Happy Birthday Myrna!

Myrna, Kathryn and Sophia - off to the party.

S&M at the restaurant.

Myrna and Amy posing for the Manila tabloids.

Jeremy and Myrna.

Making a wish and blowing out the candles.

Thai desserts - strange, but good tasting stuff.

My shirt, the drink and the balloon all match!

Happy Happy! 6 Princesses and a Toad.

Can't have enough shirts.


Yesterday was Myrna's birthday. She has been with us for almost a year and we are lucky to have her around. She is kind, warm and fun and is also becoming quite a good chef. We are also happy to know a bunch of her friends here in Singapore. Her birthday was a great opportunity to take all the ladies out to dinner. It's not often I get to dine with 6 pretty women!

While I won't reveal her age, suffice it to say she is much younger then Sophia and me. Myrna is a native of Cebu, Philippines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu) while the guests are from all over the islands. They all speak Tagalog (and English) and Myrna also speaks the Cebulean dialect of her home province. We were graced by the presence of the lovely Jeremy, Amy, Kathryn and Feng.

We went to Coca - a Thai Steamboat Restaurant. http://www.coca.com/ The Steamboat, like Shabu Shabu in Japan, is a restaurant where you cook up your food on the table. In our little private room we had three cauldrons going. Two with spicy Tom Yum stock and one with milder chicken broth. The food ranged from fish balls, to sliced beef, greens, oysters, crab, carrots, fish glue, pork, green noodles and much, much more. It all tasted good and was fun to cook and eat.

It was all you can eat and we sure ate a lot. I got the award for messiest table cloth. Had some interesting deserts, mostly Thai including icy drinks with little colored jelly balls inside. We all put on lovely pink "Princess" party hats. While we were in a private room I noticed several people looking in at us and smiling. We were a little rambunctious for the conservative Singapore crowd. Sophia brought some tiny fruit tarts and candles and Myrna made her wish and blew them out. She opened her presents and looked over her loot. Body spray from Victoria's Secret, a Guess handbag, penguin pj's, a lotus shirt and more....

We gathered up the gifts, party hats and balloons and headed out onto crowded Orchard road for the short walk home.

Zam Zam - Thank You Man

Out for Sunday breakfast.

Murtabak cooker next to his grill.

The man making the dough - eggs and ghee - heart attack time!

Peace and good eating!

And all for about $15 Singapore dollars.

Yesterday morning Sophia, Ronak and I went out in search of the best murtabak in Singapore. http://www.answers.com/topic/murtabak We have tried several places but have noticed that the Zam Zam Muslim food restaurant is always listed near or at the top. Located behind the Mohammad Sultan Mosque, off Arab street, Zam Zam figured to be pretty good for this type of food. We were not disappointed.

We took the bus to Bugis Junction and walked a few blocks to Zam Zam. It is indeed right behind the Mosque and I am told that several times a day the cooks and staff take a break to pray. Seeing as it was Saturday morning and Singaporeans don't get moving too early on the weekends we were able to get a table right away. I heard the portions were big so we ordered two murtabak to split. One chicken and one mutton. We also ordered our favorite teh haliah (ginger tea). the teh arrived first and I have to say it was rather weak and boring. Our happy server brought us our plates, forks, spoons and two bowls of curry - one mutton and one chicken (I think). The murtabaks were soon served. They were bigger then we are used to and had meat inside and out. The mutton mutabak looked like a sausage pizza and the chicken like a big burrito. Definitely unlike our usual food court versions. Ronak and I dug into the mutton and Sophia took aim at the chicken. We certainly found them to be flavourful. The prata (dough) was very crispy, light and sublime and the filling was big chunks of meat as opposed to the usual minced meat. The currys were both very good. Tons of curry flavour but not too spicy - the mutton curry was a bit sharp, but good sharp and the chicken was smooth. Sophia really liked the chicken and basically had no need to even try the mutton but she did. She did not like it as much as Ronak and I did, but we like everything.

We gorged for quite a while and still couldn't finish the two murtabaks. We were very full when we left and paused to snap a few pictures of the happy Zam Zam staff. This place is really good - I give it a 4 on the 5 burp scale. I knocked down a bit because Ronak tells me this morning that he had a little stomach upset last night. Not sure if it was courtesy of Zam Zam so we will have to send him back again soon to confirm.

Start Spreading the News....

Jeffrey - the Karaoke Cabbie

The state of the art hook up .

