Settling Down to Boardgames

Choo choooooo! And we're off! All four of us gals settled down to a train across Europe game, trying to outwit each other in playing a game which involved chope-ing (monopolising) train routes across Europe (see photo for our game in progress). Yours truly won but in a group of beginners it was purely by chance rather than strategy.

It was our first time at Settler's Cafe, a boardgame cafe in Singapore near Clarke Quay on a lazy Saturday afternoon when I was bored and I ended up rounding up a bunch of friends to try this out. It turned out to be a lot of fun and I liked the whole set up of a fairly plain and simple cafe, with game masters in attendance at the press of a bell to explain rules and otherwise take orders for snacks and drinks.

I went back again for their member's night which also turned out to be a lot of fun but I think that was partly because I had a ready friend there in my cousin who has been mad about boardgames ever since his teenage years. So integrating into the group was made easy for me. Definitely a good scene for anyone interested in boardgames.

Stretch and Ache

My tummy has been noticabely expanding and so I finally decided to stop being in denial and return to the gym. Aikido is great and I do not want to have to cut down on my thrice weekly practices but it simply doesn't keep me in shape enough.

So I signed up at Amore Fitness which is a gym just for women. It's not that I demand an exclusively female atmosphere but I was looking for a combination of convenience in terms of location and a selection of classes I would like to go to at the right time. Amore fitted that bill this time and offered a once a week package which is costing me S$70 a month for a year. It's expensive but I'm hoping that after a year I will be in decent shape and can go back to just aikido.

I was sold 20 minutes into the Belly Blitz class which is a class based on belly dance movements because I was having sooo much fun with it. I figure it's good for my sense of coordination and my belly but I noticed that it was not my abdomen that ached the next day but my shoulders. I've since tried another Belly Blitz class with my brand new hip scarf which shimmers and jingles along with the music but sadly I was a lot less coordinated that day so despite the adornment, I'm sure I looked more clumsy than sensuous. And this is one class I'm glad is being held in a women's only gym since I'd be a lot more self conscious if there were men around.

So I then decided I should experiment around with the other classes to see what else would suit me and tried out the pilates class yesterday. It was a slow moving workout concentrating on a lot of the smaller muscles which was interesting. I discovered that my lower abs are very weak and some of the muscles which help with my balance in my legs also need strengthening. But oddly enough my left shoulder is very free of tension which surprised me since I spend a lot of time on the computer...must be all those nikyo pins during aikido have stretched that joint out nicely. My right shoulder joint is also nice and loose but is slightly more tense than my left. It's actually very useful doing this class because now it gives me a better idea of what areas of the body I really need to work on and lower abs is really one thing I'd like to improve. Other than of course overall fat reduction and toning.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to try out the yoga class and the abs, hips and thighs session as well.

My Favourite Spot: the Hammock

My Favourite Spot: the Hammock
Originally uploaded by CatSienna

This for me symbolises Pangkil most: the long lazy afternoons spent dozing or reading in this enormous hammock which can fit easily 2-3 adults.

Private Island Bliss

I recently stayed again on pulau pangkil kecil at the kind invitation of a friend.

Pulau Pangkil Kecil is a tiny little island southeast of Bintan which I have been told, belongs to the Marden family of Wheelock Marden fame. Bought initially as a private family resort, it was developed by an American very successfully. It consists of 6 chalets each with their own bathrooms and even a treehouse, and another open treehouse area near the swimming pool.

As one rents the entire island at a time, privacy is guaranteed other than the little army of staff there to cook and clean and maintain the place. They have their own quarters and are remarkably discreet. Best of all, they're great cooks and I especially love their freshly baked bread every morning. I believe they have a baking machine. The bread tastes rather brioche like and is a buttery yellow in colour and very slightly sweet. One is fed to the gills while there with mid morning and tea time snacks and a fully stocked bar with bar snacks as well available all the time.

I was lucky enough to go there a few years ago and again very recently at the invitation of a friend who's family is in the shipping line and have business connections with one of the Marden companies. Hence I got in at a fraction of the cost. Normally it would cost approx S$700 per head for a weekend from Friday to Sun with all meals included.

Private islands are not all that expensive, contrary to popular belief . At least not in the Riau archipelago where the cost of buying an island is low. However developing it is expensive as getting the materials and labour over to the island can be costly.

