beneath a bent sky

The Expectant

2009-05-20T08:06:00.002+08:00

Gawd I feel like a pregnant lady, feeling hungry all the time. At least, I think that's how a pregnant woman would feel.

In any case, I've been keeping this up enough to have enough weight around my belly to feel pregnant.

Sigh.

Beneath A Bent, Grey Sky

2009-04-19T23:59:00.005+08:00

Sigh, the downside to having a big holiday to look forward to is having nothing much to look forward to when said holiday is over. Oh well, there's still Labour Day and Wesak, at least, so it's not too gloomy.

In the meantime, I'll just rummage through my photos, and remember what a fine time I had.

Oh and p/s... remember this raunchy reindeer? I have one now!

Hana For Sunday

2009-04-05T09:13:00.003+08:00

Thuk.Thuk.Thuk.

I smiled to myself as I sliced through the mushrooms, thinking it's a tad bit indulgent to be doing this. I'd normally just make a standard instant noodle thing when eating alone at home, but I figured a little effort once in a while wouldn't hurt. Mummy would approve.

So there I was slicing mushrooms as the oil heated up in my saucepan. Chucking the slices in and threw in some chunks of canned salmon as well. I fried for a bit then poured it all out for later.

Filling the saucepan with boiling water, I threw in a pack of instant noodles, turned the fire low, then went off to brush my teeth. By the time my teeth were done, so were the noodles. Good. I drained off a good portion of the water in the saucepan, sprinkled in a little of the instant noodle seasoning (not too much, since I'm not using enough water for soup), then cracked in an egg. Off came the pan from the fire, and I mixed the eggs and seasoning into the noodles.

Noodles get slopped onto a plate, the salmon and mushrooms are thrown on top, then I sprinkled in pine nuts and flowers. Yes, flowers! I'm a fairy, no doubt about it.

So that's my breakfast for one on a Sunday morning. Who says eating alone is boring?

Hana Nissin - Noodles in seafood-flavored egg sauce,
served with sauteed salmon and mushroom, toasted pine nuts,
and a fresh floral salad

Games In The Dark

2009-03-23T07:55:00.004+08:00

I had a dream, I had an awesome dream
People in the park, playing games in the dark
Lionel Ritchie : Say You, Say Me

Yeah, Ritchie definitely hit on a fun idea back then. And perhaps it's one idea you could adopt - trolling an unlit park and uh... make new friends, come Saturday night.

That's right. Saturday night. If you didn't know already, it's Earth Hour this 28th March from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm. One hour where the lights go off in a vote for Earth.

Of course, one might wonder what one is to do with all the lights off. Personally, I'd like to think one can have quite a bit of fun, besides visiting the park. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head:

1. Get your neighbours to switch off their lights too, and everyone can bermesra down by the pool and barbeque pit with some candles and guitar.

2. Invite friends over to your place, light some candles and get drunk silly.

3. Get creative and take photos in the darkness.

4. Go to bed early. Preferably with some one.

5. Head to your local sauna and hang around in the dark room.

Haven't figured out what my plans for the night would be. Maybe look for some Earth Hour friendly establishment to chill out in. So, what will YOU be doing?

Three By Seven

2009-03-18T20:26:00.006+08:00

If I've seemed to have a certain faraway look in my eyes these recent days, I apologise. I suppose I'm just that little bit preoccupied with petty, inconsequential thoughts. Like what sort of toiletries can be packed into 100ml bottles and how? Should I bring a sandwich bag? How many articles of clothing would fit into my backpack? And what sort of assortment shall I put in there? Or should I just get a bigger backpack?

Oh oh oh... should I bring Bob-bob along?

Twenty one, twenty one, twenty one.

And counting.

For Cold Days When One Needs To Stock Up On Insulation

2009-03-15T00:22:00.006+08:00

The slab of Philadelphia Cream Cheese sat in the bowl, looking quite pleased with itself. Poor thing. It didn't know it was gonna get a rather severe beating.

I squeezed a little lime juice over it (the better to sting the cheese with), and got down to it. Whip whip whip. Philadelphia cream cheese cowered and slipped around the bowl, trying to escape. I stoically scraped the sides and carried on. Whip whip whip.

Finally the cheese smoothened out, though not as fluffy as I would have liked it. Maybe I wasn't harsh enough, didn't bruise it enough. Ah heck, I'm too nice, I guess. I would do anything for food, but I won't do that.

Letting the cheese take a breather, I reached for the saucepan and set it over a low, smouldering flame. Peanut butter, smooth smooth peanut butter went spooning into my saucepan. Slop, slop. Hmmm... maybe another slop. Just about as much as the cheese in the bowl. Waiting in the saucepan was a pool of sweetened condensed milk, hopefully enough to coax the peanut butter into a smooth, peanuty, milky liquid mixture. Stir stir stir. Looks like it worked.

The saucepan now hovered above the bowl, tipping, slowly tipping. And the peanut butter milk flowed. Swirl. Golden brown streaked the pale yellow of the subdued cheese. Swirl. The colors folded, the flavors unfolded. Swirl. Oh how it shines.

Out comes the whisk. The cream is waiting. Whisk whisk whisk. The cream frothens. Whisk some more. The cream thickens. Whisk again. Oh why the heck aren't those peaks forming? Forget it. I'm done, even if the cream is not.

In goes the cream, with the cream cheese that's been violated by the peanut butter that's been scalded by the condensed milk, and the whole abused lot gets folded together. Happiness.

Interlude: Check on the cookie base. Should be ready now. Two packs worth of Oreo crumbs (twisted, licked - well, scraped, to be honest - clean of cream, and crushed... totally crushed) glued together with butter and pressed to the bottom of a pan. Two hours in the fridge oughta do it. It did do it.

So the peanut butter and cheese goo gets poured over the cookie base and the whole gang gets to chill in the freezer overnight to set. Then it's down to the fridge so that it wouldn't come out like a brick when it's time to serve.

And so it is done. Hopefully an improvement over the peanut butter cheesecake I had tried before (two years back!). And I think it is - definitely the Oreo base was a better choice over chocolatised rice puffs. There are those who'd like it to be less cheesy. And there are those who'd like it to be less peanut buttery. For me, I like it any which way, as long as the cake gets eaten and I don't have too much leftover ingredients lying around.

And now to fatten up!

Getting Panned

2009-02-27T19:34:00.004+08:00

I've been called many things in my lifetime - fat, skinny, short, hairy, quiet, shy, stubborn, snob, pondan, gay, Thai, Malay, and even Japanese. Well I gained another two labels just today in a single sitting.

Fella #1: Don't you think he looks Malay?
Me: (Here we go again)
Fella #2: Not really. He looks more like... like... like a Filipino!
Me: (Pinoy boy! Whoo!)
Fella #3: No no no... more like Myanmarese!
Me: ...

Talk about Pan-Asian... I've gained eligibility for half the Orient and almost all of South East Asia by now.

Yeah, You PMS

2009-02-21T10:19:00.001+08:00

As it turns out, a little PMS once in a while isn't a bad thing. Especially when you're having friends over for lunch and you don't wanna worry too much about preparing food (especially when you've got a messy apartment to worry about as well).

So here's an idea for an easy to make standalone meal - Processed Meat Spaghetti, which is what I called my spaghetti served with sausage, ham and bacon with spinach and mushrooms in a tomato cream sauce. Which pretty much describes every ingredient in there :P

First up, heat olive oil in a pot then brown chopped garlic and onions in it. Throw in sausages, ham and bacon (all sliced) and fry till just about cooked. Add sliced mushrooms and fry a little more.

Pour in tomato puree or diced tomatoes (I used both) and bring to a boil. Throw in baby spinach leaves then reduce heat till it's simmering slowly.

Stir in cream, season with herbs and chilli flakes to taste, return the sauce to a simmer, then turn off the fire.

Boil some spaghetti, dish spag onto plate, slop on the processed meat sauce, and there you go - a not entirely healthy yet well-rounded meal.

Bon apetit!

An Idle Idyll

2009-02-19T23:20:00.001+08:00

There I was having a simple, non-fussy lunch of chap fan, and I looked about myself. At the airy roadside shack I was in. At the grass and trees that grew all around. And the folks sitting at the other tables with their small talk.

And I thought to myself: How idyllic this is, really. To be away from the hustle and bustle. Away from the incessant traffic. Away from all the drama.

It lasted for all of one minute, then I remembered how bored I am without overpriced cafes, international cuisine and a perpetual internet connection.

Quiet Now

2009-02-14T22:18:00.004+08:00

Oh but it's been a hectic week. And more hectic weeks to come.

But all is quiet now... I'm home, with a little vodka, and strains of bossa nova.

Tonight, I'm taking time out for myself. Being by myself, I celebrate being myself.

Life's beautiful, after all.

Re:牛年

2009-02-09T10:54:00.002+08:00

Reunion. That's what it's all about isn't it? Already, the lunar new year is drawing to a close, and somehow it feels to have gone by with the fleetness of a speeding bullock cart. Maybe it's been a quiet celebration this year. Not that it's a bad thing - managed to avoid the temple throngs and the terrible traffic.

But I'm glad the spirit of reunion is still unmistakably there. It was good being able to take time out and just reconnect. Over the past two weeks I've been home with my family, catching up with old friends, getting to know new faces... and even for those who couldn't be back, my thoughts were with them as well.

Because that's what reunion is - the reaffirmation of ties. Even if we aren't together, it is the union of our hearts that matter. And so, even if the coming year proves to be a challenging one as it quite certainly will be, it'll be alright - because we know we'll be there for each other.

For the last time this year, happy new year!

Much-a Emo?

2009-02-01T23:37:00.003+08:00

Leave me out with the waste, this is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you
It's the wrong time for somebody new
It's a small crime and I've got no excuse
Damien Rice : 9 Crimes

You. What are you doing here? No, you shouldn't even be near.

You, who are cruel temptation of bittersweet temptation.
You are hot and you're cold, you're subtle and you're bold.
You have me caught, you intoxicate my thoughts.
You're so wrong for me yet how I long for thee.

You... you are... fried premium air-flown Japanese sweet potatoes with soft-serve ice cream, topped with green tea sauce and red beans.

You are Matcha Imo, at MOF.

OISHI!
*thumbs up*

Pili Pala Pa Lampa

2009-01-23T10:17:00.006+08:00

Well, the Chinese New Year is nigh, and everybody's in a holiday moo-d. Exciting as it is right now, I know I'll just wind up sitting around at home with nothing much to do, apart for whatever housework that still needs to be done (and knowing mum, that won't be much), and those tired CNY programmes on the telly. Oh and swatting mosquitoes.

At least I've brought a book with me. And some mags. And a laptop. With a copy of Spore to play (thanks to Wingedman who totally understands the need for something like that to keep one occupied all those lonely nights away).

And if all else fails, I still have my *ahem* new 3G/Wifi/GPS touchscreen phone to fiddle with.
*Big grin*

I'll get through the new year, one way or another.

Happy 牛 Year, folks! May the ox bring you better things than just the usual bullshit.

New Year Must Wear Red!

2009-01-18T15:50:00.008+08:00

So say de ol' folks ad home. So say olso de radio ad.

Well, bugger I have no red shirt, red shoes, red undergear nor (thankfully) red pants. But I did get myself this little red firecracker to carry about:

Gosh, can't stop playing, sharing, touching. On and on! Looks like my hands will be full this CNY.

Let's go, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat
Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat
On and on... the beat goes
On and on... the beat goes
On and on
Madonna : The Beat Goes On

Rubbery Buggery Bonk

2009-01-15T19:49:00.006+08:00

OMG. Saw the cutest ad over at Queer Rant and it just made me laugh and laugh. Too good not to be shared!

Watch the video over at Queer Ranter's or head straight to YouTube. Not quite kid-friendly, but I'm sure you've gathered as much :-)

The Warm Winds of Spring Shall Awaken The Wide Earth

2009-01-12T14:37:00.004+08:00

The Lunar New Year is just two weeks away now, but you'd be forgiven if you thought it's still two months away. Despite the red-boxed cookies, and the even redder decorations being sold everywhere, the usual air of urgency normally connected with an impending major festival is simply not there.

Barely anyone stops to check out the decorations and gift stalls, there's no queue at the bak kua shops, there's still crates and crates of mandarin oranges everywhere, and heck, was that a Christmas song still playing in FF?

Times are tough indeed and it would seem that everyone's already spent their last dimes celebrating the end of 2008. Looks like it'll be hard to get anyone to spend lavishly on the Chinese New Year preparations, though we hope that's all for the sake of conserving money for those all-important ang paos. Yes, we Chinese are ever practical and keep our priorities where our wallets are.

In a way, it's a not a bad thing to forego the glitzy and the gaudy, and get back to the true spirit of the celebration - reunion.

And economic woes aside, it seems everyone's flying back to the homeland from all continents (well, maybe not Antartica). Perhaps it's that bad times bring people together (it could also be said that bad times push airfares down).

Well, old schoolmates are coming back from Oz. Wandernut is already back from China, reuniting with her family (present and future!). JT is scheduled to be home from the UK by the end of the week. And I do hear there'll be a special appearance from... the Cute Cousin!

So what of the lack of crackling ang pao (red crackers) and the is-that-all-that's-in-it ang pao (red packet)? There'll be still be food, family and friends, and that's what festivities are all about.

冬天一到尽头
真是好的消息
温暖的春风
就要吹醒大地

恭喜恭喜

Work Bag In Hand, I Leave Home In The Early Morning

2009-01-08T17:46:00.003+08:00

And the year is off to a slow start. Project schedule's been revised yet again so it looks like I'm gonna be hanging around the prawny river for a little while more, yet. Ah heck, gives me a little more time to plan my holiday...

Yeah, we're knuckling the dreams of new year parties from our sleepy eyes and finally getting back into the rhythm of day-to-day work, yet it's not quite full-steam ahead. No, not with the Lunar New Year just a waning moon away.

But it's not quite that that I've my sights set on. Weekends and festivals are good, but they're just fillers till it's time to take off.

Three months. And counting...

Time
I've been passing time watching trains go by
All of my life
Lying on the sand watching seabirds fly
It Might Be You : Stephen Bishop

Friday Night, And The Lights Are Low

2009-01-02T23:43:00.002+08:00

Sitting in the dim, with waves of blue light playing on the curtain before us, and strains of familar music washing over us. And then we were greeted with a sweet, pure voice, singing of her dream, as the curtains raise to reveal a simple yet picturesquely beautiful Mediterranean set. And there sat Miria Parvin (playing Sophie), on the steps.

Certainly not a dramatic way to begin a show, but soft and lovely is fine by me, too. Besides, there was plenty of drama as well as fun being served up through the rest of the sellout show that was Mamma Mia... live in Kuala Lumpur. Who woulda thought we'd see such a quality stage performance here!

And oh mamma mia... and so much there was to love about it. My, my, how can I resist...

The sight of hot, hunky guys prancing about in flesh on the stage right in front of my eyes!

Of course, the girls were great as well. Ms. Parvin, for one, carried her songs beautifully. I could tell Jackie Clune (who played Donna) had a really good voice too, though she probably wasn't feeling too good cause her voice faltered every now and then, and she was constantly drowned out when singing with others. Or maybe it was the sound engineer's fault, but I should have liked to have beheld her in full prowess. Still, it was quite impressive.

It was as impressive as the sight of hot, hunky guys flapping about in wet suits!

I wonder how they do it night after night after night. Mamma mia, here I go again... and yet they do it repeatedly with unflagging energy and enthusiasm. All thumbs up to Leigh McDonald and Geraldine Fitzgerald, with their roles of Rosie and Tanya (the Dynamos), for their high spirits, great showmanship and bawdy behaviour ("Blow, don't suck" is such a classic line).

They easily out-bawdied the hot, hunky guys wickedly dirty dancing!

