Let's play...'Spot Me'.

Went to Bandar Puteri Puchong the other day for lunch. Parked my car, came out and started looking for a parking ticket machine.

Couldn't find one within 100m radius from my car. Hmm...is this place exempted from parking fees?

Shouldn't be, I thought. But then why no ticket machines? Coupons? Since when?

As I was about to walk away, I spotted it! Aiya! Right in front me, less than 10m away. How come I could not see it at first? My eyes!

Before I go for an eye checkup, can you tell me if you can see it at the first glance?

Well maybe in my mind I was looking for something like this...

Or this...

And not expecting this...

Why can't they use a brighter paint? Blue? Yellow? Orange? Red? Why grey?

Can You Spot It?

The Brave Agave

My Agave is flowering and soon it will die...(sob sob) Why?

Well, there's nothing I can do. That's its characteristic. Here is a short write up about this plant. Please read only if you're interested.

The genus Agave occurs natively in arid and tropical regions from the southern USA to northern South America, and throughout the Caribbean. More than 200 species are recognized.

It is a common misconception that agaves are cacti. Agaves are closely related to the lily and amaryllis families, and are not related to cacti. The name agave is derived from the Greek and means "noble," referring to their tall flower stalk. Some agave species have stalks reaching 40 feet. Agaves have many common and native local names including maguey, mescal, lechuguilla, amole and Century Plant. Agaves are rosette plants that live for several to many years before flowering. Each rosette will flower only once, then die. The English common name, Century Plant, is based on the mistaken belief that the plants grow for 100 years before blooming. In fact, some of the smaller species flower when only 3 to 4 years old. The larger species may live for 40 to 50 years before flowering.

Compare its size and height with mine. I'm about 5'3"

So, after 5 years my beloved plant has reached its final destination! Soon flowers will bloom from this long tough stalk and out come its offspring. And once these offspring are fully develop the brave mother plant will wither and die. This is a case of happy (offspring) and sad (mother plant). May she rest in peace!

Why am I telling you all these? Yes, the actual purpose is...

...I'm putting up these offspring for adoption! I understand that agave plants can produce dozens of offspring each time! So I'm sure I will end up with many unwanted babies. Therefor if anyone out there who would like to adopt them please contact me.

They are very easy to be cared for. They are hardy and need very little attention which means no pruning or trimming. Just sunshine, a little water and a little fertilizer every now and then. They are great outdoor plants and make good ornaments for rock garden or desert garden.

Want one? I'll be more than happy to present them to you! But you need to come over to take it home yourself.

Oh no, not again!

If you have read my previous blog on 'Four Weddings and A Gathering Pt.2' you could have remembered that I mentioned I didn't have any pictures to show you as proof to what I said? Yes, the part that goes...

..."Oh, I got a chance to sing on stage too with Edmund. Sorry I don't have any pictures to prove my words here."...

Well, here they are...not that I need to prove anything but I need a reason to put the photos up don't I?

This is not me, it's Edmund.

This is me with Edmund.

I stole these pictures from Stanley's blog. I know I don't look good (have I ever said I looked good?). Wait till you see the video. I cannot imagine the look on your face, don't say I didn't warn you. "WATCH AT YOU OWN RISK!" (that is if it's ever get to be uploaded)

Just promise you won't laugh, okay? It was my first time performing live, in front of 600 over people. Can you imagine how I felt at that moment? I have to down a few beers before and after the event! Before, to get rid of my nervousness and after, to get rid of my embarrassment!

But after doing this once, I wish I can do it again. Maybe could be better the next time around? Or can it be so bad that you'll shout, "Oh no! Not again!"

My Turkey...a success, yeh!

Whole turkey, cooked to near perfection (can be better). Browned on the outside, juicy inside! The best turkey I've tasted so far! Thanks to AFC channel and Jamie Oliver for the cooking tips and recipe.

Cooked and carved...

I made this cute little parcel from the leftover stuffing.
Shaped stuffing into a ball, wrapped with bacon and insert a sprig of rosemary into ball. Baked in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Another idea from 'Saturday Cooks'. Where else? AFC Channel Astro!

This is like pot roast. Yes, it was cooked using the leftover roast leg of lamb yesterday.

Our Christmas Dinner! I going to be fat...no, I AM fat now...bad!

