Christmas Eve dindin...

Similar to the past two years, Christmas Eve dinner for 2013 was held at the wonderful home of Richie and Mon in the East.

As always, it is always wonderful to wait for the arrival of Christmas at their home because of the great food, awesome company and fun games.

This is my third year to spend Christmas outside of the Philippines. Hmm, though I am not spending it with my Mom and two bros, I am still happy because I am spending it with friends who I consider my family here in Singapore. I can't think of spending Christmas with anyone else.

2013 is not my favourite year. I have friends like Rich and Mon, Tipz, Chris, Ian, MkSurf8, RKGreg, PG Boy (of course!), to thank for helping me get through this year. Hehe!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas...

Let it go....

Loved the movie. Loved the soundtrack.

Hard not to.

Idina Menzel. Jonathan Groff. Josh Gad.

Twice as good...

For some reason, the week that just ended was just a string of unfortunate events at work. It is supposed to be Christmas and yet, I felt like the mood was that of Good Friday.

Some problems came up with some of the projects I was working on. What should have been a smooth sailing workflow suddenly entered a stormy sea. Rarely do I feel stressed at the office and this week, boy did I feel something happening on my nape. (Hypertension, is that you?)

Friday was the worst I guess. One, a project that was almost done is now facing a slight delay all because of a simple request to add a small detail. Two, I missed including important dates in a report that I wrote. An email from a higher office sent a chill down my spine. Strangely, I am somehow thankful that a team mate got a similar email. It may have been a joke. It may have been not. But it was enough to remind me of a friend's advice when I was still planning to move to SG.

When I got home close to midnight, I turned on PG Boy's laptop to check some emails. I was very happy to see three emails. While composing my reply, I was telling PG Boy how I'm kicking myself for the few hiccups. He told me that I was putting too much pressure on myself. #justsaying And I told him that surely, he must understand where I'm coming from.

"Why should you be chosen?"

Sheesh, I've been overanalysing things that a scene from the first episode of Scandal season 3 played in my mind. It is definitely good reminder to keep me on my toes.

Let's hope the coming week and the whole of 2014 will be awesome.

On a bigger picture, I think I really have to find time to sit down and work on another project. It's time to set things into motion.

A good day at the museum...

Last Sunday was my last guiding duty for the year at the National Museum.

I had a back-to-back shift - 11:30AM at the History Gallery; 2PM for A Changed World.

For the 11:30 tour, I had three guests - 2 Singaporean women who have not been to the museum in a long time and one lady from Macau who was on her last vacation day. She was flying back to Macau that night.

Meanwhile, I had four guests, all women, for A Changed World - 1 Lithuanian; 1 Portuguese; and 2 Singaporeans.

The Changed World tour was done in less than an hour. I dunno. I felt like the guests weren't that into it or that they were rushing so I ended up talking less about the pieces. Hehe!

I wonder how A Changed World can be more interesting for guests who are not really into visual arts.

Hmm...

The History Gallery tour in the morning, on the other hand, was a good experience. Though it was a very small group, I was happy that the women stayed with the tour til the end.

It was a nice group because everyone would share something when we talked about certain artefacts. The Singaporean women also shared that it was their first time to hear some of the things I shared during the tour.

At the end of the tour, all three guests thanked me for my time. I was very happy because they gave good feedback. The one that gave me the biggest smile was the compliment from the Macau lady. Hehe!

It kept me smiling the entire day.

Pasko at Wiley...

A few of the Filipinos at work had a small Christmas gathering today.

And even if it was a small group, there was a lot, a lot of food. Haha!

Alexie brought barbecue and bibingka all the way from Pinas. Paula made Oreo cheesecake. Chris brought ham. Alex brought baked mac. Belle brought pancit. JM brought fruit salad. Syd brought bagnet. I brought roast chicken.

It was a feast! Haha!

Happy Christmas!!!

Hobbit night...

Our company had a screening of The Hobbit last night.

Since PG Boy was away for work, I had to look for a companion for the event. I had already purchased a tix for PG Boy, but then work came up.

Luckily, good friend Jon was free to go with me. During lunch time yesterday, my team lead asked if I wanted an extra ticket. Yay!

I messaged Tipz was free to go. He has already seen it. LOL! It was good though that he didn't mind seeing it again. Yay!

