Alvin's spiel

lunch today

2009-09-08T06:27:00.003+08:00

went out for groceries and bought lunch back.

cheese burger from Five Guys. toppings are free, asked for grilled onions, mushrooms and jalapeno peppers. their burger is better than Carl Jr! didn't get their fries though, even though it is quite good! the problem is that their portion is so big that I will be OD on fries alone.

they serve free peanuts which I think is to encourage thirsty customers to buy coca cola and other soda drinks. which is relatively ex around $2 to $3 depending on size.

bought Utz potato chips from supermarket which I was told, is quite good!

new habitat

2009-08-28T06:38:00.001+08:00

this will be my main habitat over the next 9 months! Johns Hopkins SAIS is a city campus like SMU, spread over several buildings in downtown DC.

after the first week of classes, I am adjusting back to the grad student frame of mind. going through readings of chapters and papers before each class. before long, I should be bog down with term papers and assignments...oh joy! the classes I'm taking are challenging and interesting, hope to update myself and learn more...

compared to the MA students (who are mostly fresh from college), we mid career people are generally older than the younglings...but I am finding out that I'm still learning new things from the young padawans...

aware of AWARE

2009-04-27T21:03:00.001+08:00

Like most Singaporeans, I had been "aware" of AWARE and the good work of Constance Singam and Dr Kanwaljit Soin. until this recent "brouhaha", AWARE has always been there at the back of our minds. for most of us, it was just good to know that they were there, even though we might not be familiar with their day to day work or need their help. It was enough that we know that women’s issues in Singapore is well covered.

During one of our home visits back to Singapore, Robina’s ex-work friend X (not a close friend, only an acquaintance I would say) shared her family problems. Turns out that her husband had gone astray (ran away with Thai prostitute). Now X and husband were fighting for their children’s custody and the family flat (husband wanna sell). According to X, her husband has been violent (as in physically hit her).

However X , being a Christian, refused to divorce the cad. despite counselling from their pastor, the husband insisted on divorce. What was more shocking was when she told Robina that she had attempted suicide before. she was convinced that she could not win custody of her kids. I think X was using suicide to "convince" her errant husband to return. Robina heard from X that she was hiding her separation from her close friends. they were told that the husband was working overseas. This might explain why X poured out her troubles to Robina; while she could provide a listening ear since she was not from X's close circle of friends. all in all, it was a cry for help.

Even when Robina was still talking with X, she called me to check AWARE phone number (a quick google search). She referred X to AWARE. Robina thought that AWARE would be better placed to advise her friend on the legal issues as well as counsel her psychologically. We didn't know if X did seek out AWARE, I hope she did.

Singapore needs a group to champion women's issues. It should remain secular. Women who need help must have an avenue for assistance, and should not be discriminated for their sexual orientation, beliefs or creed. In the immortal words of Depeche Mode, "People are people, So why should it be, You and I should get along so awfully".

chicken weekend

2009-04-26T23:49:00.005+08:00

we made chicken rice and two batches of grilled chicken over the weekend. now OD over chicken!
chicken stock for the rice.
two chicken legs: for plain boiled chicken
grilled chicken marinated in Home Gourmet Chicken Kai Yang spices.
boiled pork ribs for Sally. it came from the lotus root soup, with scallops and dried cuttlefish
for carbo: Sally is having brown rice with shitake mushrooms

ancestral tombs

2009-04-07T23:19:00.002+08:00

My cousin from Guangdong sent me this photo of our ancestral tombs in Hua County, just outside Guangzhou City. My uncles and aunties and their families, (from my Grandfather's brother's side of the family) had visited the ancestral tombs during last Saturday's Qing Ming (or tomb sweeping) festival.

I visited our China relatives last year together with my parents. At that time, we only visited the ancestral home and the ancestral shrine (under renovation) but not the family's ancestral tomb site.

Seoul food parade

2009-04-07T10:35:00.005+08:00

a quick preview of our food journey as requested by Peck Wai. I just downloaded the tourist guide and search for the makan joints.
first day lunch after touch down. mandukgul. dumpling soup (more like hot pot)
2nd day dinner: Tteokbokki at Sindangdong. rice cake with assorted vege and seafood.
3rd day dinner. BBQ!
last evening dinner at Noryangin seafood market: King crab, abalone and cockles.

The Great Dialect Debate

2009-03-10T22:47:00.003+08:00

I spoke Cantonese my whole life in my family. but I discovered that I was tongue tied when I was in Guangzhou (or Kwong Chow in cantonese) last year visiting our relatives with my parents. their vocabulary and phrasing was so much richer. It was only about the third day that I was able to speak with my uncles and aunties much more effectively. Robina fared little better since she is Hokkien. but she is married into the family, so there was no expectations on her. Initially, she could just smile and sit there, no need to make small talk. but later on she could chat with our Grand Aunt in her Hokkien-accented Cantonese which nonetheless could impress my relatives.

