Cakes and Bakes with the Fabulous Baker Boy!

Peaceful. Quiet. Serene.

Every baked treat that is created in the fab kitchen comes from a place of passion, pride and the utmost quality. Every bite you take will take you back to that place of love and comfort.

Come … Eat some cake!

Juwanda's (the baker) recipes have been created and developed over a long period time. Most of them come from the parties that he had planned and cooked for, the chefs in the various kitchens of his career, the invaluable skill and taste that his parents have cultivated in him and of course his kitchen Gods and Goddesses.

The Fabulous Baker Boy loves cooking, baking and feeding people and wants to change the world one heart and tummy at a time.

Go on! Have some cake and eat them too!

Grimming and Chilling

Multitasking.

Catching up on Grimm while coffee-ing and snacking and chillin' out at Starbucks.

On The Way Home

The (new) way home...

ON THE WAY HOME... it's the same road that leads you to the place of refuge; that sanctuary, that shelter that shields you from all the craziness of the world. It's THAT place that lets you know... no matter how far you go, no matter how crazy the world out there becomes, there's this ONE place that will always remain the same for you.

Another Day at the Gardens by the Bay

The orchids that weren't there when I first visited in the middle of this year are now lush, beautiful and welcoming

This is the garden that I can visit a whole day without tiring. This is the view. This is the reason.

Hot Hot Day in Little India, Singapore

It was a hot hot day today. I wanted to cool off with a kopi-c peng (iced coffee with evaporated milk) when I spotted this old spot along Dunlop Street with its beautiful contrast of dark and light. I hope I did it justice...

Dunlop Street is in Little India, a one-way road connecting Jalan Besar to Serangoon Road. Named after Colonel Samuel Dunlop, the most significant landmark along this street is the Abdul Gaffoor Mosque.

History
The street was probably named after Colonel Samuel Dunlop who served in Singapore as the Inspector-General of Police of the Straits Settlements in 1875 and as a member of the Municipal Commission in 1887. It is also probable that this street was named after A.E. Dunlop, Secretary of the Race Course Committee of the Serangoon area. Before the 1870s, this street was known as Rangasamy Road. This street is a part of the Urban Redevelopment Authority's conservation area of Little India.

Key features
The street is mostly lined with modest two-storey shophouses, selling anything from textiles to terracotta pots. They are good examples of terrace shophouse architecture. A few decorative houses are also present. The last charcoal shop in Little India was located on this street. The eateries on the bylanes of this street serving a wide variety, continue to be frequented by tourists and locals.  Abdul Gaffoor Mosque, one of Singapore's oldest mosques, was originally built in 1881. The old mosque was demolished and a new mosque with architecture in Saracenic and Roman themes was erected at the same site in 1910.

Renovated in 2001, the mosque used to serve the religious needs of South Indian Muslims, mostly the Tamils.  Abdul Gaffoor, a trustee of the mosque in the late 1880s, was instrumental in constructing shophouses along Dunlop Street to financially assist in the mosque's maintenance. It was gazetted as a national monument in 1979.
Another endearing landmark that used to be on the street was the P. Govindasamy Pillai (PGP) building.  Pillai was a wealthy Indian businessman who also donated generously for the good of his fellow Indian community in Singapore.  By late 1998, the PGP store had closed, much to the sadness of many Indians in Singapore who remembered the man, his store and kind deeds fondly.  Other buildings situated on this street are the Madras Hotel and Jothi's Building.

Reflecting... (at MacRitchie Reservoir in the evening after an afternoon shower)

End of a long day. Trying to collect my thoughts and planning a few next steps...

There is something very comfortable about staring at a seemingly endless body of water. It's very mesmerising. Very therapeutic.

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.

In the Flower Dome

Bottle Trees

Left: Olive Tree, Right: Canary Islands Dates

Verandah Bistro at Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay (Chinese: 滨海湾花园) consists of three distinct waterfront gardens – Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central, set in the heart of Singapore’s new downtown Marina Bay, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir.

Spanning 101 hectares, Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a Garden’. The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city.

First announced to the public by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally in August 2005, Gardens by the Bay is intended to become Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon.

An international competition for the design of the master plan, held in January 2006, attracted more than 70 entries submitted by 170 firms from 24 countries. Two firms – Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter – were eventually awarded the master plan design for the Bay South and Bay East Gardens respectively.

