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My blogging hiatus over the past two years didn’t mean I stopped documenting the things around me. I’ll try not to bore you with photos of stuffed toys and selfies with my boyfriend. Instead, every Friday let me introduce you to some of the more interesting things I’ve encountered since I shifted to Singapore. Stuff I haven’t shared yet.

So for the inaugural ohGeorgyy “Flashback Friday”… I’m revisiting the experiences I’ve had in Singapore while in the company of my friend Selda. She is leaving Singapore for good since she’s getting married soon.

Selda is the girl with a cup covering half her face. Wait, uhm… let me look for a better photo…

Helping with the marinade. Photo taken in July 2012.

Whenever we were with Selda, it felt like we were tourists in our own backyard.

For example the time she brought us to the “Southernmost point of Continental Asia”. Can you imagine this is actually in Singapore not off the southern tip of Malaysia?

The platform those people are standing on is the “Southernmost Point of Continental Asia”.

It screams tourist attraction but it was still thrilling to set foot on this little islet. It is connected to Siloso Beach by a rope bridge. We enjoyed a simple picnic while waiting for the sun to set.

More than half my visits to the art galleries and museums in Singapore have involved being with Selda. We visited the Maritime Experiential Museum in Sentosa.

By experiential we mean this:

Look I’m an ethnic dancer from Indonesia.

I’m such a dork at museums. I actually go read every word on all the panels. One time at the National Museum of Singapore I took all my damn time and hadn’t realised that Selda and Neil were already waiting at the exit.

Right outside the National Museum of Singapore.

In Singapore the transportation system and infrastructure is amazing. But it also involves much walking to get between places. During one of our barkada walkathons, we found ourselves at Keppel Bay district where the crème de la crème reside. I mean look at this building…

From the distance it looks like broken shards of glass.

One funny moment we had while walking was a debate on which would be better to own: a helicopter or a yacht. Most of us picked the yacht over the helicopter.

A few minutes later we encountered…

If you look closely, there’s a helicopter parked on a yacht.

Here’s a photo of us “getting lost” right outside Marina Bay MRT.

Selda loves visiting Clarke Quay every September during the Autumn Lantern Festival.

Pretty lanterns are everywhere in Clarke Quay.

Different companies in Singapore sponsor the lanterns.

“Singapore Turf Club supports Chinese Culture” a simple message like that.

Thanks Selda for introducing us to some interesting spots and eateries in Singapore. She took us to Just Acia (where you can get bottomless drinks and desserts for a decent price) and Professor Brawn Cafe (great food, and it is a “social enterprise” that employs Persons with Disabilities or PWDs). There’s also Cafe Cartel which is a go-to place for comfort food.

We didn’t always have to go out in town with Selda. Sometimes we just invited her to go swimming with us. Like when we stayed at a condo in Yew Tee back in 2012.

This photo is a bit more dated #FlashbackFriday lol

Neil and I would also cook for Selda. Here is a photo us at our HDB flat in Yishun in early 2013.

4 Pics 1 Word at our chalet at Downtown East.

Selda, we’ll miss you! Congratulations to you and Tracy. 🙂

Next week on Flashback Friday: My story in Singapore began when I was job hunting and living in a backpackers’ hostel for three months. I’ll share photos from a trip to MacRitchie Reservoir with friends I made at the hostel.

Ah… the crowded shopping malls and apocalyptic traffic could not stop me from flying home to the Philippines for Christmas. It’s the season to spend time with family, friends and shady male massage therapists lol.

And no, this time I didn’t book the usual PAL or Cebu Pacific (both were charging higher than most other carriers, even SQ). I booked a return flight on Malaysia Airlines because journeys are made by the people you travel with and I happened to be travelling on my own so I guess I didn’t get a journey, but rather an experience…

Note: The iconic sarong kebaya uniforms. Don’t note: The older MH 737 I got (SIN-KUL).

