Yearly Archives: 2013

Katong’s Peranakan Culture

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To learn more about this neighborhood I call my home since Feb this year, I  spent some time exploring Katong the last few weeks.

Katong, being the area associated with the first Peranakan community in Singapore, has retained some of its Peranakan heritage. Located on the stretch of Katong Road, are three shophouses with distinct Peranakan architecture; Rumah Bebe, Katong Antique House and Peranakan Inn.

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Ornate and intricate patterns lined the walls and floors at the shop. The beautiful architecture of the shop house intrigued me…

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Until I stepped into the shop.

I was greeted by a scowling-face middle aged lady, whose first words were,”No photography allowed!”, when she saw that I was holding a camera. It wasn’t a pleasant experience for the rest of the time K and I were in the shop. She hovered around us as we browse through her merchandise, her ‘menacing’ presence made me almost afraid to ask her any questions about the $500 Kebaya-s and $300 beaded slippers on display.

I felt pressured enough by the lady in the shop to eventually buy something before leaving; a slice of Kueh Lapis. Which incidentally gave me very bad diarrhoea for the next 4 days. This was one of the worse experience I ever encountered from any retail shop in Singapore. So enter Rumah Bebe at your own risk!

It seems I am not the only one that experienced this from the shop assistant, found these bad reviews about Rumah Bebe from Trip Advisor.

I have learnt never to trust the write-ups from Singapore Tourism Board.

I can’t help but peek into the shop as I walk pass Rumah Bebe almost daily in the early evenings, and I am really not surprised to see the shop without customers every time.

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Now, I had a totally different experience from this other location. Which made me wonder if Katong Antique House is ever opened for business, for those times I visited. Maybe I should have called to make an appointment?

Interesting facade and exterior, but my experience ended there. I visited the place thrice but never had an opportunity to venture beyond the hall of the place. So no photo opportunities either. If Peranakan antiques and artifacts interest you, Peranakan Museum will be a better place to view these things.

Just look at these lovely Peranakan tiles then,

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I wonder though will I be warmly welcomed into these places, if I was of  a native of another country, other than a local Singaporean. Or are these just examples of bad customer service?

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For a friendly and tastier Peranakan experience, venture next door to Peranakan Inn.

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So will there be more to discover from the Katong neighborhood? Likely so. But not till this’accidental tourist’ sets aside some time the next few weeks to find out more about this neighbourhood.

 

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Portraits of a Singapore Mom Blogger 1

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“Both my paternal grandparents were locally born but we hearsay our ancestry line moved from Indonesia to Terrenganu to Singapore.

My dad married my mom, who is a true blue teochew! So, I am only a half-bred nonya.”

What is your earliest memory of your heritage?

“I think the most memorable moments learning about my heritage was visiting my paternal relatives during the Chinese New Year. It helped that I was always rooted at my seat and trying to figure out the language, so unlike the younger generation today. It is likely that I picked up my knowledge of basic Malay and a fair bit of ‘peranakan language’ from them. (Peranakans converse in a mixture of English, Malay and Hokkien).

My parents were already rather modernized when they wedded in the 60s. There was, unfortunately, no specific tradition that has been carried forward except for the food. My mum leant peranakan-style cooking from my paternal grandma who taught her the recipes.”

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“My grandma was the only nonya whom I knew who faithfully wore her Kebayas at home, as she lived with us till she passed on when I turned 16 years old. It was a pity that we were not very close and there wasn’t any keepsake from her that was handed down, as it was only distributed amongst her daughters.

However, my 2nd brother elder brother, Alvin, who is very much into preserving the peranakan heritage, helped formed and helms ‘The Main Wayang Company’. Which actively promotes the unique Peranakan culture locally and overseas. Do check out some of the music that he has composed and produced.”

“…I do have a few memorabilia presented to me by my brother; a Kam Cheng and some porcelain spoon ornaments which I proudly display in my home. These are things that remind me of my heritage. ”

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Of all the things you have learnt from your parents (in terms of tradition and culture), what do you feel was the most valuable?

“I think I like the way I have been shown what is true love and stay humble in life. My mom came from a very well-to-do family before she met my dad, who was working in a factory prior to becoming a teacher. In those days, money was very hard to come by. She chose love and trust (my dad) versus an arranged marriage to a rich businessman’s son. She stood by my dad in good times and in bad. She never once wavered even though she could have had a luxurious life, I honor and respect her for that. ”

 

So, who is this Singapore Mom Blogger?

