To be Fair

The Festival that every sheep in town dreads

2010-11-07T20:31:00.003+08:00

Hari Raya Haji on Nov 17. The cheapest sacrificial sheep goes at half a thousand se-ekor - not cheap at all.

More unfamilar sights

2010-11-05T19:59:00.014+08:00

Walking down 16 flights of stairs, sweating out there in office attire with another three thousand colleagues while creating another equally large crowd of onlookers - all in the name of a fire drill, simulating a fire on the 5th floor of our 38 storey high office building.

Accidents like fire or road accidents has this unexplainable ability to draw attentions. What is so fascinating about such events ? I remember as a kid, our dad drove all the way to town just to watch a fire rescue at Kg. Air.

An unfamiliar sight.....

2010-11-05T19:35:00.005+08:00

The printing mills stopped working , newspaper delivery vans headed towards Hindu temples, the air is filled with sweet scent of jasmine and radio station turned upbeat with Tamil songs - Happy Deepavali to all my Hindu friends

Vision. Joy. Hope - my 2nd exhibition

2010-01-31T20:40:00.001+08:00

Second exhibition in a span of two months, but this time with 11 other artists and I only have two to show. Gallery is down my block next to Secret Recipe and Sid's Pub. Convenient isn't it.

Is all good, thank you 2009 !

2010-01-03T23:45:00.003+08:00

Despite all the ups and downs, it was all good and baby Lara is our angel, but with a dolphin wand.

16 hours to go

2009-11-27T23:52:00.006+08:00

Except some finer details, we are almost ready for tomorrow ! Very excited, but feeling a bit sad to part with my paintings.

Guess who will officiate the opening ? Mr.Apollo , my art teacher.

Day 4 - Challenges, challenges, challenges

2009-11-24T22:43:00.004+08:00

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

2009-11-22T20:44:00.002+08:00

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

2009-11-21T01:42:00.003+08:00

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

2009-11-18T17:15:00.008+08:00

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

2009-11-18T17:11:00.005+08:00

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

2009-11-18T17:03:00.002+08:00

Surprise ! Yes a public art exhibition - it is for real with gallery, invites and press release.

Love Is Beautiful’ group art exhibition
28 November – 31 December 2009

Main 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

2009-11-09T07:49:00.004+08:00

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

2009-11-07T23:12:00.009+08:00

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

2009-11-07T22:32:00.007+08:00

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...

2009-11-07T22:17:00.005+08:00

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

2009-11-07T21:27:00.004+08:00

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

2009-11-07T21:16:00.002+08:00

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

2009-10-29T15:35:00.006+08:00

From the eyes of a baby

2009-10-29T15:32:00.001+08:00

The Nutcracker at Charrington Court

2009-10-26T16:30:00.006+08:00

On my way to Perth

2009-10-25T21:57:00.001+08:00

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.....

2009-10-12T17:36:00.006+08:00

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

2009-08-19T15:14:00.006+08:00

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

2009-08-13T14:38:00.001+08:00

Coleslaw, fried egg and toast rye bread, anyone wants to join me for lunch?

80% is Just Good Enough

2009-08-12T07:58:00.013+08:00

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

2009-08-09T19:29:00.003+08:00

....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

2009-08-08T10:36:00.021+08:00

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

2009-08-01T20:41:00.003+08:00

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

2009-08-01T20:29:00.006+08:00

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

2009-08-01T20:02:00.004+08:00

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 !

2009-06-14T19:02:00.001+08:00

This guy must have enjoyed a productive day at the dusun !

Love package from the Uni

2009-05-10T10:05:00.002+08:00

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

2009-05-01T11:49:00.011+08:00

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

2009-04-26T12:47:00.012+08:00

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.

The Yong To-Fu Monster

2009-04-19T09:15:00.017+08:00

I have not known anyone who loves food as much as my friend Sharon. We knew each other from working on the same project in Hong Kong last year. She is a Chinese outside, but an Australian inside. Her parents were from Malaysia but she was born and grew up in Canberra. The first day she set foot in South East Asia, she has polished every of her plate clean. When asked about her how her sight-seeing trip to Malacca was, all she could remember was the food. From the chicken rice ball, to pork satay and the list went on and ended with the famous cendol as the grand finale.

She has been drooling over this famous Ampang Yong-tofu but weeks after weeks she just did not have the chance to satisfy that appetitie. So three days before she is going back home, I picked her up and we headed to the famous Ampang yong-tofu. I must confess that after a decade relocating to Kuala Lumpur I have not even experienced myself this famous dish. The thought of the notorious Ampang traffic jam turned me off. Through a blogger's recommendation, thank God for internet, I was told that this gastronomic heaven is tucked right behind the Police at a double forked junction that is hard to miss.

We found the double forked junction easily and the police quarter right behind it. The white and blue paint of the police hostel was worn off largely and infested with black moss. It is hard to imagine that this is where some of the country's law enforcement members come home to. I wonder if this suburb has been voting for the opposition in the past. Sharon made a comment that this part of KL seems to have stand still in time.

Anyway, with the direction from a helpful pedestrian with a huge grin and an affirmative combination of head-shaking and hand-twisting gestures "Ampang yong to-fu ah ? ...Oh...you go straight straight straight....all the way straight.....then at the end you see it is there."

The fish paste filling is soft, tangy and extremely tasty. The fresh vegetables that hold the fish paste jewels added that extra crunchiness. Here are the pictures of the yong-to-fu monster revealing her true self and the very vulnerable victims.

Eye candies II

2009-03-16T07:46:00.003+08:00

Shallot's lilac, the garlic's ivory and the ginger flower's pink, such a happy tune to start the cooking process ....

And what is simmering in the pot.....

Eye candy

2009-03-16T07:43:00.001+08:00

Ginger flower spices up the curry dish, but its colour makes me drool before I even lighted the stove.

