kingdomformydonkey

be good, just read. All written materials in this website in under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommerical-Share Alike License. Most images in this website are taken from various websites under the similar license, photographers are all acknowledged.

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It has been almost 2 years...

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since I last blogged. A lot had happened since, so let me try to ride this back on. I doubt anyone is going to read my blog but it's ok cause the purpose of this is really just a cathartic rant. ... or I can get instantly famous by being offensive and obnoxious (re. Amos Yee).

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Review of the Green Village in Ubud Bali

Image Souce

Located along the Ayung River in Ubud, Bali, the Green Village seems to be an exotic getaway. Design and build by Ibuku, an international company, The Green Village is the latest project by founder of the Green School, John Hardy.

The concept is very simple - similar to the Green School, everything is made out of local bamboos that are specially cultivated for 4 years for this project. The bamboos are then harvested and treated with chemicals (borax in particular) so to prolong longevity of these bamboos. Using local methods, the bamboos are weaved and constructed (even though the foundations are made out of conventional methods using cement and steel structures) into a living 3 and 4 stories villas complete with bedrooms, bathrooms and functional kitchen. The roofing are also made out of bamboos, however, it needs to be replaced once every 4 years.

So here's the thing - is it really practical?

We stayed 2 nights at the Green Village. It was a natural choice for us to explore this resort for its philosophy and architecture. We paid S$300 per night for a 3 bedroom with ensuite bathrooms.

For the first part of the day, we were simply in awe with the amazing bamboo open structure. But the novelty wore out when we had 2 sleepless nights and dozens of mosquito bites. All the rooms are open with no options to close to keep the mozzies out. As much as we love the open concept - which was why we opted for the place to begin with, we were disappointed with the lack of attention to details to livability other than aesthetics.

First of all, why are there no natural repellents for mozzies (and I don't mean commercial repellents)? For a green subscripted school-of-thought one would think that they would make use of traditional local knowledge and way-of-living to incorporate living in the tropics with sustainable designs.

Also, why are there air-conditions in the open rooms? That's not very environmentally friendly.

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And because everything is out in the open, the beds are constantly damp. Again, local knowledge when living in the tropics - use thinner mattresses and open bed frames so it can be naturally aired out; and not thick mattresses and boxed bed frames.

There are tones of open structures throughout the Southeast Asia region, it is livable because everything is built with a function and knowledge and understanding of the surrounding. And particular plants are specifically cultivated as repellents and as food in and around the house.

There are definitely some design flaws too but I believe they would have rectify that with the newer villas. But I hope they would look at the fundamentals as pointed out since the old villas are still being rented out.

Cleanliness. Average, and may I point out that when we first came the pool was not cleaned, the sofas all had all sorts of stains, and bath tub was not completely clean - there were hair from the previous tenant. Just to side track - if the village is fully subscripted to environmental consciousness, bath tub creates water wastage unnecessarily.

Service was good and friendly. A little too friendly as they appeared at our door couple of times too many e.g. to fill up the fridge, which really should be done before the guests arrive. Despite the lack of concierge and service intuitive (as in understanding and anticipating the needs of the guests and still giving the privacy of the guests), I cannot discount them for their genuine service and the fact that things do get done at the end of the day.

At the end of the day, it really depends on what are your expectations. If you are looking for a no-frill chalet, this can be it. But if you are expecting a green somewhat luxury resort whom actually subscript to green and sustainable school-of-thought, you might want to look somewhere else.

Beautiful place but not practical and not money well spent in our case. We would have gone on a tour to the village instead to look at the architecture.

Image by author

Verdict:

Concept design - 8/10 Functional of design - 4/10 Furnishing - 7/10 Service - 5/10 Social & environmental practices - 4 7/10 Food - 5/10 Comfort - 4/10 Cleanliness - 5/10 Privacy - 6/10 Scenery - 10/10

Total - 5.8 6

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Coq au Vin

This is a classic rustic French recipe that was made popular to the non-Francophones by Julia Child's 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It is said that this recipe was only documented in the early 20th century.

