Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Tintin's dedication (I)

Rembulan mengambang,
muzik dalam mengerbang.
Selembut fitrah,
sekeras lumrah,
Moga snowy dapat atasi,
retetan ranjau di sisi,
dan menjadi pensyarah universiti
.

© Tintin

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Specially for Snowy....

During weekend, Tintin wrote something for his faithful companion, Snowy

Pinta datang silih berganti,
nescaya aku tetap kotai,
agar terlestari hasrat puteri,
sempat untuk ahad ini.

Di pundak patik disulami,
jaminan epsilon didasari.

© Tintin

It shows the quality assurance of Epsilon!!!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Making Bak Zhang

A day before the Duan Wu Jie (端午节), Snowy had learned how to make "Bak Zhang" from her beloved auntie. Phew! It was fun making the dumpling. Snowy was introduced to two different types of dumpling by her auntie; the traditional China Bak Zhang, the Hockkien used to called it "Tyng Sua Zhang", and the "Nyonya Zhang". Each type of dumpling has its own speciality and unique in taste!


The ingredients of the making the Traditional China Bak Zhang, locally known as "Tyng Sua Zhang" is shown below:-

First the bamboo leaves, imported from the mainland China. The bamboo leaves is socked in boiling water overnight.

The glutinous rice, soaked overnight then drained


Ha, here comes the most important ingredients, the filling comprises of belly pork (removecskin), garlic, dried prawns and dried mushroom fried with dark soya source adding with a little bit of Chinese five spice powder.

This is how the glutinous rice is fried.
Adding the "Lau Teck Kee" brand dark soya source.



stir fry...



adding the Chinese Five Spice powder.



adding some mineral salt.



Ha... this is how it looks like, brownish in color after adding in the seasoning.



Now here comes the wrapping process. First, take two bamboo leaves, make them overlap slightly and fold into a conical shape (as shown in the picture above). Put the rice (roughly about 1 table spoon) into the funnel base. Then, add 2 pieces of pork, mushroom, chessnuts, garlics and dried prawns. Cover with some more rice.


Arranging the ingredients nicely....

After that, fold the leaves over the rice to form a triangular prism.


Tying the "Bak Zhang" with raffia string after wrapping.


Now the bundles of dumplings is dropped into the large pot for boling.
It takes around half an hour to boil over medium slow fire.


Boiling.... Boiling over medium slow fire.....
Here comes the cooked dumplings.



This is how its look like... Yummy....:)

Now, here comes the "Nyonya Zhang"

Instead of the bamboo leaves, the "Nyonya Zhang" is wrapped with the Pandan leaves.



Then, the pandan leaves is cut, approximately 1 meter in length.



As the pandan leaves is tough in nature, the leaves is soaked in the boiled water. This will help to soften the leaves, its enable to leaves to be folded.


As you can see the glutinous rice used in Nyoya Dumpling is white in color, the rice is just fried planly on the frying pan adding a little bid of seasoning.



The ingredients used in the Nyonya Dumpling is slidely different compared to the traditional China Dumpling. The belly pork (remove skin) is fried with the winter melon (chopped into small pieces). It's sweet in taste. Of course, the dumpling must have chessnut inside!!!



Here comes the end product!!! Yummy.....
  • To my fellow friends in oversea, the virtual "Bak Zhang" is specially dedicated to all of you. I am sure you miss them soooo much!!! *Sorry to make you guys homesick*
  • Tintin is the first one who get to taste the dumpling. Yummy, Tintin loves the Nyonya dumpling, lovely indeed!
  • Joe had the dumplings as his Duan Wu Jie's breakfast. If you miss them, the virtual "Bak Zhang" blog is dedicated to you! If you miss them, feel hungry, just visit this blog... click it and eat it and chew it... yummy....:)
  • Kuku, Thanks for the cooking lesson, I really enjoy the day, it was fantastic!

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Happy Father's Day


A DAD...


A Dad is a person who is loving and kind,

and often he knows what you have in your mind

He's someone who listens, suggest, and defends,

a dad can be one of your very best friends!

He's proud of your triumphs,

but when things goes wrong,

a dad can be patient and helpful and strong.

In all that you do,

a dad's love plays a part.

There's always a place for him deep in your heart,

And each year that passes, you're even more glad,

more grateful and proud just to call him your dad!

Thank you, Dad...

for listening and caring,

for giving and sharing,

but, especially for just being you!

Happy 18th Birthday to Brother Winston

Brother, A very Happy Birthday to you!

May God continue to bless you and keep you,
May He cause His face to shine upon you and give you peace.

~Sis

Friday, June 15, 2007

Living with Tiptoes

Had you ever think of it, how much time had you spent in your lifetime by just waiting? Waiting for people? Waiting for public transport such as taxi, transits, train, bus and etc..? Waiting for new opportunity to swing by?

I used to enjoy my trip to airport. Either picking someone up from airport, shop for a bar of chocolate or having a cup of tea at the middle of the night with my close friend at the terminal building. I always find that, airport is a serene place with full of serendipity. I wish that I could just get an air ticket, and board into a flight to another destination at that moment. Enjoying the sight-seeing, and the aerial view from the sky.

