lots of pictures to update here. . .
First. . . Mexican Food Night aka Tortilla Time
Chicken Enchilada (before)
Chicken Enchilada (after)
Buffet at the Hyatt in Singapore
Chili Crabs. . .yummy
an assortment of Indian food. . . prata in the background
Desserts section. . . sweet soups, pastries, cakes. . . sigh
Chilis they use to spice things up
Insprired by Simply_Sindy, this entry is to educate everyone about bargaining. Here's my little disclaimer. . . I'm no expert, but I can and have made vendors cry. ^_^
SP= Salesperson
#1: Always HIDE your enthusiasm
--> Do not show the SP how much you want it
--> Act cool and aloof. . . "hmmm, charming" (and if possible, yawn or sigh)
*at this point, SP will throw his/her sales pitch. . . its one of its kind, handmade, unique, blah blah blah
#2: Ask the price
*SP will quote a much higher price
#3: Show disapproval or disgust, but politely, of course
*now, SP will tell you this is the best value
#4: Be SMART. . . someone will always ALWAYS have a better value. . . Tell them to do better. . . and quote 30% when asked your price range
*sometimes, SP will ask you how much you think its worth. . . remember its usually about 30% of whatever they quoted you. I'm a bitch, so I give them a number that's 25% of the number they give me. Of course this is when they tell you you're crazy, its highway robbery, blah blah blah
#5: Shrug and walk away. Play indifference.
*Sp will then almost plead you to consider. . . be "sympathetic" but play hardball. . .
REPEAT #4 and #5 for about 6 rounds of sparing. . . occasionally increase your price range by 5% every 2 repeats.
#6: If you play cool enough (and after much practise), you should be able to walk away with 40-50% of the price.
ASK questions (is this your best offer?) (what else can you give me?) (How about if I buy more than 1?) (what if I find a similar item somewhere else at a much cheaper price?) there are lots of questions to ask. . . that's a whole new ballpark. . . cos questions are determined by location, price range, quality, location.
An actual Scenario
Act 1, Scene 1
Location: Bali
Me: (to friend) look at this bag. . . nice, huh?
SP: you should get it, its handmade
Me: Nice worksmanship
SP: yes, I made it (or some family member)
Me: hmmm. . . how much?
SP: for you? US$10!! Its a great value
Me: US$10??? That's way too expensive!
SP: nonono, its gooood price! very cheap!
Me: eh. . . its too pricey for me. Thanks anyway.
SP: Wait! How much do you wanna pay? Gimme a price, we can negotiate. (BTW, negotiate is my favorite word)
Me: ok, I give you $3
SP: WHAT! That's too low, I still have family to feed, you know.
Me: So do I, you know. (I start to walk away)
SP: okokok, $6. (that's a whopping $4 discount which means I can go lower. . . YEAY!)
Me: Nope. $3. Take it or leave it
SP: oh no. . . that's too low
Me: That's too bad cos I'd buy it from you right now (hint to them that you'd buy it from them if the price is right)
SP: ok, tell me your price
Me: I already did. $3
SP: (SIGH) how am I going to feed my family with $3?? $5!!!
Me: How about I buy 2 for $3 each? then you have $6! I tell all my friends and they'll buy from you too!! No one's hungry, everyone's happy.
SP: (Another sigh. . . this one's longer. . . its a sign that I've won) okok, $4 each if you buy 2 or more. I'm sorry cannot go lower.
Me: hmmm. . . oh ok. I'll take 4.
SP: (VERY HAPPY) Thank you!!!
I'm happy, SP's happy. . . we all happy. . . and now I have 4 bags to give away.
This works ONLY in certain areas. . . usually in areas or shops that don't require much supervision.
Another successful bargaining experience took place in China. . . 12 watches, US$12 (starting price: $12 each) I bargained for about 20% (by mistake, problems with calculations that day) but for only 2 watches. By the time I was done, I'd gotten it for about $2.50 each, then brother came, I bought more, weaseled 2 extra watches while I was at it. GOSH! I was so high. haha. . . too bad I can't bargain for millions. . . working out my intimidating stare with my cat.
Keep in mind this DOES NOT work in department stores. . . the following rules for department stores
1) Always ask if this is the best offer
2) Any upcoming sale
3) Any discount offers... maybe sign up as member eg. Macys account
4) Any free gifts
Happy Shopping!
My 2nd dive trip: Puerto Galera, Philippines
This blog contains foods and dive shots. ^_^
First night: Dinner
Chicken Adobo: way too salty, but tasty nonetheless (not a great shot. sorry)
Beefsteak Tagalog: like the adobo, too salty but tasty. . . but what's with the raw onions? (again, crappy shot)
My first dive was a disaster; new mask, new bcd, lots of problems. . . plus camera wasn't working cos I'd forgotten to remove an obstruction in the underwater housing. Dumb Dumb!!
My only shot underwater due to obstruction: My Fin
My 2nd dive was much better. . . but its the first time I'm shooting in the Big Blue.
