My experience with Open Myomectomy

Exactly 14 days ago, I was groggy at this time.  I remember a flurry of activities in my room, nurses telling me that it's done and that they're moving me from a stretcher to my bed, my husband asking for pain reliever, and me trying to have a glimpse at the time on the clock while expressing the pain in my abdomen by contorting my face and whispering "pain" and giving in to the grogginess enveloping me. I don't remember the kind of pain I was feeling. I just knew it was painful enough to keep me from sleeping. 

That was the scene in my room at the hospital, a few minutes after my operation. It's called an abdominal myomectomy or open myomectomy - a procedure for removing fibroids in the uterus.

Finding out

One Sunday in mid-December, I woke up with a pain on my lower right abdomen.  Lying down, I could feel a lump when I touch the area (I couldn't feel it when I'm upright) and the lump would move when I would change my position. The GP downstairs suspected that it was uterine fibroid and recommended that I do an ultrasound test. The result showed 3 blobs. The first gynae laid down different options: 1) conservative treatment which means just leaving it there, 2) myomectomy which could be done either by open or keyhole surgery, 3) taking medicines, 4) a non-invasive but novel treatment called HIFU. Option #1 was not the best option for us since we wanted to conceive. Option #2 is definitely an option but the gynae wanted to see if we could do #4 first as she didn't want to touch the uterus as much as she can. Option #3 is not recommended since it could result in liver problems. Option #4 required us to consult another doctor who specializes on the procedure. 

One Christmas, New Year, CNY, a bout of MRI and 2 other doctors later, we had a clear recommendation - to do an open myomectomy.  My MRI showed that I actually had 5 blobs and they're too many and too big for a HIFU so the best way is to open me up and take out those pesky blobs. 

My wonderful gynae operates in Mt Elizabeth Novena so we had to do the operation there. My surgery was scheduled on 11 Feb at 2pm. A few days before that, I had to do a pre-op blood test for preparation. The test is intended to know how fast does your blood clot, your predisposition for deep vein thrombosis, etc. My results were normal. 

Expectations 

I haven't been hospitalized before so I didn't know what to expect from the surgery. I mean, in terms of the general procedure, I know what's going to happen but in terms of detailed processes, I absolutely had no idea aside from the experiences of a colleague who went through the same procedure. I intentionally had it that way because I didn't want to be overwhelmed with too much information.  I didn't want to be anxious. And so, I treated the surgery as something crucial that needs to be done but not something that should be worried about.   My husband on the other hand was very worried. 

A hiccup?

The night before the surgery, my husband and I went out for dinner to mark the significance of the event. While at the restaurant, I got a call from my gynae. Apparently, , the hospital is discouraging elective surgeries due to the COVID situation. An entire ward was closed off and some nurses were quarantined so they have a shortage of nursing staff. This is in addition to the fact that staying in the hospital means being exposed to infections. So my gynae asked me if I wanted to delay until the situation stabilizes. 

My husband and I weighed the pros and cons of going ahead based on our personal timelines and reasons but the final decision lied on me. It's based on what Im most comfortable with. Everything is ready. Insurance and leaves at work have been sorted out, arrangements with my mom to stay have been arranged, and most importantly, Im mentally ready. So we said we'll go ahead.   I was at peace with our decision and I trusted that we are doing the right thing. 

However, the news about the COVID was disconcerting. We were more worried about it than the actual surgery. So my husband and I mulled over the idea that we will go on voluntary quarantine to protect ourselves from the virus outside, and also protect our loved ones from contracting the virus in the hospital. That night, I prayed for guidance and strength. 

D-Day 

Aside from the virus situation looming over our heads, the actual day was very ordinary. I woke up at 6 so that I could have breakfast. I'm not allowed to eat or drink anything after 7. Breakfast was fried sinaing na tulingan, rice and tomatoes. I had to eat because that would be my only meal for the next 24 hours. By 8, I had to cleanse my bowel through an enema. 

We left the house at 10 and went to Balestier to see my mom before the procedure. Then we went to Novena church after. From Novena, we walked to the hospital. We went to my gynae's clinic to get the printed copy of the pre-op blood test results. Then we headed over to the admissions. 

