First there was Harry... and then Arty... and now...Edward.
These guys keep me up at night, but I can't really blame them. ;) It's my fault... I have an obsessive need to know what happens next. I really can't put a good book down once I start it.
Yes, books! What did you think I was talking about? Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, and Edward Cullen of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer.
I started reading Twilight last Sunday, because I was only able to complete the first 3 books then. Can you imagine I bought Twilight from Powerbooks Glorietta, Eclipse from A Different Bookstore and my last acquisition, New Moon from Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street? The last book, Breaking Dawn came out yesterday, I'll probably buy my copy this weekend.
The story is of a human girl who falls in love with a vampire, sounds cliche right? But everyone seems to be talking about it so my curiosity got the best of me. Twilight turned out to be better than I expected, much, much better... as I couldn't put it down. It was described as a 'seductive' book, which I couldn't imagine since it was fiction for young adults, but when I read it, I had to agree. It was for lack of a better word, 'kilig', and I couldn't help but fall for the characters in the story, especially Edward Cullen, who by the way will be played in the movie by the guy who played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter.
Of course, whenever I'm into a book, I really can't do much else except read. I slept at 2:30am that night, not even thinking about work come Monday morning. I had a few pages left, which I finished before coming to work that day.
So, when I came home from work, I just had to read New Moon. And read I did... but this book was so much...weaker than the first one... and I was starting to feel that this really was a 'young adult' book while reading it. But I still slept at 2 to finish it.
Then yesterday, I started reading Eclipse, a little less enthusiastically I might add. It's better than New Moon, but nowhere near as good as Twilight was. I didn't even stay up that late to finish it. I finished reading this evening, and although it had some great moments, Eclipse really made the female lead character, Bella, so irritating... I swear while I was reading some of the pages my eyes were rolling. She was sooooo very annoying! But it's still a good read... I just have some personal pet peeves that came out while reading this book.
I'm not sure if my sentiment is shared by the others who read these books. With Twilight being such an amazing read only to let down by the succeeding books... but I'm optimistic, they say Breaking Dawn is good and I don't have long to wait. I'll let you know how it is over the weekend. ;)
I wonder when Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl book 6) will be released here as well? Been waiting for that for some time now... hehe.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Monday, August 04, 2008
Impossible Things are Happening Everyday
"Impossible...it's possible..."
Can't get the tune out of my head. :)
I watched Cinderella with Kat, Jo, Ai and Yobi last Saturday. And all I can say is.. Lea was fantastic! I missed seeing her play Kim in Miss Saigon many years ago, she was sick on the day Maitz and I watched it but it was all right, coz her understudy was also good... and the guy playing the Engineer was amazing.
But I digress...back to Cinderella. The play was very nicely done, and the cast was great! If there's one thing to gripe about, it's the fact that we were so far up the balcony that there was a time that we couldn't see the actors heads! The play was funny, entertaining, romantic and had enough 'magic' to entertain little kids (and kids at heart).
The songs however, especially in Act 2, were a bit 'lulling', it must be because it was the 'romantic' part already and most of the songs were waltz-like or lullaby like... not like the 'The prince is having a ball!' kind...watch it and you'll see what I mean.
As for the actors, the ensemble cast was great! My favorites were (with the exception of Lea of course,) the fairy godmother and the evil stepsisters, Portia and Joy, oh and the rats :)) they were cute. :P
If you have time (and if tickets are still available), you really should see this play... Lea was really great, and she looked like a child! See it with friends, or with kids and family. And afterwards, I'm sure you'll be saying the same thing I'm saying, that impossible things are happening everyday. :)
Can't get the tune out of my head. :)
I watched Cinderella with Kat, Jo, Ai and Yobi last Saturday. And all I can say is.. Lea was fantastic! I missed seeing her play Kim in Miss Saigon many years ago, she was sick on the day Maitz and I watched it but it was all right, coz her understudy was also good... and the guy playing the Engineer was amazing.
But I digress...back to Cinderella. The play was very nicely done, and the cast was great! If there's one thing to gripe about, it's the fact that we were so far up the balcony that there was a time that we couldn't see the actors heads! The play was funny, entertaining, romantic and had enough 'magic' to entertain little kids (and kids at heart).
