TAKE A RIDE ON THE WILD SIDE

On the 25th of November I turned 27…in another three yrs time I’ll be 30 and damn!! Don’t I look fine or what!!? Laughs! Birthdays were never of any real significance when I was growing up….or were they? Since my elder brother and sister were born on the same day but three years apart. They always had their birthday parties together. I don’t remember having a birthday party thrown for me after I got into secondary school,…just another reason for me to bitch about how unfair life was to me…another large piece of wood I would throw into the already burning fire of the rebel youth that was me. Yes I was listening to the sex pistols, slayer, metallica, getting into fights in school and at home (my brother dislocated my jaw once)…wanted to kill my family. And I so hated my second language teacher I wanted to rip her head off and shove it some place where the sun did not bother shining.

Yes I wanted the attention…or maybe I just wanted the presents…and the cash gifts that came along with turning one year older. Can you blame me?!! I still remember one year when my folks threw a nice party for my siblings and my brother got this really nice watch from dad. So I kept hinting at my dad for a watch for my birthday as well…for all the effort I put into “getting” that freakin watch…I got zip, jack, nada nothing! For the people out there that know me pretty well…I’m a person with very few regrets. But if I could go back in time and fix something, it would be if I could just have matured a little faster.

What are birthdays? I think it’s a day and a date to remind myself that I had time. Time to do all that I wanted. To turn my dreams into reality. To cook the ultimate meal for family and friends. To dive into the deepest oceans with the pretty corals and rainbow colored fishes. To sit on the perfect beach with my closest friends, chilling out and watching the sun set. Taking a picture that does actually tell a million stories. Painting a picture that’s totally enigmatic.

Its also a period that allows me to think about many things and perhaps lead me in a different direction in life. The last few years of my life have been the best. I found that my religion offered me more then I expected it to. It freed me from burdens I did not really have to carry all by myself. It offered me joy and happiness that nothing material or even the greatest of emotions could give me. And it gave me a new purpose in my life. I mean I always knew that I was good at many things, I loved being around people and making them laugh and smile and I had stuff going for me but it did not really mean anything. But believe me folks when there’s purpose…servitude means so much more.
I had this surge of Joy in my heart that I so wanted to share with the people around. A different kinda Joy…something only God can give.

And when you give back to your Maker through the gifts and talents he has given you, it’s the best feeling ever. I mean yeah sure I was busy at work just like everybody else but I always made time for God because I wanted to. Time its such a precious commodity that so many of us take for granted. We spend so much of it thinking only about ourselves and our own personal happiness. We become selfish…self centered and certainly in my thought very Singaporean. We spend our time asking ourselves difficult questions that we’re just going to waste more time answering. Questions like “when am I going to die?”…”what’s going to happen to me tomorrow?”. Why concern ourselves with things we will never know the answer to.

People always ask me how I deal with the cancer. First I tell them that my religion and my deep faith in it tells me that I’m going to a better place and death is just the beginning of something beautiful. And then I tell them that death is inevitable, there is no way anyone can avoid it. So why worry about something that’s going to happen anyways…its just that in my case I probably will die from cancer if the bloody unhealthy food in Singapore does not get me first…*grins* I would really rather concern myself with what I’m doing with the time I have rather then waste it away doing nothing but worry about something that’s not even worth worrying about!!!

Hey!! I’m not saying there’s anything totally wrong with being responsible and taking care of ourselves. I’ve always also made time to be happy doing the things I love. I have traveled, taken some very nice pictures, cooked nice meals for friends and am still working on that painting!!

A whole year… I wish I could give you a year in months, weeks, days, minutes and seconds but I cant be bothered, anyways what difference would it make. I’m just glad I’m not one of those people who complains about not having enough time. Give them a couple more hours and they’ll probably still be complaining.

So what did you do with all that time you had? did you finally manage to do something you’d always wanted to do? Did you do something good that made YOU feel good? or are you waiting for something to happen…and if it does not happen are you going to be bitter and angry. Are you waiting for your birthday and that present? Seriously folks I think we can give ourselves gifts, ticker day parades and smiles on a daily basis through life lessons. We can learn maturity….be more gracious…take a lot less things in life for granted…see beauty in simplicity and with every lesson learnt…every day WILL be YOUR BIRTHDAY!

