Super OL

Now that I am officially an OL (Office Lady), let me tell you about the most powerful tool that a Singapore Office Lady has. It is the humble packet of tissues. What? Surely not! you must exclaimed. What ever could a teeny pack of disintergrating tissues do? Well, this!



Kapow!!

Strategically placed, this nondescript packet of tissue just "choped" (reserved, in proper parlance) this seat while the owner joins the queue to get her food. I am always highly amused seeing random packs of tissues, garnishing almost every seat in the food centre. I have to admit that the devil in me is sorely, sorely tempted to just pick up the tissue packs and see the mayhem that will ensue.

For the guy office worker, a sissy pack of tissue won't do. Thank goodness for free newspapers, conveniently given out at said food centre. So we'll see seats with folded newspapers instead.

I am beginning to discover my favourite foods in Singapore, starting with Seah Im Food Centre opposite HarbourFront. One teh tarik after another and we voted this one as our favourite :



Iced Teh Tarik.... the ones served by in the morning are the best.

Fragrant, good grade red tea with no trace of bitterness or overbrewing, skilfully blended with milk and of course, 'tarik' for the froth on top. The hot version is simply delicious with great milk notes but with the iced version, you'll get to taste how fragrant and mellow the tea is - delicate tastes otherwise hidden when your tastebuds are scalded with the hot version.



It is served here at Shamsudeen Tea Coffee Stall; on the side facing the bus interchange. Here is what I had - mee rebus with paru! The mee rebus is nice, although as not as nice as the ones served at Bedok. The paru is lovely and soft - a result of boiling for a long time and not overfried.



I am mad about paru and making up for lost time in London. It is so difficult to get them in London and more difficult to cook them still. Whenever they serve paru either in Nahar or Mawar, I guaranteed it will be the first dish to finish. Serve them any way - fried, with sambal, with veg, I take them all.

Off to KL!

We are off to KL next week. I have to say I am a little excited! The last time I've been there was some five years ago. We would be meeting some friends on their summer break from London this time round; so it should be good.

I've always love KL. Don't ask me why. Attractions-wise, there is not much to gawk at but I always have fond memories of it. Maybe it is the infectious buzz of the place.

I remember by first time in KL. I was with a big group of uni mates, coming down from Genting Highlands. Whilst they decided to go straight back to Singapore, I was bent on spending a couple of nights alone in KL. My first time ever. My poor pals tried convincing me otherwise but it was just something I had to do.

There I was... A KL virgin, with an orange backpack, in a dodgy hostel, in a rickety shophouse opposite Pudu Raya bus terminal. I was either very brave or very foolish because I opted for a mixed dorm. Ah the bliss of ignorance and youth. The thought that it could be dangerous never cross my mind one single jot.

It was a dim 3 bunk bed room and I secured one of the top bunks, right underneath the airconditioning unit. A wooden locker stood to one side, with a large padlock supposedly to keep your valuables safe but one good kick could have disintergrated the lot. Bed looks clean but the most interesting thing about the room were my room-mates for the next couple of nights.

There was Kwan* (not real name), a HongKong girl who spent her childhood in Brisbane and was backpacking around Asia. And there was Tong, an ex-Buddhist monk. He was in his mid 40s and must have been one of the long time renters. Chatty and with a heart of gold, he took it upon himself to look out for Kwan and I for the short stay.

He gossiped about the other long-term occupants of the hostel. Apparently there was a lot of drug users. "Be careful! Don't eat anything they give you!" was his perilous warning. He gestured to a lower bunk, covered all the way round with a curtain and stage-whispered that the occupant is a transvestite. One that comes back in the early hours of the morning. I didn't have the pleasure of meeting him/her but did see the curtains twitched briefly.

Wandering around KL on my own was exhilarating. No need to make conversation. Just walk in and out. Stop for coffee and people-watch. Stop for a bowl of noodles if you fancy.

One of the things I remember fondly is sitting in the 2nd floor (1st flr to you in UK) of a McDonalds, nursing a coffee and looking out at the horrendous traffic jam outside with pink Bas Mini, looking like iced cakes clogging the arteries.

The other is walking along Petaling Street, looking at cheap shirts and fake watches. The sun was burning hot. And what better way to cool down than to visit this stall.

The famous Air mata kucing stall. For the princely sum of RM1 then, you'll get a cold, cold bowl of refreshing air mata kucing, served in an even colder metal bowl with metal spoon. Locals and tourists alike will stand around, slurping this heavenly concoction before handing the metal bowls back.

