BALIK KAMPUNG

AIDIL ADHA

2011-11-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

Each family went home with these items in their goody bag

Jabar and Sirah

Daddy Hashim and his sweetheart Athirah

The gals with mum

Excited over their goody bag

The family in all white - Yusuf and Ros

Performance time by each family

Hazim, Hanif, Nizar and Charcoal

The winners of the Guess the number of of macaroni

I won this!

Another winner - Dhabitah

Two birthday girls cutting the cake

I love you Nenek!

Yipee! A toblerone for me

A dark chocolate for my dessert!

Fikri one of the winners in the Treasure hunt

Gee! I found a gold coin as my treasure

The game and the prizes at stake

Nasi Rawon for a feast at the table

LOVE ABOUNDS

Aidil Adha visited us again. We thanked Allah for giving us the whole family the opportunity to meet again. I had prepared the dishes to serve my siblings and after the usual morning prayers at the mosque, I began to get ready receiving them.

First, my husband and I spent some time hanging buntings, balloons and decorations for two birthday celebrations - my niece Masayu Athirah's and my sister's Fiza birthday. I then gathered some prizes for games that we would play during the celebration. Guess the number of macaroni was one game we played and the other was treasure hunt. Each family also had to perform to entertain one another.

Warong Sazatin served Nasi Rawon for our guests. There was pickle, serunding, ayam masak merah, bagedil and Brother Hashim helped out in cooking sambal sotong. Each family went home with a goody bag and some packed food.

What Aidil Adha is all about?

Aidiladha is also commonly known as Hari Raya Korban or Hari Raya Haji. Celebrated about two months after Hari Raya Aidilfitri, on the 10th day of Zulhijjah, the 12th (last) month of the Muslim calendar, it marks the end of the haj pilgrimage period (about two weeks). Every year, millions of Muslims make the journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the haj, one of the five basic tenets of Islam.

Aidiladha also commemorates the sacrifices made by the Prophet Ibrahim (hence the word 'korban,' which means sacrifice in Arabic), who demonstrated immense faith when he was put to the test by God.

Prophet Ibrahim was commanded to offer his son Ismail up for sacrifice, and though it grieved him greatly, he made ready to perform the task. However, as he was about to strike his son, God stopped him and revealed that it was a trial. Ismail's life was spared, and a ram was sacrificed in his place.

As such, during Aidiladha, the sacrifice of four-legged animals such as lambs, goats, cows, bulls and camels is performed. The slaughter of the animal is done after the congregational prayer in the morning of Aidiladha.

The animals are killed in accordance with the proper religious rites and the meat is then distributed. One third of the meat is given to the individual who made the sacrifice, while the rest is given to the poor and deserving people in the community. Making the sacrifice (korban) is not a compulsory religious duty, but an obligations for those who are able to afford it.

The rest of the day is celebrated by visiting relatives and friends and the graves of those who have left us..

LONG LIVE GOODNESS

2011-10-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

Deepavali desserts and traditional snacks

My ex-student Arvin designed this Deepavali greeting

May the light and joy of Deepavali be with you Annu

The intricate design of the rangoli

Dishes to explode your taste buds. I love them!

The muruku is good as a TV snack

Garlands of flowers sell well for Deepavali celebration

For the sweet tooth and the guests of the house

How could you turn down all these good stuff if served infront of you?

Road decorations lining up Serangoon Road

Mango leaves to ward off evil

Earthern clay lamps for the right ambience

Serangoon Road by night bathed in thousands of ligths

Briyani as a main dish served to guests

Ladies adorn their hands with henna-painting

Stainless steel utensils are commonly used in Indian homes

Traditional dances performed during stage shows

Prayers to thank the god are performed before Diwali

Happy Diwali to all

LIGHT VS DARKNESS

Deepavali is a festival celebrated by the Hindus. The young and the old, the poor and the rich join in this merry-making. They give expression to their happiness by lighting earthen 'diyas' (lamps), decorating the houses, bursting firecrackers and inviting close and dear ones to their households for partaking in a sumptuous feast. The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to god for attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valor and fame. There is another logical answer to why light the lamps? It is through the light that the beauty of this world is revealed or experienced.

If you are invited by your host for Deepavali, be prepapred to sit at a table laden with Indian cooking. Briyani, thosai, idli, apom, puttumayam, puri and naan make it difficult for you to start your feast. Dishes like chicken curry, keema, dhal, fish sambal and massala will keep your head spinning in making that important decision on what to put inside your mouth first. The Hindus would prepare numerous traditional cakes and sweets for the day too. Among them are "murukku", "omopadi", "athirrsam", "achi murukku", "laddu" and "mysore pahu". These are made a few days before Deepavali. 'Open houses' are practised to invite their non-Hindu friends over to be part of the festive mood.

On the eve of Deepavali or even weeks prior to the festival, Hindu homes are washed and kept clean. Stainless steel pots and kitchen utensils are scrubbed shining to reflect your face. Mango leaves are strung at the doorway and clay lights are lit. Rangoli or kolam are drawn in front of the door using coloured rice. The kolam forms an intricate floral design on the ground which signifies religious believes. Instead of a kolam hand drawn with rice flour what one would probably see are stickers with intricate kolam motifs pasted in front of a Hindu home in Singapore today. It is believed that the Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi, will only enter a home that is adorned with a kolam. Modern Singaporeans adorn their homes with tinsel and plastic decorations shaped to look like mango leaves. It is also common to find 11 mango leaves used to decorate the main door of the house where the Hindu believed that it will attract positive energy and charge away evils.

The morrning is welcomed with an oil bath. It is one time in the whole year that children volunteer to leave their beds long before the day begins. In fact, the traditional oil bath at 3 a.m, is the only chore that stands between them and the pre-dawn adventures. They emerge, nicely cleaned to get into their festive attire, and light up little oil lamps, candles and scented sticks (agarbathis). Then the whole family will make their way to the temples where prayers are held in accordance with the ceremonial rites.

Festivities for the day would include feasting on traditional dishes and sweetmeats, visiting friends and relatives, offering prayers to the Lord, and lighting of oil lamps around the home. The rows of oil lamps placed in the home are believed to usher in all that is good. Children celebrate the day playing with sparklers.

To Hindus, darkness represents ignorance, and light is a metaphor for knowledge. Therefore, lighting a lamp symbolizes the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces - wickedness, violence, lust, anger, envy, greed, bigotry, fear, injustice and oppression and suffering. Most devout Hindus tend to be vegetarian, but that doesn't change the fact that Deepavali is the day to savour the many delicious Indian delicacies such as sweetmeats, rice puddings and the ever-popular murukku.

As for me, I baked some pineapple tarts and gave to my Hindu friends.

Legend of Deepavali
Once upon a time the kingdom of Pradyoshapuram was ruled under a demon named Narakasura. Under the demon rule, the villagers suffered a lot of hardship as the demon tortured the people and kidnapped the women to be imprisoned in his palace. Seeing the wickedness, Lord Khrishna set out to destroy the demon and the day Narakasura died was celebrated as Deepavali thus Deepavali is the celebration of the defeat of evil demon Narakasura, by Lord Krishna.

Images are taken from google and websites

YELLOW GOLD

2011-10-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

The glossy golden pineapple filling tarts ready for a bite

Tarts in the shape of a pineapple.

Bolster-shaped tarts

Nicely baked tarts to tempt your salivary glands

Roll the dough on the back of a fork for this effect

Generous mound of filling heaped on golden brown pastry

The dough with the crater for the pineapple filling

The tart mould and cutter with a preset floral design

Nenas Moris which I hunted in Johor Bharu

Lots of patience required to simmer the pineapple flesh

Caramelised pineapple fillings shaped into balls

The mould and the pair of tweezers for making the tarts

My tray of tarts ready to be presented to friends

Air and coold the tarts before keeping them in bottles

One piece is never enough for you to try mine

My Deepavali gifts for my friends

PINE FOR TARTS

My mum has a wonderful recipe for the pineapple tarts she has been making since we were young. I simply love the taste of the pastry which is not too soft and crumbly nor does it coat and stick onto your enamel when you put it into your mouth. But it is perfect for the bite that you have been longing and yearning for - something sweet and lingering to enjoy a lovely afternoon tea with. The crust should taste creamy with a slight salty taste to it. The next bite should allow the pineapple filling to be mixed with the not too sweet pastry to make your eyes roll upwards while your soul float to some far away idyllic islands. The sweet and creamy combination of the pastry and the sweetened pineapple jam which by now should be moist with the enzymes in your saliva must be relished till you are ready to push the ball of heaven down your digestive tract.

Now that mum has definitely declared that the kitchen boundary is no longer under her iron-nail regime, the task of making those delicious pineapple tarts fall on me. The first thing I had to make sure was that the tarts would taste just as good or even BETTER than what mum used to bake. Off course deep down, I know that I would never beat mum’s superb culinary and baking skills no matter how hard I try.

I swear by using only one brand of butter for the dough to maintain as close as possible the quality of tarts which mum used to bake. It’s got to be SCS salted butter for me and nothing else. We have faithfully used this brand of butter since 1960s and I would never switch for another brand for all the cookies and cakes I need to bake.

Another ingredient important for baking successful fluffy tarts is the pineapples. You need to choose the right pineapples for making the jam or the filling. Honey pineapple would be too watery. Sarawak pineapples would be too coarse in texture. We would hunt for Nenas Moris to get the perfect formula and sweetness to fill in the crater of the tart dough. It’s a tough job to remove the hard and scaly skin of the pineapples. Then you have to scour those beady eyes of the fruit before chopping and blending the flesh for the right smoothness and required consistency that you desired for.

I usually discard the core stem of the fruit. However, when we were young, my siblings would devour the core as reward for chopping the flesh of the pineapples. Some of the juice of the pineapple has to be squeezed before you add the sugar. Too much juice means that you have to boil and stir it longer. The mashed pineapple is next boil over a slow fire to caramelise it. To give the extra shine and gloss, I usually add a dollop of butter as the last ritual to making the pineapple jam.

As for the flour, my top choice brand is the Orchid brand from Australia. Its lightness and airiness usually result in very good dough. Sieve and air it in room temperature for a day or two before using it. Once the dough is ready, make it into several balls. While you roll out a ball of dough, cover the rest with a piece of wet towel to prevent them from drying up. The dough should not crack or stick on the rolling board when you flatten it with the rolling pin. With the cutter, press the floral shape of the tart and lift it up gently, making sure it does not stretch and go out of shape. At this stage the dough is very pliable and has to be handled gently.

Nowadays, the tart cutter comes with a pre-cut design, so busy housewives and career women need not use any tweezers to pinch the design around the circumference of the cut and pressed round shape of the tart dough. It’s a good idea to prepare the pineapple fillings into small balls first before you put them into the crater of the dough. This way, you would ensure that the fillings are of the same size. Bake straight away once a tray is ready for the butter in the dough may melt under room temperature and harden your pastry when it is baked.

I feel great when the glossy golden pineapple filling pops out against the rich yellow pastry for attention when I pull the baking tray out from the oven. The heavy aroma of the freshly-baked tarts would envelope the house. My sons and husband would come scrambling from their hide out for a taste of the heavenly tarts. And where were they when I needed them most in the kitchen?

IN SERVICE

2011-10-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

Started teaching in 1977

The group of teacchers in the print advertisement

Met some friends during the photoshoot

All of us have more than 3o years of teaching service

Standing proud as a teacher

PRESS ADVERTISEMENT

Together with 60 over teachers, we were featured in a 2-full page advertisemnt in the Straits Times to commemorate Teachers’ Day this year. The advertisment was a special feature of long-service Education Officers (EOs) who have been in service for at least thirty years. Many of them have dedicated their lives to nurturing students and the MOE would want to express their heartfelt appreciation through the special feature. It was a time to celebrate the years of dedication and commitment of many of our teachers.

The advertisement also acted as an inspiration which the teaching service would like to highlight on Teachers' Day. It was also an attempt to woo the correct target audience ie. students, mid-careerists to join teaching.

Time flies. I have been in service since 1977. I love my vocation and making the connections with the young.

CHARCOAL AND SAGA

2011-10-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

The melancholic eyes pleading for a master

I will bow to all of your requests

No I won't mess up the house nor the upholstery

The super sharp pointed ears and elfin-looking shaped face

The downcast face that invites pity and love

The saga tree with its still green pods (www.NatureLoveYou.sgu.sg)

The dry curly pods with the red saga seeds dispersed throgh the explosive method

(www.NatureLoveYou.sgu.sg)

They gave me endless hours of playing during my childhood days

The black-white feathered body

Specks of white contrast with black for the wings

Wing span stretches half of my lower arm

Saga's red round beady eyes

Dark reddish brown head and neck

The long and narrow beak

An injured leg hinders its flight to freedom

PETTY OVER PETS

4th Oct was World Pet Day. Guess what? My family ended up with two pets as a result of that event.

