耳朵 弄错边 中华文字的故事！

从前有位师爷， 他常把字的偏旁搞错。 有一天， 县令叫他写一个名册。

“ 咦？ ”东“ 字右边一个耳旁， 这是什么字？”

          

 “東阝”

 师爷说： “是陳（陈）”

“陈字的耳偏旁是左边！亏你还是一个师爷， 来人， 将他拉下去打二十大板！”

“原来耳偏旁在左边， 我以后要记住了。。。。。哎哟！”

后来 他写 “郑”字， 把“耳朵” 写在左边， 这次应该没错吧。

“阝关”

结果又被县令打了二十大板。

“ 郑”的耳偏旁是右边！

后来， 有人来请他写状书。

“贵姓？”

“我姓 “聶”（聂）

“哎呀！你请别人写吧！”

“我已经因为弄错两个耳朵而被打了四十大板，你的姓有三个耳朵，再弄错的话，我岂不是

要被打死啊！”

哈哈哈哈哈。。。。。这就中文字的奥妙！

Reference: Asiapac Books.(2009).中华文字的故事. Singapore: 福岛印务.

年糕到底始于何朝何代？ 年糕的由来和传说。The origin of New Year Cake

公元前514年， 吴王阖閭（he lu)派大臣伍子胥督建王城。几年后，王城完工，吴王命名为“阖閭大

城”。公元前484年， 阖閭死后，其子夫差继位。夫差是个好大喜功之人，他一心想讨伐齐国，称霸中原。

伍子胥屡次劝谏，夫差不但不听，反而十分恼怒。

伍子胥预料到自己将有杀生之祸，他悄悄地对几个亲信说：“将来如果我有不测，都城被围，民无所食，你

们可去象门城下掘地三尺取粮。” 不久，奸臣诬陷伍子胥私通齐国，夫差不分青红皂白，赐宝剑一把，逼 

伍子胥自尽。

伍子胥死后，越王勾践便举兵伐吴，一路势如破竹，把吴国都城团团包围。 吴国军民被围困日久，城中粮

绝，每天都有人饿死。 这时，伍子胥的几个老部下突然想起伍子胥生前的嘱咐，便带领军民去象门挖地，

结果挖到了许多包裹严实的“城砖”。

原来，这些城砖都是用糯米粉蒸熟后压制而成的。 这种糯米砖十分坚韧，即可做砖砖城，又可充饥。 这是

伍子胥生前暗地设下的“积粮防急”之计。 就这样，士兵和百姓靠着这些“城砖”，终于度过了劫难。

从此以后， 每逢过年，人们都要用糯米粉做成“城砖”，供奉伍子胥，以表示·他们对这位救命恩人的纪念。

久而久之，这些“城砖”便被称做 “年糕”， 形成了过年吃年糕的习俗。

New year cake is made by steaming dough made from rice powder. When it is done, its turns golden 

brown, with a sticky and sweet texture. 

New year Cake is a popular festive snack that has been around for thousand of years. It is said that 

the cake originated in suzhou during the Spring and Autumn period. Suzhou was then the capital city 

of the Wu kingdom, where Emperor He Lu was assisted by Wu Zi Xu in administrative matters. The 

country once met with a spell of good weather, which gave it bountiful harvest for several seasons.

"We should save the harvest surplus for the rainy days." "Your Highness, please allow me to take 

care of the matter."

Wu Zi Xu ordered the excess grains to be immersed in water and steamed.

The grains were then mashed into bean paste to form bricks. 

"Stack these rice bricks up along the city wall and cover them with another layer of brick wall."

After Emperor He Lu died, his son Fu Chai succeeded to the throne. He waged war on the northern

states to gain domination, acting upon slanderous rumors and forced Wu Zi Xu to commit suicide. 

Wu Kingdom was later counter attacked by the Yue kingdom, resulting political upheaval, and 

caused widespread famine. "I am hungry, but there's nothing left to eat, not even tree bark. What 

should we do now?" "Before his death, minister Wu said that if we are starving, we can break down 

the inner city wall." "Oh yes! The wall was made of rice bricks!" " Are these edible?" 

"We can soften them by heating them up. Let's tell everybody."

"It is delicious! If not for Minister Wu, we would have starved to death."

To honor Wu Zi Xu, rice bricks were baked and offered to him during New Year and slowly this 

become the custom of eating New Year Cakes.

References: 黎明.(2010).中华文化知识全知道. 北京：海潮出版社.

Reference: Asiapac Books.(2007.Origins of Chinese Food Culture. Singapore: Loi Printing.

农历新年

春节是一年之中最重要的喜庆节日， 是新的一年的开始， 因此这个节庆衍生了许多吉祥物，

人们用这些来表达对新一年的美好期待和祝福。


春联： 春联是直接用文字来表达美好祝愿的新年吉祥物。 每逢过年， 家家户户都要在门上或
           
             墙上贴上写在红纸上的春联。春联字句整齐，内容充满新春的喜气及对新的一年的期            
             望。

压岁钱： 压岁钱是今天红包的前身， 是新年的时候长辈给晚辈的用红纸包裹的钱。 “岁” 与          
                “祟” 谐音， 人们认为压岁钱可以压“祟”镇邪，保护孩子在新的一年平平安安。


压岁钱的传说：有一种“祟”的小妖，每到大年三十夜里，就会跑出来，摸正在睡着的孩子的

                            头。“哎呀，孩子的头发热了”  “孩子好像变痴呆了！”  有一对夫妇晚年得

                            子，  在年三十的晚上， 他们拿了八枚铜钱跟孩子玩。 孩子玩累了。
                   
                           “我们用红纸把铜钱包起来，放在孩子的枕下吧。”

                            半夜里， 祟来了，压在枕下的铜钱发出闪光。 祟被吓跑了。 后来， 人们

                           便学这对老夫妇，在年三十晚的时候，用红纸包钱给孩子压“祟”，以保孩子平  
                           安。
         

花灯： 正月十五元宵节也叫“灯节”，绚丽多彩的花灯是这一天的主角。 在这一天，张灯结

             彩，象征吉祥喜庆，寄托了人们对来年风调雨顺，丰收富裕的祈望。 因为灯与“丁” 同
             部首，人们有寓于花灯“人丁兴旺”的象征，具有求子，生男的吉祥意义。


