Good eats

We shifted to a new office in a brand new building recently. Now that the worst parts of moving are behind us, the new office is something I look forward to. Going through the agony of shifting together and being shuffled around has fostered warmer ties among different sets of people. I have my own cubicle and no longer share an office room with my boss. The pantry is next door and there are three times as many ladies' toilets in this building. Not only that, they gave me my own locker located inside the toilet! Now I don't have to resort to creative ways of pulling out feminine products discreetly from my bag in my boss' field of view or resort to sending telepathic signals to his part of the brain that controls thirst and the bladder. Open office plans are somewhat unnerving. People sneak up from behind a lot and involve me in random small talk or expect me to take part in group conversations flying across the floor which I don't pay much attention to.

The trip back home made me rethink my eating habits. The lunch I eat at the office canteen is quite oily so I decided to eat home cooked meals on some days. Although I am not noticeably affected by oily food now, who knows even an extra year saved in terms of blocked arteries during my last stand may prove to be useful. I actually enjoy cooking. To me, it's more like an enjoyable version of laboratory research where the subjects of my experiments are my friends, and not mice. The friends don't mind since they get to sample free food. Making food that is healthy is science. Making food that is visually appetizing is like art. And making food that tastes good with the right ingredients in the right quantities is chemistry. Hitting that mark of perfection in taste is like reaching the equivalence point in a titration experiment. Adding anything less or anything more is likely to miss the mark. With the exception of accidentally poisoning oneself or burning down the house, failures in cooking experiments are valuable things that go down as lessons learnt.

Last night I went out for a barbeque with my colleagues. We planned this event for many days with much excitement. Everyone pooled in their ideas and sponsored various items. Initially they planned to bring their families and invite other friends, but in the end it was just the four of us. I stated in the beginning that I won't be inviting any of my friends - I can't imagine how any of my closest friends would enjoy an outing on a Friday night with a group of mostly unknown people and be forced to socialise.

We drove to the farthest end of the country in search of our barbeque pit in Changi Beach Park. In all the excitement, we forgot to research on the road route. We parked in the wrong car park and walked about a kilometer from the car park to the pit carrying heavy things like charcoal, barbeque equipment, food, drinks, a bag of ice cubes, a large ice box, large umbrellas and a big watermelon! Also, getting a fire started was quite a challenge. Eventually, we settled in what was a calming spot, listening to the waves pounding on the beach and getting excited every time a low flying aircraft made its way to land at the Changi airport. It was a Friday evening well spent in good company, (over)eating, talking, singing a lot of old songs (mostly just the first few lines) and playing charades.

What do vegetarians eat at barbecues? In yesterday's barbeque, Shu sponsored garlic and herb vegetable skewers and grilled corn

On my return from Sri Lanka last month, I brought back some biscuits to distribute to my office colleagues. One of my favourites is the ginger biscuit which I also passed to an older Scottish colleague who occasionally gives me biscuits and freebies leftover from Safety campaigns in the office.

He came back to me several weeks later and said, "Shu, do you think you can get me more of those biscuits? As kids, we used to eat something called Ginger Snaps, which we don't see anymore. It reminded me a lot of my mother who used to dunk the biscuits in milk because they were too hard for her false teeth!"

It's fascinating how memories of certain events in our lives are tied to food or songs and archived in our long term memory, only to be released on contact with specific triggers.

"Ginger snaps" from home

In a twist of unexpected events, Brother Bear and Goldilocks are turning out to be better tenants than we are. While we are at work, they proactively clean the house (although we protest to it), fix broken locks and to our embarrassment, they even solved a chronic clogged sink issue. Now that they keep the house cleaner, we are feeling the pressure to keep up. Shu learned that they got married only a couple of months ago and left family behind soon after to start a new chapter in Singapore. It's a bit saddening knowing it's a struggle to adjust to a new country and culture, but at the same time, it's admirable that they are trying it with a positive attitude.

