Westward with Daffy

 

So clear and so blue were the skies on this particular afternoon that we decided to forgo our usual east-bound route and head towards the west instead. 

Honestly? 

I was excited- it had been a while- and I hoped I'd get to Jalan Bahar and New Tiew Estate today.

People often think that I don't do RI, or that I don't know how to do it. 

I do. 

Just that I do it at my own pace and I decide as and when I wish to. 

It isn't very often. 

But yes, I'm familiar with this route, and even though the last time I did a westbound ride was, umm, a year or two ago, hey, it is still a route I like, and one which I want to pick up when the time is right, again. 

There was a bit of anticipation when we set off- after all, roads do change- but I had Google Maps and I didn't think I'd lose my way very much anyway. 

We started from this eating place at Geylang Lorong 1 after finishing a lunch of mutton briyani, butter chicken and two glasses of teh o ais limau. 

Across the Merdeka Bridge at Kallang we went, then a left into the park that leads all the way towards Marina Bay Sands. 

From there we headed out past MBFC, onto Shenton Way and then a right onto Keppel Road. 

Along Keppel Road we went, passing by the old railway station all the way to Vivocity and Harborfront where we made a pit stop for a drink of water, bottles of green tea, and wet wipe time. 

After that it was onto Telok Blangah Road going past Labrador Park, an expressway exit and the Pasir Panjang Food Center before finally hitting West Coast Highway. 

You're halfway to the West side once you hit West Coast Highway.

It's an interesting route- the easiest, I think- to take if you want to cycle from Vivocity to Jurong and beyond. 

Sure, there're other routes, but this is the one that's the most straightforward, with little traffic, and even lesser traffic lights.

One thing about this route is that there are very few landmarks. 

At least I don't seem to notice any. 

Or rather, I don't bother to. 

Not with all the heavy vehicles trundling past me on my right. 

Somewhere along this road I came upon West Coast Park and then after that there was the junction that I know leads into Jalan Buroh and then after that still, the junction that leads to West Coast Road. 

A right I made here (following my co-rider in front) into Pandan Gardens, onto this narrow pedestrian path between two factory buildings, a left again, and suddenly I was at the junction facing Jurong Town Hall Road. 

Made a right here, and from there it was straight down towards the Jurong East side.

At Jurong East Central we took a breather, trying to make up our minds between forging ahead to Jalan Bahar and Neo Tiew, or going home. 

The latter won. 

It had been a hot day. 

And I was tired.

 

But, first, dinner. 

However, not at Jurong East- we didn't want fast food- so decided that we'd go down Commonwealth Avenue West where there were enough turns for us to make up our minds about where to have dinner all along the way. 

Commonwealth Avenue West is, essentially, a straight road. 

Takes you past a lot of trees, past a fire station, past Dover MRT at Singapore Polytechnic, past a lovely big river, and past the housing estate of Clementi. 

Over here we decided we'd make a turn at Holland V, so up one very long hill we went, going past the housing estate of Ghim Moh, and then a left into Holland V where we made a stop at Craftsmen for a waffle with butter, maple syrup, scrambled eggs, and strips of bacon. 

I took most of the scrambled eggs. 

My co-rider took most of the bacon. 

And it was back to the east side after that. 

Very straightforward- down Holland Road we went, passing by the Botanic Gardens before turning into (a fairly devoid of traffic) Orchard Road after which we turned left into Selegie Road, turned right into Middle Road, left again onto Victoria Street, then Bugis, Lavender, Kallang and finally, Old Airport Road. 

Miss Brown's Hangers

It is Miss Brown's birthday today. 

She turns 82. 

At this lovely age, we can say that she's seen pretty much, heard pretty much, and gone through pretty much as well. 

I'd like to say that she had a grand celebration surrounded by children and grandchildren with a platter of peach-shaped buns containing a filling of smooth, sweet lotus paste. 

I'd also like to say that she dressed up in her favorite outfits and headed out for a meal with her loved ones. 

But, no. 

She didn't have any of that.

She didn't dress up in her favorite outfits. 

She didn't go to a restaurant. 

And she has no grandchildren.

Not to mean that she went through her birthday alone. 

Oh no, not at all.

There were visitors who brought a mini tub of Haagen Dazc ice cream in her favorite flavor of strawberry (cheesecake)- even though she would have preferred just strawberry.

No matter, a birthday's a birthday, and it was a good thing to Miss Brown that she had something special for her special day.

To reach the age of eighty-two, in ordinary times, is no mean feat. 

To reach the age of eighty-two in a century that has seen two world wars, leaps in technological advancements, lifestyle alterations, political shifts and tremendous change, decade upon decade upon decade is a miracle. 