饺子： 形状像元宝的饺子是新年吉祥食品，有招财进宝的寓意。在包饺子时，人们也会将一

            些具有吉祥意义的食品也包进去，例如 枣，栗子，莲子，糖等。 吃到糖的人表示新的
            一年会过得甜蜜；吃到枣或栗子，表示来年早生贵子等。


鱼： 鱼象征年年有余，是新年的一道吉祥菜肴。 在新年吃鱼有些讲究，例如年夜饭的鱼要剩  
        下头，尾，放到新一年；在一些地方，人们不去吃年夜饭的鱼，而是当作吉祥物，摆在

        餐桌上。


年糕：年糕又称“年年糕”，与“年年高” 谐音， 寓意着人们的工作和生活水平一年比一年提  

            高。

汤圆： 汤圆是一种用糯米做的食品，形状浑圆象征团圆，圆满，是元宵节的吉祥食品。 在这

             一天吃汤圆，祈求来年事事圆满，家庭团圆。


            汤圆原本叫“元宵”， “汤圆” 的名称据说与袁世凯有关：
         
            袁世凯做了大总统后，还梦想当皇帝。 “老爷，吃元宵。”

            “元宵，袁消，你要我袁世凯消灭吗? ”

            “以后不准说元宵，只能说汤圆。”

团圆饭： 新年除夕，一家人要团聚，开开心心吃顿“团圆饭。” 团圆饭可说是一年中最重要的
                 一餐，象征着团圆，美好，结了婚或住在外地的子女，都会设法在这一天回家团聚

                 吃饭。

捞鱼生： 在新加坡流行在春节“捞鱼生”， 那是一种以各种菜丝，萝卜丝加上生鱼片和一些酱
                 料的特殊新年食品。 吃这道菜意味吉利，能讨到一年的好彩头。在吃之前，要先用            
                 筷子将食材高高捞起， 据说捞得越高越好，象征新一年能步步高升。在捞的同时要      
                 说些吉利话。

柑：在新加坡，春节到亲友家拜年时，人们都会带上两粒或四粒的柑。“柑”与广东话中

        的“金”谐音，“送柑”即“送金”。

Reference:
 Asiapac Books.(2010).中华吉祥物的故事.Origins of Chinese Auspicious Symbols. Singapore: 福岛印务。

猴年 大吉大利。

今天是我的假期的开始。我发现我必须待在家里，用心的大扫除，迎接新春的到来。

因为我发现，乖乖地待在家里是个非常安全的决定。

安全是什么意思？新年的到来，就是猴年了。

猴子！我最喜欢的动物。

你可以想象满街都是大猴子， 小猴子的装饰。 我真想把所有的猴子统统买回家。

我已经花了不少钱了，所以还是要做出理智的决定，克服我对猴子的痴迷。

我为什么这么喜爱猴子呢!猴在中國傳統的十二生肖中排名第九位，對應的地支是申。

就这么刚好， 我属猴。。。。。。 o(^▽^)o

我的喜爱来自一位神人， 大师级的人物： 六小龄童（章金莱老师）。

从我六岁接触到影视里的猴王， 我就深深迷恋和喜爱猴子。

他在电视连续剧《西游记》中主演孙悟空一角， 打造了我心中的美猴王，孙悟空生性聪明、

调皮、活泼、忠诚、嫉恶如仇，已经成为机智与勇敢的化身， 也代表了人性中的善良、

正义、不阿、自由的情怀和追求。

猴年送你五只猴：

机灵诡秘如猕猴，

健康快乐像马猴，

悠闲富贵思猴子，

无忧无虑比猿猴，

聪明伶俐胜孙猴。


新年快乐！(●'◡'●)

