Sunday, December 27, 2009

I’m at home with Christmas

MY PAPERTHURSDAY DECEMBER 24, 2009 A13, LIFESTYLE (Viewpoint)
 http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/myp241209emnd_opf_files/myp241209emnd.js&ver=Gen
by BY JILL ALPHONSO, myp@sph.com.sg


PHOTO: http://www.adobetutorialz.com/content_images/AdobePhotoshop/ART-D/tutorial423/23.jpg


PHOTO: JILL ALPHONSO
http://www.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/justwomen/09Sep08/20080923.114304_jill.jpg

ONCE upon a time, I hated Christmas. “Bah!” I would say whenever the topic was brought up. There was never any need to say more.


PHOTO: http://typicalmacuser.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/800px-merry_christmas_1.png

It was, I think, a reaction to the fact that I had no say in family get-together. I was going to someone’s house for an afternoon or an evening – like it or not.


PHOTO: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1134/1444386082_f7606afcb6_b.jpg

Things have changed. I adore family functions now. Maybe it’s just part of getting older.

Whatever the case, in the first year that I was feeling warmly about the family Christmas Eve tradition, I decided to pitch in. “Let me cook!” I said to my mother.


PHOTO: http://media.photobucket.com/image/christmas%20house/MarilynK44/Animated_Christmas_HouseSus.gif

After all, I’d spent a few Christmases on my own in the United States when I worked there in my early 20s. Then, I’d whip up dinners for other “orphaned” friends who couldn’t afford to fly home, or who simply were avoiding being with their relatives.


PHOTO: http://media.photobucket.com/image/I%2525E2%252580%252599m%20at%20home%20with%20Christmas/calligraphie/Alsace2008154.jpg

My mother was immediately excited by my offer. “What’s the menu?” she asked eagerly.


PHOTO: http://www.north-pole-christmas.com/uploads/Wallpaper/christmas_wallpaper_berries.jpg

I planned. Pored over cookbooks. Consulted Martha Stewart via her website. Lamb, I thought. Totally nontraditional. And kind of quirky. Maybe even subversively offensive (you know, Jesus. Manger. That whole spiel). It would still be delicious. It was perfect. I’d get some chops and grill them to perfection.


PHOTO: http://www.north-pole-christmas.com/uploads/Wallpaper/christmas_wallpaper_prettyblue.jpg

My mother offered to do the vegetables. Something with carrots, that’s all I recall. My aunt would make dessert. I’d also make a simple side, like mashed potatoes.

Everything was going fine until my mother decided I’d have to cook in her kitchen. Dinner, after all, was at her house.


PHOTO: http://www.apparenting.com/Images/front-drive-snow.png

It should have set of warning bells. My mother is known as a masterful entertainer and a great cook. She pulls off parties like no one else can. My cousins always ask hopefully if Christmas will be at her house. But she gained her reputation, you see, by being meticulous. She is a perfectionist who leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the party stakes.


PHOTO: http://www.kriyayoga.com/wallpapers/widescreen_wallpapers/christmas_wallpapers/christmas-wallpaper-pink-stargazer-dsc09909-ws.jpg

So, I should have known that she was going to bogart the entire operation. I should never have agreed to the use of her oven, her stove. Her kitchen is her domain.


PHOTO: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVC1YdubiPHEk4NhLqdwx57hI9Fd2bEEc3hC88ngfgAmX2DZxbcUFpnzjD1K7zzxesS2qIw1J2MnQHTbOqQ4PFMBz3JxSfx0VQt0g1XFBd_99FNtFvt2M6O4SrKlq2AaSjHaB4v2Cxadfm/s1600/Lys4.jpg

Two weeks before the dinner, I told her what I was cooking. “Sounds nice,” she said. I beamed. I was infused with the Christmas spirit.


PHOTO: http://pinoyerasmusmundus.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/greenish-glow-of-northern-lights.jpg

A week later, she called and said: “I’ve been reading about lamb.” She asked if I’d consider tweaking the recipe. Sure, I said.


PHOTO: http://static.minitokyo.net/view/21/18/70921.jpg

On the day of the show, I turned up to cook. Disaster. My mother had decided this was to be a collaborative effort. That quickly turned into her directing me to do things like checking the meat.


