Resep: Lemet Singkong

Tiba2 pingin makan lemet, salah satu makanan ndeso.
Ke pasar,  beli singkong dan kelapa parut.Panen pandan di  halaman tetangga *ssstttt*, siapin gula merah, gula pasir dan vanili bubuk dari stok yang ada......... Nyomot daun pisang dari kebun kantor .............
Singkong diparut (tentunya setelah dikupas ya), dicampur dengan kelapa parut, gula merah yg sudah disisir, gula pasir dan vanili bubuk secukupnya. Tambahkan sedikit garam.
Ambil daun pisang, letakkan adonan yg sudah dicampur tadi, beri sepotong daun pandan. Lipat daun pisang.
Setelah semua selesai, kukus .............
Kriiiiinnnnggggggggggggggggg.... Setelah 30 menit, biarkan sebentar baru boleh dinikmati *daripada resiko bibir dan lidah terbakar karena panas*.
Gampang dan yummy.........

Best Divorce Letter

Dear Wife,

I’m writing you this letter to tell you that I’m leaving you forever. I’ve been a good man to you for 7 years & I have nothing to show for it. These last 2 weeks have been hell. ... Your boss called to tell me that you quit your job today & that was the last straw. Last week, you came home & didn’t even notice I had a new haircut, had cooked your favorite meal & even wore a brand new pair of silk boxers. You ate in 2 minutes, & went straight to sleep after watching all of your soaps. You don’t tell me you love me anymore; you don’t want sex or anything that connects us as husband & wife. Either you’re cheating on me or you don’t love me anymore; whatever the case, I’m gone.



Your EX-Husband



P.S. don’t try to find me. Your SISTER & I are moving away to West Virginia together! Have a great life!

Dear Ex-Husband

Nothing has made my day more than receiving your letter. It’s true you & I have been married for 7 years, although a good man is a far cry from what you’ve been. I watch my soaps so much because they drown out your constant whining & griping Too bad that doesn’t work. I DID notice when you got a hair cut last week, but the 1st thing that came to mind was ‘You look just like a girl!’ Since my mother raised me not to say anything if you can’t say something nice, I didn’t comment. And when you cooked my favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with MY SISTER, because I stopped eating pork 7 years ago. About those new silk boxers: I turned away from you because the $49.99 price tag was still on them, & I prayed it was a coincidence that my sister had just borrowed $50 from me that morning. After all of this, I still loved you & felt we could work it out. So when I hit the lotto for 10 million dollars, I quit my job & bought us 2 tickets to Jamaica But when I got home you were gone.. Everything happens for a reason, I guess. I hope you have the fulfilling life you always wanted. My lawyer said that the letter you wrote ensures you won’t get a dime from me. So take care.



Signed, Your Ex-Wife, Rich As Hell & Free!



P.S. I don’t know if I ever told you this, but my sister Carla was born Carl. I hope that’s not a problem

Part 8: Holiday to South Island of New Zealand (28 Nov-13 Dec 2012) -13 December 2012

13 December 2012: Christchurch - Sydney - Singapore

Today was the last day of our trip ............Sad yet happy. Too many sweet memories with beautiful sceneries on our mind and pictures..
Our flight to Singapore was afternoon. So after we returned the car that we rent, we still have 3 hours before heading for airport.
We decided to go to Botanic Garden again, but enter from the other entrance as I haven't taken one of the landmark of Christchurch Botanic Garden, i.e. The peacock fountain.

Beautiful flower bed

Peacock Fountain

We arrived at Chirstchurch International airport at 12PM. We had lunch at the airport. After taking picture and pray together, we went in to the Departure Lounge for last minute shopping .. We found NZ-T-shirt, magnets and some souveniers to bring back to Singapore ...............

Group picture @ the airport



Pray to thank God for all and ask His Leading for the future..

Lunch



Christchurch-Sydney





Till I see you again, snow-capped moutains...



Sydney-Singapore with A-380



A-380 brought us back from Sydney to Singapore

I LEFT MY HEART AT NEW ZEALAND

We arrived safely @ Singapore Changi airport about 22.00.
Thank God and our Lord Jesus Christ for all His leadings and blessing, we all could  enjoy this trip very much and have a good blending ..

Our sincere thanks to:
* Bro. Hong/Sis. Lily/Esther/Edmund for all the hospitality, arrangement and companions during our stayed .
* Bro Danai&Jess/Quenny/Helen/Sarah Ting for your hospitality and brought us for a walk despise your busy schedules...
* Bro. Wu and family that allow us to visit your farm and purposely went to Kaikoura to get  alive and fresh and yummy abalone  for us..
* Bro Yew and family, Bro John from Farmer Corners, and all the saints from the church in Christchurch..
Hope to see you all in the near future for more blending ..

NZ ................. we will go to visit you again ....... *now time to work and save money for the next trip .. *

After this wonderful trip, there are few things to consider if we travel again to NZ:
1. If travel duirng summer time (December-February):
    a. the most expensive time for travelling to NZ, as many locals also on holiday, espesially for the month of December.
    b. the weather most of the time just nice for us from tropic countries (Asian).
    c. the humidity very low, will not sweat, needs a lots of water and also lotion for our body.
    d. the UV super-duper high.. make sure bring sunglasses.
    e. day time is longer. The sun rise about 5AM and set about 10PM. Longer time for sightseeing.
    f. wear 2 layers cloths are better than 1 but thick .. The weather change very fast within 1 day.
2. When rent a car for drive on your own, familiar with the traffic regulations. Signal is a must, at least blinking for 3 seconds.
3. Give ample time when travelling from 1 place to another place.. too many good spots for us to stop and take pictures.
4. If possible, prepare your own meals (specially for  breakfast and dinner), will save you a lots of money. Many motels/inns are self-contained, either minimalis or complete ones. Our experience: take away foods are cheaper than dine in..

5. wat else??? Will add on when remember .................

Part 7: Holiday to South Island of New Zealand (28 Nov-13 Dec 2012) - 11-12 December 2012

11 Dec 12: HANMER SPRING - KAIKOURA

Surfing time *free wifi*

We just had a simple breakfast, then bought some bread and/or sandwich at Do Duck in Bakery at the next door of our motel..

One for each one of us

 Stopped about 30 min at Spring Junction for toilet break and snacking time. 3 scoops of Tip Top ice cream cost only N$3.80 from Alpine Motor Inn & Cafe.

Ice cream, anyone??

After 1hour drove, we reached Hanmer Springs, famous for its thermal pools and spa. We did not have much time to deep into the pool, so just took a walk in the surounding area.  Maybe next time have to stay longer to enjoy the hot springs..

View from Greymouth to Hanmer Spring

Hanmer Springs Park

Another 2 hrs driving from Hanmer Springs, we reached Kaikoura at 4.10PM. We found the motel, Willowbank Motel,  without any problem as it location is at the main road. After checked-in, rested, snack, bathed, we went out for a short walk, 15 min, to supermarket and do some shopping.

Yellow wild flowers along the road

 The name 'Kaikoura' translates to 'meal of crayfish' ('kai'- food/meal, 'koura' - crayfish).
Kaikoura is famous for its crayfish and sperm whale watching.  It is a small town with beautiful view of the mountains and sea.
Since Kaikoura is famous for crayfish, we all agreed to taste the crayfish as our dinner. We found Lobster Inn Restaurant and Pub at the nearby area and after looked into the menu, we ordered and enjoyed our foods.

Dinner at Lobster Inn, Kaikoura.

White Bait patties



Cray Fish ..



