Singapore Airlines: On Board The Airbus A-380 Business Class

I copy pasted from my old Livejournal account.

Date of Entry Oct 2011

Sector: SG- SYD

Theme song for this post: THOSE WERE THE DAYS

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Singapore Airlines: The Best Way To End My Adventure

I just love this airline!

Upon arrival at the check in counter, the rest of the ground staff had been briefed and were all aware of my situation. 

They have checked with immigration and I was assured that I will have safe travels back to the Philippines.

It was a very smooth and pleasant check-in. 

Upon crossing the final border control, I celebrated with 3 glasses of champagne! 

By the time I was ready to board, I was already too happy from my champagne. 

The kind people at Singapore Airline gave me a great seat on the second level of the my favorite aircraft, the Airbus A-380

Too close to business class! I swear my heart bled a little everytime the curtains were opened and I'd see the people in their very nice compartments. 

I used to be one of those people... 

Oh times have indeed changed. The world is indeed round.

FREE FLOWING Food and Wine and inflight movies kept me awake during the entire 14 hour flight! I watched mostly French and Japanese movies because I don't have access to those. 

Thank You Singapore Airlines. I can't imagine long haul flights without you!

Thankful,

L

PARIS: Choose A Bridge And Promise Forever

Paris is Paris is Paris.

 I never get tired of Paris. It truly is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. 

When we were dating, S told me that we should choose a bridge along the river Seine and we should always visit  it every time we find ourselves in Paris.

And so for the last 4 years, it has become our tradition to visit PONT D' ARCOLE.

We eat Nutella Crepe and drink in the beautiful view, watch lovers stroll by and we listen to Edith Piaf.

Certainly, many things have changed since the first time we declared this as "our bridge". 

I'm no longer that giddy and blushing girl. 

But after all the things that have happened, I still love my husband...or then again, maybe it's just the effect of Paris...

Sleepy,

L

BROKEN TING HUN

What happens if the Ting Hun is called off? 

If it was published in the papers, a retraction notice must be published too...

The jewelries must all be returned to the respective parties. 

I am aware of two broken Ting Hun. In both cases, the guys broke off the engagement. The girls and their families returned the jewelries, watches and clothes.

HOWEVER! In my opinion, whoever is the "casualty" deserves the spoils of the war.

If ako yun, I will not return anything! Dammit, down payment nga di binabalik e!

If the broken Ting Hun was traumatic and humiliating, the afflicted party can consider filing a lawsuit.

Cheers,

L

Ps> read my entry again and saw all my grammatical errors! Grrrr!

TING HUN: What The Groom And His Family Need To Prepare

I am writing this post because my sister-in-law just got engaged!!!!! Hey hey hey!

S is very excited! He's asking way too many questions. I constantly remind him to chill.

IDEALLY, the Ting Hun should be last time that the mother has a say on the marriage of her son. 

Brides, you must understand that this period of preparation is a bonding moment between your future MIL and your future husband. As much as possible, don't meddle. 

THIS IS YOUR MOTHER- IN- LAW'S SHOW.

With out any sugar coating, the Ting Hun is a showcase of wealth. It is meant to show the bride's family and friends that she is welcomed by her future in laws. It is a promise that she will be well taken cared of by her new family.  

If both couples are working and providing for themselves, no need for this. In the olden times, this was needed because girls were married off to guys recommended by the match makers. Usually, these guys lived in other towns. Assurances were necessary.  

It seems that, in the eyes of the bride (and her parents)...the jewelries from the groom's family signify the her worth to them.  After listening to several brides and wives, I finally understood why.

I was told that one mom cried when she saw her daughters bling. 

Groom and family... please note that most often than not, the family and relatives of the bride do talk about the jewelries you will give. 

I was told by Mr. Q ( a businessman from Iloilo) that the family of so and so gave the family of so and so bride, fake jewels! They rusted!  QUE HORROR! Needless to say, the whole town of ILOILO knows!

I also know of a bride who was planning to display fake jewelries just to shut her momma up!

Hay no need! 

Ting Hun is a gesture of welcome and assurances. No need to show off if you don't have much budget or if you are already very assured!  It is perfectly acceptable in this century to have a western engagement.

That being said, here are the things the groom and his family need to prepare:

1. One (1) Golden Medallion

The bigger and the HEAVIER the better! May powers daw if malaki e! Will protect you from bullets! Hahahaha!

2. One (1) Watch

Standard watch given is a Rolex.

Pwede Omega.

The hip ones give Jaeger, Tudor, Chopard, IWC, Panerai...

If mayaman ka, Patek.

3. Two (2) golden bangles tied together with red thread

4. Minimum of four (4) jewelry sets.  

Ideally with the following precious stones/gems:

- diamonds

- pearls

- emerald

- ruby

- sapphire 

Note: In HK, they prefer pure gold since the value of gold is easily valuated. In the future, should you  need to sell, gold is easier to liquidate.

