Jiao Zi Recipe (Chinese dumplings)

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour
• Chive
• Minced pork
• Salt
• Sugar
• Sesame oil
• Cooking oil (or olive oil)
• Chinese cooking wine
• Five spices powder
• Szechuan pepper
• Cut ginger
• Cut spring onion
• Light soya sauce
• Black vinegar
  

Procedure:
Knead flour into dough and place the dough into a covered pot. Let it set for at least 30 minutes to 'strengthen' the dough.

Meanwhile, cut chive into 0.5cm pieces and add cooking oil to prevent water from oozing out.Add water to minced pork, stirring in one direction only.

Add salt, sugar, Chinese cooking wine, light soya sauce, oil, sesame oil, cut ginger and spring onion, five spices powder and Szechuan pepper to taste. Stir in one direction.

Add cut chive to meat (1:1 volume). Meat texture should be gluey.

Knead the dough into a two-finger width rod and snap into phalanx-long dough. Roll the dough into balls. Squash the balls and flatten them with a rolling pin such that the center is thicker than the edges.

Wrap the meat filling with the flatten 'skin'. Sprinkle some flour on the dumplings so that they do not stick to one another.

Add the dumplings to boiling water. Cover the pot. Add two ladles of tap water once it has started boiling. Repeat the process of adding tap water for at least four times.

Drain the cooked Jiao Zi and let them cool down.

Serve with equal volumes of black vinegar and light soya sauce diluted with water (so that the sauce does not mask the taste of Jiao Zi). Chilli oil can be added for those who like spicy food.

For those who like Guo Tie (Pan Fried Dumplings):
Fry the cooked Jiao Zi in a wok till golden brown. Add a teaspoon of water to prevent the skin from becoming too dry and cover the wok. Serve on plate.

Caution: Do not add a lot of water to hot oil. It will splash!

Mission Code Name "Capture Mousey"

Finally, after the fourth time, I saw a small black mouse this evening when I just got back to my apartment. It was squeaking and making noise at the air vent near the air-con which caught my attention. To my surprise, it jumped out of the small hole and was in full sight for a split second before I reacted. I cannot imagine that a mouse could squeeze through such small holes (it must have taken some kind of contortionist lessons).

Previously, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw a black shadow moving from the central air vent and creeping through my kitchen door. After the third time, I was confident that it was a mouse. I asked YangKun, who had lived in Broadview for more than a year, if she had seen a mouse before.

I thought that by informing the Broadview front desk, they would send a pest terminator to get rid of the mouse. Instead, the front desk personnel passed me a box of mouse traps. I tried one trap but the mouse did not fall into it. I need to use some kind of bait. Any good suggestions?

Generating experimental data is hard, processing them is harder!

Three weeks of large-scale screening of peptide binding assay had generated lots of data to be processed. I was exhausted at the end of last week. This week, I was recuperating from the exhaustion by asking quotations for liquid handling robots, prices for culturing cell lines and processing the data using an unfamiliar software.

When you are new to the field, there is a steep learning curve. I had to process the same data five times just to represent them scientifically but with improvement at each time. Tomorrow, all I have to do is to process five other data sets in the same approach. The challenge is to let the data 'speak' for themselves by representing them in a logical and theoretically correct manner. The reward is the satisfaction of gaining knowledge from interpreting information from the processed raw data!

Happy 41st birthday, Singapore!

This is my first time spent away from celebrating Singapore's independence day. I would usually catch the 'live' telecast of the National Parade on TV. I miss the fireworks and mass displays.

Singaporeans residing in USA were invited for a dinner on Aug 10 by the Singapore Embassy in Washington DC. However, since I have no transportation of my own, I missed the chance to meet up with fellow Singaporeans and celebrate our nation's 41st year of independence.

A toast to you, Singapore, my homeland!

Trying my hands to be a barber

At the blink of an eye, I have been here for six months. During this period, I had my hair cut once by a Korean barber. The hairstyle turned out alright but not as good as back home. My hair grow long pretty fast and it has started curling.

