Just a Bunch of Texans Opening a Can of Surströmming (Fermented Herring)

Surströmming is a fermented herring and is also a Swedish delicacy, in another word, rotten fish. I use the word delicacy carefully because not every Swede has tried it and not everyone has tried it like it.

It is common practise to open a can of surströmming outdoor, preferably in a bucket of water. The pungent smell of the can, once opened, can be overwhelming and the water in the bucket help dilute the brine that will spill out of the can. The water will has to be tipped directly to an outdoor drain or risk the whole building stinking of rotten fish.

An opened can of surströmming

Surströmming is best consume with pita or thin bread, diced red onions, lots of sour cream, boiled potatoes, and wash down with lots of strong alcohol like Akvavit.

These men have my upmost respect from the way they opened the can and tried the fish, it made me cringe be but kudos to them for willing to try this infamous delicacy. They might consider throwing away the can opener :)

Thanks guys for the laugh!

Hachikō the Loyal Akita Dog

Hachi

I met an American Akita dog named Honey last Summer outside a cafe, I was instantly mesmerised, Honey is probably the most gorgeous dog I have ever seen. While searching for more information on Akita dogs, I stumbled upon this incredibly touching story about an Akita dog in Japan who died almost 80 years ago, the dog was Hachiō.

There weren't much details on the dog in the English language websites, I had to rely on Google Translate to piece together Hachikō's story:

At Shibuya Station

Hachikō was a Japanese Akita dog born in November 1923 in the Akita Prefecture in northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The puppy was named Hachi, Japanese for number eight, the 8th puppy of the liter.

Two months after his birth, Hachi was sold for JPY30 and placed inside a rice sack on a 20 hours train ride to Tokyo, where his new owner, Professor Hidesaburō Ueno, worked as a lecturer at the Imperial University (now University of Tokyo).

Professor Ueno was a dog lover who had a special interest in Akita dogs. Beside the new puppy, he also had a 7 year-old dog called S and a 8 year-old Pointer called John. Together, the three dogs would sent the Professor off to work in the morning and greeted him at Shibuya station or at the University gate in the evening, that was their routine everyday.

Waiting for Professor Ueno

On 21 May 1925, only Hachi accompanied the Professor to the University and returned alone to wait for him in the evening, the dog waited till dark but the Professor never show up. Unbeknown to Hachi, Professor Ueno died of a stroke earlier that day while giving a presentation.

For the following three days, Hachi hid in a room where Professor Ueno's things were kept and refused to eat anything. After the Professor's funeral on the 25th, the three dogs continued to wait for their master at the station.

Receiving treats

Unable to care for Hachi, Professor Ueno's widow first placed the dog in the care of her relatives in Nihonbashi, following by in the home of friends in Asakusa, both are districts of Tokyo. During these two years, Hachi was unable to settle into his new environment and was once again re-homed, this time to Professor Ueno's old gardener who lived near the Ueno's residence.

As a sign of dedication to his old master, Hachi showed up at Shibuya station everyday to wait for the Professor, and he did that for the next 8 years.

With member of the public

During the day in which the dog waited at the station, Hachi was treated as a stray, he was harassed by hostile passerby and scolded by station staff for entering the station yard. This continued until one day in 1932, a member of the Nihonken Hozon Kai (Preservation Society of Great Japanese Dogs) took an interest in him and published Hachi's story on the newspaper.

The article praised Hachi's loyalty, a prized virtue in the Japanese society, and nicknamed him Chuken Hachikō - Faithful Dog, Duke Hachi - it also changed people's attitude towards him. Members of the public would flock to Shibuya station to catch a glimpse of the remarkable dog, bringing treats and food.

With station staff

On the morning of 8 March 1935, Hachi's lifeless body was found in an alley not far from Shibuya station. He was brought into the station's luggage room, one of his favourite places, where Professor Ueno's widow and station staff were photographed praying for his soul. Hachi was 11 years old.

Praying over Hachi's body

It was widely believed that Hachi has died of stomach rapture from a yakitori skewer, it took scientist 75 years after Hachi's death in 2010 to confirmed it was cancer that killed the dog.

Hachi's stuffed body is now on display at the National Museum of Natural and Science in Tokyo, with his flesh and bones buried beside Professor Ueno in Aoyama Cemetary. A bronze statue of the dog was erected outside Shibuya station honouring his loyalty and is now the symbol of Shibuya, it is also a popular meeting spot.

