HSBC 135 FUN RUN (November 6, 2010) - The Fort

Joined the HSBC 135 Fun Run at the Fort and we actually finished!  Observations during the event:  It event started a bit late.  Most runs start at 5:00 am when it's still dark but by the time this event started, the sun was already rising.  Also, the main stage was too far from the starting line which was why when they announced the  gun start of each race per category, many runners got left behind since you could barely hear anything.  They should have put a smaller stage close to the start/finish line.  And there was no warm-up which was why our legs felt cramped halfway down the line.

 

The route around the area was not too impressive.  There were u-turns and people running in all directions for the different categories ...  There were plenty of puddles, there were hardly any officials watching the race (meaning you could cheat - as in getting dropped off by car at an area close to the end), the water at the stations had a chemical taste, there were stoplights and cars crossing the street.  Furthermore, it took so long for the queue to get the lootbags as the lines were a mile long and the persons distributing it were so slow.  Apparently, there was also a problem in the availability of the finisher's shirt sizes which was included in the loot bag.  The awarding had already finished yet there was still a massive line for the loot bags.  Oh and there were very few participating booths - you can count them with your fingers.

 

Our impression was that the race was not well-organized.  Possibly though, that it was just initially intended for the employees and customers of HSBC (?)  Approximately 1000 persons turned up.  At the rate of P750.00 per registration, you usually expect a better quality run which was why we got disappointed.  Yes the singlets were designed by Rajo Laurel and the contents of the lootbags were okay (includes a shirt and water bottle) but in general, it could have been better organized.

ZAO VIETNAMESE BISTRO - Serendra, The Fort

We were at Serendra when we decided to have dinner at Zao Vietnamese Restaurant.  With us were people who shall henceforth be known as Ms YSL and Mr Zegna.

For appetisers, we had Fresh Rolls with Shrimp, Sugarcane Shrimps, Zao Satay Platter.  The fresh rolls and satay platter were so good that Ms YSL even decided to order a second Satay Platter.  Unfortunately, one of the pork barbecues had an uncooked part in the middle which ultimately led her to lose her appetite.  They might have missed out that spot while grilling.  The Sugarcane Shrimps were usually a favourite of ours but that day, it didn't taste right.  You couldn't really taste the shrimp, just pork - and it didn't taste fresh.  When you bite into it, the meat falls apart, which is a sign that it was rather old.

For the main course, we had Seafood Pho, Vietnamese Beef Stew, Seafood Rice.  The Seafood Pho was okay-ish.  It was the usual clear and sweet-tasting Vietnamese soup with glass noodles.  Ms YSL commented though, that the soup tasted boring and bland - in comparison with the other dishes, it tasted like fresh rolls - without the peanut sauce.   She regretted not ordering the beef stew instead which Ms Gucci thought tasted good.  Mr Zegna had the Seafood Rice.  It was a bit salty but generally okay - imagine a hot pot ... seafood on top and steaming hot rice at the bottom.

In comparison with their branch at Eastwood City,  we always thought the food here tasted much better.  The service was excellent and their staff were courteous.

Overall, we did enjoy our dinner.  Our rating?  FAIR.

CLAWDADDY'S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT - The Fort

Had dinner at Clawdaddy's lately.  The waiters were quite attentive however, when we sort of complained to the designated waitress that the Pete's Famous Buffalo Wings was too salty (actually, we're being polite about it, it tasted like it was submerged in a kilo of salt), she told us pointblank that we should just dip it into the 'sour-cream-like' sauce to make it taste less salty (gee, someone needs a seminar in customer service) - but after following her "instructions," there was still no improvement in the taste. 

The ambiance in the restaurant was laid back and simple but we didn't care much for the decor on the walls.  It was green with some cartoon-drawings, reminds you more of a kiddie fastfood than a proper restaurant.

The one thing we liked though was that you can cross-order from New Orleans which was right beside this joint as we assume both establishments are owned by the same company.   So ... more choices with 2 menus presented!  Also, their fresh lemonade tasted really good - better than anywhere else, actually.


We ordered the following appetisers:  Oyster Rockefeller, Voodoo Gambas.and Pete's Famous Buffalo Wings.  Both the Buffalo Wings and the Gambas were too salty - the Wings were worse though.  The Oyster Rockefeller was just okay - although a little bland. 

For the main course, we had Mixed Seafood Marinara and Crispy's Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Pizza.  The Seafood Marinara was okay-ish.  We did like the pizza although the generous amount of cheese made the dish too salty (again?).  The 'dough' was actually like crackers - you know, like having Skyflakes as the base of your pizza, which some people may appreciate and others might not.  Question ... what's with the overflow of salti-ness in their dishes?  The should have named the restaurant 'SALT' instead.

Our rating? ... NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEXT!!!!!

SINGAPORE 2010!

What's not to love about Singapore?  It's clean, there's plenty of food and shopping, it's a 3 hour flight away ...

Delicious Food!

Tiramisu with Espresso Ice Cream - their bestseller!

Lots of Designer Labels at Marina Bay Sands - Newest Mall and Casino!

Shop till you drop!

Test of endurance at Takashimaya Mall :  The last person left standing for 3 days straight with minimal rest (lunch and snack break only) and no sleep will win ... the Subaru car!

Out of place in a fashionable city - Slippers in public??

