Hongkong April 2011- Day 1

Hongkong has always proven to be a place where E and I could really relax and bond. Because of our overly stressful worklife, we decided to take a break from it all. This time, with a one night stay in Macau, where E has not been to yet.

Here we are at the airport, waiting for our train to go to Tsim Sha Tsui where we will be staying:

This is us on the Airport Express:

And this is our room at the Royal Pacific Hotel and Towers. Though overpriced, its location is the best. China HK City (a mall full of outlet shops, McDonald's, a food court, Starbucks) and the China Ferry Terminal were just downstairs, and Harbour City a few steps away.

Me, lining up at Chanel to check out why there's always a long line!

Dinner with dear friend RJW at Chao Yang Restaurant at the 27F of iSquare Mall. Thanks R for the lovely dinner!

Happy 42nd Anniversary Mom and Dad!

We celebrated our parents' anniversary at the Dusit Hotel's Cross-over Lunch Buffet which was one of the best meals we've had. Guests have access to the four outstanding restaurants of the hotel: Umu for Japanese (where we stayed the longest), Benjaroong for Thai, La Tosca for Italian and the Coffee Shop for Filipino. Umu had the best selection, with the most tender salmon sashimi and the most juicy beef teppanyaki which we couldn't get enough of. We ended up at La Tosca where sparkling wine was served endlessly. Truly a memorable way of celebrating the anniversary to the best couple we know! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!

Three-in-One Celebration at Ye Dang

To celebrate MNC's birthday and her kids' J's graduation from high school (with honors) and N's 16th birthday, we treated the family to a delicious Korean dinner at Ye Dang. They have the best appetizers, and their beef and pork dishes are really good. As always, it was really great to see the gang!

Baby A's Baptism

The much-awaited baptism of our beloved Baby A finally happened today!

Here she is with her very cute "debutante" dress, she's so adorable. She has gained some weight and so kakagigil:
A photo with her "god brother", the son of Baby A's ninang C.

The priest, the parents with Baby A at the baptism:

The ninongs and ninangs:

The merienda reception with freshly cooked Ferino's bibingka and puto bumbong (they offer catering services so that their bibingka is cooked on the spot):

Puto pao, siomai and Heaven's barbecue. Simple fare, but so good, everyone enjoyed the merienda.

Mom's Birthday 2011

For Mom's birthday this year, she picked Marriott Cafe at the newest hotel in town, Marriott Hotel Resorts World. The Lunch Buffet spread was filled with our favorites: Japanese, Chinese, steak, lambchops, lechon, and a wide selection of desserts. Mom's birthday was extra special because she's with her new apo, Baby A. However, we missed my brother N's family.

Marina Bay Sands

We make it a point to play in casinos whenever we have the opportunity to be in one. We really don't expect to win but we believe that it is part of the fun to try, especially when Singaporeans have to pay SGD100 just to get into one, while we get in for free. And we get to have bottomless coffee, tea and bottled water. Plus, it was a good place to rest our aching feet. Lots of seats inside. Yes, we didn't really expect to win, but we did. For betting SGD6, we won SGD40 for a return of 567%, not bad isn't it? Especially if it buys us two tickets to the Marina Bay Sands Skypark!




Finally the weather clears after waiting for half an hour. Do not attempt to go up if it's raining, you won't see a thing! They don't allow umbrellas by the way.

Swimming at the infinity pool is only for hotel guests.

Of course, we had to go to The Shoppes! A lot of the shops were still closed but it was huge. By the way, shops close at 12 midnight. Maybe they want to make sure they are open when lucky winners from the casino collect their winnings. Who says Singapore nightlife is boring?

More Food Tripping in Singapore

Marina Bay Sands deserves an entry of its own, but since we ate at the casino's Tong Dim Noodle House, I've included our visit here. While it was impossible to have lunch on New Year's Day in the hotel and mall restaurants, this restaurant inside the casino was only half full. Maybe because locals would have to pay SGD100 just to go into the casino. The hakaw was one of the best we have tasted. For Hainanese Chicken Rice, Prawn Noodles, Hakaw and Coke Zero at SGD24, it was also very reasonable. The place was also worthy of several photo ops, as it was really nice.



Our friends EB and TB treated us to Ze Yeane in Redhill serving delicious Cantonese food. The restaurant is owned (?) and run by a former chef of the Raffles hotel. We feasted on the fish cakes, spring rolls and one of the restaurant's specialties, the chicken with herbs inside cooked in a special brown sauce.

Breakfast at Hilton's Checkers Coffee Shop was one of our vacation's highlights. You all know that I am a breakfast lover, but a deprived one because all I can manage for breakfast at home are crackers. The buffet spread had different dimsum, bacon, made-to-order omelettes, bacon, ham , sausages, congee, indian food, and all kinds of fruits and juices. You can even have several fruits combined for juice. Here I am with a sleepy but happy smile:

Auntie CM and Uncle G brought us to Pow Sing Restaurant in Seranggoon Gardens. It is known for its Hainanese Chicken Rice, said to be better than Wee Nam Kee's, and we know why. It 's chicken was very tasty, juicy and tender. We also loved all the dishes especially the chili prawns and the fish curry.

As always, we enjoyed Singapore's food so much, our excuse--- we got to exercise by walking a lot!

New Year in Singapore

Except for last year, E and I have found ourselves out of the country on New Year's for the past few years . This year, it was Singapore, because of some expiring Kris Flyer miles.

We went on the first SQ flight at 8:10 AM, but not without having our free breakfast at the Miascor Lounge (an American Express Platinum privilege, so if you have the card, you are entitled to this).


Our first choice for accommodation was the Mandarin Orchard because of its location, but it was already fully booked by the time we decided on the trip, so we ended up at Hilton Singapore, still along Orchard Road but further up near the Scotts Road intersection. Aside from the cheaper rates, Hilton also has a better selection for its Breakfast Buffet.

Also, for shoppers, the Hilton Shopping Gallery has the only Balenciaga and Mulberry boutiques in Singapore. For those with kids, Hilton is right beside Forum where Toys R Us is located.