I asked Ian as well, but he turned down the invite. I didn't get to ask MkSurf8 nor RKGreg because I only had one ticket initially. Hehe!

The movie was loong. I was falling asleep at some point. My guess is because it was already time for bed. Haha!

Still, it was an enjoyable watch. I liked the escape via the barrels sequence a lot.

FB Message from Mom...

When Mom visited me here a few months ago, she got to meet PG Boy. I dunno if I mentioned that in a previous post or not.

Anyway, I wanted her to meet my friends and I wanted her to meet PG Boy as well. On a few times, PG Boy accompanied me and Mom around.

The night that Mom was flying back to Manila, I asked PG Boy to join us for dinner. PG Boy being PG Boy (LOL!), I had to explain to him why I wanted him to be there.

After dinner, we walked Mom to the Departure gate. She said to PG Boy, "Thank you for being a friend to my son."

That one incident I think really stuck with PG Boy. Whenever we would meet up with some friends and the topic about the family knowing comes up, he would always share that story.

Earlier during the week, I got the message above from Mom via Facebook. I showed it to PG Boy and he was touched by it. Hehe!

I was also struck by the message, although I wasn't too surprised. Okay, maybe I was 70% surprised. To be honest though, I almost thought of asking Mom to send a photo of her to greet PG Boy. Hehe! Maybe next year?

You know how they say that Moms always know... I've never doubted it. I know she does.

And I'm kinda glad that she seems to be okay with it... Hehe...

PG Boy's birthday...

So last Sunday was the birthday of PG Boy…

Similar to his past two birthdays, I decided to surprise him by decorating his room. Thankfully, he has always been going on business trips days before his birthday. That would always give me time to prepare the birthday surprise.

This year, I thought of involving his friends and my friends in the surprise. Several weeks ago, I sent a message to his group of friends and asked them to send a photo of them holding a Happy Birthday sign. Of course, first to reply and send his photo was Derek. Haha! It’s so him. Following him was Nigel and that wasn’t a surprise, too. The rest of the people in the group sent their photos a few days/ a week later but I’m really happy to have gotten photos from them.

It was much more easier with my group of friends. Hehe! I sent a group to the SG-MNL group chat and they were very quick to respond. Rich, Edsel and Vic even sent a number of photos for me to choose from. These guys are not in the creative industry (well, Richie’s work still requires a lot of creativity) for nothing. I sent a request too to my other SG group chat and I was very happy to have received photos from them, too. My best friend Tey sent a photo from the US. My good friend Bernice who was on holiday in Manila also sent a photo. I feel so blessed to have really awesome friends!

A day before PG Boy’s birthday, I brought the photos to Sunshine Plaza to have them printed. I decided to go for A3 size to occupy the entire wall of PG Boy’s room.

In the evening, I headed to PG Boy’s place for the project. Unlike the old place where I have my own key and it’s easier to get into the house, PG Boy’s new place has a gate that needs a keycard. I dun have a keycard to the unit itself. But anyway, I was glad that Gav was more than willing to help me get into the house. I also asked for the help of Tipz to help me put up the posters. I’m glad that he was free to help out because it made the job easier. Thanks, Tipz! :D

Sunday afternoon. PG Boy and I arrive at his place from the airport. I was excited to see his reaction when he sees the photo wall. We enter the house. Gav was there doing his laundry. We chitchat quickly and then proceeded to his room. I let him go in first. He turns on the light.

The next thing that happened surprised me.

He did not notice the photo wall at all! Seriously!!! I had to nudge him to look at the wall and that’s when he saw it and we both just laughed out loud. How he could not have noticed the wall I have no idea. There was no way he could miss it. Sheesh! I thought it was really funny.

In the evening, I had a second surprise. PG Boy’s best friend picked us up around 5:30 and we drove to Bukit Timah Rd. I’ve been to Bukit Timah area a few times but it was my first time to drive around Old Holand Rd neighbourhood. It’s a different world! Lol! Think Forbes Park or Dasma!

Anyway, we went to Violet Oon’s Kitchen for PG Boy’s birthday dinner. I couldn’t decide on which buffet place to take him so I just decided to bring him to some special place instead. I thought it was a good choice. Violet Oon’s serves Peranakan food. Some of the reviews say that the food is overpriced. Maybe. But for the event itself, I thought it was just right. I enjoyed the dessert - Pulut Hitam with ice cream - very much!!! I can have a serving all to myself. Haha!

