Day 4 - Challenges, challenges, challenges
Still no response from the Press except a kind writer Grace from the Edge, which is a pleasant surprise. Always have high regards for this paper, and hope they will not tear us apart. More paintings are to be tagged. Invitation cards are still not ready.
Day 6 - Child-free Zone
Received a mail from gallery owner, that we should try to discourage our invited guests from bringing children to the art show. Right.
Count down day 8
Staying up late to finish the price list and writing my artist biodate (again). Hate writing biodata, too painful. If painting the sides of the paintings top the most painful item list, writing biodata is a close second cousin. Many still have not confirmed their RSVP
Count down day 10
Attic of the gallery was just like a sauna. Spent a good 3 hours painting the edges of the canvas. It was such a painfully boring job and had to push myself by thinking of my ever determined niece Miss C. Plastic sheets are everywhere to protect the carpet. Paintings are placed in awkward positions to let the paint dry. No reply from the Star Metro editors yet, praying hard they will agree to feature our show in the paper.
Count down day 11
Delivering the 20 pieces of art work to the gallery. Took me 3 round trips to carry them down from my apartment. Thank goodness my car is not a kancil . It has been raining non-stop since I return from Perth. Luckily the sky was kept dry for a short half an hour, enough for me to unload all the paintings to the gallery.
"Love is Beautiful" - a group art exhibition w me and 3 other female artists
Surprise ! Yes a public art exhibition - it is for real with gallery, invites and press release.
Love Is Beautiful’ group art exhibition28 November – 31 December 2009Main Venue :
Art Lives @ Planegg Studio37-2 Jalan 23/70A, Wisma CKL,
Desa Sri Hartamas,50480 Kuala Lumpur
Exhibition hours :11am – 7pm Mondays - Saturdays
Tel : +03 6203 5223, Mobile : +6012 224 7209
Supporting Venue :
Hayn’s Pizzeria64, Jalan 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Opens: 9am - 10pm daily
Sundays 11am - 10pm
Tel : 1-300-82-3000, Mobile : +6012 224 7209
KL has two seasons
Someone once said we have two seasons in Malaysia - raining or not raining. I didnt take to heart until I checked the weather forecast today from our National Meteorological department
Monday, 09/11/2009
Morning : Cloudy
Afternoon : Thunderstorms
Night : Cloudy
Tuesday, 10/11/2009
Morning : No rain
Afternoon : Thunderstorms
Night : Rain
Wednesday, 11/11/2009
Morning : No rain
Afternoon : Thunderstorms
Night : Rain
Thursday, 12/11/2009
Morning : No rain
Afternoon : Thunderstorms
Night : Rain
Friday, 13/11/2009
Morning : No rain
Afternoon : Thunderstorms
Night : Cloudy
Saturday, 14/11/2009
Morning : No rain
Afternoon : Thunderstorms
Night : Isolated rain
Sunday, 15/11/2009
Morning : No rain
Afternoon : Thunderstorms
Night : No rain
Miss C, my niece
My niece, Chloe, or nicknamed Miss C is a mega-watt nuclear energy generator camoflouged in a pint size body. Wherever she is, she is always all out for the experience, never contended to sit on the sideline. She was her brother's cheer leader in the recent sports day, shouting at the top of her 3 year old lungs "run Jayden run, run Jayden..." But watching other kids run is certainly not good enough for our little Miss C and little missy told mommy she wanted to run too.
So her wish was granted because the last event was a race between all the parents. And here you are, little miss C on lane 1.
Though little miss C did not win, she finished running the entire race while other kids looked on in disbelief. JD's classmate exclaimed - look a baby is running. What an amazing little girl. I hope she grows up to be a brave young lady, going all out for what she wants and never have to be bothered about winning or losing
Eating in Perth
Eating in Perth's Priscilla Kitchen is like living in a 6-star holiday resort. It is not any resort, it is my sister's home. With stern warning, I forbid my sis or my brother in-law to take me out for dining because there are just better use of money. Besides sister is a great cook. The most memorable is the home-made pizza, though unfortunately I forgot to take pictures. Sister has a bread-making machine which helped to prepare the dough. Brother in-law kneaded the dough and a generous chef he is, topped the pizza with overflowing heaps of pineapples, hams, tomato, cheese, olives and shrimps. Biting into the pipping hot pizza fresh out from the oven in the cool evening of Perth's spring , it was better than any fine dining.