My colleague, Greg, has curly hair too. He trimmed the curls whenever they appear. Last week, I thought why not try his approach and cut my hair for the first time. Instead of trimming the curls, I was cutting off about 2 - 3 cm from my fringe, top and sides with a small pair of scissors. It turned out alright without any bad comment from my colleagues. Yesterday, I bought a bigger pair of scissors and this time round, I will cut even shorter. It is difficult to cut the sides whereby I often would miss my hair and 'snip air'. I have to coordinate my movements to my reflection on a mirror. I am slowly getting the hang of it. For the back, I may just have to leave it long or I will visit a barber for a crew cut.

I always feel relief and relaxed after a hair cut. This time round is no difference. The downside is I have to clean up the hair.


Epilogue to "To cut or not to cut"
If you read my previous post in April about me trying to keep my hair long just for the fun of it, I had this thought 'cut' away. My colleagues and friend were explicitly and implicitly hinting that I should have my hair cut. Comments were 'it is ugly' or 'you look tired'. Too bad I could not grow it to shoulder length and take a picture for memento. Debbie, your 'Paulilock' did not come true. Haha...

Turning into a fiddler crab

The distinguish characteristic of a male fiddler crab is its lopsided pair of front claws. Females and young have two equal-sized small claws.

The dry spell from my blog was because I was busy with large-scale screening of virus peptides that bind to molecules involved in the immune system. This screening included a lot of liquid handling where I had to transfer from one container to another using a tool called a multi-channel pipettor. The number of times I spent pipetting into 96-well containers during this short period was more than what I did in my entire undergraduate days. You can say that my right hand now is overused and aches from dispensing. To prevent myself from turning into a fiddler crab, I am using my left hand to dispense too (although I am using an automatic pipettor in this case). I still have to use my right hand for accurate dispensing. It would be good if I were ambidextrous.

The only hope for me now is to get three quotations for a robot that can dispense liquid accurately.

The fiddler crab picture was taken from www.ryanphotographic.com

Animals aplenty

Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus has plenty of animals especially squirrels and rabbits. There was even a mother duck incubating her eggs during winter. The area was cordoned off and a sign was put up. It was termed the maternity ward and a make-shift shelter was placed over the duck. I wondered what happened to the duck and its eggs. Did they hatched into ducklings?

I thought of feeding the squirrels but they are constantly on their guard that I have not fed them yet. Anyway, they have been surviving without human intervention. Therefore, I should admire them from afar. I noticed that some squirrels had less bushy tails than others. I was told that these were the juveniles. Is it right, anyone?

Caught this inexperienced cute little bunny chewing grass while I was about two meters away from it. It did not have the instinct to run away as the older rabbits did. Alternatively, it might think it was too fast for me to catch it.


This bug was facing up when I took a picture of it. From dust you came, to dust you return.

Therapeutics

My university friend, Chuntian a.k.a Sister, once said that washing dirty dishes can be therapeutic. I got that therapeutic feeling today.

I had procrastinated long enough for reddish-brown mildews to grow on my toilet sink and bathtub. The kitchen floor had not been scrub for almost two months from my weekend cooking. I had to wear slippers to prevent my soles from sticking to the floor. OK, I exaggerated. But I seriously hate the sticky feeling.

So, with a lot of mental determination, I got to clean my whole apartment while cooking simultaneously. After cleaning up, I felt good to see the shining tiles again and the carpet was rid of dust. On top of that, I went for a hike in the afternoon, exercised at the gym and cooked five dishes for the week. Fried chicken wings, pork chop, celery with prawns, minced beef for Mexican tacos and fried rice. Mission accomplished for this week.

What do you call a dish of fried rice prepared by a Singaporean?

Singapore Fried Rice (Haha… lame, right?) I must do some activities else my jokes are getting cheesy.

Running trails to trim down my pot belly

I live in Baltimore city with lots of buildings and roads. Recently, I discovered two running trails that ran along streams, lined by trees on both sides. The sound of running water helped to soothe my weary spirit and the fresh air refreshed my whole being. One headed north towards Roland Avenue while the other led westward to Druid Hill Park. I dislike running along roads where I have to breathe in car exhaust.

When I weighed myself two weeks ago, I had lost 4 kg due to lack of sleep, irregular meals and work stress. Ever since, I have been trying to put on weight and eating more meat. I am eating a stick of sinful Godiva chocolate ice cream and every other night while writing this post. Going to the gym helps as I tend to shrink to my gangly form whenever I stop exercising. There are lots of people here who want to lose weight but I am trying very hard to do the opposite. As I have not run or swim for a long time, my abdominal is developing into a small pot belly.

