Xtra's Bubble :)

LOL!

Hungry yet?

Mmm... Sarawak's signature dish.. Kolo mee :)

Kenny Sia's photo of Kolo mee :D

Police dog dies during humanhunt :(

Friday, 10 August 2007

A wanted man drowned a police dog with his bare hands during a pursuit through bush in the Bay of Plenty.
Police have refused to comment on how 3-year-old Enzo was killed, but it is understood the fugitive held him under water until he died.
Enzo's distraught handler, Constable Kayne Cording, carried him several hundred metres to the nearest vehicle access after he found him dead.
An autopsy is to be conducted today.
Enzo was based in Tauranga and had been a police dog for just 18 months, but had already impressed police chiefs with his skill.
He is the 22nd police dog to be killed on duty in the past 34 years, and his death comes two weeks after another Bay of Plenty police dog, Cane, was stabbed.
Cane, a 7-year-old german shepherd based in Rotorua, has since been retired.
Enzo was killed while pursuing a 20-year-old man wanted for a family violence offence.
The dog's death sparked a major search for the suspect involving two helicopters and more than 30 police.

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It lasted five hours and the fugitive was arrested at 5pm.
At least five police cars remained at the scene half an hour later.
Two police dog handlers, only one with a dog, were also there.
Depending on the results of the autopsy, the arrested man could be charged with killing a police dog, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Mike Clement said Enzo's death was a huge blow to Tauranga police.
"Naturally his handler, family and work colleagues are devastated," Mr Clement said.
"They [police dogs] are part of the police family."
Tauranga has four dog handlers, but now, without Enzo, only three police dogs.
The Rotorua dog unit has six police dogs, including one drug dog.
Enzo and Mr Cording had been called to pursue the suspect after officers went to a ruralproperty, 20km southwest of Tauranga, at 9.30am in a bid to locate the man.
The man ran off as police arrived at the property, which is on State Highway 29 over the Kaimai Ranges, prompting a call to Enzo and his handler to assist.
The dog tracked the suspect across rural land for 5-6km, at times following his scent through dense bush, until eventually Mr Cording caught sight of the fugitive.
Mr Clement said the man was issued with a standard challenge to stop, but continued fleeing, pursued by Enzo.
"A short time later the handler located his dog dead," Mr Clement said.
Asked if Enzo was stabbed, shot or drowned, Mr Clement said he would not comment until the post-mortem examination was carried out, but he did say the suspect was thought to be unarmed.
Mr Clement said the helicopters and police officers were immediately mobilised after Enzo was founddead.
He said the scale of the search illustrated "the passion and value we place in police dogs".
Mr Clement said Enzo was an "outstanding" police dog.
Enzo featured in the Bay of Plenty Times last month in a story about an armed offenders squad exercise.
It reported: "Twice police dog Enzo was set upon by a gun-wielding man after he [the man] refused to surrender."

lovely DD kk's own "lovely love kaya"

Kaya - coconut egg jam

This recipe is for all the lovely cats from mao city in Malaysia.

This is a really good kaya (egg jam) that is without any

coloring or artificial stuff that those sold in jars. It is also very

simple but requires lotsa skill. Even I have trouble with it. I plan to

perfect it and pass it on to my generations to come :)

INGREDIENTS

coconut milk from 2 coconuts (Ayam brand works well)

400 g sugar

10 eggs

PROCEDURE:

It must be pure and undiluted. If you get the canned or tetrapak stuff from

the supermarket (Ayam Brand for canned or Kara for the pak) make sure you

filter the milk. I usually find lots of coconut bits in these supermarket

packaged ones. Best to filter it through a fine colander or a fine mesh

sieve. If you have bought the shredded coconut bits and have to squeeze the

milk out, there is a good way to do this. Fill those big coffee bags that

are used by the kopi-tiams with the shredded coconut. Squeeze it with all

your might and make sure you squeeze it till it is dry. DO NOT DILUTE! and

do not waste a single drop. Torture the bag like you are killing someone

you hate :)

Now that the coconut milk part is over, it is time to make the kaya.

Using an electric beater, beat the eggs at medium speed slightly. Just

enough the break the yolks.

Add all the sugar and beat at full speed. Mix thoroughly. Stop the beating,

add the coconut milk and beat full speed to mix thoroughly. When the sugar

has finally dissolved. Pour to a clean steel pot and cook it over a slow

fire with CONSTANT STIRRING! Whatever it is there is no shortcut. If you

have to stand there stirring for an hour, you have to. Do not use ceramic

pots as they will hold the heat for too long and may give rise to burns.


The kaya will change color from the eggy-white (from the eggs and coconut

milk) to a redish-brown like gravy. This is due to the caramels forming

from the sugar. It will also thicken. Keep stirring the bottom to prevent

the bottom from burning. Burns spoil the kaya taste. If possible, lower the

flame even more. Once when the eggy-white color is completely replaced by

the redish-brown color, stop and leave aside to cool. At this time, you

have to protect the kaya from naughty kittens coming in to lick it.


After it has cooled, you can bottle it in jars and refrigerate. This stuff

can last for 3 days in room temperature, that is before the ants get to it.


NOTES:

I had better success using freshly squeezed coconut milk than the canned or

packed ones.


Do not adulterate this recipe by adding additional flavorings. It just

spoils it. Pandan leaves don't cut well with it and same with vanilla

essence. It has to be enjoyed as is.


