Singapore

It’s been almost a year and a half since I’ve blogged, but life has been busy! Nursing school is challenging and I’ve met some great future colleagues. Darling boyfriend was sent to Singapore for work and the trip coincided with my Spring Break in March (coincidence? I think not…just amazing planning by darling J)

Our trip began with packing for a week in 100* weather, while it was about 50* here in South Carolina. Needless to say, I had to put outfits together, buy some new clothes and shoes, and fit it all into my duffel bought especially for the trip. Bags get so banged around during shipping and handling, on and off the plane, even the heavier duty ones, that I don’t think it’s worth spending much on the bag, unless you’re willing to spend a few hundred, or unless you’re toting designer clothes (always take your jewelry in your carry on!). Even if you do love your clothes (which I do), travel insurance makes for a nice backup plan if your bag gets completely destroyed. We bought foldable duffels from Wal-Mart for about $15. Mine got a small tear and darling’s got soaking wet en route to Singapore and darling’s got a small tear headed back.

We arrived at about 4am and were swiftly taken by taxi to the Swissôtel Merchant Court. The service was the kind that almost makes you feel bad! The bed was a massive white downy cloud and the breakfast selection was expansive.

Swissôtel Merchant Court Breakfast

Clark Quay

Chinese Herbal Remedies Store     

Our hotel was located on Clark Quay (pronounced like ‘key’) a bay enclosed by luxury restaurants and shopping. We were about a 5 minute walk from China Town, where I spent most of my free time. I ate salted, fried dough, red bean, yellow bean, and black bean buns, innumerable cups of boba milk tea, and an authentic Chinese street vendor lunch and dinner with darling boyfriend. The thing about Singapore is that no one is ‘Singapore-ese’, everyone is Chinese but has lived in Singapore for perhaps many generations. There is no ‘original’ Singapore culture, everything is simply Chinese. One of the Singaporean women darling worked with said that Singapore culture was “shopping”; I had heard this before visiting but didn’t believe it until I had spent a week attempting to hunt down places and events of unique cultural significance with no luck.

Chinese Street Vendor Lunch

Jumbo's Crab Restaurant, Clark Quay

Lunch in Little India

That's not to say there isn't plenty to see in China Town, Little India and of the remnants of British colonialism. A 20 minute tube ride on an immaculate subway complex took me to Little India where I wandered and had lunch in what looked like someone's home with an open air kitchen at the front. A sweet little Indian man served me lunch from a selection of curries and fried unknown dishes. I then walked about the 5 miles back to Clark Quay through town, stopping along the way to try a soya milk bubble tea (AWFUL--not like our soy milk!) and a red bean bun.

The major cultural attraction is the mall at Marina Bay and Marina Bay Sands, a resort hotel and gambling center. We heard that Singaporeans actually have to pay to get into the gambling area, whereas foreigners are allowed in for free! I guess they want their citizens saving their money.

Marina Bay nighttime water show

Helix Bridge @ Marina Bay

The taxi drivers (anywhere, really) are a wealth of information not only about what do to and where to go, but will share just about anything with you: views
on politics in their country and yours, religion, cultural tidbits that you are just too far removed to find out about, and details about their families and their personal history. Besides the actual information being communicated, just hearing how these taxi drivers speak about these people, places and politics gives you an insight into the mentality and perspective of the country you are visiting.

We had a really interesting conversation with one young taxi driver who was so outraged about Singapore’s open immigration policy; he made the classic argument that these people were taking jobs because they were willing to work for less than Singapore citizens, and were sucking government resources. When I responded by saying “interesting”, he nearly shouted “No! Not interesting, it’s terrible!” Needless to say, that wasn’t really a two-way conversation. When in someone else’s country, it’s best to just soak it all in and listen :)

Fort Canning Park

The Fort Canning gardens across from Clark Quay are a must see and they make a nice walk to the National Museum of Singapore. While in the park be sure to see the Westerner's cemetery, some of the tombstones date to the 1600's and are British sailors, officials and wives and children of the men in Singapore during British colonialism.

