Food Crave & Banana

Food Crave, argh...

Suddenly, I felt so at home... Thanks to kak Atil who offered to serve me this home-prepared old cucumber soup. Only if I get to be at home with my loved ones everyday. A bowl of soup that soothed my soul.



On another note, I'm currently having a strange infatuation for two types of food that contrast from each other - "Bak kut teh" and sardines. This morning, I suddenly felt like having sardine-loaded sandwiches, which I did not get to have because I've ran out of stock. It's bizarre to eat like a cat, I could open up a can of sardine and help myself with those fishes without any bread.

As for bak kut teh, I suspect it must be the addiction I caught from dinner with Ming's family in Seri Kembangan yesterday. No wonder the restaurant is always full with patrons from 7 pm onwards! No photo to be shared here though, as I normally do not take photos when together with people older than me. :)

Below is my favourite caramel pudding which I had at Ipoh oldtown. It's sold at the restaurant beside Kong Heng (I've forgotten the name of this restaurant). The popularity of this pudding as apparent because the puddings are normally sold off later in the day. Sometimes, there are customers who takeaway many puddings at one go.



Now... and Down Memory Lane
It's none other than The Mines.



Those were the days when I'd spend my school holidays with my parents and brother in KL. Vivid memories of 1999 suddenly came into my mind when I made a visit to The Mines once more yesterday. I remember taking a boat ride inside out of The Mines; to the north lake, south lake, and a few other "rivers". It was a very memorable holiday with my family at The Mines and unexpectedly, a decade down the line, I too, was having good times walking around this nostalgic place with a loved one. Again, those were the days...

Anyway, back to the ramblings about The Mines. The ticket prices for boat rides have increased. Now, it's RM 33 per person for a 50 mins ride, RM 22 for a 15 mins ride, etc. We'll see how when I get my bonus later (if I really get).

"Banana" on a visit to Chinese Book Fair at The Mines
No one, including me, would've thought that I'd be there like any other readers of Chinese books. Although I can speak Mandarin well and fluently nowadays, the fact remains that I'm still largely Chinese-illiterate. At first, I thought I was going to be bored at the book fair, but amazingly, it felt interesting because there were more than books at the fair - I loved the art display.

One significant thing I notice about Chinese Book Fair is the huge crowd. The crowd is much larger than all the normal Book Fairs at PWTC that I've been to. Many parents brought their children there (must be Chinese-educated, because 99% of the books exhibited and sold are Chinese books).

There were knowledge-based books, history books, educational books, magazines, and even philatelic items such as stamps, folders and first day covers for sale. Many are new stamps.

Philately
I wonder why didn't Pos Malaysia open a booth over there, because if people (like my dearest) are willing to pay RM 18 for a few pieces of beautiful stamps, I'm sure that people will be 100 times more willing to pay for much less to buy stamps directly from Pos Malaysia's philatelic counter. After all, Pos sells stamps according to the printed value - RM 0.50 for a RM 0.50 stamp. Or, such crowded fair could have been a great avenue for the promotion of personalised stamps a.k.a. SetemKu.

Where's balance
I suppose the good academic performance among top Chinese-educated students must be attributed to what their parents instill in them since young - reading habit. Well, if I have my own kid(s), that will be a good point to follow, but need not be fully so. Additionally, I'll want them to have a balance between academics and sports. For instance, instead of pressing on academic tuition during primary school, I prefer to emphasise on learning a few good exercises like swimming or martial art.

Wind of Change

Transformation or what?
I feel different... more and more. Desiring more changes. First, I changed almost half of my wardrobe. Don't know why I feel like revealing more. Nothing sexy and nothing eye-rolling, only shorter sleeves, tighter and more fanciful outfits.

Then, I bought 2 pairs of 'cutesy' floral earrings to be disappointed they aren't practical to be worn on rough occasions. I cut my hair (again!) and wonder if the new look will stay in place after my next wash.

Hair Growth Myth
My hair did grow. Just that it's invisible until straightened. I didn't iron-straight my hair this time around, but only went for chemical treatment to smooth and relax them up. I want my hair to look straight, but not flat straight.

Many people commented that my hair don't grow. My hair growth is invisible because my hair is wavy. Whatever regrowth won't go down to make my hair look longer. Instead, they curve upwards and only upon straightening them, I suddenly saw that my hair has grown 2 inches longer.

Long is sexy, short is chic
At first, I felt 'sayang' to cut my hair. But after a second thought, I still wanted to cut my hair short. I've never really kept long hair all my life, and the longest being shoulder length. Don't know why, but I always think that I look older than my real age with longer hair.

I recall. With shorter hair, I'm frequently mistaken for being a student. I tend to prefer a less matured look. When my hair was longer (when I was a real student in my very early 20s), I was always mistaken for being a working adult. Call me vain, the short-hair business happened ever since I came back from my workplace Team Building. I saw my photos and was shocked at how much older I looked with longer hair. ;p

Most of my male friends prefer girls with long hair. I suppose long hair creates a very sexy look for girls... Perhaps, guys enjoy caressing a girl's smooth, long hair (not talking about erotic caressing here, but merely ordinary caresses between man and woman). Or maybe appearing more flirtatous with long hair, as you twist and twirl your hair.

