Lemonade Dec04

n o a m d e

e

Create...

music, decorations, jewellry, even a wedding!

a LIFEstyle M

in z a ag

Gardening ugh, what’s that? Pets

Travel where to go? what to buy?

Relationships Does happiness depend on someone else?

Reviews

    

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Issue 1, December 2004

Are they for you?

Retreats

Where can one find R & R?

Movies & Comics, recipes, your say, contests and more!

Editorial n i c Ja

M

y friends and I have always been sharing our views on life, work, happiness and animal welfare, etc. via emails or during gatherings. It is interesting to know how we individually feel about such issues and in the process we learn vicariously from one another’s life experiences. Sometime in the middle of last year, Sherry came up with this idea of doing a magazine after we realised there is a dearth of local magazines addressing the simple joys of life. What better way to pen down our passions and hopes and share them among friends and interested readers? Creating our own magazine seems to be the answer. It has been fun being part of this writing adventure with Sherry, to be creative and put on our thinking cap. I am inspired and amused when reading works by Sherry and our friends. I hope this magazine will provide you some laughter and maybe interest you to take up a new hobby or embark on a selfdiscovery of finding your purpose in life. Do feel free to email us your comments, ideas about what you will like to see in our next issue or let us know if you have something to contribute to the magazine. And to our dear friends, thanks for all your support and contribution!

[email protected]

About us

Sherr

The other day I chanced at asking my friend whether she thought I was mad to do this magazine and she answered, yes. Many of my friends must be wondering why I’m doing it. Well, I can’t really remember how Jacin and I decided to take up this idea but I’m really grateful that she believes in it (probably) as much as I do (or I’d really think I was mad!). I’ve been writing since I was in primary school and have worked at a publications house. Having picked up interest in publications work and designing, and yet now pursuing a different career path, I’ve come to miss them. I love reading too and love the look and feel of magazines that help while away those bus and train rides and other inevitable waits in life. Looking around, I couldn’t find a magazine that really talked about life, meaningful pursuits and hobbies, held our thoughts and aspirations and helped us along. And, also helped us to be happy and laugh a bit more! Writing, editing and layout are all challenging parts of doing a magazine, but do you know what has been more difficult? Getting voluntary writers! Let us entice you to contribute after you’ve read this issue. I know this first one isn’t going to be the greatest magazine around (but somewhere there eh?), but I know you have ideas to make it better. Help us make our efforts worthwhile because we’d love for you to get as much as we have out of this magazine.

y

[email protected]

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Magazine table 4

Sweet Home Home 4 Warm a

Home Ever get a headache wondering what to get for a friend who has invited you over to their housewarming? Look here for ideas. Instant wallart 7 Relatively Dummy proof, even if you haven’t an artistic bone.

32

Fashionista

32 Boots Stylish, yet comfortable but how do we wear them?

Jacin Chan: Writer, editor, photographer & illustrator Sherry Nee: Writer, editor, photographer, layout & graphic designer

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8 Nature & Nurture 8 Mangrove Retreat Time for some relaxation among greenery and some non human companions

23

Loving

23 Big Day Preps You’ve selected the right partner, now you’ve to select the venue, the caterer, the dress...how are you going to survive?

11 Pocket Pet

25 Me? Single? After a relationship, it may seem hard to move on, but that is exactly what one must do.

16 Grow & Eat

25 Facing facts What’s happening?

Pal Diminuative pets, more than you bargained for! Want to grow your own organic vegetables? Let’s learn from this less than professional gardener and we may just get there 20 Camp green vs... Which is easier to take care of - plants or animals?

28 Singly Happy You don’t have to be attached to be happy 31 Swinging Single There’s more to life than a partner

Contributors Writers

Jerlynn Ang Kwan Cailyn Lye Hui Jen Marvin Mohan Mohd Nazri Bin Yusop Rachel Tan

Graphic Designers Jeanette Ng

Photographers

Lye Hui Jen

t n e o C nt of 34

Brainstormnomy

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Tickling tastebuds

34 Music Which instrument is the best for me?

41 Rice Colourful and fragrant. Give these a try at home.

39 Jewllery Craft Not satisfied with available accessories? Make your own!

43 Bread Varied & versatile, no wonder there’s a fan club

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World sights

50 Turkey Travels Visit this place of rich history, sites of Troy and Ephesus. 53 Hanoi Holiday A quaint city of great food, fashion, art and lifestyle and surprisingly breathtaking scenery. 57 Overseas Buys Buying unique items is all part of travelling.

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Refresh

44 SuperHero Surprise Not a comic buff? You have lots to learn. 46 Watch it! What keeps us from opening our eyes in the dark? 47 Lone pursuits There’s a time for solitude - when is that for you? 49 Web reviews Can there be good stuff on the net?

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Last page

59 Pets & U Can we resist cute, great company?

Editorial on page 1 email editors at

[email protected]

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Housewarming Gifts W

ith more friends getting their own places, I’ve been finding myself in need of housewarming gifts. You’ve heard stories of how a houseowner gets some three toasters and two rice cookers and so you might want to get something useful but yet a bit (just a bit mind you! you wouldn’t want to have you friend cracking his/her head on how to use it) unconventional. And it may also take a bit of thinking to get something that matches your friend’s home concept (so the item has a place to go) and yet remain in budget. Now, preparing my own new home, I’ve a better idea of what a new home needs and what would make a useful item for almost every new home. Here are some ideas: Food Containers I’ve found these food storage solutions really versatile and useful, whether they be glass jars or plastic air tight containers. I never realized that I had need of so many until I bought sacks of sugar, salt, flours, cereals, spaghetti and other dry goods home and found that I had nowhere airtight to store them. Plus, they put my mind at ease because I am less likely to find creepies in the food or have them soft or spoilt after a short period in our humid climate. The containers also make the kitchen and even the bathroom more organized. Some of these handy containers are also suitable for bringing lunch to work (and you know, after the renovation, we all need those to save money!). Plants and greenery I’ve found that many people put plants outside their homes but I’ve also realized many people enjoy them inside too. Country or Resort style homes look great with plants but recently I’ve also noticed designers using lights and water features together with plants to decorate in other styles as well. However, not everyone likes the creepy crawlies that live in soil and on the plants (and some pets love to dig them up!) so some prefer plastic greenery and blooms. Others say the fake ones gather dust and do not look real. I used to think so, but recently I’ve noticed some really life-like ones. However, do intend to fork out more for these, @ up to $6 a bloom! For us, we have live ones near the window where there is sunshine for them and fake ones in the toilet where it’s humid and dimmer. To wash them, just take them down and rinse with soap and water. There are also dried flowers but these gather dust too and are harder to wash. I notice that they do support insects and some grow mould. Another thing is that they tend to “shed”, dropping off bits and pieces. Some people do find them prettier though and do not mind dumping them after a while. There is a tip for putting them in the

4

Under $30

By Ashley

toilets – put a glass bell jar on top to keep them dry!

Pots for two We wanted to cook pretty often but even if your friend doesn’t, a small practical pot is a great addition for cooking a fast one course meal of noodles or maggi mee. Having both considerations in mind, we scouted for some and realized that good pots don’t come cheap! And not all pieces in a set were suitable for us. We thus bought them piecemeal and realized that small pots were actually enough for general cooking for two people. One particular pot we bought is one of the smallest cutest pots I’d ever seen, but it too proved its worth. It is made in Germany and is made from sturdy stainless steel, and yes, it was under $30. In summary, it’s not always necessary (or useful) to buy a whole set and an out-of-set addition may still prove valuable to your friend’s perhaps already large collection (unless they are adamant about having matching pots but then you can still probably find something they missed). Tea anyone? Ah…relaxing at home with a cup of tea or coffee is really a luxury sometimes in this busy busy world, but some people just can’t do without their cuppa. Even though your friend’s already got a set, crockery doesn’t last forever (just ask us, we’ve already broken three pieces!) and some people collect these things! In some styles, especially the Country Style, teapots, cups and plates are display items (I will definitely buy a rose or floral set for anyone with a country theme). But so too in zen and minimalist style homes where you may just as likely see odd looking, odd shaped black and white tea sets displayed on glass or stone tables. For the cook in the house I’ve realized that not many young couples cook nowadays but they are not entirely extinct. We cook full meals at least three times a week. Though it’s not easy to do, most would agree that a home cooked meal is the best meal. I’ve realized that some of my friends also enjoy baking. Both general cooking and baking require tools, and sometimes lots of them too! If you’re buying for a baker, let me suggest trays (there are all sorts from pizza to muffin), cookie cutters, rolling pins, weighing machines (some of them are pretty neat and become decorative items), mixing bowls, or even the glass jars mentioned above. If you’re buying for a cook, how about a set of cooking mitts and kitchen towels or a spice rack with her/his favorite spices? Something good for both would be a cookbook. There are quite a few types out there but it seems that those with good clear pictures are the most popular and appreciated!

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Lamps I was watching Gilmore Girls the other day and wondering what made their house so unique; well, it appears they have some really pretty and unusual lamps (observe next time) and it so happened that the mother went and bought another lamp in that episode! Lamps are really useful in this day when myopia is on the increase but besides the practical reasons, lamps are good for creating atmosphere (think of the last romantic restaurant you went to) and decorating the room. Some would like flowery lampshades, others lava lamps. Whatever it is, you know your friend best and you might want to get a brief idea of how they’ve decorated their home so far to see how a lamp would fit in.

What NOT to give! Pets

Definitely a no no because you never know whether your friends are going to take care of the creature for the rest of its life. Not everyone can tolerate a pet in a new home where it can do wonders in destruction.

Second hand items

You might think your friends won’t know it, but trust me, they usually do. My friend believes that she was given a secondhand wedding present which her friend didn’t want. It gave her the unpleasant impression that her friend just wanted somewhere to dump it.

Artsy?

In general, I would advise against giving artsy items unless you are pretty sure your friends would appreciate them. Art tends to be different for everyone and what you appreciate might be something rather strange or plain ugly (or even offensive!) to someone else.

Clocks?

This seems to be a superstitious no no but actually, many people nowadays do not mind receiving clocks. We soon realized that we needed around 5-6 clocks around the house and couldn’t find enough suitable ones. We wouldn’t mind receiving some tasteful ones! Ha ha!

Do you have some good ideas for housewarming gifts? Send them in! [email protected]

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Stenciling What it is: Stenciling makes use of cutouts of shapes that resemble plants, animals and other objects. By colouring in the holes in the cutout, an imprint is left on the surface of the item. Simple stenciling uses only one stencil but more complicated designs make use of more than one stencil consecutively. What we can do with it: Stenciling can be used to decorate walls, fabrics, windows, cards and many other objects as long as the paint used can adhere to the surface. It is a simple and easy way to add colour and pictures to any item without actually having to know how to paint freehand and is relatively dummy proof.

This wall is decorated with a stencilled tulip border at the bottom and butterflies above

Arts & Crafts by Sherry Nee

What is needed: Flat top brushes Acrylic or oil based paints. Three colours are usually all you need (yellow, blue and red). Ready made stencils or mylar (a type of hard plastic) for making your own Repositionable Spray adhesive and/ or wall safe masking tape Solvent for cleaning brushes e.g. turpentine

Cost: Everything should cost less than $100, unless you buy many colours/

stencils or use odourless paint solvent which can be ten times costlier than turpentine (but much gentler on your nose, hands and head). You may also wish to invest in a course or book to learn more complicated stenciling techniques.

How it is done: 1. 2. 3.

Clean the surface you are working on. Draw lines with pencil if necessary to help in positioning your stencil later. Spray the repositionable adhesive on the back of the stencil and stick it on the surface. 4. If you are using a dry paint stick, rub in circular motions onto a smooth flat material (we have used aluminum foil in desperate times but you can use mylar or other plastic). 5. Load your brush by rubbing it into the paint. For acrylic paint, dip the brush into the paint. Load lighter colours first. 6. Wipe off excess with a paper towel or dab your loaded brush onto rough paper/ cardboard. Although this may sound like you’re wasting paint, using too much at one time produces messy edges. 7. Use your brush to lightly tap onto the stencil, starting at the edges and keep the brush at 90* to the surface. 8. Use different brushes to load different colours and repeat application. For acrylic paint, you need to wait for the paint to dry in between application of colours. 9. Slowly peel off stencil. 10. Leave to dry for at least three days. If you want, you can spray a protective transparent layer on top to prevent smudges. 11. And you’re done!

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My retreat @ Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve by Jacin Chan

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By J aci n Chan hat better way to spend

a sunny Saturday morning than a leisurely walk at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR)? That was what I did on 12th of July 2003. In high spirits, I made my way to SBWR. There was a guided tour at 10am but I decided to explore the reserve on my own. The view of the swamp and

the river from the bridge was a picture to behold. At the end of the bridge, a monitor lizard ambled along the footpath in the bright sunlight but escaped into the bushes when it sensed my presence. The best place for a bird’s eye view of the reserve is the aerial

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tower There are 2 routes to get there. I chose the shorter route (about 800 metres) instead of the 900 metre one. The place was so peaceful with no one else in sight. The silence was broken

only by the occasional rustling of leaves and branches and my inexpert eyes managed to catch glimpses of monitor lizards, a squirrel and some birds. Armed with my camera and binoculars, I basked in the sheer beauty of the greenery and swamp life. Alas, 15 minutes later I was woken from my reverie by a swarm of huge black mosquitoes attacking me. Perhaps it was a good thing that the place was deserted or people would be wondering why this crazy girl Visit the off icial was doing a weird tribal dance and slapping herself on the face, arms website of and legs. My efforts to drive the mosquitoes away were, however, futile. Sungei Buloh The vile creatures refused to show any mercy to the only blood donor Wetland around! I had to backtrack to the starting point and take the longer Reserve at track. http://www. sbwr.org. sg for more By then, had gathered and the winds had picked information up. As it started to drizzle, a Caucasian lady with her two children and about this a group of three Chinese ladies quickly made their way back to the beautiful visitor centre. The inhabitants were all silenced by the anticipation of place and its the impending rainstorm. The swaying trees flanking the deserted path, upcoming the rustling leaves and the gentle pitter-patter of the rain on the swamp activities water – all added to the mystique of the place. The reserve looked

dark clouds

9

How to get to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

more alluring under the gloomy sky. As I took in the sound of nature and the sight before me, I felt at peace. Soon after, I had to surrender to the huge raindrops and head back.