From Bukit Timah, PG Boy’s best friend dropped me off at Buona Vista station while they drove back to the East. The third surprise was when PG Boy got back to his place. I bought him a book on LKY which he said he wanted to read. I got at a very good price at a very good place. Will write about it next.

PG Boy was surprised to see the book. I hope he reads it. Hehe!

Happy birthday, PG Boy! Now, what should I do for your birthday next year?!

First Christmas pressie...

I got my first Christmas pressie! Yay!

From the person I didn't really expect to give me a pressie - my flatmate. Hehe!

Yep, there's the third person in the house aside from my landlord. However, I hardly see this other guy because he's always traveling for work. The times that he is here in Singapore, he would either be in his room or he would get home really late and I would already be in lalaland. Hehe!

He is a nice guy though. Malaysian Chinese. My guess is in his 30s. As to whether he's part of the brotherhood or not, I am still confirming. Hehe! Not that it really matters.

I do like him a lot as a flatmate because he is friendly. The few times that we would bump into each other at the kitchen, we would actually talk a bit about work.

The other night, I was doing my stuff at the kitchen and then he suddenly showed up. I thought he was going to use the kitchen or something.

Next thing I know, he passes on the box above and greets me, "Merry Christmas, buddy!" It was really a surprise because I thought he didn't celebrate Christmas.

Oh well, it was really nice of him though. Things like this make it much more difficult for me to consider moving to another place. Hehe!

Room viewing...

In one of my recent posts, I mentioned that I'm toying with the idea of moving closer to the city.

From a practical point of view, it makes a lot of sense. I'll be closer to PG Boy, I'll be closer to friends, and as Richie said, I wouldn't have to be rushing on night outs to catch the last train bound for my ulu place. Haha!

The thing is I am very, very, very comfortable at my current place. Wait, let me correct that -- at my current home. The place where I have been staying at for the past two years have become my home. Unless it's some condo in River Valley or one of those landed properties at Bukit Timah Road (hahahaha!), the thought of moving to another place, the thought of leaving the current home just scares me.

A room viewing yesterday reinforced my thought that I am at a good place. LOL!

Because there was nothing much happening during my volunteer shift, I decided to just check out the available places for rent at this one site. What's clear to me are three things: 1.) I don't want to pay more than what I'm paying for right now; 2.) I want a place close to the city; 3.) I want it to be an AJ-friendly place. Basically, transfer my current home and current living arrangements to Tiong Bahru or Commonwealth. Haha!

I found two ads that I thought were quite okay. I decided to give one of the ad posters a call and arranged for a viewing in the evening.

On my way to our meeting place, I was thinking, "Please give me a sign if this place is worth moving to."

Well, the guy arrived 30 minutes late. That was I guess the sign I was looking for. Haha!

When the guy finally arrived, I still went with him to check out the place. In the ad, it said that the place was a landed property. The three photos posted with the ad looked appealing as well. I asked about the other flatmates. The guy told me it was all guys - 2 Indonesian Chinese; 2 Malaysians; a Singaporean; a Vietnamese. It was quite an interesting mix I have to say.

I already had a Friends scene playing out in my head. Or maybe even, Queer as Folk. Haha.

That was until we arrived at the place. LOL! It wasn't a bungalow. It was a walkup apartment and the place was at the third storey. LOL!

And the place itself, let's just say that it would have been a perfect setting for a remake of Lino Brocka's Macho Dancer or Brillante Mendoza's Masahista. Hehe! I couldn't imagine paying the rent even though it was much cheaper than what I'm currently paying. No way, Teh. Hehe!

Anyway, I politely thanked the guy for showing me the place and left. Hehe.

I thought to myself on my way back that while my home is far away, it is a place I always look forward to coming home to. And as many of my friends here have said, that's the important thing.

So I guess I shall continue to stay here and maybe check out available places every so often.

Looking back at 2013: The Bali trip...

Okay, it's the time of the year to take a look how the year went by... even for just a few posts. Haha!

For the next few posts, I'll be posting probably the most memorable things about 2013.

Jeez, 2013, you were really something. You've been filled with highs and challenges.

The year started well with the Bali trip with a few of my closest friends. Richie's brother won a 3D/2N stay at a Bali villa. He passed on the prize to Richie because of some family issue he had to take care of.