5. Minimum of eight (8)sets of clothes or 8 sets of cloths/ fabric which will also be made into clothes.

Note: In the olden days, the  bride and her relatives would make these fabrics into her new wardrobe (including shoes!) While sewing, they would sing, talk and even cry. This would be the last time that they would be together so it was quite a sad moment. 

6. Two (2) pomelos

7.  Two (2) bouquets of flowers 

Note: 8 dozens of flowers per bouquet

8.  Two (2) Ang Pao

Note: minimum of 20k for small angpao and 60k for big angpao

No 4

No odd numbers 

As a sign of good manners, the bride-to-be should return the bigger amount or both

9. Fabric for the parents of the bride 

Note: Fabric for suit/barong of the father of the bride and for the  gown of her mother 

10. One (1) Smaller round cake for the bride-to-be

11. Red cloth for the table 

Note: This will also be used to make the dress of the first born. 

In our case, the restaurant provided this.

12. Ingredients for the misua soup (Misua, 2 eggs, 2 Ang Cho)

Note: The restaurants will also provide this.

13. Two (2) SIN HA filled with fruits 

Note: This is optional. Some people rent the  Sin Ha pero honestly, this is for "aesthetics only". 

The family of the bride will still need to sort out the fruits and distribute to the rest of the relatives. 

In our case because my family flew in and out right after the event (like a band on a gig). 

To free them from hassle, the family of my husband packed the fruits in such a way that they were ready for check-in and already sorted them out in the gift packs for the guests.

14. Gift packs for all the guests (1 pack for each family).

Gift packs should contain the following:

- Misua

- Fruit Cocktail

- Fruits

- Pork Leg

- Cookies

- Candies

Note: EVEN numbers

15. Wedding Rings 

Yes! This is already given and EXCHANGED during the Ting Hun. So yes, I had no say in choosing my wedding band. But the standard 5 diamonds is very much appreciated! Salamat po!

16. Corsage or Buttonier

17. THE BANQUET. 

Who pays for the banquet?

This is debatable. In some cases, the family of the bride offers. This makes sense because traditionally, the Ting Hun happened in the village and house of the bride's family.  

In my case, my family didn't know much and infact, my mom didn't understand that was discussed anything during the Kiu Hun. So, my in- laws took care of everything.

No Complaints! Ganda di ba! charrrr

For Brides-to-be click this LINK to know what you need to prepare. Don't worry, you don't need to do much at this point.

Kiong Hee,

L

PS> list given by S. He complained that my cake wasn't smaller than his. 

Hello Neighbor

Grabe naman sa lapit!!!!

Pwede ba humingi ng asukal????

Joks

L

Prayer To The Virgin Mary

Blessed Mary, Mother of God, pray for me! A poor sinner, a poor sinner...

I am grateful that despite of my sins, You allowed me to be in Your Holy Presence. 

You surely didn't make it easy for me to get here.

May my perseverance prove my sincerity, my faith and my adoration.

I ask You to please bless these rosaries through Your miraculous waters. 

I pray that when I give these humble gifts to my family and my friends, may You heal their illnesses and may You give them peaceful hearts.

Immaculate Conception, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

Moved to Tears,

L

Commenting On Social Media

In the absence of intonations, facial expressions and hand gestures, we rely on words, punctuation marks and emoticons when we comment in social media.

By putting yourself "out there", you essentially open the doors to haters and other people who may not love you as much as you love yourself. 

Trust me, I get that.

But under normal circumstances, we try our best to be amiable and pleasant on the different social media platforms when we are "engaging" with our online friends. 

Ofcourse, it depends on your dynamics. There are friends who engage with each other through "OKRAYS". ( What's the English of OKRAY? The closest I can think of is mean girl humor.)

However,  you need to have the intuition to know if a person will be receptive to this type of engagement. 

May mga babaeng bakels talaga na ayaw if sobra kang bait or formal. Pero, kahit sa group na to, hindi pwedeng jokjoks if hindi pa close.

That being said, I find that there are some people who are just very casual with the way they throw their unsolicited comment.  No assessment of the person and their relationship with the person who will be receiving it. 

3 Stories: 

THE WEDDING SHOES 

I posted a picture of my dream shoes in my private Livejournal account.

I shared the Louboutins I have dreamt and saved up for the longest time.

G Comments:   Ouch, those look painful...

****If I were to comment on someone else's dream wedding shoes: 

Option A: Silence

Option B: Beautiful

Option C:  Beautiful! But do bring a spare comfy pair just incase your feet hurt.

Bekimon: Ang gondahhh teh, pero baon kang tsinelas! Taas ng heels eh abot na si lord

THE WEDDING SEMINAR 

I posted about attending a  CCF facilitated "Before I Do" workshop. I humbly shared about how S and I fought and how the seminar explained why we act the way we do and how we should improve.

