Thursday, 16 July 2015
I'm BACK!!
I know what you've been thinking.. 'Is Becs going to carry on her blog?', well, yes she is!!
We're just at the airport having eaten breakfast and just waiting for our flight.. I'm with Stu & Jon, meeting Kirstie & Jack in Frankfurt to continue our journey to Osaka. The plan is to stay in Kyoto for a few days for some much needed rest and relaxation and sightseeing.
I feeling a bit odd if I'm being honest. I have been saying for two years 'I'm going to Japan' and it has taken over my life really; so now to finally say 'I'm on my way to Japan' is all a bit strange. But I'll get there.
So, I'll leave you with observation of the day: We checked in online and still had to queue for 30 mins to drop off our bags.. What is all that about?!
We're just at the airport having eaten breakfast and just waiting for our flight.. I'm with Stu & Jon, meeting Kirstie & Jack in Frankfurt to continue our journey to Osaka. The plan is to stay in Kyoto for a few days for some much needed rest and relaxation and sightseeing.
I feeling a bit odd if I'm being honest. I have been saying for two years 'I'm going to Japan' and it has taken over my life really; so now to finally say 'I'm on my way to Japan' is all a bit strange. But I'll get there.
So, I'll leave you with observation of the day: We checked in online and still had to queue for 30 mins to drop off our bags.. What is all that about?!
Sunday, 22 July 2012
We're going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo..!
The weekend arrived rapidly and we booked tickets to go and see Dark Knight Rises on Friday evening, it was great and if you're thinking about seeing it, then do, it's brilliant. The night ended with the usual American TV and then we called it a night as we had a big weekend of sightseeing ahead of us.
Saturday was the Zoo! Dan met up with us at the hotel and we got a taxi over. We had breakfast with the animals as planned, Orang-utans and a Snake were around for a photo opportunity - the brochure said elephants too, but we didn't see those. The buffet was excellent though and it set us up for the day. The weather was the best it has been since we arrived, as I had left at the crack of dawn, I did not realise how warm it was going to be and during the Elephant show, I got well and truly brunt! We took a wander around most of the zoo, but it was so hot that after a while, we were all pretty tired and called it a day - I did get some nice photos of Giraffes though, which pleased me!
We decided to have a siesta in the afternoon because we were all feeling the effects from the sun and then later met in Raffles for a Singapore Sling - expensive, but really nice and there were monkey nuts on each table to tuck into, which I thought was a nice touch. We wandered down to Marina Bay and noticed that there were some fireworks - we also stopped off at the MerLion, which was a poor attempt compared to the original one we saw the weekend previous - in fact, this one looked like lego, but just not as impressive.
Dinner was at Boat Quay in an Italian, which was pleasant, then Dan called it a night and the girls headed to Clarke Quay for cocktails, but we didn't last long and ended up turning our big night out into an early night in.
On Sunday, I met Dan and he introduced me to a Singapore breakfast as he felt that my Chai Tea Latte and pain au chocolat wasn't really very cultured. So, we had pork ribs and stomach soup, chicken feet with rice, dough balls and chinese tea - I think that was very cultured and I even tried a foot.. I was sooo proud of myself - I won't be eating another, but at least I gave it a go.
We met the girls at the botanical gardens and the weather didn't disappoint again, it was another scorcher! We went to the ginger garden and followed by the orchid garden, all so beautiful, but again, a lot of sunshine and not much shade. We came back into town and grabbed tea and cake, then Dan and I wandered into Chinatown and the girls had siesta.
The evening brought with it beers, cocktails and Lebanese food, which was delightful and then Dan got his plane home and we all had an early night again!!
I’m having a fantastic time here and I can’t believe I have a week to go before flying home and back to normality. Still have some things to cross off the list, we’ve seen Marina Bay, but haven’t been in, so that’s something to do and I think Charlotte wants to hit Orchard Road and buy about 100 dresses. Unfortunately, we say goodbye to Jodie soon as she flies back to UK on Wednesday – so tomorrow, we’ll have a send off for her, and then it’s just the two of us (Charlotte and myself) until Peadar arrives on Friday.
Thursday, 19 July 2012
becoming a commuter...
Singapore time: Thursday 4:55pm
England time: Thursday 9:55am
Weather: foggy (I know!)
So, I finally did it.. I purchased an EZ card, which is the Singapore equivalent to the Oyster card.. for the MRT (underground) and bus (self explanatory). I now feel so much more at ease now, compared to before, where I would be at the bus stop in a panic looking for $1.10 in change because they don't give change! Now, I just swipe on.. swipe off.. magic!
