Goddess, I Am.

Still on the subject of cars and driving, although the main reason I decided to finally work on my driver’s license was to have another piece of identification, we’ve also been toying with the idea of getting a car sometime this year.

It probably wouldn’t be much of a car, really. After all, we’ve got other more pressing priorities. But say, hypothetically, we had about $100,000 to burn, I would pick these babies any day. Hypothetically. And yes, in this order.

1. The 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 in the Torch Red color with white racing stripes.

2. The Audi TTS Coupe in Meteor Gray or Brilliant Red.

3. The Mini Cooper S in yellow or British racing green with white racing stripes. The Husband would be proud of me, truly. He used to drive a Mini Cooper S back in the UK, but the poor man totaled the poor car in a horrible accident that involved a poor deer.

Goodness, if I ever got one of these, I would definitely need to sign up for a 24 hour towing service. I used to drive a piece of shit 1983 Ford Laser that wouldn’t go beyond 40 kilometers per hour, yet I still racked up around 7 speeding accidents – in my first month of driving! With these babies, I think I will definitely be in trouble.

I suppose it’s only a good thing that I can’t afford ‘em. Sigh.

I never got to blog about this then, but a few weeks back, I finally managed to get my driver’s license renewed. The whole exercise was a lot like pulling teeth, but I’m not going to complain as the whole thing was largely my fault.

My driver’s license expired in 2007. Back then, I didn’t have a car anymore, so I just put the whole thing on the back burner. Then I moved to Thailand and lost the expired card somewhere. When I moved back home, mum arranged for an Affidavit of Loss so I can get it sorted out, but I kept putting it off and putting it off. By the time I got around to it a few weeks ago, it has already been expired for over 2 years. And this means that LTO now had every right to make my life a living hell.

I practically had to start from scratch, sans the student’s permit and driving lessons. The worst part had to be the drug test. I’ve always hated public bathrooms, and having to use a horrible, smelly one in the dingiest LTO-accredited drug testing center imaginable to pee in a cup AND then personally transfer the contents in a teeny tiny bottle was absolute torture. Thank all the stars that the whole process didn’t last too long, so I was in and out and done with the medical hoopla within minutes. Really, that drug testing center/medical clinic was like a well-oiled machine. Why, they can even process car insurance while you wait!

The rest of the steps weren’t as horrible, thank heavens, but they were still unbelievably exhausting. I had to travel all the way to the main LTO office downtown – which is quite a long way away from where I live now, mind you – several times every day for nearly a week. I had to sit through a very boring lecture in a very stuffy room, take a written exam that I (naturally) aced, and a driving test.

I have to admit, I was very nervous about the driving part. Although I drove my own car for nearly 4 years, I have not driven at all in nearly 6, so I was absolutely terrified. We also had to supply our own vehicle, and since I didn’t have one, I had to borrow a car from one of my mum’s friends. Good thing she agreed – after all, not a lot of people would lend an unlicensed driver who hasn’t so much as driven a wagon in 6 years their car.

Well, as it turns out, my (and I imagine, her) fears were unfounded. The moment I got behind the wheel, it really was a lot like finding a long lost friend. I never realized how much I missed the freedom of driving. Even The Husband, who was always so skeptical about my driving skills, was thoroughly impressed. Tee hee.

It was a relief that the car was a stick (manual transmission), actually. I learned on a stick and drove a stick. I was once forced to drive an automatic once, and I hated every minute of it. There was just no . . . artistry to it. I guess my examiner saw that I’ve been driving for a while because he just asked me to parallel park and that was it. The other examinees took half the freakin’ morning. After that, I just had to take a quick trip to LTO one last time, and I got my driver’s license card within minutes.

I must say, I was very impressed with the new LTO, even after all the crap that I had to go through. If my license wasn’t expired for over 2 years, I would’ve been in and out of the LTO office (with the proper driver’s license card, mind you, and none of those shitty temporary receipt things) in about an hour. The Husband got his student’s permit (he had to start over because he lost his UK license) in 10 minutes. Truly, the things that government offices can do when they decide to join the rest of us in the Information Age never cease to amaze me.

This morning I woke up to good – no, make that awesome – news: Universal Studios Singapore opens on the 18th of March! And to think I was just moaning about how I wished the place would be open by the time The Family and I go to Singapore in April.

