I have asked for the identification of flower and plant in my blog. The mystery has been solved. Thanks to the forumers in the Green Culture Singapore. They are able to quickly identify the plant and flower within a few hours after I posted to the forum. This is very efficient and quick. I have been struggling to search for the name for the past one month. The mystery was solved within a day.
The answer is Portulaca grandiflora or Moss rose. Some forumers said it is Japanese rose. But I think the closest match is Portulaca grandiflora.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Monday, December 8, 2014
River Safari Singapore Kai Kai @ Giant Panda Forest
I think I have visited the River Safari Singapore for more than 3 times since last year. This is because I have free unlimited complimentary pass for 4 persons. Yesterday, I was at the River Safari Singapore. It was sunny in the morning and early afternoon. However, it started raining cats and dogs at around 3pm. Luckily for me, River Safari is mostly sheltered and you will not be caught in the rain.
I was at the Giant Panda Forest at around 2.30pm. Kai Kai and Jia Jia were eating at that moment. They are in separate habitats and they will be allowed to see each other probably during the mating year (when they are 5 years old). It was a good time to visit them yesterday as I could get very close up view of them eating bamboo...
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| Kai Kai eating bamboo |
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| Another view of Kai Kai |
Here is the video of Kai Kai eating...
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Raspberry Pi - XBMC box
Sometimes you hear people mentioning raspberry Pi, it isn't the pie that you can eat but the Pi that is a mini computer. I bought the Pi in 2013 and I have been using it since though not everyday. I have since bought heat sinks and new casing. I have bought Bluetooth adapter but it was not working for the Openelec XBMC software. I think the adapter works in raspbian environment but not XBMC. The intention is to use Bluetooth headphone or speakers while watching movies.
I have recommended this Pi to couple of friends and they bought it without regrets. Now there is an improved version which is using microSD card and has 4 USB ports instead of two in my version. It is the Model B+. I will wait till the new Pi is stable and most softwares for the B+ have been updated before buying one. It is cheap and will only set me back by S$60.
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| My Raspberry Pi |
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Hunting for iPhone 6 Gold 64gb
I have been hunting for an iPhone 6 gold 64gb or 128gb for more than one month. I'm on a yearly handset upgrade contract with SingTel and in November, I can upgrade my iPhone 5S (which is still very new and in mint condition) to an iPhone 6. However, it is always sold out in the SingTel stores and I cannot lay my hands on one.
Yesterday, I was on half day leave and happened to pass by the SingTel shop in Bugis Junction. I knew that I could get one that day. As I approached the shop, I could see a white sticker standing out from a sea of reds. It was the available sticker on the Apple iPhone & iPad update board at the information counter. It showed that iPhone 6 gold 64gb available. I quickly jumped in line and asked for the queue and the iPhone 6 slip. The counter staff told me that the iPhone 6 slip is very important and must hold tightly to it as if the slip is lost, they cannot sell me the iPhone 6.
One guy was still deciding whether he wanted to get the gold version and in a few minutes, the iPhone 6 gold 64gb was sold out. He must be kicking himself then.
I asked the counter staff about the iPhone 6 stocks. She said that Apple only allocated 30 sets today and arrived at only in the afternoon. She said I was lucky to pass by and grab the last few sets. When the lady was showing me the iPhone 6, there were onlookers who were late and envying my new iPhone 6... A smile on my face... yes, I got the last one...
Well, if you want to get the iPhone 6, you probably have to go to the store at around 4pm and grab the slip from the counter. Then, you will be able to get the phone. If not, you probably have to wait till Year 2015 to get one. Now, I have to order the casing and screen protector from Qoo10. Yesterday night, I ordered the casing and screen protector which set me back by S$6.25. This is cheap compare to the one selling outside which may set you back by S$15.
Do drop me your experience in hunting for an iPhone...
Yesterday, I was on half day leave and happened to pass by the SingTel shop in Bugis Junction. I knew that I could get one that day. As I approached the shop, I could see a white sticker standing out from a sea of reds. It was the available sticker on the Apple iPhone & iPad update board at the information counter. It showed that iPhone 6 gold 64gb available. I quickly jumped in line and asked for the queue and the iPhone 6 slip. The counter staff told me that the iPhone 6 slip is very important and must hold tightly to it as if the slip is lost, they cannot sell me the iPhone 6.
One guy was still deciding whether he wanted to get the gold version and in a few minutes, the iPhone 6 gold 64gb was sold out. He must be kicking himself then.
