Food through Facebook (part 2)

Like I mentioned in my previous post, working from home (WFH) was imminent and now it has happened although it's kind of still at the highly-encouraged-but-not-mandatory stage. One of the reasons why I dislike WFH is because it removes the concept of 9-to-5. People tend to work at hours that suit them i.e. at odd hours and weekends. This makes following their schedules inevitable as we all work in inter-dependent teams. WFH makes it much harder to switch off especially when we all need to work more hours to overcome the loss in efficiency e.g. no more multiple screens and an ergonomic office, team meetings are held over Skype leading to a loss of focus, colleagues no longer there next to you to bounce ideas with and to provide quick essential input. The list of things we all lose and have to live with WFH goes on.

To make matters worse, with this initial shock to projects due to the loss in productivity, project managers are extra cautious about budget and scrutinise progress even more. This is the worst time for a person who doesn't have enough work to keep him chargeable full-time and unfortunately I am that person. Apparently it has been difficult finding a place for me in the head office ever since I came back from my holidays after having worked away from it for three years. Amidst the COVID-19 anxieties and uncertainties, I fear that the "every-man-for-himself" vibe is also starting to spread at work (i.e. not only at the supermarkets). I might be over-sensitive about this but I've been taught by my past experiences to be extremely skeptical. I'm working very hard to line something up in the face of the WFH policy making the whole organisation a little splintered. Tomorrow is the day when I'll need new work to come in and it doesn't look good. Curse my bad luck to have this coincide with the dreaded pandemic.

When times are tough, it helps to have something to look forward to but since travelling is out of the question for the foreseeable future and I often only travel back to Singapore, I'm left with my fond memories of my last trip, especially those of food. This post is the second part of my "Food through Facebook" series (part 1 is here). Most of the food I had and now miss was from hawker centres and food courts and I can't imagine those places being able to effectively practise social distancing (I didn't see much of that going on when I was there with COVID-19 in the air). In a society where cooked meals are so easily available everywhere and its people are hooked to this convenience, I'm sure social distancing would affect many food stall owners' livelihoods in Singapore, just like everywhere else in the world. If I were still there, I'll likely only do take-away which means I'll still get to enjoy the delicious and affordable delicacies Singapore has got to offer, like those in the pictures below.

  The ultimate lunch for a weight-watcher - lean pork soup with tofu and preserved vegetables (no rice). This kind of small-portioned light fare is lacking and much-needed in the Australian Asian food scene. #WatchingWhatIEatInPreparationForCNYGorging

It is 12.40am and I got the munchies and so all the weight-watching earlier today is out the window as I'm eating this now!!! #IndianRojak #SoGoodButSoBad

PS: I'm very surprised that they don't charge more with the less diluted coffee!

Here is my late lunch with Mummy which means no dinner is required. #TheReasonWhyIAmBack #CuttingBackAfterCNYGluttony

A simple neighbourhood zichar dinner with Mummy dearest. #SimpleThingsInLifeThatMeanSoMuch

I have SO much CNY goodies left to eat but I've been craving Famous Amos for weeks and finally I succumbed! #PlainMacadamiaCookiesAreMyFave #HowAmIGoingToFinishAllMySnacks

I've never seen actual bacon and pork belly being sold as bak kwa when I was last in Singapore 3 years ago so I guess this is "new". Very tempted to buy but ended up getting the cheaper normal variety instead as I have a feeling it's too fatty and no one at home would eat it if there are leftovers (which is highly likely), but I really do want to try. To those who have tried it, is it any good? That being said, I did buy some intriguing BBQ prawn bak kwa (from the better 林志源) to try and I'll let you know the verdict when I've tried it.

OK, I finally bit the bullet and bought the 2 items I really wanted to try. The prawn bak kwa has a strange texture but does taste like prawn unlike the lychee chiffon cake which has ZERO lychee taste.

Here's the most expensive supper I've had this trip. In fact it's the dearest variety i.e. even higher-priced than Musan King/猫山王. I can now go back to Melbourne happy. #黑金#BlackGold #Thats42DollarsDownMyTummy #TopGradeDurianCravingSated

My first and last McDonald's for this trip. Crispy buttermilk chicken burger and twister fries achievements unlocked. #ILikePineappleSoILikeThisBurger

The food I've missed for 3 years.