...and i rambled

New Year at Carousel

2012-02-11T12:02:00.000+08:00

Right after church on New Year's day, we all met up at Royal Plaza's Carousel to have our customary new year lunch. We are, generally, not superstitious but it's our own way of saying that we are looking forward to a plentiful year ahead. Who am I kidding? Really, it's just our excuse to pig out without feeling guilty.

Not a lot has changed since we were there last, the waffle station that we were so looking forward to was sadly still missing. Just the same, I took photos of their dessert spread as it always makes me happy.

New additions to the buffet spread are the huge paella pot, three chocolate fondue stations and the different ice cream flavors. Other than that, it was more or less the same. I have to say that we didn't find it as exciting as before.

They have the Alice and Wonderland theme this year and there was the Mad Hatter checking up on guests.

Ching also mentioned that it was Abby's birthday so when she got back to her seat, she was greeted with a birthday song number.

And here's our customary group shot at the hotel's grand staircase.

Milk Tea Love

2012-01-26T20:27:00.000+08:00

Bubble tea shops have been around for a long time but they're weren't as accessible as now, I remember having to troop all the way to Megamall or The Block just to satisfy my craving.

It's only quite recently that the craze caught on. The only downside is having to queue for a really long time. I remember Rhommel and I getting frustrated at how bad the queue is being handled at Happy Lemon Trinoma with us having to wait for almost 45 minutes just to get our drinks.

My first real bubble milk tea experience here in Singapore was with Monica, she introduced me to Koi Cafe and I loved it.

I then noticed the long queues at Happy Lemon Ion that I decided to give it a try. I found the Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese to be a bit weird but found myself craving for it a day after.

I've tried a few other bubble tea places and I more or less liked them except for Share Tea. I don't know why but I just didn't like it.

Back in Manila, Chatime is pretty popular and I loved their place in Pioneer. The bubble tea shops back home are better because they upped it a bit by having sitting areas.

Moonleaf is fairly new in the business but it is one of my favorites. I loved their Wintermelon drink plus their interiors are nice looking. The pic below is their Sgt. Esguerra branch.

With so many choices, my ultimate favorite remains to be Bubble Tea in Megamall. I always felt that they've struggled to find a crowd then but they're still there. They've become a full service restaurant now, I don't mind as long as I still get my milk tea fix with the small bubbles as before.

On Losing a Job

2012-01-15T15:14:00.000+08:00

I have been getting daily spam comments delivered straight to my phone that I guess served as a constant reminder that my personal blog has been neglected for more than a month now. One day, I'll finally get to posting most of what happened this December, just let me get the elephant on the room addressed (well, at least for those who know me).

2011 has been very challenging for me and some of my friends. I, along with more than 100+ employees received one of the most shocking news last August when we got to work and found our office locked. I won't go into details as to what happened cause I don't want to get sued.

I'm very thankful for my friends here in Singapore for being very helpful and supportive. Several people from work also created a couple of Facebook groups to help each other out in securing new jobs.

The first month went by pretty fast. I mostly spent them eating out, having desserts and looking for jobs while having coffee with a friend. Don't get me wrong, I'm not burning money. I just feel that its easier to be with friends than being alone and wallowing in depression.

The rare moments when I'm at home, I spent it chatting and Skyping with friends. Some of my college friends also reached out to me and it was a great feeling to be connected to them once more.

After nearly four months, several interviews, a job offer, a denied work permit application, a rejected appeal, I finally landed a job. I got word that the work permit has been approved as 2011 was coming to a close.

The question I've been asked the most is what have I been doing all this time. I focused on our little endeavor, The Little Mermaid. It was time consuming, stressful and most of all, surprising at how slow the tickets have been selling for a children's musical and a Disney feature at that. I guess 2011 was just not the time to be making a little extra. But again, I am very thankful for my friends who helped out.

It wasn't really all that bad, every cloud has a silver lining. I had 4 trips to Manila, I went to a couple of beaches and the land of class A Northfaces without having to worry about filing for leaves or being exhausted from a trip and having to work the next day.

I leave 2011 behind and started 2012 fresh taking with me all the experiences and the learnings from it as well as the rekindled relationships with friends and family as well as the new relationships I've formed the past quarter.

First Week Back in Manila

2011-11-29T01:16:00.000+08:00

This is, I think, one of the last photos of me in the office before they officially closed it down.

My first day back, after taking a quick nap, I met up with Oliver for lunch and Razon's halo halo. Analyn happened to be here visiting so she tagged along together with Badette.

