Part 3: Singapore Pic Spam

Changi General Hospital, Bugis Mall, the $1 ice cream sandwich, and going home.

Related:

Part 1 - Singapore Pic Spam

Part 2 - Singapore Pic Spam

For a public hospital, CGH looks so nice. They're very high-tech too. We were visiting my uncle who was confined in a ward and we had to register as visitors. They gave us each a slip of paper with our name and some barcode on it which will be used at the entrance. Only 4 people are allowed to visit at a time and since we're 7, we had to split in 2 groups. Super galing lang cos their turnstile will not let you pass if you're the 5th person visiting the same patient. >8D

After the visit, we came back to the bungalow to rest and recharge before heading to Bugis Mall. But before that, we checked out the pool first where our little nieces are playing around. It was so big! Too bad I wasn't able to try it!

We missed the shuttle to Tanah Merah so we're down to getting a GrabCar to get to our destination. 

Bugis is filled with tiangge's, similar to Divisoria or Greenhills Shopping Center. It's supposed to be one of the cheap places to buy souvenir items and stuff, but it's not really that cheap when you convert it. I did end up getting a shirt and a figurine though. :D

We arrived there too late so we weren't able to catch the food stalls open. We tried looking for food stalls out and across Bugis complex but most of them have packed up already. My sister, on the other hand went on a search for the famous $1 ice cream sandwich.

And found one!

I got a mango wafer ice cream but I was a bit unimpressed because it didn't taste natural. My sister enjoyed her durian flavored ice cream though. :D

And there you go, the last leg of our Singapore trip.

The next day we booked a GrabCar and flew back to Manila. :)

I thought I liked long flights but flying Cebu Pacific is a literal pain in the ass. 

I hope to be able to explore more of Singapore next time! I wanted to try the rides at USSR, visit Orchard Road at night, check out China Town, visit Gardens by the Bay, and many more! :D

Part 2: Singapore Pic Spam

January 22 - this covers: Singapore MRT, ride to Sentosa, and Universal Studios

Related:
Part 1 - Singapore Pic Spam
Part 3- Singapore Pic Spam

But first, my super cute nieces and nephew!

This was the day we decided to try out the SMRT (Singapore MRT). NSRCC offers regular shuttle services to and from Tanah Merah MRT station which helped a lot because we were so far from public transport. 

We had the whole bus to ourselves yey. 

I will always be impressed with their MRT system. It looks intimidating at first but once you get how it works, it's pretty simple and straightforward. If you follow the system map closely, you'll never get lost. 

We were headed to Sentosa so from Tanah Merah we need to alight at HarbourFront station where VivoCity is, then take the train entering Sentosa Island from there. I learned a lot about navigating the city via their train system and it's now one of the things that excites me about Singapore! Will definitely go back someday! :D

VivoCity mall reminds me of Fairview Terraces, one of my cousins said it looks like Robinsons Magnolia. Everything looks familiar because of the stores, we all have them here haha so I wasn't really thrilled to explore it. 

We booked a 4 dollar train to enter Sentosa Island and dropped off at the first stop where USSR is.

We didn't pay the entrance fee 'cos none us were game to try some rides. We just wanted to take pictures. Gosh we're all such titas. 

Another proof of tourist-ness lol, the globe! 

After taking pictures at Universal Studios, we headed to Changi General Hospital to visit my uncle who was hospitalized that morning due to low blood sugar. I just had to commend the hospital, 'cos their ambulance came so quick! And thankfully, one of the medics was Filipino so we didn't have a hard time communicating. One of my cousins is a doctor too so we weren't too stressed about it. Yun lang, the hospital fees! XD

On the way to the taxi bay...

Aaaah everything shined at this place.

Part 1: Singapore Pic Spam

January 20 - we were supposed to come as a family to Singapore to attend my cousin's wedding. Unfortunately it was too late when we realized my dad's passport was expiring so he wasn't allowed to board our flight. Consequently, my mom decided not to join since daddy won't be around, so it was only me and my sister who flew.

