It’s just that once again, I’ve got projects right up to my eyeballs. First, my boss decided to expand and throw a few (okay, a lot) more responsibilities my way. But who’s complaining? I love my job!

Then I helped my sister launch her new clothing label, Innuendo SWAGGER. Check out the FRESH collection here, if you haven’t already. The dresses and tops we launched this week are gorgeous! And because we don’t mass produce, you really won’t have to worry about running into someone wearing the same thing. That’s a good enough incentive, don’t you think?

And finally, we also launched another new project together, strictly for fun. We started a fashion blog, whoop-dee-doo! Check us out at Sistahs Stylistahs! Oh, and do be nice! I know we probably need a fat burner diet pill or two, but hey, we’re not half bad. Even if I do say so myself, tee hee.

So that (and spending endless hours tinkering with my new toy) is what I’ve been up to these days. Missed me? I hope so because I’ve definitely missed blogging!

- Posted using BlogPress from Agrippa, the iPad

When we first visited HK in 2007, we had the misfortune of staying at the Travellers Friendship Hostel in the famous (and grubby) Mirador Mansions. On our first night, we were ‘upgraded’ to a deluxe room at the USA Hostel (they’re the same company, apparently) because our room at Travellers Friendship was still occupied. We were supposed to move in the morning – quite inconvenient, but we didn’t bother complaining about something so trivial. The room looked fine, though, so were expecting our ‘real’ room to be okay, at the very least.

How wrong we were! It was actually more of a closet than a room. It was just wide enough to fit a filthy double bed. The only way on or off the bed was via the bottom, where we had about no more than 2 feet of floor space before we reached the bathroom door.

And don’t get me started on the bathroom. It was beyond icky with cracked and yellowing tiles and the grubbiest grout imaginable. Cold water just trickled out of the shower, so we had to spend more time in the bathroom than was necessary. And the toilet . . . ugh! We had to pull a chain dangling from the ceiling to flush it, imagine that.

It was bad. No, scratch that. It was BEYOND bad! And when we tried to complain about it, the really rude staff actually had the nerve to tell us to move elsewhere while refusing to give us a refund on the same breath!

We vowed never to stay there again, which was why I spent the last few months looking for more suitable accommodation for our second visit without ruining the budget we’ve set aside for accommodation. As a rule, we make it a point not to spend more than US$200 total on accommodation, and since HK is an expensive city, our choices were limited to hostels. I did consider staying in yet another hostel in Mirador Mansions (Cosmic Guesthouse), but I just couldn’t forget our last trip, so I kept looking.

Thankfully, I stumbled over the Hop Inn on Trip Advisor. It was only a tad pricier than Cosmic, but a hell of a lot prettier and better recommended. I figured the US$60 (or so) difference was worth it – and it was!

Like all HK hostels, the Hop Inn had small rooms, yes. But one could really see the love and care put in to the venture. It’s run by two brothers, Simon and Wilson, and they did a fantastic job of making the best out of the available space by commissioning local artists to paint pretty murals on the walls. This made the rooms cozier and seem a lot larger.

Photo Taken from the Hop Inn Site

I especially loved the uber cool glass bathrooms, the LCD HDTV, the hot and cold shower, and the very modern toilet. Also, the location was absolute perfection. It’s no more than a few blocks’ walk from Victoria Harbour, the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, the Star Ferry terminal, and all the best that Tsim Sha Tsui could offer. There was even a huge HMV right across the street, and as far as The Husband was concerned, he was in Blu-ray heaven.

The View from Our Window

They also had free wifi. And if you didn’t have a laptop, you could borrow one from reception – FREE! There’s free drinking water in the common room, and you could refill your water bottles all you want. There’s also a tiny but comfy reception area where you could read books and magazines, or chat with whoever’s tinkering with the iMac behind the reception desk.

My only gripe about the whole Hop Inn experience is probably the lack of sufficient surface space. We really could’ve used maybe a small table in the room to put odds and ends on. Instead, we ended up putting things on the windowsill or the floor. But no biggie; we made do with what was available, and we were still perfectly comfortable.

Our 3-day stay at the Landscape of the Traveler’s Palm room worked out just a little over US$180 at US$62 a night. It was worth every penny. In fact, we’ve already decided to stay at the Hop Inn next time we’re in HK. Which will be, what, early next year?

I honestly can’t wait to be back. And to think I’ve only just left! God, I ♥ Hong Kong!

Within the last 24 hours since she flew out of Cebu, I seemed to have developed an aversion to food. I’m hungry, but I don’t want to eat anything. In fact, the thought of food makes me slightly sick.

However, this does not mean that sadness is the best weight loss product. I can only stomach Macadamia and Caramel gelatos and tiramisus and Rockin’ Road Krushers right now. Evidently, my newfound distaste for food does not extend to sweets.

Thank heavens there’s the Hong Kong trip to forcibly pull me out of this funk in 3 days. Being sad – and hungry – is a pain.

Mum, you are missed. I love you.♥♥♥

This was me in Ocean Park back in October 2007:

Yes, I’m in a pumpkin!

