Because all good things must come to an end, our flight back to Manila was scheduled at 12:55am of October 30. Our last day in Singapore was spent going around the shops in Bugis, Chinatown, and Anchor Point Mall buying presents for friends and family.

Working it in my brown skirt :)

Of course I wasn't going to return to my home country without meeting the super awesome Nashe (and I am not just saying that because she's my blog-friend) ;) We agreed to meet at the Iluma Mall, and it was so funny how she said I looked at her with a big grin before even realizing that she was the lady I was meeting up with! Yeah I am dorky like that ;D

We went back to Ate Ana's house to get our luggages, then went straight to the airport. Everything went super-fast after, and before I knew it we have boarded already, the cabin crew were requesting us to put our seatbelts on and turn our phones off, and it's bye-bye SG. Even though the seats weren't really that comfortable I slept the full four-hours flight, in anticipation of work a few hours after (yes, I went straight to work from the airport for my 5am - 2pm shift because I am responsible like that).

Our third day in Singapore was spent feasting on glorious sights. In the morning, we went to Singapore Botanic Gardens and reveled in the beauty of nature. It was just like visiting Mary's Secret Garden (which is one of my favorite classics, btw).

I'm just going to stop talking now and share the wonders with you all, by posting photos :)

The rest of the afternoon was spent in Sentosa again to do the things we failed to do the day before. From Vivo City, we bought roundtrip tickets for the Jewel Cable Car Ride.

We also got to watch Songs of the Sea. The story is about a villager who tries to save a beautiful princess through his singing.

IMHO though, the Musical Fountain before featuring Kiki the Monkey is much better.

Rode the cable car back to Vivo City. And can I just say how ironic and funny I find it that I am scared of stairs (yeah, don't judge) yet I am not scared of being suspended I-don't-know-how-many-hundreds-or-thousands-feet in the air? ;D

We were able to explore the city more, and it was such a liberating feeling you know? Being young, without a care in the world. And, not caring whether you get lost in an unfamiliar place or not, because so long as you have your friends with you (and money, of course lol) you know you'll be okay. It's one of my favorite feelings in the world :)

I've been back in Manila for more than a week now, but I know all the memories of this trip (and this day) will stay with me for a long, long time.

In every get-away, you have to agree that a bulk of the budget goes to your accommodation. Staying in a five-star hotel would be great, of course, but it is also nice to know that there are other options available for travelers who prefer to umm, economize. Hey, economizing is good so you can spare more money for shopping, right? ;)

The first time I've gone to Singapore I needn't have to worry about board and lodging. I was part of a youth camp where everything was provided for free, and we stayed at the Regional English Language Centre Hotel without spending a penny. For our trip this year though, all costs were shouldered by our own pockets so we had to be budget-conscious.

Good thing Frank's friend LJ (who is based and works there) recommended a chalet for us, the Costa Sands Resort in Pasir Ris. Their rates are affordable to begin with, and we even got additional discount because LJ is an NTUC-member.

I don't know how many rooms there are but I know there's a LOT because the units are named by letters and numbers (for example, ours was Unit number S16). The room categories are Premier Rooms, Duplex Rooms, and Family Suites.

• Accessible. Pasir Ris is just less than ten minutes away from the airport. Also, a shuttle bus brings vacationers to and from the Pasir Ris MRT station, Downtown East Mall, and the resort every hour, by the hour. If you missed the shuttle bus, you can just request for the receptionist to dial a cab company for you and a cab will pick you up in less than five minutes.
• There are two computers set up in the lobby, which I used to update my Facebook and Twitter as I wasn't able to get wi-fi signal in our room.
• We stayed in a corner unit far from the others who held  late-night barbecues so we were able to rest well during bedtimes.
• The place is very clean and well-kept.
• We got complementary tickets to the Wild Wild Wet theme park adjacent the chalet (which we were not able to use, bummer).
• The place is surrounded by lush greenery, and there is a beach just behind our unit! We took early morning walks by the beach, it was lovely. Very ideal for jogging, and there is also a bicycle kiosk where you can rent bicycles.
• Two swimming pools, perfect for a relaxing dip.
• There is a self-service laundry and dryer which my travelmates were able to use. There is also a 24-hour convenience store nearby for grumbling stomachs in the middle of the night.
• Affordable rates, especially for NTUC-members. It also helped that there were six of us so we split the bill equally. I only paid P1,600 for the duration of our stay :)

What I didn't like:

• The pool is only open from 8am - 9pm as there are no lifeguards on duty outside those hours. I brought my bikini for nothing as we were able to go home past these times. Sigh, I would have loved some night swimming in those clear waters.
• I wasn't able to get wifi-signal in our room.

That's it!  Fancy a stay here? For the rates and other information, click here.

On our second day in Singapore, we visited the Underwater World in Sentosa. I've been there five years ago but I think it is always worth a visit. I love fishes; I actually have a pair of dragonfins named Aziraphale and Anathema (or Yin and Yang for short hee~ click here for a photo of them). They are currently in Dane's aquarium though, he adopted them for the meantime when I moved apartments early this year. I still haven't gotten them back but I'm sure they're happy and content swimming around Dane's 75-gallon aquarium with their other friends  (Dane has seven other species of dragonfins or bichirs.) We were fish freaks, yes. We also visited Manila Ocean Park last year and it was one of my fondest memories of our time together.

Anyway...

Watching my pet fishes swim around their aquarium was very relaxing for me. I especially liked feeding them and cleaning their home. Seeing that I am really interested in fishes, you can already tell that I liked my second visit to the Underwater World. Let me share some photos (let it be said that I took lots of photos so it was really hard to choose which ones to post):

For those who don't know, I have a pink octopus plushie I named Archuleta which I got from Manila Ocean Park. Here she is:

Our Manila Ocean Park is bigger and features more fishes than the Underwater World, methinks, but I enjoyed the latter's Oceanarium more because it is bigger (and has a walkalator hee~).

Let me ask you a related question. What do you think of zoos and tourist attractions like this? For me, I would personally prefer for the animals to live in their natural habitats, but if it would result to them being killed because of our fault (e.g. destruction of natural  resources, too much garbage, oil spills, hunting), then maybe it is better for them to live in zoos and conservatories  where they can thrive and breed. What's your take on this?

Can anyone tell me where the days have gone? One moment I was making a recap for 2009, and now I am less than two months away from doing a recap for 2010! I'm not kidding when I say this year has been the quickest for me. Now we'd better make the last two months of 2010 count! :)

I like that the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie will finally be shown! The first showing day will be on the 18th and some cinemas have already started pre-selling tickets, but I haven't bought one yet. I am still waiting whether my friend Dewi can score me tickets to the premiere hee. If she can't get me one though (or if the movie will be screened somewhere far and inconvenient) I promise I will move heaven and hell to be able to watch the first screening. I have been lucky to watch the first screenings of the first movies and I would want this streak to continue for the *sob* last two movies in the series. I watched the first movies alone (in order to be able to concentrate fully on the film) but always ended up seeing my friend Joner at the movie theater so for the Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince movie we decided to not fight destiny and watch it together with Dane  (ehem it was back in the happier times).

I don't like that the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie will finally be shown! I don't know about you, but I know I will be crying the whole time. The movie will be a major sobfest for me I know I should save for my Kleenex stash as early as now. I wish J.K. Rowling realizes how huge of an impact the fictional universe she created has on our (at least in my) lives. Seeing the first installment of the final movie will be like witnessing the beginning of the end. So, so sad.