I tried to pass the time at the mall while waiting for Oliver to finish his shift so we can head out to catch the Little Mermaid preview. Contact me for tickets. I'll give you a hefty discount.

The preview was a success and if I hadn't been so preoccupied, I'm sure I would've enjoyed it as well.

The next day, after another Mermaid meeting, I then met up with Rhommel. We picked up Gavin and met up with Willie who wanted to show us Ayala Triangle all decked up.

Sadly, all the restaurants were extremely crowded so we headed back to Paseo. We ended up at Yellow Cab and Willie introduced us to Dear Darla, a unique pizza experience.

Willie then dropped me off at the Fort where I met up with my college friends. We all had a great time that we barely noticed that it was already 4am.

The next day, I met up with Willie, Pau and Rhommel. We all went to church to pray and then headed out to Eastwood for dinner and Happy Lemon.

The next day was spent with my family. We went to church and then went crazy with desserts at Becky's Kitchen. Sadly, I wasn't able to take photos. We then passed by Banawe for me to try Chatime.

It has been quite a busy week for me, I just have to meet up the rest of my friends soon before I run out of juice. :p

Little Mermaid Manila - A Success

2011-11-23T01:58:00.001+08:00

The reviews are in and everyone who has seen the production is in agreement that the musical is simply amazing.

Erik Santos is a dashing Prince Eric and Rachelle Ann Go is just perfect for the role. To watch her sing live is just divine.

The web is buzzing with positive tweets:

Lea Salonga
Just got home after seeing @MermaidinManila. @gorachelleann and @therealeriksantos are superb! Jinky Llamanzares brings the house down.

MaiaYucca
2 days in a row full of magic. Thanks to @mermaidinmanila @gorachelleann @realeriksantos for giving me a great weekend. See you next week:)

gabstopper
back from under the sea. Atlantis Prod unleashed another world-class performance with @MermaidinManila... you have to see this!

Abs_dls
@MermaidinManila The Little Mermaid is truly magical! Full of Disney magic! @atlantisprod did an excellent job on this one. Enjoy!

ThisIsMeNikkiD
From the musical scoring, to the costumes and the powerful vocals... Hats off to @mermaidinmanila for a wonderful production.

clownbel
Having a bad day but then I came to see @MermaidinManila - Al the bad vibes disappeared. Disney's magic is trully potent! I love this show!

wickedtin
Ok, sorry Twilight fans, but Edward, Bella, Jacob can wait. Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there! @MermaidinManila

Get your tickets now before it's too late!

Special discounts offered for the following dates:

November 27, 8PM - 0917-8480043

December 4, 8PM - 0917-3501377

Maria Aragon sings holiday cheer as the Voice of SM Christmas

2011-11-20T01:40:00.000+08:00

It’s Christmas time once again, and what better way to celebrate this joyous season than by spending it with your family and friends at your favorite SM Supermalls! This year shopping for the holiday season will be a breeze because all of your favorite things are found at any SM Supermalls. And as part of making this Christmas extra special, SM Supermalls chose Maria Aragon, the international YouTube sensation, as the official Voice of SM Christmas.

The 11 year old, Maria Aragon has come a long way ever since she uploaded a video of her breakthrough acoustic rendition of Lady Gaga’s song, Born This Way, back in February of this year. This video has become a viral hit after Lady Gaga herself saw and promoted this video urging her fans to view it, and at present the video already reached more than 43 Million views worldwide. After the rise in popularity and fan-base that the video had generated for Maria Aragon, she was invited by Ellen DeGeneres to perform the song at her show. She eventually was invited by Lady Gaga to perform with her during her Monster Ball Tour leg in Toronto. Maria Aragon was also given the opportunity to perform for dignitaries including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their 2011 royal tour of Canada.

In the Philippines, she was signed by Star Records and has since released her self-titled album consisting of seven tracks including her rendition of Lea Salonga’s “You’re My You” which was used for the movie, “Way Back Home”. She has appeared in several local TV shows and even lent her voice to sing the theme song for the local version of Junior Master Chef. Her singing will again be featured as she has been chosen by Manny Pacquiao to sing the National Anthem on his upcoming fight with Manuel Marquez on November 12, 2011, and being chosen as the Voice of SM Christmas as she will sing a remixed version of SM Supermalls’ official holiday tune, SM Christmas ChriSMs Bop.