On another visit to KL, a friend and I stayed in a hotel at Chow Kit Road. I just love wandering through the colourful market stalls, piled high with fresh produce, with the sellers raising their voices "Ah pilih pilih pilih". The food stalls were a dream! Nasi campur, take as you please, with delicious dishes one after another. I couldn't make up my mind and to be able to dress my own plate of rice, my way, with whatever I please was amazing. I am quite particular about what chicken cuts I get and how much kuah. I simply hate it when some kakak or makcik drown my poor mound of rice with overzealousness.

At night, other stalls set up. A particular one I remembered is the nasi lemak stall, selling classic small packets of nasi lemak. Wrapped up in a banana leaf and a piece of newspaper, it is shaped into the classic pyramid. Inside is warm fluffly rice with a killer sambal, ikan bilis and half an egg. One hand-sized packet is not enough. Nothing is nicer than partaking a packet or two, chatting with your friends and sipping teh tarik under the stars.

Another glorious KL memory was when we supported the Singapore team in the Malaysia Cup Tournament. Up we went in coach and stayed in a dodgy hotel in Brickfields. With a name like Hotel Mexico, we almost expect Speedy Gonzales to come blazing through the door. It was however a tired old hotel with holes in curtains. But it will do. The roti canai sold nearby was simply delicious.

We were looking for transport to Shah Alam and somehow, this pakcik made us part with RM100 to bus us to and fro, dangdut music on high thrown in complimentary. We got there in one piece and had a rip-roaring time, by virtue that Singapore won 4-0 and hoisted the Malaysian Cup. Incidentally, right after that win, a few Malaysian states kicked up a stink and suggested not to allow Singapore to participate in Malaysia cup. Ever.

We waited for the pakcik to pick us up after the match.. and we waited in vain. The pakcik didn't turn up. A volley of curses and swearing later, we got back to KL by sheer luck - by hastily flagging taxi son a very busy highway. Once back in KL, we celebrated Singapore's win and trooped off to a 24hr KFC afterwards. In between biting into Colonel Sander's 11-herbs secret recipe chicken, it dawned upon us how funny it is that one pakcik can smooth talked 7 supposedly smart young adults.

Funnily enough, the next day we were at Chow Kit and bumped straight into him. The guys collared him, with a threatening "Pakcik tipu kita ye? Pakcik pegi mana semalam?" . He said in all earnestness, while stroking his new gold ring "Pakcik carik anak, anak tak ada. Pakcik carik sampai kat airport!" Ah? Kenapa kat airport? Kita tunggu kat Stadium!

My last visit to KL is some 5 years ago and regrettably, the group I went with was more interested in visiting mega malls. It was pretty but rather sterile and frankly, I found is rather similar to shopping in Singapore albeit less squeezy. I didn't get to eat my air mata kucing nor eat classic nasi lemak. So I am hoping I will get to do these next week.

Of moves and grooves

I have plenty to write. Too many. You can't move continents without having a tale to tell.

We are settling down better now; getting into the groove of living in SG. The first few months had been hard mentally. Even though we were born and bred here, we still experienced re-entry shock.

At times, we just wanted to shake our fists at the boorish behaviour here. Like nonchalantly strolling through doors we held often without so much as a thank you, the rushing for trains and buses without due care if grandmas or babies are trampled underneath, the way they try to squeeze through the smallest gap, often overstepping buggies and strollers in their haste.

A well-dressed lady on a bus walked past my seat and accidentally bung her large bag against my knee hard. She gave a cursory glance at her bag and looked away. Until I shamed her by loudly saying "Sorry?" She had the decency to look slightly embarassed and said sorry with a giggle. On hindsight, I got lucky. She could have fixed me a dour expression and looked away again.

Don't get me started on the TV and newspaper here. I've succumbed to subscribing to newsbiscuit.com for a much-needed dose of British humour as well as trawling through metro.co.uk. Come back free newspaper vendors! All is forgiven.

At times, we just miss London. The cold, fresh air, lovely blooms in spring and gorgeous colours in fall. The way the British would run out to tan in a small patch of sunshine during lunch time. The lovely, lovely parks and the fantastic museums. Strangely, I missed the kebabs at Taza and of course, Tuk Din's great cooking.

