ibibigay pa rin daw nila yung toy! Hahahaha! Hoy Che, walang bawian ah! Hahaha! ;p

Back to where we were... haha!

Ayun dumating na yung food. And yes, I was able to confirm na same servings nga, only more expensive. So yun, kwentuhan galore. And about Rix, I was worried na baka hindi siya comfortable since we're all guys, AND that she only met Ed (though she get to chat with Ed on YM) and Mark once or twice palang before. But as I've said before, Rix is very congenial and friendly... and nung andun na, akala mo sobrang tagal na nila magkakilala! Hehehe! Magaling talaga makisama. Siguro kung ako yun, I'll be sitting on one corner, blurting out "hi... hello!" Hahaha!

After eating, we decided to call it a night since its gonna be a big day later! We're going to the ZOO! ;p

Singapore!

And so I'm back from Singapore, and what a trip it has been! The highlight of the whole trip, of course, is meeting both Ed and Maki which I missed so much!

This Singapore trip took a long time planning. I was initially supposed to go with nigga Dale, us planning as early as last year. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned as Dale was busy with his work... and forgot to renew his passport!!! (italicized na nga, bold pa.. hahaha!)

So after meeting Rix last December, I learned that she was planning a Singapore trip too. Thinking that I'll be busy na come mid-2009, I decided to go nalang with Rica for a February SG trip.

We kept looking for Cebu Pacific promo fares as early as Christmas eve. Rix got a roundtrip promo, but unfortunately, I only got a one way ticket promo (pauwi). Naubusan kasi ng promo tickets since unahan yun. So I thought nalang to use my mom's PAL miles points to get to SG free. Too bad though, it took a long time to process since busy-bisihan yung agent ni mama, so I decided nalang to book a ticket.

Bad trip lang na right after I booked my ticket, tsaka nag return call yung travel agent ni mama telling us that yes, the miles points are available, and kailangan na raw gamitin since mag-eexpire na this coming April! Fuck! Haha! (Hmmm.. I'm smelling another trip for me.. Haha!)

And so yun, we set our travel schedule to Feb 13-Feb 19. At first, mukhang mahaba yung trip pero yun pala BITIN! Since we're leaving for SG at 8pm on Feb 13, then leaving for Manila at 12am off 19, parang hindi mo talaga i-ccount both days as kasama sa trip.

Then, the day finally came. Feb 13. Armed with Ed's electric guitar and amplifier, together with my large bag (full of Ed and Mark's things! haha!), I stormed through the airport. Super traffic so I got in late. I was supposed to go to the Airport straight but my mom got nervous about the amplifier, baka raw kasi hindi payagan i-hand carry. So she decided to go with me para just in case hindi pwede dalhin, iuuwi nalang niya sa bahay.

Once I arrived the airport, Rica was already waiting. Nawiwiwee na raw siya sa lamig ng aircon! Hahaha! True enough, malamig nga talaga ang NAIA ngayon! Haha! So my mom and sis was waiting outside the airport since yung plan nga, I was gonna call them in case hindi payagan yung amp. Much to my surprise, my mom was able to go inside the airport check in. Ang alam ko kasi, yung mga pwede lang dun is yung mga magttravel na since hahanapan ka ng ticket para makapasok ka dun. Haha!

So after queuing up the long check-in line, we finally got to check-in our luggage, and they let the amplifier in! Yay! So we bid my mom goodbye, and proceeded to go to the waiting area. After much Jollibee and kwentuhan, we proceeded to board the plane to SG.