The Gardens are being developed in phases. Bay South was completed and opened to the public on 29 June 2012.^[1]Bay East has been developed as an interim park in support of the Youth Olympic Games 2010, and is opened to the public since November 2011, allowing an alternate access to the Marina Barrage. The full master plan implementation of Bay East and the development of Bay Central are part of the next phase of development.

A day in Chinatown

Smith Street

Lai Chuen Yuen

Mosque Street

Cedele is literally only a "see deli"

Dinner at Cedele.

Cedele by The Bakery Depot was founded by Ms Yeap Cheng Guat in July 1997. After spending many years in the multi-nationals, Ms Yeap decided to put her baking passion to test.

Makanism has been there twice. Both times, the experience has been less than satisfactory and shall not be returning again.

Being Human...

Studies at a study...

Pink Dot 2012 - Respect and Inclusiveness.

Pink Dot SG is an annual, free for all event which started in 2009, in support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Singapore. Attendees of the Pink Dot SG events would gathered to form a giant pink dot in a show of support for inclusiveness, diversity and the freedom to love.

Pink Dot SG was founded by Dr. Roy Tan, a medical practitioner in Singapore with an interest in the archiving of LGBT community history and wanted to take advantage of the liberalisation of rules governing activities that can be conducted at the Singapore's Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park and initially planned to stage a traditional gay pride parade in Nov 2008. The first Pink Dot SG event took place at the Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park on May 16, 2009.

It is important that we educate ourselves, be aware to be open and inclusive, destroy ignorance and fear. For ourselves. For our future generations.

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

- Martin Niemöller

Delectable and Delicious and Dean & DeLuca... again.

A second visit, another view of Dean & DeLuca...

TOA PAYOH SKETCHWALK (part 2)

Here is the plan for the upcoming sketchwalk on JUNE 30. We will meet at MacDonalds, 930am. (Opp Braddell MRT stn)

On a first-come-first-go basis, we will assign you to a group to cover a specific area in this area of Toa Payoh. This will be a different area from the previous one. There are many interesting spots to draw there, including a dragon playground, SPH, and some old HDB flats with interesting designs.

This is a continuation of the previous sketchwalk where selected drawings emailed to Epigram will be published in our new series of books covering different neighbourhoods in singapore. If your drawing gets selected to be in the book, you will get one complimentary copy of the book + 40% off a second copy. If more than 3 drawings gets selected, you will get 2 complimentary copies. Anyone who joins us may submit their drawings for the book, even if it will be your first time joining. If you do not wish you participate in the book, no problem, you may join us as usual and have fun drawing!

The sheet below will be handed out during the next sketchwalk. But you may want to download it into your iphone for quick reference if you'd like to cover the locations before the next sketchwalk or after. We have one month from this sketchwalk to cover all these locations as these locations represent TPY and will definately need to be included in the book. See you saturday and have fun sketching!

You will notice that there is a special group that will go in the afternoon as a extra adhoc sketchwalk. It's separate because it is a bit out of the way. That group may be going today (23 JUNE) to cover the monastary. If we manage to cover it today, we won't need to cover it on 30 JUNE.

EPIGRAM UPLOAD INSTRUCTIONS:

1) All pictures need to be scanned hi-res 350dpi (for A5 and bigger drawings). If your picture is smaller (eg.A6), scan it at 600dpi so it can be blown up further. 

2) Save them in .jpg format. RGB colour format.

3) Upload them to using WeTransfer or YouSendIt (They are free large file transfer services)

4) Send them to jocelyn@epigrambooks.sg.

If you don't own a scanner, you can hand me or Zaihan the originals after the sketchwalk. But please note your name and number on the back. We will scan them and return them to you. 

Delectable and Delicious and Dean & DeLuca.

Dinner at Dean & DeLuca, Orchard Central

Dean & DeLuca is a chain of upscale grocery stores. The first one was established in New York City's SoHo district by Joel Dean, Giorgio DeLuca and Jack Ceglic in September 1977. It is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas.

This icon of New York City’s culture and lifestyle recently opened a 3,200 square feet flagship store branch in Singapore at Orchard Central, offering Singaporeans the chance to experience the unique cosmopolitan vibe that has made Dean & DeLuca a household name in New York. The Singapore store boasts a large retail section, as well as a cafe and a cooking demonstration area.