Needless to say I enjoyed my time there hugely. The first time around it was a very small group staying there but the second time around, we were fully packed in so I ended up sleeping in the large chalet with the fabulously huge bathroom but sadly no enormous hammock beneath the chalet. The hammock is my favourite spot as it's so big it can take easily 2 adults at a time. And I arrived with two books and spent much time reading quietly in the shade of the chalet.

I also spent much time either in the beach or in the pool. The waters around are beautifully clear and there is even some coral that is still alive particularly near the area around the swimming pool. However swimming there without fins was a bit tricky as there was a moderate current and the rocks around there were sharp, so we rapidly retreated after excitedly pointing out to each other the more vivid colours of the corals and fish around that area. However I have to admit that if one really wants to see something more spectacular, it would be better to take the fishing boat out a little deeper and snorkel or dive from there. However for scaredy cats like me, I tend to stick very close in to shore.

433 Race Course Road

I spent some time in the last fortnight looking at shophouses in the Farrer Park area hoping to find one suitable for my office to purchase.

My trip took me down a road which turned out to be quite interesting as it had three Chinese temples on it, at least two of which were buddhist and one of which I suspect was taoist. The street also had a hotel, eating houses, and numerous pretty shophouses many of which had conservation status. Altogether a street with plenty of character and surprisingly enough reasonably quiet.

I was in two minds about whether or not I really wanted to have my office there but in the end, the decision was not mine to make so the decision was made for me. I cannot yet decide if I'm relieved or happy and I think in any case I would have been sad. Either sad because I would have to leave my current office which is very beautiful and perfect in many ways, in Holland Village, or sad that I wouldn't be able to have this shophouse to play around with and turn into a permanent beautiful little space for my work. As it turned out, the sadness was for the latter and now I'm waiting to see if my office will renew its lease on my current office.

Miss Potter

I did read Beatrix Potter as a very young child but somehow didn't remember it well and other reading crazes at older ages left a deeper memory. So when the film, "Miss Potter", came out last year, I didn't bestir myself to rush to view it. More recently however, my sister lent me her DVD copy and I found it actually inspiring as a tale of a woman who was greatly determined, and endowed with high imagination, intellect and artistic skill. She was a woman who despite the Victorian constraints on a well off family managed to become a botanist in fact if not in name.

I also only discovered through this movie that she was also a conservationist in the Lake District area in England. I must have seen the areas where she walked and owned property and I must have even rambled across some of the land she bought up as farms and subsequently gave to the National Trust in England.

She also married late in life and only after achieving independent income and wealth and then became a farmer and I was thinking for a woman of her class and in her day, she really transcended class and gender.

Hats off to a very creative and strong willed soul who has given us not just bunny tales, but a whole tract of land to walk upon, not to mention her botanical work. "Miss Potter" is a movie I'd highly recommend that all women in particular and people interested in the Lake District, England, the English countryside, conservation and of course Beatrix Potter tales in general would most likely find enjoyable.

Love at First Bloom

This tea is called love at first bloom and it unfolds at the hot water cascades down the boom. The petals and leaves unfurl and flutter in the water and form a flower tea that is delicate in flavour. I've seen this served in Singapore in a restaurant at Raffles City basement as well, but of course couldn't resist ordering it with it's intensely romantic name in this Lock Cha Teashop in Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong. It did not disappoint but of course nothing beats the first time around.

Lock Cha Tea Shop, Hong Kong

Lock Cha Teashop is a traditional teahouse in the Teaware museum in Hong Kong. Near the Admiralty Area, the Teaware Museum consists of two main buildings which form Flagstaff House. It is set in the middle of a small but beautiful park and so forms the perfect environment for a teahouse.

The food served there is tim sum largely made by a monks in a buddhist monastary and is therefore vegetarian. We ordered a few dishes in slight trepidation thinking that monk's fare may be a trifle bland. But no, compared to the dish of pork dumplings which was made by the staff of the restaurant, the monastary made dishes were exquisitely blended in flavour and with delicate skins. Far superior in taste and texture to many other dim sum dishes I've eaten elsewhere.

