Viva La Vida

Syukur Alhamdulillah, after 22 long, lean years, The Arsenal are Champions of England again. From Highbury to Ashburton Grove, from Wenger to (cough) Emery and now Arteta, from the lowest of low of an 8-2 spanking to the occasional mad uplifting-but-usually-too-fleeting moments, from guaranteed top four finishes to being out of the Champions League and Europe altogether before we made our comeback, from (cough, cough) Gallas to Fabregas to a few others in between to Arteta himself, Per, Koscielny then Xhaka to (cough) Aubameyang, Lacazette and now Ødegaard, from the obscure signings to high profile ones like Arshavin and Özil, from despair and hopelessness to joy, we, the Arsenal supporters have gone through it all. We’ve stood tall in the face of criticism, we’ve endured the booing and the celebration police, we’ve ignored the jeering, we’ve learnt to develop a very thick skin. We’ve been loyal. And now, let us celebrate this and hope that there will be many, many, many more trophies to come. InsyaAllah. I love you, Arsenal.

PH And PG: Part II

Wednesday, 29 April 2026

Kule had allowed me a late check-out of 13:00 instead of 10:00, bless him. I finally finished reading my thick book just in time to perform prayers. I left my room at 12:50 and walked up to where the vans are. After thanking Kule, I went into the other van. Lina came along too.

We reached the airport 15 minutes later. I went in and sold off my Kina before checking in for my flight. I managed to get an aisle seat this time.

We took off on time and landed at NAIA Terminal 1 at 19:50. I’d filled up the Philippine eTravel back at Port Morseby Airport but again, no one asked to check it. I went to the washroom then filled up my water bottle and when I went to the carousell, my bag was already waiting. I took Grab to Yamato Hostel where I’d booked a lower bunk bed in a four-bed female dormitory (I decided not to go to Y’s apartment as it was a week night and I didn’t want to disturb her).  The hostel lobby would put any other hotel lobby to shame. There was only one other girl in my dorm, Alhamdulillah. I went to the area on the second floor to boil some water before having a late shower.

Thursday, 30 April 2026

I woke up early for morning prayers and found the dorm door wasn’t closed the whole way. Anyone could’ve entered during the night. One girl did enter around midnight to get her things from one of the lockers and her suitcase but I thought she’d gone to get some stuff only. I didn’t realise she left for good so she must’ve left without the door clicking shut after her.

I stayed in the dorm until 11:45. The other girl had left just after 05:00. After checking out, I left my bags in the storage and went out to explore Pasay. I performed prayers at Masjid Al Nur before heading to Two Shopping Centre to find halal food. Turned out there are a few stalls selling halal food there. I had Maranao food. Over there, the sellers had wrapped plastic around the plates and bowls. I was really uncomfortable with all the plastic. Haven’t they heard of microplastic??

After lunch, I wandered around the area. There is an LRT track nearby and I walked over to the station to check it out before walking back to the hostel.

At almost 14:45, I arranged for an InDrive car to NAIA Terminal 3. Traffic was heavy then and the driver actually drove up to where the LRT station is before taking Taft Avenue.

The queue at Cebu Pacific wasn’t that long but there were a lot of people. Many travellers wanting to get away for the May Day weekend. I finally managed to drop off my bag and went to clear security. There are a lot of eateries too including a stall called Mamak selling halal food.

We had to board a bus to the plane. I had a window seat and dozed off during take-off. We landed at Puerto Princesa at 17:50. I was all ready to jump up but the two men next to me were still sitting down. We’d already sat for 80 minutes and my body was already ready to move.

I had to wait a bit for my bag before I could exit the terminal. The Casa Belina driver was already waiting across the road. And despite Y calling ahead to inform that we would be arriving on different days, the driver was surprised to find me alone. The message was lost somewhere but not in translation. I explained that Y would only arrive the following morning. It took less than ten minutes to get to Casa Belina with all the traffic around the airport.

After checking in, I went out to find dinner. Alas, I was unsuccessful. I didn’t expect to find halal food but no one was even selling any fish meal. I went to Mercury Drug store and bought a four-litre bottle of water (I couldn’t find mineral water in either Manila or Puerto Princesa) and a packet of nuts before walking back to the guesthouse. The road where the guesthouse is seems to be a red light area… I didn’t feel unsafe though.