PHOTO: http://www.visitsweden.com/ImageVault/Images/conversionFormat_13/id_149/ImageVaultHandler.aspx

Essentially, she was in charge. In the end, all I could claim credit for was the mashed potatoes.

The lamb was...interesting. (She’d never cooked lamb in her life until that point.) Since that incident four years ago, I haven’t offered to cook for family functions.

If I was being honest, I’d say I was a little hurt that my mum didn’t trust my judgment. In truth, all she’d wanted was to be part of the fun.


PHOTO: http://www.kriyayoga.com/wallpapers/widescreen_wallpapers/christmas_wallpapers/christmas-orchids-dsc09812-ws.jpg

My mother, however, regularly cooks for me, sometimes even bringing food over for my household. I love her food. It’s so good that it brings tears to my eyes. I’m not exaggerating when I say I think I would die without it.

This year, I asked what we were doing for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. “I don’t know,” she said, sounding a tad forlorn, adding: “Your father’s singing in the church choir for the evening Mass.”


PHOTO: http://cedarlounge.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/sun_snow_oak.jpg

“We could still do dinner,” I said hopefully. She thought about it. “I guess we could order a turkey. You always like that,” she said. “You could invite one or two of your ‘orphans’ over.”

The friend I invited said he’d bring dessert (his mother was a chef and he’s an excellent cook).


PHOTO: http://www.zastavki.com/pictures/1280x1024/Christmas_wallpapers__003773_.jpg

My mother said she’d do the veg. My partner and I thought about what we could contribute. I rang my mother. “Hey,” I said, “I’ll help pick up the turkey if you lend me the car. And we’ll bring something along, too.” “Sure,” she said, sounding upbeat. “What are you thinking of making?”


PHOTO: http://www16.plala.or.jp/christmas1956/11ch-othe02/2001-pokemon.jpg

“Mashed potatoes,” I said firmly. I sucked in a breath.


PHOTO: http://www.wordcatalystmagazine.com/images/912Merry%20Christmas-1.gif

My mother paused. “Okay,” she conceded. “That’s a good idea. You do make a good mash.”
myp@sph.com.sg



PHOTO: http://www.scrapycrafter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/christmas-house.jpg


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Tradition: 传统 - chuán tǒng
Meticulous: 严谨的 - yán jǐn de
Tweaking: 轻微调整 - qīng wēi tiáo zhěng
Exaggerating: 夸张 - kuā zhāng



PHOTO: http://z.about.com/d/saltaquarium/1/0/F/P/1/merryxmas_text1_455.jpg


PHOTO: http://media.photobucket.com/image/merry-christmas-1.gif/commentsjunkie/christmas/merry-christmas-1.gif


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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Pasir Ris, home to 1st ‘green’ sports complex (Work begins on new $40 million sports complex in Pasir Ris)

http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/myp211209cnd_opf_files/myp211209cnd.js&ver=Gen
 MYPAPER, MONDAY DECEMBER 21, 2009, HOME, A6
BY SIA LING XIN, lingxin@sph.com.sg


Photo: MYPAPER, MONDAY DECEMBER 21, 2009, HOME, A6
MORE THAN SPORTS: The building will have three pools, retail and food outlets. (ARTIST’S IMPRESSION: SINGAPORE SPORTS COUNCIL)


BY JUNE 2011, Pasir Ris will be home to Singapore’s first “green” sports complex, which will have environment-friendly and energy-saving features.

The 1.4ha complex – the size of about two football fields – will have solar panels to save on energy use, walls covered with plants to cool the air naturally, and a rainwater-harvesting system to trap water that can be used to water plants, among other features.


Photo: from http://blogofsorts.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/dscn0011.jpg

Most sports complexes here have just two or three “green” features, such as energy-efficient fittings, but this new one will have at least five, said Mr Kenneth Hui, chief of sports-facilities group at the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), which runs public sports complexes here.

The “green” electrical equipment alone can help save up to 15 per cent in operating costs, he added. Yesterday, construction of the complex began after a ground breaking ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan, Members of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and the SSC’s senior management.


