Watery Wednesday: Row your boat In Kuching, Sarawak.

Many many moons ago, we went as an entourage from Kuching, Sibu, Miri in Sarawak. We celebrated my brother Henry's wedding and my Dad's 70th Birthday. It was a great time while we met the new Kelabit side of the family. It was a celebration of dual culture.

In Kuching, we went on a boat in Sarawak river. The kids were disappointed that the man didn't row the boat. He had a motorised engine that made pat pat pat sound and gave out a lot of petrol fume.

I was quite saddened by the fact that in the Capital of the state would offer this kind of a tourist attraction.

Sixties icon Lulu performing "The Boat That I Row" on June/24/1967

http://youtu.be/E5usk2yrw0E


I don't have a lot but with me that's fine
Whatever I got, well I know it's mine
I don't go around with the local crowd
I don't dig what's in so I guess I'm out

I'm sayin' these things so you know me, baby
So you understand what I'm all about

The boat that I row won't cross no ocean
The boat that I row won't get me there soon
But I got the love if you got the notion
The boat that I row's big enough for two
Me and you

There ain't a man alive can tell me what to say
I choose my own side and I like it that way
I don't worry 'bout all the things I'm not
There's only one thing I want I ain't got

You know that I'm thinkin' about you, baby
But you better know 'fore you come along

The boat that I row won't cross no ocean
The boat that I row won't get me there soon
But I got the love if you got the notion
The boat that I row's big enough for two
Me and you

I'm saying these things so you know me, baby
So you understand what I'm all about

The boat that I row won't cross no ocean
The boat that I row won't get me there soon
But I got the love if you got the notion
The boat that I row's big enough for two
Me and you

The boat that I row won't cross no ocean ....
http://nfmemes.blogspot.co.nz/

There is a season Turn, turn, turn

It was Ian Airey's funeral. His son Daniel is part of our church's youth group and youth band.

Arthur Warner, our Ministries Pastor celebrated his 60th birthday this week. 

Today, at  Mt Albert Baptist Church,
We had to finish our ESOL class early.
There was a funeral.
For a 40 something man.
I saw family and friends coming.
There were some very old people.
Almost double the age of the deceased.

Then I went to the church office.
I was invited to a celebration.
Our pastor turned 60.
There was one thin symbolic candle.
Arthur said he had another cake with 60 candles.
2 kids helped him snuff the candles out.

Snuff out,
Who would use such a word.
This person's life was snuffed out.
I am invited to the opening of the Sands Office.
The invite is black.
How appropriate,
Black is the colour of death.

Tomorrow is the night for Sands parents.
They are the bereavement club,
They have pledged to pay for the rental of the office.
This song came to me,
A time for everything,
A time to be born,
A time to die. Its Ok to cry





http://youtu.be/bIBu2p8FR3o
The Byrd's song, Turn Turn Turn, from Ecclesiastes 3:1-14.

http://youtu.be/pyVTBqtoEYM

There Is A Season - ABAC Concert Choir

To ev'rything
Turn, turn, turn
There is a season
Turn, turn, turn
And a time for ev'ry purpose under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To ev'rything
Turn, turn, turn
There is a season
Turn, turn, turn
And a time for ev'ry purpose under heaven

http://tinaspicstory.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/weekend-flowers-45.html
http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html




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Our World: Pearly shells and Pearls

http://youtu.be/LlmBMVdGQqk

Billy Vaughn - Pearly Shells

http://youtu.be/g-eSTAeoNjQ

Pearly Shells (Mickey's Fun Songs)

The Chinese ( especially the rich ones, which my mum is not, and my aunt is) like to grind up pearls to give to babies. So I never got any.

My very good friend, Sarawakianna took me to this Chinese Medical hall and showed me these pearls people use for medicinal purposes.

http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

Tiny bridge.

Part of a little bridge that leads to a platform now use to dry laundry and pepper. In the olden days, my uncle used a machine to pump water from the river and stored in a big water tank away from the house.

Now the water from the river is  polluted, the land adjacent to the river rented to a timber company, my uncle gets water from the water board. Since there is no need for the tank, he dismantled the water tank.

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Rare Brown Kiwis released into wild Motutapu island.

Rare kiwi birds released into wild

Our national bird, a frightless bird is released to

EXPAND

Motutapu Island. File photo / NZ Herald

to Motutapu Island where conservationists hope its population will thrive.

Five of the rare kiwi were released on the predator-free island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf Marine Park in a major diversification programme aimed at strengthening the species' ability to survive.

An 11-day-old chick, named Motutapu after its new island home, was the youngest released today and it will be followed by up to another 50 relatives over the next four to six years.

In 1979, I went with a group of friends to the island.

http://nfmemes.blogspot.co.nz/

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

http://bit.

