Food, Glorious Food
POSTED AT 10:33 AM

I'd like to take the time to document some much appreciated culinary experiences that I've had over the past couple of months. With great foresight, I realise that now (pre-dinner 6pm) might not be the best time to relive all those sumptuous meals, but I'm going to forge ahead nevertheless.

1) Pho

I had this last year when I had been here long enough to miss food back home terribly, yet not long enough to have adapted to peculiar Western notions of good food. The only forms of Asian food that I had tried around the area were all variants of the American interpretation of Chinese takeaway. These were all extremely sweet, greasy, and only marginally similar to authentic Asian fare. Needless to say, they weren't particularly satisfying. This, however, was quite something. I've never had pho before, so I can't really compare this to previous experience, but this particular specimen was simply fantastic. The characteristic Indochinese blend of diverse tastes was balanced perfectly, and the generous dose of spices were a welcome hark back to Southeast Asian cuisine and the fusion that is Singaporean food.

To top it off, I washed down the meal (as if the fragrant beef soup was insufficient for that purpose) with a nice cup of Vietnamese coffee. The American strains that you can find everywhere tend to be weak and watery; this was most definitely different - a tribute to good old kopi-c gau with its thick, satisfying aroma and generous helping of evaporated milk.

The best coffee I've ever had (and try to enjoy regularly) comes from a simple unassuming coffee shop next to my grandparents' home in Malaysia. This Vietnamese coffee, though clearly no superior, was at least worthy of comparison, which is a distinguished honour all by itself.

2) Overseas Singaporean/Malaysian food

Though there is nary a good Asian eating place around this area, let alone Singaporean restaurant, I've had the good fortune of sampling Singaporean cuisine in the many places that I've visited - Philadelphia, New York, London and Chapel Hill. Admittedly, though, most of it is actually Malaysian food, which nevertheless does not diminish the comfort value since I have spent quite a fair bit of time in Malaysia, and grudgingly find some aspects of Malaysian food to be far superior to anything you can get on our sunny island.

Unfortunately (actually, fortunately) my experience at these restaurants have largely been limited to Nasi Lemak. I love it, I eat it 3 times a week back home, and there's nothing that I crave more. I must say that London's was average, Philadelphia's was reasonable and Chapel Hill's was surprisingly good.

There's nothing much really to describe - it's a pretty commonplace experience back home, worthy only of special mention because of the drought of good + home food in my life.

3) Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips in London were fair. Nothing particularly spectacular about the fish or the chips, though the tartar sauce at Earl's Court is worthy of a mention. However, I think the experience is greatly enhanced by the act of sitting in an English Pub with an ale on hand. The ale combines well with the food, and the civilised British identity that you can pretend to exude for a while makes this experience extraordinary.

4) Beat the clock mussels

There's a restaurant around the Covent Garden area of London that prices their meals according to the time at which you place your order. From 5 - 8, you pay an amount equal to the time that you arrive. Needless to say, we were there at 5 to snap up the offer.

There were a couple of choices that you could decide between, but all 5 of us ordered the same thing - a nice big bowl of mussels, with fries and a beer. Mussels were fresh and good, fries were filling, beer was refreshing. What more can you ask for, really?

5) Spaghetti Vongole

Now this one is truly special. It was my second time at this quiet, out-of-the-way restaurant in Rome; the first time the previous night, though superbly delicious, was only setting the stage for greater things to come, as I would come to realise. I had had a nice Italian style pizza with sausage and broccoli that night, which really doesn't sound like much, but still qualifies as one of the best pizzas that I've had in a long time. American pizzas, with their soft, thick crusts and greasy toppings are on the other end of the spectrum.

In any case, I opted for the more complete experience this time by choosing a pasta. The spaghetti with clams caught my eye, and I was not to regret it. It arrived seasoned in olive oil and various Mediterranean herbs, as opposed to the more common carbonara, alfredo or bolognese sauces. It's hard to convey the intensity of the experience, but the pasta was simply delicious, perfectly cooked and seasoned, with a generous helping of clams at the side. Easily, hands down, one of the best pasta dishes that I have ever had in my life. To top it off, I also ordered a half-litre of white wine, which complemented the lightness of the pasta nicely.

