Happy to see people...

After four days of working from home, I needed to get out of the house and see people. Haha!

So, I decided to go and work at the office today just to be surrounded by humans. Harhar! I also asked Ann Marie and Ana to lunch since they both work nearby. For a few times now, the three of us would have lunch together at the cafeteria of Ann Marie's office. The food was affordable, very affordable. The food was great, the "scenery" was even better.

Surprisingly, PG Boy also messaged out of the blue asking if I wanted to go to dinner with him and his best friend. My initial reply was to ask whether his best friend was out of town, just to tease him. Hehe!

He asked MonRich to join as well. I was certain Richie wanted to see PG Boy as well.

We all agreed to meet at 6PM at City Hall. At first, it was suggested to do dinner at The Soup Spoon Union. Then I thought we should do something different instead of always going for our default place at Raffles City.

That's how we ended at Equilibrium at Capitol Galleria. I thought the food was okay. We were really paying for the homey ambiance and the location. Lol!

After dinner, we walked back to Raffles City and settled at Tiong Bahru for more chitchat.

It was a happy Friday night...

Both tiring and relaxing Saturday so far...

\

It's been a tiring week, both because of work and my extra curricular activities.

This afternoon, I had some sort of break. By that, I mean I was able to stay at home and just take a nap for the past two hours. Haha!

Before that, I was already out of the house at 7AM and was in the city up until 2PM. My agenda this morning were museum volunteer training and brunch with PG Boy.

Museum training continues to be exciting and interesting. I definitely cannot wait for the opening of the museum later this year. At the same time, I'm a bit anxious because I have to write two papers before I become an official docent. Hehe!

After museum training, which thankfully finished on time, I walked over to the nearby Kith cafe. Since it was still before 12 noon, I didn't have to wait long to get a table for two.

It was good seeing PG Boy. The last time I saw him was during lunch with him, his best friend and Mon at a Peranakan place. I'm happy that things seem to be going okay with him and I'm happy to hear the updates about him, his fam and his circle of friends who I also know. Though there was a particular topic where he raised his voiced at me. Lol! It caught me by surprise. Lol!

Brunch with PG Boy was because I had to borrow a shirt for the birthday party I'm going to in a few hours. The birthday boy's favourite colour is green and he requested that people wear green. Hehe! More on that party tonight or tomorrow morning.

Very looking weekend...

I just got back a few minutes ago.

It was definitely a long Saturday and Sunday for me. Haha! Where I got my energy to survive today and yesterday, I have no idea but I am certainly grateful. Haha!

Saturday.

With only less than six hours of sleep, I managed to reach Fort Canning by 830. Thanks to coffee and because the topics were very interesting, I survived sitting through a three-hour lecture without dozing off. Haha! When the lecture ended, I thought of going home to get some sleep. Instead, I headed to Cathay to go the gym. I brought my gym gear with me and I was set to go for Combat. There was a part of me that was a bit worried about fainting in class (LOL!) because I really felt that I needed some sleep. Thankfully, I survived the 60-minute class. From Cathay, I could've gone home and slept. Instead, I walked over to the bus stop at YMCA, took the bus headed to River Valley, got off at Great World City and walked over to the Church of St. Bernadette. I wasn't sure if I would have time to go to Mass today so I thought it a good idea to go for the anticipated Mass last night. It was a good idea because as it turned out, Sunday was also a packed day. Haha!

Sunday.

The good thing about today was that I got more than 6 hours of sleep. Last night, I reached home at 9PM. I was fast asleep by 930PM. I got up this morning at 6AM (still!) and made it to Fort Canning by 830 for another three-hour lecture. The topic for this morning's lecture was a lot lighter than yesterday's. That made the session this morning a lot more relaxed. After the lecture, I walked over to Somerset because I wanted to spend a few hours at the library. It was my first time to visit the library at Orchard Gateway. I liked it. There aren't enough tables, but they have a section which looks like a mini- mini- amphitheatre where one can sit on the steps and do his/her work. That's exactly what I did. From 130 to 4PM, I just sat there and worked on the things I wanted to study. From Orchard Gateway, I walked over to Paragon. There was a 450PM Pump class. It's my first time to attend a Sunday afternoon Pump class. Knowing that I won't be able to go to Pump tomorrow night as there's a visiting ex-colleague from the Philippines, I decided it would be best to go to the gym today. Hehe!

