a holiday in Singapore: days 3 and 4

I stared at this pretty stained glass window for almost two days!

These two days almost ruined our vacation. Why? Because my body suddenly decided to get sick with fever. 

As mentioned in my previous entry, this trip was preceded by a very hectic holiday schedule. Add to that my asthma attack that hounded me just two days before we left for Singapore. In other words, I really wasn't in the pink of health during this trip. And so...I found myself feverish on our 3rd day. 

I had no choice but to stay put in our hotel, while Francis went back to Funan to buy the laptop model I've chosen. He came back late afternoon lugging my new toy, but I can tell he didn't have fun padding the streets of Singapore alone. In fact, I know he got frustrated because we were supposed to go to Sentosa that day, and he's been wanting to go there because he didn't have the chance to check it out the first time he was in the city.

I did manage to get well towards the evening, though, so we were able to explore the neighboring Bugis area. 

Bugis Street Market is like a tiangge, and is very much alive at night. I went gaga over clothes, shoes and cute bags. In fact, I saw this adorable canvas bag made to look like a postal envelope. It was very reasonably priced that I decided to get all four colors (one for me, one for my sister, one for my sister-in-law, and one for a good friend).

 

 

 

The bustling Bugis area is brimming with lots of tempting buys: from fresh fruits to a variety of snacks, and of course, fashion accessories!

 
The Bugis area is also home to Bugis+ Mall (formerly known as Iluma). It would have been great to have explored it further, but alas, this frail girl had to go back to their hotel to get some rest. 

Come early morning the following day, I found myself once again racked with high fever. Since I was desperate to get well right away, I forced myself to make a cup of hot instant coffee, down a tablet of Biogesic, and take a quick bath--all done while taking care not to wake up Francis. I didn't want him to worry and get frustrated again. I tell you, I've never pushed my body to its limit like that, as I didn't want to waste another day lying in our hotel room!!! Haha!

Well, technically speaking, I only wasted (again) half a day. We managed to visit Mustafa to grab some pasalubong, and then ate lunch at The Banana Leaf Apolo in Little India. Sadly, I was not able to eat a lot because the dishes were too spicy for my taste. After we've had our fill, we immediately went back to our hotel so we can drop off the pasalubong we bought before heading off to Gardens by the Bay.

 

 

 

The sights surrounding our hotel, which includes the Masjid Abdul Gafoor mosque (bottom photo)

But.

Both my legs were terribly aching, and I can feel my body temperature rising again. I thought an hour of rest would cure it, but I was wrong. One hour became two, and two turned to three, until it was already evening. Only then did I feel a wee bit better. Instead of going to Gardens by the Bay, Francis and I just grabbed dinner at a nearby Burger King. I was still not giving up, though. Unfortunately, even if my mind was so raring to go, I knew that I am physically not that well to venture out. It was utterly heart-breaking. We didn't go all the way to this country just so I can lie in bed with fever!

Apparently,  we had no choice. We had to forego Gardens by the Bay. I was so disappointed. Meanwhile, Francis tried his best to convince me (and himself, too) that things like this happen, and that I shouldn't be blaming myself. Mind you, it was one of the worse feelings ever, especially since we'd already be leaving for Manila the following day! It was so horrible that I was really sobbing my heart out!

We woke up the following morning feeling so morose. Little did we know that that same day would give us a chance to redeem the two days we lost. But that, folks, is a story for another entry. Suffice it to say for now that we didn't leave Singapore like a whiny bunch of sore losers. Haha!

fridge poetry of the week

This may or may not have been inspired by the Life of Pi film, which Francis and I watched just recently. Haha!

a book for every stage of your home!

Before I continue with tales from our recent Singapore trip, let me plug this book that me and my wonderful team worked hard for. We labored hard for this because the deadline was pretty tight, but in the end, we were able to pull it o ff and the book came out pretty, don't you agree?

Thank you so much, Real Living, for entrusting another book to me. My heartfelt gratitude goes out especially to the magazine's EIC, muther Rach. It's always a fun and breezy experience working with your team!


Thanks, too, of course, to the rest of the team who gracefully handled the pressure of producing this wonderful book: Cindy, Joanne, Sasha, Kath, Kaye, Camille and Dagny. Let's all give ourselves a pat in the back for a job well done!

Real Living's 101 Family Home Ideas (published by Summit Media) is packed with practical tips and delightful activities to help make your family life as rewarding as it should be. The book is brimming with nifty ideas to help you fix your home according to your family's needs. For only P150, it's such a steal!

So grab a copy now at your favorite bookstore, and enjoy beautifying your beloved nest!

a holiday in Singapore: day 2

Day 2 in Sinapore found us in Funan DigitaLife Mall and Chinatown. 

