Installations for the Mid Autumn festival at Raub

I was pleasantly surprised this weekend when I arrived in Raub as usual. What was not usual was the fact that the field in the town center was illuminated at night. Encore less usual are attempts to put up artistic installations in the middle of the field for public appreciation. Well, I guess I could be wrong in judging the taste of Raubians (or whoever that put up this idea...). The idea was good. Just hope the money spent was worth it because there weren't that many people "enjoying" the installations. Eventhough the fabric installations were a bit crude in their finishing, I personally think this is a correct direction towards a more progressive town planning with public education...

 Icons of Malaysia floating in a sea of darkness...Jimmy Choo, elephants,...

 illuminated archway...

 the twin towers

coral fishes...

 the elephant

 2 Orang Utans...

Raflessias...

 aquatic menagerie...

 proboscis monkeys...

hibiscus and birds...

Vanda Miss Joaquim

This is one of the old classics in kampungs and old towns of Malaysia. I grew up seeing these on wooden fences in kampungs and Chinese villages but these days, it's a rarity to even find one in kampungs. I got this clump from an Indian lady and after growing this for almost a year, the flowers came.

Vanda Miss Joaquim is a natural hybrid of Vanda hookeriana and Vanda teres and is the national flower of Singapore. It loves full sun, lots of frequent fertilising and wet feet (preferably in coconut husk base on loamy soil!).

 This clump has been growing in my front yard for two years now...

 close up...

Dinner for the Weekend of 16 September 2012

Last weekend, I cooked perhaps one of the simplest dinner offerings when friends came over...

 Ripe heirloom tomatoes finely sliced, served with a drizzle of olive oil, fleur de sel and Comte cheese. Simple and delicious. Best of all, no cooking involved - just some slicing...

 A large open ravioli, simply blanche some watercress shoots, poach an egg and fry some bacon as the "filler" at the bottom of the dish. I flavoured the beurre noisette with dried indian chillis (beurre noisette is caramelised butter - simply heat the butter until it browns) as topping, with shavings of Parmiggiano Regiano cheese.

Carrot cake served with rose water-scented chantilly on a bed of golden raisin and carrot paste.

Recipe for the carrot cake:

800 g grated carrot

1 cup almond powder

1 cup crushed walnut

1 cup plain flour

5 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

200g melted butter

1 tbsp orange flower water

1 tsp baking powder.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius, butter and line a baking tin.

Beat sugar with the eggs, fold in the butter. Mix in the baking powder to the flour, add this mixture into the batter with the almond powder, carrot and walnut. Add the orange flower water. Pour the mixture into the baking tin and bake for about 40 minutes.

for the raisin puree:

200 g Golden raisins, soaked in white wine or cognac or water (to your preference).

1 carrot, steamed and mashed.

Puree these ingredients in a mixer.

Delice for the tropical heat.

If ever the tropical heat gets too much to bear, one should opt for solutions of the local inventions: Cendol Ice or Ice Kacang!!

If ever you drop by Bentong, the best Ice Kacang in town has to be Kow Po. I first tried it many many years back and till today, they managed to keep the quality of their ice kacang intact. The ice creams are "home made" with unusual flavours like cendol and corn. Loved it. In cased you do not know what is ice kacang, it's shaved ice on a bed of sweet stuffs like cendol (pandan flavoured sweet noodles usually used in drinks in Malaysian road side stalls), red beans, sweet corn, gula melaka syrup etc...

 The owner in action...

More fauna and flora of Lata Berumbun

Here's a pictorial of the denizens of Lata Berumbun from the visit on 19 August...

Kacip fatimah in the shades...

a creeping berry commonly found in higher elevations (common in Fraser's Hills and Cameron Highlands)

strange fruit...

an interesting blue-veined plant growing in deep shades

a Henckelia spp found also at Lata Jarum

 velvety new leaf shoots

a common Piper plant on the forest floor

a mountain Balsam

 a butterfly in the shades - Xanthotaenia busiris busiris

the Archduke, Lexias pardalis dirteana

 Faunis gracilis

 Vanilla vines scrambling up a tree trunk in the dark forest

the Autumn Leaf, Doleschallia bisaltide pratipa

 Palm fruits in the shades

Tapak Hantu

To Cyanide or Not, la question du jour at Raub...

Nobody can ignore that cyanide is one of the deadliest toxic material known to mankind and having knowledge of it being used on your doorsteps certainly rings a lot of fear in anyone's mind. The villagers, the NGOs, the miners and the authorities have each their own opinion - guesses without real facts. I think there should be an objective study carried out on the environment by third parties (experts in their field from afar) and people of the town of Raub be given a choice - I am not pro anyone but I am pro-choice, with weighted facts!

Here's a link to the events recently taking Raub by storm...

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/207732

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/478467

http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/pesticides-not-cyanide-cause-of-health-woes-1.135068

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=39014:more-than-10k-at-raub-protest-najib-cant-even-manage-pahang-what-more-msia?&Itemid=2