Ang Bahay ni Kumareng Grace

Geographically, Singapore is just 300 km away from Kuala Lumpur. Not that far, come to think of it! So you don’t have to worry thinking of ways to get from Singapore to KL, or vise versa. It’s as easy as getting from point A to point B.

First, there are low-cost airlines like Air Asia [Malaysian-based airline], Tiger Airways, or Jetstar. These airlines offer cheap flights. Note though that in KL, airports are 1 to 1 1/2 hours away from downtown KL (e.g., Kuala Lumpur International Airport [KLIA] and the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal).

Second, you can travel by train. I haven’t tried traveling long distance by train in Asia, so I cannot make recommendations. But based on the pictures, the train running from Singapore to Malaysia are very comfortable. If you’re on the adventurous side and want to try the train, here’s a helpful Web site: How to Travel By train in Singapore and Malaysia.

Third, you can try the buses, which we did.

Buses were so nice! The normal bus for them must be the super special buses we have here!

This was our bus. It looks like an ordinary bus by Philippine standards. But when you get inside, you will see the difference.

More space…more legroom.. more comfort! There were only three seats in a row.

The seats were better that than what we had on our flights! Super comfortable, and all we had to do was sleep soundly!

We just slept through the 6-hour trip from Singapore to KL [which included two stops for immigration purposes and one stop for meals]. It was a breeze. Before we knew it, we were safe and sound in KL!!

When we booked for this trip, online here in Manila, we chose the discounted seats, which are the last seats at the back. It was like 50% off! But you know what, when the trip came, there were only seven of us in the bus, including us. So we had the privilege of transferring and choosing our seats! Lucky us [and a tip for you guys]! We were also lucky that we chose an early-morning trip because we were the only ones lining up at the immigration! I could only imagine the lines during “rush hours,” when several buses stop at a time and many passengers have their passports checked! Nightmare siguro yun!

Anyway, if riding buses is not a problem for you, especially with these kinds of buses, you won’t have a problem with this mode of transportation when going from Singapore to KL! In addition, there are so many buses running this route that you won’t have a hard time looking for one when you are taking time and place of departure and arrival into consideration. All you have to do is choose!

Here are some very helpful Web sites:

Journey Malaysia

Express Bus Travel Guide

Travel Malaysia

Bus Companies:

Aeroline

First Coach Bus Express

Five Stars Tours

Grassland Express

Konsortium Bus Express [where we booked]

Luxury Express

Odyssey Bus

Plusliner

Sri Maju Bus Express

Transnasional

Transtar Travel

PS, I would like to acknowledge Mimi (Sleepless in KL), who helped us figure out the Singapore-KL route! Thanks Mimi!

I don’t normally say this but…

Lord,

Thanks for the drizzle I woke to this morning. As I walked out of the house, I felt the small drops of rain on my skin and smelled the scent of wet grass. I haven’t had those in months already.

Pwede po ba medyo mas malakas na ulan? We badly need it. Thanks.

(photo source)

For those who have been wanting to travel but have found so many excuses not to, especially “not having the money,” this post is for you.

I suggest that you read 5 Ways to Travel More With Less, written by Annabel Candy for a guest post for Zen Habits. Annabel provides five tips on how one can go and see the world with minimal expenses.

Here are snippets of her tips.

1. Start Local. First try changing your mindset. The purpose of travel is to see new things and experience new cultures. Many people think that in order to see things they’ve never seen before they need to travel far afield but that’s not true. Find out more about your local area. Anywhere within a two or three hour drive should be fair game for a weekend trip. If you’ve got longer you can extend your range further.

When I lived on the beautiful Waiheke Island in New Zealand I was amazed by the number of Aucklanders who, on hearing where I lived, would wistfully say:

“What’s it like? I’d love to visit some time.”

But Waiheke is only a 35 minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland so I couldn’t understand why they didn’t just jump on the ferry and check it our for themselves.

2. Accommodation. Think outside the box. For me, travel isn’t about staying in boutique hotels or luxury spas. Travel is about getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing things you’ve never tried before.

