jalan-jalan cuci mata

I was contemplating on where to eat for breakfast today last night (talk about planning..)and was sorely tempted to find that TOmYam place again in Sinsuran. I thought about the jam and the difficulty in finding a parking space and what other sane reason to go to that neck of the woods other than just to sample the TomYam one more time.. and slept on it.
This morning I woke up nearly 8 and immediately thought of the TomYam. That's it, I thought! I had drifted off into sleep last night thinking of doing my credit card pay-ups today via on foot. How? Park at one spot and walk around KK!
Ok. So I drove off to KK.. around 9-ish I was already around the SInsuran blocks, doing my first round for parking search. I have this thing about parking and going to a particular place..if I'm meant to go and have a looksee at a place, parking would find me. If not, then i should go find at somewhere else. So, if i was meant to eat TomYam today, a car would vacate a parking spot for me. Which..on the 2nd try.. a car did. Great!
I had my Tomyam..and thought..the one in Beverly HIlls is spicier, had more ingredients in it..much bigger bowl.. but this one was just right.

Noted the 'Mongolian chicken' stall in the same kedai and made a mental note to get a tapau from there when I got back.
After breakfast, I walked. Walked past the Bank Negara. Walked across the streets to the Aussie Monument. Walked pass the Menumbok/Beaufort Bus Station. Walked across the streets again towards the DBKK building. Then walked the length of the blocks of building at Gaya St. and went to do my business with all the banks that my wallet is painfully attached to. And walked some more.. and finally finished my monthly errands at Standard Chartered.
And then scooted over to the new shopping centre. Suria. So not crowded I could rollerblade inside there and be the happy gilmore. I spotted this signboard that spelled out TIMES BOOKSTORE and my heart gave a leap! Oh yea... promising! and went over to the escalators. I could smell the glue and new books(really now..) from the moment i stepped off the moving stairs. The staff were uniformly in black Tee-s and pants. I was in black Tee-s too..hey..
So, i walked two steps into heaven, i mean, the store and paused and surveyed my surroundings. hmm... might recall that heaven bit for a while.. Ok laarr ( i opined)... and noticed this section next to the counter. I can't recall what the books there were housed under.. but I of course zeroed in on the ones within eye level. Lo and behold!... there..right there.. was the book i'd been looking for for so long. I'd already read it... but didn't buy it then for reasons i can't quite fathom.. There... Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth. Such an epic of a novel it is. Reading it is comparable (at least to me) to having this sumptuous feast of all the delicacies that satisfy the five senses..and burping(oh i beg your pardon) with the gratitude of being sated afterwards. But of course I must have the book now. Called up Yus to ask if she managed to find the book 'cuz much as i love the book, having two would be most unacceptable. Bought it I did. Yess... And yea.. chatted with the boy ( i feel so ancient that i must call this boy a boy) who was manning the counter. Asked him where the local writer section was, perchance the other book i was looking for would be around. He was like this shy puppy hesitant to please the master as he pointed towards where I might find books by local writers. If i didn't gently ask for the balance money for the book i bought, he'd've ushered me to the said shelves. The book, in addition to the membership fee (Yes, i'm a store member now.. can get discounts next visit) cost RM43.63. So I gave the cute puppy RM53.60. All the while I was making small chitchats with him. He punched in the numbers and took out a few notes...which i noticed weren't supposed to be that much given back to me.. He looked a bit lost and was about to push back the slot when I interrupted his thoughts... 'just 10 ringgit'. He wavered a bit.. i smiled and counted the maths with him... i think he punched in the wrong numbers..and he gave an embarrassed smile and said 'sorry, bingung-bingung ni..'. aluuu...
After paying, he did show me the shelves where the supposed books of local writers can be had. Hmm... extensive not at all. oh well, got what i wanted. and went out of the bookstore and out of the building.
And walked across the street towards Wisma Sabah. Went into that tunnel-like corridor and walked on. Now I think i've passed through this corridor a few times before but i've never until then noticed this small shop where local traditional ethnic costumes were displayed and sold(apparently). This being a curious day, I followed my curiousity and walked in. I was greeted by this very friendly lady whom i later found out was named Lina Angkat. Very forthcoming with her conversation and information. Found out a lot of things today from her.
And so...(being long-winded today), I walked into Wisma Merdeka, went into this jewellry store, found out the girl behind the counter was a former student, got myself another hematite ring, bought some unripe slices of mangos and thought that was that.
I resumed my walk back to Sinsuran and back to my car. It was nearly 1pm. Just before going to my car, I returned to that restaurant where I had my TomYam breakfast and tapau-ed a chicken rice for lunch. Went to my car, and went home.
Interesting day today. I just might make this a monthly affair.

