We've had the mosque lights for a long time. We did not have them up because we couldn't figure out how to.
Until - a flash of brilliance hit us recently. We needed to build a box trellis overhead!
The design, construction, installation and wiring of the project was a lot more involved than we imagined.
But, finally, it got done. With the help of a very good crew of carpenters and electricians.
The home is looking more and more middle-eastern. I like.
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Contact Belinda (96258385) if you are interested to perform at her very popular hafla.
In Garlic and Sapphires, restaurant critic Ruth Reichl asserts that while food is important, nobody goes to a great restaurant just to eat :
"People go for the experience of being in a great restaurant. Sometimes they get it; sometimes they don't. It all depends on who they are."
To avoid being recognised by the restaurants she was reviewing, she used various disguises. And comes away confirming that restaurants do indeed treat customers very differently, depending on impression and perception.
Garlic and Sapphires gives insight to what different ordinary folks experience in the world of fine dining.
Apparently, it is de rigueur that serious and responsible restaurant critics in New York city be incognito in their work.
It makes me wonder about the modus operandi of our food critics.
A bowl of hae mee at the end of a trying week can mean so much more than just dinner.
Especially when it is home made.
The very thoughtful girlfriend asked us over for this one-dish dinner because she knew we had been stuck at home for the past few days with carpenters and electricians working on a small home improvement project.
Generous friendship and comfort food goes a long way in restoring the spirit. I am almost ready to face the next couple more days of noise and mess starting tomorrow.
Thank you friend.
She has been trying to get me to do coffee with her for months. And for months, I've had one excuse after another to not meet up with her. Until one afternoon this week when I really was free for a couple of hours and thought what the heck, I was going to get myself a cuppa anyway, so why not with her?
I was all settled at a Starbucks with my favourite latte when she came flying through the door, late and flustered as usual. She plonked herself across from me and, to my horror, immediately announced that she will NOT be having anything to drink because she just came from lunch and she already had too much to eat and drink.
Nothing? Not even an iced tea? In a near-empty Starbucks in the middle of the afternoon?
Nothing. And she proceeded to drone on and on about her famous husband, all the work coming their way, her itinerant tenant, her previous son...
My mind split into two. One half half-listened to her endless yammering, the other half recalled all the miserly ways this woman inflicts herself on "friends".
She goes to people's home for dinner, and eats only the "good stuff". Then asks to take home all left-overs in quantities enough to feed her and her family for the next one week. She goes out to dinner with people and then announces at the end of the evening she does not have cash or credit card on her. She asks 20 people to her home and feeds them 2 fried fish (what happened to the seven loaves?)
I have tried to overlook all her faults - and they are too many to even begin to list - and tried instead to look for redeeming qualities.
But that afternoon, it all crystalised in my mind that I am pursuing a lost cause.
So, just like that, I know that is the last time I see this woman of my own volition.
Starting June 20, Kyoko performs every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. Showtime is 9:30pm.
Belinda hosts her very popular and successful hafla every 2nd Saturday of the month. Performance time at 9:30pm and 10:45pm. The next hafla will be on July 12.
Contact Belinda (96258385) if you are interested to perform at her hafla.
Bellydance fans - do bring hip scarves, zills, veils, canes and shimmy the night away.
Blu Jaz Cafe is located at
11 Bali Lane
S. 189848
Tel: 62923800
The place is tucked among a row of restored shophouses on the very quiet Craig Road.
The food is Italian from start to finish - good old traditional Italian fare that is both home cooked comfort food and gourmet dining at the same time.
The decor is an eclectic mix of old world Italian and Straits Chinese - antique display cabinets filled with interesting copper and china knick knacks, colourful paintings provide contrast on walls painted a deep burgundy. Low lighting from colonial Dutch chandeliers finish the place with a sense of dignified tranquility making it the perfect getaway for a quiet dinner at the end of a busy workday in the city.
And on the weeknight that we were there, the place was surprisingly busy. Happily, we noted that the clientele was mostly young courting couples sharing an intimate dinner in a peaceful and pleasant environment to end a long workday.