First, my son met a black cat at his cousin's Tampines flat. He played with it for a while. He returned to the same flat the next night and the cat was there again. It followed him wherever he went. My son had been pleading with me for him to keep a cat since he was young, but I never relented. He once owned a kitten for a few days when he was seven years old but the cat escaped when we forgot to close the wooden door. I had firmly put my feet and weight down ever since for him not to have a pet.

Defying all previous orders and warnings, my son brought the skinny, scrawny and pathetic-looking cat home last Thursday. He had enlisted extra backup from his elder brother to fetch him at Tampines and both of them sneakingly went into the house with a box in my younger son's hands. I almost jumped out of my seat when he said that they had brought a kitten home and like the cat's melancholic eyes, he pleaded with me to keep Charcoal; the name we gave her because she was as black as the night.. Charcoal’s eyes met mine. She seemed to be pleading and begging for some mercy. The momentarily meeting melted my heart. Looking at the starving and malnourished kitten, my husband and I relented. She was so pitiful and helpless - vulnerable and exposed to so many dangers in the open.

Charcoal with the elfin-looking face knows where he belongs and is trying to win me over slowly. She has already built a personal relationship with my two sons and husband. She seems to be attached with all the males in the house. Charcoal is a bit reserved with all the ladies in the house: myself, my mum and my maid. Has that got to do with gender preference?

My sons can keep Charcoal under one condition. Everything concerning looking after Charcoal comes under their job scope and responsibilities. Charcoal has not messed up the house and she goes to the litter box to do her stuff. Nobody teaches her that. She is a kitten of the 21st century learner – self-directed, independent and a concerned citizen. Wow! That's great!

What else did I end up for World Pet Day? Last night my husband and I picked up a struggling bird which tried to continue its flight but failed at the walkway. It did not move as we neared it. We scooped it up and marvelled at the beautiful black and white feathers under its body. The round deep red-beady eyes stared at us helplessly. I birth-certificated (a word I coined) him as 'Saga'. Do you still remember the scattered saga seeds we used to pick and play with long ago during our kampung days? I think the flower child of the 60s-70s would know the red saga seeds that had brought us endless hours of pleasure as our childhood game. Your partner and you need to come up with the same number of saga seeds. The handful of saga seeds are thrown on the floor and using your pointer finger you make a cross between two saga seeds. The ides is to flick and hit the saga seeds. If you succeeded, you pick up one seed as your win. You continue flicking and hitting the seeds until you stop hitting a pair.

The last standing beautiful umbrella-shaped saga tree I came across five years ago was the one opposite SOTA building, Cathay Cinileisure. When I saw the Saga tree giving shade to weary-feet tourists and locals, I relived my childhood days and went round collecting and bringing the seeds home from its burst pods. The tree disperses their seeds by literally exploding the dry pods. The hanging green pods turn brown and curl up as they dry. The sides of the pods dry up at different rates and this creates tension which causes the pods to split open, forcibly catapulting the small bright red seeds for several feet in all directions. The seeds are usually found littered under the tree. I introduced the saga-seed game to my sons and we ended up playing for hours. I don’t see the tree anymore and I think it had been axed down since.

I once went to a Chinese cemetery at Sime Road to study the graveyards to understand why some graves were sited at the higher while some ended at the lower ground. The reason I received was because of the social and economic status of the dead. If the dead had come from an influential family, the grave will be on higher elevation and vice versa. The red shiny saga seeds were all over the undulating ground. I bent down to pick a few to bring home but was cautioned by a Chinese friend not to take anything from the burial area unless I wanted the sprit of the dead to follow me home. No thanks! Horror movies already make my hair stand so I won’t need any encounter of the third kind for that spooky feeling. I immediately returned them to its original place.

Coming back to Saga, the bird – we couldn’t really identify what bird it is. Saga’s long and curved beak seems to suggest that it eats small aquatic creatures. Nevertheless, we had a neighbour who is a bird lover. He rears beautiful canary. I suggested my hubby to pay him a visit. My hubby brought Saga down to his flat. He too could not tell us the specie which Saga belongs to. We ended up with a cage from him to let Saga recuperate before we take our next course of actions.

Two pets within a week. It was a little hard to swallow. My husband and I foresee one common thing. We will be shelling out from our own pockets to buy pet food. Now, not only do I have a family to return home to, there are two pets I can pour out my feelings too.

Anyone out there knows what bird Saga is?

Latest update:

A friend of mine from Nature Society identified Saga as non-native bird of Singapore. Saga belongs to a specie known as a hooper.

BOARD AND NOT BORED GAMES

2011-08-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

The 25 Squares Game - Don't be trapped by the barricades!

You need to solve your clues before being declared a winner for this game

Get more culturalised with our game!

Up and Down, Left and Right - Any Way To Win

Move on when you can answer a question

Chee Kiong judging the board games

Students playing the games designed for them

Oral presentation skills required to explain the game to the visitors

One of the games that needed some strategic moves

Everyone had a field day at the game booths

Motivating students to give their best shot for the judging

Differrent races come together for a common goal

Bonding with each other through designing the game

Playing with my ex-student Ravin, who now teaches with me

We learn to resolve conflicts amicably in the process of designing the game

One of the games that drew a large number of audience

Through our research we learnt a lot about the different races
Our creativity and innovativeness are put into coming up of this game

Makan Poly is about the different dishes found in Singapore

Students trying out the game on multi culturalism

Thanks for this project! It brought us closer.

Tightening the social cohesion in Singapore through playing of games

UNITY IN DIVERSITY BOARD GAME

As part of the Racial Harmony Day Commemoration, the Character Education and Pupil Welfare Department organised the Character Development Lesson (CDL) Board game demonstration. Students from Sec 3 classes together with their CDL teachers and friends had a field time playing the games designed by the students for the students.

Students had to apply creative and critical thinking skills as well as foster collaborative learning skills and Social Emotional Learning competencies in coming up with the projects.

The message behind designing the games is for students to realise the importance of preserving racial and religious harmony and through many races, religions, languages and cultures, we will pursue one destiny; for Singapore's prosperity and stability. This is also a topic they do in Sec 3 Social Studies on Bonding.

The 15 board games demonstrated were given creative names like 'Makan Poly', 'Wheel of Harmony', 'Culture Starz', Cultural Devotional Challenge', 'The 25 Squares', 'We're One S'pore', "Footprints of Singapore', 'Top Game', Racial Boo', 'Slopes and Valleys' etc.

Let's hear some comments of the participants and those present:

"I bonded closer with Jie Ming in the process of designing this game."
- Fazira (participant)

"The project allowed us to come together, work together and discover more about each other."
- Yong Sheng (participant)

"We learn about time management and why it is important to prepare early, especially for exams."
- Jia Min (participant)

"By working in group, we learnt how to manage our differences and came up with the best solutions for all."
- Denise (participant)

"We did research work on the internet and interviewed our friends from different races to know more about their culture. It was very useful."
- Cherry (participant)

"My team members had fun together in coming up with the format of the game and the interesting questions on the different customs and traditions." - Hanis (participant)

"Our level of awareness and knowledge of the different races, customs and culture has increased through designing the board game."
- Rachel (participant)

"It was fun playing the games. I learnt more about others by answering the questions posed to me."
- Hidayat (visitor)

"I enjoyed myself playing the games. Some of the games were unique and creative."
- Niresha (visitor)

The teachers also gave the thumbs up for the games demonstrated.

"The games are really interactive and I enjoyed playing them. The students were confident in their presentation skills"
- Mr Ong CK

"I played a very innovative game. The students had applied a high level of creativity into designing the game."
- Ms Amanda Wong

"There are so many good games showcased today. I am amazed."
- Ms Nur Kamilah

As for me, I felt great crafting the lesson and designing the board game requirement and coordinating such a fun-filled, hands-on, values-education activity. The colourful work of the students added colour and vibrancy to the whole atmosphere in the canteen on that Friday. The students took great pride in demonstrating their work. This platform was indeed a great effort to round up the RHD celebrations too.

The support given by the teachers and students for this project was superb!

FRIENDS FOREVER

2011-06-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

CELEBRATE FRIENDSHIP

Thanks Ann for my St John's Island escapades

A reunion to remember for a long time

Asni and Balkis

Sheefah and Aindon

Thanks Kamariah for the invitation

Fatimah (in black) joined us later

Another meeting soon for the golden gals

The friends I grew up with - Ann, Zaleha, Hong Choo and Asni

St John's Island with its present beach and its new jetty below

WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR

We met again after forty years of going our own way. The reunion during the wedding dinner brought fond memories for us about our hockey days time and weekend escapades together.

Back in the 60’s there was no Orchard Road for me. No Peninsular Shopping Centre and I never dreamt of roaming at Shenton Way either. To add to the list of ‘No-Nos’ would be Capitol, Lido, Orchard, Hoover and Queen too. These are off course the movie theatres during my growing up time.

That was my restrictive life in the late 60s. I was still a secondary school student and dad was rather strict during those days. The moment he glared and stood still with his 6’ 2” frame at the door every evening after work was a clear signal for me and my siblings to keep a ten mile distance away from him. I am not complaining about not stepping my feet at those must-to be-seen around places at that time for I had and still have very good school friends who would invite and drag me over to their homes come every Saturday and school holidays.

Thank God Dad didn’t mind my weekly rendezvous for he knew who my company was. Having come from a girls’ school, my friends were only of one gender - girls, girls and girls. The unwritten statement was that I had to deliver my results came each term for out like magic would appear the thinnest rotan with its menacing swish in the air if as the eldest, I did not set the right tone for my younger siblings. See how heavy my responsibility was back then. I catapulted into maturity beyond my years of innocence too soon. I owe this to Dad a lot for instilling in me the right values as the eldest child in the family.

I would never forget my trips to Pulau Sekijang Bendera or St John’s Island. My girl friend Aindon grew up on the island before moving to Bendemeer Road. Came Saturday morning or Friday evening, we would board the ferry from Clifford Pier to St John’s Island and stayed over at her sister’s house. Perched on a hill, the house offered a commanding view of the island and you could see the frothy waves lapping against the cliff from the kitchen window. On clear days, you could even see the Indonesian island shore line. We would wake up to a beautiful sun rise scene by the beach and a stroll along the island shoreline. The air was laden with salt spray and I was lost with the serenity and respite of the beautiful and quiet island. Steaming hot coffee and nasi lemak would await us when we were done with our gals’ morning gossip.

The island was known as Pulau Sakijang by the Malay locals, which can be literally translated as the Island of a barking deer. One account states that when the British sailors arrived in Singapore, they fiddled with the name of the island to make it more pronounceable among themselves, hence the name Sakijang was alleged to be anglicized to Sin Jang Island to suit the English tongue. Subsequently Sin Jang Island became St John’s Island over time. The island was also a former quarantine station for leprosy cases and a penal settlement for political prisoners and ringleaders of secret societies.

We left no part of the island untouched. We orientated the beach picking up interestingly-shaped shells for making into necklaces or bracelets. And where there were cliffs replacing the sandy or rocky beach, we had to make our stop for it was impassable to go beyond. Being resilient and not bowing to failure easily, we would wait for the next low tide to continue our outline walking of the island. It was such a terrific feeling to walk and feel the sand with your sole while the waves and the foam kissed your feet. St. John’s natural shores are ringed by coral reefs with a variety of hard and soft corals. Commonly encountered animals included an unusually number of hermit crabs and sea cucumbers.

At times we would jump into the sea giggling and laughing like little girls having their first ride on a carousel. The sun could be baking hot and our complexion would be at the mercy of the fiery red ball but we didn’t care. It was our bonding time and such pleasures should be enjoyed while it last before development and the tractors rob them away from us. I would always return to the mainland as red as a lobster.

We transected St John’s Island hoping for more discoveries. We came across structures of demolished houses, an abandoned cemetery and an unused concrete jetty which had seen its better days. We would utter some prayers whenever we walked past the jetty for it possessed the notoriety of being haunted. Islanders claimed of hearing cries of baby in the middle of the night from the jetty. According to Aindon, nurses working on the island hospital would wheel unclaimed placenta on the jetty into the sea. I must also add that one of the holiday bungalows on the island is also reputed to be haunted. It is right on top of the hill, standing on its own with a sprawling compound.

Bright yellow allamanda, pastel pink hibiscus and royal purple bougainvillea would catch our attention on our scouring trip of the island. They grow wildly on the island but when you lay your eyes on them, you simply want to bring them home. We would place them in empty jam or Green Spot bottles (we started recycling a long time ago) and help to add colour to our host’s living room or kitchen.

We even boatpool and rowed to Pulau Sekijang Pelepah or Lazarus Island, just a few minutes away from St John’s Island. Without fail, the island boys would line up at the jetty and entertain us with their acrobatic somersaults and fancy free fall jumps into the water. The sea was their playground and it was astounding to see young boys having no fear of the deep sea.

Our island home stay ended when Aindon revealed that her family had to leave St John’s Island forever. The island was transformed into a tranquil getaway with swimming lagoons, trekking routes and camping grounds for nature lovers in 1975.

