Songkok Mahal

View from Vista Amani taken from my new phone,

Sony Ericsson W660i, not bad really

It’s Monday and another 2 days for all Muslim and fellow Malaysians to celebrate hari raya. Aidil Fitri is no longer a celebration of the muslim or the malays, it’s the celebration of the nation, not only the big day itself, but also the ritual and the practice to celebrate Shawal right from the first day of ramadhan. The daily fasting, the awaited fast breaking, sahur, the ramadhan bazaar, the window shopping and occasional bargain for discount, giving and receiving of duit raya (which is actually very Chinese) and the open house tradition is so uniquely Malaysian.

Not to mention the balik kampong and the unavoidable nation wide traffic jam from the coastal of Johore right to the Isthmus of Kra, to and fro, both on the right and left side of the Banjaran Titiwangsa and also across the Banjaran also and occational deadly collision involving a whole family in a very cramped van. Everyone must balik kampong. It is just not trendy not to.

Unless you don’t have any kampong to balik too. i.e.

1. you were born in KL, by parents who were born in KL, and all other ancestors are either dead or don’t even know of your existence,

2. or if you are not born in KL, but all your ancestors are dead and your house in the kampong looks something like a house in a horror movie,

3. or your family balik kampong, but you did not because you have a lot of work to do in the office, although you know there wont be any work in the office because there is nothing to do in the office, it is just you are so lazy to go back balik kampong and meet your still living ancestor (read: your nosy aunty) who will ask you the same question without fail every year, until one of you (hopefully the nosy aunty) die first.

So nobody in the office, I am working alone. I managed to submit my papers on creative teaching a few months over the dateline and reviewing some papers for few conferences in Malaysia. How I wish I have a conference paper in Hawaii or Tahiti or Phuket or anything like that so I could go on a holiday trip using government money from the taxes gain from rich people around Malaysia. I am so bored of going to a conference where a karipap and a mee goreng will always be in one of the menu, and not forgetting the ever popular roti jala.

Ah something about not being greedy and succumbs myself of glut, this year I managed to refrain myself from eating out a lot in the expensive restaurant or hotels which beyond ridiculously pricey. A normal buffet this year alone can cost a person at least RM80 ringgit, and the price getting higher if the hotel serve oysters and grilled lamb (oyster and grilled lamb has always been the benchmark of a perfect iftar in a hotel)

So I only went to 3 outings the first one eating seafood in Klang with Richard and Peknga, the second one iftar with Dr. Im and Dr. Ting in and the last one eating BBQ seafood in seafood terminal. Only paid for the last one, the rest are paid by someone else. Other that those 3 outings my breaking fast is spent with friends and my mother.

Seafood terminal, we don't really eat but we force the food

gracefully until our stomach get upset.

Another thing to mention this ramadhan is I bought a ready to wear Baju Melayu, which to my surprise actually fits me, and also I have bought a RM 216 songkok!!!

Bloody expensive songkok you might say. That price is actually including my parking summon that I need to pay after I indiscriminately park my car in the main road of Jalan TAR KL. Well everyone else is doing it, I just follow suit, in fact its already 3 o’clock in the morning and why must the traffic police be so fucking moron and give out summon to everyone parking at the side road because everyone is doing it. Something is unlawful and illegal, illicit, illegitimate or against the law only if a person is going something out of the ordinary which is not accepted by the society.

Mahathir called it a social contract; especially there isn’t any fucking parking space available at that time.

So there goes my RM200, or was it RM100, I am not sure, but that songkok which only cost me RM16 after I wrestled myself through the millions of people in Jalan Tar and ever annoying salesperson and demanding he sell the songkok to me less then the price he paid to his supplier, is ladies and gentleman, the most expensive songkok I have ever bought in my whole life.

Too Phat

I am too phat, and it ain’t cool.

I am not talking about the two rappers, but my body size, which is humongous and horrendous and enormous and ______________ (feel free to type in any associated words)

While everyone else loses weight on Ramadhan I am on the opposite will actually gain more. Not because of the food intake, but more of excessive sugar intake into the body. I don’t eat more than usual, in fact I consumed lesser food on ramadhan, except maybe the bodily change happen because of the abnormal time of eating, but I seems to drink too much sweet drink, and it must be with lots of ice, and the fact that when you used a lot of ice, you tend to drink sweeter drink and you drink a lot.

