Cosmetic Changes

How quickly time flies and just as quickly changes roll around.

Since my last trip to Singapore, I noticed quite a few changes not only along Orchard Road but also the skyline of Sentosa Island.

Along Orchard have sprung up two notable towers, the Orchard Central and the ION. Both are iconic structures of steel and glass, very pleasing to the eye.

The Orchard Central is along Orchard Road and the building

is longer than wide. The internal decor is simple but striking.

We went up the escalators to each floor. There is also an outdoor escalator that takes you up to one of the upper floors. I didn't count as it was not in operation then. It still has a few finishing touches to add before it is finally complete. Overall it is an interesting building.

It was a pleasant shady walk from Orchard Central to the ION which stands at the corner of a big junction. The ION is

completed and the interior differs from the Orchard Central.

It is more circular and has got wider spaces. Here is the

home of all the branded goods such as LV and the rest of the haute coutuer. The boutiques are larger by comparison than those in Orchard Central and there is a food court in the basement.

I wanted to get across from the ION to the other side of the road to have my lunch in one of the recommended chicken rice restaurants. Do you know, it was a nightmare trying to find the underpass. There's no way you can hope to cross that junction above ground. The traffic is very heavy and I don't remember seeing any pedestrian crossings at the lights.

We had to go back into ION and the place is so huge that it took us a while, even after getting directions from one of the tenants, before we found our way to the underpass. Even then it was quite confusing as we didn't know which direction to take to get directly across Orchard Road.

I guess this is one of the constraints of being a stranger in a big city, especially when I have such a poor sense of direction. We eventually found our way out and to our relief, on the side of the road that we wanted. Then it was another short walk, again past boarded facades, behind which renovation was going on.

There are a number of buildings undergoing renovation and the boards that hide the clutter and mess are attractive with different designs, so that the surroundings are not marred by ugly sites undergoing cosmetic changes.

The chicken rice restaurant we were looking for was in one of the older shopping complexes and it was not easy to spot it. We found it only after going round and round, despite having the address. This was because the numbers were not in sequential order.

I found the rice fragrant and good. However the chicken although tender, was quite different from our Malaysian chicken rice. Somehow the Singaporean tastebuds are different from Malaysian ones. The condiments were good. I liked that they offered blended ginger, blended chilli and thick dark soya sauce. There was also the chopped garlic. All these are a must with chicken rice but not all chicken rice stalls offer the thick dark sauce or the ginger.

From there my next stop was a second hand bookstore where I had my feast of so many books. It was hard to choose especially when I could only buy one. Flying on budget airlines requires one to be careful with luggage weight and books are heavy. Finally I settled for one by Patricia Cornwell whose books I like to read.

On the following day we headed to Vivocity for lunch.

From there we saw how much the skyline of Sentosa

Island had changed. At our last visit, three months ago, there were no tall buildings as yet but now there are many buildings. So much change in so little time. I

understand the casino resort complex is due to open next year. Sentosa Island will truly be a playground for locals and foreigners alike, a big tourist draw.

Singapore is evolving at a very rapid pace indeed. There will be more changes in store on my next visit.

A Celebration of 9.9.09

Tiger Airways flew us into Singapore and we disembarked at the budget terminal. It's a cavernous place, quite empty and with three luggage carousels. Although it was a full flight,we retrieved our bags quite fast and the taxi whisked us along familiar highways to Peter's place.




The beautiful flowers planted all along the roads never fails to draw my attention.


This time the lilac bougainvillea were in full bloom and provided a striking contrast to the deeper green of the various folliage and trees along the sides and dividers of the roads. Singapore is truly a garden city.

That night all of us had dinner together to celebrate Peter's birthay. Sharon and her family were in town so they joined us. It was a simple meal starting off with Peking Duck. That's Stephen's ( my grandson ) favourite. There was also roast chicken, braised pork, taufoo,
a vege dish, longetivity noodles, and brinjal with minced pork. These dishes were simple but tasty.

I was enjoying the food so much that I forgot to take photographs of them before the plates were wiped clean!

The Peking duck was a little different from those we had tried at other restaurants. Here the duck had a delicious aroma and the square pancake skins were soft and tasty. There was little fat under the crispy skin and there was no "ducky" odor. This appetiser whetted our appetites and when the other dishes were served, they were finished in no time.

The cake was a durian cream cake and to durian lovers, it tasted real yummy. However both Stephen and Chloe didn't quite like it as they were not durian eaters. They don't realise what they are missing!
It was a good evening and I could see that Peter was very happy. This is the first time his nephew and niece were together celebrating his birthday.

It was also a special day because the date was considered very auspicious, triple nines.....9 Sept ( 9th month) and the year 2009 . According to Sharon, the medical centre where she has her practice, scheduled the day wholly for Caesarian births as
the mothers-to-be wanted their offspring to be born on this auspicious day! I wonder if any baby actually made its appearance on the ninth hour or nine minutes past the ninth hour!

Does this really make a difference in any way, except perhaps enter the Malaysian Book of Records?

