Tai Tai Gathering

Have not caught up with V and M for quite some months... We decided to meet up before M goes off to the States and me going off to Australia for a break. I call it a tai tai gathering because the 3 of us usually visit nice places to hang out and usually either of them would recommend a nice place for us to gather and chill out with.

A tai tai (according to the singlish dictionary) is a wealthy woman who does not work but spends her time shopping, meeting friends, etc; a lady if leisure.

Don't misunderstand that we are really tai tais. We are far from it... although V and M could potentially be one in future ;) At least for me, I am far from wealthy and not working. If there is such a thing as poor tai tai, I probably fit that better :p

Today we visited the Marmalade Pantry. I think MP has been opened for some time but the sua ku me did not know of such a place. As I search for MP's website, I came across another blogger's entry on his/her encounter with MP.


I only had Summer (banana and strawberry yoghurt milk smoothie) whilst V and M shared a sticky date pudding with vanilla ice cream and a cherry tart. I took a bite of the pudding and it was yummy! As I was not hungry, I did not try any other food on the menu. V and M sang much praises of the food as they had been there on a few occasions. I must say that I do quite like the ambience of MP. It was a perfect place for some friends to spend a Saturday afternoon with.

A bird's eye view of MP, situated at the basement of Palais Renaissance

Seats that were directly in front of a shoe boutique. Above the sofa seats, there is a space where you can look through to the shop and there is a mirror panel above the sofa seats

The King

Am studying book of 1 Samuel at DG and at church. I used to prefer reading the new testament of the Bible than the old testament. New testament is easier to understand and easier to relate to the gospel and my life directly. But ever since I began to take up the Moore Coorespondance Course a few years ago, I begin to appreciate old testament better especially when I did the module on OT1 where it looks at the first 5 books of the Bible - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The old testament has lots of stories... stories that points to God's one and only purpose - to save His people and reconcile them with Him. This begins with the nation of Israel and the salvation plan was finally revealed through Jesus Christ - His life, His death and His resurrection.

In 1 Samuel, the Israelites asked God for a king to rule over them. The Israelites want a human king to rule them just as the other nations surrounding them. The purpose of wanting a king was so that he could lead them to gain military power to fight the nations. God has already proven to the Israelites at many occasions that He is the Lord and King and where with God, they had won battles against their enermies. But they once again reject God and demanded for a man to rule over them. Instead of a God King, they want a man king, even though they were told by the prophet Samuel that the king will be one who will reign over them, take their sons and daughters to work hard for him and taking a portion of their fields and harvests... and when they cry out for relief over the king they have chosen, God will not answer them.

Despite that, the Israelites still demanded for a king. Surely God was not pleased that His people wanted a man king over a God King. Yet God still provided a king for His people. 1 Samuel 9-10 details the process of the selection of a king amongst the Israelites. From the details leading up to Saul being made king, you can see the entire picture that God's hands were significantly in it. Even though the general idea of the Israelites wanting a king displeases God, in His love He still provided. From the selection of Saul, one can see that God is in control and sovereign over all. When you read the entire 1, 2 Samuel and all the way until the new testament gospels, you will be able to see that God's purpose is achieved against all odds.

I was challenged by the question my DG leader asked: Knowing that God is sovereign, how has His sovereignty worked out in our lives? I shared with my DG mate that I was praying with, how God has been sovereign in my life. As I think of them and recounting the incidents/occasions, I have reminded and encouraged myself (and P whom I was sharing with) through my past, in which I can only conclude that God indeed has His hands in my life. It makes me grateful and thankful to Him. From certain more significant incidents that occurred in the past, there was always something that happened in such a way that I knew it was not my works, but His. There would be a 'stamp' of assurance for me in the beginning of the episode such that as the going gets tough, I am asssured that this is where God has placed me in and He will continue to see me through.

One good example of this was my current job. I did not desire for this particular job, nor knew what as exactly in store. Strangely, I was the first one to be interviewed amongst the few shortlisted by my boss (and that was amongst 60 applications for that one post). My boss had then recruited me on the spot and not waited to interview other candidates. Only when I was into the job, that I know that it was something which suited me and I like to do. I had the pay that I wanted and unexpectedly, a good boss and colleagues to work with, good working hours that allow me to have time for ministries... what more can I ask for? A few months into the job, I was fearful at the possibility that I might have to leave this job due to some work politics because I may have offended someone. But as I recalled how God provided me this job when I didn't exactly ask for, I was assured that if indeed He has given me this job and if I really have to leave because of politics, it is still all within His control. God can give and He can take away too. God can open doors and He can close the doors too. Time flies and I have been in this job for more than 5 years!

