Pasar Malam (Singapore's Night Market)

Pasar Malam - a term unfamiliar with many who don't live in Asean countries. In Singapore, it's really more of a social gathering for families and friends.

Basically, these Malay words stands for Night Market and it's filled up wif many stalls selling stuff like food, clothes, cars, basic nessities, accessories etc etc.

In short, it's like a small carnival though some have evolved to be big carnivals with exciting theme-park rides of a smaller scale!

I love Pasar Malam and i always think that it will be best if tourists can just come and take a look at our night markets. I have been to quite a few night markets overseas like Hongkong and Malaysia but i still love the one in Singapore!

Not as in the amount of finger food you can get here, it's also the weird things you can get every now and now. For example, I happened to catch sight of some sex toys in the Pasar Malam in Yishun at the moment. Wahahahaha. Shy to buy it though.

Without any surprises, my main lookout in Pasar Malam has always been food; from the sweet and nice taiwan sausages in the past to the Ramly burger that has been so popular in Pasar Malam recently. Besides that, there are thai salad, thai shark fins, sesame balls, salted fried chicken, mee goreng, fried chicken, bbq chicken, fried chempedak, fried bananas etc etc.

At times, you may even find steam crabs, bbq crabs though they are fucking expensive!! You can also find the fake bird nest drinks i used to adore when i am very young. It was missing for around 5-10 yrs before it suddenly reappeared in night market scene.

Pasar Malam always bring back happy memories for me. When i was young, i will be out with my whole family; savouring the finger foods, pestering my parents to buy toys etc etc. Well, my family still does that and we will jalan jalan (walk walk) in the night market. It was relaxing in a perculiar way because night-time is the most crowded period so you are jostling with others until your shirt is soaked with sweat!

Like many other things, Pasar Malam has evolved a lot. From one-street carnival last time to basically taking up a whole big field now! It also sells cars now, sometimes even houses and almost all came with a few Ramly burgers stalls and at least one auction house that sells Chinese artefacts! It's actually the same product every time but if you look closely, you can find some realy useful and nice items for yourself!

Lao Beijing (老北京) @ Plaza Singapura

Today is Singapore's National Day!!

The day Singapore is officially borned due to a much difficult separation from Malaysia back in 1965. Anyway, it's quite a big thing in recent years, with the so called lack of patriotism that is being noticed more and more in recent years. Nah, i am not one of those.

I love Singapore for what she is and i am really glad to be here! Borned a Singaporean and definitely die as one too. It's like your blood line; you can never reject it as easily as your stomach rejecting those unhealthy food (by farting, shitting, diarrhea etc etc).

E'nuff of this disgusting talk, especially when i am going to dwell onto my favourite topic!! Food as usual!! Lol. Anyway, today left only myself, Weeyuan and Alex for lunch so where should we go?! With so little people, the choice was made swiftly and we made our way to Lao Beijing in Plaza Singapura. If no buffet is available, we shall proceed to Gelare for waffle (not a definitive lunch but filling enough).

Lucky for us, Lao Beijing's buffet is still in operation and we happily stepped in and ordered whatever dishes they have; provided the titles did not sound too disgusting or weird.

Xiao Long Bao

Big, fat and juicy wif a sizeable piece of pork meat within that was steamed to an ultimate softness! But eat it fast because the skin will start to harden rapidly. The soup was not too bad although i still prefer crystal jade's version.

A nice rating of 8/10.

Guo Tie

Literally panfried dumplings. I have eaten guo tie from quite a number of places and i seriously think that all of them were just either okay-tasting or horrible-tasting. This one from Lao Beijing, however, took my breath away! The taste was great and it's unimaginable that it can be so different from the others i had.

Rating 10/10.

Fried Shredded Pork with Salted Bean, Chilli and Leek Sprout

Don't ask what it's called in Chinese - i barely remembered 4 Chinese characters. Anyway, this dish was sort of a … hm… a weird tasting. It's tasty but maybe because i never really like pork, i found it a bit disgusting. I guess i can empathise how the ang mohs feel when they eat durians.

