IF-Soar

For Illustration Friday. 

View my other recent illustrations on Instagram. 

IF - Savour

One of the things to savour when eating delicious fried hokkien prawn mee is the lingering smell of lime on your fingers after squeezing the lime over the piping hot noodles.

For Illustration Friday.

Joan Bowen

It was an unexpected find for a serendipitous lunch that made my day.

Joan Bowen is a little jewel of a restaurant tucked away along MacPherson Road just after passing the famous but now defunct MacPherson Market.

Jeanne started this social enterprise to empower youths and children with special needs. The 8-month old restaurant's ambience is warm, the food is delicious and very reasonably priced and most of all, she has created a very supportive environment there for those with special needs to serve whether as waiters or in the kitchen. And she plans to do more. Kudos to you Jeanne!

I like their tagline: a place where we dare to care. Do drop by soon.

Opei Leaves

Fried Hokkien Mee is one of my favourite. Besides the rich taste, it also reminds me of those special suppers Mum would buy as a treat once in a while.

In the good old days, Fried Hokkien Mee is packed in fragrant opei leaves (soft palm bark). Some hawkers today would still line their plates with these leaves and charge extra for that touch of nostalgia


It was so amusing to see how this very eco-friendly practice has been updated by the people at VerTerra.


These opei dinnerware made from fallen palm leaves and water sure look great, don't they?

Would it go well with Fried Hokkien Mee I wonder?

Scruffy Pie

Happy mtv from Mr Scruff, DJ, Producer, Cartoonist & Tea Drinker.

Reminded me of Pie Kia - a shopname that plays on the Hokkien term for "bad boy". And also the Chinese song "Singapore Pie" with its play on the Chinese word for "tribe".

Koi Carp Jelly

koi carp jelly, originally uploaded by bananagranola.

This is so beautiful and creative, not just the agar-agar but also the way the photo has been taken.

Check out bananagranola's photostream for more amazing photos.

Via Flickriver.

More Law Sew?

This was something I remember buying from a man who would bring them around in his stack of wooden trays on the back of his bicycle. In Cantonese, it is called "more law sew" but I am not sure what it means.

Back then, the ones I ate were smaller and did not have a raisin in them. The photo shows one I recently bought from a traditional confectionery at Alexandra Village.

The old hawker who sold this used tweet his horn and shout out "hum jim pang", a sort of fried dough with savory spices, as he comes around to the neighbourhood.

Going Places

Even though Singapore is tiny, we do have some unusual little nooks to explore. In these past 2 days, I visited just 2 such spunky places.

The deco of this cafe was unusual - girlishly pink and teeny in appeal. Still I felt absolutely comfortable there. And the beef stew at Miss Clarity had kick.

And Casual Poet can sure transport you away from the bustle, and right in the middle of busy Chinatown no less. This little oasis of rest and inspiration is certainly a great pause-stop.

Feast for the Eye

Watch this kawaii moveable feast (Click on the link) from e-obento. This lady sure is talented.

And btw, Pauseability(the shop) turns one today.

Mother Dearest (psst, a giveaway)

This is a beautiful animation for Mother's Day. Yves Geleyn's artistry is inspiring (and I love this other piece he did called Kotori)



As a kid, I remember how Mom would surprise us once in a while with a pack of fried hokkien mee for supper. We would whip out our chopsticks, take in the rich smell that rises with the steaming noodles, and share the joy of eating together. Tangy lime on my finger tips and the taste of egg, thick stock and chilli linger into the night. This could be why I love that dish so much.

*GIVEAWAY ALERT* Share your best memory about your Mother, and you might just win this handbound journal. The winner will be picked on 11 May, Mother's Day.

PS The memories shared thus far have been great. Don't miss out reading them, and of course, adding your own.

Birdy Birdy

These chirpy little dancers would definitely perk up your day.



Someone on the etsy forum shared this.

And I have just re-listed my Love Bird ACEO.


Talking about birds, how does chicken poop soup sound to you? Looks like poop, but really, it is just a plant. It's a dish from Hainan Island in China which a Singaporean blogged about. It's also interesting how coconut is featured in so many of the dishes there. Go check it out.

Oodles of Noodles

I like Japanese cold noodles, and I think it is a perfect fit for the hot weather here in Singapore. The first time I remember eating it was when my host family in Japan prepared it for lunch. Fishing out the noodles out of a bowl of ice water, swirling it around in the light soy sauce and then slurping down each cool strand. Oishi! Delish! Strange that we do not have a local version of cold noodles.

Today, I had a very nice serving of cold soba with beef. The dish itself was gigantic, I reckon at least 30 cm in diameter. The soba sits in a sukiyaki sesame sauce which is another something I love. The nutty frangrance goes so well with the noodles. What a treat. Had this at Waraku at Central.

Eat Up!

Despite of the rain these few days, I walked through some old familiar places recently. At lunchtime, it started to drizzle and I was at Whampoa. Surprisingly, there are 2 hawker centres side-by-side there and both recently upgraded. There was a sizeable lunchtime crowd despite the rain.

The fried meatball noodles I ate was delicious. Each meatball was flavourful and offered a good bite. Listening in on the friendly banter of an old lady customer with the stallkeeper was amusing too - how she teased and asked for a small packet of chilli, and how she repeatedly offered her packet of yong tau foo noodle.

