Happy Halloween

I’ve always admired people who did self-portraits for their Project 365, a year-long photography project where a person takes a picture a day. Like Helga. It takes much discipline and creativity to churn out a good picture everyday (as I’ve found out in my 365 attempt). And more so when dealing with self-portraits.

Anyway, took a selfie just because I love my new fleece jacket (yay, Uniqlo) and the monster on my shirt looks like he’s plotting something evil for today.

The Red Cups Are Back

The red cups signal the start of the Christmas season for Starbucks. This means merchandise, pastries, beans and other products especially made for the holiday season are displayed in stores. For aficionados, the three most-awaited Christmas drinks (Peppermint Mocha, Toffee Nut Latte and Dark Cherry Mocha) are also being brewed again by your friendly baristas.

For my friends in Manila, this also means that the annual quest for the highly in demand Starbucks planner has begun. No such promotion here in Singapore and I doubt it would be as big a hit as it is in the Philippines should it be done here anyway. Heh.

I love the hot Peppermint Mocha drink which is why when I passed by the Starbucks in ION Orchard yesterday and saw that they were already serving it, I got myself a cup. And being a Christmas junkie, I was enthralled by the new mugs and tumblers. The baristas kept approaching me while I was inspecting the goods and were  telling me that every purchase of a tumbler entitles me to a free drink. As if I need another excuse to buy Christmas items.

So anyway, not being able to resist a bit of retail therapy, I’ve decided to get a mug and a tumbler. The mug is a smaller version of my red “seatmate” mug bought last year. So cute.

And the tumbler has a small bunny underneath! I think there’s another version but with a penguin instead of a bunny. I shall look for that the next time I see a Starbucks branch.

Along with the coupon for my free drink, I was also handed a Wish card wherein I can wish for a mug, a tumbler or a Starbucks passport (a discount card of sorts) or I can pick one from the choices and pass on the cheer to Gracehaven which is a beneficiary of The Salvation Army.

Let the Christmas season begin!

How I Got Our Tickets To Amanda Palmer’s Show in Singapore

As soon as I found out that Amanda (fucking) Palmer will be having a show at the Stereolounge on November 1, I immediately emailed the address posted in the newspaper to reserve a couple of seats. Having not been able to secure the free tickets to Ms. Palmer and Neil Gaiman’s reading at the Singapore Writers Festical, I was very determined to watch the said show. I even went as far as tweeting that people should expect a bitch fit if I’m not able to buy tickets.

After an hour or so, I got a response saying that I have two options on how to purchase the tickets: either forward my credit card details for reservation OR go to Stereolounge (located at the Pan Pacific Hotel Marina) directly. Being quite far from where the place is (11 MRT stations away plus a 10-minute walk), I favored the first option.

I sent a clarification email asking which details about the credit card were needed. Another reply came which stated: “Will need credit card numbers, expiry date and cbc numbers.” Shocked, I called the husband to discuss. Uncomfortable with the idea of sending basically everything about the credit card, I asked if they had an online payment method. No, representative said. So I had no choice but to make the trip to the city to purchase the tickets. Oh, and please note that Stereolounge opens at 6pm during weekdays. Great.

I arrived at Marina Square (a stone throw’s away from Pan Pacific) with an hour to spare. Decided to hang a bit at a coffee shop so I can make use of Wireless@SG. Sent a question to Mr. Gaiman (via Twitter) asking if he’ll be at the show, though I wasn’t really expecting an answer. Surprise, surprise.

*SQUEALS LIKE A GIRL*

Anyway, proceeded to Stereolounge, talked to a staff saying I was there to buy the tickets, gave the payment and went inside to take a look around while waiting for the receipt and the actual tickets. I liked the look of the place with its velvet couches and disco ball, not sure about the cost of the drinks and food though. Not long after leaving me to process the transaction, staff returns and hands me the tickets.

Again, the details:

Date: 1st November 2009 (Sunday)
Venue: Stereolab, Pan Pacific Hotel Marina

Tickets are S$38 each (includes one standard drink) available in Stereolounge. For more details, call Eevon at +65 8182 5857 or email reservations@stereolounge.sg.

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See you all there!

Married!

We got married last 20th of September! <3

It was a simple (and short) ceremony celebrated with some of our closest friends. There weren’t any great pomp with the solemnisation. Of course, it would have been better if our families were there but we’re planning to have a church wedding to make up for that. But it was really lovely.

Many, many thanks to my friends C and K for all the help with the preparations and for acting as my photographers during the ceremony! We are also grateful to all our friends who came and joined us in our special day.

I would also like to recommend Lloyd, our caterer. His Pork and Squid adobo is awesome! (Yes, you read that right, Pork AND Squid adobo!)

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Many people have been asking what it feels like to be married. For me, it isn’t much different from how we were before. Having a piece of paper doesn’t change how we feel towards each other, it’s just that now we each have a pretty ring that we always wear.

Sometimes it still feels weird telling everyone that I’m married. Because for me the boyps will always be boyps.

Things and Places Not To Be Missed in Singapore: Food

A trip to Singapore would not be complete without tasting the unique local food fare that have impressed many famous foodies such as Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern. There is a wide selection of food items to choose from so you can throw that diet plan out the window. Heh.

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At the heart of the food scene of Singapore are the hawker centres. For those not familiar, these are the local versions of a food court. Hawker centres contain several food stalls that offer various cuisine to entice the hungry traveller. Another great thing about them is that the prices are very affordable (A meal would range from around S$ 3 – 5 only). Some of the famous Hawker Centres are Lau Pa Sat located in the central business district, Newton Food Centre is Newton and Maxwell Food Centre near Chinatown.

Hawker Centre in Bedok

• The Chicken Rice is one of my favorite local food. As the boyps explained to me, it is named as such not because of the steamed / roasted chicken but the how the rice is prepared as well. In the episode of No Reservations in Singapore, Anthony Bourdain explained that the broth where the chicken was cooked is used to cook the rice as well to add flavor.

Chicken Rice

• Satay is skewered meat (usually chicken or beef) that is grilled or barbequed and accompanied by peanut sauce. This makes a nice alternative to the barbequed meat that I am used to in the Philippines.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

• I have never been big on spicy food but I am rather fond of the chilli crab. Some say not as spicy as they were expecting, the sauce is semi-thick made of tomato and chilli sauce. Paired with deep-fried buns, this makes for a very good meal. This is served on restaurants such as Jumbo Seafood and No Signboard Seafood as well as on some hawker centres.

Chilli Crab

• I love, love, love cereal prawns! These are deep fried prawns that are coated (and covered) with cereal. Ask for the de-shelled ones for the best dining experience. The best ones I’ve tried are from Jumbo Seafood.

Cereal Prawns

These are just some of the many good things to eat in the Lion City. Check out Lori’s 4-part Dessert Comes First feature on Singapore for more food stuff.

Happy eating!