New plant in Singapore

Just Have a meeting with Operation Director and QC director of singapore plant. It was good to know that everything on setting up goes well. However, there was nothing much about the job offer. So far as I could find out is their schedule of when to make job offer and what kind of benefit in terms of transport could be possible. So everything will be out of midst from November 07 onwards. There is a possibility to go back for work earlier but will not be more than a month before my training ends. Everything sounds promosing as the director said( that's always diplomatic). The only disadvantage for me and peers in slough is the size of group that will not gain any upper hand when there is a conflict with US trainees in the new plant. But that's exactly how working environment will be, never a good place to make friends and go easy.

There was a hue and cry about the stipend difference between ours and next batch of trainees(the STRECH). So an appeal will be written upon every trainee's consent. Personally I do not think the sponsor going to raise the stipend anymore as the contract was fixed last year(there is only an option to take it or leave it). So despise all the differences in exchange rate and living costs over US and UK. Both side was paid sufficient money for survival. It was always enough if that meant for survival only. So I do not think we should appeal. Hoever once again, to fulfill the desire of most trainees. I have to give this a nod even though it is quite impossible. So I compromise once again...

From Dumpling to Nyonya Kuih

These are the dumpling I made last week out of fun(to celebrate Duan Wu Festive). Managed to won several praises from friends(well I hope they did not see how I make it). The proportions were not too right in the beginning. Too much meat prepared, the ratio of fat and lean meat was not 1:2 as well. Too much chest nut but not enough dried mushrooms. Too much rice but leaves and pots are too small. There were several failed attempt on the leaf wraps(then ended up in a bin or my stomach). No dry shrimp(but still taste ok. Maybe is the water and bamboo leaves)

So this time round, once I returned from a very tiring Holland short trip. I decided to clear of all the leftover stuff(meat was consumed previous week during lunch and dinner). Chest nut and mushroom to match up with Maggie mee(don't ask me why, just too tired to prepare any food on the day I returned from Amsterdam). Then today is the canned coconut milk with glutinous rice(although I tried to make like the green-white nyonya kuih). It turned out to be like this. Ok, still very sweet(extra sugar) but a bit browny,very soft. Somehow looks like a yam cake. Maybe that's the different to use a oven instead of steamer. I hope it will taste better tomorrow.

Trieste

This is the 4th day of my trip. I was really lack of sleep. But in order to catch an early morning bus to this city, I have to wake up before 6am. I am glad to have many advices from some people I met in the hostel. I could get on the bus without worrying too much. It was an old bus without toilet. But the chair can bend down. The driver was so kind(maybe?) to let me bring my luggage up without charging extra for using luggage carrier(maybe I should have bought a cheap rucksack, 65L for 20euro in Bled)There was not many people boarding the bus as well(most will prefer to go by train at 4pm in the afternoon, I suppose). This was really a tough journey as it pass through many hilly areas eg. Postojna. So no matter how good is the seat, I just have to be extra careful not to fall down.

After passing through a very easy checkpoint(don't even need to get down for passport check), here come the Trieste, a city built at the foot of coastal hill. However, my good luck does not last long. Without a proper map, I had a very hard time in locating the lodging(which is hidden at the level 3 of an apartment. The whole place sounds very quiet and a bit dodgy(but everything is perfectly alright.

Trieste - view from port

Piazalle d' Italia

There is a very special mansion built by Austrian Duke about 200 years ago. It is called'Miramare Castle'. It is standing at a coastal cliff. To go there one must find a way to alight at its jungle like garden. Then, one has to walk across a small hill before seeing that building. The interior is quite cosy. It is like a ship sailing on the sea - rugged outside but very warm inside.castle Miramare

inside castle

view from the castle

Lake Bled

view of lake and surrounding from Bled castle

Bled castle

small island in the middle of this glacier formed lake, need to row there yourself or charter a boat
cute boats

This is my Third day in Slovenia. It was not a nice day for me. First, I find that it is still a bit too far (5km) for me to walk from train station to the lake. Then, I had to gave up my train ticket and wait for another bus back to Ljubljana, which was severly delayed.(note: the bus service between station(Lesce bled) and Bled is one hour per trip.

But the good thing is: I encountered a group of HongKong tourist who were willing to share a boat to the small island in the lake(nothing really special, just a small chapel and exhibition place only) with my 'broken' Cantonese. So, this tells me a very important message: Never look down on anyone, especially people of your own kind; even though what they do is nothing to be proud of.

Predjama castle

That's a stop right after Postojna cave. But the distance is 9km without any public transport. So I had to walk along the small countryside road while trying to hitched ride to there. Well, the only people who would stop and help me are those villagers staying nearby. Thanks to them. Although there is really a big difficulty in communicating with them as I did not understand their language as well as German.

That's how the castle looks like. It is actually more like a fortress of some warlord ...But what I really enjoy is: there is no bat in the cave.

Have a look inside:

Ouside:

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Postojna Cave

After 1hr15min train + 30mins walk(I was misled by the signpost of B&B halfway, actual distance is only 2km), I finally reach Postojna Cave. So this is the biggest Karst Cave in Europe. I bought a ticket combine with Predjama castle(without figuring out how I supposed to go there yet). Then, I join the long queue(many foreign and local tourists with kids) into the cave. First, we had to take a small train into the centre of cave.

Then, we would pass through a lot of staglactiteand staglamite in the cave.

Well there are too many tourist with too many language group(all European languages, Japanese still have no stands here). We have to go through a very brief introduction by our tour guide. Well the cave is very wet and cold. The path was very steep. Luckily the government there(including some Russian soldiers during world war one) had made the with handle and pave the path properly with cement. So it was still ok for me to walk on, there was only one occasion where I was tripped by a stalagmite at the side. All the stones looked very impressive in this big, multi level cave. I got a chance to see the human fish, viviparium proteus, a salamander with translucent body. It lose its body pigment due to long term living in a dark environment for generations. I wonder if human live in cave without light for years, how will the consequence be?