MY MEMOIRS

DIM SUM

2011-10-30T21:32:00.002+08:00

Looking around for cheap open space parking within the vicinity of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (“KLCC”) proved futile thus leaving us with no alternative but to park inside Suria KLCC which can be rather expensive. Even the more expensive covered car park lots of KLCC were also full. The influx of visitors to this area could probably due to the Homedec Exhibition and that’s exactly where I wanted to go!

But before visiting the Exhibition and since both hubby and I were famished, we scouted around for cheap meals inside Suria KLCC but couldn’t find any! Eating inside the shopping mall of Suria KLCC is never cheap. Any KLlites would testify to that!

In the end, we went to Spring Garden with the hope of eating dim sum which would be the cheapest deal we could get.

Located on the 4th Floor

Well, I don’t know whether RM79.10 is considered cheap to you but it sure is expensive to me. The price is inclusive of government and service taxes, Chinese tea, wet towels and tidbits. And the dishes we ordered were:-

This is cucumber and black fungus in black vinegar sauce and sprinkle with garlic. It is extremely sour but serves as a good appetizer! Price - RM10.00

Steam beancurd roll. The filling consists of minced prawns, strips of carrot and sengkuang (turnips). Price - RM7.80

"char siew pau" - steam bbq chicken bun very nice - RM7.80

"lo mai kai" - steam chicken glutinous rice and it's delicious - RM7.80

A dish which we weren't aware that shark's fin would be in it. It's call Chinese herbal soup dumpling served with just 1 large prawn and 1 scallop. The dumpling inside consists of fish maw and chicken strips and it's very delicious despite the fact that no herbal taste in the soup could be detected. Price - RM16.80

Sweet potato and ginseng dessert. The creamy soup is actually blended sweet potato. Ginseng taste wasn't felt at all! Price - RM8.00

Tidbits comprising long beans, 'taupok' and cracker mixed with sweet sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds - RM5.00

This restaurant does not serve pork and is therefore open to Muslims as well.

Petronas Twin Towers

Coming out from KLCC, we chose to walk on the outside where the park is and this is my first time taking a picture of the Petronas Twin Tower and at such close range.

CANTON VILLAGE

2011-10-27T01:43:00.001+08:00

Hubby and I were on our way back to our old house when we decided to check out this new restaurant, Canton Village, which opened not too long ago.

Canton Village is a branch of this restaurant we went to at Bukit Tinggi. They also have a branch in Wangsa Maju. However, this Canton Village here adopts a different concept from the parent outlets.

At the parent outlets, they prepare their signature dishes that compliment well with rice or noodles. Whereas over here at Canton Village, the menu presents more of hawker style orders. One could order individual bowls of noodles or rice and the serving is for one person.

It being a hot day, hubby and I decided to try out their plain porridge with few dishes like the taufoo, fried fish, hard-boiled egg and a plate of stir fried vegetable. The soy sauce for the taufoo and hard-boiled egg goes very well with the plain porridge.

The vegetable was well done and had the ‘fragrance’ from the heat of the wok (“wok hei”). The vegetable is grown by themselves in their own plot of land in Bentong and is pesticide free. The fried fish is just ordinary with fried ginger strips over it.

They even make their very own “char siew pau” – from the flour to the pork filling. I ordered one just to check it out and it was nice. However the photo taken turned out blur. *sigh* Actually, the noodles too are all made by themselves.

Overall the meal was satisfying. And the bill? Reasonable at RM23.00.

RUBBISH?

2011-10-18T21:41:00.000+08:00

The other day, I left this bag outside my house to be collected by the garbage collector.

But before it could be disposed off, the security guard came by and ♫ ding dong ding dong ♫. So I went out to see what he wanted and the following is the conversation exchanged between the guard and I:-

Guard: Someone delivered your dog's food and left it outside.

Me: No, the food inside the bag is finished and I have stuffed my rubbish inside to be thrown away.

Guard: But isn't this his (pointing at my dog, Max) food?

Me: Ya but no more food already.

Guard: (while carrying the bag up) But it's heavy.

Me: Ya, rubbish inside.

Guard: Is it? (not believing me, he unzip the bag). Ah ah, yeah la rubbish only inside.

Guard and me exchanged our smiles and off he went ... *phew*. Incidentally, this is the same guard that rang my doorbell the last time to inform me to keep the clothes as it was drizzling. Isn't it nice to have such caring people around? I do hope the guards continue to be on their alert as they are now!

(By the way, the above conversation was carried out in Malay).

MUM’S 78TH BIRTHDAY

2011-10-18T00:51:00.000+08:00

Three years ago your plan on where and how to celebrate your 75^th birthday was rundown as God had better plan for you. He sent His angels to lead you home to be with our Heavenly Father. Mum, as the Lord pours out the blessing of heaven upon you, I pray that the name of the Lord be your strong mighty tower and that He may grant you your heart’s deepest dreams and desires.

HAPPY 78^thBIRTHDAY MUM

Mum, let me share this is beautiful song which is now very commonly sung at mass: As the Deer

HEUN KEE CLAYPOT CHICKEN RICE

2011-10-05T01:32:00.000+08:00

This place Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice, has many a time been mentioned in newspapers and many bloggers too have blogged about it. Therefore I am no exception in my thirst for wanting to try out this place and putting my two cents worth.

