Singapore Adventure: Dreaming of Coconuts

Last night, I had the weirdest dream. And the funny thing about it is I cannot recall what the dream was about other than I remember there were coconuts in it.

And so the inquisitive me just as my flabby bottom hit my seat at work, I launched Google and keyed in "dream interpretation coconut".

The search string returned about 621,000 hits. The second listing on the results page seemed most sensible, so I clicked on the link - http://www.sleeps.com/dictionary/ccc.html.

It says...

Coconuts
There is basically only one omen for a coconut, no matter what your dream is concerning one, eating it, smelling it, etc., it is a sign of an unexpected gift, most times the gift is money.

Hmmm... Interesting. Especially the last four words. Don't you think? Hehehe...

Hopefully this means I am finally getting my last pay from my ex-job. Well, yes, unfortunately I am yet to claim that and it has already been three months.

So I hope the coconuts bring me luck that I may finally get it. Jenny is in dire need of cash for my "coming-home" thing happening in exactly a week from tomorrow. Yey!!!

Singapore Adventure: Road Blockage

Friday morning.
Same old morning rituals before heading off for work.

Take a bath. Check.
Brush teeth. Check.
That thing we (should) do (everyday). Check.
Dress for work. Check.

Okay, I am ready to get out and face the real world.

Open the door of the flat from the inside.
Close and lock it behind me.
Walk to the lifts.
Press the down button.
Walk towards the LRT - Ranggung station.

And there it was. I saw it just after hitting the button of the pedestrian stop light.

ROAD BLOCK!!!

I never thought this happens even here where motorists and pedestrians are so mindful of traffic rules. Singapore is a "fine" city, you know, right?

Interesting. Hehe..

It just bothers me to imagine that I might get to used to being in Singapore that when I go back home, I just might get run over by a speedng jeepney or a tricycle during a red light. *Scared*

Singapore Adventure: Sabado

Anu ba masarap gawin kung Sabado at tila magiging maulan na naman...? Hmmm...

Humiga sa kama? Matulog...?

Pero ang lungkot naman kung mag-isa ka lang, 'di ba? Sniff... :'(
Miss ko na Cookie ko sobra. Sniff, sniff...

Magbasa ng libro? Mabisang pampalipas oras dahil nakakatamad namang lumabas para mag-lakwatsa. Mukhang uulan nga kasi.




Kaya naman lalong lumalabo ang mata ko eh. Hay...

Hmm... Magluto na lang kaya ako. Anu ba masarap kung panahon ng tag-ulan..? Ah, siyempre iyong may sabaw. Sinigang na hipon!!!

Sarap! Dinner ko kagabi at brunch ko kanina. Ayos, solb!!! Hehehe... Busog na ako.

Usap muna kami ng mga babies ko ha...?



Pwede na rin, kaso lagi naman silang dead-ma. Hehehe...


O siya, tambak pa plantsahin ko... I want my Mama!!! :'(

Singapore Adventure: Gloomy Weather

The weather here in Singapore has been glum since last weekend. It has been raining on and off. And the sky is cloudy.

Well, I'd rather it be a little chilly than scorching hot. But it could have been nicer without the wet. Hehehe...

Is it asking for too much already? I should have picked a different country, right? Hahaha...

I shot these yesterday from my camera phone on the way home. It is the first time I've seen Singapore so gloomy.

But the good thing being here is, kahit umulan, walang baha!

Singapore Adventure: Eureka!!!

As necessity is the father of invention, I say "a hungry tummy is the father of a new recipe".

Yeah, I couldn't help but scream "Eureka!!!" after realizing I actually cooked up something new and different, and surprisingly edible. Hehehe...

I woke up, went straight to the bathroom for a nice hot shower. Then it dawned on me, I skipped dinner last night. No wonder my intestines are growling like vexed bears.

So, after doing my thing in the bathroom, I rummaged through the kitchen to explore all the possibilities for a quick, easy, and hopefully edible breakfast... err... brunch.

There was bahaw (left-over rice). There was still some mixed veggies. And I still have a hefty stash of *ehem* smuggled dinaing na besugo from Pinas. My, my... how can i make this work?

I chopped some garlic, browned it in oil, put the bahaw in, tossed some of the mixed veggies, and put in some of the dinaing na besugo that I flaked.

And...

Eureka!!! Salted fish rice.

That and a hot cup of Necafe 3-in-1 coffee, and I am alive. ;)

Singapore Adventure: Successful Little Experiment

What do you do with two chicken drumsticks in your fridge? Well, they are two of the three chicken drumsticks I bought from the grocery. The missing one, I already had for dinner last night, plain and boring fried chicken drumstick. So, what can we do to make these two little drumsticks happy...?

Make chicken tinola! Hehehe...

I got the recipe from the internet. Simple, quick and easy.

In warm oil, put onions and ginger. Add some patis when the onion becomes translucent. Put in the chicken. Then add water. In my case, I put some rice washing. Then put in the sliced sayote. Too bad there's no talbos ng sili or malunggay here, or maybe I just don't know where to look or how to ask for it. Bring to a boil until chicken and veggie look edible. Hahaha... :D

A little taste test to check if I can tolerate eating it or if I have to throw it away. I just need to remember how it tastes when my Mama prepares it. And I am proud to say, my little experiment was a big success!!! Woohoo!!! Hehehe...

