I have just spent the last two weeks buried deep in Singapore WWII history, preparing for my first museum docent tour at the Former Ford Factory (FFF). While I know quite a lot about my country’s war history, I still had to be thorough with details, in order to handle any questions that come my … Continue reading The Incredible Story Of Newbigging’s Flag
One Must Always Have A Five-Year Plan
My sister taught me a very useful life lesson when she was fourteen and I was thirteen. In her teenage wisdom, she told me one night while taking a break from homework, that one must always have a five year plan. Since that day, I have always had a five-year plan. Most of them panned … Continue reading One Must Always Have A Five-Year Plan
The intense, harrowing, precious, serendipitous experience of writing a book with my mother
My third book ‘The House on Silat Road’ was finally released in December last year. Soon after that, I was caught up in an exhilarating but frantic whirlwind of events at literary festivals, workshops and author talks at schools and museums—which also accounts for why I had not had the chance to post for a … Continue reading The intense, harrowing, precious, serendipitous experience of writing a book with my mother
Do Not Step on the Cirrus Clouds
I used to jog along East Coast beach every Sunday morning. I saw this scene on one of those days. An artist had installed this amazing piece along the beach, pointing to the open skies. It is also very near Changi where our airport is, and the planes fly over these skies frequently just after … Continue reading Do Not Step on the Cirrus Clouds
The Saturday Kitchen – Chwee Kueh for Breakfast
When I was a little kid, I used to follow my mum to the wet market on Sunday mornings. Being a chubby, greedy child, there was one thing that motivated me to accompany her to the hot, stuffy market with her--the chwee kueh stall. Growing up, we ate this traditional Chinese snack only on Sundays … Continue reading The Saturday Kitchen – Chwee Kueh for Breakfast
The Saturday Kitchen – Sweet Potato Ubi Talam
It has been an eventful week. Singapore just celebrated its 53rd National Day on 9 August, which also happens to be the anniversary of the Nagasaki bomb, which quickly brought WWII to an end in Asia. From the perspective of a hobby cook & history nerd, this brings to mind sweet potatoes. "Why leh?" you … Continue reading The Saturday Kitchen – Sweet Potato Ubi Talam
Thoughts on the Anniversary of the Atomic Bomb
First of all, let me state outright that this post may not go down well for some as it presents some ugly truths. On the anniversary of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, many call for an end to nuclear weapons, while the Japanese who suffered the mushroom cloud mark the anniversary with tears … Continue reading Thoughts on the Anniversary of the Atomic Bomb
The Suite in Singapore That Kim Jong Un Wanted
Singapore is all abuzz with the Trump-Kim Summit scheduled for this Tuesday. The road closures have begun, and the air space is now restricted for the time being. I am not not looking forward to having two of the most odious people visit my country. I can safely say I am not the only one … Continue reading The Suite in Singapore That Kim Jong Un Wanted
The Saturday Kitchen – Kueh Salat, A Double Decker Delight
One of my favourite desserts is kueh, a whole genre of little cakes and confections found in the indigenous cuisines of Southeast Asia. Called kueh, or kuih, it is an integral part of Indonesian, Malay and Peranakan culinary culture. You'll also find renditions of that genre in Thailand. There hundreds of different kinds of kueh … Continue reading The Saturday Kitchen – Kueh Salat, A Double Decker Delight
The Elusive Recipe, Mumps & Indigo Tigers
I've been following the blog Brilliant Viewpoint for some time now, and always enjoy her writing. Her recent post Authentic Italian Cooking recounts her search for an elusive recipe for a cake she enjoyed years ago, and recently found. It was a lucky, happy coincidence for her. It made me think about my elusive recipe which … Continue reading The Elusive Recipe, Mumps & Indigo Tigers
The Runaway Palate 
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