djoanonymous: September 2015

Singapore Adventure 1.0

infinity pool September 22, 2015

Singapore was originally one of the Malaysia's states. It was an unending political disputes which created communal tension, that lead the Malaysian government to separate Singapore from their ruling. It was then, in 1965, the birth of Singapore as a stand alone country took place. Presently, the two countries had been peacefully coexisting with each other.

Setting this aside, I, as what previously have mentioned, did a cross-country trip from Malaysia to Singapore. Going there, we traveled by air via Jetstar airlines and landed on Changi International Airport, which was awarded as the "World's Best Airport in 2015". Lucky for me, I get to experience the best.

Changi Airport Arrival Terminal

Before starting our all-day-long tour within the city, we must go to our hotel to leave our baggage. And just when everything couldn't be much better, we were able to get a room in one of the most prestigious hotels in the world, Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Even I, myself, couldn't believe this experience. I thank my sister for fulfilling one of my bucketlist.

Pardon me for being so irrationally excited with this, but this was actually my first on a luxurious hotel, so bear with it. Anyway, as we checked in, we were given 2 hotel key cards which will be our elevator and room access. We got a room from the 23rd floor which was superb! In there, were 2 king sized bed, perfect for the 4 of us. And the view was just so lovely, which could have been better if we were on the higher floors. But I could really not complain, after all I had never imagined myself seeing this view with my own pair of eyes.

Moving on, we left the hotel and did a little walk in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. The mall was so glamorous with its luxurious boutiques like Chanel, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Gucci - brands that are way out of my pocket's league. A Venetian-style canal runs along the shops where you can get to experience a Sampan ride, similar to the Gondola ride of Venetian of Las Vegas.

And so, after indulging ourselves into these fanciness, we had our lunch, which was literally our first meal in Singapore, in Rasapura Foodcourt. If you are looking for a variety of Asian foods at a reasonable price, this is a place to go. Take note, a lot have been coming here to eat so getting your seats can take time. But I assure you, its all worth it.

I got myself a simple noodles and roasted duck.

Onto our next destination, we headed towards the railways again and set off to Sentosa Island. Fortunately, like in KL, trains offered an easier and a much cheaper way of traveling within the city. Although, it can get a bit confusing at first but once you know how to read and follow their system map, everything would be an easy-peasy.

Sentosa is an island resort, so yeah, a ticket is a must to get in there. We got ours at Vivo City.

Arriving at the first station in Sentosa Island was where we were greeted by this famous Universal Studios logo, in front of USS (Universal Studios Singapore) theme park. Good thing it is outside of the theme park, so anyone even those who didn't pay for the theme park can get their photo here.

For all the chocolate lovers out there, this place got your favorite photo op...

Off to the next island, and by that, I meant the last island was Palawan. No, I was not mistaken and I'm not yet back in the Philippines, although I would also really want to visit Palawan, PH. Anyway, we didn't visit the second island, since we're having a bit of a time-constraints again. But I didn't mind that, for I got to experience one of the highlights of my SG trip - Luge.

Luge is a fun-filled gravity thrill ride which is safe for all ages. With a unique braking and steering system, you can choose to take a leisurely cruise or race down the 688 metre Dragon trail or 628 metre Jungle trail – 1.4 kilometres of fun day and night. The experience is never complete without the Skyride. Board the Skyride for a scenic bird’s eye view of Sentosa Island, Singapore city Skyline and South China Sea. - Sentosa

Overlooking view of South China Sea.

And because once is never enough with 'em, I got to experience the Luge ride 3 times! It was so much fun, I think thrice was never enough!... Check out my very short and very low quality Luge video ride. Hahaha!

After a long, tiring but fun day, we spent the rest of the night enjoying our 'lil dip in the much publicized Infinity Pool of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I let my eyes drowned onto the spectacular night-time view of Singapore city. Too bad the pool was open only until 11:00 PM. So much for overindulging.

