zingy streets of Singapore Unknown 2:46 PM

Today is the last day of the A-Z Challenge, and I'm glad it's finally over.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every minute of it.. sharing my experiences abroad.  I knew choosing this theme would give me a hard time, but I had no any other option.  

And now that it's over, I can freely watch my favorite shows or movies at night without worrying about posting for the day; thinking of titles to fit the alphabet and topics and whatnot.  A lot of times I drooled in my keyboard.. that was really gross.

Now, it is going to be the first and last time that I will use this word.  Zingy.  It doesn't even sound appealing, but the streets of Singapore are.. especially that area where we waited for our bus going to Genting in Malaysia.

It rained that night.  It rained hard.  Each of us had umbrellas, but we had to walk a very long stretch of those streets I have no idea about under the rain.  I fucking hated it.  Then I learned that my brother hates rain as well, or maybe he just hated it because his socks were soaked, as well as their luggage.  They had one carrying around and his clothes were in there.

ultimate list: my take on street photography Unknown 10:39 PM

I was reminded again that taking other people's pictures is offensive in every angles, and that I might get into serious trouble if I continue doing that.  I appreciate the concern, I do, and I do take this advice very seriously, but I do this kind of photography very discreetly as well.  And when I was asked why I'm doing it, I replied "I don't know".  But what I do know is I enjoy doing it, I just don't know why.  Is that good reason enough?

And so here is my list of the most interesting shots I took in the streets of Singapore and Malaysia.  I could hardly call this my ultimate list though, I just need to create a title for U.

I've shared some of them before, like this shot of the biker girl, and the "celebrity chef" who posed beautifully in front of the Singapore Flyer, the lady in "tunnel of bloom", and that toasted under the sun Laneway Experience.

This girl who's pedaling hard to get away from her dad and join the love of her life is one of my most favorites and luckiest shots in my entire collection.  I took it in one of the streets in Singapore.

tunnel of bloom Unknown 3:16 PM

The tunnel of bloom is what I called this long walkway to the Gardens by the Bay.  It's a connection between the MRT and Gardens by the Bay.  You'll see a lot of flowers in there displayed on its wall lined with tall mirrors.  People started to pose in front of those wallpaper flowers and I can't resist shooting them as well, but I failed.

I continued to take their photos while walking; these people, they're just fascinating, and I was able to get a good shot of someone from my back.

My camera was processing the last shot it took, and a few seconds later, I saw my subject staring straight at my camera, or maybe at me for shooting her without permission.  She already had passed by me when I saw her face looking like I don't know if pissed.  But I seriously like this photo.

Petronas Towers Unknown 9:14 PM

You know what really caught my attention when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur was the sky.  It was super red.  That sky wasn't photoshopped.  It was actually reddish, and it kinda freaked me out, but they never seem to notice.  They're all busy taking pictures.  But, hey, it did add character to my photos.  I just don't know why it's red.

I took another shot from another angle.. it's really red.  It was both alarming and fascinating.  Is this how bad the pollution is in Malaysia? particularly in Kuala Lumpur? or I don't know, maybe it's just the lighting.

nearly missing the plane Unknown 6:51 PM

We had a few hours to spend scouring every stalls, every shops, every products they have before our flight.  I found the cutest vegetable magnets in a reasonable price.  I'm not a fan ref magnets, but how can you say no to a mushroom, tomatoes, and ginger which were beautifully crafted.. they looked real in my eyes.  I have no photos of them though, and two of them were already broken.. that's why I'm not a fan of ref magnets.

But I do have this shot which I wasn't able to share before.  I took it while we were waiting for the rain to stop, and while they're haggling for something.  I stood under this tent which I don't know if strong enough to handle the rain, but I had no any other option.

Makansutra Gluttons Bay Unknown 8:48 PM

They said we must not leave Singapore without trying the chili crab in Makansutra Gluttons Bay, and satay at Satay by the Bay, and I was like "suuuuure, your treat?!" he chuckled, which kinda means, "in your dreams" "no, seriously, you must try it." he added.

My brother was our official tour guide/financier which he both performed perfectly well.  I actually still have to pay him.. hmm next month, I will.

He said the place gets crowded easily so we had to get there early to get a nice spot.  We found our spot and people started to occupy each table just a few moments after we ordered.

one festive night at River Hongbao Unknown 9:07 PM

I am not familiar with this festivity, but I liked it, and kind of planned to go there when I saw it from afar.  We were walking through the bay area when those colorful things (I had no idea what they were) caught my attention.  We decided to go there after eating at Makansutra.

The crowd was doubled as soon as the moon got up at around 8 o'clock in the evening.  It was still very weird for me to see the sun at 7:30 pm although Singapore and the Philippines share the same time zone.  I think I got used to it at the third or fourth week of my stay.

it's the sign Unknown 9:39 PM

As much as I love the title, I also love how these Chinese vendors thought of attracting Filipino tourists.  

We were in Bugis, our last stop in Singapore, and stopping by Bugis is a must.  