The trails and a pair of new running shoes are waiting for me to tread on them as I struggle mentally to get myself running again.

Sleepless tonite

Upset my sleep pattern by sleeping from 5pm to 7.30pm after coming back from work. Now, suffering the after effect.

At 11pm, I went to a pub nearby for my dinner and a beer. Service was bad. I had to wait for 45 minutes before I got my food and the french fries were half-cooked. Bad service equals to no tip. This would be the last time I step into that pub again.

Updates

I apologies for the long absence whereby I could not write my blog.

My paternal granny passed away on 2 July. I felt ambivalent about her death. As her grandson, I do not want her to go but because she was suffering due to old age, it was better for her to depart. My attempts to communicate with her recently were in vain as she was partially deaf and was semi-conscious most of the time.

My heart broke when my uncles and aunts assured her, saying 'You had suffered long enough, don't worry about any matters.' She could not reply back as she was breathless but tears were streaming down her cheeks. She understood the message.

As days passed by, her aged body started to give up. She was put on respirator and feeding tubes. Family members gathered round to see a last glimpse of the grand matriarch of the Tan family. She passed away peacefully with her son by her side at the ripe age of 93.

Before I left for USA, it was a great blessing that my brother brought me to see her. She herself knew that I may not see her again with my one-year stint in USA. It was a sad departure for me to see her crying but I know she is proud of me for being her first grandson to pursue Ph.D. and working at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I was given a farewell red packet as a form of blessing for my journey. The red packet has been pasted on my wall since I arrived here.

History seemed to repeat itself. Many years back in 1993, when I was also in USA for a two-month industrial attachment, my maternal granny passed away. My heart grieved for not attending her funeral. The same thing happened again now.....

I can only express my feelings in this song, 'To where you are' by Josh Groban.

Who can say for certain
Maybe you a’re still here
I feel you all around me
Your memories so clear

Deep in the stillness
I can hear you speak
You a’re still an inspiration
Can it be
That you are mine
Forever love
And you are watching over me from up above

Fly me up to where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile to know you a’re there
A breath away i’s not far
To where you are

Are you gently sleeping
Here inside my dream
And isn'’t faith believing
All power can't be seen

As my heart holds you
Just one beat away
I cherish all you gave me everyday
Cause you are mine
Forever love
Watching me from up above

And I believe
That angels breathe
And that love will live on and never leave

Fly me up
To where you are
Beyond the distant star
I wish upon tonight
To see you smile
If only for awhile
To know you'’re there
A breath away's not far
To where you are

I know you'’re there
A breath away'’s not far
To where you are

Read a mystery book with recipes

This was the first time I came across a mystery fiction which include recipes. What an interesting idea! The main character, Hannah Swensen (in 'Peach Cobbler Murder' by Joanne Fluke), owned a bakery business. Things started to heat up when a rival store opened opposite to hers. She was suspected of killing the rival store owner, who was also her rival in love.

One afterthought after reading was that female writers write differently from male writers. The plot for the former tend to include more on romance. This is one interesting topic for me to research on since I have a lot of free time to read at night. For this, I would need to read mystery stories written by both sexes.

Currently, I am reading 'The Survivor: Bill Clinton in The Whiter House' by John F. Harris. It revealed the inner workings of the Clinton White House and will provide me a glimpse to the political system of my host country.

A signpost that appeals to your heart

Saw this interesting signpost while sightseeing in Washngton DC. It has two children holding hands and the message, "My daddy works here. Slow down please."

Instead of putting the usual signpost with the word "SLOW" which a driver can ignore, this message actually reminds the driver that the construction workers have families to take care off.

More of this kind of signposts should be put up!

Things happened when the previous person left

At work, I was asked to take over another project about two months ago. During this short period, I had to condense and pick up what he had been doing for two years. Things had to be learnt fast which is not my usual strategy of slow and steady wins the race (the hare and tortoise story). In today's situation, there is a need to balance between the fast pace of producing results and the mental capability to learn new things.

