WordCamp Auckland 2014 was a mid-winter event held on Saturday 26th July, 9am – 5.00pm at the AUT University, downtown Auckland. It was my first attendance to the WordCamp (naturally having discovered WordPress and being a blogger just slightly over a year ago).

The event was sold out and a great success with 140 attending. The morning sessions examined how people are using and succeeding with WordPress with the right content or market strategy. The afternoon session focused upon how to select or configure themes, plugins, hosting, security etc.

I have always been wondered whether or not a backup of my blog is necessary or whether an auto backup is built into the WP system but it seems from what I gathered from the topic, bloggers are responsible to manually do their backup. I tried to do mine but I am still lost. If anyone out there reads this and can advise on the steps on how to go about doing a backup of our blog, perhaps you could be kind enough to assist with the steps required. It would be an utter waste and devastation if my blog is corrupted with no backup. I cannot imagine how I could overcome that as I had (and still) put in huge effort and time on my blog and I am sure all bloggers feel the same.

To me, the best part of the WordCamp was to mix and mingled with like-minded WordPress users in real life. The organizers did a great job getting all the great speakers and charging only NZD25 for the event. The mere fact that they happily organized this event and not trying to make money out of this showed their passion to share their expertise with the local community. We even got bits and pieces of free merchandize including a pair of WordPress sunglasses.

Thumbs up for the organizers Kevin Trye and Jason Kemp.

Do you backup to your blog?

Perhaps those who know how would like to share the step by step instuction on how to do a backup, please.

Related article
WordCamp Auckland 2014

It’s finger licking good

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Little Borneo Girl

I read recently that the world’s appetite for chicken is growing faster than any other meat. Indeed chicken is the most versatile meat and the most searched for foodstuffs on Google.

Just about every country on this planet has a famous chicken recipe. I did a post recently showcasing all the famous chicken recipes but nowhere in my post did I mention about our great great grandfather of the world, the ever famous Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC as we fondly call him.

KFC deserves special mention, requires a post specially for him as he is someone most, if not all of us grew up with. To most children, deep-fried chicken is KFC. KFC is generic to deep-fried chicken, indeed, it’s finger licking good.

History of KFC – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

KFC (the name was originally an initialism for Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a fast food restaurant chain that specializes in fried chicken and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the world’s second largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald’s, with 18,875 outlets in 118 countries and territories as of December 2013. The company is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, a restaurant company that also owns the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell chains.

KFC was founded by Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Sanders identified the potential of restaurantfranchising, and the first “Kentucky Fried Chicken” franchise opened in Utah in 1952. KFC popularized chicken in the fast-food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the established dominance of the hamburger. By branding himself as “Colonel Sanders”, the founder became a prominent figure of American cultural history, and his image remains widely used in KFC advertising. The company’s rapid expansion saw it grow too large for Sanders to manage, and in 1964 he sold the company to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown, Jr. and Jack C. Massey.

KFC NZ is currently promoting ‘Double Downs’, a burger made from chicken rather than buns.

I remembered on my first trip to Disneyland in Anaheim some sixteen years ago when my son was just six, we were amongst the huge crowd queuing up for a bite of that chicken. Instead of getting yummy hot crisp chicken we were given pre-cooked cold KFC chicken from the fridge. No one complained so we thought that was the US standard, no quality control and it was like selling and feeding a mass market, quantity over quality. If KFC is still operating there I wonder if they still sell cold KFC today but probably not since we no longer need to fly all the way to Los Angeles or Florida just to visit Disneyland or Disneyworld.

My favourite KFC is Wicked Wings. What’s yours?

All KFC images credit www.kfc.co.nz

I grew up in Sarawak, a part of Malaysia in the island of Borneo and we had our local homegrown version of KFC, our very own SugarBun which has now expanded internationally.

All Sugar Bun images credit http://cn.sugarbun.com/

Besides KFC and Sugar Bun, the ‘healthier’ big names in chicken include Kenny Rogers and Nandos.