So this holiday season, spend time with your friends, family and loved ones at your favorite SM Supermall, and together hear Maria Aragon as the voice of SM Christmas.

Latte Art

2011-11-15T00:46:00.000+08:00

While we were trying to pass the time at Orchard, Ronald had this idea of going to a coffee shop other than Starbucks and Coffee Bean. He suggested we go to a coffee place where there's latte art.

My first actual encounter with it would have to be when we went to Spinelli and Ronald was served his green tea latte below.

I honestly don't know where to go so we Googled it up and saw that Jones the Grocer at Mandarin Gallery serves their coffee that way.

Liking what we saw, we looked up several latte art places and found out that the owner of Oriole at 313 was Singapore's best barista for 2010 so we headed there when Ronald went back to visit.

We weren't that impressed.

Ronald lucked out one time when he and his friends had coffee at Robert Timms. He sent me a photo of three coffee cups with the cutest teddy bears. We went there the day after, unfortunately, we were told that the barista was not familiar with complex latte art.

We went to the one at Wheelock on Ronald's last night here and was lucky that the barista there knows how to make an angry bird.

This photo was taken at Robert Timms at Somerset when I went back there this time with Em-J and Phoebe.

I certainly love coffee but the best part for me would have to be dessert!

Do any of you know where else to get latte art?

Disney's The Little Mermaid

2011-11-11T00:27:00.000+08:00

It has been a good year for Philippine theater and Atlantis Productions is one company who made it a little more special by staging award-winning musicals one after the next. To close the year, they're bringing in Disney's The Little Mermaid. It will sure be a treat to both the kids and the kids at heart.

Based on one of the most beloved Disney films of all time and the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, "Disney’s The Little Mermaid" is the sparkling new Disney musical that’s made a splash on Broadway. Some of Disney’s most popular songs are featured in show – including "Part of Your World," "Kiss the Girl," and the Academy Award-winning Best Original Song, "Under the Sea" – by the songwriting team of 8-time Academy winner Alan Menken and the renowned Howard Ashman. (source)

Don't miss out on this grand spectacle. Tickets to the Dec. 4, 8PM show are available through me and my friends. Please contact Oliver - 0917-3501377.

Visit www.littlemermaidmanila.blogspot.com for the seat plan and the ticket prices.

We've made getting the tickets easy:

1. Choose from any of the available seats.
2. SMS or email us your name, email address and choice of seats and wait for our confirmation.
3. Deposit your payment to either BPI or BDO.
4. Wait for your ticket order confirmation letter.
5. Claim the tickets at the venue at least 30 minutes before the show.

Sushi Tei

2011-11-04T13:20:00.000+08:00

Em-J ordinarily doesn't like anything Japanese so I was a bit surprised when he said that he wants to have dinner at Sushi Tei. He actually posted it as his Facebook status and spelled out Tei as Tae which was of course an easy dig.

Both he and Danny couldn't get enough of the fried salmon skin so they ordered heaps, a couple of platefuls and temaki rolls.

I'm happy with anything that has avocado or salmon thus my orders.

That's a huge avocado slice right below the crab meat.

I also ordered a tonkatsu but was given a katsudon. I didn't want to cause too much trouble for the waitstaff since it's more or less the same so I didn't complain. I wasn't able to touch it though cause I'm too full by the time it arrived.

The ika fry and this thing with scallop and cheese were both winners.

There were also a couple of orders that I wasn't particularly fond of. I forgot what they're called but this one below tasted like canned tuna and the skewered scallop wasn't too tasty.

We then proceeded to order desserts, the three of us ended up with all ice creams. I didn't know that the strawberry pino was an ice cream dessert.

Em-J couldn't resist the Nama ice cream.

Danny liked how this strawberry shell looked like and decided on it.

It Smells Like Christmas at Starbucks

2011-10-30T10:56:00.001+08:00

On our way to the Universal Studios' Halloween event, we stopped by Vivo City to wait for the others. I was pretty tired from the all day walking so while Em-J was looking at sneakers, I went to Starbucks right beside the Converse shop and saw that Christmas came early.

Em-J ordered our Christmas favorite, Toffee Nut Latte while I tried their newest offering, Cranberry White Chocolate Mocha. I honestly didn't taste much of the Cranberry but I liked the drink.

It's amazing how Starbucks has become such a part of our lives that the coming of the red cups signal the start of the holiday frenzy. For my friends back in Manila, enjoy collecting your Starbucks stickers!