Photo: from http://www.yebber.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/c11.jpg

Mr Teo, who is also an MP for the area, said: “Residents have long expressed a need for a proper sports centre with more purpose-built facilities.” The complex will be a “convenient place where residents can unwind after a hard day’s work, or go to with their families and friends for sporting fun during weekends”, he said.

It is not clear how much of the $40-million budget will go towards eco-friendly features, but “as much as possible will be set aside to put in the green features”, Mr Hui said.


Photo: from http://www.betshopboy.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/p5010033.jpg

The actual number of such features will be finalised in about six to nine months’ time. The SSC aims for the complex to attain the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark platinum award, the highest accolade given to environment-friendly buildings here.
Photo: from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrpgr1xjABzu7qMXWv6L5utFd3mUvwyGFbd2Z25m5HWXNrCzzPzivP96mYBudcTL8d5iV3wN5PlZV7fKk3sb5stvWI7EZSn81DjH7YIlxc-ptxP9FquxjNzWaLlMG9FYp5_lgw0XUChE/s400/IMG_9055.JPG

The complex will be equipped with a multi-purpose sports hall that can seat up to 2,000 spectators, three swimming pools, a gymnasium and a dance studio. Its two outdoor tennis courts and indoor volleyball court will meet international standards. The volleyball court will have a 12.5m-high ceiling, instead of the usual 9m-high one, which will allow international competitions to be held there.


Photo: from http://www.news.gov.sg/public/sgpc/en/media_releases/agencies/hdb/press_release/P-20081230-1/ImagePar/0/image/PG%20regalia.jpg

It will also have 950 sq m of retail shops and food-and-beverage outlets. The SSC will bring in shops that complement those in nearby shopping mall White Sands, so that “residents will get things they don’t get there”, Mr Hui said.


Photo: from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilylh5MKyPtAq9U7-Mgu2e3BVBEjlpn-crRzYoioCIPwXrhQIPLSaBUs-hqd5ux10z4LueQUUFexLNzc_b20n__miwLtnj3-euodItpeI-H23R771aUOqj2_vAo7nSNmHrGqnyBsjf7Y8/s400/Punggol+21+%2B+Flats+will+offer+Water+Views.jpg

Sales executive Ang Gek Yew, 44, is looking forward to the new swimming pools, which would be a five-minute walk from his flat. He said: “We live 10 minutes away from water-theme park Wild Wild Wet, but it’s not practical to take my kids there all the time because of the entrance fee. “Having this new complex will be...much more convenient.”
lingxin@sph.com.sg


Photo: from http://welovelaughkiss.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/punggol-sapphire.jpg


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Wǒ de zì diǎn

Operating costs: 营业成本 - yíng yè chéng běn
Accolade: 荣誉 - róng yù
Studio: 工作室 - gōng zuò shì
Practical: 实际 - shí jì


Photo: from http://admin.myheritage.com.sg/files/trails/HO13.jpg



Work begins on new $40 million sports complex in Pasir Ris

TODAY, Monday December 21, 2009, NEWS, PAGE 8
http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/pdf/20091221/2112HNR008.pdf
BY Asha Pop atlal


PHOTO: TODAY, Monday December 21, 2009, NEWS, PAGE 8
The new sports complex in Pasir Ris.To day File Picture

SINGAPORE — Pasir Ris residents who have been clamouring for easy access to more purpose-built sports facilities now have something to look forward to.

Work on a new $40 million sports complex began yesterday and the sprawling 1.4 hectare complex is scheduled to be ready by June 2011.


Photo: from http://www.news.gov.sg/public/sgpc/en/media_releases/agencies/hdb/press_release/P-20081230-1/ImagePar/00/image/Sunshine%20Court%20Perspective.jpg

The complex is designed to fit in with a park setting. It will have eight badminton courts, two outdoor tennis courts and a fully-equipped gymnasium. There will also be a 50-metre lap pool, with smaller ones for learning and wading.

Once completed, it will be the Singapore Sports Council’s 22nd Sports and Recreation Centre.



Gracing the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday were the area’s MPs, including Acting Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also President of the Singapore National Olympic Council.