Last week, Ryuu and I caught Guardians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back to back. I didn't think we'd make it through 4 hours of sitting (with old age, weak bladders and all) but we did. Guardians was definitely the better movie of the two, but Turtles was a major blast from the past for me. I was a big time fan of the cartoon as a child and recall fondly playing the game on my TV game console.

Recently, I discovered a food stall selling "appam" and it was our pre-movie dinner. In Sri Lanka, they are known as "hoppers" and are very popular among the masses.

Not so long ago, Katy and I decided to try Mediterranean food at a restaurant called Esmirada. Just when we were beginning to think the food there was a bit underwhelming, the restaurant suddenly came alive and started playing a loud, catchy folk song. I thought it might be a birthday celebration. Then some of the staff members got on tables and danced away while smashing lots of porcelain plates! Soon, they gave us plates for smashing too!! Everyone was in smiles and followed suit.

The staff danced on the tables to this folk tune. It turns out that smashing plates is an ancient Greek tradition and the "Zorba" is a Greek dance.

The floor was a mess of chipped porcelain when we left

New arrivals

I was quite inspired by Serena Dyer's article on "What I Know Now at 29", mostly because it was very relatable. With age, experience and knowing oneself better comes many realisations about Life. It may not be the ultimate wisdom, but there's a sense of confidence in knowing that whatever happens, it's going to be okay.

"I know now, as I enter my 29th turn around the sun, my final year in the decade of my 20s, that who I am is someone I love, and there is no shame or fear in admitting that."

Her analogy of the Sun jumped right out of the screen and brought to mind a carefree Shu with a blue backpack ready to start her own 29th orbit around our glorious Sun.

Kind of like this image from E.T.

~ ~ ~ 

The office transport bus that I take is driven by an old uncle. He's a little older than my father and we've become good friends since I'm usually the only one to take the bus in the evenings. We mostly talk about politics, rising costs of living, my food options, his family, traffic, weather, jobs and retirement. For most elderly persons living in Singapore, the bliss of retirement is not what the average elderly person in other countries may experience. Instead of gardening and relaxing on the porch with a newspaper each morning, they often work in canteens cleaning up after others or baby sit their grandchildren full time or like this uncle, work normal working hours for 6 days a week. On the other hand, these people also appear more independent and resilient both mentally and physically compared to elders back home. And this uncle in particular is still with a positive work attitude and speaks of his wife very fondly.

~ ~ ~

Oh. I nearly forgot to introduce these new faces! They grow up so fast.

 

Before...

And after...

And now, at 2 months old! My parents have taken up their grandparent duties very seriously and tell me these kittens act more like hyperactive monkeys. 

I look forward to meeting the whole bunch next month.

Dragons and Adopted Families

Last week was a very socially active one with farewells and celebratory treats and get-togethers. I even squeezed in How to Train Your Dragon 2, but more on that later. Normally, I would shy away from the thought of social gatherings because they are physically (and sometimes mentally) draining, but at my age I have become bold enough to say "No" to gatherings I really do not like and only accept invitations to ones I like. I consider the gatherings with people I like to be worth the after-effects of socialising which include lacking sleep, energy and focus the next day.

Starting with home cooked Sri Lankan food last Sunday, my insides also went on a gastronomic tour around the world experiencing Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Thai and Moroccan cuisine one day after another. I have new-found admiration for Vietnamese food after discovering their vegetarian options. After last week's over-indulgence, I am determined to eat nuts, berries and tree bark for the rest of the month.

Last Thursday, I was late to work (socializing from the night before) and had to work late to finish the backlog. Earlier, when I had checked the times for the MUCH anticipated dragon movie, there was only one cinema quite far away from my place that was showing a 3D version of the movie so I gave up on the idea of watching it on release day because for me it was either 3D or no movie at all. But in a twist of fate around 7:00pm, another colleague who worked late offered a lift to the very same city showing the 3D movie. I jumped on the offer and caught the 9:30pm movie on my own and got home a few minutes after midnight!

Waiting at the bus stop to catch a bus home around 11:30pm when most of the people were safety tucked in their beds. Thankfully, a female can travel alone at that time of the day in Singapore and not worry much about it. 

