Arlyn's Treat @ Red Box

When Arlyn left early this year, we joked that she should treat us at Le Souffle when she comes back. Instead of fulfilling that wish, we requested to have it at Red Box so it would be more fun.

Around 8 last night, we met her at Room 53. An MYMP song was being played when we arrived. Being videoke veterans, Ogz and I quickly chose our repertoire. I did "Love Hurts", "How You Remind Me", "Ako'y Sa Yo, Ika'y Akin Lamang", "Bohemian Rhapsody", and "With Arms Wide Open".

We ordered shrimps, chicken, and spring rolls for dinner. Yummy! The only problem was the service. Our rice came almost an hour later. Paging Red Box administration. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! You oughtta do sumpthin about your service.

Later on, Shawee joined us. We had a blast hearing Shawee's renditions of songs by Sarah Geronimo, Alicia Keys, Aegis, and MYMP. She should be a permanent fixture everytime we need to go to a videoke bar.


Dennis dropped by around midnight. Of course, Ogz and I had to sing our birit song, "Used to Be". Last song of the night was Ronan Keating's "When You Say Nothing At All", special request by Arlyn ;oP

Let Me Take This Time To Thank You

"The moment an acquaintance gets upgraded to being a friend, he or she takes a special spot in our hearts."
- Knottydon

I really want to thank all my good friends who took care of me (and my friends) during my 10-day vacation in Singapore. I truly felt your generous hearts.

Neil: Bayad na ko sa "Black Eyed Peas" concert ha! The best ka, man! Next time, patikman naman yun beefsteak mo.

Lala: Maraming salamat sa pag-aruga sa amin. Kahit siksikan tayo sa kama, otay lang. Malakas pa rin ba ako humilik?

Annette: Sayang, di ko natikman yung Wonka bar =o( Pero super thank you sa pancakes and strawberries ;oP at sa BodyShop Mango bodywash. Teehee... Sayang ulit, di tayo nakapag-usap. Next time na lang.

Beng: Natuwa ako at napandilatan mo ulit si Chelita. Like I said, na-m-miss ko awayan nyo. Sana tuluy-tuloy na ang romance nyo ni Dudong.

Mikko: Next time sana hindi kana masyadong busy at pressured ;oP

Joey, Bess, and Nathan: Pinigil ko talaga luha ko nung nag-buh-bye ako kay Nate. Secret natin yun ha. Bess, salamat sa spaghetti. Joey, thank you sa mga birthday food ko. Nate, nice hair! Sinong bagay kay Tito Don?

Of course, Arlyn: Thank you!!! Instead na one day lang tayo magkasama sa Singapore eh naging halos 3 days ;oP Maraming salamat sa wine, chocolates, and for granting one of my birthday wishes. Di ko makakalimutan ang Tana Merah station. Teehee...

Frank Gehry Signature Fossil Watch

The first time I saw this watch while shopping at Orchard Road in Singapore, I fell in love with it.

It has a unique way of telling time. The handwriting design came from Frank Gehry, a postmodern architect. And the face changes from dark background during daytime to light during nighttime. Unfortunately, it doesn't have backlight =o(

Anyhoo, I love it.

Back to Reality

Went back to work today. I felt rejuvinated. I wore my new pants from Topshop (or Topman), my new Fossil watch (need to research on Frank Gehry soon), and new iPod nano to keep me company. I remember feeling this way during my first day in high school where everything was new. Teehee....

Had lunch with Arlyn at Sentro, Greenbelt 3. We had sizzling tofu and seafood sinigang. I ordered wine too. We tried the lemon meringue for dessert. Pretty nice lunch.

I had to go back to work so we parted ways at Glorietta =o(

Worked for awhile. Around 8, I did a quick grocery and prepared dinner. Cooked porkchops and ampalaya, plus wine. Perfect for a special guest too!!!

Singapore & Manila (Singapore Day Ten)

Before boarding my plane, I made sure that I submitted my GST refund. Otherwise, the shop where I bought my iPod nano would charge me the 13 bucks they already gave me.

Our flight back to Manila got delayed. I tried to sleep but only dozed off a few times.

After 3 and a half hours, I'm back in the Philippines. It's already lunchtime and I was famished. I looked for sumpthin to eat before taking our bus ride back to Manila. I paid 300 bucks to sit on the aisle. Bummer!

