Stevie wonders

SMRT Train disruptions

2011-12-17T05:30:00.000-08:00

I know this is rather frivolous, considering the huge inconveniences, waste of productive hours, and anguish for commuters over the past couple of days, with the North South SMRT line disruptions.

So someone smashed the window in a MRT train cabin to get ventilation. And SMRT responded in a most distasteful manner. (The Online Citizen)

That aside: aren't these posters now circulating on the Internet so creative, and some quite funny?

On a personal note, I am very embarrassed; what would tourist think of Singapore after seeing this mess?

Plants and bringing a touch of green into your home or office

2011-12-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

Below is the full article that I wrote for a newsletter. It is in a question-and-answer style; interview by Isnis:

Horticulture and bringing a touch of green into your home or office

1. So what got you first started into gardening?

It started when I was in primary school and found the lessons on germinating green beans, balsam seed pods dispersing seeds through splitting, and vegetative propagation of African violets extremely fascinating.

My forays into gardening are mostly restricted to containers. You’d be amazed at how many different species and varieties one can raise in containers and pots of soil. Unlike gardeners with plenty of space to design a landscape of plants with varying heights and colours, I grow tropical plants as specimens to be admired and appreciated on their own: unique botanical outcomes of evolution and natural selection over millennia. This is why I am partial towards ferns, a plant with an extremely long history.

2. What was your first gardening ‘experiment’ and how did that turn out?

I had bought a packet of petunia seeds from a plant nursery. Petunias are a genus of South American plants that have been extensively hybridised into showy varieties. If you hadn’t grown them before, you will know that the seeds are very tiny and needs light to germinate. The tiny seedlings emerged eventually, and they bloomed after 10 weeks. I recall vividly the first trumpet-shaped bloom unfurled at dusk, and had a slight scent

Very tiny petunia seeds and seedlings.

That experience of raising a flowering plant to maturity from a very tiny seed was immensely satisfying. It was pleasing to watch new furry leaves and buds forming over time.

3. What is your greatest ever ‘success’ whilst gardening?

It’s hard to answer this question. All my plants are successes, in a way. Whether they survive or not, there's always something to learn.

4. What can be said to be the most embarrassing thing that had ever happen to you while gardening?

Absolutely nothing, so I really don’t know how to answer this.

5. Tell us more about your ‘gardens’ at home?

These are all restricted to containers and are mostly leafy plants, such as Bird’s Nest Fern, Rabbit’s Foot Fern, Money plant, Zamioculcas, Dracaena and a curry plant. They are easy to maintain, and adds a soothing splash of green. Their differing growth habits, leaf shapes and shades of green provide pleasing contrasts. Beyond aesthetics, the curry plant is useful for cooking; whenever I need it, I can just pluck off a sprig or two to add an aromatic lift to a pot of curry.

Zamioculcas originated from East Africa. An easy plant to grow, it holds auspicious meanings for the Chinese (金钱树). Its ingot-shaped leaves symbolises wealth. This is one plant that rewards that extra bit of care with glossy leaves and vigorous growth. Its fleshy stems and underground tubers mean that it can do without watering for some time without dying. As long as the pot is allowed to drain freely, overwatering is also unlikely to kill it. Tolerates shade.

Rabbit’s Foot Fern is so named because mature specimens produce furry rhizomes that protrude from the soil, and resembles rabbits’ feet. Despite its delicate appearance, this is a tough plant that tolerates shade.

Money plant is extremely easy to grow. A vigorous plant, it has nice splashes of variegation on its leaves. Its long stems make it ideal as a hanging plant. If allowed to grow up a wooden stake, the leaves becomes extremely large. Easily one of the easiest plants to grow. Its vigor will depend on light availability. Its leaves tend to become greener in low light conditions.

The only plant that I grow for its flowers is the Hedychium coronarium (White Orchid Ginger). So named for its orchid-like white blooms, the scent is amazing, especially in the evenings. It never gets afflicted by insect pests and regularly sends up a spike of blooms which lasts several weeks, with deadheading. Ants love to crawl into the blooms to retrieve nectar.

White Orchid Ginger originated in the Himalayans regions. The flower scent is indescribably sweet, with hints of citrus.

6. How did your friends and colleagues react when they find out you have a green thumb?

Most of the time, people are surprised because there simply aren’t many (relatively) young people in Singapore who appreciates plants the way I do. Really, it isn't something just meant for retirees and housewives.

7. Whilst overseas or locally, what in your view is the best example of a lush green sprawling garden?

I am extremely impressed by the Kew Gardens in London, in particular, the tropical collection dating from Victorian times. I consider the Gardens a must-visit for any trip to London. Specimens are labelled, well taken care of and flourish in the greenhouse.

The greenhouse in Kew Gardens, London containing tropical plants collected from all over the world during the heyday of the British Empire. Many of the plants (especially the Chilean Wine Palm) are so advanced in age that they threaten to break through the roof of the one-story glasshouse.

The Victorian period was a golden era of plant collecting. Intrepid botanical adventurers travelled the world to collect exotic specimens of trees, orchids, medicinal plants, ferns and palms, often at great personal risk. Many new species, including valuable cash crops were discovered and studied. An example would be the rubber tree, which was first grown outside South America from seed, in the steamy greenhouses of Kew. Carefully nurtured seedlings were sent to Sri Lanka and Singapore in 1876. Once they were established, rubber plantations spread throughout Malaya. Looking back at our history, I would say that, Malaya owed its prosperity in part to this. Rubber was once a significant backbone of the economy during the 19th century and early 20th century. Therefore, the Gardens is very much a history museum, but with artefacts that are still growing, flowering and fruiting year after year.

70,000 rubber seeds were transported to Kew in 1875 from Brazil. Seedlings were then sent to various places in the British empire, where latex and rubber production played an important role in the economy then.

Locally, I think the Singapore Zoo has some good examples of gardens that complement the animal exhibits very well. The Fragile Rainforest aviary has, in my opinion, a good variety of tropical plants that are skilfully combine to create an illusion of a rainforest, with distinct undergrowth and canopy vegetation.

Singapore Zoo’s Fragile Forest canopy serves as a conducive habitat for Flying Foxes.

Another well-designed display is the Cold Greenhouse at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The temperature is kept at around 15 degrees, and the humid environment simulates the growing conditions of high-altitude plants in Southeast Asia. Tree ferns, insectivorous pitcher plants and cool-growing orchids thrive in this environment.

The cool greenhouse in the Singapore Botanic Gardens maintains a temperature of about 15 degrees Celsius. Periodic misting of water simulates the high humidity and moistness of high-altitude cloud forests.

Epiphytic orchids grow on moist tree branches alongside ferns in the greenhouse.

Insectivorous pitcher plant winds its pitcher around other plants. Insects fall into the slipper edges and walls of the pitcher, to be digested by enzymes which are then absorbed by the plant.

8. Tell us what gardening does for your mental wellbeing!

When we are close to nature, enjoying its many colours, movements, shapes, textures and scents, the attention we pay is involuntary, and I feel, very rejuvenating in the midst of our busy lives. It allows for the resting of voluntary attention – the kind that tires one out, but needed for tasks such as writing reports, planning and meetings. It may very well be imagined by me, but it works for me – gazing at greenery and observing new leaf shoots emerging from my plant is restorative for me. It gives me that bit more energy to face the challenges that life throws up.

And we all know that green relaxes the eyes, particularly if you gaze at a majestic swathe of tall, green trees at a distance. The collection of small green plants in the office are nowhere as grand as our tropical wayside trees. But there is still something deeply stirring in observing the plants, as you water them. Drops of water that slides smoothly down a leaf’s arch down into the root area, speaks of the grand design in these living things. The turning of a leaf stalk towards the light source reminds me of how all food, and therefore, animal life, ultimately comes from plants. That’s pretty mind-blowing, when one ponders about it.

9. Any parting shots on gardening.......

It’s easy to grow plants in the office or at home. Many people think that it takes too much trouble, and that they do not have the ‘green fingers’ to keep plants alive. That I completely understand. The chief causes of plant murders are underwatering and overwatering. A solution would be a plant terrarium. Often, if I want to give a plant away, I would plant it in a terrarium, which would greatly increase the plant’s chances of survival if the eventual owner is likely to forget to water, or water too much.

It’s essentially a self-contained system, within a glass container. Water released into the air through evaporation, plant transpiration and photosynthesis is recycled. Therefore, a glass terrarium can go without watering for many months. Since no watering is required, death through dehydration (underwatering) or root rot (overwatering) is much less likely.

IKEA offers many containers suitable for plant terrariums. A red-veined Fittonia is planted in the taller bottle, and a variegated Euonymus fits snugly in the cookie jar.

This is a good starting point for apprehensive first-timers. To bring plants closer to our work and living environments breaks the disconnect we urbanites have with nature. There is a calming comfort in getting close to nature and, if only temporarily, recognize that despite the frenetic pace of modern life, nature carries on in its own steady pace.

Lovin' Coriander and its use in Thai cooking

2011-12-16T03:55:00.001-08:00

I had a craving for some Thai food and the aromatic coriander, so I decided, I will re-post an article I wrote previously for The Campus Observer. Owing to some server issues, the page is no longer available.
___________________

Coriander for the uninitiated
6 October 2006

Coriander is one herb that tends to evoke polemical reactions. Either you love it, or you hate it.

Once, during dinner at a hawker centre, my friend ordered oyster omelette (or luak), and asked the stallholder to leave out the coriander sprigs.

I was surprised, to say the least. I love this herb, with its piquant aroma that does not overpower and serves as the perfect companion to numerous local dishes.

My pal had might as well ordered the omelette without the oysters. The coriander was the perfect companion to the rich and briny flavours of the oysters and egg but for my friend, the dish was good without “the garnish,” which he said tasted bitter.

Is coriander nothing more than a bitter-tasting garnish?

Its very history belies this.

Originating in the Mediterranean, coriander has been said to be one of the oldest spices used by mankind. Believed to have been cultivated for over 5,000 years, coriander fruits have been found in Egyptian tombs. Sanskrit texts and the Bible make references to it as well. In biblical times, the Hebrews used coriander as the bitter herb in the Passover meal.

A line in the Old Testament’s Exodus also likens “manna” to the whiteness of coriander seed - “And the house of Israel called the name there of Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white”. It was the Romans that helped spread this wonderful plant. Julius Caeser’s soldiers carried coriander seeds with them, as a meat preserver and flavouring.

Meanwhile, Medieval Europeans used the spice to “mask” rotten flavours in presumably less-than-fresh meats.

You may wonder now if I am getting confused. Is coriander an herb or a spice? It is both. Coriander as a spice refers to its dried seeds, which are crushed and imparts dishes such as satay with an aromatic citrus-like flavour.

While also used in Latin America, the Caribbean, India and China, it is probably in Southeast Asia that this plant is most appreciated.

In many of the rempahs of the Malay Archipelago, coriander seed forms an integral part of the spice mixture, traditionally pounded into a paste with a mortar and pestle. The leaves are served as an accompaniment to many Indo-Chinese dishes, while the roots are much loved by the Thais.

Ugly as it may seem, the root is used to spectacular effect in Thai cuisine. Once cleaned thoroughly, the root is used in green curry pastes, soups, marinades, stir-fries and dips.
It is amazing how the root of the same plant can impart such a different taste and aroma from the leaves and seeds. A whiff of it transports you immediately to Thailand, to its street-side stalls hawking barbecued chicken (gai yang), green curry and steaming hot rice noodle soups served with fresh coriander and spring onion sprigs.

However, to the uninitiated, the coriander can be one very misunderstood herb. I learnt this at a gathering where I had cooked gai yang, a dish consisting of chicken pieces marinated in a combination of pungent fish sauce, garlic and coriander root. During the gathering, someone, in an attempt to identify the herb in the dish, asked if I had used Chinese Angelica root
(dang gui).

I was surprised. However, on hindsight, the mystery surrounding the coriander plant is understandable. After all, while many of the much-loved dishes of Southeast Asia would lose its character without this little plant, coriander has never been the lead actor in a dish. Rather, it complements, along with the other actors of garlic, chillies, ginger, spring onions, to name but a few.
_________

Recipe for Steven’s variation of Thai-style grilled chicken (gai yang)

Ingredients:

500 grams chicken thighs
6 Coriander plants
6 garlic cloves
2cm of ginger
1 chilli padi
6 limes
Thai fish sauce
Sugar
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 Lemongrass

Finely chop 5 coriander roots, along with the stem base, for every 500grams of chicken. You can use more if you wish.

Then finely chop 6 cloves of garlic, 2cm of ginger and 1 chilli. Combine with approximately 5 tablespoons of Thai fish sauce, adjusting the amount to taste. Also, add sugar according to
taste.

Add oil to the marinade as a lubricant during the grilling process.

Next, add the juice of 6 limes to the marinade. Adjust the amount according
to taste.

At this point, add a stalk of roughly chopped lemongrass to the marinade, but this optional.

Baste chicken in the marinade and leave it in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Grill the marinated chicken at 250 degrees Celsius in a convection oven or over an open charcoal grill.

Cook evenly on all sides and then baste the chicken pieces with the leftover marinade liquid.

Serve with sweet Thai chilli sauce and fresh sprigs of coriander.

A wave of very real feeling, this time round

2011-05-05T15:07:00.001-07:00

With the elections campaigning drawing to a close, I thought I would write about some of my candid feelings about what I saw and experienced over the past few days.

I really didn't expect that the government could seem contrite, apologetic and remorseful. (Ah, I just typed, almost by reflex, ‘government’, instead of PAP! But I couldn’t help it; how often does one see them, Men In White, as vulnerable election candidates embattled in an election?) I thought it was such a nice ironic contrast to the rather high-handed tone, which has by now, been iconised by the famous utterance from our Minister Mentor – “Aljunied voters will have 5 years to repent [if they vote for the opposition, successfully]”.

There was the apology from Lee Hsien Loong, and then the yielding admissions from other PAP candidates, that the “emotional connection” with the people is important, the pledging to focus on “heartware”, and the need to “strike a better balance between efficiency and heart”. And the very sincerely articulated video by Mr. George Yeo, who by the way, is probably the most likeable Minister, in my opinion. It appears that there was a sudden change of tack, a realisation that resulted in a change of persuasive appeals and campaign messages.

My feel is that some people in PAP have suddenly realised the crux of the issue, but perhaps, a little too late, late into the campaign. The groundswell of sentiment, unbridled anger, and resentment all expressed in a very visible manner on the Internet and social media is impossible to ignore. The writer, Catherine Lim had astutely articulated this issue in the 1994 Straits Times article, “The PAP and the people - A Great Affective Divide”. Too often, rational arguments, statistics and reasoning from our technocrat-politicians have limited traction with the people. It appears to me that many PAP candidates have difficulties straddling, much less comfortably shift between personas of efficient problem-solving technocrats and inspiring, charismatic politicians.

For me, I completely understand the rational reasoning and arguments from the PAP candidates. I appreciate the good life, wealth and development the PAP has brought to us. But people are not all logic, are they? Humans are emotional beings, and I think this is probably the most emotionally-charged GE ever. It’s not just at the rallies. It’s not just in the press and TV. It’s on my Facebook feeds, Twitter, and it feels like everyone is part of the GE conversation. Friends, acquaintances, schoolmates, colleagues, neighbours, army-mates, my tuition kids, relatives…basically my whole digital network of relationships… through their comments, status updates, sharing of links/videos/pictures, were participating in the GE in a very real way. For some, politics would have never popped up in our conversations face-to-face. There was a very real sense of frustration, anger, mocking and disgust being expressed. This is perhaps a situation unique to GE2011, because of the many mis-steps, faux pas and well, frankly, disunited PAP front. It provided much fuel to the very interesting conversation, which was gaining momentum by the hour.

