Pray For QZ8501

2014 is a bad year for aviation - MH370, MH17, and now this. But you know, the impact is greater closer to home. I happened to walk past the holding area for the relatives of the passenger of the unfortunate flight, it was condoned off with police officers at the entrance. Reporters were outside waiting. The sight of it was just saddening.

Hope there's some concrete news soon!

Pray for QZ8501, MH370 and MH17.

~ZF

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Who knows that sparklers, a camera on long exposure and a few sporting friends can concoct so much fun?

~ZF

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve *Enhanced*

Recently I visited the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR). It is a common place for the bird-watching community, and a haven for migratory birds. The Reserve is also an ASEAN heritage site.

The reserve was recently extended to include the nearby mangrove, closer to Kranji Way. See the maps below! Anything to the right of the Buloh Besar River is the new extension.

The tracks were recorded my the My Tracks app by Google. Unfortunately, I am unable to export the photograph markers from the app, so I am going to share what you may expect when visiting this awesome place.

Total distance covered: 6.1 km. 

Time taken: approximately 3 hours.

The entrance was a clean and well-curated carpark. It was quite empty on a Saturday morning.

Entrance to the SBWR Extension. It is called the Kranji Carpark.

Near the entrance you may see a deck. It is called the Little Heron Deck. It has quite a view.

Little Heron Deck.

Mudskippers are common in mangroves.

Little Heron Deck. Nope, there's no Little Heron spotted, though.

The extension has some new structures installed that are meant for bird-watching. They are called pods and shaped like an onion. The Fantail Pod will be the first one you will see.

The Fantail Pod.

There is also one at the boardwalk, beyond the coastline, called the Eagle Point. You will see it if you take the Coastal Road. BTW there are two routes which you can take, the coastal road being one of them. The other is the Forest Route, which I think is meh~.

The plate says it all.

This pod is perhaps a good place to camp for larger birds. There were indeed some birds of prey flying that day, possible a kite or a sparrowhawk, but I did not manage to capture any of them in picture :(

The Kingfisher Pod.

Further down is the Kingfisher Pod. An elevated pod that lets you have a better view. Nice place to camp to see kingfishers in action.

There is an activity area for people to learn about the mangroves. A link bridge that actually let your feet get dirty. Adult supervision encouraged.

Activity area at the SBWR extension. Here, visitors can get their feet dirty to "feel" the mangrove.

Walking further you will reach the old SBWR site.

For those who are familiar with SBWR, this would be nostalgia after a walk at the extension.

The old carpark has been paved over and renamed Butterfly Trail. The new carpark is just nearby.

The Main Bridge at SBWR. Here you can actually see the new map.

There wasn't much changes in the older site, but Route 2 and 3 were closed for renovation when I was there. Possibly for the Phase 3 development to incorporate the nearby Kranji Marsh. So the loop shown in the map is pretty much the part that is still accessible to the public.

There were plenty of migratory birds but I did not take photos of them this time.

The Aerie Tower, somewhat a landmark of SBWR. Awesome view on top!

To me, the extension is very curated. I suppose that is one way to attract the urban dwellers to get in touch with nature. To me, older SBWR is still charming with its rustic ways,

Regardless, do visit SBWR soon! Admission is free BTW. 

**Bonus** OK, not quite. This is the map I snapped at the entrance. You can always go  the SBWR website to find out more.

All photos taken by the Sony Xperia Z1.

~ZF

How to Cook Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶)

A nice, piping hot bowl of clear Bak Kut Teh, 肉骨茶. 

Bak Kut Teh (literally "Meat", "Bone" and "Tea"), or 肉骨茶, is a broth with pork (usually spare ribs), and spices such as pepper and garlic. It comes in two forms, the clear peppery type, or the dark herbal type.

The BKT is a delicacy in Singapore. The clear peppery type is the most common here.

Now I shall share how to cook BKT, Singapore-style ;)

Ingredients:

• Pork - 100g per pax. Pork ribs is preferred, however, loin is also acceptable too.
• Garlic - 1 bulb
• BKT pre-mix - 1 pkt (see below)
• Seasoning - as required

Preparation:

• Clean and blanch the meat. This means you need a separate bowl/pot of boiling water. The duration is dependent on the amount of meat involve. My rule of thumb is 1 minute per 100g of meat.
• Clean the garlic, then smash it. It is not necessary to remove the skin, unless it is dirty.
• Prepare a pot of water (about 1L, or follow the instructions on the premix) and bring it to a boil using high heat.
• Add all the ingredients (meat, garlic and BKT premix) into the boiling water. Add additional garlic and pepper if you really like the peppery-garlicky taste! (I do!)
• Bring the mixture into a boil again. Stir occasionally. Note: When stirring, do take care not to break the bag. It happens!!
• Lower the heat, and continue cooking for at least 30 minutes.
• Serve with white rice. Suggested condiments: dark soy sauce with cut red chilli.

In general, the broth becomes flavourful with extended duration of cooking at low heat. You may need to add additional premix bags if the serving sizes increases.

Note: The broth might get salty with additional packet of premix. It might be a better idea to add in more pepper and garlic. They are the main ingredients of the premix anyway.

For the premix, there are many kinds available in the supermarket. I am particularly fond of this brand:

Simply because it is relatively cheaper and it is peppery to my liking :)

Enjoy!

Huat Ah!

Ah Huat's Bittergourd Soup 苦盅作乐！

Bittergourd soup reduces 'heatiness' and detoxifies the body. Surely a treat after a long day at work!

You'll need:

• Bittergourd, 1 Ea (about 15cm long)
• Pork Ribs, 100g
• Minced meat, 100g
• Red dates, 4 Ea

What to do:

1. Prepare a pot of water (approx. 500ml). Bring it to a boil
2. Cut the red dates into half and remove the seeds inside.
3. Marinate the minced meat with sesame oil, pepper and light soy sauce.
4. Wash and Cut the bitter gourd into segments to your liking. I prefer about 5cm each. Clean out the insides!
5. Fill the bitter gourd with the minced meat.
6. Once the water boils, put in the red dates and pork ribs. Bring it to a boil again.
7. Once the water boils again, put in the bitter gourd, and bring it to a boil.
8. Switch to small flame when the water boils again.
9. Cook the bitter gourd until it softens (normally this will turn the bitter gourd to dark green).
10. Add salt to taste and serve!

Enjoy!!

Huat ah!