Take plenty of water if it's a hot day and take a taxi back through the Orchard Road area. Orchard Road is the '5th Avenue' of Singapore with plenty of huge multi-storey malls and upscale restaurants. You will find affordable places along the way, however. Darling and I ate at a sushi-go-round and had ColdRock Ice Cream for dessert (ColdStone here in the states).

We concluded the trip with a jaunt into Johor Bahru, Malaysia for the day. Malaysia is what I think of when I think of Asia; congested, busy streets, crowded, un-air-conditioned shopping malls, street vendors on every corner, sickly sweet smells of trash mixing with savory food smells in the street. Singapore is the opposite; everything is clean and all glass and metal, and legislation keeps vendors off the street. So don't go to Singapore expecting Asia, rather, expect a very clean, very Chinese, well ordered New York City; expect to wear fashionable clothes any time you go out or expect to feel out of place. Expect to have numerous food options but half of them American or Continental. Expect beautiful parks, perfect English spoken by everyone and amazing Asian hospitality.

Le Printemps est arrivé

And so March has come and gone and April is half over. March did no lamb like marching on it's way out like a lamb, but more like a sopping wet sloth, made its way into April, rainy, dreary and cold. Of course my daffodils bloomed just before the rains came and beat them into the ground. The tulips began blooming the beginning of April and a week later the azaleas turned into baubles of pale pink or shocking fuchsia on lawns all around our neighborhood.

I accomplished just about everything I set out to in my last blog post, so kudos to me. Sadly, we were called home for a family tragedy several weeks in a row, my cat had kittens and I've been studying my brains out, so I haven't had the time or energy to post until now!

Some exciting news on the kitty front; the stray "kitten" who adopted us turned out not to be a kitten at all but rather a (worldy-wise) two year old cat who brought three gorgeous little bundles of fur and pink nose into the world on Tuesday night. I had read *everything* I could get my hands on form the internet on kitty birthing and was so excited for my first real nursing experience. Darling said I was being a bit "too involved" but I was sure I would be needed. And of course, right as usual, I was. Kitty number two was breached in the birth canal with his feet out and mommy kitty gave up. He wasn't moving much when he came out but a little rubbing his belly and head and using my baby nasal aspirator (I knew it would come in handy!) and he was right as rain. Three kitties in total, all with their mother's gorgeous camel, gray, and white calico coloring were born between 8.30 and midnight. My secret wish is to keep them all but I suppose that isn't really practical.


This morning I saw two woodpeckers mating (who knew!?) at the base of a tree in our yard. We also have a flycatcher that has for the second year in a row built its nest under our deck. I peeked several weeks ago and saw only a single egg, but I assume more have been laid since. Expect pictures when the birdies hatch.

I have redone the front garden but since I am a poor student will probably only be planting onion bottoms this spring. If you didn't know, you can stick an onion bottom into the ground after the cut part has been let to 'callous' for a day or two and up will pop an onion in no time. I have 7 onions planted so far and will get my garlic started soon. There are quite a few yard farms here and people have already tilled and prepared their beds.

On other fronts, I got my library card!! I rented Persepolis, a French film about an Iranian girl growing up at the time of the Revolution, and Amelie, music by Yann Tiersen, (one of my favorite musicians); checked out Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers as well. If you don't know Lord Peter Wimsey, you should get to know him, and Strong Poison is the place to start.

I've been making my favorite Persian dish, Kashk-e Bademjan again today. For the last few months the supermarkets were all out of eggplant, in Florida too! Some sort of drought, disease or something kept them off of shelves in their peak season.