Many of us no longer felt alone, or sticking out awkwardly when we participated in the digital conversation. It felt like we were part of a larger community of many, many genuinely interested and passionate individuals. Sure, there were differences in opinion and standpoints. But no one person dominated the conversation, disagreements were expressed civilly and everyone could truly participate. I mean, how often does that happen in real life conversations and discussions? You find that someone will talk more loudly and longer than the others. Someone’s words will hold more weight because he or she is more senior or older.

This wave of discussion and conversation by so many Singaporeans moves me deeply. I am a little embarrassed to talk about it in such an effusive manner, but oh! what a stirring sense of being part of a larger whole, a network of genuinely impassioned individuals who came together in this conversation, un-orchestrated by no one, by no organization. It sounds a little silly, but the last time I felt something like this was at the National Day Parade. And having served as a full-time soldier and participated in the logistics of the (was it 2003? I can’t remember exactly) NDP, we know how carefully orchestrated and ritualised, the entire proceedings were. I feel a swelling in my heart, when I see so many people coming together in a collective wave of concern and genuine feeling for the future of Singapore. We really aren’t just mindless and self-centered individuals going about our daily business of earning money, spending money, going through the motions of life! We care about our country! And this patriotic emotion is amazing precisely because it wasn’t orchestrated and planned, unlike so many of the things in our lives on this little island that is Singapore! :)

Dry-Fried Brown Rice Mee Siam Bee Hoon

2011-04-25T03:07:00.000-07:00

I am sure you'd have noticed that brown rice vermicelli (bee hoon) is now becoming more available on the supermarket shelves. I decided to try cooking it. Brown rice bee hoon has more fibre, but it does not affect the taste and texture of the bee hoon much! In fact, it tastes like normal bee hoon!
Here's how to cook it.

Ingredients

1 pack of brown rice bee hoon, soaked in water to soften it

2 eggs, beaten

3 stalks garlic chives, chopped

Beansprouts

Shrimp/Prawns
Calamansi Limes

Mee Siam Paste (available in all supermarkets)

Assam (Tamarind)
Cooking oil

Sugar and salt to taste

Method

Disclaimer: I am afraid I do not cook with precision; I do not measure ingredients, and timings, and almost always go by feeling. I know this makes the recipe harder to follow; sorry.

Do not soak the bee hoon for too long. We don't want it to absorb too much water; we do want it to absorb the flavours from the seasonings.

The mee siam paste (about 2 or 3 tablespoons?) is heated up in some oil till it is aromatic. The bee hoon is added next, and mixed around in the wok thoroughly. Some tamarind juice is added to add a tang.

Push the bee hoon to one side and scramble up the beaten eggs at the bottom of the wok.

Add the bean sprouts, then shrimp, and lastly, chives.

Add salt and sugar to taste.

Serve with calamansi lime.

Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake in Japan (東北地方太平洋沖地震)

2011-03-13T04:39:00.000-07:00

The 11 March Sendai earthquake and tsunami (東北地方太平洋沖地震) wreaked much havoc. If it had taken place further South near to the populous Kanto Plain, the damage and loss of human lives would have been much greater. I feel very sorry for all the damage and loss, and I am aware that the loss of human lives was very much mitigated by excellent warning systems, which enabled people to escape to higher ground before the tsunami's onslaught. About 10 minutes of time bought by the warnings would have enabled many to run to higher ground. But if you were on flat farmland near to the coastline, you may not escape. Perhaps there wasn't any concrete buildings tall enough for you to run up to. I can only imagine the unspeakable terror experienced by the farmers as the tsunami waves came forth.
The picture above shows the tsunami inundating large areas near Sendai.

The rows of vegetable greenhouses were simply overwhelmed by the wall of water, carrying mud, debris and houses. I can only imagine how the farmer, who may not have heard the warning via mobile phone/siren, may have been still tending to his beloved crops that afternoon. Perhaps the earthquake had worried him, if the irrigation for the plants were still functioning.

The farmland would probably not be arable for a long while, with the salt water and debris tainting the good soil. I can only fear the worst for people who did not manage to escape in time. :( Even if they survived in a corner of a sturdy house, the waves would have brought them out to sea again.

There is a coastal town, Minami Sanriku, which was completely inundated by the tsunami waves. There is a certain poignancy when I knew about it. Coastal towns in Japan were seared into my memory through Japanese movies such as "Crying Out Love, in the Centre of the World" (在世界中心呼喚愛). Beautiful places where human lives played out with its necessary joys and pains.

When I heard about the coastal towns in Miyagi-sen being washed away in the tsunami, and the resultant losses, it struck a deep chord in me.

In Minami Sanriku(南三陸町), much of the town was washed away. More than 10,000 of its 17,000 population are now unaccounted for. The hospital remained. Apparently, more than 300 people are trapped there. The hospital was one of the few remaining buildings left.

The Shizugawa High School, that was on higher elevation, was naturally an evacuation spot for residents. They had put a SOS sign on the empty ground in front of the hospital. Given the cold and snow, I can only imagine the hardship survivors had to endure without heating and shelter. They would be wet as well, which would not help keep them warm :(

The hospital was one of the few buildings that remained intact after the tsunami. The Shizugawa High School on the other hand, was further away from the coast, and therefore less affected by the tsunami. The picture below shows the location of both places. The red arrow shows where the hospital is, and the green arrow, Shizugawa High School.
Can you imagine, that it is a lively community, with a high school full of energetic young people. Now, the high school has become an evacuation centre. I hope they have fuel, for it is terribly cold.

The video above shows the Shizugawa High School students having fun in a parade in 2006. I wonder if any of them died :(

It is painful to see all these. So many lives disrupted, so much damage. It does humble us greatly. In the face of Nature and the Greater Power, we are but little ants, albeit ants with modern cars and equipment. Even then, that does not protect us from the effects of a greater force.
We will see many images of mass destruction in Japan's coastal communities. But we must remember that there are people, just like you and me, who are affected. People who feel, who love, who rejoice, who feel pain and sadness. The Japanese government will help them, without a doubt. But let us remember the people, the individuals, who may have lost friends, relatives, or family members, in our prayers. The picture above shows a family leaving Minani Sanriku. :(

Love Cuts

2010-10-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

I had watched Love Cuts at Ang Mo Kio Hub, and it certainly was a film that struck more than a few chords. There were numerous similarities and though the movie did not go into details, it brought back detailed memories of my late mother's battle with cancer.

Battle does seem a misnomer, for it implies a possibility of a triumph, or at least, a truce. That does not exist for cancers at Stage 5, which would have metastasised, or spread to other organs or throughout the body. There was a brief reference made in the film about metastasis. But of course, I knew the ending; Zoe Tay would die, for how else did so many of my colleagues end up in tears after watching it?

I could understand. The film was moving, and it was easy to empathise with the character, whether you were a mother, a son, a husband or simply, a friend of the female protagonist. It was tragic, beyond a doubt, and sad.

The sadness that I felt was largely because I re-experienced the emotions that I went through when my mother was dying of Stage 5 stomach cancer. The diagnosis hit Zoe's character hard, but that was too easy for her. I remember how we could not pinpoint the cancer source. The doctors had guessed at one point, that it was ovarian cancer, and that was really a guess.

My mother was a seamstress too. She mediated between me and the father. She cared about the family, like most mothers would. Like Zoe's character, she deteriorated very quickly. Such is the speed of cancer metastasis and cell formation. And there was a scene where she sat on the toilet bowl. I recall she had to do that because of the morphine she had to take, which slowed down bowel movements. All the Senna, and Lactulose could not help. At that time, I did not understand that such palliative care was destined for an inevitable end. I busied myself trying to help where I can.

And there was that line, which Zoe uttered to the model. That her life was not merely hers. And how that resonated.

Dilated pupils

2010-10-05T05:19:00.000-07:00

A colleague recently started wearing contact lenses that gave the appearance of bigger pupils. While having some drinks and food with him after work, it started a thread of thoughts.
As the saying goes, the eyes are the windows to one's soul. And indeed, that's true to a large extent, for the muscles controlling our iris, are part of the autonomic nervous system. Much of this system functions unconsciously. Therefore, we cannot consciously will our iris to contract or relax. Apparently, one way of telling if people are lying is through a careful observation of the person's iris.

And somehow, I remembered that ladies in the Western world used to put drops prepared from the Belladonna plant (picture of their interesting trumpet flowers below) into their eyes. It dilates their pupils and makes them appear more attractive.

And I was thinking, when we see something we want very badly, or are particularly excited by something attractive, our eyes widen. Therefore, the dilated pupils' attractiveness could very well lie in the fact that other people think the person with the dilated pupils thinks he or she is attractive, and therefore reciprocates? (Very clumsy sentence). But anyway, I did a bit of searching and found this:

Another thing that causes pupil dilation is physical or psychological pleasure. When someone finds another person or thing attractive, the pupils dilate. In turn, that dilation is often found attractive by others. This is sometimes referred to as 'bedroom eyes' because of its sexual connotation. Conversely, if totally turned off by a person, the pupils may slightly contract. One may subconsciously use these pupil measurements to judge whether they like someone else or not.
Source: What do dilated pupils mean?

I sure do wonder if more people hit on my colleague after he started wearing the contacts. Well, that's another question for another day.

Is this a good enough reason for us to start wearing such contacts? :P Perhaps it may just bring about some luck in the love and dating arena? Haha

My first F1 Experience

2010-10-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to go to the Singapore F1 - 2010 Formula 1 Night Race - Grand Prix event. I wouldn't usually attend such events; people who know me well enough are aware that I cannot differentiate one car model from another, and that I have very very little interest in cars in general. Well, I was pretty lucky because there was an 'impromptu' contest in my office, and thanks to my legs (long story), I managed to win 2 tickets.

That being my first time to F1, it was certainly interesting to see so many peripheral activities going on at the grounds. I am certain there were people who bought the tickets just for the music gigs and shows going on. For sure, the horde of ladies queuing outside the Chippendales tent was not there to watch high-speed cars whizzing by. I think one Australian lady was so excited, she spilled her plate of burger onto the ground. Well, we couldn't get into the 9pm show, and so we had to get tickets for the 11pm show. I wasn't going to stay so late, so I didn't watch the show in the end. Right after getting the tickets, we adjourned to the adjacent tent to get a beer. And I could hear the ladies screaming. My friend quipped, "We would have to travel to Las Vegas to catch these boys otherwise." I am sure she enjoyed it because she uploaded a picture of the boys on her Facebook wall the next day. Interestingly enough, her boyfriend was there with her. It sure takes a very enlightened dude to not get remotely jealous. How would you feel if your girlfriend was ogling at some other hot dudes?

I reached the place before the sky got dark, and I thought, what a fascinating juxtaposition. The solemn Cenotaph right alongside the raucous F1 event.

There were music acts, and Daughtry were performing:
They soon started perspiring a lot. And that night was a very humid night, so I am not surprised.

It was a practice round, so many of the seats were unsurprisingly, empty. It was a very very humid and warm evening.

Even a $10 cup of Tiger Beer can't cool me off. The humidity must have been 100%.

And so I left the event at 10pm, not completely sure of the attention, money and fascination invested in F1. It was only later, when a colleague who used to work in the Singapore Tourism Board, told me about the dangers and artful skills involved in F1 races. And of course, it was a great way to brand and advertise Singapore to the world. I felt a surge of pride when I saw the YourSingapore.com logo showing up on the tracks. :)

Fishball noodles

2010-09-05T04:04:00.001-07:00

Fishball noodles is an ubiquitous hawker dish in Singapore. You can find it at practically any food centre, coffeeshop and food court all around the island. There are numerous noodle variations in this dish: one can choose from the following, in 'dry' or 'soup' style:

Mee kia (thin noodles)
Mee pok (thin flat noodles)
Kway Teow (flat rice noodles)
Thick yellow egg noodles

What's remains the same, however, are the fishballs. They are traditionally made from raw fish flesh, pulverised into a paste and kneaded in a wooden bucket. Seasoned with salt, and sometimes, finely chopped chilli and coriander, the mixture is then shaped into balls. Most food-stalls selling this dish no longer obtain their fishballs through such a method. They are invariably factory-made, and often from the same manufacturer. The fishball paste is made using industrial-size machines, with flour, stabilisers and other additives (egg white, humectants, sorbitol, sugar, soy protein, monosodium glutamate) added. It is no surprise that fishballs from different stalls tastes pretty much the same.

Individual skill and creativity can still be discerned through the sauce, soup and whether the noodles are al-dente. There's a great deal of subtle variation on the sauce, but it would usually contain the following:

Oil [variations: shallot, lard, garlic]
Tomato Sauce
Chilli sauce
Vinegar
Dark Soy Sauce [occasionally]

And therefore, fishball noodles everywhere tastes pretty much the same. And that's inevitable, given that almost all the ingredients come from industrial factories (Fishball and noodles). While the sauce and noodle texture (dependent on factors such as cooking time, manufacturer of noodles [Oh boy, that can warrant another blog post], whether the noodles is subjected to a wash of cold water] can have variation, that offers limited latitude for culinary prowess or ineptitude. The star of the dish is after all, still the fishballs.

In a August 22 Straits Times article, "Hawker fare: Teach it or lose it", Professor Tommy Koh (Ambassador-at-large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), he was quoted as saying, "My impression is that, over the years, there is a decline in the standard of our hawker dishes...There is plenty of hawker food in Singapore, but there are very few chefs who cook their hawker dishes to perfection." He also said that hawker food is a social-leveller, and clearly, an important part of the Singaporean culture.

A reader, Eric J. Brooks (I would guess he is an ang-moh expatriate?) in a Straits Times Forum reply said, "Modern hawkers rely on a multitude of pre-mixes used in place of carefully prepared, carefully cooked sauces and flavours. These usually contain starches, dyes and other additives in place of the original ingredients - they are cheap and fast but not good...When offered synthetic, cheap substitute ingredients, money-tight hawkers with inferior cooking skills take the bait. This lowers the food's quality."

I completely agree. Unfortunately, as a relatively young person, I had not tasted the authentic, hand-made and unadulterated flavours of yester-years. I can't tell the difference, frankly. But as someone who does cook, I completely agree with Eric's point. Sauces are but one example; a bottled sauce simply does not taste the same as a sauce made from scratch.

This is why I was quite happy to have visited Song Kee Fishball Noodles at Toa Payoh Lorong 5 to try the food. It is clear that they do not simply order fishballs from an industrial supplier.

It just tastes different, especially the texture of the fishballs. While I would never have the chance to taste hawker food in its earlier incarnations, I think I had a little glimpse of it through the bowl of fishball noodles. And it certainly does taste different from all the other bowls of fishball noodles produced from industrial ingredients:

A reflection on a retreat

2010-09-04T03:49:00.000-07:00

We had a little retreat yesterday at a green place outside of the office. It was a most exhausting and in retrospect, a deeply dissatisfying and discouraging exercise. Still, some good came out of it, and that dialogue allowed me to see more clearly deeper issues that would still return to haunt the team.

I avoided direct confrontation as far as possible, and avoided addressing specific issues. I would say, I even denied certain issues and skirted around them. While it stemmed from an intention to avoid deviating attention and emotional energy away from more important issues, it left me feeling frustrated. It was not the right way.

