Wanderlust: Realignment 2

I cannot recall when was the last time my family travelled together.

Dad is an entrepreneur who runs his own business in pharmaceutical wholesale.  Like many other small-medium enterprises owned by Chinese bosses, Dad’s company only takes a break for about 15 days every Lunar New Year.  Apart from that, they work every single day with the exception of Sundays and Public Holidays.  And because my parents don’t believe in allowing us to skip school just so that we could travel during their long break, our last vacation taken together dates back as far as almost 20 years ago when I happened to have a 6-month break prior to entering university.

After I graduated and found a job, I was at the age where travelling with friends was way more cool than travelling with parents.  I was not allowed to travel alone with my then boyfriend-turn-husband because well… my parents are conservative.

My wanderlust must have rubbed off Dad, because during Lunar New Year this year, he suggested that we travel as a family next Lunar New Year.  In fact, he said we could travel to see Shirakawago in winter since I had been gushing about that place for the longest time.  But after discussion with the hubby, we thought it was probably not a good idea.  Dad worries a lot, and he fretted about the clothes to bring for a short Taiwan trip when it was merely 15 degree Celsius.  From the way I turned out, you could say that the apple has not fallen very far from the tree.

Shirakawago experiences the heaviest snowfall in winter in comparison to the rest of Japan, and ambient temperature could easily dip way below freezing point.  None of this is a concern to me, but my priorities have become somewhat different since the parents are coming along.  Although it would be easier if we settle for an easier destination like China or Taiwan (my parents were Chinese-educated and speak very little English), I wish to bring them slightly further or to places where they would never dare venture to without me around.  For example, Japan or countries in Europe.  The problem is, my mum hates taking flights – she cannot accept flights more than 6 hours.  And she’s not the quiet, self-suffering type; during my last trip with her and little sis to central Japan, she fidgeted in her seat the whole night flight it really got on my nerves.  I could break up a flight to Europe into two by doing a transit in Middle East but I would also have the problem of pleasing Dad, who only wants to travel on SIA.  He ever disallowed us from travelling together as a family because he was afraid the aircraft might crash and take away all our lives at the same time.  He was so paranoid he even wanted us to take different flights at different times to get to the same destination.  I argued with him on this – if one of us were going to be killed in an aircraft crash, I would prefer the whole family be together.

But one just doesn’t trivialise the parent’s fear of death, so the argument was left at that, without a resolution.

At the end of the day, the parents wanted to travel with us not so much for visiting new places, but more so for the company.  Although I really wanted to see Shirakawago the coming winter, it doesn’t seem like a good idea to bring the parents along.  Furthermore, the parents belong to the other type of travellers – maximise the travelling by visiting as many places as possible.  They are going to be bored to death if we spend a couple of days at Shirakawago, and another couple of days at Gokayama because the hubby and I like to take it slow while soaking in the local culture and way of life.  I need to find another destination.

I wonder if they could be persuaded to visit Europe.  Rome and Paris are examples of cities where we could visit many, many places in just a couple of days.

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The To-Die-For Chocolate Cookies

I’ve totally not kept to my part of the bargain on many counts during this year of sabbatical, one of which is the promise to bake more often.  But I’m not about to berate myself – what’s passed is passed, and what’s more important is being forward looking.  Yup.

And so, I blogged about Natalie a couple of days back.  She was discharged some days back without a proper diagnosis.  It’s unfortunate that nothing peculiar showed up on her MRI scans.  She also did a very painful lumbar puncture.  The results take about 3 weeks to return, and I’m hoping something conclusive could be deduced from the results.  She had been very unhappy, for very good reasons too: she hasn’t been going to school for a week, and the lumbar puncture hurt like mad.  Just imagine a huge needle going into your spine; it’s not something even adults can tolerate without tearing much lest a 7-year old girl.

I decided to cheer her up in my own way, by baking some nice cookies for her.  Just so happened that the Pierre Hermé PASTRIES book that I ordered on Book Depository finally arrived, giving me the perfect opportunity to try out a new recipe.  I picked the chocolate chip cookies to try baking.

The cookies turned out more than well, and I was pleasantly surprise (although I never doubted the maestro’s recipes).  However, I do find the taste a little too adult-ish (Guanaja, at 70% cocoa content, is a tad bitter).  I don’t know how Natalie will take to it.  Fingers crossed.

(Clicking on the picture above will link you to my baking website, complete with the recipe.)

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Family Woes

Birthday celebrations aside, my family has been rather busy of late because of my niece’s condition.  One of my cousin’s youngest daughter has been falling down very frequently these few months.  And in the last month, she could no longer walk in a straight line, always veering to the right.  Her body was also getting contorted, shoulders stiff, and her right arm twisted at a weird angle.  She now wears a tag in school stating that she must take the lift (and not the stairs because she fell down too often) and she is naturally exempted from PE lessons.  Natalie is only 7.