It’s Adeline, from The Accidental Mom Blogger.  A mom of 2, a jewelry crafter of unique and intricate creations and an extremely competent home-cook.

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With Adeline’s winsome girlish charms and lovely dimpled smile, it was not so hard for this inexperienced-amateur-photographer-yours-truly to capture these portrait shots of her.

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She may come across as quiet and reserved at first impression. But as I got to know her better this past one year, I have discovered that Adeline has a playful side, yet she can be the dependable big sister of SMB, who has earned herself the nick AOAC – ‘Adeline Oon Ah Che’.

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Adeline also has a matriarchal side to her, (matriarchal doesn’t mean wanting to crush people like cockroaches), that is demonstrated by how efficient and capable she is in running her household and single-handedly tending to the needs of her two children.

Want to find out more about the real AOAC? Then do visit her blog at The Accidental Mom Blogger.

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So who will be featured next on my next installment of Portraits of a Singapore Mom Blogger? Stay tuned for the continuation of this series in the next few weeks.

 



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Photo *Heart* Fridays – Portraits

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She turned on a gentle fire for the wok, the stew simmered for a few minutes. Then, she gracefully stirred the contents in the wok, ladled into a bowl and artfully scattered garnish on top of the dish. She was a thoughtful host, who warmly welcomed me into her home and served me a gratifying home-cooked lunch that afternoon.

Who is she? She was my first obliging ‘model’ for a new series that I am developing for this blog. A series of portraits that will take a peek into the roots of some Singapore moms, moms who will share their stories of culture and heritage in their lives.

She isn’t just any Singapore Mom. She is a mom who is a part of this community that I have grown to love and appreciate; she is a Singapore Mom Blogger.

Can you guess who she is? A clue, she has Peranakan roots. Do look out for first post next week on Portraits of a Singapore Mom Blogger, and you will get to see who she is!



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A Mom-of-One’s take on a self-absorbed Mothers’ Day Week

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For a mom-of-one, the season for craving to have another child comes along every once in a while, especially when a friend just had a baby and another just got pregnant with her second.

Looking at lovely photos of the precious little infant of a few days old with their eyes closed, looking so vulnerable tends to heighten my desire of having another child. Then I should go have another child? Don’t ever say that to me, as I might just go psycho on you. Let me correct that, I never go psycho on anyone (except my hb, and rarely on K), you will likely get a stoned-face expression from me as this is a question that I am tired of answering.

A conversation on Regina‘s Facebook status made me cry last Thursday.

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Yes, it did, Regina.

Like I couldn’t control this sadness that was overwhelming me. I would like to blame it on PMS, except that PMS already happened 1 week ago. There are some things that we tend to push it at the back of our minds as we don’t want to think about it, this is one of those things for me. Somehow it has been alot more pronounced lately.

Last night I started thinking about it again, as I was contemplating if I should come public with this on my blog. Drenching my pillow with my wet tears, while at the same time, admonishing myself “You stupid over-emotional woman, cry for what. Forget about this thought, I am sure God has His reasons for you not having another child. You are not meant to be a mom-of-more-than-one. You are meant to do something else with your life, and stay as a Mom-of-one. Get it?” Yeah. Like what. I still haven’t found an answer to that.

Maybe it’s because its Mother’s Day soon, and I am just too self-focused. Mothers’ Day is not just about me, it about my mom (with 3 kids btw), and my grandmothers (who all had more than 5 kids at each side) and the majority of moms in the world with more than 1 child :( :( :(

Just have to forget Mothers’ Day for a moment.

And think about why I am being an over-emotional mom. The emo-feeling has been alot more pronounced this year likely because this is K’s last year into pre-school and he will be going to Primary 1 next year. And I don’t want Primary 1 to happen. But it is going happen, whether I like it or not. I often catch myself looking at K with this wistful look in my eye, with the same words run through my head, like a broken recorder, begging, “Please don’t grow up so fast.” And it gets worse when my thought start to wonder, “I wonder how K’s brother or sister will look like, I think he/she will be just as endearing as this little guy.” Then the rational woman in me, will go, “I think its better that you stop over-thinking, as it will never happen.”