It was funny though, once we arrived the boarding place, the speakers blurted out: "Last call for Ms. Maricar Quiambao and Mr. Filomeno Capul. Please go to the boarding counter immediately!" Haha! Kami nalang pala ang huling inaantay na passengers, and there we were talking about how Cebu Pacific always have delay flights! ;p

Singapore, here we come! ;)

update

I haven't been writing that much these past weeks. Medyo kasi preoccupied ako. And heeding Che's advice to skip nalang the past events kasi nga parang pangit na iblog pa (since mejo nakalimutan na), so i-summarize ko nalang yung ibang events dito. ;p

**The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - I really love this movie. It's almost 3 hours long but that didn't stopped me from watching it a second time on a movie house. The first one was with BAKAL, then the 2nd time with my mom and sis. I give this movie a perfect 10. Why, its even nominated at the Oscar's Best Picture category. Brad Pitt was nominated for Best Actor, but I was more impressed with Cate Blanchett on this one. ;)

**Yes Man - Ooh, Jim Carrey movie! I watched this with BAKAL too. Patch had a photoshoot with Drey during noon time, so we watched at Trinoma after their shoot. Myk followed later.. yes Myk! yickeeee! hahaha!

**Verg's semi despedida - "Semi despedida", if ever there's such a term! Haha! Verg is going back to Los Angeles to stay for about a month. His visa expires this March so he'll have to come back here to renew it. Sakto na I have to fix my airfare tickets on Mega Mall so I get to meet Verg (with Richard) the day before he leaves. He treated us dinner. And oh, I also bumped into Dom late that night on Mega Mall dept store, somewhere really unlikely. Haha.

**SOTA Street Fighter toys - I recently bought a loose Akuma figure for just 250 last week, and to say the least, I was thoroughly impressed with the quality. So I googled up information and decided I'll collect the whole series! Welcome to my new hobby! lol. More on this after I get back from Singapore. ;p

And about Singapore, I'll be leaving tomorrow night. Returning on the 19th. I'll be with Rix. Off to see Maki and Ed again! Wooohooo! SG here we come!! ;p

Tagaytay Adventure

Last Friday night, I received a call from Pilep. He's asking me kung pwede ko sila samahan ni Che sa Tagaytay on Sunday. Che kasi has a project where they have to interview people, and they've chosen Tagaytay people. Since Pilep's car broke down the other day, we were gonna use my car. And since all expense paid daw nila (gas and food), game ako!!!!!! Hahahahaha! And besides, gusto ko rin gumala eh! ;p

So as early as 5am, I'm off to Che's pad. After a bit of Monster Hunter with Pilep, we left the house and proceeded to McDo DLSU to meet up with Patch and their other group mates. Inside my car was Che, Pilep, and patch while the other 4 groupmates are riding another car--so convoy nalang onwards Tagaytay.

Ang sarap ng papunta. There was no traffic, and the weather was great! Sunny pero hindi yung malagkit na init. And the view was great, specially the pineapple farm we saw... ang ganda ng sikat ng araw sa kanila! ;)

We finally got to Tagaytay. We were driving around until they found a few tourist guides. Apparently, the group were planning to go down in Taal lake! Hahaha! All the while kasi, I thought sa mismong Tagaytay lang. And so we went down Taal! ;p

Grabe yung kalsada. Ang tarik! Ito yung tipong pag lasing ka, sure na hindi ka magsusurvive sa pagmamaneho! Hahahahaha!

We finally reached the lake shore below. And akala ko yun na yun... shet, mag babarko pa kami papunta sa mismong Taal!! Oh noez! ;p

And to think, since I wasn't aware of the complete plans, naka jeans ako at rubber shoes! Haha! But I think Pilep got the worst of it, naka porma talaga with a dark polo shirt, jeans, and gimik sneakers! Hahahaha!

Blessing in disguise narin na I decided to wear a sleeveless shirt, just because I ran out of shirts to wear! So yun, at least naka sleeveless ako! ;p

And the boat ride papunta sa island was nice, except that we got wet. Actually, basa na yung brief ko once we reached the Taal island. ;p

On the island, the group decided to find people for their interview. May mga bata dun ang kukulet! Lapit ng lapit sa akin sabay sabi ng, "Te, te, piso? !@#!piso?" $%^&piso?"

Ang sarap balibagin! Sa loob loob ko, "Hoy! Anong 'te'?! Lalake ako!! Lalakeeeeee!!!!" Hahahaha! Napagkamalan pa ata akong babae at "te" (ate) ang tawag sa akin. Hehe.