I took the train to Kranji MRT Station and had to wait for about 10-15 mins for a taxi. I had to look out for I settled down at the little café and had a light lunch of brown coloured signboards cheese roti prata wrap and hot Milo drink. It was a nice place showing directions to SBWR, to gather one’s thoughts, read a book or simply watch the as the cab driver was not fish or monitor lizards swimming in the waters outside the sure how to get there. I learnt café. later that I had made the right choice of taking a taxi to The rain had SBWR, as the bus TIBS 925 stopped by the does not stop at the entrance time I left SBWR on Saturdays. It will be a around 1 pm. I 20-minute walk from the felt lighthearted bus stop to the reserve - the aftereffects of and in the mornings, enjoying the serenity there may be stray of the wetlands. It was dogs loitering. an exhilarating experience to be surrounded by nature. I hope to make another trip to SBWR again so that I can complete my journey to the aerial tower and the mangrove swamp shelter.

What is that

big

lizard!? Walking along at the reserve, you may have noticed huge lizards on the ground, high up in a tree or swimming in the water. Admit it, you ran away in fright, didn’t you? Well, if you’re not a reptile lover, I guess you can’t be blamed – they, monitor lizards, are one of the largest lizards in the world. Monitor lizards will probably be the largest carnivore you see around the mangrove. These cold blooded reptiles require much less food than warm-blooded creatures that have to burn food fuel constantly to maintain their body temperature. This means they are able to survive in environments unsuitable for bigger carnivores. Like a snake, the monitor lizard has a forked tongue to track down small animals. It actively hunts and eats insects, crabs, fish and anything that they can swallow and is particularly fond of carrion. Instead of stalking and ambushing, it runs after prey that it has spotted. Its powerful leg muscles give it the speed despite its size and it can run faster than most of us! Besides being a fast runner, it’s an expert swimmer. When startled, it often dives into the water to escape and can stay underwater for up to half an hour. 10 10

D

o you want a furry creature as a pet and you think a hamster is the perfect companion for you? Before you rush off to get a hamster, try our checklist below to see if you fit the profile of a good hamster owner who tries his/her best to provide a happy home for her pet.

s r e t s Hamsters, ha

. . s r e t s m a h by Jacin Chan

Dearest owner,

Please take this test before you decide to take me home.

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o ou have a genuine interest in hamsters? Will you try to understand what makes me tick by reading books on hamsters and consulting friends who have hamsters? Will you look for additional information from the Internet and join an online interest group on hamsters where fellow hamster owners can share their experiences?

D

o you enjoy the company of a furry friend and see the addition of a pet into your life as an enriching and delightful experience? Will your love for me diminish or turn to disgust when I fall sick and become gaunt or snappish or leave a smelly mess of poo and urine or when I become old and less active? Do you believe that my life is as precious as a human life and will not hesitate to bring me to the vet for advice, spending $30 for a consultation or even more than $100 for a tumour operation?

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ould you take care of my daily needs by providing a healthy diet of fresh food, supply of water and cleaning my cage regularly? Would you would buy or make interesting hamster toys for me to entertain myself?

W

ould you spend quality time with me and enjoy watching my cute antics when I run on the wheel, eat or curl up in a corner asleep? At night, when I am active, would you let me run free in a closed room, supervising me closely to ensure I do not escape or put me a hamster ball to roam around the house? Would you even sacrifice some sleep to do this?

Lastly, I need lots of care too!

Yours always,

your hamster

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ts er Features

Ha m

Excellent hearing and strong sense of smell to compensate for their poor vision

Cheek pouches to store food that they cannot eat on the spot

r

.Ty s. .

here are five types of hamster in Singapore (see below and next page) but the Chinese Hamster is not common. Hamsters should be kept with their own kind. To prevent breeding and population explosion, put only the same sex together. Most dwarf hamsters can stay happily together in a group of around 2- 6 if they have been together since young. Monitor if there is any fighting among them by looking out for any wounds and give the injured ones a new cage.

pes

ms ha of

Whiskers to sense objects nearby

ter s...Types of hamsters...

10cm

yL

ength :

winter and this is linked to daylength. They are very gentle, generally slow moving and easy to tame. There are 3 types of Winter Whites – Normal, Sapphire and Pearl.

R

s

f Winter W r a w D Their hite fur turns white in

Bod 12

si k v o r o b These are the o

smallest of all dwarf hamsters and have one coat colour, sandy brown. They can be a bit too fast and active for children and generally do not like to be carried.

-8cm

T

mste

Powerful jaws with chisel shaped incisors that never stop growing.

ngt h: 6

Types of ha

Relatively large eyes like most nocturnal creatures

Le y d Bo

Home Sweet Home

The cage should be placed away from direct sunlight. A thin cloth or towel can be used to provide some shade during the day. Do remember to remove it at night as your hamster may chew on the cloth or her nails may get caught onto the cloth or she may try to drag the cloth into her cage as her bedding. The essential items to be included in the cage are the water bottle, the tidy toilet (as the name implies and some hamsters like to roll around in the chinchilla sand to clean their fur), tubes or shelters (for them to hide or sleep in), wheel (to exercise), food container(s) and bedding (such as pine wood shavings).

Hammy

’s Hap p

y Home

The toilet corner should be cleaned daily using a spoon or tissue paper. The wheel, pipes or other toys should be washed every other day or twice a week with water and soap. Antibacterial sprays can also be used. Rinse them well and dry them with a clean cloth before putting them back into the cage. Weekly or monthly, all the bedding should be changed. Leave some cleaner old bedding behind, so that your hamster can still smell its good old sleep nest.

S

amsters...Types of h f o s hams Type t e s r m a ters.. H n .Types of hamster ry ia Syrian hamsters s Leng th: 15 - 18cm

Dwarf Ru ssia

They are harder to tame and more prone to nip if not handled properly. They are usually tame if handling starts when they are babies. They come in a variety of colours and pat terns

nC

Bo dy

ampbell

are solitary creatures and they will fight till death if put together in a cage. They come in a variety of colours – brown, cream, white, black, grey/silver, etc. There are also short haired, long haired/teddy and satin hamsters.

B od

y Length: 8-10cm

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t e i D S

Contrary to popular belief that hamsters are herbivores, they are actually opportunistic omnivores in the wild.

eeds and grains mixes sold at pets shop form the bulk of hamsters’ diets. Buy one that is especially for hamsters. Be careful with peanuts and sunflower seeds as they are fattening and unhealthy except in small quantities. You can help to relieve your hamster’s boredom of Some occasional treats like biscuits, nuts and being cooped up in a cage by buying it interesting toys fruits like apples, pears and bananas (except very where they may sleep or play hide and seek. A simple paper acidic ones such as oranges) are safe for hamster toilet roll or plastic tubes can provide them some fun initially. to consume. As hamsters like to gnaw on things, the material should not be Small pieces of vegetables like carrot, captoxic. The hamster ball is a great toy that allows the hamster to sicum, corn kernels and bean sprouts complement exercise and roam around the house safely without escaping. their dry food. Some owners feed their hamsters You can let them run in the balls for about 15 minutes. There with mealworms too, which are the larvae of a bettle are also chewable wood blocks to help hamsters to trim and not really a worm. You can buy these at the their growing teeth. petshop. Also, check your hamster’s store of food to pick out any food that looks stale and soggy, especially fresh food.

Playtime

Taming your hamster Leave it alone if it is sleeping, avoids your hand or growls. It means it doesn’t want to be disturbed. Never squeeze, pinch or handle a hamster roughly. When the hamster is awake or active at night, place a treat or seed on your palm and hold your hand still in the cage. The curious hamster will approach and sniff your hand. If it takes the food from your hand, you can slowly progress to stroking its fur. Sometimes, if the hamster is nervous or shy, it may gently nip or even bite and run away. It will take a day or even a period of time for a hamster to learn to trust you and accept your touch. This depends on the type of hamster and the age. But once you earn its trust, it will happily run to you without food as enticement.

Picking up your hamster

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Gently pick up the hamster around its middle with one hand and place it on the palm of the other hand. To make the hamster feel safe, both hands should be cupped together firmly and close to your body. Be prepared that the hamster may try to wriggle its way out of your hands when it feels uncomfortable.

When to bring my hamster to the vet?

A healthy hamster has soft fur with no bald patches, bright eyes and is alert and active. A hamster with small cuts can heal well on its own by licking itself. If the wounds are serious ones due to fights, separate the hamster from the rest of its cagemates.

Bring your hamster to the vet if the below symptoms persist:

Diarrhoea – wet, soft, smelly stools, unlike the normal hard dark brown pellets Respiratory problems – audible breathing, frequent sneezing and slightly sticky eyes Limping due to broken limbs or spine that could be a result of a fall Lumps on the body - these could be tumours (cancers). They may obstruct the hamster’s movement. The vet would be able to decide if an operation is necessary.

Growing old

After 2 to 3 years, your hamster may sleep more, be less interested in its surroundings, eat less and move around with difficulties. This is due to old age. Sometimes, we may even have to make the difficult decision of whether to continue hoping that our hamster would recover from a serious illness or put them to sleep to end their suffering.

Leaving home...

I

f for some reason, you really can’t keep your hamster with you, please ask your friends or fellow hamster owners on the online forum if they can adopt your hamster and provide it with a loving home. If there is no one willing to do so, you can also call SPCA at 6287 5355 to explain your situation and ask if they could find a new home for your hamster. However, SPCA may put it to sleep if no one adopts it after some time due to lack of space and funds. Please do not even think of abandoning your hamster around your neighbourhood, nature reserves or parks. This is cruel and irresponsible as the hamster would not be able to take care of itself and would die from hunger, drowning in drains or killed by predators.

Resources

Tusmc_hamsters group

http://yahoogroups.com.sg/tusmc_hamsters

15

Not everyone can indulge in full scale gardening with vines growing here and there, but container gardening can still let us experience the joy of seeing the plants grow, flowers bloom and fruits develop. Whether you have a backyard, balcony or just a square foot, gardening can be a great hobby.

I

g n Growi

n the first article of this section, Ashley will introduce what she has (and hasn’t!) learnt about the basics of growing a variety of vegetables and fruits. If you’d like to contribute to our Q and A section, please write to [email protected].

Believe me when I say that I’ve hardly been interested in plants. Those green things have just never been my thing. Though I was initiated into the joy of gardening when I was around 8 years old, at that time I didn’t think it much of a joy – I couldn’t understand how lugging heavy jugs of water around could be fun or why my parents didn’t want to grow more flowers and fewer vegetable plants. Now, I actually surprise myself as I find gardening fun and harvesting time is the best part! That is, when things go right… In Singapore, around 80% of us stay in a HDB flat that doesn’t have any attendant land. However, I’ve discovered that we can grow plants in pots! After publishing some gardening misadventures, I was pleasantly surprised when friends and colleagues started asking me what to plant and how to take care of their plants (probably because they had not seen the actual less-than-perfect shape of my garden!).

I admit that without land, you can’t grow any and every plant your heart desires, especially if you don’t want your plants bothering your neighbours. Herbs and other savory plants that aren’t eaten in bulk can be candidates for your container garden. You might want to try capsicum, chilli padi, basil, catnip, rosemary, chives, coriander or parsley. You can even try to grow cherry tomatoes. In fact, I found one source stating that you may grow just about anything in containers (see side column) but I do not really recommend beans or cucumbers as they can get a bit unruly.

    

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16

ou may know catnip’s use on cats (to give them a ‘high’ of sorts!) but did you know that we can also make use of it? You can make tea with the leaves, good for certain conditions, such as menstral cramps.

You can get most of the stuff you need from the nearby supermarket or a nursery. There is more variety at a nursery and the items can be bought in bulk, making it more worthwhile. Seeds can be bought in commercially sealed packets but we’ve realized that you can also propagate by planting stems, roots, etc. A new tomato plant will grow from one of the stems. Totally cool, since I first thought seeds were the be all and end all. The roots and parts of vegetables that you can get at the wet market can also be used to grow whole plants.

n i h g t s e edibl Gardening hasn’t been smooth. In fact, sorry to say but I don’t know if you could call it gardening at all. We’ve had so many mishaps I don’t know where to begin. Well, I don’t exactly have a green thumb. I’ve tried to find out more and solve my gardening woes but realized that there weren’t many sources on home gardening in Singapore (surprise, surprise) but yet, at the same time we were discovering more and more things could be planted in our tropical climate. For that, I had to visit the zoo to see what could grow here. I also tried to visit other home gardens in Singapore. I even found one at the Ang Mo Kio bus interchange and visited my auntie’s one in Malaysia! We started small but excited with the variety of plants we could grow, we started expanding beyond ourselves. We soon had too many seedlings and not enough pots. As we had the pots outside, they would sometimes completely dry up and our plants would be wilted to a crisp. Also, swarms of pests came; there were hornworms (see “The

aphids,

flies, snails and grasshoppers. And if you Pet” below), think ants don’t harm the plants, you should see how wonderful they are at cultivating the aphids (better than us at doing plants) – that’s right, they are symbiotic! They bite too! Really badly. To top things off, we seemed to have been inadvertently breeding mosquitoes. To combat these enemies, we decided not to use commercial insecticides made of chemicals. Searching the web, I found some interesting recipes for making ‘natural’ homemade insecticides that consisted of soap, chilli, garlic, onion and other noxious stuff. They actually worked against the aphids for a while, but soon they doubled their efforts and came back. Of course, that meant we had to keep on spraying them with the stuff. The first time I got it all over my hands, they stung the whole day! A good reason to wear gardening gloves…

PLANT NEEDS… Some plants need more sunlight, some less. Plants like tomatoes and chilli need quite a lot of sunlight, but too much and they could also get burnt. My capsicums actually seemed to do better with a bit of shade. I also read that a bit of Epsom unflowers are a hot favourite, but salt sprayed on they tend to grow rather too large chilli plants increase blooming but I for pots. Which are the edible parts? haven’t been able to The seeds of couse! Once they quantify that. Fertilisripen, you can pluck them off the ers play an important flowerhead and roast them. part too, and I learnt

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that they come in packets with three numbers on it. These state the proportion of nitrogen, phosphate and sulphate it contains. There are different fertilizers for different stages of growth too (yes, too confusing…). For a chilli plant, too much nitrogen can reduce fruiting.

