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Snow Leopard Enterprises, an income-generation project based in Central Asia,  and the Snow Leopard Trust, which was founded in 1981 with the aim of researching and protecting the endangered snow leopard, have teamed up to raise funds for their snow leopard conservation projects as well as provide a stable source of income for nomadic families living in Mongolia and across Central Asia. Their project, Changing Spots, is one of the 12 finalists of this year’s World Challenge  and desperately needs your votes to secure a place in the top three.

The public voting round closes at midnight on November 11th so if you would like to cast your vote and show your support for this project, please click on the image below. This will take you to the voting page, where you can also watch a short video if you wish to learn more about Snow Leopard Enterprises and its work in Eastern Mongolia.

Image Source : Snow Leopard Trust

So, what’s at stake?

The winner of the World Challenge will receive a grant of $20,000 from Shell as well as a feature in Newsweek and a special report on BBC World News while the two runners up will be awarded $10,000 each.

And if you are still not convinced, why not consider these snow leopard facts?

• Snow leopards live the mountainous regions of Central Asia and China and are elusive creatures, leading some to refer to them as “mountain ghosts.
• They are solitary animals who will only seek out other leopards during their mating season and are most active at dawn and dusk.
• Litter sizes vary from one to five cubs but the average litter size is two or three cubs and these will remain with their mother until they are about 20 months old.
• Snow leopards do not roar but they do purr, hiss, mew, growl and moan.
• They have long, furry tails that are almost the length of their bodies and are used for balance and for keeping warm at night.
• The villain in the animated film Kung Fu Panda is a snow leopard (but don’t let that deter you from voting!)
• Snow leopards can be found on the coats of arms and seals of several Central Asian cities as well as one of the membership badges of Girl Scouts in Kyrgyzstan.
• The biggest threats that snow leopards face are poaching (they are often killed for their pelts or for use in traditional medicine) and loss of habitat.
• There are fewer than 7,000 of them in the wild and another 600 or so living in zoos around the world (a sober reminder of their endangered status).

Please help save these beautiful creatures from extinction and help lift Central Asian families from poverty by voting and spreading the word to your friends and family. Remember, extinction is forever.

Image Source : Snow Leopard Trust

Thank you for your time.

Over the next few weeks, I will do my best to breathe some life back into this blog and will reply to any comments I may have missed.

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Korean food lovers, take note : the Korea Tourism Organization website has a wonderful section devoted to Korean cuisine and food culture.

The Food in Korea pages are packed with information on traditional Korean food culture, recommended restaurants and recipes. Those of you who enjoy cooking should take a look at the recipes page, where you can find out how to prepare any one of the dozens of dishes and side dishes listed on the site.

The main dishes have been divided into 4 main categories : bap (cooked rice dishes), guk (porridges), guksu (noodle soups), and mandu (dumplings). Recipes for gimbap, bibimbap and mul naengmyeon can all be found here along with recipes for lesser-known (but equally delicious) dishes.

If you’re looking for banchan (side dish) recipes, you can find dozens of them listed here. The banchan dishes have been divided into 19 different categories, including jjigae (stews), jjim (steamed dishes), hoe (raw fish and meat dishes), and, of course, kimchi. Recipes for 8 different types of kimchi can be found here for those who cannot get enough of Korea’s famous pickles.

Those with a sweet tooth can find recipes for various Korean desserts and fruity beverages over here. Desserts have been divided into 3 main categories : tteok (rice cakes), hangwa (cookies), and eumcheongryu (beverages).

You can also find general information on Korean cuisine and handy cooking tips on the Basics of Cooking Korean Food page. Here you will find out what measuring tools you will need, learn more about the various cutting techniques employed in Korean cooking, and learn how to prepare some basic ingredients, seasonings and garnishes.

For those who aren’t quite ready to try their hand at cooking Korean dishes or who are simply looking for information on Korean food culture and food festivals, you’ll find what you’re looking for over here.

Do check out the website as it’s jam-packed with interesting information on Korean cuisine and culinary traditions. Just make sure not to do so on an empty stomach!

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Sander and I travelled up to Amsterdam yesterday afternoon to see the Chinese New Year festivities in Amsterdam’s “Chinatown”. The fact that the festival was held a week after the Lunar New Year didn’t deter us. We first stopped at the Fo Guang Shan He Hua Temple, a Buddhist temple opened in the Zeedijk in the early 2000s.