Once the group found some people for their interview, Koya Pilep and I went to a kubo to play Monster Hunter!! Hahaha! It's great that Pilep is finally playing MH. I always thought that MH is the kind of game he will like! ;p

After the interview was finished, its time to go back! And I thought the previous boat ride was rowdy, this next one is a killer! Akala ko talaga titilapon kami sa lakas ng waves! And tuwing may waves, tumitilapon sa amin yung water! As in basang basa kami na parang naligo kami sa ulan! Haha!

And I thought the worst was over, yung paakyat pabalik ng Tagaytay ang pinaka challenge for the day! Haha! Right when we were preparing to leave the lake shore kasi, a revo parked besides us. Ang baho! Amoy sunog na clutch! And I saw their tires smoking. I told the revo driver about it, and sabi niya dahil raw sa handbrake yun.

Sa loob loob ko, "ang bobo naman nito! nag drive nang nakataas yung handbrake?!"

And shet, kinarma ata ako! Hahaha! Kasi nga sobrang patarik nung road pataas pabalik ng Tagaytay, halos hindi kinakaya ng car ko! Everytime pataas ang road, I immediately shift to 2nd gear... then kung sobrang pataas, shift to first gear! As in gapang kami! And yung mahirap, pag nagkamali ka at namatayan kami ng makina, baka gumulong kami pabalik since mabigat kami (5 people, including the tourist guide) and sliding ang clutch ko. So super concentration! Haha! And halfway through, we were starting to smell that same stench with the revo earlier: burning rubber. Hahaha!

Eventually, we reached the top! Back to Tagaytay! Hurray! A sigh of relief from everyone! Haha! Patch even told me later that she started praying half way through that dilemma! Hahaha!

The other group mates decided to leave Tagaytay na, while we decided to stay and find something to eat right after we drop off the tourist guide.

Koya Pilep, being our manager for the day, decided to eat at Leslie's. Sarrrap ng food! We decided to order Bulalo and sisig! ;p

The price was expensive though. Nahiya nga ako kay Pilep kasi ang laki ng bill. I wanted to chip in sana kahit small amount lang pero wag na raw sabi niya. Dibale Fifi, babawi ako pag may work na ako! Hehe ;p

It's the first time I get to eat at Leslie's. Maganda pala. And the view from the restaurant is fantastic! Gitna kasi talaga yung Taal! And like I've said, the food is great! Yung price nga lang medyo mahal.

Onwards home, we're contemplating on buying some clothes in the ukay-ukay kasi nga basa kaming lahat. They decided not to nalang so we left Tagaytay na.

And as a personal tradition for me, everytime I go to Tagaytay, I almost always drop by Paseo mall. All just because for the Nike Outlet store! ;p

Titingin sana ako ng mga new Kobe shoes.. baka kasi meron. Sarap nun, lalo na matyempuhan ko na hindi na maxed out yung credit card ko. Hahaha!

Unfortunately though, wala akong nakita nung dumaan kami. We decided to stroll around Paseo nalang for a bit. Para pala siyang isang malaking leisure place. Something like Eastwood.

After a while, its time to go home. Medyo traffic na pabalik. Lalo na sa toll entrance ng highway. At some point, I was getting sleepy so I decided to make a stop over on that big Petron lot (the one with the building/center). Naghilamos lang ako, then bought a coke from McDo para magising. Haha!

So yun, diredirecho na kami to Manila after that. We dropped Patch off at Shaw MRT station, then the three of us went to Mega Mall. CHELIPS were gonna have a haircut dapat but backed off last minute, while I wanted to browse around to look for Street Fighter toys (my new passion!!! haha).

Considering that I have to meet up with Donna later, the three of us had dinner at Tokyo Tokyo nalang before going to Tandang Sora. Instead of dropping off CHELIPS at their house, we decided nalang kasi to meet Donna in Tandang Sora, hang out for a bit, then kay Donna na sila sasabay pauwi. And so we did.

