0 Deemed worthy?

I had better document this down before my fickle mind decides on another idea.

For my final project on Heritage, I have to nominate a site in Singapore worthy of UNESCO's World Heritage status. There is a list of criteria to be fulfilled, which can be found at their website, and also listed below.

Ok, so after having painstakingly mulling over this over days and nights (truthfully, it was just a couple of hours), and considering my weaknesses (not very good in historical sites), I have my bid: Punggol New Town and Coney Island (Pulau Serangoon).

WHAT? There hardly seems to be a link between Punggol and Heritage!

Don't be too quick to judge, as you will see.

So here is the selection criteria to qualify for a WHS. It must fulfill at least one criteria below (seems easy right but there are so many possible sites to choose from hence the dithering!)

Cultural site
1. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

2. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;

3. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;

4. to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

5. to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;

6. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);

Natural
7. to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

8. to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;

9. to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;

10. to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

I plan to nomiate it as a mixed heritage site and use the ones in bold i.e. (ii), (iv) and (x) as justification.

UNESCO WHS are almost synonymous with thousand-year long historical sites like Angkor Wat (Western imperialist idea of heritage) but recently they've shown to be more open to modern constructions. A case in point is Berlin's Modernism Housing Estates (awarded WHS in 2008), which was the source of inspiration and I plan to use as a comparative study. For time's sake (have to go school soon) I shall not elaborate my justifications (that will be left to the essay and not on this blog). All I need to do now is SOURCE FOR TOWN PLANS AND OTHER EVIDENCE [major headaches].

At least I've decided. One major step cleared.

I've actually considered some other possible WHS for Singapore. What do you think?
- Bukit Brown cemetery. [Although somewhat interesting given the recent debate, it means I will have to document the architecture of the graves = have to go down to cemetery several times (not very appealing and out of the way) + not very good in this kind of historical and architectural stuff]
- Balestier (multiple interesting monuments like the last wayang stage in Sg and shophouses, but they are all very disparate and difficult to find a common theme)
- Tiong Bahru - for public housing again but downside is I'm not very familiar with the place (then again, I'm not familiar with Punggol too, but at least Punggol has the 'natural heritage' part = more to talk about)
- Historic and Civic Districts of Sg e.g. Little India etc. (typical but b-o-r-i-n-g)

Ok folks, that's all!

1 Waffleton

Vans blueberry waffles were at half-price! Obviously I couldn't pass up the chance of not buying it, despite its expiry date drawing imminently near (1 Apr to be exact). I've tried the original one before and loved it, so I was pretty excited to try the blueberry.

It was blueberry domination. You could smell the the sweet fragrance of blueberries even when the waffles was in its frozen state. A start to a promising meal indeed. You could see specks of blue dotted through the waffles. And most importantly, you could taste the ephemeral blueberries; unlike most commercial brands where "blueberries" is synonymous with sickeningly sweet artificial blueberry syrup flavor, Vans was real and natural. My only gripe was that the waffles didn't get as crisp as I would have liked; perhaps that may be remedied by toasting it a bit longer. I had the waffle smothered in my homemade cashew butter and topped with the sweetest yellow peach ever. It's good to switch from oatmeal once in a while, you know [except that these waffles are wheat-based].

I can't believe its WEEK 11 already. So many things to do, so little time. 2 more thousand-word essays, 1 software to complete, 1 more short essay, 1 presentation and 4 exams to go.

4 Fourth time's the success

I'm getting better at this.
First time ultimate fail;
Second time with cashew butter, better but clumpy
Third time with peanut butter, still clumpy
Fourth time with cashew butter (and 1/2 tbsp walnut oil) - thick and creamy!

The key to success - patience, patience, patience. And a high threshold to noise.

3 Nature & nuture

What makes Sunday so special? It's always associated with a laid-back hippie vibe, coffee-on-the-patio and hearty brunches. Today encapsulated exactly the prototypical Sunday - good food, good mood and good company.

First off: breakfast in a mug! Or, more using the more popular term, smoothie-in-a-bowl (SIAB).

