it was an itsy bitsy teeny weeny. . .

Chinese New Year was traditionally that one time of the year when people of my parents' generation would have new clothes, being financially-impoverished. My parents recount many stories of how they would look forward to more food on the table, their yearly treat of soft drinks and everything a child would love. Today we have much more to the point of excessiveness; nevertheless, new clothes are still purchased (some even make sure they have brand new undergarments and socks!), whether to mark a new year or as an excuse for more. As for me, CNY is a time of togetherness and tapping into my roots, and a time of gratitude. The obsessiveness with excuses for new clothes that I used to have is no longer around. This was the only new piece I bought for the occasion, because I decided to stop getting caught up with reasons and excuses. I saw this dress on massive sale at the Oasis website, and purchased it. Upon confirming my tickets home, I decided this would be for the New Year. My mother fell in love with the dress, so I left it back in Singapore for her :)

It was an itsy-bitsy teeny weeny yellow-polkadot bikini. Gosh, I can still remember myself dancing around as I blasted the tape on the cassette recorder and sang that song (a little of a tongue-twister that liner is, isn't it!) as a wee toddler, and then my brother doing that six years later with the same tape. These yellow-and-white polka dotted shoes always make me think of that song and those memories. . . and of course I love the silver heels :)

I realise that in Singapore do I hardly ever use lip colour. It's only upon being in winter climes and looking at pallid complexion do I do that. And possibly how I started really falling in love with red lipstick and discovering my Showgirl side ;)

These photographs were taken in my back garden-- do I miss that jungle so much! Over the months as I dig out old shots of Singapore will you probably see loads of it too. .

Oasis dress; Pleaser shoes; YSL clutch; Diva leopard cuff; Diva ring; m)phosis belt.

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Whilst I was in Singapore, my mother informed me that two pieces had been rendered unwearable. Which is really saddening. I was telling her my fantasies of wearing a particular top with a certain skirt, and she was laughing at me for having my wardrobe planned out in my mind already, but that's how you don't overpack! Here's some memories of They Who Have Since Died. . . as well as some snippets of Singapore across the past few years. Looking at these also make me realise how much my style has changed. . .

the happy rabbit

Greetings from Singapore! It's my last night here, so I thought I'd post something up. I will definitely be back to visit your blogs and catch up on all that I've missed, although I do wonder if I might have to sleep for ten days in the UK to recuperate from the busy-ness over here! It's been a full-on but enjoyable time, and betcha you're missing the food over here on Devilishly Pleasurable ;)

 

 

 

 

As you may know, it's now Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, traditionally celebrated to usher in the spring season as well as to mark a new year in the Chinese calendar. This calendar follows the Zodiac, with a cycle of twelve years. Each animal represents a year, and I'm a Tiger. That was last year, however. This year is the year of the Rabbit. That morning, I woke up and helped with some spring cleaning (for a change), and went to meet my good friend K to catch up on ten months' worth of news on each others' side. She had just finished work, and I saw a pretty girl in a beautiful dress lugging a cardboard rabbit. . . Following which we proceeded to hunt for a place to eat in the crowded mall, and finally settled at Haagen Daaz, partly because they had seats. And my, were the icecreams fabulous! I used to get vouchers off my mother and lug some friend off to HD so we could pig out to our hearts' content. HD has become so expensive over the years, it is best afforded only with vouchers and special deals.

I've also been wearing my mother's clothes to my hearts' content (whilst buying her more of course ;) ). . somehow I just love what she has, even though she thinks I am a bit crazy for wearing them with great relish. . I remember her wearing this beautiful flowy red dress when she was pregnant with my brother, but it is too gorgeous to pass up ;)

 