The day ended with dinner, dessert and such a good chitchat with Mon, Rich and PG Boy. For the nth time, Mon, Rich and I had Thai again at Korat Thai. PG Boy initially couldn't join us but then messaged again at the last minute to say he was free. I really, really, really love Korat Thai. Forget about where it's located The food is really good. That makes it worth a visit. Good thing PG Boy was able to join because I thought he would enjoy the place. I was right. The evening ended with dessert and loooong conversations at P.S. Cafe Palais. We just talked about all sorts of things. I really felt it was a good ending to the very long and tiring weekend.

Now that I'm working from home, I have more time on Sunday to go out and see friends. Previously, I would prefer to just stay home on a Sunday afternoon so I can prep for Monday. That has changed since I started working from home.

I am ready to call it a night. It was a long weekend but a very good one. Yay!

Happy Sunday night...

Just got back home a few minutes ago.

Sunday night was good. The rest of the day was so so.

As usual, I woke up early today. Undecided whether to go to the gym or do some Christmas shopping, I went to the 9AM Mass at St. Anthony's first. As Fr. Terence gave the final blessing, I decided that I would skip gym and just head to Ikea. Tey is a big fan of the hazelnut chocolates and I always make it a point to bring a few bars for her and Moneigh on the very rare occasions that I fly back to Manila.

I messaged HB Boy if he was free to accompany me to Ikea. His reply came around 1PM and I was already on my way back. Haha! As I expected, he was asleep the entire morning... and asleep again the whole afternoon. He has been indisposed the past week. His situation only started to improve last Friday. Good that he's recovering.

In the evening, I met up with PG Boy...yes, PG Boy, for dinner. He went to Portugal just recently and he wanted to meet up so he can give me a souvenir that he got from the trip. Awww... Haha! He got me a handpainted tile from Portugal. He still knows the things that I like. Haha!

We agreed to meet up at 7PM at Plaza Singapura. I must admit. Omw back from Ikea, I was feeling lazy to make the trip to the city. I wasn't tempted to craft some lame excuse to postpone the meeting. I was just lazy to make a trip. Period. Haha!

We had a quick but nice dinner at Papparich. We didn't talk much about each other's lives, except for work. We talked a lot about our friends. Hahahaha! What's up with his friends, what's up with my friends. Lol! I dunno if it was a conscious effort on both our parts. I didn't want to ask him whether he's dating anyone. I didn't want him to ask me whether I'm dating anyone. I'm ready to be friends and to hang out. I'm just not sure I'm ready to talk about that aspect of our lives just yet. Haha!

From Dhoby Ghaut, I passed by Yishun first to meet up with HB Boy. I messaged him to ask if I could pass by, to which he replied yes. Yesterday, he gave me his present. He made me guess what it is. I guessed correctly. He told me specifically what it was. I haven't opened the present yet even if I know what it is. Yeah, I have a high EQ like that. LOL! I told him I'll open the present on the 25th so that I have something to unwrap on Christmas day.

It was good though that I knew what his present for me is. That made it easier for me to get a present for him. My gift ideas were either a bag or wireless speakers. I knew he needed both. On a number of occasions, he told me that he needed a new bag and that he would like to get wireless speakers. On one of those nights that we were taking the train back home from gym, he mentioned that he already bought online the Tumi bag that he likes. That meant I should just get him the wireless speakers. I already have an idea what speakers to get him. I asked Tipz's speakers are. Bloody ex! Lol! I would buy it... maybe for a partner, not for someone I'm dating. Hahaha!

In the end, I got him the speakers same as Tipz's. I think it was meant to be given to him. I went to one shop and when I saw how much it cost, I decided to just go with my original choice. I went to another shop and I saw that the speakers were priced a lot, a lot lower than the first shop. Thank goodness for promotions! Hence, I decided to just get the UE Boom speakers.