The rest of the principals all had their moments to shine as well. I particularly liked the sequences for Thank You For The Music, Our Last Summer, Take A Chance On Me, and the comic takes on Chiquitita and Dancing Queen (oh my back!). The Winner Takes It All, of course, is now a classic "talk to the hand" theme. And the ensemble pieces! Voulez-Vous was fantastic, what with all the Vogue-esque speedup/stop/slowmo-dancing in the shadows in time to each a-hah...

Gives one time to appreciate all those hot, hunky guys posing in various stages of undress!

Sigh, it's definitely worth more than every penny I could've spent on it. Hollwood rarely gets it right with their remakes, and I'm glad the stage show came here to set this right and make sense of the script, cause the movie was oh so wrong.

Except for their gratuitious use of hot, hunky guys!

Boy, I certainly had no need for a jacket in that theater, the heat from the stage was simply sizzling!

And yay, to the best closing for a musical, for when the show ended, the performance went on! The encores were so great and lively, I just wished our local audience would be less prim and proper (though I do believe a large number could have been simply clueless), and got up and danced and sung along as we were meant to do. But the cast had enough energy to pack the halls anyway. A standing ovation to you guys!

Oh, and a special shoutout goes to a particular dynamo in the ensemble/swing - the petite yet powerfully muscled hottie with a bald pate and razor sharp dance moves; well, whoever it was, I'M A FAN!!!

So I say thank you for the music, for giving me such a wonderful start to the new year!

Mamma mia, here I go again!

It's Not So Quiet, Shh Shh

2008-12-30T09:43:00.013+08:00

So the year's winding down, and everyone seems to be having a havoc time, holidaying (for those clearing their leaves) or working (or making a show of it, anyway). Over here in drownedglass land, all hell seems bent on breaking loose at my job site. No rest for the wicked? Mayhaps, but all I can do over here is pester those responsible to get the problems solved pronto, year-end holidays and annual leaves be damned.

In between placating clients, pushing colleagues and pummeling contractors, there's still time enough for me to patter away on my keyboard, perhaps reminisce about the year that's just about to pass on... but you know, the end-of-December miasma is not just making me slack on work, my brain's kinda on auto-pilot mode which means I can't really write this post either. Hence, the meandering (even more than usual). Ah heck, I'll just be lazy and recap the highlights of my 2008 that managed to get blogged about :P

January: The month of firsts... My first and (I swear) last experience of letting fish eat me. Also my first (and hopefully not last) taste of Delish cupcakes. And the first of what would turn to be a semi-regular gathering with a bunch of real titties!

February: What else, but Chinese New Year (it's a short month) and that never-to-be-fulfilled non-resolution.

March: I turned 32 *yawn*. More significantly, there was plenty of food, especially meat. And Cook said hello to me... ME!

April: Stork delivered a boy (like, finally)! Began mulling over migration about this time, though I'm lingering on still.

May: Went to heaven, then to hell, and found a little hope. It helped that I had a new toy to play with.

June: A lousy time, and not just because of the exorbitant fuel price hike.

July: Compensated by throwing myself into SYTYCD Season 4, and, inspired by the choreography and songs, made up not one, not two, but three stories. I guess dream therapy helps.

August: Had started my exile at the end of June and barely had time for anything - be it friends, family or blogging. All work + no play = dull boy.

September: Seems like the exile was cutting off my social life to the point where I got all maudlin over meat.

October: Things picked up with the return of a certain prodigal, and gay ol' times were had with the ex- (and the practically-ex) bloggers - including the rather terrifying introduction of jiu hu char into my potluck repertoire and the uttering of what is most certainly the quote of the year.

Novemeber: A very good month indeed - completed my dream collection, a wish finally came true, and I rediscovered my roots... "di sebalik batu", so to speak.

December: With things to look forward to, I take a wistful look backwards. But the year is drawing to a close, and with that comes high spirits and the inevitable family drama (or perhaps it was just me storming in a teacup... as usual).

All in all, I had a very good year indeed. The job's so much better than my previous one; my circle of friends has grown wider, yet no less cosy; there's stuff to look forward to (at least for a little while); and generally things are looking kinda up, despite the downturn. Who knows what tomorrow would bring, but it doesn't really matter. I've learnt that I have grown enough to face all sorts of shit now, and what with such wonderful people surrounding me, everything will be quite alright, as long as we hold on together.

Happy New Year, everybelly!

I Love You But

2008-12-24T15:26:00.003+08:00

You make plans for the holidays and I go along with it. After all, I don't see you guys all that much and even though I'll have to forego other things, I'd be glad to.

Then you make changes to the plans, and that's okay, I can accomodate that.

And then you change them again at the last minute, as if I don't have my own things to do.

And you tell me it's okay if I'm too busy to make time for you, like that's an actual option.

Now my holiday plans are screwed.

Thanks.

Things A Mother Needn't Know: Example 19

2008-12-22T11:32:00.002+08:00

Me: Hi, Mum!
Mum: Hi! Where are you?
Me: Oh just driving home from annual dinner.
Mum: You sound happy...
Me: Happy? Ah, no lah... I'm just drunk *giggle*

You just gotta love year-ends!

Ode To The Wrinkled Walrus

2008-12-15T15:02:00.003+08:00

T'was a fine Sunday, about mid-morning
Perfect for leisurely mamak dining
Came uncle with his trotters
In nothing but his boxers
And gave 'casual wear' a gross new meaning

Like, how hard is it to put on a pair of shorts?!

Pounds Lost, Pounds Gained

2008-12-09T17:42:00.009+08:00

This is what happens when pong-pong people get bored on a day off and go berjalan-jalan aimlessly.

First, we eat (but of course): spicy gon lo pan mee in the heart of KL, in a restaurant called Kin Kin. Amusing anecdotes are scrawled (rather uglily) on the walls, and everything's standardised to the point where there's a sign proclaiming "no big no small", which I take to mean that you'd be rude to talk about the size of their... erm... servings.

Thereafter, it was off to have a walk in The Gardens. Amazingly, we spent quite a bit of time just strolling through a single floor. It's quite evil, really, with all the sales going on. Almost convinced some of the others to buy a really soft and comfy jacket from Puma...

And then the real shopping started. In, of all places, Robinsons. All those extra 20% off for Maxis users just did us in. How did four guys wind up spending over an hour just looking at bedsheets?! Everyone had something to buy - I myself ended up with an olive green bedsheet and olive green placemats. As the Hokkiens would say (sort of), it's cheap and it's green...

Tea was ice-cream (did that sound conflicting?) at BR Cafe. We were craving for the waffle ice-cream but the darn place was not offering the Maple Walnut ice cream to go with it! How can?! Talk about not doing their menu any justice. And the service staff, gawd, they're so slow-mo even their brains run in reverse... At least they were still serving Jamoca Almond Fudge, otherwise they may as well just close shop.

All that walking (and eating) made us wanna go try out massage chairs and such. So we went to all those usual places for sitting and kneading, and even ended up trying out body fat machines. Eeeks! I had the highest body fat percentage among the four of us... well, not entirely surprising to me lah. Even though my BMI was nicely average, my body fat was measured at 24% - that's like borderline acceptable... as in bordering with obese! Oh my gawd! I insist it's the fact I don't retain water all that well that's screwing with the bioelectric impedance analysis...

That revelation was such a downer that I had to bring everyone to eat BKT for dinner just to cheer up! (Actually I was planning that even from the night before, but as my mom said, I'm a "drama king")

What with all the eating, shopping, and eating again, it looks like my plan to save up some pounds (sterling, £) and shed some pounds (mass, lb) is going oh so perfectly well... just with my pounds mixed up. Urrrgh!

Sigh, and as if to add insult to injury, I had to go to a tailor to get measured for a uniform today (how many 'to's are there in this sentence?)...

Auntie: Your waist 35", okay?
Me: HAH??? But I'm wearing 32" pants!
Auntie: *measures again* Nope, it's 35.

OH MY GAAAAAWD!

*faints*

Please. Step Into The Light

2008-12-07T08:30:00.003+08:00

It was a Friday night. I was stuck outstation for work. And I was bored.

'Nuff said.

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Leona Lewis (covering Snow Patrol) : Run

I Still Feel The Same?

2008-12-03T10:55:00.003+08:00

In the spirit of nostalgia, I've been revisiting music from the 80's. I know, I know - of all eras! But there's some guilty pleasure lurking in there, getting reacquainted with the likes of Debbie, Tiffany and PSB.

But dear god, never did I think I'd get back into ultra-cheesy SAW-manufactured pop. Like, I was innocently listening to the radio in my car the other day, and before I knew it, I was gaily (yes, gaily!) singing along with Kylie and Jason. Somewhere in the back of mind, a small voice was saying, "What are you doing?" but it was like I was possessed and I simply couldn't, wouldn't stop.

Guess I must have been extra chirpy that particular evening.

Especially for you
I wanna tell you I was feeling that way too
And if dreams were wings, you know
I would have flown to you
To be where you are
No matter how far...
Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan : Especially For You

Ada Udang...

2008-11-30T01:14:00.008+08:00

Journeys are wonderful things. Seeing different people in different places, living minutely different lives. But sometimes, it's the journey home that truly surprises you, particularly when that journey is taken with people who do not know this place as well you do.

You get the chance to see familiar sights through a visitor's eyes. You explore roads you often simply pass by without a second thought. And just like that, the town where you have lived half your life suddenly seems fresh again.

Thanks guys, for being such fantastic company. And thanks also for taking me on this journey of rediscovery.

Round my hometown, memories are fresh
Round my hometown, ooh, the people I've met
Are the wonders of my world
Are the wonders of my world
Adele : Hometown Glory

If Wishes Came True

2008-11-26T17:20:00.003+08:00

Naughty or nice? With X'mas less than a month away, I guess now's a good time to talk about the things I've been wishing for. Surely I deserve them, for I've been nice. Well, maybe I've been naughty too but we're talking about being naughty in nice ways ;-)

1. Things that make me go awww...

I'll start this easy. Despite being thirtysomething, I'm not ashamed of being still in touch with my inner Calvin. So wickedly adorable stuff like this raunchy reindeer is always welcome. Feel free to buy one for me, at kidrobot.com :D

2. A better bedfellow

I've said time and time again, I'm fine sleeping without air-conditioning. But the sad fact is, I'm a rare breed (rare enough to ask WWF for help, I warrant), and people who'd want to sleep with me, more often than not, aren't so cool about sweaty sex in an unchilled room. So it looks like, sooner or later, I gotta hook up an aircon in the bedroom, for the sake of nuzzling, cuddling and "dot dot dot". Of course, an Energy Star rated one would be good - save money, save the world! I suppose I could afford to get one but there are so many other things clamouring for my hard-earned money. Things like...

3. A 3G WiFi phone with GPS

Like, so much of my life is online these days I'd even be chatting with friends around the table and have side conversations online with those same people! Most phones would get you online but WiFi gets you online for free (when you're in a hotspot anyway). Unfortunately, there aren't too many models boasting WiFi and even less come bundled with A-GPS - not exactly necessary, but I've seen how well it works first hand, and it helps for people like me who like to get off the beaten track in the hunt for nice shots. Of course, shots like that would be best captured with the use of...

4. A Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera

And it's gotta be a Nikon! Don't get me wrong, I love my less-than-a-year-old P60, but obviously I can do so much more with a DSLR. And I'm getting so into taking photos I'm starting to feel like I wouldn't really mind lugging the baby around wherever I go.These things come with a hefty price tag, though, and that's before all the extra lens and accessories. The cost of D40 with kit lens alone would pay for the air tickets to get me to...

5. Melbourne

I so wanna go back there again, even though I've heard about how much it's changed. But somehow, something stopped me from hopping onto the free air ticket bandwagon. Probably I was worried about my work schedule, and the expenses I'd incur. But now I know it was really the holding out in the hope of a better offer. Something like cheap tickets to...

6. London

Yup, I've been wishing for this for almost two years! And as of today, it's officially OFF my wishlist. Although I had to be my own genie in this case and pay for my own air tickets, and I'm taking chances here by flying long-haul on budget air. Still worried about my work schedule and expenses, but ah heck, screw them! Just in case though, I'm updating this wish from "tickets to London" to "sponsors for accomodation, meals and transport".

*BIG HINT to all you people in London* :P

Bonus: World Peace

I really do want world peace! Joystick, peace and love!

The Ti*ni@s!ng Race Klang Valley

2008-11-16T00:30:00.005+08:00

Whew! What a day it has been, running around the valley, trying to accomplish quite a number of things in a single Saturday. Got up early, gave the apartment a cursory scrub and I was out the door by 9:30 am.

Checkpoint 1: Suria KLCC
Task: Purchase a discounted copy of Absolute Sandman Volume IV
Found out that the tome was out, was available in Kinokuniya, and what's more, Kinokuniya's Christmas sale has started! Unfortunately it was not 30% off as I had hoped (could have saved RM100!) but 20% was still a good discount. Got in as they raised the shutters and left with the satisfaction of knowing I wouldn't have to wait anymore to get my grubby hands on the final volume of the whole series. Hooray!

Detour 1: Yulek, Cheras
Task: Service the car
It was time to service the car and I figured I really had to get this done this week in anticipation of maybe needing to do a spot of travelling next week. Decided to pay a trip to the old neighbourhood to see if, by some unlikely chance, the hot young mechanic was still working there. Alas, he was not, unless he had transformed into that fat and ugly AND short guy working there. Damn! On the plus side, I had a chance to have my brunch there, something I haven't done since I moved out of that particular suburb. Not that the food was great, but simply for its nostalgic value.

Bonus Task: At any point in the day, get a Toffee Nut Latte from any Starbucks outlet
Despite having to do all that, I managed to arrive at my next destination at about 12 pm. Plenty of time to stroll around, check out CD's, buy some toiletries, and yes, grab a takeaway coffee. The Toffee Nut Latte is one of the things I look forward to when Christmas swings around. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy, not to mention feeling like a New Yorker when I strode down The Street with that cup in my hand. Got stopped and pestered by a rather desperate credit card salesman (not a cute one though) who wouldn't take no for an answer. I smugly told him he was gonna make me spill my coffee, flipped my hair, and I waltzed off, leaving him gaping like a fish that was not drowning. More or less.

Checkpoint 2: The Curve
Task: Locate buddies and complete one Body Jam class
Toffee Nut Latte in hand, I found Eugene and Kyen easily enough, sitting in a kopitiam. I blatantly sat down with them with my "outside drink" (see, I can walk on the wild side too!). Caught up on the weekly gossip (these two are capable of accomplishing in one week what I might need a month to do), then dragged our butts to gym. Did not actually complete the class but I suppose it's alright cos I only skipped the cool down and I'v always made it a point not to cool down to the strains (literally) of Beautiful Liar, anyway.

Detour 2: Bukit Jalil
Task: Meet up with several people, one of whom will lead everyone to the next destination
Supposedly we were to go to Port Klang for seafood. But the combination of distance and lack of familiarity led us to consider other options. In the end , it was qwazymonkey who led us to...

Checkpoint 3: Kelana Jaya
Task: Eat sea creatures. And some land ones, too.
With WiFi, Saoba, qwazymonkey and assorted hubbies-in-tow, I found myself in a restaurant with a suspiciously red-sounding name, City Star, not too far from Dataran Prima. Service was wanting - it took them forever and then some to put our orders on the table. Thankfully, the food was pretty good, so all was forgiven once our bellies were full and happy.

Final Task: Present cakes and gifts to the birthday boy
After dinner, everyone adjourned to my place so that we could sing off-tune birthday songs, play with the presents, and generally act silly in private. The birthday boy walked in to find a tray of mini cuppacakes and a basket of bitches waiting for him. A fun time was had by all. Well, maybe except for the token straight fella who was missing his football game but we're not the type to understand such things.