To begin with, hubby and I took quite a while in locating this place and it being a Sunday, traffic was rather busy as the Pudu wet market is very nearby. The shop is located just beside a flyover but luckily it is air-conditioned and with the charcoal stoves placed outside along the corridor. Yes, they use charcoals for cooking the claypot rice thus giving it that added oomph. And the unique feature about this claypot cooking is that they even have the glowing charcoals placed over and on top of the claypot! This is to ensure that the rice together with the chicken pieces and slices of sausage inside gets cooked evenly and are well infused with the flavouring.

There is no printed menu for us to see. They have however hung on the wall photos of dishes that are available in this shop besides the infamous claypot chicken rice.

Besides having the claypot chicken rice with salted fish, we tried out also their blanch vegetables with oyster sauce (which they kept to a minimum) and the vinegar pork trotters (chee keok chor) which lacked the tang of ginger probably due to the fact that they used ginger slices instead of those whole chunky ones but otherwise the ratio of the sourness is well balanced. We also tried out their fried chicken wing and on a scale of 10 I would give it a 6.5. However the drink buah kedondong (ambarella fruit) with suen mui (sour plum) is awesome! Truly refreshing after a heavy meal and it’s a must to have when in this shop. The lady boss, Madam Heun, uses only fresh fruit to extract its juice unlike some other restaurants where they use the ready bottled artificial flavouring.

Hope to return to try out the other dishes soon .......

Address:

Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice

No. 59 Ground Floor, Jalan Yew

Pudu

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 9200 1603

Mobile: 012 208 9123

Business Hours: 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.

(closed on Thursday – every 1^st & 3^rd week)

P/s: I’m not paid to promote this place. The views expressed here are my own personal and may differ from that of yours.

BLOGGING v. FACEBOOK

2011-09-26T12:45:00.000+08:00

I have not been blogging lately probably due to time constraint and sometimes lazy! Also, maybe perhaps I’ve been spending more time on Facebook rather than blogging. Even the comments in the blogs have dwindled. Comments on FB seem to be gaining more pace and popularity.

At FB, a posting could just be a word and one could acquire tremendous comments from just that one word! Whereas with blogging, a word alone makes no sense, let alone receiving feedbacks on the post.

Someone told me that blogging is ancient! But to me, it’s a place where I could put my thoughts down and I could return, with ease, to read the old articles over again at any time.

However, at FB uploading of photos could be done in a jiffy and we could tag a friend onto the photo and he/she would receive a prompt to view. One can’t do that on the blog though.

It’s strange that postings on blog can be shared on Facebook but not the other way round. It certainly would be advantageous if there’s more flexibility here.

Another point worth mentioning here is, there are lots of games to play on Facebook. Never a dull moment!

MY NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD – Part 3

2011-09-17T21:53:00.000+08:00

Yesterday (16/09/11) being a public holiday here in Malaysia, hubby and I decided to take a leisure drive around our neighbourhood and this is what we stumbled upon. (The pictures may not be as clear as I would love it to be simply because it was point, shoot and run)!

This is the area where all materials meant for recycling are being dumped over here. And on the other side of the hill is where my house is! Now I think I know where the foul air is coming from!

PACKING UP

2011-09-04T02:05:00.002+08:00

As the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and the National Day coincide this year, Malaysians over here were fortunate to enjoy a long holiday break with some companies, like mine, declaring the entire week off.

So I decided to take this opportunity to clear up as much as possible of the things in my mum’s place in Klang. The house was left vacant after mum’s death. Together with my sister and brother, we took turns to clean up mum’s place whenever we had the weekends to spare. However, eventually my siblings and I were caught up with our own careers and commitments thus our time spent in cleaning mum’s house soon became lesser as the months passed.

The house is now showing signs of cracks and termite infested. Even though my brother had the termite problem treated, nevertheless the fear of it returning is vulnerable. To repair and maintain the house is going to be costly. Therefore we have now decided to put the house up for sale. Sad as we may feel but in terms of logistic, the sale paramount the best solution. In any event, selling the house was also my mum's wish before she died.

But before putting the place up for sale, there are loads of things to be cleared in that house. Together with my brother and my cousins, we tried to clear as much as possible and along the way, many items were either sold to the recycle people or thrown away. Things which are priceless were of course kept back. There were times when I felt emotional as it was painful to see those items being thrown away like the series of encyclopedias (with hard covers) which were bought by my dad with his hard earned money and which we, the children, hardly touched!

part of packing up

another part

Some items even had a story tag to it. Stories told by my grandma to my mum and then to us. Then there were items that we could no longer find or see these days as they were hand downs from one generation to the next for example, this tiffin carrier. This is the first time I’ve seen a carrier with so many trays and the trays, no doubt shallow, are wide. Both my brother and I are dazzle as to why those days they need so many trays for!

tiffin carrier - 12 tiers

Then I found this cake powder. I’m surprised that my mum even bought it since she swears by the talcum powder! Nonetheless, this cake powder was never used. I assume mum could have got so excited on seeing this old fashion powder as it brought back memories of yesteryear's and therefore bought it for keepsake?!

old fashion compact powder

Memories … lots of memories. Some are painful while some are pleasant. As we packed each item, we would talk about those good old times we had together and then suddenly everyone would just stop talking. I guess that’s the time when each one of us is consumed in our own private thoughts of those happy moments. Moments where we cannot turn back but will forever stay dear in our hearts.

