Chateraise and their Cakes

One thing I like about Japanese confectionary company Chateraise is just how pretty their display shelves are, and how well stocked they always seem to be. 

There has been seldom, or never even, a time when I've seen their shelves devoid of cute, pretty little cakes in all kinds of colors and all kinds of flavors. 

It's so pretty that I always try to take a picture. 

So far, none of the staff have ever tried to stop me. 

Maybe they- as a company- understand the power of user-generated content. 

It's like they're not hesitant to let just about anybody take a picture of their products on their display shelves and then share those pictures online. 

Maybe because they're not hesitant to interact with them either. 

Chateraise utilizes a very personal, a very engaging technique in their social media strategy. 

It's not a technique I often see. 

For instance, the Chateraise Singapore Facebook page often has a hi and hello post from a lady named Katsumata. I know it's a lady because she posted a picture of herself- in uniform- and mask- in her very first post on the page. 

Miss Katsumata's posts aren't just about the newest products in the store, she does a bit of a cultural exchange too. 

It's like she'll introduce the culture of Japan (through  the cakes and the confectionary) but she'll ask about the culture of Singapore too. 

There's a post where she says she's at a new store opening in Hiroshima prefecture because Chateraise hopes to bring happiness to their customers through their sweets.

In another post she asks what gifts we give our teachers on Teacher's Day (a cake from Chateraise will do fine!) because they don't really celebrate Teacher's Day in Japan. 

She makes you feel like she's genuinely interested in Singapore. 

In fact she's so engaging that I almost thought the company would do a fan meet (at a Singapore store) for Miss Katsumata when she came to the country. After all she had asked local users for a list of suggested places she should go. 

Of course the fan meet didn't happen. (We're not there yet) 

But she did come to Singapore, she did visit a couple of stores, had durian, and went back home.

To be honest I wasn't intending to write about Chateraise's social media technique. 

I was just going to talk about their cakes and their brand new (more atas) store at Millennia Walk. 

But it came out anyway.

You can say I'm a fan of Chateraise. 

Because they make their cakes so fresh, so tasty, so pretty, and so affordable. 

It doesn't mean that I don't like old school cream cakes or cakes from other bakeries. 

It just means that they appeal to my senses in a way different than how the others do. 

I don't know just how many times my spirits have been lifted just by looking at their cakes. 

I don't know how many times I've wanted to buy their strawberry cakes, their orange cakes and their adorable little mille crepes. 

Not to mention their soft cheesecakes, their cute looking animal cakes and their ice creams. 

I've been to their outlets at Chinatown Point, Square 2, Parkway Parade and NEX. 

I've also been to their new Yatsudoki at Millennia Walk. 

It's very classy, this premium Chateraise, with clean lines, lovely decorations all around and darker tones on the walls. There is also a dine-in area, shelves offering their confectionaries gift-bag style, and larger displays holding full-sized cakes for sale. 

I'd hoped to take a closer look at the elegant-looking, rich colored cakes on display but there were customers in the queue- and I didn't want to stand in the way. 

But I'll come back another time.

And this time, I'll want to have one of their delish-looking chocolate cakes in-store, together with their baked buttery-rich apple pie and maybe, a glass of peach wine. 

Libraries (Where I Kill Time)

So it might seem a little peculiar, but one of the very first things I did when I decided it high time to do something for myself was to go (back) to the library and start browsing for new books to read, and to borrow again.

I used to go to libraries a lot. 

In one season of my life, nearly every day.

Libraries were (and still are) one of the few places where you can wander in (quietly), settle down on a seat and just do your own thing. You don't necessarily have to get a book to have a seat- but it's best you do- because even if your brain isn't in reading mode, a hardcover or a paperback is sometimes a very calming thing to have.

I dont' know how many times I've written notes or letters or journals whilst sitting in the library. 

I also don't know how many times I've just sat there and stoned. 

The library is a wonderful place to be when you're in this sort of mood. 