The songs however, especially in Act 2, were a bit 'lulling', it must be because it was the 'romantic' part already and most of the songs were waltz-like or lullaby like... not like the 'The prince is having a ball!' kind...watch it and you'll see what I mean.As for the actors, the ensemble cast was great! My favorites were (with the exception of Lea of course,) the fairy godmother and the evil stepsisters, Portia and Joy, oh and the rats :)) they were cute. :P
If you have time (and if tickets are still available), you really should see this play... Lea was really great, and she looked like a child! See it with friends, or with kids and family. And afterwards, I'm sure you'll be saying the same thing I'm saying, that impossible things are happening everyday. :)
Monday, July 21, 2008
Flat Pictures :)
Ah... home sweet home. :) At least for the past 3 weeks. I realized I haven't posted pics of my flat yet, so here they are.
Well, this is my flat. Kitchen, living room, dining table, the bathroom is on the other side. I'm standing beside the bed when I took this pic, so that pretty much gives you a general layout the place.
The sala is probably the least used area in the place. One, there were no English channels on the TV. Two, table was too low to put my laptop on and three, I didn't really have much time to lounge around. I just used this during weekends, when I was just kicking back with a book.
The kitchen...probably the most used place in my flat. :) I cook every day, and have a lot of fun combining ingredients to make the most of my limited pantry. Oh, and yes, I kept its pristine condition coz I'm terribly obssessive compulsive so after each meal was cooked, everything was cleaned and wiped down. :)
My walk in closet! I always wanted one of these! This is directly adjacent to the kitchen, but fortunately, my clothes didn't smell like food even though I cooked everyday. I loved this closet and when I get my own home, will probably put in something like this in as well. :)
And lastly, the laundry and shower area. The toilet was in a separate room. Probably the biggest advantage to being in a flat, next to cooking of course, was being able to do laundry. I used to hand wash every day when I was in the hotel, and it's a bit tedious. Now, I just put everything in (similar colors of course), and after 30 minutes, I just have to hang them out. Easy. :) Which came in handy since I was bringing home clothes after each trip to the mall. ;)
And of course, the view from my room. I actually took this with a makeshift tripod, using a candle, a wine glass, with my camera on night mode with a 2 second timer. I don't think it still came out the way I wanted it too.. with the moon so bright and the moonlight cascading on the unfinished building...sorta looks creepy but I liked the whole melancholic vibe that it gave off.
I realized I have no other pictures of my trip here on my camera... really didn't do much at all. It was office from Mon to Friday, shopping on Saturdays, then church and groceries on Sunday. And in between, all the rituals of keeping a clean house. I'm pretty much settled in to the routine, but still not quite sure whether I want to keep on doing this. All I can say now, is that I'm looking forward to going home on Friday.
Well, this is my flat. Kitchen, living room, dining table, the bathroom is on the other side. I'm standing beside the bed when I took this pic, so that pretty much gives you a general layout the place.
The sala is probably the least used area in the place. One, there were no English channels on the TV. Two, table was too low to put my laptop on and three, I didn't really have much time to lounge around. I just used this during weekends, when I was just kicking back with a book.
The kitchen...probably the most used place in my flat. :) I cook every day, and have a lot of fun combining ingredients to make the most of my limited pantry. Oh, and yes, I kept its pristine condition coz I'm terribly obssessive compulsive so after each meal was cooked, everything was cleaned and wiped down. :)
My walk in closet! I always wanted one of these! This is directly adjacent to the kitchen, but fortunately, my clothes didn't smell like food even though I cooked everyday. I loved this closet and when I get my own home, will probably put in something like this in as well. :)
And lastly, the laundry and shower area. The toilet was in a separate room. Probably the biggest advantage to being in a flat, next to cooking of course, was being able to do laundry. I used to hand wash every day when I was in the hotel, and it's a bit tedious. Now, I just put everything in (similar colors of course), and after 30 minutes, I just have to hang them out. Easy. :) Which came in handy since I was bringing home clothes after each trip to the mall. ;)
And of course, the view from my room. I actually took this with a makeshift tripod, using a candle, a wine glass, with my camera on night mode with a 2 second timer. I don't think it still came out the way I wanted it too.. with the moon so bright and the moonlight cascading on the unfinished building...sorta looks creepy but I liked the whole melancholic vibe that it gave off.
I realized I have no other pictures of my trip here on my camera... really didn't do much at all. It was office from Mon to Friday, shopping on Saturdays, then church and groceries on Sunday. And in between, all the rituals of keeping a clean house. I'm pretty much settled in to the routine, but still not quite sure whether I want to keep on doing this. All I can say now, is that I'm looking forward to going home on Friday.