Project U

'U' being uniform. I have this cousin who's in primary six. Her mum asked me to sew Nyola's kain kurung 'cuz try as they might, they couldn't find a ready-made school uniform of baju kurung that could fit her healthy waistline.
No problemo..

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..

As I was watching the 3rd CD of the Ally Mcbeal 1st season, i received this sms on my mobile. Of all the sms's i received wishing me happy birthday n merry christmas, this was one of the most poignant ones. Never mind that it's two days late, I still feel touched that this person remembered my birthday. It was from one of my favorite uncles. I think..he's one of the few uncles/ relatives I have who's in touch with his feelings. Unfairly said so...maybe because he uses music to express his feelings and i am sometimes partial to those who has music close to their hearts.
Merry Christmas Uncle. May you find happiness always.

Fish mee hun soup

been on the lookout for a good place to eat TOM YAM food around Kota Kinabalu or near KK. I can't quite say that a good Tom Yam should only come from the kitchen of a Thai...cuz you know..tepuk dada tanya selera. Let's see...there's this chinese restaurant at Sinsuran, this place at Bakut, this Kedai Janggut (so it's called) at Hilltop, and this kedai in Beverly Hills i recently revisited (used to eat there..now it's managed by some other eatery). The tom yam there is quite something..my eyes watered due to the spiciness of it but it was sedap! And today I had mix fish mee hun soup there... big bowl of delicious broth of fresh fish slices, tomatoes, fresh ginger, coriander leaves!...waaah i tell you... i think i can have it everyday!

Lambaian Kinabalu

Last night's performance was thrilling. I was dressed to the nines in the Lotud costume, courtesy of Erwan. Very beautifully stitched and embroidered. The make up was great..wah..stage make up is very interesting..

The first dance we did was the Lambaian kinabalu, a mix of traditional sabah ethic dance. I trully felt blessed to be able to dance with this group of dancers. I was nervous..almost felt like running to the loo.. but come performance time, Oh..to see the smiles and confidence coming from some of the more experienced dancers made me feel a sort of pride in this art and I too smiled proudly.
Second dance was the Joget. This we did the night before but tonight we danced much better. It was almost fun doing this Joget! Especially knowing you are being watched by a hall-full of audience.
The third, Lolai..or something like that. Almost similar to the Igal-igal dance. Now this..was not fully rehearsed. But there was Jaafar who was the leader of this dance. We just took his cue and swayed and turned when he did. This dance needed a lot of muscle and body control..i was sweating buckets on stage..and I was in the first row!..
The next few dances were impromptu... accompanying Asmin Mudin who was singing on stage..and dancing with guests from the audience..
It was a night worth remembering.


And today is my birthday. I am only glad I am still around to enjoy what life has to give. 10 years ago I lived for the moment. I only hope I will still have my health to continue doing anything worthwhile.

Jojet kinabalu

i've woken up 4 times since 6.30am to the intermittent beep of my mobile phone alarm sytem. i wearily opened up my eyes, located the insistent beeping, pressed the snooze button, and slipped into unconsciousness again.. and again..
Still weary. the last two days of intensive dance practice for the MSKPM are quite something.. Tari rampai, jojet (as the term affectionately? used by the other pro daoncers).
Me? just very amateur, keep forgetting the steps or ragam as it is termed.
tonight's the first performance..tomorrow's the climax.
But i must admit, it's a different kind of bliss to be able to dance in sync with music IN a team..knowing which way to sway and turn.. So..this is what it feels like...
Off to practice..