Last night after I arrived in Singapore, made the extremely speedy exit through passport control and customs, I headed to the taxi queue. When I got to the front of the line, the always efficient taxi masters sent me to the number 6 slot. I felt a little victory because by good fortune the 6 slot was occupied by a Mercedes taxi instead of the usual blue, yellow or white Toyota diesel. I threw my bag in the trunk and hopped in.

The driver was a very happy fellow and after asking where I was going he asked me whether I liked Karaoke. I told him that while I know it is a popular pastime in Singapore and most other Asian countries that I have never partaken. He said that it was very important and that sooner or later I would have to do it for business or for fun. I relied that in that case maybe I ought to have a signature song, just in case. He agreed.

A moment later he flipped down a small video screen in front of the passenger side sun visor. He told me that he indeed was world famous fro being the Karaoke Cabbie of Singapore! "Watch these clips", he said, "Rueters, CNN, BBC and Channel 8. All done about 8 years ago. I am known worldwide!" A second later the screen came alive and I was treated to 4 different versions of his story - Jeffrey Tan, ex Singapore Military career man, now Singapore's only singing cabbie. As I found out his taxi is equipped with state of the art karaoke gear. LCD screens in the front and back seats, a headset with a boom mike for Jefferey and a real hand mike for crooning from the back seat. http://jefflimo.tripod.com/jefflimo.htm

I watched the clips, saw women singing in his taxi and heard how he has over 2000 songs available. Thinking this was pretty cool and that maybe someday I'd hire Jefferey as a kick he asked, "Where are you from?". I told him the US and he said, "Oh - Old Blue Eyes or Elvis?". Assuming he was not referring to Elvis Costello I said, "Sinatra". Seconds later he turned around and pushed the mike into my hands pushed a few buttons and the first bars of "My Way" came out of the speakers. I wasn't drunk (or even drinking) and I wasn't really in a singing mood, let alone a mood to sing to a taxi driver, but what could I do? I started in - "And now.... the end is near ... and so I face... the final curtain..." I was shy but actually found it was kind of cool to hear my voice over the sound system. I kept going and finished the song, gaining confidence along the way. I started to get a little self conscious when I noticed a person in a car next to us staring at me with a puzzled look, but I finished the song. "Not bad", Jefferey said, "you are pretty good for your first time, lah". Before I say more he told me that he was pretty bad at first and that he practiced and now wins awards (I heard him and I doubt it). He also sings in Thai, Tagalog, Malay, Indonesian, Mandarin, English and many other languages.

Thinking I was in the clear he said, "One more!". We were almost home but what choice did I have? - - "Start spreading the news ...... I'm leaving today .... I want to be a part of it ... New York New York."

As we pulled onto Emerald Hill road and closed in on number 43 I was just wrapping up - "If I can make it there...I'll make it anywhere....It's up to you,... New York, New York" I must admit, it was fun and it only cost me $20, which is exactly what it would have cost to go in a Toyota Taxi playing really bad music on the radio.

Fit to be in Thailand

Bowler Hat guy at the Ministry of Finance

Opposite sits the two Buddhist shrines for Finance employees.

Tuk tuks waiting for business near the hotel

The busy Chao Praya river.

Morning rush.

Off to the airport in luxury.

My plane arrives!

Hanging in the Biz Class lounge.

I did a very quick trip to Bangkok this week. I think it was about my 5th time there. It has become one of my favorite cities in Asia.


Why do I like it? The Thai people are very friendly and proud of their country (in spite of it's crazy political climate). It is not sanitized and "Disneyized" like Singapore. Great food. Nice hotels. Really good shopping for everything from Antiques to clothes. Dirty and chaotic but not dangerous feeling. The Cho Prya river is amazing to look at as it is jammed with boat traffic 24/7. The historical sites and temples are beautiful and located all over town. I also like that there is a King and he is revered by the population.


On my trip this week I had a meeting with the Thai Finance Ministry and also was looking at a hotel where we may have a conference later this year.


The meeting went well because I had some good news to report to the Finance Ministry people. They were happy to hear that we were able to resolve a trade issue in the Philippines that affected one of our plants in Thailand. The interesting part of the visit to the ministry was the grounds and the workers. The walled compound is accessible by a large open gate. Security is evident with a number of armed military people on the grounds but it is not intrusive or overwhelming. Just inside the grounds are three shrines - 2 look to be Buddhist and one is a statue of what must be a famous Thai leader. He looks dapper in his bowler hat. Employees of the Mintstry almost all put their hands together (for prayer) and bow to the shrines as the walk into the complex. I walked over to see the statues - one is a gold deity and the other is the model of a temple or palace. There are flowers and burning insence and candles placed around the statues. Similar offerings are placed near the bowler hat guy as well.



