Back in Manila

We arrived in Manila on the 20th early morning. SO far, Manila hasnt changed much but my two kids love Manila. As soon as they saw our subdivision gate, they chanted home here we are.

I had been enjoying simple pleasures at home like gorging on Pan De Manila pan de sal. Having a food scrub, facial and rebonding . ALthough the price in SIngapore is not far off from Manila prices , its still good to have these services at home, sabi nga nila,help the Philippine economy.

 We visited the huge SM Mall of Asia yesterday…it was huge

I have a lot of photos to unload but I forgot to bring my wire conenctor for my handphone so it may take some time to post photos. 

From Plantation Bay

Im typing this blog at the gameroom of Plantation Bay. The damned computer was programmed for use of Japanese and Korean tourist so I still have to navigate between the keys.

We arrived in Cebu at 4:30 am .We were delayed by 30 minutes since we had to wait for some passengers who were late. As soon as we got our luggage, a representative from Plantation Bay was already waiting for us outside the Customs counter. The guy immediately took charge of our luggage and called the minivan that ferried us to Plantation Bay. Our vehicle took quite a route to the place passing through streets clogged by tricycles and people walking to the Simbang Gabi. 

The two small churches we passed by were crowded and there was even a traffic accident involving three vehicles which further aggravated the traffic to Plantation Bay.

We took our breakfast at 6 am and took photos of different parts of the resort. The main lagoon was being drained of water so the place didnt really look that nice in the morning.

I think the place will look better at night.

There are quite a number of activities for teens, kids as well as adults. There is biking, internet, a playroom that has billiard table, pingpong and PS2 game terminals. My two kids had fun learning how to play billiards with their Dad. There is even a 10 am mass on Sundays at the resort and swimming lessons for kids and teens.

I guess it would be nice to swim at night when the sunlight wont burn your skin. The sunlight is terrible this morning so I guess we would have to stay indoors till the sun is down.

The "No Tip: policy is really being followed. When my husband handed a tip to the bellboy that brought our luggage to our room, he refused and reminded us about the policy. Thats nice.

Also having a butler who is at your service for every request is quite a relief. We asked for four extra pillows and they obliged promptly.When we requested for an internet connection in our room, the butler came with the wire connection for our laptop. Thats very good service for me and everyone is this resort greets you with a smile.

However breakfast is P500++per person .My husband paid P2900 for 4 of us about S$100. Lunch is about P650++.

Tomorrow afternoon we will be off to explore the city and we shall be staying at Marriot. At least at Marriot, we will have options to eat at the nearby restaurants at Ayala Mall. 

Simbang Gabi in Singapore

 Just like in the Philippines, Filipinos worldwide celebrate simbang gabi by holding mass. In SIngapore however instead of the early morning mass,it is held at 8pm and in several churches in Singapore.

Each church in Singapore has a Filipino Community who sponsors the mass. Fellowships after the mass usually is having dinner with food prepared by different committee members. The feast usually consists of the perenial favorites: spaghetti,Pancit,(Sometimes palabok) and arroz caldo.

Yesterday December 16,at 8pm  marked the first day of  simbang gabi at Saint Anthony church in Woodlands.

It has been a yearly tradition for us as a family to attend this mass. However this year we wont be able to attend the mass in Singapore since we will be flying off  to Cebu on 17th December.

   The church was jampacked to the rafters(which rarely happens in this church). The food overflowed and everyones favorite arroz caldo was prepared by Father Angels "St Michael Church" angels.

The Simbang Gabi 2006 schedule from tonight Dec 17,2006 :

Dec 17 St Marys  of the ANgels,Bukit Batok

Dec 18 St Michael, Serangoon

Dec 19 Christ the King Chuch, Ang Mo Kio

Dec 20 St Francis of Assisi,Boon Lay

Dec 21 Our Lady of Perpetual Succor,Pasir Ris

Dec 22 Immaculate Heart of Mary Church

Dec 23 Holy Trinity

Dec 24 Basilica of St Peter and Paul, near City Hall MRT

Choa Chu Kang Pool

 The Choa Chu Kang Pool is part of the 24 nationwide pool facility in Singapore. It is one of the biggest pool facilities in Singapore with a Competition pool,toddler pool,waterslide,river rapid,whirlpool,spa.interactive pool and a gym.