Slow Life, a Life filled with Joy

2009-02-14T23:05:00.003+08:00

With this post, I ended my story of Asoke. I thank Chin Xian Fa Shu for his generous hospitality, A Wan for her unconditional friedship, for Klayen who taught me a lot about how important living every moment of our life, and many other friends that I have made in this trip and for
Racheal for set me on about this wonderful journey

Vegetarian Breakfast with a French touch

2009-02-14T23:02:00.001+08:00

French Chic meeting Thai Serenity

2009-02-14T22:56:00.003+08:00

A fairytale Toy House

2009-02-14T22:51:00.004+08:00

There are about 30 rooms in this hotel. There is no lift but it is a pleasant pathway to my room on the 2nd floor. It is like a house out of a children's story book

Last Day in Thailand

2009-02-14T22:23:00.006+08:00

My 6 days in the Asoke Village breezed past without me noticing. I spent one night in Bangkok and checked myself in a hotel that is tucked away at a small lane at the north-western part of Bangkok next to the Rama 5 bridge. The taxi driver took a while to locate the hotel.

As the wooden door made way for me and my bagpack, a paradise unfolded in front of my eyes

The Keeper of Tradition Medicine

2009-02-14T21:45:00.005+08:00

Madam 陈秀花 is a tradition medicinal woman is the village of Shanti Asoke. Many from all over Bangkok comes to her for tradition remedies for cancer, skin care and many other illness. Since she was child, she has always been interested in tradition herbs. She experimented with taking the herbs herself.

Now at the age of 60, looking like she is still in her mid 40s, she is an established tradtional herbalist with her own pharmacy and medicinal hall. TV station, newspapers and magazines feature her regularly. There are more than 200 difference species of herbs in her garden and a large enzyme laboratory at the back of her medicine hall.

However the journey to get to where she is had her ups and downs. She was married with 3 children but lost her husband in a car accident. Widowed and with three small children, she decided to sell the factory of her husband and bought a small piece of land in the asoke village in Bangkok. There she set up her home and her medicine practice and brought up her three children. Two of her sons are married and she has two grandchildren now.

I asked her what motivated her. She told me her motto in life is just to live happily and to be able to help others.

Let me take you to places

2009-02-07T08:50:00.005+08:00

Other than the infamous tuk-tuk, motorcycle taxi is a common mode of public transport.
My favourite is the water taxi, but certainly not the ideal choice on days of choppy waves

Electrical Monk

2009-02-07T08:47:00.002+08:00

He is toothless but he is an old hand at repairing unwanted electrical equipment from transistor radio to microwave ovens. Chi Zhi Thailand has a huge warehouse for recycled goods, sorted in different categories, from plastic to electrical parts, from paper to second hand clothes.

Mobile Broom Shop in Bangkok

2009-02-07T08:45:00.000+08:00

Powering up Bangkok

2009-02-07T08:43:00.002+08:00

Electricity cables mesh powering up the Shanti Asoke in Bangkok

老牛 Old Cow

2009-01-31T15:01:00.010+08:00

He is Monk Semana Lak's good friend. His real name is Lekkanong and his ancestry could be traced back to Vietnam. Together with Monk Semana Lak and other fellow monks, they helped build Sisa Asoke. During those days, he and Semana Lak made a great duo in delivering impactful daily Budhism lectures. While Semana Lak assumed the gentle and compassionate tone, he was the fiesty and authoritative one. The villagers used to call the duo "Speakers of the Two Powerful Knives"

Anyway about 15 years ago, he decided to ditch his monkhood and got married. But then the young wife ran away. Then he remarried the 2nd time. Then the 2nd wife died. He is now a widower with one beautiful eldest daughter and 2 younger boys, and constantly looking around in the village and next villages and next villages .....for a 3rd wife. Villagers teased him that he is 老牛吃嫩草. (Old Cow eating tender grass)

He hardly speaks English and yet he is a persistent with his barracks of questions to me the visitor from "Ma-lai-sia". Using Thai of course, and using his friend Semana Lak as the translator...

First the flattery ....
" You smile very good... "
" I learn English a lot from you... "
" You very happy ..."

Then expressing interest about Malaysia...
" In Malai-sia you have vegetarian ? "
" In Malai-sia you have tom yam ?"
" In Malai-sia you have etc etc ... ?"

Moving closer to personal questions
" How many boyfriends you have ? "
" Why you keep short hair ? "
" Why you like to wear black ? "

Then the strangest question.....
" Would you want to do good this life and reborn a man in your next life ?"

So I tried my very best to dodge him whenever I see him around. But he is the best pal of Semana Lak and Buddha says judge no one .... Amitabha....be good be kind ...

The Early Troopers

2009-01-31T14:44:00.004+08:00

Though Sisa has been asked to vacate the designated areas by end of January, life goes on in the village. These young children rose early and like eager troopers, they swept the walkway in the village. A fellow villager drove by in his big truck, and suddenly an acrobatic stunt in full display

Spot the fastest kid!

Neighbourly Dispute

2009-01-31T14:34:00.002+08:00

Recently there was a dispute between the villagers and the neighbouring village. The farmers at the neighbouring village claimed that Sisa folks have been unfairly occupying the piece of land where the Sisa Meuseum and Library are located. It is indeed a public land but neither villages have the right to own it. Before I arrived, both village cheifs had a meeting and the other parties threatened to send in bulldozers . Eventually they did barb-wired that area. Sisa villagers decide not to fight and let them have it. Afterall they can always build the buildings again

Aging in Grace

2009-01-28T14:46:00.004+08:00

Vacated village house but the morning glories keep it company

Keeping tab on the pulse of life

2009-01-28T14:42:00.005+08:00

Temple Gong

School Bell

Charcoal Mill

2009-01-28T14:26:00.002+08:00

The villagers have their own water storage sytesm, charcaol factory and even their own biodiesel made out of compose. This is a charcoal pit. Underneath the asbestos cover is wood being baked under intense heat to become charcoal.

