seru-dabbles

             Seru is an average 25 year-old yuppy (young professional) from the Philippines. She’s an Industrial Engineer by profession (for 4 years and counting ^_^) who takes interest in various things. This blog will serve as her journal where she will write about her random interests on travels, food, make-ups, cooking, life hacks, music, etc. Life is meant to be lived..to the fullest!      

[thegoodvybe]

[seru-dabbles]

10 Basic Travel Tips for Filipinos Traveling to Hong Kong for the First Time

Filipinos often choose Hong Kong as their first out-of-the country trip due to its close proximity from the Philippines: merely 1 hr and 40 minutes away from Manila and maybe also because of Disneyland.

My sister and I have chosen Hong Kong as our first family trip because of these reasons and also we thought that HK is cheap. Well, in reality, HK is not cheap! According to Business Insider, Hong Kong is the 11th most expensive city to live in the world in 2018. The prices of the stuff in HK are very different from what we have here in the Philippines. This is why I made this basic travel guide to give you tips on how you could save money while you are in Hong Kong.

1.Bring your own three-pronged plug

The standard electrical voltage in HK is 200V. No problem with that since it’s just the same as we have here in the Philippines. However, it is the electrical outlets where we will be having a problem. HK takes a three-pronged UK-style plug which is also same with that in Singapore. You can buy this kind of adapter in major hardware stores like ACE or Handyman. There’s Omni and synergy brand which will cost less than 200 pesos.

My sister and I bought this brand at Handyman which was on sale (less 20%) for about 150 pesos. In case you have forgotten to bring your own, the easiest place to buy this kind of adapter in HK is 7/11. One costs 99 HKD which is around 693 pesos to 700. You wouldn’t want to spend that much on an adapter won’t you? The hotel where we stayed in indicated that they could lend us the adapter for 25 HKD per piece (175) but it’s a lot safer to bring your own since there are usually many guests in the hotel and you can’t always be sure that there’s an available unit for you to borrow.

2. Find a grocery store to  buy your bottled water and other stuff.

The hotel where we stayed in is called the Rambler Garden Hotel. It’s a 3 star hotel which I discovered is the common hotel where travel agencies in the Philippines bring Filipino travelers to. I am thinking that if you’re a Filipino and you arranged your HK trip through a travel agency in PH, there’s a big chance that you’ll be staying in this hotel as well.  The hotel will provide you the basic stuff (I might discuss about the hotel on a different blog entry) but bottled drinking water is not always included. We found three small complimentary bottled water in our parent’s hotel room while there weren’t any in ours. One 500 mL water in 7/11 is 9 HKD while 2 1L of bottled water in a grocery store is more or less 15 HKD ( they usually offer discounts when you buy two items).

3. No food and beverages allowed inside the theme parks (Disneyland and Ocean Park)

Yes. You are compelled to buy your food inside these theme parks because you cannot bring your own. The only exemption is bottled water. We were told that each person can bring one bottle of water inside the park. In relation to number two, I highly recommend that you buy your bottled water in the grocery store and bring them inside the park because one 500 mL bottle of water inside Disneyland and Ocean Park is priced at 28-32 dollars each (196 to 224 pesos). And yes, it’s just the same brand “Bonaqua”. My sister also used her ninja moves by sneaking biscuits for our snacks inside in case we got a bit hungry in between meals.

4. Do not bring your luggage to the theme parks (Disneyland and Ocean Park)

Luggages/huge bags are not allowed inside the theme parks. You will be instructed to leave them in lockers which is priced at around 100 dollars (700 pesos). If you could check in first in your hotel before going to theme parks, please do so to avoid these unnecessary expenditure.

5. Download the theme park apps to get the most of your stay

Disneyland and Ocean Park both have apps which you can download for free from the app store. These apps are very useful because it is where you can find the schedule of the shows and parades inside the theme parks. For Ocean Park, schedule of feeding the penguins/pandas/dolphins/sea lions, etc. can also be found here so you will know what time you should go to these attractions.

6. Monopods are not allowed inside Disneyland

Yes. You will be instructed to put your monopod inside the lockers for they are not allowed to bring and use inside Disneyland.

7. Food inside theme parks are expensive.

While you can get a decent meal for around 40-50 dollars (280-350 pesos) in other places, inside the theme parks, meals cost at around 100-150 dollars each(700-1050 pesos). Of course, we cannot control these prices but let me share you a simple trick. Though food inside the theme parks are expensive, they usually come in large servings. If you are a family of five (like us), what we did is we only order for three persons. With this, we are able to save money. Sometimes, two servings for five people is enough. In the end, it will depend on how much of a big eater your family is. hehehe. Also, there are deals in apps like Klook where they offer discounted prices for meals. (this is not paid advertisement.. hehehe) Also, just a heads up, 1 Mickey popsicle (chocolate variant tastes like Magnum) is 40 dollars in disneyland (280 pesos). We bought 5 pieces for 200 dollars (1400 pesos). The key here is not to think about it. 

