Visiting Leanne!

As I posted last January 1st on my 2009 wishlist, I wanted to visit my college roommate/blockmate Leanne who is now based in Singapore as she has plans of moving to another country soon. I haven't seen Leanne since 2006 and I was sad because she wasn't granted a leave to attend our wedding last year. :(

I was supposed to go with one of our other former roommate, Cielo. But she had to cancel at the last minute because of an important company meeting (which won her a 3d2n stay at a resort in Bali beside Nusa Dua, the name of which escapes me at the moment, but I'm happy that her guilt is making her offer that the two of us enjoy that freebie together). I almost cancelled too because I didn't want to travel alone [because of my fear of flying], but Cielo pointed out that I was able to endure 18-hour flights by myself so what's the big deal about a three-hour flight? I didn't want to argue, but for some reason I feel safer in bigger planes. After much debate with myself, I decided to go ahead with the trip and I had no regrets. :)

Most people find it funny that despite flying regularly I still have this fear of flying. In fact, I don't sleep the night before each flight so that by the time we board the plane I'd be too tired and just end up sleeping during the entire flight. Problem is, it doesn't always work the way I plan it because I become too focused on my fear that most of the time I end up staying awake while gripping my armrest as I anticipate each air pocket. This is the main reason why I hate flying alone.

Leanne just came back from a four day vacation to her hometown, Laguna. Because of this, she wasn't able to file for a leave and she felt so guilty for leaving me alone which is why the moment I arrived, she sat me down and gave me the following:

- An extra phone with a prepaid Singapore sim.

- A loaded EZ Link card.

- Directions and ideas for where to go, where to eat, etc.

It was so sweet of her! It was my first time in Sg so I appreciated her efforts. :) She even made a sketch of the malls in Orchard so I'd know where to go in case I was looking for something in particular. It was very helpful, btw.

Did I mention that Leanne one of the most organized people you will ever meet in your life? She brings the OCness i know to a whole new level. If you like clean, then she is your ideal roommate! She likes to keep everything clean and organized, and if you're not tatarayan ka niya!

So I spent my first day alone, walking around Orchard Road.

I ended up blowing my budget for my entire trip in one afternoon. :(

So I swore that my remaining days would be limited to sight seeing and catching up with old friends.

Even though I wore flats that day, my feet were ready to give up on me by the time Leanne and I met up again to go back to her place.

I loved her place and the neighborhood! In a city of condos and HDBs, I would very much prefer going home to a place like this at the end of the day.

Because I kept whining about how my feet were tired and sore, Leanne asked me if I wanted to try this foot and calf massager. As soon as I put my feet in, I didn't want to massager to stop! Heheh.

That night after having dinner (no food pics, how sad) we went to Esplanade for a bit.

The next day, Leanne had to work again so I met up with an old friend, David who is now "temporarily" based in Sg. He was my tour guide/photographer as we walked around Sentosa.

...and the National Museum of Singapore.

That night, the three of us decided to have a few drinks and enjoy each others' company at Brewery in Clarke Quay.

To quote them, "Sa Singapore lasing na ang bulsa mo, ikaw hindi parin." So we all went home sober. :)

The next day, Leanne and I did some shopping at Bugis.

On my last night:

-Raffles Hotel

-St. Andrew Cathedral

-A little more sight seeing here and there.

-Esplanade (again)

-Chimes

Hindi naman halata that I'm already tinatamad towards the end of this post. :p

My friend, D.R. Gates, Esq. He's still single girls! :)

All in all, the trip was fun, and I'm liking the traveling alone part. Hmmm. Anywoo, my favorite part was the lounging and catching up with Leanne and David. Miss you, guys! :)