How to eat it? Only on bread. This is not exactly a health food. It has

lots of cholesterol and calories. I suggest eliminating eggs if you plan to

eat it for breakfast. If you want a cholesterol fest, try spreading it on

hot french toast that is fried in butter. A taste that is so good it could

kill :) 

Heating by direct heat is usually too hot. Unless you have a burner that
has a very low flame setting. What is is better as I have found out is

to use a double boiler. You still need to stir it but the chances of

burning kaya are eliminated.

-------------------------

Anyway, here goes for the improvements. I present to you speedy kaya! All ingredients and their amounts are the same.

Mix the sugar and coconut milk together in a microwavable bowl. A plastic one will do just fine. Mix with a wire whisk and set aside. Don't worry if the sugar has dissolved or not.

Break eggs into a 1-litre beaker. Beat the eggs until they are well mixed. Make sure there are no bits of egg white present. The chalaza (stringy thing) that holds the yolk in place is the hardest to get rid of. Try not to create much foam. Just mix the eggs. Set aside.

Return back to the coconut milk and sugar mixture. Mix with a wire whisk briefly and pop it into the microwave oven. Zap it for 1 min on high. Remove and stir with the wire whisk. Pop it back in and repeat the zapping with the same power setting and time. Do this repeatedly until the sugar has completely dissolved. By now the mixture is hot but not boiling.

While the mixture is hot, stir it with the wire whisk and at the same time stream the eggs. Yes, pour the eggs in a slow steady stream. The mixture will thicken slightly. Once finished, pop the mixture into the microwave oven. Zap on high for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. Repeat until the kaya has a off green-brown color and the mixture traces. By traces, I mean that the whatever utensil you use to stir forms impressions.

There you have it speed kaya. No burns and faster.

OK, crucial factors in kaya making. Sugar in not the important one. Its the eggs and coconut milk. Both have to be fresh for maximum flavor. For some strange reason it is called egg jam. Technically, it is coconut curd. Because lemon curd is made almost the same way and both need eggs to be curdled. The coconut determines the fragrance and taste of the kaya mainly just as lemons do for lemon curd.

I made the above with an 800W microwave. I did some other batches where I lowered the power and this yielded smoother kaya. This is crucial when after you have added the eggs. You just have to repeat the microwaving more often and this take a longer time.

Congratulations to DD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear DD!!!!!!!
Congratulations~~!!! muahahahhaa... Mavis still remembers you! :):)

YAY!!

Love from... Yoshi™

The funniest and craziest thing I witnessed today...

As I was looking at youtube today, I stumbled across a video that made me laugh out loud so loud that I felt like saying "LOL" out loud! Its a video produced by Norwegian Broadcasting Provider NRK. Its a parody of the modern "Helpdesk" phenomenon.. the subject of help in this video skit.. is the new invention in the middle ages - the Book.

The Book caused much mayhem and problems for middle age tech support as do our modern day counterparts... hahaha!! You'll have to be there to understand how I feel that time..

and my dear people, let me tell you.. the producer of this video might not be familiar to some of you... a producer at NRK --- Rune Gokstad!!!!!! LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

Ten Reasons To Throw Away Your Cellphone

Ten Reasons To Throw Away Your Cellphone

It makes your life more complicated
A phone is just another thing that checks email, holds information and schedules events, and which has to be carefully kept in sync with all the other crud in your life that checks email, holds information and schedules events. The difference? This one likely has a 240 pixel-wide screen and a shabby interface spawned from the hellish loins of Windows CE.

It's horribly expensive
Total Cost of Ownership. Apply that idea to everything, not just cars and mortgages. The fact is that most cellphones will cost you thousands over the life of the contract. Short of paying-as-you-go with a Wal-Mart crapdybar, you're in it for a good $1,000, and about $2,000 or so with a smartphone.

It enslaves you to a one-sided contract
This is the magic that allows the previous item to happen, but is sufficiently vile to warrant an entry of its own. Everyone is at it, but the most iconic example of how times have changed is AT&T: Ma Bell has reglued itself together with almost Marxian inevitability, but now has the advantage of having countless customers under astonishingly abusive contract terms. Take that, deregulation.

It makes you perpetually available
If it's on, they can get you. If it's off, they wonder why they can't get you. It's a lose-lose situation for your Zen.

It is boring
The hype tsunami surrounding Apple's iPhone reveals that even something minimally inventive can completely wire public interest in what is otherwise a completely hidebound and risk-averse industry. Are we in the future yet?

It must constantly be recharged
Unless you want to hoik around a brick, the chances are you're recharging it daily. Screw fuel-cells: with WiFi, BlueTooth, WWAN and whatever else, we need AAA-size disposable fission reactors to keep these buggers awake.

It knows where you are
GPS is in every box, but you can't use it for much. The government loves to watch them without warrants or probable cause: if it's in your pocket, you are Robocop and The Man is Dick Jones.

It encourages stupid people to become a public menace
Forget about whether talking on cellphones while driving should be illegal: the fact remains that it is stupid. I know that you are perfectly capable of the mental gymnastics required for all this — you are a hypercephalic Gadget Lab reader — but it's best that you stop now, so as not to encourage lesser minds to attempt similar feats. Some are now being caught texting while driving. Just pull the car over, for heaven's sake!

Ubiquitous pleather accessory shops
Mallbound Cellphone crap shacks are an offense to nature. On the bright side, they support the whitewashed pegboard industry.

It turns you into a public annoyance
Hell is other people's ringtones.