The trendy East Coast suburb has seen a recent mushrooming of new food and beverage joints. Spread out from Siglap to Katong, these new places add to well-established cafes and restaurants that draw a predominantly yuppie crowd. “Easterners” roll up in sporty cars and on foot, in fashionable flip flops and T-shirts, to hang out over a good meal. Evenings and weekends are hugely popular, and good tables are hard to come by. I-S introduces you to the new kids on the block.

Astons Specialties, 119 East Coast Rd., 6247-7857.
Since it opened in July, this joint has been packed for lunch and dinner everyday. Steaks are the star here, with the prime rib eye extra-cut ($14.90), served with homemade mushroom sauce, being a must-try. The grilled fish with herbs ($5.90), served with homemade asparagus sauce, is good too. Other recommended dishes include the black pepper chicken ($5.90) and the spicy seafood marinara ($7.90). Each of the above is served with two sides of your choice.

Indian Wok, 699 East Coast Rd., 6448-2003.
This warm and inviting Indian restaurant is one of the few in Singapore that serves authentic Indian-Chinese cuisine, which is very popular in India. The restaurant is immensely crowded on the weekends, so be sure to make a reservation beforehand. Seafood lovers will be pleased with the crab claws ($15) and the pomfret havoli ($18). The chili garlic noodle ($18) is another must-try. End your meal with the taste-bud tempting date pancake ($18).

The Hong Kong Tea House, G/F, 86 East Coast Rd., 6345-1932.
You can’t miss the distinctive white colonial-styled building that houses this newly opened joint. The walls of the interior are filled with photos of Hong Kong pop icons and vinyl LPs from the 1970s. Over 400 items are on the menu, including baked home made noodle with pork chop ($9), baked broccoli with Portuguese sauce ($12), and a unique fruit salad spring roll ($2.80 for 3 pieces). Not to be missed are juicy steamed pork dumplings ($3.80 for 4 pieces) bursting with broth. End your meal with the delightful and nutty cream of walnut ($4.50).

Settlers Cafe, 107 East Coast Rd., 6345-0071.
This comfy third branch of the well-known lifestyle cafe is a great place to spend an afternoon over board games and yummy munchies. Games include Snorta, a fun and whimsical party game, as well as the award-winning The Settlers of Catan. As for the food, try the juicy jumbo sausages ($8.90), which come in beef, chicken and cheese. Those who are looking for something more filling should check out the Settler’s sandwich ($8.90) with a choice of three fillings—turkey ham, special tuna mayonnaise and chicken.

Stonegrill, 91 East Coast Rd., 6348-1211.
Dining here is a unique experience—your food is cooked before you on volcanic stones that have been pre-heated to 400°C. As General Manager Simon Ng explains, this healthy way of cooking locks in the food’s natural flavors and juices, and eliminates the need for condiments. Start off your meal with wild stuffed mushrooms ($7.90); then move on to a nice chunk of tenderloin steak ($24.90) and a generous slice of Pacific dory fish ($11.90). Mains are served on the volcanic stones, along with a side salad and a dip.

Wine Connection, #01-06 The Domain, 914 East Coast Rd., 6441-6883.
This East Coast branch of the wine shop over at Robertson Quay opened its doors on August 1. Bottles start at a very reasonable $15 and go up to over $400 for premium labels. Special mentions include the Trivento Reserve Syrah/Malbec ($29) from Argentina and the Waipora Hills Marlborough Pinot Noir ($26) from Chile. Wine accessories are also conveniently available here (from $4). Wine lovers will be happy to know that there is a free casual tasting on every Friday, from 6-8pm. Remember to also check out the Belgian beers, such as the Duvet ($6.50).

What prompted you to take part in this race?
Kim Hong: To kick ang moh butt! No really—the motivating factor was the fact that this competition was held at an international level, and we saw this as a chance to gauge where we are by pitting ourselves against the top teams of the region. We were also hoping, through this competition, to put the training that we have been doing thus far into good use.

Was this the first time that the two of you took part in such a challenge?
Alvin: Nope. The two of us have actually been taking part in adventure sports races as a team for the past four to five years. In fact, we got to know each other through the race circuit, for we were both avid racers before we partnered up.

Kim Hong: We met in 2001 when Singapore held its first adventure race, and a couple of years later, we participated together as a team in our first race—the Eco-x Race Malaysia.

