Labour Day

Tomorrow is a holiday but today was pure madness in terms of the traffic...perhaps everyone were 'karn-cheong' tomorrow is a holiday and a long weekend henceforth. Reminds me of like going into labour when i had my babies. Haha.

Happy Holidays and those of you driving anywhere...drive safe ya!

Origin of Hakka clan

Caligraphy by Siu-Leung Lee
As a "guest" overseas, my mind is in
the motherland and our remote origin,

Making my home globally, I hold hands with new friends
to keep our heritage for generations to come.


Hakkas have a distinctive culture and history with a lineage believed to be the decendants of the northern Han people living in Shanzi, Henan and Hebei. During the Jin Dynasty(AD317-819), there was frequent warfare in North China. As the northern Hans were plagued by wars, famine and natural disasters, they abandoned their homes, crossed the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers and fled to Southern China.

As they settled down in Southern China, they were considered immigrants by the locals there and thus these newcomers were called "Hak" meaning 'guests' and when clanships were formed during the Sung Dynasty, the term 'Hakka' meaning guest families was coined(ka - meaning family).

ZAKURO 2 JAPANESE CUISINE

Zakuro is located at the same building as Tai Thong Restaurant on Jalan Ampang, next to Ampang Shopping Compleks.I went there recently to try out their Set Lunch.

The Set Lunches are priced at RM21.50 each and you can chose the main course from a range of over 10dishes. These range from Sashimi sets, Grilled Unagi, Sushi sets to Teppanyaki sets as well. So there is something for everyone.



Of course i chose the Sashimi set cos Sashimi is my favorite...you all should know by now!! Haha. The set consists of a radish apetiser, small piece of steamed salmon(not nice!), miiso soup, abowl of rice, the main dish of 4types of sashimi and for dessert a small plate of 3 pieces of sliced fruits-green apple, red apple and orange.


The main dish of Sashimi consisting of 3slices of Salmon, 2slices each of tuna, some white fish(they said its white tuna??!) and octopus.



Side orders of Cawan Mushi can be ordered at RM5 per bowl. Forgive me for this disgusting pic as i had eaten halfway before taking a pic! Despite the big piece of prawn, i didnt like it cos msg was on the heavy side.

You can also order extra salmon for also RM5.00 for 3 small slices.


Of course dessert of green tea icecream is also considered side order of guess how much...........yup RM5 per scoop. Must compliment this ice cream as it was nice and not too sweet. At RM5 only, it was worth it as other restaurants may charge you up to RM11 per scoop!

All in all, i wouldnt mind going back again for the sashimi and ice-cream as its quite cheap for a set lunch.

Oink oink Fever

Swine Fever has invaded Mexico, USA, Canada and Spain. Symptoms are similar to any other flu infection and its transmitted thru coughing,sneezing,kissing, touching infected objects with your hand and then transmitting it to your nose, mouth or eyes via your own hands. It cannot be transmitted thru eating pork as long as you cook the meat well and under high temperatures.

Elderly people, children, pregnant women and people with chronic breathing disorders are more susceptible and therefore at a higher risk. If not treated early, complications leading to pneumonia and subsequently death can occur.

Stay safe people...practise basic clean hygiene...meaning dont sneeze at other people's faces and wash your hands often esp after toilet and public places.

Balance Sheet of Life

Our Birth is our Opening Balance!

Our Death is our Closing Balance!

Our Prejudiced Views are our Liabilities

Our Creative Ideas are our Assets

Heart is our Current Asset

Soul is our Fixed Asset

Brain is our Fixed Deposit

Thinking is our Current Account

Achievements are our Capital

Character & Morals, our Stock-in-Trade

Friends are our General Reserves

Values & Behaviour are our Goodwill

Patience is our Interest Earned

Love is our Dividend

Children are our Bonus Issues

Education is Brands / Patents

Knowledge is our Investment

Experience is our Premium Account

The Aim is to Tally the Balance Sheet Accurately.

The Goal is to get the Best Presented Accounts Award.

Restoran Tian Tian Lai

By day, this place is a small food court of around 10 stalls and by night a Tai-chow or Seafood restoran occupies the place. I think its called Medan Selera Sunway if not mistaken. If you are coming on the main road from Sunway Hospital or College towards LDP, it will be the left turn just before reaching the LDP.

