The Philippines (part 3)

i'm so lazy do series of my philippines trip so i'm gonna try to complete the whole trip in this entry in no particular order!

Let's start with e best, Wensha Spa @ Pasay City

This is a must go place if u visit the philippines/ have flights stopover.
As u're allowed to stay in for 6hrs for a single fee.
i'll reveal e fee after u look through e photos!
Photos Credit: From their official website

Lockers Room

Shower area + Spa pools!
Too bad there's no photos on the 2 round ice cold & 1 warm spa pools.

while u're in the pools there's a hugeass projector showing their local TV channel.

In that same room they have the steam room (as shown below) & sauna (beside e steam rm)

After taking ur spa sessions, head over to e massage area!

2 to a cozy room~

After massage,  u are allowed to slp in so long u dont exceed 6 hrs for ur stay duration!

for me, i'll head out for buffet + steamboat!

i had my steamboat @ e smoking area below
i prefer this atmosphere! 

So now's the price!
Spa+Massage+Steamboat buffet + Buffet = S$20~

CANT BELIEVE IT RIGHT!!!

***

Next awesome trip will be to Taygaytay Highland
The temperature there is much like Genting Highland, took us abt 1.5 - 2hrs clear traffic drive from our place.

Uncle Danny planned this trip for me =)
Dad & Uncle Danny will visit Taygaytay twice a yr to have the beef soup.
& according to them, the rich will buy houses there & spend most of their weekends there.

A cosy restaurant we chose with the smell of *Boracay Island* I'll find time to update abt Boracay e place of my childhood. 

I was having flu tt night so no mood to makeup & all.
But gd service cos e waiter heard me sneezing he came up n suggest i try their warm calamansi drink.
& it does help a little!

heehee, sooo cold i rolled down the leggings underneath my jeans!

Food to compliment the type of atmosphere e restaurant gives ;)

Thenafter we went to chillout at starbucks.

 & according to them, if i were to come in the day i'll be able to see e view of a volcano when i sit at the outdoor of this starbucks.

From what i observe i think the crowd here are more trendy & fun-loving.

***

Next MUST-GO place!!!
Seafood Paluto Restaurants, it's a row of seafood place near Sofitel Hotel.
Just ask around & u'll get there.

Seafood in the philippines are known to be extremely FRESH!
so here's the concept of this place.

Step 1: U shop for ur seafood.
(look at e floor: clean & dry. so dont worry abt staining ur LV bag/ bad smell) 

Step 2: Pick a restaurant
Step 3: Pass ur newly bought seafood to the counter outside e restaurant 

& tell them how u want it to be cooked

(The outside of e restaurant looks damn chui right? but this is e one my dad always go to, you wont regret it!)

You can choose to sit outdoor (below), it looks nicer.

Now the food!

i finally got the correct name for this soup!
(remember my 1st post on some sour soup @ max restaurant?)

i'ld say drop e previous & go for this. WAY NICER!!

it's call Sinigang.

I freakin love every dish except for chilli crabs. 

i dont like sweet chilli crabs, be it in e philippines or in SG.
i'll have it steamed e next round.

Crazy portion of calamari!!!

looks little here, but trust me there's at least 20 tempuras, i counted.
The actual plate is HUGE.

there's 2 more dishes which was too far away so i didnt manage to get any photos.
This meal was a treat from Tita (means aunty) Vicky, it was meant to welcome me & to celebrate e closing of her 5 mil dollars biz deal.

Crazy lot of $$$!!

So much food for only 4 pax!!!
thank god she didnt throw everything away but packed it up for her driver & maids at home.

Street performers outside e restaurant!

nearing christmas so fireworks were everywhere, everyday!

There other Tai-tai eating with us was Tita Susan, she sent us back in her limo van.
According to my dad she does own an additional long limousine (too bad no chance to sit in it), she's a multi millionaire (in dollars) & she's part of the political committee there! 

WOW. i was dining with multi-millionaires. hiakhiakhiak!!!
Hope i breathe in some of their money luck!

Here's the 2 rich ladies~

We're at e lobby of Sofitel Hotel

http://www.sofitel.com

Gonna chill out & drink tea~

i wana do this when i'm @ their age too ^^

1 thing abt e pinoy i wished we practice in SG.
Even for prom, everyone is dressed in long gowns.
i dont know abt pinoy's, but for the chinese weddings held there all the guest will attend in suits & long gowns.
How classy!

but i think if i do a request like tt for my wedding in SG none of my guest is gonna turn up!

RIGHT?!!

Lovely soft ambiance to drink tea & listen to a jazz singer standing in front of a piano.

Her singing my current fav song: alicia keys - new york (originally from empire state of mind)

aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh~~~ 

Uncle Danny said their buffet is *thumbs up*
so u can consider staying there if u're headed to philippines for a holiday.

