Read listings carefully
Look for specifics about price, the number of tenants and distance from attractions and public transport. Favor to-the-point listings with lots of pictures from multiple angles; be suspicious of flowery language. Write to the host and ask specific questions (don’t forget that many hosts are first-timers too).

Go “walkabout”
Check the area out online. Google Street View allows you to explore easily. You’ll know for sure if the place really has unobstructed views or is, in fact, opposite a busy bus station.

Document everything
Payment should be made by a traceable method. Using a credit card is best so you have a record if something goes awry. Once there, make sure the spot is in the agreed condition. Take photos to provide evidence of problems and report them immediately.

Connect socially
Sites like Tripping allow you to connect with home leasers through Facebook and even find out where your friends have stayed. The personal connection could make all the difference.

Have all the contacts
It may sound basic. But if something is off, you need to know who to tell. Take down all the helpline numbers—Airbnb and Roomorama have 24-hour ones—and make sure you have the landlord’s details handy.

1. Pick a plain colored paper or Kraft paper and then cut to size. (Don’t use glossy-finish paper.)
2. Stamp on the paper to create a desired pattern. White ink looks great on brown paper. If you don’t have a cute rubber stamp, use objects with uneven surfaces like erasers or buttons to create the prints.
3. Once the ink has dried, wrap your gift with the paper.

1. Fold a 5.5”x12” piece of card paper, leaving a 4” width in the middle and 2” columns on either side. then cut the middle parts with a knife so your card is foldable.
2. Cut out each cartoon character from your selected pattern papers and arrange them on the card. Then glue them on neatly.
3. Decorate the card with gloss, glitter and distress ink as you wish.

Could you share some tips about how to make, cook and store pasta?

Make: Since you’re going to be making your own pasta from scratch, I’d suggest spending a little bit of money and getting a pasta machine as kneading can be hard work. Plus, it saves you time (15 versus 30 minutes) and gives a better result.

If you’ve got some time, shake out the pasta and flour it very well when resting it. Let it air-dry completely on a big tray, tossing every so often (usually needs about 10-15 minutes in our humidity) before storing or cooking. Don’t put it in a tight nest, you want to give it space. Flavored pasta particularly tends to be wetter and have more moisture, which can be an issue as it has a tendency to stick when it’s cooked.

Store: If you’re not cooking all of it, then you have two options. You can either store it at room temperature in an air-tight container (not for more than two days), or freeze it in batches (make sure it’s sealed well and it can keep for up to a month, possibly longer).

Cook: Always use as a big a pot as you have, with lots of water and salt. The water that you’re cooking your pasta in should taste like the sea, so make sure you taste it first. And whatever you do, don’t add oil (it’s a myth that it’ll prevent the pasta from sticking, so it’s a waste).

Make sure the salted water’s come to a rolling boil before you throw in the pasta. And don’t overload the pot with too much pasta, it needs space. Once you’ve thrown the pasta in, be sure to stir it so it doesn’t stick to each other or the bottom of the pot. As a rough guide, most fresh pasta takes about two to three minutes, filled ones take a little longer, say five to six minutes.

Vivian's Pasta Hit List  

Tagliatelle with Challans duck ragout, mushrooms and port ($36) at Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar.
Sakura ebi capellini, konbu shellfish oil ($85 as part of a four-course lunch set) at Iggy’s.
Sardinian-style spaghetti with bottarga (mullet roe), garlic, prawns, chili and olive oil ($26.90) at Cugini.
 

1. In estimating the “value” of any carpet, three distinct qualities are to be considered:

a) Rarity depends on the age of the carpet, the locality where it was made or its type. For instance, Persian carpets made in the 50s are among the rarest.

b) Artistic Beauty depends on the design and coloring. All weavers do not have the same artistic talent. The charm of the carpet depends on the graceful flow of lines, the careful balance of different parts of the patterns and the proper coordination between border and field.

c) As for Utility, one must determine the quality of the material and the dyes. If inferior material is used, the carpet will wear out very fast. On the other hand, the color will run when wet or fade quickly if poor dyes are used.

