Peranakan Museum

ABBEY: We've passed by and entered Peranakan Museum many times but every time we went there, we're not able to spend time to see the exhibit as there were so many visitors during those times. So on the first day of Chinese New Year 2015, we planned to check it and see to it that we meet our goal.

On the first storey of the building were portraits of Peranakans; all in smile showing that they are proud of their origins.
A storey up and you will be amazed on the articles used in a wedding. Intricate designs were shown in dresses, accessories and furnitures. Wedding customs really differs on each race or ethnicity.

The third storey showcases the chinaware, different parts of the house like the kitchen and dining rooms. Another part of the exhibit is for the funeral. It is scary but its a good learning curve to know and respect others customs.

WILL: We all went to the museums around the Bugis-Bras Basah Precinct including Peranakan Museum. 

This is a 3 storey-building of former Tao Nan Chinese School is the home for the different Peranakan descendants. Here explains well the different people who married Southeast Asian people. And to my surprise “Tsinoys” are considered Peranakan too. 

The beliefs, glamorous lifestyles and food was well showcased here in this museum. An educational tour for the whole family. You can explore the whole museum for not more than 3 hours. 

Fifty Shades Of Grey

ABBEY: Disclaimer: The blog entry is for the movie Fifty Shades of Grey only and not about the whole trilogy.

We reserved a pair of seats on Cathay Platinum Movie Suites for 60SGD four days after its opening.

An eligible bachelor was being interviewed by a graduating student and instead of him being interviewed she was the one on the hot seat. By the end of the conversation, Anastasia just want to get out of his presence, literally out of the building, to breathe as she was hyperventilating due to intimidation.

Then the stalking began. Christian Grey knew almost all means on how to get to Anastasia. As a rich businessman he can gift lavish gifts to any woman just like what he did to Anastasia. I cannot say that he's manipulative as the girl also show signs that he liked the guy. He just wants to be always in control.

But under that successful, handsome, and young appearance lies the dark side of him (not Batman huh). He practices sadomasochistic activities as the submissive and now he wants to be the one making the plot.

Maybe not my thing and I felt discomfort when he hits the girl on the end. (Spoiler).

Let's wait and see what the second installment has to offer.

WILL: We procrastinate to check first the review of this movie before we started to queue for this movie. Of course some will tell that the portrayal seems ok and how good the actress and actor was and some will tell the opposite. 

And I can say is, that is why I do not want to go to the moviehouse if I had read the book. Well, it is not what I expect. Some scenes were missing and for days I cannot shake it off why they deleted it. Jamie Dornan is not enough to be Christian Grey.

But there is a feeling that I need to see the second and third sequel. :) 

Chinatown Walking Trail 2015

ABBEY: We joined the Chinatown Walk Tour before the Lunar New Year festival. While waiting for other group members, Peter, our guide, approached us and gave us tips on how to roam around Singapore and which places to visit.

A two-hour trip complete with explanation of history will give you a good grasp on how rich the culture is. We passed by temples like Buddha Tooth Relic, Sri Mariamman, and Masjid Jamae Chulia.
There are regulations in going inside the temples, so be aware of those before heading your way.
A former opium den which was now a shop house can be seen in Pagoda Street while death houses were in Sago Lane during earlier years.

Peter told us that there are two methods for maintaining the historical buildings in Singapore; conservation and preservation. Conservation is maintaining the outside appearance of the structure but can redesign the interior while the latter is that no changes can be done either outside or inside.

We also saw the restaurants which serve sumptuous food. Be aware where your group is going to as you might be enticed of the smell and get lost.
A long queue caught our attention as people lined up for bakwa (cured pork meat). Another must have for the festive season.

It was a fun and learning experience. We would like to commend Peter for his warm accomodation. If you'll be in his group and needs to go, just approach him and he'll let you go as he's responsible for the group.

We wrapped up the tour on the wish tree near Chinatown MRT and put our well wishes for the coming Chinese New Year.

WILL: The best way to join in celebrating the Lunar New Year is to go to Chinatown. The epicentre of all the happenings and events for the festivity of CNY. Before the holiday, we hit the one of the busiest place in Singapore every Sunday, the Chinatown. We were lucky to reserve a slot for tour of the said district.

