Anna and Geoffrey Abisheganaden Pictures throughout the years

 My Dad on left with the late Prof Chau Shih Ching senior pathologist at SGH

          Here are some old photos of my Mum and Dad over the years. This batch of photos shows them at the Medico-Legal dinner held by SGH every year. Our family was good friends with Prof. Chau Shih Ching and family. Every year they would come to our parent's place for lunch and there would be lots of laughter and merriment. Prof. Chau was a real joker and his jokes knew no boundaries. Being the Chief Pathologist at the S'pore General Hospital was a very taxing job and of course, once he was off work he would crack all kinds of jokes to his closest friends and family. The days of togetherness are gone, but I sincerely hope to have this same kind of crackling laughter and joy each and every Chinese New Year in the days and years to come.

Anna with Dr Tan Ser Kiat formerly CEO at SGH

      My mother was a fabulous host, she was warm hearted,and so was my father. They were a gregarious couple who hosted great and joyous parties at our family home for more than 2 decades. The dishes she used to 'make' (actually the maid at that time) were the potato cutlet and fish curry. Then she would buy things like roast duck, 'fa chai'  and mushroom. The rest of the food would be brought over by family friends. Mrs. Chau would make a very good Carrot Cake which she would painstakingly deliver to our houses every year without fail. Thank you Mrs. Chau !  

Mum with her Jazz Ballet Classmates

Mum and Dad circa 1986

       In the later years (when my Dad was weak in the legs), we would more often than not, go out to dine for the Chinese New Year get together, our favourite restaurant of choice would be the Li Bai Chinese Restaurant at Sheraton Towers. Till today, I still go and purchase their Radish Cake from the very affable Head Maitre'D Ms. Michelle who remembers me each year with a cheery "Happy New Year Mr. Mark !".  The other restaurant where my Dad loved to dine was the Imperial Treasures at Takashimaya. 

Mum and Dad dirca 2005 

      We must never forget our families and where we came from ; as the family is the bedrock of all societies. As an Asian society, we have a duty to keep family ties and bonds strong, so that going forward, our children may take reference to continue to uphold the family name and keep alive the tradition of filial piety and family bonding.    

Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones 1971 Performance at Top of the Pops.

          This song has been playing non-stop in my car's CD ; the Stones are a class act. Anti-establishment from the word go without offending or insulting the ordinary listener. They have always been inspired by the Rhythm and Blues and infusing their 'in-your-face' attitudes and lyrics, have been at the top of the Rock and Roll charts for 4 decades. The secret of their staying power ?   "Its only Rock and Roll but I like it."  Easy going bad boys who are perfectionist in their music craft, hard working individuals, slave driving task masters and all round rambunctuous party animals who epitomised the 60s and early 70s Woodstock anti-establishment mood.

         Individually they are great musicians, Mick Jagger, the ugly frontman oozes charm and sex appeal is a great singer. Keith Richards, the lead guitarist is the epitome of coolness with a cigarette in his mouth even while sleeping. Ronnie Wood the bass guitar is Muppet like in looks but very talented string man, Charlie Watts is the drum maestro, Bill Wyman the shy looking bass guitar and Brian Jones.  

         Now, they're are best remembered for their tuneful R and B sounds and great lyrics. My all time best Band in the World.  Long live the Rolling Stones  !! 

      

            

Chinese New Year Celebrations - Singapore

USA will be sidelined - emergence of China as Global Superpower

                                                                     Ruins in Luxor

     It is clear President Trump wants to 'clean house' and  make good on his promises. He has antagonised and angered so many segments of society with his banal rhetoric to MAGA that given the short term boost in Dow Jones stock markets and the protectionist trade stance he is planning to take, it is a matter of time the US will be the most inward looking, racially prejudiced, militarist country in the world. In the US, the millions of old and new immigrants, citizens and melting pot of new cultures have never felt so marginalized by this soft skinned, insulting and name calling despot.  He will bring the US only one way - down. 

    I feel sad for the divided nation it has become. He goes against any form literal or symbolic of the word 'inclusiveness'. The US had chosen a schmuck ; this shows how desperate they have become. 

