Food Gatherings...

Have food will gather... where there is food there'll be us! 8)

But times have changed... used to be prawns will always be a hot favourite with everyone. These days, people actually bypass them. My boy will actually give it a pass if the skin is not peeled. But these are really nice. Crispy and tasty.

Karyn came home, so Ah Ho got herself busy and invited some people over. We were among the lucky ones. 8) This is Angel Hair with scallops, ham and dunno what other goodies in it. I took a couple of helpings.

Mutton Goulash... the mutton is absolutely nice and munchy. I got to 'ta-pau' some home for Son who was home from NS for his Easter break.

And the mutton went well with the freshly home baked bread. Stuff the mutton and the gravy in and it's a meal on its own.

Finger food... ham and cheese. Can't remember what the brown blob is but I think it was some kind of cheese too. Cut pieces of everything and roll them up in the ham. Then dig in... nice!

Close-up of the brown blob... it looks like our dodol. 8)

While we were busy tucking in, she was busy with her papa's Ipod. She was a little under the weather and groggy from medicine but still insisted to tag along when we told her we were going to Aunty Chua's.

This was from an earlier week's makan. All layers of stewed meat. It's good. My favourite and Ah Ho made it cos of that. How not to be touched! Notice the sambal udang kering beside it? Add the meat and gravy with plenty of sambal to white rice... it's yummy-licious.

That meal above went with this cake... You see once you reach a certain age where the number is supposed to be a 'sensitive issue', they replace the candles with just one teapot... LOL! Just kidding! Cake is buttercake... really flavourful with all the different nuts added in... in super generous amounts. Like I said earlier, I'm not much for celebrations but with such thoughts, very 'kang-tung'. Thanks too to my 2 other friends who took me out for lunch, Japanese.... a couple of days earlier.

And last but not least, for the thought that went into this... am touched!

The Politician by Andrew Young

This is a newly released book... finished it yesterday. My first 'political' book in a while. I started reading it during one of my 'waiting duties'. This took a longer time to finish as the last two weeks have been kinda packed. Most of the readings were done during gym time... and I haven't done many visits there lately and that more or less contributed to the longer time taken to complete it.

The title was a random selection. But it was an interesting read into behind-the-scenes of American politics. Andrew Young was the 'body man' of John Edwards, a two-time Presidential hopeful and once VP hopeful. What his book has done is open up a can of worms seldom seen. I mean, we know most politicians are there for the power, wealth and fame. Service to the nation - somehow that rings kinda hollow these days. Service to self first I think, then nation would be apt. Own survival first..

Edwards is good looking, had a bright future, came across as a family man rooted in his Christian faith; that's the glossy part. Now for the worms - he kept a mistress and fathered a child. But for 2 years he got Andrew, his 'body man' to claim paternity to his child while he denied all the rumours and allegations of his extramarital affair. He was gunning for the Democrats' nomination to run for President. And to make him look even worse, his wife had terminal cancer.

But after reading the book, one cannot help but wonder what kind of people the author (Andrew) and his wife are too. I get the impression that he knew what he was in for and his determination to take the crap that came with the job is at worst, still very admirable. There was no doubt that he was a lackey boy for the Senator. It's clear to see that money and a future at the White House were what he was after... can't blame him on that too. Ambition is after all what drives us! Of course he claimed he believed John Edwards would be good for the country. But politics can sometimes be likened to betting on a horse in a race. You place your money on a horse you think has potential and hope it wins. That's why we have financial backers for each candidate; each one hoping that they too win big when their 'horse' wins.

Politics is about getting the masses to support a candidate. In the old days, protection from the leader would have sufficed. The one who gets to be king (leader) would be the one with the ability to provide that. Life is more sophisticated now.... it's no longer just about the 'protection'. It's about how much the leader can reward his supporters too. And down the chain the rewards will filter, with those closest to him getting the most. But I'd say this arrangement benefits the masses more now than the older model.

