82- Harbourfront

Harbourfront, Singapore, April 2015

There's nothing like a beautiful afternoon spent by a large body of water. 

I got to spend time in Singapore with my cousin, whom I hadn't seen in years, and my girlfriend, whom, by the time we had arrived in the Lion City, I had not seen for a couple of days. Relationships tend to magnify the length of time between meetings. That's just the way things go. 

Situated within the Bukit Merah area, Harbourfront has undergone a lot of development over the years. Outdoor mechanical walkway? Check. Ample lighting? Check. Shopping mall? Check. Cable cars zipping through the sky? Check, check. Eating places? Check. To the uninitiated tourist, the place can seem like a cornucopia of shops and eating places. What you get is the byproduct of industrial progress. 

We have similar places in Manila, but none seem to be as clean as Harbourfront, or, as clean as Singapore in general, for that matter. I am sure Singapore has its share of problems, but hey, they make it work. They seem to make it work due to diligence and political will.

Until there is concrete evidence of progress, I suppose that we'll have to keep dreaming of having Singapore-level progress. Am I anti-Philippines? Not at all. I am just speaking candidly. Things are the way they are.

MC

81-Perspective

Half full or half empty? Thirst quenching drink, or boring and tasteless liquid?

It's all a matter of perspective.

(Plaza Del Norte Hotel, Laoag, Ilocos Norte, Philippines)

80- Leap!

                      Migi at Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2013)

Travelling can make you reach deep down- fight drowsiness, fatigue, and an urge to stay within the confines of an airconditioned hotel room, and just...let go.

Leap! Leap! Go forth and explore!


MC

79- Seafood Swing

When all else fails, grab a plate of scrumptuous oyster omelette.

You can't go wrong with that.


(April 3, 2015, Newton Food Centre)

78- Singapore

Oh, Singapore. How I miss you.

Travel on, Migi, travel on. 

MC

77- CU in Cebu!

In Cebu Province now for all too short a date. 

Still as beautiful as when I last visited :) 

MC

76- The Trouble with Love, 3

                             A Photo from Matchbox 20 Live in Singapore
                                                  (November 2013)

Serenade. There's nothing like a soothing serenade.

I love the music of Matchbox 20. I love the work of their front man Rob Thomas. The guy's a musical genius. Think Bach in blue jeans and a leather jacket.

Are you guys familiar with Thomas' song "Ever The Same"? Now that's a song. That's a tearjerker. A heart crusher. Post the feeling on the wall. That's my song. That's your song. Does anyone care? I know I do.

So there you are. Smiling in your seat. Why I can't forget you- like I can't get enough of a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza- I have no idea. Or maybe I do. Maybe I have some inkling but I'm not all too sure.

We've had a lot of conversations about life over time. I am not sure what it was. Was it the way you would giggle whenever you'd talk about inane things? Could the culprit be your careful musings about how a carefree attitude can get you through life? 

Perhaps the total package is what it is. Perhaps it's all about the innocence you exude when you float through the halls of this flawed kingdom. 

You remind me of times when life was a whole lot simpler, when complexity was an ocassional surprise rather than a daily "given". You are akin to a rose that stays in bloom through the winter. 

At this point, I find myself looking like the wildest of cliches. Rose in bloom through winter? Give me a break. I sound like a Michael Learns to Rock song. 

Despite all that, the fact remains that, like an imperfect impression on food made right by that one breakthrough restaurant, captained by that one "amazeballs" chef, you tend to make me want to "sing" a bit better. I think it's because the simplicity behind it all relaxes me. 

Lest I forget that in the end, it is still all about be cautious as opposed to being a reckless wanderer, the trouble with love, as with a cab driver that hoodwinks you on the typical price of a taxi fare from airport to hotel, is that it can, and often does, things to curb your enthusiasm. 

At the same time, the hope for a brighter day one feels is enough to give one a momentary high that sometimes lasts a whole lot longer than a day, and goes a whole lot deeper than your soul. 

And so it goes.

MC