Residents took part in a sports carnival as part of the festivities.
Asha Pop atlal


Photo: from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdrkMS_ub8zjpHlkOHX9m8aN3084XJRd04yrAgQDKxTmvY4huHEmdpHRS0_LJ-kxCvTNAxSSdw7Dfl3FYK3pJBm6LAU8x1_5_7QuSdx6vKROE8BTIK0237k8V2R9qp2sacfmGZ8-9AHut/


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Sunday, December 13, 2009

A dream green wedding (More say ‘I do’ to park weddings)

From: http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC091207-0000091/A-dream-green-wedding
Updated 05:55 AM Dec 07, 2009
http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/CMSFileserver/documents/006/pdf/20091207/0712HNR008.pdf
TODAY, News Monday December 7, 2009, Page 8


Photo is obtained from http://greenweddinggiveaway.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/dsc_0005resize.jpg

SINGAPORE - Saving the environment can now go hand in hand with saving costs for your dream wedding.

Couples can avail of a 20-per-cent discount at the National Park Board's (NParks) green wedding venues at the HortPark in Alexandra Road (picture), if they can prove that they will take at least eight environmentally-friendly measures for their big day.

The measures may include using a hybrid car for the big day, printing invitations on recycled paper and using bio-degradable cutlery.


Photo is obtained from http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/dream-green-weddings-longwood/69496a353aa80b59.html

"Weddings generally generate quite a lot of waste, so we're trying to use this occasion to remind people that environmental-consciousness is actually a very important part of our lives," said Ms Yvonne Cheng, Manager for Marketing and Promotions of NParks.


Photo is obtained from http://marvelousgirl.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/green-wedding1.jpg

Charges for the venues in HortPark are between $85 and $190 per hour, depending on their location. A team there will assess whether couples who want to apply for the discount under the "Green Wedding Special" meet the criteria.

NParks said it is still considering whether to extend the offer to its six other parks.
Yesterday, it also launched a new wedding venue at HortPark called the "Garden of Seasons".

Newlyweds Kevin Tan and Claire Chua said they were inspired to include several green elements in their wedding there.
"Our wedding favours are tea infusions and we include rose hip flowers in it, so it's very much in line with the garden theme and it's something people can use over and over again."


Photo is obtained from http://green-wedding.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/chapel1.jpg


NParks said the design of the new venue will be changed every three months to reflect the four seasons.

Couples can learn more about the green initiatives at the Garden Wedding Fair at HortPark this Saturday.The first wedding fair organised by NParks will also feature more than ten lush gardens and parks where couples can tie the knot.


Photo is obtained from http://makeyourownwedding.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/green-wedding-cupcake.jpg


This year, there has been an increase in the number of couples who held their weddings in parks, according to NParks.

From January to November, there were more than 150 such weddings plus about 30 bookings this month, compared to more than 130 weddings last year.




Photo is obtained from http://image001.mywedding.com/14/727/14727581_710.jpg

Eco-friendly practices for weddings
  • 1. Wedding invitation: Go paperless, use email invitations or use recycled paper/environmentally-friendly paper.
  • 2. Wedding collaterals (e.g placecards, menu) : Go paperless, email your guests or print limited copies using recycled paper/environmentally- friendly paper to be placed at the guests registration table.
  • 3. Wedding attire: Rent gowns and suits made of ecologically-friendly materials, or use attire that is not new.
  • 4. Wedding venue: Use a non air-conditioned venue at HortPark.
  • 5. Transportation: Rent a bus to ferry guests, encourage them to carpool and use a hybrid car for the bridal vehicle.
  • 6. Wedding decoration: Use potted plants instead of cut flowers to decorate the venue. A small potted plant can also be turned into a bridal bouquet.
  • 7. Catering setup: Use bio-degradable cutlery or other environmentally friendly alternatives like banana leaf or cornware.
  • 8. Wedding favours: Give out favours made of eco-friendly materials or recycled materials, or something all guests can use.
Source: NParks






Photo is From TODAY, Monday December 7, 2009



More say ‘I do’ to park weddings

MYPAPER, MONDAY DECEMBER 7, 2009, Home, Page A6
http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ebook/web_php/fvbrowserjs.php?urljs=http://myepaper.mypaper.sg/ecreator/sphopf/myp071209cnd_opf_files/myp071209cnd.js&ver=Gen
BY SIA LING XIN, lingxin@sph.com.sg



Photo from MYPAPER
PIONEERS: Mr Kevin Tan and Ms Claire Chua are the first couple to walk down the aisle at HortPark.
(PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES)

A COUPLE who tied the k n o t y e s t e r d a y eschewed artificial lights in a hotel ballroom for a natural sunset in a park.

