Just a hint of where we vacationed.I popped into the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) one afternoon. It's housed in a converted old boy's school, very colonial. The art was a little underwhelming. The building, however, I found fascinating - a piece of art in itself.
2.5 weeks to the wedding! I've been slaving till dawn for the last two nights doing revisions - they're done! Starting to pray earnestly about things (best way to get things done): Singapore, London, The Wedding, The Boy, honeymoon, Houston, The Move, married life. I wish I was more enthusiastic about The Move - maybe it hasn't hit me yet. I just get so... judgmental! It's a strange word for this context, but that's just how I feel. Maybe it's natural to feel this way. Maybe moving continents is a bigger deal than I want to give it credit for. Maybe it's gonna get better when I've actually moved. God. Family. Friends. We take too many things for granted.
Well, Singapore has been swell at least. Ah, back to civilization - defined here as things that work, customer service, healthy lifestyle, good food, good weather and having a car. Throw in solid church, lots of greenery, a burgeoning arts scene, "anything that you could ever want" (quote visiting friend - but why Annick Goutal but no Miller Harris?) and The Family - you've got an almost paradise! We take too many things for granted.
Apologies for the random thoughts. Am going to switch to point form mode now, which seems more appropriate given my mood.
I've been down in the dumps being so far away from The Boy. So, this week I got a grip and got off my butt and met up with old friends. There was my church group at Rider's Cafe, which I didn't take any pictures off. Many of the riding clubs have nifty cafes where the expats hang out. My spa is even located in a turf club! Food is generally ok - you go more for the colonial atmosphere, as they tend to come with - you know, dark wood, white walls, bamboo blinds, whirring fans, muggy breeze.
For most of my Singaporean friends, however, food is actually very important. Here are some of the highlights:
Met up with C and her fiance HM
We then adjourned to look for some sweets.
I turned it open and there were blinking 3 more pages of dessert!
@ Killiney Road Coffee Shop with mum, now located at the
The coffee is OK.
Cousins' gathering @ Pasta Brava.
Dim sum with my best friend
Catching up with my friend, KC.Apologies for the dire quality of my pics - I'm still majorly jetlagged. Last time home in Sg as a single!
Excellent Braised Beef Cheek @ Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel
The best xiaolongbao in town @ Ming Jiang, Goodwood Park Hotel
I thought this was fascinating: a wasabi burger @ MacDonalds
New wedding makeup -We still had to eat, right?
Swirl @ River Oaks Shopping Centre.
The Blue Nile, Ethiopian restaurant.
The universal language of beer: Ethopian beer
Absolutely the best blinking migas in town
... so good we even have it at our lunch break
... that also serves the best guac (and tres leches) in town
An old favourite: Reading our Bibles at The Tart Cafe (Montrose).
Lovingly hand cut fruits every morning - what a luxury!
My first football game.
Ok, so we skipped town before Hurricane Ike struck. In SA.
Cactus! Another first.
The worst we came back to was a VERY smelly fridge.Favourite past-time: Tea!
The menu is actually upside down...
Tip: A cuppa at Fortnum is much nicer than
Inner circle bench inscriptions:
With the Sultan of Brunei's brother's 
My apologies for being AWOL for so long. I've now completed The Big Move and my stuff - all 10 years' worth - is awaiting in storage in the UK for shipment to the USA. As you would have guessed, I've also completed The Thesis - all 5 years' worth. phew. It is now awaiting the go ahead from my advisor when he gets back from his summer vacation. Have now arrived in Houston, TX and am preparing to start on The Wedding and other fun stuff (like setting up wireless broadband - am currently "borrowing" my neighbour's to post this).
Am jetlagged, but have managed to do some cooking meanwhile. Found a fantastic Korean grocery store in Blalock, off the 610 loop (NW). haha. Looks like I'm finding my way around Houston. We did a mega food shop over the weekend - lots of leafy green vegetables and The Boy was especially thrilled to find a punnet of Driscoll strawberries for 99 cents! He also bought a rice cooker - hurrah! Will slowly check out the food scene here and report more. Already, am armed with a list of Singaporean/Malaysian restaurants to try out.
Sweet and sour pork is on the menu tonight - have posted the recipe here at last!
Asian mothers have a doomsday mentality. From the time of your birth till the day that you die, there is an ever dark cloud hovering over you:
'If you don't eat up all your rice, har, your future husband will have pockmarks all over his face.'
'If you don't study hard, you will have no future.'
'If you don't lose weight, you will never find a husband.'
'If you don't it now, you will never do it. Something will happen.'
'If you don't...'
And there is an excitement of feelings - part glee that they were right afterall, part sadness on your behalf - when their doomsday predictions come true:
'See? See? I told you that would happen.'
The irony is, they really love you. This is their language of love.
Sorry, more cooking than writing at the moment. Have to eat to live, but not necessarily blog, you see. But you, blog reader, are very important to me nonetheless. Just that the thesis is more important - for the moment.
Recipe for goreng pisang (fried banana fritters), with a little side ramble about Yan Kit So and chinese cook books, written. Check it out here!
A new dish, practice for Hunan guest.
Dried preserved tangerine peel
Ginger! Secret ingredient. Stir fry secrets.