The story of Hachikō touched me deeply and seeing the last photo made me sob uncontrollably, I am very happy to have found this story and I want to tell it as Hachi was truly a remarkable dog.

Source: The Asahi Shimbun, Shibuya Net, Tresure Box, Wikipedia.
Images: I do not own the copyrights and I will remove them upon request.

Beautiful Strangers - Part III: Mohammad of Damascus

Previous: Beautiful Strangers - Part II

Mohammad, July 2010

I met Mohammad outside the Nahr Eshe regional bus terminal on one crisp and clear July morning. Actually, I am not sure if Nahr Eshe is the right place, I only remember the bus terminal being close to a major highway with lots of wide intersections and is located in the south of Damascus.

I was there to buy a bus ticket to Homs, from there I've hoped to catch a mini bus or taxi to the nearby village of Tartus, where the ruins known as the Crac des Chevaliers or in Arabic, Qala'at Al-Hosn (the Qala'at), lies. The Qala'at is a Crusader castle built more than 3,000 years ago in the 11th Century, it is said to be the best preserved Crusader castle in the world, for a history buff like me, I cannot miss this for the world.

Qala'at Al-Hosn - Limestone Wall

I couldn't get a ticket because the Syrian Police demanded to see my passport, without it they won't authorise the bus operators to sell me ticket, even though Homs is less than 2 hours' drive from Damascus. For such was the reality in Syria, foreigners are expected to present their passports on demand and the police were the tsar.

One bus operator was sympathetic, he tried to sneak my travel companion and me on a bus but was spotted by the transport police, in the end he shook his head and threw his hands in the air apologetically, we walked out the bus terminal feeling rather dejected.

Al Baraka Bank, Damascus, July 2010

As we were contemplation on our next move, a chubby young man with an neat attire standing behind the bonnet of a yellow Damascus taxi caught my eyes, he was checking the engine of his taxi and gave us a casual glance as we walked pass. The young man has kind eyes and possessed a quiet mannerism, he projected an air of tranquilness contrasting to the chaos we had just experienced.

Something told me this man will help us so I asked my travel companion to approach him; we could use a taxi to to get us out of there, perhaps to retrieve our passports from our accommodation and try again.

For a taxi driver, the young man commanded reasonably good English and after a short fare negotiation, he agreed to take us all the way to Tartus. But first, he must change car at his cousin's, which is nearby, because his taxi was not in a good condition for a long drive. He introduced himself as Mohammad.

The Neighbourhood, July 2010

The neighbourhood where Mohammad's cousin live was full of shadow, dusty, discarded shopping bags and plastic bottle all over the ground, there was not a spot of greenery in sight yet the place gave me a feeling that people care about where they live, it had a cozy feel to it.

Mohammad instructed us to wait inside the taxi while he checks with his cousin about the car.

I got out of the taxi to look for a pharmacy, hoping to buy some band-aid for my blisters. Perhaps it was still early, not many shops were opened, near where we waited was a butcher where fresh meat hanging off a hook, there were flies everywhere, as well as a tiny kitten under the butcher's table scavenging whatever that fell on the ground.

Salhiyeh, Damascus, July 2010

Across the road was a shop I don't really know what it was selling, I approached an old man inside the shop pointing to my blisters, he pointed me to a store a couple of doors down and shouted something in Arabic to the people inside, most likely telling them what I needed as one of them came out of the store to greet me with a pack of band-aid.

A few minutes later Mohammad returned cheerily to inform us that his cousin has agreed to lent him his car, however, the younger brother of the cousin must accompany us. I've got a feeling the cousin didn't trust Mohammad to drive his newish late model red sport car all the way so he sent his little brother, Ahmad, along, the cousin also wanted a take in the fare which we agreed to pay an extra SYR1000 for the arrangement.

Defence Walls

The idea of an escort did not seem to bother Mohammad a bit, his eyes lit up like an excited child as he climbed into the driver's seat of his cousin's car, exploring all the gadgets and compartments with a child-like innocence. I think that was partly the reason why his cousins insisted on the escort, perhaps they were afraid that we would take advantage of Mohammad's naiveness.

The initial plan was for Mohammad to drive us back to our accommodation, which is about 40 minutes from Damascus to pick up our passports and then onto Tartus, but Mohammad had to run an errand on behalf of his cousin to bring his aunts their passports so they can travel to the neighbouring Lebanon for business. The passports were to be dropped off at the Syrian Expo Center near Damascus Airport, which is located at the other side of the city. With much time passed, we all agreed not bother with the passports, let's step head straight to the Qala'at, hurray!

