Cooking, eating, jokes and good health...........

My a330

2010-09-30T11:57:00.004+08:00

Well, it's been almost 4 months now since picking up the camera......again! I got myself a Sony DSLR a330 and to my surprise, it's a pretty good and decent camera! It's been almost 15 years since I stopped photography, back then I was on a Pentax SLR. Oh, yes! those SLR camera's that uses film and it was damn bloody expensive to shoot those days. Now, with digital technology, it became very affordable to shoot again! You get to see what you just snapped and if it did not turn out good, just "bin" them and shoot another!

Since then, I have also "accumulated" some new lens to go with the camera and is saving money for another body as my wife is also picking this hobby up, hence she will be using this one and I will need another of my own. I have a Sony 55-200mm tele-zoom lens, a 50mm F1.7(portrait lens) and a Minolta 28-80mm macro lens for general shooting. I am planning for a wide angle lens next, something like a 10-16mm or 11-18mm with a good F stop(eg.F2.8).

I have a lot of pictures now but they will need some trimming before I can load it up here as they are pretty big files! Anyway, I am hoping I will horn my skills better and maybe "shoot" a winning picture one day!

Hitting rock bottom

2010-08-20T09:14:00.003+08:00

People always say that when you hit rock bottom and survived, better days are ahead because the logic is, you cannot go any lower, no more bottom. I sincerely hope that is true because I am very sure many Malaysian's are wondering if they have reached rock bottom yet? With the current situation of our economy, where business is very slow and opportunity is scarce, what can a 40+ year old guy do? It is tough for him to look for jobs because he will be competing with younger, probably single and willing to work for lower wages guys out there. Then there is the other option of venturing into his own business but looking around, what businesses can he go into. Everyday we can see all type of businesses and retailers struggling to make end meets, of course we are not talking about MNCs or companies that are established(10 years or more), I am referring to those entrepreneurs that just started their businesses within this 5 years period. The matter gets even more confusing when the government keep coming with figures that tells the people the country is healthy and strong, but go around the root levels and talk to people in coffee shops or business premises, they all will give you the same "shake heard" look. Why is that when the government is saying otherwise?
My conclusion is the figures are not representing the entire spectrum of businesses and industries. There are the odd industries that are performing ultra well, so well that it's performance figures basically represents 70% to 80% of the country's total GDP figure, which gives us the impression that overall, all is well and in the pink of health. By now, if there is anyone reading this must be wondering if the 40+ year old I was referring to earlier is actually me, well no need to burst the bubble lah!
Well on the up side, just read in the Star paper that the government plans to look into people who are blacklisted because they were guarantors for friends or family relatives who defaulted on payments. This blacklisted people can no longer apply for loans or working capital from banks because of being helpful. The government feels it's unfair to fully penalized these people as all financial institutions usually prefer to go after the guarantor and not the principal borrower. How very true! This way, if the government really do amend the law to protect these unfairly blacklisted people, they can still get on with their lives for securing house or cars or business loans. Again, no need to burst the bubble lah!

UMNO and booz

2010-04-22T09:25:00.006+08:00

Just want to get this out of my chest. I just saw a short clip of KJ, MP of Rembau been questioned about him and other MP's on booz issue. Instead of answering the question, he went into defensive mode and from his body language, he is definitely hiding something and quickly walked away.
I for one have no issue with MP's drinking booz, even the Muslim MPs, but please don't threat us like we don't know anything! These MP's with their trips to overseas and all the non reported night life, come on, at least have the balls to admit it(like Datuk Zaid) and repent and ask for forgiveness. Don't go into "I dare you kinda attitude"! We might not dare to challenge you MPs coz we are common people with limited resources but that does not mean we tak tahu!
You know we still have the power to vote and when that time comes, you MPs will feel the power of the people!

Babbling.....

2010-03-02T18:25:00.004+08:00

It's been a while since my last post coz too many things have been happening and so many things on my mind that blogging was the last thing on the list.....
Anyway, we just celebrated Chinese New Year, a very quiet, non dramatic one and somehow it did not feel like CNY at all. You know back in those days, you will go around friends place visiting and usually it will end up at the table....gambling! But these days, I hardly see this anymore, except for the last day when I found out one of my friend was somewhere gambling the whole day. Another thing missing from CNY these days is the fire crackers. I hardly hear them going off anymore these days......in fact I hear more of this during Hari Raya and Deepavali, so what is going on?
Anyway, I am just babbling away since I have not posted anything for so long, so if anyone is reading this and gets bored.....pls get a life!
Well, just to re-cap after my last post.........been really busy the latter part of 2009, due to the economic downturn and also the weak condition in Malaysia, I have to close off my company. Yes, you heard it right, I am one of the millions that is jobless now. That period was a real intense period for me......but I am okay now.....
Now that CNY is over, I have see what my options are and what I want to do...........
Then last month, one of my uncle passed away, which was also very sudden but I have not seen this uncle for a while now. The last time I saw him was many years back during CNY too, he was his usual self, chatty and happy go lucky type. Who would have thought that he had so many health issues and by the time he passed on, he is just a skeleton of himself.
I have been helping a friend on the side since I lost my job(company)and that is what I am doing to get by every month now. I have tried employments and submitting so many resumes that I lost count, but so far no respond from any of the ads. I think my age is my biggest obstacle now, even if I am experienced and professionally qualified. I am trying not to think too much until it bogs me down but to just go on living by the day now as I really do not know what will happen tomorrow.
Then as usual, CNY is always a busy time for me as well, mainly family matters, so that is good as it takes my mind off my job issue for a while.
My only consolation to myself is I take this as a test from above and all great men goes through this before succeeding.

Craving for Caramel custard

2009-11-12T18:07:00.011+08:00

This is one of those days that for no apparent reason, you get this sudden urge for something, and today is one of those days. I have this sudden urge for caramel custard, don't know why, just wanted to sink my teeth into some soft, silky smooth, rich and sweet caramel custard! Luckily making custard is not too much of a work, it is rather simple actually. I like mine rich so I used full cream milk, rich thickening cream, 5 eggs, brown sugar(instead of white sugar) and some rosemary. You can use anything from vanilla, rosemary to all sort of spices that tickle your fancy.
First thing is to make the caramel by cooking the brown sugar till it's bubbling and when you get a whiff of the caramel scent, you are done. Now is where you have to have quick hands as you need to line the bottom of the bowl with the caramel before it turns hard. Then move on to heating up the milk(full cream) and thickening cream. I added some rosemary to get some fragrant to it. I don't actually boil the milk, cream and rosemary but just on low fire and heating it up. Once those are done, let it cool down a little before mixing it into the eggs, otherwise you will cook the eggs!
Anyway, as the milk are cooling off, whisk the eggs until they are all properly mixed(the yolk). I know some people like to use only yolks and maybe just one whole egg(yolk and egg white) but for me, no difference. I just use 5 whole eggs, whisk it till they are properly mixed and smooth, remember to avoid getting too much air into them. Once the milk is cool enough to mixed into the eggs, slowly pour the milk into the eggs, whisking all the time. The end result is you should get a smooth, thick and rich mixture, this is called the custard. Then fill the custard into the bowls that you had earlier lined the bottom with the caramel.
The last step is baking it in the oven at 150C for 30 minutes, I usually heat up the oven before hand and fill the pan with hot water(just enough but not overfilling until it overflows). Put the bowl of custard on the pan(that is fill with water), this way of baking will make sure that the custard will not be burnt or over cooked as the water helps smooth out the heat.
Once it's in the oven for about 30 minutes, you should see the top of the custard firmed up, otherwise leave it in the oven for a few more minutes. Let the custard cool down before serving, I like mine to go with some mint leaves, yummy. Enjoy everyone!

Hair Cut

2009-11-11T14:56:00.009+08:00

Finally my daughter agreed to go for a hair cut(trim actually) as her hair is getting too long and it's in the way when she eats and play. She was not really agreeable and rather reluctant even as we walked into the saloon. She keep giving me this "long" and hesitant face, but I keep consoling her that it will be okay. She is worried that we will cut her hair short as her hair grows very slowly. Even when she was a baby, she does not have much hair, so I can understand the fright. Anyway, after much coaxing and persuading, she decided to go, though still hesitant.
When we were in there, watching her from behind and catching her peeping at us from the front mirror was a dejavu experience for me. It dawn on me that not too long ago, I was sitting there and my mom was behind me watching me have my hair cuts. I suddenly realize that the circle of life is playing it's role now, how we felt when our moms took us to the barber(not saloon those days), how she would sit behind and look at us and every now and then points out to the barber/stylist how she wants the hair cut. How funny life works and revolves between generations.
Anyway, luckily we told the stylist to trim down her hair and when she was done, it did not put my daughter off. Let's hope she will be more willing the next time around.

