Simplify Your Happiness

Living in a small town where everything is still simple makes me trim all of the branches, all of the curves, all of the mazes in my own built way of appreciating things.

Several months ago when I was still actively working, my office held a gathering after office hour in the office where employees should bring their families along. There were food (off course), music, speeches and performances by the employees.

My office here is a small organization. It consists of only 30 something permanent employees and another 30 something outsourced workers (most for the lower jobs). Of the 30s permanent employees may be only half make nice payrolls. The rests are not bad but not nice either, just decent.

So it was not a glamorous event at all. I would rather say humble. However the feeling was there. Families were enjoying the food, music, performances and most of all the opportunity to come to a party.

What touched me was seeing how the families of the security officers, messengers and cleaning service team who made up half of the crowd really enjoyed the night. They wore their best clothes, put on festive make up and brought all of their kids in fancy clothes too. It looked like the event was so special to them. It was like a very big and important party that everyone was waiting for.

Seeing this made me feel pity for myself. Attending the event was just like an obligation to me, no fun at all. I just had to be there so my boss would see me and know I was a good employee. Deep inside I felt they were stealing my time from my family even though my family was coming too. I just could not enjoy it. All of this time I grew more and more complicated. I could appreciate only the most sophisticated or the finest things. If it’s neither of them then it would fail to make me happy. If it’s worse then I would simply call it tacky.

But the scenery that night, of the glows on those people excited by the party, had awaken me. I had been wasting many chances to enjoy myself and be happy. If simple things can make other people happy, why should I torture myself denying the chances? Why was I making my own happiness complicated and hard to get?

So yesterday when we were waiting for our flight to Balikpapan in the airport, when my maid was ecstatic to see a local celebrity and rushed to get a picture with him, I instantly followed suit with no hesitation. It was my first picture with a celebrity whose shows I didn’t even watch let alone fancy of. I was just letting the feeling go and didn’t want to waste another chance to be happy although in the past I would have called it tacky.

Halal Food in Singapore

Going back and forth to Spore for my treatment, we learn where to find halal food around. Here is the list:

1. Indochili

Located at Zion Road across the Great World City, it’s the closest one from our hotel, Furama Riverfront and soon became our favorite.

On their menu are traditional Indonesian dishes like sate Madura, sate marangi, rawon, sayur asem, gado-gado, nasi timbel, cah kangkung, sop buntut, lontong sayur Medan, etc. They all are delicious but my favorite is nasi tumpeng mini. It is yellow rice served in mini cone shape with ayam bumbu rujak, perkedel kentang, acar, sambal terasi and kerupuk. Also try their es teller. It’s classic like the one you find in Es Teler 77.

2. Kintamani

Located on the third floor of our hotel, it’s very pricey like any other restaurant in a hotel. But when you are in chemo with poor appetite and don’t feel like having a ride on a vehicle, this one is worth every cent.

It’s buffet all you can eat style but the food is top notch. They have sate ayam with lontong, gado-gado, rendang, soto ayam, sop buntut, udang bakar, etc with abundant desserts like lupis, bacang, siomay, many kinds of cakes, kolak, ice cream and fruits like jambu air, nangka and pear. The menu might be slightly different when you go there but more or less it will be like that.

3. Puncak Muslim Food

Located at Far East Plaza, 14 Scotts Road (near Orchard), it serves yummy-yummy Chinese food. It’s not a fancy restaurant. It’s more like a hawker stall but the food is so good.

We just discovered it on our last trip and we tried the black pepper beef on hot plate, capcay and wonton soup. The beef was so tender with the right combination of spiciness from the black peper and sweetness from the soy sauce. The Capcay was also perfect with fresh veggies and garlic.

There are many more halal restaurants in Far East Plaza like Ria Ayam Penyet, Nana Thai, Cahaya Murni, Shin Tokyo Sushi, Sakura Hongkong, Pastamania and Warung Surabaya. We chose Puncak because we never tried it before and it had the longer queue suggesting the food must be good.

4. Pho 4 All

Located at Jl. Pisang, Bugis. If you are looking for Vietnamese noodle soup (pho), Pho 4 All will definitely fulfill your craving. At least that’s what happened with me and my hubby. We went there more than once and always enjoyed the phos. They were good.

There are many more halal restaurants in Bugis/Kampong Glam area serving food from various countries.

5. Pastamania

There are several locations fro this restaurant. We tried the one in Bugis Junction and Far East Plaza. The former has more on the menu while the later offers outdoor dining which is refreshing at night.

As the name implied they serve Italian food like many kinds of pastas, pizzas, calzone, soups and salads. Our favorite is the pizzas. We fell in love the first time we tried it so we always ordered pizza when we went there.

6. Kampong Chai Chee

Located on 303 Changi Road (it’s not near Changi airport by the way), they serve local food like chilli crab, steamed fish, bbq sting ray, fried sotong, etc.

Taking place in a shop house, it’s not a fancy restaurant. It’s where local people go when they want to eat out.

