They were here

I am very excited because last night I had a very long dream but I do not know the meaning behind it. In fact, nowadays, I tend to forget what my dreams were about, or I cannot remember the entire dream.

In the dream, there were many people and many episodes and scenes involving different people. They were mostly about my family members and aunties and uncles and cousins. The first part of the long dream I could not recall at all now.

Only the brief final part of the dream I could remember. I was with my Grandma entering into a compound, and we were outside a tall slim building. The weather was cool and air crisp. We were about to enter the building when suddenly we heard hushed voices coming from inside of the building, so we stopped on our tracks. People began spilling out of the building. Then He appeared. I saw His Holiness The Dalai Lama appeared at the small door of the building, he was coming out and there were throngs of people behind him. He was smiling so kindly as always, and he kept talking to the people around him as he walked slowly. I did not moved towards him or away from him. I just did not moved. Then He came nearer to me and when he was in front of me, he saw me and smiled at me, all his laugh lines and wrinkles crumpled into a naughty grin. I could only remained frozen and bowed my head as he walked past me.

Then another commotion began. Someone was coming out of the building as well. This time I saw my guru, His Eminence Lama Zopa Rinpoche with an entourage of many people. Rinpoche was also smiling broadly but walking fast, as if trying to catch up with His Holiness. And when he passed me, he reached out his hand and cupped my right cheek briefly and in a second, he was gone.

I was without any emotion, just stood there, paralysed by their appearance. When the people were gone, the surrounding was all quiet and calm again. I walked into the building with my Grandma. Then I saw my 4th aunt, I asked her to take a photo of my Grandma and me. I was trying to pose with my Grandma as my 4th aunt fiddled with the huge complicated camera, still trying to take the photo. Then suddenly I woke up, and it was morning. Time to go for the pujas.

This was the second time I dreamt of His Holiness Dalai Lama, and the umpteen times I dreamt of my guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche. May they have a long life so as to benefit many more countless sentient beings.

"For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world."- Shantideva

Dagyab Kyabgoen Rinpoche

His Eminence Dagyab Kyabgoen Rinpoche is in town. Today 6 Feb was the start of the 3 days public megasize pujas and initiations in Suntec. After that, there would be inhouse teachings and initiations in Gaden Shartse Drophenling.

Dagyab Rinpoche speaks fantastic English as he stays in Germany but travels around the world for teachings. Rinpoche was recognized as the reincarnation of the 8th Kyabgoen of Dagyab. The Dagyab Kyabgoens have been the spiritual head of the Dagyab region in Eastern Tibet, and carry the title Hothogthu Nomonhan. This title is exclusive to a group of most outstanding and highest-ranking Lamas.

Due to his line of reincarnation, Rinpoche is considered to have a very special connection with Protector Setrap not only in this life, but in all past lifetimes as well. The Dharma Protector Setrap is a manifestation of Buddha Amitabha in wrathful form.

I attended 2 pujas: the 400 Grand Offerings Puja as well as the Calamity-Averting Grand Puja. Performing this 400 grand offerings puja helps significantly in overcoming all major obstacles, especially those relating to supernatural forces. This puja aids in overcoming charms and spells, pacifies inauspiciousness from small conflicts to major calamities, avoid attacks from plague and other diseases; and is especially effective in overcoming supernatural attacks of evil spirits and demons.

The second puja is a ritual based on the practice of the White Umbrella Goddess, a female Buddha. One procedure of this ritual is to consecrate and offer tormas (ritual cakes) to counterattack negative forces (such as illnesses, mental disturbances, disputes, enmities, defilements, misfortune, premature death, factors against congenial surroundings and 84,000 bad forces). By participating in this puja, one gains the protection from dangers of fire, water, weapons, poisons, malediction, untoward accidents and untimely death. It also pacifies the chances of epidemics, harmful spells, contagious diseases, conflicts and wars. In addition, we also receive the benefit and protective care of a myriad of divine guardians and Dharma protectors.

