VEGAN BURGER FOR VEGANS & NON-VEGANS

For those who has been following my blog, you know that I have been 'trying' to be a vegetarian after reading Dr. D'Adamo's book about blood type and diet. Emphasis on the 'trying', hehe. However, it is looking like it is becoming an epic fail because I couldn't seem to give up on my love for meat. Now, I am moving to a new theory than I might have some sort of allergy to gluten foods and 'trying' to keep my diet gluten-free these days. Again, emphasis on the 'trying'. Anyway, that will be another blogpost altogether. Haha!

However, my short love affair to vegetarian had sprung some advantages that lead me to discover good vegetarian places. I learned about VeganBurg through The Hungry Ang Mo's blog.

VeganBurg has perfectly combined the concept of vegetarianism and fast food. I am known for being such a fast food fiend so this idea sit really well with me, hehe. I went to their Eunos outlet. They have four other outlets namely, Golden Shoe, Marina Boulevard, The Grandstand and Orchard Gateway. Their Jalan Eunos outlet, the founding restaurant is a cute hole-in-the-wall restaurant with a sort-of military barracks theme but still coming off as quirky and comfy. 

Burgers have always my comfort food.  Their patties are made from GM0 free soya and mushrooms that is pan-grilled to perfection. You can hardly tell you are eating veggies at all which makes it a hit for both vegans and non-vegans alike. I got to try their three types of burger and one side dish.

CRACKED PEPPER MAYO

Biting into this burger with just your gustatory senses, you can't hardly tell you are eating meat at all. However, if your olfactory nerves are still working, you can kinda smell that this is not real meat. It doesn't have an awful smell. It just smelled organic and green, hehe. You can taste the unique tickle of the pepper through this gustatory adventure of your tongue. This burger, however, should come with a warning. It is soooo filling. It can't hardly finish half of it.

HAWAIIAN PINEAPPLE BURGER

Pineapple was never my favorite fruit but I realized I do love pineapples in burgers and pizza. I always order Hawaiian pizza and I have been a fan of Jollibee's Hawaiian Aloha burger. I also love sweet & sour pork and pineapple which is the reason for that sweet-sourish yumminess. However, to my disappointment, this yummy-looking burger didn't reach my expectation. It was not bad, just alright. I polish it off in a few minutes. The patty was good, a bit thinner than the other burger patties but good. The lettuce was fresh and crisp. I like the ciabatta bread bun and the almonds on top of it. But the hard core of the pineapple was not removed. So biting into that thick hard core was not pleasant at all. I just simply took the half eaten pineapple at the side and left it untouched.

CHICK'N TARTAR BURGER

This baby is the recommended burger of Hungry Ang Mo. And I totally agree with him. This is by far my favourite burger in VeganBurg. This burger is also a seasonal special and not regularly served throughout the year. It has a crispy patty with fresh lettuce & alfalfa with a delicious tartar sauce. It has this good amount of spiciness. It gives your tongue a bit of ziga-zing-zing that is quite delightful. It has a tagline that I believe was taken from the ever-charming Barry Stinson of How I Met Your Mother. It is is Legen---- what for it---dary... 

All burgers comes with a combo meal with fries and drinks. For the drinks, you choose from Iced Lemon Tea, Orange Passion Fruit or Apple Blackcurrant juices.

They have also a lot of side dishes. My favorite is their crispy potato & spinach pops.

It is crunchy and crisp on the outside and soft & yummy on the inside. Love it!

VeganBurg also accepts delivery. Minimum order is $30 with delivery charge.

So even with my break-up to vegetarianism, would I still keep coming back to VeganBurg? Hell, yea! Vegetarian or non-vegetarian, VeganBurg definitely got me hooked.

Read More

WEDDING INSPIRATION: ZOREN & CARMINA'S WEDDING LIKE NO OTHER

Every women yearns for a Prince Charming but unfortunately for most, this concept of Prince Charming is as ancient as dinosaur fossil. But in the last few weeks however, it seems this Prince Charming concept has risen among the ashes of extinction in the form of the handsome Filipino actor, Zoren Legaspi.