Rating 7/10.

Fried Noodles

This tasted a bit like hongkong fried noodles albeit a really taste one. Maybe it was because of my hunger!

Rating 8/10

Lentil Jelly

Ok, this is one dish i don't have the acquired taste for and i wonder why people can even like it. It's mushy with a very beany taste (obviously made of beans). Just too weird for my taste i guess. It's under the dessert section and i normally expect dessert to be quite sweet but this wasn’t.

Rating 4/10

Almond wif Fungus

Warm, not cold as most of us thought it to be. It came in a bowl filled wif creamy almond (imagine almond jelly in a liquid form) plus a piece of fungus. Yes, you heard me right! One piece like a lone lotusin the pond. It's not sweet and doesn't suit my sweet tongue. Lol.

Rating 6.5/10

Custard Cream Bun

This is the most over rated dish!! When i read the words in Chinese, i figured it as a nice little bun with creamy, thick custard cream. The nice little bun part looked right but the insides were some pathetic, dried custard paste. Not creamy!! Not thick!! Just dried and crusty!!! Downright horrifiying. Luckily, this came last!!

Rating 2/10 (2 was given because at the very least, it was still edible)

Others

Tried a few other dishes of noodles for which you can actually ask for just one portion. They were not great though as compared to Crystal Jade.

Our only regret is not getting 4 pax to eat together!! A confirmed 4-pax will get us a self made popiah set for free!!! Sianz. But overall, this is a place worth going.

Price was $12.80 per person - not inclusive of drinks and subject to 10% Service Charge, 5% GST and towels charges. It was calculated to be around S$16.50 a person.

Overall Rating; a 7.5/10.

Crystal Jade Macau

This is a day overdue but i guess their food don't change over one day right? Haha. Anyway, i finally have a chance to eat at Crystal Jade's newest restaurant of a different theme, Macau.

By Macau, it means depicting food with a mix of a Portugese style that is different from the Cantonese style of the nearby Hong Kong island.

Here goes the review.

Special Combo

A dish that comprised of a lot of small dishes, machiam like an everything in one; grilled beef, grilled chicken, grilled pork, fried chicken wings and potato wedges.

My mum thought this dish sucked as it was too saltish!! But i personally think it's okay, edible but i will stop at that (which means, not very good lor). I especially hate the fried chicken wings. They tasted like re-used oil was used to fry the wings. 

At S$28.00, i think it's too expensive and not worth for that kind of taste.  

Rating - 4/10

Baked Rice

This dish was way better than the one above. Two plates were ordered: one with pork ribs and the other with a mixture of seafood cheese and pork.

Both were nice with thick cheese and a palatable reddish pork chop sauce. The only bad point was the stale looking pork ribs.

Costs around S$8.00 each.

Rating - 6.5/10

Pork Chop Bun

This was the best dish in the whole restaurant.

Basically it's like a hamburger but instead of a beef patty, you will find pork chop in between the buns. Cut in half, the bun was crispy and coupled with the sweet taste of the pork, it made for a refreshing taste i never had.

A bit on a high side at $5.90 for such a small bun.

Rating - 9.5/10

Boiled Eggs Custard

This is a dish not commonly seen in Singapore but fortunately, I tried it in Chinatown before. My friend, Weeyuan, called it Tan Tan (means egg egg i think) and i think it looked like soya beancurd with an eggy taste.

Just imagine a thicker and more solid custard cream and you will know what i meant. The one in Crystal Jade Macau was not bad but the egg taste was not strong enough.

Price: Cannot remember

Rating is 5/10 .

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Tried other dishes but generally they were only okay. Frankly, i would not go back to this restaurant unless for the pork chop buns. I think Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao will still be my favourite haunt for now.

Besides Waffletown…..

Total cost - S$119.00

Old Car Finally Cannot Tahan Me!!

It should have been a really nice day today; I managed to sneak into Ngee Ann Library even though 'security' was pretty high and i had a really fun time playing badminton wif my colleagues.