And the best part is we can purchase the tickets online in advice, which means that if we can just get a hold of ‘em tickets, there’s absolutely no reason why we couldn’t go. They don’t start selling ‘em tickets until the 10th of March at 9 AM, but guess who’s setting her phone alarm for 8:30 AM that day?

The Family and I, we’re huge fans of theme parks, so just imagine how exciting this is for all of us. Oh, and I hope they’ve got a killer roller coaster!

Seriously, I’m so happy right now that if I were dying of Mesothelioma, I would probably die happy. And that’s NOT even funny!

For more information on the Universal Studios at Resorts World Sentosa, visit their blog here.

I’ve said this once, and I’ll say it again: I love my job. And by extension, this means I really do enjoy working; hence, why I do little else.

These days, however, my focus has been quite off. Case in point – a task that would normally take me an hour to do now takes me about a couple at best, half a day at worst. I can’t help it. I’m now on vacation mode! The slightest reminder of the trips that I’m going to be taking within the next few months is enough to get me Googling like mad and planning our itineraries like a woman possessed.

Although Branson vacations are not part of the agenda right now, I am still heading to parts made of awesome.

Next week, The Husband and I are off to Donsol, Sorsogon for a couple of days. In case you’re wondering what could possibly be in Donsol that’s worth the excitement, I’ll give it to you in two words: whale sharks.

Oh, and we’re not just off to watch whale sharks, we’re actually going to SWIM with whale sharks. How cool is that? I’m absolutely DYING with excitement! So much so, in fact, that I’ve had my sister make me a special swimsuit that will guarantee that I don’t get mistaken for plankton. And yes, I’m serious.

I’m also looking forward to the firefly river cruise. I love fireflies, really I do, and I’m looking forward to seeing so many in such a romantic setting.

Next, we’re off to Singapore in April with The Family. I’ve never gotten around to visiting Singapore, even back in the days I spent gallivanting around the Southern Thailand and Malaysia, so I’m very much looking forward to this trip. Oh, I hope they finally open up the new Universal Studios by then!

In May, The Family and I will be going on a beach trip – probably to Bantayan again. If so, that would be my sixth time on the island, but hey, we all know that a trip to the beach is always something to look forward to, no matter what!

At the end of June, The Husband and I are going back to my favorite city (so far): Hongkong! I. CAN’T. WAIT!

I’ve been looking forward to going back since our first trip in 2007, so we’ve decided to stay a bit longer than we did the last time. We’re very much looking forward to exploring Macau some more and going birdwatching in the wetlands near Mai Po and, of course, getting back on The Abyss (THE mother of all rides, baby!) in Ocean Park.

Pardon the video. I was nearly 3 years younger, 3 years more stupid, and 3 years more O.A. The potty mouth hasn’t changed, though.

We’re yet to plan more trips for the second half of the year, but right now, I’m thinking of Coron (Palawan), Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia), and Jakarta/Bali (Indonesia).

Yes, it still amazes me how happy and giddy the prospect of traveling makes me. After staying put in Cebu for so long, I’ve almost forgotten how good it feels to be someplace new. Oh yes, I’ve missed being Wander Girl, I tell you! And the prospect of taking hundreds upon hundreds of potentially gorgeous photographs is absolutely exciting!

So how about you? Where are you off to this year?

As far as guilty pleasures go, there’s nothing I love more than bad movies. And no, I don’t mean box office flops like Spider-Man 3 or that hideous Gamer. I’m talking about movies so bad that they actually end up being really, really good – all because you’ve never laughed so hard in your life until you’ve watched ‘em.

I’ve seen – and enjoyed – plenty of these B movies in my time. But there’s none that I love more than my all-time favorite, Sinbad of the Seven Seas. Let one of my (many) favorite scenes tell you why:

Seriously, has anyone heard of a more atrocious dialogue or seen worse acting? I think not! Goodness, I could probably spend the entire afternoon extolling the rather dubious virtues of Lou Ferrigno as Sinbad and John Steiner as the evil Jaffar, but then, I’ll probably babble on and on forever! So if you want to learn more – or if you just need a really, really good laugh – read this fantastic review.

He’s awesome, this Lou Ferrigno.

Oh, and it you want to watch the entire movie, it’s easily available on torrent. Or you can always get it from Amazon for as low as $0.99. Seriously.