Photos from the Cambodge trip..

Here are some photos from the trip to Cambodge with Mom and my best friend in Manila, Tey. I haven't really posted photos from the trip except on Facebook.

A few days ago, one of my good friends messaged me that she was somewhat "inspired" by what I do for my Mom (i.e. bring her on an annual overseas trip.). She told me that after seeing the trip photos with my Mom, she decided that she will bring her Mom and her brother on a holiday early next year. She was excited because it will also be her brother's first trip outside of the Philippines.

I was really happy to hear this from my friend. I told her that I plan to give my Mom holiday trips while she is still relatively healthy and since I can afford it. Hehe! Hmm, there's a tiny part of me that kind of wishes that I was also able to bring Dad on an overseas trip. However, I don't dwell too much on that thought since it's unhealthy. I do believe that Dad is with us on the trips that Mom and I go to.

I do want my two younger brothers to come to Singapore to visit me as well. However, my condition is for them to buy their own plane ticket. Anyway, we're all working and earning. I am sure they can afford to buy a plane ticket.

Hopefully, they can visit me soon. I have to keep on badgering them to book their flights.

Okay, that's it for today. It was a good day. I started my day with a fitness activity (went for a run around my neighbourhood this morning) and ended the day with a fitness activity (Pump class at Westgate).

Tomorrow, I have to go to the office to attend an HR briefing. That means I have to wake up early to avoid the MRT crowd. Haha!

Night, night!

Angkor Wat 2009 and 2015...

Since it's throwback Thursday... haha!

I might as well post a photo from my 2009 visit to Angkor Wat and a photo from my visit to the majestic landmark two weeks ago.

Though this is my second time to visit Angkor Wat and all the other temples, I must admit that it still amazes me.

In 2009, I went to see the temples together with the best friend of my first ex. He's a cool, straight guy and a good travel buddy. He wasn't very fussy about things. He knew how to stick to the schedule, he knew how to take photos. Hehe! So it was a good trip - few days in Ho Chi Minh, few days in Siem Reap. What could've been better during that time was the weather. A week or two before our arrival, the typhoon that just hit the Philippines also passed by Cambodia. As a result, the weather was still a bit gloomy and rainy.

For the recent trip, we were indeed blessed with very good weather! I have sunburn. Tey has it worse. Hehe! It was very hot when we were there but I'm not complaining. I would rather the sun than the rain. Also, I think our trip was blessed with just the right weather. If I'm not mistaken, summer season is ending and the rainy season is about to begin. So, we felt the breeze in the air most of the time. It did rain heavily, but it was on the night before our flight out of Siem Reap. If that is not a blessing, I don't know what to call it. Hehe!

Hmm, there's still much to write about the trip. There are much more photos to post. For sure, it'll take some time before I get to put up all photos on Facebook as I have to sort them. Haha!

Anyway, thank you, Lordy, for the blessing of being able to visit Siem Reap again. Thank you for the blessing of enabling me to bring my Mom to the vacation of her dreams. Thank you for blessing our trip with the company of my best friend Tey. I loved the holiday with the two most important women in my life.

Flights to Cambodge, booked... and an IG post...

Well, today went by quite fast. Half of work was spent at home, half was spent at the office. Except for a vendor problem with one of the accounts I'm handling, today at the office was not very stressful.

The highlight I guess would be getting to booked the flights from KL to Siem Reap for me and my Mom. Woohoo! Thankfully, my team lead approved the leave dates I applied for. As soon as I saw that the leaves have been approved, I shot my team lead an email to thank her for the approval and then I proceeded to book the flights. Air Asia has an ongoing promo. What would normally cost about $300 per pax became $300 for both my Mom and me. Yay! Thank you, Lordy!

What's left to book are Mom's MNL-KL flight and my SG-KL flight. The good thing is that I found a flight where I will arrive in KL ahead of my Mom by an hour or so. That way, I can wait for her at the airport. We spend a night in KL and then fly to Siem Reap first thing the following day.

Of course, my Mom doesn't know about this whole trip yet. Maybe when I book her MNL-KL flight, I'll tell her that we'll just go to KL. And when we get to KL, I'll tell her that we're actually going to Cambodge. I wonder how she'll react. Hehe! She might have a heart attack there and then because she's been wanting to go see the magnificent Angkor temples for the longest time.