We discovered the rich history behind the walls of the past. We saw the iconic temples like Buddha Tooth Relic, Sri Mariamman Temple and the Masjid Jama’e Mosque. We learned the hardships of the first Chinese settlers here in Singapore. We saw the former street that offers opium and other vices.

The sweat is all worth it. We must uncover the past to learn to nurture the good traits and learn from their mistakes.

We commend Mr. Peter, our tour guide. He is such a charm, the tour is never boring with him

You can send email to chinatownfestivalsg@gmail.com for more information.

***

Kreta Ayer Community Club

FREE Chinatown Walking Trail 

Send email to: chinatownfestivalsg@gmail.com

Use the email following format:

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Hi Chinatown Festival Team,

Good day!

We would like to reserve for Chinatown Walking Trail: 

Date: 

Time: 

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HP: 

Name: 

Nationality: 

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Have a great weekend ahead.

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Royal Caribbean Singapore - Mariner of the Seas (February 2 - 6, 2015) Singapore - Port Klang - Langkawi

ABBEY: We've tried having vacation here, in foreign land, in the Philippines. Why not try the seas? Yes, a cruise vacation. I remember When the cruise ships docked in Harbourfront bay and daydreamed on being there. We have no idea which shipping line we'll go so we checked Royal Caribbean as advised by our housemate.

The budget that we set for the tour will only get us to ordinary room. Good thing that we saw their roadshow at Vivo City. For little over than 1500 SGD, you can stay for 5 days and 4 nights at a Deluxe OceanView Stateroom with balcony. Beside Singapore port, the cruise will also visit Port Klang and Langkawi in Malaysia. We got a room on deck 7.  This is an advantage for us as we can go down to Deck 5 (where the activity and party happens) or in Deck 11 for the buffet restaurants if the lifts were fully loaded.

Thanks to the crew who made this journey happier and more enjoyable.

Our Captain

Cruise Director

Rebecca - who became our tour guide on our first day

Linda - for organizing the entertainments for the entire sailing.

Mahrus and Angbao - who always delight our appetites during dinner and keep the water flowing to wash down the food.

Rooms for improvement?

1. Please have the flag of your crew's nationality be the background of their name plates. It would be easier which part of the world they represent. We got a hard time reading their nationality and have to look awkward whenever they see us checking their name plates.

2. Can the hotdogs also be a part of the room service menu?

3. Please announce or include in the cruise compass when the barbecue party will happen. We missed this. :)

Tips that I can part based on my experience.
1. Before entering the ship, you will be given a card which you can use in all the transactions in the ship. Be it going to your room or purchasing souvenir items. So do not lose this card.
2. You will be given two timings of choice to have a 3-course dinner and once you give your preferred time make sure that you'll not be late. Late comers will not be welcomed as the doors on the hall will be closed.
3. If you plan not to have short excursions upon arriving on the ports, then please plan your day on the ship. They have dance lessons (cha-cha), inline skating, mini golf, ice skating, wall climbing, bingo and casino.
4. Every evening, a presentation will be witnessed on the theatre like magic and variety shows. Who knows you can be a guest participant on one of them.
5. Street disco party and live band will be seen in the Promenade at Deck 5.
6. For chilling out with munchies, you can go to Cafe Promenade or the buffet restaurants.
7. There are also specialty restaurants but it is on top of the payment for your cruise fare. This also the same with wine or beers.
8. Lazy to come to the restaurant? Then have room service. They will always say that it will be delivered 30-45 minutes after your call but they will be knocking at your door after 10 minutes. :)
9. Ice cream, hotdogs, burgers, bread, pastries, fruits, and other food are overflowing. Make sure to have a taste on them but in moderation.
10. Appreciate the staff and commend them for their hard work. You can give them more gratuities aside from the one you already paid.

WILL: Eat..Sleep...Eat...Sleep!!! Who cares? We are in vacation. :) 

We dreamed, we planned and we achieved. A dream to reality. For only $1,538 (gratuities included) we got to stay at one of the finest cruising line known in the world. Thanks to Hazel of Chan Brothers who assisted us without fail in this booking. 