 Last Saturday, I brought my kids to the Choa CHu Kang Pool.My kids bored with the long school holiday opted to go to the pool rather than watch a movie.

Entrance fee is a cheap $2(60,pesos)( for adults and $1 for kids. There is a gym on top of the pool locker room where you can watch the kids while you use the gyms facilities. There is also a sportshop, kiddie school and a stadium.

New Ikea Store

Last week end ,my two boys and I hied off to the new Ikea Store in Tampines. It was reported that the IKEA store is the biggest in Southeast Asia. The two boys were initially excited that they will have an outing with Mommy with a promised Free Hotdogs fro Ikea.

WE rode the free shuttle bus at Woodlands Interchange at 2 pm and at exactly 3pm we were at the doorstep of IKEA. The crowd was unbelievable. A long queue of shoppers were lining up like ants just to get inside the huge warehouselike store. After 20 minutes of queueing, we were finally inside the store at 3:30 pm.

My two boys gamely posed for Mommy and tried out the different furnitures on display. Here are some of the photos I took.

Pasar Malam

   Pasar malam is a Malay word that literally means night market. A pasar malam is a market in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia that opens in the evening, usually in housing areas. It brings together a collection of stalls that usually sell goods such as fruit, vegetables, snacks, toys, clothes, movie discs and ornaments at cheap, reasonable prices. Pasar malams often open only one to a few days of the week, as the traders rotate around different housing areas on different days of the week. Haggling over prices is a common practice .

The Pasar Malam at the Yew Tee MRT station opened just two days ago and naturally I had to buy some of my things there because its quite cheap.SO far, I have bought toys for a birthday party  I will be attending this week end, some fruits, and several odds and ends.

Here are some of the photos from the Pasar Malam(Tyangge).

Foods Stalls                             Cherries (100 pcs for $2)

Malay Noodles                         Malay Omelet

$1 Thai Coconut(buko)           Assorted Malay Goodies

Cushions & Bedsheets            Plants and flowers

Acupuncture Stall

Throwing Away My Favorite Rocking Chair

Today I had to part with my prized possession, my rocking chair. It has been sitting beside our bed for the last three years and somehow its leg broke a few months ago. It still is in perfect condition except for that broken leg. I had to take photos of my favorite chair before I parted with it. Same is true for a sofa in our sala, we had to throw it to give way to our new sofa set.

In Singapore, it is quite ordinary to see people throw away perfectly good stuff like sofas, TV sets, DVDs, CDs, designer bags and shoes,cabinets, computers…to give way to new furnitures and fixtures in their flats.

If you have just moved into a new flat, the good timing to furnish your apartment with thrown away stuff is during Chinese New Year or Hariraya. This is when people spring clean their houses and because of bigger bonuses want a complete change in their apartments interiors or wardrobes.

We are different. As Pinoys, we want to treasure old things.We patch things, re-upholster furniture but rarely do we throw them away. But somehow, re upholstering in Singapore is non existent. So out goes our sofa.

Then where do these stuff from Singapore go? Most of these furnitures,computers, Television sets etc are sold to Karangunis(Rag and Bone or Garbage Junkdealers) who sell them to nearby Indonesia.Even second hand cars in Singapore ( 6 yrs old and above) are sold in nearby Malaysia and Indonesia.

In Germany,they call it Sperrmüll hunting. Sperrmüll is nothing else than those odds and ends clogging the attics and cellars in Germany . Slightly worn out stuff, junk for some but really good stuff..these items are thrown or set out on the sidewalk and picked up by trash trucks the following morning.