One other important thing I learnt was to abide by the rule of: start with the biggest pot you need. Some plants just can’t transplant well. Sadly, many of my beautiful chilli plants died that way. Many of the cucurbits (cucumbers and other viney plants) don’t transplant well after the first few leaves pop out. One of my chilli plants lost all its leaves after transplant and looked so pitiful naked and barren that I wanted to pull it out and throw it away. Good thing I left it though because it surprisingly made a full recovery. I thought it was a goner. My mom says that once the leaves of chili plants start to curl, they are dying. My colleagues’ rule is: don’t pull it out until the stem is brown. Whatever it is, if you don’t put in some mitigating measures when your plant is sick, it’s likely on its way. Plants do things in their own way and time. There’s just no hurrying them. With plants blooming beautiful white, yellow or purple flowers, we thought we’d see some fruits come along. Well, the flowers shriveled up and dropped and we were left wondering what happened. We never did find out why for some of the plants, but for others it was lack of water, too much water, lack of nutrients or wrong daylength.

Though I couldn’t find detailed resources on local home gardening, there are websites on the internet, usually from university extension programmes, that have information on different types of plants. The problem with those is that sometimes, they are specific to their region and you may not know exactly what variety you have on your hands, having picked it up the seeds from the supermarket or wet market. However, there is still usually enough information to give an idea of what to do. Some interest websites also have forums where you can ask questions. At one website I was delighted to find a forum on Asian Vegetables. But even with that I had difficulties because others were planting their “Asian Vegetables” in the United States or other areas and some of the names they used were confusing. I’d never heard of some of the vegetables they were discussing. Perhaps they are popular in other Asian countries. There’s a lot to learn about gardening. After one and a half years, I still feel like I haven’t learnt enough. Though we still have quite a few plants in pots, we have expanded our garden onto some spare land. Perhaps in another issue, I’ll write more about making compost and trellis trouble. And, hopefully we’ll hear from some of you with your experiences and we can share useful information with one another. In the meanwhile, happy gardening!

“The Pet” The worse fright we had was when we saw the hornworm – the ‘caterpillar’ of a huge moth. It was initially the most grotesque thing we saw but soon we grew strangely fascinated with it and it became our newest pet. A pet that didn’t survive its ‘owners’, that is.

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Your shopping list Soil If you intend to plant more than one pot, get a larger amount of soil. Larger packs are usually much cheaper. Potting mixes or compost are easily available. Seeds Dried seeds can be purchased in packets or you may even be able to get them from the vegetables you’ve bought at the market, as long as they are ripe. Viable chilli seeds can be easily obtained this way. Fertilizer Fertiliser is a medium by which to give your plants elements (nitrogen, magnesium and potassium, iron, zinc, boron, etc.) they need to grow and flower. They are usually compounds of the elements, such as magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) or potash. Fertiliser comes in many forms; some are like salt that you leave on the soil and some you may have to dissolve in water. There are fertilizers for different phases in a plant’s life. Discuss with the sales staff what your plant’s requirements are as different plants also need different amounts of each element. Spades and shovels If you are only planning to plant in pots, shovels are not necessary and maybe not even spades. I’ve found that an old spoon does just fine. Pots? Containers? Pots can be made of plastic, clay or other materials. The latter will be heavier and harder to move around, but they are generally more stable and lasting. A pot big enough to allow the plant to grow to its full size will be the best, as some plants cannot be transplanted successfully and grow badly in small cramped conditions.

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Did you know ...that there are male and female flowers on certain plants (e.g. cucumbers and melons)? The male flower provides the pollen for the female flower and it gets there by the help of bees or other insects. Without the pollen, female flowers do not devlop into fruits and shrivel and die off.

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19

This column is dedicated to living things. and those who love them.

Or s l a is Which m i An

e n n a Je turestatudieundivhoersirtictyul-

and has a dog: Personally,

easier to take care of? A

tends both an indoor and outdoor garden and had a mini zoo at home:

y:

I think pets are easier to ta ke care of because I have no pass ion for plants..haha! Pets can respond to you; they have “feel ings” but plants don’ t, Pets can destress us but plants can’t seem to do that for me. I guess it’s just easie r to take care of something you have a passion for.

Plants are like aliens; I totally don’t know what’s going on with them whe n they get sick. At least with pets, you can bring them to the vet and you know roughly what’s wrong. I don’t think many people bring their plants to the plant doctor? How to carry them there? How much people are probably right to feel that they can relate to to pay? animals more, as they are physically more like us than plants

Are pets a big responsibility?

are. However, that doesn’t mean that taking care of animals is easy, partly because there is so much to do for them.

Izyani

Definitely pets would require more care and attention, I think, because we’ve to clean up after them and take very good care of their health. I need to clean out my terrapins’ water at least every other day because they excrete a lot. And once, my pet rabbit died suddenly overnight although it looked perfectly healthy and was eating well the day before. In addition, there is the matter of where to put your pets responsibly if you’re going away on holiday or if you’re somehow not able to take care of them anymore.

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K

n

ier: I’m a iller, r r e T y k k l Si d plant e s s e f n nts self - co more hardy pla (cace e even th ith minimal car oyed w tr ive een des ped b that thr e v a h alm) evelo tus & p ever, I have d y dog, hm How by me. relationship wit e & by l lov ding a rewar y unconditiona (ie, food, eds hm Bell, wit r with basic ne ver the gs o g he providin helter & outin is easier water, s For me, a pet ds). weeken to care for.

Plant

People

s

responsibility plant’s life = less guilt when dies. it dies.

Dr. Elv.

You only have to water plants once a day and cultivate the soil once a week. For dogs and other pets, you have to feed them twice a day, walk them, give them a bath, etc. However, I feel that you get more satisfaction from animals because they back give you your love back.

Rachel,

few unidentified plants, never Definintely plants. You only need to water them once or twice a week, prune them once in few wks, fertilize them once a month (is that too long?). That means you don’t have to worry about them when you go for a long holiday. With animals, you need to clean their cages every day, clean them once a wk (e.g. dog), you have to walk and play with them, groom them etc.

Erm, what do plants need?

it seems like our respondents all have their own versions of plant needs, from “some watering” to “some subsrate” to “a haircut now and then” but are they right? Most people also enjoy the fact that plants don’t produce wastes, but do they? Why yes, they do - in their leaves. In actual fact, plants need much more than watering (sometimes spraying) and yes, they may need pruning. But whatever happened to nutrients (fertilisers), pest control (insecticides), space (weeding), sunlight (natural or lamp) and the right temperatures and daylength? For those of us who do not have a green thumb, guess it is better to stick to our money plants and cacti after all!

Joan,s

has a Cairn terrier and an orchid plant:

These Both need basically people seem the same things: a little water, food and a hair cut like they know now and then. Maybe an occasional blast of anti-pest spray too! But a plant can’t what they’re curl up next to you when you’re feeling blue or cheer doing with you up with its cute antics. So, while a plant maybe easier to plants... care for, a pet is easier to love.

Juls n hamster Syria

care for. Plants are definitely easier to k of care, Even if they die on you for lac have to water and nutrients, you don’t p feel so guilty. Plus, there’s no poo to clean up! But caring for a pet gives more satisfaction.

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D L

But these these people need to stick to their money plants!

18 years:

Plants only need a substrate in which to grow. A plant is selfsufficient, producing its own food from the environment. Also, it does not produce solid waste.

I feel that plants make easier pets. All it takes is some watering to encourage healthy sprouts, and there’s no guilt over neglect.

g

erl n n

to maintain (like money plant or cactus).

An pet lover writes... Cheryl, ow

I

Plants need less personal attention. Can be left alone for longer hours. if they wither, they are easier to revive than animals.

f4

s, 2

chi

think plants are easier to take care of cos they are less time consuming, not as high maintainance and they don’t need “Clean Up”. I don’t have “Green Hands” so gardening is not really my thing. My sister and I have tried really hard to get many seedlings to grow but most of them die. Well, there is one remarkable chilli seed that sprouted and is surprisingly growing pretty well. That is our only pride and joy after months of discouragement. di I don’t have much interest in plants so I guess not enough reading up and research led to the dead de plants. I don’t have a connection with plants like i have with animals. I just can’t FEEL plants. Well, I’ve always been an animal lover. I started keeping pets since I was 4 or 5yrs old. It gives me great joy to watch my pets whether they are sleeping, playing, eating or using their “bathroom”. I like to notice all of their habits cos all of them are different. We have to take the time and effort to analyse our pets and only then we would find out how special each of them really are. My pets play very important roles in my life. They are always there to make me happy and greet me when I come home. They are priceless!!!

nch

a illas

n d a luo h a n :

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Preparing for a wedding…

R.Tan and Sherry, who married in December 2001 & October 2002 respectively, share their experiences with us.

1. What’s the first thing you did? Rachel: Search for a church. My church did not have its own building and I thus needed to rent a venue. I went to Paya Lebar Methodist but they only rented to church members. My next stop was CHIJMES, to check its available dates. The wedding date was decided only after I got an available date for rent. Sherry: Ask the parents for a good date. We are not superstitious and felt that any date would be as good as another so we left it up to the parents.

2. What was the most difficult part? Rachel: I could not decide on which bridal shop to sign up with! There are so many to choose from! Sherry: Searching for a church. The venue was of course a must and it turned out to be very dificult to find a suitable place open for rent, reasonably priced, and with parking for our guests.

3. When did you start to panic (if you did)? Rachel: I think it was when my pianist (who was pregnant) got sick two days before my wedding. Sherry: I think it was before the wedding, on the actual day, when my flowers came late. I was supposed to do the bouquets myself

and was not sure if I had the time to do so. Some of the flowers were also withered.

4. How did you separate the work between you and your partner? Raachel: He took care of music (which he’s good at) and the

DOs

a) Bring your mother along for the gown fitting. She’ll feel excited for you. b) If you wear contact lenses, get two pairs ready for the day. To avoid having sore eyes for dinner, change to the second pair so that your tired eyes get cleaner lenses and more oxygen. I don’t guarantee that it’ll works but that’s what I did for my wedding. No irritated (by thick make-up) eyes at the end of long day! c) Try to hire a cameraperson. They usually know the best type of shots to take and will try not to miss anything d) Work out the budget and keep within the limit. It is no fun worrying about how to pay the huge bills after the wedding. e) Have a good night’s sleep before your big day. You may have difficulty falling asleep being excited but you should be well rested to look your best the next day and not feel too tired to enjoy the celebration.

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Relationships honeymoon. That means I did most of the wedding preparation actually. Sherry: I was in charge of finding a church venue and bridal studio, music, the invites, the bulletin, programming, catering and decorations (think I can start wedding planning!). He was in charge of the honeymoon intially but in the end I had to book the trip as well as he was not free. He took care of the transport and had a team of his well dressed, well groomed friends to help out. I guess other than that, he provided the moral support?!

5. Are there any good ways to cut cost? Rachel: Print the invitation cards in Malaysia or Thailand if

Don’ts

a) Don’t let friend/s influence you on the design of your gown. Decide on your own. It’s your wedding. b) Don’t try to be a superwoman. Try to save money to hire a florist, get cards printed, etc. Get the professionals! It’s too stressful to DIY everything. c) Don’t keep thinking of the things that are not going to plan on the actual day. d) Don’t be too ambitious with the wedding plans. Keep it simple and stick to a few ideas that both you and your partner are comfortable with unless you are the adverturous sort who would like to experiment with bizarre ideas.

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possible. If not, keep the design of the card as simple as possible. For a church wedding, just focus on decorating the stage with fresh flowers. For the aisles, silk flowers can be just as nice (I did not believe it was possible until I attended my friend’s wedding). You can share the cost of silk flowers with any of your friends that are getting married too. Sherry: I think it is possible to do a lot of the items yourself to cut cost but not all are that practical. I tried to cut cost by writing my own invitations. That is easy enough because you can do that way in advance but for the rest like flowers, you might want to get a florist. Choose flowers like gerberas or roses instead of lilies, which are more expensive. Scout around for a good florist as prices vary. I also made my own ring pillow. I decided not to get a videographer as I found that most of my friends do not really watch their own wedding videos. Choose only the studio photos that you really like. As with videos, many of my friends do not view their own wedding pictures often. Wedding Day

7. Which part did you have the greatest fun? Rachel: Trying on my gown, the rehearsal day and the wedding day. Sherry: I think it was right before the ceremony, when I could finally have a moment to rest before the event and I had all my close friends with me. I was really glad to see my friends, some of whom I had not met for quite a while due to our busy schedules.

Kit

-                  

Relationships

W ? h e g l o? me n i S W ?

hen my girlfriend, or should I say, ex-girlfriend, of three years broke up By Marvin Mohan with me three months ago it came as a lightning bolt to me. On a single, teary and miserable day, all promises were broken, all dreams were shattered, all hopes vanished and two hearts lay unspoken.

A

The makeover did not end there. When my girl complained that I had a fiery temper, I promised to change and I did. When she lamented that I was not spending enough time with her I went out with her after my weekly football game in addition to the more than three days a week I was already spending with her. I would certainly have loved to spend even more time together but the sheer distance between o u r residences made it difficult to do so. She was also not allowed to stay out overnight. We wished that we stayed closer.

My love crusade of three years has seen some of my friends lose contact with me. So too, did those buddies that I used to hang out with in pubs and lounges. I didn’t blame them though, as I dedicated most of my free time with my girl and seldom had time for my drinking buddies. Deep down, I felt awful and I tried to make it up by calling them whenever I could.