It is always difficult for us to see and recognise God's sovereignty when we are going through tough times. These times challenge us on our standing in God and our faith and trust in Him to be King and Lord over our lives. But we can hang on because of the hope that we can have in who God is and knowing that all things will come to past when Jesus comes again. God will make all things beautiful in His time... there is a timing for everything. Lord, help me to look up to You and fix my eyes on You.

If Women Ruled The World

A girl friend sent me this via email but I only picked to post those that I like ;p

If women ruled the world....

... the bowling alley will be lined with pink roses

... there will only be a choice of colours and not the brand and performance of cars

... the mouse shall have multi functions

... and the parking lots shall be significantly larger

Of all that, I like the multi-function mouse =)

Gained A Kilo

After some persistent requests from a few of us, CL decided to whip up a Vietnamese/Japanese meal for EK, LH, RW, me and CL's mum. It was both fortunate and unfortunate for us. Fortunate because we had good homecooked food. Unfortunate because of the amount of calories we added on ;-)

The spread that we had

Bottom left clockwise: Vietnamese roll with fish, Japanese chicken curry with udon,
Japanese cold toufu and green tea ice cream with mochi & red bean

My favourite was the ice cream with mochi (substituted with chinese tang yuan). What was also fun for the evening was the conversation that we had as girls... well I would say its the typical girly talk but it was relaxing for the soul :P We are all looking forward to CL demonstrating other culinary skills that she picked up from her culinary classes ;)

I Went To Macau

Was with a friend at Bugis Junction last night and was told of a new Crystal Jade Macau Cafe Restaurant at the basement level. My eyes brightened up immediately when I hear that!

This restaurant serves Macau cuisine food. I was thrilled as I had been to Macau 6 years ago. I was there for 4 weeks (longest time out of home thus far) for a missions exposure trip. From what I recall of food in Macau, the food that I had most of the time were takeaways from cafes and homecooked food. Homecooked food was pretty much simple but were very tasty. My favourite was soy sauce chicken wings. Apparently it is very easy to cook and the taste is superb! Takeaways from cafes were common in Macau. A culture shock we had was seeing the layer of oil left behind in the styrofoam boxes after we finish our meal!! Apparently this was how they cook. One of our favourites was pork chop rice. It seems like pork is in the main diet of the Macanese, many of their famous dishes has got to do with pork and luncheon meat!

(I didn't bring my camera... so had to use my mobile to snap a few shots below)

Left clockwise: cuttlefish with salt & pepper, pumpkin soup with seafood,
red bean dessert drink, grape dessert drink and ham & egg sandwich

Pork chop bun (ju yuk bao in cantonese)

Macaroni (tong xing fan in Cantonese) with egg and luncheon meat

Having tong xing fan really brings back much memories... One of the signature dishes in this restaurant was the ju yuk bao. The pork patty was tasty and chewy. The bun was toasted to make the crispy texture. The egg and ham sandwich was simple but it was how the Macanese ate. I'm not sure if the dessert drinks were Macanese but they were very refreshing.

It was interesting to know how the Macanese sees Singapore. I remembered seeing roadhside stall selling watermelons from Singapore. I never knew that Singapore produces watermelons?!? Those watermelons fetched a higher price than others. I suspect they were imported from Malaysia (not Singapore). The other interesting thing was to know what does their xin zhou mai fen (or chow fan) xin zhou - Singapore island, mai fen - bee hoon, chow fan - fried rice. Any food named xin zhou, you will see it being cooked with curry powder! The xin zhou mai fen you see in Singapore itself is far from that. So seems like any food associated with Singapore means spicy or curry.

Overall, the food at Crystal Jade Macau in itself was good. I will go back to try their pork knuckles (yes, its pork again) and other dishes. It was good to know that there were less oil than those I had in Macau. However the real food in Macau is surely better. Maybe the oil made the difference?? My church pastors and some elders just came back yesterday from week's conference in Macau. I wonder how they like the food there?

What Is Love?

Watermelon girl got married over the weekend. She wrote a song for her hubby and sang it at the dinner whilst he played on the guitar.

Hey girl, thank you for your friendship and your love. May both of you grow in love in years as we continue to learn what is love by looking at Jesus Christ.

