Here we go again... Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) Starts 16 May 2021

 Just a post to mark another stay-at-home phase... what the government has termed "Phase 2 (Heightened Alert)".  Starting today, 16 May 2021, dining-in at all F&B outlets would be prohibited; permissible group sizes reduced from 5 to 2 etc etc.

As I went out to buy breakfast today, the streets and shops were significantly quieter. F&B establishments in the neighbourhood that were already operating then (8am in the heart of Singapore's CBD on a Sunday!) were already well-prepared. The usual dining tables and chairs were stacked neatly to one side of their premises; signages were up, next to the ubiquitous SafeEntry posters and temperature scanners at each shopfront. 

How about the supermarkets? I hadn't needed to make a grocery run to the supermarket since the announcement of this newest development on May 14, and neither did I bother to follow social media for photos and reports of what 'uncommon scenes' (i.e. long queues of kiasu customers) ensued as a result of the new restrictions. But the NTUC Fairprice supermarket was relatively quiet, just like any other Sunday morning. Perhaps we had already gotten used to the fact that this "roti-prata" way of relaxing-and-tightening-social-restrictions will be the new way of life, at least for now, for the upcoming many months ahead. Or maybe all the panic-buying and "just-one-last-visit-to-my favourite-bubble-tea-shop" chaos had ended without me realising. 

Thankfully, I happened to complete most of my weekly grocery-shopping at the wet market on Wed, just  days before the announcement. And since I always had my stash of frozen food, I had been cooking simple meals without having to replenish much. 

As I sat down at my computer to start this post, I was wondering "What will change?". Hopefully, I can learn from my mistakes from last year's Circuit-Breaker experience, not to let my guard down too much (and face a mountain of work-related backlog). It probably won't happen this time since my workplace isn't closed. I also made plans to really prepare more home-cooked meals this time round, rather than relying on the ready supply of instant food products and the yummilicious hawker food just nearby. 

I had also been trying to get Y to go out of the house more often (she was refusing to leave home except for school and weekly visits to grandparents') ever since we exited CB last year. And dangled some incentive carrot for her to do so, so I hope we will get down to doing some outdoor exercise (as a group of 2). Everything, anything to pry her away from her bed, mobile and computer playing Kpop idol music. haha. 

Ko Ryo Jeong at International Plaza

One issue about staying right in the heart of town is that the (more-affordable) dining choices on weekends are rather limited. The hawker centres and coffeeshops are mostly closed on weekday nights and weekends. So we often end up at shopping centres or fast food restaurants for dinner. 

After the Circuit Breaker, I started looking for more options nearby and chanced on this Korean restaurant that was not along the super busy stretch of Tanjong Pagar Road. The online reviews were not too bad and it has also been operating at International Plaza for a long time. The menu caught my eye as there were some Korean stews and dishes that are not often found at other establishments. We took the chance on this Thursday night to dine here on our own (as Y had to attend an enrichment class and had dinner earlier). 

We ordered an oyster pancake and a Cheonggukjang-jjigae (Extra-strong fermented soybean paste stew) 청국장찌개.  The latter was something I had only seen online, so I was curious how the taste would be like, as it would be much thicker than the normal doenjang stew. Even in local restaurants, I felt the doenjang stew tasted more soup-ish, compared to those home-cooked ones I see online (like on "Home Food Rescue" by Chef Baek Jong-won). This Cheongukjang-jjigae was packed chock-ful with the beans and vegetables, so much so that there was little liquid to drink with. Haha. For most palates, this is a strong-tasting dish. I would describe it as something close to what you would get if you cooked tempeh with an equal amount of broth. Thick, bean-y, substantial, and goes well with a full bowl of rice. 

Hubby gave the oyster pancake thumbs-up.  The oyster pancake was large, and the oysters were fat and juicy. While the pancake was greasy, it was crisp at the edges and not oil-logged.  What I really liked was the generous servings and taste of the side dishes provided. The spicy side dishes helped cleanse the palate after each mouthful of pancake and/or stew. And they were really well-prepared, not commercially-bought basics like potato-mayo salad or seaweed out of a box. 

The dishes were really quite authentic, compared to some of the so-called 'authentic' Korean restaurants in Singapore, which mostly only served well-known favourites like fried chicken and BBQ to go with alcohol. We arrived quite late (after 7.30pm) and I was famished, so I only remembered to take the picture of the side dishes as they were served first. 

