Asia
How to choose Durian?
Is Durian’s Season now, some tips you may like to follow while choosing a king of fruit!
First, pick up a durian by using a towel cloth or a glove and give a gentle shake. If the sound is dull and subtle, this is just right. If it is knocking sound, the fruit is not ripe enough. It there is no sound; the fruit may be too ripe and taste bitterness (to some, bitterness is the best taste among).
Second, durian should smell little fragrant. Too pungent may indicates the fruit is too ripe.
Third, some seller allows open up the shell slightly to examine the flesh. It should feel soft and tender not watery and hard.
Fourth, buy back home and test personally.
My Article
Lately, a local Chinese Press published my article in one of the Leisure section. This is a prose; it talked about the beauty side of Sengkang@Promenade that is a famous estate park in Singapore.
This is the second articles published after 20 years of my “rest and relax” period.
I hope that this is not the last piece of my story.
But for sure, when ever I saw, I heard, I touched, I always think about what I write, is going to share with the whole world!
How exciting it is!
So for that, on this ordinary day, I would like to make this opportunity to thank all my followers and blogger friends.
Through my sincere heart, thank you very much!
Wishing everyone, a warm rising sun on you!
The skulls, The rats, The centipedes and The Singapore River.
In the early years when mangroves swamps and human skulls were covered long ago before the Thomas Raffles came.
During the Raffles colony, Colonel Farquhar asked the Sea Gypsies who were the early communities, “Whose are all these skulls and dead bodies?” they replies, “They belongs to the men who were robbed at sea and slaughtered here.”
According to Munshi Abdullah wrote; there was a plague of rats in the river community, the size of rats were as huge as cats.
Colonel Farquhar rewarded 1 ‘wang’ for every rat been caught. Hence, thousands of rats brought in every morning. After 6 or 7 days, multitude of creatures were still can be founded. He increased the paid out to 5 ‘duit’ for each catch. But still, thousands of rats have been brought in everyday.
Subsequently, Farquhar ordered to dig a deep trench to bury those dead bodies.
The number of rats brought in dwindled until 10 or 20 rats a day.
Not long after, centipedes struck. A number of centipedes attacked people who living on the riverbank. Again, Colonel Farquhar offered 1 ‘Wang’ for every brought in. Hundreds of catches been brought in everyday, until the number descended to 20 or 30 centipedes for 2 or 3 days. Finally, the cleaning up campaign came to the end.
Did you ever stopped by and wonder who is calling at the riverbank of Singapore River? The water? The leaf? Or the flow of reminiscences?
We are extinction
Due to the rapid urbanization grows in Singapore, some species that are presumed nationally extinct.
This information may leads you recall when is your last encounter with nature on the earthy ground.
Watering-Pot Shell
Walking Flower Mantis
Singapore Brown Tarantula
This is your Roti, John!
According to a local legend, the name of the local food “Roti John” derived from a Malay hawker in the 60s. “Roti” literally means bread in Malay.
There was an Englishman, John. He ordered a hamburger at Malay store in Sembawang (a local old town).
The Malay hawker has no idea how to make a burger, as Hamburger was not a local cuisine. But he ingeniously managed to substitute the meat to minced mutton and slices of onion in between the French loaf, and dipped the whole bread in the beaten eggs and pan-fried it.
When the food was really, he called upon the Englishman, “Silakan makan roti, John”, it means “Pleas eat this bread, John” in Malay.
Since then, this Malay cuisine adopted an English name in this genius invention.
Singapore’s Third Series Coins
Announcements by MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore), the third series of Singapore National coins signifies the national icons and landmarks have been released on 25th June 2013.
Read more in http://www.mas.gov.sg
5 cents coin – Esplanade
10 cents coin – HDB (Housing and Development Board)
20 cents coin – Singapore Changi Airport
50 cents coin – Port of Singapore
$1 coin – Merlion
What’s the story beneath this island?
What character does it carry?
In Sanskrit, it signifies Singa for a lion and Pura for a city. “Lion City” is the complete word.
In 1160, Sri Tri Buana, Sang Nila Utama, the ruler of an ancient kingdom saw the white shore of this little island, described by the annalist.
He asked, “what is that stretch of sand, we see yonder?”
“Your highness, that is the land called Temasek”. One of the companions replied.
When they reached the shore, he saw a strange animal “very swift and beautiful”, with a bright red body, its head jet black and its breast pure white. The beautiful animal has the size of a he-goat.
The companion said, “Your Highness, I have heard that in ancient times, it was a lion which has that appearance”.
Sang Nila Utama then established a city at Temasek and name it Singapura.
This is a short story about how the name of my country came by.
What kind of tree is not important anymore!
The tree in the picture has been discovered in the dense forest Gujarat, India.
According to the blogger coolguyramforyou, he claimed that this is a mysterious tree but not “Baobab” tree.
I know little about “Baobab” tree, but the most important attractions to me are, when you move yourself closer to look at the tree.
Sydney thanks him for sharing with us this great discovery and awesome post!
Do you agree with me?
No more racing on Race Course Road
Race Course Road was named after the old racecourse at Farrer Park built in 1842. It was the recreation hub for Europeans in the past and it also created jobs opportunity for the early settlers from Java and India.
While some buildings gives ways for the new. The present Race Course Road has many up and coming commercial buildings coming along the way. But some prefer to sit still just like the Leong San See Temple(龙山寺) which was built in 1917. It was popular with many Chinese immigrants who came here to offer their prayers.
Just like the Heng Fo Buddhist Temple (恒佛寺).
This historical building, “Temple of 1000 Lights” was reconstructed in 1930s with a changed of zinc roof to wood shelter.
Public housing serves as changes of an era.
Another story about my mom and me
Down on memory lane, I recalled having high fever at the age of nine. Mom tried keeping the temperature down by using a straw fan. That was close to midnight, the lights was off but her hand was still moving. The cool breeze did not stop my heart from moving too. I told mom, “It’s alright, I’m fine, don’t have to worry about me..”
I saw tears welling in her eyes, even though the room was dark, but I could feel her sobbing in the darkness.
Till today, I can recalled the moment we touched each others heart so much. So much so that the offer of her un-returnable warm light keeps beaming. Just like the rising sun, giving us warm without asking for any returns. Treat your mother well; treat mother’s nature well.
Happy Mother’s day!
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