Did your friends or family or even work colleagues do anything interesting to show their support?
Kim Hong: My family has been rather supportive of my involvement in adventure sport races. They either wait for me at the end point of a race, or at stationed points if they know the route. As for my colleagues, they know that I’m a racing buff, and so they were not surprised when I took part in this challenge. In fact, they did up a photo-frame with newspaper cuttings of the races I took part in and presented it to me when they knew that Alvin and I won the challenge!

Alvin: Those who know me are pretty much used to the fact that I am an avid racer, so it’s usually words of well wishes such as “good luck” from them. For this particular race, my girlfriend was telling me “Make sure that you win!”

What was the weirdest reaction you got from a member of the public while you were taking part in the challenge?
Kim Hong: They might be wondering what all these crazy people were doing...

How did the two of you prepare for the race?
Alvin: We stepped up the intensity of the regular training that we were already on before this race; we basically trained longer and harder.

Kim Hong: Other than the training that we would do on our own, we would meet up every Saturday to train together. We would bike more, run more, and canoe or kayak more. Basically, we aimed to complete three disciplines in a day instead of over two, which is the normal amount of time we take when there are no competitions.

Do you still remember the first thought that came to mind when you crossed the finish line?
Alvin: Something along the lines of “finish this as soon as possible” I think!

Kim Hong: Mine was “We’re not too far...not too bad!”

When did you start sailing?
At the age of 15.

How did you get involved in the FESPIC Games?
I’ve been to quite a number of international events. My name was submitted by the Asian Women’s Welfare Association, because I was sort of a member there and whenever they organized sporty events, I’d participate. This is the first time that the FESPIC Games will be involving sailing, so it is a good opportunity for me to race against neighboring countries for a change, as I usually race with Western nations.

Was this something that you ever thought you would be involved in at all?
Seriously, no. My parents are working most of the time, don’t have the time or opportunity to go out with me and I didn’t want to be stuck at home, so I took up sailing. Since sailing programs provide volunteers to fetch me to and fro, which gave me the chance to step out of the house and see the world more and make new friends.

How did your family react when you mentioned that you were going to sail?
My parents were quite worried because I can’t swim, even now. They do give their support though and they tell me to be careful.

Why take up sailing if you can’t swim?
That was the first sport introduced to me. I considered stopping, but if I did, I’d be stuck at home again. I thought, “Why not give it a try?” and I just got better and better over time.

What have you gained from sailing?
Sailing really changed me a lot. It gave me the confidence to speak up or ask for help. It also gave me a sense of independence. I used to be quite pampered by my parents, but when I went overseas for my first sailing trip, there were four of us and we were all disabled. There was just one coach and one volunteer, so I couldn’t be depending on them to look after all of us. We only asked for help when we really needed it.

What sort of sacrifices have you made to take part in sailing?
A lot of time and effort. When I was training for the Olympic Games, the training was tough. And at every training session, I’d sustain injuries; lots of bruises and cuts.

Any memorable incidents that you’ve encountered while training or in competitions?
We took part in the able-bodied race for the first time and won! It was encouraging. We just wanted to challenge ourselves and see if we were up to their standards.

Any particular mantra that you repeat to yourself before a competition?
Never give up, work till the end of the race, even if something goes wrong. Be determined and persevere.

How did you two become partners?
Melvin: I was dancing without a partner for about six months. Sharon was with a dance studio. I saw her dancing in a video and got in contact with her. We met up, and after a discussion, we decided to partner up.

What made you decide to become DanceSport Athletes?
Melvin: My parents were social dancers and I often used to accompany them for lessons. Eventually, they signed me up for classes as well.

Sharon: I have always wanted to dance. I decided to join the Social Dance Club when I was at NUS.

Does it get a little awkward dancing intimately with someone you’re not romantically linked with?
Melvin: Not at all. Dancing is all about telling a story non-verbally, using body and arm actions. Characterization is essential and is part of DanceSport.

How often do you train?
Melvin: We usually train at least three to four times a week. As a competition date draws nearer, we increase our training to about six times each week.

Is this a full-time career?
Melvin: I am a full-time dance instructor.

Sharon: I have a full-time day job working as a security solution specialist with an IT solutions provider.

What are some of the essential qualities that a DanceSport Athlete should possess?
Melvin: A good sense of musicality and rhythm. It’s also a must for a DanceSport Athlete couple to focus on a common goal and be committed.

