Random...

2013, I'm not liking you very much.

Indian for lunch...

As mentioned in a previous blog post, Sunday lunch was at an Indian restau in Turf City called Curry Gardenn. Yes, it's double "n." I'm not so sure why.

Mr. Lim said that he had previously tried Omakase Burger, which was right across Curry Gardenn. However, I wasn't really in the mood to pay for $20 for a burger, even if Omakase Burger is said to be quite good. Hehe!

That's why Mr. Lim, PG Boy and I just agreed to go for Curry Gardenn. It turned out to be quite a good decision as the food was enjoyable.

The lady who attended to us was also very knowledgeable and very good in helping us select what to try. The way she described the food may make one think it was the solution to all problems. Hehe.

We ordered the fish tikka masala, chicken masala, mixed vegetables, garlic naan and rice. I would have loved to try the briyani though. It looked very good when I saw a plate brought to the table next to us. I also ordered samosas, since I really like it. Hehe! The mango lassi was also worth ordering.

While the food took some time to arrive, it was okay because we first munched on the compli pappadam that was served with gravy. Hehe!

It was a good lunch, I must say. For the food and drinks, each one of us just shelled out about $13. Not bad at all.

I would definitely want to come back. Too bad it's too far. Haha!

Curry Gardenn
Address : 200 Turf Club Rd, 01-06
Singapore - 287994
Tel. No. : 6314-4640
Web: http://www.currygardenn.com
Hours: Monday to Friday: 11am to 3.30 pm; 5.30 to 10pm
Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 10am to 4pm; 5 pm to 10pm

Sunday noontime at Pasar Bella...

Since Saturday evening, I was not feeling very well.

I am not sure if it has anything to do with the weather. Or if some bug is going around. I just felt feverish. With nothing planned, PG Boy and I just had dinner and then headed back.

Yesterday morning, I was feeling better. I woke up a bit late for Mass but thankfully, I still managed to reach the church in time.

Ian and MkSurf8 invited for brunch, but I opted to skip as I wasn't sure about whether I'd get better. Another reason was because I think I sort of agreed to meet up with Mr. Lim along with PG Boy. Mr. Lim asked if I was up for a hike this past weekend. I told him I didn't have my hiking gear with me and that I wasn't really feeling very well.

Also, I needed to allot some time to head to the library to borrow some books for the tour paper I need to write.

So around noontime, PG Boy and I were at the Bishan Public Library borrowing some books on Singapore history. Afterwards, Mr. Lim picked us up and off we went to the weekend market at The Grandstand (formerly known as Turf City).

After a nice, hearty lunch at an Indian restau named Curry Gardenn, the three of us walked to the nearby weekend market named Pasar Bella to check it out. Pasar in Malay means market. Bella in Italian means beautiful (but I guess you already know that).

Mr. Lim was saying that the Pasar Bella was similar to the Fremantle weekend market at Perth. Since I have never been to Perth, I just went with him to see what it was. If it reminded Mr. Lim and PG Boy of Perth, then it reminded me of Mercato at Fort Bonifacio.

That's what Pasar Bella pretty much is - a nice weekend market where one kind find almost all kinds of stuff including fresh produce and seafood, home decor items, cakes, pastries, macarons, coffee, tea, cheese, wine and so on. There was one store that sold paella! I wish I knew about it before lunch. Hehe!

There were many things to take photos of but unfortunately, my blasted iPhone was acting up and my photos turned out to be quite dull. Hehe!

After lunch and coffee, PG Boy and I headed back home, while Mr. Lim decided to go to Orchard to do some shopping.

I was really tired when I reached home. It was puzzling for me why. Anyway, it was a good Sunday afternoon.

Oh, the thing about Pasar Bella is that it is so difficult to reach. I dun think it's accessible by bus.

CDG and MBMJ: Up for grabs on Ebay and Gumtree...

After years and years of being on the buyer side, I've finally set up today a seller account for Ebay. Hehe!

The first items I've put up for sale are two much-loved items.

In the last quarter of 2012, I kind of went on a Comme des Garcons phase.

The phase was partly influenced by good friend I-van and partly by the good offer by Club21 then.

The result, I have two extra Comme des Garcons tees and two extra Marc by Marc Jacobs tees that have been hanging in my closet since.

All four have never seen the light of day (lol!) and I feel that I won't be going to put them on anytime soon.