In another day, we had caramel pork belly with steam bun "man-tao". I was so stuffed that I thought my tummy was going to burst like a balloon.
But the very meal that blew me away was the breakfast prepared by my nephew JD and niece Chloe. Jayden learns how to cook in school. On a rather quiet Saturday morning, the two monkeys decided to crawl out of bed while all the suffering adults are trying to sleep over their week long stress. The two little ones fetched the milk from the fridge and poured it into 2 plastic colour bowls - one for for mommy and the other one for Aunty W. Daddy is out to help their uncle with marketing, so Daddy is spared. Deciding that corn flakes will get soggy if it was left too long, they sneaked up my room and peeped through the door with a cheeky grin, they asked "Are you awake Aunty Wendy ?"....So there I was sitting at the sofa in my pyjama, wtching Play school on TV with them, and slurpping my cornflakes from a kiddy orange bowl ! Their mommy chuckled and asked me how a soggy bowl of cereals taste like. I told her - it was yummy
5 years on...
5 years ago, Aunty Wendy and ever fashionable Aunty J and our 1 year old nephew Jayden
5 years on, Aunty Wendy with Jayden, his 3 year-old sister Chloe and ever so cute baby sister Lara, whom I nicknamed shiney potato.
Mum said that it is a blessing to have such lovely time with the three monkeys. I agree and believe I am blessed to have my sister Mommy Harimau too, who miraculously runs a household with 3 kids and 1 husband without a maid and still manage to steal time for girls-night-out with her buddies. Salute sista !
A Change of Scene
Creative lightning strikes or may be the new wind of fung-shui ? Whatever the reason was, I thought why not changed my living room and study around. So here is the new layout. Now my back faces the TV when I study, hence I will be a very attentive student next year.
Saved by the Golden Retriever
One Sunny afternoon I was hiking alone up Gasing Hill. Walking briskly through the shady woods, I was stopped in my way by a hostile black dog. It looked like Blacky (dad's dog) but slightly taller and much younger. Too my horror he was inching towards me and barking even more loudly. The path was only enough for one person and there was no other side track that I could flee. I stood still and trying to keep calm, hoping that he will turn around and leave.
Just then, a golden retriever appeared behind him. The GR swaggered past the Mr. black dog and came towards me, sniffed at me for a while and looked up at me. The GR has very friendly eyes and I patted him on his head. He stayed close to me for a while. After a few minutes later, the GR went back to the Mr.Black and off the two went away. Now and then, the black dog would turned around to bark at me and ran to catch up with the GR.
I think these two gentlemen dogs might be from the houses down the hill. They both wear dog collars and tags. I suspect they have lost their way. I am thankful for the GR. Without him, I am quite certain the Mr.Black might attack me. But I am also amazed at the kinship the two dogs have between each other.
Hey, char siew, I like
From the eyes of a baby
The Nutcracker at Charrington Court
On my way to Perth
Sitting at airport lounge, can spot dundees miles away. They all wear flip-flips and singlets, hats round their necks and crowd around sports bar. Wonder if they hop like roos when they are drunk.
Lemang sedap.....
My neighbourhood has turned into a lemang fiesta during the weeks leading up to Raya. Lemang stalls lined both sides of the 3 lanes road. Some lemang hawkers even set up a tent so that they could take a nap while the charcoal fire coaxed the lemang sedap into perfection. Customers, in their kancil or huge Mercedes just pulled up by the roadside, hopped out of the car to get themselves a fresh tube of lemang while exchanging the latest gossips.
Lemang is actually glutinous rice soaked in coconut milk and stuffed in hollow bamboo tubes. I heard the lemang needs to bake overnight. The cooked lemang goes perfectly well with beef rendang floss and rose syrup drink (air sirup). You get to keep the bamboo container too, which if you have a dozen of it, you can make a great windchime.
Woodfire coaxing the lemang to behave itself for the Raya
Competitor across the road !
