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CJ

Teochew porridge, Luo Han Kuo, durian

By Beautiful Melaka, Photography
From right: Wee-Peng, Murphy and Ann at the durian stall

From right: Wee-Peng, Murphy and Ann at the durian stall

It was the Sunday of the week before, when Victor Chan’s partner, Sook-Kwan came to Melaka to pay Victor’s family a visit. After picking her up from the bus station, we went for a breakfast in Malim Jaya. Even though I had only met Soon-Kwan during Victor’s funeral, we became good friends since then. Time and tears really helped comfort us the loss of a good friend, we but cherished his memory, the memory which became a treasure to all of us who know Victor.

After a wonderful breakfast with Sook-Kwan and sending her to Victor’s house, Murphy and his partner, Ann, Wee-Peng and I met up for brunch. Wee-Peng suggested to go for something he did not have for some time, which then came to his mind, Teochew porridge. The four of us just love Teochew porridge and our favorite eating place for it would be the Teochew porridge restaurant in Kampung Jawa however it is close on every Sunday. We had to go for the second option which was the other Teochew porridge restaurant in Bukit Cina.

Teochew porridge is a full meal made up of many cooked side-dishes such as pickled lettuce, salted duck egg, salt fish, braised tofu and many more, served with a Teochew style rice porridge. We loved it not because the dishes are strong in flavours, also as the dishes served in small amount, we could pick many different delectable dishes to go with the porridge. Though I was full after meal with Sook-Kwan, I could not resist having some of it.

After brunch, Murphy gave us the suggestion of going to Bunga Raya for Luo Han Kuo dessert. It isn’t far from Bukit Cina, 3 minutes drive from Teochew porridge restaurant. It is a pushcart at the street adjacent to Bunga Raya Road, selling Luo Han Kuo for decades and well-known among the locals. I had it so much and loving it, since I was brought up in Bunga Raya.

Luo Han Kuo (or Luo Han Guo for pronunciation in Chinese) refers to Siraitia grosvenori, a sweet fruit used as sugar substitute and medicinal herb for treating cough and sore throat. The fruit is usually used by the Chinese in making dessert served with ice, seeing that it is so refreshing for us who live in this extreme weather of Malaysia. And Murphy’s craving could explain its taste as he had 3 bowls of the Luo Han Kuo dessert in few minutes.

While wandering where to go next by sitting at the old street of Bunga Raya, Murphy again proposed to go for durian to help in our digestion, although we knew it was irrelevant. Our stomach was filled with watery porridge and dessert. However, speaking of durian none of us would say no. We then traveled to Klebang to look for durian stalls.

During the durian season every year, there are many fruit stalls offer durian in Melaka. And the long stretch of road along the Klebang beach is one of these places to look for durian. There is no telling of which sells better durian, but the word of mouth. We gambled our luck on this durian stall at the roadside, which then turned out to be dissatisfaction of the durian’s quality at the price the stall offered.

We are surely looking for an alternative place for durian soon. May all beings be happy. Share some shots I took:

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[News] 40 billionaires pledge to give away half of wealth

By Compassion
Bill Gates, left, and Warren Buffett, seen in this 2007 photo during the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, are trying to persuade other American billionaires to give at least half their wealth to charity.

Bill Gates, left, and Warren Buffett, seen in this 2007 photo during the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, are trying to persuade other American billionaires to give at least half their wealth to charity.

Gates, Buffett lead campaign to persuade America’s wealthiest to donate their fortunes

A little over a year after Bill Gates and Warren Buffett began hatching a plan over dinner to persuade America’s wealthiest people to give most of their fortunes to charity, more than three-dozen individuals and families have agreed to take part, campaign organizers announced Wednesday.

In addition to Buffett and Gates — America’s two wealthiest individuals, with a combined net worth of $90 billion, according to Forbes — 38 other billionaires have signed The Giving Pledge. They include New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, entertainment executive Barry Diller, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens, media mogul Ted Turner, David Rockefeller, film director George Lucas and investor Ronald Perelman.

“We’re off to a terrific start,” Buffett, co-founder and chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, said in a conference call also attended by Bloomberg and San Francisco hedge-fund manager Tom Steyer and his wife Kat Taylor, founder of OneCalifornia Bank.

Buffett said he and Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, and Gates’ wife Melinda made calls to fellow billionaires on the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans — in many cases, people they had never met — to try to persuade them to join the giving pledge.

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给热浪岛的信

By Compassion
到热浪岛的海洋公园浮浅时,可见到的一条大鳗鱼 (photo provided by one of the beach boys)

到热浪岛的海洋公园浮浅时,可见到的一条大鳗鱼 (photo provided by one of the beach boys)

亲爱的热浪岛:

我来香港也快一年了,几乎没有在本地报章上看任何来自马来西亚的报导。今天却读到关于你的新闻,惊讶地获知你要被关闭直到10月31日,为的是要拯救你身体里脆弱的珊瑚。那些专家说,你面对严重的“珊瑚白化”的问题。说吧,是不是缺德的游客丢了什么废物在你身上,你消化不了,像中国大连港海滩受黑油污折磨那般?