Thank you my friends. I will not forget Jalan Muallaf, Kg Woodleigh, Punggul End, Kolam Ayer Quarters, Genting Lane, Circuit Road, Merpati Road, Lorong Tai Seng, Lorong 27 Geylang, Jalan Pipit, Jalan Pasir, Lorong Engku Aman, Paya Lebar, Toa Payoh and most of all St John's Island.

JAKARTA FAMILY

2011-05-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

LOVE BINDS

Nazhan and his lovely bride, Nurhidayah

Mum looking as preety as ever

With Cikgu Zaharah Salleh

With Tante from Jakarta

Kak Warni, Abang Amir and Cikgu Zaharah Salleh

The Men In Batik

Immortalising the moment of meeting up together

With my cousins Sap, Lin, Janah and Ratna

We met with Abang Amir and Kak Warni again during a wedding invitation. We stayed over at their house during our last December trip to Jakarta. It was where I first tasted ketoprak and bubur ayam. We owe our gratitude to them for the warm hospitality showered upon us. We were glad to meet up with them again during the wedding invitation of Cik Mamad.

The couple looking their best with the bridesmaids

A family of gathering from Jakarta and Singapore

Thanks for your hospitality while were in Jakarta

When will we meet again Erda?

Ramon Rahmat, a singer and actor in the 1960s

Haji Osman Zailani, a veteran actor of many Malay dramas

Linda and soldier boy Fairuz

We can only learn to love by loving

WAYANG KULIT

2011-05-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Watch the slideshow
The puppeteer holding the real wayang kulit

The group of students who took part in the event

We had judges to assess for the best wayang kulit
Characters from Ramayana as their puppets

Nicole helped me with the photo taking

Explaining about wayang kulit to our guest of honour

Learning each other's culture

Arjuna the warrior was the name of our puppet

Groups of different races came together to take part

Look at the intricate design of the wayang kulit

Planning the design from scratch

Puppet with a movable head and limbs

SHADOW PLAY

Wayang Kulit or Shadow Play is popular in Malaysia, Bali and Thailand and it is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets which have movable head and limbs are carved, colourfully painted and intricately designed from buffalo skin. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen.

The Tok Dalang or the puppeteer is the genius story teller who weaves his narration from orally handed down stories from past generations. He sits behind the screen and does not depend from any text but this cultural entertainment which lasts all night long is told from what comes in his mind. Not only has the Tok Dalang got to manipulate the puppets skillfully and gracefully but he has to modulate his voice to create suspense thus heightening the drama. Invariably, the play climaxes with the triumph of good over evil.

Wayang kulit is accompanied by gamelan musicians and the musical ensemble includes the serunai, which is a double-reeded wind instrument and the three drums; gendang, geduk and gedombak. Percussion instruments like gong, canai and kesi add to the regular beat of the song. The pemetek or the clappers are used to create effective sounds to express shadow puppets' movements like walking and running.

I got my students to design their wayang kulit and they had to depend on their ingenuity and creative juice to bring their puppets alive. They were given some pieces of coloured paper and stationery items to do the puppets. Working in groups, the students had fun in coming up with their creation during our Artz and Sportz Carnival.

POWERED BY PAU

2011-05-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

Rice paper umbrella for a souvenir item

Steamed pau as white as silky clouds

The multi-tiered rattan steamer

Choosing the pau of various fillings

The pau would be our tea at the next stop
With a Muar store keeper

An ice shaver machine

A bowl of chendol on a hot day

One spoonful for you, three spoonfuls for me

The chendol stall on cart

CHENDOL AND PAU

You wouldn't miss the many pau road stalls if your are driving around Muar district. Pau is made from soft dough with various fillings. For the sweet tooth, there is red bean and kaya paste stuffed in the ball of dough. Meat lovers would love the chicken and the beef filling. There is also filling stuffed with quail eggs. You can bite through anchovy sambal and otak-otak filling in the fried pau version. As long as there is ingenuity and creativity in the pau sellers, there would never be any short of ideas on how to innovate the different fillings to cater to the changing taste of pau lovers.

Paus are steamed in tiered rattan baskets in the traditional way of pau-making. Electrical steamers are now used for commercially produced ones. A good pau has a silken soft white skin texture with enough filling for every bite of the dough. Pau comes in handy for breakfast or tea. It is not too heavy but just perfect when you need to snack in between meals.

Chendol is also easily found in Muar. Red beans and green chendol go into a bowl of shaved ice. Coconut milk and palm sugar are poured over the ingredients. You may request for some glutinous rice to be mixed with the beans if you like. I prefer mine with lots of red bean. I always feel guilty after eating a bowl of chendol because it's rich in cholesterol.

ME AND MEE

2011-05-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

The famous Mee Bandung Muar of Pak Abu

Shrimps and meat pieces swim in the thick gravy

Having my first taste of Pak Abu Mee Bandung
'John Wayne' also had a go of his mee bandung at Muar

Satay is eaten with peanut sauce, rice cubes and cucumber

Pak Abu sells his gravy paste to his customers

Watermelon juice with a zest of lemon. Melonlicious!

Thanks for the generous portion Pak Abu

Yusuf with the youngest customer of Pak Abu

The satay man fanning the charcoal for a good fire

Charcoal-grilled chicken and beef meat

The road opposite Wah San Coffee shop

Pak Abu Hanipah the man behind the success of Mee Bandung Muar

Selling the box of paste for RM 10

ME AND MEE BANDUNG MUAR

After watching an episode of 'Warung Kita', I told my husband that we must stop by at Muar for the famous Mee Bandung and satay which were given the thumbs up by the foodie commentator.

We were in Negri Sembilan recently and dropped by at Muar on the way back to Singapore. It took us about twenty minutes driving around Muar town to find the rightly named Wah San Coffeeshop which was highlighted in the programme. A row of big bikes from KL fronted the shop. The riders are regulars and would have their Sunday breakfast there. Cars with plates from Johor, Negri Sembilan and Selangor lined the road. That was a clear mandate that the iconic Pak Abu's Mee Bandung of Muar started in the 1930s and his hand-me-down secret recipe sill have its magnetism to pull in the crowd who are willing to drive hundreds of kilometres away.

Stepping into the coffee shop gave us an aura of simplicity and a relaxing atmosphere; inviting and easy-going feeling which are only offered by people who want to see you revisit their stall. Pak Abu gave us his wide smile and bantered away at the list of guests who had been his patrons. Newspaper cuttings on 'Who's Who' in Malaysia political and entertainment scene were fighting for space on the walls of the shop and on his glass display cabinet.

We planted ourselves at a table a long the five-foot path and ordered the speciality of the shop. I ventured into the cooking area. Pak Abu fried his paste of chillies, onions, peanut, beef and shrimp fresh before adding the stock, vegetables and the yellow mee into the big wok. His scooping of the condiments and giving a quick dash of sauce here and there into the wok with his ladle and deft hands reminded me of an image of a conductor holding a baton and making music with his orchestra. I marvelled at the quickness of how he portioned his ingredients that should go into the cooking of the gravy. Only a maestro of the ladle like him would be able to perform that!

Pak Abu's recipe of forty years had satisfied the gastronomical desires of many local and faraway customers. The mee bandung served had a generous portion of thick gravy, shrimp and meat. To me, the gravy was more like a mixture of satay peanut sauce and the mee rebus gravy. A bit too sweet for my liking. As for the satay, I prefer mine to be coated with more spice such as coriander, fennel and lemon grass rather than the caramelised meat we had.

Getting to Muar:

Take the Tangkak exit (Exit 235) from the North South Expressway and drive past Sg. Mati and Parit Bunga (Highway 23 and 5). Muar town is situated approximately 27km from the Tangkak exit.

2011-05-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

PERFECT AS A PICTURE

My cousin and his lovely bride in a traditional Malay wedding costume

From traditional to the modern wedding gown

The multi-tiered wedding cake

The cake as as preety as the real flower
My sisters and mum with the lovely couple
The exquisitely decked dias complete with chandeliers

Three sisters in a row - Pasirisrella, Tampinesrella and Yishurella

A multi-purpose hall is used for the wedding reception

With my ex-student Arnilah who was a guest at the wedding

Dessert for the guests to nibble

With my Aunt Yah

My uncle and his children

Uncle Kadir Bin Haji Moonshi

A happy moment with the wedded couple

A PEEK IN THE PAST

Malay weddings are grand affairs which involve both the groom's and the bride's family. I truly mean the whole family. It's not just the immediate family members who would be busy, but almost all those in the family tree who are still alive would play a role, be it significant or not to be part of the celebration and in the planning. Work can begin a year ahead of the agreed wedding date so that all events of the wedding can be executed in a military-like precision drill on the actual nuptial date. That's the joy of being involved in a Malay wedding.

Times have changed and Malay weddings nowadays are celebrated differently, but still with lots of grandeur and finesse. The void decks or multipurpose halls where the wedding ceremony takes place, are decked with flowers, chandeliers and the concrete columns draped in different pastel hues, gold, silver and even black.The deco depicts the theme which the bride or groom have selected. Gothic, country, modern, romantic, resort, garden.....just name it and the wedding planners would fulfill your dream of the year. Just be ready to pull out thick wads of notes to pay your wedding planner after that. Family members are not totally busy as most of the major tasks have been taken over by the hired event planner.

When my uncles got married in the 1960s, all planning and preparation were carried out by immediate family members and close friends. No one has ever heard of a wedding planner during those times. The only important person in the bride's lips would only be the 'Mak Andam' (the beautician) and for the groom, it would definitely be the 'Tok Kathi' or the religious official who solemnises the marriage. Other than that, all detailed planning had to be undertaken by the parents, aunties, uncles and siblings of the couple. All details pertaining to the wedding are written in a book so that when the next child gets married, the reference needed has been recorded. The Tok Penghulu or the village head would also be consulted for his highly regarded views and opinions.

To host the wedding feast, a simple tent was erected at granny's kampung house. A flat ground around the compound area was chosen. It would be easier to place the wooden tables and chairs on the flat hard ground. The kampung youths would fell coconut fronds and securely tie these around the tent frame. A football kind of carnival atmosphere would fill the air because flags from all over the world would be hung along the tent structure. These colourful flags of bright leaf green, bloody red, sunflower yellow and Prussian blue would flap and flutter every time the wind blew, announcing to the guests that they had reached the right house for the wedding.

If the couple could afford, life band would be hired to add more gaiety to the occasion. A Ramlie and The Rhythm Boys (the heart throb of many Malay girls in the 60's) did perform at one of my uncle's wedding day. Another top choice band during that era would be The Siglap Five with Jefrydin as the hit singer. Nowadays, DJs manning the karaoke system has replaced most of these live performances. They earn good money. Even the guests are free to sing together with the hired singers.

The kompang is still featured in most weddings up till now. Occasionally tough-looking Harley riders clad in black with metal chains dangling from their jean pockets. ride along behind the groom's bridal car. Their presence add some pomp, novelty and needless to say help to increase the decibel measurement of the noise level when their leather covered hands revved up the throttle of those monster engines.

A “Joget Lambak” (free-all-traditional dancing) session would also be held on the eve of the wedding date, usually on the Saturday. It offered the ideal opportunity for guests to let their hair down by getting up on the stage and literally dance the night away. The kampung band, playing traditional instruments would provide the music. Dances play an integral part in a Malay culture as a creative and a community expression of its people.

You would witness the strong gotong royong spirit being practised during the wedding. Everyone is chipping in to ensure on the success of the wedding. Neighbours and relatives would stream in to offer help of any kind to the couple's parents. And they didn't appear empty handed. Traditional kueh like baulu, lempeyek, epok-epok, putri salat and koleh-koleh would be given to the host to serve those who would also pop in.

The elderly would be involved in mass cooking for the hundreds or even thousands of the invited guests. The bride's or the groom's house would be a hive of activity a week before the actual wedding date. Nasi beryani is a must to be served with beef, chicken, dalcha, achar and pachri. Those days firewood would be used as fuel to cook the rice and the dishes. Guests would go home with the bunga telur too as a token of appreciation from the host. In return, they would present the host with 'wang sumbangan' or some cash. It was also quite common for the wedded couple to receive boxes of gifts, usually glassware and electrical appliances from their guests. These gifts would be placed beside the dias or pelamin as display items for the guests to see. Nowadays, couple receive department store shopping vouchers for them to purchase the items they need to start their home with.

The youth of the kampung would help to serve the guests as well as wash the dishes and the big blacken pots used in the cooking. Since youngsters hardly date during those times, such social functions like a Malay wedding would be one opportunity for them to get to know one other from the opposite sex. Names and address are exchanged for the next contact. No hand phone number or email addresses, mind you. If you want to keep in touch with the person you like, it's all done through the laborious means of letter writing. I wonder how many romances had bloomed and ended up in marriages when these youngsters met and helped out during such wedding feasts. Weddings are waited with bated breath by the youngsters for they might cross paths with their future life partner.

I still remember what the kampung folks did to keep the rain away on the wedding date. The chief chef would skewer a few pieces of shallots and red chilly through a satay stick. He would then poke the stick into the ground. Though many things associated with Malay wedding have changed and long gone, but this custom has not died out. I still see some wedding cooks practising this to keep away the clouds from bursting its moisture on the wedding day.