批评 - 你能接受吗？

批评是什么？ 是责备或是他人对你的缺点或错误提出意见？

你会接受吗？ 什么样的批评不算是人生攻击，而只是单纯的告知罢了。

我的答案是- 我会接受。 可是， 最近，在聆听他人对我的批评时，我的心情，信心却跌入谷

底。因为对我来说,这个批评已经不是单纯的告知，而是对我的人格的不认同。

其实，他人的认同是不是很重要，我其实也不清楚。 我只知不伤害他人，不诋毁他人，是我

做人，与对他人的尊敬。

很可惜， 我却不得他人的相同回应。 是我多心，以小人之心渡君子之腹。

还是确有此事。

在什么事件上却让我如此失望，心痛，却顽强的认为那是针对我的事件呢。

表达个人意见，对人事物上的感想。

甲人 问过我你认识这个人吗。 我说是。

那她如何？ 我说，我曾和她有接触，对我 她不是很热情，也不是很喜欢和我说话。

（关于这个人物- 我曾试着和她谈话。在那时，她与我都是学生，在休息室里，她正与我对

坐。我便开口向她问候， 可她却连个眼角都不看我一眼，我又试着与她接触，也一样不理

我。 我心想是我的问题吗？ 为什么我总是在反省自己， 为什么总是我的问题？笑脸迎人，却

换来热脸贴着她人的冷屁股。我的心受伤了， 是不是我哪里做错了。 是或不是 已经不重要

了。 因为答案是 她无心与我认识，做朋友。

基本的回应都没有，还谈什么呢。 其他的同学走进休息室，她很热情的欢迎他们，而我却是

很没出息的消化眼前的现实。）

可是没想到我又再一次忍受这样的对待。

甲人说： 可能这个人已经不一样了呢？ 结婚，生子能使一人改变也不一定。我们不因该不给她机会表现自己。

我说： 是啊。 有可能她不一样了呢。我只是发表意见。过后，我便不多言。 我没感到生气，

因为人是会变的，我不能因此否决她。

可是 我却因为 甲人的另一番话后 又跌入深不见底的世界。

这番话却是在众人面前说。 那我呢？ 那我的感受呢？

甲人的一番话表达了对我的不满，不认同，我的神经很发达，我听的出来。

甲人说的话很讽刺，对我而言，那是一番很有攻击性的话。

甲人说到： 想当初刚认识你的时候，我对你的印也不是很好。我也不喜欢你。

                      只是后来，我对你改观了。

那我是不是应该说声 谢谢吗？谢谢你终于认同我了。接受我了。

又是我错吗？

可能他人会觉得我小题大作，可是将心比心，人心是肉做的，很疼。

星云大师曾说过： “人要学习认错。总认为自己是对的，就是一种错。认错是一种美德。

是的。当你做错时，一定要勇于承认。 可是错不在你，也要认吗？

我没说自己是对的，可是要是每一次都得认的话， 那对方也永远总认为自己是对的。

我是人，不是圣人。 我有喜怒哀乐，有我的敏感，也有我的尊严。 可是往往却被人踩在脚底

下。 我常常告诉自己，没关系。吃得苦中苦，方为人上人。这种”心“苦却是非常折磨人。

第一次， 我可以不和你计较。第 二次， 我当你心直口快， 第三次，你已经不在乎我的感受

了。 当我和别人去说， 人人都说是我敏感， 做人不要太敏感。 或许那人不是这意思。我也

没心情去猜是哪种意思。我也渐渐把这种”心苦“深深埋入心底。

我想说的是朋友之间不需要讽刺，不需要使大家对他人的弱点或错误有更鲜明，深刻，清楚

的理解认识。

Singapore's Hero Mr. Lee Kwan Yew

23rd March 2015, Singapore Lost our Founding Father.

 Fellow Singaporeans lost a hero, who had contributed his entire life to build a Nation, strong and Free.

Today we say Last Goodbye to a Great Man who is upright and lead the country well!

I will always remember him for being firm in his stand for Zero Tolerance for Corruption.

Dear Sir,
                Thank you.
                No amount of words can describe what you have done for the People of Singapore.
                May you rest in peace. We will always remember you.
              
李光耀先生，

                    谢谢您无限的付出，让我有一个安定，繁荣的国家。
                    有国才有家,
                    我们会永远谨记的你的治国之道。
                     请您安息，一路好走。

淡漠的眼神、冷冷的微笑、無端的猜忌、刻意的排擠，我想破腦袋也搞不懂人和人之間有那麼複雜麼

前些日子确实心情很低落，我以为我在人际关系上都没能好好的去维持。 可是现在的我推翻了这个说法。

人难做，做人难，难做人。不管你有多努力想要维持你与他人的关系，你也要看他人愿不愿意给你机会。

当你登上工作上的另一个高峰，你已经得罪他人了。
不管你付出多少努力才有今天的成就，他人永远也看不到。 因为他们认为他们也一样付出了心血努力却得不到相同的结果。这是人。

有人曾经对我说你很幸运，恭喜你升职了。 当初我很生气！我才不是靠幸运！
现在想想： 是的。 我是靠幸运。

人际关系的维持将是我永远的最难的功课，因为我的个性，直来直往的言语，将会是一大阻碍。我在学习，每天学习，我以为我进步了，遗憾的是我没有。我总是以为，事实上，多数的人不认同。 因为当我述说事情的经过，大家总是问我，是不是你太凶， 是不是你的态度不好。 我好累，不想做多解释。 是。 是我的言行举止有问题。

那些淡漠的眼神、冷冷的微笑、無端的猜忌、刻意的排擠，我想破腦袋也搞不懂人和人之間有那麼複雜麼？


我没出声- 没有上司的威严
我反击 - 太直接
我坚信自己的立场-不会宛转

哈哈哈优点都变缺点了，要我回去反省自己。
还要反省。 我哪里做错， 我会，也一定反省。

可是他人对我不好的态度呢，对我不礼貌， 我也要反省吗？
有人告诉我， 是因为你的态度不好在先。什么叫态度不好？
在与我有不相同的认知，处理事务的方式不相同以外，对我大呼小叫，指着我辱骂，煽动他人反对我是什么。 这样一个人的行为都不用反省， 那要我反省干嘛。

我觉得好失望，我总是依着奶奶教导我待人的方式去尊敬，不要和他人计较。我自认我已经做到了。在和人相处时，我每回都吃亏，可是我不会生气，因为我以为大家都不是故意的。
可是，最近我发现，我错了。

Ng Family Dinner on 28/12/14 - A Special Food Story

Ng's family dinner on 28/12/14 was a normal, simple gathering yet it portrayed an unique meaning, surprises and cohesiveness of a multi generation family.
It was planned by the generation X & Y for the traditionalist & the baby boomers generation.

Initially the plan was to go out for dinner together, do what every family will do, laze around, chit chat.....  Thereafter we realized that is too boring. No life..... After much discussion on the Whatapps Group among the cousins, the younger generation will cook up a feast and serve the older generation in the family......

Oh dear, this is real headache for me, I don't cook.... but thereafter I realized that it is not that I don't know how to cook, it is just that I am not keen to learn.... Since my cousins and brother can whipped specialities of their own, I decided to do dessert of my own........ Hahahaha.... That is a small small contribution....

However, my 3rd uncle and family were unable to attend and participate due to other commitments.

Finally, the list of menu was confirmed - All were made from scratch ........

- Chicken Curry
- Black Vinegar Trotter
- Seafood Lala
- Seafood Prawns
- Fried Kangkong with Sambal
- Chili Sotong
-Yam Paste ( Dessert)
- Gelatin Pinwheel/ Fruity Roll- ups ( Dessert)

Special add on - Shark Fin soup ( Specially cooked for this occasion by my 二婶）
Another add on - A loaf of Marble Cake ( Decided last minute)

After all the Discussion, we decided to go marketing at 9am, but you know, we have a habit of delaying the time, finally we reached our destination at Kovan Wet market, but before that we decided to have our breakfast first.... Thereafter we started our marketing journey.....

As we walked through the narrow pathway, pulling our trolley and slowly avoiding collision with the other shoppers, all the old memories of my granny and my aunts bringing me to the wet market was right before my eyes... They were so friendly, at any time, they were able to strike up a conversation with the stall owners or even fellow shoppers. This is what we missed, all this while....

This too reminded me of the last time I went to the wet market, oh my, that was even ages ago.....
To keep this fresh, I told myself, I should followed my aunt to the market whenever I am free and this helps me to brush my PR skills, improve my bargain skills, communications skills and most of all, further bring my family members and myself to be more cohesive and understand one another better....

