Archive
Pensive Reflections
2015 is closing shop soon.
2016 will bloom in a bit.
I’ll be one year older – 38 to 39. What have I achieved?
Not much honestly. More than that, I’m at the age where I am quite nostalgic (although not as hairy) about easier older times. I suspect that most of you would be too.
As such, I’m casting eye back on my ages to see what I’ve grown into.
| Ages | Main Activity | Looking Back | Regrets |
| 21 to 25 Study |
University. Got a girl, lost a girl, made out with some. | Fresh out of the army and into NUS (Computing).
Hung around the pink tables and yakked the day away. Felt proud that I could hold my alcohol. Lots of parties – whee! Decided on three things to try after I graduated: teaching, IT, and writing. |
I wished to have learnt how to think, dissect and construct arguments, hypotheses and experiments.
I had focused too much on University being the “it’s the last stop before the real working world”and hence played too much after my first (most intense) year. |
| 26 to 30 Experiments |
Worked as a programmer & teacher. Did a writing internship. Took 6 months off to travel. |
I couldn’t figure out code. It felt dry, lifeless and lacked humanity. (Ironic that I now see people as the problem mostly.)
I was – and still am – curmudgeonly, stand-offish and wanted to be a leader, regardless of whether I am correct. Best parts of this period: 1. Writing internship at I-S This was one of my best eras – I was rocking a power-packed body that could do anything that I asked of it. |
Again, I wished that I had spent less and invested more.
I wished that I had taken all those relationship red flags seriously. It would have helped me to deal with people. And perhaps I’ll be less stressed out in the future. |
| 31 to 35 | Returned from travels. Became a travel writer. Became an online editor. Stepped into an Account Director’s role
Buried myself into work |
My first foray into advertising and marketing with Saatchi and Saatchi as a social media guy. I kept on working with editorial but soon I was disillusioned by the amount of work for very little pay.
Hence I supplemented it with freelance work. I took on anything and everything. Sometimes working up to 12 hours a day for months on the end. Resulting in a nice nest egg. But by the time, 35 came around, I was burnt out from working and working and working. Unlike previous eras, I started investing – even though it was haphazard, clearly too ambitious, and hopelessly emotional. |
I wished I had gone out and made more good friends, not just drinking buddies.
I wished kept all of my dividend stocks. And I wished that I had experimented with getting my writings out there instead of just writing to a brief. |
| 36 to 38 | Retrenched. Joined a digital agency. Doing Strategy and Inbound Marketing. Learning data science | I’ve researched and made pitches, and did some data analytics.
My investments are paying off now – they cover my monthly cost. |
I wish that I’m doing something useful instead of marketing.
I wish that I don’t have to deal with clients or people in general. I wished I could take a few years off. |
Story #6: Old Birthday
My door and joints creaked in sympathy.
Surprise! Happy birthday!
“Gertrude was too old for a surprise party” by Full Ben
Stories Under 10 Words
Inspired by Hemmingway’s 6-word story “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn”.
More Short Shorts at Stories Under 10 | Six Word Stories (Reddit)
Story #5: No Truth
Don’t explain.
Speak what they want to hear instead.
“The Expert” by Lauris Beinerts
Stories Under 10 Words
Inspired by Hemmingway’s 6-word story “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn”.
More Short Shorts at Stories Under 10 | Six Word Stories (Reddit)
Haze on a Bad Stomach
So the annual haze is back and roiling across South East Asia.
It’s not as bad as the haze in 2013 which went up to a record high of 401 PSI (Pollution Standards Index). This year round it managed a measly 220.
But I felt worse.
from Straatosphere
Apart from keeping me indoors and blocking out the sun, somehow the Haze got into my system and bothered me with never-ending coughs, irritated throat and itchy eyes for two weeks.
A pain in itself. But then, it mutated into blood-stained phlegm (only in the morning and after a racking cough) and chest pains for a week.
I freaked out.
From Health Tap
Singapore’s Polyclinics are crowded, orderly, and rather efficient affairs (although the waiting could take a while). The GP poked, prodded, and gave me an ECG.
The verdict
- Chest – muscular-skeletal. Intercoastals muscles are strained
- Cough – possibly dyspepsia and acid reflux
I got medicine for it and a lecture on cleaning up my diet. That means no coffee, no chillis, no alcohol, nothing heaty (like durian). Interestingly enough, my cough started to clear up and I’ve not been spitting blood into the wash basin.
Perhaps it’s just a one-off injury from coughing too much.
I certainly hope so. But to be safe, I’ll go clean liver for a month (or more).
Story #4: The Game of Chicken
Two cars hurtled against each other.
Only one drove away.
“Bright Headlights At 40 At Night” by Sharat Ganapati
Stories Under 10 Words
Inspired by Hemmingway’s 6-word story “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn”.
More Short Shorts at Stories Under 10 | Six Word Stories (Reddit)
Story #3: Memory
“Who are you?”
“Your daughter.”
“Oh.”
Tomorrow.
“Who are you?”
“Born in the U.S.A., Humble Negro Cemetery, Humble, Texas 0508101245BW” by Patrick Feller
Stories Under 10 Words
Inspired by Hemmingway’s 6-word story “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn”.
More Short Shorts at Stories Under 10 | Six Word Stories (Reddit)
Story #2: Silent Nights
Silent night, crowded city.
No one heard her.
“Causeway Bay” by akwan architect
Stories Under 10 Words
Inspired by Hemmingway’s 6-word story “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn”.