Thank you for riding with me.

Was reading through some testimonials i wrote for some friends and came across one i wrote for a special friend. And if we're talking about writing testimonials then everyone should be written one just like or...why not use that thing you call a brain and outdo me...Muahahahhaaha!!..or NOT! Later dudes...i'm riding with the PINK T-SHIRT GANG TODAY!

"Every time I think of the comicality by which we got to know each other…I laugh in a vulgar, barbaric, ill bred kinda way…rather like the ribaldry I’m made out to be- a.k.a plebeian thrown cleaner, camel’s ass wiper, latrine cleaner and ****** licker!! Your three favorite words. Outwit. Outplay. Outlast….not going to be doing any of those things today. Don’t really want to piss the reality television psycho off and evoke the draconian in you!!.. if they had an asylum for fashion misfits, you would be “The Rage”. You would be, a` la mode… [Sorry not cultured and well read enough to quote the nifty sayings of a Chinese man.] You make me laugh all the time cause sometimes you’re just a reckless, wild, madcap, devil-may-care-, spasmodic, hotheaded, headstrong, breakneck, foolhardy, harebrained, crazed smile Amazon Princess with the killer hair to boot and the next min you’re all plastic smile with savoir-faire[F] etiquette….Shazzzam Baby!! Your circumvention and finesse for verbal jousting is truly wicked….you’ve made a duffer out of me on so many occasions. In the innermost recesses of your dark, decrepit and pragmatic thought core, you’re also a castle building rhapsodist and dare I say dream of being a utopian. You are a true Bibliophile- a savant who makes the words come alive and imbibing knowledge seems like second nature to you. Sometimes you say stuff to me that sounds educated , bookish and scholastic and there are times when its just total balder dashing twaddle. I prognosticate that the delirium and oddity of being with you will not ware off anytime soon. In my constant struggle to fight the debasement of society I leave you {so called educated pricks} with a little social msg….SEE ALL THE PRETTY WORDS YOU CAN USE, IF ONLY YOU GAVE A SHIT, SAT DOWN AND READ THE THESAURUS ONCE IN A FREAKIN BLUE MOON. I feel less constipated now. you Baby are a Bon vivant!! Could not imagine my life without you in it."

i like this picture.looks like i'm actually going to pull the trigger.Jon boy took this pic.these are just previews of the pictures i've taken so far...i love taking pictures and capturing a moment...espescially of people i love.enjoy the pictures at my site.be good and God bless. 

A picture i took at Swing. A Jazz Club we have in singapore. I like the funky dancing lights.Picture taken by kelvin david. 

Picture of wisma atria.taken by kelvin david 

i messed around with digi cam software.Picture of Jon boy on mrt train.picture taken by kelvin david. 

This is one of my oldest and bestest buddies, Aaron.picture taken by kelvin david. 

jon boy having his cup of coffee. pic taken by kelvin david.you can see all pictures at http://www.zorpia.com/kelvindavid
 

my nephews full is name is Bryan Inesh David. 

too cute! 

close up pic of Bryan 

thats my nephew right there folks.the whole cute thing really does run in the family.laughs.love the pic of Claire my niece with her Lil brother.if you're wondering why shes got that look on her face.it's prob cause my bro,her daddy is asking her to be careful.shes just concentrating aye. 

I apologise for not blogging on a more frequent basis. After this round of chemotherapy I was feeling pretty good but the body would let me down when I needed it the most. I guess these days I treasure even that whole deep breath I'm able to take because I get winded so easily. Thanks to all of you that read my Blog...It means a lot to me. Especially to Jon boy who eggs me on to update the blog and has been hanging out with me a lot. He inspired my need to write about Bak Kut Teh....Laughs. I"m going to miss you when you head off to Thailand. I'm a little sad that so many friends are leaving before my birthday. 20 more days to go man!!!!But I'll make an occasion out of it knowing me. bloggin has been fun thus far...lookin forward to more.
later dudes.

This is a picture of me on the drums in church playing for the main service band.It seems someone was going around randomly taking snap shots and was kind enough to send me this picture. Notice that i'm also wearing my very cool Beer Delivery Guy T-shirt...*grins* 

A little expose on Bak Kut Teh.

