my Toy Story

A couple weeks ago I decided it was time to take these little plushies out from their boxes and give them an airing. They'd been kept in the storeroom for way too long.

 

I love soft toys.

 

I have a good number of them.

 

And I'm not afraid to say that I keep a collection of them at home, and at the office.

 

Yes, some might balk at the fact that I keep plushies at the office, but for goodness sakes, I'm in an industry where toys of all kinds are characters that are made into franchises and then sold, and where toys have much more value than childish stuffed objects meant to be confined only to the nursery or the playroom.  

 

That's not to say that one doesn't strike a balance.

 

You can love every stuffed toy that comes along your way, or the adult part of you can decide that toys are valuable as long as they have a story, a significance and a tale.

 

And if they are collectibles.

 

The stuffed camel is a collectible.

 

For the reason that Universal Studios Singapore does not have the same stuffed camel on the shelves at The Mummy Ride anymore. I love stuffed animals that look like real animals, ie the camel must look like a camel with the right color, a wombat must look like a wombat with the right color, and a dolphin must look like a dolphin and if it is supposed to be a bottlenose dolphin, then it has to be grey. With a bottlenose. So, anyway, I'd gone to USS a few years ago and right after coming out from the not-so-scary The Mummy Ride, in the merchandise store was a shelf full of these camels.

 

They all had the cutest eyes- and they all had fluffy fur!

 

So I got one and named him Humpffff.... :)

 

Disney's Winnie The Pooh has been one of my favorite Disney characters for the longest time. Maybe about 20 over years thereabouts? No, I'm not a latecomer to the joys of cartoons and animation, but as much as cartoon characters have always charmed me, few of them have held as much sway over me as Disney's Winnie The Pooh has.

 

It's hard to explain.

 

Maybe it is the smile.

 

Maybe it is the story.

 

Maybe it is the simplicity that Pooh Pooh carries throughout his/her daily life and the simplicity he/she exudes when handling the issues that crop up in the day by day. I like to think that Pooh Pooh has a happy, joyful perspective of life. I like to think that Pooh Pooh sees life as something worth living for, and though he/she does get distracted from time to time (butterflies!) he/she treats each day in Hundred Acre Wood as an adventure.

 

Sure, there is a psychological depth to Winnie The Pooh, and to each of the characters that dwell in Hundred Acre Wood, but they're so adorable that I really don't care what they represent and love them for what they are. 
 

Honestly, for me, I just love his/her smile- and the hunny pot.

Toys do go beyond pure merchandise.

They can, and are mementos.

Not of relationships, as one usually assumes, but of seasons, and occasions that mark time. Two of my toys here are mascot mementos of two respective hotels.

The frog, named Toots, was the mascot of Shangri La's Rasa Sentosa Resort on Sentosa Island. Up to a few years ago, their shuttle bus in and out of Sentosa had a large picture of the frog mascot on it and so was nicknamed the Toots Bus. Toots is still the mascot of the hotel (I think!) but they don't give out this toy very much anymore.

The other is whom I call the Conrad Bear, a memento that speaks of, naturally, Conrad Centennial Singapore. The Conrad Bear is a mascot of the hotel worldwide, and every room will have the bear as part of their hospitality towards their guests. But beyond this being a Conrad Bear, this is a Conrad Christmas Bear given out only during the Christmas season. They're particularly proud about their Christmas bears, by the way. If you drop in the lobby during Christmas season, chances are you'll find a 'tree' created with large-sized and small-sized  Conrad Christmas Bears stacked up high. It's a most adorable sight. Ironically, when it was that I went to Conrad for a Christmas stay, I no longer remember. And If I hadn't this bear with me now as a reminder, I probably would not have known that I'd once stayed there at Christmas at all.

I'm particular about the smile on my toys the same way I'm particular about the color and design of the toy.
 