SHANGHAI 2010

We heard so much hype about the Shanghai 2010 Expo that we had to visit ourselves to find out what the buzz was all about.  When we (Ms Gucci with Mr Ferragamo) got there during the last 10 days of the expo ... mayhem!  There were over 1,000,000 visitors per day on the 5 hectare exhibit area.  In general, it was an international travel show which highlights art works and images from different participating countries.  There weren't much products available (only China-made ones) which was quite disappointing from a business perspective.

From the entrance, you have to pass through the x-ray area and take a train to the desired pavilion you want to visit (of which there were plenty - most popular are:  Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia).  Sounds easy?  Not a chance.  The queue was horrendous.  On average, before you get inside ONE pavillion, you have to stand in line for approximately 2.5 - 3.5 hours.  Once you are inside, you finish the viewing of an entire pavillion in approximately 15 minutes.  The crowd was more local, such as busloads of mainland farmers from all over China's provinces.  There were old and young people who waited for the pavillions to open, some even brought their kids - many of whom were screaming and crying.  Two men behind us started fighting and almost came to blows for God knows what reason.  We should have guessed from the various food bags and large containers of water the people brought that it was going to be a loooong wait.  Strangely enough we even saw a man eating a raw cucumber in line (what the?) and hard boiled eggs.

On the second day we were there (yes, we went back despite the first day of torturous wait), it was windy and it rained heavily.  As an added bonus - we got soaked (greaaaat).

On the upside, we enjoyed some retail therapy at Plaza 66, which was a high-end mall at Shanghai.  There were many designer brands available although the prices are way too high as compared to anywhere else in the world (we heard the reason for that was that their taxes were quite steep).  We also visited Chinatown and did some sight-seeing.

In general, we always heard how progressive Shanghai was so we had high expectations when we got there.  And we were kind of disappointed with the trip.

Shown below are the photos that we had taken.  Enjoy! 

Entrance Ticket to the Expo

The Long Queue Outside the Thai Pavillion

 What's for breakfast?

Hard Boiled Egg

Bread

 And cucumber??

Funny Signs:

"Waste Sorting and No Littering"

"Polite Language and No Noising"

"Polite Sharing and No Challenging"

Japanese Pavillion

Display of Robotic Technology from Japan:

 

CRYSTAL JADE LA MIAN XIAO LONG BAO RESTAURANT – VMall, Greenhills

Since this restaurant opened, there had always been the longest queue known to mankind during lunch and dinner hours.  About a week ago, we were (finally!) able to get a table inside but out first dining experience was disappointing.  Nevertheless, we decided to give it another try which was why we set out to have lunch there as early as 11:00 am to avoid having to wait.

FYI the regular Chinese Oolong tea was not served for free as other Chinese restaurants do, they charge you P50.00 per pot.  Also, only one of us ordered tea but they still gave 3 (not paying attention...).  There were also no napkins on the table, when you ask for it they give you like 3 pieces.

Note:  Just to make it clear, there were 3 of us having lunch at the time (we're not exactly gluttons, you know).   The third person shall henceforth to be referred to as Mr Ferragamo - albeit grudgingly.  haha

For appetisers, we had Shredded Beef with Mushrooms and Soupy Pork Dumplings (aka Xiao Long Bao) which were soooo good.  With the Crispy Eel, we had mixed.  IF you like flour-y and a bit sweet tasting eel (more flour than eel in this dish), then you'd like this.  What not to order - Pork with Sliced Cucumber.  It is indeed a strange combination.

For the main course - Noodle with Spicy Chicken, Noodle with Minced Meat, Noodle with Dried Shrimp and Peanut in Spicy Sauce.  We all agreed our respective dishes were all goooood, especially the last one which would be perfect for cold and rainy days ...

 
For dessert, Mr Ferragamo had the Mango Cream with Sago and he said it was good so we'll take his word for it.  Ms Gucci's dessert was Longgan Fungus Dessert.  She said the fungus was tough and the combination sucked.

In general, the service was good and the waiters were attentive.  Although the waiters were a bit rough around the edges - meaning they were not the usual well-trained 'finesse' type.  For example, as Zara was struggling to eat with the rather long noodles, the waiter quickly ran to get a pair of scissors and offered to cut the noodles in half right there and then.   We're sure it was well-intentioned but ... Ew?  You never know where those scissors had been, man.

BLUE WATER DAY SPA FUN RUN - SM Mall of Asia Grounds

Went to a Fun Run so early in the morning of October 17th,  even before the sun was up!  Good thing the expected super typhoon changed its course.  When we registered, we were expecting the usual ‘blah’ fun run routine for 3K, 5K & 10K and not much else afterwards. 

Thousands of people turned up.  The BIG difference?  Talk about free massages, photo and video booths, various other exhibit-like booths PLUS Sam Milby, Karylle, Daniel Matsunaga, Fabio Ide and Mikaela Lagdameo running with the crowd and actually finishing the race!  It was so funny to hear the collective shriek of girls – young and old – that went ‘EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!’ when Sam went up onstage.  (Cue in blinding flash bulbs from various cameras) hahaha

We also saw JC Tiuseco, Kiko Rustia (of GMA 7’s Born to be Wild), Coach Alfrancis Chua, JC Buendia and Boom Labrusca plus several models in the mix.  Plus, there was a super entertaining program after the actual run with fun and games with the celebrities.  First time we ever saw runners stay around for that long after a race.

Our rating?  EXCELLENT!