Staycation @ Marina Bay Sands Hotel

September is anniversary month for hubby and I.  We wanted to have a quick getaway, but to save us the hassle of flying or “floating” with a little one in tow, we opted for a staycation.  We’ll after all; we celebrated our first anniversary with a staycation in Hard Rock hotel which I have talked about here.  So probably, we can make this a yearly tradition of staycations during our anniversary month.  Now that’s something we can look forward too. J 

As we have been eyeing Marina Bay Sands for quite sometime now, so this year, we chose to finally give in for an MBS experience.

hubby enjoying the infinity pool

Check in time for MBS is 3 pm, so we made use of the half day to kick off our staycation weekend by bringing the little one to his weekly baby spa at Yishun North Point.  

swimming @ the babyspa

The little one got tired after his swim.  He did not get to have his massage after because he was so sleepy already.

tired after my swim

We had a lunch at SWENSENS, before we head off to Marina Bay Sands. 

Fish and Chips

Chicken breast...they look the same :)

  

Gold Rush, my favorite :)

We arrived at MBS around 3:00 pm and the place was packed with people especially tourists who were probably just us curious as us to check out the MBS hotel.

waiting for our turn at the check-in counter

The room was like any other standard hotel room.  

little one getting comfy on the bed

But we get a good view of the Garden's by the Bay.  And the so many boats/ships lining Singapore sea (or do you call it coastline? :) grammar patrol help! ).

view from the top :)

What I love most was the bathroom.  I always love hotel bathrooms.  I often wish that someday I would have a bathroom similar to one of those hotels I have stayed in, but with the more cozy and homely decor.

bathtub love!

Yay! to double sinks.  His and her...

And or course the highlight of any MBS hotel stay would be the infinity pool.  The water was quite cold, but when you begin to wade and swim, the water's coldness would no longer bother you anymore.

he's just getting warmed up....

For hotel guest, they give you free access to the sky park. For the general public, you can visit the sky park for a fee for 20 SGD. (That's was two years ago, is it still the same fee?)

So we took advantage of this additional perk, and was rewarded by celebrity sighting.  We saw WWF Bokker T.  I don't know him but hubby did and he had their picture taken with him.

celebrity sightings!!!

But the real celebrity I think was this little fellow.  He was a hit to a few western mothers (I think they are either mothers/grandmothers because they find a little baby adorable:).  They even have his picture taken.

the real celebrity!
look mom, tiny matchboxes...can we take them home??? pretty pretty please!

We did went to the sky park again at night and the view was amazing.  I did not post some pictures here, as our camera phone did not do any justice to the view.

We did some window shopping and picture taking in the Shoppes by the Bay and in the hotel lobby.

hotel lobby interior

We had our dinner at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Bistro.  No photo of what we ate as our camera phone's battery died on us.

After a few more hours window shopping, we called it a day.  The next morning we then took the opportunity to have our last MBS infinity pool experience before we  had breakfast at ToastBox and headed home.

However, there are some downside of the hotel's amenities though worth mentioning.  I do not like the idea of automatic private bar charges.  Ok, its hi-tech, but if they do that, at least they provide another fridge storage.  Think breastfeeding moms and little ones who need to make use of fridge storage.

at least provide some place  I can store my baby's food...

I just want to read the bottle's label first before I decide if I want to drink it or not...
And you are charging me for that???

And I also wonder why they have to hide their tea/coffee set.  At least they should have displayed it nicely to enhance the homely feel of the hotel room.  We had to open all drawers to look for the electric kettle for us to boil water.

But all in all, it was a good one time experience.  A bit pricey I should say, but after all we have to pay for good experiences right?

Dreaming of Hokkaido

So when I saw a link a friend posted in her FB wall that Japan would be lifting visa requirement for most ASEAN countries starting July 1 this year (You can read more of that here.), I was ecstatic!  Ok, all right that’s too exag (OA lang ang peg). 