Here are some of the things that really caught my attention. 

Stateroom

We stayed at 7290 - Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony. The closet size is just fine, bed is so fluffy and clean, the tv is good to go and the bathroom is so cute. 

As usual they will provide you towels of three different sizes. You need a new one? Just leave the towel on the floor as they will replace it for you. Shampoo, bathroom tissues and facial tissues are readily available. Hairdryer is at the vanity table waiting to be switched on. 

What are the things you need to bring? Shampoo if you are weary to try other brands, toothbrush, toothpaste, slippers for inside the room. 

Everything inside the fridge if consumed will be charge to your room. So better call the room service for a hot water or cold drink.  

Food 

Next time we jump in to a cruise again. Abbey and will make a weigh-in. For a 5-day stay I know and I feel that I gained weight. I think their primary mission is to fattened up all of their guests. Haha! 

Windjammer is the restaurant at Deck 11. I ate here thrice for lunch. This is buffet, so eat-all-you-can..all-you-want. Haha! I love their pasta, white and red sauce is delightfully good. No seat reservation so be early for you to get a good view of the ocean. It is open for lunch from 11:45-3:00pm, 7:00-10:30am for breakfast and 6:30-9:00pm for dinner. 

Rhapsody in Blue Dining Room. Please check your cruise compass if they are serving breakfast or lunch for that day. But the dinner was always held here. Unlike the Windjammer, Rhapsody have a dress code even you are going there for breakfast. So please do not roll your eyes when you were not allowed to go inside because of what you wear.

You will surely love the ala-Titanic scene when you set your foot here in this part of the ship. 

This restaurant is fine dining. So expect a waiter and his helper to get your order. Bread and butter will be served to you before your three-course meal. Oh if one main course is not enough for you, you can get another plate of your choice without extra charge. 

Please take note that wines, sodas, beer and freshly-made juices are available with extra cost. 

Room Service

Get a nice breakfast in bed or midnight snack serve by room service. It is available for 24hours but US$3.95 will be billed for delivery from 12am-5:00am. My favorite in here is the gyoza and cheese pizza. 

Cafe Promenade

Of course located at Promenade. Open for 24 hours and ready to serve all the guests with light snacks. Breads, cake, pizza slices, non-stop flow of tea and brewed coffees are in here. 

Arctic Zone

Is it too hot at the pool deck of the ship? Why not take a few steps to get your vanilla or chocolate flavored ice cream. 11:30am-6:30pm open. So take a queue and taste the lovely ice cream of the Royal Caribbean. 

Dog House

Unlimited hotdog on stick or in bun? Get a chair and munch the hotdog of your choice in front of the big screen in the deck 11 pool area. 11:30-6:30pm is the availability of this hotdog haven. 

Specialty Dining is available like Johnny Rockets, Chops Grille and Giovanni's table for additional costs.  

Activities 

This is the reason why we never get out of the ship (except for sleeping all day haha). You can schedule a full pack day of activity inside this cruise ship. 

We hit their gym to sweat up some of the food we intake. We used their jacuzzi and awed by their clean and spacious sauna and steam bath. I love their wall climbing. I want to have a second round but I need to cover almost all activities of the ship so we move on at the basketball court. Golf, wind is against me and I just realised how Tiger Woods is really good in this sports. Hands-down to him. 

They have a board game/mahjong area. The ice in the ice skating rink is not fine as the others I got skate with. No wonder some of their performers in here have some failed landing. 

They have chacha lessons, handkerchief-folding sessions, bingo and casino. 3D movie is available in afternoons and 2D movies starts as early as 11am at screening room at deck 2. Karaoke is at Dragons Lair. 

Kindly check the opening of ice skates to guest at Studio B. Please be in pants ok? Or else you will blew away your chance to be on ice. 

Music performances are non-stop so check your cruise compass for the band or performers schedule. 

The Savoy Theatre caters concerts, magicians and buskers for you to get entertained. And before you kiss the night away, get merry at the parade, 70's party and pool deck party (which was canceled because of the rain). 

