Laid-back life in Tsuen Wan

Tsuen Wan is an area in New Territories which is considered more affordable than areas in Hong Kong Island or Kowloon. Since we couldn't find an affordable and at the same time comfortable and spacious accommodation in Tsim Sha Tsui, we resorted to booking in Silka Far East Hotel which was within walking distance from the Tsuen Wan MTR, City Landmark and other shopping malls, and commercial and recreation areas in the district. It is a value hotel that would pamper your needs but staying there would make you spend more on MTR transpo going to and from TST, though they have free scheduled shuttle service to certain routes. If you are on a tight budget, and you don't mind staying in a boxlike low-budget accommodation, the Chungking Mansion and Mirador Mansion, two famous buildings in Kowloon's Nathan Road offer some of the cheapest rates in town, both have become a legendary haunt for backpackers and budget travelers. It is still comparably cheaper to stay in a budget hotel in Kowloon accessible to all places than to stay in Tsuen Wan.

Our room overlooking the park view outside

this is how messy I pack

The Hong Kong government decided to develop Tsuen Wan as a new town settlement in the 1960s to relieve the growing population in Hong Kong and Kowloon. Tsuen Wan began as an industrial area consisting of factories, but today has developed into a residential and commercial area similar to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. I feel very safe in Tsuen Wan, the locals are nice and they seemed more approachable than the busy and classy crowd of TST. A local even helped me drag my heavy suitcase down the MTR stairs 'cos I was obviously looking depleted of strength maybe.

Dining Lounge, trying to get a wifi connection

Prices of McDonald's and KFC just like everything vary from place to place. It is cheaper in Tsuen Wan.

Staying in the hotel made me want to just slouched at the dining lounge and sip free unlimited coffee. The ambiance was really peaceful and I've felt so safe. But still, my goal was to see HK and not to stay comfortably in a hotel.

They serve the same buffet every morning :( Anyways it was still an advantage of having to eat hotel breakfast than eating McDonalds again and again.

Siomai

Sausage and nuggets

Mini Pancakes

How I love their coffee above all :)

Goodnight :)

Best Friendship celebration @ Conti's

Best Friendship is when a SORRY and a SMILE is enough to bring back things normal again.

It was my best friends vacation and we decided to see each other again after so long. We've planned to eat at Da Fort Strip but to our dismay it was raining that day and my friend just got her hair rebonded so she needed extreme effort not to get it wet even by few raindrops. We ended up choosing the nearest restaurant which we always end up eating at before. Conti's in all fairness never failed our tummy and our pockets since their menu is very affordable.

We ordered our favorite seafood pesto

Since the day serves as our mini reunion we ordered a slice of peach walnut cake and I asked the hostess for a candle.

To our surprise, what supposed to be just a free candle became a free slice of cake and my candle request.

Hmmmm Conti's Caesars Salad is far more exquisite than Mary Grace'

Since we didn't want to be apart again so fast, we headed to the movie theatre but there was no cool tagalog movie (we were feeling jologs and happy we want tagalog movie) so we just had our bonding over a cup of coffee.

I missed by best friends so much. Hope to see them again, hope to be with them again and again. The lesbo lindas.

Fish and Co perfect for celebrations

It was our bestfriend Lufelyn's bday, and since we've been apart for quite too long, we cajoled her to celebrate her special day somewhere fancy!

To complete the celebration we bought her a blueberry cheesecake at Bizu

Pasta Marinara

I effin miss my bestfriends, rosephil lubba and arene

Our delectable dinner

Battered Fish and Fries

Seafood Paella Rice

The presentation is so homey. What a fancy

To spice up the night, luf brought a premium redwine

Faux-Pasalubong: The Top 5 Best Bargain Shopping Places in Manila

The Philippines does not only get pride from its beaches and other God-given attractions. If you’re quite a shopaholic, the Philippines won’t leave you singlehandedly, one may opt to try the malls constructed to cater to everyone’s needs or try haggling for the cheapest finds in Manila’s popular bazaars. A visit to Manila cannot be complete without a trip to at least to one of its shopping hubs which mark a distinctively Filipino atmosphere: busy and bustling, but jovial, conventional, pleasant and never impersonal.

