Wheels For Fun

I'm a cyclist- a leisure cyclist- on and off- about eight years now?

And whilst I can't say I'm the sort who puts heart and soul into the sport and into the gear, I can say that I know what is necessary and I know what it is that I need, and want. 

Cycling, to me, is one of the most liberating activities I've ever done.  

It has (from time to time) woken the competitive side of me. 

It has also (from time to time) shaken up the determined side of me. 

Beyond all the physical and mental conditioning that cycling has given me, if there's one thing that cycling has done, it is that it has brought me to places I would otherwise have not gone. 

You see, we're not a very big country. 

Neither are we a very scenic one. (Hello Taiwan)

In other words, this land mass of housing estates, factories, homes, shops, skyscrapers, Green Corridor and etc is all that we have, and all that we can go to. Take into consideration what life throws you and our circle and our places of interest become smaller and smaller. 

On the day to day I don't get to go many places. 

But cycling has brought me there. 

There are places I wouldn't have gone had I not been on my bike.

Like Old Lim Chu Kang Road and Sarimbun (which I only made it halfway).

Like Woodlands Park way up to the north of the north that overlooks the Johor Straits and which one must take a bit of winding road through Canberra to get there. 

Like Jalan Bahar and its surroundings which on regular days you won't have much of a need to pass through there.

I have heard live firing whilst traversing through Kranji whilst on Rose. 

I have gone to Labrador Park and seen huge monitor lizards on Daffy.

And amongst the places I have gone, you see the picture of Daffy on the stretch of PCN along the Serangoon River area that leads you to either Gerard Avenue and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, or Punggol Point and Seletar beyond. 

You also see Daffy at Punggol Point itself which is where many a cyclist makes a pit stop because of there's a 7-11 there (and because by that time some of us are huffling for water and 100Plus and even banana). 

There's waiting by the pillar of Stamford Court because it had suddenly started raining heavily and it seemed wiser to wait it out than chug through the rain along busy Victoria Street on a Saturday. 

And then there's Daffy by some random metal railing along Upper East Coast Road because Blue (her riding companion) had taken a wrong turn somewhere behind  her and she decided to wait.

Other pictures of Daffy include her at Geylang because her owner wanted to have a bowl of salted tau huey with youtiao at this shop on one of the lorongs and her riding companion brought her there. 

And yes, there's Daffy and Blue outside City Square Mall because they needed new little bike bags from Decathlon upstairs. 

Not every destination with Daffy is memorable. 

Sometimes it is the journey that's been taken to get there.  

Like the slopes I had to huff up towards Clementi Mall because we had come from (either) Pasir Panjang or West Coast or don't-know-where.

I write this now not just for the sake of posting pictures of Daffy.

I write this now because in recent days there's been this huge- HUGE- discussion about cyclists, which talk somehow shifted from cyclists on the wrong lane of the road to cyclists hogging the road to cyclists on the road to cyclists on the pavement to cyclists on the PCN to cyclists who show off to cyclists who don't show off etc etc etc- and it all culminated in "let's license the cyclists"- or let us "consider"

Now I don't know if the licensing thing is a good idea- each to his own- but I do wonder how effective this effort will be, who really benefits from it, and how much of an impact this will have on what is in fact just a simple, enjoyable activity.

See, there are many kinds of cyclists in this world. 

There are those who take the sport with a 150% competitive attitude. 

There are those who take the sport with a 65% competitive attitude. 

There are those who take the sport with a functional attitude. 

And there are those who take the sport with a 'smell flower ride' attitude. 

Those who take the sport with a 150% attitude aren't those whom society claim to be showoffs and posers. 

They don't have to. 

They're already winners.

They've already got the best gear, and none of them will be stupid enough to put their skills to the test on the road with lorries and cars and buses zooming past them at less than a meter's width away. 

Those who take the sport with a 65% competitive attitude aren't the posers and showoffs either. 

Yes, they love a good race, but 35% of their attitude is slack, so they choose carefully the place if they want to speed, and their 35% brain will also tell them not to do it on the road. 

If they are on the road, it is for good reason- the road is better paved, there are fewer distractions, there is lesser bike traffic (no kids, no first-timers, no couples riding side by side holding hands). 

And as much as they take zero f**ks from bully drivers, they aren't that dumb to risk their lives for the sake of growth and stamina and competition and whatnot either. 

Who, then, are the posers and the showoffs? 

What, the functional riders? 

Of course not. 

They're just getting from place to place. They don't have time. 

And interestingly, these are the ones who make up the bulk of the 'cycling community'. 

It is the teenager trying to earn extra pocket money (and maintain his hobby) by becoming a food delivery rider. 