Friday, 1 May 2026

Y was taking the 06:00 flight from Manila this morning and I decided to wait for her before having breakfast. She arrived at around 08:00 and after depositing her bags and unpacking, we went down for breakfast.  After breakfast, we rested until 10:50. We discussed what to do and decided to consider going on a city tour. It turned out that one could join the tour in the morning or afternoon. We were too late to join the morning tour so we told the receptionist that we would join the afternoon tour but only if it didn’t rain.

We walked out and had an hour-long massage at Hilom Massage place nearby. Then we returned to the guesthouse to perform prayers and get ready for the tour.

Well, we were supposed to be picked up at 13:30 but the van only arrived at 13:55. Apparently there was a traffic jam which I found hard to believe. After all, we were in Puerto Princesa, not Manila. After picking up four more guests, we drove the Butterfly Eco Garden (it was either this or Crocodile Farm and the majority of us voted for the Butterfly Eco Garden). Well, let me tell you that this is a misnomer because there were at most three species of butterflies only. But there is a Tribal Village and we were given some background on the tribes and a few of the villagers showed us their musical skills and instruments and hunting skills. That part was enjoyable at least.

Next we drove to Baker’s Hill. I’d thought it was a hill named after someone called Baker and we could enjoy a view over the city. Well, I couldn’t be more wrong. It’s actually a popular bakery and when we arrived, there was a long slow queue of people waiting to pay for their goods. We were allocated 20 minutes there and it wasn’t enough as the queue was long and the transactions (payment and packing into paper bags) took a while. SMH.

We next went to Mitra’s Ranch. Our guide didn’t give a good explanation of the places that we’d been to. Or maybe she did but I didn’t understand her. At Mitra’s Ranch, visitors can ride horses or go for rides at extra cost. The one ride that I saw didn’t look that exciting though. Thankfully there was a good view of the faraway sea, otherwise I’d be cursing the time we spent there.

We drove to a souvenir shop for those of us who wanted to buy pasalubong. I was pleasantly surprised to find a few Muslim sales assistants in the shop. I only bought a pearl bracelet for myself.

We drove back to the city and the guide pointed out SM Mall and Baywalk, and then the van stopped at Plaza Cuertal (closed) and the nearby Immaculate Concept Cathedral and Rizal Park.

Two of the passengers asked to be dropped off at the airport and Y and I asked to be dropped at a briyani place. Alas, the place was closed probably because it was Labour Day so we decided to be dropped off at Robinsons.

We finally had light dinner at Shawarma Shack after checking its halal status. Then we rode a tricycle back to the guesthouse.

Saturday, 2 May 2026

We were ready early this morning as the pick-up for our trip to the subterranean river was supposed to arrive between 07:15 to 07:40. Well, of course the pink-up was late and only arrived at 07:55 and this after repeated attempts to reach the tour company. Then we ended up waiting 20 minutes for a family of one mother and three teenagers. Seriously, what the eff.

The tour guide was much more forthcoming today. After a stop to use the facilities, we were briefed on what to expect. We had to wait for our turn to board the boats so while waiting, we had a choice between doing the zip line or joining a boat to the mangrove. Y and I chose the mangrove and for this, we had to pay PHP350 each. Noel the driver then accompanied us to the boats. The mangrove trip wasn’t too bad although again I had problems understanding the guide.

After that, we waited for those who did the zip line before driving to Sabang Wharf where we waited about 15 minutes to board our boats. The boat ride took about 20 minutes and then we walked through a forest to get to a different boat. There are macaques waiting to attack unsuspecting visitors here so you’re advised to secure your belongings. After some waiting, we boarded a paddle boat. We were also given an audio guide to listen to while we drift through the vast cave chambers shaped over the centuries by stalactites and stalagmites. Bat calls echo overhead while swiftlets cut through the darkness, creating a quiet but vivid sense of life. Our boat ride lasted 35 minutes and I was suitably hungry by then. We walked back to the beach to wait for our boat back to the wharf. Then we drove to Cacaoyan Restaurant for buffet lunch.

After a long lunch, we drove back to Puerto Princesa. Dinner was had at the guest house dining room. Y had brought an electric cooker so we used that to cook fried ramen 

Sunday, 3 May 2026

I had an early breakfast today and left at 07:00. The trip to the airport took only six minutes. I dropped off my bag (11.1 kg!) then went in. There are quite a few interesting shops at the duty-free area. We were soon boarding.

