Our Travelations

Truth be told, I have always thought Chingay was boring. Yes, even though I have not attended a single one.

Meaning “the art of costume and masquerade”, it is an annual street parade and festival in Singapore. It originated in Penang, Malaysia, apparently – you can read more about its fascinating history at the Chingay 2010 site.

Last month, J and I received two prime tickets to watch the parade, courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board. We thought it would be a good opportunity to see what Chingay was all about.

And boy, we were very pleasantly surprised!

The lights! The dancing! The firecrackers (and requisite fireworks)! The showmanship!

A malay dancer

This Indian dancer moved with such joy

Every single one of the performers bowled us over. It was obvious to everyone that they had practised really hard for the parade; they were happy to be a part of it; they were putting on the performance of their lives.

We saw fire-eaters, Samba dancers, super-creative floats (hey, there was even one of the Pinnacle@Duxton, with Mah Bow Tan (local Minister and Member of Parliament) waving to the crowd, lion dancers, samba dancers, percussionists, stilt-walkers, the 501st Singapore Legion (Star Wars in real life!) and many, many more acts.

Star Wars!

I was very impressed with these fire-eaters! Or were they fire-breathers?

Stilt-walkers and their dramatic entrance

Dragon dance with firecrackers galore!

It was this infectious joy – from the emcee who got the crowd going and the cheerleaders who waved their poms-poms madly to the dancers giving their best in their art and the extras smiling like they’re the superstars of the show – that sealed the event as a WIN for us.

We felt so happy because others were immersed in what they were most happy doing – this is what life should be.

An uncle in the audience enjoying himself tremendously

The audience partying amidst golden confetti and fireworks

Chingay 2010, billed as Asia’s grandest street and floats parade, didn’t disappoint. J and I will be back for more next year!

[Many thanks to the Singapore Tourism Board for this great experience!]

Jeff & Esther

It looks like any other plain ol’ coffeeshop in Singapore, but the food at Joo Heng is so good that my parents always request to come here when we organise their birthday dinners. So did I, one year, for my own birthday dinner.

This is Cantonese comfort food at its best!

All its dishes have the classic “wok hei” that is so important in Cantonese cooking. My dad always reminds us that it takes a skilled and experienced chef to control the fire and master his wok in order to impart this smoky flavour to his dishes.

Here are some must-order dishes:

Sauteed tofu with prawns

This might be the silkiest sauteed tofu dish you have ever eaten. The prawns are fresh, firm and juicy. I can eat two bowls of rice with this alone – if I let myself!

Prawn paste fried chicken

This is chicken wings fried after being marinated in shrimp paste. Very umami-tasting, it is always a favourite among children and the young-at-heart. Hell, adults like it just as much too! (However, being a white meat-lover, it would be nice if they introduce a breast meat version of this.)

Spicy sambal belacan potato leaves

Garlicky and spicy, this dish is good enough on its own. Sambal belacan is a chilli and shrimp paste. It may smell pungent to some but it is VERY YUMMY!

Other dishes we had were pork ribs with bittergourd slices in a black bean sauce, and steamed fish head with another type of bean sauce (and garlic!).

Don’t forget to order their lotus root soup too, if you’re there. Taste just like mama’s home-cooking.

*****

• The uncle who owns the shop may be over 70-years-old, but he’s an accomplished long-distance runner, having completed the adidas Sundown Ultra-Marathon in Singapore and the Great Wall Marathon in China. Here’s a picture of him scooping rice:

Runner uncle who owns Joo Heng

• Admittedly, Joo Heng is now more well-known that I would have liked. I think part of the credit for its higher profile should go to the younger generation in the family. This uncle’s grandson even set-up a blog for Joo Heng. And his son, who I’ve heard also cooks in the kitchen, renovated a part of the eatery and it now has fancy booth seating and air-conditioning!
• Joo Heng Restaurant is located at 360 Joo Chiat Road. Tel: 6345 1503.

*****

Esther

Thanks to a quick conversation on Twitter with @tangenghui (check out his photojournalism site), I went online to find out more about this strange quota system for entering Singapore’s latest and currently most talked-about public housing project, Pinnacle@Duxton.

I say strange because I had initially thought that the visitor limit was for the different apartments. Imagine – what if you had to specially schedule your friends’ visit to your home each time they come over? What if neighbours had to co-ordinate and draw up a roster for visits?

Thankfully, there’s a more logical reason for the limit. The 200 visitors per day limit was for members of the public who wished to access Pinnacle@Duxton’s 50th-floor Skybridge. For safety issues, only 1,000 people are allowed on the Skybridge at any one time and since residents are entitled to bring four guests per apartment each time, the public limit was set as such.

Ah, that finally makes sense!

I haven’t been to the Skybridge myself but I should think you’ll get a magnificent view of the city skyline – just think about it: the Singapore Flyer stands at 165m tall while the Pinnacle@Duxton stands at 156m.

Map of Pinnacle@Duxton views (courtesy of Pinnacle@Duxton website)

Best part? A ride on the flyer costs $29.50/adult but entry to the Pinnacle@Duxton Skybridge is only $5.

*****

• Check out the number of places left on the quota before you go at Pinnacle@Duxton’s homepage.
• There’s another Skybridge on the 26th floor but this is open only to residents, who hold keycards.
• You’ll need a card compliant with the Singapore Standard of Contactless ePurse Application (CEPAS) to pay the $5 entry fee. An EZ-Link (the one used to take the MRT) card will work.
• Authorities expect that there would be overwhelming demand for entry to these Skybridges on special days like National Day (to see the fireworks!). I think they’re right. The solution? A ballot system will be used to decide who gets to enter!

*****

Esther