A Slice of Paris in Asia

A side trip to Macau is always part of our Hong Kong visit. A mere hour away by ferry, the tiny city state is always a buzz with new hotels sprouting like wild mushrooms on every other block.

The newest hotel to mark its European presence is The Parisian Macau. I believe it had its soft opening September 2016. So when we visited in December it was fully operational. But unfortunately, the Eiffel Tower was closed for maintenance so we were not able to climb to the top for a panoramic view of Macau.  

Oh well ... maybe next time!  In the meantime, here are some photos from The Parisian, Macau.

... Tis the most wonderful time of the year ...

... And dare I say ... it is also the most stressful time of the year!

Alright I don't want my last post for 2016 to focus on the negative, hehehe. 

I know that despite the stress and the toils of living in a highly urbanized city where Edsa traffic is a daily nightmare, waiting for hours just to find a tiny parking slot at very overcrowded malls + the worries about the hubby's highly demanding job ... I am extremely grateful for the abundance of blessings that embrace me and my family.

My original plan was to do an extensive 'year-end' report kinda post, but as usual I am running out of time. Just taking a short break from packing to write this post from my smartphone putting random thoughts together to form paragraphs that hopefully convey my state of mind.

Yes, D & D are off tomorrow to the land of dimsum and dumplings to join my parents (they went ahead) and sister for the Yuletide holidays. 

I'm excited and really looking forward to this trip which I booked really last minute as I wasn't sure about D's erratic schedule.

Let me end by wishing everyone happy holidays and may 2017 be another wonderful year!!! 

Ayala Museum, Greenbelt Makati

I love museums. I remember when we were based in Singapore, I would drop by this tiny museum after a long day at work and just sit and reflect on the art works. It was a calming experience. Ah the perks of being single and free to just do anything I wanted. I miss it, more than I care to admit, frankly.

On the second day of October, my sister turned 45 years old and after a sumptuous lunch at Sentro 1771, she wanted to do something different. 

She expressed a desire to go to the Ayala Museum. I couldn't agree more. But by the time we were done with lunch and some window shopping around the Greenbelt complex, it was already 4:30 P.M and the museum was only open until 6 P.M

The lady at the lobby though said we had ample time if we went directly to the 2nd and 4th floors. So we had a quick look see through the Crossroads of Civilizations which exhibited the Gold of Ancestors on the 4th floor. Photographs were not allowed in this section which displayed the brilliant gold jewelry of ancient tribes. 

Then to the 2nd floor to see the Diorama Experience. 60 panels in chronological order that are designed to be a comprehensive visual approach to Philippine history.

It would have been better if we had more time but it was a pleasant experience, nonetheless. They are open from Tuesdays to Sundays 9 AM - 6 PM. Different tickets prices depending on what sections you want to visit. Senior citizens can enter at discounted rates. While members of the academe + one person are free of charge, simply present your school ID card. 

I'm back

My sister's two weeks vacation was hectic, as usual.  We spent it at her doctor's clinics for her post surgery follow up check ups. All her lab results were good, thank God for that.

We were able to complete our pilgrimage tour of 5 Jubilee churches (will blog about it soon) and also sneaked in a quick visit to the Ayala Museum (post coming up). 

Naturally we also spent it eating, eating and eating. We celebrated 2 birthdays, my hubby (Sept. 28) and my sister (Oct. 2) and on the eve of her flight we also celebrated in advance mine (Oct. 19).

We had Filipino fusion food at Sentro 1771, in Greenbelt.

Pancit Palabok, Catfish, Fish and Tofu Torta

Chinese food at HK Chef along Macapagal Avenue.

Steamed Fish and Peking Duck

Americana at Tony Roma's in Glorietta 4 and Chili's, Megamall

Baby Back Ribs (Tony Roma's)

Quesadillas (Chili's)

Thai food at Mango Tree Bistro, Greenbelt 3

Phad Thai, Chicken Rice and Spare Ribs

Filipino cuisine at Barrio Fiesta and Abe, both at Megamall

Barrio Fiesta's Famous Kare Kare and

Crispy Pata

Our usual order at Abe are Pork Humba, Laing, Rellenong Alimango
with Bamboo Rice

Japanese Katsu at Kimukatsu, Edsa Shangri-la

Seafood Set and Edamame

Persian cuisine at Arya Persian Restaurant at Edsa Shangri-la

Grilled Platter and Pilaf and Basmati Rice

The highlight was our buffet at Spiral located at the Sofitel Hotel to celebrate the birthdays of the hubby and sister dearest.

Presenting ... the crispy pork belly!

I admit I am NOT a pork eater. From 1995 to 2001, we were based in Dubai and I reckon that is when I 'removed' pork from my diet regimen. It was more for health reasons than anything else. 

On the other hand, my sister simply loves pork! She consumes it a lot. When we are in HK, she takes the liberty to order whenever we dine outside. A staple dish in most, if not all of our sorties is the very delicious yet sinful crispy pork belly.

This delicacy consists of deep fried pork belly cubes/squares with a very thin and crispy layer of skin and tender meat.

It usually comes with a mustard condiment. This gives it a sort of bitter, tangy taste but I personally prefer to eat it on its own.

The way the pork belly is cut gives it an equal amount of fat and meat. Believe it or not, it isn't oily at all.  I guess they have a special technique of cooking it.

I've grown to love eating the crispy pork belly but no longer on a daily or every other day basis because I value my health. But, surely now I have something to look forward to on our next visit.