17th June, 2016
THE METRONOME/ BLOG POST 06
I have been visiting Singapore off and on for about a decade and a half now and the magic is yet to wear off. I have, over the years, watched Singapore's skyline change and evolve. New landmarks such as the wondrous Gardens by the Bay, the futuristic Helix Bridge and the stunning Marina Bay Sands have come up, redefining the country's visual landscape. At the same time, there is much that remains unchanged, such as the insane variety of mouth watering food, both local and international, that makes Singapore a foodie heaven of sorts!
SONG CREDITS :
The video was conceptualised by CB and me, as a natural progression of our many visits to Singapore over the years. The song - written, composed, produced, sung and mixed by me - skips along buoyantly over some of the little pleasures that I like to indulge in, when there. It was shot by CB guerrilla style, all over Singapore ( at multiple Kopitiams, on mall escalators, in different MRTs, at Clarke Quay, on the Singapore River, at the Gardens by the Bay, at Satay by the Bay, at our hotel swimming pool, at the Merlion Park, at a gas station on Alexandra road, at the Chinese Garden, at Changi Airport, in the Marina Bay area and on the Helix Bridge area, in the Supertrees light show ) .
SONG LYRICS :
In a Kopitiam, I like the most
A cup of Milo with Kaya toast
Thinking about how much I like it here,
The Merlion, the Tiger beer...
I like to sing, sing, sing, sing in Singapore
I'm having fun, I'm coming back for more
I like to sing, sing, sing, sing in Singapore
I'm having fun, I'm coming back for sure
I stuff my face with Chicken Rice
The Hokkien Mee is just as nice
I love my Satay, by the bay
A bowl of Laksa, or a Bak kut teh
I watch the boats go sailing by
The neon nights, that get me high
The web of lights at Marina Bay
The Helix Bridge takes my breath away
I like to sing, sing, sing, sing in Singapore
I'm having fun, I'm coming back for more
I like to sing, sing, sing, sing in Singapore
I'm having fun, I'm coming back for sure
Let me elaborate on some of the jargon used in the song, for the benefit of those who haven't visited Singapore or may not be familiar with some of the words in the song.
KOPITIAM : A Kopitiam, in Singapore, is a traditional food court chain, that offers traditional Singapore breakfast along with a range of other meals and cuisines from South East Asia.
KAYA TOAST : A popular breakfast snack, consisting of toast smeared with Kaya ( coconut jam ), sugar, coconut milk, eggs, pandan ( a tropical plant ) and butter or margerine. Its typically eaten with soft boiled eggs seasoned with dark soy sauce and white pepper.
MILO : A delicious chocolate and malt beverage produced by Nestle, popular in its hot or cold form in Singapore and all over South East Asia. It used to be readily available in India but isn't, any longer.
MERLION : The Merlion is a mythical creature resembling a sea-lion, with a lion's head and a fish's body. It is considered the national mascot of Singapore. The original Merlion statue was installed at the mouth of the Singapore River by the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, in 1972. It was relocated to the current Merlion Park that fronts the Marina Bay, in 2002.
TIGER BEER : Tiger Beer, a pale Lager beer, is produced by Asia Pacific Breweries in Singapore and is Singapore's most iconic beer. The version shown in the video here is my favourite lemon infused Tiger Radler.
CHICKEN RICE : Chicken Rice, considered one of Singapore's national dishes, came with early Chinese immigrants from the Hainan province in southern China. The traditional method of preparing it involves poaching the entire chicken at sub boiling temperatures, and cooking the rice in the resulting stock, fat and liquid flavoured with ginger, garlic and pandan leaves. It is typically served with a sauce of freshly minced red chilli and garlic, dark soy sauce and freshly ground ginger.
HOKKIEN MEE : An integral part of Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine, this dish originated in China's Hokkien province. It commonly consists of egg noodles and rice noodles stir fried with pork slices, egg and seafood such as prawns and squid and is served with vegetables, small pieces of lard, sambal sauce and lime.
SATAY : The Satay, originally from Java, Indonesia, is another South Asian favourite, is a dish where different meats are diced or sliced, marinated with turmeric and other spices, skewered, grilled over a charcoal or wood fire and served with a peanut sauce/ sweet soy sauce, cucumber and onion slivers, and rice cakes known as ketupat. Typical meats used are chicken, goat, beef, pork, fish, venison, shrimp, squid, rabbit, other available meats or tofu. Traditionally, the skewers are made from the midrib of the coconut palm frond, although bamboo skewers are often used.
SATAY BY THE BAY is an award winning dining pavilion situated on and ventilated by the Marina Bay waterfront, within the Gardens By The Bay. Beautifully combined with an eco pond and an island with lush greenery all around under canopies of hanging vegetation, it has 19 food stalls serving up a variety of local hawker fare, six Satay carts each with its own distinctive flavours, a bar and a bistro.
LAKSA : Found all over Singapore and Malaysia, Laksa is a popular noodle soup from the Peranakan cuisine. It consists of rice noodles or rice vermicelli with chicken, prawn or fish, served in a soup based either in a rich and spicy coconut milk curry or sour and spicy curry flavoured with tamarind or gelugur ( a South East Asian tropical fruit ).
BAK KUT TEH : This is a light and deliciously flavourful meat soup or broth served in Singapore and Malaysia, primarily among the Hokio and Teochew community. The name literally translates as "meat bone tea" and basically consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex brother of herbs and spices including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, garlic and dang gui ( an indigeneous Chinese herb ).
HELIX BRIDGE : The Helix Bridge is a pedestrian bridge in the Marina Bay area in Singapore. The winner of several Architectural and Design awards, the bridge comprises two delicate helix structures inspired by the form of the curved DNA structure, that acts together as a tubular truss that bears the load. The lighting along the bridge, consisting of a series of dynamic multi-coloured LED lights, emphasises its structural shape and curves, and forms a magical web of lights along the bridge.