As the session progressed, tiredness set in. Faced with a seemingly impossible and very long list of tasks, we tried to move quickly through many issues. Unhappiness started to build up within me, as the dialogue became dominated by one or two voices. I was unable to retaliate or voice out much; I was that drained. An aggressive, adversarial and utterly debilitating atmosphere set in as the session drew to an end.

How did it end up at this state? The retreat left me more drained and despondent. Unresolved issues aside, the way that the discourse became dominated by seemingly arrogant and supercilious talk was a particularly obvious energy-draining point. Issues are real, and should be dealt with directly. But the tone was very destructive. It created an an adversarial, and highly negative atmosphere that drained away emotional energy and left spirits, demoralised. Sometimes, the way things are said and expressed does leave a bigger impact than the things being said.

At the end of the day, I learnt so much about team dynamics. And how destructive personalities can have debilitating effects on team members. There's a great deal of work that needs to be done from now on.

Of military flying

2010-08-22T07:41:00.001-07:00

I just got news that my young brother got the honour of top trainee in his Basic Wings Course at the Pearce Airbase in Bullsbrook, Western Australia. Ineveitably, he will be streamed to become a fighter pilot. This means he will have to go to Salon-de-Provence in Southern France for further training.

Altogether, it adds up to a total of 2+ years. Certainly, I had not been away from home for more than a month at a time. I have friends who were away for further studies in Europe, and I understand how lonely and difficult it could get, especially when there aren't many friends around to lend emotional and psychological support. Fortunately, my brother has many good friends and buddies who prop each other up during the most difficult of times. It's clear from the photos he posts on Facebook that there's a strong sense of camaraderie, esprit-de-corps amongst the boys.

I believe there is a sense of competition amongst the boys in the course; after all, who wouldn't want to do better than the rest? But I think it does not affect that camaraderie. This leads me to ponder about team spirit. How does one create that?

I sure hope my trip to Perth with my Dad and brother's girlfriend in July helped boost his morale. Gosh. I hadn't blogged about it yet. Terrible of me. I got to find time for that. But let me just post a few of the more memorable photos taken there.

I cut short my shopping at HarborTown to take a look at the Harold Doas park nearby. It was just gorgeous.

The very thought-provoking exhibit at the Western Australia Museum, of Pompeii. This was a cast of a young girl in the last moments of life. She was attempting to cover her face with her clothes.

This was one of my favourite places in Fremantle. The garden and art exhibits was very uplifting.

Lovely green field near the Round House, Fremantle

Singapore's cultural ballast?

2010-08-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated Singapore's National Day. It was the 45th year of independence. Singapore was a country that was not meant to be, if you look at geopolitical and economic circumstances in the 1960s. But somehow, we managed to get from "third world to first", as Lee Kwan Yew puts it. It's mind-boggling when you think about the incredibly small geographical size of Singapore, and how its success is entirely due to its people.

When a nation's most valuable asset is its people, it is important to retain the 'talent' in some way or another, since we could jolly well immigrate somewhere else. Our ex-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong gave voice to this particular concern (In the 2002 National Day Rally, he spoke of 'quitters' versus 'stayers') Many of us can afford it, and have the skills to eke out a new life overseas. While watching the National Day Parade 2010 (NDP) at the Padang, the familiar scenes of the various ethnic groups that makes up Singapore - Malay, Chinese, Indian, Peranakan etc - were played out. And I was thinking what makes a Singaporean, in his late 20s, stay anchored in Singapore.

I wouldn't be a good example, for I hadn't been away from Singapore for more than a month at a time. Neither am I particularly westernised, for I retain a very strong attachment and interest in Southeast Asian cuisine, history, culture. And at a more academic (which means less feelings invested) level, I am interested in Chinese history and culture.

In that last paragraph, I've already alluded to the multiple cultural identities I possess. I consider myself a Southeast Asian Chinese, distinct from the Mainland Chinese. I am personally very proud of Southeast Asia as a highly diverse region, which has a lot more peace and less conflicts than other regions of the world which have lesser racial, ethnic and religious diversity. I love the amalgation of cultures in Southeast Asia, without a doubt as well. But I still feel for China, for I understand this is the foundation of my Chinese upbringing, with its Confucianist exhortations of fillial piety, doing well in school, ancestor worship, and respect for hierarchy.

But what about other Singaporeans who may not fully comprehend the rich culture we have? For some Singaporeans who have gone through the 'system', so to speak, but went overseas for a stint of study or work, the contrast can be, jarring, and the allure of a new life, all too real. If the cultural ballast (i.e. the culture that holds us down, keep us rooted to 'Singapore') that Singapore has is not strong enough in their minds, then it's all to easy to lose these people.

And that makes me ponder about what Singapore's cultural ballast is.

Anecdotal information I gathered:

Food, hawker food. Cheap and very good char kway teow, bak chor mee (my 21-year-old brother who is in Perth for training misses this particular dish), laksa, etc. One thing for sure, it's the variety that really pulls us all in.
Familiar institutions and people we grew up with. To quote a friend, it can get quite "anonymous" and "faceless" in a large city. It's easy to feel like a little speck of dust moving along the arteries that is the streets and subways tunnels of a large city. One can feel very insignificant and anonymous. While this may be a much sought-after experience for celebrities, it can be very lonesome and depressing for a newcomer. In Singapore, it is very easy to meet family, relatives, friends, for the island is really SMALL. And people do recognise you in the neighbourhood. It is also all too easy to bump into someone you know in the city area.
Being Singaporean, regardless of ethnicity. In other countries, the fact that you are Chinese, Indian or Malay means that others will automatically assume you are from Mainland China, India or Malaysia. That doesn't happen in Singapore, especially when you speak Singlish. That is a fantastic language which blends together aspects of so many different cultures and ethnicities. It is something that to me, is organically Singaporean.

To me, these are great cultural ballasts, but are often not given enough attention. I would like a NDP in the future to showcase our delicious foods, our Singlish, our multiculturalism (besides through stereotypical song and dance)! These are just some of the many things that makes Singaporeans feel, Singaporean. :)

Dr. Goh Keng Swee (1918 - 2010)

2010-05-23T02:28:00.000-07:00

I am 27, turning 28 soon. When Dr. Goh Keng Swee (吴庆瑞) retired from politics in 1985, I was but a child of 3 years. I did not know Dr. Goh Keng Swee in the manner that we now know leaders today, via television interviews, the internet and sometimes, in person. I knew him, through Singapore history studies. Together with Lee Kuan Yew, Dr. Goh and the team built the Singapore nation when it did not exist. Upon the separation from Malaya, Singapore become an independent state, but that does not mean a 'nation' existed. I would like to believe Dr. Goh perceived this issue, that a nation necessitated a sense of group identity, sentiment, loyalty, belonging.

Surely, Dr. Goh was most concerned with solving pressing problems of the day, such as budget deficits, lack of defense capabilities and high school drop-out rates etc. And he was a great problem-solver. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew referred to him as his close friend and troubleshooter. Dr. Goh's robust approach to problems encouraged Mr. Lee Kuan Yew to press on, he had said in his solemn eulogy. Dr. Goh's approach was rational and pragmatic, for sure.

I believe he was not merely solving the problems of the day, but also building something for the long run - a nation. I need not say too much about this. :)

I know now, as a 'young' Singaporean, that he had a very human side. Dr. S. Dhanabalan, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong mentioned how he was a mentor, and how he listened to people, and individuals. He treated people as real individuals, that's for sure. And it is therefore not surprising that he was not constrained by bureaucratic structures. I believe, in his wisdom, he knew the bureaucracy was merely man-made, and made up of men. No wonder he cut through the red tape so quickly, as was alluded in Dr. S. Dhanabalan's speech.

Now that he is gone from this mortal Earth, much has been said about this titan, visionary. News reports, TV segments, and eloquent eulogies have been said. His daughter-in-law did write a book about him, too - Goh Keng Swee: A Portrait. Through the reports and eulogies, we now know a more private, human, side of this titan. Dr. Goh as grandfather to Goh Ken-yi. Dr. Goh as grand-uncle to Marian Hui, Dr. Goh as mentor to many many, Dr. Goh as a fighter for Singapore.

On a personal note, I know his impact on my life is significant. I now live in comfort, after having gone through many years of good education. I live in a country whose economy is doing well. I am now billingual, albeit more proficient in English than Mandarin, thanks to him. I went through army, which made me grow so much as person, and through which, I experienced the real melting pot of peoples that is Singapore.

Rest in peace, Dr. Goh.

Vegetarian miso soup

2010-05-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

There was one day, after work, that I felt an urge to just cook something tasty. It happened to be a cool evening, so it was just ideal for a hot soup.

There was some miso paste in the fridge, and at the supermarket, very nice specimens of fresh shimeji and shiitake mushrooms. I bought those mushrooms, some spring onions and silken tofu. And it took a matter of 20 minutes to slice and cube these ingredients and whip up a hot pot of miso soup.

As I was trying to find pictures of Shimeji mushrooms on the Internet, I came across a comical picture (below). The mushroom heads do resemble little figures, in a way.

I packed some for my colleagues, and I think they liked it. This was a completely vegetarian version; usually I would put in some bonito fish flakes, but that was not necessary, as the mushrooms imparted enough flavour to the already tasty miso soup.

All it needed was a sprinkling of spring onions to complete the soup. I left out the wakame seaweed, unfortunately.
(Artistic photo taken by Qiquan)

It's interesting to think that two key ingredients in the soup came from the soya bean plant. (Tofu and miso) Both the tofu and miso are derived from the soya bean, but how differently they taste! While one was subjected to fermentation, the other isn't.

Central World Mall, Bangkok

2010-05-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

Many months ago, I recall taking the skytrain (BTS) and walking the passageway, and reached an air-conditioned haven called Central World. I walked through this area, and there were security guards standing at the archway.
This was a beautiful mall, with lots to see and lots to buy. This was a really major mall at the Ratchaprasong area. I remember the Chidlom BTS station was nearby. I wandered through the very large ZEN store, which sold a lot of apparel and fashion accessories. It was such cool comfort, after walking the streets of Bangkok in sweltering, humid heat.

I recall having seen that gold female statue.

And now that statue has become an icon of sorts. It was the most intact object amidst destruction.

I had bought some stuffs at the Topshop at Central World, and it is hard to imagine the place in a mess, strewn with Red Shirt protesters' personal effects, mats, water bottles and rubbish.
I suppose some of the protesters took away gadgets...
A large part of the Central World complex was not actually damaged, but it is still significant:
But I understand the sense of loss for many Bangkok residents, when a large part of Central World Mall was destroyed. Here's just one of the pictures posted up on the Central World Mall Facebook group:
There isn't a need to say too much, but it is clear that many Bangkok residents are saddened, grieved and shocked at this loss. The place holds many memories for them, judging from the photos uploaded to the group. Numerous varied sentiments are expressed there, some of them clearly anti red shirts, some ambivalent.

Ultimately, it will still be the small-time vendors, service staff and drivers who will suffer in the months to come, as tourist figures dip. It is an incredibly sad situation.

Parents in denial

2010-04-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

I had to get this off my chest:

Too many parents are in a state of denial about their children. It is too easy to think they are existing in a vacuum of wholesome goodness, sheltered and shielded from supposed “bad influences”. In reality, youths today have access to many questionable content via the Internet and mass media. The reality is that youths know much more, and understand much more than we would like to believe.

I had, in the course of my work, known about teenagers getting infected by HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases. HIV is bad enough, given that there’s no cure, and requires expensive medication to keep it under control. To many youths, however, whether they get pregnant (or not) matters more. Teen pregnancies are on the rise, and often alters irrevocably, the course of one’s life.

That is the reality. They know what sex is, and most would have seen pornography via the internet, or heard about it from friends. There is a terrible information gap existing. Young people know about sex, but do not know enough to allow for responsible decision-making. We would like to think they aren’t going to engage in sex, or even think about sex, but that is not the case. The reality is that they are aware of sex, and many will unfortunately engage in it before marriage.

Any child can get into such a situation. While it is easy to dismiss such behaviour as belonging to “ill-behaved” and “badly brought up” youths, the reality is that in this time and age where information is easily accessible via the Internet and mass media, youths engaging in pre-marital and unprotected sex are a dime a dozen.

Prevailing fallacies about condom messaging prevent the comprehensive sex education in moving forward. As a Director puts it, “the edict comes from so high up...from the edge of heaven, there is no point challenging it”. The thinking that talking about condoms will encourage youths to engage in the sexual act itself has no evidence to support it. In fact, there have been studies disproving this particular assumption.

And so, we don’t talk about it. Some think they will “naturally” learn about it. Some procrastinate and leave it for “later”. Or some just take a laissez-faire attitude and remained detached. Honest and open communication does not take place, and the child has no trusted adult to turn to for accurate information and advice. And so the cycle goes on. The lack of accurate information and advice pre-disposes youths to make badly-informed decisions, and opens them up to numerous risks.

This issue of comprehensive sex education is rooted in culture, in social norms and set ways of thinking. If we cannot break away from the yoke of outmoded thinking, the cycle will just go on.
All it takes is just one time.

Grilled chicken recipe

2010-04-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Some days, or rather many days, you come home from work all tired and drained. But you still need to eat. And chips won't do the trick. Neither would instant noodles. You wanted to bite into solid food, flavoured and cooked properly. So here's one of those things I whipped up on one of those days.

Grilled Chicken - High protein, no-carb dinner

Ingredients:
Chicken thigh
1 clove of garlic mashed
Some salt to taste
Squeeze of lemon/lime juice
Pepper
Soy sauce
Coriander

How

Marinate the chicken with the garlic for 10 minutes.

Mix the chicken and garlic with salt, lemon juice, pepper and a dash of soy sauce.

Place in grill oven and cook till done.

Serve with coriander.

Gosh, this sounds like a really simple thing to do... but if one doesn't watch the oven, it is easy to overcook or, even, undercook the whole dish. It tasted great in the end, for me.

Singapore Sakura

2010-03-28T06:33:00.001-07:00

Last week, the Cratoxylum formosum (Common name: Pink Mempat) was blooming in various places all over Singapore. It has been likened to the Sakura, because it blooms copiously and resembles the sakura bloom:

This was reported in The Sunday Times on 21 March.

Now, I had thought it was the Tabebuia Rosea (Common name: Trumpet Tree) that was blooming, since this was also a common tree planted in Singapore. The Trumpet tree often has a heavy flush of blooming after a dry period. It so happens that there were some growing right in front of the Health Sciences Authority, and I brought 2 colleagues to check them out, expecting them to be in bloom:
It turns out that they were not in full bloom, and some dead flowers were strewn on the ground. I suppose the microclimate of that particular area was somewhat different?

Last year, after a dry spell, there was a profusion of blooms, which were all strewn all over the ground:

I have frankly, never seen the Cratoxylum formosum (Common name: Pink Mempat) and had assumed all along, that the so-called "Singapore Sakura" was the Trumpet Tree. I would love to see the Pink Mempat for myself one day.

Mistrust

2010-03-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

When mistrust sets in, you can say that the relationship with that person is grave. Mistrust means that one believes that a particular party has a hidden agenda or ulterior motive.

This is common amongst people who do not know each that well. If this occurs with people with whom you'd been interacting often with, this is rather alarming.

I would have to say, it boils down to this:

Too bad, you chose to send out messages that were unacceptable, and you didn't even know it yourself.