I can hardly believe I pulled it off. That's another check mark on my list of cooking experiments. My Mama will be proud. ;)

Singapore Adventure: Sengkang Snapshot @ 7 PM

Can you believe it is already 7:00 pm?

Yup, it's already 7:00 pm when I shot this photo on my way home today. I used my phone camera - a Motorola SLVR L7.

The structure you see at the right is the LRT rail. Taking the train is the most convenient way of getting to the city. The bus would be a very long ride. The cab would be a little too expensive.

The building you see is where I live - Block 101. Our flat sits on the third storey. From the LRT - Ranggung station, it's about 7 minutes walk if you beat the red light. :D

That's our little neighborhood here in Rivervale, Sengkang.

Sigh. Probinsyana na ako!!! Hahaha...

Singapore Adventure: Quick and Easy Spaghetti

Since there is an acceptable supply of TJs in my fridge, I just couldn't help but think of the many cooking possibilities for the ingredient.

Hmm... There's Chicken Sopas with TJs. There's Omelette with TJs. There's Fried Rice with TJs. And then it hit me... Spaghetti!!!

To make it a little fancy, I used Cornetti shells for the pasta. Some butter to saute the onion and garlic in. A little pepper for heat. Add the Del Monte Italian Style spaghetti sauce and a little UFC Tamis-Anghang ketchup. Put the TJs in. Simmer for 2 minutes. I added some water because the sauce was too thick. I also added cheese cubes.

Now, that's a my kind of dinner. Hihihi...

Singapore Adventure: TJs for Breakfast

Finally, a decent breakfast. Hehehe...

I scored some free TJs from Fred. He has tons in his fridge and everything has a Best Before tag of July 30, 2007. It's so sad to see those yummy hotdogs just go to waste, so I bagged some and brought them home with me. :D

Voila! A decent breakfast!

After a week of having 2 pieces of something from BreadTalk, this is the most decent it can get. Believe me. :P

Singapore Adventure: Barbecue Party @ Rivervale Crest

July 13-14, 2007
Rivervale Crest Condo

I went to cook barbecue at the Rivervale Crest condo where Jet, Fred and Hazel has found dwelling here in Singapore. They are throwing a house warming/despedida/congratulations/welcome home party.

I did the marinade for the chicken barbecue. Of course, the famous vinegar sauce ala Princess Cookie that goes very well with barbecue is a must.

I also prepared cucumber salad for a side dish. I am getting quite fond of the cucumber while here. Somehow, I am starting to acquire the "local tastebuds". Hahaha... :D

The grilled pork (smothered with salt and pepper) and (plain) tiger shrimp kebabs are credited to Fred. Hehehe...

And later in the night, a little Magic Sing session was put in place as well. Little because there were only me, Jet, Hazel and Jas left to belt it out.

The Mandy Moore songs were a must for me. ;) And of course, my usual repertoire of songs - Close to You by the Carpenters, Looking Through the Eyes of Love by Melissa Manchester, and a lot others that Jet made me sing. :P

The singing stopped at around 2:00 am the next day. We are self-confessed Magic Sing addicts, so no need to rub that in. Hahaha...

Around 9:00 am, I went home to my own nest to get some house chores done, a long shower, and some Skype time with my Prince Cookie. By 3:00 pm, I was back at the threesomes abode to wreck havoc on Fred's Nintendo Wii.

The Wii Fit games, I found most enjoyable, specifically the Tennis game. It was fun! Fred even helped me out in making my very own Mii. ;) Will need ask Fred if I can have a snapshot of it to post here. Hehehe...

The Cooking Mama game was also nice. But I don't think I can be a master at it anytime soon. Need to get the "real" cooking perfect first, I guess.

There was also a small spaghetti and KFC fried chicken dinner party to send off Fred and Jet's friends to cap off the evening.

That was my weekend. Off to another work week. Sigh.

P.S. Say I already lost some weight. Please. :D

Singapore Adventure: Kwentuhan Muna

I am happily reading again. Hehehe... And yesterday I finally finished the last few pages of Mga Kwento ni Lola Basyang by Severino Reyes. I started reading the book when I was still back home but only found the time to finish it here during the 30-minute train rides to and from work.

The book is written in Filipino and was printed in large font so it was easy to read. The Filipino used is a bit too "Filipino" for me but it was a pleasant experience. Not only was I entertained, I was also given a chance to rehash my Tagalog. Hehe...

The book is a compilation of Lola Basyang's most loved short stories. Mostly about adventure, magic, and mystery. Were there love stories? Most of the stories in this compilation had a "love angle". Some even ending in the cliche "happily ever after" tone.

