Goodbye 2010 !!! (By Nury)

Thank you, readers, for tall the amazing letters this year.  Yesterday, I got one in which a reader told me that Canadian couple had asked the Facebook community to name their baby.  I just hope the little girl doesn’t mind growing up with the name ‘Poke Me’.

Nothing surprises me any more.  This has been weirdest year for ages, at least 12 months.  As the end of 2010 approaches, your humble narrator is feeling philosophical, or, to be honest, bone idle.

So, instead of thinking up anything new, let’s fill this space with a look back at some of the top new stories of the year.

• A  new global study finds that Chinese students rank first in education.  China’s President Hu Jin-tao comments: “Aw shoot, not more Nobel Prizes!”

• US authorities tell New York City taxi drivers to watch out for scary-looking potential terrorist bombers types.  Dozens of drivers immediately arrest themselves.

• A lethal death cloud from an Icelandic volcano causes panic among air passengers in Europe.  Asian travelers are unperturbed, saying: “In Asia, we already have a lethal death cloud.  We call it The Air.”

• A video of Miley Cyrus smoking a bong appears on the Internet.  Disney changes the name of her children’s TV series from Hannah Montana to Higher Montana.

• Google moves its services out of China after getting fed up of the censorship.  Chinese leaders organize a party to celebrate, but no one can find the venue without Google Maps.

• A biography by Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards lists details of his birth and rise to fame, but readers complain it fails to answer the two most obvious questions: “When did he die?” and “What does it feel like to be a member of the Walking Dead?”

• New US airport procedures mean passengers must choose between being photographed naked or grope by a person in uniform.  Everyone complains except for George Michael, who offers to pay extra for both.

• The sex imbalance in parts of Asia has become critical, with millions of women missing,  United Nations demographers report.  The women are later discovered in Charlie Sheen’s hotel bedroom.

• Paul, the German octopus who predicted the winners of the World Cup games, dies suddenly.  A new octopus is given the name Paul, while the old one is renamed Fried Calamari with Cracked Pepper.

• Riots break out in Paris after the government raises the retirement age to 62.  Protesters wanted it left unchanged at 23.

• Peta, an animal welfare group, offers to pay Lindsay Lohan’s rehab bills if she becomes a vegan.  Lindsay says she wants to check which drinks contain meat before agreeing.

Yes, that was the crazy year that just passed.  But if you are reading this,  it means that you and I survived.  Thank God for small mercies.  Next year will be even crazier.  I know this is true because I heard it from a suspiciously  familiar-looking portion of imported frozen calamari.

2 Days before New Year

A gift from customer for the New Year.  However, some ‘fussy pots’ found that it is not as nice as the ones from Jenny’s and probably most of us are full, so there’s a lot of left-over.  Brought home some and surprisingly, Fussy M likes it so much and finishes every piece of it!                       

My weekend didn’t go as planned.  First, I have intended to take some pictures of  the various Christmas decorations of the hotels along Batu Ferringhi but ended up with none.  I should have stayed in town area, could get better shots there.  The morning started pretty smooth, had my favourite ‘lok-bak’ at Ho Ping coffee shop. 

However, on Sunday, I got some very unsatisfying lunch at May Garden; the pork rib I have ordered, turned out like bones.  I was so disappointed with the Singapore fried beehoon as well; the shrimps had been sliced to tiny pieces, never mind that, but it had been frozen for almost half a century, I guessed, so hard and tasteless and so were the squids, with the fishy smell that I was afraid I would get food poisoining!   I have decided to change my original plan to dine there for New year gatherings, etc, although I like the friendly usherer.

Nury Vittachi

Lately, I have become a fan of Nury Vittachi through The Sun papers. I found his articles very amusing and hilarious and sometimes too wild for imagination. Stumbled upon his writings while reading the Mondays Sun papers on the bus home.

Nowadays, I will always look forward read about his ‘wild’ stories on every Monday on my way home. Wonder whether anyone ever thought that I were a bit ‘nutty’ if they notice me giggling behind the papers. Hopefully everyone is too hooked-up with their hand-phones, lap-tops etc., or snoozing to notice.


(Without obtaining the courtesy from Mr Nury; hope he won't sue me for copyright.)

Water Drop Teahouse (vegetarian)

As Fussy M has been mentioning the fried rice at this place taste even better than the one at Hainan Delights, decided to go there for lunch last Saturday. However, alas! It was closed. Finally, go there for lunch today. The drinks are superb, ie; wheat grass juice and the black soya juice....still thinking about it now. Worth the price !

Winter Solstice

Winter solstice is usually celebrated on 22December (sometimes on 21Dec) every year.

This year, winter solstice falls on 22December.   Although there is no four seasons here, it is still celebrated as a tradition.

On the night before, have to prepare some ‘tang yuen’ which is made from glutinous rice flour,  and the syrup. On the next morning, will cook the glutinous rice flour ball in the syrup and offer them to the deities and ancestors during the prayers.

This year, we decided to try something with the colouring; instead of using the normal

edible colouring that we had been using all the years, we use the red dragon fruit for

the red colouring.  Fussy M also getting pretty lazy this year, so we just had two colour, ie., white and red instead of a few more colour such as green and orange.

Also, the syrup is not in its usual colour this year as we use brown sugar !

For the Cantonese, Winter solstice is even more important than New Year!  Few years ago, I learnt that Winter solstice was actually the mark of New Year in the ancient calendar thousand/s years ago !  Presently, we celebrate the New Year according to the new lunar calendar.  No wonder the day is treated so importantly by some up to this day.

p.s. something I couldn't resist ...

Green gift

A gift from Angie San, freshly picked from her mom's garden.  Now I know who/where to
go for  vegie if the market run out of stock!