It was my first trip to Bali and I'm happy to have been able to go with Richie, Mon, I-van, Edsel and Mon's friend Evelyn.

Three days and two nights was too short a trip though. There were several more things to do and places to visit around the island. Three days and two nights were not enough to hang out with our Manila-based friends. Hehe!

But three days and two nights were more than enough to create very good memories and further strengthen the friendship with the guys. It was a very memorable trip especially for him and him. I couldn't be happier that I was there. Hehe.

I hope I can travel with the guys again in 2014...

Thank you, Mr. Mandela...

World leader Nelson Mandela passed away today.

That's probably the biggest news this week.

I remember one general assembly we had during my primary 3 or primary 4 days and it had something to do with apartheid. That was the first time I heard such a big word. Since I was still clueless about how evil the world can be (and how awesome it remains to be), I did not really fully understand it. I just knew that it was a bad thing.

On the way to work today, I was reading a couple of articles about the great man. He was and is indeed very inspiring. One of the articles I read described him as a man who would shake hands with everyone - from world dignitaries to the hotel staff, security, et al working at the hotel where an event he was attending was held. He was definitely my kind of guy, in this aspect.

There were several wonderful quotes attributed to him. Above is probably one that is most relevant at the moment.

Thank you for being a leader by example, Mr. Mandela. Rest in peace.

Clean eating wehhh...

What I've been eating for lunch and dinner lately. Lol!

Damn health screening results.

They did their first full-marathon... Yay....

Morning was spent cheering for Chris and MkSurf8 who did their first full marathon. Woohoo!

Together with Ian and RKGreg, we hung out at the Esplanade Drive bridge to wait for our two marathoners to pass by so we can cheer them on.

While waiting for them, there was another Uncle who was cheering on the runners. It didn't take long before Ian and I started joining Uncle in applauding the runners. For the next few hours, we clapped, we waved, we shouted "You can do it! You're almost there!" to encourage runners to finish the last stretch of the race.

It was really great, especially when the runners smiled back and said "Thank you!" I guess my favourite part was when we would cheer on those who looked like they were really almost about to give up.

I remember two people, in particular. We yelled "You can do it!" Thankfully, I was blessed with good eyesight so I saw their names on their race bibs and we were able to yell out their names. That made them smile and push on forward.

The highlight of course was when we saw MkSurf8 approaching. That was when we really yelled and cheered on for him. Unfortunately, we missed Chris. LOL! Later on, we found out that they were rerouted. That was why we missed him.

After the race, we all met up and had lunch at Grandma's.

Meanwhile, afternoon was spent with PG Boy. We only got to spend a little time together because he was working. Poor PG Boy. Work has been stressing him out a lot lately. :-/

How was your weekend?

Busy Saturday...

Today was quite a busy day, but it was a very good one. LOL!

I woke up at 5AM (yes, at 5AM!) because I wanted to do a run through of my tour for the nth time. Though my tour was still scheduled for 2PM, I still went to the museum quite early. Why? So that I can do one more round and one more real walkthrough. Haha!

When the hour finally came, I was definitely prepared. I was still a bit nervous but it didn't take that long before I became much more comfortable.

I started my tour with a small group - 6 Singaporeans (a Malay couple with their two young boys; 2 Chinese uncles), 3 Indians (another couple and a toddler) and 1 Pakistani lady.

At some point, the tour became quite big (more than 15 people). And then, it was back to the original group of 10. Hehe!

It was quite okay, because the group was interested in the art pieces on display. The Singaporean uncles knew some of the artists. The Pakistani lady, a doctor who is here on holiday, was very much interested in arts. The boys of the Malay couple were also very much interested to learn about Singapore artists and art history. It was really quite nice seeing the boys very interested in arts at a very young age.

At the end of the tour, I was very happy to hear very good feedback from one of the Singaporean uncles and the Pakistani lady. They both said I was very good and that I knew my stuff. To be honest, I think I could have done better but I really appreciated the positive feedback.

In the evening, I went to the home of the family that first adopted me when I moved to Singapore - Mr. and Mrs. B. It was the baby shower for Mrs. B and I couldn’t miss it.

It was a fun baby shower.

I didn’t stay too long though because I had to head back to the NorthEast for an impromptu housewarming party at PG Boy’s new place. Hehe!

Happy Saturday indeed.