And so, we had our evening of nostalgia and sentimentality as we ate our excellent dinner in a roomful of young hopefuls in hopeless love.
Pasta Brava is located at
11 Craig Road
Singapore 089671
tel: 6227 7550
(closed on Sundays)
It never fails.
Wherever bellydancers gather, there will be dance throughout the night.
So it was at Belinda's hafla last weekend. Where bellydancers in turn perform for each other, dance with each other. Where everyone had come together for a night of celebration - of joy, friendship, music and dance.
I do not like plain steamed white rice. I like dressed-up rice - bryani, Hainan chicken rice-rice, lor mei fan, nasi lemak, nasi kunyit. And fried rice. Especially yangchow fried rice.
A pig-out friend was so thoughtful to buy us dinner at this elegant Chinese Restaurant that also happens to serve up the perfect yangchow fried rice.
Where the rice is still el dente and particulate to the bite,
where the wok is so hot that the fried rice has wok hei in its aroma,
where the mix of garnishes - prawns, char siu, scrambled eggs, chopped scallions - are in perfect proportion so that every mouthful is a harmonious medley of taste and texture,
where the colours of seductive red, fresh yellow, and brilliant green on shiny white are in good balance so that the dish is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the stomach.
The friend is right. The yangchow fried rice here is exactly like that.
The restaurant is in a members-only club. So make friends with somebody who is a member already!
We planned the weekend popiah dinner early - like two and a half weeks ago. We wanted certain people for this dinner, and it was the first weekend that we were all free.
The long anticipated dinner date finally arrived. Everybody had a grand time with building their popiah, adding the type and amount of condiment to individual liking and chomping down on their masterpiece with gusto even as they think what else different they were going to do with their next popiah. What I found amusing was how everyone wrap their popiahs differently - from layering the ingredients to where to smear the sweet sauce and chili sauce down to the style of wrapping! Wish I had the time to take pictures of the popiah construction process.
The friends' contribution were desserts - home made ice-cream, apple crumble pie, chocolate fudge cake, banana-walnut bread. We managed to work our way through most of the sweets.
The night was one of those rare occasions where different groups of friends were meeting for the first time, and everyone got along famously and even exchanged phone numbers.
That is always an encouraging sign and it makes all our efforts worthwhile.
Because I worked only 3 afternoons a week for the past 3 years.
Because I have never lunched with any of the staff at work.
Because I never socialised with the staff.
Because I have always kept my private life separate from work.
Because of the independent nature of my work.
Because I have had minimal contact with any staff in the organisation.
So it came to pass that as I packed ourselves out of the office early this week, I found that I am actually more sad to leave my machines than the people.
I am happy to see so many participants at Claribel's one-day all-free trial sessions last weekend. I know everyone who was there had a great time.
The pictures speak for themselves.
was the month
- we made public our decision to exit from our work
- and found out who really cared that we should be happy rather than convenient and useful
- but then we knew exactly who these wonderful people were all along anyway
- which makes our years of association a truly meaning one
- we ate at our other kitchen 6 times, with friends, out-of-towners, and by ourselves
- and still think the food is great
- I had my hair bleached and coloured a brilliant violet
- which is something I wanted to do for a long time
- but had held back because I did not think it would inspire confidence to show up for work looking like a striped Barney
- mother and I are further estranged from each other because of the woman whom mother protects with fierce maternal love but whom I view with open disdain
- and I find I have no regrets about the unbridgeable gulf between mother and me
- we worked 12 afternoons this month
- which made May the most number of work afternoons in the past several months
- which made May the highest billing month in the past several months
- which made us feel good that we will exit on a high note
Our last day to vacate the office is Monday June 2. As expected, we had a fairly busy week clearing our work cases. At the same time, we were also packing ourselves out of the office in stages. It should have been smooth sailing, allowing us to come in on Monday for a final clear-out.