I got the house ready for guests as well. Chinese New Year lasts for fifteen days, although only two days are designated public holidays. This year, however, coincided with a long weekend. There is the tradition of home visiting or 拜年 in Singapore, originating somewhere in the 18th Century when the head of a Gentlemen's Club had his birthday coincide with Chinese New Year. As a result, people from all over the island would come and pay their respects, and thus the practice spread over the years. Families buy goodies and lay them out on the tables. These include awesome pineapple tarts of different varieties, jars of roasted nuts, tins of loveletters (a wafer-like pastry rolled into long cylinders), and a host of other delightful treats that sweeten the deal for the young and the old alike. Of course, modern additions such as boxes of truffles, 'mochi', and newfangled creations like 'chocolate cereal cookies' have been incorporated. I have vivid memories of how my grandmother used to squat for hours on end fanning a charcoal stove whilst baking kueh bolu, loveletters, and make kueh lapis in the corridor area outside the flat where I grew up in. During Chinese New Year when I visited her house, trays of goodies and preserved condiments would be on the table, whilst pussy willows leaned softly from tall vases. Then I would sit down and sip the cheng tng she had painstakingly prepared and brewed for at least a day, eating the agar jelly she made, and the ngo hiang which she prepared from scratch. Going over to her home for Chinese New Year lunch on the first day after mass was awesome, and I'd tuck in to a large spread of food on the table-- perhaps about 17 different plates of dishes were presented for one to eat to one's heart's content. And of course, there is the famous bak kwa or sweet barbecued pork that you can find in almost every house. So yes, it was awesome just to prepare the home for guest visits, whilst alternating with our own trips to others' homes. As you might guess, I love having people around, helping to cook and hosting good company.

Succulent Mandarin oranges are given in pairs to the homes that you visit, and you get another pair in exchange.

 

The Eve of Chinese New Year is known as Reunion Dinner night. Family members come together for dinner, and those residing overseas fly back if possible. Perhaps the concept of CNY has lost its appeal with Generations X and Y who choose to fly away instead to avoid the crowd or 'nosey aunties asking when you will get married' but I still love the warmth and festivities. To me, it is a time to get together, a time to celebrate bonds and the people you love. And hey, you can always avoid those you dislike ;)

Reunion Dinners can be held at restaurants or at home. A common practice is steamboat-- a large pot of bubbling soup with a free-flow of meats and vegetables to immerse in it. Perfect for the cold winter days too, actually. Otherwise, cooking at home is a great idea too. I used to spend my Reunion Dinners steamboating with the paternal side, but after the death of my paternal grandmother, this stopped. Large families are difficult to gather together, and in that side of that family, I am already a grand-aunt! Reunion Dinners at my maternal grandmother's (she brought me up) followed, but she passed away in 2007. My parents invite my uncles and aunty over these days, and we all help to cook. As you can imagine with the spread of food always on this site, food is in my blood. My father cooks extremely well, and so does my mother. In fact, my younger brother demonstrated a proclivity at it as a very young child (a pity he doesn't bake anymore at 19!). Likewise, my maternal uncles have their own specialty in cooking. . Sunday lunches over at their home with their generous use of ingredients make me drool. This year for Reunion Dinner, we had a seven-course meal-- oh so decadent and amazing. And heartwarmingly home-prepared. There were so much leftovers we had them for days, whilst concocting new creations with them. Shown above is clear soup brewed for hours. In it is fish maw, abalone, mushrooms, cabbage, chicken and prawns, topped with Chinese parsley-- a most extravagant soup!

Then there were the large prawns which I happily polished off, giant pork ribs, and a ginormous 1.25-kg white promfet steamed with shitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic and sour plums. There was also roasted chicken and duck, which I ate with great relish. . and my father thinks I'm crazy for taking photos of all the food, to which I just smiled and nodded, acknowledging my insanity and telling him I love to look at these photos when I'm craving them in the UK. Although it is just part of the story. . these are lovely memories to keep, and with the ease of digital cameras, let's snap to our hearts delight! But I digress. On the top right is South East Asian-style chicken curry with chunks of potatoes and of course, chicken. My youngest uncle takes about 6 hours to make it, loaded with loads of bua kalak, yellow ginger, chilli padi, curry powder and all sorts of other spices. This extravagance, however, is not commonplace nor an everyday affair (even if D cooks loads for me). Historically, chicken and duck were a yearly luxury for peasants in China-- the proliferation of meats as easily-accessible everyday items partly account for weight gains across the years. And so it is only with such celebrations that we indulge in such excess. Of course, without wasting anything :)

 

And here I leave you with a photo of the gorgeous Ms K who seemed to be doing a Yes Sir, No Sir, Three Bags Full salutation at the time of the photo taking, only for me to realise she looks like a Fortune Cat who is supposed to usher in loads of money. Chinese love to say 'Huat ar!' during Chinese New Year, meaning prosper (money!). Then a friend pointed out that it's the wrong hand that she's raising, but this hand brings luck. So I wish you all loads of luck this year of the Rabbit. . and promise to stop by and say hello. . and reply to all your comments! Thank you for your continued presence here :)

i saw three ships come sailing by

 