I ended the day absorbing the fun I just had; which was way to much for me to absorb. And I just cannot contain my excitement for the next day!

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A Day in KL.

i love kuala lumpur September 10, 2015

Let me have a backtrack on my "post-summer" getaway I had last August. Having a 20-day all out enjoyment with my family, I can actually say that this was the ultimate getaway for me so far. Besides, we got a chance to visit 2 countries during this escapade - Malaysia and Singapore.

I'll start off with my stay in Malaysia - specifically, Kuala Lumpur. This was the second time I've been in the country and oh boy, I was fortunate enough to be given another chance to have a vacation in this uniquely diverse heritage. Actually, I am blessed enough to have sisters who arranged everything in this tour. (Both of my two sisters are living here; one in Kuala Lumpur and the eldest one in Penang.)

Since my sis' place is located in the heart of the city, we had our first tour here. My sis wasn't able to join us roam around because she's got work. Lucky for us, my mom and I already somewhat knew our way onto our destinations since we've already been here last year. I love how places here in KL can be accessed by the railways which was basically what we did. So going from one place to another was never a hassle. First stop, Kuala Lumpur City Gallery. This is just stations away, and a bit of walking, from the place we were staying (Titiwangsa). I highly recommend to put this on your to-go-places, mainly because of this photo op with this huge "I love KL" sign. And yes, no fee of sorts for this. You can take as many photo as you want, just as long as no other tourist are lining up to take theirs. If you want to go inside the gallery, that's when you need to pay. Each ticket (per person) costs RM5 (which is PhP55). Not bad for a gallery ticket actually, besides you can use the ticket to redeem anything inside the gallery of the same value.

This gallery feeds up the tourist with some historical photos and miniature mock ups of this city landmarks.

The masterpiece of this exhibit, in which I believe are what the fees were for, is the huge scale model of the entire Kuala Lumpur together with an audio-visual presentation. Featured in this video clip were some Malaysian statistics and future construction projects.

After letting my eyes and ears enjoy the feast of Kuala Lumpur's culture, it's time for my mouth to have its own banquet. At the end of the exhibit is a souvenir/gift shop and cafe where you can now redeem the ticket you have on your pocket. Since my parents gave me theirs, I spent my RM15 worth of tickets in Arch Cafe for desserts. Spent a good ol' money in there.

We headed forward on our little trip and went straight to "Merdeka Square" or as they call it, "Independence Square". It was a mere walk from the KLC Gallery, literally just outside it. I suggest you use some good protective hat, a much bigger one, to protect yourself from the scorching sun shimmering on this field. Merdeka Square is like a giant football field, with a perfectly covered green grass lawn. Good for some relaxation, I guess (when the sun is not on its peak). Turn your head to your right and you'll see Sultan Abdul Samad Building; and the Royal Selangor Club on the opposite side. Unfortunately, we haven't got the chance to visit these buildings because of some time constraints. I did have a photo overlooking these buildings though, basically because it is just overlooking on the sides of the Merdeka Square.

Going on, we went straight to Berjaya Times Square to find myself an appropriate sneakers for my hospital duty but failed to do so. Considering this failure, we set off to Suria KLCC in hopes of finishing my task. It was a good thing that Rapid KL made everything else easier that getting to these places was just a piece of cake.

Suria KLCC is a shopping centre located at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers. Being in the middle class, the shops here in Suria KLCC are way to pricey for me, all of which are expensive branded boutiques. So not much of a shopping happened here, except for my new pair of Nike Roshe One iD white, which is perfect for my hospital duty.

I consider myself lucky to get a good shot with the Petronas Twin Towers, considering that it was raining when we got there. The weather here truly is unpredictable, the sun was shining brightly a while ago and then suddenly, this rain poured down. Heavily. Talk about having some mood swings there, eh Mr. Sun?

Despite this iffy weather, one thing's for sure... The view here is breathtakingly exquisite; may it be sunny or rainy.