For the past 2 days, I have also tried my hand at preparing my own lunch. Using only ingredients excavated from the fridge, I managed to whip up this simple but tasty meal.

From the tableware, you can tell that there is something about presentation that I enjoy.

Playing Catchup .. Ketchup

When this series was first shown here, we were all amazed by the creativity. Seeing this clip made me go wow all over again.



We did have a local series modeled after this show but I don't think it quite had the same wow factor.

It has been said that asking for ketchup is an insult to the chef. For a French chef especially? Not sure.

Recently, we were talking about our impression that French food always comes in small portions and that could be the reason for the French being generally slim. However, this article suggests that this is really because the French stops eating when they are full while the Americans stops only when there is nothing left in their plate. The latter sounds like what mum used to say to me as a kid - polish off everything on your plate if you don't want a pock-marked wife! Still, I am thin as a stick.

Morning Call

What do you wake up to?

These Voco clocks are a laugh with their Jeeve-like greetings.



It reminds me of the movie An Ideal Husband which was based on Oscar Wilde's story. This was a witty and enjoyable British period comedy.

For me, I will have to content myself with my handed-down radio clock with Hamish and Kate prattling away at 6 am.

And for breakfast these few days, I have a huge bowl of "Bread Salad".



If you are heading out, how about bringing along a Good Morning Towel hat?

Mooncake Festival

Today is the 15th day of the 8th month in the Lunar calendar. For the Chinese, it is mid-Autumn. Many in Singapore refer to it as the Mooncake Festival. Someone once commented that in Singapore, many Chinese Festivals are referred to by the associated food, and we sure are a nation of foodies. The mind-boggling variety of mooncakes available goes wilder with each passing year. Besides Christmas and Chinese New Year, I think this is possibly the other period of bounty for many food businesses.

I was delighted to receive a homebaked one from Song Imm. Looks good ya?

This is also the time when children have a good time lighting up lanterns. As a child, I remember this to be a time for "legitimate" play with fire - candles, matches and all. Watching coloured flames dance along the wall as we walk around the darker corners of the neighbourhood with our lanterns. Then there is the trauma of seeing your lantern go up in flames. And the concentrated effort in deftly trying to patch up a small burnt hole with cellophane.

Even though most children are given battery operated lanterns these days, I have seen spots in the estate that are covered with wax. I guess some of them still get to enjoy the same thrill. This must be quite a headache for the cleaners though.



I came across this fun little thing called Sketchcast and coincidentally saw this entry about the Mid-autumn Festival. It is a fun alternative to an overly wordy blog (like this entry).

Talking about sketching, I love this idea of a a human flipbook. What a clever, and not so expensive, advertising idea. You can see both the advert and the process of making it.

Visual Appeal

When I first saw this series of T-shirts in My Paper, I was instantly drawn to them. I love the simple artwork from shi-ki-sa-i. As I took a closer look, then I noticed the funny little parts on each design. The shoes come with laces, the blinds with a string to pull, the drainhole and stopper with a chain, and so on. Very clever I think.

The Japanese are known to have an eye for visual appeal. Their meals are a feast for the eyes too. On Sunday, we lunched at the Sun with Moon Restaurant at Central to send-off a friend who is going to UK to pursue her studies. Great company, lovely food and not too pricey either.


In preparing for the first ever ATC live session on 13 Sep, I have been creating quite a few ATCs.

I started this one thinking about penguins. Then I thought it would be funny if the penguin ate ice cream, like the time we were all feeling freezing cold in New Zealand when a New Zealander jogged past in shorts and eating ice-cream. But as the drawing took shape, it looked rather sad that the ice cream is melting.

I had just come across many reports about the alarming rate at which the ice caps are melting, which may explain why I drew it this way. Global warming is truly a concern. And I learnt recently that in fact this warming process started soon after the big flood that Noah went through.

Muffin Much

I thank God for the surprises from little angels.

Yesterday, Vincent came by after his lunch and gave me muffin, just as I was thinking of one. That unexpected choc muffin tasted especially good.

Jessie, who walked into Pauseability for the first time today offered me a muffin too. Wow, yet another sweet surprise.

Thanks Vincent and Jessie for making my day!

PS These muffins are from the hawker centre near Pauseability and they are pretty popular.

Yummy Funny

My brother offered this almond cookie to me recently (clearing CNY goodies? Ha!) Unlike the usual ones from China, this one is yummy and comes with crunchy almond chunks. Thanks bro! From Macau and pretty nice packaging too.


And if you like seeing beautiful packaging, look at this very colourful flickr collection of Japanese beverages. Some of them are funny too.


Talking about funny, what do you think of the collar on this shirt? Well,huge collars and bell bottoms were the fashion in the 70s. I am still looking for stuff for the "I <3 My 70's Childhood" exhibition. If you have a shirt or a pair of pants from the 70's, or artwork, photos or any other artifacts, please do lend me a hand. This show is scheduled for 19 July at Pauseability.

Brick Break

Recently, a friend told me that he very much prefers the simple Lego bricks that allow more space for imaginative play rather than the newer ones that are way too customised. Apparently, there isn't any local shop where you can buy these simple bricks by weight.

Wonder if he would like these edible simple bricks if he can find them in our supermarket. You can shape your snack and make your own combination of flavours. Sounds fun? Not much of nuitritional value though.