HERE, FISHY FISHY!

I ordered these super cute seafood dumplings at the Ion Orchard food court exactly because they were that -- super cute! Bentang-benta sa akin. 

When I posted the photo on Facebook most people said di nila kaya kainin because they were:

• too cute, 
• looked alive, 
• nakakatakot, 
• nakakaawa. 

My Facebook reply: I agree. That's why I kissed them before taking a bite.

Now, I wonder, Ganito na ba ako katakaw? What most people won't eat, masayang-masaya kong binili to chow down. OMG. 

So were they good? OK lang. The stuffing: ground seafood (prawn, crab, and some fish). Was happier with the shark's fin dumpling. 

Dumplings: around SGD4
for each dumpling steamer set

Hubby ordered ToriQ (Japanese yakitori) for this merienda date.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Food For Thought. Good Food for a Good Cause.

#8 Queen Street, Singapore

(It's at the Sam at 8Q complex.)

Give clean water, make poverty history, inspire kind acts while you eat. Bongga. Game kami sa 'dating for a cause' so we tried Food For Thought. We had dinner here after seeing the film "Water Hands."

The facade.

The headless art installation (right in front of the resto and on top of the building across the street) is from another artist (name to follow), different from the one who created the headless Superman in front of the Singapore Art Museum. Headless as theme - Creepy? Artsy? Deep? All of the above?

The piece on SAM at 8Q reflects people's worldly and empty (thus mindless, headless) pursuits.

540 Jars hanging from the resto's ceiling. Read about the amazing light installation story here.

Zero-guilt indulgence? Hubby had the Crispy Curry Chicken with Spicy Chili Fries, Buttery Corn Salad and Roasted Tomatoes (SGD18, around Php630) on a placemat that says "Make poverty history." It was good. It's basic fried chicken with a twist -- nasa curry flavor ang twist. Big serving siya. It was actually good for two. Had we known na ganito kalaki, nag-share na lang kami.

I had the Calamari, Prawn & Salmon Risotto (also SGD18). It was good. Naumay nga lang ako. 

My placemat.

The food was good. But we're not raving. We're happy to have tried the place. And we got to help along the way so no complaints.

WATER HANDS at the SEA FILM FESTIVAL

Movie Date: "Water Hands," at the South East Asian Film Festival

SAM at 8Q, 222 Queen Street 

The festival will run until March 31, 2012

The Philippines' "Zombadings" is among the featured films! I'm so curious how the locals would find it.

Anyway, "Water Hands is a road movie about a Chinese sailor who starts doubting his beliefs after experiencing the beauty of the remote Balkan landscapes and the folk stories of the region. The more he explores the landscapes and the stories around him, the more he is determined to change something about himself. However, his attempt at making life-changing decisions become more difficult because of a woman, "She", a mysterious and sultry creature who keeps on calling him back to his country, his life and his reality."

The film-maker, Vladimir Todorovic on his creation, "After hearing numerous folk stories from the region (Serbia / Montenegro) and comparing them to the everyday life of an expatriate in Singapore, I decided to make a movie capturing these polarities. Thus, one half of the movie focuses on the reality of common people living in the economically devastated Balkans, while the other half paints quasi-bourgeois life of a foreigner in Singapore." 

Tickets: SGD10 each

Water Hands' director, writer, producer Vladimir Todorovic

I love how quiet the movie was. And it was fresh not to really see the cast mouthing their lines. You'll never get to see the sailor (Water Hands means sailor daw in Chinese.). While "She" (who represents the sailor's mother, sister, girlfriend, wife, mistress) has several exposures, never siya magsasalita on-cam. Puro thoughts. Puro reading out their exchange of love letters. 


With the journey Hubby and I are currently taking, relate na relate ako sa pelikula. I actually cried at the end of the movie, after "She" asked the final line of the film, "When are you coming home?" 

TRANSFORMERS: THE RIDE

Last week, we were freedom fighters in the ultimate 3D battle against the forces of evil!

