Climate Change Is Real

I don't know how some can deny climate change. Oceans are warming, glaciers are melting, the earth is heating up, not to mention to the deepening scale of typhoons, hurricanes and earthquakes. Animals have gone extinct. Perhaps it's how evolution is, but it's undeniable that humans have killed off many of them. The soil of the lands is polluted, making agriculture risky and inconsistent.

Urbanization and how we shape living in cities have effectively cut off arable land in many countries. All we can do is to create parks and green spaces. The earth is hardy, but not that hardy. It hasn't had time to recover since we industrialized in the 18th century.

You could argue that it happens every millennia or it's simply part of evolution and the way of the universe. The problem is, with our science, we can't even figure out if this is the way in the past. Human existence is way short. Take religion out of the picture, and you're left with pure science. The earth should continue to exist after we die. Changes are afoot; it's affecting us and the next foreseeable three generations.

Cows are easy to love. Their eyes are a liquid brown, their noses inquisitive, their udders homely; small children thrill to their moo. 

Most people like them even better dead. Americans eat three hamburgers a week, so serving beef at your cookout is as patriotic as buying a gun. When progressive Democrats proposed a Green New Deal, earlier this year, leading Republicans labelled it a plot to “take away your hamburgers.” The former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka characterized this plunder as “what Stalin dreamt about,” and Trump himself accused the Green New Deal of proposing to “permanently eliminate” cows. In fact, of course, its authors were merely advocating a sensible reduction in meat eating. Who would want to take away your hamburgers and eliminate cows?

Tad Friend profiles Pat Brown, the 65-year-old founder and CEO of Impossible Foods in the September 30 issue of The New Yorker, 'Can A Burger Help Solve Climate Change?'. We all know Impossible Burger by now. Well, at least Singaporeans and residents here all know the connection. The article opens with the author, presumably introducing readers to Pat Brown's vision, "By developing plant-based beef, chicken, pork, lamb, dairy, and fish, he intends to wipe out all animal agriculture and deep-sea fishing by 2035."

Humans still have choices now. We're only seeing climate change, and if we're dramatic, how the earth is dying or renewing itself. All disasters are now 'worst in a century or worst in fifty years', the ilk. We haven't reached apocalypse. I hope never to see it in my lifetime.

I don't think many will willingly go vegetarian just to 'save the earth' or because 'it's better for the environment'. Mostly people love food, and people love their meats. There're many who avoid genetically modified products and health advocates who believe that eating REAL meat is less carcinogenic than a synthetic processed Impossible patty. As much as I like my beef to come from a cow, chances are, given the choice of an Impossible on the menu, I've been picking Impossible. I don't particularly care about the finesse of the meat as long as it's done well.

I like to think that if everyone does our bit for earth and the environment, these minuscule efforts might help. It's despairing to think that many simply consume with nary a care given, and they shave off all the good that others have done. Governments must do more. If societies are governed as such, then we cannot ignore the fact that resources are finite. Isn't it obvious that we need renewable sources of energy and food? If that cycle is irretrievably broken, it's woe to humans.

Searchinger said, “Our baseline estimate is that by 2050, to produce the beef to meet demand, we’ll see a hundred and fifty-eight million hectares more pastureland in Africa alone. And the even bigger threat is from China.” 

Brown made a face. “To head that off, we have to be seen as successful in the U.S. and developed countries first,” he said. “If we’re seen as a cheap substitute, we won’t get any traction in Africa.” 

Searchinger looked wistful. “If you could just reforest all the grazing land, 1.2 billion hectares!” he said. “Giving up all beef would be the most effective thing we could do for the planet.” He has calculated that if you reduced beef consumption by three-fourths (allowing for some pastoral nomadism and dairy cows later used for beef) and reforested accordingly it would reduce global G.H.G. emissions by about twenty per cent.

Testing Out Chashu

The man was in the mood to cook. I was all up for pasta for dinner. Just an aglio e olio with grilled eggplants and miso, and wholewheat spaghetti. (I'd just call it ナススパゲッティ! Heh.) Pasta would have been more than sufficient for me. But the man also wanted to try out a recipe for Japanese chashu (チャーシュー).

I asked him not to use a fatty cut or make the marinade too sweet. I want to chew my meat and cannot deal with fatty and sweet char siew, or those chashu in ramen or soba. The man used pork shoulder. Two pieces, uncured, of course. He braised them for hours. Then, he made the mistake of firing it up high. Erm, no need lah. It would dry it out. It's hard to get that external char in a home oven like ours. He decided that next time he wouldn't do that anymore, and just keep the temperature even as the meats were braised throughout.

Pasta turned out great. While the eggplant and some zucchini were tossed with the pasta, the man also separately grilled a few slices of zucchini, just for texture. Miso was liberally doused everywhere. Hahaha. Two pieces of pork shoulder in one meal were too much for us. I don't take that much meat. My stomach space was given to the pasta.

The other piece of meat was left whole and stored in the fridge for dinner two days later. For that meal, I had the rice cooker sort out takikomi gohan with pumpkin and chestnuts, and did a simple stir-fry of Shanghai greens. That particular piece of chashu sat in its juices within an airtight box, and it was steamed just before the meal, causing the meat to be served moist and we thought it tasted even better than when we first had it.

Overall, the chashu wasn't too bad, really. Definitely edible. There was still an acceptable amount of fats though. Those parts around fattier bits were perfectly braised soft and not dry at all. I was quite happy that the lean parts were more stringy and were a tad dry because the fat melted and died. Hahahaha.

'in metanoia' :: The Color Fractal

Having missed The Color Fractal's 'in metanoia' EP launch gig at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre, I was happy to hear The Color Fractal play an acoustic set as a trio at Timbre X at The Substation. Titled 'in metanoia' (2019), three of the EP's songs were written and recorded when Weiwen Seah was in Boston. Earlier released singles 'twenty-three' and 'don't lose the plot' went into the EP too, and are familiar groovy tunes to us.

The Color Fractal is mostly and mainly singer-songwriter Weiwen Seah. For this acoustic show, he roped in his brother, Ze Wen Seah on the guitars, and his brother-in-law Jordan Cheng on drums. Besides playing all five songs from the EP, the short show included three other unreleased songs Weiwen has written, like 'Division' (about the US elections on November 8, 2016) and one more song about his feelings about Singapore as home (I forgot the song title). The band also covered Plainsunset's 'The River Song' (2009).