We have all we need

2009-01-28T14:08:00.010+08:00

Everything we need to achieve our life goal is within us
Ask for yourself just to keep your eyes on the goal and peddle hard

Sun Bathing the Asoke Way

2009-01-28T13:49:00.001+08:00

In those cold mornings, old folks like to sit under the sun, praying and chatting with each other

The Moon Meadow

2009-01-28T13:47:00.004+08:00

The Moon River, a major river which irrigates Ubon Ratchatani, the north eastern state of Thailand and a life line to many Asoke farms

Mouth Watering Pickles

2009-01-28T13:41:00.000+08:00

Kids at School

2009-01-28T13:40:00.000+08:00

Afternoon Delight

2009-01-28T13:39:00.001+08:00

Ratchathani Asoke

2009-01-28T12:32:00.007+08:00

The Asoke that Klayen helped to establish was Rajathani Asoke. This was the spot where they first set foot two decades ago. From here, they cultivated the land, built the farms, established schools and community centers.

This is the place where the Asoke cremates the bodies. The Asoke believes that when one dies, one moves on to the world of peace and joy. The ritual is simple and the body is cremated on the same day.

Klayen lives life on the fast lane

2009-01-28T11:42:00.015+08:00

This is Klayen, a staunt Asoke follower, lives in a beautiful house outside the village with his wife and daughter, drives like a maniac on the road and never leaves home without his cowboy hat. His wife is the chief nurse of the Psychiatic hospital in Ubon and his daugher is a lecturer in the Pharamcy Faculty in the university. His family including himself speak very fluent English and is hard to tell that Klayen did not even graduate and was a gangster and gambler in his so-called past life.

At age 22, he became one of the big brothers in the gambling circut. Then he had no qualms with flashing his weapons and causing harm to other women. His dad wanted him to finish his university but he opted out. At 26 it daunted upon him that his life has reached a dead end and sank into great despair. That was until he met the founding monk of Asoke Semana Bodhirak who gave him a glimpse of light at the end of a very long dark tunnel. He became his loyal followers. For many years, he helped the chief monk to turn barren land into organic farms, living in the jungles, farming land with basic tools and round up the villagers and educate them with organic farming. It was tough life but it was a new life.

He has a very extensive knowledge about farming from observing the movement of ants to the quality of the soil. He is almost 60s now but has gone back to the university now to study Self-Sufficiency Economy, a bachelor degree course offered in Thai university and is topic close to the heart of the Thai King and the Asoke people. He is the top student of the class and his knowledge very often exceeds that of the lecturer who are mostly academics. He told me that with a paper it is easier to convince others and could help Semana Bodhirak more effectively

A very happy and giving man, in his car door pocket he keeps a lot of candies to be given to kids, friends and even petrol kiosk attendants. He always game for everything, having fun at the children's play ground, swimming across the river or making enzyme in his own study. He is a good friend of Semana Lak and likes to take Semana Lak for a cruise in his Toyota.

We made a stop at a town coffee stall. Doesn't this look like the same concept back home ? Even the calendar on the wall looked exactly like those in the kopi-tiam.

Madam Somboon

2009-01-28T11:24:00.008+08:00

Madam Somboon is new in Sisa Asoke Village. She came to live here, according to her, because she would like to be closer to Buddha. But she is not a happy lady. She complained about how others in the village treated her. Sometimes she dines alone.

She has a very good complexion and I think she must be a beauty when she was young. She told me she did not have a happy marriage and brought up her daughter all by herself. Her daugher has married well and her son-in-law works for Unilever. I sometimes spotted her wearing a Unilever windbreaker. She is extremely proud of her granddaughter who calls her everyday on her mobile.

Madam Somboon's occupation was a photographer for the Bangkok Trade Daily. She has taken protraits for the King. I noticed that she was not familiar with digital camera because she was trying to look for the peep hole instead of that square digital screen behind the camera.

I hope she would settle smoothly in the Sisa Village soon. I sent this picture to her and in the note I wrote her I encouraged her to pick up photography again. She is afterall , still very young, at only 65, and with her keen eyes, she certainly could still make great work.

Chef Ah Wan

2009-01-28T10:26:00.013+08:00

Chef Ah Wan is from Burmese and Chinese Heritage and was born in Bangkok. Though she did not have an illuminous academic background, she has great talent in language, politics and is a successful self-made woman. In her growing up years, she has worked in almost every occupation, from door-to-door cooking pot saleswoman, grocery storekeeper and all sorts.

Literally growing up on the street, Ah Wan is famous for her fiesty and spunky character. No one in Sisa Asoke dares to bully her for she would not hold back in scolding you. But she is a lady with a big heart. The Sisa children love her. She is strict with her student helpers but she has also a little bag of nick-nack and key chains and colourful whistles that she would give away as prizes if the kids perform well.

During her teenage year, she was not proud of parents' marriage and made a vow that she would marry no Thai natives. She said Thai natives beat their wives. However her grandma's constant nagging that a women's rightful place was in the kitchen put her in a dilemma. Then she had an idea, may be a "fah-rang" (caucasian ) would make a good husband. But where to find them? She concocted a plan.....

A foreign language school might be a good place to find a decent white guy. So off she went to a school to make an enquiry. It turned out that there is no standard rate for English course. Worst of all, she could only afford English class taught by English-speaking Thai teachers, whom she claimed spoke with a weird accent. Filipino teachers charged slightly higher fee and the Fahrang teachers usually charged a bomb. The hope of marrying a decent Fahrang man went down the drain.

However since she came all the way to the school, she was not going to give up that easily. She was always interested in learning Mandarin. She signed up in for 2 year chinese class. Funny enough she ended up meeting her future husband from the same class. She was the naughtiest student and her husband was the best student. They have a son who is doing very well in school and aspire to study medicine this year if everything works out. Her son lives and studies in Bangkok Asoke while her husband lives in another Asoke in Northen Thailand.