I don’t know if this sort of things happens to moms with more 1 child. But as a mom-of-1, I always tell myself that I will make a lousy mom-of-2 or more, as I will be too overwhelmed with having to take care of two kids. But who am I kidding? It’s just sour grapes speaking here. If I was privilege enough to have another child, God will make it possible for me to manage parenting more than 1 child.

As the week of Mothers’ Day comes around. If you are a mom with one child, a mom with many kids, dwell and appreciate this great blessing to have children and an even greater privilege to shepherd them. So do not reflect on the ‘could-have, would-have, should-have’ moments that u regret making when it comes to having more than one child. Maybe is a good time also to think about your priorities as a mom to your kids?

As for this mom-of-one, I should just start making a point to a better mom and make sure that every second I spend with K really counts, and stop wasting my mom-time. After all, I still might have some time left over to make this world a better place for all. Right.

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In my Bag

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They say that what handbag you carry determines your personality style.

Never judge a handbag by its cover, I say. What type of handbag a woman carries may determine what type of personality traits you might have. But I think like most other things, it is the inside that counts.

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So what’s inside my big slouchy hobo-styled bag? Lots of things :

1.Sunglasses – How can I ever leave home without it. Black when I am wearing cool colors, and brown when my outfit is in a warm color
2.Iphone and charger – That’s something that will give me withdrawal symptoms if I ever leave home without them
3.Umbrella – One of the smallest and lightest umbrella that I got a couple a years ago that cost me almost $30. But I am not going to complain about its price, since it is so durable and easy to carry around (It usually inside a Watson plastic bag, which is really handy when the umbrella gets wet)

4.Foldable bag – My sis passed me her extra set last year, and I have only used it once since then. Maybe its because I always carry such huge bags that I hardly ever need an extra bag to hold things
5.Video Ezy Vouchers – We don’t have regular TV channels at home, so have become die-hard Video Ezy members
6.EZ link cards – Another thing I can’t leave home without, and K’s card is always in my bag.

7.‘White Bunny with a hot pink dress’ earphones holder with iPhone earphones – One of my handmades that I made for a charity sale two years ago
8.Black hairclip – I carry different ones in different shades depending on what I am wearing that day. My hair clip need to match my outfit, how can hair clips not match outfits?
9.Wipes – For wiping K’s dirty mouth and fingers

10.Things spilling out of my black pouch – 1 Nivea lip balm, 1 Estee Lauder lip stick with a tiny mirror inside, 1 lip gloss from Mary Kay, Eye Drops for when the contact lenses get really dry, a pen and house keys with a Video Ezy membership keychain attached.
11.More stuff spilling out of my black pouch - Hb often grins when he sees me keep my bags within a bag, within a bag. A Piggy card holder with my cards and cash – I don’t like wallets as they are too bulky.
12.My Cat coin purse – for small change

So what does my bag say about me?

Outwardly I am sort-of, kind-of a fashionista, but inwardly, I embrace my inner-childlike personality.

 

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Photo *Heart* Fridays – How to Capture Sunflares from your Phone

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I have been obsessed with sun-flares since this first sun flare that I managed to capture with my iPhone (photo above). Too often in the mornings, I will be pointing my phone’s camera lens towards the sun trying to position my phone for that perfect shot of the flare, and have since gotten used to weird stares from passer-bys.

Once you are able to capture your first sun flare with your phone, it does get rather addictive. Either that, this is just one of my monologues, to confirm that I am like the only phone camera geek here.

If you are keen to try capturing your own lensflare / sunflare through your phone’s camera, here are some practical tips I have learnt capturing sun-flares from my phone :

1) It has to be a clear day when the sky is blue. The sun will be contrasted against a blue sky.

2) One of the best way to create the sun-burst effect is to have something in front of the sun to block part of the sun rays. It can be trees, buildings, clouds. Or you could easily pick up a leaf to block the sun, only allow some of the sun’s rays to emerge over the edges of the leaf to create lines of light.

3) No mid day sun please! I have found that the afternoon sunlight is too harsh and all you will see in your photo is one big blob of light over the sun. The sun is best before 9.00am or later in the day.

Sunflare2Photo on left taken at close to 6.00 p.m., while the photo on the left was taken at about 8.45 a.m.