However, the origin of Coq au Vin goes back much earlier on - legend has it that this dish was first prepared for Julius Caesar after receiving a tough old rooster from the conquered Gauls. The cook had to made it into a stew so to cook the old meat the best way he could - hence, Coq au Vin (literally means cock to wine) was created. Overtime, chickens were used to replace roosters for this dish, but it is still typical prepared with Burgundy red wine.

Ingredients 

4 Chicken thighs

Bacon

Coconut oil

Local mushrooms, roughly cout

Carrot, roughly cut

Shallots, peeled, halved

Garlics, crushed

Dry red wine

Water

Fresh thyme

Bay leaf

Tomato paste

Fresh parsley, chopped, divided

Flour

Directions 

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.

Add oil to casserole, make sure the casserole is hot and place chicken thighs skin down for 3 mins, flip thighs over for another 3 mins. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Preheat over at 150 deg. c.

In medium heat, add bacon to casserole, cook for 1 min. Add shallots and carrots, cook for 3 mins. Add garlic, cook for about 3 mins, making sure that they do not brown.

Add flour, coat mixture well. 

Add red wine to deglaze. Add thyme, bay leaf, tomato paste and parsley, stir well. Leave wine to reduce.

Return chicken into casserole. Season with salt and pepper. Add more red wine and enough water to cover the thighs. Bring to a boil in low heat and cover with lid. 

Pop it into the over. Set time for 45mins.

Check if chicken is cooked through. Serve when chicken is cooked.

Serves 2.

Image by author

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Laksa

Image by author

Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The origin of the name “laksa" is unclear. One theory traces it back to Hindi/Persian lakhshah, referring to a type of vermicelli, which in turn may be derived from the Sanskrit lakshas (लकशस्) meaning “one hundred thousand" (lakh). It has also been suggested that “laksa" may derive from the Chinese/Cantonese word 辣沙, meaning “spicy sand" due to the ground dried prawns which gives a sandy or gritty texture to the sauce. The last theory is that the name comes from the similar sounding word “dirty" in Hokkien due to its appearance.

Regardless of origins, laksa can be broadly based into 2 categories. The coconut-based laksa lemak which is very popular in Singapore and the tamarind-based assam laksa which is considered to be the iconic dish in Penang, Malaysia.

The real founder of laksa lemak was a legend by the name of Janggut, who used to peddle his laksa at the Marine Parade Jetty in the 1950′s. Janggut learned how to cook his laksa from Peranankan cooks and since then laksa has become the stuff of legends in the history of Singaporean food culture.

Ingredients 

For the spice paste:

Shallots, peeled and sliced

Turmeric, skinned

Galangal, skinned

Lemongrass, peeled and sliced

Dried chillies, soaked until softened

Candlenuts (can go without if you cannot find it)

Belachan (shrimp paste), more or less to taste - 4 tsp

Dried shrimp, 2 tbsp

For the laksa broth:

1/2 cup cooking oil

2 cups coconut milk

Tofu puffs

Fishcakes, sliced

To assemble:

Cooked egg noodles

Cooked vermicelli

Beansprouts, blanched

Cucumber, julienned

Prawns, peeled and blanched (reserve shells)

Chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

Laska leaves, finely sliced

Sambal belchan

Directions 

Spice paste: Using an electric blender, pulse shallots, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, dried chillies, candlenuts, belachan, and dried shrimp until they form a smooth paste, adding a bit of water if necessary.

Cook chicken through in a pot of boiling water. Remove chicken when cooked, shred and set aside. Reserve water for laksa broth.

In large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat cooking oil. Saute prawn shells till fragrant. Remove and discard the shells. Add in the spice paste, saute till fragrant. 

Add in chicken broth (reserved from cooked chicken) and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk, fishcake and tofu puffs. Bring to a quick boil, stirring continuously. Turn off heat once broth comes to a boil.

Boil noodles in separate pot, remove and set aside. In the same pot, blanche prawns, remove and set aside. In the same pot, blanche beansprouts, remove and set aside. 