I'M SO SICK .....

2011-09-02T18:06:00.002+08:00

These are my 'meal' since last night!

By evening the temperature's back again ....

Why do I feel feverish only in the evenings? Doctors out there, please give me free advice .....

WRONG THINKING!

2011-08-29T21:36:00.003+08:00

Thinking there will be fewer crowds today, I made an appointment for my follow-up medical check up at Gleneagles Hospital. When I managed to find a parking bay easily at the hospital, I felt glad that I made the right decision. However, when I entered the doctor’s clinic, gosh, was I shocked to see the number of people waiting to see the doctor! Thinking that it’s going to take a long time before my turn arrives, I chose a seat in one of the corners so that I can sneak back into my slumber land. Surprisingly within an hour my turn was called!

From Gleneagles, I then proceeded all the way to 1-Utama for some grocery shopping and also to take a peek at the newly renovated Jusco. This was definitely a wrong choice! I went all over the entire 3 or 4 floors of parking bays but couldn’t find any. In the end, I paid RM1.00 and got out. Not wanting to let frustration get the better of me, I ended up shopping at Carrefour instead.

I thought that with the long holidays, many would have left for their hometown over the weekend or some would have arranged for short holidays abroad thus leaving the city deserted. How wrong was I. Now I wonder if shopping malls would still be crowded over the next 3 days here in the Klang Valley. Hmmmm ….. ponder ….

MUM’S 3RD DEATH ANNIVERSARY

2011-08-23T00:24:00.000+08:00

Finding it hard to believe that it’s been three years since the angels took mum away. The memories are still so very fresh in my mind like as if they were yesterday’s news.

Those last few hours with mum so painfully remain in my memory. When will the tears stop? Will it ever stop? My tears of sorrow now flow into tears of remembrance…….

It was on the morning of Friday, 22^nd August 2008 when mum called me at work to tell me that she’s been vomiting blood. Fearing for the worse, I immediately rang my brother to go over to check on mum. When my brother saw mum’s condition, he knew the seriousness of it and had the presence of mind to call for the St John’s ambulance to bring mum up to the Universiti Hospital. Meanwhile from my end, I rushed to the hospital to wait for the arrival of the ambulance.

When mum was brought down from the ambulance, very swiftly the nurses and doctors swung into action at the trauma centre. When she saw me, she called out to me and tried to tell me something but all that could come out from mum’s mouth was “I’m going to …”. I held onto my emotions tightly and kept on asking mum what she wanted but mum never got to complete her sentence and she then lost consciousness. I knew then the time has come for me to make that dreadful phone call to all family members and friends. With trembling hands and quivering lips I started calling one by one and as hard as I tried to speak with a calm voice but there was that occasional choking of tears!

Later that evening, mum was wheeled into the ward. The doctors at the trauma centre told me (with head shaking) that there’s nothing left for them to do. How deeply my heart sank when I heard that and for that few seconds, I just froze there staring at mum not knowing what to do next and the tear drops that were welling in my eyes became little rivulets running down my cheeks.

Mum had a blood clot at the lower left side of her brain and the doctors daren’t take the risk of performing the surgery of the brain as mum’s blood and platelet counts were far too low and she may risk loosing blood during the operation.

That night the doctors discussed with me on the next best option for mum i.e. to take mum home. For fear of depriving mum of medical attention, I told the doctors to let mum stay overnight. By then mum was running a fever and the doctors did not prescribe any medication to bring the fever down. So I just kept on applying cold packs onto mum’s forehead throughout the night. I had never spent a night in the hospital with mum since the day she was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and needed hospitalization on and off but sensing something’s not right that day, I chose to sleepover.

The next morning, mum after being examined by a group of doctors and interns, I was called into the meeting room. Again, I was told that there’s nothing left to be done for mum and it’s best to bring mum home. I discussed this with my sister upon her arrival and my sister was firm in taking mum home whereas I on the other hand was a bit apprehensive as I did not want to deny mum of further treatment with the hope of her getting better. I then turned to mum and whispered to her even though she was in an unconscious state but yet I was hoping to see a signal, any signal, that would indicate that she wants to go home. Shockingly mum let out a startling groan which took us all aback! I interpreted it as a sign of approval that she wants to go home and the St John’s ambulance was arranged to bring mum home that very day.

While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, again I was called into the doctor’s room. This time, a few of us, my siblings and aunts and cousins all went in with me. This time round the lady doctor told me that mum may not pull through the night and asked what arrangements have been made blah … blah … blah … I realized that after she made that statement, I couldn’t hear what else were being said by her after that as suddenly my ears were like blocked and the room was turning dark and I knew then that I was going to pass out. Quickly I grab hold of a chair and plunge myself down.