Simple Lobster recipe

2010-03-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends had been asking me how I prepared a lobster dish. I had posted the picture on Facebook and I suppose it is natural if such questions come my way.

Lobsters are the most expensive crustaceans you can buy.

A few reasons (not exhaustive):

They aren't often grown commercially on farms; unlike prawns and fish, you can rear them commercially
They take a long time to reach maturation.
They tend to be bottom dwellers, so you won't catch them in large quantities using a trawler
They tend to hide within rocky crevices

In any case, they do not reproduce as fast as fish, too. To cut the long story short, these small lobsters were obtained at a good price. And there is absolutely no way that a good home economist would cook lobsters for an ordinary dinner. We got the lobsters at a good price, and since we do not cook it usually, I was at a loss. How would we prepare it?

I decided to just improvise. I reckoned I needed to steam the lobsters (for about 15 minutes), and slather them with a GOOD sauce, with the juices from the steaming. But before you steam, you must wash the lobsters well (remember they are bottom dwellers? They consume shit :P ), cut it up in half. That's a skill I will not elaborate upon here.

So here's the recipe for the sauce:
Ingredients:
- Butter
- Some lemon zest
- Cream
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- A slice of ginger
- Salt and pepper

Melt butter (about 2 tbsps) in pan, stir-fry chopped garlic, and add in ginger slice
Add in lemon zest. Stir-fry for a few minutes or until you can smell the flavours.
Add in some cream and stir, so that sauce becomes thicker.
Add in lobster juices from the steaming
Add salt and pepper to taste
Pour over lobsters.
Garnish with some coriander

Dinner & Dance 2010

2010-03-21T00:10:00.000-07:00

Last night, we had a Dinner & Dance at the Concorde Hotel, with the theme of "Night of the Rich and Famous". I actually forgot all about it, until Friday morning, when my boss made a mention of it. I guess that's no surprise given the hectic schedules lately. All of us in the department had talked about the event, about a month before, and what we could possibly wear. Ideas were thrown around, and then there was no more talk about it, as we got deeper into the rush.

The Dinner & Dance had a great attendance, with the entire dining hall filled up, and I believe the hotel had to open up a separate section to accomodate all the people. Sponsors, partners and stakeholders were present as well. Mr Lucas Chow was wearing a really splendid velvet jacket, and I think Mr. Liak Teng Lit (Alexandra Hospital CEO) was pretty tickled by some of our acts.

We had to walk the talk when it comes to healthy eating, and the menu was full of deliciously nutritious and low fat dishes. I did not take any photos of the food, but I must say it was a smart choice to have grilled Tandoori Chicken (w/o skin), Wok-fried Brown rice, Broccoli with Chinese mushrooms and Pumpkin soup in the line-up! It was an eclectic fusion-themed assortment that tasted great. There would be no way I could replicate that Fried brown rice with the 'wok hei' at home; I simply don't have a stove that could blast high heat for wok-frying.
The outfit was just simply put together with some advice from a friend, and it was not intended to imitate any celebrity in particular. Anyhows, when I reached Concorde, Robert, the DD from Physical Activity came over to take down my name. He said I had "dressed to the theme", and so I was entered into the "Best-Dressed" competition (?!) I mean, it was just a jacket, with a hat, scarf and shades (to conceal the dark circles from all the lack of sleep). But I could understand; they already had 3 ladies on the list, and no guys. I suppose it's just easier for ladies to dress up to the theme; the possibilities are a lot more wider.

That's me with Vanessa; my colleagues thought we matched a certain "上海滩, "big brother" style. I had no idea what it was, because I never watched that movie. Well, Yan Ling mentioned that it would be good to come up with something. And Victor threw out a name which I hadn't heard of before - Adam Cheng (鄭少秋). Anyways, I just heck care and sat down to enjoy the food. Gosh I loved that Pumpkin soup with Truffle Oil and chopped macadamia nuts.

But then Roy - did I mention that he was incredibly funny the entire night, together with the gorgeous Rose - called my name, and I had to go up on stage. And the question of "which rich/famous person I was" came. Vanessa had gone up to the stage before I did, and well, since I wouldn't be able to elaborate on whatever Adam Cheng (I couldn't possibly google on the spot?), I thought, why not be her "husband"? Her persona: filthy-rich Hongkong tai-tai who had married a millionaire. Ok lor, so I pretend to be the millionaire husband. I blanked out for a few moments trying to phrase it all together, and I thought it wasn't very convincing. I couldn't do a Hongkong accent, for one thing. (Vanessa could!! Woah.)

Ok. So we had to do a walk down the hall, and Vanessa was completely in her element, being the rich tai-tai. Speaking in a Hongkong accent, she said she wanted to buy this and that, and that totally cracked me up. (You're such a natural comedian and actress, Van)

Having a really hard time to stop laughing while we did the cat-walk (Photo courtesy of Kar Chuan)

Super funny Vanessa and me, trying to keep myself from convulsing into fits of laughter.

I felt the photo with Mrs Saro was rather poignant. Dunno how to explain it. (Photo courtesy of Kar Chuan)

And the Senior Management dressed up as well; Mr Lam, flanked by gorgeous ladies, was just amazing. I loved how Mandy had on so much gold, and her sari was just, well, blinding. There was so much bling. Too bad I don't have a better picture. heh.
(Photo courtesy of Kar Chuan)

Anyways, Joanne Chandler's "Lady Gaga" won the contest. She and her husband will go on a trip! I wanted her to win! I loved the way she painted her eyes with glitter. (Yes, I am a Lady Gaga fan, ever since I saw her latest Telephone MTV) The winners were determined by donations placed in envelopes for each contestant's number. And altogether, $2,200 was raised for the Singapore Cancer Society! Fantastic.

(Photo courtesy of Kar Chuan)
And I just got to say; it was a really fun evening, although I was just too knackered out from the museum trip, and other stuffs to stay on to dance. I think the organisers really put in a lot of work, and I could see them running around attending to various things; I hope they managed to eat something though. Fantastic evening!

OSIM uSoffa Petit

2010-03-18T02:46:00.000-07:00

We recently bought an OSIM uSoffa Petit. Now, that's a really unusual name for a massage chair, if you ask me, but OSIM's products are often very unique, which makes it very memorable. (There are other products with memorable names such as uPapa and uDesire)
This is a great massage chair if you've limited space. I liked the suede upholstery; it just feels so luxurious. The portion that massages the legs can be stowed away easily when not in use. And in case the feet stinks; no worries, the fabric can be unzipped and washed:
I like the leg massage portion best. The pressure kneads the leg muscles, and I feel all tingly - in a nice way - after that. That's perhaps owing to the improved blood circulation a massage brings about. There's also a lower back massage, which doesn't tickle me, unlike some other machines I tried.And so I now have an extra sofa chair in my living room that also doubles up as a massage chair. It seemed that my baby niece liked it. I think she liked the suede more than the massage functions.

Henghwa noodles

2010-03-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, after work, I wandered into a coffeeshop somewhere near OG, in People's Park:

It's a very ordinary S-11 coffeeshop, but I noticed a stall selling 兴化白卤面 (Xinhua noodles in a white sauce). I had a first taste of it at a 莆田 restaurant in Vivocity several years ago (pictures below), but not in a coffeeshop. I reckoned it would probably be different from the restaurant version, and decided to have it for dinner:
I got a big bowl of noodles for $3.50. The noodles arrived piping hot with peanuts, mushrooms, vegetables, and white clams in a flavourful broth thickened with cornstarch. At first glance, one may think the white noodles are those factory-made thick rice noodles used in local laksa and hokkien mee; they are not, for sure, but I didn't enquire with the stall-owners on where they got it from. The texture was different.
It did not contain prawns, and the broth was not too thick. Very tasty, and certainly worth a 2nd try, but it may be too heavy for lunch, I can imagine.

As I was eating the clams, I imagined the Henghua people probably had lived rather close to the sea. And indeed, the prefecture where the Henghua people came from is near the sea.

I only know 1 Henghua person, a friend from NUS CNM, and I suppose they were a minority dialect group amongst the various Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore. More than three-quarters of Singaporean Chinese belong to the Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese groups. The Cantonese, Hakka and other groups account for most of the remainder.

I wonder how Henghwa sounds like. I think many young people have lost touch with these Chinese dialects; I for one, do not know how to speak Teochew properly. But the dishes remains very real to all of us. Hainanese chicken rice, Teochew porridge, Cantonese soups, Hokkien prawn noodles, Fuzhou fishballs and of course, the Henghwa noodles.

I wanted as authentic a version of the Henghwa noodles as possible. And that's why I had to try it at the coffeeshop. It simply isn't the same as the more polished version you get from the Putien restaurant, which has larger prawns, larger mushrooms and no topping of peanuts.

The version I got from the Putien restaurant:

A week of army

2010-03-07T23:40:00.000-08:00

I was back in the army for a week, a low-key ICT (in-camp training) stint. I returned to the camp where I served my NSF days, and the buildings, tree, environs, the guardroom etc were all the same, unchanged. Time seemed to have stopped, at least for the physical environs, but once I met with old friends and acquaintances, it was clear that time and tide waits for no man. Wrinkles and fading uniforms. Laments and complaints, no longer about the army, but of work, of HDB flats applications, of wedding plans.

The entire stint allowed me to know the others. The unit is largely comprised of reservist men, and I was but one of the few people who had been with the unit since my NSF days. In my company, I was the youngest reservist. The officers and others were all in their 30s, except for the S4, who was 29. It was the first time I met them, and if Singapore were to ever go to war, I would be working and fighting alongside them. It was also the first time most of them ever met each other, having come from different batches, units and vocations. For that short but fulfilling week, everyone got acquainted.

The symbolic activity that brought together the entire unit was a 4 kilometre route march, in Full Battle Order. We did do things together throughout the week, such as discussing SOPs, having meals at the cookhouse, and joking around, but that route march was the one single communal activity done by the 200+ men during the ICT. For many of us, it had been years since we engaged in such an activity. No doubt it was sweltering hot, and many finished the march with blisters and sore shoulders, but it was done in a spirit of esprit de corps and camaraderie. It was an altogether satisfying experience, when everyone came back together at the end. People whom I hardly knew a few days before were checking to see if I was ok; I perspired copiously, literally dripping with perspiration throughout the march.

Besides the fostering of a sense of camaraderie, the route march also underscored the importance of general fitness. I mean, so many of us struggled! ha ha!

I had to dig up the old army items, such as the webbing and helmet which were last used in 2007. (No, I am not that young; it's just that I served 3-months of disruption right after I graduated; and I had to do some guard duties) The old webbing is no longer in use, and is now replaced by a Load-Bearing Vest, which my younger brother has. The field pack too, has now become bigger.

To stimulate as far as possible, actual battle conditions, sandbags, entrenching tools and a dummy rifle were issued and carried along during the march.

An officer took splendid photos with the unit's Canon SLR camera, and no wonder, for he is a professional photographer outside of the army. Thank you, LTA Mok for the memories captured! I can only post a few here, lest I contravene certain security restrictions.

The ICT brought across the fact, in a very tangible way experienced first-hand, that the defense of Singapore hinges on reservists. Yes, there are regulars and NSFs, but I realise the reservists possess a wealth of knowledge and experience, which though never put to use in actual war, remain as clear as when they were active personnel, young men in their late teens and early 20s. Despite the inevitable lack of physical fitness for some of us, the reservist men are an invaluable resource of knowledge. I shall not go into details, but suffice to say, I witnessed it for myself.

And when these men, who hail from different units, vocations and batches come together, it can result in something fruitful. But before that can occur, everyone must know and feel like they are a part of the team. So, despite the relatively short length of the ICT, I think we'd achieved to some extent that aim, to foster a sense of belonging to the unit and team of men.

At a personal level, it was a great opportunity to make new friends, and get a glimpse into the lives of so many different people, each of whom was like a book, that I had an opportunity to read perhaps, a page or two of. Will write more in later posts.

(Yes, I know this post sounds very utopian, but really for me, I did learn something from the 1-week stint)

Raw Fish Salad - yusheng, 鱼生

2010-02-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

During Chinese New Year, we partake in many rounds of 'lo hei' (the tossing of the raw fish salad, yusheng). In fact, I've already had 2 sessions, one with my family, and another with colleagues.

Colleagues and I trying to recall the auspicious phrases intended to accompany the adding of ingredients.

I was getting very amused by the half-baked auspicious phrases we were throwing out.

Everyone eats after the tossing.

The dish is replete with many auspicious meanings. The name of the dish, yusheng, 鱼生 is homophonic with "abundance (余)" and "increase (升)", which can be translated to mean an increase in abundance, (Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance, prosperity and vigor.

I think yusheng and the “lo hei” (meaning “to toss” in Cantonese) that comes with it serves as a very appropriate focal point in any Chinese New Year gatherings; its role is somewhat like the cutting of a cake at birthdays; the toasting of champagne at a wedding. The “lo hei” is a truly festive moment where everyone automatically gathers around the salad to engage in a moment of raucous togetherness. You just cannot get any more festive that that.

It used to be that the tossing of the multi-coloured yusheng would only take a special event for the whole family at “ren ri” 人日, the seventh day of the first month of the new Lunar year.

Well, it seems that the tossing of yusheng can take place even on Chinese New Year's Eve itself! But it's all great fun, and now very inexpensive, if you were to assemble it at home. With packaged sets available at the supermarket, you can assemble a yu-sheng set within 20 minutes.

Ingredients in a yu-sheng pack:

1. oil

2. plum sauce

3. crushed peanuts

4. golden crackers

5. pepper, lime, cinnamon powder

6. fresh fish slices with lime juice squeezed over

7. Sweet preserved ginger in various colours; preserved winter melon and orange strips, surrounding a mass of shredded carrot and radish

The golden crackers represent prosperous happiness, oil represents wealth and peanuts signify harvest. There are numerous variations. Some people will include fresh pomelo, five-spice powder, coriander leaves and spring onions into the mix.

DIY Yu-Sheng

Ingredients
1 large carrot
1 large radish
1 lime
1 pack jellyfish with seasonings ($1.60 for a pack)
1 piece of fresh salmon or abalone, sliced (optional)
1 pre-packed yu-sheng ingredients (a $8.90 pack serves 6 persons)

Method
Shred carrot and radish finely. Set aside.

Marinate the jellyfish and set aside. Remember to pour away excess liquids from the jellyfish package.

Arrange the various ingredients on a large platter.

Squeeze lime juice over the fresh fish and toss. Remember to say the following auspicious phrases out loudly:

年年有余! (Let there be surplus year after year!)
捞啊！捞啊!发啊！发啊! (Toss ah! Prosper ah!)

捞起运气, 捞起财气，捞起福气, 春节捞起风生水起 (Toss to good luck, Toss to wealth, Toss to good fortune, Toss to good returns this Spring Festival!)

Do not move accident victims.

2010-02-22T23:57:00.000-08:00

After that motorcycle accident on Sunday, I felt I had to elaborate further on why it is absolutely important not to move the accident victim.In that particular case, the Caucasian passerby had watched over the rider, ensuring that he does not move. He managed to slip some cloth under his head. The rider's helmet had fallen off, attesting to the magnitude of impact; unless of course, the rider had not secured the helmet strap properly in the first place.

