Swimming on Top of the World

Posted on September 16, 2011 by bong

They aren’t the highest known swimming pools in the world. I believe that distinction — and many other “highest” or “tallest” distinctions — belongs to some skyscrapers in Dubai. But they are the highest ones we can probably ever afford to go to.

  

I am referring to the now famous rooftop swimming pools of Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore.

It was an extraordinary experience for the entire family. I was thrilled by it as much as — or probably even more than — my kids.

And we have my ex-exgirlfriend to thank for insisting to squeeze Marina Bay Sands Hotel into our super tight travel itinerary. It was worth it!

View the rest of our photos while Swimming on Top of the World.

Posted in Curiosities, Destinations, Family, Holidays, MY FAMILY & FRIENDS, MY VARIED INTERESTS, P.E.P. TALK, Photography, Places, Raves, THOSE THINGS I DO, Travel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel — Singapore’s Newest Icon

Posted on September 14, 2011 by bong

MARINA BAY SANDS HOTEL is one of the most desired destinations in the world today. It is also one of the most photographed and now universally recognizable man-made structures.

Our family had the chance to stay in MBSH for a single night during our 5-day Singapore family holiday in late May. It wasn’t in our original itinerary but my ex-exgirlfriend insisted on it, notwithstanding that it was quite expensive. In hindsight I must thank her for it was worth it. The kids found the whole place awesome and we had some really great time at the rooftop the following day.

Here’s a slideshow of our photos of MBSH and ourselves in the hotel. (Our rooftop swimming pool photos will be featured in a separate post soon).

Posted in Curiosities, Destinations, Family, Holidays, MY FAMILY & FRIENDS, MY VARIED INTERESTS, P.E.P. TALK, Photography, Places, Raves, THOSE THINGS I DO, Travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Around Sentosa, part 3 of 3

Posted on September 12, 2011 by bong

OH BOY, it’s been more than three months since our Singapore Family Holiday and I am still blogging about it. We’ve simply had too many wonderful experiences from the many great places we’ve visited in Singapore and it would be a real shame if I don’t get to share them through my blog. So please bear with me.

~oOo~

MAY 30, 2011, SINGAPORE – On the 3rd day of our Singapore Family vacation we explored the many attractions of Sentosa (exclusive of Universal Studios Singapore and Resort World Sentosa). Several years ago I used to tell friends that Singapore is so small you can visit all its attractions in just two days. That’s not true anymore (and I am eating my words!). Now you need a full week, maybe even 10 days, to explore all that Singapore has to offer. The people running tourism in Singapore are amazing. They are able to offer more with whatever little piece of real estate they have. I hope I can say the same for the Philippines in the not so distant future. Continue reading →

Posted in Curiosities, Destinations, Family, Holidays, MY FAMILY & FRIENDS, MY VARIED INTERESTS, P.E.P. TALK, Photography, Places, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

My first (and probably last) attempt at Wedding Photography

Posted on September 9, 2011 by bong

AUGUST 13, 2011. Our good friend, Liezel Jean Gerada finally tied the knot with long-time love, Ryan Briones. Theirs is a love story made for soap operas.

Their wedding day has two profound significance: (1) It was the realization of a “Love Worth Waiting For”… and (2) it was my first real attempt at Wedding Photography. Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Family, Friends, MY FAMILY & FRIENDS, MY VARIED INTERESTS, P.E.P. TALK, People, Photography, Projects, THOSE THINGS I DO | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Flamboyant squirrels in Siloso Beach

Posted on September 9, 2011 by bong

ONE of the less known attractions in Singapore’s Sentosa Island is Siloso Beach. That it is not well known is quite understandable considering that Singapore is not exactly a beach destination. Nevertheless, Siloso Beach is a surprisingly beautiful beach with an unusual backdrop: oil tankers and huge freight ships.

OH, and Siloso Beach has a number of other pleasant surprises, too. Just take for instance these couple of playful squirrels that I fancied taking photos of during a leisurely outdoor breakfast. Continue reading →

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Fleeting glimpses of the Singapore Flyer

Posted on September 7, 2011 by bong

WE didn’t plan to ride the Singapore Flyer during our 5-day family holiday in Singapore in late May. And we truly didn’t. We didn’t find much sense in staying in a slow-moving capsule for almost an hour several hundred feet up in the air. It would have have been a waste of time, and time was a very scarce resource we had to really conserve to make the most of our family holiday. Besides, my xxGF already tried it during a previous visit to Singapore just about a year ago and she found it excruciatingly boring.