It can be difficult coming out of a broken relationship. Everything reminds me of her and of our bond. It is not easy at the office too. My office overlooks the sea and when I look out at the sunset, its rays and reflections will cascade across the sea, creating a shimmering field o f gold. It takes me back to the time we spent along beaches and in Sentosa. Heartwarming, yet extremely painful…

s I walked in a daze from Clarke Quay to Orchard (it did not seem so far at that time) trying very hard to grasp what had just happened, everything around me seemed to be in a blur. It did not help that it was an extremely hot day. I sucked the mucus up my nose. I sniffed and tried my best not to look like a child that just got his candy snatched from him, but I know I failed, terribly. I recall walking straight past a friend without even acknowledging her. I guess she was taken aback too.

I can still remember those days when I was a swinging bachelor. Going home reeking of alcohol was an almost weekly occurrence. Things changed when I met my girlfriend. Gone were the days of stumbling home and fumbling for my keys. Gone also was my flippant and cavalier attitude. I lost my glib and honeyed tongue too. In fact, my girl was astonished by my almost instantaneous transformation.

These days, life has been pretty different for me. On the weekdays that I used t o spend with my girl having dinner and taking in the sights around town, I now spend watching my fishes swim in the tank. On the weekends that we used to go exploring far flung places (as far as our legs could bring us) or simply spending time at home, I now kill by cleaning the tank and

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and dramedies: Seinfeld, Ally McBeal, and Sex and the City which all picture singles leading happy and glamorous lives on the surface but deeply depressed by their frustrations in the most important area of life - forming a relationship. Marriage is an anchor in life. The astounding successes of these shows suggest they accurately reflect reality.

watching football. Simple hobbies like reading, writing, and listening to music have now dominated my life. If my buddy is free, we will drive down to the Esplanade, a quiet pub, or even a neighbourhood kopitiam and knock back a few pints.

But what does an average Singaporean male have to juggle? Consider this; we blokes, on average, enter the workforce at 25. Whilst trying to establish and gain a foothold on our careers, we still have the “National Service” to be concerned with. And in more ways than one I say. Allow me to expound further.

Watching lovers hang around the Esplanade with arms tightly wrapped around each other at two in the morning, I mused: “Do you think that they will still be doing this lovey dovey stuff if they are a couple of years into the relationship?” My bud looked at me rather incredulously and replied, “You’ve got to be kidding me. They probably just got together recently.” My bud should know - he is into his seventh year of a relationship.

National Service, as we all know, is the mandatory “slavery” of all fit males into conscription for the military service. After two and a half years, all, if not most guys will also have to undergo another decade of compulsory service that i n c l u d e s time spent in camps, outfields, shooting ranges, and taking the hugely dreaded, Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT). Failures for the yearly IPPT will also need to spend up to three months reporting to camps for Remedial Training (RT). I have seen middle-age men with kids in tow reporting for RT as often as visiting their favourite chay kway teow stall. Honestly, it pains my heart.

Possessing a transformative vision, lovers endow the object of their adulation with sublime qualities unseen by the common eye - a vision one often finds in poets, and second-hand car dealers. In their eyes, for that magical first few months, their partners could do no wrong. Everything seems so perfect and beautiful. It is not until the realization that all is not so rosy, that “you aren’t buying me enough gifts”, “you are not thin enough” or that “her boyfriend booked a fancy restaurant for Valentine’s Day” (she conveniently left out that the guy was twotiming and that he dumped the girlfriend in the cruelest manner possible soon after), that things slowly fall apart. What happened to simple gestures like shielding her head when she steps into and out of the cab (for the fear of her knocking her head against roof of the door)? What happened to calling and reminding her to carry an umbrella when it rains? What happened to calling and asking her a few times a day on how she is and what she has taken for lunch? My friend told me that he had never seen a guy treats his girlfriend so well even after three years, but I tell him now that has all come to naught. Anything and everything nice is meaningless if it is not appreciated.

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Everyone wants a relationship. Look at shows like my favourite ridiculously funny sitcoms

It also makes me wonder: “How can these guys have a fulfilling family life and the time to upgrade themselves - two other ‘national policies’ (National Service as I call it) that the government has been extolling?” This brings me to another point - Romancing Singapore. Alarmed by a falling birth rate, due in large part to the decision of many singles to delay marriage and thereby childbirth, the government has come up with increasingly absurd programs to “stoke the flames of passion”. From sanctioned matchmaking events to marketing a fragrance especially designed to increase one’s attractiveness to the opposite sex, it seems there’s nothing our island country will not do to get us to procreate and increase the country’s dwindling population. I

can see why the government is panicstricken. At the age of 25, we guys (as I said earlier) are trying to establish ourselves in our careers. That is, if we manage to find a decent job in the first place. It isn’t easy in this day and age. Gone were the days of corporate honchos

clamoring to engage your services once you graduate with a degree. I would be surprised if many guys my age find it easy to juggle establishing a career, constantly upgrading ourselves, keeping ourselves fit for NS and romancing our partners, all at the same time. Additionally, we have to contend against Caucasians, whom some of our local girls seem to think highly of. Compared to Caucasians, local guys have been known to be boring, insipid and extremely unimaginative and unromantic. Maybe that explains why I see local girls in short skirts around the arms of overweight and usually balding ang mohs? Damn, we are already losing our jobs to these folks, now we are also losing our girls too.

I now realize, rather belatedly, that simple gestures of care and love are just not enough to some girls. But before I can go on to bigger gestures of love, I shall concentrate on building my career and juggling my various National Service liabilities, and at the same time, fending off a rabid stalker, which is another story for another day.

The above statement begets this thought: Hmmm, if I am living alone in a foreign land with a huge pay packet that includes free housing and in better times, free wheels, and having no other obligations to worry about, I’d probably be spending my time romancing the local girls. But then again, I guess our relatively more conservative upbringing and our culture have something to do with it too. My bud commented to me, as we walked past Centro in

Facing Facts

One Fullerton one night, that I should have no problems going in and “picking up some girls”. I do not know if he was for real or just very kind (I prefer the former though I doubt so), I just said, “Not now bro, not now.” I have not chatted up a girl for so long, and I do not intend to do so, not in the near future at least.

These days, the tears from the breakup have all dried up. And yes, the mucus has finally gone back up the nose, or wherever it comes from but sometimes we’re so sad we can’t cry. My dad and sis think that I have “recovered” but it is just a façade. Every so often, I still dream of my ex-girlfriend, dream about how she was really like - living, breathing, laughing, sitting on the swing, holding my hands, and when I wake up, I fall once again into the abyss of depression. Sometimes, only sometimes, it is better off being a single. For now, I have my bittersweet memories to accompany me.

- some trends

Oh oh!

• From 1998 to 2003, the average age of both brides and grooms in Singapore has been increasing. • In Singapore, the wife is usually the one who petitions for divorce. • The number of divorce cases in Singapore has doubled over the last 10 years and is now a record high of 6,561. • The number of marriages dropped by 5 per cent from the previous year to 21,962 cases. • Singapore’s birth rate in 2002 was a record low of 40,864 compared to 1998 when 52,000 babies were born. • The main reasons for a marriage breaking up in Singapore are: breakdown in communication (19.1%), constant quarrelling (10.1%), problems with in-laws and relatives (9.4%), infidelity (9%), financial woes (8.6%), neglect (7.9%) and violence against spouse (6.8%).

There’s hope... • The proportion of divorced and separated couples in Singapore (2%) is lower than the divorce rates in Hong Kong (3%), Japan (4%) and Britain (8%). • According to SDU’s 2002 Annual report, 9 couples have tied the knot through speed dating.

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Reflections of a singly happy gal Penning down my thoughts about my way of life and my beliefs is a soul-searching process. I hope by sharing my experiences, I will inspire readers you to re-examine your life priorities and discover how you could create happiness for yourself and the people/pets you love and care about. By Jacin Chan

H

ere I am with a quarter century of my life passed and gone. Single, with no fat paycheck, a car or property, I am still trying to find my passion in life. But I am happy with what I have – my family and wonderful friends who care for me. Life is not a bed of roses for me all the time but I try not to let the hurtful act of some inconsiderate person or a sad incident haunt me for too long. The trick is to fill my mind with happy thoughts and memories and to remember that wallowing in sadness and self-pity is a waste of time. Whatever suffering I have gone through is also minuscule as compared to that of people in war-torn or povertystricken countries. I want to lead to a fulfilling life and I want my family and friends to feel happy when they are with me.

Being the “other half” Last year, I was still someone’s girlfriend. It was nice to spend time with someone I liked and thought might be the one. We gave each other plenty of space for our own activities with our families and friends and tried to meet at least once a week. Then suddenly, like someone awakened from a dream, I was disturbed that I shared more of my time and interests with my family and friends than with him. He was

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not there most of the time when I experienced one of life’s greatest joys – enjoying an activity and growing together emotionally and intellectually. After initiating the breakup, I did not let the feeling of loss engulf my life by talking about it with my family and close friends and moving on with life. I do not regret knowing him as he is a nice person but I do feel sad at times that we are no longer in touch. Have I ever loved him? Whatever feeling I had for him, it was definitely not strong enough for me to believe that we were meant to be together. Looking at blissfully married couples like my parents, it is evident that their happiness is very much linked to the existence of their life partner. I do hope to find someone who loves me for whom I am, loves nature and animals and someone with whom I can talk the night away or just be together in companionable silence. I am not sure if such a person exists. Perhaps I am happy with my current status because my friends and family fit those qualities and this explains why I am not actively looking for a boyfriend or moping over the lack of one. Hanging out with my close friends and family is not mindless shopping and eating. We talk about issues impacting our

lives and we have done interesting activities together like traveling, picnics and nature walks. There are so many things out there for us to discover and understand and my friends are often the source of such invaluable knowledge and wisdom. I cherish their support and concern whenever I am in the doldrums of frustration and gloom. I try to do the same for them when they need to lighten their emotional burdens.

Hobbies There will be times where my friends and family cannot be there for me. This is inevitable and that is where my pets, hobbies and career come in. I feel comfortable spending time by myself – going for nature walks, watching good movies, shopping, etc. I enjoy taking in the beautiful scenery of nature areas in Singapore and overseas. Away from the human crowds and manmade structures, I can immerse myself in places like parks, nature reserves or beaches for a few days and feel rejuvenated. Such personal retreats make me appreciate the simple things in life.

For the past 8 years, we have been keeping hamsters under our roof. These creatures have a special place in my heart as they have shown me how short and fragile life is and the importance of cherishing the happy moments while they last. The hamsters have given me reasons to smile - their playful antics, endearing mannerisms and the bond I share with them when I hold and stroke them in my palms. I rekindled my interest in baking and cooking a year ago. Every “experiment” is therapeutic even though sometimes the food did not turn out nice or the way they were supposed to be. I am also delighted to discover my creative side after trying my hand at writing, doodling, etc. I like to bring along my digital camera when I go for my nature walks. Through photography, I see the world around me more clearly and appreciate its beauty. All these and other new hobbies make me realise that learning does not end in schools as long as we are open to new ideas and experiences. The completion of formal education was just the beginning of lifelong learning.

Working Health After finishing my final university exams, I

29

was lucky to find a job in which I’ve been for more than 4 years. The initial years were interesting as I had the opportunity to travel overseas, meet interesting people and develop my skills in event management. The best part is the good friends I have made along the way. I no longer feel as enthusiastic as before in my job but I hope to find my calling one day and be able to feel passionate in what I do for a living. No one likes being sick. I try to lead a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet. Swimming, jogging and other forms of exercise coupled with eating fruits and vegetables everyday is not a torturous process because I enjoy being active and eating a wholesome meal. Of course, I would also give in to my cravings of fried food, chocolates and desserts but such indulgence is not an everyday affair.

There is always this dilemma of whether to spend for my present enjoyment or to save for my retirement. I guess in whatever we do, there has to be a balance, which is hard to achieve. Right now, I am still learning but it seems to be easier at the moment since I am single and only need to give my mother some pocket money.

Life’s equation Why wait for happiness to come in the form of marriage when I am already happy doing things that I enjoy and believe in and being with my family and friends? This is my life and I am responsible in creating my own happiness. Only then can I face my family, friends and every single day with a smile.

Wants Temptations to lure us in satisfying our wants are found everywhere in newspapers, television and the Internet and even through word of mouth from family and friends. I love to shop for clothes, accessories and other beautiful things. My wants are endless but I have only so much money in my wallet and savings account.

single.

A dear friend once shared with me: “I think we are happy with our single life because we are not waiting around for a “hole” in our life to be filled by some man. Rather, if we do go into a relationship, it is like even more “icing on our cake”. Something that adds another dimension to our already fulfilled life.” I totally agree with her philosophy and this belief is the reason for my candidness about being

To some people, life may seem sad and rather empty if we do not find a person we love, settle down and have children of our own. However, I feel that life means so much more and is definitely not the end of the world that I have not found the one yet. I realise that there are still many things that I would like to learn. Everyday is a journey of self-discovery, sustaining friendships and finding my purpose in this world. At the moment, I will leave the soul mate aspect to Fate. If I were to create a formula for my happiness, it will be like this: Happiness = Great family + Good friends + Good health + Ability to support myself + Finding purpose in life + Self discovery through hobbies + Soul mate With all the factors excluding “Soul mate” satisfied, I conclude that I am singly happy.

30

Sw

g n i g in

Walking along Orchard Road alone used to be a torture for me, seeing couples and yet more couples. I ended up feeling miserable even though I was clad in my best dress, my face piled with tons of makeup and my body smelling like a strawberry with my favourite scent from Escada. I was young, trendy and confident. But I could feel my confidence eroding away as the years passed. Approaching marriageable age as a swinging single was not easy, especially when you are receiving wedding invitations one after another like red bombs. They are like silent alerts keeping one envious and worried at the same time about being left on the shelf. I started to dread going for Chinese New Year visitations and other family gatherings. In my younger years, relatives and friends would be asking about my studies and which college I would be attending. Upon graduation, they would start asking about my job. Then, they would pry about my relationship status and start preaching about getting a boyfriend and getting married. To them, staying single is unacceptable. Well, I am not saying that I deliberately chose to stay single. I had my fair share of the dating game. Last year, I was dating this guy who has a great job, nice family, decent hobbies and shares the same faith as me. He can cook very well and he loves kids. He is an eligible bachelor and I am single. I considered marrying him but it suddenly dawned on me that I did not love him. I was simply succumbing to the pressure to be the norm. I compromised my happiness by rationalizing that he will make a good husband, even though I was not physically attracted to him. Finally, I decided to let go,

as I felt that it was unfair for him to be with someone who did not love him. My point is: do not get married

for the sake of getting married.