Saturday Lunch - Lucky Plaza and Jones the Grocer

2011-10-26T15:18:00.000+08:00

Em-J's birthday celebration continued on with a couple more dinners but first I'd like to include our 2nd official Saturday lunch date with our new BFF, Phoebe.

We're easy to please so it's a simple lunch down at Lucky Plaza for some Filipino favorites.

Lechon Kawali (Crispy Pan Fried Roasted Pork)

Adobong Pusit (Squid Adobo)

Bulalo (Beef bone marrow soup)

Fried Tilapia

To continue our conversation, we headed to Jones the Grocer for coffee and desserts. Ronald and I first tried this place out a few weeks back and I liked their coffee and interiors.

Chocolate Cupcake

Best Brownies Ever!

Red Velvet Cupcake

Till our next lunch date.

Pique Nique

2011-10-20T16:34:00.000+08:00

Em-J had no idea and no plan as to where he wants to celebrate his 30th. I suggested that we try Pique Nique at Ngee Ann City so we all met up at Orchard last Sunday.

I am drawn to restaurants that serve all day breakfast and that have simple but cute interiors.

The menu is simple. What's inside the menu is essentially already on the board. They have Cheeseburgers, Hotdogs, Macaroni and Cheese and All Day Breakfast. They have different toppings for each main menu item so you'll have about 7 - 8 different cheeseburgers to choose from.

Since we were a big group, I took the liberty of taking everyone's orders and writing it down in a piece of paper and I relayed it to the waitstaff.

My all time breakfast favorite would have to be Eggs Benedict so it's a no-brainer for me. I also wanted to try their cheeseburger so Em-J and I shared the Baconator.

The Eggs Benedict was okay, I just didn't like that the bread was cold and hard. You know how when you toast your bread and then you leave it out for a long time, it becomes hard and difficult to eat. That's what the bread was like.

The cheeseburger was good but as Em-J pointed out, how can they call it the Baconator when it only has one strip of bacon in it.

My least favorite from everything that we ordered would have to be the Caesar Salad, the dressing was fishy and was grayish in color.

I notice now that this post is starting to look like I didn't enjoy my time there. Don't get me wrong, I did. I would actually be back. I just wanted to share some things that we feel they could improve on.

Here's the rest of what we ordered.

Scrambled Eggs - Philly Cheesesteak

2 Egg, Bacon and Toast

Macaroni and Cheese and that's not a dollop of sour cream, that's actually a poached egg.

Hotdog Sandwich

and ice cream for dessert.

Em-J also had the Bailey's milkshake which he really really liked.

I so wanted to try the red velvet cupcake and their whoopie pies but there's simply no more room.

Thanks Em-J for the birthday treat. We all had fun.

Boracay Food Trip - Boracay (3 of 3)

2011-10-17T23:24:00.001+08:00

Since I love taking pictures of food, I felt that what we all ate at Boracay deserves a separate entry. Since Em-J and Danny were flying in from Singapore and was terribly missing Jollibee's chicken joy, this is what we had as our first meal at the airport.

When we got to the island, we had Andok's and Jonah's avocado milkshake.

Dinner was at Cyma. I know that this restaurant is quite popular but I've eaten there twice and I have yet to be wowed. As with this dinner, all our orders were mostly misses.

Breakfast at Shangri-La's Vintana was the best. We never got tired of the food for the 5 days that we were there.

They also have a special area for the little kids. It was a nice touch, I found myself mostly going back to this station because of the mini pastries.

What I really really liked about them is that the fruit juices that they have are all fresh. No to powdered drinks or juice from concentrate.

We also found ourselves having lunch at two of Manila's popular food chains, Pancake House and Shakey's.

Best gravy ever.

I was craving for mojo's while Em-J was craving for their fried chicken. We ordered the set meal but the spaghetti and the pizza both were left untouched.

A trip to the beach would be incomplete without a halo-halo which we had at Mang Inasal.

When Danny got sick, Em-J and I stayed behind at the hotel and had dinner at Solana. I had the salmon and Em-J had the jumbo prawns. When his order arrived, I was blown away at the size of the prawns. We also ran into Chef Bruce there of AFC who was there for a Lee Kum Kee event.

My two favorite meals there were the one from Mañanas and surprisingly, Hap Chan.

The tacos were very very good, we had to just order another plate.

Everything that we ordered at Hap Chan were so good although I can really taste the MSG but who cares?

