The two previous posts in this series were realistic drawings, but now for something a bit different.
I recently went to an event at a local library which had a booth by Drool Stamps. There was a selection of lovely stamps to try out, and blank bookmarks which you could customise.
I chose a shophouse stamp for my bookmark, and then painted it at home.
The colours were loosely inspired by the Sim Kwong Ho shophouses, but I took some artistic liberties.
My friend Abbi's 3-year-old nephew made this Thanksgiving Turkey – or rather his mom filled it in for him, but he told her what to write.
It says water bottle, my guitar pick, snacks, new baby sister, Aunt Lisa, zoo, Daddy, Mama, Aunt Abbi, Uncle Nate.
I asked Abbi about the guitar pick and she said, "My mom found one and gave it to him (he loves music and has a little pretend guitar). But he lost it 😂"
Anyway, I love guitar pick and water bottle – that he is thankful for objects – and cheap, everyday objects at that. It got me thinking about cheap, everyday objects that I am thankful for.
I recently got these plastic drawers which were only S$5 each (you can see them on the shelf below the typewriter).
I used to keep my art supplies in my storeroom, but now that I have them in my study, in neatly organised drawers, I use them more.
I'm likewise thankful for my cotton bedsheet, a pair of sneakers that I got for a steal (secondhand but unused), and a mint-blue retro-style toaster which I found abandoned in our recycling bay.
In my previous post, there's a photo of Chiok (who made the pomelo kombucha) and our mutual friend Emiri. Emiri is Japanese, and said itadakimasu before drinking. Chiok's partner Guofeng asked her what it means, and Emiri said it's a way of saying thanks.
| Guofeng: | Like thanks to Chiok, for making the kombucha? |
| Emiri: | To everyone. To Chiok, to the farmer who grew the pomelo, the people you bought ingredients from, and also to the pomelo. |
In last month's post I talked at length about homebrewed kombucha, but I forgot to say – and I will just put it out there without false modesty – it's really good. Or as the kids say, my kombucha slaps. A few people have independently told me that it's the best kombucha they ever tasted.
I continue to experiment with different flavours. The bottle on the right is plain kombucha, but the one on the left has blue-pea tea (my neighbour got dried blue-pea flowers from an organic farm in Thailand, and gave me some to try).
My blue-pea kombucha is purple because anthocyanin, the pigment in blue-pea flowers, is a pH indicator. It's blue in water, but if you add an acid – like lemon juice or kombucha – it turns purple.
I still do kombucha-tastings with Chiok and Guofeng, who, like me, got their SCOBY from my friend Violet. Pictured below is Chiok's grapefruit and pomelo kombucha, which also slaps.
I also started making water kefir (below left) which is another fermented drink. Also tasty, and easier than kombucha – shorter fermentation time, and only needs sugar (not tea). But to me, it's not as delicious and complex as good kombucha.
The jar on the right is kombucha-pickled cherries, flavoured with cinnamon and star anise. These turned out okay – nothing special. But you ideally want fresh cherries, and I could only find frozen ones here in Singapore. If I find fresh cherries, I might try it again, because the recipe looks promising.
A house on my street is being renovated. There are various notices on the gate, including a cute and unexpected "No Fighting!"
My friend Abbi said, "Maybe we should have that notice everywhere."
I was cycling past this shrine on Rangoon Road in Singapore (that's my bike in the photo), when I noticed that it has Taoist deity Tua Pek Kong cohabiting with Hindu deity Ganesh.
In front of Ganesh, there is a bottle and a can of Strawberry Fanta. Ganesh keeps healthy.
Sometime back I drew one of my neighbourhood buildings on Balestier Road, and although it was my only such drawing at the time, I optimistically titled the post Balestier Buildings 1 because I was hoping it could be a series.
I suppose there need to be at least two to call it a series, but would I ever get round to making another drawing? If the suspense was keeping you up at night, worry no more: I hereby present the second drawing of the series.
Whampoa Colour Centre may be visually less interesting than Lam Yeo Coffee Powder Factory, but it's a part of my life because I go there to develop colour film (I process black-and-white at home).
The shop is run by a man in his 60s or early 70s ("Uncle", as we call him). One time I wanted some inkjet prints, and he said it would take about five minutes. I also needed a baguette, so I said no problem, I'll quickly pop by the bakery next door.
Uncle shook his head in exasperation. "You people, always rushing, rushing. It just take five minutes. You wait!"
I waited. Sometimes, it's good to slow down. After all, that's one reason I still shoot film too.
I went to two Chinese puppet shows in the last year, which were both interesting but very different.
The first one was by Ge Yi Hokkien Opera & Puppet Troupe at Hong San See Temple. It was free to attend, but for the performance that we went to, my friend Carol and I were the only audience. Although Carol was saying that the performance is mainly intended for the temple gods, so maybe publicising it for and attracting a mortal audience is not high on the temple's agenda.
The dialogue was in (possibly archaic) Hokkien, and although Carol is fluent in Mandarin, she could only understand bits and pieces. But I thought it was cool that they had live music, and we could see "backstage" simply by peeping around. I love the handpainted sets and backdrops too.
In the photo below, you can see one of the puppeteer's hands.
The other show was much more lavish: Journey West: Mount Fiery by Paper Monkey Theatre. It was in the air-conditioned auditorium of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, and a ticketed performance, although I got a complimentary pass from my friend Redwan who was one of the musicians.
In the photo below you can see two of the puppeteers, clad in outfits that bear an amusing resemblance to beekeeping suits.
The story was mostly enacted through puppets, but for some bits, they also had human figures in costume, which was more like traditional theatre or opera.
Journey West had higher production values, and English surtitles which helped me follow the plot. But as a cultural experience, I have to say it was the temple performance that I enjoyed more.