Boliga day

Went rafting at Kiulu today for the nth time. The difference this time is that it's the Boliga side of the family going rafting. Mum's sis' husband's side of the family..mostly residing at Kg. Boliga. There were 20 of us including me.
Raft guides from Riverbug, Aming, Tiron and Edward. All campin2 raft guides.
Water wasn't that fast, quite low level..but the raft guides made the raft move and turn and twist and made the trip down from Pukak to basecamp a whole lot of fun.
Gareth was all sore and tired by the paddling and kept asking me if I experienced the same muscle soreness when I first had my rafting experience. I said yes. He's hooked...i can tell. :)
Note to self : must do a get-together with them (raft guides) soon...one of these days.. I owe them some Peter Vella at least.

Nin Jiom Pei Pa Ko

Been having this cough a few days now. It started out as a negative reaction to Salem lights. Long time ago in Bethlehem, that brand was my staple puffing cig. I've since (then) moved on to a few other names in this puffing world of inhalants. I quit a few times. I'm not particularly addicted to it. It's just a curious feeling of...control..over my own lifeline. Morbid. It's always fascinating to watch myself ( mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the smokiest one of all..) exhale to a swathe or stream of Dunhill through the corners of the mouth. Bizzare? I actually slapped on vermillion lipcolor onto these lips and stare fascinatingly the contrast of red and puffwhiteys. Cruel...
My poor lungs. always end up feeling slightly regretful afterwards.
After a few days of dry coughing without ingesting any meds or practicing safe inhaling. The cough progressed healthily into racking, phlegmy stage after ingesting Ubat batuk cap ibu dan anak. Nice.. something to hawk into the sink or toilet bowl. Disgusting?
Kisah seorang anak yang duka nestapa kerana ibunya batuk... uhuk uhuk..
Kasihan sungguh dia pergi mendapatkan ubaaaat...

pawn and gambit

2010 is a coming..
another year to go through.
another phase to manage.
i am still not concrete.
a house i have. for that i am mollified.
still searching for that elusive something.
indescribable, indefinite.

bad i am at chess
though in gambit i try.
to offer pawn or be a pawn..
to invite the hand of fate.

i tire at times
this illness
this self-induced impairment
but i still have to make go the distance
to tough it out
tho the yearning to confide
is restrained by the
fear of the feedback

i am no giant
just a lowly fern
exposed to the elements.
building up roots
finding purchase in the soil
with hopes to grow

Of velvets and butterflies

On the 5th of this month, the 4th makan-makan for my sis wedding was finally held. This 4th instalment of reception was held in kampung. Lots of preparation which involved a lot of logistic arrangement from my parents were done. I did what I could do to help. Tents were put up, catering was done, plenty and repetitive cleaning ups were done, tahaps (invitation cards designed mostly by my parents- since they already had this idea of how they wanted the tahap to be..and there were two versions of it..in English and in Kadazan) were printed and delivered and etc.

My embroideries on my sis' kadazan costume were done on the eve of the day. Pricked my fingers a few times when ngantuks came over. Overall effect...sweet.

That morning, most of us ladies on the girls' side wore the kadazan costume, though sis wore it the longest time. Some of us changed into other dresses or attires after a while.

Will continue with the story afterwards. makan time.

Drag

well.. cat cut my fingers.
Been all over the KK, keeping myself occupied. Gaining my weight as easy as ABC.
Didn't think paintball would come to me instead of me looking for it. Funny.
The next course coming up is the arus deras level 2. Quite tricky business this one.
My good friend Mona has finally got the okay to move to a school in the remote area. How remote can 4 hours of hiking from the nearest main road can a school be? Quite. In the district of Penampang, the school is proving to be a challenge geographically as well as mentally and career-wise for her. Tabik 10 kali ni! I'm positive she will bring much needed change and cheer to that new school.
My cousin Melvin has also managed to extricate himself from a position he'd started off as liking to in the end hating. The apple was good.. but the worms made it difficult to chew..and swallow. He's moving to an even more remote school. Naik pangkat jugala.. But still..I'm going to miss both of these two kawans.
Right at the now.. i'm taking a break from doing beadworks on my Sis' Kadazan costume. No stress on me doing it even though it's quite the last minute work because I know this artsy-fartsy thing is something i like doing (if i might say so myself). A cat here, a few butterflies there... dots here and there... voila! Canteeeqq...
Tomorrow going to get the 8 chocolate cakes from Sarimah. I thought of only ordering 6 but on second thought, why not 8? If there are leftovers, i'd just finish them off. Not a prob. So moist.. so delicious..