Are we going back for a cruise? Yes! Yes! Yes! We have a pleasant stay. A total relaxation and a good bonding time with my husband. 

We are officially one of the Royals of the World. See you again. Hopefully at the Oasis of the Sea. 

Leonardo da Vinci's Earlier Mona Lisa at The Arts House at the Old Parliament Singapore

ABBEY: Two paintings or one? Labelling and exhibiting as 'Earlier version of Monalisa', the ownership is as mysterious as the woman in the canvass.

Singapore is the first leg of the exhibiton and we're glad that we got a chance for the tour of the lady. For 20sgd, each guest will be given a tablet along with headphones to have a guided tour. It explains the meticulous process the painting went to state its claim. From physical inspection, history, x-rays, symmetry up into the number of pixels, the two artworks have huge similarities.

Even experts and critics were baffled by it. 

For me it won't matter if there will be two paintings. It would just add  a number more for the iconic works of Master Leonardo.

WILL: Have a second painting of Mona Lisa?!

That question intrigued me and furiously requested Abbey to have a date with me at the The Old Parliament House. But because of tight schedule, we passed the idea week after week. Until we won tickets for the said Mona Lisa’s world tour. Leonardo da Vinci’s Earlier Mona Lisa started its worldwide journey here in Singapore. How lucky the Singapore right?

The exhibit answered intricately all the mind-boggling questions we have. Is it true? Does Leonardo painted it by himself? If yes, what are their proofs? What will be the look for the Earlier version of Mona Lisa? How did they find it? I admittedly amazed by the way of mathematical and painting techniques used by Leonardo. He is really a master of his art.

Room after room while listening to the tab lent to us, we arrived at the final room. The room where the younger Mona Lisa waits for us! This is a hair-raising experience! The room have dim lights and very cold surroundings. No spotlight for the painting as painting has its own lighting. Gosh! Face to face with Mona Lisa! Goosebumps!

This painting changed the history. Now I have this urge to see the Mona Lisa of Louvre.

Crunchy Korean Fried Chicken and Mushroom (Dakgangjeong: 닭강정)

Ingredients:
Chicken wings/boneless thigh/drumsticks
Shitake mushrooms (soaked in warm water then cut into quarters)
Potato starch
Dried chili peppers (seeds removed and cut into strips)
Sesame seed
Soy sauce
Vinegar
Sugar
Garlic (minced)
Ginger (minced)

1. Put the chicken and mushrooms in a bowl and mix with ginger, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Mix potato starch with water and let it settle in the bottom of the bowl and then discard the water. This will serve as your batter.
3. Coat the chicken and mushrooms with the starch and deep fry them. And then double fry. This will make the chicken and mushrooms very crunchy.
4. For the sauce, fry garlic and dried chili peppers. Then put 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 tablespoon sugar.
5. Once the mixture form bubbles, toss the chicken and mushroom and mix it until all of them are covered in sauce.
6. Top it with sesame seed and serve with hot rice.

VERDICT
WILL: I am big fan of Maangchi. Being the biggest fan of her youtube channel and even I am not the one cooking I always watch her videos. Then I stumbled upon this Korean style fried chicken... The Dakgangjeong. As usual, I asked Chef Abbey to do that for me. 

Lo and behold, Abbeys's Crunchy-Crunchy Spicy Chicken and Mushroom. Every bite is an explosion of spiciness in my mouth. 

Thanks Abbey for cooking! Love it a lot! 

Japchae 잡채 (Sweet Potato Starch Noodles)

Ingredients:
lean meat pork/beef (cut into strips)
shitake mushrooms (soaked in warm water then cut into thin strips)
3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
brown sugar
soy sauce
sesame oil
toasted sesame seed
1 large egg (yolk-beaten)
spinach (washed and drained)
dangmyeon (sweet potato starch noodles)
2-3 green onions (cut into 2-inch long pieces)
medium onion (sliced thinly)
1 medium carrot (cut into matchstick size)
1 medium red bell pepper (cut into strips)
ground black pepper

