Green Bean Dessert

Green beans with herbal rue 芸香 ( 香草、臭草 ) is a popular dessert for southern Chinese. Herbal rue smells good from a distance, but may be awkward when getting close for some people. Therefore its chinese name contains both good and bad smell. Herbal rue can also be used to drive mosquitos and small inserts away because of its smell. No matter you use rue from markets or your own pot, pick the ones with fragrance, without the fragrance, they don't achieve their purpose.

Green beans herbal rue is particularly welcome in the summer as it helps dissipate your body heat.

Central Harbour Front at night

Some pictures were taken from the fly wheel as it's only $10 for senior citizens. It goes 3 rounds. The 1st two stop regularly at good spots allowing passengers to take photos from above. The last round runs quickly for a good recap. No complaints for non senior citizens as all they need to pay is only $20.

懷璧其罪

May 14, 20:34, at the Central flyover on the eastern side of IFC 1 heading to the marine museum, five nice young teens got seized by a police squad. They're all looked very decent to me. However，they were all wearing the same Nike black shirt. It reminds me an old saying： 匹夫無罪，懷璧其罪。

what can we learn:

1. don't dress in black unless you have very good reasons such as "We are ALL BLACK" - All Black is NZ world known Rugby team.

2. no team walk - even you are a basket/football team, do not go in a team as there are plenty of reasons to get you into trouble such as not observing the social gathering order (less than 5), illegal gathering, potential plot etc.

3. Under the NSL, there is no need to prove your guilt, it is only when they believe you are guilty. See news on the Judge verdict on 23 April 2022: 唔需要「證據」同「證明」， 只要話事人「肯定」被告犯罪便成。

Be advised to observe the law.

Oysters 舊日蠔情

There is a frozen food brand recently opened in my area. Their ad emphasises oysters which reminds me my old days.

1. Mersea Oysters - claimed to be the best in the world. Mersea is not too far from central London, about 72 miles north east. Following the same direction, 19 miles away is Brightlingsea where I spent many weekends there serving as a waiter/dishman. On its south east is Clacton-on-sea. It is a seashore fun park for many UK easterners and pensioners. I loved to be there as long as I had a moment.

2. Bluff Oysters - Bluff is situated at the southern dip of South Island of NZ. Kiwis don't eat shellfishes from civil dwelling districts. Places such as Bluff and Nelson are particularly good for their sea farms. It was hard to get Bluff oysters in the local markets in the 80s because most of them went for Japan export. It was only after the Japan econ bursted that our kiwi fellows could taste the products from our own waters. When I viisted friends in Sydney in the late 80s, most Chinese restaurants there sold impressive size NZ oysters to lure gourmets, however, it seemed to me they were not NZ oysters because the best NZ bluff oysters were tiny. When I sent my children back to NZ in 2009, I was happy to see bluff oysters was available in many fisheries. I certainly did not miss it.

In the years before 2000, I bought blue cods in weekend market at the price of 5 for NS$10. In 2009, NZ$20 could only get you 1 piece. Blue Cod is only found in NZ waters. Shortly after I landed on NZ in the mid 80s, I realised grouper fish was not gourmets' choice, Blue cod was and still is.

mixed vegies

I cook and I cook for myself rather than for others. I'm not demonstrating how to cook here because I'm no chef, just a domesticated home fellow. I'm showing some pictures here so that I can refer and won't forget how to cook pumpkin with mixed vegetables.

Ingredients:

pumpkin， broccoli(芥蘭花）, Chinese broccoli (芥蘭），red dates, water spinach (蕹菜/通心菜），dragon beard vegetable ( 龍鬚菜);

Herbs:

gingers, garlic, spring union, coriander

Ordering:

after heating up oil, gingers first followed by garlics,

pumpkins, red dates, spring onion for less than 20 sec

add water 200cc, cover with lid for 1.5 min

put broccolis and dragon beard veg for 1 min or the smell of Chinese broccoli comes up.

add water spinach to absorb the juice - ready as long as it boils.

add coriander before dish up.

I finish up all including gingers because ginger is a good taste absorber.

