Musings of a barefoot traveller

I guess I got tired of the constant worrying about when it'll all give way, plus the transmission on the old Golf was wearing out. So I went and bought myself a new car!! Wahahahaha....

I never updated my blog about my Seattle trip did I? Hahaha!

So I find myself back in Seattle again, 10 1/2 years later. This time at least, I've decided that I can afford to take the bus now and then instead of walking all over bum-f***, and eat more than a loaf of sourdough and plain water (life as a sad and poor backpacking undergrad...unfortunately, not much has changed since then. Still staying in a hostel. So much for going back to school! Wails....). Happily though, I found a bakery in Pike's Place that sells day-old bread for $1, and the produce looks affordable, and tasty. I still like to walk though. I like to see the slow passage of the city as it passes under my feet, and hear the sounds of the hubbub as they pass. Took in some modern art at the Olympic Sculpture Park in the morning, and plunged into the heady mix that is Pike's Place Market. Even got to see some fish slinging. Took the streetcar (it's free) to the International District to check out the Japanese grocery/department store, which is very much like a Da...

All dried out after 2 days in the garage, constant air blowing through the a/c system and one really really hot afternoon in the sun (I think I scorched my bum for this one). Also found the answer to the problem on the internet! Ain't google something? Apparently, for those sun roof and moon roof owners, there are drainage channels from the slot corners. The front drains into the front doors, the rear drains behind the rear bumper. These channels get clogged on a periodic basis and need to be cleared. After some tweaking and getting goo-ey black stuff on my hands, water ran clear out the drains. Hooray! It poured this morning too and the car was dry. Am much pleased.

I knew the moonroof was leaky but lately it seemed to hold up fine under inclement weather and I thought it must have slotted back snugly into place. Well, I was wrong. Wilmington saw the first of the fierce storms of this year's summer last night, and when I opened the car door to drive to aikido class I saw a steady stream of water flowing down from the moonroof onto the driver's seat. 2 inches of water lay on the floor. Threw a cover over the roof with A and rescued the electronic items from the car. As I was now car-less, was contemplating my options viz. getting to aikido class. It seemed like the commuter was my best bet, and I threw on rain gear and lights and headed out. Only to find much of Wilmington flooded. Cars were stuck in ditches, a fire engine screamed down Racine Dr, thundered roared and lightning flashed overhead. All the while, I was marvelling at the bike's ability to navigate through ankle to shin-deep brown water, and roll over unseen kerbs and pothol...

From the Penang Nyonya A-Ma Secret Recipes cookbook: Assam Udang Ingredients: 600g prawns 1 tbsp oil 1 onion, shredded 1 red chili, shredded Seasoning: 1/2 tsp salt 3 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp plum sauce 1 tsp dark soya sauce 150g tamarind pulp, mixed with 200ml water, squeezed 1. Heat oil, saute onion and chili 2. Add prawns, stir well. Pour in seasoning, bring to boil, until sauce thickened. Telur Belanda 1. Fry eggs until yolk half cooked 2. Fry onion and chili, add eggs, pour in seasoning (sugar, tomato sauce, plum sauce, tamarind pulp water), bring to boil 3. Cook eggs until firm.

Recipe courtesy of mum :) Ingredients: -seasonal vegetables, can include cabbage (I think Napa would be sweet in this), cucumbers, carrots, mangkuang (jicama), longbeans, french beans, etc. -red chili peppers and shallots, finely minced -salt, sugar, vinegar -crushed peanuts Methods: -blanch veggies (except cucumber) in boiling water with salt and dash of vinegar -sprinkle salt on cucumber pieces -fry veggies with chili and shallots (pinch of tumeric optional), season with salt, add sugar to taste, more vinegar to taste -squeeze fresh limes if available -sprinkle with crushed peanuts TUCK IN!!

I realized I never posted a photo of my sweet Synapse! What an oversight! And I've already logged >2000km on it to boot. Here's what it looked like before it started its journey with me (of course I've swapped the pedals for *ahem* proper ones): Isn't she gorgeous...