When we came out from the room, I saw Father Simon Yong from St Francis Xavier church together with my aunts and uncles, cousins and friends standing by mum’s bed. Father Simon came by to anoint mum and when I saw the look on Father Simon’s face, I knew then the time has come for mum to leave us.

A few hours after returning home from the hospital, that Saturday 23^rd August 2008 at about 7:19 p.m., mum drew her last long breath.

Mum, all those wonderful memories of our times together, I shall treasure them dearly. Though my heart still aches and long for you but I cannot be selfish for I know you’re now in a much better place.

"Our homeland is in heaven." (Phil 3:20)

"After that, we who are still alive and are left
will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the LORD in the air.
And so, we will be with the LORD forever."
(1 Thessalonians 4:17)

Goodbye's the Saddest Word

MY NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD – Part 2

2011-08-16T12:00:00.003+08:00

Looks like adjusting to this new neighbourhood is taking a strain on both hubby and me!

Home renovation and rectification works seem endless. Whether it’s my house or the neighbouring house, there’s always some form of drilling and knocking going on and with these, comes the dust and dirt. Cleaning and mopping of the house is endless and therefore now becomes a daily chore.

Then there are those inconsiderate neighbours. Well, the parking issues may have been resolved, at least for now, but ....... many other problems have now come to light. To my utter disbelief, there are neighbours who choose to throw their perishable garbage not into their very own garbage bins but into those dumpsters that are meant for use during renovation works! There’s this particular elderly man who would cycle from his house at the far end of the row to come to this dumpster which by the way, is just next to my house, just to dump his garbage! Shocking! And this garbage would have to stay there until the whole renovation work is complete which could take up to 3 months! So for 3 months I have to endure the stench emitting from the dumpster! I'm really dumbstruck!!! The flies and mosquitoes are now making a home here and having a wonderful time! *Arrgh* So insensitive and uncaring!!

Then there are those dog owners. They’ll bring their dogs to my front gate on the pretext of getting their dogs to befriend my Max and then ........ you wouldn’t believe it – they just let their dogs pee and pooh at my gate!! By the time hubby and I return home, the dog’s poops would have hardened and we would need to scrub and flush away! How tactless can one be?! Arrrgggh.....

Then there’s my immediate neighbour on the right. She and her children, after washing their clothes, would empty the buckets of water towards the direction of my side of the back lane when the big drain hole is just between her walls and mine!

I really don’t know how things would be in the coming months, let alone years! I only hope both hubby and I could recover our strength and patience to put up with the immature thinking and callous attitudes of these neighbours!

By the way, I’ve noticed that many of these people staying here are either businessmen or traders who drives very big and expensive cars but yet possess the thinking and behaviour of a pariah! I’m sorry for using this word but I really can’t think of any other word to describe these idiotic people!

REACHING 50 & ABOVE

2011-07-18T15:47:00.001+08:00

Please read on as you may find something interesting especially those who are 50+ or 50- as this is a war zone! Some may believe what is stated in general and some may just say all that is said is bullshit!!! Whatever is said, it may not be here yet but it will soon come so be always prepared and don't get caught on the wrong foot!

We have 3 stages of life………

Teen age:

Have Time + Energy …but No Money

Working Age:

Have Money + Energy …but No Time

Old age:

Have Time + Money …but no Energy

PERKS OF REACHING 50+

Someone had to remind me, so I'm reminding you, too. Don't laugh.... It is all true!

Perks of reaching 50 or being over 60 and heading towards 70!

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

2. In a hostage situation, you are likely to be released first.

3. No one expects you to run -- anywhere.

4. There is nothing left to learn the hard way...

5. You can live 'without sex but not your glasses

6. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.

7. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

8. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.

9. Your eyes won't get much worse.

10. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

11. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.

12. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size.

13. You can't remember who sent you this list.

And you notice these are all in big print for your convenience!

2011-07-14T15:31:00.006+08:00

A story as told by ......

The Malaysian Insider

Was it worth it? — Abdul Haleem

July 11, 2011

JULY 11 — It has been 12 days since I have seen my wife, my son (who has just turned three) and my one-month-old daughter, sweet little Lana girl. If I don’t go down to see them this weekend, I will not see them for at least another week.

Three days ago my wife and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, whilst we were apart. I had a choice to go back to Penang and be with them for the weekend, but instead, I chose to go down to Kuala Lumpur to support Bersih 2.0.

I arrived in KLIA at about 10.30am. The airport looked eerily deserted. As I travelled light, I literally ran to get an ERL ticket and jumped onto the train. As my excitement grew, I looked around to see KL as a ghost town. Even on Hari Raya holidays, you’ll see more cars on the Sungei Besi Highway compared to this particular Saturday.

Walking out from KL Sentral, I was shocked to see a huge presence of FRU units and police. I assumed this was to “manage possible demonstrators who might alight in KL Sentral and walk towards Masjid Negara.” I proceed to my hotel, which was just across from KL Sentral.

Coming out from the elevator I was greeted by two cops who were stationed there. I told them I was there to check in and they let me pass. I did notice more police in the lobby but I was still naïvely thinking that they were only there for general safety. I checked in, went to my room and changed into something more comfortable, (not the official T-shirt though) and walked back to KL Sentral.

