Tillandsia ionantha - air plant

I had lunch with ex-colleagues in Sembawang Shopping Centre (SSC) and every time I'm here, I would look at the progress of Nautical. The progress is still slow and I think it will not be ready by April next year.

After the lunch, I went to the nearby nursery, Hua Hng (aka World Farm). It is just about maybe 3 minutes drive from SSC along Sembawang Road. I was looking for apothecary jars for my terrarium. This plant nursery has quite a number of different types of apothecary jars. I have bought 3 jars from them since last year. One medium and two small size jars. The medium jar will cost you at least S$35 and the small one is about S$18. However, the quality of the jars may differ in a batch and it is advisable to change every single set to look for defects. There might be bubbles, chipping or scratches on the glass.

Apothecary Jar @ S$18

There were 6 small jars left and I managed to find one with the least number of defects. Now waiting for my Nerve Plants to grow so that I can transfer them to the terrarium.

Well, something caught my eyes when I was about to pay for the jar. Air Plants! Oh my, oh my, there were many near the cashier as well as hanging on the wall.

Tillandsia Ionantha (Air Plant)

Different species of Tillandsia

Well, I knew that the price of one medium size air plant will set me back by S$25. So, I checked with the staff there and it was S$12 for a medium one and S$18 for a large one (Tillandsia ionantha). As I have not kept air plant before, I do not want to buy the large one, so I settle with the medium one. This is the one I bought…

Tillandsia ionantha blooming - beautiful

Most of the Tillandsia ionantha at the nursery are blooming. When it flowers, the leaves will turn red and purple flower will emerge from the centre of the plant. There are two in the centre of each plant. After I got the plant, I did some research on the internet and most proposed to soak the plant in water for some times. However, as the plant are flowering, I avoid soaking the area where the flowers are.

I guessed the plant was placed outside and it was neglected for few weeks (maybe). I took a forceps and removed dead and rotten leaves from the plant. It was quite a challenge as I tried not to damage the leaves and it could be a difficult task and sometimes you could feel that the leaves had snapped. Ouch!

After the soak, I tried to give the plant a good swing, holding the plant by the roots, yes, by the roots… to remove the excess water. I tied the plant to a string and hanged it to let it dry up.

Sedum Mexicanum (Sep 2014)

We went to a plant nursery nearby @ Sungei Tengah, looking for air plants. My wife regretted that she didn't get those air plants on sales during the Singapore Gardens festival. She said that the air plants were quite cheap then but I wasn't interested then. The air plants at the nurseries in Sungei Tengah were quite small and expensive, ranging from $15 to $30 for a small one. Disappointed, we went to Chengtai nursery and got a pot of Sedum Mexicanum for $6. We were not sure what type of plant it is until I saw it on Farm World website.

Upon doing some researches on Internet, I realized that this plant does not like too much water and only shaded sunlight. It can grow pretty well indoor. I removed a small portion of it and planted it in a terrarium. This is a open terrarium as I think Sedum Mexicanum grows better in dry condition. I have kept this terrarium in the bathroom dashboard for 2 weeks and it is doing well.

This plant is good in hanging basket type where the branches will drape down over the edges.

Update:

14 Oct 2014 - The plant in the open terrarium is showing sign of yellowing leaves. It is probably due to the lack of sunlight in the bathroom. I have moved the terrarium and placed it on the study table near the window. Hopefully, in a few weeks, I can see some improvements on the colour of the leaves. I have added some diluted fertilisers for houseplant. Just a little and will monitor the growth. 

Completed Frozen Level 195

Managed to complete the iPad Frozen game. Currently, it has only 195 levels and I had completed them in less than 3 weeks. Now, I'm waiting for them to update new levels (if any).

Buttercream Swiss Roll

My first attempt on making Swiss roll. It is so easy and it can be done in less than an hour.

My daughter brought back some London rolls and asked me to make something similar. The London rolls had strawberry fillings. I don't have strawberries or strawberry jam on hand, so I have to make other filling. The only one I can think of is buttercream.

