Our First Two Days In Singapore

It's never "as usual" with us whenever we go to Singapore. There are always new roads, new structures and new places. Our children make sure that bringing us around is always a new experience. 

When Singapore airlines flight 915 touched down on Changi, I messaged my son that we just landed. Since he took two days off from work, he said he was getting us from there. 

While driving out, as always, our son asked what and where we like for lunch. "It's up to you, we're not really that hungry", replied my sister who joined us on this trip. 

"Oh, so you want ambiance?, he asked smiling. "Okay, I'll give you ambiance". 

"The House" is one of the many restaurants in Dempsey,  formerly barracks of American soldiers converted to bars, restaurants and shops. We've been to Dempsey three times but there are just so many bars and restaurants there that it's our first time in The House..

We couldn't resist going out of the glass walls and take pictures.  

My son and my sister has a great connection, having been so close way back when he was a toddler while my sister was doing college and stayed with us.  This is a toast to this special reunion.

The ambiance was really great but the food took the spotlight, especially Jim's order, 

This meter-long sausage served on a bed of crunchy arugula leaves occupied the whole diameter of the round table. 

Not to be outdone, my burger with bone marrow served with onion rings and veggies was picture perfect.  It tasted great as well. 

We had a sumptuous lunch,  another place another great experience. 

 At the Tower Club situated on the 62nd floor, our daughter-in-law as well as our younger daughter and son-in-law joined us for cocktails after work. 

The place has spectacular views and tastefully decorated that  my sister and I couldn't help but explore the place and take pictures. 

Second Day 

Our grandson skipped school to spend the day with us, after all bonding with him was the prime purpose of our visit.  First order of the day was breakfast at the American Club

At 3 1/2, our grandson loves cars, fast cars, so much so that he stayed up late the weekend before to watch the finish off Formula One race.  He is patient in completing puzzles and has interesting idiosyncrasies.  

 Foremost is his tendency to contradict.  If you give him a square plate, he would say: "I want a round plate".  If you sit him on a yellow  chair: he'd want the blue.  If fruit is given for snacks he will say:  "I want something nice", meaning chips or his favorite biscuit. 

Before lunch, he needed to go to  the toy store where he plays often though he seldom asks to buy any. 

The whole day was pleasant and interesting especially when we went to the park surrounding the M social hotel designed by the famous French designer Philippe Starck.  

Here our grandson showed how good he is in riding his scooter.  He can cope with his dad's speed and he enjoys going up and down a slope. 

What did my sister and I do?  Had cocktails while watching.

Having mojito and Long Island tea

Father and son sharing a French fry drizzled with truffle oil. 

We also explored the premises surrounding M social and posed for pictures. 

The day ended by going local with dinner at Newton Circus, one of the biggest hawkers in town. 

We were tired and happy as we rested for the day while we anticipated the next day to be with my younger daughter and son-in-law in their new home. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SEPTEMBER GIRL!

Organizing and preparing for my sister's milestone birthday party was just as fun as the party itself, (at least to me, though others may find it a hassle); but as they often say,

"it's not the destination but the journey".    

This time Jim and I with the support of my daughter, my neice and nephew came up with a party fitting to my sister's good taste. 

My sister, the celebrant

My sister, my daughter, my granddaughter and me

We're in luck that my daughter introduced us to this party venue

There was no need to decorate, putting more stuff would be over-doing it.  The New Mexico and Spanish-inspired colorful interiors and arches led to more spaces with interesting surprises.  I'm not one knowledgeable enough to fairly critique art but my layman's eye says that the paintings are really impressive, is putting it mildly.   Add those to the creative artsy-crafty touches of Cynthia (the owner), made up the elegant, wholesome and cozy party rendezvous.  

The pictures below show the beautiful and unique interiors. 

I posed my sister along one wall of the yellow room

My nephew and his wife with the celebrant standing by this arch showing a good view of the main room 

Nieces and nephews

My sister, Jim and me with guests

My sister, my brother and me

My sister with her childhood bestie, Venus

My sister with Ben and Alessandra. The couple are her friends and neighbors who came all the way from Florida for the weekend just to join the celebration. 

That's me with my daughter and my sister 

The ladies on my side of the family

My sister and me with cousins, Luz and Lilia. 

In the brick room where the buffet was set up

It was a fun-filled night with singing and dancing and lots of laughter and tears of joy.  It was a gathering of special people close to my sister, who else but family and close family friends? 

