It was one of those waking moments when I thought I was still trapped in la-la land because the text message that woke me up read something like, “we are being invited to guest on a TV show. Get your ass online.” So I staggered in the middle of the night and checked our email. Lo and behold, it was true. But then as I scanned the message, the taping dates fell on the dates Ron and I will celebrate his birthday in God-knows-where. I contacted the researcher and our chance of making ourselves …

We collect key chains. Not officially though. But since it’s the easiest thing to bring home after a trip, not to mention cheapest when you have a bunch load of friends from different circles, and the idea is shared by our friends, we found our key chain collection growing and growing without us realizing it. Looking at them now, each one proudly tacked in each of our cubicle walls, we realized we have about 7 each coming from Singapore depicting only one thing…
Ulysses, he’s the most photographed celebrity in Singapore, …

I have never been alone on a travel before prior to my Sagada trip. I have the faintest sense of direction and I always feel particularly stupid after flying, it’s as if my head is still caught up with the altitude change. It took me an hour to find our hostel from the MRT station when I could’ve been there 15-20 minutes after stepping out of the train. I was so scared to get lost that after settling in in our room, I took out my book and a bagful …

With great power comes great responsibility. And like Singapore, greatness can mean a lot of restrictions. No wonder the place is spic and span! We Filipinos should learn a thing or two from them…
Going cold turkey in Singapore
First on the list is smoking. Our vacation lasted for 10 days and knowing this, I should have brought with me a ream of cigarettes but because our point of entry was Singapore, I had to ditch the plan and bring with me two packs which I had to open upon arrival just …

In the first world island at the southern-most tip of the mainland Asia, life is busy and fast paced. People move faster, eat quicker and travel from point A to B in a break-neck speed. Even the escalators in public places runs faster than the usual escalators would run. I’m not kidding! I lived the past 8 years in a country so laid-back that when I rode the Singaporean escalators, it made me grab the side rails for dear life.
The malls are inter-connected like a web laid across the city. …

The backpacking culture is peculiar to a small global community of people with common understanding and perception of traveling. I experienced the true blue backpacking niche first hand when Monette and I flew to Singapore. We booked a separate flight so she arrived 18 hours earlier. She got to explore the city more than I did but it’s alright since it wasn’t my first time to be there.
It was a bit difficult that time since Monette doesn’t have any mode of communication that will connect her to me. Her mobile …

Any country in the world would have a Chinatown. But the Singapore version of it is quite different. Studded with colonial Dutch shop houses, this tourist attraction also boasts a contemporary mix of pop culture and towering temples of the old. Large sections of it have been declared national heritage sites officially designated for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple looms over the skies as the newly constructed four-story temple welcomes visitors for free. Inside we found the overwhelming presence of the 27-foot statue …

Arriving in Singapore may well be the most stress-free experience in traveling. After all, they have what is considered to be the best airport in the world. Changi Airport is easily accessible from the Budget terminal because of the free airport shuttle that goes back and forth on regular intervals. From the airport, you have several options to choose from to get to your hotel or hostel.
The very convenient EZ Link where you have to get a card for SGD$15 consumable. You can reload it when you run out of …