Wednesday, April 29, 2009

One little piggy.........

ventured off from home one day in search of food. Accompanied by her partner in crime The Boy, they left the comfy confines of home in search of true adventure. They drove on and on and on until at last, they reached a junction seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The Boy said he'd been there before. The little piggy was skeptical but true to form, as long as food awaits at the end of the road, all is fine and dandy.

They took a left turn and filled with a little trepidation the little piggy looked out the windows and found out that they were in a quaint little village of sorts. Being very much a city child, it was a fresh breath of air to be in the middle of a residential area so unlike those she had been used to. The houses were made of wooden planks and most of the houses there had semi corroded zinc roofs. To add to the ghost town atmosphere, most of the houses were boarded up and seemed abandoned.


Her mummy's warnings of big bad wolves whispered in her ear and she stamped down a shudder. Thinking this was only a detour, she asked The Boy, how long more do we have till we can have food in our stomachs? Much to her surprise he stopped the car right under a big raintree. "Where are we? Why are we stopping?!" she asked, swallowing that first lick of hysteria and filling herself with happy, optimistic thoughts. "Look to your right. This is where they serve the best seafood soup and noodles."


And sure enough, in the most unpretentious, most unlikely of places there was a lone stall, so incongrous in its surrounding of quiet suburban life that it should have been much more conspicuous if the little piggy had been paying more attention. For nestled in this quaint little village, she chanced upon one of the best ever gems to be found in the quiet, unpresumptuous outskirts of Ipoh city.


Courtesy of the little piggy's adventure into the land of unknowns, I present to you, Tom Yam Seafood Noodle. As you can see from the picture the broth looks highly intimidating but fear not, it's colour is louder than it's taste. The tom yam had just the right level of spiciness and that tanginess that makes your eyes glaze in appreciation, not squint in sublime torture.


It was packed to the brim in delights from the sea, delivered fresh every morning it seems since market wholesalers pass by here on their way to the market and drop off a little of their ware in exchange for a hot bowl of slurping goodness. Let me tantalize your tastebuds further and describe in better detail. Swimming around in this bowl of goodness were prawns, clams, squid, fish fillet and some kind of sea urchin? If you're really lucky, you get crabs thrown in too according to The Boy.


They have it in clear soup too for those who prefer to enjoy the sweetness of the seafood without the heavier taste of tom yam spices. Much more recommended since the moment it was plopped onto the table all the little piggy could smell was the sweetest aroma of intoxicating alcohol marinated seafood.


The moment the bowl of noodles were set in front of the little piggy, she puffed and she huffed and she puffed........not to blow down the wooden house (that would be highly ungrateful and silly whilst being still in the establishment wouldn't it?) but she huffed and she puffed to blow away the steam prohibiting her from getting that first mouthful. Alright, so maybe you look at the previous photos and go, wooden houses? So what. Tom Yam Seafood Noodles? So what. But have you seen this? The thick broth is infused with the bittersweet flavour of bittergourds or bitter melons as my mother prefers to call them. The whole concoction guarantees that no tastebud wil be left out.


All in all, an eye opening experience for a city piggy who has ventured very little into the outskirts of her own hometown. Both food wise and environment wise. She realized that while in the main Ipoh town people rarely give two hoots for their neighbour, here's suburban life where everyone knows everybody. For in that short 'visit' there, she witnessed ladies sharing lottery winning numbers to buy, the village gossip-monger coming by on her rounds and friendly camarederie all around.

Leave me a note if you want to know the location of this place. I will try my best to point you there.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Ouch!

I haven't been a very good girl today. *inserts appropriately repentant expression

You see, whenever I step into a mall, there are two places I never skip. The shoe boutique and the bookstores. In a precautionary gesture to avoid imminent bankruptcy, a private psychotherapy session goes on in my head.

For instance, when a pair of sexy heels catches my eye, the girl in me goes into hyper mode, my eyes shine and I get the Gollum syndrome..But as I reach out to reverently finger soft leather, luxurious velvet or a glittering gem, I ask myself :-

#1 : Do I want it?
Heck yea ! *drools

#2 : Do I need it?
No....

#3 : Does my allowance permit an indulgence such as this?
No...

#4 : Do I have the heart to deprive some deserving charity cause and instead donate to the already overflowing coffers of an already established designer?
No...

#5 : If I were banished to an exile island and only permitted to carry 3 things would this be one of them?
No..

#6 : Do I have 9 pairs of feet to utilize all the shoes I already own?
No..

