Monday Blues

09.10.12

So Generally I..

Decided to make a special post on the Amy Cheong episode this week. Have been reading about her from the internet and some friends who posted some comments on their own FB page. The Amy Cheong episode was at the very least, a sad story to read in modern and multi-racial Singapore.

For the benefit of those reading this who are non-Singaporeans, Amy Cheong was an employee (Assistant Director) of a government-linked labour movement in Singapore. In other words, she is technically a civil servant. Last Sunday, Amy posted some racist remarks on her FB about a Malay wedding that was going on at her void deck. In Singapore, public housing consists of cluster flats with void decks which are accessible/ rentable for a small fee payable to the area town council. The common activities usually held at void decks are Malay weddings, Chinese funerals, resident’s party, birthday parties (of a major scale), etc. Come weekends, void decks are ‘popular’ for such activities, though for certain events, eg Chinese funerals, it can happen at any time. New generation cluster flats comes with a non-enclosed multi-purpose hall so most activities are held here instead of void decks, but the concept is still similar.

So last Sunday, there was a Malay wedding at Amy Cheong’s void deck of which had generated some level of noise to the neighbouring flats. Irritated and perhaps angry at the on-going activities and noise, Amy Cheong posted several racist comments on her FB. Those comments angered netizens and it spread across the social media throughout that same evening and night. The next day, Monday, Amy Cheong’s employers took her to task and her service was terminated with immediate effect. It become national news yesterday and even Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong posted a message on his FB to condemn her racist remarks. He also reminded Singaporeans to be careful and to avoid making remarks on social media and could offend other races and fellow Singaporeans.

She has since issued an apology for her comments but it is just too late. I can't help but feel sorry for what happen to her. It is a pity to dislike a culture when you don't anything about it. So instead of deliberating on her story, I thought it would be good to share a little about Malay weddings. 

You see..Singapore is a dynamic multi-racial society..my generation and the of my parents and grandparents grew up in kampungs or village settlements in the early 1900s right up to the 1960s..During kampungs days, the Malays and Chinese and Indians lived together and co-exist in harmony..of course there were the civil riots incidents in the 1960s but other that our parents and grandparents have neighbours of other races which became their close friends for many years of their lives.

Racial harmony continues to be a part of an important curriculum in schools today, ie Social Studies. Children are taught about other races and their unique cultures and religions practices. All cultural festivities are celebrated and acknowledged. They are taught to be tolerant of one another and identify themselves as Singaporeans and not just a Malay, a Chinese or an Indian. Or any of the other minority races for that matter. During the Mooncake Festival for eg, they made lanterns out of ang pow packets and during Deepavali, they learn about the meaning behind the festival of lights.

In Singapore, perhaps 70-80% of Malay weddings are held at the void decks. This practice goes back many years ago, perhaps even when the public housing concept first started. The rational of having it at the void decks (of the groom’s and bride’s parents house), is simple – Malay weddings are major affair..invites can be as many as 2000 guests or as few as 500. Food is catered from one of the hundreds of wedding caterers in the business and every so often, a DJ is hired to provide some entertainment to the guests, play the music and make the appropriate announcements upon the arrival of the happy couple. The ‘noisiest’ of a Malay wedding perhaps comes from the kompang accompaniment which signals the arrival and departure of the bride and groom.

A more elaborated wedding starts on the Saturday, where the solemnization or the ‘akad-nikah’ takes place, followed by photo-taking and changing of costumes etc. Guests can come either on Saturday but preferably on Sunday. It is not uncommon to see the Chinese and Indians, friends or neighbors, or colleagues of the couple or their family, attending to a Malay wedding, enjoying the food and being part of the celebration.

Culturally and religiously, it is encouraged to have a reasonable celebration for the newly married couple. The wedding celebration serves as an ‘announcement’ and introduction of the newlyweds to relatives and friends, in addition to sharing in the joy of the couple on the marriage.

Hence, to manage costs and make it more accessible to family and friends, void deck weddings seems to be the ideal choice in Singapore’s context. In recent years, there is new trend among the couples. Those who are willing to spend more money do have their weddings at fancier restaurants and hotels. There are also couples who now prefer to have their weddings on Saturdays only, hence making it a simpler one day affair but just as elaborated. This is actually a much preferred trend, so that Sunday is left for immediate families to rest and re-charge.

