The Average Juan'derer' invades Singapore!! Day 2 - ION Orchard Mall, Sim Lim Square, Orchard Road

Hey Folks!

This post is about our 2^nd day in Singapore. Our first day was very tiring but we really enjoyed it. We were able to go to a lot of places in Singapore and tasted different kinds of authentic Singapore dishes. 

Our second day on the other hand is a bit lax. My only plan for our second day is to go to Church and go to Sim Lim Square to check out some electronic gadgets and meet my former colleagues who are now working in Singapore in the afternoon. As for my brother, he will meet his boss who is based in Singapore to accompany him to buy a laptop and he requested him to bring it back to Manila.

We started our day by going to church. The church is located at Road 9 Geylang so it was quite a detour for us. Before we went to church, I decided to walk around the area and luckily I found a Hawker center that serves breakfast. I had this:

This unknown but uber delicious noodles costs $4

To be honest, I don't know what this is called but I have to be say, this is the best noodles I tasted in Singapore (umm....uhhmmm ^_^)

After church, we headed straight back to our hotel to check out. For our second night, we stayed at a hostel which is just located on the next street (pretty convenient). The hostel was nice and clean. We booked our stay through Hostelworld.com so we just dropped our bags and headed to Sim Lim Square.

Beary nice! Hostel 

At Sim Lim Square, you will see all kinds of electronic gadgets. From laptops to cellphone accessories. Sim Lim square reminds me of Gilmore here in Manila but this time, it's an entire building with 5 floors full of different electronics. I wasn't able to buy anything but my brother bought a 1TB hard disk drive. After Sim Lim Square, me and my brother went straight to ION Orchard mall for the meet-ups.

When my former colleagues arrived at Forever 21 in ION Orchard mall and my kuya's boss showed up almost the same time, my kuya and I agreed that we'll just meet at the hostel later in the evening.

It has been a while since I saw my former colleagues and I see that they're doing pretty well in Singapore.   

We started off by walking on the famed Orchard Road. While walking, we saw Manong 'Uncle' who sells the $1 Ice Cream...We can't miss that! hehehe

Thanks for the treat Jenny chan ^_^

After a few minutes strolling Orchard road, we went inside a mall (I forgot the name of the mall, sorry). Since they knew that I love Anime and almost anything Japanese, they lead me into what they claim is the biggest Japanese bookstore in Singapore: Kinokuniya

Me with the bookstore and some pretty extra's at the back =p

The bookstore was indeed pretty big and they have a huge selection of Mangas. So we stayed there for a while and decided to go somewhere else to eat. 

Thanks for the treat ladies ;)

Since I told them that I'm not familiar to where we're at and not sure how to get back to the hostel (lost boy =p) they were nice enough to accompany me on a bus ride that will lead me closer to the train station. So a few more photo shots:

Hazel hime, me and Jenny chan inside the bus (lots of crazy shots inside that bus hehe)

Man, these girls really know how to have fun  haha!

The Istana (Meaning "palace" in Malay) where the President of Singapore resides.

So after a few more strolls and some more photo shots, unfortunately for us, it was getting late and they have to go to work the following day so we bid each other goodbye.

Sad to leave =((

I really had a great time during our second day. Good food with good laughs are best shared with good friends.

Domou Hazel hime, Jenny chan, Karyll chan ^_^

And that concludes my second day. My next post is about our 3rd day (our last day in Singapore).

Our third day is all about Sentosa and the famous Universal Studios Singapore. Oh! And my embarrassing moment at the airport (unforgettable hehehe). Till here Uncles and Aunties =))

Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan ng Pilipinas ^_^

Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan! 

Isang pagbati mula sa inyong 'Pangkaraniwang Juan'

Malapit ko nang dugtungan ang yugto ng aking istorya patungkol sa pagpunta namin sa Singapore. Ipagpaumanhinan ninyo kung labis na natagalan..Abangan! =))

The Average Juan'derer' invades Singapore!! Day 1 - Part B: MRT, Merlion Park, Marina Bay, Food Trip!!

Hey Everyone!!

I know it's been a long time since I had my last post, I was a bit pre-occupied with some other things this past few weeks (swimming, work, more swimming =P)

Enough said, here is the continuation of our Day 1 in Singapore!

So last time, I've talked about the airport fees and all the airport drama that we went through until we can officially say that we're free to tour Singapore. So now, this is the fun part: the Start of our Day 1 SG tour!!