I suspect I'm too biased about the movie franchise to give an objective review (after all, I waited only FOUR long years for the second movie), but I LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT!!! I was grinning and laughing for most of it and was left desperately wanting to have a dragon-friend like Toothless. Ahh IF only...

~ ~ ~ 

Lunch hour with my three colleagues at work is the highlight of my work day. It sort of reminds me of the social circles I had in Dubai which I miss very much. Sometimes, a mix of different people from different corners of the globe come together so randomly and a perfect recipe is born and like good wine, it ripens with time. Even the colleague who I used as the prime example of extroverts in my research study has grown on me and I've come to realise she's a gem in a sea of ordinary humans. Maybe it's knowing that as projects come and go, this little group will cease to exist in a few months but for now, everyone in it is happy to give and take. 

In this group of four, there's the extroverted story-telling mother goose who's very loving, clever and funny. Then there's the caring, religious, health-conscious elder sister who baffles us with her mysterious mood swings. Also there's the wise, smart, thoughtful workoholic younger brother who's a bit of a mischievous bully sometimes and there's me - the somewhat quiet observer who enjoys watching the group dynamics with much amusement. Sure, we all have our imperfections but we seemed to have been able to leave them behind with all the other differences and meet at a place that we are all happy and comfortable.

What everyone in this group has in common are humble beginnings and a deep attachment to their families, perhaps more so than the average person I'd meet in Singapore. Coming from remote towns and villages in Third World countries, growing up with little, having to take care of their families, putting up with inconveniences and working extra hard at times in life are some of the things that's shaped everyone in this gang in one way or another. And because of this, being in much better circumstances in life now has not changed the 'generous and grounded factor' that lies in all of them. Being in their company, I am constantly reminded to be humble, positive and less selfish. For this, I've come to admire them very much. 

The topics we share at lunch are mostly the reflective and enriching types - travel, family, food, jokes, movies, psychology, history, economics, politics, science - and not the superficial types about other people's personal lives that would easily drive me to boredom. The more life stories I hear from these interesting people, the more pieces I get to weave a bigger mental fabric about each of individuals. I think the study of people and why they act the way they do fascinates me.

In more food news, I finally discovered the Sri Lankan food stall situated at Tekka Market in Little India. The food there was pretty decent and it was good to get a familiar taste of home. 

Raja Bojun (loosely translated as "food fit for Royalty") at Little India

Long Live Jackfruits!

On some evenings, I am greeted by a cat on the ground floor of my building. I figured I'll call her Skitto but the name is still under review as it might be construed as mildly offensive. She is unlike any other cat I have met. On some days, she comes running to me like we are best friends. On other days, she runs away from me like I am a serial killer. I was baffled by this behaviour until one day, it dawned on me that she might be suffering from a bipolar disorder. If I weren't a white-collar worker, I could have been a veterinary psychologist!

This week is a very eventful one. Another social event approaches - the type that Simple Shu prefers to not participate in. It is a bother to find dresses (the theme is "Secret Agents and Spies") and think of make up, but if I am making any compromises to my regular routine, it would be okay to do that with my zoo friends, who share a lot in common with me.

I also failed a basic driving theory test by 1 mark this week. Failing is not only demoralising, it is also inconvenient. Oddly enough, after absorbing a lot of information on driving and road signs, I have just begun to notice signs on the roads that I never saw all this time. I wonder how much information of what we see with our eyes actually reaches our awareness. The brain is a curious thing. Last night, I gulped down a cup of coffee half an hour before bedtime in hopes of studying road signs. It failed to keep me up so I gave up and went to sleep. This morning, in spite of sleeping, I woke up feeling like my brain had been up all night from a caffeine overdose.

Jackfruit (the tree has practically a hundred uses in a lot of countries) is a favourite of many Asians. I was thrilled to receive a pack of dehydrated jackfruit chips from my parents the other day, which I cooked to (Shu's level of) perfection.