Her parents got her to a polyclinic and the doctor wrote a referral letter to a local children’s hospital.  But they could only slot her in for an appointment a month later.  During our family dinner recently, my mum and sis described her condition in detail to the hubby and I, and we both agreed her condition warrants immediate attention.  The hubby suggested that my cousin and cousin-in-law admit her through the hospital’s A&E.  There is no reason to wait any longer because her condition seems to be taking a turn for the worse by the day.  We saw for ourselves how she could not stand straight.  Her fingers were perpetually curled and she couldn’t straighten them.  It really broke my heart to see her in this state.

And so I insisted that my cousin bring her in to A&E that very night but she was in a difficult position because she had some very important work to see to the next day.  I volunteered to bring my niece in, but my cousin would be able to answer the doctor’s questions best.  After a short discussion with my cousin-in-law, they decided to bring her in that very night.

Natalie was admitted immediately.  The hubby and I went to visit her at the hospital (because I promised the cheeky girl) in the afternoon.  Incidentally a group of doctors were evaluating her case when we arrived.  I was trying to listen in to their preliminary diagnosis and predicted prognosis.  They concluded it was definitely not normal (which i knew right from the start and cannot imagine why my cousin didn’t think it serious enough to warrant immediate medical attention) but they couldn’t give a diagnosis without any data.  My little niece has to be sent in for an MRI, following which a spine examination if nothing shows up on the MRI results.  The doctor-in-charge said that it seemed to be a movement disorder and is probably caused by a defective brain function.  Or it could be a spinal issue.  I’m no doctor and I have limited medical knowledge, but it appears to me to be a left brain issue because all the symptoms appear on the right side of her body, including how her right eye isn’t seeing quite well.

Other than her movements, Natalie is as bright and as cheeky as ever.  She wants to borrow my iPhone or iPad at every single opportunity to play games.  Unfortunately I’m not a games person and the only games I have are Scrabble and Draw Something, both too advanced for her.  And then I did something unimaginable – I downloaded the Angry Birds game on my iPhone just for her.  Anything just to keep her spirits high because this girl is very afraid of injections and hates hospital stays.

Sometime in the midst of our visit, a nurse came in and asked to measure her height.  Natalie walked out with the nurse, hand-in-hand when my cousin-in-law suddenly remembered that he was asked by the doctors to take a video of her attempting to walk a straight line.  After the height measuring, she tried walking across the Nurses’ Station back to her room and the sad looks I saw on the many nurses’ faces told me loads.  One nurse even came and took her hands, asking her to walk in a straight line.  She couldn’t at all.

I now cannot wish that there is nothing wrong with her, but I’m now praying it’s a small issue that can be corrected with a small surgery.  Or with therapy.

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Shang Palace Family Dinner

It’s March again, and when this month comes along, my family has 2 birthdays to celebrate – my dad and the hubby’s.  This year my family has a new addition in the form of little sis’ partner.  In an attempt to find a good but relatively affordable restaurant for dinner, I turned to the options available during Singapore Restaurant Week.  I’ll just give a brief overview if you’re unfamiliar with how this Restaurant Week works.  It happens once, or twice a year when a list of top restaurants offer quality cuisine at an affordable fixed price.  For March 2012, most establishments offer a 3-course surprise menu at $35++.  For some top-of-the-range restaurants, their surprise menus come fixed at S$50++ for lunch, and S$55++ for dinner.  Reservations to these restaurants are very much sought after and the available slots can be filled out in less than an hour.  This I kid you not.

At the stroke of midnight on the day when reservations were opened, I, together with probably hundreds other AMEX card holders, went online and started clicking away.  I made a total of 3 reservations – a lunch at a French bistro, a birthday dinner at a restaurant perched on the 62nd floor of a building in the business district and a family dinner at a Chinese restaurant situated within a 5-star hotel.  Subsequently due to various reasons, only one meal came to fruition.  But I was allowed to cancel my reservations, as long as I did it at least 24 hours afore.  Thank goodness for that allowance.

My family were in general looking forward to being surprised (for we didn’t know what was going to be served).  Conversely, I headed to the restaurant with more trepidation than excitement because I imagined the worst case scenario – none of the 5-course meal appealed to my hubby (and his finicky palate).  Fortunately everything worked out fine eventually, and we didn’t feel the need to order additional dishes from the ala carte menu.

The moment we sat down at the table we were showed to, we saw the Dinner Menu that was displayed at the lazy susan.  Because I was too distracted with my shawl and DSLR, I failed to study the menu properly.  Instead I asked the waitress if that was the menu we were expecting, much to the annoyance of the hubby.  Well well… someone was suffering from a lack of sleep and was feeling extremely pricky.

