Your Life,"Your Life, Your Canvas” World AIDS Day party at Supperclub

The “Your Life, Your Canvas” World AIDS Day party at Supperclub yesterday night was a blast. It was a thorough treat for the senses; I enjoyed the food, in particular a certain roll that contained vegetables dressed with yoghurt and a hint of coriander that I wish I knew how to make; the music was just awesome. I mean, how often do you get to see Electrico, Jack & Rai and Fire Fight perform right in front of you! Yes there was no stage, so you could really get close to the bands!
Photos courtesy of @claudia10 (I didn't have time to take pictures; so glad Claudia took good photos and was willing to let us use it! Thank you! Full set on Flickr)

Electrico

Jack & Rai (Thanks @victortan for the photo!)

I am just rattling off the event details cos’ I am still buzzing from all the good music, art (hang on, I will go into the graffiti art later), and good food.

Overall, the night was full of great vibes (not all the time, but that’s alright) and I totally loved how HIV/AIDS awareness was brought across through art and music. HIV and AIDS has for too long, been framed in a foreboding, forbidding and fearful manner. Fear keeps the infected away from treatment. Fear stands in the way of further understanding and knowledge of HIV/AIDS and its prevention and transmission. Fear also promulgates stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. As of 2008, there is an estimated 33.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS.

And in a celebration of life and creativity, the party had the theme of “Your life. Your canvas". It's inspired by the notion that we are all responsible for painting the canvas of our own lives. Like graffiti, the choices we make in our lives contribute to a constantly evolving picture on a canvas unique to each and every one of us. One of the reception staff had even said to me, "It's really funky and cool that you guys talk about AIDS in this way at Supperclub." (I was so darn happy that I gave him a Jack & Rai Limited Edition "Pixelated" CD; if you're reading this, leave a comment!)

For that one night, Supperclub was full of graffiti displays (Click here for more photos of the graffiti artworks):

Gosh I wish I took a video of Killer Gerbil doing up that World AIDS Day canvas; I'm grinning happily at the end of event. (Photos by @victortan)

And who says graffiti art needs to be restricted to a canvas on a wall? Check out these canvas shoes:

(Shoe photos by Claudia)

It is a tragedy that in a world of abundant knowledge, ignorance and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS still abound. Too many people do not know the 4 ways (ABCD: Abstinence, Being Faithful, Correct & Consistent use of condoms, Early detection) to avoid getting infected. You can’t get it via a handshake, a sneeze or sharing a toilet seat. And getting it does not equate to a death sentence; with treatment, infected individuals can live fruitful and productive lives. There is simply no reason to fear or reject infected people.

Ultimately, we belong to the same pool of humanity; there is nothing different about HIV-positive people from others. An assumption that HIV/AIDS affects only certain people who “live in a _______ way” is just rubbish. That’s just an easy way to avoid an deny the insidious nature of this virus – to cognitively categorise it as a “disease of the others”. It simply isn't a disease that affect people other than yourself.

Jack & Rai had dedicated a song for World AIDS Day 2009, “Pixelated”. And that song says it all. We can choose to stop seeing HIV/AIDS through pixelated eyes.

Do check out the music video as well:

We can all choose to see HIV and AIDS clearly, as it is; a disease that afflicts millions of our fellow humans, arising as a necessary part of our human condition. And what better way to foster understanding than through artistry and music, which we’ve used throughout history to express our humanity?

Make a stand. Show your support for World AIDS Day 2009 by being informed about HIV and its myths and misconceptions. That way, not only will you protect yourself and the people you care about but also show your care and concern for those living with HIV & AIDS.

Patience pays, at least with rempah

When it comes to Peranakan/Malay cooking, preparation is of the essence. If an hour is required to make a dish, you can be certain that at least half of that time is spent preparing the ingredients.

The best-loved Peranakan dishes of laksa, ikan assam pedas and ayam/babi pongteh , to name but a few, all have one thing in common: the rempah. The rempah forms the most important ingredient in these dishes.

Some things just won’t cut it done the quick way. This key ingredient, the rempah can be likened to the soul and spirit of a dish. Essentially a pounded mixture of spice paste, no two rempah is the same. Generally consisting of aromatic roots, leaves, spices and seeds, one may wonder how a seemingly simple combination of spices, leaves and roots crushed together in a mortar and pestle can do so much to a dish.