Do not convert if you want to have a picture like this. LOL

8. Eating or Drinking inside the bus is not allowed

I am not sure if this is also applicable in MTR/ public bus but we were told by our tour guide that eating or drinking inside the bus is prohibited and we could get fined by doing so. This actually happened inside our tour bus where I just finished eating my breakfast (we were late for breakfast so we had a take-out which I silently eat inside the bus but the tour guide only noticed me when I was already about to finish drinking my coffee. lol). I was reprimanded for that.

9. Exchange your Pesos to HKD in the Philippines

If you will explore HK through a group tour, most tour guides will offer exchange from pesos to HKD or USD to HKD. Though their rates is much better than money changers you will find in the city (1000 pesos  = 135 HKD or around 1HKD = 7.41) deals in PH is still a lot better. I don’t know about your area but when I asked the exchange rate in a money changer inside Robinson’s Lipa, theirs was 1 HKD = 7.8 pesos (that’s too much!!). I didn’t buy my HKD from there for I already learned my lesson when I travelled to SG in 2017. Exchange rate in NAIA was better; 1 HKD = 7.1 pesos.

10. Include an umbrella, cap/hat and jacket on your travel essentials.

The weather in HK is very unpredictable. Always check their weather status before your trip. We went there in August which is summer and their rainy season as well. LOL. There were times that it would rain for about 30 minutes then the sun will be up and shining oh so brightly after the rain stopped. Always be ready for you to get the most out of your trip.

I hope these tips would be helpful. Enjoy your trip! :)

[seru-dabbles]

My (almost) Solo Trip to Singapore -2017 Part 1/2

I’ve always been vocal about my dream to have my first ever airplane ride before I turn 25 (June 2017). It doesn’t matter whether it’s to a local destination or overseas and it was by hook or by crook as I have said. But honestly, I’ve never given much thought and effort on how to make it come through  until I got a hold of my passport on May 2017. On that same month, Cebu Pac had a seat sale where I was able to purchase a round trip ticket for myself for only 6K++ (which includes 15kg baggage allowance on my return trip to PH for “pasalubongs” tokens). I felt so fulfilled that I was able to get a good deal on my tickets only to find out that the price I got was actually the average pricing of the airline all year-round. hehehehe. They said that during piso fare, the ticket price could go as low as 3K or less. Better luck next time then. :) I still think it’s a good deal though if you’ll compare it to buying tickets weeks or a month before your actual trip. 

Few months later, I was bound to experience my first airplane ride and land my feet on a foreign country. YEY! 

From Lipa Batangas, my ever-supportive sister and I took the bus bound to LRT Buendia. We alight at Chowking and had our brunch. From there, we booked an Uber which took us to NAIA Terminal 3 (fare was only 150+). After few photos we said our good byes and I headed to pay my travel tax, get my boarding pass and change currencies on the money changer found inside the airport. 

*Note: I don’t know about the currency exchange rate that you could find on your area but honestly, I got better deal at the airport as compared to the money changer I found in Robinson’s Lipa. As in!

After some escalator rides, charging, sitting and waiting.. Poof~ I’m now inside the plane! wooohhooh!

We’re soaring..Flying~ Trololol. The weather was cloudy with a little bit of rain. I could recall experiencing at least 5x turbulence all through out the trip. hehehe

Few hours later, we’re already in Singapore! Look ~ the weather did took a 180-degree turn!LOL

 I arrived past 5 and my friend is supposed to pick me up around 7. It’s fine though because I have more time to stroll and wander around one of the top airports of the world--> Changi.

There are lots to see and do in Changi. But first, let me take a selfie. hehehe

This was my first photo in SG which I posted in FB. Few minutes later, an old friend from college messaged me and said that he and his brother were also in SG. Few messages later, my solo trip became an almost solo trip and I found myself two travel buddies! No more selfie sticks, getting lost alone and screaming in rides alone! YEY

Other than this garden, Changi is full of amenities that are free to use. Check out the following:

Movie Theater

Sunflower Garden

Potable water

It’s safe to drink tap water in SG

More sunflower~ hehehehe

Gaming room

Japanese Koi and Indoor Gardens

PC with Internet

Wifi Access through your Passport

Just scan your passport and it will print a receipt that will enable you to access the airport’s wifi for 3 hrs (I think?)

This big screen will take your picture, make you answer a short survey, get your name and generate a monochromatic pixelated photo of you with Singapore features as background. Your copy will be sent directly through the e-mail address that you have provided. Cool~!

Watch live sports through these huge screens!

