Croatian Products in Singapore?

Before I left Singapore, my cousins told me that the NSmen in Singapore are getting new uniforms and look a little more different than the ones they are used to for so long.

And when I chanced upon an article on Javno.com, I realised the new uniforms might actually be a Croatian export. Hm... I wonder if anyone can confirm this?

Here's the article for those interested in this news.

Did they go?

Remember my previous post regarding the protest against the Croatian PM Ivo Sanader? Were you curious if anyone did turn up for the event across the country despite of yesterday's horrible weather?

Yes, and you can see it on the image that we've taken off the TV (oops). But the number that were interested in this event on the Facebook group amounted to more than tens of thousands, the actual number that attended the event in various towns.. Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Osijek... was only a few thousand in total. Mostly youths who were really unhappy with the current state in the country.

So this event did not cause any major harm to the PM's political seat. He is still sitting comfortably there waiting for the next election. Well.. I'm just an outsider. What can I say?

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Wonder how Croatian Christmas Songs sound like? Well.. let me give you an idea. Imagine the English versions but translated into Croatian.

So here's an example... "Jingle Bells" will go something like this:
"Zvončići, zvončići, zvone cjelu noć..." which is translated as "Little Bells, little bells, ringing through the night...".

That's it. Hope you are having a good time preparing for Christmas!

How do you get 10,000 people to hate you?

It is 11,400 registered users to be exact. This has got to be the most interesting piece of news that I've ever seen on Javno.com (a news portal in both Croatian and English). Apparently, there is a registered group on Facebook calling for 10,000 haters of Ivo Sanader (the Croatian PM) to join it. The end result was more than what the administrator of the group expected. 11,400 users joined it. There was even a date for an official protest against the PM. The PM was furious of course and called this an act against the government. Now I wonder how many will turn out for the protest this week?

Here's the news link for those interested individuals!

International airports

Well.. coming from a country that boasts one of the world's best airport, I always have pretty high expectations of any airport that is ranked an "international airport". Sad to say, the Zagreb Pleso Airport which is located on the outskirts of Zagreb (Velika Gorica) is closer to that of Pula airport that serves low budget airlines than one that hosts international flights in and out of Croatia.

First of all, the route to the airport is badly marked. We were driving around Zagreb centar looking for the sign of a plane. We had to ask around and after 20 minutes of driving out of ZG did we see an sign of airplanes.

Next, the airport charges exhorbitant prices for parking..15 kn (approx. 1,30 GBP) for one hour. Rip off!

There were only a few small planes at the airport. One departure and arrival gate were designated for international flights. And only One check-in counter for international flight was opened. What's next? Really rude customs officers. And a Bombardier?! What on earth is a Bombardier... well.. look outside your flight window and you can see the propeller! Something new for me! Not to mention half the flight was empty. Repeated announcements in Croatian concerning the usage of mobile phones (with emphasis on Blackberry!?). Though I have to point out the service crew were pretty commendable. I did get catch a few eye-rolling from the stewardess and steward when I attempted my limited Croatian but they did try to squeeze a smile. *Applause*

I do hope this airport gets a little more touch ups. Who says small airports are all bad?

Some quirky things about Croatia - Nothing is free!

Just one to start off with. Look at the receipt from MacDonald's in Croatia really carefully. Notice something strange? Yes, if you dine at MacDonald's in Croatia, you will have to pay 2 kns (equivalent to 20 GB pence) for a pack of Ketchup. The same applies for Mayonnaise, BBQ sauce and all the other condiments.

This is our first time in MacDonald's here. It is so scary how no one cares that they are overcharged or charged for something that don't exist elsewhere in the world!

And to end off somemore quirky things about this land, if you ever travel to the south of Croatia in summer, be prepared to pay 100 kns for a plate of Fruit Salad. I'm telling you.. there are plenty of cases like this around here! So watch your pocket while on a Croatian "dream" holiday!!

Rijeka's Mayor

His name is Vojko Obersnel and he has been serving this town for three terms (ending next year). Because of this hardworking Mayor (who resembles Family Guy the cartoon), this town has seen many projects completed and new ones springing up like mushrooms all over it! The most significant has got to be the Rijeka-Zagreb highway. The government here is well known for being slow in the construction of anything in this country. So the Mayor of Rijeka took pictures of crowded Rijeka road and sent it to the relevant offices constructing the highway EVERY single day. Yes.. imagine how this irritated the hell out of the people in the offices! Good job!

