Blog Break

 

Thank you all for stopping by. 🧡🧡🧡

See you soon!

Gallimaufry#62

Just a gallimaufry of photos 📷

Touch-me-not

I can never resist the urge to touch it!

It was a game we used to play. The neighbourhood kids would try to outdo one another — touching and closing as many leaves as we possibly could!

FUN FACT

Stimuli like heat, wind, or touch cause the leaves of the plant to droop or fold inward for several minutes. It's almost like it's playing dead. The leaves also close in the dark and reopen in the light. The impact of the stimulus determines how quickly the leaves close up. If the plant is struck forcefully with the flick of a finger, the leaves will close up in the blink of an eye. Although some botanists theorise that it may be a defence mechanism, the cause of this unusual behaviour is unknown.

Birthday treat for son#2
The mocha rum cake is to die for!

QUEEN OF HEAVEN

Queen assumed into heaven, pray for us.

Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us.

Queen of families, pray for us.

Queen of peace, pray for us. 🙏🏻

FROM THE TRAVEL ARCHIVES

Tijuana 1990

Coconut scraper

The semi-automated process requires the operator to press a half-shell coconut onto a scary-looking rotary contraption with badass spikes.

Gallimaufry#61

Just a gallimaufry of photos 📷

River bushwillow

The fruit is regarded as poisonous and reputedly causes hiccups.

FROM THE TRAVEL ARCHIVES

Reflection in the Baptismal Font of Salisbury Cathedral

Dinner

Fish-fragrant eggplant

The name is a misnomer — there's no fish in this dish at all! This classic derives its name from the quintessential sweet, sour, and spicy sauce for Sichuan fish dishes. 

Ginger and scallion beef

Reunion with my Canadian cousins

Nothing brings people together like good food

Food always knits close bonds

Reconnecting with cousin Patrick from Calgary

Pasar malam (Night Market)

Gallimaufry#60

Just a gallimaufry of photos 📷

Moss roses

The duo-toned ones are so pretty!

Flower Rolls Flower rolls are soft, pillowy, steamed buns that are common in Chinese cuisine and are comparable to white bread in western diets.

Dongpo pork

Dunk the flower rolls into the flavourful sauce — heaven!

Twice-cooked pork (Sichuan cuisine)

The pork is simmered, sliced, and then stir-fried with an assortment of vegetables — capsicum, Chinese cabbage, leek, etc.

Christmas is coming!

Passion flower

FROM THE TRAVEL ARCHIVES

Buerspassage  2019

Artists used things that end up in Amsterdam's canals to create a walkway that gives the illusion of walking through an underwater tunnel along the bottom of a canal with fish, air bubbles, reflections, an assortment of objects  gliding and floating above you – bicycles, umbrellas, cogs, boat parts, liquor bottles, etc  and yes, Vincent van Gogh's ear!

Can you spot the ear?

Gotta love the Dutch sense of humour!

Son#2 bouldering

Gallimaufry#59

Just a gallimaufry of photos 📷

Cucumber flower

Mee Siam

Mee Siam, in Malay, translates as Siamese Noodle. This dish is believed to be of Malay origin — a local adaptation of an actual dish from Thailand when the neighbouring country was then known as Siam.

Look who greeted me this morning with her melodious singing!

Zebra dove

The call of a zebra dove (merbuk) is a series of soft, staccato cooing notes. In Southeast Asia, cooing competitions are held to find the merbuk with the winning voice.

Participants and bird owners awaiting the start of the zebra dove bird singing competition at the Kebun Baru Birdsinging Club in Singapore —  Reuters photo

Crucifix Crab (Charybdis feriatus)

The crucifix crab gets its name from the cross on its carapace. Legend has it that Saint Francis Xavier, a Jesuit priest, was sailing to Malacca from an Indonesian island circa 1546 when he was caught in a storm in the Straits of Malacca. In an attempt to quell the tempest, he dipped his crucifix into the raging waters and prayed to God. Miraculously, the sea became calm again. However, the crucifix slipped from his grip and fell into the sea. When St. Francis safely reached the shores of Malacca, a crab scuttled toward him, clutching the lost crucifix between its claws. The grateful priest retrieved his crucifix, blessed the crab, and a cross appeared on the crustacean's shell!

Apparently, this crab species is found in other regions like India, Indonesia, as far off as Japan and east Africa besides Malacca. These are the places St. Francis travelled to in his missions. Coincidence?

This fresco of the crab miracle is in the Jesuit church of Il Gesú in Rome

image credit - https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/

Statue of St. Francis Xavier

Take note of the missing right hand. In 1952, a statue of St. Francis was erected in front of the ruins of St. Paul's church in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of his sojourn in Malacca. A day after the statue was consecrated, a large casuarina tree fell on it, breaking off its right arm. Incidentally, the right forearm of St. Francis Xavier, which he used to bless and baptise the thousands of converts, was detached in 1614 and displayed in a silver reliquary at the main Jesuit church in Rome!

 Polling Day

Voters turned up in droves despite the rain