Last year was the celebration of the King's 60th (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5062534.stm) and as a result Thai's were asked to sport bright Royal yellow shirts in his honor. that practice has carried on and has extended to most every day. I would say 60% of Thai's wear yellow shirts to work. Many also wear yellow "We HEART our King" wrist bands, at least I think that's what is says because other then the heart it's in Thai. All over town their are pictures of the King and of the royal seal. It's kind of nice. And by the way - the King seems to be a great guy and he in no way resembles Yul Brenner!


I also stayed at the lovely Sheraton Royal Orchid hotel. It is pretty nice and is located right on the river. I had the chance to watch all the boats - long barges, bus/ boats carrying people to and from work, crossing boats taking people from one side to the other, party boats, hotel boats, police boats, longtail tour boats and more. The Chao Praya is about as busy as the DC freeways during rush hour. http://www.hasekamp.net/river.htm




After a nice lunch at the hotel I headed back to the airport. On the way I stopped at the big Jim Thompson store. http://www.jimthompson.com/retail_shops.asp Sophia and I visited the museum and house on our first Bangkok trip and always like to see the fine things they have in their stores.


The new Bangkok airport,Suvarnabhumi, is mired in controversy. http://www.bangkokairportonline.com/ It's big and beautiful but very flawed. It has been open less then a year and had big problems from day one. They found cracks in the runways but that does'nt bother me. what does is the layout and the other quirky issues. It's huge but they have no good system to get people from one side to the other. Sophia and I had to walk at least a mile between gates when connecting from LA to Singapore a few weeks ago. I'm not kidding. It is all glass and in the tropics that is not a good thing. the temperature swings from the 90s to the 60s depending upon where you are. A few steps can take you from tee shirt weather to heavy sweater weather. There is also a shortage of bathrooms and the ones they have are almost hidden. One this they do have is an abundance of retail. You can get just about anything to wear, collect or eat. Anyway - my trip home was easy and uneventful and I still recommend a visit to Bangkok!

Quick Restaurant Reviews

Vivo City - Home of White Dog Cafe - and 100s of other places to eat.

The view at Breeze.

Here in the city of eating, food is King. . While I prefer the great food found at Hawker Centres http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/travel/singapore/food.htm and Food Courts, on occasion I do get to the real sit down places. Over the past few weeks I ate at the White Dog Cafe and Breeze. Both were upscale but not tip top scale.

White Dog Cafe - Last week, as a belated nod to Secretary's Week, I took my superb assistant Norene to lunch at the White Dog Cafe in the Vivo City Mall. As an added bonus, the lovely Sophia joined us. The Cafe is one of the many higher end restaurants at the huge and new Vivo City. Vivo probably has 100s of places to eat if you count the three big food courts (Food Republic, Banquet and the Halal court whose name I forget), the fast food (Burger King, Carl's Jr., Super Dog and many more) and of course the many fancy places. White Dog is located on the water side of the mall and many of the tables have a great view of the Singapore Port and Sentosa Island. Its nice to watch the boat traffic, the cable cars and monorail to Sentosa and all of the waterfront activity while dining. The menu is kind of Italian with other odds and ends mixed in. We arrived after 1PM with no reservation and were not thrilled with the first table they offered us. After a short wait, the Manager found us a nicer table by the window. The staff was a bit disorganized and it took quite some time for our order to be taken. I ordered the Caesar Salad and Duck Confit. Norene opted for the Tuna Tatare and a Pasta main. Sophia, eating lightly asked for the Soup of the Day (to be served with the mains). Service was pretty bad for a higher priced place. My salad came about 10 minutes before Norene's starter and My main came about 10 minutes before hers did. They were pretty busy but that's no excuse.

The food was good. The Caesar was loaded with nice, fresh shaved Parmesan cheese (a rarity in Singapore where you usually need a microscope to find cheese on salads and sandwiches). The dressing was nice and the croutons were crunchy. Norene was happy with her late arriving tatare - it looked good. My duck was almost perfect. The large leg was well cooked and the tender meat fell off the bone easily. The sauce was flavorful. It was a little too salty but otherwise first class. Norene was pleased with the pasta and rated it highly. Sophia was satisfied with her soup. All in all good food and average service made for a nice meal that required too much attention to the service. http://www.streetdirectory.com/restaurants/singapore/reviews/restaurant-White_Dog_Cafe-1000000834.php

I give it 2.5 burps on a five burp scale.