Monday, July 07, 2008
The Tomasikova Experience
Let me take a break from the SG/KL Chronicles (which I hope to finish by this weekend), to tell you about my stay here in Bratislava. This is the third time I've been here, but the first time I'll be staying at an apartment, and the first time it's going to be a short stay (just 3 weeks, yay!). I'm posting this in bulk because I had no access to the internet for the weekend.
Day 1 (Friday)
Anyway, arrived at the Tomasikova flat at around 3 in the afternoon. Rode up the elevator to my floor and found two unmarked doors there. Slightly annoyed that the driver didn't take me up to the actual unit, I fumbled with the doors and tried all the keys from my keychain (there were 5).
One fit, but no matter where I turned it, the door remained closed. I felt as if the key was stuck or something. Really starting to feel annoyed (and a little frantic). After a full 5 minutes of fiddling with the stupid lock, I went back down (luggage and all) hoping to find someone I could ask help from, there wasn't anyone there. So, I made my way back up the elevator and faced that stupid door.
I took a few calming breaths and tried a few more times. I pushed, pulled, twisted and still the door wouldn't open. Feeling increasingly panicked, I gave it a few more tries, willing myself to think of every possible way to open a lock, and then suddenly, to my immense relief, the lock clicked.
My relief was short lived. Inside the hall was four identical doors WITH NO NUMBERS! How the hell was I supposed to know which flat was which?! Cursing to myself, I tried all the keys again, and again I couldn't open the lock on the first door. I tried the second door, for some reason, 2 of the keys on my keychain could fit into all the locks. But none opened. So, I had 2 keys, 4 doors. I tried every combination, and I couldn't open any. I didn't want to waste too much time (or effort) trying out the lock (what if the owners thought I was breaking in), so I called up Grace and asked her if she knew which was flat Maris used to stay in, she asked Olive, who asked Lucy. who then told me, Finally I knew which was which!
So now that I knew which door to focus on. I tried the two keys that could be inserted into the lock. I tried the same technique as I did with the other door, but no luck. Finally, with a few more tries, I was able to open the door, and got into my apartment.
Compared to Manila standards, it was very big for a studio. I call it a studio coz there's no door for the bedroom. But I realized that if they had done that, then the bedroom would have felt claustrophobic. All in all, I like it, the kitchen is just the way I like it, and I even have a walk-in closet!
I spent a few moments unpacking and setting up the place to make it more 'homey', then I went to
Polus to buy some desperately needed necessities. Finding my way didn't take too much effort (which is a big deal for me since I pretty much suck at directions). When I got back to the flat, I just fixed my stuff, took a bath and fell asleep.
Day 2 (Breakfast)
Woke up with the sun high up in the sky, I tilted my head to the side, put on my glasses and found out it was only 5AM! I have no idea when the sun rose, but given the brightness of the surrounding area, it must have been about an hour ago at least. And to think it only grew dark after 9 in the evening.
Anyway, stood up, checked my stock and wondered what I was going to eat for breakfast... scrambled eggs? Hmmm... bacon? My pantry wasn't as fully equipped as I wanted it to be so making my favorites were out of the question. I settled on corned beef, rice and fried egg.
And then I realized I forgot my can opener, and there wasn't a can opener in the flat. 8-|
Anyway, after much experimenting with various kitchen utensils, I finally ended up opening the damn can with the use of my utility knife from M&S (funny, this thing didn't have a can opener either). And then I was in business. :P
I really enjoy cooking, it's the cleaning up part that sucks. :( Good thing I'm obssessive-compulsive, so I pretty much keep a clean house. We'll see how long I can keep this up... I really don't know if I'm cut up for living alone. The charm of being independent and living alone can lose it's charm very quickly... so we'll just wait and see.
Day 2 (Before Lunch)
Having nothing else to do, I set out for Hlavna Stanica to get a 1 month prepaid ticket...unfortunately, the tram lines have been discontinued from where I was at. So, I just took a bus to Aupark to check out the sales. :D
There was a lot of items on sale, but none of them appealed to me... I figured I'll just save up until I go to Avion for an M&S spree. I did buy a cute white cap from C&A though. So, I went to the grocery, and picked up some other items that were missing from my pantry. Syr (Cheese), Chlieb (Bread), Mlieko (Milk), some olive oil, grapefruit juice, cappuccino, and lots and lots of Voda Neperliva (Still Water). I also bought some toilet paper and since I am quite OC (to a fault), I also bought a new cheese grater, and of course the all important can opener and a peeler.