Someone please stop me!

Christmas Eve Dinner

Yes, it's Christmas today. Had dinner with my family last night. Enjoyed it and hoped everyone had a wonderful Christmas eve dinner too!

This is the first time I'm making tomato soup and roast lamb. I think not bad for a first timer...

Not much dishes but more than enough for the 4 of us.
More photos....

Of course Christmas Eve also marks a very important date. The birth date of Edmund! He's no longer a boy now as this is the day he steps into adulthood. Yes, he's 18! Officially an adult! Now he may do most of the things that an adult does, not that he need to do it but legally he is allowed to! Like buying cigarettes, drinking alcoholic drinks etc. etc. etc. Urgh! I hate to imagine!

Well I wished him all the best in his future and hope that he won't abuse the rights that he has obtained for now.

Happy Birthday Edmund! Be good yah?

And today is going to be a turkey dinner! Or is it turkey for dinner...? Well, whatever!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Cove

I watched this movie and felt a little disturbed by it. In fact it's a mixture of sadness, anger and outraged. This is a more like a documentary made by Richard O'Barry or Ric O'Barry. If you do not know who is this guy (neither do I at first), maybe the word 'Flipper' will ring a bell? Yes, he's the trainer who trained the dolphins in the TV series Flipper. Here's a little bit more information about him...

Richard (Ric) O'Barry (born c. 1941) was first recognized in the 1960s for capturing and training the five dolphins that were used in the well-known TV series Flipper. Soon after one of the Flipper dolphins died in O'Barry’s arms he made a radical transition from training dolphins in captivity to assertively combating the captivity industry. O'Barry is currently featured in The Cove, a film that uses covert techniques to expose the yearly dolphin drive hunting that goes on in Taiji, Japan.



Coming back to the movie, The Cove...

...begins in Taiji, Japan, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast.

But in actual fact, tens of thousands of dolphins are being killed here every year and the worst part is they (the fishermen) did it heartlessly?

If we kill for survival, I can understand but killing these dolphins is clearly not for this reason! They captured the dolphins and chose few to be sold to marine parks for show purposes. The price of these show dolphins can fetch up to US150,000 each! Okay, I understand this part. They did it for money but what about the rest of the captured dolphins? Why do they have to kill them? Why can't they just set them free?

The dolphin meat cannot be consumed by human because the level of mercury in their meat is very high! Then came the outraged part, they fed these highly contaminated meat to their young children! What in the world is wrong with their brains!

Please watch this movie and tell me if I was wrong. If you are not a bit saddened or angered by it please let me know? For the time being just these photos to give you a little kick?

The colour of the sea water turned red from the blood of the dolphins!

I wish the killings will stop! Not only the dolphins but for sharks too!

For those of you who love sharks' fins soup or dishes please refrain from ticking them on your dinner menu. I know sharks are not so lovable or even likable but cutting off their fins and throwing them back into the sea to die slowly...? That's cruel!

And for your information, sharks' fins has no taste on its own and have no nutritional value of any kind! There are many other nice delicious food out there right? Tradition? If a tradition is not right, we should just change it? And this has happened before, many times. Like the tradition of leg binding for little girls in our Chinese culture? Well? Let's do it?

And I have to shout this out, Stanley and his family just did it. They omitted sharks' fins soup from their dinner menu (wedding dinner) and the announcement was made as such...

...for your information, the organising families have asked to inform you that as a small part of their contribution on shark conservation, no sharks' fins will be served this evening. The families asked for your understanding.

This could be a very small step to a big change to our society's mindset! To Stanley and his family, I SALUTE U!

Happy Winter Solstice Festival!

Every year on December 22nd, the Chinese community will celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival. So why do we celebrate this day? Try reading this...

The Winter Solstice Festival or The Extreme of Winter is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the dongzhi solar term on or around December 21 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest; i.e., on the first day of the dongzhi solar term. The origins of this festival can be traced back to the yin and yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in. The philosophical significance of this is symbolized by the I Ching hexagram fù (復, "Returning").

Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get togethers (especially in the southern parts of China and in Chinese communities overseas) is the making and eating of Tangyuan (湯圓, as pronounced in Cantonese; Mandarin Pinyin: Tāng Yuán) or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize reunion.