If the victim moves his head, the neck injuries could lacerate the spine and cause paralysis. A person should watch the victim and ensure he does not try to get up. In that case last Sunday, the motorcycle wanted to lift up his head to find his girlfriend, the pillion rider. He had even called out for her.
I can imagine, in the impact of the accident, the spinal cord could have very well been caught in a very uncomfortable situation, or perhaps, partially cut by a fractured bone. I am not medically-trained, but one can just imagine. If there was further movement, it could very well aggravate the situation.

This applies to car accident victims as well.

The young nurse who was at the scene also said that everyone should not move, lest any of them had fractures, which could get worse with movement. That's something to remember.

I think in such cases, it is best to quickly call for the ambulance and get people to direct traffic away. Leave the victim in the same place. One helpful man tried to carry him up, but the Caucasian passerby stopped him, which was the right thing to do.

Accident in Sembawang

2010-02-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

At about 8.45pm, I saw an accident at the traffic crossing which I use daily. I was returning home from a visit to baby niece. The traffic light was still red, but an Indian foreign worker decided to dash across. A motorcycle with a female pillion rider hit the Indian man.
I dashed up to the injured motorcycle rider, who laid on the ground, still very much conscious. Some other helpful passersby came to help as well, including a Caucasian man who ensured that he did not move. His girlfriend, the pillion rider, suffered cuts and bruises, but could still walk. At that time, the injured man wanted to get up. We told him not to move because there may be serious spinal injuries or fractures that could be aggravated if he moved.
Another helpful person directed the traffic away from the injured man. I called 995 and 999 and the ambulance arrived first. The paramedics carefully put neck braces and back support on the injured man before pushing him into the ambulance.
A young Indian nurse was at the scene, and told me to get ice-cubes for the pillion rider, who was swelling at her face. I ran off to 7-11 to get ice, and the nurse wrapped the cubes in tissue and applied it on the wounds on the pillion rider's lips and cheeks. I hope she does not get disfigured. She was able to call her family. Her mother, brother and sister then rushed down to the scene. The mother and sister were crying. The Caucasian man then comforted the mak cik by saying, "don't worry, he not die...he going hospital". (I think the Caucasian man is an Eastern European man, working at the nearby shipyard).
The Indian man who dashed acrossed the road is seen in the above picture (blue arrow). The pillion rider, presumably the rider's girlfriend was calling her family. I had just finished calling the police and 995 then. The Caucasian man was by the rider's side, ensuring that he did not move. The lady's family arrived shortly and the brother cursed the Indian man, who was also injured; I believe he had a fracture. I tried to stand in between the brother and the Indian man, lest the brother wanted to hit him.
The bike was badly damaged and shattered plastic pieces were strewn all over.

Of short-lived flowering bulbs

2010-02-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

During Chinese New Year, many festive plants and flowers become available. Spring flowering bulbs are imported in large numbers from Holland and sold here in nurseries all over Singapore. For gardeners in temperate regions, flowering bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths, narcissus and crocuses are very useful for landscaping their flowerbeds in springtime.

Hyacinths

Tulips

Narcissus

Why are they called flowering bulbs? That's because these plants have a swollen underground food storage organ. The common onion and garlic that we eat are bulbs too. The bulb stores food and moisture and this reserve of energy enables these flowers to bloom in early Spring. In fact, there's one particular flowering bulb that blooms even before the leaves emerge:

Hippeastrum

Having worked in the plant and floral industry for a while previously, I have to say that these flowers simply do not last. I remember the white Narcissus (picture shown earlier in this entry) were all ruined in a matter of a week or so, in the tropical heat of Singapore. They bloomed very quickly but lasted for only a very short while. Ditto with the rest. Of course, it is possible to prolong their beauty by keeping them in air-conditioning and watering them with cold water, but most people won't bother going to these lengths.

To me, these bulbs are a symbol of spring-time and I find them novel, beautiful because they aren't common in the tropics. I treat them like cut flowers, albeit with a longer shelf-life. Once the flowers bloom and die, there is no way you can get them to bloom again. At least, not in the tropics.

There's another way, which is to use the Nutrient Film Technique.

The nutrient solution would have to be chilled, however.

Too much trouble. I would prefer orchids, heliconias and gingers over these short-lived bulbs; but for Chinese New Year, it becomes an interesting addition to the home, and sometimes, even a conversation point.

My 10-month-old baby niece finds the Hyacinth scent so delicious that she actually opened her mouth and tried to taste the flowers. See how delighted she was with them:

On the day before Chinese New Year Eve 2010

2010-02-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

On the day before Chinese New Year's Eve, everyone in the office gathered to eat the Chinese New Year goodies given to us by vendors and agencies.

There was certainly a great deal of food, including some very tasty love letters. This version had no coconut milk. Still tasty and crisp, nonetheless. I refrained from eating too much of it to avoid unnecessary weight gain! Apparently, these snacks are of Peranakan origin.

According to my colleague Victor, it is apparently produced by a well-known Hongkong confectionery.

After that, I made a quick trip down with Gavin and his girlfriend to the Esplanade area, where I had a Thai seafood salad at Thai Express. Then, I went down to the "River Hongbao". This annual event features the usual food stalls, Chinese music/dance performances, lanterns of zodiac animals and the God of Fortune.

I saw a huge dragon made of sugar. Apparently, the humidity doesn't melt it. I did not see any ants near it, so I am very doubtful if it is really sugar. But I can't possibly stretch out to take a lick, can I? ha ha!

The 'lanterns' were basically structures covered with cloth and lighted up from within:

Take a look at this peacock made of porcelain utensils (spoons, bowls, tea cups). There's also a huge God of Fortune which periodically spews out gold confetti and bits of gold plastic with numbers on it. Whenever it spews out those stuffs, the crowd clamours to grab pieces of the plastic with the numbers. Many of them will then go to the nearby Singapore Pools lottery booth to buy these lucky numbers.

A closer look at the porcelain utensils:

Tonkichi at Orchard Central

2010-02-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

I am not a very urbane kinda guy, so I don't often go down to the city area or the shopping malls for no good reason. And so I was at Orchard Central for the first time ever a few weeks ago. That place had apparently been open for a long time, according to my friend. Ah well. Better late than never.
Being a plant-lover, I was pleasantly surprised by the roof garden and walls of foliage. Who would have expected to find such verdant patches of well-tended plants in Orchard Central, an edifice full of metal and glass? Flowering gingers, variegated gingers and plenty of palms were chosen for the landscaping. Foliage plants with various leaf shapes, sizes and textures were juxtaposed in a pleasing manner with the concrete and glass, resulting in an atmosphere of tropical lushness tinged with contemporary sleekness.
One of the things I really liked was the green walls. Interestingly, I noticed many common ferns growing on it, and wondered if they had ended up on the walls as weeds. (Yes they are weeds in many gardens). But that doesn't matter; those ferns are tough as leather and will thrive with minimal care. The end result is a lush green wall overflowing with plants.

Had dinner at Tonkichi, and again that was my very first time. This chain of restaurants is known for its pork cutlets.

I ordered a Rosu Katsu and had a Tonjiru soup (a pork soup). The pork cutlet was encrusted with a crisp layer of breadcrumbs and slathered in a delicious dark sauce full of shoyu and mirin flavours. It was served on a generous bed of shredded cabbage and rice. It's easy to produce deep fried pork cutlets that are too dry, too tough and too oily. Now, the pork cutlet was tender and well-marinated without being overly oily.

The Tonjiru soup had a strong peppery taste, and contained radish, shiitake mushrooms, pork slices, tofu and very interesting konjac slices. The jelly-like pieces with black specks comes from the konjac plant, from which the konnyaku jelly is made as well. I thought it tasted alright, a bit bland, and not too memorable except for the interesting texture of the konjac slices.
And guess what, you can request for top-ups of the cabbage shreds. It tasted pretty good with the salad dressing.

My friend ordered a soba (buckwheat noodle) set. I was really appalled to see bits of ramen noodles in the soba. I brought this up to the attention of the manager, and he merely said, "oh, I will tell [the kitchen] to not use the same net when cooking the noodles next time." No apologies at all. It appears that this is a non-issue. Perhaps, he was thinking that since both ramen and soba are noodles, it is OK to mix the two. The ramen bits were overcooked and swollen, and it not only was aesthetically displeasing, but I can just imagine how those gooey strands would taste!

And we ended the meal with orange slices. I am not very likely to go there again; it's not that memorable.

Jogging and exercise

2010-02-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

I had been jogging vigorously for the past 6 days, which is unprecedented, for I had always found it a drag, and would at the most, do it twice a week. But I pushed myself; I was sick and tired of always procrastinating the exercise; I even forgo lunch to go to the office gym to pound on the threadmill.

The office gym is really good, actually. It has a wide range of equipment, and is pretty clean. Also, it is hardly ever crowded. On the occasions when I go there for exercise during lunch, I would only see perhaps 1 or 2 persons. And often, Dr. Veronica Tay from Student Health would be there to work out. A good thing about running on the threadmill there is that you can adjust the gradient to make the workout more strenuous. And since the other machines are in the same room, I would inevitably proceed to do upper body strength training as well.

After a workout, a buzz permeates every inch of the body, and I would experience a mild euphoria, a 'high' as some may put it. It's probably due to the endorphins released after a long strenuous jog, but I suspect it's also partly owing to a psychological lift from completing a challenge. And yes, regular exercise amidst my utterly hectic work week is a challenge and if I complete it, that's an achievement indeed.
I have to keep going at it, and I am thinking of how I can sustain this. Any ideas? I am thinking that listening to fast-paced music during the workout could help make the process more enjoyable, and hence motivate me to keep at it. Any other ideas?

I am beginning to see the benefits of the exercise. I feel more energetic and I have to really agree with the maxim that "the more energy you give, the more you will get back".

James Cameron's Avatar

2010-01-06T17:53:00.001-08:00

I caught the film, 'Avatar' and like many others, I was very impressed by the effects and music. The movie had all the ingredients of a great cinematic experience, and James Cameron certainly knows what a great cinematic experience is all about. Emotional resonance, heart-stopping battles, adrenaline-filled moments, romance and suspense were all present in the fantastic 2 hour and 40 minutes work.

In the film, the scientist Grace (played by Sigourney Weaver) discovered that the trees on the planet Pandora have a network of roots interlinking them with the other trees, resulting in a biological network allowing them to communicate, and store a collective memory. In one scene, the Na'vi lady could 'listen' to the ancestors by connecting with the sacred trees via "The Link", a special bundle of nerve endings that the Na'vi possess. The Na'vi also connect to Eywa, which the humans term as a "deity", but is a real sacred being to the Na'vi.

The Na'vi also connect with the animals, in particular, the flying Ikran via "The Link", that bundle of nerves. As Grace puts it, the whole world of Pandora is a network of synapses, which holds a collective memory, and a consciousness that manifested itself when the Na'vi was about to be defeated. The animals, seemingly summoned by an unseen force, came to aid the Na'vi. Eywa seemed to have listened. Perhaps Eywa did pay attention to Jake's plead at the Tree of Souls, when he asked Eywa to look into Grace's memory (Grace had already died by then, and her consciousness had passed on to Eywa, that larger consciousness as personified by the 'deity'. It is perhaps necessary to personify that immense a force, beyond human comprehension as a deity. To the Na'vi, they certainly do not see Eywa as a deity, but as an essential part of their beings. Jake was imploring Eywa to help them, as if Eywa was a person who could be persuaded. But the Na'vi lady understood Eywa differently and said, "Eywa does not take sides".
When I heard the term 'synapses', I immediately thought of the brain. For humans, our consciousness and sentient being stems from the brain. I could not help but see the allusion to the Gaia hypothesis, which posits that Earth can be viewed as a single organism:

The Gaia hypothesis is an ecological hypothesis proposing that the biosphere and the physical components of the Earth (atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere) are closely integrated to form a complex interacting system that maintains the climatic and biogeochemical conditions on Earth in a preferred homeostasis. Originally proposed by James Lovelock as the earth feedback hypothesis, it was named the Gaia Hypothesis after the Greek supreme goddess of Earth. The hypothesis is frequently described as viewing the Earth as a single organism. Lovelock and other supporters of the idea now call it Gaia theory, regarding it as a scientific theory and not mere hypothesis, since they believe it has passed predictive tests. (Source: Wikipedia)

What do you think?

The internment camps during the Japanese Occupation

2010-01-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

During a little trip to the Singapore History Museum a few weeks ago with Sharleen and Suqi, we chose to focus on the human stories that were part of Singapore's historical past. At the galleries on the Japanese Occupation, we came across a happy family photo:

The photo showed British Army officer Captain Denis Russell Roberts, and his wife Ruth McKechney and their infant daughter Lynette. They led a happy and peaceful life in Singapore before the war. A year after this photograph was taken, the Japanese invasion tragically caused this family to be separated. Ruth died in an internment camp in Sumatra.

The individual human stories are not often given attention in our study of history back in school. Through these stories, the seemingly distant events that occurred many years ago take on a new dimension when we experience the heart-rending personal stories. The events were life-changing, and in the case of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, it had tragic consequences for Captain Roberts.

His wife Ruth died in an internment camp in Sumatra. When the Japanese took over Singapore, white women who remained in Singapore were imprisoned in camps. Many of us are more familiar with the Changi prisoners, but not the internment camps of Sumatra. Conditions were harsh and many lost their lives there. I had watched a movie previously about the internment camps, Paradise Road. Despite the atrocities and hardship, people can make it through by means of moral support and strength.

See the trailer at http://www.flixster.com/movie/paradise-road

By the way, the baby, Lynette, did not die. Neither did Captain Roberts. Lynette was apparently evacuated to England before the Japanese arrived. Captain Roberts survived the war, but was bereft of his wife.

Interns

2010-01-03T06:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, a new intern, currently in her 3rd year of study at the NUS Communications and New Media Programme will join us for 6-month structured internship. This is not the first time we've had interns. I had 4 wonderful interns in the past, and I still miss them.

A lot of people have misconceptions about internships. I told some people about the internships, and one or two said it would be great to alleviate workload. I have to say that is an easy way to look at it, and an utter disregard of the bright young minds these young interns possess. They come with fresh perspectives, and see things that we don't. They are synched with the latest new media trends and developments, and not merely at the descriptive and practical level, but also, at the conceptual level, which I believe will bring them far in their future endeavours.

I learn as much, if not more, from what the interns get to learn from me and us.

And I am looking to learning together with Jia Hui. :)

Sylvia Ratonel - the Singapore Idol

2010-01-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

I am not an expert when it comes to music and pop music. In fact, I heard many of the songs sang by the contestants of Singapore Idol for the first time when they performed them. So I am definitely in no position to comment on the contestants’ musical talent. But I felt I had to write something about Sylvia Ratonel. It has been a week since I last saw her perform live at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for the Singapore Idol finals.

In fact, I did not really watch Singapore Idol; I only started because I got involved in one particular episode as part of my work. I was at the studio for the “Song for a Cause” special episode.

That episode on 25 November commemorated World AIDS Day 2009 and featured the contestants singing self-penned songs relating to HIV/AIDS and special guest performers such as popular local band Jack & Rai. Prior to this episode, the contestants were involved in spreading awareness of HIV/AIDS at their nation-wide roadshows.

