LIFE IS A SERIES OF KNOTS ON A STRING
Oh boy... this has gone too far. I'm afraid I've been neglecting my website, way off than I would have allowed. My last entry was Aug. 6 and that's almost a week ago. Too many things have already happened. So now, it's payback time...:P
First off, I've decided to put titles on my entries cause everybody else does so and why should I deprive myself of the privelege? Ok... teehee
Anyway, 2 weekends ago, Leah invited us over for dinner at her house. That was another first for me here... a visit to a Filipino household in Singapore. In a way it was like coming home... familiar sounds, familiar scents, familiar flavors in a foreign land. I'm not sure but I think their house was fitted or designed for entertainment... hehe. What with a very comfy couch, an open kitchen, and a space where she could very easily set up another dining table should the need arise, not to mention provisions for individual folding tables if 2 dining tables would still not be enough. And of course their entertainment center is fitted to a T but more than that, they've got this platform bordering the bay window in the hall, and on the platform is a bar stool fronting a mic stand. So if you have plans of belting it out with the karaoke, you can't just sit where you are and sing without being seen... you would have to take the stand... hehe. Leah asked me if I sing like fafa does and yes, I've gone sore lots of times 'trying' to sing... but never on a stand. That night, my better judgment told me to stay put and leave the singing to the more equipped... Eder, Daphne, Nona and my very own fafa... hehe.
And I was really entertained, not only with the individual performances, not only with the parade of liquor (thank you Cherry for keeping me constantly provided with your good vodka mix) and food, not only with Leah's very pretty niece Aaliyah (got the spelling right from Leahs' site... hehe), but more so with her friends. Who wouldn't, with puns like 'Tito, Vic and Sotto' (courtesy of Nona) and other lines that in another place and time wouldn't have been funny but on that night, either because of the company or the barrage of alcohol, was simply hilarious. There was this guy, Russell, I think his name was (who almost single-handedly made me laugh all night), who was asked who his crush was and he said, 'Reds, ayoko na si Nona.' Her name is actually Reg but somehow, for Russell, Reg is Reds and Daphne is Dapne... (just telling my tale Russell, no pun intended *smiles convincingly*). To this, Reg quipped, 'Basted ka na.'... teehee.
That was 2 weeks ago and I remember it all like it just happened last night. I take my hats off to Leah and Eder, this is a couple who really know how to party. I went to bed that 'morning' (hehe) thinking... 'Let my social life begin.' Uhmm, I realize that last line sounds quite pathetic but I really just added it for dramatic flair. :P Guys, thanks for a really wonderful night.
Last weekend was supposed to be a long weekend for us. We had to apply for new IC cards so Papa decided to take Thursday off to do just that. They were on forced leave for Friday on account of National Day. So with that, we were, by all intents, all set to spend 4 nights and 3 days bumming out.
As it turns out though, that wouldn't happen. Late Thursday evening, we got a call from Dennis Dabu (Papa's childhood friend) telling us that they'd be coming over the following morning and will be staying the weekend. All thoughts of rest and slouching all day flew off the window. I had to clean the house some (I'd like to believe I keep it pretty well kept but since there will be guests...), had to go to the market and such. But all these were done gladly cause it's very rare, like this is the first time, that people we practically consider family would visit us here. So on the Friday that they were here, Papa took them to the Night Safari, to which I begged off cause I was all poofed out. They did come over for dinner though. And get this... it was Papa who cooked dinner... hehe. It was very simple... peppered salmon steak and pork but it was really good.
The following day, we showed them around. I would have wanted to take them to the less conventional places too like the wet markets, the supermarkets, the hawker centers and such... I think that's how you would really get a feel of what life is really like for people of a certain locale, but they only had 3 nights and 2 days to stay and I guess they had to have something to show for it by way of pictures.
So this is what happened on that day, where we crammed everything, and of course time was still not enough.
Tess, Dennis, Papa Jay, Sheila and her husband (newlyweds) at Jurong Bird Park. Behind them are pink flamingos.
At the Penguin Parade. No, the penguins are not waiting for the parade, they're the ones who are on parade. :P
The Jurong Falls, said to be the tallest man-made falls in the world.
