The last time I was in Brunei was back in 1999, before we left and moved back to Manila for good. I’ve been wanting to go back for so long. My family lived there for a little over six years, and although it may seem such a short time, those years were definitely packed with so many wonderful memories. In fact, I genuinely believe that Brunei contributes to 70% of my growth as a person.
After TEN YEARS, I finally flew back. :)
JR and I on board RBA.
The Arrival Hall in Brunei. I was surprised that after oh so long, the airport still looked the same! LOL!
Warning: A ton of photos under the cut. I always take too many photos. My computer memory is seriously suffering and is at the brink of overflowing already!
This blog feels so neglected. I’ve been quite busy lately that I’ve had very little time (and maybe little motivation too) to update. But, today I woke up to the saddest news I’ve heard all month. I could not believe that the King of Pop Michael Jackson, one of my all time favorite artists, passed away only minutes before. =(
I only had a few hours sleep last night and I’m still all groggy, but I can’t seem to get myself to go back to bed. Michael Jackson was a big part of my younger days, and I really am quite affected by his passing. I was able to watch him in concert twice for free back in 1996 (Dangerous and History), and like I’ve said before, those two are the BEST concerts I’ve ever watched!
His Dangerous concert was also the first one I ever watched! Too bad I don’t have the concert pictures with me at the moment (will definitely look for them when I go home!), but I still have a pretty vivid memory of that experience. I remember I was in the crowd with my family and our neighbors. Me in my white shirt, denim overalls, maroon Doc Martens, geeky glasses, long hair and blue+white polka-dot scrunchy (I was such a geek! haha!). All throughout the night, I jumped up and down, sang and danced along with the crowd. It was one awesome night, and this morning I actually cried while I watched videos on youtube of the same concert.
This was the concert. <3
It wasn’t only the catchy tunes that drew me to his music, but it was mostly the words and meaning in them. His lyrics are truly magical! They’ve touched me, made me sing, made me dance, and made me cry at the same time.
“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.” – Michael Jackson.
Today I join the world in mourning and in lighting a candle for one extraordinary entertainer. Rest in Peace, MJ! You are definitely LOVED, and you are truly a LEGEND! <3
I’ve been spending a lot of time with close friends lately. Last week, I was busy running wedding errands with Cecilia, my closest childhood friend. Being one of her brisdesmaids, I helped her with her invitations and tagged along to her gown fitting too.
The weekend was then spent bonding with more friends over food, drinks and Rockband for JR’s birthday.
Then Monday afternoon, I was happy to have lunch and coffee with Chinky, another close childhood friend, who was in town for a few days.
It’s always nice hanging out with friends you practically grew up with. No matter how long we don’t see each other (it’s been about two to three years), we never have problems picking up from where we left off. <3
Tomorrow, it’ll be dinner with some Pinoy plurkers/bloggers (I’m excited to meet new friends!). Next week, it’ll be more girl bonding over a salon trip and a weekend getaway. Then mid next month I’m flying back to Manila for a little over a week to relax and unwind. I haven’t planned anything for my trip yet (no rv camping or anything), but I’m really looking forward to seeing my family and more friends. There truly is no place like home. <3
Less than two weeks after the awesome Coldplay concert, the boyrfriend and I were back in the Singapore Indoor Stadium for yet another rocking concert. This time for that British band who was very much a part of my teenage years: Oasis!
Oasis was probably the first rock band that I really enjoyed listening to back in High School. That was the time when my musical universe revolved around the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, 3T and Michael Jackson, just to name a few. I was mostly a popstar-loving teenage girl, who swooned over Howie D. and TJ of 3T, and idolized all the different persona of the the Spice Girls. Yes, I was that girl who loved to dance and performed on stage to the tunes of Wannabe, Stop, and Get Down! LOL!
But then there was Oasis. The band who managed to make me appriciate rock music a little better. I had an Oasis craze back in High School and overplayed their tapes (recorded copies only, because my sibs and I had no allowance back then) in my yellow Sony Walkman for months. Sometimes I would take my walkman, walk around the garden, close my eyes and pretend I was standing in the middle of an actual Oasis concert. I always dreamed of hearing and seeing them live, and was beyond thrilled that it finally came true last Sunday.
I have to admit that I’m not the biggest Oasis fan anymore. To be honest, prior to the concert I wasn’t so familiar with their latest album. It was only about three weeks ago when I actually listened to their new stuff. But that didn’t stop the boyfriend and I from seeing one of the greatest music legends from our younger years. And I was really happy that we did.
I thought the concert was great!
A lot of people commented that it wasn’t as good as they hoped it would’ve been, and certainly not as grande as Coldplay’s concert just a few weeks before. Frankly, I think the two bands should simply NOT be compared. Coldplay is Coldplay. They are known to perform “full-on” concerts with their bouts of jumping and running around the stage. While Oaisis, on the other hand has always been the reserved type of band. They go on stage, play great music and talk very little. That’s how they’ve always been, and that’s what makes them Oasis. I paid to go to an Oasis concert and frankly, that was exactly what I got. :)
Here are a few photos of the whole experience:
I thought the lighting was awesome. There were massive lighting equipments (like those big outdoor lighting) strategically positioned behind the band. The effects gave just the right mood for the different songs that they played. I also wished that we had been downstairs with the rest of the standing crowd. The energy seemed so alive down there, and I wish we could’ve jumped around with them too. =P
Anna. 26. 