"Big fried" Pumpin-kuih
So here you are, hot wok fried pumpkin pie, with chopped spring onion, cut celery leaves, pepper, soya sauce and an egg - my very own"char kim quih-kuih" (hope my mom is not rolling on the floor laughing now)...hmmm yummy, tasted just like fried carrot cake.
It was a pleasant discovery - a unintended twist from an otherwise disastrous pumpkin pie. Cousin YQ has moved to KL recently and I wanted to invite her over for Sunday brunch. Since she is a pure vegan, I thought baking a pumpkin pie would be a great alternative to my usual salmon recipe. The pumpkin pie, to my disappointment, did not taste as good as it looked. It wasnt salty enough and the sweetness of pumpkin filling killed the umph.
Luckily cousin was busy and couldnt make it to the Sunday brunch so that gave me some time to figure out what I do with this pie. Then I overheard the busy chatter from the TV in the living room of two chatty TV Singaporean hosts salivating over the famous "char-kway-teow". Wallah, I have got an idea !
Coleslaw Egg Sandwich
Coleslaw, fried egg and toast rye bread, anyone wants to join me for lunch?
80% is Just Good Enough
The first few weeks after I first learnt about my sister's condition was a difficult one. I struggled to sleep well at night. Worries and anxieties didnt help either. I dreamt the entire night and could remember every bit of it even when I woke up. Some days I woke up with a headache and numbness at my right feet and right arm. Without sufficient sleep, I got cranky during the days.
I finally took sister P's advice to see an acupunturist. I wanted a medical doctor who practices chinese medicine and not a herbalist. After several calls to friends for referrals, here I was, stepping into a traditional chinese medical (TCM) clinic. It looked like any western clinic except the doctor uses no stethoscope. My doctor is Dr.Chang, a square-jawed broad-shouldered and rather loud speaking no-nonsence doctor. Smiling is definitely not part of his training. Judging from his accent, he sounded from the Shandong province.
One look at my right palm, Doctor Chang commented that "you think too much". I was amused and cheekily asked him if there is a cure. He said it is in my character. Ok..this didnt sound that funny. Am I doomed, so I wondered.
After a detailed examination my pulses, my tongue, ears , hands, fingers, nails and even my feet, he diagnosed that, I have very weak qi. He also said my digestive system is not good. That reminded me of the chinese herbalist Uncle Chan in Brunei who always diagnosed us as 胃肠不好
Doctor Chang diagonosed my headache was caused by me dreaming too much at night. Quoting him "I am watching too much movies " in my dream. So I added quickly that this was the reason I came for the acupunture. He cut me off sharply me accupunture would just be a stop-gap measure but for long term recovery, traditional medicine and holistic living must compliment acupunture
Then I was shown into another room. It was a bright spacious one with three tall patient beds and I was asked to lie down on to get ready for my needles poking. I did as instructed. The bed was tall and I had to step on a small stool to climb up. The bed felt just like an operating table. I have never experienced needles poking in my entire life so this was rather scary. I shut my eyes tight and could feel he was pushing his first needle right onto my scalp. Suddenly he stopped, and I quickly openned my eyes.
Stepping back, Dr Chang gasped, with the needle still in his hand and with the tone of a stern head-master, he said rather loudly 你啊，就是城事太认真 80% 就好，不要求 100%，不要转牛尖，你再这样下你会出事的、我从针感上就知道!!!" （"YOU should just be contended with going at 80% or 90%. Dont you try to be achieve the impossible. If you continue at this rate, u will get into trouble !!!! You see I can tell from my needles....."
So here I am, finally forced to confront the dark side of my character on the hard bed of an acupunturist. But is 80% possible at all, when I am trained to achieve not 100% but 110% ? May be is a time for me to start acquianted with this new philosophy that not everything in life I can control. 80% may just be good enough for many people, why not me ?
P/s. I slept very well in the few nights after the treatment. Since then I have been practicing deep breathing exercise before I go to bed. My sleeping qualities have improved tremendously. As for the 80% I am starting from learning to let go.....
Me, the new Landlord
....for the birds. Never did I know that two birdie families have taken residence under my roof until I heard enormously busy chattering this Sunday morning. With lizards, ant farm, now birds... I wonder what's next .