My cousin James, recommended this place to me saying the chicken rice is not to be missed. So one day decided to try it when i went to fetch Syd. This particular stall called Ayam Kampung Specialist is famous for their chicken rice and eventho the name suggests it, they serve both the normal variety as well as the ayam kampung(village chicken). Different prices of course.



I ordered the chicken drumstick portion and the chicken has the authentic ayam kampung taste and not much fat. Very tender and the rice is fragrant with the smell of ginger and some spices i suspect. The chilli paste is also slightly different from others in that they added abit of deep fried dried prawns(ha-mai).

Though i didnt try other food at the other stalls, i noticed the dried chicken curry wantan mee seems to be popular with patrons too. This place is rather airy and not too hot and there is ample parking in front. I would definitely want to try the night-time restoran's food as well since James says its cheap and good. Soon....... but not everyday la...as the restoran name suggests!!

I Dreamed a Dream

"I Dreamed a Dream" ~ Les Miserables

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

Big Catch

Fishermen and fishing enthusiasts are always dreaming of their next big catch, right? The bigger the catch, the bigger the ego....but what if you caught something like these following fishes? Would you get nightmares??I would!! They are so scary and disgusting looking?

Indian Way of making baby strong

My baby boy who is no longer a baby emailed me this video and asked me if i did this to him when he was a baby; cos he has a fear of heights. LOL. But the indians in India think this will make their babies strong and fearless?! Care to try it anyone? Hopefully no social welfare people catch you for child abuse tho!!

Earth Day but..........

Its suppose to be Earth Day today...but how la..........so hotttttttttttttttt!!? The heat wave is on again everywhere..............just sitting down also sweat!!? I am so sorry my dear Earth but i just have to switch on the aircon!! I'll save you on a cooler day,ok?!

Mindset

Restoran Tai Siew

There is a cosy little shop at Jalan Kuchai Maju 6 in Kuchai Lama that serves pan meen in a variety of ways from the normal soup with ikan bilis to hokkien fried style, cantonese fried style etc. You can even chose what type of pan meen ie. either the "torn" type or the flat noodle type. However if you order the hokkien fried style, you can only opt for the flat noodle.

One thing negative is that the belachan chilli paste(that comes on a small plate, with your noodles) is way too spicy...once you put some into your mouth, it burns man...then you cant taste anything else already. A word to the cook is to lay off the chilli padi and put more belachan paste and/or lime juice. For those of you who love pan mee and hokkien fried noodles know that the a good belachan can either make or kill the dish!
I like this basic soup style as they serve it with spinach instead of the other vege(forgot what its called!?)

Hokkien style comes with much pork lard!!Definitely not halal!!

(pics courtesy from my bro Steven - yeah i suppose you would notice the picture quality difference..only he can dish out so nice and clear pix. Me just put my camera in front of the food and snap saja! what else?)

Dreams do come true...

This is one reason why you should always keep holding on to your dreams,no matter whats your age....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Susan Boyle, 47 years old, the most unlikely singer....becomes famous overnight with her performance on "Britain's got Talent".

YONG MUN SEN(10/1/1896- 29/9/1962)

A family pic of my grandparents which i found when i was in Taipu last December.

I recently went thru some of my dad's stuff and noticed he had collected lots of newspaper clippings with articles on his father Yong Mun Sen. I hope my blogging on my grand-dad will familiarize the younger generation with their great grandfather.

This particular clipping was an interview with Datuk Tay Hooi Keat for The National Echo published on 24/9/80. Datuk Tay Hooi Keat who was a close friend and sort of student to my grandfather and infact went on painting excursions with my grandfather from 1936 to the outbreak of WW2. Together they explored kampungs, fishermen’s huts, beaches, lagoons and the tropical sun casting light and shadows on these scenes.

In this interview, Datuk Tay also mentioned that my grandfather had also taken up photography seriously in the 1920s and infact opened a couple of photo studios in Penang. I suppose that is where my brothers Steven and Patrick get their photography genes from.

More on my grandfather in future posts…..

Natural Phenomenons

THIS IS A FIRE RAINBOW - ONE OF THE RAREST OF ALL NATURALLY OCCURRING ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA. THE PICTURE WAS CAPTURED AT THE IDAHO / WASHINGTON BORDER AND THE EVENT LASTED ABOUT 1 HOUR ON 3JUNE 2006. CLOUDS HAVE TO BE CIRRUS, AT LEAST 20K FEET IN THE AIR, WITH JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF ICE CRYSTALS AND THE SUN HAS TO BE VERY HIGH IN THE SKY AT AN ELEVATON OF AROUND 58 DEGREES OR MORE.

