Saturday and Sunday report...

And just like that, the long weekend is over. And in a few more days, February is over.

Whoa, whoa! Time is flying by so fast. What's the rush? Haha!

Saturday and Sunday were just like my usual normal weekend - meaning packed with this and that.

Yesterday, I woke up at 7AM so that I can accompany Richie to breakkie at 730. He already had work, while I had a museum duty at 1130. I figured I'd be up early so I could definitely accompany him. Mon and Ian, on the other hand, didn't have any plans for the morning so they decided they'll go for breakkie at 9.

By the time Mon and Ian were done with breakfast, I was already packed and ready to head to the museum. It's a very short cab ride to the museum but I wanted to be early so I can do a walkthrough of the exhibit before 1130.

I'm so grateful that we had a staycation for CNY. The past three days definitely felt like a vacay. It must be the activities we had. It was definitely the company of Mon, Rich, Ian and Ann Marie. I won't be surprised if we'll have another staycation next CNY.

Meanwhile, I was pleasantly surprised to have a really huge group for the 1130 tour. It's my first time to have a group of more than 20 people for a morning guided tour. Hmm, I could've done better with my tour but I guess it was still okay because the group applauded at the end of the tour.... or they were just being polite. Lol!

Done with my museum duty, I initially planned to hit the gym for Combat at Cathay. However, I decided I'll just head home first to take a nap. Hmm, I was still feeling tired. Around 5PM, I got up from my nap and dragged myself out of bed. I skipped Combat at Cathay but I did manage to go to Westgate where I spent 30 minutes on the treadmill. That felt really good!

The other plan was to catch a movie. Since there were no good movies, I decided to just head back. Tipz and I FT'd for about an hour or so. It was a good catchup, as always. Thanks to technology, there's the illusion that he's just several train stations away. Lol!

I didn't stay up too late last night (though I was tempted to go clubbing!). The reason for this was I wanted to go to the gym again this morning.

There was a 9AM Pump class, which I managed to join. I also went for the 1120AM Combat class, which was packed! Yup, the holidays are definitely over. Hehe!

The gym session ended around 1PM. By then, I was famished! Din Tai Fung would've been awesome but as expected, there was a queue! I ended up going to eggs & berries. Lol! The last time I was there, it was with Tipz, Mon and HB Boy. Haha!

Done with lunch, I then went to Clementi where I spent the next few hours studying at the library. Another reason why I had to go to Clementi was because I needed to meet up with Tokyo-based Singaporean friend Alvin. I asked him to get a Japan-made brolly for me. Lol!

The last agenda for today was church. Thankfully, there's a 715PM Mass at Church of St. Mary of the Angels. It's been awhile since I went for Mass at that church. I'm glad that I was able to attend Mass there again.

What a nice long weekend! Let's start with the Year of the Goat now! :D

Happy, fun long weekend...

What I thought would be a restful weekend turned out to be a weekend packed with happy activities with good friends! Haha!

It started Friday night. After the movie and dinner with NB Boy, I headed to Tipz's place to freshen up and change clothes for the second agenda for the night - get-together with Richie, Mon, Jon, MkSurf8 and RKGreg.

We reached the usual hangout place in Neil Rd before midnight. It was great seeing everyone. Richie and Mon rarely have late nightouts because Rich has work even on weekends. This week, he is on leave so he was able to join us for hohol time. On the other hand, the last time I saw MkSurf8 and RKGreg was when Makii was in town. After that, everyone seemed busy that we never got to arrange any gatherings.

We finished clubbing around 3AM and then had supper at Maxwell before heading back.

Saturday morning, I thought I would have some time to recov from the clubbing the previous night. However, a good friend messaged at the last minute that some company was very much needed on Saturday morning. Tired as I was, I knew how important it is for this person. Add to that the fact that I still get up at 7AM no matter how late I hit the sack. So, with only four hours of sleep, I managed to go on a leisurely walk and have lunch with this friend before heading back.

