SG Adventure Recap

The last installment for our Singapore adventure is now posted here. Hope you can visit my site to check out the pictures.

Here are the links for our four day adventure in Singapore

1. Day 1 – City Tour
2. Day 2 – Singapore Zoo and Night Safari
3. Day 3 and 4 – Sentosa and Shopping

Enjoy the pictures!

SG Adventure Day 2

Our adventure at Singapore continues with Bela’s trip to the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari.

Howell also had a great time checking out the Sim Lim Square for his camera accessories.

More stories and pictures here.

Day 1 in SG

Hello everybody. We arrived last Sunday from our four day trip to Singapore. We are all tired but we really enjoyed the trip, especially Bela who had the most fun after seeing all the animals in zoo.

You can read about my Day 1 kwento and view our pictures here.

Weekend Snapshot # 11 - My Parents

These pictures of my parents were taken when we are having a short stop during our city tour on our first day in Singapore. My husband loves taking pictures and my parents playfully pose for my husband. I was even telling them that they appear to be having a prenuptial pictorial.

Although they are tired already since we have to wake up early and leave the house at 3:30 AM for our 6:35 AM flight, it looks like they are really having fun and are enjoying every moment of this vacation. And even though my mom was a bit worried that she was not able to meet with her mortgage lenders before we left, she completely forgot about it and she just enjoyed every moment of our vacation.

All our bags are packed….

....and we are ready to go. Yes, I am finally done packing. This is the thing that I hate most when traveling, the packing and unpacking of our stuff.

I have to carefully plan my wardrobe as I only have to bring limited clothes since I have to pack light because we have a lot of things to bring for Bela. I made a checklist so I won’t be forgetting anything and I was really happy since I was able to fit everything in one big luggage. Of course, I still have a carry on luggage for Bela’s stuff like her bottle, her changing clothes, her wipes, her extra diaper, her toys and her DVD player.

I hope she won’t give us a hard time during the flight. When we went to Bohol last January and to Hong Kong last August, she was asleep during landing and take off and during the flight so we did not have a hard time. But I remember when we went to Boracay, she was crying the whole time on our way home. And it was just me and Howell during that trip so we are both going crazy as to how we can calm her. Hopefully she will enjoy the airplane ride this time. I already told her that we will be riding a rocket (that is how she calls an airplane) just like Leo, June, Quincy and Annie from the Little Einsteins. We will also be bringing her Little Einsteins DVD so she can watch it during the flight. Hopefully our strategy will work.

So one more day and we’re finally off for our vacation. I will be back with lots of pictures.

Photo Credit: Travellogger

Our Bohol Vacation

I was sorting through our pictures as I need t make a back up of it to a DVD when I chanced upon our Bohol vacation pictures. It was our Christmas gift for my mom and dad and at the same time it is Howell and I’s birthday and anniversary celebration.

We really had a grand time there as we were really able to relax for four days and three nights. My dad even said that she enjoyed this vacation more than our Hong Kong vacation since he was really able to relax and have fun with her dear grand daughter

Who wouldn’t have a great time if all we do for four days in three nights is this:

Eat our heart out as we enjoy the sumptuous meals that they offer at their buffet every lunch and dinner.

Lie lazily the whole afternoon in their hammock chair and just enjoy the beauty of nature.

Go swimming and have a tan at the beach.

Enjoy the dolphins as we went dolphin watching.

And just enjoy the company of each other for four days and three nights.
Hope we can do this again soon.

To More Travel

I am an avid customer of Cebu Pacific. I booked almost all my airline ticket through them specially if they are offering great airline discounts. That’s what I like about Cebu Pacific. They release a lot of promos within the year where they give great discounts for airline tickets and so they always get a lot of bookings for consumers who wants to travel on a budget. So as per my opinion, they are now the number one airline carrier in the Philippines.

Philippine Airlines has been in the airline business longer than Cebu Pacific and their service is really good compared to Cebu Pacific. But since their airfare is sometimes twice or thrice expensive as what Cebu Pacific offers, I often end up purchasing my tickets from Cebu Pacific.

But if given a choice and if they have almost the same rate, I would still prefer to fly via Philippine Airlines. So when I learned that PAL launched a low cost sector to compete with Cebu Pacific, the PAL Express, I was one of the happy traveler who got excited of the good news.

That’s what I like about competitions. Imagine, PAL was force to put up their low budget sector just to compete with Cebu Pacific's offers. So more budget airlines means more cheap airfare which means more travel for us.

So to my fellow travel addicts, here is to more travel for us in the coming years!

Disneyland Anaheim can wait

Wouldn’t it be nice if we can celebrate Ysabela’s birthday here?