Man, I'm now looking forward to spending Sunday doing nothing much altogether.

Delightfully Delirious

2008-11-15T01:10:00.002+08:00

Ohmygawdohmygawdohmygawd...

OnsaleintheUS from 5thNovember?
Stockavailable instore now??
30% off 600selecteditems (verylikelyincludingthisveryonethatI'vebeenwaitingfor)???
Starting TODAY?????

Isogottadropeverythingandthrowmyselfattheirdoorswhentheyopen!

(wish me luck)

Flowers In The Wind

2008-11-13T18:47:00.002+08:00

I didn't have a boyfriend at that time
T'was supposedly a love just to pass time
Friendship was the excuse that I gave
So why is it that I'm still giving chase?

(Reinterprated from here)

It would seem that I never pursue, much less fight, for what I want. Perhaps it's just the way I am. But it seems that way because what I want is not quite as concrete as what most people want. And what I want most is often what the people I care about want.

I do fight. Just not so obviously as most would, for the reasons most do.

I do dream. But they're dreams built of emotion rather than ambition.

And when I love, all I seem to do is let go.

But this is me, dreaming.

This is me, fighting.

Halcali : Long Kiss Goodbye

The full song's available here, complete with lots of neon gear :P

The One That Rules The Roast

2008-11-07T09:17:00.008+08:00

One thing good about living in the valley - you can find some really good char siew around here. And I do mean really good. So when (admittedly, quite some time back) Cubitt proposed to have dinner at a restaurant that serves THE BEST char siew, the lesbians, the Londoner and I all flocked over to Hoong Loong in Damansara Jaya to find out just how true those rumours are.

Of course, this being a full-scale Chinese restaurant, we didn't just have char sio p'ng. We ordered a few fancy dishes (which cost quite a fancy bit).

We had mango chicken, which was nice; tofu with seaweed and mushroom, which was delectable; and the kailan was green and crisp.

"Interesting" would be the perfect word to describe the twin-style pomfret. The meat was carved out and wrapped around slices of mushroom then steamed. The bones were then deep-fried into crisps. The crispy bones were just like a snack; while the meat, though very nicely steamed was kinda lost when eaten with the mushroom. I think I would have enjoyed the pomfret more if it had been done Teochew style.

But of course, the whole reason we were there in the first place was the char siew. So did it live up to its reputation?

Well, the meat was succulent and well-flavoured. The honeyed sweetness of it made me think I was eating bak kua, except with "real" meat, so to say. Which is a good thing. I loved it, and it definitely ranks among the best in the valley.

But is it THE BEST? Well, yes, if you like your char siew lean with no hint of fat to threaten your diet. Personally, I prefer my char siew sinfully layered with porcine grease.

Therefore, as far as my tastebuds go, the top three char siew places to go to in the Klang Valley are:

#3: Hoong Loong Restaurant, Damansara Jaya
If you like char siew to be all meat and no fat, this is the place to go. It's tender, sweet and juicy and definitely the best lean char siew ever! Do expect prices beyond the norm though, as it's a real restaurant.

#2: Meng Kee, Glenmarie
They've crowned themselves the Char Siew King but they're number two on my list cos twice I've been served the lean portions which were quite dry and not so palattable. But if you ask for (and get) the fatty parts, well then it's really really mouthwateringly yummy. Pricier than the average char siew but well worth it.

#1: Sungai Besi Wan Tan Mee, Chan Sow Lin
Melt-in-your-mouth fatty char siew, complemented with out-of-this-world shrimp sambal paste, this is my personal favourite. If that's not enough, they serve kick-ass wild boar curry and yummy-tummy suey kao as well. Not cheap but not actually expensive, you'd just have to risk the possibility of getting smashed by a random wayward Merc while savouring the superlicious char siew there. Which, as I see it, isn't too bad a way to go after all.

A Stuffed Pig. And The Things They Stuffed Me With

2008-11-04T19:36:00.009+08:00

Ahh... steamboat. Just the thing to warm you up on a cold winter's night. But it's not winter here in good ol' Mal-to-da-Aysia. In fact, it's never winter here! Still, a steamboat dinner is nice to have once in a while in the company of family or friends when the rain starts pouring down.

With that in mind, lil' fat monkey and I gathered a few friends and tromped over to Coca, noted steamboat restaurant chain. Curiously enough, we ended having almost everything on the menu (well not almost everything, but still a lot) except steamboat.

Go figure.

As it turned out, Coca isn't just a steamboat restaurant. It's got plenty of either stuff on their menu, mainly Thai-ish style seafood dishes. And we couldn't help but be tempted to try a little of each.

We were a little late for Halloween but not too late to find ourselves face-to-face with a wolf in sheep... erm... I mean, shrimp's clothing. That would be the Stuffed Prawns, where fish paste is literally stuffed into a prawn shell then deep fried. It had a very interesting taste, more meaty than any self-respecting fish would be but then I suppose fish that disguise themselves as prawns may not be very self-respecting. It was a bit on the salty side, though. A case of taking the food out of the sea, but not the sea out of the food, perhaps?

We also had the Curry Crab. It looked just like sweet and sour crab, but the flavour was definitely... different. We had a side of fried man tou to go with it, which made a really good companion to the dish (not much of a bread person myself, but I'd eat fried anything).

Since McCutie has an aversion to crustaceans, we ordered the Pattaya BBQ Chicken for him. I must confess, I stole some of it. Hehe. A good move it was, as the chicken turned out quite nicely, in a honey-teriyaki grill kind of way.

Back to the seafood - Thai-style steamed fish. Yummy yummy. As "Thai-style" would suggest, it was sour and a little spicy (but just a little), and sorta tomyam-y, probably due to lemongrass. Steaming fish like this can only work with fresh fish, and this fish was assuredly fresh. I think I might have even walked past it on my way in, but I'd rather not think of that, thank you.

Speaking of tomyam, the Seafood Tomyam Soup was dee-licious! Thick the way I like it, strong sour taste without being overpowering, spicy but not stomach-churning spicy, and even a little sweet, which I believe is thanks to the loads of prawns that were swimming in the soup. I like...

Honestly, I was too stuffed by then to properly enjoy the desserts. This coming from the guy who frequently tells anyone who cares to listen that he has a separate stomach for desserts. The Thai-style desserts were pretty run-of-the-mill though whoever came up with the idea of serving durian paste with the Mango with Glutinous Rice should be commended (or shot, depending on whether or not you're a fan of the king of fruits). Maybe I'd try the Cendol with Durian the next time I pop by, but right now I'm still too stuffed to think about it.

Yes, even though it's been two days since I had that dinner.

Damn, there goes my hopes of slimming down for the year-end.

Afterhours

2008-11-01T09:39:00.005+08:00

Sometimes it's nice to see a place after hours. After the sun's gone down. After the lights go off. When the facades are free from the maddening crowd. And the souvenirs are safely hidden behind closed doors.

Jew Who Char?

2008-10-22T17:38:00.008+08:00

Potluck. A social meal where everyone brings something to the table. Literally.

I'm normally all for potlucks. I get to polish my *ahem* culinary skills without having the headache of catering the entire meal, plus it's a way to experiment with new recipes and unleash them on unsuspecting friends.

But, wow. THREE potlucks in two weekends? I can't really do that wide a repertoire in so short a time frame.

Bringing my standard fruit salad to one party (for like, the nth time already) and buying my way out of another (someone's buying cake and needs some financial assistance? Count me in!), I still had to dish out another... dish. And boy, had I some serious competition to contend with.

The menu was already sounding like a lineup of traditional favourites - Kitty Satay, Spotty Pong Teh, Cubitt Wine Chicken and Twin Style Prawns... even a continental dessert in the form of a lovely Snowy Bread & Butter Pudding! And oh, starters as well, painstakingly put together into a platter of Jaymaki Rolls.

What with all that food already, I figured I'd go low profile and serve the vegetables. Not wanting to do a generic chop suey though, I drew inspiration from the Straights Chinese (but not necessarily straight Chinese) and decided on ju hu char - literally, cuttlefish fry, even though it's really shredded turnip fried with dried cuttlefish and not the other way round. Simple enough. Or so I thought.

Three supermarkets later, I finally found dried cuttlefish in Giant. And realised that turnip, known to us as bang kuang or mengkuang, is actually called sengkuang in supermarket speak. The drama-ness.

I tweaked the recipe I found from Audrey and measured my ingredients by sight. Dangerous, cause my eyes are rather greedy and always hungry. So I ended up with two large turnips, four carrots, a few handfuls of soaked dried chinese mushrooms, two dried cuttlefish (all julienned) and several cloves of garlic (chopped coarsely), fried in olive oil and light soy sauce in a small wok that barely contained everything (in fact it didn't cause I threw away about a quarter of the turnip). I was ready to feed a small platoon of hot, starving soldiers.

You know, potlucks are also about popularity. As in, "I brought this dish so you're gonna keep eating it if you're my friend. Even if it kills you" kind of thing. A clean plate would indicate a succesful socialite. Fine, it could really just mean the food was very delish but we're polite society, and in polite society, there's always the issue of giving face.

So how did my ju hu char fare? I ashamedly admit that only half the plate was eaten. Yes, I have bitches for friends. But then again, I served enough for two dozen when there were only eight of us to eat it.

I guess my friends don't hate me, after all. At least, not that much.

Keeping Life Simple

2008-10-18T23:51:00.006+08:00

Being over thirty is certainly not over-the-hill, but still I can feel I'm not so young anymore. Two consecutive nights of disco-dancing last weekend had left me quite exhausted and susceptible to minor ailments. Heck, even two consecutive nights of potluck parties is leaving me a little worn out.

Which is why, I would suppose that it's just as well there's nothing much going on in my life right now. Well, that's not exactly true since work's been keeping pretty occupied. But it still adds up to the fact that I don't have much of a life.

So whatever life goals I might have had are now shelved away and collecting dust somewhere in some forgotten corner. Only two things occupy me these days:

1. Eating

2. Boy-watching

Luckily for me, I can normally count on having good company for either (or, more often than not, both). Best of all, it's served with freeflow gossip and bottomless bitching.

So I say thank you for the gossip
The scandals I'm bitching
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it?
I ask in all honesty
What would we be?
Without a rumour or some slander, what are we?
So I say thank you for the gossip
For giving it to me

Moo Of The Day

2008-10-12T23:44:00.000+08:00

Egg yolk smells like smelly small boys
Spot

How a conversation about food turned into a queer (and I must say unverified) insight about boys. Apparently, she'd done some sniffing around.

Literally.

Comfort In A Crunch

2008-10-05T22:23:00.005+08:00

Perhaps it's the urge to splurge now that it's the weekend.

Perhaps it's the thought of having to spend yet another week out in the middle of nowhere.

Perhaps it's the lure of fancy pre-expiry chips going at 99 cents per pack (available at Cold Storage Subang Parade, go get it NOW!).

Whatever the reason may be, I'm all set for another week of afterhours pigging out on junk food.

Perhaps it's just because I'm a pig, is all the reason to it.

Nutty Monkey!

2008-09-30T10:50:00.000+08:00

You see, I have a thing for peanut butter chocolate ice cream. Unfortunately, it's not something you'd easily find in the supermarkets. So much so I finally decided to take matters into my own hands. Quite literally.

Having scoured the ice cream aisles of KL without success, I ended up bringing home a tub of regular chocolate ice cream. And a jar of crunchy peanut butter. Softened the ice cream and stirred the peanut butter in bit by bit. Diced some bananas and threw those in as well.

As simple as that, and there is now a tub of chocolate banana & peanut butter ice cream sitting in my freezer. Probably not for long.

Bon apetit!

How The Meat In My Hand Mellowed My Heart

2008-09-27T16:20:00.005+08:00

Had a haircut. Had a burger. Burger was more expensive than haircut.

Even before adding the coke and fries.

But at that very first bite, with it's juices slipping along my tongue, it set me to reminiscing as images surfaced unbidden.

The greasy grills of Lygon Street.
The "Love Our Song" commercial.
The weekly Ramly at the Thursday night neighbourhood pasar malam of my childhood.
The JD at TGIF.
The Aussie I had attempted to make at home.

I suppose it's inevitable for someone like me to have memories embedded in my tastebuds. After all, life for me happens one meal at a time.

Portobello Mushroom Cheeseburger @ Carl's Jr

A Rendezvous In The Rain

2008-09-07T01:48:00.005+08:00

Cold, grey, rainy days.

Something about them that drive people to seek out warmth and comfort. It certainly drove me out, cruising down the highways as slips of rain speckled my windscreen only to be swept away by the wiper blades.

I pulled over at some quiet corner, and got out. Stood beneath the eaves. Stared at the rain a bit. Rubbed my arms for a little warmth. Turned around.

And there you were.

I casually walked over, then walked away again. I sat down at a table, not too far from where you were. Averting my eyes. Trying not to stare. Hoping you wouldn't notice the hunger that burned behind my eyes.

But perhaps you did.

And you came over to where I sat, carrying with you a heady scent. Exotic, a hint of spice, perhaps. Oh, how you intoxicated me.

You came close, oh so close to me. And your gravity pulled me closer still. Inch by inch, nearer and nearer, until you touched me, your heat caressing my lips, your taste burning on my tongue.

...

I have to say... the nasi lemak was wholly average but boy, the wild boar curry was pretty good. Warmed my body and filled my belly - about all it really takes to keep me happy.

Nasi lemak @ Everyday Food Court, Puchong

Emerald Empire: Dreams Of The Old Estate

2008-08-19T18:49:00.003+08:00

My Own Sweet Time

2008-08-10T23:15:00.005+08:00

Getting posted to a place that's like almost a half-hour's drive to not very much, and working practically from sunup till sundown, day in and day out, I haven't had much time to stay connected (other than the occasional sneaks into cyberspace while I'm still in the office and the higher-ups have all left). Thankfully, I've got my weekends back so at least I can still make the trip back to the valley and say hi to my laptop, and my couch, and my bed, and yes, my downloads.

Oh, and my friends as well. Of course. *cough cough*

Which is why I'm really appreciating my weekends now. Like, clean up my place? Whatever for? I've done enough work for the week, thank you. And it'll only be dirty again the next time I come home.

All I wanna do is kick back, relax, eat, drink hit the gym for that one time in the week, catch up with my friends (preferably over a drink, snack or meal), gossip, watch a movie, eat some more, download stuff, and be generally very merry (which normally involves eating as well).

I didn't pencil "spilling a large Coke onto my feet" or "losing my driver's license" into my itinerary but they happened anyway. Thankfully, I was wearing slippers and not my new shoes, and also, the good people of Cathay found my license and kept it for me, keeping my off-work drama to a minimum. Lord knows I have enough drama at work to deal with.

But it's back to the hinterlands tomorrow and I gotta get up at an ungodly hour so I'm not gonna think anymore about what to write and just throw some pics at you. Pics of FOOD.

Of course.

*cough cough*

Beef Soba in soup at Okuchi, Kota Damansara

Pasembor (Indian rojak) from stall in Section 17, PJ

Aforementioned stall in Section 17, PJ (as recommended by a lil' fat monkey)

Hometown Glory / A Tale Of Two Priorities

2008-07-30T00:24:00.001+08:00

I’ve been walking in the same way as I did
Missing out the cracks in the pavement
And tutting my heel and strutting my feet
“Is there anything I can do for you, dear?
Is there anyone I could call?”
“No and thank you, please Madam.
I ain’t lost, just wandering”
Adele

"But I can't stay," he said, "It's stifling here, caught in this small shell, living the same small life, going through the same small routines, with the same small people. How can I go on like this?"

"But I can't go," I said, "What with my job, and my family, and bills to pay and ends to meet. How can I not see things through?"

And he said, "But there is so much out there in the wide, wide world. Cities to see and countries to roam. Different people with different words, different cultures, different lives."

