ADIOS SINGAPORE!!!

Gio & Michelle in Singapore: May 11, 2009 - May 23, 2012

3 WEEKS REMAINING

John & Lisa came to Singapore for the weekend to see friend and help celebrate Michelle's birthday which was a huge surprise (for Michelle) and went perfectly. It was great to have the "Singapore Seven" together again even if it was only for a weekend. Thanks for coming out guys, it was fantastic!

5 WEEKS REMAINING

Today is Thursday, April 19th... that means 5 weeks remaining!

PENANG 2012

When Time Magazine calls calls PENANG "one of the ten best foody islands in the world", you do your best to visit it if you have the chance. And that we did, on Valentine's Day weekend, we went to Penang, Malaysia.

Fist thing about Penang, it's damn hot and I thought Singapore was hot, no, this was worse! It got so bad that we actually had to retreat into our hotel room and blast the aircon as heat exhaustion was a constant threat. Secondly, Penang is bigger than you think and Charlestown (A Unesco World Heritage Site) is only a small albeit cool part of it. There is a lot to see on this island and to do it properly, you need more than a weekend, so for this trip, we focused on Charlestown alone. Finally, the food. Time Magazine was right, there is a lot of great food on this island in the form of restaurants and hawker centers but what really sets Penang apart, is the sea of food carts.

There are some amazing Carts that offer amazing specialties like Laksa (Tamarind based unlike the Singaporean version with Coconut milk), Chedol, Mee, Satays... the list goes on and one. We ate from the carts for every meal and toured Charlestown each day to see the architecture, sites, mosques, temples and parks. PENANG is a very cool city, a cool island and one I would visit again. You can check out our pics HERE!

KO PHI PHI WEEKEND

I've said it before and I'll say it again, our favorite country to visit while living in South East Asia continues to be Thailand. We've been to Phuket and Krabi, we still want to visit Chang Mai and soon there will be a boys weekend in Bangkok but to "get away from it all", I highly recommend KO PHI PHI. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Phi Phi was one of the more devastated areas of the 2004 Tsunami, it is also close to where they shot scenes for the DiCaprio flick, "The Beach". Well, I am happy to report that Phi Phi is back up and running at full strength and it's a great location for a weekend away.

The only way to Phi Phi is via boat so you have to fly into either Krabi or Phuket, taxi to the dock then take a 1-3 hour boat ride (depending where you depart from and how old your ferry is). You could charter a speedboat but that's far more expensive and only saves you 1/3 of the time. Also be weary of hotels that offer you "Airport Transfer" some places will charge you double of what it would cost if you just hailed a cab at the airport and booked your own ferry at the pier (judgment call - follow your gut).

Once in Phi Phi, the ferry drops you off at the main pier which is extremely congested with arriving and departing passengers as well as Hotel hawkers picking up reserved customers and trying to drum up more business. There are no cars on Phi Phi so you have to walk to your hotel, luckily the island is so small and compact, a 20 minute journey is about all you have to endure at the most. The island is covered in tourist shops, scuba schools, restaurants and food stalls but surprisingly very few "Beer Bars" unlike most major Thai towns. Phi Phi seems to be a popular destination for European tourists as we were one of the only English speaking couples in a sea of Russian, Swiss and French accents. Add to the fact that it was Chinese New Year weekend and it made for an extremely busy place! Word to the wise, do your best to speak some Thai and you will be treated very well.

We had great weather on Phi Phi and enjoyed the beach right outside our hotel, where we drank some umbrella drinks and saw some fire-dancing in the evening. We ate some amazing thai food at our three favorite restaurants: Pum (a small chain of Thai-cooking schools that serve amazingly fresh dishes), Anna's (mom & pop style Thai home cooking done right) and Papaya (a shoddy looking hole in the wall that dishes out fantastic Thai food). We also got tattoos done traditionally with the Bamboo stick! Michelle got the Thai word for "Breathe" on her wrist while I got the Thai "43", my lucky number, on my arm. I was expecting more pain from the bamboo but it wasn't too bad and overall the tattoo was quick. This is Michelle's second Bamboo tattoo, the first being the five flying birds on her forearm she got last year in Krabi.

We would definitely go back for another relaxing weekend in Phi Phi, perhaps to scuba or get another, larger tattoo but it made a good first impression. Here are the PICS to prove it!

NEW ZEALAND AKA "KIWI TOWN"

Happy 2012 everyone, Corsiworld is back!!!