Good God, was I skinny! At the moment, I’m going to need to bring out ‘em weight loss products again, if I am going to rock all the outfits I’ve bought . . . so far. Oh, well.

So the countdown begins today. And it’s a bit of a catch-22 because I’m also counting down to something that’ll happen a few days before the Hongkong trip that I’m dreading. On the one hand, I’m wishing time will hurry up somewhat so I can go a’traveling again, but on the other, I’m wishing it won’t! It really is a freakin’ emotional roller coaster, and I’m starting to feel a tad bipolar.

How about you? Have you ever felt this conflicted before?

The fact that I actually care enough to keep myself informed of what’s going on is quite surprising, really. I never thought I would, but I guess there’s something very horribly disconcerting about seeing a myriad of streets and buildings and even freakin’ 7-11s that should have been familiar but are now barely recognizable from all the damage that’s been done.

And as shallow as this may sound, what shook me most was seeing Central World Plaza burning. I cannot count the many Sundays I’ve spent taking refuge in Central or in Siam Paragon next door because I was a new girl in a strange city and had absolutely no idea how to get around. Siam was the easiest place for me to get to back then, so week after lonely week I would journey to that crowded, bustling place, and sit and read or write beside the fountains, or meander from shop to shop, daydreaming as I did so. For me, it was the place of first dates and glorious IMAX movies and expensive wifi, and by the time I finally left the city, I could’ve probably walked through the area all the way to Pratunam, or Chulalongkorn University, or Soi Nana, or even Silom blindfolded. Why, I probably still could.

Oh, Bangkok. How I grieve for you! Once upon a time, you helped a girl finally find herself. I hope, after all that’s been said and done, your people will help you do the same.

I’ve always loved summer. I love its promise of beaches and cloudless skies and sun-kissed days. All the summers of my life have always been fun and full of promise, so it’s no wonder why I never want it to end. Usually.

Well, except for this summer, that is.

The few fabulous trips we’ve taken notwithstanding, I think the only thing I’ve managed to do the past couple of months or so is soak in my own sweat all day and all night. It’s the dripping kind, too. In fact, I’ve been sweating so much that I didn’t even know that I – or anyone, for that matter – could be capable of sweating as much as this. Frequent showers, baby powder, and even air-conditioning do not seem to be helping at all. So all I can do is soak, sweat, and soak some more in this wretched heat.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, there seems to be no end in sight for the oh-so vile power outages that seem to be occurring more and more often now. Every day, like clockwork, usually between 9 AM and 1 PM, I find myself cursing VECO to the heavens. Seriously, why do they always turn off the damned power when the sun is at its hottest? And why is the company so backwards that it can’t see the benefits of weatherization training for its employees?

Strangely enough, The Husband (he who has been used to snow and ice and the awful cold of London) is faring a lot better than I am – and I’ve lived in the tropics forever. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s actually enjoying it. But then, life’s not fair that way.

Really, it’s hellish, this summer. And for once, I would be very glad when it’s over. Here’s hoping it won’t decide to extend its stay this year. I’ve had enough. Really.

I looooove this outfit! And it’s thrifted, too!

To sum it up, the city was lovely, most of the people and most of the food were rather horrid, the cabbies were loopy, the shopping was expensive, the giraffes were L-O-V-E, and Universal Studios was the icing on the cake. Yes, just two days in Singapore was absolutely insane, and I’m glad I got to experience that epic insanity with The Family.

My only decent Universal Studios globe-thingy photo.

And yes, we’re already planning our next trip back.

For more Singapore photos, see them here or here.

I was going to blog about it tonight, but I’m still a heartbroken at the moment. I spent the past couple of hours or so post-processing and uploading the photos I took and we were about to get started on The Husband’s camera, when – brace yourself! – not a single file will open. Not. A. Single. One. Why does this break my heart? Well, because most photos taken of me were in that camera, that’s why!

I honestly do not know whether I should be sad, mad, or both. (Chin says both, by the way.) Mostly, however, I just want to die. It’s a lot like knowing the secret of how to get rid of blackheads for good and completely forgetting about it, or winning the freakin’ lottery and finding out that you’ve lost the winning ticket. It’s so depressing. Now I know why some people blow their brains out.

Sigh. I’m waiting for The Mother and The Little Sister to sort out the pictures they took. Here’s hoping that there’s a decent picture or two of myself and The Husband on there somewhere, preferably in each of the places we were in. Hell, even a really bad one of my sunburned and peeling arms is preferable to nothing. Right now, I’d settle for one that would show that I was actually there.

That, and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Karamel Sutra. Oh, wait, there’s one in the fridge!

I initially planned on wearing the cute, backless top that I thrifted a couple of weeks ago, but I had to reconsider. I seemed to have developed some sort of allergic reaction to the silica on sand, and my back is hideous. I planned to get acne treatment, but I just didn’t have the time.

Also, I planned on wearing the top with these really cool leggings that The Mother got from Promod, but The Husband took one look at me and freaked out. The man loathes leggings. He said that although it looked good on me, it still reminded him too much of Essex Girls (the English equivalent of Jersey Girls). And because he is from Essex, I’m inclined to believe him.