Now I had to lug everything back to the flat... I put the 9 liters of water in my backpack and carried the rest. Trust me, it was heavy. I took the bus, and waited.
For some reason I must have spaced out, coz I missed my stop!!! I only realized it when the bus doors closed. :( So, I had to get off on Maxmiliana Hella instead and walked back to my flat, heavy load and all. Moral of the story: Pay attention to your surroundings AT ALL TIMES.
Day 2 (Lunch)
Ahhh...sinigang. It's one of my favorite Pinoy dishes, but I like mine really sour, and a bit spicy. Sometimes a bit too sour for my family, so now I have the perfect opportunity to make Sinigang the way I want.
Now, I really don't know how to make Sinigang per se, but I have a general idea. And I also had to be constrained with what I already had in the flat...meaning, no veggies. :D
So, my recipe for Sinigang was this. First I put in some olive oil (it's the only oil I have), and added some garlic (are you supposed to add garlic in sinigang?). Well, anyway, I like garlic so I put some there. I then added some onions and finally tomatoes. In short, gisa. :P I then added the pork to the pot. I seasoned the pork with some ginisa mix (ok, so I also don't have salt and pepper here). But I'm not even sure you had to season the pork. Well, anyway, I figured might as well give flavor to the pork before I boiled it.
Then I added some water and boiled everything. After boiling, I tasted it, it was bland, added some more mix, tasted it, seemed better, added a whole lot of Sinigang na may sili mix. :P Let it boil again, tasted it, and voila! It was Sinigang! I simmered it for a few more minutes, heated up my leftover rice, and lunch is served.
I'll probably go to Billa after this, also to check out the route going to work. :P I'll be buying some parmesan cheese and pasta...I'm thinking tuna in olive oil pasta for dinner. :)
Day 3 - Sunday
So Sunday is mass day. :) I woke up early, made my favorite, bacon with cheese and potato omelette and had some Jacob's Chocolate Nut Capuccino (with real Milka bits). It was a long leisurely breakfast, then I washed the dishes, cleaned up the counter, stovetop, table (I do this every single time I cook), and then started to get ready for mass.
Ria, Vangie, Marbi and Jay got on the bus when we passed by Slovanet. Finally, someone to talk to! :) There were some rerouting with the buses and trams so we had to transfer at Legionarska. The good thing was it was closer to St. Ladislav, and that's a very good thing coz the weather here is very, very hot, and any way to limit our exposure to the scorching sun was a good thing.
After mass, Ria and I went to Avion! Ahhh...my favorite mall. :) As usual, I had some purchases from Marks & Spencer, a blouse from Gate, shorts from H&M, and I bought 2 shoes at such a bargain from Humanic! Imagine, a Clarks sandal (previously 2400SKK) at 399SKK, and an Ipanema sandal for 299KK. We also went to Ikea for dinner (Kotbullar aka meatballs with gravy and jam), and I bought 2 scented candles for the flat. Then we did some grocery shopping, and I bought some more stuff for my pantry.
After the shopping spree, I passed by Ria's hotel to pick up my stuff (the ones I left from the last trip). Then, walked the long walk back to Slovanet (carrying 3 large bags) and waited for my bus. I did 3 loads of laundry, darks, lights and reds. Prepared my stuff for tomorrow and finished up my Tomasikova blog for the weekend.
Day 1 (Friday)
Anyway, arrived at the Tomasikova flat at around 3 in the afternoon. Rode up the elevator to my floor and found two unmarked doors there. Slightly annoyed that the driver didn't take me up to the actual unit, I fumbled with the doors and tried all the keys from my keychain (there were 5).
One fit, but no matter where I turned it, the door remained closed. I felt as if the key was stuck or something. Really starting to feel annoyed (and a little frantic). After a full 5 minutes of fiddling with the stupid lock, I went back down (luggage and all) hoping to find someone I could ask help from, there wasn't anyone there. So, I made my way back up the elevator and faced that stupid door.
I took a few calming breaths and tried a few more times. I pushed, pulled, twisted and still the door wouldn't open. Feeling increasingly panicked, I gave it a few more tries, willing myself to think of every possible way to open a lock, and then suddenly, to my immense relief, the lock clicked.