Secret Passage

Thanks to the restoration effort by the French, the Qala'at was every bit the fantasy Crusader castle I have imagined - deep watery moat, thick defence wall, vaulted corridors, stone steps descend into dark underground chambers or cisterns, mysterious escape tunnel - awesome cannot even described my feeling. The best thing was that one could explore the Qala'at without restrictions, unlike historic ruins in Europe, it was enter at my own risk should I wish to check out where the dark underground steps lead to.

Courtyard

Before entering the Qala'at, an earnest looking Mohammad came up to us to say we must have his mobile phone number in case we couldn't find him later, it was very thoughtful of him and it was something either me or my travel companion have thought about. I couldn't explain it but I felt Mohammad's intentions were good and pure, his gesture made me realised that he regarded us as his guests and he took care of us as if we were his responsibility. I didn't doubt for a second that was what Mohammad is, a sweet and gentle human being with not a single wicked bone in his body.

Even till now I don't believe I have met anyone that is as genuine, sincere and most kind like Mohammad.

Outer Yard

The Syrian civil war broke out less than a year after I departed, each time I hear about the awful civilian casualty on the news, I thought about Mohammad and the people I met in Syria. I wanted to contact Mohammad but am afraid that it would do him more harm than good, as I suspect all communications would be monitored by the secret police, the only thing I could do is to pray for his safety, as well as the safety of his loved ones, and not let the carnage take away this man's goodness. I hope my prayers are heard.

Beautiful Strangers - Part II: Street Dogs from my Travel

Previous: Beautiful Strangers - Part I

Outside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey, July 2010

This beautiful puppy, possibly a German Shepherd, was sleeping on the road near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, not exactly the safest place to snooze yet there it was, sleeping so peacefully. Why is a dog this beautiful and young out on the street? If I live in Istanbul I would have taken this little puppy home already.

Banteay Srei, Cambodia, September 2010

This lone dog was seen hanging around the Bantaey Srei temple, part of Cambodia's Angkor complex, it is strange to only see a stray as usually outside these temples there would be more. It has interesting marking on its eye and I like the faint dots all over its body. The dog didn't give me a friendly feel so I kept a respectful distance.

Fisherman Village, Koh Samui, Thailand, October 2012

Like Batty, Dog lives in the hotel next door to mine on Fisherman's Village at Bophut Beach on Koh Samui, I don't think he belonged to the hotel officially but the hotel staff let him sleep there and feed him.

I met Dog when I took a dip in the small hotel pool, he stuck his head out from the bush that separate the two hotels and let out a bark at me. Perhaps the sound of my splashing woke him from his slumber? I called him and he came, that was when the nickname Dog got stuck. Dog was cautious at first but was happy for me to pat him and play, he particularly love chasing after baby coconuts.

Dog usually play on the beach with his buddies in the afternoon - a skinny yellow girl and a black Dachshund mix puppy, from nearby streets or hotels - it was a real joy to watch happy dogs running free. They'd play the game of tag with one another along the beach, digging for crabs or just madly digging, and sometimes can be seen climbing onto the deck chairs to snooze. Yellow Girl was happy for me to pat her but Puppy wasn't so sure, always running away when I approach.

I took this photo on my final day on the island, Dog was eating the breakfast dog biscuits which I bought from the nearby 7-Eleven, as a farewell gift I suppose. I also noticed he sustained an injury to his eye, which wasn't there before, poor baby, it looked painful... I think Dog will be ok, thank you, Dog, for being my friend.

Next: Beautiful Strangers - Part III

Beautiful Strangers - Part I: Street Dogs from my Travel

Street dogs roused my curiosity with their quest for survival in harsh urban environments - why are they there, how do they live, where did they come from and where will they go, who is looking out for them, when is their time up...

While I can't answer these questions, I try to befriend street dogs when possible and forge a friendship in the short amount of time that we share. I want my new friends to know there is someone in the world that love them and will be thinking about them, that they are not alone.

Here are their stories:

Viña del Mar, Chile, June 2007

I saw this beautiful stray on the pavement while walking along the waterfront in Viña, it was Winter and I was uncomfortable walking around with the wind constantly roaring in my ears. I just want to huddle up indoors but there it was, a dog sleeping soundly, outside. I had to fight an overwhelming urge to touch the dog, instead, I took a photo.

From the way the dog slept, I think it was trying to warm itself with its hind leg tucking under its body, I haven't seen this sleeping position before yet he dog was sleeping so peacefully I figured it must feel relatively safe and the unusual position must have been comfortable.