And it's not just any smoothie; it's a top-grade Mao Shan Wang oat/amaranth protein smoothie, with some strwabs and banana thrown in for goodm measure. Power-packed with nutrients!

Recipe

Flesh of 1 durian seed, best use mao shan wang

1/4 frozen banana, sliced

1 gigantic U.S. strawberry

1/4 cup Silk (vanilla) soymilk

1 ice cube

1/4 cup basic amaranth muesli, soaked overnight with 1/4 cup Silk (vanilla) soymilk and 1 scoop O+ protein powder

Toppings: 1 spoonful almond butter!

Directions
Mix & get those blender blades chuggin' and top with almond butter.

Outcome
Thick, creamy & hearty shake that could pass off as a pudding, strongly flavored with the potency of durian, with undertones of strawberry essence. The banana was barely detectable, although it probably served to give that creamy consistency.

It was back to church after a three week hiatus and today's topic was on repentance, befitting for the period of Lent. Using Mark 1:15 as the grounding scripture - "The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" - the pastor guided us on the hows of repentance: change of mind, change of heart, and change of life. It almost sounds like making new year's resolutions. After all, both boil down to the same thing - pausing to reflect, recognize mistakes, and take corrective changes. Things that are being increasingly rare in the fast-paced world.

Anyhow, since Daddy has gone back to Malaysia, Mum & I took the opportunity to explore far-flung nook-and-crannies of Singapore. We went to Marmalade Pantry at the Stables (Fairways Drive).

Despite - or maybe because of - being tucked amidst the lush greenery of Bukit Timah, Marmalade Pantry was as crowded (with tai-tais/expats) as it could get. Service fell a little short and I suspected they served our food to the wrong table, causing us to wait impatiently. Eventually, my Crabmeat Linguine ($24) and mum's Seared Scallops Linguine arrived.

Calling it crabmeat sauce would really be a misnomer; it was more like a crab ragout, thick and chunky from the generous portion of shredded crab meat and coated with a spicy tomato sauce. The linguine could do with a minute more of cooking; it was slightly too al dente. It was tasty, no doubt, and the pine nuts gave a nice touch to the flavours, which would otherwise border on being too one-dimensional. I suffered from the bitter pine nut aftertaste though.

After lunch, we wanted to explore the stables but it was restricted to club members only. However, we were lucky and got to spot one which was out exercising. It had an interesting spotty color and you can actually see its number branded on it's coat.

Having had a heavy lunch, dinner was a light affair, but no less delicious. A salad of massaged kale with grilled chicken!

The baby kale leaves were purchased from Cold Storage at a rather offensive price. But since kale is so difficult to find in Sg, I decided to buy it. Anyway, I'm not playing with words when I say massaged kale. Kale is tougher vegetable than the normal spinach or rocket, and so by massaging it with acid (lemon/lime juice and/or cider vinegar) and oil, it breaks down the leaves a little and also imparts flavor.

Basic massaged kale salad and possible mix-ins (for one)

Handful of baby kale leaves, chopped
Dressing

1 tsp lime juice (or lemon)

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp raspberry balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp walnut oil

1/8 avocado, chopped
Mix-ins

Cherry tomatoes, chopped

More chopped avocado

Grilled chicken & capsicum satays

Sunflower seeds, roasted

Directions
Using cleaned hands, mix the leaves with the dressing ingredients for about 1-2 minutes until the leaves turn a brighter green and well-coated with a sheen of avocado and oil. Add the mix-ins and let stand for a little.

Outcome
The action of massaging the kale was quite therapeutic and during the process, you can actually feel the leaves becoming softer. The avocado, which will get slightly mashed from the massaging, will coat the leaves nicely. I liked how the raspberry vinaigrette balanced the zing of lime and vinegar with a touch of sweetness. And of course, the nuttiness of the toasted sunflower seeds and walnut oil! The chicken & capsicum satay was bought by Mum from Jasons supermarket and was pre-marinated. All I had to do was to grill it. I added that in for some protein. It produced a simple yet tasty salad!

