Book review: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life of Bees is a historical fiction novel by American author Sue Monk Kidd. 

An angsty white teenager with a tragic backstory learns about self-acceptance and forgiveness with the aid of a feisty group of black women and unlikely members of the natural world. 

The Secret Life of Bees was originally published in 2001. The novel has since sold more than eight million copies worldwide and has been translated into 36 languages. It also stayed on the New York Times best seller list for two and a half years. It won the 2004 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards (Paperback), and was nominated for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction.

The novel was adapted into a 2008 award-winning film of the same name directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, and Paul Bettany. 

***Plot***
The year is 1964, a time in the US history that marked a breakthrough for the civil rights movement. The place is racially-charged South Carolina where tensions between whites and blacks are simmering. 

14-year old Lily Owens witnesses her black maid, Rosaleen, experience horrific racist abuse for a trivial altercation. She impulsively breaks Rosaleen out of jail and flees her troubled childhood home to get away from her emotionally distant and often abusive father. 

Going only by an old and mystifying photograph belonging to her deceased mother, she lands on the doorstep of the Boatwright sisters in Tiburon, South Carolina. The three unmarried black sisters named after certain months of the year live in a pink house on a large bee farm and make a living selling honey. An inherited statue of a black Mary is at the crux of the sisters religious and spiritual beliefs. It stands as an eternal symbol of hope, strength and freedom for the oppressed. 

Lily is accepted an as apprentice beekeeper and Rosaleen as a housekeeper by the eccentric Boatwright trio. They temporarily move in with the sisters. Lily is anxious to uncover the secret of her mother’s history and connect the dots that will reveal if her intuition that originally brought her to the Boatwright family was right. 

Lily needs to come to terms with her past, overcome her regrets and learn how to forgive in order to find peace and start living again. 

A Walk in the (Jurassic) Park: Jurassic Mile, Singapore

Today's blog post is from a family outing that we went on MONTHS ago. It was my intention to post it soon after but that clearly didn't happen 😬 From a personal perspective, I'd say the theme of 2022 seems to be - so much to do and so little time! 

Despite not traveling a whole lot in the past few years, we visit Changi airport very often 😄 It is actually one of our favourite hang out spots because all our shopping needs are met under one roof and it houses several of our go-to restaurants (Shake Shack, A&W, Tonito and Sankranti). Not to mention, the kids love visiting the Jewel Rain Vortex and Canopy Park. 

Living in the West, it is a relatively long drive for us but we don't mind it because we invariably have a good time. 

Jurassic Mile is Singapore’s new(ish) and largest permanent outdoor display of life-sized dinosaurs located along a section of the recently opened Changi Airport Connector, a 3.5km cycling and jogging path that links Changi Airport to East Coast Park and the Park Connector Network. 

Now, let me tell you that our children aren't what you would term 'dinophiles'. They have watched Jurassic Park a few times, have flipped through a couple of children's books on dinosaurs and can identify the easily recognizable (popular) dinosaurs such as T-rex, Velociraptors, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Brachiosaurus but that's just about it. We took them to Jurassic Mile mainly as a learning experience with the hope of getting them more interested in dinosaurs and the field of palaeontology. 

At Jurassic Mile, more than 20 different prehistoric creatures from nine different species stretch over a 1-kilometre of the cycling and jogging path. Expect to see carnivorous and herbivorous species, defensive dinosaurs, as well as those that fly. The tallest dinosaur stands at almost 5 meters high. 

We started our morning by visiting Changi Beach Park for a spot of exercise on a blisteringly hot Saturday. We quickly realized that the weather was hardly conducive for exercise (we had no plans of suffering a heat stroke!) so we didn't stick around for long. 

We drove to Changi airport Terminal 4 and parked there. From the parking lot, it is a short walk to Jurassic Mile. Fortunately for us, there were not many people so we were able to take a good look around. 

The starting point of the Jurassic Mile is this red Pterodactyl. 

The path is somewhat narrow and certain stretches of it are lined with dino prints. Cute right?