So today, we pitched logos to the Client and then came back with a few modifications, which have now been done - just need to get them to make a decision (which is apparently notoriously difficult) and then I can complete the branding on the leaflets. simples.
After work, we got the MRT to Orchard Road to have a look around the shops, we have only scratched the surface there.. as there are millions of shops.. unbelievable! We got dinner in an up-market hawker centre.. for the cool price of $6 (about £3.. yes, for dinner!). Picked up some awesome stationary.. from a nice shop.. looks ace, but I suppose you have to be bothered by things like that!
I then successfully managed to find my way back to the appartment and watched an episode of Bones before sleep time.
This post seems to be a bit boring, but considering I did an 11hr day in work, there really wasn't much time for anything else :os
England time: Thursday 9:55am
Weather: foggy (I know!)
So, I finally did it.. I purchased an EZ card, which is the Singapore equivalent to the Oyster card.. for the MRT (underground) and bus (self explanatory). I now feel so much more at ease now, compared to before, where I would be at the bus stop in a panic looking for $1.10 in change because they don't give change! Now, I just swipe on.. swipe off.. magic!
So today, we pitched logos to the Client and then came back with a few modifications, which have now been done - just need to get them to make a decision (which is apparently notoriously difficult) and then I can complete the branding on the leaflets. simples.
After work, we got the MRT to Orchard Road to have a look around the shops, we have only scratched the surface there.. as there are millions of shops.. unbelievable! We got dinner in an up-market hawker centre.. for the cool price of $6 (about £3.. yes, for dinner!). Picked up some awesome stationary.. from a nice shop.. looks ace, but I suppose you have to be bothered by things like that!
I then successfully managed to find my way back to the appartment and watched an episode of Bones before sleep time.
This post seems to be a bit boring, but considering I did an 11hr day in work, there really wasn't much time for anything else :os
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Lost? errr YES!
Singapore time: Wednesday 09:45am
Manchester time: Wednesday 02:45am
No. of hours sleep: 6
So, work is going well and we're presenting the options for logo and branding at a meeting this afternoon, which is good because there is so much to do once this has been approved.
Monday night saw us in the Hawker Centre in Chinatown, which was interesting, the food here is so cheap if you go the right places and there is just so much choice, that it makes having dinner a military operation! But, as always, we got there in the end. After a walk around the shopping mall there, I realised that people are desperate to thread eyebrows, remove moles and generally beautifying everyone.. the beauticians (I think I can say this) look at you and point at inperfections that they can fix.. and they draw you in by saying "We do a test - $5" - although, as soon as you're in the chair, this $5 turns into $50 before you know it.. it's truly fascinating to watch. I do know someone who got caught out by this behaviour, but I'm not going to name and shame.. it wasn't me..!
Last night, was a chill out session and I am now becoming addicted to Criminal Minds - we don't watch them in any particular order, but each one is brilliant.. we also ordered take-out pizza as the prospects of eating rice or noodles didn't fill us with enthusiasm.
Then, there was the very interesting journey home, a little adventure you might call it.. I got on the correct bus, but it seems that after a cetain time, routes merge a bit and the buses reduce.. needless to say, my bus into work, is not the bus I should get home from work. Thankfully, I ended up at Boat Quay, which is really nice and I'm looking forward to going there sometime for drinks, there seemed to be a lot of english people around there, so maybe it's the place to be. Then I walked along the river to Clarke Quay, which is also delightful - so, the evening was great for getting my bearings, however, not so great for getting home as I simply could not find the apartment block - it was so frustrating, but without a map, it is quite difficult. I didn't want to use google because of the data roaming, so I cheated a got a cab - turns out I had made it almost all of the way, and I should have trusted my instinct and carried on walking, but hey ho, it was 11.30pm and I was worried about being too tired for work.
So, an interesting time for sightseeing, but wouldn't recommend it past 11pm on your own..!
Manchester time: Wednesday 02:45am
No. of hours sleep: 6
So, work is going well and we're presenting the options for logo and branding at a meeting this afternoon, which is good because there is so much to do once this has been approved.
Monday night saw us in the Hawker Centre in Chinatown, which was interesting, the food here is so cheap if you go the right places and there is just so much choice, that it makes having dinner a military operation! But, as always, we got there in the end. After a walk around the shopping mall there, I realised that people are desperate to thread eyebrows, remove moles and generally beautifying everyone.. the beauticians (I think I can say this) look at you and point at inperfections that they can fix.. and they draw you in by saying "We do a test - $5" - although, as soon as you're in the chair, this $5 turns into $50 before you know it.. it's truly fascinating to watch. I do know someone who got caught out by this behaviour, but I'm not going to name and shame.. it wasn't me..!