I asked the counter staff about the iPhone 6 stocks. She said that Apple only allocated 30 sets today and arrived at only in the afternoon. She said I was lucky to pass by and grab the last few sets. When the lady was showing me the iPhone 6, there were onlookers who were late and envying my new iPhone 6... A smile on my face... yes, I got the last one...
Well, if you want to get the iPhone 6, you probably have to go to the store at around 4pm and grab the slip from the counter. Then, you will be able to get the phone. If not, you probably have to wait till Year 2015 to get one. Now, I have to order the casing and screen protector from Qoo10. Yesterday night, I ordered the casing and screen protector which set me back by S$6.25. This is cheap compare to the one selling outside which may set you back by S$15.
Do drop me your experience in hunting for an iPhone...
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Tillandsia Ionantha a.k.a. Air Plant
My air plants are growing well. They grow very slowly and you need to have a lot of patience when keeping air plant. I have three air plants that I have separated them from the mother plant. Life can be marvellous right? From one mother plant, we can get many baby plants from it. But you need to have the skill and experience to separate them properly from the mother plant without damaging them.
They are very delicate and when you first separated them from the mother plant, you will notice a lot of leaves dropping from the baby plant's base. Do not be tempted to remove them further. Just keep your hands away and place them in the bottle opening as shown below. In this way, you will not damage the air plant and there will be good air draft and circulation from the plant and the base area. Note that the air plant is very sensitive to moisture staying too long in the base area. This will cause the base to rot and slowly the air plant will die away. Make sure that you give the air plants a couple of hours to dry out completely before you place them in their enclosed container. So, if you use the same bottle that I use, the air plants will dry out completely in an hour or so.
They are very delicate and when you first separated them from the mother plant, you will notice a lot of leaves dropping from the baby plant's base. Do not be tempted to remove them further. Just keep your hands away and place them in the bottle opening as shown below. In this way, you will not damage the air plant and there will be good air draft and circulation from the plant and the base area. Note that the air plant is very sensitive to moisture staying too long in the base area. This will cause the base to rot and slowly the air plant will die away. Make sure that you give the air plants a couple of hours to dry out completely before you place them in their enclosed container. So, if you use the same bottle that I use, the air plants will dry out completely in an hour or so.
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| Air plant in the bottle opening |
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| Air plant in the bottle opening |
Monday, December 1, 2014
Chilli Crab @ Jumbo Singapore
It has been more than 6 months since I ate chilli crab at Jumbo Singapore. I think the last time was celebrating my birthday at Jumbo. Since I'm a member, I will get a cake from Jumbo in my birthday month!
Normally, I eat chilli crabs at home since I know how to kill and prepare the crabs. I normally will get stomach upset if the crabs are not washed and cleaned properly. When I prepared the crabs, I would make sure that I cleaned and scrubbed the crabs thoroughly with brush. Jumbo has the chilli crab paste available in Isetan supermarket and it is about S$8.60 per pack. This is for 800grams of crabs and the taste is exactly the same as the one you will taste in the restaurant.
Well, life can be marvellous if you can taste the chilli crabs in Singapore. There are many restaurants serving chilli crabs and I'm sure you can find one that suits your taste buds.
Do drop me a note if you find good tasting chilli crabs in Singapore or even in the world!
Normally, I eat chilli crabs at home since I know how to kill and prepare the crabs. I normally will get stomach upset if the crabs are not washed and cleaned properly. When I prepared the crabs, I would make sure that I cleaned and scrubbed the crabs thoroughly with brush. Jumbo has the chilli crab paste available in Isetan supermarket and it is about S$8.60 per pack. This is for 800grams of crabs and the taste is exactly the same as the one you will taste in the restaurant.
Well, life can be marvellous if you can taste the chilli crabs in Singapore. There are many restaurants serving chilli crabs and I'm sure you can find one that suits your taste buds.
Do drop me a note if you find good tasting chilli crabs in Singapore or even in the world!
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| 800grams of chilli crab @ Jumbo Singapore |
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| Jumbo Seafood Restaurant at East Coast Parkway |
Tillandsia Ionantha - Tiny root coming out from air plant
This morning I notice a tiny root coming out from my air plant, Tillandsia Ionantha. This air plant is one of the three air plants that I have separated from the main plant. When I have removed the plants, they already have one or two roots there. But, now one of the plants started to grow new root. It is marvellous to see this because it shows that the young air plant is growing well.
