We'll Tell You - A&W Couple's Blog

ABBEY: When we heard the news that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will visit Singapore we got excited. We'll be able to see the tough head of state in person. He visited the city-state for two days where he spent some of his time for the Filipino community. Come December 16, we went to Expo and waited for him to stand behind the podium and listen to his speech. The schedule of his arrival is at 6PM, but the gates were opened three hours early. Snacks were given to each guest. It was well organized and no major issue happened.   His delegation includes: Philippine National Police Director General Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lieutenant Edgardo Año Senator Allan Peter Cayetano and his wife Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Pefecto Yasay Special Assistant to the President Bong Go...and many more. During the 3-hour wait the audience were entertained with dances and singing by the hosts and performer. An...

ABBEY: Wow, it is definitely a Christmas gift that we're able to watch The Great Wall starring Matt Damon almost two months before it hits the theaters (globally).  It's usually been told that the wall was built for protection from raids and human invasions. Or is it really for human invaders only? The movie has its moments of action and comedy. Colorful and uses innovative army tactics and weapons; that's how I'll describe the army. The war scenes are great and intense.  Watch the movie and you'll see that Tian Jing (Commander Lin Mei) is more than just a pretty face. Golden Village Gold Class Ticket for The Great Wall (Film 2016) - Singapore Premiere Screening  WILL:  Abbey is well aware that I am fascinated with Egypt's treasure, power and its enigmatic pyramids and of course China's dynasty, empires and specially the Great Wall. So when Matt Damon announced that he will star The Great Wall Film, without second thought, I invited Abbey out.  ...

ABBEY: Flying to United States for free? Wow. We harnessed the power of our card to collect miles just in time to visit my sister.  We swiped here and there. Let me make this clear: the miles were accumulated for a number of years.  And whenever there is a huge purchase by our friends by cash, we took the cash and then we got our bonus miles without actual spending.  The miles covered one return ticket. It was a good experience and a very rewarding one.  Know or befriend your card, spend wisely and reap your reward. Premiere Citibank Miles 52 Week Money Saving Challenge WILL:  Abbey tagged me as a "freeber" (a woman who extremely loves free stuffs) so, pinanindigan ko na! Ha!  We have a US invite and checked the amount of fare we will be spending on that! And holy molly! It will cost us a fortune for a SIN-CHI-SIN flight. And on that, we look out how to get there for free or almost free. And viola! Seek and you will find, ask and it wi...

ABBEY: Wilma is a fan of bread. And she was delighted when we dine at Two Men Bagel House (01-12 Icon Village Altez at Enggor Street). They have different flavours of bagels like garlic, rye, multi-grain, black and white sesame and they also have the original or plain one.  You can ask to put cream cheese, jellies and peanut butter. There are a lot of options to choose from. And then they have bagelwiches. Yup, bagel made into sandwiches. I got their bagelwich of the month: the Yoe. It has roasted lamb slices, coconut red curry, onions and tomatoes. The toasted bagel is crunchy and flavorful. It will be messy but worth it. My meal costs $14.00 and it came with a cup of coffee. Only NETS and cash are accepted. Menu Porkey Two Men's Special The Yoe WILL:  Abbey is ecstatic that he will be presenting to me the newly repaired engagement ring. We agreed to meet at Two Men Bagel House, few steps away from my office.  I ordered Porkey at the counter. ...

ABBEY: Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship is a program of Ateneo School of Government to empower Filipinos worldwide to become entrepreneurs with social responsibility and at the same to become leaders of their own teams.  It is a 6-month program (10 sessions / 1 every two weeks). The fee is 300SGD but for the Household Service Workers it is half the price. All students are required to finish their journals, final essay (your LSE journey), and presentation of business plan.  A certificate of completion will be given once the requirements are met. Yes, there is a commencement exercises at the end.  I learned a lot from this program and I recommend this to my friends. Thanks Ateneo. Now I can wear those Blue Eagle jackets :) Ateneo School of Government: Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship  (LSE) Batch 38 Singapore - Graduation (November 20, 2016) Ateneo School of Government: Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship (LSE) Batch 38 Singapore...