The admissions counter at Mt E was very personalised. Each patient is attended to by a staff with counters separated by brown wooden dividers. It didn't feel like an admissions office in a hospital. I felt like a privileged client opening a bank account.   The admissions staff made me sign forms, reiterated the procedure that will be done, how much it will cost, checked the LOG from the insurance, what room will I be in and what's included in the room. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that our room was upgraded because our intended room category was full. The upgraded room had provisions for a sleeping bed (more of a couch) and meals for my husband. After about 20 minutes of signing and explanations, we were done with the admission procedures by about 1140. We were early so we had to wait before we were escorted to our room. 

We were not expecting to wait for about 1.5 hours.  If there is any negative experience that we had in our stay, it was the waiting time for the room. It was already 130pm when we were escorted to our room.

Our suited butler led us to our room. While at the lift, we were informed that guests are only limited to 2 at a time because of the virus situation. Visiting hours were liberal though as it runs from 8am to 8pm. 

In the room, the butler explained all the amenities. I felt like we were in a hotel more than a hospital. Aside from the hospital bed, everything in there looked like a hotel. 

The interior makes one feel like it is a hotel

The room had plenty of natural light and I had a good view from my room 

The fancy toilet

When the butler left, the ward nurse came in to check my vitals and asked me to sign forms I think.  My temperature was 37.6 - I had a low-grade fever. She also brought a set of hospital gown for me to change into.  She informed me that the operating theater nurse who will bring me to the operating room will come in a few minutes. While waiting for the operating theater nurse, I was worried. I had a fever. I told my husband about my prayer and the fever. Is it too late to cancel the surgery?

At 145, the operating theater nurse came and I was endorsed to her. It became more real. I'm really going for surgery. I was also very worried. I have a fever. Do I have the virus? Are we making the wrong decision by going ahead with the surgery?  But there was no time to think about it anymore. After hugging my husband several times, the nurse was already wheeling me to the third floor where the operating theater was. 

Pre-op me

To distract myself from an impending anxiety, I chatted with the nurse. She was from Myanmar and moved to Singapore after high school to do her studies here. She's been working in Mt E for the past 4 years. 

At the operating room, I was wheeled to ward 8. I saw my gynae who waved at me while talking on her phone. From the wheelchair, I moved to the bed. I later on learned that the ward area was called the waiting area.   In the waiting area, the anesthesiologist introduced herself to me. Again, there were confirmations about my identity, the procedure that I'm gonna go through, my medical history, previous surgeries, and drug allergies. She also explained to me that she will administer the anesthesia through an IV. There was also a question about my travel history. 

It wasn't long before I was wheeled to the operating room. It was less daunting than what I've imagined and saw on tv series and movies. As far as I can recall, there was a mirror on the right side where I imagine interns and observers could stay to watch the procedure.  In middle was, of course, the operating table and directly on top of it were several huge lights that were not yet lit. From the stretcher, I was slid to the operating table and that's when the action started. 

There were 3 nurses who were already there, plus my anesthesiologist, the other surgeon and my gynae. I told my gynae about my temp and the anesthesiologist commented how the hospital still allowed me to come in (I later on learned from my gynae that the anesthesiologist was really worried about contracting the virus because another anesthesiologist from a different hospital also contracted it from a patient).  Being the jolly person that she is, my gynae narrated in jest how I really wanted to go ahead with the procedure even after last night's call so we should go ahead. I don't remember who did what but someone took my blood pressure,  someone attached gadgets on my chest and back, and someone helped me put on a hair cap. The anesthesiologist started to insert an IV on my left hand and she was so good that I didn't feel the pain of the needle going in. I was trying to memorize the details of the room when someone put on a mask on me and said it was the oxygen. 

And that was it. That was my last memory of the operating room.

My next memory is a groggy me hearing someone saying that it's done and that they're going to move me to my room.  And then another memory is me seeing my husband and the nurses sliding me once again to my bed. And me in pain. 

It's done. I survived the operation and I need to sleep. 