Me, Sheila and Tess feeding the birds. You put in 20 cents into a machine dispensing the bird feed and that's what you feed the birds with. I was really engrossed at how the birds nipped the feed off from the water, a number of them converging together to get at that one piece of green nugget. If they bump their beaks against each other, do they also get bumps like we do? I wonder...
Isn't nature just perfect?
I call this the 'taray-eyed' peacock...
A rainbow of colors... and nature made it all by itself...
Pink flamingos in a world of their own...
Saturday was Singapore's National Day. This is how Orchard Road looked on that day. Of course, Orchard Road looks like this almost every weekend.
At the new MRT line en route to Sentosa. The MRT trains here are, yet again, said to be the first electronically driven trains in the world (?). It was my first time to ride these trains and if I was alone, it would have been disconcerting to know I was riding a train that didn't have anybody manning the controls.
Waiting for our turn at the cable cars. The cars paraded before us, some empty and some still with occupants. Those with occupants not only had people in them, they also had dining tables layed out, complete with wine glasses and white linen and stuff. I thought, how ingenious... having dinner while airborne in a car suspended on cables... until I found out it wasn't really dinner, just glasses of wine and slices of cake.
A profile of Dennis inside the cable car while looking over the Singapore skyline.
On the way to the musical fountains.
The fountain show.
The adverts said that in keeping with the National Day celebration, there would be fireworks for the 8:30 pm show as added attraction. Indeed, they had fireworks but the adverts were a bit over-rated. Any Filipino household would have had a longer barrage of fireworks on New Year's Eve.
'So this is Singapore...'
We went home that day late in the evening sweaty and clammy and all poofed out. But we really had fun and if friends would come over again for a visit, we'd only be too glad to do it all over again.
The following day, Dennis and company left on an evening flight back home. They decided to spend the morning just strolling around the vicinity of their hotel and Papa and I eventually had the rest we were looking forward to.
Today, Papa left for the Philippines. It's his turn to visit.
Like knots on a string, one thing happens that leads to another... all in a tie that binds... you never let go and you are never let go. If there's nothing else, there are fond memories to build your past on. Thank God for that.
Oh boy... this has gone too far. I'm afraid I've been neglecting my website, way off than I would have allowed. My last entry was Aug. 6 and that's almost a week ago. Too many things have already happened. So now, it's payback time...:P
First off, I've decided to put titles on my entries cause everybody else does so and why should I deprive myself of the privelege? Ok... teehee
Anyway, 2 weekends ago, Leah invited us over for dinner at her house. That was another first for me here... a visit to a Filipino household in Singapore. In a way it was like coming home... familiar sounds, familiar scents, familiar flavors in a foreign land. I'm not sure but I think their house was fitted or designed for entertainment... hehe. What with a very comfy couch, an open kitchen, and a space where she could very easily set up another dining table should the need arise, not to mention provisions for individual folding tables if 2 dining tables would still not be enough. And of course their entertainment center is fitted to a T but more than that, they've got this platform bordering the bay window in the hall, and on the platform is a bar stool fronting a mic stand. So if you have plans of belting it out with the karaoke, you can't just sit where you are and sing without being seen... you would have to take the stand... hehe. Leah asked me if I sing like fafa does and yes, I've gone sore lots of times 'trying' to sing... but never on a stand. That night, my better judgment told me to stay put and leave the singing to the more equipped... Eder, Daphne, Nona and my very own fafa... hehe.
And I was really entertained, not only with the individual performances, not only with the parade of liquor (thank you Cherry for keeping me constantly provided with your good vodka mix) and food, not only with Leah's very pretty niece Aaliyah (got the spelling right from Leahs' site... hehe), but more so with her friends. Who wouldn't, with puns like 'Tito, Vic and Sotto' (courtesy of Nona) and other lines that in another place and time wouldn't have been funny but on that night, either because of the company or the barrage of alcohol, was simply hilarious. There was this guy, Russell, I think his name was (who almost single-handedly made me laugh all night), who was asked who his crush was and he said, 'Reds, ayoko na si Nona.' Her name is actually Reg but somehow, for Russell, Reg is Reds and Daphne is Dapne... (just telling my tale Russell, no pun intended *smiles convincingly*). To this, Reg quipped, 'Basted ka na.'... teehee.