In the evening, I traveled all the way to the East for dinner with Richie and Mon. Richie brought back a few dishes by his mom, Tita Merlita - pinakbet, monggo, and adobo. Tita Merlita knew how much I love her cooking. It was really kind of Richie to have me over for dinner. We then watched And the Band Played On.

During dinner, I received a message from MkSurf8. Since I didn't get to chat with him and RKGreg the previous night, I decided I would head over to his place from Richie and Mon's. Hehe! It was just MkSurf8, RKGreg and three other people. RKGreg prepped delicious Purefoods goodies. Haha! Thank you! I was slightly tempted to meet up with Tipz at Neil Rd for clubbing/dancing. In the end, I decided I will just head back for rest. Second night that I've been hitting the sack close to 4AM.

Sunday was also just as packed. Mr. Lim and I attended the 11AM Mass at Church of St. Mary of the Angels. Later that day, we met up with Des for picnic at the Botanic Gardens followed by dinner at Ivins.

The last agenda for Sunday night was a movie marathon night with Tipz and Jon. The plan was to watch Before Sunrise, Sunset, Midnight trilogy. I only managed to finish the first two. Haha! I already crashed by the third movie. I need to see the last one for closure! Haha! Third night of sleeping way past midnight.

Today, I get to have some rest time before heading out again. Hahaha! NB Boy wanted to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibit and the Dinosaur exhibit at ArtScience Museum. I promised him I would accompany him. I was hoping to get some work done during this long weekend, but oh well. Hahah!

It's been a tiring weekend, yes. But it has been a very good one. It was spent with really good friends. What could be better done that?

Friday is a holiday...

This Friday is a public holiday in commemoration of Buddha's birthday aka Vesak Day.

I'm really itching to get out of the island, even for just a day.

The one thing I really want to go to is the beach. I already pictured myself on a sun chair by the swimming pool with the current book I'm reading. There's a very cold bottle of beer or a fruit shake on a side table. The only loud sound is that of water from the nearby sea splashing as it hits the rocks.

Ahh, that would be really nice.

I told PG Boy about it. The first thing that came to my mind was the beach resort in Batam that Ian, Chris and MkSurf8 went to two years ago.

I went online to check ferry rates. It was cheapo. I emailed the resort to ask about the day pass rate. It was also quite cheapo.

In my mind, it was a good plan. We can take the first ferry out of Singapore, spend the entire day at the resort, and then take last ferry from Batam heading back to Singapore. I also cannot do an overnight stay because I have a museum session the following day.

However, PG Boy still needed to confirm. Lol.

The other option that came to mind involved neighboring Johor Bahru. Obviously, it's not my first choice but it's the next option. I dun mind going to that reflexology place PG Boy and I usually go to when we're in JB. I could definitely use a fully body massage. A delicious meal at the Chinese restaurant a few steps away would also be nice.

The other thing I wanted to do in JB was to check out the Royal Museum. Yes, JB has one. I learned from one of the curators of the National Museum of Singapore that the royal museum in JB holds quite a number of interesting artefacts.

I Googled for the museum and the sites I saw both say that the museum is closed on Fridays. Boo!

Oh well, we'll see, we'll see.

Booked...

Last week, I mentioned to PG Boy that we should go on a trip this coming Holy Week.

It's a long weekend and I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to go on a trip.

So over the weekend, we talked about where we can go. We agreed on a place. Yesterday, he mentioned to me that he already booked the hotel. Today, I spent some time in the morning booking our transportation.

It took me quite some time to find a good bus company and a good schedule. I should have known that we should have booked much earlier. Because it is going to be a long weekend, I should have expected that people would be booking trips early. Hehe!

After messaging two friends to ask for recommendations, I finally found two good bus companies and I was able to book our return tickets.

Before heading back this evening, I went down to People's Park to collect the coach tickets. Xie xie for phone and online reservations. Hehe!