I was surprised when I was still managed to get a ticket to Masjid Jamek. As soon as I was in Masjid Jamek LRT station, I could feel the atmosphere. The party was definitely ON. I remember thinking to myself that being alone may not help at all. Thus, I sought a group to join.

Within five minutes, I noticed a crowd of about 30 people gathering at the junction of Amanah Rakyat Building. As I joined them the leader started to give a speech. A journalist told me it was Dr Hatta Ramli from PAS who was giving the speech and he would lead this group to Stadium Merdeka.

We managed to walk to Menara Maybank without any trouble. By now the group size had grown to the hundreds, as we were now joined by other political figures such as Tony Pua from DAP. Suddenly, without any warning, teargas and chemical-laced water were shot and sprayed towards us. The effects were immediate and were more than I could bear.

As this was my first face-off with such hostility, like many hundreds around me, we ran to seek shelter. We climbed the stalled escalator towards the main entrance of Menara Maybank and worn out and almost defeated, we crumbled to the floor for a decent breath.

The teargas effects were agonizing and thanks to the expertise of FRU chemical unit, the chemicals were burning my skin. There were a number of mak ciks hand in hand with their teenage daughters. Although people were outraged, we remained civil and this was when I learned my first two lessons of the day.

Despite the anger, frustration and pain, all of us were civil. Very civil. I instinctively knew that it wasn’t a good time to break and thrash everything that was in front of us.

Although vandalism is part of mass rallies everywhere else, it wasn’t here. Not one person vandalised anything. True unity is in action. People genuinely cared for each other regardless of ethnic, religious or status differences. Everyone was ONE. Malaysians. With all due respect, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, this is 1 Malaysia with substance. Not the kind of crowd with free 1 Malaysia T-shirts waving the Malaysian flag whilst thinking of the free food which will be provided later.

Was it worth it to join the rally? Definitely, I have no doubt in my mind. I felt a sense of solidarity with all those around me, in a way which is almost unexplainable.

After 30 minutes of a break and recharging myself with a can of Red Bull, I rejoined the masses. I found a huge group just in front of our newly renovated Pudu Raya Bus Terminal.

By then, the marchers had already experienced rounds of tear gas and water cannons. I watched in shock, as water ran down the street like a flash flood. Somehow, I managed to sneak into the crowd. Someone told me how MP Sivarasa Rasiah was negotiating with the police, and whilst he was negotiating, I had the pleasure of experiencing something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Despite the drizzling rain, the uncertainties and the risk of being hit by another round of tear gas, the crowd spontaneously started to sing Negaraku. It was such an awesome moment in my life, that I had goose bumps.

Later Sivarasa informed us that the police were allowing us to march on one side of the road towards Jalan Sultan. Deep down inside, I was like, “Yeah, right.” Less than 10 minutes later, he and a couple of other negotiators were whisked away by the police (they were later arrested) and all hell broke loose. Rounds of tear gas and sprays from the water cannon forced the majority of the group into the Tung Shin hospital compound.

I initially thought it was a safe bet to be in a hospital compound. Boy oh boy, it was a perfect trap for us. Yes, they did shoot tear gas inside the parking compound of the hospital. Being cornered with nowhere to run, no fewer than 30 guys and girls were arrested, including me. I was handcuffed with some sort of cable tie (which I use wildly in my job), but the only difference being, this one is much larger.

The cop who dragged me from Tung Shin Hospital compound all the way to Menara Maybank was very civil, but not the FRU personnel, who were standing along the street. At least five of them made nasty remarks about my disability. I was grouped with not less than 50 other detainees in Menara Maybank waiting for the famous Black Maria.

At this moment, I learned my next two lessons whilst waiting for the Black Maria. I first met the now most famous Bersih 2.0 figure, “Aunty Bersih”, whilst the crowd were singing Negaraku. She sang along. Despite her fragile state and clearly suffering from earlier tear gas attacks, she held on to the flowers. Determined and courageous, just like Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.

This auntie came around to the staging area where we were held and with full respect, she bowed in front us — the official detainees. It was so touching. I learned that this is a fight for everyone. This is a fight for the future of our kids. The fight to save this beautiful nation.

Not fewer than five Good Samaritans came around and passed us fresh bottled water. They bought it and brought it to us. For some of us whose hands had been tied behind our backs, they even held up the bottle whilst we took a sip. Who are they? Politicians? Nope. Suhakam? Nope. Just another MALAYSIAN. I learned that this is who we are. What we are. Utusan Malaysia, Datuk Ibrahim Ali and their fellows surely have no idea what it is like to be on the ground.

Was it worth it to join the rally? Hell, yeah!

After being held for almost an hour, we were taken to Pulaupol. Man, the place was set up for a carnival. A number of makeshift tents, mobile lavatories, temporary suraus and, being Malaysians, buffets included.

This is surely a good PR job by PDRM. My estimation is no fewer than 500 detainees were in there at this time. It was tough and as this was my first time being detained, I was calm, as I knew that being tense will not help anything at all.

