Sunday, April 21, 2013

Dear snobby lady on the MRT,

This morning started out pretty good for me. I woke up in time to go on my morning jog, I managed to pop by a clothing shop to pick up a new skirt for work, and was heading out to meet a friend from LA for brunch right on schedule.
And then I met you.

I remember boarding the traincar and you were standing there kind of eyeing me up and down; why yes, I am wearing a cotton jacket with prints, is that so bizarre?! I glanced at you and took my place in the center of the car, standing. The train moved. Just as I happened to glance up, something caught my eye...
It was small.
Kind of a light brown color...
With legs and a pair of antennae...
...a roach. I had never seen a roach on the Singapore MRT until this moment. As we approached the next stop, the people sitting below this secret little passenger got off. As they did, two girls rushed past me to sit down. Only until I managed to get myself to look away from the cockroach did I even notice that they were gesturing me to sit down as there was an extra seat.
Uh, no thanks.
But even before I responded, you had decided to take the seat anyway. Little did you know you were sitting RIGHT under our secret fellow rider. I couldn't help but look at you in terror... Sorry if it came off as glaring, but I was just shocked and horrified that you were so close to it.
But here comes the best part.
Remember that moment I tried to talk to you? You were too busy applying that fourth layer of powder make up from your compact. Sorry about interrupting you, but I just had to tell you that the roach fell from above you and is sitting pretty somewhere along your backside.
Not so sure if you understood what I was saying since you kept insisting that you knew, and that someone told you to sit there.
Hm... Okay.
Suit yourself.
My stop arrived before I could further explain. But I hope you didn't have to find squished roach guts all over your butt.... no amount of powder is going to cover that up.

Hope you had a lovely day!

Sincerely,

Me

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

one of Singapore's hawker centers
Whenever I think of Singapore, I can't help that the first thing that pops into my mind is the crowded, bustling space of the hawker centers. It's the rows of stalls lined up serving plentiful, steaming dishes of rice, soups, curries, noodles... all the traditional Singaporean street food that, as a young girl visiting here, I fell madly in love with.

Hainanese chicken rice with cucumbers, chili sauce, and a bowl of the chicken stock soup.
Above all, though, my absolute favorite is hands down the chicken rice. It can't be the roasted kind, but the steamed kind, where the chicken is soft, tender, and a little juicy. It is served sitting on a bed of rice, which has been infused in the chicken stock. This infusion creates a perfect rice texture and an incredibly delectable, savory flavor I can never get enough of. The important part, though, is the chili sauce. I can't say I am an expert when it comes to the local chili, but I know that this important condiment can make or break the dish. With a few slices of cucumbers to cut through the flavor, and a bowl of nice, hot chicken soup... it's definitely been enough to leave me full and satisfied.

the chicken and rice balls variation
One variation of this dish that I have yet to try is the Hainanese chicken rice balls. I believe that it is essentially the same chicken and rice dish as the one I mentioned above, but with the rice molded into little balls. Either way, I see it as another excuse to eat more of my favorite Singaporean hawker food.