Shangri-La, Boracay - Boracay (2 of 3)

2011-10-05T16:19:00.000+08:00

-picture heavy post

Getting There:

Staying at Shangri-La is an experience from start till the end. We were met at the airport by the hotel representative and were taken to a private lounge (about a 5 minute drive) while waiting for the speedboat to take us to the hotel.

The speedboat ride to Fairways' port took about 15 minutes, we had to use their port because of the strong current. It was about another 10 minute shuttle ride to get to the resort.

Lobby:

They have a very spacious lobby and a lobby lounge with breathtaking views of the beach.

We were taken straight to our villa via buggy where Jane, a very friendly guest services associate introduced us to our butler and showed us our room.

While the Treehouse Villas are close together, you still get the impression that you have the entire area all to yourself. The entire area gives off a very peaceful vibe that makes you want to just stay there forever.

Villa 32:

The villa has two floors, the first one is the bedroom and the one up top is the living room. Just don't forget your keycard when you go up because you will be needing it to enter the bedroom.

The living room is spacious with a big tv which is perfect for movie nights with friends. Bring along your favorite DVD and relax. It also has an office desk if you need to do a bit of work.

By the corner of the room is a small pantry with a coffee machine, microwave and a refrigerator.

There is also a powder room. I would have preferred a full bathroom just because the jacuzzi is right outside and it would be nice to be able to take your shower there instead of heading back down to the main room.

The living room has a balcony with the most amazing view and to make your stay truly worth it, they placed a very big jacuzzi and a couple of daybeds.

The main bedroom is a bit smaller than the living room but it also offers the same spectacular view. Curtains are automatic so there's no need to get up to open or close it.

The drinks at the minibar are free except for the alcoholic ones. Enough water is also provided which is a good thing to combat the heat outside.

I also love the bathroom. There's a separate shower and bath, two sinks, L'Occitane bath products and fluffy towels. I also noticed that they have two kinds of toilet paper, use whatever you fancy.

Beach and the Pools:

The resort has several pools, a couple of free form and a lap pool / infinity pool.

It also boasts of its own private beach. They actually have two, one is dedicated to water activities and provides a good view of the resort.

The other one is right by the pool and several lounge chairs are provided. The staff is also very attentive passing around bottles of water and fresh fruits.

(There's also a faint wifi signal on the beach so you can bring your smartphone with you and do a little bit of surfing.)

Health Club:

The Health Club is likewise very impressive. It has complete facilities, cold water and fruits are also provided and the shower room has a jacuzzi, steam bath and sauna.

Chi, The Spa:

We didn't get to try any of their services since they were fully booked when we got there. (Call in for an appointment at 10am since their packages are offered at 20% off).

The spa has its own pool if you want to swim away from the crowd.

If you still want a little more privacy, one villa even has its own small pool.

Entertainment Center:

If you're bored by the outdoors or if its raining, you can visit the Entertainment Center. It has computer stations, Wii, PS3s, board games, a poker room and a couple of karaoke rooms. They do charge you to use the karaoke rooms unless its raining out.

The kids won't be left out as they have their own play area.

Surrounding Areas:

Shangri-La also has lots of area to let you just lounge about and stay put.

Service:

The thing that truly adds value to what you pay for is their impeccable service. The staff goes out of their way to make sure that your stay is very memorable. They also anticipate what you need, for instance, the lifeguard at the beach, upon seeing that the most coveted spot in front of the infinity pool is soon to be vacated, went out of his way to reserve it for us without us even asking for it.

We received welcome fruits and some Filipino snacks on our first day. Cookies / Crinkles are provided every turn down service and a goodbye treat was left for us on our last day.

When Danny got sick, the clinic sent him a meal again without us asking for it.

We were well taken care of until our last day. Their staff took care of us checking in at the airport and let us stay at their lounge to wait for our flight.

A few more things:

1. The resort is far from the main Boracay beach. A shuttle is provided at certain intervals, make sure to check the schedule. The shuttle queue is busy from the main beach to Shangri-La at around dinner time till 9pm. Talk to the person in charge there to ensure that you get a seat back.

2. If you miss the shuttle, you can take a tricycle. It costs 150php (5SGD) one way. The shuttle driver was gracious enough to take us down to where the main road is and we were able to take a tricycle from there at a fraction of the cost.

3. You can get snacks from their gift shop but it would be of course cheaper to just get it at D'Mall.

4. Get cocktails during happy hour at 50% off.

5. The best time to go to Sirena is just before sunset. It's actually quite dark at night so you won't be able to appreciate the cliffside view although they're open till late.