More Short Shorts at Stories Under 10 | Six Word Stories
Food: Pork Rib Tea (Bak Kut Teh)
Pork Rib Tea in Singapore is really a soup made from Pork ribs, and simmered forever and forever on a slow fire. Google it and you’ll see folks in Singapore and Malaysia waxing lyrical about it.
I wanted to make this to see if I could. After all, it’s just pork, garlic, peppercorns and water. Easy enough. Not quite.
Bones make the soup. Remember it!
You’ll see why in a bit.
This recipe was mashed-up from Chinese Soup Pot | Daily Cook Quest | Makansutra | Pee Por
Google search about Pork Rib Tea
Preparation Time
2 hours 45 min
You’ll Need These Ingredients
- 1.5 kg of Pork Ribs
- 2 cups of garlic
- 1/3 cup of white peppercorns
- A bunch of herbs (see below)
- 2 tablespoon Salt
- 5L of Water
- Add ons: Beancurd Skin and Tao Pok
The Missing Ingredients
- 1 kg of Pork bones
- Prime ribs
Top Left: 1.5 kg of Pork Ribs
Top Right: Peppercorns
Bottom Left: Herbs
Bottom Right: Herb names
Bottom: Garlic
Instructions and “Did it Work?”
1. Scald the Pork Ribs
Bring a pot of water to a boil and dump your ribs in it. Leave it for 5 minutes or so.
You’ll find that there will brown gunk floating on the water. That’s blood from the ribs and we want to get rid of it to get a (relatively) clear soup.
Once blanched, extract and rinse under water.
2. Roast the Garlic and Peppercorns
Roast them with the shells. For peppercorns, smash it up a little so that you’ll get a bit of powder too. I did this to break down the flavours and give soup a wok-ky taste.
Tip: When roasting, start bringing a pot of water to boil. It’ll take some time.
Black bits are OK!
3. Boil and Simmer!
The easiest part.
Chuck garlic, peppercorns, herbs into the pot first and let them simmer for 10 minutes.
Then in go the pork ribs.
Bring to a roiling boil for 10 minutes and let simmer for 2 hours. Turn off the heat, let stand and heat up before serving.
4. Serve with Add-ons
Before serving, add whatever you want. Serve in a bowl with chilli-soy sauce.
Wending Verdict on Bak Kut Teh
It’s full of aroma from the spices and herbs. And the pork slides off the bones like butter on a hot knife.
However, the soup was thin on mouth feel. That’s why pork bones would make the difference in making all so thick and hearty.
Also, cut back on the peppercorns to 1/4 cup. Otherwise, it’ll overpower the soup with peppery pepperness.
Lessons: always make stock.
Story #1: Food
Table for 12, sat by one. Day in, day out.
“Lonely Dinner Table” by Dan Krusi
Stories Under 10 words
Inspired by Hemmingway’s 6-word story “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn”.
More Short Shorts at Six Word Stories
Food Experiment #9: Beef Balls Dim Sum (牛肉圆）
I’ve never really done up a Chinese dish. Today, I’ve decided to make one of my favourite Dim Sum dishes — Steamed Beef Ball Dim Sum (original recipe from sybaritica).
It’s an utterly Cantonese dim sum (almost on par with Siew Mai and Har Gow) that is available in any Cantonese restaurant worth its salt, soups and Spring Onions.
‘Nuff said. Onwards to balls.
You’ll Need These Ingredients
- 500g of minced beef
- 1 tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
- 1 1/2 slices of Ginger
- 1 Scallion/Spring Onion
- 2 1/2 Dried Orange Peel
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- Base: Spinach & Beancurd Skin (soak the Beancurd Skin until soft)
Top Left: Dried Orange Peel & Ginger Slice
Top Right: Minced Beef & Baking Powder
Bottom Left: Salt, Sugar, Cornstarch
Bottom Right: Spring Onion
Instructions and “Did it Work?”
1. Prep the Beef, Chop it All up
Mix the Beef with Baking Powder. Leave the mix alone while you mince up anything and everything that can be minced (see picture below).
This will take some time to do up. Best to use a sharp knife and a flat chopping board.
I just got a Zweig Kitchen Knife. And damnit, that stainless steel beast sliced through everything as if it were soft butter!
2. Put Everything Together
Mix it all up and until sticky. I do it by hand. Grab, fold over, and rotate the bowl so that it goes in one direction. I do this for 50 to 100 times. The more, the merrier, the better integrated.
Once the meat and ingredients are incorporated together.
I pick it up and slam it back into the bowl. This breaks down the meat to give it bounce – like an actual ball. Do it for 10 times or more. Eventually you’ll get a meat ball that will not stick to the sides of the bowl.
3. Prep for Steaming
Layer a deep dish with the Spinach and Beancurd Skin. I tear them into hand-sized bits and toss them around to spread it out evenly.
Take the meat chunk and shape meatballs (whatever size you fancy) and put them onto the base like so…
If you have a bamboo steamer, use it!
4. Steam for 35 min Over High Heat
Just leave it until the bell dings!
Remove from steamer and serve immediately. Like all Dim Sum, it’s best when piping hot.
5. Eat!
As you can see, the inside of the beef ball is still red. This is OK.
Texture-wise, the ball is bouncy and firm to bite. Surprisingly, it’s not overly sweet and the dried Orange Peel makes it quite fragrant. There are slightly bitter undertones and it’s nicely moist too. The Spinach & Beancurd Skin base didn’t enhance the beef balls much. Perhaps it needs some sauce or Worchestershire to go with it?
Verdict
It works!
Wend Right 