4) Hold your phone camera towards the sun, and there will be some eye-squinting involved in this exercise but it helps not to stare directly at the sun. Tilt your phone at various angles so as to achieve that light refraction from the lens. Go on and click even if you can’t see anything, change to different angles and capture the photos. Trial and error can be really helpful here.

5) Once you have captured the sun flare, be careful not to have your photo too bright (i.e. over-exposed).  One easy way I have tried, is to darken the exposure and increase the contrast of the colours. My favorite post processing apps available from the App store are Filterstorm and Snapseed.

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One final tip.

Experiment, experiment, experiment! Don’t give up even though your first few attempts are not successful. I think sun flare has that bit of time and chance involved, and part of the fun of capturing sun flares, is that you never know what photo you are going to get at that moment when you snap the photo.

Who cares even when your photo is not sharp or not perfect, what matters is that you are having fun and capturing these beautiful moments with your phone camera, that you might otherwise forget.

So if you do get into one of those geek-wielding-phone-camera moods, do use these hashtags #happyflare #lensflare #sunflare #sporemombloggers when sharing your happy flare photos on Instagram. Will be looking forward to see your captures!

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A SMB Bake Date!

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It has been a crazy couple of weeks and I have been craving for cake.

Not the rich decadent sort, but something that could fulfill my cake craving and not have to feel guilty about eating it. I finally got to eat cake (that I made myself!) after spending Saturday morning with Pauline and Louisa of Munch Ministry, and 13 ladies from SMB, where we learnt how to make Hokkaido Chiffon Cakes.

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Part of the process in making a chiffon cake is beat the egg whites into a meringue. Unlike the traditional Pandan Chiffon Cakes that my mom used to bake often when I was a child, there isn’t a need for the egg whites to be beaten into stiff peaks for Hokkaido Chiffon Cakes. It isn’t that difficult to make the chiffon cake, however you will need to take note some of the small details in the process to achieve the light and airy texture of the cake.

The separation of the egg white from the egg yolk has to be done quite gingerly, to ensure that no egg yolk will find its way into the bowl of whites which will affect the fullness of the meringue.

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As you can see, the activity of separating egg yolks from the whites, can be easy for some like Estella. While for others, like Jennifer, some of the egg yolk did manage to find their way into her bowl of egg whites and she had to try to remove the runny yolks from the mixing bowl. As for my own experience separating yolks from the white? I wasted one egg after being too heavy handed, breaking the yolk when hitting the egg swiftly against the edge of a bowl.

Still need some help in learning how to separate the egg yolk from the egg white? Here’s 6 different ways how to separate egg yolk from the whites.

When it came to beating the egg whites, cream of tartar was added to stabilize the egg whites. Do make sure that the mixer and mixing bowls are clean and dry, Any specks of oil, water or yolk can affect the volume of the meringue. Here are more useful tips I learnt to ensure that the meringue stiffens;

1. Wait for the egg white mixture to turn bubbly and foamy during mixing before adding the sugar. The sugar needs to be added gradually in 3 parts, instead of all at once

2. Cold eggs separate more easily, so do leave the eggs out at room temperature before beating, for maximum volume in the meringue

3. Use copper, glass or stainless steel mixing bowl, and not plastic as it might keep some grease stains which will affect the meringue

4. A small amount of cream of tartar stabilizes the ‘foam’ and makes it less likely to collapse

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Digress. I think mom bloggers are experts when it comes to knowing when to stop what they are doing / pass the job to someone else, flash their pearlies and strike that perfect pose for 5 seconds, when a roving camera comes along for a photo opportunity.

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Now back to baking.

Mabel (my baking partner) and I shared the duties, she worked on the egg yolk mixture, while I focused on getting the meringue ready. We were concerned initially that the meringue mix was done too early and that it might curdle and collapse before folding in the egg yolk mixture. However, Pauline mentioned that the recipe will work fine even when the meringue is kept aside for a while before being added in (Phew!). Would have been a different story though, if it was Pandan Chiffon that we were attempting to make.

We gently folded in the egg yolk + vegetable oil batter into the egg white meringue and took note not to stir or beat the batter in, so as to ensure a light and fluffy chiffon cupcake. Then it was time to pour the mixture into cupcakes holders and pop in to the oven for about 15-25 minutes.

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The cupcakes were removed from the oven when it was lightly browned, and Mabel and I waited for the cupcakes to cool before piping in the custard filling.