7. Nasi Padang in Tiong Bahru Market

There are many Nasi Padangs in Spore’s kopitiam. Kopitiam itself is a food court where many hawkers are put together in a nice and clean place. We went to this place because our taxi driver told us about the nearest big hawker center from our hotel.

There is only one halal food stall unfortunately but they have the best roti pratta in town. It is not oily, just tasty. We like Tiong Bahru kopitiam because we think the ambiance is uniquely Spore. If you want to know how the locals live then this is the best place to go. Residents from the surrounding HDBs (appartments built by the government, HDB itself stands for Housing Development Board) go shopping in the wet market below and have breakfast/lunch/dinner in the kopitiam.

8. Sedap in Vivo City --> unfortunately it's now closed for renovation until September 2015

It is the biggest halal kopitiam in Spore we’ve ever been to. They have stalls like Nasi Padang, Yong Tau Foo, Chicken Rice, Japanese/Korean Food, Indonesian Food, Indian Food, Char Kwe Tiaw, and drinks, desserts, fruits and kaya toast.

We love the Yong Tau Foo because we can get our daily portions od veggies here and it’s so cheap.

Just in front of Sedap there is a stall selling halal bread, cakes and the special one, freshly made waffle. You should try the waffle.

9. Desa Kartika

Located at Centre Point. If you happen to be in Orchard, Desa Kartika is a good place to eat as an alternative to halal food stalls in Lucky Plaza. They serve Indonesian food in a nice mall.

10. Warung Surabaya

Located at Far East Plaza, Lucky Plaza and Bugis/Kampong Glam area. We’ve tried the one in Kampong Glam and Lucky Plaza. They serve food like rawon, gado-gado, soto ayam, nasi goreng, etc.

11. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

It’s everywhere and I heard it’s been certified halal. It’s my favorite place to meet up with old friends over a cup of coffee.

12. Newton Hawker Centre
If you love seafood then it's the place to go. It's an open air hawker centre with more than 30 stalls (I guess). Even though it's a hawker centre, the prices are like restaurant's prices because it's also a tourist destination. The good news is you'll find many halal seafood stalls here where you can have the famous Spore chili crab. 

However it's worth the money. We tried bbq stingray, kangkong belacan, long bean stir fry, roti canai, chicken and beef satay and they were all good!

13. Toast stall in Westgate, Jurong
I forgot the name of the stall. It's in the basement 2 if I'm not mistaken. I didn't really pay attention to where and what. I just happened to be there around 10-11 a.m. and didn't have my breakfast yet. So we were just going around the mall to look for something halal.

I was lucky we found this stall. It's like a toast stall selling Spore traditional breakfast like kaya toast meal with kopi O or Milo, laksa, nasi lemak, mie rebus, and such. I tried the laksa and it was soooo good. I think it's the best laksa I've ever tried. The laksa had shrimp paste and muscles. I never knew that laksa had muscles before. For the drink I chose hot kopi O and  Milo mix. I thought they were mixed together in a cup but to my surprise they came in 2 separate cups. I mixed them myself and it was sooo good. It was even better because they're all so cheap. I also tried the pineapple tart and it's also yummy.

14. Kopitiam in National University Hospital (NUH)

Finally our most treasured Kopitiam in NUH. There are 2 locations, one on the ground floor of the Main Building and the other one on the fifth floor of the Medical Centre. Like in Vivo City, they have Nasi Padang, Chicken Rice, Indonesian Food, Indian Food, Japanese/Korean Food and drinks, desserts, fruits and kaya toast stalls. There are also halal restaurants in NUH buildings like Penang Street and Deli France and the same waffle stall like the one in Vivo City.

This Kopitiam is special because it makes my doctor visits and chemos in NUH more convenient.

A Place We Call HOME

This morning I’m home alone. Hubby is going to work, the kids to school and the maid to market. Usually there is another maid doing the house cleaning up, however she is not feeling well and going to the doctor today. So I’m all alone.

As an EX-perfectionist, I couldn’t stand looking at the messy house. Instantly I find myself busy doing the clean up like making the beds, sweeping the floor, cleaning up the toys, putting everything to where they belong.

I keep Mika’s track set, he just built last night, on the living room floor though. Just like I keep Alisha’s play dough, we just made yesterday afternoon, in her play kitchen. The kids will be happy to find their favorites where they are when they come home.

Being alone allows me to have quiet time to appreciate the things around me, like our home. Replaying the pictures in my mind about our daily life at home, the kids are playing, screaming, laughing, fighting, crying, the hubby is busy getting ready to work, exercising, asking my help to find his stuffs, etc… etc… somehow I feel what a wonderful life we are living right now. Every member of the family is happy just becoming their true self. They know what to expect when they are at home. The kids know where to find their toys, when to go to bed, what their parents will react to their needs. The hubby knows he can rely on me to assist him with his inquires, he can be sure the kids are well taken care of. I know the kids and hubby’s day to day activities and their related needs. We all know what to expect and we all know we will be safe, secured and loved at home.

