poem
10) Breakfast at our Tiffany
Bread and Butter
My daily breakfast consists of bread and peanut butter, If I look for changes, it’ll be peanut butter and bread, or oak with banana, else will be banana with oak!
Bread and butter are also one of the basic nutritional meal for kids growing up.
Toast Bread with Half Boiled Eggs
It is common to get them in our local coffee shop. It’s grassroots breakfast indeed. A piece or two toasted bread come with one or two half boiled eggs.
The eggs taste superb with soy sauce and pepper, it’s provide you with the energy charge you need for the day! And of course, you have to monitor your own cholesterol level.
Roti Prata
A traditional Indian meal, an ideal breakfast. It is a pan-fried pancake made from flour dough and it is commonly served with curry gravy or sugar. This is famously one of the most reasonable priced meals among the local.
Porridge with ‘You Tiao’
A typical Chinese authentic meal, a popular meal well-liked here. ‘You Tiao’ (known as ‘Oil Stick’) is a long, golden-brown, deep fried strip of dough that taste slightly salty. Dipping ‘You Tiao’ in a bowl of hot porridge is one of the original way to enjoy the meal!
Nasi Lemak
Commonly a Malay breakfast dish, though it is possible for the dish to be eaten all day as it is sold in most eateries here. Nasi Lemak is a fragrant rice dish cooked in coconut milk and ‘pandan’ leaf, comes with small fried anchovies, fried peanuts, scrambled or hard boiled egg, cucumber slices, wrapped with banana leaf. Last but not least, is the remarkable hot spicy sauce (sambal) with a sweet under taste that spice up the whole dish and make you wanting to go back for more!
Macdonald’s Breakfast
And finally, this world famous meal may end up in front of me, once in a ‘purple’ moon.
I would love to share so much more Breakfast at Tiffany with you….Hey, what about you? Shall I see you at Tiffany?
5) Do you know your Flag well?
Our National Flag consists of two equal horizontal sections, the red above white. On the left canton is a white crescent moon beside five white stars within a circle.
Each feature has its own distinctive meaning and significance:
Red symbolizes Universal Brotherhood and Equality of man;
White signifies pervading and everlasting purity and virtue;
The Crescent Moon represents a young nation on the ascendant;
and the five stars stand for the nation’s ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.
It’s significant to know the meaning of our National Flag, we will grow to understand how much hardship, country warriors fight for the flagpole and make it stands upright under the blue sky.
Personally, I favor our flag standing firmly on the ground, blowing in the wind and facing the storm fearlessly.
A National flag belongs to every nation and it is uphold by each individual hand in hand.
35) Where is your Bandstand?
This is the only bandstand in my memory since childhood. For some, when you ask the question around, the answer might not be great difference. Yes, we are back to Singapore Botanic Gardens again.
With fair skin and elegant appearance, this octagonal classic beauty was refaced in 1930. It was erected in the 1860s as a focus point of Botanic Gardens. For sure, that was our grandparents or even our great grandparents’ time. But it has retired from its military band performance. So, let’s listen to the musical flow in the charming winds and cicadas’ call.
And so, where is your Bandstand? Mine is in this lovely garden. Anywhere, in any of its piece of greenery!
3) Stairway to Heaven
A true story of 1950s happened in Chongqing, China. A 20-year old villager Liu Guojiang fell in love for a widow, Xu ZhaoQing who is 10years older than him. In order to avoid gossips from other villagers, they eloped to Jiangjin, a town 1500metres above sea level, deep in the woods, build a home of their own.
Liu Guojiang spent 50 years alone, chipping over 20 over chisels to carve 6000 over steps of stairway for his wife. This extra ordinary kind gesture of love is to facilitate his wife daily ascending and descending from their mountain habitat.
They live off their life in the forest by picking wild walnuts, dates and have a few vegetable farms. The couple raise 7 children with whatever they have and spent half a century living in the mountains.
In 2006, media make a shooting of the 6000 steps and couldn’t find a single moss on the stairway. They discovered that Liu Guojiang clean up the moss daily so that his wife will not slip and fall along the steps.
Unfortunately, in 2007, the 72-year old Liu Guojiang died of cerebrovascular disease. The sudden death left his wife, Xu Zhaoqing devastated and despondent. Due to her failing health, one of her son relocated her from the mountains. She remained forlorn and passed on few days ago at the age of 87.
Xu Zhaoqing left a note before her death that she wanted to be buried next to her beloved husband, as she wish to continue walking hand in hand with her husband on their Love Ladder in another world.
Well, I guess the loving couple wouldn’t mind though the Stairways in Heaven are now clogged with moss.