Such attention was paid to the recording and mastering of this EP. 'in metanoia' makes such easy listening. The songwriting is so strong. 'waiting room' is a great example of that. Catchy melodies, good bassline, bit of jazz, blues, funk, soul and rock. None of that electronic hip hop nonsense or whiny shit. Is this a good representation of Singapore music that vaguely sounds pop but it's really indie dream-pop? Oh yes. I would pimp out The Color Fractal in a heartbeat at music and arts festivals across every city.

The 2016 Discovery Cabernet Sauvignon

Groaned when I realized that a batch of wines we shipped in from Margaret River, Perth WA, is available in Singapore. It’s the exact bottle that we handed out as gifts to our friends. (Except to those people who came back from summer holidays in California, France and Italy.  NO NEW WORLD WINE FOR YOU GUYS, YOU HAVE YOUR OLD WORLD BEAUTIES. Hahahah.) It's Domaine Naturaliste's 2016 Discovery cabernet sauvignon. Sooooo annoying. And I thought I did my homework. Ah well. 😖

When I walked the dog that evening and took a pit stop at Wine Connection, I rolled my eyes. The exact bottle was in stock and it currently retails at S$45 (S$40.50 if you're a member). I only wanted a glass of wine, so I paid S$11 for it. Grrrrr. We definitely bought it for a lot cheaper (per bottle count), even after shipping in cases and dutifully paying Singapore taxes. Pfffft. Luckily Wine Connectin doesn’t carry the whites that we bought fro, Domaine Naturaliste, for now.

We intentionally bought from smaller wineries and cross checked with the wine suppliers in Singapore. Obviously I wasn't thorough enough. At least we've visited the Margaret River winery on a rainy afternoon and enjoyed our tastings. We thought that the 2016 Discovery cabernet sauvignon was easy and pretty decent. Domaine Naturaliste's whites are surprisingly beautiful too, and better than their reds. We bought many bottles from this winery.

Domaine Naturaliste in Wilyabrup, Margaret River, WA.

'Emily of Emerald Hill' at the New Wild Rice Theatre

As much as I'm not into the genre, I still watched Wild Rice's staging of Stella Kon's one-woman play, 'Emily of Emerald Hill', because I wanted to check out the gorgeous Wild Rice arts facility at the new Funan mall and see the thrust stage. CNA Lifestyle reports, "In collaboration with Capitaland, the theatre was three years in the making. It was designed by the award-winning team that includes Singaporean architecture studio Zarch Collaboratives and internationally renowned theatre design consultancy Charcoalblue, and envisioned by Heng and executive director Tony Trickett." The intimate 358-seat Ngee Ann Kongsi theatre hosts this show, and many more to come. I love it! It's not just beautifully designed, but there's heart and soul in it. You could feel it.

Stella Kon's 'Emily of Emerald Hill' (1982) hounded me through English classes in secondary school, junior college and at university. From a naive young bride in a Peranakan household to being adept at finding favor with her mother-in-law, later on to have to deal with her husband's infidelity and then her eldest son's suicide, and finally Emily becomes the unhappy matriarch of the household, an empty house on Emerald Hill. It was deemed the seminal work of Singaporean English theatre in the 1980s through 1990s. Even the maternal grandmother also waved that book at me at tea-time. I wanted to be rid of it as much as Jane Austen's women.

Margaret Chan, Neo Swee Lin, and Malaysians Leow Puay Tin and Pearlly Chua (this play was first performed in Malaysia by Leow Puay Tin in 1984, produced by Five Arts Center) and many other talented actresses have played Emily Gan. However, Ivan Heng's portrayal of Emily Gan is iconic lah. He's the only reason why I would watch this play. He effortlessly strung together Baba Malay, English and Hokkien. This is like the tenth time I've seen him play Emily, and that factual count is probably ten times more. He literally redefined the Emily in the book.

Directed by Glen Goei, this 2019 performance, like Wild Rice's inaugural opening show in 2000, and its 10th anniversary performance in 2011 (the year when Glen Goei first directed Ivan Heng's Emily), was sterling. Ivan Heng shares what he feels about playing Emily again in this brand new space that Wild Rice can finally claim as its own.

Now, in our own theatre in Funan, I truly believe that Glen and I have created a production of Emily of Emerald Hill that’s unlike any you’ve seen before – or will see again. Our very unique and intimate theatre has given us the opportunity to really distill the play to find its true essence. We’ve boiled it down to the very purest form of theatre: a text, a performer and an audience. Performing this play in this space, with a thrust stage surrounded on three sides by audience members, means that everyone is actually in Emily’s mansion in Emerald Hill. When you see the show, you’re a guest in Emily’s living room!

Ivan Heng talks to Shawne Wang about 'Becoming Emily of Emerald Hill'.

Our September Chicken Rice Party!

When L called for a chicken rice party, we all saved the date, and a few days before the party, we volunteered our contributions to food and such. Remember, NEVER SAY NO WHEN L COOKS CHICKEN RICE. You say thank you and eat every grain of that rice knowing that your friend loves the table enough to make the effort to cook a whole damn pot to feed 12 people.

I'm still amazed at how everybody obediently blocked our calendars like... three months ago for this F1 weekend. None of us are keen on the F1 cocktails, parties and shows. It says a lot when we ignored Red Hot Chili Peppers (just kill me; they’re passé), Muse (too many times) and Gwen Stefani (NO), and only cared about how Hans Zimmer will sound at an outdoor venue like the Padang.

The hosts are ever generous with their food, wine and hearth. Honestly, without their efforts, we'd be lazier and meet less often as life and work get in the way. Yes, we can meet in twos or threes, and here and there. However, it feels special when everyone takes the effort to spend many hours together in a night. You know how it is with groups, someone has to lead in deciding a date and organizing stuff, but as long as the rest follows with not much protests, gatherings will always happen.

My night tinged with a thin red streak of regret. [Choya had a spat with the resident dog. Again. There was blood. Poor Maddie. The man and I let both dogs down. I'm still upset. I can’t have Choya react with this sort of aggression.] I sought refuge in gorgeous glasses of white. There were many bottles imbibed. They were all delicious. September is coming to an end, and soon, another year will pass us by. I looked at the table and smiled. Will we still have one another's backs next September? Yes. 🤞🏻🤘🏻

L also made roast pork! Siew yoke! She's got that crackling down pat.

