Bruschetta ; Simple, Fast to prepare, good to eat and low in calories.

Standard Bruschetta as a starter for the main course, OR just as a simple breakfast meal.

I am a beginner cook, in fact this Circuit Breaker (CB in short) from 7th April till 1st June has given me plenty of opportunities to start on a new hobby, cooking healthy, nutritious food which is tasty too. I have been slow off the mark - just like our Govt has been slow off the mark to stop the spread of the tricky COVID - 19 spread amongst our foreign workers living in cramped dormitories. Hopefully things will be much under control in the coming 1 - 2 weeks. 

Getting back on point, Bruschetta is an Italian dish which is easy to prepare and cook. Look at the picture above. The ingredients for this simple dish are as below :

a) Grated cheese (Parmesan) 

b) Cherry tomatoes (2 per slice of bread)

c) Baguette bread (2 slices)

d) Basil herb leaves.

e) Black pepper seasoning

f) Olive oil.

Calories per slice : 60 ; Total 2 slices : 120 calories.

My own dish is slightly different. I use Multi-grain bread as the base. So here is my version of this much loved dish for this morning 5th May 2020. 

a) Emmenthal cheese (sliced)

b) Cherry tomatoes (2 per slice of bread)

c) Multi grain bread (2 slices)

d) Basil herbs (from bottle)

e) Black Pepper seasoning 

e) Olive oil (1 - 2 teaspoons per slice)

Calories per slice (my estimate) : 100 (due to more cheese :))  Total 2 slices : 200 calories.

Preparation

1.Cut the cherry tomatoes into small slices (I dont have a grinder or mixer)

2. Add olive oil to the bread

3. Place the cheese onto the bread

4. Add a dash of basil grated herbs and black pepper. (can be after the toasting). 

5. Place inside oven for 10 minutes.

6. Watch as the bread slowly browns out and the cheese is slightly melted.

Voila ! What you see above (sans the basil leaves herbs) is the end product.

It was washed down with my morning coffee. Perfect !! 

Just this last weekend, we had the privilege from ordering takeout from Garibaldi (1 michelin star) restaurant and I must say, their bruschetta is really top billing and super tasty.  It is reminiscent of the top picture with super crunchy bread (almost like a rusk).

More pictures of the Garibaldi dinner in another post.

Breathtaking video of the Cote d'Azur or the Blue Coast Dec 5th 2018 Wednesday

Here is another video of the 16 day holiday we took just 2 years ago of the road from Nice (where we were based for 5 days) leading to Monaco (Monte Carlo is just a precinct or suburb in Monaco) and our guide, Carla (from Brazil) was giving us the history of the region, where the Romans used to enjoy the mild winters overlooking the Cote d Azur. 

Below is a photo from 7th December 2018 ; Monaco (Monte Carlo is a suburb of this land locked super rich kingdom). 

View of Monaco from the Hillside

Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) 1986 TV Debates NTI Team

At the appreciation lunch hosted by the then President Cham Tao Soon 

L-R : Yours truly, Richard Pereira, Philip Lim, Sukdeep Singh, Jaspal Singh.

I'm digging up the past I must admit. After I finished my National Service committments from 1981 - 1983, I pursued the undergraduate course at the National University of Singapore from July 1983 - June 1987.

During those salad days, I was fortunate to represent the Nanyang Technological Institute (which was then the Engineering arm of the National University of Singapore) twice, once in 1984 and the second time in 1986 for the TV debates for tertiary institutions. The debates were held in front of live audience of 200 students, undergraduates and members of public and the telecasts were shown 1 week later on the then Channel 12. 

In the 1984 series, we reached the semi-finals before losing to NUS Team 1 the eventual winners. In 1986, we beat 2 teams, firstly the National Institute of Education and then the NUS Team 1 in the semi-finals. We emerged as runners up in the 1986 series of televised debates. 