This 5star hotel will cost u ard US$200 a night.

i went out to explore their garden / outdoor dining

So must christmasy lightings =)
i love the lighted up round bushes, so cute.

if u walk further out u'll be facing a sea view!

Outdoor bar 

this hotel gives me e vibe tt it's meant for couples going on a holiday.
Sorry no photos for the pool area cos i spoilt e photo by standing in it!

pretty pretty~

If u wana book a hotel in e philippines pls contact me!!

cos my dad has been doing hotel & resort biz thr for 20+ yrs, he'll be able to give u e BEST rate!

***

& lastly 2 days be4 i left, another treat from Uncle Danny.

Shabu Shabu @ a chinese restaurant. 

 i dont really like chai taokuay in this form but this one smells & taste really good.

Warning to SGreans: do no eat fishballs in the philippines UNLESS in chinese restaurants like these.

i dont know why e fishballs there r different, it taste like harden flour (including takoyaki balls)!
But the ones in this restaurant are FANTASTIC!! Beats every fishballs i've eaten in SG!

reliable source: from your die-hard fishball fan ;)

***

Now in super randomness!

INASAL BBQ

www.manginasal.com/home.html

i can find it @ every corner, $2+ for a set like this w free flow rice.

Taste like our indonesian bbq chicken in plaza sing food court, only tastier! Woot!

Love shopping @ their dept store, every T-shirt u buy comes with cute packaging!

While my dad went for meeting, he dropped me @ Megamall

Just look at how Mega it is! i was really exhausted when i'm only halfway through tt mall.

I love philippines & i've decided to go there twice a yr!
Pace is so much slower, fantastic food, & e spirit of e ppl there r what we have alot to learn from. 

sometimes i look ard n i wonder how do these ppl survive with what they make & the living conditions they r in. But they r constantly enjoying life, celebrating their festive season with no worries for tml.

& tml they WILL survive. now i know whr my dad gets his optimism from & why he nv gave up despite e hard times we went through. It cant get any harder than what they r going through. If these ppl can smile we better sail through our miseries.

Here's more loot!
Gift for my sis =)

Clogs for myself, love it max!

& i love shakeys!!!!

Last but not least, i love my dad's toilet bowl. 

heehee, was a gift from one of his biz associate before.

Can warm ur seat, blue button to clean backside, pink button to clean front (for girls).

THE END!

YAY!! I FINISHED THIS!!!

The Philippines (Part 2)

Hello! gonna head back to SG tml & so i'm gonna blog all e pics i've transferred to my com. hehe~

alright let's continue about the philippines!

this is 5th December, my birthday. Dad drove me out to

Chinatown for DimSum breakfast.

I like e name of this road sign, there's hardly any road sign ard & they r all so small n high up.

See, there's no lane dividers on the road, just drive only!

 

Lots of ppl selling stuff on the road. 

But comparing to my last trip 10yrs ago, i see much lesser homeless kids begging on the road.

Here we are, Manila Chinatown.

I dont know why all the chinatown in asia countries has to look dirty.

According to my dad, this is the chinese's fire engine. 

Somewhat like supported by the Chinese association.

I've had dimsum @ about 3-4 places during my trip. I'll say come only to chinatown, it's not fantastic but it's good enough to satisfy u if u're craving it. (to sara, fy, ernie: Better than tunglok) 

@ other places, my fried wonton turns out to be chicken filling, my har kau is steamed wonton. siew mai is plain disgusting. VERY ANNOYING.

Pretty fountain right outside china town.

Then we head off to MALL OF ASIA for my birthday cakes =)

Beautiful weather, not hot & humid like SG.

MY LOVE! I had KFC twice, it's heeeeeeeeellllllllllllllll yummy!!! the chicken parts r smaller, but e chicken here are like those in Malaysia- very tasty!

Oh! & they dont only have flavours in Original & Crispy, they also have Spicy Lime. 

See what i mean by they freaking love sour food? & I LOVE SPICY LIME!

& im very impressed with their delivery, comes with rice, ICE and plastic cups!
Maybe they dont do it in SG cos if they deliver ice to SGrean, & 2 of the ice cubes melt we will complain.

Approaching Mall of Asia!

Macapaga, Pasay City

Here's a brief intro from Wikipedia:

'SM Mall of Asia is the 3rd largest shopping mall in Asia and the 4th^[1] (Ref. Forbes' World's 10 Largest Shopping Malls) largest shopping mall in the world.' 

Reminds me a lil' of our Vivo City. 

What u see in the picture is only half of Mall of Asia, imagine an exact mirror image to what u see extending through the right of the pic.

Here's one of my dad's favourite cake shop.