I cannot begin to explain the immense blessings that these pujas bring, which can help one in averting as well as overcoming obstacles, misfortunes and negativities. And to be blessed with these pujas during the Chinese New Year is appropriate and doubly auspicious. If anyone is interested in the program tomorrow and Sunday, please check the schedule here.

More good years !!!

To my childhood friend

who was born on Chinese New Year day.

I wish you happiness in all that you do.

Thanks for being there for me

in my darkest & lowest moments.

May we be friends for another

3 .... 4 .... 5 ... 6 decades to come

Happy Birthday, friend!!!

Quite a mean wanton mee

Ok, I know I have been posting about food. But couldn't help it whenever I found or cooked something nice / very horrible, I got to share.

I was in Katong today, was very hungry as it was already almost 3pm way past lunch time and I had not eaten. Went Roxy Square, there was a coffeeshop inside on the first floor and one of the stalls was selling quite a mean plate of Wanton Noodle. The stall name was Bei-Ing 美樱, and they were selling wanton mee on one side and another side packet Nasi Lemak. Even Martin Yan's photo was on its wall.

Again for Wanton Mee, one of the most important factor is the noodle. The mee-kiah was very chewy and just right, not as soggy as most stalls and not as hard-QQ as the Hong Kong type. There were fried wanton, steamed wanton, and char siew (pork). It was not a big portion but it was very enjoyable. I did not even need a lot of chilli. And the drinks stall sell a mean cuppa authentic Kopi-C as well. Next time I would try their packet Nasi Lemak and Otah, in the cool comfort of the aircon coffeeshop.

My golly, macarons

These delightful macarons were an inviting sight. Had a taste of these from Bakerzin because they were on promotion. My niece preferred the ones from BreadTalk though .... Taking it on its own, it was a tad too sweet for me, although if you take it with coffee or tea, would have been just right.

I didn't know the history of Macarons dates all the way back to the 18th century, although they only became popular in our shores in recent years. The macaron is a traditional French pastry made of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar. It is a sandwich-like pastry made with two thin cookies and a cream or ganache between the cookies. Macarons come in a wide variety of flavors varying by store and season; ranging from traditional to exotic, with limitless colours and flavours.

Actually if I want to be more "ang moh", I would prefer English scones or carrot cakes to these macarons. But give me my local favourites anytime. They hail from the Chinese provision shops, and they are pineapple jam biscuits or "ice cream piah" (wafers), I am as happy as a lark. The pineapple jam in between the cookies are chewy and sweet, whereas the wafers are fluffy, lighter and less sweet than their ang moh counterparts.

Trinity of Abundance

This picture summed up my day today. I collected my winnings (yes I won a little amount from 4D because it was Ibet), but happy I won something lah, after last year's drought. Then went to Suntec for a meeting. The bright red CNY decor and mood was still present albeit the fact being a weekday it was not too crowded.

After my meeting, went to the bank and deposited an auspicious amount of money into my account. Strangely, many people there were wearing black except me. Hmm .... haha.

Met up someone and had lunch of roasted duck at the basement and in the midst of devouring my duck, the Fountain of Wealth began to sprout. It was a beautiful sight, the huge fountain. When I passed by the Koi Garden, I even had time to feed the kois there, all fat and chubby and a colourful sight.

In the evening, it rained for a short while. Since Mom was still feeling a little under the weather, I cooked some dishes to go with plain porridge for everyone. I suddenly thought of a dish I tried before in the restaurants, and it was the steamed eggs which consisted of 3 types of eggs. I have never made this dish before, so I thought I had try. The 3 types of eggs used were chicken eggs, duck salted egg and century egg.

I marinated some minced pork, and stir fried them till half cooked, then I added it into the beaten chicken and duck eggs. I chopped the century eggs and the duck yolk into small pieces, and mixed it with the rest. I added light soya sauce, sesame oil, huatiao wine into the mix. After that I just steamed it for 20 minutes and sprinkled spring onions on top. It smelled nice. The overall opinion was it was a little hard, because I did not add water! I did not know must add water, haha.

