Thursday, October 30, 2008

Gendang gendut tali kecapi

After a very long absence, kaki kambing made a come back with a bang..not just one, but a meaty pair!


The first kaki..already half-eaten by the time I arrived..


The glorious second kaki, juicy and yummy. I was in heaven for awhile..

Then the effects hit us all....heaty all over that I became so uncomfortable and agitated..adeh...


The sweaty (bloated) carnivores

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Somebody commented that this blog is lacking of real substance nowadays. Too many photos especially of food, yet, too few meaningful posts said another soul.

Well, my head is a bit messed up at the moment (nothing new there eh) that if I pen my thoughts down, they will just be incomprehensible ramblings. So let me sort some issues out first ya... I'll be back..

Friday, October 24, 2008

La vie est belle (part 2)

From as long as I can remember, my dream was and still is to own a resort on a tranquil tropical island. Since the possibility of me striking rich to be able to do that is as low as Ku Li's chances of winning UMNO's presidency (with due respect to the man... I am just being realistic!), I will just, well.. keep on dreaming...

For now, I am just contented with the fact that I actually get to be on these islands on a more frequent basis than before...

Island-hopping part 1: Redang Island 10-12th October 2008










Island-hopping part II: Tioman Island 17-19th October 2008









The next mission is to buy a camera with housing for underwater photography (I am not going to risk the current dSLR!)... it's almost time to put up underwater photos of my own on this blog! ;)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

La vie est belle (part 1)

It was supposed to be a simple dinner meet up with the gang. But a surprise was planned by the usual suspects and 1 and 1/2hours later, we ended up in Jeram, near Kuala Selangor for a huge seafood feast. Excellent!









And I happily dozed off on a full stomach all the way back to Ampang after that... sorry Mr Driver! :)

Note: would like to blog about the recent Redang trip but too sleepy already.... zZZZZzzzz....

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Laughter, the best medicine

It's not a good day for me today.. had a bad bout of diarrhoea early this morning and stomachache throughout the day which left me in bed most of the time. But this piece of news from NST Online boosted my mood:

PM not contesting, to quit in March

KUALA LUMPUR, WED:
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will not defend his post as UMNO president at the party’s election in March.

Abdullah made the announcement at the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting. He had earlier briefed the Cabinet of his decision.

The meeting, which started at 3.40pm, was attended by nearly all the leaders of the 13 component parties. Under the BN system, the Umno president is also the prime minister and BN chairman.


A smart move. Hope the successor will waste no time in salvaging our declining economy, state of education and unity...

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If you haven't gone to watch it....GO! Trust me, it is worth your every penny!

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The last time I set foot in Actors Studio Bangsar was exactly 5 years ago, for this play when my then other half, his brother and a few more friendly faces were involved in its production. Yup, October 2003...such a long time ago eh?

Co-incidentally enough, the actor who played Panjang in that play was also among the audience in Gamarjobat last night. Anyway, I am glad that a good friend asked me along to the show...I had such a good laugh and had a new set of good memories of the place too. Maybe I will be back there again for another play before the venue closes down in February 2009...

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They've been friends for years. There used to be only 3 of them, until another member came along 2 years ago and the clique became complete. They hold regular night outs and these meet-ups are always filled with sarcastic (yet friendly) banters and loud laughters. It's the crude frankness they commonly share that make them clicked very well together.

But good things can't last forever.

Two will sooner or later go off to Down Under and the Middle East for greener pasture while another will hopefully tie the knot next year. And since he is also planning to come out of his 'retirement' to rejoin the national squad again in time for next year's SEA Games, he'll be as busy as ever. The one remaining.... well, she knows what she needs to do but hasn't got the guts to take that BIG step yet. Soon hopefully..

Thank you for the wonderful years guys!


4 sekawan met up over juicy ribs at Tony Roma's on Monday night

Friday, October 03, 2008

Raya Snippets

Johor Bahru, 1st Syawal (pm):

Pak Long: Kak Long bila nak kahwin? Boleh Pak Long naik KL lagi...

Yours Truly: Takde boyfriend lagi la Pak Long..

Pak Long: Tak apa la.. perlahan2. Cari lelaki yang baik-baik aje..


Kesian Pak Long. Tak naik KL la dia jawabnya... Lelaki yang baik-baik kat KL ni dah pupus la Pak Long...

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It was 12 years ago that I last went back to Muar for raya. After that, it was UK for 6 years, then JB for the remaining 6 (well, maybe one year in KL with the then in-laws..can't remember much now). Although I was pretty close to the Muar clans when I was small, 'kampung' to me was always JB. It is the place where I was born and grew up. The last few years saw me driving down to JB independently with my best buddy eventhough the rest of my family went back to Muar.

But it all changed this year. I followed my parents back to Muar without a single hesitation. Maybe my rebellious act has come to an end. Maybe I have wisen up. Maybe because my best buddy is now married and couldn't car-pool with me anymore. Maybe because the cousins I normally hang out with during raya are now married and spending raya with their in-laws. Maybe it is down to the fact that my granddad passed away earlier this year and spending raya eve and raya morning in JB would just bring sadness in me. Maybe...