Introducing Kenny Rogers – ww.wikipedia.org

In 1991, Country singer/songwriter Kenny Rogers ventured into the fast-food business and co-founded Kenny Rogers Roasters with former governor of Kentucky John Y. Brown, Jr. Kenny Rogers Roasters opened its first restaurant in Coral Springs, Florida in August 1991.

Nando’s is a South African casual dining restaurant group originating from the Mozambican-Portuguese community with a Mozambican/Portuguese theme. Founded in 1987, Nando’s operates about 1,000 outlets in 30 countries.
Peri-Peri, the spice so nice, they named it twice. Nandos, the chicken I loved.

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Famous Chicken Recipes of the World

Summer Lovin’

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Little Borneo Girl

There are 101 things to do on a fine summer’s day.

Check out my 10 random treats, events and summer activities. It’s fun, it’s summer lovin’.

Visit to a winery – wine tasting (sorry drinks all gone, no photos to show).

A ferry ride to Waiheke island.

Music in the park.

Gardening time. Flowers in bloom.

Cool down with some sweet treats.

Barbecue outdoors.

All girls meet up for a game of tennis and good laughs.

A swim in the sun. Food and nibbles, cooling down with fresh coconut juice.

Lying in the sun. Romancing or Sunbathing (a little bird is watching).

Running (more like galloping) through the fields.

Show us something you love. It could be your favorite novel, the light of the moon on your deck at night, the beach on a hot day, or that special you-know-who. Get creative!

via Summer Lovin’.

Wordless Wednesday

Image

Looking through windows

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Little Borneo Girl

Looking out the window
I see the world outside
I see the open sky.

Looking through the window
I watch the seasons pass
reflected in the glass.

Looking out the window
I see day and night
I watch the sunrise and the sunset.

Looking in the window
I see the glowing fireplace
or the fan in full blast.

Looking from the window
my dog waits for someone to walk pass
just to bark.

Looking in the window
my neighbour peeps to see if I am home
so she could call round with her freshly baked scones.

Window, window,
a vantage point or a boundary
depending whether you are looking from or looking through.

via Sunday Stills, Lookin’ through windows

Travel Photography – Tip Ten : Be in the moment

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Little Borneo Girl

It’s a challenge to stay in the moment and always be ready.

Just shoot and let everything go. You’ll be surprised by what the universe brings you.

– quote The Daily Post, Photographing our Travel : Tips from Infinite Satori –

The Kecak Fire Dance at Uluwatu Temple, Bali, Indonesia is a trance like dance performed by about fifty men dancing to the sound of the chant. Cak, ke cak, cak, cak, cak. The audience sat in the round open stage enjoying the sunset (on a clear day, unfortunately we missed that having visited the temple on a cloudy day) while watching the kecak dance.

The dance is based on a traditional Balinese ritual but was actually created by a German man in the 1930s and based on the famous epic Hindu story of the Ramayana.

Related articles

Travel Photography : Tip Nine – There is always a story

Photographer, world wanderer, and Infinite Satori blogger Stephanie Dandan shares tips and inspirational advice for capturing moments during your travels.

Photographing now from National Geographic photographer Jay Dickman

Bali’s Kecak Fire Dance by Michael Turtle

Life is like a container

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Little Borneo Girl

Life is a like container
Waiting to be filled.

Keep it clear from rotten cargoes
Give it room to store the treasures.

Boxes, tanks, wrappers: for this week’s Photo Challenge, show us something that contains something else.

via Containers.

Birds and people

A giant 6-metre-high Lemon & Paeroa bottle – proudly Paeroa, New Zealand

Enter at your own risk.

No Pork, please

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Little Borneo Girl

Pork’s reign is all but over.

According to a report released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, poultry is expected to become the world’s most consumed meat over the next 5 years. The world’s appetite for chicken is growing faster than any other meat, while pork consumption is slowing even in its most popular markets.

“Currently, pork accounts for the greatest share in world total meat production, however, a comparatively slower growth rate through the next decade will result in it being surpassed by poultry by 2020,” the report says.

