Singapore Adventure: My Famous Barbecue Marinade

Finely chopped garlic, calamansi (which they call small lime here in Singapore), soy sauce, banana ketchup, sugar (brown sugar is better to give it a more smoke-y flavour, but white sugar will also do), salt and pepper to taste. If you want more heat, add some minced siling labuyo. And tada... Instant barbecue marinade.

I just finished preparing one bottle of this marinade which I will take with me tonight to a friend's apartment. I will make them chicken lollies, this time barbecue style. Hehehe...

Wish me luck. :)

Singapore Adventure: All Set for Action

June 25, 2007

Takashimaya Shopping Center

Orchard Road

After almost a month of holding on to that 30 SGD gift voucher from Takashimaya, I finally found the perfect item to spend it on - running shoes! Hehehe...

I brought my running shoes from home but it is screaming for retirement already. And so now, having found it a suitable replacement, I can finally let it go. :) Those old rubber shoes have served me well indeed. With it, I and Astrid snatched the First Runner-Up title on the first ever AIU-RP Badminton Tourney. Which reminds me, no one will defend this First Runner-Up title anymore as we have both "moved on" already. Hehehe...

Okay. Enough of the old. Let's talk about the new stuff. :D

This new pair of Adidas running shoes I bought would be the most expensive pair of shoes I would have worn. It is sold at Takashimaya at a regular price of 169 SGD. Because of the sale, the price has been reduced to 118.30 SGD. When I purchased it, I used the 30 SGD gift voucher, and so I cashed out only 88.30 SGD. That is not bad for a pair of branded shoes. However, if you convert it to Philippine Pesos, it is still a bit expensive. I am sure had I been there, I would have never considered it. Hehe..

And now that I already have my rubber shoes, I am all set for action. Game face on! >:)

Ooops! I still have to get a racket pa nga pala. Hmmm... Do you think they sold sports equipment at Robinsons? :D I still have 60 SGD worth of gift voucher for there. Bwahahaha...

Singapore Adventure: Dining @ Jumbo Seafood

June 24, 2007

Jumbo Seafood

East Coast Seafood Center

I met up with my college buds for my "first blood." We had a hearty seafood dinner at the East Coast Seafood Center, at the famous Jumbo Seafood. Imagine the word "seafood" mentioned three times in the last sentence. That really meant something. Seafood overload indeed!

Pipay did the honor of ordering for us as it is my first time to dine here. We had chili king crabs (THE BEST!!!) with fried bun (nice sweet contrast to the chili sauce), prawn cereals (which I have already tried twice at the Glutton's Bay, April's favorite by the way), scallops with yam (I am not quite sure if that is what it's called), stir-fried brocolli (Lanie's "favorite"), salted fish and chickem fried rice (better than yang chow fried rice), fried red fish (minus the sauce which looked a bit icky), and a cold platter of fresh fruits. It was truly one filling dinner. And our total bill....? *kaching*kaching* 168 SGD. That's 160 SGD for the food and beverage, plus the 5% GST.

The evening was going along perfectly, chit chat, good food, great view of the beach front, until a little critter from out of the blue popped in to torment the guests. Hehehe... A little slimy reptile, about a quarter of a foot slid under the tables into the restaurant. I couldn't help but scream. When April asked me what was happening, I just told her to raise her feet as I don't want to freak her out with the idea that a slimy creature was under her table. Pipay is also faint of heart when in comes to lizards, and so the screaming and panicking was inevitable at our table. Hehehe...

Good thing, the staff at the food establishment were quick and prompt to get rid of the small creature. They caught the thing and threw it back to the sea. Hehehe... What an adventure, huh? :)

But overall, it was a great eating experience. A bit expensive, but you know money's no object when it comes to food and dining for the Cookies. :))

That's a first. And when my Cookie comes soon to visit me again, I am going to take him there, too. Though I know how much angst he has over seafood. >:)

Singapore Adventure: Me and My Bed

What do you do after work here in Singapore...?

Get your self home.

Find something to eat.

Spend some time to chat with the people you miss.

Plop yourself to bed and get much needed rest.

Because tomorrow, it's the same thing all over again.

These are the times when you just want to lose yourself in sleep.

Because you forget about life, or at least, leave it for a couple of hours.

It's like the pause button on your DVD player.

It is always there, and it is up to you when you want to use it.

And this is when I want to use it...

When I start feeling that I am too far away from home...

When I remember everything that I had to give up being here...