The most amazing thing is I found his Blog. In Singapore, one will never find a Mayor or blog belonging to any MP (Member of Parliament). Don't ask me why. And in his Blog which unfortunately is written in Croatian, he wrote posts about the upcoming projects in Rijeka. His love for the town. And he even answered any comments left by his citizens on his Blog. That is such a wonder to see. The Mayor listening to his citizens!!! Without further ado, here is Obi's Blog for your pleasant viewing!

Travelling to Croatia

Just a little travel information for those who have this urge to pop by this country called Croatia. This is one thing that you need to do before you can travel in peace in Croatia. No joke. Don't say that I didn't tell you!!

To all travellers travelling to Croatia:
Please report to your local police station with the owner of the property (if you are staying at a private accommodation as opposed to hotels) and the relevant papers within 24 hours of your arrival in Croatia (if you reach anytime after 6pm please report early next morning at 7am). Or else face a fine of 500kn (1EUR=7,1Kn) if you are stopped by any police officer. You can also be detained at the police station until further notice and BANNED from entering Croatia ever again.

So please take note!!!

Ramadan time

Here's to all my Muslim friends who are celebrating the end of Ramadan.

Why do I choose this topic today? Well.. I haven't been keeping track with this important month for the Islamic religion ever since I left Singapore. Not that there aren't any Muslims in Croatia but I believe they belong to the minority (Bosnian Muslims). There are no mosques like one would see in Singapore. (In Singapore, one can find a Muslim Mosque, Indian Temple and Christian Church on the same street and even side by side.)

It's odd not to hear prayers like I used to when I was living in the northern part of Singapore where the Muslim population is more dominant. It's odd not to hear someone telling us not to eat in their presence when they are fasting.

For my part of the town, the Mayor has plans to build a Mosque for the Muslim minorities. This must be a big step for the Muslim population in Croatia which has been ignored for ages.

To end my post, well wishes for all Muslims out there. In Singapore, the end of Ramadan is celebrated by the important Hari Raya Puasa! So Selamat Hari Raya Puasa!! :)

Change of Season!

Yeap the Autumn is here. No more Summer weather where the heat is enough to melt my skin even indoors. The Bura is back. Those chilly and piercing winds that have started to gain momentum over here and making a comeback. Time for me to pack up my Summer clothes and replace them with all the jackets to keep myself really warm.

Guess my body is still adjusting to the change in temperatures from 30s to 15 degrees Celsius this week. Over in Zagreb area, the lowest temperatures can go as low as 7 degrees C. Really cold in my opinion especially when accompanied by the notorious Bura.

All right. For those of you who are living in the temperates like me, take care of yourself. I need to nurse my cold too.

There's a fire! Come quick!

This happened about two weeks ago. And I almost forgot about it till I saw the picture again today. It was late at night sometime after 1am on a Sunday morning. We all decided to retire to bed after a really long night of chatting. We had two mates who flown in all the way from Australia and were staying over at ours for a couple of nights.

The balcony is situated right outside our bedroom window. And usually we do not lower the shutters (yeah the window shutters as I call it) all the way, making sure to leave a small gap at the bottom for ventilation. I sleep on the side of the bed right next to the window. Just as I was putting my head down to my pillow, I caught a sudden sweet smell coming from somewhere. It smelled like something was burnt. I was making a joke about someone burning cakes in the middle of the night.

The smell did not go away... so me and my fiance did a thorough search to make sure that there was nothing burning in our flat. Nope. So I drew the shutters and I saw smoke.. not lots of it.. but puffs of smoke coming from somewhere below. We headed straight for the balcony and stuck our heads out for check for any source of fire. Nope. But we could see more smoke and really strong smell of something burning.

What happened next was.. my frantic fiance rang up the fire department. Within minutes, two fire engines and about 10 firemen got out of them with equipment and all pulled up below our building. 5 of them dashed them with a water hose. One came into our flat to check out the smoke. When the source was identified, the firemen sprinted down the stairs and we could hear a loud hacking sound. Like someone breaking down the door.. Minutes later, we heard the firemen shouting at an old lady (in Croatian): "Do not do this in the future! It's dangerous!"

What we understood was.... we alerted the entire fire department that night. Thank goodness that they were the most efficient firemen ever seen and their professionalism (all equipped) even though we told them we only saw smoke and no fire. We had a good laugh as we felt silly for causing the false alarm. But who knows....