So I decided to just take photos of the Singapore Flyer whenever I got a glimpse of it, mostly when we were passing by the Marina Bay area on board a taxi cab.

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Thank God I’m “Dying”

Posted on September 5, 2011 by bong

A FRIEND shared this poster on FaceBook very recently. Chances are, many of you have already seen it, too.

At first glance everything written on this poster seems so true. A sad reality of modern life? Perhaps.

After reading it for the second time, however, I thought that some portions of this deftly composed prose don’t seem right. Continue reading →

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“Nanny” for a Day

Posted on September 2, 2011 by bong

THE WORD NANNY has always assumed a female gender, and there really is no word for its male equivalent, is there? I googled it just now and all I got is “male nanny.” I guess I’ll just stick to “nanny” in referring to myself in this very short tale I would like to share. After all, it was just for a day. Only for a few hours on August 5, actually.

Parents and nannies waiting for their wards in a pre-school in Paranaque City

Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Musings, MY FAMILY & FRIENDS, THOSE THINGS I DO | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Some new and not-so-new tips on how to stay young

Posted on September 1, 2011 by bong

Happy Kids | Image Credit: growingsmiles.blogspot.com

Note: Everything below this paragraph I guiltlessly copied verbatim from an e-mail in my Bulk e-mail folder.

How To Stay Young

  1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay ‘them’ 
  2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
  3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’
  4. Enjoy the simple things. 
  5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.  Continue reading →
Posted in Inspirational, MY BAG OF TRICKS, Tips | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Around Sentosa, part 2 of 3

Posted on August 19, 2011 by bong

MAY 30, 2011, SINGAPORE – On the 3rd day of our Singapore Family vacation we explored the many attractions of Sentosa (exclusive of Universal Studios Singapore and Resort World Sentosa). Several years ago I used to tell friends that Singapore is so small you can visit all its attractions in just two days. That’s not true anymore (and I am eating my words!). Now you need a full week, maybe even 10 days, to explore all that Singapore has to offer. The people running tourism in Singapore are amazing. They are able to offer more with whatever little piece of real estate they have. I hope I can say the same for the Philippines in the not so distant future. Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Travel, Curiosities, Destinations, Family, Holidays, MY FAMILY & FRIENDS, MY VARIED INTERESTS, P.E.P. TALK, Photography, Places, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Finally, a decent enough electronic signature solution

Posted on August 17, 2011 by bong

EVERYBODY can probably relate to the difficulty in having to e-mail a signed letter.

I don’t know about you but these are the steps I usually do when I need to e-mail a copy of a letter (or any document for that matter) that requires my signature scribbled onto it:

  1. Prepare the letter using my favorite word processing software (hint: not Microsoft Word)
  2. Print the letter.
  3. Sign the letter.
  4. Scan the signed letter.
  5. E-mail the signed letter.

Five steps.  It doesn’t seem too bad, does it? Except when good old Murphy gets in the way and… Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Stuff, MY BAG OF TRICKS, MY VARIED INTERESTS, Raves, Technology, THOSE THINGS I DO, Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Around Sentosa – part 1 of 3

Posted on August 10, 2011 by bong

MAY 30, 2011, SINGAPORE – On the 3rd day of our Singapore Family vacation we explored the many attractions of Sentosa (exclusive of Universal Studios Singapore and Resort World Sentosa). Several years ago I used to tell friends that Singapore is so small you can visit all its attractions in just two days. That’s not true anymore (and I am eating my words!). Now you need a full week, maybe even 10 days, to explore all that Singapore has to offer. The people running tourism in Singapore are amazing. They are able to offer more with whatever little piece of real estate they have. I hope I can say the same for the Philippines in the not so distant future.

~oOo~

Going back to our Sentosa adventure, it was a full and fast-paced day for us, starting at about 10 AM until 10 PM, with hardly any real rest in between. Below are the major attractions we visited.

Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure Travel, Curiosities, Destinations, Family, Holidays, MY FAMILY & FRIENDS, MY VARIED INTERESTS, P.E.P. TALK, Photography, Places, Raves, THOSE THINGS I DO, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments