Singapore Orchid Farm

Purple, white, yellow, red, orange… the palette of colors that welcomed us as we entered the famous Singapore Orchid farm was simply painstaking.
Ever since I was able to care for my own orchids at home, I became more fascinated with these pretty and elegant flowers. So I was like a kid in a candy store when our tour guide in Singapore took us to this orchid garden. The flowers are of varied shapes, sizes and colors. There was a section in the garden where all the flowers were named after famous people, heads of states or their wives, actors and actresses. It was a bit rainy when we were touring the garden but that didn’t damp my enthusiasm in taking in all the beauty that surrounds me. I had to make do with my phone camera as my digital camera’s battery died on me, but in spite of a less reliable camera, I must say that the beauty of the place was not compromised.





As I tour around the garden, I can’t help but think that this place is a great venue for a wedding or even just a wedding photo shoot. Simply wonderful.

First snow fall of the season

“Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we’ve no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” - This is the song that keeps on playing in my head last Saturday as I stare out the window to our roof terrace covered with pure white, clean refreshing snow. Oh, I just love looking out on a street covered with snow, it’s so relaxing, so peaceful so serene. The only down side to the heavy snow fall over the weekend is, contrary to what the song in my head is saying, we did have to go some place and it was more difficult to drag myself out of our warm home to the biting cold outside. Thank God for thick coats and car heater.

This morning, on my way to the office, as I walk the cold streets of Amsterdam, the wind was blowing snow flakes that melt as soon as they touch my face or that cling to my coat. I don’t understand why, in spite of the fact that I was chilling to my bones, I enjoyed walking as the snow was moderately falling. Why snow is so fascinating, I can never tell, all I can say is that for me snow is more than just slivers of ice trickling down from the sky, for me they are little white flakes of magic.

Anticipation at its peak

Of all my loots from Singapore, one of my favorites would have to be the illustrated movie companion of Twilight. I have been scouring from bookstore to bookstore here in Amsterdam in search of this book for quite a while since I've heard of its existence. Unfortunately, I have not found a copy anywhere. I was about to give up and order on line. However, when the details of my business trip to Singapore was finalized, I decided to hold off ordering online for a couple of weeks and check out some bookstores in Singapore first. On our last day, when I've already lost hope that I'll be savouring a copy of this illustrated movie companion over the 13 hour flight that awaits me going back to Amsterdam, I found it on display in the window of a bookstore that i have by passed once or twice before. I was so excited that my heart skipped a bit while I run my finger through the cover of the book. I strolled out of the bookstore with the copy in tow and a huge smile in my face.

Now that I have been so excited to see the movie, which unfortunately will be shown here in Amsterdam only on the 4th of December, the illustrated movie companion is fuelling my anticipation even more. It's nice to be privy to some behind the scene details of the movie filming.

I can't wait till the 4th of December, I'm sure its gonna be a film worth the wait.

Warm breeze & cool water: Perfect combination

When we were about to board the plane to Changi Airport, we had 5 degrees Celsius here in Amsterdam so anything warmer is like a breath of fresh air. The moment we landed, we started taking off jackets and sweats and started shoving them inside our luggage. A warm and humid air welcomed us as we stepped out of the airport.

After we dumped our bags in the hotel room, dinner was served in the hotel restaurant and right after that, the video committee (of which I am a part of) decided to meet before going out for a night cap beside the hotel pool. I could hardly keep my head in the very short meeting, the cool, blue water was like calling my name and asking me to take a dip. A made a mental note to wake up early the next morning to oblige and take refuge in the tempting blue pool to refresh myself from the humidity and heat. True to my promise, at exactly seven the following morning, I was in the pool area. Another great thing about Singapore weather is its warm enough to swim any time of the day (or night). Being very early on a Sunday morning, the pool area was so quiet so I and two other colleagues enjoyed the serenity and comfort of the pool all by ourselves.


From then on, one of the things that I looked forward to was the late night or early morning dates with the swimming pool. For me it was a workout which happens to be therapeutic at the same time. It also gave me an opportunity to lounge under the sun that I so miss, after all, he rarely shows himself here in Amsterdam (especially now it’s winter). Even after we moved to the new hotel, which by way also had a great pool area, I managed to squeeze in an hour of our very hectic last day to lounge in the pool.



(photo below was taken from my room on the 52nd floor before going down to take a dip on the pool)


I’m definitely going to miss lounging under the sun and dipping in the pool but for now I would have to make do with my long bubble baths during weekends at home until honey brings me to another holiday trip on the beach (or pool, i'm really not choosy).