Our Mykad were taken away. We were allowed to use the lavatory and suraus but not allowed to use the mobile phone. Despite this, I continued to text my brother and other friends. I was informed that the lawyers were not allowed into the Pulaupol compound. Within an hour, all the formalities were done. No statement was taken.

The chaos really began when the cops started a roll call to return our Mykad. Imagine a guy with loud speaker calling out name after name. Somehow, this was a blessing in disguise. During this roll call, every time a non-Malay name came up, the crowd cheered for him loudly, followed by a big round of applause. At about 8pm, my name was called and I hitched a ride on a PDRM bus which ferried the released “detainees” back to KL Sentral.

I got off just outside the main entrance of Pulapol and joined my brother and his colleagues. A few minutes later something unexpected happened. Haris Ibrahim was walking out calmly from the main entrance of Pulapol.

I couldn’t help myself and called out his name loudly. I went up to him and embraced him. I did see a kind of joy in his eyes knowing all his efforts had paid off and I am sure he could see in my eyes the kind of satisfaction I had, because I had joined this rally.

Was it worth it? Do you need to ask me again? What’s next, my fellow brothers and sisters?

FACEBOOK ... what's happening?

2011-07-06T20:06:00.001+08:00

I don't know what happened but the following is the message I get upon opening the FB site now! Anyone else facing the same dilemma? Or has my account been spammed? Or is this because I 'wore' yellow?!!!

Account Unavailable

Your account is temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance. It should be available again within a few hours. We apologize for the inconvenience.

MY FIRST MOBILE

2011-06-21T15:58:00.000+08:00

In the midst of my packing and moving to my new house, this very old mobile phone surfaced. This Ericsson handphone was my very first handphone that I bought. Judging from the size (and thickness) of this phone to the phones of today, I must say mobiles (and their chargers) have come a long long way!

HELLO DAD ....

2011-06-16T15:37:00.000+08:00

Today seems like a day for me to be connected to my dad?

Firstly today on Facebook, MIX FM ask:

“Are you close to your dad? What's that special bonding moment that you had with him?”

And I drop in my two cents worth:

My dad not only attended to the repairs of the car each time after an accident but he also takes care of my breakfast before dropping me off at the college, he brings me out to lunch almost every day when I started my first job, he continues to give me allowance even after I got married, he never fails to give me moral support when I felt like a failure and last but not least, dad never stopped pampering me even when I became a mother! Our special bonding moment was during school breaks when dad, no matter how busy his work schedule was, would make time to take us all for a short holiday nearby.

Then later in the afternoon, I received the following message in my mailbox entitled BEAUTIFUL LETTER:

Following is a letter to his son from a renowned Hong Kong TV broadcaster cum Child Psychologist. The words are actually applicable to all of us, young or old, children or parents.

I am writing this to you because of 3 reasons.

1. Life, fortune and mishaps are unpredictable, nobody knows how long it lives. Some words are better said early.

2. I am your father, and if I don't tell you these, no one else will.

3. What is written is my own personal bitter experiences that perhaps could save you a lot of unnecessary heartaches.

Remember the following as you go through life.

1. Do not bear grudge towards those who are not good to you. No one has the responsibility of treating you well, except your mother and I. To those who are good to you, you have to treasure it and be thankful, and ALSO you have to be cautious, because, everyone has a motive for every move. When a person is good to you, it does not mean he really likes you. You have to be careful, don't hastily regard him as a real friend.

2. No one is indispensable, nothing in the world that you must possess. Once you understand this idea, it would be easier for you to go through life when people around you don't want you anymore, or when you lose what/whom you love most.

3. Life is short. When you waste your life today, tomorrow you would find that life is leaving you. The earlier you treasure your life, the better you enjoy life.

4. Love is but a transient feeling, and this feeling would fade with time and with one's mood. If your so called loved one leaves you, be patient, time will wash away your aches and sadness. Don't over exaggerate the beauty and sweetness of love, and don't over exaggerate the sadness of falling out of love.

5. A lot of successful people did not receive a good education, that does not mean that you cannot be successful by not studying hard! Whatever knowledge you gain is your weapon in life. One can go from rags to riches, but one has to start from some rags!

6. I do not expect you to financially support me when I am old, neither would I financially support your whole life. My responsibility as a supporter ends when you are grown up. After that, you decide whether you want to travel in a public transport or in your limousine, whether rich or poor.

7. You honour your words, but don't expect others to be so. You can be good to people, but don't expect people to be good to you. If you don't understand this, you would end up with unnecessary troubles.

8. I have bought lotteries for umpteen years, but I never strike any prize. That shows if you want to be rich, you have to work hard! There is no free lunch!

9. No matter how little time I have with you, let's treasure the time we have together. We do not know if we would meet again in our next life.

So what’s the day trying to tell me here?

FIRST TIME

2011-06-13T16:38:00.000+08:00

After a month of moving, packing and unpacking, I finally had my kuali (frying pan) moved over to the new house. So I decided on Sunday to cook my first meal here. All these while, hubby and I have been eating out which to me is so much convenient and cheaper. Only thing is we have too much of artificial flavouring inside us!

Cooked something very simple – ABC soup and “kai choi” rice.

