Light lunch made up of toasts

Had the above for lunch. 2 Slices of bread topped up with cheese, egg and bacon. Also had a cup of vegetable soup. This meal is enough for me until evening when I may have something lighter.

Man charged for abuse and causing the death of a dog

A man is being charged for abuse and causing the death of a toy poodle. It is really sad to hear or see a poor little defenceless  animal being treated in such a cruel manner. When our toy poodle died last year, my wife and I cried for days. Even till this day, we still talk of our little toy poodle.
We are so heart broken that we do not intend to have another pet. Each time we see a toy poodle our hearts would jump. We missed out pet everyday and we could not understand why would someone want to abuse or kill an innocent little dog.

Spaghetti from SG & JPN

When I sent the picture of the spaghetti which my wife cooked to our friend in Japan, the latter not to be outdone, responded by sending us the Japanese version of home made spaghetti (right pic).

Interacting with the retirees

I was at Kovan hawker food center to meet some SIA retired ground staff but accidentally bumped into a few retired IFS there. I joined them for a while before the ground staff appeared. We had an hour of chatting plus few cups of coffee and tea. The IFS were all in their early 60s and full of zest for living. They participated in the chats actively and the only thing that betrayed their age was the wrinkles on their faces.
After an hour, I left them and joined the ground staff who were regular kakis at this place. These retirees religiously meet each other twice a week to have drinks and meals together for the last 10 years. I used to join them when I left the airline in 2003 for a while but not anymore after I became more occupied with my work.
Nevertheless, It was nice meeting the two groups. I did not snap any photo as most are quite sensitive about them appearing in my blog.

Grilled sambal sting ray at Chong Pang

This is the grilled sambal sting ray rice set ($6.50) The taste was quite good and spicy and I had it at a Chong Pang Village coffee shop. It was very popular in the evening and the place was crowded. It took me 20 minutes to get my food. 

Ikan pari (sting ray) assam pedas and spicy sotong (squid)

Dissatisfied with the assam pedas fish at Serangoon Gardens yesterday, we went to the Chinese stall at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 (Chong Boon Market) that sells the above. This would be my third time visiting this stall. Admittedly, this time the assam sting ray wasn't as good as on the previous occasion. The reason being the sting ray was not soaked in the assam gravy for a long time. We were there for an early lunch. The squid was so so. The best time to eat is in the evening when the assam gravy has been cooked a few hours earlier and the fish,squid and chicken meat had been soaked in the gravy for a while.
For the 3 dishes and 3 bowls of rice, we paid $18 which is quite reasonable.

Malay food @ Serangoon Gardens

This stall is at a Serangoon Garden coffee shop facing the UOB Bank. The food used to be very good but today when I visited it after a long break I found the food to be slightly disappointing. I think the cook must have retired or left. Still, it is worth visiting if one is in the vicinity as there are no Malay food around that area.
The fish assam pedas ($3) is a little diluted and generally the food lacks the punch. It is reasonably priced at $5.50 per plate (rice,sambal goreng, spicy cuttle fish and sambal kupang or green mussels).

Fruits and claypot dinner

The breakfast was some cut fruits like oranges, jack fruits and mango. It's refreshing to have fruits in the morning particularly now that the weather is hot and humid. Eating fruits also prevent constipation.
Dinner was at a hawker stall in Ang Mo Kio Ave 10. It was at Yu Fa Claypot Delights. The dinner was made up of 3 types of dishes, namely assam sting ray, pork trotters in vinegar and ginger plus braised pork with preserved vegetables and tau pok. The meal was superb and cheap ($16 for 2).

Penang laksa in Singapore

There are two items on the menu: assam laksa ($3.50) and fish balls in assam laksa soup ($2.50 for five balls). The fish balls (topmost pic), to me are no big deal. They are just like those one could buy from the supermarket. The laksa gravy is authentic and spicy and the noodles are springy. This is the second I've eaten in 2 weeks.

Venue:

D'LAKSA

B1-K7 Hougang Mall, 90 Hougang Avenue 10

Open: 10am to 10pm daily


Those who plan to eat the noodles at home can ask for the soup to be packed separately.

1983 cafe prices cheaper than ....

Cafe 1983 is one of the eateries that serves besides the traditional kaya toasts, coffee etc, mee rebus, mee siam and many more other local dishes.
I was at Changi Airport Terminal 2 yesterday and was surprise to discover the prices at 1983 were cheaper than those at  Toast Box, Ya Kun etc.
The traditional kaya butter toast set which comprises of 2 soft boiled eggs, toast and a cup of hot drink cost only $4.30 while the same one at Toast Box cost $5.40, Ya kun $4.80. Mind you this Changi Airport T2 where the rental is much higher than Toast Box, Yakun etc at the heartland malls.
The mee rebus and mee siam set at 1983 is only $5.50 compared to Toast Box's $6.70.
I have not eaten at 1983 but often at Toast Box and Ya Kun. I was told the food at 1983 is as good as at TB and YK.
Currently there 4 1983 outlets in SG. Click here for its website.

Home prepared Japanese meal

We decided to eat in due to the rain. We had Japanese white rice with mentai (salted fish roe), Japanese preserved vegetable, miso soup and a plate of broccoli, sweet peas, ladies' fingers and fried egg with bacon. It was a hearty meal, I must admit. Again compliments to my wife.

Wagyu beef for lunch

We bought the 2 pieces of Wagyu beef from a Japanese supermarket and cook them for our lunch. The meat is tender and juicy. Wagyu beef originated from Japan. Wagyu cattle is specially bred for its
meat and could fetch a high price. The meat simply melts in the mouth. There are very expensive in Singapore ($20 per piece of 200 grams) but in Japan it is about half the price.