Since we're both new to Singapore, my sister and I didn't really plan on exploring to our hearts content lol. We just tagged along with our cousins wherever they went, and in the end we just spent SGD 150 together for the 3 days we stayed there. Sobrang tipid namin lol! That's also because our accommodation was taken care of my cousin who got wed, and they filled the house with food! Aaaaah bless you ate and kuyaaa! <3

Oraaayt, time for the pic spam!

It's been a long time since my last flight!

Aboard a taxi. I didn't know their cars are right-side driven so it felt weird the first time.

One of the bungalows at NSRCC

We stayed at NSRCC (National Service Resort and Country Club) which is only 10 minutes away from the airport. We didn't know how much taxis cost at SG and as first timers, we have a tendency to convert everything we spend haha so you could imagine how anxious we were during the drive. Thank God it only cost SGD 12 to reach our bungalow lol. Too bad though it rained so hard when we arrived so were soaking as we walked to our house.

When we got there our cousins are preparing to go out so sakto we were able to join. We didn't know where to go first so our driver, Jamaican guy named John Boy, offered a city tour for SGD 180. Not bad divided by 10 of us.

It was raining hard when we started the tour but thankfully it stopped on our first stop -- Tamlin Shopping Centre. We were allowed to go down for 15 minutes only, but since there really isn't much to see, I don't really know why we even went here lol.

This was beside Tamlin Shopping Centre, it looks cool so I took a picture!

After Tamlin, we drove around the city with John Boy who keeps on talking and talking about the places we're passing by. We passed by Orchard road and Suntec City, they look interesting okay but we weren't allow to go down because we only have 3.5 hours lol. We also went to this chocolate store where I didn't buy anything because I don't plan on taking any souvenirs home haha. We went to Jewelry City Group too, where we can buy cheap gold and pearl stuff but I didn't indulge lol.

Okay sana yung group tour namin but John Boy's van smelled like air-freshened smoke and the windows were small and curtained, it was hard to peek outside.

Finally, we were allowed to go down at One Fullerton where the Merlion Park is located. This pretty much proves we came to SG so I'm good na with just these haha! Kapagod kaya maglakad lol.

For our last stop we were dropped off at VivoCity because we wanted to go to Sentosa, but we didn't push through cos we were all so damn tired already. After eating lunch and roaming about, we called for them fetch us already. It wasn't John Boy who drove us home but thank God the guy has a better van! We were able to sleep on the way home but then we got lost, circling around Changi for minutes on end because his navigator directed him to some closed entrance. We were so near yet so far, and it's become so frustrating for all of us!!!

Eventually nakauwi rin kami lol. It was so rewarding to be finally back at the bungalow.

Read part 2 of my Singapore pic spam!

My 5 Dream Fitness Equipment

You know how lazy I am when it comes to working out. I'm that fitness enthusiast who isn't fit at all. I've tried a lot things, gyms, bootcamp, zumba, yoga. I've hoarded a lot of exercise videos, from Just Dance to just about everything Les Mills offered, and still here I am, overweight and in need of constant goading.

It doesn't help that we have an entire floor in our house filled with gym equipment. We have a manual treadmill, 2 stationary bikes, an exercise ball, an ab rocket, a couple of other ab contraption thingies, an ab belt, weights, a Ceragem bed massager, a chair massager, a foot massager, oh boy, that crazy fit vibrating plates, etc. Now that I think of it, we have a lot! So what gives? Why am I not going upstairs sweating my life away? Because I'm too lazy and the things we have, they're all outdated. Our equipment are super old and while they're all still functioning, it doesn't motivate me enough.

If I had unlimited funds for a fitness station upgrade, I'd get the following:

1. Motorized Treadmill

Source: lifefitness.com

I was once so excited about training for a marathon that I actually looked into updating our manual treadmill into an automatic one complete with an LCD screen and all those other fancy buttons so I could practice at home. But lo and behold, my preferred one from Life Fitness cost over ₱100,000 lol

2. Pull up bar

This isn't such a big investment but it baffles me where in the house I could put one. I want to get something like this

Source: gymstrength.net

but I'm not sure where I can hang the damn thing without breaking away a doorway's structure lol

3. Trampoline

Oh boy, I've never tried a trampoline before, not even in an enclosed one filled with balls where kids love to play. The tramp is pretty simple, all you have to do is jump to your heart's content. But there's something so exciting about being propelled upwards and mastering a graceful fall that makes me want to get one!