I'm just about to fly back to Singapore and this is a timed post. I'm guessing that by now, I've taken the 2-hour ride to Heathrow, checked in three hours early, and then am waiting to sit on the 13-hour flight back. My second leg of the return ticket was expiring soon, and after the ordeal last December, I finally got the passport back and stopped feeling like an alien. So one more big expenditure (why are flights so expensive!) but I'll be home for Chinese New Year-- a time of warmth and festivities, and not to mention awesome food. 2009/10 was the first time I spent CNY and Christmas away from home, so I'm really glad to go back this time. Presents were bought on Monday (I think they're all gonna love it) as compared to the last round when it was hasty and I didn't buy things for many people. Funny how being caught in a sort of financial bind can make you slightly more generous, but it's for the people I love. These pictures were taken on my last trip back in April-- a 1.5 week trip that I extended to 3+ weeks because my students were sweet enough to ask me to teach them despite the brevity of the vacation. As usual, Lulu was the mastermind behind these gorgeous shots, taken on the beach near her sister's seaside house which we stayed over at, with many fond memories of us studying for our political sociology paper there, a PJ party and loads of camwhoring. The dress was new, purchased when us four went on an impromptu shopping trip after a Rice Table session and slightly traumatised by lecherous-looking people who took our photos without permission at dinner; but we picked up pretty summer dresses after that before embarking on a mad Durian Fest by the roadside and a crazy night of non-stop yakking. Lulu and I were left by the next day after lunch and threading, and I can't wait to see her again. It was a little strange how my hair was oddly straight that morning, and I did not pack a belt into my overnighter bag, making the look a little not me, and what Lulu called "Pocahontas".

I hope I'll be able to blog from Singapore, or at least put in a few filler posts in the meantime! See you soon xxx

if love were liquid it would drown me. .

"Who knew heaven was in Singapore?" fellow fashion blogger Serene a.k.a. The Elegant Bohemian quipped in response to one of my responses about a chocolate buffet in my tag post here many weeks ago. Forgive my tardiness in posting it up-- there's hell alot of photographs since it's a monumental thing where your camera is saturated with shots everytime you go there. Yes, I have been there several times, the first time when I was eighteen with The Best Friend. Ever since then, I've always brought someone there for their first time, it's as though I am some sort of Chocolate Buffet Induction Extraordinaire a.k.a. I Who Lead Thee Into Chocolate And Vanity Temptation. This time, when I went back to Singapore for a holiday a few months back, I brought my very good friend Vee over for her virgin Chocolate Buffet Session. .

remembering undergraduate life & a tribute to the amazing ones

I'd initially wanted to do a post on the weekend (or the 492042914 posts that I have yet to catch up with) but Lulu reminded me it was Teacher's Day as she left a few messages on the walls of our Sociology professors and tutors. I remember it being a little odd as we gave some of them Teacher's Day presents during our last year of undergraduate life since they were technically 'professors' rather than 'teachers' but it was a great opportunity to express gratitude all the same. Three of them, in particular, stood out. I read Sociology as my second major and it would be a blatant understatement to say it changed my life. Lulu and I were both Psychology majors who deepened our friendship during Sociology lessons. As the number of Psych|Soci double majors dwindled whilst many dropped out to pursue only one, Lulu and I ended up taking more than the prerequisite number of credits and sitting in extra classes. It wasn't just because of Lulu that made this time stand out but because of three amazing people whom we christened as Sage, JLo and Mafia.

45

National Day was always just another holiday to me-- an excuse to go shopping whilst everybody was out in the open grounds celebrating revelling in collective effervescence of nationalist fervour. Reminiscent of the religion of football or basically, religions in general. Lately I found myself thinking, 'Oh 9 August. It's National Day'. Singapore turns 45-years old. Clicking onto a few Singapore-based blogs and all posts on national pride and red-and-white stuff based on the colours of the flag made me miss home even more whilst England's summer fast-forwards to winterish weather, seemingly bypassing fall. Stumbling onto |mode.ulation| sparked the discovery of Harry Halim, a designer who studied fashion in Singapore. It's always awesome to see home-grown talents making it big on the international scene. Whilst voices inside and out of my head tells me I should really be working on prisoner rights and radical prisoner organisations at this mo.

Photo by Ridhwan Sesapar.

tales in turquoise