I then realised that my Cantonese ability was probably adulterated by learning English and Mandarin despite the years of supplementary revision from watching HK TV serials :-). I also realised that my grandmother was probably using her kampong Cantonese dialect. She was from a village even more ulu than my supposed ancestral village Hua County (Fa Yun 花县); it's now called Huadu District (花都) very near to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport. my relatives told us that my grandmother's accent was different. yes, native speakers could tell the differences between Guangzhou Cantonese and those from surrounding villages in the boondocks...

However, I could connect much better my younger Guangzhou cousins since they have our same problem of being educated a foreign language: Mandarin. when all else fails, Robina and I could speak Mandarin to them!

everywhere I go in China, Singaporeans are praised (whether sincerely or not I'm not sure) about our language abilities, able to speak English, Mandarin and regional dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew and Hakka. It seems to me that we are losing one of our greatest assets in engaging China but severing our dialect origins and inherent language skills. learning or absorbing your own dialect in the laps of your grandfather or grandmother, is very much different from learning English or Mandarin in school. it's as much part of our culture and heritage as being Singaporean.

after a while in China, most Singaporeans will realise that even the Chinese don speak Mandarin in the official crisp CCTV accent (much like BBC English), at least not everyone. On the streets, you can hear a hodge podge of accents and dialects like Sichuan, Hunan, Anhui etc. some like Shanghaiese or Suzhou dialects sound like French to me? China is so big that every province and region have their own dialects and accents. for crying out loud, even the Brits have the own London, Scottish and Northeast accents...

IMHO, there's not much point in debating the merits of languages and dialects, especially when we in Singapore merely use languages as a mercenary economic tool. I can still remember every father, mother son in the 80s flocking to learn Japanese, but where are they now? if Eskimos are the next economic power, then we would probably be learning the language next. I don think anyone would serious advocate dialects to be taught in schools, but most responders were probably arguing for a rightful place for dialects as part of our heritage and culture.

first snow of winter

2009-02-17T23:26:00.007+08:00

it started snowing early this morning but by mid day the snow had stopped and everything melted before long. but thankfully it snowed again in the evening and this time it was heavier. Robina and I brought Sally down to the garden after I got home. you can see the snow flakes floating down!

the garden was blanketed by about one inch of snow. it was pristine since no one had stepped on it.

Sally ran around the snow and left her tracks behind

Robina wore her warm woolly hat that she bought from Kashgar Xinjiang. hopefully it will snow throughout the night and we will have a thicker layer by tomorrow morning!

Update: Apparently, the snow was "induced"...

TVCC Building on fire!

2009-02-09T23:47:00.004+08:00

Robina and I were leaving a Chap Ngo Meh (15th night of the Chinese New Year 元宵) gathering when we heard that the iconic CCTV building was on fire! On the way back, traffic was diverted away from 3rd Ring Road (CCTV located just on the side) and had to take the 4th Ring. our apartment is quite near the CCTV building. nearing the building, we thought it was reflection of flames on the building (we thought all along that ONE room or something like that was on fire). we spotted people stopping their cars on fly-overs to watch the spectacle and pedestrians running towards the site.

back in our apartment, we headed quickly to the guest room which overlook the CCTV building, we had a clear view of the scene. it was the TVCC part (also designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas) of the CCTV Building complex that was aflame! it was a towering inferno with tongues of flame flicking out and debris falling off.

at the moment, the fire appeared to be under control. the building is smoldering and no more flames bursting out. I bet next year, there will be no more fireworks and fireworks allowed within Beijing city limits any more! Hope everyone had their gunpowder fix this year...

Happy Niu Year gatherings

2009-01-28T15:58:00.006+08:00

we started this CNY clebrations with the usual round of makan sessions, starting with Boon Peng and Joyce's place on CNY eve.

it was a magnificent spread with delicious contributions from everyone. In particular, Shirley's vege soup was excellent, so was Gillian's fragrant braised pork and Clara's char bee hoon! as usual the curry gravy disappeared in a jiffy

Robina and I prepared baked sole fish.

