2016 Jan: Humble Abode - #xyAxis

It’s been a while since I have updated this blog!  We passed several holiday seasons, I had my last trip in Coron last February, I left something before heading for a short rest in Fukuoka.  Enough with these excuses!  Below will be a one long work in progress entry about my humble abode!

It’s been a long time dream to have a place of my own.  But people around previously do not support this decision, instead I have build my portfolio with property companies to buy my own when the time comes.  Inspired by a friend last February, I finalized my reservation a day after my birthday in year 2015.  After 9 months of paying my dues, finally was able to moved in early this year (2016).  

The Search for a Place 

It will definitely be in Pioneer, Mandaluyong for the convenience then.  Strategically located and to be accessible from business districts of Makati, Ortigas and Bonifacio Global City.

In a short period, I looked between Pines Peak, Sheridan, Sunshine and Woodlands; Light and Flair were not in my short list.  With some constructive feedback from friends and internet among others, I finally decided to choose Axis.  Thanks to Faye who has been very helpful, concern and has been a patient property consultant to me. 

The Payment

Thanks to my major sponsors ate and mama, with the help of my long time savings and dedicated 9 month salary – we were able to pull it through.  Thanks to my minor sponsors – (ACN), (DD, JFC), (BDO, SMPH, SM), (AC), (TEL), (DMC), lastly the (CEB, JGS), that's why I have chosen a unit from RLC, need to say more?!

Multi-purpose Furniture

Single Sofa-bed (Furniture Republic, Php12,595, 24JAN2016)  I would consider this as a good buy due to its price with its functions (sofa, bed, reclines, swivels).

2012 April: Singapore: Well Spent Saturday

8:15am @ Botanic Gardens

Took Circle lane and drop-off at Botanic Gardens.

We walk around the park under the rain for about 2-3 hours.

Open:  5 am to 12 midnight daily  Admission Fee:  Free 

National Orchid Garden Open: 8.30am to 7pm daily (last ticket sale at 6pm) 

Admission Fee:  Adults   $5.00

2012 April: How to spend 10 hrs in Singapore

This is my third trip in Singapore and I’m doing this to keep in touch with my closest friends.  

2:00pm Official check-in time at Le Hotel, Clarke Quay

2:30pm @ City Hall Station

St. Andrew's Cathedral

Drop-off at Red/Green MRT: City Hall; Exit B

Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 9.00am - 5.00pm

http://www.livingstreams.org.sg/sac/visitors.html

3:00pm @ Somerset Station

Had an afternoon snack with my friend Kim at Charlie Brown Café, Somerset (http://www.charliebrowncafe.com.sg/).  I love the food and I miss our chit chat!

2012 April: Singapore: Arrival at Le Hotel

Been waiting for this day!  After my provincial experience in Langkawi, I finally arrived at Changi Terminal 1, had to pass by 3-4 walkalators, go down by one level and lastly reached the Immigration section. 

After the exit gates, I exchanged some money.  Go up for the Sky Train going to Terminal 3, then go to the city.

First stop from the airport is Expo station.  Alight and visit City Point mall if you want to visit outlet shops.  I was able to buy an Esprit bag for with sister worth 34sgd (1100php, 2012).  Other outlet shops are Charles and Keith, Adidas, Coldwear, Nike and Lacoste

Since I carry heavy backpack, from the Raffles train station, I took a cab going to Carpenter street which is also accessible by Clare Quay station.  It was a good decision, since the pedestrian between the block and the station is an overpass and I don’t have to walk on it with heavy bags.  

Accommodation Review: Le Hotel Carpenter Street

This is my first time to stay on a plain room with shared bathroom.  Staying there in less than a day (actually less than 8 hrs stay in my room) is not bad.  The reception officer is a Filipino, some guests are also Pinoys, so it feels like home.