Dinner is served, with a frozen & toasted ciabatta slice (Cedele) topped with smooshed avocado.

If only every day could be a Sunday... - but that would make Sundays lose it special meaning, wouldn't it?

5 Unwinding with durians

Finally, the end of a super long tiring week.

I didn't even know I had a doctor's appointment today, until I got home and Mum went, "You've got to go in 5 minutes." What a shocker. The appointment went almost as usual. Gained about 1 kg since pre-Cambodia, but that may have been due to water weight (I was kind of needing to go to the toilet when I took my weight). Doc said I needed to up my fats, either directly or through increasing carb (which will then convert into fats). But the latter is not a highly feasible option given that most carbs would be converted into proteins (more essential for the body) before fats. Anyhow, I got a new prescription - vit B compelx.

At Bugis Village, mum bought a $30 packet of mao shan wang. Was the price justified? You bet! I daresay was the most creamy, lightest and yet potent mao shan wang I had ever, almost like a souffle!

Hmmm... ideas coming to mind with durian recipes!

0 Toxic alcoholic

I'm drunk with glee.

Okay, maybe not glee, but there's above average levels of C2H5OH in my system now. First, I made white wine (Jacob's Creek chardonnay) risotto for dinner, using herbal chicken soup as stock and dressed up with frozen veg and grilled teriyaki mackerel. This couldn't be a finer example of fusion cuisine - Italian, Chinese and Japanese. You may scrunch up your nose in disgust (or abhorrence) and the unusual mix of ingredients - would it even work? - and I wouldn't blame you. I, too, was apprehensive at how my dinner would turn out. Truthfully, it tasted more like chewy-rice-in-a-semi-sweet-broth than risotto. I think my Arborio rice is expired and that's why it just wouldn't cream up; or maybe I coated it too long in the beginning.

But I have to get back to my alcoholic imbibe. After the risotto, I had a mouthful of Da Paolo's tiramisu, which is supposedly to be very good. I can't say if it held up to the authentic standards of 'tiramisu,' but it was very light and rich in bitter chocolate - and the strong whiff of alcohol, of course.

My "third course" of alcohol came in a potent dose Remy Martin cognac-filled chocolate by Anthon Berg. It's presentation was very cute; mini-chocolate bottles wrapped in the brand's signature packaging. The chocolates held the cognac inside, which burst forth generously when you bite open the chocolate. Phew! Like a shot.

Much to do, as always, so good bye!

1 Fragments of thoughts

I want to experiment with sous vide - eggs, salmon, chicken breast.

I want to whip up a mean white wine seafood pasta (shrimp, scallops etc.).
[Yesterday's squid ink pasta with cod and tobiko in Chreese sauce was nothing short of awesome, but it's not counted, because after all, it's from a package.]

I want to have a laid-back brunch - ricotta pancakes at Skyvve, blueberry pancakes at Rider's cafe, Californian at Wild Honey.

I want to eat cake - strawberry shortcake from Flor.

I want to enjoy nature - Punggol Waterfront.

I want to do photostories - Nikon 7000.

I want to do everything but study for tomorrow's test, Thursday's Immunology, look at the Scratch program, continue writing my essay which I have not touched for 6 weeks or so, do lab report.

For breakfast, I had the last of my steel cutters baked (~1 tbsp), added protein powder and a ball of chocolate spread 3/4 way through, topped with Carman's oats and amaranth muesli. As always, leave the best to the last; scrape around the edges, moving inwards, so that eventually you'll end up with a dark semi-solid, semi-liquid orb of viscous matter - dark, rich bitter warm chocolate that sensuously coats your tongue as you imbibe.

Today I bought wholemeal ciabatta from Cedele and had a tuna 'wich, half with garlic piccanti and the other half with beetroot chutney. Somehow, both tasted similar - vineargy and oniony. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of garlic and beetroot?

I got back two major assignments today - Heritage essay and com sci tutorials. Both were done well, I say. But in return, I get slapped with two CAs this week.

Bye and off to study.

0 Act now, think later

The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision