A Pot of Curry Unites a Nation

As of today, over 53,000 Singaporeans (see the current number of responses here) have responded to the call of Cook a Pot of Curry, an event that will take place across the island on August 21 2011.  Singaporeans will cook a pot of curry in their homes in protest of a news report that a local Indian family agreed during a mediation session to cook curry, their staple dish, only when their neighbors are not at home. The neighbors, a Chinese immigrant family, had complained of the smell of the dish.

If there is something we Singaporeans love more than our country, it is our local food. I suspect we will defend it to death if necessary. Though not officially coined as a national dish, curry is a dish that Malays, Indians and Chinese enjoy. We all have our own recipes and versions of this beautiful dish and nobody's ever heard of a curry related complaint till now.

Though I'm thousands of miles away I'll be joining in the spirit of curry cooking, mainly because I cook curry from time to time anyway, and also because of what the event means to me. Many Singaporeans are joining this event in spite and retaliation that immigrants are expecting locals to conform to their ways instead of them assimilating into local culture. I think many more positive things can come out of this movement other than simply wanting to "show em".

The Singaporean government has been trying to instill creativity into its people, but no amount of grants, incentives or campaigns work better than events created from the ground by the people for the people. Singaporeans are starting to come out of their shells and learning that they do not need permissions or permits to do everything.

The organizers have found a harmonious way to embrace our cuisine and culture, and bring the people closer.If there were any concerns of divisiveness, we have shown camaraderie and will speak up for our fellow Singaporeans regardless of race.

Food has always united us, and likewise Singaporeans can take the opportunity to invite their foreign friends and coworkers to try our favorite dish and foster relationships. The sooner locals help them to adjust to the local culture, the less conflicts and discomfort will exist (for those who are willing to learn, can't say much for those who insist their home culture is superior).

Lastly I feel that the response by Singaporeans this time really sends a strong message to some newcomers that they really need to humble themselves and take steps to acculturate themselves. I speak from experience, living in another country myself. If you sincerely make the effort to learn the local culture and norms, people will accept you. We move out of our own comfort zone into foreign territories to broaden our views and learn new things. If we never open ourselves to new things, behaviors and culture, what then is the point of leaving our home country?

Office Chair Reupholstery

Thought I'll write a post after reading my friend Beverly's note on being green. I did this project last summer, right about a year ago. It wasn't a simple green project but gave me a lot of satisfaction after it was completed. Of course, there are those who would question why I don't go out and get a new chair, my husband included. But there is something special about making things with your hands and turning potential trash into something useful. The experience is something that money cannot buy.

I love the website P.S. I made this. The creator really inspires me to look around and see what can be repurposed. I learned to do the upholstery from Apartment Therapy and a few other websites.

It's pretty simple. I went out to Walmart to get a heavy duty staple gun, which is very handy for home and decoration projects, always good to have one handy. For the fabric, I went to Ikea and picked out a fabric that I liked for less than $10. The whole project probably cost me around $20 while a new chair would have been a few times that price, not to mention that it's probably not going to fit in the car and I'll have to get it delivered.

So I simply unscrew the parts, taking care not to lose any screws or small parts. One tip is to stick the screws on a piece of tape. Then I cut the fabric, ensuring it's big enough the cover the original fabric. The next step is to start stapling with the staple gun and make sure the plastic parts cover the edge of the fabric when I assemble it back. Lastly, simply screw the parts back together and there's a brand new customized chair!

And...The Ring Fits!

Standard ring sizes start from size 6 and I’m probably a size 5, so it’s pretty hard for me to find fitting rings. I don’t want to give up on those pretty rings so I went ahead and got them anyway. After all, I’m sure somewhere out there in this universe, someone has to be selling something to adjust ring sizes.

So I started looking online and found several solutions. After combing through the reviews, the ring adjuster seemed to be the best solution; or rather the one with fewer failures.

I was really thinking about ordering it when I came across a reviewer who said it’s just a pvc tube fitted over the ring. Yeah, why would I pay $2.99 for a few pieces of pvc plus shipping? So I checked out the Lowes website and found that vinyl tubes were sold for as little as 20 cents a foot. What a genius. I went to the hardware store and cut out a foot of the vinyl tube I needed. Either 3/16 or 5/16 inch would be good depending on the size of your ring. I took it home, cut a small segment, and looped it over the rings. Works like magic!

Cost: 20 cents and 1 foot can probably work for 7-8 rings.

Saying No Made Me a Happier Person

Some weeks ago I was having a bit of trouble with handling requests from people. It always started with a small harmless request and it started working its way, growing bigger and encroaching my comfort zone. Twisted but it reminded me of the way crime documentaries describe how pedophiles groom their victims.