Until a particularly unwelcome phone number showed up on my mobile early this week. I groaned inwardly even as I put on my most professional voice to take the call.
she: My husband and I would like an appointment for Monday next week.
me: Is there any way at all that you could come in any day this week rather than Monday next week.
she: Isn't Monday your last day in this office?
me: Yes it is. It's just that we will also be packing up the office.
she: But no we cannot come in this week. We would like to come in on Monday for our appointment. And then we leave Singapore for good on Tuesday.
me: We will see you Monday 2 June at 3pm.
They are not among my favourite work cases (is it any wonder?) And true to form, they are a pain to deal with up to the very end.
We will see them come Monday afternoon, provide the work that they seek from us and be damn proud that we have been diligently professional down to the last working hours.
These days I harbour no preconceived notions when trying out a new restaurant. Especially the newly opened and recently reviewed ones. I use the review only for pertinent information like address, business hours and days open.
There have been too many times when an entire glowing review is a work of fiction. And when you stop to think about it, why would a professional food critic write an awful review. It serves no useful purpose to the reader while it incurs the wrath of the industry players.
So with this newly acquired mindset, we set about exploring the month-old Pietrasanta (named after a town in Tuscany). And I was totally happy with everything about the place.
I was particularly tickled that they do a lovely baked eggplant starter smothered in cheese that's done to just the right soft (not mushy) consistency. I love their pizzas (any topping) and meat-and-cheese-stuffed ravioli. And, the sweet finish - Melthing Chocolate Cake that melted so sensually in my still greedy mouth. I have a feeling I'll love just about everything they serve up as I eat my way through their menu.
A noteworthy point - go on a week night when it will not be overly crowded. Then settle in for an evening of personable service and unpretentious home-style food in an atmosphere of rustic old world charm that is Tuscany.
Pietrasanta Restaurant is located at
5B Portsdown road
#01-03 Wessex Estate
S. 139311
Tel: 6479 9521
(Closed on Tuesdays)
I've been looking forward to this workshop for weeks. And inevitably, work threatened to get in the way. It never fails to amaze and annoy me how appointment times mean so little to so many people. They seem to hold the view that if they are paying for your services, they own you and all of your time.
In spite of these inconsiderate people's best efforts to derail my plans, I managed to finish work and made it to Claribel's studio on time.
The Saiidi cane dance workshop was in equal parts enjoyable and educational. Claribel provided just enough historical and cultural background to the use of the cane in bellydance to make it interesting and give a sense of the mood/feel of the dance style.
Her new studio is big enough to easily accommodate the 12 participants without us hitting each other with our canes.Oh, and the most important accommodation of all for me - the studio has high ceilings so I am not hitting the ceiling when I need to hold the cane upright and high!
I also always look forward to seeing familiar faces. And am excited to meet the new ones.
I now look forward to another exciting date at Claribel's on June 1. All you ladies who have always wondered what bellydance is all about must drop in that Sunday. It may just be the day that will change your life forever.
See you there!
And the word is out.
The man and I will exit from our work at the end of the month.
The reaction from friends is one of genuine congratulatory incredulity. The reaction from foes is that of accusatory betrayal. Both camps are curious about what we will do after our retirement - one with understandable concern, the other with envious grudge.
I detest the word "retirement". It carries the connotation of dotage, redundancy, irrelevance. It implies a life of gloomy emptiness.
I see it as moving on. No different from having moved on from all the other stages of our lives. There is a lot of living to do, and we now have the freedom to live it.
I relish the fact that we were able to plan our exit. We consciously chose to reduce our work load over the last three years. We filled our free time with enjoyable activities. We treasure our private life. We are now ready to relinquish the professional recognition and prestige accorded us in our work.
And move on to the next stage of our life.
For Hong Kong style dim sum and very palatable Cantonese cuisine, this place has been a favourite with us for a long time. But as with so many restaurants, we forgot about the place for a few years, and only got around to visiting it again recently.
Although the restaurant has expanded to double its original capacity, they have kept the decor as it was - that of an old fashioned Chinese tea house. The cashier's counter is still this cage of a room with wooden bars for a window. I love that the familiar cheena features that I remembered so well have been retained.