The layering of flavours and artful combination of the spicy, savoury, aromatic and juicy in a rempah delivers a stimulating experience to the tongue and nose. On its own, individual rempah ingredients are non-descript, and even unpleasant. Try sniffing a piece of belachan, that ubiquitous shrimp paste used throughout the Malay archipelago. To the uninitiated, it is likely to result in nausea. Garlic, shallots and chilies are annoying to prepare. You end up teary, smelling pungent and feeling burnt on your fingers. Fresh turmeric stains are always a laundry nightmare. But combine these together in a mortar and pestle, and the end result is a dizzyingly piquant blend of tropical scents and flavours. In Singapore, we are all used to taking the short cut, but it just does not cut it when it comes to rempah.

As a busy (and lazy) person, I had used the food processor when making the rempah for mee soto. The results were disappointing. It lacked a depth of flavour. Apparently, a food processor’s blade merely cuts the ingredients into tiny fragments, while the pounding motion of a mortar and pestle crushes and releases the aromatic oils and juices of the plant matter. But as any cook would tell you, pounding the harder and fibrous ingredients such as galangal, coriander seeds and candlenuts is no easy feat. An inexperienced cook can spend an hour on it, and be left with nothing more than very sore wrists and an unpalatable rough paste.

It has been said that in the old days, a Nyonya lady seeking a prospective bride for her son would listen to the pounding of spices by the maiden concerned as it denoted the amount of attention she would give to her cooking!

Although many experienced cooks would frown upon this, I still insisted on finding a shortcut. I used a food processor to chop the ingredients into small bits, before subjecting the entire mixture to a good pounding. In that way, the pounding won’t break your wrists and the aromatic juices are still released. Factory-produced rempahs found in Singapore supermarkets are solely machine-processed. They are acceptable but offer nothing memorable. Nothing beats creating a rempah on your own.

No wonder Nyonya cooks in those days would spend hours in the kitchen, pounding away at the batu mortar and pestle.
______

Anyway, here's my variation of mee soto recipe:

Ingredients:

• Yellow noodles/Bee hoon, blanched.


• Coconut milk

Stock

• Chicken pieces (You could choose to chop up a small chicken, or use frozen chicken breasts/thighs)


• Water


• Salt and sugar to taste


• 1 stalk lemongrass


• 1 thick slice of galangal


• 1 kaffir lime leaf, torn (optional)


• 1 star anise


• 1 chilli

Accompaniments

• Hard boiled eggs, sliced lengthways


• Bean sprouts, blanched


• Coriander, minced


• Fried shallots

Spice paste

• 1 teaspoon black pepper/peppercorns


• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted


• 4 candlenuts (buah keluak)


• 6 shallots


• 2 cloves garlic


• 1 slice galangal (or substitute with ginger)


• 1 cm fresh turmeric or half-teaspoon turmeric powder

Prepare chicken meat:
If using a whole chicken (with bones), I like to extract the great flavours and goodness from he chicken bones as well, by simmering the chicken in water for an hour, with the galangal. If using frozen breasts and thighs, which are boneless, then it is enough to just microwave/quickly boil the meat.Chicken meat is then cooled, then shredded into small pieces.

Prepare spice paste:
Coriander seeds, should be dry-fried, quickly, until an aroma emerges. A shortcut is to just buy coriander powder. If you have a mortar and pestle, pound the spice paste ingredients. The most fibrous and hardest ingredients go in first, before the softer ingredients. Otherwise, use a food processor. But the results is still best with a mortar and pestle.

Peranakan cultural hybridity as expressed in food

I was invited by Hisham and the Peranakan Association to the Big Baba Blogout! on the 20 November at the Peranakan Museum, Armenian Street. It certainly wasn't my first time to the museum; I've always loved wandering around the halls of the museum, slowly savouring the intricate artefacts.There were numerous artefacts, but a sireh set caught my eye first. It is used for betel-nut chewing, often after meals. To me, this particular item embodies the blending of ancient cultures which we can see in the Peranakan material artefacts. Betel nut chewing has a very, very long history, with records of 11th century royalty practising this. In this beautiful sireh set, the ancient Southeast Asian practice of betel nut chewing has blended beautifully with Chinese and Malay influences in its intricate metalwork.

