Travel Motto #1: Taxis/shuttles are for wimps

Since the day I set foot in this country in mid-2005, I have seen those Tiger Airways ads on newspapers advertising really cheap fares to the Lion City. The catch? One would have to fly out of Clark. Being the Curious George that I am (awakened only in 2005), I decided to ditch my Cebu Pacific suki, and go for Tiger Airways to find out what it was like to fly out of Clark.

Getting to Clark was not a problem. I just called Philtranco weeks before and reserved a seat. At 11AM, I got on the shuttle bus behind Megamall A for P300. After an hour and a half, I was in Clark, checking in my baggage. No sweat, I tell you.

Tiger Airways is very much like Cebu Pacific: you get on the tarmac to get on the plane. And yes, it's true: they really don't serve you anything onboard. You want to eat? You buy. I suggest buying food prior to leaving Megamall because there's not much to eat at the Clark Airport either. Oh, and it's also true that there are no assigned seatings, but since the flight wasn't full coming out of Clark, I got a window seat without having to shove anyone out of my way. HeHe.

After three hours of non-stop iPod playing, I arrived in Singapore. Irene e-mailed me the day before to tell me to take an airport shuttle to get to Orchard Road, but I had it in my head that I was taking the MRT (thanks to my Lonely Planet: SE Asia on a Shoestring book). Taxis/shuttles and anything that drops you off right where you need to go are for wimps!

With my duffle bag on wheels, I climbed on board the free T1/T2 airport shuttle bus to take me to the Terminal 2 of Changi Airport (Tiger Airways is located in the Budget Terminal). From the bus window, I got to see Singapore and it was love at first sight! Oh the clean streets! Oh the landscaped grounds of Changi! Oh my! It was like I landed in the U.S.! *SIGH.

After being dropped off at Terminal 2, I headed over to the MRT Station where I bought an EZ-link card so I can tap-tap my way around town. Naks, so high-tech! I love this city!

After three painless transfers, I got to Somerset station and got out on the Orchard Road side. Okay, where do I go: left or right? I should have known better than to trust my instincts when I'm hungry: I went to the right: the wrong way. After sweating it out and looking like an idiot with my bag on wheels, I finally asked someone where the Paragon Mall was. Reply? "Oh, it's the other way." $&*#!

I backtracked and ended up in front of the Singapore Visitors Center. I thought I passed by the Paragon without knowing it. With my bag on wheels, I went inside to ask one of the attendants (she looked at me funny with my darn bag). She turned the map of the hotel that I printed out from the internet upside down and told me to walk two more blocks. While there, I grabbed a good stash of maps for the next three full days.

When I finally found the Paragon and went up the hill, I ended up in a crossroads again: do I go to the left or the right? Again, I went to the right. Wrong. Good thing, I ran into an expat who told me to get on the other side of the road. I could smell the apartment hotel already, but I passed it on my way to the top of the hill. Again, I had to ask another man who was walking with his family for directions. He told me that I passed by it and sure enough I did.

Sweaty and way too hungry, I finally saw Irene and co-workers after a total of 12 hours of traveling (from the time I left Mandaluyong!). First day of Singapore: done!

Magasin

In 1992, my name was included in The Seattle Times as one of the students who was competing in the Regional Washington State Spelling Bee. (Geek!)

In 1999, there was a write-up about me in the local newspaper for being the Senior of the Month of my high school. (Still a geek!)

In 2007, I'm in a glossy financial magazine! (Geek next to tarsiers!)


Although, my dream is really to be a covergirl, I mean, to see my name in the byline...which I hope to be a reality soon. *Ahem to Mr. Editor-in-Chief!

Buy the latest issue of MoneySense magazine today and see me in my glossy magazine debut (then show the copy to your single, pogi male friends...because that's why I was included in the magazine in the first place! HaHa!)

Around the World

Besides seeing the world's wonders, I want to finish my SE Asia travels for one other reason: to acquire as many Starbucks City Mugs as possible.

Yes, as a recovering Sanrio/Hello Kitty/Little Twin Stars addict, I have now chosen to waste my hard-earned money on making Corporate America richer. Oh heavens!

So far, I have these:
- Manila (in Seattle)
- Cebu
- Hong Kong (in Seattle)
- Bangkok
- Kuala Lumpur
- Singapore
- Cyprus (hey, that's not SE Asia!)
- UAE (hey, that's not SE Asia either!)
- Beijing (it's not from the City Mug collection, but Lilian thought it would make me happy for Christmas)

I only acquired three of those personally; the rest are gifts from traveling co-workers here in Manila.

Mugs that I need because I've been to the places, but never got the chance to get the mugs: Guangzhou, Dalian, and Shanghai. If anyone is traveling to those places, please let me know. Pity the fool, please, pity the fool.

And for those people who live in countries with Starbucks, will you be my friend? HeHe.

Picture of a Desperate Woman

What does a girl do when her TV (which came with her furnished condo) suddenly craps out on her? Why, buy a pirated DVD, of course!

Yes, desperation leads to desperate measures. After dinner on Friday, I headed over to the piracy capital of Ortigas with Ate Jen and came home with an eight-in-one DVD of W1ll Sm1th movies for a total cost of P75 (that's about a dollar fifty for you international folks out there).

I finally got to watch "Hitch" and "The Pursuit of Happyness" (the latter made me shed a tear or two)! And sure enough, that DVD was only good for the weekend. I saw all the movies by Sunday evening.

Noticing a potential addiction, I'm now trying to figure out whether I should get the TV fixed or continue buying pirated DVDs to watch on my laptop. Mathematically, I can solve this and let you know which is cheaper to do. I just can't seem to put my morals anywhere in the equation. Tsk!

(By the way, if anyone knows how to fix a picture tube of a TV for free, please let me know. I can't live without a TV on the weekends and stealing is a crime...unless, they're Korean telenovelas in which case it's called "borrowing". Ha!)

The Lost Girl Finds a Lost Boy

Back in the late '90s (when I was dancing the most), I don't think I ever missed an episode of A.S.A.P, on TFC because of the Streetboys. They were awesome. I had a huge crush on Jhong, but the other seven members didn't look too shabby either (Meynard, Joey, Nicko, Michael, Vhong, Spencer, and Joseph...naaalala ko pa!). Come to think of it, they started my teenybopper days before The Mickey Mouse Club and 'NSync came into my life!

Well, twelve years later, who knew that I would see one of them in the flesh! Tonight, Alessa kindly invited me to watch Peter Pan at CCP and guess who was one of the Lost Boys? It was Meynard! Yeah, from the Streetboys to Lost Boys! HeHe. I quickly nudged Alessa and she asked, "Paano mo alam?" My reply? "E ayan o! Nasa harapan natin!" Baka may lukso ng dugo kaya nakita ko agad siya. HaHa!

Don't worry, I didn't pee my pants when I saw him. I've seen so many showbiz personalities in the span of one and a half years that I don't get starstruck anymore (The latest? SheryI Cruz at Shangri-La). But just like any reminiscing episode, it was cool to see something/someone that reminds you of your childhood and brings you back to all your kababawan-ness.

Saan ko naman kaya hahagilapin si Jhong para may closure na ang tennybopper days ko? HeHe!