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.
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