Sylvia sang "Make You Feel My Love" at that episode
Up close and personal with Sylvia
And that 25 November episode was the first time I met Sylvia Ratonel face-to-face. I was absolutely charmed by her “natural singing voice” (to quote Ken Lim). I had to admit, I had never heard her sing until that episode. I sat right in front of her while she sang 1 song and I was just utterly captivated.
Later, during the break, we had a little buffet, and lo and behold, she was there! I mustered up the courage to go up to her for an autograph, but we were interrupted by the Mediacorp people who wanted a group photo with my CEO etc. She remembered me, and after the photo session, I had wandered off to talk to some of our stakeholders. She approached me, and she gave me the autograph! I was so surprised and when she spoke to me, she made eye contact and wanted to know my name too; her sincerity is as real as it gets. She exudes a down-to-earth and genuineness which was tinged with a certain vulnerability. At that point, I had not watched the previous episode where she revealed that she quitted school to start working and earn money.
I did not know she grew up in a 1-room flat and grew up in humble circumstances. Now that I have read all about her, and watched all her performances on Youtube, I could understand that vulnerability better. It makes you love her, and admire her strength. I love how she went from “zero to hero” (to quote Florence Lian) throughout the Singapore Idol journey. She epitomizes how, with passion, sincerity and humility (she really translated the judges’ comments into action), one can conquer seemingly insurmountable difficulties.I would love to meet her again and tell her how much of a fan I am.

On a side note, I got to say. the Idol franchise (plus other competitions such as Project Superstar etc) understands the whole psychology of fandom so well. That’s another post for another day.For me, I really became a fan of Sylvia Ratonel, not because of the packaging, or merely the talent, but because she is to me, very very human and real. We can project our hopes on her, because life is never without challenges, and that resonates with us in a very deep way.There are many commentaries on why Sylvia lost to Sezairi Sezali; ethnic and gender reasons were highlighted. I have to say, I supported her and voted for her (albeit after that World AIDS Day episode) because she had an appeal and story that transcends ethnicity, gender, language. I know I am not alone in feeling this.

Sylvia, you are my Singapore Idol!

Raeann was frightened by a moving plastic baby doll

2009-12-26T21:03:00.001-08:00

My 8-month-old baby niece Raeann, was frightened by a plastic moving baby toy yesterday.
It was bought by her grandmother, and the packaging said it was meant for children 3 years and above. Dolls and soft toys are perfect for a girl of three or four years old, providing her an opportunity to "mother" and imagine "life" in the doll. The girl would talk to the doll, tuck it to bed before sleeping, share her thoughts and feelings. A boy (and I know I used to do that) may do so with a stuffed animal, like a teddy bear. I used to have a "family" of animals.

I suppose, for an infant of 8 months, this capacity to imagine the doll as a being that needs care and which comprehends her speech is not present yet. This cognitive capacity is still in development. Raeann did try to babble to a reindeer I gave to her as a Christmas present, but not for long.

The baby doll could move, and Raeann was frightened. I think it caused her some nightmares yesterday; she had woken up a few times during the night! Video here:

Of Chilli King crab and memory.

2009-12-15T01:38:00.000-08:00

I had Alaskan King Crab done up in a Chilli Crab gravy and treatment at East Coast with my father, brother and his girlfriend. When we ordered it, we were highly skeptical, for Alaskan King Crab is full of delicate flavours, that we thought would be overwhelmed and lost to the strong aromas of garlic, chilli, ginger and tomato in Chilli Crab gravy. It turns out that was not the case.

Somehow, the delicious flavours of the King Crab remained distinctive and married well with the tongue-tingling chilli spiciness and piquant garlic-ginger aromas. The juices of the crab had blended into the gravy itself, which meant it had no lack of the umami 旨味 flavour. That lent itself perfectly to the little deep fried mantous, which were dipped into the sauce and devoured.
We had other dishes with it, of course; the sort of Chinese food which my brother doesn't get to have all the time, and perhaps not for a while.

He says when he is back in Singapore, he doesn't really miss the food. But when overseas, I reckon he does. And I know his squadron mates do, for sure. For Friday Mess, Singaporean dishes are much sought after. They have tried pineapple rice, nasi lemak, fried chicken wings, curry, but I think none of them dare to do up mee rebus or mee siam rempah from scratch. In any case, I doubt they have the time to do that.

Food is an important part of our cultural identity. It links us to a place, to home; no surprise then, that food features heavily in overseas Singapore Days. The aroma of food in particular, can conjure up memories and emotions in ways that no other things can. That has a lot to do with the neurological architecture of our brain.

The senses, though, act as a conduit via which some of our strongest memories are created and are possibly also the best means through which buried memories are revived. This is one reason why I cook. The smells that I had experienced as a child, I recreate in the kitchen. The flavours may not be the same, but the smells still has that effect.

Allowing us mortal beings to grasp, however imperfect and temporary, that bit of memory of the departed. Allowing us to remember home, even though it is thousands of miles apart. Chasing away homesickness, of futile longing to be home, to be together with the ones you love. Fleeting and ephemeral they may be, but in these exquisite moments, they provide a comfort that is beyond words.

What fuels love?

2009-12-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

My brother is back in Singapore for about 10 days, and then he will return to Western Australia for his pilot training. Once he returns to Australia, the next time I will see him will be in August 2010. It is a long time to be away, and to me it is rather hard to bear because he just turned 21 on 13 December. That's a very tender age to be away from home, undergoing rigorous training for long periods of time.
I would not be able to fully comprehend such an experience because I hadn't been through it myself. It is tough for him, I am sure, but he does take it in his stride, being young and full of gusto. It is also hard for those who care about him, in particular his girlfriend.

The saying goes, "absence makes the heart fonder", but one does wonder about the everyday moments, the slow trickling of hours in the time before one meets again. As one proceeds with the hum-drum of life, the lack of a here-and-now presence can be heart-wrenching. The long wait has to be fuelled by a strong love. And then, what fuels that love? While the Internet can help, what else keeps it going? There's plenty I can write on that, but it is very late now. Perhaps another time.

4 stages of alcohol addiction

2009-12-14T06:40:00.000-08:00

In a Lifewise (Jul-Aug 2009) issue, I came across the four stages of alcohol addiction:

Experimental stage of addiction
The stage is the kick-off point for many addicts. The trigger that sparks off an experiment with alcohol could be as innocent as simple curiosity. For teens, peer pressure may also play a part. At this early stage, the drinker may experience a sense of pleasure never before felt, leading him to associate the pleasantry with alcohol consumption. (This is very much classical conditioning isn't it?)
Recreational stage of addiction
During the recreational stage, the drinker may make use of social settings as an excuse to guzzle. At this stage, tolerance for alcohol usage increases and users may start to experience the negative effects of over-boozing not felt previously, such as hangovers.
Early dependency stage
During this stage, the regular user is on the transition to becoming an abuser. He or she may now begin to find new ways to accomodate his/her addiction lifestyle. For the young, they may resort to stealing money to feed the habit.
Full dependency stage
This late stage of addiction is the most serious. At this stage, there is an element of self-destruction in the activity and the often compulsive desire to escape into obligion, or escape from reality. Sobriety is now too difficult to face. If left untreated, the addict may now face despire and risks premature death through overdose, suicide, or accidents.

No walk in the park.

2009-12-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

Couldn't sleep properly; nose was totally blocked and woke up sneezing at several instances.

It was a good weekend, though. My younger brother's 21st birthday was on Saturday, and very luckily, he managed to return for a while from his pilot training stint in Perth, which meant he could celebrate his 21st in Singapore. We had a little party, complete with a key-shaped cake:

Apparently, being a pilot, especially a military pilot, isn't a walk in the park. It's a much, much longer and gruelling walk than most people can imagine. Being a pilot means having to be away from home for long periods of training. It also requires a great deal of mental stamina, because of the amount of studying required to pass the various stages. Small setbacks and failures are inevitable along the way, and the trainee must never lose heart. Imagine this stretching on for months and even years, before you can attain a certain rank or pass a key milestone. It is admirable for trainees to stick it through all the way when the results may not be immediately visible.

I suppose when you are part of a force that plays a very important role in defence, there must be little room for chance, and the people behind it must be able to handle the immense pressures and challenges when they are needed, hence the necessary sacrifices.

Of bingeing

2009-12-13T06:06:00.000-08:00

I had allowed myself to binge drink till I pass out, the most extreme outcome possible, on several occasions. Once, I could still straggle back with the help of a friend and two other recent times, I had to be dragged, pulled, rolled and shifted home. Really grateful and thankful there were friends who 'rescued' me. (Really, really sorry about the trouble)

Having experienced the most extreme possible outcome of binge-drinking (actually the worst is alcohol poisoning, which throws a person into a coma and may result in respiratory difficulties; i.e. you can’t breathe), the question of why rational people binge-drink despite knowing very well the unpleasant after-effects pops to mind. The drinking results in a hangover, with nasty things like a headache the day after, lethargy, nausea…

So why and how did I drink to the extreme (till unconsciousness)? But then what results in the tipping over from, plain drunkardness to unconsciousness?

There’s the emotional bit which overtakes the rational part. The drinking on those occasions was when I was emotionally troubled. That led to the tipping point literally. I would be somewhere, drinking, and literally guzzling down copious amounts without caring about the consequences. A part of me knew about the consequences, but at that point in time, the part that was grappling with the emotions or pain takes over and says, “heck care, just drink. Numb it, Drown it, Douse it. And you won’t have to think about it”. And I just. Do. It. That doesn’t solve a thing. It just adds trouble to yourself and others who are with you.

Then there’s drinking on an empty stomach, or on a near empty stomach (perhaps with limited food)… When there is food in the stomach, the pyloric valve at the bottom of the stomach will close as the stomach churns the food with gastric acid. This keeps the alcohol away from the small intestines and slows down the absorption of alcohol into the blood stream, limiting its effects on the body. So if you don’t eat, the pyloric valve will remain open. Alcoholic liquids passes quickly into the small intestines and gets absorbed into bloodstream. Ditto for a half-empty or quarter-full stomach.

And lastly, there’s the bit about taking panadol or whatever over-the-counter drugs before drinking. It can react with the alcohol, resulting in dizziness or worse, liver damage, since both have to be metabolized by the liver.

Whatever the cause or reason, drinking that result in unconsciousness is irresponsible, to myself and to friends. Any perceived relief it provides is fleeting and the only lasting thing it leaves is a hangover. As a good friend said, it has to start with “loving yourself”. Not just self-respect for your body at the point of drinking/bingeing, but I knew he was also referring to self-love way before the point of drinking. It may sound narcissistic to some, but self-love means valuing ourselves enough to deal with difficult problems and issues head-on instead of sweeping it under the carpet or stuffing it into the cupboard. It entails being honest with oneself, not denying issues simply because they are painful or difficult. It’s hard for a person who doesn’t love himself fully to receive love (in the form of advice or help). Hard, but not impossible.

I am trying. Now. And thank you, my friends. You know who you are. :) I got a lot of work to do, for sure.

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

2009-12-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-30T20:18:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-28T06:09:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-26T03:37:00.000-08:00

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

Long John's Silver

2009-10-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

Long John Silver had this new set meal, containing chicken, shrimp and fries. I tried it, and I felt extremely fat thereafter. I did not finish the fries, but I know it's oily nonetheless. But ah, how divine it tasted! Even the fries were encased with that savoury batter. By the way, the shrimp isn't a proper shrimp. It was a mass of pulverised shrimp flesh mixed with seasonings and a starchy mixture! Yikes.
I tried to compensate by having a Coke Zero, ok? I had to pay 35 cents more for it!

It is funny how the plastic knives, which frankly, are useless for the hard batter, were placed right beside the straws.
I saw the Healthier Choice Symbol on the menu - but it only applies for a salad dish.
The fries were dotted with little black specks, which were certainly not pepper. So what are they? I reckon they are just carbonised bits of food! I can imagine how carcinogenic (cancer-causing) they are.

Of artificial flavouring that tasted so good

2009-10-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

During a recent visit to the supermarket, I noticed some new flavours of Pringles potato chips:
Left to right: Soft-shell crab flavour (blue canister), Seaweed flavour (green canister), Dill pickles flavour, Shrimp flavour (pink canister)

I only liked the Seaweed and Dill Pickle flavours. I am a little surprised I even liked these 2 flavours because they are after all artificial flavours. But hey, the Dill pickles flavouring was totally like that of the pickles found in hamburgers. The sourness was a real pleasure. As for the seaweed flavour chips, it was sweet and savoury at the same time. I could taste the seaweed flavour, and it was really novel to see green potato chips.

As the Pringles maxim goes, "Once you start, you can't stop". I had originally planned to only consume one or two pieces of potato chips, but ended up eating more than 5! Gee.

As for the soft-shell crab flavour, it was really strange. It tasted like seafood, but had this oily aftertaste. The shrimp flavour was still OK, but I guess after having tasted really fresh shrimp in my own cooking, it really does pale in comparison.

Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe

2009-09-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

Went to Chilli Padi Nonya Cafe, and the buffet lunch (between 11am to 2.30pm) was $13.80+. Cosy decor, and the good air-conditioning was a welcome respite from the heat outside.
There was a limited array of food, and the food was not that good. The gado-gado (above)'s sauce was lacking in distinctiveness, and tasted like any other satay sauce. It was basically just a peanut sauce; and the spices and flavourings did not come through. Even the coffeeshop serves sauce with a distinctive lemongras aroma. A little disappointing, really.

The laksa (above) was delicious. The gravy was rich, and full of flavours. Dried shrimp was used liberally in the gravy. The laksa was not as spicy as that found in hawker centres. Less chilli was used, for sure. And this accounted for the yellowish coloring in the gravy.

Rempah udang (above) was ok. I had tasted better ones at Katong.

It is unlikely that I will return to the place.

Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh

2009-09-25T04:40:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night, I was at Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh (Tanjong Pagar) with colleagues, Siew Hui, Christine, Sharleen and Qiquan.

A bowl of braised peanuts costs $3, a bowl of plain rice costs $0.50, and a bowl of the soup with ribs costs $7. The soup has unlimited refills, apparently. We also ordered a bowl of Tang Oh. Qiquan asked what kind of vegetable that was. I said it was a vegetable used in lion dances (you know, when the lion jumps up to 'pluck' a bunch of greens). This vegetable is also frequently used in Chinese steamboats. It's a Chrysanthemum, but well, I guess it cut no ice with my friend. We drink Chrysanthemum tea, made from the flowers, but how often do we eat the leaves? [Interestingly, the conversation steered into a Taiwanese drama serial, whose main character was named Tang Oh]

We weren't exactly eating the leaves of the plant that produces flowers for our Chrysanthemum tea, but rather, it's a species of Chrysanthemum - Common name: Garland Chrysanthemum.

Ok, back to the food. I think the Bak Kut Teh soup was great. It was not overly peppery, which I have encountered at other places. Not overly salty, but it seemed to lack a 'oomph'. But this is a matter of personal preference. I personally prefer a stronger soup base, with complex flavours of star anise, chinese cinammon, fennel seeds, gloves, angelica root and garlic coming across more prominently. But this is really good enough.

Ribs were tender enough, and service was good. Without having to ask, the staff refilled our soups. Piping hot, and as a colleague puts it, "perfect for a cold winter night". In tropical Singapore however, it brought on a sweating fit. That's fine, considering that it was a breezy night. I imagine that place would be perfect for families, given that it is spacious.

A bowl of the yu tiao costed $2, which I thought was a little ridiculous. It is merely deep-fried dough sticks, so why is it charged at such a high price? Besides, it was not crisp. I noted that bowls of the fritters were already prepared and kept in a corner. No wonder if it got a little soft.