On the other hand, I am loving all the delicious local food, available 24/7. Mind you, our tastes have changed somewhat. No more dunking chips in chilli sauce for us. But we are having fun trying to find our favourite nasi lemak, teh tarik, briyani etc. again.

We are revelling in durian, durian and more durian. Perhaps some manggis for distraction and durian again. It seems to be a bumper crop this year with D24 selling cheap. With such largesse, we are now not content with poor cheap varieties, gladly shelling out moolah for top notch stuff. Frozen durian at $12 per seed is a very distant memory now.

In all, this is where we will be for the near future. Alia is speaking a little Malay now, which amuses me to no end. Her lovely British accent is slipping little by little and I felt both shock and horror when she told me one day "Mummy, I love Tom and Jelly"

Growing pains

The not-so-little one complained that one of her teeth is wobbly. Finally! The first baby tooth is coming out. I was all for it to come off naturally but a week later, we saw the permanent tooth surfacing a little crooked. Off to the school dentist we went.

I've not been to a school dentist some 20 odd years! The horrible dental nurse in my primary school really put me off going to the dentist. I still had visions of that horrid woman screaming and shouting at me. Thank goodness dentists and dental assistants nowadays are much more child friendly.

The lovely lady attending the not-so-little one talked to her about cartoons, about princesses and other things. Took her mind off when it came to anaesthetise the gum for the extraction and another filling.

The most pleasant thing is she checked Alia's mouth and told me three of the adult molars at the back had surfaced. I just realised how much she had grown!

The tiny baby tooth was given to her to be taken home and I was talking about tooth fairy and how much would the tooth fairy leave. Strangely, she just does not want to have the money, preferring to keep the tooth instead. How much as she grown!

P.Ramlee : The Musical (Season 2)

It was with great excitement that we settled down into our seats at the Esplanade Theatre on Saturday. Being a lifelong P.Ramlee and a musical fan, I can hardly kept still. So here it is finally ~ the story of P Ramlee as a musical. It's like having all my Hari Rayas together.

Armed with goggled reviews of Season 1, I roughly knew what to expect. They made a few changes to cast members (most notably the lead) and I believe, had tighten up the script somewhat. PRTM had won a clutch of awards including a Best Supporting Actress for Melissa Saila and Best Set Design for Raja Maliq so yes, I will be looking out for those.

So how was it? Well, I am notoriously hard to please but yes, I enjoyed myself. It is a seamless production, bar some hiccups with audio and an errant backdrop which may be attributed to first night jitters. While there are some scenes and songs which are forgettable, there are some which had me utterly charmed.

The opening scene of Penang old town to Dick Lee's Penang Swing is just so Dick Lee. It could be any other Dick Lee's production really and for a moment, I was disorientated. It was not until P Ramlee sang Azizah that we begin to anchor ourselves and the rest just got better and better.

The linear development of P.Ramlee's life are told by his relationship with his love(s) of his life - from the mysterious Azizah, potrayed here as the unattainable daughter of a well-to-do family, to Junaidah, the first wife he was 'tricked' into marrying, to Norizan, the glamourous second wife whom he neglected to Saloma, the one who complemented him as an artiste. By weaving in various P Ramlee songs into each episode of his loves, I get to appreciate each song or movie in context to what P Ramlee was going through personally.



Casting Musly Ramlee as P.Ramlee is definitely spot on. I am sure Sean Ghazi was brilliant in Season 1 but there is more to the undertaking than having a wonderful voice. So entrenched is P.Ramlee in our pysche that his mannerisms, voice inflections, not to mention his various jokes are all too familiar to us. In that sense, Musly Ramlee, impersonator extraodinaire, was magical as the great man. Not only was he able to replicate the sharp, high voice of the earlier years, he was able to do the guttural, husky voice of the later years. Now if only we could do something to that horrible wavy wig he was wearing...



Liza Hanim as Saloma sang all of her Saloma numbers faultlessly. In the narration, Saloma was portrayed as having deep-seated love for P Ramlee very early on. However, the lacklustre original songs used to convey her initial unrequited love are just so forgettable. She is hardly Eponine, pining for Marius. Her line "Dah lama saya bersedia, Cik Ramlee" was more effective and succinct.

Both roles of Azizah and Junaidah are sung perfect technically but somehow lacks any emotive outpouring. One could discern the emotion but do not empathise with the characters. Azizah's number did not exactly felt like a young girl giving up her first love nor does Junaidah's come across as the wife and mother, so frustrated, had had enough and now leaving her husband. The rawness of emotions was just not brought across.