No one disturbs you, no one bothers you and no one cares what you do just so long as you keep to yourself and not bother others too. 

I head to the library whenever I have something to write, but because I also like to read, so I often find myself browsing the shelves for a book (or two) before settling down on a seat that I like. 

Corner single seats suit me best. 

Because I'm an introvert- with a love for her own space which she doesn't necessarily want to (always) share.

My journey with libraries go back a long way. 

Whether it be the old National Library, the school library, the Library @ Orchard's Ngee Ann City, the new National Library or the Library @ Orchard's Somerset, I've been there. 

Doesn't mean that I don't go to the regional libraries.

I do. 

The libraries of Toa Payoh and Queenstown are like a time capsule that fascinate me, and the libraries in NEX, Hougang Mall, Chinatown Point, White Sands and Harborfront are excellent places to rest the feet when you're tired from window shopping but don't want to spend money on a coffee. 

Of course it isn't just the heritage ones or the mall ones that interest me. 

I like the libraries of Ang Mo Kio, Geylang East, Esplanade, and Jurong East too. 

In fact I just went to the Esplanade one not too long ago. 

And I borrowed The Great Gatsby and Girl With A Pearl Earring paperbacks whilst I was there. 

It was nice to step back into the world of bookshelves and books all over again. 

There was a time in my life whenI could afford to rad voraciously. 

I  miss those days. 

There isn't that much of a time now. 

Maybe my reading habits have changed. 

Or maybe I haven't gotten back into the space of quiet reading just yet. 

I'd like to get back to my host of local short stories with the works of Catherine Lim, Dave Chua and Philip Jeyaratnam. 

I'd like to get back to reading the stories of Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Anton Chekhov. 

And I'd like to get back to my readings from Clive Cussler, Sylvia Plath, Charlotte Bronte, my go-to Irish author Maeve Binchy, and the very good but sometimes very difficult to understand action-thriller writer Frederick Forsyth. 

It's been too long a time. 

So, I hope, soon. 

Daffy's Backpack

Heads up: If you ever see a female dressed in Uniqlo T-shirt, pink sweatpants and with a backpack like this riding an MTB, just know- it's me. :)

Yes, I tend to wear a bit of a uniform when I ride. 

It's not always the same, (privilege of being female) especially with the sweatpants, but the shirt tends to stay the same- the backpack too.

I've been riding around with a backpack of this design for a good number of years. 

There are two that I've had so far. 

The first one was a black one.

It accompanied me on many a bicycle ride. 

This one, however, not as many a ride as I wish it would.

Not the bag's fault- I just haven't been going on as many a ride as I ought to. 

One thing I like about this bag is the size. 

It's not very big, but it's just right. 

Sure, it looks like a kid's bag, but what shall I say, it's got a huge capacity, holds a good number of things, and is just what I need for the kiasee rider that is me when I go on half island rides. 

This bag has accompanied me on routes from Changi Village to Tampines to Sengkang and Hougang and East Coast Road. 

This bag has accompanied me on routes that run along the stretch of East Coast Park, Marina Bay Sands, Shenton Way, Keppel, West Coast Highway and Jalan Buroh. 

With the previous bag I'd gone to Lim Chu Kang, Sarimbun, Kranji, Mandai, Seletar, Woodlands Road and up to Tuas, Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim and Jalan Boon Lay. 

Never mind if it feels auntyish, but I've actually stuffed a foldable parka, deodorant, tissue, wet wipes, a sanitary pad, a hair tie, a camera, sunglasses, sweets, biscuits and even a paperback (don't ask why) on many of these rides. 

The weight's distribution fantastic- I've never have to concern about it getting heavier and heavier on my shoulders.

And after having done a couple of rides in the rain, I can tell you it's semi waterproof too. 

It's not a perfect bag, of course. 

It has its shortcomings. 

But I'm not very particular about aesthetics, and so, how it looks doesn't affect me very much too.

National Day 2022

If there is one good thing that has surfaced from all these (unfortunate) social distancing and group restrictions over the last couple of years, it is that all of us have had to accept- and embrace- technology in ways that we never did before.