Howell and I really had a great time when we went to Disneyland in Anaheim California and we vowed that we will take Bela there someday. We initially plan to go there this year to celebrate Bela’s 3rd party. We won’t be having any big party, not like his first and second birthday, and instead we will just have a trip to Los Angeles. But we figured we would need a big budget for that trip and we don’t think that we would still be able to save before November in time for our trip.

What Howell suggested is we postpone our planned trip to LA this year and just move it to 2009 as we will be finish with our home mortgage by that time so we will have extra money to save for the trip. And since I might have training again in Canada next year, Howell and Bela can go with me to Canada and we will pass by at Los Angeles on our way home. That way, my airfare would be free.

So our US trip has to wait for another year and we will just settle with Hong Kong Disneyland for Bela’s third birthday.

Howell and Majuro Updates

Howell arrived safely in Majuro. Thank God.

As soon as I wake up, I immediately logged in to my yahoo account to check if he already sent me an email. I told her to send me an email as soon as he arrives in Guam so at least I will have peace of mind. There was no email from Howell when I checked my mail so I checked on the flight status from the Continental Airlines website and was relief to find out that his flight arrived in Guam safely.

And at around 10 AM here (which is 2 PM in Majuro), I received a phone call from him. He was not able to send me an email when he was in Guam since Wifi signal is weak in the gate where he was waiting. But I was glad to hear his voice again and I feel relieved now that he arrived safely in Majuro.

He will try to inquire about Wifi connection in the hotel so he can go online later and we can chat.

On his way to Majuro

Howell is now on board Continental Airline’s flight to Majuro via Guam. He will reach Guam at 4:00 AM (which is 2:30 AM here in Manila). Then he will board his connecting flight from Guam to Majuro and he will reached Majuro around 12:05 PM (which is 8:05 AM Manila time).

Since there is a free Wifi connection available at Guam airport and since he has 1.5 hours stop over to Guam, I told Howell to quickly send me an email as soon as he is free so at least I will know that he arrived in Guam safely. That’s the thing that I hate about temporary duty outside the country. I can’t help but be worried about Howell’s condition. I guess it is just a natural thing for a wife. But I just rely on prayers so our good Lord will take care of Howell.

Howell requested that my dad sleep here every night while he is away as Howell is worried too since it is only me, yaya and Bela at home. Which is a good thing as it gives me peace of mind also for our safety.

Oh I just wish that it is already June 28 and it is already time for Howell to go back here in Manila.

Cruise for our 4th Year Anniversary?

Since I am now finish saving up for our Singapore trip, I am now looking for our next travel destination. I wanted to surprise hubby for our anniversary this coming January 29 so as early as now I am researching already so I have a lot of time to save for that trip.

I have long wanted to join a cruise and I have been researching about Asian Cruises. After doing some readings, I realized that the countries that are part of the Asian Cruise are the countries that we have visited already. Of course, joining a cruise would be a different thing but since it is not cheap, we might as well join a cruise which includes countries we have never visited before.

And so as I was doing a research about cruises, and I was able to find the site of Christian Cruises. Christian Cruises is a Mediterranean cruise where 170 guests will be on board a privately chartered luxury yacht as they set sail and visit the beautiful Mediterranean.

This Christian Cruise includes a visit to some of the famous places mentioned in the Bible like the Bible post of Pergamum, which is overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It even includes a visit to the amphitheatre where the Apostle Paul spoke.


What is best about these Christian Cruises is that we get to experience Bible teachings while enjoying the beaches and the fun activities that the island of Mediterranean has to offer.

If ever we get to join this cruise, this would really be one of a kind experience for us.

SG Trip: Things to bring

Ok so I’m back again to planning for our Singapore trip. (Well I better be since it is just more than a month away from now).

Every time we travel, I always have a check list of the things that I need to bring for the trip. Specially that we have a toddler in tow, it really pays to have a checklist so there is a much bigger chance that I won’t be forgetting anything.

As I was writing down the things that I have to shop for, I suddenly realize I don’t have comfortable walking shoes to wear for the trip. With our itinerary, we will be out almost the whole day and we will be doing a lot of walking (since we will be touring the Singapore Zoo and Sentosa) and we will try to do some mall hopping. So if I don’t want my feet to ache (which might ruin our itinerary) I better buy skate shoes that I can bring for our trip like the ones below:

This way, I will be more comfortable walking the streets of Singapore and hopefully even with just four days and three nights of stay there, we will be able to maximize it and we will be able to check all the famous tourist spots in Singapore because I don’t know if we will still have the chance (and the budget) to visit this country again.

Just Enjoying Life

I was watching the Disney movie Cars with my daughter and it was the scene where Lightning McQueen was sent to court for ruining the town of Radiator Springs. The judge, Doc Hudson, asked Lightning McQueen where his lawyer was and Lightning McQueen answered: “I don’t know. Maybe he is in Tahiti since he has a timeshare there.”