Coronation of Ramses II

       To refute numbers of people attending his inaugaration and asking his spokesperson to refute the obviously smaller numbers of attendees as compared to Barack Obama reminds me of  a little kid who would not want to face facts even when it is staring at him in the face. What a crassless bully.

Horas feeding Ramses II

       The ruins of Egypt remind everyone that powers rise and fall, some gently, some sharply and no power ever manages to remain the greatest forever. Even the Greatest of them all Mohammad Ali succumed to Parkinson's disease and passed away at 70. 

      To reinvigorate the US economy, firstly the US needs to be engaged with the world at large in trade, foreign relations and tourism. This is Politics 101 or common sense. Its going one way, down. 

Chinese New Year Traditions and Activities 2 - Oranges, Ang Pow, Feasting and Gambling.

Andrew beside the dinner 

        The symbolic meanings of the Chinese New Year, firstly the giving of oranges which look or symbolise gold. So it is the sharing of the fortune from family to family, or between friends.

        The red packet or 'hong bao' means literally to give out wealth. Normally married people give the 'hong bao' to the unmarried people as a means of spreading the wealth. The young in return have to say good wishes to the elder people such as 'nian nian you yu' which means 'each year will have more', 'shen ti jian kang' which means good health, 'wan shi ru yi' meaning the business will be 1000 times better and 'bu bu gao shen' which means step by step improvement in the studies and whatever endeavours.

The tempting spread of the food 

As mentioned in an earlier post, the Reunion dinner is a very important one in every Chinese family and all the family members make special effort to come back, at least once every year for this most important and auspicious event. Everyone will then update each other on the events of their own lives, and there will be obligatory questions such as 'when are you going to get married ?' to the singletons and 'when is the baby due ?' to the already married. During the early years when I was single, my Aunties Mina and Mona (especially) would pinch our cheeks mercilessly and ask us "where is your girlfriend ?" and other probing emmbarrasing questions which my brother and I would stutter and stammer before they would produce the much sought after 'hong bao'. 

The obligatory photo before the 'makan' (eating)

      Nowadays as the 'giver' of 'hong baos', we are more forgiving with the 'strawberry generation' of youngsters and let them off after they recite the good tidings to us elders. The keeping of traditions and the Chinese culture is very strong in our family, and I would like this values, respect for elderly, giving of the wealth and good wishes to everyone to be replicated as we move on in life. Times in the globalised world are more uncertain and there is the rise of populist leaders such as Trump and Duerte (Philippines) who are seeking to be 'dirsuptive' in their spheres of influence. It is unnerving to say the least, but as long as there are the constants of family, friends and our beliefs, we will be alright. 

Uncle Jimmy,Andrew,Aunty Shirley and Noel 

        Gambling is another common activity especially amongst the Chinese community. Fortunately for us, it is not very popular amongst our friends, as this activity can lead to compulsion. Gambling is and can be very addictive. Of course, occasional and social gambling amongst friends and family just adds spice and 're nao' to the occasion, so it is a once a year duration for many of us. 'Ban Lak' or blackjack is normally the game of choice amongst the revellers. 

Our family with Por Por 

At Clifford Pier Hotel 

As the new year draws to an end, may I wish all visitors to this blogspot, a Happy New Year of the Rooster ! May this be a tremendous year for you  personally and professionally. 

Bring on 2017 !!!  

Chinese New Year Traditions and Acitivities 1 - the Reunion Dinner and Typical Snacks

The Reunion Dinner 

      Typically held on the eve of the Reunion Dinner is a must-do for all Chinese families. The eldest of the family, sister, brother, mother, father who is the eldest traditionally opens his house or apartment to all his relatives and friends to come a visiting. There will be a Reunion dinner where all the younger siblings and their families would gather. People have known to fly back cross continents to attend this once a year must do activity. Of course all the generations will be present, so it is common to have grandparents, greatgrandparents, granduncles, grandaunts, parents,1st, 2nd 3rd, 4th, uncles and aunts present for this dinner.