THE FIRE RAINBOW(also called circumhorizontal arc or circumhorizon arc)IS A HALO OR OPTICAL PHENOMENON CAUSED BY THE REFRACTION OF SUNLIGHT THROUGH THICK, FLAT HORIZONTAL ICE CRYSTALS IN CIRRUS CLOUDS AND CAN BE OBSERVED ONLY IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE GLOBE. Unfortunately not in Malaysia!



This other phenomenon is Auroras, sometimes called the northern and southern (polar) lights or aurorae (singular: aurora), are natural light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions. They typically occur in the ionosphere.

These 2 pics taken in northern Canada, show the aurora borealis or the northern polar lights. It is only visible in the sky from the Northern Hemisphere, the chance of visibility increasing with proximity to the North Magnetic Pole, which is currently in the arctic islands of northern Canada. Aurorae seen near the magnetic pole may be high overhead, but from further away, they illuminate the northern horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the sun was rising from an unusual direction.


The aurora borealis most often occurs from September to October and from March to April. The northern lights have had a number of names throughout history. The Cree people call this phenomenon the "Dance of the Spirits." Aurorae can be spotted throughout the world. It is most visible closer to the poles due to the longer periods of darkness and the magnetic field.

I hope one day i can see these fantastic natural light displays. They must be awesome!

Difference between Ungrateful and Unappreciative

PUTRAJAYA, April 15 – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today lashed out at the Chinese vernacular press for “twisting” his words and portraying him in a bad light.He denied calling the Chinese ungrateful(thru an interview on Sunday with the Chinese press). The DPM claimed what he had said was that the Chinese were unappreciative.

The deputy prime minister denied he had used the word “ungrateful” to describe the community in the wake of the ruling party’s defeat in the Bukit Gantang by-election in an interview published on Sunday in Mingguan Malaysia.

“If they don’t know Malay, we can send them to school,” said Muhyiddin, who is also the new education minister.

In the wake of the backlash from the Chinese parties and community...i specially googled the dictionary to look up the meaning of these 2 words:-
Unappreciative - Not feeling or exhibiting appreciation
Ungrateful - Not feeling or exhibiting gratitude, thanks, or appreciation

Apa bezanya??! Seriously i ask you, who should be sent back to school la?!FYI, OMG this is our new Ed Minister!!??

Yong Family Dinner

We finally had our big Yong family dinner last Saturday with 3 generation descendants of Yong Mun Sen aka grandfather, renowned artist and in Malaysian Art circles known as the 'Father of Malaysian water colours'. The dinner was initiated and organised by our Uncle Chu Hwa aka Captain. Co-organiser was my cousin James aka 007 and official photographer were Kenneth Ho aka niece's boyfriend and my bro Steven aka grandfather's closest lookalike.



See what the younger/4th generation can get my uncle to do?!!lol

Did you know....

Did you know these amazing and mind boggling facts?

The Bucket List

I watched this movie on Astro(HBO or Star cant remember) a couple of nights ago when i couldnt sleep. And was glad i couldnt cos this movie is fantastic.

The Bucket List is was an early 2008 film that stars 2 great actors ie Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The story follows two terminally ill men (Nicholson and Freeman) on a road trip with a wish list of things to do before they "kick the bucket."

Briefly, blue-collared mechanic Carter Chambers (Freeman) and billionaire hospital magnate Edward Cole (Nicholson) meet for the first time in the hospital after both have been diagnosed with cancer. They become friends as they undergo their respective treatments. Carter is a gifted amateur historian and family man who had wanted to become a history professor, but in his youth had been "broke, black, and with a baby on the way" and thus never rose above his job at the McCreath body shop. Edward is a four-times-divorced healthcare tycoon and cultured loner who enjoys nothing more than tormenting his personal valet/servant, Matthew , whom he calls Thomas. He makes Matthew serve Carter as well as him and orders his employee and doctor to familiarize himself with Carter's health.

Carter begins writing a "bucket list," or things to do before he "kicks the bucket." After hearing he has less than a year, Carter wads it up and tosses it on the floor. Edward finds it the next morning. He urges Carter to do everything on the list (suggesting he add things like skydiving) and offers to finance the trip. Carter agrees, despite the protests of his wife, Virginia.

The pair begin an around-the-world vacation, embarking on race car driving, skydiving, climbing the Pyramids, and going on a lion safari in Africa. They discuss a rare coffee and its unusual taste. They also confide to each other about faith and family.