Boracay (1 of 3)

2011-10-02T20:22:00.000+08:00

It's easy to fall in love with Boracay.

If you're going to Boracay via Caticlan, which is the more convenient way, you'd have to take a smaller plane.

The airport is nice and cute. The toilets are also well maintained. I hope they stay that way and I also hope that someone fixes the Kalibo airport soon.

To get to the main island, we still had to take a 15-minute speed boat ride.

After settling in, we headed to the beach. What greets you is a long stretch of powdery sand, perfect for long walks, barefoot.

If you're not the type to just relax on the beach, they have a multitude of activities available such as island hopping, helmet diving, flying fish, zorbing, atv, parasailing and the list goes on.

The beach is divided into three stations which I feel is no longer important to know. The whole time I was there, I couldn't really tell where the divide is between said stations.

As it is highly commercialized, you can see all sorts of stuff right in front of the beach.

There are beachfront hotels,

there's a tourist center,

different stores,

and BPI ATM machines.

There's also cheap beachfront massages.

For any of your shopping needs, there's also D'Mall.

Entering D'Mall from the beach, you'll see different restaurants.

It is connected to rows of shop stalls by a rotunda.

At night, the beach comes alive with seafood buffets,

bars and lounge areas,

and fire dancers.

You don't need to travel far to have a great vacation. Everything you need for relaxation and fun is in Boracay.

Manila, Sept 2011

2011-09-29T16:58:00.001+08:00

I was very excited when we were initially planning this September trip. This was going to be my longest vacation for the year but things turned out differently.

It was really with mixed emotions when I left for Manila that day. I really wanted to just rebook my flight and leave on Monday instead of a Friday night. I spent the whole day at Orchard till really late, went home, took a quick shower and left for the airport.

The budget terminal was mirroring my mood, I was still chatting with a friend and didn't immediately notice how quiet the waiting area was.

My apprehensions were put to rest when I finally arrived, there's really no place like it.

My brother picked me up and we went to McDonald's for wifi and breakfast. This is the same branch that we go to late at night when I was still working to satisfy our sundae cravings.

I asked my sister if she wants any chocolate but she said that we have more than enough at home.

My uncle also ordered Chinese and lechon for lunch. I'm reminded of how delicious Yang Chow is.

I spent the whole day just at home, catching up with my family. I was actually glad I went back home.

Indonesian Food Festival

2011-09-18T11:27:00.000+08:00

My friends all know how much I like Oakwood so when an opportunity came for me to try out their ongoing promotion, the Indonesian Food Festival at the Oakroom, it was too good to just pass up.

They flew in Oakwood Jakarta's Executive Chef, Deden Suherman so this is a great chance for us Filipinos to try authentic Indonesian dishes without having to travel there.

I sometimes wonder why their cuisine hasn't been embraced as much as their other Asian counterparts when their dishes are very similar to ours. Back in Singapore, the Indonesian food stall that opened up recently has been our daily lunch choice.

Admittedly, while Satay is probably their most well known dish, I am not a fan. Give me the peanut sauce but leave the satay behind. I had the Tahu Asi (Stuffed Tofu) for my appetizer. Being a tofu fan, I loved this.

For the main course, I had the Rendang Daging (Beef Rendang) and as with any rendang the spice level had to be toned down a little. The beef was very tender and very flavorful. If my aunt was here, she would be very happy cause she would no longer be limited to preparing rendang out of a ready-made mix. I also particularly loved the baby potatoes, anything baby potatoes and I'm happy.

We also had the Soto Ayam, it's chicken in clear broth. This is my friend's lunch staple back home and is very tasty and light.

The Mie Goreng (Indonesian Fried Noodles) which is similar to pancit canton, sadly, I never got to try. I was too full and I had to leave room for dessert.

For my sweet tooth, I had the Es Cendol (rice flour and jackfruit with coconut milk).

I also had the chance to meet the Executive Chef who was very gracious and humble. A very big thank you to Oakwood for the wonderful dinner and an authentic Indonesian experience right here in Manila. Now it's time for me to hit the gym before heading to the beach.

This special promotion is happening only until the 21st so do give it a try.

Skinny Pizza

2011-09-17T14:20:00.000+08:00

Ronald, a good friend, introduced me to Skinny Pizza and I have to say it was love at first bite.

First off, I love their interiors. I love it so much that I didn't take a lot of photos but as you can see from the photo below, it's fun and there's a wall dedicated to pop culture.

The menu is also well thought of.

