Crazy for kaya (jam) ~ kaya on toast

My favorite breakfast these days is kaya (coconut jam) on toast and I simply have to order kaya toast whenever I drop by Kopi Roti at the Mall of Asia. For the uninitiated, kaya (coconut jam) is the matamis na bao of Singapore and Malaysia. The only difference is that it’s less sweet and creamier. It is often made of coconut cream, egg (others use duck eggs), sugar, pandan leaf and salt. Considering that these same ingredients are commonly found in the Philippines, I wonder why we didn’t think of this earlier.
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Food-trippin’ in KL…no regrets:)

I must have gained a couple of pounds from my recent brief sojourn to KL but I have no regrets. What I did regret was not being able to stop by Penang or Malacca or nearby Singapore which are veritable food haven in themselves. (The New York Times had a recent article on Malaysian food here.)

Because we were travellers on a budget, we didn’t get to taste all the five-star, tourist-y stuff but but we did savor the sights and flavors of KL”s street food as well as those in the restos and in the malls. A few highlights from our trip:
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Why I still enjoyed ‘Casino Royale’

Despite the mixed reviews it got, I still enjoyed ‘Casino Royale’ when I watched it during my last day-off for a variety of reasons: 1) I view movies once in a blue moon and my appreciation is always heightened by this fact (unless they make me an MTRCB member in this lifetime); 2) SomeBody was paying for this; 3) I can’t remember the last time I watched a Bond film and so can’t make a firm comparison about which is better, except that I would label this one ‘good,’; and 4) what business do I have working in a casino if I don’t watch anything with the word ‘Casino..” on it (though I swear I still have to learn everything about Texas Hold ‘Em poker).
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Krispy Kreme arrives in Manila (& at my doorstep)

I interrupt my Malaysian adventure to tell you about this nice little package I got yesterday, from where else but…Krispy Kreme! I was expecting “truckloads of doughnuts” as Yuga said but the green-dotted little box of a dozen doughnuts will do. And most especially because I didn’t receive doughnuts for free in my whole life, hehe.

I wrote about KK in July (followed by one of my favorite posts, 99 ways to munch on a doughtnut, lolz), thanks to a tip from Cabalen-cum-Manila Boy Spanx

I’ve heard a lot about Krispy Kreme in the past and naturally I was ever curious to know what the hoopla was all about.. even though am not an avid member of the Donut Eaters’ Club, or ever ate it on anybody’s member, hehehe.
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Ultimate cheapie trip to KL, a la Lonely Planet

After being spoiled rotten by media junkets where the publicists are your slaves and all you had to do was shove your lazy bum to the airport, I was ready to go on my first budget trip. Budget, meaning I had to ride a budget airline and stay in a budget hotel. Forget about travelling in style, I was after the journey and the destination. When my friend (and hibernating blogger) Jairam booked us a trip to Kuala Lumpur a few months before, I thought it was unbelievable at something like $80. This is certainly less expensive than vacationing in either Bohol or Boracay.Not that am less nationalistic now, but I must admit I was excited to go on another cultural immersion and embark on something that’s straight out of Lonely Planet.

And straight out of Lonely Planet it was! ’twas exciting going on this trip because we didn’t have any idea on the place we were going and no accommodations were reserved even. All I had was the address of this hostel we planned to stay in which we hoped the taxi driver would find for us once we arrived in KL.
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To Malaysia, now back

Here are photos of my recent vacation to Kuala Lumpur. So almost everybody warned me that there’s nothing to be seen there. I beg to disagree. Everything was to be tasted there, and to think we haven’t even scraped the surface yet. In KL, I walked the malls till I dropped, had an exciting cable car ride and of course as a culinary paradise, it exceeded all my expectations. Till now, I can’t believe I went to Malaysia just to e-a-t. Updates coming soon:)

Ring out the old, ring in the new

Birthday shots

Thanks for your greetings and birthday wishes folks. Here are some snapshots of my recent birthday.

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