My favorite short story from this one is "Ang Mahiwagang Kuba" (The Magical Hunchback?). I even shared the story with my Prince Cookie during one of our Skype sessions and he (seems) to have enjoyed it as well. ;)

So, Mga Kwento Ni Lola Basyang is a wrap. Moving on. :)

Singapore Adventure: Sweet Thoughts

As I was about to leave the house this morning, a girl blocked my path and asked me if I was Jenny. I said "Yes", the big question mark on my face I can hardly conceal. Then the girl asked me to take the piece of paper and the pen she was holding and had me sign it. In exchange for it, she gave me a bouquet of pretty pink roses, a teddy bear and a box of Ferrero Rocher Chocolates.

Sweet Thoughts from my Prince Cookie. :"> I love you very, very, very much, my Prince Cookie. *kilig*kilig*

18 months and counting... ;)

Singapore Adventure: Sunday Morning @ Orchard:Scotts

July 8, 2007

Orchard: Scotts

My day started early. Another cooking expedition at the Orchard: Scotts - a nice, warm bowl of Sinigang na Hipon. And my victims, Eric, Marq and Abel.

Well, at the end of it all, there were 4 happy tummies. Hehehe.. So, I guess, this cooking expedition was a success. :)

After that filling lunch, the boys gave me a little tour of Orchard: Scotts. Of course, this calls for a lot of picture taking. Hehehe...

The photos you see here were all taken with Eric's brand new Sony Cybershot phone. So, obviously, there has to be pictures of him. Hehehe... The photos below were taken by yours truly. Tell me I am getting good at this - taking pictures. Please? ;)

Singapore Adventure: Pretty Scrapbook Stuff

July 4, 2007

Spotlight, Plaza Singapura

Last week, the Spotlight store at Plaza Singapura launched a one-day-only-20%-off-on-all-items-including-items-on-sale sale. And I didn't let it pass, of course!

I grabbed some stuff for my scrapbooking hobby - some craft punchers, chipboards, and a cutting mat. Well, there were a lot of other interesting stuff on the shelves but these seemed to be the essential ones that I don't have yet. That was the main criteria I had for picking the items. Hehehe..

I had only one craft puncher, a Christmas tree. It is a Carl, and costed me 180 PHP at SM. So, I decided to get some new punchers.

There were a lot of designs to choose from but I settled for these 3 in the meantime - Action Splash, Swirl, and Star. I got them for 3.96 SGD a piece. That's 4.95 SGD less 20%. I haven't tried the items yet, but I sure hope they are worth the (hard-earned) money I spent for them. The next time they go on sale, I will grab some more of these if they are worth it. Hehehe...

I also got some chipboards. I will be my first time to use these as I usually just print out my own letters and layer them on thick cardboards to achieve the same effect. But of course, nothing beats the real thing. Hehe.. So, I grabbed two sets - alphabets in the same font but different designs. One in red (Open Sky) and the other in green (Nature's Beauty). They are Fiskars, originally costs 21.95 SGD each, but I paid only 17.56 SGD for each.

I also wanted to get the ones in small letters but the colors were too dull. Not apt to my very "pastel" taste. Hehehe... :D

The last item is a cutter and a cutting mat. I have noticed that as the years went on, I am less likely to cut straight across a piece of paper without a rule with a pair scissors. Must be the age thing, or the eyesight thing which comes with age...? Hahaha... And so again, need to put the new tool to the test first before finding out if it works for me. Cutting tool and mat rang up a 9.95 SGD less 20% on the cash register.

My total spendings, 57.75 SGD.

I also threw in some buttons. That darned hotel washing machine destroy the buttons on some of my good office pants. So I need to replace them.

There, more shopping adventures in the coming week. I am feeling for some new gadgets. Hmmm... how does a new PSP sound? ;)

Singapore Adventure: Sunday Morning Tennis

July 1, 2007
Orchard: Scotts
Tennis Court 3

After preparing a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and buttered toasts for the gang, we were off to the tennis courts. But then, I didn't play though I really wanted to. There is still next week, so I'll try it out then. Hehe..

And so, while the sweat it out, I just took pictures, using Hazel's camera. I tried my hand on some action shots. Was actually successful in some. Hehe..

Just sharing... ;)

My favorite subject - Hazel. Hehehe... :) Nice game, Hazel. Keep it up. Ito na ang chance nating magpapayat! Hahaha... :D

My "senti" shot of Eric and a new acquaintance, Elaine. Nice shot, right? Hehehe... I love taking shots like this. Wala lang. Ang cool lang, don't you think so...? :D

Basta, next week, I'm gonna play na. Hehehe...

Thanks, Eric, for being such a gracious host. ;)

Singapore Adventure: Special Fried Chicken Barbecue

June 30 - July 1, 2007
Orchard: Scotts

Anthony Road, Singapore

And so, my famous barbecue sauce was put to the test... We bought chicken wings, cut them lollie style and marinated them in my barbecue sauce for around 10 to 15 minutes.

The marinated chickent lollies were deep fried. The remaining marinade, I simmered for 2 to 3 minutes, strained, and served as a dip for the chicken lollies.

Here is the finished product.

And the verdict... Three happy tummies! Hehehe...

That's me, Eric, and Hazel. No one was taking the photo, it was on a tripod. ;)

The bowl of Guinisang Monggo was care of Fred. Thanks for sharing the food. My tastebuds were not so excited about the strong ginger taste but it was pleased. :D