My highest praise goes to Melissa Saila, as the glamourous Norizan. True, it is over-the-top and histrionic one-dimensional portrayal but with only a few short scenes and a song, perhaps that is what needed to push the narrative along. She played Norizan with panache and the scene where she sashayed on-stage, back from clubbing, beautiful in a black ensemble with jewels in her hair is definitely a show-stopper. Much had been said of her vocals (which pales against the rest) but her acting definite stole the show.

Much must have been thought out in terms of set design and production. Having dabbled in stage design before, I know how much hard work and planning goes in making set changes as seamless as possible. For the sheer poetry in which they did it, is worth that Best Set Design award alone.



The great wow-factor was, of course, the train scene where an almost-life size locomotive with carriages chugged onto the stage and passengers piled on. The carriages are then opened up so we could see more sing and dance routines telling of P Ramlee's journey on to Singapore, with
a tunnel projected on the background and finally, stopping at Tanjong Pagar station.

Also done brilliantly is the Lido cinema scene for the showing of Penarik Beca. It moves seamlessly from cinema goers going into the theatre, a real beca with Saloma coming into the scene before morphing to a view of inside the theatre, complete with people standing. There are great scenes that gave us a glimpse of movie-making in that era including scaffolding for lighting in absence of rigs.

What I find disconcerting is the music. I could not put a finger to it until Liza Hanim sang Senandung Kasih . It struck me that the score is rather modern, which jars with the period feel. True, this is not a tribute concert to P Ramlee hence we should not expect all P Ramlee's songs. I do understand that it is to appeal to a younger generation but to (perhaps) my jaded ears, the modern score with its love ballads are just typical lagu cinta Melayu you hear on the radio.

The ending is a little insipid, I thought. It came back to the opening scene, circa 1973 where P. Ramlee was in decline. I can't say it is touching or sad - it is just an ending. I would have preferred a more rousing ending like the Buddy Holly's musical. It ended with a tragic radio broadcast of Buddy's plane crashing and then segued to a medley of Buddy Holly's hits with casts dancing and singing, certainly celebrating his music.

I just wished that the ending of PRTM was not of an old couple cuddling in their jammies but of a big, rousing medley of P Ramlee's hits which definitely would have the makcik and pakcik dancing in the aisles and humming his music all the way home. The definite way to remember him.

Bacon & Eggs on a Tuesday night

Husband and I were feeling peckish at around 1 am.
Instead of reaching for the usual cup noodle, he asked for the pack of beef bacon I bought on a whim yesterday.

I can't get halal bacon in U.K. Beef pastrami, turkey ham, pepperoni.. yep, you can get them alright but bacon had eluded me. The first time I had halal bacon was when I purchased a U.S frozen pack at Cold Storage Singapore.

Pop a couple of rashes onto a cold pan, turn the fire on and just wait for them to crisp beautifully. The smell is something else. Once they are a little crispy, I pushed them to the side and crack an egg. Fried it in the same pan and turn off the heat when the egg yolk is still soft. Piled them all up on buttered white bread, lashings of ketchup and a little bit of pepper. A messy tower of different textures - runny, crispy, soft, salty and slightly tart

So there we were. Thousands of miles from London, we were eating a traditional English treat - bacon sarnie. Just missing the brown sauce which I hated anyway and gladly substituted with bbq sauce, and a cup of builder's tea.

Funnily enough, if we have the munchies in London, we always long for something like nasi lemak or bbq stingray!

PS. would have uploaded photos but the camera died on me.

Marks and Spencer and Walker's Crisps

I was too busy to miss London until I passed by M & S at Centrepoint. Oh well, let's pop in for some biscuits and maybe grab a t-shirt or two.

M & S used to be just a five minute stroll from my old flat at Marylebone ; a corner shop of sorts. The place where I get some croissants, milk and eggs for breakfast. Maybe a pizza to pop in the oven if I was too lazy to cook. I passed it whenever I walked to and back from work. No biggie.

But my oh my, it's a different story here. There is a hush, rarified atmosphere with hardly anyone browsing through the clothes. No middle-aged auntie type riffling for drawers or cheap tshirts and certainly no harrassed mums chucking cartons of ready meals into the trolley

... and suddenly I miss London.