Seafood Chodder



BLUE COD with FRIES







12 Dec 12: WHALE WATCH - CHRISTCHURCH



We booked the earliest tour for Whale Watch, at 07.15AM (only during Summer Time they have this slot of tour. The price for adults NZ$145.00 and children NZ$60). We chose this timing, other than to save time, as today was our last day and had to go back to Christchurch before 4PM, also the wave will be calmer in the morning, not so rough compare with noon or afternoon time. We were lucky as the weather was bright and sunshine.

Dolphin

Did you see the rainbow at the water's splash???

The splash of the sperm-whale

Their website wrote the following statements on 6 May 2013: We awoke to a very windy and rainy day today as did pretty much the whole country. With the wind came rough sea conditions and none of our tours being able to sail today. The forecast is for things to ease overnight which we are very much hoping for.

After we registered ourselves at the desk, while waiting for the timing of tour, they played the video about this tour and about the whales in general. We took bus to go to the jetty and boarded into the boat.
The total journey on the sea about 2.5hrs. Most of the time we had to sit inside the boat, only when the captain or crews saw something interesting, then we all can go out to the deck. I got sea-sickness and throwed-out 3 times. The crews are very experienced and helpful in this matters.

Get ready to dive into the water

After more than 1 hours on the sea, we managed to see 2 sperm-whales from quite a near distance. Also some dolphins were following closely our boat. And some birds like albatross also appeared.
*if during this trip no whale can be seen, they will refund 80% of the price that we paid, see here.* The chances of seeing whale in Kaikoura is very high as they said, there are few sperm whales residing in this area.

Before we headed to Christchurch, we stopped at Kaikoura Lavendyl Lavender Farm. I was very happy to see the lavender farm. So many years I was waiting to visit Lavender Farm.. and finally ............ eventhough the plants not yet all fully bloom .. The visit to their garden  with a free donation of N$2.00 per person.
You can buy all types of products made of Lavender in their gift shop.

Lavender Flowers@ Lavender Farm

Photo taking all the time ..

 We left Lavender Farm about 12.20, after 1 hour spent in the farm to enjoy the beautiful flowers and photo taking..

We stopped at Cheviot for lunch @ Cheviot Tea Rooms.



Soup and Toast for N$7.40 from Cheviot Tea Rooms


We left Cheviot about 2.30PM for Christchurch. Along the way, we enjoyed the sceneries. Suddenly on the road side we saw many sheep *actually since day one, we saw many flock of sheep along the way, but no opportunity to stop and taking their photo except at Te Anau*.
We stopped to take the picture of the sheep, happened we stopped at the area of Mud House Wines, Waipara Hills. Another wine tasting and some bought the wine.


Mud House Wines, Waipara Hills

Beautiful garden to be enjoyed with a sip of wine

The flock of sheep @ Mud House Wines


At 4.15PM we arrived at sis. Lily/Bro. Hong's house. Had a rest before we were heading to Br. Yew's house for love feast.

Bro. Yew's laundry service

Delicious foods prepared with love by the saints

Spread of foods.. Fresh Abalone from Kaikoura at the left below

Tonight is our last night @ New Zealand ...... Packing... and get ready to fly back to Singapore tomorrow morning ....................

Part 6: Holiday to South Island of New Zealand (28 Nov-13 Dec 2012) - 9-10 December 2012

9 Dec 12: FOX GLACIER
We all woke up early and prepared some breakfast and lunch for the day.
At 7AM we left our motel to Fox Township, about 30min drive to joint the Fox Trot: Half Day Fox Glacier Walk which was scheduled at 8.35AM. The price for this tour:

Adult: NZ$ 115.00 (GST incl.)

Children: NZ$ 95.00 (GST incl.)

They provided the crampons (a spiked iron plate worn on boots or shoes for aid in climbing or to prevent slipping on ice, snow, etc. ), socks, boot, backpack and jackets *if you can bring your own will be better, cleaner and not smelly*.
After some orientation and explanation, we boarded into the historic bus to bring us to the glacier valley, passing through the thick rain-forest.
Our group of 10 was leading by Lui, the guide. Lui quite knowledgeable and explained many things to us. Once we reached the ice area, we must wear our crampon and took 1 walking stick... Now we are ready to explore the glacier, walking on ice .. Yeeeeeesssssss.....

