Maroon 5 in Singapore GP 2012 Concert

ABBEY: Ring....ring....ring.... And the lights went out. People screamed as they wait for Maroon 5 to come out. It became louder when Adam sang the first few lines of Payphone. The crowd went crazy as the band played along. Payphone is a hit song and hearing it live will make you ecstatic. They also sang Lucky Strike, Won't go home without you, She will be loved, and Moves like Jagger. The audience sang with the band and danced too. Others even made posters for them. Their performance is worth the wait; good thing we got fanzone wristband :)

WILL:  Before leaving the scene on our Singapore F1 week, we examined the route that we must track for the next day, we don't want to miss a single word from Maroon 5. Haha. 

       8pm, we went to Padang Stage to watch Bananarama. Almost all in the fanzone knew them even the teenagers sings and sways along with their songs. While sitting on the grass, we stared on the big screen on the stage to see the race and patiently wait for the Maroon 5. 

        After the cars were done running, a loud phone rings from the speakers and the people screamed, including me. When I saw Adam, oh, Adam! Hehe. I intoxicated myself with his voice. Sing-a-long with every lyrics and danced off to the beat. 

        I love Maroon 5 since they start their business in music scene. Their songs were my companion every time I am all alone in a business trip, when I am sad, when my heart shattered into pieces. They made me stronger by their hit songs. 

        Thanks Abbey for letting me see them. Love u a lot :) 

2012 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix (Fanzone Winner)

ABBEY: So much had happened before the first of the race; bought early bird ticket at 178 per person, the tickets were upgraded from Zone 4 walkabout to Fan Stand at Pit Straight, and got a Fanzone wristband for Katy Perry concert. 

This is my first time to watch the Grand Prix since I set my feet on Singapore. Excitement rushed on me as the Gate 1 opened on the first day. I went on Fanvision kiosk to get our complimentary Fan Friday gadget. This is an electronic device that lets you view the live feed from the circuit park and it also shows the statistics on the race as well as what the audience says on Twitter. Then I took a snap of 3D artist Leon Keer. His drawing is awesome. You're like into the picture itself. I also scout our designated seat which is close to start/finish line. We were located on Turn 23 of the circuit.

Security on the 3-day race is tight but it doesn't give any inconvenience on my experience. Food and beverage kiosks were strategically place on each zone like Hard Rock Cafe, Ottoman Kebab and Grill, Pitstopper, Quiznoz and Shiraz. We've also seen roving performances from the Vegas girls and magician at Zone 1. All attendees were in high spirits as the engines revved and thr race started. It only rained once on the race duration but the show must go on. The bleachers became more and more occupied until the final race. But before that the drivers had a parade riding on vintage cars. Sebastian Vettel won the Singapore leg but Fernando Alonso is still the leading driver. We invaded the track after the final race to get in Katy Perry's concert in time. We didn't let the opportunity pass to take some pics on the checkered lane. The experience we had is great and we're hoping to be part again next year.

WILL: I am still breathing after 3 days adrenaline pumping F1 race. This month is full of blessings, blessings that we cannot contain, blessings that is very unexpected and one of those is when Abbey won a ticket upgrade, from Gate 4 walkabout ticket worth $173 to All-Access gates and Pit Grandstand ID priced $1288. Gosh, when Abbey saw that congratulatory email, he can't help it but to check every other hour on Singapore GP Facebook page. 

      To tell you honestly, I only asked Abbey to bought those tix because of the concert, Maroon 5 and Katy Perry and the fact that this is the last year of 5-year contract of Singapore GP to hold that event. Do not get me wrong, I love cars, I love racing, I love the sweet revving of its engines but what matter most for me is to see the performers. So when Abbey won the contest, I immediately checked all the things that must learn before the fast cars race in front of me. 