• I miss the sunlit trees at Hyde Park where little one will run wild and roll on the grass.
• I miss the slight jolt I feel whenever I see Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey.
• I miss the beautiful Natural History Museum with its gargantuan dinosaur skeleton.
• I miss flying kites on Primrose Hill, with London at your feet.
• I miss Walker's Cheese and Onion Crisps and the funny ads with Gary Lineker in them.
• I miss the TV where even the football commentary can be funny.

heck, I even miss the pushy free newspapers distributors.

9 years I lived and breathed London. Of course it will take more than good teh tarik and roti prata to rival the fond memories.

A prelude to goodbye..

I'm surrounded with the detritus of 8 years in London.
All that means something are packed away in boxes, hopefully to reach our warm shores in one piece. How could one accumulate so much? Especially since we only came with a pack on our backs and the clothes that we wore.

I left my heart in Melaka

Was browsing through my favourite food blog, Eating Asia. Two foreigners who loved South East Asian cuisine so much, their writing and photos on their blog are sheer poetry. Lo and behold, they posted about Melaka's famous Chicken Rice Balls. I haven't seen these for years! Coincidentally, was chatting with KC the other day and both of us were torturing each other with googled Chicken Rice Balls pics.

Back in the hall days, we sometimes do makan trips up to Melaka and none will be complete without partaking some of these Chicken Rice balls.

Once, there must be 10-12 of us who made the trip up to Melaka for a huge makan trip. Days passed in a haze of roti canai breakfast, mid-morning break, lunch, tea-time culminating in dinner. Of course, durians must be consumed.

Highlights includes a delectable Peranakan meal at Mako, with it's crispy fried fish slattered in moreish sambal, satay celup where we were almost frightened to touch the sides of the pot and of course, those chicken rice balls.

After Melaka, it was off to Genting Highlands for the few of us and for me, a stopover alone in KL, which is another story altogether.....

Birthday Tea at La Duree

Yet another year and another milestone. When I was 25, I never thought I would be in London expecting a 2nd child when I am 35. I am not the type to have plan my life very much i.e. engaged by 25, married 27 that sort of thing so it has all been a pleasant surprise.

What did I do on my birthday? Took a day's leave and walked around town with MH, like a couple. Dipped in and out of shops, looking at sale things, testing strollers and finally ending up at Selfridges eating tosei.

After a quick post-lunch nap, we headed out to Harrods for tea at La Duree. Alas, no need to travel all the way to Paris for my favourite macaroons.

How pretty is the entrance from the street! There is another entrance via the Food Hall in Harrods ~ right next to Krispy Kreme of all things.

The salon is split into three areas with this impressive looking counter filled with delicious goodies. I am such a sucker for pretty displays like this. Pastel colours, beautifully wrapped boxes, pastries shaped and iced to perfection and the creme de la creme, macaroons in all colours of the rainbows with intriguing flavours like caramel with fine salt, rose petal and liquorice. No photography allowed unfortunately and I took these images from their website.

We sat at a rather utilitarian section with marble top tables. On hindsight, it might have been better to opt for the seating above. There is a full afternoon tea with sandwiches for £21 per pax but we opted for just tea and coffee with some macaroons. It was all very civilised. And of course I didn't leave the place until I bagged a box of macaroons one in each flavour.

Following a car bomb threat in Piccadilly and later on Park Lane, our bus was diverted and we ended up at High Street Kensington. Oh well.... when you have lemons, make lemonade. We went to the new Whole Foods supermarket at High Stree Kensington, at the former Barkers Building.

I was gobsmacked! It was previously a quaint shopping mall; not very ritzy at all. But now, it is a giant organic supermarket. Three floors of organic or natural produce and food! Used to the spartan selection we get at supermarkets or small stalls at various farmers' market, we are not ready for the huge selection of products; from cheese to seafood to clothes and baby diapers.

The basement is the main supermarket and I was amused to see Red bananas on sale all the way from Costa Rica. Have to show it to the little one ~ we talked about red bananas before and she could not believe that bananas come it other colours than yellow.

There is a muesli bar where you can mix all the dried fruits including dried bananas similar to pisang salai (very delicious and not very smoky) and a nut butter churn where you can buy peanut/cashew/almond nut butter, freshly churned.

Up to the ground floor, where the ready-to eat foods like cheese and breads are. There are three massive takeaway bars with salads, rice, cooked curries and other dishes to purchase. A long bar for hot soups. You can buy these and adjourn to the 1st floor where there are seating as well as other stalls to buy food from.