Autumn Light

Borrowed a book from J because I uhh didn’t want to buy it and she already did. It’s supposedly a biography, but it really is a love story, subtly written — Pico Iyer’s newest ‘Autumn Light, Japan’s Season of Fire and Farewells’ (2019). (Reviews here, here, here and here.)

While I’m not a fan of the genre of biography or travel writing or his books, I was a bit curious about this book which promises a more personal voice. I rather read this title than his other book about Japan, 'The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto' (1991). I've resolutely refused to read that. I am, however, intrigued by his story about meeting Leonard Cohen and their friendship built on Zen Buddhism and meditation.

Written in first person narrative, the author slowly reminisces his time in Japan each autumn. He lives in Nara with his wife for 27 years. He shares the stories of his associates and acquaintances at the local ping-pong club he regularly turns up at when he's in town. He actively plays ping-pong; there's a whole 12-minute TED talk about what ping-pong taught him about life. The author also muses on the relationship with his wife Hiroko Takeuchi, and the going-ons within her family after her father passed on. He wrote of how she had to care for her mother who has dementia and lives in an elderly care facility.

"Your book, nothing happening?" 

"Well, not exactly nothing. But what happens is not so visible. It's hard to see which parts are important until years later. Or maybe never." 

I see her watch me skeptically, and gird myself. 

"When I came here, I was so taken by everything that was different, full of drama, so distinctly Japanese. Like you when you go to America. Now I see it's in the spaces where nothing is happening that one has to make a life." 

"Little no-action movie," she says, visibly unpersuaded, and closing the pages of this book without needing to open them. "Rain come down window. Car stuck in traffic jam. Quiet music playing. Autumn light." 

Exactly.

I was a little perturbed by the English and the grammar used by his wife. Does she really speak like this in real life? Apparently she does. I have it on very good authority that she speaks exactly like the book narrated. Hiroko Takeuchi's spoken English is probably better than Pico Iyer's spoken Japanese. This seeming 'lack of communication' to outsiders doesn't seem to affect the couple. It works for them, and it seems beautiful that much of the success of their relationship lies in the unspoken and a lot of tolerance for each other's quirks.

Pico Iyer writes, "The fact that she has little a sense of what I do for a living as I do of what she does has always been a shared relief; one fewer area to muddy with second-guessing." In a talk and seminar hosted by the Cogut Institute at Brown University just this early April, Jackson Trusdale of the Brown Herald reported on what transpired — "Iyer reflected on his journeys and how he has found stillness in modern life through solitary retreats and writing."

But the language barrier seems to be no hindrance for Iyer and Takeuchi. “I genuinely feel I have more serious communication problems in California with the illusion of a common language,” Iyer said. “You know any relationship is basically founded on intangibles and the things you don’t need to speak about.”

There isn’t a plot or strong storyline. I can't call it piecemeal because it traverses one autumn, and traces the happenings within. It’s exactly what this biography is- his thoughts about Japan in autumn, season after season, year after year. Snippets. Vignettes. 62-year-old Pico Iyer till today, still doesn't own a cellphone. He does do emails though, and promptly. I don't know how he keeps track of his travel schedule for his speaking engagements. To be honest, I think this book would 'read' better if I had listened to it as an audiobook. Phillip Lopate’s ‘Pico Iyer Reflects on a Quarter-Century of Life In Japan’ for the The New York Times published on April 22, 2019 wrote,

Self-described as having a restless “ ‘birdlike’ traveler’s temperament,” he spends half the year tending to his aging mother in California or reporting on subjects like “the warlords of Mogadishu,” but tries to get back to Japan each fall. This season teaches him the lesson of impermanence, the inevitability of decay, and “how to hold on to the things we love even though we know that we and they are dying.”

This particular piece in The New York Times written by Phillip Lopate about the book reasonates with my thoughts about it. I prefer to quote it than to highlight passages from the book itself.

His own self-portrait is dimmer. He comes across as a modest, kind, gentle man, somewhat colorless, as though trying to practice spiritual erasure of the ego. He had moved to Japan “to learn how best to dissolve a sense of self within something larger and less temporary” — an admirable pursuit, though problematic for autobiographical writers. He admits he finds “belief” in general difficult, and says he doesn’t consider himself a Buddhist, but treats with fascinated respect his wife’s conviction that spirits and ghosts exist. He’s a big proponent of his own ignorance, saying he doesn’t choose to learn more than a smattering of Japanese because he needs mystery and “a sense of open space in life, something to offset the sense of the familiar.” 

In a way, his attraction to Japan can be seen as an attempt to hold onto its exotic, eternal appeal — to his partly idealized picture of what the East has to offer a Western man in the way of healing. “Autumn Light” isn’t the book to turn to for an account of the political, social and economic problems of today’s Japan. Now in his 60s, Iyer feels free to communicate his tentative revelations about life. There’s much wisdom in what he says, though some of it comes close to platitude. But then, perhaps it’s the nature of hard-earned wisdom to sound like something we’ve heard many times before.

The Last of Pasta J At Upper Thomson Road

The man went out with the dog and his mates to Pasta J at Upper Thomson Road, and enjoyed it so much that he took us there again the next evening, and a few nights more after that. Touting his food as Asian-fusion, Chef-owner John Chan's pastas and meats were on point. They implement minimum spending on weekends and public holidays at S$35 per person, which might not sit well with some. There's something about corkage too, and how they waive the S$50 it if there's a minimum spend of S$125 per table (up to four).

Pasta J has completely flown under our radar. It has been open for six years and we only just visited. It's closing. Its last day of operations at Upper Thomson Road is tomorrow. Its food is GOOD. It's a bonus that it welcomes small and well-behaved dogs indoors. It isn't a 'dog cafe' that serves shitty food. It's a proper restaurant that welcomes dogs. I was thankful that the other diners weren't weird and inconsiderate humans who don't control their canines and permit these naughty things to pee and poop all over, including your shoes.

We were glad to have tried a number of items on Pasta J's menu before it closed. Chef-owner John's use of spices and mesh of fusion flavors totally complemented our tastebuds. To a T. The burratina came highly recommended. It was served with honeycomb, cured vine tomatoes and crispy focaccia, and the best- buttery salted fish. It was delicious!