When I realize that though all things have a purpose, they doesn't always serve yours...

Sigh. See you in dream world... My Prince Cookie.

Singapore Adventure: "Abnormalite"!

Today, I finished Bob Ong's latest book - the Red book. It is entitled MacArthur. An apt title for the essence of the short story, but funny that there is no mention of it in the little book's 98 pages.

Yes, I have Bob Ong's book here. Surprised? Hehe... Well, my Cookie brought it for me from home. It is a pasalubong from my cousin Rose.

I miss reading. It has been a while. I cannot recall anymore the last book that I have read. Hmmm.. Let me see... *thinking* *thinking* *thinking* Sheesh! I cannot remember!!! But this one sure has fired up my wanting to read again. I brought with me a couple of books here to Singapore. I just have to find time to catch up on my reading. The train proves to be a good venue since that's how I finished Bob Ong's book - during the 30-45 minute train ride from our flat in Sengkang to our office at Dhoby Ghaut.

I enjoyed the book. The author takes you to a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I found myself laughing out loud in one chapter, then holding back the tears in the next, then wide-eyed in horror in the following. Of course, the informality of the language gave more appeal to the book... or is it just Bob's style? Like some of his previous books, this one still delves on our countries social issues, with a twist! Hehehe...

Go grab the book. It is truly worth your while. ;)

Singapore Adventure: Cineaste Anywhere

June 16, 2007

The Cathay, Orchard Road

A movie addict is a movie addict anywhere in the world. And so, I confess. In my only almost 2 month stint here in Singapore, I have been to three movies already. Hehehe... Pirates of the Carribean At World's End on May 26. Ocean's 13 on June 11. Fantastic 4 The Rise of the Silver Surfer on June 16. Going to the movies is a very expensive hobby here in Singapore. A movie tickets costs around 9 dollars. But in fairness, all of my movie experiences here have been pleasant so far. :)

We saw Fantastic 4 at The Cathay along Orchard Road. After the movie, we chit-chatted a bit at the theater lobby. And then a familiar figure caught my eye. I shrieked and left my group to run towards that all-too-familiar silhouette of yellow skin and bald head. Homer!!!

The Simpsons Movie will be running soon. If I am not mistaken, this July already. I can't wait. I just hope my Cookie is here to see the movie with me. I just love the Simpsons every since I was a kid. Hehe... Can't wait to see them on the big screen!

Singapore Adventure: The Cookies @ Sentosa

June 10, 2007

Suntec City Mall

Sentosa - Merlion Walk, Songs of the Sea, Underwater World

My Prince Cookie came to Singapore to pay me a visit. Of course, this is our time to go around and have a look of Singapore's tourist attractions. The itinerary for the day was a quick mall tour and then to Sentosa.

We took the train from Sengkang to City Hall. We went for lunch at Pepper Lunch, a little pasalubong shopping, and a quick tour of the mall.

My Prince Cookie is fond of fish, and so I took him to the Koi Garden at the Suntec City Mall.

Being "celebrity kois", it is no surprise that the fish are huge! Just during our visit, there were several tourists feeding the fish. Hehehe... :)

Note: I've no good photos with the fish. Obviously, an expensive camera doesn't guarantee good shots. :P Peace, my Cookie! ;)

After several hours at the mall, we met up with some friends who will join us for the Sentosa tour.

Sentosa - Beautiful place! Too bad we were not able to have a go for the rides as there were a lot of people during our visit. The Luge sure looked exciting. But it was still all good, as the only plan was to visit the Underwater World. Here are some of the nice photos we took during the tour.

Wish List: Targus CityLite Retro

Drooling over this. Sigh.

My Compaq Presario B2800 will fit perfectly in it. And it looks really pretty and girly. Hehehe...

Check out the specifications of this cute little thing.

I am still not sure how to get to that place where it is sold here in Singapore. But before that, need to find out first how much it costs. Since I got here, I have been shopping like a mad person. Hehehe...

Singapore Adventure: Name Plate

June 6, 2007
The Atrium @ Orchard

I got my name plate today. Yey! Now, I belong. Hehehe...

This is a photo of my workstation at the office. It is on the 8th floor of the Atrium.

Singapore Adventure: First Night

June 5, 2007

Rivervale Walk

We have finally moved into the new flat. Place is starting to become more cozy. The ambience (as well as the odour) of the place is improving as the days go along. Hopefully, in the next couple of days, the odour will finally go away. Hehehe...