For those who are non-Filipinos who are reading this blog or for Filipinos who doesn't own any Twitter or Facebook account (really??!), hehe, let me tell a story --- a modern-day fairytale:

Once a upon a time, in a place not that far away, lives a beautiful princess named Carmina. Beautiful and talented is this princess Carmina, she met and wed a gallant and handsome prince. And so she thought..... Alas, she realised that her noble prince is not really a prince. No, he wasn't a frog, neither was he a sorcerer or a traitor to betray her  father's kingdom. Rather her handsome prince was actually a pretty princess too (or so he/she believes so to be, hehe). Princess Carmina cried and cried in her sleep until her bed became a river of tears. Her heart was broken and her spirit crushed. She never think she can love again.

Then one morning, her eyes run dry with no more tears to shed and the river of tears turned into a hard concrete cement for her to walk on. She smoothened her dress, combed her hair and started coaxing herself to smile. Princess Carmina has always been a beautiful lady. Her porcelain skin and her pink  lips were renowned all over the island. No sooner, suitors from different kingdoms came knocking on her door. One of the suitor is this simple knight named Zoren. But Princess Carmina was enjoying her new-found freedom and was reluctant to chose among her suitors. However, Zoren has always been a constant person in her life and as days pass on, she unconsciously been spending more time with him than with her other suitors.

Until one day, Princess Carmina find out she is with child--- oh no, not child but childs? Ohhh, I mean twins, haha... And the father is the hunky knight, Zoren. And they live happily ever after? Not yet, that is not the end of the story, haha....

For years, Princess Carmina, Knight Zoren and their gorgeous twins lives happily in a beautiful mansion. So what is missing in this picture? Your guess is as good as mine. A wedding like no other, right? 

With his deep love to Princess Carmina, Knight Zoren orchestrated a proposal  beyond any girls's imagination with the help of good friends and fairy godmothers, one of them is named Tito Boy. Zoren proposed to Princess Carmina in a fake commercial set he organized using a dancing 'mob' under a cherry blossom tree . The bewildered Carmina  was overwhelmed with joy and excitement when her longtime prince of her heart asked her hand in marriage. Little did she know, that her wedding will actually happen also on the same day of her proposal. As the curtains were pulled down, all their friends were present to celebrate in thier joyous union, clapping and cheering. With tears of joy and endless laughter, Zoren and Carmina wed. And, yes, they live happily ever after.....

Click below for the full video of the proposal & wedding

Ikaw na Carmina! Carmina was deemed to be the luckiest woman on earth (or at least in the Philippines). And Zoren now, is the Modern Day Prince Charming. The whole Philippines got kilig and cried happy tears watching at the TV screen, the love story of Zoren and Carmina. Zoren has set the bar so high for men, I feel bad for those men who plan to propose to their girlfriends anytime soon, haha. They will never measure up after Zoren pulled that. Zoren and Carmina's wedding is the trending topics several days ago in twitter and facebook. You would hear women say, "I wish I will meet my Zoren". Though, I did see this type of proposal and wedding done in the reality TV show called "The Mob", I still commend Zoren for pulling this off quite nice. This kind of effort is a thousand time pogi-points to women. Effort is big deal for us women.

Though if you ask me, I wouldn't want a surprise wedding because I like to get to plan my wedding ever step of the way. But that's just me and I am not Carmina, hehe... Plus I don't need a Zoren in my life. I got my J and I am perfectly content, hehe. 

But I do wish the newlyweds best wishes and of course, a happily ever after.....  

Read More

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I had my birthday a couple of days ago. Some people hate their birthdays because it means a year older but I don't mind at all. This is what I posted on my Facebook wall:

I apologize for all my grammatical errors haha! I posted without proof-reading, haha!

I love birthdays. And I do love ageing because I like the wisdom that comes with it. Yes, i got more bruises & scars from life's daily battle and yes, a few wrinkles but surviving it, moulded me to be strong and wiser. Everyday is a learning lesson. Each day in our life, we get to acquaint ourselves what we want, what we can do and what we cannot do. This kind of self-awareness is our window to a happier life and a peaceful mind. We try to keep and fight for what is important. We work hard and play harder. Though we should take life seriously, we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously. By now, we should be adept in the art of learning to laugh at ourselves. We are never perfect and we'll never be. But we can always try our best and die laughing.