My very own Five-jewel Vitamin soup
The content in my fridge dwindled in a straight line diminishing curve as it approached the end of the week. This sometimes stretched one's culinary creativity. Besides, it is Friday and one's lazy bone raised its ugly head. I found a large stalk of celery, a small ball of cauliflower and a corn from the hard labour of farmers from the Cameron Highland. Then some left-over Shiitake mushroom stalks (the mushroom caps I saved for later) and 6 dried longan. After a quick 15 minutes of acrobatic display of cleanse, chop, slice, cut and off all they went into a slow cooker for an 8-hour sauna bath.
In the evening when I came back from yoga class, I cut those mushrooms caps that I saved in the morning, into little cubes and made an egg omelette. Added to it my 5-jewel vegetable stock that has been simmering since morning, hmmmm....... this is a very sweet and tasty soup.
Some interesting facts:
1.
Celery has a whole host of nutrients espeically vitamin C, potassium, iron and the celery leaves contain more nutrients than the stalk. (Oooops.. I shouldnt have thrown away the leaves)
2. Researches found that the longer the
corn was cooked, the higher the anti-oxidant. It is a good source lutein, a powerful antioxidant that is linked to reducing the caueses of blindeness in older adults. Though rich in starch and protein, it is not a suitable protein substitute and lacks two essential amino acids (No wonder South American dish
chili con-carne stew recipe has got corn, beans and other legumes. Salute to the wisdom of native Red Indians )
3.
Cauli flower, high in fiber, low in calories, an ideal snack food for weight watchers but 80% of the folate is lost in cooking (There goes my folate ....after 8 hours in the slow cooker sauna)
4. Dried longan, other than high in iron and fibre, is believed to alleviate stomach ache and insomia and improves concentration and memory (Hmmm.. food for my exam time !)
5. Some interesting facts about
mushrooms:
Fact 1. They are primitive plants that cannot obtain energy through photosynthesis and therefore draw their nutrients from humus. (I thought all plants photosynthesize ? Oh no... how did I pass my science ?...sister J, sister C... )
Fact 2. Evidence that Stone Age humans used dried mushrooms as tinder was provided by Oetzi, the Iceman whose body was discovered in Tyrolean Alps. (So after 5000 years of civilization, we ended-up eating this gentleman's tinder?)
Shittake mushrooms contain chemicals that are related to lowering cholesterols, boosting immune system and potentially lowering heart disease, cancer risk and high blood pressure. And the most nutritious part of mushroom is under the cap, hence do not peel it, skin or pick it.
Fried salmon and cabbage noodles
This is the first time I fried noodles without using oyster sauce. In its place, I introduced the good old light soya sauce and a little bit of salt. Cut cabbage, tomato and a little left over salmon. It actually tastes quite good.
Taste and texture
It does not take long for me to find out how difficult sometimes it is to make a flavourful healthy meal. One of the real challenges is to give a varieties of textures to the dish. I love stir-fried bean sprout leaves with a squirt of soya sauce. But that is a little bland to go with the fried dofu as both lacks the crunchiness. Ramaging through my fridge I found some cashew nuts and that makes a perfect combination. Fresh leafy vegies, wholesome dofu and crunchy cashews.
According to my trusty Reader's Digest food encyclopaedia (which I bought for my mom years ago but she didnt want it) cashew nut is good source of copper and magnesium that collectively reduce muscle cramps and improve immune system. Hmmmm I wonder if I could also conduct electricity after this meal with the copper in my body. But like everything, cashews are to be taken in moderation as it contains rather high fat content. Ooops....
Speedy Recovery
My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer a month ago. This has sent shock waves in the family. Admist anxiety, worries and fear, we scrambled to find ways to understand and to come to terms with this news. It was her courage and optimism that calm me and us all.
Her surgery was successful and treatment will commence soon. Meanwhile she has modified her diet, switched to fish, cut down red meat, added more fruits and fresh vegies. She has been taking quite a lot of salmon to help her protein supplement. Living 500km away from her, all I could give is moral support. Hence I have decided to follow her diet. It was a revealing experience for me. I have never realized that how difficult it is to find healthy food. Convenient food almost always contain either too much oil, too much sugar, too much additives. Worst of all they are almost everywhere - roti canai, teh tarik, kopi kau, beef noodles, nasi lemak...and the list goes on.