This Christmas vacation we were fortunate enough to head to New Zealand to experience a summer Christmas with our great friends Lisa & John. For those of you who do not know them, they are friends that we met, hung out with, and even lived with during the last few years here in Singapore. These guys ended their Singapore adventure to begin a new one in Lisa's home country of New Zealand and the Spore has not been the same since. So getting to see a new country with good friends who are also locals was all the encouragement we needed.

It was hard to not be with our families and puppies in Vancouver but Lisa & John and their NZ families took us in and made for a terrific time. After our 12 hour flight we arrived to hugs and tears and within 10 minutes we were at Weta Cave to get Gio his Dr Grordbort's Ray Gun and then off for a quick G&T at the vintage theater Weta uses for their events and finally we were wooshed off to the new house for a little freshening up and then directly taken out on the town. We started at a very cool bar, with lisas family, The General Practitioner, an old bordello turned surgery turned bar. The décor is tastefully remembering the buildings previous uses with dark furniture and framed pieces of vintage surgery tools. After some tastings of local brews we needed to eat and headed down to the waterfront for more local brews and some pizza. During the evening we discussed an interesting local brew – gunpowder rum. Rum made with gunpowder! That was then our next destination, the one and only place to get this in Wellington, The Hawthorne, an old school dark and velvety bar with a hint of salon. Gio tried the straight up original gunpowder rum while Michelle had the cherry gunpowder rum. Both were awesome with just that hit of metal punch and smooth yummy sweet rum. By this time it was time for bed and we headed home for the night all happy and boozy warm.

Christmas eve morning brought one of the best meals of the trip. We went to Manuri Surf Club in Island Bay for the best avocado mash with thick grainy homemade toast and fresh tomatoes, awesome coffee and a pretty fantastic view of the ocean. This is a locals hang out where you wish you were one of the locals and could come in everyday after morning surfing or walking on the beach. The ladies afterwards went to Te Papa Museum for the Bridal Dress show presented by the London and the boys were off to find goodies for the grill. Christmas Eve and Day were spent BBQ-ing, baking and roasting as well as drinking game playing and lots of eating!

With Christmas done the touring began. We mixed hiking adventures with wine tasting and sight seeing. On the North Island we headed to Martinburough and Greytown for a day of wine tasting and homemade chocolate.

Then it was off to the South Island. We flew to Queenstown, the self proclaimed adventure capital of the world for some touring and New Years Celebrations. For the Lord of the Rings fans in us we did aim at seeing the different locations that were used for filming. But really these were all over the south island and all of it was amazingly beautiful. The Pinnicles, the Remarkables, Glenorchy, the glow worm caves, Lake Hawea, Franz Josef Glacier and while we did make it to some of the bays where the penguins migrate to we missed their arrival by a few days. Our final night was in a town called Terras at a little BnB in the middle of farmland. The owners were amazing hosts and went into their garden and collected fresh veggies, new potatoes, and rasberries for our dinner. Our salad dressing was made from their own olive oil and plums. Fantastic last night of the adventure.

We made it back to Wellington to have our last couple nights with our friends at their place. We explored Wellington and one more trip to Weta and that was it, our vacation was over. Overall impression of NZ? AMAZING! Thank you to John and Lisa for being such fabulous hosts and we cant wait to do it again as we will definitely be back but please, let the PICS speak for themselves!!!

LAS D&D 2011

Another year, another Christmas party but this one was different... this one was amazing. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the LUCASFILM SINGAPORE 2011 DINNER & DANCE other than a few cocktails and some well-dressed work mates and I got that, with a whole lot more.

The party took place on the 63rd floor of the Altitude Building in downtown Singapore (much higher than the Marina Bay Sands Hotel/Casino) and on this semi-clear night we were treated to a Lunar Eclipse (awesome)! Everyone looked fantastic, especially Michelle, and an extremely good time was had by all! Thanks for another amazing year LAS and thanks for the great holiday party!!!

Pics of the event can be seen HERE!!!

VICTOR & AMANDA TIE THE KNOT

11/11/11... to some it's Remembrance Day, a time to acknowledge the memories of those brave men and women who fought for our countries, for others it's just a day off of work (if you live in Canada) but for my brother Victor and his blushing bride Amanda, it was their WEDDING DAY. Despite the cool clouds outside, it was all warm smiles inside the Community Center at Olympic Village as the bridge and groom said their "I do's" surrounded by 100+ family and friends. Michelle and I made it out from Singapore and I am glad that we did, so we could be part of this festive event but don't take my word for it, see the pics HERE. Congrats and much love to you both!

NOTE - More pics to be added in December once we download them from Michelle's camera!