Sadly I only remembered I should take pictures after eating half of the food with my friend, so rather than presenting you with half eaten timsum, here's a scene from the teashop. It remains a perfect place for a tranquil cup of tea and friendship. We were sorely tempted to come back on Sunday afternoon as there was a performance but did not make it. However it will be on the top of my list when I come back to Hong Kong.

Time to Smell the Flowers

I don't spend nearly enough time in the garden but when I do, it invariably imparts a sense of peace, quiet growth and contentment. As a zen proverb has it: Spring comes, and the grass grows all by itself. Sometimes it is indeed much better to simply sit back and let things unfold whether this is at work, or at play.

After allowing much of the stress of work and living in crowded little red dot of a city, I began to feel like a hamster trapped in an overcrowded burrow. So I am now making time to let the garden grow into my soul, letting its gentle peace seep in naturally simply by sitting amidst the plants.

So the picture you see above shows two of the profusion of halia flowers or ginger flowers which have been unexpectedly flourishing for a period in my parent's garden, tended lovingly by our Indonesian maid. I chose these in particular for the first entry on the garden for being especially large, spectacular and tropical. Hopefully they will continue to periodically flourish for many years to come.

Copywriting

A friend's friend recently asked me if I'd like to write some pitches for a production house. The topics were interesting as they're in the lifestyle area so I said yes and promptly churned out two pieces, one of which I'm genuinely proud of and the other more pedestrian. It was fun writing and hopefully I'll get paid for it which will make it worthwhile. If this takes off no doubt this blog will hear more of this anon but sadly none of the details can be disclosed for business reasons.

Growing Up

My doggie's growing up. The little tyke who weighed only 6 kg a month ago is now a whopping 12 kg and getting close to my other dog's height. As he's now had his third and last round of puppy vaccinations, I've now started to take him out on walks around the neighbourhood so he can begin to get to know a world wider than the house and garden.

Food for the Soul

On the Feast of Corpus Christi, my favourite priest wrote this in the local church bulletin which a friend of mine asked me for a copy of so here it is for all who wish to read it:

"Today I celebrate the awesome reality of my Christianity. I put aside self-deluding notions rampant today, that life is about me bringing about my own self-achieved fulfilment; that my Christianity is good works alone without faith; that life is what takes place in the market place and has little or no need of Sunday rest and celebration; that I am what I decide and I decide my own nobility. But along comes Christ with a very different version of reality. I am one with him in startling intimacy when I partake of His body and blood. Likewise am I one with my neighbour since the one divine life courses through my veins. "Take and eat."

What am I nourishing? My own very life, which in the eucharist, is injected with and permeated by the life of the God who created me. "Bread" abounds in the Eucharist as an effective symbol that has not lost its significance over the centuries. "Blood" is an even more frequent word in the scriptures - in which is signified the commitment and fidelity of God in my life and my own commitment to the life given me.

That my faith finds its fruit in service to my world and neighbour cannot be denied. But what service can supplant the experience of the Lord's Day celebrated in the presence of God at the most intense, in oneness with my neighbour with whom I have a redeemed world. On Monday I will return to a life of contribution which will owe its validity to all that was given me in yesterday's Eucharist.

Sacraments are, together with prayer, the most powerful means of appreciating and living my true self. Perhaps the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ needs more prayer for me to realise what it has to offer. "

Tan's Taiwanese Beef Noodles

While we're on the subject of beef (cf my last post), particularly stewed beef, I have another little rave in a very different category of restaurant: the Tan's homemade beef noodle stall in the Holland Drive Market place hawker centre.

Mr Tan is a personable chap who uses a 60 year old family recipe from his Taiwanese mother-in-law to stew beef to the point of melting tenderness. No MSG and no pork is used to flavour so the result is a wonderful broth and tender thin slices of shin beef, cooked for what must be hours in a pressure cooker. It's flavoured also with his special blend of chilli and chilli oil, fragrant and unlike the usual sambal type flavours or cut chilli normally favoured by Singaporeans.

The noodles too are a treat being smooth and silky in texture with enough "bite" to their texture to create that "la mien" type experience but less glutinous. They come with an optional side dish of piquant pickles (mainly turnip and speckles of carrot) to offset the depth of the meaty broth.