Since I am single and do not have family commitments, I have more time to do the things that I have always wanted. Instead of dwelling on the past, I have decided to pursue my aspirations to start my own business. It was a tough decision g n to let go of my A n n banking career, but if I erly J do not do it, I know I will live By my whole life in regret. I do not want to grow old, looking back at my life to say, “If only I had done…”

le

I

f you think that being single is gloomy, disastrous, depressing and life not worth living, then you are very wrong. I used to think that way too, but not anymore. There are more things in life that are worth pursuing too, not just a life partner…

g n i S

I am a makeup enthusiast. To pursue my interests in professional makeup, I found time to sign up for a part time course to further studies in this area. Learning the art of makeup has always been my passion and I am sure I will be able to put that to good use in the future. Spending time with my family and friends is also an important part of my life. Life is too short. I have learnt to appreciate the time that I spend with my family and friends, even if the time is spent doing simple things like having a meal or a chat over coffee. Singlehood is an asset. Being single does not mean you are less desirable. It just means that special someone has not appeared in your life yet. Live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment of life pursuing your dreams, your inspirations, your interests, your family and your friends. If true love comes knocking on my door, I will still welcome it with a warm heart. In the meantime, although staying single may not be a choice, but living a fulfilling life is definintely my choice.

31

Boots in Style

by

Jerlynn Ang

S

hoes truly make or break an outf outfit.. outfit

F

or the modern and trendy new-age boot-lovin’ woman out there who may bought boots on impulse but does not know how to match them with your outfits, let’s check out how to wear them. A pair of flattering boots are a must-have in every woman’s wardrobe. Boots can match outfits for almost all occasions, from business suits to denims to minis.

1. Power suit

Sleek ankle boots can complete the look for working ladies who favour pant suits. Try not to squeeze calf-length boots under slim cut pants. Narrow pants work best with ankle boots. Too avoid looking overly manly, you can choose boots with a pointy feminine front and stiletto heels. Alternatively, you can wear an ultra-feminine top beneath the jacket to soften your overall look. The tops that you choose does not necessarily have to be skimpy or cleavage-showing. A neutral coloured top with lace or other interesting details can do the trick. For those who hates anything with frills can choose a plain top with a bold colour that compliments the colour of your suit.

2. Flouncy dress

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Wearing a flouncy dress with the usual strappy heels will drown you in the sea of similarly dressed girls in a party, especially so, if you don’t have a cute dance partner. Accessorize your dress with boots and you will instantly stand out of the crowd as a chic chick. Complete the look with a matching bag.

Depending on your preference, you can choose either ankle boots or calf-highs or even knee-lengths. Just make sure that there is at least a 2-inch gap between your hemline and boots to avoid looking short and stumpy. For knee-length boots, preferably your hemline covers part of your boots to avoid looking too tarty.

3.Cowboy-inspired Minis boots can be funky with a mini, only if you have great legs to match. Calf-length boots look the best with a mini, especially those with interesting details such as buckles. For street-wear, avoid looking over the top with kneelengths. Knee-length boots with minis look great only for models on the runway and pop stars attending an award ceremony.

4. Denims

Chunky round-toe boots look almost too casual, but pair them with denims and you will become a rock-vibe in an instant. Accessorize with a leather choker and you are ready to go shopping. Round-toe boots are much comfy for walking and dressy enough to go for concerts. You can even consider bringing them on your next trip to a cold country. You can look good and keep warm at the same time. At least that is more useful than a pair of frumpy flats.

5.

Maxi

Skirt

For those of you with less than model-perfect legs, ankle boots are the safest bet as they end at the slimmest part of your legs. These look especially flattering if you match them with maxi, full-length flare skirts. Remember to choose a pair with kitten heels two inches or less, just enough to lift the hemline off the floor.

Views

A Skeptic...

I have yet to own a pair of boots because I have not come across one that has a nice cut and is also comfortable for walking. It is also too hot to wear boots in Singapore and I would rather wear my sandals and shoes. Furthermore, you will need to have a certain look or dressing to look great in boots. - Jacin Chan

Jerlynn Explains...

Boots are a must-have in every trendy girl’s wardrobe! For comfort, choose boots with more chunky heels, instead of those with stileto heels. When trying on boots, you may want to buy half a size larger, as you may want to wear it with socks. Different boots can go with different outfit. As long as you leave about 3 inches between your hemline and your boots, you will look fine. For more conventional look, boots actually look great with jeans! It is definitely more funky than pairing jeans with sneakers.

A BOOT fan...I like boots because they are quite hardy and your feet are usually quite well

protected. Of course, suede ones may need more care so not all boots are created equal. I do not think they are any hotter than other footware, such as track shoes. I accidentally stepped into a puddle the other rainy day and was glad I was wearing my boots! - Sherry Nee

33

Learning a ...I

doh,

musical i n s t r u ment

tching to learn an Learning musical instrument but don’t know what is suitable for you or where to start? Let this guide

ra

,m

i, fa, so ,l

help you. In the first part, Sherry shares some thoughts on learning music and in the second part, our friends share with you their experience in learning the flute, piano and drums. Lastly, why do people quit their instruments? Let some people who gave up tell you why.

T

choose an instrument is whether you’re interested in and will become passionate about it. Consider the following too:

1.

Are you able to differen differentiate tones just by listening to them? I used to think this

was necessary to play well but actually it’s ok if you can’t; you can still learn to play quite decently and it shouldn’t hamper you from taking up music. However, if this is the case, you may have to stick to instruments that have keys that play defininte notes almost all of the time, like woodwinds or the piano.

a

, te ....

2.

Can you buy or have the instrument

at home?

.. . . e

It’s very cliched but practice really does make perfect (or at least close to it). Instruments may be very expensive and before you have the chance to grow on them, you may decide not to purchase one yet in case you give it up later. One of the reasons why I decided not to continue with piano was that I did not have one at home and not having enough practice made lessons quite painful and slow. Having to travel to a community piano (free for use at that time) made the practice sessions tedious and more time consuming. You may also not feel comfortable playing a shared woodwind as these can collect a lot of saliva as you play.

3.

Is there a place or time that you intend to use your skills?

, a r doh,

m

e, f , s a o , la , t

34

he basic idea when you

Although there’s nothing against learning an instrument just of the sake of it, most people seem to stick to it better if they are using it in some way, like for gatherings or in a band or orchestra. Many of my friends play in church orchestras or volunteer to play during functions like weddings. The purpose you intend to use your musical skills for can also affect your ... continued on page 38.

Jacin and her piano Good teacher, good start I started learning to play the piano when I was nine. My piano teacher at Yamaha School was a pleasant person and I had fun learning how to coordinate both my hands to produce melodious and sometimes familiar pieces.

Jacin at her piano

Weighty cost My piano, which was made in Korea, cost $3,000 and was considered cheaper than other piano brands. There were monthly lesson fees of about $100 (excluding the cost of the books) and the exams fees (theory and practical) for each grade amounted to about $100. During my 8 years of piano lessons, I have bought more than 60 books that cost from $5 to $20 each. The kind of teacher matters A few years later, I switched to a music school (near my home) that charged lower fees. That move almost killed my interest to learn the piano. With the heavy schoolwork and activities, I only had the weekend to practise. My second piano teacher would scold me whenever I fumbled at my pieces. My third piano teacher only focused on drilling me in Grade 6 exam pieces. I found the lessons too stressful and I finally discontinued with my piano lessons to concentrate on my O levels.

Seven note s (A B C D E F G) m ake up one octave .

Soothing Sounds Once in a blue moon I will play my favorite piano pieces. It is therapeutic to hear myself tinkling on the keys, although my family and neighbours most probably think I am a lousy piano player. I have no regrets learning the piano or stopping my lessons halfway as my earlier training enables me to read the piano scores and I can teach myself new pieces. I hope to find more time to practice regularly, so that I could sing along when playing the piano, just like Sting and Elton John. Perhaps when I have more money and time, I may find a good piano teacher to give me guidance and I could be a better piano player. A versatile musical instrument The piano does well on its own or together with the other instruments in the orchestra. Many beautiful classical, jazz, pop and new age music pieces, etc have been produced using the piano. Too old to learn? Music schools have piano classes for children as young as 6 years old. Some people think it is better to learn the piano when you are young and have nimble fingers. There may be some truth in this but if you have burning passion to master the piano, there is no harm to sign up for a beginner class to try out. Who knows? You may just find yourself a new hobby.

35

Sherry and her flute First love I have always thought the flute to be a beautiful instrument, both in sound and in appearance. The European flute (unlike the wooden Chinese one) is made of metal. I like it for its lightness and the convenience of transporting it easily in a case. I have tried the violin, cello, guitar and piano but I always come back to the flute. My first experience with the flute was through joining the school band in middle school (in the States). I got to skip Science class to play the flute! Specific role to play The flute plays a part in many orchestras and bands but is not a good solo instrument, as it plays only one note of its possible 2.5 to 3 octaves (compared to 7 octaves of the piano) at a time. This makes it a poor accompaniment to singing and you can forget about performing for your friends or relatives at birthday parties and such. You’ll need to play at least with a piano. Because of the limited octave range, the flute may also not be able to play your favorite piece of music. You may also have your friends cringing at the higher notes (which my friends do!). You may have noticed that the octave range is not fixed, as some people may find it hard to play the higher or lower notes but if you stick to the flute past grade 4/5, you’ll be required to play all but the highest/lowest notes.

The flute comes in three pieces that are to be joined end to end. This is for ease of transport. The cloth and metal piece is for cleaning your instrument every time after you use it.

36

Blows you away The flute is not a difficult instrument once you learn how to make a sound from it, though to do that and make it a good quality tone takes a lot of time and practice. The aperture (hole) produced by puckering the lips has to be specific. Too big and you have an “airy” sound. If it’s not stable, your note fluctuates in tone. I’ve heard that the flute is not recommended for children and I have felt giddy after practice, especially at the beginning. The coordination of the fingers on the ‘buttons’ can be confusing at first but is easily picked up. I feel that one of the best things about the flute is that you can almost be tone deaf and still be able to play because each note is relatively fixed by a very definite finger position (unlike the string instruments). Good enough to make jewelry A good flute is also not cheap. A beginner’s flute costs around $500. I like the straight line concert flute that costs up to $3000$4000 for one made from 925 silver (the stuff your jewelry is made of). The high cost makes it difficult for anyone who wishes to try out the flute for fun and it is also a personal instrument that has only one master at a time (like most woodwinds). Besides the issue of hygiene, I have read that different people can slightly alter the character of a specific piece of instrument. Despite all this, I have not regret learning it and if you are determined and have affinity for it, I doubt you will.

a l o

Cailyn and her drums

mi f a s

e r o d

Discovering music I was sent to a music school by chance when I was young and started learning organ at first. Gradually I progressed to piano and completed Grade 8. But music life just stopped there after Grade 8. I didn’t pursue Diploma and neither did I touch the piano again.

Recently I decided that I would like to learn a new instrument and picked up the Chinese flute 1.5 years ago. After learning for about 8 months, I gave up as I realised that I am not good in wind instruments. Somehow my mouth is not as good as my hands.

The right musical instrument for me I took up drums because I thought that it was really cool being a drummer in a band. Also, I figured I should be better with instruments using hands. Besides starting and ending a piece of music, the drums also provide the beat and tempo to rest of band members and act as the bass. Half a year later, I find that this is one instrument I can really play and am enjoying it thus far. Hopefully I can get better with time and do a little jamming with a group of musicians. The basic drum kit comes with a hi-hat, snare drum, tom-drum(s) and a bass drum. There are many kinds of drum sticks for different effect on the skins.

One good thing about learning the drums is no crooked fingers! Pianists have crooked fingers because they have to stretch their fingers over the keyboard. I can also enjoy and appreciate the music while playing. However, I find the drums too loud. I can’t buy a drum set to play at home unless the room is sound proof. Baby steps I found it quite easy at the start, but as I progress, it gets more and more difficult as good coordination between hands and feet is required. My right and left hands and even my feet can be playing different beats. A lot of practice is required to familarise myself with the drums. The cost of learning I think the actual drum set cost over $1,000, but if you get the drum pads, the cost would probably be about $200. The weekly group lessons at Yamaha (suitable for 11 years and above) start from $63 per month and increase after 6 months, while individual lesson cost $90 per month. I also bought my drum books at $28.60 and drum sticks for $15.60. Last note I am grateful to my parents for letting me learn piano at such a young age. It helped me when I was learning other instruments, as I have already known how to count and read the notes. I feel that music allows one to express one’s feelings and it is an enjoyment to be able to play whatever songs I like. I would encourage everyone to pick up any instrument that you are interested in and savour the world of music.

37

Passion for the instrument For the

quitters...you’re not alone!

WHY I QUIT...

PIANO: My parents thought it’d be nice for me to learn the piano

when I was around 6 years old but I didn’t like it. Although I’m grateful that they gave me that opportunity because piano gave me the he music basics and helped me appreciate the art of playing an instrument, rument, I struggled through it and did not enjoy the lessons or the practice sessions. However, I sometimes wish I had stuck to it.

VIOLIN: My secondary school employed a violin teacher for us, but because

of some miscommunication, she apparently walked out in a huff and my training came to an abrupt halt. I decided not to pursue it because I didn’t seem to be able to ‘hear’ the notes; perhaps I’m really tone deaf. Without a keen ability in differentiating tones, it’s difficult to be a good violinist.

CELLO:

Thinking to try out another stringed instrument after the previous mishap and my handicap, I was entranced by the low soothing sounds of the cello so I took this up in Junior College. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take the instrument home (as it’s too big for my rather a-hem, petite frame or the bus for that matter) and I started to miss lessons due to academic commitments. Lagging behind, I decided to give it up. Continued from page 34

choice of instrument. Some instruments, like the piano can stand alone perfectly and can play most musical pieces. There are also a lot of pieces written for it. For instruments like the flute, only the melody can be played and it is usually better accompanied by another instrument.

4.