Monday, 4 June, the delivery from Ikea already arrived. And so, the sofa and all the rest of the stuff we bought just laid there in the living room until last night, when my "bodyguards" joined forces to put the things together.

My cute little sofa needed its legs to be screwed on. Thanks to Eric and Doyle, my sofa is now ready to be sat on. Hehehe... See the finished product. It sits right next to my bed just in case I get tired of lying around. :P

NOTE: The Ikea home delivery service costs 40 SGD. If you want some person to assemble the things you bought from them for you, it costs at extra 15 SGD.

It took them a while to put the sofa together, but all efforts paid off at the sight of our lovely sofa. Hehehe... Here is Eric practicing his PS3 Gaming Position. :)

Strike a crazy pose for the camera, guys! The perfect blackmail material. Bwahahaha... >:)

Now, here's my bedroom. Very spacious. A nice queen size bed right in the center. The sheets and quilt, I got from Tang's and Aussino. Pretty, huh? :) I panic-shopped for sheets and so I have a couple more printed fitted sheets from Aussino in my closet aside from these. I plan to send some back home for my Mama.

I promise to post more pictures so you'll get a glimpse of how our flat is shaping up. Ideas and suggestions are welcome. ;)

Singapore Adventure: Three Flightless Chickens

June 3, 2007

Vivo City

Orchard Hawker

Today, we started moving our stuff from the serviced apartment to our new flat at Rivervale Walk, Sengkang East Avenue.

It was a long but comfortable taxi ride. It better be for the flat ride of 35 SGD that we paid for the Maxi Cab. So, most of our things are there already. I only have a few items of clothes and food here at the hotel just enough for the last two days that I will still be here. On 5 June, I am already checking out. I am really going to miss my bathtub. Sniff.

Okay, so after we have moved our stuff from our hotels to our Sengkang flat, we decided to go on an adventure. Malling! Hehehe... First stop was the Sengkang Square. We tried to get acquainted with the mall nearest to our place, just so we have an idea where we can get some stuff that we may need.

After Sengkang Square, we took the MRT to Harbourfront, which is at the other end of the MRT Purple Line. My two housemates were still on the lookout for beddings and fortunately Tang's had some bed linen on sale. I got one for me, too. So excited to make my room at the new flat pretty. ;)

After an entire day of walking around, we all deserved a nice and filling dinner. It was my first time at the Orchard Hawker place. I have been t the Glutton's Bay at the Esplanade and the Lau Pa Sat place at Raffles. The Orchard Hawkere was not so different from the other two.

I quickly looked for the booth that sold the BBQ Chicken Wings. I fell in love with it when I tried it the first time at the Gluttons Bay with Lanie and April on my second weekend here in Singapore. It was really tasty. Just the thought of it makes me drool. Yum!

I downed 6 pieces of the delicious BBQ Chicken Wings. Each piece costs 1.20 SGD.

And so this picture depicts the sad fate of the three chickens I made flightless. Sorry. :'(

Singapore Adventure: PC Show 2007

June 2, 2007

Suntec Convention Center

What my Cookie wants, my Cookie gets. A very early birthday and Christmas gift? Hehehe...

Bought this at the PC Show 2007 just today. Mainit-init pa! Hahaha...

It costs 798 SGD at the show and has all the freebies in the other photo. A car charger, a Samsung leather case, and a Bluetooth headset. A complete package indeed. Cool, huh?

Aside from this nice (and expensive) toy I got for my Prince Cookie, I also got something for myself at the PC Show. I bought an HP Photosmart C4180 printer. I really need a printer for my scrapbook projects. And you know how seriously I take my scrapbooking. ;)

So, that's how I am spending my money here - buying "toys". Hehehe...

Singapore Adventure: Ikea Shopping Spree

June 1, 2007

Ikea Alexandra Road

As we are soon moving into our new flat, there is a lot of stuff that has to be shopped to make our place a little bit more like home. And the best place for these kinds of shopping sprees is Ikea! Hehehe...

We spent a total of 1.3K SGD, that's around 39K PhP! Well, we really needed the stuff, it's not that we shopped out of impulse. Oooops! Hahaha...

And since we went over 300 SGD, one of us is entitled to become an Ikea Friends member. *bow*bow*

We already bought a lot, and all the stuff will be delivered to our flat on Monday. But based on the many other stuff to buy, and the possibilities that it will fit nicely into our place to make it more cozy, this won't be the last Ikea visit.

Maybe next time we'll drop by the Tampines branch. It is nearer to our new place in Sengkang.