19 | June | 2011 | Otterman speaks...

I hardly get out to town so when I was early for the launch of Veggie Thursday at Cafe Le Caire last Thursday, I walked down Haji Lane for a bit. tokyobike caught my eye and I chatted with the proprietors for a bit and I would later post a note about the shop on Cycling in Singapore.

On the wall further ahead, a lovely wall painting indicating the whereabouts of a bar called Piedra Negra. It’s interior has Spanish and Mexican art decor and does look interesting.

Singapore Actually features many of the other shops which pepper the lane.

My fondest memory of the lane, though, lay across the road from tokyobike. Behind the window of an air-conditioned shop, a well-fed cat studied the growing evening activity on the road with great interest and mewed at the many passerbys who stopped to say hello. I’d have loved to get know him better but it was time to head back to the launch. Interesting place, Haji Lane, and all the better with that resident cat.

“Assisi Hospice has been caring for the critically ill, the dying and the poor, and their purpose is to enable their patients to live their final days with dignity, with their pain and suffering managed, and to know that they are loved and cared for despite their illness.

Their care does not include only medical and nursing services but also psychosocial and emotional support for our patients and their families.”

The funfair today organised by volunteer effort is a critical part of their annual fundraising activities. My kakis and I, led by our Catholic member, Adrian Loo akak Lekowala , are in our fourth year of setting up a stall of pre-loved items for sale.

It’ll be a hard day’s work of sales and we look forward to little breaks when we’ll examine the other offerings down the row of stalls and inevitably chomp on the delectable offerings!