Life, Day by Day

Do you ever get that feeling that there is something you are trying to find in your life but you don't really know what it is? Well, I do...and I get it in waves.  You know, one that comes and goes...it does not have a pattern but it happens once or twice every few years and when it does, I get unfocused.  Heehee...after writing that, I realized I make it sound like I'm having some kind of breakdown.  Don't worry, I am as sane as ever (although some people I know would disagree), it's just that I get these times in my life when I ask myself, is this it for me?  I guess it's part of the aging process when you know that there is really no turning back and you realize...hey, my life is half over!  Where did all that time go?  How come I don't feel older? But...but...there are still so many things I want to do!  A friend jokingly said...the heat must be getting to me ;)  He also said that there will always be enough time.  This friend is wise and...

After posting my travel photos to Facebook and this blog, I got a lot of comments re: how nice Singapore is, how orderly and efficient, how modern, how disciplined, etc.  Basically, I agree with all comments except that somehow beneath all that orderliness, efficiency and modernism lies a restless spirit...is it dissatisfaction? defiance? cynicism? boredom?...I can't quite pinpoint it, but somehow the impression I get is that people are not really happy with their lives and that life is not quite satisfying as it seems.  Even our tour guide who seemed up all the time, seemed to me as trying very hard to show his enthusiasm.  One would think that in a country where the per capita income is very high having a highly developed market-based economy, life would be very satisfactory and happier, but it seems not, since you rarely see people smiling and looking happy or friendly in Singapore.  Almost everyone looked very business like (not to mention tired) and in a hurry, ...

Port Klang is about an hour ride from Kuala Lumpur (I know I said that before)...I spent the whole trip thinking about "my bell"...it was a quiet ride to the port and even the scenery was sparse.  In fact I saw several unoccupied and empty townhouses, business establishments on the way.  The Star Cruises Terminal Port is located at Pulau Indah which is located next to the cargo terminals of Westport and is quite impressive but there were very few people around except for some parked taxis waiting for passengers who want to go around.  Still thinking about the bell...I saw one in a souvenir shop but it cost RM 25...okay, so I am obsessing about it but I am not that obsessed! This was our last night on the boat, and so we had dinner at one of their more formal restaurants.  The boat left the port for the trip back to Singapore at about 8:30 PM.  After dinner, some of the group went to watch a show and enjoyed the other amenities on the ship.  I on the ...

After a very sumptuous lunch at Hotel Equatorial, we proceeded to ride the bus that would take us to Kuala Lumpur.  It was a very short visit to Melaka/Malacca and because we basically just moved around the Bandar Hilir area, I'm sure there is more to the whole city than just the Dutch Square, St. Paul's Hill and Chinese temples.  I would like to visit again one day and take in more sights and explore the whole city. We left Malacca at about 1 PM passing through the more modern part of the city until we got to the North-South Expressway ....Kuala Lumpur, here we come! It was a 2 hour drive and as soon as we got to the expressway, our guide allowed us to nod off to lalaland ☺☺☺ .  After dozing off for a half hour or more, I started to be more aware of our surroundings and there was one thing I noticed...emergency phones every 2 kilometers or so, and there were motorcycle lanes! The landscape was also mostly palm trees, plantations probably...I was trying to look for rubb...

First day of the cruise, I was up by 5:30 AM, ready by 6:20, breakfast by 6:30 and waiting at The Lido by 7:00 AM for our shore excursion to Melaka and Kuala Lampur.  This was a technical stop for the ship and we will be transferring to a tender boat which will bring us to the Melaka port since the shallow waters there will not allow the ship to dock.  Entering the boat, I had this deja vu feeling...I think because it was like a harbor pilot's boat and something similar to what my maternal grandfather would use when he meets and goes up the international ships he would guide in entering the Manila port.  The short trip took less than an hour and this was what greeted us...and quite friendlier faces complete with a good morning greeting from immigration and the coast guard. Melaka was recognized in 2008 by UNESCO as a world heritage city. We were first brought to this place, "Dutch Square", with its Town Hall, Clock Tower and Church. We then went up St.Paul'...

This was my early dinner at Seoul Garden...can you see the sausages? the chili fish balls? what were the rest? After dinner we were shuttled by the bus to Singapore Cruise Center at Habourfront where our ship, the Superstar Virgo was docked.  Our cruise guide, Icen took care of checking us into the ship and distributed our luggage tags earlier, so that when we got there, all we had to do was to tag our luggage and the next time we see them would be in front of our cabins. Immigration was still closed so we took turns standing in line.  Finally, they opened at 8:30 PM and after about 30 minutes waiting we passed immigration and entered the terminal bridge to the ship.  There were mascots with ship photographers waiting for picture taking as we walked along the long and carpeted bridge and we were required to swipe our key cards before entering the ship...pretty fast and efficient but not exactly as I imagined it to be...you know something like those scenes from the L...

Arghhhhh! wake-up call 6:30 AM and it's still dark outside!  It seems that sunrise and sunset come later in Singapore than in the Philippines.  We were instructed to be at the lobby by 8 AM for our short ride to Fort Canning Lodge for instructions on the cruise, some activities and lunch at their Coffee House. By 1 PM we were let loose at Orchard Road, first stop... Ngee Ann City where the high-end Japanese owned department store Takashimaya is located. We were brought to Level 2 where all the branded boutiques were and where we were instructed to converge back at the information lobby by 5:30 PM.  Since my point of interest was neither electronics nor the high-end brands, I opted to walk along Orchard Road to look for The Heeren where a neighbor's son works at the Subway Restaurant. After walking several hundred meters, I saw it but unfortunately, the son was off duty but will be coming in at 5 PM for some paperwork but I could not wait for him, so I just left a mes...