2012 April: Malaysia: Overnight at Tune Hotel, KL-LCCT

An unplanned trip (or should I say just keeping the words I said a year ago)!  But since there is a low fare offered by Air Asia last year (May 24, 2011) thus, I'm here again at the airport even if it is just 17 days since my last Asian trip (Busan on March 28 – April 1, 2012).

I wanted to travel and I love doing it, so even if I have a busy work life I will always find a way to make them go together.  Right after work in Ortigas, I picked up my luggage at McKinley (had a quick afternoon snack with my sister) then head to NAIA Terminal 3. And YES, thank you to my April co-passengers who were able to read the in-flight magazine (catch my blog, mentioned on page 144 on Smile April and May edition).

Play Time at the Airport - Arriving 3 hours before my flight is really a carefree feeling.  Enough time to do my running while playing on those push carts.  Contrary on how I describe myself as a “suite case traveler in Asia”, this would be my first international flight where I only have a hand carry.  (The last time I tried it was on flight to Kota Kinabalu, April 2010 and I end up paying for my excess baggage).  Prior to actual check-in my bag is 7.5kgs, upon check-in it became 6.4kg!  How did I do it?  It’s a nice move to carry separately your DSLR while checking-in with light fares.  

Immigration - I don’t like being asked by the officer whose as if interrogating me – You are going to KL, yet your return flight is from SG, can’t you find a flight straight from KL?  Are you working there? No! "Are you working here?". I said "yes", showed my id and viola, she finally marked my passport and let me in. 

X-ray - Congratulations to my monopod, it was able to pass the x-ray as well.

What’s new @ T3?  Okay done with the prequel, now waiting on my boarding here at gate 110.  You'll not miss what's new in this area - there are now installed Samsung LCDs at boarding gates.

Past 12 midnight, we arrived at Kuala Lumpur Low Cost Carrier Terminal or KL-LCCT.  I still have few Ringgit back then, so I did not bother getting their money.  I immediately asked someone on how can I get to Tunes Hotel.  Honestly, I did not understand her answer.  Perhaps, because it was unclear, I'm not paying attention or I'm still sleepy.  I ended up walking for 10-15 minutes, passing 2 car parks, until I reached the hotel.  But you can actually take a service bus from/to Domestic Arrival area for only 1RM.

Tune Hotels - Hotel Review

Tune Hotels is the partner hotel of Air Asia.  Upon booking at their site, I was surprise as this is my first time to see a hotel where the facilities are being paid per service.  You want to have any of the following, you need to pay additional fee for each.

• Air Conditioning (12 hours) at 14MYR
• Air Conditioning (24 hours) at 20MYR
• Towel Rental + Essential Toiletry Kit at 6MYR
• WIFI Connection per device (24 hours) at 12MYR
• Breakfast Set at 6MYR
• Tune Hotels Insurance at 5MYR

Notice the minutes left on every featured you paid for.

Itinerary: First time visit in Hong Kong

Where to stay?
There are multiple inexpensive hotels and hostels in Kowloon area. But based on what I read most, it is okay to stay there if you are with some guys. But if you are traveling alone, or you are all girls they say it is better to stay in Hong Kong Island, which is a little expensive.  On my first to third stay in HK, my personal choice is to stay in Causeway Bay area.

On our fourth visit, I'll be trying to stay in Kowloon (specifically  near Austin and Jordan stations) for the convenience of near the port from Macau, near the shopping areas, closer to Disneyland and closer to International Airport.

Are you looking for trip plans or itineraries for Hong Kong, you are in the right page!

2011 February: Vietnam: Halong Bay

Travel Date: February 14, 2011 Destination: Halong Bay Valentine’s Day is the same date for my visit to Halong Bay, still cold at 10-12 degrees celsius. I booked this from the same Hotel. The guide picked me up at around 8.30am. It took us 2 hours before we reached our first stop for some refreshments. Aside from simple restaurant and high-priced biscuits and drinks, they also display a lot of local products (vases, bags and other woven items).



Again, another 2 hours before we reached the pier. We were re-grouped and separated from those having one, two and three day Halong Bay Tour.

