"Invulnerable Faith" by The Catholic Clips

Captures our exact sentiments nowadays...


SOURCE: The Catholic Clips



I Miss the Old Scooby-Doo Cartoons (A Nostalgia-Infused Post)

Like most kids, cartoons also played a huge part of my childhood.  

My Favorite Singapore Malls (A Post About my Favorite Commercial Areas in the Lion City - Part 2 of 2)

Singapore is a shopper's haven.  So it's no surprise that there are malls here left and right.  It's unnerving, really, just how many there are (and here I thought we Filipinos were obsessed).  Take, for instance, the whole stretch of Orchard Road and its surrounding streets (considered the Lion City's main shopping area) houses a number of malls lined up side by side along its stretch.  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

In fact, the very first time I came to the Lion City, my head started spinning, taking into account all the malls there are here.  And if you're like me, you'll be just as overwhelmed, too.  So here's a list of malls in Singapore (not just along Orchard Road and in no particular order) that I love going to and my personal reasons for why they hold a special place in my uhmm... wallet heart (and I promise not to let my emotions and feelings of nostalgia run away with me here.  Well, not too much, anyway.  J)

Changi City Point Mall, Singapore

What’s Missing in our Local Philippine Malls (A Post About my Favorite Commercial Areas in Singapore - Part 1 of 2)

Like most Filipinos, I too, love going to malls.  I'm not very picky with the type of establishment I would visit.  Big ones, little ones; they really don't make any difference as long as (1) they're clean, (2) equipped with working air conditioners, and (3) are full of stalls and shops with interesting items for sale.

But ever since visiting and staying in Singapore (that mecca of commercialism and anything shopping-related) for a while, I find that there are a few, make that, a lot of things I wish we had in our local malls.  I'm not talking about the presence of more well-known international brands here (since I believe that Manila will slowly be littered with these shops very soon, anyway).  I'm talking about the installation of various conveniences and services that make it so much easier for shoppers to go about their business in the Lion City.

What am I talking about?  Well, here's just what I think is missing in our local Philippine malls.

Me in front of the old Borders bookstore at Wheelock Place, Singapore (circa 2008)

BreadTalk® Alternatives in Singapore (Petit Provence and Crystal Jade My Bread)

When BreadTalk® entered the Philippine market a few years back, they made such a huge impression that, up til now, a long queue is but only the norm in almost all their branches.  And to a population of otherwise voracious rice eating people, this came as such a surprise.  I mean, we are more or less hardwired to have rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (sometimes merienda, too, if you count our local rice-based kakanins).

Now in Singapore, these unique bakeries are also well-represented (case in point, BreadTalk® is a local venture).  But aside from them, there are also other places you can go to get your bread fix.

Petite Provence, Tampines 2 mall, Singapore

Resorts World Sentosa Singapore's (Fairly) Newest Attractions: The Maritime Experiential Museum™ and Marine Life Park™

It's a known fact that Singapore is a small country.  But what it lacks in size, it definitely makes up for it in fun attractions both locals and tourists can enjoy.  Take Resorts World™ Sentosa's (fairly) newest attractions, The Maritime Experiential Museum™ and Marine Life Park™.

The Maritime Experiential Museum™ and Marine Life Park™, Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore

Xi De Li (西得利) Fried Dough Fritter (A Singapore Food Post)

An unforgettable childhood memory of memory of mine was eating a simple home-made doughnut during a particular trip to Mindoro to visit relatives back in the 1990s.  The pastry itself wasn't unusual (it was a simple dough coated with sugar); but what stuck to me was how it was cooked.  It was fried!  And me, naive as I was, always thought that doughnuts were baked, hence should be considered one of the lesser sweet treat evils.

This belief I held on to til the early 2000s when, as I was in the midst of trying to lose weight (a lot of extra poundage, believe me), I was finally made to see the reality that indeed doughnuts were fried (the horror!!!), and I regretfully had to let them go from my diet.  I vowed never a fried dough would touch my lips again (a promise I wasn't able to keep but I was able to relegate this sinful dessert as an occasional bi-yearly treat.  Hehehe!)

Now the Husband, God bless his mutant fast metabolism, is a voracious eater and no matter what he eats and how many meals he has in a day, could never, for the life of me, even gain a single pound.  And one of his usual daily snacks would include these fried dough fritters from Xi De Li (西得利) called You Tiao.

Xi De Li (西得利), ION Orchard, Singapore