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This sums up everything. And that, my friend, is how we spent our one day in the heart of KL. See yah on our next pit stop!

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TryCook 101: Gimbap

food September 04, 2015

I have always wanted to make myself be the next Master Chef PH (like that will ever happen. Hahahah!). Or maybe I got a bit overboard back there, just to be simple home cook would be enough. You see, cooking is a bit of an alien for me. I love watching every cooking shows I stumbled upon but I actually don't know how to cook. I'm already 23 years old and still, my parents always do all the cooking around here. I might actually starve myself to death without them. Such a mockery, I know! Wait, wait... I know how to fry! That still counts, right? Hahaha! Anyway, you already know that I'm a newbie, so I will then start off with the easiest recipe that I found on the internet - making a Gimbap.

FACTS: Gimbap or Kimbap is a popular Korean dish made from steamed white rice (bap) and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried laver seaweed) and served in bite-size slices. Gimbap is often eaten during picnics or outdoor events, or as a light lunch, served with danmuji (pickled radish) or kimchi.

You will need:

1-2 cups of warm, cooked rice
rice vinegar
eggs
6 bacon strips
meatloaf
cheese
carrots
2 sheets of roasted seaweed
salt
sugar
sesame seeds
sushi rolling mat

*I don't have the actual measurements of each ingredients, I just made an approximation on how I like my Gimbap to taste.

Instructions:

1. Cook the omelette. Crack 2 eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Beat the eggs with fork. Preheat the pan with a drizzle of oil. Turn down the heat level to low before pouring the egg mixture into the pan. Pour and spread it so that it fills the pan. Cook until all the eggs are fully cooked. Let it cool on the side.

2. Slice everything into strips. Cut the carrots, cheese, meatloaf and omelette into strips. Cut it into your preferred size.

3. Cook all the meat. I cooked the bacon first. (I don't use oil or butter when frying bacon, I prefer using its own fats when cooking.) With the bacon's fatty oil still on the pan, cook the meatloaf. Set aside.

4. Season the rice. In a small bowl, mix the rice with 1 tbsp of rice vinegar, 1 tsp of sugar and a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp of sesame seeds. Gently mix the rice with a spatula, being careful not to squash the rice. Let it cool enough to be touched with bare hands.

5. Place the seaweed sheet on the sushi mat. Start by placing the bamboo sushi mat on a flat surface then position the seaweed sheet on top of it, with the shiny part down the mat.

6. Spread a layer of the rice mixture onto the seaweed sheet. Evenly spread about 3/4 cup of rice mixture over the seaweed, leaving an inch of upper part of the seaweed uncovered.

7. Arrange the fillings on top of the rice. Do not put the fillings on the bottom edge of the rice. Make a space of at least half or an inch, then lay all the fillings. Arrange the fillings in a neat and horizontal way.

8. Roll the Gimbap! Slowly and gently roll the mat from the bottom (the part nearest you). Press down while rolling to push the fillings in. Use firm but gentle pressure to hold the ingredients in place.

9. Continue rolling. Pull the mat up and out as you're rolling forward so that it won't get wrapped in with the Gimbap. Keep pulling up until you form a cylindrical shape.

10. Seal the roll. Dip your finger in water, and spread a tiny dab along the top uncovered part of the seaweed. Wrap the entire mat around the roll and squeeze gently and firmly.

11. Slice the roll into bite-size pieces. Repeat with all the other ingredients to make the rest of the rolls. Cut the rolls into bite-size pieces with a very sharp, slightly moist knife. I wiped the knife with a damped cloth after each slicing, to make a smoother cut.

12. Enjoy your Gimbap! Arrange it on your preference and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. I also topped it with some mayonnaise for added taste.

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Hey! I know, it's not much for a Master Chef entry, but I actually think it tastes good! So don't judge the food by its look! Hahaha. Ok fine, I need to improve my artistic skills. But admit it, this is not bad for a first timer, right?

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TryCook 101: Gimbap

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