Last night, was a chill out session and I am now becoming addicted to Criminal Minds - we don't watch them in any particular order, but each one is brilliant.. we also ordered take-out pizza as the prospects of eating rice or noodles didn't fill us with enthusiasm.
Then, there was the very interesting journey home, a little adventure you might call it.. I got on the correct bus, but it seems that after a cetain time, routes merge a bit and the buses reduce.. needless to say, my bus into work, is not the bus I should get home from work. Thankfully, I ended up at Boat Quay, which is really nice and I'm looking forward to going there sometime for drinks, there seemed to be a lot of english people around there, so maybe it's the place to be. Then I walked along the river to Clarke Quay, which is also delightful - so, the evening was great for getting my bearings, however, not so great for getting home as I simply could not find the apartment block - it was so frustrating, but without a map, it is quite difficult. I didn't want to use google because of the data roaming, so I cheated a got a cab - turns out I had made it almost all of the way, and I should have trusted my instinct and carried on walking, but hey ho, it was 11.30pm and I was worried about being too tired for work.
So, an interesting time for sightseeing, but wouldn't recommend it past 11pm on your own..!
Sunday, 15 July 2012
the weather is soooo unpredictable
Singapore Time: Sunday, 23:26
UK Time: Sunday, 16:26
So, the last few days have been a little hectic and as the internet in the hotel was dialup (i know), I decided to wait until moving in the apartment before writing.
I survived work on friday and then went straight out for mexican food, which was very good and reasonably priced.. we also got on the cocktails, which were also very pleasant.. I re-introduced myself to the Strawberry Daiquiri, which to be honest, was amazing.
We had planned to do a lot of outdoor sightseeing on Saturday, however, there was a downpour, so the plan got delayed and we decided to head to the Asian Civilisation museum, which provided some entertainment, air conditioning and much needed shelter from the rain. I took some pretty awesome photos and took in a bit of culture. The afternoon saw us in one of the many malls in Singapore and there I found the $2 shop.. the things you can buy for $2 is amazing, I would say it's better than the £1 shop to be honest. I got some tuppawear, in the shape of a frog.. excellent choice and some pretty cool postit notes, always come in handy.
Little India was hosting a food festival and it would have been rude for us not to check it out, so the evening was spend there, enjoying some pretty amazing food and drink, then back to the mexican for a night cap (yes, another strawberry daiquiri).
Today was sunny and humid - so proud that I didn't get sunburnt, we also tried out three new methods of transportation - the MRT (underground), cable car and monorail. We went to Mt. Faber (reminiscing the good times of the past) and found the original MerLion.. the importance I have yet to read about, however, it's pretty important here.. and we also got a glance of the CBD.. I say glance because there were so many branches blocking the view, that we didn't get it all, but it was nice all the same.. but very humid.
The plan for the afternoon was to get the MRT to the botanical gardens and have a relaxing mooch around there, however, the heavens completely opened up and it was just too wet to consider.. and this is when I stumbled across Forever 21.. a clothing shop.. which, I have heard of in UK, but always considered it not really my type - well, I spent ages in there and ended up with some decent purchases, at a reasonable price, so I was happy about that.
Moved into an apartment today, which means I can finally unpack, there's nothing worse than crumpled clothes, so I've been ironing this evening, whilst watching the trashy american shows, which I am slowly getting addicted to.. Criminal Minds and Bones are ones to borrow the boxsets of when I return..!
Night! x
UK Time: Sunday, 16:26
So, the last few days have been a little hectic and as the internet in the hotel was dialup (i know), I decided to wait until moving in the apartment before writing.
I survived work on friday and then went straight out for mexican food, which was very good and reasonably priced.. we also got on the cocktails, which were also very pleasant.. I re-introduced myself to the Strawberry Daiquiri, which to be honest, was amazing.
We had planned to do a lot of outdoor sightseeing on Saturday, however, there was a downpour, so the plan got delayed and we decided to head to the Asian Civilisation museum, which provided some entertainment, air conditioning and much needed shelter from the rain. I took some pretty awesome photos and took in a bit of culture. The afternoon saw us in one of the many malls in Singapore and there I found the $2 shop.. the things you can buy for $2 is amazing, I would say it's better than the £1 shop to be honest. I got some tuppawear, in the shape of a frog.. excellent choice and some pretty cool postit notes, always come in handy.
Little India was hosting a food festival and it would have been rude for us not to check it out, so the evening was spend there, enjoying some pretty amazing food and drink, then back to the mexican for a night cap (yes, another strawberry daiquiri).