Viña del Mar, Chile, June 2007

Another beautiful stray in Viña. In fact, almost all the strays I saw in the area are so good looking I wonder if they were all former pets which left to roam the streets and fend for themselves when their owners no longer want them.

Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand, September 2008

This collie looking stray was hanging around the small shopping strip at Kata Beach while I was holidaying in Phuket, it was friendly and looks like the locals are caring for the dog. Again, I wouldn't be surprised if this dog was a former pet as it is too pretty to be from the street. Thailand is the best country to be a stray dog, from my observations, the Thais are the kindest to strays comparing to other Asian countries.

Batty, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, February 2010

I nicknamed this friendly boy Batty because his mask-like marking on his head. Batty lives at the neighbouring hotel to where I stayed, the Novotel Bora Bora Beach Resort, he seem to have an access all area pass as he often sun himself on a deck chair by the pool, hanging around the resort's beachfront playing with hotel guests, lazing on the steps leading to the resort's restaurant in the evening and barking at other strays outside the main entrance of the resort.

Batty unofficially belonged to Novotel and I think the staff kept an eye out for the sweet natured stray, it was not the case when Batty venture across the territory to my hotel where the staff would shoo him away.

For the 2 days I befriended Batty he escorted me to the restaurant across the road from Novotel, patiently waiting while I dine, never once look at me with his sad doggy eyes like most dogs at dinner table. When encountered other strays, Batty let out warning bark as if to say stay away from my humans, I felt Batty was becoming fond of me and was protecting me.

Batty has some what look like battle scars all over his body, they are not pretty which make me wonder how he really lives, if someone or some dogs picking on him, it made me sad I can't protect him from harm. It also sadden me to know that for a dog that was born and live by the beach, Batty has a fear of the sea - he is happy to chase baby coconuts I throw along the beach but he will not go near the water.

At the end of my holidays, I shred silent tears as French Polynesia slowly disappeared from my air cabin window. I wish so much I could give Batty the love he craves and even better, a home, yet I can only give him my time and a piece of my heart.

I love you Batty and I will never forget you...

Next: Beautiful Strangers - Part II

Puppy Rescue in California by Hope For Paws

A heart warming story of the rescue of 3 three-months old puppies from their Californian roadside home by Mr Eldad Hagar of Hope For Paws, a Los Angeles based animal rescue ogranisation.

The puppies - Sydney, Mathilda and Gabriella - whose mother Gaia, gave birth after being abandoned on the highway, managed to raise the puppies in a roadside pipe with the help of 2 ladies. Unfortunately there was no happy ending for the mother as on the day of the rescue, Mr Hagar found her lying lifeless by an intersection after a hit and run accident.

The puppies were naturally scared due to the lack of contact with humans and took Mr Hagar more than 6 hours to coax and pull them out of their hiding place, however love is a wonderful thing, in the second video all three were happily and affectionately playing with their human minders. They are now waiting for a home at Bill Foundation.

Thank you for sharing Hope For Paws and Bill Foundation! Always remember - save a life, give a rescued dog a home!

Minazo and His Bucket

Minazo the seal and his famous blue bucket

I admit I was slightly obsessed after coming across E.T the talented Walrus in my previous post, I also found the above photo, featuring Minazo the Southern Elephant Seal and his famous blue bucket.

At first I couldn't believe what I saw and thought this must be the result of Photoshopping but I managed to find more information - Minazo lived and performed for a decade in an aquarium near Tokyo but sadly passed away in 2005.

The below is some sort of obituary published by Japan Times on 7 October 2005.

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) Minazo, Japan's largest seal, died this week having charmed visitors for 10 1/2 years at Enoshima Aquarium in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, aquarium officials said.

The 11-year-old male, 4.5-meters long and weighing about 2 tons, was the largest seal ever raised by a Japanese aquarium. The animal died Tuesday after its appetite began to rapidly weaken the day before, officials said. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Minazo was brought to Japan from Uruguay in 1995. The seal soon mastered a variety of comical feats, including a popular stunt in which he held a bucket with one flipper while sticking out his tongue.

Minazo quickly rose to stardom at the aquarium, where his three shows a day proved a hit with visitors.

The aquarium has set up a space in front of Minazo's water tank to allow visitors to leave flowers in Minazo's memory, the officials said.

I felt a mild sense of loss to have missed meeting this amazing creature by 8 years, on the other hand, I am aware that it was for human's entertainment that ultimately drove Minazo to his grave by wearing him down with frequent and demanding performances. The typical life-span of an Elephant Seal is 22 years.