I visited the temple a few years ago with my mother but Sander had never been inside. We’ve walked past that temple countless times but it was almost always closed. The temple was buzzing with activity so we took a peak inside without feeling too awkward. Sander gave a small donation to one of the temple attendants before we left to make our way to Nieuwmarkt.

The festival itself was held in a large marquis on Nieuwmarkt and featured performances of traditional Chinese dance and music, martial arts displays, and speeches from some members of the local government and the Chinese Ondernemersvereniging. I’m afraid I don’t have many photos of the event since it was extremely difficult to take any photos of the performers on stage which didn’t turn out blurry or have a sea of heads blocking the view. This was the best photo I could find, so you can imagine how bad the rest of them were!

I *did*, however, manage to take an excellent photo of one of the lion dancers. I have to say I’m quite impressed myself as I’m a rubbish photographer!

The programme of events was pretty much the same as it has been in the past three years so we didn’t stay very long. We decided to forego the tai chi display and instead made our way down to the Max Euweplein, making a few token stops at the Athenaeum, the American Book Centre, and Waterstones. The bookstores in Almere leave a lot to be desired so I decided to treat myself to a few new books from the Athenaeum : Factory Girls : Voices from the Heart of Modern China by Leslie T. Chang and Nothing to Envy : Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick.

We ended our day in Amsterdam with a delicious meal at the Wagamama restaurant in the Max Euweplein. The gyoza were delicious as always and I *LOVE* the dip they’re served with. Sander opted for the teriyaki steak soba while I chose the chicken itame, which was extremely tasty but very filling. I really struggled to finish it all..

I didn’t take the photo above as I forgot to take a photo of my bowl (the original photo can be found here) but this should give you a general idea of what you can expect in this dish : chicken breast, coriander, coconut milk, lemongrass, red onion, beansprouts, chillies, spring onion, bok choi, bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms, and rice noodles. Highly recommended!

And thus our day in Amsterdam came to an end. New books, a full stomach and a day full of Chinese festivities and gezelligheid. All in all, a great day out!

I’m back from my week long visit to Athens and I must say that Greece is now officially one of my favourite countries in the whole wide world. Delicious food, fascinating historical sites, charming people and glorious (albeit deathly hot) weather. The fact that there were no general strikes or riots during my stay was the icing on the proverbial cake. I feel sorry for those who are planning to go there this week as I’ve just read that there is a 48-hour general strike planned for this Tuesday and Wednesday and that many of the state-run museums and archaeological sites might be closed to the public. If you are in this unenviable situation, I would suggest booking a day trip to Delphi or Mycenae with one of the local tour operators or take a walk through Athen’s Plaka and Monastiraki districts, where you can find dozens of wonderful cafés, restaurants and shops.

Posts about my trip will be forthcoming…once I have caught up with chores at home and work and have sorted through the hundreds of photos I’ve just uploaded to my laptop.

The Atomium was designed by the Belgian engineer André Waterkeyn for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair (or Expo) and is meant to be a representation of an iron crystal, a symbol of the scientific age in which it was conceived. The structure consists of nine interconnected spheres and is now home to an exhibition on the 1958 Expo, the Kid’s Sphere (a dormitory where school children can spend the night) and a panoramic restaurant. Due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to go inside the Atomium itself but I managed to take a number of photos of this impressive structure.**

Copyright notice : © www.atomium.be – SABAM 2011 – Kelly M

The Atomium wasn’t the only stop on our mini-tour of the Belgian capital. Our first port of call was, in fact, the Grand Place (Flemish : Grote Markt), one of Belgium’s most popular tourist sites and widely considered to be one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. The square’s two key attractions are the picturesque Brussels Town Hall (French : Hôtel de Ville; Flemish : Stadhuis) and the Maison du Roi (Flemish : Broodhuis) but tourists can also stop by one of the restaurants dotted around the square or visit the monument dedicated to the memory of Charles Buls, a much-loved politician and former Mayor of Brussels.

We then went on to look for the infamous Manneken Pis statue, another of Brussel’s must-see attractions. I came across a replica of the statue in Colmar, Alsace, two years ago so it was fun to finally see the original. Like the Mona Lisa, the physical statue is somewhat dwarfed by its reputation and visitors are often shocked to discover that the statue is, in fact, quite tiny. The statue is often dressed up in one of the many costumes that were designed for it but we managed to catch Le Petit Julien in his full naked glory.

That’s all for today. I will continue recounting my recent visit to Brussels later this weekend. Stay tuned for part two of “Bonjour, Bruxelles“.