The 5 courses were served timely; we didn’t feel there were any long waits in-between.  And the service was superb, if not a little too warm for my comfort.  In the specific order, we were served Sliced Peking Duck Skin with Mango and Crisp Bean Curd Skin, Double Boiled Peark Chicken Soup with Sea Whelk and Morel, Sauteed Prawn with Bean Curd and Spicy Sauce, Stir-Fried Mee Sua with Crab Meat and Black Pepper Sauce, and Chilled Jelly with Assorted Fruits.

My favourite course must be the sauteed prawns and the chilled jelly.  I find these 2 dishes different from the usual, and very refreshing!  Especially the dessert which I really enjoyed!

After dessert, it was time to cut the cake.  For the birthday boys, I bought the Black Forest Cake from Pine Garden’s Cake, a local confectionery I grew up with.  I don’t particualy enjoy Black Forest Cake but it was little sis’ pick of the lot I shortlisted, and because I was split I decided to go with her choice.  I have definitely tasted better, but for that price it was a very good cake.

I’ve always had a soft spot for this hotel because my school prom was held there many years back.  If not for the fact that someone I didn’t care for much held his wedding at this particular hotel, I would have held my wedding banquet there.  But no loss, if you ask me, because we settled for a much nice hotel, in my opinion.

Simply can’t wait for the next run of Restaurant Week because I really want to revisit Au Jardin!  The last time we visited on my birthday, the meal came up to close to S$700 for both of us.  That was a rare splurge we vowed not to repeat so the only chance I could return to that fantastic French restaurant is through a Restaurant Week promotion, I guess.  I know I’m probably doing myself (and the others in the know) a great disservice by blogging about this well-kept secret but hey, good things are meant to be shared, right?  Furthermore, I know for a fact that not many locals read my blog (or for that matter, not many people) so I think the secret is still quite safe.

Shang Palace (Shangri-La Hotel Singapore)
22 Orange Grove Road
Singapore 258350
Tel: +65-6213-4473
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 1130-1430hrs (weekdays) / 1030-1500hrs (weekends & public holidays)
Dinner: 1830-2230hrs

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The Prosperity Toss, My Family’s Style

2012′s Lunar New Year came and went in a flash, in part because my parents went out of town from the 3rd to 10th day (there are a total of 15 days to the Lunar New Year), and in part because I fell ill the same day they left town and barely got well enough for my own trip to Taipei on the 11th day.  Although it’s the first time I spent the Lunar New Year without a job, this New Year felt the shortest when it ought to be the most fulfilling one.  It’s strange but oh, that bug that I caught… it was a massive one.  It started with a sore throat, runny nose and quickly developed into a nasty cough and a perpetual high fever.  I was reduced to a bedridden, sorry state for many days without my mum around to take care of me.  Yea, I still look for my mum when I am sick.  Always my mum, never the hubby… because he doesn’t know how to take care of people.  Grrr…

Fortunately, my cousin’s family stays nearby enough.  Little sis and I were running to her place ever so often for meals during the festive period.  On the 7th Day (which is also known as ‘Ren Ri’, literally translated as everyone’s birthday), we found ourselves back at my cousin’s again and did the Prosperity Toss with our family.

The Prosperity Toss, also known as Yusheng or Lo Hei, is like a raw fish salad made up of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon) or abalone, mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments etc.  And there’s a special procedure to take before eating it.  All diners are to stand around the dish, and on cue all are to proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying various auspicious words.  Since it is believed that the height of the toss reflects the height of the diner’s growth in fortunes, we are all expected to toss enthusiastically.  This is also the exercise I loathe deeply because I don’t like getting my hands all dirty from the messy tossing.  But oh, I like the dish a lot.  It’s very refreshing to eat, what with the fresh crunchy vegetables and sauces.

And have I mentioned that I love my family that loves me deeply?

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Sisters

A couple of nights ago, I received a WhatsApp message from little sis (complete with a picture) demanding to know who the 3-year old me was carrying in my arms.  We both knew it couldn’t be her because she wasn’t even born yet.

Honestly?  I have no idea who I was carrying.  And before I could establish that it wasn’t even important, she started sending a few more pictures, amongst which, was one we took at our new house when I was six.

The quality’s bad because she just took a snapshot with her iPhone and didn’t even bother scanning it. So I can’t do very much about the quality of the shot.  I told her we should take out all our childhood pictures and scan them in before the colours fade further.  I suspect that is going to be the 2012 family project.

And I just realised, we looked very different even back then.  Not like siblings at all.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Celebration

This week’s photo challenge is Celebration.  The biggest celebratory festival for Chinese must be the Lunar New Year, and we Chinese celebrate it in a big way.  It starts on the eve of Lunar New Year where families gather for the Reunion Dinner.