Are any of your friends playing the same instrument?

Of course there may not be any point in jumping on the bandwagon (forgive the pun) but sometimes, it does help to have friends who play the same instrument. You may then have someone to practice with or discuss the instrument with, besides your teacher. Playing duets is a good way to improve timing too.

5. Do you have the time? Missing lessons or practice can really put you behind. Once you do not practice, you may find your skills deteriorating at an alarming rate. After a few months, I found that my fingers could not move as fast on the flute and I couldn’t remember how to play some of the notes!

38

H

Making Simple Beaded Jewelry

ave you thought of making your own unique earrings, bracelets and necklaces? by following the simple guide below, you can start to wear your own creations! There are so many interesting beads and stones in a variety of colours and designs that You’lll be spoilt for choice!

Where to get the materials? You can obtain the materials from Beads Etc at the Heeren. Some of the beads can also be purchased from other art and crafts shops such as spotlight.

Materials required - Metal head pins Cost: about $0.90 each or $4.80 for a pack of 6 pieces metal eye pin long pins earring hooks - 925 silver is available but is more expensive than the normal metal ones. Beads mostly made of glass or plastic. Cost: from 10 cents for 10 beads or $1 for 1 glass bead or $2 -3 for a bottle of glass seed beads Jade look-alike pieces or other interesting looking stones as pendants Small pliers and cutter Cost: $20 to $30 per set or about $15 each Nylon string Cost: a pack for about $5.15, leather cord $1 per metre elastic string Clasps for the necklace

39

How to make my 1st set of jewelry? Beaded earrings Select the beads that you like and slide them through the metal eye pin. Using the pliers, attached the beaded pin onto the earring hook. And viola! Here’s your new pair of dangling earrings.

Beaded knotted bracelet Prepare a nylon string (its length about 4 rounds of your wrist) and “fold” it into half. The “folded” end will be a small loop that is big enough for a bead (that you have selected to be the other half clasp for the bracelet) to go i n through. After the loop, separate the 2 strings, slide the smaller beads onto each thread individually and bring both threads together by tying another knot. Then slide in the big beads onto the 2 strings and Make a knot. Continue this step and make your own pattern as you go along. When you reach sufficient length where the bracelet will hang nicely on your wrist, end off by attaching the “clasp” bead at the end of the cord and tying a dead knot.

Simple necklace Place the stone in the middle of the leather cord. Make a knot to make the stone stay in place. You may wish to select a matching bead and slide it through both ends of the cord and make another knot again. Attach the clasp to the ends of the cord.

Charm bracelet You could buy a silver bracelet and add on the beads. First select a bead and slide it through the head pin. Using the pliers, bend the other end of the pin to secure it on one of the loops on the bracelet. Repeat the same step for other selected locations of the bracelet.

Elastic bracelet Using an elastic string, slide in the selected beads and depending on the size of your wrist, close the loop by tying the 2 ends together. The jewelry pieces featured are courtesy of Juls.

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Rice Dishes

Recipes

..wonderfully frangrant, colourful, yummy dishes

Herb Fried Rice

(vegetarian if preferred) (serves 3-4) ried Rice has always been one of my favorite dishes but I have never gotten any training in its preparation and always wondered why my rice turned out so wet and sticky. I wanted a dish which was dry and non oily. After experimenting, I came up with this dish, which is slightly different from your average fried rice, partially because almost half the dish is made up of vegetables instead of the usual 85% rice. Also, the main herb used in this dish, Basil, is more traditionally used in Italian cooking.

F

Instructions

Ingredients

1 small red capsicum diced 1 small green capsicum diced 3 eggs 3 cups cooked rice 1 can button mushrooms ¼ cup corn kernels ¼ cup diced carrot 1 diced onion 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic 2 teaspoons oyster sauce 2 teaspoons light soya sauce 1 teaspoon dried basil ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper powder 3 tablespoons olive oil optional in your preferred quantities diced chicken franks 6 imitation crabsticks chilli parsley

Basil is easily grown from seed in our climate and you may wish to use fresh basil although I find dried basil just as frangrant and more convenient

1. Heat 2 Tsp oil in a pan and put in onion and garlic. Fry until slightly brown. 2. Add capsicums, mushrooms, corn, carrot and crabstick. Stir fry for 57 minute. Add oyster sauce and stir. Remove from heat. 3. Heat 1 Tsp of oil in clean pan and put in rice. Stir. Add in eggs and stir for another 5 minutes. When eggs are no longer wet, add in ingredients from part 2 and soya sauce. 4. Stir until all is mixed and sprinkle on basil and pepper. 5. Remove from heat and serve.

Innovation is part of why I like fried rice. The other day I threw in whatever I found at home and

it turned out to be an oddly splendid seafood mix - scallops, shrimp, cuttlfish and vegetables, all topped off with seaweed (not show in picture).

Remember to contribute and send in your recipes to [email protected]

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There’s more...

Recipes

..infusion of herbs, bacon, spices and cheese

Baked Rice (serves 4-6 )

This dish is a marvellous mix of vegetables and fragrant crispy bacon. Dutch spiced cheese give it a good full flavour. Italian herbs form the base of the seasoning but the addition of an unexpected spice, Cumin, adds a surprising aroma to the dish, giving it an overall unique East meets West identity. This is a filling dish and an ideal companion is seafood such as mussles. It is a versatile dish and trial and error with other vegetables and your favourite ingredients will produce new variations.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice 1 small green capsicum (bell pepper) diced 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes 2 packet streaky bacon 1 cup shredded spiced Dutch cheese ½ cup finely chopped garlic ½ cup chopped onions 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds 1 tablespoon light soya sauce ½ teaspoon of salt 3 tablespoons garlic olive oil 1 tablespoon of cooking oil

Cumin

42

Cumin is the seed of a small plant under the parsley family. It has a strong, heavy and warm, spicy-sweet aroma and a pungent, powerful, sharpand slightly bitter flavour. Cumin will give bite to plain rice but this spice should be used with restraint as it can exclude all the other flavours in a dish. Less than a teaspoon will flavour a meal for 4persons.

Instructions

1. Heat oil in pan. Add bacon and fry until brown and fats are reduced. Remove bacon from pan. 2. Add garlic and cumin seed.Fry for 1-2 mins and remove from pan before adding the onions. Fry until slightly transparent. 3. Fry capsicum until slightly soft. Add in the cooked rice, tomatoes, olive oil and ingredients from step 1 and 2. Stirfry well for about 5 minutes to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add in the Italian herbs. 4. Remove rice from pan and put in an aluminium or pyrex tray. 5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese and a dash of Italian herbs and cumin on the rice 6. Bake for 20 to 30 mins in preheated oven at 180 C

B

read

that we

love

Are you tired of eating the same plain white bread everyday? Jerlynn and Jacin give you some recommendations of other types of bread that you can pick up from the supermarkets or bakeries the next time.

s

e it r o v a f s ’ n n Jerly Baguette

Jacin’s favor it

My favourite baguette is from Delifrance - crispy and dry on the outside and very soft and moist on the inside. It tastes best when it is piping hot, fresh out of the oven. I have tried baguettes from various places and if the outside is crispy, the bread inside is usually too dry.

Foccacia

The Foccacia bread I like is from one shop in Raffles place called Planet Smoothie, but they may not have made the bread themselves, as they are a juice station. The bread is good because they serve the sandwiches piping hot.

Parmesan and Italian

Both breads from Subway have an interesting texture on the crust -the one on the Italian bread is finer. It really depends on one’s preferences and mood on which type of bread to choose. Subway sandwiches are a personal favourite due to the fact that you can choose your own toppings, veggies and dressing. Most importantly, you can ask for more generous helpings of your favourite ingredients.

es

Raisin bread

To borrow Gardenia’s slogan, its raisin loaf is “good enough to eat it on its own” because the bread as well as the generous amount of raisins are a nice sweet combination. The St Leaven’s cylindrical raisin loaf is another of my favorite. The bread is not as sweet as Gardenia’s. Both are great when toasted and spread with margarine. For a rich buttery taste, try the raisin bread sticks from Four Leaves and Panaderia.

Sandwich bread

For those who like their sandwiches full of grains in addition to their favourite fillings, Bonjour’s 12-grain bread with flax seeds is the answer. It is nutritious too, being high in fibre and Omega 3 (due to the flax seeds). The Gardenia’s Classic Loaf, which comes in thick chunky slices, has cheese powder as one of its ingredients. This bread with a nice aroma will make a hearty meal with your favorite spread or fillings.

43

by Mohd Nazri Bin Yusop

I

remember that once, at a public library-that-shaltnot-be-named, a confused-looking nerd busily (but blindly) memorizing his thick textbook (like most kids in uniforms do) was sitting beside this cool-looking dude. He kept glancing at cool guy’s very mint UNCANNY X-MEN comic book, like some hungry lupine about to pounce on a scared little bunny rabbit. The poor nerd’s Empress Dowager of a mom returned after some time and back to his thick textbook he went again, as his mother added, “Ah Boy, go and study ah! Comic books “Comic books are for little kids!”

Comic books provide an outlet for escapism from the harsh reality of our provide mundane everyday an outlet for escapism lives. We cheer our fictional heroes, jeer Such is the stereotype of comic from the harsh reality the villainous crooks and books. A novel about a bunch of our mundane laugh at the comic reliefof fictional beings fighting cum-sidekick clown. over a ring is considered the everyday lives.” Admittedly there are greatest of literary works but some campy periods a comic book about Superman where one could just slap is illogically childish? The Matrix is believable the writers silly. The 1960s Adam Westbut Batman is bogus? Contradictory. Burt Ward Batman TV show came to mind. It is thus perplexing to note that numerous Dressed in bright techni-color costumes and comic movies have been produced or are the signature “Wham!Pow!Bam!”, the classic still in production. The Keynesian theory of show swerves heavily from the comics, supply and demand should be applicable turning the Dark Knight into a friendly (and even to superheroes in yellow spandex. So chubby) crimefighter who conveniently how do these poor comic book companies parks his Batmobile in public (and in broad survive when people shy from these kiddies’ daylight too). Reason for the change? stuff? How then are comic book movies so Hollywood executives must have perceived the nocturnal nature of Batman unsuitable darn popular? and too violent for the mainstream public.

44

The George Clooney debacle “Batman and Robin (1997) upped the camp factor to another notch (though special effects and better cinematography made it a visually better picture than its TV predecessor). Freaks and geeks hated the movie. Fearing an attack of the nerds with more comic movies, the titans at Tinseltown wisely chose not to produce comic book movies any more.

I’m really a very important character in X-Men & I NEVER The trend bucked with the release of Marvel Comics’ Blade starring cry!! No!! Wesley Snipe. Cool and modern, the movie was well accepted by everyone and then more comic movies began production. Next came the X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man (2001). In the second X-Men movie, director Bryan Singer built on the adrenaline rush of us geeky fan boys and managed to fit in more mutant cameos in the movie than there are Jovian moons. Thrilling, exciting, orgasmic (In fact, I watched it 4 times at the box office myself). However, Singer tried too hard to satisfy us choosy cheesy geeks and (more importantly) to introduce the characters to the general public. He also had to streamline the plot and thus for a clueless newcomer, the story may be lacking. The irony of course, viewers may lack faith in a comic story’s credibility that they would ignore a suspect story for more high-octane action. The Hulk movie is a gleaming example of how wrongly perceived comics are. “Fans” of the Green Goliath, who have fed on a diet of the classic “Bixby-Ferrigno” TV show, expected a slugfest at the silver screen. *Bamf!* What a woos u are, Scott, “Fans” didn’t expect a poignant tragic tale of a puny human given more powers than his fragile psyche could handle. “Fans” wanted to see the mein freind. *Bamf* Hulk squeezing the life out of some villain-of-the-week, not struggling with his inner demons or battle for his sanity. They wanted to watch a two-hours long cliché, not a new beautiful take by an art director, who nailed the essence of the character perfectly. Comics have diversified to include themes such as science fiction, the supernatural, crime noir and also comedy. Comics like The X-Men and The Flash actually challenge physics ideologies and at the same time ring forth new scientific theories. Typical comic book fantasies like teleportation; time travelling, genetic mutation and other fantastic possibilities are now explored and researched. Famous novelists and screenwriters, like Kevin Smith, Harlan Ellison and Joss Whedon now dip their pens in the comic industry’s lucrative multi-media ink. Neophytes might want to check out Alan Moore’s “The Watchmen” (acclaimed as the best comic book ever), “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” (the latter brilliantly combines literary heroes like Invisible Man, Mr Hyde and others into one great read) or Grant Morrison’s recently concluded “New X-Men”. These wonderful trade paperbacks are now not only available at specialty comic stores but at mainstream giants like Borders or Kinokuniya. Finally comic books are given the respect and recognitions they deserve. So, what are you waiting for? Grab yourself a comic book and enjoy it. Heck, I’ll even bring you to the comic shop myself!

45

d Weir st/Wild e

Mos tb

rig

chinese horror film which I watched when I was very little. Don‛t know the name of the show but it‛s the reason why I have to cover my feet whenever I sleep. - Cheryl

Mo r

g movie that c n i n What else but a

Most fr i gh t

on es rri

hauntin g

M o r e f ri g h te n This movie e

where a girl moves into a house as a tenant and started taking over landlord’s life. Turns out that the tenant is a ghost out to find a substitute. Scary cos it’s a likely-to-happen thing, unlike those about jumping blood sucking vampires - Wai Kuen

.. rs.

“The Ring”? The japanese version haunted me for about two years after I watched it. I‛ve since cultivated the habit of switching on the kitchen and toilet lights everytime I need to go pee in the middle of the night, and looking at the kitchen floor to make sure nothing‛s crawling towards me! - Juls

Elephant Man; frightening image terrified many years of childhood - Jeanette

Worst Expe rie While watching

e nc

The Beach (starring Leonardo DiCaprio), we had the honour of smelling someone’s stinky shoes/socks/feet/whatever throughout the show. Terrible!! - Izyani ed‛s note: The other complaints all consisted of ringing handphones or being scolded for talking - well, let‛s not be guilty of either!

