I wish I never tasted my first chee cheong fun

What was your first introduction to chee cheong fun? 

My earliest memory of it was the pre-made type kept in a food warmer alongside a variety of similarly mass-produced bao and siew mai. It takes no time for it to be dumped on a plate and topped with sweet sauce and if you are lucky, sesame seeds. As a picky eater who disliked vegetables and complicated food, that was often my go-to "meal" during recess in early school years. I think I liked it very much then. 

I wish I could remember when was my first introduction to the other chee cheong fun. I am referring to the freshly-made type using steam to cook the liquid rice flour on a cloth into translucent rice sheets with savoury ingredients such as char siew or prawns. Served steaming hot with a super light soy sauce. Okay, I am salivating as I am typing here. This is the only type of chee cheong fun I allow into my stomach now.

I was pondering this question of why was my first chee cheong fun not the second version as my husband and I were enjoying this very delicacy bought from the newly opened Chef Wei HK Cheong Fun in our neighbourhood. I really love this version of chee cheong fun!!! And I seriously feel shortchanged somehow that I grew up thinking the first version was acceptable..

As mentioned, I think I liked it then as a child. It was enjoyable then even though the rice rolls were way too thick and the dish had minimal nutrients. Perhaps in a school setting where the turnover rate is high, all the chee cheong fun I had then were soft and warm. It was during my working days when in the interest of time and convenience, I ordered a plate from the drinks stall at a coffeeshop and was served one with rice rolls that were dried up at the edges and a sweet sauce that was too watery, and no sesame seeds. Oh, the indignation I felt then. 

I can't be sure but after getting my first taste of the Hong Kong style chee cheong fun, I believe I have never (in the words of the famous doctor photographer) wasted another calorie on the version made for convenience. 

Convenience. Just a word. Who doesn't like convenience right? Me. It has become a word with negative connotations to me now. I do like ease, honestly who wouldn't like life to be easier, but no, not at the expense of life itself. How did we come to this point when convenience takes precedence over our health, our wellbeing, our only home, our planet? 

Back to the question to which I have no answer. It is hard to imagine a Chef Wei in even one school canteen. With an average of 30 minutes for recess, who has time to wait for freshly made chee cheong fun? How else to serve the masses but with mass-produced food? Yet, I can't help thinking how I would never ever stomach the pre-made convenience version if my first taste had been the freshly made authentic quality food that we deserve.  

 

Can we make the entire planet one big apiary??

I remember a time when buzzing bees scared me to death. Must be some movie I watched when I was still a child when bees meant a full-on attack that no one can escape unless you are near a body of water. Now that I am older and wiser, I do not flinch as much when encountering bees. One reason I attribute this to is the practice of ahimsa - nonviolence to all living things. And a hopefully not naive belief that I will not be harmed by another which I am not harming. Probably also well-trained by diving in trigger fish/sharks/sea urchins infested waters. But I still get a jolt when a bee flies too close for comfort.

So, you can imagine my utter amazement to watch these Tik Tok videos by Erika Thompson, a beekeeper based in USA who handles bees sans protective gear. Not one bee, or a few bees but entire bee colonies protective of their beehives. And never near any lakes or rivers!! (okay, I recall a swimming pool once) It is truly mesmerizing to see her in action. So gentle, confident and might I add elegant and gorgeous?!? [Recently there was an online feud between her and other beekeepers over her methods but I shall share this article and still standby my support for her!]

Now, you can imagine my absolute delight to discover we have our very own Singapore Bee Man!! Xavier Tan saves bees in a very similar method as Erika Thompson, rehoming them humanely. I enjoy his videos too, especially when you can recognize whereabouts he was on our sunny island! Besides providing bee removal service, he also has locally produced raw honey (and mead! read: wine) for sale!

Today he shared a post that left me incredulous. Our very own NParks (and NEA) ignorant about the existence of humane bee removal methods. Seriously? Or the excuse that they have a contract with a pest extermination company. First of all, bees are not pest!! And all contracts have expiry right? Know better and do better then! Having previously watched his video on the aftermath of a chemical extermination, this is unthinkable and unacceptable. Once again, we have allowed convenience to take precedence over the value of life. 😔

Did you know that there is a World Bee Day? I mean I generally enjoy seeing bees alive and well (rather than exterminated and left for dead) but bees are actually essential to our very survival. 

