“Itu satu orang Ishaq… Moulvi Ishaq.. Dalam Nee Soon Camp, dia ada canteen - British Army. Lepas itu, dia sudah balik Pakistan.”

There was this person, Ishaq… Moulvi Ishaq… He had a canteen in Nee Soon Camp - the British Army. Eventually, he returned to Pakistan.

My miserable failure of attempting to cook Punjabi Yakhni Pilau did not stop me from trying again my hand at another few Pakistani meat dishes. Well, that’s partly because I had happily bought four boxes of Shan meat spices. But as the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, try again!

After my afternoon tea session at Campbell Lane and a brief sojourn to the Indian Heritage Center, I proceeded to Masjid Abdul Gafoor at Dunlop Street for Asar. Stepping in Masjid Abdul Gafoor, I always find myself in awe of the mosque’s facade and general architecture.

There is another reason why I feel connected to Masjid Abdul Gafoor. Having done a lot of research on the early Pakistani diaspora in Singapore, I find Masjid Abdul Gafoor a point of convergence in a number of narratives by interviewees.

We spoke at some length about family, people we knew, Pakistani personalities and about cricket in Singapore, which of course, Uncle Majid is always passionate about, having been a former national cricket player himself.

Sometimes friends poke fun at me for spending my afternoons with seniors but I enjoy it nonetheless for their company, and the occasional pearls of wisdom imparted onto me.

Perhaps the best summary of today’s effort was when my helper asked, “Sir, nasi ini dimasak dengan kicap?” (Sir, is this rice cooked with soy sauce?)

It would have made me feel better if she was actually sarcastic.