It was a good decision. I put the box in a wine bottle gift bag. When HB Boy pulled out the box out of the bag, he thought it was wine or some alcoholic drink since I told him that's what I got him. Luckily, the packaging of the speakers does make it look like it's some alcoholic drink. When he realised what it is, he just turned speechless. Hahaha! I videoed his reaction and I wish I could post it... but cannot, cannot.

Seeing his reaction and how extremely happy he was with his present made the present really worth it. :)

Random thoughts on the past...

Did he ever really love me?

The thought crossed my mind these past few days. In the almost four years that he and I were together, did he ever truly love me?

I knew that I held a special place in his life. I knew that I was part of his life. I just wonder if he was really in love with me.

Why did these thoughts suddenly appear? To be honest, it was because of this new person I recently met. I know it's not good to compare. I know that it is unfair to the ex. It is hard not to when the new person is the stark contrast.

This new person has only been in my life for a little over month and yet, he has already made me feel wanted the way most people would want to feel wanted.

He is courageous enough to reach out for my hand without so much subtlety when we sit side by side in public transportation. He will stand closer than usual when we're riding up the escalator. Anyone who could see us would know we are definitely not best friends. He would suggest taking the bus instead of the train because the former would mean getting to spend more time together.

He is daring enough to plant a kiss on my cheek when it is just me and him inside the lift.

If I dared to hold his hand while we walked along Orchard Road or some crowded mall, I am quite sure he would welcome it and not care about the world.

This is a surprise because he is not Filipino. And most people from his background are often described as reserved and lacking emotion.

His genuine care and affection has led me to tell him, "You are the exception and not the rule."

All these are but a few reasons as to why the thought of whether the ex really loved me crossed my mind.

He and I still talk. Sometimes, I am tempted to ask him. Then I realise there is no reason to it, so I leave the thought a thought. Add to that the fact that he and I are still friends. We still chat regularly. It will be stupid to ruin the friendship because of something that is done and over with.

Maybe one day, I will get to ask.

Japanese din din for Friday night...

Just got back.

I planned to do my laundry tonight, but I decided to just do it tomorrow morning.

It's been such a long day and I feel so tired. I don't know if it's because of the heat or if it's an effect of the recent things happening at work. Either way, I would just like to zzz tonight. Haha.

After work, I went to Triple One Somerset for dinner with PG Boy and two of his closest friends.

We went to this Japanese restau called Fukuichi. Surprisingly and thankfully, we didn't have to queue at all to get a table. (Could it be because Triple One is not really a mall so there aren't as many people who go to the building?)

I decided to just go for a set meal, which included a salad, tori karaage, miso soup and salmon on white rice. PG Boy ordered a bento set with a lot of good things in it so I just stole some of his sushi. Hehe!

It was good to see the two friend of PG Boy. Both also just got back from hols overseas. One spent a week in Hanoi, while the other one spent several days in Vienna. Most of the topics over dinner, of course, were from the trip experience.

By 10, I decided to leave the trio because I was hoping I would still have the energy to do laundry when I get back. Not. Haha!

By the time I reached my block, PG Boy just messaged that he was also home. He was so surprised that he reached home before me. I had to remind him that it was normal for me to have one-hour travel time from the centre. Lol!

It's a nice Friday night. It would be nicer if the weather would be similar to Amsterdam's though. Too much wishing.

Fukuichi Japanese Dining
#02-11/12 Triple One Somerset
T: +65 6271 5586 / 6472 8269
Opening hours
Daily: 11.30am to 3pm & 5.30pm to 12 midnight

Waiting for boarding time...

So, yup, I am finally going on a holiday. Haha!

At the moment, I'm at Changi Airport Terminal 1 using one of the PCs at one of the many Free Internet kiosks around the terminal.

Yeah, because I'm saving my phone battery. Hehe!

The trip planning started back in late 2013. It took quite some time to finalize everything. Even until this morning, I was still booking tours and museums.

The itinerary is this - Three days in Amsterdam, four days in Rome + Vatican, fly back to Amsterdam to take the train to Brussels, take the train from Brussels to Cologne, and from Cologne back to Amsterdam.

The main reason why Amsterdam is our main base was PG Boy and I were supposed to stay with my friend Bernice who's based in Amsterdam.

However, she decided to accept a job offer in Asia. By that time, PG Boy and I have booked our flights and accomms.