"Bees are vital for the preservation of ecological balance and biodiversity in nature."

Thus, if you ever have to remove a bee hive, please call our Bee Man. Can't believe I am saying this, but do not call our authorities, they do not know better. And apparently refuse to learn. 

Should I start a petition to get our authorities to provide humane recommendations? 👀

Devotion

 I fell in love with the concept of combining yoga and dance the first time I watched this video more than a year ago. Two movements close to my heart seamlessly intertwined together and flawlessly performed by the instructor. I had resolved there and then to master it when I was sharing the video and regretfully did nothing for a year.

 So Facebook reminded me of it recently and I was mesmerized all over again. This time I meticulously watched and rewatched it and penned down the sequence of the poses. The song is beautiful. Then I practised it multiple times before I finally remembered to apply the basic 8 counts for dance choreography. Ha! The whole sequence is barely 4 minutes but by the time I could do one time without referring to the video, I was sweating buckets! It felt so good.

 Today after 45 minutes worth of sun salutations, I decided to end off with this 舞极流 instead of savasana. Actually I have never forgotten my love for dancing but that has definitely taken a back seat now that yoga feels so much more accessible. As I watched myself performing it, trying to ignore all the wobbling, unpointed toes and wrinkled forehead, one word came through to me.

 Last month, I wrote down a Sadhguru's quote on devotion. Somehow it called to me when I chanced upon it even though I did not fully understand it. It just felt like something that I need, something I will benefit from. Precisely because I had never understood it or accepted it, or the idea of faith which is a close synonym to devotion.

I had rejected religion. That of the older generation. Another of a few of my ex-es. I have no problem seeing the goodness in religions but that aspect of pure faith or total devotion just does not gel with the logical me. Yet, I am not an atheist. I consider myself spiritual. But even spirituality seems to require faith and devotion. That I struggle with...

 

Devotion
Lustful looks of one who lacks love.
Loving touch of a heart that is soaked in the infinite will.
The tenderness of heartless devotion.
Vast beyond the measure of an ocean.
Barrenness of one who knows not the grace of love and devotion.
All this and more are the ways of the creature called human.
Choose my beloved to be an ocean of devotion.
~Sadhguru

 

However, watching myself doing what I love.... I am starting to get a glimpse. 

Perhaps devotion to me is movement.

 

The dissectologist's final piece

I have always enjoyed assembling jigsaw puzzles. I especially love puzzles with cats on them. I had so many completed ones, both framed and unframed, lying around that I had a hard time deciding what to do with them when I was packing for my move into my own apartment. With a desire to lead a more minimalist lifestyle, I did not buy any more puzzles and it has been 4 years since I assembled one.

During the Circuit Breaker and all the extra time social distancing at home, my hands (and mind) began to itch for a puzzle. In this climate of uncertainty, the prospect of a clear solution just waiting to be discovered is immensely alluring. Like cross-stitching and painting-by-numbers, it is also a healthier activity compared to staring at screens. I was so sorely tempted to get this particular one! 

Recently, I chanced upon a mini jigsaw puzzle giveaway on a blessing group and jumped on it! I could and would certainly give it away upon completion and pay it forward. I was also excited about the fact that this was a mini version such that the 1000 pieces will only reach A3 size. Talk about saving space, and I just have a thing for tiny, miniature stuff.

So the dissectologist, yours truly, got to work. I was really looking forward to the entire process from completing the frame to putting that final piece in its place, and that ultimate sense of accomplishment. In fact, I started to wonder which or where might my final piece be and muse about if there could be a significance to that final piece.. 🤔

My puzzle assembling skills are a little rusty that although I found the frame fairly quickly, my progress soon halted as I was getting distracted by pieces all over the place unsorted by colours. It was not the gratifying experience I was expecting. But herein lies the beauty of doing a puzzle, I get to decide when I stop for the day (unlike daily quests on my Two Dot game which leaves me no choice! 😂)

The following day I started by sorting the colours (which should had been the first thing to do after finding the frame!) and I did not want to stop. There is some real satisfaction in being able to recognise exactly where a particular piece goes, or placing a piece correctly by gut feeling. I was on a roll, grinning like an idiot with every piece that found its rightful place.