Like today I was looking for an afternoon snack. I hunted the entire Bangsar Baru from one eateries to another and finally resorted to a pumpkin soup and toast. Previously I would have just gorged down a roti kosong with sambal daal and teh tarik.
So tonight I baked myself a salmon pie. I steamed the salmon before hand. Then I shredded them and lined them at the bottom of my baking bowl. Then on top, a layer of crunchy cauli flower and celery and then a good layer of mashed potato. I have also replaced diary milk with soya milk when I prepared the mashed potato. Of course the black pepper for seasoning is an absolute must. Walaah ! Here you go ..... may my sister have the strength of salmon and wishing her a speedy recovery.
Is Durian season, again !
This guy must have enjoyed a productive day at the dusun !
Love package from the Uni
Time flies and 2nd term commences tomorrow. I wish the term break could be longer. Even my tutor in Wales joked that it is hard to choose between the sunny weather and his teaching duty. This term is going to be a busy one. I chose International Human Resources and Career Development, not forgetting a draft research proposal due for submission by beginning of July.. 2months from now. Yikes !
Word of Wisdom
I received many well wishes and advices on my birthday but the wisest of all is from my 70 yro 2nd Aunt
"Look good and dress smart always
Eat well and stay healthy and
Be generous to yourself at all time"
My first term break
Time flies and I have come to the end of my first term. While world economic crisis and national political drama continue to unfold outside my doorstep, I was struggling to jump start my student life after 18 years of freedom from class assignments and tutor's timeline. Friends thought I am crazy and I have to agree with them. My mom is amused and sometimes checked if I am indeed "tat chek" (
studying in Hokkien) and not monkeying around.
The intial first three weeks were tough. The biggest challenge was reading the research paper. It was hard to get accustomed with the writing styles the researchers used. Instead of saying "I think this is caused by...", they write "we see a strong co-relation with....". Just saying "our experiments have shown that..." is not as good as saying "there is a strong empirical evidence from our experiments that...." I felt like always constantly have to reach behind my head just to scratch my ear.
Though I do not have to commute to campus, communicating over cyberspace consumes the same if not more time. I should have known that online discussion is 7x24. With my classmates around the globe including Japan, Switzerland, Cameron, Iran, Hong Kong , Paraguay, just to name a few, the discussion threads lights just never dim. It was only after weeks of exhaustion trying to keep up with all the parallel discussion threads, I finally realized that I must limit myself to a time table for study while giving myself time to chill and do other things.
However having international classmates is one of the greatest benefits. The perspectives that we each bring to the discussions make me realize that our world is not that different afterall in terms of concerns and approaches. The ability to participate and relate to each other gave me a lot of confidence too. Though we have never met each other face to face, we could get a glimpse of each other's characters through our writing styles. There would always be a few who are late for classes and constantly apologizing. Some are really smart and writes extremely convincingly and logically. Sometimes the discussions went all over the place that I decided to log off to go to bed. Sometimes it was laser sharp that even the tutors were impressed.
But the best thing of all was through this course, I find myself becoming more alerted and inquisitive. Funny enough, I become more tolerant and accepting on individual level but more critical on macro issues such as politics and econmy. May be it has broaded my views. It has also made me realized that there are so many things that I do not know.
Term 2 will begin in 2 weeks time. I shall be expecting the arrival of another love package from my university. In there will be books and notes for the next term. Tutors have promsed us a hectic Term 2 plus a submission of a research proposal. With work and a more hectic study schedule and an assignment as a "confinement lady" for my sister in June, I am tightening my seatbelt for an even more exciting roller-coaster ride in the months to come.
Still no response from the Press except a kind writer Grace from the Edge, which is a pleasant surprise. Always have high regards for this paper, and hope they will not tear us apart. More paintings are to be tagged. Invitation cards are still not ready.
Received a mail from gallery owner, that we should try to discourage our invited guests from bringing children to the art show. Right.