Every day after the morning breakfast run, she would retire to her own hut, have a nap in her hammock and take a chill pill with a small cup of Nescafe. Keeping a private stash of 3 in 1 coffee, she told me was not a model way of Asoke living which preaches that one on should not indulge in pleasure and material needs. But she grinned, "Shhhh.... don't tell anyone" and winked.

One day she decided to invite me and a few of her close friends for dinner in her house. Bak Mee is on the menu. We drove to the market nearby to buy dumpling wraps and yellow noodles that the Thai call simply as "mee". The white noodles and mee-hoon they call "keow teow".

I spotted a lady with a very fashionable hair-curlers do

Here is Chef Ah Wan's famous bak mee with fried vegetarian wanton, steamed vegetarian wanton, bean sprouts, mushroom, carrots and spring onions. The soup base was made from raddish and chunks of big onions. I told a friend that if Anthony Bourdain ever tasted this noodles, he would hallucinate. Even looking at it now, I am drooling...

Recycle Van

2009-01-26T22:22:00.003+08:00

Outside the Asoke village and in the main town of Ubon, this is a "kalang guni" truck overloaded with sacks of tin cans, bottles, newspaper and recyclable materials that could be sold at a price. The folks sitting on top of the goods are pickers who have worked the whole day combing street after street for "valuable finds"

The School

2009-01-26T22:12:00.005+08:00

Monk Semana Lak decided that I was too free and needed to work for my lodging. Hence I taught the primary school kids how to draw birds and we did a small assignment of "Birdie Family going to picnic". Some of the kids are very creative. Some did up a cartoon script, some write an essay while some just sketched a drawings. I noticed the girls in the class are better in drawing than the boys.

The classroom is right in the middle of the woods. The kids study the same courses as normal Thai school. Nun Sekeman Chin taught Buddishm class. Notice that the girls and boys do not sit together even though they are in the same class. The boys sit all at the front rows while the girls sit at the back rows. Even in the big kitchen, girls managed the cooking while boys are responsible for cutting and chopping

I enjoyed teaching the kids very much. Not everyone of them live with their parents. One of the 8 years old girls Beer (pronouced as Bi-a) lives in the hostel here in Sisa. Her mom is in another Asoke village at Northen Thailand while her father works in Israel. When she is not attending classes, she helps out at the clinic. She is really good at cleaning the wound and applying dressing

The clinic

2009-01-26T21:55:00.010+08:00

Sisa Asoke has got a small clinic operated by two nurses and a few designated student helpers. This is my room-mate Sam with one of the nurses.

The clinic has got a first aid facility, a simple pharmacy and individual hospital beds for 5 patients

However I would not recommend the dental service.

A display case of traditional medicines, vitamins and panadols. It is all very basic but guess it is sufficient for their needs

Traditional theraphy like chinese traditional cupping, acupunture and chiropractice are available too

Sisa Tofu Day

2009-01-25T21:55:00.019+08:00

Every Saturday is dofu making day at Sisa Asoke. Chef Wan and her team of student helpers were hard at work since 7am morning. 60 kg of soya bean was soaked the previous night for a minumum of 8 hours

The beans, now all soaked and swell like big fat jelly beans, were pressed. This machine separated the soya juice from the husks.

The juice was channelled into a huge cooking pot while the husks and beans that are left over from the pressing could be used as compose and animal feeds.

After about an hour of cooking, the fully cooked soya bean milk is ready to be filtered again. Sugar and salt are added onto the filter bag. What came out of the filter bag is tasty soya bean drinks

Yummy, nothing tasted and smelled better than freshly boiled soya bean drinks !

Only a small portion of soya bean drinks are for drinking, the rest is used for making dofu. Magnesium sulphate was added slowly into the soya bean as chef Wan constantly stirring the po

Then the liquid is poured into shallow trays for it to set. Notice a huge heavy weight that is used to press down the dofu and to squeeze any remaining water from the dofu.

After 8 hours of hard work, at 3pm on Saturday, soft and frangrant dofu is ready to be cut into large cubes and stored away. 60kg is enough to make one week supply of dofu for the whole village.

There is no refrigerator in Asoke. To store the cubes for a week, fresh ice is used to line the wall of the storage chest.

Mushroom Farm in Sisa Asoke

2009-01-25T14:49:00.001+08:00

Hot Herbal Foot Bath Remedy

2009-01-25T14:16:00.016+08:00

Herbs integrates very much in Asoke's everyday life from treatment of ailments to daily bath. This picture was taken at a small health retreat in Asoke village. It is ran by a lecturer from the Ubon university who has been researching on the treatment of kidney stones using herbal remedy.

These are her clients from Bangkok who have come here to seek a holistic way of body cleansing. From the left is an American lady who has been teaching in Bangkok.

Next to her is a Taiwanese lady who has been living in Thailand and she speaks fluent Thai and Mandarain. Her friend who works as a lecturer in Spanish from the Chulalongkong University claimed that she never eats vegetables and survived on junk food while growing up. It was only after attending a health conference by the Asoke, it came into light to her the importance of the healthy living.

The nun with the beautiful smile is Nun Sekaman Chin who was just there to join the fun. Mind you , she is over sixty years old but look like still in her thirties.

The Firefly Hut

2009-01-25T13:16:00.014+08:00

In Sisa Asoke, I stayed with an "understudy" nun Sam. She speaks no English and I speak no Thai. We communicated through hand gesture, smiles, and even sometimes hand-sketched pictures. A lot of time, Semana Lak acted as the translator.