And I said, "But this is where I belong, on the grass that I have mown, with the people that I have known, inside these walls that I've made my own."

And so we danced, and so we swayed. Loving, fighting, laughing, crying. Holding on, letting go. But in the end, still he went. And still I stayed.

And here I stay still, till the day he tires of the wide, wide world, and finally comes home.

Dreaming With A Broken Heart / The Space Between Their Bodies

2008-07-22T20:00:00.001+08:00

When you're dreaming with a broken heart
The waking up is the hardest part
You roll out of bed and down on your knees
And for a moment you can hardly breathe
John Mayer

Alfy lay half-awake, barely aware of the chill air from the airconditioning that blowing across his back. At least, not until it was replaced by the heat off the other body that now crept up to him.

"Good morning, handsome," said the breath that nuzzled his ear. Alfy could hear the smile in that breath.

A strong arm snaked around to his front, the hand just stopping on his belly, that once boasted of abs but now had gone a little soft with age. Something else strong and firm was pressing him from behind.

Alfy pretended he was asleep, and just as he decided this, the breath grazed his ear again.

"Pretending to be sleeping? What naughty dreams are you having then?"

Rolling over, Alfy opened his eyes... and the bed was empty on the other side.

Was he really dreaming? He should have felt surprised to see no one there. But he wasn't surprised. He wasn't angry. He wasn't hurt or even sad. The only feeling he had was a small sense of resignation.

He closed his eyes again with a sigh. Perhaps he really was dreaming, after all.

And he opened his eyes. And the light was right, and the bed felt as it always had. And when he rolled over, there was Jian, sleeping on his side, as usual. His back to Alfy, as usual.

Alfy's hand slid over to touch Jian, but it stopped on the space that lay between their bodies. How cool it felt in his hand. How smooth and unruffled. And how, how wide.

His hand shifted the blankets instead, and he got out of bed. He'd be late for work, if they did get frisky. More likely though, he'd wake Jian and Jian would be grumpy.

So Alfy washed, and dressed, and left their apartment, quietly locking the door behind him. It was then that he remembered that he hadn't kissed Jian goodbye.

But he couldn't remember how long it had been since he last kissed Jian goodbye.

Beautiful / Frenzied

2008-07-13T13:42:00.011+08:00

Such pretty hair. May I kiss you, may I kiss you there
Me'shell Ndegeocello

X'shyreh flitted about, whistling flirtatious notes and batting her lashes at Yrkrzsh. Oh but he was handsome, the most handsome of all the males in their aerie. But she knew something else - as handsome as he was, she was even more beautiful.

And so she toyed with him - darting left, darting right, keeping the male's head twitching this way, that way, his eyes never tearing away. With each pass, strands of her fine, translucent hair brushed his face, teasing him with her perfume. The feathers of her wings stroked his chest, stoking the fire of his heat.

And the dance began. He grabbed, and she evaded his grasp. He spun around, and she poked her toe into his nape.

He reached.

She relented.

And they fell into an embrace, the female melting against the male, as if she was not close enough to him. As if she could never be close enough to him.

Swamped in the scents of their fevered coupling, Yrkrzsh unhooked his jaws and his beak dropped open, large and looming. Slowly, he devoured the acquiescent female whole.

Deep in his belly, X'shyreh savoured the feeling of warmth and security. His fluids surrounding her, she was not drowning, but rather she was disintegrating, losing her self, becoming one with him.

Her final thought: Come the spring, their children will break out from the shell of their father's body, to fly out into the world. And oh, they will be so beautiful.

The Third Volume: In Which We Learn A Little More Of Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair & Delirium (Who Was Once Delight)

2008-07-11T22:58:00.009+08:00

I've dribbled, drooled, gushed and gasped over this enough times already last year and the year before that. Suffice to say, I'm still incredibly loving Sandman (even though it's been a little more than a decade since I first read it!), and I am so so glad I grabbed that second-to-last of the Volume III's in Kino last weekend at 20% off.

Thanks to the vigilant Wingedman for tipping me off! Haha. I suppose by now their stocks will be gone until the reorder comes in. Hehe.

Volume III covers the "Brief Lives" story arc, the tales told at World's End, and a host of miscellaneous standalone yarns, including the rather inspirational - "Fear of Falling".

I love "Brief Lives", mainly because of the heavy involvement of Delirium, one of Gaiman's most fascinating characters (kind of the Fool archetype who spouts all sorts of weird shit and and occasionally some really insightful shit just falls out). Dream, getting all gloomy as usual after get spurned (yet again), decides to tag along his sister in her search for their missing brother. Yes, all sorts of things happen, including yet another pebble getting cast into that murky pond of fate. Add that to all the other pebbles and ripples from the previous stories and you'd get... Volume IV of course.

The miscellany of stories in Volume III does serve as a little break. It's really the calm before the storm. Volume IV would be the last of the collection, climaxing the series with "The Kindly Ones" followed by the very beautiful epilogue, "The Wake" (of which a glimpse is given in Volume III).

I'm so looking forward to finally having the entire Sandman series in my collection. Thankfully, I don't have to wait that long as it's due for release come year's end, just in time for Christmas sales.

Yay!

Sergio Aragones' Gream?

Delirium/Delight

Little Endless!

Mama Mia!

2008-07-07T21:54:00.008+08:00

My, oh my.

Not even halfway through the top twenty of So You Think Can Dance Season 4, and, oh my gawd... already that crazyawesomequirkygenius *takes deep breath* breathtakingmindbendingamazingbeautifulbeautifulbeautiful choreographer Mia Michaels is Delivering. Yes, that's with a capital D!

Sigh...

I'm gonna shut up now cos really, her stories are so much better than mine.

This has got to be the best start to the show yet. Heck, fabulous diva runway coach extraordinaire Ms J even made a cameo appearance in it! Oh wait... was that Chelsea T???

I love emo stories like this. All that weighty baggage condensed into such small movements! Almost made me cry except I was too busy whooping over that 'assisted run' across the stage :P

Making SENs

2008-06-28T20:59:00.005+08:00

Spam. Eggs. Noodles. The kind of dinner one has when one's Chinese and is a student living away from home with little money to spare. Or if one, like me, is Chinese, a salaryman, single, lives alone at home, and, on some days, really can't be stuffed to be eating at one of the few almost decent eating places dotting one's neighbourhood.

Thankfully, the few things in my fridge were enough for me to cook up a few twists on this Chinese collegeboy classic. Here are three (cos that's all I've managed):

The typical spam and egg noodles, just that I've thrown in a bit more stuff to round it off. Boil dried mushrooms and dried shrimp to make the soup base and cook instant noodles in it (practically any flavour you like, though I was using Mamee Duck Noodles). Throw in some of the soup flavoring that comes with the noodles, but not all of it, since the mushrooms and shrimp already flavor the soup. When it's done, throw in some pickled chinese cabbage.

Fry an egg and two or three (or more) slices of ~~lanciao~~ luncheon meat to go with the noodles.

Boil noodles, drain and set aside.

Fry chopped garlic with dried shrimp and cubed luncheon meat until fragrant, then add french beans and carrots with a sprinkling of water. Add oyster sauce to taste. Mix a large pinch of cornflour into a small bowl of water and add this into the wok when the vegetables are cooked. Bring to a boil, turn off the fire, and stir in an egg. Pour over the noodles and serve.

Throw on a handful of meat floss as well, if you want, for some added oomph.

Boil some beans till almost done, then add noodles and boil until everything's cooked. Drain and toss in a combination of sesame oil, dark soy sauce and oyster sauce.

Fry chopped garlic and sliced mushrooms until it smells nice and chinesey, then throw in mashed-up luncheon meat and fry some more. Turn the fire down low. Beat an egg and pour it over the lot, then fold the egg to cover. Serve it on top of the noodles.

...

Sure, it's nothing as mama-at-home-style cooking as what Ry has been busy with lately, but heck, he's cooking for someone while I'm cooking for one. Sure beats having plain instant noodles any day, though, and not all that much more work.

Saturday Night Worship

2008-06-22T11:25:00.005+08:00

It's been a seriously long while since the gang gathered, so when wifi, jaq, qwazymonkey and I decided to get together, we of course planned it around (what else but) food.

We decided to visit the new kid on the block of upmarket restaurants lining Changkat BB - Weiner's! Oh wait... it's WERNER'S... hehe. Werner's is the sister eatery to Elcerdo, right across the street. I suppose they wanted to expand their market share, because while Elcerdo serves nothing but pork, Werner's caters anything but pork!

What can I say? The place is lovely, and the ambience is just right for having a romantic dinner. Not that the five of us were having a romantic dinner lah. Ahem.

Sole Fritters and Salad Nicoise

Food. Definitely nice, though some were better than others. The Salad Nicoise was fresh and zesty, and came with a huge chunk of grilled tuna steak. The sole fritters were pleasant, though I've had better fish with the fish and chips served in the streets of Melbourne and Capetown. What made it nice was the lobster cream sauce and asparagus, which lent subtle flavours to the dish. The duck ragout with pasta was also nice, but again, not outstanding.

Sliced Veal and Duck Ragout Pasta

Probably the best dish of the night was the sliced veal. The meat was tender and was nicely coated in a light brown sauce. The roesti potato served alongside made a great accompaniment.

We didn't sample the desserts, tempting as they seemed. Probably because by then, we were itching for some street fare, easily found just a hop and a skip away (okay, fine... several hops and skips away) down the road.

Prices, as to be expected, were on the heavy side. One salad, one pasta, two mains and two bottles of water came up to a smidgeon over RM200 for the five of us there. Yes, we were charged for the water. Personally, I don't begrudge a restaurant charging for water (though I also believe at the prices they charge, they can afford complimentary water), but at RM18 a bottle? I didn't check but I'm very sure that wasn't so much bottled water as it was water in a bottle.

Anyway, ranting aside, it was, all in all, a nice dinner in a beautiful place. The host was friendly and helpful, and service was quick and without fuss. Definitely a meal that would satisfy a gourmet, but kind of fell short for us gluttons. So we paid the bill, thanked our hosts, and stepped out into the balmy night...

And ventured down Tengkat Tong Shin to Ngau Kee for one of the best beef ball noodles in town.

Moo-rtifying second meal

Didn't I say we were gluttons?

Closed Encounters Of The Kitschy Kind

2008-06-19T00:12:00.000+08:00

Or should I say "clothes encounters"?

Ransom Notes Keep Falling Out Your Mouth

2008-06-17T22:19:00.004+08:00

I walked under a bus
I got hit by a train
Bachelor Girl : Buses and Trains

And despite what she says, it never feels good. But what happens when you're on your journey and realise you've inadvertently boarded a train wreck that's waiting to happen?

I wish I could say I'd stay on and try to stop it from happening. Save everybody in the process. Or simply stay on and have faith that it won't be as bad as it looks like it would be.

But I really am no man of steel. And wishing won't make it true.

I hate bailing out.

I hate having to be selfish.

I hate allowing this to happen.

Now I'm left wishing someone stronger than me would come along to save that train.

Hide and seek
Trains and sewing machines
(You won't catch me around here)
Blood and tears
They
were
here
first
Imogen Heap : Hide and Seek

Snip By Snip

2008-06-15T20:57:00.003+08:00

I'm losing it.

Bit.

By.

Bit.

On days like these, the heart is heavy, and there is naught that can be done but to lighten the head.

By spending time away from the crowd.

By letting the day slip quietly by.

And by getting that long overdue haircut.

We're caught in a moment
And I can't let it go
I am falling deeper, losing my control
Involved in a feeling
Like the blink of an eye
And the silence it belongs to you and I
Sugababes : Caught In A Moment

7 Days After...

2008-06-12T22:45:00.002+08:00

And I'm standing there watching the counter go up.

And up.

And up.

...

Still going up.

Sigh. Around this time last week, I spent about $60 bucks to fill up the tank. Today, it's $80 for the same amount.

That's like a whole day's worth of meals gone into my petrol tank...

ブルーバード

2008-06-09T20:33:00.005+08:00

Kanashimi wa mada oboerarezu
Setsunasa wa ima tsukami hajimeta
Anata e to idaku kono kanjou mo
ima kotoba ni kawatteku

Michi naru sekai no yume kara mezamete
kono hane wo hiroge tobi datsu

Habataitara modorenai to itte
Mezashita no wa aoi aoi ano sora
Tsuki nuketara mitsukaru to shitte
Furikiru hodo aoi aoi ano sora

You've yet to learn what sadness it
And are just now grasping what pain is like
Even the feelings i have for you
must be expressed with words

As you awake from a dream into an unknown world
Spread your wings and take flight!

You say if you could fly, you'd never come back down
You only have eyes for that blue, blue sky
You know if you can just make it through, you'll find what you seek
So keep trying to break free to that blue, blue sky

Ikimono Gakari : Bluebird

So yeah, keep looking ahead. Keep flapping those wings. Find those dreams but don't lose yourself.

How quickly the year soars by... Come home soon ;-)

Save The Bank Account, Save The World

2008-06-05T21:52:00.014+08:00

Here in our proud little nation, we are celebrating the increase in petrol prices today by a whopping 78 cents per litre, up from $1.92. And if that isn't reason enough to cheer, how about an electricity tariff hike thrown in for good measure?

Let us not forget how our petrol prices are still so much cheaper than the neighbouring island city-state. Meanwhile, try not to think about how our salaries are also so much less compared to our neighbouring counterparts.

But that wasn't what I was going to talk about, really. After all, it's World Environment Day. Ironically enough, the current national situation prompts us to think long and hard about seriously cutting down on fuel and energy consumption, which is rather good for the environment. Why, I'd say it's the right kick-in-the-butt we need to start taking public transport and reducing our dependency on private vehicles. Oh wait... we don't have quick and reliable public transport like our dear neighbour, do we?

Well, I'm sure the powers that be are doing something about it. After all, they pledged to channel funds into developing a better public transport system the last time they slashed petrol subsidies, didn't they? Just look at how busy they've been in the last two years - building more tolled highways and shamelessly promoting the embarrassment that is our national car manufacturer... What's that, you say? That's got nothing to do with public transportation? Well, I'll be...

Looks like I'll have to shelve that plan indefinitely until the day our politicians put public welfare before pride and pockets. Or the day pigs fly. Whichever comes first.

In the meantime, here are some simple things I can and have been doing:

Be a nicer driver. I admit, I still forget sometimes and just floor the pedal. But enthusiastic acceleration and wildly braking result in higher fuel consumption, more wear and tear, with perhaps a few minutes of driving time saved to show for it. Not quite worth it, is it? Drive safe, drive courteously, save money, and save the world.

Don't stop to pay the toll. Again, halting the car then getting it going again is highly fuel inefficient, your brakes won't love you for it, and the power windows will give up that much faster. And that's if you don't have to crawl through a queue. I've started using that transmitter thingy that lets me through toll gates without having to fully stop, in the hopes of reducing wear and tear, improving mileage, and getting to the gym after work on time. Of course, it'll be so much better if they just abolished toll collection completely (hint, hint, you MP's out there). Drive on, spare the change, and save the world.

Turn off the lights and everything else. I don't always do this, so I guess I should start paying a little more attention. Leaving appliances on standby does consume minute amounts of electricity. Apparently, it does cost us more than we think. So switch off, lighten the bills, and save the world.

Plant a tree. Or sponsor one, and have someone plant it for you. I did, right here. Spend money on trees instead of paper, save the world.

Spend a day at the mall. May not make much sense, but the way I see it, I get to do everything in one place - be it banking, having my lunch, shopping, gymming, drinks with friends, or the requisite eye-washing. And yes, the air-conditioning at the mall is running whether or not I'm there, so I reduce my home electricity consumption on hand, and reduce the mall's energy-consumption-to-consumer ratio on the other. I suppose I could save even more by walking around the neighborhood instead of driving to the mall, but unfortunately, there are barely any amenities in my neighbourhood, aside from a really nice park. Also, quite frankly, I'm anti-social enough as I am - any more isolation and I'd be a hermit. So this is how it'll be for now - save my social life, maybe spend more cash, but save the world, anyway. Sort of.

