The Hunger Games

ABBEY:  From the time Wilma saw the movie trailer she wanted to watch it. We got a pair of tickets as a contest prize. The story is good as well as the acting. I think it resembles the Japanese movie Battle Royale where they force students to fight to the death until one remains. Anger, hope and love were depicted in the plot. Just can't imagine if Hunger Games will be real, I definitely wish to have the odds ever be on my favor.

WILL: The Hunger Games is a real craze on a big screen. I know this is from a trilogy novel. Thank you and happy birthday VA! hehe.. 

      This movie is not a feel-good movie, not an action also, not a love-love story, I do not know where to categories this one but it gave a lesson how to bond with your family and how you will gain courage despite all the odds. 

      In this movie portrayed the ups and downs of life.. rich and poor. Rating? 7/10.

Tofu with Black Beans

4 pcs of tokwa (cubed and fried)
1 small can of black beans (tausi)
Garlic and onion

Saute the onion and garlic then put on the black beans. Estimate the saltiness as you put the black beans sauce. Put the tokwa. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with hot rice.

VERDICT

WILL:  Well, this viand is one of my favorite but my Nanay hates it.. hahaha! Tofu is not good for her arthritis, but what can she do? I am always craving for anything made from soya beans. And she can't blame me because since birth due to lactose intolerance and allergic reaction on her breast milk, the doctor prescribed a soya milk. 

      Abbey got it right. Its like my Mom went here and cooked for me. Love it a lot! Thanks Bbey!

Lechon Manok

ABBEY: This is Wilma's favorite. One of her closest friend gave it to her as pasalubong. The taste is a little spicy and has a good chicken flavor. The chips are sold at a peso a piece. Just go to a sari-sari store and I'm sure they have it or not as its sold out.

WILL:  Omg! I just do not know, I just miss this chips. Ha! Remembering how I hide those little packets  from my parents. Haha. Anyway, thank you Kathy for this pasalubong! I really really appreciate this. Shocks, ang babaw ko tlga. Haha. 

       For decades, Lechon Manok is still alive and still keeps the filipino happy and that includes me. :) sarap talaga and si abbey nakikiagaw sa akin. :) 

Coenzyme q10 Essence Mask

ABBEY: The persuasion of wearing this mask took almost two weeks. Not that I don't want it but I have to give medication first on my skin irritation. After it's been healed, Wilma applied it me. It is cold and refreshing. As the solution in the mask works I felt prickling effect on my face. The mask is to be worn for 20 minutes. After the application my skin is soft and rejuvenated. It is a good experience.

WILL: Actually I do not believe on masks to soothen people's skin. Maybe because I don't get the result that I want to have because I do this masking once every quarter, or should I say, once I get a facial cleaning at Let's face it. Hehe.
      Now, here in Sinagpore, I do not go for some facial cleaning so what will you expect? No masks at all.
But the very friendly people on Facebook send us some of their facial masks to try. Here, my hubby and I got to try this one.
      Mask is not that dripping wet and can apply without messing up with your clothes. :) While on my face, I feel a stingy feel. Maybe the masks starts to penetrate my pores.
      After peeling it off, it leaves a nice feelling. Skin is so soft but hey when I woke up in the morning, pimples starts to get out. I do not fret on this, because this is a great sign for me that the masks do their job. It penetrates in my pores and now taking out all the dirt inside. :) 

Abbeys's Sushi

1 pack of sushi nori
3 cups of cooked japanese rice
Sushi vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Crab sticks
Spicy tuna
Cucumber
Sushi bamboo mat
Food wrap

Sushi rice:
Mix the rice, vinegar, sugar and salt well and let it cool down.

Wrap the bamboo mat with a food wrap. Place a sheet of nori on top of the mat and put an even layer of rice on it. Put crab-sticks or tuna, and cucumber on the center and start rolling. Don't press the mat too hard else the fillings will burst put of the roll.

You can choose to do inside-out sushi (rice is in the outside) or with a regular roll (nori outside).
Once done with rolling, cut it in half, half and half again. One roll will be cut into 8 pieces. Serve and enjoy it with soy sauce and wasabi.