Race and religion politics

2009-11-11T14:31:00.002+08:00

I am disturbed by what is happening with the recent spat going on in PKR. I am referring to the on going spat between Sivarasa and Zulkifli Nordin. I cannot see why this Zulkifli fella is still in PKR as from what I understand, PKR from day one project itself as a non race and religion base political party. It is suppose to be a "Malaysian" setup where all race, religion and color are equal and fights for truth, fairness and above all equal rights! Actually, since the tsunami victory for PR in 2008, this Zulkifli fella has been a torn in PKR flesh. He is shouting for Muslim rights, as if the other Malaysians of other races are robbing of the Malays, come of it! He is also involved in the bar council issue, the cow head incident and the ban of beer sales incident, which I personally think is a act of sabotaging PR and PKR. What is wrong with this fella! He still thinks with mentality from a 3rd world country, shouting for issues that are non issues, claiming to fight for his Muslim brothers but as far as I know, the "rakyat" have no issues amongst themselves, and when old friends meet up, be it with their Chinese, Malay or Indian friends, they are all calling themselves "bro"........which means we are all good friends and are considered brothers of different mothers and fathers.
This is truly very disturbing as we are all trying to work towards a united front and be known as true Malaysians, so that our children's and future generations will have a better future and life, and not worried about being told off as second class citizens like some countries from other part of the world, eg. African countries. And that by working hard and paying one's dues, they will get the fruit of their labour based on their hardwork and not on the color on their face.
I realize this Zulkifli fella does not truly understand what caused the tsunami election in 2008, just like BN, and that is a worrying sign for PR as I wonder how many more MPs in PR are of the same mentality like Zulkifli. I sincerely hope Datuk Seri Anwar Inbrahim walk the talk, bring this Zulkifli fella in and have a heart to heart talk to see what is his real intention is and bring all this to a closure so that PR can concentrate on doing other more important things!

Anime

2009-09-22T08:39:00.009+08:00

My kids these days are so caught up with this Japanese anime that it is also starting to rub off on me! Japanese anime are basically cartoon stories from magazines(it's called manga in Japan) originally which made it's way to TV series. The one in particular now that my kids are following feverishly is call Naruto. This anime has 2 parts, the 1st part being the early stage of this character call Naruto, and the 2nd part dwells more on the character's teenage life. It's a story about ninjas and special jutsu's(special powers) and revolves around this certain village where this main character grows up. It also revolves around his friends and sensei's (teachers/master) who plays a major part in this character's life, so basically it's about family and friendship with a twist of ninja action thrown into. This is what entices my children to follow the series so diligently. In the beginning, I was not too bother with the series as I thought cartoons are cartoons, like any other cartoons I have seen during my growing up age. But after watching a couple of series with my children, it is actually pretty good. I was also very surprise to find out that there is a large following of this series among the adults too.
They also made PS3, Xbox and Wii games out of this series and is extremely popular, my kids themselve already have a few version of the games. I only wish my kids could have been so diligent and hardworking when it comes to their studies and school work........... They can memerize each character, what is their power and so on without hesitation, I keep reminding my son that if only he can do that with his school work and studies, he will be the top student in his school! But I am hoping that all this will eventually work to the benefit of my kids, somehow or rather, directly or indirectly.
Another thing I found out about the name Naruto is that it is actually a name of a fish paste that is commonly used in Japanese ramens. It is usually sliced thinly with a swirling pink design in the middle. Which also explains why the main character is called Naruto because ramen is his favorite food. You can also imagine the impact this has on my kids. My daughter especially, now is so fond on going to the Japanese ramen restaurant, and she will order anything that has that Naruto fish paste in it.

Aiyah, another decision without going thru protocols!Dato Hassan Ali

2009-08-26T09:51:00.024+08:00

I am still trying to understand why is it so hard for Datuk Dr Hassan Ali to realize that a "one man show" decision reflects very badly amongst his party, namely PAS and PR. Barely a month ago, he took the law to his own hand by ordering the confiscation of

alcohol from a convenient without first going thru the proper protocols and all hell broke loose. The way he is going about now, it seems like he is trying to sabotage PR, I mean PAS is part of PR now, so act like one, be seen like one! Your actions reflects upon the group you are with(PR) and your current action is by far most inconsiderate. I am not saying being inconsiderate towards the people but towards PR leaders. We know where you are going with this, that Muslims are prohibited to touch or be near alcohol or alcohol serving establishments, and I know you are doing the right thing here but there are proper ways and consequences to think about and how to go about it. Have you ever consider all the establishments like hotels, workers in alcohol producing factories, tourist spots, our airlines(MAS and Airasia) and many many more? These establishments serves alcohol beverages to their clients, they may or may not be Muslim clients but the person serving or taking the beverages to the clients might be a muslim, how then? Pls screw tight your light bulb(head) first, talk to your PAS heads and PR colleagues, have dialogues on the repercussions, how to go about it and plan it out properly. Don't "kong song", meaning talk fun! This is getting really toolan okay! Anyway, below is the article about this matter which I pulled out from MI(thank you) :

Hassan Ali has DAP caught between a rock and a harder place

By Neville Spykerman

SHAH ALAM, Aug 26 — Datuk Dr Hassan Ali’s decision to empower mosque officials to arrest Muslims caught drinking or even selling alcohol is putting their Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners, particularly the secular DAP, in a spot.

The executive councillor in charge of Islamic affairs said two days ago imans and bilals would be allowed to arrest and carry out raids at convenience stores under the Selangor Criminal Syariah Enactment 1995.

The state Pas commissioner’s announcement came as a surprise to his PR partners because the dust has barely settled over his call to ban the sale of beer in Muslim majority areas.

The issue was finally settled only after the mentri besar called on convenience stores in Muslim majority areas to practice self regulation.

However the controversial call was used by Barisan Nasional (BN) to lure non-Muslims during campaigning in the Permatang Pasir by-election.

A DAP MP who chose to remain anonymous said Hassan’s latest decision is going to hurt the party and PR as a whole.

He said DAP was caught between a rock and a very hard place.

“To slam Hassan’s decision would open ourselves to criticisms that we are anti-Islam, which we are not, but to remain silent would attract attacks that we are not fighting for people’s fundamental rights.”

His exco colleague Ean Yong Hian Wah also confirmed yesterday that Hassan’s call was a unilateral decision which he did not discuss at the weekly exco meetings.

“We will discuss the matter during the Exco meeting tomorrow.” Said the state DAP chairman yesterday.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said everybody respected the fact that Muslims should not consume alcohol but he pointed out that Hassan’s move would hurt Malaysia’s image of being a progressive country.

“Page one of the Financial Times today is about Malaysia canning a woman who was caught consuming alcohol and now we have moral policing in Selangor.”

He said the fact that mosques officials can also arrest Muslims selling, serving and displaying alcohol is going to cause economic hardship to the community.

“Muslims in the services, food and beverage industries which serve alcohol are now caught in a dilemma.”

Santiago said Hassan should have studied the move and consulted his PR colleagues before making the decision.

Selangor Speaker Teng Chang Khim said Hassan was digging his own political grave and repeating history.

“His increasing hard line will alarm non-Muslims who will link the move to other fundamental policies that could be implemented in the future.”

In 1999, PAS managed to retain Kelantan and capture the state of Terengganu from Barisan National (BN).

“They became snobbish and arrogant with success and started suggesting to impose many fundamentalist policies, which resulted in the 2004 elections debacle where they lost the state.”

Never assume simple comments are good comments

2009-08-10T13:56:00.007+08:00

I always thought if you just speak what's on your mind, with sincerity, no ill feelings and agenda, people will see the point you are trying to push across. But this is not always the case, and I found this out lately via a blog that I frequent often. I am not sure if it was something I commented or did not comment, it seems to have offended the blog owner, since then I can feel the hostility from her. Anyway, now I know to never assume that being "me" and just say what's on my mind, even if it's just a carefree statement, no "punts" intended, none hypocritical(that's definitely not me) and no personal agenda of the statement made, people will be offended. I am not good at phrasing my words carefully, nor am I good at breaking "ices" but I say what I hear, what I know and what I read. I know I get my facts wrong sometimes, but I never fail to admit my mistake if there is one, that's me.
I will still frequent her blog as she writes well and most of the time, it was just funny and humorous, and she too speaks her mind but I will hold my tongue as I know now, sometimes it's better not to comment too much..........I learn that when you comment unnecessary, you will not be welcomed, even if it's just blowing wind type of comments(you get carried away when you read other commentators doing the same).
Hey, life still goes on..........cest la vie!