He felt humiliated at the cabin crew interview

Dear Forum Editor,

Good day to you.

I'm a Singaporean who's very proud of my flag carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) and it's a brand I hold in high esteem.
I'm sharing my experiences in this letter because I'm concerned Singapore Airlines is losing it's competitive edge.

I was a candidate at the most recent SIA cabin crew walk-in interview.
It was a negative experience for me because I met a difficult interviewer at the one-to-one interview.
I answered the interviewer's questions accordingly and when I tried to elaborate relevant points, he made this retort a few times-"did I ask you?".  I was courteous and genuinely smiling during the interview and the interviewer told me to stop smiling.  The warm smiles of the Singapore Airlines cabin crew is one of their signature traits.  Shouldn't a cheerful disposition be a desirable trait in a cabin crew candidate?  When I told the interviewer I want to work for my own flag carrier instead of other airlines and I'm willing to learn to improve myself, he replied sarcastically, "did you go for a course to prepare for this interview".  I was rejected after the interview.
I'm not disgruntled because I didn't get the job, I can accept if I'm unsuitable.  However, the interviewer's attitude made me feel demoralized and put down.

In July this year, I had a different experience during the Emirates Cabin Crew recruitment campaign organized by Sass Atlantic.
I credit and appreciate Emirates and Sass Atlantic for making it a positive experience, even though I was unsuccessful.
The Recruitment Officers from Emirates were professional, encouraging and kind throughout the selection process.
Sass Atlantic staffers provided invaluable assistance and guidance to all candidates.

In sharing my experiences, I wish to highlight that any job interview should be the candidate's platform to promote himself and his qualities that make him suitable for the job and the interview decorum should be in accordance with the company's image.  If the job interview isn't properly conducted, how will the company suss-out the best candidate for the job.  Some candidates for airline jobs may become the target market or potential passengers of the airline they interviewed with.  The interview experience will affect how the candidate perceives the airline in future. If SIA doesn't address these issues, I'm concerned they'll loose out to competitors.

Thank you for your attention.

BT: Song sung and lyrics written by yours truly.

My huge lunch @ Hougang Interchange/MRT Station

Yesterday, I ate only 1 meal (lunch) and was very hungry by 1pm. I adjourned to Hougang Interchange/MRT Station and had lunch at one of the coffee shops. First, it was the ba-chor-mee ($3.50) followed by the Hainanese chicken rice ($4 with rice, breast meat, gizzards and liver). Both dishes were delicious and priced reasonably. In fact, this was my first time eating at this place. I chose the food according the queue of people. Long queue of people usually mean that the food is good and cheap.

Yong Tau Foo, Prata and Durain

The yong tau foo from Lim's is good and cheap. I had it for my lunch. 6 pieces plus a choice of noodles, beehoon or rice is at $4. You can either have it "dry" or with soup. I opted for "dry" so I can add the chili and red sweet sauce freely.
Last night, besides porridge I also had the roti prata (in Malaysia it is known as roti canai). 2 pieces (kosong) without egg is $2.
After dinner, I bought durian at $10 for 4 packets. The texture and quality is average but then one can't expect it to be excellent for $10. A reasonably good durian may cost about $18 for 3 boxes.

Whisk & Paddle

The cafe is situated in Punggol, next to a river with lots of greenery. The ambience is nice and one may choose al fresco dinning or indoor airconditioning dinning. The place is usually quiet during the weekdays but crowded during the weekends.
The food is quite good but can be improved. Rather expensive. The above (for 2), as you can see cost almost $80. Like some places, this one should not include the 10% service (my suggestion).

A traditional Chinese dish at a hawker stall

Last night, I took a detour as I was driving along the CTE, to AMK Ave 3 to have my favourite fried Hokkien mee. However, I was disappointed to discover the stall was shut. As I was walking around the hawker center, I spotted a stall selling claypot rice. Although there was a short queue, I saw many unwashed empty claypot, rice bowls etc piling up on a table. Many people were also having the claypot rice. I approached the stall and studied its menu (at least 10 varities). There were many dishes eg: sting ray in curry sauce, chicken curry, ginger chicken in soya sauce etc. Finally, I settled for the black soya sauce pork trotters in vinegar with ginger. I ordered a bowl of rice too.
After a 10 minute wait, my order came. It was piping hot and I waited patiently for it to cool. The first sip of the black sauce or gravy took me by surprise. It was excellent. It reminds me of my childhood days when my mother gave birth to my little brother and sisters. It was during those time, my grandmother would cook pork trotters in vinegar with lots of ginger for my mother. It was a Chinese tradition and the dish was to keep the mothers-to-be or after giving birth, the warmth they needed. Whatever my mother could not finished, I would gladly help myself to it.
After finishing my dinner, I went up to the hawkers and complimented them for cooking such a great, tasty dish. It was worth the money I've paid for ($6).
Watch this video on how to prepare and cook the above.

Beef kway teow

When Food Scholar took over the foodcourt from Kopitiam at Greenwich Seletar Hills' end of last year, they advertised among other stalls, will be one selling beef kway teow.
About half a year later the beef kway teow arrived. It began operation yesterday and here I was this morning waiting anxiously for it to open.
Yes, at 10:15 am it opened and I was the first customer. I ordered the most expensive one which has mixed beef (tendon, lean meat etc) and kway teow ($9). They also provided chili sauce and chin-cha-lok or fermented shrimps to go with the meal.
The first thing I did was to taste the soup. It was......a big disappointment. It was way below my expectation. The beef was not as tender and beefy as I expected. The tendon was so so....no kick at all compared to the one at Shaw House foodcourt or at City Square Mall (all same price at $9).
I don't think the stall will last more than 1 year of operation. Why? Because it's expensive and not authentic.