Why, because it feel nice. You see, I like nice things.

So I made a pact to myself that I, yours truly from now on, will try to drink only plain water at least 8 glasses per day and if I desire and yearn for something with stronger taste, I would only drink Nescafe ‘O’ with no sugar whatsoever in it.

Emmm, but then again, I bought this nice sweet like hell soya bean drink, and it would be a waste to just throw it away isn’t it.

So I guess, I have to start tomorrow then.

Happy drinking everyone.

By the way, I would like to take this opportunity to those 6 people who actually read my blog ( the statistic said 39 view with 7 unique IP including me, so I reckon it is six people) to wishing them, all my 6 readers (because you are so important to me):

Selamat Hari Raya dan Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

Berhati-hati semasa memandu dan kalau main mercun sila baling ke tanah dan jangan pegang dengan jari mercun tersebut.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaa….


p/s : there is a BITCH with bold and capital B in my office, and i wonder if i should write about her, here. Then again, i don't want to write about that whore here and polluting my very sane and politically correct blog by writing about that bloody mother fucker. By the way, she is moving to Australia soon (clue: Melbourne) to do his PhD and i don't have to see her fucking retarded face anymore.

So long sucker, i hope you got mugged, rapped and killed shot in the head right in the middle of your temple by Asian haters there (pity those rapist because he had to rape an arsehole)

p/p/s : i really hope she reads my blog and knows how i actually feels about that bastard.

Daifuku

Know what a Daifuku is?

It is not a new car model from Daihatsu, although its originated from Japan.

Daifuku is just a rice based cakes with very sweet filling in it. The outer layer is very chewy and sticky and basically tasteless, and the filling is usually very gooey and sweet. To stop the dough from sticking to each other the rub some flour to it and it becomes powdery. And holding it is such fun because it very soft and plump and powdery and it feel nice.

I bought my Daifuku in seven-eleven, where they sell a set of 4 daifuku at RM2.80. My favorite is the Daifuku mentega Kacang, and guess what is inside the dough?

Yes, mentega kacang, what else?

The sweet and salty taste of the peanut butter with the chewy sticky dough feels so nice when you bite it, and it feels even better when if enters into your stomach.

It was Hatta Dolmat that introduced me this food 3 years ago when he bought it in 7-11 and it becomes an instant hit for me. I like it ever since. It has many flavours and comes in many colours, but what i like the most is the plain white Daifuku, just like the picture on top with peanut butter filling.

So that is one of my favorite sweet cakes.

why am i writing like a year six student comprehension exercise?

Oke, later i will write about "Aku seorang Basikal"

Kelantan

Just to share some of the pictures i took in Kota Bahru, and some of the places i went to in Kelantan.

The last time i went there was at least 8 years ago, and the Kota Bahru that i used to know is very different from what it is now. Everything has changed and there are now tall building, beautiful hotels, a lot of shopping complexes, including two Mydins.

But the people are just the same. They are still very sweet and friendly.



this is some batu in gua musang, so i reckon this is gua musang

His and her mejesty the king and queen of Kelantan
this is a enormous mansion in the middle of nowhere. They have a lot of mansion in Kota Bahru, especially on the way from KB to Pasir Mas.

This is a bloody traffic jam in Kelantan.

this is a junction in KB. the road is big

Special promotion from Digi for Kelantanese only.

The infamous muzium kelantan that nobody goes inside

The Bus Station in the middle of town. To get out of the state you have to take it somewhere else in Jalan Hamzah

New building is being constructed everywhere

This is soup perut, that makes my perut sick a couple of hours later.

or was it the rice

Emmm, the food court.

Shopping complexes

they have bill board all over KB. Just like in Thailand.

town centre

Fashion house

This makcik is very innovative and creative. His customers que in a never stopping line for fresh squeeze, or blend juice. The presentation of the stall just make you want to have some juice.

But the juice is however is not as good as it was presented to be.

This are stalls that erected everytime after office hour around the town centre.

This is supposed to be sotong bakar, but the pakcik flipped it to quickly and i couldnot snap the picture with my lousy camera.