Wei Wen's blueberry pie and strawberry pie were excellent!

after dinner activities was mainly setting off fireworks, fire crackers and sparklers with the rest of Beijing.

baked sole fish

2009-01-23T23:06:00.004+08:00

did a test run for our CNY eve dinner gathering. baked sole fish in oven, smeared with sambal and XO sauce. plus ginger slices, chopped basil and garlic.
turns out quite well. especially when the aroma of the sambal starts wafting out of the oven!
did a simple stir fry of kai lan and prawns. Robina like it a lot, probably cos I added a dash of red wine vinegar for a tangy zing. end result, we ate too much and too fast. both of us in stupor after dinner.
Sally was not left out. she got baked cod for dinner, which cost more than the sole fish!

braised lambshanks

2009-01-18T22:06:00.002+08:00

roughly followed this recipe, quite simple actually. bought lambshanks from market, very cheap, approx S$1 each! coated in flour, salt n pepper. browned the lambshanks, chuck in pot with vegies. braised with white wine and chicken stock for 2 hours until the meat was practically falling off the bone. the broth was very tasty with stewed vegetables.

nice braised lambshanks. tender meat with lots of collagen! simple recipe for cold winter day.

roast tenderloin

2009-01-17T19:37:00.005+08:00

bought a piece of tenderloin. decided to do a simple roast. just smear the meat with lots of dried herbs, salt and pepper. rolled it, tied up with string and roast in oven.
Robina's special roll with sprigs of fresh rosemary. even Sally got a slab of beef, but without spices and salt.
oven roasted potato wedges with dried herbs.

New Year's Day meal

2009-01-01T12:57:00.003+08:00

I made lambs chops for New Year's Day makan. marinated quite simply in salt, pepper, mint and thyme. followed this recipe with some modifications.

pan fried for 3-4 minutes on each side until slightly charred and browned on each sides.

juicy and tender lamb chops. actually from Inner Mongolia bought from butcher in wet market. frenched, frozen and vaccuum-sealed in plastic.

To go with the lamb, I made a simple Mediteranean style vegetables stir-fry with onions, zuchini, egg plant, green peppers, carrots and baby potatoes in olive oil.

happy birthday Sally!

2008-12-29T19:35:00.006+08:00

well sort of, since it should be more accurately termed as "adoption or come-n-join-us day". we adopted Sally from a volunteer animal welfare group in Taipei on 29 Dec 2001. they promote adoption of cats and dogs at the weekend flower market near where we stayed. we always make it a point to play with the puppies whenever we visit the weekend market. Robina and I could not resist that charcoal black puppy with big brown eyes that looked quite different from the other adorable mongrel puppies.

from what we guestimated, Sally should be born around end of Oct 2001. but it was much easier to remember 29 Dec. we were told by the animal welfare group that Sally was found with her litter mates abandoned near the highway to the airport in Taoyuan. She was literally a mangy mutt since she got a bad case of sarcoptic mange and tummy worms. It took months of vet visits and medication to get rid of her unwanted guests.

today we celebrate Sally spending 7 years with us. Sally got a bath, followed by a thorough combing (which she thoroughly detest) and blow dry by Robina. later she will get fresh lamb (from the soup we are cooking) for dinner.

here's Sally smelling nice and looking presentable after her bath and grooming session.

ASEAN ladies

2008-10-16T20:20:00.004+08:00

Robina and the ladies practised hard for two weeks thru the October holidays to put together this item for the ASEAN Ladies tea gathering at our embassy. This year they got a good dancing teacher Cheng Na, to help train them and choreograph the routine. the difference is telling!

Even the other ASEAN ladies enjoyed the afternoon and commented on the girls' great performance.

Sally sleeping in

2008-10-12T13:56:00.003+08:00

Sally usually takes over the bed on weekends after we wake up. she made herself comfortable this morning by wedging herself between two pillows.
She was trying to snooze for another round before her breakfast
Sally weakly acknowledged Robina calling her.

seafood dinner

2008-10-12T13:45:00.004+08:00

made a simple dinner with prawns, clams, with basil, zucchini, shallots, onions, garlic and sliced chilli. doused with white wine and baked in oven
a local mackerel fish similar to our Kembong, but slightly bigger. baked on a bed of dill and basil, plus drenched in beer.

Sally's baked salmon dinner (RMB35 or about S$7 per 500grams) was more expensive than our fish (RMB12). but her slab of salmon (about RMB30) should last her for 5 meals...

dog biscuits

2008-09-07T21:18:00.002+08:00

Robina made dog biscuits for Sally. tried out this simple recipe from the net. just liver with flour and corn meal and eggs.
smell really nice when baking in the oven. Sally tried a few pieces and is hungry for more!

seafood pasta

2008-09-07T18:17:00.004+08:00

made seafood pasta this weekend. sauteed prawns and clawns in white wine with lots of basil, garlic and shallots. simple yet delicious!

silver medal after 48 years!