Meanwhile, most travelers aren’t really finicky on buying goodies, admit it or not but impulsive buying cannot be won over easily, especially when we see things the first time; we could not contain our excitement to have whatever’s the latest. As suggested by Maslow’s theory, man's needs never will be fully satisfied. As soon as one need is satisfied a new and higher need will arise. Thus I've prepared a list of Top five shopping bargains in manila where you can shop ‘til you drop.


GREENHILLS SHOPPING CENTER ‘TIANGGE’

If Shenzhen has Luoho market, we have Greenhills

Tiangge used to mean "market", but currently, the word Tiangge describes a group of stalls inside a building. The more technical term is "flea market" but upscale crowds prefer to call it "bazaar".




The most famous of course is the Tiangge of Greenhills, San Juan City, in the middle of Metro Manila where sometimes we see busloads of tourists. During the Christmas season, the schedule is adjusted until late hours of the night. It usually has a night market or ‘midnight sale’ which is the starting point of Greenhills’ humble beginnings.

It started in the mid 1970’s when the management came into mind to organize a Christmas bangketa sale to help tenants dispose of their old inventories. The event drew crowds of patrons looking for cheap but quality products. It then became an annual event, came 1988 and it became bigger and better.

MANILA, Philippines - The Tiangge at Greenhills Shopping Center is a favorite urban bargain center of cost- and quality-conscious Filipinos. It is, after all, the country’s biggest tiangge and carries the widest variety of clothes, jewelry, gadgets, home furnishings, decorative plants and gastronomic delights, among many other great finds, at very attractive prices. (The Philippine Star, May 28, 2010)

Eventually, more and more entrepreneurs joined the tiangge, thus tripling its size. These have made Greenhills Shopping Center Tiangge a place where both locals and tourists, from a diverse range of social classes, come together to satiate their cravings for best-quality items at affordable prices. Outside the bazaar is a food strip as well as more relaxing high-end sections; Promenade and Greenhills Theatre Mall. The advantage of Greenhills is that the Tiangges are in the middle of high end communities.

MARKET MARKET PASALUBONG STALLS

Famous Pasalubong in different regions of Philippnes can be found at food stalls at Market! Market! Fort Bonifacio Global City.Convenience, location and selection are the primary advantage of this open-air shopping place. You can find a sea of stalls each representing different regions of the Philippines and the foods which they are famous for.

No trip is complete without hunting for the perfect pasalubong items to bring home to family and friends, and Market Market has many unique and interesting items that loved ones are sure to appreciate.

PASALUBONG - ROOT WORD: SALUBONG (TO WELCOME)

pasalubong - n. homecoming treat, souvenir Tagalog Lang Dictionary
When Filipinos go on a trip or live overseas, they are expected to bring back gifts on their return. That's pasalubong! It's a big deal. If you don't bringpasalubong to people who welcome you, they'll think you never thought of them while you were away.




The outdoor market has over 60 vendors that sell mostly flowers, plants, fruits, and a lot more. This stall representing CEBU is famous for its delicious dried mangos. Philippine Brand Naturally Dried Mangoes are without a doubt the best tasting Dried Mangos in the world to be found in Cebu and conveniently at Market Market.

BALIKBAYAN HANDICRAFTS

If you’re bored of the usual and want to find something superb and extraordinaire that manifests the Philippines, one way is to visit Balikbayan Handicrafts to find treasures of Filipino traditional flair and rich culture.

For the past 40 years Balikbayan Handicrafts has reach it recognition. The 2 big stores located in Makati City and Pasay City has a display area of about 2,300 sqm each. These stores carry an amazing variety and assortment of handicrafts – from hand carved 18-ft. wooden statues, 12-ft long one-piece wood dining table, picture frames to tiny shell keychains and knick knacks.

Products are made from wood, shell, fiber, paper, bamboo, vines, resin, leaves, metal, clay, and other indigenous materials. Items can be traditional, innovative, or novel.

Visit their website at: http://balikbayanhandicrafts.com/export-wholesale

DIVISORIA

Ultimate benchmark for value shopping. Jatujak of Manila.