Bak Kut Teh was recently mentioned in a fracas by the Malaysian Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. She claimed that chilli crab, Hainanese chicken rice, nasi lemak, laksa and bak kut teh were all created in Malaysia but have been hijacked by other countries. http://www.mysinchew.com/node/29600

Crap. Let's just take Bak Kut Teh as an example. The ingredients, cooking method and serving style are distinctly Chinese. The influx of Chinese immigrants into this region during the 19th century meant that these ingredients and methods were brought along, and adapted, giving rise to a distinctly Southeast Asian version. Even within this region, there are variations; some soups are darker and contains more herbs, some are more sweet-tasting.

A darker version of the Bak Kut Teh Broth.

The dish is therefore, a cultural product of Chinese immigrants. To say it is Malaysian indicates that Dr. Ng does not understand an important point: the boundaries of modern sovereign nations (i.e. Malaysia/Singapore/Indonesia) was a recent artifice put in place by socio-political imperatives, and not a reflection of on-the-ground cultural realities.

I am appalled by Dr. Ng's comments, which reeks somewhat of jingoism. Or is she just intending to bring attention to herself through deliberately controversial viewpoints?

Naughty G

2009-09-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

I saw this ad for an energy drink, Naughty G on the MRT, and being a plant-lover, I could not help but notice the botanical ingredients that went into the drink.
Horny Goat Weed. That sure is a name that will grab attention. It apparently has aphrodisiacal properties:So is the Tribulus Terretris:And the Korean ginseng.

So what, you drink a can, and you get better sexual performance? I doubt so. I doubt there's enough of these botanical ingredients in a can to get that effect.

Five Star Kampong Chicken: Tastes of mass produced uniformity

2009-09-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, my family and I visited a chicken rice restaurant along Thomson Road, called Five Star Kampong Chicken. It's apparently a franchise, with branches all over the island.The rice wasn't that fantastic. I certainly have tasted + smelt more aromatic chicken rice before. I felt the pandan leaf flavours could have been stronger. The chicken tasted good. Served with a drizzle of sesame oil and soy sauce, it was savoury, smooth and tender. The restaurant was stingy with cucumber and coriander, which I felt would have provided a very good aromatic foil and textural contrast to the chicken. One wonders if they were running low on vegetables on that day.
The Kai Lan was not great; the gravy was too thick. Evidently, the chef had been over-zealous with the cornstarch. The deep-fried shallots topping was not produced in-house, and tasted like it exactly was: a mass-produced factory product.

Two other side dishes were also ordered.
The salad you tiao, was ordinary. The chicken feet skin was slathered with a Thai-style chilli sauce, which I know came from a bottle, probably mass-produced in a factory. You can find this taste by buying a bottle of Thai chilli sauce from the supermarket. Vinegar is used, instead of lime juice in such mass-produced chill sauce, because it is obviously cheaper and keeps longer. Not impressed.
I did like the ginger and chilli paste, however.

The restaurant owner apparently knew my Dad, so I was polite and said it all tasted wonderful.

I think franchises can potentially run into such problems of producing unoiform and uninspiring tastes, much like identical mass-produced factory products. There is no sense of artistry or creative flair in the execution of the dishes. Recipes are followed to the dot, and ingredients are all ordered in bulk from supplier factories, for economies of scale. You can just imagine the soya sauce, Thai chilli sauce, mayonnaise (so-called salad cream) to have arrived at the various franchise outlets from the suppliers in huge containers as such:

(The yellow liquid here is dishwashing detergent)

On a side note, the place does not sell beer, and I heard a Caucasian lady ordering a "chicken rice set, up-size" ala McDonald's style.

Jo Kukathas

2009-09-04T05:01:00.000-07:00

A new anti-smoking TV Commercial by the Malaysia Ministry of Health stars Jo Kukathas, a Malaysian actress:

She also starred in Yasmin Ahmad's TV Commercial, "Funeral", produced for the Singapore Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports.

She can really act!

Biodiversity in Sarawak

2009-08-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

I was at Kuching, Sarawak several weeks ago. And what a great place it is, especially if you are a nature lover. I had the opportunity to visit Sarawak's largest nature reserve, the Bako National Park. In retrospect, I should have spent an entire day there, but I think we were not fit enough to handle the strenuous treks. What we scoulaw was but a small fraction of the reserve, which contains an astounding amount of biodiversity. Numerous habitats exist side by side in Bako. One moment, you could be in a lush Dipterocarp forest, with towering Shorea trees and thick vegetation, and the next, you could be seeing a forest full of plants resembling Australian bush flora in the Kerangas.
A viper we spotted in Bako

The Kerangas (from the Iban language, "land which cannot grow rice")

In my next post, I will talk about the various ways plants adapt to the harsh environment of the Kerangas.

Learned Optimism

2009-08-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the latest ad on TV, starring the cute monkey from last year? This time, he is joined by two other friends, a wise and cheerful elephant and a supportive giraffe.

I read Martin Seligman’s book, “Learned Optimism”, which talks about 3 Ps (Permanence, Pervasiveness, Personalisation), and I must say, it is very applicable to the Positive Thinking for a Healthy Mind campaign, for which the TV ad was produced. They represent ways of thinking, and they are really easy to apply in our daily lives. Ultimately, we cannot fully control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to them. Life is full of unexpected circumstances - some serendipitous, some annoying, some devastating.

I really like how the Positive Thinking campaign reminds us how we can take control and choose to react to things in ways that will make me feel better. Well, I suppose that’s relevant to me, because I can get rather emotional sometimes.

Permanence
The wise elephant (how apt, considering how elephants are very intelligent creatures) said, “What goes down must come up!” to the monkey, who has grouses that I am sure many of us experience. I am definitely not the only who has had a bonus reduced or taken away completely, translating to a scuttled vacation plan. It does help to see that such setbacks aren’t permanent, and zooming out, a result of an economic downturn that will definitely end, given Singapore’s good economic fundamentals.

This week, I had a few consecutive bad days at work, having encountered technical problems, a growing overdue task-list and low energy levels. It seemed like a familiar situation; often occurring at this time of the year (shall not go into details here). I couldn’t help but feel like this was a recurring part of a never-ending situation at work that I would endure, year after year. That really sapped my morale, which sapped my energy even more. And that frustrates me, because I wasn’t productive. Rethinking the situation, I thought about how these issues will not last, for we do learn how to avoid the same technical problems, after encountering them this time. Also, I now know what to pre-empt in the future, so that we won’t have to rush for things at the last minute.

These difficulties are passing, and won’t happen again, because we all learnt from it, didn’t we?

So there. I felt again in control, and happier.

Pervasiveness
The monkey said, “Nowadays, everything so difficult you know, and I get only paid peanuts!” (By the way, I love the monkey’s totally Singaporean accent as he says this). The monkey is alluding to difficulties at work (“paid peanuts”), but does it necessarily mean everything is difficult?

It’s really sad how we allow what happens at work to also affect other aspects of our lives. Yes, unhappy things pop up at work, and it’s all too easy to think:

MY LIFE SUCKS.

But hey, doesn’t that sound like a total catastrophe? Does working late nights mean that I can’t enjoy the weekend, or have a good meal once I knock off? It’s sad indeed, that the late nights mean the cancellation of appointments with friends whom I was looking forward to seeing, or missing a favourite TV show, but the work gets cleared, and that really helps, and hey, it does not last (permanence). The bottomline is, what I encounter at work is simply that: work, and does not equate to a sucky life, which is more than just about work.

Personalization
This particular bit is not highlighted in the ad. When something bad happens, it is not necessarily caused by oneself. For instance, I could see a screw-up at work as a reflection of incompetency and my lack of skill/ability in that particular area. Well, it may not be caused personally by me!

So if your proposal or work is rejected or criticized, we can choose not to take it personally. It does not mean that you are a loser, or have poor abilities. It may simply mean that the approach or angle you had taken is not the most appropriate. It also does not mean that you will be seen as an incompetent person. Often, an idea is rejected because of constraints, such as budget limitations or timeline. And, if criticism is given, it should be seen as feedback, and not well, a personal attack.

So yes, we can be in control of our thinking styles and bounce back from setbacks in life!

Ma La (麻辣) Sauce.

2009-08-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

There is something very distinctive about Ma La (麻辣) Sauce. It's a combination of two words, 麻., meaning 'numbing' and 辣, meaning 'hot'.

Indeed, the 麻辣 sauce is not merely spicy, but leaves a pleasant tingle in the mouth. I really like the way it excites my tastebuds. I have yet to try the 麻辣 hotpot outlets found in Geylang and Bugis. But I have certainly had it in stir-fried dishes at home. We use a bottled 麻辣 sauce, which draws part of its stimulating tastes from the Sichuan Pepper. The Sichuan Pepper is an interesting fruit. I have yet to use the actual peppercorns (called 花椒 in Mandarin), but well, I guess the sauce is good enough.

I think tofu goes fantastically well with Ma La sauce. Tofu does not have much taste by itself, but it absorbs the flavours of sauces very well. And I do love how it is low fat, too. A great way to prepare a Ma La tofu dish is to add some ginger, spring onions, minced chicken and a drizzle of sesame oil to it. The chicken and spring onions add a nice texture, while the sesame oil and ginger adds pleasant overtones of flavour to the dish:

Best served with some rice at the side.

Thai-Style Fish Fillets with Mango Cubes

2009-07-18T03:09:00.000-07:00

This is one of my two entries for a ‘Innovative & Healthy Recipe’ Contest. The criteria:

• Creativity – Is the choice & 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 & Presentation - Does the dish sound and look appealing & appetizing? (15%)

I was late in my submission, but the organiser still accepted my entry. It being a busy week, I was not able to replicate the recipe and take another picture! I had to use my original photo, and it does not look that good (over-exposed, garnishing + presentation not ideal):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

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.

Short Description:
This easy to prepare dish contains flavours familiar in Thai cooking. 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 rice.

The low-glycemic index of this dish makes it an ideal dinner item, especially for people who would like to lose some weight. Hardly any oil was used as well.

Infants and the Palmar Grasp

2009-07-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

Why are infant’s hands always clenched in their first few months?

Typically, by the end of 3 months (or earlier), a baby would be able to open his/her hands and use it to grab and touch things. The baby will then be able to discover things, by touching and batting toys, and bringing it to their mouths:

(Baby niece sucking hand: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=121516961210 )

It is interesting though, that when infants are newly born, they will open and hold on tightly to your thumb, if you manage to wriggle it into their palms:

(Baby niece's palmar grasp reflex: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=91669586210 )

That is the palmar grasp reflex. I read somewhere that this reflex is a sort of relic from our evolutionary past. Imagine when we were hairy apes living in the trees. Infants who could grasp on to the hair or some body parts would probably have higher survival rates. I am just wondering~~

Curry Chicken Recipe

2009-07-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

I will start sharing some recipes day by day on my blog. Very often, I ask friends why they don't cook, and why some seem surprised that I cook. There's no reason not to cook, and it's nothing surprising, because it is so easy, once you get the hang of the techniques and ingredients. Let's start with chicken curry; to me, it's an incredibly versatile dish and depending on your predilection, could taste anything from Nyonya to Thai. This version is the usual sort you will find in Singapore coffeeshops and hawker centres - rich in coconut milk, not too spicy.

[Ingredients]
A1 Curry Paste ( http://bit.ly/13OtAP ),
Kampong Chicken (texture is better),
Potatoes,
Coconut cream 500ml pack,
1 stalk lemongrass (optional),
1 chopped onion (optional).

[How]
Peel potatoes, boil in pot of water for 12 minutes.

Stir-fry onion with curry paste + lemongrass in another pan (you can skip this step if you are not using onion + lemongrass; it's ok) - Remember you ain't following some Martha Stewart baking recipe, and that's the beauty of Asian cooking - you don't need to be always precise!

Add curry paste to water.
Add coconut cream.
Remove skin of chicken, chop it up into pieces and add into mixture.
Simmer, stirring continually for 20 minutes.
Add salt to taste.
Remove top layer of oil before serving with white rice or some bread.

Infant and vocalizations

2009-06-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

Research has shown that girls develop the ability to communicate earlier than boys. But what my baby niece demonstrated yesterday and this morning completely astonished me. Infants at 2 months often practice vowel sounds. (e.g. coo, ahh, uhh, ohh) What surprised me was that my 2-month (and 2 weeks) old niece was combining two vowel sounds together. In one instance, she imitated her father’s “hello” (not shown in video below) and said, “haahh-ohh”. (the consonants and ‘l’ is not articulated) Looking at her mouth movements when we speak, it is clear that she is attempting to imitate the speaking movements of us as we speak.

In addition, baby Raeann responds to different sounds and turns her head towards sources of sounds, such as the TV. She responds to music. She responds to her name and watches the speaker’s face as he talks. The usual age for an infant to reach this stage of infant language development is between 4 to 6 months. (or even, 9 months) Therefore, I was astounded by what I saw and heard yesterday and this morning!

I hope she will be a language prodigy! I think she will probably pick up new vocabulary easily.

I shall, in my next post, talk about mother-ese and phonemes... interesting stuffs

Wisdom tooth extraction (not mine!)

2009-04-28T01:36:00.000-07:00

Today I accompanied my brother for an 'emergency' wisdom tooth extraction. Well, it should teeth, since two were removed. He had a pretty bad swelling in his left wisdom tooth; the right one was still OK, but there was some swelling already.

It was painful and I wasn't surprised, given that there were inflammation and abscesses already. The X-Ray indicated that they were getting 'impacted', and partially showing above the gum tissue. The one that was causing the pain had 70% of itself peeking out from the gum tissue, while the other was about only 30% peeking out. And the food bits/bacteria that gets trapped in the nooks and crannies of an impacted/half-peeking-out molar led to an infection. One can imagine the bacteria having a party in there:

But anyway.

It didn't have to be so urgent if not for the fact that he could not miss too much of his military course; it was fortunate that this week, there was nothing much for him to do, hence he could take a MC and recuperate. Since he was to undergo surgery anyway, he might as well take out two. Even though the other that was still 'bearable', I reckon it would lead to yet another infection in the weeks to come, especially if you're stuck in a Brunei jungle doing military training. Oh come on, who brushes teeth there? So to kill two birds with one stone, we had two wisdom tooths extracted, left and right side.

He was freaked out. Now I wasn't that freaked out because I had 4 wisdom molars removed at one go previously. Ok ok, that's not a fair comparison because I was under general anaesthesia. I was blissfully in sleep while the operation took place. But we went to the Q&M Dental Clinic at the nearby Sun Plaza. They could do the job, and they could do it today, and hence there would be a week to rest before he returns to the air force school on Monday. Since my brother was scared, I made sure that I was with him throughout the way, and had a rather interesting opportunity to witness the extraction + stitching-of-wound for 2 wisdom tooth. Now, I must say, Dr. Holy Koh Jr. (Yes, that's his name), a mild-mannered, well-spoken and knowledgeable dentist was really good. He gave detailed explanation and reassured the patient well. He also outlined the various options available:

- remove only one wisdom tooth
- remove two wisdom tooth
- remove all four ("that would be too traumatic", he said, given that only local anaesthetic would be used) [The upper wisdom teeth were growing out too, and would cause ulceration/gum damage later]

A scalpel, drill, sharp probe, pliers, needle, scissors etc were put to use, and lo and beold, the two molars were taken out. The wounds were cleaned and then stitched up, all without a sinch.

Fantastic service, and hardly painful. The local anaesthetic (yes, yes I know it hurts when the needle is stuck into the gum, but it's just for a short while) did its job well, and my brother blanked out the sounds using an iPod.