LOVE SWEET LOVE

2011-05-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

SPECIALLY FOR HAFEEZ & NAIMA

2011-05-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Naima and Hafeez rule the Dewan that day

Yellow the colour of the royalty as they are the king and queen of the day

A wedding cake fit for the sweet moments of their life

Sharing the sweet times together

A touch up by the Mak Andam

Intimacy is what makes a marriage, not a ceremony, not a piece of paper from the state

Mum blessing the couple for a blissful life ahead
A family has grown bigger with the arrival of children

With Kak Salbiah, the groom's mum

Husin and Ba'ayah will throw another wedding function comes June

The Brotherhood of Four from different era

All smiles for Husin and Ba'ayah

Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years

Abang Hasan, Kak Salbiah and their two daughters

Khatijah and me - still going strong in our career

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

The future lies in these youngsters' hands

A fairytale-like wedding full of grandeur and must I add romance?

HAFIZ & NAIMA

It was another wedding at Kluang again. I was hoping to stay a night at this rustic town but due to a national duty which I had to perform, the idea was abandoned.

As usual, the causeway was choked-blocked on Saturday morning. The usual 80mins drive took us two and half hours. We drove past dragon fruits farms, agro resorts and some orchid ville before reaching Kluang town. We needed to find our way to the Dataran Tasik Kluang for the wedding celebration.

The beating of the kompang sounded our arrival. We had reached just as the bride and the groom made their grand entrance into the humongous Dewan Sultan Ismail. Many of my cousins were already there, especially those from Penang. Didn't have much time to exchange news with them because they were either planning to leave Kluang that very day or had other agenda to fulfill.

As for me, it was time to snap, snap and snap.

SUVivors SUVived

2011-05-03T23:38:00.000-07:00

ON FOURS FOR A DIRTY WEEKEND

DIRTY WEEKEND

2011-04-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

The TNP Masthead

A new chick round the block

Flower Power Rulez The Nite

The Wacko Team as the winner for the most creative outfit

With Rod Monteiro

The Suvec Team

Our new found friends

Friendship built over the dirty weekend

At Sepang off road track

We completed the obstacles with flying colours

A durian is a must as a stopover

The kayaking event at Putra Jaya Wet Theme Park

Getting the riddle around an oil drum

Nasuha herbs and spice garden

The giant goat at UK Agro Farm Resort

Must be Rod's lucky morning...with the women

The guys and Rod at SPH

SUVived

It's time for adrenaline junkies to show off their navigating and off track skills in an annual fun-filled event - the The New Paper SUVival Challenge 2011. It's the ultimate off-road experience where you need to strategise your destinations to earn the maximum points, crack some codes and test your grey cells to answer quiz questions..

It was our fourth year of joining the event with other intrepid adventurers on the road in our mission to conquer over 700km across four Malaysian states within 10 hours behind the wheel. Along the way, off course we had to solve riddles, answer quiz questions and take photos of the designated stopovers as evidence. Fast and furious were the order of the day as we counted every minute to reach the pit stops. Throw in a kilogram of short tempers, 500g of stubbornness and 1 litre of impatience from the four of us and what do you get? Lots of tense, crazy and mad moments in our Terios but that was our winning formula for we had stuck in the competition for four years.

A briefing was held a week before the flag off, informing us of the competition rules and how to use the Holux 62 GPS. We met some familiar faces and made new friends too.
We immediately cracked our brain on how to do up the event T-shirt creatively. We had eyed the the top prize for this competition.

Bleary-eyed and body deprived of caffeine, we reached SPH at 4am on the event day. After the registration, we grabbed the quiz booklet and tried to answer some of the general knowledge questions. Families and friends grouped together while the Iphone was punched mercilessly for answers and clues. Someone even lugged a laptop to surf the questions for clues.

Rod Monteiro of FM 93.8 greeted the contestants before we zipped out of Singapore Press Holdings along Braddell Road in search of our driving trails. Our first stop was Dataran JB where the tower clock was. After snapping a photo at the clock at 6.23am, we set the GPS to bring us to the UK Agro Farm Resort, Kluang. The farm has the reputation of being Malaysia’s largest goat and sheep farm, with 100 acres of grazing land for 4000 sheep. It is a self-sufficient integrated farm practising the most modern techniques in goat and sheep rearing.

We had to hit for the Nasuha Herbs and Spice Garden at Pagoh, Muar next. The farm covers an area of over 3200 acres, known to be the largest Herbs and Spices farm in Asia, producing 6 to 10 metric tonnes of raw herbs and spices each day. The farm is planted with 135 types of herbs collected from all over the world. The farm practises organic fertilization technique to prevent chemical contamination.

Our next pit stop was the Tropical Village at Machap by 9.00am. We were there by half an hour earlier. The Taman Mini Malaysia and ASEAN was our next stopover where we had to check the size of the park and take photo below the Singapore flag. It is a cultural park located a few kilometres outside of Melaka, near the town of Ayer Keroh. If you have an interest in traditional architecture and ways of life, this is a great place to go exploring. Each of the homes represents the architectural style of the 13 states in Malaysia and is furnished with various items, arts and crafts which depict the culture of each state.

Without breakfast and lunch, we pressed on to Wet World Air Panas before navigating to Nilai of Negeri Sembilan for more head-breaking problems to solve.

We skipped the Taming Sari Tower in Malacca and Freemason Hall Negri Sembilan simply because we must reach Putra Jaya Wet Theme Park before 2pm for a kayaking event. Clearing that, the ultimate off road driving skills test for the men was next. The five stations required concentration and maneuvering skills to conquer the obstacles. The men did us proud for we passed all stations with flying colours and got our coordinates to reach the final destination; the Klana Resort where we would stay for the night.

Though eating durian was not part of the itinerary, but I could not resist stopping along en route to our resort to put a few seeds into my mouth. The roadside durian sellers were hawking the kampung durian from RM5.00 to RM40.00 per kilo. The fruit tasted so 'syiok' with the milky soft and sweet flesh sliding down my throat. It was my breakfast and lunch at one go. So heavenly!

It was already 4.00pm and with no food at all since we started and almost limped like a rag doll, we headed for the coffee house for a decent meal. With renewed energy, we freshen up for dinner where we planned to take everyone by storm. The Afro wigs were donned, the cut-up SUVIVAL tees were worn and we were all set to create history and bring back the Hippies or Beatniks era that night.

All heads turned the moment we swaggered at the lobby and into the ball room. Wolf whistles and loud clapping announced our arrival. We were declared the Wacko Team winner for the night and won SGD $500. Our heads couldn't get bigger than our Afro wigs.

The New Paper SUVival Challenge 2011 – Coordinates to all locations Road Challenge

1 UK Farm Resort (Latitude)N 1⁰58’28.4” (Longitude)E 103⁰13’47.7”
2 Nasuha Herbs & Spices (Latitude)N 2⁰6’58.9” (Longitude)E102⁰42’29.2”
3 Tropical Village Machap (Latitude)N 1⁰53'45" (Longitude)E 103⁰12'22"
4 Dataran Bandaraya Johor Bahru (Latitude)N 1⁰27'37.8" (Longitude)E 103⁰44'31"
5 Taming Sari Tower (Latitude)N 2⁰11'26.5" (Longitude)E102⁰14'50"
6 Taman Mini Malaysia & Mini Asean (Latitude)N 2⁰16'57.3 (Longitude)E 102⁰18'13.3"
7 Wet World Air Panas Pedas (Latitude)N 2⁰37'55" (Longitude)E 102⁰3'9"
8 Freemason Hall (Latitude)N 2⁰43'10.1" (Longitude)E 101⁰57'12.2"
9 "Grand Canyon" Seremban (Latitude)N 2⁰43'58.9" (Longitude)E 101⁰56'59.3"
10 Nilai (Latitude)N 2⁰51'23" (Longitude)E 101⁰48'20"

The sticker on our bonnet

On all fours for a dirty weekend

At the briefing

Going up the stage to claim our prize

SMILE AND THE WORLD SMILES WITH YOU

2011-04-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

CLOWNING AROUND

Razak and Naruto bringing cheer to the shoppers

I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician. ~CharlieChaplain~

All the world loves a clown. A clown's makeup and character, that's all he has to sell. He loves and believes in that character. I was doing some grocery shopping at Kipmart Tampoi when I heard children shriek with laughter in great joy. My sharp ears pulled me to a stage in the middle of the building. Instantaneously, I knew what had caused the commotion and the wolf whistling. Two clowns were entertaining the shoppers with their balloon craft, monkey faces and Chaplain-like antics.

I wasted no time in cornering endearing Razak and Naruto into taking photos with them. They are involved in organising events and also manage Animax performances which include Naruto, X Man and Sailormoon. The guys also provide MC and DJ services besides cooking demo and planning for weddings.

Beneath the guys' one-inch thick make-up, lies two men who believe in the art of entertaining and making others laugh with them. People may think that the clown is often a deadpan person, but he is actually a connoisseur of laughter. Like a magician, he conjures mirth and invokes gaiety and fun-filled moments to his audience. I haven't seen a clown who has made someone cry. Have you? But people have asked to send in the clowns in their lowest dipped point. Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand have sung 'Send In The Clowns' to ease the pain of losing someone.

I remember a line from Groucho Mark which says, "Clowns work as well as aspirin, but twice as fast." I guess that's why we love and welcome the clowns to be around us. They take our pain, misery and problems momentarily and hide them with their big smiles. Probably some anguish and affliction go into their pair of prodigious shoes too. When the clowns are gone and the smile fade away, the ache and malaise are bestowed back to the rightful owners. Dark humour?

Wonder to whom does the clowns pass their pain and tumultuous feelings to? To truly laugh with the world, you must be able to take your pain and play with it. Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone. Being a clown is not an easy pursuit then! You are confronted with your own feelings all the time and may struggle on how to subdue or shun them away in front of people whom you have to bring cheer to. I love what Lord Tennyson has penned, "By blood a king, in heart a clown."

Thanks Razak and Naruto for the short respite with us. They also presented mum with a blue teddy bear. It was so sweet of the two gentlemen. I promised to post their contact on my blog. If you are interested in engaging them, you can e-mail to blackkakoi@yahoo.com.

They love mum and took a photo with her

ICE SHAVER

2011-04-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

The traditional and classic 50-year old ice shaver machine

A modern version of ice ball, unlike the round-shaped ones sold by Guan

A rudimentary ice shaver that serves the same purpose

Instead of ice-balls, the ice is shoved into a plastic bag before syrup is added

The two youths who allowed me to take the pictures of their ice shaver machine

The wheel and axle machine. No motor is used.

Green technology. No carbon fingerprints.

Bolt, nuts, gear and wheel and axle to shave off the ice

The once blue- coloured machine is now steel-coloured after 50 years

SNOWY ICE BALLS

It shaves the block of ice thinly and leaves behind a mound of white fine strands of flakes in the bowl. The wheel has to be turned manually for the ice to be shaved off by the blade. That's the traditional and classic ice machine of yester years. It has been replaced by electric ice shavers, which make faster ice mounds like fluffy white snow at most of our hawker centres nowadays.

Its stature, its age and durability caught my attention the minute I walked past it. I asked the youth who was selling the chendol how old the machine was. He couldn't give me the right age but estimated that the machine was easily over fifty years. It's original bright blue colour had faded, leaving behind a grey metallic surface instead.

When I was young, I remember Guan, the ice-ball seller would shave a block of ice using the same type of unmotorised machine. He sold the ice-ball for 10 cents each. He would trudge and push his cart up the slope of Jalan Eunos and the kampung children would queue for him to buy the ice-balls. He was the most eagerly waited man on hot steamy days. Not many households had a fridge back then in the 60s, so Guan's ice balls were like gifts from heaven to quench our thirst.

Like a precision clockwork, Guan would appear in front of my grandma's house daily and ring his bell to announce his arrival. Blocks of ice were wrapped in gunny sacks and kept below his cart. The ice shaver machine was the centre piece of the cart. Next to it would be transparent glass bottles storing red, green and brown syrup. Two bowls containing boiled red beans and rice flour green chendol were placed on the cart too.

For 10 cents, your ice ball would be coated with red, green and brown gula melaka syrup which hid boiled red beans and chendol in the centre of the ball. Guan would take some of the shaved ice, create a depression and scoop some beans and green chendol into it. More ice was taken to shape the ball with his hands. He compressed and compacted the ball further so that it became solid and would not break easily. The final stage of making the ice ball was to coat it with the colourful sugary syrup. Voila and you are ready to roll your tongue all over the cold surface of the sweet ice ball.

I would suck and slurp the sweet sugary coat of the ice slowly because you did not want to end too early with just the tasteless white ice ball once the red, green and brown gula melaka coat was gone. Then you had to manoeuvre your tongue slowly and deeper into the ball in search of the beans and chendol in the mass of ice.

You have to make sure that the ice ball remained in its perfect round shape and it did not break while you did your act of slurping the ice for it could be messy once that happened. Not only that, you might lose some ice and filling when they fell to the ground. That would be a total loss of all your 10 cents worth of hard earned saving!

