Buhay Bahay-Bahayan

Just in case you didn’t know, this site was attacked/hacked. My wife noticed it last week, when she tried accessing this site, which then redirected her to another site that warns visitors of a possible malware attack and then makes it look like it’s scanning your PC, complete with warning pop op messages. Those malicious sites are

www1.firesavez7.com

www4.suitcase52td.net

Of course I panicked!

It took months for me to find this theme. It took so much time and effort making it look halfway decent, researching plugins and a few tinkering here and there.

And since KG‘s site is a subdomain, it got infected too.

I searched online for ways to remove the malware, but most of the tutorials call for scrutinizing php files with malicious javascript injection and then removing the contaminated code. That sentence right there made me dizzy and sent me into a frenzy. php files. javascript. contaminated code. What the effing are these? I wouldn’t be able to tell which is the malicious code and which isn’t.

Since I don’t know anything about it. I did the only thing I knew. I exported our sites, praying everything will be there when I import it back. I then removed/deleted our sites from the main server (GoDaddy).

I’ve been in constant communication with my server’s customer service since day 1, and they’ve been very helpful. Further research led me to reports that it was actually my server (GoDaddy) that got hacked. The attack on GoDaddy apparently happened on May 1. And it took a while before it spread to their servers and thus affected websites hosted there too.

As of writing, about 8 hours ago, I received their latest report. They’ve checked and confirmed that my hosting account indeed had php files that contained a javascript malware injection (nosebleed!) and have removed the said codes.

I would like to ask everyone to please let me know if this site still redirects to another suspicious site. Thanks!

And to the hosting support staff Mike F., Matthew A., Pete H., and Christian P, thank you.

Special thanks to Mai and Glenda of Oodles of Goodles and Jo of Wits and Nuts.

Singapore was beautiful! Coming from the Philippines, one of the things that will strike first-time visitors is its cleanliness. It’s like a newly built city. During our stay, I didn’t even see one dilapidated building. And the cars are new too. I didn’t even see one old car. Commuting is such a breeze. Their MRT/LRT transit system is so efficient and spacious. Maybe someday our transit system would be like that too. Here are a few highlights of our trip.

Orchard Road

Any trip to Singapore wouldn’t be complete without stopping by Orchard Road. What’s a vacation without a little shopping anyway? And Orchard Road will not disappoint you. It seems like every building here is a mall. And every mall seems to have it’s own Prada, LV, Forever 21, and Charles and Keith shops. The ladies also went gaga over the Muji store. They actually shrieked and ran when we saw Muji.

If ever you find yourself in Singapore one of these days, don’t forget to visit the Royce shop! You know how much I like them, right? :8 Try finding Takashimaya Mall. I don’t know why but their chocolates are cheaper. This Royce shop below was in Someret Mall, and a few shops away from Muji.

Try to find an Old Chang Kee branch and enjoy sotong on stick, chicken wings, breaded prawn on stick, crab claw on stick, etc. :beurk: This is their version of street food (I think), and we absolutely loved this. They have branches scattered all over Singapore, and we saw one along Orchard Road in front of Ngee Ann City Mall.

We also met a Filipina waitress while having lunch at Jack’s Place. KG and I had their Fish and Chips.  The fish (cream dory) that came with fries and steamed veggies was delicious: soft and firm. The Sirloin Steak with mixed herd sauce topped with grilled onions that also came with fries and steamed veggies, which my wife ordered, was really flavorful. I actually had a piece. And the beef steak burger that our friend J. had was superb. There was an actual slab of soft beef inside that burger. Plus the service was excellent. We also had an apple pie with strawberry sauce and a cup of tea with milk to cap it all off.

Oooh, don’t forget to try their version of dirty ice cream sold along Orchard Road.

Chinatown

I think tourists shouldn’t miss Chinatown. It just seems so alive and exciting. I recommend getting the perennial souvenir shirts and keychains here too. There seems to be a lot of choices and varieties. One thing to also notice in Chinatown is the FREE food. You read that right, FREE! And there were a lot of it. You will see mountains upon mountains of food. We actually had a lot of fun tasting samples from every food vendor. We literally had our merienda (snack) while going around. This is where we also saw so many variants/flavors of mochi. Get some for yourself and as pasalubong after helping yourself to the free taste.

Also located in Chinatown is the Budda Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.

This temple houses the Sacred Budda Tooth Relic in a stupa made of 320 kg of gold donated by devotees. The architecture and interiors are inspired by the Tang Dynasty, and you can just stare in awe at how grand this temple is. It has four floors, so make sure you see all of it. Don’t forget to visit the Tong Heng Bakery too just across the Budda Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.

I guess that’s all for now.  Will update this soon. I’ll try to squeeze the rest of our Singapore trip in Part 2. Have a great week eveyone!

Every year, my wife and I plan to have one major trip (out of the country) and two minor trips (within the Philippines). That’s how OC we are when it comes to money and budgeting. And on Monday (January 25), we will be hitting our major trip of the year.

(Photo Source)

When we planned this trip, Yuan was supposed to be leaving first week of January. But then their papers and visas weren’t ready yet so their staying until the first week on February. So as much as Nong-nong and Nang-nang want to spend time with him, we’ll just have to take this trip and be back on Sunday.

(Photo Source)

I promise to write about it as soon as I can! Have a great week everyone!