All in all, a lovely experience. It was not too crowded when we went but I should imagine it will be heaving on the weekends

KE VII as I remember it

Was browsing through the KE VII website when lo and behold, there is a gallery of the facilities available onsite. Ahhhh a picture says a thousand words. Nothing like a photograph to bring a rush of memories. Like this shot of the communal hall......



....where hostellites are initiated to the family during Orientation week. The place where I fell asleep while sewing that stupid dragon for the Float, where we celebrated Malaysian Night, Deepavali Night and other what nots, where we painted scenes for Faust and other Hall productions. Scenes of comedies and tragedies for actors and dancers alike. Wushu, badminton, choir, they all congregate here after dinner.



The dance club has the other option of practicing here, the Dance Room with mirrors. This was also the room where we made up and transform plain hostelites to gorgoeus mythical beings for the annual Float. I had the distinct memory of painting one of the freshies' body with blue food dye for his role as Genie. Sigh... sadly, he did not have a fab body and has hairy armpits to boot. What luck...

Of course, there are sports facilities, like tennis courts beside F and G block...



where after 5pm, you can make out the pok! pok! pok! of the tennis ball being served back and forth. Incidentally, years ago the Astronomers Club met here regularly, late nights equipped with their huge telescope. SC, CY and I went down out of curiousity one night. In the hush surroundings with the trees blocking any light pollution, we spent the night, peering at Jupiter through the telescope and lying on our backs with the night sky spread before us, trying to spot satellites. Apparently, they move really fast in an arc like a shooting star.



The basketball/handball/netball courts behind Block H. There were no bleachers when I was there and the surface certainly did not look as nice as this. Not being remotely interested in either of the games, I would only remember this as the place of final humiliation from the seniors before the end of Orientation. And the rather good satay and chicken curry party we had for Kwang Hsien and Fook Wei before they left for Australia.



The squash courts were placed in a funny corner. You have to climb a short flight of stairs to get to them. Again, not being a sports person, I never had any dealing with this obscure corner of KE. Just the incident where YF was smashed in the face with Karen's racquet. He was wearing glasses which neccessitate a trip to the A&E (down those 127 steps again) and wearing an eye patch afterwards.

Ahhh here's the creme de la creme... the TV Lounge



where everynight at 8pm we have the Channel 5 "The Simpsons" and the Channel 8 drama competing against one another. Thankfully with two tv sets, no bloody fistfights broke out. Also the place where bootleg, pirate VCDs were shown and karaoke contests were sung. Yes, there will always be someone who wants to sing the latest Cantopop or "My Way" everytime.

Besides the canteen, the lounge has the nicest view to the sea. Airconditioned with comfy seats (although then the sofa sets were not as nice), this was where we retire just after tea to read the papers or just to chill out before heading back to our rooms.

Of Maggi Mee and Nasi Lemak

picture courtesy of KEVII website

Was chatting to YF, an old KE mate on MSN. He's going to Harvard in August and lamenting it's back to hostel life for him.

Oh fond memories! Communal showers and toilets, where you can be "serenaded" by popstars wannabes. Queueing up for mediocre food at the canteen while trying to work out what kind of suspicious meat was used. Queueing up for a turn at the washing machines and dryers. There is no funnier sight than a row of plastic buckets with wet clothes and it is an understanding that the person who empty the dryers would courteously put the next bucket into the dryer. Woe betide the ones who "jump" queue!

I have no idea how hostel living is like at Harvard. At the prices they are charging, obviously it would be of better quality than dingy dear ol' KE hall and I'll bet it is more scenic and atmospheric than the concrete monster that I called home for a good 4 years!

Well, one thing that KE hall has that Harvard won't have. Fong Seng Nasi Lemak! Mention that to any true-blue hostellite and you can see how misty eye they get (plus possible dribbling and drooling).

Come 11.30, a series of knocking on doors and "Oi fong seng! want or not?" A list of orders later and the hostellite lucky enough to have a car will make the journey to Pasir Panjang, next to the bus terminus. Hot from the back kitchen, lovely fluffy fragrant nasi lemak wrapped in banana leaves. Want something more substantial? Just add anything from the spread available - from chicken wings and otak-otak to sotong balls. I once had stir fry green beans so fresh and sweet it has to be plucked fresh 3 seconds ago.