Croatia foods: Fresh Yeast

Being a baker, the yeast is my best friend. And when it comes to yeast, no other instant yeast can compare to fresh yeast.

Here in my new homeland, Croatia, fresh yeast (yeah homegrown in Croatia) comes in neat little cubes as small as 40g. Unlike fresh yeast in most countries that are only comes in 1kg blocks. For domestic bakers like me, 40g is a nice size as I break it up into quarters for each bread.

I still have not found the plains where this particular brand of yeast is from but I will post it here once I got it unless there are some kind souls out there who can help me out?

Pears are also known as Kruška

Got my blogging momentum back, here's a post to introduce more Croatian produce to the English speaking world. And to make up to those, my dear readers of this blog, for the lack of posts here.

Those featured in the picture above is a smaller version of what we usually find in Singapore. They are known as Mala Ljetna Kruškica or Little Summer Pears. Most of the fruits in Croatia are sold by weight. These little pears sometimes come in punnets too. For a pear this small, I would expect it to be sourish. On the contrary, it is actually pretty sweet and juicy with a slight tang to it. But there isn't much of it due to its petiteness.

In Croatia, there are many types of pears. This is the first time I'm seeing Summer Pears. The usual pears that one can find in Croatian supermarkets are slightly more longish than its counterparts on Singapore shelves. The other close cousin of the pear that is common in UK.. the Quince is also a favourite in Croatia (see my older posts). You can get that probably in the autumn.

For Croatians, almost all fruits can be made into some kind of brandy or schnapps or eau de vie. Poire de William which is a popular pear liqueur in France where the pear is grown in the bottle is not that unique afterall once you see the Croatian shelf of fruit liqueurs. The Croatian equivalent of Pear liqueur is known as Kruškovac. Its chrome yellowish alcoholic content is simply sweet without a hint of pear. Though you can tastes its fruit origin. There is also a kind of Pear Vodka too.

With all said and done, do remember to pop by for more Croatian specialties!

Why isn't Croatia featured on Travel and Living?

I was on Skype with my mum this afternoon. We were chatting about the usual stuff and I was telling her about Croatia. She popped a question: "Why wasn't Croatia featured on Travel channel?" My mum subscribed to Channel16 on CableTV in Singapore. And her love for seeing new places is now satisfied through the tube temporarily till her next adventure. She was following the program .. I'm not sure which one as a matter of fact... the host travelled throughout Austria, Italy and then Hungary. In my mum's words, "Everywhere around this region except for Croatia!"

I found this a strange phenomenon that most TV programmes chose not to travel to Croatia. A relatively unexplored country with a gorgeous Adriatic coastline. Boasting one of the most hospitable people on earth. Not to mention the abundant Mediterranean sunshine!!

I'm not doing a commercial for Croatia Tourism. But I asked myself the same question :Why is there a lack of Singaporeans travelling to Croatia? I scratched my head and came up with a few conclusions.

First, Croatia is still not featured on one of the "Hip" travel destinations yet. No tour agencies in Singapore has Croatia on its itinerary. If one travelled here, he will not be able to "show off" his latest adventure as no one's been here.

Second, I guess it has to be the main reason..Croatia is relatively "unknown" or unfamiliar in the Far East. Many of my mates even my relatives questioned if it's safe to travel here alone. For goodness sake, I (who lived in London for 3 years) think that it's far safer than the English capital!

Last reason.. or before I could come up with another...the lack of knowledge means it's hard to figure out how to get around this country which is pretty huge as compared to Singapore. Frankly, my two mates did not have any difficulty getting around Rijeka town during their two weeks' stay on their own. Buses are pretty easy to find and on time. One can catch a coach to another town or city at one of the town's autobus station. Trains are well connected too. Well.. for the locals, we love our cars. Hop on one and we can go anywhere in a day!

So what's stopping you from visiting this country? Drop me an email and I'll gladly offer you travel advice anyday. Hope to see you around. Bok!

Another cup of coffee from Croatia!

Been busy travelling all over the Istrian coast with my mates.... here's a nice cup of coffee with cream. Kava sa šlagom that you can order in Croatia! Enjoy!

A forgotten entry!

I was supposed to do this post yesterday. All right.. I didn't really know.. so I was forgiven. To make the long story short, it was Croatia's Independence Day yesterday. 17 years since they split form Yugoslavia and the war started soon after.