As we have a certain budget to spend, my cousin JT was the one in charge with the money  and she distributed the money for us to buy whatever ingredient we need.....

We shopped from stall to stall,  curry ingredients...... garlic and onions..... eggs..... spices......fresh coconut flesh........ to vegetables......seafood- Prawns, lala and sotong...... Fresh Yam.........Pig Trotters..... Chicken wings and  dessert ingredients........

Actually, while shopping, you can learn knowledge that were not taught in school and you absorb the learning faster through communication, interacting with others....

We may have the idea of whopping up dishes, but have it ever come across to you, how to choose the freshest ingredients to enhance the dishes..... Nope.... Unless you are right in front of the stall, looking at all the ingredients arranged..... Ok... here is the difficult part, how well you are versed to choose the freshest of all..... Of course, we know what to look out for, but case to case basis........E.g, we know that choosing a piece of fish, we got to look out for its eyes..... bright and not dull......

But once there are so many fishes lying on the stall, how do you know which eyes that is considered as Bright......

These were all hands on learning...... that is what all our older generation are well equipped with and well versed with...... As for the younger generation, we were much orientated on paper instead, but we are not that  bad too, we ask for help .... Asked the stall keepers to help to orientate us to the freshest ingredient or poultry or meat.... provided you met a honest and responsible one....

We wanted to prepare Yam paste from scratch, thus we need to buy a yam... How to choose a good one and fresh one,,,, that is brain wracking.... Finally, we seek help from a Youtube video..... I ever came across a program that taught us to choose a good Yam ... But again, hands on is difficult.... How do you know that this yam is consided heavy - Heavy is one important point for a fresh yam to consist - It has enough moisture ...
The back side of the yam must be round and big...... It should not be sharp... The skin of the yam must be nice, should not have a lot of holes....
The inside must be purely white ... Now that is called fresh!
The stall keepers were also very nice to choose for us, he even suggested for us to buy bigger portion of pumpkin as after we cooked that, we might be left with small amount.... Later, he suggested us to buy any pandan leaves..... we asked him to give us for free instead..... HE was so cute, without a second thought, he agreed!!!

What about pig Trotters....... Trotters mean Legs..... But do you know which leg to choose.....? Front or hind legs..... That was our headache too.... The stall keepers educate us that when cooking pig trotters, you must choose the front legs.... not the hind legs....... See, another lesson learned....

Actually, after the whole dinner, I asked my granny, if eating pig trotters, which leg u prefer.....
My granny said - " I will definitely choose the front leg!"  You see...........

My cousins strike a  conversation with the stall keeper if her had any recipe to cook vinegar trotters ..... He joking told us to wait to read the newspapers tomorrow, as he had sold his recipe and he earned one million... hahahaha..... see.... Having a conversation with the older generation does not seemed that bad.... as long as there is a common language, understanding one another, learning  again took place as well ! He had also gave us a piece of pork skin too....

Of course, we did met some who nearly spoiled our day, while choosing for seafood.... we wanted to choose the prawns, one of the stall keeper initially wanted to allow us to do so, but the lady stall keeper stopped us and told us rudely that prawns are sold in that pressumed Kg and you are not allowed to choose.... We ignored the rude lady, but we proceeded to buy the prawns as other stall ran out of prawns.... See, the truth was  the prawns were not fresh after all.... That is a lesson learnt, when they does not allowed you to choose , something is not quite right!

Thereafter we stopped by the spices shop, why, Coz he sold fresh coconut, we need cream or milk which was required for the chicken curry and we wanted fresh ingredients.. The coconuts were all stored in the fridge which later the stall keeper took them out and  dropped them into the machine and they were shredded...... They only sold shredded coconut flesh and not liquid, thus we asked the stall keeper for some tips and advices . He was very patient and remind us that the coconut must be kept in the fridge at all times. if we needed to squeeze out the milk, all we have to do is- Pour boiling hot water over the shredded coconut and allowed it to be soaked until the water has turned cold and thereafter we can squeeze out the milk using the coffee strainer........Important - Hot water...!!!!

I continued to the supermarket to buy my ingredient required for the dessert, that was gelatine...& marshmallows ... and my brother decided to buy extra coconut cream as he feared that the fresh coconut might not be enough as he loved the curry to have lots of coconut taste.... Well actually, Me too!!!!

After all the marketing, We then proceeded to my second uncle's home.  Well, only I followed my cousins to their house, the rest will come back to the house in the afternoon as all were quite groggy and needed a nap before they could whooped up a feast.... After we reached, all the ingredients were taken out and packed... Whatever was required to be in the fridge went into the fridge, whatever was able to be in room temperature, were  placed on the kitchen table.....

My cousins continued with some of their personal errands and as for me... I borrowed my cousin tablet and started to look for my dessert recipe online....
After I had found the recipe, I started to make my dessert early as it was my first time trying out, if it failed... at least there was enough time for me to try again as the outcome of the dessert turnout was about 45mins.... The first round was kind of messy as I need the use of microwave oven, since we did not have one, I tried using the stove and boiling water.....
 Finally I succeeded at the first try and thereafter I continued my second and third tries, all turned out well!
By the time, I settled the dessert, My cousin was already cooking his vinegar pig trotters, my another cousin was preparing - washing and cutting all the raw ingredients - Sotong, prawns, vegetables etc..

We had a special add on recipe- which was my second aunt-in law 's shark fin soup..... That was solely  prepared by my second aunt-in law...... hahaha

After I was done with my dessert, I decided to bake a  cake as I was craving for a marble cake.....
I then prepare the cake with the instructions of my cousin who was the master chief of that day, He prepared vinegar pig trotters, the yam paste and of course, instructing me to bake a cake....

I had not bake a cake for ages, I thought, the last time I did was before I entered School of nursing!!!!

Since my cousin was good at that, I decided to try one on my own effort and of course with his guidance... While doing the cake, mixing here and there, my cousins preparing the ingredients, our stomach started to howl........I decided to call my baby cousin WW to ran some errands while on the way here. I made him buy 4 packet of chicken rice and a French loaf which we needed for the curry.  By the time, I leave the cake in the oven to bake, Lunch was here....

My cousin WW was here with his girlfriend and since he was not cooking, I assigned him to be the photographer! but he was not initiative enough thus I have to kept yelling at him to do him job!