My relief was short lived. Inside the hall was four identical doors WITH NO NUMBERS! How the hell was I supposed to know which flat was which?! Cursing to myself, I tried all the keys again, and again I couldn't open the lock on the first door. I tried the second door, for some reason, 2 of the keys on my keychain could fit into all the locks. But none opened. So, I had 2 keys, 4 doors. I tried every combination, and I couldn't open any. I didn't want to waste too much time (or effort) trying out the lock (what if the owners thought I was breaking in), so I called up Grace and asked her if she knew which was flat Maris used to stay in, she asked Olive, who asked Lucy. who then told me, Finally I knew which was which!
So now that I knew which door to focus on. I tried the two keys that could be inserted into the lock. I tried the same technique as I did with the other door, but no luck. Finally, with a few more tries, I was able to open the door, and got into my apartment.
Compared to Manila standards, it was very big for a studio. I call it a studio coz there's no door for the bedroom. But I realized that if they had done that, then the bedroom would have felt claustrophobic. All in all, I like it, the kitchen is just the way I like it, and I even have a walk-in closet!
I spent a few moments unpacking and setting up the place to make it more 'homey', then I went to
Polus to buy some desperately needed necessities. Finding my way didn't take too much effort (which is a big deal for me since I pretty much suck at directions). When I got back to the flat, I just fixed my stuff, took a bath and fell asleep.
Day 2 (Breakfast)
Woke up with the sun high up in the sky, I tilted my head to the side, put on my glasses and found out it was only 5AM! I have no idea when the sun rose, but given the brightness of the surrounding area, it must have been about an hour ago at least. And to think it only grew dark after 9 in the evening.
Anyway, stood up, checked my stock and wondered what I was going to eat for breakfast... scrambled eggs? Hmmm... bacon? My pantry wasn't as fully equipped as I wanted it to be so making my favorites were out of the question. I settled on corned beef, rice and fried egg.
And then I realized I forgot my can opener, and there wasn't a can opener in the flat. 8-|
Anyway, after much experimenting with various kitchen utensils, I finally ended up opening the damn can with the use of my utility knife from M&S (funny, this thing didn't have a can opener either). And then I was in business. :P
I really enjoy cooking, it's the cleaning up part that sucks. :( Good thing I'm obssessive-compulsive, so I pretty much keep a clean house. We'll see how long I can keep this up... I really don't know if I'm cut up for living alone. The charm of being independent and living alone can lose it's charm very quickly... so we'll just wait and see.
Day 2 (Before Lunch)
Having nothing else to do, I set out for Hlavna Stanica to get a 1 month prepaid ticket...unfortunately, the tram lines have been discontinued from where I was at. So, I just took a bus to Aupark to check out the sales. :D
There was a lot of items on sale, but none of them appealed to me... I figured I'll just save up until I go to Avion for an M&S spree. I did buy a cute white cap from C&A though. So, I went to the grocery, and picked up some other items that were missing from my pantry. Syr (Cheese), Chlieb (Bread), Mlieko (Milk), some olive oil, grapefruit juice, cappuccino, and lots and lots of Voda Neperliva (Still Water). I also bought some toilet paper and since I am quite OC (to a fault), I also bought a new cheese grater, and of course the all important can opener and a peeler.
Now I had to lug everything back to the flat... I put the 9 liters of water in my backpack and carried the rest. Trust me, it was heavy. I took the bus, and waited.
For some reason I must have spaced out, coz I missed my stop!!! I only realized it when the bus doors closed. :( So, I had to get off on Maxmiliana Hella instead and walked back to my flat, heavy load and all. Moral of the story: Pay attention to your surroundings AT ALL TIMES.
Day 2 (Lunch)
Ahhh...sinigang. It's one of my favorite Pinoy dishes, but I like mine really sour, and a bit spicy. Sometimes a bit too sour for my family, so now I have the perfect opportunity to make Sinigang the way I want.
Now, I really don't know how to make Sinigang per se, but I have a general idea. And I also had to be constrained with what I already had in the flat...meaning, no veggies. :D
So, my recipe for Sinigang was this. First I put in some olive oil (it's the only oil I have), and added some garlic (are you supposed to add garlic in sinigang?). Well, anyway, I like garlic so I put some there. I then added some onions and finally tomatoes. In short, gisa. :P I then added the pork to the pot. I seasoned the pork with some ginisa mix (ok, so I also don't have salt and pepper here). But I'm not even sure you had to season the pork. Well, anyway, I figured might as well give flavor to the pork before I boiled it.