Nevermind about the depressing history. It's great to know that this "young" country is doing well and fine right now. Hopefully prosperity follows right after peace!

Happy *belated* Independence Day Hrvatska (25,06)!

Football 2 : Nogomet 0

It's Football season! Yeap it's the Euro 2008 and you can't possibly miss it if you are in Croatia. How is that possible? Well.. you can catch the results of every single match especially those that Croatian team is playing on every media. Newspapers, Radio and of course Television news.

How do Croatians demonstrate their love for the game? They fly tiny Croatian flags or huge Croatian flags on their cars and even scooters. Most of them are half drunk before the game. So you'll see plenty of rowdy behaviour around.

How to avoid the Football Fever? Stay at home. Rent a DVD. There's little chance you won't catch a glimpse or mention of any game if you watch the free Croatian channels (RTL, HRT1&2, Nova). In every caffee bar, the seats are filled. Even for those caffee bars with the tiniest TV sets, someone will be there watching and cheering the Croatian team.

All right time to go soon for the latest match Germany vs Croatia. Have fun cheering and don't forget your Laško!

Croatia - my new home for 9 months

How should I introduce Croatia to everyone reading my Blog for the first time or repeat visitors? I should introduce a typical day in Croatia.

Most of the Croatians start work really early each morning. From as early as 730am and finish work at 330pm or later. Nope, unfortunately most of them do not have the luxury of the so called "Lunch Breaks" in this country. Probably not even heard of. Some companies might have a "Breakfast Break" while most of the rest just hang in there till after work.

What is the most common sight in Croatia? Mass of people sitting in caffee bars. Yeap, every caffee has a liqueur license so they carry a wide range of alcoholic drinks. From the Croatian's favourite Rakija to Beers. Expect small cups of coffee served very Italian espresso style. For your more familiar Starbucks coffee, ask for Nescafe in a mug. With the coming hot summer, more Croats will be lazing around in these caffee bars whole day as these outlets open as early as 7am and shut at 12 midnight. No food is served. Sorry. You have to head to the nearest fast food outlet (McDonald's is a rare sight) or pizza cut.

Not many dine out at restaurants. So it's usually reserved for foreigners or big groups. The prices of a typical meal in Croatian restaurant can set you back a hefty SGD60 each. So Croats pretty much prefer their mums' homecooked.

Beaches are only littered with sunbathers around this time of the year. Most Croats can sit and tan for hours in the sun. A common European sight I suppose?


What do the youngsters in Croatia do? They attend schools. Hang out in the centre of town after school. Unlike in Singapore, school children do not frequent caffees. They just hang out elsewhere and play instead of sitting and lazing in caffees which is an activity reserved for the unemployed and pensioners.

So as you can pretty much figure out at this point that the whole Croatian culture is really laid-back. There is never hurry to finish the road works that they started. No hurrying to another tuition centre. No rushing for appointments. Everyone is chill and relaxed. Ah.. moj život (my life)!

Sunny sunny Days!

Well.. I shouldn't be complaining too much about sunny weather since I was so depressed over the miserable and cold Winter.

It is the second day in a row that we are getting sneak previews of the coming Summer weather. I told everyone back home in Singapore and everyone couldn't believe that Croatia can have similar scorching weather as Singapore. Yeap we are experiencing the 30's here!! Hot!

At least we can jump into the sea sometime soon. Can't wait! Travel plans this year include the nice Croatian beaches and islands! Yipee!!!

Another strange phenomenon (which is no longer strange for me) is the Croatians' need to suntan when the sun's out. Oh gosh at this burning rate, I wonder why many here have skin cancer?! In Singapore, you will be considered insane if you want to suntan anywhere. We avoid direct exposure in the sun as much as possible. Probably that's the biggest difference between Europeans and Singaporeans? We get dark naturally and there's no need to hit the solariums. Eekks.. no way.

So take care of your skin in the sun.. while I continue to hide in the shade of my computer.

Oh no.. not again!

That was the complaint I heard from my fiance and his mates when they saw the news report last night. Yeap.. the price of petrol has gone up *yet again* for the countless (we lost count) times this year. Forget what the politician said about no increase in petrol prices.. what crap.

I can't really remember the exact prices of petrol. I knew that petrol is about 9,5 kn (about 2,74 Singapore Dollars) per litre. That's really expensive. My fiance used to comment on how cheap petrol prices are in Singapore relative to Europe. But hey.. cars are astronomically priced in Singapore!!