It is the worker cycling from his home/dorm to the worksite, or to the nearest shops because his dorm is in a place so ulu it is literally in the middle of nowhere. 

It is the housewife cycling to the supermarket in the town center or her favorite wet market because the fishes there are fresher and she can do with the exercise. 

It is also the father and mother who cycles his and her kids to school in the morning and picks them up after school is over.

There're so many more.

The dude who cycles down to the coffee shop or the hawker center to tapao dinner or breakfast for the family.

The senior citizen who has been cycling for 60 years without accident or summons and continues to keep on his cranky bike because he knows his legs still can.

Are they then the showoffs and posers?

No. 

They're not.

They're not the ones who are found in the middle lane on flyovers and  who road hog on Jalan Buroh and Kheam Hock Road towards PIE.

They're not the ones who spend $10,000 on a bike and then because they've spent that much money, have to build a lifestyle around it and go about telling everyone about their very expensive gear and its peripherals. 

Would you think they are the ones who think they're top notch fitness and so can do anything and have the power to 'take down' 'take out' anyone and anything, moving vehicle included? 

No, I don't think so. 

True, they do go on the road, but (most of the time) they keep to the leftmost of the last lane, or sometimes weaving through a pedestrian crossing but that's usually because the bus got near and they have no intention to challenge anybody. 

Should then they be subject to a solution caused by the egoistical attitudes of a few black sheep? 

I don't think so either. 

Whatever solution there is, I hope it will be fair and just and not be a one-size-fits-all simply because some people with a 65% competitive attitude think they're 150%. 

Because at the end of the day, I just want to cycle from East Coast Road to Neo Tiew Estate and Kranji via West Coast Highway, Jalan Boon Lay and Jalan Bahar, and then come back east via Woodlands Road, Dunearn Road and Kampong Java or Mandai Road, Yishun, Lentor, Yio Chu Kang and Hougang. 

That's just it. 

Plain and simple. 

And I'd like Daffy to enjoy the many, many interesting views that only she can go, and me only she can bring. 

Seafood Hotpot Shiok Shiok Style

There's no other way to say it, I'm afraid, but this place is now a far cry from what it used to be. 

I shan't name names, but if you have been familiar with the hype that once surrounded a seafood buffet place in Joo Chiat about two (or three) years ago, then you may know which place it is I mean. 

We didn't read the online reviews prior to making our way there. 

On hindsight maybe we should have. 

But there are times when we try not to make any pre-judgment of our meals or of restaurants- better to experience it first hand- and this was one of them. 

Hence, our complete surprise at what we saw. 

You see, where once their place occupied a full double storey shophouse, now not only was it just the upper floor, the dining area had been relegated to just half the width of that floor. 

Never mind that, they'd crammed four heavy square tables into the small space, which from the looks of it would only have been feasible for large groups of five or six instead of separate groups of three or four.

My companion had to squeeze through the narrow gap between our table and the table next to ours. 

The aesthetics were completely different.

Gone were the visual perks of old days- no more live prawns swimming in pretty tanks beside you whilst you ate. Also, no more the bright lights and the aesthetics (heaps of ice below your seabass and mussels) that traditionally make up the impression of a fresh seafood buffet. 

All that was now gone. 

Now it was just unlimited servings of seafood, and you got what you got in clear plastic trays brought to you by a lone server from the freezers and chillers located downstairs. 

To be honest, it was both a little shocking and a little sad. 

So much so that my dining companion thought of making a complaint, cancel the reservation and make a run for it, but then we figured that since we were already here, since the boss had come up to welcome us, and since we are the sorts to be more about the food than whether we could catch our own d*** prawn, we might as well stay and give our dinner a shot. 

So we rolled up our sleeves and dug in. 

Having readjusted our expectations, taking away the branding hype and the expectation of what a hotpot buffet is supposed to be, it turned out to be not so bad. 

The server brought everything up in pretty much record speed. Drinks were in a jug at the side and they had the ice and everything. 

The food included clams, prawns, crabs, snow crab legs, and little baby lobsters that we call xiao long xia. 

After some thought I decided it best to toss all the clams into the soup. After further thought I decided that half the prawns should follow suit, and then, after that still, went the lettuce, the broccoli (for fun), the mushrooms, and the hotpot balls. 

We dropped the scallops in for a quick cook shabu shabu style and then had them with the dipping sauces, which, by the way, this place did have- even though all their sauces were kept in the chiller and were only brought out for customers when you asked for them.

I didn't know how to eat the snow crab legs but my companion did. 

So into the pot they went to simmer, and after a while my companion worked the pliers and I concentrated on eating the flesh of the legs very, very carefully. 