Having justly psycho-ed myself, I snatch the errant finger away and force myself to walk away

At my next stop the bookstore, I again get that not-so-kindly gleam in my eye, my hands develop a life entirely their own and run together in ill-suppressed glee, a chuckle escapes my lips already curved in a grin. Invariably, I pick up a few treasures and weigh each against the other based on author, plot, cover design (aesthetic value has the word value in there for a reason you know..) and thickness (the thicker the better) and of course the same round of questions are fired :-

#1 : Do I want it?
Heck yea ! *drools

#2 : Do I need it?
No....

#3 : Does my allowance permit an indulgence such as this?
No...

#4 : Do I have the heart to deprive some deserving charity cause and instead donate into the already overflowing coffers of an already established author/publishing house?
No...

#5 : If I were banished to an exile island and only permitted to carry 3 things would this be one of them?
No..

#6 : Do I have 9 sets of brains and 90 hours in a day to finish reading all that I already have?
No..

Having justly psycho-ed myself, I snatch up the book and proceed to the counter to make my payment.

Not one...not two...but THREE!!

"Oops...I did it again"...and again...and again

People, if I ever go out with you do me a big favour and drag me away from them stores will you? Even if I scream bloody murder drag on, I promise I'll explain very nicely to the police if you get arrested. Now, excuse me but I have a date with the wall. My common sense needs some hammer-therapy...

Friday, April 24, 2009

Change

I've been meaning to change the layout of this blog of mine for some time now. As much as I like the simplicity of this current design, the whole 3 column thing is starting to bug me. No wonder the saying goes three's a crowd...

Oh, there's this other quote I stumbled upon the other that got me thinking.

"I don't know why people don't like crocodiles. They are really straightforward: if you get really close to a crocodile, he's always going to try to eat you. With people, they sometimes pretend to be your friends first." -Steve Irwin

Now, crikey! Words of wisdom from the animal kingdom for us all. I might blog more on that some other day. These days I've been looking around for inspiration and I find myself irked by a lot of things. Some of them too inappropriate to voice out considering the current times we live in. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to see.

Anyway, what do you think? Should I or should I not change this current layout?

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Distraction

Distraction, 
the caress of a whisper
a cheeky affection

Distraction, 
the seduction of music, 
melodious dances of distinction

Distraction, 
tantalizing shared secrets,
a mild palpitation

Distraction,
the soothing sound of raindrops, 
a calming sensation

Distraction, 
the smell of fresh coffee, 
a large cup equals satisfaction

Distraction, 
the World Wide Web, 
an answer though for every question

Distraction, 
furry quivers, waggedy tails, eager licks,
Infectious attention

Distraction, 
an endless list,
fearing not extinction

Distraction, 
Ah! Of Floating thoughts,
Bane of fleeting concentration

Monday, April 20, 2009

Unsent letter

Dear Urchin,

The sole reason this letter shall remain unsent is only because my parents had the sense to teach me the 7 letter word. MANNERS. We love getting letters. Parcels of surprise in crusty paper envelopes. Some lovely, some amusing, some annoying and some, some makes my blood boil so.
Having deciphered your hardly legible scrawl, I made out the following :

Pls behave your dog
We want to rest, okay!
P/s Your dog always so noisy.


I shall do you a favour and break down this long letter in point form as thus :
#1 : The dog has no reason to bark if you don't insist on playing taunt-a-boo with it daily
#2 : If you want to send a letter of admonishment, have the sense to do so in proper English! My grammar has already been suffering and help from you is really not appreciated.
#3 : As much as I adore children, ill-mannered brats just don't make the cut
#4 : Oh, and I'm sure you've been taught that letters should be signed by the sender, but I guess there just isn't an euphemism for coward.....is there?
#5 : Whilst on the subject of lessons, let me teach you the 4 letter word. R-U-D-E. It's an adjective describing actions such as yours. I'm feeling generous so I'll throw in another lesson on how to use this word. Your underhanded methods were blinking rude. Maybe your mother never had the time to teach you tat you don't simply go around proclaiming love and adoration without a face-to-face encounter first. Come on over instead for a friendly chat and I will see reason.
#6 : Unlike you, I possess neither the talent nor the penchant to entertain the entire neighbourhood with my midnightly soprano opera performance.
#7 : Correct me if I'm wrong but occasional low barks certainly isn't a match to the keening wail of a banshee.
#8 : It is NOT funny throwing used plastic bottles into my compound. Haven't you heard of Reuse, Reduce and Recycle? Maybe you're trying out the Recycle part but you don't see this sign
 on my gate....do you??