Oh and not to mention, diesel costs more than petrol now!

Time to tie up our purse strings and travel less.

Total peace

Who cares if it's pouring or sunshine out there? My cat is too happily sleeping. He understands the meaning of True Peace. Have a good weekend!

English words in Croatia 2

Well as if the Faxiranje is not enough to amuse an English speaker like me... you can also SCANIRANJE your documents at the same location!!

If you are hungry, why don't you pop down to the fast food joint for a ČIZBURGER (Cheeseburger)? Sounds delicious to you?

And of course the most common swear word in every language has the Croatian version of IDIOTSKA (pardon my language)! Fantastično!

Be back for more!

Croatian version of English words (1)

Hm.. hope you'll find this little section interesting. I constantly amuse myself reading all the words that I thought were originally English but given a whole new meaning in Croatian.

Here are a few today:

Faxranje : Faxing service

Hardver / Softver : Hardware /Software (pronounced in Croatian)

Kompjuter : Computer

All right... stay tuned for more words!!

Sretan Majčin Dan!

To all the lovely majke in Croatia and worldwide, have a happy day!!!

Don't forget to get down to your local supermarket before it shuts at 1500 for you Mother's day special offers! Probably your son might be on his way home from the woods plucking flowers for you right now. In the meantime, enjoy your žuja!

Thin White Line

Yes I'm talking about the clothes line! It is a concept that I have to get used to. Hanging my clothes on a line. Back home in Singapore, we are so used to our bamboo poles where we stick them outside the window once we've pegged our clothes. It's the same concept but my clothes don't suffer from the "cow chewing effect".

What's the "Cow Chewing Effect"? It's not a new term that I've come up with but rather a term that my fiance mentioned that they used in Croatia. If you hang your clothes on a clothes line, you'll understand it. When I hang wet clothes on a line, the movement of the T shirt on the string causes strain on the fabric. After I remove the T shirt from the line, I will see a distinctive "stretch mark " across the entire length of the T shirt where the two parts are divided. Looks like a cow just chewed on the top. Nice hur? If I decide to go out with those marks, I'll be the mockery of the whole town!

How I miss my Tek Kor (bamboo poles)!

Our little house in the woods!

All right for all those concerned readers of mine, here are some pictures of our little house. It's not a stunner but it is a wonderful cosy little house. And we are loving it.

Here it is!


A little space in front of our house. That's our neighbour's in the background!

Pivo!! We love Beers!

Oh yes. Croatians love beers too. It's not restricted to just Polish or English you know. Whenever you pop into a caffee bar, you'll sure to find a type of beer on the tap.

Sadly, Croatian beers are not good enough to earn themselves any world fame or markets beyond the region. But I do love the crisp and light Croatian beers.

What beers your will find in a typical caffee bar? On taps, Tuborg, Stella Artois, Budweiser (Czech) are the most common. In bottles, the Croatian favourites: Ožujsko, Laško are among the few.

When ordering beers in a caffee bar in Croatia from the tap, you'll have to use deciliter. For example, 5 dl = 0,5 l or 2 dl = 0,2 l.

And bravo! You can even get 1l of Croatian beers in plastic bottles for 1 pound! Cheap hur? The next size is 1.5l bottle. That's really neat. Though don't forget to keep your bottles (plastic or glass). You can always recycle them by selling them back to supermarkets for 50 lipa (5 pence) each.

That's all for beers! Cheers and živelj!

Trying our luck the second time

We're moving again. This time we will be better as it's near to summer. So expecting more sunshine. And yes, this house (not a flat) has more windows! And ample nature! Wish us luck! Pictures will come soon!

Clocks go forward in European region today!

For those of you in the European region, don't forget that your clocks need to be set one hour ahead from 1am today (30.3.08).
And for my dear Singaporeans back in Singapore who have no idea of what Daylight Saving Time (DST) as you all live at the equator, here is a rough explanation of it.
Generally speaking, due to the difference in the length of days in Summer and Winter (which varies more as you move towards the North or South Pole). Days grow longer when we are closer to Summer and shorter when we are approaching winter. For different regions on the earth, the days when the clock move forward (backward) differ too and it varies from year to year. Clocks move forward sometime in March and backward in October.
If you wish to read more and want to find out the rationale behind this confusing clock shifting habits, read this link.

Sunshine!! All smiles!

Beautiful weather here! Hope everyone is feeling great like I do!