But then I wouldn't know where to put it, the only open space we have large enough for a trampoline is on our roof deck but I sure didn't want to risk falling 10m down a patch of weed.

Nonetheless here's a great info guide from Trampolinea for you in case you want to get one!

4. Punching Bag

Source: clubsolutionsmagazine.com

Aha! On the same ground with a pull up bar, my preferred one is a hanging one but again, I don't know where to put it and how to install one. I asked my dad once about it but there's really no way to hang it on the rooftop because the ceiling there is too high. Hay.

Still, if only to get one, I can settle with a standing one like this

Source: dragonsports.eu

5. Sauna Room

Oh not those portable things with my head sticking out like this

Source: bluewaveproducts.com

We already have that and it looks awkward, funny, and I get lazy just thinking about setting it up haha. How did she even reach the magazine? Anyway. Instead, I want something like this!

Source: monalisa-bathtub.en.made-in-china.com

Super cool, feels like a real sauna, and of course it's over a hundred thousand bucks lol. This is one of those lazy equipment I'd like to have cos I literally just have to sit inside and sweat away.

------

So I guess that's it! While I'll keep on dreaming for my own sauna room, trampoline, and a high-end motorized treadmill, I guess I could manage to get a standing punching bag!

How about you? What's your dream home fitness equipment? :D

Life Lately

Long time no Life Lately so here's a long one!

❱ Reading

Still not finished with Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, I'm way past the climax and I can't even read through 'til the end. What's wrong with meeee... I don't think I'm ever gonna finish a book this year. :(

On another note, I received an email from Joy of Satan Ministries (whuuuut) via my blog's contact form and I'm kindof looking into the links they gave me. For the love of God I'm alarmed at how they found my blog and even considered sending me reading materials exposing the faith I subscribe to. As a curious Christian, I don't mind reading about other faiths, so I'm onto those links no matter how dark and occult they sound.

❱ Watching

Goblin is doooooone, OTK. This series gave me the most intense roller coaster of emotions I've ever had in my entire KDrama watching life. I'd be laughing like a madman then bawling in grief in a snap. Arguably the best KDrama of 2016. It's made of all the right triggers, unleashing the lunatic in me.

Everything is so cinematic, the music is well-thought of, the lines were written excellently, the songs hit straight to the heart, and of course the cast is daebaaaaak. I will miss this series so much! Congrats to everyone who worked on Dokkaebi! Kamsahamnidaaaaa (감사합니다). Ah yes, a syllabic word and its Hangul counterpart, how could I forget to mention it means Thank You,

Legend of the Blue Sea I didn't finish because Goblin took all of me, might resume sometime.

Jealousy Incarnate, totally forgotten! But whenever I resume I feel oddly glued, until it's time to prepare for work. Argh.

Source: kdramasanonymous.wordpress.com

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo I finished in two days 'cos it's super swaaaaaaag. Light, fun, and with an adorable mix of characters. Both of the leads have grown so much as actors and I feel so happy watching them in the spotlight at last. Both Lee Sung-Kyung and Nam Joo-Hyuk were in Cheese in the Trap, who would've thought they'd make a great pair! I've watched LSK in Doctors too and her character was so different there. NJH - I didn't really expect him to land a lead this soon 'cos there's nothing too stellar about his role in CITT and Scarlet Heart but maaaan he's quite a revelation this time!

I'm saddened by the fact it did poorly in ratings though because it went against Legend of the Blue Sea's timeslot. I mean, guyyyssss did you even watch?! Legend has a freaking lot of boring segments and while we have Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji-Hyun in it, WFKBJ is still tons better than LOTBS! I even left it for Goblin (understandably so 'cos that drama is just on a different level altogether lol).

Hay, reminds me of how Scarlet Heart: Ryeo fared badly in national ratings because Love in the Moonlight trumped it so hard. LITM is good, but SHR really had a better story, and a more engaging love triangle... square? pentagon? Such a fine reverse harem they got there.

