Singapore Trip: Sentosa + Marina Bay

2nd day was the day for a quick tour around Sentosa island and Marina Bay at night.

We rode bus 65 going to HarbourFront. It’s a 45min. ride from Bencoolen St. to Vivo City.

We opted to enter Sentoda through the Boardwalk. Just follow the signs inside Vivo City mall and you’ll see this. =]

There’s a walkalator you can step on so you won’t really feel tired if you choose this option. A nice walk to Sentosa with beautiful sceneries along the way.

Our USS is planned the next day but me and Kuya already had our picture taken with the famous rotating globe. Excited much? haha! We also redeemed our tickets  at the basement while we were there para less hassle bukas.

So maaaaaaaany people in front of USS.

We also registered for Resort’s World and got an ID and a bag. cool. =] Though I’m still not allowed inside the Casino. tss.

Free wi-fi is available around Resort’s World Sentosa. So what do you expect? haha! Don’t disturb. =]]

Merlion #1

Nice body…uhmm…  bones I mean? =]

Luge and Skyride, the only ride we took at Sentosa. It’s a must! Don’t ever forget to go on these and you’ll see why one ride is never enough. =] The Luge is like a go-kart type of ride where you ride on this “luge” and slide down their long track and you have all the control to go swerve and turn and speed up or slow down using only the handles in front. Fun fun FUN! =]]

Didn’t notice the “no photos could be taken” sign up there before this shot. sorry. =]

After the Luge is the Sky ride. It’s like those ski lifts in snowy countries. You sit on a chari and it will lift you up in the air. I prefer this more than cable cars because it’s more thrilling to have your feet dangling freely while you’re up in the air. hehe. I was the only one who wasn’t afraid of heights so I almost got nobody to ride with me. Buti na lang napasakay ko si Mama and Kuya, besides bayad na yun. hehe. They were like frozen habang nasa taas kami. lol.

The view from up here. 12pm pa lang kaya siguro wala pa masyadong riders. If you won’t be going on cable cars, this would be a good alternative. =]

Went back to Vivo City for lunch. Took the Sentosa Express going back. It costs S$3 for a ride from Vivo to Sentosa via Sentosa Express while going back is already free of charge.
Had lunch at Food Central where there’s a lot of stalls you could choose from. Prices range from $S5-6 and up. I had this Black Pepper Beef from some Korean Stall where the cashier is a Filipina. See? Plus another, the lady we bought drinks from Sentosa is also a Filipina. hehe. Filipinos are seriously everywhere! Servings in SG is always full so every cent you pay is really worth it. Super busog lang. Sarap! =]

After lunch,  we went to Mustafa Center in Little India to check out the stuffs there. We only bought chocolates for pasalubong. They also sell electronics, clothes and bags just like a department store. But if you’re buying shirts or keychains, Bugis Market is more preferable.

After Mustafa, we first went back to our Hotel. And lakad to the max kami! haha! No bus stops in sight kaya nag-rely na lang kami sa handy dandy map. And success! =] After an hour we headed now to Marina Bay before sun set out.

Baby Merlion! =]

And the giant Merlion! =]

Esplanade at night.

Another funny story is when a guy approached me while I was busy focusing my cam. feeling photographer? hehe. He was selling a baller for S$5 where the proceeds will go to their supported school children. And guess what? He’s a filipino! He thought I was chinese. Lol! Pinadala sila ng school org or something to raise fund for their project. wow. Effort ha? I wonder kung ano goal nila and paano kung mas malaki pa yung plane ticket sa nakuha nilang donation? hmm. Hanggang SG pa talaga? lol.

S$1 ice cream

Went back to our hotel after,but first passed Bugis Market and did a bit of shopping. just a bit. hehe

Haloween inspired beetle cars in front of Bugis Junction

Till next post. antok na ako. Zzz.