Hello? Is anyone out there?

It's been slightly over 6 months. I can't help but feel really out of place most of the time being not able to speak the language in complete sentences (just 4 words maximum). I tried. I did but it's really hard to pick up this language, Hrvatska.
After months of leaving my name and location in every overseas singaporean venue that I came across online, I thought there is absolutely no Singaporean living in Croatia. Am I the only one? It couldn't be. Finally two days ago, a very kind lady informed me that there is indeed another lady living in the island of Hvar. I couldn't contain my excitement of contacting another Singaporean. I can't wait to see her or talk to her in person to get rid of this feeling of loneliness.
It's really not easy to leave one's homeland and live in another. I've tried London and that was much easier as there were not too many cultural differences between Singapore and UK. But for Croatia, it seems to me like another part of the world. Tucked away from everyone else and not bothering to keep up with the lifestyle of the modernised Western world.
I hope if there's more Singaporean in Croatia, please leave me a comment. Missing home can be so much easier if another familiar voice is close.

Croatia's fishes

Do you know that Croatia is a major exporter of Bluefin tuna to Japan? Bluefin Tuna is one of the most highly priced fish in Japan. This ends up at Sashimi on many Japanese restaurants worldwide.
I didn't have a chance to taste this famous fish. But I did have a chance to taste its cousins, Palamida (Atlantic Bonito) a couple of times. The raw meat is a pretty pale pink in colour. And while cooking, it does not turn your kitchen into a fishy hell. Its meat is so sweet but has slight resemblance to Tuna.
Recently Croatia's protected fishing zone (ZERP) has been abandoned to gain acceptance into EU. ZERP was initially introduced to protect overfishing in Croatia's Adriatic Sea. Now it's gone. I wonder how long I can enjoy even Palamida.

Sretan Uskrs!

Happy Easter to all of you reading this! Enjoy your nice roast lamb.

Spring is near!

Not weather again!! Well.. thought I should report some good news to those who hate cold like I do. Spring is here in Croatia. Although it doesn't mean the weather is not as cold, at least for one more week of chilly Bura. The flowers in Rijeka couldn't wait!

Cravat and Croatia

Ever wondered who invented the neckties? The Croatians did. The Croatian Military Boreder were caught fashioning a long strip of cloth or scarves around their necks. One of the most fashion-conscious kings of the 17th Century, Louis XIV took a special liking for this beautiful and more practical than the french laced collar. He started wearing it and soon the fashion caught on. The french word Croatie (Croatia) is actually a corruption of the Croatian word Cravat (where the fashion originated). To read more about this interesting history, you can check out this wikipedia link.

A little about the Croatian alphabets

I thought it will be interesting for you to know about the Croatian language as much as it is for me now. Here's a really short post about the alphabets in Croatian (Hrvatska) for you my readers.

• There are no w, q, x, y.
• The whole list consists of 30 alphabets.
• Croatian alphabets not found in English are: č ć š đ ž nj lj dž
• C sounds like Hanyu Pinyin in Chinese instead of English.
• č and ć are variations of "CH" in English.
• đ, ž and dž are variations of "J" in English.
• š is "SH" in English.

Hope you like this short introduction to Croatian language. Do come back again!

Croatians love meat.

And I'm not kidding. Their diet seem to consist of nothing else than beef, pork and lamb (or occasional chicken for the soups). You may have read somewhere that there are plenty of Riblji Restoran (Fish Restaurant) but in fact meat makes up 90% of a typical Croatian meal. Although I have to emphasize that each region have their own diets and the amount of meat on the table may be less than what I see in this region.
Besides the cheaper source of food being meat as compared to fish and also more widely available, hams and sausages can be found everywhere in every supermarkets. The wide variety of hams and sausages (local or imported) never fail to amaze me each time I step into a hypermart.
Why do I conclude that Croatians love their meat so much? Let me ask you, how much ham does an average family need to eat to make the choice of purchasing a meat slicer for their home? If you are in a store in Croatia that sells electrical appliances such as washing machines and television sets, you will definitely find an entire shelf or even an aisle dedicated to the display of Meat Slicers. As you can see in the picture above and for those who do not know what it is, the Meat Slicer makes the slicing of hams quicker and easier. Most restaurants and supermarkets are equipped with one of course. But to have one at home? That is truly absurd. What do you think?