Even with different shopping tastes, any traveler is given wonderful options on how and where to shop. However, the essence of shopping in the capital city of Manila cannot be seen in malls. The only place to do serious shopping is to go to Divisoria in Central Manila. Divisoria is, the wholesale shopping center, where most local and imported goods from nearby China and Southeast Asian countries, ranging from dry goods to toys to perishable exotic fruits and flowers can be had at least a third of the price.

Shopping in Divisoria is like being hooked on playing online games. You use your money as credits. As you go along, you are bound to encounter some of the most unpredictable obstacles.

The Tiangge that is well-known for having the cheapest price is called "168" which in ‘Chinese feng shui’ means unending wealth or fortune. This is a mall in Divisoria near Manila's Chinatown and the pier. This is also near Divisoria Mall which is the original destination of bargain hunters.

1. Haggling- This is a shopaholic mantra. One good practice on haggling is to give your best price a little above half of the original price given to you. Expect that they won’t give in to your offer but at least you can haggle your way up until you both agree. Haggling is perfectly fine as long as you don’t insult the seller by haggling really low.

2. Buying in bulk- You can avail the items at half the original price when you buy in bulk or wholesale. This applies especially when you’re shopping in 168 Mall, Divisoria Mall, Tutuban Mall or Meisic Mall in Divisoria. Better bring your friends with you so you could save more.

LANDMARK MALL

If time does not permit you to go around the country, good souvenirs shopping can be done at other department stores and also the Landmark.
Also found in Landmark is cluster of malls like Greenbelt and Glorietta where practically every whim of a shopper can be found - bargain shopping, high-end shopping, sports apparel shopping and a lot more.

The Landmark is famous for its supermarket in which you can find varieties of goodies comparatively lower than that of another popular and supermarkets like Rustan’s and other high-end supermarkets. Most state of the art restaurants located in Greenbelt and nearby malls shop at Landmark because the supermarket is synonymous with high quality merchandise at a lower price.

This is where one could comfortably get all they need in just one stop. The goods are nicely, conveniently and accessibly displayed and there are good number of open cashiers to avoid long queues of paying customers. There are sufficient and wide array of choices of all products

Home made New York-style pizza

One of the famous culinary delights is making of pizza, and my favorite ofcourse is New York style pizza with very thin crust crisp middle you can savor and catch the taste of the bread and the heap and cheesiness of the sauce more flavored with basil and olive oil.

New York-style pizza originated in New York City in the early 1900s, and in 1905, the first pizza establishment in the United States was opened in New York's Little Italy. It is known for its large, wide, thin, and fold-able yet crispy shape.The pizza is sold by the slice and as a whole pie, and is particularly popular in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Regional variations exist in Northeast and other states in the U.S.

Lucky me, this is a no frills pizza so making it at home ain't just for experts.

Yields: 1 large or 2 small pizzas

Prep Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoon (1 package) instant dry active yeast

1 cup warm water (not hot!)

1/2 tablespoon sugar

3 cups bread flour, or as needed

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Add the water, yeast, sugar, and a 1/2 cup of the flour into a mixing bowl. Stir well and let sit for 20 minutes. It will get bubbly. 

Add olive oil, salt, and 2 cups of the flour, and mix with a wooden spoon until it's together enough to turn out on to a lightly floured work surface to knead.

Knead for about 10 minutes, while adding more flour a little at a time, to produce a soft, elastic and slightly sticky dough. Do not add too much flour, just enough to keep it from sticking to the work surface as you knead. 

Form the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Drizzle a few drops of oil and coat the top of dough to prevent the surface from becoming dry. 

Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot for 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size. 

Punch down the dough and divide into 2 balls and place in large zip lock plastic bags and refrigerate overnight. (But in my case, since my nephews couldn't wait, i set aside the dough for just an hour). Though foldable crust is best achieved with a cold rise in refrigerator.

Before use, let the dough come up to room temperature before using.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Divide the dough in half. Dust pizza peel or baking sheet with flour or cornmeal and roll the dough. Brush pizza dough with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread 1 cup homemade tomato sauce (blended cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, pepper, salt and basil) evenly over dough.Sprinkle 1/4 cup basil leaves on top of sauce then-after sprinkle parmigiano if you have or an ordinary Eden cheese topped with Quickmelt Eden Cheese as Mozarella is not available in most local stores in PH. Oven for  8 to 10 minutes until cheese is bubbling and the edges are golden brown.