      As the 1st day came, it rained but the SGP never stopped the excited people to see the Porsche skids their wheels on slippery Singapore circuit. It was almost dinner time when I go there so Abbey and I hit the food stalls and chose to ate falafel. After the preliminary, GP cars and after our ears was baptized by an alarming sound of the race cars, I asked Abbey if we can go to the Singapore Flyer to have a aerial shot of the blazing track. As we have a blue ID, this is free. But before crossing, Abbey told me that we must return first the fanVision. When I heard that, I am so sad, that was a great piece, I can hear the commentaries and see the updated statistics of the race. We have that free for a day only, its $90 when you will rent it for 3 days. We went to Flyer and as our cabin starts to accelerate on top, I immediately sat to the best place I can have the best shot. So, so, good. This is a chance for a lifetime for us. Singapore GP, we are really grateful for this. I ask Abbey that we need to head home since I have office for Saturday. 

      Day two! Abbey is very early to queue and to get a fanzone ticket for Maroon 5. As early as 11am but then the gate 4 was opened 230pm. Long wait was rewarded. Haha. We go out from Gate 4 then we go to Gate 1 for us to see the race and have some complimentary tattoo. :) after  8pm, we went to Hawker Village for dinner. We bought subs at Quiznos and sat down to the grass inside the Fanzone in front of the big screen. There we wait for Bananarama and Maroon 5 to perform. 

      Final day, third day! 4pm we arrived the place and really concentrated to see all the racing cars burning all their wheels onto the pavement. I am really delighted to see all of them at my front changing tires and waiting for the go signal to run up their engines to the fullest. This is really an event that I cannot forget in my life. I internalize all the humming sounds of the engine, the skids of the burning wheels and the popping of champagnes. Congrats to Vettel for winning again here ing Singapore. He is really an awesome driver. He is one with his machine. After the champagne was blasted, we conquered the race track, took some photos  and tan our way to see Katy Perry at the Padang Stage. 

      Again, Singapore GP thank you so much! We will never forget this and we will tell this tale to everyone. :) We are so blessed. Buy your ticket for 2013 Singapore GP now, Avril Lavigne for Day 1 concert? hehe.. I hope so... 

Night Festival 2012

ABBEY: As per their posters I thought Night Festival will only be held indoors; and it wasn't. It was indoors as well as outdoors. First stop is the National Museum. We watched here the performance of Swingapore; an gymnast group that uses rings and drapes on their performances. Other galleries were open for free viewing. 

It was already dark when we went out of the museum and we saw the light and sound art in the walls that became a big screen for the projectors. Then we went on Armenian street. The street was closed as it was the stage for the Argentenian artist that was suspended on a harness, Fuerzabruta La Argentina. Drums, lights and confetti made the performance great. 

Percussion band were inside the Perenakan museum and they kept the audience upbeat with their music. The last performer is a fusion of Chinese drum band and beat box group. They were really  good. I'm impressed that they can produce different sounds only from their mouths. And with the accompaniment of good old Chinese drums, it's a classic. 

We also caught a glimpse of Singapore Arts museum as it was illuminated and "painted" by the projectors. The festival lasted until 2am but we went home before 12 as I have office the next day :)

WILL: Looking for some free night-out? Bras Basah and Bugis Precinct presented the Night Festival on last weekends of August. I know this is a very long due blog and I am apologizing since me and my husband was engaged in some career moves.

      We freed our scheduled for this event and all I know that this is a street party and museums are on Open House. After Abbey's shift, he went to our office to pick me and together we went to this event...and we're too early.

      As I got the program, we immediately went to Singapore National Museum to witness the Circus Swingapore, this are boys and girls doing acrobats using piece of cloths hanging from ceiling. It is amazing. Then we went to Wedding Gown museum. They portrays the evolution it and the different gowns from different Hollywood movies.

     After that, we moved our feet to Armenian Street. Street was jam packed, artists were just feet away from each other. And this is the part I enjoyed most, when the street was filled by confetti and a dancing lady in white is suspended by a rope and circling the whole road. It just turned the Armenian street a dancing ground. We went to Peranakan Museum to have a glimpse why there is a music of drums inside, the beat really made my hips to sway. Haha. As all our adrenaline was drained, we planned to go and leave the place around 9:30PM, but the DJ Koflow & beatboxers boys stopped our pace and stayed for another 30mins. Darl, they are so good.

     Next year, we will definitely go again here. This is a great event to showcase the local talents of Singapore.