We passed by the lime stones that formed to a dog, etc. We stopped at the fishing village were we took our lunch from our boats. Some of the locals are offering different fruits from their own version of floating market. Then we visited Sung Sot Cave (Cave of Surprises) – this is so beautiful in the pictures. But realizing what they have done to the cave is so interesting - it looks like man-made, but they claim it to be a natural resource. The stalactites and stalagmites are so dry, there were walk-ways for the tourists and they installed lights in between rocks. Did they cut-off some stones to do the walk-ways?

We reached the pier at 5pm in the afternoon, it was passed 8pm when we arrived at Hanoi proper. Additional Information: For those planning to take take a day tour or over night tour at Halong, kindly read this news article. The accident happened on Wednesday morning (2 days after I went to Halong Bay):

• http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20110220-321297/Tourists-on-cheap-Vietnam-tour-paid-with-lives


• http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/8873410/vietnam-death-boat-owner-had-bad-record/

2010 August: Singapore: Sentosa Adventure on the Last Day

Travel Date: August 16, 2010 Destination: Sentosa, Singapore This is our last day in Singapore. In Vivo City, we took our breakfast at Toast Box. Then we find our way to the ticket booth for the Jewel Cable Car. The ticket costs 26sgd if you are going to Mount Faber before going to Sentosa. But if you wanted to go straight to Sentosa Island, you can get the 24sgd one-way ticket. Four years ago, as far as I can remember these cars are in different colors. Now, all the cars were painted in black. The trip was just so smooth, no more shakings as you get closer to the cable post or cable station. You would also see Hard Rock Hotel from above. We arrived there before noon and the weather is just so hot.Few more steps and we reached the tram terminal, we took a tram ride that will take us to the Palawan Beach – where Southern Most Point of Continental Asia is found. We took another tram to go on the other side of the island for the Siloso Beach. To return to the main island, we took the monorail. For our last minute (or should I say, last hour) shopping, we went to Vivo City and Funan Mall.

Postcards collected after 4 days

We had our final dinner in Lau Pa Sat. We arrived at the Budget Terminal almost an hour and half before our flight – we are now leaving Singapore!

Thanks to my travel mates Kath and Reg, to our hosts Kim and Darwin (and Ariel), to our college friends Wally, Diane and Ratz and the rest of the Singaporeans who helped us with the directions to reach our destinations safe and sound.

2010 August: Singapore: Universal Studio Singapore

Travel Date: August 14, 2010
Destination: Universal Studios Singapore, Sentosa

From Purple Lane: Harbourfront station, find the Resort World Shuttle Bus (RW8). Not sure if it is 1 or 2sgd, but the return trip to Vivo City is just free. Buy your Universal Studios online tickets earlier because when we check it, most of the days are already sold-out. The place opens at 10am. Don’t forget to take the photo with the Globe and the Hollywood signage at the back of the gates. Exchange your online ticket to get your Retail and Food Voucher (discount of 5sgd). There is no security measure in USS. No checking of bags as we go through the gates. In Hollywood area, we took lunch in Mel’s Drive-In – classic 1950’s American restaurant that serves rocket sauce burgers, fish and chicken sandwiches. Not much fun in the Hollywood Theatre that shows “Monster Rock” concert. They had Dracula and Mummy who dance and sing. In New York area, we watched how Director Spielberg adds special effects in his movies. Nice experience, real fire, water sprinkles, cold temperature, strong winds and the strong floor shake/drop completes the show. Don’t fail to watch the Rockafella Streetboys as they perform outside the World Premier building in NY area. We saw Chris Cruz and Nicko Manalo. Some of my friends were able to catch Meynard Marcellano (based on their FB photos). We passed by the Sci-Fi City as most of the attractions are still closed. Accelerator, Battlestar Galactica Human (Red) and Cylon (Blue) are different roller coasters that will twist, turn and propel you in the air – even if it is open, I’ll never try this! Revenge of the Mummy in Ancient Egypt area – was the highlight of my USS trip. It is a rollercoaster in the dark, with fire, heat and video effects. Don’t worry about your bags, camera or phones, there are locker bins in the area that are free for the first 30mins. Water World is the one I’ve been wanting to see in USS, and it did not disappoint me. Nice stunts and effects. There is a sprinkle and splash area that you could choose from. We also tried Canopy Flyer in The Lost World area. You’ll be seating and your feet are just suspended. Get the back seat – for more excitement, so you’ll never see the direction on which side you will be thrown – there goes the surprise! Far Far Away’s castle is like the Disney castle. The Shrek 4-D Adventure is much better than the Mickey’s Philharmagic Show, it is my first time to experience that even my seat is moving and shaking as the character in the movie is running and falling. Donkey Live show is just so amazing, I mean how can a cartoon video follow the live conversation with the audience in an instant. The voice is obviously easy to create, but not for the video. In Madagascar, we watched the Penguins and other characters singing and dancing on the streets. We also tried the carousel – King Julien’s Beach Party-Go-Round. Got the following collectibles and apparel in the US Store in the Hollywood area. The attractions close at 7pm, but the area is still open until late night. There is also a Hershey’s store where you can find Reese and some other chocolates. You can opt to go straight to the Songs of the Sea, if you have not yet seen it. For us, we choose to go back to Vivo City, we ate at The Asian Kitchen and the crab meat is just so delicious.

