The Longanisa Project 3.0

I am waiting for Gate 6 to open so we could finally board our plane back to Manila. It’s my first time to see the departure area of the Budget Terminal and it’s not that bad at all. At first I thought it was between NAIA 1 and 2, but inside I’d say it could even give the latter a run for its money.

The extra day yesterday was spent in Sentosa together with Karen and Joebel. We were still unsure at first if we made the right decision in taking a tour package, but seeing the long queues for the non-chartered buses made us thank the heavens.

We met up in the hotel at about noon and had lunch in Yoshinoya at Central – a mall opposite the Swissotel Merchant Court in Clark Quay. At around 1:30 p.m., the tour company picked us up from the hotel lobby, brought us to their office at the foot of the Singapore Flyer to pay the fees, and then, together with other tourists, drove us up Mount Faber for our cable car ride to Sentosa.

I actually wouldn’t do justice if I write how the whole tour was so I wouldn’t even try. Instead, I would refer you to the video I took. (To be linked soon.)

We arrived in the hotel at little before nine in the evening. Charo went back to the hotel room while Karen and I rushed to Orchard for some last minute shopping. She got herself a nice bag from Muji, while I got three shirts on sale at Giordano for just S$5 each. Not bad at all. Dinner was chicken rice and chicken satay from the Newton Food Center.

The day was packed and tiring, but it was really fun.

We had quite an adventure yesterday after learning about the strong typhoon in Manila. There were no advisories from Cebu Pacific. Their website didn’t say anything, no one’s answering the phone from their offices here, and we can’t get through their offices in Manila. So to play it safe, we rebooked again to the Wednesday early morning flight to be sure.

The problem was our hotel room. We cannot extend because they’re already fully booked. So we went online and found a nice deal at the Swissotel Merchant Court in Clark Quay. We booked it for two days and bid adieu to Albert Court.

This new hotel is way better than the old one. The reception people were smiling when they greeted us, which is not the case with the previous one. We were waiting for our turn to check in and there was already someone from the staff who approached us and asked us if we need help. Wow! You can really see that they’re doing their CRM assignments.

This trip is turning out to be an Amazing Race of sorts, with all the bookings and transfers. It’s nice but I don’t want to go through it again.

Yesterday was train day for us. Since the hotel’s a few meters away from the Clark Quay station, we topped up our MRT passes and traveled around the city through this. We went to Orchard to meet up with Karen and Jobelle, then it was off to Bugis to check out their street market (which is like our Greenhills tiangge – nothing spectacular), and then back to the hotel for us to rest. We heard the 6:00 p.m. mass at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd along Bras Basah road and walked to the City Hall MRT to go back to the hotel.

Because the plan was originally for a two-day trip, I only brought a limited number of clothes and an extra set just in case. So last night, I did the most macho thing to do – wash my socks and underwear in our hotel room’s sink. I wouldn’t say that it was a pro-caliber wash but I think I managed to clean it nicely. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow when I wear it.

I know I’m excited for the trip tonight but I have to tone it down and focus on today’s workday before I leave the office at 3:00 p.m. There are still a number of things to do, starting with the lighter color studies for this project.

Well, the bag’s packed since last night. Although I only prepared a handful of clothes for my weekend Singapore stint, I’m bringing the biggest maleta we have plus two extra duffel bags. You never know. It’s the Singapore Sale and Charo’s got the head start.

Flight later’s at 8:30 p.m. but I’m leaving the office at around 3:00 p.m. to be sure. It’s a Friday, there’s a threat of a typhoon, and it’s labasan na for the students – that’s a pretty lethal mix.

I’m going to be using the facilities of Park n’ Fly for this trip. I’m pretty much satisfied with out first experience so I’ll give it another go.

I guess that’s it for updates for now. Hope I can blog when I arrive there.