My son Nygel asked me yesterday" Mommy why are you buying so many stuff now?" Maybe he is referring to our buying a new Plasma, sofa set, Dining and Bed in just a span of a few months. Probably he doesnt realize, we bought all these things three years ago when we just moved into our newly purchased  flat. Its not that we are keeping up with the Joneses, but somehow all things have shelf lives…some just get torn, some just break and some become passe. I think we have already been influenced by the Singaporean lifestyle.

Anyway,maybe my rocking chair might be picked up by another person.They say one mans thrash may become another mans treasure.

Friday Date At The Mall

Fridays are reserved for our dates. This Friday, we tried out the newly reopened Causeway Point Food Court. Nothing has really changed except that the stalls were repainted and there was a slight redesign of the walkway. There were some new stalls and majority of the old stalls were stil there including our favorite Japanese stall.

 We tried the Korean   Hot Pepper Pork and  Grilled Saba dishes and the teh tarik( Milk Tea) from a Malay Stall, The Sarabat  

I also did some bargaining hunting and ogling at the Xmas trees.

Maybe I will come back after the Xmas break to buy some cheap decors for next years Xmas.

Christmasy Feeling at Home

   We are ready for Christmas. Our Christmas tree has been put up(by my two boys) and all our plans for our Christmas trip back home on December 17 via Cebu is arranged. Our flights had been arranged and our hotels had been booked and paid.

Sa mga kapatid ko,wag nyo na kaming salubungin ng banda sa airport ha(biro lang). We will be arriving from Cebu on the 19th late evening(last flight ) so we dont anticipate any traffic at this time.

To my Tita Belen and cousins in the USA, Susan,Genette,May and Oyen and their spouses Richard,David and Bobet- HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Christmas Bonus for Singapore’s Civil Servants

Good news for Civil or government workers of Singapore.They will be receiving 2.2 months bonus by the end of this year and an additional 0.5 months in July plus $200.

This is not the first time that civil servants in SIngapore receive such kind of windfall. Everytime the economy is booming, Civil servants get good bonuses but in times of recession they also are the first one to get a pay cut. In fact, in Singapore there is such a thing as increments added to wages that can be deducted anytime that the company or the government suffers from losses.

Nobody has yet complained about this practice. In fact the NTUC(National Trade Union of Singapore ) the largest trade union organization had vetoed this move. Two or three years ago, most employees including government workers suffered pay cuts up to 30 to as much as 50%  and nobody has complained. The alternative was a pay cut or retrenchment.

This is the Singapore labor relations landscape- very harmonious and not even once would you hear a whimper or a sigh from any unionist about this practice.

When I was still working for a Japanese printing company, I re -negotiated the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the union only within 4 meetings.In our signing ceremony we had a memberof Parliament witnessing the signing.

That could never happen in the Philippines. In Manila I even had a sit down strike while negotiating CBA when we discussed about the issue of  removing chairs in production area.

That is probabl y the reason that whatever bonuses the workers get in SIngapore is totally deserved. They dont have to ask for it –it is given by the government and by the company in good times.This also produces excellent service standards for employees in the both government and private sector.

 I hope this will be the case in the Philippines.  

Our Weekly Dinner Dates

Yesterday Tony and I had our weekly dinner out. We usually have our weekly date (just the 2 of us) on a Friday but since  he was busy with work for the previous week, I asked him whether he wanted to eat out.

My youngest son, therefore was asking me why we had to go out for a date."Is it your anniversary?"Niles was egging me for the answer. "Is it the Anniversary of your first meeting each other?"His calls where nonstop.I was tempted to turn off my handphone.

 He wasnt contented ,he asked me whats so special that we had to go out on a date on a Tuesday night.

 You see my 2 boys are on school holiday now so every night they anticipate my  arrival with their usual pasalubong of Pepper O and Yam Pie. But tonight, they have to wait for their Yam Pie and Pepper O. Daddy and Mommy are on a date. 

The moment we arrived, my two boys grabbed my pasalubong from my hands and while munching the last crumbs of the Pepper O and Yam Pie, Niles again asked me." Mommy why did you go out on a date?".

I told him because Mommy and Daddy love each other and need to go out and spend time alone with each other. Then he smiled and hugged me. Amen.

Our Dinner Date with Exie

Today, my husband was meeting his Palomar San Diego Buddy Exie Ramos for dinner. He decided to bring Exie  to Chomp Chomp, a famous Singapore hawker center.

We met up with Exie at Causeway Point at around 5:30 pm after we went around the mall looking for a sofa for our living room .So far we havent found a nice sofa yet. Our old sofa has been with us for two years and it needs areplacement.

 This is Causeway Point Atrium

 The three bears

 Nice set but too big said Papa bear

 Nice set but too brown,said little bear

Finally Exie came straight from The Singapore Zoo, and off we went to Chomp Chomp

Exie is Fil Am. He was born and grew up in the States but he can speak Tagalog in a halting way just like my son Nygel.

Exie with the three bears,Nygel bear,Niles bear and Papa bear

The feast that the 3 bears feasted on with Exie, Sotong(squid), Stingray , sauted bean sprout and pork and chicken satay(in the next table). 

Nygel my eldest feasted on his favorite carrot cake(its actually fried labanos or white turnip)

The Johor Bahru Wedding and Home Furnishings Fair

In the past(this is what I heard), if a Singaporean wants to propose marriage to his girlfriend, the proposal would come like this "Dear, shall we apply for an HDB Loan?".

This line basically means, "I want to marry you" In unspoken English. Why?

Because only those who are planning to get married can apply for a housing(government flat) loan in Singapore. Single men and women irregardless of how much they earn are not eligible for this loan.

In Malaysia ,I am not really sure whether the same situaton exists. But I guess during last week ends Double (wedding and  Home furnishings) Fair , the organisers were thinking of SIngaporeans as a captive market because they combined a wedding fair and a home furnishings fair together.

Its not just simple furnitures being displayed in the home furnishings fair.Here are some of them:

there were beds(I dont know whether the sexy girls were free with the bed) 

Flat Screen TVs

Solar Thermal panels

 AUTOMATED gates

  Designer Curtains

  Designer Walk In CLosets

Designer Kitchens

Yes, My dears, they are big ticket items!

Whats surprising is that in the Wedding Fair, all the visitors are girls(I guess they are the brides) and at the home furnishings fair, all the visitors  were men(specially in the bed section where the two pretty girls were standing).

Another interesting thing is that a lot of the visitors were chinese and maybe even Singaporean Chinese. Maybe its true that the grass is really greener or cheaper on the otherside (of the Causeway Bridge)

Orchard Road Christmas Display-The Enchanted Christmas Garden

Orchard Road has started lighting up its Christmas decorations since last week. The theme of the Christmas display is the ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS GARDEN.

Somehow the display reminds me of Winnie The Poohs 100 acre forest and the display at Disneyland of Winnie the Pooh. The Gold trees complete with Rubies of different colors in its trunk also looks like a typical Chinese New Year display in Chinatown.

 Anyway, judge for yourself. The lights however looks good at night.

The journey begins at the corner of Orchard infront of Tangs….

A Day Trip to Johor Bahru

   A trip to Johor Bahru on a typical day is less than an hour from our place .But since today was Saturday(the day when all Malaysians working in Singapore  go back home), our trip took us more than an hour. We left the house at 11:00 am and reached the Immigrations check point of Malaysia at 11:45 . Finally after a long wait we were able to clear Immigrations at 12:30

While it took us an hour to queue, Malaysians only had to scan their passports(right) for seconds to enter JB

For the very first time I forgot my wallet(with my Singapore IC in it), so when the Malaysian Immigration asked me where is my IC  I had to say I am with my husband.If I was alone I would not be able to enter Malaysia,

Our main purpose in going to JB was to eat lunch and to buy our medicines(since its cheaper and you dont need a prescription to buy medicines in Malaysia).

Since it was lunchtime, hubby and I went to Seasons Cafe on the 2nd flr of City Square.Lunch consisted of  Cream of Mushroom soup, Seafood Pasta(for hubby), Baked Fish Rice and Hawaian Pizza. Desert was Blueberry Cheese Cake and Mango Cheesecake. We overstuffed ourselves again

We decided to go around the Mall first before doing our medicines purchase.

At the main Atrium, two events were ongoing…

A Wedding Fair

 

Usually the first purchase of newly weds is the bed(di kasama ung sexy girls ha)

 A shoe store A Reject Shop

  A Thai Massage shop

The Main Atrium(Left Wing)

WE were about to go home,then it rained…good we were still inside the Mall,so patay oras muna kami.Walk around again.

Sa Kaiikot namin we saw these wonderful and interesting things…some cheap ,,,,some expensive

Cute handphone bags and purses (from Vietnam) selling at RM23-45 expensive.

Bakya mo Neneng,Lightweight clogs

Belts adorned with seashells(not from Cebu)

 Colorful beanbags

Animal Tissue holders

 Colorful 3-1 Clocks

After napagod kami ng kakatingin, we had a snack again dahil 3 pm na di parin tumigil ng ulan

The Cafe was at the basement and they had a good selection of coffee (mas mura kaysa Coffee Bean at Starbucks)

Then patay oras pa rin kasi malakas pa rin ang ulan, so we were tempted to…

Have a Tatoo

or have our nose of tongue pierced or caricature taken in this shop below

Finally aside from our medicines, we only bought these 3 items from our remaining RM20

One Ice Tea, Original Coffee(3-1) and Vanilla Cafe Latte(3-1)

So heading back these are the photos of Johor Checkpoint on a rainy 5:00 pm day

The Train station before Immigrations 

Motorcycle parking infront of a Bigger Mall being constructed

So,we bade goodbye to Johor at 5pm,

reached Kranji MRT at 5:30 due to traffic

 The Kranji Racecourse overlooking the MRT tracks

Reached home at  5:45 took a shower and left  to attend a Block Rosary in Woodlands.

At 6:15 Me and Niles were in a friends house for the Block Rosary

Finally at 9:00 pm, we ended the Block Rosary and said goodbye to our church friends.

Reached home at 9:30..what a long day for me.

So now you know what I do on Saturdays.

Interesting (Japanese)Gifts for Xmas

Here are some interesting gifts you can gived to someone special for Xmas

From DAISO(all items are S$2)

Lace Socks

Masks of  US Presidents( a good haloween gift too)

Japanese wall/door signs(Just got to figure it out 1st)

Hand,feet care items(one can actually remove oily substance from ur feet while u are sleeping)

From TOKYU HANDS(You have to go to Tokyo to buy these things)

Odd shaped candies

Fruit shaped scented soaps 

Dont forget the gift wrap

Spring Cleaning My office & Home

Its good to get rid of old but still usable things. I had been thinking of ways of getting rid of some stuff in my office and some at home. If you are interested in these things and you are residing in SIngapore, you can call me or drop by my office to view these things for disposal, you can give me a price and as long as you are willing to cart these things away, you can take it away….

At  my Office:

1) Floor Standing Canon Copier (for heavy photocopying users)- You just have to replace the drum inside which needs replacement;

2) Fax Machine  

3) One CPU and one Philips PC CRT (14") screen 

4) one projection white screen -can be used for training  presentations

At my residence:

1) 4 metal dining chairs with leather covers  ;

2) One single iron bed (never been used)

3) one 29" Samsung Flat screen TV (starting price is $500) may tawad pa.

Call me at 67352151/91070927

or my office: #05-52 Tanglin Shopping Centre,19 Tanglin Road

LG 42" Plasma TV

We were tempted and we succumbed to the temptation….It was quite value for money. ..an LG 42" TV at only $2199.

However when hubby when to Harvey Norman Store, he was enticed and sales talked to buy a high definition model at $2699 (Php86,000). The extras are.. free LG Home Theatre system..not bad for a big screen model which boasts of  new XD Engine and free wall bracket(for wall mounting). Good thing with our credit card, its interest free for 24 months. 

and with our free Home Theatre system that goes with the 42" plasma

 , we dont need to go to the movies anymore…our  very own home theatre.