I also prepared long beans stir-fried with dried shrimps, szechuan vegetables stir-fried with minced pork and diced chicken in soya sauce. All these dishes are good accompaniment for plain porridge.

Eggs are round, which means 圆满 which in turn results in abundance. Hence I named this dish of 3 types of steamed eggs ..... the Trinity of Abundance.

就是爱你

立春

Today is 立春 Li Chun, which literally means "the start of Spring" in East Asian cultures.

As Master Lynn Yap advised .... "Just observe how is today ok ? because today is more more important than 1st day of the Chinese New Year, 26 Jan 2009. If good things happen, means the WHOLE year will be a very lucky year for you". She also said: "Wear red top and go to the bank and deposit money!!!"

So last night I sent sms to those few close ones "Hi all, tomo 4 Feb is Li Chun, official start of Spring. Do stay happy on this day and do not get angry or impatient. Try to wear red, pink, purple or orange, all auspicious colours. May we have a smooth year ahead!". I wanted everyone close to me to be aware and be mindful of their actions, so that we could all be lucky this year as well.

I wish all readers a splendid lucky new year ahead!

Huat huat huat!

The only company not affected by these bad times got to be Singapore Pools. Was passing by Raffles Place MRT basement and saw this makeshift shell booth and a long snaking queue. Then I realised it was Singapore Pools booth selling Toto and 4D. They even engaged staff to give out pamphlets to passer-bys.

Two young girls were giving out pamphlets about opening electronic accounts with Singapore Pools so that in future you could buy 4D or Toto by just making a telephone call. You could even have a pre-paid account! Another 2-3 other staff were promoting $10 red packets. It was their Prosperity Pack for the $10 million Toto draw this Friday. Each packet includes one Big Sweep ticket as well as 2 System-7 Toto ticket. If you were buying the Prosperity Pack, no need to queue at all, you could just get it from the staff. You join the queue only if you were buying your own numbers. Another station next to the booth had one computer screen with a game called "finding the 6 Ox" or something, and customers could have a go at them and win prizes on the spot.

I was like.... "Wah!". So many a novel way to reach customers faster. Do they need to in the first place, because in these bad times, people would buy even more lottery, just for that "hope" in becoming a millionaire overnight. People were even prepared to camp out in long queues in a presumed "lucky outlet" to buy their "hope".

Anyway, let's HOPE we all "huat" a little or "huat" big big from the $10 million Toto draw this Friday, just for the fun of it.

Hey Handsome

I have a new boyfriend. A crazy friend gave him to me. He is this aloof and suave and serious-looking man (figurine, to be exact). He actually looked like he is frowning/angry, or to put it nicely, full of angst?

Well, I was given a choice of 2 figurines, one was this fella, and the other was a fair and gentle looking man (figurine) with pressed combed back hair. Of course I chose this man lah. I shall nickname him Macho for now. I would rather a manly aloof man than a limpid smiling man. And I prefer Macho's full crowning glory than the other's neatly combed hair. Macho is so rugged that he even has a scar across his left cheek. I prefer the ruggedly casual or smart casual look than the executive jacket look for a man.

Maybe subconsciously, this explains the disparity between our ideal dream man versus the reality boring man. The dream prince charming would look so handsome, to say the least, with well-built tanned muscles, has the bad-boy attitude, yet gentle and responsive to you. The dream man would be the ideal communicator, the best listening ear, the intelligent lover, as well as, ahem, cash-laden. Whereas the normal regular, reality guy, is usually oh, just the total opposite.

This is the first time I own such a toy. I heard you can buy different pieces of clothes to dress him. Some collectors of figurines are so enamored that they would collect different types and let these men wear uniforms or fighter wear or soldier garb. Hmm.... I am fine with what Macho is wearing (the most you can strip him bare, HAHA). Thank God my friend did not give me some wrestler or some hideous looking fella. Also luckily I was not given a soccer celebrity figurine (I only like Michael Owens, and no one else, but Michael Owens is already past and passe). Look at Macho's nimble limbs and proportionate body, you can make him pose in any way. But I think I like his sharp nose and mouth and chin the best. Now I have to think what to do with this Macho. Maybe my nephew will steal him away.