A Sunday @ Chowrasta Market

Fresh catches from the sea.

 Ingredients from Southern Thailand with love. 

Irresistible temptation

Passed by Kai Kee Roast duck stall and eventhough under my protest, Fussy M bought the last piece of the quarter roast duck from Kai Kee.  Two aunties who came later were disappointed.  By the way,  a pic of the cheapest Wan Tan Noodle stall in town which is situated on the right. 

Could smell its aroma from far while Fussy M having it for lunch.  (I was trying to do some clean-ups before joining her).  Simply irresistable!

Christmas decorations at Times Square

Being one of the most / the most 'quiet' shopping mall around probably due to the economic slow down. But, I still think the layout is very good, the units is spacious. The units at ground floor can even be split to a mezzanine floor ! Despite the "quietness", the place is still very well kept and I see that the cleaning staff fulfilling their duties every day when I passed by on the way to work. Seemed like the management has put in a lot of effort to maintain the place well and bring in the crowd. Keep it up!! I am sure someday, when the goom is over, the mall will be a very busy place. (Oh no! More traffic jams!)

Dinner Treat @ E&O Hotel

A treat given by our senior mgr. So, we decided to head for the E&O Hotel buffet dinner. As expected, the place was packed even during weekdays as it is festive season, I guessed.

Planned to take a pic of every plate of food I had but forgotten. Only remember to take a pic of the last plate of food when my stomach was almost bursting. Well, I managed to finish them !! (try to avoid wastage)

Wendy, the new temple dog

Wendy, came to the temple almost 2 years ago. Its formal master was moving and could not bring her along and actually planned to send her to SPCA. Luckily, she had been adopted by the temple and now she has grown so fat.

Unlike, Lucky, the formal temple dog, it extremely loves the biscuits I brought her and asking for more each time.

p.s. Lucky was very careful and would not eat anything from strangers ! His mom has taught him well!

Novice Programme @ Mahindarama Temple

Yong Tau Foo

Discovery trail:

Fron Nanyang Siang Pau.

Did not made it the first time as it was closed. (Very good business, eh ?)
Also, unsuccessful the 2nd time as it was closed. (on a Sunday???)
So, there is always be a third time ! Well, alas ! Failed again for the 3rd time!

I am beginning to wonder am I too early or what ? And yes, as I suspected we have been 'too early'. In fact, the shop is open at 11.00 am to 3.00 pm and closed on Fridays. (As I found out today! And yep, Angie-San has been asking me why I like to go to Air Itam market? Well, you see, after being frustrated for so many times, I decided to 'snoop' whether the shop is open on my way to Air Itam market instead of going straight there and get disappointed again)

Took a 202 bus to 'snoop' at about 10.00 am and the shop is closed (not open, yet). So, didn't got down and headed straight into Farlim housing area. Got down there and caught a 203 bus to go to Air Itam market. Coming back by 203 again and got down at Farlim to transit to 202 and on the way, able to see that the shop is open ! So got down at the junction of Rifle Range road and walk to the shop. Aiyo.....so much hassle ! And I spent 2 hours going to the market ?

This shop is located along Air Itam main road near to the Hindu temple near Rifle Range road junction. It sells a lot of varieties of Hakka dishes such as yam rice, Hakka noodles and even serves the pork trotter cooked in vinegar ! At night, they are selling 'Bah Kut Teh'.

p.s. I still got a bit thirsty this afternoon.

Fantasy

After lunch at 1926, took a bus to Gurney Plaza, but , got down at the wrong bus-stop ; too soon in fact! Have to walk a few blocks to reach Gurney Plaza. So, decided to stroll along Gurney Drive, watching the crowd having lunch at so many food outlets there, and so many high-rise posh condominiums, taking in the beautiful seaview and listen to the waves as we sit down to rest. Of course, considered beautiful if do not look closely, in fact, an eyesore ! Rubbish floating on the sea ! And pollution washed down from the construction sites that is going on !

To make myself keep on walking, I just fantasized I am leading a leisure lifestyle (like Angie-San, perhaps ?), go for a sea breeze stroll after lunch, no need to rush back to work and slave until going half-blind, deaf and numb and dumb ? Then go shopping or window shopping in the mall and have tea there in a lazy afternoon.

Food path - Hainanese dishes

Went to try out the spring roll at Hainanese Delights which is situated in 1926 Heritage Hotel along Burma Road last week after heard about the place through friend, blog and KWYP.

Just ordered something simple as there are only two of us to avoid wastage.










In fact, I found the hotel is cosy and quiet and it is a good bargain for the budget.


Fussy M's verdict on the food ? Spring roll is still not as authentic and original as the ones made by old Hainanese chef, tasted during teenage years. Curry Kapitan chicken, well, not as good as the ex-employer's.
Thumb down for the fried rice although it seemed yummy to me ! Well, as I have always been known as 'the cow grazing the peony', still have a lot to learn !

My own verdict is simple; anything that taste good but won't feel thirsty afterwards is good !
However, just the usual case, I did feel a bit thirsty later.

Roast pork and BBQ pork

Know about this roast pork stall years ago and being there once with Kaki Bola.
But I didn’t get the chance to try the roast pork since it was sold out by the time
we reached there. Read about this place again in KWYP and in What2see:Best of Penang Food! blog, so I decided to try out the roast pork with Fussy M.

Got there quite early, ie. , slightly before 12 noon but the place already packed.
Luckily, we quickly got a place and waited for about half an hour. The bbq pork
is nice and the roast pork skin is crispy. The roast duck is very so-so.

However, the take-aways is not as good as when we ate at the shop. As expected,
the roast pork skin is no more crispy and portion is given not as good as the one we ate earlier.

p.s. I really salute the seller's fantastic memory.