When I started this post I was sure I had more interesting things to say but now they've all left me!

big plans

In the life of someone such as myself, small accomplishments or failures can hold overwhelming significance. In the spirit of small accomplishments, I am wearing my jogging pants to school tomorrow to go running for the first time in what feels like a very, very long time (and is probably a very,very,very long time!). I am also taking a new route to school due to a bridge closure and I have the beginning of a scheme to ride a bicycle to school. Owning a bicycle would be necessary for that to happen, but we'll worry about that later. Bringing an idea to fruition is a big deal for people like me so tomorrow holds much promise.
I also intend to be caught up on my homework by tomorrow evening so that I might be able to attend a French conversation group on Wednesday evening---something I've been aiming to do for quite a while. Wish me luck!

thai cuisine restaurant

Darling boyfriend and I tried the only authentic Asian restaurant serving sushi in Simpsonville. There are a few Mexican places, an awful pretend sushi chain called Fu of Kyoto, a hibachi place and every fast food restaurant you can imagine. There is a Chinese/Japanese takeaway (I never understand the "we serve this/that" type of restaurant) that we go to if we're hungry, tired and it's late. The Chinese/Japanese? family are friendly and the food is decent for pretend Chinese. Therefore, I was beyond thrilled when we stumbled upon a Thai restaurant in downtown Simpsonville. I was a little wary at first because the neon sign out front simply says 'Thai', so on our first trip I told darling to drive by and I would jump out and peek inside to see if it was up to par. It was, and I felt like an idiot sticking my head in, back out again to tell darling to come in and then making our grand entrance.

The sushi bar was very small and the lone sushi chef was the first to greet us on our entry. We had a dragon roll for our appetizer. The fish was top quality and the presentation impressive for such a small restaurant. The roll was so packed with tuna and salmon that boyfriend decided to get just one more roll and call that dinner. I ordered a Thai iced tea which was perfect--they can sometimes be sickeningly sweet. It was served in a huge glass and I just barely finished the last of it. Darling's spicy lump crab roll was a bit too salty, yet still a generous portion. I ordered the Pad Thai with tofu. It came out a huge plate of steaming noodles, crispy tofu and crunchy beansprouts and peanuts on top. Needless to say if I hadn't accidentally knocked my takeaway box out of darling's hand on the way up the stairs, I would've had lunch for the next day.

old fashioned chocolate cake...avec pansies!

Over the Christmas holidays I made my mom a chocolate cake. Just found the pics so I thought I would share! I used Nigella Lawson's recipe for old fashioned chocolate cake. I will say that for the icing, I substituted sour cream and extra melted chocolate for most of the powdered sugar--you just need a bit to help it all stick together but powdered sugar can turn a smooth, subtle chocolate icing into sickeningly sweet, granulated gloop.

Pansies are really the only flower we have growing at Christmas time in north Florida, and they make for a dramatic presentation.

kashk-e bademjan

This evening I made one of my favorite Persian dishes, Kashk-e Bademjan...okay, well I made my version of Kashk-e Bademjan! I haven't visited the (to my knowledge) only Arabic food store here in Greenville as it's pretty far away, so when making my favorite Arabic dishes, I've learned to compromise. 'Kashk' means Persian and 'Bademjan' is eggplant, the main ingredient in this dish. The signature feature of the dish is the whey mixed with the eggplant and caramelized onions at the end of cooking; I don't have access to whey so I use full fat Greek yoghurt with a pleasing, if not authentic, result. I also include toasted black sesame seeds; they add a nice texture to this mushy dish and I can't imagine Arabic food without thinking of the subtle smokiness of these when toasted. Here is a link to the recipe for Kashk-e Bademjan from a blog I am following, all about Persian food; gorgeous pics and full recipes.

I paired my dish with ready made Toufuyan flat bread (the best option if fresh made pita isn't available), cilantro and a spiced basmati rice pilaf (cinnamon, falafel seasonings, a few rose petals, pine nuts and black sesame seeds). Below are pictures of my creation.


In other news, we have a new addition to our happy household! This feral kitten came to our door to eat the cat food I had put out for the mysterious fur ball coming to get in our trash. I have also spotted it's mother and a huge possum! Glad the kitty made it's way here and found a home. Over the next few weeks I'll be working on coming up with the money and time to take care of new baby kitty maintenance.