Spicy Black Pork Shabu Shabu Ramen

Was at Raffles Place today and happened to lunch in Ichibantei in China Square. Ichibantei is a small joint catering to lunch time crowd. The menu has limited dishes and limited seating space as well. They mainly focus on Ramen and the highlight was the Black Pork Shabu Shabu Ramen.

Black Pork is supposedly a very tender type of pork. I am a porky and soup person. For ramen, I normally order Charshu Ramen. However today I wanted to try the Spicy Black Pork Shabu Shabu Ramen instead. They are thinly sliced pork on top of the ramen in a milky soup. And they serve this Spicy or Non-Spicy. I chose Spicy because anything spicy in Japanese would not be spicy for my tastebuds.

I was sold. The ramen was very QQ and chewy and the rich soup broth was very good. To me, these 2 were very important factors in ramen. It was such a simple bowl of ramen but it tasted heavenly, I finished every drop of the creamy soup. And the side dish of 2 fried prawns was very fresh too. Compared to the Jap food I had in Edogawa the other day, this was truly heaven. Ichibantei ..... ichiban ne!

Claypot rice

Mom was sick today. So I thought I had cooked dinner instead. It was a last minute decision and I did not buy anything beforehand. Just ransacked the fridge to see what we had left inside. There were nothing much left as we were desperately clearing away our food stuff in the fridge since our CNY stock up. Nevertheless still found some ingredients. Decided to cook Cantonese Claypot Rice.

I had a packet of the Spice Paste for claypot rice. I had the mushrooms. I had small chicken wings and drumsticks instead of chopped boneless chicken cubes. I had pork slices instead of the chinese sausages or bacon. I prepared the garlic and some ginger slices and crushed some dried scallops for additional flavour. First I marinated the chicken wings/drumsticks and pork slices for a short while. Then I stir fried them and the mushrooms and scallops for 5 minutes. Then I added the uncooked rice, paste and both light and dark soya sauce, and stir fried everything for another 2-3 minutes or so. Then I threw everything into the cooker (since we do not have a claypot), added water and I was done. Just left it to cook. So easy.

Since we had some wrapped popiah in the fridge, I fried them in the pan as well. Then thought both fried popiah and claypot rice were a little heaty, so I brewed chrysanthemum tea from the dried flowers as well. Dinner was so fast, took me about an hour to prepare everything. I even had time to boil plain porridge for Mom. And fortunately the Claypot Rice turned out not too bad, the rice was soft and fluffy and full of flavour from the chicken and mushrooms and scallops. I did not have spring onions so I did away with it as a garnish.

Basically I like to cook, but I would not like to waste time laboriously in cooking meals that need a lot of effort and preparation. Bottomline is, there is food to eat in a short time. So my mantra is, fast to cook, good to eat. Maybe I should compile all the so-called "recipes" of all the meals I have cooked before and publish a book called "A Full Meal Within 60 Minutes". Young and working professionals will love it. Hiak hiak hiak.

||||||||

Occasionally I do pen some adhoc poems and thoughts.

Wrote this a few years ago ...

Rain - part I

Tonight it rained.
It finally rained.
T'was a refreshing feeling.
Listen to the raindrops fall in slow-mo,
the swish swosh of the trees,
the cool breeze sweeping across the face,
the occasional car whizzes by,
spoiling the calm of puddles,
the frogs croaking,
the fishes immersed even deeper in a world of their own,
the dogs were silent for once.
All cast an immediate tranquil effect on me.
Did you hear them?
The simple pleasures of life.

Rain - part II

In the middle of town
Overshadowed by towering skyscrapers
Here I am, overwhelmed by the crowd
They seemed like ghastly figures
Gliding past silently, devoid of expression
Shoulders rubbing shoulders
Many soaked to the skin
They hit me gently, the raindrops
Awakened from a trance
The air is misty and amazingly peaceful
The bustling noise seemed distant now
Transposed by music in my ears
It feels good to stop and breathe
The simple pleasures of life.