3. Food. Who needs fancy restaurants? Even eating out at fast food joints will eat into your precious travel budget. With a little advance planning and some basic equipment you can feed yourself twice a day for a minimal cost.
When it comes to the evening meal, watch where the locals eat, don’t head straight to the touristy restaurants. Street food can be excellent and extremely cheap too. I ate lots of street food from stalls in India and never got sick once. In fact, I may be the only person in the entire universe who went to India for three months and put on weight. My secret is to pick stalls that are poplar with the locals, watch what they order and get the same.

4. Sight-Seeing. There’s a lot of store set by seeing the big sights, like visiting Disneyland, going up the Eiffel Tower or touring the Sydney Opera House. But these things tend to be expensive. They’re big ticket items so limit yourself to one at the most per trip.

Some of the best things have no entry charge and there are plenty of lesser known attractions which may be free or low cost like hanging out at Venice Beach in Los Angeles, visiting Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris or browsing the Paddington markets in Sydney. All fun, interesting and easy on the budget too. You get the idea, no matter where you’re going don’t feel you have to spend big on the main tourist attractions. That’s all they are, you can learn more by hanging out with the locals.

5. Relax. This is my top tip. Too often a vacation or travel becomes a check list of things to do. Promise yourself that you’ll stop trying to tick things off just for the sake of it.

For example, f you do make it to Paris then visiting the tourist attractions needn’t be your top priority. You won’t see many French people paying to climb the Eiffel Tower. They’re all sitting in the cafes having a short black coffee (the cheapest option) and people watching. Or you can join them wandering free of charge around the parks, visiting the local markets and walking along and over the bridges of the River Seine.

That’s it! Don’t delay. Get your calendar out and write in when you’re going away for the weekend. My next trip is to the hinterland which features waterfalls and bush walks and is only about a ninety minute drive from my house. Definitely not something you’d want to do for a day trip with 3 young kids in the car so I think we’ll pack the tent, relax and make a weekend of it.

I loved, loved her tips simply because they are all doable!

Most of my trips have been carried out on budget. But I haven’t had one that I felt I have been deprived. Just a testimony that one can travel for less.

And I stress tips 2 and 3 because these will certainly help. I also generally don’t go for fancy restaurants or hotels [although it's nice to splurge on these once in a while]. In fact, here’s something I’ve learned during my trips: Staying in “affordable” hotels and eating on the streets, where the locals are [as Annabel put it], are the BEST ways for you to learn the culture of a place [if that is your goal], meet people, and appreciate the place better. That is tried and tested. Compare eating in a stiff, upscale restaurant to eating in a street market and you will automatically see the difference in terms of meeting people, tasting the local cuisine, seeing the “action,”  and most importantly, experiencing the local life. As for number 4, I also believe that many “unconventional,” less touristy sites are oftentimes better than the popular ones!

So there! Now that you know, pack your bags and go!

Around a month ago, Wendy asked me to buy her a trumpo [top]. Last week, it was this:

I was instantly brought back to my “jackstone days”! Oooohh, how I love jackstones: it’s a cheap toy [kahit ata sa palengke meron nito], it has many “variations,” it is fun to play!

I tried playing again after so many years, just to show off in front of Wendy. Sabi ko kasi expert ako sa jackstones! He! He! In the round of 1 to 10, I went “dead” only once! Yay! Yun nga lang, pagdating sa exhibition, medyo hirap na sa “around the world,” “cave,” and others.

Remember the “exhibition” part? There are so many choices; minsan pwede pa mag-imbento! As long as you do something not normal [ie, not just picking up the stars], lusot na!

Oh, how I love it when kids nowadays play what we were playing before! At least it’s not all computers and PSPs! Enjoy naman diba?

Warning: This post contains some really gross text! If you are eating something, do not proceed!

In relation to my earlier post on doing our part to curb the water and energy crisis, my friends and I were talking on how we can save water. The tips went from the serious ones to the funny, gross, or both!

• Wag na paliguan ang pets! Let the dogs and cats stink! [The cats must be jumping for joy now!]
• Irasyon ang tubig! Mga tag limang galon lang bawat myembro ng pamilya kada araw, kasama na ligo, inom, hugas, etc! [Uy, ang hirap ata nito.]
  