Funan was a must in our list because, well, we had to do a bit of reconnaissance since I had a plan of getting a new techie toy (that's another story for another day). But before we headed out, we first grabbed brunch at our favorite neighborhood hawker center in Albert, which is conveniently located in the Bugis area. Once done, we were off to Funan.

After mulling over which laptop model to buy in Funan, I didn't plunged head on to the purchase yet. I  had to make sure I was making the right decision, and while doing so, off to Chinatown we went to check out its colorful streets, picturesque temples, and the very interesting Ann Siang Hill, where a dainty, little store called Little Drom Store is located. Unfortunately, it was closed when we visited (we couldn't find any explanation, as their store hours indicate that they should've been open at that time, boo!). We spent about an hour checking the stores and establishments, and assumed that the place probably looks livelier at night. 

Before heading back to the city to meet up friends for dinner, we had to stop over Maxwell Hawker Center for a breather and some snacks as well. Once I felt my feet were once again ready to take some pounding, we headed back to our hotel to freshen up then promptly proceeded to andmade Cafe in Pacific Plaza.

It was a fun dinner catching up with dear friend Ceres and her beau, Ron. And of course, the pretty dishes all made up for all the walking we did. Haha!

Here's a video of Singapore sights on our second day. Forgive the mediocre quality, as this is actually my first time to make a "movie". (Will definitely try to improve next time, haha!)

a holiday in Singapore: day 1

After a month and a half of planning, December 25 found Francis and me flying to Singapore.

But let's backtrack a bit. Since it's the holidays and it's been tradition to spend Christmas Eve at either my mom's place or my in-laws' (it was at my mom's last December), this trip proved to be quite a challenge (the whirlwind of activities proved to be bad for me, as I was currently recuperating from asthma right before our trip). After spending dinner on the 24th at my mom's in Taytay, Francis and I went straight back to our pad to freshen up and make sure everything's packed. We then headed to hail a cab to NAIA 3, worried that it might be hard for us to find one after midnight. Good thing we didn't have to wait long, and at about quarter to 12MN, we were already on our way to the airport.

Come Christmas Eve, Francis and I whipped up our phones to call our respective families. We were exchanging Christmas greetings while on the road, it's weird and funny at the same time!

Apparently, we arrived at the airport a couple of hours earlier. To make the most of it, we spent our Noche Buena there, with congee and barbecue chicken as our very humble Christmas Eve feast. Afterwards, we tried so hard to catch some sleep--I was unsuccessful while Francis snoozed like a baby. 

Finally, it was time to check in our stuff. Fast forward to a few hours later, we found ourselves padding the streets of Singapore in the morning sunshine, on our way to our hotel. We stayed in Mayo Inn on Jalan Besar Street, near Little India. Since it was too early to check in, we just left our luggage at the lobby and headed off to grab some lunch. We then came back to our hotel and got settled in, then it was off to exploring Singapore on Christmas Day.

Our cozy, Japanese-inspired room at Mayo Inn

 

On our way to Esplanade, we found this tribute to Singapore's various artists

Artworks on display in Esplanade

Yes of course, I lusted for this, but decided otherwise. Perhaps next time?

This one, too! My preciousssss!

Francis and my first shopping loot from Charles and Keith. Had to restrain myself in that store! But hey, I did get something for someone else (for my mom, actually)!

Esplanade, the durian-inspired building

The imposing Marina Bay Sands can be seen from just about anywhere in Singapore

Hello from Mr. and Mrs. Funa!

Smiggle store is bursting with so many colors!

I wish our MRT/LRT system is this clean, safe and efficient!

That's a giant Pinoy parol on display!

Christmas dinner at Trattoria Cucina Italia in 313@Somerset

 

Giddy about my rootbeer float!

Next up: exploring Ann Siang Hill and Chinatown!

poetry on the fridge

I apologize for the blurry photo.

One of the treasures we found in Singapore is this Magnetic Poetry set, which I've been secretly wanting ever since I saw it in a magazine. So when I found the tin boxes in the souvenirs section of the Asian Civilizations Museum (for SGD32), Francis and I immediately agreed to buy it. 

So, aside from forcing me to flex my mental muscles in order to come up with decent syntax  once again, this nifty set also forced us to get rid of unsightly receipts tacked with mismatched magnets on our fridge's door .

Hurrah for Magnetic Poetry!

let me pull myself together first

So the holidays have been a whirlwind of activities and a trip to Singapore that almost got ruined because my body suddenly decided to get sick while I was there. 

