Ensaymada - the Queen of Breads

This is purportedly the most wondrous bread that bro-in-law brought back from the Philippines - Ensaymada. Some Filipinos called it the "Queen of breads".  I am not sure if this brand - Magic Melt - is the best in the Philippines.

Nicely packed in a box, the Ensaymada is a soft brioche (bread), whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It is topped with a melt-in-your-mouth mixture of finely grated cheese, sugar and butter. The Ensaymada is made with strong flour, water, sugar, eggs, mother dough and a kind of reduced pork lard named saïm. Pork lard?!  However, some argued that saim is actually the arabic word for 'butter', which seems to be a better fit for the name. 

Each box includes 6 of this bread, each carefully wrapped with plastic. The Ensaymada originated from Majorca, Spain and is commonly eaten in most former Spanish territories in Latin America and the Philippines, which has been continuously made and eaten for centuries. In fact, this simple bread has its history dating back to the 17th century!  At that time, wheat flour was mainly used for making this bread. However, by the time it got to the Philippines, the recipe had reverted to its butter-based origins.

We unwrapped the Ensaymada and heat up it in the microwave for about half a minute. It looks exactly like the soft plain sweet buns we can find here in Singapore, minus the grated cheese on top. The original Ensaymada is one large snail-like coil dusted in sugar, but today's version of individual sized buns is more popular it seems.

My verdict? The Ensaymada is smothered with buttercream (mix of butter and sugar) and sprinkled generously with grated cheese. The high milk content of the brioche actually lends richness and tenderness to the bread, which has a smooth, delicate texture. It is ultra soft, buttery, milky, rich, with the added slather of butter, sugar, and cheese, resulting in both sweet and savoury tastes at the same time. Having said that, I would think that those freshly baked from the oven would have tasted 10 times better compared to this microwaved version. It must be refrigerated and can only be kept for up to only 3-4 days. If you visit the Philippines, perhaps you may wish to savour this bread.   

The Double Rainbow

From: Yeeming

On Sunday 27 March 2011, at about 6.45pm - 7.15pm, many people from my Facebook and Twitter lists as well as online, saw a beautiful double rainbow all across Singapore. It was a huge arc.  I did not notice the rainbow. I had, however, around that time, just completed the Tara Puja in Amitabha Buddhist Centre. So when I saw all the photos of the rainbow being posted online, I was very happy.  To me, I consider rainbows, and even more so, double rainbows, as extremely auspicious, especially after a puja. Just like when there is a slight rain during/after the puja, rainbows too are auspicious and is a form of blessings. Thank you, Mother Tara!

Here are more sightings of the auspicious rainbow!

From: James Wong

From: Jangchub Monlam

From: Amy Chen

From: Josete

From: Patricia Lee

From: PC Wong (Stomp)

From: theonlinecitizen

From: Manfred

From: Novelisa

From: @CalvinTimo

From: Melvin

What is the significance of double rainbow? Some say the rainbow is a celestial celebration of sky deities that inhabit the pure lands of the heavens, others say the sight of rainbows bring wealth, success and abundance.

According to Feng Shui writer Lillian Too, a double rainbow is a sign from the cosmic Universe that you are about to have something great fall into your lap, and that one good thing will lead to another.

The Osho Energy Transformation Institute says a double rainbow is the symbol of transformation.

According to Khandro.net, although rainbows are often explained as the bridge from the realm of the gods to the earth, more often, they are seen as a kind of omen.  As a sign from heaven, they are interpreted in a variety of ways: a portent of impending war or conversely, a seal of the Creator's promise not to destroy the land in another global flood.  

Green Tara's head emanates a rainbow aureole,
her body is made of green light, transparent like
a rainbow..... Green Tara (绿度母) is arisen from the
compassionate tears of Avalokiteshvara (Kuan Yin) 

For Buddhists, the rainbow recalls the Prajnaparamita teaching on the Emptiness of Form. These striking atmospheric manifestations that occur at transitional times of the year, or of changing weather, are also understood in Tibetan Buddhism as indications of blessings from the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, dakinis or deities.  

To Tibetan Buddhists, the appearance of rainbows also has a spiritual meaning as it marks either the passing on of a wise sage, a special yogi or spiritual master; or it foretells the birth of a significant reincarnation. Indeed, the passing on of high lamas – enlightened masters – is often accompanied by the appearance of beautiful rainbows in the skies. Likewise, when a special reincarnate child is born, rainbows often appear as a sign in the skies.

Sometimes just the presence of a highly realized yogi or spiritual master near a particularly sacred place is enough to create the appearance of rainbows. :)

Dame Elizabeth Taylor (1932 – 2011)

The legendary Elizabeth Taylor has passed away yesterday on 23 Mar 2011 at the age of 79. She died of heart failure.  A three-time Oscar winner, Elizabeth Taylor had a tumultuous personal life, including 8 marriages and health problems. 