The crab legs were a little skinny... 

Something like that. 

Besides the seafood hotpot, there was also a selection of cooked food which we could order from the menu, so we did just that.

One plate of oyster omelet, one plate of stir-fried sotong in some sort of sauce, and one plate of fried chicken wings. 

The oyster omelet was considerably large, and although not as chewy as the ones we have at the hawker stalls, had a fair number of oysters tucked inside. 

The sotong was just sotong (if there was something remarkable about it I don't remember now). 

But the best of the cooked food had to be the chicken wings, which we found crispy and tasty, and which we of course made it more fun by eating them with our hands. 

All in all it was a memorable dinner. 

Sometimes a questionable experience can be made better if you adjust your expectations. 

Yes, it wasn't a dinner that- if given a deliberate choice- I would come first hand, but as all things go, memories are what they are and I'm glad to have made it a shiok shiok experience, ending the meal with a wonderful pot of umami-rich soup (yes, finally!) and three big scoops of raspberry ripple ice cream. 

Chillin' at Christmas (Parent Style)

Mala Xiang Guo might not be the first dish that comes to mind during Christmas or Christmas season time, but that's precisely what The Parent and I had when we made our planned stopover at this late-night diner not too far from our home. 

The dish has become one of our shared favorites. 

We discovered a liking for it quite by accident. 

After all it hasn't been until recent years that they've surfaced more and more in our community. 

But mala xiang guo is a charm. 

Not only do they make it tasty (dont' ask me how), you can decide whether you want it keto-like, vegan-like, very spicy, very very spicy, mildly spicy, or not spicy at all. It makes a great dish for sharing and, depending on the place you go, you can have a huge variety of ingredients at a reasonable value. 

What makes this dish wonderful is the freedom of choice that one can have in terms of the ingredients, and you can either stick to all your favorites, try completely new ones, or have half of each. 

This time we chose our favorites of bean curd skin, bean curd, mushrooms, beef slices and noodles (two portions!). Then we decided to add a new variety of mushroom, an extra portion of the Taiwan sausage, and an additional serving of lettuce. 

It was wonderful sharing from the bowl that the server placed on the table, picking out pieces of what we thought the other might like and dropping them familiarly into each other's bowls. 

Back and forth flew the beef and Taiwan sausage, and then, just as we were finishing, we suddenly remembered we'd brought a bag of cherry tomatoes from home and so snuck them into the bowl.

They went well with the oils. :) 

I'm very thankful for this meal that we had. 

And for the trip to the (Christmas time) supermarket that we went thereafter.

But that's not all.

Nearer to Christmas Day The Parent told me of this other late-night coffee shop at the other end of the park close to our home, so off we went for a second holiday season supper. 

Turned out that there were quite a couple of stalls still open at that hour, so after a bit of discussion, we settled on an order of fish and chips, a plate of guo tie, a plate of steamed yam cake, and siew mai. 

The joys of being Chinese!

Shall I say that the portion of fish and chips was huge? 

So huge that it took up three-quarters the size of a regular plate, and that it came with a generous dollop of mayonnaise, as well as a lovely serving of salad and fries? 

Shall I also say that we were surprised by the texture of the guo tie skin? 

That we'd kind of expected it to be like a ban mian sort of flour but instead it turned out to be a little more like the flour you have in deep fried dough balls that are thick, chewy and soft?

But we didn't mind. 

We had a fine time eating everything up.

In any case, the yam cake was solid and thick- they were generous with the sweet sauce- the siew mais were warm with lots of meat, and what we treasured was the time that we were spending together. 

Brunch at Craftsmen

Good is a place that serves up a nice, delicious brunch. 

Better yet, however, is a place that serves up a nice, delicious brunch throughout the day.

A friend told me about Craftsmen; said that their coffee was good, their croissants came recommended, and if I didn't fancy their cake and buttery pastry, there were waffles too. 

So, being one of those types that can eat breakfast foods any time of the day, we went.

They've got a few outlets around the island, I heard- Siglap, Holland Village, Clarke Quay, but for convenience, we decided on the Clarke Quay one. 

First thing that struck me about the place was the scent of coffee. 

Strong, stimulating, the fragrance permeated through the entire cafe, building upon its warm, cozy decor, and making me want to order a latte even though I wasn't planning to have one. 

Unfortunately it was late evening, I'd already drunk wo cups during the day, and I didn't think it wise to have another. 

So I resisted. :D

And considered taking a juice instead. 

We decided on a plate of savory waffles, an addition of caramelized bacon, and a side of (seasonally offered) salted egg fries. 

