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.