If you havent watched it before, go catch it now free on Astro in the month of April. It should change your perspective about what's important in life. For a comedy-drama, I cried towards the end...

Life is like...

My brother Patrick reminded us recently that " Life is like a box of chocolates...you'll never know what you gonna find inside" (Forest Gump).


Well life can be also torturous and so unsure...like this tortoise must be contemplating whether to go up the bridge or not...


or life can be so monotonous...everyday like this hamster..just occupying time in his cage...doing the same old routine, day in day out....



Then one day you see this beautiful rainbow and it moves you to tears......cos you know God made this rainbow specially for you ....and no matter what, He will never forsake you. This will inspire you to climb mountains and cross oceans.

Have a Blessed Good Friday and Easter.....!

Pappa Rich Kopitiam

This franchaise has just opened up near my place so its rather welcome for a fast snack/meal. I first tried their food at Sunway Pyramid and thought the dry koay teow was pretty good. Comes in pretty big portions in terms of the noodles and meat. However the prices are also more expensive as compared to Oldtown.



Each plate of noodles costs around RM8.90 - RM9.90 which is roughly RM3 more than Oldtown. However i think the food quality and quantity is superior to Oldtown. Pappa Rich does a pretty decent job with their Penang Char Koay Teow.


You can also opt for their soup koay teow which comes with a plate of chicken meat(not shredded chicken slices as in Oldtown).

The only turnoff i experienced in Pappa Rich was the first time i was there, i saw one of the waiters toasting the bread with his bare hands!!? He was rubbing his nose with the same hand as well! 2nd occasion, saw another wearing transparent plastic gloves which was slightly better but i think if you use kitchen tongs like in Oldtown Kopitiam, would have been a cleaner and more hygienic way.

Other than that, many customers seem to enjoy their chendol which uses soya bean instead of coconut milk. The cham kopi-teh is also pretty good!

Sashimi Yummy

Went to one of my fav Jap restaurants ie Komura at Corus Hotel in Jalan Ampang recently and look at the Sashimi! Doesnt it look so fresh and yummy?! Dunno why but this portion seems larger than the usual..Perhaps business is not so good and they are giving back to the clientele? Anyway i aint complaining...i love my tuna and salmon!!

Latest on tri election

Barisan Nasional won the Batang Ai state seat by 1,854 votes, while Pakatan Rakyat took Bukit Gantang by 2,789 votes. The unofficial result has PKR's S. Manikumar winning Bukit Selambau by 2,096 votes.

The Closest to an apology you will ever get!

“I am not an angel. I am only human, and humans make mistakes. Please forgive me for my past mistakes,” Tun M

Tri-Election Results

Barisan Nasional won the Batang Ai state seat by 1,854 votes, while Pakatan Rakyat took Bukit Gantang by 2,789 votes and is leading in Bukit Selambau.The official results thus far:
Batang Ai: Malcom Mussem Lamoh (BN) 3,907 votes; Jawah Gerang (PKR) 2,053; Majority - 1,854 votes.
Bukit Gantang: Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (PAS) 21,860 votes; Ismail Saffian (BN) 19,071; Kamarul Ramizu (Independent) 62; Majority - 2,789 votes

Body Language...

Saw this pic in the Star today on the VIPS at the Malaysian Grand Prix Gala 2009. Body language says it all... read the caption...even the reporter summed it up correctly.

Quote of the Day

One should love animals....they are so tasty!! (A non-vegetarian)

Earth Hour

Incidentally the night of 28th March was also celebrated in partial darkness and we were glad most of the restaurants turned off at least 50pc of their lights to highlight Earth HOur. Earth HOur is suppose to be an annual event to bring world governments to realisation that the people are concerned about global warming and climate change.

I personally do hope and pray that there is sustainability in this global awareness and we remind ourselves continuously to refrain from excessive wastages!

Streamyx is slower than a tortoise...

Internet service has been slower than a tortoise these past 2 days....perhaps streamyx has kena the April Fool's virus or Conficker worm!

Happy April Fools Day!

Bernama issued a report earlier stating, that Najib would be sworn in as PM tomorrow morning but then retracted it just a little later stating that the news was premature. Sort of an April Fool's day joke but then wouldnt it be priceless if Badawi turned around and told us....Happy April Fool's Day....I am not resigning!! Wonder if keris' will be drawn if that happens!