meet the heads

annually its done
a time to report, to voice out what's wrong,
what's right,
taking so bloody long.
the head's giving barely veiled ultimatum
"get outta here if u can't follow the norm"
"hundreds of other places for u to scram to"
in a nutshell..
too nice of a feller la..
to be taken that seriously
chortle, snickle, snack..


lookin' around..
heads are a lolling, eyes are closing
glad the head has funny bones in hisself
chortle, snickle, snack..
started at 7
food break at 10.30.(aayy doi dogo.. gastric naik odi..)
resumed half an hour after
as usual, there're naughty ones
who make merry at the slightest need
jejune day it has not been so far. :)

Say when

i can't count the days yet because the doc hasn't given me an exact date. She just said that it could be early next year.
Hmmph.. be still my heart.
First on the list is : A Juicy, Crunchy, Cool, Red Apple!!!... The kind that you bite into and it snaps and crunches under the pressure of well placed bite..

Second on the list is : A Snickers bar. I don't care if you think it's ridiculous.

There. I will have these two things inside my bag the day I get these metals off.

BlueWave..

Dare say I learned something in Shah Alam. Some restructuring will have to be done on the part of the higher authority if this Form 6 thingy is to work out well. AND the necessary circulars has to be passed on to the respective schools involved for it to be implemented well.

Tiny fried ikan sembilang, some bean sprouts and chicken curry.. tolerable..

on a brighter note.. managed to meet up with dear old friend N. Exhanged updates on life... more like he updated most of his.. he is such an entertaining character. And the characters that surrounds him sound bigger than life too. Didn't really notice the time (noticed the temperature - cooollddd) talking to him.. But had to make a move from the kedai kopi since I still had seminars to go to later in the morning. Said our goodbyes at 2am. My talkative roommate hadn't been sleeping in the room since day 1, so I had the room all to myself...therefor i felt very at home :)

gosh..
hie away... would be what i automatically feel. to realise how this seminar will change some part of my professianal career next year and the years to come..
choice be mine.

kl trip

Am here at the KKIA international airport. Going to Shah Alam with a few other colleagues. Was telling friends and families just a few days ago that i'd be going to KL for a course. When they asked what hotel i'd be staying, then i had to re-phrase the destination. it's not exactly Kay El... it's at Shah Alam. it's always easy to say (for us people here at Sabah) we're going to KL if the destination is to fly over to the peninsular, regardless whether the actual destination IS in KL or not.
How blurred can one get over what course one is on? very. i'm just not really into this. Happy to be chosen to go? not really. worthy to be chosen? right.. there was no other missy to chose from.
and to top the cap.. a bit short on the dough at the mo. next happy ATM moment will be 2 days away tho.. hope won't be needing to use any until then.

check

What a week-end.
juggled two events.
geographically spaced..not too distant la.. and the driving doesn't bother me, 'cept that when your mind and body is quite tired , taxed..
the end year dinner..going on duty as an R.O. during this Climbathon this year..driving can be dangerous. (nodding off and veering off course...)
Dinner at Putera Ballroom.. duty at National Park.
One of them is worth more than the other but the less worthy needed my attendance..
This would have been a good time for a ..aiyah..what's that thingamajig..oh..for me to say "Beam me up, Scotty" and whisk me to point B from A and vice-versa.

Birthdays

My brother turned 14 yesterday. The age difference doesn't really show. Ever since he started sprouting like a well-nourished sappling, overshooting me and thereby relegating me to the rank of the shortest of siblings, he has even started looking a bit older for his age - sometimes. We had lunch at Hyatt. Why there of all places? My mum's choice and liking. Oh, I have no complaints. Nagisa is always a pleasure to go to as well. I simply adore the steamed egg served there. Although I've tasted better sushi, the ambience certainly make up for any other shortcomings.

Later last night, all of us headed over to Uncle Arius' residence. Sis and hubs had come over from Labuan the night before, bringing with them much cheer and chocolates and Vodka-coctails (thank you loads you two!!!). Anyway, I brought them over with my silverado around 6.30pm. Food and drinks were aplenty. The twins had set up the karaoke and since there were not many around yet, I of course found it much comfortable to belt out a few tunes.

