Made from yellow bean paste, these miniature ‘fruits’ make delightful eye-candy
One of my favourite Thai desserts to look out for when in Thailand are these mini works of art known as Kao Noom Look Choup. Shaped from grounded yellow beans, these miniature sculptures are then hand painted with food dyes to render the likeness of fruits and vegetables.
Continue reading “Edible miniature works of art”
Zac Posen, Runway, Fall RTW 2008. Photo: Marcio Madeira
I’m constantly amazed at the speed of which the fashion world moves. Look away for just about a month and it seems like I’ve skipped two seasons in fashion.
Zac Posen might not have received too positive a review from Nicole Phelps for his Fall RTW 2008 collection but his lolitaesque collection arrowed my heart in an instant!
Continue reading “Zac Posen, Fall 2008 RTW”
A peek at the poolside with its canopied beds, The Oriental Hotel, Bangkok
The Chao Phraya river, with its deep green waters and numerous junk boats languidly making their way up and down its vast length, lends a sight of utopia to the many luxury hotels that make the Bangkok skyline today.
The oldest hotel in Bangkok, and even slightly older than the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, The Oriental Hotel parallels Singapore’s Raffles Hotel some, in terms of history of famous writers being there and era of being. At 132 years old this year, The Oriental Hotel is the grandest dame that sits by the warm and musky Chao Phraya.
Continue reading “The Oriental Hotel, Bangkok”
At The Peninsula, Bangkok for a Valentine’s Birthday celebration!
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008
Thank you all who sent me Valentines and Birthday wishes. A few days ago when we arrived to Bangkok most street names were a mystery and the city had grown immensely since I was here at a conference, presenting a linguistics thesis, a couple of years ago. At that time I didn’t have the time to travel and sightsee Bangkok either.
Table decoration replete with teddy bear and gorgeously bound menu in red,
at The Peninsula for Valentine’s Day
By now we are finding our way much better even if the traffic is a nightmare swept in pollution so thick you can cut it with a spoon. I think the main observation I can share with those who’ve possibly not been here before is that I would choose the roadside food stalls for the food and the up market Hotels, for the view.
At Sentosa hotspot KM8
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro-Nilsson 2008
The speed at which Singapore transforms never ceases to surprise me. When back for Chinese New Years celebration with family and friends after just a few years in Sweden I hardly recognized the most basic sights. The national library was gone and where we used the take a shortcut along Orchard Road, a new six star hotel has already been opened.
Thursday the 7th was dedicated to personal relaxation and the outfit of the day, a tie-dyed cotton sarong and sun protection factor 55. The destination, the manmade paradise island just off the west coast of Singapore. When I grew up in Singapore, Sentosa was a historical relic with ugly memories from the war. Then modernizations set in with the purpose of creating a nearby beach area for the stressed out Singaporean working population. Continue reading “Reflections from Sentosa hotspot KM8”
Appetizer at Buko Nero, a blend of rucola and pomelo
Type in the words Buko Nero in a google search and you’ll find a long list of reviews, mostly enthusiastic and positive, on this small and personalized restaurant in Singapore, located along Tanjong Pagar Road.
The restaurant with a seating capacity of not more than approximately 25 persons or 6 tables, looks literally as its name suggests, a ‘hole in the wall’. It’s an easy location to miss, being situated amongst the larger bridal boutiques and pubs that line the stretch of shophouses along Tanjong Pagar.
What makes this place special is the fusion of Italian and Asian flavours that lace most dishes they serve. The fusion of flavours perhaps being a reflection of the background of the Italian husband and Singaporean wife team, Tracy and Oscar Pasinato. Continue reading “Culinary couples: Singapore and Sweden”
Today’s article in DN, about Rocky being turned into a film made me remember my meeting with the soft spoken creator, Martin Kellerman at the Swedish Book Fair at Swenska Mässan in Göteborg in September 2007. There among about one million visitors drifting from one pile of books to the next, were indeed a few highlights. At the Kartago publisher bookstand I found Martin Kellerman, the talented cartoonist and creator of the Rocky comic strip.
One thing I had noticed was that quite a few Asian girls in his comic books are drawn as birds. I couldn’t help asking Kellerman how come? Martin just laughingly told that he really didn’t know why any of his figures turned out as they did.
Continue reading “Meeting ‘Rocky’ aka Martin Kellerman at Bokmässan, Göteborg”
The flat sandal
Even before I landed in Singapore this time around, most girlfriends of mine who were in Singapore often spoke about getting their manicures and pedicures done. Pedicures these days are considered almost a must for the well groomed woman in Singapore and you need not be a tai tai (a Chinese term for women who married well and need not work) these days to have your toes done. At SGD$12 – $17 (ca. 77 SEK) per pedicure session, it isn’t considered by many women to be all that a pocket blowing hobby to indulge in or make oneself happy. Continue reading “Common footwear in Singapore”
Homemade Love Letters
The Chinese New Year is upcoming and Singapore, having more than 70% of its population as Chinese, is gearing up.
This year will be the year of the Rat. The Rat in Chinese mythology is not an unhealthy pest but the symbol of perseverance and wealth. Known to be resourceful creatures, if one sees rats, it means that food is aplenty and nearby.
In the Chinese zodiac the Rat is actually also the name of the first year in the cycle with the Ox coming next. In a Chinese fable this is explained by at the time the Yellow Emperor was settling how to name the years in the calendar he was uncertain about in which order the animals would come so he suggested the animals to settle the matter themselves by swimming over a river.
The Rat being the smallest animal, approached the largest animal which was the Ox and asked to ride on its head, over the river, so it wouldn’t drown. The Ox said okay and the Rat took a seat between the Ox’s horns. On approaching the other side of the river the Rat simply jumped off from the head of the Ox onto land, thereby winning the race. The Rat’s clever cunning has thus been well known since. All characteristic traits signified by the Rat in the Chinese Zodiac is also thought to rub off on those who are born in the year of the Rat, which are 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 and 2008.
The Wikipedia has it like this:
Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat’s natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.
One of the traditions I have with my parents is to bake traditional cakes – whether Christmas or Chinese New Year – mostly to give away as gifts to friends and relatives. I spent this day baking hundreds of these small, light and hopelessly brittle pancakes, rolled and folded them into small envelopes – Love Letters. If you are not familiar with Love Letters, they taste similar to Chinese fortune cookies, perhaps sweeter. The secret ingredient is rice flour, but don’t tell anyone.
Cheryl
Suburban Singapore
A plot of land in the midst of high rise apartments in Singapore
Being a tourist in most countries often means that one doesn’t get the opportunity to explore local living. You’re scuffled around to designated shops that work on tourist commissions, famous landmarks that everybody goes to see and take pictures, and you find yourself even eating places ‘for tourists’. Continue reading “Suburban kampong”