We finally got to try Universal Studios Singapore's latest ride: Transformers, the ultimate 3D battle. It was super hi-tech, super fun! Parang masaya kung full length film ito. Haha! Waiting time for the ride: at least 30 minutes. So worth it.

With Optimus Prime.

Mahaba ang pila for photo op kaya sa gilid na lang ako pumwesto.

It's Bumblebee! He's my niece's favorite. 

I can't wait for her (and my sis P, and nephew T) to go to Universal Studios.

One day soon. *wink*

The first time we were here, sinamahan lang talaga ako ni Hubby. He's not into theme parks. But with the Transformers ride, gusto na rin talaga niya pumunta.  

It was a very fun date! Aside from the sights, rides and shows, another thing that made us smile: senior citizen couples lining up for the Transformers ride. We're so with you Lolos and Lolas! No one's too old for some play time.

Added joy: the park's only 45-minutes away via train from our Punggol home. Andyan lang siya. Just like the movies, madali lang mag-take three, four, five...!

For ticket info, check their website.

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

Through the toughest of times...

AT THE SAM

"Wish you were here." 

That's the overseas text message I sent Hubby when I visited the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) on my own last month. (See earlier post about it.) 

Headless Superman.
"No One Can Save Us." Mojoko + Eric Foenander

So when he came back from Manila, I made sure he'd see the wonderful SAM exhibits too. To me that's among the signs that you really love someone - you want everything to be shared experiences. 

We had a SAM date one Friday. Yes, I made sure Friday night (6-8pm) para free admission uli, yey!

Silly at the SAM
(Di kita pose ko.)

Amazing LED lights installation. 

"V" by Li Hui.

More from the Chimera exhibit.

From one of the Learning Galleries.

From the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize.

India's entry.

Korea's entry.

The winning entry from the Philippines -- Rodel Tapaya's Pinoy folklore mural.

At first glance this seems like an ordinary Persian rug right?

"Red Carpet," Rashid Rana (Chimera exhibit)

Up close, the artwork reveals photos of slaughtered animals.

Extreme close-up: Extremely bloody!

Now, for the piece that moved me the most. 

"Ash Color Mountains," by Aida Makoto of Japan. It's among the Jurors' Choice Awardees in The Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize.

"From afar, this monumental painting appears like a traditional Eastern landscape painting of the perennial misty mountains."

"However, the details reveal a different story altogether, for the mountains are composed of masses of office workers piled up high." 

"Like many of (the painter's) generation, he was a child of a 'salary man,' many of whom were often absent from the family because of the demands of work."

OMG. Major. Heartbreak. Moment.

Of course I remembered my Dad. He's been an OFW, one of the most talented Civil Engineers / Project Managers in the Middle East, almost all his professional life. We see him only once a year, for 45 days. Good thing we all make the effort to stay close. Snail mail, overseas calls, cassette tape recordings nung '80s!. Skype, Facebook and Face Time ngayon. So although we're physically apart, he's very much present in our lives. And we're close. Surprisingly even closer than some fathers and daughters who've lived under one roof all their lives. Good thing my Mom and Sister have been granted visas to move with him.

I also remembered all my mommy officemates. They'd always wish for more time with their kids. But like the men in the painting, they're forced to be away from the family because of the demands of work. 

Bilib ako sa artwork na ito. Ang tindi ng details! Pero ang mas matindi - the memories and emotions na hinugot niya from me. 

I tried so hard not to cry the first time I saw this. But it was just too powerful. 

We love museums. 

WAN LIN HEALTH CENTER

We are massage addicts bent on finding the best value-for-money massage place here in Singapore. So umikot talaga kami all over Chinatown. Basta may foot reflexology signage, sinisilip namin. We're happy with the services at Young, see my recent entry about it here. 

But our search for the best (mura at magaling) has led us to Bugis. We're glad to have found a really good and affordable health center -- Wan Lin, located at the Fu Lu Shou Complex. It's right across Bugis Street (very Greenhills / Tutuban), right beside the Albert hawker center. 