Pastas were great. I was never going to abandon carbs in favor of other dishes. Hahaha. Tried the pasta of 'Clammy Addiction'. Palmed off the clams, bacon and prawns to the man. It was the nicely cooked spaghetti that I wanted. The risotto of prawns and scallops in lobster broth was so good. Added a grilled lobster tail to it too. I was so tickled that it came with a sprinkling of chilli padi at the side. Perfect! The pork collar chops were brined and tender. I wasn't sure about the beef, because there seemed to be a lot of wagyu on the menu. But okay, let's try. Had the giant bone-in grass-fed Australian wagyu porterhouse. It was finished at the table to a beautiful medium-rare. Mmmmm.

The dog? She didn't want no steak, and she didn't care for too many treats. She wasn't interested to sit on the couch with us. She went back to the floor and chilled out. Hurhurhur. We didn't think of visiting Pasta J without a dog. Pasta J will be closed, but it will open again in October at Novena Gardens (opposite Novena Church) as O'maJ (a play on 'homage'). We'll stalk their facebook page for updates. May this new restaurant secure the license to have dogs indoors too. I secretly hope that it'll be smoothly up and running by mid October.

Congee at J’s Office

Since I’m on a congee blitz this week and needed to use up the pack of white rice, I carried on with boiling up a pot of congee for lunch with J. Her office has a spacious pantry and dining area. Lunching in is often better than squeezing with the mid-day CBD crowds.

Congee isn’t difficult to boil up. The secret is always to use a stock base from fish and pork bones, and never stinge on dried scallops or cuttlefish. Did an easy century egg and minced pork congee (皮蛋瘦肉粥). Brought along two boring but tasty enough dishes of stir-fried ikan haruan with ginger and scallions, and rather fake kung pao chicken. #ImpieCooks2019

So glad that J is also one of us who loves congee and can eat it all the time. Haha. Congee isn’t ‘sick people’s food’ okay. That could be because they’ve only had horrible tasting porridge and not properly brewed ‘chok/jok’. Or it’s likely an association with a bad memory or illness. J's super into spring onions too. Perfect. My cooking holds a crazy amount spring onions, chives, onions and garlic.

The point of this post isn’t really about the food. It’s about packing the food boxes, chopsticks and crockery properly so that I could lay them out nicely. Well, as nicely as I could on a table in the office dining area. I wanted to add some cheer to J’s day and a rather looong week at work. Hehehe. This personal food delivery service is ✔️ if I may shamelessly say so! 😂

📷: J

一鍋艇仔粥

I couldn't stop laughing when I heard how terrified the BFF was of... having her wisdom teeth extracted. Told her to suck it up and take the painkillers, and I would prep her some soft foods and deliver them later in the evening. She could only have either soup, congee and fish for two days. Hahahaha. Since I was boiling up congee for the BFF, I decided that it would be dinner for the man and I too. We all love congee anyway, and could have that any time.

Stir-fried baby kailan and French beans, and another small plate of Asian style black pepper beef (黑椒牛柳). Found ikan haruan at the market. Perfect. Half would go into the congee, and the other half would be simply stir-fried with ginger and scallions. Tonight's congee was Hong Kong style boat congee (艇仔粥). Y had gifted a packet of that famed brown seaweed from Okinawa known as 'mozuku' (沖縄もずく). It came in very handy as a healthy garnish for the congee. #ImpieCooks2019

The BFF wondered if I had cooked the congee in the electric rice cooker. OF COURSE NOT LAH. I'm cooking for like four people; it had to be properly boiled in a pot. She asked if I could slice out the skin from the meat. I was like, "No. Then the flesh would disintegrate into the congee. You're a big girl. Take out the skin yourself!" She had the audacity to say that I sounded like her mother who said the same exact words when she made that request. Pffft. Hahahaha.

Need To Gain Weight

Before I flew out to Perth, I checked out the weighing scale. It would be the first weigh in 2019. I dutifully removed the sweater, shoes, watch, phone and such. Then blinked at the results. 46.4 kg??!!! WHAT THE. What did I do to have lost 5kg?! The dog?! Just by simply adding in 3km daily walks?!

No wonder I've been struggling just a little with 8.5kg-a-side weights at GRIT™ Strength! It was puzzling how a 1-kg increase in weights from the usual 7.5-kg-a-side would feel so heavy. If I keep losing weight, I won't ever be able to lift 10-kg-a-side! ARRRRRRGGGH.

I declared that I need to put on weight and I ate, ate and ate. Well, I didn't exactly eat junk food. I'm not supposed to be eating so much red meat. In fact, I'm supposed to down the intake to the minimum. Beef is uhhh my favorite, so I save the quota for the trip. But I didn't eat as much beef as I would have liked. I did indulge in a many bars of superbly delicious KitKat Dark Ecuador Cote D'Ivoire (that Singapore supermarkets don't seem to stock).

Easily resumed the regular exercise routine of gym and pilates, and walking the dog. Two days after I flew home, I hopped onto the weighing scale. To my utter dismay, the screen read 47.1 kg. REALLY? After all the food and I put on a mere 700 grams. Only. Not even 1 kg?! OKAAAAY. I'm gonna have to eat more protein in the form of fish and if my allergies permit, include my most hated chicken.

Wine At Home

Between the regular household chores, dog duties and its accompanying additional cleaning, I can't quite cook every day now. With some planning, cooking simple dinners three times a week for dinner is still possible though. Figured out the logistics of prepping dinner, walking the dog and feeding the dog within those evening hours.

I really wanted to taste our wines purchased from the Margaret River wineries. Decided to allocate some time for dinners at home during the week. Nothing fancy on the menu, just a few regular dishes that don't require experimentation. #ImpieCooks2019

Carpe Diem Malbec 2017

I was thinking of doing a soup and three dishes or something. But the man asked for claypot rice (臘味飯). I'm like...huh? It's all nitrates again! I never knew he likes this fake claypot rice so much. I wonder if it's the soy sauce... He didn't want it to be scallops and chicken breast takikomi gohan style.

Made a quick pot of 'claypot rice' and stir-fried cabbage. We considered that a white might be nicer with this meal, but the tastebuds wanted a red. Opened up an easy 2017 Malbec from Carpe Diem. It's a full-bodied red that should pair well with meats, and it did! Went great with the chicken, lupcheong and yuncheong. Hahaha.