Sunday morning was also the first time I went into this small wet market nearby to where I live now.

Also, this Sunday was the first time the security guard rang my door bell to tell me to keep my clothes as rain was approaching! Oh dear Lord, I must have done something good!

MY NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD

2011-06-09T18:14:00.000+08:00

It’s been a month since I’ve moved to this new place in Kepong. While still adjusting and familiarising myself to this territory, I can’t help but notice how aloof and snobbish this neighbourhood can be. Each family keeps to themselves and not a smile is exchanged. Well, I can adapt to that. In fact I think it’s healthy that the neighbours are not nosy and maintain their distance. But what I can’t tolerate is the attitude they adopt when parking their cars.

Most of the household here has more than 3 cars and as the compound can only hold 2 units, therefore the rest of their cars are spilled onto the road shoulder. With the road shoulder crammed with parked cars, the neighbours then resorted to parking their vehicles haphazardly thus blocking the driveway of another without a concern on the inconvenience that they’ve caused to the other neighbour. Since I was the latest 'addition' to move in, I was of course exposed to such senseless acts.

Despite the anger and resentment displayed by both hubby and I we nevertheless kept our cool and explained the situation to them but yet they still continue to do so selfishly! When one of the neighbours moved his car away, we were happy and praised ourselves for making the effort to explain the situation to them. But the next day, another neighbour would choose to take over that spot and this situation continues to repeat until today, a month later! There must be something pleasant about my house that’s attracting these idiotic people! Even the stray dogs would choose the front of my house to leave their poos behind!

I don’t know for how long I can keep my patience in check. My blood pressure is now climbing gradually and I fear that one day I might just run amok and slash the tyres and scratch the entire length of their vehicles! I’m beginning to detest this territory. Even the routes going to work and returning home are unbearably jammed whichever way I take. Previously I had the privilege of using the tolled highways and I could be home within 40 minutes. I could leave my old home at 8 a.m. and still be on time for work at 9 a.m. But now at this new place, I have to leave by 7 a.m. in order to be on time for work. And the journey home takes an hour to an hour and a half.

Looks like our purchase of this property may not have been wisely invested. Nevertheless, no matter how much I despise this neighbourhood and its surroundings, I would have to stay put and make the best out of it as we could no longer afford to purchase another place with the current escalating price of properties.

BAK CHANG FOR ....

2011-06-06T23:41:00.000+08:00

Here's one bak chang for my precious daughter, Lena and one for my bestest friend, Judy. These were given to me by my dear brother who brought it back all the way from Penang. I guess this is the best I could do to share with both of you during this "bak chang" festival. Come lets enjoy eating this at 3 different time zone! Love you ~~guys~~ gals!

BAK CHANG FESTIVAL

2011-06-06T16:23:00.000+08:00

Today is the “Chung” festival or as they call it in Hokkien, “Bak Chang” festival.

Actually, I totally forgotten all about today’s festival until during lunch break when my colleagues were talking about the dishes they’ve prepared for tonight’s dinner spread. I didn’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything special until then. And to make me feel even sadder was when I read all the postings put up in Facebook today about this “bak chang” festival. Then I began to feel the loss of having to go home after a hard day’s work to a dining table filled with scrumptious dishes still piping hot and befitting the celebration.

When my mother-in-law was around, she’ll be the one slaving over the hot stove from morning just to ensure that she’s got all the dishes on time for us when we return home from work especially the soup as she would boil soup using only the charcoal stove not the gas stove or the slow cooker and her soup always turn out smelling so fragrant and without a layer of oil on top and yet so superciliously tasty!

A week before this festival, mother-in-law would first prepare all the essential ingredients needed for the “chung” and then just a few days before the festival, have them all wrapped and boiled ready to be eaten and given away.

I still remember when I was younger, my mum would be seated on the small little stool at the far end of the kitchen with a wooden pole hanging across 2 chairs for support. She’ll have those strings (not the raffia ones) hanging loosely on one end of the pole, a basin of soaked bamboo leaves on the floor together with a pot of the soaked glutinous rice and ingredients separately placed beside her. She’ll then scoop a tablespoon (approximately) of the soaked glutinous rice onto a triangular shaped cone (made from 2 bamboo leaves) leaving a hollow area in the centre which will be covered with those readily cooked ingredients and covered over with glutinous rice. My mum makes the nyonya style “bak chang” whilst my mother-in-law makes the local version.

I come from a family steep with traditions. Thus when it comes to festivals like today’s I could feel the emptiness and gloominess setting inside me as the hour approaches for us to go home today.

REST IN PEACE MY DEAR AUNT

2011-06-03T17:36:00.000+08:00

It was only last year when we celebrated her 91st birthday. She was glowing with happiness and joy although she couldn’t comprehend what the whole occasion was about. Then when we visited her again during the recent Chinese New Year, she was so chatty and happy to see us all even though she couldn’t recognise some of us. But all the same we chatted and we laughed and talk about good old days.

Then sometime last month, her health took a tumble. Doctors said there’s nothing much left to be done as her brain has shrunk. She then lost her ability to speak and could no longer recognise anyone not even her son who gave up his job to care for his mum for the past five years or more. My aunt’s appetite was also affected and from hereon she deteriorated.