Raw jackfruit chips, preserved by dehydration

A delicious, finished product

We are what we eat

It almost feels like my body is syncing with a remote server in Europe since my trip there last August. I can feel the approaching winter and my body is gearing for the hibernation mode. My appetite has increased massively (towards comfort food) and so has fat stores in the abdominal area, obviously for insulation and the gradual release of nutrients when food is scarce. I also don't feel like socialising much (except with the inner circle of family and friends) and I assume it helps conserve precious energy stores. Even my leisure time activities are now centered around passively sitting, sleeping, watching or reading as opposed to swimming or hiking or dancing.

The other day, Ryuu and I finally (years since we first agreed on the plan) re-visited our old university. It was good to walk around campus, reminisce the past, notice how things have changed and yet how some things have not changed as all. It turned out that after all these years (6.5 years for me), the strongest memories we had were - not academic matters - but the best places on campus that had good food. It think it merely highlights that food plays a very important role in every student's life.

A sandwich machine fondly remembered by Ryuu who also swore the sandwiches tasted better back then

A green area by the Central Library that I used to sit and have quick lunches in between lectures.

The horrors of staying up overnight, frequenting vending machines for sustenance and studying for dear life.

The university had several new buildings that had popped up like mushrooms 

 Evidence of student extra curricular activities

Student residence areas

 Overall, it appeared like the campus has adopted a lot of green initiatives since our time

 The dining hall of my old hall of residence

Unfortunately, my phone battery died an hour or so into the trip and that put a dent on my plan to write a descriptive post of  the trip, complete with photos. Also, we stuffed ourselves with really good food from an Indian food stall at one of the student residences and that is the last thing I remember. Come to think of it, I don't even recall how I got home.

Macdonald's hates me

Macdonald's hates me. I can tell. Soon they are going to block my email address from their feedback page.

A morning rant following a repeated event of spilled coffee:

Dear Manager,

I am a regular customer of McCafe and I enjoy the variety of beverages served there. However, I'd like to give some feedback on the plastic carriers used for take away beverages. As these are put in regular plastic bags, I usually end up spilling my coffee by the time I reach my destination or otherwise I have to take extra care to ensure the cup is held upright while travelling, as it is not provided in a carrier-friendly packaging. I have met others who have experienced the same problem. Please use plastic carriers specific to carrying hot beverages e.g. the ones used in ordinary coffee shops as they are far more effective.

Dear Shuri,
Thank you for your email.
We appreciate your feedback on using plastic carriers and we will channel this to the relevant department for consideration. [Read: Go to hell.]
Thank you for taking the time to write in. [Read: Don't you have better things to do with your time?]

Another day, after eating a double cheese burger minus the burger and feeling overdosed with cheese:

Dear Manager,
I would like to suggest an improvement to the Macdonald's food menu which I believe would be profitable as well as promote Macdonalds as fast food restaurant chain that adopts healthier food alternatives.

Suggestion: Introduce a vegetarian burger.

I am a vegetarian. However, I am a regular customer at Macdonalds for good quality French fries, hot cakes, smoothies, ice cream, coffee, etc, it offers. While I lived in United Arab Emirates for a few years, I noticed that Macdonalds Arabia has a vegetarian burger option to cater to a significant population of vegetarians as well as those who like the occasional change in their menu. I think it would be a great idea to implement this in Singapore as there is a significant number of vegetarians here as well as a growing trend in the number of people who like to occasionally opt for vegetarian options.
Thanks and I look forward to your positive feedback.

Dear Shuri
Thank you for your email.
At McDonald’s, we aim to deliver an exceptional dining experience to our customers, every visit, every time.  [LIES.] Your suggestion of adding Vegetarian burger to the menu is appreciated, and will be useful as we constantly look to evolving our menu choices to meet our customers' needs. [Read: Not happening, EVER.]

We look forward to serving you soon again in our restaurants. [Read: We know you are going to come to us anyway because you can't resist our fries, the cheap mocca frappe and the hot cakes.]


18 Aug 2013
Afternote:

I was wrong.