Snake + Herring 'Corduroy' Chardonnay 2017

The man requested for fish curry and dhal. I obliged. I might have overdid it on the fish. Hahaha. Well, it's good protein. There was even enough food left for his lunchbox the next day. I had run out basmati rice, and we haven't had time to stock up. Had to use regular brown rice. Can lah.

Super discounted fish fillets (usually seabass) is used as the base for the curry. Then I would separately marinate two other pieces of fillets before pan-searing them to be placed in the ready pot of curry. This round saw red grouper fillet and tail. However, I dunno why I decided to thaw out a piece of barrumundi fillet as well, resulting in three pieces of fish in the curry in addition to the tiny base pieces. Oops.

Picked out a white from Snake + Herring to go with the meal. Oh wow. This must be one of the rare times that I totally enjoyed white wine with food. The 'Corduroy' Chardonnay 2017 went fabulously with the spices and fish! Oy oy!

College & Class Differences

Having gone through Singapore's education system in its 'elite' schools and wisened up in US colleges, I'm blind to many faults of such a system because, echo chamber. I'm reminded of privileges and exclusions each time I come across personal stories of academic difficulties and a long road to securing and receiving an education. I'm reminded of it again in Alison Stine's story published in Longreads in February 2019, titled 'Class Dismissed', and how academic achievements and meritocracy can be an oxymoron.

I don't know how children, teenagers and young adults behave in school now, or what they think of. I don't have children. I don't have many close friends who have children. I don’t interact with many children, and prefer to keep it this way. I only know that children today are way savvy than we were back then, not just because of greater knowledge gleaned and the aid of technology, but it's a whole new world with a different set of social rules now.

Is a college degree important? It depends on where you live, what your values are, and the sort of job that matters to you. Unfortunately, all these 'revelations' and decisions won't come to you in your twenties. Real life ultimately doesn't quite gel with what you thought you'd be when you grow up. Unless you're superbly focused.

I went to work after graduation, like everyone else. I didn't have to pay off student loans (no bank loans or scholarships or bonds) or in the Singapore context, pay off the parents' CPF monies used for my education. I was free to travel, explore freelance work and such instead of staying put in an office. When I finally hauled ass back to Singapore and dipped toes into an office life, I didn't like it very much. I'm obviously not interested in climbing the corporate ladder. Graduate programs are useful; but not for me. I didn't see the need to do a PhD for my line of work.

Not coming from the world of privilege made navigating the real world after college challenging. I didn’t have student loans, surviving on a combination of scholarships, work study, summer jobs, and what my parents had saved, but many of my college friends weren’t as lucky. Our wealthiest classmates didn’t have this burden of repayment; they weren’t starting out already buried by debt. 

On a teaching assistantship, I went to graduate school: another academic institution wound by wealth. I was surprised that many of my classmates said they were there just to learn; I was there hoping to ultimately land a good job with my degree. I had to have a job to live: learning was an afterthought. 

My boyfriend at the time never finished the program, due to financial constraints. My longtime partner later in life had had the same experience: dropping out of a PhD program because his car broke down and he couldn’t get to class. He was one of the only ones among his graduate school class with a day job.

In this day and age, many young people in Singapore seem to have more varied career choices. As long as they get to pay rent, utilities and bills, and fulfill obligations to living parents and such, I suppose it works. I'm still woefully uneducated about what the world's students think, because in this region, we're still ruled by how well we do academically, and later on, how much money we earn, and how much respect we can get by the cars we drive or the lifestyles we lead.

Do we hang out with people who share similar educational backgrounds? I dunno. It might an unconscious gravitation because, conversation topics, humor, types of films watched and books read, et cetera. Don't we hang out with people who share similar interests, and who aren't assholes? I certainly don't care if my friends have a college degree. I care that we're on these same thought wavelengths and values when it comes to the fundamentals in life.

The author doesn't seem have turned out too bad. But I daren't presume simply from this article. I am glad that the author respected her scholarship and had a healthy fear of losing it. That probably kept her safe from the craziness of frat partying, young love, alcohol and drugs. These are the things that could derail anyone from the academic track, or kick one into the gutters of life.

Certainly, cheap beer flowed like a constant, sticky river. Boys lined bathtubs with garbage bags filled with “jungle juice” which was every bottle of alcohol in the dorm poured together, with a lot of malt liquor thrown in; it was always red. But many of my classmates had had the access and allowance to drink for years before I could. They were familiar with alcohol and used it to their advantage; they continued to lavish cash on partying expensive and hard. 

And rarely faced consequences. 

Because I feared getting in trouble, because I had no safety net and was terrified of losing my scholarships, I didn’t drink much. This further outcast me. I couldn’t even party like the others, bonding at frat parties. Not having had high school or family experiences with drinking also made me vulnerable. I tried to keep my drink with me at all times to stay safe, but I certainly couldn’t hold my liquor. 

It wasn’t experience that kept me from getting hurt those years, it was dumb luck and my own terror.

Trying Out A Syrah

The man wanted to cook. He hadn't cooked for ages because work demands too much attention. He was finally free to do an easy pasta dinner on a Sunday night. A penne of fresh rosemary English sausages, cannellini beans in a tomato sauce topped with grated pecorino was perfect. Vegetables were needed. Grilled zucchini and pumpkin as side bites. That was a simple and filling dinner.

The base sauce of tomatoes required red wine. We had bought wine from Thirsty's warehouse sale; one of those bottles should do. (Apparently the sale is going to be a monthly thing. And yes, we went to a beer and cider sale and bought wine. Hahaha.) Cooking wine is not meant to be horrid anyway. If we're using a little for cooking, we might as well drink the rest of it.

So we opened up a bottle of Holus Bolus 2016 syrah. I'm not a fan of shiraz/syrah. But new world syrah is friendlier than the standard shiraz; many are produced without all the odd spices. This bottle was bought on discount, and rightly so. Wines are overpriced in Singapore. This wine is nothing to shout about, but it's wonderful for cooking because it's fairly drinkable. However, it isn't my favorite type of wine. I'm still not a fan of syrah, so I dunno if this is any good. However, I would not pay S$65 for this bottle of wine (in its year) in a restaurant.