No, I'm not referring to Zoom. 

I'm referring to livestreaming.

Livestreaming has become quite the thing for (necessary) events in the last few years.

Whether it be concerts, lectures, religious services, group meets or political speeches, everything deemed of importance has  gone through the process of livestreaming.

Just which, or how many of them- to be precise- I don't know, but the National Day Parade is one.          

I won't go into details of the parade- there's enough coverage on that- but let's just say that I watched parts of the first half 'live' whilst sitting at a cafe near the grounds with a forkful of blueberry yogurt tart in my hand.

We'd made an day out of it- Hedgehog and I- because it's always a refreshing thing to go to familiar places with different intent. 

The plan was, of course, to hang around the area just in case we wanted to see the fireworks, so first we had lunch at this place near Beach Road. 

Chin Chin Eating House is probably one of the longest-standing eating places here on Purvis Street.

How long they've been here, I dont' know, but they've got a good variety of dishes, an excellent system, and a vibe that balances the past and the present very well. 

I have my own favorite choice of dishes every time I come. 

Sometimes I have the sliced fish hor fun. 

Other times I have the fried hor fun with beef. 

There are days when I choose to have their soups. 

And there are days when the fried mee sua calls out to me. 

Today I wasn't in the mood for anything fried. 

But neither did I want rice with soup. 

So I compromised- and ordered mee sua soup instead.

It might seem a little surprising, but I fell in love with this simple-looking dish. The bowl had slices of fish cake, little chunks of meat, vegetables, a few prawns, and a heap of thinly sliced mee sua. 

Best part of the dish, however, was the soup. 

I had thought the soup would be clear. 

It wasn't. 

It had a bit of milky, milky feel to it, and made the taste even more unique, and unusual. 

From Chin Chin we headed over to Marina Square where I'd made an appointment for my hair. 

When that finished we went over to Raffles City via the Citilink side.

I'd originally intended to take the route above ground, but then the volunteers and barriers were already in place for the ticket holders, so we changed our minds and took the underpass instead. 

As it turned out, it was a good decision.

Because I finally managed to have the breads and pastries that a couple weeks ago I'd been wanting to try. 

It isn't every day that we get to see breads from Eastern Europe in our malls. 

Particularly from a country like Yugoslavia. 

But there they were, on their distinctive trays on the shelves, various kinds of breads stuffed with savory fillings like beef and onion, or spinach and feta cheese. There were little cakes in one shelf, and also sweet breads, large ones, with cinnamon and raisins inside.

For a while I flipped between wanting the spinach and feta cheese pastry with the other ones, but eventually we got two cute little round buns with beef and onion filling, and another pastry with the cinnamon and the raisins sprinkled all over with icing sugar. 

We took a curious fancy to all the breads we ate. 

Working our knife and fork delicately into the buns, we quietly wondered if all the breads from the northern regions were this chewy, and if these cultural gems would appeal to the (finicky) local palate. 

It's a pity we didn't order coffee. 

The breads might have been created to go well with them. 

I'll have a coffee next time. 

I'll have the spinach and feta cheese pastry too.

The crowds were milling around the train station area when we got there. They were not there to attend the parade- the program had already begun. 

I hoped to watch a little of the program. 

So Hedgehog pulled me to the Paris Baguette cafe next to McDonalds, and we settled down.

Not without food, of course. 

If there's one thing about National Day 2022 that I remember, it is the salmon and cream cheese croissant from Paris Baguette that- after three days of searching- I finally managed to have. 

It was so good. 

The flaky, buttery croissant, the smooth, cool slices of lightly smoked salmon, and the rich, delicious flavors of the cream cheese.. my only regret was that I finished it up too soon.

But there's always another chance. 

I don't know when it will be. 

But, I hope, soon.

And, this time, just like how I want to have this very same croissant all for myself again, I want to have the blueberry yogurt tart again too.