46

ners... e t h This

ef

ce

At the Ci n e e

no particular order): 1. Under the Tuscan Sun 2. The In Laws 3. Lost in Space 4. Signs 5. Fair Game 6. Cat’s Meow Complaints include lack of plot and a too-slow pace

zzzzzz....

When the audience all gave a standing ovation for a fabulous scene. - Cheryl

o

yo u

n g th e a u d i en

LOTR, the audience burst into cheers and clapped wildly when Eowyn killed Sauron - Izy

o am

e

s

to ha p ing In h pe t t n

move that m g rinOur panelists pick (in a

de

m

s a

Best mov i es

Our panelists pick (in no particular order) 1. Irreversible 2. In the Cut 3. Sixth Sense 4. Meet the Parents 5. Lord of the Rings 6. The Man without a Past

r d l e u y h t o oa restaurant ou rtach a movi.e..alone? r wa T

ea t

W

Time to yourself...

l a t

on

ea

here’s always time when you’re all by yourself Some people are their own best friends but others enjoy themselves best when they’re not alone. We polled 29 people on two activities that are usually social events - eating at a restaurant and watching a movie. If you had to, which would you do alone?

h a movie alone eating alone. tc a w er th ra d ul o w 65% - Anonymous 1 compared to

I generally really don’t like extra commentary when watching movies - Jeanette, TV Directing Exec

At least the show can keep me entertained for 2 hrs, though it will be sad that there is no one to share the experience with me. - Sherilyn, Administrator Nope, I won’t eat alone unless there’s an occasion to celebrate. Maybe watch a movie alone when I can’t find anyone who wants to watch the movie or no one is available. - Sok Peng, researcher

A movie can keep me to my seat. It’s ok. I have done it a few times happily - Jenny, administrator I don’t like “kaypoh” to disturb!! - Liza, secretary Eating alone in a restaurant is so weird and I would prefer to eat biscuits if alone. But if it’s FOC, then OK. - San, postgrad

Watch movie alone because no need to talk - Solar Hui, banker 1) Eating alone is no fun; better with company. Also, people may be “irritated” with the lone ranger who sits at a table for 4 (only because there is no other place for him), for example.. And this would only draw unwanted attention to the solo eater 2) Watching movie alone - this I’ve done before and found it to be relaxing and fun. - Dana, Clinical Audit Officer Less chance of being spotted alone

Eating alone hmm... no one talk to me/entertain me … weird leh.... though I have e a t e n alone before. haha! - Xiaode, student

on your food, very boring leh. I don’t mind cafe though...the type that has lots of magazine, at least I can browse those magazines.... Gunide, Finance Executive It doesn’t require much interaction with another person because you get caught up with the movie anyway. Eating alone can sometimes be boring. - W, Teacher You don’t need another person to accompany you to watch a movie, it is non interactive any way. But eating at a restaurant is so much more fun with someone else, since I am such a talkative person by nature! haha!! - Ying Ying, Unemployed U can’t talk while u watch movie, so doesn’t matter if u watch with someone or not. But eat alone (at restaurant some more), quite pathetic. Better da pao back home from coffeeshop to eat instead. :) - Lynn, Auditor

I think I rather watch movie alone... after all, when you are watching a I’d rather watch a movie alone. Why movie, you are already ‘mentally’ hah? Not so boring. When you alone in the cinema, so it doesn’t watch a movie, your attention is on matter whether you are really alone the show and you won’t feel bored, or not... - Shuhui, Architecture Ilwhereas if you eat alone with no one lustrator to talk to, you can only concentrate 47

alone at t ea er th ra d ul o w 31 % It takes a shorter time, so less time to ‘feel’ alone. If you watch a movie alone, there’s no one to hash it out with afterwards. Well, if you need to eat, you need to eat, whether alone or not. - Ashley, teacher Eat alone. Prefer eating to watching movies. - Rachel, chemist At least it’ll be a need to fill hunger and I can choose a seat to face the wall.. but watching movies is a want… but doing either alone is very depressive... - Jerlynn, financial advisor Eating alone doesn’t look that awkward as sitting in cinema alone...a bit

a restaurant

pathetic. Besides, eating will take less than half an hour, and movies take 2 hrs. - J, banker I think I would rather eat at a restaurant alone as I can read a book. I have been watching movies with friends and sis and I enjoy discussing with them after the movies - Jacin, Civil Servant No preference. When alone, I can read and enjoy the peace. With company, I can gossip and probably enjoy the food more if with

the right company. I won’t watch a movie alone as I don’t like the feeling of being alone in a cinema (probably because it’s dark) - Carrie, Engineer I would choose eating alone at a restaurant because makan is my favourite pastime compared to watching movies.. -Yang Ling, Teacher Trainee I would choose neither, if possible. If not I’ll choose to eat alone. Neither because I don’t like the feeling of eating alone or watching a movie alone. Eat alone because if not, I’d get gastric. But I’d choose to sit at some corner away from prying eyes. - Juls, Producer

I don’t mind doing either!

I love to do both when the mood strikes!

Its great to create a little bubble of solitude nowadays, what with our stressful work schedule, hectic social life, crammed flats and crowded neighbourhood. Time alone to watch what you, and only you, want; to eat without worrying if your companion is enjoying his/herself ... to once in a while, concentrate fully and completely on your personal choices and enjoyment. But if I MUST choose I prefer to eat alone, as I like to share a big BIG poppie-corn & drink, giggle over funny scenes, and get tearyeyed over the sentimental crap with my gals. Also need someone to tell me what’s going on in horror movies as I usually view those through the weave of my sweater. – Joan

Our polls Have you ever had a thought none of your friends seemed to agree with? Want to find out what others think about something? Why not contribute that thought to our polls and find out? Write in your question to [email protected]

48

I wonder...

Seems like people agree they don’t want to be spotted alone but I wonder if the chances of getting picked up increase when you’re alone?

Website Reviews Review by Jacin & Sherry

The Meatrix

AllRecipes.com

http://www.themeatrix.com

http://www.allrecipes.com

The website provides a wealth of recipes and advice for novices, baking enthusiasts like us or chef wannabes who want to impress their friends. To help you choose from the mind boggling number of recipes, there are ratings and reviews by website visitors who have apparently tried the recipes. Another good thing for dieters and health conscious individuals is the nutritional information included at the end of the recipes. Other wonderful features include a good search engine and print-friendly versions. Though you have to pay for some of the recipes, most of them are free. We’ve tried some of the baking recipes such as cinnamon rolls, herb bread, yoghurt muffins, peanut butter cookies and cheese pretzels. Generally, the recipes are reliable and some of them turned out really well. If you try any, tell us about your experiments!

Looking at the graphic on top, I think you can guess that this is a spoof of the movie, The Matrix. Even if you did not fully comprehend the storyline of the movie, we still think that you can get a laugh out of this corny but entertaining adaptation. However, beyond the comical façade lies a serious message about the way we live. The aim of the website is to introduce viewers to some facts about animal farming in an appealing and non confrontational way and we think they have succeeded. We feel that this flash movie is very well conceptualised and thought provoking. It is definitely interesting to watch even if you are not an animal lover.

Have you a website to recommend?

Websites must be informative and at least some facilities must be free. You can tell us why you like the site and what information you’ve applied from it.

Cats

Next Issue... Houseplants

And much more!

49 We invite you to contribute. Please send your contributions to [email protected]

Tales of

Tur-

Stall at the spice market in istanbul & Mountain range & caves in Cappadoccia It has not even been a month since I was in Turkey and I am already looking forward to seeing the sites and browsing the markets again. I feel that my short trip was just the tip of the iceberg in understanding the country and people. Practically the only things I knew about Turkey last month was that it is an Islamic (though not Arabic) country and that last year there was some terrorist activity there (involving what else but bombs). It didn’t seem very promising at first but after much contemplation, we decided to go for it. None of my friends had gone before so we didn’t quite know what to expect though we had heard that the country is beautiful. After the visit, my biggest regret is not having the courage to go free and easy Nearly all Turks (99%) instead of taking a tour, though are Muslims but unlike I must admit that latter had its Muslims in Singapore advantages as well. Being a huge country, we were glad and Malaysia, they that the transport from region have no religious rule against keeping to region had been settled, dogs as pets. Sleeping though flights instead of coach adorably, this white rides would have been better puppy was oblivious for our rushed tour during which to the attention he we traveled some 2500km. We had been was getting from the many tourits passing forewarned that most Turks do by his masterÞs shop in not speak English and we were appreciative of the few words Cappadocia every

50

day.

learnt them diligently and generally found them useful (though the hotel staff laughed at me when I tried them!). I will take up a simple course in Turkish before visiting again to make sure I do better than resorting to sign language by pointing to pictures and objects and sticking out fingers to represent numbers. The communication problems came to a head on the last day when we stood for ten minutes outside the Istanbul University trying to ask for directions. It was funnily exasperating because we just couldn’t understand each other and new information kept popping up in the conversation that had to be figured out. In the end, we still got our information wrong and ended up in the middle of a political rally and two hundred riot police. However, despite some language bumps, there was one group of locals that didn’t let that get in the way - the students. With them we felt almost like celebrities. On the very first day we arrived we saw them at the historical sites and they would be keen to stare at us and try out a few English sentences: “What is your name?” and “Where are you from?”. The thing is that when you tell them Singapore, they stare at you even more blankly. The first incident where we really felt the attention was on a ferry. As we walked around, the students would stare at us and finally a group of them approached us and started to ask us questions. They even frightened me somewhat with their boldness when they completely surrounded us. My tour guide said that they probably hardly see Asians. I guess it was a nice feeling because it sure beat being discriminated against (which is common in some countries). We Having said the above however, our first few encounters with some Turks were also quite alarming. This was primarily because we were visiting touristy spots, where there would be people holding out items such as postcards and trinkets and constantly repeating “one dollar, one dollar” over and over again. It became so pervasive that our group members picked up this habit too! At petrol stations (even BP) where we stopped, we were surprised to find that they

key

Travels

Travel

Students on Ephesus field trip & Food at eatery & Asclepion in Pergamon tried to charge us more than stated (and being a free and Turkey is also the place where the seven churches market meant some things cost twice as much at another mentioned in Relevation 1-3 (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, place), probably to try to take advantage of our confusion Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea) were located in over their rather large denominations. One million lira was the ancient past. Many people may know of Turkey’s Blue equal to about $1.20 here. This meant that we had to be Mosque but even our guide conceded that it could not be extra vigilant. Even cab drivers played their usual game compared to St. Sophia, which was built in 529 AD. St of going off their meter but we were lucky to have at Sophia was first built as a church and later converted into least three who used it. Before getting on, we had to ask a mosque. Today it is a museum and truly an amazing piece them, by pointing to the meter, whether they were going of architecture. to use it. If not, we didn’t get on. The taxi fares there were With the launch of the movie, Troy, I think more more reasonable than we had expected, with a 10 –15 ride people than ever now know about that city and the lady, around 6 million lira. The flag down start rate is only around Helen, whose face launched a thousand ships. What is left 1.3 million lira (S$1.50). of Troy today is still being uncovered, and much of it is Turkey surprised me in many ways. Some of the not intact, especially after previous archeological digs that people, with their blond hair and green eyes, looked like may have ruined parts of the city. Thus, there isn’t much to Europeans and the language was pleasant, almost French- see but rocks and stones. Ephesus is more intact and you like. The people are 99% Muslims, can still make out areas of the so when I saw some dogs roaming ancient city that used to be the around, I asked my guide whether library, bath and amphitheatre. many people kept dogs. My Turkish One of the seven wonders of (and Muslim) guide quickly whipped the ancient world, The Temple out his handphone and showed me of Artemis, is only one column pictures of his beloved dog, which made from bits and pieces stuck he kept at kennels during his tour together. Most of the sites had periods. He told me that they had no been plundered and pillaged religious rule against keeping dogs, long ago (many of treasures that unlike Muslims in other countries. were once in Turkey are now in It was also personally heartening to European museums). But lest know that they believed in monogamy you think I’m pouring cold water (some Muslims are allowed to have on these historical sites, I think four wives). they are still interesting and Another thing I was eye-opening, especially because surprised about is the significance they have survived in some form that Turkey may have for Christians for so many centuries. and Catholics, considering that The two natural wonders it is an Islamic country. Many of that we visited were Pammukale One of four statues outside the Ephesus the historical sites were places and Cappadocia. The Library where early Christians had churches first has formations 51

Fresh fruits and flowers sold at the Spice Market (far left). When in season, strawberries and cherries will be easily affordable. Hand made ceramics (right) can be bought at the Grand or Spice Bazaar.

made from calcium deposited by running water and the second has rock formations that were made into dwelling and sometimes hiding, places. Maybe interestingly, the best part about Cappadocia to us turned out not to be the formations but the time when we were able to walk around the small cluster of stores by ourselves after days of being herded around by our guide and the severe lack of time to linger at will. Walking down the small streets, we visited two of the small stores and tried our best to communicate with the shopkeepers. It was then we had an opportunity to see another side of the Turkish people from that of the “one dollar, one dollar” variety or those who tried to confuse us into giving up more millions than the actual cost. Istanbul was our first and last stop in Turkey. Our guide dropped us off at the Grand Bazaar warning us to be careful, be careful, be careful. Reading the guidebooks, I had assumed that Turkish food may be a bit the Bazaar would be difficult for some to get used like those flea markets to. One of our group mates I’d gone to in the brought 12 cups of instant States or like the night noodles for her dinners. The markets, pasar malams, rice is soaked in olive oil and here. However, it was many of their dishes are sour- more organized and ish. If they serve potato, it is of course covered with yoghurt, not mayo. Many (its other name is the dishes are made with tomatoes. covered market) and The meats are usually chicken seemed more like a or mutton. mall than a market. Of course, in the space of one hour, we hardly had time to walk around nor dared we to in case we got lost in the maze of 4000 shops and 52

couldn’t return to our group in time. At this point, it seems amazing to me that I’ve not yet mentioned the lessons in bargaining I had which could fill more pages of this article! When I first read the guidebooks, I was dismayed to find it saying that we had to sharpen our bargaining skills for I’m not great at it. No, make that awful at it. After the training during this trip, I think I have qualified for a certificate in it. Our guide told us that the guidebooks had exaggerated the need to bargain to the lowest common dominator. Despite this, you may still find yourself bargaining when buying fruits, spices, chocolate, nuts, ceramics, rugs, jewelry and all sorts of souvenirs. I know some people think it’s fun, or a game, and it may very well be for the first few purchases but it gets really tiring and time consuming and you may find yourself bargaining for half to one hour for one item. But if you’re adamant you may find yourself with up to some hundred dollars of savings. It goes on and on however, and you find yourself bargaining at every establishment, even with petrol stations and possibly with cab drivers that don’t go on the meter. We chose to spend the last day in Turkey by ourselves though we didn’t quite know where we wanted to go, part of the problem being that there were just too many places to visit in one day. This day was probably in a way the most enjoyable but ironically, also the most rushed. With so little time, the Spice Bazaar was just about only place we visited. A variety of foodstuffs such as dried fruits, nuts and chilli and other goods such as sea sponges (heard that they are highly endangered so I didn’t buy one), loofahs, ceramics, carpets, linen and other household items were being sold outside and inside the covered market. We also ventured to the back of the covered area where there were petshops and gardening supplies. Cat food and seeds could be seen being sold by weight and there were also all sorts of animals for sale. After that, we ended up outside the gates of Dolmabache Palace, closed on Mondays and Thursday though we didn’t know it at the time. Heading back to Taksim Square where a number of clothes shops and eateries were, we meandered slowly (but somewhat painfully due to our purchases hanging on our arms) back to the hotel. It’s not been a month since we got back, and there have been two more bombs, but still, I can’t wait to go back.