早在80年代末,我刚出生的时候,你已经迎来了第一间建在你地盘上的度假村;10年前,你的美丽更吸引了别人特地拉队来拍《夏日嬷嬷茶》;现在,你居然虚弱的要被关起来了,可是我都还没亲身看过你。

为什么把你关起来了呢,这么做,遭破坏60至90%的珊瑚就会复原吗?你一定很累了吧?我知道,你不想再做每年接待50万人次游客的岛了。最近天气又那么热,你的温度比以前都高了3至4摄氏度,想必你是受不了,中暑了。那50万人,会不会涌向下一个岛,比如停泊岛呢?那些还没有被关闭的岛,心里在想生么呢?气候变化如此极端时,还有哪一处能承受巨大人流到访留下的破坏呢?

我跟你在同一片土地上呼吸长大,却从未拜访过你鼎鼎大名的漂亮潜水区。我忙着念书、工作,总以为来日方长,你会等我的。现在才知道,旅行也是要和时间赛跑的。恐怕等我真的有机会漫步在你温柔的沙滩上时,你已经衰败不堪,变成毫无生气的岛了。

怎么办?我该怎么办呢?

一直默默倾慕你的美洁上

文: 陈美洁(香港),刊登于星洲日报副刊

Photography at Eye to Eye optical shop

By Beautiful Melaka, Photography
Eye to Eye optical shop in Dataran Pahlawan. From left: Danny, Henry, and Jaron

Eye to Eye optical shop in Dataran Pahlawan. From left: Danny, Henry, and Jaron

Early last month of July, Henry Lee invited me to get a staff photo of the optical shop, Eye to Eye in Dataran Pahlawan where he works in as a memento. I happily agreed to help him and apart from taking the group photo, I made a request to snap some photos of the optical products available in the shop such as Gucci, Guess, Tag Heuer, Ray Ban, and many more brands which I couldn’t even recall.

Other than that, I didn’t forget to snap my favorite glasses, Oakley Livestrong Jawbone special edition. It’s really stylist and sporty and I fall for it after I saw my friend, Jason owning one. It’s really cool-looking when Jason puts it on. Besides, Jason helped the cancer patients when he bought this pair of glasses as Oakley donates $20 USD to the Lance Armstrong Foundation which helps in the fight against cancer on every sale of Oakley Livestrong series. Unfortunately it’s too expensive for me to get one.

Speaking of Henry, he is always being helpful and faithful to friends. It’s nice hanging out with Henry as he has good sense of humor and always tells jokes, however sometimes ‘rated’. We are friends since our childhood and we also studied in the same secondary school together. Our family know each other for long too; during the old days, my grandpa owned a watch and clock store in the old street of Bunga Raya and next to one of the oldest optical shops in Melaka, Kong Wah optical shop which owned by Henry’s family. Henry probably has his father gene of being a sociable person and a good businessman.

Having a friend like Henry puts a smile on my face every day. Thanks to Henry and I hope that our friendship will continue to grow and be mutually rewarding for many years to come. May everyone be happy. Sharing a few shots I took on that day:


[jaf] donating second hand goods to Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Centre Melaka

By Involvement
juesatta awakening foundation logo (draft)

juesatta awakening foundation logo (draft)

It’s has been a while since we visited the Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Centre Melaka. For the past few weeks, I received calls from friends and they told me that they would like to be involved in helping the less fortunate people. I was so touched by their kindness and giving nature. Decided to go to the centre again this Sunday, we are collecting goods from friends such as clothing and books for the children. On top of that, we hope to get some new friends and their family members to come along and make it even more significant.

Venue: Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children Centre Melaka
Date: 8th August 2010
Time: noon (T.B.C)
Donation: second hand goods

July.August 2010

By Life Journal, Photography

July.August, the wettest period in the west coast of Malaysia and also the season for Malaysian’s favorite fruit, durian. Recently, many of our friends got sick due to the weather change and also the excessive consumption of durian, which known to be a heaty fruit, raising body temperature after taking. We hope that everyone stays healthy and happy.

Sharing some shots I took in July which are uncategorized. They were all taken in my lovely hometown, Melaka. May you find serenity in juesatta.

Sign

Sign

"Don't touch my girl!"

"Don't touch my girl!"

Aftermath

Aftermath

Nap

Nap

Ballet (left:Wan-Ting, right: Kenn-Wai)

Ballet (left:Wan-Ting, right: Kenn-Wai)

Rain dew

Rain dew

Breaking through

Breaking through

Cock

Cock

Oranges and apples

Oranges and apples