[Random] Christmas Gifts 2

Thank you to all my friends who gave me a gift for Christmas! :) From all the food, the toys, and chocolate and other bits.

Christmas day, I went to meet CP for breakfast so we can exchange gifts.  He prepared breakfast and I was 20 mins late from agreed time because I thought he was still asleep LOL. We discussed to give each other one major gift and one minor one. I got him the new Mont Blanc Legend scent (paired with toiletries and a toiletry bag) as well as towels and swimming goggles.

He got me a new watch and something still pending.

After which, we went to Catalunya and had a Spanish Christmas buffet with his friends who I got to know as well. Most of us opted for the free flow Cava (or other spirits such as white or red fine and Christmas cocktails). The food was really nice. Quite a different take on last year's Christmas lunch at Marina Bay Sands we had as there was no turkey. On the other hand, they had a very delectable suckling pig and delicious desserts so I'm quite solved with the idea minus the price tag. If you're interested to go next year, make your reservations and pay up 178Sgd.

Afterwards, we went to overeasy for more drinks and just chill and chat over drinks and some snacks. We stayed there for over 4 hours after staying a bit in  Catalunya drinking. Safe to say, I was quite intoxicated after a whole day of drinking for Christmas. Quite a new experience but fun nevertheless!

CH196: Christmas Away

This would be my 2nd Christmas here in Singapore. 2 Christmases ago, I spent it with family when I went to New Zealand for Christmas and New Year. Last year was with CP at the Ritz Carlton. This year, I spent it in the company of friends!

Thanks Richie and Mon for hosting! The food was immense!!!! Thank you tita for the amazing food and the time you took to make all the dishes perfect! A different Christmas altogether, but nonetheless memorable!

With ange and the amazing hosts Richie and Mon

With ange, one of my closest friend here in Singapore. Thanks for listening and all the advices this year!

[Random] Christmas Gifts

It's the season of giving again! The season to go all out and buy gifts...for yourself! Haha

I got my package from NZ a couple of weeks back from my brother. He sent me a Lacoste polo shirt and shoes and an iPhone case. Considering my sister is pregnant, I don't expect her to send any but she said she will. So will have to see what she sends over :) my parents I don't really have any expectations as they gave me a wad of cash mid this year and they bought a condo unit so I'm sure they have their own expenses to worry about.

So...given those reasons I decided to splurge on myself with some things for Christmas! :)

The speakers beside the souvenirs I have yet to give my mom when she either visits me here or I go home to the PH.

I got myself the UE Boom Bluetooth speakers after hounding review after review of the best portable Bluetooth speakers around. I was deciding between this and the Bose Soundlink mini (priced the same) but ultimately decided for the UE Boom given that it's much more portable, water proof and stain proof (as they claim).

The other gift I got for myself is a new perfume since the Chanel Allure my sister got me will run out in a few months and I noticed myself liking sweeter fruity scents more (like the Paco Rabanne XS or the Hermes one I got in London).

Gifts for my parents and sister I'll probably get next year haha to distribute credit card damage. For my brother I gave him a practically new iPhone 5 since I had mine replaced with Singtel after my old one was faulty, so it's most likely refurbished but 2 months old. And of course I got some gifts for my niece and nephew as well. For my sister in law I got her a Ferragamo scent that doesn't smell of "old woman" haha but young and vibrant and still sweet (my preference still towards sweeter scents).

CH195: Linger

Not too long ago.

...

I'm having trouble sleeping since your scent is everywhere. The shirt I lent you I'm wearing. The pillow you slept on and the blanket you used. You shouldn't have slept on my side of the bed.

I will surely miss you.

I lament that we ended the way we ended. I didn't want that. I loved you and will always love you. But the trust I have just kept getting ebbed away with each issue I tried to communicate with you...

I wish your realization you came over to talk to me about the other day came earlier. It would have allowed us more time to address our issues. I would have been able to not let my mistrust get the better of me.

And as I lay in bed wondering, I realized that sooner than later this scent will fade.

...

Anyway, it's good we're still friends and in touch. I'm just still having trouble letting go. But it's more 50/50 slowly becoming biased toward letting go. It's just a question of whether I'm ready to or not. But the path and direction you set for us will make it easier. There's no moping, no letting the sadness consume me, and whatever bullshit I wrote before (CH182: Mature Insights).