When asked for a favor, I was always too quick to say yes, or find it hard to turn down the request. In some cases like I said, I had agreed to doing one thing but that one thing quickly multiplied in the form of by-the-way tasks attached to the original request. Because I totally agree with the portion of Kein's post about saying no: "do not say yes and subsequently waste everyone's time by not doing it", and because I've been taught these 20 odd years that we have to deliver what we promise, I ultimately follow through the task, albeit with a lot of unhappiness on my part.

Buddies advised me not to feed the monster by agreeing to things that I'm not comfortable with, because that will only make the requesting party think I'm ok with it and I'll never see the end of it.

Now, I often click on the links posted by Kein on Facebook simply because there is always just a one word instruction - "read" or "watch". That made me realize something basic. People often take action when you instruct them to, and people act the way you want them to. And buddies were right - by not saying no I'm leading the requesting party to think that it's ok to request or demand. While most people have the self realization to not overstep their boundaries and give others space and respect, we certainly can't expect everyone to be the same. In some cases we just have to tell people exactly how we want to be treated.

So I started practicing the art of saying no. Growing up with the notion that we have to do what we are told to, it wasn't so easy at first. But you know what? It's been alright. There's been no nasty drama, no excessive tension, no raging winds and lightning bolts. In some cases it just becomes a negotiating game. And it works. This week I just said no to a ridiculous request. I was glad I took a little bit of time to process it, said no but offered an alternative that solves the problem within my comfort zone. I gave myself a little pat on the back. And that's growth right there.

Would I be happier in Singapore?

Just for fun. Sometimes I try to imagine how life would be if I were still in Singapore.

The optimistic view:
I'll be close to friends and family, have access to cheap good food, be there when everyone gets married and have babies,  have access to cheap good food, pay really low tax, and have access to cheap good food.

The pessimistic view:
I'll probably buy a flat that I can't afford, work a job that I don't like to pay for the expensive flat, take the overcrowded train to get to the job, and be angry with Mah Bow Tan and subsequently Khaw Boon Wan.

What Can You Do With a Kashi Snack Box?

I picked up a box of Kashi TLC Fire Roasted Veggie Crackers to beat those late afternoon hunger pangs in the office. Those were absolutely delicious but as usual I find it a pity that the good sturdy packaging was going to go to waste.  

While recycling is a great way to save the box from the landfill, I always remember from a talk that the three R’s should be practiced in this sequence – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Since I couldn’t reduce it, I decided to look for a way to reuse it before it finally ends up in the recycle bin at the end of its lifecycle.

My office drawer was in a mess and one of the things I love to do with old boxes is to make drawer organizers out of them. This is a real simple project. All I do is to cut the box across so it’s now two boxes with an open top. Takes less than five minutes and my pens and little trinkets are now tucked away neatly in these little organizers.

郁闷云吞面

从小老妈就灌输没事就别去麻烦别人，所以我尽可能都亲厉亲为。不知是文化上的差距，还是性格作风有别，觉得最近常遇到一些让我觉得要求很多，甚至有时觉得咄咄逼人的人物。而且有些情况真是避也避不开。
我与几位友人都同意，当要求别人帮助时，必定要恭恭敬敬，尊重别人的意愿，觉得不能过分要求，让当事人决定要参与至什么程度。可是俗话说得好，一种米养百种人。我遇上的情况不能说得太详细，只能类似举例：
阿莲：阿花你去买饭，顺便帮我买。
阿花：好啊。
阿莲：我要吃云吞面。
阿花：云吞面今天没开。买别的行吗？
阿莲：路口那家小食店有卖，你去哪儿买吧。阿明也要吃，你也帮他买。
阿花：那好吧。
阿莲：我要干面，不要葱，不要叉烧，你看能不能换鸡丝，辣椒一点点。阿明要鱼粥。
阿花：小食店没鱼粥喔。
阿莲：对面的粥店有阿。姜丝另外包。还有，天气这么热，买两包芒果冰吧。
阿花：芒果冰店更远，买回来就融了。
阿莲：那你走快点哦。
阿花:  （无奈）就这样。
阿莲：云吞面最后才买，不然面软了就不好吃了。

本来只想到楼下买包饭，结果咧。。。类似情况，好好一个假期就这样成泡影，一切随人安排。早知道阿莲要吃路口的云吞面，阿花就不会答应“顺便”帮忙买饭，搞得好像玛丽亚，不然顺便帮你洗车吧？

人家说忍一时风平浪静，退一步海阔天空。可我忍了一时又一时，却只有一波未平一波又起，这天空也只有乌云密布。真是时候学习有技巧的说“不”。觉得好倒霉，不接那通电话不就没事了。就知道准没好事。一年就只有七，八天休假。第一次休假就这么不顺。唉。为什么世上有这么多“不自动”的人。。。