You are my world

Sometimes, when I listen to songs and read the lyrics, they can make me tear, especially if that particular song holds a special memory of someone, something, some place to me. It is not that I am very emotional but sometimes at that spur of moment, that song seems to connect to you in a mysterious way and make you smile or cry. Sometimes through songs, they help us understand the deeper meaning, consciously or subconsciously. At times, songs are a splendid tool for communication, when we search so hard to find words and they just do not come out right. There are equally as many touching English songs as well as Chinese songs which I have come across and love listening to them. And with the powerful delivery by the singers, both music and words merged into a piece of poetry, conveying a message to your heart, which only you can understand.

I first heard this song when a friend sent a downloaded file through MSN to me. I didn't know why but when I heard the song and lyrics, tears just welled up, because it was quite touching. So much so, this remains my ringing tone in my mobile phone for so long. Yes, I am a sentimentalist.

Have You Ever (by Westlife)


I also remember this song by Eric Moo when I was schooling, which he wrote for his then girlfriend. It was about your first love and whatnots. I may not agree to the ending in the song, but it was a beautiful song alright. Now it has been reprised by a relatively new singer 曹格 with a fantastic dreamlike voice.

你是我的唯一 (by 曹格)

富贵吉祥

I have new additions to my plant collection. Got an incredible deal (since CNY has already passed) for a pot of Fu Gui flowers and White Phlox (I am not sure if this is the correct name).

My mom wanted a pot of 富贵花 Fu Gui flowers for CNY (for god knows what reason - maybe so that we could be 富贵?? ), but I did not have time to buy them before CNY. It was just as well because I found these now which cost half the normal price. They were beautiful bright red in colour, blooming and many buds which are going to bloom more.

I got the White Phlox because the elderly aunty was pushing the pot into the plastic bag, asking me to get them together. These flowers are commonly found and devotees use the buds as offerings to Buddhas and also sometimes for cleansing in baths. They emit a sweet mild fragrance. I asked the aunty which flowers would bloom whole year long, and she said these 2 types. I also repotted the White Phlox into a bigger pot. By the next day, suddenly a lot of white buds appeared and flowers too. I plucked some for offering to GuanYin at the altar. Next time we need not buy these for offering from the market anymore. We have our own now.

Maybe I should nickname this pot of White Phlox "吉祥". So now we have 富贵 and 吉祥. ;P

"Inspiration is all it takes"

Niece and nephew went to River Hongbao in Marina, after a hiatus of 2 years. The impression the exhibits on the floating platform gave me was, I think they have cut down budget for this annual fair. The stalls selling food and other stuff were obviously lesser. The exhibits on the platform were not that many, apart from the usual 12 animals, one huge ox fronting our city business district skyline, the Chai Shen Ye (Wealth God), some soldiers and canons, a pagoda and some figurines of generals (er, I am not sure what they were). The way the exhibits were displayed was a little scattered. Even the background of the IR casino in construction was messy. The skyline as well as the Flyer did not enhance the grand feeling and picturesque view.

And one photo which I took of our skyline, made me especially uncomfortable. Despite the breathtaking view of our modern buildings, there was a dark cloud hovering and flanking over our business district for the longest time. The waters were calm, but seemed too still for my comfort. I did not feel the vibrancy which should be imminent with our hustle and bustle of the city, and especially during CNY period and before the commencement of the Chingay Parade at the Padang nearby.

The kids asked me at the end of the 30-minute visit, "like that only ah?". We need something more interesting to attract the visitors if this is going to be an annual thingy. If the exhibits next year are going to be similar as this year, I would not bother to visit again. Perhaps they should have organised some performances/concerts or have some celebrities be ambassadors to attract audiences, have some contests and competitions like a Dragon boat race on the river. Or construct a special Chai Shen Ye statue nearby ON the waters and organised short boat rides for people to reach the statue and be blessed at sea by the Chai Shen Ye. Or even have some well-known retailers conduct their warehouse sale at (temporary) premises nearby (Singaporeans love sales, right?). Or engage well-known restaurants to have dine-in facilities at a special makan street at special prices for those few days the River Hongbao is on. Singaporeans love to eat and a bargain. Maybe we can have a Cats competition as well (because next year is the year of the Tiger). Or we can invite some real white tigers from the zoo there as a special program). I may be babbling nonsense here, but we need new ideas to attract the CNY crowds lah.