It is subjective, of course, but a well-sewn smile does determine the value of the toy when perceived in the sense of beauty, but that being said, sometimes an awkward, lopsided smile on a stuffed toy can bring as much comfort to someone as a well-sewn one.

A collagen Hotpot

 

It would have been really lovely had this post been like one of them raving blog reviews about this particular dining spot or that particular cafe.
 
Unfortunately, by the time this gets posted (in the period of late December) this hotpot place at Tanjong Katong Road is no more, and the unit where they once used to be is now up for rent. 
 
Actually I don't know if they've really closed down, or if they have simply upped and moved. I sincerely hope it is the latter.
 
Their collagen broth was really nice.
 
Yes, I know there are other hotpot places where you can have collagen broth- offhand I know of at least two- but... I liked the place, and I liked the atmosphere.
 
We had discovered this place quite by accident sometime earlier this year through one of the food and lifestyle apps, and although we tried it out because the deal was pretty fantastic back then, we'd come here on this particular day for the hotpot buffet that cost about $50++ two pax.
 
Not too extravagant a price for a  place that served really, really fresh slices of meat all rolled up beautifully on  platters that they served straight to your table.

Not too extravagant a price too, for a place that offered a pretty good variety of vegetables for your taking. Besides the usual corn, carrots, lettuce and seaweed, there were several types of mushrooms, there was broccoli and there was some sort of spongy spongy thing which I didn't recognize, and therefore didn't take.

My palate that day favored the lettuce (I love lettuce in soup), the corn (for the sweetness), the carrots (for the colors), the seaweed (that umami umami kind of taste) and the mushrooms (squishy squishy foods can be really fun to eat).

And I went for the cuttlefish balls (a first love), the tofu cheese squares (can never resist them- don't know why), the Fuzhou fishballs (because there's meat inside) and little cocktail sausages (they looked cute).

Of course there was the meat, and as one can well tell, there was lots of it on the table. Between my dining companion and I, we must have ordered four platters of beef, all sliced thinly for easy cooking.

There's great joy in dipping the raw meat into the soup with chopsticks, watching it gradually turn color, then chowing it down with a mixture of sesame sauce, sesame oil and a handful of chopped spring onions, and Chinese parsley.

We finished all four platters.

Quite easily, in fact, and it is a strange thing, but we didn't actually feel overly stuffed as we might have had felt if eating elsewhere. I suppose the quality of meat does make a difference.

Either that, or we must have been pretty hungry that day.

Because after the balls and the veggies and the mushrooms and tofu cheese cubes plus allll the meat, we still had space to wrap up the meal with ice cream- one scoop of chocolate chip, one scoop of bubblegum.

Yep, bubblegum ice cream was mine.

the Bike Light on Rose

 

It isn't often that I talk about the things that I own, but I pulled this light out from the drawer the other day and decided that I wanted to write about it.

Because there is much to be grateful for when it comes to talking about this bright red bicycle light that is small- the whole light fits snugly into the palm of my hand- but certainly packs a powerful punch with its triple beams.

I didn't use the triple beams very much- there was no need to. What I used most was the dual beam, which was sufficient, and when required, the Flash Option that I could activate just by pressing two buttons.

Now, that convenience might not mean much to some of us, but to me, it meant a great deal.

See, I'm a night rider.

What that means is that I start cycling from around 4pm or so all the way until 1am thereabouts, and so a good part of the ride takes place when the sun's down. Early morning riders and night riders who take the roads will know how critical it is to give ample warning to oncoming traffic or blind spot traffic of your upcoming turn, or your impending approach.  

I've had to slam the buttons down when making a turn because the oncoming vehicle didn't seem to have seen me.

I've also had to slam the buttons and do this high beam flash when changing lanes along some of the more challenging roads.

But more than that, this is the light that has helped keep me safe through all my biking adventures on this island.

This is the light that has guided me upon every single major road that is accessible by bicycle.

 

I've used it extensively on the dimly lit sections of East Coast Park where, if you're a frequent rider, you will know of the part right at the edge between the sea sports club and the Tanah Merah Canal that is either dimly lit, or better yet, not lit at all.

