Singapore never ceases to amaze the new settlers in us. More and more we're uncovering places and things that undoubtedly prove this is no small country after all. Last weekend, we found a place that perfectly typifies the peacefulness of the Lion City - the Little Guilin.

Located in Bukit Batok Town Park (just beside Bukit Gombak Stadium), the place is quite similar to the Guilin of China - a highly acclaimed scenery for its beautiful rock formations in the heart of a lake or body of water. The Little Guilin exudes a relaxing ambiance that makes it ideal for leisure walk, yoga, fishing and other forms of exercise.

Much has been written in the blogging world about the widely known "Kaya Toast". In the Philippines, I heard that one coffee shop is increasingly becoming a big buzz around town for serving this yummy sandwich. Kaya Toast is a typical breakfast or snack item. It's basically a toasted bread that's spread with aromatic kaya jam and butter and is usually served with soft boiled eggs. It's best relished with a hot cup of coffee or tea. There are many places that cater this kind of treat in Singapore where the food's fame hailed from. But most people vouch for the authenticity of the hawker centers' and kopitiams' versions. I finally had my day for the much awaited Kaya Toast date. I tried the one served at Ananas Cafe (an MRT cafe).

The taste of the toast is pretty straight forward. Buttery, sweet, milky and nutty. What makes it more enticing is the aroma of "pandan" that's inherent in the kaya jam. It just makes you munch for more. The coffee taste is enchanced with the condensed milk that's added to it. No doubt this team of toast, egg and coffee is a complete, delectable morning treat.

The Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is also known as "Chun Jie" or "Spring Festival". It's a long period of celebration that starts from the eve of the new year and ends with the Lantern Festival. In Singapore, the later is synonymous to the famous Chingay Parade. Apart from this colorful street parade, there are other activities that equally present awesome entertainment and glee during this season. Most of which are normally showcased in malls and community centers for public viewing. We were lucky to chance upon one in Vivo City. I was mezmerized and awed by the acrobatic skills of these ladies. I cried out a few gasps on their performance. They were really amazing!

Nearly two months of living in Singapore, I can't help but wonder how time flies real fast in this country. Before I can even savor with much gusto the needed weekend rejuvenation, it's back to work again. For this reason, weekends should be spent with absolute pleasure and joy. Back in the Philippines, our family weekends were typically spent going out and exploring places. In Singapore, it still remains the same. So, last weekend we visited two of Sentosa's attractions - Merlion Walk and Underwater World. The kids had a great time roaming around.

There's not much big difference in the experience between Underwater World and Manila Ocean Park. However, the observation tunnel of Underwater World showcased more diversity in content. Space wise, I think Manila Ocean Park has a more relaxing ambiance.

Our new surroundings that is largely dominated by Chinese - Singaporean Cuisine is daring the cook in me. How can I prepare authentic Filipino foods in this foreign land? By and large, this seems to be one of the tough challenges any expat deals with in living overseas (and I'm no difference to experience that). My first struggle began with the classic "Tinola". It's a Filipino favorite chicken soup that's typically cooked with papaya and chili leaves. I've searched shelves inside out from one supermarket to another yet I didn't find any chili leaves here. Although most of the ingredients of the dish can be easily substituted like chayote with papaya and chili leaves with moringa or malunggay, I haven't tried substituting both with some other types. Much with the limitations of the available susbstitutes in the supermarket here, there's no other option but to take the risk of trying from the available ones. This explains for my Chicken Tinola with Spinach and surprisingly, it came out acceptable.