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Singapore .. then and now

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Changi Point Beach I still recognise pockets of old Singapore amidst the modern urban development that has shaped this island city. Growing up in the Malay kampung of Lorong Engku Aman, which is now Eunos / Geylang Serai estate, I was immersed in the Malay culture and heritage,  even though I am of Straits -Chinese descent. Living in the eastern part of Singapore meant being close to the beach. I remembered Changi Point beach vividly where rambunctious extended family beach picnics were held and teenage BBQ parties. Today, a lot of the beach has been spruced up with park benches and designated BBQ areas ( permission must be applied in advanced to use a BBQ pit ). Camping is also allowed and many local families and foreign workers take advantage to set up tents over the weekends. With the balmy sea breeze blowing against my skin and the sight of greenish -blue waters, I could not help but to stand on the sea shore as waves rushed up my feet.  As a teenager, I used to wind surf on East C
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Positively Johor

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What is there to love about Johor Bahru?  Asian Koel Blue collared Kingfisher 1.  NATURE   Never far from vast swathes of forest. Great for bird watching and spotting other insects. Just the other day, while on a morning walk, I spotted a blue collared Kingfisher. And as if on cue, the incessant calls of the Asian Koel pierce the tranquility of every early morning. Irritating for a city girl like me, whose idea of being woken up is by my alarm clock.  2.    FOOD  Nasi Lemak everyday is great. I love the anchovies and peanut crunch, they make such a lovely protein snack. Especially perked up with delicious sweet tangy sambal sauce. There's crispy roti canai or prata, nasi biryani, fishball noodles, roasted duck, chee cheong fun, curry laksa, assam laksa and much more. Sweet desserts like durian chendol, durian ice-cream and durians! I've come to love Raja Kunyit aka Tumeric King because of its resemblance to the orange flesh of turmeric. Introducing ...Raja Kunyit Durian ice cr
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Dropping by the Philippines 2023

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Philippine Mangoes After a gruelling one year of MBA studies and having finally succeeded in my     thesis defence, I  made my long awaited trip to the Philippines. Happy to renew friendships forged 6 years ago.  It was a fruitful trip having met up with my work partners, family friends and former bible-study group.  I had forgotten how easy it was to be  pampered in the Philippines where housemaids, nannies and drivers are easily available. Manpower resource is just abundant, making Filipinos a much sought after human capital worldwide.  Cheese Ensaymada I had also forgotten how delightful Cheese Ensaymada tasted: pillowy soft, smothered with butter, sugar and grated cheese. My friends indulged me with Pinoy dishes that I missed: sweet desserts like Putu Bumbong, Bibingka Espesyal and Palitaw. Main dishes like Seafood Sinigang,  Pancit Luglog and Lumpia Ubud.  Like any cosmopolitan city, Manila boasts of a wide repertoire of cuisines. I had a scrumptious Greek, lunch, followed by Fren
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Singapore Update 2022

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It seems that everyone is riding on the price -hike game. Prices of food has risen 20-30%. For example: Malay Lontong ( rice cakes smothered with vegetable coconut broth) once cost a mere $2.00, then crept to $3.60 in 2021  and now at $4.50. Roti Prata, a local South Indian breakfast favourite cost $5 for two pieces of roti, what used to be $1.20 each.  Roti Prata and Teh Tarik Sunday breakfast has become an expensive affair for a family of four. And I am referring to eating at the neighbourhood coffeeshop.  Even restaurants have hiked their prices: Five Star Kampung Chicken rice has a  three-tiered pricing for its chicken rice: breast meat ( $7.50), thigh ( $7.00) and back ($6.50) which shock the daylights out of me. What used to be once priced at $3.50.  Joo Chiat Road, a former enclave of Straits Chinese ( Peranakan ) families in their pretty  two storey houses have since given way to commercial redevelopment. Coffee bars, fitness clubs, bakeries, restaurants and retailers of wines
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Lying low during Covid times..

Covid 19 has be with us since March 24, 2020. It first came to Italy and then it travelled to Belgium with skiers returning home from their ski holidays in the Italian slopes. My cousin Glenda, who resides in Hong kong, had already sent me a text to stock up on face masks a month earlier as infections were sweeping through HongKong and Singapore.  We were kind of lagging behind in Europe... As I picked up where I left, it has been two years and four months of living under Covid pandemic measures. I have been too reluctant to travel because of the uncertainties involved. Countries were imposing quarantine measures of up to 2 weeks, compulsory  and repeated PCR tests and the possibilities of being grounded. For the sake of doing something, I signed up for an MBA course in the fall of 2021 at the prestigious  Catholic University Leuven  (KUL).  By far the most enriching thing I have embarked on and yet with much blood, sweat and tears. I continue to press on until September 2022, by whic
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Location: Leuven, Belgium
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When "break a leg" is not a joke anymore

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On a Saturday morning on July 27, 2019,  as I was going down the stairs in my apartment, I absent-mindedly missed two steps on the staircase and crashed landed onto the floor.  It happened in a flash, one moment on the stairs and the next, sprawled on the ground. The excruciating pain shot through my leg foot as I grasped it tightly, waiting for the pain to subside. Then I limped into the kitchen and pulled out a bag of frozen peas to ice the sore foot. Seeing that I could still slightly move my toes and that the pain was tolerable, I mistakenly believed that I had narrowly escaped a broken foot.  I have always thought that if you can move your fingers or toes, then nothing is broken. And if something was broken, the pain would be so unbearable that you would be tearing your hair out. With that self diagnosis concluded, I held off going to Emergency and thought that the injury would heal over time. I had a summer BBQ party that same evening and had promised to prepare two dish
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Good Morning Marseille

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Part of Vieux Port July and August are months when things grind to a halt in Europe, well, most of northern Europe anyway.  Summer heralds endless festivals like beach parties, concerts, music festivals and some very well known ones like Tomorrowland. European airports are thrown into chaos and highways like the A7 in France -also known as the Route du Soleil- get all choked up with motorists driving caravans, SUVs, cars piled with kids, pets, suitcases and bicycles, all heading south in search of destinations in the sun. Alcoves along the Corniche My trip to Marseille happened to be at the very start of July and to do my bit for the environment I took the TGV high speed train. Travelling at 300 kms/hr, Marseille was a mere 5 hour train ride from Brussels. On the train, there is a bar serving sandwiches, snacks and beverages, electric outlets for your smart gadgets and wifi ; the connections almost never work though, so I switched on to mobile data instead. I stayed at t
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Location: Marseille, France
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