Cannot wait for the long weekend.

Dempsey + Tiong Bahru Sunday...

What was supposed to be a brunch get-together turned out into an entire day of cafe-hopping and a zi char dinner.

Because of the long weekend, most people are either out of town or busy with other things. MkSurf8 and RKGreg headed to Thailand. Chris had his RCT, plus he and Ian were occupied with moving in and fixing the new place. Richie was working. Dunno where Mon was. The same was true with Pg Boy's friends. Ken was in Bangkok. E was in Bangkok.

That left me, Pg Boy and Pg Boy's friends Andi and Ho spending the entire Sunday together. Lol.

Andi suggested having brunch at Dempsey. He wanted to have it at House. Ho wanted to have it Jones the Grocer. Hehe. By the time Pg Boy and I reached Dempsey, the boys have already gotten at table at Jones.

In the middle of brunch, I posted a photo of the brunch plate on Twitter. A few minutes later, I get a message from Owen asking me to head over to his "tiangge" for a freebie. Hehe! Wheee!

From Jones, we moved to Ben & Jerry's since Andi wanted ice cream and I could use the dessert as well.

An hour or two later, Andi and Ho were thinking where to go. I suggested that we might as well go to House. So we walked to over to House and stayed for a few hours as well.

By the time we left, it was almost 6. I already missed Mass and I didn't know of any other late Mass aside from the one at faraway Bukit Batok. :-/

Agreeing that we're all Dempsey-ed out already, someone suggested having dinner at Tiong Bahru. The first thing that came to mind was Por Kee at Seng Poh Lane.

Andi's never been to the place so he was quite excited about it. I was excited for the homemade tofu. Ho suggested we order the Thai Style Steam Fish. I remember another friend saying that I should try it because it's really good.

It was. Along with the homemade tofu and the crispy chicken, it was quite a good dinner. The steam fish is served in a huge fish-shaped plate on top of a food warmer. The spicy Thai soup is served separately and the Auntie will pour the soup over the fish once it's served on the table. Really nice, but quite ex. Hehe!

By the time we finished din, I was really feeling bloated already from the whole day of just eating and sitting down. I really thought I would have the energy to still go to Avalon that night to check out the club. However, by the time Pg Boy and I reached his side of the island we were both dead tired.

That and the fact that the day of cafe-hopping + zi char really broke my wallet. Haha! :S Still, it was a good day. Relaxed and anything goes.

The best thing other than the food and the company, no need to wake up early on a Monday. Haha!

Interesting weekend.

Friday night, I went to MOA with Tey, Zee and Engel. 5CM was having a sale, and after the very, very good shopping experience at 5CM HK, I wanted to check out if the Hong Kong brand would have a just as good sale here. It doesn't. The clothes were still ultra expensive. Ugh! In HK, I could've bought the shirts for less than a thousand, and pants not more than 1,500. But here the pieces were all over 2K. No way, man! The bags were quite good, but again huge, huge difference in price. Hmm, must definitely plan to go back to HK next year. Engel was the one who ended up shopping, walking away with a pair of shoes and eyewear. Haha!

From MOA, we headed to the baywalk where we had dinner at Giligan's. They had a good for four meal, which was priced reasonably. Afterwards we headed to Pier One for some drinks. Errol and Jeff joined us. It was a good get-together. Had to go home around 1AM though for my driving classes the following day.

Saturday morning until the afternoon was spent practice driving. We headed to the warehouse in Sta. Rosa. The warehouse has become too familiar, so it's not that challenging anymore. We did practice backing, so I thought that was fun. After lunch, I got what I wanted - something challenging. Although I think I got more than what I wanted. We drove at Greenfields, and because I wasn't familiar with the roads, I ended up .... drumroll please... exiting Sta. Rosa and heading to SLEX.

Major, major f*ck! I wanted to die. I think my "instructor" thought we were going to die. Haha!