However on the third morning, As I walked down the stairs, I noticed an English Thai dictionary that she borrowed from the Asoke library. The first thing she said to me was if I needed hot water for bath. "Nuang ? Cold ?" she asked me with concern. The first three days I was there, temperature rarely rose above 15C before noon. I took my bath at 3pm when the sun was bright and hot. The rest of the villagers do boil water for bath when it is late. Sunset at 6pm and the weather could get very cold very fast.

I am priviledged that Sam took me in with her. Her little cottage, measured 18 ft x 12 ft is named the "Firefly" hut, built by Semana Lak and his followers about 12 years ago. Since there is no hot water, no mattress and a very basic bathroom facilities, so folks, bring your own towel if you come to stay at Sisa Asoke. There is running tap water from the huge storage tanks of water reserves within the village

Like all villagers I sleep on hard wooden floor while cold wind from the Cambodian border came knocking loudly on the wooden window panes and roof, sending its chills through the wooden walls. Good thing I borrowed a sleeping bag from Life-Trekker and insulated myself excessively with wool socks and thermal underwear. As I stared at the room in the dark of the night, it brought back memory of my grandma's house at the Sam-Chung Village Batu Pahat a long long time ago.

Breakfast is served

2009-01-24T07:00:00.019+08:00

Breakfast is served at the main hall where the monks and nuns preach. There are 4 monks and 2 nuns in this village. They will be seated on a raised platform while we sat on the floor facing them. Before the breakfast is served, the chief monk will address the village folks, on various topics such as crops, principles of life or even asked where I am from. I have to pronouce Malaysia as "Ma-lai-sia", the only way Thai folks will understand.

Men are seated to the right of the monk where women to the left.

Then food is placed on six to seven large wooden trays mounted on tiny wheels. Like a conveyer belt, they are glided with respect sequentially to the monks and then the nuns. The venerable ones take their picks as the trays glided along. There are student helpers waited by the end of the train to move the trays down to the children and women seated on the floor. Men gets to the train last.

These trays are quite heavy especially when they are loaded with food

But before we could dig in, we have three bows to offer to the monks and nuns. Then the school kids offer their bows to us adults followed by one last prayer we need to offer as a group. The simple prayer is titled "Why we eat rice?" Head Chef Wan translated every line for me, and by now my stomach is rumbling.

Why are we eating rice?

We eat rice because we would like to thank our nation.

We thank our farmers.

We must be focused on what we do.

We respect our elders.

We contribute to our community.

We thank our chef".

Now please eat. Enjoy. Good taste ? Khop Khun Mak Kha

"Se-ren-tham"

2009-01-23T21:16:00.012+08:00

The more commonly used greetings in Asoke is "se-ren-tham" instead of the usual "swas-wa-di-ka". "Se-ren-tham" means "Be good". With a warm smile and pressed palms, it is a greeter's heart-felt self-affirmation, that being a good person is the way to fulfillment in life.

She is a member of the kitchen team and in-charged of salad. Her duty every morning is to harvest fresh greens from the farm and prepare that into this amazing salad bowl which makes the center piece of the breakfast table. The crunchy lettuce leaves are still dripping with the morning dew.

In the Big Kitchen

2009-01-23T20:36:00.017+08:00

In the big kitchen, Ah Wan the head chef, her sous chef and her team of student helpers have been busy at work since 8am, chopping, and cutting, preparing the meal for the entire village.
Here is a big pot of steamy melon soup good for warming the tummy at a 12C morning.

Boys are assigned kitchen chores just like girls would involve themselves at the field. These two boys are peeling garlics for the stir-fried cabbage dish. The balance would go into making the chili belachan dips.

The hood like object is actually the lid for the wok. It is so massive that it is suspended via a small pulley from the ceiling.

Sunrise above the Brocoli Sea

2009-01-23T19:55:00.007+08:00

As dawn breaks on Sisa Asoke, the villagers get down to their daily duties. Everyone in the village has a role to play. A typical day at Asoke begins at 4am when villagers assemble at the main hall to hear the preaching of the monks and nuns. At 6am, the children will go to their classroom to study for two hours. At 8am, they will join help out with village chores until breakfast is served at 10am. After that they watch their own Asoke's TV programme and resume classes again after noon.

Like Children at the Candy Store

2009-01-23T00:39:00.029+08:00

It is not all work at Sisa Asoke either. One sunny afternoon, Semana Lak decided that I should experience the Asoke organic orchard. Srisa Asoke's Head Chef Wan became the driver, Semana Lak's pal "Old Cow" 老牛Lekkhanong as the co-driver, and off we went on a bumpy ride to the organic orchard. The organic farmers believes in building a self-sustainable eco-system without the use of any chemical fertilizers. Having different types of complimenting crops and fruits at the same plot of land will create a self-sustainable system where cross-fertilization takes place when different fruits flower, bear fruits and die at different time. The fallen leaves and withered plants became the other plant's fertilizer. At one side of the orchard are pomelo trees growing not far away from a row of flowering mango trees. Acres and acres of banana trees growing next to lines of coconut trees. I used to think coconut trees only grow at the beach but am obviously wrong. We drank fresh coconut juice from the tree. The sweetness of the coconut juice I could still taste it at my lips.

师父: What... no banana for you ? Oh...well....

While they were shaking and poking away at those fully grown pomelos, suddenly ...ooops 师父 watch out for your head !

老牛: Hmmm... yum...yum............

Spunky Srisa Asoke's Head Chef Ah Wan (Khun Sriwan) : 小姐,wear sarong when you come to Orchard next time. No toilet here.....

It amazes me that orchard is completely unguarded, which mirrors the Asoke's practice that food is given free to anyone who desires it. While we were slurping the nature's produce, I spotted a nice lttle cottage tuck away at the corner, an ideal place for an afternoon siesta

In an Asoke spirit of sharing with the community, we brought back some papaya for the village breakfast basket the following morning.