Oh well...

I guess the most exciting part for me would be Rome and Vatican. As mentioned in a previous post, we were lucky (or blessed?) enough to have been able to get a slot in the Scavi Tour aka the Vatican Necropolis.

This was after two failed attempts to secure slots in the said tour. Good thing I'm stubborn/persistent and decided to try again a third time.

There's another place I'm really looking forward to visit - the Scala Sancta. It is said that Jesus Christ himself walked on this marble stairs. Really looking forward to the experience.

Flight is at 1250AM. A little less than two hours to go. I hope PG Boy and I will have enough energy to start exploring immediately tomorrow when we arrive at Amsterdam.

So grateful, grateful for this trip!

About the upcoming trip...

Officially counting the days to the major holiday for the year. Haha!

It's less than a month before PG Boy and I fly out and I'm starting to get really excited for the trip.

The trip is going to be a lot of firsts and I'm really looking forward to it.

One sad thing about the trip is that I won't see my good friend Bernice as she decided to accept a job offer in a country closer to Singapore.

We've talk a lot about how I should visit her so she can show me around just as I have played host to her and showed her Singapore.

But as I have expected, she got the job and will be in her new adopted country by the time PG Boy and I arrive at her soon-to-be ex-adopted country.

PG Boy is flying to the country we're visiting this weekend. It's going to be for work.

I gave him strict instructions that he better not set foot in any of the places I've included in our to-visit list. Haha!

Luckily, his office is about two hours from the city centre so I'm hoping that will discourage him from making the trip to go to this and that museum.

If he does go, oh well, I bo chap already. Lol!

Hmm, so far, it seems like I've got almost everything for the trip covered. Flight and train tix. Check. Accomms. Check. Tours and attractions I want to see. Check.

Planning for the trip has been quite enjoyable as I get to read about things. I created a spreadsheet which is quite detailed to guide us in the trip. Lol!

PG Boy is more about being spontaneous and so. I'm more, "Well, I don't want to waste my time thinking about how to get to this place or whether this place is going to be open on this day or queueing for hours to get into a museum."

If this were my second or third trip to the places we're visiting, then I can afford to be more spontaneous and not be too detailed with planning.

Looking for accomms has been quite a challenge as all the areas I want to visit have damn expensive accomms. Haha! The thing is I want to stay near the central train stations as I feel like it makes things more convenient. However, these are the really ex ones. Haha! For one of the places we're visiting, I chose a B&B that's a stone's throw away from the "church." It's quite expensive but the place has good reviews on Tripadvisor.

AirBnb and Booking.com were fully used in planning for accomms. Thanks to Tipz, I also found out about another accomms site - Ebab and GV. Haha! I used Ebab for one part of the trip.

I'm really glad the Internet is also around to provide answers to all the things I've been wondering about for the trip.

Still, I'm planning to drop by the library soon to borrow books to bring along for the trip.

Just a few more things to take care of. Foremost of which are what to wear (thanks to Chris who will lend me some jackets/coats) and how to pack lights.

Seriously, I have no concept of pack light. Haha!

We'll see how.

Chap Goh Mei + V Day celebration...

So, while most people probably celebrated Hearts Day with the usual romantic dinner or mushy surprise, I prepared a different kind of "celebration" for me and PG Boy. Hehe!

Coincidentally, 14 Feb this year is also the Chap Goh Mei. Hokkien for "15th night," Chap Goh Mei signals the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

I thought why not celebrate two events with one activity. Without him knowing it, I registered the two of us for a heritage walk around Chinatown to celebrate Chap Goh Mei.

On one hand, it'll be a unique date, at least that's how I see it. On the other hand, it is also one way of closing the CNY celebrations, which PG Boy observes.

Traditionally, Chap Goh Mei is celebrated by carrying lanterns on the street.

I was really quite excited by this. PG Boy initially didn't want to carry a lantern. I somehow managed to convince (or coerce?) him to carry one and that there's no need to be paiseh about it.

For about an hour or so, together with close to 20 other people, our group walked around different parts of Chinatown carrying our lanterns.

Every so often, the guide would stop in front of a building or temple or some random spot in the street to explain the historical significance of the area.