Where do your costumes come from?
Sharon: Our costumes are designed overseas. Some are from Italy, England and Russia.

What is the most expensive gown or suit that the two of you own?
Sharon: The most expensive costume was tailored from Italy. The cost of the set for a couple is at least $4,500.

Do the two of you have a “lucky” gown or suit reserved for important occasions?
Sharon: Not per se, although we must say that we are blessed with well-designed and beautiful costumes all the time.

Ever picked up—or been picked up by—a girl or a guy because of your individual prowess on the dance floor?
Sharon: Not yet!

Legend

Disappointing food—don’t bother waiting

Mediocre food—wouldn’t wait more than a few minutes

Good food—wait if you have to

Long wait and excellent food—wait as long as it takes!

TAMAN SERASI FOOD GARDEN: OFF TO A GOOD START

The latest old hawker center to be renovated, Taman Serasi is looking modern with light stone walls, slick furniture and seating spread out over an outdoor terraced dining area and an indoor air conditioned space. Although this hawker center is in the Botanic Gardens, it unfortunately doesn’t have a view. The cooking is all indoors which makes it stuffy in spite of the air conditioning, while only some of the outdoor tables have fans. Nevertheless, a spacious layout and large umbrellas help keep things cool. Because this place is so new only a few stalls are operating to a less than capacity crowd. But more stalls are set to open very soon.

Most popular stalls:

• Jia Le H.K. Roast Delicacies. Choose from chicken, duck and char siew served with noodles, rice or in soup. Our char siew rice ($5.50) came with thick slices of char siew, a serving of vegetables and soup with chunks of meat.

• Thohirah Restaurant in Jalan Kayu. Yes that’s the stall’s real name. Occupying two stall spaces, this stall sells roti prata, thosai, roti john, murtabak as well as briyani. Interesting fillings include crab murtabak (for $6) and banana with milk prata. Our paper thosai ($3) came with four lovely dips: Chick pea curry, dhal, coconut chutney and a chili-onion mix.

• Yummy Crab. It’s crab with everything at this stall. Crab with black pepper, crab with bee hoon, crab with sambal chili and even (the dubious sounding) crab with cream cheese. Expect to pay at least $18 for a plate.

NEWTON FOOD CENTRE: STILL BUZZING

Looking spruced up after its revamp, Newton now boasts newly planted trees, neatly trimmed hedges and paved floors. It is still attracting both locals and tourists, with perhaps more of the latter A strategically positioned busker was playing the erhu in a corner the night we were there, and there was a good buzz in the air. Unlike the old Newton, where stalls and tables were laid out in pockets, the new one has stalls that encircle an alfresco eating area. Tables in the middle enjoyed a breeze, but those closer to the stalls were stuffy from the cooking nearby. Some stalls have a “self-service” sign (so you know what to do), others will gladly take down your order and bring you your food (just remember your table number).

Most popular stalls:

• Stall #26 Joy Yorokobi. This stall sells seafood done in a variety of ways. With table service there is no queue per se, but you wait at your table for up to 10 minutes. Our grilled sambal stingray ($10) was nicely done and tasty, and generous for a small portion. This stall also offers steamed red snapper (which a father and son pair were gobbling up), black pepper crabs which sell by the gram and squid.

• Stall #72 Laksa Yong Tau Fu. Surprise surprise, this stall sells laksa, yong tau fu and a combination of the two. With fast service there is no wait and our laksa ($3) was very nice. It had good soup with a tinge of coconut which was not overpowering, with generous servings of dried beancurd.

• Stall #7 Siti Khalijah Seafood. It’s a good 20-minute wait for your food at this stall that sells satay as well as seafood. We had a mix of chicken, beef and mutton satay ($0.50 a piece) which was tender, lean and well done. Those who like their seafood can also ask for fried squid, grilled fish and sambal prawns.

• Stall #73 Hup Kee. This stall does one thing—fried oyster omelet—and does it well. Our omelet ($5) took 15 minutes to arrive and was delicious with a generous amount of oyster.

AMOY STREET FOOD CENTRE: NO PAIN NO GAIN

Every weekday at lunchtime, this two-story hawker centre is hot and full of hungry people from the offices and business nearby. At its busiest, the cleaners have a hard time keeping up, and tables take a while to be cleared and dustbins fill up to the brim. Tables are also pretty close together, which means you have to gingerly worm your way through the crowd to avoid spilling your food on someone, or getting dumped on yourself. Nevertheless, the food is pretty good and many loyal customers feel that the heat, sweat and grime are a small price to pay. Despite being just renovated, it’s definitely due for another renovation.