In China, traditionally everyone would head home, which may be thousands of kilometres away in a different province and take hours even several days just to reach home. Hence, the Chinese New Year is the period traditionallt where all factories and Government offices shut for 2 - 3 weeks. It is a once a year event and the rest of the year the factories hum and churn out everything from IPhones to cars to military equipment. 

     The host in the old days would 'whip up a storm' to cook for this once in a year event. When China was poor, the peasants would put all their catch into a pot called 'pun choy' and steam it. So in it would be some Chinese sausage, some meat,vegetables, eggs thats all. Now with 20 - 25 odd years of rapid GDP growth, there are easily 500 million middle class Chinese. So the 'pun choy' is very filled with the best abalone, prawns, scallops and all the Chinese delicacies.  

Friends come a visiting from far 

         One special dish created for the 'Loh Hei' or 'tossing for prosperity' is called Yu Sheng. Created in Singapore, the base is raw salmon slices, and the rest is shredded fresh vegetables like lettuce, carrots, beetroot and assortment of Chinese sweets. The significance of tossing for prosperity and getting all your friends and colleagues to join in is one of the 'traditions' of Singapore's Chinese New Year 'dos'. There is also a recital of all the good wishes for everyone ranging  from good health "shen ti jian kang", happy family, "nian nian you yu" (every year there is abundance), "bu bu gao shen" (step by step improvement), "wan shi ru yi" and "sheng yi xing rong"(business success) and the like. See the video from one Reunion dinner at our house in 2013.

Yu Sheng dish, the traditional tossing of the ingredients for luck

While it is customary to wish everyone well and say nice things, do not bring the oranges and expect red packets (prosperity money) on the Reunion dinner or eve of Chinese New Year just yet. This is only given out on the 1st day of the New Year onwards. As far as the goodies and eats, here are the list of items which you and I would sample on the new year period (typically lasting for up to 15 days). 

and near

Bak Kwa (Barbecued Pork)

Spring Rolls (fried)

Pineapple Tarts

Love letters

Chinese sweets

Kweh Chi (water melon seeds)

Kum or small mandarin oranges

Old friends from Sydney James and Shirley Goh.

Much as I love Chinese New Year, I am fortunately not a big fan of the sweets and snacks. Finally, on the First Day of the new year, one should not clean the house (all this is done in the days before - I did it once and was admonished for my ignorance), cut your hair in advance and wear new clothes to symbolise the rejuvenation process and new luck and money flowing in.

Also, in our household, we eat the Nian Gao or the new year cake without fail every New Year's Day. 

Top Quality Cantonese Porridge - Xian Ji at Eng Hoon Street

Best  Cantonese Porridge I have tasted 

     Situated at the coffee shop at Block 75 Eng Hoon Street (opposite Tiong Bahru Bakery) is a fabulous Cantonese style porridge stall serving the best porridge I have tasted in a long time. The porridge is painstakingly cooked and stirred in pots for several hours before it is ready to serve. Run by a pair of sisters, they operate only in the mornings 6 days a week (closed on Monday) - however they have a big fan in me.

    Opening hours are only 3 each day ; from 7am until the porridge runs out of stock most days by 10 am ! Such is the demand for this great tasting porridge that most days if you come by 9am, they are into their final few bowls !! 

    

Xian Ji Pork Porridge 

   The porridge is very smooth, I cannot feel any grain or uneveness in the porridge, Neither is it watery or too thick. That determines the quality of the porridge.  The pot used to prepare the porridge is hidden from view, only the ones to stir and serve.  The porridge is neither too salty not is the condiments too overpowering. It is served just the way I like it, with the pork meat very fresh and add a bit of sesame and pepper and I am like Goldilocks in the Aesops fable ; not too hot, not too cold but just nicely satisfied.

   I have tried the firsh porridge and again the fish slices they use are porperly interspersed into the porridge just before serving. I never was a porridge fan till recently. They in my opinion serve the BEST Cantonese porridge I have ever tasted.

  Fish Porridge 

Price per bowl is approx. $ 5 ; not cheap and $ 6.00 for one with egg. It is a simple luxury I can have every time I crave for porridge. 

Xian Ji ; you have my vote !   4.8 out of 5  stars.