[JAPAN] Osaka - Kyoto 2016

There's really no perfect word to describe my experience on this trip. It was a mixture of awe to foodgasm, confusion and annoyance and back to serene, then chaos. Overall, it was wonderful.  

We The Kings in Singapore

Before Lavinia went home two Mondays ago, she told me had a surprise for me so that I won't be grumpy anymore (well it was Mondays blues kicking in). My initial guess was that she won a laptop or some gadget (I predicted the time she won her iPad years back), or that she was quitting her job (I forgot that it was supposed to be a happy surprise); but I would never have imagined that one of my favorite bands of all time was going to have a concert here in Singapore.

It was one of my "shut up and take my money" moments so I immediately went online and bought the tickets. Luckily I remembered buying one for Lavinia or else she will smash my face on the screen while pressing "confirm". 

The first time I discovered WTK was when I was trying (hard) to be hipster and looked for unknown/underground rock bands. I stumbled a lot of rockers while surfing in YouTube: Forever the Sickest Kids, The Maine, Mae, Relient K and lastly, We The Kings. At first I felt cool when people asked me about my jams in my uber cool (chic?) purple iPod shuffle and they will be left dumbfounded when I ecstatically mention the "underground" songs. I was proud of not having the same playlist as my friends; if only I can chest bump myself, I would have done it.

But then one February night in 2011, I went to a mall tour concert in Greenbelt, Makati as NeverSayNever, The Maine, and We the Kings were performing. That's 2 out of 3 bands in my hipster playlist! I thought that since it was only a mall tour, only a few people will go. Before that, I had never seen any jam-packed mall tour except Jabbawockeez. So after my work, I just casually went to the mall and walked like it was any normal day then I saw a huge crowd, mainly TEENS, awaiting for the band. Wow, I never thought they had a big fan base in Manila; I never did my research so I nervously squeezed myself and found myself a good spot. Luckily, a lot of people left after The Maine performed so I was able to move nearer to the stage when WTK performed. 

I just laughed when I realized that in my desire to be different, by liking what I thought was an "underground" band, it turned out the opposite and it kicked me back in the shin.

Nevertheless, I was happy and stoked during the concert last week. I didn't care about the crowd this time. I just enjoyed listening to the songs I loved since then and luckily, my wife loves them too.

Note: Pictures below are too noisy since I am only using a Fuji X20 at 112mm max zoom, 2.8f and 3200 ISO. 

P.S. Pictures below are so true and I HATE IT! BTW, as you may notice, I only took few pictures and snapped when most of the smartphones are down.

Taken from http://kebmfa.wordpress.com/

Taken from http://memeguy.com/

Maldives 2014

Yep, some atolls are submerged. Maybe its a low tide - high tide thing

I never thought that I would get the chance to visit this paradise so soon. Lavinia and I tried our luck looking for the best deals in the NATAS Travel Fair but unfortunately all available flights were scheduled at night and some deals were still expensive. We decided we better try in the next few years (which means a decade) but just the next day, Tiger Airways offered a seat sale and on a morning flight too! So we thought it was the universe telling us that this is the best time; no more just dreaming of going there, just go YOLO tripping (and spending). Anyway, it was for our second year wedding anniversary / 11th year dating anniversary so our wallets can cry later (and they still are up to now). 

As tourism is the primary income drawer of Maldives, I was impressed with how they take care of the tourists by providing great service and a clean environment. People are very friendly, ensuring you are having a pleasant, no-hassle experience. It's sad how in other countries they charge you for even the most basic things, and still you don't receive quality service. 

This airport is more decent compared to some countries with bigger GDP and tourism

We stayed at Kurumba Maldives and booked directly on their website. It is the first and oldest resort in Maldives. It was built in 1972 and even though it has been around for 40+ years, the resort didn't look that old (they did go through some renovations recently). The rustic and green design set a good ambiance combining local and international resort look. What impressed me the most was their waste management system. They recycle the waste and use it for cementing, sell to recycling companies, and they have their own composter that they use for their gardens and distribute to other partner resorts. It's only too bad that even though they are trying their best to avoid carbon footprint, Maldives is endangered to be totally submerged in water due to rising sea levels. The entire Maldives does not rise more than 2.5 meters above sea level (yes, that low). We may be living hundreds or thousands of miles away, but we can do our part to save this paradise by practicing the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).

A 15-minute speedboat ride from the airport brings you to the real deal

Kurumba is coconut in the Dhevi language

and this is just the view from the reception - baby sharks included.

Two excited girls

We were greeted with cold towels with a hint of coconut oil and two scoops of their famous coconut ice cream. What a way to cool down the tropical heat! 

Nifty entrance

Best coconut ice cream I have tasted so far

Welcome messages and information inside

One checkbox that i need to tick every time I travel is to eat good food. Well it wasn't hard to find  here in Maldives because all, I mean ALL, the food here was DELICIOUS! From the buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner, the 3 restaurants (out of 8) we tried were all outstanding!

Nasi Goreng with Shrimp Satay

Pad Thai

Grilled Chicken in Mushroom Risotto

Kurumba Cheese Burger - 100% Beef with Bacon and  Egg in brioche bun. NOW THIS IS A BURGER!

Sri Lankan Prawn Curry

Maldivian Style Mussels Curry with Chapati

We were not able to take pictures of the rest of the food that we had as we were busy gobbling it. From here on out, I will bombard you with my favorite sights of Maldives. Enjoy!

The view from near our bungalow

That's the city of Male at the back

A lot of "kurumba" in Kurumba

A great place to Billy Crawford-ing (finding yourself)

Hamakaze Teppanyaki Restaurant

What better place than here to eat your fresh sushi and teppanyaki

Vihamana - for the breakfast of champions!

Happy baby all the time

 

Enjoying the glass bottom boat. She did not want to look at the glass but wanted to look out instead.

Why so serious Chloe?

We rode one of these for the Sunset and Dolphin Discovery Cruise. Dat daddy tummy.

Hello there Dolphin

Showing off his Flipper skills

Some were seeking attention as well

Cue - We're on a Boat by The Lonely Island

Family Selfie! Familfie? Famfie? Fa..Forget it

Sunset on a boat cruise

Pool Panorama

Complimentary drinks - including alcoholic beverages

Ocean Grill

Luckily, the time zone is 3 hours behind SG time so I was able to easily wake up to take some sunrise shots

My sunrise companion

Chanelling my inner Richard Goma in the Bench commercial

Starry night in Maldives

I wish I am that guy having a massage

I finally tried Time Lapse and its really hard if you don't have an intervalometer

I only used my Tripod, Camera Timer and Cellphone for the Stopwatch

Goodbye Maldives, it was hard to look back and say good bye!