Timeshare. It is really something that my husband and I are considering. I know financial wise that it is not a good property investment and its value will not appreciate in the long run. But don’t you think after all our hard work, we deserve to have some place where we can relax privately, with all the amenities that a first class holiday club has to offer.

My husband and I share the same principle in life that we should enjoy whatever we have earned and worked on. We work hard to earn money and we want to enjoy the money that we earn. We believe that life is short and we should really enjoy life to the fullest.

So we both have been considering getting a timeshare. We would love to have a place where we can just spend the weekend having fun and just simply relaxing. That would be a great way to reward ourselves after all the hard work that we have been doing for our family.

It’s time no Juan Flies?

I can say I’m one of the avid patrons of Cebu Pacific. Who wouldn’t want to travel at a cheaper rate right? So when I found out that they are having a zero fare promo, I instantly booked an international flight with them.

Then I read a post in one of my yahoo groups about the bad service they had with Cebu Pacific. Some shared that their flights got delayed for more than six hours and there was even one who shared that their flight got delayed for days and so they vowed not to fly via Cebu Pacific since that incident.

As for me I’m lucky since I haven’t experienced the same thing with Cebu Pacific. Every time we travel, I always buy our tickets from them. We flew to Boracay, thrice in Bohol, and one time in Hong Kong and our flights only got delayed once for an hour (Tagbilaran to Manila).

Maybe that’s the price that we have to pay for getting cheap fares since we are only paying a fraction of the price of the other airlines so service will really suffer. We will be flying again to Singapore and Hong Kong via Cebu Pacific this coming July and November. I just hope that we won’t have the same bad experience as the other passenger of them had since we will be travelling with my mom and dad and my 2.5 year old daughter. I just wish that they have improved their service already and I will pray that we will have a safe and no fuss flight with them.

Hongkong for Bela’s 3rd birthday

Yes, I did it again. I was not able to control my urge to travel and so I availed of Cebu Pacific’s zero fare promo and booked our tickets to Hong Kong.

I was not in my room almost the whole afternoon since I attended a seminar on Conflict Resolution. We were allowed to have a break around 3:00 PM and so I decided to spend the break in my room. And that’s when I read my friend’s IM to me and informing me of Cebu Pacific’s Zero fare. So I quickly reacted to his news and I browse Cebu Pacific's website right then and there.

But we were only allowed for a fifteen minutes break and so by the time I reached Cebu Pacific’s website, I have to go back to the seminar. I excitedly gave my other friends the good news and they too got all excited.

So as soon as I arrived home, I quickly browse the Cebu Pacific site to check if there are still zero fares for my preferred dates and luck was on my side (or should I say it was really tempting me) as there are still available zero fare rates for my preferred date. And after consulting my husband and contacting my cousins and siblings, I booked our flight for Hong Kong on November 20-23.

This will be Bela’s 3rd birthday celebration. We are really planning to just have a vacation instead of throwing another party for Bela on her third birthday but we are choosing between Hongkong and Tokyo. We have miles to claim a free ticket to Tokyo but we figured, Tokyo is an expensive city and even though our airfare is free, going to Hongkong would be more affordable than going to Tokyo.

And so we are booked and my sister and cousins, Joseph and Tessa, are coming with us too. I’m sure this trip will be as fun as our last family vacation.

Planning again for our SG trip

Yes, I’m in planning mode again for our Singapore trip. I have been busy these past few weeks that I was not able to do anything for our Singapore trip.

I like to list down my things to do and some of my accomplishments:

1. I was already able to book for our Hotel accommodation. I booked YMCA International House at One Orchard. I was having second thought at first if we will book a hotel along Orchard Road because it is pricier compared to other hotels like Hotels along the Arab Street or Chinatown. But hey, if I want comfort then I have to pay for the price. And we will also be traveling with my parents so I want them to have the best accommodation.


2. Plan for our Itinerary. I have to ask for my husband’s help here since I’m not good with directions and with map. I have to ask him which locations are in close proximity with one another so we can better plan our itinerary. But on my list are Sentosa, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari plus we have to do a tour of the city and do some shopping too.


3. We have to look for a Delsey luggage to replace our smaller and not so durable luggage. We have to find something bigger and durable so it can accommodate stuffs for three people since we only want to bring one luggage for all three of us.

What else am I forgetting? I think this are my to do list for now. I know as the trip draws near this list will get longer and longer. But I’m excited already. It is all our first time at Singapore.

They’re off to Laughlin, Nevada

I just got an SMS from my aunt this morning asking me to help her choose from the different laughlin hotels that she found online.