There was much cause for celebration. Arnaz and Bradley had just had their church confirmation, the twins had happily graduated from UMS (each with a degree in Biochemistry and Geology - forgot which is for who), it was the birthday celebration of Joanne(14), Brandon Jedd(12), a few other cousins and uncles who celebrated their birthdays in October. Songs were sung, cakes were cut, drinks were drunk to much laughter and merriment.

Met cousin Lita after not meeting her for quite a while. Still the same girl, new hairstyle (she lost the Shakira look though), a new tattoo on the inside of her right ankle. sigh, didn't have time to catch up with her though. Spent my night eating the delicious long simmered Tilapia (my grandmum's recipe of course!), and singing and drinking this marvelous coctail of v.s.o.p corvoisier and sprite. Never knew it tasted so smooth..

The party was still in full swing when I decided that enough was enough. I needed to send sis and hubs back to the hotel. Why weren't they staying over at my parents'? Apparently there's this chinese custom that says the daughter cannot stay overnight at her parents place for 4 months after the wedding. So, there. After sending them over to the hotel, I drove back to Sierra. I took the time to wind down, checked my FB, washed my face, put on the elastics on my braces.. and finally hit the sack.

It was a Saturday well spent.

Hot! Hot! Hot!!

Not referring to the song.
The weather is wreaking havoc on my head..
feel a slight pinch already ..forming on my left temple.

Sarawak Challenge 2009

Sarawak Challenge came and went. The whole experience decided my level of fitness..which was.. not that fit. *koff koff*.. A long soft slope up Canada Hill going towards Grand Old Lady in Miri was not a soft slope for me. *curses*
Anyway.. there were 15 reps from Sabah this time. 10 men, 5 women (me included). Venue : Kolej Tuanku Hj Bujang, Miri. Duration : 2nd - 9th Oct.
The last time I participated this Cabaran was 2 years ago in Selangor.
Lemme see... this time, there was Kayak, Bicycling, abseil, gadjet-making, survival skills (which seemed more like kiasu old ladies pitching their cookings skills against other kiasu old ladies).. flying fox, parrallel crossing, visit to the Niah Cave, durian eating competition (ahahah..not. but we did go out to town to hunt for durians which were sold abundant and cheap).
Enjoyed the cycling, loved the kayak crashing waves, was thrilled by the almost 4 storeys high rappel descent..( the rope was damp on some length and the gloves didn't grip as tightly as it should..something coulda gone wrong!)
I didn't lobby for this - as some have - but strangely I did feel like I was going to get chosen for this.

Music-less

I have definitely been neglecting this blog. All due to the more consumingly addictive games in Facebook. Words are unnecessary in these games.. which unfortunately does not bode well for me (i.e. ignoring writing.
My new ride has been without music for the last three days (grumble grumble).. So i sent her to the service centre just now. i am back at work, (using precious working hours to blog), and will retrieve dear Pegasus later at three. I will have to postpone some other errands which I had earlier planned.

Trip to Labuan- Part deux

Well, sis will(according to Hokkien tradition) officially belong to the Chua household. :).. She looks right at home with them already. We, of the Malitam clan, fit right in any situation..just as long as we are treated right..but isn't that the norm..

What's the date today?

Wishing muslims around the world a very merry Eidl Fitr. The world is ever changing but let's hope brotherhood in man lives on.

Me, my pegasus and I

After driving second hand cars all these years, I finally have a car that has my name on the car registration card stated as a first owner.
My flightless horse, my silver pegasus, my Persona. Why Persona? Why not?
I know many a friend would say, oh, why Persona? Most have this idea that I should drive something hardy and powerful and strong like a Rav4, baby Prado, la la la.. I would, if they were paying for it. hahaha....
Anyway, a buddy drove me over to Proton Edar Inanam (Happy Birthday again, friend) nearly noon. The pegasus was already waiting for me there. All ready for me to take charge and say heigh ho silver!!.. After signing a few more papers Mary brought me over to the car. We walked over towards the service center (where all the cars were parked) and saw it..bearing the old number plate of my previous car). She had given the keys to me earlier and so I pressed the button and the door gently beeped it's approval for entry.
I opened the back door first and started to tear off the plastic coverings. Asked my friend to help me on the other side of the car. No point keeping the plastic for show. I know it's new and that's all that matters. No need to have it in place for all the world to see.
After clearing the seats off the plastics, we both went in and sat inside. Me on the driver's, Guitarman on the other side..excitedly going over the buttons and finding out their functions.
Anyways, driving this automatic transmission is quite the experience. I drive automatics every now and then (me mum's Matrix) but I found out that driving my own automatics for the first time gave me the jitters.
I also went to Han's Car Mart this afternoon to have the windows tinted. Bought an air freshener too. My nose seem to not able to fully accept the new car smell. I finally reached home around 8, feeling tired.
Tired but glad.

