Home- cooked

The Anchovy Soup

I know I have said many times about anchovies.

These small fishes are potent in its function as a soup 'must have' for noodles. It adds flavour and sweetness to the plate; which otherwise would be flat in taste. So, I also believe my girls have got that planted in their heads whenever they attempt to prepare soupy meals.
One needs to get a handful of the anchovies and boil it for a good 30 minutes or so before prior to adding other complementary ingredients.

 So, I am impressed that Esther has attempted to prepare her vermicelli soup dish with an anchovy base. So, she told me that she now can cook as well as Allie. So, it's true that necessity is surely the mother of invention. You will long for home-cooked food after a while. So, when you are away from home and its culinary delights you will try to emulate the cooking too.

Unlike her sisters; perhaps because she is tired of home-cooked ones, Sara prefers to visit food outlets with her boyfriend. Well, it's normal. You only miss when you do not have.

Eldest sister, Grace is good too. But whenever I am with her it's "ma, you cook this, you cook that..." I have yet to taste of her skills in Chinese cooking. She takes advantage of me. So, she told me a couple of days ago she had prepared the "hock chew" mee suah soup dish. It's anchovy based too with chicken pieces, rice wine and wolf berry. In this preparation, it would also mean the chicken is preboiled with the anchovies.
You can be generous with the rice wine according to preference. Esther was invited for the meal and she told me it was out of the world.
So, it is comforting to know that the girls are handy at this type of dish and know how to prepare them well. It's a living skill.

While I was preparing my favourite fish porridge, I thought I would like to share with them how I do it just in case their crave for it comes.

 I know they always enjoy my version.

So, here it goes.

Again, with some anchovies, dried scallops (optional) and fish bones and head , boil it with water till soup turns milky. 

 My first preference is mackerel followed by red snapper or the more expensive 'ma yau' or senangin species. I would normally get the smaller sized mackerel as shown above which is enough for 4 people. The fish monger would obligingly 'debone ' and 'deskin' so I would have 2 strips all cleaned. However there may be some tiny bones here and there so you will need to remove them. Dad hates to consume fish porridge with bones attached to the meat.

Then you can now cut the fish according to preferred length for use later.

After a good 30 minutes or so of boiling, add rice to the fluid and let it boil to preferred softness. Some like it real starchy while others may like less starchy. If you want it starchy, stir as the mixture boils.

My style is different. When the rice in the fluid boils for about 10 minutes, I would normally switch off the fire and cover the pot till I use it later. 

You will see that the porridge is fully cooked, puffed up but not starchy. 

That's how I like it.

Anyway, boil the porridge to preferred consistency.

Girls, an additional ingredient that will add further punch is a scoop of minced pork or even chicken. This will surely add the final touch.

When I serve to more, I will transfer my porridge to a steam boat pot because I would add the final ingredients as I serve.

So, when my guests are ready, I will add ginger strips, chinese salted vegetable, to the fish and meat in the porridge.

The epitome must have are fish gravy sauce and garlic oil.

Sprinkle the fresh spring onion and add pepper if need to. 

Have a small sauce plate of chilli padi and you will have a never ending meal.

 You will want more and more.

For keeps.

Best Practices

Recreation

There are many forms of recreation; play, create or simply being different. I like to interpret images and photos and activities of people and then I talk.

In this magic kitchen, I am always reminded of the giver of the flower magnets attached to the fridge. I am touched by her thoughtfulness and keen interest to make others happy with her gifted creations.

So pretty right?

Things made beautiful with recyclables. They are just plain bottle covers but when creatively crafted, it makes a person's day bright and beautiful.

Teacher Mong Ling is artistic.

Oh this is hard work.

But nevertheless creativity of first degree.

Many hours of serious labour are poured into it; just to make the day for someone.

 Look at the end product.

Sara is best at this; making a cake for another special occasion.

This time it was truly undercharged but it is alright.

She had made someone very delighted indeed.

Playful Esther is again at it.

Water sports. If it is not the mountains, it is the sea or the road.

I have never remembered her being so sporty in her school days. She reminded me that when I released her to Australia she developed a zest and boldness to conquer what she delights in ; including skiing. She told me not to curb her wild nature. I think I did just that. So, she is at her epitome of happiness. 

Play and create a name at work.

 Good.

Waris is also very doting. He uses his spare moments to entertain baby Emily. 

I am always amused at his soft spot for little Emily. 

