when yolanda came to town

In December 2006, typhoon Seniang's eye passed right over Boracay and wreaked all sorts of havoc. Since then, I've always kept tabs on the weather forecast. Two Saturdays ago, I noticed something big and bad approaching the Philippines. It turned out to be #Haiyan.

We battened down the hatches and waited. The day before the typhoon arrived, we had beautiful summery weather.

The predicted storm track of #YolandaPH was terrifying.

chinatown walking tour

We arrived in Singapore at night on 25 October 2013. After checking in at Bliss Hotel, we ventured out to look for something to eat. On the second floor of Chinatown Complex at 335 Smith Street, there's a huge food centre with over a hundred stalls. We ended up at a tze char place called Home Town Cuisine.

Honestly, the food was not that great, and SGD15 (US$12) for a "braised chicken salted fish bean curd in claypot", a small order of stir-fried Chinese broccoli, some rice and a bottle of Tiger beer was not exactly cheap. But it was almost 10PM and most of the stalls were closed.

After dinner we walked around the neighborhood, but only for a little while since we had to get up early the next day to beat the crowds at Gardens by the Bay. More about that in my next post.

the search for the best kopitiam

If I were to live in Singapore, I probably wouldn't last very long. Sooner or later-- most likely sooner-- I would keel over and die, albeit with a smile on my face. Because I would be having this for breakfast every day:

1. Hot, strong and sweet kopi. You know, the one that's served with a generous dollop of condensed milk. None of that kopi-C (coffee with evaporated milk) or kopi-O (black) nonsense.

2. Two soft-boiled eggs drizzled with dark soy and sprinkled with lots of white pepper. The whole runny mess is best eaten with a teaspoon, or scooped up with pieces of kaya toast. The remains are then slurped by bringing plate directly to mouth.

3. Kaya toast. That's white bread (not high fiber, not whole wheat) slathered with kaya jam and grilled. With chunks of butter in between, don't forget.

What's kaya? It's a jam made with eggs, coconut milk and sugar, with a dash of pandan for flavor. Yez, this meal is not for the weak-hearted or insulin-challenged.

These are the three components of the kaya toast set breakfast, SGD4.20 (about US$3.40) at Ya Kun Kaya Toast on China Street. Cheap, delicious, filling. So good and so, so bad.

eat tian tian chicken rice every day

In the heart of Singapore's Chinatown, there is a magical wonderland known as Maxwell Food Centre.

Near the entrance, there's a guide for lost souls.

Inside, the ravenous multitude stake their claims.

As for me, I have come to Maxwell Road for one reason, and one reason only-- Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. At 2PM, the queue is still astonishingly long, but I will accept no substitutes.

shopping in singapore

A wiseacre (or was it a wise man?) once said, "There are only three seasons in Singapore: hot, hotter, and shopping." For most people who visit SG, this is true. But as my friends and family know, I'm not much of a shopper, preferring to spend my moolah on stuffing my face. There are some things, however, that I consider must-buys in Singapore because these items just aren't available here in the Third World.

To those of you who have wandered onto this page, all excited because of the keyword "shopping", let me apologize to you right away. This is probably not what you had in mind.

My usual first stop is Watsons. Yez, we have Watsons stores here, but we don't have Panadol. Why is that? Panadol is the most useful and effective pharmaceutical product in the universe.

Hoarding different types of Panadol. Extend (SGD 5.25), extra strength (SGD 5.20) and cough+cold (SGD 7.80).

Steph (silent H) introduced me to this variant of Halls. Better than Valda or Fisherman's Friend. Haven't pitted it against Altoids yet, though.

Halls extra strong candy (SGD 0.80). Make sure it's the black one.

When I was in high school, everyone used Biore to wash his or her face. And then suddenly it disappeared from the Philippine market, leaving a generation of pubescent acne-riddled youth despondent and desperate.

Biore facial foam (SGD 7.10), Biore marshmallow whip facial wash refill pack (SGD 10.90), and Eric Favre Beauty Hair color creme (SGD 34.90).

I bought the hair color because the salesman was so convincing, or maybe I'm just a sucker. I'm planning to try it out in a couple of weeks. I hope it doesn't make me go bald.