Singapore Getaway: Day 1

We left Centennial 3 Airport at 6:00am. It was a smooth 3 hour flight and reached Singapore Changi Airport by 9:00am. We were met by a friend of my son at the airport who is permanently based there. She led us to our hotel’s location and kind enough to have guided us to the nearby shopping centers in Orchard Road.  Our check-in time at the Supreme Hotel was yet at 2:00pm.  We thought we had to wait and rest at the lobby but luckily, the front desk clerk of the hotel is a Pinay and very accommodating.  She allowed us to proceed to our room.  Thus, we were able to take a rest before we had our first Singapore lunch.

Got so excited seeing this sign for the first time.

By noon, we freshened up ourselves and went out to look for a place to lunch.  Didn’t know that our hotel was that close to Orchard Road’s shopping area.  It was really nice to be a stone’s throw away from that famous place. As we waited for our turn to cross the street going to Orchard Central, I noticed the sidewalk  beams  with people of various nationalities, Chinese', Koreans, Westerners, Blacks, Indians, Pinoys and other Asians who somehow look similar to each other.  One good thing that I liked was that I didn’t feel any racial discrimination unlike in Hongkong wherein, I felt every Filipinas seen by the Hong Kong nationals are regarded as their housemaids.  Sigh!  (Now, I blame this to the Philippine Government. This is another topic to discuss though.)

Orchard Central Food Court

 

Son, his friend , yours truly, daughter and her friend.

 After lunch, we headed back to our hotel, took a rest then proceeded to explore Singapore on our own. With map on hand, we took the MRT from Dhoby Ghaut.  Getting our MRT tickets from a machine was a bit intriguing but the big kiddos got accustomed to it after a try or two.  They even helped other first timer foreigners on how to use the machine.  Great feeling for them I’m sure! Ha ha..

Daughter on our way to. MRT Station at the basement of this Shopping Mall, The Atrium.

At the MRT ticket machine.

Chinatown was the first place of interest we visited by MRT.  We arrived at the place at around 6pm but looks like it was only 4pm since the sun’s rays was still intense.  The place abounds with interesting low-priced goodies and souvenirs, likewise with restos and eateries that serve authentic Chinese dishes that I so loved.  As we walked around, we saw one Hindu temple that caught our attention with its intricate adornments and statues.  Foot wears were left by the temple’s doorway along the street with no one attending to them. Fascinating!  Shameful to admit though, you can’t do that here in the Philippines!! I’m sure you know why! Blush!

You'll never get lost with this big sign board.

The three big kiddos in Chinatown.

The Chinatown Food Street.

Seafood Rice.

Pork Sate.

Beef noodles.

Noodles with mongo sprouts.

The Hindu Temple.

We always passed by this big Mall every time we took the MRT.

 Going back to the hotel, the MRT station was like in rush hour here in Manila. Only, no pushing was happening.  We were back to our hotel by 10pm which was like it was only 8pm.

A full packed MRT car.

Our modest hotel room.

That's our exhilarating first day in Singapore. More coming up!
Thanks so much for your precious time. Have a great new week ahead!

Back from our Singapore trip

I missed my laptop and my blogger buddies!  I decided not to bring my lappy with me since my personal porter didn't come along. Lol!  I’m still taking a rest from our tiring short vacation.  It’s been an extremely enjoyable trip for the 3 big kiddos and me. Four days were too short for us.  I wished we had longer time of stay, unfortunately though, it’s just not possible for us.

Can’t help falling in love with SG!  Will share some photos soon.  

Thanks everyone for the visit.  Have a great day!

Stupid Error

I still couldn’t get over the biggest mistake I’ve just committed.  (Or was it mine alone?)  I had been so careless and assuming!  Can’t help hating myself for it!   Here, I'll let you know why!

Our family has long wanted to take a trip to Singapore.  Hence, the moment I saw an airline fare promo online, I immediately booked for my family of 4 plus daughter’s friend.  I made the booking last January for travel this March .  Last February, I came to remember hubby’s passport was with him in his office.  I asked for it together with his TIN (Taxpayer’s Identification Number) for use in foreign exchange.  I made use of it (passport) with ease in a bank after which I stashed it along with all our passports.  Last Monday, I checked all the needed documents.  I asked daughter to print another copy of our Airline tickets as well as the hotel reservation voucher (for extra copy).   She handed those to me last  night. That was the time that I secured all the papers in one brown envelop.  I was very confident all the documents were in order.  Nonetheless, out of the blue,.I just thought of scrutinizing all the passports one by one. I almost passed out when I saw hubby’s passport’s expiration date: March 3, 2010! Dang! I freaked out like crazy but after a while of pointing fingers I gave in to the fact that nothing can be done to correct the blunder.. Each one is disheartened but don't wanna put to waste the plane tickets and hotel accommodation we have earlier reserved for Saturday, March 19 until Tuesday, March 22.