I did, however, pick up this really adorable ‘cat’ shirt from my schoolmate, Psyche’s shop.

Photo Credit: Psyche Castillon

Even with all the clothes I’m taking, however, I seem to be the only one in The Family without luggage to check in. I’ve long since given up trying to figure out why people can’t pack as well as I do. *smug*

Day Three

The night before, we made arrangements for a van to take us back to Legazpi City where we had to catch the 14:40 flight back to Cebu, and since we didn’t have to leave until about 11AM, we decided to sleep in. The Husband woke me up with a shower of birthday kisses and greetings – definitely one of my favorite ways to wake up. We were hoping to wake up early enough to get breakfast, but unfortunately, we got up later than expected. We were sharing the van with 3 others, so we really couldn’t dilly-dally.

Our companions – Fiona and Jade (a couple from Australia) and Rod (also from Australia, I believe) – were quite the fun bunch. We’ve seen them around the resort the whole time we were there, but we never spoke to each other until then. We exchanged stories about our Donsol experiences, and as it turned out, they went out for another morning of butanding interaction just that morning. Now why didn’t we think of that? The Husband and I were pretty bummed about that, especially when they told us they saw nine – nine! - sharks that fine, clear morning. Oh, well. I’d be sourgraping a bit when I say that I needed the extra sleep anyway, but I’ll let the puffy eyes that not even the best under eye cream can sort out speak for themselves.

But I digress. Like us, they haven’t seen Mt. Mayon yet, so I asked the driver to stop someplace where we could get a decent view of the mountain. He stopped somewhere on the highway, but unfortunately, half of the mountain was still behind a thick cloud. But at least we managed to see most of the base this time.

Since we still had nearly two hours to kill before our flight, The Husband and I asked the van driver to drop us off at McDonald’s so we can get some food. After all, one should not be starving on one’s 28th birthday. He dropped us off at a mall in the middle of Legazpi City, and he told us we could easily take a tricycle back to the airport. After 2 days of eating mediocre food in Donsol, I was craving for Chicken McNuggets big time (weird, I know), so that’s exactly what I had.

We walked around the mall for a little bit afterwards. It was like a slightly smaller SM, and it had a Metro Gaisano. The Husband left me outside National Bookstore while he bought me a birthday card. My birthday presents were waiting for me at home, but he just had to get me a card, too, because he can be romantic like that. While waiting, I asked the security guard how much a tricycle ride to the airport would cost us, and he said it was about P50. I automatically assumed that it was P50 per person. When I asked the tricycle driver, however, he told me it was P50 for the whole ride. Wo-ow. He had every opportunity to overcharge us, but he didn’t. Yes, there are still some honest people in the Philippines.

We saw a bit of Legazpi City on the way back, and it was such a lovely place that I couldn’t help but wish we were staying longer. Methinks we’ll be staying in Legazpi longer the next time, and maybe even go on a trek to Mayon. It reminded me a lot of Cebu City when I was younger, back when it was nicer, cleaner, and less crowded.

We made it to the airport in record time. Checking in was a breeze, too, and I loved the no-nonsense staff. Why, they even let me in with my bottled water! Practically all the airports I’ve been in always made a fuss about that, so that was a tad shocking.

We had to wait a while for our flight, but we didn’t really mind because we were sitting in what is officially the most scenic airport in the country. We were literally facing the Mayon Volcano, which was only about 12 kilometers away. While waiting, The Husband sort of kept watch near the windows, waiting for the clouds to clear up enough to get a good photograph of the mountain.

Luckily, it did at some point, and we were able to get some good photos. Why, we even saw the smoke pouring out of the crater! That was really, really cool.

Before we knew it, we had to board our plane back to Cebu, and it was officially the end of what is – without a doubt – one of our best holidays ever! We’re already planning our next trip back. ☺

Here’s a rundown of how much the entire trip cost (for two people):

Rountrip flights (Cebu-Legazpi-Cebu) via Cebu Pacific – P2,821.21 (seat sale, baby!)

2 nights at Amor Farm Beach Resort – P3,600 (P1,800 per night for a standard air-conditioned room with hot and cold shower)

Private Van to and from Donsol – P1,200 (P300 each on a van shared by 5 people, one way; it’s about P60 per person on a passenger van)

Registration fee for butanding interaction – P400 (P100 for Filipino, P300 for foreign nationals)

Butanding Interaction – P1,167 (P3,500 divided by 6 people)

Firefly River Cruise – P500 (P1,250 divided by 5 people)

Meals – about P2,000 (for the whole trip)

Tricycle ride to airport from a mall in Legazpi City – P50

Airport Terminal Fees – P460 (P200 per person in Mactan Cebu International Airport; P30 per person in Legazpi City Airport)

Souvenirs – P300

The total? A little less than P12,500, or nearly US$280. Not a bad price to pay for an awesome life experience, eh?

More photos of the trip can be found on Flickr.