I’ve been editing a story about a writer’s love affair with instant noodles for our October issue and I have discovered something – Reader’s Digest is the perfect size magazine to put on top a cup noodle to ensure the cup is sealed while your noodles are cooking. I just love RD!!!!!

Something else I love – instant noodles. This story I’m editing goes all the way back to my university days. You know, the 2 o’clock in the morning I’m crashing to finish my 5000-word essay on the application of existentialism in 21st century society due in 7 hours and I’m only on page two cursing Nietzsche for causing my slow and torturous death by starvation because I’ve missed both lunch and dinner taking copious notes in the library and trying to fashion them into a cohesive narrative. And then, I see the light.

In response to my loud wails of hunger and intellectual despair, my next-door dorm roomie Christina has come over with a cup noodle and a pair of disposable chopsticks. Ahhhhhhhhhh sweet relief. And that’s when it happens, the comment: “Someone should write a story about instant noodles!”

And so here I am, years later, editing a story on the guilty pleasures of instant noodles. Yes, I know that they don’t have much nutritious value. And yes, I’m aware of the sodium content and yes, I realise that there’s wax in the cup (it’s edible wax). But, and here it comes. I Don’t Care.

Let me repeat that. I Do Not Care. I love my instant noodles and no matter how good broccoli is for me, it is in no way as satisfying as Myojo Mee. Or an Old Chang Kee. So, I will do the exercise, drink lots of water and go for all my pilates classes, just don’t lecture me on the evils of instant noodles. You do that and you’ll get a tongue lashing on your addiction to oh say Korean drama serials (you’re killing your brain cells!!!), smoking (what are you doing to your lungs?), drinking (seriously, how much alcohol do you intend to pour into your system?) and your predilection to motorcycles and comic books (they’re called donorcycles for a reason!)

While I’m writing this, my colleagues are violently protesting my use of the magazine as a pot cover. “It’s disrespectful!” David, the design director says.

Oh you people just don’t understand. I’m taking two things that I passionately love and putting them to good use... Read More...

This week has been bountiful. My inbox has been flooded with rabbits and Scrabble fans. When I put in the Scrabble anagram into the Editor's Letter for February, I thought it would be a bit of Lunar New Year fun. And also, it made the geek in me gleeful. I love Scrabble. My mother introduced the game to me when I was six and I've been playing ever since.

It's heartening to hear that so many people out there love Scrabble too, albeit in different forms. I gather that most people playing Scrabble on their iPhones and computers. I haven't played a real board game of Scrabble myself in over two years. It's good to see that people are enjoying the game and Reader's Digest.

Bahtiar writes, "Dear Dora, just got my copy today. I am just having fun . . . the word is "RABBITS".

Bahtiar, I'm having fun too! Every morning I wonder how many bunnies will be waiting for me in my inbox. This morning there were 83 rabbits and the day before, a total of 107. I'm amazed at how many have hopped over through email and I feel all warm and fuzzy knowing that people are actually reading and paying attention to my ed note.

Two things have come out of this. First, I am trying to send a personal response to each reader that sent me a rabbit. It's a pile of bunnies I'm getting through, but I think I'll get there in the end. Second, I'm think that Reader's Digest should definitely hold some sort of Scrabble competition in the near future. It would be great fun don't you think?! I'd love to hear your thoughts on a Scrabble contest. Drop me a line at rdaeditor@readersdigest.com. And you're most welcome to keep sending me rabbits. Afterall, it's good luck for the new year!

Try some of our online games and have fun!

A friend of mine texted me the other day. “Only you would put a curry puff in your editor’s note!”

Actually, that was Mags, the designer’s idea. But hey, it’s something I probably really would do. I love curry puffs. I love Old Chang Kee – fresh and piping hot. Pastry cooked to golden perfection, crumbly and crunchy, the curry filling spicy and potato creamy – YUM! I can easily eat three at a go. Just ask any of my ex-colleagues. They’ve watched me dropping crumbs all over my keyboard while munching and writing stock market roundups. I’m a rather messy multi-tasker.

Anyway, back to curry puffs and food, July’s special report on Asia’s Top Chefs was particularly fun for me. Seriously, how can food not be fun? Especially when it’s part of my responsibilities as Editor to thoroughly research the special reports we’re publishing :)

So, after reading the first draft of Adrianna Tan’s story, I decided that I really had to fact check her article. Luckily for me, I happened to be going to Bangkok the following weekend. I got myself into a cab and went over to Bo.Lan for dinner.

Let me just say, I ate and ate and ate and ate … The food presentation was absolution gorgeous and everything tasted phenomenal. I don’t consider myself a gourmet foodie – I’m the OCK (Old Chang Kee) Girl. But for that evening, I was persuaded that there was more to life than deep fried pockets of curry.

Writing this blog is making me hungry. Hmmmmm, feels like the perfect time for a snack. Gee, I wonder what I should get … perhaps, possibly, yeah I think so – it’s CURRY PUFF TIME!

Later.