If you are a chicken lover, CLICK HERE. If you prefer chicken to pork or pork to chicken, please read on.

Are you with me? That was a test statement. In any case, read on.

Here’s the real thing, my pork story.

I am not much of a pork eater. When ordering noodles, I tend to always say ‘no pork, please’. I find the taste of pork too ‘porky’ (obviously pork being pork), a little too overwhelming so I only eat pork cooked in a certain way.

I am no fan of bbq pork, pork chop, meaty pork (big pieces or chunks), chinese pork dumplings, pork jerky, pork this or pork that. Bacon or ham are fine. You will never find any pork in my freezer except once in a blue moon, I may buy a piece of pork hock when I feel like doing a slow cooker meal of Stewed Sichuan Pork Hock.

Sichuan Pork Hock – image credit little borneo girl

A few years ago, I was with this man in the house who cooked the most delicious pork belly and I just loved the crackling.

Image credit Natalie’s Slow Roasted Pork Belly. Click here to check out her recipe.

Since no one cooks pork belly anymore, I sometimes go for the Chinese Roast Pork readily available from the Chinese BBQ Restaurants.

Here’s the Chinese Roast Pork recipe from Off the Spork

And this Pork Story would not be complete if I do not mention about Suckling Pig, a chinese specialty. A suckling pig is a piglet fed on its mother’s milk. In culinary contexts, a suckling pig is slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is traditionally cooked whole, often roasted, in various cuisines.

NO, I DO NOT EAT SUCKLING PIGS. If I have to be polite to the host, I may eat a piece or two of the cracking but honestly, I find it a bit cruel slaughtering baby piggies.

Roast Suckling Pig – image credit Guzhina

For some reason after doing this post and searching for all the pork images, I feel quite sick and grossed out. Am totally off pork for a while.

No pork, please.

When you go to a Chinese Restaurant or Takeout, is your regular order ‘Sweet & Sour Pork’?

Related articles

The coming global domination of chicken, The New Zealand Herald

Chicken lovers page – Famous Chicken Recipes around the World

The coming global domination of chicken

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Little Borneo Girl

I was reading the herald this morning and came across this article.

World’s appetite for chicken growing faster than any other meat

Per kilogram consumed, chicken’s carbon footprint is roughly half that of pork, a quarter that of beef, and nearly a seventh that of lamb. Photo / APN

Pork’s reign is all but over.

Poultry is expected to become the world’s most consumed meat over the next 5 years, according to a report released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development last week. The world’s appetite for chicken is growing faster than any other meat, while pork consumption is slowing even in its most popular markets.

The trend is expected to hold true for just about every region and country – developed or developing.

Why? Click here to find out more.

Chicken is the most versatile meat. After pizza (but before chocolate) chicken is one of the most searched for foodstuffs on Google, and this could be because chicken is such a common and versatile ingredient. Worldwide, 20% of the entire animal protein consumed by humans is chicken.

Just about every country on this planet has a famous chicken recipe.

Tandoori Chicken from India. Image credit Unilever Foodsolutions.

Piri-piri Chicken from Portugal. Image credit Jaime Oliver’s 30 minutes meal.

Southern Fried Chicken from America. Image credit All Recipes.

Chicken pie from England. Image credit All Recipes.

Chicken Kiev from Russia. Image credit Felicity Cloake

Japanese Chicken Yakitori. Image credit Steve Brown, The Food Ideas.

Caribbean Chicken. Image credit Food Network.

Malaysian Chicken Curry. Image credit 3 Hungry Tummies.

Hainanese Chicken Rice from Singapore & Malaysia. Image credit Steamy Kitchen.

The list is endless.

Chicken is popular because it is so adaptable, widely available, reasonably affordable. Whether you like simple or sophisticated, dishes chicken features in all manner of cuisines, at all levels of skill. It is its affordability, accessibility, and culinary versatility that makes chicken the best meat to eat.