Around 2, I saw SM MegaMall again. I'm really back home. Shawee and I took a cab ride to Makati.

Slept till 8:30. Had spam and eggs for dinner.

Birthday in Sentosa (Singapore Day Nine)

It's Sentosa time today. First we had lunch at some hawker's place. All of us had the chicken meal that we had in Thailand. The food (so freakin' small) was meant for kids. I would've eaten 2 servings but we didn't have enuff time anymore.


We tried the cable car. The last time I rode one was in Florida (years ago). Anyhoo, I rode with Arlyn and 2 Japs. We thought we would have the car all to ourselves. Teehee...


First thing we checked out was the Underwater World. I remember visiting one in Minneapolis at Mall of America. I couldn't remember the stuff we saw there but I'm really delighted that I visited this one in Singapore. It's always fun to see different sea creatures.


One interesting creature was this Sea Angel. This shell-less creature had wings but no eyes. And it's super dooper small.


Sharks, stingray, some unknown big fish, and piranhas.

We got excited seeing a Dugong (a first for me). It's so graceful and playful.


Siloso beach was next. Ogz, Dennis, and I took a quick dip. Almost drowned so I went back to the shore. I didn't plan to die on my birthday ;oP The sand wasn't that fine unlike in Bora. It was freakin' hot. Many people played soccer, volleyball (wanted to join 'em), and frisbee.


Next stop was the Merlion. There's a smaller version in Boat Quay. We took some photos but didn't go inside anymore.

Last stop was the Musical Fountain. There's a similar presentation in Disney World, Florida. I like that one better. Here in Singapore, they have this monkey character named Kiki. I like the laser light show though.

We went back home to have dinner at another hawker's place. Kneel had been to this place a few times. He ordered everything for us. We tried a grilled stingray, shrimps, and spicy fried rice. We even had calamansi juice for our drinks.

Arlyn and I got her stuff and brought it at La's place. Afterwards, I started packing my stuff for we have to leave in a few hours. Since we still have 4 hours to spare, we went shopping at a 24-hour mall called Mustafa. I got myself a Puma shirt. Visited the Esplanade and Merlion for the last time. There was an eerie incident when we're taking our photos at the Merlion. A mysterious dot appears each time.

Went back home around 3 am. Finished packing. Slept for 30 minutes and took a bath. Bid goodbyes to our friends. Left around 5 am for the Changi Airport.

Noah's Ark (Singapore Day Eight)

We're supposed to be prepared around 8 but I woke up around 10 already. Some of us haven't even taken our baths yet. Teehee... We left La's apartment around noon already.

We visited the Singapore Zoo today. First thing we did, we had our lunch at KFC.

The first batch of animals we saw were these birds. I joked that they all looked like stuffed. A guy was standing nearby and holding this yellow snake. It looks harmless so I mustered up enough courage to touch it. Am not fond of snakes. I gave myself props just by caressing this beautiful creature.


We started walking around and saw some monkeys who were playin' with some oranges. Unfortunately they couldn't open it so they just dribble it. One even looked like Patrick Ewing!

Some animals I saw were hippopotamuses, rhinos, the white tigers (just lying around), the black & white tapiers, a warthog (I sang Pumbaa's song in "The Lion King"), and some raccoons.

I had so much fun taking pictures of the penguins. I just love these birds!!!

The polar bears (Shawee called them Panda bears) were a disappointment. It would've been better if they swim and play to the crowd's content.


We went inside this eco house containing assorted animals like butterflies (they both landed on Arlyn and me), lemurs (one almost jumped on Shawee), and mouse deers.


There were some big cats too. I found out that you can tell the difference between jaguars and leopards by the former's inner spots on its coat. The male lion (with mane around his face, take note Shawee) sprayed some piss while the female lion was making some sensual gestures. Unfortunately, the king of the beasts wasn't in perfect form. The cheetah was a sight to behold though ;oP

While taking our break, an elephant walked by. It reminded me of our Thailand trip.


Around 7:30, we checked out the Night Safari. We boarded a tram where a lady speaker in a sing-song tune explained what we're supposed to see on our left and right. Sometimes it's too dark to see the animals though. There was a portion in this trip where we could investigate the nocturnal animals further on foot.

