Last Saturday, I decided to finally break the streak of five weekends spent on traveling and socializing. Like a hermit who went to his cave, I suddenly stopped talking to my friends and I locked myself inside the house. I attempted to deactivate my Facebook for a while, but then had to reactivate after a day because Spotify won't let me use my Premium account without my linked Facebook account. I couldn't bear life without my guilty pleasure, my Tito Playlist, okay?

I slept in until I had to unwillingly get up to eat a very late lunch. Then, I binged-watched all the reality TV shows I missed--four episodes of Survivor, four episodes of The Amazing Race, some episodes of America's Next Top Model, and since those were not enough to satiate my TV addiction, I also caught up on three episodes of How To Get Away With Murder. And idk I guess Sunday wasn't exciting enough so I reinstalled Tinder.

Ang haba ng intro but here we are now! Bear with me. 

Total Time: 30 minutes

If you haven't registered for overseas voting in Singapore, you still have nine more (working) days to do so! And you don't even have to file for a full-day leave.

1. From the embassy gate, go straight to the farthest end of the compound, and enter the door on the left.



2. You will be told to sit on the chairs, and be asked to move along as the queue moves. You will be given a clipboard with the registration form and a pen. If you don't have a photocopy of your passport and IC, an OVR officer will photocopy it for you, while you wait on your seat.



3. When you reach the first seat in front, you will be asked by the next free OVR officer to get processed.



4. Submit the filled out form and photocopies. Get your picture taken (mag-make up na habang nakapila!), your thumbprints and signature.



5. That's it! You are registered!

Some time last week I read that we have hit the most number of overseas voters who registered for next year's elections. I'd like to think this is an effect of the efficient registration process that the OVR offices are doing, so good job to the Philippine Embassy in Singapore! The OVR office was full of applicants but it only took me EXACTLY 30 minutes. (I timed it!)



Philippine Embassy - Singapore
20 Nassim Road

Nearest MRT: Orchard Station (Take a taxi from here as even after taking a bus to the nearest bus stop, you will have to walk 699 meters to the embassy)

Add three girls, three smartphones, and one camera, and what do you get? An impromptu photoshoot on a rocky beach!


Warning: Some photos of bikini-clad girls ahead!

Have you ever met someone who eats pork but does not like bacon? Because I haven't. If I did, I'd probably hate this person and we'd never be friends.

The most common question I received during my visit to the Philippines was: What do you usually do on weekends in Singapore? The answer is this. I take my camera out for a walk and I stalk people.

If you check my geo-tags history, it's pretty evident where I've been hanging out the most during weekends. I'm often in Little India because there's always something happening at every corner. It's also a good change in scenery and perspective from the weekday work bustle.

Click here to view the entire photoset on Flickr.

For Palaweños currently based elsewhere except Puerto (as what we, the locals, lovingly call Puerto Princesa City) it is imperative for us to visit our favorite Chaolong-an place before going back again out into the wild. However, during my surprise visit in Palawan two weeks ago, I was so caught up with family and friends (a good problem to have, btw) that I forgot to include eating the local Vietnamese food into my itinerary.

Last Saturday, I posted a very vague Facebook status about me almost not making my flight back to Singapore because I got held up at the Philippine Immigration desk. I wanted to write in detail everything that happened while it's still fresh in my head because a.) it was a VERY nerve-wracking experience, and b.) if anyone out there is facing the same situation, reading about this could maybe help a tiny bit. (That's a lot of uncertainty in one phrase since we all have different scenarios. It may be easier or harder for you, depending on the circumstances.)