Last time we went to Big Safe Store, my husband was saying we'll wait for the LCD and Plasma TV prices  to drop (as it happens in Singapore when new models come in). It ended up..he was easily tempted to buy when he saw this model.

The LG model has the new XD Technology.

 Its my husband's early Christmas gift to us.

Jingjings Baby Gets Married

 What a small world it really is. Wala akong magawa while waiting for my clients to come, so nag blog hop muna ako. Wonders of wonders I came across the wedding photos of my friends daughter.

 Jingjing Romero has been a colleague at the Development Academy of the Philippines. She is a famous PR practioner in the Philippines. When I was still with DAP she used to do the speeches(Jing pasenysa na ha kung ibroadcast ko secret na to) of President Cory and was also adviser to  Press Office of  the PCGG. Kung baga Bigtime si Jingjing sa PR circles.

The last time I saw her was when she attended my Mom's wake two years ago and she was telling me stories about her children. Her children have grown up to be successful, one is a lawyer ,another a doctor and the unica hija Bambi has gotten married to a Frenchman after completing her Masters degree abroad.

How time flies talaga. Now Jing jing's hija Bambi is married. Next time Jing ,Lola ka na. To my  DAP amigas..Juliet and Caring, as promised eto ang photos ng hija ni Jingjing. http://weddingscrapbook.blogspot.com/

My Sons Exam Results

 Yesterday my two sons came home with the news about their exam results:

My eldest son had good news: He said he topped his English Exams as he showed me his papers. He just merely passed his Maths exams. Chinese test results  (a cliffhanger) is still to be given today.

My youngest son Niles was very quiet having his dinner. He told me his results in his English test which was not that bad. But with a twinkle in his eyes, he stood up and walked over to me:

"Mommy I have good news for you", he smiled holding my hands. I said "Whats your good news, did you pass your chinese test?".

"Mommy, I saw the computer list of our chinese results",

"Yes, I said,then…"

"I am very sure Mommy…."

" That what, sure of what" I was egging him for the information

" I am very sure Mummy I am not the last in my chinese test".he said finally,

" Then maybe you are the second to the last," I laughed.

He added," I dont know , but I am surely not the last".and he skipped back to the dinner table.

I asked him" Then who is the last?"

" Its Zachary"

I said "Patay Na" and I cannot control my laughter. Instead of getting angry I ended up laughing.

ADVICE FOR THE DAY:

Be nice to your kids.
They will choose your
nursing home one day

Feastday of the Dead

Today November 1 is Todos Los Santos(All Saints Day). I must admit ,up to now I dont know the difference between All Saints Day and All Souls Day. What I know is that since young, we are always in the cemetery to visit our loved ones during these 2 days school break.

 When we were younger ,my sisters and I would look forward to these 2 day holiday .We consider it like a camping /picnic trip just because my father already brings us to the cemetery on the 31st and we get to sleep there for 2 nights inside our car parked beside our grandparents tombs.For those two nights what we just do is look at other tombs and make balls out of the candle drippings,and eat and play all kinds of children games.

When I was in the University, I usually just go to visit my grandparents grave only for a few hours. I didnt want to stay long and linger since the cementery gets too crowded at night .

Now that I am abroad, I only call my father to check who is with him visiting Mama's grave. Yesterday all my sisters and brothers and older nephews and nieces were visiting Mama.They told me they set up a tent and that they are just telling stories and having a picnic.

My father visits my Mothers grave every week. Although its an hour away from our place he would visit it to check whether the grass has grown taller and to just relax with my mom.

Mama reminded me to pray for her yesterday. Yesterday I got sick and getting sick always reminds me of my mother. One thing, I seldom get sick .Just like Mama who has never been sick in her life until she suffered a stroke. So on the few times that I am down with colds or flu I would easily remember my mom.

This morning at 1 am , my husband woke me up and gave me medicines to drink. I felt so loved –imagine he even had to wake me up to remind me about my medicine .Sarap talagang may darling.