Monk, Teacher, Architect and Medicine Man

2009-01-21T20:17:00.004+08:00

This is 靜相法師 (Venerable Phra Samana Lakkhano). The villagers call him Samana Lak in short. Semana is monk in Thai language. It also means "the one who brings peace" in Thai.

Semana Lak is a Santi Asoke monk. There are various sect of Buddhism in Thailand. Santi Asoke is one of the sects. Asoke monks and their followers follow stricter code than other sects. Santi Asoke rejects sitting meditation in favour of work-based meditation. They preach "eat little, use little, work a lot and give the rest back to the society".

Santi Asoke monks and nuns eat only one meal a day, wear no shoes and sleep in a small hut with just a roof and four simple curtains as walls. Monks work together with the people in the farm, building houses, teaching the kids, preaching and some actively concerned themselves with the politics of the country.

In the eye of Thaksin government, Santi Asoke is considered as an anti-establishment as they have been extremely vocal in expressing their opinions about the government. Luckily Semana Lak is not involved in politics, or based on my best guess, no longer so.

Santi Asoke followers are from all walks of life but many are farmers. In Asoke farms, farming method is organic. Asoke followers believe in self-sufficiency and preservation of the systems we live in and that the land is to be respected and not to be tampered with chemicals. Santi Asoke preaches a fulfillment in life based not on material needs but merits from giving and contributing to the society. In shops operated by Asoke followers, you see two prices on the price tag, one is the cost price, the other the price to the consumer, as a proof that they follow the strict rule that profit should not be more than 15% .

Last Breakfast at Asoke

2009-01-20T22:23:00.012+08:00

It was the last morning before I flew back to Bangkok. As the warm sun rose above the brocoli farm, the village chief came roaring in in his trusty old blue Toyota truck, and brought with him the spread of breakfast the villagers have prepared. The folks of Asoke eat only two meals a day to uphold one of the five principles of Buddhist practice. One at 10am and the other one at 5pm. I followed suit so that I could experience their life completely.
The breakfast, or more accurately brunch, is an explosion of nature's gifts. Totally vegetarian and fresh and organic, from an assortment of rice and cereals to fresh frutis and vegetables from the farm, I just did not know where to start.

As usual there is no less than three types of cereals, from glutinous rice, brown rice both polished and unpolished, white rice and barley and sometimes beans. The bags of drinks in the background are freshly squeezed tangerine juice, water melon juice and freshly made soya bean milk. The small bottles are local coffee (as lethal and kidney-threathening as the Malaysian type). The large pot contained cabbage stirfried with chewy hard bean curd and garlics and herbs. Another pot is a common dish in Asoke of stir fried mock mince meat with brocolli. The brocoli here is exceptionally sweet and soft, not bitter and hard like i used to eat back home. My favourite is this special stir fried "sweet vegetable" 甜菜, like how the locals call it.
The stems are very sweet and slim and have got small purplish flowers. Its gravy is perfect to go with the rice. Here we mostly eat with hands or with just a spoon from a big plate on which we pile our food. Then of course a big plate of freshly cut fruits and vegetables such as cucumber, lettuce, herbs, garlic and carrots, fresh papaya and bananas. The lettuce was cut fresh from the garden by the chief personally. And to satisfy the curiousity of my readers who are too familiar with my bananaphobic, I did eat two banana during the one week I am here.

When you cook, watch out for the smoke detector

2008-12-20T18:22:00.005+08:00

The story about me cooking in Hong Kong was not that simple. In every apartment, there is a smoke detector fixed at an extremely intimate distance from the stove. All my mates have always been paranoid about setting off the fire alarm and one of them actually did. I pride myself for being always careful by turning the aircon onto full blast. But then autumn came. So on one rather cold evening where the temperature dropped to 12C, I forgot all about my usual procedure. While I was absorbed in the melody of the sizzling tomatos and mushrooms, I heard a hasty knock on my door. There it was the attendant from the management office who sprint immediately into my room and dashed to the aircon and switched it on full blast. Just in time before the swirling noise of the fire alarm bell threw everyone out onto the street on a cold autumn night.

So the next day, I found a letter slipped under my door.

Dear Miss Veg,

We write to brief you about the fire alert that occured around 22:05pm, on 20th November 2008. Due to our requirment for safety, our fire alarm is quite sensitve to heat and smoke. In order to minimize the incidents of false fire alarms, it is highly recommended that the air-conditioning be turned at high fan speed while cooking or toasting.

We give our sincere apologies for any inconveniences caused.

With kind regards
xxxxx
Assistant Manager

C.F.O - Cooking for One

2008-12-19T20:57:00.008+08:00

One great gift from the months living in Hong Kong is that I master the art of cooking for one. Hong Kong food always come in large portions and far too much salt and oil than I am used to. Since I am paranoid of middle-aged spread and was recovering from my operation then, I was forced to take time to cook. I soon discovered cooking has another unexpected benefit. It helped me unwind from the work stress. A quick thirty minutes of washing, cutting and cooking was like a mental "ctrl+alt+delete" to snap me out of my working mind. The best workout for the day!

Here are two dishes that I reproduce today at my KL kitchen.

Tofu and Corn soup
Ingredients
1. Half can of corn soup
2. Half box of soft tofu and diced into small cubes
3. A quarter onions sliced in rings (According to Sister P, too much onions will fart all the way to the moon. Hence if are cooking for your hot date, don't try this recipe)
4. Half a tea spoon of fish sauce
5. A few drops of soy sauce
6. A pinch of pepper
7. A few drops of sesame oil

Instructions
1. Saute onion rings till slightly golden brown
2. Heat the corn soup until it boils
3. Add the fried onions rings into the boiling soup
4. Drizzle the fish sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil into the soup
5. Stir until you can smell the fragrance of the sesame oil
6. Add the diced tofu
7. Sprinkle a pinch of pepper
8. As the soup boils, turn off the flame .Leave it on the stove to settle.