In possibly her last interview with Kim Kardashian on 9 Feb 2011, below are some excerpts of the interview with Elizabeth:

On her personal favourite looks, on or offscreen:

I loved the Edith Head lavender dress that I wore to the Oscars in 1970. It was designed around the Taylor-Burton diamond. Some of the Cleopatra costumes were fun - they even had real gold threads - and I wore them as evening dresses afterward!  I also loved some of the great caftans that I wore in the '60s and '70s with big sunglasses and major jewelry. I love to be casual and comfortable, but I also love the easy glamour of wearing jewelry all the time.

On which actors she would have loved to work with:
I love Johnny Depp, and I love Colin Farrell - both brilliant, nuanced actors with great range.

My little 'creation', Elizabeth with Johnny Depp (top), and with Colin Farrell (bottom)

On being Elizabeth Taylor:

I never planned to acquire a lot of jewels or a lot of husbands. For me, life happened, just as it does for anyone else. I have been supremely lucky in my life in that I have known great love, and of course I am the temporary custodian of some incredible and beautiful things. But I have never felt more alive than when I watched my children delight in something, never more alive than when I have watched a great artist perform, and never richer than when I have scored a big check to fight AIDS. Follow your passion, follow your heart, and the things you need will come.

On being always been ahead of her time and being on Twitter. 

I like the connection with fans and people who have been supportive of me. And I love the idea of real feedback and a two-way street, which is very, very modern. But sometimes I think we know too much about our idols and that spoils the dream. So, like all things, it is to be used with care!

Yes, Elizabeth Taylor was on Twitter, going by the handler @DameElizabeth and I have been following her. The below were her last tweets on 23 July 2010:

No one is going to play Elizabeth Taylor, but Elizabeth Taylor herself.

Not at least until I'm dead, and at the moment I'm having too much fun being alive...and I plan on staying that way. Happiness to all.

I would like to add something to my earlier tweet. Always keep love and humility in your heart. Never let yourself think beyond your means...mental, emotional or any otherwise.

You are who you are. All you can do in this world is help others to be who they are and better themselves and those around them.

Give. Remember always to give. That is the thing that will make you grow. That is the thing that will give back to you all the rewards that there are. Don't do it for yourself, because then it becomes selfish.

Because then it becomes about yourself...which is wrong. Giving is to give to God. Helping is to help others.

Every breath you take today should be with someone else in mind. I love you.

Elizabeth Taylor shopping in Singapore 1957

Elizabeth Taylor in Raffles Hotel, Singapore, 1957.

Flowers and a portrait adorn Elizabeth Taylor's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. --PHOTO: AP

May you rest in peace, Dame Elizabeth.

Mementoes from faraway places

Each time I was on vacation, I used to buy lots and lots of souvenirs back home. I once lugged a beautiful huge conch shell back from Phuket. I also bought big heavy wooden framed pictures of the countryside and flowers from Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, all squeezed inside a large luggage. I hand carried a very heavy Himalayan sea salt rock lamp all the way from Kuala Lumpur. And when I was in Turkey, I lugged back 3 sad looking clowns made of porcelain, each half a metre tall. From Turkey too, I brought back wine bottles shaped like the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. Then I used to collect different unopened Coke bottles from different countries as well. All these souvenirs I threw them all away, when I ran out of space and when I was shifting house. What was I thinking then when I took so much trouble to lug those stuff back? And what was I thinking then when I threw them all away? Maybe I was trying to practice impermanence (*chuckle*). But seriously, too much stuff takes up too much space and dust.

Henceforth, I stopped buying bulky souvenirs. Instead, I decided the only tangible memories for each country I visited, besides taking tons of photos, would just be one or two magnets from each country. Here are most of the magnets of the different countries, probably 80% of the places I visited, fronting my fridge. Enjoy this blockbuster post.

From Switzerland, a magnet cum bottle opener is bigger than usual, showing the flags of the 23 cantons of Switzerland. I was at the Swiss Alps and bought this magnet somewhere near the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) in Lucerne. Switzerland is my favourite European country.

I love the Netherlands too. The most memorable would be cruising along the Amsterdam canal as well as visiting the windmills in Kinderdijk with a stopover at a cheese farm.

What is Holland without mentioning its tulips? I was in Keukonhof to admire the colourful 7 million types of flowers and tulips. The garden is opened only 8 weeks a year.

The other famous thing besides windmills and tulips, is the wooden clogs. Had a hard time deciding which souvenirs and magnets to buy!

To me, it is the most atas country in Europe - Monaco - even though it is the second smallest country in the world. I bought this magnet in Monte Carlo Casino from an atas (Malay for "high class") sales lady, who refused to tell me the price of this magnet in English even though she understood what I asked and even though I could not understand French!

I have to show these 2 magnets side by side, the renowned Mona Lisa from Paris, and her copycat from Teddy Bear Musuem in Jeju Island, South Korea. The Mona Lisa painting is the biggest attraction in Louvre Musuem, Paris, yet it is just a small portrait behind bulletproof glass. Frankly, there are plenty of other awesome works which are even more interesting.

