Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Railway, the KTM train is my priority means of transport to travel back to Kuala Lumpur. The current railway station is conveniently located in Tanjong Pagar, but it will be relocate to Woodlands in this coming July 2011.

I have lots of memory in this railway station as my first time travel o Singapore is also using the train and this was the first place I have the most impression. Back then, the Singapore checkpoint was still in Tanjong Pagar instead of Woodlands.

The railway station is full with taste of heritage, the design and paintings… try to close your eyes and feel. I have too many memories in this place. I can’t remember how many times I have dropped my tears here. The happy moment when I welcoming my family as they come to visit me, and also the sad moment when they need to go back home and I bit good bye to them and standing at the opposite side of platform and waived at them.  How excited I am every time I can travel back to visit them…

It is time for me to travel back home again. I will usually take the night train to travel back home and I will get the second class ticket so that will be able to get a place to sleep. There are about five to six coaches that with upper and lower berth for passenger. Pillow and blanket are provided at each “bed” and there are curtains so that you would have your “privacy”…

Not much people like to travel by train as the journey is about 9 hours if the train is punctual, else, sometimes it can take up to 11 hours if the train delay. I experience that in my last two trips when back from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.  After all, I would still think is service is good and convenient for me, so I will still using this means of transport to travel back home.

A rest day for floor sweeping

While I was sweeping floor today and thing when is the best time that I can have good excuse not to sweep floor, oh that comes into my mine – the first day of Chinese New Year.

Not only it is a taboo to sweep floor on that day and there are many more. The followings are some things that CANNOT be done on the first day of the Chinese New Year. This is just some personal sharing and it has been practiced in my family since generations ago.

1. CANNOT Sweep floor - In Chinese culture, people normally believe that there will have lots of prosperous from the first day of the new year and thus sweeping floor on the first day would indicate sweep away all the prosperous for the coming year.
2. CANNOT say Un-auspicious words – Most of people will believe that a good start of the year must have good things happen on the very first day of the Chinese New Year. That is the reason people must say good things, good wishes instead so that hope is a good new beginning of the year.
3. CANNOT break glasses – If anyone has accidentally break the glasses, the person must immediately say some auspicious words. “Broken” thing is not a good sign for the coming year.
4. CANNOT wash hair – I am not so sure the real meaning behind this, but hair is something to do with good luck and prosperity. Thus, wash hair would probably indicates wash away all the good luck and prosperity too, so just stand for a day and wash it on the next day.
5. CANNOT scold people  - Most people should have enjoy the first day of the Chinese New Year in a very happy and re-union together and scolding someone would probably just spoilt the mood a atmosphere and make the people around feel not happy. So, avoid it and for those who are hot-tempered, please control.
6. CANNOT wear black color shirt - Most of the Chinese especially the elderly will consider red as auspicious color and black as a taboo. “Black” indicate bad luck and normally “black” is the color for sad event like the wake. Contrary, “Red” is consider as auspicious color that will bring good luck and in most of the happy event, people will use “Red” color like wedding, baby full month, birthday and etc.

The making of Japanese food sample – Tempura

I went to the Natas Fair 2011 and my greatest joy is not signing up a great deal package but can experience the making of Japanese food sample – Tempura from the master in Japan. It is incredible technique and the “Tempura” looked so REAL but can’t be eaten. It was made from sort of wax, I guess. There are so many samples there, sushi, sashimi, kobe beef, pasta.. 

Other food sample, which looked so REAL

Yummy sushi, lettuce and Tempura

The exhibitor is “Sample Village Iwasaki” and the master are really friendly and helpful to show how is the making of the food sample and I am glad to have a chance to “make” my first Tempura sample.  It look tasty and yummy, but with strong smell of wax.. haha. Otherwise I think I will eat it. I have been waiting patiently for my turn to experience the making of"Tempura".

I am queue up and waiting for my turn to try out the technique

Attached is the making of the “Prawn Tempura”, 

Firstly soak my hands in the warm water, then pour the yellow color wax into the water. Of course it required some technique in this step. I think need to pour the wax from higher level so that it would form the crispy and puffy form of texture to intimidate the real Tempura. 

Then place the wax prawn on the wax and wrap it. This part also required some skills as it need to be done gently, as cannot press the wax too hard otherwise it will damage the initial crispy and puffy texture that created in the previous steps. Then, need to put the prawn Tempura into cold water for a while. It is done. Take a look closer, does it look REAL?

Right side is my "creation".. self-making sample of Tempura