In Korea, similar balls of glutinous rice (Korean: 새알심) (English pronunciation:Saealsim), is prepared in a traditional porridge made with sweet red bean (Korean: 팥죽)(English pronunciation:Patjook). Patjook was believed to have a special power and sprayed around houses on winter solstice to repel sinister spirits. This practice was based on a traditional folk tale, in which the ghost of a man that used to hate patjook comes haunting innocent villagers on the winter solstice.

So? We do not have winter here but we celebrate it anyway. Well at least I do, let this be a family tradition. Making 'tong yuen' and have dinner together every year on this day. And I hope this will continue for many many years and then pass down to the next generation and so on!

Actually it's quite fun. Tong yuen is so easy to make, want to try? You can say it's a 'family bonding' time?

The ingredients: Glutinous Rice Flour, your favourite food colouring, water.

1. Add water to flour and knead well to form into dough.
2. Divide dough to 3 parts (depending on the number of colours you use)
3. Knead well into dough

Roll out dough into long strips and divide dough into small portions.
That will be the size of your rice balls!
Roll dough into sphere shape. Set aside.

The syrup: Boil old ginger and pandan leaves with water. About 15 minutes.

Add sugar to taste. Take out the pandan leaves and ginger.

In another pot, bring water to a boil. Drop your rice balls into it.

Once your rice balls are cooked they will float to the surface.
Scoop them up and put them into the syrup.

Taa'da! Your tong yuen is ready to be eaten!
Happy trying!

Happy Tong Yuen Festival!

Tualang Prawn Trip

In search of fresh river prawns...

Went to Tg. Tualang the other day. Just to taste the well-known fresh river prawns available there. My friend Angie hailed from this small town and she happened to be there that day. So off we go to Tg. Tualang which is about 2 1/2 hours drive from KL.

For those who do not know where is this town, it is somewhere between Kampar and Teluk Intan. Exit at Tapah and drive towards Kampar/Ipoh. Just as you are about to reach Kampar, you will see a Petronas station on your left. Immediately after the station there's a traffic light, turn left at that traffic light. The road sign shows that's the road to Teluk Intan. Drive along this road and watch out for the road sign that says Tronoh Mines/Tg.Tualang turn right. Yes, turn right and you'll come onto this small and winding road. You have to be careful of cattle here as they roam the road freely. Keep going until you reach the end of the road, turn right and drive for another 10 minutes and you'll reach Tg. Tualang. You'll see a post office on your left, turn left at that turning and then right. Whoala! All the seafood restaurants to feast your hunger pangs! On your left is the market where they sell all sorts of homemade traditional food. But their only opened during daytime.

Of course I was lucky to have Angie guiding the way. It was drizzling the whole time but we're lucky to reach that place just before the heavy downpour. Angie took us to this restaurant that belong's to her friend's sister. 'Restaurant Thong Lok' .



Since she's more familiar with this place, we let her make the call.

And we ended up with....


medium sized, steamed...with ginger and chinese wine


(close-up)...really spongy and juicy sweet from its natural flavour!

slightly bigger than medium size, pan fried...fresh and tasty

River Patin fish, steamed...firm yet smooth...

Octopus blanched with fern and topped with satay sauce...nice

The ferns can cause numbness of the tongue or lips to some people who are allergy to its saps!

fried taufu...really tasty

vege...ok, normal

All these 6 dishes for just RM170. There are 10 of us at the table! The best part is we don't have to pay! Angie was really generous to take up the bill! What more can I say! Thank you!

It was a nice dinner but I'm not sure if it was just me, for some reason I wasn't satisfied. I was craving for more prawns! OMG! Fat...! But I was weak, I had to have mooore...!?

Yes, we walked down the street and found this restaurant. Recommended by Jason, the food guy from AFC Astro.

We didn't hesitate, we went into the restaurant and ordered these....

medium size, pan fried with salted egg...yumm

Huge size, steamed with ginger and chinese wine...heavenly!

The roe oozing out of the head! Mmmm...

Just for comparison...the huge prawn is about 4x the size of the medium prawn.

And the price...RM67 for 4 huge prawns (900gms) and medium prawns RM35 (1 Kg)

After this meal, I felt fully satisfied. Tg. Tualang fresh river prawns have lived up to its name. Worth my trip there!