To be continued...

Philips Viva Collection Airfryer

On April Fools' Day, we bought an air fryer from Philips (via Courts). We were at Westgate and there was a promotion on Philips Viva Collection Airfryer. This is the old model, with manual temperature and timer dials. It was selling at S$409 previously and now the promotion was at S$229 with free gifts. My wife wanted to buy one but the S$400+ price was not within our budget. However, since it was almost half price now, she thought why not getting one to try. I was a bit skeptical at first and thinking that a normal electrical oven can do the grill and frying. My wife insisted and anyway, she paid for it. We got a kettle too at S$59 since the normal price is S$69.

The free gifts were a ceramic knife and 4 cutting boards (with labels for different type of raw food). They will be useful when we want to separate the vegetable with raw meat.

Well, we were excited and I went to NTUC to buy a piece of marinated Cajun boneless chicken thigh. We placed the meat into the basket and set 180 deg C for 15minutes. Half way through, I opened the drawer and moved the thigh a bit and closed the drawer. At the end of the cooking cycle, I opened the drawer and took out the thigh. It was not bad but we felt that the marinate could be better. However, it was still great. We didn't put any oil on the meat and at the end of the cycle, you can see the amount of oil from the meat at the pan. I must say that we were shocked that the meat itself contained quite a lot of oil/fats.

For this type of air fryer, I would recommend that the food to be consumed while it was warmed/hot. It will be a bit dry if it is left for quite some time.

Another thing, I would recommend that you brush a bit of oil onto the net in the basket. This will make the washing and cleaning easier. After the cooking, wait till the basket and pan have cooled down, pour some soapy water into the pan with the basket still attach to it. Soak them for a while (say 1 hr), then you can get rid of the skin/flour from the net easily.

Jogging in the Bukit Gombak Stadium

I have always enjoyed jogging (at my own pace) for many months along the Park Connector (PCN) in my neighbourhood. However, I felt that the amount of pollutants emitted from the vehicles that were running alongside with the PCN could be damaging to my lungs. Normally, I will jog around 5-6pm and this period, the traffic is quite heavy along the PCN.

I realised that there is a stadium (Bukit Gombak Stadium) near my house (10mins walk) and I have failed to use it for almost 6 years. The stadium is on an elevated land (almost as high as the platform of the Bukit Gombak MRT station). The air is fresh and hardly any air pollutants there except the haze.

The first time I went there last week, it was cloudy and there were a few thunders rattling in the background. I didn't care and went to the stadium to jog. When I jogged into the stadium onto the track, I realised that no one was on the track, there were quite a number of people on the stand. Suddenly, someone started that I should get off the track as the alarm (a red light high up on a notice board) had been activated. I was embarrassed and quickly jogged out of the stadium from the side gate. So, next time, when it is cloudy and there are thunders in the background. I will not jog there.

The second time was on last Saturday. Good weather and I managed to complete 4.5km on the track. Feeling fantastic because the air that I breathe in will be much cleaner as compared with the pollutants from the vehicles that most joggers breathe in. I think when we wanted to keep healthy, the air quality in the exercising environment is the most important. We take more deep breathes during exercising and it is crucial that we are not taking in more pollutants.

After the jog, I will slowly cool myself down by walking back and go the the public fitness station for further workout.

On a beautiful day around 6.30pm @ Bt Gombak Stadium

Croissant

Croissant

This is my second time trying out the croissant recipe. Of course, I have tweaked the recipe and managed to get as close to what is expected. Flaky on the outside, moist on the inside. I realized that I may have make an extra turn (folds) and that may have made the butter too thin. Another thing I had used salted butter which made the croissant a bit salty. My wife ate the croissants. Her comments are that they are very close to the taste and texture of those from the bakery store but slightly salty. Overall, it is still a success. After watching a couple of YouTube videos on how to prepare the layered dough, I think I will be able to make better croissant next time, stay tuned to my blog.