A Second Try...at Running

I got up early today to go for a run. It was 640am to be exact.  Staying in bed was tempting but I knew that I would hate myself later on if I gave in to that.  So I put on my running clothes, stepped into my running shoes, did a bit of stretch, and went out to greet the morning sun.

This is going to be my second attempt at running consistently to train for a marathon.

The first was in 2017 and although the running felt pretty boring at times and a struggle most of the time (especially when waking up at 6am), on the hindsight, I can say that it was not bad. It was actually good. From running almost every other day for 3km and 11-17km on weekends, I finished with a 21km and a 32km medal. The starts were always bad and it was in those moments when I would realize that running is for the most part mental. The first kilometer is the longest but the first 10km was the easiest.  After that, you have to talk to yourself or entertain yourself with whatever scenery you are greeted with since your legs will just do the same all throughout the second or third 10 kms - put one in front of the other - and this is where boredom is rooted from.  Pain will make itself known all throughout the exercise. Sometimes you give in to it and do a bit of walking but most of the time, you ignore it and shut it out from your system or else, you'll be a slave to it. If you do, practically that will lead to more hours in the track which, in the long run, is worse. Once you control pain, and your mind, it is inevitable that you'll reach the finish line. 

The finish line. Oh, reaching that is sweet. Glorious. It's a testament to your strength. It shows what the body can do if you push it hard. Until now, Im still amazed at how I managed to do those.

But you know what happens sometimes once you give yourself a break. It's difficult to get back on track. And that's what happened to me.

After noticing that a lot of my pants dont fit anymore, and that it's getting more and more difficult to do forward and sideward bends in yoga because of bulges that were non-existent before, I knew that I had to do something. I knew that I had to run. I feel like a prodigal daughter, trying to come back to the gods of running.

So I messaged my running buddy. We plan to join a half or full marathon by the middle of next year. We have to register in order to push ourselves forward.  10km wont do it. We can do that without training. But a half marathon will push us to train. So I started mine today and I hope to maintain that at least until middle of next year.

Wish me luck!

The Engagement. 28.09.2018

It was a regular Friday.

Me in my jeans and shirt and James in his bermudas, shirts and slippers. When he said he got off from work early, I didn't suspect.

Dinner was fancier than the usual. It was at Botanico. But even then, no suspicions because this dinner was planned weeks ahead. We wanted to try their food because we were in love with their place.

That night, the place was filled with beautiful people. When I say beautiful,  I mean people who dressed up and took the effort to look nice on a Friday night. And us, of course we were underdressed. But I guess as a consolation we were beautiful too. Nasa kalooban nga lang :P

We were escorted to the table and was asked whether we wanted still or sparkling water. We chose still.  When it came, it was a big bottle of Evian (I told James it tasted like tubig na galing sa poso).  The menu said it was $8. For a bottle of water.

For appetizer, we had classic ceviche (in other words kilawin) and Cold pickled beef tongue with pickled celeriac, mustard caviar, chipotle mayonnaise and fried capers (in short, lengua).

Kilawin

Lengua

James' main was Truffle Conchiglie. It was amazing! (i wish i was too at describing flavours)  Mine was Peri peri chicken. I found it to be just ok but James was more appreciative and yes, he has more complex taste buds.

Fresh pasta cooked with caramelized onions, truffle paste and Parmesan, topped with sautéed wild mushrooms, slow-cooked egg yolk, and seasonal truffles.

Deboned half chicken, marinated with grilled peppers and citrus peels, served with grilled avocado and hazelnut polenta.

For dessert, we had lemon grass panna cotta.

Lemongrass-infused Panna Cotta served with ginger ice cream, Granny Smith apples, and lemon meringue.

Dinner was perfect. The food was superb. Outside, there were fairy lights and a live band was playing Jazzy Bossa Nova-ish kind of music. Perfect setting for a romantic engagement.

"Little did u know how your life would change after dinner." - James

But it did not happen there.