A Great Lunch At The Artist Gallery Cafe

Our son who lives abroad said he will bring his family over for a visit but he didn't want me to bother preparing lunch.  So Jim suggested we try the new restaurant that we recently discovered. 

What a wonderful find!

Last week, Jim and I were desperate looking for a venue for a 60th birthday party next month.  We learned that our initial venue had to close shop due to unresolved issues with lessors.  Fortunately our older daughter saved us when she suggested we check out the Artist Gallery Cafe.  

While I was busy with my Sunday chores, Jim couldn't wait to take an initial look, he then drove up to the place and the facade alone gave him a good impression.  He happily told me that it looked great from the outside. 

Late that afternoon we went to see the place and talked to Cynthia, the owner.  We had her block off our party date on their reservation calendar.  I immediately called the celebrant and she readily agreed to have her birthday party there. 

"If you say that it's great, especially that Jim says so, then go ahead and put in a reservation", she replied. 

"Check out their Facebook page: 190 Artist Gallery, and see pics of previous events", I told her.  I believe she was impressed with what she saw.

Our lunch went well today because the food was great and the place amazing.  Because it is a gallery, isn't it fitting to name the items in the menu after an iconic painting and famous painters?  

Who wouldn't love the crunchy Mona Lisa cheeks?  The Raphael's pork barbecue was so tender, but the kare kare de Amorsolo is the favorite of my daughter-in-law, the Monet chicken curry just fell apart from the bone with a touch of my fork.  We ordered the  Da Vinci's spaghetti for my grandchildren.  We didn't have anymore space to try the native sausage ala Juan Luna as well as the rest in the menu. 

The interiors, more than the facade is colorful and tastefully decorated. Cynthia said her inspiration is not only Mexico but a blending of Spain as well;  but her own ingenious creativity and her personal touches were clearly visible.  Every corner is uniquely and interestingly decorated; if it were a photo shoot one just need to move any which way and find that the  background is consistently amazing.   

Check out our pictures today.  I'm not a professional photographer so I hope I gave justice to the beauty of the place.  

My son, his wife and son

Jim and my granddaughter 

My grandchildren

My granddaughter and I 

My granddaughter

My son and family in the function room over coffee. 

In one function room waiting for our lunch to be served. 

We only took pictures on the main room and one function room where they served lunch but the place is so much more, there are other function rooms on the main floor and there's a second floor as well which I plan to see on my next visit. 

On Getting Older And Wiser

Superstitious people believe that we should toast ourselves on our birthdays, otherwise the year ahead will be worse than the previous one.  What have we to lose whether we believe it or not, right? 

So in anticipation to my birthday this month: 

Here's to a happy birthday to me, cheers!"

But come on, why do they come so frequently?  Is there a way to hold back the clock?

Time really flies so fast that oftentimes I can't believe that I'm living my 8th decade.  I understand why Rebecca Bissetonce, editor-in-chief of Expat Living Magazine, Singapore edition said:

"You know you're getting on in life when the really old man in the movie used to be the 'hot dude' you had a crush on".  

 Ahh!  Being old is that time in life when women like me get passed the anxiety over wrinkles and bulges; a time when we no longer get noticed, sometimes we even seem invisible to others.   Well, it's about time to accept all those and make peace with our situation, especially with our faces and bodies and with society in general.  

On the other hand, men get a better deal; even with their expanded beer belly along with their gray hairs, (others may not even have hair anymore) yet they are still dubbed as being accomplished and more distinguished.

If we obsess too much on our looks, we stress ourselves and just gain more wrinkles and white hairs.  I believe that what's important is how we feel, what we do and with whom.  Besides, there are far greater things to focus on other than looks.  

I fathomed that it is not too late to become someone we've always dreamed of if we only try; or do something we've always wanted now that we have the time; something that really matters, like pursuing a pre-occupation, a hobby or even another career; whatever we want to do to make us feel challenged, fulfilled and invigorated. 

Moreover, I learned that the happiest people are those who do NOT have problems but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect. 

It is not easy to accept everything that come into our lives as part of this complex journey,  especially things we can't control, like fading looks, body aches and pains or illness, even though we follow a healthy regimen of diet and exercise.  We get frustrated if our bodies do not always cooperate in spite our best intentions and best efforts.

At my age, we also become forgetful that it takes time to remember facts and issues, but I do not fret.  I read that it is not a memory problem, there's nothing wrong with our brains if we can't recall things straight away.  Experts say that our minds are full because we know a lot of things and therefore taking more time to recall information; pretty much like accessing files from our computer.  So if we can't remember something immediately, we are told to say that  "my disk is full".