Vivo City

We went with Juliet (my friend visiting from Thailand) to Vivo City, This new Mall is located at the Harbourfront right beside the Ferry terminal going to Batam Indonesia. At the rooftop you will see Sentosa and the train station being built to link Sentosa to Vivo CIty. At the rooftop ,there is a wading pool that looks like a mini lake .

The interiors have sleek apple green and white ribbonlike patterns.This is the only mall I have entered that seems to have no beginning and no end, you go around in ribbonlike or looplike walkways around the shops.

We clowned around with the traffic guy 

Vivo City Roofdeck has a goodview of Sentosa's Merlion

Apple green and white interiors(my fave colors)

Selling Price of this Aquos 65 inch SHarp LCD TV…a whopping S$39,000 while a 55 inch model sells at only S$8,900. 

The entrance to Vivo City has a  red rocket

My Friend Juliet is Here

 Juliet ,my former colleague and a friend from way back my Development Academy of the Philippines days is here for a visit. She brought with her some gifts from Thailand where her husband is based.

 From Thailand she brought a nice pink batik sundress for me, polo for Tony and oatmeal soap for us. Together with our new thongs(Brazilian slippers), we shall use it for our Cebu vacation.

She is also finishing a cross stitched double panda frame for my two kids.

    Juliet last saw my two kids in 2003 when  she and her husband were  still based here in  Singapore.She cant believe how the two boys have grown(so big).

Blue Skies Over Singapore

  Hurray….For the first time in several weeks,I woke up looking at blue skies over my head. I instantly smiled..finally the haze is gone.

There so many things to be thankful for today..October 26. Aside from the blue skies…Christmas has officially started along Orchard Road.All the lights, gold tinsels and red balls are now hung along Orchard….so its Christmas time already.

Just yesterday on the way back to Orchard MRT station, the decors were not hung yet.
Its like a magic wand was cast upon Orchard Road. The elves have done a good job decorating Orchard Road while the rest of Singapore was sleeping.
The drizzles have also started and thanks to the rain…the haze has been blown away. The news on TV last night said that we wont be having anymore haze till the end of the year.

Will it be bye bye forever to the haze or see you next year?

A Lung Cancer Patient’s Last Days

Mohammad Abdooh is a Lung Cancer patient who has allowed his last few days to be documented online in a blog and video documentary.

He is the poster boy of the Singapore Hospice Council on how dying patients are cared for. It basically shows hospice care in Singapore and how the last few days of  dying patients can be dealt with .

You can view Mohammad Abdooh's Video Blog here.  

I have met numerous chain smokers who are very defensive about their smoking habits. They make a lot of excuses on why they shouldnt stop smoking.They dont know that eventually smoking will affect their health maybe not in the short term but in the long term.

There are even cases of patients who are not smoking but due to smoke being inhaled in their work or home environments ,they are more susceptible to getting sick.

Parents who love their children must not smoke at home since they are putting their children in danger from second hand smoke. Pregnant moms are usually  advised not to smoke since it usually affects the weight and development of their babies.Smokers usually laugh off warnings about smoking saying that "if they die they die".

My father who is a smoker would usually hide his smoking habits from us. He would hide his cigarettes from us but we would usually catch him with his friends smoking away his health. I dont really know how hard it is to quit the smoking habit. But one has to start somewhere if one values ones health. 

We are staying at Marriot

Having already booked and paid for a one night stay at Plantation Bay for our first night in Cebu in December, I found the US$130 quite expensive and I am now thinking of booking a room at Marriot  for our second night in Cebu .

Since we really plan to go around Cebu City , I think staying at Marriot which is just a few metres away from Ayala Center Cebu would be a good choice for a hotel on our second and last night in this city.

The last time I was in Cebu back in 2001-2002, I recall that the Ayala Center in Cebu was just a vast expanse of cogon land which was near my lodging place somewhere in Mango Avenue. I particularly remember eating my dinner at a newly opened Fastfood centre in Mango Avenue near a church. I also know that after I get out from my hotel and board a taxi or jeep, downtown Cebu (Fuente Osmena) was less than 10 minutes away.