This is also my last year as single gal. I think through of how I will celebrate my last birthday as a single lady. Since my friends are quite far from my place and our work-off-times doesn't synchronise on weekdays, celebrating with them unfortunately became least likely. I said to myself that I would love to experience this singleness to the fullest on my birthday as I embark in the next chapter of 'togetherforever-dom' next year. I will have someone always with me (my future hubby and our future kiddos) whether I like it or not, hahaha. So I thought of having dinner by myself. Just good food and a bit of red wine (not really a red wine drinker but red wine make me feel more mature which is perfect on what I am celebrating, haha), no props of books or laptop. Remember that Carrie Bradshaw scene in Sex and the City. Channelling her a bit on my birthday, hehe....

I heard about this place that serves great steak in Seranggon. So I decided to have my dinner there at Grapevine Cafe Bar and Restaurant. 

I ordered the much-recommended Rib-eye Steak in Red Wine Sauce. Michael Seah of Weekend Today wrote, "The rib-eye steak surpassed my expectation to rank among the best I've had" (12th-13th February 2005). You can chose your side-dish but as a typical Filipino, of course I have to take it with rice. The steak was fat and juicy. It was succulent and soft. It was too large for my mini-stomach but it was quite satisfying. Of course, I got red wine to chase it down (which remained half-full, hehe.)

I had a blast having dinner by myself. Not bluffing. I learned to make friends with myself through the years and enjoy my own company. In order to be happy with other people and enjoy their company, you must first be happy with yourself and enjoy your own company. Now, I can't wait to enter into my new phase of life soon.

Happy birthday to all my Scorpio sisters and brother out there! Cheers to growing older and wiser!


Grapevine CafeBar and Restaurant
787 Upper Serangoon Road
Singapore 534654

   

Read More

GOD OF CARNAGE

My birthday is coming up and I am thinking of getting a red leather wallet or tickets to the new play of Lea Salonga, God of Carnage at DBS Arts Centre-The Singapore Repertory Theatre.

I guess you would know what I chose between the two based from the title of my blog post, hehe. I like to indulge myself in experiences rather than material things I realized. It is in my bucket list to see Lea Salonga perform eversince her "Miss Saigon" days. Though the God of Carnage play isn't a musical, it would still allow me would to see Lea Salonga perform on stage. 

  

God of Carnage is a comedy about two pairs of parents meeting to address the issue that their sons engaged in a playground fight. It is a funny and witty discourse of parents trying to be parents until the polite pleasantry turn into a candid verbal debate about marital issues, ideals, battle of the sexes and a dead hamster. This brilliant play was written by Yasmina Reza originally in French and translated by Christopher Hampton. This play has won both Tony and Laurence Olivier award for "Best Play". In the 2009 Original Broadway Production, the characters were played by Jeff Daniels, James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis. Marcia Gay Harden won the "Best Actress in a Play". 

It is my first time to watch a real theatre play. The only ones I have been to  before were school plays. The play was housed in DBS Art Centre. It looks like the theatre that the Friends characters go to to watch plays, only in DBS Art Centre, the place and seats looks nicer, newer and cleaner. I also snag a great seat.

The God of Carnage with these new set of actors lead by Lea Salonga was performed first in Manila in July of this year. This play is directed by the Lea Salonga's friend and frequent collaborator, Bobby Garcia. I would like to commend the stage designer for the wonderful set-up on stage. I would love to have that red sofa in my living room, the wall pattern and the light shades on top.

Lea Salonga on stage was a force to be reckon with. Her crystal-clear voice echoes around the theatre with conviction and authority. She is gorgeous and her make-up was immaculate. I prayed that she would somehow spill out a short song in the middle of her dialogue but of course she didn't. For some weird way as the play progress, she reminded me of my mother. Maybe it's her hair that was placed in a ponytail or maybe its her character in the play.

I have heard of Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo before. I know she is big in the theatre world with a large body of work to show. But I have never seen her shows until the play. And she blew me away. She was amazing! She was convincing and very courageous in her acting. She was also very pretty on stage. She looks like a Caucasian model on stage. I couldn't help but beam in pride of these two talented Filipina actresses. I just want to tap a Singaporean shoulder and say, she is Filipina too. There were 4 characters conversing on stage but after Annette (Menchu's character) took off her blazer, a silent character appeared on stage that distracted me from the four other characters for awhile. It was Menchu's well-toned arms--- her triceps & biceps. I wanted to interrupt her her monologue and  ask her, "Do you do Pilates?" 