I use a water spray (something liked an atomiser) to create a water mist onto the air plants every morning. I will leave them to dry under normal air draft. I cut plastic bottle into halves and use the top part of the bottle. I place the air plant into the bottle opening as the air plant base uses the bottle opening as support.
I use a water spray (something liked an atomiser) to create a water mist onto the air plants every morning. I will leave them to dry under normal air draft. I cut plastic bottle into halves and use the top part of the bottle. I place the air plant into the bottle opening as the air plant base uses the bottle opening as support.
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| Tiny root coming out of air plant |
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| Close-up view of the root (yellowish green in colour) |
Sunday, November 30, 2014
5 more strawberry seeds germinated after 3 months
5 more strawberry seeds germinated after 3 months. Every few weeks, I will get strawberry seedlings from the seedling bed that I created 3 months ago. I remember it was 15 August 2014 that I had placed about 100 seeds into the seedling bed. I kept the bed moist and occasionally stirred up the soil to break it up and exposed the seeds to sunlight. I think this helps to have more seeds germinating.
The idea is to keep the bed moist and create high humidity so that the seeds will think that it has the best environment to start to grow into a seedling. Well, the effort pays off and I'm getting about 25 seedlings now. However, the strawberry seedling grows very slowly and I start to think that maybe something is not favourable for them. I will continue to monitor and blog on their progress.
Do drop me a note if you want to know more.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Growing strawberry plant in Singapore
I know that people say that it is impossible to grow strawberry plant in Singapore. I can only tell you that they are wrong!
On 15 August 2014, I bought some strawberries from the local supermarket. If I'm not wrong, the strawberries were from Australia. I used a sharp knife and removed the seeds from the surface of the strawberries. I chose the seeds which were darker and looked more ripen. It was quite a tedious task to remove the seeds as they were very small to handle. After removing the seeds, I placed them into some potting soil and watered them thoroughly. I kept the soil moist and placed it under direct sunlight. If I'm not wrong, they will start to germinate after two months.
I would have placed 100 seeds into the soil and only 20 seeds germinated. I re-potted them as soon as they germinated into seedlings. I cut the plastic bottle into halves and invert the top and create holes in the cap. The holes in the cap will allow water to be drained away.
I notice that the seedlings need strong sunlight to grow and I have placed them under direct sunlight. However, in November, the sun direction has changed and I'm not getting sunlight to my window sill. So on 26 November, I have taken 5 seedlings and placed them under direct sunlight in my office balcony. Hopefully, I can see whether the sunlight will make the seedlings grow faster.
On 15 August 2014, I bought some strawberries from the local supermarket. If I'm not wrong, the strawberries were from Australia. I used a sharp knife and removed the seeds from the surface of the strawberries. I chose the seeds which were darker and looked more ripen. It was quite a tedious task to remove the seeds as they were very small to handle. After removing the seeds, I placed them into some potting soil and watered them thoroughly. I kept the soil moist and placed it under direct sunlight. If I'm not wrong, they will start to germinate after two months.
I would have placed 100 seeds into the soil and only 20 seeds germinated. I re-potted them as soon as they germinated into seedlings. I cut the plastic bottle into halves and invert the top and create holes in the cap. The holes in the cap will allow water to be drained away.
I notice that the seedlings need strong sunlight to grow and I have placed them under direct sunlight. However, in November, the sun direction has changed and I'm not getting sunlight to my window sill. So on 26 November, I have taken 5 seedlings and placed them under direct sunlight in my office balcony. Hopefully, I can see whether the sunlight will make the seedlings grow faster.
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| Strawberry plant seedlings |
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| Close-up shot of a strawberry seedling using my macro lens |
Wide angle, fish-eye & Macro lens
While traveling in Taipei, I saw this wide angle, fish-eye and macro lenses in a gadget shop. One brand I saw was selling at NT490. I thought it was too expensive for these lenses and so I went to other shops to check out the prices. In one shop at the underground mall at the Taipei station, I saw another brand selling at NT350. This price was reasonable and so I bought it.
I just need to clip the lens to my iPhone 5S to take the picture. The macro lens works very well as it can capture my palm print very clearly. The disappointment was when I went to another shop, another similar brand was selling at NT250.
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| No brand universal clip lens |
Immediately, I took out the lenses to check. Actually there were only two holders because the wide angle and macro lenses were in the same holder. I need to unscrew the wide angle lens in order to use the macro lens.