And the Reunion Dinner is all about food.  My family usually has steamboat for the Reunion Dinner because it’s the easiest to fix.  It’s nothing fancy, but there is something very ‘family’ and cosy about having a steamboat feast.

This year on the eve, my cousin moved house and the tables in the house couldn’t accommodate the whole family hence the kids (not so young ‘kids’ because I’m referring to my generation) were relegated to a second table while our parents sat at the main table.  I wish I had a photo of the family tucking in for dinner to share, but nothing, I mean nothing, comes between my Aunt’s steamboat and I.  And as always, my closest cousin and I were the last ones to leave the table.

Yup, this is my interpretation of celebration – bonding with my family, over food.

Cherish

I’m sorry if I have been taking you for granted.

I shall endeavour to cherish everyone around me.

And… I like diamonds.  Pink diamonds to be exact.

And I also like mica and feldspar.

Actually, what’s wrong with collecting stones?

Anyone who knows some basic geology would be able to tell you that stones are fasincating in themselves.  And my knowledge in geology is not exactly basic.

But, I like diamonds for very different reasons from others – not because they sparkle.  I hate how overrated diamonds have become, because the reason why I like diamonds, is because it has an implicitly understated beauty.  Simple, clean and elegant on their own.  The very reasons why I also like pearls.  Small pearls, and small diamonds; not the big ones.  The big ones are ostentatious and… vulgar.

A Special Someone

On this special day, I wish to extend my best wishes to a very special someone – my cousin, my best friend.

My cousin is just a year elder than I am, and we practically grew up together.  It it little wonder that I sometimes feel that she is more of my sister than my real blood-related sister.  I look up to her in many aspects – her tenacity, her love for life and her gentleness.  She is also one of the most balanced people I know.

The stresses of motherhood and running a big household has apparently taken its tow on her, according to my aunt.  She has it tough all her life.  I just wish she remembers to take time to slow down and smell the flowers every day.

Happy Birthday, dearest Jie!

Driving and Dad

I have been driving for over 14 years now.  Back when I just received my driving licence before the turn of the century, I was barely an adult and still schooling at a local university.  In an attempt to get me to stay at home in my final year of undergraduate studies (my university is about a 45 minutes to 1 hour drive from home), dad struck a deal with me – he would buy me a car (second-hand, no less) and I would move home.

I accepted the deal although it was hard to say good-bye to my friends at the hostel.  After all, I’ve had 3 whole years of fun staying in the hostel and it was time to settle down for the last lap in the final year.

While in transaction to purchase my very first car, dad took it upon himself to take me driving every night.  In his huge Mercedes-Benz, may I add.  It was extremely daunting for a fresh driver like I was.  I had things to relearn for example, how to reverse-park or parallel-park without 4 poles at the corners demarcating the lot, how to scale multi-storey car parks of shopping centres and how fast to drive on an expressway.  These were sadly not covered during the driving lessons and eventual test.  In more ways than one, it made me realised that fresh drivers (like I was) were very ill-prepared for the real roads.  I wonder if things have changed over the years.  In the very least, I’ve heard that parking no longer comes complete with the 4 poles.  That’s a vast improvement.

Dad’s not a patient man.  Coupled with a fresh-driver-daughter with poor motor skills was a combination headed for disaster.  Just 3 days into his training, I went home crying and complaining to mum, telling her that I wanted to stop lessons with him and that I’d rather not have a car.  That must have sounded so uncharacteristic of her competitive daughter that it raised her alarm bells.

It took a few days of pacifying her defeated daughter before I agreed to lessons with dad again.  Somehow his attitude changed for the better, and he was trying his utmost to be more patient with me.  Things really got better, and soon, I was good enough to ‘graduate’ and drive on my own.  Even then, dad was worried.  For a full week or so, he drove his car behind mine as I drove to work (I was on an industrial attachment then) just to ensure that I could cope with the morning peak traffic.  That meant that my parents had to wake up earlier than usual to see me to work and then drive themselves to work.  And sleep meant all the world to my dad.

I have such a dedicated dad.  And I am forever in debt to him for the extra lessons he’d given me.  I wouldn’t say I’m the best driver in the world, but I am in the very least not making a nuisance of myself on the roads while not compromising safety.  And because of the training in his huge car, I adapt almost seamlessly to driving cars of any size unlike my sister, whom my dad had never entrusted to drive his Benz.

Thanks dad.  Learning driving from you was probably one of the most important and life-preserving life skills you’d imparted to me.  Now, when the hubby finally passes his driving test, could you please take him out for lessons too?  He’s so impatient on the roads (just sitting as a passenger next to me) he’s always telling me he would run into this or that car if he were driving, just to teach them a lesson.  Now… that’s frightening.  Most definitely road rage in the making.