But anyways, if there was a two thumb up sign for like in FB, I would have clicked on that.  The hubby and I have been talking about places we would love to visit, and Hokkaido was one of them. 

While most Singaporean friends I have spoken with visits Hokkaido for the snow, I want to visit Hokkaido for the sunflowers and the lavenders.  But unfortunately the sunflower season comes just next after the lavender season which is sometime in August.  While the lavenders are in its glorious around the time of June to July. 

Now I am having a hard time choosing between frolicking amongst the sunflowers or breathing in the relaxing scent of lavenders.  Which would it be?

Well I guess I still have two years to decide which is which.  Yes I know my earlier excitement is quite contradictory with the number of years that we are putting off travelling to Japan.  This year, and probably the next one and a half years, our plates our full and so travelling that requires an expense of $S2000 budget for each of us (that's the budget our friend quoted on her last Japan sojourn) will have to be put on hold.

 Now I am resigned to dreaming of Hokkaido.  And mind you I am good at that.  Probably the news of Japan lifting the visa requirements for some ASEAN nations is a good sign that the "universe is conspiring" to make this dream a reality. (Pa da secret epek pa oh! :)) And maybe all these dreaming would not come to naught.

Please indulge me as I continue dreaming of fields of lavender and bright sunflowers.

How about you mga kababayan ko, does this news stir any travel plans to Japan anytime soon?

PS: The initial news was flawed, unfortunately.  Visa are not waived for the Philippines, but they have relax visa rules already.  They will issue a multiple entry visa that allows Filipinos to stay in Japan for 15 days and this visa is valid for three years.

Oh well, I guess I was too excited. But who knows what could happen in the next two years. *wink *wink... (pa da secrect epek pa rin)

photos from : lavender field freshpoweder.com, sunflower field from iroirodori.blogspot.com

Plan a girlfriend getaway

#TravelTuesday

I consider myself blessed. I have the best husband in the entire known universe.  He is handsome (of course I married him *wink *wink *wink), he adores me and the little one; he changes my son’s nappies.  He even washes my dirty laundry and tries his best to whip up a well…uhmmm edible dinner.

But no matter how ideal a husband he is, he will never be a girlfriend.  No matter how hard he tries to understand what PMS is, you will always see trace of wrinkled forehead.  And no matter how patient he is as a shopping companion, he can never share my joys of finally finding the perfect black pants.

The truth is: Girlfriends need girlfriends.

When we get together with our girlfriends we love the most, the girlfriends who became a shoulder to lean on during our first heartache, the girlfriends who taught us to laugh our hearts out and the girlfriends who spent hours with us analyzing why he did not call or text, we become energized and empowered.

But our busy lives have taken a toll on us.  Between hectic work schedules and other commitments, we seldom get together with our girlfriends. Now that researchers have linked good health with good friends what better way to take care of ourselves than take off with our girlfriends.  The solution “Girlfriend Getaway”!

girlfriend getaway to Bintan Indonesia with Joy

A Girlfriend's Getaway Weekend is based on the idea that women need time to reconnect with themselves and escape the daily grind of work, family, and city stress.  It is a short vacation where husbands, boyfriends, children, and the like are not included.

So here are some of the preparations I have come up with for usto get the most out of our next girlfriend getaway:

1.       Tell yourself you deserve it. Now repeat after me, “I am worth it!”  Then list all the good benefits you will get from the getaway

a.      Naps that will restore my energy

b.      Relaxing massage that will ease my tense muscles

c.       Laugh a lot that will restore my zest

d.      Strengthened friendship

e.      And most especially at the end of the trip, a rejuvenated and happy wife, mother and employee.  Do I need to list the benefits of a keeping mommy happy?

2.       Decide the date ahead of time.  When we are young, free and single, we can take the next flight to Bangkok, or catch the last coach ride to KL, but with new responsibilities and mommy duties, gone are those days of carefree jet setting.  We have to plan ahead of time when we are going to frolic in the sun with the girls.

