The folly that is Singapore - Part 2

Ok ... it had been some time since I had a breakfast from my childhood. On my first morning in Singapore, I woke up to a cool 25 degrees and a rather dull morning, which was quickly livened by what was waiting for me at the breakfast table: omelette cooked with onions and green chillies, and pan-fried pieces of luncheon meat (yes ... spam indeed!)

2 things marred this for me - dad only had instant coffee (with creamora no less!!). And dad only buys this sweet pappy white slice that barely passes for bread! But the meal stabbed me in the heart and I felt both like smiling and crying at the same time.

I managed to catch up with some dear friends who met me at a shopping complex near the hospital. We had a quick meal in between cups of coffee and lengthy bouts of D&Ms. We went to a little Thai eatery in an upstairs food court where for the paltry sum of about S$7.00 you get a set meal offering a variety of main dishes all served with a bowl of tom yam soup, pickled veg and salad ... but most importantly ... you help yourself to the accompanying chilli sauces!!!! I love that about eating in Singapore ... self-served condiments. Which means you can take as much as you like and sample however many types there are on offer. I chose garlic chicken as my main and it was pretty darn good!

The folly that is Singapore - Part 1

Ok ... aah the lion city - a study in modern capitalism, a society fraught with social contradictions; whilst the bulk of the expatriate community sweat and toil under the equatorial sun, the largely Chinese population zoom by in the air-conditioned comfort of their luxury vehicles, and dream of their next million in any of the hundreds of opulent condominiums that form part of the island's skyline.

So I exaggerate, but in its quest for commercial relevance, the country remains the jewel of the Malayan Peninsula, steadfastly upholding the tenets of free economic enterprise, whilst turning a blind eye against social discrepancies like inequality and exploitation. Hello Myanmar!

Anyhoo, there is much to admire, and also much to ridicule and here are some random thoughts to mull over:

- at the luggage carousel, there are actually airport staff who hang around straightening the bags as they travel round the conveyor belt - admiration or ridicule?

- when you set up a new bank account, all you need is one form of identification and your atm/debit/credit card is issued on the spot - admiration or ridicule?

- at KFC they have black pepper chicken, and also chicken strip congee in the mornings - and there's a rendang burger at Burger King - ADMIRATION!!!!

In the lap of luxury from the depths of despair

Ok ... I wish I could say that my trip to Singers was the usual cavalcade of consumerist wonder and gluttony, and whilst I have sampled the better part of what the hospital canteen has to offer and even managed to tick off a culinary point on my to-eat list, I can't really report back with much enthusiasm.

Dear mum is looking at spending Christmas in a ward where she remains the longest fixture, whilst the other 3 beds empty and fill up again with aggravating regularity. But we must remain upbeat as that has had a positive effect on her mood.

 
So let me just say that thanks to a generous older brother, I have travelled in style where every stage has been on priority and express, and I have luxuriated in expensive linen and intimidating splendour.

Despite all that has been going on, I am determined to have myself a merry little Christmas and to see in the New year with hope and determination.

... suddenly its hard to breathe ...

Ok ... I'm wishing this was under different circumstances but nobody said that life was easy ...

The Silly Season - of beer gardens, mirages and worker's clubs

Ok ... as christmas inexorably burns the proverbial hole in pocket quicker than a wikileak, I think its time to have a round up of what festiveness has happened so far.

I think the first event to kick off the season was the old work christmas party, and you know ... it wasn't all that bad. Most of my kaki's (refer to earlier post for an explanation of this term) have gone, but I still managed to get mildly intoxicated and enjoy trading licks with all and sundry. It was a lovely evening to boot. And despite the slightly average fare, the Belgium Beer Garden has its charms. But I did find it strange that they we could only do shots at the bar itself. Must be some kind of drug and alcohol regulation, or did they just think we were a bunch of drunktards in need of a handbrake.

The Drinks Tab

Anyways, me and M recently did a spot of Christmas shopping and managed to tick a few off Santa's list, before resting tired legs and attending empty stomachs over at El Mirage.

We all know that the East Brunnie end of Lygon Street has gone beyond the tinted glass and fake chrome banquette set to include the disenfranchised fitzroy set displaced by skyrocketing rents and the increasing presence of chain-store establishments. I think that gelati place started it all!! Well El Mirage has been around for awhile, but this was our first time venturing past the disproportionate front decking perfect for a bevvy, smoke and something breakfasty. Our rockabilliy hosts met us with a casual nod and set us up with table and menus in a whir of coloured tattooes.  I think M was a little intimidated but succumbed to the guy's slightly brummie (could be wrong) accent which he found a-dorable!

I wanted a snack and ordered the crumbed sardine fillets. M went for the slightly heavier Tex Melt, which was a bean/cheese/toast combo (true to rockabiliy form, there's a couple of tex mex-y style dishes on the menu). But let me tell you these were the best crumbed sadine fillets I have ever tasted ... whatever they mixed for the crumb was just the right side of crunch and flavour ... and could the aoli be more perfect? I think not!!

M's Tex Melt was equally delicious. A little on the subtle side for M but he would love to drench the world in chilli sauce ... so you know ...

So if ever you're stuck without a table at Sugardough, head a little further down and check these guys out. Its worth the trek. Oh and if they have both doors open, you won't be able to see the sign, so just look out for Five bouroughs and its about 2 doors up.

And then we caught up with the lovely P over at the Worker's Club for a couple of beverages or so and some light (yeah right!) noshing.