If not for the pressure that I had a car behind me, I think I would've done fine. I wouldn't have been nervous. I wouldn't miss the toll booth window, and end up getting out of the car to give the card and payment to the toll booth girl. Haha! Can it be more obvious that I'm a student driver? Haha! Still, it was a good experience. I'm just glad that I made it back to Sta. Rosa in one piece.

In the evening, I helped a friend move into her new place. I sort of unleashed the Buddhist in me and led the rice blessing ceremony at her new home. Partly, we were doing it for fun. Partly, I believe in feng shui and wanted to share the good with my friend. Hehe!

Sunday morning was spent at home. I was preparing myself to get a call from the office due to the fire tragedy that hit families in Navotas, but the call didn't come. That was a relief. The disaster-response activities was moved to Tuesday so at least, I would still get to have a free Monday.

In the evening, I met up with my sacristan buddies. We had dinner at Zensho, a Japanese teppanyaki restau in Timog. If you're a huge Japanese fan, Zensho has an Eat-All-You-Can dinner for just P595. I didn't want to indulge too muchso I just got the chicken teriyaki salad. Big mistake. When the salad came, all the greens were soaked in watery Japanese mayo. Ugh! I ate only a quarter of the salad. Except for the salad and smelling like a teppan grill when you leave the restau, the food was great. From Zensho, we crossed the street and headed to UCC. Japan was obviously the theme for the night. Haha! Good times with the guys.

Today, I really want to just stay home and rest. Need all the rest I can get before another mad week starts. But I decided to head out to do errands and to head to the gym. Plus I need to start training for the 21K in Singapore.

How was your long weekend?

Oh la la Laiya...

Weekend getaway at Laiya with non-work friends. Fun, fun! :)

Would've posted more photos but I forgot the camera cable. Darn.

How's your weekend? :)

Tagaytay weekend with Pahinungod gang...

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good.

Friday night was spent hanging out with the usual suspects from the office. We went to our own version of the “Ally McBeal” bar near the office. OT (for Odd Table) along Valero is the other “office” for us and several other colleagues from work. Haha!

What made this nightout quite special was the fact that Tey joined us already. It’s sort of her comeback and I couldn’t be more happier that she was somewhat ready to hang out again with her “boys.” Hahaha!

I was supposed to meet Winston and Errol after OT. That didn’t push through because I was a bit tired already, and they weren’t really up for Malate as well. The night ended pretty late though. I think I got home around 1 or 2AM.

Saturday afternoon. I found myself boarding a bus bound for Tagaytay. It was my first time to take a bus to Tagaytay, and the trip was quite good. I slept through most of it. Having worked for a volunteer organization for the first three years of my career life has made me a pro in sleeping almost anywhere. As soon as I found my seat, it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep. Hahaha!

I didn’t even notice whether the traffic was horrible considering that it was a long weekend. I left Manila around 3:30PM and I reached Tagaytay by 7PM.

It was the post-birthday celebration of Pahinungod friend Joi, and a bunch of us Pahinungods headed to her home in Tagaytay to party. It’s always nice to see friends from Pahinungod. They remind me of that thing which I really love, and hope to someday do again. Joi is also a really good friend who I always enjoying hanging out with. I remember when I went to Singapore last year, tambay time with her and another Pahinungod friend Jean was one of the best things that made the trip really memorable and enjoyable.

I was hoping to see my friend Sean who also lived in Tagaytay, but something was wrong with the network in Tagaytay. I kept calling both numbers but I couldn’t get through. Oh well. Sayang.

Anyway, we spent the entire night just talking and drinking and doing karaoke and drinking. Haha! The following morning, we took a short road trip to Sonya’s Garden for some photo op, then to Mushroom Burger for lunch. Afterwards, it was time to head back to Manila.

Surprisingly, the trip back was much faster. It took only about two hours. Quick, huh?

When I got home, I just hit the bed to get some proper sleep because I was planning to head out again that night. Wahaha!