We took a break, my cousin JT went for a short nap, my aunt in law, my cousin JG and I were spinning in the kitchen, meddling this and meddling that...... JG was really good in his cooking as it was also his first time making Yam Paste....  That is our Teochew speciality...... and it was known as the Asian Ice cream..... Why did I say that...

In olden times, there was a French official who came to Toechew Province in China to bring in his products and he introduced Ice cream . For us as the Teochews, we decided that we should show him something too, and we introduced Yam Paste to him and it was served hot ... Now that is what we called - Asian Ice Cream!

We have to steam the pumpkin and thereafter mash them up, while mashing them up, I have to slowly mix in the sugar and as too much sugar is not healthy, we actually cut down the amount........
JG had to cut and peel the yam.... then again steam them , mashed them up and thereafter fried them... We then heat up the gingko nuts and thereafter mixed them into the yam paste..... Finally, there was 3 bowl of the dessert - 1 bowl of coconut milk, 1 bowl of yam paste and 1 bowl of steamed pumpkin... You just have to mix all 3 together and walah - Here is the Asian Ice cream!
The Yam paste was my dad's favourite - He ate two bowl of it and the next day, He finished the portion that we packed home! it was mine too as the taste was just right, not too sweet and the fragrance there......

My brother came back in the afternoon again after he returned home for a nap after the morning marketing! This time he returned with a big pot that was specially used for cooking his curry chicken!!! He started to be busy with his chicken wings , washing them, peeling potatoes.... Occupied the sink area!!
In my aunt-in-law's house, there was only two stoves available for usage, thus everyone was busy asking, " are u done with the stove, my potatoes needed to be boiled" , later u hear  " My pig trotters needed eggs, I needed the stove to hard boil the eggs!" " Anyone boiled water? I needed it for my coconut!" " Do you have a pot? " " Do you have a wok?" "Where is the oil? Where is the sugar? Where is the salt?

Hahaha, I was away from the warzone...... I only neared two place- The sink and the dinning table.....
Why? Coz after the eggs were hard boiled, I helped to peel the shells off... I need to sit down so that I can peel in peace. Oh my god, my peeling skills really needed to be improved..... I peeled till the egg yolk was seen and the egg white disappeared!

I neared the sink to wash whatever plates or bowl or utensils that were used and cleaned, otherwise there were none enough to be used.... The morale of the story during cooking is to start washing  while cooking!

Finally, My dessert was done and I was busy cutting.... I was instructed by my brother to do some errands.... by the time I returned,  the rest of the family slowly strolled  in to the house... My brother then proceeded to fetch my granny from home...

Everyone was so surprised that we had really whooped up a feast for them... Initially all my traditionalist and the baby boomers were so unconvinced that the younger generation had cooked for them...... And all the dishes, were popular with all the family members.....

I was quite upset that the dessert I made was insisted by the older generation that I bought them instead ! They cannot believe that I made that.... (I will show you the pictures in facebook, currently I do not have them as they are in my cousin's camera!)


It was a great way to end Yr 2014 as everyone was satisfied with the feast and with  surprises from all the chefs ........  our happy mood was dampened by the missing  Air Asia flight.

If you happen to read my blog,
Lets observe a minute of silence in tribute to the victims who died in the plane crash.

A Chapter of My Travel Experiences Part III Blue Mountain Sydney Australia

We woke up early to prepare ourselves to go to the Blue Mountains...... It will take about 2 hours journey via direct train.....

Blue Mountain.....Hmmm, have it ever came across your mind, why is it called Blue Mountain?? And not any other colours..... I read an article the night before about why is the mountain called Blue .....

Given their name Blue Mountains was a result of the blue haze that covers them when seen from a distance (especially in hot weather),  extensive Eucalyptus bush land of the Mountains give off eucalyptus oil from their leave and some of this merges with the atmosphere to form a distinctive blue haze and also due to the Rayleigh scattering effect. The light is scattered among the air molecules and the shorter wavelength (blue) disperses out the furthest, so we see a blue-ish tint.

L told me that the temperature up there is going to be real cold and thus we got to prepare all our winter clothings and most importantly Gloves.... The temperature up there was 10C....

We walked towards train station Wynyard and we checked with the officer at the ticket counter that we want to go to the Blue mountain and he was very nice to tell us to go to platform 16 where we boarded the train to Central. Thereafter, We alighted the train and walked to platform 6 where the train leaves for Katoomba..... It was only 0930hrs when we were there..... We got to wait till 1015hrs and thereafter the train for leave for our destinations...

Initially, I was also looking out for platform 9 and 3/4 hahahaha...... too bad there were no walls for me to go through............

When we boarded the train, all the seats were in its opposite direction.... Which means????
Means: the train is going -------->direction
              my Seat is facing <------- direction.....="" p="">
We met a Chinese lady who was like us travelling to Blue Mountain, and she just confirmed with us which platform to board the train and we confirmed that it was 6...
The train arrived and the doors opened and many others alighted as this was the last stop..... We were in a dilemma if this I the train that we should board.... ???

A while later, we saw people boarding the train despite instruction announced not to board the train...
We just do what monkeys do...... Follow .....
We climbed up and the in the carriage  were empty seats.... We assumed that not a lot of people will be boarding the train.....

 I was exploring inside the train as there were no one..... one of the signage caught my eye......
U are not allowed to place your feet on the opposite seat and fines apply.....

 All the seats were in such position and we did not query further.... Initially, it was supposed to be a very quiet journey with few passengers on board.....
Then came two young men who are choosing seats....and finally the two of them sat right behind us on our left....
For the two long hours, this two men was laughing++++, giggling++++ and talking throughout....
They were so talkative and noisy..... We had to bear with them till we reached the Blue Mountain...
As Men, surprisingly they were extremely talkative.....

As the train started its journey, there was one gentleman who looked to be in his mid- fifties  approached us and asked us if we knew the seats can be maneuved to wanted direction.... He was sitting next to us...
We were so surprised ........ He smiled and helped us..... In the photo, you can see the metal handle sticking at the corner of the seats, you just pull it to your desired direction.....  
He said, " now you can enjoy the view." We thanked him for his kind gesture......