What makes this miracle even more significant is that Miss Brown lives in a place where timelessness and heritage is not a given, but instead must be sought for, and found. 

Sometimes you find them in the unlikeliest of places. 

Like a DIY store. 

Where colorful clothes hangers in the shape of the Infinity symbol hang on the shelves. 

See, Miss Brown had hangers like these once. 

Brought over from the family laundry shop below the shophouse where she used to stay, they were large, bulky metal things that looked like they had been roughly twisted between strong, bare hands. 

For a long time the hangers had been of use in her maisonette where she lived nearly forty years of her life. 

But came one day that she had to shift from that apartment to a much smaller, more compact place, and those hangers- as hard as she tried to use them and keep them close to her- were of practical use no more. 

There was just no where in the new place where she could hang them up.

There was just no where that she could space them out for all the pieces of laundry.

They, unfortunately, had to go.

I don't know if Miss Brown still remembers those hangers. 

She might, she might not. 

But one day perhaps she might just see this picture above and think about those hangers (from a bygone time) that she used to have. 

And if she is told from which store those hangers come from, why, she might even go all the way back to childhood days in the village in Kelantan when Malaysia was still Malaya.

The Daiso Shopper

One of the first few places I went after Phase Two started was to Daiso. 

I wanted a new mug. 

My old mug was in a shape that didn't bring out the best fragrance from my coffee. I wanted a new mug to see if it made any difference. 

So I went to get a new mug.

And along with the brand new mug I got a brand new notebook for a brand new journal. 

Coming back with my purchases I realized just how much I actually missed shopping at Daiso. 

It's been a long time since I started becoming a regular Daiso shopper- but I can't remember exactly when. . 

It might have been the time when they opened their first few stores on our shores. 

It might have been the time when they started rapid expansion into various malls all over the island. 

It might also have been the time when on their shelves I discovered a favorite caramel corn snack of mine which I used to buy from the bookshop in the polytechnic where I studied, and which, after graduation, I could no longer find. 

Let's just say that it has been a decade (at least) since I became a frequent shopper at their store- and as much as their products have increased substantially over the years, so has my individual collection. 

There is no way I can do an inventory. 

There is no way I can collate the number of receipts accumulated from the store(s) over the years (because, yeah, there's no Excel spreadsheet to track my individual spending). 

But suffice it to say that I'm using stuff purchased from Daiso at any one point in time.

The makeup pouch that I carry around every day in my bag comes from Daiso. 

The camera pouch that holds my compact camera and the strap attached to it also comes from Daiso. 

On the shelf behind me are tote bags that I bought a few years ago and which I haven't used, as well as a bright pink case that now holds little pieces of jewelry and the rest of my makeup. 

In the cupboard are several netted bags which at one time I used to store food on-the-go, and to hold travel-sized toiletries when I needed them for use in public bathrooms. 

That's not all.

Somewhere in the manicure kit is a Hello Kitty nail clipper which I bought from Daiso a few years ago when I had one of those d*** hangnail thingies and I thought the pink clipper looked pretty.

Outside in the living room are little cat cushions, little plushy cushions, cushion covers (matching colors!) and tablemats that liven up the place.

And right next to me on the desk are notebooks, notepapers, Post-it pads, journals, stickers, markers and labels that form part of my most frequent- and favorite- buys. 

It's not just my personal stuff that come from Daiso. 

There's also the kitchen. 

Three of my coffee mugs come from Daiso. 

My water bottles come from Daiso. 

And so do some of my lunchboxes, my containers, and my utensils. 

Daiso is a place for the single, the couple, as well as for the whole family. 

Doesn't matter whether you're young or old, doesn't matter what status in society you hold, what job you have or what personality you are, Daiso is not- and no longer is- a place only for the auntyish. 

These days they're starting to have more contemporary, cutesy offerings.

Last year they brought in THREEPY. 

And now, with their new stores opening in malls like Bugis Junction and Marina Square, it is apparent that, yeah, the Household Goods store selling stuff at the great price of two dollars and where existing customers always find something new, does bring in plenty of footfall. 

Because whether it is you want the manly looking stuff (hey my camera pouch is camo), whether it is you want notebooks with shiny covers in baby pink and baby blue, whether it is you want bottles of ITO EN branded unsweetened bold green tea, or whether it is you want to buy Christmas decorations in early September, well, Daiso it is, for you. 

Strolling Sights: by the Boat Quay side

So it might have been raining on the day that I had to be in the Raffles Place area because of an errand, but nothing- nothing- I tell you- prepared me for the Silence and Quiet that dominated the usually crowded, usually bustling place that makes up our Heritage District, our Downtown Core, our Financial District, and our CBD.