We were so full from dinner so we opted to have a long walk. We headed to the foliage garden. We sat on a bench, soaking in the tranquility of the place while looking at the stars. From there, we could still hear the music from the restaurant so it was all nice. (I shouldn't mention that I was getting bitten by mosquitoes because that would tarnish the picture-perfect setting but it's just so tempting to say so).

Then he said, something sticky fell on his neck. I offered my wet wipes but he refused and instead opened his bag to get his "bimpo" aka the box.

We stood up. Hugged. Then he said his back was aching so he bent down. I saw a red box. My eyes went big but I pretended not to see it because I didn't want to ruin his surprise. I didnt know that he intentionally wanted me to see the box. So he bent down again, and at that point, I couldn't stop myself from asking if it's a box.

He stood up laughing. And I BAWLED. For a looong time. It was unexpected. Me the stoic girlfriend crying and stomping my feet at the sight of a ring?  No way. I didn't dream of this. But it did happen. I was crying noisily and in the midst of it telling him that I hope no one is in the area otherwise they might call the police thinking that someone is having an emergency.

After a good 5-10 minutes, he asked me while laughing "are you ready?"

I nodded.

And just like in the movies, he bent down on one knee and said

"Im sorry I cant bend down very long so this is a short version.  Sweetheart, in the past one and a half years that we've been together, you've made me the happiest man alive. You gave me a reason to be happy, to look forward to the future. You gave me stability, and most importantly, because of you I know what it means to be truly and deeply in love. And I want to spend the rest of my life making you feel the same way. Lori Jane Masil Pasaraba, Will you marry me? ""

I said yes and cried again.

And in Ted Mosby voice "And that kids, is the story of how your father proposed to your mother."

Tribute to our home

I am not afraid of typhoons.

Growing up in Aparri, it's a norm for us to welcome several typhoons in a year. We're like a tourist spot for typhoons. Typhoons visit us before going to Ilocos or Basco and eventually to HongKong or Taiwan. 

As a young child, I remember typhoons as moments when my siblings and I would stay upstairs and watch roofs flying like Aladdin's flying carpet.  If it comes at night, the fear would come not from the possibility that it might destroy our house but from the howling of the wind while we are trying to sleep because it sounds like what one would expect from a ghost.  As I grew older, my mother would ask me and my siblings to put rags or old clothes at the window sill to prevent rainwater from seeping through. If it's signal #3, we would tie our window handles to the grilles for reinforcement. My father would always have his flashlight beside him in case of a power outage at the middle of the night.  

Post typhoon, people are like mushrooms. They would sprout by the roadside to survey whose roof has been flown, which house has been destroyed, whose coconut tree has lost its fruits, how many electric posts or lamp posts have been toppled (this will indicate how long would the power outage be), whose carabao drowned in the river, etc etc. At home, we would be happy because our rainwater tanks would be full serving as an assurance that we will have enough drinking water until the summer season.  By dusk, people would go to the stores to buy kerosene for their lamps.  The following day, we will be back in school. If the chairs are wet, we'll bring them out to dry under the sun. Same with the books. The chalks and erasers too. 

This was our routine. 

From my young mind, typhoons were a hassle, not a disaster.  This was probably due to zero human casualties (as much as I could remember) at the end of it. And largely, because we were lucky to always had a home where we could sleep warmly at night.

Last Friday night, Typhoon Ompong made a painful impact in our lives. It massively damaged our home. 

Our home is 50+ years old. It was built in the 1960s when my uncle was in the Navy. The main house is a small square-ish type, about 40 sqm. As with every Filipino family's expansion plan in the past, my parents would extend it every time we would have extra money until it became bigger.

It was a humble home filled with many memories.  The sweet memories of Christmas mornings where we would wake up from the sound of our relatives voices in the kitchen. Christmas parties for me and my siblings' friends and classmates. Learning how to ride the bike from the living room to the kitchen. Navigating my way through itchy sacks of rice during the harvest season. The sound of my mother's voice once she comes back from the market.  Or the sound of my mother's voice on Saturday mornings asking us to get up and start helping with the household chores. Opting to spend an entire Saturday cleaning it when I was in high school.  It's a house where relatives, neighbors  and friends could always drop by for a cup of coffee and tinapay or a meal.  A house where neighbors and relatives could always borrow a salop of rice. Or ask for a gallon of drinking water from the tangke when theirs run dry.  It's also a place for more sombre occasions, the most recent of which was my father's wake 8 years ago.

