Philips SHE1350 in-ear headphones

Quite a few years ago, I decided that I needed a new pair of in-ear headphones for listening to the MP3s stored on my phone. So I went down to Mustafa’s and bought these Philips SHE1350 in-ear headphones and have never looked back since. I paid about $5 for them and they are worth every singe cent I paid for them. One thing I like about them is that they are pretty good and clear, and there is a port for air to escape,very much like a bass-reflex speaker. I have used them on my mobile phone, a voice recorder and even on a big mixing desk. They do the job and work fine after all these years. So if you want a good pair of long-lasting in-ear headphones, get these. I mean for the price you pay for them, you just cannot go wrong.

How Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce is made

I did a post a few days back on how Tabasco sauce is made. While watching that documentary, I decided to do a search on how Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce is made as well. It is quite interesting. I use Lea & Perrins on burgers when I make them. My wife has a recipe of making a real kick-as steak sauce with Lea & Perrins, mixed with balsamic vinegar and garlic. I did not know that one key ingredient of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce are anchovies. I did not know they included malt vinegar as well! Love these documentaries. They make me hungry too!

King Of Kings evaporated milk

My family is fond of having tea in the evenings, around 4pm. That is when we break out the tea and biscuits as a family and enjoy them, talking about all sorts of topics. For milk, we use King Of Kings evaporated milk. My Mum was partial to Carnation evaporated milk but it seems to have lost the plot. King of Kings is now our favourite to pour into our tea and coffee, and also on our jelly. So if you are having tea, get a tin of this delicious evaporated milk and you will get hooked.

Wahyu Brand Power sambal belacan

I love sambal belacan but I do not know how to make it. In case you all are wondering what it is, it is a Malay condiment made with fresh red chilies, lime juice, salt and sugar. During Christmas, my cousin had a bottle of this at her house and we all added it to our fried rice at lunch at her place. It tasted so good that we asked her for the recipe. She said that she used this brand named Wahyu Brand Sambal Belacan Power! So I asked her where she bought it from and she told me that she bought it from a shop in Bedok. So if you all ever see this, get a bottle. I promise you…you will not regret it!

Old switch in office ceiling

I saw this image posted in one of the Facebook groups that I belong to. Now believe it or not, I have seen anomalies like these before. Network switches like this D-Link switch get installed in the most bizarre of places. In this case, it was installed in the ceiling by the looks of it. These switches just keep going and going and people will soon forget where they are, at least until something goes wrong. Then there will be a frenzied hunt to solve network connection issues, with people forgetting that there is a switch in the ceiling. It reminds me about something I read on the Internet years ago named Server 54: Where are you? Can you imagine that Netware server running all those years without a reboot? Boggles the mind eh? But then again, they do not make stuff like they used to…and that is a sad fact.

United Airlines UA238 has engine failure over Denver

Picture this. You are at the airport and are leaving on holiday. I know it is not going to happen soon in this Covid-19 ravaged world of ours now. But just close your eyes and imagine. You are at the airport. All the familiar smells and sounds of the airport and the feeling of excitement, knowing that your holiday is just beginning. You walk to the boarding gate to get on the plane when you board it and are waiting for it to take off, you feel the elation rise. When the plane takes off, you feel great. Now picture yourself looking out of the airplane at the scenery and then seeing this…an engine on fire!

That is what happened to a United Airlines Boeing 777 that suffered catastrophic engine failure. Apparently, the FAA want to ground all these aircraft to find out the reason for this. This engine disintegrated and parts were raining below. Check out the news clip below.

Mississippi by Tracy Huang

I remember when I was a young kid, Dad had a cassette tape of Tracy Huang. We used to go on drives and he would play the cassette in the car. I remember this song well because he personally loved it. He would drum with his fingers on the steering wheel when this song was playing. Dad passed away 16 years ago. Every-time I hear this song, and some others he liked, I always think of him. Thanks Tracy.

Casement window stays

I want to get casement window stays like these but unfortunately, nobody carries them anymore. These are for my mother’s house in which the wooden windows have the old-style casement stays. The pins have broken off quite a few of them because of age. Problem is I do not know which place I can buy these things from. Looks like I have to carry on looking or think of an alternative.

How Tabasco Sauce is made

I love watching all these “how-it’s-made” videos and I always share them regularly on this blog. In this one, this is how Tabasco Sauce is made. I have been eating Tabasco sauce with my pizzas for years and it is only know that I find out how it is made. I never knew that the mashed peppers were fermented in barrels for three years, as shown in this video. Very, very interesting.

Beef stew recipe

When I saw this beef stew picture from this site, I was hooked. maybe it is the morning and I just woke up. maybe I am hankering for a good dinner of beef stew. Whatever the reason, this pic just made my mouth water. These are the ingredients and method from Holly Nilsson, who came up with the recipe:

• 2 pounds stewing beef trimmed and cubed
• 3 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 6 cups beef broth
• ½ cup red wine optional
• 1 pound potatoes peeled and cubed
• 4 carrots cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 stalks celery cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 sprig fresh
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• ¾ cup peas

This is the method of how you make it:

• Combine flour, garlic powder and salt & pepper. Toss beef in flour mixture.
• Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot. Cook the beef and onions until browned.
• Add beef broth and red wine while scraping up any brown bits in the pan.
• Stir in all remaining ingredients except for peas, cornstarch and water. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer 1 hour or until beef is tender (up to 90 minutes).
• Mix equal parts cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Slowly add the slurry to the boiling stew to reach desired consistency (you may not need all of the slurry).
• Stir in peas and simmer 5-10 minutes before serving . Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Beef stew meat is often made from the ends of different cuts of beef. If your beef is not tender after 60 minutes, cover and allow to simmer an additional 15-20 minutes or until tender.

So there you go. Thanks Holly Nilsson for making my mouth water with this! Will certainly give this recipe a try!