Assemble noodle, garnish with beansprouts and cucumber. Ladle laksa broth with fishcakes and tofu puffs. Top with chicken and prawns. Serve with laksa leaves and sambal.

Serves 3-4

[tophic]

iMourn

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The London Street Photography Festival is proud to host the first UK exhibition of the most talked about photography phenomenon in recent months: Vivian Maier.

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Snake in the sky! on Flickr.

Hey guys, apologies for the silence... been rather busy and tremendously lazy. Here's something to keep you occupied for now.

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Stick it in daz bootz!

You'd have probably guess it by now that this is a commercial for a giant boot glass for just US$14.95. What I like about this is that the producers of this video, Vat19, who pride themselves as - and I have to agree - the purveyor of curiously awesome products, is a company that sources for smart and sometimes downright silly products such as the computer mouserug and make oddly interesting commercials out of something utterly useless. I had almost convinced myself that I needed a Screwnicorn Corkscrew.

Genius. I want their jobs.

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If this is not alarming, I don't know what is. There seems to be little concern about this by the I.A.E. - whatever their argument is.

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Visit Original Link

Raphael Saadiq >>

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This is not new but definitely worth a share!

Welcome to the University of Strange, where graduate Devendra Banhart is top of the class! 

This is 'Foolin' (from album What Will We Be) both on audio and video, love the song and the video... A+ for Devendra! If you are that attentive, you'd notice that the video was directed by Isaiah Seret, the same guy who gave us Raphael Saadiq's Good Man music video. Do check Seret out.

Play Foolin' here! Say 'YEAH!' if you don't understand this one!!

Devendra Banhart "FOOLIN'" HD Version from Isaiah Seret on Vimeo.

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Parents looked at the body of their daughter, whom they found in the vehicle of a driving school in Yamamoto, Miyagi Prefecture on Saturday. (Kyodo News, via Associated Press)

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I want a potato gun!

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If you've read my previous entry of Raphael Saadiq, this is another brotha full of soul and rhythm - Aloe Blacc.

This song "I Need A Dollar" is the intro song for the HBO show How to Make It in America, and was featured as the iTunes Single of the Week and he has performed the song live on December 17, 2010 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Britain's Later... with Jools Holland, and on Conan on January 20, 2011. His album titled Good Things was released on September 2010.

This is a live version "I Need A Dollar" performed on a France radio channel - NRJ. This man is great live.

I've got Aloe Blacc in my audible range for a few months now, and it is really selfish of sharing this gem only now. So with that, do check out this video by La Blogotheque (A Takeaway Show):

[apsies]

[kingdomformydonkey-blog]

apsies:

Cars and debris are carried by the tsunami at Sendai Airport in Miyagi Prefecture. (AP)

All thoughts and wishes to victims of the quake and tsuami in Japan.

[kingdomformydonkey-blog]

Chad Person The Mayor Rests 13' x 9' diam. Vinyl and Mixed Media 2008

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Raphael Saadiq is a good man.After listening to this track 'Good Man' that was released just a month ago under the latest album Stone Rollin' has left me wanting more. Saadiq's music is for every man and women on the street... his music tells a truthful story our society can relate to.

Good Man is a masterpiece and definitely has a great music video to match - starring The Wire's Chad Coleman and America’s Next Top Model contestant Yaya DaCosta, this video directed by Isaiah Seret tells a gripping story of a couple falling out of love through greed and social limitations - Saadiq explains,

‘Good Man’ tells the story I’ve seen many times in my own life, [...] Everything around that man can be bad, his occupation, lifestyle, friends, but underneath all of it, he is a good man.

Born Charles Ray Wiggins in Oakland, California (May 14, 1966), Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as Joss Stone, D'Angelo, TLC, Mary J. Blige, and John Legend. He and D'Angelo were occasional members of The Ummah, a music production collective, composed of members Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, and the late Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla) of the Detroit-based group Slum Village. The album Stone Rollin' is set to be released this May, keep your eyes open for it!