He buys her clothes ; baby talks with her and holds her all the time.

It also means he is wanting to have a baby of his own too.

Work harder, young man. 

You can do it.

When fathers meet, this is what they do.

Loving daddies exchanging notes; they must be happy to meet and talk.

That's Aaron and Erwin with their pride and joy.

Good way to spend time together.

What do you see in this image?

A good practice ?

Definitely not. Some do take negativity to spoil one's existence. Having neighbours who install a pail to divide right of parking space is not delightful. What does it reflect?

Never mind about it; different in a different light.

Well. Best practices.

Friends

Remembering them.

I am not sure if they remember, but I do think of them in my free time and recall our times together in school. When you have been colleagues for a good part of your life you cannot help but recap their habits, attitudes and values in life. Some values and beliefs concur with you while some may differ. But there are some basic core values which pull individuals together may it be discipline, honesty, integrity and practices.

I have long wanted to talk about them.

So today is a good day.

We have all retired. But do not be fooled. All are still looking good and up to the mark. Here they are : LJJ, GPC, LCY. Don't you think we are still fit?

What do I remember about them?

LJJ is a maths jargon. She is strict in her own ways and a disciplinarian to her own children but an angel to others. Her students can vouch for that. A conscientious teacher, she looked into the affairs of the children well. When her heart is set on that KPI and that everyone must pass that public test, she will not allow a soul go unattended to. Such is her passion for them.
Kind and gentle, her role as a disciplinarian chief many years ago resulted in a school well cared for with minimal repercussions from the recalcitrant but instead turned hard cores into softer beings. Skillful in many ways; excellent at teaching and brilliant in bringing the wayward back. Sitting at home now, I think she needs to be back in the scene.

Next, is the evergreen GPC. Nothing can tempt her in life; definitely not even silver or gold. She works and lives for a set of values which she holds true in life.
When given a task, Ms Goh leaves no stone unturned. Tip top and computer savvy, she defends the data and statistics of the school with a manner that no one can question. It is very difficult for her to commit a mistake. She is unforgiving to herself whenever a mistake is made and corrects in humility.
Talking about her teaching skills. She is an Add Maths supreme teacher and it will be a long. long while if any form 6 student can forget her, She is sacrificial; coaxed her protege to learn and relearn; bought them food and sweets and would even invite them to her house if need to for further coaching. Such is the integrity she holds in life.
 Refusing to go beyond 56, she quit on the grounds that she could not give her best. She doesn't realise that some who do not deserve to be a teacher still went on...
If you have her as a coach, you should thank your lucky star. So, do you not think she should be back to help others too?

The demure and patient LCY reads and teaches Chemistry. Gentle and soft spoken she has led many to score in the subject and even won in great competitions when her students entered Science competitions. She will quietly go about her ways but always making sure duties are performed to her best capacity.
Generous and always giving treats, she is a good friend to many and her not so insistent ways have garnered a lot of approval here and there. Her motherly skills have seen her successful in leading all her sons and daughter into the medical field and her humble disposition makes her an easy person to be with.
But where teaching is concerned it is also no play, play...

You see all my friends are exemplary characters and excellent teachers belonging to the era of old. They say old is gold. How true can it be. Old in age but young at heart. They should be back in the teaching scene. Agree?

Teachers forever.

The Read

The author says her main theme is compassion.

 That if there is any good source it must be from a mother's heart.

The author sustains my reading well. I found it hard to put it down the moment I started reading though my growing old eyes can blur at times. The story line is basically on the strings of the heart; how a mother's children respond and remember her under different circumstances and light. It catches my attention tightly as I reflect upon my own feelings towards my mother and wonder how my children read me too.

The plot started with the mother missing from a train station in Seoul and how it got family members uptight, upset and guilty. It is when a person is lost that it forces one to remember her/him at the best perspectives and giving reason for regret. So here, the family characters start to play their roles and not a line went by without show of concern and regret.

I also secretly hold the notion that perhaps my siblings should recall and record our personal exchanges and moments with our own mum and maybe learn to appreciate her more in her golden years while we still can. To live in regret is sad as I read too true that one may choose to ignore the good values of others and not notice changes that may be detrimental to good living in loved ones around you. Do we choose to avoid facing reality or quickly live for real moments and live well ?

