Wednesday, July 31, 2013

SpreadKindness.org - Free Kindness Cards

ABBEY: "Give and it will come back to you", "It is more blessed to give than to receive"; these are the teachings from the Bible. And as the ultimate gift that was given to us when God sent His only Son to die for our sins, we need to do our part. 

Wilma and I always look for ways to give back; be it to an acquaintance or to a stranger. Not that we want to boast but we have a sense of satisfaction when helping others. 

Spreadkindness.org has the same objective. They're doing act of kindness and hoping the recipient will pay it forward. Send them a mail thru their website and they will give you cards (size of name cards) to give to your recipients with suggestiosn on how to do a random act of kindness. 

It is uplifting to know that there are people and organization who still want to make the world a better place. Kindly join the cause :)




WILL: Do you feel so blessed and feel an extra happiness when you're giving to others some of your blessing? Do you want the people to know that you do this out of HIS abundant love unto you? If you are doing this random act of kindness, well congratulations to you! You're not alone in this run. If you are ready to spread kindness and you need some cards to encourage others to do same, SpreadKindness.org will be ready to help you on this. They are giving away some kindness cards for free and out of a good heart you can donate to them also. 

We can do this world a better place to live-in, our small ways will make a big impact to the recipient. Happy Spreading the Kindness!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Mango Fridge Cake Recipe


2 packs Graham crackers
3 250ml All-purpose cream
2 250ml condensed milk
Mango (thin slices)
1 rectangular tray

Chill the cream for about 3-5 hours. Once chilled, mix it with condensed milk in a bowl. Stir until mixture has even consistency. Put a thin layer of cream-milk mixture on the tray and then the crackers. Cover the crackers with cream-milk again then the mangoes then cream-milk. Repeat the process until you achieve your desired number of layers. Cover the cake and put in the fridge overnight. Serve in time for dessert.



VERDICT
WILL: Abbey misses a lot the oven in our previous home at Punggol, there he created a lot of sumptuous desserts like my favorite brownies and braso de Mercedes. But not owning an oven will never be a hindrance to fulfill our sweet tooth needs... Say Hello to Mango Fridge Cake!

Abbey carefully lay down all the ingredients and waited of our housemates birthday so we can taste his newest masterpiece.

It tastes great! The mango really hit our taste buds big time! Thanks Baby!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Tiong Bahru Bakery Singapore - Croissant

ABBEY: Wilma loves bread and pastries and I'm fond of giving her surprises specially after my night shifts where I buy breakfast for us. As I was searching for bread in Raffles City I saw Tiong Bahru bakery. I once read an article about the establishment that it is selling the best croissant. 

As curiosity kicks in, I waited until the shop's opening at 9am. They were giving bite-size samples of the croissant with chocolate (sorry I forgot the name) and it melted in my mouth. 

I went home with 3 croissants and a chocolate one. A piece costs $3.20; a reasonable price for a wonderful treat.




WILL: I heard the Tiong Bahru bakery when my Ma'am Ivy Woon told me that Sir Francis' and Kuya Dexter's birthday cake of 2012 was from that bakeshop, from there on I took a mental note that someday Abbey and I will visit that place. But...
      Abbey swept off my feet when he got home from a night shift and he is carrying a bag of Tiong Bahru croissants. He told me that it is a famous one here in Singapore and I want him to judge it out. 
      I smelled, I bit, I chewed! This is really a good one! Love it a lot! Even our housemate fell in love with it instantly.
      One of their branch is located at Raffles City and expect a long but fast served queue. 
      Don't miss to try this! 

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Sautéed Mung Beans (Munggo Guisado) Recipe


1 1/2 cup munggo (mung bean)
3 pcs tinapa
1/4 kilo ground pork - optional
Chicharon - optional
Bitter Gourd - optional
Medium onion
4-5 cloves of garlic

Wash and soak mung beans overnight. I found this new way to soften munggo by using pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Once done set aside.

In a separate pot, sauté onion, garlic and tinapa for 5 minutes. You can also put the ground pork by this time. Mash munggo using a strainer.

Add 1-2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Stir it occasionally so the beans will not stick to the pot.
Season to taste. 

Put out the flame and then add crushed chicharon on top.