As I celebrate my birthday this month, I try to focus only on what's good in my life.  I've gathered great inspiration from my prayerful friend Nina who says: 

"My life is a long journey as I move from one point to the other, growing in faith all the time.  Instead of focusing on the ups and downs of my life, l'll be looking ahead to the longest finish line because I want to reach it well and perfectly ready".

Today I'll set my sight to that unseen finish line as well, thanking The Lord for the love and the blessings in my life no matter how simple and humble it maybe.  Even though I can't have caviar for breakfast, escargot for lunch, foie gras and truffles for dinner;  I am happy with an occasional filet mignon for dinner (which is more often than what is good for my heart);  I believe that it is still a life that some can only dream of.  

I'm referring to my happy and relaxing home life; focusing on my hobbies:  managing the store, gardening, reading, cooking and blogging.  Oh, my husband will be thrilled to read this, for  as they say:  "happy wife, happy life".

And why wouldn't I be happy with a gentle and caring husband with the greenest thumb, (a big bonus really, that we can eat the freshest organic veggies from our garden); responsible, loving and thoughtful children and (that includes their spouses) and our two beautiful grandchildren.  

I've got a loving and thoughtful sister who lives across the oceans but easily accessible via messenger.  There's my big brother who will readily come visit along with his children and grandchildren if I promise to cook his favorite dish.  We bond occasionally during family milestones and when my sister is in town. We are always happy when we get together, we laugh a lot and I feel the love go around.  

On this birthday and forward, I hope to continue being happy and healthy.  I know that I am still the driving force to complete my life story; as I grow older, wiser and learning more about life, I believe that there  are areas I can still improve on.   That aside, I love my life as is.  It may not be much of a life to others, but it is my life and I wouldn't change it even if I could. 

Minimalist Even With Handbags

Are you lagging around stuff that you don't really need?  Maybe some of us are not even aware what we carry around all day.  If someone were to asked what's in that big bag of ours, would we be able to say exactly what's in there?  

I am one who does not want to carry big handbags especially everyday.  It is only when I travel that a bigger one is convenient for it could carry all my immediate needs plus my mini iPad. 

Moreover, I'm not tall enough for a big bag to be proportional to  my height.  Besides, I don't want to carry a heavy bag  that may put pressure on my shoulders and distort my spinal column.

I have avoided carrying heavy bags almost all my life, yet my chiropractor had to make an adjustment because he found my tendency to lean on the left.  My shoulders are not aligned, the left is slightly lower than the right.  The years when I had the habit of carrying my handbag on one shoulder, must have taken its toll.  Since I learned about this I always remind myself to alternately carry my handbag on both shoulders.  

At a luncheon, I used an envelop purse while a friend beside me had a bag way bigger than her hips.  

"How do you use a small purse, I can't seem to learn how?", she asked me when she saw what I brought along. 

I'd say it's because of dependence on some items that makes us feel secure having them along all the time.  But then we could trim that according to the occasion.  Even though it is a hassle to change bags often, it has its advantages since we can review the contents thus giving us a chance to leave behind or discard what's not necessary. 

Whenever I changed bags early on while I was still working, I often saw a stick of gum, a hard candy that is already sticky, receipts I just dumped in the bag after a purchase, used tissue I couldn't throw anywhere so I put it in the bag as well until I find a receptacle.  Oftentimes I found a toothpick or two in it's wrapper that I must have gotten when I ate at Chinese restaurants; it would be funny though if I found a pair of chopsticks there, ha!

I believe however that things we put in our bags depend on our need.  My daughter-in-law has the most variety of signature bags in almost all colors that she keeps changing to match or compliment her outfit.  But when she had a baby, she got a Big Kate Spade bag so it can accommodate baby things including her wallet and cosmetic kit.  On the other hand, my older daughter used a medium samsonite  backpack for her baby things so it won't be awkward should her husband help her carry it. 

I believe that whatever suits our needs is fine as long as whatever is inside are necessary and convenient to lag along. 

Keepin Our Store Alive

Its been more than two months since the presence of a popular business competitor in the village.  It's opening week alone has affected ours so much that we thought for awhile that  it would topple us and force us to wind up our establishment. 

Recently however, we see our store moving on,  like a baby taking slower steps because it can't walk straight on its own yet.  But it is moving forward, it's getting there for sure, at least to a point where it is worth our while.   It's nowhere near a hundred percent relative to what it used to be but with adequate inventory and a good spin, hopefully it won't backslide before it is up on its toes again. 