One of my fondest memory is a whole big group of us walking all the way from KEVII to Fong Seng just to eat the nasi lemak in the middle of the night, with the would-be doctors and dentists in their blue scrubs and the rest of us in shorts and t-shirts. An 30min stroll there and back but what fun!

Well, it is not every night we go for Fong Seng. Most of the time, it is the trusted maggi mee embellished with fishballs and seafood sticks. If feeling a bit flush, it would be the cafe down at NUH (with all that 127 steps there and back) or Pasir Panjang Hawker Centre where my Chinese friends will partake in the Teochew Muay there. Once we saw Channel 8 artistes gulping down supper dressed up in Chinese period costumes - they must have done some flying- in-the-air kungfu style filming nearby.

Fuelled with supper, it is usually time to hit the books but most of the time (well, for me at least), supper continues with chatting to the early hours of the morning.

Of Bell Ringing amd Marilyn Monroe

TV in UK can be mediocre. What with all the reality tv programmes nowadays. Sometimes watching the upteenth Pop Extra/Pop Idol/Castaway/Celebrity BB, I can cheerfully strangle the person who germinate this idea. Most probably the said person is sleeping in a pile of cash by now.

Now with the success of "How to solve a problem like Maria?", where they search for the singer to sing Maria on stage, we have the show to look for the next Jason and the show to look for the next Danny and Sandy for Grease. Argghhhh... stop it already! Don't let me get started on the search for the next Pussycat Doll.

But I digress.....

Really this post is about the gems you can find in midst of all this tat. I love BBC documentary for its weird and quirky subject matter. The other night I watched a reporter interviewing people who 100% believe they were re-incarnations of famous figures in the past. There was a Merlin magician, dressed in the most outlandish costumes and one who believed he is Father Time, re-incarnated to lead humans to a new dawn in the humankind. So desperate was his belief that he rage and rant against family and the mental health service who was trying to help.

Of course no reincarnation story is complete without one believing she is Marilyn Monroe re-incarnated. As opposed to the other cases, this one was in U.S. and her psychiatrist is more than happy to believe her. To the extent of putting her under trance so that the reporter can witness Marilyn Monroe incarnate. Hmmm.. the fact that the psychiatrist shared the same hotel room + wearing a Hugh Heffner like robe made it so sleazy somehow.

The other programme was all about 2006 Bell Ringing compeition. Who would have thought that Bell Ringing could be a sport? but then if you have climb hundreds of stairs up to the bell tower, jerk a 1/2 tonne bell about and emerge with armpits drenched in sweat, why not?

What struck me is how competitive it was! The lady from the College Youth really wanted to win so bad, you can taste it. And the intense wait for the results and polite bravado at tasting defeat. Oh well... there is still the real ale tent for winners to toast their wins and for the losers to drown their sorrows.

New York : For the first time.

Hate it or love it, you have to be there at least once. How can a place be disappointing and amazing at the same time? NY is definitely on my list of “must go”. Especially with all that TV diet of Friends, Sex and the City, David Letterman and countless American films, who does not want to take a bite of the Big Apple?

So it was a cold Tuesday night that we landed at the horror which is Terminal 8, JFK (thank goodness they are renovating it) and waited for the handy free shuttle bus from Pan American Hotel.

We were psyched about the hotel after reading all the online reviews and were pleasantly surprised. By no means is it a high end hotel but the room was big and comfortable with a good satellite TV and decent bathroom. At a price half that those in Manhattan, it was a good buy. The only thing to do is to catch a good night’s sleep before starting our trip proper the next day

NY Day 2 : Wednesday

As recommended by Tripadvisor, we had breakfast at Pop Diner, just 5 minutes walk. With jukeboxes, a large menu with All-Day breakfast and friendly staff, it was a dream of a diner. We had breakfast there almost everyday and these silver dollar pancakes, served with maple syrup, butter and preserves became a favourite.


Silver dollar pancakes


Lemon meringue pie

With full tummies, we made our way to the subway which is 15min walk away. Oh my goodness! After coming from Singapore, I thought the London Tube was a nightmare but compared to NY, London Tube looks like paradise. Nevertheless, the Subway is the best way to get around and we bought the 7-day pass, which is a steal at $24 per person.

The plan was to cover Lower Manhattan so we took the R line all the way to Whitehall Street. A short walk away brought us to Staten Island Ferry Terminal for the free ferry that passes by the Statue of Liberty. The Terminal is brand-spanking new and already there was a ready queue.