I can associate myself with many of the principles of Asian living expounded in the thoughts of the characters; the son, daughter, father and mother. As a learning exercise, it is perhaps provoking enough for me to ponder over them and better myself as a person. It is not easy but there is a need to try. After reading it, I am overwhelmed with much guilt too.

Not that there are any excerpts less worth mentioning, but I happened to scroll through the final chapter again and picked some thoughts which I can associate with my own beliefs...here are they :

• ...watching your mother put you to her breast even though she didn't have any milk, I glared at you, just a newborn. I even sent your other grandmother away and grabbed you from your mother's arms and smacked your bottom. People say when a baby is crying, the paternal grandmother will say, "The baby is crying,you should feed her", and the maternal grandmother will say, "Why is that baby crying so much, making her mother so tired...
• ... you were always a neat and clean child, unlike your sister. You were the child who would wash your white trainers if there was even a pea-sized mark on them. I wondered why you'd study so much, if you were going to live like this ...(looking after 3 babies at home)
• ...when you were accepted into a top university in Seoul,and into the pharmacy school and after that, your high school hung up a congratulatory placard in your honour. Whenever someone said to me, "Your daughter is so smart ! I'm sure my smile stretched up to my ears...
• ...a house is a strange thing... even a good house falls apart quickly when nobody looks into it...
• ...a house takes on the characteristics of its occupants, and depending on who lives in it, can become a very good house or a very strange house...I do think that a house starts resembling the people who live there...

It takes a while to digest all thoughts and feelings but I like deciphering over them. They are good values to live with and by. There are hundreds of such thought provoking lines to ponder over in the novel.

I enjoyed the book tremendously.

If you can, get a copy for your library.

Norejah

 Thoughtful.

That's sweet Norejah.

Having known her for more than a decade, the friendship never fizzles off though we only meet occasionally. Let's put it this way. She takes pains and the initiative to be in contact.

How and in what way?

Her tupperware gifts.

As far as my memory can stretch there has never been a season when she forgets to connect with me during festive celebrations.

Name them.

Christmas. Chinese New Year, Mid Autumn Festival and all. She would always make her way to school and my house to present the gifts. Moon cakes, Christmas fruit cakes, Lunar New Year cookies and all placed in lovely editions of tupperwares !
She is awfully thoughtful!

Today she came knocking at my door and gave me moon cakes in fushun pink containers. I was excited at the edition. She told me she is flying to the UK this evening to send her youngest for further studies. She could not leave without first giving me the gift.
 Hard to come by.

Both of us have children of the same generation and they were friends in school.
Norejah used to serve actively in the PTA of the school and that was how a friendship brewed. 

But her consistent effort to keep in touch is so warm and exemplary. 

It is truly sweet of her.

Have a pleasant and fruitful trip dear Norejah

Selamat Hari Raya Haji too to you and the family as you celebrate together in the UK.

The Neighbourhood

HDB Living in Singapore

It is the aim of the reigning government that every couple has a roof over their heads on a cramp island like Singapore. I recalled studying about HDB apartments when I was doing an urban study living in the University of Malays back in the 70s under Professor Lee Boon Tong. At that time world research already deemed it worth an in depth study about its policy, implementation and success story. Somehow, some practical solutions have to be put in place for her people for future peaceful survival and the fruit is surely felt today especially with the ongoing election on for 11 September.

It is not surprising then to witness high rise buildings when you open your windows and see the skyline. Right across Grace's apartment is a convent. Every morning the chiming of the morning bells wake me up from my slumber; just like the 'subur' call back home. These prayer calls are timely calls for me to wake up for the day and its chores. Religious practices carry us through the ups and downs of life. It is good to pray and hope for the needs of each day; may it for yourself, loved ones, friends and country. We exist for meaningful exchanges.

It is also new to me in apartment living; having lived in landed properties up to this juncture. So, after feeds and entertainment, I could not help but go down and walk around the grounds of the block. I feel trapped at times as I move from one corner to the other and needed to breathe under bigger space. I would gaze around and see what people do here.

There is this group of retirees hanging around coffee shops and chatting away. They must be talking about the impending snap election and they exchanged opinions so thoroughly, Then very soon the van would come around and over the loud speaker it called:

Dear voters, vote for PAP, we will work for you...

With you

For you

For a better Singapore...

The voice over the loud speaker is in many forms; Mandarin, Malay, English, Tamil, Teo Chew, Hokkien , Hakka ; just name them. Refreshingly different. 