Most popular stalls:

• #01-08 Jian Mei Win seafood. This stall sells seafood in clear broth or with your choice of noodles such as bee hoon, ee mian, ban mian, and mee sua. An average of eight people stand in line at any one time, and the wait is about 10 minutes. We waited 15 minutes for our seafood ban mian ($3) which came in a huge serving with prawns, ground pork, fish and vegetables in a tasty broth.

• #01-35 Seng Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice. Because service is quick, the wait here is not long at all, even though the stall is popular. Our chicken rice ($3) was tender and tasty, and the rice was nice and fragrant. Our portion could have been bigger though.

• #01-70 Sedaap Nasi Bryani Special. There are few stalls in Singapore where a plate of food still costs only $2 but this is one of them. We suspect that this is why this stall is popular because, unfortunately, it cannot be for the quality of the food. Our $2 nasi lemak was boring, with only ikan bilis and a fish patty for toppings. You can also try their nasi bryani, mee goreng and roti john—hope you have better luck with those.

• #01-20 Lian He Shao La Fun. This stall sells roasted pork, duck and chicken, with rice or noodles. We were not terribly impressed with the duck rice ($3), but, judging by the queue of eight people, others obviously find the food here just fine.

• #02-100 Piao Ji Fish Porridge. Winner of food awards, this stall’s selling point is that they cook the porridge over a charcoal fire. Their fish is also very fresh and served in generous amounts, while the clear broth is better than what you usually get at hawker stalls. For this privilege you have to stand in line with 10 other people, wait about 20 minutes, and pay $5.20 for a bowl of porridge.

MAXWELL ROAD FOOD CENTRE: SLOW AND STEADY WINS

Another popular weekday lunchtime hawker centre is Maxwell Road. Because this old hawker center is spacious and well ventilated, thanks to a renovation in recent years, eating here is quite comfortable. The people who run the hawker center appear to have got their cleaning operation down pat—you don’t see stacks of dirty plates and bowls lying around, even during the very busy lunch hour, and the washing station is located nicely out of sight.

Most popular stalls:

• Stall #68 Hainanese Curry Rice. Run by two brothers, this popular stall easily sees a line of 10 people at peak hour, who queue for the spread of pork chops, pork belly, fish, squid, tofu, stir fried vegetables and other toppings for rice. If you want to check out this stall, make sure it is number 68 as there is another stall with the same name.

• Stall #66 Yi Jia Chao Zhou Yu Chou Yu Tang. This mouthful of a name roughly translates as “Teochew fish porridge and fish soup.” Pomfret is what people queue for here, and you can choose to have it with bee hoon, mee sua or rice ($5 a bowl). The wait is long—about 25 minutes—so this stall is not an option if you’re in a hurry. But if you’re not, the delicious fish is worth the wait.

• Stall #12 Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. It’s a good half an hour wait here at the height of the lunch hour for what we thought was very ordinary chicken rice ($3). Portions are generous though, and the chili sauce is way, way hot.

• Stall #31 Xing Xing. This cute little stall sells an assortment of kueh, such as ondeh ondeh and tapioca cake (roughly $0.40 a piece or three for $1). Try and time your purchase for when the kuehs come fresh out of the steamer—the dozen or so people standing in line are. We liked the kueh, and can see why this stall recently won a food award.

• Stall #54 Zhen Zhen Porridge. Despite its humble appearance there were 14 people standing in a slow moving line when we ate there, waiting for their choice of fish, chicken or century egg congee.

ADAM ROAD FOOD CENTRE: FAST AND EASY

This evergreen hawker center, also upgraded within the last few years, draws a mix of locals and expats who come with their local buddies. It’s often crowded at dinner time but not so packed that you can’t get a table. Because the hawker center is circular with stalls on the circumference and tables in the middle, it can feel a little hemmed in and stuffy with the only ventilation coming from above.

Most popular stalls:

• Stall #2 Selera Rasa Adam Road No 1 Nasi Lemak. The owner must like playing poker because he named his dishes after the card game. A Fullhouse gets you a chicken wing, otah, egg and ikan bilis, while a Royal Flush is all that plus a potato patty. We waited 20 minutes before we were served our meal (fish, egg and ikan bilis for $3), and were satisfied with what we got but not thrilled.

