featured place in Gib: Fusion Deli

tucked away in a corner of Cooperage Lane just at the beginning of Irish Town is a Malaysian-Chinese take-away joint serving, undoubtedly, the best noodles in Gib!  a friend introduced me to their take-away goodness last year and after that, i got hooked!

they opened last year and was an instant hit with the hungry Asian fusion cuisine aficionados here in Gib. after doing some renovations over the holidays, they opened early February with more food choices added to their menu including Japanese and Chinese!

Darrel, the owner, handles the orders while his wife, Jen, mans the kitchen

the interior is now a vibrant red (a lucky color in a lot of Asian cultures) and the space maximized to accomodate their growing clientele

the mister and i love their giant prawn crackers :)

they have the customary cute Chinese and Japanese cat figurines all over the shop signifying "prosperity and luck" :)

i love how this cute hearts stencil distracts your senses (from the heady-ing curry smell wafting from the small kitchen) while you wait for your order :)

here is my Malaysian beef noodles in sweet chilli sauce served in a paper box :)

there is something about food in a paper box that makes it soooo delicious!

featured place in Gib: Terry's

there is a quaint little street in Gib that i like to frequent called Irish Town which runs parallel to the popular Main Street

here you can find a quaint little shop with a magical green door named Terry's

it is one of my favorite places here in Gib. do you know why?

because it is a portal to another world (or worlds)! it is crammed full of second hand books! each book a door to a different dimension :)

here i can get happily lost :) i can also find anything my little heart desires :) from current magazines to vintage sewing patterns to the principles of yoga to historical romances to rude bar jokes to how to build a dam to conquering trigonometry to the full collection of Paulo Coelho's best-selling books and so much more! 

they have school books, art books, travel guides to any destination in the world and of course, all kinds of cook books!

this is my current favorite book. it is priced at £7.50 which is less than one-half its original price!

they also sell all kinds of paint, art and paper supplies as well as balloons and party decor

they have framing services and sell all the essentials to cake decorating :)

Terry's has a very friendly, homely vibe. it is manned by 2 sweet ladies who always call me "darling" or "sweetie" or "love". Terry is the sweet gentleman who handles all the framing services and he is always either whistling a happy tune or laughing over some silly joke :) a trip to Terry's is always a must whenever i go to Irish Town :)

♥♥♥ Happy Hearts Day!♥♥♥

i am a morning person and the mister is not♥ so naturally i wake up everyday way before he does♥ i don't know though how he managed to get me these beautiful bunch of red flowers since we were inseparable since saturday! he is a man of few words and this simple gesture of love speaks volumes♥

over our lunch date, he told me he hid the flowers in the boot of the car because he knows i know every nook and cranny in the house♥

i am also loving this award-winning short film that my sister sent me today♥ wishing you all the love your heart and hand can hold coz Lord knows you deserve it♥

flea market finds: D&G

good things come in small packages :)

found this sterling silver Dolce and Gabbana stud earrings today for .50p! woot woot!

*linking to Flea Market Finds @ Her Library Adventures :)

its cool to be "green"

spotted this unusual plant with a long "trunk" sniffing the garbage bin on our way to Ocean Village. this is the only case of carbon dioxide poisoning i know that is actually commendable AND encouraged!

flea market finds: indoor activities, anyone?

BBBBRRRRRRR! europe is one big freezer these days! in most cities the temperature is in the negatives and still continuing to go down. thank God it has not gone that low here in Gib. although i really hate winter, there is still much to be thankful for since we don't need to buy snowshoes and a toboggan.... YET!

its soooo nice to stay indoors and cosy up against the fire, sip hot chocolate and read (or sew!).

for my latest finds, they all seemingly suggest i do just that :)

an artisanal beige goblet to hold a pretty scented candle when it gets dark outside

this is another goblet but made of crystal this time with a silver base. the base needs a bit of cleaning and polishing. but there are no marks anywhere though

i have long wanted a sewing box crammed full of everything that i would ever need for sewing. i have not come across that in my thrifting yet so at the moment this beautiful hexagonal pin cushion will hopefully give that wish a much needed kick :)

a wonderful book i have had my eye on for the longest time. always dreaming to be a writer, i am always mindful of punctuation and the bits and bobs of what it takes to be one

this is a "pañolito" (handkerchief in Spanish) but seeing as it is crocheted and flimsy, it is used more as a "manton" or shawl. very common in Spanish ladies in the olden times, now it has become more like a souvenir or something to wear on special occassions. they come in a myriad of colors, textures and design

so, there you are. my latest finds in the middle of the coldest month of the year here in Gib. now, will you please excuse me while i make myself some hot chocolate stirred with my new chocolate spoon :)

*linking to Thrift Share Monday @Apron Thrift Girl :)

wannabe foodie

"A gourmet who counts calories is like a whore who looks at her watch."
James Beard

came across this quote and laughed so hard i had to stuff a churro in my mouth just to stop myself. i actually know of some people who are annoyingly fussy with their food that more often than not, they spoil the whole atmosphere at the dinner table!

i am caught in the great divide on this one, though. i am in no way a "food whore" nor am i a "food virgin". i do love food but at the same time if i don't watch what i eat now, it would be not taking good care of myself. another thing that is important for me is the company. if i love the people around me and feel cosy in their company and not at all bothered by the out-of-place lettuce in my salad nor the misaligned fork beside my plate, then i think the food becomes divine, the time spent becomes magical and you never want the meal to end.

i do have a golden rule when it comes to food: moderation. i can eat anything as long as it is not in excessive amounts. seems to work for me. i am happy with that.

a few days ago, a friend of mine gave me a Filipino treat that i have been craving for a long time. it reminds me of my grandma who used to make it whenever we visit her in the farm.

this is "budbud". "budbud" is sticky rice cake wrapped in fragrant banana leaves. it has simple ingredients (glutinous rice, salt, sugar, coconut milk) but it requires an "expert" budbud-maker to make it. it is eaten at breakfast or as a snack through-out the day. usually, it is divine when paired with "sikwate", a home-made hot chocolate made with dried cacao seeds.

it is eaten warm and if you choose, you could dip it in sugar. naturally, i savored mine slowly and sipped my hot chocolate lazily while thinking about my beautiful grandma :)

another breakfast favorite of mine are "papitas", another variation of the Spanish churros. whenever the mister is on his way home from night shift, he picks up a bundle of papitas for me. i prefer the "papitas" more than the churros because they have a bit of crunch in them. when you dip them in chocolate, they are hard to resist.

the mister made some simple meat pies recently and they are sooooo good that in between the two of us, there has to be food policing involved somewhere :)

excuse my pic but because i sooo wanna bite into one that i didn't care if the pic was blurry or not :)

here's to living life to the fullest flavor! here's to eating what you like with people you like!