I’m glad to hear that she passed away peacefully on the morning of 2^nd June 2011. Glad because she has lived life to its fullest with the illness stepping in as a result of old age which is unavoidable. Glad because she has lived to see three generations of her family tree. Glad because towards the end, she didn’t suffer and, last but not least, glad because she’s now in a much happier and blessed place.

The song is ended, but the melody lingers on...

MOVING HOUSE

2011-05-26T12:19:00.000+08:00

I have finally moved into my new house after many many strenuous months of running between my old house and the new to make certain the renovation works run smoothly and also to ensure that it completes on time with all the fixtures and fittings installed the way I want them to be.

Moving house is indeed a very tiring and stressful time for us human as well as animal! Yes, my dog Max was so stressed with his new environment that he lost a bit of weight. Probably he has grown to love and accustom to the old place since he grew up from there. Max took a couple of days to adjust in and return to his usual schedule. He could be missing his friends (including the cats and dogs) from the old neighborhood.

As for us, hubby and I worked tirelessly packing and unpacking the stuff that we have accumulated over the past 26 years! Oh how our back and feet hurt so much that we had to, in between the packing and unpacking, run to the masseur to knead out the sore and aching joints! Two weeks later and there are still so many boxes left to unpack.

Those items already unpacked have been neatly stacked away in the cabinets and when I needed some things, I had a bit of difficulty finding where I kept them! As is with all new places and things, we just have to orientate ourselves especially with regard to electrical switches like, which button switches which fan and which lights. So I resorted to labeling the switches to help my poor memory!

To-date the internet service is still not connected. Except for calls to Singapore, I can’t seem to make other international calls from my land line and, last but not least, my account with Astro is not activated yet.

There are still so many outstanding issues to sort out and I guess it’s going to take a while to get the whole house in order.

From hereon, I hope that I will never again have to move as it is indeed very exhausting and taxing on my old aged body! With age creeping up on us, both hubby and I definitely cannot take another round of ‘beatings’ on our bodies!

NASI LEMAK

2011-04-15T23:52:00.000+08:00

This evening I stood obediently in the queue for more than 35 minutes just to buy this packet of nasi lemak!! I can’t believe myself!

chicken fried in chillies and anchovies together with petai cooked in sambal

This nasi lemak stall is run by a Chinese couple. Every evening just before 6 p.m. they’ll open their stall in front of a row of shops which faces a petrol station located on the opposite side of the road leading to Taman Datuk Senu, Sentul.

Way before the stall is opened, the queue is already there, even when it rains. The husband takes care of the fruit juices while the wife attends to the nasi lemak.

The nasi lemak here is just simply delicious. The fluffy rice cooked in coconut milk is so fragrant that one could just eat the rice alone without any of the condiments. They use those small size fried ikan bilis (anchovies) which are easier to bite into as compared to those larger size ones which cost much less.

They have a variety of dishes to choose from. There are 2 types of vegetables, stir fried cabbage and stir fried kangkong (water spinach/convolvulus) and chicken cooked in different styles. They have chicken curry (both the dry and gravy style) and chicken fried in sambal. Then there’s pork cooked rendang style and big prawns cooked in sambal. There’s also petai and anchovies cooked together in sambal.

For those non-spicy dishes, you could choose either the fried spring rolls and/or the fried luncheon meat. And not to be left out, the hard boiled eggs and the fried eggs.

With so many choices, it’s a no wonder the queue lengthens as it takes a while to decide what you want in your nasi lemak. Further more, there are many who buys them by the dozens! I suppose it’s more cost effective dinner for the family. My packet cost me only RM3.50.

YAM..MY WEEKEND

2011-04-11T01:07:00.000+08:00

After reading Ophelia’s blog on one of her recipe on yam rice, I toyed around the idea of cooking this dish for hubby since he loves yam so much as compared to me. I don’t quite like yam. Initially, it was due to allergy but somehow I grew out of it and from thereon I never liked yam. But I’ll eat it if I ~~want~~ have to but … only a bit!

And so it was – a ‘yammy’ weekend! Saw the yam at the wet market looking big and fresh and nice. Couldn't resist not buying it. After getting my marketing done, I just couldn’t wait to get home to start on my yam project.

Followed Ophelia’s recipe with the omission of certain ingredients like the dried prawns and the roasted pork which hubby don’t like. Instead I substituted with dried scallops. Below is the picture of my final product.

yam rice

I stole a few mouthfull (with yam in it) and found it to be tasty. Obviously I felt proud of my achievement since this is my first attempt at cooking yam rice.

Then, with so much of yam leftover, I decided to cut some into strips and deep fried them and the balance, I made bubur cha cha. Take a look at the pictures below. Aren’t they ‘yammyly’ delicious?

deep fried yam strips

bubur cha cha

In no time, all those yam strips were gone! Funny though I love it when it’s deep fried. The bubur cha cha was splendid too! The coconut milk was just the right amount and I ate only those sweet potatoes minus the yam.

Conclusion: A very proud achievement in cooking with yam! The tastes of the yammy dishes have been very satisfying.