Then there is (the old) Tanah Merah Coastal Road, where although well-lit for most of the time, has had occasions where sections along the entire stretch "didn't pay electric bill" and had their lights powered down, forcing riders to bike cautiously through the dark.  

I love this light.

She has certainly brought me to places aplenty.

 

With her, I've gone along West Coast Highway, Jurong East, Jln Boon Lay, Jalan Bahar, Lim Chu Kang Road, plus the entire stretch of Kranji starting from Neo Tiew Estate all the way through Kranji Way and finally to Woodlands Road.

 

With her, I've biked on the entire stretch of Woodlands Road down past Stagmont and Choa Chu Kang towards Dunearn Road.

 

This is the light that has taken me through the estate of Bukit Batok towards Hillview and down towards Woodlands Road.

 

This is the light that has guided me upon the sometimes-lit, sometimes-not-lit narrow path on Lentor Avenue down from Yishun towards Ang Mo Kio.

 

I've gone on Mandai Road and  Mandai Avenue (near the crematorium) with this light and ridden into the don't-know-why-so-dark Seletar Reservoir area and not felt one bit afraid at all.

 

And best of all, she has been my companion through the renowned, very, very dark, and sometimes-scary route in Sembawang- and made me feel not *as* afraid as I would have been without her.

Her battery has conked out on me now, and sad to say, I haven't been able to find another.

Still, I get sentimental about my stuff, and to say that I feel nothing towards this companion of a bicycle light would be a lie, because even though it might be just a thing, without it I would not have had as many experiences as I have had, and more importantly, I would not have made it through safe, sound, and alive.

Aston's Steak and Salad

 

Places that have salad bars along with their main menus are particularly attractive to me.

 

Maybe because my appetite switches around from time to time, and I'm the sort who doesn't know what it is I want to have until I'm actually there.  

And so although I say I'd like to go the full works of salad, main and dessert, it is also possible that by the time I get there I'd have changed my mind entirely and decide to switch to another place with smaller bites.

Very stressful for my regular dining companion, of course, which is why all-in-one places like Aston's Steak and Salad are fantastic for peeps who cannot make up their minds, and even if they do, are wont to change their minds at the very last minute.

It had been my intention to go for the fish and chips, but I caught a glimpse of the pretty large salad bar whilst waiting in queue, so decided- at the counter-to skip the main, just order the salad bar (they dont' allow sharing) and share the main with my dining companion instead.

Turned out to be a great decision, because the main meal was pretty huge, and it would have either been packed up, or gone to waste had I been stubborn and ordered mine.

Instead I got to eat as much salad as I wanted.

Three big bowls of vegetables I took, including the favorites of romaine lettuce (the only kind of lettuce I like), kidney beans, lots and lots of corn, black olives (only the black ones I favor) and alfafa sprouts. I thought of taking carrots (because they would look good on camera) but then I didn't feel like chomping my way through slices of carrots and so decided on chickpeas instead. 

If you're wondering, yes, I repeated the same selections for all three bowls, with the exception that I added chopped egg for one, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese for the second, and a ladleful of black olives for the third.

It isn't that there weren't other selections- there were- in fact, quite a variety. Cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, broccoli, purple lettuce, sprouts, coleslaw, peas, and several kinds of lettuce.

That's all I remember, but I'm pretty sure they had more.

After all, they had six kinds of salad dressings- Blue cheese, Thousand Island, Ranch etc- all of which were the creamy kind, and even though my hand hovered over the blue cheese (unusual, mah) I eventually decided on a dressing of olive oil and olive oil alone because I'm fine with the taste.

Plus I didn't feel like drowning my veggies in all that cream.

Not that I'm anti towards creamy dressings- "you want what then eat what lah" is my usual philosophy- I simply used the blue cheese as a dip for the fried stuff.