The dark clouds of the reeling economy has reached the ivory towers of academia. Was looking forward to going home, and then informed that I would have to take unpaid leave if that was the case. Given the case that summer is when I get paid double, it's a multiplicative whammy- loss of my double income and an expensive air ticket home. Was agonising over the choice to be made, but mumsy put it in perspective- it boils down to one thing- which is more important to you- money or family? Well, I mean, can you seriously see me calling mum to tell her I'm not coming back this year even though I can afford the time because I might have a chance to earn more money? (She did email later on to say not to come because of the swine flu but that's another story.) So there I was, all self-pitying because I value family more than monetary gains. Turns out that the boss isn't getting paid in summer and all faculty are 'encouraged' to take 10 days unpaid leave too, plus a labma...

Kick off your summer with a mountain bike race! Pedaling for Peanuts takes place on May 31st, 2009, at the Blue Clay Bike Park, from 10am-4pm. Visit the website for a full list of race categories and fees. All proceeds benefit the Full Belly Project . Support from the local Wilmington community has been good, and we should be getting some rad prizes. There's also a Novice category for beginner mtb-ers who want to try racing. This modified 3.2mile course is not as technical as the BC main trails so theoretically, you could race it on a beach cruiser. Online registration should be open in a week or so, and check the race website for updates! It'll be fun!

And you think, just because it's happening somewhere else, in someone else's backyard, it doesn't really matter. It's just going to come back and bite you in the butt one day. Cambodia under the sandmen's spell Since Singapore was banned from mining sand in Indonesia, the city-state – which surface area covers less than 650 km2 – is struggling to find the sand it needs for its gigantic land reclamation and construction projects. As a result, it turned to a much less discriminating country, where the buying cost of sand remains quite inexpensive, Cambodia. For the last year, the provinces of Koh Kong and Kandal have seen a heavy traffic of boats, which sometimes arrive in dozens to dredge the seabed or dig along the coasts to collect as much sand as possible and export it to Singapore... Read the full article here .

Stomp was performing within driving distance, so A and I thought it might be a good idea to drive up to Raleigh to catch the show, and get a ride in the surrounding area pre-show. Sorta a belated V-day thingy, if you will. As he has already biked Crabtree and thought it to be okay, but not too great, we decided on Beaver Dam, which has trails of decent length, rated from beginner to intermediate. Plus it's free entry before March ($5/car otherwise). We were worried that it might rain all week, but Sunday dawned nice and sunny, cold (5-12 degC) but clear. The Outer and Inner Loops we did for a warm-up went rather smoothly, and my knee wasn't protesting too much from the strain I picked up a couple of weeks ago. A hearty lunch later, and we were raring to tackle the South Loop, all 7.3miles of it. Fell while trying to cross a log on an uphill which was off-camber, but just dusted off and rode on. Partway through the South Loop, we came across the entrance to the Drop Zone, which ...

Was searching for mollusc photos for my class powerpoint and came across this website on Etsy. Knitted invertebrates!! They are simply adorable!! The completed versions are really expensive but the patterns are pretty affordable. Anyone out there who knows how to knit??? Check them out! Cuttlefish OMG! A nudibranch!! With exposed gills! This is one of my faves- an angler-fish! Heehee

The dojo I train in will be holding an open house on Feb 21st. Finale is live blade cutting of bamboo mats. Should be exciting! http://gardenspringwind.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/aikido-and-iaido-open-house/

Flatworms Penis Fencing

View from my lab window at CMS

What's the point of enduring a 17 hour car ride down to "sunny" Florida to be met with chilly gusts and cold cold nights? Gah! No respite from the colder waters of winter when I'm blasted with frigid winds upon popping my head out of the water. And though I brought my Goretex (thank heavens), I sorely miss my fleece sweater, and maybe even fleece pants and a beanie. No pay-off at the end of two weeks of tolerance too. Back to frosty Wilmington and scraping ice off car windshields in the morning...Pffff... Well, I don't want to complain too much. Though it's gusty out, and there are white caps at Conch Reef, we have been getting our (cold) dives in, and getting work done. The vis at Conch has been pretty too, and I miss having my camera with me. I think I shan't fuss about the heat and humidity once I get to S'pore. Best to soak up all the warmth I can.

Yup ladies and laddies, today I bid goodbye to a tumultuous and eventful decade. and herald a new one. Though as I expected, it kinda feels just like any other ordinary day, like I should wake up, read (scientific) papers, and perhaps pop into the lab to measure coral skeletal linear extension in the afternoon. Something to ponder while I'm 50ft under at the Liberty wreck. Yeah, my little birthday present to myself. Crossing fingers for a shark sighting. Damn, what am I going to do without a camera???