Visiting the Istana..

Date: 30 Aug 2011
Venue: Istana, Singapore

We all know what a White House is. You could compare the Istana to the White House! Istana means palace in Malay.The Istana grounds are open to the public five times a year in celebration of
Chinese New Year
Deepavali
Hari Raya Puasa
Labour Day and
National Day.

Today being the Hari Raya, we ( Bernice Teo- the outing organiser, Zenn Lai , Barbara Lee and myself ) set out early morning hoping to meet Mr. President! The girls wore flats and I was in my shortest heels anticipating a long day and a long walk ahead of us.

All prepared!

The four of us walked met at the entrance, thank god for Mc D we grabbed our breakfast and headed towards the Istana.We queued early morning at 9:30am and were in at no time. Admission to the Istana grounds is free for Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents.  Visitors are required to pay an entrance fee of $1 per person.

Mr President here we come!

Once inside you will actually see how big the grounds are! It houses the Swan pond, the golf course, a Japanese garden, Queen victoria statue. I couldn't help but admire the hard work that goes into maitaining the place! The greenery everywhere, plants and trees and the green lawn ! A perfect place -  for picnic,or an educational tour  or for a photographers haven or just for those who desire to bump into the President ( like me)

So many places to go , so little time!

After walking which seemed like for hours we reached the main edifice! Marvellous  majestic white building ! There is an entrance fee to enter the building which is $2 for all including Singaporeans and PR's. the money goes to charity.Photography is not allowed inside the building which was quite a disappointment as there were magnificent paintings and other gifts which were presented to the President by other renowned people.We were allowed to only see the ground floor part of the building which is not much compared to the size of the building.

The captivating ISTANA

Although its supposed to be the residence of the President himself, after speaking to a guard we found out that the President does not reside here at all. Its just his office along with the Prime minister and a few VIP's offices. I could not help but wonder 2 things:
1: One could get lost in this magnificent building. Wonder how many times Mr.President lost his way
2: Wonder how many secret treaties have been signed in this very building I was in!
This silent building might have witnessed so many secret alliances! The building in white looked mysterious and overpowering at the same time to me!

Supposedly built in 1859 by the Indian labourer convicts and then renovated a few times , I have to emphasize on the point that the architecture is just out of this world.

We girls had a great time clicking pictures and not to mention cracking a few jokes about our adorable 'Papa Nathan' . It would be his last days at the Istana as his reign ends now..

P.S: The next Istana Open House is scheduled to be held on  26 October 2011, Wednesday (to celebrate Deepavali)

Cook and Share a Pot of Curry!

Day : 21 August, 2011
Venue : All over Singapore (and in my house)

Pots of curry
Photo art by Ms. Bernice Teo,
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

It all started with the smell of Indian curry. As read through the news articles for days and all the long chats with my Singaporean colleagues, I summarise this:


Community Mediation Center (CMC) imposed restrictions on a Singaporean Indian family cooking and eating curry at home following a complaint by their PRC (People's Republic of China or the mainland China) neighbors.They got the Indian family to agree to cook curry with their windows and doors closed and  only when the Chinese family was not home! All because the PRC's couldn't stand the smell of the curry! Now what would you call this? Racial discrimination, Religion discrimination , Food discrimination??


Singapore is a multiracial, multi-cultural, multi-lingual country. So far all religions, cultures have lived in peace and harmony. So what went wrong? Here's the twist : This incident happened 7 years ago!


I have no idea why and how the matter was brought into light and for godssake ,WHY now? Singapore has changed a lot in 7 years, people have changed a lot in 7 years , and so have I ! Yet , to create awareness and to make all foreigners and locals feel at home, a new movement started.It was like a revolution! "Cook and Share a Pot of Curry" on Facebook. The number of attendees increased by the day to protest against this disgraceful and shameless act! I was one among the 60,000 attendees doing my part. And a special thanks to Bernice Teo , who joined me on the occassion to share my pot of curry, which was a very touching moment for me.

The in-house Chef

And so it was more than a pot of curry at my residence:

Sweet Corn Soup

Brinjal curry

Cauliflower Curry

Paneer(Indian cheese) & Peas curry
Chapati(Indian Bread)

Ghee Rice

Carrot Halwa

Bon Apetite!
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

And so after our heavy lunch, we sat down to watch our French movie, "Le Grand Bleu" .( I need an eternity to write about this movie. Flawless! Words can never express the depth of emotions and meanings this movie portrays )

Le Grand Bleu.
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

And when the evening came to an end and it was time to call it a day, I felt warmth. No, Not the Singapore weather BUT a sense accomplishment and achievement in 'trying' to change the world.