Recently, i spend a fair amount of time in airports, either picking up of dropping off someone. I have grown accustomed to seeing several different kinds of "waiters" - people who are waiting to pick up someone who is arriving on a flight. First, there are always a couple of "Drivers." You can recognize them easily because they are holding up a sign with a person's name on it (Mr. XXX or En. XXX ). They've been sent to airport by their employer to pick up someone they don't know. It's just a job to them. Pick up Mr. Smith and his luggage and take him wherever he wants to go." Get a call, make a sign, deliver a person. Job done..... :) They are attentive, but usually look bored while they're waiting.

Then they are the "Associates." They are at the airport to pick up people they know but whose arrival is not an emotional event. Perhaps the person waiting at the airport is a business associate, or perhaps it's a wife picking up a husband who travels several times a month. These people wait by reading magazines, newspaper or novels, hanging out in the gift shop or choc shop, walking around the concourse, or chatting with other "Associate" waiters. They amble over the gate at just the right time to greet their party. They Some of them may just lazy to get down from their car, staying inside the car, listening to radio. They are not bored, but they do yawn a lot. For them, waiting is a routine thing.

Finally, there are the "Eagers." They are the people who have perfected the art of waiting eagerly. It it's a young woman pacing back and forth with an anxious, almost teary-eyed look, I know it's a fiancee or a newlywed waiting on her knight in airborne armor to return from their first separation. If it's an older couple standing at the head of the line, right in front of the arrival gat, I know it's grand parents waiting to smother a new grandbaby with kisses, or parents waiting for a college students or serviceman to come home after a way-too-long absence.

But the most fun "Eagers" to watch are the little kids. If they're there to pick up their daddy, they're racing back and forth along the huge glass windows; thery're jumping up and down, they're embarrassing their mother with their shrieks. "There's his place, Mom! Is that daddy's plane?" If they break free from their mom, they're foraging through the forest of adult legs to get to the front of the crowd to be the first one to see Daddy. Whatever they are doing, they are doing it on their tiptoes. Have you ever seen little kids run around on their tiptoes when they're excited? They look like baby ballerinas. Even when they've got a clear view, they're standing on their toes. It's what kids do. They eagerly anticipate what they desire.

Waiting had becoming a piece of art in life. Are we doing well in developing the art of "eager anticipation" - leaning to live life on our tiptoes. Especially do we we need this skills when things are not going well, when life is hard. After all, no matter in which stages we are, it is always an assignment given by GOD to us - waiting to be delivered tom the wounded world in which we live. Those who learn to wait eagerly are the once for whom suffering produces anticipation instead of apathy or anger. Everyone has to wait, but we are given the choice as to how we wait.

We are not just wait; we are to wait eagerly. We are not just to look, we are to look forward to. We are not to wait passively; we are to wait actively. And most of all, we are not to wait sitting down, we are to wait on out tiptoes.

Well.... I guess waiting had became a part of our life. The question is, What kind of waiters are you? How are you waiting as waiters? As a "Driver," and "Associate," or an "Eager"?

I always admire my dog for her persistency of waiting? Waiting patiently will hope...and sadness. She is always asking Why are you leaving me alone? Where are you going? When will you be back? How long does it takes? I can see her face, her facial expression mingling with all sorts of question. Hoping that the master does not leave her alone. But... she had no choice. She always waited eagerly with hope and love, hoping that her master will be back one day.

If you are sitting down while reading this, stand up for a moment. Now rise up on your tiptoes. Feel good?

Monday, June 11, 2007

For The Beauty Of The Earth by John Rutter

For the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the skies
For the lovewhich from our birth
Over and around us lies
Over and around us lies

Lord of all to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise

For the beauty of the hour
Of the day and of the night
Hill and vale
And tree and flower
Sun and moon and stars of light

Lord of all to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise

For the joy of human love
Brother, sister, parent, child
Friends on earth
And friends above
For a gentle
Thoughts and mild
For a gentle
Thoughts and mild

Lord of all to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise

For each perfect gift of thine
To our race so freely given
Graces human and divine
Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n
Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n

Lord of all to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn, our joyful hymn of praise
This our joyful hymn of praise

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

A Musical Poem....

The maestro raises his wand.

Flute flowing,
Strings serenading,
Trumpet towering,
French horn flirting.
Handel halelujah-ing,
Strauss Smiling,
Bach bellowing.

© Tintin :D

Saturday, June 02, 2007

A Poem Dedicated to the Kelabit people in Bario Highland

Pagi nan cerlang,
kupasan awan terbilang,
suria membahang,
burung berkecipan.

Kehijauan terbentang,
saujana mata memandang,
budaya Kelabit terlestari,
edaran kala terabadi.

Twin otter mendarat,
riuh sepusat,
twin otter berlepas,
sepi berderas.

Inilah Bario,
indah seantero,
manik pusaka,
mutiara terjaga.

©Tintin

Gawai Sajak - Written by Tintin

Gayu guru gerai nyamai
percaturan hidup manusia nan permai
sarawak indah, bumi pertiwi
miskin budaya nescaya tidak
pelbagai perayaan saban purnama
diraikan bersama muda dan tua

Gayu guru gerai nyamai
madah pahlawan ikutan srikandi
ayam pansoh beserta tuak
makan, bergembira Gawai ternama
Lantang Senang Nguan Menua


© tintin