ABBEY: We had our send-off party for Gil and Noel at Holiday Inn Atrium. It is a dinner buffet.  They have BBQ pork ribs (it slides off the bone) and chicken, slow-cooked salmon (had to come back twice for this), sushi, sashimi, roasted lamb leg, and Thai beef noodles.  I also tried their kiddie meal: red sauce pasta and pizza. For dessert I got ice kachang and ice cream. It was a feast. But when the BBQ pork ribs ran out, it was not replenished.  We had a good time; good stories and good meal. By the way we availed their one for one promo. WILL: No, it is not a farewell party. It is just a send-off to our friends. An "all-the best for your future endeavours" party. We gave them choices where to pig-out and they selected the dinner buffet at Holiday Inn Atrium. As soon as we arrived at the venue, Abbey took videos and started eating. For only $45.90nett we feasted on that dinner. I am not sure how many times I stand to get food for my plate. Haha....

ABBEY: The diamond on the engagement ring I gave to Wilma became loose. At first I planned to have it fix once we go back to Philippines since I bought it there. But Wilma tried to search for a jeweler in Singapore so she can wear her ring again. That's when we knew about the service of More Than Diamonds.  We went to their showroom at  Tanglin Road (131 Tanglin Road,  #02-16 Tudor Court,  Singapore 247924). And it's closed. Visiting is only by appointment and we didn't have that. Seeing there's somebody inside, Wilma knocked at the door and Chris greeted us. He didn't shoo us away but instead welcomed us and asked how can he be of service. We told the ring's story and he examined it. He quoted us 110SGD to fix the broken claw that holds the stone and for plating. He searched for unique marks in the diamond for us to make sure that it is still our diamond when we come back.  I also learned that you can put laser inscription on it. Wow.  After two week...

ABBEY: This is the last challenge we setup for ourselves this year; to join the 10-km run of Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore. It was held last December 4. I was told by my brother-in-law to train for endurance as I need to finish the race. And since this is my first time, finishing the run fast is less priority. But my goal is to finish it within two-hour mark.  Race day came and it took off at Esplanade Bridge by 7:25AM. Even before we start, some of the full marathon runners already finished the race. We were able to reach the first kilometer by running but Wilma got pain in upper-right part of her abdomen. We walked while she applied muscle rub.  After another kilometer, we're able to race again. At the third kilometer, I jokingly told Wilma that I'm already questioning my existence and why I'm running instead of lying down in bed on a Sunday. Haha.  We reached a drinking "pit stop" to stay hydrated. We enjoyed the sights as we run; like the Singa...

Ingredients :  2 cups shredded chicken (from left overs or boiled) 1 can kernel corn 1 can cream corn 2-3 eggs Green onions 2-3 tsp cornstarch 2 chicken cubes 1-2 tbsp soy sauce 1-2 tsp grated ginger Put 1 cup water into a pot and let it boil. Then add in the chicken cubes, kernel corn and cream corn. Also add the ginger and soy sauce. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Then put the cornstarch slurry. Whisk the eggs and add it to the pot to thicken the soup more. Serve hot and enjoy. Easy Chinese Chicken And Corn Soup VERDICT WILL:  Soup!!!! Abbey knew how I love soup. I even bought cookbook for that. Haha!  Then, Abbey one time told me to free up the Sunday menu and he will be cooking something special. After few minutes in the kitchen, he announced that dinner is hot and ready. Joyfully shocked I saw a huge amount of not so familiar soup on our table.  The taste! It is creamy and amazingly fulfilling. Another yummy food hit o...