Selangor Beer Fiasco

2009-08-08T16:12:00.005+08:00

I have no issues about the control of alcohol sales as if executed properly, its good! This way we can curb minors and in this case as stressed by PAS's Hassan muslims from purchasing alcohol beverages, namely beer. This is the same idea on cigarette purchase so that minors are prohibited from buying them.
But why must it be done so third world country style! If PAS Selangor insist on going their way, what is the difference between them and BN-UMNO? They are using the religious card to run the country. I know it is against muslim teaching to consume alcohol(beer) but there are ways, proper ways to do this. We cannot just one day say, hey we must stop alcohol sales in areas which have large muslim populations and then instruct officers to go to shops and confiscate the beverages. It is this sort of mentality and work order that give muslim's a bad rep! Why can't PAS Selangor draw up a plan, discussed it over with MB Khalid with the presences of other PR reps and work out a SOP for controlling alcohol sales. This way, we adhere to the rule of law, transparency and most importantly, we show that we are civilized Malaysians and we are capable of working and rationalizing out problems by coming up with proper working rules and regulations that benefit the rakyat and country. Why must PAS Hassan behave like a big bully and all hell break loose because of one person. This is the kind of work from someone who did not think things thru properly and shots his mouth!
I am so glad that MB Khalid held everything together and was calm headed enough to think things thru and finally gave a firm and logical way out to this fiasco. MB Ronnie was just doing the right thing, to make right what was wrong by returning the confiscated beverages but by doing so, he is now the target for racial slurs. He is now called a racist, a person who does respect Muslims and there are request from certain quarters to remove him. PR please get your act together because chances don't come twice, and if you guys continue going on like this, BN will catch up!

Kuli : Why I shall not be accepting Zaid's offer

2009-07-28T10:41:00.005+08:00

I would have been a BN man if what Kuli speaks of "exists", it was a good and noble ideology, it would have made the "perfect" Malaysia for all Malaysian.

Article below is from Malaysian Insider on Kuli's "Why I shall not be accepting Zaid's offer" :

Why I shall not be accepting Zaid’s offer

JULY 22 — I am honoured that Datuk Zaid Ibrahim should speak so highly of me, and consider me worthy of national leadership. He invites me to join PKR, and to dissociate myself from a party which he now finds fascist and racist.

I am under no illusions that Umno is bound for destruction on its present course. Neither do I hold unrealistic expectations about the possibility of reform when the rot has gone so deep.

I offered myself for the Umno presidency last year on an agenda of thorough-going reform. I proposed a complete democratisation of Umno by opening all positions to election by every ordinary member and abolishing quotas on candidacy. I said Umno must do this to be consistent with the principle of democratic governance demanded by the Federal Constitution. Every member’s vote must count, and every member must be free to offer himself for leadership. I was stopped by the quota system that I opposed.

I am the last person to entertain illusions about the ease of reforming Umno. The party that I joined half a century ago as an idealistic young man has indeed lost its soul. It has become corrupt, this corruption has weakened it, and as it grows weaker it is tempted more and more to fan racial feeling and abuse public institutions to maintain power. This is a death spiral.

I am aware of Umno’s weaknesses. I have not failed to point them out from a sense of loyalty to the cause for which Umno was formed in 1946, a cause which our present corruption betrays.

I am not in Umno because I “harbour hope of saving Umno” in its present incarnation. I remain because the cause for which Umno was formed, and the principles which guided its promotion, has not gone away just because we have lost our way 60 years later, and they need to be upheld.

The high principle of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Ismail, their devotion to nationbuilding, their incorruptibility, their sense of fair play and their devotion to duty, exemplified for me as a young man the meaning of this cause, and how it could be both Malay and Malaysian, nationalist and cosmopolitan, traditional and contemporary, at one and the same time.

The Malay cause was not premised on an eternal zero sum game between the native and the immigrant. We meant to build a nation united by a prosperous, confident and enlightened Malay community, not a permanent state of divide and rule by political lowlife. We meant to foster Malay leadership worthy of national leadership, and we looked to our common future as Malaysia rather than to our past as people accidentally brought together by colonial history.

So much is ideal. Yet it is important that we hold up ideals in today’s moral chaos. The future of our political system lies in a healthy, competitive democracy. If so, whether or not it looks realistic right now, we shall need a reformed incarnation of this nation’s most important political party. The Umno ideal which I embraced half a century ago has a role to play in the future we hope for.

A second reason I shall not be accepting Zaid’s kind offer is that things have deteriorated to the point that party affiliation is really not the issue anymore. The issue is how we are to save our country.

Our major public institutions and our political system have degenerated to the point that the public no longer trusts them. A democratic system of government cannot function below a certain threshhold of public confidence. The suspicious death of Teoh Beng Hock under the custody of a watchdog body reporting directly to a prime minister who has his own public confidence issues may have pushed us below that threshhold.

What we must do now goes beyond political parties. We need the rakyat to rise up to claim their institutions, and demand that our public institutions are answerable to them. We must wake up to our sovereignty as citizens, reclaim the constitution which constitutes us as a nation and guarantees our rights, and demand a comprehensively reformed government to restore public confidence. We must do this before it is too late.

End of article.

What do you think? It would have made everything so much better right?

Rosemary roast chicken

2009-07-27T10:02:00.022+08:00

It's been sometime now since I cooked something for my family, my parents and myself. I used to do it quite often back then, almost every alternate weekends. It can be something simple like pancakes, my special omelets to roast chicken, pork, seafood chowder or even turkey! Due to my schedules lately, I will get too burned out and tired to do any cooking over the weekend.
Anyway, last Saturday, I decided I should do something as I have not cook for them for a while now. It was a last minute thing as well but with enough experience, it was not difficult to get all the "things" ready. My kids love the chicken, so decided to roast their favorite rosemary chicken, plus it was the easiest to do and fast.
I usually buy the chicken thighs(including the drumstick) instead of a whole chicken because then I don't have to carve the chicken, I will only use whole chicken when I have friends or my in-laws are here. But most of the time, I prefer thighs. I need a few spices and herbs, coriander seeds, black pepper and sea salt. For herbs, I need rosemary, I have been trying to grow them but they don't seem to do well, and they all die after a while. I also use Extra Virgin Olive oil moderately during the marinating process. I prefer a mortar to pound coriander and black pepper seeds, to me it works better that using a blender to chop them. Somehow, with the mortar, the seeds release their oil better, especially the coriander seeds, the whole kitchen is suddenly fragrant. Rub the spices(coriander and black pepper) and olive oil into the chicken, and if you have some Dixon mustard, add some(depending how tangy you want it), otherwise 5 spice will do as well but I like the mustard. Lastly, add salt to chicken and make sure you "massage" the salt into the chicken. These "massage" helps break down the fiber of the meat and the chicken will taste better.
Then before you cling wrap the chicken, bruise the rosemary a little to release the oil and just tossed it around with the chicken. Now you can cling wrap or zip lock up the chicken and let the juices marinate for at least 3 hours(the longer the better), in the fridge of course.
Cooking time is about 60 minutes, so plan ahead. Bring out your oven pan, oil the pan first with olive oil and put the thighs in with skin facing top. Pre-heat oven to 180C first and then bring it down to 150C and roast the chicken for 55 minutes, you can check the roasting time as it cooks as some people like the skin a little bit more burned, so it's up to individuals but the meat will be cooked through by 50th minutes. Just play the last couple of minutes on how brown you want the skin to be. After you have taken the pan out from the oven, let it rest for at least 10 minutes, covering the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil. As for the sauce, you can just use the juices from the pan or if you have some white wine, bring the pan over a fire and boil. Add some white wine in, let it boil again and reduce, add salt and pepper to taste before serving.
So, let's dig in........bon appetite!

Farewell Mr.Jackson

2009-06-26T09:54:00.004+08:00

It was early this morning that I got a sad and shocked sms from a friend. The sms says "Michael Jackson died this morning".......at first I thought it must be some April Fool's day joke but it's not April now. I turned on the TV(CNN) to check as if someone like Michael Jackson passed away it should be on CNN, and he was.
I never thought he would go like this and so soon, I always have this picture of him growing old and passing on in old age. I always visualized this guy as immortal and that one day I must at least go to his concert once! Too late now....
Well, my condolences to his family and kids and I hope that he will find peace now(after all the hoo hah and controversial issues surrounding him) but I know for sure that his legacy, songs and persona will live on forever.
Goodbye Mr.Jackson.......

Here is something to remember him(one for the road) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEgGwEUbclo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4QyZH0EXcQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQyvQWrGE1g&feature=related

Disgusted!