I googled everything about the Edwards... seems the revelation of this book has caused Elizabeth and John to separate. It's in-news thing in the US now. John Edwards has recently admitted to fathering the child (who is 2 now) with his mistress. Well, on hindsight we could also say the people saw through him and he didn't get voted to one of the most powerful political seats in the world. But then again, Bill Clinton too had an extra-marital affair. Makes you wonder how much of the glossy pictures the politicians paint are actually covering up the dirt. Politics is after all about packaging your product for purchase... whether or not we buy it!

In Malaysia, we too have our own versions... the one caught on tape in a hotel room, another whom people alleged to have had a hand in blowing up a lady, yet another alleged to have sodomized his own kind.... but they've had better luck and pulling wool over their electorates. Their wives too, are remarkable (and ambitious) and in the likes and leagues of Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Edwards.

This was a surprisingly interesting book.... So, coming in at number 11 for the year, my first 'political' book. BTW, it's on the best-seller list. It means Andrew Young must have made a small fortune publishing it too, though his allegations of having a tape of Edwards and his mistress in compromising acts seems to have landed him with an order to be jailed for not producing it to the courts.... These are stuff that makes the gossip papers, talk shows, etc, etc... There are always people who like to 'mengumpat' and watch with glee all these downfall sagas...

Sakae Sushi...

I like Japanese food... but it took this to win Other Half over. And because of this, he was game to join in a one-hour drive for it. LOL!

Mochi... we have our own version called the tang yuan. I am no fan of it having been 'forced' to eat plenty of those after helping mom roll them when I was a young kid. Don't get me wrong, rolling them was fun. It's just the eating them that I didn't seem to relish. But according to Other Half and Son, the mochi in Sakae Sushi is actually quite smooth. Father and Son have the same liking where this is concerned.

Anyway, we've been there twice in a fortnight, the second time with friends. 8) One kid gets to eat for free if you have a credit card from HLB and order their bento set. This is the train set and it's definitely nicer than the bus bento that we had during the second visit.

The bus set... all of us found the noodle (udon??) mixed with some salad sauce and some fish roe rather tasteless. This set lacks the oomph of the first set.

The chicken and mushroom in teriyaki sauce with a few endamame sprinkled on top. It's okay enough. Sakae Sushi, despite it's Japanese sounding and cute frog mascot is actually a Singaporean franchise... but frankly speaking how many truly authentic Japanese restaurants does one expect to find in this part of Malaysia. It'd cost a bomb to get a real Japanese chef! First world coming to third world to cook!

There's a curry that comes with this. And it smells like real Indian curry to me. Scallop is nice enough. Fried chicken tastes just like fried chicken. Can't go very wrong unless you leave them frying in the oil for too long. Bento sets come with a bowl of steamed Japanese rice... but friend who has been to Japan said the rice she had there seemed nicer...

I think this is their Niko Niko Gozen set.... can't quite remember their names. I didn't realize that I had to cook my own duck meat in a slab of butter over the small little stove. The meat is tender enough even though I left it on the stove quite long. But still, duck meat is not something that I like where Japanese food is concerned. The tempura is quite ordinary though. Their bento sets come with potato salad with bits of vegetables in it. Makes it lighter on the stomach in a way.

My personal favourite is the Sakura Bento - came with cod, octopus, duck, tofu, chawanmushi or egg custard. I like their chawanmushi; smooth and soothing to taste. The tofu with the roe and salad sauce was quite nice too.

But their teppanyaki menu is not available. The menu has this plastered on it... 'Temporarily Not Available' but I wonder how long it's been unavailable or it's not meant to be available at this joint. Anyway, we've been to their Sakae Teppanyaki at Auto City. I think Sakae Sushi seems to offer a better fare in terms of taste compared to Sushi King...

Easter...

I'm not one for any form of celebrations... even our wedding was low key. If not for parents, I think the simple church wedding that we had would have been very okay for me. So Easter celebration to me is more of essence than the celebrations...