A shot from Down Under
Anemone Clown Fish in its home
The following are my favorite shots from the remaining dives and days on Puerto Galera.
Coral Reef. This shot came out a lot bluer than what I saw and its shot without flash. . . unfortunately I didn't shoot it a 2nd time with flash to show its true colors. . . Now, imagine a huge area of just this. Breathtaking!!
I love this Starfish. . . it looks so inviting like it would be a soft and squishy pillow. No, I didn't touch it.
A Lion Fish. I think its a Common Lion Fish but will have to confirm after I check my fish identification book.
Chicken and Ribs Lechon. Alas, I didn't get to try any cos they're always sold out within a couple of hours. . . I'm usually still diving. I hear its superb though. Next time, I will reserve some the day before I want it.
This was from our hotel, Mermaid. Its their daily special, Filet Mignon. Maybe its cos I waited so long before I got to my meal (checking email), but it was tough and definitely NOT MEDIUM RARE. . . no sign of pinkage. :( The pink you see here is bacon.
One of my lunches from Mermaid Hotel. . . Chicken Tinola. It is chicken broth with green beans, onions, and some kind of melon. I had this for lunch 2 consecutive days. There was a tamarind version called Chicken Sinagang which tasted like Preserved Mustard soup (YUMMY!!!)
One of the highlights of the eating part of our trip. . . Bananas Flambee (as listed from their menu). Pretty fire. Lots of alcohol. Bananas a little too green. No ice cream. How can you not serve ice cream with this?? Sigh.
A Praying Mantis posing for a shot. Location: Staircase of Mermaid Hotel.
A Sea Slug, aka Nudibranch. They're one of the most colorful creatures in the Big Blue.
Another Nudibranch. Ain't it purdy?? In this dive trip, I saw about 8 types of Nudibranches. . . apparently there are thousands of varieties.
A Frog Fish. Will confirm later what kind of Frog Fish this one is. They're so cute. . . and soooo very slow. In case you can't see it, its the bright orangey-red part of the photo. Can you spot its mouth and eye?
We went to the restaurant across the street for pastas and pizzas cos we were tired of asian food. Pretty good overall, I had the Risotto with Brisket pieces. Tastes almost like risotto with osso bucco, but less tomatoey.
My favorite item: The Turon. It is a skewer with 2 bananas wrapped in wonton skin, deep fried and caramelized with sugar. YUM YUM YUM!!!
I can't wait for my next dive trip. Maybe a 4-days live-on-board from Singapore to Thailand?? Tempting but gotta figure out expenses first.
This photo was taken by Wai Yin. . . a very patient and talented Underwater Photographer.
A Pygmy Seahorse. . . they're smaller than my pinky nail, and bc they blend in so well with the seafan, it takes heaps of patience to find them. Kudos to you, Wai Yin.
I fear I'll never be able to catch up with my blog. . . not even done with China and Bali. . . and I've got another trip coming.
I'M GOING DIVING!!! Its conquer my fear week. I've delayed this way too long. . . was supposed to do this years ago. Anyway, did my pool session today, another tomorrow. . . Leave for the trip on Friday, 3 dives Saturday, 2 dives Sunday, come home.
WISH ME LUCK!
Its been a while since my last entry. . . food entry, at that. Sorry about that.
Was in Jui Zhai Province of China for 2 weeks in August. . . gorgeous gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking. I took an insanely large amount of photos. . . and well, its taking a while. I'll post it tomorrow, promise!!
Then there was Bali the first weekend of September for a wedding. Some great food that weekend.
My favorite: 'Buk Ocha's Babi Guling aka Roasted Suckling Pig. They open at 11am and by 3pm they'll have run out of everything. Last time I asked they sell about 6-8 pigs daily. I dream about it everytime I think of Bali.
From Left to Right:
The Whole Pig just delivered. . . my lucky day!
Look at that beautiful crispness of the skin.
The lady was nice enough (and amused enough) to pick up the head for me ^_^
The carcus as we were leaving. . . we were only there for 30 minutes.
Do I hear a drumroll???
THE MAIN COURSE
We've got rice, pork, sauce, blood sausage, and green chillies. Soooo delicious!!
My mom's friend came over for lunch so I cooked. She was "pleasantly surprised" that I can cook. I couldn't help myself and said, "Why are you surprised, Aunty? Is it because I'm such a tomboy?" She just gave a nervous laugh but didn't give any answer. hehe oh well, here's what I served.
Chicken and Mushrooms with Old Chardonnay and Cream sauce. (Old Chardonnay = Chadonnay that's been open for more than a month. . . uncorked!)
Risotto with Shrimp and Mushrooms, topped with Caramelized Onions
Needless to say, she didn't say anything after the meal. . . her plate was polished clean! HAHA Next time, I'll serve her meatballs and spaghetti with garlic bread. . . . then watch in glee as she licks her plate. tee hee
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