I down the whole meal with a glass of pineapple juice from my favourite juice seller across from the beef noodle stall whenever I'm there who invariably serves me promptly with a smile. Somehow it seems so far away from the far more commercially charged atmosphere of Holland Village just 10 mins away but a world away in terms of pricing and sophistication. Holland Drive market is still where you got good food for very good prices and real people unhurried by the pace of a more urban lifestyle.

For opening hours please refer to his website www.tansbeefnoodle.com

Quentins

I was recently treated to dinner by my aunt at a lovely little romantic place called Quentins in Katong near the junction of Telok Kurau Road and East Coast Road (note to early bird readers: I've corrected the location as a reader very helpfully pointed out my directions would lead you sadly astray). It's a unique little place because it serves Eurasian cuisine which in Singapore means it's a mix of British cooking with an Eastern flavour using many local ingredients, such as green chilli sambal prawns, and a bunch of rather more local dishes such as Chilli Kang Kong.

The dish I had that night that really stood out was the Beef Smore. The meat had a strong distinct and complex flavour which was delicious. It would be loved by meat lovers in general and those who like stews. The gravy was wonderfully flavoured and went nicely with the white rice.

What also charmed me about the place was that it was done up with nice touches such as old black and white photographs from the 1950s and 1960s of scenes typical of Eurasian life: a Eurasian wedding with the couple in the classic pose of the era; a shot of a bunch of altar boys in church preparing the incense burner; another picture of scenes of Katong of the time. It created a small window into the past that would definitely appeal to all the Eurasians and anyone who'd grown up in Katong in a slightly earlier time.

The rest of the restaurant had attentive little touches: darker wood furniture coupled with candles on the table and good linen and service staff who were helpful and unobstrusive. All in all a good dining experience which I would recommend as a mid-priced restaurant with food that you would only otherwise get if you were asked to dinner in a traditional Eurasian family.

How Much is that Doggie in the Window?

My newest bundle of joy is before you: Custard, named for the colour he is, is my family's latest adoptee from Action for Singapore Dogs Society.

ASD, a rescue society which I very happily support, have found a very good match for us: a cream coloured puppy with a confident but not overbearing disposition and which reminds me of my late, and most beloved, Scottie. And yet is individual enough so that I don't think of him as a reincarnation. Plus Custard has proven himself admirably suited to the children in the family as he has patiently endured the many little hands petting it without complaint and even with apparent enjoyment. Indeed so enchanted are my young nephews with this latest addition to the family that they have been claiming rights over feeding the little tyke breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm hoping their enthusiasm will last to when the little tyke is a big tyke and needs lots of walks with energetic young boys.

And for the how much I paid for the doggie, I actually don't pay for the dog so much as cover the costs of the vet plus earlier costs which the rescue society has incurred towards housing, fostering and otherwise caring for it while looking for a permanent home for it. I'd certainly encourage prospective dog owners to seriously consider adopting a dog rather than going to a petshop and buying one, and would particularly recommend working with ASD since they've proven themselves a very well run volunteer organisation.

Life Demands to be Lived

I came across this piece in the weekly bulletin of Novena church written by Fr Paul Kee. I found it very uplifting and just what I needed. So here I reproduce it in part.

"The human spirit refuses to be bowed. Life goes on, and hope springs eternal. Something inside us refuses to be defeated. Despite the aches and migraines of life, the sorrows (or glorious agony), the denial of accepting responsibility, feeling sorry for ourselves, living with past hurts or grieving over the death of a loved one, from years past, people come back from needless suffering and rejoice again. Life demands to be lived. On this subject of life and how to live it, Jesus had something to say. He tells us nto to be afraid, not to let fear rule our lives. Psychologists tell us that fear can not only cause psychosomatic illnesses like ulcers and headaches but also lead us to deep depression beyond our control.

Most of all we are reminded that in God's eyes, each of us is special, "unforgettable". Like the flower, "the forget-me-not", so are we to God. The world might see us as unforgettable, anonymous, dispensable even, but God does not. So let us live in the joy of that knowledge, in the richness of that faith, and teach others to do the same. Energy spent being with others is much better than constantly pointing fingers blaming and complaining and moaning about what might have been or could be better..."

Wedding Guest Shoes

Nothing like new shoes for a gal: again, I found a great buy at Charles & Keith when I was passing and in despearate need of a pair of dressy white heels for a posh wedding. My previous pair had long since expired and were duly retired.