2. The number of knots itself does not demonstrate the quality of the texture, since a carpet may have fewer knots of coarse diameter and yet firmly woven, but in the same class the better carpet generally has more knots than a poorer one.

3. One must also observe the back of the carpet fully and not just the front. If the back of the carpet shows firmness and skillful painstaking work, the front will correspond with distinct colors and designs.

1. Prep really should start at least a full 18 hours before the big event, it helps if you think of it as a food/booze marathon. Make sure you have a light dinner the previous night, or better yet, skip it altogether.

2. Sleep and wake up early. If the brunch starts at noon, you’ll want to arrive pretty much on the dot as most places only have the buffet going for two to three hours. That gives you a headstart on the rest of the other punters and maximizes the available time to gorge yourself silly. Remember, you pay the same amount whether you get there at noon or an hour later.

3. Wear forgiving attire, preferably in dark monotones, to accommodate your post-indulgence buddha belly. That means no form-fitting, tailored outfits, no sexy little numbers and absolutely no lycra (or anything sheer). Think loose tops (fortunately that’s in at the mo) or empire-waisted dresses for the ladies, and tucked out shirts sans belts for the men.

4. If you’re lucky enough to be given a choice about the location of your table, make sure to choose wisely. You want to be closest to your favorite station, whether it’s the cocktail bar or the a la minute foie gras station. Failing that, make sure you’re either facing a) the kitchen or b) outwards, so you can keep an eye on what’s coming out and how long lines are at any station.

5. Be focused and kiasu. The truth is, and all of the best industry insiders know this, most people really don’t eat all that much (even though many think they do). You’ve got a limited amount of space (and time), so you need to be smart about what you put in. Prioritize the most expensive items like truffles, caviar, foie gras, oysters and lobsters, Wagyu, even cheeses, and take as much as you like. Wait, and you run the risk of it not being there when you do decide to go back, if at all. Also, skip the fizzy stuff, unless it’s champers, and go easy on your liquid consumption. However large your appetite, the law of diminishing marginal utility is bound to kick in at some point.

Here are a couple of recipes if you're on a liquid diet, courtesy of Néktar's Raveen Misra.

Gordon's Breakfast

60ml of dry gin
1inch of peeled Japanese cucumber
5ml sugar syrup
15ml Lemon Juice
10ml of Worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 dashes of Tobasco sauce
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper

Muddle cucumber, sugar syrup,salt, pepper and tobasco and let it macerate for a couple of minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients in and shake well with ice. Pour everything into a glass. Add more tobasco, salt or pepper if desired.

Passion Fruit Mimosa

1/2 a fresh passion fruit
15ml of honey
15ml fresh orange juice
Champagne

Scoop out the contents of the passion fruit into a shaker and add the honey and orange juice to it. Shake well and strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Top with Champagne and serve.

The closure, just two weeks ago, of the institution that was Borders at Wheelock Place, is hardly encouraging news. Sure, we all love our independent bookstores; but when a big name player can’t make enough to cover the rent, that says something—if not about our local literary scene, then surely about the gloomy future for printed books worldwide. But this is a cloud in an otherwise bright blue season for bibliophiles.

In a few days the shortlist for one of the literary world’s most coveted awards, the Man Booker Prize, will be announced. The longlist for the Man Asian Literary Prize follows in October (with the number of eligible countries expanded to 35 this year). The much-awaited biennial Singapore Writers Festival also returns next month, and the Singapore International Story Telling Festival (So what if it’s more for kids?) is currently ongoing through Sep 5. It’s also International Literacy Day on September 8.

Yet despite a number of noteworthy local publications this year (among them, Catherine Lim’s Miss Seetoh in the World and the long overdue The Short Stories and Radio Plays of S. Rajaratnam, an anthology by the late former Senior Minister), there’s a sense that we’re still punching well below our international weight. If Malaysian writers can gain worldwide recognition (Tash Aw’s The Harmony Silk Factory scooped a Booker longlist nomination, a Whitbread Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Novel in 2005 and Tan Twan Eng’s The Gift of Rain made the Booker longlist in 2007), why can’t our local writers do the same?