2009-05-27T21:15:00.005+08:00

I just found out after reading Malaysian Insider tonight that our country's economy contracted about 7% for the first counter of 2009. It is inevitable that Malaysia will go into recession wrote Malaysia Insider tonight. Bloody hell! If my memory serves me right, I remember hearing 2 top post minister from our government claiming that Malaysia will be protected from the economy downturn. Even our Bank Negara claims that we will not have any problems because Malaysia is "fundamentally sound/strong". During that same time our government keep putting out wrong signals to the people when countries all around the world are telling their people that their country's economy is failing and everyone must be prepared to face the downturn. Even our neighbors Singapore already forecast negative growth since end of last year but our very "capable" PM and DPM keep telling the people not to worry as Malaysia is shielded from this downturn.
Then why now the sudden change of tone! Malaysians that are more aware of the impact already know the government is not being truthful, but I like to think that it is not that they are not being truthful, they bloody do not know what is going on in the first place!
I for one already felt the pinch 3rd quarter of last year when the Raya festive season sales was really damped. I'am in the supply chain industry where every year during the Raya and other festive seasons, we will be running crazy to meet date lines and making sure all goods reach our clients on time but not last year, the hypers, retail stores etc etc were not ordering as sales were very slow. For those who were more daring and started to stock up early, well they got burned because consumers are not buying like they used too and therefore many suppliers who is in the same industry like me got burned because all their money got tied up and the goods are not selling.
Don't the government understand that the more they lie to us, the more disgusted the people will be at them. We are not living in the dark ages anymore and most of us have our ways to find information's and to think for ourselves. Once we know the truth how can the government expect the people to still accept them with open arms? There is not even an apology or statement that they have made a blunder in the forecast and they now have plans drawn up to cushion the downturn. Not even a little sign of admission from the government. I am totally disgusted with their lies, incompetence and "tidak apa" attitude!

Celebration in Perak

2009-05-11T16:51:00.016+08:00

UPDATED 12/05/09 : In less than 24 hours, all hopes of ending the Perak crisis came to an end when Zambry got the Court of Appeal for a stay order. What was really the fascinating part about this appeal is the court worked really fast for this particular appeal. Zambry and goons only submitted the appeal in the morning and by 2.30pm, it is heard and approved. How bloody efficient! Anyway, all eyes are on the Sultan of Perak now to undo what was wrong from the beginning. This action by Zambry is good too as I am VERY sure, this will agitate the people of Perak even more.
Finally, there is one brave and good judge that dare to stand up against the might of UMNO to defend what is left of our constitution after last Friday's fiasco at the Perak Assembly Hall. Justice Abdul Aziz Abd Rahim ruled that YB Nizar is the legal MB and Zambry and the 6 BN exco members must vacate their post with immediate effect. Hurraahhhhhh! The judge also ordered for fresh state election to be held so that all this issues can be resolved once and for all.
Hmmm, it makes me wonder how Zambry and his goons feel like now.........to put it bluntly like an ass loh! After making so much hoo haa last Friday, claiming to have uphold democracy, claiming PR exco members to be uncivilized and ya-da-ya-da......even went as far as appointing their own Speaker some more. I guess the biggest ASS now is Ganesan who stupidly went along with the Jelapang "frog".......GOD SPEED!
On a lighter moment, I just read the Jelapang "frog" now have another twist to her pepper spray incident. Yesterday she claims that she was not holding a pepper spray but a key chain. Today she claims that it was not her pepper spray but someone threw the can at her, can you believe her nerve? Anyway, I have this link here if you want to see and decide for yourself if it's a key chain or pepper spray.
Anyway, now that there is at least some light at the end of the tunnel to this entire ordeal, YB Nizar and Speaker S Sivakumar should first start by sacking all those that played a role in this crissis, now that they know who are those that helped UMNO in this coup d'tat. Actually come to think of it, how much money is wasted by PM Najib and UMNO to wrestle this power grab in February. I guess now the Jelapang "frog" and the 2 other PKR "frog" must be shitting bricks now as they are no longer "needed" by UMNO-BN and definitely PR will not take them back anymore, basically end of their political career but hey, if they were really smart , they would have "pocketed" millions for the frog dance and should be enough for them to grow old with.
Today is a good day for all Perakians! A good day for me too! Bad day for PM, Zambry, Hee and the other 2 "frogs" whom I can't remember their names. This picture(right) should stand as testament on how to make an ass of yourself. Let's just see what this group will do next now as I am pretty sure they will not lay low and it might just start to get really ugly unless the Sultan of Perak come clean and make right once and for all. Desolved the State Assembly!

Altantuya : Finale

2009-04-09T11:20:00.004+08:00

So it seems the court has officially found the 2 UTK(Special Force) officers guilty for killing and blowing up Altantuya. So it goes down as record that the Altantuya case is solved and the killers will be hang aka death sentence.
I must be getting old but as I recall, even if you did not act in the killing, even if you know or you abet in the process, you are still consider guilty, am I right on this? So, why is the third fella gone scott free and now living in overseas?
According to both police officers, they have no reason to kill Altantuya. They acted on instructions from their bosses to just defuse the "situation" when Altantuya was causing a commotion in front of the third fella's house(who has migrated to overseas with his family now). They claimed they did not kill her. One of the officer's even claimed that he is being made the "sacrificial lamb".
How I personally see this? Well, to a layman's understanding(that's me), these police officers might or might not be the ones who did the final act on Altantuya but one thing is for sure, police officers will not act without specific instructions from "above". I wouldn't know who the "above" is but police officers are grunts or soldiers merely carrying out their duty as instructed. It is all about obey and command, General's gave instructions and soldiers carry out the instructions the best they can. Now, who is the General? Somehow, in this court hearing that seem of no importance, strange?
Another point is, these two convicted police officers are not "koo koo" or psycho's, they have no relation with Altantuya. So what is the motive to kill her and blowing her body up? Are they ex-lovers or did the officers try to harass money from her? I don't think so cause there were no such indications during the hearings. So, why did they kill her so violently. I mean would you go and abduct someone you don't know from the street, kill that someone and then blow that someone to kingdom come? Unlikely right, when you can do something like that, there must be some relation between you and that someone you want to kill so badly. There must be a cause and effect.
Well, again like all "high" profile stories in Malaysia, it will soon be forgotten in due time unless new evidence and better judiciary system are formed. Just like the Lingam case, the free port in Klang etc etc etc......
I sincerely feel for Altantuya's father Shaariibuu Setev, as I am a father also and I too have a baby girl. I would have been devastated if any harm would have come to my baby girl!
God bless us all.

2 Bukits and 1 Batang

2009-04-05T10:18:00.002+08:00

In another couple of days, the campaigning for the by elections for the 2 bukits and 1 batang will reach it's climax. I do not know why but these time around, I am not as excited as compare to the earlier 2 by-elections. Maybe sudah bosan after all the hoo haa. I also heard that most likely my area will also have a by-election as YB Eli will likely resign for good, but the people who stay around my area knows that it will still go back to PR, it is just that we have to go for another round of balloting. I personally am hoping the Batang Ai's election will favour PR as it seems that one is supposedly "untouchables" by PR.......or anybody.
Last night, PKR almost wipe out all divisions of PPP in Kedah and from what I read, it is basically closing off all PPP in Kedah. The VP of PPP lead the migration and the first 300 members already "jumped" over. Another 6000 more after the by elections. But my question is, how does this help? Does all this massive cross over really bring about good for the people? Does all this massive cross over help solved the current predicament of people in the 2 bukits? What does all this massive cross over means, bottom line? I really don't know what to think and expect, just have to wait it out to see if it does really make a difference that will benefit the people(of the 2 bukits).
BN seem to be pulling all it's "power house" as the dateline of the by elections draw closer and PM Najib threw a spanner at PR by issuing a directive to release 13 ISA detainees. But unfortunately, many sees this as a political move to garner support for BN and also his ratings. The story was, PM Najib upon appointed as PM, roped in 6 people to do his PR and campaigning for the by elections, apparently these 6 are the best of the best in what they do. Well, let's bring out the popcorn and coke and enjoy the major events unfolding in the next couple of days. On top of that, Tun Mahatir is also out helping BN campaining, what you see during Pak Lah's era. I guess PM Najib is really Tun's blue eye boy!