They also opted for a seating plan marked on a chalkboard instead of paper, a guestbook made of recycled paper and rented wedding attire.

They decided to have their big day in a park as it was “natural and beautiful, the way we always wanted our wedding to be’’, said the groom, business manager Kevin Tan, 30.



Photo is obtained from http://www.wedding-flowers-and-reception-ideas.com/images/pink-and-green-wedding-cake01.jpg


It also let them do their part for the environment through “green” practices, he added.
“We don’t need many cut flowers as we are already in a park, which has a garden ambience,’’ he said. “It looked lovely and it’s good for the environment.’’

Mr Tan and his wife, Ms Claire Chua, 24, became the first couple to walk down the aisle in HortPark’s new garden, Garden of Seasons.

Yesterday, the garden joined a list of more than 10 parks, including East Coast Park and Fort Canning Park, that can be used as wedding venues.

It will have its design changed every three months to reflect the four seasons. It now has plants and trees of white, silver and lilac hues, to reflect a winter theme.


Photo is obtained from http://thumb7.shutterstock.com.edgesuite.net/display_pic_with_logo/232402/232402,1251122628,1/stock-photo-two-green-emeralds-on-a-white-background-35808175.jpg


And, from next Saturday, couples who choose to wed in Hort-Park and adopt at least eight eco-friendly practices, such as using a non-air-conditioned venue or encouraging guests to carpool, can qualify for a new “green wedding special’’.

Under the special launched yesterday by the National Parks Board (NParks), they will get a 20 per cent discount off the $15 to $260 hourly rental fees of venues within HortPark.

NParks is letting more parks be used as wedding venues to “endear parks to the public and help create beautiful memories in green spaces’’, said its director of parks, Mr Kong Yit San.


Photo is obtained from http://www.italianlakeswedding.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Santa-Caterina-del-Sasso-Wedding.jpg

Park weddings are becoming more popular as more people feel that parks are sophisticated and romantic, said NParks.
This year, 150 weddings were held in parks here, up from 130 last year. NParks already has 90 bookings for next year.

With its latest move, it also hopes to inspire more couples to reduce the large amounts of waste that weddings usually generate.



Photo is obtained from: http://keetsa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/green-wedding.jpg


A typical wedding with 200 guests would generate about six garbage bags of rubbish, mainly napkins and paper cups, said the director of wedding planning service Spellbound Weddings, Ms Anna Lim.

She began to offer green weddings about a month ago, after receiving more enquries about it in the past year.
“People are getting more environmentally conscious. About four in 10 couples consider green wedding now, as opposed to the ad hoc one or two every year in the past,” she said.


Photo is obtained from http://www.doesthedressfit.com/images/flowers/green-wedding.jpg

But green weddings cost about 20 per cent more than conventional ones, as many suppliers, such as caterers, do not regularly provide “green” options and have to make special arrangements, she said.
“The green wedding special is a good way to counter the cost issue and get more couples to go green,’’ she said.

On Saturday, NParks and Wedding & Travel Magazine will be organising a fair at Hort-Park to provide couples with tips on green weddings.


Photo is obtained from: http://www.geektimes.com/michael/site/archive/2004/10/images/2004-10-08-warsaw-fruit.jpg

A highlight is the launch of bridal studio WhiteLink’s latest bridal collection made of recycled materials, such as wedding car floral decorations and fabric covers of used wedding albums.

Its designer, Ms Joanne Heng, wanted to change the misconception that things made of recycled materials are ugly and promote the idea of going green.

Environmentally-friendly alternatives, such as banana leaves for catering set-ups and potted plants, which are reusable, unlike cut flowers, will be showcased at the fair too.
lingxin@sph.com.sg


Photo is obtained from http://greenweddinggiveaway.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/dsc_0005resize.jpg



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Eschewed: 避开 bì kāi

Ambience: 气氛 qì fēn

Endear: 讨人喜欢 tǎo rén xǐ huān

Sophisticated: 高雅时髦的 gāo yǎ shí máo de


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