Owen Residents Committee 奥云居委会

Monday, June 16, 2014

Yishun Park / Pond & Farm Tour

Owen's residents will be briskwalking at Yishun Park / Yishun Pond and Guided Mushroom Farm Tour - on Saturday, 21 June 2014.

Mushroom Farm

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Happy Father's Day

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Mass Birthday Celebration - June 2014

Moulmein Owen RC & SCEC celebrates its Mass Birthday Pot-Luck Party on 10 June 2014.

Thanks to Mdm Peggy Tang for sponsoring a specially made "Carrot Cake " for this Mass Birthday ocassion, and members for bringing along their home-cooked delicacies......................

Monday, June 9, 2014

Know your durian

Country of origin: Thailand
Mon Thong (meaning "golden pillow"): Fleshiest of all durian varieties with a mild taste. A good starter for those new to the durian business, its pale-coloured flesh makes it less repugnant than the fiery reds and oranges on some of the crossbred varieties. The Mon Thong is one of the most popular varieties because it can be harvested weeks before ripening, making it easy to transport to regional countries.

Chan Nee (meaning "gibbon"): Less fleshy than the Mon Thong, it also has a slightly more pungent taste and smell than its Thai counterpart.

Ganja: The name has a slight reference to a drug-induced haze, but what Ganja durians are capable of doing is only overpowering you with its extremely sweet flesh. You'll get a sugar high from its perky yellow flesh-definitely a legitimate way to enjoy feeling good. .

Country of origin: Malaysia

D4: This one has a wholly bitter taste, but its fleshiness makes up for it. It resembles vanilla custard with its white-pale yellow colour but there is nothing sweet about the D4.

D11: A crowd-pleaser, this is one of the less pungent varieties around. Its smooth and creamy flesh is accompanied with a sweet aftertaste.

D15: Yet another super-fleshy variety, the D15 has a tinge of bitterness but a creamy and sweet ending. You almost can't find the seed for this variety because of its abundant flesh. Fans have been known to feel quite "jelak" after consuming too much of this.

D24: Considered the "rich man's durian" for its high price, it is characterised by its bittersweet taste and signature dark yellow flesh. With small seeds and a succulent yield, you won't mind paying more for this since you'll be getting a lot in return!

XO: The name says it all. The alcoholic aftertaste lingers longer than its bitter taste. If you're a fan of the sweeter variety, give this a miss. This is one of the most expensive varieties available.

Hong Xia (meaning "red prawn"): Said to resemble the colour of a cooked prawn, this one's for those who love a softer texture. The reddish-orangey thin flesh is aromatic and hits you even before you open the husk.

101: If you want to take the guesswork out of choosing a sweet variety, head for the 101. The reddish, plump flesh promises to please.

Hor Lor (meaning "water gourd"): Its definitive shape opens up to reveal soft flesh. But bite into it and you'll find it to be quite dry and bitter. A variety better left to the experienced durian lover, it's also accompanied by a very pungent smell.

Mao Shan Wang (meaning "mountain cat king"): Considered the grandmaster of durian varieties, its flesh is firm on the outside but creamy on the inside. The bitter taste at the beginning gives way to a sweet ending. One of the most satisfying, it has the main taste characteristics of all the other varieties.

Click HERE for Guide to Buying Durian in Singapore.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Duan Wu Jie (端午節) - Rice Dumpling Festival

Duan Wu Jie (端午節) is also related to the Dragon Boat event and is a widely celebrated festival amongst the Chinese, to pay respect to the patriotic poet, Qu Yuan Qu Yuan (340-278 BC) (pronounced as Chue Yuan). Qu Yuan was an important minister back in Chu Kingdom in ancient China. He had been known for his loyalty for the emperor of Chu, and loved his country greatly. However, The emperor had not taken Qu Yuan's advice seriously, and he eventually got himself trapped and captured in a foreign land by his enemies, which then lead to his own death. Qu Yuan tied himself to a big rock and threw himself into the River of Puo Luo. The people then made rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and threw them into the river. They believed this would stop the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body. Some would even row down stream in a boat, beating drums and shouting out loud in the hope to scare the fish away , this is how the Dragon Boat event comes into place. This incident happened on the 5th day of the 5th month in the Chinese lunar calendar thus this date has been set as Duan Wu Festival to remember the incident. This year the date is on Monday, 2 June 2014.

The rice dumplings (ZongZi) are glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, or other large leaves (lotus is one of the more commonly used leaves). You can find all sorts of different fillings in the rice: pork, roast pork, chestnut, egg, salted egg, mushroom, red bean, or just simply without filling. They could be just white rice dumpling (not pre-fried), or brown (pre-fried with soya sauce).

Community centres and RCs also celebrating these festival in various ways: organising outing to view dragon boat racing at reservoirs and Singapore river, some even organise classes to teach participants how to wrap and make rice dumplings. Owen RC have organised the'hand-on' rice dumpling making - ''on-the-job'' training concept.

Nowadays, you can buy Zongzi almost everyday of the year, in restaurants or hawker stalls in Singapore, not need to wait for the festive season to taste these rice dumplings.

Today the Dragon Boat Festival has evolved into a respected international sport. In Singapore, the festival is a noted tourist event and competitors from the Asian region and throughout the world participate in the annual race. Tied to the event are fundraising and community work, following in the same vein of patriot Qu Yuan who contributed his life as a sacrifice for his country.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

1-Day Desaru Fruit Farm & Fire Flies River Cruise

NOTE: This Tour is cancelled due to poor response.

Moulmein Owen RC is organizing this 1-Day Desaru Fruit Farm and Fire Flies River Cruise on

Saturday, 14 June 2014.

The closing date is this Saturday, 17 May 2014.

Those who are interested please check it out with our RC Manager, Margaret Sng on Saturday, 17 May 2014 at Pek Kio CC. Details are posted in Moulmein Owen RC Notice Board.

Itinerary of the tour are pasted below.