That is the building of the infamous Pasar Siti Khadijah. What so special about it? Because all the vendors are ladies.

hawker stalls everywhere

the road heading to town centre, and to pengkalan chepa at 7 pm. and it is still jam.

The proud Stadium of kelantan

this is a very beautiful school, the building infront of it is so traditional.

This is the name of the School.

This is my friend Adi, who teaches in the same university posing infront of a murtabak stall.

This is what we call Wakaf Che Yeh.

They sell everything in the Wakaf Che Yeh. Its just a bloody enourmous Uptown in KB. It is only half full because the Bazaar only starts around midnite.

This is me trying to look cute. and i love this picture because i look young.

This is my friend Mie and Faie on our way to Rantau Panjang.

This is the Kompleks imigresen Rantau Panjang, and that is the only picture i have because after that my battery went dead.

So that is my kelantan trip.

And i am so happy in Kelantan because i have a lots of thing to look forward for in Kelantan.

Are we trying to reinvent democracy???

What is the Significant of 16 of September?

There are two significant of the said date to the people of Malaysia. No 1, it was the day Malaysia was born. After a few years of independence, it was unavoidable for Malaya to regroup with the other British colony around it to avoid the pressure put open to it by communism activities around the borders of each countries. Then there is also because of the development of socialism and the unbalance of races and the so called threat by the UPP in Singapore. Or was it PAP, I forgotten. (please ractify my fact, because i am so lazy to flip the history book)

Anyway, in order to curb this, Malaya at that time need to increase the number of Bumis thus need to, by hook or by crook to accept (and make them accept. Them are Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei, and apparently Singapore at that time) the collaboration of a new bigger country call Malaysia.

Thus, with many obstacle and heavy process of persuasion Malaysia was establish and the date 16 of September was declared as the date of the formation of Federation of Malaysia. Brunei is not interested, while Singapore decided to be left alone in 1965.

That is the first significant.

The second significant is also political, but not on the concept of national security, but more of a vengeance. Revenge set and orchestrated by a single intellectual and politically experienced person, who may not be very politically powerful, but very influential indeed.

And that revenge was set on a very significant date, the 16th of September 2008.

While the later is selected for the amalgamation of all Malays the Bumis, the former is selected for the devastation of Malay and the Bumis unity. But both need Sabah and Sarawak in a way.

How ironic and very sad.

That is the background based on my understanding, and what I think is not important. What important is what I am going to say NOW.

It’s on the concept of Democracy.

For more than 400 years we fought of tyranny and colonization so we can be independent. We shunt of communism so we can have freedom to choose, we shunt of socialism because we believe in diversification, and thus we choose to live in a democratic way.

We choose Democracy.

In a democracy the people choose. They choose their MPs in a very fair election. The MPs will regroup and those from the biggest party will choose their leader who they conventionally accepted in the social contract to be the head of government of the country even before the government is being formed.

The head of government is the Prime Minister. The YDPA with the constitutional power given to his highnesses will be more than happy to accept that leader to be the PM, because the election will ease His tension and headache in choosing a leader.

So that is how democracy works, the people in a way, decide who they want to be their prime minister. While some good denizens may choose some other Samaritan to be their leader, but Democracy itself believes in the voice of the majority.

Democracy only works if the majority chooses.

So, this is my take. I always admire a strong political figure, those who can have control of a situation and have good charisma to be good leader. It’s not easy to control millions of people especially in a country where diversification of the people and ethnics is their reason for being.

But that political figure must be chosen by the people, not the MPs.

The MPs must realize that they are there because of the people. The MPs view on certain matters might not reflect the needs and wants of the people. The MPs should not suddenly decide whom they want to be their leaders by changing their political flag. This is because when a person select their MPs, most of the time they did not select them because of his ability. Most of the people don’t even know what are the credential and ability of their MPs. Some of them don’t even know who their MPs are.

That is why we have a lot of stupid MPs in the Parliament, especially that one person who brings camera inside the house of Parliament. I sometime feel like running him over with a bus.

But, again what i think of the MPs is not important.

So, they, the people choose the flag or the colour of the party, because they believe in that system when they put a cross on the ballot docket.

The MPs are just there as a connection between the people to their leaders. The MPs are the people they choose to voice up their intention.

So the MPs should not choose for the people. It is very undemocratic if the MPs suddenly decide to jump party just to ensure majority, because that type of majority is no longer a democracy.

It’s a mutiny.

And it’s bad, and unethical and barbaric.

If the MPs still want to exert changes to the political ruling, they should choose a more heroic way of doing it. They can however put a motion to vote of non confident inside the system itself or the party.

If not they, the MPs have to wait for the election, thus that strong, intellectual and very influential political figures like everyone else who wanted to become a leader in a democratic country, should wait until the people is confidently enough to choose him as their leader.

Otherwise he just has to wait.


By the way, not being bias, do we have anyone died of starvation is this country???

But, then again, this is only my humble view, so don't sent anyone to shoot me in the face.

How to curb smoking during Ramadhan.

Most doctors will suggest quitting smoking in the Month of Ramadhan. As for some people are not afraid to drop dead of heart attack or lung failure, so they keep on smoking like nobody business all the other day, but when it comes to the Ramadhan, they dare not smoke. An example of that some people is me

Anyway, fasting is the only time to ensure one is smoke free from dusk till dawn, where one willingly by the order of god, shall not put in his rongga rongga anything be it food or whatever lah, or else, one will be sent to hell to smoke forever. Also included in the instruction is not to have sex or masturbate, whether purposely or accidentally. Hik, how does anyone accidentally masturbated? And also some other things that we cant do during ramadhan.

amik kau, mampu? This is not chain smoker, this is machine gun smoker

Anyway, I read somewhere that smoking is not about addiction, but its about habit. For someone to stop smoking he needs to stop the habit of smoking. The chemical compounds in a cigarette are not harmful enough to make one addictive to smoking.

The problem most smokers have in quitting is to stop the habit of putting something between the lips, inhaling and exhaling the smoke and the action of moving the hands down and toward the lips regularly or the habit of must have a ciggy after every meal.

Click for larger view: this community service advertisment is brought to you by Alfred Dunhill of London

So in order to do this, they suggest we do something else to break the habit. Such as eating chewing gum, eat, or any activities that might make us forget to smoke.

I also read that you can stop smoking anytime; even if you failed you should try to do it again, and again. If a person failed to stop smoking, it does not mean he cannot stop smoking permanently. We must try repeatedly until we succeed.

Last night, I could not sleep again, yes again this insomniac is really bugging me. For once I wish I could be as normal human being and sleep at night, when we are supposed to sleep.

Anyway, while I was watching the tele, a lady doctor came out and gives some tips on quitting smoking. She said Ramadhan is the best time to stop smoking, because most everyone managed to not smoke while fasting. I know someone who do not eat and drink but only smoke during ramadhan, but that is another story.



But as soon as hearing the azan, all smokers will run to their ciggy and end up smoking more then they usually do over a period of time. I know someone who can finish a whole box of 14 cigarettes in the time frame of 2 hours. Buy the way, that person is yours truly, me.





So she said, one way of doing it is to delay your sahur. Try to have sahur as close as possible to the imsak time. By doing so, you would have no time to smoke after your meal and had to continue fasting. Doesn’t that sound very convincing isn’t it? Somehow it sounded workable.

Well, I am trying to do that today, and guess what? The longer I wait for the imsak, the more I smoke, and it is only 2 am now. If I wait until 5, I might have burn my lung.

So I guess her advice is to those who sleep at night and not wait until 5 o’clock to have his sahur.

So i assume, since it does not applicable to me, i will continue to be a chain smoker until my lung fail to work or i have a heart attack.

Its not my fault i cannot sleep.

hik hik hik

10 most favorite food (my 10 that is)

Do you have favorite food?

why am i asking question? as if there is anyone reading this blog.

hik

Anyway, favorite food is just food that you consciously ordered regularly. Or, your favorite dish can also be most popular dish that you subconsciously ordered or eaten regularly 3-4 months, recall and list them and the most ordered is your favorite. ( i somehow are overusing the word conscious, and unconscious, consciously too much didnt i?)

Or... a favorite food can also be something that you like so much and you know you like it. And when you ate it you feel nice and happy. When you have it somewhere else and if it does not taste right you get all uptight and frustrated. It it fits all these description, than that is your favorite food. You always know how it should taste like, look like and feel like without realizing it you become the expert on that particular dish.

Favorite food should not be expensive. It should be simple comfort food that within reach every time you long for it. You might have favorite restaurant, but the restaurant might not even serve your favorite dish. We love a restaurant for a very different reason.

We will talk about that later.

So what is your favorite food? I sat thinking about it yesterday, as if I have no other things to think about and as if I have too much time to do something else and guess what.

I have come out with my list of ….

Jeng jeng jeng

10 MOST FAVORITE FOODS

How ingenious! Bravo.

So here goes: this is the 10 most favorite dishes listed from the less to the most favorite.


At no 10 is, Yong Tau foo

I love both versions of the yong tau foo, fried dry one with red bean chilly sauce and also the soupy version soaked in fish or chicken broth. A secret of a good young tau foo is from the red bean sauce, the soup and the fish they used to make the filling. Meaning to say, we can have all good wantan, tauhu and fishball but if you don’t have a good broth or good sauce it will be wasted. The broth must be very thin and not oily with strong smell chicken stock. The sauce must be consistently not too thick and goey or to thin and runny, and must have the right combination of sweet, salty and sour taste to it.

The most popular restaurant in KL serving yong tau foo is of course the Ampang Yong Tau Foo. There is also a few shop in Uptown Damansara which serve good yong taufoo, but most importantly you can get good yong taufoo from pasar malam too.

But a good yong tau foo must have a perfect wantan, fresh smell fish, and all those colourful vegetables.

At no 9 is,

MEE HAILAM

Mee Hailam should not be complicated. It should be kept as simple as possible with black soy sauce, garlic and chicken stock thicken with whatever powder. I hate it when the cook tries to be creative and mix in everything under the sun with all those unwanted spices to the broth and end up tasting funny. I hate funny taste hailam mee. The condiment also should be minimal. I remember eating mee hailam when I was very little and the mee hailam was the best ever and it only have noodles and soy sauce and some meet, without all those vegetables funky condiment.

I really hate ordering mee Hailam from gerai kelantan/gerai siam, it is just plain lousy and it is not mee hailam, it just noodles with lots of oil and soy sauce and it taste yucky.

At no 8 is, AYAM MASAK KICAP

Yup, of all thing, why ayam masak kicap! Hik, provided the chicken are perfectly cook not to dry so that when it is mix with the very simple soy sauce it will absorb all the richness of the say sauce and caramelised perfectly. And it will be more perfect if it is served with potatoes and chunky onion.

Oh heaven.

The sos kicap sould be as simple as possible and can be spiced up with black ground peppers only. I really hate it when they put in the cinnomin stick, and other strong spices such as star anise or cordamon. It just makes the dish blend


At no 7 is, SUSHI



I love sushi, everyone love sushi. Its tasteless but its just plain and simply beautiful. And when eating it we don't feel the sushi or the rice or the uncooked fish or the salty tasteless seaweed, but we taste the initiative and hardwork of the chef. Thus we appreciate it even more.

Sushi is just not a food, its a work of art.


At no 6 is, SOUP

I love warm comforting soup. Nothing beats the warm soup especially when it is raining and when you feel lonely and when you are alone and feel lonely i suggest you heat up the pan and cook any soup, and then eat it. You will feel really good afterword.

I love soup so much i don't know which one i like. In fact if it is soup, i will like it no matter what.

Sup kepala ikan merah

Sup Ekor

Soup should be eaten while it is hot or warm It cannot be consumed cold. I love any type of soup, as long as its soupy, of course. Be it clear chicken soup, spicy beef soup or stew, cream soup, sweet corn soup, sweet sour and hot sezchuan soup and everything seangkatan dengannya, i love.

At no 5 is, NASI KERABU


Nasi Kerabu is a popular Kelantanese delight consisting of rice and a selection of finely chop herbs and fresh and raw vegetables, top with two particular sauce which is the Budu and the spicy sauce, then served with dessicated coconut with fish meat or serunding daging. It is a very simple meal but very fulfilling. One can choose to have fried fish, bbq chicken or daging bakar to go with the nasi kerabu, but those does not constitute a nasik kerabu. Nasik kerabu is just plain rice, which can sometime be blue in colour top with shredded veges, serunding and very pungent sauce.