Today was sunny and humid - so proud that I didn't get sunburnt, we also tried out three new methods of transportation - the MRT (underground), cable car and monorail. We went to Mt. Faber (reminiscing the good times of the past) and found the original MerLion.. the importance I have yet to read about, however, it's pretty important here.. and we also got a glance of the CBD.. I say glance because there were so many branches blocking the view, that we didn't get it all, but it was nice all the same.. but very humid.
The plan for the afternoon was to get the MRT to the botanical gardens and have a relaxing mooch around there, however, the heavens completely opened up and it was just too wet to consider.. and this is when I stumbled across Forever 21.. a clothing shop.. which, I have heard of in UK, but always considered it not really my type - well, I spent ages in there and ended up with some decent purchases, at a reasonable price, so I was happy about that.
Moved into an apartment today, which means I can finally unpack, there's nothing worse than crumpled clothes, so I've been ironing this evening, whilst watching the trashy american shows, which I am slowly getting addicted to.. Criminal Minds and Bones are ones to borrow the boxsets of when I return..!
Night! x
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Jetlag 1 - 0 Becky
Singapore time: Friday 12:04pm
Manchester time: Friday 05:04am
No. of hours sleep: 2-3
So, arrived at Manchester Airport, terminal 3 on wednesday evening and to be honest, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.. if you know before you book, I would consider choosing a different airport to travel, it was that bad. Thankfully, there was a costa, so I settled down with my book and a pot of tea and tried to forget about how bad the facilities were!!
Got to Paris on time for the transfer, but found myself in a little 'jog' to get to the correct terminal as it was already at boarding status on the board.. got there and thanks to AECOM, I had priority boarding.. scanned the boarding card into the machine and it made a funny noise and printed out a new card.. yes, that's right, I got a complimentary upgrade..! to business class. Got a bed and everything. So, enjoyed the lovely food, free champagne and 'the bed' and promptly slept for 8 hours.. this was my downfall I now know.
Arrived in Singapore on time and got a taxi to the rather nice hotel. Dumped my stuff and went to meet Jodie and Charlotte for tea - although I didn't really need anything to eat because I'd had enough food on the plane. I found where the office was (walking distance) and got my bearings a little. Then had a look around Jodie and Charlotte's appartment and chilled out for the evening with the obligatory American TV.. Criminal Minds, CSI Miami and NCIS Los Angeles to name a few.
At midnight, I felt ready to go home and 'attempt' sleep.. that didn't happen and I ended up watching Transporter 2.. which was quite good, a bit of Jason Statham action never hurt anyone.. followed by another NCIS. At this point, I thought it would be best to force myself to go to sleep, but at 6am, I was still in bed awake and annoyed and knowing the feeling that I am currently feeling.. Jetlag is the pits.
So, I'm sat at my desk at lunchtime, wanting to go to bed.. and today is 'be creative' day where I am coming up with the branding and logos for the entire project.. I really hope I can pull it out of the bag.. I have a starbucks to keep me going, so we'll see.
Manchester time: Friday 05:04am
No. of hours sleep: 2-3
So, arrived at Manchester Airport, terminal 3 on wednesday evening and to be honest, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.. if you know before you book, I would consider choosing a different airport to travel, it was that bad. Thankfully, there was a costa, so I settled down with my book and a pot of tea and tried to forget about how bad the facilities were!!
Got to Paris on time for the transfer, but found myself in a little 'jog' to get to the correct terminal as it was already at boarding status on the board.. got there and thanks to AECOM, I had priority boarding.. scanned the boarding card into the machine and it made a funny noise and printed out a new card.. yes, that's right, I got a complimentary upgrade..! to business class. Got a bed and everything. So, enjoyed the lovely food, free champagne and 'the bed' and promptly slept for 8 hours.. this was my downfall I now know.
Arrived in Singapore on time and got a taxi to the rather nice hotel. Dumped my stuff and went to meet Jodie and Charlotte for tea - although I didn't really need anything to eat because I'd had enough food on the plane. I found where the office was (walking distance) and got my bearings a little. Then had a look around Jodie and Charlotte's appartment and chilled out for the evening with the obligatory American TV.. Criminal Minds, CSI Miami and NCIS Los Angeles to name a few.
At midnight, I felt ready to go home and 'attempt' sleep.. that didn't happen and I ended up watching Transporter 2.. which was quite good, a bit of Jason Statham action never hurt anyone.. followed by another NCIS. At this point, I thought it would be best to force myself to go to sleep, but at 6am, I was still in bed awake and annoyed and knowing the feeling that I am currently feeling.. Jetlag is the pits.
So, I'm sat at my desk at lunchtime, wanting to go to bed.. and today is 'be creative' day where I am coming up with the branding and logos for the entire project.. I really hope I can pull it out of the bag.. I have a starbucks to keep me going, so we'll see.
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