The food while not exciting is likewise comforting in a familiar way.
I still love the place, and am gladdened that precious little about the place have changed. But I really wouldn't mind if they re-named the restaurant. Really, I would even like that.
Mouth Restaurant is located at :
Chinatown Point
133 New Bridge Road #02-01
S. 059413
Tel: 65344233
we'd meet beside a lotus covered doorthe filling (vegetarian):
jicama (bangkuang)
carrot
french beans
condiments (optional):
tau kwa, fried, then cut into small pieces
hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
chinese sausage (lap cheong), steamed, then thinly sliced
bean sprouts, lightly blanched
cucumber, finely julienned
coarsely ground peanut
sauces:
sweet popiah sauce
freshly pounded chili paste
I am trying to eat more vegetarian meals. It's not an easy thing to do because I really do enjoy my meats. And I will not have just a green salad for a meal. I'd rather just skip that meal entirely.
So of late, the man and I have taken to doing popiah for ourselves. We find that we can do one batch of the vegetarian filling and have 3 dinner meals out of it. We collect our small 300-gm order of popiah skin fresh for each meal.
Home made popiah, fresh popiah skin, whenever we want it. That's really living ...
Date : 24 May, 2008 (Saturday)
Time : 3:30pm - 5:30pm
Venue: Claribel's Raks Sharki Studio
31A & 33A, New Bridge Road (opposite Central)
Fee: $50 per person
Participants please bring own cane or buy one from the Studio at $12 each.
For registration and enquiries, please contact Claribel at:
Remember the zhi char place at block 57, Eng Hoon St at Tiong Bahru? The one where the pig-out friends raved about the food, but I did not know the name of the stall? Even when there were several signs on the door? Then I added to the confusion by showing a picture of block 55 which is the famous Sin Hoi San?
Well, these are the 3 signs that are up on their front door. By process of elimination, I think the current zhi char business is the one on the right.
By the way, it is our current favourite dinner place on nights when we do not feel like cooking nor dressing up to go out to eat. In short, it has become our other kitchen.
Their food is really truly indescribably good.
These women don't even normally wear heels. Which means on the rare dressy occasion, they are teetering in their high heeled shoes.
They also have absolutely no dance experience. So why would they show up for their first-ever social dance lesson in strappy high heels when they cannot even walk properly in them?
I hope they don't injure me too badly in the weeks ahead.
was the month
- the man and I made a life-changing decision regarding our work, a decision that I have been so ready for for the past 3 years, but I suspect there is still some residual resistence in the man about making it absolute
- a longtime girlfriend whom I always saw as my young-younger friend turned 50 and
- I realized so many of the people I always thought of as my younger friends are fast turning 50 and it's not fun to be a few years ahead of the pack anymore
- I decided to make blooming flower tea part of the after dinner-experience at our home after getting very surprised and delighted response from friends who swear they are not tea drinkers
- we went to Xiamen for 5 days
- where the highpoint of the trip was my discovery of Chinese fashion label MixMind
- when I promptly proceeded to make such a huge single purchase that I qualified for a VIP discount card
- which tells me boredom makes me act compulsively, because, you see, I swore off urban postmodern fashion 10 years ago and MixMind is unmistakably, unapologetically, strictly, urban postmodern
- I was just glad to get back to Singapore and go about my sane and ordered life
We went to work 6 afternoons this month. Something tells me something's gotta give. And it will be soon.
Remember how I waxed lyrical about my recent trips to China? about the charm of X'ian? the cultural depth of Chengdu? Well, my rosy view of Chinese cities was abruptly and rudely changed with my visit to Xiamen.
The city has the feel of a rough border town. It has embraced the worst of two sets of value systems where communist efficiency is used to feed capitalist avarice.
Highrise and highways dominate the city. Buildings are architecturally void of aesthetics - a fact further emphasised by garish neon-lit signs when night falls.
Entertainment takes the form of hard boozing and hard whoring in custom built KTVs that boast hundreds of private rooms and thousands of hostesses.
