Charcoal Kiln @ Batam Island [Indonesia]

I was thinking of blogging about this after i have generated the post on my one day free and easy trip to Batam Island but i am facing limited time today; no thanks to the three ladies who persuaded me to have coffee at Starbucks followed by a pretty filling meal at Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hoon! 

Anyway, i actually didn't notice the kiln until i exited from the kelong seafood restaurant and it of course piqued my interested even though we were rushing off to Nagoya Hill shopping centre.

There were at most two surviving kilns in Singapore and i was fortunate to be able to identify one. However, the ones in the lion city appeared to be deeper and were more popular known as dragon kilns. 

It was also surprising to see so many blocks of wood on the floor; note that they seemed to belong to the same species and even the length for each of them was deliberated. Honestly, if they were to be burnt off, why go through all the trouble?!

Only when i turned to face the above stacks that i realised this kiln wasn't used to make pottery. The purpose was to made charcoal! Now, that's fresh as i had never chanced upon a charcoal kiln! 

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Location

Kampung Tua Tiang Wangkang,

Batam Island, Indonesia

Collection of Tickets for An Important Event at The Float@Marina Bay

Two weeks ago, i had to visit the Float@Marina Bay for collection of a set of tickets for a very important national event. By this time, i presume some of you would have guessed what the event is.

But for other readers who may not be as informative, i am just going to keep this going (this is a blog, not an interactive social media platform that merely one picture is more than sufficient to describe what i have collected).

The collection centre was manned by only men - such a sexist organisation does exist in Singapore, despite efforts by the government to make sure that there is sexual equality. Still wondering what the event is? Take a look at the colour of the uniforms worn by the staff which is a very obvious indication.

Some people would not see any reason why i am so excited.

I am because i am a citizen of this tiny yet successful country and it is my honour to celebrate Singapore's Independence Day on 09 August 2012! Yes, i have won 4 tickets to the National Parade 2012! 


Yippppeeeeee!

Misty Forest - Where Was I?

Guess where i was when i took the following few pictures.

Rainforest covered with a mysteriously light mist that foretold the legend of monsters dating from the ancient Jurassic period. *nostalgic memory obviously taken from the thriller - Jurassic Park*

Fronting the forest was a lake dotted with uninhabitable islands where creatures lurk underneath the thick green foliage.

Sightings of the paranormal were reported occasionally with affected visitors saying that there were 'people' in those inaccessible islands waving for help....

Is this area the great Amazon rainforest in South America? Or is it the neighbouring Taman Negara national forest of Malaysia? Maybe it's one of the many rainforests in the Indonesian Archipelago?

Wrong wrong wrong!

They were, in fact, photographs taken from the top of the iconic rocket tower at Upper Seletar Reservoir Park!

Life-Sized Statue along Joo Chiat Place

While driving along Joo Chiat Place, Ms SaNeVa suddenly exclaimed that there's something in one of the houses lining the road. The image of a ghost immediately came to my mind although the bright sunlight continued to shine on us!

Knowing my penchant for the paranormal, I had to walk back in order to get a fuller picture of what Ms Tan actually meant!

At first look, the house seems a bit displaced from the luxury bungalows and heritage houses common in that area.

Look closer and you can find a life sized statue (actually half of it) in the compound!

I am no expert but this statue was wearing a Malay attire and the man that inspires this stone effigy must be of a higher social standing (maybe a datuk or a member of the royalty?) due to the kris and numerous badges on him!

Do you know of any additional information on it? Well, there's one thing i know for sure; this statue must have given many motorists and pedestrians a good scare, late at night!

Fresh Figs (无花果)

Figs (无花果)

This is not with reference to the recent drama serial by the same name on Channel 8! I am talking about the usual edible stuff i am known to post on my blog!  

Anyway, the above picture shows the dried figs i know from young. Eventually, i get to know of preserved figs that are way sweeter than the dried version.

I am ashamed to declare that it was only recently i realised figs can be eaten fresh without any kind of processing!

Thanks to episode 16 of the Korean variety show, Family Outing!

And it was with thanks again, to Mr Korny Kon, who brought us a bag of fresh figs all the way from China (thanks, as well, to his sister in law)! 

This afternoon made it the first time i actually see a real fig with my own eyes and caress its sticky greenish body with my bare hands!

From far, the flesh of the fresh fig looked like an infected bloodied wound with tiny worms!

The taste was of course not as disgusting; refreshing sweetness that screamed out the goodness of nature!

Question:

Why is a fig (the fruit of the ficus tree) known as 无花果 (directly translated as no-flower fruit in Chinese)?

No teaser today since i am really tired after a super short and tiring weekend!

Answer:

According to wikipedia, "The fig is commonly thought of as fruit, but it is properly the flower of the fig tree. It is in fact a false fruit or multiple fruit, in which the flowers and seeds grow together to form a single mass."

Question - What's hidden within the newspaper?

What's hidden within the newspaper wrappings??

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No lah!! I did not commit murder by chopping the head off a human (or non-human) and hanging "it" up!!

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Hint: It has something to do with a festival celebrated by the Chinese. Another indication is hidden within the pixelated picture above!

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Answer

Rice Dumplings

(aka Zong Zi)!!

When i was young, i loved to eat Zong Zi with ketchup.

Back then, it was exciting to unwrap each dumpling and see, with anticipation, what we can find within!

Would it have more meat? Or would it contain more chestnuts (my nemsis!)?

In the kampong, we only had the normal Zong Zi we termed as Rou Zong (meat rice dumplings).

The contemporary mixed world we live in nowadays changed a lot of things; we have so many varieties now!

My two favourites are the Nonya Zong and Jianshui Zong (shown above in their unwrapped forms).

Unlike the normal Rou Zong, the peranakan Nonya Zong has meat that tastes sweeter and instead of the conventional bamboo or reed leaves, pandan leaves are used as wrappers.

Jianshui Zong is more commonly known as Kee Ah Zang (Hokkien term) in Singapore.

The only zong zi classified as a dessert, the rice has a distinctive yellow colour and frequently contains no filling!

So how do we eat this small dumpling? Plain eating is so BORING right?

I like to dip mine in Kaya but other options include sugar, honey and even fruit jam!

Psssssttt

Don't ask me why my mom wrapped the hanging dumplings with newspapers!! She told me it was to prevent the wind, dust and dirt from getting to them.

Doesn't sound right to me!!

They were already wrapped right?

Question - What's This Soil Like Stuff?

Question?

What do you think this is?

*Please excuse me the camera for the blur picture*

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Rubee's dry food from Science Diet?

Guess again!

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Stewed Minced Pork (albeit dry version) cooked by my mom?

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Answer!

A failed chocolate fondue by Alex using Calbury Chocolate!

It was perfectly alright in the beginning but i guess the heat was not as strong towards the end, resulting in a slower melting but rapid solidification of the chocolate.

Psssstttt

We finally know where Famous Amos got its recipe!!

After some tidying up using Alex's outrageous dirty hands, this failed chocolate fondue smelled (heavenly) and tasted so much like the ultra sinful yet super delicious chocolate cookies!~!

Hm......

After writing this blog, i wonder if the hands had anything to do with it.

Question - What's so special about this house?

What's so special about this house?

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Its height?

Its design?

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Look More Carefully!!

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Use the skills you normally reserved for photohunt!!

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Answer

A bloody big statue of a dog!!!

Are the family canine fanatics or what?!?!

Another saying:

This house could be a private temple honouring Xiao Tian Quan (the pet of a Chinese mythical god; Erlang Shen).