Asian Kitchen

For our honeymoon, we went to Singapore. We, of course, went to the usual places visitors go to - including the malls. :D In one of our mall adventures, we chanced upon Asian Kitchen. We were already very hungry from all the walk so we decided to look no further and try it out.

We ordered their beef fried rice (sorry - can't really recall what it's called now), chili crab, and some xiao long bao.

The rice was good! One can eat it on its own actually. It was very flavorful and spicy - and we both like spicy foods. :)

Chili crab - We decided to try this mainly because we're in Singapore and we were told chili crab is a must try. I am not a fan of crabs - they are yummy, yes, but eating them is too troublesome (my sister Kim, who is very patient and skilled in de-shelling - is there such a word?!? - crabs and is nice enough to give me some, can attest to this) This one I loved though because the shells are so soft you can actually eat all of it! And the sauce was just right - not too salty but not bland. One could really taste the crab flavor :)

Xiao Long Bao is sort of like siomai with soup inside. Was able to first try this in Sydney. And when we learned that it is available in Singapore (and then we also found out we have it here in Manila now - Crystal Jade and Lugang! - late I know…), we didn't think twice on ordering it. I forgot to tell my hubby about the hot soup inside so he sort of scalded his tongue when he took a bite - but that didn't change the fact we enjoyed it! :)

Asian Kitchen - not sure if it's a fast-food chain in Singapore but we had decent food there. :) We didn't order dessert there though - because we found out about mr. bean! We love the soy ice cream!!! We made it a point to buy some everyday! :)

Lemuria

Very long overdue but I wanted to share some of the nice places my hubby (then fiancé) and I have been to.. :) Won't go too far back (might mix up things.. hehe).

Valentines this year (did I mention this is long overdue?) - he wanted to surprise me and was trying to hide where we would be going... that failed though since he still wasn't able to help himself and told me the place's name: Lemuria :)

The place was a bit hard to find - or maybe it was just because we took a wrong turn. :P But when we finally got there, I knew it was worth it. The place was nice, cozy, and private. When we got there, we were directed to a table in the Lavender room. We were only the second couple there but throughout the meal the other tables got occupied - probably 'cause it's Valentines and people were really looking for nice date places. :D

We were given complimentary bread with butter and some oil I could no longer remember. Since it's been so long, all I could say is I really enjoyed the bread - I believe one had walnuts - am not a fan of nuts but I liked this one. :)

For starters, we had soup. Mine was Mushroom and Gruyere - a creamy forest mushroom soup topped with gratinated Swiss cheese.

Hubby had Prawn Bisque - Lemuria's take on a classic soup, with orange and pernod.

Both soups were thick and packed with flavor - making them a bit hard to finish. I would skip soup next time.

Next up are the mains. I had the Kurobuta Pork Belly. Menu description: slow braised Japanese pork then lightly browned, served with salaradise potatoes, porcini mushrooms, roasted figs and peaches, and scented with a red wine reduction.

This, I really enjoyed. The pork was of melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Am not a fan of fruity flavors in main dishes but this one is an exception. The serving was generous yet we finished everything - except for the potatoes - a feeble attempt at reducing carb intake. :)

For hubby, he had Sea Bass - pan seared Chilean sea bass with a mushroom risotto and fresh vierge.

This is also good, but we felt serving was not as generous as the pork belly. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it.

And of course, me being me, dessert is a must!

Forgot what this was called - it wasn't that great too. I am in constant search for good desserts and I could honestly say I've had better.

Can't remember exactly how much but our total bill was around 3k+.

The whole evening was magical - the trip there, the place, the ambiance, the food... but most of all, the company. :)

I'm Back! :D

After a very loooong break, I'm back! :D I was meaning to revive the blog for some time now, but I just couldn't remember my username AND password (my fault, i know...).

There will be a significant change in the mood of my posts (as seen in my rewrite of some poems). I recently got married to the man of my dreams - the same person some older entries pertain to. My older posts border on bitterness and angst and I lack those emotions now (lucky lucky me!) so I decided to just post about anything and everything that comes to mind :)

Flight

As promised, poem #2 rewritten... (formerly titled: "...") - click here to access the old version. :)

I dreamt of flying
and of the thrill, awe, and excitement it gives

But no, I wasn't the one with the wings
I wasn't the one gliding through the clouds
I wasn't the one flying
for I am afraid of falling

I'm terrified of jumping
I'm afraid my wings won't flap
I fear all the uncertainties around me

Do I need to jump at a specific time?
Do I need to have a certain angle?
What if my calculations aren't correct?
What if the wind I'm counting on fails me?
Will I fall into oblivion?

I may never get to fly
For I am afraid of falling
And I am terrified of jumping...

But then he came
He encouraged me to jump
And told me he'd be there to catch me

So I did.
I didn't fall.

I flew.
I am flying.
And I will keep on flying
For as long as I can...
For as long as he is here flying with me...

Rewritten with happy thoughts :)

It's been three years since I've last updated this blog... and a lot of things have happened. I intend to try rewriting some of my poems / lit files with a new flavor - one of happiness... :) First one would be an untitled one which I would be giving a title for this version (please click here to go to the old version):)

Dreams

Once I dreamt of flying high
And being able to touch the sky
Then I dreamt of corals rare
That their beauty in my eyes they'll bare

I also dreamt of flowers in bloom
Serenading me with all sorts of tunes
(I then dreamt of a snow in June
Caressing me once in a blue moon)

Then I dreamt of having you
And now it's all coming true...

Conqueror of dreams, we thank thee
For helping us see and do what needs be
And now that we finally have each other
We'll start living our own "happily-ever-after"...

10th floor

I had a weird dream last night. I was scaling a 10-storey building. Yes, scaling... I know I could have just used the elevator, or even the stairs... but for some reason, I chose to scale the building. So, there I was, trying to climb to the 10th floor.

The first steps were very difficult. I kept on falling. But soon, I got the feel of it and later on, I felt myself moving up. I was on the 7th floor when realization hit me. It seemed to me that no matter how much more I climb, the distance between me and the 10th floor doesn't seem to change. I still remain to be in the 7th floor. I was faced with two choices. Should I give up, let go and just hope that after my fall from the 7th floor, I'd somehow manage to survive? I will surely get hurt - a lot - but there's still a chance of survival. Or should I keep on climbing and hope against hope that I can somehow close the distance between me and the top floor? Wouldn’t that be akin to blindly reaching for something? And what if I exhaust myself before I succeed in closing the gap? I will fall and completely break myself... by then, would I even have the energy to pick myself up?

I woke up before I got to deciding between the two. Somehow, I understand the dream now... but I still don't know which choice to take.

What crossed my mind were even more questions: why did I decide to scale that building? Well, given I really wanted to scale, why, oh why, did I pick that building to scale? Why didn't I opt for something lower to start with? Or why didn't I just choose a building whose top floor doesn't move away?!?

...

I dreamt of flying

and of the thrill, awe, and excitement it gives

But no, I wasn't the one with the wings

I wasn't the one gliding through the clouds

I wasn't the one flying

for I am afraid of falling

I'm terrified of jumping

I'm afraid my wings won't flap

I fear all the uncertainties around me

Do I need to jump at a specific time?

Do I need to have a certain angle?

What if my calculations aren't correct?

What if the wind I'm counting on fails me?

Will I fall into oblivion?

I may never get to fly

For I am afraid of falling

And I am terrified of jumping