Every slurp and bean count and were precious to a young girl like me. Thanks Guan for that sweet memories.

THE GOLDEN MOMENT

2011-04-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

Gold, gold and gold everywhere
See this solid piece of metal
Me and my haul of gold for the boys

CHERISH THE GOLD

Our Takraw boys did us proud by becoming the champions in our zone and emerging runners-up in the national zone. They played their heart out to be at the tops. Congrats boys!

The efforts from Fahmy, Zainal and Umaizy have paid off.

AWESOME CUPCAKE

2011-04-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

A is for Awesone Azizah

The team showing off their cakes
Rachel can't wait to chomp off her way thorough the cake
Awesone Azizah is spelt on the cake
I smile like the face on the cake

SUGARY SWEET

Had a personalised cupcake with my name on it. Everyone in the department received one from Faizah. Amidst sharing our personal experiences, we eyed the sugary gift before admitting defeat and sinking our teeth into the chocolate spongy texture. The round-about-table sharing unveiled many things which we do not know of each other though we had been working together for many years. Dark secrets, sweet memories, fears of the unknown and getting face to face with your age were spilled out unashamedly like marbles rolling out from a tin.

What a way to bond and get to know one another beyond our professional scope as a warm individual person.

STAY ALOFT

2011-04-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

This kite costs RM500. It's awesome!

Tiger, Tiger burning bright

Toy Car racing down the hill

The luminous orange coloured gold fish kite

Yusuf trying to fix the kite he finally chose

A friendly shark that lives in the sky

The Kite Runner packing for home

With the kite vendor and his bountiful kites

In the woods with Winnie andEyor

Soar like an eagle

With a kite seller on Bukit Layang-Layang

I am not Madame Butterfly

The black eagle has landed

The kites welcoming their visitors

The tattered fringe kite must be graceful up in the sky

The shape of the kites reminds me of Townhouses

The wau kites displayed in the museum

At the entrance of the museum

The Bukit Layang-Layang Museum

FREEDOM TO SOAR

He has been bitten by a bug called 'kite-flying' and we ended up as his victims. My brother is currently crazy over kites (don't k now how long this craze would last) and he is searching every nook and corner for a perfect kite to suit his pocket and budget. In simple economics, a perfect kite has no budget. In fact it stretches and bust your budget because your expectations and specifications for the kite are so difficult to meet.

To lay our hands on a perfect and huge kite, we drove to Johor Bharu searching for one. One place to head for is the Muzeum Layang-Layang at Pasir Gudang. The museum has an array of kites and a variety of materials related to kites. The place was built as an appreciation towards the contribution of Malaysian and International kite fliers. It was first opened to public in February 2002 during the 7th International Kite Festival. About 200 traditional Wau kites which once hailed as the kings of the sky are on display. The museum has been built in an effort to preserve and uphold the cultural heritage and crafts of Malaysia.

It was almost closing time when we reached Bukit Layang-Layang. The hill has a panoramic view of the green surrounding and the air is cool and refreshing, especially after the rain that fell before we reached it. Judging by the many number of cars parked at the lots, Bukit Layang-Layang is a favourite haunt for families and children to fly kites or simply tuck in the 'celup-celup' for tea. Celup-celup is like having steamboat on satay sticks.

We climbed up the hill. Doraemon, Hello Kity, Sponge Bob, Donald Duck, Astro Boy and Sharky were waving and calling me for a fun time. Actually a kite-seller was hawking his colourful and cartoon characters kites. He had hung his kites on poles and with the breeze caressing the light-weight nylon kites, they seemed to come alive with their flapping and movement. It must be a bewitching site for any kid to be surrounded by so many characters from the square box.

We tried a few kites before purchasing one. Every kite was screaming at us to be picked and flown. There were too many to pick. The vendor was kind enough to wait for us to choose even though it was getting dark. I ended up with a sting ray fish kite with a long tail and a fearsome body.

My brother fell in love with a huge bright orange gold fish kite. It was a perfect kite for him - it suited his budget and his pride of owning one of the biggest kites being sold that evening.

BLACK AND WHITE

2011-03-27T02:43:00.000-07:00

The prized black and white TV behind us.

L-R: Maz, Gayah, Jab, Me and Lina. See how we posed on the sofa.

My uncles, cousins and siblings in the stilt house

My youngest uncle's wedding. Maz and Lina were the bridesmaid.

The huge compund of the house. Everywhere was a playground

GROWING UP

Remembering the past can be painful. You can't buy the lost time nor can you bring it forward. One of my wonderful chapters growing up was having my siblings and cousins all cooped up in our huge grandma's rumah panggung or stilt house. We would tell ghost stories and traded the daily events from each other's experiences.

My childhood was free and I was like the wild child of my dreams. I created my own fun, built friendship and immersed myself in the kampung setting. You would never find me hibernating and keeping still at one corner. I would be a butterfly, flitting from one place to another and hiding myself among the sunflowers or the rows and rows of tapiaco plants on the hill slope.

There were so many things to occupy myself that I dreaded the evening sun. It meant that I had to report back home to granny and have a shower. No more going out after dusk or the hantu gulung, orang minyak or the pontianak would hide you. Tell that creepy and eerie warning to a nine year old and nothing would ever drag me after dusk from the house. You know why? The stilt house was surrounded by giant trees and the next neighbour was about 60 metres away. It could be spooky at night with no street lights. My grandma's house would be a perfect set for filming one of those haunted stories for The Incredible Tales.

However, life was less complicated back then. We survived with very little money and anything and everything could offer us simple pleasures and loud guffaws. When I say I enjoy my life back then, I really meant it... with an OOOMPH!

PITA D' PISA

2011-03-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

My pita bread with a wooden doll from Bali
The more green, the more lean you'll be
Pita d' Pisa for the madame of the house
Some pain in serving when food is a pleasure to indulge
I can devour two of these when I'm hungry
I might try to substitue the meat with kidney beans, one day
WHAT'S 4T?

A rather strange combination was laid on my dining table last Sunday. I always have tea when I am at home. I have had roti john, soto, mee siam and even shepherd pie for the past week.

I was almost at loss at what to serve the family when I remember that I had snatched a packet of pita from Tesco hypermarket in JB. I make my own pita filling and love my pita till it's last bite of the pocket.

I marinate thin slices of beef or chicken with coarse grounded pepper, oyster and soya sauce and oregano. With a splash of olive oil, I fry the meat and add a dash of salt. When the meat is almost done, I throw in cubed mushroom. Some mayonnaise and chilly sauce are added to the filling once is it cool. I also mix the filling with , lengthwised-cut cucumber and diced onion.

The pocket pita is lightly toasted before the meat is stuffed in together with some greens like lettuce or salad and ringed tomatoes. I prefer the wholemeal pita bread because it is more filling.

What else did I have? Some sparingly coated batter pisang goreng fried till crispy and refreshing Sosro tea which I accidentally came across at a value shop.

My simple tea was so heavenly beautiful.

MEDICINAL REASONS

2011-03-20T04:11:00.000-07:00

The hollowed out creamy coconut flesh
With stall owner and her daughter

Her daughter helps her mum during the weekend

A big tent for drivers to stop

The next door stall sells giant kites

Cheers to good health

Let me serve you with my special toasted coconut

We finished the drink to the last drop

See the flesh sitting nicely and loosely inside the shell

Shaving the burnt husk white before serving

Entrepreneurial spirit to earn a living

The young coconuts before being roasted

Coconuts roasted on open fire

Stoking the fire and turning the nuts periodically

An overturned lorry that snailed the traffic

You would not miss the sign along the road

KELAPA MUDA BAKAR

ROASTED YOUNG COCONUT

The long drive to Kota Tinggi was slow on that wet evening. There was a massive traffic jam ahead and the siren and wailing of two ambulances did not add any optimism to our drive.

I told my hubby to make a U-turn and skip Kota Tinggi this time round. There would always be another occasion to visit this historical town of Johor Bahru. The U-turn was made and we passed by an overturned lorry that had caused traffic to snail.

We needed to stop by for a hot drink somewhere. I remember the kapok pillow stall along the road which also mans a drink stall and suggested that we stop there for a quick bite. A quick tour revealed no teh tarik or nescafe ice to wet the throat or banana fritters for teatime. Instead, a sign board shouting "Toasted Young Coconut" stared in front of us.

Since the traffic was still at a standstill, we ordered two toasted coconut or kelapa muda bakar to kill time. A couple next to our table was scooping the coconut flesh and sipping the brownish juice. I wondered why the juice was brown in colour. It was time for Azizah Christie to whip her notebook and do some investigative work. I asked the stall owner how the coconut was prepared and the benefits of drinking the coconut juice.

The young coconuts are roasted over fire fuelled with wood and branches for an hour. They have to be turned over periodically otherwise the shell would crack and the juice leak. Once they are evenly roasted, the coconut is removed from the fire and its burnt husk shaved off with a parang. A hole is made at the top part of the shell. This would enable the drinker to scoop the flesh. A rightly roasted coconut would have its flesh lightly cling to its shell and pop out from the husk.

The coconut juice is poured into a cup and mixed with palm sugar which has been boiled with lemon grass and ginger. It is believed that drinking this concoction can help to alleviate diabetes, high blood pressure, tuberculosis, gall stones, asthma and improve blood circulation. I guess with palm sugar added to the juice, diabetic patient and high cholesterol patient must drink in moderation. You can opt for your juice to be mixed with ice or drink it hot.

We grabbed our chairs and started to dig into the flesh. Its creamily soft and very supple to contour with our spoon. The juice is tangy but sweet and has a strong fragrance of lemon grass and ginger. I opted for a hot juice and did not regret it for the liquid flowed down my throat like a cleaning agent, flushing my phlegm and soothing the soreness at my vocal chord.

We parted with RM8 for two coconuts and a smiling vendor. I suggested to the stall owner to have a masseuse operate nearby to complete the roadside clinic.

Cheers to good health!

TWIST AND TURN

2011-03-20T03:02:00.000-07:00

Let's go with Alice and the Mad Hatters to her Wonderland

You are as bright as this balloon, Risha

The beauty and her work of beauty

The power of the hands that can sculpt things

A twist and a turn there for the perfect shape

It's easy Ma'am and the balloon won't burst easily!

Discussing the tea session amidst a rubbery atmosphere

The motif on my baju kurung is like the stem of the flowers

Kamilah, me and Norisha over a cuppa!

Don't sulk! Just get on with your work, will you?

I beg your pardon...I never promise you a balloon garden

Friends forever with balloons to keep company

More balloons will come your way, Mdm!

I had a great ballooning time with Risha and Kamilah

BALLOON TIME

She does not need to huff nor puff like the evil wolf which hopes to bring down the brick house of the three little pigs.

Instead she pumps with the air pump and wrestles with the multi-coloured rubber. She gives it a twist, a pull and a yank there and knots it over to keep it in shape. The cylindrical rubbery millipede- shaped balloon transforms into a flower, a sword, a heart and a poodle at the mercy of her well-manicured fingers.

That's Norisha, our resident balloon sculptor. I did not know of this talent of hers until we had the opportunity to sit down and discuss a tea session we had to organise. While penning down some ideas, out came a stretched balloon which Risha manipulated and tortured into the shape of a sword. But, hey I am not that an ardent fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean nor Captain Hook appeals to me with his cold steel S-shaped hook hand.

With my crestfallen face staring right into her brown eyes, she pulled out two more coloured balloons and shaped them into a poodle, hoping that Clown Bozo's smile would hang on my face. I am not keen on a poodle either. With her deft fingers and some strength to boot, she sculptured more balloons effortlessly. She won me over finally with her stupendous gigantic flowers. I opted for a flower to bloom forever at my workstation. Too lazy to water it nor whisper sweet nothings to it every morning. At least I will keep the Aedes mozie away and be safe from Dengue.

More friends were distracted by the commotion at my table and Risha was complying at the demand of those around her for the balloon sculpture's masterpieces. Crash course on ballooning was held immediately.

Risha is multi-talented. Guess what else could she do? She had worked as a clown before, earning big money at making people laugh at her sadly painted face. Maintaining her poise and elegance, she roars and weaves her way on our tarmac roads with her 1000c bike. She jams the brakes with her killer stiletto shoes, melts her biker partners with her pair of well-eyelined charcoal black eyes and cocks her Transformer-like helmet at the change of the traffic light. She rides herself like a moving and graceful art piece on our expressways.

I still haven't fully discovered what other talent she is hiding in her sleeve. I am safe enough if she does not hide me in her sleeve.

May I have a teddy bear balloon next, Risha? You promise me that.

FAMILYHOOD & LOVE

2011-02-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

MAZ HOLIDAY

Bali, Hanoi and Sapa were part of her itinerary while Singapore was her base. Maz and her two children, Ema and Zac, spent almost a month on her recent holiday but she was jet setting everywhere. We barely squeezed two weeks together from her 32 days of vacation before the whole family flew off to Sydney.