not yet..

Wishful thinking. nope.. not going to be a mama today.

Come to mama

So. Today's the day. If all goes to plan, no hitches, i'll be bringing back a new ride. I am going to miss this black and silver ensemble. Really really going to miss him.
Off to have my breakfast of half-boiled eggs, some milo and a donut perhaps.
sigh..

adieu and greetings

Come Thursday
Will bid adieu to a loyal companion
sad but it's got to be done
will miss the power
it gave me
feline machismo

but the line will not be cut
definitely
a part of it
will remain
and live on
in the new fly machine

come what may
bring it on.

Introducing

It's over but not done yet. :) Plenty of things to be happy about. A big hug and congratulations for my dear sis. Wishing you happiness always. Second celebration done, the third one coming up. Going back to labuan next week..coinciding with the Raya exodus..

signed, not sealed, yet to be delivered.

Signed the s & p last monday. Now, wait for the shipment to come.

Glut

Visited the Lok Kawi Ramadhan Stalls. A lot of authentic semenanjung cuisines here. Why do I say authentic? Most of the sellers are the wives of army staff (mostly not from around east malaysia) who are very much skilled in cooking the food they are most familiar with. Food, food and more food...


I love this! Blue rice..a quartered salted duck egg..some dessicated coconut..finely shredded cabbage, bunga kantan and long beans (raw)..batter-coated fried fish..and this thingy inside the chilli..chilli n prawn paste..delicious curry-like sauce.

Outing

It rained hard early this morning. Made me doubt just for a second if the trip to Togudon would go on as planned.

The Pegasus

Ms Mary called..enough to slowly rouse me from my late afternoon nap. Informing me that the new ride will be arriving next sunday. 13th to be exact. Telling me to go over the bank and sign the agreement, in anticipation of the coming wheeled Pegasus. Righto. The call came about half past 6pm. Working overtime eh. Workoholic?
Some parts of me feel relief, that soon i'll be mobiling around with a ride with an automated transmission. With the jam that's going around these days. Oh, 'these days'? The only time the road's not is when it's not peak hours.

Silverado

My pegasus (moron : it doesn't fly lah!)
My soon to be companion (i'm bleeding for the imminent going of this current one)
My mobile office
My mobile habitat

Lynette, I understand now what you went through
leaving an old friend and receiving a new one.
Belasungka hati ku
membelai pergi teman seperjalananku
who's been with me through thick and thin
feel like blowing the bugle
to honor an outstanding comrade

silly you say?
to mourn over a piece of metal automation?
sigh.
too much uncontainable emotion
damn this human heart

Penny for your thoughts

I remember this course that I took while in U. It was a course on writing. And Ms Theresa Heng (was it? my mind's a cloud of misty grey) was the lecturer. (oh..a good sentence isn't supposed to start with and.) but anyway.. this isn't exactly academic writing izziitt..?
In one of the tutorials for Freewriting, she said," All of you who aspire to become English educators need to be able to write a good piece of writing." or something of that effect. All the while giving this slightly lukewarm smile and sometimes insincere chuckle. She warmed up to the more mature (read older)in-service teachers i guess, since the content of their writings seem to touch a chord or two in Ms Theresa's heart. We'd be in class at BTP( i think.. so sue me if i forget!)and there'd be this two-way dialogue just between them. Them being the in-service teachers and Ms Lukewarm Smile. Except that the smile would be oh so cheerful and they'd actually guffaw with shared experiences. We the young and restless at heart would just look at each other, or look out the window, or the nice ones would just smile and nod.
It did make me think though. It's not easy penning down your thoughts. I have much admiration for anyone who is able to write and make people laugh out loud, fear the known and the unknown, cry over the silliest things, and feel so many other emotions.
So, i should write. What about? What do you suggest?

Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

I would like to wish a happy Ramadhan month for all my muslim friends. Surely one can't ignore the one event that goes along with this month.. Ramadhan food bazaar! I hope to be able to drive around and find the best food around. I miss nasi kerabu and all its splendid lauks. I still remember the deep fried 'Rangka Ayam' that used to be one of the main attraction in Sri Serdang Pasar Ramadan. Students and their limited funds...(or issit unlimited food funds?) I can't remember for the life of me the exact name the 'Rangka Ayam''s more famous name. Somebody help me out!!
What's this rangka ayam? It's the leftover of the chicken where all the other good meaty bits have been picked and used for other recipes. What little meat left is still good enough though... it's deep fried and sold as it is. Nice ..crunchy .. snack or meal.

sniff

Sniff..sniff..
noticed this stuffy feeling in my nose last night.. drat it. I'm going to have flu. Today is going to be a battle. I'm noticing slight changes in my voice also. Ugh.. snot-nosed me.

L 3

To the owner of this car, the story I'm about to tell is in no way meant to make fun or discredit you. :) ..the car is one of the 'character' in the story.

This story was told to me by my mum, who was told the story by my dad, who was told the story by some other friends. It's possible that the story is true since there's only one car with this plate number in KK. Or...it could've been a tall tale meant liven up a gathering. Or it was made up.. whatever the case, here's one version of it.

So, this story is supposed to have happened more than 30 years ago. Cars were scarce on the road since only the ones with more financial means were the ones who owned cars. Pedestrians were all around the roads too, giving no heed to the cars driving by and those who came down from the kampongs sometimes didn't know what to make of the cars that passed by.
This good fellow from kampong decided to go down town to KK, or Api-Api as Kota Kinabalu was called in those days (some people still call KK by that name now). He was walking down a road when this car with this plate number came too near to him. Or he might have gone too near the car. Anyway, this fellow was so indignant at nearly been hit by this car. He took note of the number and marched towards the police statine.
Now this fellow, who(in the story)reportedly only knew the numbers 7 and 8 in the Malay language. So, he indignantly went to this police officer and said he wanted to make a report. A car had nearly run him over! So the officer asked him for the plate number. The fellow then provided the number as best as he could. Mind you, he only knew the numbers 7 and 8. The officer asked him to repeat the plate number. Again the fellow obliged. The officer asked him to say the numbers one more time and the fellow who was getting impatient, repeated the plate numbers. The officer was almost near losing his temper when he suddenly realised what the fellow was saying. Comprehension dawned and he laughed long and hard.
The fellow had said, "Tujuh tabalik, lapan tidak siap." (seven upside down, eight half-finished).

Food, Glorious Food

Went for another visit to the Lokan Bakar area in kg. Salut with one of my best friends. We first went to this place which was right at the end of the rows of stalls (on the right side of the road if you're driving into the salut area). One tumpuk of small lokan was RM7. We also ordered cold coconut drinks and one coconut pudding. After waiting for some time, the lokan bakar came. Immediately I could see that it wasn't up to taste. It was a tad salty and the sambal was not fiery. We finished it though. ....and drove off to another stall. hehehe... which wasn't very far even. We passed by a stall and stopped at a place called Sri Menanti. Same price per tumpuk, RM7. A bigger tumpuk is RM10. We didn't bother ordering drinks. We were just there for the lokan. Verdict? Nice... Good enough for another visit. (Though I'll be going to another one next time to check out the taste.)

Senamrobik, kompang and seni tari malaysia

Just came back from a 3 day course on basic aerobics, kompang and malaysian ethnic dance. Enjoyed it! And used muscles on parts of the body seldom used..

Introducing..

Mr. and Mrs. Fawzi Leon Gregory Harrison...

Congrats to both of you..

Semoga bahagia sampai cicit and piut..

Kimaragang + murut (re-designed) costume

"Oiii..dayang sarina... ".. Roslee belting out a song.. representative from groom's side.