Love this pix I took of nephew. Perhaps it says it all, "Inspiration is all it takes". The people behind River Hongbao needs some inspiration and new ideas, man.

Ren Ri 人日

Today is the 7th of the lunar first month - the day of man (ren ri). It's a people's day or man's birthday, which symbolises the birth of new life and new hope. According to the ancient writings, the first eight days of the year are dedicated respectively to the rooster, dog, pig, sheep, bull, horse, man and grain.

In Chinese tradition, Ren Ri is hence the day to celebrate our birthday. Today was also the day people usually lo hei (Lao Yusheng). I bought take-away Yusheng for our lunch in the comfort of our home. Again we received an "ang pow" and oranges together with the Yusheng. The ang pow consisted of a slip of paper of 4 lucky numbers, which hopefully we would strike lottery if we buy the numbers.

Other than lo hei, today was just a normal Sunday to us. Mom bought and steamed the fish that was only available during Chinese New Year, that's why they called it the CNY Fish. It was only during CNY that this fish would not taste fishy or bitter, especially the "jelly" part. A few days ago during 1st day of CNY, the fish would have cost $10 per small fish, now it cost $1 each. And the best way to cook it was simply to steam it, and then just garnish little slices of garlic and ginger with prune on top the fish. And it went very well with the sour Cincalok chilli.

Apart from the fish, Mom also cooked some vegetarian dishes which were signature dishes from my Grandma. Our entire extended family love them too. One dish was the braised beancurd skin (Hoo Kee) with few mushrooms. Another was Braised Tofu (Tow Gua) which were cut into cubes and cooked in soya sauce. Yet another was mixed vegetables (Chap Chye) which consisted of carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, black fungus, tau hu, beancurd skin. These 3 dishes are simple dishes but to cook them till that wonderful taste had permeated into the ingredients and tender, took some technique and practise. We could only swear that my Grandma's and Mom's versions tasted the best.

Grandma usually have these dishes, especially the braised tofu, with plain porridge every morning for breakfast because she is vegetarian every morning till noon. Grandma would prepare one whole pot of braised tofu to last for a few days. Each meal, she would take just one or two pieces of the tofu. So since the dish was always available, the rest of the family have grown used to these dishes and love them as well. Our comfort food.

Foodcourt in the Gardens

While searching for our weekend dinner with the family, we came across the new basement foodcourt in the garden (actually the newly renovated place had been completed 2-3 years ago but I did not know there was a foodcourt). It was named Taman Serasi Food Court. Now the Gardens has 3 levels of F&B - from fine dining to mid-level dining to a food garden catering to the masses.

We tried some dishes like the Bak Chor Kway Teow Soup and the Fish Bee Hoon Soup, which came in big portions. The BBQ StingRay was ok but a tad too small for $10. We also tried the BBQ Ayam Rice set (similar to the famous one in Plaza Singapura) but unfortunately this one did not go down well. The Ayam was not tender enough. The Fried Oyster was ok, not too oily but no "oomph". The only dish worth mentioning was perhaps the Roti Prata - which came in assortment - cheese, banana, the normal ones with and without egg. They were not too oily and tasted crispy and good. The banana roti prata was something different, but more for dessert as it was sweet. It was a chewy version of Goreng Pisang.

It was already late by the time we finished when we went up the Gardens to look around. Saw this huge tree constructed with tons of beautiful paper cranes in red and white. The branches have been extended with willow stalks to create a sprawling canopy of 9999 paper cranes contributed by students from Nanyang Primary School. This display symbolises longevity, hope and wisdom. I really liked the huge display of the big paper cranes which was a fantastic symbolic theme. Too bad it was too dark for me to snap some nice pictures.

The Botanic Gardens hope this tree will bring happiness, health and prosperity to all its visitors.