I thought Art Acuna was Singaporean after seeing him first in the successful series, "Kitchen Musical". But I learned he is a US-based Filipino actor. He is handsome and dashing. I love his Burberry (?) scarf he drapes on his neck. It inspires me to buy a scarf to drape in my neck too.

But one thing that I got upon leaving the theatre was a big phat crush on Adrian Pang. Art Acuna might be the handsomer guy but Adrian somehow stole my heart. He is a brilliant and skillful actor. He has a perfect comedic timing and manages to catch the audiences' tickle bone even by his little facial expression on stage. His character successful progress on stage to a meek husband to a sarcastic Neanderthal.

Watching theatre plays is fun and interactive because the audience reaction is raw and ready. Actors can be fuelled and affirmed by the instant reaction of audiences. They hear it. They feel it. We, the audience, are part of the play as we give out in unison our responses to the stimulus on stage. We, the audience, laugh together, gasp together and clap together. The actors and audience becomes an intimate unit feeding off each other for a good 80 minutes. 

I overheard a Singaporean said to her friend as they were about to go out of the theatre, "That was good. Way better than the other play we saw last week". I wanted to butt-in and say, "I couldn't agree more."

Read More

WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA REARS ITS UGLY HEAD #AMALAYER

I love the Internet. It gave birth to Social Media. I love Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. Mark Zuckerberg was a genius for creating Facebook. Now Facebook is like the norm. It is like your official passport to humanity. It comes natural as the air we breath. If you don't have a Facebook, people would assume you are dead. Even 9-month-old babies have their own Facebook account. Also 80 year old lolos & lolas have their Facebook accounts too as they click Like with their arthritic fingers on every photos their grandchildren post. Social media is a venue to reconnect with long lost friends and to maintain friendships even if you are far away. It is also a blessing for couples in LDRs (long-distance relationships) like me because it allows us to stay connected with our partners. In social media, we are educated, informed and updated with currents news, discoveries and happenings. It helps us with conversations starters with new acquaintances. It keeps us entertained and allows us to converse directly online with people we look up to, celebrities & famous personalities. It gives us instant answers to our never-ending query. It nurtures our "fast-food" mentality of getting everything what we need now and 'to-go'.  It allows me to share my recommendations and my realizations that might help others (I hope). I get to read articles and blogs that inspire me to live positively & boldly and makes me laugh & scream with delight until I fall off the chair. 

But little by little, this social media frenzy is turning into an uncontrollable monster. It has now become the Master of everyone & anyone and not anymore, the "option" we turn to when we are bored. Did you remember the time when the wifi is down and internet connection is bad, we scream in agony and our fingers ache  to touch our keyboards once again to comment on that status update. It is like a life force has been snatch away from us. It is like our existence is internally link to our Facebook persona. A few hours away from  our Facebook & Twitter page, we panic of what we have missed out on.  Social media now doesn't serve us, we serve the social media because we realize it has a great power --- a power to create and a power to destroy. 

A couple of months, the spotlight was on Sen.Tito Sotto. He was accused of plagiarizing a blogger's article for his speech. That is the magic of the internet for you. You can "borrow" a writer's words by the amazing technique of copy-paste. From then on, Sen. Sotto was bombarded with insults after insults in all types of social media. He been called names, cursed, memes & parody created and has been filed a lawsuit.  He was the virtual punching bag all around the blogosphere. If he deserves it or not? That is not for me to say. But what I can see here is how powerful social media can destroy a person's life. It has a sharp blade that can tear you up into pieces and a gloves made of steel that can pound you until you turn into useless dust with every words thrown at you. It is a scary realization that one false move can ruin a person's dignity in one split second through social media.  

Now, comes the latest social media victim. We all hear about the #Amalayer incident. A young lady humiliating a lady guard at a MRT Station. Now this rude lady is the latest trending topic. The public is appalled by what she did to lady guard. Her English grammar has been dissected, her English twang has been ridiculed, her audition tapes for Myx was revealed and her educational background has been investigated. I believe it was totally wrong of her to embarrassed and scream at the lady guard. She has belittled the poor lady guard in public. BUT WAS IT RIGHT TO VIDEOTAPE THE INCIDENT? And then, to upload it for everyone to hurl criticisms at her like we are Simon Cowell in American Idol?