RIP Minazo the bucket seal, thanks for leaving us with your wonderful images showcasing your quirky ways.

E.T the Talented Walrus

I have never seen one before but always was curious, now Walrus made it to my Top Ten loveable animal list, click PLAY and you will see why! Simply adorable and the facial expression priceless!

Thanks to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington, for sharing this clip!

It's Time To Go... (Evicted!)

The saying Home is where the heart is rings true when I received my second ever eviction notice in my life. It was met with disbelief at first and when reality sunk in, my first thought was OMG I am going be homeless, following by what's going to happen to me, where am I going to live, what is going to happen to my things...

ARGH, the joy of eviction!

Living in a country where the law is pro-landlord, I assume I am not alone being caught in this unfortunate situation. No matter how long the lease is signed, the landlords of Australia have the right to kick you out at any time with any excuses that suit them, they will serve you the correct eviction notice of course but that doesn't make things any better for the tenants.

It is not like I have not been the ideal tenant - rents are paid on time, property kept clean and treating it as if my own, fixing faults on walls and cupboards out of my expanses, taking great care not to ruin the floorboard and not bothering the real estate agent unless it is absolutely necessary. Eviction is what I've got!

For someone who has never been evicted will never know what it feels to not have a place where you can call home, a home for me is a place of where you can park all your anxiety, troubles, dangerous elements of the outside world at the door and be embraced by the feeling of warmth, comfort and security once through the door.

Living in a rented property is like borrowing time and the eviction notice is like terrorist attack for you'll never know when notices like these come. Yes I have liken landlords to terrorists, in this sense, the notice shook me to the core and left me shattered, the wound is easier to disguise but the effect is almost the same.

To rub salt to the wound, Winter is when the rental listing is the lowest, thus, the worst time for flat hunting, there's not much I can do but to start packing. I hate my landlord.

La propriété, c'est le vol!

When Friendship Break Up

After reading an article online about How it Feels to be Dumped by a Friend, I couldn't help but think of all the close friendships I have had over the years and wonder why I don't hear from these friends anymore, what went wrong with our friendships and why did it end the way it did?

While there have been many open discussions when romantic relationship ends, being dumped by friends are not often openly talked about, with friends. It is almost a social taboo even though the pain one feels when a friendship ends can be the same as being dumped by a lover.

I remember my first ever experience of being dumped, a primary school friend whose name and face I can no longer recall came up to me and declared she doesn't want to be my friend anymore. I remember thinking along the line of do you really had to tell me that?, I was more puzzled than hurt and was too young to dwell on it, but the memory stayed.

The first time I was truly hurt by being dumped came in my first year of high school, my best friend and I fought over a pen we found in an empty classroom, I can't remember who kept the prized find but my friend ignored me when we saw each other in class the next day and at the end of that day, she quietly told me that she vowed to never to speak to me again.

After that experience I didn't keep a best friend throughout my high school years.

One would think these experiences leave you when you grew out of your teenage years but no, I've been dumped during uni by friends who preferred their new boyfriends to me. Nothing was said, they simply just disappeared from my life and social circle, curling up in the blissful matrimony of a new relationship. Curiously, these fade-away friendship did not affect me as much as when someone declaring their contempt to my face.

I've also been dumped for giving good intended advice on a friend's relationship, as I simply cannot standby and watch my friend wasting her time and life away with someone she does not, and will not, love. In the end, she shut me out. As foreseen, the relationship did not last; I wonder if my lack of restrain was to blame, or my friend simply did not want to hear the truth. Whatever it was, I have lost a wonderful friendship.

More recently I have been dumped for, what I understood to be, suggesting a new date for a lunch appointment because I was busy on the requested date (removed as a Friend on Facebook), changing a lunch appointment (not picking up my calls or replying to my emails) and talking too much about offering to train a misbehaving pet (cold shoulder treatment the last time we met and never heard from again).

These behaviour came across as petty as well as immature, it doesn't cease to amaze me how fully grown adults can behave like school kids.

When friendship ends, I resent the fact that I couldn't talk about these hurt with mutual friends, these attempts were often met with awkward silence and blank stare. I get the fact that people tend to shy away from conflicts, yet it is seen as socially acceptable talk about a trashy ex lover rather than an ex friend.

At the end of the day I just have to accept life is a journey of delicate balance, especially dealing with my fellow human beings, a little bit of everything is good, too much of a good thing is bad when it is gone.