Wednesday, 4 June 2025

IF I HAD THREE LIVES

 

If I Had Three Lives 
After “Melbourne” by the Whitlams 

If I had three lives, I’d marry you in two.
 
The other? Perhaps that life over there
 
at Starbucks, sitting alone, writing – a memoir,
 
maybe a novel or this poem. No kids, probably,

a small apartment with a view of the river,

and books – lots of books, and time to read.

Friends to laugh with, and a man sometimes,

for a weekend, to remember what skin feels like

when it’s alive. I’d be thinner in that life, vegan,

practice yoga. I’d go to art films, farmers markets,

drink martinis in swingy skirts and big jewelry.

I’d vacation on the Maine coast and wear a flannel shirt

weekend guy left behind, loving the smell of sweat

and aftershave more than I did him. I’d walk the beach

at sunrise, find perfect shell spirals and study pockmarks

water makes in sand. And I’d wonder sometimes

if I’d ever find you. 

 by Sarah Russell, first published in Silver Birch Press

Sunday, 25 May 2025

I WENT TO PENANG

May 22 - 24, 2025

Four friends from secondary school went on a 3 day / 2 night food trail to Penang.


***

Day 1 
OO White Coffee, Penang Road Chendol, Auntie Gaik Lean's


Char Koey Teow with duck eggs.  Nice but not fried over charcoal.

Oyster Omelette

Curry Mee :(

Buo Luo Bao

***

Penang Road Famous Cendol.  I like this.

Also from Penang Road, Kwey Pie Tee.  Not great.

***

Authentic Peranakan food.


 

I was completely smitten by this Otak-otak.

Kiam Chye Ark Tn'ng (咸菜鸭汤).  This is very, very good!

Stingray Curry

Sambal Eggplant

Curry Kapitan (Straits Settlement Curry Chicken).  Top 3.

Sambal Sotong

The Nasi Ulam (herbed rice) is also delicious.

***

Day 2
Breakfast, then visited a durian plantation

Lor Bak

Hokkien Mee.  Not great.
Actually, we wanted to try the noodles at Green House but our driver told us that Green House gets sold out by 9am.  He took us here instead.

Wanton Mee

Pulut Hitam

***

In the car, on the way up to the durian planatation.



We sampled 3 variaties of durian.

Lobster

Hor Lor 葫芦

Capri.  I love this one most - rich, creamy, a subtle of bitter flavour.
I've not seen this variety of durian in Singapore.


***
A little bit of sightseeing after eating durians.





***

Dinner @ Lorong Baru (New Lane) Foodstalls


Char Koay Teow x 2, Hokkien Char, Grilled Chicken Wings, Shrimp Omelette

Waited in line for 30 minutes to eat Charcoal Seafood Char Koay Teow 炭烧海鲜炒粿条.

***

Day 3
Breakfast @ Yong Pin Restaurant 榕槟茶楼





Part 1


 
Part 2

***

Someone recommended chee cheong fun with shrimp paste @ MacAlister Lane.

One friend lost a small piece of luggage and was pretty sore with herself but the important thing is we made it to the end of the trip without killing one another.  


Sunday, 18 May 2025

HANGING OUT TOGETHER

 Saturday May 17, 2025


Because I had invited Eu and Ev over to eat homemade focaccia, I picked up bread making again. (The last time I made bread was in March of 2023!) Later, Eu dropped out of the guinea pig race leaving Ev and Carrera.  

In the evening, my helper put the simplest bee hoon on our table.  Served in an unremarkable stainless steel plate, the dish contains only bee hoon, beansprouts, and chye sim.  Yet it's packed full of mouth-watering flavour.  Eva was very impressed.


It was Carrera who first spotted the setting sun outside the window.  "Come look at the gorgeous sun, Mum!" but Ev was way too engrossed in eating fried bee hoon.  

"Can we take a photo, Mum?" she begged.  In the end, I snapped the photo.

We hung out together until way after sunset.

Thursday, 1 May 2025

旭日东升


Sunrise on Labour Day.  What my friend, Cindy Ho, commented on this photo: 旭日東升的霧氣。



Wednesday, 2 April 2025

RETIREMENT

 


"The time has come," the Chilli Crab said, "to be good to yourself."




IF I HAD THREE LIVES

  If I Had Three Lives  After “Melbourne” by the Whitlams  If I had three lives, I’d marry you in two.
  The other? Perhaps that life over t...