It will just be a sad situation when you decide you're ready to start a relationship again. You mentioned that we never know that somewhere down the road it will be right again for us. And I only managed to retort that it's either now or never. It will be overly complicated if we let ourselves be friends with that hope implanted in our minds. It will be said when you think you're ready but I'm no longer available - or heck, no longer in Singapore.

...

As ephemeral as it lingered, so will be the void. One scent replaced by another - in this case, mine over yours.

CH194: Bali Indonesia Part 2

Following on the first entry: CH193: Bali Indonesia Part 1:

Pictures from this set will be from Days 3 and 4:
Day 3 - Dec 1: Breakfast, Bali Tour - Gunung Kawi (temple), Tampaksiring (where the sacred water is) and Tegalallang (rice terraces), hotel, chill, sunset dinner cruise, hotel, go out for drinks and party, hotel
Day 4 - Dec 2: Breakfast, checkout, beach, hotel for shower, departure

We rented a car to bring us around to places we had chosen. Typically, the tours are packaged for 5 hours or 10 hours. Since we didnt really have enough time in our hands, we decided on select destinations which were the Rice terraces and temples close to it (Gunung Kawi and Tampaksiring). There are other places that could have been visited if we added an additional 3-4 hours like the volcano (Batur) or the arts and crafts village around Ubud, but we had already booked a sunset dinner cruise so we were pressed for time.

One time while we were walking the streets of Seminyak, someone approached us and said: "you want to buy some Valium or Xanax?" I was a bit shocked someone would be peddling those prescription drugs on the streets of Bali! Or, when we got back to the front of the hotel from drinking, a motorcycle stopped by and said, you want magic mushroom? The man brought out a cup which looked like it had black liquid like bile in it and I was like, Uhm, no...

Security wise, I think after the incidents that rocked Bali before with the bombing, there was a strict enforcement of checks. In our hotel and Ku De Ta, cars were checked thoroughly going in. I appreciated the fact that even after it happened a while back, the measures they take to ensure the safety of the guests and patrons still persists. Unlike I would say in the Philippines, were after a few months from an incident, security becomes lax again - to the point that it's just a ridiculous hassle for guards to poke a stick through your stuff in a bag.

First stop of the tour was the Gunung Kawi temple. Surprisingly, it wasn't crowded. But, we reckon it was because of the steps you had to take going down to the place (about 300-350 stair steps maybe). And, considering we just went 600+ steps down to the white water rafting, my legs were pretty achy at this point haha

CH193: Bali Indonesia Part 1

Last Nov 29 - Dec 2, I went with CP to Bali! I wasn't really aware of how big Bali was until I got there. I didn't even realize that Bali was an island by itself! It was nice to learn that Bali is a lot of things I didn't know of, and how it's attractions are spread out in Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, Nusa Dua, Ubud, and other districts/municipalities. There's so much to do in Bali it's almost staggering just thinking how I could have fit all the things I wanted to do in 4 days and 3 nights. To say the least, you definitely need more than that to be able to properly experience Bali - much like Europe I guess, but on a lesser scale.

Here's a brief itinerary we had:

Day 1 - Nov 29: Arrival, check-in, walking tour of Seminyak, lunch at Ku De Ta, chill by beach, back home, dinner, go out for drinks and party, hotel

Day 2 - Nov 30: Breakfast, white water rafting, snacks, hotel, dinner, hotel

Day 3 - Dec 1: Breakfast, Bali Tour - Gunung Kawi (temple), Tampaksiring (where the sacred water is) and Tegalallang (rice terraces), hotel, chill, sunset dinner cruise, hotel, go out for drinks and party, hotel

Day 4 - Dec 2: Breakfast, checkout, beach, hotel for shower, departure

From the itinerary, I didn't get to fit in the Tanah Lot temple as well as the Ulun Danu (Bratan Lake) that a friend suggested.

It was also surprising to have seen Xander - a college friend I met from 1st year 1st sem for Social Science 1 - in a pub we went to. It was so random it was almost freaky to see a common face in a not so common land and more so in a not so common place to drink in!

Anyway, enough talk and more pictures (from Day 1 and 2)

SATS premier lounge

a very nice airport

chicken run!