Two more things that will make this trip special. First, my Mom's birthday will fall on one of the days of the trip. Second, my best friend Tey will be joining us for the trip. She also booked the Air Asia flight. She still has to book her MNL-KL flight. Hmm, I wonder if I should ask her to just fly with Mama. Hehe!

I've been to Siem Reap in 2009. My travel buddy was one of the best friends of my first ex. Suffice to say that my first ex was so surprised when he found out that I was traveling with one of his best friends. The best friend is straight. He's one of those cool straight guys who can be best buds with guys who play for the other team. Haha! It was a week long trip, I think. Our journey started at Ho Chi Minh where we spent a night or two before taking the bus to go to Siem Reap.

If not for my Mom, I would rather use up the money for a trip to some place I've never been. But I guess it will be good to see the temples again. The first time I was there, I was just in awe of everything. I couldn't help but admire all those craftsmen and artisans who worked together to build such glorious structures. The Angkor temples are definitely a must-visit for anyone who loves history or old architecture.

Moving on, the verse above was from an Instagrammer named beau taplin. Chris is a huge fan of the said Instagrammer. This morning, he tagged me to the post above. When I read the verse, my reaction was, "Meant for me?!" Hahaha! I must admit that again, it reminded me of HB Boy. To be honest, I don't know why HB Boy is still in my system. Three short months of dating and he still lingers in my mind. Certain places, certain songs, certain dishes bring back memories of him. I think a part of me still thinks of him because I never really found closure. I know that I may never get it since he's already disappeared.

I shared the IG post above with Tipz, telling him that it reminded me of HB Boy. Tipz being my best bud in SG that he is replied,"Friend, it wasn't love, trust me. If it was, it will be too painful to part the way he did." Awww... thanks, Tipz! Haha!

Hmm, maybe I should delete all the remaining photos of HB Boy in my phone. That should help, right?

See you again soon, Cambodge...

Generally, an uneventful Wednesday.

Work was very manageable today. There were a few issues that needed immediate attention. After those issues were resolved, it was pretty much a slow day. Things picked up again at the end of the day just when I was about to end my work day. My counterparts in the UK were just starting their day and a few of them still managed to catch me before I could go offline. Hehe!

After helping them with their issues, I made my way to the gym where I met up with Chris. He planned to go to Combat, and I haven't really gone to Combat in a long time. The instructor tonight is one of my favourites. That was definitely an added motivation to make the journey to the gym. Hehe!

I guess the highlight of the day was starting to plan for the Siem Reap trip with Mom. It's somewhat of a challenge because I'm trying to work within a certain budget since I'll be paying for the trip. Lol!

There is no issue with the accommodations and the tour package. I have been to Siem Reap before so I have an idea on the local cost. What is requiring some planning and I think early booking are the flights. Should I fly Mom directly to Siem Reap? Should she fly to Singapore and then we'll fly together to Siem Reap? Should she and I just meet at KL and from there, take the flight together to Siem Reap?

This last arrangement seems to be the best one, so far. Mom and I can meet at KLIA, spend the night in KL and take the first flight to Siem Reap the following day. We spend a few days in Siem Reap and then take the flight again back to KL, where she will take a flight to Manila and I to Singapore.

As a first step into arranging this trip, I already booked our accommodations. It is one of the boutique villas near the Pub Street. The cost for 4 days/3 nights is a dirt cheap S$150. From the photos and the reviews on Booking.com and TripAdvisor, the said 3-star hotel has rave reviews. I could choose to stay in the hotel where I stayed before. But then, I think it's time to try something new.

I already filed my leaves for this trip. My team lead has yet to approve them. I hope she approves the leaves because this trip will fall on my Mom's birthday.

Also, I hope we'll be blessed with good weather during the trip. I also pray for patience. Hahaha!

Anyway, because of this trip, I have to adjust my own travel plans. I'm not sure if I can push through with my US trip. I want to go back to Europe, but we'll see. I also want to go to Japan. Lol!

So many places to visit.