Their pizzas are very unique because the crust is very thin and crunchy. The ingredients are also very fresh and healthy so there's no guilt feeling even if you finish one whole pizza all to yourself.

The first pizza that I tried was the most interesting, Squid Ink Pizza with a black crust. Sadly, I didn't take a photo. The others below were also very nice except for the last one, it was curry flavored and didn't sit too well with me.

Meatball Napolitana

Wild Truffle Mushroom Pizza

English Breakfast

Ginger Butter Chicken

The pièce de résistance for me are their truffle fries. It looks plain but it sure packs a punch.

The other side dishes we tried were the seared brie cheese and the harissa prawns. An order of one side dish is about $6 - $7, if you order three, you get all at only $15.

If you're not yet full, do check out their dessert menu.

I forgot the names but I love tangy desserts so this first one is my favorite. The banana bread is all to simple so you can do away with it.

Here are our customary group photos:

Batam Trip (2 of 2)

2011-09-09T00:45:00.000+08:00

After our whole day tour, we all crashed and took a quick nap. I really wanted to just sleep the rest of the day off but another part of me is saying that we have to maximize our short time there. I woke them all up and we headed to the nearest mall, Megamall. It was a 5 minute ride and cost us only SGD 4 to rent the hotel shuttle.

There really wasn't much to see, the mall was just full of unknown stores so we decided to just have dinner.

My and Em-J's dinner of salted fish rice, two orders of chicken and two pearl drinks cost us only SGD 10. How very affordable.

We all had fun, I don't know what we were talking about but I just love the photo below.

We then headed back to the hotel as the mall was closing and checked out the hotel facilities.

We had a dimsum breakfast the next morning at the hotel restaurant and then headed to the gym and the pool.

We checked out and then headed back to the mall to have lunch at Marrybrown while waiting to depart. Good thing that the ferry terminal is directly connected to Megamall.

True that there really wasn't much to see at Batam but we all had a great time. Let me tweak the famous quote a bit, It's not the destination that's important, it's the company you're with.

Back to Blogging

2011-09-07T11:39:00.000+08:00

The past couple of weeks have been difficult. I have been feeling quite lazy to update this blog or do anything else for that matter but I feel that two weeks is more than enough for moping.

Batam Trip (1 of 2)

2011-08-21T00:57:00.002+08:00

Even though Batam is only an hour plus ride from Harbour Front, not one of us has ever been there. We were all expecting the beach but we were wrong, it turned out to be a metropolis.

We boarded the ferry from Harbour Front Centre and since we were running late, we didn't have time to grab a bite or a take away bag. This turned out to be a big mistake since there's no place to get some food; we all had to wait till lunch time as per our tour itinerary.

When we got to Batam, we were met by our tour guide who proceeded to give instructions on what we needed to do and where we needed to go.

Our first stop is the Polo Outlet store, after taking a quick look, we decided to go next door to get refreshments.

We then headed to a Chinese temple, for a photo opportunity more than anything else, but I found the place to be nice. It was quite serene.

Here's the rest of my friends while waiting for their turn to sit on buddha's lap.

We then went to 89 Hotel for our massage, it wasn't as relaxing as I hoped it would be. For one, the place was a bit warm and it looked like a factory more than a spa with rows and rows of mattresses on the floor. Your privacy is a curtain which sadly does nothing to keep the noise out.

After the massage, it was finally time for lunch. We headed to this ~~big~~ huge seafood restaurant.

Right after lunch, we were supposed to watch a magician and a cultural show, which we actually wanted to skip. Good thing the rest of those on the tour were feeling the same way so we skipped that. We proceeded to do the Flying Fox and the Paint Ball Shooting. The highlight of the tour for me.

We then made several stops to different stores, dry goods, batik, factory outlet and a mall before finally heading to the hotel.

Planking

2011-08-19T12:20:00.002+08:00

The thing with travelling with quite a big group is that you end up with extra time while waiting for the others to finish getting ready.

We've come to learn about planking from Noel, our friend who's very addicted to Instagram. Apparently, it's a trend where one lies face down and someone takes your picture. There are many more variations to planking such as owling, teapotting, horsemaning but we didn't go there.

True, our photos are not as impressive as this photo:

But we did try to make it our own by coming up with our own styles.

Check out other great planking photos here: http://www.geekosystem.com/best-planking-pictures/

Joining a Tour Group

2011-08-16T22:34:00.000+08:00

We saw a very good deal through one of the many discount sites for our trip to Batam and the requirement is for us to join the tour instead of a free and easy trip that I prefer. Here's my pros and cons list.