Peranakan cultural hybridity
As I wandered through the museum, I marvelled at how the fusion of different cultures (Malay and Chinese) manifested itself in other items of the Peranakan's material culture. Through the furniture, embroidery, costumes and food, it is clear that cultural hybridity and fusion since the 14th and 15th centuries have left behind stunning pieces of art and memorable cuisines. The riches of Southeast Asia brought traders, some of whom settled in Malacca and around the coastal areas of Java and Sumatra, as early as the 14th century. In the 19th century, the Peranakan Chinese were drawn by commerce and migrated to the bustling ports of Penang, Malacca and Singapore (the Straits Settlements).
I prefer to use the term cultural hybridity because it implies a society/culture/way of life that emerge from mutual intermingling of two originally separate cultures. This is different from cultural dominance or hegemony. (This particular point warrants a separate blog post altogether)

Fortuitously, I had planned a trip to Malacca over the Hari Raya Haji long weekend, and I experienced this unique hybrid culture first-hand. I had stayed in Hotel Puri, right within the historic Jonker area. The hotel was built in an old Peranakan house. I visited the Peranakan museum nearby and saw first-hand the setting of an authentic Baba house. I recognised some of the settings, from the Mediacorp drama, Little Nonya.

Hotel Puri

Peranakan Museum, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock

Cultural hybridity expressed through food
The hybridity and blending of different influences can be found in architecture, furniture, art etc. For this blog post, I will focus on how it can be found in Peranakan food. To me, it was an aspect that was particularly memorable. I personally enjoy cooking, and so the appeal of Nyonya cuisine went beyond merely taste. Being a typical Singaporean, I love delicious food; how could I resist? No wonder Time Magazine's Neel Chowdury commented last April, "Peranakan influence has retreated from many areas of Singapore, its hold over the Singaporean stomach is still strong." Not surprisingly, I lingered the longest in the kitchen exhibit area of the Peranakan museum, imagining how the dishes were prepared:

It was interesting to see an ornate mortar-and-pestle in the Tok Panjang dining room. This particular kitchen tool is essential in the preparation of the rempah, or spice paste in many Peranakan dishes. (For my next blog post, I shall write on the wonderful mortar and pestle and how an electric blender can never completely replace it when making good rempahs)

Peranakan/Nyonya food or Straits Chinese food, also known as Lauk Embok Embok; is a delicious blend of Malay and Chinese culinary influences, perfected over the course of 4 centuries. Peranakan food is of course found in the key Peranakan enclaves of Sinapore, Penang and Malacca. But over the years, distinct differences have evolved. The proximity of Malacca and Singapore to Indonesia meant that Peranakan food in Malacca and Singapore tend to be sweeter, richer in coconut milk and contain more Malay spices such as coriander seeds and cumin.

I experienced this for myself in Malacca. For instance, the Chap Chye (top) has Chinese influences in its cooking method (stir-frying), ingredients (black fungus, tau cheo and lily buds). The ayam pongteh contained palm sugar (gula Melaka), lemongrass (serai) and chillies which are clearly influenced by the ingredients available in the Malay Archipelago, lends this dish a distinctive and memorable flavour. But it can never be complete without the tau cheo (fermented soy beans) and black Chinese mushrooms. Such a wonderful marriage of flavours! -slurp-

And a meeting of cooking methods and ingredients from different lands. Back in those days, who would have thought the seemingly unlikely combination of lemongrass, chillis, fermented soya beans and Chinese mushrooms could have resulted in such a mouth-watering recipe, applicable to not only ayam (chicken), but also pork. One can also imagine the native wives of the Chinese traders of long ago, cracking their heads to come up with food that would be palatable and appealing to their Chinese husbands.
One can imagine the ingenuity, creativity and improvisation over the years that has given rise to these distinctive dishes. There are of course, many more out there, and merely highlighting 2 dishes does not do justice to the whole array of Peranakan dishes available. Perhaps I could write a bit more in future blog posts.

When one bears in mind the centuries of culture intermingling that has given birth to the delicious repeirtoire of Perakanan food, savouring it becomes a whole new experience. It becomes deeply emotional and moving when you realise that the centuries of cultural hybridity is crystallised in the dishes. Through our tastebuds, I am intimately connected to a unique hybrid culture. Even though I am not Peranakan, it simply feels amazing to savour such delicious food of veritable heritage in the historic Malacca district of Jonker itself:
It was a pity that I was in Malacca over the weekend, which meant I missed the events at SMU, with the Peranakan food stalls, cooking demonstrations and rempahs that I would have purchased using the $1 coupons from the programme sheet.

Well, I am seriously considering going to one of the restaurants (see www.peranakan.org.sg/food for more details) to satisfy my cravings for delicious Peranakan food sometime this week! Or I might just go to the Peranakan Festival Closing event on 6 Dec @ Joo Chiat Community Club! There's a food fair there!!!