From then, our house had nobody to constantly give shelter to. If my mother had her way, she would prefer to stay there for it is where she feels really at home. I understand. We understand. It is the house that she and my father had nurtured for our family.

Both of them have aged so much. My mother and our house. And both of them still try to nurture each other. Unfortunately, our house is much weaker. Maybe because compared to my mother, it's receiving less love and attention. We rarely go home to visit it. It doesn't receive regular check-ups and care (renovation).  Every time there's a news of a typhoon in Aparri, I pray that our house could withstand it. I imagine it to be a frail elderly who is still subject to the harshness of life. I know one day it will cave in. 

Learning about how strong the typhoon was, I was expecting to hear bad news about the house. Confirming that expectation was painful. I cried for a long time. It's a strong reminder of the passing of time. It feels like holding on to something that inevitably goes away. 

Seeing this photo, I still feel proud of how strong it is. This has withstood 50 years worth of typhoons. And even if the roof and one side of the wall has been damaged, it still stands. 

Thank you house. 

This is our house in June this year. Im glad that my boyfriend, my sister's husband, our friends and relatives still managed to see it in its original structure before it caved in.

Coney Island Again (on Vesak Day)

I went to Coney Island again yesterday.  My first trip there was bitin so I made a mental note to go back and cycle.

I went with J and this time, we didnt walk but cycled.  There were two bicycle shops near Punggol Jetty, one is GoCycle and the other is Jomando.  Gocyle is cheaper, $8 per hour for the ordinary ones but they dont have a drop off point at the East Gate (we wanted to go straight to Ikea after cycling) so we went to Jomando hoping that they do but unfortunately, they have neitehr.   I rented a $10 per hour one, J took the $12 one.  We rented the bikes for 2 hours but they had a promo of 2 +1 so we had a third hour for free.

It was cloudy that day and we're hoping that it wont rain.  The weather was cooperative, it didnt rain when we were cycling.  From end to end, the island is just about 2.4km long.  We followed the main trail and followed the small ones on our way back, dropping by the beach once in a while.

There were a lot of couples doing their photo shoot and I would understand.  The place is beautiful for a rustic setting.

a dog happily swimming in the beach

It took us a little over an hour to finish the entire island. And that's on a very slow pace.

On our way out, rain started to pour so we stopped at the shed near the entrance.  We stayed there for quite some time together with the other cyclists.  We were thinking that such kind of rain wont be stopping anytime soon so when it became just a light drizzle, we cycled back to the shop (and that's how I probably got sick).

We headed to Ikea after where we spent the next couple of hours looking at furnitures and design ideas.

It was a good day all in all.

(All photos and video were by J)

New discovery: Swee Choon Tim Sum

D and I accompanied M who had an endoscopy at Raffles last Saturday.  It was almost 2pm when M's procedure was finished.  We were starving.  M wanted to have some dimsum so we consulted Google and were directed to this place in Jalan Besar.

We walked for about 30 mins.   We saw the place from our afar and our hearts sank because it was already closing.  We checked online and indeed, it says that it closes at 230pm before it opens again from 6pm to 6am.  Sad isnt it?

It's a good thing that we were curious. We still went to see the place and discovered that the restaurant basically covers the entire block!  We checked the second door and upon seeing that there were still a group of people eating, we went in and tried our luck.  And lucky we were indeed!  Last order was at 230pm, we got there at 227pm.

We ordered several dishes.  Everything was good but my favorite was the salted egg yolk bun.  It's heavenly!  The dough was soft and moist but not soggy and the egg yolk filling was just right.  The hakaw and chives dumpling were also good!  Again, everything was good.

After eating, we walked and in a couple of steps, realized that they had a bakery for people who want to take some of the goodies home!  It was indeed a series of fortunate events :)

Aquamarine

This was a tiring week at the office. We started our training program hence we have to come to the office earlier than the usual.  So when Friday came, it was really TGIF.  Z in her usual style reserved (and paid) for the place without us knowing.

