2 June 23 was Vesak Day and my dad said he was feeling poorly by 4pm. So I did a mad rush to the Accident & Emergency (A&E) as he started throwing up badly.
After going through a very long wait and seeing the doctor there, I was told he required hospitalisation.
This is his third hospitalisation and I am very sad.
Neighbor seeing how distressed I was, started to include my mum and my sis in her daily meals.
Home made saladHome made burger pattie with pork and beef on a sesame bunPureed mushrooms which she made into soup and adding protein shake sprinkled with garlic bitsJapanese curry with chicken – 2 large tubs for us2nd tub of curry chickenThick dark soya sauce with red dates base and fiery chilliBak Kut or Pork Ribs that goes into a pot of peppery clear brothSignature Tang Oh veggies that goes into the soupHome made salted mustard leaves chopped in small bits for easier eating by my mum
In appreciation of Neighbor’s kindness, I bought a mini milk loaf and baby fishcrackers for her grandsons.
28 May 23 Dinner: Roti Prata, an Indian “bread” that is of the same concept as Naan, except this is pan fried till brown.Prata is then dipped into Fish curry gravy for my main courseA fresh bowl of yoghurt Neighbor made from an Indian receipe. I have come to appreciate this sugarless and sour yohurt.29 May 23 dinner : Radish, carrot and pork rib soupYam rice with doufuNonya Chap Chye or mixed vegetables comprising cabbage, black fungus, soy bean stick and tang hoon1 June 23: Lunch & Dinner Steam rice Ice Vegetables with Neighbor’s home made salad dressingBittergourd soup with pork ribsStir fried chye sim, bean sprouts with salted mustard greenSpring rolls filled with egg and turnips, which I ate for lunchSteamed pomfret which I saved for dinner
Jerk Face is very sweet to me. He takes the trouble to “stalk” the duckies and photograph them to text via Whats App to show me.
I wish I can be there…Seattle, Washington, seated at end of jetty, dangling my feet.
He knows I especially like the green headed ones and would not fail to show me when they come by the pond in his estate.
Both he and his wife would feed the duckies lunch and dinner for as long as they hang around his pond from Spring to almost near winter where they move to a warmer country and return after.
Neighbor’s generosity and kindness knows no bounds.
Neighbor told me she regretted not spending more time with her own mum and she felt the need to care for my parents.
She said that the least she can do is to cook for them on Saturdays and Sundays unless she has activities to go to for family.
She cooked simple fried noodles for lunch with grass jelly drinks for us all.
But boy oh boy, she whipped up a lavish Nonya meal for dinner.
Fried noodles for lunchPickled green chilis and silver onions to accompany the noodlesGrass jelly or chin chow with ice was a great thirst quencher for a hot humid dayBraised pork cooked in palm sugar and soya sauceKueh pie tee filled with veggiesPork chop grilled thai style with curry leavesSteamed Ikan Kembong with Nonya assam chilli and ginger torch flower to spice it up fragrantly with parsely as a garnishNonya chap chye comprising glass noodles, bean curd stick, black moss fungus with cabbageStir fried chinese greens with garlicSteamed rice
Wednesday was a tough work day for me as the Lord of Lords (Old Coots) were having their Board meeting.
Before this intense all day meetings, Ms Vase will be relying on me to provide her with information to parade before the Old Coots. Both of us worked through lunch till 5pm, without a break. No lunch, no time to get even a drink.
When I shared this with Mr Nice on Thursday, he immediately sent me brunch. He was worried I’d go hungry and struggled home to eat dinner at 8pm, which I did.
Mr Nice is a thought out person and selected an artisanal salmon open sandwich with mesclun salad and egg benedict with roe eggs and Dutch latte.
Dutch Colony LatteEgg Benedict choked full of salmon roeGenerous serving of raw looking salmon
I thanked Mr Nice for the treat but told him other than the latte, I do not eat these dishes.
I then shared the food with Ms Millenial, Ms Blur and Mr Director.
Mr Nice immediately apologised and said he will re-send me by Grab, another set. This time he will get me food that I will like – scrambled eggs & waffles!
Scrambled eggsWaffles the artisinal kind with butter and honey2 slices of rye sourdough bread
It set him back almost SGD60 for both sets.
I am grateful for his kindness and always looking out for me…now you know why I call him Mr Nice!😊
Mr Nice has always shown me genuine care, love and friendship.
These are special cookies only available in Penang. Top left: Tambun cookies with green tea fillings and ground mung beans. Top right: peanut cluster Chinese style. Cut into strips. This is a Teochew cookie usually served at weddings or joyous occasions. Bottom: cookies with dried pork floss
Above snacks were gifts to me from my Penang Colleague, Ms Penang. She bought them and asked Ms Gen Z to carry back to Singapore for me. Very thoughtful and kind as both sets of gifts are heavy.
Below is Nutmeg balm liniment which is good for aching bones and sore muscles. Ms Gen Z was very kind to help me buy 6 jars for my mum so that she can use it to soothe her back.
Fish head curryLotus root soup with chicken feet and peanutsSome soto ayam soup left over from Sunday and her home made awesome ground chilli pasteSteamed rice
Yam sliced fish soup to be eaten with rice vermicelli belowRice vermicelli to be soaked in soup aboveNeighbor roasted this pork belly and gave me a dollop of dijon mustard to dip it inHome made pickles or locally called ‘achar’ – cucumbers, carrots, pineapple, long beans and green chilli sprinkled with sesamwe seeds.Pickled black beans with ginger.Smaller bowl of kimchi fish soup for me.Big bowl of kimchi soup for my parentsMango from Sarawak, home grown. Neighbor said her daughter’s client gave her daughter and she shared with me.
Yee Mee – a type of chinese noodlesGarnishing to be poured over Yee MeeCentury Egg from Hong Kong served with pickled ginger – this is a dish with an acquired taste and frankly, I have not acquired a taste for it, nor appreciate it!😝Neighbor bought Muar Fish Otah – image at bottom of this image. I love fish otah and she fried mackerel marinaded with tumeric and soya sauceLeather jacket fish garnished with parsely. She knows I love this dish and so, she reprised it.Carrots, radish with pork bone soupKao Kei vegetables or Wolfberry leaves or Boxthorn leaves with egg drop and fried achovies, garnished with red wolfberries. Touted as a good source of nutrients for good eyesightEgg fried with Boxthorn leavesRadish soup with chilli flakesBeef Goulash soup…filled with chunky pieces of beef, bell peppers, barley. I ate it with 2 rounds of walnut baguetteSlice cucumber, shallots and cherry tomatoes tossed in Italian vinegar and some chilli bits. Spicy, sour and tangy! Delish!A freah batch of natural yohurt Neighbor made for me. It is sour and goes well with blueberries
This is Kueh Pie Tee with Italian style stuffing. Excellent tastingKorean radish soup with dou fu and luncheon meatChinese greens with steamed riceSweet potato congee as our weather has been hitting 35C To 37C latelyLeather Jacket fish cooked in braised soya sauce garnished with parsely. Good side dish to porridgeHome made Chawan Mushi. Neighbor complained that this dish did not turn out as pretty as she wanted it to be. To me, it was delish!Fried egg with chivesMixed veggies – okra, bell peppers, brocolli, pork and lettuceCorn on cob with carrots and pork bone soup Sweet bell peppers and veggies with steamed chicken and chicken rice. Free range chicken too!Another view of the same dish above