1. Marinate pork/beef and mushrooms with minced garlic, a teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper, 2 teaspoon of soy sauce and a teaspoon of sesame oil.
2. Boil 4-5 cups water in a pot. Once done, put the spinach and let it be cooked for 1-2 minutes.
3. Put the spinach in a strainer and wash in running water to stop it from cooking.
4. Give it a chop or two and then put it in a big bowl. Drizzle with sesame oil, black pepper and pinch of salt.
5. On the same pot, put the sweet potato starch noodles and cook as per package instruction. Upon cooking, put it in the same bowl as the spinach. And then put sesame oil, sugar and soy sauce.
6. For the vegetables, cook them separately from light to dark color with a pinch of salt and put on the bowl once done:
   a. onion, green onion
   b. carrot, red bell pepper
7. Cook the beef and mushroom on the same skillet.
8. For jidan (garnish), on a non-stick pan put small amount of oil and have it cover the whole pan. Put in low heat. Remove the excess oil and turn off the heat. Put the yolk and tilt the pan so the yolk will be thin. Flip it over to cook the other side. Upon cooking, cut it into thin strips.
9. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl. Top it with jidan and sesame seed when serving.

VERDICT
WILL: My husband/chef is going Korean! He was well inspired my Maangchi. 

When we went to Chicken Up, my boss ordered glass noodles. Because I am a shy type of person (maybe not, haha) I only took a small portion of Japchae. So to serve my cravings, I asked my handsome chef to cook it for me once we have time. 

2nd Sunday of 2015 arrived and he want to satisfy my drooling. He cooked Japchae. 

The noodles are perfectly cooked. Sweetness and saltiness of the brown sugar and soy sauce is quite nice combination. The aroma of sesame oil and sautéed mushroom is at its finest. 

Thanks Abbey. What will be the next Korean dish will he make?  

Xi Long Hotpot & Family KTV Deal from iMOB Shop

ABBEY: Maybe it is in-born or maybe since I'm on the choir in early days, I want to practice spand showcase my talent on singing. So we decided to have another session at KTV (across Haw Par Villa MRT). 

For 7SGD via iMOB SMRT offer, you can sing all you want for three hours and have a free flow of drinks. The room is smaller compared to the one in Bugis but still we have the same fun. Just go to the list and pick the songs you like, or songs that you know only parts or words of them. S

ing your heart out. No one will "boo" you.

WILL: Holiday mood never ends on 25th December. Ha! We love singing!!! iMob released a very affordable 3-hour KTV with unlimited drinks for only $7. In luck, our nurse friend said that she is on off that Sunday. With no hesitation, we bought the ticket and booked our desired time. 

A bit frustrated of the place because it is too small for a group of 4. No way we can dance on that space. Hihi! No one can stop our merriment-making even Vince has a laptop sending some emails to his colleagues.

We hit Madonna, Spice Girls (of course), Abba, Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, and a lot more.

Recommendable? Excellent for cleanliness, the scent inside of the room is pleasant and the air conditioning is quite unbearable. Thanks iMob. Keep the good deals coming! 

LechonSG - Clementi Branch

ABBEY: From time to time, we experience homesickness. Good thing there's Skype to have a video call with your loved ones. Food? Well you can buy ingredients and cook them yourself at home. But how about specialty like lechon? 

Lechon SG opened their branch at Clementi ( a block away from Clementi MRT). When we heard the news, we promised to visit it and satisfy our cravings. I can say we're not disappointed as Kuya Glenn gave us 200 grams more of the kilo we ordered. It costs 45SGD for a kilo of lechon with 4 two-servings of rice. Match it with Mang Tomas lechon sauce and you're done. A stick of isaw (pig intestine) costs 1 sgd. 

They also have branch in 1 Rochor road. Advance ordering can be done online as well. Wow! You can visit their Facebook page for more updates.

WILL: After our breathtaking 3-hour concert at a KTV, we headed at Lechon SG by bus 175. Alighted at Clementi Mall and walked around 200meters to Blk 450. 

We sat and waited for our 1kg of Lechon and our sticks of isaw. And when it reached the table we instantly took our parts. Their lechon? Just taste like the ordinary grilled pork. Nothing special. Isaw, oh isaw! I will come back for more S$1 isaw.