The first exhibit we came across was the Triceratops. This dinosaur had a parrot-like beak and huge frill at the back of its head. It combined a gentle, plant-eating disposition with three fearsome-looking horns that were probably used both in courtship and keeping hungry tyrannosaurs and raptors at bay.

In addition to a metal fence there is also a net covered roof (to prevent any nasty golf ball incidents) so the pictures unfortunately will look like this. I did however manage to get a few shots by positioning the camera in between the metal bars. Keep in mind that drones are not allowed. 

The baby Triceratops is a new addition.

Ankylosaurus was a heavily armoured dinosaur covered with thick and bony plates that were fused to its skull and other body parts. With a club-like bone at the tip of its tail, the Ankylosaurus could damage any attacking predator by swinging it.

And yes, I realize in hindsight that I have not managed to capture the tail which is an important feature of this dinosaur 😛

Restaurant review: Podi & Poriyal, Singapore

I've been MIA for a short while because my social calendar in the first half of November was all over the place. It is only this weekend that I've managed to find my bearings and the first thing on my agenda is getting back to blogging 😁 I am bringing you a restaurant review today. 

I had been hearing about Podi & Poriyal for a very long time mainly via social media. You know the only area where I have FOMO is when it comes to restaurants that generate buzz. So predictable no? 😆 I was able to finally check out the restaurant for myself a few months ago with my family. 

Nestled in the heart of Little India, Podi & Poriyal is an offering from Arpanam Pte Ltd, a social enterprise, started by the Nadathur Family in Singapore. Arpanam aims to provide enriching experiences that celebrate Indian culture, art, traditions and customs. 

The restaurant is housed in a pre-war heritage building with a brick facade diagonally opposite to the Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple in Little India. The location is relatively less crowded and quieter compared to the eateries located closer to Mustafa Centre and the Little India Arcade. 

Both al fresco and indoor dining options are available. The muggy weather compelled us to retreat to the cool comfort of the restaurant. 

On entering the warm and inviting space, you feel transported to an upscale family-run eatery in a small South-Indian town. Even though the size of the space is small, it is clean and tastefully done. I loved the tall wooden pillars at the entrance representative of traditional Chettinad architecture, the feature wall made up of kitchen tools and utensils from a bygone era, the vibrant wallpaper and the different varieties of exterior + interior patterned floor tiles. The walnut-hued wood accents, interesting ethnic elements and sober earthy colors lend a calming vibe to the space. 

All the decor elements including the light fixtures, fabric blinds, upholstery fabrics, curated contemporary art and framed photographs of yesteryears add to the cultural appeal of the restaurant. 

For the unversed, 'Podi' refers to a spice blend in Southern India, one that is sprinkled on food to spike the flavor profile of a dish. Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadi use the term 'Podi' whereas in Karnataka the equivalent term is 'Pudi'. On the other hand, 'Poṟiyal' is a Tamil word for any fried, or sometimes sautéed, vegetable dish (in Kannada the same thing is called 'Palya'). It is usually made by shallow frying shredded or diced vegetables and greens along with spices. 

Podi & Poriyal offers diners a menu of wholesome South Indian vegetarian fare. Re-establishing long forgotten South Indian recipes is at the heart of this restaurant. The menu changes constantly, is carefully crafted and offers an assortment of homely meals and snacks. Also, the restaurant highlights different types of food depending on the time of day. Set meals and regional snacks are offered during lunchtime and evening respectively. Eclectic cocktails and bar snacks are available in the evening. My husband and I need to return to check it out 😁

At the heart of the kitchen at Podi & Poriyal is Jamuna paati who draws inspiration from the recipes of her own childhood and reflects fresh, nutritious food. Her meticulously planned menu includes healthy alternatives to rice, with fresh seasonal vegetables cooked in authentic South Indian spices which are a treat for the senses. The restaurant kitchen steers away from using artificial colours, preservatives, MSG, or the use of aluminum vessels. All dishes are geared towards wellness, freshly prepared with no microwaving involved. Healthier substitutes such as rock salt, coconut sugar, raw sugar and jaggery are used in their preparations. Also worth noting is that Podi & Poriyal is a low-gluten restaurant with several of their dishes being gluten-free. Also, there are dishes that are indicated as vegan.