I was so excited that I took out my selfie stick and attempted to take a photo of myself in the train, then the gentleman started smiling at me, and offered his help to take a picture of us..... I declined and thank him..... it is fun to take your own selfie....

Then the two noisy men behind us started to giggle and laughed hysterically. We just ignored them.....

The  train stopped and closed its door pretty fast at each station..... Finally we reached Katoomba station...... it was close to noon time..... The skies looked pretty dark, it looked as if it was going to rain......

While getting out of the station, we walked towards the Blue Mountain Explorer station..... and we bought the tickets to board the Hop On and Hop Off bus....But before that L was hungry thus she went to the Subway and bought a foot long bread.....

The driver of the bus were all very friendly and helpful...... To them Driving the bus is not only a job, to them Blue Mountain is their home and they are so proud to present the stories and history of their home......

Those two guide book on my right was the ticket to board the bus, just show them to the driver and you are on board...
There are time tables schedule in the guide book telling us what time the explorer bus will be coming and there are so many bus stops .. The bus driver will tell u  which stop are we  nearing to....

Each stops will have a sign, all you have to do is to look for this sign and wait....

We sat in the bus for an hour as it finishes all the stops before deciding which station to drop......
We finally began to explore,Katoomba street, Katoomba Falls, Blue Mountain Chocolate Company, Echo point- Three Sisters, Honeymoon Lookout...

Just as we started to begin us our explore, it started to rain, and started to snow too....
We were so cold, shivering ++++ despite dressed like a penguin.... So thick and rounded with clothes....
The rain was so funny, it rained for a few minutes then it stopped....

As we were exploring the Katoomba falls, the wind started to blow and the tree began to rustle .....it sounded as if a storm was coming.... hahaha . it sounded so scary....
(I had a video on this, I will upload in my facebook, the file is too big )

Thereafter we stopped to rest at the chocolate company, to have a glass of hot chocolate drink....
The hot chocolate drink was so special.... you DIY the hot chocolate drink ....
We even tried the Mud cake which tasted like the sea..... with mango sauce... The mango sauce as acclaimed by my friend L was delicious....

There is a video on how it is done....
I will post it on facebook and share with you all.
Maybe this is not new, but to me....it is something different... maybe I can try it out at home whenever I feel like drinking hot chocolate..... hahahah... as long I get the requisites.... A candle, A mug, Chocolates and milk.... That is all...

By the time we end our explorer on the mountain, it was already 4.30pm, we rushed to board the 5.20pm train back to Central, Sydney.....

While on the way to the train station, we met a Visually impaired  young lady who asked us if the train was going to Central, we were not very sure and we don't want to give the wrong information, but luckily a young man came forward and offered his help to the young lady and even help her to board the train.. Thank you... After seeing that the young lady was well taken care of, we then proceeded to the ultimate venue before boarding the train for the next
 hours - Toilet..... hahahaha

 the time we reached Central, it was already 7.20pm, L was in need to go to the ladies, and we walked all over the platform and there were none in view... We approached one of the train master and they pressed on a remote control and the gate to another platform was opened.....
They let us out to use the toilet.... hahahaha.

By the time we came out, we got to go back to the gates to our platform to Wynyard station... on the way, right in front of me was a young lady who was walking unsteadily.... swinging from side to side....
oh my god, she is real drunk at 7.20pm..... what time did she started drinking to be in such a state....

We walked back to the gates, and the other train master opened the gate for us to cross without a question asked when we signalled him ..

We were in time to board the train leaving to Wynyard.......... Once we reached the station, we were rushing to go to the supermarket to get our dinner...... We came out to the other exit and we got to try the other exit to get there.... Finally we managed to reach the supermarket but we have only 10 minutes to shop as they are closing in 15 minutes time at 7.55pm . We got to hurry as the register are closing.....

We went to buy the sushi again as it is more filling as compared to bread....  On the way out, we met a lady in her forties who asked if the train station shutter is down, We had no idea, thus we told the lady, maybe she can try to find out.... She smiled and agreed....

Tonight was probably the latest to return to the hotel....

ok, our next stop -Gold Coast

We got to pack our luggage as we are flying off to Gold Coast at 1135hrs......

 

A Chapter of My Travel Experiences Part II Sydney Australia

Even though we slept early, we still woke up late and thus we had a change of plans ....... Our initial plans was to go to the Blue mountain...... My Friend L woke up early and she went out for a stroll first, leaving me to wash up.... We had a simple light breakfast -Turkish bread and a glass og milk and coffee...

Since we woke up late, we decided to walk around Sydney, looking at our map and I have a very good walking compass - My Friend L............. When she is around, you will never have to worry about losing your way around...... 

We started walking in the other direction of the Rocks, walked past the Opera house..... We passed a group of Australian students dressed so cutely for a outdoor class excursion trip...... Don't they looked liked little English nurses.....for the girls and the boys looked like little soldiers......

 As we slowly strolled through this quiet town, we saw a number of people jogging down the road at 11am in the morning and it made us wonder ant's they working at this time of a Monday morning......

We then strolled into the Royal Botanic Garden of Sydney..... it is quite true that a visit to Sydney isn't complete without a walk through the beautiful Royal Botanic Garden....... The garden has been here since 1816. It is situated at the east of the Opera House.... The garden occupy about 30 hectares of  land.

The Sun was shining brightly in the sky, this was a time that I loved the sunshine..... it felt so good to smell the sun in a cold weather...... hahaha This was a time when  I,  travel in a cold weather learns to appreciate the sunshine.......

It was ironic and strange to be wearing a sweater and strolling in a garden beneath an bright afternoon sun...... but I am enjoying every minute of it..... U can't do this in Singapore, you will definitely get a heat stroke.....

As we walked, we came across the Government House which was sited right in the Botanic Gardens, and the house itself was under renovation, thus not opened for tours... However the house grounds was open for us to move around..... The government house was built in a Victorian style architecture between 1837 and 1843, it was the official residence of the governor of New South Wales.......

As we walked around the grounds, we saw something very unique, and you don't see this everywhere, at least not in Singapore.....

There was a Sun dial right opposite the house......

Sundial is a device that enables us to tell the time by looking at the sun position. This is known as a garden Sundial or horizontal Sundial.... this is commonly found in gardens, public places or churchyards....