You see, she and her husband will be having their first US vacation in Nevada. And since they know that we have been there, she is asking for my advice on which hotel should they choose.

Actually, when she first mentioned about Laughlin, I did not know that it was in Nevada. It was only when I looked for it on the Internet that I realized that it is in Nevada. Laughlin is located in the desert along the Colorado River near the southern tip of the Nevada-Arizona border. It attracts four million visitors every year. My aunt and his husband preferred Laughlin over Las Vegas since it has nearly perfect weather all year round and it is not that crowded as compared to Las Vegas which is what they want since they just want to have a relaxing vacation and at the same time enjoy the casinos and water sports on the Colorado.

I’m sure they will have a great time at Laughlin. I haven’t been there since we just visited Las Vegas when we went to Nevada so I have to ask around first and do some research before I recommend a hotel at Laughlin to my aunt.

My Dream Cruise Vacation

I was just talking to my friend yesterday and she is preparing for their 7 days vacation in Vietnam. She told me that our generation is lucky since there are a lot of budget airlines now so we can travel anytime we want. Unlike before, during their time, even just going to any Asian destination is almost impossible because of the sky rocketing prices of the airfare. So right now, she and her husband are catching up with their travels since she feels that in just a couple of years, it will be difficult and inconvenient for them to travel because of their age.

She asked me what my dream travel experience is. My husband and I have been to several countries in Asia and in some parts of US and Canada. But next to my dream travel vacation in Europe, I would love to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise with my husband and my parents.

I told my friend, if I’m still single and we’re going on a honeymoon, I would love to join any of the Princess Cruises since it is really ideal for honeymooners. They have an attentive crew that will pamper you during your stay and you can personalize and select your likes and dislikes, you can select the cabin that you want and even the food that you want to be served during your entire stay. You have total control of your entire stay.

But now that I have a daughter, I would prefer to join a four nights or seven nights cruise aboard the Norwegian Cruise Lines where we can go and enjoy the beaches of the Caribbean or have a historical tour in Buenos Aires.

Actually, that is my next project. I will try to save money every month so maybe after a year or two we will be able to join a vacation cruise. So wish me luck. This is my next dream gift for my husband and my parents.

We’re booked – YMCA International House, SG

Finally, after days and months of searching for a hotel for our SG trip, I was finally able to do my booking just this morning.

At first I was having second thoughts of booking a hotel along Orchard road and my first option is the Summerview hotel along Bencoleen St. (Bugis and Arab Street). It is P4000 cheaper than the hotels along Orchard road but after reading the reviews and getting the opinions of my friends and officemates who have been there, they discouraged me to book that hotel. Since we have a two year old daughter traveling with us and they said that it is not really a good place if you are traveling with a toddler since some of the rooms don’t have windows and there is a night market which makes it really noisy in the evening.

I also asked for my husband’s opinion and he reminded me of our bad experience when we stayed at a hostel in Hong Kong. I was trying to save money that time since we are traveling as a big group so we all decided to sacrifice comfort over money. And honestly, I really hate the kind of accommodation that we got there and swore that I will never do it again.

And so I gave in. I realized that I can never find a good accommodation for my budget along Orchard road so I really have to increase our budget for hotel accommodation. And with hubby’s go signal and assurance that he will give additional money for our accommodation, I booked our hotel today.

I booked a superior triple occupancy room at YMCA International House along Orchard road. I read the reviews and all reviews are good. Plus it is located next to a bus stop and MTR station.

I just booked online via Asia Travel. This is my second time that I booked a hotel through them and it was a breeze. I just entered my credit card details and in just minutes, our rooms are confirmed and I immediately received our Hotel Voucher.

So next on my To do list: do some research and plan our itinerary.

Temporary Duty to Micronesia

Some of you might remember how affected and sad I was when Howell went to the US last December for three weeks for his training. I’m really not used to hubby being away from us that long. I was even about to cry on the first night that he was not here with us. Thanks to Peachy, she stayed awake until 2AM and she chatted with me so I will be preoccupied and won’t have a chance to emote and cry on the first night that Howell left.

And just this week, it was confirmed by Howell’s boss that he might be send to temporary duty for three weeks to one of the US territory in the Micronesia this coming June.

I feel sad and scared again. Just thinking of the idea that he will be far away from us for three weeks makes me feel sad all over again. But according to him, it’s a blessing so I should be happy about it. First, he will be able to travel again for free and be able to visit the Micronesia. Second, since there are no malls there (yup no malls, only beach resorts) he will be able to save big from his per diem since he will not be doing some shopping, so we will have extra money for our Singapore trip.

Honestly, right now, I really don’t know what to feel. I’ll just deal with it when that time comes. Anyways, I have a whole list of things to blog about so that should keep me busy while he is gone (I hope so).