With Silver Bullet travelling, I seized the chance to cook something I absolutely like and hardly ever get the chance to cook when he is around because Master Silver Bullet thinks they are smelly. He will complain big time.
I beg to differ really. It’s not that they are smelly; it’s just that his nose is untrained to appreciate the wonderful aroma of dried ikan bilis (anchovies).
Yeeessss….the fabulous anchovies. Hmmmm…yummy stuff that’s ingrained in my Asian roots. They are so good when cooked with sambal (chilli paste) and if fried, they can be really good for snacking, too.
So in his absence, I get to stink up the house to high heavens.
Do you know what else would ikan bilis be good with? Fried rice, of course! It’s comfort food for me. It’s a taste only fellow Singaporeans can understand and appreciate. A dish Silver Bullet loves to hate!
But that don’t matter because he was not around when I made this. I relish my ikan bilis fried rice and this time, I made it peppery using both white and black pepper. I added some green chillies too.
Fry the anchovies in 4-6 tbsp of olive oil. When it turns brown, remove from the pan and set aside
Microwave cubed taters in water for 3-4 minutes to soften it. This would be quicker.
Blitz onion, chillies and garlic in a blender. Add a little water for easier blend.
Using the remaining oil from the pan, pour all of the blended ingredients and fry for about 5 minutes or until it gets a bit dry. Careful not to burn it
Add in black and white pepper. Stir well
Mix in the taters for about 2 minutes. Add in salt to taste
Add in rice and mix well
Incorporate the anchovies into the mixture and mix well
Make a well in the centre, add in the eggs and cover for about 20 seconds
Open the cover and mix well for another minute or two
Turn off the fire and serve!
Notes
Feel free to add in your choice of veggies. You can also reduce the chillies used, but with the green chillies as the base, this fried rice was not spicy at all!
We have been on a roll in trying to sell away our second-hand items in the last few months.
As far as big ticket items are concerned, we don’t own much as most of the furniture at home come together with our rented apartment. Still, we managed to accumulate items and junks in our last 11 years here in Bangkok, with most that were acquired only in the last few years since our little critters arrived.
From travel cot to cot beds that could be transformed into a toddler’s bed and strollers as well as an air purifier, random toys and books, we have them all. Most of which we don’t need any more and most, if not all were kept in decent condition.
Some were easier and quicker to sell and others not so much. We are not out to make any profit at all and we sell them cheap. Like rock-bottom cheap-cheap. All are a fraction of the original prices we paid for and they are kept in almost excellent condition. Some are completely new and never been used or opened.
Image Credit: Google Image
Being second-hand and as “second-hand” would suggest that items are not new and used, I would think that small scratches, one or two missing parts which were not significant and useless to their primary functional usage are acceptable.
There have been several good buyers – they pick-up the items and they pay. No questions asked, no hassle even though we insisted that they should check first. Easy, but rare.
Then there are the many encounters with another breed of potential buyer altogether. Interesting characters who have opened up my eyes to the various types of profiles in this second-hand buy-sell business:
The Serious Bargainer: Demanding lower the prices than they already were. We had one who tried to negotiate the cost down with one zero less. Like 500 baht to 50 baht!
One told me that she could get what I was selling cheaper in the US and wanted me to lower it further; to which I told her that perhaps she should have just purchased it from the US. (No. I did not mean to be rude, but she threw me that remark after bargaining for each and every item which she was intending to purchase and then asking me to deliver it personally to her because she was pregnant.)
The Storyteller: Several sob-stories came through in their quest for the prices to be lowered by more than 50%
The Likers: Those who think that they are doing you a favour by liking the items you post. That’s all they do. Hitting “Likes”! I don’t need likes people. I’m selling! On a second-hand buy-and-sell page too. Why are you liking my pictures of used items and what value would your like be to something I’m trying to sell?
The Please-Post-Item-But-I-Ain’t-Paying-for-Postage: There were the few who required for the items to be posted to them and did not want to pay for the postage costs. One wanted me to send the items over to Phuket – 847 km away from Bangkok. No. Just No.
The Complainers-who-feel-they-have-the-right-to-be-entitled-items-with-perfection: Complaining of an incomplete toy set even though we have declared outright the missing parts. And this was after requesting for the prices to be lowered even more.
The You-Are-Out-To-Cheat-Me:One was unhappy with what came inside a new, unopened and sealed box of Play-doh that came with toys and accessories. With an accusatory tone, she told me that she needed to warn other buyers about it as the tiny pack of play-doh inside it had expired.
Because it was sealed, we had not checked and truly had no idea the Play-Doh had or even could expire.
For the record, it was sold for only 100 baht. The value was 3x more. It did not include my travel cost to get the item delivered personally to her. I refunded her money back. She got to keep the toys.
The Nationalistic:One asked if I am Thai after calling for the price to be lowered. It made me wonder how does my nationality matter with regards to the items she was interested in purchasing. Why would she care if the seller is a Thai or not? She also wanted me to send everything that I was selling by post to a different province when I specifically advertised “Pick-up in Bangkok only”.
The Please-Reserve-For-Me:They seemed like interested buyers but each time they scheduled for a pick-up, they rescheduled it again and insisting that you keep the items for them. But they have yet to show up.