Having missed the inaugural opening on 22 June (without regrets, as it was reported to be brimming) Makanism decided to experience D&D on a more casual Saturday lunch. The verdict - the food did not disappoint.

The Bacon and Cheese Burger (of Angus beef dreams) was juicy and well-seasoned and delicious to the very last bite. The melange of spices, herbs and leaves were carefully and successfully matched to be palatable poetry.

A dessert of apple was also a brilliant choice. Soft and succulent apples baked in a beautiful crust with a hint of spices (was it cinnamon?). The only regret was the unfortunately Lilliputian serving size.

However, not all is well on the menu and the service.

Taste wise, one's order of the coffee that was made with white and dark chocolate was a tad too sweet for personal taste. That may be good news for those with a saccharine tooth. What was disappointing was the irregular service. Firstly, one had to clear a table by oneself when no wait staff came to do after a request was put up by me.

Additionally, one had to return to the service counter twice to ask for the carrot-orange drink ordered. Also, they also appeared to have forgotten about my order of the burger because three reminders had to be given and it was finally served AFTER several customers behind me were.

One certainly hopes that it is a minor birthing hiccup, what with the premises being new and all.

Venturing to the other side of the newly opened store, one was warmly greeted by a grand array of gourmet, fine groceries and quality food-related equipment and gadgets from all over the world! It is certainly a foodie/gourmet's paradise. However, it would not be fair to describe the variety of oils, sauces, spices and ingredients there - only a visit can do it justice.

Dean & Deluca is now open at 04-23/24, Orchard Central, Singapore.

Sketching | Gathering | Dumpling － 玄江殿庆端午

玄江殿

Grandma with fruit baskets.

Old grandma resting with baskets of fruits in a back alley. Inspired by my friend, Ivy Chen's photo.

Sultan Mosque - Singapore

Quick sketch while sipping tea on a hot afternoon.

Masjid Sultan (Jawi: مسجد سلطان ;Malay for Sultan Mosque; is located at Muscat Street and North Bridge Road within the Kampong Glam district of Rochor Planning Area in Singapore. The mosque is considered one of the most important mosques in Singapore. The prayer hall and domes highlight the mosque's star features.

History

When Singapore was ceded to the British in 1819, Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the island's chief, and Sultan Hussain Shah of Johore, under whose jurisdiction Singapore fell, acquired small fortunes in exchange for their power. Sir Stamford Raffles also granted the Temenggong and the Sultan an annual stipend and the use of Kampong Glam for their residence.

The area around Kampong Glam was also allocated for Malays and other Muslims. Hussain built a palace there and brought his family and a complete entourage from the Riau islands. Many of the Sultan's and Temenggong's followers came to Kampong Glam from the Riau Islands, Malacca and Sumatra.

Sultan Hussain then decided to build a mosque befitting his status. He constructed a mosque next to his palace from 1824 to 1826 with funds solicited from the East India Company. With a two-tiered pyramidal roof, it was of a typical design. The original building was replaced with a new mosque.

The management of the mosque was headed by Alauddin Shah, the Sultan's grandson, until 1879, when he passed the torch in to five community leaders. In 1914, the lease was extended by the government for a further 999 years and a new board of trustees was appointed, with two representatives from each faction of the Muslim community.

By the early 1900s, Singapore had become a centre for Islamic commerce, culture and art. Sultan Mosque soon became too small for this burgeoning community. In 1924, the year of the mosque's centenary, the trustees approved a plan to erect a new mosque. The old mosque had by then also fallen into a state of disrepair.

Architect Denis Santry of Swan and Maclaren adopted a Saracenic style, incorporating minarets and balustrades. The mosque was completed after four years in 1928.

Sultan Mosque has stayed essentially unchanged since it was built, with only repairs carried out to the main hall in the 1960s and an annex added in 1993. It was gazetted as a national monument on 14 March 1975.

Today the mosque is owned by Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS).

The Champs Elysee of Singapore

Tone study for watercolour along Orchard Road Promenade (the Champs Elysee of Singapore). I had to do a quick sketch of this view to capture the tones and contrast because people were starting to get curious about a stranger standing in the middle of a promenade and drawing...

 

People watching at Starbucks (again)...

Business Tea at Paul

A business meeting over baked goods to put some ideas into the oven...