We actually took a photo with L's watch and to check if the time is correct as indicated by the Sun position .....

The time shown on L's watch was stated the Singapore Time: 1044hrs ..... Since Australia is two hours earlier, then it should be 1244hrs, almost 1300hrs in the afternoon.....
Check if you can read the time on the Sundial......

After checking out the Sundial, we then move onto the next spot, a lake .......

 We walked past many little ponds and even the pyramid glasshouse.... however it was not opened for visiting.... The people there were very friendly and they seemed so relaxed.... at this hour, we saw people in office suit, attire were very comfortable sitting under the trees, shaded from the sun, reading, eating  and even chit chatting.... It makes me wonder if we are able to do so.....  and one more thing, how long is their lunch break......???

There was a restaurant located in the garden, it is an open air concept, however I don't like the idea of sitting by the rails.... it was so open that people walking beneath you are able to see what you wearing beneath your skirts.... I happened to see that...... it is not very nice to see this in the early noon time....

There was a little shop in the midst of the beautiful garden and my friend L bought the first souvenir gift in Sydney...

We continued to walk, and here we came across this beautiful building and I wondered if it is a museum.... nope I was wrong, it is not a museum of any sort..... It is a library.....

 This is the Sydney Hospital building , otherwise known as the oldest building in Sydney since 1788.... it is situated in Macquarie street, Sydney CBD....

Il Porcellino (in Italian means Piglet) , a bronze copy of the Florentine boar, was donated in 1968 and stands outside the hospital.

Here is the Sydney Tower, which at the top has a revolving restaurant, which is about over 300 metres above the city....

 

We had a short break in one the oldest shopping departmental stores known as David Jones, eating sushi....It was here that I bought macadamia salted nuts for my cousin....  

The Hyde Park Barracks Museum is a brick building and compound designed by convict architect Francis Greenway between 1818–19; originally built at the head of Macquarie Street (1819) to house convict men and boys. The site is now a museum

 As we walked down Macquarie street, there are more  and more beautiful buildings that belongs to 17th or 18th century....  We walked all the way to central station where the paddy's market was located..... in Chinatown.........too bad the market was opened only on Wed till Sunday... On Tuesday, I will be going to the Blue mountain and on Wednesday, I will be flying to Gold Coast , thus I have to give Paddy 's market a miss.....   

 We began to walked back to our hotels, passing by the CBD area looking for my stuff to buy for my cousin- Oakley...... He was lucky, I passed by the store....and  had spent more than AUD $300/- in the store alone.... I am going to claim back the GST at the airport.....

 By the time we reached Rocks, we then rushed to the supermarket - Woolworths..... I was so happy to be inside the supermarket... Why, There is free Wii connection.....  hahaha... While L was shopping for food and items, I was busy talking to my cousin about my whereabouts through Whatapps...
It was chargeable for internet access in the hotel where I was staying.... We managed to buy sushi for dinner.... It was then we realized that in Australia, the commonly eaten vegetable in Sushi is avocado...

While checking out our groceries item, we realized that they have express checkouts stations, where you yourself act as the teller.....

 That is really cool, too bad I don't have the cards... otherwise I really want to try it out....!!!!

Ok, folks.. it is time for bed.... tomorrow I got to wake u early to go to the blue mountain....
I will share my stories with you....

A Chapter of my travels experiences - Sydney,Australia PArt I

A few days before 31st Aug, I was very excited. My long awaiting annual break was here. Actually my friend was more exited than me cause the long awaiting vacation that was planned few months ago was finally. We had actually planned to a trip to Australia. Where? Sydney and Gold Coast...

The truth is, Australia was not a place that I had actually wanted to visit. I have heard a lot from other people about it's boring night life. My friend was pretty insistent, we should experience it on our own and should not based it on others' view about the country; since that was the case, we gave it a shot, thus our booking of hotels and flight was done.

Our Flight to Sydney was by Scoot, a budget airline. One scary thing happened when we were checking in, we were denied to check in as we did not have a Visa to Australia. Oh my God, we had not done our homework right, it had never came across my mind that we required a Visa to enter Australia. However luckily, we were able buy a Visa at the last minute at the SATS Airport services, and that cost S$50/- per person. We departed Singapore at 0145hrs on 31st Aug 2014, we arrived in Sydney at 1130hrs on 1st Sept 2014. Australia time is two hours earlier than Singapore.

When the plane touched down in Sydney- Kingsford Smith Airport Terminal 1, We were not allowed to switch on our phones as they do not allow the use of mobile phones at the immigration arrival hall.
As we walked down the aisle of arrival hall, we saw a number of machines that allowed DIY check in. Only selected country like New Zealand, Singapore and a few others are allowed DIY Check in. There is no more stamping of a Visa Pass on your passport, it is now all IT based. This is quite a pity as I missed all those various country stamps on your passport.  As now I flipped through my passport, I realized it is all empty pages, maybe in near future, there is fewer pages on your passport........

As we went through the DIY machine check in, when I had smiled into the camera, the immigration officers were very helpful, they said that for Singapore Passport holder, it is even easier, follow the photo on your passport...... which means, if you are wearing spectacles on the photo, then you have to put on your spectacles, and if in the photo, you are smiling, then smile at the camera..... that is it, simple as ABC.

Yap, we passed through immigration like learning ABC, so simple and quick. We then went to get our luggage ...... After sitting for more than 6 hours of flight, the first thing I spent on was a bottle of mineral water,  Mount Franklin Mineral Water 600mls- which cost me  almost AUD$ 5. Can you imagine that is so expensive......

We then chill for a while at a little café at the airport, and my friend L had some coffee and a cookie, as for me, the mineral water was enough.... hahaha, yet I was not hungry despite the last meal taken was at 12 midnight at  Changi Airport.

While L was enjoying her little coffee break, I was observing to the surroundings, people..... I then saw that every tables in the café was so clean, and I realized that everyone was so responsible to clear their own tray and rubbish.. this is the same as when I was in America. Suddenly a question arise to my head, where is the rubbish bin? I could only see tables, chairs, a little round table containing all the sugar, disposable stirrer, napkins but there were no rubbish bin within my view. 