The Sun, the Snow, the Wind and the Rain

It is totally unbelievable! Remember my post last week about the temperature in Croatia hitting the 20s? And yesterday, it actually snowed?! For the next few days, we expect to see lots of wind (Bura) and Rain. Somebody out there is still denying the effects of Global Warming?
As a matter of fact, Croatia gets lots of wind. Somewhere in the papers today stated that the government is adding another 55 more wind turbines in Knin. That will generate lots of electricity I'm sure (can't recall the exact amount). Given that wind is free, I applause this move of the Croatian government to harness this green energy.
For now, I will just have to sit here and complain about the chilly wind! Brrrr...

Lazy Days..

The weather is foggy and wet... Arghs.. time for some rest. I think our cat agrees with me. Have a good weekend! Zzzzz

The Croatian keyboard

Well.. seems like besides getting used to the weather, food, culture and language, the keyboard is also different in Croatia. I'm so used to the American keyboard in Singapore. Take a look at my keyboard (sorry it's dirty!). You will find the keys for X and Z switched. The lovely @ is no longer attached to his lover 2 but as to settle for a lower position and a strange new guy called V. The usual places for my : ; } are being squeezed out to accommodate the croatian letters Č Ć Ž Š Đ. Initially it was quite a challenge for me to type as all the letter are everywhere. But now I have to look at the keyboard when I type. Even the British keyboard isn't this much of a headache, mate!
Enough of rambling... off I go to get my ručak!

All fogged up!

It was a really strange day in Rijeka yesterday. The weather was exceedingly warm that for a moment I thought Summer is here! It was till we drove to town centre later on that I realised half of the town was covered in Fog. It was so foggy as you can see in the pictures. But it did not affect our part of the town as we are at one of the highest point in Rijeka. The lower or closer one travelled toward the sea, the foggier it became. We are not meteorologists so we could only speculate this phenomenon occurred because due to the intermingling of cold and warm currents. Counties further eastern reported temperatures of 22 degrees C for this time of the year. This is expected to last a few days.
Today even we are not spared from the incoming fog!

Weather Report for Croatia

Living in Croatia, I have to come to terms with the weather. Of course, I can't expect it to be like sunny Singapore everyday. So there are days (sometimes for a continuous week) of rain. And being close to the Adriatic Coast (or I prefer to call it Jadran), we get our fair share of blasting winds though unlike the sweep-me-off-my-feet type in Senj. So here's what I learnt from my limited Croatian on Croatian weather reports on TV:

• Sunce - anything: means I expect to see sunshine! YAY!!
• Bura: Strong winds that seem to pierce through my coat like knives and make me understand what CHILLY means! But no rains! Just woo woo woo winds...
• Jugo: Light winds. Warm weather. But...(I need to caps this) BUT it means a week-long RAIN (sometimes for 3 or more days)! Ooh Hoo! We brought the dreary London weather here! Run! Hide! Get your brollies out!
  

That's all from your Sing-Cro Radio channel for the day! Stay tuned! *static* *fading*

My love - Octopus Salad (Salata od hobotnice)

Image taken from www.theage.com.au
Photo taken by Eddie Jim.

Let me introduce my favourite Croatian dish - the famous Octopus Salad. You can get this dish in almost any Croatian seafood restaurants. It is prepared mediterranean style... Blanched octopus accompanied by potatoes, tomatoes or peppers. Salt and pepper for seasoning. And a generous drizzle of good ol' Olive Oil. Not forgetting a handful of chopped Parsley for decoration (a la Mediterranean). Simply wonderful!
I recalled the only times I get to see any octopus (just the tentacle) in Singapore were in Japanese supermarket. Each section of the tentacle for a whopping S$10!
Octopus has just a rich taste. I love it for its chewiness which no squid or cuttlefish can replace! Cooked squids are usually tasteless. But for octopus, it retains its memory of being part of the sea family.
Can't till the next time we get that at home again!

Go away or I'll Shoot!

Oh wish I could tell that to smokers. Hey. I have nothing against you trying to kill yourself with that cancer-stick. Stay 5 metres away from me when I am in a caffe bar or restaurant. I do not, I repeat, DO NOT, wish to die with you or from second hand smoke.
I've totally forgotten how irritating smokers are when they lit up in a food serving area or in caffee. Singapore has banned smoking in those areas since I can't remember when. What's worse than getting my hair stinking like I burnt it is the smell on my fingers as though I am the smoker myself.
It is amazing that smoking is glorified instead of condemned over here. Shoo shoo smoker. Go hide somewhere else to smoke.
Can't wait for the new laws to prohibit smoking in caffe bar this year!!

