how time flies

i can't believe how quickly time flies by these days - months just seem like weeks now and weeks like days.  i can't believe that my trips to malaysia and singapore are both winding down.  i'm actually at the end of it and while it has been a whole lotta fun, it has been tiring nonetheless.  apart from seeing the sights in kuala lumpur and again here in singapore, it mostly has been a culinary adventure.  i ate a lot and its something i am seriously going to regret when i get back home.  funny thing though is that christmas is just around the corner and its another great reason to pig out, it feels unavoidable even.  looking forward already to numerous get togethers and dinners and christmas parties the next month.

what i look forward to is our trip to hong kong this coming thursday.  its going to be his first trip outside of the philippines and i'm excited that we get the chance to bring him on these trips.  i think he is going to enjoy singapore too with sentosa and the safari parks.  so it kind of gives me a great idea that we should make it a point to go out on a family trip on an annual basis.

it seems lately has been somewhat of a blur - everything is moving faster than i am used to and its either the world has picked up its pace or i am really slowing down.  what people don't realize is that its a quandary - life is passing us by maybe faster than how we like it to and it also means that soon, there will have to be decisions made.  i probably am going to be stepping again soon into unfamiliar territory and that scares me a bit.  maybe five months, maybe earlier.  what i pray for is that all things turn out for the best.

but today is today and there's no use worrying too much about tomorrow.  i choose to live for the here and now.

the cookie museum

"the cookie museum"

the v pte ltd - espalanade mall

8 raffles avenue #01-02/04

singapore 039802

we dropped by purposedly by the "the cookie museum" at the espalanade on our way to see the merlion yesterday to purchase some cookies for cindy's in law in manila.  all the while i thought it was a special cookie exhibit and was pleasantly surprised to find that "the cookie museum" is actually a quiant tea house in a victorian setting.  the sales clerk was very friendly and dutifully gave us samples of cookies that caught our fancy.  the cookies were heavenly and they came with a steep price tag, SGD30 for a tin of 24 cookies.  it wasn't difficult to make the decision to purchase a tin of madeleine rose cookies which had a subtle hint of rose petals as you bite into the cookie.  to complement it, i threw in a tin of cranberry sunset refreshing courtyard tea into the mix.  paying around 2,000 pesos for cookies and tea seems like a luxury but not finding this place anywhere else except here made it seem like a worthy treat.  cindy got the cuban mint cookies which tasted unbelievably like lindt mint chocolate except in cookie form.  it was refreshing.

we should have stopped there but curiousity got the better of us and blame it on the bloggers who heralded how awesome the tea cake was that cindy and i decided to sit down for some tea time.  here's what we ordered :

1. Pomegranate Ruby Tea (SGD15, pictured) - sweet iranian fruit blend with premium chinese white tea;
   
2. Peony Garden Tea (SGD15) - delicate pretty peony flowers emanating its all natural aroma;
3. Baileys Irish Cream Liquer Tea cake (SGD19, pictured);
4. Berry Meadows (SGD15, pictured);

what can i say?  the tea was refreshing, the flavors light and well-blended i sipped all 4 tea-cups of it.  the peony garden tea smelled and tasted wonderful.  berry meadows is more like a sponge cake topped with whipped cream and berrys - it was a great fruity treat.  i'd have to say that the bailey's irish cream liquer tea cake is tops in my book.  steeped in 1/4 of creamy coffee-like syrup and splashed with a spoonful of baileys liquer, the cake was just a perfect partner to tea.  the bill was expectedly expensive but great tea and great cakes, that made it alright.

this is the best thing about traveling - discovering relatively unknown places that spreads mainly through word of mouth.  i can't wait to get these rose cookies to mom.

pro's : victorian setting, wide selection of tea, hosts of unforgettable cookies & cakes, very friendly crew

con's: very pricey

finally, a taste of KL

after so many visits to malaysia, i finally managed to get out of penang and even kulim to see kuala lumpur.  i stayed with juli and king the two days i scheduled to look around kl.  i'd have to say i am not disappointed, kl is a great city.  here are some things i take with me leaving this beautiful part of malaysia.

• hungry for some roti boy.  i seriously am not a bread person but this one is just downright delicious.  freshly baked bread crisp on the outside with a hint of coffee + some melted butter inside.  i definitely could have this on a daily basis.
• petronas towers.  one word - magnificent.  this is quite an engineering marvel, from the design to its finished construction.  i feel bad manila doesn't have anything that comes close to the twin towers.  the view from the sky bridge is unbelievable - breathtaking even.  its too bad the maxis tower was built so close to it.  that building kind of ruins an otherwise great view of petronas.
• putrajaya.  there's quite no other place like it.  when i saw this city, i couldn't help but marvel about how beautiful it is.  you'd feel like you've been transported into some beautiful and perfect city.  i couldn't even believe the lake was man-made.  the buildings, the houses, the government offices - words to describe how beautiful they are escape me.  and the mosque right beside the lake - its just awesome.  the lamp posts in this city are even different from area to area plus there are numerous bridges that are by themselves architecturally beautiful.
• food, delicioso.  so while i still painfully shy away from the really hot stuff, i'd have to say i enjoyed feasting on traditional malay, indian and chinese food while i am in malaysia.  you just gotta love the unique taste of the food.  i even got a taste of authentic vietnamese noodles courtesy of juli & king's neighbor.  yum! there's no stopping now.
• transportation.  while riding a cab is pretty expensive in penang, the transportation in kl is pretty efficient - reminiscent of the MRT in singapore though not as clean though.  buses are pretty efficient and comfortable.  the best though is the KLIA express which is 28-min train ride to the airport.  KLIA by the way is very beautiful that i cringe everytime i remember what NAIA looks like.
• Juli & King - perfect hosts.  my trip to KL would have been half as fun if not for Juli & King being such gracious hosts.  thanks for making my stay a fun and memorable one.