World AIDS Day - Show Your Support

Today is World AIDS Day, a day observed yearly worldwide on 1 December to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. A red ribbon is usually worn to symbolise:

• INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS of HIV/AIDS


• CARE and CONCERN for people living with HIV and those who have died


• HOPE in the search for a vaccine and cure; and


• SUPPORT for people living with or affected by HIV

The red ribbon has been in use since 1991. Since its discovery in the early 1980s, HIV has already killed more than 2 million people worldwide. The numbers are increasing, and there many people out there who live with the virus.

This year, the World AIDS Day campaign by the Health Promotion Board urges us to understand HIV/AIDS better – its prevention and transmission and dispel myths and misconceptions that we may hold. Check out the campaign websites! http://www.loveamp.sg/ and http://www.breathe.sg/

Of living with HIV
I had the privilege to meet many HIV-infected persons, but one person made a deep impression. He gave a talk during a local conference to hundreds of people, and shared his personal journey as a person living with HIV. I thought, how many people would do that, unafraid of word spreading of one’s HIV status? After all, there are still some employers who would not want to hire a HIV-positive person.

I had the opportunity to see him again, at another event, where he shared how he lost his job as a teacher, and the amount of medications he had to take daily (6 pills or more a day), and the cost of these medications, which amount to about $1000 a month. There are people who travel to Thailand regularly to obtain cheaper anti-retroviral drugs, but not everyone can do so, especially if you are young and financially dependent on the family. He spoke with conviction, about how we must do more to prevent more HIV infections; and he is walking the walk – as a counsellor to prisoners.

He did not talk at length about the side effects, but there was one particular thing he alluded to. This was before the start of his talk, and I was sitting with him at the lounge area, unaware that he was to speak on this matter. I do not know how we went into the topic of fat, but he made a mention of how his face was getting fatter. And it was only much later that I learnt about the abnormal changes in fats distribution that is a side-effect of taking protease inhibitors (which prevents the virus from replicating).

He was a sincere, energetic and generous person. Generous because he was so willing to share, and it must have been difficult for him to do so, especially at that conference.

Show your support today.
Beyond the red ribbon, how relevant is HIV/AIDS to us? For many, we think about or attempt to understand more about HIV/AIDS only when it’s World AIDS Day. There is a sense of complacency that it will not happen to me.

HIV/AIDS can disrupt your life in more ways than one, and the speaker, brought across the reality in his sharing. His generous, heart-felt sharing...

You can show your support right away by joining our Twibbon campaign on Twitter and Facebook! Tell others about it!

In shades of grey

I tend not to see the world in black and white. The world is to me, in shades of grey. I choose not to subscribe to absolutes, be it in opinions, decisions or situations. It is very human, to tend to cognitively categorise in a polarised manner, complex or arbitrary issues or scenarios. certainly, it is much less cognitively demanding to polarise or categorise social realities inaccurately. I'm not immune to it, for sure. I've been in situations where I was tempted to see things in black and white. A part of me resists this, though.

One way of seeing is another way of not seeing.

What we often think as correct or right is, in reality an imposition of one's own subjectivities and thought patterns acquired over the years. It may sound very abstract and may make no sense to you, some of my dear readers. I had an idea to use an example to illustrate the concept, but I've just returned from several drinks at a Jonker area pub in Malacca. And I am sleepy.

Any situation is multi-faceted. What may perceived as the key issue may, in fact be a side issue of little importance. We choose what we want to focus on. And that's fine. The problem arises when we fixate on that particular focus, to the exclusion of all other possibilities, that''s can be a big problem. That's fine by me, as long as no one gets harmed or hurt. The decision made must not be forcibly imposed upon people of free will...

I've more to say, but i am tired. Will write again tomorrow

Of disdain and anger

Back when I was in NUS, blogging was both a means to chronicle the happenings of my life for posterity and also for cathartic release. I had in the past year, fell behind in my blogging, partly owing to procrastination. For a long while, I hadnt blogged for the latter reason.

Well, now that Im on holiday; there is no reason to procrastinate. And it so happens that I do need to give vent to some sentiments. I think the act of recording it albeit in an electronic form will provide a great reference point in the future.

I tend to come across as an obliging guy; It may even be misconstrued as being soft. I do not take to threats well; it reeks of sheer unprofessionalism and childishness. If the threat arises from some self-important or self-constructed moral high ground. Clearly, much miscommunication had transpired. Unlike other situations when I would do something, this time, I am certainly not in the least bit interested because disdain has set in. That, is a difficult state of mind because as an ex-colleague puts it, disdain carries with it an overtone of resigned indifference.