For the tourist looking for nostalgia and natural scenic beauty in Xiamen, the time has past. For the tourist looking for modern gentility that accompanies economic success, the time has not yet come.
In order that we maintain our balanced diet even when on holiday, we ate everything in sight :-)
Gulangyu is a small 2 sq km island that lies 500 km off the southwest end of Xiamen - a 5-minute ferry ride from the city.
A once thriving community of rich foreigners and consulates in the early 1900s, most homes today are sadly derelict. The island is a pedestrian-only tourist favourite for visitors wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of Xiamen.
Cobble footpaths snake along the hillsides.Grand and elegant mansions are shielded from inquisitive eyes by high walls.
Motorised vehicles are prohibited on Gulangyu. Raw manpower hauls everything, including construction material, up the hilly island.
On a sunny afternoon in Xiamen, I spied
1. Hokkien ah peks all in a row
2. Scarlet O'hara
3. baby Ronaldo
4. the leader of the lau Hokkiens
5. a hopeful couple
I will be away for a week from Monday. Somehow, I have a feeling that this destination is less "foreign" compared to the other China destinations I have been to. On the other hand, I may be totally wrong with my guess, so stay tuned for updates upon my return.
Raqs Sharqi - the beauty of Bellydance on Tuesday 29 April at the Victoria Theatre.
Susanna Lawren is a teacher at Claribel's Raks Sharki Studio.
In conjunction with the recent opening of the studio, students who sign up for a course of 8 lessons will receive free tickets to the concert (while stocks last).
There will also be a series of bellydance workshops with Melina the guest performer of the Raqs Sharqi concert.
I hope to see many of you at the concert and the workshops.
The friends got around to organizing a pig-out at their favourite zhi char joint in Tiong Bahru.
I cannot make out the name of the place: there are several shop signs above their front door. They do not have business cards to hand out either. The friends said they have been coming to this place for years, but never knew the name either. So much for sound research and background information from me :)
The place is bare walls and naked light bulbs. Sit outside. It is a lot more atmospheric. And you get a great view of the eating frenzy going on at its famous neighbour, Sin Hoi Sai in Block 55 (above picture).
There is no menu either. The boss lady/order- taker tells you what they have that night, and then proceeds to tell what you will like to have. She will also decide for you how many dishes and what size order is enough for your party.
But all this unconventional protocol is forgiven once the food hits your table. Everything they do is superb. It is real, it is old-fashioned, it is honest. You cannot get better zhi char than this.
No wonder the friends have been coming to this place for years and willing to put up with the total absence of polite niceties. I, too, am now a convert.
The zhi char place is located at Block 57 Eng Hoon Street in Tiong Bahru.
has moved to a new location downtown. Friends, instructors, students and newcomers celebrated the occasion yesterday with music, dance and refreshment.
There are many reasons to be excited about the new studio.
The place is conveniently located downtown. The studio is beautifully outfitted to inspire any dancer. The class schedule is extremely flexible and there are many instructors to learn from. The studio is also a great place to drop in for a cup of coffee and meeting up with other bellydance friends.
Classes start next week. If you have always thought of taking up bellydance, now is a great time to begin.
I hope to see many of you soon.
Claribel's Raks Sharki Studio is located at:
31A & 33A New Bridge Road
S. 059394
Tel: 97972261
email: info@bellydanceinsingapore.com
The Spanish girlfriend cooked us the most delicious seafood paella.
Batter:Years of pounding on the studio floor doing aerobics and dance have taken its toll on my poor knees which had been screaming pain for months now.
I resisted comfort shoes for years because I always saw them as orthopaedic shoes - clunky ugly footwear in basic browns, blacks, whites and beiges for the crippled. (And I am not ready to concede defeat yet!) But I finally decided I have to stop wearing sexy strappy high-heeled sandals unnecessarily, and go for something sensible when there is no need for heels. Before my knees give out on me completely out of protest.
But comfort shoes that look half way decent are really and truly difficult to find. I got really upset and annoyed at myself for making the poor staff working the shoe department at Taka bring out just about the entire inventory.