Happy Haloween! =]

Singapore trip: Day 1 - Night Safari

Aug. 26

My much awaited trip for this month has finally arrived. yey! I’ve been so excited for this that I have to forget everything until our finals are over and sembreak starts. As in hindi talaga ako maka-concentrate. haha! I packed my things just an hour before I went to bed because I still had chikka moments with my friends the day before we leave, and they don’t know I’m going to SG. hehe. Talk about last minute, but at least I didn’t left anything. I only slept for almost 1 and a half hr. Left the house early in the morning for our 5:50am flight.

Arrive at the airport around 4am.

I got the window seat! =]

The  leg room of Tiger Airways. Normal space.

Hello SG! =]

Tiger Airways uses the Budget Terminal. They don’t have the tubes here so you have to walk down the plane. From Budget Terminal, you can ride the free shuttle bus to Terminal 2 where you can ride the MRT going to the city. Don’t forget to buy your EZ-Link cards at the ticketing office if you plan to go around using public transportation. It costs S$12 which includes a S$5 non-refundable fee and the remaining S$7 as your prepaid value that you can use in the MRT, bus and selected cabs.


The cab we had going to our hotel had his own GPS navigator. Ikaw na!


We got in the hotel before 12pm and we were already allowed to check in because the room was already cleaned. Nice! One of the front desk staffs was even a Filipina, though she already  got the Singaporean accent. After putting our bags down we headed to Lucky Plaza to had our pesos exchanged. In the bus, a Filipina called on us to help. Napansin niya siguro na windang na kami and hindi namin alam saan kami baba. haha! Good thing, she was also headed to Lucky Plaza and even accompanied us till we were already sure where we are going. Filipinos are everywhere in Orchard! Plus they really are a great help not like those locals we asked for directions to the hotel earlier. Well, I can’t really blame them. Siguro hindi sila gala. hehe!


Before heading straight to LP, we saw this Starhub office located in this underpass. And  guess what? One of the staffs is a Filipina again! hehe. We inquired about the Night Safari tickets which regularly costs S$32. But in here, tickets only costs S$28. What a steal! =] She also suggested us to take the bus near Grand Hyatt Hotel that would take us straight to Night Safari.

Lucky Plaza is like a Filipino Mall in SG.

See? =]


While waiting for the 6pm shuttle going to Night Safari, we went around Orchard Rd and went inside various malls around the place. We even went inside a classy hotel. haha! Unlike here in the PH, guards won’t be seen anywhere. We sat on the comfy couches of the hotel for awhile plus they also got free WiFi in there. Sweet! =]

The bus arrived earlier than the scheduled time so better be early because the bus won’t wait for passengers because they still have to go to some more pick-up points. The one-way ride costs S$4.50 for an adult.

We first went to the tram station to line up as there were already a lot of people in there.
The tram ride was a very nice experience. It goes around the “forest”. And along you’ll see different animals just some feet away from the tram. They are not caged so you’ll see them closely. Kawawa naman sila, lagi siguro silang puyat. Hindi naman yata lahat ng nandun nocturnal animals. Flash photography is not allowed. I don’t know the best setting for times like these so sorry for the crappy photos.

A giraffe! I got a less shaky photo. yey! =]



Another less shaky photo. yey! I seriously find these animals cute. =]

Creatures of the Night Show.

They picked a Japanese girl from the audience to experience the large snake. And they they had this little act and the lights were turned off leaving the girl, with the snake in her neck, standing in the middle of the stage. Bad. =] Good job to the Japanese girl! =]

I super enjoyed the show. they interact with the audience and had this high energy to keep everyone entertained. A must-see! =]

After the show, we headed back to the hotel and ate somewhere near Bugis Market. They got big servings which I think is almost good for two people. The chicken was too big! at least it's worth the price! =]


The drink Kuya ordered which ended up to me. He ordered an iced tea but the lady said something we didn’t understand and we just agreed. haha! Turned out it was some kind of a milk tea. I just took it and gave my bottled water to Kuya. Buti na lang nasanay na ako sa milk tea last sem. hehe.