Excited to see Singapore although sad 'cause the family's not complete.  And whose fault is it? Should I take all the blame?  Nah!  I don't think it  matters now!. Complete or not, happy or sad we go! Singapore is waiting for us! 

Free time at Greenhills Shopping Center

Friday was good! I was able to go out again and went to Greenhills Shopping Center. I left early right after lunch, so I could come back early ‘cause I gave a nod to a friend’s son’s birthday party early in the evening. However, I ran out of time when hubby arrived late in fetching me due to the rush hour traffic jam. Given that I won’t make it in time for the party, we opted to have dinner at Minis Steak House In Shoppesville. This place is one of the good eating places we love to go to since the early 90’s. It is known for its tasty steaks that come with soup, bread, coleslaw and a desert of ice cream. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my cam with me so I wasn’t able to take pictures. Hubby has taken one or two shots with his mobile phone's cam although the result wasn't quite good.

Sizzling Porterhouse Steak

The interior of the Minis Steak House

 What did I buy in Greenhills?  It's for hubby's biking hobby..  Got him a biker's shirt and a casual shirt for me too. Nice feeling when I get to buy something even only little stuff! A stress reliever, somehow.

Caesar Salad heals cramps?

While in the mall enjoying my whole afternoon getting in and out of the shops looking for good bargains, I suddenly felt piercing pain in my left foot toes that slowly moved to my ankle until I could feel the terrible cramp in my left leg. Walking became instantly difficult for me. I looked for a place where I could rest my feet and the nearest I saw was the vacant table inside the Pizza Hut Parlor. Once inside, the waiter handed me the menu. I wasn’t really hungry but it would be awkward not to order any while I sit there. So I just ordered this.
                                                             

 

A Caesar Salad is a salad of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with parmesan cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. This is according to Wikipedia. The description to my ordered salad is almost perfect except that Wiki didn’t mention the crispy bacons I saw on my plate which I only set aside as I am a no pork eater. It didn’t mention too, that it relieves foot cramps! Aha ha ha.. of course, the last line isn't true.  It just so happened that after I’ve finished my salad, the pain on my foot was remarkably gone!   There's got to be miracle in it! Lol!
 

Caught a Hush Puppies

Yeah, I caught a pair of Hush Puppies but not the doggie breed with long ears. Ha ha! It’s the brand of shoes I accidentally caught from the 3 Day Sale held last weekend at SM Fairview. I was really looking for a good pair of sneakers when I saw this pair in the rack tagged with 40% Discount. Unlike other sneakers though, this one isn't washable.  Simply because it's all made of leather except the sole.  When I asked to fit one, I was given the one size bigger than my actual size. Only two sizes were left, the other one is much bigger. I found my exact size on other styles but with only a 10% Discount on the price. So  I couldn’t make up my mind which to pick then. …The slightly loose or the exact fit? And what’s your guess? If you know me, how frugal I am, you’d know which one I've chosen! Ha ha.. Of course, I never would let go of such big discount! I just hoped (and I had a feeling anyway) that it would rightly fit when I get my socks on. And I wasn’t wrong after all!  It is the perfect fit for my feet. Very light and comfy! Can’t wait to wear it for some extensive trekking in a few weeks time ! Oh, weeeh!

Cravings

This box of Lindt Thins Swiss Chocolates was handed to me by hubby many weeks ago.  I hid it in a drawer planning to consume when I am free and relaxing.  However, I had totally forgotten about the sweet thing until the other day when daughter found it while she was looking for something. I don't know why, but I love to receive chocolates or buy packs of it whenever we go to Duty Free Shops though the fact is, I don’t have sweet tooth.  I may love to hold and keep some for personal consumption but I don’t crave for them as much as I crave for crispy chicken skins or spicy crispy squids.  Yes, that's how cheap my taste buds is. Anyhow, life is short! So I say, we gotta enjoy whatever makes us happy. But only in moderation!