Sikad sikad (jumping shells)

Sikad-Sikad is a seashell also known as jumping shells, for it uses its foot to jump out the sand. This type of shell is abundant in Palawan and in other provinces, but is also seasonal.

Sikad sikad simmered in coconut milk is my favorite viand. Below is the simplest way of cooking it.

Be sure to set aside the shells first, to let it excrete dirt

Wash the snails well, and add them, still in their shells, to a large saucepan of boiling water; cook for 10 - 15 minutes.

Rinse very throughly afterward under cold running water. Spread out to dry on clean cloths.
Place the snails in a flameproof casserole containing water, olive oil, whole peeled garlic cloves and washed malunggay leaves, 
Simmer for 15 minutes over moderate heat. Add salt and ginger.
Add coconut cream. Lower heat. Do not stir.

Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Halfway through cooking, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the gift from the ocean and taste it's sweet meat even more sweetened by the coconut milk. 

Cheese Steak with my favorite mortals

Ahhhh, how I craze and crave for greasy foods loaded with cheese. Cheese steak is an american diner just along Amorsolo that we often visit for a snack. 

Hoagie, i love you so much. Every bite gets me high I could finish a whole of this, but it's better to share since the price is too lofty

Their sweet barbecue flavored version of Chicken Buffalo Wings

chatting with my bestfriends

hey, take a willowy snapshot of me with my food wearing my comfy dress pambahay

hmmmmm coffee in the afternoon. More strong than Select's caramel macchiato 

Hating Kapatid :)

In my present life, I truly miss my besties, the food adventures and last minute getaways. True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but not in heart.

Mongkok: Chopsticks please!

It was my best friend's official last day at work, and we decided to celebrate it together over a Chinese food dinner while contemplating on life's what-ifs and must-have-been.

On our way to Greenbelt

hot kalamansi juice since it was cold and raining outside

Mongkok's rice with mushrooms. Had I known it was this saucy I wouldn't have ordered it. I don't like too much sauce in my food. But it was still appetizing though.

Calamares

Sweet Tender Pork

Xiaolongbao is a type of steamed bun or baozi from the Jiangnan region of China, especially Shanghai and Wuxi. It is traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets, hence the name (xiaolong is literally small steaming basket).Xiaolongbao are often referred to as soup dumplings or simply dumplings in English.

In the pantheon of Chinese cuisine, few foods inspire as much passion as xiao long bao. Begin your Chinese meal by ordering the famous XLB, which very few Chinese restaurants serve. Often referred to as ‘soup dumplings’, which actually is a steamed bun wherein the soup is right inside the bun. 

The question is: how did they get soup inside the dumpling?

Answer: The soup is solidified & added in lumps to the filling – this will then melt & form soup when the dumplings are steamed.

But for the less fanatic, the pursuit of XLB is simply about theater and sensory pleasure; the faintly sweet scent of hot bamboo as the steamer basket (the long in xiao long bao) arrives, and the dramatic whoosh of steam as the lid is lifted, revealing an array of symmetrically swirled sachets. Then, the best part: the heavy sag of the dumpling as you carefully maneuver it to your porcelain spoon, the tangy whiff of vinegar, and the burst of soup in that first bite. 

很好吃！很香！ （hen3 hao3 chi1！hen3 xiang1)！

Translation: "It's very yummy! Or it tastes great!"

Eating Xiao Long Bao is indeed an art which has a specific technique to it: with your porcelain spoon, be guided as follows, to eat and dip in its specialty sauce:

1 Hold chopsticks in your right hand and a spoon in your left.

2 Take the bun out of the bamboo basket and dip it in a soy sauce with ginger.

3 Put the bun on the spoon and bring it together with the chopsticks close to your mouth.

4 Bite a small hole in the bun's edge and place it back in the middle of the spoon.

5 While the soup flows out on the spoon, lift up the bun with the chopsticks.

6 Wait few seconds for the soup to cool off and then drink it.

7 After that you can dip the bun in the sauce again, if you like, it's optional.

8 Eat the xiaolongbao in one or two bites and enjoy the delicious flavor.

Mongkok's serving is bigger and affordable compared to other Chinese restaurants. Judging from the taste of their dishes I still prefer Mann Hann.