The Pros:

1. The immigration card is already filled out; all you need to do is sign it. This helped us a lot since we got to the ferry terminal a bit late.

2. Everything is discounted. We paid only $88, about 3000 pesos (exclusive of taxes) which includes the fare, the overnight hotel stay, transportation, lunch, massage and the other activities.

3. You are in the confines of a cool shuttle that takes you everywhere you need to go.

The Cons:

1. You have no say as to who you'll be with in the tour. We were quite unlucky because we were joined by a very rowdy and noisy group. A couple of them talks at 10 decibels louder than required. Imagine having to endure the noise the entire day even while we were having our massage.

2. You make several stops to shops that don't interest you.

3. Waiting. You have no choice but to wait till everyone gets on the bus. The rowdy group took their sweet time at the mall and was late even if we were all informed beforehand to be on time. (It was our last stop and almost all of us were just itching to get to the hotel and rest.)

We were all staring at the mall entrance hoping for the members of the rowdy group to finally show up.

4. If you're travelling as a couple, it's quite awkward as you might find yourself, joining a big group of friends for lunch. Here we are joined by a couple, they were seated at the head of the table. We did try to make them feel at ease.

Overall, joining a trip is okay if you really have nothing planned and can't be bothered to create an itinerary. I was observing the tour guide the whole time and I don't envy her job. Taking care of a big group, making sure that we all stick to schedule and catering to some of the whims of the guests are just too exhausting.

Here we are with our friendly tour guide, Sinta.

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

2011-08-12T16:09:00.004+08:00

We all know how hard it is to get sick. It is doubly hard to be sick when you are an OFW and you don't have your family with you.

Em-J fell sick for almost three weeks requiring several trips to the doctor and finally a hospitalization but only after he insisted on it. The health care system here is a bit different, you actually have to go to a general practitioner to be checked. After a not so thorough check-up, they ask you to take meds and return if your condition doesn't improve. You return, they provide you with meds again. When your condition still doesn't improve then they can recommend for you to go to a hospital.

The hospital performs several tests and asks you to come back if your condition doesn't improve. You return and you finally get admitted. This is what happened to Em-J thus the prolonged suffering. If this happened in Manila, you go straight to the hospital if it's more than three days and you still have a fever.

The admission process is also quite hellish. We got to the hospital around lunch time, was told that there was an available room at 2pm and was finally admitted at close to 6pm after repeated follow-ups and angry voices.

Thankfully, the not so okay service ends at the ER. Most of the hospital staff were very nice and helpful. The food was even first rate.

The room was also very impressive as they made sure that the patient is as comfortable as possible. The control panel is just within an arm's reach where the Em-J can control everything from the room temperature down to the music that's playing and even surf the internet.

They even provided toiletries.

They also made an effort to install panels by the headboard to cover the all sorts of scary looking plugs.

He was confined for 5 days with no conclusive findings.

Noel's 30th

2011-08-07T22:46:00.000+08:00

I have been feeling a bit bogged down with so many things thus the lack of posts and I owe it to Analyn and her friend, my only two loyal readers who reminded me to post an update.

For Noel's birthday (today), we were supposed to go to Batam but because it took a while for everyone to confirm if they're joining the trip, we had no choice but to postpone it to next Saturday but we couldn't let his special day pass without celebrating it so we decided to have just a simple dinner.

Noel was very indecisive so everything was very last minute. We decided to go to Holland Village and try a Mexican restaurant for something different.

Since we were all unfamiliar with the place, we decided to take the train to Orchard and take a cab from there.

Abby, Eco, Em-J and I got there first and I loved the different vibe of the place. It feels like a beach is just nearby.

We all played it safe with our orders at Cha Cha Cha.

I decided on the beef burrito which was a bit too messily served to my liking, nevertheless, I did enjoy the flavors.

We washed all the food down with a glass of margarita.

We were still planning to go to Clarke Quay but the birthday celebrant wasn't feeling too well so we decided to just have dessert.

We shared a fondue and a couple more specialty ice cream creation which we all enjoyed.

We headed home at nearly 12. Here's Abby while waiting for a cab.

The celebration continued at home with a little videoke.

Don't mind my sheets which I hung to dry. I had the best spot as I was sound asleep a few minutes after the session started.

Abby and Eco, being the sweetest, bought a birthday cake for him just now.

Happy birthday, Lo!