G comments: I'm glad fiancé and I don't fight. 

****If I were to comment on someone's sharing about their learnings:

Option A: Silence

Option B:  We live, we learn. 

Option C:  Please pray, that if in the future we go through a rough patch, we would know what to do. 

Bekimon:  Gorabelles! Push mo yan!

THE MERMAID 

I posted a picture of a mermaid toy I saw at Hamleys at the Fort with this caption,  "I want one! Sadly, we have no bathtub"

G comments: We do!!! 😂😂😂 ( emoticon of a teary eye, laughing)

****If I were to comment on someone not having what I have...

Option A: Silence

Option B:  Buy and just bring when you go to a hotel.

Option C:  This looks great! I'll get one for my tub ( if you really want to announce  that you have a tub)

Bekimon: Love ko yang mga sirena na yan! 

Ang babaw diba? Pero nakakainis talaga! Well, ganun Talaga! Good thing, we can edit our online. friends with just one click.

I just don't understand why some people could appear so... (fill in the blanks________) online.

Callous daw sabi ni S.

Do you have people like these in your social media circle? How do you react? 

Baffled,

L

Boring Couple

After several days on the road, we find ourselves slipping back to our old ways.

Eating in bed while watching TV series...

But this time we are having champagne in a nice hotel room

And also Yakisoba, hahahah

Growing Bored with Grace,

L

How I Wish To Be Remembered

Somehow, I always manage to find myself in a cemetery. I swear! With or without planning, I always stumble into one.

Yesterday, it happened yet again. As expected, I fell into my usual deep thoughts. 

Sharing with you some of my dark ponderings:

1. Nobody lives forever. At best, one can live until 98 yo.  I didn't see any centenarians in this cemetery.

2. Regardless of your wealth or status in life, you will end up in a container/box. You don't bring your medals, money, house or whatever important with you.

3. Nobody is ever remembered as "a hardworking employee", "highest earner", "richest man". 

Instead, people are remembered as...

-Loving husband/ wife

-Beloved father/mother

-Kind daughter/son

For sure, I will die. There are many things I don't know but this I am 100% certain. When that time comes, I want this written on my tombstone

I ate soulfully

I drank merrily

I danced without any care

I laughed heartily 

I loved with all my being 

I lived with no regrets 

How are you living your life?

Pensive,

L

Camp Nowhere

Too lazy to write 

Currently in the middle in nowhere

Dizzy,

L

Love and Hate

Dear Husband,

Right now I really hate you for putting me in this mess.

But I love you despite your stupid mistake.

In as much as I want to whack you now,  I can't because I love you and I can only think of hugging you. 

In your moment of weakness, I see a boy.  

It's okay. Honestly...it's better than the asshole you normally are when you are victorious. 

Love Wife

.......

So now we switch from honeymoon mode to amazing race mode.

For those who wants to know the pickle I am in, this really needs to be discussed over coffee. Scrap that! Over wine!

I have poured my heart out to (idid) now I don't want to talk about it. Happy thoughts na.

Drink na. Please drink na.

Fucked up abroad,

L

F

F-U-C-K

There I said it.

I'm upset.

Let's drink. 

I'm a horrible person

Today, I ate a rabbit dish that looked and tasted like adobo.

Gosh, now that I am no longer hungry...I can't stop thinking of the cute rabbit that ended up as my lunch.

(Photo Credit: http://www.seeyourinterest.com)

I was fully aware of my choice and yet I acted on impulse/hunger. Now, I feel so bad about it!

Guilty,

L

Singapore Airlines: A Great Way To Start Our Honeymoon

My favorite carrier is Singapore Airlines.  

When I was still a useful and earning citizen,  I used to travel every month for work. I gave a very literal meaning to the phrase "living out of my suitcase." 

I flew so often that I actually thought my ex and I were okay. In hindsight,we were okay because we only saw each other for a few weeks each month. 

Anyway, I digress!!!

Before the 2008 recession, my colleagues and I  flew business class for all flights that took 4 hrs and above. And for someone like me, who came from a small town, flying business onboard the Airbus A380 made me feel I have made it in life!  For real! Yeah! I also felt the same way about Starbucks then.  Hahaha! Ang babao pero totoo!

 (Note: I will copy my entry in Livejournal about my SQ Airbus A-380 Business Class Experience and post it here. Gone are those days...) 

Flying economy isn't so bad either. Actually,  I flew economy most of the time because my usual business route was SG-MLA. 

C'mon!! Look at the beverage menu for economy!

The SQ flight attendants are always very polite and friendly. I have yet to meet a cranky SINGAPORE GIRL.