But after that, the whole day went haywire!! Read patiently for my disappointing, moody-inducing, tired-inducing tale…

I happily drove my car with 4 friends inside. As I turned out of Bukit Panjang Community Centre, I started to smell something funny but i ignored it till i turned into BKE (Bukit Timah Expressway) towards city! That's when the smell started to get really pungent and something was wrong with the stability of the car. I stopped the car and realised the front right tyre had burst!

Yes, burst, not punctured! All of us were in disarray with me as the most affected. I tried calling my mum (she dunno wat to do), my dad (din ans his phone) and my bro in law (who was patient but equally helpless).

I freaked out!!

I am in the middle of the bloody expressway with no help and my friends were suffering with me!! Anyway, my father finally called back and told me there’s a car breakdown sign and a spare wheel in my boot! And i tell u, i have driven this old car for 5 months and never had i notice that there’s a bloody spare tyre!! But there it was, hidden beneath layers of newspapers!!

I attempted to lift up the car using the car jack and i managed to! But when i turned out the bolts on the burst tyre, the whole thing turned!! So i had to undo it and used some equipment to take out e bolts!! Luckily we had Lango, a future engineer to help me wif the physics aspect (i never like e subject). I installed a new tyre!! So happy even though my two hands were full of dark stuff. Kaijing said i man leh!! lol~ 

But no no, not the end of e story~! I drove via BKE to Mandai area and went through a scary road leading to the Mandai Reservoir~ Tat's when i started to hear a noise, like some thing loose and knocking against the vehicle. I took note of it and decided to check on it after i get out of that stretch of road (its bloody only one lane!! And a spooky one too~!).

BUT the whole car stalled when i reached the T-Junction and my friends saw smoke coming out of e bonnet!! Yes, smoke not as in cigarette smoke but fire smoke!!

The whole engine was overheated (according to the red indicator on the dashboard) and the water level was low~ I called my dad, figured tat it will take some time for the engine to be cool again, therefore asking my friends to go home first. Luckily all of them had direct bus!! But felt so guilty because i offered and yet they were late and still have to take bloody expensive transport!!

Im alone, standing beside the car when i bumped into one of the most embarassing moments in my life!! An SBS No 138 bus stopped right beside me and all the passengers on e left side of the bus were all looking at me and my car!! They have never seen a broken down car before?!?! Maybe they wonder why a young guy like me is driving a broken down car!! So Paiseh!!!

My dad came and we waited a while, filled up the water and checked on on the engine before driving home. Something is definintely wrong with the engine because the temperature of the engine shot up again (according to the indicator again). Anyway we reached home around 12 midnight, bushed, tired and hungry!! Luckily, there was still dinner for me!! Some veges, herbal soup, steamed fish and best of all, a steamed crab that was so meaty and tender!!!

No moral for this story but my dad told me the car may be scrapped soon!! So no car for me!! But good lah, i will spend lesser on food and nothing on petrol!!! lol~

It Finally Happened…

Finally finally but i cannot said i should be glad about it.. But i finally went without food for one day!! Not because i don't want to or an extreme way of getting slim, but i am sick and really have no appetite wat-so-ever for food. For many who were wondering, i have the runs!! Horrible diarrhea since midnight and i had to wait for 2 hours to see the doctor!! Luckily i lived just opposite the clinic so i went back home twice!

Anyway, i had no idea what i ate to give me such bad runs! Eight trips to the toilet without any solid stuff but semi gooey stuff splashing all over the toilet bowl. Plain disgusting i will say and the area where it spit out from stinged of pain whenever the gooey stuff forced itself out!! Haha. But im feeling much better with the pills given though im still weak. Lying whole day on bed until now to check my email. Another feat i guess, i seldom don't touched the computer when im at home. Lol.

Thou e appetite was curbed but it will no doubt ever been eradicated.. Another makan session tomorrow? =)

Life and Death

Life, what is the meaning of life? Death, is it the ending of life? or the beginning of another one? From the start of human mankind to now, everyone wonders the same thing. That's why there are so many rituals, so many customs to do wat are to be done when we are borned and when we.. die.

