All The Best, Darling

We went out of our way to make T comfortable during her 4-day stopover in Singapore. It was because she was a sweetie and a friend in need.

T had left her phone subscription, teddy bear, cds, her job, the boyfriend and comfortable life in Brisbane. She was going on a journey of self-discovery to London, then to her ethnic roots in Ireland and Peru. She didn't know if she would return to Brisbane, or settle down in London.

She had 4 days in Singapore. She only met up with us during the last 2 days. She had no camera, no cell phone, no laptop. She spent alot of time alone in self-reflection. The brave girl wandered Lion City alone. As exciting as new travel experiences were, I couldn't even imagine what sort of emotional turmoil must have gone through her mind. Through the conversations, we sensed she felt a little overwhelmed by her decision, now that reality had sunk in.

We plied T with food, drinks and conversation. There were lots of kisses and hugs all the way to the airport. Importantly, we wanted her to know she would always have friends here. We wanted to give her the warmth of friendship before she left Singapore. We're pretty sure she left with fond memories and our good wishes.

You've done deep thinking for a year. You've done your planning. We'll definitely meet again. Maybe in Singapore, maybe in London and not surprisingly, perhaps New York. On your last night here, the fireworks lit the skies just for you. We wanted you to believe that that was for luck and goodwill.

Now, follow your heart and go re-discover yourself. You do just that, girl. If not now, then when?

The Fictional World

When I was in school, I used to do 2, maybe 3 books in a day. 15 books a week was easy peasy. Now, I'm not even sure I can finish 2 books in a week!

I haven't been reading very much. Sometimes, work saps my strength so much that I don't even want to pick up a literary challenging book. The fantasy books call out to me. I'll just pick any one out of the bookshelf, re-read them and sink myself into its fictional thrills.

Whenever holidays and long weekends roll around, I find myself searching out new books that I'd read and set out to finish them. I'd silently pat myself on the back if I managed to finish 1 book over a weekend.

This Chinese New Year, I devoured so many new books across genres. I polished off 6 + 3 (it was a trilogy!) paperbacks.

Over the weekend, I read and read. I read non-stop. It was exhilarating the way my reading speed accelerated as I took in page after page of words, skimming each line and reading aloud favorite quotes.

I was immersed in the different worlds within these books. I was so into them that coming back to reality was quite a downer.

I'm going to have to go get meself more books for this coming weekend.

年初二 :: 午餐

通常都是出外到餐馆享用 buah keluak。

这农历新年，可真有口福。

舅舅亲自下厨，忙了一个星期，准备娘惹佳肴请大家吃。
buah keluak 是我们娘惹菜之中的最爱。

妈咪提议我应该向舅舅学习娘惹烹饪厨艺。

不是吧???!!!

除夕:: 团圆

"Why Is It Still So Soft After 10 Minutes???!"

Of course I cheated by using Betty Crocker's instant mixes. I was a little rushed for time, you see. Baking requires so much effort. I couldn't be bothered to actually knead dough. Although it was a stir-in supermarket pre-mix thingy, I was a bit lost. I had to call D like ten thousand times. Sent frantic low-res MMSes to her at every other stage. Thank god she thought they looked okay.

I couldn't stand the smells of baking. It was nauseating. Unbidden, my dinner rose to my throat and I had to chuck out the squiggly strands of half-digested spaghetti. Twice. Good lord. What a torturous experiment.

I did wonder why the cookies looked like spaceships. Aren't they supposed to be flat??? And why were these cookies so soft?! The phone beeped with D's reply. "You used a muffin tray?" OH. I could literally hear her laughter in the message. I was so crushed!

Damn. Never mind.

The Crazy Drinks at 29

The moment we left the house to head out for drinks with the friends, the man made me wear a paper bag over my head! He didn't want me to know where we were headed. All right! For once, I thought I would be a good sport and entertain our friends.