Total preparation time including cutting and cooking
8 minutes

"Tua Bak" (Big Eye)'s Kai Lan
Ingredients
1. Three or four small kai lan
2. A tablespoon of Dried diced mushroom soaked lightly in water
3. Half fresh red chili - cut into small bits
4. A fistful of dried Chinese gooseberries
5. Chopped garlic and onions

Instructions
1. Use the oil left from frying the onion, heat up the wok
2. Add the chopped garlic and onions and saute till the garlic turns slightly golden brown
3. Throw into the wok the chinese gooseberries and chopped red chili
4. Sautee for a minute or two
5. Add the dried mushroom and continue to stir fry
6. Now it is time for the kai lan.
7. As the kai lan begins to cook, add a few squarts of soy sauce. You may add some rice wine for extra flavour

Total preparation time including cutting + cooking
15 minutes

P/s. Just in case you are wondering why I name this dish Tua Bak's Kai Lan. Chinese gooseberries are good for the eyes and "Tua Bak" means big eyes in Hokkien. It was also my Grandma's nickname growing up. Chinese gooseberries have a light sweetness in them. The combination with the fresh chili and onions, mushrooms and crunchy kai-lan gave a very interesting flavour

Spidy on Wheels

2008-12-19T20:54:00.001+08:00

Don't you think this car looks like a spider !

Mobile Curry House

2008-12-18T19:01:00.009+08:00

With the money my Wu Yi gave me, I spent almost all of it on "bawang putih" (garlic), "bawang merah" (red onions), biscuits, condensed milk , milo, rice, toilet rolls, Maggi curry, cooking oil.... No no I am not going to start yet another Old Town Coffee Shop. These are daily necessities for the Antara Gapi Home which I bought from a wholeseller in Cheras. The "bawang" stinked. I felt like driving a mobile Indian curry house. Not to mention it took me an hour to drive from Cheras to Antara Gapi. My pal life-trekker thought at least this kept the vampires away. Good thinking.

According to Encik Ragu the carer, neighbours complained about children making too much noises. Hence he has stopped taking in young children into his welfare home. There are ten old folks now under his care. He wasn't in when I delivered the goods. I spoke to him on the phone and asked about his family and his three children. His youngest is yet to celebrate his first birthday. Is there a "Nombor Empat" (No 4) on the way ? Of course, says he, as soon as "Nombor Tiga"(No 3) could take care of himself. Gee.... I wonder how he copes.

Flowers for the Budha

2008-12-05T23:30:00.004+08:00

As Grandeur meets Serenity

2008-12-05T23:26:00.002+08:00

Even Budha has given up

2008-12-05T23:20:00.003+08:00

We have heard that the temple served delicious vegetarian lunch. Hence along the trail, all we were thinking about was the gastronomy treat. No wonder even Budha turned his back on us and there went our last hope for any wisdom

Someone behind the Window

2008-12-05T22:57:00.007+08:00

As we heaved and puffed climbing the Wisdom Path, we passed a tea house where a stuff doll was looking out at us from the kitchen window.

This is an old tea factory. I believed it has served its days and now used probably as a storage room

Wisdom Path

2008-12-05T22:37:00.010+08:00

Many come to Lantau for hiking. Lantau offered many treks, each of different length and steepness. We chose the Wisdom Path with the remote hope of filling our tiny heads with a trace of wisdom. However neither of us understand the Buddisht scripture carving on the wood.

Lantau Latitude

2008-12-05T22:20:00.003+08:00

A 20 minute cable car ride connects Lantau with Kowloon. Lantau is famous for its sitting Budha statue, apparently the largest sitting posture in the world. The view from the cable car is breathtakingly serene and one forgot easily that at a stone throw away it was the world's busiest financial district.

Gastronomy Heaven

2008-11-08T22:44:00.004+08:00

It is a working weekend. Burberry stores will switch over to SAP starting from next Monday. Today we started our pilot run with just two stores at Sheraton and IFC. I got to the store two hours earlier as I was forced to vacate my room as the cleaning lady came to do her round. With 2 hours to kill at the posh and expensive shopping area in Tsim Sa-Tsui, I decided to visit my old haunt during my time of working here 3 years ago - The Harbour Center at Canton Road which is crowded with branded shops with beautiful merchandise but astronomical pricetags.

Then I walked past a very chic Vietnamese restaurant that instantly drew me in with its sweet jasmine white and sunny atmosphere. Inspired by my parents' next holidy destination Saigon, I opted for a bowl of chicken poh with rice noodles. The finale was this chocolate merinque sandwich with brandy sponge cake, served in a white china dish lined with four dark chocolate glazed pistacho nuts surrounded by warm vanilla sauce. This is a quite a pricy dessert but surely the best I have ever tasted in decades

A different side of Hong Kong - the New Territory

2008-10-11T23:44:00.011+08:00

Space in Hong Kong is a rare commodity. Hence I was pleasantly surprised by the vastness when I arrived at the New Territory. There is an uninterrupted view of the clear blue sky, puncutated only occasionally by the bowing fishing rods of the anglers. There is no tall office buildings. Cyclists peddled and pedestrians strolled along the river. I could even hear birds chirping. For the first time after spending 8 months in HK, I realized the MTR station actually play light music.

New Territory is a favourite getaway for the Hong Kong islanders who seek to get in touch with the nature. However my purpose was for the Hong Kong Heritage Museum located in the New Territory, or to be more precise, for the exhibition of 儿童乐园 in the museum. I reunited with the familiar 小园园and her many friends. I browsed other exhibitions in the museum, such as the history of Cantonese Opera and marvelled at the elaborate bead works of the stage costumes. I also traced the history of Hong Kong way back from the Song Dynasty, to the era of the boat people and down to where it is now, the financial hub of Asia.

As a whole, it was a plesant trip to the New Territory and a better appreciation of Hong Kong beyond its shopping and financial facade.