I was telling Tony and the kids I will bring them to Golden Cowrie (I am not sure now whether this is still the name) restaurant which is housed in a nipa hut but serves delicious ihaw ihaw/grilled food. I love their grilled fish and baked tahong shells. 

We were looking at the Renta Car services in Cebu and the prices are quite expensive.Guess we would just flag a taxi to bring us around Cebu.

Tuesday October 24 is Hariraya

  Tomorrow Monday is not a Holiday but Tuesday is Hariraya Holiday. 

Hariraya is the Muslims New Year so for one complete month all Malays in Singapore will be visiting their relatives house and prepare a lot of food for guests like kuehs(malay cakes) and cookies that are all put in beautiful jar containers. It is the time to visit their homes and savor the taste of  their Rendangs and Malay curry.

 When we were still new in Singapore, I found the Malays way of dressing as medyo baduy. Their clothes are made from the cucurtinahin fabrics(flowers with bold green,violet and shocking blue colors) you can find na kinikilo sa Divisoria.

Every Hariraya you will see a whole family dressed in the same color (like violet, fuschia, pink or whatever). Para ba silang combo na kakanta sa Bayside(a famous restaurant in Roxas Boulevard). But I guess its part of their national identity. At least sila they wear it almost everyday. In Manila, when can you see someone wearing a patadyong or barot saya. I have not even worn one for my entire life.

In my previous office, all the Malay ladies wear their Baju Kurung almost every Friday. My Malay friend Asnah even asked me one time if I can wear the Philippine National costume and I said I had none.

Another thing is that almost all Malay ladies I know can bake kuehs and loves to cook . Me ,taga kain lang ako.

I hope I get to visit my friend Asnah and Siti this Hariraya.

To my Malay Friends Happy Hariraya Aidilfitri!!! 

Xmas Time in Orchard

Unofficially, Christmas started early along Orchard Road on MOnday October 16, when a quarter of Orchard Road (meaning the stretch from  Wheelock Place up to Nathan Road near Starbucks Cafe) had already been decorated with Christmas lights  and teardrop shaped and bird decors.

The teardrop shaped decorations are in red, blue and orange and the birds are silver in color. My son was wondering why it was still too early for Xmas. I told him maybe its also for Deepavali (Oct 21) and Hariraya (Oct 23) the Indian and Malay New Years respectively.

 It will be a long week end for most SIngaporeans since there are two holidays back to back this weekend.So SIngapore will be less crowded this weekend and most locals are travelling to southern Malaysia, Thailand,China,Hongkong,Macau and Japan.

We are sticking it out here since the two boys are having their final exams next  week.

Im Stressed Out-My Childrens Exams are Coming

My two kids are on  a four day break from school.I get stressed out whenever the last month of the school year comes. It means that I have to review my two kids in Maths and English. My main stress is that

1) their Chinese subject has not improved despite a tutor that I have hired that comes twice weekly.

2) I have tried to tutor them in Maths which is not an easy tasks. Their Mathematics is quite hard specially the number problems.I get crazy just answering their questions. The problems that you have to solve are even harder than my Maths 14(trigonometry ) and Math 17(ALgebra and Trigo) subjects in college. And to think my eldest son is still in Primary 4. My God !

 3) English is another thing. Although   I had been using English since Elementary and I think in English, some of the vocabulary words in their subjects are too close in terms of meaning that sometimes I have to double check with my trusted  Webster dictionary for the nuances in the meaning as used in their essays.

Their exams are within a weeks time and now I understand why Singaporean parents usually take a leave a week before the final exams. I am going crazy.(ENOUGH FOR ME TO REPEAT THIS BLOG 11X WITHOUT ME KNOWING IT)

Suvarnabhumi Airport

 Photos c/o Tony Lopez

The latest airport in the region opened on September 28. The Thais now have a brand new airport to be proud of . Suvarnabhumi (pronounced with a silent i) in the local dialect I was told means "golden land"

When is our new NAIA going to open?

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