We saw bats and some night creatures. Most animals we've already seen in daytime. I don't recommend this at all.


Close to midnight, we headed back home. We planned to celebrate my birthday there. La & Kneel met with Jowee & family and got some food. I was checking my watch every now and then. Midnight came while we're at Tana Merah station. I got the best gift ;oP

Back in the apartment, my friends brought some spaghetti (super thanks to Bess!), fried chicken, fries, and cake!!! The best! I love having cakes on my birthday, although there's a portion in my cake that didn't look too appetizing. The best thing is I celebrated it with Arlyn and my barkada.

Bess brought also their MagicSing. After dropping off Arlyn at her friend's house, I started singing with Dennis and Ogz. For the first time, I sang "Love Hurts". Dennis sang "Beautiful in My Eyes" twice. And Ogz had "Kahit Kailan" as his last song. We finished around 4 am.

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful birthday party in Singapore!

Can't Get Any Better Than This (Singapore Day Seven)

Shawee's wish has finally come true. We woke up with one thing in mind--to finally have our passport stamped in Malaysia. We headed off to Kranji (via MRT) and took a bus ride to Johor Bharu. In the immigration, the officer asked for my return ticket. Told him, I didn't have it. Good thing I brought my itinerary. I presented it and he stamped my passport with a month-long stay in Malaysia.

First, we had our Singapore dollars exchanged to Malaysian Ringgit. Had brunch at some cheap eating place. Had chicken, veggies, and fried rice. Not too bad though. After walking a few meters, we saw McDonald's. Teehee...

Shell joined us some minutes later. She had her lunch at McDonald's. Afterwards, we window shopped again. Didn't buy anything. We went back to Singapore.


'twas IKEA time! We were like kids in a candyshop. We looked at all the wonderful stuff and wished we're filthy rich ;oP I saw a white furry rug that I've been wanting to have but I was discouraged to buy it. Anyhoo, I bought me-self some nice pillow and placemats.

Next stop was Orchard Road. I wanted to buy my Fossil watch. Along the way, Ogz and I shopped at Topshop. I got some wicked pants. Then we proceeded to Fossil. Ogz bought it for me through his credit card. It's nice to have cool friends ;o)

Since we're hungry, we had appetizers at Old Chang Kee and Burger King. We're planning to have our dinner around 9 at this Chinese resto that serves chili crabs. We then proceeded to Borders to kill time. While reading my book, "The Little Prince", I got a call from Arlyn. She wanted to know where we were at. Suffering Soccatash! I couldn't believe she's already in Singapore! She's supposed to arrive on my birthday! What a great evening news!


We met her (with her friend) at Kallang station. My day is already complete! First the watch and then this!!! Huuuuge smile on my face. We immediately went to have dinner. Arlyn brought some Masi Masianco (Pinot wine) and for the first time today, we dined in class. Sweet!!! We were joined by Netski, Mikks, Yo, La, and Kneel. We had chili crabs, garlic prawns, veggies, and Yang Chow fried rice. For dessert, we had chocolates (again, thanks to Arlyn!) and some local guyabano + calamansi sweets. Perfect!

We went home around midnight at Changi Court. I gave Arlyn my gift (the pillow she requested for). Afterwards, I dropped her off at her friend's place at Kew Residencia in Kew Crescent. Watched some "Rockstar: INXS" final episodes. I would've finished this entry sooner if not for Ogz. Teehee...

This is truly a special day for me.

Marina Bay Night (Singapore Day Six)

Woke up at 12:30 again. Pasaway was again on the computer uploading her photos. I was planning to cook a noodle brekky but Neil suggested to cook the shrimps. I enjoyed my nano while cooking with Neil. So that's what our brunch is, noodles and shrimps. Yummy!


Around 3:30, Pasaway and I picked up our friends at the Changi Airport. Pasaway and I tried to surprise 'em but when she took a picture, her camera's flash blew our cover. Anyhoo, we immediately went home.


First gimmick was at Orchard Road. It's my third time here. We visited shops like "Toys 'R Us", Levi's, and Fossil. This is where I saw a cool watch. It's says time like no other. It literally gives you the time like how you'd say it, "6 minutes till 1 am" on a handwritten style. Pretty cool eh? I really, really, really, really (did I say really?) wanted to buy it but my credit card won't allow me to =o(

While waiting for our bus that would take us to Marina Bay (our dinner place) Beng saw us. I requested her to give Chel the LOOK.