this trip to malaysia has truly been a memorable one.  it is a photographer's haven and there's just so many things and places to shoot i don't think i've done it justice.  i did shoot a few pictures and i can't wait to post them soon.  there's a whole bunch of them that needs sorting and yeah, i don't really know when i'd be able to go over them.  crossing my fingers that its soon.

for now, my next journey is here in singapore.  some places i just need to visit while i'm here. definitely a fun week ahead.

trip so far ...

it feels like this whole week has just been pulled fast that i can't believe the week is winding down and the whole face to face we've waited for a couple of months is done.  i bet it will be a while before we get a chance for another gathering like this with the cost reduction and all.  still, being here probably for the last time at the expense of the company, was a welcome blessing.  i think it was more than three years already since i was last here - most of the recent trips were in the US which i am so not complaining about.  Penang hasn't changed - its still as rich and vibrant as last i've seen it and the food is just tasty it felt like a crime not to indulge.  this week though has been quite exhausting that i didn't even try to walk around taking pictures - my heart's just not into it.  maybe i'm not cut out to be a travel photographer - i just don't have the patience for it right now.  there's still some meetings i set-up, more to indulge my manager, an hour's cab ride from Penang to the factories in Kulim.  two of my colleagues bailed out on me so i am going to go there by myself - trusty ipod with my pop songs blaring during the ride.

the good news is that i'm already packed and ready for my trip to KL tonight.  vacation is officially starting in a few hours and i'm all giddy and excited.  its going to be a fun, fun week ahead.

*ps: if you are wondering why i managed to write this at office hours, its because i'm still waiting for my cab. lol!

alone time

being in a hotel room can be disappointingly lonely if you're on a business trip.  the best thing about it though (aside from the company paying for it) is that it gives me some real "alone" time.  while the silence is deafening (i just hear the faint buzzing of the centralized aircon), its kind of a welcome reprieve from the sounds of home.  one week of being in a hotel is more than bearable because for one, i feel like a king for one - don't have to make my bed, cook my food (which is a conundrum if you're dieting), drive myself to anywhere.  i'm even staying at this new hotel which is right beside the mall - now that is way convenient ... access to everything.  its like a dream come true.

what i like about these trips is that being by myself gives me time to ponder on things and think about what i should do moving forward.  a lot of things are happening right now and there are decisions that need to be taken with careful consideration.

at least for this week, i can pretend to be someone else.  a traveler to a foreign land.  where only a few people know me and i can be whoever i choose to be.

almost two weeks now

being sick sure is no fun.  been under the weather battling the flu for close to two weeks now and while i've gotten a bit better enough to go to some committed affairs, i haven't fully recovered.  i finally decided, through the urging of a friend, to go see a doctor today.  she told me its likely i just have the common flu but ordered me a CBC.  results come out tomorrow but the doctor is flying off to switzerland the same day and won't be back until the 11th.  i'll probably just leave her secretary my mobile number since i am going to be traveling myself.  for now, i'd have to continue taking my meds and hopefully be well enough by saturday to attend a wedding, a street photoshoot and fly out sunday morning.  if i don't get well, i can't imagine what the next two weeks will be like.

the thing that's funny is that i rarely really get sick but when i catch the flu, i pretty much get it bad.  i realized now i should probably should have made the time to get my flu shot at the office but i missed it.  hopefully, my medical card covers it since the doctor said i should get one when i feel better.  i'm no stranger to the hospital, having been there many times that needles don't really mean much to me anymore.  but you know, hospital just screams depression, loneliness and even death.

i wonder why when we're young, we refuse to take care of ourselves properly.  we take our health for granted and do things we regret as we grow older.  i think its part of growing up, of our insatiable hunger to experience new things.  peer pressure sometimes.  i used to smoke socially before, not so much though, just enough for stress relief or when we were out having drinks.  it was easy to kick it off and i've been smoke-free for more than three years.  hurrah for that.  i don't drink that much either - only when i know i'm not driving and its mighty fine to get drunk and pass out.  the last time i got seriously drunk was during an out of town trip to zambales and i was doing double twist jumps on the bonfire figuring i was an ice skater.  hopefully, there's no video of that somewhere.

seriously, i need to get well.  too much stuff i need to do and finding the energy to do what i have to do is exhausting.  i am seriously going to get that flu shot and pump myself with my vitamins.  and yeah, the flu sucks.