So, looking at Alisha’s free hand writings on the wall I come to a conclusion that a house doesn’t have to be big and beautiful with luxurious furniture to be called home. It just needs to make the people living in there to feel safe, secured and happy to be their true self. A home is not about the material things inside. It is about the love between the people who live in there.

I’m glad that we have a place we call HOME.

Go Green Kids

I'm not going to talk about the environment and such. I've never been a green activist and am not trying to become one now. In this writing I'm just going to highlight the very importance of eating your vegetables A LOT everyday and to tell you several things I'm begging you to do. The things that I didn't do during my earlier years.

1. Eat Your Greens A LOT

I agree with you that vegetables are not the tastiest food. Only a handful of people can really have the pleasure of eating them. I remember how I always asked my mom (your late grand mother whom you never meet) to give me only white rice and chicken or fish or meat. I didn't eat veggies during my childhood.

Only when I was pregnant I started eating my greens because I wanted my baby to get the best nutrients 4 your developing body. The practice continues forward. I ate plenty vegetables during the lactation period, during the second pregnancy, and the lactation period again, during my treatment and beyond. Mommy finally realized the importance of phytochemicals in vegetables. They provides us with strong immune system to prevent and fight any sickness.

However it's a bit too late for me so unfortunately the cancer can grow in my body. Mommy is not broken hearted though, I still eat my greens A LOT so that you will eat them too, A LOT. ;)

2. Engage in Sports

Early in your life I already can see that both of you have a fondness towards physical activities. Well, I should pay tribute to daddy since he is the one who brings sports to our family literally (with his so may sport equipments and activities he3) and of course genetically. ;)

I want you to keep physically active. I want you to love doing sports. You may choose one as your favorite and master it or you may also choose many and just have fun with them. As long as your body gets enough exercise and you enjoy yourself doing it, you will be healthy and mommy will be happy.

3. Embrace the Sun

A ha, I can almost hear adek Alisha’s objection but trust me, having a fair skin is useless if your bones are weak. Well actually it’s not only about the bones, it’s for your immune system and overall well beings too.

We all know that sun light will help us with vitamin D supply in our body. It also provides us with stronger immune system. So don’t be afraid to get a tanned skin from your encounter with sun light. You will enjoy yourself much more when you are healthy with tan skin than have fair skin but sick.

Whenever possible let your skin feel the warmth of the sun light directly with no sun block whatsoever. Just remember to do it appropriately  and before 10 a.m or after 4 p.m.

4. Speak Up Your Mind

There are times I want you to be quiet but there are more times I want you to just speak up your mind.

No body can read other people’s mind. Well, some magicians show that they can, but I don’t really believe in magic and most of the people you meet are not magicians I believe he3…

In this regards, please… please… please… if you have something in mind whether it’s bothering you, disturbing you, making you upset or even the other way around when it’s making you excited, happy, curious, amazed, speak it out. Let us know, let others know. By speak it out, you are making the burden go away. Your mind will be calmer, your heart will be happier.

You will also be a better communicator so your relationship with other people will flourish. Just remember to do it properly.

5. Say No to Sugar

I’m aware that most people have sweet teeth. Almost if not all kids love lollipops, right? Even adults like them. I remember I always kept candies in my purse to come in handy whenever I needed sugar rush.

But, once again BUT it’s not supposed to be. It’s not healthy. Sugar in any form (candies, drinks, cookies, cakes, etc) is just empty calorie. It gives you calorie with no nutrient at all. It provides you with instant energy but also with a spike in the level of your blood sugar, a condition favorable for cancer cells to grow.

Please be aware that there are cancel cells in everyone’s body. They will not grow and harm us if we keep them dormant in unfavorable environment in our body. If we abuse our body by making it favorable for the cancer cells to grow then we will be in a BIG BIG trouble.

So if you are craving for something sweet, opt for fresh fruits instead.

6. Have a Good Quality and Enough Sleep in Complete Darkness

Sleep is just like food, we need them in the right amount in the right quality. Too much food is bad , so is too much sleep, so is too little. How much is enough? Everybody's need is different so listen to your body. If you feel fresh when you wake up and you don't feel sleepy during the day then you get enough.

How about the quality? Sleep should be regular every night. It will be best if uninterrupted in a completely dark surrounding. So invest in a high quality curtain/black out. ;)

7. You May NOT Make Sins But You Can Make Mistakes

It’s so tempting to be perfectionist. It might even be in our blood. However please be mindful that mistake is different from sin.

There is a clear guidance of what we should and should not do in terms of right and wrong in front of Allah SWT. I want you to obey the Qur’an and Hadits. This is a full stop. No bargain.

On the other hand, people make mistakes. From time to time we accidentally spill the water from the cups, break the toys, loose the keys, forget the lists, make the wrong decisions and so on.

As long as you have tried your best not to make mistake, it is absolutely OK to make mistakes. Just remember to learn from it. ;)