nobel literature prize

Congratulations to Ms Doris Lessing, the first British female writer in Britain to receive the Nobel Prize who will turn 88 on 22nd October. She's the 11th woman to have won the prize since first awarded in 1901.

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"I've won all the prizes in Europe, every bloody one, so I'm delighted to win them all. It's a royal flush," she said.

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My introduction to her writing was when I was drawn to the title 'the grass is singing' --story with insights of a colonial family in South Africa. The other was 'the good terrorist' -- controversial title! My impression was a girl who join the cause because of her love for her man.

chinese lanterns or japanese lanterns

the fruit is also commonly known as cape gooseberry or winter cherry

-- a native of Eastern Europe and Asia

Its botanic name is physalis alkekengi.

Its flowers, white but none in sight...

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The gardener at the Wintere Garden, New Zealand,
kindly open up the calyx to reveal its fruit.

He said, "Just now I shoo off

a group of Chinese national tourists who

picked the fruits and hurl these in their mouths!"

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Its fruit tastes like cherry tomato with an eggy fragrance.

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Its white flower (borrowed picture)

nine-eleven

(taken from an archive website which I can't find for image credit...help needed.)

Time, like an ever-flowing stream
will never wash the sorrow and pain
on September 11, 2001.
Since, the world and the US stood tall together.

Those flickering candles remind us
our fragile lives so easily snuffed out
by mad psychos who champion evil
believing sacrifices for their Allah

(doubt that is Allah's plan!)

That coward psycho-leader Osama bin Laden showed on internet
urged Americans to embrace Islam today –
6 years after that fateful day
the curse that brought down

the Twin Towers

which stood so tall and elegant
a world in microcosm
housed the best of the best
turned to ashes!

This insane leader made use of the weak-willed
to feed his madness
unwilling to blow himself up
he’s appealing for more young Islam believers
to become suicide bombers!
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Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross
to redeem and reconcile man to God!

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(taken from www.september11news.com)

fanciful comfort room

Chongqing, China

Sight is interesting but smell?

(photos taken from www.chinadaily.com.cn)

070707

070707 is Live Earth commemorative day!

Sydney and Tokyo were the first to stage these concerts and closing at New Jersey and Rio de Janerio. There had been countdowns for the past few days! Certainly excitement had been generated. What do the organisers hope to achieve?

Al Gore, the organiser of this event said, "By engaging individuals all over the world, Live Earth will drive corporations and governments to tackle the climate crisis." I wonder! I must be getting old...

Celebrities were invited to stage...is this publicity stunt for them? Are they paid for the occasion? Imagine the amount of electricity to power these concerts -- mixed message for energy conservation?

I was told proceeds from the ticket sales were used "to distribute power-efficient light bulbs and other measures which will offset the shows' greenhouse gas emission"! Really?

Today's number is 777.

The evening news in Singapore had 777 solemnised marriages at the registry of marriage today!

Two years ago on this day, suicide bombers attacked the London Underground!

Update. The new 7 wonders of the world released.

senseless acts

(photo taken from news.bbc.co.uk)

I am sad, sorry and boggled to hear the eight terror suspects are medical doctors and wife, a lab tech, in the recent attempted failed car bombings in Central London and Glasgow airport.

They are all in their 20s. Did these young people fall prey in the hands of the jihad group/s? Once in the organization, these young could not get out even when they found the group was not what it professed to be. Either they be killed by the group or be the terror act which represented allegiance.

I cannot imagine intelligent young people would carry out such terror in their right minds unless they’re brain-washed or forced to and without choice.

If these young people wanted to redeem their societies, surely they could use their professions or, vocation as medical doctors. They would have greater impact upon the society.

By committing such terror acts, they not only killed themselves but grieved their loved ones and carried along with them the innocent civilians which are ignoble acts!

Why the senseless acts? Surely these are not sacrifices to their gods.

I asked myself constantly what causes fights and quarrels. I kept returning to these words in the bible, James 4:1-3:

"Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

You want something but don't get it.

You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.

You quarrel and fight.

You do not have, because you do not ask God.

When you ask, you do not receive,

because you asked with wrong motives,

that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

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If religion is pure, righteous and good, surely these suicide bombers killing indiscriminately are not what their Allah wants, and not what one believes!

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Whoever these leaders are, they are just evil!

a rainbow halo

A human-shaped shadow in the middle of a rainbow halo

appeared in Zu Shan (Zu Mountain) after a heavy rain

in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province on 1 July 2007.

The vision lasted more than one hour.

Tourists who witnessed this believed that was 'Buddha'.

(taken from www.chinadaily.com.cn)

An interesting phenomenon. What do you reckon?

Clouds surrounding Zu Shan (Zu Mountain).

Discovered Zu Shan is situated in the same province as in Beijing where the Olympic Games 2008 is to be held. You could consider visiting Zu Shan then and you might catch the sighting after the rain or it's just clouds, not too much sightseeing!

eggplant

flower and its fruit (posted the day after)

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Eggplant is also known as aubergine (British and French) and brinjal (Asian).

Varieties: round or long ones; white or purple or gold color skin -- the skin of the young is tender but the mature and huge ones are thick and not for eating.

Eggplant has good source of dietary fiber and potassium.

The vegetable can be baked, steamed, microwaved, bbq or sautéed. When baking it whole, pierce the eggplant several times with a fork to make small holes for the steam to escape.

These are ways of eating this vegetable which I've tried at restaurants:

• sauté with garlic and soy sauce with a dash of sugar;
• sauté with minced pork/prawns/dried prawns and chili;
• deep fried – coat in batter – taste sweet and soft (Japanese are excellent for this);
• steam or fried with a spread of fishcake on a slice;
• some in Thailand eat that raw dipped in chili and prawn-paste with glutinous rice (didn’t dare try when offered during my Northern Thailand trip recently);
• cooked in curry sauce, especially in fish-head curry (Indians and Peranakans);
• … Do you have more to add or any to recommend?

(How strange: Unable to download photos from my photo album but able to download borrowed images from the internet.)

vegetables for art

I was so taken in by the creativity and talent of the artist

that I copied this from 'the joy of six' blog.

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I enjoy this vegetable dish:

to lightly sautee or fry the vegetable with a little pork or prawns.

Happy Mother's Day

Today, I took this picture off from blogger Bob --"what about Bob"...without his permission. Please pardon me Bob. Just couldn't resist downloading this for keepsake.

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Happy Mother's Day to all mothers!

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[error on page]: corrected 16 may 2007.

instant noodles

I enjoy cup instant noodle (created in 1971) for it's easy to prepare: adding hot water to dried noodles in a waterproof polystyrene container -- especially when I do not have time to go out for lunch or when I crave for hot soupy noodles. (Ok...I know this is not healthy food!)

Read from BBC news (6th instant) that the inventor of instant noodles, Mr Momofuku Ando (photo right by courtesy of BBC news), died of heart attack at age 96 in Japan.

Born in Taiwan in 1910 and moved to Japan in 1933, he founded the Nissin Food Products company after WWII to provide cheap food for masses. He was inspired when he witnessed people queueing to buy bowls of hot ramen noodle soup at a black market stall during the time of food shortage in WWII.

The first instant noodle came into market in 1958 and is popular in East Asia. Sometimes when I'm lazy to cook for dinner for one, I'd take a packet of instant noodle and add some vegetables and an egg! Viola!

In 2005, the firm developed a version of cup noodle for Japanese astronauts to eat on space shuttle.