As usual no visit to Singapore is ever complete without a crossover to Johor Bahru. We made two trips there, buying shoes like crazy and blouses. Maz tried the naan and prawn lemak cili padi at Pandan City. She was taken aback by the quality and taste of the food. Her eyes rolled up at the smacking good taste of the freshly grounded cili padi sauteed with galangal, lemon grass and some coconut juice. The low price almost knocked her flat.

Maz also had time to attend her school reunion where she got to meet her Primary 1 classmates whom she had not set eyes for the past thirty years. She snatched some time to tailor her kebaya at Geylang. Orchard Road, Bugis and Arab Street were not given a miss. My brother and husband also arranged for her to swing her nights with Tania. Clark Quay was another place they went for some late dinner and music. My sons and nephews dragged Ema on their ghost hunt. Changi Hospital, Pasir Ris and Punggol bore nothing to make their hair stand. Ema's shrieking hyena-like laughter must have scared those apparations away!

I am so fortunate to have Tini look after my sister's family needs. She managed the cooking so well by serving different dishes daily. Whatever my sister and her children craved for, Tini would prepare the next day. They had mee rebus, mee siam, soto, spaghetti, carbonara macoroni, mushroom soup, roti jala, curry chicken, tomato rice, ayam masak merah and many more. What Tini had to do was just asked what Maz wanted to eat the night before and the dishes would be ready for their breakfast or lunch. Maz also brought home lempeyek and fried shallots all done by Tini. And a big fat NO to those who wish Tini could be on loaned into your household!

Zac loves prata for breakfast while Ema prefers thosai. There would be nasi lemak, lontong, cereal, putu mayam or toast to add to the items for the breakfast table. Maz is not a great eater and would just nibble her food. But I did see her truly eat when she requested for mussel sambal and lemak cekur manis.

We are always delighted to have Maz and her family over. It was like a family reunion for us. We will wait for Maz's visit again with bated breath.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2011-02-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

XIN NIAN KUAI LE!

Sec 5NA2 clinched second prize in the interclass CNY deco competition

The backdrop behind the class done up by my class students

Red colour dominates the classroom

Streamers hung from the ceiling

Colourful and attractive decorated board

Have a Rabbitlicious New Year!

Lion Dance and fire crackers are integral part of the CNY celebration

TAB YOUR TABOOS

Do you know some superstitions and taboos of Chinese New Year customs? I proudly can say I do! I used to be surrounded by Chinese neighbours and friends when I was growing up. The fact that I had a lot of Chinese and Indian friends when I was schooling also had helped me to understand the Chinese and Indian culture more.

I know for sure that my Chinese friends can't sweep their house clean on the eve of CNY. It's like sweeping all your luck away for the new year. After New Year's Day, the floors may be swept. Dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the hall. Caution is taken not to step on the rubbish. My neighbours would never sweep the dust out of their front entrance. You would be cursed by the elders and probably hit by the broom on your head if you are caught doing so for it meant you have just swept away all the good fortune of the family. Your sweeping strokes must be inward for harm not to stay with you. One final step to be observed is that all dirt and rubbbish must be taken out from the back door.

You can't give knives away or use knives to cut food or fruits on the first day. You are being anti-social if you do so because it means you want to severe blood ties or friendship. The use of scissors is also avoided for the same reason. Care must also be taken not to break things on the first day. So that explained why when my gang visited my neighbours on CNY, we clumsy kids, were always served with plastic cups and plates while all the fine bone china crockery was hidden from sight.

I stopped short of giving my Chinese neighbour white flowers for a floral arrangement gift on one new year day. White means death and you do not definitely want to wish your good neighbours with immediate death on a very auspicious day like Chinese New Year unless you want to be clobbered to death by him!

During my kampung days at Jalan Kasturi, my Chinese neighbours would fire crackers at the stroke of twelve on New Year Eve to send out the old year and ring the new year with a loud sound. They said it's a way of welcoming the gods from heaven too. All their windows and doors were flung open to allow all the bad luck of old year to flow away on the eve. I shut mine closed incase the bad luck flow through my windows.

The explosive sound of the crackers would last continuously long for almost half and hour. Everyone would fire their crackers at the same time. The kampung became a war zone every midnight of new year eve. We would wait for that moment to see the sparks and smoke of the crackers filling the air. If my neighbours were from a higher income strata, then they would hang their crackers on bamboo poles to lit up. The richer you are, the longer your string of crackers should be.

In the morning, we kids would rummage through the red strewn burnt paper and sieve for any unexploded crackers for our turn to make the pop sound. You should see the joy on our faces when we managed to salvage a few pieces of that cylindrical-shaped fire cracker. Simple joy but enormous fun for tight-budget children like me!

I also learnt that my Chinese neighbours must cook their rice and leave it overnight till the first day of new year. This means that they would have enough food to last them for the whole year. And to ensure that the young have sufficient money for the year, the adults practice giving hongbao to them. There must be a certain amount shoved into the angpow, like $1.00. I am talking about the amount given in the 1960's where $1.00 was preciously treasured.

Anything to do with number '4' pronounced as 'Si' or 'Death' is strictly avoided. You also need to clear your debt before the new year comes knocking at your door. Ill luck would befall on you and the family if you do not settle the I.O.U payment. It is a no-no to borrow money on that day too.

To get a headstart for the new year, my Chinese neighbour would only move house before the new year and never during the festive season. Renovation work should also end before the festivity starts. This is to give the family a brand new lease of luck for the coming year in a new environment.

My kampung friend Wan Ching was once chided by her mum for washing her hair on New Year day. The reason - she was actually washing away all her good fortune for the new year. Nor was she allowed to wear black on the first day of new year. Wearing anything black is frowned upon unless you want a gloomy and doomed year ahead.

Wan Ching's family would go visiting in bright colours. Red is the top choice. Wan Ching would be dressed in a red dress, carry a red bag and walk with a pair of red shoes. Her pony-tailed hair would be tied with a piece of red ribbon. Try asking any youngsters nowadays to wear all red from head to toe 'You xiao or what?'. They will snort and snarl at you with dagger-sharp eyes!

Red is the favourite colour for one to be dressed in if you go visiting. Red is a happy, bright and vibrant colour. It is supposed to bring luck and many happy moments to the wearer. The right tone would set the right luck for the wearer all year round.

My kampung neighbours would also hang a new piece of red cloth at their doorway to signify good wealth for the new year. They would set a table of food in front of their doorway. Chicken, duck, pork, fruits and sweet meat would be offered to the gods. It was a must for all of my neighbours to do so for they believe that before they eat the food, it had to be blessed by the gods.

Understanding the culture, traditions and festivals of others was a rich learning for me during my kampung days. I didn't have to surf the net back then to find out about these traditions. Which kampung lad would have ever heard of a computer in the 60's? No textbook could also have transfered the learning and the experience I went through effectively. It was only through living, playing, eating, celebrating festivals together and immersing your heart and soul with the other races that had enriched me in understanding and accepting how others lead their lives. I believe no culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.

Jawaharlal Nehru was totally right when he said, “Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit."

SUMMERDALE PENTHOUSE

2011-02-04T06:41:00.000-08:00

With Minah, the ever-friendly host

Sister Power with Killer Powered Lungs

Mum with Maz's mum-in-law. Both are tough cookies to crack!

Maz with Zac who only drinks Seasons Ice Lemon Tea

With Aishah (Minah's charming daughter) from RP

Before the make-over of Yek

The reigning Ms Boon Lay 2011. The after make-over look!

The Goddess of Love worshipped by man from all walks of life

A lucky prize winner - Hajjah Sabiah Bte Sheikh Madar

Maz and I beat the youngest contestants with our pregnated-sized balloon

A rock queen was born on the 13th floor penthouse

Smoke on the water and fire on the penthouse.....

I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd. You're gonna hear Ida's voice

Don't be a Cassanova ok, Zac?

Maz and her outlaws.....oopsss... her sis-in-laws I mean!

LAY BOON LAY FOR ME

We received an invitation for a new-year gathering and visited Minah's and Ebby's Summerdale penthouse at Boon Lay Drive. My husband was engaged in his work while my two sons had their own plans. When you have two grown-up boys, it's almost impossible to get everyone at the same time for a night out. Thus, together with my mum, Maz, Zac and Tini we hopped into our Terios and ventured to one of my least visited places on Singapore's geographical map - Boon Lay at West Coast Town.

Summerdale is a 99-year leasehold development. We were welcomed warmly by our host. The unit was tastefully decorated with knick-knacks and decorative items from all over the world. Minah and Ebby have obviously been globe-trotting from Asia to Europe and from America to Ocenia. The view from the 13th floor spacious penthouse was fantastic, offering almost the whole town of Boon Lay. The MRT track was ahead of us while Boon Lay Shopping Centre and The Bluez were just within a walking distance. A private institution was just a stone's throw away. The flickering lights from the nearby residential blocks and commercial retail buildings blanketed the area pleasingly, especially on that cool breezy night. I could just pull out a rocking chair and whilst my time away in eternity anytime.

With a commanding view and a space to entertain, you won't actually need to dine at swanky and fancy restaurants. Ebby had made a good decision when he took up the penthouse unit. He must have had his Math right. The family's needs are self-sufficiently catered by the facilities abounding the area. Entertainment can just be at one's dwelling place, offering privacy and the warmth of a home with throw-ins like hospitality and graciousness. Not only do you save on tons of money, but offering an alternative way of entertaining your guests from one's penthouse is a novelty and refreshing idea.

I used to imagine Boon Lay as one of the a far-flung places in the western part of Singapore where you hardly can find life and entertainment but only old unwelcomed dull grey blocks of flats of yesteryear's. With no relatives staying around the vicinity, my GPS has never been programmed to direct me there. Was I being biased and prejudiced of the western parts of Singapore? Having been raised and lived my entire life at the eastern and southern parts of Singapore, I have to admit shamelessly that I was. I know little of Boon Lay, Jurong West or Jurong Extension for that matter

All this while, Yishun has been my guiding compass for everything that I need. I work in Yishun, stay in Yishun and shop in Yishun. There is no reason for me to crawl out from my Yishun shell. I think I have just been like a suaku, leading a comfortable life in a familiar surrounding and not been brave enough to catapult myself to places I have no bearing and connection of. A night in Boon Lay had forced me to reexamine how I should try to accept new places; with a more open mindset and see things from a wide-angled lens.

My perception of Boon Lay totally took a different view when my son Thaqif drove us there that night. Boon Lay lay in front of me as a bustling satellite town which had been given a new lease of life. Boon Lay's landscape is kicking, alive and shouting of its existence to its first-time visitors like me. We past Boon Lay Place. It had been closed and the entire road was lit up and drowned with music as the folks got ready to usher in the new year. The entire road was jam-packed with our foreign workers and local revelers. That was one way to integrate our hard-working foreign source of labour to the local community.

We ushered in the new year with games, Botak Jones steak and loads of fun and laughter. Most of Maz's in-laws were there to welcome 2011 and say goodbye to 2010. The penthouse was turned upside down as we neared midnight. Earlier on we had rocked the 13th floor with our ala-Bon Jovi, ala-Deep Purple performances and port-belly earth-shaking dancing. Shakira would love to learn some of the gyrating hip moves from our port-belly dancers.

There was almost an earthquake when my team members dolled up Yek with glossy lipstick and splashed his rosy cheeks with red fire cracker rouge. There were the 'oohhsss' and 'ahhhsss' from the men when they stealthily eyed his Marilyn Monroe's upturned dewylicious lips and alluring kohl-lined doe-eyes. With his infectious dimpled smile and a body to die for, Yek was unanimoulsy voted as our reigning Ms Boon Lay 2011 at the strike of twelve.

I didn't wait long enough to find out if Yek received any indecent proposals from the men around. The heat of the night seemed to blaze the penthouse when I left.

Roll in the slides.

PRATA KHANA

2011-02-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

Tea Tarik to end the night

It had been an enjoyable night for all
Syukur, Nani and Cuai waiting for their prata

Yati with her son Yusuf. He can draw planes well.

Two brothers - Ridzwan and Yusuf

Prata had brought a Johorian to Jalan Kayu

Thanks for the prata Yati and the fish head curry. Burp...

The fish head curry we had

Ariff- our newly-wed cousin

The empty plates polished clean by the men

Ratna, Razif and Arif

Can I insert a $1.00 coin in you, mum? I want a piggy ride.

These fellows can also take your prata order!

Relaxing after some fish-head curry

The fluffy prata with curry

FRET OVER PRATA

Cousin Nani and Hubby Syukur had driven across the causeway from Kuala Lumpur for the new year. It's time for another meet-up and more food to spoil my diet plans and pile the extra kilos all at the wrong places. We opted for Jalan Kayu for some prata, mutton and fish head curry and easy parking that week-day night.

During the prata hey days of Jalan Kayu, this wheat flour pancake look-alike was sold at many stalls lining the road, shaded by mighty Angsana trees. Weary SAF soldiers in dusty boots (from the nearby Seletar Camp) and those salivating for some good prata from all over Singapore would throng this area day and night for a visit to their favourite stall. There was never a time the stalls, though many of them would vie for hungry 'Prataners' had any empty seats. In fact it was mandatory for you to queue for a vacant seat and like any true blood 'Prataners', actually would not mind waiting though the stomach could be rumbling with hunger and head fuming like Mount Bromo for an eruption any moment just drooling over the prata.