Red: Condensed milk

We didn't open the can this way, Mum made two holes at opposite sides of the round surface. Without Mum's knowledge, some times, we sucked the milk out straight from the holes. Mum would wonder why the milk went so fast. We didn't have much lollies then.

I was a Nestle's Condensed milk child known in Sarawak as an Ang Gee Gu Nee Child. This company marketed their product so aggressively to the third world that many mothers stopped breast feeding. Babies were fed with powder mixed with contaminated water. I boycotted this and am glad I am in New Zealand where there is a choice.

I use my coffee with an made in Australia coffee whitener because it makes a thicker coffee and the water engineer is allergic to diary products.

I have a tin of condensed milk on standby, in case I ran out of the whitener. Which was the case recently. I could make a New Zealand mayonnaise or a French/ Vietnamese dulce de leche. 

This is a very delicious New Zealand mayonnaise recipe.
Friends from Nepal, Ukraine, Russia, USA, Canada, South Africa, Japan, Korea, Brazil and most countries. They love it except one, who said it was too sweet. My daughter D loved it. I made "tons" of it in Singapore when I sold the mayonnaise and the salads during our Kenyan Charity.

1/2 can condensed milk, ( more if a thicker sauce is desired)
1/2 can vinegar, ( any type,)
1/2 can oil, ( any type preferably olive oil)
1 raw egg yoke.
1 teasp salt
1/2 tablesp mustard, ( more if desired)

( when you start, empty 1/2 can milk in a bowl, use the can as measuring instrument, saves on washing.)

Gives you 2 small jam bottles. Good for parties, for home use, I give one bottle to my friend)

All items except OIL. in blender, SLOWEST speed until mixture is mixed well.
Slowly dribble oil into mixture, SLOWEST speed until thickened.
Put in bottles in fridge, the mixture will thicken more in the fridge.

Use:
1: as a dip, serve in a bowl place in the middle of
salad. LOOKS very nice.
2: Mixed with Veges as veges salad
3: Mixed with fruits as fruit salad
4: Mixed with cubes of frozen veges: Macaroni
5: Mixed with cubes of frozen veges : cubed boiled potatoes
6: Mixed with cubes of frozen veges : Boiled rice

Ideas: Use any fruit or veges you fancy, the more color the better. Remove tomato pulp if you are not using them straight away, otherwise it gets runny.

Cool everything before you mix, and chill before you serve.

If using apples, either soak in salt/lemon water, or cut last, and mixed mayonnaise so that apples cubes don't brown.

Can use hard boiled eggs as garnish( sliced) or cubed inside the salad.

Good for parties as it is easy to make, macaroni is best as you don't have to peel and cut the potatoes.
You can use it with cabbage to make a delicious cole slaw.

The mayonnaise will keep in the fridge, but I recommend not more than 2 weeks because of the raw egg, though my scientifically inclined friends say, the mixing of egg and vinegar would have cooked it.

For the dulce de leche.

You don't need any skill. All you need is a lot of time, 90 minutes to 2 hours, and a lot of patience and a lot of controlled hand power. Just stir gently until the concoction turns brown.

I don't make this much because I don't have a sweet tooth, this could be attributed to the sickly over sweet taste of that stolen condensed milk. Besides I have a weight problem.

True blooded Vietnamese who were under the influence of the French love this. They eat it as is, from their spoon or as a spread.

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

http://rubytuesday2.blogspot.co.nz

http://www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Scenic Sunday/bridge: Singapore

The rich,
The not so rich,
never the twain shall meet.

I cross the over head bridge.
It dawn on me,
how strange,
one side of the road of government subsidised housing.
on the other side, are private landed properties.

Yet, people live in harmony.

http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/

Flowers: Hibiscus schizopetalus

My mid year trip to Singapore and Malaysia was a leisurely one. Often I went by myself to take photos. Now I am armed with thousands of them which is going to last me till my next trip.

I saw this new flower, and my friend joked that the owner saw me with my camera and stuck two Hibiscus flowers together. The whole plant was full of flowers so he couldn't have done it. The common name is Pagoda. 

My friend LLM posted a better photo on his Facebook page. He called it double decker which is more appropriate. The pagoda has many tiers, besides there is another flower called Pagoda flower which I saw in the jungles of Mulu Mountain.

http://tinaspicstory.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/weekend-flowers-45.html
http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html




http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.co.nz/

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Barringtonia edulis in Singapore

This plant represents my Pasifika students.  It comes from from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and other Pacific islands.  It is the Barringtonia edulis or cut nut in Hawaii or /vutu-kana-,

The nuts can be eaten raw or cooked,is a good source of energy.

I took these photos from an ornamerental tree at Singapore east coast park

http://tinaspicstory.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/weekend-flowers-45.html
http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html




http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.co.nz/

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/