The look of hungry but happy faces

Through the years, I believe I have evolved as a buffet consumer.  From someone who would eat her heart out, I am now someone who would enjoy the variety of tastes more than the quantity of food that I would consume and therefore, would just take a spoonful or even a teaspoonful of every dish on the spread.

For this buffet, here's what I had.

Plate # 1: different kinds of salads, from leafy greens to filling ones

Plate # 2: oysters, prawns, mussels, the incredible poached salmon, and different kinds of crabs

Plate # 3: sushi and sashimi

Plate # 4: dishes that you could get from hawker centres but much much nicer

Plate # 5: durian plate with chocolate pudding and other kinds of desserts

Plate #6 : Dessert.  This is always, always, meant to be shared

AquaMarine is good if you like seafood but it's a bit pricey.  Everything is good but the poached salmon is the best that I ever had.  It is plain delicious!

Z's car which will be scrapped the following day. I couldnt help but feel sad because it has been our group's reliable transport in our escapades both for work and for fun.

Random triggers of happiness

Iam TA-ing for the Social Research Methods class tomorrow by Dr Feng under our Centre's Training Program.  Browsing through the course materials brings back memories of college and evokes excitement from relearning basic research methods.  The older I get, the more affirmation I get that I do love research and I want to be in this field for a long long time.

my nephew with his precious find

Last January, my sister's family was here for a 3-week holiday.  On some days, we would meet after work and have dinner outside.  One day after dinner at Orchard, when we were on our way out of Ion (I think), my six-year-old nephew suddenly rummaged through his pocket and exclaimed "Oh my goodness, I almost forgot to show you this!", showing me a dime that he saw on the streets.  It was just a dime but the excitement written all over his face for finding something that might have been so alien to him and sharing that excitement with me was both amusing and sweet that remembering it now makes me smile :)

Ang Pagbabalik ng UPAAS Bakunawa and other adventures

UPAAS with Motley Crew

We had our first practice today with the Motley Crew at Passion Wave.  Compared with the past years, more and more people are joining us this year.  Although I myself could not join the actual competition, Im still excited to join the practice sessions. I enjoy paddling.

Almost half of the boat are first time paddlers and right handed so I tried left hand paddling.  It was tough and waist breaking (if there is such a term).  Compared with rich-hand paddling which was kind of intuitive, left-hand paddling is kinda awkward for me resulting to me being rigid.

Our coach was very particular about the form so we spent more than an hour on that.  I think we only paddled continuously for more than 30 minutes but my sides were already aching by the end of the session.

Saturday at Marina Bay is busy with many teams practicing.  There was the FDS boat, Gaelic dragons, and Canadian dragons.  If only I have the time, I would love to paddle regularly.

After the practice, we had balut at Kontiki.  One of P and D's Filipino friends who are working at Kontiki brough back balut from the Philippines.  D tried it but didnt finish the entire embryo.  We on the other hand ate semi-frozen balut.  It was weird.

After the balut adventure, we went to LP for bulalo and halo-halo.  Bulalo at Inasal was actually good.  They serve 3 rice but it's good for 4 people.

Since we're all full, we decided to walk home. McR stays at Newton and M and S both can catch the MRT at Newton or Novena so we all walked. We wanted to see the GOT exhibit at Newton but the gallery was already closed.  We were in our Tai tai mood that night.

On our way out, we saw an adult shop and went inside giggling.  I think no one was clueless as to what we're going to see inside but I was still surprised to see so many things.  I didnt realize that vibrators are expensive.  And I was amazed to see a replica of the female organ.  It looked so real!  There were sex card games, sexy underwears, different kinds of rings, etc.  Needless to say, we were still giggling when we got out.

the tai tai wannabes

We also passed by the Indocafe restaurant along Newton.  I had always wanted to go there since I thought it was a coffee shop.  I was surprised to know that it was a fine dining restaurant.  We were so underdressed since we were still in our active wear but we felt like being tai tais that night so we had drinks there.   I had lemongrass which tasted pretty authentic.  M's passion fruit was very good and was my favorite too.  The store closes at 10 but I think we left at half past.  I couldnt help but compare how things are in a high end place.  Instead of telling us that the store is closed as how it usually is, the crew were just observing from a distance.  Of course we were sensitive enough to get the message so we left.