In general, I am a tolerant and easygoing person. I tend to simply tahan and move on. But I tend not to forget. It appears that anger gets swept into a corner of my subconscious. But once I am triggered repeatedly, I am not to be trifled with.

I have more to write, but I got to join my army mates at a pub in Jonker. More later!

LearnFest 2009 - Of healthy recipes and a skit

Learn Fest is a event that encourages and showcases innovation and knowledge-sharing. It was held on Monday, which was an incredibly busy day for me. I cooked something for the event, and acted in a skit as well.

As part of the event, a Healthy and Innovative Recipe contest was held. Apparently, it was the first time ever a contest that tests participants' culinary skills was held. My submission of a "Thai-style fish fillet with mango cubes" was one of the 3 finalist recipes. I had to prepare the dish beforehand and bring it to the office, where 30 people would taste it and give their votes.

The winning recipe was judged based on the following criteria:
Creativity – Is the choice and use of ingredients or cooking method creative? 30%
Healthy – Are the ingredients used or the cooking method healthy? 20%
Simplicity – Is the dish easy to be prepared by busy working adults? 20%
Originality – Is the recipe original? 15 %
Appeal and Presentation - Does the dish sound and look appealing or appetizing? 15 %

And here's a picture of the dish, Thai-style fish fillets with mango cubes:


And guess what. I came in first! That won me a hamper full of healthy snacks and a $50 voucher. I seriously didn't expect to win, especially when pitted against Kathryn's deliciously creamy Chicken dish and Dr. Lim Min Chin's unusual Fish Capellini.

I suppose I won owing to the creative use of coriander, low-fat content of the dish, and the ease of preparation. I suppose the garnish of lime, coriander leaves and chilli helped in the presentation as well.

Coriander root is not commonly used in Chinese cooking, but the leaves are certainly a key ingredient in soups and steamed fish. Interestingly, even though the leaves and roots originate from a single plant, they impart different flavours and aromas to the dish. The root contains a piquant aroma, while the leaves and stalks contains a refreshing scent.

In Thai cooking, the balance of saltyness, sourness and sweetness is very important. Depending on the ripeness of the mango, it may be necessary to reduce the amount of lime juice used. The tangy and spicy flavours, and not to mention, the piquant aromas, makes this an appetizing dish, perfect when served with white or brown rice.

I was worried because some people hate coriander. Perhaps I was lucky; nobody seemed to dislike it.

But anyhow, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
4-6 fillets of fish (can be Dory, Snapper, Sea Bass)
4 tablespoons of Thai Chilli Sauce
Juice of 2 Calamansi limes
3 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon of corn starch
1 pinch of sugar
1 slice of ginger, shredded
1 large ripe mango, peeled and cubed
2 sprigs of coriander
1 coriander root, cleaned and lightly crushed
- a dash of pepper

Preparation & Cooking Method:
1. Lightly brush a flat-bottom grill pan with a little cooking oil, then grill the fish for 5-10 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily and the inner flesh is no longer translucent. Transfer to a serving plate.

2. In a separate pan, heat up 3 tablespoons of water and dissolve the Thai Chilli Sauce and sugar with the coriander root and ginger shreds. The root will lend a piquant aroma to the dish. Add more water if the mixture becomes too dry. Add fish sauce and corn starch to thicken up the sauce. Add in the lime juice and mango cubes last. Do adjust the amount of lime juice according to taste.

3. Pour the sauce over the fish fillets and garnish with coriander. If desired, serve the fillets with sliced limes. The dish is best eaten with fragrant Jasmine rice.


The organisers had not enough plates, so I had to resort to buying some flimsy paper plates from 7-11.


It was very kind of my colleagues to come down early to support me! Renuga and Thilaga helped me dish out the food!!!


And there it was, all 30 portions.


Explaining the dish to the audience


Me and Dr. Lim and Kathryn!


A total of 12 "balls" (votes)

Right after the recipe contest, we went on to do a presentation skit titled "There's something for everyone". My role was a 33 year old bachelor who leads an active sex life. Well, I guess it isn't as bad as if I had to act as a 10-year-old, which my colleague Suqi did! I think it's not easy to act as a child!


Well, Victor acted as a 16 year old teenager:


The whole "family"!


It's amazing how we all managed to pull it off!!! Exhausting, but extremely satisfying. :D