Before long, I could see that the final piece would probably be a green piece of a grass patch without any distinctive markings, not a blue piece of the water waves that looked indistinguishable from one to the other. So... green instead of blue huh.....

Except, my final piece was nowhere to be found. 

It was neither green nor blue or any colour because as I was searching frantically for the missing piece, I already forgotten which was the second last piece I put in place. I totally missed out on that thrill of the moment of epiphany when the whole picture reveals itself with the placement of the final piece.

The crazy thing is I was okay with it. If it had happened when I was younger, I would have cursed and  swore at the indignation, at the wasted time and effort to arrive at imperfection. But not today. 

Age does crazy things to you. Really had enjoyed the journey rather than focusing on the destination. 

And perhaps that was exactly the significance of this dissectologist's final piece.

Desiderata

This poem was written in 1927. I was today years old to have the fortune of being acquainted with it. 

Well, the first thing I had to do (whenever I come across texts that speak right to my heart) is to write it out by hand. I enjoy practising my handwriting and the whole process allows me to think more thoroughly about what I am writing. My favourite portion is the last three paragraphs.

My immediate thought was I wished I knew it when I was younger, when it would have helped, when I really needed it. But I figured I would probably not had been mature enough then to glimpse the gems within. 

desiderata (noun, plural) - things that are desired, wanted, or needed

Yes, the younger me would not be able to see that those are the things that are truly desirable, blinded the way I was by peer pressure, social norms and my own monkey mind. ... Immensely thankful that I now have some wisdom to be able to appreciate this prose-poem.

May this sharing brings peace to your soul.

What kind of books keep you up at night?

Been a while since I wrote a book review; Had done a few as an English Language teacher. Check out here and here. Wrote this one for NLB Book Review Challenge (200 words limit 😅) when I chanced upon it while reading the book. Really enjoyed this one. 💖 If you don't mind a preloved book, I can pass on the book to you! And just found out there is a TV movie based on the book!

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"Photography is all about secrets. The secrets we all have and will never tell."

"You can't stop time. You can't capture light. You can only turn your face up and let it rain down."

"A moment was not a single moment at all, but rather an infinite number of different moments, depending on who was seeing things and how." 

The very first thing that drew me to this book was its cover. On hindsight, the beautiful imaginary of the transparent dress perfectly reflects the theme of the daughter who is present yet as good as invisible. I also agree with the idea of photography portrayed as a means of holding memories and find myself nodding along whenever this theme is explored. I especially love the author’s artistry in describing landscapes, scenes, moments, and even the emotions of the characters to the point of making them almost tangible. It had been a meditation like experience for me reading this book as it demands full attention to its vivid description and suspenseful plot. The book was set in the late 20^th century and it is sad to note that the stigma attached to mental conditions and Down Syndrome had scarcely reduced since then. I can only hope that readers of the book may be positively impacted and better empathise with people having such conditions.

Mala and me?!

I have been told more than once that I can't be Singaporean because I don't like spicy food. It's true. Ketchup is my favorite sauce and I have never tasted chili till my teenage years. And only droplets of mild chicken rice chili with lots of rice. Just can't take too much of it. 

So when Mala first came to our shores, I hardly noticed or perhaps I avoided it. I did try a few mouthfuls during a family dinner when my brother bought the spicy version which of course meant no more for me. 

Had not thought about it anymore until recently when a friend bought a for one bowl. Woah... you mean it is not only for sharing? I was also informed then that you have a choice of the level of spiciness?! Stealing bites from his bowl, I realised my range of food choices just got expanded. 

Usually for meatless Mondays, if vegetarian food is unavailable, I look for economical rice or Yong Tau Foo stalls and only pick vegetables. This can be done at Mala stalls too! So today, I finally ordered a Mala Xiang Guo for myself. 

Naturally, I opted for the 少辣. Pleasantly surprised by the variety compared to YTF. What I didn't know was that my selections are charged by weight and a typical bowl will cost SGD7.50. But it was delicious! 

Love the stir fried crunchy ingredients with that acceptable touch of spiciness. The extra peanuts really elevated the whole meal for me. Must remember to request to skip the coriander..

Anyway, never imagined myself eating Mala anything so this is worth a mention. Time to try out all these famous Mala stalls on the island!