Shower with a friend. Ok - this one, I really need to work on.

Times really aren't that easy these days and from the looks of it, it's bound to get harder. Guess it's time to tighten the belts and the only way to do that is by cutting down consumption. Kick the carbon habit, as they say. Perhaps it really does pay to go green.

If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change
You gotta get it right while you got the time
'Cause when you close your heart, then you close your mind
Michael Jackson : Man In The Mirror

Recovery

2008-06-01T20:16:00.005+08:00

Ughhh... Ahhh.... Ouchhh...

Surely early thirties is a little too early to be feeling aches and pains all over the body. Perhaps I may have become a tad too accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle. Probably also due to the extra baggage I carry around (not-so-lovingly referred to by an ex as my 'lifesaver').

Still, I guess I have an excuse. After all, I did spend the whole week out at site. No, I did not have to do physical labour. But I did have to wake up extra early to go clock in a day's worth of standing under the sun or in the rain or whatever else our recent inclement weather dictated by the quarter-hour.

Yes, stand. The whole day. Looking at other people do menial labour.Telling other people to do menial labour. And kowtowing to the client every two to three hours.

Yes, very rough and tough work it was.

All that, and still I faithfully dragged my ass over to the gym. Apparently standing around at site does not burn fat.

What could burn fat would be a preview class for the upcoming BodyJam 45. As expected, the studio was indecently packed, which meant it was hotter than usual (in terms of temperature, not, most unfortunately, in terms of the crowd).

There was a whole lot less oxygen to go round as well. Halfway through, I couldn't decide if I was going to faint or puke, but a minute's breather cured me of that (early thirties is not that old after all!). At the end of it, there wasn't a stitch of my clothing that wasn't saturated with sweat (all of it mine... I hope).

As for the jamming itself, can't say much. I get the feeling this will be one of those sessions where you've had enough of it by the third class. True, there are some pretty fun and wicked moves here and there, but mostly it's just a bit blah.

Well, with all that activity packed into six days, the only thing I wanted to do on Sunday was this:

Stay in. Sleep. Laze. Sit in the massage chair. Vegetate.

I love this plan.

Say goodnight, Boris. We're going to bed.

Hell

2008-05-30T23:22:00.005+08:00

I strolled languidly past the large mirror on the wall and from the corner of my eye, noticed my reflection in profile. It was hard to miss - I reminded me of Demi Moore, on the cover of a magazine.

You know, the one where she was naked and pregnant. Very pregnant.

Except that this picture exuded less prettiness, less glamour, and more body hair.

Oh well, I, at least, can say that this (punctuating with that Afro-American woman finger waving thing) is all natural wholesome goodness, honey.

Hallelujah!

Heaven

2008-05-26T21:56:00.008+08:00

It's like the memory of childhood,
when all was right with the world.

It's like that moment you first fell in love,
when love was ecstasy and grace.

It's like a spoonful of heaven,
and heaven could be tasted there, right there,
on the tip of your tongue.

Sweet.

Delightful.

Very. Nearly. Orgasmic.

...

Snowie's Panna Cotta. NOT available in stores.

Hungeram

2008-05-22T21:41:00.005+08:00

So. There I was in my ratty, dusty, stale "I just spent a day packing files, moving boxes and visting site" work clothes. Not the best state to go shopping in.

But I was craving for some real sausages from Fogel's and a tub of Umpqua peanut butter and chocolate ice cream for Cold Storage, so stop I did on the way home at The Gardens (a rare occasion indeed).

What did I find there?

1. Fogel's Meat Market at The Gardens had closed down.

2. Cold Storage thankfully still sells Umpqua... but there was not even a single miserable tub in the freezer.

Heejyer...

On the plus side, there was plenty of eye candy roaming about The Gardens.

But there I was in my ratty, dusty, stale "I just spent a day packing files, moving boxes and visting site" work clothes.

Damn! Damn! Triple damn!

Hope

2008-05-16T02:30:00.008+08:00

Like, if you're following ANTM10 (like, why do they use the word 'cycle'? Because it's the same thing over and over again?), and you haven't watched the seas... oops... CYCLE finale, and you wanna be surprised by the results, well then, like, maybe you don't wanna read any further?

But if you already know, or wanna know, or don't really care anyway, well, do carry on then.

Anyway, the last three standing are kinda reminiscent of our typical muhibbah ads, in a way - it's like the whole of America is represented by the trio (just like our muhibbah ads like to feature Ali, Ah Chong and Muthusamy). We have the ditzy blond that seems constantly amazed, the african escaping a horrible past, and, surprise surprise, the voluptuous all-curvey, all-American mama.

Three beautiful ladies stand before The Bank. Who gets to be on top?

Easy. Breezy. Beautiful. Now just who is which?

The judges had come to a decision and well, let's just say it's official:

BIG IS BEAUTIFUL!

This is like license from legendary supermodels (with nods from a diva runway trainer and a noted fashion photographer), permitting plus-sized people to enjoy a full meal at Delicious and then shop at Ms. Read. Oh. My. God. This can only mean one thing...

There is hope for me yet.

Handsome Handjob

2008-05-11T14:08:00.004+08:00

Bold. Black. Beautiful.

I'm loving how it feels in my hand. Sure, it's heftier than most, and that bulge in the pants simply can't be missed. But heck, it won't stay in for long, not when I just love whipping it out and wrapping my fingers firmly around it.

Of course, I'm talking about my latest toy - the Nikon P60.

Admittedly, most people want their compact digital cameras to be slim and stylish. Personally though, I find those quite flimsy and hard to hold. I really dig how the P60 is shaped like some miniaturised DSLR. Only thing is, it may be able to fit into my pockets, but only if I'm wearing loose-fitting pants with huge pockets. But then, that gave me the perfect excuse to go buy a Crumpler hip pouch to carry my camera around in.

I'm not gonna say the P60's a really great camera. Obviously it can't be compared to a DSLR (no compact can). It's really low-end for a prosumer camera as well, which means it probably can't outshoot most other prosumer compact cameras out there.

Having said that, it does take rather good pictures, especially if they're only for digital publishing. The vibration reduction works impressively, it's 8 megapixel count is quite sufficient, and it even has a good 5x of optical zoom. Most of all, it's not just a point-and-shoot. A low-end prosumer camera it may be, but a prosumer camera nonetheless. That means it offers up full and semi-manual modes to allow a good range of customisation to the settings. And I do like to fool around with settings :-)

All in all, I find the P60 to be a decent camera (in any case, I've already bought it and therefore have to convince myself so). As a prosumer camera, it's seriously just so-so. But what the hey, at RM699, it's a pretty good camera for it's price.

Humidity

2008-05-07T00:17:00.004+08:00

The air is thick, as though drenched in sticky, sour sweat. And it has nothing to do with my being in the gym.

First, it was months of daily downpours in the season for dry spells. Now the rains seem to have stopped, only to be replaced by this heaviness. Heat. Humidity.

These are the humdrum days.

In the afternoons, you just want to sit your air-conditioned office. Unfortunately, my table is brilliantly located in the air-conditioning's blind spot, so I'd have to get up every five minutes or my arms would otherwise be glued to the desk by the sweat seeping through my pores.

In the nights, well, these are nights you wouldn't want to cuddle up in bed. Which oddly works out well for me - there's no one to cuddle me anyway.

May. So this be your mayhem, O mischievous May.

Harrumph

2008-05-04T11:46:00.002+08:00

It probably says a lot, when I think of my childhood and see that the characters I've most identified with back then were these...

This is me then, and now you know.

And You Linger On...

2008-04-21T23:27:00.005+08:00

We were as one, babe, for a moment in time. And it seemed everlasting that you would always be mine. Now, you want to be free, so I'm letting you fly. Cause I know in my heart, babe, our love will never die.

You'll always be a part of me. I'm part of you indefinitely. Don't you know you can't escape me? Cause you'll always be my baby.

And we'll linger on.

If Life Were A Movie

2008-04-16T21:29:00.002+08:00

I'd be a meaty 32-year old, sprawled out on the couch alone at home in my shabby PJ's, getting wasted and lip-synching dramatically to the Dion version of All by Myself.

Oh wait.

I don't wear PJ's.

Antara Sana Dengan Sini

2008-04-13T07:55:00.006+08:00

I think of gelatis in winter at night.
Then I think of Teochew porridge in the wee hours of the day.

I think of books in parks on warm, sunny days.
And I think of lounging and lazing in my semi-complete apartment.

I think of how it rains any time, any day there.
I think of how it rains any time, any day here.

I think of trundling along in trams and trains.
Then I think of careening around in my very own car.

I think of the pools and their open showers.
And I think of our gyms and their cruisy saunas.

I think of the hot oriental boys you'd find over there.
I think of the hot oriental boys you'd find over here.

I think of cafe lattes, I think of teh tarik.
I think of pho, and also of bak kut teh.
I think of friends who are there, and friends who are here.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
Now far ahead the Road has gone
And I must follow, if I can
Pursuing it with weary feet
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet
And whither then? I cannot say
J.R.R. Tolkien : Old Walking Song

And whither then? I cannot say.

Hit Me Baby One More Time!

2008-04-02T21:55:00.003+08:00

Breaking news: I'm an uncle. Again!

And it's a BOY!

Not to be sexist or anything, but when three of your closest cousins and your own brother have collectively produced seven girls, it's kind of refreshing to find a baby boy in the family. Finally, I can shop beyond dresses and start looking at shirts, Legos (admittedly girls can play that too, but my niece is still a bit young, and the other girls just wanna be pretty princesses) and Transformers!

Although, it's my firm (and probably heavily-biased) belief that every boy must have a teddy bear. Girls can have soft toys and dolls of any shape or species, but boys need bears :P

But as for right now, the thing I need to shop for is a full-moon gift. Bequeathing a baby boy with jewelery is a bit hard, so gotta think on this one. And I have one month to do it.

Nobody said being a fabulous uncle is easy.

P/S: Am glad my nephew was not born YESTERDAY!

Follow Me, Follow Me, Down Down Down

2008-03-29T14:00:00.005+08:00

Here is your mission, should you choose to accept it:

Tonight, at 8pm: Turn off the lights.

Yeah, turn off the lights, even if it's just for one hour.

Because on March 29, 8pm is Earth Hour. An hour dedicated to reminding the world of how every little thing we do affects the environment. Even switching off lightbulbs can make a difference.

So follow me down to the site, sign up, spread the word, and don't forget - turn off the lights tonight.

We can all make a difference.

I looked above the other day
Cuz I think I'm good and ready for a change
I live my life by the moon
If it's half lay low, if it's harvest go slow, and if it's full, then go
Nelly Furtado : Turn Off The Light

You Had Me At Hello

2008-03-28T19:48:00.010+08:00

Don't even tell me about the way you watch me pass outside your door or how you've dreamt you've kissed my lips like... a thousand times! Really, never mind all that - you had me at that very first "hello".

And the other night, when you told me that the kid was not your son? Heck, I don't know whether or not to believe you, but I sure as hell don't care either way! After all, I'm already willing to overlook that thinning hair and (gawd!) even the double chin. What's an illegitimate child, huh? Just keep looking at me with those smouldering eyes, darling, and I doubt I could ever remember to always think twice...

Yes, yes, yesyesysohyes! It really is you that I'm looking for.

*waves hello very frantically

Hello, oh hel-LO!

Spider Picks And Supper Pigs

2008-03-23T23:19:00.007+08:00

Haven't been to the movies for ages, and finally went to catch one (I think for the first time this year), just last week.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a nice movie, if you're into fairies and goblins and such. Nice, not necessarily amazing, but nice, nevertheless. It's a simple children's fantasy tale that's not too complex. Things do get resolved a little too tidily, but hey, like I said, it is a children's tale after all.

Freddie Highmore does a commendable job playing identical twins with polar personalities - one broody and rebellious, the other all freshly scrubbed and neatly buttoned. Either way, he's cute (in a non-pedo way, I must add) and he's got that boyish charm working for him. It's also good to see he didn't rehash his earnest-to-goodness Charlie character from that other film about the chocolate factory. Sad to think adolescence will be corrupting him all too soon.

Anyway, the movie did leave me wanting for a bit more, since there just weren't enough fairies and nymphs and pixies to slate my thirst for the fantastic. Looks like I'd have to turn to the books then. Yes, they are children's books, I know, but there's five of them, and from the excerpts I read, there's a whole lot more to the story then what had been portrayed on the screen.

In conclusion, do watch this movie for a light, fun romp that won't hurt your brains or eyes. Don't worry too much about the hows and whys and you'll be able to enjoy the show.

And oh yes, if you need a spot of dinner or a late-night meal when you're done with the show, consider dropping over at Sungai Besi Wan Tan Mee for their famous fare. Recommended orders include the flavorful curry wild boar, sumptious suey kao, and quite possibly the best char siu in KL. Don't forget to grab a big dollop of their really good sambal as well!

I know, I know... again with the food!

It's just a roadside dining place with plastic tables and chairs, and as you can tell, they're not concerned about pretty presentations. But hey, this is food that's so good it's literally spilling out of it's plate, so I'm quite prepared for the messiness.

I'd give it two thumbs up, but I'm just too occupied with eating everything in sight.

More Meaty Goodness

2008-03-18T16:07:00.001+08:00

As a follow-up to the Meat Market Sunday, I had another meaty Sunday a couple of weeks ago, thanks to my cousin who somehow figured that's how his little 4-year old should celebrate her birthday. She seemed to have fun, she did, though I'm not sure if she ate all that much. Happily, the food did keep us adults engrossed enough not to notice the kids running about helter skelter.

Anyway, if you like your Korean BBQ and the Ampang Point area is too far for you, consider popping over to USJ Taipan's Dae Jang Gum. It is authentic, though not in the royal-kitchenmaid-turned-imperial-physician way you might expect from a place bearing her name. In fact, you may even find it strange to walk into a Korean restaurant to find an entire wall covered in a painting of some street in... Penang, perhaps.

At least the owners really are Korean. But not as cute as those K-Pop idols look, unfortunately.

But yeah, the food is indeed good. Really good. My cousin did all the ordering so I'm not too sure what was what, but among the stuff I had, the one that really stood out was the pork marinated in some sort of sauce. It was really tender and flavorful.

Yummy.

Of course, be prepared to leave the place smelling of sizzle. After all, all the barbecuing is done right at your table.

Oh yeah, the tea's a tad dodgy as well. But other than that, it's an excellent place for a big, meaty meal.

Weathering Storms & Living Long

2008-03-14T23:20:00.002+08:00

Been meaning to post sooner but sigh, it's been raining, it's been pouring, and me love life's been boring me to tears...

But I digress.

Meteoroligical and political storms aside, my parents have been squatting in my "loft" for half a week. So of course, there's been a little loss of privacy, and zero gym time for me.

On the plus side, my house is spick and span, even the fans and windows have been cleaned, my goodness. The laundry gets folded up neatly, and all the shirts and even t-shirts get ironed. There's breakfast waiting before I leave for work and dinner greeting me when I get home.

Sigh, but it's back to living like the slob I am now.

Sob sob.

Here's a token picture of food.

Mee sua, or longevity noodles, customary meal for chinese people celebrating their birthday (yes, for us, it's almost always about either prosperity or longevity, preferably both). As it so happened, my chinese lunar birthday fell exactly one week after my roman calendar birthday.

Which reminds me... happy belated birthday, darling!

32

2008-03-05T23:36:00.010+08:00

So what's the perfect antidote to that huge-ass, meat-stuffed brunch I had on Sunday?