What is Love

Of the two of us I know

You'd be the kinder one
You'd be the first to take my hand
So I'd never have to run

Of the two of us I'd be
The one who falls apart
I'm scared of what I see in me
And my disobedient heart

So I'm amazed at the promise that you gave
That for all your days
We'll learn together
For better or worse

Oh I'm amazed
As I am after each battle
At your gentle and all forgiving love

Of the two of us we have
A stronger promise yet
God Himself has made us one
Oh this far exceeds our earthly vows

He'll give us everything we need
To live the testimony
That when all our days have come to pass
All creation will be

Amazed at the glory of the Lamb
Christ who broke the sin of men
By the blood He shed

And as He reigns exalted high above
His Word and Spirit teach us what is love

I know that loving can be hard
I know I make you tired
So this I pray with all my heart:
That we'll keep our eyes upon the Cross

Our Lord who bore His Father's wrath
For sinners who crucified Him
Had every right to ask for justice
Yet He cried, forgive

So be amazed, that Christ should love us first
We were lost in selfish anger
When He took on flesh to die on earth

By grace, as He laid gasping on the Cross
God Himself was showing what is love

Jesus Christ our Saviour God is love

India, Here I Come!

I can't take very much chilli... so I don't really take Malay nor Indian food. I think I only ate mee siam, laksa, bryani, rendang, curry etc at much of a later age. I guess the non-adventurous me doesn't help too.

Part of the package of growing up is getting exposed to other cuisines. Last week, friends brought me to North Indian food at Little India. Despite being a Singaporean, I hardly went to Little India. Only remembered my teachers brought my class there during one of our heritage tours when I was 14. I've not even been to Mustafa (no kidding)!!

Along Serangoon Road at Broadway Hotel, was this 18-year-old Northern Indian Restaurant. It is a small cozy place with authentic North Indian food. I think I have tasted North Indian food before... Years ago, my ex-boyfriend brought me to one at Ngee Ann Shopping Centre. North Indian food is much less spicy than South Indian cuisine. I'm glad that I could enjoy the less spicy food :)

I heard Delhi Restaurant was listed in the Lonely Planet at one time. It has won quite some awards as well. We had the papadom (first helping is free, subsequent helping at $1), mixed grill, fish masala, butter chicken, spinach with cottage cheese, mixed vegetable and a few types of indian bread like naan. The mixed grill and butter chicken are some of its signature dishes... Although some of the grill was a bit spicy, the yoghurt dip helped to ease the heat quite effectively. There is a chinese waiter who was very helpful in recommending dishes and ensuring that we have a good time. This is what I call customer service :) The warmth service was somewhat unexpected in the simple, unassuming place. Uncle says that he will remember us and will recommend other dishes to us when we go back the next time.


Yum yum!! Just be warned that Indian food is generally rich. I was stuffed up with the naan and yummy-licious chicken and spinach with cottage cheese :) Was most satisfied when I rounded up the eveing with a mango lassi (mango yoghurt smoothie) :)

Snack Time

I was at Funan Centre when I saw some snacks on sale and could not resist to give them a try. So I bought some for myself and for my colleagues to enjoy :)

My favourite - kueh tutu. According to the singlish dictionary, It is a small, flat, white steamed cakes filled with orange-coloured sweetened shredded coconut or other ingredients, made using a mould with a scalloped pattern. The owner makes deliciously moist steamed cakes with peanut or coconut filling. The snack was originally eaten plain in China. But filling was added when it was reproduced here. Its name ‘tutu’ was given to mimic the noise that came from traditional charcoal-heated steamers.

kueh tutu

I love kueh tutu! It is the steamed rice flour that makes it a bit chewy and I like the texture of it. Sometimes I wonder if anywhere in Singapore sells ones without the filling?? I don't quite mind both the peanut and coconut filling, although I slightly prefer the coconut over the peanut. Reason is that coconut tends to make the kueh more juicy, whilst peanut filling is a little drier. Most stalls outside sells 5 for $2 and my usual combination will be 3 with coconut filling and 2 with peanut filling.

There is a 'cousin' of kueh tutu - known as putu piring. It is a flat, white Malay steamed cake filled with Gula Melaka. Not to be confused with kueh tutu. putu piring is slightly larger and comes with a filling of gula melaka, not peanut or coconut.