Hanoi Holiday 7-12 May 2004 I would not have thought of visiting Vietnam if my friend had not asked me to join her for a holiday in Hanoi. I had heard about the challenge in crossing the busy streets of Hanoi and another friend bought a tailor-made traditional Vietnamese costume known as Ao Dai (a flowing long sleeved tunic over wide-legged pants) made of silk. Before leaving for Hanoi, my mind was already filled with thoughts of eating the authentic pho (Vietnamese beef rice noodle soup with fresh basil leaves) and fresh spring rolls....

O

n the first night in Hanoi, we stayed at this budget hotel called Lucky Hotel (12 Hang Trong Street) located in the heart of Hanoi Old Quarter, known as a great shopping area. The room was the size of a master bedroom of an old HDB 5-room flat. The hotel had a notice to warn tourists to be careful when walking around the streets alone or at night, as there were cases of motorcycle snatch thefts. However, we ventured out even when it was dark as sun set very early before 7pm.

We also popped into a French café for tea during our first afternoon in Hanoi. With its good ambience and location along a quiet street, we relaxed there for 2 hours, eating a slice of cake, drinking lassie and coffee and chatting.

At the hotel staff’s recommendation, we had our first lunch in Hanoi at Moca Café (14-16 Nha Tho Road). The fresh omelette spring rolls, lotus root with shrimp salad and claypot braised tofu with eggplant were delicious and were accompanied by a pot of very bitter Vietnam tea. It was nice to enjoy great food at low prices (less than S$10 for both of us), so we went back there to have dinner on the same day. The crabmeat and asparagus soup and sweet and sour soup were fabulous with rice and mixed vegetables. Smitten, we visited it for the third and last time on another day. Their creamy vegetable curry and chicken tikka made us so happy and contented that we bought a Moca Café T-Shirt (also the uniform of the serving staff) each as a souvenir. The 36 streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter have been bustling for more than 1000 years. It is indeed a shopping paradise with a number of nice shops selling handicrafts, home décor pieces like silk lampshades, lacquered tableware, wooden tableware and interesting clothes. The shophouses and small lanes reminded me a little of Singapore’s Chinatown. The trays, plates and bowls are similar to the ones sold at Robinsons and Tangs but were much more affordable. I would have bought some of the tableware if I had my own house. Among the shophouses, we discovered a few private art galleries with beautiful collections of local abstract and still life paintings. What made the paintings so special was the way the local artists captured what they saw around them and gave them some kind of meaning in relation to their lives, the people and the country.

53

The highlight of our trip was Halong Bay, one of Vietnam’s natural marvels. The tour guide picked us up from Lucky Hotel at 7.30am. There were about 15 Europeans and a Filipino on the guided tour with us. Three and a half hours later, we reached the jetty of Halong Bay and boarded a junk boat. Before us was a breathtaking view of some 3000 islands rising from the emerald water. Those tiny islands were dotted with many beaches and grottoes created by the wind and waves. As the boat made its way through the islands, we shared a meal of rice, fried spring roll, mixed vegetables, prawns, fish and banana with a German couple and two 19-yearold Norwegian students. The Europeans knew little about Singapore and were surprised that we speak fluent English and that English is one of Singapore’s working languages. Hearing the German guy spoke fluent Mandarin, I wish I had shown more interest and worked harder in mastering Mandarin in school. Our first stop was the Surprising Cave. It has interesting rock formations but if one is alone, it could be quite eerie with its dark interior and orange lighting at certain areas. If we had gone for the 3-day instead of the 2day tour package, we would go to the Cat Ba Island (one of the bigger islands) with a variety of flora and Looking down from the Surpri fauna for trekking and stay overnight at one of the sing Cave, one see the beautifu can l natural scener islands.

y of Halong Ba I could not help y. but wonder if to urism (as show by the junk boa n ts who brought in tourists) is a friend to Halon g Bay.

54

Before dinner, our boat anchored in the shallower part of Halong Bay. We did not join the rest to swim after seeing some jellyfish in the waters but admired the scenery around us instead. After dinner, it was already pitch dark around the boat. Our tour guide jokingly said the name of the boat was the Hotel of a Thousand Stars. Being a cloudy night, we did not see a single star. However, it was an out of the world experience, sitting at the upper deck with the strong cold wind blowing. Two French guys, the German couple and a Czech guy were sitting near us. We had an interesting conversation with the French guys on culture differences between our countries. Our tour guide gave us the best room (Room number 7) on the boat because it was at the middle deck and not near the motor room. The shower was just a small trickle of cold water and the beds were wooden bunks with thin mattress, soft pillows and a thin blanket. However, to me, Halong Bay was a great personal experience because it is not everyday that I see such natural scenery and live with basic amenities. I also enjoyed my friend’s great company because we could talk about our views on love, career, and life.

y, taken a B g n o l iew of Ha nk boat. v y l e v o l Another of our ju k c e d r e upp from the

The next morning, our breakfast was crepes with honey, banana, pineapple, watermelon and tea or coffee. When the boat stopped for another swimming break, our tour guide threatened to throw us into the sea and we quickly hid into our room! We saw some parts of Halong Bay with plastic bags and rubbish floating in its waters. If it were not a UNESCO protected site, I shudder to imagine the environmental damage that would have been done to this beautiful place. Elsewhere in Hanoi, we smelt polluted air on the streets and saw murky rivers at the outlying areas. Some of the empty pieces of land were undergoing development with rubbish dumped in the open. For the last 3 nights, we stayed at Sofitel Plaza where my friend had to attend a workshop. We made 2 new friends (a Hanoian girl and a Singaporean girl). Our Hanoian friend showed us around the Old Quarter where we could get nice souvenirs and try yummy food. We had dinner at a shophouse that is famous for its grilled fish dish called Chaka Chak. On a small pan on top of a charcoal stove, the already grilled fish is heated up with spring onion, dill and mint, followed by vermicelli. It tasted yummy with shrimp sauce and peanuts. The floor of the eatery was littered with food scraps but the food more than made up for it. We also tried a bit of the local beers (Hanoi and Halida), which tasted quite smooth. We had wanted to try some famous baby rice ice cream (similar to the potong ice cream cream) but it was sold out. We had green bean ice cream instead and it was nice and creamy.

ht of e. g i l f f the ising Cav o e n to rpr Me a in the Su stairs

Most of the Hanoians zip around on their motorbikes and therefore it is not surprising to see a number of shops at the outlying areas of Hanoi repairing such bikes and selling spare parts. There are also cabs that we could hop on and it cost us about US$1 to US$3 for a ride of 15 to 20 mins. I decided to take a cab to visit the Temple of Literature or Van Mieu one morning on my own. Van Mieu is Vietnam’s first university, founded in 1070 by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong for training talented men in Confucian classics, poetry, administrative compositions and literary compositions. This historical and cultural site showcases traditional Vietnamese architecture. Its five courtyards remind me a little of Singapore’s Chinese Garden and there are many stone turtles with engravings on the stone tablets hoisted on their backs.

This is th ee Mieu or t ntrance to the Van he Templ e of Liter ature

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I enjoyed viewing the paintings at the private art galleries so much that I wanted to visit the National Fine Arts Museum too. It was a short walking distance away from Van Mieu. From 9th-century stone sculpture to contemporary paintings by local artists, the museum entertained me for a few hours as every piece is Vietnam’s artistic heritage and tells an interesting story. It was quite safe to venture on my own. I did get motorists offering to give me a ride on their bikes but I just declined. One of the children playing soccer outside the temple actually shouted angrily at me but I ignore him and quickly walked away. We had lunch at Diva Art Cafe near Sofitel Metropole Hotel where expatriates and Hanoian yuppies like to hang out. One of the dishes ordered was a soup with banana flower, bean sprouts, basil, beef and pork with sliced chilli. We also had vermicelli seafood sold, crab meat roll and raspberry cheesecake and cappuccino. For our last evening in Hanoi, we went to this place called Qi for foot massage and paraffin treatment to pamper ourselves.

al f Nation o g in d il he bu k ver y This is t y not loo a m t l I . eum beautifu s e s u Art Mus o h e but it gs and impressiv l paintin a c lo g restin and inte sculpture

Our last dinner was at a café called La Place (4 Au Trieu) that served interesting nice drinks like Iced Mint Tea, Papaya Coffee. We shared banana flower with beef, pork vermicelli soup, fresh spring rolls, Thai spicy beef salad, brownie with chocolate ice cream and strawberry sorbet. We liked the café a lot because it was cosy and unique. Scarves were tied around the back of the white jacket chair. The toothpicks had the smell and taste of cinnamon. The ice cubes had mint leaves in them and it was fun watching them melt and tasting the mint when drinking the iced water. The church bells of the nearby cathedral rang every hour and we could hear the cicadas. What a cool place to hang out!

The experience in Hanoi was enjoyable and interesting except for a few incidents. When we arrived at the Hanoi airport, we could not find the driver who was supposed to pick us up to our hotel. A Hanoian approached us and claimed that he was the airport manager and could help us. I was quite wary and kept a lookout while the “manager” tried to make some calls to our hotel. 15 mins later, I managed to spot a man talking to an airport staff and holding a big One of the courtyard piece of paper bearing Fion’s name. We quickly grabbed our bags Literatu re. Doesn s within the Temp ’t it remi le of and followed our driver into his cab. Sing

apore’s C n hinese Ga d you a little of rden?

For one of our lunches, we decided to try a teahouse located at the row of shophouses, a short walking distance away from Sofitel Plaza. We ordered fried noodles and were disappointed when the dish came looking oily with pathetic pieces of pork and vegetables. We had earlier noted that the dish was 12 Dong each. When the total bill came up to 45 Dong for the 3 of us, we requested to see the menu instead. The menu actually showed signs of tampering - the prices being changed to 15 Dong recently with liquid corrector. My friend told them they were wrong to do that. In the end, we paid them the correct amount in US dollars and walked out. Despite being the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi is slow-paced and pleasant. I love the place for its interesting shophouses, excellent food, beautiful art pieces and the great scenery at Halong Bay. It was interesting to talk to people we met along the way about our and their way of life. During the trip, I realised there is still a lot I do not know about the multi-ethnic culture of Singapore. A starting point could be a visit to places like Singapore Arts Museum, so that I can learn more about the country I love.

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Treasure hunting abroad...

Hanoi, Vietnam

Jacin & Sherry share some of their travel buys. Prices are in US dollars as both these spots use US currency

By Jacin Chan

What is available:

Lacquered miniature bowls US$1 each

     

Drawstring or lingerie bag US$1 each

         

      

Shopping Tips: 

      

Places to go: 

   

Cotton chinese collar blouse US$15.

Bamboo dining set

Price Us $3

 

      

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More...

Istanbul, Turkey By Sherry Nee What is available: 

  

Shopping Tips: 

      

Ceramics US$3

  

Places to go: 

   

Tulip cups

Silver Earrings US$9 a pair

US$2-3/half dozen

 

    

Spices

 

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u o Y & Pets

Questions, questions, questions - send them to [email protected]

Send in all your questions for this page, even if you think they sound stupid. I’ve asked a few stupid questions myself!

The Uninitiated Sherry: When I was first interested in pets, I went to the pet shop and saw cute baby bunny rabbits in a cage. I actually asked the shopkeeper if they would remain that size for the rest of their lives because I thought they were a special breed. She looked at me like I was from Mars.

Our columnists

The Curious & Quirky

(for this page)

Q: Do animals fart? Last night, me and my husband smelt something wierd. We both denied giving off gas but right in front of us was Nimbus (our cat).

egree in wned hamsters, guinea pigs and fish. She’s written a few articles on pets for a

information on

A Pet owner answers: Ya they do! When my previous dog, Zamzam, farted u had better run! It’s the sinking stinking kind and lingers quite abit. My present dog, Jacky, does too but fortunately you only hear it, not smell it.

Jacky, the sheltie

Join this issue’s contest!

Jacin is a nature lover. She enjoys taking long walks at the MacRitchie Reservoir and Singapore Botanic Garden. At

Winter White hamsters and hopes

Manage to catch a shot of your pet at its most adorable or in an interesting pose? Share with us your favorite photo of your pet and tell us why you love your pet. We will shortlist our favourites and feature them in our next issue. The best photo will also stand to win a prize (worth $20) from the judges (i.e. the editorettes). Simply email your photo, together with your name and the short write-up to to [email protected]!

Deadline: 31st of February 2005

favourite spots in Singapore.

featurin s g g p Setting up shop soon... n i h interesting t ets ? especially created

Looking for These two hammies will look pretty on your fridge or any magnetic surface - comes in bookmarks too

for pet and anmal lovers

look out for it!