Tangsuyuk (Sweet, Sour, and Crispy Pork: 탕수육) Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo of pork (lean meat)

5-7 pcs of medium-sized shitake mushrooms (soaked for 1 hour)

2 cups of potato starch (dissolved in water)

1 tsp ginger (chopped finely)

1 egg (egg white only)

Sauce:

1 medium-sized cucumber (sliced thinly)

2-3 rings of canned pineapple (cut into quarters)

1 medium-sized carrot

1 small apple (sliced thinly)

1 small onion (sliced thinly)

3-4 pcs woodear mushrooms (soaked and chopped)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp wiphite vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

3 cups water

2 tbsp potato starch (dissolved in water)

1. Slice the pork thinly and dry marinate it with ginger, salt and pepper. Put in fridge.

2. Have the dissolved potato starch settled at the bottom of the mixture for an hour and a half.

3. Cut shitake mushrooms in quarters. Put some salt, pepper and potato starch powder.

4. Mix two tbsp of potato starch on the pork.

5. Once the starch is settled at the bottom of water-starch mixture remove the water and mix the egg white, then pork and mushrooms.

6. Deep fry the pork and mushrooms until it turns light brown.

7. Put in strainer and set aside. Prepare the sauce now.

SAUCE

8. Saute onion, carrots, apple,  and woodear mushrooms.

9. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.

10. Add vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and a little salt and pepper.

11. Mix the dissolved potato starch until the sauce thickens.

12. Re-fry the mushroom and pork. This will make them very "crunchy-crunchy"

Serve it separate or you can pour the sauce into the fried pieces.

If in doubt, visit www.maangchi.com and search for tangsuyuk.

VERDICT
WILL: Crunchy! Crunchy!

I can't count how many times Abbey watched Maangchi while cooking this cuisine. He watch over and over and it made me drool and asked my husband to cook it for me. Finally, first Sunday of year 2015 I got to taste this famous Tangsuyuk.

I can't control myself when I saw the first batch of fried mushroom and pork. I warned Abbey that I might ate it all before he prepared the sauce. But it is crunchier when Chef Hubby double fried it.

I am so surprised to taste the sauce. Delicious!

We will never forget to add this viand in our monthly dish. Healthy and yummy option. 

Chicken Up - Korean / Chicken Restaurant

ABBEY: First things first, this restaurant is only open after office hours; so no breakfast or lunch being served. We learned this the hard way. Not checking their operating hours, we headed to have lunch after our physical exam. Lo and behold, they're close. 

Second, be there early else you have to queue. No reservations. Chicken Up is located at 48 Tanjong Pagar Road and they are serving Korean cuisine. As the name itself, they focus on poultry. They have their chicken buffet for only S$25. 

We tried fried Soya chicken wings. This is very flavorful, delicious and finger-lickin' good. I enjoyed eating this with a cup of hot white rice. We also tried the normal fried chicken and hot ones. They look exactly the same. But once you take bite, then you'll be looking for water if you pick the spicy piece. This is also the case with their chicken stew. 

The glass noodles item is recommended. It is like Pinoy sotanghon but with thicker soy sauce-based sauce and more mushrooms. Each main item would start at less than 15sgd only. I also recommend their watrmelon juice.

WILL: We always wanted to dine at Chicken Up but we didn't get a good chance. I am so glad that Ford's farewell party was held there. 

They do not accept reservations but luckily Mondays are my husband's off. I begged him to queue for us. We arrived minutes before the clock strikes 6pm. 

We ordered for the flavors of soya, spicy up, yangnyum and andong chicken stew. Yangnyum stands out. Its sauce makes a difference; sweet yet have some spike of spiciness. Do not get deceived of Spicy Up, it looks the natural fried chicken but it will surely kick your butt. Haha! We almost forgot to taste the Japchae. The noodles are chewy. Very Korean. 

Instead of ordering soda, we got the Chicken Up's famous Watermelon Soju (a watermelon juice mixed with popular distilled drink of Korea). Sweet and have some hint of alcohol. Do not drink too much. Ok? 

The prices of this chicken is really expensive. If you want to get the value of your money go for chicken buffet $25 but only for 2 hours. :) 

See you next time Chicken Up.