At Marina Bay, we met ole friends, Wacks and Jeff, plus the family of Jowee. La and Neil joined us a few minoots later. It's soooo much fun to cook dinner on a hotpot style. We had shrimps, baby squids, chili crabs!, chicken, and beef. Still no pork. Ice cream (sweet corn and red bean--similar to Filipino's mongo flavor) for dessert. All for 12 dollars only.

After our sumptuous dinner, some friends decided to play bowling. Didn't go with 'em.

Nano Nano (Singapore Day Five)

Woke up at my usual weekend wake-up time--12:30 pm. Hey, I'm on vacation! Anyhoo, I ate some late brekky. While preparing for our trip to Malaysia, Shawee went online. After our chat with our friends back home, we decided to postpone our trip. Our Malaysia visit will happen on Friday instead.

We went to Sim Lim via Bugis station. There I searched for my iPod nano. After some minoots of asking around, I found a store that has 2 units. Yay! Told the guy that I would continue my search and will go back to him if I didn't find a better bargain. He's selling it for 438 bucks + Goods & Services Tax.

Went back to him after some minoots. Bought my iPod nano. Good thing about shopping here in Singapore, there's a refund if you purchased more than a hundred bucks. Got back 13 dollars ;o) Sweet!

Told Shawee that I wasn't interested to shop anymore since I got what I planned to buy ;oP


Next and final stop was Orchard. I got me-self a nice vest. Dinner at Yoshinoya. While we're shopping at Ngee Ann, I enjoyed the beautiful sceneries (if you know what I mean) ;oP

Let's Get Retarded with Black Eyes Peas (Singapore Day Four)

Woke up around 10:30. Cooked our brunch. Pasaway and I decided to go to Suntec mall today. Feeling confident now with Singapore transpo system, we left after our brunch. We didn't get lost this time. Yay!


We got off the MRT at the City Hall and just walked. We found many nice shops but didn't buy anything.


We found the infamous fountain of wealth but the bigger fountain was turned off till early evening. Bummer! That didn't stop us from wishing though. The thing about this fountain is that you need to stretch out your right hand, go around the small circle thrice, and mentally wish. Prayed for my loved ones.


We had our late lunch at "Just Noodles". We tried Thai yesterday. It's Chinese meal this time. We found the Bonsai Garden nearby too. A bit disappointing though.


We visited Chijmes for the first time. There was a wedding preparation. We even saw the beautiful bride.


Around 6, we parted ways. On my way to the City Hall MRT, I saw this interesting monument. It's tribute to the casualties of Japanese invasion decades back.

I proceeded to Kallang Stadium to watch the Black Eyed Peas concert with my friends. I grabbed some burger and Tiger beer while waiting for them. Also, I changed into my new shirt (a very comfy Black Eyed Peas souvenir shirt worth 40 bucks). The show was supposed to start at 8. A few minoots later, they arrived. Yay!

When we heard the people shouting, we panicked and quickly grabbed our seats. Turned out that there's an opening show first. A beat box competition. That lasted for about 30 minutes.


Past 9, the show started with "Hey Mama". The crowd went wild right away. By the way, in this concert, I saw many kids with their parents ;oP Some songs I don't recognize were sung but we still gamely danced to the music. I enjoyed when they sang "Shut Up". There was a scene where Fergie and Will were trying to outdo one another's vocal performances. That was neat-o! Fergie can really shake her booty! Api tributed his solo song to all the Filipinos in the crowd. We shouted as loud as we could. Teehee... And there was a short "No Woman, No Cry" rendition too.

After an hour of dancing and singing with the BEP, there was a long pause. Stomp members appeared on stage and performed. That was cool. Sadly, I will miss their performance here in Singapore. They have shows from September 27 till early October. Bummer!

Next was the band members' intro. Their drummer was pretty good. And there's one member who could play like 10,000 instruments ;oP

Their encore numbers included the crowd favorites: "Don't Phunk with my Heart" and of course, "Where is the Love?".

When the concert ended, I was drenched in sweat. We had to rush going back home because the place was full of fans.