Look at this pretty MH bird parked at KLIA. It’s a Boeing 737-800, brand new seats with individual IFES (inflight entertainment system for non-AV geeks). Syempre may special mention ang IFES ‘cuz I usually fly PAL or 5J to Manila… which don’t sport IFES but instead chatty FAs on PR and perky pen-or-pouch wielding FAs on Cebpac.

Malaysia Airlines is part of one world alliance. (Cathay, Qatar Airways, American Airlines)

You may have noticed that I skipped blogging about departing from Singapore’s Changi, a place I worship… see photos on my IG feed instead. This #MHjourney brought me to KLIA for the first time. I frequent the budget terminal LCCT (I miss that signature tropical scent near OldTown)… so imagine how wide-open my eyes were at KLIA. Oh wow… airplane models, another OldTown coffee shop, and speed aerotrains… omg Burger King!!

I spotted the PR and 5J models inside a glass case towards the back.

Failed side trip: My objective was to have lunch at KFC because the KFCs in Malaysia are truly finger lickin’ good, not like the bland bland bland KFCs in Singapore. So happens that accessing the KFC means going past immigration. Haggard. Ayoko kasi ma-Tom Hanks dito.

I took the aerotrain to the satellite structure (okay so at the time, I had no idea which was which, basta lang may aerotrain connecting two parts of the airport). At the other side there’s this giant atrium much like the one sa Gateway in Cubao. Lakas ng loob ko to go inside by myself (tourista lang)… only to feel a few spider webs clinging to my skin. French exit!

All airports in Southeast Asia should have this.

This satellite structure houses all the airline lounges for business and first class passengers. Some lounges have windows you could peek through (voyeur lang). Others like Emirates had one exclusive doorway (nightclub?) and your imagination could only hope that tarpauline outside depicting ano meron sa loob was true. Bilang isang economy passenger lang ako, bumagsak ako sa Burger King. It was the only fast-food option there. I ordered a Whopper Jr. but after struggling with my bags to get to my table and realising mali ang laman ng wrap, I just ate whatever it was lol.

At MYR 14.00, still cheaper than any BK back in Singapore.

KLIA has massage chairs (Rest & Go, priced at MYR 3.00, 5.00 and 10.00), movie/news/sports viewing areas, lots and lots of chairs, free wi-fi across the terminals… wide spaces, airy feeling… definitely at par with the airport in Bangkok, Singapore, and even Jakarta (I give CGY plus points for design).

I took the aerotrain back to the main structure so I could board my flight to Manila. Lots and lots of Pinoys were gathered… oh the spirit of Christmas bringing home so many OFWs.

Onboard an MH flight to Manila. It’s a 737-800 with two-class seating.

I booked a seat at the first row of Economy since this was a 3.5 hour flight. Yay for IFES so I could catch “One More Try”, the sole Filipino film offering. Crazy film btw… watching Angelika and Angel bickering. Jusko, sex lang with Dingdong para magka-baby that will save the first kid. Daming isyu.

Inflight meal options were chicken (Satay, with rice) or beef (noodles). I went for the chicken satay. Airplane food, Georgy and not Jalan Alor levels. It was OK.

I’m saving the Mars for my boyfriend since it’s his favourite.

Nothing much else happened but I did enjoy the flight. Beautiful skies. Seeing the little islands and atolls of the Philippines thousands of feet below. It was gorgeous. I finished the flight off with an episode of Fashion Police.

Our plane landed on schedule and unlike the 6:30pm sunsets I’ve gotten used to in Singapore, it was already dark in Manila.

Passengers from jumbo jets origination from Sydney and Hong Kong sharing the same belt. Haggard!

Christmas decorations at NAIA Terminal 1.

I met my parents at the arrivals area. As I stepped outside just past the guard, I saw a woman and her child try to pickpocket the luggage of the man in front of me.

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Diary of a Filipino American gay guy based in Singapore

Tag: featured

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