Durian this and that

We bought the frozen durian from a Malaysia restaurant. Ate whatever we could and the left-overs went to making these…(what do I do when kids are in school? Bake lor!)


Durian cake…



Durian puff and durian éclair

See the durian paste oozing out. Delicious! Now, who says durian is smelly leh?

Vey proud of myself for being able to whip out a good choux pastry. The last time I did it was when I was still sweet 16, doing Home Economics in SCGS. Decades later, I still have the skill. Not bad, not bad. Wonder if I were to run cooking classes, would there be any students coming?

This is autumn?

Last week the temperature was still 36 deg C. This week it has dropped by 10 to 20 deg C. Have been busy packing up the summer clothes and getting winter wear ready for the family. So much thoughts…this is going to be our last winter here. Did I say "last"?. Yes, last winter. Time just pass so quickly. I thought I just kept the winter clothes and heaters and now, they are getting ready to come out.

Days with me are numbered and days without me will soon be gone my friends. Are you popping champagne or out come the tissue?

Another writer in the making?

Ann was creating her own poems…

They are so funny but I must say coming from a six year old, they are a job well done!

Ann was born end-November 2004. That made her a year-end baby. While her peers who were born in the earlier part of the year, were almost turning eight, she was not even seven yet.
International schools follow the USA school year that means, the school term is half a year earlier than ours. That means Ann is in P2 at six years old! 

Protest at the airport

The spouse came back from Beijing and said that there was a protest going on at the airport. The people were protesting about the airport being built very close to their homes and it noisy and destroying their environment. That's the problem I see in this country. The welfare of the people is completely ignored in their quest to be super (sounds familiar?). Just like the lead poisoning case. How can approval be granted for factories, involving in highly toxic manufacturing, to be set up in  residential areas?

Kite flying…again

Ann wanted to fly her kite again. In fact, the night before she was praying, "God, please give me good weather for flying my kite, amen." So cute, so adorable. Just melt you away. We decided to go again in order not to disappoint her. It was a much better day to fly the kites. Wind was much stronger and this time, I brought my camera. The last time, the spouse used his iphone to take those pictures.

After church, we headed down to the square again..




Much nicer pictures. Ok, who needs iphone?


Kids do the darnest thing!


Do you see the little boy in the red jacket? Wherever the kids went, he followed them. He just wanted to be part of the fun. I guess being an only child is lonely.  (China practises the one-child policy)



I snapped more pictures of him. I will do a collage and bring down to the square again next week to give it to his mum, who is a kite seller.


Ann took this lopsided picture, just before we left. Cute right?

This could be the last time we were flying kite for the season. As we were leaving the square, we felt the wind was turning a little cold. That marked the coming of the bitter cold winter…

Where art thy soul?

Plant closed after high lead levels in 25 kids
By Cai Wenjun and Xu Chi | NEWSPAPER EDITION
2011-9-16 01:41

Production at a battery manufacturing plant in Shanghai has been halted after dozens of children living nearby were found to have high levels of lead in their blood.
The Shanghai Johnson Controls International Battery Co was the major discharger of lead in Kangqiao in the Pudong New Area, the city government said yesterday.
The Shanghai Xinmingyuan Automobile Accessory Co in the same area was also ordered to cease lead-related production.
A staff member at the Johnson Controls plant, operated by Johnson Controls Inc in the United States, said the plant was shut on Wednesday.
The children's high lead levels were discovered during routine check ups for kindergarten recruitment, an official of Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau said.
The Pudong government launched an immediate investigation and arranged for health officials to conduct wider checks on children in Kangqiao.
So far, 25 children in Kangqiao have been detected with excess levels of lead in their blood…(Shanghai Daily)

Kangqiao, Pudong New Area was where we used to live. In fact, we stayed there for a year before moving out. Thank God we moved out.

When I was living there, I had often felt very uncomfortable with seeing smoke coming out from tall funnels. These funnels stuck out from factories lying all over the district. This district is very popular among locals and expat families. In fact, one international school is located in the area. 

Sadly, this city is so focused on money-making that moral values are fast eroding. I fear for them and the lives of the billions staying here. I honestly feel that they are toying too much with Mother Nature.