HALLOWEEN 2011

One of our most favorite times of year has arrived, HALLOWEEN and this year the work party promised to be a doozy! The theme of the event was "Comic Book Superhero & Villains" and I think that Corsiworld represented well! Michelle went retro as the blue and silver pin-up gal COSMIC GIRL, while I took a popular hero and put him in the seventies with SATURDAY NIGHT THOR. A good time was had by all and some of the costumes were absolutely amazing! Check out the pics HERE!!!

SEPTEMBER 2011

Wow, what a busy month!!! Our Sixth Wedding Anniversary, my Birthday, the Chilli Challenge, Aamir's Fried Chicken, F1 Singapore, Oktoberfest... the list goes on and one but you can see it all for yourself through our pictures HERE!

SIX YEARS STRONG!

September 17th marks our SIX YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY and I am happy to say that life is grand. We are spending the day with a few cool activities: An introductory course in Muay Thai Kickboxing, a 7km+ walk along East Coast Park and dinner tonight at one of our favorite places, Mario Batali's Mozza. Great way to spend this great day with the greatest gal in the world. Happy Anniversary Michelle, I love you!

A MONTH OF VANCITY & SAN FRAN

Well, it's been a while since we've updated the blog and here's the reason why... we've been away for almost five weeks. A little over two weeks in our hometown of VANCOUVER and then two more weeks in SAN FRANCISCO. It was a blend of vacation and work but overall it was a lot of fun. Judge for yourself, Vancouver pics HERE and San Francisco pics HERE!

THE MOTHER OF ALL BRISKETS

I didn't need to go to church to see "the light", I didn't need a near-death experience to see God, no, all I need was a little BBQ and thanks to my buddy Roman, he delivered with THE MOTHER OF ALL BRISKETS!!!

Roman runs a site called THE BIG GREEN ASIAN EGG which is basically a blog of all his attempts at BBQ'ing various things on his Egg BBQ. Last week, I mentioned to him that we should do a Brisket and last night Roman delivered. I wont repeat the amazing, time consuming process he went through to create this taste sensation but you can read about it HERE, it's an epic take of patience, ingredients and meat.

I do love me some BBQ and as most of you know, I am a true carnivore, so I was excited for this brisket. The meat was juicy, sliced like butter, melted in your mouth and the cornucopia of flavors was to die for. Bravo Roman, you hit a home run with the Mother of All Briskets and our stomachs thank you for it!!!

24 HOURS IN MELAKA/MALACCA

Despite over 2 years of living and loving in Singapore, neither of us have ever crossed the closest border to our neighboring country, Malaysia. We rectified that this weekend as just a few hours by car is an oasis called MELAKA (or Malacca depending who you talk to), a mix of Asian, Portuguese and Dutch influences, this tiny little town is a food Mecca.

We arrived just after noon which turns out to be hotter than ever, seriously, I know I complain about the heat in Singapore but imagine it hotter and take away the humidity, man, that's hot! We were staying just off of Jonker Street which seems to be the foody cultural area of town, rows and rows of gift shops, bakeries, food stalls and art houses. There's the odd restaurant, hotel, bar and massage shop as well but the real draw seems to be the "street food" - Chendol (Icy dessert with coconut, palm sugar, pandan & red bean) and Chicken Rice Balls (the best flavors of Haianese Chicken Rice rolled up into a perfect bite sized ball). Wherever both of these are served, there is always a que, all day long. We ate at the famous Nancy's Kitchen for some down home Peranekan food, walked up and down Jonker then I went for a nap while the girls got a foot massage. We met up for a drink in the late afternoon and let me tell you, nothing beats a G&T when you are overheating, take note!

At night, the cars are pulled off the road, tables & chairs come out and an impossibly busy street becomes even busier as Jonker Street is turned into a walking market filled with even more toys, trinkets, flavors and smells. I think the highlight for me was seeing the massive stage which seemed to be reserved for dressed up ladies to sing Karaoke in front of hundreds of people. I knew Karaoke was popular but not that popular! After trying a bunch of new foods (DingDing Candy - named after the sound the chisel makes as the baker breaks it apart, yes, its that hard & sticky too) and juices (thick Honey Lime juice - its good for alcohol... Alcohol what I ask?) we retired to the room.

The next morning we woke early and had a great breakfast at the hotel. I should stop here and throw in a great recommendation for our accommodations, The Hotel Courtyard @ Heeren, friendly staff, beautiful rooms, best shower in any hotel I've ever stayed at in all of Asia, ever and reasonable rates, plus it's a two minute walk to the middle of all the action on Jonker Street! I highly recommend this hotel! Anyway, we took a tour of all the historical sites around the center of Melaka including Christ Church, the ruins of St. Paul's, up the rotating tower for a birds eye view of the city, the riverside and then back to Jonker for some lunch.