 Every week, we observe a different trend but it is never going down to where it started since the competitor.  We do have many customers, the foot traffic is there but definitely not like it used to be.  We did lose some, those that would really make up for the difference.   

On the first week after the competitor opened one loyal customer told our cashier that if we want to stay in the game, we should have an adequate inventory.  She was referring to the items that ran out because I did not stock up.  And we know that too, but as I mentioned earlier, I played it safe.  

 Recently we see customers crawling back occasionally and they account for keeping us afloat.  They tell us about the lack of inventory at the new store, they couldn't get all their requirements there; besides items are not as cheap as they expected.  

As Jim pointed out earlier, one major reason that customers are slowly coming back is vicinity.  Yesterday, a lady was exasperated to walk further to the new store after learning that we run out of gravy powder.  I heard her tell her companion:  "ay naku, mapapalayo tayo" (we have to go further for that).

Regards our store staff, we now have the required number and they are proving capable in more ways than one after they had the proper orientation and training.   They seem to be even better than their predecessors especially attitude-wise.

One of them is a handyman, who is matured and even-tempered, experienced helping in construction and therefore can do minor carpentry work and has a bit of knowledge in electrical system.  This guy is a quiet worker,  what's more, he can cook, how about that?  

The two new cashiers are now up to speed having familiarized themselves on current prices since we are still manual, we don't use the POS system yet.  But I'm thinking about that too, once we get our fair market share. 

In the meantime, I can relax a bit but I continue to monitor inventory closely, making purchase orders and relentless to expedite arrival of goods.  This is an advantage over our major competitor who rely only on what's available in their warehouse since their purchasing is centralized for all their outlets, superstores and junior stores alike. 

Another good news is that I now have my Friday day-off back and my Sundays are free to recharge and enjoy the outdoors;  to garden and to rest, replenish food for the week, try new recipies, read, relax and write my blog under the mango tree.  

But I still manage to monitor the store by remote control on those days.  No problem there since my staff know when to consult me and they can call me anytime. 

 At this point, I'm still up in arms on this crusade until I know I'm beat,  but I don't think this will happen, at least not yet.   The store will run as usual and hopefully with the right focus we can think of better ways to manage it.  Who knows, it may even grow, and  why  not?

My Version Of Granola

I thought I'd make granola today. 

Sometime ago I ran out of these two jumbo packs of dried cranberry and granola that my thoughtful sister from Florida gave me last December.   She knows that I top my oatmeal for breakfast with dried fruits and  crunchy cereal to allay boredom.  

Since then, I've been buying granola and muesli, though they are quite expensive here, most of them, if not all are imported.  Therefore it is more practical to make it myself. 

This is my version of granola partly using local ingredients. 

Hey, what's the green one?  It's called pinipig, or duman or in the Ilocano vernacular, dudumen.  Pinipig is made from immature glutinous rice, burned in open fire rendering the grains partly toasted.  Then it is manually pounded.  

Making dudumen is an event that locals enjoy on summer nights.  They build a bone fire and toast the grains.  For single ladies and guys, this is an opportunity to get together and have fun.  Partners alternately pound the grains in tune with the music, as they sing along. 

The green color, which is sometimes dark green to grayish green is due to the green testa of the young grain;  the color depends on how long the grains are toasted. This is unpolished and therefore more healthy. 

There is another form of pinipig that I added, the white ones looking like Rice Krispies , these are toasted popped pinipig.

After the almonds is pulse-chopped, I mixed this with the grains .  Unfortunately, I only have almonds in my pantry but it would be nice to add walnuts, pistachios or Casey nuts. 

2 1/2 c rolled oats

1 1/2 c green pinipig

1  c almonds

1  tsp sea salt

1/2  c olive oil

1/2. c honey

1       Tsp vanilla

The liquid ingredients are added to the grains and nuts until they are thoroughly coated.

The resulting mixture is evenly spread on my non stick baking sheet and poppep in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Mid- bake, the product need to be brought out and mixed to ensure that they are evenly  toasted.  I then added the popped pinipig and brought it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.  

The dried fruits are mixed in thoroughly after the baking is done and allowed to cool.  I would have liked to add apricot and dates  but I only have dried cherries that my BFF Lorna from California gave me when she visited.  So I just added raisins for good measure. 

Notice that the baked product is darker brown because it  was toasted. 

The granola should be stored in dry and sealed containers.  If the yield seem too much, half maybe placed in ziplock bags and put in the freezer for longer shelf life.