Coming Home

It never fails to stir a feeling of excitement and nostalgia when the plane banks in to touchdown in KLIA, Sepang. I left Kuala Lumpur more than forty years ago to settle in the Land below the Wind, the further-most Malaysian state, Sabah, located on Borneo Island across the South China Sea.

The KL of today is very different from the KL I used to know. There were no such gargantuan traffic jams and of course there were no flyovers. The roads were safe to walk. I sometimes walked home from school if I didn't have enough bus fare. My school, the Methodist Girls' School is located next to the National mosque (there was no mosque when I was at school) and home was in one of the roads off Imbi Road.The Petronas Twin Towers, the KL Tower, the Light Rail Transit, the KLIA, all these didn't exist. Even Parliament House was not there and the Lake Gardens were tranquil, silent and inviting. We used to go for nature walks with our science teacher, Mrs Symes and she introduced us to the different species of trees in the Lake Gardens, which was only a stone's throw from our school. Now Lake Gradens is criss-crossed with roads and buildings, leaving very little of the original green paradise. It was also a lovers' paradise where lovebirds used to park at night without fear of being robbed or raped by predators.

KL is now a huge metropolis with roads that I am no longer familiar with and I tend to get lost if I'm driving. Driving in KL is a nightmare, especially if you are not familiar with the roads because the moment you slow down to take your bearings, you are honked at, from left and right as the vehicles weave around you. Road signages are not of much help as some of them leave you wondering whether it is the road before the sign or the one after, that you are supposed to take.

Once we were driving to Malacca and we followed the road signs, confident that we would reach our destination within the average time of 2 hours. Unfortunately, the signs soon disappeared and we didn't know which direction we were supposed to go. We went round and round and eventually we found our way to the North-South highway which would take us to Malacca. It took us almost 4 hours to reach Malacca!!!

Despite the cars, despite the fears engendered by well-meaning friends who send emails detailing the horrors of snatch thefts, crimes, etc, the feeling of insecurity when walking along the streets of KL, it feels good to be home.

A visit is never complete without a walk down Petaling Street, the Chinatown of KL where all kinds of ware are on offer, albeit the stalls are mostly manned by foreigners. This is the feature that detracts, that takes away the identity of Petaling Street. I used to like to wander slowly down the street taking my time looking at the knick knacks, the food and fruit stalls, etc etc but now that these are manned by foreigners who often are rude and crude, I no longer feel at ease and the essence of Petaling Street, which once was there has now disappeared. Now I just make a beeline for the shop to make my purchase and then I leave, no more lingering.

Central Market, which once was a wet market, has improved in its stalls and ambience. The handicraft stalls, the stalls that sell snacks from out of state, and the small boutiques are an attractive alternative to Petaling Street. Here one can browse in air-conditioned comfort and locals man the kiosks and stalls. Souvenirs abound for visitors wanting to take a piece of Malaysia home with them.

The food stalls that are ubiquitious still draw a large clientele. The Madras Lane, a small lane parallel to Petaling Street still houses some delicious food stalls. I used to frequent these stalls for lunch after school. The ice-kacang ( a concoction of shaved ice, red beans, black jelly, cream corn, gula melaka (palm sugar ), cendol, atap seed and red syrup ) is still as good and so are the curry laksa and yong tau foo ( vegetables and taufoo stuffed with fish paste). They are quickly sold out and during the lunch hour, seats are hard to come by. You will be sweating even as you are eating but the heated atmosphere does not deter the patrons.

The small wet market in the narrow lane leading to Madras Lane is still there, with locals selling meat, vegetables and live chicken. There is also a stall that sells roasted pork. The roasted pork shank and trotters are very good for certain dishes.
Another push cart sells roast duck. Four-eyed guy as he is known, sells very good roast duck and they are always sold out very early in the afternoon.

The hawker food in Petaling Street is good. I love the pohpiah (fresh spring rolls containing shredded turnip, beansprouts, cucumber & lettuce ), the local black coffee, the muar chi ( glutinous paste smothered with pounded peanuts ) that melts in your mouth, the kai yah ( coconut/egg jam ) which is very aromatic and smooth, the kuay teow soup ( white flat noodles with fish balls ) and many more. The hokkien mee which is available only in the evening is delicious. Special porridge is available in the morning with the crispy crullers ( old man's bones or yau char kuih), the wan tan mee, etc etc.... the mere mention of these food makes me salivate already. Even though I'm now in KL, I will not have the time to savour my favorite food as I'm here to attend a seminar, yet another one, in pursuit of knowledge.

Yes, the desire to learn is insatiable. There is always another time for food, when I will happily traipse around with my younger sister to savor the innumerable food that is readily available. Mind you, it has to be good otherwise it leaves me feeling very dissatisfied. I've left bowls of hardly-eaten food because I found it unpalatable and gone on to other stalls.

Kuala Lumpur....I love you, for all your color, your offerings, your noisy, unbearable traffic jams, and the ever-changing skyline. You never cease to excite and it is always good to come home.