We landed at NAIA T2 and after getting my bag, I walked over to get the shuttle to T1. There was a long slow queue at the Malaysia Airlines counter, indeed long slow queues at most counters. I timed myself and guess what, I queued for exactly one hour just to get to the counter to drop off my bag. Then I joined another queue to clear security before yet another queue to clear passport control.

Alhamdulillah, I had enough time to perform prayers. Our plane was asked to hover and not allowed to land due to bad weather at KLIA. We finally landed at 17:25. I was so glad I’d performed prayers at the gate back in Manila. My bag made its appearance at 18:10.

Alhamdulillah for the rezeki and opportunity to travel.

The end

PH And PG: Part I

My old roommate back during my second year of A-Level, Y, is currently posted in Manila and I decided to visit her. In addition to visiting her, I discovered that I could finally fly from Manila to a country I’d been mulling over. This new country is only accessible from Manila, Singapore, some cities in Australia and maybe one or two other airports like Hong Kong. After spending time researching the places I could visit and tying the visit to Manila together, I finally bought the air ticket to the capital and then utilised my Malaysia Airlines ASEAN Fly Pass. As I chose to fly the early morning flight to Manila, I decided to overnight at KLIA T1.

Friday, 24 April 2026

After a mostly sleepless night, I decided to drop off my bag and make my way to the satellite building for morning prayers (the earlier plan was to perform prayers at the main terminal before dropping off my bag but that was before I saw that the gate was at the satellite building. Oh and the aerotrain was undergoing maintenance from 23:00 until 06:30).

We took off on time and landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport T1 at 11:50. I had filled up the Philippine eTravel back in KL but no one stopped to ask me about it. As Y would only come around 13:30, I decided to perform prayers first. The prayer room has been relocated to third floor and is now called Multi-Faith Prayer Room. It’s much better and brighter compared to the previous prayer room. After prayers, I returned to ground floor and waited.

Y arrived at 13:30 and we went back to her apartment at Citadines on Valero Street in Makati. She’d cooked some dishes beforehand and we were soon tucking in.

We ventured out after dark and walked around the neighbourhood. Dinner was had at Wardu, an Indonesian restaurant.

Saturday, 25 April 2026

We ventured out after breakfast to Salcedo weekend market just before 10:00. It was already bright and sunny. We returned to the apartment an hour later.

We went out again at 15:30 and drove to Intramuros. Y’s colleague from KL joined us. We were caught up in a bad crawl and it took us 70 minutes to reach Manila Cathedral. I wondered aloud that it didn’t seem there’s a fuel crisis in Manila. We walked to Fort Santiago but there was a summer festival and we could only enter if we purchased the pass. So we turned back and went to Manila Cathedral. There was a wedding inside. We didn’t stay long in there though.

The driver came and on our request, brought us to San Agustin Church. This church is among the four Baroque churches in the Philippines that are prescribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Again, we didn’t stay long as we didn’t want to keep the driver waiting.

We drove on to the Mall of Asia. We then went to find the SM By The Bay Amusement Park Cruise. The ticket was PHP200 and we were lucky to get the last two seats on the boat. A couple and their son boarded after us and sat perched on the ‘deck’. Personally I didn’t think the cruise went far and showed much. The captain slowed the boat to allow passengers to get up and take photos. All in all, the trip took 30 minutes including the photo taking. There was a long queue waiting to board the boat when we came back so we were thankful we managed to board our boat when we did.

We then walked to find Martabak, an Indo-Malay restaurant and had dinner there. Y and colleague wanted to get some groceries so we stopped at SM Hypermarket before calling the driver to get us.

Sunday, 26 April 2026

This morning, we ventured out at 07:50 for a morning walk. After debating, we made our way to Legazpi Sunday Market. Some of the vendors were at Selcado market the day before. There were many people and it was pretty safe there. We spent some time wandering around the market before returning to the hotel for breakfast at the hotel restaurant.

We rested, Y cooked and it was an easy Sunday day. I finally finished my book. I had my shower at 17:30, dinner at 17:50 and performed prayers. I compared Grab and InDrive and decided on the latter. The driver arrived at 18:37 and it was a good thing he asked if I was going to Terminal 3 because my flight was from Terminal 1. I agreed to pay extra for the detour.

