Identity of the plant and flower solved! Portulaca grandiflora

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.

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...

Kai Kai eating bamboo

Another view of Kai Kai

Here is the video of Kai Kai eating...

http://youtu.be/V8F_22mHDkY

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. 

My Raspberry Pi

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...

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.

Air plant in the bottle opening

Air plant in the bottle opening

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!

800grams of chilli crab @ Jumbo Singapore

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.

Tiny root coming out of air plant

Close-up view of the root (yellowish green in colour)