Indifference, for one. Lawyer Simon Tay, who won the Singapore Literature Prize with his City of Small Blessings, bemoaned in 1984 that “our best minds are not drawn to the role of the writer because the writer is not recognized and accepted; because the writer in our society is no one’s hero.” A prominent Singaporean author tells us, off the record, that things aren’t all that different now either: “As a nation, we have a very narrow taste when it comes to reading; we usually read self-help books and non-fiction but hardly any quality literary fiction.” Colin Cheong, who won the Singapore Literary Prize in 1996, puts it most bluntly: “Singapore is not a reading country.”

Not that everyone thinks we need a big prize to show off what talent we do have. Author Meira Chand whose A Different Sky was released to wide acclaim late last year, is adamant that big prizes are “…unbelievably precarious monitors of a writer’s success. A writer is up against the very best in the world, and for every book that wins a prize you can be sure there are dozens of equally good or even better books that equally deserve to win. Confidence can be badly bruised if hopes are pinned only on winning.”

Fair enough, but that’s not to say we shouldn’t try. Even if prizes aren’t the main objective, wouldn’t it be great if we could boast a truly world-class literary scene? Or at least become a nation that does read? We certainly think so, and to figure out what needs to be done to get there, we sat down with some of the industry’s movers and shakers.

If You Build It, They Will Write

1. More writers’ festivals

“Writers’ festivals benefit the local literary scene tremendously,” says Meira Chand. “For most writers meetings with other writers and the exchange of ideas are precious thinga. An international festival also creates a window onto a larger literary world and gives local writers something to measure themselves against.”
To start with, it's great that the Singapore Writers Festival is going to be an annual affair. The other welcome development this year has been the installation of poet and erstwhile creative-writing mentor Paul Tan as full-time director. According to Chand, the reason why other more established festivals like the Ubud Writers Festival have the edge over the SWF is that they have had full-time directors—allowing for better programming and featured authors.

2. Give authors a helping hand

An environment in which writers have room to develop their talent—or at least the option of not choosing other career paths out of financial necessity—is crucial.
The National Arts Council’s Publishing and Translation Grant, which seeks to “raise the profile of Singaporean authors and to widen access to their work both locally and overseas” and offers individuals up to $20,000 is to be applauded. But we’d also like to see more subsidized creative spaces (try paying rent here as a struggling writer!) and perhaps some big corporations or banks coming onboard to sponsor more local competitions.
Last month also saw NUS and The Arts House launch an inaugural creative writing residency program; the first of its kind here, open to published writers in English, in all genres, from around the world. That’s an extremely positive move. Next step: NUS or another university to offer a reputable creative writing MA to prove that we’re serious about nurturing our own artistic talent.

3. Writers need to build the scene

Support has to come from within, too. And that process, and accordingly the prospects for budding young writers, has rarely looked healthier. Says O Thiam Chin, author of anthologies Under the Sun and Never Been Better, “The local scene is thriving with new literary journals, like Ceriph, publishing works from new and unknown writers, and local bookstore BooksActually, organising Babette’s Feast for writers to mingle with one another in an informal setting. I’m excited to see the birth and emergence of a new wave of writers from these initiatives!”

4. Continued liberalization

Award-winning author Catherine Lim feels that Singapore’s best years lie around the corner. “It will only be a matter of time before the factors which seem to have acted as checks against bursts of literary activity—the traditionally low ranking of literature in school, the general hard-headed pragmatism of Singaporean students opting for courses that have greater utility and marketability, and the overall climate of restraint and self-censorship (which directly goes against the bold, untrammeled spirit of the arts) —will weaken in the foreseeable future,” she says. “I will not discount the indirect impact of the recent political opening up ushered in by the General Election 2011, and the rapidly increasing power of exposure through the Internet.”