Faux pas

2009-04-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had made several verbal faux pas, relating to sex.

Yes, you got me right. Relating to Sex. Sexual Health education lah.

Incident #1
We were in a meeting discussing on digital tools relating to Sexual Health education. Raising the topic, I somehow said "Sexual Tools" instead of "Sexual Health Digital Tools".

Incident #2
I came up with a fictitious persona to represent young, successful and affluent male PMEBs. Somehow or another, I said it is "part and parcel for young men to sleep around", when what I really intended to say was that promiscuity is common amongst young PMEB males.

Perhaps I really do lack sleep.

Remembering the departed.

2009-04-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

A TVC produced by the National Family Council.

It is a poignant TVC, and resonates with me, for I have lost close ones before. The memories you have of a person is very much made up of the small things. It could be smell, for instance. A memory of five-spice wafting from the kitchen is mundane, but can imprint upon a person in a very lasting way, particularly if you were a young child. When a person dies, one cannot help but feel that the memories are unsatisfiactory. They lack a physicality; a here-and-now dimension.

Imagine waking up on a sunny morning to scents of dark soy sauce, five-spice and duck simmering away in a large wok. It will be chopped up later into smaller pieces for the Chinese New Year reunion dinner; it will be a very busy day because it is the last opportunity to do a thorough cleaning before the new year officially starts. That's why it's good to start cooking the duck early on, for it is fine to leave it aside till dinner time.

And those were the days.

I suppose that's where the senses can act as a conduit through which some of our strongest memories are created, and possibly, the best means through which buried memories are renewed.

Same things goes for the little arguments, difficult times, tribulations. At the end of the day (or life), these are the things that will take on a special texture.

Birthday celebration

2009-04-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Guernica

2009-04-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

Picasso's painting, 'Guernica' shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This monumental work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace.

I am Steven Tan.

2009-03-31T23:58:00.000-07:00

I am Steven Tan. And guess what. Once such things go live, you cannot amend.

Chilli Crabs

2009-03-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Earlier, I made chilli crab. I am not exactly a fan of it, because it makes for rather messy eating and my tolerance for chilli is quite low. We had 3 large mud-crabs, made using the Prima Taste chilli crab sauce. I could have made the sauce from scratch, but since I had never done it before, I thought it was safer to use the Prima Taste sauce.

It turned out very well! The hassle of cleaning the crabs was well worth it.
I only used half of the Extra Hot Chilli Mix and it was VERY spicy! The "Crab Premix" is a funny name for a packet of cornstarch (which is used to thicken up the sauce). I think I may want to do this again, with clams; I think the sauce would be great for clams/mussels...

So anyway the instructions on the box stated that to kill the crabs, you have to submerge them in ice-cold water until it stops moving. And to think I actually believed that. I used up the entire freezer's supply of ice-cubes and soaked the crabs; they did NOT die. Instead, you could see them taking in the water and releasing it. Like as if they were having a good drink. Well, they perished under my trusty cleaver instead.

Similarity in magazines

2009-03-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Do you see a similarity?

My feet

2009-03-08T23:43:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you can't find a picture for Athlete's Foot? You take a picture of your own feet and do some photoshop. ha ha!

Mongolia dreaming

2009-03-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

This week, we had visitors from the Mongolian National Center for Health Development and other ministries/national bodies visiting the Health Promotion Board. We had lunch with the delegates, and it was suggested that we go to Cafe Pralat for a relaxing lunch. And boy, was it fun! I had so much fun chatting with Dr. Oyun Lkhagvasuren in particular.

I think everyone had a good time eating the Ayam Tempra/Mum's Chicken Curry and the various cakes. I had the waitress bring out a few pieces of the lovely kaffir lime leaf for everyone to sniff. It may sound weird, to be tearing up leaves and smelling them, but I consider it an important aspect of food appreciation. The marriage of flavours and piquant aromas could not do without the kaffir lime, amongst other actors such as the lemongrass, cinammon, garlic. I think they had not eaten the Thai tom yam, because when I mentioned the leaf is used in tom yam, they had no idea what I meant. Interestingly, another Mongolian doctor said it would make a nice perfume. Erm, I don't think so? Imagine walking around smelling like tom yam soup? ha ha!One of the doctor's rice came with a strand of hair. And we had to change it. The chef, Judy Koh was seated right near us, and I think she heard everything. It must have been embarrassing for her.

They were rather interested in youth issues and youth health. This is no surprise, considering that out of Mongolia's population of about 3 million, 30% are under 15 years of age. Dr. Oyun asked me and Suqi an interesting question: "How long did it take for you to find this job in HPB?"
Apparently the job market is not so easy for young graduates in Mongolia...

I got to get going to work. Let me blog more later. Interesting anecdotes to share... By the way, I have this great urge to visit Mongolia!!!

Silliness in the early hours

2009-03-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

So I woke up at 5.45am for a pee, and logged on to see who I could chat with. And Adeline was online! Maybe it was the early morning mood; we ended up chatting about some silly stuffs:Hmm. Is the male appendage meant to be 'curvy'???

Porridge

2009-03-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

I had a bit of stomach upset over the weekend. Conventional wisdom tells you that one ought to avoid heavy foods, which makes a lot of sense. After all, your intestines are stressed already, so why stress it further.

Light porridge helps, especially when it has lots of chopped coriander as toppings. Not only does it smell great, coriander has a carminative effect. It's fragrant, adds a nice dash of colour and reduces gas. :POk let me not crap anymore. (And yes, I am not crapping anymore; all recovered now)

Here's the recipe. Read on, if you still have the appetite for it.

Ingredients (I always estimate amounts; typical of Asian cooking):
- Chicken
- Peanuts
- Rice - leftover ones are fine (but of course)
- Chicken stock
- Deep-fried shallots
- Coriander
- Sesame oil
- Salt, pepper

How
Boil rice + peanuts with the stock over low heat till it reaches a soft consistency. You determine the degree of mushiness.

Add chicken last, and simmer for ten more minutes.

Season with sesame oil, salt, pepper and top with coriander and deep-fried shallots

Slumdog Millionare

2009-03-01T01:39:00.000-08:00

The division had an outing on Friday afternoon at CineLeisure. We had a great buffet (I really like shrimp, and I got 3 helpings of it :P ) and a great movie - Slumdog Millionaire.

While some may find the film morbid, with its cruel torture scenes, depiction of filthy slums, it is a representation of India as it is, of its income gaps, the irrepressible optimism and willpower of disadvantaged young people, of the whirlwind socio-economic changes in the past 2 decades.

The human aspect of the film is most heart-rending. The child actors are still living in the slums, though they would get new dwellings very soon. This is a reality in India, (and also in China), where despite robust economic growth, there still exist a vast income gap. The desire to scale to the social ladder has many obstacles, be it caste, family background, city of origin, race etc. I totally hated the way the show's host (acted by Kapoor Anil) spoke to Jamal in a disparaging manner.

You can see their spirit aren't extinguished by their circumstances. Truly, rising above their circumstances. I was moved. Almost wanted to cry. But I couldn't, not with my director and siew-nah beside me?

I got to say, I love the way the film was edited, and how it, together with the music composition, gave the entire film an amazing energy. Dr. Vijaya was moving along to the beat; wayy cool.

I love this tune! It's a totally COOL modern tune with a lingering Indian flavour :

Weetabix

2009-02-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

Recently, in a bid to reduce my habit of snacking, and the attendant weight-gain, I have taken to eating WeetaBix. This is an extremely high fibre food. When wheat is being processed, things like the germ and bran are lost. These contain lots of vitamin B. Weetabix is well, a biscuit made up all these stuffs.

How does it help me lose weight, you may ask. Well, it is a low glycaemic-index (GI) food, so it will keep me feeling satiated longer. Therefore, I will tend to eat less!

One more thing: besides losing weight, I am expecting to defecate more. One wonders what my stools will be like? (Ok I am being gross to some people, but this biology what!)

A Defense Against Rape

2009-02-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

I have no idea how this "FemDefence" works. (did not read the site carefully) But it sure looks painful. It is supposed to be inserted like how a tampon does.

Asne Seierstad's "One Hundred And One Days"

2009-02-22T03:28:00.000-08:00

Serendipitously, I came across a book by an acclaimed Norwegian journalist Asne Seierstad, One Hundred And One Days. It chronicles her stint in Baghdad just before and after the American invasion of Iraq. It makes for a fascinating and riveting read. She gives us a glimpse of war-time news reporting, and we share her frustrations as she is assigned an interpreter and 'minder' by the Ministry of Culture. All she sees are banal stuffs, predictable sights and sounds. She wants to talk to people on the ground, hear their true thoughts and feelings, but the oppressive Saddam regime shrouds them like a fearful dark cloud that cannot go away. She tests the boundaries and gets some very very interesting stories and anecdotes. One gets a glimpse into the actual lives of people in Baghdad. A war is not just a war. Not just a "war against terror", not just about the numbers of people killed, cities captured or action-packed reports from CNN.

She brings to life the lives of some ordinary people. Also fascinating is the way she copes with living as a foreign journalist in Baghdad. She bribes to get her visa extended, fills water in the bathtub in Hotel Palestine (water supply gets cut off regularly), hides her satellite phone in secret spots to avoid it being confiscated and stashes away lots of pistachios. Imagine eating pistachios for meals.

I am going to the library to get more of her books! (Unless. someone buys it for me)

HappyVeg fritters

2009-02-20T02:25:00.000-08:00

My female colleague was so sweet. Well, she is sweet. She had gone to Vivocity for lunch and bought us all wonderfully crispy vegetable fritters! And how very delicious they were!

Truly Gorgeous event

2009-02-16T06:02:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Harbourfront to have a nice Pizza Hut meal with colleagues. It was a sort of farewell lunch for Dr. Jameema. I would have much preferred a sort of potluck though.

Since Vivocity was nearby, we popped by to the Truly Gorgeous event.

Free goodie bags were given to the ladies. Here's some snapshots taken by my colleague.

The PleasureMax condom sponsored by Durex is interesting. It's the first time I ever saw a ribbed condom (though some people don't believe me). And here's how it works:

Fassler Gourmet's Sashimi!

2009-02-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

Can you ever have enough of fresh slices of salmon sashimi, dipped in some top-grade soy sauce with a dab of wasabi? There's a place in Woodlands which sells it at a great price! But don't overdo it, for it will get icky if you eat too much.

CNY

2009-02-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

CNY was kinda tough for me; it usually is, because it is an event that tends to revolve around familial ties, and it inevitably leads to remembering what one has lost. Also, as one gets older, the 'fun' sort of disappears. While in the past, CNY was a time to feast on lots of foods that one does not always eat throughout the year, it has become a norm to eat steamboat, lots of meat etc throughout the year. That sense of 'specialness' and 'novelty' is no longer there. So well, it's good that it's over.

DBS Asset Management Ad in Today

2009-02-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

This is an inaccurate representation of a tree! Buttress roots are meant to be above-ground!

Tossing your way to a healthier new year

2009-01-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2008-10-08T18:17:00.001-07:00

I want to go to Barcelona.

My virtual book shelf [Shelfari]

2008-10-07T03:09:00.001-07:00

I have a virtual bookshelf. It would be great if I owned all these books. :)

The OCS area is very nicely landscaped.

2008-10-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

The OCS area is very nicely landscaped.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=73818&l=ffcf7&id=562686210

A cheating flower

2008-10-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

This species of orchid resembles a female wasp. Male wasps try to 'mate with the flower', and help spread pollen in the process. How amazing.

Quite embarrassingly, I had half-expected the Saigon I read about in books and watched in films

2008-08-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

One should really not read up too much/find out too much about a place before you have actually visited it. Yes, the information and knowledge is useful, but it can prevent you from 'seeing' or 'noticing' certain things. I am referring to the preconceived images and stereotyped notions you acquired from reading, and watching movies about the place. Before one even steps in that place, such representations can blind you to unexpected things...

Now I've really seen Ho Chi Minh City for myself. Quite embarrassingly, I had half-expected the Saigon I read about in books and watched in films like Apocalypse Now.

And so an 'authentic' tourist experience should not have to adhere to certain expectations accumulated via readings and films. [I've got more to write about, but i am tired, and I will write more tomorrow]

"sexy" plants

2008-08-25T03:04:00.000-07:00

Recently, I helped a colleague buy a Venus Flytrap. She then shared with me a video, which I did not know exist, on "Penis Flytrap". (Note that it rhymes with Venus Flytrap):

As I was viewing it, the CEO was nearby. Gosh. Close shave.

Then the conversation with that colleague who shared 'Penis Flytrap' turned to sexy plants. And I shared with her a rather sexy plant, called the Amorphophallus Titanum. For those of you who know Latin, it roughly means 'Phallus with an indefinite form that is very large'. And I told another colleague, who then laughed, and well, exclaimed it. The CEO was around as well. But he wasn't paying attention; he was talking to someone else. Yet another close shave.

Video of Amorphophallus titanum:

By the way, this Amorphophallus will 'collapse' after pollination:

城里的月光

2008-06-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

Cats on threadmill

2008-05-13T01:35:00.001-07:00

Nice Effects in this MTV!

2008-05-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

Nice Effects in this MTV

Too Much, Too Little Sleep Leads to Big Belly

2008-05-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

Too Much, Too Little Sleep Leads to Big Belly
Mike Stobbe, Associated Press

May 7, 2008 -- People who sleep fewer than six hours a night -- or more than nine -- are more likely to be obese, according to a new government study that is one of the largest to show a link between irregular sleep and big bellies.

The study also linked light sleepers to higher smoking rates, less physical activity and more alcohol use.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/05/07/sleep-obesity-health-print.html
Erm. My belly's getting a little larger lately. ha

Mom bear with 2 kids.

2008-04-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

Sitting happy (I hope) in a window display.

mm

2008-04-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

In today's My Paper...

2008-04-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Mom

2008-04-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

Truly, mothers are the lifeblood of quite many families. It is not my intention to negate the important roles played by fathers, but at least in my own experience, the mother is the source of emotional strength, warm affection and tenderness. It is not something to be quantified in tangible terms, unlike what a father does in terms of 'bringing home the dough'. For one does not merely raise children in terms of 'feeding' them, providing them with clothes and a roof over the head. It is about growing emotionally, spiritually as a person. A person cannot face the world well if he does not know himself as a person, or is secure in feeling the way he does. Mothers, with their special sensitivity to their children, nurtures the sense of 'personhood' in a child, encouraging him or her in the talents that are apparent only to the parent who spends intimate hours with the child. A mother, being one of the first adults a child knows, is also the first source of emotional validation.

On a less positive note, when conflicts or quarrels arise, mothers will often, be the one who quells the storm.

One of the sources of unconditional love in this world comes from a mother. It is a love that comes spontaneously, and needs no motive. There is a magical link between a mother and child, that does not end merely with the severing of the umbilical cord immediately after birth. Nor does it stop with the end of weaning. It is a bond that transcends physicality. No wonder she never keeps us waiting for her love.

____

Lucky are the people in this world who have mothers. And guess what, my mother used to say that. She had lost her own mother when she was very young. I believe she was such a good mother because she wanted us to never experience that terror, that horrible loss when she lost her mother, when she saw her mother had an heart attack and died, leaving her and her siblings to take care of themselves. It is a story for another day.

The stunning Illawara Flame Tree from Australia

2008-04-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

The stunning Illawara Flame Tree from Australia.