Did we realize that what happened to her can very much happen to us in some other days? Are you not fearful that mobile phone camera are now the new centuries' weapon, like a high-tech light-saber that can cut & make us bleed with shame and embarrassment. We have our bad-days and we can snap on the poor service in a restaurant and a video can upload with all the visual effects & sounds making us look like the biggest Bitch from Hell. Some would say but I am never rude to anyone and that can never happen to me. But social media doesn't just victimize the brazen and hostile but also the meek & harmless. You can slip on the floor, you can sit on a chair with gum, you have wet yourself after not being able to hold your bladder and there are very ready camera phones that can record those incidents. The Amalayer lady is not the first one who has been bash in the internet-sphere. You have Christopher Lao who was pitifully criticized for driving his car on a flooded street causing it to float. His academic achievement was questioned even Hitler got so mad. 

But Christopher Lao was one of the victims of cyberbullying who rise above it all. He even spoke in the Social Good Summit, inspiring people and educating people about cyberbullying. Another is Robert Blair Carabuena, the guy who attacked a MMDA officer was also victim of cyberbullying, turning him into the big bad devil's incarnate before our eyes. Again, do they deserve it to not? It is not our place to decide. 

Some of the victims are bullies. Should we agree to the statement that "the punishment should fit the crime" by fighting bullies by bullying them and making them consume the bitter taste of their own medicine? We always hated the bullies of our elementary & high school days. We all say, "No to Bullies!". But by participating in this pack-mentality, we ourselves turned into these vicious bullies we hate as we participate in jeering and insulting the new " social media" victim. It is fun to be part of a crowd. We feel strong and righteous to throw a stone since everyone else is throwing. But wait until the tables have turned and the stone will be thrown at you. 

Then you realized how much we allowed social media to overpower us. Internet and the Social media is a powerful tool. It is both a gift and a curse. And as Spiderman's aunt said, " In great power comes great responsibility"... 

    

Read More

HAPPY DEEPAVALI!

To my Hindu brothers and sisters,

Wishing you all a bright & happy Deepavali! Let the glorious light within us shine through and brighten the lives of people we encounter....  

from www.goodlightscraps.com

Love,

Little Miss Honey

Read More

FASHION FORWARD: PEPLUM SKIRTS

Looking for fashion inspiration, I checked out one of my favorite style icon, Apple Aberin's ootd (outfit-of-the-day) posts in her instagram. She has been wearing quite a lot of peplum skirt which tweaked my fancy. I like the idea of a office skirt designed in an unconventional way.

Since shopping in malls stresses me out, I logged on to one of my favourite online shopping sites, ZALORA to check out some peplum skirts.

Of course, a Black Peplum Skirt is a MUST in my list.

Made U Look Peplum Skirt
from zalora.com.ph

  

This cute skirt can emphasize the curve of the waist. It comes in different colours too. And lately, I been gearing towards happy colours, so I am also eyeing the mustard coloured peplum skirt.

Made U Look Peplum Skirt
from zalora.com.ph

In days where I would like to add a bit of prints and roses, this skirt will be just perfect. 

Fashion Hub by Dayan Hernandez
from zalora.com.ph

I like this skirt because I can wear it for work and at the same time I can wear to go out for a fun night with my galpals.

I also decided to add in a peplum blouse.

Chloe Edit
from zalora.com.ph

It comes in different colours like red and blue but I like this green blouse best of all. It can be perfectly paired with a straight black skirt or slacks.

Are you dying for some peplum skirt for your wardrobe too?

Click on link below and start shopping with me:

zalora.com.ph

Use my Voucher Code: MissHoney121 to receive 5% discount

Happy Shopping!

Read More

AUTHENTIC SINGAPOREAN FOOD: BLK 85 FOOD CENTRE

I got the most amazing colleagues! Yes, I am using superlatives here because they are simply awesome. They took this little Filipina for an authentic Singaporean food experience. No, they didn't take me to the much publicised tourist food stop, the Newton Centre, rather they took me to what they said where locals go for good Singaporean food. Yey! My hungry stomach did a happy somersault. They took me to this hawker centre in Bedok called the Blk 85 Food Centre. Just a tidbit of information though, Blk 85 Food Centre is temporary closed for renovation, it was transferred just nearby in Blk 84 Temporary Fengshan Centre and will reopen next year. So we went to the temporary food centre in Blk 84.