That's why I decided that I should probably put them up for sale at insanely discounted prices and let someone else (hopefully, a CDG or Rei Kawakubo or Junya Watanabe or Marc Jacobs fan) enjoy the pieces.

Asking price for the CDGs is $50 each. Asking price for the Marc by Marc shirts is $40 each. And because I am come from an archipelago where haggling is an art, prices are negotiable. Hehe!

Hopefully, some fan will stumble upon the items. Hehe!

Also, planning to put them up on Gumtree. Whee!

Friday is a holiday...

This Friday is a public holiday in commemoration of Buddha's birthday aka Vesak Day.

I'm really itching to get out of the island, even for just a day.

The one thing I really want to go to is the beach. I already pictured myself on a sun chair by the swimming pool with the current book I'm reading. There's a very cold bottle of beer or a fruit shake on a side table. The only loud sound is that of water from the nearby sea splashing as it hits the rocks.

Ahh, that would be really nice.

I told PG Boy about it. The first thing that came to my mind was the beach resort in Batam that Ian, Chris and MkSurf8 went to two years ago.

I went online to check ferry rates. It was cheapo. I emailed the resort to ask about the day pass rate. It was also quite cheapo.

In my mind, it was a good plan. We can take the first ferry out of Singapore, spend the entire day at the resort, and then take last ferry from Batam heading back to Singapore. I also cannot do an overnight stay because I have a museum session the following day.

However, PG Boy still needed to confirm. Lol.

The other option that came to mind involved neighboring Johor Bahru. Obviously, it's not my first choice but it's the next option. I dun mind going to that reflexology place PG Boy and I usually go to when we're in JB. I could definitely use a fully body massage. A delicious meal at the Chinese restaurant a few steps away would also be nice.

The other thing I wanted to do in JB was to check out the Royal Museum. Yes, JB has one. I learned from one of the curators of the National Museum of Singapore that the royal museum in JB holds quite a number of interesting artefacts.

I Googled for the museum and the sites I saw both say that the museum is closed on Fridays. Boo!

Oh well, we'll see, we'll see.

Mummy Secrets of the Tomb Exhibition at ArtScience Museum...

Photo above from here.

Since last Saturday was International Museum Day, PG Boy and I headed to the museum to unofficially celebrate the said event. Hehe!

Nah, we just really had nothing else planned for Sunday afternoon. I would have wanted to visit one of the museums that offered free admission because of International Museum Day.

However, I expected the museums to be very crowded. Since PG Boy and I were both interested in the Mummy:Secrets of the Tomb exhibit, we just decided we'd go for that one. It wasn't free though. Hehe!

Six mummies are featured at the exhibit. The "star" of these mummies, however, is Nesperennub, a 3,000 year old mummy.

The exhibit begins with a short documentary on the project undertaken by the British Museum to know more about the 3,000 year old mummy. Aided by advanced CT scanning technology and computer visualisation techniques, the museum experts were able to "virtually unwrap" the mummy. It was quite a very interesting 3D documentary. Uhm, I think it may be a bit scary though for the kids.

Also in display are more than 100 stunning artefacts such as statuettes, amulets, figurines that are thousands of years old. The artifacts were quite interesting. When I think about how old they are, I can't help but be amazed.

There was a sign that says no photography allowed, but I saw a few people taking photos. In fact, there was even one person who used flash photography! Hehe!

The exhibit runs until 4 November 2013. Drop by the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands if you're interested in ancient hitory.

Today is International Museum Day...

Photo from here.

In celebration of International Museum Day, free admission at a number of museums across the island. Yay! Among the museums with free admission are Asian Civilisations Museum, Peranakan Museum, Reflections at Bukit Chandu (which I've yet to visit), Singapore Art Museum (SAM) and SAM at 8Q, and of course, the National Museum of Singapore.

Angry Asian man... :-P

I think I have to stay away from news sites.

The recent news reports have really been making my blood pressure skyrocket. Lol!

I'm turning into one angry Asian man.

It's not just about news from Philippines. It's just from different parts of the region. Hehe!

For some reason, it is kind of difficult not to react and get angry. I dunno. It may be because now I feel like I'm more part of a region and not just one country. Back in the Manila, the news would make me angry but it would more about local news and not so much about regional news.

I guess having moved and lived to another country have paved the way for me to be more interested in regional affairs.

Anyway, just this morning, I read a news report that infuriated me once again. Haha! (I swear sometimes I'm tempted to stop reading news.) I was so angry that I had to message PG Boy about it. I can't believe what I was reading. And what's making me even more angry is that the culprit is the same one that caused such a big problem a few decades ago.