VERDICT
WILL: It all started when I bought a black beans for our tofu with tausi viand. Hehe. When searching for this can of beans I saw a wooden mat worth $1.89 cents at Carrefour in VivoCity Mall. And when I got home, i told abbey to make sushi for me. Hehe.
       Wednesday, 21/3, my wish was granted. Ha! He made a sushi bigger than the commercialized one. 3 trays of it. I am so delighted! I love it! Everything on it. Paano pa kaya ako papayat nito gosh! Hehe. Thanks Abbey :) more sushi to come, more wasabi to taste! :) 

Pulau Ubin Seafood

ABBEY: This restaurant is good. Although they cater mostly seafood they still offer chicken and pork for customers with seafood allergy like me. We had sweet and sour pork, spicy cereal prawn, and 1-kg spicy crab. The meal includes drinks and 5 cup of rice. It was a good replenishment after energy depletion in the cycling. Total bill is 80sgd.

WILL: Pulau Ubin is also known for its great seafoods. Bad news for Abbey. Before ordering a plate of this aromatic, spicy, and heavenly seafoods, I asked him if first. Hehe. 

      Well, we ordered the famous spicy crab of Singapore and cereal prawn. Its a mess!!! Haha! Be sure to wash your hands before eating those. I like the prawn with oatmeal rather than the spicy crab. I like the aroma of it, the sweetness and spice combined in one. :) 

      This is really a great great meal! Our bill for 4 pax is $80. :) 

Pulau Ubin Island Singapore

ABBEY: We planned to go at this island on a weekend. Changi village ferry terminal is a two-bus ride away from our place. One-way ferry fare is 2.50sgd. We availed the promo of Celestial resort by choosing two of their three packages including kayak, fish spa, and bike rental for only 10sgd. We chose the bike rental for a day and 3-hour fish spa. 

The weather is sunny and the island is vibrant. Its like we are in one of the province in the Philippines. We enjoyed cycling as we were soaked in sweat. People there were very accommodating. We had our lunch to before heading to spa. We let our feet sink in the the cool waters of fish spa. The experience is good for me; a first time. After the spa session we redeemed out welcome drinks :) . And then headed back home.

WILL: I am so interested to go in here. Singapore has only few islands to roam around. Pulau Ubin is really on our list and I am glad that we shared that moment with our friends. 
      
From Punggol, we just hailed a Bus 34 and 59 going to Changi Jetty Terminal. $2.50/pax one way. Around 15mins boat ride, then we stepped in at the one and only province of Singapore. hehe. Lucky, so lucky, there is a promo at the newly opened Celestial Pulau Ubin Resort. For $10.00 we hired a bike for whole day and 3 hours Fish Spa. :) 
      
The experience is nice, riding a bike in sunny morning to noon and yet the sun was blocked by trees. Exercise to the max, sweat is all over our body. This reminds us of our rural living in Pampanga.
      
When you go here, do not forget your sunblock :) 

Clover Chips

ABBEY: This is one of the chips that I used to munch from elementary until today. A large pack costs 3.95sgd. The flavors are cheese, barbecue, and bacon and cheese; but the cheese is the most popular. Maybe due to public demand they made it more cheesier now. Indulging in the cheese flavoring stuck in your finger is the last thing you do after finishing a pack. Don't worry we take this in moderation.

WILL:  I don't know why but all chips have a bad image to my parents that this will cause a lot of diseases and may cause me a stone in kidney... But!, there is one chip that I can munch in front of them actually we share a lot of this since my childhood days. Haha. 
      This clover chips never leaves the list of mother when we go to grocery and it was passed to me. Haha. 
      Mabuhay ka Clover Chips. Ikaw ang natatangi para sa aming pamilya na mabuting chichirya. Haha. Love the crispiness and the flavor. :) 

Brazo De Mercedes

I never thought I was able to make this. My Ninang Zeny gave me the cake on my 7th birthday and since then I like it. VA gave me the idea to bake and I found myself surfing the net for recipe. Panlasang Pinoy had the recipe and the procedures as well as the encouragement that this will be an easy task.

RECIPE:
Meringue
10 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Custard:
10 egg yolks
14 ounces condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixer. Beat them until the mixture bubbles. Make the meringue by gradually adding the granulated sugar. Mix until soft peaks are formed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place wax paper in a cookie sheet and grease it. Put the meringue and flatten it to 1/2-inch thickness. Bake it in the oven for the 22 minutes. When time is up, let the meringue cool.

While baking the meringue, whisk the yolks and mix it with the condensed milk. Put it in a pot and turn up the heat while mixing it thoroughly.  Once done, set it aside.

