My week started kind of busy because my son and his buddy, Basti, had a playdate. And they played until past three in the afternoon which is by the way tiring for the moms as well!
Tuesday was another playdate with another set of new friends, Chloe and Ivy! I met their mums in a local Facebook page and I'm enjoying every moment of being inside that group. We are actually meeting again and I'm excited about that!
Wednesday was a breather but come thursday was a busy night this time. We had our leader's group fellowship which was very enjoying and fulfilling at the same time!
I still had the energetic vibe going until today, Friday! Since it's school holidays here in Australia, the grandchildren of Lolo and Lola are here. And that means more playmates and playtime for Ico! My son really moves around alot whenever they're here. He follows them here and there and tries to mimic what they're doing. The boys were kept busy by the secret hideout they were building and to bad for Ico he can only see it from the entrance. He's too small and fragile to squeeze through the entry they made to the base! We also went to the park, which was a great idea to let their energy let lose! We have this super big grass field near our house and they ran like wild kids! But it was a joy watching them. I have this lady friend who always go there to walk her dog. She goes there at the same we go to the playground. Today she asked me if they were all my kids because she thought I looked too young to have four! Hahahahaha
Weekends will be a bit more quiet around the house because the kids will be away. So this will be the time to get rest and follow-up on Ico's journal we have to prepare for playgroup!
That sums up my happy week! I thank the Lord that life here in Australia is getting back to normal, that is why me and Ico can do a lot of things in a week. I really pray the whole world heals and people really listen to rules so we can all enjoy going back to our normal lives again.
I found these photos inside Ezer's Nikon folder and suddenly I missed hanging out with these guys. They're the best spiritual and emotional group to be with and I can only be thankful to God He shared them to me. Upon seeing these photos, I immediately sent these via whatsapp to them for a throwback feel. Now we only have social media apps to keep us connected. Hope to see these guys soon!
Under the sunny and clear sky, my housemates and I headed down to the pool side to do some grilling and cooking. We managed to get up a bit earlier than usual and did some grocery shopping and prepared the meats in marinade. At around past one o'clock, our guests arrived which happened to be Tin's office mates. The reason they visited is because they also celebrated Tin's despedida or send off party from her office. She's taking a new job soon and she grew to love her team especially Filipinos.
We cooked a lot of seafood like shrimp, tilapia, bangus and clams, meats like pork liempo (which by the way was marinated in Mitch's great recipe!) and eggplants. We prepared side dishes like chopped green mangos and spicy bagoong, and tastey dips!
Here are photos both from Ezer's Nikon and my Cannon cameras.
Seeing these 4 girls made me appreciate how blessed we are to have Filipinos as work partners. They turn the challenging days and stressful jobs to laughter and funny moments. And most importantly, it doesn't make leaving actually hard, because you'll know that the relationship you made with them doesn't end in the walls of your workplace but beyond.
My current job here in Singapore is a slight deviation from my career path. Back in the Philippines, I am involved more in architecture compared here where I do mostly interiors. That's why you may not imagine how overwhelmed I was when I got to see the famous Singapore's new Sports Hub for the first time.
On a rainy Sunday evening, we went to visit Kallang Wave Mall in Kallang, Singapore. For first time visitors, the mall is actually part of the National Stadium or the new "Sports Hub" wide complex. But before we reached the mall, we have to walk around the sports center.
As I said, it was really an overwhelming experience. Call it over acting, but for me the feeling was unexplained. To see and experience this great architecture was a blessing. Nope already a great blessing. Upon being enclosed by the elaborate metal frame works and roof, I just stood their in awe. It took me a few minutes to take it all in after taking these photos. I mean, even on the connecting bridges to the bus terminals are designed together with the structure!
The place is so big but not to a point of being overwhelming. If you check out the fourth photo, there showed an idea of the scale of the place to a human level. Everywhere I looked, there was always good angle to take a photo of the place. The sports hub's plan is shaped to an oval so the visitors go around it.
In those moments I was taking it all in, I certainly felt that my passion and heart still goes to architecture. And up to this day, I would still hold what my mentor told me before I left his office, "When you get there, always remember what you love doing because that is where you are really good at."
An accidental shot under Singapore's National Stadium roof. The stadium is located along Kallang Road and can be reached by train (Kallang Station) or bus.
Hey guys! So let me ask you how did you spent the weekends of October? Just to remind some of us, we're facing the last weekend of the month tomorrow! So fast right! But before I let October end, I should be sharing to you what we've been up to. Of course, most of the days were spent at work but weekends were treated differently. These 2 day breaks were reserved for fun and physical activities!
Just last week, Ezer and I returned to Bedok not for biking or running but to try roller blades!
This activity was really memorable because we had an exciting, fun, interesting, adrenaline-rush, unforgettable, tiring, hurtful experience all in different levels! Gaaaaaaah! How do I even start? Okay, as adults, you get this level of confidence that makes you feel you can do anything a child is doing. Like skates for instance, yes we played with skates when we were young but we all know that without practice, a skill is useless! When we headed to the skates shop, we weren't prepared for what's to happen! While sitting and putting on my skates, I was still brave and excited. But when the moment came to walk or glide, to be honest I wasn't able to stand! The staff even have to hold my hand. Ezer was already a few steps away from me because of excitement. I was really screaming every freaking tiny step because I was really really scared. On the way out of the shop, I have to hold on to the display racks while walking! When I reached the part where there were no things to hold on to, I really had to convince myself (and a few encouragement from Ezer) that I had to move on. So one tiny glide at a time I reached the main street. Now this was even more scary because now there were bikes, joggers and skaters running here and there! The horror!