Further down the block, colourful flags and decorations caught one's attention. I spoke into Emily's ears and told her to notice the colourful movements and she responded in soft goo goo gah gah...

I also watch the media, listen to conversations and conclude that the authorities depend on unity to call the shot. Malays, Chinese and Indians ; a multi-ethnic composition just like back home which needs a common oneness for a success story,

 Surely, the cliche United We Stand and Divided We Fall is never more real; a principal that stands for generations and generations.

Will the world learn?

Soon, I also noticed a Taoist/Buddhist funeral service being conducted under a common ground in the next block. Neighbourhood living is sharing everything. You have to get used to loud music of the 70s being sung and played. You cannot and must not complain. They practice good values; tolerance, kindness and mutual responsibility.

Strolling further, I saw another phenomenon.

Gardens.

Plots of land seemingly under different ownership...

I hope I did not get it wrong.

It boils down to the fact that humans love plants and animals. They do not just exist but co-exist with God's other creations for relaxation and creativity.

At different hours of the day I saw the womenfolk pottering around with spades and watering their pride, Yes, they take pride in their plots; definitely so. I guess you cannot do shopping 24/7 but to indulge in other healthier outdoor activities.

At the grocer, I practice a bad habit.

Conversion.

I cannot help but compare.

The eggs, fish, chicken, potatoes, onions cost the same amount as back home but in Singapore dollars and that means 3x more. I kept ranting about it and Grace very seriously chided:

DON'T CONVERT, MA.

I am trying very hard; daughter.

At the end of the day, it is how we live a life.

So, may God continue to lead Emily in meaningful living wherever she is and however she is sleeping; the sarong is still the best !

Hope to enjoy the day with Emily again.

The Schedule

SOS

When there is a call to meet Emily's needs dad and I knew that we had to heed the call. While waiting news for a house help there is sometimes the possibility of filling in the gap.

How can anyone resist her? At 4 months she is already crawling and alert to all forms of senses.

Her legs will kick at the keys for music and her fingers grasp the  mobile toys dangling in the air. Entertaining Emily is a tiring affair. She seems to be wanting attention 24/7 when awake and is never satisfied with mere pattings here and there. You can make her happy when you put on nursery rhymes on the u tube and sing along. Oh; it seems easier to handle 1000 children in school.

 A care giver's duty is surely a commendable one.

 Oh yes there is this constant battle to fight when feeding. The mama at work will pump milk for bottle feeding and the poor child has to decide which is which : the bottle or mama's milk? Training a child at least 2 methods of drinking milk is essential for working mothers or hell will surely break lose. Getting her feed fully done is discipline. You can actually be stressed out if not done well but a little reminder once in a while is helpful ; babies will eventually grow. 

Then there is this sleep pattern to handle. Mama at work instructs but a lot again will depend on maternal instincts and the need of the day. You pat her back and put her head against the shoulder? No, no you put her on a sleeping position in your arms?  Or you put her on the stomach and coax her to slumber? You need the pacifier to calm her but she rejects it ? But I brought up all my babies sleeping in a sarong. Oh the sarong ? It's a big no but  I insisted. So when the going gets tough the sarong is the answer; at least it works for me with Emily although her parents still think it is not practical. 

When baby Emily is asleep, it's time to clean, cook and eat. Then you make sure you are around all the time to ensure that length of sleep or she gets cranky and unfriendly. 

Then it is a chore to handle the cries and fuss. 

Oh I hope and pray that Aunt Allie's niece will be able to come soon or everyone will be busy...

My stay here is short just to fill an immediate gap. I will miss Emily but I am also needed elsewhere. It's painful to leave her behind but the needful has to be done.

When doing my favourite hobby , I always have Emily in mind. I think of baby clothes and look out for fine material to cut a pattern for her. Look at my latest sewn a couple of weeks ago. I had better complete whatever I have planned to do or I may not be able to find the time to do soon.

 For Emily I can find reason to do my best.

 I take pains to edge and gather neatly just to make sure she will have a pretty dress.

 Look at the tiny panty I sewed to complete the attire. 

Now she can wear a dress together with the panty. Nice ?

But best of all. I also made a  summer dress for myself using the same material. I look forward to the day when I can hold Emily's hands and stroll along the streets with her. Surely they can tell we are granny and grand child because we have the same 'look'. 

My imagination can definitely run wild with her in mind.

Anything for you Emily.