Alighted from the bus, ready to explore
the Fox Glacier



Lui, Our guide for the fox glacier

Walking beside the river bed

We were on ICE ..

We walked, touched, sat, posed on ice...
We even tried to drink and eat the ice.
Listened to the underground water ..

We all were prepared with few layers of cloths in anticipated that the weather would be very cold since we walked on ice. Surprisingly.. after some walked, we felt warm ... and some took out the jacket..
*some advise, better wear few layers of cloths to make u feel warm than a thick jacket alone. When you feel warm after some walked, u can take out the outer layer of your cloths*

Glacier .. u can eat the ice or drink the melted ice ..



Walking on ice

We were on ice .. !!!

When we back to the tour office, returned those equipment that we borrowed, then we collected our 'certificate' as a proof that we already walked on ice ....

After taken our packed lunch, we went to Lake Matheson, about 5min drive from Fox Township (6km). But the Lake itself is not at the road side, we need to walk about 30 min to be able to see the lake. Since 2 friends of us were not with us at the moment, we decided to go back to motel and be back tomorrow morning for Lake Matheson aka Lake of Reflections...

Our dinner tonight??? Beef stew ...
Since today was a Lord's day, after dinner, we sang some hymns and had fellowship on man in God's history .................
Everyone was so tired after a long day and walk .... so we went to sleep early tonight..

10 Dec 12: LAKE MATHESON & GREYMOUTH

We left Franz Josef at 07.30 for Lake Matheson. The best time to visit Lake Matheson is at dawn or dusk before the wind start blowing, when there is any breeze to capture the perfect reflection.
Lake Matheson also called Lake of Reflections because when there is no wind blow, you will be able to see the reflections of Aoraki/Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman on its surface.. exactly like a mirror..
From the carpark, passed by the cafe and gift shops, need to walk about 40 min to reach the lake and 1.5hrs to return to the car park. There are few stops to take the pictures.. just enjoyed the forest and birds along the quite easy track.. More informations about the walks to Lake Matheson ... ? Click here or here ..


The forest

Do you see Mirror of the mountain?

Aoraki/Mt. Cook



Lake Matheson, Lake of Refrections

After a short break at the cafe to take a sip of hot coffee *long or short coffee, anyone?*, at 11AM we continued our journey to Greymouth, the largest town on the west coast.

At 12.40 we stopped at town Harihari, snacking at Pukeko Tearooms&Store. We found Indomie at this shop .. :D.



Break for hot drinks and some foods

At 13.25 we left Harihari for Hokitika, arrived at 14.20. We walked around the town area. Many shops, such as jade shop, souveniers, and others. After stopped about 40 min, we continued to Greymouthn, about 25 min drive.

Clock Tower Hokitika

 

Hokitika



We checked-in at Scenicland Motel about 4pm. After rooms distribution, we left for Punakaiki.

Entrance to Pancake Rocks & Blowholes



Bagio enjoying his 'giant' burger

Punakaiki is known for the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. In order to see the blowholes we need conditions that are right, heavy ocean swells thunder into the caverns beneath the rocks and huge water spouts blast skywards through the blowholes in a truly spectacular sight.

We stopped at Punakaiki Information Centre, found out that the high tide for that day should be around 9PM. Then we just drove further down to find food for our dinner. We had our dinner, western foods, at Punakaiki Tavern.

After full, we back to Punakaiki with the hope could be able to see the water that splash out from a hole because being blow out by the wind and waves... Unfortunately, after waited about 3 hours in the freezing weather ... the blowholes never shown on that night .. nothing blow through the holes .. Maybe next time have to come again and if we are lucky then we will be able to see the blowholes...

Sunset @ Punakaiki

Blowholes and Pancake Rocks *Pic taken from here*

Back to our motel and room sweet room for that night .....................