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Pinoy, lah!

Saturday, 19 September 2009

The Singapore Tourism Board is launching Pinoylah.com, an interactive website where Filipinos can get a preview of what awaits them in Singapore.

pinoylah
Visit the Pinoylah website at www.pinoylah.com

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Category: Singapore
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Malaysia Airlines’ ASEAN Pass

Thursday, 17 September 2009

One of the things that was presented during the press conference we attended in Malaysia was the ASEAN Pass. The ASEAN Pass is a set of four prepaid vouchers that would let you travel to up to four Southeast Asian cities served by Malaysia Airlines for as low as US$229 in economy class or US$729 in business class.

Malaysia Airlines 08
Malaysia Airlines’ Airbus A330 that we rode from KL to Manila. Forgot to take a photo before another plane parked right beside it. Pfft.

Of course, the big question is, what’s the asterisk?
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Category: Everything Travel, Malaysia, Preparation
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Inside the Dornier 328

Wednesday, 16 September 2009

Ever wondered what’s it like inside Seair’s small aircraft? Here’s a peek inside:

Inside the Seair Dornier 328
The view from seat 9A

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Category: Sponsored Posts
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Malaysian food guide

Tuesday, 15 September 2009

First off, a disclaimer: this is not meant to be an end all and be all of Malaysian food. The food and restaurants featured in this post are a small sampling of Malaysian cuisine. And of course, these are my favorites. I have to admit that I have never really been adventurous when it comes to food. Sure, I’ll try the weird stuff, but not when I’m alone. So when I’m off wandering solo, I’d usually stick to the familiar, and steer clear of anything that looks spicy, which is a hindrance since a lot of Southeast Asian nations have a penchant for chili. Thanks to Marie, our tour guide, we were enlightened to the wonders of Malaysian food. Now I know what to order next time I find myself back in Malaysia.

Sun Fong Bak Kut Teh 07
Sun Fong Bak Kut Teh

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Category: Malaysia
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How to renew your Philippine passport in 30 minutes

Monday, 14 September 2009

UPDATE (May 6, 2011): The Department of Foreign affairs issued an advisory dated May 4, 2011:

The DFA will extend up to one year the validity of the current expiring passports of applicants who have urgent travel. The extension will be free of charge while the applicants are waiting for the release of their new electronic passports (ePassports).

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and applicants who need their passports on emergency circumstances (e.g., medical concerns, death in the immediate family) are advised to go to the Passport Director’s Office, for assistance. The Passport Director’s Office is located at the ground floor of the DFA-OCA at the Aseana Business Park along Macapagal Avenue.

The DFA advises the public to file for their passport applications at least 12 weeks before their intended date of travel.

Read the complete advisory: English | Filipino

UPDATE (February 26, 2011): Anton of Our Awesome Planet recounts how he was able to get an extension to his passport’s validity. This is one option you can try if you need to travel within the next month.

UPDATE (November 30, 2010): Dyanie wrote about her Philippine passport renewal experience, which was pretty recent (at time of this posting). It’s a very easy to read recount of her experience peppered with pictures for every step. Her passport renewal took her an hour at the DFA. UPDATE (February 26, 2011): Dyanie has made her blog private

UPDATE (July 20, 2010): This post was written on September 14, 2009 for a renewal of a machine readable passport. There are several Pinoy blogs that recount their experiences with passport renewal that are more recent and more relevant given the changes with the process. I suggest you read the Pinay Travel Junkie’s guide to E-passport renewal, which was written on June 28, 2010.

UPDATE (March 4, 2010): The DFA has stopped issuing machine readable passports. All passport renewals are now for e-passports or the biometric passport. Please refer to Earl‘s guide to Phillippine E-passport renewal for details.

I just got back from the Department of Foreign Affairs office an hour ago. I have been out of the house since 6:30am, an ungodly hour for anyone working nights, just so I can be there in time for my 8:00am appointment. The entire process was quick, and I was out of the building by 8:30am.

So how was I able do this?
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Category: Preparation
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