Wan Lin has a branch on every floor of the Fu Lu Shou Complex. If the ground floor branch is full, paaakyatin ka. The mall specializes on Daoist and Buddhist religious paraphernalia. Shoppers looking for lucky charms can go here. According to Wikipedia, "the mall is named after the Daoist concept of Fu Lu Shou, meaning, respectively, good fortune, prosperity, longevity."

Wan Lin has very good therapists. They so know which spots hurt. And how to work on them. We've been enjoying their foot reflexology and half body massage services. They have the most affordable price points (see below) based on our pag-iikot. Yes, based on SG standards, mura na yan. No fancy interiors here. Basic massage chair for feet services, and basic massage beds for body services. It's far from being a spa. "Health center" would be the best description for it talaga.

We love it here!

30 -minute Foot Reflexology
SGD18 = Php630

30-minute Half Body Massage
SGD25 = Php875

Health heaven! *sleepy, satisfied smile*

ON MY OWN

(Very late post.)

Another first: exploring a foreign country on my own, for days. Yey!

I've experienced exploring a new place on my own for a few hours. Kanya-kanya then meet up na uli. So for the first time, feel na feel ko ang pagiging solo traveler. Got to enjoy Singapore on my own during Hubby's short trip to Manila last month. 

The highlights:

1. Taking Bus 83's route via foot. 
2. Exploring the Tiong Bahru area.
3. The Singapore Art Museum exhibits. 

BUS 83

Hubby and I take Bus 83 from Punggol to the next town, Sengkang. It's cheaper and more convenient (no more transfers from the LRT line to the MRT). Out of curiosity -- how many steps from Punggol Field to Sengkang's Compass Point mall? -- I decided to take the bus route via foot. The answer: almost 2,600 steps. I enjoyed the 40-minute pasyal-pace walk (15 minutes lang via bus). The experience confirmed: "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." 

Things I never saw from the bus:

My usual view of the Cove@Punggol sails...

Ganito pala ang likod nila, hehe.

It was my first time on this pedestrian bridge, along Punggol Road.

I stopped to watch the busy highway. 

First time through this walkway.

First time at the Sengkang Sculptural Park.

That's the Sengkang LRT.

Sengkang's Compass Point mall: the nearest MOS Burger, Mr. Bean, Yoshinoya branches from our "province" of Punggol. Hehe. We also like Kopitiam's stalls here. Our favorites: the one that serves Taiwanese fare, and the chicken rice stall.

TIONG BAHRU

Explored one of the oldest housing estates of Singapore, Tiong Bahru (green line). According to Wikipedia, "It was the place of choice of the upper class and the place where the rich and powerful kept their mistresses." Pre-World War II era. I got intrigued after seeing an episode of Anthony Bourdain's newest show, The Layover. 

What to see: Tiong Bahru's Art Deco homes. It was like being transported back in time. Aliw!

The Tiong Bahru Market is supposed to be among the most popular hawker centers in Singapore.

But it was empty on a weekend.

For the list of the best food here, see Lady Iron Chef's blog. Anthony Bourdain liked the Chwee Kueh in The Layover episode I saw. But I wasn't hungry. So I just ordered lemon iced tea. It was perfect, especially after so much walking under the SG sun.

SAM: SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM

Loved the exhibits at The SAM. I'm especially ecstatic to have discovered that admission is free (Yey, free!) every Friday, 6-8pm. I vowed to take Hubby to the exhibits. Gusto kong ma-experience rin niya ang na-experience ko. I was in awe with most, if not all, of the artworks! I'll blog about our SAM date separately. 

V by Li Hui. 

Installation with laser lights. 

Pinoy Pride: Rodel Tapaya's mural won Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize. Mabuhay!

Although I missed my Hubby so much, I was very grateful for the opportunity to explore SG on my own. Traveling alone is something every woman should try at least once in her lifetime. And for those who do it regularly, bow ako sa inyo. At happy ako to be among you now. 

Another item off my Life List. 

Thank you, God. *big smile*