3.       Sum up a budget.  Diapers, milk formula, baby food, etc…with this added items in our grocery list, we really have to work up a budget and stick with it so that we do not feel guilty spending our hard earned money sans the hubby and the baby.  Be upfront of how much you each can spend and pick up the amount that works for all of you.

4.       Prep your family.  You won’t have fun if you are worried with the stuff at home.  And you would be a “pain-in-the-neck” companion if all you do is worry about home.  So do the core chores ahead of time.  Go and fill the pantry with groceries.  Better yet, make a couple of freezer meals that hubby can easily pop into the microwave while you are away.  Post need to know info in “a cannot” miss spot like the fridge door.  Include important phone numbers like your doctor, the kids’ school and the hotel you are staying (but let hubby know that he must only call if it is an emergency).

5.       Now go and have fun!   

How about you mommies and all you ladies out there, when is your next girlfriend getaway?  Mine would be no date yet. But I have discussed this with the hubby and he is agreeable with the idea of a girlfriend getaway after enumerating to him the benefits.  But I’m holding mine till LO would be over a year.   

 Yup still a long way off… But in the meantime, allow me to reminisce and relive the relaxing and rejuvenating girlfriend getaway I have had with one of my girlfriends at Bintan Angsana Resort with these pictures.

waiting for the ferry @ Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. 
Making last minute arrangements...

Angsana Resort

our room for the weekend

frolic in the sun and sand

glorious sunrise

A getaway would not ge complete without the food trip!!!

a picture perfect pose here....

And of course the....shopping!!!

homeward bound.....rejuvenated and refreshed

 

How to get a Philippine Passport for your baby

#TravelTuesday

Of the many things in common I have with the hubby, one of which is being adventurous.  For as short as one year, we have had our fair share of adventures.

 We have cycled around Singapore’s Pulau Ubin, savored organic vegetables at Malaysia’s Cameroon Highlands while having a taste of the savory Boh Tea, frolicked with the sand and sun at Indonesia’s Bintan Island Resorts, discovered one of Singapore’s Southern Islands,  explored the historical Malacca, discovered bustling and vibrant Kuala Lumpur, had a relaxing staycation at Furama Hotel Singapore and enjoyed the Rock and Roll vibe of five star Hard Rock Hotel.

 So when I was pregnant with LO, the hubby and I have made a resolution that having a baby would not hinder us from being wanderlust, after all it is already in our system, being “la-ag” (Visayan term for wanderlust) .

So now we are enlisting LO into our adventures.  As early as now, we want him to catch the travel bug.  A prerequisite for him to catch the bug is to have a passport.  Infants as young as one month can already acquire a passport.  Maybe even younger as long as you can bring them to DFA office for an appearance, they would be issued a passport. 

Here’s how we do it.

1.       Prepare all the necessary documents. 

a.      Personal appearance of the minor applicant (for minors below one year old, no confirmed appointment is needed).  

b.      Personal appearance of either parent (if minor is a legitimate child) / of mother (if minor is an illegitimate child)

c.       Original Birth Certificate of minor in Security Paper issued by NSO or Certified True Copy of Birth Certificate issued by the Local Civil Registrar and duly authenticated by NSO. 

The latter is what we used since LO’s birth certificate in security paper is not yet issued since it is still unconverted. Don’t forget to bring along with you the receipt issued by NSO.

d.      Certificate of marriage, NSO certified (original copy)

e.      Passports of parents (original and photocopy)

f.        Application fee of P1200 (expedite).  For regular processing application fee of P950 applies.

2.      Go to your nearest DFA office.

 In our case, we went to Cebu Regional Office located at 4^th Level Pacific Mall-Metro Mandaue, UN Ave. cor. MC Briones St., Brgy. Estancia Mandaue City.  For a complete listing of regional office you may refer to this link.

3.      Accomplished passport application form. This form can be downloaded at the DFA website or this is given by the guard manning the gates at DFA office.

