Weekend in Hong Kong

The Asian city that never sleeps still doesn't need any sleep. Causeway Bay was bustling, the tramcars (now partly French owned) were teeming with people, and the salespeople in stores are incredibly helpful and friendly. Even my mother was so impressed she wanted to write a letter to the Straits Times - and 20 years ago she'd be saying that this is the city with the crankiest service.

Went to Hong Kong with the parents for my friend Hedy's baptism. Great running! Ran in Victoria Park on Friday - watched the little old ladies do their tai chi, the kids playing basketball, saw a couple of other runners, "do not litter" signs in English, Chinese, Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesian (anyone guess why?)

Visited a relative I had last seen when I was in college and she was still in San Francisco and driving me around to see Coit Tower and finding me great dimsum. She's in a wheelchair now and at a Home. Her other rellies came to visit that day as well and we went for lunch. I'll never take pork chop rice or mobility for granted again.

Went to Stanley, where the shopkeepers were saying there are fewer visitors while I'm squeezing my way around supersized Midwesterners and still chic-in-the-crowd French ones. Drove around Repulse Bay and had serious real estate envy. Hedy brought my parents and I to Times Square then we had Szechuan food at a private dining place and numbed my tongue and stomach for hours.

Ran 5k along the Harbour, listening to an NPR story on the Guys and Dolls revival, went to Tea House in Hedy's neighborhood for a "pineapple bun" and found out there's really no pineapple in them. Hedy's Baptism Mass at St Margaret's was great, although the air-con was extra hardworking and freezing. Her priest was from Brooklyn. Of course.

Everyone's "been" to Hongkong if they're from around here. Kinda like everyone's been to NY and London. But Hong Kong's like Madonna, the great re-inventor. Always the costume change, never dull.

Neighbourhoods

Who says Singapore has no character?

Here's Joo Chiat Road on a Sunday afternoon. Hotel 81 in a conservation shophouse. room by the hour anyone? And who needs a hotel bar when you have a karaoke lounge right downstairs?

All those indie stores - old and dusty bike shop, old fashioned bakery, Chinese medicine shop with meds on a rattan shelf straight from the 70s. Don't know how it'll stay that way. But I'm planning on hangin' out there and shooting a lot before it all changes.

And of course, the food at the kopi tiams there are great. What a bonus.

In Praise of the Staycation
Here's what weekend aren't anymore: shopping sprees, chi-chi restaurants, spa trips to the Banyan Tree, frequent short holidays around the region. Well, not too much anyway.

So, last Saturday, I decided to go take one of the free Walking Tours the National Library organised in conjunction with the Society of Tourist Guides in Singapore. Did a 45 minute tour around the Middle Road, Purvis Street, Beach Road area, learned about the Hainanese (and why they make such good pork chop) and then I had chicken rice at Yet Con on Purvis - the guy still uses the abacus when he does the bills. Picked up lots of great trivia, and even went to the library to borrow a couple of books. (Yep, less of Borders for me, but that's another story.

One of the books I brought home was Discover Singapore on Foot. It's a coupla years out of date, but fun nonetheless. And it came in useful when I took a photo class on Sunday around the Joo Chiat area. Four hours circling four streets: East Coast Road at the Junction of Marshall Road, then Joo Chiat, to Koon Seng and Tembeling, and then back to Marshall.

There's a ton of restoration that's been going on. OK, so the shophouses aren't as luxe as the ones on Neil Road, but they've still got more character in a 1 sq km area than most parts of the rest of the island. Art Galleries next to bars. And get this: a Temptations bakery next to a girly bar called I Love You. Of course there are the peranakan restaurants - where a couple of months ago you could walk in and get a table for dinner with no problem, but thanks to the Little Nyonya, reservations are now required.

I'm definitely going to be spending more time doing some neighborhooding on weekends. And Joo Chiat still has no Starbucks, no chainstores, no Gap, no Zara. Long live independant businesses and 'hoods with character.

Ipoh Kway Teow

Am in Ipoh for five days for the Chinese New Year. I don't think I've spent this much time here since I was in secondary school and didn't mind not being out and about.

But this is fine. My grandmother's in her 90s and still has the best smile ever. And the food's still the best.

Ipoh looks like the 70s came here and never left. Although Starbucks has arrived. Otherwise, it's narrow streets, grey shophouses, nice sized bungalows built from old money in town, wood and corrugated iron huts on the outskirts. And still better hawker food than anywhere else I know.

The best prawn mee hor fun I've had: Restoran New Hollywood at Canning Garden.

Best wonton mee: In Greentown, at the block of shophouses across from New Town White Coffee.

More food tomorrow. But, for now, I've hocked my privacy in return for WiFi at Starbucks - I mean - do they REALLY need to know my gender, race, country of origin, income and the some? I'm OK to watch that 70 second ad at log-in, but really. Then again, there's no broadband at my grandmother's.

Five days in Ipoh. I'm hoping to get a lot of reading done. I've got The Economist and four books. I've just finished Towelhead, and I'm starting on Slumdog Millionaire. And my iPod is getting lots and lots of use. God bless Steve.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Water and Views
Cecilia, Fann and I went to the Marina Barrage last week. It's Singapore's newest reservoir, right smack in the middle of the city. I mean, it's just a place to store water for goodness sakes. And it's a public works project to boot.

But what a nice job they've done with it. It's got a great view at night, and they've made really good use of the water theme. Couples were out walking next to the reservoir, kids were running in between the water sprays at the fountains, along with some parents.

And now young dating couples have one more place to make out.

But seriously, we used to be such a pragmatic, utilitarian society with no use for design or aethetics. (or for conservation, but that's aonther story) I'm glad it's changing now, and I'm glad we're combining form with function.

Most of all, I'm glad that even public projects are getting a soul.

Xmas Desserts


Charles has a new cake out for Christmas at Classic Cakes. Comes in plain custard, chocolate (YUMMY!! I'm not just saying this because I'm a chocoholic), and uh...Durian.

Sweeeet!