a holiday in Singapore: day 2

Day 2 in Sinapore found us in Funan DigitaLife Mall and Chinatown. 

Funan was a must in our list because, well, we had to do a bit of reconnaissance since I had a plan of getting a new techie toy (that's another story for another day). But before we headed out, we first grabbed brunch at our favorite neighborhood hawker center in Albert, which is conveniently located in the Bugis area. Once done, we were off to Funan.

After mulling over which laptop model to buy in Funan, I didn't plunged head on to the purchase yet. I  had to make sure I was making the right decision, and while doing so, off to Chinatown we went to check out its colorful streets, picturesque temples, and the very interesting Ann Siang Hill, where a dainty, little store called Little Drom Store is located. Unfortunately, it was closed when we visited (we couldn't find any explanation, as their store hours indicate that they should've been open at that time, boo!). We spent about an hour checking the stores and establishments, and assumed that the place probably looks livelier at night. 

Before heading back to the city to meet up friends for dinner, we had to stop over Maxwell Hawker Center for a breather and some snacks as well. Once I felt my feet were once again ready to take some pounding, we headed back to our hotel to freshen up then promptly proceeded to andmade Cafe in Pacific Plaza.

It was a fun dinner catching up with dear friend Ceres and her beau, Ron. And of course, the pretty dishes all made up for all the walking we did. Haha!

Here's a video of Singapore sights on our second day. Forgive the mediocre quality, as this is actually my first time to make a "movie". (Will definitely try to improve next time, haha!)

praise God for 14 years!

Today, Francis and I are celebrating out 14th anniversary (not to be confused with our wedding anniversary, which will happen a few months from now)! Thank You, Lord! 

Since today is a weekday, we decided to celebrate it a day in advance yesterday. And for a change in scenery, we scuffled over to Eastwood (because TriNoma and The Block can be so boring already, haha!)

First stop was late lunch at Zao Vietnamese Bistro. 

From top: Zao's interiors all decked out for the holidays; their shaking beef, chicken satay and stir fry veggies in oyster sauce

My very handsome date!

This is me as a bubble head. Haha!

 The food's just okay, and the ambiance as well. Unfortunately, this overbearing family seated next to our table ruined our otherwise peaceful lunch date. The dad kept on fussing over his teenage daughter, and he was incessantly yapping about mundane things. It's like we're listening to a commentary about his generation's favorite music and how his daughter's food choice is good, etc. Francis and I were wishing he'd just shut up, but he didn't. So as soon as we were done with our fare, we immediately asked for the bill and scrammed out of the restaurant. 

Anyway, moving on: the afternoon was filled with binging. Hahaha! A couple of minutes after lunch, we moved on to dessert at MoMo. 

   

 

 
We stuffed ourselves until we can no longer bear thinking of what to eat for dinner (we ended up in McDonald's, anyway). And, I must commend myself for not buying a single thing, considering the mall was bursting with good buys from an ongoing bazaar. Must save up for that Singapore trip, lah!

The faux winter wonderland setup in Eastwood

Sorry, I could not help but pose for a photo. Haha!

It has been a wonderful celebration. We really praise the Lord for giving us 14 blessed years together, and we're sure there'll be more years to come!!!

ho chi minh part 1: a gastronomic affair

Before my trip to Ho Chi Minh (formerly known as Saigon), I've already heard a lot about how good the food there is. I just didn't have the idea that I'd fall in love with one of their staples there: iced coffee with (condensed) milk, locally known as ca phe sua da.

But before I get carried away and rave about my new caffeine fix, let me take you to a rundown of some of HCMC's dining places, all in which ca phe sua da is a fixture, alongside other more famous Vietnamese delicacies. Let the foodie trip begin here!

korean madness

As the samgyeopsal sizzles...

When I suggested to my friends that we next eat at Woo Ri Jib, an authentic Korean resto along Kalayaan Avenue, I thought it was just one of those plans that would remain just a, um, plan. So when Archie brought it up again, I was quick to set a date--a payday weekend.

So last Friday, me, Mems, Dit, Archie, Jen and of course, Francis excitedly trotted to Woo Ri Jib. It took us a while to figure out which Korean dishes to actually order, but we ended up with the usual fares Francis and I have whenever we're there--kkanpunggi (spicy chicken wings in special sauce; we made sure to have it mildly spicy) and hae-mul pajeon (Korean pancake made of egg, spring onions and seafood). Plus, we had to try the famous samgyeopsal--pork strips fried in their own fat using a hot plate. We had fun wrapping the cooked strips in either lettuce or shiso (sesame leaves).

Of course, we had to try soju; but being a non-drinker that I am, just a sip of the alcoholic beverage made me crumple my face. Haha!

The soju shot glass

After the filling dinner, we headed to Nice Mart, a Korean convenience store on our street that resembles Mini Stop (hello, yellow-and-blue theme!). Each of us grabbed some ice cream on stick for dessert and took our time with photo ops as if we were in Korea for real, it was crazy!

An-nyung-ha-se-yo!

Then the gang endured climbing up to the 5th floor sans an elevator to briefly hang out at our place. I always love having friends over our small pad. But after an hour or so, they had to go because for one, Archie still had a morning flight to Cebu to catch, and it was getting late already. Oh, but he and Mems didn't go home empty-handed. When they saw the home stuff we were selling (check out Our Yellow Room's website), Arch and Mems immediately bought one each. Now we only have one item left before we re-stock! Haha! (Up to now, we haven't really gone full-blast in this little biz venture of ours since I had the operation. We hope to get back on track come next year, though.)

After another stressful week at work, it had really been an extra fantastic and blessed Friday!

munch, munch, munch

The trip to the grocery store last night has been a wonderful breather. It's one of those chores that makes me feel, um, normal again. Doing such chores make me feel like my fabulous domestic life is back on track. Haha!

A favorite section in Landmark's supermarket: the foreign goods aisle. And these are the loot that hubby and I can't get enough of!

But the Want Want we got from the local goods aisle

The yummy norimaki rice crackers

The Norimaki rice crackers is my favorite. It's got a dash of spice to it, complemented by the distinct taste of nori.

Grocery shopping is never complete without these goodies!

japanese cravings

No, I won't be talking about my Japanese boy crush, Ken'ichi Matsuyama. Haha!

This is about a yummy biscuit that Francis brought home from their office. Whenever a Japanese colleague comes back from Japan, there'd always be some Japanese goodies. Good thing Francis grabbed 2 packs of these, now I'm craving for it (the half-moon shaped biscuit is goooood!)

Can someone tell me what they're called and if they're locally available? Puh-leeez!