The cakes r very rich so we shares 3 slices + smoothies. I like! 

My all-time fav: cheesecake, tiramisu & baileys~

Shopping in Mall of Asia will cost you about 1900 ~ 6000 Peso for a single dress. mostly 2000 ~ 3000 peso. divide it by 32.5.
it's pretty much like shopping in ION Orchard.

End of my simple birthday!

***

SO next day Uncle Charlie came back to work & i was complaining to him tt it's so expensive @ Mall of Asia, i want to find BARGAINS! Tt's e whole point of shopping overseas right?!

So he brought me to a local mall, i didnt see any tourist there.
& dad says it's where the middle class & below shops.

Dad got a blister from walkin & we had to leave be4 e local end work cos it'll be too crowded in there.
I'M DEFINITELY GOING BACK THERE NEXT TRIP!

All of the above (including the bags) cost me a total of S$77. 

E quality is slightly better than those u get in thai fleas. 

Then we da bao Andok's Chicken & Pork back for dinner.

This is the salty chicken i was telling Fangyi abt, he confirm like! 

Very well marinated!

168 is really cheap compared to what i got from the robinson's mall (Previous post). Only managed to get below for S$70. Maybe cos gifts for my sis more expensive.

***

Nothing much e next day except tt we ordered Pizza Hut Delivery.

CHEAP!

Gotta stop here, dad kp-ing cos need to walk up early for my flight. bye!

The Philippines (Part 1)

Arrived in the Philippines in the evening about 9pm, so blogging will start from Day 2.

This is the room i was supposed to slp in, but it's been converted to his personal office =/

So i gotta slp on a lousy tilam on the floor of the other room which thankfully was 3 times the size of this.

MISS MY SOLID (in a gd way) MATTRESS IN SG! *cries!*

 

& this is the roof deck pool i was intending to swim in everyday but till now i havent dip a finger into it.

Keep fit plan CANCELLED.

Becos it's a Sat & uncle charlie only has to work half day, dad is the one to drive me ard!

Visible bad traffic the moment we're out from the carpark!

& we had to turn out in the opposite direction at the outer lane, crazy.

Terrible traffic in the philippines is partly due to these colourful jeepneys.
Even in the middle of a highway, so long someone signals to board, they will stop right there to allow pickup.

I can clearly see my dad feeling annoyed whenever he drives, tt's why we're just heading to a nearby mall.

Other modes of transport.

This photo is funny to me cos i was told tt once, dad & uncle charlie walked to the nearby market to get groceries & they both squeezed into this tricycle on their way back coz dad was lazy to walk home.

 Just imagine: fat dad + uncle charlie + skinny tricycle rider. HAHAHAHAH!!..so funny.

I'm so excited to see Jollibee again! It's my fav childhood fastfood restaurant!
But now tt i try it again, i dont love e taste anymore cos the spag is too sweet for me.

However every kid love Jollibee!

Anyway a spag+chix meal is abt S$3 only.

http://www.jollibee.com.ph/

Maid cafe spotted in Manila too. Seems to pop up everywhere.

So here we are at a nearby mall

Lunch at Max's restaurant.

http://www.maxschicken.com

I freakin LOVE the soup! It's a sour taste, & pinoys beats the thais in the threshold for sourness.

U will always find calamansi served in every restaurant with every dish.

Weirdest is tt they even mix calamansi with light soy sauce.

btw i think the soup is call sinalag or something along tt line.

Back hm aft lunch cos we're heading far out for dinner.

Yes, i wana kaobei the dumb multi storey carpark @ our place.
This tight fitting barely enough for 1 car's width is actually a 2-WAY route.

So u gonna on e headlights & constantly horn to alert any car heading towards u in the opp direction. 

& parking is along the slopes (pic 2) + they provide green/red signal light (pic 3) to tell u if it's safe to proceed. HOWEVER, sometimes it lights up in green in both directions!

 

Uncle Danny wants to give e a dinner treat & dad doesnt wana drive out tt far cos he thinks his blood pressure will increase so we're gonna try the LRT to bring us to Caloocan City.

From there Uncle Danny drove us to Quezon City for dinner at Kimono Ken.
But really, Kimono ken can be found at many nearer places.
Oh well, good to visit other cities.

He ordered a MAD amount of food for 3! & he doesnt like ppl to waste food so we had to finish them all. *faint*
*Stabs myself for ordering tempura udon!*

Just when dad & i barely made it through, he ordered desserts. Feng le! 

 

Surprisingly the bill only came up to S$80, wow.

Went ard Quezon city

Fully glass cafe i wana try!

& a few housing lots being converted to cafes / dinner places. cool~

 

Okay i wana slp liao, continue blogging tml. Ta~!