Tumambay muna kami sa Commonwealth, the establishment beside Ever Commonwealth, and stayed at Figaro. Kwentuhan galore, Monster Hunter!, then we decided to call it a night.

I dropped them off back at Tandang Sora where Donna left her car, bid them goodbye, then went home. I was sooo sleepy that my eyes were dozing off na! Grabe! Haha! Once I reached the house, I immediately went for the bed.

...then I unceremoniously woke up at 5am! FACEBOOK WRESTLER MUNA! Hahaha! After that, I slept again then woke up at 5pm! ;p

I really enjoyed the trip. Kahit kapagod yung drive, it was worth it. Very challenging talaga yung drive pataas ng Tagaytay from the lake shore, and I'm glad to have experienced it. Thanks talaga to Che and Pilep for inviting me in their trip! ;)

Jem's Birthday

Jem turned another year older last January! Ate ko na siya ngayon! Hahahaha! ;p

The party was at Jem's home. And halos kumpleto: Drey, Dale, me, Pilep, Che, Donna, Myk, and Pay(!!!). Hahaha! Nagulat talaga ako at nandun si Pay! Hehe! ;p

I can't remember much the early parts of the day pero I'm sure mejo badtrip ako nung umaga. Tapos may misunderstanding kami ni nigga nung gabi. Usapan kasi, sasabay siya sa akin papunta kay Jem. Eh nag lag ata yung phone namin, nagkaroon ng misunderstanding. Akala ni Dale ata, nauna na ako kina Jem so hindi niya na ako inantay sa meeting place namin, McDo Q.Ave.

Antagal kong nag antay, until Jem texted me na pumunta na raw ako kasi Dale is already on his way there. At ako naman nabadtrip sobra kasi nga bakit umalis siya ng hindi ako tinetext! Hahaha!

So yun, it turns out lag nga yung phone and hindi pala nagkaintindihan sa text. ;p

Anyhoo, sobrang gutom ako pag dating kina Jem. So sorry nalang sa akin yung spaghetti at KFC! Hahaha!

And since andito tayo sa house ni Jem... PS3 time!!! Hahaha! Rock Band was the first game to be played. I was surprised at Jem's tracklist. Marami rin pala siyang songs na binili online! Adik! ;p

After a while, we saw the BUZZ! game underneath Jem's table! Binuksan tuloy ng wala sa oras! Haha! BUZZ! is a game where people play it like a trivia game show, and players have buzzers as controllers to select their answers. Ang saya! Haha! Since we only have 4 buzzers, we grouped into 4. Pay and Donna, Jem and Drey, Pilep and Che, and the Dale, Myk, and I! Haha!

Walang hiya, hindi kami nanalo! Haha! Dapat panalo na kami sa last team game, kaso hindi nakinig sa advice ko yung dalawang loko (naks! hahaha!). ;p

Around 4am, umuwi na kami. Donna left earlier because she still have class the next day. Myk naman, wala daw magbubukas sa ate niya so he needs to go na raw! Pero nung nag-Tekken, ayaw na naman umalis! Hahaha! Dale stayed over at my house kasi delikado na umuwi that time..

So yun, another great night with my friends! Thanks to Jem for the birthday treat! Sa uulitin, ate! Hahahaha! ;p

At the CCP with CHELIPS!

Once I got home, I saw my mom sleeping on the couch, naka-kumot! Nag-chill daw siya, and nahihilo. I asked her if she wants me to bring her to the hospital, wag na daw.

Then the phone rang. It's Tita Au, her friend from Europe who's here in Manila... shet, biglang tumayo si mama at pumunta kaagad sa phone na parang walang sakit! Hahaha! Meron pala silang Tagaytay trip the next day. As they talked, I overheard my mom saying that she got tickets for a UST Chorale performance on the CCP the next night.

Once she dropped the phone, I immediately butted in: "Ma, akin nalang yung tickets mo!"

Hahahaha!