Don't worry though, it will be back by 1st quarter of 2013. It's the construction at the back of the sign in the picture above. I hope it doesn't mean that they will raise their prices. Fingers crossed.

A little Singaporean terminology 101 first before I start presenting to you my gastronomic adventure: Hawker Centre means an open-air complexes that has stalls of different foods. There are hawker centres in Malaysia and HongKong too.

Presenting Blk 85 (temporary) Food Centre:

I am so happy that I was brought to this locals' favourite hawker centre because  I enjoyed every bit of food introduced to me. In a span of 1 week and a half, I went back there with other friends three times! Hahaha!

What to order:

1. Fried Oyster Omelette

I first tried fried oyster omelette at Seafood Paradise at the Singapore Flyer. I instantly love it. Same goes to this dish in Blk 85. The mix of egg and oyster is just right and it doesn't have that starchy taste. You dip it in the chilli sauce if you want a bit of spice.

2. Satay

Satay is a dish that originated in Indonesia. In the Philippines, its our barbecue. So this dish will definitely be a hit to Filipinos. You have choices of grilled pork, chicken or mutton. It comes with a peanut sauce that is not too sweet but just right. In the peanut sauce, a piece of pineapple is dipped to give off a bit of sweet and sour taste. The minimum order of satay should be 8 sticks. It comes with a glutinous rice that is a bit like our puto. But nothing beats the good 'ol rice, hehe.... 

3. BBQ Chicken Wings  

These babies are tender, juicy and finger-licking good. Did I just used the tagline of Purefoods & KFC in one sentence? Haha! But its the best way to describe it. It gets to be a bit oily. So I hope you wouldn't minds your fingers to get a bit greasy.

4. Stingray 

I am not a fan of stingray but I like choosing interesting foods. I tried the stingray in the Philippines cooked in coconut milk and it tasted a bit weird & with a spanking odor. But i realised maybe that time it was just how it was cooked by the chef. But Blk 85 made me change my mind in my reservations for stingray. 

In Blk 85, it can be cooked in two ways and I tried both. And this comes with a disclaimer that I ate the two stingrays in separate occasion, alright.

Sambal Stringray

Does that look yummy? This is a stingray with hot sambal sauce poured over it. I couldn't take very spicy foods but I wanted to eat it anyway. The meat is so tender and delicious. But then after awhile the sambal sauce got a bit too hot for my tongue to handle.

Garlic Stingray

It looks like fish and taste like fish but it is actually stingray. There are crunchy garlic layering on top of the fresh fat stingray. It is more friendly to my sensitive tongue. It is perfect for "sumsuman". It is very fresh and succulent that you can't help but dig in more.

5. Porridge

This is one of the favourites in this food centre. It has another local name that sounds like "Chok". I am sure if that is the correct spelling or I just didn't hear it right but to be safe just say porridge. It is like a congee and you can have it with egg or no egg. And you have this deep friend thingies floating on top of the beautiful cloud of deliciousness. In it are small pork balls too, like surprise gift to your mouth. When I tasted it at first, I thought it doesn't have a taste at all because it was way too hot. But as it got cooler and as I stir more, I tasted its yummy goodness.

6. Sugarcane Juice

To drown the delectable food you are eating, stall vendors will approach you in the table and ask if you will buy sugarcane juice. I remember trying sugarcane juice when I was here in Singapore years ago but I didn't remember it to be this good. Very refreshing and thirst-quenching indeed. Downside is that it makes me really full quickly and it makes me not finish my food even if I wanted to eat more. It ruins my full gastronomic experience so best take it after food.

7. Bak Chor Mee

I saved the best for last. The Bak Chor Mee is the reason why Blk 85 Food Centre has been a food pilgrimage for local Singaporeans.  Bak Chor Mee is  a minced pork noodles. Again, Bak Chor Mee can be cooked in two ways: the soupy or the dry. Which do I like better? Let me show you the two contenders.

Soupy Bak Chor Mee

Dry Bak Chor Mee

Bak Chor Mee has this nicely cooked egg noodles with crunchy heaps of minced pok that is just divine and several pork balls and greens. It also comes with chilli to spice it up a bit. You can ask them to put it in the spoon so you can gauge how much chilli to put. The soup has this sweet-salty taste that reminds me  a lot of our batchoy.