Get free candies in help desks. I grabbed this not knowing that the candy is almost same as my name. hehehehe

Lastly, I want you to have a look at the  comfort room/rest room at Changi. There are lots of them at the airport but this one is where I was able to take a few shots before someone else enters. hehehe

Talk about ultra hygiene eh?

*Funny Story: Since I was a first time traveller, I didn’t know about immigration and stuff. All the while, I didn’t realize that I was still inside the airport and haven’t gotten through immigration for me to say that I am actually traveling to Singapore. hehehe My friend Brena and I spent 30 minutes or so searching for each other; her--> at the airport outside immigration and me--> at the airport inside immigration LOL

Finally, we found each other! Yey~ I am fortunate enough to have a friend who lives and work in SG who provided me a place to stay all through out my trip. Thank you Brena and fam ~ ;)

We rode the MRT and alight at Bedok mall (they live in Bedok which is very close to Changi Airport) where we had our dinner.

Brena bought us her favorite drink and the famous hokkien mee.

This is a must eat when you visit SG! Delicious indeed!

Part 2: Places I went to in SG

[seru-dabbles]

Today

Today I`ve decided to let go of the things I cannot control. Not everyone will like me and that’s okay. Not everyone will be my friend and that’s also okay. I don’t have to change just to fit in. I don’t have to pretend that I enjoy shallow conversations just to have people to talk with. I don’t have to settle with superficial fun, laughters and talk about other people just to feel delighted about myself by knowing that I am above someone else. I am my own individual. I like deep conversations. I like learning from elders. I want to learn from them. I want to succeed on my own. I want to take control of my life by doing better on things that I do have control of while putting my trust to God’s plan.

[seru-dabbles]

That’s OK.

You’re in that point in life where you don’t know how you should feel about yourself, about the people around you or what you really want to do with your life-that’s OK. If things didn’t go the way you wanted them to be-that’s OK. When you worked so hard to get something just to realize that it isn’t what you thought it was-that’s OK. It’s okay to constantly change your mind, to make mistakes, to lose the people you thought would stick with you ‘till the end. It’s okay to walk away from something or someone without a definite plan on where to or who to go with next. It’s okay to take risks. To be bold. To claim your life because it’s yours. It’s okay to think about yourself first. To not wait for the validation of anyone else for living the life you wanted. It’s your body, your soul, your heart, your feelings, your beliefs and your being we’re talking about here. I hope it doesn’t take you a lifetime to realize that your life is yours alone. Live everyday with the purpose of pleasing yourself and nobody else. 

[seru-dabbles]

A taste of Seoul in the Kitchen of Laguna

Hi!  In celebration of the 119th independence of my country- the Philippines, my workmates-slash-friends and I decided to stroll around UPLB! It’s the perfect place because (1) It’s near Batangas (where we live) (2) It’s such a big place-real big! Perfect for strolling (3) Because our favorite Korean Restaurant (by far) is near this school.

Since I am so in love with their Rappokki and Tuna Kimbap, I’ve decided to make this post about them –Seoul Kitchen at Los Baños, Laguna.

Seoul Kitchen is just few meters away from the entrance of UPLB. If it’s your first time, you can ask direction from people around the area especially the students. The place has that café vibe and I imagine students hanging out there often. As far as I know, this restaurant is owned by a Korean couple so you can expect that they serve authentic Korean taste!

We arrived just few minutes after their opening (Seoul Kitchen opens at 11 am) so we got the chance to take lots of solo pictures before the place gets swarmed by customers.

Their menu is affordable (sorry I forgot to take a picture of their menu). You could already get a meal for 95 pesos and they give large servings.

Here’s what we ordered:

Rappokki. A fusion of Ramyeon and Ddeokboki for 95 pesos. This is one of their bestsellers. I love to eat spicy food so this one  is daebak (great) for me! However, for those who are not so fond of spicy food, there are many less spicy dish that you can try. I don’t want you getting all emotional while eating this just like what happened to my friend-she was crying while eating Rappokki!!!LOL

[Tuna Kimbap] Also a bestseller for 100 pesos. This is delicious too!

[Dumplings] I forgot what they’re called. 75 pesos. We got two. Also delicious.

[Kori Kopi] This was my drink. I like the presentation a lot! The glass is filled with iced coffee.. Literally ice. LOL. Then there’s a glass of fresh milk and sweetener (the one on the shot glass). What I like the most aside from the presentation is the freedom that I get in deciding how my drink should taste. I like my coffee bitter so, I didn’t use most of the sweetener.

[Oreo Bingsu] My workmates ordered bingsu. I didn’t because I already have my kori kopi. But I do recommend you to try their bingsu especially the oreo one. The serving is large and I think it would suffice 2-3 persons. Not sure how much it is.. maybe around 100-110? Hehehe

Seru’s conclusion: We are very satisfied with their food and service. If ever you are around UPLB..make sure to check out this place.

Food made me and my friends this happy! ^___^