The singing bulbuls

Their chirp breaks the quiet dawn

I just realize that every morning I can hear heaps of bulbuls singing around my place in Tuban. They really draw my full attention. I could stand up behind my glass window doing nothing except observing them for couple minutes. They are really playful. Once, in the early morning, I notice them pecking on my red ripe tomato on my backyard. Well, I let them enjoy it. It’s nice to see them around...such a cheerful starting day with them.

They've killed the lizard

I was waiting for my driver to pick me up in the parking area of marine building. There were 2 staffs with me at that time. Suddenly, I saw a big lizard crossing the road at the next block. I just excitedly said: biawak!...while pointing at the lizard. Unexpectedly, the guy next to me, abruptly ran toward the lizard while yelling out loud at his friends: biawak…biawak!!!

The others enthusiastically followed him. The first guy who reached there aggressively attacked this lizard with stones. They caught the wounded lizard.

A monitor lizard “biawak” (Varanus sp.)
I’ve heard that marine crews here (not all of them though) eat anything that moves on land except vehicles! My 1st day in marine building, I’d seen them catching a cobra, about 2 m in length. They fried and ate it together. I’d been told that couple days before, they also caught a biawak and cooked it. Not only cobras and biawaks, they also slaughtered cats (as plenty of cats around marine building). It seems to be ordinary meat for them as their food resources.

But, what I’ve just seen just now was such a brutality. It was really disturbing me. I feel sorry! If only I didn’t tell them, the lizard might still be alive. The following day, the guy who cooked the lizard told me that it has 14 eggs inside the body. He fried all of those eggs and ate them with his friends!!! That made me really really bad!!! Not only one lizard could still be alive, but also her 14 offspring as well…if only I kept my mouth shut!

Lesson for me! Next time, I should not let them know if there’s any lizard or snake or other wildlife around. If necessary, I will distract their attention from any passing wild life around the marine building. At least, this can prevent their instinctive brutality, hopefully.

The cute one from Marine Building

There are about more than 20 cats around the Marine Building. But, this one is the cutest one and very tame to me. Well, a bit moody, naughty, spoiled, sometimes well behaved, sometimes rough...Yet, he is just a little felis >^-^<

Around Tuban: Bektiharjo Pool and Ngerong Cave

吃海螺必须要小心

我以前写一篇文章关于“丰富的早餐”说我姨和我早上吃海螺之后感觉不舒服。我们觉得可能海螺对肚子太凉，所以肚子应该不可以太空。
最近，我告诉我的中国老师这件事儿。她说，海螺本来有毒。就是白色的一部分最近离它的孔，这部分就不应该吃的。吃了太多你就重毒了，所以感觉不舒服，头或者眼睛感觉很重。
总的说来，吃海螺时，注意白色的部分，别吃那部分。这样对身体比较安全。

Aweto, a parasitic fungi

Regarding my writing on Aweto, the winter insect summer herb (冬虫夏草), here I got further information about it.

It is actually a parasitic symbiosis between ascomycete fungi (species Cordyceps sinensis) and caterpillars, the host.

"When infected by C. sinensis, the bug's entire body cavity is filled by the fungus mycelium, killing the host, and the caterpillars die near the tops of their burrows." (wikipedia, 2007)

"When the caterpillar dies the fungus produces a stalked fruiting body that produces spores. The spores are spread in the wind to the next generation of caterpillars. Uninfected caterpillars pupate into relatively large primitive moths." (caterpillar fungus, 1998)

Thus, the infected host will definitely be dead. It is not a cyclic life stage as what I thought before. Since this fungi attacks hosts during summer, that’s why the Chinese called it “the winter worm summer grass” 冬虫夏草 (dōng chóng xià cǎo).

Aweto

or in Chinese called 冬虫夏草 (dōng chóng xià cǎo), translated as: winter worm summer grass. Its life stage has been clearly stated on its name: during winter it is an insect, during summer the grass grows.

As today I visited Tian Men Shan (a range of beutiful mountains), lots of local people sold these insects. It costs you 1 RMB to buy one dried insect. They said, just soak them in a bottle of wine. Drink this wine is good for your health (at least that's what they said to me). Well, I'm just amazed with this creature, half animal, half plantation, cool!

New Protein Sources

Centipede "lipan" Satay

Taste: like shrimp barbeque
Use: antitoxin, good for skin disease (that's what the Chinese said)
Price: 10 yuan/stick

Thai Scorpion

Taste: a little bit like a fried "tongkol" fish!
Imported from Thailand
Price: 8 yuan/stick

Chinese Scorpion

Taste: better than the Thai ones
Price: 4 yuan/stick (3 scorpions)

Cicada Satay

Taste: unique to this insect
Price: 5 yuan/stick
This insects were collected around Dalian area. There are heaps of Cicada around this month. Chinese people call it zhīliǎo (知了). If you take a walk in the park where there are lots of trees, then you can hear the specific noisy sound produced by this kind of insect. That's why Dalian people also call them as mīmīgǎ (咪咪嘎), which its translation means cackling sound.

an adult cicada
Location: Tianjin Street. Dalian

Menu for Dinner Today: Starfish

How to cook? just steam it

Qingdao's daily meals: Donkey, Pupa, and "Bekicot" the snail

All of them taste really yummy!!! But be careful when eating "bekicot", DO NOT eat the gut part (black intestine part) as it tastes bitter.

Today, I went to the zoo, Dalian Zoo. Taking a picture of this cute creature. Funny... was my first impression. Also inviting other people and me to smile watching his behaviour....

I've downloaded my picture into my laptop. Still got a funny impression to see this little friend, but something was catching my eyes... his eyes, seems to be cheerful and playful outside, but his gaze seems to keep lots of question; Where are my mum and dad? where is my home, a place with big green trees and shady leaves, a place for my better future? not this one, too many big creatures passing by, shouting and laughing at me. I need my freedom... I want to enjoy my present moment.