By the 10th pair that I rejected after trying, I started to think they must think me a bored bitch! By the 15th pair, I was convinced they must think me a sadistic bored bitch! I kept apologising, I kept telling myself the next pair would be IT. But no, the hunt went on.
I finally managed to find a pair of lace-ups and a pair of ballet flats that I actually really liked. Phew! I would hate to have left the store with nothing! After all their effort, and all my time!
I could not thank the staff enough for their patience with me and helping me with my selection.
I know it is their job, but it is really a physically demanding job - having to retrieve shoes from storeroom, having to squat down to place the shoes at your feet, having to bend to pick up the shoes, then packing the rejects and starting over with the next pairs. Having to do this over and over umpteen times in the course of their work day.
And I wonder how long before the nature of their work take its toll on their knees...
This is an invitation from Claribel to all ladies who are bellydance enthusiasts of any level.
Hi Ladies,
We are excited to announce that our studio will be moving to a new location in town :)
The Official Opening of the new studio is scheduled to take place in July, but we are holding a party on April 11 Friday at 1:30 pm at the new studio to mark its 'start of operation'.
You are cordially invited to join us at the party for some belly dance fun and light refreshment.
See you,
Claribel
Do join us for an afternoon of music, dance and friendship. We look forward to seeing you there.
was the month
- we went to Chengdu mid-month
- and came back on Thursday, one day before Good Friday
- which made it a super long Sunday to Sunday break
- which put us in the mood to cook Sichuan for the friends.
- a girlfriend celebrated her birthday with a four day-to-night marathon party
- of which I could only stand to be at 2 of the nights
- and even then could only handle about 3 hours each time.
We went to work 9 afternoons this month.
I am so getting used to this kind of work schedule.
Beijing was the only place I ever visited in China between the mid 1980s and 1998. I never got to like the city any better even as I watched her remake herself from a grim grey bureaucratic nanny to a grabby greedy garish capitalist whore.
When we went to Xi'an in February this year, it was a full 10 years since I was last in the country. We did not expect much. If we had a decent level of comfort with accommodation, could get around by taxi without too much hassle, ate familiar food that was edible, end the day without spittle on our shoes, we would not complain.
Xi'an was so unexpectedly enjoyable. The people who smiled and went the extra mile when we needed help. The taxi driver who undercharged me because he did not have the exact change (I regret that I was too stunned to tell him to keep the change). The locals who were, well, just regular folks going about their own business.
If Beijing shut my heart and closed my mind, Xi'an awakened a sense of excited curiosity and optimism about the country and her people.
So in short time, we went to Chengdu. Where we continued to form favourable impresssions of a country coming into its own. Chengdu reminds me of Singapore in the 1970s, when the old stood side by side with the new, a transient period of co-existence before one fades to form yet another historic chapter so the other could forge ahead.
There is incongruency in this transitionary phase. I think of the trio of lady musicians on classical Chinese musical instruments (above picture) setting the mood at lunch time on a day in March in a restaurant in Chengdu. Everything felt so right. Unexpectedly, they struck up Auld Lang Syne.Why? WTF? I realised that this was the last song of the last set only when the stage lights dimmed and the musicians left the stage. So there was logic behind what first appeared to be illogical. I like that they tried to be international. I have lived through this stage in the transformation years of Singapore too.
And so I look forward to visiting China again. And again. While the charm of the old still exists to satisfy our sense of the grand and the gracious . While the pragmatic new accords us the comfort and convenience of modern day expectations.
how much is that doggie in the window
The man and I were inspired by our recent foray into Sichuan food that we decided to add mapo tofu and Sichuan chicken to our menu for the friends over the weekend.
We even used Sichuan red chilis and peppercorns that we brought back with us from Chengdu.
We must have done passably well. All the food were polished off in record time.
This was one of the most enjoyable home dinners I have had in a long time. It was a special gathering of special friends. We did plenty of catching up with
the newly-weds, the soon-to-be-first-time-mother, and the favourite celebrity-personality.