It was an enjoyable Saturday.

Coney Island (not in New York)

We went to Coney Island today.  Ms Chi is in town and she wanted to see everyone so this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

There are two ways to get to the island.  One is by the west entrance - via Punggol, and the other is by the east entrance - via East Coast Park.  We went by the Punggol route.

From Punggol bus interchange, we took bus 84 that brought us to Punggol Promenade.  It was a short ride, about 5-10 minutes.

waiting at the interchange

most of the gang waiting for X who at that time was finding her way to the place

From Punggol promenade, there are directional signs pointing to Coney island.  Getting to the Coney Island gate from the promenade takes about 15 minutes by foot which we did.  X rented a two-legged scooter for $10 per hour.  And some people hop on to their bikes.

X on her 2-leg scooter

view of the island from the waterway

X teaching M how to ride the scooter

M finally getting the hang of it and going on her own

map of the island.  it's a 2-km walk on each way. 

trees in the forest

 Compared with its NY counterpart, Coney Island in Singapore is not a theme park but a nature park.  And it's a beautiful one in my opinion.  It has a rustic feel to it.  I saw shrubs and grasses that I used to see back home. And the flora was "untouched".  It was also cool inside as the sun coudn't really penetrate through the thick shade provided by the trees.  One warning we got about the place was that it had a lot of sand flies so we sprayed insect repellant on our clothes so luckily, we didnt get any sandfly bite.

There was also a beach but I dont think it's conducive for swimming.  The water looks like it's contaminated by oil.  I learned that the nearby islands were Jurong Island, where the oil refineries are, and Pulau Ubin.

the beach

X and M by the beach

the semi-unpaved pathway

C and Ms M

Ms Chi with G and D

the group

patches of touch-me-nots

the entire crew. i didnt realize that i was standing far from the group

We didnt finish walking the entire stretch of the island.  I think we reached half of and then started walking back.

But one day, I want to go back there and run/cycle around it.  A good route would be to cycle the entire stretch of Punggol waterway all the way to Coney Island.

After the walk, we headed back to Punggol Waterway, which is right by the bus interchange, for brunch.

And we saw this cool thing.  A tray return robot.  There were 4 them plying the entire food court. It always stops by our table because one of the chairs that we're using is on its way.  When it stops, the eyes turn sad and politely says "Please excuse me".

Maybe in a few years' time, robots such as these will replace the elderlies who help tidy up foodcourts.

the robot tray return assistant at the Koufu food court in Punggol Waterway mall

Budget trip series: Climbing Gunung Lambak

This is the second time that we're doing this.  The first time was in 2015 when we tagged along Kuya N's hike group.  I remember that the hike was difficult and yes, it really is.

There were 9 of us in the group.  We rented a van and left Singapore at 630am on a Saturday.  It was still quite early so crossing the border was a breeze, except for a few hiccups with P and T's thumb marks unreadable causing them to do their thumb marks again.  After that, we had breakfast somewhere near JB.  Breakfast was chill, the group talking about random stuff that we were tempted to just ditch the hike and go for a food tour instead.  I wouldn't have minded that.

Kluang, where Gunung Lambak is, is 2 hours away from the border.  We didn't really feel that the drive was 2 hours as we talked about a lot of things on the way.  Well, mainly org-related stuff.  We were joking that it was like a Mancom meeting.

We reached our destination around 11.  After a bit of stretching, we started on our journey at 11:25am.

The last time we were in G. Lambak, we went to all 4 stations.  This time, we didn't have a set itinerary.  The plan was just to go to as many stations as we could.