• Pag nagtoothbrush ka, yung ginargle mo, ipangdilig mo na ng halaman! [Uy, pwede! Pero di kaya mamatay yung halaman?]
  
• Or, pag uhaw ka, isabay mo na sa pag toothbrush mo, para yung ginargle mo, sabay inumin mo na rin! [Nyak! Over ata ito!]
  
• Maligo ka sa garden, para yung pinanliligo mo, derecho na sa mga halaman. [Sounds fun! He! He!]
  
• Pag wiwi lang naman, wag na muna mag flush. Antayin na maging super yellow yung tubig or hanggat kaya pa tiisin ang panghi. [Eeewwww!!!]
• Pag poo-poo naman, pag di naman kalat o mabaho, hayaan na lang muna. Gamitin muna ng iba sa pag-wi-wi [or pwede din poo-poo uli] bago iflush. [Double eeeewwww!!!]
  
• Lahat ng tubig na pwede isave, isave, like ulan, pwede na din ang luha! [Super sad naman ng life mo kung nasasave mo luha mo!]
• Yung sabaw ng mga ulam, wag itapon. Gamitin sa susunod na lutuan, gawing na lang iba [eg, nilaga, gawing sinigang]. [Uhmm...nilaga-slash-sinigang? Pwede ba yun?]
• Wag na magpa-carwash, itayin na lang umulan. [Eh hindi nga umuulan eh!]

Even you, my dear readers, have some funny tips!

• Chyng: Di ako maliligo pag walang pasok! [Ginagawa na to ni Wendy at ng kapatid ko!]
  
• Boknoi: Simula ngayon, sabay na kami maliligo ni misis. [Beeepppp! R-18 ang comment na yan!]
  
• Pansitlove: Ginamit kong panghugas ng auto ko yung ginamit ko sa paglalabada. Amoy Downy na din yung auto ko. [Galing!]
  

These tips are certainly doable…but it’s up to you! He! He!

Hey, I know that the water crisis is a serious issue, but I just wanted to make you smile today! It’s the middle of the week, and we might all need a good laugh! Have a great Wednesday everyone!

With the current crisis we are facing [or about to face] regarding the shortage of energy and water, I think it is time we open our eyes to the reality that we need to do something about it. Each and every one of us.

You know what? I honestly believe that there will be no shortage if we all just used these resources prudently. We may think that we are just one person, that we are insignificant. But in reality, we are like a drop of water in a basin that our actions will create a ripple. It’s the truth.

If you are not a firm believer of social responsibility, then at least save energy and water for selfish reasons, like doing it for yourself or your families.

If you don’t know where to start, the links below can be very helpful:

Energy:

Saving Energy

20 Things You Can Do to Save Energy

Quick Ways to Save on Electricity

Water:

Save Water: 49 Ways

25 Ways to Save Water at Home and Yard

Let us all do our part, no matter how small. If we put together all our “small” efforts, it will make a huge difference!

When visiting a place, have you every felt one of the following:

• I think I have seen this before….
• This looks familiar…
• I’ve felt/experienced this before…

Then you realize that you have seen it before, just in another place at another time. In short, it looks or feels like something you seen or felt in the past!

I’ve had these thoughts every now and then especially when  am traveling and I see something new. It’s deja vu!

Below, I have compiled some similar views that I have visited that made me say, “Parang yung ano sa ano ha…”

Just for fun, try to see if you can guess the subjects of these pictures or where these pictures were taken. I know some of you know some of these places and have been there. The answers will be at the end!

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Forgive me for bringing up such a minute issue. But this is something I really don’t get.

Call me mababaw, call me ignoramus, but please tell me, why, oh why, do we use the towels in hotels as floor mats in the bathrooms?

I rarely stay in plush hotels, even when traveling. I prefer the homey, bed-and-breakfast type of accommodations. But of course, there will be times you cannot get away from these nice hotels.

One practice I noticed that has evolved through the years is the use of hotel towels, most of the time WHITE towels, as floor mats! I don’t get it! I mean, aren’t towels supposed to be used for the body? Is there an unwritten rule about this? Or do these towels have a fine print stating that these should be used as mats? Have I been so out of the loop that I am unaware that hotel towels are now actually made for this purpose?