I'd hoped to have the waffles with ice cream, but my friend reminded me that ice cream did not a proper food make and I would do better to have scrambled eggs instead.  

Wise move, it turned out to be. 

The scrambled eggs had the most wonderful texture, bordering between the runny and the dry where they weren't so watery that I couldn't fork them up, nor were they so hard that the eggs lost their flavor. 

The bacon, too was great. 

Even though it was just one single portion, the thin slice had been turned so well in the pan over the right heat that you could savor the fried fat of the meat together with its crispy, slightly-burnt edges. 

However, it were the waffles that I liked best of all.

Thick, crispy and warm, there was no sogginess to the texture and they were no small-sized portion either. At first I separated my waffle into its tiny, cute little squares, dipping them into the maple syrup, but afterward I decided it seemed more fun to nibble away at the squares using my hands.

It was a wonderful, memorable meal we had that late evening. 

Alternating the waffles, the eggs, the bacon, the chopped tomatoes with the bowl of (reasonably flavorful) salted egg fries, we polished off our meal in record time. 

Too quick, it seemed. 

But, no matter, perhaps I'll have my own plate of savory waffles next time. 

Who knows, perhaps I'll try their pastas or waffles with ice-cream or even their ice-cream sandwiches (for dinner, yes!) 

Then again, I might go for their much-recommended croissant instead. 

There was a smoked salmon and avocado croissant on their menu.

Why, VC, Why...

There was a time - not too long ago- that I used to chill with the startup sector. 

Now, I'm not (really) sure if where I worked at could be considered a startup, but hey, who is to say that companies don't plonk their time in the units and the startups that they have investment in? 

So during that season I was heading to networking sessions nearly every week (almost), and can I tell you that if there's one thing that struck me about these events, it was the sheer number of venture capitalists and finance dudes hovering in the community.

Yes, you met the founders and the co-founders, but you met more of the VCs and the representatives from the financiers than anyone else. 

No doubt, what with the funding game that goes on in the startup sector, venture capitalists and founders are integral. 

Still, one must really have excellent time management if one party is able to go to session after session after session in search of the potential VC, and the other is able to carve out blocks of time in the middle of a regular work day to attend a couple of sessions in search of the next big thing. 

Am not being sarcastic here, but it used to boggle me how these guys managed to find all the time.  

I mean, weren't they supposed to be at their desks in their co-working spaces churning out the necessary stuff to prepare their product to meet the standards of an MPV? 

And weren't the co-founders (also the marketing guy) supposed to be working on their deck, their documentation and their elevator pitch so that they could at first instance grab the attention of a prospective VC for seed funding, pre-seed funding, Series A funding, and so on? 

Now, don't judge me because of the above. 

I agree that funding is critical to every startup. 

I've been there. 

All I'm saying is that there were so many sessions that you never knew which one was the most apt and at these sessions you met so many founders and so many VCs that you didn't know who was who and so ended up going for them all. 

You wouldn't know if the session would be fruitful. 

You wouldn't know if the people there were the very same ones you met last week or the week before at another session and were now making the very same presentation with the very same deck. 

It seemed to be a game of opportunity.

Maybe that's why all these sessions tended to come with drinks, and food. 

All else failed- you could have your late lunch or early dinner at the same time. 

I don't know how many founders, co-founders and venture capitalists I've met over the years, but whilst some did make a positive impression on me, others- I have to say- surprised me with their spirit and style. 

Yes, you do have to carry a certain sense of pizzazz, know-how and authority when you're a VC. 

And you do have to sound like you know your s***. 

But surely it is not necessary to take a standoffish, half-listening attitude when someone is trying to explain what they do? 

And surely it is not necessary to take a heck-care, arrogant attitude when a founder is trying his or her best to describe their work to you? 

The flamboyance, I'm telling you, just... WOW. 

But it does not beget well the spirit of a venture capitalist to have an know-it-all cynicism at first meet, because everyone worth their salt knows that valuation is never done at first instance, pre-judgment is not wise, and valuation is never done by one man alone. 

Taking this into consideration, where then is the need for the attitude when at these sessions, you're really more the gatekeeper, and your KPIs for attendance are to listen to their pitches, remember the industries featured, report back on them, bring back the entire stack of name cards, and then back in the office, sit through with the others with your (hopefully unbiased) impressions of who will, or will not, warrant a second call. 

Yet they all seemed to have the same attitude. 

Didn't matter from where they came from- Singapore, Australia, Thailand, UK, Indonesia, Israel- they were more or less all the same.

Perhaps it is a NASDAQ-Wall Street-Silicon Valley kind of thing disseminated through different representatives.