This event has 2 major significances:
1. Bernice's dislike for Eggplant(Brinjal) has come to an end and on the contrary she now likes it (only the Indian way)
2. I am more aware and involved in this diversified culture now, which helps me adapt here even more.. I love all my Indian/Malay/indonesia/Filipino/Chinese Friends and fellow-beings, irrespective of their food, clothing or language!


All said and done, August 21st shall now be celebrated by me as the "Curry Day"!

Sing and learn!

Learning a new language is not easy. Just striving to learn the grammar and vocabulary the traditional way can make it too boring.Chances are the students can remain passive and may not respond due to lack of confidence(a statement made by experience) Then again learning mere grammar and the words doesnot make one fluent. The accent is the main challenge! 
Learning can be made fun! And what more, when music plays an important role in learning and spice up the language classroom?  Music appeals to anyone. Irrespective of race,  gender,  nationality.


Francois , my French professor at the Alliance Francais de Singapour has exceptionally succeeded in this art of teaching through music! Music being a part of the youth culture Francois has taken it to the next level of learning. French melodies help students to pick up the language with accent naturally and therefore makes the class more memorable and inspiring.Not to mention the atmosphere it creates in the classroom!Francois has made music is fun and effective way of acquiring the language! And you dont have to be a singer to join the class! Croak all you want and dont be shy!


Today's class was quite a revelation for me. Just a song can help you learn the intonation, the slangs, the grammar at the same time.Also broadens your horizons by exporing the cultural dimensions of the song! Francois has been teaching for over 20 years now and he is legendary. I had heard of him even before I had started taking French lessons,his way of teaching being quite unique and easy to grasp.


So here I post the video of the Fun class we had today. Looking forward to enriching my knowledge of French through music and fun! 

If you are a student in Alliance Francais , then you must be aware of the music classes Francois conducts every Saturday 1-2 pm( no fees charged! ) For those who aspire to learn this language or inprove their language skills, and also to know more about Francois please check Francois's blog 


www.classedechants.zeblog.com 

Selamat Hari Raya!

The month of August in Singapore is very significant. First there's the National Day or the Independence day which I missed due to unavoidable circumstances. Second ,its the Chinese Hungry Ghost festival and the third reason being its the fasting month for the Muslims! Hailing from India, I am not new to the culture of Islamism. Yet the Islamic or Malay culture in Singapore is somehow different from that existing in India. Eidil Fitri, or Hari Raya Puasa as it is known in Singapore is what is Ramzan or Id-ul fitri in India. The Malay words ‘Hari Raya' means 'Day of Celebration' or the ‘Festival of Breaking the Fast'. Fasting first, Feasting next!

Ramadan in singapore
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

Every year during the month of Ramadan, the Geylang Serai or the Malay Village which reflects the traditional Malays of olden times buzzes with activity with street bazaars and food stalls. Most of the Muslims gather here so it is always filled with large crowds. The street bazaars and night market are called ‘ pasar malam '. You can buy carpets, clothes, accessories, traditional Malay clothes, all for a great bargain!

Turkish/ Arab Carpets
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

After work , my colleagues and I headed towards our destination anticipating a lot of crowd , food and fun.After having planned this for 2 weeks I was pretty excited. A wide variety of food was being sold at the bazaar along the stretch of the street. It's a food haven! With lot of hungry people brushing past you , some pushing you , it felt like a 'mela' where I could get lost..  During the night, the whole place was lit up with glittering lights and decorations.

glittering lights at the Geylang Serai
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

 Kueh -mueh (Malay cakes and pastries),  buns, breads, curry, noodles and delicious curry puff pastries and a variety of Biryanis and finger food! The list barely scratches the surface!

Malay delicacies- how can u not drool?
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

Food that a vegetarian (like me) can enjoy in Geylang Serai:
Kathira, milk-based  drink in different flavours
Potato Fritters
Banana Fritters
Jackfruit Fritters(Cempadak )
Biryani without any meat
Malay version of 'Vadai'
Desserts and cakes like keuh Keuh

potato and banana fritters
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

jackfruit fritters
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

original Indian Vadai? Nah!
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

The excitement somehow died down due to the heat and the hustle bustle . As the stalls are along the street all you do is walk in the crowd and munch all the way buying more and more food. Sure gets tiring! If you think Little India is crowded then you sure will have a change of mind once you visit the Geylang Serai! A good experience.


