Tuesday, January 30, 2007

It's been awhile since I had ice kacang. Today it brought back some childhood memories.


A bowl of ice kacang with gula melaka

Fridays were special. It was the only day in the week where morning session school finishes an hour earlier because of Friday prayers. Mom would have the family car for the day and pick me up first and then drive over to my sisters' school. Mom would scout for a shady tree to park underneath it. I would have a fantastic time picking blood red saga seeds from the ground. I would later use the seeds as fillings for batu seremban (five stones) and keep the remainder in a jar.


Saga seeds, how you'd play batu seremban and attap seeds

Then mom would bring us to our favourite lunch spot – Sea Park morning market where the best mee yoke (prawn noodles) is served piping hot. Next to it is the ice kacang stall with the most generous portion of assorted nuts and beans and shaved ice with red and gula melaka (brown sugar) syrup served in a plastic bowl. It's heaven on a humid afternoon.

Today's serving was slightly different. The shaved ice was drenched with red, pink, green and orange coloured syrup; very much like the Paddle pop rainbow ice-cream. And sitting majestically atop the mound of ice is a scoop of strawberry ice-cream draped with corn. And right at the bottom is diced cincau (grass jelly), red beans and attap seeds. It was nothing special really but it was nice walking down memory lane.

9:12 PM 0 comments hmm?

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Ferns recently shared the stage with Ronin from Singapore at Bar Laundry for the Crossborders show. Apparently quite a number of fans turned up and cheered them till they glowed pink! Has fame affected them I wonder?

Ferns was also on 8TV Quickie tonight for the 11.30pm program with Rina Omar playing host. 10 minutes of TV fame, how envious. What's next huh?

Since you've asked, Ferns will be playing at KL Jam Asia, Desa Sri Hartamas KL this 2 February 2007, sharing the stage with other notables such as Couple, Etc. (S'pore), Furniture and Azmyl Yunor & Sigarettes. Cover charge will be at RM12. Ferns will be doing their usual thing and dishing out free fruit - while stocks last!

11:54 AM 0 comments hmm?

I was browsing at Borders today when THIS caught my attention! I had to get it, I really had to. It's a 2006 hardcover colour edition which I didn't even know existed with the usual Quentin Blake illustrations. The book contains Dahl's famous characters from his famous works with excerpts on each new alphabet page. I didn't contemplate; I just grinned from ear-to-ear, walked to the cashier and paid RM42.90 for it. It's costly but money well spent. I'm not going to scribble anything on it just yet, it's too precious. And it was the last copy on the shelf. Lucky me!

12:02 AM 0 comments hmm?

Friday, January 26, 2007

Five beanies - an addition to the family courtesy from McD's happy meal. (ok, they're not really mine, I sorta borrowed them from my niece. I'll return them to her when she's uhm, nah, she'd have probably forgotten about them already!) The other two bigger beanies were from Boon's friend who didn't know what to do with them, so I decided to take them in. The blue one is a Malaysian bear called Cinta with bunga raya motifs, 2003 edition. Hmm, this bear happens to share the same birthday with cammy boy, ah coincidence!

And there's wiggles, the big sister looking over them, making sure they behave.

8:30 PM 0 comments hmm?

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Between being attractive but slightly incompetent or plain Jane but highly intelligent, I'd choose the first option. I would like to wake up in the mornings staring at a pretty reflection rather than yelling eureka for yet another scientific breakthrough. After all, narcissism is good for self-esteem!

11:06 PM 0 comments hmm?

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Going to the movies with my family during my younger days was something I really looked forward to. Those old cinemas like Ruby, Paramount, State have faded away and are now replaced with cineplexes with surround sound system, comfortable cushioned chairs with ample leg room, cup holders and what-nots.

I kinda miss the old ones sometimes. Huge open halls with rows and rows of red plastic hard flap-back seats, cement floor with kacang skins littered everywhere, the odd roach or two scurrying under the seats and usherers helping you to your seats with a flash light. Alternatively if you want a better view of the screen, you can opt for the slightly expensive balcony seats.

Dad would sometimes take us out for a movie on Saturday nights if something good was playing. Dad would buy four tickets for a family of five because I was young enough to sit on mom's or dad's lap. I never liked that because I felt embarassed not having a seat of my own and so when I do get one sometimes, I'd be really happy.

Keong sii (Chinese vampire) movies were a standard affair, not to mention some English movies which I don't really remember now. 9pm is the usual starting time and we'll only get home after 11pm. Car parks were huge open spaces within the cinema's premises with usherers again to guide you around. And yes, they do charge you for parking, a dollar if I'm not mistaken.

I really loved those family outings. In fact, I love any family outings we used to have back then.

