The compelling story of Geeky Tai-Tai’s Road Trip will continue after I entertain a few questions from Delmer of What’s a Delmer Look Like? Delmer is participating in Avitable’s five-question interview revival, and I asked him to interview me. His questions follow.
If you want me to interview you, the instructions are at the bottom of the post.
*************
1. You have recently (all things considered) moved back to the United States from Singapore. What did you miss most about the US while you were away from the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave? What do you miss most about Singapore? Are there any Singapore dishes you wish you could get here that you’ve not been able to find (for the sake of this question we’ll include “alcohol” as a dish).
A. I missed my family and friends the most while living in Singapore. It takes a full 24 hours to get home, and that’s just the air travel. It was particularly difficult when my father-in-law was dying, and then when Dad had to have open-heart surgery. In Dad’s case, I decided to wait until he was out of surgery and recovering before getting on the plane. The “not-knowing” would’ve been too hard on me. He is a picture of health, by the way, and just drove Mom cross-country over the holidays to visit my sister in California. 
B. I miss our friends the most — we were a big happy family of different nationalities, and we celebrated most of our holidays together. Oh, how I miss them!
C. Just the other day I was watching Tony Bourdain on the Travel Channel, and he was in Singapore trying out foods at different hawker centers (my mouth is watering as I write this). One of the centers he went to for chili crab was where we took my BIL for a seafood feast while he was visiting us. I miss roti prata with curried vegetables, chili crab, cheese lobster, bok choy, and bakkwa (a barbecued pork “jerky”) from Bee Cheng Hiang. Bakkwa is a very popular gift during Chinese New Year and the price is always higher then. I’m going to try to order some online because it’s vacuum-packed and can be shipped.
Hmmm… I wonder why you’ve included alcohol in your question of things I might miss??? 
Fortunately, Anheuser-Bush began importing Tiger Beer before we left Singapore and we buy it regularly. One beer that I really miss and is not imported here is Kilkenny, and that’s a downright shame! However, I did “fall in love” with Stella Artois while living over there, and so she’s mah beer bitch here too!
2. If a person were to read over your blog, and I’m referring to the December 12, 2008 entry, they would find that it didn’t take you too long to run afoul of the law once you returned home. Did you do anything to catch the eye of local law enforcement while you were living in Singapore? (Maybe you chewed some gum in public?)
Luckily for me, that was my very first run-in with the law, and I hope the last! I did, indeed, chew gum in public and got stares from many Singaporeans who were still unaware that chewing gum is legal in Singapore now. The government has been working very hard to promote a smoke-free environment and, thus, legalized the sale of chewing gum in pharmacies.
3. Is owning Havanese dogs everything you hoped it would be? Do they really not shed? Or is that simply propaganda spread by Castro’s henchmen? Are they chewers? Do they listen well? Is there any behavior you wish you could change.
When my friend, Mary, told me that Havanese dogs are her favorite breed because they’re so loving and delightful, I never dreamed that they would be this good! These little fellas are the best dogs I’ve ever owned. It was love at first sight with these guys for all of us, and everyone they meet enjoys their antics. So, yes, they’re everything I hoped they would be and more!
Even though Castro and his henchmen fooled a lot of their fellow countrymen about how cool a Marxist government would be. They were telling the truth about Havanese dogs being hypo-allergenic in that they don’t shed, nor do they have dander (or very little of it). I like mah boyz to have their long hair, but it does require that I spend time combing them to prevent matting (which is bad for any dog’s skin). Clyde doesn’t matt much, but Hunter’s hair is finer and I have to be careful about not letting it get matted. I did learn the other day that on rare occasions Havanese carry a recessive gene causing them to have short hair that sheds.
It’s ironic that you ask about the chewing issue. In the three months that I’ve had them they haven’t done anything naughty. That is, until I got your email with these questions! I discovered that one of them (I’m pretty sure it was Clyde) chewed up a Wii controller and the end of an extension cord! I’m lucky I didn’t discover a dead dog! These dogs are very smart and listen well. I never raise my voice with them because it only frightens them. They only want to make us happy. A lot of times I can just whisper to them, and they’ll do what I ask.
The one behavior I wish I could change is the difficulty with housetraining. Fortunately, when they do make a mess, it’s a tiny one.
4. Despite the fact it looks like I just threw these questions (and my blog) together, I did actually do a little bit of research. Before taking the step of asking what Geeky Tai-Tai meant I looked at your blogger profile where I found you were Geeky because you have a blog (which makes you Geekiest person in your family). I’m still, however, not sure what Tai-Tai means despite the fact I clicked the Tai-Tai link to find other Tai-Taiers. What is Tai-Tai (and if it is something obvious that everybody in the world knows about but me, please try to make it sound a little bit complicated).
It is only an obvious term in Asia, so no worries there. A Tai-Tai is an Asian woman with LOTS of leisure time and money because she married well, as in an Asian Ivana Trump. One time, I was signing in at a doctor’s office and I was required to list my occupation. Since I had none, I wrote “Tai-Tai”. The woman reading over my chart looked up at me with a startled expression and when she saw me smiling, she laughed hysterically and called in her colleagues to see the self-professed Caucasian tai-tai. Yes, I was the laughing-stock of the day, but it was fun.
5. As it is hard for me to come up with five sort-of original thoughts so close together, I’ve borrowed this next question from James Lipton of Inside the Actor’s Studio: What sound or noise do you hate?
I can only choose one??? That’s a tough question, Delmer! The first thing that comes to mind, though, is the horribly gross sound some people make when they’re trying to cough up a big “quid”. That would be the most delicate way I can think of to describe it. I wonder what James Lipton would think of that answer?
***************
So there you have it! Want to be part of it? Follow these instructions:
-
Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
-
I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
-
You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
-
You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
*****************
Now, if you want to know even more about ME because it is all about me today (I don’t know why,
but that seems to be the case), you simply must listen to SecondhandRadio tonight at 10 p.m. where I will be Karl’s guest. Whoo-hoo! I’m excited and just a little bit nervous 