Masses of people surged to the sides to take photos of the Statue of Liberty.


Here is a much zoomed in and edited pic

The ferry did pass by the Statue of Liberty but perhaps, not close enough. We did get a few snaps but at that distance, the iconic statue did not inspire much awe. Perhaps a proper paid trip to Liberty Island with a climb up the statue would be more awe-inspiring but we decided to take a pass.



Views of Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry

A quick ride on the bus brought us to South Street Seaport. It is easy to forget New York’s nautical past when you are caught up in the middle of the tall buildings in Manhattan.

South Street Seaport

Tall ships!


....and Ambrose

It was wonderful to walk about this bustling place with the tall ships framed against a background of skyscrapers. There are plenty of shopping and restaurants that we grazed instead of eating a proper lunch. We tried the cinnamon sugar covered pretzels from Mrs Fields which were yummy.

A version of SOL at South Street

From Pier 17, you get an elegant view of the famous Brooklyn bridge


The famous Nathan’s hotdogs, proud sponsor of the hotdog eating contest every year.


A walk down Fulton Street and we were at World Trade Centre, Ground Zero. It is very much a construction site although there is a very moving tribute display at the nearby St. Paul’s cathedral, which we missed.

Emotional tributes at Ground Zero

What I wasn’t bargaining for is how emotional I felt at that location. The fences were adorned with various photographs of people of all race and religion in tears and a list of names of those who perished and I could not help but cry.



A quick trip on the A line from Nassau Street brought us to High Street subway at Brooklyn. We walked to Grimaldi’s for one of the best pizza in New York. I was hoping to miss the lunch time crowd but even at 3pm, it was really full. l Thankfully there was a couple of tables free – there was a queue of people waiting for a table 5 minutes after we sat down.



Here’s a slice of pizza we ordered ~ sweet red peppers, mushrooms and ½ anchovies. Pizzas here are crispy base (just the way we like it) and baked in a coal oven. What a sensation! Almost as good as the ones in Italy. What I love is how fresh the ingredients are. Tangy tomato base, complemented by the red peppers. Fragrant fresh basil and creamy mozzarella cheese with the salty anchovies to set the tastebuds tingling. It was unfortunate that we did not have a chance to try Lombardi’s at Spring Street for comparison. Delicious as it is, even the small pizza is a struggle for the three of us to finish.


We headed towards Brooklyn Bridge for the walk across to Manhattan. It was an amazing walk. Elegant from far, it was a fascinating structure to see up close and the pedestrians walkway is above the traffic. Views of Manhattan is wonderful although you do have to take care to be at the pedestrian track and not stray into the bicycle lane

Views of Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge

Traffic beneath our feet. The infamous NY taxi and yellow Schoolbus

View of Pier 17 from the bridge

On the way, we met this group complete with protest banners. Was 9-11 an inside job? I cannot resist asking for a photo as a flipside to the emotional trip to Ground Zero earlier.

From Chambers St, we took the subway to Grand Central station. It was busy as you would expect but the wonderful, spacious interior was definitely a must-see. It was rest stop for us and we wandered down to the excellent food court for a quick drink.



Spotted a Junior’s concessionaire. I know they have a proper shop at Times Square but why not get one here?

This is the best cheesecake I have ever tasted! Much better than the ones they have at NYDC in Singapore or the poor excuse of a cheesecake in London. At $5.95 a slice, it's huge and enough to share. Worth every crumb.


We left Grand Central Station and walked along 42nd Street to Times Square. It is as busy and crazy and bright, as we know it. Flashing neons, zooming traffic, tourists galore.

We made our way to the huge Toys R’Us as a treat to the little one. Yes, there is a sizeable ferris wheel inside, with carts fashioned after cartoon characters. A quick ticket purchase ($4) and the little one and MH queued for a good 20 minutes for a ride. Worth it because it was the highlight of the day for the little one.

Once we emerged from Toys R’Us, the sun was setting and we witnessed the full effect of Times Square. I love all the lights and the buzz.

A short walk away is the M&M store and we were simply blown away. Who would have thought there is so much merchandise for a simple chocolate candy? I love the multi-coloured displays. Next to it is the Hershey’s store. While it stocks more type of chocolates than M&Ms, the store is a poor cousin to the razzmatazz that is the M&M store. We had aching feet by now and went back to the hotel.

Displays outside the store

Green M&Ms are always a lady.

A John Travolta Saturday Night Fever M&M?