Chicken nuggets, tater tots, onion rings, shoestring fries and sweet potato fries, all of which you wouldn't usually see at a hardcore salad bar, but hey, this is a family-friendly restaurant, and there are CHILDREN.

That amount of blue cheese dip was enough for the onion rings, the tater tots and the chicken nuggets that me and my dining companion piled onto a plate to share.

Quite fun a meal it was, what with the bright atmosphere, the homely environment, the presence of space, the cheerful-looking food, and we made sure to wrap it up with a scoop of soft serve each, and a cup of full-bodied tea.

behind The Padang

 

 

It was one of those afternoons where I had a bit of in-between time and so decided that it was as good as anything to take an exploratory walk through what is likely one of the oldest, and most significant places in Singapore.

 

Queen Elizabeth Walk isn't new.

 

It's been around for a very long time.

 

What it used to be during the early colonial days I don't know- nothing much is said- but there would have to be something, given its close proximity to the Victoria Concert Hall, the Anderson Bridge and the Padang.

 

Coming here it is possible to imagine how it might have been in the decades past. It is possible to stand stock still amidst the trees and wonder to yourself how it might have looked like when Raffles came to this area and (supposedly) decided to sign the first treaty at the Padang right behind. 

 

There aren't that many publicly shared artworks of how this area looked like when Raffles was around, so we don't have much reference.

 

But thank God for photography and photographs.

 

At least we know how this place looked like during the 50s when photography was all the rage amongst some of the younger ones, and so as there were many (male) photographers, there were as many (female) friends who happily donned the fashion of the day and posed for the camera. 

 

Queen Elizabeth Walk (or whatever it was called) was a popular place for photo shoot excursions. 

 

I know, because I've seen a collection of black and white photographs, courtesy of Miss Brown, where she is seen gracefully posed against the backdrop of Fullerton Hotel, and the horizon of what looks like an endless sea.

 

There was no MBS or Marina Bay Area then.

 

Neither was there the Merlion statue that tourists visit by the droves these days.

 

Beyond the section that is now right next to the Waterhouse- or the old Customs House- was all sea, sea, sea.

 

It's an entirely different landscape now. 

 

Still, one must admit that there is a sense of timelessness along this stretch, and when you're there on a sunny midweek late afternoon with nothing else but leaves and birds around you, you can just stop and admire the evolvement that this country has seen, whilst basking in the quiet song of passing time.

pretty foods: Roast Duck (with skin!)

Always a delight it is when I manage to find a place that serves really good roast duck.

Because I'm the sort who can be particular about the size of the duck (it must not be skinny!), the quality of the roast (there must have this nicely browned tone), whether the skin is shiny or not (however they do it), and if there is sufficient fat deliciously roasted around the meat (a fatty duck is what this dish is called for).

All this above means that I prefer to stick to the standards- unless I'm at a hawker centre or food court and I don't know what to eat- just so that I can make the meal a very memorable one.

Take it from a Cantonese whose Family would on occasion tapao Fatty Weng's, and on very special occasions (Chinese New Year!) would make a special trip to Aljunied and get Johnson's Duck.

I haven't had Fatty Weng's for a long, long time, and neither do I know whether Johnson's Duck is still around but these days I tend to go to the stalls on the upper floor of Smith Street Hawker Centre ($36 for a whole duck), this particular coffee shop that sits somewhere along East Coast Road, and this place which  I don't know its name, but sits right at the junction of Joo Chiat Place and Tembeling Road.  

We discovered this place quite recently- my dining companion and I- and quite a surprise it was to find that the duck was succulent, the skin was crispy and perfectly roasted, and best of all, the meat was tender with sufficient fat nestling just beneath the skin.

It goes well with rice, all of it, and so we often order a half portion platter to share. Their duck is roasted with XO- which is probably what grants the skin its delightful shine- the sauce has a slight tinge of XO in its flavor, and there's even a little dish of plum sauce that adds to your meat a hint of sour-sweet.