Penang trip

2009-03-19T17:00:00.012+08:00

Well, it's finally the school holidays and my kids been bugging me to go Penang for quite sometime now. So, we all decided to go to Penang last Monday for a 3 days 2 nights stay. I brought my mom along as she too have not visited Penang for more than 15 years! So, off we went.....on to the plane. We will be staying at Parkroyal hotel at Batu Ferringhi as we had some vouchers for the hotel and it worked out good for us all. Upon arriving at the Penang International Airport, we garb a cab(2 actually as each cab only seats 4) and headed for the hotel. It was an easy drive as I was expecting jams and heavy volume of traffic as this was a working day and in the middle of the day. It took us about 30 minutes drive and we finally got to the hotel, checked in and the children all got ready for the pool! Within minutes, my son and daughter were playing in the pool, riding the water slides and jumping between pools(with my supervision of course). I had sometime to catch up with the papers and a glass of cold beer just made my day. For a few hours then, I was relaxed and my mind was not on "issues" back in KL. The kids played around for a few more hours before being "hauled up" by their mother as it was time for makan. That night, we walked out to Batu Ferringhi road and just looked around for hawker centers or similar stalls for local food. They have Eden, The Ship and a few more "commercialize" eatery place but we were more interested in the local stuff like Char Koay Tiau, laksa, Poh Piah etc etc. We found a food court about 200 meters from our hotel, just after The Ship. We sampled a lot of dishes(we order and shared amongst the children and adults). It was good and we had a good time. I am not sure if local Penangites will like it but for us out stationers, it was as good as it gets. Anyway, we still have 2 more days to go around Georgetown and Gurney drive to sample more. The following days my kids got to go for horse riding(my daughter seem to enjoy that a lot) and my son got to try the parachute ride, jet ski(with my supervision of course) and the banana boat ride. We all had a blast and most of the time we find ourselves either eating or having fun at the beach or the pool. As for my wife and mother, they too had a relaxing time, just lazing around the pool area and catching up on naps! Then it was more food and we did just that at Gurney Drive which is always fill with people but I was told that that would not be a good place to go for really good local stuff, well I will need some Penangites guide on this then. But it was good by our standard as we have no comparison to the supposedly good ones. But most important of all, my kids, wife, mother and me, we had a good time together as it's been a while now since we all did something together. It was a good break for us all. On the last day, we dropped by at Ghee Hiang biscuits for some "tau sah piah", which my mother likes alot. So, we bungkus 3 bags full of it back to KL. During the return trip back to KL, I was actually hoping to catch a glimpse of CM Lim as I read he travels by Air Asia and on economy class as well, but that did not materialize. Anyway, all in all, it was a good short break for all of us.

Good week for sports fan

2009-03-16T07:38:00.003+08:00

It's been an incredible week for sports fan, locally and foreign. I am not sure if you are a sports fan, but for me, this has been one incredible week! The team(s) that I routed for have been performing really well, and some even above expectations.
If you are a football fan, a Liverpool fan in particular, I am sure you will be one of those people jumping and screaming for excitement as they(Liverpool) took 2 giants down and silence all their critics once and for all. The first win was against Real Madrid, and nobody expected this because Liverpool was really under performing and very inconsistent. But the match against Real Madrid did them justice as they trash the Spanish giants 4-1, yes, I did not type wrongly, they(Liverpool) won 4 to 1. Unfortunately, I did not get to watch the match as it was aired quite late into the night. However, many skeptics still did not think Liverpool have it and that win was one in a blue blue moon, so to speak. Then came the clash of the titans, the match everyone been's waiting to happen, the match between Liverpool and Man.Utd and to make it even more interesting, the game will be played in Man.Utd's home turf. Even the football pundits did not see Liverpool having any chance of winning playing against Man.Utd, let alone in their home ground somemore. The Man.Utd team have not lost a game in their home ground since 2005, they have been very consistent and playing really well. I myself was hoping for a draw, winning was never in the equation. But, hey, when you are smoking hot, you are smoking hot. Liverpool trash Man.Utd 4 to 1, just like Real Madrid. It was sheer joy and excitement seeing the ball hit the net each time Liverpool scores. What makes this win even sweeter is because Man.Utd was so adament thet they will triumph over Liverpool and scores are going to be high. They(Man.Utd) even boast of putting Liverpool out of contention for top spot, putting Liverpool out of their misery(so to speak). So, this win was really spot on and Mr.Rooney, eat your heart out! Sweet, Sweet Sweet victory!
If you are also a badminton fan, you should know by now that our very own Datuk Lee Chong Wei took the Swiss Open by beating his arch-rival Lin Dan. I was really worried as Chong Wei always seem to issues facing Lin Dan and the biggest and worst defeat was during the Olympics final, where Lin Dan literally annihilated Chong Wei. It was 2 weeks ago, this 2 met again during the All England finals and Lin Dan, again prove his superiority over Chong Wei. It is not that Chong Wei is any less competent than Lin Dan, but Chong Wei seem to lack the mental stamina that Lin Dan has. In fact, I personally thinks Chong Wei is in better shape(stamina and skills) that Lin Dan but Lin Dan seem to have the edge when one is pressured. So, back to the Swiss Open final, I was worried that Chong Wei still lack the mental stamina to defeat Lin Dan and the first half of the first set was proving that. Luckily, somehow, Chong Wei managed to muster enough strength and came back from behind and win the first set 21-16. It was really nail bitting as the world top 2 players trash it out, each trying to outbeat, out run and out trick one another. If you have not watch the match, try watching it over re-runs, it has some of the most terrific shots, some are even dumb founding unbelieveable shots and returns! The second set was a outright clear winner for Chong Wei, as he was the dominant one. One can tell that Lin Dan was really frustrated and angry at himself, and he is not playing his usual game anymore. Chong Wei outpaced, out stroke, out trick Lin Dan in this second sets and Chong Wei went on to win 21-16, again, and in straight sets. This is a very sweet revenge for Chong Wei who also lost in straight sets to Lin Dan in the All England and Olympics.
Well done Datuk Lee Chong Wei, you did us proud. I only have one more thing to add, Lin Dan not only lost the match, he also lost his sportmanship. He is one of those sportsman that looses terribly. Lin Dan, you might have win more matches over our Datuk Lee, but you lost more in terms of personality and as a professionals sports person, you are a bad sport!

Toll Increase.......Again!

2009-02-26T14:20:00.009+08:00

Updated 28/02/09 : It seems after yesterday's encouraging remark from PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to get cabinet to review the toll hikes, the toll hikes have been postponed till end of 2009 but as informed by Anil, this might not be a good thing as it is just a delayed catastrophe, read more on Anil blog.
*************************************************************************************
Original posting : One would get all frustrated and grumbling when they hear this news over the radio and TV, I was one of them and I bet many more Malaysians will re-act the same. I would thought, with the current economic downturn and so many people losted their jobs and many more will be losing their jobs, the government will try to avoid anymore hikes in our common people daily lives, but not the Malaysian government aka BN, as explained by Datuk Ir Mohamad Zin Mohamad who is the Works Minister that this is a small increase and people should not complain because we are getting first class roads and conveniences. Here are the price increase as given by Malaysiakini :
"Kadar kenaikan tol terbabit adalah seperti berikut:

Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (Plus): Kadar kenaikan tol untuk sistem kutipan tol tertutup Plus dinaikkan 0.68 sen sekilometer bagi kereta. Bagaimanapun, kenaikan ini tidak membabitkan tol di Plaza Tol Bukit Kayu Hitam, Tambak Johor dan Bangunan Sultan Iskandar.

Lebuhraya Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat (Sprint). Plaza tol Pantai: naik 50 sen dari RM1.50 kepada RM2 (naik 33) dan Plaza tol Damansara: naik 30 sen dari RM1 kepada RM1.30 (naik 30%).

Lebuhraya Bertingkat Ampang-Kuala Lumpur (Akleh)(Lebuhraya E12): Kadar tol dinaikkan sebanyak 50 sen bagi kereta - dari RM1.50 hingga RM2 (naik 33%).

Kadar tol Lebuhraya Sungai Besi (Besraya): Kadar tol dinaikkan sebanyak 10 sen bagi kereta - dari RM1.30 kepada RM1.40 (naik 7.7%). Bayaran hanya dibuat di Plaza Tol Mines kerana Tol Salak Selatan Jaya telah ditutup mulai semalam.

Lebuhraya Baru Pantai (NPE): Kadar tol dinaikkan sebanyak 40 sen bagi kereta - dari RM1.60 kepada RM2 (naik 25%). "

The increase range from RM0.10 to RM0.50, with 5% increase for using the North-South Expressway and our Works Minister says it is a small and negligible increase. He seem to forget that all of us does not just pass thru one of these tolls only, most of us will be crossing from one toll to another and if one way to work increases by RM1, we will be paying additional RM2 to go to work. If we use a 25 working day, this translate to another additional RM50/month. If our incomes are able to increase, then I think most of us will not feel the pinch but most companies are cutting back on staff and also salaries, so how to cope Mr.Minister! Think lah! What I cannot tahan is the Minister make it sound as if we getting the long end of the stick, but in truth, the people are getting the short end of the stick. Mr.Minister, if you really want to benefit the rakyat, resolves the jam along these highways during peak hours first! If you can do that, at least the rakyat knows they are paying higher tolls to avoid jams! Instead, we are paying higher tolls to get into jams after jams!

I just found out that apparently, the government is paying Putrajaya Holdings about RM6Mil(there about lah) per year for rental and maintenance of PM's residence in Putrajaya! Don't you think that is a little to excessive and don't you think with the money saved from these rental, it can help the "rakyat" cover these tolls hikes?