Parokya ni Edgar 2012 @ Singapore

ABBEY: One of the greatest Pinoy band was announced to hold a concert here at Singapore last September 8 and 9. Originally it was a one-day concert only but became two due to overwhelming response of their fans. The concert was held at The Arena. We got there an hour before and the queue is already long. A couple of front act bands like Stella's Art built the crowd's excitement for the main artists. At last we heard there sound check. 

The crowd went wild as Chito and Vinci came up front. They sang Buloy, Picha Pie, and Maniwala ka Sana. Chito even made a request on his own band to sing his favorite, Halaga. And Vinci sang Elisi when he "applied as a vocalist of Rivermaya". The night was full of fun, thrills and shouts. It ended on a high note with Yes Yes Show.

WILL: Parokya in Edgar is a famous band since my high school days, but I am a Rivermaya fan.. Haha.. As I read the announcement under the Facebook group of Filipinos in Singapore, I immediately check the veracity of the event. Verified and screenshot, I emailed immediately to my husband, PNE is his favorite band, right there and then agreed to watch it. This is our first time to watch a Filipino performers to do live.

      As the long wait came to an end, we queue on a long line of people circling The Arena at the Clarke Quay. Gosh, it took us 1 1/2 hours before we reached the doors. Front acts, better not to comment. Haha.

      When Parokya enters, people starts to scream on the top of their lungs and then they hit the place first with Buloy. I am shocked that after a decade of knowing their songs, I still knew the lyrics of their pieces. Haha.. This band is so cool. I hope they will never part ways unlike other bands. More power Parokya in Edgar, thank you for visiting us here in Singapore.

Shiraz

ABBEY: After enjoying a rocking concert by Parokya ni Edgar looked for a bite to eat. Then we saw Shiraz's shawarma. I hurriedly get in the queue and ordered a chicken shawarma and falafel. The chicken shawarma combo comes with drinks and fries at less than 15sgd. The veggie falafel is at 8.80. The sauce that we got is garlic-mayo. It was good. Enough to fill our hunger. The branch where we ate is at Clarke Quay.

WILL: After the Parokya ni Edgar concert at The Arena, after screaming our lungs out, after the jumping against the rhythm of their music, I was drained. Totally tired and staved. I can make it to our home and there we can eat a dinner, but Abbey insisted to eat out and refill our body's energy. I just want something light since it is almost 11PM, gladly we passed to Shiraz.

      Shiraz offers Persian cuisine and we just there to hit their shawarma. Abbey ordered chicken shawarma and vegetable falafel. I like their vegetable one, it seems that there is beef inside. Haha,.. This is located 3A River Valley Road Clarke Quay. And their food costs $8.80.

The Body Shop Passion Fruit Body Scrub

ABBEY: I can say that I'm a fan of body scrub now. A clean body gives me a certain amount of confidence. When I tried this product the fruity scent gave me a refreshing feeling. I felt I'm more alive and energized. The salts leaves my skin soft and smooth.

WILL: Abbey signed-up The Body Shop - Love Your Body membership for me here in Singapore. He is the one who buys lotions for me. He knows when and what to buy. My husband is a really an ideal partner, isn't he? Ha!

      Well, being a member, I have the opportunity to know all the events and special promotions they have. They had this 70% warehouse sale, we bought this and stocked-up. Now is the time to try and test this body scrub. 

     As I open the lid, the sweet aroma of this scrub filled up the air of out bathroom. As I gently massage it on, the seeds from this passion fruit helps to scrape my dead skin off. As I washed, my body seems rejuvenated. Lovely isn't. Perfect for sensitive type of skins. 

    Visit The Body Shop branches and ask for the best body scrub that will suit your needs. 

Sentosa Buskers Festival 2012

ABBEY: This is the third time we attended the Buskers Festival at Sentosa. We met Mama Lou; a fine lady with brute strength. She showcases stunts which proves how strong a human being is. From lifting things through her tongue to smashing an apple with her biceps; this woman is great. Next is the Mexican Rock and Roll duo. They did acrobatic acts and juggled with knives. Dangerous as it is, they managed to make their performance funny by their antics. Then we saw the magician. He picked a kid to be his sidekick and the child was game to participate. We had a lot of laugh for the magic tricks. It was a fun day at the festival. Looking forward for their next year's event.