I’m writing about one of my fav soups today only because I feel I’m qualified enough to do so. I studied to be a Chef….dammit!. The cold and gloomy weather of late has also prompted me to partake of meals that are more soup based…which logically would equate the meal to being hot measured in Kelvin with lots of steam. I don’t really know the story of Bak Kut Teh itself but I surely do know my story of Bak Kut Teh.

As a boy growing up in a family that loves to dabble in Chinese cuisine…my kitchen savvy Mom would prepare this dish with much ease. She would pressure cook the pork ribs. Then get a clear broth boiling with the already perfectly braised ribs in it…while adding a few essential herbs and garlic. Her version of the Bak Kut Teh was a little to the spicy side thus the crushing of white pepper corn. A little salt to taste…and don’t forget the braised peanuts (I’m sure someone reading this went” hey! What about the braised peanuts?!!!” don’t get your panties in a twist reader).

If you had any lighting in your kitchen!! And if it bounced off the soup…a thin layer of clear fat would glisten….ahhhh the fat! Such a misunderstood taste provider. Coming from the braising of the ribs. The fat acts as surprisingly pungent but un-repulsive necessary evil. Its like the pork fat that we use in Char Kway Teow and Malaysian style Hokkien Mee. Its unhealthy but no way in hell could we do without it.

A pot of steaming rice and a small dish of red cut chili with dark soya sauce and Ba Da Bing!! (NO..thats not another ingredient!..its a sound of completion!)…you have a kick ass meal to satisfy a hungry family. God bless my Mom!

If you’ve ever tried braising something...or “boiling” meat on a bone till the meat was falling off the bone then you would know the value of having a pressure cooker in your home kitchen. Its like having a BOSE sound system or BMW Z4 sitting right there all purring to be used. This kitchen appliance allows meat to stew in its own juices and makes the screw up probability in the kitchen very low. When pressure cookers were first used though, there were many reports of them blowing up but with updated technology, its pretty safe to use one now.

The best cut of pork to use for this soup would be the ribs. The meat is nice and tender with just the right amount of fattiness on it, some parts even come with cartilage which is edible of course. When I say “meat falling off the bone” it means that the meat has been cooked to perfection thus allowing the lucky bastard who’s stuffing his face with Bak Kut Teh to easily pick the meat off even while using a pair chopsticks. You probably would not even have to make the effort to chew on the meat cause if cooked right the meat should just comfortably breakdown and ease into your taste glands.


I remember when I was working at the Mandarin, and when I worked the midnight shift. My colleagues and I would end work at around 7am in the morning. We would then make our way to Keppel Road and there would be this store that only sold Bak Kut Teh. It was very old school…with heavy marble tables and rounded wooden stools. They would open at 4am in the morning and close at around 1pm or earlier if I remember correctly. There would always be a vulgar looking server, I guess it goes with the whole vibe yah. We would always order the Bak Kut Teh with many sides dishes. We had the yew char kway (Chinese fried dough fritters), the salted vegetables, tau pok in soya sauce and the braised peanuts of course. The Bak Kut Teh that is served island wide usually comes with coriander leaves which is a far cry from its almost similar looking cousin garnish the parsley. This bad ass garnish is awesome to look at in its freshest form and can be a nasty shock to the senses of folks who are not familiar to it’s rush to the head…seep to your nose effect. but to wash it all down we had a boiling kettle of water beside us on a charcoal stove so we could prepare fragrant Chinese tea. Dudes I only have one thing to say to after all this….Yam Cha!


Bak Kut Teh to me is like Consommé to the Europeans. Its more then just comfort food. Its warms more then just the cockles of my heart…whatever the hell that’s suppose to mean. It’s a tool I use to satisfy and communicate. Communicating messages of love and concern when I treat someone to this dish or vice versa and satisfying my cravings and hunger. Food will always play a central role in every event of our lives. In certain cultures we have red eggs or a small feast for a new born babe. In remembrance of passing years we have birthdays where food is never amiss. In times of struggles its food that brings everyone together. Even when we die…we usually end the funeral with a simple fare of food. If the world were a simpler place I would wish that everything could be settled over a simple meal of Bak Kut Teh.