A search on Google tells me of a recipe of putu piring that someone else blogged about. I have tried putu piring at the Jonker Street market in Malacca when I went there in 2004. However the stall disappeared since and I did not see the uncle last year and this year. Putu piring is twice the size of kueh tutu and it only costs RM$0.50 each. Of the 2, I still prefer kueh tutu :)

The other snack I bought from Funan was the Japanese Mochi. (But I think having found out more about mochi, I think what I had was not exactly known as mochi...) The traditional mochi is just plain rice cake (read about the process of making mochi). One use of the mochi was to make confectionary and stuffed with different sweet fillings. These are then known as daifuku. The ones that were on sale were red bean, green tea, peanut and yam. I had bought 2 of each flavour except yam. I didn't get to try the green tea ones as my colleagues had taken them. Between red bean and peanut, I prefer the peanut flavour :P

Red for red bean, green for green tea, white for peanut

Go try them when you see them on sale :)

Year 2006?

After reading my friend's email, I am convinced that I am living in the year 2006...

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2006 when...

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing

Boundless to Share

Was reading Boundless Webzine when I came across an old article. Hope that this will encourage some mothers whom I know are struggling with their roles of caring for their child.

How Mothering Makes More of Us

From there, I saw a link to another article which reminds us on our selfish nature as human beings (Do we need to be reminded at all???)

Shopping for Selfishness

For the singles who are interested to know, read these:

What GUYS Wish You Knew (For Women)

What GIRLS Wish You Knew (For Men)

Japanese Teppanyaki Sauces

M found some recipe for teppanyaki sauces for our dinner yesterday. Both were really yummy! Its simple. Just dip the grilled food in the sauces and yum yum.... Try them! :)

Ginger Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1/3 cup soysauce
1/3 cup sake (*the x-factor)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp grated garlic
1 tsp grated ginger

Preparation:
Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.

Sesame Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp grinded sesame
1 tbsp grinded ginger

Preparation:
Pull all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.

If you are a fan of sesame, you will love the sesame sauce. If you like a kind of slight, sweet tangerine type of taste, the ginger sauce is for you. I like both of them in their own special tastes. Some food will go better with one than the other. You can prepare them up to one day in advance.

Great Mercies

Physically tired after a weekend of activities.

The saddest moment when I learnt a dear friend lost her baby. It was sudden and heartbreaking. I had to hold back my tears when she had to explain to her daughter about it and then seeing the little girl's face turned to sadness and disappointment, and she gave her mummy a hug.

The happiest time was the Japanese meal a few of us had for dinner last night. Friend bought a Princess fondue/grill/steamer set which I had wanted to buy last year but decided to save the $$. We had a good time having Japanese teppanyaki with some homemade teppanyaki dipping sauce and also Japanese curry sauce on a fondue pot. To top it off, we played Japanese music in the background to create the right mood. For dessert, we had pulu hitam ice cream from Island Creamery. Yum!

On the way to work, whilst praying, my mind drifted off to the tune of a song... of which the lyrics reminded me of God's mercies to me - new everyday and sufficient for me all the time.

Mercies Anew
(Mark Altrogge and Bob Kaulin)

Every morning that breaks
There are mercies anew
Every breath that I take is your faithfulness proved
And at the end of each day
When my labours are through
I will sing of your mercies anew

And your mercies they will never end
For ten thousand years they remain
And when this world's beauty has passed away
Your mercies will be unchanged

When I've fallen and strayed
There are mercies anew
For you sought me in love
And my heart You pursued
In the face of my sin
Lord you never withdrew
I will sing of your mercies anew

And when the storms swirl and rage
There are mercies anew
In affliction and pain
You will carry me through
And at the end of my days
When Your throne fills my view
I will sing of your mercies anew

Makes Me Hungry

Read the news 2 weeks ago and there was a write-up about some locals who blogged about food and recipes. Yum! Reading the articles and looking at the photos makes me hungry!! It doesn't help that I have been hungry quite easily these few days. E.g. I was hungry at 10am yesterday. Ate a banana and felt satisfied :) 30 minutes later, I feel hungry again!! I think the enzymes in my body are superbly efficient!

Here are some blogs which were featured:

1. Nibble and Scribble

2. She bakes and she cooks

3. Chubby Hubby

4. Eatzybitzy

5. Unami

One more local site for food reviews and recipes - Wine & Dine @ AsiaOne. Came across the site when I was searching for info on some restaurant venues that I can possibly bring my doctors to this year. Try out some of the interesting recipes there! For one, the wasabi prawn recipe looks real easy to whip up!