2008-08-17T22:42:00.006+08:00

just came back from TV party organised by embassy to support our women's team in the table tennis team finals. it was a raucous n cheerful gathering with about 200 Singaporeans with families and kids in tow. CNA and omy sg film crews were there. you might see us on TV news later.
a group of young SG students studying in BJ provided the energy for loud cheers! results was not unexpected. even the most partisan SG supporter did not expect a victory against the mighty Chinese (world no.1 & 2). most of us just hoped to win one match for pride. in the end, a silver medal was just as sweet after a long wait of 48 years!
it was a proud and emotional moment to see our national flag rising (with PRC and ROK flags)! majullah Singapura!now I'm drinking hot honey and citron cos my throat is hoarse from all the cheering! :-)

Olympic venues

2008-08-16T22:35:00.006+08:00

At the height of Olympics fever, I went through several key Olympic venues to get a behind the scenes look at the sports extravaganza. Needless to say, the infrastructure at the venues are excellent, like the massive Bird Nest National Stadium and the Water Cube
I first saw this structure as a hole in the ground 3 years ago and followed it's progress from half-completed to a completed but unfinished stadium. It was amazing to see the stadium filled to the rafters on Saturday with thousands of enthusiastic Chinese and international sports fans! That day was the start of track and field events. many heats like the women's 400m and qualifiers for women's pole vault was on-going. Outside the stadium, the huge square between the Birds Nest and Water Cube was full of curious wandering crowds taking in the sight on a wonderful blue sky day
The Water Cube was impressive, both inside and outside. we saw the emotional Brasilian Cesar Cielo who just won the 50m freestyle. my European friends pointed out Swedish King Gustav in the stands, he was just 2m away! later saw him up close in the Olympic family Lounge area.
wandering around, we saw swimmers training in the warming up pools and divers training in the gym. outside the Cube, we bumped into Zimbabwean swimmer, Kirsty Coventry who won the women's 200m backstroke gold earlier that morning. she graciously posed for photos with us!
Next we headed to the Indoor Stadium for gymnastics. the men's trampoline qualifiers were on. The Chinese duo was topping the tables, but the Japanese men, Germans and Russians were quite good as well. Here we spotted Bill Gates in the stands. I had spotted him at the Birds Nest Stadium just a short while before. should have asked him for some loose change, like a million or two, shucks!

Table tennis wonders!

2008-08-15T22:44:00.004+08:00

I managed to catch our women's table tennis semi-finals against South Korea at Peking University Gymnasium. this was my first Olympics event! even caught a glimpse of Li Jiawei getting ready behind the scenes inside the stadium.

the series of matches were very exciting and nail biting, especially Li Jia Wei's first singles (which she lost). Her Korean opponent Kim Kyung-ah was very skillful and used a series of spins and drop shots to frustrate Jia Wei into making mistakes.

Singapore's doubles match was much better when Jia Wei and Wang Yuegu made a clean sweep in 3-0

this semi is crucial since Singapore will be guaranteed a medal (at least silver) if they win. If not, then it's a gruelling round robin play off for the bronze!

Our supporters made up for their small numbers with their high spirits. They bested the Korean supporters in cheering (which was quite unusual for Koreans since they are usually very well-organised).

I had to leave earlier and it was even more nerve wracking to receive SMS updates from my frens about the last match. Thankfully Feng Tianwei finished the job and won! this meant that Singapore finally win an Olympic medal after 48 long years!

now we are planning a TV party on Sunday evening to watch the table tennis finals. Even though China is in a separate class, you never know when you playing without pressure!

Update: FM George Yeo on the table tennis team
ST blog's blow-by-blow account of the table tennis semi-finals

meeting President Nathan

2008-08-14T23:11:00.001+08:00

Robina and I was at the reception organised for President Nathan to meet with the Singaporean community in Beijing. Many Team Singapore officials were there as well even though our athletes had to compete or train in the Olympic Village.
there was a scrum when President arrived and he spent the evening chatting with Singaporeans and yes, posing for photos!

Olympic Games Village

2008-08-13T22:22:00.006+08:00

visited the Games Village today. It was a wonderful feeling to be amongst so many athletes from so many countries. plus learn to recognise so many flags and wonder why Indonesia and Monaco have exactly the same flag?

it was great to spot our Singapore flag in the village. I had to wait for the right moment for our flag to flutter in the gentle breeze.

the huge dining hall (about the size of 5-6 army camp dining halls) is the centre of activity. we spotted so many athletes that after a while, it was like a human zoo. As a biologist (and birder) I quickly differentiate the body types and physiques associated with various sports. The volleyball players are so tall! the weightlifters are stocky and powerfully built. the sprinters from the Caribbean are like gazelles.
all those high metab need to be fuel by burning calories. plenty of good food here to supply that
and after they kena knocked out of their events they can seek solace and comfort in fast food.