Staying up late to finish the price list and writing my artist biodate (again). Hate writing biodata, too painful. If painting the sides of the paintings top the most painful item list, writing biodata is a close second cousin. Many still have not confirmed their RSVP
Attic of the gallery was just like a sauna. Spent a good 3 hours painting the edges of the canvas. It was such a painfully boring job and had to push myself by thinking of my ever determined niece Miss C. Plastic sheets are everywhere to protect the carpet. Paintings are placed in awkward positions to let the paint dry. No reply from the Star Metro editors yet, praying hard they will agree to feature our show in the paper. 
Delivering the 20 pieces of art work to the gallery. Took me 3 round trips to carry them down from my apartment. Thank goodness my car is not a kancil . It has been raining non-stop since I return from Perth. Luckily the sky was kept dry for a short half an hour, enough for me to unload all the paintings to the gallery.
Someone once said we have two seasons in Malaysia - raining or not raining. I didnt take to heart until I checked the weather forecast today from our National Meteorological department
5 years on, Aunty Wendy with Jayden, his 3 year-old sister Chloe and ever so cute baby sister Lara, whom I nicknamed shiney potato. 
One Sunny afternoon I was hiking alone up Gasing Hill. Walking briskly through the shady woods, I was stopped in my way by a hostile black dog. It looked like Blacky (dad's dog) but slightly taller and much younger. Too my horror he was inching towards me and barking even more loudly. The path was only enough for one person and there was no other side track that I could flee. I stood still and trying to keep calm, hoping that he will turn around and leave.
So here you are, hot wok fried pumpkin pie, with chopped spring onion, cut celery leaves, pepper, soya sauce and an egg - my very own"char kim quih-kuih" (hope my mom is not rolling on the floor laughing now)...hmmm yummy, tasted just like fried carrot cake.
Coleslaw, fried egg and toast rye bread, anyone wants to join me for lunch?
The first few weeks after I first learnt about my sister's condition was a difficult one. I struggled to sleep well at night. Worries and anxieties didnt help either. I dreamt the entire night and could remember every bit of it even when I woke up. Some days I woke up with a headache and numbness at my right feet and right arm. Without sufficient sleep, I got cranky during the days.
....for the birds. Never did I know that two birdie families have taken residence under my roof until I heard enormously busy chattering this Sunday morning. With lizards, ant farm, now birds... I wonder what's next .
The content in my fridge dwindled in a straight line diminishing curve as it approached the end of the week. This sometimes stretched one's culinary creativity. Besides, it is Friday and one's lazy bone raised its ugly head. I found a large stalk of celery, a small ball of cauliflower and a corn from the hard labour of farmers from the Cameron Highland. Then some left-over Shiitake mushroom stalks (the mushroom caps I saved for later) and 6 dried longan. After a quick 15 minutes of acrobatic display of cleanse, chop, slice, cut and off all they went into a slow cooker for an 8-hour sauna bath.
This is the first time I fried noodles without using oyster sauce. In its place, I introduced the good old light soya sauce and a little bit of salt. Cut cabbage, tomato and a little left over salmon. It actually tastes quite good.
It does not take long for me to find out how difficult sometimes it is to make a flavourful healthy meal. One of the real challenges is to give a varieties of textures to the dish. I love stir-fried bean sprout leaves with a squirt of soya sauce. But that is a little bland to go with the fried dofu as both lacks the crunchiness. Ramaging through my fridge I found some cashew nuts and that makes a perfect combination. Fresh leafy vegies, wholesome dofu and crunchy cashews.
My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer a month ago. This has sent shock waves in the family. Admist anxiety, worries and fear, we scrambled to find ways to understand and to come to terms with this news. It was her courage and optimism that calm me and us all.
This guy must have enjoyed a productive day at the dusun !
I received many well wishes and advices on my birthday but the wisest of all is from my 70 yro 2nd Aunt
Time flies and I have come to the end of my first term. While world economic crisis and national political drama continue to unfold outside my doorstep, I was struggling to jump start my student life after 18 years of freedom from class assignments and tutor's timeline. Friends thought I am crazy and I have to agree with them. My mom is amused and sometimes checked if I am indeed "tat chek" (studying in Hokkien) and not monkeying around.