For many reasons, we do not get together as often as we would like. But when we do, it is always an occasion to remember.
who will buy my sweet red roses?
We read up on Sichuan cuisine and looked forward to experiencing the unique "tongue numbing" quality of notoriously spicy hot dishes created from their exquisite blend of chili peppers and peppercorns.
We got to try out the popular signature dishes which included
Kung Pao Chicken 宮保雞丁
Twice cooked pork 回鍋肉
Mapo tofu 麻婆豆腐
The food is not chili-pepper hot like where a mere whiff of the chili is enough to induce sweat droplets to pop out on one's forehead. Instead, it is a taste altering medley of tongue numbing sensation when one bites into the peppercorns. A couple of times of this unexpected burst of citrusy-bitter-numbness taking over my taste buds is enough to make me pick out all the peppercorns and sit them aside where they will do no further harm to my culinary enjoyment.
We found the local (read original) version of sichuan food much too oily and salty. The experience helped decide for us to give their famous spicy hotpot meals a miss. We happily complemented our meals with trusty Chinese standards like dim-sum.
We much prefer the internationalised version of Sichuan food for it's tamer and more straightforward taste.
1. Welcome to Panda-land
2. Panda lunch
3. Panda date
4 Panda nursery
5 Panda gym
6 Panda condo
7 Panda loo
The giant panda really is every bit as cute as you always thought he would be :)
Sinlady will be away again from Sunday till Thursday.
This should be an exciting and culturally enriching trip.
The man and I are convinced that couples who have been together a long time start to be alike in more ways than not.
They seem to have the same likes in movies, books, food. They seem to hold similar views on deeply ingrained values in politics, religion and child-rearing. They usually have the same sense of humour. Eventually, they even dress sort of similar.
And then, they start to look alike. We often look at a man and woman who are obviously together, and we could not decide if they are brother/sister or husband/wife.
And we'd look at each other and say, "You soooo lucky I am good-looking!"
Of the many nasi padang eateries and restaurants in Singapore, this place is my absolute all-time favourite. The hole in the wall eatery packs in the crowd all its opening hours, but if you are by yourself or with just a small crowd, you always manage to get seated within minutes.
All the dishes are cooked on the premises, so every item is freshly replenished throughout the day. Every dish is distinct in its spicing and as close to homecooked padang cuisine as you can get. The food tends to be just a little too chili-hot and salty but that is easily countered by tucking into their generous portions of fragrant white fluffy steamed rice.
As small as this place is, and as crowded as it gets all day long, I really appreciate that the crew working here do not have the annoying habit of shouting to one another. Some quiet really means a lot at meal time. Especially when it's that one hour time-out from a hectic work day.
Minang House is located at
304 Orchard Road
#02-04 Lucky Plaza
S. 238863
Tel: 6887 4702
The stall that I frequent several times a week for my tall glass of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice was shuttered. On a day that it would normally be open. The neighour food stall operator told me that the husband passed away suddenly the night before.
Long forgotten snippets of conversations with friends pertaining to widowhood came to my mind. Among them:
he: If you die before me, I'd never remarry.
she: Oh please, you can't look after yourself. If some woman loves you enough to want to look after you, you must marry her.
she: You must make enough money so that I don't have to marry another man to raise your children.
she: I could not possible think to go out with anybody after Cliff was gone. We were both virgins when we married. We only knew each other our entire lives. Can you imagine me dating again? At some point, I'd have to say to him, "You want me to do WHAT?"
he: I married almost immediately after my wife died. I could not stand the loneliness.
she: Why would I marry again? I am finally able to live just for myself. Do all the things I have always wanted to do.
I relate to every one of the varied sentiments. One's life has to go on. One copes in whatever way that one can.
I feel for the sugar cane woman's bereavement. But I know she will be fine after a period of grieving her loss. Because life does go on.
We like this place for evenings when we want that sinful greasy burger with all the trimmings. The rest of their menu is not too shabby either.
And we really really like that the set-up fits their business. Casual. Outdoorsy. No crowd. Inexpensive. Convenient from home.