The I-Just-Want-To-Mess-With-You:Some asked for lots of pictures in thousand different angles, negotiated the cost down and never to be heard from again.
It takes all kinds of people in this buy and sell world of second-hand items. Still, I would not have thought that that selling second-hand goods can be such a hassle. Why oh why? All we want is to just sell-off.
It’s not like I own a shop and running a business. And do they not realise that if they want things new, they should not be buying from an online site that specifically caters to used, second-hand items?
I am now convinced that haggling for lower prices which are already pretty darn low, and any lower than that I might have as well given them to charity is a sport in itself. I bet this does not only happen in Thailand.
A whirlwind trip was what it was to Singapore last week.
With errands to run, places to go to, people to meet, eats to explore, work to do and antsy-pants kids to entertain, we were kept on our feet from the get-go the moment we landed. Most were impromptu but we had a packed schedule.
There could never be enough time for everything, yet we tried our darnest and made the best of all the time we had while we were there.
There was never a moment of boredom. Old memories were rekindled with fondest and tearful laughter that brought us down to our knees. New memories were made with stories that could be told over and over again for a dozen times more for the next 20 years.
And that’s what life should be all about.
Here are some of those moments. Each (literally) filtered frame has its own stories. And with each filtered flashbacks, these sweet memories will be still-framed in our minds forever more.
1. Sunday Family Fun at Sentosa Beach, Port of Lost Wonder
The kids had a blast navigating the water play area in the form of a pirate ship that comes with several different types of water slides which they could never get enough of. They were full of energy and when they saw the Bubble Party going on, they just could not help themselves.
I don’t blame them. I remember how fun foam parties were in my younger days! Except this time round, only children were allowed.
2. A Day at the Zoo
A visit to Singapore is never complete without a visit to the Singapore Zoological Garden. It is still one of my favourite places and I have been going there since I was a child. I maintain that it is still one of the best zoos in the world! Exploring the zoo by tram is one of the better ways to go on a blazing hot day.
The highlight of this trip to the zoo this time though was not so much of the animals, but rather I got to relive my childhood with so much fondness.
Just like when I was a child, we would find a shady area and break for lunch before continuing with our walk-about. We did just that; my mom packed her home-cooked Nasi Lemak for all of us. This time with my husband and kids in tow. It was a shame my Dad could not join as he had to work that day.
Nasi Lemak at the zoo never tasted so good. It may have been many, many moons ago, yet it remains one of my first memories of food. Needless to say, I could not stop eating and thinking what a wonderful childhood I’ve had!
3. Someone suggested “George’s”
From one end of Singapore to the other end we travelled in search of a place called “George”, only to find out that there were not only 2 different Georges’, but FOUR other Georges’ located on the east side of Singapore just before we met up. One waited at a different George, a few went back and forth between 2 Georges’ so much so that they got abandoned by the cab driver and some of us got confused when we discovered there were more than just 1!
When we finally got to the right George’s, we found that the place was closed off for a private function! Big screw-up there! A few had almost given up coming, but I’m glad they didn’t.
We ended up in some shady-looking bar and ordered Burger King’s for dinner instead of the original plan of having a nice meal together at some place that supposedly had very nice ambience.
For some of us, this area in East Coast Beach is filled with memories back when we were still in school. It was our playground where we used to hang out together. With 21 years of friendship under our belts, we just can’t stay mad at each other for long. It was truly one of the best and most memorable nights we have had in a long time. It was the company that mattered.
4. Crab in da Bag
6 days later, we were back at East Coast Park for a lunch meet-up with my former bosses and their kids. This was a place which we have not been to before and I must say that Crab in da Bag serves pretty amazing seafood! I am so in love with their spicy squid curry. One of the tastiest I’ve ever had!
See at how messy the table below is? It is a must to make such a mess! You just order and they will serve the food in a bag, then pile them up on the table just like that! Pretty novel. Use your bare hands to eat if you want to. Make sure you wear a plastic bib to prevent all that gravy from squirting all over you.
The only downside of this place was that it was hot, hot, hot. And it was hot, hot, hot because the weather was terribly H.O.T. So hot that we could not feel the AC when we were in the restaurant even though the AC was blasted on the lowest. It was that bad. But the curry and company were worth it!
Funnily enough, we all ended up back at George for coffee. The original George which we were supposed to go to 6 days back.
5. Making Time
Old pals, new places discovered unforgettable memories. We may not have seen each other in ages, yet it felt like old times. My heart just swelled.
6. Look who showed up!
Another friend of 21 years showed up on our doorstep just to say goodbye as we were about to leave for the airport. We’ve been trying to meet up for several days before our departure back to Bangkok, but somehow we could not find a time that would be convenient for us.
She caught us in the nick of the time and I was completely floored when she showed up. The meet-up lasted 5 minutes as we had to rush; the shortest one I’ve had so far. But the gesture of friendship was far beyond sweet. What a pleasant surprise!
7. Family Bonding
They say that a picture says a thousand words but I beg to differ as these shots have left me with no words to describe the warmth that stays in my heart.
That had been our week.
Thank you Singapore for all the wonderful memories. Till next time, and hopefully nothing beyond a year.