Afterwards, we checked out of the hotel, the ladies grabbed another foot massage and I came to a roadside bar to write this blog entry, enjoy a beverage and soak in the last few minutes of Jonker street before heading back to Singapore. Melaka is a cool town, lots to see and lots to eat, it is extremely busy with tourists especially on the weekend but of you can survive that, then Melaka is definitely worth checking out. There are cool sites, cool ruins, great people watching and amazing food, an added plus, everything is way cheaper than it is in Singapore, so huzzah!!! A big thanks to our friend Cheng for taking us out this weekend, it was a great adventure and you can see our pics HERE!

SUMMER PARTY TIME

It's our third summer in Singapore and that means it's time for the annual LAS SUMMER PARTY. Once again we invaded the shores of Sentosa Island for an afternoon of fun at the fabled Cafe Del Mar. The afternoon started with Summer Olympics, which were fun despite the fact that we had the smallest team and came in dead last (it was fixed!!!). Then a few of the staff got DJ'ing, the food was served and what a surprise, virtually everyone was thrown into the pool at some point. A good time was had by all and despite and the sand, sun and libations, we managed to snap a few PICS! Enjoy!

S'FUNNY...

JUNE 2011

Hell of a month! Despite the mightiness of my playoff beard, the Canucks lost to the Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup, sad. Otherwise there was good times, good friends and good food o' plenty in the month of June. Check out the pics HERE!!!

CANADA DAY SING STYLE

July 1st marks the birthday of our home and native land, so to celebrate CANADA DAY in our adopted home of Singapore, Michelle and I threw a BBQ party! We invited a few Canadians as well as a few of our closest friends and everyone decided to bring some amazing food as well.

Michelle and I stocked up on Clamato so we could start the evening off right with some Bloody Caesars, then will grilled up some Hot Wings on the Q. Brett brought some Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins and Roman made some BBQ Baby Back Ribs. James & Vic showed up with a special little gift for me, a can of Granville Island Honey Lager which I happily downed to show my Canadian pride! Kelly showed up with a Monster Mixed Salad, Chris & Star came with even more Ribs, Singapore Slow Cooked Ribs - yum and we threw some Chorizo Sausages (not really Canadian but they are a crowd pleaser) onto the grill for good measure as well as making a Canada Salad (Red for Tomatoes, White for Feta). Bobby came with a surprise for the entire party, a cooler filled with Canadian Moosehead Beer, now I know what you are thinking, Moosehead? Trust me, it's liquid gold here in Southeast Asia since you cant get any kind of Canadian Beer anywhere, but Bobby found a source and we all reaped the rewards. For Dessert, Cheng made her famous Maple Syrup Pie, Carin made Apple Tartine and Michelle knocked it outta the park with Vanilla Strawberry Cupcakes and her first attempt at Nanaimo Bars. Since the Bars were all gone in under a minute and she didn't even get one, I think they were a hit!

We BBQ'ed for the majority of the night, argued Hockey, drank cold beer and sang the national anthem. It was a multicultural night but for a few hours we were all happily Canadian and that's what it's all about. Happy Canada Day everyone!!!

CROSS ONE OFF THE BUCKET LIST

"Everyday you make an impact on the world, it is your choice what that impact is"

-- Dr Jane. Goodall

Michelle had one of those memorable weekends as she got to see lectures not once, but twice, by one of her long time heroes: DR. JANE GOODALL! Dr. Goodall who many of us would know from National Geographic and her amazing work with Chimpanzees was in Singapore this past weekend for a number of appearances and lectures around town. Michelle managed to see her twice as well as watch a new documentary, Jane's Journey, about her life and career. I tagged along on Sunday to hear her speak and I must admit, she was pretty mesmerizing. The fact that she is 76, travels 300 days a year, is part of a massive volunteer movement that reaches all corners of the globe, that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'm glad we got to see her in person, hear her wisdom and Michelle was able to meet one of her heroes in person. Very cool indeed!!!

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ART STILL RULES!

Last night, we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to view the classic adventure film, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK on the big screen. I am happy to say that one of my all time favorite films ever, still hods up 30 years later. I wish more people had the chance to see this amazing movie in theaters today because the old saying is true, "they don't make them like they used to". The acting, the story, the stunts, the action - it all holds up and the scene where Indy chases down the Nazi Truck Convey via horseback still remains my all-time favorite action sequence ever! It looks and sounds so awesome on the big screen! Happy 30th Anniversary Indy, you truly are a cinematic Icon even more so today!!!