Amidst the Amy Cheong eposide, I came across a somewhat light-hearted post by a local Malay celebrity on his FB account. Click here to read more.

Malay wedding is a rich cultural practice, one that will most likely stay for many many years to come. In the Singapore context, this practice equals to that of other races like the Chinese funeral, the Thaipusam, the prayer-offering during the Hungry Ghost festival etc..Living in a public housing neighbourhood, one cannot hide away for it..or complain so that they will go away. 

Live and let live..

Here are some photos of Malay weddings in Singapore :

I'm taken with you Crabbie

08.10.12

So Generally I..

Took time out to watch Taken2. The anticipation was high – I was expecting a sequel full of suspense and action. I wasn’t looking forward to be disappointed.

Liam Neeson’s role as Bryan Mills is somewhat too sedated for my liking..the movie lacked the unpredictability of the first instalment. Granted, the movie has a few interesting and clever scenes, like when Mills was guilding his daughter to help him trace his location. There was also the scene when Mills and his wife were being kidnapped in a van..Mills counted the seconds off while looking out (or rather hearing out) for details from his surroundings.

Other than that, I wasn't overly impressed. Overall the movie wasn’t that bad for light entertainment..it was rated PG13, hence perhaps the reasons for the mild violent scenes.

My personal verdict is as follows :

Entertainment Factor  - 3 out of 5

Suspense Factor  - 2.5 out of 5

Drama Factor – 2.5 out of 5

Guess I’ll wait patiently for it to come on HBO.

Following the Planetary Dots..

Would like to share a recipe here under this segment instead..Chilli Crab!!

This is a well known dish in Singapore, and if what I have read so far is true, the dish originates from Singapore back in 1960s by a lady named Cher Yam Tian (source of info : Wikipedia). Chilli Crab is basically a chilli and tomato based dish, usually made thick with cornstarch and egg. Mud crab is most commonly used in restaurants but it is also great with flower crabs or softshell crabs.

You can easily find the recipe for this dish if you google it , but the one I’m sharing today was given by a friend who got it from a local chef. And surprisingly, it's fairly simple to make.

You will need :

2 large mud crab

2 large onion – chopped

4 cloves of garlic – finely chopped

2 inch ginger – cut into strips

4 chillies – made into paste (alternatively, you can use ready-made chilli paste)

1 tablespoon of light soya sauce

2 tablespoon of oyster sauce

3 tablespoon of tomato sauce

1 tablespoon of chilli sauce

2 cups of chicken stock

1 tablespoon of vinegar

a dash of sesame oil

1 teaspoon of sugar

cornstarch

water  - to mix with cornstarch

1 egg

Olive oil for stir-frying

What to do :

Heat the oil in a large wok. Stir-fry the ginger, onions and garlic until slightly soft.

Add the chilli paste, oyster sauce, light soya sauce & tomato sauce & chilli sauce. Sautee for about 2-3 mins. Add sugar, vinegar and chicken stock. Let it boil.  Add the cornstarch.

Add the crab and stir well. When crab is cooked (about 10 mins), add in the sesame oil and egg. Stir well.  

Serve chilli crab with white rice or bread. Best eaten hot! Bless..

My Sense Worth

04.10.12

So Generally I..

Watched the movie Sense and Sensibility on HBO this afternoon. That is probably the 20^th time I watch the movie..or is it more? It’s a lengthy film..2 hours and 16 mins but it always had me glued to the screen..always.

A fan of British films (and recently, British soaps), I especially liked films of the olden days, or in this case..centuries.

I have been asked why I like watching the movie so much, and the answer is pretty simple..firstly, I like the dialogue…Emma Thompson as a screenwriter did really, really  well..secondly, I like looking and comparing the vintage fashion of those days.. there’s something about the way women wear their dresses in the old days that are just so appealing and thirdly, hey.. it’s a Jane Austen story. What’s not to like eh?

The film boasted an impressive cast who carried their respective roles well. I always thought each actor casted was perfect for the role they played. But the last few times I watched it, a few other thoughts have crossed my mind. Nothing that discredit the film though..nothing at all..You see, I consider myself a huge fan of Harry Potter movies, so watching Col. Brandon (Alan Rickman) rescuing Marianne from the horrid rain or reading a poem to her in the lazy afternoon sun, I can’t help picturing him as Snape and imagining him casting a deathly spell on John Willoughby for breaking Marianne’s heart. LOL..