Currently old cinemas like State have been revamped into newer, 'techier' ones with a mamak restaurant on the ground level, Ruby cinema has been converted into a Christian church, Paramount has evolved into a hypermarket and the rest are either closed down due to competition from newer cineplexes or run down. It's a pity really, because anyone born before and during my time would surely have memories of going to these cinemas.

Kids these days, what do they know. Fun was when we played masak-masak and barbie dolls and not PS3 or iPod. Fun was when we go to Templer's Park and not to Sunway Lagoon. Fun was when everything was less digital, slower and less complicated. Now we're chasing neverending dreams of becoming egoistical superhumans. Oh well... life's like that; we need to evolve to adapt.

7:05 PM 2 comments hmm?

Sunday, January 21, 2007

The chorus line from the first track Stand

Mothers weep, children sleep
So much violence ends in silence
It's a shame there's no one 2 blame
For all the pain that life brings
If u will just take me It might just complete me
And together we can make a stand

Two thumbs up for this album. Four thumbs if I was polydactyly, knock wood!

3:57 PM 0 comments hmm?

Saturday, January 20, 2007

First a huge congratulations to Meng and Barbara on their joyous occassion! This is one of the most memorable weddings I've ever been to. As with any Chinese wedding dinner, it did start late but the camaraderie throughout the night was priceless. Not to mention the yummy food spread. And no shark fins was served!

11:30 PM 3 comments hmm?

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

I know I said I'd try not to buy anymore books this year but this one isn't really a book, is it? They are pocket-sized cards featuring a compilation of 52 recommended good reads. Count them if you don't believe me. I thought this was quite an interesting idea, which was why I bought it in the first place. Of course it was cheap to begin with, RM5. Got it at a warehouse sale, not the usual one I patronise, but ANOTHER warehouse sale by ANOTHER bookstore somewhere in PJ.

On one side of the card is the book title and author with a cartoonish illustration, the flip side contains the book blurb. Each card comes in attractive colours too. kawaii ne...

I happen to see another interesting book as well today called Adult origami. 'Adult' here doesn't mean expert level but explicit. For example, did you know you could transform a plain sheet of paper into a paper condom? And well, you get the idea. The Japanese think about everything, don't they? I was contemplating getting the book which was priced at RM10 BECAUSE I've never seen such a book before in Malaysia, but hesitated. After all, I can't give out these sort of artistic origami to friends without risking being misunderstood. Anyway, I'm never good at paper folding, the only thing I can fold very well is paper hearts, which is artistic in its own way too.

10:39 PM 0 comments hmm?

Monday, January 15, 2007

I finished amending a marketing proposal which I hope will make all my effort worthwhile. Otherwise, I'll just drown myself with more tiramisu. Cringe with jealousy all of you weight watchers, muahahahaha...

2:30 AM 0 comments hmm?

Sunday, January 14, 2007

stifling tears into the pillow when thoughts of losing the person you love floods your mind

9:32 PM 5 comments hmm?

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

...contains two mouthfuls of chocolate ice-cream and a toy hidden beneath the ice-cream in a separate cup container. It's like gacha gacha; you won't know what toy you will get till you open it. When I saw the Hello Kitty combo boxed set, I fell for the marketing gimmick and bought it. RM5.99, pricey huh? For that price, I could have bought a decent tub of 700ml chocolate ice-cream. Luckily I got two plastic figurines that was worth getting. Now all I need is to 'gamble' for the remaining eight to complete the choo-choo train set, not! Sigh... I promise to have better self-control next time.

8:30 PM 0 comments hmm?

Sunday, January 07, 2007

5:35 PM 0 comments hmm?

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Fern's cover CD with astroturf - suitable for sunbathing...

8:40 AM 2 comments hmm?

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Remember my blog entry about the possibility of peddling Ramly burgers in New York? It appears that it is becoming a reality. Zak Pelaccio, the guy who opened Fatty Crab in trendy Meatpacking District in New York City will be paying a tribute to good ol' Ramly. I wonder if he read my blog for inspiration heh heh...

10:30 PM 0 comments hmm?

I've never done clubbing in my entire life before. I don't/can't drink and the last time I did drink some beer, I ended up drunk, babbling incoherently and giggling in some foreign country. I learned my lesson and never drank in public and my friends learned a lesson too - never to offer me anything that has liquor in it.

The only clubbing I'm familiar with is the one where you hold any sort of weapon and club someone with it.



So when someone asks you out to go clubbing this weekend, does he/she mean the former or the latter sport?

5:48 PM 0 comments hmm?

Monday, January 01, 2007

Oh what do you know... it's now 2007 and to think that just awhile ago I was reminiscing about last year. Well, a new year, a new look for my blog. I love pink and all things girly. Oh the fireworks is great... I think it'll go on for another 9 more minutes or so. I'm gonna enjoy it now with my head on ah boon's shoulder.

12:01 AM 1 comments hmm?