Singapore Trip: Lions home for the elders

Elderly people have always had a soft spot in my heart more so because of my mom. That is why one of the highlights, for me, of our Singapore trip was visiting the Lions home for the Elders. Our company co-sponsors one of these homes. Initially, i wasn’t looking forward to visiting the home because I wasn’t sure if I can handle being surrounded by the elderly people living in the home, I was worried that it’s too soon for me and I might be fraught with emotions.





When we got into the home, I was very impressed with the facility. The building was well maintained, the entire home was very clean and every one was very nice and caring. Upon seeing the elderly people sitting in the common room, I was overwhelmed. I can’t help but feel sad, they reminded me so much of my mom. When one of my colleagues started talking to me, all I could do was nod in response lest I wouldn’t have enough will to prevent tears from welling up in my eyes. I was moved by the sight of these elderly people living in a home away from their families. They were so thrilled to see us visiting them that their faces lit up and they started reaching for us. It was just so touching.

Our group did the best we can to cheer them up and to at least give them a grand time while we were there. Some of the residents of the home are still active while some only stay in their beds. During lunch, we helped feed the residents, talked to them (and I must say it was fun talking to them in spite of language barriers – most of them don’t speak english). Our group prepared games and we staged these games in front of the more active group and they were very entertained as all of us participated in traditional Dutch games. We also brought with us some small souvenirs from Holland and gave it to the elderly people, which they really liked.




I was impressed with the facility, if only we had a similar facility in the Philippines, I think a lot of people would be happy. The facilities, the bed chambers, the food that is given to the residents, the garden, everything was well taken care of. It’s really nice to know that there are people who take time out of their busy schedule, like the Lions Club, to care for those less fortunate people. It was a privilege to have met and to have spent time with these elderly people.

Singapore Trip: Chinese Temple in old China Town

I have always believed that in every city, if there is one place that never fails to give an impression of the town’s history and culture that would be the church or temple or mosque. This is the reason why every time I find myself in a new city, most often than not, the very first stop would be a church, aside from the fact that this is also an influence of my mom. For me, this practice is like hitting two birds with one stone, first, I get to see the evolution of the place’s ethos and second, I get the chance to pray.



Singapore is no exception, this is why I was so thrilled when our tour guide took us to one of the oldest temples in China town. I can’t help but be amazed by the details on the ceiling and columns of the temple. There are several altars within the temple and she explained that people pray to each of them for various reasons. There were two lions (well, I think they were lion) on each side of the entrance and our tour guide explained that all Chinese temple has them and they serve as guards. Upon entering the main entrance is a place where people light their incense. At the top of the roof were two very intricate dragons. Our tour guide explained that a certain number of dragons (it escapes me at the moment how many exactly) can only be used to signify the emperor.


There’s no doubt about it, this temple is truly a mirror of Singapore’s history and culture. From the plasters on the ceiling to the elaborate mouldings on the walls to the ornate design of the roof to the detailed carvings of each gods and goddesses, there is no denying how rich the culture of Singaporeans is.

Random Stuff

Ever since I got back from Singapore, things haven’t settled down yet adding to that is the fact that it took me a while to get back in synch with Amsterdam time. These are my excuses for not responding to Niko’s tag sooner. So today, I’m taking a breather from posting another Singapore entry and would like to share 8 random things about myself.

1) I’m all about purple, violet, indigo, lilac, lavender, anything that is in that shade really tickles my attention. Other people say that it’s a sad colour but I see them as elegant and sophisticated.

2) My first home away from home is in Dubai. I’ve lived there for two years and I found it to be a great city to get to live in. I have lots of fond memories of this city, I have friends still living there and I would want to come back and visit one of these days.

3) I’m completely useless when it comes to directions (haha). Honey’s always worried if I need to travel by myself coz he knows that I’m not good when it comes to navigating in a new place. Surprisingly, in spite of my freakishly short term memory when it comes to directions, I have never been lost, I always manage to find my way, thank God.

4) Honey and I collect DVDs, I would sometimes deliberately side step a DVD shop coz I know that I would end up buying more DVDs than I would manage to watch. In our collection of DVDs, my favourites would be Friends (entire collection), Alley McBeal (entire collection), Ever After, Harry Potter (all the sequels), among others. There are also a couple of DVDs in our collection that I haven’t watched.