Macdonalds finally decided to introduce a vegetarian burger! *does a victory dance* I'm guessing there were many other potato-loving vegetarians who wrote to them to demand one and Macdonalds saw the economic potential of introducing it.

Today we are musically inspired

Had I been born a ten years earlier, I might have caught Queen live in concert!

*note to self* Attend a live Rock concert. And hurry, before the last of the Classic Rock bands perform their final world tours.

Journey is performing live here today. I'm not a big fan of the band, only because I have not actively listened to their tracks growing up except for "Don't Stop Believing" after hearing a Glee cover and falling in love with it. But I have to admit, they sound Great! Perhaps artistes these days, in their great numbers and with bountiful opportunities to arrive at fame, have to work harder to have lasting fame because there just is too much competition and too many channels to address. Back then before the 90's, it was a simpler affair - if a Rock band had exceptional talent and toured around a lot, most likely they'll get their immortal fame because unlike now, the audiences were not spoilt for choices when listening to music. They were likely to listen to the same limited collection of good songs which would then be etched in their souls. Now our playlists grow and change so fast that it's easy to forget even a good song in a matter of days. Quite unfair to the extremely talented artistes these days, I suppose. And back then, musicians needed mostly exceptional talent and stamina to go on. Now, budding musicians need business and social networks, media channels, sophisticated equipment, an entourage of performers.... Oh and fame doesn't necessarily co-relate to talent.

Our musical pursuits made us really hungry after work so we made a colourful home-cooked meal!

Run away, vegetable haters!

My mother was extremely supportive of my recycling efforts when she visited me. She went the extra miles to throw every piece of trash that was recyclable into my special trash bag during her stay. So it brought me much joy to see the biggest haul of weekly junk during one of the weeks she was here. I'm also quite touched that my housemates continue to support the cause in their own ways. Since we began separating the recyclable from the non-recyclable junk, the number of trash bags thrown down the chute to the public disposal system has vastly reduced.

A record week of junk haul for Shu!

Time to log off. Do support Earth Hour on Saturday, 23rd March 2013 from 08:30pm to 09:30pm. It's a good gesture to be part of a global effort for a global cause.

The Foodie

Invictus

- William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

And that was a poem also found in the inspiring and feel-good movie - Invictus, based on a part of Nelson Mandela's life.

~ ~ ~

Age is just a number. We all start the scale at zero, but who's to tell what the number at the other end of the scale is. So there's no point to rushing or trying to keep up with everyone else. I'd rather prefer to grow up and go about doing things at my own pace.

Today, I got my week-end 'nature fix' by hiking to Singapore's highest peak. It took only about 55 minutes to get to the summit at 165 meters above sea level walking all the way from my place, giving a good idea of how flat Singapore really is. When I landed here for the first time, eight years ago, three things really shocked me; the lack of mountains, toilets that flushed themselves and internet without cables. I didn't spot much animals except for a few monkey mothers carrying clingy youngsters on their bellies, a squirrel, some birds and a few insects. But walks in damp rainforests with the constant shrill sounds of cicadas in one's ears, are cool and calming.

Reaching the summit of Bukit Timah Hill after hiking through a nice damp rainforest trail

Just like how some couples bring out the best in each other, there are winning combinations of food. For example, cheese and tomatoes or chocolate and mint (there's nothing quite like these). Once long ago, I accidentally discovered during a shopping trip to accompany a friend, that green apple juice and celery juice mixed together were such a team (otherwise the thought of drinking "celery juice" alone is like drinking egg-plant juice or onion juice). The sourness of green apples perfectly complements salty celery. I was so inspired by this discovery that I started eating green apples with massive amounts of salt and I managed to get a convert in the process too.  After work, as I change buses at an interchange/ massive mall, I am drawn to try out new food though I have not been paid yet. The other day, I was overjoyed when I found out that the bubble tea shop sells green apple and celery juice with the chewy bubbles. I've also ventured a little into "sweet territory" (which is not usually my primary preference) and found out that cinnamon sugar coated warm pretzels are really nice too. I'm so going to a hell dedicated to gluttons.

Relations at work with aliens are improving, slowly.