Surprisingly, this meal turned out to be very affordable. It's not often that one can have such an enjoyable meal of pasta and wine, and not have to worry about the bill afterwards. Definitely a fantastic experience.

Ushering in 2008
POSTED AT 05:53 AM

The turn of the year is always a good time to look back on the past and pick out the lessons for the future. I remember vividly how I spent New Year's Eve in 2006 - I stayed away from the massive crowds sure to flood the downtown area, and instead celebrated the New Year at Junren's house with a massive hold'em session.

It's been a good year I think. I'm actually pretty pleased how the 10 month gap turned out. Work at both comGateway and Brewerkz was both exciting and fun. Waitering at Brewerkz in particular was rather challenging, but I think I managed to take away from the experience what I was looking for in the first place - an unsheltered, real-world job, learning a new trade, meeting new people. Plus I've learnt to appreciate beer for what it is (other than a medium for alcohol ingestion), and my, what horizons has that opened for me!

In retrospect, China was a very good decision indeed. I'm glad for the opportunity to consolidate my grasp of the language; I feel more confident about Chinese with my exposure to the Northern accent and figures of speech; I now better appreciate China and Chinese culture. And of course, I made good friends on the trip who still keep in touch. That makes me happy beyond measure.

The main event of the year is undeniably the first semester at Duke. It was a little difficult at first, I must say, getting used to academic study again after two years of atrophy, as well as coping with the new environment and being away from home. But it got better as the term went on, and now I'm looking forward to the next semester. Academically my results after the first semester aren't too spectacular, but they're still decent, and at least above my scholarship requirement, which is the Rubicon boundary not to be crossed.

To be honest, I must admit that I am a little dissatisfied with the interpersonal relationships here. Maybe it's me, maybe it's the people, but I can safely say that in the 4 weeks that I was in Beijing, I made closer friends than I have after 4 months at Duke. I do have my group of friends here, and we hang out together, go for meals together, celebrate each other's birthdays, but somehow there isn't that connection on another level that elevates the relationship into a close friendship. I'm willing, however, to give it time, so we shall see how the next semester turns out.

I was looking back the other night on my NS experience - somehow, there's no escaping from it - and I was struck by the multeity of the experience. From being a naive, hapless recruit in BMT, to a derided SISPEC trainee in the middle of Tekong where despair exists in bountiful quantities, to the sudden awakening into the high pressure cooker that is OCS, then on to the relative liberation, independence and yet dangerous unpredictability of SOCC, and finally on to the balancing act that was my BSO appointment. With time and the murkiness of memories you tend to forget the intensity of emotion, but I remember all too well the differing feelings at each stage.

The trip to Europe was a satisfying end to the year. I managed to cap my budget at a reasonable amount, even with ridiculous costs of living in London and shopping temptations. We managed to go around quite a few of the sights in both cities, which was well balanced with a lot of down-time simply spent lazing around at home, playing poker and watching movies.

Without a doubt, I would say that the two highlights of the trip would be the visit to the Sistine Chapel, and meeting up with V and A. The Sistine Chapel is breathtakingly beautiful, and being able to stand inside the chapel, gazing up at the famous fresco on the ceiling constituted the culmination of a mini-dream, of sorts. V & A are two friends that I met on a train to Xian in China, and it was simply fantastic to meet them again. Their family was warm and inviting, and spending the day with them and having a nice dinner together at home made me feel - to an extent - that I was home again with my own family. It's a heartwarming feeling that I haven't had in a while.

World War II Memorial on the National Mall in D.C.
POSTED AT 12:53 PM

The recently concluded field trip to Washington D.C. brought us students on a tour of the National Mall. My experience on this field trip differed from that of the majority of the other students in two main aspects. It was my first visit to Washington D.C.; therefore it was the first time that I would visit all the monuments on the Mall. As a foreigner, it was also from a perspective of an outsider that I would view the war memorials and national hero monuments. Surely the Lincoln Monument or the Vietnam Veteran’s Monument would strike a special chord in the hearts of most Americans; I would feel no such national solidarity.