Choya Was A Bad Girl

From friends playing to a fight, and nipping. Choya and Maddie had a spat. I couldn't tell who started it, and what the triggers were. I only knew it escalated very quickly within five barks. They were playing-then-fighting very near us. I pulled Choya away and the friends scooped up Maddie. I wished I could have reacted faster.

Choya is double-coated. She would be fine. I turned to Maddie straightaway. The girl had a dozen scratches and a puncture on her left hind leg. I grabbed the bottle of diluted iodine and wet a cotton pad. Then I applied pressure to the wound. When that wound stopped bleeding after a minute, I was relieved. It could have been much worse. *shudder* It wasn't a deep puncture and didn't require lavage or stitches. BUT, it was a wound and it was a bit close to the femoral arteries. It hurt. The poor girl would favor the injury and limp for a few days. I was thankful that I had just completed the SkillsFuture Canine First Responder course; the knowledge gleaned calmed me.

We were mortified and very apologetic. The friends were really understanding about it. And being seasoned pet owners, they weren't too worried about Maddie. Heartache lah. It would cause them trouble to have to consider the dog's playtime and nurse her wounds. It was a relief to know that apple cider vinegar worked its magic, and Maddie healed in three days (at least for the wound to scab over properly).

We scolded Choya immediately so that she could connect the dots and know that her actions weren't approved or allowed. (When we got home, she had to stay in the naughty corner for the rest of the night. No cuddles and no treats. We ignored her. She wasn't allowed out to roam and play.) She seemed contrite and knew immediately that she did something wrong. She bowed low and laid on the tummy, and came nearer to try to see Maddie. They nosed each other again before we left, and both were calm. But you never know with dogs, I'm not going assume. This reminds me that I cannot be less watchful around the dogs, especially when this Shiba Inu is a basal wild thing,

Many playdates ago. I very much prefer Choya to submit to Maddie.

A Weekend Brunch

When the man realized that P and A would be at Carrotsticks & Cravings Robertson Quay for brunch at the same time that we would be, he arranged a date. We hadn't caught up in ages, and while our schedules don't allow for regular meets (it's more likely that we pop in to the same events), they're great people and we enjoy one another's company. We care enough to sit down for a chat.

Remember I don't like pancakes? Well, I like these ones at Carrotsticks & Cravings because they're NOT the usually flour-y, airy, buttery ones. These pancakes are small, flat, and gluten-free with almond meal. It's not cloying at all. Be warned, if you love regular pancakes, you're going to hate these. Air-fried tempeh and avocado really go well together. Who would have thought?! Oof. I've loved this combination as a kid, and am seriously tickled to see it on the brunch menus nowadays. Food at this branch of Carrotsticks & Cravings is decent, and the outdoor seating by the river is lovely. Made for a happy weekend meet.

The dogs met for the first time and were surprisingly tolerant of one another. Haha. Best. We didn't need them to play well, but we couldn't have them fighting. The dogs went out to the sidewalk at the river, and easily entertained themselves and the kid. The kid kept himself occupied by running around and getting onto his scooter and into the little cars provided by the cafe. We simply kept an eye on the little tots, getting up to intervene when either dogs or kid got too hyper or angsty. Heh.

Bone Broth For Choya

Retrieved Choya from boarding. While she liked her minders and was in a familiar venue, it was clear that she was happy and thrilled to see us. She knew all her usual spots at home and hadn't forgotten her house-training. But she has lost weight. Haizzz. She cannot afford to lose any more weight. As comfortable as she was staying with K, apparently she missed us and didn't eat much. It's time to fatten up the girl.

When Choya was moody these few weeks from the man's traveling and our vacation, she didn't just lose her appetite. She also lost loads of interest in dry food, even if wet food is mixed in, so I need to get her interested in it again. And I thought I was under-feeding her. Dohhhh. I'm slowly transitioning her to fresh food (gonna take months), so I would still prefer a meal base of kibbles (Instinct Raw+Boost or its equivalent). Then I'm free to experiment with toppers of wet food (either rehydrated dry nuggets or canned or freshly cooked). Her food should be varied in order to cultivate healthy gut flora and such. She shouldn't get too used to any one type of food, in case allergies flare.

Instead of adding water to her kibbles, I added beef bone broth to round out the meal, and make it more attractive to the dog. My current choice of beef bone broth comes from The Barkery. Comprising a total of 350ml, the frozen pieces are easy to retrieve for portion-size. When heated up, one frozen piece melts into 35ml of broth, which is perfect to soak up ¾ cup of kibbles for this 7-kg dog.

That broth smelt sooo good. I tasted it. Wow! The Barkery made a beautiful broth. It was superbly delicious. It also has bits of meat and such in each frozen piece. I wouldn't bother boiling bone broth at home only because I don't have a slow boiler, pressure cooker or a Thermomix. No. I'm not buying any. Buying frozen bone broth works out better for me. The warm broth lends a deeper flavor to the kibbles. Choya seems to enjoy it. Or at least it kept up her appetite for the first few days of settling back into her routine and calming an angsty gastrointestinal tract.

Soy Sauce Chicken For The In-Laws

We rarely have the man's parents over for dinner simply because I fear cooking for them. Their tastebuds are so conservative and they've got so many dietary preferences that everything would simply taste weird if I tweak it to, 'way-less-spicy, no sesame oil, no ginger, no lemongrass and no-no-no a ton of other things', plus they like to see plenty of dishes on the table. I cannot.

The man requested for Hong Kong style soy sauce chicken (豉油雞) for dinner. I gave it a whirl in the head, just to see if logistics would work if we had his parents over too. Took the plunge. Since I would be using a whole chicken, I asked him to invite his parents over for a simple dinner. Instructed him to tell his parents that dinner would be simple with only two dishes, and to stress that the main dish would be said chicken with basmati rice, and not white jasmine rice. I don't have the capacity to do more dishes.

I repeated this same menu of soy sauce chicken, double-boiled soup of freshly extracted chicken essence with fish maw and mushrooms, choy sum with garlic, and a test batch of braised pork ribs in black bean sauce (豆豉燜排骨). This menu is dependable and conservative enough for most tastebuds. I didn't have the energy or time to fry up side dishes. These would have to do. #ImpieCooks2019

There was an earlier test batch of pickled green chillies sitting in the fridge, so I took out some for the MIL. She loves pickled green chillies, and apparently these hit a spot. Made every sauce with the help of the food processor- the ginger scallion sauce (薑蔥蓉), a mix of dark and light soy dip for the chicken, as well as a Hong Kong style chilli sauce. Sauces made from scratch are time-consuming; I cannot be arsed about making extra eggs, braising tau kwa or tofu and such.

