Filipino American Expat in Singapore
I wanted to celebrate my birthday a little differently this year. Previous birthdays were with various friends. Since this is my first birthday with PJ, I wanted to spend it with him in Melaka, Malaysia.
The ride getting there was six hours due to traffic at the causeway. We stayed at Timez Hotel near Jonker Street. My birthday fell on a Saturday this year. Which is perfect. ❤
Waiting at the airport doesn’t have to be boring.
Especially if you’re at Changi Airport. Where to hang out? Jewel Changi Airport. An incredible crossroad of airport, nature, and shopping mall. ❤
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There’s a new fast food restaurant in the neighbourhood. lol
New video!
PJ and I dropped by the Pasar Pink! event at Open Farm Community to take a peek at the cute items being sold by Singaporean artists.
It was great to see a warm and inviting atmosphere with good music. We won’t be able to attend Pink Dot activities this year so we decided to find our own little way to support the event.
I’d like to get my health checked.
Lately I’ve been feeling more exhausted than usual. Climbing up a flight of stairs feels heavy. I don’t know if it’s because my fitness levels have been stagnant the last few weeks. Or that I eat too much (or not).
I feel like I’m constantly in a need of catching up.
I miss old comforts. I was in Tanjong Pagar earlier and it made me smile. It felt familiar, obviously. I worked there for almost five years.
I don’t know. Maybe I need to chill more. Or maybe I do it too much.
I was out for almost two weeks for a business trip to San Francisco. I’ve loads of experiences I’m excited to write about here on my blog. For now I’ll start with the Bay to Breakers Run which is marketed as the oldest consecutively run footrace in the world (since 1912).
My cousin booked us a one-night stay at Hilton (we haven’t seen each other in five years). He told me it’s a race where people dress up. Luckily I borrowed a Power Rangers-LOOKING suit from a colleague (thanks Shawn!).
Several firsts:
I picked out Corral C which is a more conservative time. I was thinking I wouldn’t be finishing the race at a competitive pace since I wanted to take this opportunity to use the race as a way to experience San Francisco by foot.
The route
The route passes by the company’s San Francisco office. This was the first time I was seeing the office so YES… i did stop right in front of it.
True enough people were in costumes. There were all sorts of traditions like throwing tortillas. Some people were running naked. In this weather? The route took you through neighbourhoods where people were outside their homes having picnics and watching the racers pass by. I spotted people in windows looking out. It had a strong community vibe. Some racers were doing it backwards (it’s also a tradition, apparently).
Oh, and I added a few more dollars to race an additional stretch for an additional medal.
It was a great first day in San Francisco. We were blessed (yes I’ll use that word) to have great weather that morning. Because the previous days were dark and stormy.
Can’t thank my cousin enough for telling me about this race and for being such an amazing host during my first weekend in SF.
The company I work for is big on learning and development. It’s also big on diversity. Together with other Filipinos in the office, we put together a “Filipino Day” where we can showcase the warm hospitality our people are known for.
There was Pera o Bayong (Philippines’ version of Deal or No Deal), a tinikling dance (traditional folk dance involving bamboo sticks), food and drinks to share. We had lumpia, puto, pork barbecue, Chippy (those bags of chips)… and of course, since it was a Friday, we had a budget for San Miguel Beer.
Everyone looked like they were having a good time. ❤
We moved into a new office space this past week. Our company took over a new floor inside Marina Bay Financial Tower 2. We’re now on three levels in the building. Our team joins a few other teams in moving to the new floor.
There’s more spaces for collaborations and meetings. There’s a library, games room, training rooms, new “drop-ins” and a barista. I’ve heard multiple describe it as “it feels like Facebook” (but I wouldn’t know… because I haven’t worked there).
❤
Without a doubt this is a hidden gem! Located in Basement 2 of Westgate Mall in Jurong East, it’s a simple “basement level” eatery that blends in with all the others. But I am consistently impressed by the fresh grilled taste of their pork belly served over rice. PJ also ordered the kimchi beef which is equally delightful.
What I love is that it’s rarely ever crowded. I’m surprised we always chance upon it as being almost empty. For a good price, you get a good lunch of freshly grilled meat (and the sauce is pretty good that it makes you want to eat more rice). They also have other meats and mushrooms on skewers which you can add onto your dish.
Definitely, a favourite when I’m in Jurong.
Location: Inside Westgate Jurong East, Basement 2, Kiosk 4 “B2K4” – 3 Gateway Drive
For our third week of cooking something every Wednesday Monday (because of Game of Thrones), we went with Tuna Pesto Pasta. This is not going to be some recipe post. You can find loads of tuna pasta recipes on the internet.
A group picture of the ingredients
I’m going to describe to you my life-changing experience cooking it.
Made with ❤
Verdict: This pasta definitely tasted better than Game of Thrones S8 EP4.
PJ loved it but I think I could definitely put a little more love into making tuna pesto pasta. Investing in the ingredients would definitely pay off. Especially the part of getting the heavy cream done correctly and using a different type of pasta to scoop up the pesto sauce and tuna bits. I want to make pasta my go-to dish.
Here’s a photo:
Tuna Pesto Pasta
Here’s a bonus video of me cooking it.
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“Previously on PJ and George’s Kitchen”