It wasn't just the fact that the National Gallery and the Asian Civilization Museum weren't open- that their event banners were kept away, that no one was taking selfies with the architecture, that there were no tour buses in the vicinity, that no one was walking in and out or to and fro around the place. 

Neither was it the fact that there was no one- not a soul- making his or her way from the Boat Quay side to the Empress Place side when usually- in regular times- there would be somebody crossing the Bridge, there would be a couple of people at the railings taking pictures of themselves for memories' sake, there would be office workers in shirts and ties and dresses and heels sitting by the waters with their bagged lunches, or taking quick steps to their destination whilst talking on the phone.

Today there was no one. 

The mobile ice cream uncle who usually parked his motorcycle by the river cruise booth near the Fullerton Hotel Building was not there.

The row of motorcycles from the couriers that were usually parked by the side of one of the banks were also not there.  

There was just a lone Foodpanda delivery guy on his road bike. 

There was just a Caucasian in his gym clothes attempting to dash his way from the lobby of the bank to the first shophouse a couple of meters opposite.

And then there was me- walking under a slight drizzle with my hood up, pausing to take pictures of seemingly desolate scenery.

Much of the place was quiet- no more the footfall from professionally-dressed office workers and casually-dressed tourists- no more the cars and cabs and lorries and motorcycles circling the skyscrapers. 

It had become quieter than Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings- quieter than public holidays where no one came to the office- quieter even than the year end season when everyone took extended leave. 

But beyond the absence of pedestrian footfall, beyond the absence of the usual sounds and sights, it were the remarkably still waters of the Singapore River that made the whole place seem to hang suspended in a Day that stood between the Yesterday and the Tomorrow. 

It quite unnerved me, honestly- for the very simple reason that never had it been (to the best of my memory) where the waters of the Singapore River were so silent and so still, and never had it been that the lack of bumboats and river cruise boats- now all anchored at the Clarke Quay side- had made the River feel this empty. 

Devoid of them plying up and down her waters, she had become- for the moment- a pond. 

Not a very nice thing to see, I have to say, and so I'm glad that we've kicked in measures to promote domestic tourism, and very soon we just might see the bumboats and river cruise boats making their way up and down the waters of the Singapore River again. 

Maybe I'll go buy a ticket for the river cruise. 

After all I've only waved to the tourists on the boat.

I've never been on the boat myself. 

Strolling Sights: Chinatown Phase One

The (touristy) part of Chinatown was remarkably and, shall we say, uncomfortably quiet during the early days of Circuit Breaker. 

I tell you, I had never seen the place so silent and so desolate before. 

But Kreta Ayer, or Chinatown, is not a new area with new buildings, and in her Quiet and Silence there seemed to be a story that she wished to tell. 

I don't know what that story is. 

I don't know if I even want to know what that story is. 

But I'm someone who sometimes gets nutty about stuff and stories, and so in Phase One when I happened to be (again) in the area because of an errand, I decided to make a circuit of the place one more time. 

It's interesting what space and architecture and buildings (devoid of people) can tell you. 

It's not a message you can hear loud and clear. 

It's not a message that is communicated through voices or silhouettes or visual impressions.

But it's a message that will hit your senses when you least expect it. 

And if you stop, open your heart and your mind, and just let the message seep through, you'll get a glimpse of it anyway. 

Don't I sound like I'm talking in circles? 

Yep, I am. 

And cryptic they shall stay- because right now there are no absolute answers and I am not the sort to plonk down intuitive feels as if they were fact IF there're isn't anyone or anything to corroborate the intuition. 

Maybe some messages are meant to be hinted at and nothing more. 

Shall we say then that I kept thinking of the Old Majestic Theatre and the hotel next to it whilst my feet were traipsing through Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street and Smith Street?

But, were there surprises? 

Yes, and no. 

I had expected the place to be quiet (Phase One after all), and quiet she was, with only a few of us locals wandering to and fro as we meandered our way through the lanes to our destination. 

No one entered the shops to take a look at the merchandise.

No one stopped outside a restaurant to look at the menu. 

No one stopped for a beer. 

It made this part of Chinatown seem to have an aura of shimmering energy around it which is really hard to define and even harder to explain. 

One thing though- Information clouds perspective, but put the information away in a drawer, let the place speak to you, and who knows, a new perspective may just beckon you.

It isn't frightening. 

Pensive, maybe- like a story that has for ages ached to be told and yet has never had had the chance to. 