• Stall #27 Noo Cheng Adam Road Prawn Noodle. Although this stall is popular, there is almost no wait because service is quick. As its name suggests it sells prawn noodles, with the option to add pork ribs and whole prawns. Our dry noodles with soup on the side ($4) were yummy, with generous bits of prawn, pork, fish cake and pork crackling.

• Stall #10 Bahrakath Mutton Soup. Like the prawn noodle stall, this one has fast service and no wait. In your mutton soup you can choose to add rib, leg, or one of the more adventurous options of brain or tongue. Our regular version ($3) was very nice, and considerately skimmed of grease.

• Stall #31 Teck Kee Hot and Cold Dessert. All the local faves are here: Ice kachang, cheng teng, ice jelly, pulot hitam and more. For only $1.20 our cold cheng teng was lovely and refreshing.

CHINA SQUARE FOOD COURT: PRETTY DARN GOOD

Squish in with the thousand other people from the CBD that have lunch here during the week. Although there is air conditioning, it is stuffy because the tables are bunched up close together. But tables are cleared very quickly and all cutlery is disposable.

Most popular stalls:

• #01-14 New Hong Kong Congee. Even though the queue here was nine deep, it moved fast. Our liver and fish congee ($5) was absolutely delicious, and was one of a wide variety of congees available that included other adventurous options such as pig’s giblets and regular stuff like fish and prawn.

• #01-31 Thunder Tea Rice. Go healthy at this hawker stall—it is one of the very few in existence to give a brown rice option alongside normal white rice. You only pay $0.50 more for the healthy version and both options come with vegetables and a pungent green tea sauce on the side. It’s served up in five to 10 minutes time.

• #01-09 Tomikuwa Japanese Restaurant. Japanese stalls in food courts are commonplace these days, and often offer standard Japanese fare at good prices. After a fast queue of four people, we tried the chicken teriyaki ($5.50), which was great.

• #01-10 Blanco Court Fried Fish. Offering fish soup with noodles or rice and other seafood dishes like sambal prawns, this stall has a good lunch crowd and charges about $3 a serving. The fish was fresh, and fried crispy on the outside yet soft and tasty on the inside.

FOOD REPUBLIC: FANCY FOOD COURT

One of the more “upscale” food courts around, Food Republic at the top of Wisma Atria has little luxuries like benches where you can wait for a table to free up, push carts selling drinks and snacks, and a newsstand. It is well staffed so tables are almost always clean. Old fashioned Chinese tables are also comfortably spaced and the air is well ventilated. You could linger for a while here and not feel that you have to leave immediately after your meal due to the lack of comfort.

Most popular stalls:

• Stall #22 Thye Hong. Over 20 people—yes, you heard us right—were waiting in line for the fried hokkien mee, char kuay teow and oyster omelet that this stall fries up in giant woks. As you can imagine the wait is long, but to speed things up the stall prepares big batches of food at a time. We waited 10 minutes for our hokkien mee, paid $4, and loved every drop.

• Stall #14 Formosa Delight. Quite an assortment of stuff is available here, such as ban mee, fried dumplings, and black pepper chicken with noodles, making it a popular but fast-moving stall. You pay about $4-5 a bowl.

• Stall #07 What You Do Prata. Get decent prata with various fillings, as well as nasi biryani, murtabak and teh halia.

• Fruit juice stall. In addition to the usual fresh fruit and juices, this stall also offers interesting variations such as smoothies, milkshakes and even chocolate fondue for $10!

SUNTEC FOOD FOUNTAIN TERRACE: BIG BOY

This food court is massive—it’s easily one of the biggest around. With so many offices in the vicinity it gets crowded, so in spite of its size it is sometime hard to get a table. One stall (#3) cleverly managed to cordon off an area for itself so its patrons are practically guaranteed a table, while the others share general seating. The stalls we checked out were popular but quick-serving.

Most popular stalls:

• Stall #3 Chutney Café Express. Come here for briyani, prata, samosa, naans and lassis­—we recommend the mango lassi at $2.60.

• Stall #11 Fishball Noodles. However you like your noodles, this stall can do it. Fishball noodles, Teochew dumpling noodles, meatball noodles, mini-wok noodles, laksa, and even abalone noodles are all available here. Our fishball noodles ($3) were yummy, with chili so strong that it numbed our taste buds!