This is definitely going to be one of my regular haunts. 

GOPIZZA (Tampines 1) freshly baked pizzas

We usually pop by Tampines Central on Sundays when we have family gatherings at my inlaws. And I chanced upon this stall in the former Kopitiam food court at the top floor of Tampines 1 (the food court is now renamed "Food Tempo"). 

GOPIZZA serves a variety of single serve pizzas with Korean-inspired flavours. The brand originated from South Korea and the pizzas are baked upon order. Talk about fresh! 

I ordered the spicy yangnyum and sweet potato mash pizza and I loved the contrasting flavours and textures, from the spicy-red marinate on the chicken to the soft sweet mash generously piped across the whole pizza. The thinly sliced onions and green bell peppers also provided a burst of crunchiness and freshness in each bite. 

Bingsu at Tampines 1

Mango Bingsu at Food Tempo (food court at Tampines 1). They were running a 30%-off offer for the month, so the icy treat only cost me $5.50 (small size). 

Foodie me: Devil Chicken

We usually spend some time window shopping around Tampines central on Sundays when we go to my in-laws place for dinner. We had been eyeing this specialty stall for the longest time, but we never had a chance to take lunch or dinner here. 

Today we finally decided to try this to 加料. I bought the original chicken ala carte ($7.90). Unlike the other Taiwanese style chicken cutlets we usually have, this is not a thin, flat style cutlet. The batter jacket was cooked to a golden brown colour and tasted crispy even though we bought it to go (and consumed only about 20 mins later). The seasoning was not overly salty and had a sweet edge too. We should try the spicy version the next time. 

Foodie me: HappyCup at 100AM mall, Tras St

I was running errands at 100AM when I noticed the corner shop space at level 2 had finally been unveiled. Happycup seems to be different from the usual bubble tea franchises popping up all over Singapore. What was most interesting to me was the "Teaspresso" machine used in serving their products. 

Stay Home for Circuit Breaker 2020

So many resources had been shared online, for keeping the young ones entertained, educated(!?!) and occupied, and to fight off boredom for the seniors (and everyone else in-between!!!!)

Just compiling my own list here. Leave me a comment below if there are links that don't work, cos I don't visit all of them... You know, in between cooking almost 3 meals a day, marketing and household chores, screaming at the kid, trying to catch up on some of my work, and keeping myself sane with Korean shows... Heehee

General 

Read/Listen

• Even before the Covid-19 situation hit, I have been a fan of the collection of e-books offered by the National Library Board, Singapore eResources platform. Just sign up for your 'myLibrary' account (if you are Singaporean or a NLB member), and you are set to read on a browser, or using the NLB mobile app, or download to read offline using the Overdrive or Libby app. See what you need here. 
• Amazon Audible has made Stories free available online for kids, as long as schools are closed.

Teaching and Learning Resources

• As part of a global initiative to support parents and educators through these times, Scholastic has been providing free access to digital resources which are developmentally-appropriate for children aged 4 to 15 years. 
• Cambridge University Press has also stepped up to provide educators with resources to support the teaching and learning during the school closure period. 

Nature

• Part of the #PlantOneOnMe series by the Gardens By the Bay, Singapore. This is a multi-episode series on tours in the Cloud Forest conservatory. We will be eagerly waiting for the day when they will be open again and we can actually use our membership...

The Arts 

• #GalleryAnywhere gives you a daily dose of art from the comfort of your home. Presented by the National Gallery, Singapore.
• The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. features two online exhibits through Google Arts & Culture. One features watercolour renderings on American fashion from the Index of American Design; whereas another is on Dutch masters of genre painting, or scenes of daily life. 
• 
  

Performing Arts

• Esplanade Offstage is provided for all to enjoy performing arts in Singapore and Asia. You can easily filter by your preferred form of performing arts, and enjoy one-stop page of links to their partners. Besides reading about artists, Offstage has also listed videos for us to enjoy the performances online via "The show goes on---line" since the national performing art's centre is closed.
• Of course, not forgetting the weekly full-length broadcasts of famed musicals via the Youtube page The Shows Must Go On!. We enjoyed The Phantom of the Opera and Cats.
• BroadwayHD is a subscription-based internet service that lets you watch musicals without getting to Broadway itself. It offers a free 7-day trial, so plan when there's a long weekend/holiday stretch coming up. 