5) I love, love, love to shop BUT contrary to what other people think, I am not at all brand conscious, in fact, I find great satisfaction each time that I score an outfit, or a pair of shoes, or a bag that is of very good quality and at very reasonable prices. Honey’s never afraid to let me loose inside a shopping mall coz he knows I’m a very reasonable buyer. (Haha)

6) I never dreamed of being a CPA, when I was a kid I wanted to be a journalist and a lawyer but when I was already applying for college, my papa encouraged me to take accountancy instead telling me that it’s the most reasonable platform to launch a career in law. However, after passing the board exams, my intentions of furthering my studies in the field of law was clouded by my intent to establish an audit career.

7) Looking back on my college days, the activities that I miss the most would have to be basketball and debate. I was a part of the women’s basketball team and have been actively participating in debate competitions in and out of the campus during my entire college life. Both of these activities trigger a rush of adrenaline that I sorely miss.

8) If I have to choose the next city that I want honey to take me to, that would have to be Venice, Italy (Honey… hint, hint!). I have always loved Italian food, apart from that this city, in my view, is one of the most romantic cities in the world and it has always been a dream to go there.

I had fun responding to this tag, thanks Niko, it’s not everyday that you get an opportunity to reveal some tidbits about yourself.

Now, I’m tagging anyone of you who is interested to share some trivia about yourself.

The rules:

1 - Each participant starts with eight random fact/habits about themselves.
2 - People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3 - At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their name.
4 - Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog.

And another small thing, if you decide to participate, I would love for you to link back here in the comments section so that I could learn a little bit more about you!

Singapore: The Lion City

Warm and humid air welcomed our group as we stepped out of the Changi Airport a little after two in the afternoon, much, much warmer than the 5 degree Celsius gasps of wind that we left behind in Amsterdam. Our group proceeded to the Mercure Roxy Hotel in Parkway Parade, which served as our home for the next five days before we transfer to the Stamford Hotel (which was much closer to the city centre) at the end of our trip here in Singapore.

The moment I inhaled the warm breeze of Singapore, I can’t help but feel closer to home. Although Singapore is much cleaner and organized than Manila, the tall buildings, the traffic, the warm people and the abundance of shopping malls simply made it all too familiar to me. I can’t help but get excited every time I see something so familiar like 7-eleven, Bread Talk, gravy being served in KFC (I know, I shouldn’t have eaten KFC, I was in Singapore for heavens sakes, but I got too excited about the gravy!), mangosteen (some of which I took with me back here in Amsterdam), The Coffee Bean, shops opened after six pm and so much more! It was like being in Manila, but then again not being in Manila.

Our second day in Singapore was devoted entirely for exploring the city. The very first stop of our tour was the famous Merlion. According to our very nice tour guide, Merlion is an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and body of a fish which symbolizes the fishing village that Singapore once was and Singapore’s original name “Singapura” which means lion city.



Our tour went on and our tour guide pointed several streets that are historic and buildings which are landmarks in Singapore. We also went to Little India, and quite timely, a couple days before our visit, they have celebrated Deepavali or the festival of lights, so a lot of streets and corners are still decorated with beautiful light displays.

We really had fun during the tour and I have to say, although Singapore is a very small country, it holds a lot of treasure to be discovered and it has a lot to offer. I agree with one of the posters we saw in the city which says “In Singapore if you’re bored, it’s not our fault.” True enough it would one’s own fault if he finds himself with nothing to do in this very exciting city.

A year before 30

This day seven years ago, I still remember it so vividly, as early as six in the morning, I hauled our household help out of her bed and begged her to go with me to the market with a very long list of ingredients that my mom, my sister and I made the previous night. I wanted everything to be perfect, I planned the menu carefully and although during those times, I would literally get lost inside the kitchen, I asked my mom and my sister to help me cook the entire meal. Nothing less than perfect would do, after all, this is the very first birthday honey is celebrating since we became a couple. In the end the intimate dinner that I hosted at our place, with my family and some of his relatives turned out to be very special and memorable.

Seven years it’s been and still, I get all tingly every year this day arrives. I sometimes get over board with the preparation and although honey always tells me that he doesn’t want to celebrate, I just can’t bear the thought of allowing this occasion to pass without commemorating it. Over the years, one thing hasn’t changed. I still want to make this event as perfect as I can not only because it’s honey’s birthday but because it’s my way of celebrating another year of life honey and I spent together and to looking forward to more happy years to come.

This day is so special to me coz without this day, I wouldn’t have the man I’m spending the rest of my life with. Without this day, I wouldn’t have known the beauty of loving and being loved so unconditionally. This day is the day that my one true love, my best friend, my confidante, my lover, my life came to existence and I will forever thank God for this day.

Happy birthday honey! Enjoy your special day. I love you!