(selalu practice suda ni..)

Kota Marudu Gong players imported specially for the occasion.

Teen dancers entertaining the bride and groom and guests.

Backdated

And so...
Had my first kickboxing session today. Went there last friday actually but nobody turned up. Kickboxing is still in its infancy here obviously. But i so miss my shito-ryu classes and can't find a dojo that will accept very adult (read very old) student. It has been more than 10 years oo..

Perspired (more like sweating buckets) heavily by the end of the session. My legs felt like lead after 15 minutes of jabs, elbows, side kicks, back kicks, jumping jacks and scissor jumps. I think i'll try the jazzercise next session.

And then..
Shameful to confess, my purse was snatched last two nights while walking back from RHB bank. My car was parked at the sidewalk near Alliance Bank which was just next building to RHB. The sidewalk was brightly lit but I was preoccupied with my handset and d-uh... my purse was just resting between my right armpit.. very inattentive of me. I was just two steps from my car when suddenly my purse was snatched from behind. For a stupid split second I thought a cheeky friend was doing it! I turned and just managed to see a thinly built man in brown, short-sleeved, round-necked shirt fleeing. He was wearing a cap and clad in dark pants. I didn't and never saw his face. I shouted and gave chase. He ran towards the dark alley behind Affin Bank. I might have seen further where he turned had my car keys not fallen from my hands. I had to turn and pick it up kan? WHen i continued running, I had no idea where he went. I just ran and when asked just some people who i thought was in the man's running route. But of course they saw nobody... CURSESSSSS!!!... F**kety F**k!!!
What was in my purse? Everything except my i.c, driver's license.
Then of course i had to go through the ordeal of reporting the missing cards in the few banks around. OF all the banks that i had to go to, HSBC was the most friendly. Damn used up more than RM20 to call the other banks for reporting. Of course i went to the police too.
O snatch thief.. May you grow boils on ur butt for a long long time...

near tragedy

poor khloe.. can't blame the dog. I blame myself!!!
The dog had Khloe by the jaw. I guess Khloe's claws and defensive spirit saved her.
Sent Khloe and mum's other pup to Sabah Animal Medical Center.. couldn't help but notice how the nurses' uniform looked like SMC punya nurses'.
When it was Khloe's turn, we went inside the treating room. The vet cooed and cat-chatted with Khloe. Her tum was shaved and that revealed the injury. Thank goodness the canine's canine hadn't done much damage. Just perforated a small hole near a fatty area. Just to be on the safe side, she was given painkiller and antibiotics. Poor baby!!
This happened yesterday morning. Gave her the medicine at around 6 pm. By 8pm she was almost her usual self.
Sigh..

Yasmin Ahmad

Sigh..

Sigh...

Sigh....

i shed quiet tears of grief

of immeasurable loss

of regret

Taken at the prime of her life..

i was in awe of her when i first watched sepet.

i thought, now here was a film worth watching not once, not twice

not even trice, but as many times as one could have the opportunity of watching.

my admiration grew when gubra came.

then mokhsin.

not to mention the commercials, especially the ones that

preceed festivals.

honest

thought-provoking

humorous

candid

what immense will she must have had

to want to bridge the many sensitive distances

through her stories.

be it movies, or even commercials.

what stories she must have had

stored in that wonderful mind of hers and wanting to share those

stories with the world around her.

now we'll never know what other tales she would have told.

now that she's gone.

rest in peace, yasmin.

Sunday Feast

Amidst the haze of painkiller, I managed to get through Sunday.

Getting a much longed-for breakfast of Ngiu Chap from Loi Hin restaurant at Dongonggon. SImply delicious..

Sending a birthday cake for my beloved aunt and celebrating it simply with a cake-cutting ceremony. Simply sweet..

Yam Cake from Strawberry Cakehouse

Aunt Phyllis n Eve Sherie

Eve Sherie

Going over to my Grandma's for some Kempiala (Tilapia) soup.

Uncle Linus using the sizud to catch the Tilapia!

Grandma down near a patch of greens.. collecting herb ( i should think so) called sintaata'

sintaata'.. that's in kadazan. i know not in malay what it's called.

some pinaasakan basungan, the kempiala with sintaata'

SImply devine... simply heaven...