So when we got out of the Budget Terminal, we rode a bus that took us to Changi Airport Terminal 2 where the connecting MRT is located (don't you fret, it's for free ^_^)

Me inside the bus ^_^

So when we got there, we purchased the Singapore EZ card that we can use for the MRT. I strongly advise anyone who visits Singapore to purchase the card, it's very convenient. The card can be used for the MRT and bus system in Singapore, even the cable car going to Sentosa! The card costs $15 ($7 for the card and $5 as a load credit)

The Singapore EZ Card. As you can see, I had 2. I thought I lost my first card so I had no choice but to purchase another. Too late when I found out that the card was just placed on my back pocket (stupid me hehe) Anyway I kept the other one as a souvenir =)

For our first night, we stayed at the Santa Grand Hotel located on Smith St. in Chinatown (our hostel for our second night is just on the other street, pretty convenient huh? ;p) So when we already knew where the hotel is located but it was too early to check in (It was around 11am that time and check in time is 12 noon) we decided to eat our lunch. The nearest Hawker Center in the area is Maxwells. To eat like a local, you must eat at their Hawker Centers plus its cheap (from $3 to as much as $6 per meal)

Tip: Budget your food allowance to $20 per day. You can still get some change, trust me ;P)

My first meal in SG. I don't know what they call it but it's delicious and it's only $3 =)

After we eat, we went straight to the hotel. The hotel is pretty nice although small, it was still ok. We just settled ourselves, took a quick shower and then headed to Raffles place to exchange our US dollars to SG dollars (MRT: From Outram Park Station (Green line) to Raffles Place Station)

Me at the hotel, taking a quick rest before heading out to Raffles Place.

After exchanging currencies, we just walked until we reached the famous Merlion Park. There were already some people taking their pictures when we arrived so we just joined in.

REMINDER: Never forget to take a souvenir photo with Mr. Merlion because as they say, "You haven't been to Singapore if you don't have a picture with the Merlion" ;P

After taking tons of picture with Mr. Merlion (just to make sure we have enough proof that we've been to Singapore hehehe), We passed by a bridge to reach Makansutra and Marina Bay. As you may have noticed our Day 1 involved a lot of walking so I would strongly advise anyone who will visit Singapore to wear comfy shoes (slippers or slip-ons would be ideal ^_^)

Luckily, on our way to Makansutra, I've found the thing that I most anticipated in Singapore: The $1 Ice Cream!! (Hooray!!).

We then went on to Makansutra Gluttons Bay to have our merienda. Makansutra Gluttons Bay is also a Hawker Center just near the Helix Bridge going to Marina Bay. The food price here in Makansutra is a bit higher compared to Maxwell (around $4 - $7 per meal). This time, I got the famous 'Choc Kway Teow' (I hope I got it right hehe) for $6 but it's good for sharing so I shared it with my brother.

my 'Makansutra Gluttons Bay' pose =)

Choc Kway Teow $6

After the delightful merienda, we then walked through Helix Bridge leading to the Marina Bay mall. The mall is really huge and I love it's facade. We were actually planning to go to the Marina Bay Sands Park. The park is on top of the majestic Marina Bay Sands Hotel ($20 entrance fee) but we were so tired of walking and we're still in the hot pursuit of authentic Singapore cuisine. So after taking more pictures of the place, we then headed to Lau Pa Sat, another Hawker Center near Raffles Place MRT.

Marina Bay Mall, love its facade

Lau Pa Sat is a huge Hawker Center, larger compared to Makansutra Gluttons Bay and Maxwell. It's Victorian design makes it unique from the other Hawker Centers. For dinner, I got the famous 'Mee Pork' and I persuaded Kuya to buy Laksa (it was extremely spicy hehehe). After eating our dinner we were totally burnt-out so finally, we decided to go home and called it a day (And whew! What a day it has been =p).

Lau Pa Sat

Mee Pork, me likey =))

Laksa: Very spicy. Eat at your own risk! hehe =p

My next post will be about our Day 2 in Singapore. It's fun because it's the day I met my former colleagues who are now working in Singapore (and they treated me to dinner Yey!)

I'll post it as soon as I can. Till then Uncles and Aunties ;))

The Average Juan'derer' invades Singapore!! DAY1 - Part A : Airfare, Airport fees etc.