We parked on the grass and rested for a few minutes. The experience was tiring because I was straining my whole body especially my legs to balance. So I was like frozen to a bent position just to avoid falling. By the way, for beginners it's one position you must learn. After which, we skated again and surprisingly we reached the top of a small hill! I panicked for a bit trying to calculate and imagine how we'll go down. Suddenly, Ezer went ahead and inexperienced that he was, we didn't reached the end of the slope because he stumbled. Unfortunately, he got a bit hurt because he landed on a bad position. So we had to sit down and relax his body.
When I saw that trail, it made me appreciate plainly walking with my shoes and not skating! Haha
Due to his minor injury we decided to use the remaining hour to return back to the shop. Let me tell you that the return was the longest time of our lives! I mean, as much as you want to race back and get done with it, you can't! I even experience my one and only fall on the way back!
Finally seeing the shop again was like seeing a paradise in the dessert! It was a relief!
After skating, we said to ourselves never to skate again! Hahaha. We prefer to go biking or any other sport than this! But the whole trip was fun actually. Along the way, I mastered the art of intense concentration and good memory by trying to remember what the staff taught me. Brought me back to the time you're learning how to bike or do a hand stand! So I give ourselves a thumbs up and pat on the back by conquering our fear and challenging ourselves!
By the way, if ever you'll be in Singapore or Bedok and find yourself wanting to go inline skating, head to Inline Culture. They have skates and gears for rent and for sale. They have good promos too so best you grab them especially if you are beginners. The shop's location is easy to find because it's just beside Burger King and near Area D Campsite.
Here's a photo of their prices to guide you.
Will we say goodbye to skates? Nah. Our paths will cross again but not too soon! The thrill and challenge it brings is incomparable!
Let's embrace the last of October's weekend tomorrow!
My Let's all go on a site visit post for today reminds me of chocolate cookies and vanilla cream!
During this shoot, we were supervising the tile setting for a retail project. The designer had this concept of using reclaimed parquet flooring from Europe. They wanted to achieve that raw and aged look for the flooring. I believe this design highly relates to the concept of the brand of being in the industry for a very long time.
So what made me think of cookies? Standing beside the tile setter gave me a closer look of the tiles. The way the thick layer of creamy adhesive was placed on blocks of dark brown crispy looking tiles gave me the idea.
Good evening everyone on the same part of the world! It's actually a Friday today and after a yummy meal prepared by my housemate Tin, my heart and my tummy is full and I have lots of energy again! I decided to accomplish most of my pending entries for my site tonight and sleep to a peaceful weekend ahead! Woohoo!
Tonight I'll be sharing to you my experience dining in one of Singapore's newest and budding restaurant, Le Cuisine. Fine dining, delectable and good food comes to mind. But before we go straight to the food review, let me tell you how I ended up visiting this place.
That afternoon, we celebrated over a simple chocolate cake, my office mate and our boss' birthday. While eating, some joked our boss if he wants to extend the celebration by eating out. And he said yes without hesitation! He told us to book tables at Le Cuisine. It was my first time to eat there and have celebrations with my office mates and that day fell on a Friday too!
The restaurant is located in Chinatown Point. It's quite easy to spot because most of the dining area is visible and exposed to pedestrian traffic. Upon entering, you will be greeted by a lovely archway of green vines and elaborate grille work.
Since we were in a festive mood and I'm quite getting acquainted feasting with a new group of people, I wasn't able to take a lot of interior shots, but you can actually visit the website here and their fb page here.
Now enough of the interiors, we go to the food. Our boss was very generous to let us try any meal we want! And I mean any! So I quickly scanned thru the menu, which you can view here, and picked something that I don't usually get to eat because its too expensive. Being a person who doesn't want to go with the flow, I chose to eat the Braised Lamb Shank. But before I show you the main course, let me tell you that this resto also offers good and free appetizers too! I chose the Mesclun Salad which happened to be a best seller. According to the site it is, "mixed greens topped with dried berries, assorted nuts and tossed in raspberries and orange vinaigrette.". The dried berries, nuts and the not too empowering dressing made me love this salad. Actually, we just munched on the salad up to the end of the main course!
The meal comes with a free mushroom soup and bread while the chef prepared the food. One friend said that she got full eating two bowls of this one!
And finally, the star of the meal is here!
Tada!
I'm not very familiar how they do food reviews, but I have to say that the meat is well done and delicious! Some people were hesitant to choose this because they fear of the smell and sanitation but what the heck, it's still food you know! And it's cooked in an excellent way. The only setback for me was that the portion was too big for me. Maybe, we had a lot of appetizers before this that I got full and being a Filipino, I wished there was rice or mashed potato to match it with.
Good thing, to cleanse my palette, my boss ordered additional friend chicken! They said it was also one of the best sellers.
Some of my office mates ordered tenderloin beef, crab meat, sandwiches and pasta. And what better way to top a hearty meal?
A good glass of wine!
I suddenly missed my former boss because we usually associate wine with him because of his wide collection in Baguio.
Over bottles and bottles of wine, our group shared so many laughters and jokes and videos and photos. Here's some from my camera:
The photo above show's one of the boss in the middle, William, and my senior design manager, Koon.
See how wine makes you so happy? Next are my selfies with the birthday boys Koon (below) and William (photo after).
That boss of ours is a good fella because he's easy to take a selfie with! Finally our group picture!
At first we thought the wine was the highlight of the celebration but we were wrong! William treated us to the restaurant's good dessert! The Chocolate Fondant is something I have to say I still remember the taste and would always want to try.
Final group shot before leaving!
The place has only one entrance and exit which is the archway. Overall, the experience was very good and memorable!
Before we end, if you find yourself craving for western or international cuisine don't think twice to head to Le Cuisine. Actually, you don't even have to worry about the price because it is competitive but not too expensive. Thank you William, Koon and Wei Ling and thank you to Chef Daniel Koh and his staff for the good service and wonderful experience!