A boring magnet of the Louvre Museum. I was lucky as there was a few days of strike before that. If I was a day earlier, the Museum would have still been closed to the public.

I am not sure who went to Okinawa, Japan. Heheh...

Wat Phra Sri Sanpetch in Ayutthaya, Thailand. Heart-stopping moments climbing the steep steps of the ancient pagodas at the ruins.

Mom went Shanghai a few years back. The only places in China I like are probably Beijing and Wuhan (which was near the Three Gorges and Chongqing). I hate the city of Shenzhen the most.

Probably from Shanghai too.

Had a very brief stay over in Brussels, Belgium - one night. This famous landmark, the peeing boy, is at an inconspicuous corner of a street. I bought and loved the chocolates on the same street.

Again in Brussels, this is the Grote Markt (Grand Place) in the heart of the city, central square of Brussels. I also visited the gothic looking St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral

I only bought one magnet from Dubai. One of the more memorable places in Dubai which gave me a good feeling was cruising along the Dubai Creek, having dinner by the river and then a brief stop at Dubai's busiest overnight fish market in Deira.

From Cambodia, the mystical Angkor Wat with so many other temples. A beautiful experience where I came nose-to-nose with Kuan Yin, the Compassion Bodhisattva.

Niece bought this from her school trip to Sabah, East Malaysia. I remember fondly of my business trips to Sabah many years ago, which was still not so modern in those early days of their financial centre in Labuan. We had to endure a rocky ride on a jeep to an outskirt where there was a fish farm cum restaurant to enjoy all types of cheap seafood.

I think I got this from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Watched the elephants bathing, performing, and the elephants can paint too at Maesa Elephant Camp. They have 78 elephants there!

This is one of my favourite magnet and place - Florence, Italy (Firenze in Italian) - a beautiful and artistic city rich in culture, birthplace of the Renaissance. Almost all its writers, poets and artists of the golden age were somewhat connected to Florence. This is the famous Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) along the Arno River.

This magnet is from my mom's visit to Madrid, Spain. This is the Royal Palace of Madrid, which is the biggest palace in Europe.

Another favourite magnet from Heidelberg, Germany. It is an awesome charming picturesque city and I was right here at this Old Bridge facing the Heidelberg Castle along Neckar River.

Again in Germany, I was at a wooded mountain called Schwarzwald (Black Forest). Yes it is this very place where I ate their famous Black Forest Cake.

I was at Cologne city in Germany (or Köln in German). I remember munching on delicious bread outside the Cologne Cathedral along the Rhine River and admiring the masterpiece as well as watching a street performance.

I like the 3D magnets from Paris. I was not that impressed with the Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triomphe, or the Louvre or the Notre Dame Cathedral. Instead I was charmed by Les Bouquinistes, the riverside vendors who peddle used books, set up shop along the Seine River and the artists who lined the river with their pieces of artwork. There are some quaint restaurants nearby too.

This is from the Philippines - a Jeepney - it is resized and remodeled from the American army jeep and is used as a popular mode of public transport. The different designs of each jeepney is art itself.

New York New York! This beautiful Statue of Liberty magnet.

We are so familiar with the tuk-tuks in Bangkok. They are very cheap too. I remember booking a tuk tuk which drove my friends and I to different places for half a day.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy! It was a pleasant tour around Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo). If you are lucky perhaps you can chance upon a ride on a horse.

Wonderful family trip to Melbourne and Adelaide, Down Under. Actually we did not see much of the famed animals; kangaroos, koala bears... instead we saw the penguins at Philips Island, visited the Barossa Valley for wines and chocolates, and the charming German town of Hahndorf in Adelaide!

A tiny boomerang magnet I bought. I also bought a couple of bigger boomerangs in beautiful wooden design and paint.

One of my favourite magnets from Melbourne, Australia. It already broke into half and I painstakingly glued it back. Memorable slow rides on the trams around the city and shopping at Queen Victoria Market.

This magnet is from Minnesota, USA. There are 4500 lakes and rivers throughout Minnesota.

My visit to Disneyland, Hong Kong. Once is enough.

I think this was from Sis' trip to Tokyo, Japan.

This rubber magnet of the korean girl in hanbok, their traditional costume. In fact I took photos with a very beautiful Korean dancer, and also with a group of korean school girls in hanbok, as well as made friends with another beautiful young Korean mother on top of Mt Sorak.

I really love London for its friendly people. Been to all the main attractions; Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Madame Tussauds, and shopped at Harrods! We went further to visit the Windsor Palace as well.

An unforgettable trip with my buddies to Turkey. We were at Istanbul (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace), Ankara, Ephesus, Pammukale, Goreme, Troy, Pergamon, Cappadocia.

Forgot where I bought this magnet from many years ago. The colours have faded but I love this quote a lot.

Guess which country's magnet would I like to collect next?