4.      You just inform the person in charge that you have a baby below one year old and they will direct you to the courtesy lane.

5.      When you get to the courtesy lane, you will be directed in the steps you have to take

a.      Submit the documents

b.      Pay for the passport fee

c.       Have your baby’s picture taken (This was the challenging part for us J)

d.      Passport delivery service (LBC courier)

Some Tips on the things we have learned especially with those processing for their infants:

1.      If you are not from Cebu, in our case we come from Dumaguete, it is best to take a plane to Cebu early in the morning, so when you arrive, you can directly go to the DFA office.

2.      Even if the whole passport processing can be accomplished in an hour’s time, it would be best to book overnight in a hotel to ensure that baby is not so stressed of the whole process. You can fly back to Dumaguete early in the morning after both parents and baby have rested and have a nice dinner and stroll at Ayala. J  We booked at Allure Suites in Mandaue.

3.      Make sure to bring some toys (e.g. rattles) or be prepared to make funny faces to make sure, LO is showing his passport perfect picture.  They require that your baby’s eyes are wide open in his passport picture.  We fail on this, LO was wailing when his passport was taken.  No toothless grins but at least his eyes are wide open.

4.      Avail of the LBC courier service located inside the DFA office especially if it requires that you travel long distance to get to the nearest DFA office.  For as little as P120, your baby’s passport will be delivered at your doorstep.

5.      Make sure that you get your passport way before your scheduled travel dates.  Even though the website says that express delivery is 7 to 10 working days, but for regional office, in our case in Cebu DFA, it takes 15 working days for it to be released.  Add the 2 to 3 days lead time for the courier service.  We had his passport application on 5^th April, but the expected released date is 29^th April.  So another 2 to 3 days of courier, so probably we will be receiving it 2^nd or 3^rd May.

So we are now waiting for LO’s passport before he is officially enlisted to our travel adventures.

So what are you waiting for mommies, add it to your child’s milestone, a passport of his own so he is ready for international travel at a moment’s notice.

Ditch the guilt - Travel!

Ditch the guilt!  And that’s my take on travelling. Well you can read all the books in the world about “those” places but being there is an entirely different story.  I can describe the city of Dumaguete and its amazing beaches and its historic sites to you, but you really have to see it for yourself to experience it. 

I can give you a narrative account of how efficient the transport system is and how ingenious the government has done in transforming a small almost concrete covered island state of Singapore into a bustling and vibrant Garden City.  But still nothing compares to being there and being wowed by it.

As I walked the streets of Bangkok, I realized how rich and diverse different cultures of the world can be.  And I realized that delicacies are not only confined to caramel covered cashew nuts but also are crisp fried bugs and beetles.

I used to think that my hometown boasts of having the most number of motorcycles roaming around the city, till I bravely crossed a street in Hanoi.

Yes travelling brings about adventure.  An opportunity for us to disconnect from our regular life and amazingly with that it helps us to understand and figure out things that we would not have understood without the distance that travelling gives.

It brings about new experiences and increases our resourcefulness.  We learn creative ways of doing ordinary things.  At the same time it increases our knowledge and widens our perspective.  It humbles us, and makes us realize how insignificant we are as compared to the grandiose of the world. 

Travelling affords me to learn about myself that I didn’t know before.  I could be very patient and daring you know ;) I figured out a lot of stuff by actually doing it (riding and elephant for one) and I learned to appreciate what I had, and not focused on what I didn’t have.

And what I especially like about travelling is that long after you have paid for that not so cheap air ticket, the memories of your travel lingers.  It lasts a lifetime.

Yes I still have a lot of places to see.  It’s a wide, exciting and colorful world out there I have yet to experience.   Yes it does burn a whole in my pocket, but you get to learn to be creative and prudent through proper planning and thorough research.  But one thing I’m certain that after I come back from each and every trip, I never felt sorry I took that trip.  On the contrary I always think where my next trip would be the second I come back from the airport.