The World War II memorial would prove to be different. Upon alighting from the bus, my first impression of all the monuments on the National Mall would be built upon the image of the archway of the Pacific Pavilion. It was a plain white archway, with the word “PACIFIC” engraved across the top. Simple and unassuming, but it also represented my country’s involvement in the deadliest military conflict in history. This memorial was the only one on the Mall that I could relate to on a personal level, and this connection set it apart from all of the other monuments. Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson seemed to be little more than history book characters who lived a long time ago in a place very far away. In comparison, I have heard stories of the war from my grandparents back home.

Within the pavilion, four doves carried between them an olive branch, universal symbols of peace. It was indeed fitting that the reestablishment of peace at the end of the war should be commemorated so prominently. It is for the maintenance of such a freedom that people are willing to give up their lives. To commemorate the return to peace is a huge tribute to their ultimate sacrifice.

A victory medal was mounted on the ground with the words, “Victory on Land, Victory at Sea, Victor in the Air”. I found this disturbing. Above all else, war is a horror, an atrocity upon mankind. To glorify the victory would be inappropriate. Granted, the Allied victory liberated many countries from the grip of foreign invasion; nevertheless, the cost to human life remains staggering. We should honour the brave soldiers who gave their lives in service of their country, and we should learn from the errors of our predecessors in order to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. This monument should serve to remind the people of the lessons of the past, lest we forget. Victory is a terrible thing, because it is always overshadowed by the horror of the preceding war.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that eagles, not doves, were mounted below the archway. The olive branch had transformed into a victory wreath. It was not an occasion of solemn remembrance, but rather a celebration of supremacy and victory.

The Atlantic Pavilion stood on the other side of the memorial in symmetrical alignment. It carried the same eagles and victory wreath, and had the same medal inlaid into the ground. The loss of millions of soldiers and non-combatants, including 400,000 or so American lives, were summarised succinctly in the words, “Victory on Land, Victory at Sea, Victory in the Air.”

The World War II memorial is located in the heart of the National Mall, next to the Washington Monument. Its proximity to the Washington Monument, the definitive monument of the entire area, suggests its importance, as compared to the other war memorials such as the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial. Its prominent position in the spotlight can be justified by the sheer magnitude and human cost of this war in relation to its compatriots. However, the flippant attitude of this memorial to the harsh realities of war renders it unworthy of such recognition. “War does not determine who is right, only who is left (Bertrand Russell).” There is no glory to be derived from war, only solemn retrospect and remembrance.

Things that make me happy
POSTED AT 03:40 PM

1) Meeting open-minded people
2) Being enlightened by witty, acerbic insights
3) Good Asian food
4) Systems that work
5) Hearing from people back home
6) Karaoke
7) Shopping on the cheap
8) Having good beer in my fridge
9) Listening to Mambo
10) Thinking of you

Amok
POSTED AT 03:35 PM

Even reading about troubling news like the NSF who was apparently caught with a loaded SAR-21 at Cine, I am starting to miss home. A winter return is seriously being considered, though I know I'll probably need to make a fast decision.

To talk a little more about that, as someone that has gone through the system, I've always felt that many NSFs were always going to be too immature for the responsibilities that were put upon them. I mean, take the example of Switzerland where the soldiers bring their weapons home and keep them in their closets. That would never work in Singapore, and I'm not even referring to our zero tolerance gun policy.

I don't know if people don't take it seriously because of the conscription and inherent mandatory nature of the job, or if we Singaporeans are just produced differently. There's something very sacred and solemn about defending your own country, but perhaps the lack of blatant necessity (ie. active duty and/or combat) gives people a trivial impression of the whole affair.

Speaking of immaturity, I've always felt that I wouldn't really stick out that much here even though I'm 3 years older than everyone else, because I never behave like I'm 21 anyway. Which has generally held through. But some people tend to make their youth more obvious than others. I'd like to think that I'm pretty tolerant of the people around me and I'd have wished that they aren't like that, but I guess that's just the way things are. Hopefully the growing up process occurs sooner rather than later.