PFW 2011: L'Oreal Presents Michael Cinco

I just got home from my first ever Philippine Fashion Week experience. Tonight is the most frustrating night, by far, in my life. Gaaah! As in talaga. Maybe I'm just preoccupied by so many things. Anyway, this week shall be the best week for this month. Yep. Read that right. This SHALL be. Haha! I'm already declaring it.

So forward to the main story. I got to watch the L’Oreal Paris Fashion Show featuring the internationally recognized Michael Cinco, a famous Filipino designer who I only first heard from Project Runway. I'm only the plus one of my friend Cheyz who got 2 free invites so thanks to her! =] First of all, I'm not planning to be like other fashion bloggers here so don't expect any technical definitions or any jargons from the fashion world. The only thing that made me want to come here is for the photo ops. We recently got a new Canon dslr, so I really want to test its capabilities and try to get decent photos to build up my portfolio in the future. Oh yes. I'm a frustrated photographer. My passion ignited since my experience on being a photographer for our college paper. I'll just put this into sections to make it simpler.

What to wear?

Imagine the horror when I only just realized in the morning that where we will be going is a fashion event. I'm a laid-back type of person or we can say "pang-bahay look" most of the time so just imagine that. Hoho! So just skip the details on that and just focus on what people wear in events like this. It’s all with the HEELS, which I don’t have. Definitely, stunning heels would be a great start up on building your look. 95% of the people I saw there, wore heels. I seriously thought it's a requirement Haha! Another tip I could give is wear black if you're really not sure. Semi-formal is the stated attire on the invite, but we didn't got the memo earlier. Anyway, just wear decent clothes, plus the venues a bit dark so it won't really get noticed unless you're a Guest seated in the front rows. Hehe. A lot wore dress and skirts but I still also saw some other wear jeans/shorts. Just don't wear maong shorts or slippers. No explanations needed. =]

What time to go?

At least 1 hr before the show starts. The show was supposed to start at 7:30 but s early as 6:45, people are already lining up in front of the doors. So come early if you want unobstructed view of the runway.

Look how good obstructed are view up here. =/ 

Photo ops.

Tried squeezing my way in front of the runway

And insert here the frustrated me. If you're a first timer like me, and just went there to get decent photos, here's what I can advise you. Come early. Don't even try to get a sit; just go straight in the front side of the runway. Find a suitable place before more people arrive and stand on the sides. A lot of photographers were on the front part, because for obvious reasons. There will be a lot tripods plus tall people obscuring your view if you won't find your spot fast. I'm 5'5 in height, and I've never ever felt short in my life not until tonight. Even if I was tiptoeing and all, I still can't see anything. Gaaah! Ansabe ng flats ko sa tall guys and high heeled girls. Hoho! Frustrating! Plus the most noob mistake I made is that I haven't even thought of my lenses. A basic 18-55 lens for a fashion show? Haha! I want to laugh on myself. Lol. It was super frustrating on how I wanted to zoom more but my lenses won't let me. And imagine those pros doing their thing. I'm seeing all these great photos from their screen while the poor me is twitching in her cam trying her best on what she have. Lol. I swear I won't be going again to events like this if I won't be able to get in the front rows. Haha! I almost went to every available spot near the runway, but to no avail, I only got these. Frustrating!

And I only managed to get back shots of the models. Lol. Note: This is even cropped photos because of all the huge lenses getting in my way. =]

 And then I tried going to the other side of the runway... and this is the closest I can get.

The show only lasted for approx. 45mins. The gowns were undeniably stunning especially the white ball gown something like that dress. It's a Wow!. Plus of course, Anne Curtis is effortlessly amazing as always with a red Michael Cinco gown in the latter part of the show. The collection was simply amazing. They even had set up a shower in the middle of the runway, what a nice addition for the production. Thanks to L’Oreal for making this happen. It was a nice first time experience (less my crazy frustration). Haha! 

Some of the blurred shots I got. nyahaha!

 

 

The rain effect! =] Cool!

My fave gown among all! =] Though I didn't gave justice to its gorgeous white color.