Yes yes yes. The Great Singapore Sale is driving Singaporeans out from their comfy home to fight in an urban warfare.
Urban warfare, mind you, not jungle warfare that me had to go through during my BMT days.
And by right, i should be shopping like those siao cha bor, just like our Singapore's very own Dim Sum Dollies at CK Tangs. Yes, CK Tangs at Orchard is having a sale right now. A really big, but not a mad sale. And it seems that FCUK gives the best offer. Imagine a $119 casual shirt selling at $119+ 70% off, before GST rises to 7%. Kewls...
But, just like Dr Paul who loves books, i love home videos. Thus, this is the opportunity to stock up DVDs that i wanted.
Imagine...
Confessions of Pain HK import at $25 from usual price $30... (from Commericial Press Book Store)
Volver at $19.50 from usual $24.90 from Gramophone and Les Poupees Russes (2nd hand copy) at $10 from Video Ezy
M:I 3 2Disc Editon DVD at $9.90 with purchase of Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex* but were afraid to ask at $6.90, from Laserflair.
Eh...i was wondering: how come 3 Colors Trilogy was not included in the sale?
p.s: Movie tickets in Singapore has just secretly increased back to $7, $8 and $9.50 (weekend rate) secretly. Bastard.
And i am referring to 2 new singers in Asia who are new in the music industry, but shares a different fate. And yes, they had gotten my attention.
He is
Khalil Fong aka
方大同, while she is
Iris Judotter.
He is from Hong Kong, while she is from Singapore.
He wrote pop music and it was a hit on the radio.
She wrote songs and only girls who loved girls frequents the pubs would get to hear her song on the pub.
His music was a mixture of RnB and Soul, influenced by Michael Jackson, Babyface and Stevie Wonder since young.
Her songs were a mixture of Alicia Keys and Damien Rice, with a touch of her sentiments.
His songs are play on Yes 93.3FM, Jia 88.3FM and other popular Mandarin stations in M'sia and HK daily.
Her songs would only be played on Lush 99.5FM, once in a blue moon.
He gets a lot of fans in Asia.
She gets a limited fans in Singapore. In fact, not all Singaporeans knows her.
He sings for passion. She sings for passion.
They sing for passion, but they didn't share the same fate.
Another year had passed. I am now a one year soldier.
I remembered mum making rice dumplings aka bak chang every year without fail, so that our family could have fresh, piping hot glutunous rice dumplings filled with meat, chinese mushrooms, dried prawns (hae bee), salted eggs and peanuts wrapped with bamboo leaves, tied up and boiled in hot water till cooked. Yes, i would be busily washing the leaves and sis will be cutting garlic and shallots to fry the meat. When the piping hot bak changs are ready to be served, we would have that for dinner. And yes, i made bak chang before enlistment last year.
And mum always told me that granny makes bak chang really fast. She could wrapped a bak chang in 20 seconds. And that was really fast. Come to think of it, indeed, it was fast.
Until granny passed away peacefully on Vesak Day this year at her home in Ayer Tawah, Perak.
No longer will i be able to see granny wrapped bak chang for her sons and daughter-in-laws, grandchildrens and her great grandchildren.
I remembered that dad cried quietly when granny leaves this world, after grandpa passed away 19 years ago. As a son, i do not know what to do to ease the pain dad is going through.
When mum told me that dad was hit by a NSF on a motorbike while driving on an expressway for work this morning, i was in a state of confusion. Thank goodness it was not a serious injury that requires amputation, but somehow i am worried for dad. He's old, and he has been losing concentration at work lately.
The Chinese had a tradition to be observed: no making of festive goodies in conjunction with festive seasons for a year when someone in the family passes away. And thus, we are not allowed to make any bak chang for Dumpling festival and tangyuans (glutunous rice balls) for Winter Solstics, which falls 3 days before X'mas this year. And no making of new year cakes for CNY this year. We could only have them by buying.
Tash was right: you can buy bak changs outside for this year. But no matter how great those expensive ingredients were included for making a perfect rice dumpling, it still cannot beat the taste of a simple home made bak chang.
Tomorrow, Tash will be enjoying his favourite nonya bak chang and sio bak chang for lunch and dinner, while we will be having factory made bak chang on the dining table for dinner.
Now playing: The Rat Within the Grain - Damien Rice