Put confectioners sugar on the meringue. Place a wax paper on top, then a same-size cookie sheet. Flip the meringue revealing the side without the confectioners sugar. Put the custard and spread it across.  Roll it from the long side. Serve it and enjoy.

VERDICT

WILL:   VA just burst and asked Abbey if they can bake a brazo de mercedes, Abbey is hesitant he don't have an idea how to make that cake but he knew how much I love cakes to pair up with my tea. 

One of his day off he excitedly hurrying off out of PSA to get home. Ha! When I saw this brazo de mercedes, I really love to eat it all. 

       The taste is perfect for my cup of tea. Ooops, I shared it with my colleagues and they were mesmerized too. :) I am so so so lucky to have Abbey. :) sana di sya magbago at mawalan ng gana sa pagluluto. :) 

Mint - Museum of Toys

ABBEY: I'm checking my mail when this ad caught my attention from one of my subscriptions. They're offering Hearts' day special on their restaurant. One of the freebies is an entrance ticket to their museum which costs 15sgd for adults. The museum occupies the 5 storeys of the building. Collectibles like Beatles' figurines, superheroes (Batman, Superman, even Ultraman), cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop were displayed. Dolls from other countries like Japan, China, etc were also exhibited. Some toys are rare only 4 of them are left some only one and they are there in the museum. I enjoyed visiting their galleries especially the Match boxes.

WILL: Mint stands for Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys and Singapore have this kind of museum. It can be found at Seah St. Just alight at Esplanade MRT station and it is juts few steps away at the famous Raffles Hotel. 
      The Mint Museum made me to realize how old I am. Haha. Some of the toys in there was the famous ones on my childhood days. :) 
$15 per head is the entrance fee but we got it free when we dine at Mr. Punch. Nice experience. About 1 hour and half you can see all the toys inside. :) 

Modesto's Traditional Italian Wood-Fired Pizza and Home-Made Pasta

ABBEY: I've seen this restaurant a couple of times while still working at Harbourfront and finally we got the chance to dine in. I got pasta in fresh tomato sauce. Now I know why the staff asked us if the order is for sharing or individual. The serving is enough for two to three people. We shared also a cheese pizza. An order starts at less than 20sgd. Both the ambiance and food is good. Wilma enjoyed the most the pre-meal bread basket.

WILL: Wood fired oven! Yes!!! Who do not want their food cooked with this.
      This is located at the first floor of VivoCity. I am eyeing to eat in here very long time ago,but their place is quite intimidates our wallets but when VA asked us out and he do not know where to dine, I immediately asked him to treat us here! Haha! Well, when I saw the price, it is quite affordable and the service is excellent.
       For starter, I almost ate all the 2 bowl of bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Pizza, amazing! I ate almost the whole, haha! Charito ordered a salad, Abbey for Ziti, and VA ate up lasagna.
       Ha! That was incredible night! Modesto's, amazing italian restaurant!

Dilmah New Flavored Tea

ABBEY:
We have tried Dilmah's tea last year but only the normal flavors. This time its the fusion. I tried "rose with french vanilla"; very rich in aroma and also "peppermint and english toffee". Both tea taste great and each one has a distinct refreshing flavor. One tip: like other teas, make sure to dip the bag for the right amount of time else the leaves will be burned and gave a bitter taste.

WILL:  Dilmah introduces new set of tea flavors! Of course, as tea lover, I will not be left behind. Hehe. Dilmah tea was manufactured at Sri Lanka, all i thought eh this is from India.
       Well, the new concoction is bursting with flavor and the aroma makes us crave to drink it, hmmm, even hot. Haha. 
       Thanks dilmah for those samples. We will surely recommend this to our tea lover friends.  :)  

Close Up Fire-Freeze

ABBEY: What can I say? So far this is the best Close-Up product that I used. I saw their advertisement when we came back to Philippines and decided to give it a try. 

When I started to use it, it's as if I'm gargling with mouthwash while brushing. The product has intense coolness as you brush and you can feel the fire after.

Try it and experience the fire-freeze.

WILL: Close Up Philippines is making a noise, why? They had given away Blackberry cellphones for those who can creatively describe their new product... The "Fire-Freeze"! Hmmm, and I get curious about it so last December, this toothpaste was on my grocery list. 
      I don't like it, why? It produces a lot of bubbles and made me almost throw up every time I use it. So I stopped. Maybe others want this kind toothpaste. So I went back to my old brand. 