I saw a lady who had finished her drinks and was too looking for the bin and could not find any, she then asked the café staff for assistance, finally I too saw where was the rubbish bin.....
It was in the centre of the round table .......... Can u imagine, all the clean items around the rubbish bin, but luckily the bin was quite deep in..... (How did I know, Well, I was  the one who volunteered  to throw  the rubbish as I want to know how the bin looked like!).

The next chapter of our trip was to look for our hotel....... Thus we proceeded to the Airport train station, it is interlink with the city...... However, it could be due to first time, we bought the wrong tickets and all thanks to my gut feel of "six sense" whom told me that we had the wrong tickets..... we checked with the lady at the tickets and she confirmed my senses.... We were wrong, Thankfully she allowed us to refund the tickets and we got the correct ones to our destination: "Circular Quay"

The trains in Sydney have seven lines and each colour is coded for easy identification. They have a new electronic card system called " OPAL card" but we have no chance to use this card as we used the "WALK Card"

 

Can you imagine that only 8 stations, our ticket cost about AUD $17.20 +GST AUD $1.56 per person......... That is so expensive, imagine you have to take the trains up and down....... 

However I like their MRT trains, They are double decks.......

 

 

When we exit the station, the first view was the harbour and we saw the world famous Bridge - Harbour Bridge.

 

The harbour was full of seagulls flying everywhere, cruise ships docking at the harbour, people moving around, the sunlight was so strong that my transition lens turn to shades immediately....

The weather was still cold despite sunshine shinning brightly ...... at least the temperature was about 18C. We are now at the Rocks....

 



 The Rocks, located in Sydney's Precinct historic town is our destination. It is where our hotel is located..  The Rocks is where Sydney first began with the establishment of the English Colony in 1788. This historic town is preserved well as it was home to sailors, whalers and traders.. Everywhere in the Rocks we saw was unique early colonial architecture, historic pubs, markets and spectacular view of Sydney Harbour.... We took a while to look for our hotel which is well hidden in between these beautiful colonial buildings.... We strolled up and down the main street, George Street, pulling my luggage on cobblestone laneways of the rocks, that was real tiring.. It was a Sunday afternoon where the rock weekend market was on...  This was Sydney's famous market that is only available on Fridays 9am-3pm and weekends 10am-5pm... I love walking down their beautifully restored 19th century buildings and lane.....

 



 Here are all the pictures taken at the Rocks.
We finally found our hotel, It is known as

	Harbour Rocks Hotel Sydney MGallery Collection
	34 Harrington Street
	The Rocks/Sydney/Australia

It is a beautiful small hotel...... It really took us almost an hour to find it along many little alleys and lanes..... We were able to cut through all those alleys and lanes, and it was not a bit frightening, in fact, the lanes were beautiful, I nearly mistaken myself to be travelling back in time to the 19th century  England. It was a pity I don't see horses pulling carriages down the street.... then that is a wonderful sight......

Here is how my hotel look like......... Exterior

 

As my videos files were too big to be downloaded, it will be in my facebook......

 

Here are pictures of my hotel room, small but elegant and cosy.... in fact it look modern, you absolutely will not think that is a little room in a 19th century building....

 

After a little rest, we proceeded to the ultimate reason to be here in Sydney... That is to visit the Harbour bridge and Opera House..... Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera house are the both most loved landmark icons of Sydney...

The Harbour bridge was built to be 134 metres above the harbour.....As it was too expensive to do a bridge climb, or even on board the cruise explorer  we walked below the bridge and it was equally enjoyable.. Enjoying the sea breeze, viewing the scenic view of the sea, tall ships, seagulls flying everywhere, u are going to be real worried as these birds shit while flying... I was so lucky that one of the seagull shit at least 2 cm away from me.... I heard a sound that goes Blakkkkk..when one of them was flying above my head.. I was like, oh no, shit is not going to ruin my hair........ The next minute u see "white fluid kind elements" on the floor in front of me......

We saw lots of couples posing in their wedding gown and suit at the harbour........  it seems to be very common to include the harbour bridge in your wedding photos......  It might be better if you are able to have your wedding dinner on the bridge itself, while all the guest are enjoying the view of the skylines and even views on the pacific ocean to the blue mountains.... I wonder anyone does that????  I think the bride and groom have to ensure that the guests attending their wedding dinner are not scared of heights..... 134metres.... That is real high !!!!!
It is just my thoughts.... hahahaha......

By the way- Climbing the bridge will take around 3hours and half and that costs AUD $198, $208, $308 depending on the time.... Climbing the bridge at Twilight is the most expensive.

Do you know the Opera house is a UNESCO World Heritage masterpiece structure..... actually I have no idea.... it was designed by a Danish architect and completed in 1973....

The opera house was opposite the harbour bridge, it was fun to walk...... even though I don't feel the sun, the ultraviolent rays were still very strong, my transition lens stayed black shaded throughout, even when the sun was setting...... it was very cold when the breeze blew through.......

At this very hour and weather, there are still some people doing the ice bucket challenge on the sidewalks of the Opera house..... Don't he feel cold..... anyway, After the challenge, he is just numb all over.... hahahaha....

 Actually the weather was nice, but when the wind starts to blow.......  oh my god, that is millions of needles poking you all over.....  The first thing I covered was my nose..... too numb to smell anything despite the restaurant being next to me.......

(Shared the photos through my facebook as there were too many....)

 

We settled for a burger and a coke for dinner, as it was way too expensive to indulge in a dinner feast at the restaurant along the harbour, or even back at the Rocks.....

You have to be prepared to spend at least a few hundred of Aussie dollars per night if you want to eat at a restaurant...... or even a café.....

The food stalls by the street are all very expensive.... which include the supermarket.....

 

As the night had set in by 6pm, there are lesser people on the streets, shops except for the restaurants are beginning to close..... the trains stations will close by 8 pm.......

While returning to the hotel, I looked at my watch- Singapore Time was only 4 pm..... Oh my, What am I Going to do next in the hotel..... well.......

 

Relax and Sleep..... Actually on the first night we slept quite early, by 9 pm  (Singapore Time -7 pm)...  I was already snoring like a pig...... Thank god, both of us were too tired to get awaken by our own snores...

 

The next day, we walked from one trains stations to another........ this helped us to save quite a sum of money.......