Then I added some water and boiled everything. After boiling, I tasted it, it was bland, added some more mix, tasted it, seemed better, added a whole lot of Sinigang na may sili mix. :P Let it boil again, tasted it, and voila! It was Sinigang! I simmered it for a few more minutes, heated up my leftover rice, and lunch is served.
I'll probably go to Billa after this, also to check out the route going to work. :P I'll be buying some parmesan cheese and pasta...I'm thinking tuna in olive oil pasta for dinner. :)
Day 3 - Sunday
So Sunday is mass day. :) I woke up early, made my favorite, bacon with cheese and potato omelette and had some Jacob's Chocolate Nut Capuccino (with real Milka bits). It was a long leisurely breakfast, then I washed the dishes, cleaned up the counter, stovetop, table (I do this every single time I cook), and then started to get ready for mass.
Ria, Vangie, Marbi and Jay got on the bus when we passed by Slovanet. Finally, someone to talk to! :) There were some rerouting with the buses and trams so we had to transfer at Legionarska. The good thing was it was closer to St. Ladislav, and that's a very good thing coz the weather here is very, very hot, and any way to limit our exposure to the scorching sun was a good thing.
After mass, Ria and I went to Avion! Ahhh...my favorite mall. :) As usual, I had some purchases from Marks & Spencer, a blouse from Gate, shorts from H&M, and I bought 2 shoes at such a bargain from Humanic! Imagine, a Clarks sandal (previously 2400SKK) at 399SKK, and an Ipanema sandal for 299KK. We also went to Ikea for dinner (Kotbullar aka meatballs with gravy and jam), and I bought 2 scented candles for the flat. Then we did some grocery shopping, and I bought some more stuff for my pantry.
After the shopping spree, I passed by Ria's hotel to pick up my stuff (the ones I left from the last trip). Then, walked the long walk back to Slovanet (carrying 3 large bags) and waited for my bus. I did 3 loads of laundry, darks, lights and reds. Prepared my stuff for tomorrow and finished up my Tomasikova blog for the weekend.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
SG/KL Chronicles : Fish Spa
Now, I first read about this 'Fish Spa' on Mich's blog and I immediately knew I had to try it out once I got to KL. To sum it up, the fish spa is where doctor fish (Garra rufa), nibble at the dead skin on your feet (and/or legs, whichever's in the water), to naturally 'exfoliate' your skin. Sounds icky right? A bit I guess... but it fascinated me so I just had to try it. :D
The Kenko Reflexology & Fish spa is located at the 5th floor of the Pavilion Mall, in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. This was our first stop after settling at our hotel. We had a hearty Satay and Thai dinner at Food Republic before heading to the spa.
First off, we were asked to clean our feet before proceeding to the 'fish spa' area. We would be submerging our feet and legs into the water and let the fish do their job. There were 2 types of fish, some were very small, and the others were quite big. Now, Maitz and I are pretty much 'at ease' with fish, so we chose the bigger ones, thinking they would be more effective, as far as cleaning our feet would go. But I was told the smaller fish were also quite effective, so if the pic of the bigger fishes scare you, don't worry, there are smaller ones available. :D
Let me tell you... it was ticklish as hell! I've always been ticklish, but this was bordering on torture! I guess there's also the thought that these fish were actually eating me up! No matter how you sugarcoat it... images of piranhas and flesh eating fish ran through my brain as I felt each nibble on my feet as I gingerly put each foot in, and then took each foot out coz I kept laughing.
It took about 10 minutes for me to tell myself to just get the hell on with it. It helped that Maitz was already calmly observing the fishes as they feasted on her toes. It didn't help that Tita Nina was screaming and laughing her head off beside me. But I just took a deep breath and plunged my legs in, and resisted the urge to take them back out. A mere minute later, I was already used to the sensation.
And it was very relaxing... the constant nibbling felt like a light current that stimulated the feet. And I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the way the fish kept nibbling at me... it was really interesting... in a sick sort of way. ;)) I remember Louie saying she tried to catch a few fish with her toes... I did the same... and in some way, felt satisfaction that I was getting even, hehehe.
The Kenko Reflexology & Fish spa is located at the 5th floor of the Pavilion Mall, in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. This was our first stop after settling at our hotel. We had a hearty Satay and Thai dinner at Food Republic before heading to the spa.