Anyway, I'm excited to post entry after entry (with lots of photos!) of the holiday that was. In the meantime, forgive me as I collect myself first. Being sick during the holidays--and as I was out of the country, at that--didn't do my brain good. It's still reeling from all that had taken place. 

I hope to be back on my feet soon, like tomorrow, perhaps. 

Happy New Year, everyone! I pray that 2013 will be kind and blessed to the brim!

like stepping into Tolkien's world

This photo was taken by Francis; all else were by me

 After church then dinner, Francis and I took a walk in UP to check out if Quezon Hall is already decked in the holiday garb. Though there are not so many Christmas lights yet, nighttime in UP proved to be picturesque. The night's cool weather and the fog that enveloped our Alma Mater even made our evening walk more mesmerizing and photogenic. Unfortunately, I have only my phone with me, so these photos don't really do justice to the actual scenery. 

And since I just finished re-watching the LOTR trilogy (in preparation for The Hobbit movie; yes, I am such a huge Tolkien fan, please don't get me started), I can't help but think that some of these scenes look like they're straight out of Rivendell...or Ithilien or Lothlorien or the woods in the Girdle of Melian (in The Silmarillion). Just add in a few ethereal elves carrying flickering lamps, please! 

 

praise God for 14 years!

Today, Francis and I are celebrating out 14th anniversary (not to be confused with our wedding anniversary, which will happen a few months from now)! Thank You, Lord! 

Since today is a weekday, we decided to celebrate it a day in advance yesterday. And for a change in scenery, we scuffled over to Eastwood (because TriNoma and The Block can be so boring already, haha!)

First stop was late lunch at Zao Vietnamese Bistro. 

From top: Zao's interiors all decked out for the holidays; their shaking beef, chicken satay and stir fry veggies in oyster sauce

My very handsome date!

This is me as a bubble head. Haha!

 The food's just okay, and the ambiance as well. Unfortunately, this overbearing family seated next to our table ruined our otherwise peaceful lunch date. The dad kept on fussing over his teenage daughter, and he was incessantly yapping about mundane things. It's like we're listening to a commentary about his generation's favorite music and how his daughter's food choice is good, etc. Francis and I were wishing he'd just shut up, but he didn't. So as soon as we were done with our fare, we immediately asked for the bill and scrammed out of the restaurant. 

Anyway, moving on: the afternoon was filled with binging. Hahaha! A couple of minutes after lunch, we moved on to dessert at MoMo. 

   

 

 
We stuffed ourselves until we can no longer bear thinking of what to eat for dinner (we ended up in McDonald's, anyway). And, I must commend myself for not buying a single thing, considering the mall was bursting with good buys from an ongoing bazaar. Must save up for that Singapore trip, lah!

The faux winter wonderland setup in Eastwood

Sorry, I could not help but pose for a photo. Haha!

It has been a wonderful celebration. We really praise the Lord for giving us 14 blessed years together, and we're sure there'll be more years to come!!!

exciting months ahead!

I got to go behind the camera again this weekend, after months of hiatus!

A good friend is launching his sugary products in time for the holidays, and I was asked to shoot the goodies! Here's a sample.

Sugar (and) Spice, and everything nice for Christmas!

Will post more details about Sugar Spice soon, but in the meantime, let me rave about another thing: an SG trip next month!

Francis and I will be spending Christmas day in Singapore! I am super stoked! It's my first time to spend Christmas away from home (and I'm being all sentimental about it, but it's not like I'm gonna pass up the opportunity, haha!). I've been busy planning the trip, but I must finish this story I'm assigned to first (it's a cover story for Good Housekeeping Jan/Feb 2013 issue!), so I can have undivided attention to our holiday tryst.

And so with that, I must first write, write, write, so I can then plan, plan, plan!

(Sorry for the very random post. I'm just too excited not to share these blessings. Haha!)

that sneaky little monster

It reared its ugly head once again, just when I thought I'm already free from it. 

I thought I can finally be happy whenever someone I know becomes pregnant. Sure, I still feel a tinge of envy, but at least I know it's already under control. I've already managed to feel happy for others.

Or so I thought. 

Until a good couple friend announced that they're expecting, after years of waiting for that bundle of joy. Suddenly, when Francis told me the news, those feelings I so detest and hate came rushing back with a vengeance. It was all so sudden, so sneaky, so raw. I was left powerless again, and soon enough, I was sobbing, sobbing, sobbing. Once again, I feel sorry for myself, I feel so selfish; I blame how and ask why my body would betray me like that, why it would deprive me of that kind of joy and suspend that celebration of life, even though I know hope isn't really lost. Once again, I question when; I feel this hatred towards the wait that seems to go on and on and on. It's tiring to wait, really.

It's like I never really healed, and that I was only led to believe that I already got over this.