I found this pair to be elegant and charming and on sale at an extremely reasonable price plus they went with my peach organza convered 3/4 length dress and I felt utterly chic and beautiful tottering around in them. It was all I needed to finish my outfit and give me confidence walking around the garden and tent filled with very illustrious guests in one of the large landed properties, yes, large enough to fit in an enormous wedding tent to hold all the wedding guests.

The finish to the dress and shoes was the borrowed silk evening bag from my sister and the champagne flute (filled of course with bubbly) which I wafted around with.

The best deal about the wedding was the desert cart which contained a selection of tiny, bite sized deserts, along with a glass vase full of peanut m&ms. Sadly the very attractive wedding cake composed of a very tall pyramid of multi-coloured profitioroles was not served as part of the desert. Instead, guests were comforted by having little Chinese black and red traditional bamboo carriers to carry away three types of wedding cake: kueh lapis, sugee cake and fruit cake.

One presumes the pile of profitioroles hid the real cakes?

QQ Rice

I adore food in tidy packages and have always been a big fan of sushi and dumplings. QQ Rice struck me as the taiwanese version of Subway sandwich bars. So instead of choosing a type of bread, one chooses the rice: purple, red, brown, ice lake wild rice or brown with wheatgerm sprinkled on it. Red is evidently very popular because it's been out of stock for a while.

Then choose the fillings and you get a generous 5 choices out of what looks like about 40 different choices of meat, fish, mock meat, and veg and fruit. The servers spread out the rice on the palm of their glove encased hand, then pile on your choice of filling then roll it all into an elongated fat roll of rice then steam it so that it all sticks together.

The result: a tidy little plastic wrapped package of rice with your choice of fillings. Talk about a meal in your hand. I can't resist buying two each time I'm around that area and once even bought three. They are extremely filling so actually I should only really be eating one for a meal. If I eat two, I end up being full for both lunch and dinner.

I still prefer sushi but this is a very nice alternative. QQ! fortunately so far the appellation does not refer to the process of getting one's food although if they get any more popular, it will as the process of ordering is not particularly speedy.

Aikido Shodan Grading

I graded for shodan in aikido today. It was like being at a big party much to my surprise. I'd been deliberately not psyching myself into it as if I had spent any time thinking about it at all, I'd have an attack of nerves so I had figured my best tactic was to forget about it as much as possible. Since it had been a busy week workwise, that was easy enough.

For the non-aikidoka among you, getting shodan is the equivalent of getting a blackbelt. It signifies that I've learnt all the foundation techniques and the real journey of learning now begins. Our sensei (teacher) always says the kyu grades (all the grades before shodan) are when one is a baby, and now you begin to walk (at shodan). I think it's very true. It's also for us to remember that learning is a journey and when we're in the process of learning a large body of techniques it can be easy to forget that the real importance of it lies in being able to use it well not just know it.

The fun bit about the grading was really watching my seniors grade. It turned out there was the largest number ever of senior dan grades (all grades shodan and above are dan grades). So there were the usual multiple attacks with weapons which are a joy to watch. The spectacular, and funny, bits all occur during these gradings because it becomes glaringly obvious when someone leaves themselves wide open to attack or not. The was a girl who's very good with strong clean wide technique who was otherwise performing superbly but she kept forgetting to disarm the attacker armed with a wooden knife. She'd very efficiently take him down and then leave the wooden dagger lying in his hand while taking on the second attacker. It was only in round 3 that it occured to her that hey, maybe I should take the knife away so after flattening the guy, so she had to go back and get it out of his hand while he lay on the ground. Which of course made her mistake all the more obvious. But at least she remembered while grading and not after.

I as usual forgot one technique. There's always at least one technique that I forget and this time it was yokomenkaitenage which is a throw that looks like a windmill from an attack to the side of the neck. I ended up having to glance over at my fellow testees to see how they did it before I could figure it out. Fortunately, this isn't regarded as cheating but as common sense during a grading.