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We were likely the most efficient team that morning, who got our cupcakes rather quickly into the oven then piped in custard fillings and we couldn’t resist picking up one each for ourselves to try. Probably on a good day with cake cravings, I could devour 5 of these at one sitting.

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Ta-daa! Team Efficient with our Hokkaido Chiffon Cakes!

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Munchministry 22Front (L to R) Mabel, Ai, Cherie, Estella, Louisa, Pauline, Nicole and Jiahui, Me, Regina and Caden. Adeline, Klessis, Connie, Liza, Jennifer, PC and Delphine.

Thanks to Pauline and Louisa for hosting this scrumptious bake date to add to the celebrations for our 1st birthday for SMB. Do check out Munch Ministry website for the recipe for Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes.

Do also read Mabel’s post on our baking session with plenty of candid photos.

What’s next for SMB is One? Stay tuned, details to be shared soon!

SingaporeMomBloggers

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Photo *Heart* Fridays – Hae Mee Tng?

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A Singapore hawker favorite made from a broth of prawn head and shells, pork ribs, garnished with bean sprouts, slices of prawn (sometimes pork), kang kong and fried shallots.

The first prawn noodle soup was brought into Singapore by early immigrants from the Fujian province of China. Then, the prawn noodle soup contained dried shrimps and scallops, which were brewed for at least 8 hours to make the stock. The dish was named Hokkien Prawn Noodle not because it was brought from the Fujian (Hokkien) province, rather, it was named as such, as the yellow noodles that usually accompanied the Prawn Noodle soup was made in Hokkien Street.

I couldn’t resist walking into the branch of ‘Beach Road Prawn Noodle Shop’ along East Coast Road after dropping K off from school this week, after noticing the number of cars parked alongside the shop every morning (except for Mondays, when the shop is closed).

Within the same shop, the owners also sold fried wu xiang. Most customers will order a plate of wu xiang to go with with their prawn noodle. But since a long-time resident and foodie of Katong area mentioned not to go with the wu xiang (as it is over-priced and not so tasty), I just went for the prawn noodle soup with bee-hoon.

The verdict? The prawn and pork rib soup was tasty and flavorful, best when served piping hot.

What kind of noodles do you like with your prawn noodle soup, bee-hoon or the yellow egg noodles?

 



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An Ode to Six

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Six oh six, it has been difficult to watch you grow up

My parenting skills have been put to the test

Every single day

And I wonder if this is my best

 

Six oh six, you are still very much a child

And a precocious one indeed

But being a typical boy,

Often you hear, but pay no heed

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Six oh six, you are sociable and friendly

When anyone can be your best friend today

But friendship can sizzle

Just as easily the next day

 

Six oh six, developing a sense of right or wrong

Seems to come so naturally

All you need is some nudging from me

But time and getting organized is still abstract, possibly?

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Six oh six, you are a very funny little person

Have very clear preferences for the things that you like

Spy stories, drawing and making up your own songs

Always making me laugh at the stories that you write

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Six oh six, to make this memorable year for you and me

I cannot forget to encourage

And be there to support

Of all your inspirations, of every little sort

 

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Photo *Heart* Fridays – A Good Ol’ Breakfast

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Right at the corner of Chapel Road from East Coast Road is this blue-green colored shop-house with a business that dates back to the 1920s.  With it’s mosaic floor tiles and marbled table tops, you will feel just like you stepped back into the 50s ambiance of a Hainanese Coffee Shop.

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The hot favorites from Chin Mee Chin Confectionary hardly changed through the years; piping hot black coffee, Kaya Buns, Sugee Cake, Custard Egg Tart, Custard Puff and the Luncheon Meat (SPAM) roll.

Eastcoastroad 14Picture on right from The Vintage Recipe Blog

Be prepared to share a table with strangers as the coffee shop can be crowded even on weekday mornings. If you are planning to head there for the first time, don’t wait at your table to order, as the auntie (rather aged and quite grumpy) hardly comes around to take your orders. Instead, choose your own pastries from the shelf and stand at the counter to order, and do make sure that the auntie writes it down.

As for my breakfast usual? 2 Half-boiled eggs with dark sauce and a dash of pepper, accompanied with hot Teh-Si (tea with milk).

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And it will still be business as usual for this old dame CMC, there be no chance of it closing down any time soon.

How do you like your half-boiled egg? With dark or light soya sauce?



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