Easter... promises of hope to come. Holding on to faith means walking that narrower path. More difficult than easy. But somehow this Easter my mind goes back to someone whom I've crossed path a couple of times. Her dad is behind bars. Her mom expects her to work so that they can pay the lawyer. She hopes to finish her studies so that she can try for a place in the university but has to miss classes most of the time to work. What is hope to each one in this family?

Hope is what drives many of us... some of us hope our children will make it big or remain with us. Some of us hope that we become rich... I hope to own an Ipad. 8) All of them kinda point to the same thing... something better for ourselves. Yet all these hopes even if materialized finally will also be taken from us. And we'll be left with nothing; as how we came with nothing when we entered this world. As a tiny baby, all we had was just hope in our parents - that they'd nurture us, watch over us. All there was was just faith in them.

This Easter, I am reminded of the hope that I have in God. Hope for eternity, for when this journey on earth is done, my hope is that my Father in heaven will nurture me, watch over me... it's the same, these two journeys; journeys of faith.

"For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness." Isaiah 38:18. For the one sacrifice of atonement, the purchase of my soul, plucked from the pit... that is the hope that one act at Calvary has done for me.

Blessed Easter... and oh ya! Easter eggs given at church service this year was herbal tea egg. How's that! Not only were they delicious but the extras were snapped up.

At the break of dawn...

... we made a trip to our usual hiking rendezvous at Pokok Sena. Our Saturday morn hike has been off for more than a year now. It's difficult to tear people away from the comfort of their beds in the wee hours. And after a while it can get kinda disheartening... but still, at Tim's request, we had a decent number of 8 in our group. 8)

So here's an award of chew neng pui (that's Foochow for rubber trophy) for all who made it. LOL!

The rays breaking through the leaves bathing us in its full glory... there's always hope breaking through obstacles in life.... With the mist and all that, I'd say this is one of the more beautiful mornings here.

The rains have come back with a vengeance after a really hot and dry spell. Everywhere was damp and teeming with life. Mushrooms seem bigger too, what with the heavy rains and also after the more than normal fall of leaves which meant more 'food' for them. This one was on the ground and it was bigger than usual.

Do you know that mushroom specialists are called mycologists? And that mushrooms can be used to filter (purify too) water and neutralize toxic chemicals? Or that their mycelium actually helps to build deeper soil layers so that trees can grow bigger and taller? They can be a fuel source as well. That apart from being quite yummy as a source of food. I learned that from one of my podcasts. 8)

This particular hike had a little extra oomph it it. Karyn saw this huge moth hanging on a tree; actually perched on a pupa. That's my hand behind for size comparison. It was still misty and cold and the moth wasn't going anywhere. One of the biggest I've seen in this area. Simply beautiful! My lil one would have probably oohed over it.

A mass tangle of spidery web.... ain't life like that too sometimes? Nature is full of parallel comparison for us. Can be perfect and nice and a tangle the next minute. But in a tangle there's still lessons, functionality, etc....

Find the aberrant goose... LOL! Ain't life like that too? There are always aberrant ones among us, but that doesn't mean they're not part of us... as long as they continue to stay in the group. This gaggle of geese was really noisy. The kepala started heading towards the water and the rest followed suit quite immediately. Talk about charisma and herd mentality. BTW, the collective noun of gaggle can also be used for salt.....

And after the huffing and puffing, sweat and smell... we went for our refueling. I didn't take this but notice the si-ham (cockles)? The 3 who ordered curry mee don't fancy them. So they ended up on my chicken rice. 8) Oh ya! You can order an extra topping of yu-char-kway to go with the curry.

So, all in all it was a good hike. We bumped into another group of people from FGC while we were there too. The pastor was telling his flock that praying alone for good health won't be enough; we've to get down to the hard work also. So very, very true.... a morning of fun and thoughts for me...

On A Cheng Beng Morn In A Bank...