I don't know, but surely it can't be all the lemak I had for dinner that same day! Still, what the heck, I just had a craving for it and strangely enough it's one of those things that's not so commonly found in KL, and when you do find it, half the time it's just not done right. Surprising, since it's not all that hard to make.

So I perah-ed the kelapa (by which I mean I opened a can of coconut extract), chopped the carrots and long beans, shredded the cabbage, ground the dried shrimp, and threw everything into a pot to boil. A dash of turmeric powder and a scattering of salt, and there you have it... Sayur Lodeh, mixed vegetables cooked in coconut milk, which forms the basis of any lontong.

I opted for the lontong darat style, which basically is a dry-ish version of lontong. It's less messy, and more importantly, I don't have a pot big enough to cook sufficient gravy for the regular lontong. Hehe.

Just to make sure my guests got a bit more of variety, I got sambal sotong, satay and tea eggs to complement it. PLUS, meat floss to top it all off.

[ Hostess's Hint: Meat floss adds flavour, texture and fun to an otherwise bland dish. Try it with steamed rice, porridge, instant noodles, or like me, when making lontong for the first time and you want to have something to conveniently cover up any inadequacies ]

This year's birthday dinner turned out to be a much quieter affair compared to the previous two years. Everyone's so busy these days (or maybe my friends just don't love me anymore). In any case, it was kind of a relief because I always hate having to deal with the logistics of a dinner party for a dozen or so people. Sorting out what to seat people on, what to entertain them with, preparing enough food and diningware... I'm just not a party-planning person.

So in a way it was just nice that there were only six of us that night. We could sit comfortably around the dining table, and I could serve my guests using real plates and bowl and forks and spoons and glasses. And my pots and serving bowls are just big enough to cater a group this size.

Well, my thanks to C&J for ditching C's final company dinner in favor of my little do. Perhaps I should have organised a lucky draw to compensate your missing out on that one!

Thanks to the monkey and his McCutie for bringing the satay, the nasi impit (couldn't have had lontong without that!) and most of all, for doing the washing up. And yeah, thanks for the book as well... think I'll love it *Hugs*

And, of course, thanks to WiFi, for having the foresight to bring a cake, despite my telling everyone they needn't bring anything. Like, how was I to know I'd fail at making a cake, even if said cake was prepared from a store-bought premix per instructions on the box?

Actually, the cake turned out fine but fell apart when I tried to take it out of the pan. Seemed that I missed out on the instruction that said "line the pan with baking paper". Sigh. So while we could technically still eat the Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Crumble (formerly to be known as Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake), it would have been a little bit difficult figuring out where to stick a candle on that mess of cake pieces, sliced bananas and melting ice-cream.

Incidentally, WiFi bought a "Crystal Orange" cake. I wondered if it was by coincidence that the baker had come up with batches of this, so soon after Chinese New Year.

All in all, I had I nice weekend before my birthday, what with the brunch I had and then the dinner. My birthday itself was spent quietly with no fanfare whatsoever in the office, followed by a relaxing spot of BodyBalance at the gym.

It turned out that there was a teensy bit of fanfare, after all. Joining yw[2k] and the other gym kaki for dinner, I was surprised by Wingedman popping up with a cake (with a cake, I said, not out of a cake). Eeeks! Just what I need, more cake... but at least it wasn't some space cake from Amsterdam!

Thanks, everyone, for making this a nice, cheery, drama-free 32nd birthday! I can only wish the rest of the year would be as pleasant as the last few days have been :-)

Make Mine Meat

2008-03-02T23:19:00.000+08:00

MMM...

Marvelous. Mouthwatering. Merriment.

MMM...

Meat. Meat. And (ohIthinkI'vediedandgonetocarnivoreheaven) More meat!

This is what Sundays are about. Crawling out of bed at ten, heading over to a posh address for a spot of brunch with a bunch of friends. Brunch that consists of processed cows, pigs and lambs. Oh yum.

This might have been how we agreed on it:

Me: Let's have dinner on Wednesday.
Nut: I got a cramped sole.
Snowie: Spot's sprained her back.
Spot: That's cos you didn't milk my udders for over a month.
Wingedman: I've got plans to go gambol about among the tulips, wearing clogs... and only clogs.
Me: ... Erm... okay... how about a carnivore's brunch on Sunday then? I heard good things about this place...
Nut: Ooh... that place is AMAZING!
Snowie: Count me in!
Spot: Moo too!
Wingedman: Omg I'll hijack the next flight out and meet you guys there...

Well, I did say that might have been how it went...

Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately) Wingedman did not manage to hijack a plane. Maybe he overslept or something. But the rest of us followed the scent of burning fats all the way to Fogal's Meat Market at Plaza Damas, and gathered over a mighty big meal of mmmeat.

When they say it's a Big BBQ Breakfast, they weren't kidding about the BIG. It's seriously big enough to feed two adults with healthy appetites. Even adults with appetites as healthy as mine. Two steaks, two sausages, two grilled tomatoes, bacon, egg, hash brown, toast and mushroom, literally topped with butter (see that pack of SCS sitting on the bread?).

The two couples at the table, of course, each happily shared a plate of mass murder.

Sigh, it would seem that the tyranny of St. Valentine continues beyond February.

Poor single me, having no one to spread the fats with, had to forgo all that, and instead, settled for just a plate of french toast and bacon.

With a side of hash browns.

And a pig sausage.

And oh, a plate of mushrooms as well.

Which turned out to be a mini big breakfast, anyway.

Spot and Snowie (bless the cow's multiple stomachs) had enough room to squeeze in a dessert, which they very nicely offered me a wee bite. Now I'm no fan of dates (the fig... and perhaps, to a much lesser extent, the experience as well) but this sticky date pudding is absolutely dreamy.

Nut had promised the presence of hot, young, blond-haired, blue-eyed Aryans, waiting on us. Unfortunately, they weren't there that day, though there was a cute, dark-skinned fellow who greeted me and showed me to my table. In the end, it didn't matter - I was too busy eating.

In between the munching, there was also much chatting and laughing. This is definitely the kind of Sunday I love waking up to.

Anyway, I had a really good time. And thanks again, Spot and Snowie, for the wonderful treat!

Remember peeps, it's MMM... Meat Market at Mont Kiara.

(Okay, technically it's Sri Hartamas, but that doesn't start with an M)

:P

Unpretty

2008-03-01T18:54:00.007+08:00

To be honest, I'd rather stay home these days.

Because when I step outside, my eyes get sore from seeing all the pennants and banners and posters strung up and across lamposts, from tree to tree, and even pavilions wrapped from foot to pinnacle in party symbols.

Oh. My. Gawd. The ugliness of it.

It's like the streets are strewn with officially condoned rubbish. Do they really think that making me see all that stuff stuck on every available surface would make me want to vote for either of them? Well, they seem to think so, don't they?

Give me a prettily made-up campaign and I might think about voting for you.

But right now, I'm simply indisposed from bouts of nausea and bleeding eyes.

Azuki

2008-02-24T19:21:00.003+08:00

crushed beneath the weight of the pestle
unable to draw breath
you forget the shape of what you were before
and slip...

soft
like the heart
worn to the thin

red
like the blood
drying on a wound

sweet
like the sorrow
that stains my soul

有時候有時候
我會相信一切有盡頭
相聚離開都有時候
沒有甚麼會永垂不朽

可是我有時候
寧願選擇留戀不放手
等到風景都看透
也許你會陪我看細水長流

王菲 : 紅豆

Daidai

2008-02-21T21:33:00.005+08:00

Again, we have come to the end of the beginning of the Chinese lunar year.

Again, many of us find ourselves with a surplus of mandarin oranges in our homes. Even for one like myself, who only brought a handful of these back with me from my mom's home, plus a couple from the office. I do like these things, though I don't eat too much of them, and one easily gets sick of it over the fifteen days of Chinese New Year. Really, I only get them for their ornamental values.

That, and the prospect of attracting wealth (apparently, oranges, or kam, are symbolic of gold).

Perhaps it is this yearly surplus of tangerines that led some people to come up with a strange idea of disposing them - throw them into the nearest river. Of course, nobody would be bothered to do this, and some may even complain of river pollution, but for the carrot (or rather, orange) dangled.

The fifteenth day of the lunar new year is supposedly the "Chinese Valentine' Day" (maybe he was called Hua Lan Tai in China). Therefore, single girls should throw oranges into the water, hoping to find their perfect match, out of a bevy of prospective suitors standing downriver in the hopes of landing the right orange. I suppose it might work if they wrote down their mobile numbers in waterproof ink onto silk kerchiefs and stuffed said kerchiefs into the poor oranges, so that the guys would know whose orange they've picked.

Personally, I think it's rather silly. The girls managed to throw out the excess oranges from new year, but the guys willingly bring home discarded fruit. This may be one of the rare days when Chinese parents would be thankful for not having sons. At least, not straight ones prone to fishing for rotting mandarins.

I'm thinking it might be a better idea to just throw a party. It is the last day of new year, after all, and all the more reason to have a party. Besides, you're more likely to get lucky with a guy at a party, as opposed to crowding around a very large drain.

And of course, the theme of the party would have to be "Orange". But don't tell your guests that because if they knew they were going to help you finish eating all the oranges in your home, they'll quite likely find themselves suddenly preoccupied with an appointment for washing the neighbour's sixth aunt's colleague's daughter's dog's hair or something.

I'm thinking the meal could be something like that:

Starters: Bacon-wrapped Tangerines
Mains: Mandarin Pork Roast, served with a side of Mandarin Orange Couscous and a Spinach and Pine Nut Salad (just because there's no "orange" in the name does not mean there isn't any in the salad)
Dessert: Mountainous Mandarin Pie
(Disclaimer: I've never tested any of the recipes, so I can't vouch for any of them. But they sure do sound worth trying out - just maybe not all at the same time)

After dinner, you could watch some orange-related shows like Bleach (featuring a really hot-looking Shinigame, despite the orange hair) or for something short, No Doubt's Don't Speak MV (not really auspiscious, but Gwen looks so good with that orange in her hand). You might wanna leave out A Clockwork Orange though - haven't seen that one but I'm guessing it's not exactly festive.

And afterwards, when the party has quieted down and there are still leftover mandarins, well, I'm sure you can think of ways of using them to celebrate a Chinese Valentine's Day with one (or more) of your guests.

Candlelit Dinner For One

2008-02-14T22:48:00.013+08:00

Aiyoh, it's Thursday lah. Weekday, you know. Weekday! Tomorrow still got to work one! What for lah go and cram cram with so many other people paying through their noses to go and sit and wait long long time just to eat the same thing as everyone else? So special is it? Just because the newspaper say it's the most romantic day of the year so that means it's very very romantic lah to be spending half a month's pay check for dinner and flowers and chocolates lah.

Maybe I am not so romantic lor.

I rather go home and eat, thank you very much. Home cooked meal, you know. Very warm and touching one. Better to eat food made by your own loving hands. But not right after your hands have been busy loving loving and touching touching lah, unless you have already thoroughly cleaned your hands with soap and disinfectant first lah, hor.

So yah lah, I go home, cook instant noodles. But some more I take time to cook some cabbage also... last week go back home for Chinese New Year, mummy already pesan must eat more vegetables mah. And some more got one can of tuna. And then some fried vegetarian frozen flour thing... because, kawan-kawan semua, carcogenic carbs are an important food group. Yah, yah, I cook like Inoue Orihime.

Then hor, I see my place so messy, I also cannot tahan lor. So I turn off the lights, mou ngan tai, you know - no eye see. Konon can also cut down my carbon footprint some more, siul. But then hor, because today supposed to be most romantic day of the year hor, so I light some candles lor (I hope the perfume will halau all the mosquitoes also).

Ah see? Romantic, what. Nice, what. Had lovely dinner, what.

Oh yeah, still haven't opened that lychee liquor I had bought in Langkawi, leh. I think it's time to try it out, see what kind of weird drink I can concoct with it. Alcohol... should be good together with fireworks, hor?

After that, I can go to bed and love myself some more.

Happy Valentine's day, kawan-kawan semua!

Perhaps it's just another night, just like any other night.

But tonight, the soft, warm glow of candlelight permeates the room. No busy restaurants and soppy love songs on the radio for me. Just a simple dinner of tuna pasta with sauteed cabbages, a treat in itself compared to the daily rounds of packed dinners.

The world may be celebrating couplehood by way of commercialism, but there's no need to feel left out, single as I am. It's a good time as any to tune the world out, and take a little time to remember to love myself. But do leave that Whitney song out.

The fireworks have started, crackling through the midnight sky. A cocktail, perhaps, would make good company now.

Perhaps it's just another night, just like any other night... but it is still Valentine's night, after all.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

nanimo te ni tsuganai
shirokuru no hitomi de
watashi wa tada hitasura
there is nothing I can do for you

ano koro no watashi wa
nani ni kandou shite
nani ni manzoku shite
jibun wo rikai shiteitano

doko ni mo ikanaide
please don't go anywhere

itsuno ma nika, anata wo kizutsukete
omoikakenai koto wo hashitteita
amaeru kiki tsuzukenuita watashi wa
kondo wa nani wo motomeru ka naa

modore ni ikanaide
please don't go anymore.

I can't piece things together
with these eyes of black and white.
I tried my best
there is nothing I can do for you.

the way I used to be...
something touched my heart...
something made me feel content...
did I understand myself?

please don't go anywhere
please don't go anywhere

I never meant to hurt you
I was running from emotions I wasn't ready for
but what am I supposed to do next time
if I don't have you to depend on?

please don't go anymore
please don't go anymore

Chatmonchy : Daidai (Orange)

Farewell, Thou Voluptuous Sow

2008-02-11T22:09:00.000+08:00

Gong xi fa cai, wan shi ru yi!
Bu bu gao shen, xin xiang shi chen!

And just like that, it's the Year of the Rat.

With random auspicious sayings out of the way, I have to say it's kind of wistful in a way to see the Year of the Pig already gone. Piggy's been pretty good to me, you see, blessing me with all sorts of... erm... blessings. A new job's that proved to be so much better than the last one (granted, it's quite difficult for any job to be worse than that last one), being able to get new stuff for my apartment, even a sweet affair.

Also, perhaps unfortunately so, I was blessed with a very healthy appetite.

I looked back at some old pics taken just before the last Chinese New Year. There I was, slim enough to fit into a bloody size 30cm jeans! By the end of the 15 days, I could no longer wear that. And for the rest of the year, it only seemed that I could only get fatter.

I suppose it was a combination of things - my energy levels had dropped (perhaps due to aging, but more likely to be from pure inertia), work commitments, clashing schedules, lack of motivation, getting posted to the food capital of the country for several months, and of course, having a PIG for the patron animal of the year.

Oh, I've known what was happening. In case I had forgotten, more recent reminders popped up. Like when I did Body Balance a week or so back, only to discover I could no longer hold the poses as well as I did before. More specifically, I was having trouble supporting my own body weight. Like wtf?

And then there's the time I was in Body Combat (just for a few rounds, I am no longer fit enough to take a whole class these days). Imagine... just jogging on the spot made me think I should get a sports bra.

Sigh, I guess there's only so much body fat one can ignore. I don't make resolutions but I am thinking that perhaps, just perhaps, chubbiness has gone out of fashion, right along with the Year of the Pig. Maybe it's time once again to put my gym membership to good use - and I'm not talking about the steam rooms or the soda fountains. It's said that under the Rat's dominion this year, us Dragons will enjoy what the Chinese call tao hua yun - literally, peach blossom luck (ie. love luck). Still, it would be better if I can help it along and hopefully, point it in the right direction.

After all, I do want to be attracting desirables, rather than oh, say, bitchy aunties who like their boys to be... meatier.