Now, I am really hungry because its dinner time ;)

Half Time Reflection

Half the year of 2006 has flew by... I still remembered welcoming 2006 with fireworks... and wondering what will the year bring... before I knew it, 6 months have gone by.

In church, we had taken a break from our regular study of books in the Bible. We will be starting on 1 Samuel in the coming week. Pastor preached on half time reflections on Hebews 13:1-10 today. It was a good reminder to check on my walk with God and if I have been living out the Word that I know.

Have I stop to love?

(13:1) Keep on loving each other as brothers It is a serious failure not to love. Have I stopped loving? Has the standard of love dropped? When have I made the decision to stop loving people? We take a risk when we love someone but we have to take this risk continously. We can be betrayed, bitten but we should not harden ourselves and cease to love. As a believer of Christ, I should never stop loving His people. It is not a question of whether the person deserved my love, for we did not deserve God's love when we rebel against him and sinned big time. But God still loved us and gave us His Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice, so that the relationship between us and God can be reconciled.

Have I been generous and hospitable?
(13:2) Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. It is a serious failure not to be generous and hospitable. We should be people with big-heartedness, expressing generosity and hospitality. When we discharge generosity and hospitality, we will be vulnerable (e.g. opening our house to others). But we also ought to be prayerful and discerned. Pastor illustrated how his old-aged mother once asked him how she would know if the people entering their house were people from the church (pastor stays in church premises). She might unknowingly invite a thief into the house! So the need to be discerning...

Did I engage in selective fellowship?
(13:3) Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. It is a serious failure to embark on selective fellowship and association. Have I chose to only associate and fellowship with some people whom are 'more worthy'?

Am I sexually pure?
(13:4) Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. To the marrieds: Do not commit adultery. To the singles: Be sexually moral. This is a serious thing - to keep our bodies pure for it is a temple of God.

Am I contented?

(13:5-6) Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Discontentment is a time bomb. Is my life free from the love of money? If it is not, when can I be free and how can I be free? It is a serious failure to love money and be discontented. It is different to need money and love for money. Be contented with what I have. God will provide all that I need.

Have I obeyed and submitted to my leaders?
(13:7, 17) Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith... Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Have I rebelled against leaders that are put over me? Do I obey my leaders and submit to them? Have I 'terrorised' them? Submission should characterise Christians.

Is salvation through Jesus Christ sufficient?
(13:9-10) Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. Salvation by grace through Jesus Christ is sufficient. Do not allow others to tell you "You have Jesus but you also need to have...." My salvation is by grace and grace alone, Christ and Christ alone. Nothing else do I require to gain salvation. Nothing that I can do to earn my salvation but only by grace and through faith in Jesus Christ. We have to reject false teaching as part of our worship to God.

So what are my challenges ahead?
To love unceasingly, even when it is difficult and impossible to love;
To not be ashamed and share the gospel boldly with my family, my colleagues and my friends; and most of all...
To love God by obeying Him and living a life in full submission to Him.

New Pier On The Island

The Singapore Clifford Pier has ceased operations on 1 April 2006. The pier was built in the 1920s and it has to make way for new developments in the area. Replacing its operations, is the Marina South Pier. This new pier is further out south of the main island of Singapore and it will continue to serve the ships which stop by Singapore. The MS Pier was officially opened yesterday. I didn't know about it until I saw it on tv news about its official opening cermony.

Anyhow I was at the Shenton Way area today and on the way home, I saw the "Marina South" sign, I decided to make a detour there (since I have the car) to have a look at this new pier. Marina South has been a place I wanted to recee... When I took a junk boat ride to the Southern Islands of Singapore (it had set off from Clifford Pier then) in March last year, I had saw some nice parts of Marina South from the boat in which I never knew existed. It wasn't a difficult drive to the MS Pier. I could not resist to get down to take a few shots of the new icon. Here are the photos that I took...

(Click on photos for a larger view)






On the top floor, there is a viewing gallery.... nice place to look out into the horizon, the boats and the waters :)

Last but not least... as I was driving away from the pier, I saw this sight that I could not resist but to stop the car and took a shot. Unfortunately, my Exilim is failing me and the photo does little justice to the real view. I like the view of the city buildings amidst the trees... and in the same picture, I can see both the road and the skies too! Photo's a little grainy, probably because I took it through my windscreen... I was a little lazy to meet the hot sun just to take a couple of shots :P