It was four tickets so I need three more people. First choice of course were my playmates Che (of course kasama si Pilep), and Ade. Pero since Ade can't go nga given the circumstances, I've asked others nalang. Rix said she'll try so siya na nireserve ko muna. It turns out my hs barx Richard, whom I'll be with during the morning, wanted to come because he wants to take pictures in CCP.. sabi ko tuloy may nakareserve na sa last ticket.

So yun, Saturday morning, I woke up and immediately went to the groceries para mamili kami ng ate ko. Afterwards, I picked up Richard in Q.Ave. We're going to Hidalgo kasi to buy his SLR flash, and other SLR materials. We parked at UST nalang para libre kami gumala sa Quiapo.

Nung pauwi, grabe ang hassle! Hindi pa ako nagpa-gas kasi alam kong aabot pa yung gas ko hanggang highway kahit halos empty na. What I didn't consider was, SUPER TRAFFIC!!!!!!!!! Hahahaha!

Nasa Banawe palang kami, ipit kami sobra sa traffic. The gas empty signal flashed like 10x na ata... and syempre ako, super panic. Mahirap nang tumirik sa gitna ng traffic noh! So detour kami ni Richard inside Banawe-Araneta Ave just to look for a gas station. At sa awa ng diyos, nakakita kami ng Shell! Hahaha!

So yun, dumaan nalang kami via Tomas Morato road towards Q.Ave. Right after I dropped Richard off in the MRT station, Rix texted that she couldn't come. Sayang! Richard could have come instead.

Anyhoo, what happened next is that I went home ASAP, took a bath, dress up, then immediately drive back to CCP! And shet, sakto lang ang dating ko. Haha! I claimed the tickets then met with CHELIPS immediately after.

And eto na, the highlight of this post! Che is finally going to tell me her "chismis" daw na ayaw niya sabihin via online... kailangan daw personal! Arte! Hahahaha! ;p

CHE AND PHILIPPE are ENGAGED!!! :D

At first I couldn't believe. I think I uttered the line: "Di nga!?" at least 10 times! Hahaha! Si Che kasi, yung facial expression (with matching hand action showing her ring) is yung parang nagjoke tapos biglang seryoso! Hahahaha! Si Pilep naman, yung reaction niya is yung parang wacky face niya! Hahaha! Mga walang hiya! Mga hindi mukhang kapani-paniwala! Hahahahaha! ;p

And it took me a long time before it sunk in to me (of course, after they finally convinced me that they were actually serious! hahahaha!)

Actually, may suspicions na ako na proposal nga yung surprise.. kasi they are looking for a new house na! Hahaha!

So after all the congrats and best wishes I showered them with, we proceeded inside the concert. In fairness, ang ganda ng seats namin this time: Balcony!!! Hahahaha! And to think we were the only ones there, parang exclusive tuloy sa amin yung left wing balcony! Hahaha!

And about the UST Chorale! They were great actually! If I didn't slept through the whole first half, I would have appreciated it better! Hahaha! Pero seriously though, they were good. I was just so tired that I involuntarily slept through. ;)

And since I kept dozing off, Che, Pilep, and I decided to skip the 2nd part. We "escaped" during intermission and decided to have dinner at Harbour Square. ;p

At Harbour Square, we were bombarded by those wild waiters and waitresses! Ang sarap i-Chuck Norris roundhouse kick lahat! Haha! Eventually, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant called Rower's Den. The food was actually great.

After dinner, we went to Icebergs for dessert. Kwentuhan galore. Hindi pa rin masyado nag sisink in yung engagement nila CHELIPS sa akin so I still kept asking them questions! Hahahaha!

Afterwards, I felt a revolution. A revolution inside my stomach! Hahaha! Ang sama bigla ng tiyan ko. It's not diarrhea.. more like dyspepsia. Parang mahapdi at makirot. So yun, we decided to call it a night. I dropped Che and Pilep at Che's place and drove like a maniac onwards home.

And grabe, halos ilang days tumagal yung stomach ache ko! Hahahahahaa! ;p