It's just irresponsible journalism, imho. Uhm, scratch that. I don't even think it can be called journalism. It's just irresponsible writing. What's kinda worrying is how the words will be received by those who would get to read the article.

No wonder someone said the pen is mightier than the sword.

By the way, the photo above is of Phil Yu. He's the guy behind Angry Asian Man.com. Yes, the site exists. Photo is from here.

Happy birthday, Tonio...

Today is the birthday of one-half of the reason why I exist - my father.

He is 79. Sometimes, I find it hard to believe that he's just a year short of 80. I know he's already upon his twilight years but my memory of him is always of that man on the day I flew out to Singapore a few years ago.

On my most recent visit to Manila, I saw how much he has aged. I think I may have mentioned that in a previous blog post. But seriously, I can't believe how two years have done so much to change him. He was definitely not the man I remembered leaving behind in 2011.

The past few months have been quite trying for the entire family. Somehow, there is something that is holding our family together. I couldn't quite put my finger into what it is just yet. But whatever it is, I am thankful for it.

Last Sunday, I called home to greet my mom Happy Mothers Day. Little did I know that it would also be some sort of Fathers Day. My Dad asked to talk to me.

And for the next minute or two, things that have been waiting to be said for a long time were uttered. That, I think, gave us something we both needed.

Happy birthday, Tonio. Though I'm not there today, I am saying an extra prayer for you tonight. I also look forward to seeing you on my next visit.

A nation's biography and a woman's memoir...

History is the current theme of the titles that I've just read and started reading. Hehe!

As part of my training for the museum guiding activity at the National Museum of Singapore, I picked up a copy of Mark Frosts's and Yu-Mei Blasaingamchow's Singapore: A Biography.

I've just finished the book and I'm quite confident that I've picked up the key events and personalities that any museum guide should at least know.

Also, the book gave me a much better understanding of the country that adopted me. When I learned that I got the job in Singapore, I told myself that one thing I was really going to do when I get here is to immerse myself in the local culture, to learn about the local way of life.

This thinking I suppose stems from the years I was volunteering/working with the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod (the volunteer program of the University of the Philippines). One of the programs I handled was the Summer Immersion Service Program. Every summer, a group of students would be deployed to very remote areas around the country where they are to stay for about three weeks. The aim really of the program is for the students to see that there is something happening outside of the classroom and that there is a need to do something, especially that we belong to the country's premiere state university.

That kind of "learning" was the reason why I really wanted to be involved in different activities while living in Singapore. Believe it or not, I hardly get bored when I'm in Singapore. There are quite a number of things to do around the island. Having lived here for two years (and I'm hoping it will be for several more years), one thing I would like to do really is to show visiting friends that there is so much more to Singapore than Orchard Road. Hehe!

Anyway, the topic deserve a post on its own. I'm going back to the book. What I really loved about the book is that it introduced me to personalities that not too many people know about I guess. We're talking about individuals who don't get to be in the same spotlight that is given to Raffles. People like William Farquhar (who I generally liked very much more than Raffles), Elizabeth Choy, Mamoru Shinozaki, David Marshall, Constance Goh, Mrs. Siraj, May Wong (as in May Wong bar at Neil Road! Haha!), even the rickshaw pullers, the coolies, the convicts, the amahs, the samsui women, and so on.

In a way, reading the book also allowed me to look for parallel histories between Singapore and the Philippines. Hmm, to a certain extent, I think this is one thing I will be able to offer museum visitors when I become an official museum guide. I can relate Singapore history to the histories of neighbouring countries.

Singapore: A Biography is certainly going to help me do that as it is my bible on local history. Hehe!

Meanwhile, the other book is the memoir written by Grace Coddington. In the first few pages of the book, Grace wrote that people only learned of her or became more interested in her after she was featured in the documentary The September Issue.

Grace, I know you won't get to read this, but I want you to know that I have known about you long before The September Issue. And even then, I was already a fan. Sally Singer was correct when she said you are one of the greatest living stylists ever. Because you really are. Period.

I think those who were mentored under her are very lucky. Hehe!

Anyway, I just started on the book. It's been with me since December 2012 (!!!). Haha! I kept on delaying because I didn't want to take out of it's plastic wrapping. Hehe!

What I wouldn't give for the book to be signed by Grace Coddington.

More on the book after I finish it.

What book are you currently reading?