My father (see below picture) who was then 65 years of age, was a very enthusiastic advisor, as he gave us plenty of debating tips as a successful practising lawyer in criminal, and subsequently corporate law, and was managing his own law firm Abisheganaden and Company, Our chef de mission was a Dr Koh Moy Yin, and we had help from several other lecturers such as Dr Stanley Richardson and Prof Koo Sai Kee.During the course of our preperations for each stage of the competition, we had the privilege of interviewing Dr Chan Heng Chee, and Dr. Paul Koh (Chief Statistician).

Geoffrey Abisheganaden circa 1985 

We prepared very hard and enthusiastically for both sets of debates, reaching the semi-finals for the 1984 series and the finals for the 1986 series. I believe we helped put NTI on the map as engineering undergraduates were then not known to be outspoken and fluent in the cut and thrust of intellectual debates - something which was more the domain of law undergraduates.

The other tertiary institutes which took part were the Singapore Polytechnic 1 and 2, Ngee Ann Polytechnic 1 and 2 , The National Institute of Education (NIE), NUS teams 1 and 2 and NTI. 

I was chosen to be the first speaker, followed by Richard Pereira, Philip Lim and Jaspal Singh.

For the record, for the 1986 series, although we did not win the overall best team title, we (NTI) team won the best speaker for the night (Philip Lim)l, and Best Speaker for the series Jaspal Singh. We beat the NIE team in the preliminaries, the NUS Team 2 in the semi-finals (which was a major shock to the premier university) and finally took on NUS Team 1 in the finals. 

Truly, a tremendous accolade for a then only 3 years old academic institution of higher learning !

Carpe Diem. 

    

El Che - Documentary about the ultimate revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

This is the movie about the late Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's life. Known as 'El Commandante' in Fidel Castro's Cuban Communist Party. This movie explores his motives and the experiences which shaped him for his future role as General Castro's right hand man.

Born in Rosario in 1928 to an upper middle class family, Ernesto was a sickly child but made extreme effort to overcome his handicap through sheer will and tireless effort.  He and another good doctor friend Alberto Granada did a cross continent motorcycle ride to seek 'adventure' in their early to late '20s to 'find their calling' so to speak. They left Argentina in 1952 and ended up in Colombia, and even Miami in 1955. Their adventures in Chile, Peru, Colombia included a 3 week internship in a leper colony called Saint Pablo, in the equatorial rainforests of Colombia affected them deeply about the grave social injustice and economic disparity caused by capitalism. 

He led successfully the overthrow of General Baptista's regime in 1958 and then tried unsuccessfully to export the same  model of authoritarian rule in African Congo and then in Bolivia.

Why is he lionised the world over ? I guess because he stood firm to his principles and was the ultimate anti-establishment icon of the 20th century. He wanted in the end to establish a United States of South America with a Marxist Government. In the end, he failed, was captured and killed in Bolivia by Government forces. 

Enjoy this movie showing the first meeting, then the planning, and finally the campaign to oust the regime of Batista from early 1958 till end of that year.

Bassai Dai Shitoryu Kata

The Japanese translation of this classic kata, Bassai Dai is to "penetrate the fortress".

This is second in the list during my Circuit Breaker (CB) confinment at home.

Sunday 26th April 2020 7.15 pm.

I will put the steps below, for purposes of completeness.

Carpe Diem ! 




Addendum, This is the same kata done by the world champion Rika Usami. Her moves are so crisp, powerful, aggressive and full of purpose.

I guess I have a long way to go to even be 30% of her standard.

I guess I have to keep practising ! 

A Post after a 5 KM run - COVID 19 new normal

Here I am, sitting in my attic, having done a full 35 mins or roughly 5 km run around my neighbourhood. I am still sweating out the effects of the hot morning run. I take a leaf from the great George Sheehan who used to run 5km to 10km and then pen his thoughts soon after his run when the endorphins have been realeased and the mind is at its clearest. He was a regular contributor to the magazine Runner's World.