康熙皇帝與耶穌基督

我今天在網上看到一篇關於大清康熙皇帝與耶穌基督相連的網誌，緣於一首七言律詩《基督死》/《十架頌》：

功成十架血成溪，百丈恩流分自西。

身列四衙半夜路，徒方三背兩番雞。

五千鞭撻寸膚裂，六尺懸垂二盜齊。

慘慟八垓驚九品，七言一畢萬靈啼。

 

值得留意的是，這詩所用的字有：半、一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十、百、千、萬；分、寸、尺、丈；身、靈、溪、流，殊不簡單。

 

現今誰都可以在網上發表文章，但是可信性存疑。大家可以在網上找到類似的文章：

「大清康熙皇帝篤信基督。他熱心追求基督真道，在國事紛繁之際，不僅利用時間學習聖經和屬靈書籍，還常和那些遠涉重洋而來的外國傳教士談道。由於他熟悉聖經和教會歷史，在世曾寫過許多教會題材的對聯和詩歌。 。 。 。康熙皇帝為了紀念耶穌基督被釘死在十架上，曾寫了一首膾炙人口的七言律詩，名曰《基督死》，又稱《康熙十字歌》」。

這類文章，更直指康熙為基督徒。

 

拙不認為那首詩是康熙的創作.

1. 雖然康熙有一定的漢學根底, 但不是好到這個程度。

2. 大清皇帝信奉喇嘛教（藏傳佛教），最少從順治到乾隆數朝都是如此。這是對藏傳佛教（宗教）的尊崇，還是對蒙古和西藏的統治和籠絡（政治）上的必要，肯定的是康熙不是基督徒。

3. 康熙是皇帝, 九五之尊, 日理萬機, 他對西學雖然有一定認識, 但是對西洋宗教（聖經和耶穌苦難）未必認識得這麼透徹。如果康熙有閒情或政治向性, 他會頌佛而不是頌基督。

4. 拙是基督徒, 亦是長者，但從沒有看過這首詩。假如真的是出於十七、十八世紀之宗教詩篇, 老朽應該會聽過。 何況是一首用字、對韻都工整的律詩，更不用說是出自大清康熙皇帝。為何只在穿鑿附會的今日互聯網上才遇到？

再者從歷史角度，康熙（1654-1722）執政後，起用外國傳教士引進西方科技，如天文，編制曆法，鑄造火砲，參與與俄羅斯帝國溝通簽訂尼布楚條約等等，為清廷作貢獻，才獲清廷信任。康熙初年，是傳教士在中國的蜜月期。但這不等於康熙是基督徒。如果大家對天主教在華的歷史有認識的話, 應該聽過十八世紀大清國和羅馬教廷的「禮儀之爭」。 結果是禁教, 天主教被逐出中國內地, 退守澳門。清朝百年禁洋教開啟在康熙晚年，如果康熙是基督徒，會這樣嗎？

 

Those were the Stars

四哥唔係我嘅偶像， 不過我十分佩服他年青時的演技， 我小時候無緣看他早期的電影， 直到近期。曾江也不是我的偶像，只不過他成名較四哥晚， 我還趕得上看他的電影。 60年代前的粵語電影男明星， 個人認為靚仔的三位： 十四叔、四哥、江一帆。 「不許人間見白頭」何只專屬女性！

舊粵語片「如來神掌」是曹達華的巔峰作。第六、七集, 都是曾江主演，如今曾江也離去，「如來神掌」時代結束。

Seems this photo preordains who is the last lonely one left behind

重新學習

講緊嘅係刑法，竟然可以唔需要「證據」同「證明」， 只要話事人「肯定」被告犯罪便成。做了幾十年人， 今日耳目一新。所以說只要你一日唔死， 一日都有新嘢學。 香港市民從案例學習， 增廣見聞，循規守法。

Golden Milk Tea

仍然是大發那杯茶最好！

大發開業于1957年， 和我一起成長。

Egg Tomato dish

I did egg tomato (with beef) dish for dinner. Taste great and I liked it though just an ordinary look. Egg tomato is a popular dish for Chinese and most households do that often as can be seen in YouTube that many videos are on it. I have watched a few, most of them are just Meme. As far as I can remember, most women in my village could make very good Egg tomato dish + fried scrambled eggs. I've cooked for many years, but I cannot do Egg tomato and fried scrambled eggs as good as my Mum did.

BTW, I added beef because the beef was the defrost left behind last night, therefore had to use it up. I do not buy local beef as they are tasteless. If you fry beef, remember to add garlics to remove its smelly taste especially for low grade imports. I use both garlics and gingers because I do not use spring unions. The reason - spring unions have lost their fragrance and cost a lot more than the tasteful garlics and gingers.