And for those who enjoy that pint and more, Hoegaarden on tap. For cheap.
While I am still in the mood to gripe, let me bring up this other lot of strange people who managed to get us to travel with them.
Couple #1 persisted, pressed, pleaded for a whole year that we must, must, must go with them to their favourite tropical vacation island destination. They would show us all the new hot spots for sight-seeing, dinner and shopping. We finally agreed, so they made all accommodation and travel arrangement.
We found to our dismay that their idea of a vacation was to check all of us into a zero star villa that was in the middle of no-where with no F&B outlet. For recreation, there was this pond that passed for swimming pool amidst an overgrown jungle that passed for the grounds. Yes, we were mosquito bait at sunset and through the night.
This couple wanted to do nothing but sit around the pond all day, venturing out only for lunch and dinner. We of course started to explore the island on our own after day 2, and met them only at dinner time. Unfailingly, it was immediately home to Camp Swamp after dinner every night. Why?
What we don't get until today is why they insisted we came along when their idea of a vacation was to check into a dump and vegetate?
Couple #2 made us travel to attend the guy's birthday. Only their fun friends would be there, they promised. None of the fuddy-duddy relatives were invited. Well, the guests were all geriatrics, friends and relatives. It was one of the longest dinner parties that I could remember and I was so relieved when everyone called it a night at 10.30pm. *Yawn*
We had agreed to go on condition that we got to see their weekend home in the country. Guess what? They tried to wiggle out of that once we got there, citing too many things to attend to. Well, we stood our ground, and they grudgingly drove us up to the country home for an afternoon. That effectively saved the trip and the friendship, such as it were.
Couple #3 wanted to join us on one of our major shopping and eating trips. Well, the woman and I got along just fine. We had a grand time shopping till dinner time everyday. But the guys were stuck together with no common interest. My guy can quite happily entertain himself for hours at a bookstore or supermarket. The other guy needs to be on the move all the time. Needless to say, them boys did not enjoy each other's company.
All these people have actually asked for us to travel again with them. To locales further and more exotic. For longer periods. Go on a cruise even. I ran the scenario through my mind and shuddered.
The man and I must be doing something perversely right. It's just too bad we don't feel the same about these people as traveling companions.
Mostly, we love seeing friends who are in town for a visit. We go out of our way to make time for them, facilitate and fast track their needs, do the research to save them precious time. Their wish is our command. Which we fulfill willingly, gladly, unfailingly.
Except.
There was this one guy. He passes through Singapore coming and going between his original home country and his now adopted home country. At least three times a year. That makes it six transits in 12 months.
He stays with us. He eats off us. He even gets us to pay for his shopping since he never has S$ on him. Then he passes us as helpful Singapore contacts to his equally avaricious and exploitative friends and family.
We finally had enough. Took us four years to reach fed-up point. I know. We are slow like that. Nowadays, we are never in town anymore when he or his friends and family come through.
Except.
There was this one woman. She comes back almost every year. Some years more frequently than that. Invariably she is housed and feted by the handful of friends throughout her month-long stay.
And each time, at the end of her stay, she says to us and the friends, "Oh, you must come visit me so I can return the hospitality."
It crossed our collective mind that she really could show sincere appreciation by returning hospitality just once while she is here. By simply gathering us for a dinner that she can pay for.
Except.
There was this other frequent visitor who stays at different friends' homes for one to two nights of her entire stay. If I go to the trouble of readying the guest room, I figure it is only polite that she should just stay the entire time.
Don't get us wrong. Mostly, we really do love seeing friends when they are in town for a visit.
Except.
The ones who outstay their welcome by being impossibly inconsiderate.
was the month with:
- the four-day Chinese New Year weekend
- huayi festival where I caught the totally forgettable Shanghai Blues musical
- many festive dinners and lo-hei's
- a visit from an old girlfriend from schooldays during the festive season
- a quick trip to Xi'an
- an even faster in-and-out visit to Bali for the Paul Ropp sale
We went to work exactly 8 afternoons in the whole month.
I can so get used to living like this :)