Countries all over the world are trying their best to help their citizens, but only in Malaysia, they suck you dry when you are down! Malaysia Boleh!

Walk The Talk

2009-02-26T08:24:00.003+08:00

Datuk Dr Zambry wishes that people in Perak would forgive Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Fong and to give her a chance to serve the people. Datuk Dr Zambry further says that it is getting to a life threatening state and it is very undemocratic. Huh?????
First of all, being a layman, the term democratic to me means doing things openly, fairly and voices of the mass chooses the day. If I am not mistaken, assemblywoman Hee was given that during 08/03 GE and she was given the trust by the people of Jelapang area and Perakians. Now, she betrayed that trust that was given by the people to her and she expects people to just forgive her overnight? Lastly, Datuk Dr Zambry, before you start preaching about practicing democracy, go and look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself truthfully, are you and BN democratically elected by the people of Perak(without a reasonable doubt) to be the State government or were you appointed by the Sultans using technicalities.?
Now, if you really practice what you preach, you should walk the talk now and call for a State Elections and trully let the Perakians vote and choose their State government. That is democracy!

First Blood

2009-02-25T08:26:00.004+08:00

MACC drew the first blood with MB of Selangor and it started more than a week ago and MACC is still on Selangor's MB back and have been barking and biting with such tenacity just like a mad dog. It seems that the Selangor MB has had enough of this endless threat of being charged and is fighting back. The MB is probing into certain transactions dated back to 2007 by Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd(PNSB) which at that time was under ex-MB Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo. The board of directors of PNSB ordered 2 top official in PNSB to go under paid leave for 1 month so that the investigation can proceed without interference. The 2 officials are CEO Datin Khairiyah Abu Hassan and finance manager(who is also Selangor Puteri Umno chief), Nora Azmin Radzuan.
The 1st issue brought to light is the purchase of apartment units in Mecca that cost more than RM17M in 2007 without the approval of board of directors. Then there was also a "gift" worth more than RM150K in the form of a watch that was recorded as gratitude to then MB of Selangor Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo but was returned. The watch was later sold off for the same purchase amount and there is suspision that this is all for accounts manupilations and a probe has been initiated on it. The 3rd issue was apparently there were perks and bonuses given out to top officials but not declared to Inland Revenue Bhd.
It looks like more drama or dirt will be uncovered in the coming weeks and it seems like MACC just opened a can of worms on behalf of BN.

Year of "By-Elections"

2009-02-24T19:30:00.003+08:00

It's been a few months now since my last post as I have been rather busy in the home front. Furthermore, not much has been happening that needed ranting other than what has happened in Perak and YB Eli but since so many other blogs have had that issue and I myself have been ranting and giving my 2 cents worth in those blogs, I decided not to write my own.
Well, that is until today. It seems like BN's MP are dying off one after another(so is PR) and we have another by-election on the way in Sarawak, Batang Ai to be exact. It all started from Kedah, then in Perak, next was Selangor where YB Eli became PR first political victim(except for Selangor where it did not concern about dying MP's) and the latest one now is from Sarawak. At the rate things are going, we might as well have a snap election all over again!
I am pretty sure if YB Eli really resigns(at current state, her resignation is not accepted yet) and a by-elections really takes place in Bukit Lanjan(Selangor), people in the Bandar Utama area will still vote for PKR(PR), including me and I am pretty sure too that PR will retain Bukit Lanjan and maybe with even more votes this time around.
Anyway, in a couple more days, our DPM Najib will be PM and I am all eyes and ears to see and listen to what he has to offer.

You've got male!

2008-11-28T08:47:00.006+08:00

A little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy, how was I born?'

The father answers, 'Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:

You've Got Male!

Bigger stomach

2008-11-25T15:06:00.025+08:00

The school holidays are here and last weekend was one hell of a binging weekend. My in-laws were down in PJ and it was all food, food and more food.......
We had brunch over Saturday morning at Natrabu which serves up Padang food(Minang or Masakan Padang). It has been a while since I had Indonesian cuisine as I no longer travel to Jakarta anymore. Natrabu is situated in Kampung Baru just behind the Petronas kiosk if you are coming from Jalan Tun Razak via Jalan Ampang way. You will have to take the underpass(not over the highway of Jln Tun Razak) when you cut out from Jln Ampang. Then after you pass 2 traffic lights, you will need to turn left at the 3rd light to go into Kampung Baru. As you turn left, you will notice a Petronas Kiosk in front and Natrabu is just behind the kiosk, so keep left and go slow after turning left at the traffic light. It was here that I got to rekindle those days of traveling to Jakarta as many of the food just came popping out of my head. Then there was the ever popular Indonesian "teh botol" or "Soros", and not until I took a sip of the drink that I realize how long ago since my traveling days to Jakarta. It was this "acquired" taste that brought back memories of drinking "teh botol" at offices, restaurants and road side stalls. Then it also occurred me to some, this "acquired" taste actually taste and smell like "cockroach"(the usual smell of a place after it has been infested with cockroaches). There is also another local(to Indonesians) drink that is very popular and that is the avacado chocolate fruit juice drink. This is an extremely rich and creamy drink, so be warn. The waiter started by taking our orders for drinks and before we could asked him to recommend the food, he pointed out that we do not need to worry as he will bring all the dishes out and we can opt to take or reject the dish. This was how we ate in Jakarta as this is also pretty similiar to our "budget rice" concept or "chap fun". That is good as we can then visually see what we are actually going to eat. We took fish, chicken, gado gado, ox tail soup, rendang and deng deng(Indonesian beef jerky). They have many other varieties but are mainly internals(liver, lungs, brain etc.) which are not our cup of tea. But basically, it was an experience, for me especially as it was more like a time traveling event that puts me back 10 years ago. The food was good, as we all like our food hot and spicy and the Padang food is full of that and more. One good thing about eating Padang food here as compared to those days in Jakarta is at least they don't put back the unfinished portion of our servings back into their main pot! Yes, that was what they did back in Jakarta and after we found that out, we actually stop going to the stalls that served "Nasi Padang", but I guess that is their culture and if you can stomach it, no harm trying!.
I personally like the rendang Natrabu served, it was really tender and the herbs used were really fragrant. I know I could go for second or even third helping with the rice but self control got the better of me(which I am glad I did now!) This place would definitely go down well with the adults but not with the children, so if you do go, don't bring your kids along......

After that wonderful, down the memory lane brunch, we took a break by shopping around The Curve till about time for "high tea" and we snuck into this cozy place called "Winter Warmers Coffee and Tea House". As you enter into the establishment, you will get a sense of a very "English" deco feel. We sat our ass down and started flipping thru the menus. Actually, my instinct tells me that food vice, nothing to scream about so I am more interested in the type of teas and coffees they served. After much deliberation and snooping around(table around us), we sense that most people come in for light refreshments, tea, coffee and sandwiches or salads. I am a tea person and I wanted to try something different, something out of the ordinary and something cold would be nice. As I moved my eyes up and down the tea menu, something caught my eyes. I saw the word "Lavender", and instantly my eyes were focused on what that tea is all about. It is actually a cold drink, tea mixed with Lavender and it just fit my liking to a "T". I did not regret ordering this lavender tea as it was a really refreshing drink to perk me up again after a long and lazy Saturday afternoon. The soothing lavender taste and smell did wonders to relax my tiring mind. We also tried some rose tea, salads, sandwiches but I personally still prefers the lavender tea. The tea itself had some jello that I presume is made of lavender extract as well and that gives the tea some kind of "bite" to it. After feeling re-energize, ours eyes all wonder around the tea cups and pots that was on displayed. To my disbelief, these tea cups cost a bomb! Each cup that was on displayed costs about RM80.00 each, that must be some kinda of tea we are having! Anyway, my sister in-law decided to join their membership as members get additional discount for their F&B and also tea leaves purchased there. We just sat around, sipping our teas and watching people walking by outside the shop.....one really lazy Saturday afternoon.

I am not much of a Korean food fan so going to one is like getting a birthday present, you don't know what to expect from it. Anyway, we were deciding what to eat for dinner after we got home from that lazy Saturday afternoon tea. I was watching the AFC channel with my in-laws and they were show casing Vietnamese food and damn!, it looked really "tasty". So, I thought of popping by at this Vietnamese restaurant at Bangsar for dinner and then head over to the many "watering holes" nearby after that. But somehow, as we were driving along and one thing lead to another, we ended up in Section 14 where this Korean BBQ restaurant is situated. This Korean restaurant was recommended to my wife by one of her friend who loves everything about Korea. Anyway, if I got the name right, the Korean restaurant is call "Dae Jang Gum" and is it situated the same roll of shops with PJ's Digital Mall but on the opposite end of it. You need to take the stairs up as downstairs is a Mamak shop. Since I am no Korean food connoisseur, I left it to my in-laws and wife to order. The only thing I know about Korean food is the "kim ci" or preserved cabbage. So, to my delight, while my in-laws and wife were deciding what to order for the main course, I kept on eating the "kim ci's" and about 8 other side dishes that came along as starter or appetizers. These side dishes are all replenishable, so as usual being the "thick skin" fella in the group, I kept asking the waiter to refill and more refills! So, by the time the main course came, I am already half full......
When the main course came, we had 2 types of BBQ beef, and don't asked me what it's called coz I can't pronounce them but it is damn bloody good meat! They gave lots and lots of green to go with the meat too. You wrap the BBQed meat in lettuce, mixed in some garlic and spicy sause and lord and behold, you get the most wonderful sensation when you put it into your mouth! The beef literally melts in your mouth as you start to chew, no words can describe the taste so you have to try it yourself to know what I am talking about.