Junk. Food

2008-02-02T21:56:00.000+08:00

Yeah, the season of the dong dong dong qiang with the gong xi gong xi draws ever nearer. In fact, it's just around the corner. Spring dosth cometh down to ye mortale realmes. And of course, for many a chinois household, this means it's the weekend for frantic spring cleaning.

For many a household I say, but not for this one.

No, I'm already overwhelmed by the need to sort through piles of junk (literally, PILES) and reorganise my stuff to bother about little details such as changing the curtains (not that I have a spare set lying around... or maybe I do, somewhere in all that junk), cleaning the ceiling fans, and wiping down every window in the apartment. Heck, it looks like I'd have to leave sweeping and mopping the floor till I get back from the homelands, which really is too late but heck, not like there'll be any visitors (and if there are, too bad, I won't be home till some days into the new year).

But yeah, talking about junk. The state of my apartment follows the universal law of nature - where the is space, it will be filled. Ordered chaos (or chaotic order), if you will. So if I don't put anything that's functional or at least decorational there first, some stuff or other will eventually find its way there, and most likely that stuff would be junk.

Digging through my stuff the past week or so, I've found that my junk generally belongs in one of three categories:

1. Stuff that should be thrown away, but I had never gotten round to doing it. Example, old newspapers.

2. Stuff that I had wanted to keep, and keep them I did - in the piles of junk, never to be touced or even seen again. Most of these things were the random stuff I had brought with me when I first moved in, only to pile them all into one room, to be sorted out later (later turned out to be now, which is about... *gulp* two years later).

3. Stuff that I would use from time to time, but wind up getting lost in all that junk, so that I keep buying new ones. Especially stuff like stationery.

Thing is, I had finally bought shelves for the 'store' room, which spurred this sudden need to reorganise and junk stuff. So, on the plus side, I'm finally setting that room to rights, and it's now slowly taking shape as a study/utlity.

Sorting through all that junk that accumulated in all my years of ~~whoring~~ hording though, is tough. I'm the sort who would think, "Yeah, but no, but yeah, but... maybe I would want this one day". Never mind that that one day hasn't appeared in the last several years the thing has been sitting in an ever growing pile of untouched junk. And it's always the small things that add up. Things like old VCD's, old floppy disks (come think of it, I can't read these disks at home anymore), old gifts...

Big things are easier. The old PC (sans hard disk, which had long ago reincarnated into an external HDD) and its monitor, and the old computer table - one of those designed with a recess to hold the monitor at an angle, which is now redundant since I use a laptop. These were things I gladly let go of.

Of course, the remnants of the kampung boy that I was convinced me that with the trouble it would take me to junk the stuff, I could put just a little more effort into it and send it to the scrapyard. You know, being an occasional greenie and all (not to mention the promise of some spare cash to line the ang paos for other people's kids). So I enlisted the muscles of Joshua and we sent the stuff, along with my old newspaper collection, to be sold to the junkieons.

To thank the little bugger for his aid, I bought him lunch at a nice-ish restaurant, called Bumbu Bali, in a place literally called Princess City (ie. Bandar Puteri, over in Puchong). I remember the food there being quite nice. It still was nice, though not excellently so. The prices were rather steep for a place like this but otherwise, it was OK.

I found it most disturbing to see Soup Buntut among the specials. Like, really? ASS SOUP??? EEEW!

The drink I had was pretty good - Banana with Palm Sugar Ice Blend. A little sweet at first, but once the ice melted somewhat, it was better. Joshua had the Cookies and Cream. You wanna know if it's any good, go ask him.

The food was alright as well. We had the BBQ chicken with nasi kuning, and the BBQ fish with nasi ubun (or something or other). And despite the tiny mound of rice, it was immensely filling. I'd give it up a one thumb up only though, cos I felt the food just wasn't quite worth the price.

By the way, the money from the scrapyard didn't even cover lunch expenses, much less make it into red packets for overeager children.

*wipes away the solitary tear running down my cheek

Oh well, at least I managed to clear some major junk from my place. And it even paid for lunch.

...

Almost.

Unravel

2008-01-28T10:17:00.000+08:00

while you are away
my heart comes undone
slowly unravels
in a ball of yarn
the devil collects it
with a grin
our love
in a ball of yarn
he'll never return it
so when you come back
we'll have to make new love
he'll never return it
so when you come back
we'll have to make new love
Bjork

Sundays are meant for chilling, so the monkey and I, with token straights in tow, waddled our fat asses over to Pavilion to unwind. Did we do anything new or novel? No.

Well, almost not.

There are certain places which I would never ever go, save when the generosity of my heart prevails over self-interest, and I wind up accompanying my friends there as a show of support. The Eye is one such place. Kenko Fish Spa is another.

Honestly, I hate touching fish. I wouldn't handle guppies with my bare hands, if I could help it. So why in the world would I willingly subject myself to frenzied fish feeding on my feet? I must be masochistic. And no, it really doesn't help that I'm rather sensitive (ie., extremely ticklish).

After several traumatic attempts at getting my feet wet (involving bouts of nervous giggling and grinning through gritted teeth), I finally managed to leave my feet in there for the fish to kiss (and boy, were they kissing all over my feet) by distracting myself with some other fun activity - camwhoring! I think it must have taken me fifteen minutes or so to get used to all the pecking enough to ignore it. And about another five minutes more for the fish to uncover a piece of loose skin and attack it. Voraciously. It was about then I decided I had had enough for the day.

Make that for a lifetime.

The tranquil atmosphere belies the hunger that lies beneath

Gentle massage that will help relieve stress and tension? Really? You mean my tightly curled up toes and those hands pressed into the floorboards were actually a sign of me relaxing?

Comfort, for me, would involve me eating fish rather than them eating me, thank you very much.

Which is why it's a good thing that Pavilion has a got a rather nice food court in the incarnation of Food Republic. Here's something I understand, and one sure fire way to provide me with warmth and comfort.

I want citizenship!

Anyway, one man's fish is another man's torture, and thankfully for Kenko, people seem to enjoy the fish spa thing, bar the occasional nervous gigglers (like me), and one squeeler (thankfully, not me). Oh and spotted! Fly Guy with wife and a rather cute male friend dipping their feet in.

In the meantime, parents with chaotic children and terrible teens, who need stronger therapy than that found in either a food court or a fish spa, well they might want to head over to Times. Seems that this bookstore will be happy to relieve you of your screaming kids and give you some books in return so that you can finally go chill out at the bistro in peace and quiet.

New books for used kids

Now that's what I call stress relief!

Apparently I'm An Impatient Gourmet

2008-01-23T11:39:00.000+08:00

You'd have to wonder if he is friend or foe when he feeds you such sinfully delish cupcakes from... well, D'lish. I suppose excess baggage loves company, and spreading the fats is somewhat easier when you can lay your hands on 'em at half price.

But yeah, these were really, really yummy. The Banana Peanut Butter works for me, since most anything peanut butter works for me. Double choc, in the meanwhile, is double the pleasure, especially if you zap it in the microwave (per Josh's instructions) for 30-seconds-no-more, so that the choc topping becomes all molten. This definitely ranks with the best.

And darling Ms Read, true to her cater-to-the-larger-sizes nature, must have pretty big cups cos these cupcakes were huge! I had one for tea and that kept me full till way past dinner time (or maybe it was cos I washed down all that chocolate with about three glasses of milk). In the end, I couldn't even eat the second one as a late-night snack the way I intended, keeping it in the fridge to be had for breakfast.

Thus, on doth the waistline expandeth.

In any case, no diet plan will be workable till after CNY (like, assuming there will be a diet plan), so why not eat?

Besides, I'm ready this time round, with erm... less-tight-fitting clothes for the new year.

Pavement Cracks

2008-01-21T22:47:00.000+08:00

It's wierd.

I was expecting the work pressure to take a sharp rise this week, and it definitely did. Thing is, I kinda welcome it as a chance to push my productivity up. And so it was I spent the day being busy, busy, busy - barely could keep myself on top of things what with the sudden craziness going on, but soldier on, I did.

So why was it when I knocked off and sat down for dinner, I found myself without an ounce of appetite? In case you don't know, not having an appetite is a sure sign of something wrong with me.

Yeah, I'm a little stressed. But stressed out? I didn't think I've reached that point yet, surely.

Maybe I'm just tired.

Maybe with the rut that was my previous job I was in, I had forgotten what it was like to actually care about getting the job done well.

Oh well, breath. And wipe that furrow off my brow. It's nothing I can't handle.

But for once, in a long, long time, I find myself thinking just how nice it would be to have someone to hold tonight.

The city streets are wet again with rain
But I'm walking just the same
Annie Lennox

Dive Right In

2008-01-20T19:19:00.000+08:00

She's back and a new album's on its way as well. Looking forward to hearing it.

Meanwhile, here's the new single (click on the pic). The vid reminds me of the eighties movie, Cocoon (seems that heartwarming sci-fi/alien films were in vogue then... remember Batteries Not Included?)

Look at us form our cliques in the sandbox
Look at us being cruel kids with both our hearts blocked
Alanis Morissette : Underneath

Sharing The Spoils

2008-01-20T17:48:00.000+08:00

I wouldn't steal, either.

OMG... TITTIES!

2008-01-08T23:05:00.000+08:00

Spot the titties!

And I'm not talking about the two mounds of ice-cream sitting on the plate.

Had a nice weekend lunch-do-thingy. With some real girls, which made for a pleasant change (of sorts). Granted, at least one of them was gay, but let's not be prejudiced, shall we?

So there we were, congregating in Snowie's kandang. The Cow made pasta, The Nut brought salad, and The Pig whipped up a batch (or was it two) of delightful molten chocolate cakes - well, they weren't exactly molten, but the were certainly delightful! Will and the BF brought the ice-cream to go with the cake, and me? Well, of course I supplied the wit and charm.

But just in case, I brought chippies too, in case wit and charm did not go down so well.

Camwhoring dessert

Nut also had the presence of mind to bring along the Boggle set she had got for Christmas. Yes, a real Boggle set, one where we have to shake rattly cubes in a box, flip over an hourglass, and actually write with pens on paper. Like, as opposed to the online Bogglific, which had brought us all together in the first place.

I suppose one could call it "analog" Boggle.

By the end of the afternoon, when Will finally allowed me to unwrap my Christmas present (from last year, I must stress), we actually ended with TWO sets of Boggle. Guess Will took my Bogglific ratings a little too seriously. That, and perhaps he thought I'd appreciate the old skoolness of it, what with the fact that I own one of the final generations of the very-soon-to-be-obsolete CRT TV's

I suppose he's right on that count. Haha.

Breaking in the Boggles

Well, that was certainly a nice, relaxing start to the year. Here's to good food, good friends and good, clean fun!

(Though some good, dirty fun would be welcome too)

The Clock Struck Twelve

2008-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

And just like that, it was time.

Time to ring out the old and bring in the new.
Time to start writing dates that end with a different digit.
Time to say goodbye to another year gone by (and such a good one it was).

Time to welcome a new day...
a new dawn...
and the rest of your same old life.

How did one second change so much?

Happy 2008. May each step leave you feeling better than the last.

But as for now, right now... it's time to watch the fireworks bursting across the valley.

Corcovado?

2007-12-27T22:53:00.000+08:00

Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window that looks out on the mountains and the sea
Oh, how lovely

Made A List. Checked It Twice

2007-12-24T01:14:00.001+08:00

Camera... checked.
Sunnies... checked.
Books... checked.
Shirts, shorts, flip flops... checked.
Swimgear and sunblock... checked.
Air ticket... checked.

I'm all packed, all set, all ready to go for my little island escape! Finally get to go on a real seaside vacation (no beach though, but I guess it's close enough). Will be flying on a fokker, so, fingers crossed, let there be no flight delays.

In any case, I'm feeling all happy, smiley and gay! I've finished working for the year, which is a great feeling (even if there's only a week left in the year); my new television's here, spurring a whole redecorating frenzy (not quite done yet, but almost); and I'm gonna be jingling all the way to the new year!

So will I be naughty or nice?

Considering I'll be with family it'll be pretty much be a PG thing. But, one never knows, does one?

Keep my fingers crossed on that as well ;-)

Merry Christmas, all! Jingle all 'em bells!

Happiness Is A Warm Waffle

2007-12-19T23:02:00.000+08:00

Ecstasy, on the other hand, is a crisp, warm waffle, topped with a scoop of Jamoca Almond Fudge (my second favourite flavour, next to Peanut Butter Chocolate), and a scoop of the sweet but perfectly fitting Maple Walnut, sprinkled with nuts, drizzled with maple syrup and chocolate fudge sauce, and served with walnuts and cream on the side.

Honestly, this has got to be way more delectable than a quintent of Salma Hayeks gyrating away in short, tight nurses' uniforms, singing "Bang, Bang, Shoot, Shoot"

Granted, I'm neither straight nor lesbo, but still, this is one fantasy you can actually have. Like, for real.

A little piece of heaven - now available for just under RM20 at Café Baskin Robbins.

Absolut Dreamin

2007-12-16T00:04:00.000+08:00

Finally. I've gotten hold of the book I've been trying to get for about two months now. Sure I could have bought it over at Borders since the beginning of the month but it's Kinokuniya that's offering it at a cool 30% discount. And of course, the stocks in Kinokuniya get snapped up within a day they hit the shelves. Every single time. Despite the hefty three-figure price tag!

I think I've been doing too well a job in promoting Mr. Gaiman's work, seriously.

But the good people at Kinokuniya called me up yesterday morning to tell me the stock's arrived, and they were nice enough to hold a copy for me. Which was just as well, because when I got to the store last night, there wasn't a single copy of it left on the shelves.

So just what book's been selling like hot cakes? None other than The Absolute Sandman Volume 2, collecting issues 21 to 39 of the acclaimed The Sandman series from Vertigo, with a bunch of bonus materials thrown in, all in heavy, encyclopedia-like hardcover.

I just have to make sure I don't literally drool over the pages.

And of course, it's totally gratifying to get to the counter and see the cashier punch in a RM100 discount. Like, omg, this must be the best deal ever!

Well, that's two down and two more to go.

December Dealing

2007-12-10T23:26:00.000+08:00

Time really flies when you're busy as a bee. It's already nearing the middle of December? Heck, how did the whole damn year go by just like that?

It was only last weekend when I realised the year-end sales were in full swing. Funny thing is, year-end sales for most people is about gifts and clothes and shoes and bags. Somehow I've managed to gloss over that pretty much (although I did spontaneously buy a pair of shoes last week, but that's something I'd do even on a non-sales period). Instead, I found myself hunting for things with three-figure price tags, if not four. After discounts.

Well, I honestly couldn't watch Wingedman populating his new pad prettily without being drawn into the whole "let's see how I can do up my place a little more" routine, could I?

Granted, my place justifiably needs a lot more doing up. My store room's still a junkyard and my kitchen... well, let's just say it isn't quite one still. But my focus is currently on my almost-but-not-quite complete living spaces.

Thankfully, I've been budgeting for a new TV these last several months. Yes, it's finally time to upgrade from my almost portable 14" mini that's been with me for 8 faithful years (even surviving that break-in, which is why I say it's almost portable). After checking out the price difference between picture-frame-perfect LCD TV's and the modern slim-design (but still bulky) CRT TV's, I figured the RM2,000 I'd save could go into my kitchen budget.

A perfectly good plan, until I realised that slim as it may be, a 29" CRT needs more serious furniture than the plywood DIY cabinets I've been using as a TV console. Oh well, at least I can still get a branded CRT (even one that pretends to be an LCD TV, at least on the face) and a branded TV cabinet, all for less than the cost of a 32" LCD TV. I could save even more I guess, but I've looked at cheaper options for both the TV and the TV cabinet, and I gotta say none of them tickles me gonads.

Looks like it's gonna be another long while more before I finally do up my kitchen. Or my store room.

Sigh, home ownership = no money in the bank.