19) Song of Abduction
I am lack of air
You are a billionaire
I got no one to care
You got plenty things to spare
You are rare
You must be in the sky somewhere
So, I lock you up
Asking for anything you can bear
First, I share with you my nightmare
Secondly, you share with me how to become a billionaire
I believe this is fair
I am lack of air
You are not that bad
I got no one to care
At least, you have something to spare
You are well aware
You must be working for somebody somewhere
So, I lock you up
Asking you for any peanut can be shared
First, I share with you my nightmare
Secondly, you tell me what rate is fair and square
I believe this is fair
This post was inspired by a news article regarding kidnappers are now diverting their targets. They are now on lookouts for ordinary people for ransom, as they believe ordinary people are easier targets to them, as they have no security guards protecting them. Besides, the lower ransom they demanded is much easier to be fulfilled than the huge payoffs. This is real crime case happening in a country somewhere.
3) Dinning with you and the “Kuehs”
“Kueh” is a Malay word literally means traditional biscuits or cakes.
These are the three types of Kueh I would like to dine with you.
Binka Ubi
Binka Ubi Kueh is rich in golden color, with a layer of brown-coated skin
Ingredients include Tapioca, Coconut Milk, Sugar, Salt and Water.
It tastes sweet, flavor of Tapioca enhanced by the heated exterior of coated sugar.
Kueh Lapis Sagu
This is one of the most famous among the “Kueh”. It has nine layers of Kueh laying on top of each other. It is laid layer over layer after each layer settles.
Traditionally, it comes in multi-color, red, green, blue and white. But, choice of colors is still up to the baker’s creativity!
Colors are usually red, green and blue, is up to the maker creativity.
Ingredient are Tapioca, Sago Flour, Mung Bean Flour, Rice Flour, Coconut Milk, Sugar, Water, knotted Pandan leaves and finally the coloring.
Peeling off layer by layer at the same time enjoying the fragrance sweetness of the Kuey, is one of our traditional ways of eating.
Kueh Talam
This Kueh is special in term of its simple and yet refreshing color combination, just white and green.
The green portion is make of Pandan leaves coloring, coconut milk, sugar etc. For the white portion are make of sieved rice flour together with sago flour.
This is a very delighting Malay Kueh as it appears visually in a soothing way.
4) What so special about this Orchid?
(Vanda Miss Joaquim)
Vanda Miss Joaquim, our very own Singapore national flower. A natural hybrid Orchid between Vanda terres and Vanda hookeriana.
It was first discovered in 1893, in the garden of Agnes Joaquim, an Armenian best known for breeding the hybrid orchid. Agnes Joaquim’s tombstone can be found in the grounds of the Armenian Church at Hill Street, Singapore.
The flower was selected as Singapore’s national flower in 1981.
Vanda Miss Joaquim was chosen from 40 flowers, 30 Orchids out of the 40.
It stands out by its vibrant in color, hardiness as it blooms throughout the year. Thus, it reflects the spirit and quality of the Nation.
And now, Miss Joaquim is humming National Song in the sunset.
18) Wind Song
I traveled all the way to you
Looking for a place to land
I am sorry for being a breeze
I have mess up your face
Stir up your BBQ flame
Overcook your lamb
But I am sure you’ll re-build your land
Gather all the strength and friends
Be a stronger, happier, tougher man
I traveled all the way to you
Looking for a place to land
I am sorry for being a wind
I have mess up your plan
Stir up your navigation
Override where you stand
But I am sure you’ll re-build your formation
Gather all the strength and friends
Be a stronger, happier, tougher man
I traveled all the way to you
Looking for a place to land
I am sorry for being a Hurricane
I have mess up your family
Stir up your garden
Over-turn your land
But I am sure you’ll re-build your home
Gather all the strength and friends
Be a stronger, happier, tougher man
17) Fast Song
I am a Sailfish
A silvery space shutter with tail and fins
King in the sea
Sea belongs to me
My senses are sharp, my radar can screen
I am a sub-marine in this bluish kingdom free
No one catches me up
As I am as fast as lightning, happy like a stream
I am a Falcon
A dark arrow with tail and wings
King in the air
Air belongs to me
My senses are sharp, my radar can screen
I am a flash in this kingdom free
No one catches me up
As I am as fast as lightning, happy like a twist
I am a cheetah
A roadrunner with muscles and teeth
King of the land
Land belongs to me
My senses are sharp, my radar can screen
I am a devil in this nature free
No one catches me up
As I am as fast as lightning, chasing my “deer” friend happily
I am a boss
A job provider with foods and sympathies
King of the Galaxy
Workers belong to me
My senses are sharp, my radar can screen
I am a Saint of this office free
No one catches me up
As I hope you’ll be as fast as me
Happy like one family
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