** Photos of the Atomium can only be posted online in accordance with the guidelines set by SABAM and Atomium Asbl so I have only posted low-quality versions of some of the photos I took.

On 1st June I will finally get started on my “101 Project“. The list of tasks has been finalized and I will begin working my work through my tasks within the next few days. It’s an ambitious list and I doubt I will be able to complete all 101 tasks before the deadline but I’m sure I’ll learn plenty of valuable lessons along the way. Watch out for an update on my progress later this week!

That’s all from me for today. As always, I welcome any feedback or suggestions you may have so if you have something to say, feel free to leave a comment.  :)

If any of you are working on a similar project or are busy ticking off items on your bucket lists, you’re more than welcome to share any advice you may have or request a link exchange. All requests will be considered.

Image via Wikipedia

A tongue-in-cheek look at the life of the professional archaeologist can be found at the McSweeney’s website. While I can’t vouch for its accuracy, I’m sure many archaeologists can relate to the points raised in the article.

Anyone who regrets not having pursued their dream career as the new Indiana Jones or Lara Croft should read this…though, personally, I still wish I had gone with my gut instinct and just learnt to love unearthing arrowheads.

You can find out all the details of the project on this page and a copy of the list of the 101 tasks can also be found on the Day Zero Project website.

If you are taking part in a similar challenge or have a “bucket list” of your own, feel free to let me know and I will add your blog to my blogroll.

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My mum will be staying with me for the next two weeks so, needless to say, I will not be posting anything on the blog for the duration of her stay. I realize that the blog has been somewhat neglected of late but I promise that this will improve over the next month or so. In the meantime, I have a few months’ worth of news and gossip to catch up on with my mum, not to mention all the sightseeing and shopping we’re bound to do. I’ve yet to visit the famous Keukenhof Gardens despite having lived here for almost five years so it’s about time I rectified that.

Have a great Easter and try not to stuff yourselves silly with chocolate. See you in two weeks’ time.

For example, there’s little chance of me visiting Tokyo in the foreseeable future due to recent events in Japan. While Tokyo was not directly hit by the devastating earthquake or the subsequent tsunami, the constant aftershocks and ongoing problems at the Fukushima nuclear plant have put me off visiting Japan for the time being. I know there may be people who insist that Tokyo is far away from it all and that Japan desperately needs the revenue generated by its tourism trade but I do value my safety and I know my mother would probably have a nervous breakdown if I were to go there. Perhaps I’ll get the chance to go there again someday…

For this and other reasons, I’ve decided to ditch my “101 in 1,001 days” project in favour of a five-year plan under the working title of “500 in 5″. I’m not sure how feasible it is to complete 500 goals in 5 years but the fun is in the challenge. I will be drawing up a list of 500 tasks over the next few weeks and I will set 1st June 2011 as the provisional start date.

Watch this space…

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The KNH Centre for Egyptology (University of Manchester) is now accepting applications for the 2011-2012 intake of their Certificate in Egyptology. The Certificate of Egyptology is a 3-year online programme which provides amateur Egyptologists with an opportunity to undertake a serious, academic study of Ancient Egypt.

To learn more about the Certificate and application process, you can visit the KNH Centre’s website. Those who are interested in studying for the Certificate in Egyptology can download the application form here. The closing date for applications is 30 June 2011 and all applications received before the closing date will be given equal consideration.

NOTE : The Centre also offers a selection of  6-week, non-credit bearing courses. More information about these short courses can be found here.

Now it’s back to business. Here is this week’s East Asia Blog Round-Up :

• Hiroyuki’s Blog - Hiroyuki shares his award-winning recipe for mushroom okonomiyaki (お好み焼き).
• Maangchi – Maangchi posts a video on how to make mulhoe (물회), Korean spicy raw fish soup.
• Mandarin Segments - Greg talks about his love/hate relationship with Chinese idioms, or chengyu (成语).
• Surviving in Japan - Ashley gives some tips on how to find a good spot of admiring the cherry blossoms (桜) in Japan.
• The View From Over Here - The author learns how to make odeng-tang (꼬치 오뎅탕) and Royal ddeokbokki (궁중떡볶이).
• TsukuBlog - Avi shares a useful tip for a fast and natural way to alleviate the motion sickness brought on by earthquake aftershocks.

That’s all for this week. I might incorporate the East Asian blog round-up into a broader blog round-up so keep an eye out for that!