I remember this conversation between me and my sister years ago when the two of us stayed in a hotel:

KG: Pa-abot nga nung towel.

Sister: Tawag ka na lang sa housekeeping, hingi ka na lang.

KG: Asan na yung mga towels? Dalawa yun diba? Bakit pa ako hihingi ng isa?

Sister: Ginamit ko na yung isa. Yung isa asa sahig na.

KG: What????

For goodness sake! These are T-O-W-E-L-S!

I really didn’t get it. For a time, I was in denial. For me, it just didn’t feel right. I didn’t want to do it, and I refused to do it. But there’s no escaping it, because if I am not the one to do it, whoever I’m with will beat me to it. The towel always ends up on the floor.

To ease this curiosity [and, to tell you truthfully, bit of annoyance], I decided to do a little research…just to see the rationale of the whole thing. Along the way, I find the definition of the word towel, which, according to Merriam Webster, means “an absorbent cloth or paper for drying.”

Aha! Ayun naman pala! So these towels must be for the feet only, for they do end up on the floor! Pwede naman pala sya gamitin sa floor…

So now, I am making an arguable conclusion: There is no one else to blame here but the hotels themselves! Ha! I am saying this for the simple reason that I’m pretty sure they know that people are doing this but are not doing anything about it.

I remember staying in a hotel and making a quick survey of the room, only to find three sets of towels: a bath towel, a hand towel, and a face towel [what we call bimpo], but alas, no floor mat [or even a foot towel]. So again, the towel ends up on the floor.

So, I make this request to the hotels around the world, I beg you, please, please, place floor mats in your bathrooms so that these white, fluffy, soft towels will actually be used for their purpose! I don’t want to see white towels on the floor again [unless they truly are foot towels]!

Otherwise, I really need someone to give me an acceptable explanation.

A lot of my preconceived notions about Singapore were squashed after our recent trip there.

I imagined Singapore to be all buildings and all high tech. Yes, it was certainly very urbanized and there were lots of buildings, but it was not the picture I had in mind. Despite the abundance of buildings and malls, there were many trees and plants, providing a beautiful contrast between urbanization and maintenance of nature. This is the result, someone told me, of great urban planning.

In addition, I thought that  there were a few places to go to. WRONG! Again, 2 days was not enough, as in not enough, to visit the wonderful places in Singapore.

And, most importantly, contrary to what others have been saying, I found Singapore to be a low-budget destination for tourists [perhaps not when one will live there]. I guess the key is, as always, finding the right places: where to go, where to stay, where to eat, where to shop.

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Yes, I am back…but not exactly in the groove. I have had hardly any sleep, plus I got sick today!

I just wanted to say hello to everyone and to share a little incident.

Remember this? I was hoping that was the last one. Pero it comes in threes nga siguro [as Shie also suggested].

Two Saturdays ago, I was the lucky recipient of a new cell phone courtesy of my father’s retention plan in Smart. My mother not really gave it to me, but she sold it to me really cheap.  Anyway, I was mulling over what to do with my old, reliable, cute cell phone: sell it or keep it.

But before I could even think about it, I lost it at the airport [NAIA 3] last Monday, before our flight. Somebody must have picked it and kept it because when I asked Rico to ring it, cannot be reached na. Of all the luck! Bad trip talaga!!!

Imagine, I have never lost a cell phone my entire life. In addition, my brother insisted on transferring all my contacts, messages, and calendar entries to the new phone that same morning, even though I keep on telling him, “pagbalik ko na lang!” But he said, “Ngayon na!” Ayun, buti na lang nailipat lahat! If not, I would have lost all my contact numbers. Imagine…mukhang pinaghandaan!

My sister summed it well for me: Nagtampo ang phone mo dahil may kapalit na sya!!

Well, that’s life. The good thing is that incident did not set the mood for our trip!

Anyway, that’s it for now. My stomach is rumbling again!

Singapore and KL posts coming soon!

I will visit your sites soon!!!