Getting To Know You

I'm a little peculiar when it comes to developing new friendships with people whom I've met (online).

Now, when I mean 'online', I don't mean those from the groups in Telegram or Discord or the dating applications. 

I mean those whom Facebook's algorithms have added to my Friends list- automatically- without them sending me an invite, nor me sending them one either. 

Many people (rightfully) are wary about such connections. 

Technically, I should, too. 

But I'm the sort who takes things as they come, and so if the Universe decides that we two strangers should connect, well, no harm done, let's begin from here. 

To be honest, I don't mind it very much.

It is a blessing to know new people, it is a privilege to know them further. 

There is one criteria that I however do have when it comes to building budding friendships online. 

It's not a very complicated criteria. 

It's simply that I want to know you. 

And I want to know more about you.  

That, of course, doesn't mean that you have to be sharing stuff in a soul-baring, spill-all, open-book kind of way.

But it does mean that you do have to (at least) let me know a little bit of who you are. 

It can be anything about you.  

It can be anything about your hobbies or your thoughts or your career. 

Doesn't matter what content you post- just so long as it makes me feel like I am getting to know you- as a person- and that there's a chance for me to know you even better. 

I have friends who are doctors. 

I have friends who are teachers. 

I also have friends who run their own businesses. 

There are people on my Facebook who don't share about anything personal except for stuff related to their careers.

There are people on my Facebook who have made the platform an amazing portfolio of their artistic skills and abilities.

And there are people on my Facebook who are remarkably open with their thoughts, their opinions, their pursuits and their dreams.

All of us have a right to post what we want to post. 

All of us too have a right to decide what we want to say and how we want to say (it).

But friendship is a two-way thing. 

And I'm afraid I don't take very easily to those who,

a) leave comments on my posts of- mostly- a political nature.

b) post zilch about career, life, hobbies or anything that lets me know who you are,

c) post memes after memes after memes or articles after articles after articles on the feed which- although may be a reflection of your thoughts- however are the thoughts of others- not yourself, and so I find I know nothing about you, and know not you at all. 

It doesn't matter to me if you choose not to post anything personal, about your life, or about your career- its' a fact that not all of us are comfortable with social media, and not all of us can afford to.  

But if you're wanting to develop a friendship, then the engagement-to the very least- has to be sincere.  

I have friends who don't post anything about their lives or what they do or have a profile picture even, but they're super onz in sharing articles, and- most importantly- are genuine in their interaction with you.

There are friends with whom I don't see much of their personal lives, but there's plenty of content about their hobbies, their passions and their careers. 

That's all fine with me.

Because they're telling me something. 

They're telling me about themselves.

I appreciate it. 

You can say that I'm one of those kinds who won't initiate an intellectual discussion over an article or a meme. 

You can say that I don't like receiving longish articles first thing in the morning. 

And that I won't go out of my way to interact with you if you aren't giving me something, anything, about you that I can chat to you with. 

It doesn't sit very well with me when one not only does a, b and c,  but then- having been bounced off the platform for a season- proceed to engage over DM using the same technique of meme and article, after which, when having received no response, become oddly pettish and start to whine. 

A friend suggested to me that this response to my non-response might be a gaslight, a manipulation, or a bait. "Trying to get you to respond lar..."

I don't know. 

Well, maybe. 

But I'm not the type to get fired up and bang out a reactive DM response to you. 

Instead I'm the type who, after having gotten fired up, screenshots the DM, and then writes an article about you. 

Miss Brown at (Seletar) Reservoir

It's a little hard to believe, but this is my fifth time attempting to write this post- and I don't know why. 

By all means it shouldn't be this difficult, but it is. 

It's one of those (rare) posts where I have no idea what exactly I should talk about or where even I should start. 

Like, should I begin with the dress that Miss Brown is wearing? 

Or should I begin with the Tower that stands behind her? 

Should I begin by discussing the connection between her dress and the Tower? 

Or should I begin talking about the meaning behind both... 

It's been quite a dilemma. 