Riječki Karneval 2008 - Finale

They were representatives of the part of Rijeka we live in - Pehlin

The Karneval officially ended on 3rd February with a day long street procession. The last group of performers were known as the Zvončari. Men dressed as beasts with a huge bell behind. The Pust was burnt to rid off the bad luck of the past year.


A parade of Vikings

My thoughts after catching the famous Karneval for the first time: it was very festive. It seemed the whole town was lit up in celebration. Everyone were on the streets despite the dreary weather throughout the weekend.

Cake, anyone?

The children had their bit of fun few weeks ago with their mini procession which we caught on tv as we were able to get into town centar. Everyone were dressed up. The little children were little fairies, bees, butterflies and cute animals for the occasion. Adults did not miss out on the fun too. A drunk Jesus-lookalike near the sea. A tree stood next to the traffic light pole which we almost walked into. Big men in dresses, fake hair, stockings and all. Very hilarious sight. Teletubbies wobbling down the streets. I couldn't believe this was the same town Rijeka. Maybe you see more disorderliness but it was so much fun!

We have umbrellas! Who's scared of the RAIN?!

It reminded me so much of the Chingay festival we have in Singapore after Chinese New Year. But in Rijeka, everyone joined in the fun. It felt different. Next year, I will be there again without fail!
I do apologise for the bad photos. Everyone's moving!! Bad weather!! Hahah.. Blame everything except the photographer:P

The eskimos breezing through...

Riječki Karneval Part I

Streets were decorated with ribbons since January. Really beautiful and festive everywhere. Occasionally you will find the Pust (a man like figure dressed in suit) which will be burned at the end of the Karneval to rid of bad luck. Here's a few pictures of the town.

A little about Riječki Karneval..

For many who have never heard of this carnival which is one of the town's biggest event of the year. The centre of the town will have stages set up for international DJs and performers for the final day of the carnival.
The whole celebration starts sometime around now for the children. It is pretty similar to Halloween when the children dress up in costumes or wear masks and visit homes asking for candies. Well.. if you are in town now, you will see spiderman or batman asking for candies or small change. It can be pretty annoying when children will ring your doorbell for 5 times just to get your attention. Most of them usually get nothing after buzzing several flats.
Adults should educate their children not to visit homes to ask for candies as we never know who's behind those doors. The whole emphasis of this event should be on the party spirit. Have fun dressing up and not about asking adults for cash.
That's all for now. Will be back with more information once the big celebration gets closer. :)

Riječki Karneval is coming!

Stay tuned for the annual Carnival Event in Rijeka. Not to be missed! It's sort of like a Mardi Gras and only in Rijeka, Croatia. This year they promised the event will be bigger as it marks the 25th anniversary of Riječki Karneval.
I'm going out to get my costumes and makeup for this Carnival right now! See link for more details.

Skiing on a thin budget

We were discussing about the number of Croatians travelling to other countries to ski this season. 200,000 of them with all their bulky equipment waiting 3 hours at the customs to get to Slovenia. That's a long wait. Singaporeans spend a long time at the Singapore-Malaysia border (we call it the Causeway) whenever it's the holidays too. But not 3 hours!
What really struck me is that most of the Croatians took credit to go on their ski holidays each year. They love to spend on their holidays and according to research spend more than their neighbouring countries on their ski trips. When one goes on a holiday in Singapore, he spends whatever he has saved not what he has not.
I'm not into skiing. And I don't understand the need to queue 3 hours to get there. Let alone be in debt for the rest of the year so that I could wrap myself in 4 layers of clothing and fall on my bum.
Nah ... Not my type of holiday.

Snow is Snijeg here.

It's not my first winter or my first experience with snow. But the snow covered mountains and the crunching sound of snow under our feet are still great experiences. Now I can understand why everyone gets so excited with snow.

Of course, we don't get snow in Singapore. Not even anything closely resembling Winter. Christmas is definitely just another event for mercenary merchants to earn big bucks that will cushion their fat arses through the new year season.
Seeing friends booking flights to catch a glimpse of snow that we barely need an hour to reach, I count myself really lucky. Well.. I do not know how to ski. It was my first sleigh ride. I felt like a kid enjoying this Winter and the next. Frost covered trees and hot rum teas waiting in caffees. My contented heart is bursting into a song...Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...