My maternal cousin, Ralph, passed away this morning at Singapore General Hospital (SGH). His condition was lymphoma cancer and he was only 32, the age where some old business men believe to be the start of life. I was not close to my cousin, never am.

Never saw him for like 5-7 years until a month back, when he went back after chemotherapy. Shocked then was an overstatement because my mum did tell me he looked different after he was afflicted with such horrible ailment. I was not at all shocked but i am still relatively surprised at how cancers can make one looks so different. My cousin was a handsome guy and had been an air steward before but he was not the same after getting this illness.

I felt pity for him but yet i should not be because he was strong and determined to fight back the illness, struggling to stand up against it. I wonder if i have the same strength, the same courage..

I went wif my mum for the wake at Serangoon Gardens. My mum knew my cousin was going to pass away; the doctor had said tat his life was going to end soon.. No chemo, no drugs can help any further to prolong his life. The cancer cells spread too fast, too much..

When i reached, everyone had their heads down, crying, sobbing.. My heart went out for them. My mum started to cry when she saw Ralph’s mum. I can feel their pain, their sorrow. Its indescribable.. Since e body had not arrived yet, i went to Pet Resource to look for girl girl (a stray dog) to lighten my mood.

Ralph’s body arrived at around 5 pm and i reached just in time. Once he was put into the white coffin, all of us proceeded to see him, to talk to him as our last words to him according to chinese custom. No one’s eyes were dry.. Even mine were watering but i tried to fight back the hot tears that were really in a big hurry to roll down my oily cheeks.

Ralph’s father, a usually strong figure, cannot fight back his tears. After the glass was placed over e coffin, big uncle was putting his face on e glass, crying, listening, toking to my dead cousin. But can he hear anything? Maybe no, maybe yes. That's one thing bout life and death, no one knows…

That's why i always emphasize on living life well, happily and yet simply. I have done half, i guess, im happy but not simple enough.

Too much shit i eat and frankly, alot of what you eat has an impact on your life in the future.

Anyway, please pray for my cousin, hopefully he is pain free and happy in the other world, if there is one…

Finally!!

Finally i managed to skip some meals!! Well, basically I was not that hungry because im entirely engrossed in e new Harry Potter n the Half Blood Prince. So i only had a breakfast with POST Great Grains with milk, 3 eggs, 2 pieces of bread and a glass of milk again~ Lol. Not little but well, manageable i guess~ After that i skipped my lunch and my dinner!! Great feat right?! Especially for a food lover like me.

Sad to say, all hell broke loose at night, after my class.. The class was dimissed earlier and i felt the tide of hunger rising.. This came right after I had a good poo (not watery but firm and solid one) during the class break. Anyway, i passed by Chong Pang Nasi Lemak and had a sudden craving for it.. So i bought one packet with beansprouts, toufu and a drumstick. In addition, I asked for less rice.. Yes, i finished up e whole lot, plus two hard boiled eggs my mum bought for me!

Moral of tis Entry

Buy me more books or send me book vouchers for any event that a necessity for gifts is required~!! I guess i can forgo my meals for books. But please!! No textbooks!! Totally repulsive!

Dental Hygienie is Important!!

Finally i brought my friend, Alex to visit a dentist whom i know can treat his gums problems!! As most of you know, I was in dental practise during my NS stinct and have been very particular about oral hygiene not only for myself, but also for my parents and friends. For people i just know or do not know very well, i seldom dwell onto that since it can be quite embarassing.

So for all friends who read this, remember!! Sometimes i really wana tell you but dunno your reactions lah~ So….. U guys know lah!! Approach me if you want to touch your dental issues.

Anyway, we went to a dental clinic one of my dental officers, Dr Edwin Oh, was working for after his dental bond (yes, all dentals students are "bonded" after graduation). Nice environment with a beautiful view of Orchard area!! And i had a good time remembering the Kavo Dental chair used; amongst so many dental chairs, Kavo reli best!!