#9 : We've tolerated your nonsense far too long. Common cow sense dictates that aggravating the dog causes it to get more excited, thus more noise. Simple cause and effect. Let me illustrate with an example. If I chose to slap you, you turn black and blue. See? Cause, and effect. 
#10 : Please behave yourself. I'm sure an intelligent child like you is more susceptible to training than a four legged canine with half your brain capacity....

Ah..the boiling has quietened to a pleasant simmer...and with that, I rest my case. 

Friday, April 17, 2009

The things I say

When I was in my second year in college, I had to be an emcee for the Project Design Exhibition or better known as ProDex . It's an annual exhibition showcasing the final year Engineering and School of Arts and Science student projects. 

So, on the morning of the launch, I woke up bright and early and skipped breakfast since I was too engrossed in running through the program. Now, my co-emcee was my senior and one big joker. Great voice, fantastic personality, tall, and too-bad for me in possession of the mentality of a typical boy...

This is a true account of my 5 minutes of fame shame...(I don't even know why I'm writing this...)
Right before the launch started, about the time the guests started arriving, I turned to my co-emcee and said

"I'm hungry..."
To which he went
"Mmm.....that just sounds sooo suggestive"

As I was about to reply, a crew member tapped me on the back and whispered
"Guys, the microphones are on. We can hear you all the way from the back"

Needless to say..I got a natural blush all through the launch. Who needs Maybelline rouge? Just get a male co-emcee who constantly thinks of..........food. (Oh, and did I mention the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation was amongst the guests? *starts digging a hole to hide in*) 
Su Yuin, out! 

Thursday, April 16, 2009

A few of my favourite things

When I was all of 5 years old, I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. 

Photo from www.dailymail.co.uk

You know the way children have to hear the same bedtime story, listen to the same lullaby, and watch the same movies Every . Single . Day? Well, my childhood addiction happened to be 'The Sound of Music'. That, and Hot Cross Buns. Oh, and it wasn't enough that I forced both my parents to sit down and watch with me, most times, I made them sing along....(it's good to know some things don't change...)

I decided to relive my childhood today and watched it again for what must be the hundredth time, and I realized how the show took on different perspectives every time I watched it at different stages of growing up. 

At 4 years old, I thought the songs lovely
At 5, the dances intriguing
At 6, I scraped my knee dancing along to "I am sixteen, going on seventeen"
(You gotta watch the show to understand why the dance is perilous....I'm not that bad a dancer, but then again, maybe I am)
At 8, the clothes preeeettty
At 15, I thought Captain von Trapp the ....... man ever (don't laugh!)



On the eve of my 16th birthday, I listened to "I am sixteen" 
and again on the last day I would ever be 16..

It was only when I grew into my double digits did I find out that the show had indeed a fantastic storyline. That is, after I stopped fast forwarding to all my favourite parts..Today, I learnt to appreciate the dialogue. Witty one-liners. Sarcasm-infused rebuttals and tear-jerking proclamations. Here's a taste :

When the children return after sneaking off to the abbey

"We went picking blueberries!"
"Ah,I see.. blueberries....uh, it's too early for blueberries...."
"Actually...they....they were strawberries! It was so cold they turned blue"

Here's why The Captain's one of my favourites (sarcasm can be so very becoming..)

Herr Zeller: I've not asked you where you and your family are going, Nor have you asked me why I'm here
Captain von Trapp: Well, apparently, we're both suffering from a deplorable lack of curiosity

Oh, and another

"Perhaps those who would warn you that the Anschluss is coming-and it is coming, Captain-perhaps they would get further with you by setting their words to music."
" If the Nazis take over Austria, I have no doubt, Herr Zeller, that you will be the entire trumpet section"
" You flatter me, Captain."
"Oh, how clumsy of me - I meant to accuse you." 




And this makes me smile

Max : The von Trapp Family Singers, Here are your names : Leisl, Friedrich, Louisa, Brigitta, Kurt, Marta and Gertl
Gertl (youngest at 5) : Why am I always last?
Max : Because you are the most important..

Ah, The Sound of Music...a many splendoured thing...

Ok..am I the only oddity who thinks the show's
deliciously romantic.....
[leave a note if you do too =)]


Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Doggy Tails #1 : Flip flop slip slap


It's ironic that I hit him simply because we share the same taste in shoes....

He's already the size of the couch at 5 and a half months old
(I'm saying this only to comfort myself for my actions......
*hangs head in remorse*)

I woke up 2 days ago to my puppy breakfasting on my favourite pair of heels. Thankfully, the culprit didn't manage to finish his breakfast before mum caught him.


Leather sunny side up with a side of corky wedges anyone?