Music 

Facebook live broadcasts are one of the ways musicians used to continue to showcase their craft.

• Compilations include the facebook pages 古典好好聽 Classicalmusic to go.

History

• This "Museum of the World" virtual museum tour of artifacts brought by the British Museum and the Google Cultural institute allows us to pick and choose the time period and cultural setting we want. 

Christianity-Methodist

• Even as The Methodist Church in Singapore celebrates 135 years in Singapore this year, we are constrained by the ongoing Covid-19 situation to stay at home as much as possible. But that doesn't stop us from continuing to come together to pray and worship online as a community. I signed up to receive whatsapp updates to receive the daily prayer prompt on whatsapp. 

Entertainment

Of course, it has been almost impossible to get Y to guai guai complete the never-ending list of chores (cos she doesn't complete them) and assignments set. All she hankers for is for her own game apps and the Xiaomi phone we bought last year. We have been considering whether to get on the Netflix bandwagon after our Starhub contract ran out and we decided not to continue (we hardly sat down to watch anything at all, since we all had our own choices of entertainment on our phone/tablet/laptop/desktop anyway). So I started looking out to see if the Netflix offerings were suitable. Some links/lists here for those who already have a subscription include: 

• List of Netflix Educational shows for Kids from variety.com.

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This post was first published on 20 May 2020. 

CNY 2017 Chinatown Street Bazaar

We walked to Chinatown after dinner, as a form of post-dinner exercise. The official Lunar New Year light-up and Opening Ceremony would be tomorrow, so I was positive that the street stalls would be open. 

Apparently many people also thought the same, and thronged the stalls already. It was crowded but we managed to have an enjoyable experience.

Planning for National Day/ Jubilee Weekend

We are not the super ardent fans of the annual National Day Parade, although YX watches and re-watches the video clip I downloaded from youtube(?), of NDP 2014. Somehow she loves the pageantry and the music.

Since 2015 is Singapore's 50th birthday, we decided to try and ballot for the NDP tickets. We were not lucky enough to get selected, so I'm now back to the drawing board on what to do for that weekend. 

Thankfully, with the attention and Govt funding for #SG50, there are a whole plethora of events out there on the same weekend, whether organised by the public sector or private organisations. 

I guess I will be ploughing through the singapore50.sg website very soon! 

And do check regularly on my SGEvents calendar, as I add more events there. Meanwhile, I am also searching for a (not-so-technically-challenging way) for me to share that listing. 

Jubilee Winds and Percussion 21 June 2015

Jubilee Winds and Percussion 《鼓吹狮城庆金禧》

by City Chinese Orchestra 狮城华乐团

21 June 2015, 5pm  Victoria Concert Hall

It has been a while since I last watched a CityCO concert (previous attendance was at "Footprints", if I'm not wrong). This year, the mid-year concert coincides with Father's Day, and so I delayed purchasing my ticket as plans with the extended family were not firmed up. It was not until 3 days before the concert that I was able to confirm my availability (as well as alternative toddler-sitting plans). By then, tickets for the cheapest category were almost all gone, and I was pretty horrified to hear the SISTIC counter lady tell me she could only offer me the first row of stall seats. I was adamant on going (and hubby wasn't), so I bumped up to Cat 2 and got myself a single Circle seat ticket. There went my $49...

It has been a long while since I stepped foot into Victoria Concert Hall as it was renovated. I took the opportunity to arrive earlier and walk around the place. All those memories of the concerts I performed in my teens flooded me. The physical surroundings outside the concert hall and theatre looked cleaner and classier, but still with all the lovely architecture feels. 

Above: The backs of the seats from the former concert hall were re-used in refurbishing the Theatre next door.  The seat numbers were shown on the back. I recall having to peer behind the seat to double-check that we had the correct seat. heehee

Above: Today, a spiral staircase brings the audience to the Circle seats at the 3rd floor. Gone are the two flights of staircases that we sat on to chat in-between rehearsals, eat our packed lunches/dinners/snacks, or just to hang out. 😞

All photos are my own.