VERDICT
WILL: Well, sautéed mung beans is a big no-no in our family. Why? My mom arthritis will surely kick her knees off to night of pain. 
      So when I got married and lived far far away from my mom, once in a month I asked Abbey to cook this for me. 
      The soup this favorite viand of mine somewhat relaxes my brain cells. Haha! Abbey have different variations but nothing beats the sautéed mung beans with half cooked sliced bitter gourd.  
      Thanks baby! 

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Singapore's Hair for Hope 2013

ABBEY: Our company participated on the Hair for Hope drive of Children Cancer Foundation. It is my second time to join. 

Every delegate will be given a pledge card for donation and at the same time you can decide if you want to be a shavee. For every drive I became both. I raised 150sgd on the first year and a hundred more on the second. 

As my mom is a fighter of a stage 4 breast cancer, I want to show my support by joining this cause. I hope and pray that even though not sooner but someday there will be cure for it.





WILL: UBS Singapore made a bald statement again this year of 2013 in participating for Hair for Hope. UBS scheduled the shaving at their Raffles Office, and my husband and I never let the opportunity passed to show our support the fight against cancer. Hey! This is our second year!
     {Teary eyes} My mom-in-law is now at stage 4 cancer, she resides at California and this is somewhat saying "thank you" for all the organization helping her and us financially and emotionally.
     Abbey and I pledged that every year, we must do something to give back, and this is one of those. Thanks to Hair for Hope (Children's Cancer Foundation) for holding this event and thanks to all our friends that signed and give some donations! May the Almighty One blessed your kind hearts!

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Chili's Singapore Big Mouth Burger Day 2013

ABBEY: This is our second time to participate in Chili's Big Mouth. I was planning to be in the Big Mouth Challenge where will you eat as much burger as you want on a given time. I decided not to as I'm not prepared. We had our Big Mouth dinner at their JCube branch along with Vincent. 

As anticipated, the queue was long. You have to wait for 45 minutes to an hour so you can be accommodated. Or you can list your number and they'll call you once a table is available. We lined up on their waiting area and within 20 minutes, the staff ushered us on our table. All burger on that day is priced at a minimum of 8.80sgd. The burgers usually cost from 15sgd to 25sgd. A sure treat :) 

Our table is located across the kitchen and as curious as we are, we kept looking as what is happening there.  People are busy preparing food and you can smell the aroma of beef and fries. Our curiosity led to a bowl of chips, a compliment from the house. The chef assumed that we were impatient for our order. He even apologized we waited that long. But we told him we just wanted to look how things get done. I got my Southern Smokehouse Bacon Big Mouth burger which comes with big serving of fries. 

I just dug in when the food was served. It was a big and heavy meal and it satisfied my hunger. The beef pattie was moist and juicy and the fries were crispy. It was a great dinner; low-cost, sumptuous food, and great stories with loved ones.









WILL: It's Chili's 3rd Annual Big Mouth Burger Day last 26th of June, and yes!!!, we were part of it again! This time we invaded the Chili's JCube branch.
      
6PM and the queue as long as MRT, and we were so lucky that we are on the first ten. We were given a table after 30minutes. Our seat was just beside the kitchen, and from there, we saw how dedicated the chef and the people doing the cooking. We are really amazed on their job.
      
Suddenly a bowl of nachos arrived our table and the waiter told us that is on the house, given by the chef! Gosh, maybe they saw us that we are drooling over the food. Hehe!
      
Our ordered arrived and as usual, you need really a big mouth to take a small bite on their burgers. I really love my Mushroom-Swiss Burger, it tastes like milk and the patty's texture is so soft!
      
Would love to go in here even without discount! See you more often, Chili's! Looking forward on next 2014's Big Mouth Burger!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

The Manhattan Pizza Company Singapore - Pizza Buffet Dinner

ABBEY: Wilma and I both like pizza. Whenever budget and schedule is ok we also try restaurant buffets. So when Groupon released its deal regarding pizza buffet, we thought why we don't try both at the same time :) The Manhattan Pizza Company offers the deal. Located at Orchard Central it is accessible thru Somerset MRT.  

