Gallimaufry#47

Just a gallimaufry of photos ...

Asters

I spy something green starting with T ...

In Hindu mythology, the earth is supported by four elephants standing on the back of a turtle. The Hindu deity Vishnu was reincarnated as the turtle Kachhapa that carried the weight of the world on its back.🐢

image source - https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/reptiles/weight-world

FUN FACT

The housefly hums in the key of F. The common housefly, although it lacks vocal cords, hums by flapping its wings about 190 times per second. We don't hear the individual flaps, but a low level humming noise in the key of F major.

FROM THE TRAVEL ARCHIVES

Chocolatier Delices Du Roy, Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert in Brussels

Relax! It's just a prop for the movie House of Dragons

Dinner

Stuffed tofu

Red-braised pork ribs

Sambal fish

Drunken chicken — essentially chicken cooked in a wine broth

You do get a buzz from eating this!

MYTH BUSTER

Simply heating alcohol, or any other cooking liquid, does not make it evaporate as quickly as rum cake in an AA meeting. The food has to be cooked for  about 3 hours to fully remove all traces of alcohol. A study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Data lab confirmed this and added that food baked or simmered in alcohol for 15 minutes still retains 40 percent of the alcohol. After an hour of cooking, 25 percent of the alcohol remains, and even after two and a half hours, there's still 5 percent of it.

Stir-fried celery with cashew nuts and crispy deep-fried cuttlefish

Spotted behind the cash counter of a Hainanese chicken rice restaurant.

Hainanese chicken rice

Hainanese chicken rice — poached chicken served with fragrant rice, garnished with cucumber slices and a sprig of coriander leaves. The dish is  accompanied by a chili-garlic dip. 🐓

Gallimaufry#46

Just a gallimaufry of photos ...

Firecracker plant

Kuala Sepetang — coastal fishing village in Malaysia

Mangrove forest by the river bank

Fish drying in the sun

Mala hotpot

Hotpot aka steamboat is a Chinese-style fondue where you cook raw meat, seafood and vegetables in a pot of boiling broth at your table. Mala means numbing and spicy. 

Hence, a mala hotpot is a hotpot with an insanely hot and spicy broth made primarily of dried chili peppers, chili powder, douban paste, sichuan peppercorns, etc. 

A variety of ingredients for the hotpot

Duo broths

mild tomato broth (left) for the less adventurous and the killer mala broth (right)

The evil mala broth is not for the faint-hearted, I caution you! The effects are long lasting. Your butt is going to be on fire the next day when you go!

FROM THE TRAVEL ARCHIVES

Fritschibrunnen

Nature's rain forecasters

Gallimaufry#45

Just a gallimaufry of orange-themed photos ...

Lantana

Fun fact

Lantana is Bunga Tahi Ayam in Malay which translates as chicken poop flower. Brush against or crush lantana leaves, and you'll encounter an odor that's somewhere between cat pee, gasoline and fermented citrus. Or chicken poop?!

Skywatch from my balcony

Ginormous tiger-themed tea set decor in a mall during the Chinese New Year. 

2022 is the year of the tiger.

Sushi

Guess what these are?

Shrimps drying in the sun

Dried shrimps are almost a staple ingredient in many Asian cuisines for its umami taste.

Gallimaufry#44

Just a gallimaufry of photos ...

Blackberry lily

Kl Bird Park

One of my favourite places to visit is our very own KL Bird Park, reputed to be the world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary.  I am not a fan of caged anything but in this lush tropical rainforest, our feathered residents roam freely.

Rhinoceros hornbill

Sarawak, Malaysia's largest state on Borneo Island, is nicknamed the 'Land of the Hornbills'.   

Eight out of the world's 54 species are found in Sarawak.

The Rhinoceros Hornbill is featured in Sarawak's coat of arms.

The Great Hornbill aka the Greater Indian Hornbill

The Great Hornbill has a long lifespan extending over fifty years and is the largest member of the hornbill family.

Those eyelashes!!!

This majestic bird is nearly four feet tall with a sixty-inch wingspan. The most conspicuous feature of the hornbill is the bright yellow and black casque on top of its massive bill. The casque is hollow and serves no evident purpose. Scientists believe it likely grew as a result of sexual selection.

I just love this quaint cafe in the bird park where you can chill in the company of friendly hornbills and egrets as you sit in an open verandah overlooking the hornbill zone. 

An enchanted moment

I was spellbound!

Can you spot the egret?

Canal in a shopping mall

Water taxi

Unbloomed lotus, lotuses ...er..loti

So what's the plural of lotus?

Not for the trypophobic

Trypophobia is mainly visual. If you have this phobia, you might feel anxiety, disgust, and discomfort when looking at things like: lotus seed pods, honeycombs.