While the in-laws have been visiting here and there to drop off random stuff and groceries/parcels, and recently, to see the dog, this might well be only the second time they came over for dinner proper in this flat. 🤭😬

Bye Bye Margaret River!

The man and I were so busy settling stuff before the trip that we had no time to consider that we would be having a lovely vacation. We finally relaxed only on the morning of our flight out to Perth. The fish congee I ordered for the in-flight breakfast totally hit a spot, and nicely filled the stomach till dinner.

The earlier decades were spent knowing French and Italian wines, no thanks to forced family trips to wineries where I was supposed to be educated in the finer points of life. I resolutely refused to retain much of that information, unless the wines happen to be the types I prefer. Hahaha. I'll never be a wine snob or a wine connoisseur. I shall carry on drinking what the tastebuds like, never mind its credentials or vintage.

In Margaret River, I finally understood my newfound capacity for wine, especially well-produced new world reds. As much I'm not into wine, I rather welcome it nowadays when whisky is a little heavy on the liver, and a pint of beer is way filling. Wine is a great compromise. A 750ml bottle nourishes four of us gently, about two glasses each. That's reasonable. As long as I keep telling myself that it's grape juice, I can finish a bottle on my own. #NotAnAlcoholicYet

This was a much-needed vacation for the man and I, to have a little break from the crushing pressure of his increased portfolio at work, and for us to get over the shock of an omnipresent neurotic dog. We enjoyed every day in Margaret River and Perth City, and came back feeling refreshed and ready to take on these final few months of the year with all its challenges.

This trip truly fed our souls and renewed our spirits. It had been unbelievably awesome. We had tons of fun and so much joy. It wouldn't have been this fulfilling without the wonderful company and conversation of J and L. We couldn't ask for more. We closed this trip with a grateful heart to our magnanimous and gracious friends.

[9] Ointment and perfumes rejoice the heart: and the good counsels of a friend are sweet to the soul. [17] Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.  

~ Proverbs Chapter 27, Douay-Rheims

The Imp at East Vic Park

Before we left Perth city, I had to step into The Imp, at least for a coffee. Dragged everyone out to East Victoria Park for one last hipster brunch. The only table available on a busy morning was out on the sidewalk. Perfect, no problem sitting outdoors in this area. It was a beautiful morning.

Once seated, L looked up and into laughter. Our table was kinda under the shop sign. She insisted on taking a photo. I cackled and obliged. Took a bunch of photos of the streets and shops for the BFF since it was her old stomping ground. It has changed a lot though. There's a new single-storey mall with various little shops, a butcher, a giant Coles and a K-mart.

My heart ached at all the water bowls placed on the floor by the eateries. They welcomed dogs accompanied by their humans who would sit outdoors, and enjoy the morning bites. Many cuties stopped by. Big ones, little ones, loud ones, quiet ones. The humans kept their dogs on the leash, and close by their feet; they made sure the dogs don't bother the other patrons. It's such a different vibe from staid Singapore cafes who are bound by strict regulations.

The cafe was full and there was a never-ending stream of humans getting their coffee and food. But our orders didn't take long to arrive. The men went for broke with a big breakfast. Eggs, bacon, spinach and sausages, homemade hash (not the frozen hashbrowns, but a creamier croquette) bread. L and I went for the smashed avo on bread, and added homemade hash. Hurhurhur. Ahhh... that flat white was as good as I remembered it to be. Very comforting.

Beers! Beers! Beers!

It isn’t all about wines on this trip. We’re eyeing the beers too. We didn’t bother to make it to the craft beer festival in Perth city. The full-day+night lashing rains right on the date of the beer fest ensured lower attendance, and us bailing out of getting drenched. The rains were worse that Seattle’s all-day grey drizzle when we had suffer them at open-air gigs. I definitely do not want to stand in cold wet rain and wind in any city, not for any reason, and never for alcohol.

There’re plenty of bottle shops and breweries in the Margaret River region for me drink my fill to pile on the calories. We also hung out at the chic Petition Beer in Perth City. I drank a fair bit of James Squire’s The Chancer Golden Ale. It’s so refreshing that it always feels like I’m drinking a spritzer. Two breweries that I really like also gave me loads of great craft beers.

Old Coast Brewery

Stopped at Old Coast Road Brewery for an afternoon breather from all the driving. The brewery had recently received a lot of flak for their food. We weren't there to eat, so it didn't matter. By the time we got there, only drinks were available, exactly what we wanted.

The friends got a regular apple cider and an apple + blackberry cider, which were surprisingly good. We got beer, pale ales and pilsners. And bought extras cans of apple cider and a stout to stock up for those nights when we didn’t want wine anymore. The stout was pretty good! The scenery and carbonated drinks helped with stretching out stiff legs.

Bootleg Brewery

Had to get out to Bootleg Brewery. It looked too cute to ignore. Dogs were allowed too! Never mind the rains and grey, the premises’ sweeping views were still breathtaking. Ahhh. I was happy. Space is such a treat for this city girl. Singapore breweries and bars will never have such luxurious views.

We took a tasting portion of a few of its taps. The session ale was light and easy—it's perfect for Singapore's heat. Stocked up on some ales. Bought a four-pack session ale to-go. Gonna pack them into the suitcase. Spotted the ‘Scorpion’, which is the chilli pale ale that they sold to-go only. Took it back to the apartment for a laugh. Although there was heat in the beer which made it odd, it wasn’t that bad! I wouldn't say it's drinkable because nobody would want to finish the whole bottle unless it's a challenge! I didn’t take more than three sips. Had no wish for the mouth to be on fire!

Three Rivers Brewing

On the way in to Perth city, we stopped at this little brewery in Mandurah for a refresher. Three Rivers Brewing was located in an industrial area, no views to speak of, but man, their beers were good. Trina and Mark Rivers truly love their brews and hops.

Three Rivers Brewing leans towards producing English-style ales and porters. Everyone ordered different drinks. Tap and bottles. I took a ‘Silent Knight’ porter. Mmm, haven’t had one of those in a while. It was properly tasty. The ‘Duck’s Nuts’ was indeed so! This brewery's beers are easily my favorites of the trip.