P.S : If you intend to go to Geylang Serai(before 28th of Aug), kindly wear summer clothes. The heat even after the dusk could give you a stroke! No wonder they call Singapore ' the air-conditioned island' , noone would have survived in the country without the 'aircon'!

An evening in ChinaTown

Every country has a small little Chinatown. Singapore's Chinatown is uniquely original. An evening exploring every nook and corner of Chinatown was quite a revelation. Its not just the shopping , food and the people , the whole atmosphere has a certain charm which excites you the moment you enter Chinatown from the train station. The small shops and buildings coloured yellow, green and red are a treat to the eyes compared to the sky towering magnificent buildings in the Central Business district (CBD) area.There's a lot of history behind Chinatown which is very interesting and quite shocking which I shall solely write about someday after I recieve first hand information from a local source.

Chinatown shopping spree
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

The residents here are mostly the Chinese, although you will see visitors or traveller's from various parts of the globe trying to sink in the astonishing culture and heritage of the Chinese. There is so much to see and absorb here. this place is a paradise for souvenir shoppers for the tourists.


Grace(Kyunhae) accompanied me to Chinatown for an evening to splurge and pamper ourselves. The last time I was in Chinatown was during the Chinese new year where I saw Chinatown in all its glory and granduer.This time around Grace's and my agenda was to shop till we drop. The clusters of shops selling clothes , trinkets, feng shui stuff, chinese medicines, and not to mention the FOOD were beckoning us! All those clothes were crying out to me to buy them! How could we resist? Grace went bonkers over the accessories and clothes.

Grace and the accessories
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

The first thing in my "to do" list (after  shopping of ocurse) was to visit the Mariamma temple at the Pagoda street which is also the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. Cant stop mentioning the irony - a Hindu temple in Chinatown! Now that is why I repeat the word everytime - multcultural! My Korean friend/colleague hadn't visited a Hindu temple before so it felt good to be the host for a change :) showing her around and explaining the mythology(the little that I know ).A lot of foreigners were in the temple compared to the resident Hindu's. The photographers went on a clicking frenzy ! The paintings on the roof, the statues and idols of the Gods are captivating. 

Mariyamma temple
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

intricate details at the rooftop
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

Been living here for quite sometime now I felt ignorant and foolish when I learnt that Singapore boasts to have the oldest Buddist temple which houses the TOOTH of the divine Buddha himself! But alas! We couldn't visit the temple as it is open only at fixed timings. If you need to visit the temple , kindly check for the timings especially the timings when the tooth is on display for the public!

Buddhist Tooth relic temple
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

If you are looking for antiques, chinese lanterns, dragin masks,souvenirs, a good buy at the great bargaining price you must visit the following streets:
Sago street
Pagoda street
Smith street
Trennganu street
These streets are parallel to each other, theres no way one can miss it.

Grace flipping over all the accessories!
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

The wet markets here as heard from a local, is another place which will keep you open- mouthed. Along with durians and regular vegetables they sell pigs feet, chickens feet which are supposedly the delicacies! The Chinese medicine halls are quite common along the stretch of the road where you will find various dried 'herbs' which according to my experience is not just mouth opener but also eye opener (you can imagine my expressions now - )

Another unique experience was  the Tintin shop! A shop dedicated to Tintin ! Mugs, accessories etc with tintins pictures on them which would be a delight for a collector.

The Tintin Shop
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

And so we ventured further to make our tummies happy looking for food. And trust me its no task here. Singapore is a food paradise. We chose an authentic Chinese restaurant for no particular reason. Grace and I sought help from the Chinese waitress what to order and how to eat as it was a new experience for the both of us. We finally ordered some dishes out of which I mention my veggies dishes here. What words cannot explain I hope my pictures shall..

name forgotten will upload soon..

beancurd claypot with Congee
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

P.S : Also to mention Korea doesnot have abundance of coconut hence Graces love for coconut is immense. She went bananas over coconut water! 

originally uploaded by the fallen angel

You go gal!
originally uploaded by the fallen angel

Here's bidding farewell to Grace who's been a good friend and a colleague. It was nice having you with us and  hope to see you in Singapore more often!