Then there was Charlotte Palmer’s (Imelda Staunton) laughter and silly dialogues to her mother and husband….well put her in a pink modern dress suit and she becomes the Delores Umbridge with the evil giggle who likes to drink her tea with a potful of sugar. :) Its too bad though Hugh Grant was never casted as a wizard in Harry Potter (though I think he could easily replace Kenneth Branaugh (Prof Gilderoy Lockhart)..but then Emma Thompson was casted and she was cute as Sybil Trelawney.  .. 

Btw, JK Rowling has a new book out – the Casual Vacancy. In Singapore, a major bookstore chain is selling it at SGD49. Amazon Online is having a promo now, and it’s selling at only US$20.90 (or approx. SGD27). Click below to get more info.

Following the Planetary Dots..

I’m starting to monitor the weather for the countries I’m visiting. First up – Paris..this week’s weather is dropping to an average of 15 degrees C..and it’s only October. The coldest I have experience was 3 degrees in London.

My self learning of the French is taking as little setback, due to a busy week doing other pressing tasks. The good news is I found French channel on my cable box – TV Monde..so I am feeling for encouraged. I’m definitely tackling that French for Dummies book next week.

Show Me The Money..

Im reinstating the link here again in case anyone is looking to read more on the My-Data-Team programme.

Click here

Delish! Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins!

02.10.12

So Generally I...

Spent most of the afternoon submitting this blog to the free web directories..tedious job I tell you..but one which I know will be worth it in the long run. The good thing is I am getting help from My-Data-Team which provides step-by-step instruction videos and manual on how to go about doing it. It makes the task so much simpler… Like my mentioned in my earlier posts, My-Data-Team is a programme which gives you a lot of information on how to start earning money online. They have many programmes , and each programme is supported by detailed training and explanation. All you need to do is figure out which money making programme works best for you.

If you interested to find out more, check this link.

And so I did the muffins yesterday..Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins. This is from a book called ‘Muffins Galore’ by Catherine Atkinson (hmmm.. any relations to Rowan? J)

Muffins are easy to make and almost fail-proof. Once you tried a few recipes, you’ll realize that it follows just a few simple process mainly, combined the wet ingredients, combine the dry ingredients..and then combine the two. 20 -25 mins later in the oven, you will be greeted by a batch of delicious muffins! Well this particular recipe is a personal favourites..and so good that I have sold them at fundraising events and to friends.

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins (Makes 12)

You will need :

A:

150g plain flour

175g caster sugar (you can substitute with light brown sugar for better flavor)

35g unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda

¼ teaspoon salt

B:

125ml sour cream (I usually use light sour cream)

3 tablespoon vegetable oil (eg canola oil)

50g butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

75g plain chocolate, melted (I usually Cadbury dairy milk chocolate)

25g flaked almonds (for muffin top - optional)

For cheesecake mixture:

175g cream cheese or full-fat cheese, at room temperature

60g caster sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do :

Preheat oven to 190 C /375 F/ Gas mark 5. Line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper cups.

So easy peasy..combine A and set aside. Then combine B and set aside. Combine A and B and tah dah!!..you have your muffin batter ready.(Tips : the fastest way to melt the butter and chocolate is to microwave the butter for about 1 to 1.5 mins. Remove from the microwave and stir in the chocolate. Don’t forget to cool this before combining with the other wet ingredients)

Combine the cheesecake mixture ingredients and with a hand whisk, whisk the mixture until smooth and lumpless. This mixture makes a lot and its actually enough for a double batch of the muffins.

Fill in the paper cups with the muffin mixture (3/4 filled will do). Spoon the cheesecake mixture on top. With a wooden satay stick or a chopstick, stir the cheesecake mixture to get a marbled effect. Lastly, sprinkle a fee pieces of the almond flakes in top.

Bake for 20-25 mins or until risen and firm to the touch. Cool muffins.

Serve warm or cold. Personally, I think the muffins taste better the day after..if they last that long. Give it a shot!

Show Me The Money

I found a couple more new programmes which are simple and easy to follow. I am in the midst of reading and evaluating them in details. Will definitely share it here when I am done.

Cheers