And unresolved a one it is too. 

All things considered, however, the Tower does hold greater weight in terms of meaning and connection. 

It is, after all, the reason why Miss Brown was there.

Singaporeans familiar with this tower will know where in Singapore it is, and in which reservoir park it stands. 

Today we refer to it as the (Upper) Seletar Reservoir Park. 

But it was just Seletar Reservoir Park back then. 

The (Lower) part hadn't been built yet. 

Google states that the tower behind Miss Brown is the Rocket Tower, and that it was officially opened on 10 August 1969 together with the Seletar Reservoir.

That date in another context might not be (very) significant. 

But, with this picture, it is. 

Because what makes this date interesting, and relevant, is the dress that Miss Brown is wearing. 

Now, I'm no expert on fashion.

Neither am I very good at it. 

But I do have a slight inkling about fashion in the 60s, and Miss Brown- being in her early thirties at this point in time, plus having trained in hairstyling and makeup- would also have been acutely aware of them. 

Her dress in this picture reminds me of the shirt dresses that would become popular about a decade after, but there's a slight trace of the mini skirt style in the length of her skirt's hem, and a slight trace of the shift dress in the cut of her bodice.

It's all very fascinating, because if the Tower was open in 1969 and  if there are traces of prevailing 60's fashion styles in Miss Brown's (carefully selected) dress, then we can surmise that this picture was taken in either 1969 itself, or at most, 1970. 

Unlikely it is any later than that. 

It is the juxtaposition of these two factors that makes this picture so meaningful. 

Because it becomes possible that this reservoir was only just newly opened when she made her way up north from the east where she then called her home.

We can imagine the stir of excitement the opening of this reservoir must have caused.

Especially since this was no small one, and the country back then was a very young one at just four years old. 

This must have been a place that Miss Brown wanted to go. 

And it was an excursion which had, obviously, been planned.

Funnily enough now I'm wondering if she might have gone there on her birthday.

It's actually possible- the dates fit.

It's a nice thought, actually. 

A pleasant excursion it would have been, and a pleasant memory (for her and for us) it really did make.

Pictures for Miss Brown (Two)

In my earlier post I wrote about how, whilst downloading pictures for my tablet's wallpaper, it came upon me that the cityscapes of MacRitchie, Changi Beach, Hong Kong Street and Amoy Street might be something that Miss Brown would like to see.

So deep into my collection of pictures I went. 

And I came up with these. 

They're seemingly random, but there's a connection, albeit in a decades-old kind of way. 

I don't think Miss Brown has forgotten the flat along the expressway where she once used to live in, nor this big boy of a canal that runs along the hawker center still.

In the same way I don't think she has forgotten the supermarket where she used to buy her eggs and juice from, nor the place where she renewed her driving licence in. 

Maybe she may need a bit of a prompt for some pictures, like the food center where she often ate braised duck rice, char kuay teow and satay, Kallang MRT, or the shop houses opposite the bus stop where she used to switch from Bus 33, 

Pictures for Miss Brown

I don't know why I never thought of this before, but whilst downloading pictures from this blog to change the wallpaper of my tablet (having used the same one since earlier this year) it came upon me that I had a whole bunch of pictures which- thanks to the gorgeous screen of the tablet- appeared extraordinarily large, bright, sharp and clear.

There were those of Changi Beach. 

There were those of Lower Peirce Reservoir. 

And there were those of the city. 

All of a sudden it occurred to me that Miss Brown might like to see these. 

Particularly since she used to drive, these are the places she used to go to and these are the landmarks she will most certainly recognize, and remember. 

I don't think she'd have forgotten the apartment block of People's Park Center, or Yue Hwa, or the former Joo Chiat Police Station on East Coast Road. 

Neither do I think she'd have forgotten the Singapore River, the cable car, the Fu Lu Shou Building, Suntec City and Hong Kong Street. 

It's been a long time since she's gone to these places. 

I wonder if they'll help stir up a bit of memory.

I hope they do.