How about you what’s your take on travelling?  What benefits do you derived from it?

 

A mountain getaway

Hubby and I scored yet another deal from deal sg (unfortunately ,no, deal sg is not giving me free deals for all the plugging I do) Ha ha ha But nevertheless…

To continue on with my story, one fine weekend on the Month of April we set of for yet another short get-away.  This time we headed to Malaysia’s highest point accessible by road, Cameron Highlands.  At 5,000 feet above sea level, the temperature during the day seldom rises above 25®C and can drop to as low as 12®C.

The coach ride from Singapore was approximately around 9 to 10 hours! But the magnificent view of tea plantations blanketing the undulating hills; the crisp and refreshing coolness of the mountain breeze was all it takes for me to forget about the long and winding ride.

a carpet of green as far as your eyes can see

For the nature and Agro lover, at Cameron, a variety of activities awaits you.  We only have the weekend to explore the highlands and we wanted to make the most of our stay.  We booked with one of the pioneer in the travel industry in the highlands, Titiwangsa Tours.  We booked their Nature Discovery Tour and the Agro Delight Tour.

Tours

After checking in Equatorial Cameron Highlands, we joined the Nature Discovery Tour.  First stop was a drive up the highest point of Cameron Highlands – Mount Brinchang at a height of 6666 feet above sea level.  It is one of the mountains in Malaysia where its summit can be reached by road. Due to easy accessibility, this mountain enjoys many visitors all year round. The observation tower at the summit enables tourists to enjoy the breathtaking view of Titiwangsa Mountains from the summit.  The weather wasn’t so cooperative with us that day.  I still did the climb, too bad for me, my climb did not reward me with a breathtaking view because it was a very foggy morning but well at least I can live to tell that I climb the observation tower from the summit ;).

weather was not too cooperative. a foggy view :(

A short trek into the mossy forest was next in the list.  Be prepared to get dirty.  But all the crawling and wadding in the mossy ground is worth it.

eerie but beautiful

 Next stop was a visit to the renowned “BOH” Tea factory.  We learned the full process of how tea is made.  It made me appreciate the bittersweet beverage more ;)  Then we went to the café to have a boh tea drinking experience while enjoying a view of a giant green carpet against the azure blue skies.

In the afternoon after a quick nap at the hotel, we joined our second tour for the day – the Agro Delight Tour.   Hubby being an agriculturist by qualification enjoyed this tour very much.  We were taken to an exotic cactus farm

my mom would have love this :) cactus, cacti big and small

And then to a strawberry farm where self picking of strawberries where allowed.  They give us a container which we are to fill up (around half a kg) (30RM if a remember correctly) .  If you harvest more than the ½ kg, you have to pay the extra.  Hmmm good marketing strategy I tell you.  Because when you are in there, you get so fascinated with the strawberries that you just pick and pick to your heart’s content.

hubs happy with his bounty

enjoying the picking

Then we stop by a water-cress farm, some organic farm, hydroponics farming of lettuce.  It was such a delight.  And the last stop was a beautiful flower nursery.  We had to climb the muddy hill (told you earlier that the weather was not so cooperative, it rained and shined and rained and shined that day).  But the climb was worth it was we feast our eyes on the lovely blooms.

lovely rose

pretty blooms

tuwang tuwa si mister

organically grown veggies

 The tour ended with a sumptuous  steamboat dinner of fresh vegetables.  Yum yum J

the veggies tasted sweeter and crispier...or was I just too hungry? ;)

 As there are not much night happenings in Cameron, after a game of pool with hubby at the hotel lobby, we decided to call it a day for we know that we have a long and winding ride back to SG the next day.

We woke up refreshed (must be the fresh air, no air conditioner in the hotel, guess they save on their electricity bills) and had a hearty breakfast.  And that was the end of our refreshing mountain getaway.   

Do try visit the highlands, it a nice and refreshing welcome if you are so used to the hurried bustle and hustle of city living.