The Canal Street Junk Market

2008-09-07T16:29:00.004+08:00

Canal Street might be famous for its villian hitting business, but what attracted me the most each time I walk to work are the junk stalls mended by several groups of old ladies, in their 70s with silvery hair and traditional blue san-fu. I marvelled at what they have on offer on their plastic mats, and how they see values in items we have discarded. Amongst the spread of merchandise, is an old magazine with a very young Cheong Mun Yik on the cover, grinning innocently revealing her two buck teeth. A red dino stuffed toy, a baby bath basin, belts of various designs, lady shoes with ornamented heels and a pair of sunflower flip flop, old umbrellas and many different types of tuppleware. Several morning ago I saw an old lady peddler examining a piece of lacy underwear she was offering for sale. May be she has never worn such a beautiful lingerie in her entire life.

I have a lot of admiration and respect for these ladies. In such a competitive world of Hong Kong, they found a way to survive. They could have chosen to be in the old folk's home or even beg. Instead they found their own community and a way to survive.

The Day of Legislative Council Election

2008-09-07T16:11:00.004+08:00

It is a sunny Sunday afternoon, ideal for enrolling the public to a common cause. Just as well today happens to be an important day on the Hong Kong political areana - the Election of Local Legislative Council. However by 2pm, the voting rate was a meagre 12% at 8 hours before the poll close at 10:30pm. I am afraid this is a worldwide Chinese trait that political rights and idealogy are poisons to be stayed away from . As long as I have money, livelihood, family and jobs, you can do whatever you want - seems to be the general mentality.

A campaigner who is trying to solicit for last minute swing vote.The candidates are from all walks of life, from university professors to butchers, from business women to street peddlers. I watched the candidates speeches and debate on current issues on TV, they remind me of school council elections, and no difference from debates of the ceramah back home. However the media is much more transparent and independent in Hong Kong. The TV stations provide accurate analysis and summary on how each candidates propose to solve the issues and update the public on the progress of the voting diligently and fairly.

Chinese Lanterns

2008-09-07T16:09:00.000+08:00

Even the adults are attracted by the rabbit lanterns

Mid Autumn Festival

2008-09-07T16:04:00.004+08:00

Mid Autumn Festival is HUGE in Hong Kong. It is a public holiday in Hong Kong. Everywhere you see stalls selling mooncakes, MTR posters , TV jingles promoting mooncakes, suppliers streaming into the office with mooncake hampers. Alongside the mooncakes, cash registers are busy with sales on abalone, chin-hua chinese ham, mushroom and last but not least tea.

The Luk Yu Heritage

2008-09-07T12:38:00.005+08:00

After a great meal of dim sum and a feast of the old Hong Kong ambience, I carried my belly down the stairs, past the old art deco window panels and yellow corridor lights, and out into the sunny and noisy streets of Central again. At least now, I can tell Cat Aunty, that I have been to Lok Yu, and I have been to Hong Kong.

Tai Kai Yum Cha

2008-09-07T12:17:00.007+08:00

It is certainly not easy to get by in Hong Kong without knowing Chinese. In Luk Yu, we fill up this Chinese multiple-choice questionnaires for what we want. There is no food on trolleys being pushing push around here but strong muscular waiters and waitresses carring trays of house specialities walking up and down the three floors like pop-corn girls would in cinemas during the olden days.

I ordered fun quo 潮州粉果 and 糯米雞 lou mai gai and a pot of ti kung yiam. The fun quo skin is thicker but a nice chewy texture. The filling is chopped meat, turnips and dried shrimps. The lou mai gai is the alfamous sticky rice with diced chicken and mushroom wrapped in frangrant lotus leaves. The lou mai gai came in half the size I remembered of the Lucky Restaurant's in Brunei. But that was 40 years ago. The public's eating habit has evolved a great deal since then.

Luk Yu Tea House

2008-09-07T11:59:00.006+08:00

Finally I made my way to the Luk Yu Tea House, one of the oldest dim sum places in Hong Kong. The tea house is a favourite among the locals and long queue is common on Sunday morning. Though newly refurbished, it preseve many of its old heritage. The tea house has got three floors. I managed to peep into the ground floor just before The Bangladeshi doorman showed me to the side entrace. The ground floor seems to be for the locals. The second floor is for family. The third floor is for tourists. A view into the 2nd floor

The Star Ferry

2008-09-07T11:44:00.005+08:00

The Star Ferry shuttles passengers daily between Hong Kong and Kowloon across the Victoria Harbour. The ferries dorn its signature green overcoat and a double deck, and has a capacity for about 150 passengers. It is the earliest form of water MTR but unlike the modern day MTR the ferry seats are spacious and each bench has got a beautiful star design. Star Ferry began its oeprations since the early 1900s and today it still costs less than RM1 for a 15 min breezy ride and a priceless view of the Victoria Harbour.

Brushing Shoulder with Ocean Liners

2008-08-31T16:18:00.002+08:00

Evening Stanley

2008-08-31T15:08:00.007+08:00

We thought it was still too early to go home, hence we boarded Bus No 6 to Stanley Market. Stanley Market is the oldest open air flea market in Hong Kong. However our motivation was not at all the market, but the exciting hilly ride on a Bus No 6 double decker bus. The bus departed from Exchange Square, and started scaling the hilly and windy road like a Formula 1 driver, brushing tree branches and overtaking Posches and Marsarrati.

On the way Stanley, we passed Repulse Bay, the residential areas for the rich and famous and went woo and wa over the magnificent hillside bungalows that overlook the yathcing bay.

We had dinner at Murray House at Stanley Bay. Unfortunately I left my cap behind at the eatery. We plan to conquer Lantau Island and Tai Yu Shan in the coming weeks. If the sunbeam is going to keep its intensity, I better call the restaurant if they would mail my cap back to me.