ABBEY: Singapore River had more life during the festival. People flocked the area, malls, restaurants and bars. The main event is Crossings by Underclouds Cie. It is a performance by a pair of tightrope artists. It was thrilling as the performers can fall into the water. But they managed to finish their act without a hitch. Kudos to them. Only disappointing is that one side of the bridge is closed so the spectators squeezed themselves in a small space. I know that it is for security. But there is a larger space wherein only the official shutterbugs are allowed. But how many of them? Less than 10. And whole space they have occupied.  Hope there can be more viewing space for the public. Next event we went into is the Silence Disco. It was a cool concept. Dance with the music from your headphones. People were shy at first but when the dance floor was almost full, they began to groove to the beat. But still it was not a silent one since the disco was located in the Clarke Quay fou...

Ingredients : 1 block cream cheese 4 tbsp butter 6 eggs (yolk and white separated) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 3/4 cup cake flour (sifted) 2 3/4 tbsp corn starch (sifted) 7 tbsp milk 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp vanilla (optional) Preheat the oven 320F (~162C). Mix butter, milk, and cream cheese. Add in the yolks, cake flour, corn starch and lemon juice. Mix until smooth. Set aside. Mix the egg whites and cream of tartar. Add the sugar gradually. Mix until soft peaks form. Put 1/3 of the meringue to the first mixture by folding it. Do this until the whole batch is done. Grease the baking pan and put in the mixture. Baked the mixture in a water bath for an hour. Enjoy! Japanese Cotton Cheesecake Easy-Peasy Recipe VERDICT WILL:  YouTube and Facebook is the culprit why the human kind is craving for food. Haha!  This is another food that was shared and became viral. The fluffy and wiggling Japanese Co...

ABBEY: At last the looooong wait is over. Yellow Cab is opening in Singapore. Yes, it is true. The store location is at City Link Mall B1-01-02. And we got a chance to taste their food items before their formal opening (Dec 9) like a movie premiere night. They have their signature New York's Finest, Four Seasons, and Dear Darla. Their Four Seasons is great; four pizza flavors into one. How good is that? Add few drops of Tabasco and you're in for a kick.  Also we tried their Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings. Good thing about it? No blood. :) You can eat it to the bones. Crunchy and flavorful in the outside and moist and juicy in the inside. They also serve wine, beers, soda and juice. Each serving can be shared by a couple.  Another point is for the sounds. Not too loud so you can still chat with your date, friends, or family. We'll definitely come back to Yellow Cab. WILL:   I am astounded/delighted to see a post in Filipinos in Singapore facebook group a...

ABBEY: Going to the dentist is more fun whenever I visit Q & M dental clinic at Selatar Mall. The dentists there are friendly, give feedback to your dental hygiene and advise how it can be improved.  I met Dr. Taylor Dilan on my last visit. I got dental prophylaxis and fluoride treatment. He even told what procedures to be done to fix the gap in my front teeth. I know that it is part of their sales but knowing that someone cares for your betterment is a plus.  See you again after six months. WILL:  The nominated dental clinic of AIA is full that next available reservation will be on next year and on that we opted to use the non-panel clinic for our dentistry needs.  We chose Q&M. Upon checking their company's website I am astounded that they are into SGX. Wow! And it made a reputation to me instantly that they are on pursuit of excellence.  This year, I visited them thrice and all I can say is they are thriving to make their patients ...

ABBEY: This is where we celebrated my 33rd birthday.  Equinox is located at the 70th storey of Swissotel (City Hall MRT). They have their own lift to carry their guest to the top. We had lunch there and it is a semi-buffet.  I went for sushi and sashimi on my first round. Then I was surprised by the beef chunks when I'm helping myself in a serving of beef soup. The beef is so soft that it melts in your mouth. No chewing needed :) I think I had 3 bowls of them.  Then I tried their crackers and cheese. For the main course (one time only as well as the coffee) I had slow-roasted pork belly. It is delicious. I enjoyed putting some Truffle and Cauliflower Emulsion sauce before having a bite.  We were given a table with the view of Marina Bay. But it was cloudy and foggy as it is raining during that time.  The staffs were polite and warm. They also gave me a cake for my birthday. Baked Norwegian Salmon Slow-Roasted Pork Belly WILL...