Exploring Hong Kong: Asia's World City (Day 1)

We headed to the airport at around 3 in the morning and since I was coming off a tiring, long shift from work, we looked for a comfortable place to rest at the airport while waiting for our flight.  It's not impossible to find a perfect spot with Changi's impressive facilities.

We were greeted by this huge plane as we were disembarking in Hong Kong.

The airport is huge but it's easy to find one's way.  To get to the city, there is an Airport Express train that we considered taking; the fare is about 100 HKD (16 SGD, 520 PHP) per person.  We opted to take a cab when we found out that it would approximately cost us 300 HKD which is roughly the same amount as that of our train ride since there three of us. 

We stayed at Holiday Inn Express in Causeway Bay and the location is perfect as it is right across Times Square.  Since it was still early to check in, we left our bags there and explored the area before settling to have lunch at Cafe de Coral. 

Cafe de Coral is a pretty popular Chinese fast food place and while it is so, they gave some thought to their interiors so the place looked cool.  There was a long queue when we got there but they were pretty efficient as we didn't have to wait long.

       

We then took a much needed quick nap after checking in before heading out to Victoria Peak at Central station. 

We were greeted by a throng of people waiting to go up at 5 in the afternoon.  We nearly backed out when we saw the crowd but since we didn't have any place to go, we decided to wait it out.  It actually didn't take long as the line moved pretty fast.  (Tip: Book your tickets online)

After exploring the Peak, we decided to take a bus ride down instead of the tram as the queue is crazy long and we couldn't bear the cold weather.  We got off at Pacific Place where I saw a really cool restroom. 

Before calling it a night, we made a quick stop at the night market over at Temple Street. 

New Year Lunch at Marriott Cafe

We weren't able to book a table at Carousel on New Year's day as it was already full when I tried to make a reservation. Gladly, there were still available tables at Marriott Cafe. 

The mood is less festive than that of Royal Plaza's and it also felt less busy.  

It was all our first time at the Marriott. The choices weren't as plentiful as that of Carousel's but what they lack in quantity, they make up for quality. 

The glistening red lobsters are what would greet you when you first enter the cafe. The expensive crustaceans were pretty popular and were snatched up fast. The good thing with the restaurant is that everything is replenished quickly. You also don't need to hoard as they have enough for everyone. Taking our sweet time, there were still lobsters available at 2:30PM. 

I also particularly loved their cheese, salad and bread stations, they were very unique and looks very homey.

Hot dishes were placed in cast iron cookware and were quite plentiful. They also have a pasta station and a carving station with all kinds of sauces imaginable. 

The desserts were also spectacular. I went back multiple times for the messy, creamy, desserts on those three big tumblers. The toffee pudding which I wasn't able to take a photo of was also very good. I normally stay away from puddings as they can fill you up fast but their version is too good to pass up. 

Speaking of quality over quantity, the selection of fruits strayed from the usual apples, oranges, bananas and papayas. They have delicious cherries and beautiful raspberries.

Overall, the Marriott buffet didn't disappoint. Em-J and I both say, it's even better than Carousel's.

Marriott Cafe

+65 6831 4605

320 Orchard Road, Singapore

Lunch Buffet - 55++

On Losing a Job

I have been getting daily spam comments delivered straight to my phone that I guess served as a constant reminder that my personal blog has been neglected for more than a month now.  One day, I'll finally get to posting most of what happened this December, just let me get the elephant on the room addressed (well, at least for those who know me).

2011 has been very challenging for me and some of my friends. I, along with more than 100+ employees received one of the most shocking news last August when we got to work and found our office locked. I won't go into details as to what happened cause I don't want to get sued.

I'm very thankful for my friends here in Singapore for being very helpful and supportive. Several people from work also created a couple of Facebook groups to help each other out in securing new jobs.

The first month went by pretty fast. I mostly spent them eating out, having desserts and looking for jobs while having coffee with a friend. Don't get me wrong, I'm not burning money. I just feel that its easier to be with friends than being alone and wallowing in depression.









The rare moments when I'm at home, I spent it chatting and Skyping with friends. Some of my college friends also reached out to me and it was a great feeling to be connected to them once more.



After nearly four months, several interviews, a job offer, a denied work permit application, a rejected appeal, I finally landed a job. I got word that the work permit has been approved as 2011 was coming to a close.

The question I've been asked the most is what have I been doing all this time. I focused on our little endeavor, The Little Mermaid. It was time consuming, stressful and most of all, surprising at how slow the tickets have been selling for a children's musical and a Disney feature at that. I guess 2011 was just not the time to be making a little extra. But again, I am very thankful for my friends who helped out.



It wasn't really all that bad, every cloud has a silver lining. I had 4 trips to Manila, I went to a couple of beaches and the land of class A Northfaces without having to worry about filing for leaves or being exhausted from a trip and having to work the next day.







I leave 2011 behind and started 2012 fresh taking with me all the experiences and the learnings from it as well as the rekindled relationships with friends and family as well as the new relationships I've formed the past quarter.

Boracay (1 of 3)

It's easy to fall in love with Boracay.







If you're going to Boracay via Caticlan, which is the more convenient way, you'd have to take a smaller plane.



The airport is nice and cute. The toilets are also well maintained. I hope they stay that way and I also hope that someone fixes the Kalibo airport soon.



To get to the main island, we still had to take a 15-minute speed boat ride.



After settling in, we headed to the beach. What greets you is a long stretch of powdery sand, perfect for long walks, barefoot.







If you're not the type to just relax on the beach, they have a multitude of activities available such as island hopping, helmet diving, flying fish, zorbing, atv, parasailing and the list goes on.

The beach is divided into three stations which I feel is no longer important to know. The whole time I was there, I couldn't really tell where the divide is between said stations.

As it is highly commercialized, you can see all sorts of stuff right in front of the beach.



There are beachfront hotels,





there's a tourist center,



different stores,





and BPI ATM machines.



There's also cheap beachfront massages.



For any of your shopping needs, there's also D'Mall.



Entering D'Mall from the beach, you'll see different restaurants.







It is connected to rows of shop stalls by a rotunda.





At night, the beach comes alive with seafood buffets,





bars and lounge areas,







and fire dancers.





You don't need to travel far to have a great vacation. Everything you need for relaxation and fun is in Boracay.