When the car stopped, I had no idea where we were. I could hear the man and the valet giggling. I wore the paper bag all the way to our table. All I could see was the ground I was walking on. Luckily I wore flats. When the friends whipped that paper bag off my head, the camera flashes went off and they got priceless photos of the look of astonishment on my face. I was duly rewarded with an expansive view of the sprawling gardens at oosh Dempsey.

The night started off innocently enough with easy vodka and whisky. The friends were laughing, trading stories, gossip and juicy bits. No one was running after me for mad toasts. As the night wore on, the friends got louder and became really curious about why I was still standing straight and looking stone cold sober. I desperately wanted to run away. But mercilessly, they grabbed me back and knocked me down with vile flaming drinks.

Openly smirking, the friends were completely tickled to see me all wide-eyed, flailing arms and trying to squirm my way out of the drinks. Thank goodness I puked out the alcohol before it could set in. I didn't suffer that excruciating hangover pain. Proud to say that with a bounce and a skip, I did not stagger out of oosh!

You crazy people! I love you guys, but you're so not doing this to me next year!

The Heartwarming Dinner

The family indulged my love of Japanese cuisine and for my birthday, arranged dinner at Matsugawa at The Pines.

The maître d' considered our food preferences and created a special menu for the evening. A kind of omakase, if you will, but focusing more on cooked food as the family couldn't stomach that much raw stuff. 

From the sashimi to starters, soup, teppanyaki and tempura, each dish was superbly fresh and cooked with exquisite skill. Awesome.

Those Old Stories

While unpacking, we found a spoon belonging to the man's grandfather. NAAFI was inscribed on it. I had no idea what it meant. I had to google it. But the man's mom knew. "Supplier to the British armed forces. The spoon was from the war." she said.

The generation of our grandparents lived through a world that understood war. Many lived through 2 World Wars and for many Asians, WWII broke their hearts.

Over the weekend, the man's grand-aunt regaled us with her stories when she was put on a ship to India to escape the atrocities of war in the Straits Settlements. I thought of my grandfather who, newly married, thinking to escape the tensions of the Sino-Jap war, only to run smack into another in Singapore. He put aside his pride and worked as a translator to put more than sweet potatos and water on the dinner table. My grandmother nearly went out of her mind living in fear of the capricious unknown. Then there was my godmom's mother who ran away from 2 continents, 4 countries to escape WWII, but still had to suffer through it when she got to Singapore. She emerged unscathed, moved to Vancouver and lived to a ripe old age of 87.

When I bring lunch to the elderly on my roster, they tell me war stories. The slightly senile ones repeat their tales of gutwrenching pain. The feisty ones break down their experiences into chapters and enthrall me with a different one each week.

They lived in a different era, in a world I will never quite understand. They shared experiences and feelings I hope I will never have to feel.

These stories shaped my perspectives when I was a History student. Now, they help to shape my life experiences. I find a common thread across these stories. At least for the ones who survived through the war. The then anger, fear, dejection and poverty have given way to today's occasional stoicism, optimism and curiosity about the world at large. Some maintain a wary misgiving for all Japanese products whereas some wholeheartedly embrace the quality of Made-in-Japan electronic items.

The man's grand-aunt didn't miss an opportunity to take a dig at us. Very shrewdly, over 2 dinners, she pointedly reminded us separately thrice, "The year of the Pig is a good year to get married. Get married!"
While strolling around Queen Elizabeth Park one time, my godmom's mother advocated, "Buy yellow gold. Buy gold bars. Buy the strongest international currency. Keep a what-do-they-call-it-now, a Swiss bank account."
While listening to the band play at The Oriental, my godmom advised, "Take your vitamins, marry well, take all his money, and oh, be nice."

My grandmother whispered, "Always keep 25% of the household expenses for yourself. Put it under 'miscellaneous items or repairs'. Then make him breakfast and do his laundry."
My grandfather always insisted, "Earn your own money and guard it like a hawk. Grow your money wisely. Don't borrow money and don't lend it to anybody either. Don't keep asking your man for money."

Wryly, I wonder what stories I will have to tell my non-existent grandchildren.