The best way to eat nasik kerabu is to have little of everything and mix everything with your hands. This is to ensure that with every bite you can taste the veges, the serunding and also the sauce.

No two nasik kerabu taste alike. Different cook have different specialties and the way they prepare the serunding, the concoction of veges and the amount of sauce differs, thus giving it personality. Yes, the rice have personality.

But, the rule of thumb that must be abide is the serunding cannot be too dried, and the vegetables must be very fresh and not mushy.


At no 4 is, LAMB CHOP





Oh i just love lamb chop because i like lamb so much. The smell and acquired taste of the lamb grilled over open fire with the fat around the rib meat of the lamb melted and turn translucent is just excellent. Especially when it is properly done, and when you suck the meat it fall of the bone easily into your mouth, down your larynx and into your esofugus without any effort, complete with a perfect black pepper sauce and mint is just fantastic. Its better than having sex.

A good lamb chop must be succulent and not dry, so it has to be cooked perfectly where the meat is very tender and at the same time its still moist. So you don't want to overcooked or undercooked the meat.


At no 3 is, MEE KARI



Not everyone can cook mee kari. It cannot be too spicy, or not spicy enough. In preparing the gravy, the coconut milk cannot be too thick or too thin, and when cooking it we must always ensure that the milk is not curdled or separated. Nothing is more yucky than and oily mee kari.

The combination of the curry paste and the coconut must invoke the sweet taste of the gravy, and it must not hurt your lung. Both cannot over powered each other.

Again, preparing mee kari is not like preparing any other curry, so a good mee curry should not be overpowered by those powerful and pungent spices. Those spices are there just to help to give it a beautiful aroma and not for taste.


At no 2 is, Nasik Ayam


Nasik ayam is a chinese food, and only the chinese can prepare the best nasik ayam. So if you want to eat or cook nasi ayam, have it like what the chinese are having it. There are so many version of nasik ayam nowadays and they are so hideaous.

I hate nasik ayam with :
Butter - some people they mix in butter to the hot rice to make it moist (hate it so much)
Serai - i don't where does anyone come with the idea of puting in lemongrass in a nasik ayam
Raisin - Might as well you put in the fruit cocktail and call it chicken cocktail rice.
Cardoman and Cinnomon - For heaven sake, its chicken rice not, nasik minyak.

I love nasik ayam with :
- Very moist but not lumpy rice with very mild taste of the chicken broth.
- Succulent, tender and juicy chicken, be it fried, roast or steam showered with nice soy sauce for taste.
- Lemony chilly sause for that extra zing.
- Nice warm soup to complement the rice.

I love nasik ayam served in

- Hainanese Chicken Rice, Jalan Bukit Bintang

- Hailam Chicken Rice - Damansara Utama Uptown

- The chicken rice shop

- My sisters chicken rice (no it is not a restaurant, she is my sister!)

and last but not least.....

jeng jeng jeng


At no 1 is, Non other than


SAMBAL TEMPOYAK

Hik, very der kampung one kan.

Sambal tempoyak is particularly Negeri's specialities. You can never find it in any other state or not cooked by a negeri's. Sambal tempoyak is infact not a sambal at all. When we think of sambal what crossed our mind is sambal as food cooked with chilly boh or grounded red chilly and very oily and red.

Sambal tempoyak is just bunch of selected aromatic vegetables such as pucuk ubi, pucuk labu, pucuk di cita ulam mendatang, and so on so forth. This aromatic veges are then chop very finely and cooked with a very thick coconut milk couple with a handful of bird eyes chilly or chilly api. It is cooked slowly and left to simmer in the wok for quite sometimes until all the sliced vegetables is unrecognisable and the coconut is reduced.

And the best part is, we put in tempoyak or smelly durian paste in it, a lot of it. The tempoyak is the one giving it the unusual taste. Usually we will put in prawn or anchovies (ikan bilis) to give is some taste.

Sambal tempoyak is supposed to be very very hot. It is not for the faint hearted. It can be eaten with rice or bread and, its get better when it is reheated.

And Sambal tempoyak ladies and gentleman, especially made by my mother is my most favorite food of all food, and mind you i like food so much.

Yes, i am kampung, but i am very proud of it.