So, at the end of the day, of the 3 things we had for the day, the Korean BBQ really made my day! I can safely say that I too enjoyed having Korean cuisine and I am waiting eagerly for my next trip there. Don't you just wish one would have a bigger stomach to take all this wonderful and glorious food in.

Like father like daughter

2008-11-05T19:03:00.009+08:00

No one will believe it if I say she is not my daughter. The first give away is her features(ahem) good looks and the second give away is when it comes to food, big portion, big mouth and ultra fast eating! This was taken recently one morning when we went out for breakfast at our favourite wantan mee stall in Uptown : Koon Kei .
As usual, my wife's portion will be smallest, my daughter's(6 years old) is 1.5 noddle and mine the large one! Usually to accompany these, we have side dishes like "sooi kai" and roasted pork(chinese style). Unfortunately my eldest son(12 years old) could not join us as(morning session school), otherwise he will be having the same portion as I(large!). It is always joyful watching my children eat, especially food they really enjoy eating, and being the youngest, my daughter usually gets a little more pampering than my son. When she really loves the food, don't expect any left overs or even a "test" taste from her servings! Sometimes they are the envy of parents whose children don't eat.........which is why the father(me) have to work extra hard to make more money to feed these hungry mouths! Just look at her concentrations, you can tell that she is so focused on her wantan mee! On certain days, after she finished her portion, she would "curi" some from my serving and that is after she finished her "milo" ice as well. But luckily, she is not going sideways like me as she takes after my wife which is tall, thank goodness........
But the funny thing is she only like the wantan and does not take the "char siu", so guess who "cleans" it up for her?? Anyway, usually the men(father) is the "Bandaraya" when it comes to not wasting food, and that is also the reason why I am having a hard time loosing weight! But whatever it is, it is always a special moment watching my kids eat! It is a wonderful feeling........

History in the making : Obama

2008-11-05T13:03:00.008+08:00

We are seeing history in the making with the landslide victory by Obama against Mc Cain in the US General Election just concluded today. This also goes to show, how far and mature the people of the United States have come since their Abraham Lincoln days. In this predominantly white community, they have abandoned their skin color or race base way of thinking and went above all cause to pick Obama, this tells us something! That they are also sick and fed-up with Bush type of administration and they want change. They want a change for the better, to go beyond where they are now. It has also broken the stereo type casting that no black will ever be President of US, which many have already assumed this from the beginning when Obama decided to run for Presidency. It must be some celebration going on now in the States and I sincerely hope with Obama's open, transparent, fair, just and liberal way of modus operandi, it will bring a change in the US and also to the International community in general : No war and more self healing and caring to the people of the world!

This cannot be said about Malaysia though, with the latest on slaught from UMNO against their own in the form of Datuk Zaid. Why should he apologize? Why should be give a show cause letter? If UMNO is not happy with his remarks, it only means Datuk Zaid have hit them where it hurts. This also means in order to feel hurt and threaten, it is also the truth! I do not know about other right thinking Malaysian but if ever Datuk Zaid needs people support, I will be there! These UMNO's member think Datuk Zaid is so "hadap" to be UMNO member that they are threatening to expel him from UMNO, pls lah, put your money where your mouth is, if UMNO wants to expel, then just do it, don't put up a "wayang kulit" show as I think personally whether Datuk Zaid is a UMNO member or not, he is already on his own crusade to rectify and "fix" what he deem is wrong in our current government and system. He don't need UMNO to start this journey. Wake up UMNO!!

Malaysia's ranking dropped

2008-10-23T14:40:00.036+08:00

Recently the Paris based watchdog Reporters sans Frontiers released their latest press freedom ranking and guess what? Malaysia dropped further down the list of 173 countries and we are actually worst off than our neighbouring countries like Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. For this I have to send a big THANK YOU to our Prime Minister Badawi and DPM Najib. I have to also thank all the Ministers and YB's in the BN front for making Malaysia ranking slip further. What a great achievement!
I pulled this chart from Din Merican's blog(thanks Din). If we were to look at the chart carefully, we have been slipping since 2006, so why is it that our PM and ministers in the BN government keep reminding us that Malaysia have had better press freedom than Tun Mahatir's era? I don't expect to find an answer from PM or BN-UMNO for this as I know PM nor BN-UMNO will not be able to improve this ranking as BN-UMNO are still using policies and methods that are outdated but most importantly, they themselves are not willing to change as BN-UMNO Ministers have just too much too loose! To them, it's BN-UMNO come first, then only the "rakyat".

I have also pulled out the following report from Din's blog(courtesy of Malaysiakini) :

Malaysia’s press freedom ranking on a free fall
October 22, 2008
Malaysia crashed into the bottom quarter of 173 countries in the worldwide press freedom ranking index released today by Paris-based watchdog Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF, Reporters Without Borders).In the latest 2008 ranking, Malaysia fell eight spots to 132. Last year, it was placed 124th while in 2006, it was at 92.

According to the index, Malaysia was placed fifth among 10 Southeast Asian countries after Timor-Leste (65), Indonesia (111), Thailand (124), Cambodia (126).

“In the face of mounting criticism, the government of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reacted with a crackdown,” lamented RSF, referring to several incidences last year.

It said that the mainstream press made no attempt at balance remarks by the authorities attacking the organisers of two major demonstrations last year which were led by election reform movement Bersih and Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).

“The Internal Security Ministry asked some media on three separate occasions in November not to report on unauthorised demonstrations.

“Thus a march on Nov 10 calling for free and transparent elections passed off without any coverage, apart from online, including by the daily Malaysiakini, which also revealed in June (2007) that the authorities had ordered radio and television not to allow too much airtime to the speeches of opposition leaders.”

UNMO-linked NST ticked off

RSF also ticked off UMNO-linked New Straits Times for abruptly halting the columns by two independent-minded writers.

“Officially for technical reasons, the columns written by Zainah Anwar, promoting the rights of women, and another by Amir Muhammad disappeared within five days or one another.

“Zainah had headlined her last piece, ‘Let’s give freedom a good press’. Amir Muhammad, a respected film-maker and writer, had broken one of the country’s taboos by rehabilitating communists who fought for independence in the 1940s.

“He posted on his blog the uncut versions of his articles, which were regularly re-written by the daily’s management.”

The press freedom watchdog also said that the management and former managers of NST sued bloggers Jeff Ooi and Ahiruddin Attan for “defamation”, after they posted articles “demonstrating that some news and editorials in the daily lacked objectivity”.

Bloggers threatened by ISA

RSF added the attacks against bloggers continued last year.

“Abdullah had called bloggers ‘liars’ while (last) July, (then) law minister, Nazri Abdul Aziz, said the government would not hesitate to resort to the Internal Security Act (ISA) to punish them.”

Popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, who was eventually detained under ISA last month, was interrogated by the police in July last year after he posted criticism of the king.

“Nathaniel Tan, a blogger and member of the opposition PKR was held in custody for four days, apparently because of a link from his blog to a website hosting news termed as an ‘official secret’ relating to a corruption case implicating (then deputy) internal security minister, Johari Baharum.”

The press freedom watchdog also cited two cases of journalists being threatened, one of whom was beaten up by unknown men.

Photo-journalist R Raman of the Tamil-language Malaysia Nanban was left in a coma after being assaulted by two thugs in his office in Johor Baru.