Breeze- Friday night Sophia, Myrna and I visited Breeze. Breeze is the rooftop lounge and restaurant at the trendy Scarlet Hotel in Chinatown. The ambiance is nice - lounge music, a sweet view of the rooftops of Chinatown and the Buddha Tooth Temple and fans to give Breeze some airflow. Sophia's Champagne cocktail was mostly bitters and light on Champagne (as is the Singapore bar style) but the happy barman did a do over which was a bit better. My Bombay Sapphire Martini (and the 2nd one) was decent.

We started with 2 tapas plates - risotto and Mediterranean dips. The risotto was really fried risotto balls - ok but not great. The dips (hummus, baba ganoush and salmon roe) were served nicely on a funky apparatus with several arms holding ramekins. The accompaniment were bread sticks. The dips were good enough but we really needed good bread or pita instead of the bread sticks.

Mains included a Rib eye steak for me, grilled prawns for Sophia and chicken for Myrna. The steak was actually quite good - one of the best I've had in Singapore. It was tender and tasty and cooked just right. It (and all of the mains) came with some very good roasted potato wedges. Sophia's prawns were huge and not too bad. She thought they were a bit over cooked. They were more like mini lobster tails and were very flavorful. Myrna's chicken was ok but nothing close to what she can cook up on short notice!

Deserts were a little above average. Sophi's Creme Brulee was middle of the pack from her vast Creme Brulee tasting experiences. I had an interesting ice cream thing with coconut, orange encrusted in a good crisp shell of some very sugar filled things.

The only really bad thing was the price. It was a fine dining price and the dining didn't quite live up to fine. We figured we could have had about 40 really good Hawker Centre meals for the same price.

3 Burps

Grilling in the Heat

Shiny and new!

Funky shaped charcoal.

The ladies prep as the coals get going.

The master at work.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm - lamb burgers.....

I got a nice little barbecue grill for my birthday. http://www.barbecook.nl/ I feel the need to be able to cook meat over hot coals. I assume it's a guy thing. Of course here, where the evening temperatures drop to the high 80s with high humidity, it is almost possible to cook meat on the sidewalks.



So I got my grill and made some lamb burgers. Myrna made some nice vegetable skewers and we were off the the races. The coal was interesting - it wasn't the nice little perfectly uniform "briquette" found in a Kingsford bag but rather a bunch off oddly shaped black things that looked like the remnants of a fores fire somewhere. I tried to light the coals with paper in the handy chimney of the grill but that wasn't happening. I then lit one of the nifty little fire starter things I also got for my birthday. It looks like a little cupcake - you light the frosting and it starts to burn. It worked and while I bet it is made from 100% carcinogen, it did get the coals going.



It was hot out, dark and the grill was new and unusual so the first outing was not a complete success. The skewers were pretty good but the lamb burgers didn't cook as quickly as I had calculated. Sophia and Myrna both opted to put theirs into the microwave to finish them off but I of course toughed it out and ate the rare bloody burger as it was.



Next time - steaks, or maybe goat.....

Sweet Home Milwaukee

It's always showtime for Lena.

Countdown to wedding bells...

Injured but still tough - our boy Elijah.

FMG and his offspring.

Sunset on the Milwaukee river.

I did a quick stop over in Milwaukee on the way to work meetings in Chicago. Arrived Sunday at about 6PM and was on my way to Chicago Monday at about 6AM. Pretty short stop but plenty of time to enjoy a nice meal with the family.

Anne and my Dad put out a nice spread of antipasto, pasta salad and grilled brats, Italians, dogs and chicken. If there had been Polish and chorizo we could have had the Milwaukee Brewer sausage races right there in the living room of their beautiful new condo on the river. http://www.klements.com/racing_sausages/index2.html


Rachel and Benjie, the soon to be newlyweds were there and looking great. Only a few months until their big event! Rachel, practicing for her soon to be domestic chores, made a very fresh and tasty fruit salad.

Josh, Julia, Elijah and Lena were there too. Elijah was sporting his newly broken wrist that he tried to pass off as the result of a fight with a group of thugs armed with baseball bats but which actually was caused by a spill off his bike. Lena was looking as pretty as ever and I got to see the video of her performance a few months ago with the Energy dance team at half time of a Bucks game. She has some great moves and will probably graduate to the big girl dance team before we know it.

Noah, the college boy, was there too. He was relaxing after a tough Freshman year at Georgetown. He was getting prepared for his summer job as a groundskeeper - practicing his imitation of Willie from the Simpson's. I'm sure the work will be backbreaking and Noah will rise to the occasion and perfect his work ethic. I am a little worried that he has purchased a banjo and is trying to learn to play. He can play the first few lines of the song from Deliverance and is already starting to look like the kid on the porch from the movie. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Redden


Back to Spore on Friday.