For the price you pay these are decent serves. P was hanging for the kitchen to open at 5, and I believe ours was the first orders up. P had a plain old burger which was actually pretty good. It wasn't your plain old aussie rissole nor was it one of those overrated (yes it is a bit of a bubgear) wagyu concoctions ... it had a nice hint of spices ... perfect for the festive season. But alas no pic ... in terms of plating its pretty much like every other garden variety pub burger ... although a little stingy on the chips!!!

M and I shared some yummy Calamari (nicely seasoned with cracked pepper) ...

... veal and pork meatballs in a well balanced tomato sauce

... and thick polenta chips served with a spicy capsicum dip

Pretty impressive!!

And I love the fact that there's always something new to discover on the wine list.

We had the Fifth Leg "Whippersnapper" which is a Tempranillo/Shiraz/Grenache blend. A little on the "heavy leave a coating in your mouth" side, but a reasonable quaffer ... can't vouch for what its like with food because when the meals came we switched to a Seville Estate Pinot Gris which was suitably refreshing but tasted rounder with food.

All in all a great start to Christmas 2010.

To Lee, With Love

Ok ... an amazing tribute to Alexander McQueen with an exclusive track from Bjork ... magic!

That krafty silverhaired and silvertongued Dyson

Ok ... today I stood in front of some Dyson bladeless fans and blissfully fell in love. There's a touch of the Gerry Anderson's about all this, and James himself could pass as a Thunderbird doll in all his neat and tight silverhairedness.

But I spent the better part of 15 minutes basking in the "non-buffeting" even gushes of air, childishly moving my hands back and forth through the bladeless rings of each of the versions on display. Hell it just looks plain sexy!! Santa?

Tis the season to be shmaltzy

Ok confession time!! I love Christmas music ... the schmaltzier the better!!! If it gives you diabetes and cavities then its perfect yuletide fodder for my iphone.

The mother of all Christmas albums has to be The Carpenter's Christmas Portrait which has the quintessential Christmas Overture (a tad on the yank side ... but it trully is evocative of the whole Christmas experience) amongst all the other conventional christmas tunes given the MOR treatment by Karen and her sibling Richard.

Make no mistake, this is retail Christmas for the frantic hours pushing through harried crowds looking for the perfect gift that suits the ever shrinking budget. But it keeps the jollification tandem riding high and helps concentrates the mind on those Christmas's of yore

Oh the memories this album stirs ... chucking a tanty to get that new Christmas outfit with the mandarin collar and the accompanying vest, catching up with old family friends at midnight mass and showing said outfit off, gazing wide-eyed at those twinkly Christmas lights and almost hyperventilating at all those presents gaily wrapped under the tree, the seemingly endless rounds of parties and dinners and church do's with interminable bouts of Carol singing which we took in our childish stride, the masking tape over the crudenza guarding mum's brandy soaked dried fruit for christmas pudding from prying fingers and greedy mouths, hanging out with C's friends after the Youth Choir Christmas concert once again in said Christmas outfit ... oh I could go on and on ... all of these slices of nostalgia packaged into one single album that is now pretty much out of print.

I can't think of any record that has been released since that comes even close to these 2 sides of sheer Christmas perfection, although a fine runner up is Diana Krall's Christmas Songs ... maybe I just love alto voices, but jazz and Christmas go together like proverbial horse and carriage.

Merry Christmas Darling still makes me feel warm inside and sad at the same time. Things were so much simpler way back when ...

The Nation's Capitol

Ok ... dear Canberra, you certainly are more lush and green (when there is enough rain) than Melbourne, and your stately buildings rise above the foliage in all their arctosian bauhaus glory as peaens to bureacratic diplomacy, but more importantly you hold something closer and dearer to my heart ... a very good friend.

 View of Black mountain from hotel room

I spent 2 rather wet days soaking in the sites of our nation's capitol. I was stuck amongst an all girls grade school gymnastics team on the plane ... thank god the flight was short ... we seemed to have taken off, and then we were preparing to land with hardly time to finish a bottle of water. There was time enough for countless lolly swops and nintendo ds convos. When we were landing one girl piped up "keep chewing, keep chewing!!" which cracked the rest of the troupe up ... must have been an in joke.

Anyhoo with an hour to iron shirts and freshen up, DC & J kindly picked me up and took me on a brief sojourn through Canberra's highlights, before returning to their gorgeous apartment for drink and conversation. As always, D's taste remains impeccable and it was great to catch up on all the goss.

The evening ended in food, drink and laughter over at the Manse (i.e. D's sister M's house) where I learnt how terribly small the Canberra social set is, this is 6 degrees of separation in action, and where I chuckled quietly that a rave in Canberra could end at 11pm and that 10000 is a whopping great attendance number.

The Manse

Pigging out!

It was all business on Monday but the charming ladies at the National gallery took us on a brief tour and boy what a gallery!! I must come back and view it all in detail. And James Turrell's Skyspace will be on the top of the list.

D, if you are reading this ... thank you soooo much. I really had the best time.

Recherche - World Aids Day

Ok ... "And suddenly the memory revealed itself: The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane."  - Marcel Proust (Remembrance of Things Past)

I usually mark this day with grievous sobriety ... and our community has had to get used to many such moments by default. But we are also known for wild abandon, colour and wit, so lets acknowledge our hard won laurels by trashing the fabric and being appalled by the colours ... fuck sobriety ... I want to remember the good and tacky times ... and celebrate lives that brought us joy and gaiety!