Well, I had fun in Muar. In a way, I was glad that I went. But when I saw tears in Pak Long's and Mak Long's eyes later that evening when we went to JB for a brief visit, I knew it was a mistake. JB is where I belong with or without my late granddad. I had tears in my eyes too when I left. And so did my sisters. Hope I will make it back there next raya...insya'allah..

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I have decided. Having ketupat for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 3 days in a row is making me really sluggish. I will therefore, start going swimming at least 2 times a week starting next week. And basketball once a week if I am in KL at weekends. I have been putting off proper exercises for far too long. I have been in a state of denial for so long that not even once I weighed myself in the last 2 years.

Hopefully, I won't get another stalker or another boyfriend at the pool. Those were my excuses of stopping my regular swim the last time anyway! heheh..

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Ampang Point was pretty quiet just now. Quite a number of shops are closed but my mission to get DVDs to kill my boredom was accomplished..thank god the DVD shop didn't take long raya break like my usual car wash place (and this carwash place is run by Indian guys ok!). I was happily walking towards Guardians to get my usual travel toiletries since I'm going underwater again next week when suddenly I heard my name being called, softly. Oh... such a surprise. It was a good friend of a guy I used to go out with, whom, like him, is also a swimming instructor. He looked genuinely happy to see me. I was excited too since it has been a long time while since I last saw him. We chatted for quite a while and updated each other with our life progresses but when he asked me to join him for dinner, I turned him down. It was something he said that made me wanting to walkaway fast. He said he saw my ex recently and the guy still talk about me. Frankly, I don't want to know or hear more. I have this image in my mind that he is now happy with a new love and I'd rather keep it that way. Call it guilty conscience eh?

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

A whole new world

It is the eve of Aidilfitri tonight. As usual, Ramadhan flies so quickly but looking back, this is one of the most meaningful Ramadhan for yours truly. It started quietly but by the first weekend, things fell into places so beautifully and over the last 3 weeks, I was busy traveling, learning and experiencing all about humility and humanity, making new friends and keeping in touch with old friends, some of whom I have lost touch for more than a decade.

The traveling kicked-off with the long-awaited 4th library for orphanage project in Chemor, Perak which you can read all about it here and check out the photos here. We also had food distribution to the poor at the same site and at Bukit Gantang the next day under Feed the Fasting Programme by Islamic Relief Malaysia. Bukit Gantang holds a special place in my heart for that was the first place I went for library installation in an orphanage. Managed to get to know more of Bukit Gantang locals this time round, including Pak Long Husin who is 101 years old and has no other relatives apart from his unwell daughter who he needs to take care of. We also met Pak Ceh who is 83 years old, stays alone and still sells vegetables on his bicycle each day to feed himself. It was a humbling experience meeting them, I'd say. There were times when I had silent tears in my eyes....


Reunited with the kids of Rumah Nur Hidayah


Pak Long Husin


Pak Ceh berposing with 'Mr Rohan' ;)

More photos here.

After Chemor and Bukit Gantang, Feed the Fasting crew of IRM visited the office of Little People National Organisation of Malaysia and distributed food packages to the unfortunate members of the organisation. All this while, I don't think I have ever had any close contact with little people and the chance to meet and mingle with them during this visit was a real eye-opener. I was astonished to hear about the hardship that many of them are facing (health-wise and worst, discrimination) just because they're a few feet shorter than many of us.


I can't remember her name but she is so kind and lively!

More photos here.

The third weekend of Ramadhan brought us to East Coast where we distributed Feed the fasting food packages to the poor in Wakaf Tapai, Marang, Terengganu. Here, we distributed more than 250 boxes of the food packs and as before, more life stories were shared by the recipients..Sigh...There are still so many poor and abandoned group of people in this country!

Photos here.

Of course, we were a bunch of food lovers so in the evening when we were not working, we would be all over the places sampling local food and delicacies..heheh.. I would love to put up some photos of the food here but my connection is pretty crappy right now so I shall just continue....

The last weekend of Ramadhan brought us to Alor Gajah, Melaka for food distribution there. In a true Melaka style, the makciks and pakciks there were really lively and funny and I had a lot of fun talking to them in Nogori dialect. I used to went out with a Negeri guy (my first cinta monyet ok!) so talking to them brought back sweet memories from the past! I have yet to upload any photos from this trip on my fotopages...nanti la yek..

Anyway, would like to take this opportunity to thank all friends who have supported and contributed to this cause.. Really appreciate it. Being involved in this project has taught me many life lessons...One thing for sure, poverty still exist in this country and it is no joke. For many of us who have families to go home to, unlimited supply of food on the table and comfortable homes for shelter, do not take things for granted ok. Stop whining, be thankful and cherish every single moment you have with your loved ones before they/we are gone forever...

Salam Aidilfitri. Maaf Zahir Batin.

End of an era (and the beginning of a new one)

So, I turned 48 a few days ago. Instead of having the day off to celebrate, it was a busy day instead starting with a virtual viva session f...