Santa Claus in BGC Uptown Mall

Aloha Everyone,

Holiday shoppers were everywhere including Marketplace. The cashier lines were long and not moving.  We decided to forgo our shopping and look for a place for lunch. At Din Tai Fung, we were able to get good indoor seating.

At Uptown Mall, Santa Claus was posing for pictures. Even though the costume is made of light materials, it must still be warm wearing one. At a closer angle, thick makeup could be seen running into his artificial white beard.

I wonder if Santa Claus will retain his job until the Filipino Holiday season is officially over.

Aloha -- Cathi

Soft Shell Crab Dinner

Aloha Everyone,

J.J. loves all sorts of crustaceans. Among them, crabs are his favorite. When waiter brought a blue colored crab to our table for J.J.’s approval, I wasn’t prepared to take photos of this large wiggly creature with eyes bulging. 

After 25 minutes or so of waiting, we were served a freshly cooked crab. As you can see J.J. anticipating his first bite and his satisfied smile when the plate is clean.

Rice noodles with vegetables plus white rice was what I had and they were what we had packed to takeaway.

This was one of the most satisfying meals for J.J. The next time he would have to have a hardshell crab dinner.  I don’t see difference in taste but for connoisseur like him, J.J. says yes there is a world of difference.

Aloha -- Cathi

Easy Walking to BGC High Street

Aloha Everyone,

A big breakfast gave me an energetic start. 

Among today’s lunch options I suggested to J.J., he might consider Modern Shanghai Dim Sum. This place is located farthest from our condo which benefited us in gaining additional steps.

Restaurant was getting filled with Christmas parties. They also occupied a good portion of the sidewalk. Anna, the seating host was helpful in getting us the last indoor table. She remembered that we prefer to get all our orders delivered to our table at the same time when they are ready. Anna was a recipient of our Christmas envelope.

Aloha -- Cathi

Market Market

Aloha Everyone,

Market Market was where we could find more authentic Filipino native food, clothing and handicrafts. My objective was to look for a simple Filipino woven fan. I would’ve been happy with a Spanish version or Chinese subtle fragrant wood type. There was absolutely nothing available at any of the crowded stalls.

Food stalls where they sell regional gift items have been replaced by Chinese, Korean and European imports. J.J. read that the single level building design of Market Market is outdated. The area will undergo major renovations to better use the existing space by building additional commercial levels. The project to be completed within a year but things always take longer in Philippine than in the USA.

Ayala Mall across the street from Market Market was packed. I feel more trusting when food preparations are made in a kitchen visible to diners. My food choices were as healthy as I could get.

J.J. and I did better at Scout’s Honor. My surf & Turf portion was 1/2 of the photo shown on their menu and my own photo. His Loco Moco was, “As close to the real thing as it gets,” said J.J. All said and done, another great day walking 5.4 miles or 14,051 steps for me and over 3 miles for him.

Aloha -- Cathi

Landers to Purchase Gifts

Aloha Everyone,

Our first order of the day was to go to Landers to purchase Christmas gifts, more socks, and probiotics like Yakult.

We also had a chance to speak with Jeff about his Jingle Bell run of 5K in Ko Olina yesterday. Very happy to be able to speak with our dear friend George who is in West Virginia spending the Christmas holidays with his friend’s family, plus Judy who was on her way to get a haircut. We were able to greet each other. With the time difference, my daily attempts to call my sister is not always successful.

It was close to noon when J.J. and I started to walk towards BGC High Street. Our level of enthusiasm was low. A few raindrops was all it took to persuade us to stop early for lunch. We never made it to our intended destination.

Kawa is a small ramen shop. We haven’t even noticed it before but they seemed to have regular customers. J.J. had gyoza pork dumplings as his side dish and I ordered steamed soybeans. Comparable to eating at McDonald’s, this was a quick no frill place but probably more nutritious. 

At Cibo’s we shared spaghetti prepared with garlic, tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil plus large vegetarian pizza. I guess neither one of us had much appetite. We had most of our pizza packed to go.

Stopped at Market Place to purchase two bottles of drinking water and a couple of mangoes. The mangoes should be ripe in a couple of days.

Aloha -- Cathi