We went at 6pm and there was no queue. Their staffs clearly and warmly explained to us the mechanics and for a top up of 2sgd you can have free flow of soda. They advised us to order a slice at a time to enjoy the pizza while it is still hot. But since I deprived myself from food the whole day I ordered Pepperoni and MP Luncheon slices. The pizza didn't got the chance to loose its warmth as I already finished them within 15 minutes. I slowed down a bit and had a slice of BBQ chicken. Each pie is full of toppings and flavorful. I also enjoyed putting Tabasco sauce in it to add spice on each bite. Next two slices were Meat Lover. 

As I tried to push more pizza onto my stomach I had another Luncheon meat for my 6th slice. The last one I had is the Margherita. It has a unique taste because of the herb. I thought I can go for eighth but decided not to. Seven is enough; a perfect number. I took gulps of soda and then we headed home. Until next time.











WILL: I am always looking on their The Manhattan Pizza Company facebook page for giveaway opportunities but its always been a fail, oh darn, always defeated.And when I saw that Groupon Singapore came to a deal of $18 for an unlimited pizza, right away I asked Abbey to buy it for both of us and Vince.
     That was monday and really starved ourselves nearly to death, haha. My hubby and I came to their Orchard Central branch and asked the lady behind the counter to serve also their unlimited drinks and we topped-up $2. 
     We were surprised that they have a not so ordinary size of pizza serve here in Singapore. I ordered the pepperoni, and for me it is the best among the other flavors. 
     From 6pm to 930pm, we were there munching each pizza that we can take in. Love this kind of food, haha, stomach wrecking idea!    
     Thanks Abbey for the treat. Mwwah!

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Man of Steel 2013

ABBEY: My long wait was over. Man of steel started its showing here in Singapore since June 13 and we watched it on the weekend after the release. We missed the start of the movie as we are late. We caught the scene in which Laura and Jor-El were preparing Kal-El for his departure from Krypton. The story is good. They were able to tell Superman's teen and young adult lives seamlessly. 

I was amazed by my hero's super strength which enables him to save his classmates from drowning when their bus plunged into a river. He also showed the same when an oil rig was caught on fire. It was a spectacular moment when his silhouette was shown and he emerged wearing his suit and cape blown by the wind. Its as if the Superman I've known before came back to life. 

The story between him and Lois Lane has twist though. On the lighter side Superman may have known how to wear his underwear the right way. 

I don't know if its only me, did Spiderman and Superman have the same tailor? There was a scene from the movie in which  I thought it was Spiderman if its not only for the cape :)


WILL: I am not fan of Superman neither Spiderman since Abbey's childhood hero is the Man of Steel, we include this movie on are watch on list for 2013.
      We were late for about minutes, so sad, but anyway, I like the movie's story. 8/10. A great movie for kids and their dads too. A total bonding time! 

Monday, July 1, 2013

Spa de Earth at Ghim Moh Road


ABBEY: Spa de Earth's one-hour massage promo was posted in Deal.com.sg for 22sgd. It took no time for me to purchase the vouchers as Wilma is already complaining of muscle aches for a over a month. The establishment is located in Ghim Moh. 

When we arrived we were asked to sign a owner-client agreement and what type of oil should be used; we chose the one for detoxification. Then we were guided to our rooms to change clothes for massage preparation. A couple of minutes I feel like I'm a dough that is being kneaded for bread. I felt the masseur's elbow run on my muscles; it was a hard massage but it was relaxing. 

After that we had ear-candling. The session ended with a cup of hot ginger tea and I had a good night sleep.



WILL: Ghim Moh is known for the hawkers and me too know nothing about Spa de Earth until a deal was mailed to us. Pain at our back striked more often, and as we calculated, our last full body massage was last December 2012 at Wensha. Too delayed gratification, we decided to go buy and made an appointment soonest.

      I am not yet a mother but we celebrated it, hehe. It is only few blocks away from our pad but we decided to take taxi due to the heat of the sun. 
      As we entered yhe second floor of the salon, the aroma of massage oil welcomed us. And the aching muscles started to relax. 
     As ordered to lie down facing the floor, the massage started. As usual I asked for harder kneading and the pressure was kept all the way till end of the session. We also have an candling too.
     I was relieved but not satisfied. It seems my massuers did not hit the right points of my aching back. 
     That was May and now is July. My body is screaming for another massage but definetely if I will go to Spa de Earth,  I will request for Diana.. Abbey's masseur. :)