The Criss-cut Fries was ordinarily seasoned with salt and pepper. Preferred the Curly Fries from the previous seasonal menu.
I also tried the Bandung McFizz ($3). Basically the carbonated ‘Bandung Drink’ was rose syrup with sprite. Doesn’t sound very tantalising but after taking a sip, I proceeded to finish the whole concoction in one gulp! *burp*
Shades of pink #instaworthy
On top of all these delights, there is the Chendol McFlurry ($3) and Coconut Pie ($1.20). The Chendol McFlurry had chendol jellies and grated coconut flesh. It was a good attempt but I tasted better – what is Chendol without lots of decadent gula melaka?
I preferred the Coconut Pie. Taking a bite, the pipping hot rich and indulgent coconut cream oozed out and was not too sweet. It also had bits of nata de coco jelly which added the ‘qq’ or chewy texture, which could have been more.
Give it a go and let me know if you think that all these ‘local’ foood is “Just for you”!
The Performance Theatre (TPT) is an International Non-Profit Organisation that brings together a select group of CEOs, world-class thinkers and leaders of diverse backgrounds. This year, TPT was brought to Singapore with the theme of “Invisible Realities” where participants explored alternate and hidden narratives in Singapore.
From L-R: Ms Thorhild Widvey, Mr Tan Jun Yuan, Mr Geert-Jan and Mr Rakesh Kumar
I had fun sharing my life story as a person with short-limb dwarfism, born and bred in Singapore! The discussions and conversations that I had with leaders from Xynteo, 11th Hour, Tata Consultancy Services and the former Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy left me with a few key takeaways.
From L-R: Mr Mani Vajipey, Mr Chester Cunningham and Mr Rayson Ho
Firstly, when people are confronted with a new reality or perspective, there’s always that sense of curiosity to find out more and ‘stare’ / ‘react’ to it. This is a great opportunity to reach out and connect to them to make it less foreign.
Secondly, understanding and awareness is mutual. As members from marginalised groups continue to put ourselves out there to meet new people and share our narratives and experiences, civic society must also make it a point to understand and add the tint of awareness into the lens that they view the world.
I was initially not a fan of Stateland Cafe as the tables were a bit sticky on my previous visits earlier in 2016. However, with a new menu and some new decor – fairy lights on their 2nd floor – it is a place where I would recommend if you’re in the Bugis district!
In an interview with Lianhe ZaoBao, SMU School of Social Sciences undergraduate Lee Ci En shared his involvement in the Human Library SG Project. This interactive event allows “readers” to borrow the time of diverse participants, called “books”, to learn about their lives. It aims to encourage open and honest conversations and challenge common stigmas or stereotypes. Ci En, who was born with achondroplasia, a genetic condition that causes dwarfism, spoke about the challenges he faced when he was younger and how he had to deal with stares and finger-pointing. Nevertheless, Ci En said that he has since realised that it does not matter how other people see him, as he can decide who wants to be. He added that he has learnt to emphatise with people with disabilities or social outcasts, and the challenges and predicaments they face. Ci En hopes that people will realise that he is no different from a regular person, as he is doing the same things and leading the same lifestyle.
Nanyang Sin-Chew Lianhe Zaobao (Chinese: 南洋·星洲联合早报; pinyin: Nányáng Xīnzhoū liánhé zǎo bào; literally “Nanyang Sin-Chew United Morning Paper”), commonly abbreviated as Lianhe Zaobao (Chinese: 联合早报; pinyin: Liánhé zǎo bào; literally “United Morning Paper”), is the largest Singapore-based Chinese-language newspaper with a daily circulation of about 176,000. (taken from link)
My first visit to Tai Seng Noodle House at Amoy Street was when my pop was still working at Maxwell House before expanding. I was still in primary school then and the first impression I had was the huge portion of wantons!
After a few attempts to find the store at Amoy, I finally found it.
I ordered the middle portion ($4,5,6) and true enough, the Noodle House lived up to its name as there were 3 fried wantons and 6 big soup wantons. I add a dollar and got a generous portion of steam fish fillets. Although the fish was sweet, saltwater breeds are not really my type.
Image taken from Burpple
The noodles had an alkaline taste and was not as springy as I hoped for. The char siew was dry and smokey but could have been more tender and moist. It comes with a bowl of soup – filled with the wantons – that is sweet and refreshing and you could get a free refill if you wanted more!
While I am thankful for the galore of ingredients, the mountain of food made it a little difficult for me to mix the chili. The uncle was very hospitable and greeted his customers with a bright smile on his face. Despite being ultra busy with the long queue that never shortened, he helped to clear the neighbouring tables that had his store’s cutlery!
Tai Seng Noodle House (大成熟食面家)
Amoy Street Food Centre #02-123 (Telok Ayer / Tanjong Pagar MRT)
7 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069111
0900-1430 (closed on Sun)
This brings me back to the times when I was interning with Youth Corps Singapore at Toa Payoh HDB Hub. Usually we will eat in the heartlands or estate but if we ever ate at the Gourmet Paradise Food Court in Toa Payoh HDB Hub, I will definitely buy this even if the Famous Rojak stall has no queue!