I guess my favourite portion was walking along Telok Ayer St. and Phillip St. to visit three temples - Thian Hock Keng Temple, Fuk Tak Chi Temple and Yueh Hai Ching Temple.

The last temple was quite busy since a lot of people were praying and making offerings.

It was interesting to know that Telok Ayer is considered to be one of the many "Streets of Harmony" in the island with the presence of Thian Hock Keng Temple, Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church, Nagore Dargah Indian Muslim Heritage Centre and the Al-Abrar Mosque along the same row. Streets whereby significant places of worship from each of the major religions in the city are found are called "streets of harmony."

Singapore being a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-faith community, it is no surprise to find a number of streets of harmony in different parts of the island.

After the heritage walk, PG Boy and I just proceeded to Chinatown Point for coffee and dessert before heading back.

It was quite a nice activity for a Friday night.

Another great Saturday night...

Just a quick writeup.

Morning to afternoon of Saturday was quite uneventful. PG Boy and I just stayed home watching TV, talking, reading our own books, and cooking breakkie and lunch.

Late afternoon, I dragged him to the gym since I wanted to do Combay at Cathay. This was followed by a trip to LP since I had to send some money.

Saturday evening til Sunday morning(!!!) was the happening one. Hehe!

In the evening, PG Boy and I met up with two of his best friends for their Chinese New Year dinner. Surprisingly, ion Orchard was not crowded at all. We were all wondering where the people were.

At the same time, we were quite grateful since that meant shorter queueing time at the restaus.

We settled for dinner at Imperial Treasure and coffee/dessert at The Marmalade Pantry. Both food places had good food and were reasonably placed. I think though that DTF still has the best xiao long bao. Hehe!

From ion, I headed back to the weekend home to shower and change for what would turn out to be a very long night.

It was a post-CNY(?!?!) gathering with my guys. When I got home, three of PG Boy's friends were there loading up to get in the mood to party the night away. Haha!

They all asked me whether I was going out, to which I replied, "Of course lay!"

I waited for PG Boy to get back and afterwards, I headed to Farrer Park to pick up Tipz before heading to Neil Rd to meet up with the rest of the usual suspects.

Probably one of the best tugs nights ever.

We left the club around 4 and that was only because it already was closing time. Headed to Maxwell for supper before finally taking a cab to go home.

I got home at 5 plus. Guess what? I was up at 8AM(!!!) WTF, yeah?! Haha!

Anyway, it was another epic night.

Weekend of (mostly) so so makan...

I dunno why but the weekend that just ended was memorable because of bad eating. LOL!

For some reason, it seemed like PG Boy and I were destined to have failed breakkies and lunches for two consecutive days.

The thing about PG Boy's new place is that there is very limited food places around the neighbourhood. If one wants to have a good breakkie, either you make it at home or you take the bus/MRT.

On Saturday morning, we took the train to Farrer Park and decided to look for breakkie. We ended up at a prata place near Mustafa. I like prata. If it weren't so sinful, I wouldn't mind having it more often. Wait, let me correct that. I like prata from the prata stall at Tampines St. 81. So far, it's the best prata I've ever tasted in the whole island. That belief was reinforced after our breakkie. Seriously, how can one screw up prata? Haha!

Noontime, PG Boy and I made the mistake of going back to a hawker centre, which I swore I would never go to again. Once experience was enough. That day though, I thought maybe the other stalls are better. Nope. Haha! In the middle of our meal, PG Boy asked me, "Why do you look so unhappy?"

I just kept quiet and finished my food. Haha! In my head and later on, out loud, I told PG Boy, "We are really never eating there again."

Having two so so meals on a Saturday, I was determined to ensure that dinner would be good. After PG Boy and I finished coffee and dessert at The Little Prince Cafe in Farrer Park, we headed to the grocery at City Square Mall to buy pasta ingredients.

Thankfully, my Mom trained me well in the kitchen. PG Boy and I had a good dinner. LOL!

Sunday was not much different. I had a lousy breakkie and a lousy lunch. Haha!

When I got back at PG Boy's place from Mass, I told him that we should just have dinner at a nearby zi char place which I have christened Two Sisters Eatery. Haha! We've been going to the restau a few times and it has never failed.

