singapore steals

VAL:

a couple of weeks after our vacation in singapore, erik and i both got called for an interview so we had to fly back again. this time around we only stayed for almost 3 days and crammed whatever sightseeing we could after our interviews. not much shopping was done as we had a limited budget but we managed to find a few steals.

in a video rental shop near our bus stop we found original dvd's for sale. look what we got!



i've always wanted to watch this john lennon documentary but could never find a copy and i keep forgetting to download it. so when i saw it at the shop, i instantly grabbed the copy. the other film, nine, is also very interesting and was not shown i think here in manila and there's no dvd here yet. we got both dvds for around P600 only. pretty nice!

next time i'm in sg, i'll definitely raid other video rental shops.

ERIK:

You remember those Buddha beads that you use to ware during college, even if you don't what it symbolizes? I've got one! During our unplanned trip to Singapore a few days back.

So for those who want to know what is it for, Buddhist prayer beads are a traditional tool used to count time while meditating using mantras. They are similar to other forms of prayer beads used in various world religions; thus some call this tool the Buddhist rosary.



It's when we passed by Chinatown after we had our lunch. (Mmm... Hainanese Chicken Rice...) Anyway, I bought the beads just for fashion and I don't have plans of changing religion but I appreciate the meaning and usage of it.

daiso-cool

VAL:

what do you do when you go inside an P88 store? you stuff your shopping cart with anything and everything!

japan home center or daiso was our destination today while looking for sleeping masks. the bad part, they were out of the stock. the good part, we were able to score some items that erik needed for his house cleaning. check out our loot.






we got fixtures for the sink, closet mat, sponge, sweater storage bag and hooks for around P600. we were even thinking of buying pitchers, claypots and bedroom slippers (which fortunately didn't carry our sizes). this store has such an interesting mix of stuff that i'm already looking forward to our next visit (erik will be dropping by again tomorrow to buy more storage bags :)).



ERIK:

Shopping here is way more fun than shopping for clothes and shoes. Ok, I know you don't totally agree with that. But who does not enjoy shopping for home stuffs? Specially when you are in a store where everything you need is there (except for sleeping masks and your bedroom slipper size), everything is functional, and everything is Php 88. So when you visit the store, don't blame us or the sales assistant why your shopping cart got full all of a sudden. That's all you, man.

dreaming of seoul

VAL:

here is what happens when one has too much free time in her hands. blogging about stuff no one else cares about. :)

my delayed fascination with anything korean started earlier this year while in the throes of boredom. i picked up a copy of boys over flowers at makati cinema square and has been hooked ever since. this fascination has progressed to listening to korean girl groups and tuning in to the korean channels on cable. also, i have been planning a trip to visit seoul (in my head) within the next few months.

believe me when i say its not about the hot korean boys that make me want to go there. it actually is the weather. the fashion. the food. and the culture. their website shows how much seoul can offer a tourist. check it out: http://www.visitseoul.net/en/index.do?_method=main

korea can be a pricey city and there's a visa requirement so you cant just go there anytime you want. while i'm still saving up for this trip, i'll just bury myself in koreanovelas and egg omelette.

how to make a nasi goreng

nasi goreng is simply friend rice in indonesian and malay. it usually comes with either chicken or seafood mixed together with all the other ingredients and is usually made with leftover rice similar to our sinangag.

ingredients:

White rice - 4 cups, pre cooked and cooled
Peanut oil - 2 tablespoons
Yellow or Red onions - 1 cup, chopped. Small red onions can be found at most Asian food stores. Chop the onions into small chunks.
Green onions - 1 cup, sliced. The bottom (white) parts of the onions are sliced separately from the top (green) parts because they are added to the dish at different times.
Carrots - one cup. Peel two or three large carrots. Baby carrots may be used instead of large carrots. Slice the carrots into thin sections.
Celery - one half cup. Cut the celery (cross-section) into thin slices.
Green peas - one half cup of frozen green peas. Do not thaw.
Ginger - 1 teaspoon. Break off a tip of ginger from the root. Peel the ginger and chop it finely.
Garlic - 2 tbsp. Fresh cloves of garlic may be used. You may use crushed garlic in a jar.
Nasi Goreng spice mix. It can be found at large grocery stores or in Asian food markets. The spices must be squeezed out of the bag and dissolved into water while cooking.
Chicken - 2 boneless breast. Cut into small chunks. Cook in a small amount of oil.
Shrimp - 10 to 20 peeled shrimp
Tomatoes - one, cut into slices
Lime - one, cut into wedges
Hot Sauce - use an Asian style hot chili sauce
Soy Sauce

how to cook:

Add peanut oil to the frying pan or wok. Heat up the oil for about one minute at medium to high heat. Add the ginger to the hot oil and heat for about 30 seconds. Add a spoonful of chopped garlic and heat for about one minute. Add the red or yellow onions to the mixture and heat for one to two minutes, stirring often. Add the bottom parts of the green onions and heat for about one minute. Add the carrots and heat for about two minutes, stirring often. Add the peas and celery and heat for about one minute, stirring often. Have about a cup of water ready for the next step. Add one pack of Nasi Goreng spices and add about ½ cup water to the pan. Stir in the ingredients so that the spices completely dissolve. Cook for about two minutes or until at least half of the water evaporates. Note: You may need to add extra water to dissolve the spices. Add the pre-cooked chicken to the mixture. If you are adding pre-cooked shrimp to the mixture, heat for about one minute. If you are adding raw shrimp at this step, you will need to cook them for about three minutes, or until they turn pink. Add dry spices such as salt and pepper to the mixture and stir. Soy sauce may be used instead of salt. Add the white rice to the pan one handful at a time. Before adding a new handful of rice, be sure that the spices completely cover the rice in the pan. Add the tops of the green onions to the pan and heat for about one minute. Add hot sauce to the pan and heat for about one to two minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat. Spoon out each serving of rice into a bowl.

here is the nasi goreng we had in singapore, this has seafood in it and super delicious and extremely spicy!

goreng goreng!

VAL:

the best thing to do when travelling is to eat and try out all the local delicacies. so when erik and i were in sg and kl a couple of weeks back we treated ourselves to all the nasi lemak and goreng we could eat. i like the nasi goreng better than lemak but i always end up eating the lemak maybe because the fried egg always is a tempting treat for me. anyway, here is the nasi goreng that erik ate at the central market food court in kl. it is spicy and the chicken was delicious. not oily at all.

ERIK:

I ordered the Nasi Goreng because I'm tough like that. Just kidding, I'm a fan of spicy food. Both dishes tasted good. I think all of the food that we ate during our trip were good. But if you're looking for a meal that will test your tolerance to spicy food, order the Nasi Goreng. And torture yourself in a good way.



and here is the nasi lemak that i ate:



it has chili, dilis, peanuts and chicken, rice, fried egg and cucumber. you just have to mix and match everything when eating it. its also spicy and the taste has more variety than a goreng but if you want a really delicious dish, go for the goreng.

we also had goreng and lemak in sg. but this one in kl is much better. erik and i are already planning to do our own version of this. we'll see how that works out.