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| Picture taken using the fish-eye lens |
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| Picture taken using iPhone 5S |
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Post-credits scene of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
There is post-credits scene for The Hunger Games 3 but you will be disappointed after you have waited about 7 minutes for the credits to end. In my opinion, you can skip this if you are in a hurry to rush home or catch the last train home. The post-credits scene shows the burning Mockingjay in a black background and later the Mockingjay spreads its wings and beaks free. That's all. Nothing much and I would be heading home if I knew about this.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Identification of Flower and Plant
Got this plant from Taiwan when I was having a holiday there in October. Can anyone help to identify this plant and flower's name? Thanks in advance.
There are two types of this plant. One gives purple flower and the other gives white flower. They are gorgeous looking and I try to cross pollinate them to see whether they give any seeds. I saw another type in my friend's garden in Malaysia which gives white and purple coloured patches in a single flower. I was thinking whether this was caused by the cross-pollination of the purple and white flowers. Anyway, I will ask my friend to pass me a single stalk so that I can grow them.
This plant is very easy to grow. You just need to pluck a stalk (stem) with leaves on it. Place the stem into a cup of water and you can see the roots coming out very quickly. In a few days, you will see many roots coming out from the end of the stem. Once the roots have been established, you can plant them into the soil.
I notice that this plant likes to be in the sunny place. The leaves will open widely under the sun. When night falls, the leaves will fold up in a closed position.
The flower will only bloom for one day. So, when it blooms, quickly enjoy the flower and then at night the flower will collapse. But a new bud will grow quickly and the flower will bloom again in a week or so.
Drop me an email or comment. Thanks.
There are two types of this plant. One gives purple flower and the other gives white flower. They are gorgeous looking and I try to cross pollinate them to see whether they give any seeds. I saw another type in my friend's garden in Malaysia which gives white and purple coloured patches in a single flower. I was thinking whether this was caused by the cross-pollination of the purple and white flowers. Anyway, I will ask my friend to pass me a single stalk so that I can grow them.
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| Purple & white flower |
I notice that this plant likes to be in the sunny place. The leaves will open widely under the sun. When night falls, the leaves will fold up in a closed position.
The flower will only bloom for one day. So, when it blooms, quickly enjoy the flower and then at night the flower will collapse. But a new bud will grow quickly and the flower will bloom again in a week or so.
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| What is the name of this plant/flower? |
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| The white version, what is this plant's name? |
Growing pineapple
Pineapple is an auspicious fruit in Asian countries. I tried to grow one. This is how:
You have to pluck away the crown and remove some leaves to reveal the roots. I think you have to remove about 5 to 6 layers of leaves and then expose the roots. I cut the remaining leaves and keep them short. I put the crown into a recycled bottle and put in water to cover the roots. After a few days, you can see roots growing. You may want to change the water regularly.
After a few weeks, you will get many roots and then you can plant it.
I keep the pineapple on my window sill and hope that it can bear fruit. Well, let's see how long it takes to bear a pineapple... Huat ah!!!
You have to pluck away the crown and remove some leaves to reveal the roots. I think you have to remove about 5 to 6 layers of leaves and then expose the roots. I cut the remaining leaves and keep them short. I put the crown into a recycled bottle and put in water to cover the roots. After a few days, you can see roots growing. You may want to change the water regularly.
After a few weeks, you will get many roots and then you can plant it.
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| Roots forming |
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| Roots are mature for planting |
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| Pineapple crown in water |
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| $2 plastic pot from Daiso (Yellow to match the pineapple) |
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| Well drain soil. Pineapple in the sun |
Monday, November 24, 2014
Welcome to my blog!
Hi, welcome to my blog!
The theme to my blog is "Life Can Be Marvelous!". Yes, my life and even your life can be marvellous if you try.
I will blog my journey to have a marvellous life and share with you this journey. You can feel free to comment and we can discover a meaningful life. You only have one life and don't waste this.
Time waits for no man and woman. I hope that my blogs will give meaning to other people and will help to encourage each other to have a marvellous life. Stay tuned!
The theme to my blog is "Life Can Be Marvelous!". Yes, my life and even your life can be marvellous if you try.
I will blog my journey to have a marvellous life and share with you this journey. You can feel free to comment and we can discover a meaningful life. You only have one life and don't waste this.
Time waits for no man and woman. I hope that my blogs will give meaning to other people and will help to encourage each other to have a marvellous life. Stay tuned!
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