As expected, the restau did not disappoint and we had a good dinner.

Sigh, I really miss the eating places at the old Tampines neighbourhood. Aside from the fact that there are more choices and that the prices are more friendly, the people are also super nice. I miss the pancake ladies, the breakkie aunties, even the uncle who doesn't smile. Hehe!

I hope I can adjust to this new place. Haha!

Buffet day at Carousel...

PG Boy and I went for our second buffet for 2013 a few weeks ago.

Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts Road is one of the buffet places I've been meaning to try. Two years ago, I wanted to treat PG Boy to a Christmas Eve dinner at Carousel but it was fully booked.

This year, I chose a date after Christmas and I booked several week ahead to ensure that I was going to get a table.

If you Google Carousel, most if not all the reviews you will see about the restau are positive. It's included in the "top buffet places in Singapore" lists of many food bloggers and regular bloggers. That's more reason why I really wanted to try the food at the restau.

So a few days after Christmas, I surprised PG Boy with a buffet treat at Carousel.

It was easy to see why the place is very popular among locals and foreigners. First, the buffet spread has a lot of choices - Japanese, fantab seafood station, salads, breads and pastries, Western cuisine, and a special section for Singaporean dishes. The best section I have to say though is the dessert counter since there are three (!!!) dessert stations! Next, the service was quite good. We didn't have to wait a long time to be seated. The waiters were quick to clear plates. Third, the price was very nice. I paid about $120 for both of us. It was such a good price considering how the wide range of food choices. I think I'll visit again this 2014. :-)

Carousel Buffet Restaurant
Lobby Level, Royal Plaza on Scotts 25 Scotts Road Singapore 228220 Tel: +65 6589 7799
Opening Hours: 12:00pm-2:00pm (Lunch), 3:30pm-5:30pm (High tea), 6:30pm-10:30pm (Dinner)
Prices for Adults: $46.00++ Lunch, $62.00++ Dinner (Weekday), $50.00++, $75.00++ (Weekends)

Busy and relaxed first Saturday of the year...

The first Saturday of the year turned out quite well, I have to say.

In the morning, PG Boy and I stayed at his place and worked on our big "project" for 2014. Hehe! I finally got him to sit down and talk about the project. Thankfully, it's moving forward.

In the afternoon, we went to the gym at Cathay. Ran into Tipz. I went for the 320 Combat class. The usual instructor, Alex, was away on holiday. Kenny was the sub instructor. I like both of these guys a lot! They're good Combat instructors. I like Kenny a lot because he seems to be oozing with positivity all the time. Lol! Too much endorphins?

I also went for Combat last night at Alexandra. Today's session was much more better though because I wasn't mentally drained from work.

From the gym, we walked to Plaza Sing to get a light snack. Well, when we saw that Tim Ho Wan had a short queue, the light snack turned into early dinner.

Finally, I got to try this dim sum place.

PG Boy liked it a lot. Hmm, I thought it was okay. I liked the food, yeah. But I'm kinda glad I didn't join the looong queues when the restau just started.

The next few hours were spent just walking around Orchard and window shopping. Surprisingly, it's not as crowded. I guess a lot of people are still on holiday overseas.

Got home a few minutes ago. Sheesh, it's not even 10 yet. The TV is on while I blog. This AppleTV is sooo bad! Haha! PG Boy and I can just stay the entire day watching series from my MacBook. Haha!

Good Saturday!

FB Message from Mom...

When Mom visited me here a few months ago, she got to meet PG Boy. I dunno if I mentioned that in a previous post or not.

Anyway, I wanted her to meet my friends and I wanted her to meet PG Boy as well. On a few times, PG Boy accompanied me and Mom around.

The night that Mom was flying back to Manila, I asked PG Boy to join us for dinner. PG Boy being PG Boy (LOL!), I had to explain to him why I wanted him to be there.

After dinner, we walked Mom to the Departure gate. She said to PG Boy, "Thank you for being a friend to my son."

That one incident I think really stuck with PG Boy. Whenever we would meet up with some friends and the topic about the family knowing comes up, he would always share that story.

Earlier during the week, I got the message above from Mom via Facebook. I showed it to PG Boy and he was touched by it. Hehe!