Alex’s gums problem was really horrible!! He had plaque and calculus (not maths) covering some caries on his upper teeth!! Horrible right?? That's a bad thing of not taking care of your teeth and gums!! Yes, they come together!! And he had calculus all over his teeth and in between teeth!! Yes, in between teeth!! Why?!?! Becoz this bloody guy never flossed his teeth!!

So everyone, do remember to buy a good floss! My personal recommendation is Oral B Satin floss! It's fabulous!! My doc friend actually have to use a dental instrument called sickel for Alex’s gums~ In dental jargon, using a sickel means the problem was bad. Hahaha. Or bi good, never take care of his gums.

Alex said he dun feel pained so Dr Oh’s skills must be damn good~ Hehe. Anyway, if you guys and gals are interested in having a dental checkup, you can approach me for my friend’s number. Fyi, all e above pics were approved by Alex!

Guiness Gala Dinner

Today was a rainy day, in a way and i was real scared because i was driving to Singapore Expo for the Guiness Gala Dinner. The tickets were complimentary from my uncle. For a moment, i thought it was going to be some stout drinking stuff but surprise surprise, it's like a concert with chinese style dinner!! 7 courses, not 10 courses, a bit not traditional style though~ lol. But it's a really huge event!! A 10,000 people turnout with 1,000 tables available!!

 

The Guest of Honour of the event was again another surprise; our dear Mrs SM (Senior Minister lah!) or Mrs Goh Chok Tong, who was embroiled in a scandal recently because of her comments on the $600,000 salary of Mr Durai, the infamous CEO (i think) of NKF. But well people, media may not always potray the truthful intent of a person. A lot of words can be twisted into a different meaning and so, let's dun dwell too much on what Mrs Goh sait. Maybe it's taken out of context?

Another nice surprise!! The main theme of the day was not food, the category i always loved to dwell in! Not that it's not fabulous, but it really was not worth mentioning when every dish was cold!! Yes, i know the cold dish was supposed to be cold but have you ever tasted soggy crackers with cold chicken!?!? They were edible at the very least consideration and seriously not that bad.

The main highlight of the day was really the celebrities they invited for e show!! Zhou Chuanxiong, Ah Du and Alex Toh~!! And the thing on everyone’s mind seemed to be the Tuo Diao (Stripped!) song of Alex. I don't understand the mentality of people! Yes, its a nice song but yet, it's like a lot of people wanted to see Alex being stripped down to his underwear!! There were a lot of screaming and shouting for the striptease. I dunno whether to laugh or despair at how narrow minded some people can be. Overall, it was a really good concert by all those involved, including the compere, Quan Yi Feng!

The emblem of which im chopped for easy access. Toilets were really congested (imagine 10,000 ppl sharing just 8 toilets!!) so i would usually go out to the foyer. I dun have a big bladder for all e water i had inside!!

Driving Day

Yes, been busy driving the whole day!!

Not that i was complaining but i really hate driving under the hot sun~ And wat's worse? Rain plus hot sun!! It's a great miracle i was not sick, since I cannot wind down the windows of my good old Toyota Corrolla DX (yes, i finally got the model) when it rains!

9am and i was out of the house, to go market with my mum to buy fresh fish! Ask her to buy NTUC she said not fresh!! After i reached back home, my dear old rubee peed!! Being a responsible owner, i had to clear up the mess ,as usual. Late for my mom and my sis’s appointment at the gynae but doctor was busy! Went to eat hor fun but bloody pic showed 3 prawns and i only found one!

CHEAT!!

Drove to pray at one of the temples near Balestier. After tat it's snacks time!! Went to buy peng kuey (rice snack) and tar sau piah (bean paste pastry)! One good thing about balestier, it's their tar sau piah. Had heard that Balestier food was good but i seriously haven't try much stuff there except for Urban Pooch, a doggie cafe tat sells human and dog food. Visit grandma in SGH and then go AMK NTUC for grocery, and then go back home. Night time go out eat at Chomp Chomp. Total fuel charge still manageable! And luckily Shell is giving out 25% discounts!!!

Another sinful and tiring day…. Tomorrow healthy!!