First off, we were asked to clean our feet before proceeding to the 'fish spa' area. We would be submerging our feet and legs into the water and let the fish do their job. There were 2 types of fish, some were very small, and the others were quite big. Now, Maitz and I are pretty much 'at ease' with fish, so we chose the bigger ones, thinking they would be more effective, as far as cleaning our feet would go. But I was told the smaller fish were also quite effective, so if the pic of the bigger fishes scare you, don't worry, there are smaller ones available. :D
Let me tell you... it was ticklish as hell! I've always been ticklish, but this was bordering on torture! I guess there's also the thought that these fish were actually eating me up! No matter how you sugarcoat it... images of piranhas and flesh eating fish ran through my brain as I felt each nibble on my feet as I gingerly put each foot in, and then took each foot out coz I kept laughing.
It took about 10 minutes for me to tell myself to just get the hell on with it. It helped that Maitz was already calmly observing the fishes as they feasted on her toes. It didn't help that Tita Nina was screaming and laughing her head off beside me. But I just took a deep breath and plunged my legs in, and resisted the urge to take them back out. A mere minute later, I was already used to the sensation.
And it was very relaxing... the constant nibbling felt like a light current that stimulated the feet. And I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the way the fish kept nibbling at me... it was really interesting... in a sick sort of way. ;)) I remember Louie saying she tried to catch a few fish with her toes... I did the same... and in some way, felt satisfaction that I was getting even, hehehe.
Afterwards, we also got a foot reflexology treatment...and on our way there, I slipped on the steps and landed on my knees! Geez! I'm not safe even in KL! Hahahaha! For those who don't know, I am incredibly clumsy... but it was really quite embarrassing to slip in front of all the other patrons of the fish spa. But hey, I'm so used to falling I just laughed it off. Thankfully, my reflexology therapist was very good, and she was able to soothe my bruised legs (but there was nothing to be done about my ego though). :D
The fish spa is also available at the Manila Ocean Park. I'll definitely do this again, just for fun. The fishes did a pretty good job at lifting some of the dead skin away, but I think you have to do it regularly to achieve noticeable and lasting results. Nevertheless, the sensation and the succeeding humiliation was more than enough to make this a memorable KL moment. :)
For more pics, check out my KL album on Multiply.
http://vanaque.multiply.com/photos/album/16/Kuala_Lumpur_-_June_2008
The fish spa is also available at the Manila Ocean Park. I'll definitely do this again, just for fun. The fishes did a pretty good job at lifting some of the dead skin away, but I think you have to do it regularly to achieve noticeable and lasting results. Nevertheless, the sensation and the succeeding humiliation was more than enough to make this a memorable KL moment. :)
For more pics, check out my KL album on Multiply.
http://vanaque.multiply.com/photos/album/16/Kuala_Lumpur_-_June_2008
SG/KL Chronicles : Genting Highlands
June 2, 2008 - We flew to KL from Singapore via AirAsia. It's my first time riding a plane that had a free seating policy ;)) Just thought I'd mention it.
On our first day in KL, we went straight to Genting Highlands. To sum it up, it's a theme park on top of the mountains. What I loved about this place wasn't the rides, nor the Dreamz show but the amazing 15-minute cable car up (and down) the mountains. It was a very serene experience, set on top of a canopy of trees, with fog to add to the whole experience. I absolutely loved it.
We had an overnight stay in Genting, the ambience was different from the city, in a nice way... but aside from the cooler weather, I'd think a day trip would be enough to experience this place. I really think that the main come on is the cable cars. Oh, and the flying coaster (in the Outdoor theme park) is a definite must try. You have to pay a few extra ringgit to ride it, but it's an experience worth trying. Think, riding a roller coaster while standing up. :) There's a camera on the way up, don't be like us who were caught unaware, so we weren't able to smile, which is a capital sin for a cam whore like me.
But all in all, Genting was a pretty nice place. :) So I may have been put off by the people climbing over iron railings to cut in line, the total topsy-turvy nature of the place's layout, and the Dreamz show with all the passe magic was pretty much a disappointment save for some acts, and the worst of all, that the Sky Venture ride was closed off (for two months already with no mention on the site). But I did like the Gems of the World exhibit (since we also got it a discount), and some of the rides were fun. There's also an Asian expo there somewhere, where different countries supposedly sold their wares. Kinda weird that the Philippines booth didn't sell anything remotely 'native' in nature though. There was also an Archery field we wanted to try... but we couldn't find it coz the signs were a bit misleading, and sometimes downright confusing. But, with all these complaints, I still can't deny there were some fun moments (aside from the cable car which I just love, love love). :)
For more pics, check out my KL album on Multiply.