Needless to say, after many flights, I fell inlove with Singapore Airlines. I can't memorize my own landline number but I know my Kris Flyer ID by heart.

Sadly, I have stopped traveling since I moved back to the Philippines and more so after I retired and became a housewife.   When my status expired, I seriously felt bad. It didn't help that all my brother said to console me was .."It's the end of an era. You had fun."

I miss Singapore Airlines very much

For my honeymoon, I decided to use my last remaining award miles. Given that I was technically flying for free, my options for flying dates were limited. Initially, I was supposed to leave earlier than my husband and stay in Singapore for 3 days...longest layover ever.

When we viewed our seats online, S and I were seated far away from each other  because we booked separately. Every seat was taken! 

So, I called  SQ to ask if they could sit us beside each other for the longer leg of the trip, because it is our honeymoon. I shared with the customer service rep, Felicia, why I had no choice but to fly ahead of my husband. I told her that  after 3 days of being away from from each other, I wish to sit beside him. 

Sappy!!! Hormones lang po.

OMG! The next day, a lady named IVY called me and told me that she could move my first flight and she would sit me beside my husband. I was so happy!!!  

Then, Felicia called me again and told me if I wanted Honeymoon Cake! I was totally floored. I mean where else can you get a service like this!

Our flight was delayed but the Singapore Airlines crew treated us like hotel guests while we were waiting for clearance to take off.

What a great way to start our long over due honeymoon.

Sleepy，

L

P.S. I just realized now that I used to be really agitated/stressed during my many flights. Now that I'm flying with someone, I am enjoying being in long haul flights. There is really a huge difference between business and pleasure trips, noh?

MOVIES: The Judge and This Is Where I Leave You

I rarely watch movies in the theater because movies too expensive nowadays. If and when I do watch, I make sure that the movies are worth their 300 pesos price tag.

 To make sure, I ask Cher Cabula for her opinion. Cher is a Philippine based movie critic/blogger/ interior designer/ calligrapher. 

Cher recommended 2 movies, which I never got to watch because we missed the showing dates and my husband was too busy to download from the internet. He is also too busy to fix our guest bathroom. 

I won't do reviews because you can visit Cher's blogs for those. But I just have to say that these 2 movies are so powerful, smart and the strong emotions and insights are balanced out with humor. 

Please watch these movies if you have time.

Grabe ang "The Judge". To see the strongest man in your life at his weakest is truly moving. All the water I drank during the flight, came out of my eyes. There was nothing left to pee.

The movie really resonated with my thoughts and validated my fears of the future. So, I won't even write not think about it after posting this.

I told my husband...

" Hay,  finally after 6 months of waiting for my download, I will finally get to watch it here"

and he replied...

"Yeah. I made sure not to download it because you will get to watch it inside the plane."

Winner talaga mga sagot ng asawa ko. Laging may palusot. I really can't get an apology out of him  

Anyway, Thanks Kris World for the awesome movie selection! 

Crying,

L

Our First Lent and Easter

My sacrifice for the Holy Week-end was to go offline. I feel I am getting attached/addicted to my Ipad. So for 3 nights, I kept my Ipad hidden in our storage.

During the 3 days that I was offline, I did all the traditional Lenten traditions with my husband. It was our first Lent as a married couple. 

Thursday, we did Via Cruses ( Stations of the Cross), Visita Iglesia (Visiting 7 churches). 

Friday, we watched THE BIBLE and went to church around 11 pm for Du-aw (Visiting the dead Jesus)!

Saturday, we attended the 3 hour Easter Vigil Mass.

Today-I prepared for 6 Easter eggs and hid them around the house for S  to find.

You know,over the Holy Week, I prayed that if it will take us a while to have a baby...

May our love for each other develop and grow, as we patiently wait for whatever HIS plans are.

I told S, "We don't have to wait for a baby to start our traditions". 

In fact, even it's just the 2 of us for now, we have celebrated Holloween, Thanksgiving,  Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year and now Lent and Easter.

I told him..."We are complete. You and I, we are complete. A baby is a blessing but not a necessity for us to be complete."

It was really one of the best weekends ever. It was quiet, simple and peaceful.

Well, Happy Easter Y'all!

 Back to Chaos,

L

24 Hour Locksmith Services

Drat!!! I accidentally deleted the post about the locksmith wiz,who helped S get back inside the house! 

Anyway, a couple of days ago, S got locked out of the house while he was watering his plants. Incidentally, he is allergic to plants.

Well, what do you do when you or your husband gets locked out of your own house? Panic? 

Yes! 

Nah, I was too sleepy to panic! It was already 11:30 in the evening.

I called the maintenance crew. They tried to pick the lock but they weren't successful. They suggested that they'd get S out through scaffolding but the idea sounded really dangerous. Parang action star lang e noh.

I told them to find other ways that don't  require "stunt man" skills.