Going back to the old school.

Sun, 13 Feb 2011
3 min read
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So I like my coffee. I like being green as well. I also like being old school (at times).

What happens when we combine the power of these three things together?

We get Captain Planet!

Captain Planet and the Planeteers!

No, silly. We get Chop Hua Heng.

Chop Hua Heng - a shop at Potong Pasir that sells coffee.

Chop Hua Heng is a shop in Potong Pasir that sells pure coffee powder.

That’s right – none of the instant stuff you find stocking shelves in supermarkets.

I don’t know if Chop Hua Heng pure coffee powder is necessarily healthier than what you get when you buy instant coffee.

But I think there are some advantages to buying coffee from a shop as compared to coffee from a supermarket.

For one, you can vary the coarseness of the ground coffee based on your own needs. You can choose to buy:

  • Beans, if you have your own grinder,
  • Normal grind, for which you need either a coffee maker or a french press, OR
  • Fine grind, which works like instant coffee but leaves a sediment at the bottom of the cup (which you don’t drink, obviously, if you don’t like its taste).

The proprietor grinding coffee for me.

I use finely-ground coffee, because it saves time when it comes to preparing a drink.

Another reason for buying coffee from a shop is that it’s much cheaper than the stuff you get in supermarkets – the most expensive type of coffee that Chop Hua Heng sells is $21 per kilogram.

Coffee powder from Bali - $21 per kg.

That works out to about $8.40 for a 400g bottle of good-tasting coffee, which is $2 to $3 cheaper than a bottle of Nescafe Gold.

Of course, there are other types of coffee at various prices. Nevertheless, each variety of coffee trounces its nearest ‘instant’ competitor in supermarket chains in terms of taste and price.

Last but not least, you get to be somewhat environmentally friendly by reusing containers which you might otherwise have thrown away.

This is 1kg worth of Bali Coffee.

The container on the left is a Nescafe Gold container which I’ve been reusing for the last few years. The containers on the right once contained Lunar New Year biscuits. (Unfortunately, I had to use plastic bags and rubber bands to store the coffee before placing them in the red-topped containers, because I gave those away as gifts to fellow coffee-lovers.)

Now, imagine if I had thrown away those containers and bought NEW containers full of coffee from a supermarket every now and repeated the process every two months or so. How much extra waste would I have generated?

So make it a point to visit Chop Hua Heng soon. I don’t know if it’s open on weekends, but I do know it’s closed on Thursdays.

Even if you don’t live anywhere near Potong Pasir, there are still Chop-Hua-Heng-type shops aplenty all over Singapore, so you don’t have to be a slave to commercialised and over-priced coffee anymore.

—

Chop Hua Heng
Blk 148 Potong Pasir Avenue 1
01-27
Singapore 350148

Telephone: 6289 4754

Open from 9am to 6pm on weekdays, but closed on Thursdays.

Laundry day.

Sun, 6 Feb 2011
1 min read
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In which Larebear and Laresaurus get a wash.

In the washing machine.
In the washing machine.


An unhappy Larebear.


Larebear is clean and dry and woolly once more.


The Larenimals and their associates chilling out in the sun.


Larebear spending a contemplative moment by himself.

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures of Larebear and Laresaurus.

Condensed thoughts.

Sat, 11 Dec 2010
3 min read
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This is one of the downsides of not having a mobile data plan – being unable to share my very interesting thoughts (yeah, right) with all of you ON THE FLY.

However, the corollary of that would be permanent cyborgism i.e. if I had a mobile data plan, I’d probably be Tweeting and Facebooking non-stop like some of you losers (wei… just kidding).

So in no order of merit but in some order of chronology, here is what has happened over the last two days:

  • Was travelling along Upper Thomson Road yesterday, on my way to Khatib Camp, when I went past Nee Soon Camp. Both sides of the road were lined with cars. I was like: WTF? Is there some large-scale mobilisation or something like that going on? Was simultaneously worried and intrigued at the same time.
  • I realise I have a very deep fascination with military camps – so long as I’m not forced to have to stay in one.
  • Military facilities e.g. camps, live firing areas, etc. in Singapore have some of the most beautiful architecture or scenery in the land but unfortunately, the majority of the people who have the privilege to appreciate this beauty are Philistines. Philistines, I tell you!
  • I have a newfound love and appreciate for the word “Philistine”. Other words I love but rarely have a chance to use: zeugma, anthropomorphic and bond-free.
  • On my way back from Khatib Camp, travelling along the same road, I discovered the reason for the rows of parked vehicles: Friday prayers!
  • It’d be nice to work for PIONEER again. That way I can write and live out my concurrent fascination/repulsion for all things military in Singapore. (There are downsides to this but I shall not discuss them today.)
  • I’ve finally learnt how to work the Closed Stacks system at the National Library. It may be a tad premature to make this judgement, but IMHO, the NUS Closed Stacks > National Library Closed Stacks system.
  • In any case, the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library experience, much like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, has been quite good and user-friendly, so far. Good work, the two librarians – yes, you; the ones who Googled my name.
  • I miss being a student! Somewhat.
  • Munshi Abdullah is hilarious. For some good chucks, please read The Voyage of Abdullah (959.51 ABD).
  • Popcorn. To be elaborated on in a future post (hopefully).

That is all. You may now express your adoration for me by clicking the ‘Like’ button below this post.