WILL: This is the third annual celebration of Sentosa's Buskers Festival, and now they celebrated it along its 40th anniversary. New lineup of buskers gathered from all over the globe to made us smile. 
      We went here after my office hour, Monday. As we anticipated, more crowd is now flocking each performers. We saw four of the buskers, stunts. The Anonymous Brothers are really funny guys but doing a dangerous act. Ms. Adrian Conde of Argentina-Spain is a magician, every move is so funny and his hands is definitely quicker than my eyes. Mama Lou, I adore her body.. Haha! Guys must be intimidated by her strength. And the last one and definitely not the least, physics plus strength is the key of their performance from Canada and Peru, the LOL Brothers.
      That night is really is really filled by laughter. We are looking forward for this event every year. Thanks Sentosa for bringing this for free and for helping a charity. Oh, compliments to the sound systems for this year. :)

Digestives

ABBEY: My officemate used to bring this crackers at work. I was surprised that Wilma is fond of eating it also. We bought a large pack for 1.95sgd at Sheng Shiong. The cookie tastes good. It has a creamy after taste. Good to be partnered with coffee or tea. Beware to handle it gently else the cookie will crumble.

WILL: My colleague introduced me to this biscuits. At first I was hesitant to get some but Jay insisted. So I took and had a bite. Since then this became one of my favorite biscuits. 

      Its very tasty and it is somewhat melts in my mouth. It reminds me of my childhood biscuits. This available in major supermarkets islandwide, $3. 

Kneipp Singapore Cranberry Tea - Cleansing Herbal Tea

ABBEY:  This is one of the many products Wilma won from Kneipp. The tea is fusion of berries and other antioxidants. Just like Clipper's tea this tea is full of aroma. 

The taste is sour and sweet. As I drink, it keeps me relaxed and cheerful throughout the day.

WILL: Thanks to City Wander Walker for letting me to win a the Kneipp grand prize. We went to Guardian Paragon Branch and look for Ms Henrissa, hooray she knew how to speak Filipino. Abbey chose to have this tea.

      This cranberry tea is a drink for cleansing. We chose this, who will not want to be cleansed anyway? This costs $9.60. The taste? Awesome! We really like the taste of this tea. Cranberry really floats with every cup. 

      They have varieties of flavor to choose from that suits your needs. Next time we will definitely buy the pack of good night tea.  

Tapsilog

Thin slices of beef
1/2 cup Soy sauce
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground black pepper

Mix soy sauce, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Marinate the beef for at least 12 hours.

To cook, drain the beef from marinade and put in a pan. Put 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Once water is gone put some oil to fry the beef. Serve with egg and rice.

VERDICT
WILL: If you are a Filipino in abroad, aren't you miss tapsilog? Well, we do! And my husband knew it. He told me that he have surprise for my lunch then, indeed ecstatic, I am truly happy to see tapsilog inside my lock&lock. 
      It seems that I tasted again the tapsilog I am eating near Recto. Love this. The best ka talaga Abraham. :) 

Dôme Cafés Singapore

ABBEY: When we got our vouchers for Dome Cafe we decided to visit their branch at Dempsey Hill. I tried their seared fish fillet; and it comes with fries and green salad. 

I also had mocha. The taste is delicious and texture is very fine. It is served on a fancy mug. Dome Cafe also pasta (starts at less than 15sgd) and sandwiches at less 10sgd.

WILL: First of all, thank you Citibank credit cards for this vouchers. 

      I got a breakfast when Abbey is from night shift, a very yummy sandwich and tea from Dome Cafe. Then when I got the chance to choose for Citibank vouchers, I intentionally chose to have a $20 voucher on this cafe and I want to invade their branch at Dempsey Hill(I am really curious on this place). One stone, two hits. 

      After our remittance in Lucky Plaza, we hit bus 123 after 20mins we are at the Dome Cafe. I really asked Abbey to allow me to drink a coffee. Its been 6months since my last cup of it. Abbey agreed then I savor to their cappuccino($4.60). I enjoy the every sip I had done. Haha. 

      Since it was Saturday, I just ate the free lunch from our office, so I only asked to order one seared fish fillet to share. The fillet fish is so soft and their tartar sauce and mango dip made a difference to others. 

      You may like to visit their Dempsey Hill branch, another way to spend a weekend.