There goes the stark contrast between local and international preference.

Right now I just started with Hwarang, bored by the first episode, but thankful that the plot is starting to pick up on the following eps. ❱ Listening
I don't have a specific playlist right now but whenever I need to focus I listen to AC/DC.

❱ Thinking

About which P/V (photographer/videographer) to get for our wedding. Initially we didn't have a budget for it 'cos we had no idea how much it would cost. Until one of my friends from college gave us a quote of his services and we thought it's reasonable so we kept him on the list, and took note of his rates as our budget. But now, after looking at numerous suppliers we realized our budget is actually too tight! If we had a bigger budget I'll get Sidedish Project because I love their color grading haha.

❱ Smelling

My smelly jacket

❱ Wishing

We had unli wedding funds haha. Now, what if we were given half a million to spend for our wedding?

We'd be able to invite 200 guests then, so Don Jose Heights Clubhouse will be tight. Will change venue to Oasis Pavilion or Elements at Centris. Get KbyC for catering. Get Veluz or Rosa Clara for my bridal gown, Book Sidedish Project for PV, Amelia Blossoms for flowers, Cruella & Co for the entourage gowns, Unit 406 for the band, EDSA Shang suites for preps, and Team OSS for the photobooth. I haven't covered everything but those are my top of mind dream suppliers.

Now that I'm imagining it, a 500k wedding is too bongga for me, so nope. An event that big without me overseeing it hands-on makes me too worried! Will just keep it simple and save the rest for a bonggang honeymoon instead! <3

It's crazy how I really didn't have any supplier preference until I started looking and reading about them haha. Now I realize how big the wedding market is. A single bride-to-be would probably google a hundred times about it, looking for pegs, suppliers, venues, reviews, etc. What a great opportunity to improve SEO ranking, though of course, competition is hella tight already so I'll just keep writing and do my best containing my wedding blabber in a tag haha.

❱ Wearing

Hoodie, shirt, pants, and sandals.

❱ Loving

My new camera! I bought a Sony a5000 two weeks ago and I got busy exploring it while we were at Singapore last last weekend. I was hunting down the Fuji x70 originally, but I learned that it's been discontinued and the remaining stocks here cost too damn much.

It's a good thing I saw Sony a5000 though 'cos it's a cheaper alternative sporting everything I love about the x70 (compact, mirrorless, and with a flip-up screen). Excited to learn more about photography tuloy lol. During our SG trip I went ahead and shot everything in manual mode, randomly adjusting ISO. shutter speed, and aperture, whatever those are. For the most part I was just looking to get the right exposure for my shots, beats me why I have to adjust so many terms.

Must. learn. more!

Thankfully Sony offers free digital photography workshops to their customers, you just have to sign up here. They have regular schedules at SM Megamall, Glorietta, Filinvest Alabang, and Ayala Cebu. :D

❱ Wanting

To post a Singapore Photo Diary series but I'm too lazy to work on it lol. Hopefully this week!

❱ Needing

To sell a couple of things but I'm too tamad to post them online arg. Anybody interested in a Logitech C920 HD Pro Webcam? It's a crazy good webcam, I'm selling mine for ₱3,500. Brand new condition. Opened for testing only. Bought from Amazon US, shipped via Uskoop. Perfect for vloggers. RFS: of course I need money and I just bought a new camera so I won't have any use for it. :D

❱ Feeling

No sense of urgency for this script I'm working on due two days later. It's hard and I'm in quite a slump, makes me want to forget and abandon it entirely, kindof what I'm doing right now by procrastinating on it, but course it won't last long. Will have to deal with this eventually! Haaaay.

Hope you're doing great! :D The company gave us tikoys last week along with our Chinese horoscope for the year and mine sounds pretty good. Love, wealth, and career look promising. It even mentioned it's a good time to get married this year lol. My health forecast reads accurately too, beware of injuries from metal objects and exercise regularly. At the rate of my physical activity the only chance I'm getting injured from a metal object is from falling off my brass bed. Regular exercise, yep, that has always been in my annual horoscope, I mean new year's resolution.