Sago Lane, for instance, had always, in fiction and non-fiction, been described as a grim, mournful lane of death houses and coffins and dying funeral paraphernalia. 

But the sun broke through the clouds when I did a 360 on the Lane and then and only then did I realize just how colorful and beautifully painted the buildings now were. 

The mournful lane where once people checked themselves in to live out their last days and take their final breaths was no more. 

In this season of COVID-19 and CORONA, that was a hopeful sight. 

A very hopeful sight, indeed. 

CB Foods I Really Miss

I may be glad for Phase Two and the blessings she brings (hello restaurants), but there are days, I tell you, that I truly miss the (way too free) hours of SAH and WFH- and the activities all those spare moments allowed to me. 

Those were days when the hours seemed to stretch ahead before you and you had to adhere to some sort of routine just so you wouldn't squander the day ahead away. 

Lots of house packing, lots of house cleaning, lots of looking at stuff which you'd long procrastinated and which you decided you weren't going to do so anymore. 

Me, I started on some sort of diet plan. 

Well, not exactly a diet- I still ate pretty much what I wanted to eat and what I liked to eat. 

But because the only places open were supermarkets, we decided that it was high time we make full use of the kitchen and take the (rare) opportunity to prepare our own meals. 

I don't cook. 

Okay, I don't cook very well. 

So my role was relegated to that of assistant cook and head dishwasher. 

I didn't mind. 

After all, there's something wonderfully wholesome about home-cooked meals and homemade flavors using fresh ingredients that you yourself get from the supermarket. 

It's akin to planting your own vegetables or growing your own herbs. 

I haven't gotten to that domestic of a stage.

Maybe I will- one day. 

No one knows what life intends for you. 

Maybe one day I'll grow my own broccoli. 

But at this moment I'm just glad that I got to make my own broccoli soup- and honestly- I wish I still had the time to do it now. 

This wasn't a soup that we'd gotten out of a can. 

This was a soup we made with fresh broccoli bought from the supermarket which I'd washed, cut, blended, simmered and stirred with organic vegetable broth as a base and which we later thickened with chunks of good cheese (I don't know what) and spoonfuls of low fat cottage cheese. 

Sure, we might have gone a little overboard with the turmeric, but hey, the texture was thick (a healthy thick), the flavors were a perfect balance, and the soup was, for an afternoon lunch, simply good.

Green curry fried rice was another dish which we experimented during those months and to my utter delight, discovered that the chef could make a fairly good stir in the pan medium heat and all, with leftover green curry, beaten egg, and overnight white rice. 

Those who have tried green curry will know the distinct sweetness, fragrance and light flavor of spice that the curry itself brings. Add to that the slightly hardened rice grains, the silky texture created by the egg, and this is a dish that when fried well will leave one with a thrill in the tummy and comforting warmth to the soul.

There are other meals which I wish we had more time to make. 

Like the rosti which we made using real potatoes that we bought by the bag from the supermarket, which we then peeled, boiled and shredded by ourselves, which we then fried in the pan, and which sauce we made using a combination of Greek yogurt, a dash of lemon juice and garlic powder. 

Also, like the naan which we bought frozen from the supermarket and which we fried for breakfast (plus cheese!) on certain mornings. 

Not all meals, however, I'm glad to say, have remained as just a mere memory of the spare hours we had during the season of lockdown. 

There are meals which we have made plans to prepare. 

There are meals which we have continued to prepare.  

Like this meal of pre-marinated boneless chicken that we have to go to a certain supermarket to purchase, which we throw into the pan and let it sizzle in a shallow fry of grapeseed oil, and which dip we make using Greek yogurt, garlic powder, lime powder and a dash of lemon. 

And like this sandwich of sliced cheddar cheese wrapped in fresh, juicy lettuce that I make by the bulk with one loaf of bread, keep in a takeaway box and take out to munch on whenever the mood (or the pangs) strike. 

Entertainment Marketing

A while ago there was a bit of brouhaha in the news about a Paris-based company that had (supposedly) doctored several pictures on their website and their publicity material to make a "very public" meeting between their founders and a former US Head of State appear to be as if it had taken place behind exclusively "closed doors" over at their headquarters in Paris instead.

When Reuters did their investigative journalism bit, they were first told that the "intent wasn't malicious". Later, as more details emerged, it became told that the articles (and pictures) were on the PR newswires because, well, whilst very, very important people had expressions of interest and/or invested, those plans about robotics and AI and healthcare were, you know, "in the pipeline" and therefore hadn't been presented properly to official news channels.

Disclaimer first:-

I do not know the company.

Neither do I know the founders.

However I do know that they weren't noobs to the game of PR- a piece about two of the founders- cousins, actually- in a major luxe luxury publication late last year had caught my eye.

And whilst I'm no expert to comment on whether their crisis comms was effective or s***, I, however, do have a little perspective on how one can get their name out in the press (without doctoring anything), make news, and get some coverage whilst the project is *still* under wraps or in the pipeline.

This young lady you see here is a character.

We shan't divulge her name, but we shall say that she is part of a group of young ladies who possess a certain set of superpowers, and who have- on our earth- various missions to fulfill.

She was commissioned- created- for a purpose- with a message- and a goal- to empower females to love themselves, to build up their self esteem, their self-confidence, and to be emotionally and mentally strong enough to take care of their bodies through clean, healthy lifestyles.

All this was tied to a brand.

A "new" brand.

A brand which had been revived and which was in the making to come into existence "some time in XXXX year".

We're not a company who doesn't know brand strategy.

We do.

But we're a company that chooses a technique we call Entertainment Marketing which can either lead traditional brand strategy, complement traditional brand strategy and/or replace the entire brand strategy campaign altogether.

Entertainment Marketing was what we proposed.

Entertainment Marketing coupled with brand development was what got approved.

And so this young lady (a breast cancer survivor by the way) and her sisters and the villains were brought into existence.

We won't go into the long, long story of the story.

But in short, what did get created- and got announced six months after project kickoff- in the home country of said "new" brand- was this.

"Oh, it's a comic", you say.

Yes, it is a comic.

And why this is relevant to the brouhaha I wrote about earlier?

Because when this comic was announced stateside in the home country at an appropriate season, the (real) project- the project that would carry products to encourage clean, healthy living etc etc etc- was *still* somewhere in the pipeline.

Whether or not investors or partners needed to be placated (as with most PR battle campaigns are) at that time, I don't know.

I did not make the (final) decision to agree to let it go public.

But go public it did.

With these KPIs that the online article answered:-

1. Is your name there? Yes.

2. Does it say what you do? Yes

3. Is your mission there? Yes

4. Does it appeal to your target consumers? Yes

5. Are you ready to hit the shelves? No

6. Will you be ready for the shelves? You sincerely hope so.

At the time of release, the brand- very much in a similar situation like the aforesaid company above- too had their execution still "in the pipeline".

But what the agency did was to use the comic to angle its way out to the masses, getting the name of the brand, her mission, values, goals and all announced via an article (about the comic) that hit the indie press during the season of NYCC where readers and communities (within the age group of their target consumers) were consistently online for news and happenings at the Con.

In other words, the comic got their name out by shifting away from traditional corporate and brand announcements to approach the press with an alternate angle.

Entertainment Marketing is an oft-misunderstood approach.

Very often people seem to think that it is only about a bunch of comics or a slew of movies or this star, that star, an arsenal of dramas or mixtapes of music.

It isn't.

Entertainment Marketing isn't (only) about all of these- even though Netflix and CLOY and LOVE 020 and BATMAN and AGENTS OF SHIELD are *not* a waste of time and do wonders for our brain and soul.

In commercial speak, entertainment marketing works for two particular areas of product and brand development.

It works for OEMs to launch the (new) brand name out and develop a continued sense of interest and traction and chatter before the newly-branded products are ready to hit the shelves- and before the target consumers actually get to chatter about the brand.

It also works for established brands that have new product lines in R&D or Archive or the pipeline but for cost and investment purposes are not ready to hit the start button on the manufacturing belt yet.

Why that's so is simply because there are several topics in this world that are always newsworthy- and Entertainment is one of them.

That being said, one has to be clear that it isn't an entertainment franchise on its own (although it most certainly can be) but for the sake of the product and the product/brand development, the concept of anthropomorphism whereby your brand values, attitudes and persona have to be personified into a character (human or otherwise) has to be key.

As long as you have anthropomorphism morphed into the entertainment element of your company/brand, you're good to go.

Someone will talk about your brand.

Someone will discuss your brand.

There will be chatter.

Which will then translate into data which will then translate into better business decisions and/or serve as a base report for whatever's been done, whatever's on the cards, and whatever new growth strategies there are.

This is a technique where you don't have to travel the long winding road of brand strategy and brand development step by step to give you an angle that makes your new product and (not yet there brand) NEWS.

No samples for the press? No problem.

No warehouse for the stock that will grant you the samples? Also no problem.

For the public, it keeps the momentum going, never mind how business operations are all the way until your product hits distribution and display.

And if needs be, it can be a fast track way to start the ball rolling, placate impatient investors (should there be any), and even attract new ones.

I should know.

We got this out in six months.