You had to try out the many pratas available before you could proclaim your top fave stall. Everyone had their favourite prata stall and would head for it automatically with tongue wagging for the mutton or fish curry. The Jalan Kayu prata was the epitome of all pratas sold in Singapore and everyone wanted to claim a stake at having eaten the one and only Jalan Kayu prata. I had been disappointed several times because the pratas or the mutton curry were sold out when I reached there around 7pm.

The prata sold at that time was never bigger than my palm, yet it was crispy, fluffy and would shred easily with a light tug on the cooked dough. It cost forty cents for a plain piece and was considered expensive back then. I preferred eating the prata with my hands than using the metal spoon and fork. Letting the curry soak, sponge and slosh the prata before putting the soggy piece into my cavernous mouth was simply heaven. It's what Colonel Sanders would say 'finger-licking good' or may be "palm-licking syiok" if he had had tasted the elliptical-shaped prata dipped in the mutton gravy or fish curry.

Your hands would smell of the strong curry gravy even after a good wash. Just avoid burping in front of your boss or go for a date after your prata rendezvous, especially when you had reported late for duty or did not exercise punctuality for your appointment. People would have known you have tucked in a few pieces of the pratas even a kilometre away when you let out the wind.

The mutton curry was another legend to write about. It was aromatic, spicy and thick. The cube mutton pieces was tender and moist. It had been cooked to absorb the combination of the myriad of grounded spices used to produce a flavourful rich taste of the best curry gravy around this part of Singapore. Your nostrils could flare and fan out like the tail on an excited male Thai fighting fish when the stall owner slid open his pot cover to scoop the dish. This high-blood pressure causing mutton meat cost $4.00 a plate. High-blood pressure causing or not, snakes of queue reminding you of a dragon dance performance on Chinese New Year would form along the road every evening. This was a common scene along Jalan Kayu daily before the introduction of the present million dollar Toto winning queues at 7-11 outlets.

Nowadays, you can find two to three shops selling prata as opposed to about a dozen during the 80's. The old prata kings of Jalan Kayu had long hung their pots and aprons due to the development of the surrounding area. You have newer owners now and more varieties of prata to spoil your palate. The relaxing no-stress environment has been given a make-over. No longer are there road side stalls where you just grab a stool to enjoy your prata with a glass of sarabat tea mixed with a falling Angsana tree leaf and shout your order at the top of your voice to the dhoti-clad mama prata. Your prata now is served in air-conditioned room with order taken by waiters who scribble your list in writing which they alone could understand.

Give me back the good old Jalan Kayu road-side days of prata stalls any time, my friend.

Bai, teh halia satu, prata kosong dua. Kuah kasi lebih. Masuk buku
(Uncle, give me one glass of ginger tea and two plain prata. Extra gravy. Add into my account book)

MAZ FROM DOWN UNDER

2011-02-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

Fiza, Maz and Queen Latiffa

Athirah, the cherry of my eye

Ina and daughter Athirah

Seafood pasta with shellfish, squid, fish and herbs

Fish and chip...Swensen's signature item on their menu

Salad for a trim waist

Fried vegetable....more oil for the body...

You have gained 2 kilos, Ina? Is that what you're trying to say?

Nolthing beats good food thrown in with lively company

OUT FOR LUNCH

My sis and her family from Sydney paid us her yearly pilgrimage recently. We are always excited when she's in Singapore. There would be gatherings and late night outs for the sisters and cousins. This time round was no exception. Late suppers and past midnight drives packed her timetable to the brim.

Her visit was officiated with a lunch at Swensen with some cousins whom Maz had not met for sometime. Over pasta and pizza we caught up with our lost time and updated one another with the latest news. The food in front of us was just given a cursory glance as we chattered endlessly and tickled each other's ribs with humourous jokes.

Maz was oozing with delight over her good luck of being selected electronically as Oprah's audience. Three million Australians had registered online. Maz and her daughter Ema were fortunate to be picked as guests for the Oprah show at Sydney Opera House. A diamond pendant was their giveaway gift from the famed talk show host diva.

Over at Swensen and in between mouthfuls of crunchy salad and Italian pasta, we revisited our last memory lane of meeting one another with deafening guffaws, thumping one's back and clapping hands loudly. I know it was so unladylike and uncouth. But it has always been this way whenever my cousins and siblings meet. Laughter is the food on the menu while warm company is served on the platter.

I hate to believe that we might have caused some Swensen's patrons with indigestion due to six ladies' unruly and rowdy behaviour that day!

A MUST AT DOMAS

2010-12-19T21:14:00.000-08:00

DOMAS IS GOLD

There's a French proverb which says, 'Don't dance on a volcano'. It means beware of someone who has nothing to lose. I was not only dancing on Kawah Domas but frolicking my first experience stepping on a crater of gold, where Kawah Domas had derived its name. Kawah Domas had not threatened me in anyway and I was free to reward myself with Domas' gifts from nature after the hike.

Domas means gold. I think the yellow sulphurous colour of the pool and the sulphur discharge could have given the golden look of the crater. The pools as well as the sulphur discharge glisten and look more golden when sunlight skips and glides on the water surface.

Kawah Domas which fans out to about 5-6 hectare may not look like the crater you have seen in your geography books. I had envisioned the crater to be how my uncle would mix his sand and cement mixture together. Whenever Uncle Jalil had to plaster some bricks walls for my grandmother's house, he would mix the right proportion of sand and cement together before making a half metre mound of the mixture with his changkul(hoe). A perfect depression is made at the top of the peak where some water would be poured. That shaped looked like a volcano with its vent forcing out the magma and lava collecting on the crater mouth. That was my mental model of a perfect crater. But Kawah Domas tore away that image from my mind.

What finally unfolded in front of me was a crater with different angles of inclination and denseness of rocks surrounding the fringe of the crater. I saw instead, slopes of white and grey rocks where some sides had flattened. slumped and collapsed. Some parts looked like they had been 'scooped' out and the materials dumped on the higher elevation of the slopes.

The crater floor itself boasted of bubbling pools of mud, geysers, boiling hot water, gases and steam rising in the air. The smell of the sulphur was tolerable that day. I didn't need to whip out my handkerchief and end up looking like a desert bandit. Instead I was busy taking pictures of the crater and listening to the hissing sulphur vapour which kept coming out from the cracks of the rocks. Needless to say, I had to be a 'Jumping Jane' in trying to avoid getting my legs submerged and scalded in hot boiling pool of water.

Pak Rizki lit up a cigarette. I was just about to tell him that I am not a nicotine substance abuser when he showed me an experiment that took me off my feet. He puffed out the smoke of the cigarette near the sulphur emitting rocks. The chemical reaction resulted in more sulphurous smoke in the air. I let out a 'Wow' and tried to produce the same effect by nearing the stick to the rocks.

A guide rushed away with a basket of eggs to be boiled in the hot boiling water. Temperature of the water can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit on cold days but stabilises at 95 degrees Fahrenheit on hot days. The locals swear that eating the hard-boiled eggs can lower your cholesterol level.

My mentor picked up some igneous rocks and explained to us their uses. Andesite rocks which are made into bracelets and necklaces can lower cholesterol level, clear eczema and get rid of skin allergy. Andesite wearers who have medical problems feel warm with direct contact of the stone. Animals will run away if you have a piece of basalt in your pocket. I questioned the logic here but waas not in the mood for a debate with my guide. Batu apung or pumice stone can leave your heels smooth.

The most relaxing moment and a must at the crater was having our legs massaged in mud by the guides. The tired feet too deserved a soak in the hot mud pool. The water feels cool when you do not move your legs but if you walk in the pool the, the raised temperature of the water could cause some discomfort. Diabetic patients ought to be more careful of this.

The mud has an exfoliation effect on your skin and is good for those suffering from eczema. The locals have mud bath and face masks to improve their health and skin smoothness. Bottles of mud are sold to tourists. The sulphur laden water can improve your blood circulation and get rid of the click-clack joint sounds you have to bear because of arthritis.

Reluctantly, I pulled my legs out from the pool and headed back to the carpark. My Kawah Domas hike had been wonderful though I still mourn for my white rabbit fur tissue box, bag and muffler. Can anyone buy me those if you are going to Kawah Domas on your next holiday destination? You would truly make me feel elated and estatic and I will show you may gratitude till eternity.

KAWAH DOMAS HIKE - Pit Stops 21-25

2010-12-19T06:56:00.000-08:00

FAUNA, FLORA AND MORE

Pit Stops 21-25

We have finally reached the final leg of the pit stops. Nature had offered us views and things to marvel at. We need to comprehend them for nature does nothing uselessly. Tangkuban Prahu had awed those with souls, reminded us of our smallness and brief stay on earth. Now Kawah Domas would not hide herself when we reached it. The goal of our hike is living in agreement with nature and having no conflict with Big Mother.

Pit Stop 21: Stumped for Words

A pair of hands clasped in prayers emerged from the base of the trunk

Faces in agony on the fallen trunk

An octopus with its tentacles.

My husband saw a toad with its stretched out hind legs.

Your imagination determines the image you see

Have you wondered how nature has her own ways in sculpturing the many elements found around us? Nature is a great sculptor with a pair of deft and nimble hands. She moulds objects which are beautiful and aesthetically pleasing from ordinary things.

Tree stumps, uprooted buttress roots, termite eaten trunks and lightning struck branches transform into animals, human and objects.What result from the works of nature did I see? I saw an octopus with spread tentacles. There was a toad stretching its hind legs. A face carved from a tree stump. A hand clasped in prayers emerged from a recessed trunk. I was stumped for words!

Pit Stop 22: Keep Clean, Go Green

Bins for your waste disposal

Tourists exercise high social responsibility in keeping the area free of litter. Not much unwanted waste was seen in the area. Dustbins made from recycled plastic drums and bamboo baskets placed randomly contained mainly empty aqua bottles.

Workers come two days once to keep the place clean and clear the dustbins, said Pak Daha.

Pit Stop 23: Creedance Clear Water Revival

Small rivers that end up as big rivers

The path of the river is not smooth

Clear and sparkling water seen in the river

Rocky river bed indeed!

It’s crystal clear. It’s the 3R. Revitalising, Reinvigorating, Reviving. The water flows swiftly on the river bed of hard lava flow, eroding and contouring the bed artistically. At the upper course, the rocks of different resistant showed vertical erosion being more aggressive than lateral erosion.

The river leaps, falls, splashes, crashes and snakes its way downstream. It gurgles and giggles when it flows on smooth surfaces but groans and moans when it forces its way against boulders and rocky surfaces. I could hear the river crash from a waterfall but was unable to see one because of the undulating terrain and the thick vegetation.

Pit Stop 24: Feel The Tremors

What is this Pak Didi?

The seismic monitoring device embedded in the ground

Over 300 of them are found around the region

I was perplexed when I saw several of them along the hike. They were square cement slabs with a round metal rod in the centre planted in the ground. I signalled for Pak Riziki to stop and explain to me what they were.

I discovered that there were over 3o0 of such cement slabs around the mountain area. Why so many and what are they for? They are actually seismic monitoring detectting reading equipment. Like a seismograph. Any unusual movement in the ground is detected by the equipment and it sends the seismic activity data to the earthquake and volcano office for further analysis and interpretation.

Living around a temperamental vicinity is fragile and dangerous. One needs to be brave to leave behind what one has built and lived for. The collated data can prewarn the locals of any impending disasters; saving lives and properties.

But, unless you and your family have lived around a volcanic area for generation after generation, you would never know why it is difficult for the locals to tear themselves and flee even warnings after warnings have been given.

Pit Stop 25: Kawah Domas Entry Point

Going downhill. We are almost there to the kawah.

A few more steps...and then I can have my leg mud massage

Mud in bottles being sold. Good for your complexion too!

500m and not 500 miles to Kawah Domas

Kawah Domas with her boiling pools behind us

We finally reached the Domas crater entry point after an hour. It would be a short walk down before the crater and all its beauty lay before our eyes. The hike had been very enriching for me. I got to know a lot of things from the three Orang Hutan who had added value to my hike by packing it with informative explanation on the flora, fauna and anything else you can find in the forest.

The climax of the hike would be to finally step foot at the Domas Crater and witness first hand the shooting geysers, rising sulphur vapour, hot steam floating and bubbling mud pools that have drawn

tourists from all over the world.

Next entry will be a slide show of our Kawah Domas Experience....

KAWAH DOMAS HIKE - Pit Stops 15-20

2010-12-19T01:05:00.000-08:00

FAUNA, FLORA AND MORE

Pit Stops 15-20

Our hike was a series of steps. Once a while we took a giant leap but most of the time we took small, seemingly insignificant steps to reach Kawah Domas. These small steps completed our final destination which ended with a leap of joy when we saw Kawah Domas in front of us.