But, let's be real, startup founders are not idiots, and many of them (despite their big talk and over-exuberance mannerisms) are sincere in getting their work up and on the road. 

Shouldn't such sincerity (if present) be reciprocated too? 

Then again, with that being said, whilst the spirit of venture capitalists at these sessions was quite an eye opener- the flamboyance and standoffish attitude isn't what really gets my goat. 

What does get my goat is when a VC suggests we meet at some awkward, obscure place in the middle of nowhere (why is it always Amoy Street, Telok Ayer Street, Club Street, Dempsey..) and then give me just four minutes (knowing how complicated the entertainment marketing industry is) whilst saying very very for the rush and all but they are out of the country tonight bla bla bla- when it is quite apparent that they're not going anywhere? 

Hey, frequent flier travel for the middle-range VC went out the window more than four years ago. Not to say that there wasn't travel (in pre-COVID times) but come on, there was just no jetsetting from one place to another if you were at that level. 

If you were higher up the ladder, maybe. 

But see, if you were, you wouldn't come down from your office on a hot, humid afternoon to meet me at Ya Kun. You'd stay in your office and have me go there, armed with laptop and presentation and name card to make a favorable impression on you, instead.  

Like I said, startup founders aren't idiots, and we can see through a ruse when in actual fact, you're saying all that simply because what we told you was not what you expected it to be, and, in fact, was beyond your area of expertise, entirely. 

A Hilton High Tea Stay

The Hilton's end year staycation deal included an afternoon high tea that carried the promise of seafood platter and bottle of champagne.

And since I'm someone who refuses to resist any opportunity for a leisurely afternoon tea- never mind the menu- I took the deal.

We got there a couple of minutes after noon. 

Perfect timing- there were no queues, the room was ready, and best of all, our slot for afternoon tea came in at less than an hour. 

We had a bit of a wait at the restaurant after we got seated (during which my companion got a little hangry).

Good thing it didn't take too long before a large bowl full to the brim with mussels, oysters, prawns, and lobster arrived at our table.

I had a fine time with the mussels, the oysters and the prawns. 

Easy to peel, easy to eat. 

The prawns were firm and fresh, and there were a variety of dipping sauces, all of which I had, but in the end, went back to my favorite of Thousand Island instead. 

The mussels (with their pretty shells) were plump, and the oysters (all pre-shucked) were juicy, with none of the briny taste that some oysters seem to have. 

The lobster, however, proved a bit of a challenge- I never know how to work the pliers and I don't know which part of the shell I should clunk the pliers on. Fortunately my companion knew just what to do and better yet, had the strength to do it, so I just ate. 

Along with the fresh seafood came the platter of bites and as much as I wish I could tell you exactly what they were, it has been a while, and so all I can remember is that there was a small-sized (chubby) wrap stuffed with vegetables and little bits of seafood, there were two kinds of open-faced sandwiches- ham and cheese on one, smoked salmon on the other- and there were this cute little burger with a deliciously fried scallop placed snugly inside.

Next to this were the scones- cute little cubes served with clotted cream and jam. And then the macarons- passion fruit (I think) and earl grey. Then the cubed cakes- I don't quite remember the flavors- red velvet maybe, and the gourmet chocolates- most of which I gave away.

It was a wonderful afternoon tea, and we had a lovely, leisurely time, but the best part had to be the champagne. Hey, it's not every day I get to have bubbly and at tea time! But since I'm a near teetotaller, I had only one glass, my companion had two, and the rest I carried back up to the room. 

Which, by the way, this time had a most lovely view overlooking Orchard Towers, Palais Renaissance, the Royal Thai Embassy, and various buildings on Scotts Road.  

A pleasant stay it was- the room was bright, the bed was comfortable- and it didn't matter very much that there were still the lack of frills. The absence of notepaper and pen, or bags of chips, or little bottles of alcohol- does not any less a Hilton experience make. 

I showered well, I rested well, and next morning was back down to the lobby for breakfast at the allocated time. 

They'd altered the menu a little this time.

Instead of only being able to order the main just once, now they split the whole main up into the individual dishes and you could order as much of those as you liked. So, instead of being able to order only two eggs, you could now have three or four done in a variety of ways- scrambled, overeasy, fried, omelet. 

I didn't take that many. 

My companion did. 

Four eggs, whites only, omelet with mushrooms, onions, cheese and ham. 

Me, I had mine scrambled- because I like scrambled- and along with it came the orders of bacon, sausage, hash browns, more mushrooms, and baked beans. 

Then a bowl of rice krispies, noodle soup (soup only!), croissants with butter and jam, toast, pastries, yogurt, fruit platter, orange juice and coffee.