Being able to grade with some of the top 1st kyu (grade just before shodan) chaps in my dojo is also why I chose to grade this time around. I just graded last round so I really should have waited till the next round another 4-6 months when I'd have been further along the learning curve and been able to handle the test with ease rather than struggling through. But when I realised what good company I'd have on the mat, I went for it. And sure enough, it was definitely the right crowd to be a part of, not just my own grading but also because after me, the largest ever crowd of senior dan grades graded. That took a lot of stress out of my own grading since it meant that my uke (attacker) wasn't changed halfway through and naturally he got tired during the 45 min long test. And that I had someone to copy from, and that the chief instructor's attention was diverted to the later gradings and that the rest of the 8 person panel almost to a man all had to come down and hit the mat so I'm sure they were more charitable with the marks :).

So as always, gambatte! train on! It's the daily day to day practice that is the ultimately the main thing and is the part I love most, not these highlights.

Pink Martini

I've been drinking pink martinis or really I should say I've been metaphorically drinking in Pink Martini, the group. They've produced two excellent albums a few years back, which a friend of mine gave me for Christmas. I've been listening to them while filing financial documents (yawn), researching the latest company I am doing due diligence on and it helps give a mellow mood to my afternoon with the latin precussion. However the band is definitely more than latin band...it starts out sounding latin then morphs into swing and then one of my favourite pieces, The Gardens of Sampson & Beasley. Later in the album they turn to even more stark but still very melodic pieces with just voice and violin or cello singing charming French pieces such as autrefois and the hauntingly beautiful U Plavu Zoru.

My favourite pieces are the smaller intimate ones where the singer, China Forbes, and just one or two accompanying instruments weave an intimate simpler melody as if she is singing to just me. The title of the second album, Hang On Little Tomato, is an apt title but the tune remarkably happy for a song which starts in a sadder mood.

Reading the notes, I realised one of the albums was recorded in Portland, Oregon in a place called the Kung Fu Bakery. then I noticed the picture on the end of the insert booklet was that of a happy retriever lying on its stomach, with tongue lolling out, over a magazine. Quirky little touches that speak to whimsical me. At any rate, the albums have won me over and for any of you who might be interested in listening to some samples, their website is www.pinkmartini.com

Christmas Cheer

I love Christmas. During the 12 days of Christmas, we as a family have usually gone a-visiting our slightly more distant relatives. This year, as one of the further flung ones came back from Australia, that particular family opened its doors for lunch. This was a special treat indeed for many reasons. First among these is of course the people: being a typical bunch of Singapore Eurasians, the banter flew, warm and friendly and filled with humour covering the entire gathering with a warm glow.

Second among these was the venue: this family lives in a beautiful little one storey house, with a little verandah and with an extremely well kept garden. From my childhood I remember it being immaculately kept and that still remains. They have added an amazing little bunch of finches of various hues in a small aviary on the side of the house. The finches clearly find it a hospitable home as they're breeding. The house also has an old dog and a little aquarium. That's not to mention all the varieties of flowers and plants around the house. I cannot imagine how much time must go into getting the place to thrive so with life and yet remain so tidy.

The house has remained as an extremely well kept icon of a past era when life was a little slower and there was more space, literally...no huge built up houses or apartment blocks. And it's a house so it never imposes on its guest but rather welcomes them into its very tropical open doors and windows. A house built before airconditioning so it blends well into the surrounding garden. So the many guests whiled away the afternoon spilled out of the house, sitting on the lawn, spread across the verendah, trading stories to catch up and create that warmth so characteristic of the Eurasian community in Singapore.

The third reason is of course the food: the food was delectable always but the star of the show was one of the desserts. This very special cake is what I used to look forward too all year when I went to visit as a child. This household specialises in a cake that is both difficult to make and rare. I've never seen it baked anywhere else but in this house and it was done to perfection by the mistress of the house, who since passing on, very fortunately did pass on the secrets to her daughter. Sweet, brown, large grained, nutty and rose scented, it is suitably named: lovecake. It remains a culinary challenge to me to make one. I tried many years ago, over two christmases but mine turned out with a stodgy layer on the bottom and no fluffy large grains emerged. So alas the secret remains hidden from me. Nevertheless I was glad to hear the family has decided to those hankering for it, they will gladly bake on demand at the cost of $50 per kg which for a cake of its uniqueness is a price worth paying.

We took our leave reluctantly late in the afternoon, filled with the warmth of families and long lost friends reuniting, sprinkled with the outrageous Eurasian fencing humour and our bodies filled with lovecake...my dear dad ate 4 slices.