Pit Stop 15: Green Moss, Grey Lichens

Mosses cap the rocky sides of the hill

Mosses retain moisture and slow down the rate of erosion

It was damp and cool here

We will conquer Kawah Domas soon

Thick furry moss covering a piece of rock

The black forest slowly disappeared from the landscape. Trees of different species emerged. The air became dank, damp and moist. Black had changed to green. We were surrounded by greenery. Not grasses but lush thick healthy mosses as far as the eyes could see.

Both mosses and lichens are small organisms and are often overlooked. They do not scream for your attention and demand no care at all. But the mosses and lichens found here are totally the opposite. I could not ignore them but to acknowledge their presence and their contributions to the ecosystem in the forest. They ruled the part of the forest as your distance to the crater below shortened.

The lichens in yellow, grey and orange colonise the trunks of many trees here. The mosses are found everywhere. They cap rocks, emerge in crevices, drape hill slopes and survive on decomposed wood. They slow down the rate of erosion, retain water and provide food to numerous animal and insects.

I would roll myself on the ground if the moss had totally populate it. I guess it would be as close to sleeping on water bed, at least for me.

Pit Stop 16: Wild Rambutan

You would be excused for mistaking this as an edible rambutan

The wild rambutan partly eaten by a black monkey

Pak Daha picked up a rambutan from the ground. Great I thought. I could quench my thirst. I was hallucinating the rambutan white juicy and fleshy pulp sliding down my dry throat.

To a forest simpleton like me, the rambutan on the guide's opened palm looked like the ordinary rambutans being sold at our fruit stalls or supermarkets. It is hairy, oval in shaped and green in colour. The similarities ended there except for its smaller size.

The one that Pak Daha had shown me was actually a wild rambutan. Thank goodness I was not glutton enough to pop the fruit into my mouth immediately. Its kidney-shaped flesh is hard, yellow ochre in colour and resembled a chestnut. It is inedible but is food to the black monkeys of the forest in the region.

Pit Stop 17: The Harendong Tree

The Harendong Tree smothering the ground with its purple flowers

Getting a better view of the tree

Roots fought for space on the ground

This is another evergreen shrub which can grow to a 4m tree with oblong-elliptic hairy leaves on its underside. It bears dense purplish flowers in bunches or solitary. The pollinated flowers grow into berries with many seeds. The pulp is sweet once the fruit is riped but otherwise astringent when green.

I know the harendong tree as the kemunting shrub. They were easily found behind my kampung house at 1 Jalan Buntu where springs, butterflies and grasshoppers entertained me fully as a free child with childhood. I had to compete with the birds for the sweet, edible fruit once they turned purplish and maroonish in colour. The harendong juicy fruits were the blue berries for the 60's child like me.

The Orang Hutan in the region believe that the fruits is a cure for dysentery and diarrhoea. The roots and leaves are boiled and drunk for diarrhoea and stomachache. The crushed leaves have another medicinal value. They can be used to treat and dress wounds.

When we were below the Harendong tree, it rained purple (the colour assosciated with royalty)because the wind was blowing the petals off their petiole. The lightly coloured purple flowers carpeted the ground while some landed on my head. I wish to believe that it was treating us like a royalty. Do you know that purple is one of my favourite colours besides orange?

Pit Stop 18: Dragon Vine Divine

Dragon Vine leaves have medicinal values

Boil the roots for your cuppa of tea

What dragon has no wings, claws, a tail and can't fly? Its Dragon Vine! This forest vegetation has served the locals well too. It grows low on the ground and creeps like vine for support. The roots of the Dragon Vine act as a pain reliever. You don't chew the roots but boil them with some water to get the most out of its medicinal properties.

Run out of tea leaves at home? Just pluck some of the leaves and boil together with the roots to make your cuppa. Caffeine free!

Pit Stop 19: Bamboo Taboo

The angklung made from bamboo

The 3R water I tried

It so clear that I can see my own reflection

A bamboo bridge to increase communication

The bamboo trees grow in clumps and their tall slender stems move gracefully as the breeze blow against them. The leaves rustles and hummed sweet music in the air. The heavy rain in the previous night had uprooted some bamboo plants in the forest area. Since this is a protected place, no locals can remove anything, be it fauna or flora from here. Otherwise, the bamboo tree has a lot of economic and cultural values to the Indonesians.

The bamboo stems are used as building materials, bridges, piping system, rafts and kitchen utensils. Hunters store water in the hollow stems. The angklung, an Indonesian traditional wind musical instrument is also made from bamboo.

We saw many uses of the bamboo during the trail. For bridges, rain shelters and piping system to drain crystal clean water from the gushing river. I also learnt from my guide that bamboo plant belongs to the grass family.

Stopping beside a bridge, we cupped our hands to drink from the river water that flows from the bamboo pipe. My verdict? The water was super clean, cold and revitalising in taste.

By the way, the bamboo is linked closely to black magic and things of supernatural in many Asian countries.

Pit Stop 20: Black Monkeys

Can you spot the black primate atop the tree?

You're on candid camera!

The playful yet shy black monkey

They caught our attention because of the movement and calls above us. A pair of black monkeys were teasing each other and turning the foliage and branches into their playground. Using their long tail, they curled themselves upside down from a branch to swing and balance themselves midair. They are shy creatures. Once they felt our presence, they scampered to greater height and hid behind a screen of green leaves.

It was a delight to observe these official residents of the animal kingdom here. The whole forest is theirs and the humans can't get any closer to them.

KAWAH DOMAS HIKE - Pit Stops 7-14

2010-12-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

FAUNA, FLORA AND MORE

Pit Stops 7-14

The will to persevere is often the difference between failure and success. With that in mind, we continued the hike with more pit stops and more exploration on the fauna, flora and new discoveries

Pit Stop 7: Crazy Over Columns

These remind me of Batman's Gotham Dark City

The coarse-grained rocks are brittle and crumble easily

Disintegration of the rocky structure

Columns, towers and pillars annihilated by precipitation

A mass of rocky columns and towers were standing upright at attention close together beside the hill slope. You might miss them if you take big strides because they were not of any significant height. But I noticed them because it was the first time I had seen such rocky structure. Also, they reminded me of Gotham City - gloomy, black and dark. The columns were of similar width and height and some had mosses growing on their surface. The rock-capped mosses act as a cover against the falling rain but once the moss is gone, the rock surrenders to the erosive power of precipitation.

I bent down to touch the upright rocky structure. They have a rough sandy and coarse-grained texture and are dark grey in colour. They are not compact and porous looking. Those that had disintegrated and settled on the ground crumbled easily when I applied a light pressure to press them. Even the standing pillars are brittle and can collapse to the slightest touch. Certain parts of the columns have almost been flattened due to the rain fall and reduced like broken Thye Hong's cream cracker flaky biscuit.. They are whitish grey in colour with some yellowish tint.

Since they stand in a vertical manner on a bed of clay, I suspect the falling rain water has a part in their formation. Rainwater, which contains a weak carbonic acid reacts with the rock, just like in a limestone or karst area. But because of the heavy rainfall the place receives, the constant hammering of the rain on the rock surface has dissolved the softer materials along any vertical lines of weaknesses, leaving the sturdier rocks to stand longer.

Pit Stop 8: Prey and Predator

The 146-year old tree hollowed out by termites

The carved out portion can easily fit an adult

We strike ala-Hindi love songs pose at the tree

Fear factor gone once I know there's ample space in the depression

Peek-a-boo....But dont' leave me here...booh..booh...

Pak Rizki hurried his steps and proudly showed us a strange-looking 146 years old Jambu Alas tree which had been hollowed out. The cavity which can fit my 1.55m and 56kg frame easily was a sight to behold. Even my husband who is 1.7m tall and 68kg heavy can fit snugly into it. But I don't think I want to encase him inside permanently. I asked my mentor what long history the tree had had.

According to Pak Rizki, termites had devoured the tree and left it in that present state. They had carved 2m of the trunk hollow and spherical in shape. However, before anymore damage to the tree could be done, the burung pelatuk or the woodpecker had a feast on the termites with an appetite impossible to stop. Natural predators had gotten rid of the ferocious and voracious wood chompers. The tree was saved and is now a must stop-over for any guide to point it out to their charge.

Pit Stop 9: Too Tough To Quit

The steps get steeper. Watch out for your arthritis!

No problem man! Singaporeans Boleh

The path gets easier as we near the crater. Trees get less dark in colour too.

Take five to just soak in what Mother Nature has blessed us with

The background fitting for a Lord of The Ring sequel?

The going was getting tougher with the slope getting slippery and steeper. It slowed down our pace. Even the terraced steps had lost its wooded trunk edge leaving the bare ground as naked steps. We had to be supported by our guide as we descended further down the trail as the ground offered little friction for safe walking. The vegetation got denser and little light penetrated the canopy. The air in the ground was heavy but fresh.

We took the occasional rest to sip our water and exchanged conversation on our family. i was more determined to surge forward and continued with the hike. I know there would be huge rewards for us once we reach Kawah Domas - a crater alive with geysers, mud massage, hissing steam and vents spewing yellow sulphuric gas. A truly astounding sight I was promised!

Pit Stop 10: Munching Manarasa and Putat

The pinkish reddish shoots of the Manarasa and putat shoot

The rare purplish putat shoot for stomach ailment

The manarasa shrub fringing the trail path

Manarasa is a tree with red shoots commonly found in the crater region. It grows as a shrub but can reach a tall height of 15m. By chewing the young reddish shoots, the local belief in keeping one young and svelte. No Botox, no bird nest and no collagen for that youthful looking face. Could that be reason for Dayang Sumbi to remain young and ageless through organic products? The local community have a use for these manarasa shoots. Any diarrhea and stomach discomfort? Just chew on these shoots, swear the locals. Other medicinal properties of manarasa include improving blood circulation and relieving arthritis.

I tried a few bunches of Manarasa leaves and found them crunchy and crispy. No bitter or sour taste at all. I could swallow it easily for it tasted like guava-cum apple. My husband in jest said that I looked twenty years ago. Pak Daha showed some purple putat shoots which I immediately chewed. Very palatable and would go very well with 'botok-botok' (a Malay traditional dish with lots of herbs). I was hoping that the purple leaves would remove another ten years of my age. But alas, the leaves are meant to alleviate any stomach pain and not to be mistaken as leaves for elixir.

Pit Stop 11: Won Over By Sariwangi

Flaring my nostrils to sniff the lemo bark oil

Hubby holding the bark of the sariwangi tree

We had a close fragrance encounter with the Lemo Tree or locally known as Sariwangi. Pak Didi showed us a lemo bark and scraped part of it. Immediately the air was filled with a strong citrus smell; very refreshing, revitalising and rejuvenating to the soul. The bark had given out that intoxicated smell similar to that of the kafir lime. Needless to say, I was high with the zesty smell.

The oil of the bark can be extracted and applied as as mosquito repellent. The drier the bark, the stronger the fragrance of the sariwangi will be. The locals also boil the oil with other herbs to produce it as massage oil.

Pit stop 12: Gingerly Ginger

Holding the wild ginger plant

Notice the lava slabs on the ground?

Tuber of the ginger plant

The plant can easily reach 3m in the wild

Another plant with medicinal properties we came across was the wild ginger. This rhizome family grows easily in the moist climate and can reach a height of three metres. The ginger is bruised or smashed to obtain the juice. The juice is mixed with warm water and drunk to alleviate any stomach pain.

Since it is of the wild variety, it does not end up in the cooking pot of the locals for culinary use.

Pit Stop 13: My Dear Puspa

My Dear Puspa standing behind me

Puspa or jasmine (melati) is an evergreen flowering tree

The sweet-fragrance white flowers for the making of perfume

Pohon Puspa is an evergreen flowering tree that can tower up to 47 m. Its sweet frgrance white flowers are most sought after for making perfume. The flowers are small and grow in bunches. The trunk is used as building materials, electric poles and for making boats. Puspa flowers are harvested from March to June and September to January.

Puspa flowers are also known as melati or jasmine. Some local women tuck the sweet-smelling flowers in their bun as natural perfume.

Pit Stop 14: The Parkis Plant

Parkis plant (centre of picture) thrives best in the cool temperate climate

The fetal-shaped shoot is used in Indonesian lontong gravy

Ferns of different species grow in harmony. Why can't we?

A fern landscape for my garden one day?

They are simply known as fern and are found in abundance. They reproduce easily from the spores under the frond. The cool air and moisture support its growth well. Many grow as ground cover while others latch themselves on hosts as parasitic plants

According to Pak Daha, there are twelve parkis species found in the area. Only two are edible as vegetable cooking for the locals. Not all parts of the plant is eaten. Only the curled up fetal-shaped shoot is plucked off to be cooked as lontong gravy or fried as vegetables. I had a taste of the parkis shoot when my cousin in Jakarta seerved me lontong. The parkis shot is soft, tender and slide down your throat easily. Not bitter at all. I love it!

A matured parkis plant can grow to a height of 3-4m. The trunk is cut and carved into ash tray and vases by the locals to be sold to tourists.

Akan datang....the final pit stops would be coming soon....