This was taken in Singapore April 2009, the last leg of my 30th birthday trip which took me to what I refer to as the Asian tri-state of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. This trip to Singapore was quite memorable; I met old friends from grade school and college, and I met new friends as well. We drank German beer, and I almost stalked that cute German chef in Brotzeit at Raffles City. We took a lot of pictures and I finally posed under the House of Condoms signage at the Lucky Plaza. It was a very good trip overall.
I think Singapore is very much contained; it's small and maybe in a few months one can know the city-state like the back of his hand. When you're in Singapore, that is all there is to it; yeah, maybe there are the outskirts and the suburbs, but unlike other countries, MY COUNTRY, there isn't much to explore geographically. Which is way in order to stay interesting and alive, Singapore is faced with the challenge of keeping things less boring and very much alive.
I think any city is faced with the same challenges. Here in Manila, I have to admit, it can get quite boring. Everything eventually falls into a routine.
This blog is not about Singapore but I thought this photo of me with Buddhist monks with the Singaporean skyline in the background pretty much represents what I am and what this blog is going to be about. See, the first time I saw a group of monks was when I went to Bangkok in 2006 --- I was ecstatic. It's the same level as the first time I saw a Dutch windmill in a Dutch countryside while aboard a train from Berlin to Amsterdam. I don't know, the site of a monk makes me happy. They're like my matured perception towards nuns and priests from my Catholic childhood. When I had this photo taken I was walking back from the Esplanade back to the Cavanaugh Bridge area where I would buy an ice cream, sit on a park bench, and stare at the Fullerton Hotel. I saw this group of monks, and I asked them if I could have my picture taken with them. They were probably surprised --- monk fangirl?
So in essence, this blog is about being an urbanite based in Manila whose heart and soul and body is ready for an adventure.
I know, I know... not another food blog! Travel blog! Hotel blog! Okay, maybe it will come to that. I love to travel, I love to eat, I love to watch movies. But the objective of this blog is to present a slice-of-life a single woman living in Manila. I think what makes this more interesting is that I live alone and I am single... imagine Carrie Bradshaw! Bridget Jones! Cosmopolitans please, and yes, I am going to be five pounds heavier tomorrow! This is gonna be a chick-hit!
I think the catch is that I am not your typical Manila girl in a typical sense. I have had adventures and misadventures while living in the city. I have very deep insights on Manila traffic which is comparable to Adrian Mole's thoughts on the Norwegian Leather Industry (see? The mention of Adrian Mole alone is already a clue!). I can complain like any girl who grew up reading and almost-worshipping Jessica Zafra. I watch a lot of TV, and I like to watch TMZ, a host of reality TV, news, Travel and Living, and True Blood. My type of music can be heard in Jam 88.3 and NU 107, but I'm the kind who might end up watching Air Supply with my parents, and if my mother really pushes it, maybe I'll join them and see Engelbert Humperdinck.
See?
I can give you the city, and I'll show you what it's like seeing your version of a monk and a windmill for the very first time.
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