And so for winner is of the best way to eat Bak Chor Mee is the Soupy Bak Chor Mee! I am also surprise of my choice because I am not fond of soups and noodles. I am more of a pancit canton-kind-of-girl. But apparently in this one, the soup wins over dry hands down. And I know most locals would agree with me. I thought I would enjoy the dry more but I realise the secret is in the soup. I end up pouring all the soup in my noodles. It was so satisfying in my happy belly. I also secretly believe that maybe a potion in being poured unto this dish because I could help but crave for it, haha. It hunts my lunchbreak and dinner time with thoughts of Bak Chor Mee. I am even craving just now after seeing again the pictures. Ayayay!  

How to get here:

Some say u go down Tanah Merah met and walk 20 minutes. Or use the bus 12 going there. But what I do to go there is to ride the MRT and go down Bedok. In the Bedok interchange, take the Bus 222. Go down on the 4th stop, it is just a few steps then it is the the left side if you are facing the street.

See you soon, Bak Chor Mee!

Read More

TOURIST GUIDE: SINGAPORE RIVER CRUISE

When I was in high school, me and my family had a short vacation here in Singapore. I fell in love with the country instantly. I remember I thought in passingly that I would love to work in this country maybe like one or two years because I like the thought of me in my lunchbreak eating sandwich in one of the parks in Singapore. Talk about passive visualization! Viola! My innocent daydream is now a reality. I am now work in Singapore and eating sandwich in the park hahaha! I guess it really matters what we plant in our minds.

I recall in our first day of the trip, we went for a river cruise. But what stuck in my memory was how my sister and I were fearful how much the boat rocked and how scared & magnetised we are by the Merlion Statue. We thought he looked so big and scary and weirdly, we are surprisingly attracted to the big white statue. As the boat rocked, we feared a real big merlion would swam up the water, really! He was so mystical! My sister and I laughed about it that we are having secret crush on the merlion statue. A little history for you guys out there, something I learned in history that stuck in my mind. Singapore is called the Lion City because a prince landed on the island around the 13th century saw a white lion on the edge of the river bank and he took this as a sign to settle in the place he called Singapura which means Lion City.

In one hot Saturday afternoon, me and my friend Mel, had a hearty late lunch in Boat Quaye and we saw a nearby kiosk offering a Singapore River Cruise. Mel wanted to try it and I (hesitantly at first) wanted to relive my 1st Singaporean experience. 

The Singapore River Experience cost $18 for adult and $10 for kids. It runs from 9:00 AM to 11:00PM. Regular departures are approximately 15minutes interval. As always, Mel and I were the only passengers in the boat! Haha! There is a video commentary that narrates and highlights the different parts of Singapore as the boat glides on. But Mel and I were horrible tourists, we were  not listening at all. We were too busy taking snaps of the scenery and chatting along the open deck. But it would be good, Mommies and Daddies out there, for kids to be in this river experience and listen on the commentaries especially for their history or geography lessons. Don't let them follow our bad example, hehehe....

This is the route of the river cruise:

  

Me and the Merlion met again and surprisingly he isn't scary looking as I remembered him to be. Actually he was even quite small. Still, I couldn't help but to respectfully acknowledge this mystical creature whatever size he may be.

 To Mr. Merlion, 

Thank you for inviting me to live and work your city. You were nice to me the last time I visited. I hope you continue your kindness as I work here. You have a beautiful city and I am excited to get to know it & explore it more. Thank you for allowing me to take this uncertain adventure in your vibrant city. I don't know what you can offer me in this unpredictable sojourn. Will you embrace me with warm open arms? Are you going to make me cry in frustration and regret? Are you going to scare the living wits out of me and force me to respond by hiding in a safe sanctuary? Whatever tricks you got up your sleeve, I tell you up front that I like you so I hope you like me too. Please be nice to me because I come in peace and a lot of spirit of glee, positivity & resiliency, something that I took with me from my country the Philippines. We Filipinos are fun-loving, happy people, even in calamities, we can burst in smiles and laughter. This is something I can share with you and your people too. Hoping for more adventures with you. Are you game? I am.

All the best,

Little Miss Honey

Read More