Short hair, on the other hand, tends to be on the cute side. It doesn't mean that I don't want to age gracefully though, but what I want is to at most look like my real age.

Should I?
I've questioned myself many times. My housemate cum friend is finishing her studies soon, and will be returning to her homecountry. My roommate will leave next year. Both of these friends of mine are younger than me, but only a few years.

Maybe it's going to be odd to stay with someone, say almost a decade younger than me. My current place of dwelling is only a few doors from college, and I contemplate someone as young as that staying there.

Oddness is in terms of a few aspects. It's true that you don't have to necessarily mingle with your roommate. But it may not be nice on "my new roommate" if she has to be restricted in some sense. I've been a student before and I know how enjoyable was it to stay up very late to do assignments / revising. I don't 'sound' at people, it's just not my nature, but I don't want people to feel "forced" to switch off the light after midnight for instance, and I don't think it's nice if my 6.20 alarm wakes people up, esp when people just fell asleep. Once in a while is ok, but in a long run, it may be stressful.

Other than possibility of odd positions, and costly rental, I haven't got any nice ground to justify shifting away. Landlord is good, house is clean and feels like home, facilities are complete, laundry is taken care of and having Wi-Fi from other surrounding houses for me to 'curi'; what's there to complaint? After all, beautiful facilities are the result of beautiful price paid. Distance-wise, may be a little far from efficient public transportation, but is that a concern now, since I've unexpectedly got a car with me here?

Instead, if I were to move to a place near to LRT station, I may complaint about noise. I may no longer know what to do with or where to keep my car. Till then, we'll see when the time comes.

On the Road

I was driving past SS2 when I was stuck in a traffic congestion in the evening. Cars not moving although the light was green. So happened that it was right in front of a row of bridal houses.

Peeping though the glass panels of one of the houses, I saw a lady dressed up in white bridal gown. Must be selecting gowns, I guess. She turned, flipped, etc, accompanied by a few others who's pointing to a few angles. Wow, I was seeing it so clearly.

Despite not knowing who the 'dressed-in-bridal-gown' is, I felt happy for her. I was thinking, 'congrats, and good luck...'. Of course, I realise that marriage is not simply any business, i.e. it's not say wed means wed.

"Jauh panggang dari api". I have no business thinking how is marriage like at this moment, since it's something far ahead. Don't want... don't want...

Mishmash of Randomness

1. Travel to Ipoh!
The beautiful Ipoh KTM railway station is back in life once more, after a seemingly long lay off. Thanks to the KL-Ipoh Shuttle service that provides 5 trips per day between the two cities. I swear that with this convenient service, I won't bother taking the bus anymore. Yay!!! No more crowded and smoky Puduraya. No more traffic jam. No more travel sickness.

1.1 Speaking of which...
Talking about travel sickness, it's highly unlikely to feel sick in the train. I'm totally happy that the air-conditioner of trains cannot be adjusted by passengers. I'm usually okay with travelling, except when it feels hot in the bus, which makes me feel unwell. Unfortunately, a number of bus passengers like to close up the air-con outlet above their seats, thus making the journey hot and suffocating.

Once, I felt like puking in the bus. The air-con was not cold, and I've had a hearty meal. Partly was my fault coz who asked me to eat so much. I was seated beside a seemingly bitchy woman (from the way she talked to someone over her phone, she sounded fussy and domineering).

Just in case if it happens, I had prepared to be an actress and lie about being... "pregnant", with the "hope" that she'd be more symphatising and won't "membebel" if I puke beside her. Lame, I know. But my ego was so high at that time and I didn't want to be screamed by anyone. Otherwise, I won't bother acting!

But luckily I didn't throw up and thus, I was saved from the need to act like a preggie when I'm not even married (means also need to pretend like married?). TOUCHWOOD.

Sorry for going so off-track... Anyway, like the rest of many folks, I'm glad to see an improvement in the transportation system. The KTM electric trains are scheduled to be available from KL to Ipoh, maybe next year or the year after. I usually travel once (carpool together with my cousin), or sometimes twice (by KTM) in a month to Ipoh nowadays. Not a typical homesick person like when I first went to college.




2. I don't like to play chess, but nevertheless still excited by this glass chess set gift. I've recently re-arranged my desk at home nicely, and have decorated my desk with this glass chess set. A student no-more, I can see how my desk becoming clearer and free from trash now.



3. Kokeshi doll By Paul -可愛いです ね?! I love it very much... many thanks!



4. Don't 'play-play'...
My car number. Winning Special prize in Magnum 4 months after registration. Not bad, despite it's lack of many fancy "8's" By the way, I don't "buy" numbers.

5. Conclusion
Guess I must be excited with a new blog. :)