Was at the bank this morning... I didn't realize that there were fewer Chinese staff and customers in the bank until I was 'forced' to listen in to 2 Malay tellers' conversation which could be heard all throughout the bank... they were speaking above the normal conversation tone. The topic was Cheng Beng. It was the tone of one staff which I found totally irritating and which seems to reflect more and more of our unpleasant Malaysian flavour.

Cheng Beng is obviously something he did not look favourably upon... I think he was not too pleased that many of his Chinese colleagues were absent from work.... anyway, the way he commented to the point of being personal and at a volume in which he did it were totally uncalled for.... full of righteousness of his own beliefs....this one phrase which I always hear - Kami orang....... (you know what the next word is going to be...)

Kinda funny I thought... cos the more I listened to him, the more I felt he was condemning his own faith; the more he opens himself to his own version of judgment. I've so often hear people of his faith, lamenting how 'tak larat' they are during the fasting month... or how we should 'pity' them cos they are fasting. Or how puasa is used for excuse not to do a lot of things.... or how they show their piety and then look away when something not right is carried out... you know, pakai kopiah and then the next moment they open their mouths, it's full of dirty talk??? Cakap and buat tak serupa bikin, kind of thing?

And Malaysian politics is in a great part responsible for such kind of behaviour.... cos we seem to be invoking the name of God for many wrong reasons... I wonder if someone can come out with an invention that can examine the niat (intention) in our hearts... would we all be able to come out clear?

Coming back to Cheng Beng... I see not much difference between the morning Raya visits to the grave of their loved ones and it actually. Everyone is just trying to remember their loved ones who have gone away.... Malays, Chinese, Indians, Iban, Bidayuh, etc, etc... life is also about remembering those who made it possible for our presence here on earth.

I'd like to think of myself as Malaysian first... then my ethnicity next. But in Bolehland, I keep being reminded that I am Chinese first then Malaysian first.... bukan-Islam and Islam.... bumiputera and bukan-bumiputera. The separation lines keep being highlighted again and again. Aiyo! You'd think the downtrodden lot is only made up of one race.... got a lot of poor people out there; yellow, brown, black, dark brown, light brown Malaysians, etc, etc... only no green little Martians.

So is it no wonder that I keep thinking about this 1Malaysia as crap concocted for political mileage? Forked tongues speak different things to different audience. Muhyiddin's version or Najib's version is true now? Muhyiddin says ethnicity first. Najib says 1Malaysia.

The wonders of an extra day off...

Schools are allowed to take a couple of Cuti Lembaga a year. We took one today after the Sports Day. Teachers don't get leave like other professions. So it always feels nice not to be working on a school day! 8)

But I still got up early as usual.... 6 a.m. I find myself getting up early even on non-school days now. During weekends, I might just laze around in bed for a while longer but it's hard to sleep past 7 these days. I got up and gave myself the luxury of going to the market at 6.50 a.m. Came back with breakfast for everyone. Then it was off to the gym with my friend. We worked out for an hour before going for breakfast at the kafe with no name... haven't been there since I blogged about it.

Came back and the air con man arrived soon after for some major 'shifting' work. While waiting for them to finish I managed to sneak out for an errand. However, I was left with a very patchy big wall. I immediately took off for the hardware shop (and some more errands) and came home armed with my necessary tools to battle the wall. Since Daughter is still in her helpful stage, we decided to do the walls at the stairwell too! We ended up doing quite a lot of painting. I enjoyed the time together... 8)

Evening was supposed to be for swimming. Other Half just got our Gal some swimming paraphernalia but unfortunately the cats and dogs decided to rain themselves on us. Anyway, a church friend came to get some some PowerPoint slides done... put Son to task despite his whines. A full but satisfying day.... Dinner was Colonel Sanders' supposedly finger lickin' good but I think I am outgrowing that already too...

As I sit here, I can still catch a whiff of fresh paint and face a really white walls. 8) I like white walls... though it's just a matter of time before it becomes smudged again since this is a high traffic wall area of the house..... where the glass board stays perched!