This morning whilst I was reading a magazine in my room, dad came in and the look on his face spelled two words. "Uh Oh..." I rushed out and saw my barely 2 month old flip flops missing an arm strap. Looking at my wounded slippers, my heart bled and I let forth a litany of words a 'proper lady' should never use. I looked around to see the culprit hiding under the table. Scorching him with a glare, I sat down and stabbed at my breakfast.


A picture of innocence + involuntary amputation

On a sudden spurt of 'inspiration', I got up, grabbed my slipper and armed with my weapon I rewarded him with numerous slaps. All the while spewing strings of lecture in two languages ( Gee, I never knew I picked up so much chinese from all the lectures mum bestowed upon me Josh for misbehaving =P )

Belatedly, I looked up to see my dad, spoon suspended in mid air staring incredulously at me. If I hadn't been so blinded by rage, I would have rolled around laughing at the hilarity of it all. Imagine my father's shock to see his usually composed daughter shove back her chair, crawl on ALL fours under the table and charge at the dog like a maddened thing wielding a smelly chewed-on slipper.

As a result, the poor puppy stays yards away from anything with my scent, me included and I'm now 'the offspring who charges under tables during meals'.

P/s : I've always been a firm believer that caning is never the tool for discipline. I rebuked vehemently the saying "Spare the rod, spoil the child" but today, today I snapped. Today I stooped to the ranks of a slipper slapper and it makes me afraid of my own temper......= (


Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Que Sera Sera

When she was just a little girl, she asked her mama, what will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? 

And as the passing of days became memories and layer by layer she shed the innocence of childhood, she lost along with it the essence of life. Her reserve crumbled and she got weak. Coy pessimism usurped the stronghold optimism previously claimed in the gleam of her determination. She allowed situations to get the best of her, gave reign to her insecurities to seep through, creep up on her and left her naught but a shell. Hard, untouchable and cold on the outside. Empty on the inside. And for a long long while she stopped believing. In rainbows and sunshine. In shooting stars and moonbeams. In miracles. In love. 

But then, like every story ever told, this one never ends until the last word of the last sentence of the last page is read and digested and what is left of the little girl still stubbornly sits at the edge of her seat, anticipating what the next second may bring. The many secrets that the future withholds and in gestures of generosity unfolds glimpse by measly glimpse to that little part of us which forever remain little girls and boys. That part that melts away barriers of ice built, that part that loves unconditionally, that part that trusts without doubt and that part that believes. The part that is never lost, merely buried, stashed away, forgotten. 

And her mama's reply resides there along with the ghost of the child she had been. Those words of wisdom that dole out frustration laced with a generous frosting of hope. "Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see, Que Sera Sera". Simply because that's how the song goes..


Sunday, April 12, 2009

I've aged!! by a year.............



I've aged... and unfortunately it's not my birthday. Last Friday was Good Friday and the church was having a Pot Bless event. It was an interesting, touching, thought provoking event and I had many interesting conversations, particularly one with a little girl. I had invited The Boy to come along, and this little girl had never seen him before. She's about 10 years old, and really sweet. I realized her looking at me with this weird expression and after a while, she beckoned me to her side. Tugging my sleeve, she asked me 

"Is that your boyfriend?"

And she looked pretty scandalized when she said

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend......" followed by 
"But how old are you??" in a stage whisper

Playing along, I asked her to guess. She scrutinized me and after a long while, she shrugged and said "Sixteen!"

If I wasn't used to answers like these I would have choked on my potato salad. But lo and behold...I've aged! And being very much female...I should be outraged but I'm a little more tickled than need be. People used to think I'm 15 and some even younger. So in the span of a few months, I've aged an entire year. I owe all thanks to Mr EC *le sigh*. As for The Boy, he's alright with dating a mynah minor for the time being. 

 

So, here's the virtual million dollar question....how old do You think I look? (Mum's worried I won't get a job coz I look like I need more protection than others...boo hoo) 

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Friends


I watched the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 and 2 earlier on today. It's a great show. A must see for those of you who like light hearted movies that tug at the heartstrings and prioritizes simple things in life we so often take for granted. Like friendship. 

There are many types of friends out there. Some are sweet,shy but generous. Some are quiet but loyal and always there when you need them. Some are outgoing, loud and outrageous but those will be the friends at the frontline whenever any trouble crops up. But I believe that each one is unique.

Watching movies like these makes me wonder what type of friend I am. Looking back now, I wish i was more of a friend to my friends. There are so many things I want to tell them but I'm afraid that sometimes time has done it's damage. 

