Turkish Cuisine

We did not able to capture too many food photo in Turkey. When we realized to take photo the food almost finished le!

Since we don’t take beef, along our stay in Turkey we only eat chicken or fish. Actually pork is not illegal in Turkey but is still very hard to find.

Basically our breakfast was taken in the hotel with western buffet style. There were various types of cheese, bread and salad. Bread is omnipresent in Turkey. Any given meal would be presents with a basket of bread and soup followed by salad and finally main course. As if we were in Europe taking meal, haha!


Various types of cheese



Previously I thought kebab was only referred to meat shaved from a rotating spit as what we always see in pasar malam. After few days in Turkey, I asked our tour guide why we never had the chance to eat kebab, he laughed and explained to me that there are many types of kebab. Kebab is a general term for the grilled meat in various forms, including the famous one, grilled meat which is shaved from a rotating spit, skewered meat and some other forms of grilled meat. I see! All the way I thought only 1 type of kebab!

To me, majority desserts in Turkey are too sweet! Famous dishes such as Baklava (a layered pastry of finely ground nuts soaked in honey and spice, Lokum (gummy delight of rosewater and sugar) and many others which I couldn’t recall their names.

Flight to Bali

Last 2 days Hooi received a sms from Airasia that our flight to Bali on 25 Aug 09 depart at 10am has been postponed to 4pm while our flight back from Bali has been changed too without any notice to us. We were so disappointed that we lost almost 1 day in Bali. Meaning that we go to bali 5 days, stay there 4 night but only travel there 3 full days. After telling my friend, Adeline about our case, she told me must call and clarify with Airasia what is the reason of the changes in flight time and told me whether can get anything from Airasia to pacify us. No harm give a try! At first i was thinking that budget airline sure will just ignore us!I agree with her too we should at least give a call to Airasia to clarify.

I told Hooi we should call Airasia. He did call and is really work! He told the Airasia's operator that the changes of time to and fro has caused inconvenient to us. To our surprise, we never thought that they are willing to change the flight back to 10am again and back from Bali at 1pm in the afternoon.

We are quite satified. However, is it that easy that change the time without any additional charge? Will it be the case where we reach to the airport that time but no seat for us? I am still a bit puzzle! Is it the process too smooth until unbelievable?

Bosphorus River Cruise - Day 9

We used ferryboat as the Bosphorus River Cruise . I had to say that the scenery along Bosphorus River was fantastic! It was an approximately 1 1/2 hours cruise.

Initially we still hesitated whether to take the Cruise because it was an optional tour. Kun used to recommended the cruise is a must-go spot in my blog. So we finally decided to go for the Cruise and it wasn't disappointed us!

Along the shoreline, we are able to see the beautiful mosque included Tokapi Palace, decadent villas which are now become the most expensive villa in Turkey, the suspended Bosporus Bridge, some fishing boats, yachts, huge cargo ships and tankers.

Labrador

This morning I saw LL, Adeline and Rosene with their casual attire!LL then invited me to go Labrador Park that near our site. I wished to join LL to Labrador Park to see sea grass and seaweed during low tide since last year. However, every time sure something on and ended up I cannot make it. Today just happened my boss, CK was on holiday in Taiwan, of course I will seize the chance to go there. After borrowed aqua boots, we departed to Labrador Park.

According to LL, our site used to transplant corals near to Labrador Park due to submarine services diversion work in our site. Today the lowest tide was 0.1mCD, therefore we were able to see intertidal creatures and plants!

Frankly speaking I do not know the difference of seaweed and sea grass. Both physically look same to me. We was told by LL that seaweed are algae, do not have flowers, fruits, roots and they have hold fasts that cling on to a support instead. Sea grass is a kind of flowering plant and has a root system which can absorb water and nutrients.




Hairy Crab has fine hairs coverings its body. It is an effective means to camouflage! Really hard to locate the crab if we didn't aware!


Tube worm


Sponges rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes, and the shapes of their bodies are adapted to maximize the efficiency of the water flow.


Sea Grape. Sea grape got its name from the clusters shaped like grapes which the plant has.Heard that in some countries it can be eaten. I was thinking will the taste of the sea grape salty since it was grown in sea condition? However, we still dare not try.



The tide rose very fast. So we departed back to site around 10am. Although only an hour short trip, it was a fruitful trip to me.

2009 MAK哥婚礼

上星期出席了MAK在Selayang的婚礼，顺便和大学好朋友聚一聚。自毕业后，大家聚在一起的时候都是朋友的婚礼。

星期六新郎在家摆设小型的聚餐，星期日早上娶新娘，下午摆午宴。

星期天早上，新郎哥与兄弟团过关斩将，尝尽跳舞，甜苦，最后MAK高唱林俊杰的“小酒窝”，成功迎娶新娘！这次的摄影师是义兴-拿着NIKON-D90。以下的照片都是他的杰作。

接新娘罗

尝尽甜苦

任务成功!


新郎带新郎回家罗！


幸福的新人，灿烂的笑靥！

MAK哥像Dato'似的进场

大合照



MAK！祝你幸福快乐，百年好合！

Mind Cafe

I had missed out to blog the gathering in Mind Cafe few weeks ago. Mind Cafe is a board game cafe base in Singapore, where I think is a good place for families, colleagues and friends to meet up for board games over snacks and drinks.

Adeline was the one that came out with the idea going there. My first question to her was: "Is the game need to think much? I prefer brainless game ler! Work so stress already still need to think ar?" She told me: "Don't worry, I also play brainless game!" Great! Lip Yung cannot make it cause he already had appointment go to 'roll ball' with his friends! Finally, Adeline, Ma Yin, Terrence, Lee Lian and me met up in Mind Cafe at Boat Quay in Sunday afternoon. We chose Mind Cafe at Boat Quay caused had promotion for Happy Hours - 5 hours with free flow of drinks for only $7.50.


It was quite fun to have this type of cafe for gathering. Most of the games we did not know how to play, so we asked the attendant to recommend "brainless games" and taught us how to play.

Board Games on the Shelves


Let's start our games...



Time passed very fast! I left about 6pm cause had appointment with Hooi. And they proceeded their games and had seafood dinner in Boat Quay.

Mind Cafe is an ideal place for gathering. Should ask Carol and Mervin along next time during weekend.

Farewell Cum Gathering at Korean Restaurant

Last week had farewell with Toshik, Ma Yin and Adeline in a Korean Restaurant not too far from our site. Toshik had got a new job offer while Ma Yin and Adeline are going to finish their 6 months internship in our site.

That was a typical Korean restaurant which all the attendants were Korean. We ordered pork, chicken, beef barbecues and seafood soup. The meal was just like gathering. Something funny to share were we saw something like sweet on the table. We are so ‘sua gu" that we did not know what is that. We asked the attendant and she told us to shower water on those “sweets”. Terrence aka Pai Kia had volunteered to shower water on those sweets. Then slowly we saw the sweets started to swell/bulging. Wow!Finally we knew those ‘sweets' was actually wet towel! Stunned!