Recently, I am having difficulties sleeping because my mind is thinking about work subconsciously. The machine which was used to purify proteins started giving me problems. It had to 'complain' just when I was all alone and not when my colleague was present.

However, problems are not all bad. It depends on how you look at them. For me, it forced me to read the machine manual so that I could troubleshoot and solve the problems. They are opportunities to test the boundaries of your comfort zone. By solving them, it helps you to understand what you are doing instead of fretting over what to do. A vital virtue in research is to never give up in times of adversities and failures. That's what makes research interesting. It's all about discovery and learning new things.

Baltimore Pennsylvania Station

The main train station of Baltimore, commonly referred to as Baltimore Penn Station was constructed in 1911. Penn Station is served by three transportation companies, Amtrak, MARC and Maryland Transit Adminstration's Baltimore Light Rail system.

Train tickets to Washington DC cost USD$7 per trip from Monday to Friday. Weekend prices are costlier.

I am drawn to the Beaux-Arts architecture among the modern buildings surrounding it. Intricate designs can be observed from the facade. Right in front of the station is an aluminum sculpture by Jonathan Borofsky which stands at 51 feet (15.5 meters). The interesting concept to this sculpture is that of two figures, one male and the other female, intersecting at right angle. They share one heart with alternating blue-and-pink glow. A perfect symbol to represent union between man and woman.

Six Flags America

I went with Fero to a theme park called Six Flags America on June 10 (Saturday). First, a brief background of the theme park company. It has been operating for 45 years and has 29 parks in North America. It is a great place for friends and family members to hang out and have fun. I felt like I was a tourist again the moment I stepped into the park after staying in Baltimore, Maryland for three months.

As Fero had not been on any thrilling rides before, we started with some mild ones such as The High Seas, a swinging pirate ship which moves in a pendulum motion. After being 'initiated', we went for fast and thrilling rides.

I liked The Wild One, which is a classic wooden coasters. It may looked mild but when you are riding on it, the ups and downs, twists and turns can churn your stomach inside out. The other is Superman-Ride of Steel that sent my adrenaline rushing when it plunged at a height of 200 feet (61 metre) at 70 mph (112 kph). It was simply exhilarating! Along the ride, I raised up my hands (not advisable) and felt as though I was flying. My long hair was messy after the ride (yes, I am still keeping my hair).

On the whole, I had a whale of a time at Six Flags America and am looking forward to go there again. Photos are available here.

Happy 70th Birthday, Ed Henson

I was invited to attend a very warm person's birthday today, Ed Henson. It was celebrated today since his actual date is June 6 (Tuesday). When I was a stranger in this foreign land, he welcomed me. His wife, Delores, is my colleague who gave me the lamp during the initial furnishing of the former empty apartment.

Lots of family members and friends gathered at his home for a BBQ session. There were hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken wings, salad, pasta, cakes, drinks, chips etc. Since Ed likes reading, I bought for him "Tuesday with Morrie" by Mitch Albom, which I love very much. This book touches on what you really want in your life. Hope the good Lord uses Ed just like what Morrie did to Mitch.

Many blessings rest on Ed and many more years to come!

Any recommendation for free online photo upload?

The one that I am currently using (Webshots) allows me to upload one picture at a time. Once uploaded, my pictures are artificially darken.

Need to upload tons of pictures.

Thank you in advance.

Please leave your name

Instructions for leaving your name when you comment on my blog:

1. After writing your comments, select 'Other' instead of 'Anonymous'.

2. Fill up your name and click on the button 'Publish your comment'.

Creativity

If you are creative and have a good product, you can laugh your way to the bank. Just look at the number of products advertise and sold on a channel dedicated to selling innovative products.
For example, as my colleague does not know that I am keeping my hair long, she suggested this product called Trim-a-cut whereby you cut your hair while combing it.

Another was the swimwear dryer. Swimmers usually have to bring bags or wrap the wet swimwear in a towel after swimming. At Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus, the swimming pool has this gadget whereby you get dried swimwear after placing in it for 10 seconds. The reason being someone identified the problem and devised a method or tool to solve it.

Sometimes, it takes the right person with the right attitude to be at the right place and right time for new ideas to flow. So, let not any opportunities slip you by. Grab them and make a difference in the world right now.