On our first day in KL, we went straight to Genting Highlands. To sum it up, it's a theme park on top of the mountains. What I loved about this place wasn't the rides, nor the Dreamz show but the amazing 15-minute cable car up (and down) the mountains. It was a very serene experience, set on top of a canopy of trees, with fog to add to the whole experience. I absolutely loved it.
We had an overnight stay in Genting, the ambience was different from the city, in a nice way... but aside from the cooler weather, I'd think a day trip would be enough to experience this place. I really think that the main come on is the cable cars. Oh, and the flying coaster (in the Outdoor theme park) is a definite must try. You have to pay a few extra ringgit to ride it, but it's an experience worth trying. Think, riding a roller coaster while standing up. :) There's a camera on the way up, don't be like us who were caught unaware, so we weren't able to smile, which is a capital sin for a cam whore like me.
But all in all, Genting was a pretty nice place. :) So I may have been put off by the people climbing over iron railings to cut in line, the total topsy-turvy nature of the place's layout, and the Dreamz show with all the passe magic was pretty much a disappointment save for some acts, and the worst of all, that the Sky Venture ride was closed off (for two months already with no mention on the site). But I did like the Gems of the World exhibit (since we also got it a discount), and some of the rides were fun. There's also an Asian expo there somewhere, where different countries supposedly sold their wares. Kinda weird that the Philippines booth didn't sell anything remotely 'native' in nature though. There was also an Archery field we wanted to try... but we couldn't find it coz the signs were a bit misleading, and sometimes downright confusing. But, with all these complaints, I still can't deny there were some fun moments (aside from the cable car which I just love, love love). :)
For more pics, check out my KL album on Multiply.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
SG/KL Chronicles : Singapore Night Safari
OK, so I was on vacation from May 31-June 8, took the time to visit Kuala Lumpur and Singapore! I know the post is long overdue, but better late than never, right?
I took a page out of Louie's blogging style, making a lot of short posts instead of one very long one. So I decided to put up one post at a time, of each memorable moment of my 9-day vacation.
So, for memorable moment #1 (btw, this is in chronological order), is the Singapore Night Safari.
Having visited more than enough zoos in my lifetime, including the San Diego Zoo and Avilon here in Manila, the Singapore Zoo didn't strike me as a must see during my short visit, but the night safari was a different story. Imagine, seeing nocturnal animals up close in a semblance of their natural habitats. Interesting.
Now, I pretty much suck at taking night mode pictures... but the tram ride was a really great experience. With the cool night breeze, and the crisp air, it was a very pleasant experience traveling from one spot to the next. And it's really the closest I've been to animals, with some of them close enough to touch. Granted, they were just deer, but hey, it's a new experience for me not seeing them locked up in cages.
Aside from the tram ride, the real adventure lies with taking the walking trails around the night safari. However, with Maitz being night blind, Jeng and tita Nina tired, and me, pretty much terrified by the thought of encountering frogs in the dark, we abandoned the idea.
Other things to see are The Creatures of the Night show, and the fire dancers, who were very entertaining. :) Check out the video below.
For more pics, check out my SG album on Multiply.
I took a page out of Louie's blogging style, making a lot of short posts instead of one very long one. So I decided to put up one post at a time, of each memorable moment of my 9-day vacation.
So, for memorable moment #1 (btw, this is in chronological order), is the Singapore Night Safari.
Having visited more than enough zoos in my lifetime, including the San Diego Zoo and Avilon here in Manila, the Singapore Zoo didn't strike me as a must see during my short visit, but the night safari was a different story. Imagine, seeing nocturnal animals up close in a semblance of their natural habitats. Interesting.
Now, I pretty much suck at taking night mode pictures... but the tram ride was a really great experience. With the cool night breeze, and the crisp air, it was a very pleasant experience traveling from one spot to the next. And it's really the closest I've been to animals, with some of them close enough to touch. Granted, they were just deer, but hey, it's a new experience for me not seeing them locked up in cages.
Aside from the tram ride, the real adventure lies with taking the walking trails around the night safari. However, with Maitz being night blind, Jeng and tita Nina tired, and me, pretty much terrified by the thought of encountering frogs in the dark, we abandoned the idea.
Other things to see are The Creatures of the Night show, and the fire dancers, who were very entertaining. :) Check out the video below.
For more pics, check out my SG album on Multiply.
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