Here's hoping for enough bonus this year to help cover the bills, what with the personal and car insurances due, the TV and cabinet I'm getting, the other stuff I'm wanting to get, and the all-in-one printer I just got (damn PC Fair!).

Oh, and that little beach holiday I'll be having to wrap up an already amazing year :-)

Of Food, Fun and Friends

2007-11-29T11:10:00.000+08:00

Gathering around tables is something most people do. Whether it is over dinner or over a round of drinks, the table has always been a place for conversation and company. Unsurprisingly, I've been doing the dinner/drinks rounds with various friends over the last week or two. I've been constantly away for so long that I'm losing track of what's what and who's doing who, so it was good to finally be back for a longer period of time.

So around I went, though they were all spontaneous gatherings. From fine dining with the who's-whos of blogging (or rather, more appropriately, who-weres) at Alexis, to sinful dining at Delicious; from dai chow at Kota Damansara, to teh halia in Puchong and Bukit Jalil; it's been seriously fun. And fattening.

But heck, it's all in the name of compadre-ship.

In the end, I figured for once, I'd do the catching up in the comfort of my own home. It's about time to polish up my rusty culinary skills, anyway. So I whipped up a simple meal in my simple kitchen, and simply called some people over for a simple dinner.

No, I didn't plan a party, nor was I doing a do. It was, for all intents and purposes, instant noodles and canned tuna. With a side of mushrooms. And of course, fruit salad for desert, while we watched High School Musical on my 14" TV (gawd, I really need to get a much bigger one).

The simple things in life can be nice, so long as there's good company :-)

Thanks to Slim and Kevin for bringing drinks, and to Chris and 38kia for doing the dishes!

A Salad, Stolen

2007-11-25T23:54:00.000+08:00

Once upon a time, I made a salad. No, not the kind meant for rabbits. A fruit salad. Of fruits, for... fruits.

Easiest dish I ever made, and as it turned out, it was a crowd pleaser at the pot luck where I had presented it. That was quite a while back, and I hear my salad's been making the pot luck rounds. Without me.

Humph. That's what I get for coming up with something that's easier to make than stewed pork and cabbages (and much healthier to eat too!). Okay, admittedly it wasn't quite an original idea. I simply picked up the idea from a Paddy's Pancakes dessert dish and did a drastic simplification of it.

Anyway, I figured I shouldn't keep something so simple and scrumptious all to myself (and who knows how many others who've been having it without me), so here the recipe for anyone who just needs to make something without much effort.

The what:

canned peaches in syrup
fresh strawberries
ripe bananas
roasted peanuts, unsalted

The how:
Drain syrup off the peaches.
Dice the peaches, strawberries and bananas into bite-sized chunks.
Crush the peanuts.
Toss everything together.

Voila! Shiong's Simply Summer Salad is served.

If it's too peasanty for you, you could always glam it up by substituting the peanuts with pine nuts, add some dollar pancakes, throw in some boys 'n berries with whipped cream on top, or perhaps sin it up with a scoop of ice cream...

Did I say boys 'n berries? Oops. I meant boysenberries. Haha, silly me...

Anyway, there's leftovers from the batch I made for dessert tonight, so looks like I'll be having a healthy, fruity breakfast tomorrow.

Well, healthy, if I can stop myself from dumping on dollops of the choc/vanilla ice cream that's in my freezer. But still fruity, nevertheless.

Sunday

2007-11-18T22:32:00.000+08:00

But things just get so crazy, living life gets hard to do
And I would gladly hit the road, get up and go, if I knew
That someday it would lead me back to you
That someday it would lead me back to you
Maroon 5 : Sunday Morning

It's been a while since I spent a day like this. A lazy Sunday, staying in, lounging on my sofa the whole day long.

My sofa, my place.

No hotels.
No work.
No gym.
No braving traffic and window shopping.
No cafes with wifi and cholesterol-laden drinks.

Just some games of Scrabulous, and countless turns at Bogglific (my latest obsession), and catching up on episodes of Samurai Champloo.

Ah, it does feel good to be at home.

In A State Of Gluttony

2007-11-12T19:34:00.000+08:00

It seems not a month goes by without me blogging at least once about what I've been eating and how much rounder I get because of it. It's not quite rightly a rant, since I am enjoying the food too much and cannot be bothered to (a) eat less; and/or (b) exercise more. But it won't stop me from blaming a job that keeps me away so much that going to the gym is most inconvenient, whereas eating is way too convenient. Hehe.

So yeah, I've been (over)indulging in repeat servings of all sorts of local and national delicacies these past number of months. Char kueh tiao lah, KFC lah, nasi lemak lah, chicken chop, roast duck, even belacan fried chicken, okay! The list just goes on and on. Then on some more.

And it doesn't help to have buffet breakfast at the hotel I've been staying in recently. Damn my small-town-Chinese-family upbringing for programming me to waste not food, and to maximise the value of a meal already paid for (especially when I'm not the one paying for it).

I won't blame you for thinking I'm a blimp by now. Heck, I already feel like one. Thankfully, my friends have courteously refrained from calling me one.

At least, not to my face, anyway

Times like this, I just wish a bubble belly is about as sexy as a bubble butt. Obviously it isn't, so I'll just resign myself to being a glutton (and be damn proud of it!).

Anyway, a l'il fat monkey had been urging me to go do lunch at this place he had found on a trip to Penang earlier this year - a shop called Restaurant Minah, tucked away in a place called Gelugor. Now, this place is rather out of the way for me to have lunch. But find the time I did, and last week, I finally made the trip across the bridge to check out what the monkey had been raving about.

Boy, was the monkey right on the money about the yum-factor of this minah's servings. The food there really was sedap-sedap belaka (ie, very yummy). There's what I had, up in the main pic.

The kerabu was nice enough, though kerabu (sort of a Malay-style salad) tastes more or less the same everywhere, the importance being the freshness of the ingredients. The ikan bakar (grilled fish) stuffed with sambal, a dish I've always enjoyed, was pretty good as well. They were seriously generous with the sambal stuffing, giving this one plus points.

What really got me hooked, however, was the chicken kurma. This dish was really delicious - the meat was succulent and had thoroughly absorbed the flavor of the kurma spices. The kuah (gravy), surprisingly, was extremely mild, compared to the meat. Now, I normally favor more flavorful gravies but I have to say this one really worked. The gravy was much thicker than the usual kurma sold elsewhere, so it clings well to the steamed rice. The mild flavor lent the rice a fragrance without overpowering the taste of the other dishes accompanying the meal. Slurp!

All in all, a satisying meal, worth the trip I had made (two trips, actually - the first time I went, it was closed) just to try it out. Truly, madly, deeply sedap!

Memorable Musical Moments

2007-11-08T17:23:00.000+08:00

Ah, The Man has tagged me with yet another meme. Well, I'm not saying I'm not doing it but, erm... it's going into my KIV tray. Indefinitely :P

Meanwhile, since my last post, musicals have been playing in my head. So I'm gonna pull out a few of the more memorable (as far as I'm concerned) scenes to share. Haven't caught as many theatre musicals as I would have liked, so I'm gonna throw in some from the movies too.

Belle (Beauty And The Beast)/Good Morning Baltimore (Hairspray)
"There goes the baker with his tray, like always, the same old bread and rolls to sell. Every morning just the same, since the morning we came to this poor provincial town"
"Good morning Baltimore, there's the flasher who lives next door, there's the bum on his bar room stool, they wish me luck on the way to school"

These two share a spot, since they're so similar. Perky girl wakes up in the morning and goes out, all bubbly, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and sings her hellos to every fucking person on the street.

How fun!

Peron's Latest Flame (Evita)
"We have declined to an all-time low, tarts have become the set to know"

The one I watched was the movie (actually a feature-length MTV) starring Maddy. Aside from the superbly bitchy lyrics, this particular scene stands out in my memory thanks to that full-frontal shot of strapping, young, well-endowed army lads showering. Well, yes, they were clad in towels. But those towels were small. And white. And wet.

Very wet.

With One Look (Sunset Boulevard)
"To my people in the dark, still out there in the dark"

With the lights off, and Norma Desmond singing directly to the audience, you just know she's singing to you, for you. All of us, sitting out there in the dark.

Best tribute to the audience ever!

Overture (Phantom Of The Opera)
Tuh... tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh...

Like, so there are no lyrics. Just that famous Phantom pipe organ piece. But who's listening to lyrics, when the chandelier lights up and floats out and up above the audience, as the stage transforms before your very eyes into the Paris Opera.

Sheer theatrical magic, and an unmatched opening!

Finale (Les Mis)
"To love another person is to see the face of God"

Starting off slow, with Valjean and his regrets, he is soon joined by whine and whinier, erm... Cosette and Marius. My favorite part's where the spirits of Fantine and Eponine sing him to death. In perfect harmony, mind. Then the entire cast appears, marching behind a gauze curtain to close the show with Do You Hear The People Sing.

Revisiting the major musical themes and then bringing the entire cast on stage to render a rousing finale. What a way to end a brilliant show!

Life In The Wastelands

2007-11-03T12:13:00.000+08:00

Don't you fret, M'sieur Marius, I don't feel any pain
A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now
You're here, that's all I need to know
And you will keep me safe, and you will keep me close
And rain will make the flowers...
A Little Fall Of Rain (from Les Miserables)

It's just not funny. Project's dragging way past the due date and I've pretty much been stuck in this provincial town for almost half a year now. Sigh.

Alright, so it could be worse. At least this provincial town's got malls and wired coffee. And it's only a bridge away from a reasonably sized city. And oh, time does go by a little more quickly when you're cracking your pretty head over a game of Scrabulous. Or two. Or three. Or... a dozen.

In any case there's been time enough in my hands to get blogging a little more than usual, not to mention opportunities to get snaphappy. If you're wondering just what there is to shoot in the desolation of a wastewater treatment plant, well, not much. But, as they more or less said in Jurassic Park, life finds a way.

Wastewater treatment plants aren't just about getting the water clean enough to discharge out into the rivers and seas. Large enough plants actually form ecosystems of their own. I remember once, as a student, I visited Melbourne's Western Treatment Plant. Sure, there were places that stunk of rotting eggs. It's part of the process. What really impressed me was that, by the time the treatment reached the final stages, you'd find a wetland environment serving as haven for local and migratory birds.

In a nutshell, treating wastewater produces microbes, which go on to become a rich food source for higher organisms. Worms thrive, plants propagate, insects flourish. With enough of these around, even fish and birds will come along for the feast. And there we have it, a living habitat, generated from waste.

Indeed, rain will make the flowers grow.

Coffee, Tea or Meme?

2007-10-31T15:29:00.000+08:00

Aduhai, four memes in one month? Sadistic-nya... This fellow ah, I tell you... meme-happy lah.

So I started the month with one, now I kena end the month with one too. Without further ado, let's roll:

Tissue or handkerchief?
Tissues. Handkerchiefs are decidedly unglam and are potential biohazardous materials. Tissues don't save trees though, so maybe I might one day release a designer 'kerchief that says "I AM NOT A TISSUE PAPER".

Shoes or sneakers?
Sneakers. Casual and comfortable is how I like to walk.

Collar-shirt or T-shirt?
Like both, though these days I tend towards collared tees. Can't fight time so may as well age gracefully.

Brief or boxer?
Briefs most of the time. Boxers for sleeping. Occasionally wear my 'nice' boxers out.

Pants or khakis?
Prefer khakis to pants but hey, a guy needs to maintain a variety in his closet, no? Did I say closet? I meant wardrobe.

Fast food or restaurant/kopitiam?
Don't get the restaurant/kopitiam thing. Like, restaurants? and kopitiams? belong to completely different categories? Doesn't matter though, because I like everything from fast food joints to cafes, from traditional kopitiams to pricier restaurants, even from the roadside warong to the Ikea canteen, I'd patronise them all. Glutton or gourmet, as I long as I get my grub.

Horror or fantasy movie?
Horror's fine but fantasy's my genre of choice in everything.

Genki Sushi or Sushi King?
Try Sakae.

Pavilion or The Gardens?
Pavillion. Posh, parking's less of a hassle, and I can always walk across to Bintang Walk and all the other malls.

And for a month-end bonus, I'll throw in one more that's not in the original meme, since it's quite possibly one of the most important lifestyle choices one makes upon reaching adulthood:

My toilet paper rolls OVER, not under.

Happy Halloween!

Dust, Anyone? Dust?

2007-10-29T19:41:00.000+08:00

How many miles to Babylon?
Three-score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candle-light?
Yes, there and back again.
If your heels are nimble and light,
You will get there by candle-light.
Nursery Rhyme

Finally caught Stardust in all it's big screen splendour. I've been waiting for the movie to arrive on our shores for so long. So very long, indeed.

I must admit, I had my reservations about the inevitable deviations the movie would make from the original Neil Gaiman/Charles Vess graphic novel that I love so much. Having now seen it, I can safely say that it wasn't as bad as I had feared it would be. No, siree. Not at all.

It was worse.

Take a charming modern fairy tale from one of the most acclaimed writers of the day and give it the Hollywood treatment, and what do you get? A farce.

Campy performances, crude humour, pointless action sequences, not-so-impressive special effects, angsty love, subtle lesbianistic tensions, not-so-subtle gay-gay-gay overtures, and a storyline that got sidelined by the need to keep the audience entertained, as only the Americans would want to be entertained, ie. with campy performances, crude humour, pointless action sequences, et cetera, et cetera.

They might as well throw in a Titanic moment, so cheesy it was. Oh, wait. They did!

Tristan screams, "I'm the king of the world!", not knowing words like these could earn him an untimely death, courtesy of murderous megalomaniac heirs to the kingdom.

Okay, it was rather funny and not too bad for a piece of fluff. But at the same time, my eyes just couldn't stop rolling and rolling. And rolling.

Guess I'm just totally anal when it comes to seeing a story I dearly love completely stripped of its original spirit.

When they glossed over the back story covering the little adventure had by Dunstan Thorn (protagonist Tristan's father) back when he was young and foolish, resulting in the arrival of Tristan, it was kind of groan inducing for me, but understandable. The focus was, after all, on Tristan's adventures, so this little 'creative license' they took was quite forgiveable. Halfway through the movie, however, the scriptwriters really began to let loose their lesser imaginations and turned Gaiman's beautifully crafted tale into a monstrous mockery. By the end of the movie, we were watching a completely different story altogether. Ah, the Midas touch of Hollywood - where a quiet, dignified ending would be sabotaged into a silly showdown culminating in a glitzy, gaudy, happy ever after.

*retches

Excuse me.

On the plus side, there really is a lot of star-spotting in this movie. Biggest stars, of course, being Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert de Niro, both demanding lots of screen time just to have a good time. They really had fun with their roles and it showed.

Luscious Mz. Pfeiffer seeks for something a little stronger than botox.

Sinister Robbie wants very much to be Hitler. Or was it Evita?

Somehow, the Brit stars got relegated to bit parts in the show. I didn't even recognise Rupert Everett as Secundus. Of course, he did spend most of the show being semi-transparent and with half his face flattened. And Ricky Gervais of The Office got paid for doing nothing much.

At least we did get a rather yummy hero. Not exactly a hunk, but he's got the kind of dorky adorableness that grows on you.

Charlie Cox trysting with his role as Tristan

Much hotter eye-candy appear in the movie too. Unfortunately, they've got severely limited screen time.

Here's the hawt Henry Cavill (Humphrey) and debonair Ben Barnes (Young Dunstan Thorn)

There you have it. A nice little movie for when you have nothing better to watch. And these days, in the local cinemas, there really isn't much that's better to watch despite everything I had just said. You may actually like the movie for all it's Hollywoodiac formula, especially if you haven't read the book. Heck, I know a couple of guys who loved the movie even though they had read the book before hand! To each his own, I suppose.

For me though, the magic of this Stardust has turned out to be nothing more than a handful of cheap glitter.