2010 June: Shanghai: Day 7: Departure

My fever is gone, but still not that well. We tried the pasta from Bee Home’s Restaurant. If you have a choice to eat outside do it, the pasta is not that tasty but is given in huge serving.

Going down the DongChang Road train terminal is not that easy. We are carrying 2 luggage bags, 1 backpack and 2 shoulder bags – and this was not easy to carry at all in the stairs! Luckily, there is an old woman who offered her help for us to carry our things.

We took again MagLev going to the airport. At the airport, I had again my rest, sleep and wake-up just in time for the check-in. My sister said that I should not make unnecessary noise at the Immigration – no coughing, no flu, and no sneezing. But how can I pass their temperature scanner.

Happily, I was able to make it to the plane. Upon arrival in Manila, is when it went WORST! I was not able to stabilize the pressure in my right ear. While going to the Philippine Immigration area, there is a loud tick sound, and my right ear was not able to hear anymore. We arrived at 4am, at our home I’m still not able to ear. While lying down and moving left to right, my right ear is aching. Then there are times, that I was shouting due to the hurt that I’m feeling. I was telling my family to take me to the hospital. Then, by the EENT Specialist it was proven that my ear drum is still kept intact. The reason I can’t hear is due to a blood stuck on my right ear that is not able to go down on its veins which is due to my nose irritation – remember that I had runny nose. Perhaps that my nose has allergies to the new environment.

2010 June: Shanghai: Day 6: World Expo 2010 – Europe

Travel Date: June 17, 2010
Destination: World Expo 2010

This day is just a really just a quick stop at the Expo site – this is to see the Europe area (and other non-Asian countries). We had a quick walk to see the buildings and had a goal of going back early to Bee Home for me to take a rest.

I had a long sleep in the afternoon to get better. We went out to see Shanghai World Financial Center at night. Since it was foggy, there is less to see when we go at 100F. We bought the cheapest ticket 100yuan that will reach only until 94F. It was not so clear, but still we were able to see the flashes coming from the The Bund to capture photos of the buildings in Pudong area.

2010 June: Shanghai: Day 5: LOVE

Travel Date: June 16, 2010
Destination: LOVE Architecture

Still sick, but went out to see the LOVE architecture. We took the train and dropped off at Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. We took a cab going to Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art. It is just a 3min ride at 12yuan. I’m collecting photos with this LOVE architecture (by American Artist Robert Indiana).

Good thing there is also Nike, Adidas and Nine West outlet shops in the area.

Just a very short trip, as we went home for me to take some rest.