• Stall #22 Chinese Mixed Rice. Popular at lunch time, this stall dishes up the usual rice and variety of dishes. Its specialty is claypot fish head curry (from $15).

• Stall #6 Mini Wok and Steamboat. A variety of rice and noodles with seafood or meat is cooked in small woks (the size of a single serving) or served as dippers for steamboat. We liked our beef hor fun for $4, with tender beef, smooth noodles and tasty gravy.

Well it seems some queues do know a thing or two. Some of the best food is at the end of a line worth waiting for, but in many instances you don’t have to wait for great grub. Our advice is, if you really want to try that famous hawker stall just be kiasu and get there early. Otherwise it’s get in line.

How did you get started in this line of work?
I started out as a dancer. After performing onstage for a while, a couple of my friends asked me if I would be willing to perform at private shows—and I have never looked back since. I have been in this line of work for close to seven years now, and I am engaged mostly for hen parties.

Do you have a “normal” office job, or is this your full-time job?
Yes I do have a normal job. I am an administrative assistant, and my workplace is near the CBD (Central Business District). Being a male stripper is merely a sideline.

Are you naturally this...outgoing?
Well, I am not exactly the most outgoing person around, though I am not shy or meek either. That being said, while you are on the job, you have to learn to let go of any inhibitions that you may have in order to provide a good show for the clients. I must say that my background as a dancer has helped me a lot in overcoming my inhibitions.

Do you enjoy your job or is it “just a job” to you?
You have to enjoy what you are doing in order to be able to provide a good show for the clients, as it will show if you do not. I must add that this is a two-way process, for if the clients are not responsive or too shy, then there is only so much that I can do. But if the clients themselves are able to let go and just have fun, then I can say that the 20 minutes I give them will be one of their most memorable.

Have you ever had to go completely buff or do you just tease?
Yes I have had to go completely buff! Basically I offer two choices: The full monty or down to my g-string. Every stage of the performance is teasing in nature, though I must say that the loudest screams usually come during the moment when I remove the first piece of my clothing, which usually is a shirt, and when it is just the g-string.

How do you keep in shape for the job?
Hitting the gym is definitely a must, and I usually go about three times per week. In addition to that, facials and body scrubs and waxing treatments are also necessary in order to keep my skin smooth, since despite what most people think, looking too much like a gorilla is not sexy at all!

What’s the wildest assignment that you’ve done?
A particular bride-to-be was one of the more sporting clients that I have encountered so far. The crowd essentially consisted of girls who were in their 20s, and who were pretty havoc. Obviously there was lots of screaming, and the bride-to-be was able to put pieces of food on my body without thinking too much of it, which basically told me that she was able to just let go and enjoy herself.

Do you have any one particular move that gets the ladies screaming?
I have the bride-to-be seated on a chair with her back facing me, such that she will not be able to see what I’m doing, though the rest of the girls will be able to. Then, I remove my shorts and dangle them in front of her. The suspense about whether I still have my g-strings on or I’m stark naked almost always gets the bride-to-be screaming.

How did you get involved in this project?
Through my company, although I would like to clarify that I’m not the person who is in charge of the overall project; I’m just supervising this particular phase of it.

What phase is it in?
It is in installation. Basically, we’re installing the roofing material, which we normally call “membrane.”

What are the structures actually called?
I don’t know if there is an actual name for these structures. For us, while we are on the job, we simply call them by their individual parts; “membrane” is our name for the roofing material.

Do you think of this current project as something that is out of the ordinary?
It is just like any other normal job, to be honest. I suppose you would admire the roof structures when you are finished with them, but during the installation process you do not have the time to think about this.

I suppose you would have to be up on the roofs all the time, while the project is ongoing?
Yeah, pretty much. For safety reasons, those who are going up onto the roofing structures will be strapped onto safety harnesses. The actual ascent is done through industrial equipment, such as the boom-lift.

How do you clean them?
The cleaning is actually done using just water and some soap.

What is the biggest problem you would have to deal with while on the job?
I suppose it would have to be the weather. If it rains suddenly and we are still up there fixing the “membrane,” we just continue; we can’t just stop whatever we are doing.

Fear of heights would be a big no-no if you want to be in this line, right?
Yes, of course. If you do not have a fear of heights, then it is only a matter of being careful while you are on the job. If you do have a fear of heights, then it is better if you do not come into this line.