I was also struck by the message, although I wasn't too surprised. Okay, maybe I was 70% surprised. To be honest though, I almost thought of asking Mom to send a photo of her to greet PG Boy. Hehe! Maybe next year?

You know how they say that Moms always know... I've never doubted it. I know she does.

And I'm kinda glad that she seems to be okay with it... Hehe...

PG Boy's birthday...

So last Sunday was the birthday of PG Boy…

Similar to his past two birthdays, I decided to surprise him by decorating his room. Thankfully, he has always been going on business trips days before his birthday. That would always give me time to prepare the birthday surprise.

This year, I thought of involving his friends and my friends in the surprise. Several weeks ago, I sent a message to his group of friends and asked them to send a photo of them holding a Happy Birthday sign. Of course, first to reply and send his photo was Derek. Haha! It’s so him. Following him was Nigel and that wasn’t a surprise, too. The rest of the people in the group sent their photos a few days/ a week later but I’m really happy to have gotten photos from them.

It was much more easier with my group of friends. Hehe! I sent a group to the SG-MNL group chat and they were very quick to respond. Rich, Edsel and Vic even sent a number of photos for me to choose from. These guys are not in the creative industry (well, Richie’s work still requires a lot of creativity) for nothing. I sent a request too to my other SG group chat and I was very happy to have received photos from them, too. My best friend Tey sent a photo from the US. My good friend Bernice who was on holiday in Manila also sent a photo. I feel so blessed to have really awesome friends!

A day before PG Boy’s birthday, I brought the photos to Sunshine Plaza to have them printed. I decided to go for A3 size to occupy the entire wall of PG Boy’s room.

In the evening, I headed to PG Boy’s place for the project. Unlike the old place where I have my own key and it’s easier to get into the house, PG Boy’s new place has a gate that needs a keycard. I dun have a keycard to the unit itself. But anyway, I was glad that Gav was more than willing to help me get into the house. I also asked for the help of Tipz to help me put up the posters. I’m glad that he was free to help out because it made the job easier. Thanks, Tipz! :D

Sunday afternoon. PG Boy and I arrive at his place from the airport. I was excited to see his reaction when he sees the photo wall. We enter the house. Gav was there doing his laundry. We chitchat quickly and then proceeded to his room. I let him go in first. He turns on the light.

The next thing that happened surprised me.

He did not notice the photo wall at all! Seriously!!! I had to nudge him to look at the wall and that’s when he saw it and we both just laughed out loud. How he could not have noticed the wall I have no idea. There was no way he could miss it. Sheesh! I thought it was really funny.

In the evening, I had a second surprise. PG Boy’s best friend picked us up around 5:30 and we drove to Bukit Timah Rd. I’ve been to Bukit Timah area a few times but it was my first time to drive around Old Holand Rd neighbourhood. It’s a different world! Lol! Think Forbes Park or Dasma!

Anyway, we went to Violet Oon’s Kitchen for PG Boy’s birthday dinner. I couldn’t decide on which buffet place to take him so I just decided to bring him to some special place instead. I thought it was a good choice. Violet Oon’s serves Peranakan food. Some of the reviews say that the food is overpriced. Maybe. But for the event itself, I thought it was just right. I enjoyed the dessert - Pulut Hitam with ice cream - very much!!! I can have a serving all to myself. Haha!

From Bukit Timah, PG Boy’s best friend dropped me off at Buona Vista station while they drove back to the East. The third surprise was when PG Boy got back to his place. I bought him a book on LKY which he said he wanted to read. I got at a very good price at a very good place. Will write about it next.

PG Boy was surprised to see the book. I hope he reads it. Hehe!

Happy birthday, PG Boy! Now, what should I do for your birthday next year?!

Bye, Tampines... Hello, BK...

So, PG Boy and I said adios to Tampines today and finished moving to his new place closer to the city.

Sigh.

Though Tampines is far from the city, the way I feel for it is the same as I feel for my home in the West. I really like it.

I'm going to miss a lot of things about the Tampines neighbourhood. Hehe!

Ironic since I only spent weekends in that area.

Thanks, Tampines St. 81, for the vgood memories!