Rather than using a machine or scissors, Mr Teo, the second-generation hawker, pinches each ball of Muah Chee by hand to preserve its springiness. Every packet is also made on the spot and served warm which creates aromatic wafts as soon as you dig in! This is because the Muah Chee is lightly coated in fragrant shallot oil instead of syrup.
This is one traditional store that you should check out even though I’m not sure if the black sesame coating is considered as traditional. Did I make your mouth water? Get the bigger portion at $5.50 for your tea time snack today!
On August 6th, Häagen-Dazs™, the world’s number one super-premium ice cream brand, unveiled their newest range of Häagen-Dazs™ Stick Bars in custom-built fridges across Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to reward their long-time fans.
Those in Singapore unlocked the new flavours by #hashtagging #HDRaiseTheBar on their social media platforms to collect their complimentary ice-cream from these fridges at Raffles City when the crowdsourced social media chatter reached critical mass!
Waiting in line under the hot sun for cold premium ice cream! Cr – Häagen-DazsHow will Salted Caramel taste like?
Carefully balanced between sweet and savoury, it was rich but not overpowering. The salted caramel was smooth and not grainy. Coated with premium Belgian Chocolate, it made the whole experience an indulgent one.
Eek double chin!
My friend who queued up with me agreed that it appeals to the local palate – other flavours included – and what set it apart from rival brands such as Magnum was its creative concoction of the freshest and best natural ingredients.
There were other new innovations from Häagen-Dazs™ that I did not try and is now available in single and multi-pack formats. They retail at $5.90 and $13.90 respectively at all their stores and major supermarkets. The other new Häagen-Dazs™ Stick Bars flavours are:
Chocolate Choc Almond – real Belgian cocoa combined with swirls of chocolate fudge, coated in Belgian chocolate and crunchy almonds.
Green Tea & Almond – matcha green tea flavour ice cream coated in Belgian chocolate and almonds
Vanilla Caramel Almond – made with premium Madagascar vanilla ice cream
Strawberries & Cream – real fresh pieces of strawberries infused and coated by velvety Belgian chocolate
Did you know that Häagen-Dazs™ blends their “world quality best” ingredients “gently with minimal air” so that each scoop is dense, creamy and has the lingering taste in your mouth?
When my buddy and I reached the cafe at 2025, it was already filled to the brim and bustling with activity. We were second in the queue and waited for about 5-10 minutes to be seated.
The latte was smooth and aromatic and more to the fruity side. I did not really try to dissect the various Ice Cream ingredients as I was deep in conversation hehe
If you don’t mind waffles that are not chewy, you will surely be back for more! We can’t wait to try out their golden brown waffles and salted egg yolk sauce even! This is indulgence that is worth the wait hehe…
Having been featured a few times by Singapore’s English and Chinese Language National Newspapers such as LianHe Zaobao (联合早报) and The New Paper, I decided to share my experiences and challenge some assumptions!
Before the interview
Journalists are nosy busybodies who probe extensively. NO, they are just as human and have respect for your privacy. Feel free to reject their questions if you are uncomfortable.
How should I prepare for a media interview?
REHEARSE ahead of time to be familiar with the subject matter that they will be discussing and be honest with your answers. Keep calm and stay relaxed!
摄影⊙龙国雄
During the interview
Will everything that I tell the journalist be published? IT DEPENDS. As much as they would like to share every detail about you, journalists have word limits and space constraints to adhere to. SHARE as much as you want in good faith so that they can write the very best about you. NOTHING is “OFF THE RECORD” even if the journalist says so.
What if the journalist brings along a photographer? For feature articles, journalists would include photographs to aid the reader’s understanding and to cut down on words too! I was asked to pose naturally and encouraged to smile for the camera. As we are not used to smiling our best for more than 5 minutes, do some facial massages before! You could also THINK OF SOMETHING FUNNY so that you smile isn’t awkward and if necessary, put on some make-up.
《联合晚报 2015》
After
Will the journalist stalk me if I give my contact details? APART FROM TABLOIDS, the press would only want your contact to clarify on the uncertain areas. Give it to them confidently and if need be, get their details too! You may need to update them on aspects that you might have omitted during the interview.
TL,DR
Draw analogies, examples and anecdotes to communicate your ideas effectively
Don’t lie, over promise or say things beyond your area of responsibility
Be yourself and have fun! Journalists are not some scary monsters.
I would like to thank from Victoria Junior College – Ms Rachel Teo and Mr Larry Choy – and from National Youth Council – Clara and Cecilia – for the help and guidance provided during the press interviews 🙂
Thank you for inviting me to share my experiences and life story with all of you today. Just like you, I sat over there many times before and could never imagine myself up here. Thank you once again for I am deeply humbled and honoured to be standing here.
I am Ci En. I am 20 this year and I’m studying Social Sciences in Singapore Management University. Outside my studies, I’m an Youth Corps Advocate where I speak up for various causes in society and share the good community work of the organisation.
From a young age, I realised that I’m different.
This started off when I was in a public area, when people were staring at me. It wasn’t the simple glance but a long stare. Sometimes, it came with finger pointing here and there so it was obvious that people were referring to me. Initially, it was difficult for me emotionally because I realised that people viewed me in a different way…
Lee Ci En 