5. Play to our (poetic) strengths

“Poetry is a luxury we cannot afford,” said then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at a University of Singapore audience in 1968. In this case, it’s a good thing no-one heeded his advice. Our poets and playwrights are hitting heights our novelists can (at least for now) only dream of.
“Our major poets have all been invited to important literary festivals abroad and our playwrights have seen their plays dramatized in many international theatres,” says Prof Kirpal Singh, poet, literary critic and lecturer at the Singapore Management University. “I was recently the Featured Poet at the internationally acclaimed Austin Poetry Festival in Texas, USA and was very pleasantly surprised to be told by many that our poems are studied and read in many different USA schools, colleges and universities!”
So while we still hope for a brighter future for local fiction, perhaps we shouldn’t beat ourselves up too much after all.

6. Be bold (and patient)!

The reason why Malaysian writers (among others) are more successful? “Singaporeans still tend to be too ‘polite’, preferring to keep real, hard realities and truths subtle, hidden and submerged,” says Prof Singh. “Or when we do write about these we over-do it, revealing simple outrage without tact.”
“Singaporean writers also tend to be too precious, refusing to hone their craft,” he adds. “Creating good fiction takes time and most Singaporean writers tend to be in a hurry. But we have the innate talent, what we need is careful nurturing of the execution.”

Write Here, Write Now

Written the Next Great Novel, but no clue how to go about getting it published? Phil Tatham of Monsoon Books, explains how to improve your chances of landing that big book deal.

What’s the most important thing for an aspiring writer to know about the industry?
Writers in Singapore hoping to find a publisher for their work should research the market (start with www.singaporebookpublishers.sg and www.bookcouncil.sg) and talk to other published authors.

Similarly, for writers intending to self-publish their works, they would be well-advised to talk to other self-published authors first. Do visit the Singapore Writers Festival and sign up for the two-day SWF Publishing Symposium (Oct 27-28, $20/panel; $60/day; $100/2 days). Many Singapore-based trade publishers will be in attendance so this is the best opportunity for writers to learn more about the industry and talk to the publishers face to face.

I have a great idea for a book, what should I do with it?
Start writing. For some nonfiction works, it makes sense to approach publishers with a proposal first, but for fiction you really just need to write it. Publishers can reject a work of fiction from sample chapters but they invariably need to read the whole manuscript in order to accept it.

How can I go about finding an agent?
Singapore is one place where it is possible to submit manuscripts or proposals directly to publishers (having researched which publishers are interested in which genres). Don’t feel shy about dropping a publisher or acquisitions editor an email; just don’t send a cookbook proposal to a poetry publisher.

How can I improve my chances of getting signed?
Proofread your manuscript several times before submitting it. Submit your manuscript to the most relevant publishers and/or agents. Follow the submission guidelines posted on the publisher’s website. Don’t tell the publisher that your friends really enjoyed reading the manuscript—that’s meaningless. Do make sure you have an Internet presence in the form of a Facebook page, Twitter account, blog or website. The hard work begins when the book has been accepted and authors need to be prepared to push their works 24/7 online.

Are certain types of stories more popular with agents and publishers at the moment?
Depending on your genre it may be difficult to work a sex-crazed vampire into the story but it’s always worth a try.

How can I deal with the inevitable disappointment?
Pop a valium before you open any emails from prospective publishers. Just don’t mix it with a celebratory glass of bubbly if your manuscript has been accepted, otherwise you may not be around to spend the royalties.

Is it worth the effort?
Absolutely! Everybody should write their book. If you’re unable to find a publisher then self-publish an eBook, or even leave an unpublished manuscript for your children. Monsoon recently published a memoir of a WWII spy thirty years after the death of the author as the grandchildren decided it was worth sending to a publisher.

Word Up

Philip Jeyaretnam and Colin Cheong, two leading local writers, share their insights on the Singaporean scene.