I miss doing all those things we used to do together. I wonder if they remember me. I wonder if they remember being 11 and skipping classes to go pick flowers. I wonder if they remember playing by the swings when we really should have been in assembly and daring each other to go near the graveyards.... And what happened to the 'Sei Tai Tien Wong' or loosely translated as 'Four Big Sky something..." (Ok, I admit, my chinese needs lots of work). I miss sitting up late at night glued to the computer chatting about cute rockstars and great music, those long calls we used to have over the telephone when we realized that guys had ceased to be 'gross' and the simple delight of wondering what to wear for graduation night. 

I guess at the base of it all, I just miss.... belonging. Sure. I have friends in college, but as nice and awesome as they may be, they weren't there in the whole growing up process. They have no idea who your first crush was. They can't laugh at the same childhood stories and jokes. Somehow, there's a missing link there. 

It's funny that sometimes guys find it easier to catch up on old times. Distance disintegrates after a greeting of 'Yo!' or "Hey dude, what's up?". 

I'm sorry for the times that I wasn't there. I'm sorry that I let distance become a factor in our friendships. I wish that at times I could have been the friend that I want, that I took the first initiative. If I could do it all again, I think I would. 

p.s: I wish I had pictures to put up but alas, they got lost when I sent the com to get reformatted :( 

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Mums say the darndest things...

We were at a coffeeshop this afternoon because the Brother wanted to have the famous dry curry noodles. One special thing about this shop besides its curry is that the waiters and waitresses there take your order from PDAs. I know this is common in most high end places, but a coffeshop...

Anyway, we were talking about how an uncle of mine could implement this system when mum interjected saying 

"He use this?? Ha ha ha....aiya...he doesn't even know how to use his blueberry !!!"

So, ladies and gentleman...I present to you......



The Blueberry Storm.... 

*drools.....ain't that one pretty berry though....Christmas do come soon....

Moral of the story : Do make sure you've got colours down pat in kindy before venturing into the treacherous world of berries. 

Thursday, April 02, 2009

The not-so-clandestine Affair





Some guys are loyal and faithful, some simply aren't. But most men have often split their attention between more than one per time. If there's one thing a girl can't take, it'll be sharing her guy with someone else. Here's how I know I'm not the only one on The Boy's mind..
  • He spends much more time with her than he does with me
  • He knows what makes her tick, every nook and cranny, inside out
  • He treats her with gentleness and utmost care
  • He touches her with reverence, tenderness and obvious love and affection
  • He brings her EVERYWHERE he goes
  • He takes her on late nights out and they sometimes sit together and watch the sunrise
  • He is possessive over her. Thou shalt not lay thy paws anywhere on her body without permission. Thou shalt be rewarded with curses worse than the usual 'dumbass'
  • He is overly protective over her. Any scoundrel idiotic enough to come too close to her or so much as kiss any part of her shall be beheaded, chewed on and spat out like Wrigley's chewing gum
  • He's attentive to her needs. Treats her to generous meals, sighing in contentment at her purr of satisfaction
  • Her presence is always felt on all our dates
  • He pays meticulous attention to her every moan and groan of protest
And these are the reasons why I can never beat her
  • She has gorgeous legs. In fact, they literally run for miles.
  • She has curves in all the right places, making her sexy in a hot blooded guy's eyes the way I will never be
  • She eats gallons and doesn't put on so much as an inch
  • She does exactly as bidden
And worse of all.........I come after her on his list of priorities.....*sniffles



But despite it all, I still love you baby....that is, after my shoes and handbags of course *flutters lashes

P.s : The info above has since been changed but this was before the wrath descended upon the poor unsuspecting boy..............=p

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

When silence isn't welcome...

The way my house is structured is really funny. The reason I say this is because my bathroom window acts as some sort of funnel which amplifies any sound and this can be heard from my neighbour's house. I know this because whenever the kids next door get into a squabble they enjoy tormenting their youngest sister by locking her in the bathroom and the poor kid'll be screaming her lungs out. 

So, whilst taking a shower today, World War 3 or4 or 5 or 6 or 99 (I've since lost count) erupted next door. With aunty-and-uncle-next-door playing referee, I suddenly decided to sing this song we used to dance aerobics to when I was about 13? 14? It's a catchy tune really, one that gets your feet tapping and heart racing. And the only part I remember is the chorus which goes like this

Boom boom boom boom
I want you in my room
To spend the night together, 
Together in my room....

And so there I was, singing the chorus over and over again, each time louder than the last. It was then that I belatedly realized something. The bathroom next door, Had. Gone. Utterly. Silent. 

=.=" ( I swore never to use emoticons like these in my blog but I think this occasion warrants an exception...)

Looks like I don't need anyone to make an April's Fool outta me.....I've gone and done a pretty good job of it myself...

Happy April's Fool everyone !!