I never knew about this.  It was my friend who discovered it.  She did a lot of research, like how awesomely she does everything on our every tour, which is uh-mazing!

So we were in Bugis, and we only had a few minutes to explore and finally to decide what to bring home (gifts for family and friends and for ourselves, of course).  But I think we did stay for about an hour; scouring every stalls, marking those who give discounts, and finally those which have unique designs.  There was a lot of things to consider.

But I was fascinated by this stall which was owned by a Chinese man who was so friendly and very welcoming.  He let me take a picture of these signs.

v v v v v Vigan Unknown 8:53 PM

Our Ilocandia tour was quite fun but what I was really looking forward to was walking the cobble-stoned streets with Spanish Era ancestral houses in Calle Crisologo in Vigan City.  It was our last stop and we only had the chance to stay there for I think an hour or less.  Our driver was so worried about the traffic we'd face going back to Manila so he advised everyone to make everything quick; photo shoot, shopping, selfies, and more souvenir shopping in less than hour.  How could anyone possibly do that??  But we did.

mostly stolen Unknown 9:41 PM

I think everyone would agree if I say stolen shots are the best and the most interesting shots you could see in a photo album.. except maybe if they made you look like a monster in it.  But no monster you would see in this list, for the people in Baguio are all pretty inside and out.  

This shot was taken at Tam-awan Village where everything is artsy..

how do you pose for the camera? Unknown 9:01 PM

You would always make sure that you look good before facing the camera and that smile which you've already perfected and the best side of your face is always on.

But here in our trip in Ilocos Norte, I found a good amount of photos of us I could share which showed our every sides..

Starting from where the trip started:

At Sta. Ana Bridge where we waited for the sun to rise.. it was quite cold I'm glad we brought our jackets.

in Baguio City, what more can you see? Unknown 2:50 PM

There are plenty of places to visit; 2 or 3 days is not enough.  And on this post, I'm combining the photos I took from my first time to this recent visit.. isn't that nice? no? whateverr.

On our first visit, we were able to explore the city and walk the streets even under the rain, but that is not that exciting.  Walking under the rain is the last thing I could enjoy; it makes me feel and look miserable, so please, pour down when I'm under a roof and not going anywhere.  Because how can you enjoy walking from one street to the other and buy some stuff when you're soaking wet on a very cold place?  I was forced to buy an umbrella and a cardigan; the cardigan I loved.  But what I really love to experience is the night market adjacent to Burnham Park.  We saw that during our company trip as our bus passed by it, but I had no enough energy to explore anymore so I decided to just play cards with the others (Uno cards).

And on our next Baguio trip, we must stop by the night market, and get there earlier before the crowd gets worse.  Yes, this is highly recommended.

Here are the list of photos from my first visit in Baguio: Burnham Park, Lourdes Grotto, Minesview, the Mansion, and the Wright Park.  I only have few, because it was really raining.  But I sacrificed my camera for spelunking in Sagada.

company trip to the City of Pines! Unknown 12:13 PM

This was the perfect time to go to Baguio because Manila has gotten really hot, but it could have been perfect if we went there earlier.  We went there on the last week of May, which is the start of the rainy season.. funny enough because it was also raining when I went to Baguio for the first time.  I thought I'd be able to explore the city this time without getting wet.  But all went well, still.

Everyone's excited for this trip, well, it's our only chance to get out of our system and chill and hang out and not talk about work for a few days.. and that was really nice.  But there's one person who did get in our nerves; the bus driver.  He arrived late on picking us up that's why we missed some of our activities on the first day.  He went nuts because of some misunderstandings, and kinda refused to drive us back home.. it was like, he held us captive for almost an hour in a gas station.. where he also lit a cigarette.
After a long conversation of the bosses on the phone, we we're then freed.. we actually thought we're going to hitchhike on some strangers' cars that time just to get home.. that could have been really exciting.

But it was a nice experience all in all.  I don't get to hang out with them that much, that's why this trip is a great idea.  And here, I'll share with you all the pictures of them I took during this trip.. and some I took from their folders hihi.

photo credit to Lia

photo credit to James

photo credit to Lia

photo credit to Lia

photo credit to Lia

photo credit to Yhavz

And the best thing about this trip is the food that I don't get to experience on my personal trips.  And also, the house we rented is so beautiful, it's so perfect.. I loved the hot shower.  The people too are so nice; the owner and her staff are helpful on everything.. and the house is new.  Take a look at the few.

But there's one thing I forgot to mention about our trip back home.. the back tire of our bus broke off!  We heard a loud sound and one of my office mates confirmed that the tire was broke.  We alerted the bus driver who then checked it but then said we could still continue our trip in that kind of situation.. "chill, everything's fine."  He continued driving but the tire got worse.. then my head was filled with bus incidents in EDSA and all over the Philippines.  We don't know what he was thinking but he went for a U-turn and stopped and changed the tire, thank God!

photo credit to Yhavz

photo credit to Yhavz