Hi Everyone!

So this post is about the start of our Day 1: All about Airfare and Airport fees (the not so fun part hehe)

Me and Good Ol' Mr. Merlion

So first, let me tell you about our flight tickets. As I have mentioned before, this trip all started with an airfare promo from Cebu Pacific. It wasn't the most sought after piso fare but it was still a discounted price (Php 9,307.38 in total for me and kuya) that already includes tax, surcharges, web admin fee, insurance fee etc. So if you will do the math, it's about Php 4653.69/person for a round trip ticket to Singapore (not bad right? =p)

Our flight was Tuesday, November 1, 2011 @ 0625H so we went to NAIA Terminal 3 at around 0400H. It's very important that you have to come to the airport at least 2 - 3 hours before your flight (this is for international flights, for domestic, I think an hour will do)

When we arrived at the airport, we went straight to the Cebu Pacific's Web Check in counter to check in our bags and to present our tickets. When the lady is done checking our tickets, she instructed us to go to another counter wherein you have to pay the Airport tax (Php 1500) and the Terminal Fee (Php 750). Now, I'm not sure if I'm mistaken but some blogs that I've checked before, the price for the airport tax varies. Some would say it's Php 1650. But in our case, we paid Php 1500, so just be aware of those fees when you come to the airport. After paying, we went back to the lady to check the receipt that we paid for the fees and then we went straight to the immigration booth (this is the last part). There, you will be asked to fill in a small card with your personal information to be presented to the immigration officer. A few interrogation from the IO and a few more inspection checks and finally, we're done (whew!! hehe)

Will you look at that smile after surpassing the whole airport drama (it's boarding time!!)

While in the plane, we were given a card where you have to fill in your personal details. This time, the card is from the Singapore government. It's what they call the Singapore Pass Card - Very important!! You have to present that when you go through the immigration at the Singapore airport. The card has 2 parts: one will be given to the immigration officer upon arrival and the other part will be given when you leave Singapore (this is the part where I failed...I'll tell you why on part 3 of my Singapore invasion hehe)

I will be writing the continuation of Day 1 on my next post as I don't want to make this post too long. The next post is all about our Day 1 in Singapore (this will be the fun part ;p)

Till then!

The Average Juan'derer' invades Singapore!!

I've been planning to post our Singapore trip for quite some time now and I want to share with everyone our happy misadventures. I hope this will also, in a way, provide ideas and tips to those who haven't been to Singapore and are planning to go in the near future. How about this year? =)

I can still vividly remember. It was December 25, 2010. While most people are out eating and merry making, I was in my room sitting in front of the computer and browsing the net. I saw back then that Cebu Pacific is having a seat sale and I said casually to my brother:

Me: "Kuya, may seat sale oh..."
Brother: "Ah talaga?..Sige hanap ka ng murang flight sa Malaysia or Singapore"
Me: "Ok...Heto oh mura lang, sa Singapore...Anong date?"
Brother: "Ok sige...Hmmm...siguro November na lang
Me: "Ok, sige"

And after a few more minutes, a few clicks and taps on the keyboard and were done!

As casual as our conversation went that equals to how fast our booking was made. It wasn't really even planned. We just tried it and boom! Were off to Singapore and the date: November 1-3, 2011.

Me and Kuya with our new friend - the Malay saleslady who sells Chocolates (sorry I forgot her name =p)

I will post soon our Day 1 and I'll try to make it as detailed as possible. This is it for now ^_^

Getting Started

Hi Everyone!

It's a new year so I guess this calls for new adventures and ideas!!

To be perfectly honest, I'm not good in writing. I've never been involved in my school's publication. I've tried joining our University's publication back in College but I never made it. Maybe writing isn't really my thing and that is one of my frustration...

Due to the encouragement of some of my friends, I have decided to maintain this blog. I've made other blogs in the past but never got the chance to update it so hopefully, once I'm already used with blogging, I'll let you guys know so you can check my other blogs.

What I'll post here are mainly about myself, my occasional travel experiences and random thoughts. So instead of posting everything on social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) I'll post it on my own blog (to make me feel a sense of ownership I guess =p)

So here it is, I hope everyone will have a few minutes to read my posts. And I'm very much hoping that you will like it. English is my second language so please excuse me if I have grammatical mistakes, misspellings etc.

Thank you guys and have a great day everyone!!