Meats at Squires Loft

Oddly, there hasn’t been much beef or lamb ingested at meals. We rectified that by going to dinner at a classic grillhouse chain- Squires Loft at Subiaco. I loved it! It’s a diner! It doesn’t pretend to be a fancy steakhouse. I’m here because I don’t want to grill my own steak at the apartment. Squires Loft fits my purpose nicely.

Bravely ordered a cut of rump. It was beautifully grilled medium-rare. When done correctly, rump is such a flavorful cut. When we grill beef at home, rump and flank are our default cuts. As if beef wasn't enough, we also had pork ribs and lamb loins. Those pork ribs were fantastic. It’s not the season for lamb, so I don’t know if this has anything to do with the rather game-y lamb loins.

Had to take a look at The Palace Arcade on Beaufort Street. It boasts of old-style arcade game machines. Wooohooo. How nostalgic! For food, uhh, it has great pizza from Mack Daddy's (which isn't very exciting for me. Pizza for dinner is sad). The game machines were popular. I have lost all teenage arcade skills! Was quite happy to watch others get trounced by good players. I couldn't stomach anymore drinks at the bar, and we left shortly.

Grillhouse meats and arcade machines. It doesn't get anymore old-school than this. What a randomly fun night. We aren't teenagers anymore, but it was so fun to remember how we used to be so carefree. We had Ponderosa and Jack's Place (I still like Jack's Place), and video games. That was all the happiness needed in life, innit.

Duck Duck Bruce

Brunch in Fremantle was sorted at the cutely-named Duck Duck Bruce. Doggos get to sit outdoors on the quaint patio. How awesome. For the longest time, I thought the cafe is named 'Duck Duck Goose'. Hahaha. I love their interesting use of spices. My bowl of Keralan chicken with quinoa, roasted grapes, salt and pepper toasted walnuts, kale and yoghurt and Sriracha maple dressing blended into one happy meat and one tasty salad. The meat was nicely soaked through with curry spices. Added a sunny-side up to make it more cheerful.

There was a really good tandoori fried chicken burger with lime pickle aioli, mango chutney and kachumber; one picked out a most interesting panaji spiced sausage roll in prata, with coriander chutney, red cabbage, apple sauerkraut, potato straws, turmeric and preserved lemon mayo. It was adventurous even by my standards, but apparently it was delicious. Prata fluffed up in a way I had never imagined! The man loved his masoor dal hummus with Sri Lankan sticky beetroot, mung bean sprouts, green apple, baby swiss chard, cashew and curry leaf pangrattato.

It was such a treat to have a leisurely brunch with the friends. Somehow, we were happier paying AUD20 for eggs and bread here than back home. Heh. No more coffee or tea needed after the meal. We were quite stuffed. BUT. For dessert, the table shared ONE fairly decent rhubarb and raspberry crumble cake. 😂

Visiting Choya's Parents

Let me be clear—we didn't plan this trip to visit Choya's birth place or her parents. This trip was mooted even before we knew of Choya's existence. After she came to live with us, and when I knew she was born in Perth, I google-mapped Sherae Kennels. Perth City isn't that big. We could visit, and we found time to visit. Our friends indulged us on this side jaunt, and came along too. Wheeeeee!

Besides being in the pink of health with little quirks and such, Choya's temperament is excellent. That is one thing I'm very grateful for. The breed is notorious for being difficult, so I'm glad she isn't too difficult to train. I've also learnt that she's not completely food-motivated. Her appetite is led by her moods, which are affected by how we treat her and what's happening in her life. If she's moping or sulky or anxious, she won't eat. She's more keen on our attention and praise. As independent and aloof she can be, she's also surprisingly affectionate. So I'm curious about the Perth breeders and her parents. I dropped them a polite enquiry, and to my joy, they accommodated our visit on a non-public-meet-and-greet day!

Kiyo who ran to bark at me.

We were warmly received, and promptly ambushed by a large troupe of Chow-Chows wandering around the property. Hahah. Cute as they were, man, they've got such long fur, and their butt fur could trail poop! How to keep a Chow-Chow clean?!!! We were taken to the breeding kennels where they house the Shiba Inus and Chow-Chows. I was most interested to see the living conditions of these dogs, and also check out their temperaments.

Choya was born at Sherae Kennels in Canning Vale to Sire Kiyo and Dam Penny (their registered names are damn long lah). Kiyo and Penny aren't having any litters at the moment. They're resting. The 13 new barely-two-week-old Shiba Inu puppies came from the other sets of parents. Very very cute. No, I'm not tempted to get a second dog, especially not a puppy. Dealing with Choya is quite enough.

Kiyo came running to the gate and barked at me for a good three minutes. Hurhurhur. Penny came over, then quickly retreated to the back of the kennel. From that distance, she peeked out and observed me; not quite hidden, but just beyond your direct line of sight. There she stayed for the whole time I hung around.

After spending a few minutes with Kiyo and Penny, I totally get how Choya is who she is. Hahahah. After Kiyo decided I wasn't a threat, he turned away, sat in a corner and... vigorously licked his paw. Oh where have I seen that? OMG! YOU'RE A PAW-LICKER!!! Choya's barks and 'aggression' are totally Kiyo's. Penny's expressions of cautiousness and reticence are exactly Choya's. The mannerisms and the head tilts! Beyond staring at a data screen of her genetic make-up, her coloring and facial expressions and looks are a nice amalgamation of her parents. Shirley and Loren at Sherae Kennels and Kelly of Soo Kee Kennels all thought Choya looked so much like her mom. But from many angles, I thought she bears a stronger resemblance to her dad. Kiyo and Penny are both reds; while regular in size, they're not big and definitely not overweight. Choya is a tiny strong red Shiba Inu.

The man was thrilled. He totally enjoyed himself chatting with the staff and checking out the dogs. He's silly lah. I was curious, but not that keen. I was quite snarky- I was like 'seeing your parents doesn't explain you what, so why do you want to see your dog's parents?' LOL He was the one who requested me to get in touch with Sherae Kennels and all. I was like, hmmm....we'll see. I didn't even send that email enquiry till the day we flew out. It was swell of Sherae Kennels to agree to our visit.

Choya in Singapore. At Changi Beach.