We reached the airport after 30 minutes. I paid the driver PHP250 and went in. I managed to change seats from 15A to 10B. There were many people and it was stopped to look at their destinations: mainly to the U Ass. The queue for the Saudi Airlines was also long. I’d forgotten that there are many Pinoys working in the Middle East; I was looking for Haj pilgrims. The queue to clear immigration which followed security process was also long. After that was done, I headed to the A Lounge near Gate 2 (alhamdulillah, thanks to Trip.com). I spent an hour there before making my way to Gate 1. We boarded pretty quickly and the plane was already pushing back by 21:10. I was surprised to find many Filipinos on board and learnt then that many Pinoys work in PNG. I dozed off during take-off. 

The crew started serving dinner at 22:30. I’d requested for a Muslim meal and it was delivered at the same time as other passengers’. I then tried to sleep but slept only fitfully.

Monday, 27 April 2026

It started to get stuffy in the plane. I kept adjusting the AC to no avail. A few passengers were fanning themselves so it wasn’t just me. The plane was new and clean, the crew was polite, courteous and delivered announcements softly but the AC didn’t work well.

We landed at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, at 04:45, well ahead of ETA of 05:10. After clearing passport control, I had to wait a while for my bag. Then I had to go through the quarantine line because I’d declared bringing food into the country. My 100th country! Syukur Alhamdulillah.

After performing prayers, I then waited for the driver from Hohola Apartments to arrive. Kule, the manager, had informed me that the driver comes in at 06:00 and that I would have to wait. I said not to worry, I would wait. The driver and Kule himself arrived at 06:44 and it took us less than ten minutes to reach the apartments. Although the check-in time was after 11:00 according to Klook, Kule brought me to the room and said I could meet him after I’d rested.

I showered, performed Dhuha prayers and had some bun. Then I decided to have a kip and set the alarm. At 09:30, I went down and was informed that the driver (a different driver) would come along and they would inform me when he’d arrived. He said I could pay 50 Kina per day for the fuel. I thought this was very reasonable as I’d read that some visitors paid even more.

Just after 10:00, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find a lady who said she would accompany me. Her name is Lina and the driver is Maurice. First, we drove to Vision City Mega Mall where I changed AUD200 for 577 Kina. They accompanied me throughout a ring like bodyguards. Indeed, I’d read that Port Moresby is not very safe and visitors should have a guide. My mates were even discouraging me from coming.

Having settled my currency exchange, we drove to Port Moresby Nature Park. Foreigners have to pay 22 Kina for the ticket. Lina and I spent almost two hours in the park. It was great to learn about the local fauna and flora and animals.

Next, we drove to Papua New Guinea National Museum & Art Centre. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to take photos in there. There was a display of fishing traps, wooden statues, masks, war shields, and a gallery on the country’s involvement in the WW II. We spent about 50 minutes there before returning to the apartment. I also learnt from Lina that many businesses in the city are owned by Asians. PNG celebrated its 50th year of independence in 2025 and its Independence Day falls on 16 September to which I remarked, ‘We celebrate Malaysia Day on 16 September!’. 

Having had a poor night’s sleep, I had an afternoon nap. My nephew had given some retort food and I brought them over on this trip and had them in the room for dinner. Syukur Alhamdulillah for the rezeki.

As Subuh is early in these parts, I told myself to hit the sack early. I was in bed shortly after 22:30. PNG is two hours ahead of Malaysia and the Philippines.

Tuesday, 28 April 2026

I woke at 04:30 and performed prayers. I had a short nap after prayers and was up at 07:10. My next door neighbour was coughing all night.  We left at 09:40 and Maurice drove us to Koki Fish Market. There were many types of fish, more fish than I know existed. I didn’t see any prawns or shrimps or crabs though. We spent about 15 minutes here before continuing on to Ela Beach. We spent another 16 minutes there before going to Waterfront Shopping Centre. I bought some local Arabica coffee, local tea, local chocolates, local honey, and some cookies. I also told Lina to get some food for herself and Maurice. The bill came to almost 200 Kina which I thought was quite steep but things do cost more in PNG.  We drove back to Hohola Apartments and I sat in the room, packing and reading my book.

To be continued