Philip Jeyaretnam

Singapore Writers Festival Steering Committee Chairman and author of First Loves

What do you think is the most important ingredient for the local literary scene?
We as a society need to focus on arts education for young Singaporeans growing up and exposing them to different literary forms. This is crucial as this would inspire the scene, and in turn attract youth to pursue arts based careers.

What are some recent developments that have impressed you?
There is something brewing in the country, with the introduction of new quality journals like Ceriph and online outlets like Poskod. The vibrancy is never about producing big international literary stars because you can never plan for that but what you can do is build a conducive environment for writers to exchange ideas, create networking opportunities and connect with publishers.

What do you hope to achieve with The Singapore’s Writers Festival?
It’s a great opportunity for Singaporean writers to garner a wide audience. The publishing symposiums will also expose the local literary community to folks from abroad. We hope the big international names will inspire the next generation of writers too.

Colin Cheong

Award-winning author

What’s your new book Polite Fiction all about?
Polite Fiction, unlike so-called hard truths, is about the lies we tell ourselves and others, about ourselves. So maybe in that sense, the book really is about hard truths. Trust no one, especially those who purport to tell you hard truths. But you can trust me. I lie all the time. I write fiction after all. But then, so do politicians.

What do you make of the local literary scene right now?
We have a vibrant lit scene here—there’s quite a bit you could read, but not so much you wouldn’t know where to start. As for “validation”—recognition by the cognoscenti does not equate with quality. Not always. Recognition is sometimes also politically-motivated. The best validation really, is a wide, devoted readership. I’d rather have J.K. Rowling’s readership than the Nobel Prize for Literature.

What issues and concerns would you like to see being addressed in the next generation of Singaporean writers?
Surprise me. The naughtier, the more irreverent, the better! Definitely more comedy, please.

Among the spirits that have undergone a bit of a reinvention of late, rum is arguably receiving the classiest makeover. Where once it was seen as some clear stuff you buy cheap at duty free and dilute with cola or juice, it is now being enjoyed on the rocks or neat, in snifters. The rums of the French Caribbean in particular are gaining special attention, as evidenced by Brasserie Wolf’s French Caribbean Night happening on Aug 31. If you’re keen to dive right in to this brave new world, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better jumping-off point than Damoiseau.

Damo-what?
Hailing from Guadeloupe, the family-owned Damoiseau was founded in 1942. Damoiseau’s spirits aren’t just rums; they’re Virgin Cane Agricole rhums, a title bestowed upon just 3 percent of the global supply of the spirit. Virgin Cane Agricole rhum, an appellation which essentially carries the same weight as “Champagne,” must be produced from fresh sugar cane juice instead of molasses.

Better with Age

Damoiseau’s rhums span a wide range of ages and prices. There’s everything from the basic Blanc ($98) to the Amber ($107), three years old ($141), four years old ($158), five years old ($183), eight years old ($265), 15 years old ($329) and the unbelievably old Vintage 1953 ($1,766). As you proceed through the range, the rhums evolve in complexity, with varied aromas and flavors of spice, wood and fruit.

Drink up!
Unlike your supermarket or convenience store rums, Damoiseau isn’t meant to be masked and knocked back for a cheap high. Simplicity works best here, and as we mentioned earlier, pour it over ice or have it straight up. Swirl, sniff, sip and savor. One alternative for those who enjoy their spirits with a little fizz is to add a splash of the premium Q-Tonic to make a Dam-QT (it’s supposed to sound like “damn cute”). Q-Tonic isn’t your average tonic water; it’s made with hand-picked quinine from Peru and sweetened with organic agave. It’s also got 60 percent less calories than your average tonic.

Go and Buy
Damoiseau rhums are currently available at selected venues including The Fullerton Bay Hotel, The Tippling Club, Bilbao, Buyan Haute Cuisine and Caviar Bar, and the Singapore Marriott Hotel. You’ll also be able to order them online soon at www.quickerliquor.com. Alternatively, drop the distributors an email at info@Monbusi.com.