That was 2 weeks ago and I remember it all like it just happened last night. I take my hats off to Leah and Eder, this is a couple who really know how to party. I went to bed that 'morning' (hehe) thinking... 'Let my social life begin.' Uhmm, I realize that last line sounds quite pathetic but I really just added it for dramatic flair. :P Guys, thanks for a really wonderful night.
Last weekend was supposed to be a long weekend for us. We had to apply for new IC cards so Papa decided to take Thursday off to do just that. They were on forced leave for Friday on account of National Day. So with that, we were, by all intents, all set to spend 4 nights and 3 days bumming out.
As it turns out though, that wouldn't happen. Late Thursday evening, we got a call from Dennis Dabu (Papa's childhood friend) telling us that they'd be coming over the following morning and will be staying the weekend. All thoughts of rest and slouching all day flew off the window. I had to clean the house some (I'd like to believe I keep it pretty well kept but since there will be guests...), had to go to the market and such. But all these were done gladly cause it's very rare, like this is the first time, that people we practically consider family would visit us here. So on the Friday that they were here, Papa took them to the Night Safari, to which I begged off cause I was all poofed out. They did come over for dinner though. And get this... it was Papa who cooked dinner... hehe. It was very simple... peppered salmon steak and pork but it was really good.
The following day, we showed them around. I would have wanted to take them to the less conventional places too like the wet markets, the supermarkets, the hawker centers and such... I think that's how you would really get a feel of what life is really like for people of a certain locale, but they only had 3 nights and 2 days to stay and I guess they had to have something to show for it by way of pictures.
So this is what happened on that day, where we crammed everything, and of course time was still not enough.
Tess, Dennis, Papa Jay, Sheila and her husband (newlyweds) at Jurong Bird Park. Behind them are pink flamingos.
At the Penguin Parade. No, the penguins are not waiting for the parade, they're the ones who are on parade. :P
The Jurong Falls, said to be the tallest man-made falls in the world.
Me, Sheila and Tess feeding the birds. You put in 20 cents into a machine dispensing the bird feed and that's what you feed the birds with. I was really engrossed at how the birds nipped the feed off from the water, a number of them converging together to get at that one piece of green nugget. If they bump their beaks against each other, do they also get bumps like we do? I wonder...
Isn't nature just perfect?
I call this the 'taray-eyed' peacock...
A rainbow of colors... and nature made it all by itself...
Pink flamingos in a world of their own...
Saturday was Singapore's National Day. This is how Orchard Road looked on that day. Of course, Orchard Road looks like this almost every weekend.
At the new MRT line en route to Sentosa. The MRT trains here are, yet again, said to be the first electronically driven trains in the world (?). It was my first time to ride these trains and if I was alone, it would have been disconcerting to know I was riding a train that didn't have anybody manning the controls.
Waiting for our turn at the cable cars. The cars paraded before us, some empty and some still with occupants. Those with occupants not only had people in them, they also had dining tables layed out, complete with wine glasses and white linen and stuff. I thought, how ingenious... having dinner while airborne in a car suspended on cables... until I found out it wasn't really dinner, just glasses of wine and slices of cake.
A profile of Dennis inside the cable car while looking over the Singapore skyline.
On the way to the musical fountains.
The fountain show.
The adverts said that in keeping with the National Day celebration, there would be fireworks for the 8:30 pm show as added attraction. Indeed, they had fireworks but the adverts were a bit over-rated. Any Filipino household would have had a longer barrage of fireworks on New Year's Eve.
'So this is Singapore...'
We went home that day late in the evening sweaty and clammy and all poofed out. But we really had fun and if friends would come over again for a visit, we'd only be too glad to do it all over again.
The following day, Dennis and company left on an evening flight back home. They decided to spend the morning just strolling around the vicinity of their hotel and Papa and I eventually had the rest we were looking forward to.
Today, Papa left for the Philippines. It's his turn to visit.
Like knots on a string, one thing happens that leads to another... all in a tie that binds... you never let go and you are never let go. If there's nothing else, there are fond memories to build your past on. Thank God for that.
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