The start.  Everyone looks fresh and excited and ready and all

starting the long walk. the road is paved but im already using my walking stick to support my still sore knee

after a few minutes of walking, we reached the official starting point. to the left is a trail of moderate difficulty, to the right is a difficult trail.  we took the left one

this is moderate but as you can see, it's quite challenging.  it's steep. 

taking a rest

this is already close to the false summit.  i like how these ferns branch out into pyramid like shapes

it's not very obvious but those are ropes to support hikers because of the steep trail. this is on the way to the big tree...a difficult trail.  by midway, there was even a discussion as to whether we should continue or not because 1) the trail is too steep, and 2) it looked like it was going to rain anytime soon and if we go further, there's a high chance that we'll be caught up in rain.  most of us said go, others said no and so we decided that those who said no should just wait for us at the false summit.  but eventually, all of us went ahead.

this is how it is...this is m on her way up.  i remember from last time, we were warned about the difficult trail going to the big tree. and yes, it was really difficult.  we saw hikers on their way back and they said that the trek going to the big tree is just about 15-20 minutes.  that amount of time passed and still, we couldnt see it. we saw several big trees which we thought were THE big tree.  and then finally, we saw it... 

finally, the big tree.  it really is big. we were all exhausted by the time we reached the place

the tiny stream by the foot of the big tree.  

on the way back, i saw this gigantic centipede and i remembered that centipede joke which goes like this.
question: what did the baby centipede say that caused the mother centipede to faint?
answer: mom, buy me havaianas!

going back to the false summit took us about an hour.  we went in pairs.  there was even a time when i was alone in the middle of the forest.  i sat on a log waiting for my sister.  as i looked at where we are heading, dark clouds suddenly appeared and mists enveloped the top of the trees. it felt like the setting of one of those suspense movies. it felt surreal.  one really feels so vulnerable in the midst of nature.   and after a few minutes, rain fell.  i had my umbrella but didnt have my poncho.  needless to say, it was a challenge trekking when it's raining.  it was not slippery but the gush of water coming from upstream was enough to makes one shoes soaked.  add that to the difficulty of trying to balance while climbing a steep slope, having only two hands but trying to hold an umbrella, a walking stick and ropes. it was incredible.

in hindsight, i dint mind that we were caught in rain because that made me experience how it is to trek in the rain! it's definitely a big hassle but it made me feel so close to nature.  imagine being under the rain, with no roof above your head, your feet, ok shoes, getting all wet and dirty.  and of course, it's a bragging right.  yes, ive trekked under the rain!

here was E finally making it to the false summit.  we rested for a few minutes and embarked again on our descent because we didn't want to trek in the dark. it was 5:59 when we reached the base of the mountain.

the photo couldn't capture the soaked feet in squishy socks and shoes, and the wet pants

fruits and drinks at the base of the mountain

dinner at nando's where we indulged ourselves with chicken and nice drinks.  see how fancy our drinks look like?

It was generally an amazing hike.  I was so happy that my knees did it.  Climbing up was ok because I had my stick and the ropes to help me use more arm power because I had to pull myself up at some point but going downhill was more challenging. I had to rely more on my right knee and of course, climbing down backwards.

Compared with running,  I like hiking more because I get to enjoy the sights and the sound of nature at a closer distance, slower pace and occasional stops. Plus, it is a team activity that strengthen bonds as exemplified by the buddy system and having to wait for each other and make sure that everyone is safe and well accounted for.  I also realize that Im more of an "enjoying the journey more than the destination" kind of person.  Most of the mountains/hills that I've climbed have an OK view at the summit and that is perfectly fine with me because I enjoy the climb more, the trail, seeing what's on the way, climbing, holding on to those ropes, pushing myself and others, talking to myself to just carry that leg one more time because we're almost there, not to give up otherwise i'll just stay there in the middle of the forest, to finish and go back to the start.  Yup, I like hiking.  I hope my knees would allow me to enjoy this hobby more.

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Budget for the trip
Van hire from Sg-Kluang-Sg (1 day trip): $42 each
Breakfast: about 5RM
1.5L of water: about 5RM
lunch: pre-packed
post-trek fruits and drinks: 5RM
indulgent dinner at Nando's: about 40RM
Exchange rate: $1: 3.04RM
Total expenses $42 + 55RM ($18)= $60