Meanwhile, his colleague, M Nagarajan, received a phone call threatening to kill him if he continued to write articles about poor conditions in the schools.

source:www.malaysiakini.com

Mid Life Crisis

2008-10-23T12:26:00.006+08:00

What is this mid life crisis? We hear a lot of it and even a TV series was made based on man that is going thru mid life crisis, so what is it? I will be passing 40 soon, so am I going thru it also, as I write this? Maybe? Does worrying for my children's future, my family's future group me as going thru a mid life crisis kinda guy? Hmmm, maybe I should google "Mid life crisis" and see what comes up.
Maybe it's the catching up of age coz I tend to worry more these days. Every little thing catches my attention. From little things at home to current issues in Malaysia and the world. I realize I am also less tolerant against incompetent people and hypocrites as say 10 years ago. That is why I am so agitated with the current bunch of politicians who are so concern about their own personal agenda but seem to have neglected the big picture that the country is in trouble. Furthermore, I cannot stand politician who treat us like morons or idiots, politicians who thinks we do not know how to think and differentiate right from wrong. These politicians keep feeding all sort of BS to us day in day out.
Maybe this is mid life crisis after all and actually out there in the real world, situation is not that bad. Maybe it is just my imagination that gave me this perception of things spiraling out of control, locally and abroad, with local issues being compounded with ministers and leaders who are all out helping themselves first before helping the people. I don't know. Maybe this is equivalent to women going thru their menopause. Everything seems so moody, unpleasant and all sort of ideas run thru your head everyday.

Public Transport :2009-2014, RM35billion

2008-10-22T18:04:00.008+08:00

I for one always welcome positive change, even though some come rather late but better late than never. Our out going PM finally pledges RM35billion to be used to improve the public transportation for the next 5 years starting from 2009. I think what Pak Lah did was good that he finally went down to the commuter level to get a personal feel or experience of what we common people have to go through when taking public transport. If I were given a choice, I would rather take the public transport than drive but unfortunately the local buses are so unreliable, dirty, uncomfortable and unsafe. I hope Pak Lah's commitment do not apply only to the city's public transportation, it should also cover out of town/city transportation's like express buses and KTM's. For eg., countries like Japan, Taiwan or even China, people travel to work on public transport that takes them hours per trip but is still the most viable because they have non of the negative aspect I mentioned above. This way, many of us will be able to save on petrol, maintenance of cars, pollutions, traffic congestion's, lower road maintenance etc etc. There will be more positive than negative impacts if these is done and follow thru properly.
Lastly, the only thing bugging me now is Pak Lah better put somebody or have some body to oversee that the fund will be use properly and wisely. Pak Lah also need to "sack" the current Minister and the current staff overseeing the welfare of public transport as they have proved to be incompetent and irresponsible in their job. They failed the people and so much money have been wasted.

MK apologize:Najib accept:Then?

2008-10-22T14:55:00.010+08:00

Malaysiakini issued an apology to Datuk Seri Najib for wrongly attributing a manifesto to him. He accepted the apology and will not take action action MK. The reporter Wong Choon Mei tender her resignation and took full responsibility for not first verifying the validity of the manifesto before publishing. That is true professionalism and MK should be proud to have this journalist on their team! This cannot be said about Cerpen, the Utusan fella who wrote the "YB J" fiction, he really give professional journalist a bad name!

The other issue that has been bugging me about this MK and Najib issue is who are the so call supporters of Najib who issued this manifesto? Surely somebody must know since they are Najib's supporters. I mean look at YB Teresa's case, she did not even participate nor signed any documents and said anything as reported by Utusan but it didn't take long for someone to point the finger at YB Teresa. So, why is it so difficult to find the perpetrator who point the finger to Najib? Also I don't see Albar or Najib himself jumping to conclusion and using the ISA on any suspect, why no "wild shooting" this time? I will be waiting anxiously the next few days to see if the police, Albar and Najib is pursuing this case like YB Teresa, DSAI, RPK and the Sin Chew reporter's case with such ferocity.

On the same note, Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said it is up the MCMC to take action against Malaysiakini. He said :

"This is one of the abuses of cyberspace where people just simply pick up things without checking and publish as the gospel truth. But the damage done is rather obvious. It was clearly done with the intention of tarnishing a national leader. The action is very much regretted."

Ah, hello Mr. foam in your mouth minister, can you be a bit more bias with what you just said. You seem to have forgotten about Utusan Malaysia's report on YB Teresa. I am pretty sure that will be under your jurisdiction right? So, put your money(or foam) where your mouth is! Act against the editor, reporter and Utusan Malaysia itself. If I am not mistaken, there were no warning letter given to Utusan at all, so practice what you preach before you crucify others! Cakap tak serupa bikin! How do you expect the rakyat to respect a Minister that is so bias, one sided and so much BS?(not to mention so much unsightly foam)

Money Politics

2008-10-21T12:17:00.012+08:00

Our dear Foreign Minister Rais Yatim have to be applauded for coming up front to say that in UMNO, money politics is alive and thriving. It is a revelation that our Foreign Minister dare to speak out as normally one would expect them to just close one eye. I wonder if our PM in waiting will summon him up today and "goreng" him for this remark or not? Rais Yatim also said that due to his stand of not wanting to be one of the "players", his mark will not go up, so is he also implying that those with high votes actually pay? Now, is that why our PM in waiting is chalking up so high votes? I guess then the SIL must be really "kiam siap" coz his vote was not as high as expected and Dtk Mukhriz must have paid rather well.........makes you wonder right? But then again, the UMNO members now must learn to "carry leg" of the new PM in waiting, so maybe our new PM in waiting do not really need to pay anything for votes lah. Foreign Minister Rais Yatim is also under the impression that majority of the UMNO members are not interested in choosing the "right" leader up at the helm but is more concern about how much money they can capitalize. In other words, if this is even half truth, my goodness, can you imagine what sort of YB's, MP's, PM will be put in charge to run this country? You will have incompetent, mediocrity and lack luster "seem to know" people running the country, our life's and our children's life's. Honestly, I do not see any probable candidate from BN that can assume the role of PM, none! Furthermore, with this remark, where is the ACA hah? Chiak Sai lah!

On a lighter note, Shah Rukh Khan, yes the Bollywood hunk apparently appeared in a steamy sex scene with another Indian actress, courtesy of the Scribe SRIHERO. Now, I wonder how the Governor of Melaka feels about giving the Datukship to SRK, padan muka! Actually, since our Governor of Melaka is in a roll now, he might as well issue more Datukship to actor and actresses like Catherine Zeta Jones, Sean Connery , Chow Yuen Fatt and Jodie Foster. I think these actors and actresses did more to promote Malaysia in their movies in the International level than Dtk SRK, don't you agree?

Over the weekend, MCA just had their general elections. I am not going to say who won as I am aware you all already know lah. If not, sleeping the whole weekend ah? What I wanted to say is, to me MCA and Gerakan is a "has been" because I do not see any positive outcome from them and to them as long as they are still "attached" to big bro UMNO. Everyone knows, without a reasonable doubt UMNO will never ever change their policy, their warlord ways and their corrupted practices. Everyone also knows for a fact and without any reasonable doubt, MCA and Gerakan will toe the line. It has been the norms, tradition that during the general election, MCA and Gerakan leaders will shout for this and that, promise this and that. They will always say that they will stand up to big bro UMNO when there is unfair policies but when shit hits the fan, all this "fearless" MCA and Gerakan leader suddenly become "kuci miao" and just toe the line with their tail behind their back. Ah, it will be the same again coz the people up there is still the same, they are still having the same mentality and work procedures, they will never change. So, come next GE(13th), MCA and Gerakan will just disappear into oblivion if they don't break away.....but I am hoping PR will succeed first and earlier, otherwise Malaysia will go into oblivion....

1st blog posting

2008-10-20T15:12:00.009+08:00

Wow, finally took the first jump into the blog sphere and honestly speaking my mind just went blank! Well, usually there are so many things on my mind that I wanted to pen down or even express on other blogs that I have visited but now that I can do it all in my own blog, I just went right smack into a wall.......
I know of course there won't be anybody reading what I am writing now but it feels good to be able to just say(write) what comes to my mind without thinking aloud but I think I need a bit more practice, to relax and let things just comes naturally. I keep telling myself don't try too hard or you will sound like an broken down old cd player........sucks!
Ok, today, what's bugging me.....hmmmmm, well I will list them out, think will be easier this way :

1) Bad economy situation, both in Malaysia and abroad but yet our leaders claim otherwise, where have they been all this while I wonder?

2) Disappointed that RPK is still under ISA and have to spent his Raya in Kamunting camp.

3) TOOLAN about PM's claim that UMNO is not a bully(ya right!).

4) Also disappointed that PR is not making much head way in their quest.

5) TOOLAN that another lady in Johor got pulled in under ISA, eventhough she is out on bail now but why is the government still using the ISA after so many people have voiced their disatisfaction? Really stubborn, worse than an e-mule!

6) Bad road signs and traffic lights...............so, do I follow the traffic light or heed the no left turning sign?

These are the few things at the top of my head now, especially the 1st one as business is bad, and like all small time businessman in Malaysia, are feeling hopeless and frustrated about the government's inability to come out with some sound plan to cushion the situation.
I bet my blood pressure have shot way up high but luckily for my family(my children's and wife), I do get some comfort when I get home to be with them......

Will sign off now and hopefully I will learn to write more interesting subject in the near future....