The Wedding Diary

ABBEY: We had a hard time to schedule watching this in silver screen. At last, we saw it one evening at Golden Village in Tampines Mall. The movie was great. We laughed for all the gags and also cried for the very touching moments. Truly, arranging a wedding is stressful; wedding date, pre-wedding arrangements, dinners, reception and honeymoon. But its very rewarding knowing that you will be with your loved one forever until death do you part.

WILL: Thanks Ladyfinger for not only sponsoring this movie but also sponsoring tickets for it. :)  Oh, thank you also for the the Wedding Notebook, maybe I will give this notebook to a friend who will get married. Hehe.
      This movie is a feel-good movie. Love of different types were portrayed in this film. All I can say, be honest to your partner. Nice movie to watch! So many lessons and wedding customs here in Singapore to be learned. 

Beef Wrap Recipe

Ingredients:

Ground beef

garlic (minced)

onion (minced)

salt and pepper to taste

lettuce

Saute the beef in garlic and onion. Put salt and pepper as per your preference. Turn the heat up for the beef to be fried.

Wash the lettuce, put the beef and then wrap. You can also put mustard and ketchup for added flavor.

VERDICT:
WILL: I am craving for a leafy vegetable and then I saw this Beef Wrap Recipe, but I am so weak then that I so bad that I asked Abbey to cook it for me. Haha. We got this for dinner. 
               The verdict? Gosh, it reminds me of shawarma back in Philippines, at Grand Central. Try this simple yet delicious recipe. 

Kopiko Brown Coffee

ABBEY:
I like their candy during my elementary days. I still remember their advertisement "If you want coffee and you don't have the time, treat yourself with Kopiko; coffee candy Kopiko". And I was surprised when they venture into instant coffee business. The coffee has a good aroma. It tastes creamy and has strong flavor. Each pack contains less than 25 sachets. This serves as an alternate for my usual cup of coffee.

WILL: Well, Kopiko is famous for being the first candy flavored coffee and damn its so good and its not a surprise for me that they came up to an idea to produce an instant 3-in-1 coffees. 
      What's the difference of this Kopiko Brown Coffee to others? They use brown sugar rather than white. Its awesome...at first, but when it settled in, you can taste the burnt flavor of coffee beans. Oh, my heart never palpitates and it never affects my sleep. 

Sunplay Superblock SPF 130PA+++

ABBEY:
We got the sample in time for the airshow. A good opportunity to put the product to the test. Upon application I my skin became dry but I felt I'm really protected under the sun. I enjoyed the show and the UV ray attacks is the least of my worries.

WILL: Sunplay send Abbey a sample of their product. We got it from the Sunplay Facebook fanpage. :)Abbey received a sample before the Singapore Airshow, just in time to check the out this sunscreen with that claims that they have the highest SPF content.
      Ok then, we applied after shower then we travelled around 40 minutes to Airshow. In that 40 minutes, maybe that is enough for it to settle on our skin.
      Good thing, we never get burnt. No sunburn and do not leave our face white as snow. Hehe. But on this, while wearing this sunscreen, it really made me feel my skin is so dry. Anyway, after taking a bath, dryness is gone.
      Thanks Sunplay for protecting us at Singapore Airshow. :) 

Chicken Stew in Bread Bowl

I read the recipe from article of Epoch Times by Wendy Kennedy.

She owns and operates http://www.canadiancountrygifts.com

Recipe:

2-3 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups potato (cubed)

1 cup carrots (cubed)

1 medium-sized onion (chopped)

1/4 cup celery (chopped)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp parsley flakes

4 tbsp flour

2 tbsp oil

water

salt and pepper to taste

bread bowls

Brown the chicken in a pan. Add vegetable and saute for another 3 minutes. Add water to cover chicken or to your liking. Add the seasonings. Bring to a boil until the vegetables are soft.

Whisk flour in a cup of water then pour into the soup. Turn up the heat until the mixture thickens.

Cut out center of the bread and fill with stew. 

VERDICT

WILL: I am a bread than a rice lover. I really love soups and thats why i requested Abbey to make one for out dinner. 

      Well, what I can say? I think I ate almost half of it. Hahaha! Hot, creamy and delicious. It like he bought it over at a very classy restaurant. 

      Hope next time, pumpkin or tomato soup, paparinig ako. Haha!