I started at approximately 10.20 am and waited till all the people who went past my house to clear before I started my run. Today is April 25th 2020. 

This virus is a big  bitch. Life as we know it will be altered,for some, irreversibly until we can find a worldwide effective vaccine. The current measures which include lockdown in many countries, reduced movement coupled with strict social distancing and use of masks will continue for some time as far as I can see.

Even if we 'flatten' the curve of new infections so to speak,we as a country will still need to have the entire population tested for antibodies (5.5M) which will take about a full 6 months if we can test (for example) 20,000 people per day.Then again, that would cover some 3.5 million. 

2 Sentinels in tribute to Amenhotep III (Egypt Dec 2009)

The suggestion below is purely my own. 

The main issue after we test then, is what to do with the results. For those who have the immunity or antibodies, (I reckon at least 70 to 80%), they can safely move around with the "Green Health Cert" and continue with the New Normal of life. 

The 10% who are deemed 'at risk' will perhaps need to adjust to another shared space, BUT without ostracising them in any way. They may be the elderly frail , those with pre-existing co-morbities or with multiple health issues. Perhaps mandating that they have some special support sevices to buy food, at specially selected times, attend certain essential services like hair dressing or the barbers and other specially designed times for dining and the like.

My only fear is that we MUST NOT ostracise this group. They are the vulnerable and are not just the elderly frail.  

The 10% who have recovered can probably rejoin the workforce, and then some semblance of normal life will continue. It MUST. We as human beings are social animals first and foremost. We are so used to doing things and mingling with each other. That is pre-determined in our DNA. To include and serve everybody regardless of creed, sex, age, social standing and religion. It is enshrined in our National Pledge and we will continue to uphold the value of inclusiveness and rights for every individual. 

Of course, the issue is clouded with the caveat of 'protecting the greater good of society'. Which comes first in priorty ? Human right or the greater collective good of people in society ?    

I believe wearing masks in MRTs and even taxis, shared vehicles (Grab) will continue till the end of this year.    

The things we used to do for fun, in the past, can slowly re-open, such as dining in, provided the 'Green Health Cert' and on site temperatures are taken. Pubs, entertainment outlets and cinemas, theatres, and parks, gyms, pools, member clubs will be re-opened in phases with some degree of maximum seating in all establishments.

The contact tracing should remain, though it should never be invading into person's private identity and space. As can be seen, the Case Numbers normally do not highlight the individual's personal details as this will only cause massive stigmatisation even though he or she did nothing wrong except fall sick.

I am very hopeful that by end of this the 70 odd clinical trials which are ongoing from many countries will emerge at least 5 vaccines for the whole world and we will then be able to live life without masks and engage in the social norms, of course with some restrictions still in place.

We must surely succeed ! 

Sanchin Kata Shitoryu

Since I have alot of time during this Lockdown, I decided to upload some of the more popular katas from the ShitoRyu style of karate which I have been practising for 18 years.

The funny thing for me about middle age is that when I first went to the karate class way back in 2002, it was to give my then 2 young sons some exposure to martial arts and ways of protecting themselves in school or elsewhere.

I had been practicing karate on and off since the early 1970s and had trained at the Karate school at Palmer Road under a sensei Stephen. Those days, we trained either at the covered multi-purpose hall outside the Main Building or at the open air basketball court.

How I enjoyed those times, it was the early 1970s, I was 12 years of age. I believe I trained from 1974 to 1978, a total of 5 years attaining a level of full brown.

Fast forward to 2002, and here I was a can-do Dad bringing (no) pulling his 2 young boys  to class and realising that I still had 'it' or the mojo in me.

So, 18 years have passed. I am still at it, practising the ancient art of Shito Ryu. I am past my prime in fitness (easily more than 10 years ago) but still can give decent kicks and punches. 

Here is the first of 25 katas which I had learned and would like to keep for long term memories.

Sanchin Kata ShitoRyu Style.

Thank you for watching.