And I caught one of our other fluff balls sneaking into the clean laundry!

birdwatching

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care." Matthew 10.29

At home in Jacksonville with my parents for the weekend. Homecomings are always such a joy. I was awakened early this morning by my parents giggling as they tried to decide what to sing to me to wake me up, before they left for work. They are so silly! Since my brother and I have been out of the house, I see my parents enjoying the activities of daily life with renewed energy. They cook together (or rather my dad cooks and my mom watches while sipping a toddy), watch PBS cooking and home decorating shows together, read to each other and enjoy their space, which for the first time in their married lives is almost pristine; exactly the way they've always wanted it. Their primary activity, however is using their matching high powered binoculars to bird watch from the breakfast table, or the deckchairs in sunnier weather. It's always exciting to sit round the breakfast table attempting to agree on an identification for the latest avian breakfast guest.

This morning as I sat at the breakfast table with my mom's binoculars I heard a host of birds and saw quite a few too; 2 Redheaded Woodpeckers (at the feeder, go figure!), 3 American Goldfinches, 2 Cardinals (bright male and dusty female), 2 Carolina Wrens nesting in the sago palm, 2 big fat Blue Jays (in the crow family and very smart birds), a small flock of starlings, 1 Tufted Titmouse, 3 ambling Doves (I think they must be sort of dopey birds), 2 red Housefinches (male and female), 2 Carolina or Black Capped Chickadees and 4 very plump squirrels, one with a limp (T_T). You can just imagine the clatter as everyone chirped to their mate and scoffed at the competition on the feeder. You too can enjoy this kind of company every morning!

There are two key elements your backyard must have if you want to attract songbirds. Food, preferably suited to your area's native birds is key. Look for feeders that have some measure of squirrel proofing: spring loaded perches, small feeder holes, large discs on top and bottom, or caged feeders. Securing the feeder to a shepherd's crook isn't entirely squirrel proof, but is better than hanging the feeder on a branch. Do however, put the feeder relatively close to the overhang of branches as this gives safe cover while the birdies munch. This brings us to the next birding essential.

Birds are, for the most part, defenseless creatures which makes shelter your next must have. Don't overestimate the abilities of feisty mocking birds, crows, blue jays and even doves who will sometimes rumble with other birds, hawks or cats; birds and song birds especially as they're the smallest, are easy prey for hawks and cats. I won't harp on about it here, but read about the very preventable decline in songbird population by way of pesticides, reduced habitat but primarily, CATS!

So apart from keeping your pwecious wittle kitty inside, you can start to build a backyard songbird paradise by planting. Don't worry if you don't have ancient oaks, leafy maples or towering pines, as my parents do. If you have little or no shelter, plant fast growing shrubs, preferably native to your state, or easy to grow native trees. Look for shrubs and trees with edible seeds and berries--again native species, or your native birds won't touch all those beautiful berries! If you're in the southeast, I recommend crape myrtles. The link will take you to lagerstroemia indica, the kind of crape myrtle that is so popular here in Florida. We've seen an average growth rate of 6-8 inches in height and spread over the last few years and as the crape myrtle is a late bloomer, flowering from late summer through early fall the abundant seed pods in Autumn are perfect for seed eating finches and sparrows. The crape myrtle is the perfect start-up tree for budding bird watchers in the southeast.

So do some research on native plant species and songbirds in your area; Audubon's birding basics should help. Look at migratory paths so you know which birds to expect in each season, and during these chilly times, feed, feed, FEED! Food is scarce when snow and ice cover the ground so the easiest thing to do is buy a bag of seed and stick up a feeder. Build one with your kids if you're homebound on a snowday! This spoon feeder is super cute, cheap and will last forever, but if you want something a bit more involved go for the bird biscuit or the classic pine cone bird feeder. The best birding times are just after dawn and just before dusk, but you can usually spot something all day if your yard is well stocked with birdie treats. Consider taking part in The Great Backyard Bird Count, a great conservation lesson for kids. Enjoy!

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care." Matthew 10.29