Trying to be all mystical and Kung Fu-ey

Jack Black is a comic genius. So he is rude, crude (have you HEARD his songs? *snigger*) and is as rotund as the character Po which he plays in Kung Fu Panda. I didn't really expect to enjoy it, but I did. Enormously. Its like watching the juvenile Jack Black, in a panda suit.

How can one resist a movie is that begins with an opening line that goes:

Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend. It is said that his enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness!

Master Shifu (okay, wierd name) looks nothing like Dustin Hoffman though.

Anyway I won't mind watching it again.

And in the spirit of things I finally used my Japanese ceramic teapot. Procured for me from Japan. Gorgeous isn't it? Exactly why I have hesitated to use it. So sayang la.

Because in typical fashion, bad things happen to things one hold most precious. Case in point, for a birthday long past, I got a mug all the way from Singapore. Hand delivered. Loved it to bits. And what did I do but smash it into smithereens one week later at the firm. And yet its all the naff free gift mugs that will stick around till forever.

And now that I am revisiting ceramics again, you can well understand my phobia.

A glutton's wishlist

Makan wishlist for when wanton eating is possible again. Well, not all at the same time you understand.


Nasi lemak with ayam rempah (warong in front of Kelana Putri)
Soft vadai (stall at Jalan Telawi, Bangsar)
Butter prawns
Nasi Goreng Cina at Capitol
Cincalok
Cucur udang
Chicken tepanyaki
Nasi goreng soft shell crab (SS2 Murni - Jo, have you been there recently?)
Sweet sour pork at that new restaurant in North Point
Pork noodles at Imbi
Chicken chop at Yut Kee
Bak kua in a bun
Fried chicken wings at Fatty Crab Taman Megah
Nasi campur at the warung located in the carpark off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng

To be continued.......

Enter sandman

Generally the word endoscopy would conjure up images of a poor sod with a tube down his throat gagging for dear life.

I went for one yesterday. After getting a referral.

And if there is one advice I could give you when it comes to endoscopies its this - get SEDATION.

The only pain I had to endure was when a syringe was plunged into my my vein to administer it. Two seconds after it was injected in me, I blinked and the next thing I saw was the green curtains of the recovery room. It was shockingly painless.

And the specialists finally confirmed that I was suffering from acid reflux and I had bacteria in me that could cause peptic ulcers. Sexy.

So I have with me now a bagful of meds to help me deal with it and halleluja , today I could eat spoonfuls of hor fun again. Yesterday I could only manage strands. I was pathetic.

I had an excellent doctor. Of course he is one of the best and its one of the perks of working in an exclusive hospital. Of course the procedure cost my insurance RM1500.

The doc said that this could be due to stress. No surpises there. So if you are reading this and you have a highly stressful job, you may want to rethink your life career plans because baby, this is not fun.

And forget what they say about how its mostly old people who gets these life changing diseases because exceptions happen and now they are happening to younger people with alarming frequency.

Anyway, thanks for the concern peeps.

Hannah Yeoh: SMKSU Prefects' Reunion

Hannah Yeoh: SMKSU Prefects' Reunion

This is an outrage and an outright shame.

If the establishment is intending to silence us, they are going to lose more states in the next general election. I have many issues with our current education system, but this takes the cake.

I am Monster and I am a charity case

I quote The Star, yesterday

DAP has said that they would have considered supporting the motion on price hikes tabled by Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad if the Government agreed to giving out cash aid to lower and middle income families.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said they had suggested that families earning under RM6,000 a month receive RM6,000 per year.

I have issues with giving handouts.

Why do politicians, and with this I mean those hailing from both sides of the fence, seem to think that help for the needly always involves sedekah.

Going by DAP's generous suggestion of giving a family RM500 per month, sure that is a lot of money, but it will not break the cycle of poverty.

On one hand you may give RM500 'assistance' and yet on the other hand, if the prices of transport, rice, sundries and utilities continue to rise, RM500 is not going to go very far in the long run.

If the government was really serious in assisting the deserving to weather this economic storm, then a full strategy with practical plans to protect those most vulnerable, together with the necessary budget should have been presented to the people with announcement of the price increase in petrol.

Declaring an overnight increase and then in the wake of the public furore, come up with hasty public statements on how to curb inflation and half baked plans to help the people, is far from what I call competent governance.

For instance the stand on civil servants being encouraged to take on second jobs. One day, can then the next day, cannot. Who is a laughing stock now?

You don't have to go as far as looking at civil servants or the lower income earners. Even the middle class earners are trying to add more to their coffers by selling insurance, MLM, baking cakes, freelance work, I am sure you know a few or you are doing so yourself.

And telling us to change our lifestyles is only adding insult to injury. When we can hardly bring home enough to feed ourselves, what more a family, there is very little else we can squeeze from our income (which is the only thing that does not seem to be expanding).

If the government is serious about eradicating poverty and helping the rakyat to cushion the blow, cash handouts , while better than hot air, is still a poor way of doing it.

If anything, begin with granting minimum wage. Subsidize bas sekolah costs, give free meals for all in schools, give free medical treatment for senior citizens and the disabled be it for flu or cancer and IMPROVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

And when I mean improve, I mean it should be cheap enough for students, safe enough for pregnant mothers, punctual enough for workers and comfortable enough that our Yang Berhormats would consider taking them to work. Meat trucks are not acceptable.

No need to go very far for any government lawatan sambil belajar (or as common with our government officers lawatan sambil bersiar). Singapore and HongKong have excellent systems.

Anyway, enough for tonight.
Sigh. If I develop ulcers, I will know where the angst comes from.

Shout Out

Well done Sayla on topping the Hitz.fm's MET 10 charts.

I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair

Don't go far off, not even for a day
Don't go far off, not even for a day,
Because I don't know how to say it - a day is long
And I will be waiting for you, as in
An empty station when the trains are
Parked off somewhere else, asleep.

Don't leave me, even for an hour, because then
The little drops of anguish will all run together,
The smoke that roams looking for a home will drift
Into me, choking my lost heart.

Oh, may your silhouette never dissolve
On the beach, may your eyelids never flutter
Into the empty distance. Don't LEAVE me for
A second, my dearest, because in that moment you'll
Have gone so far I'll wander mazily
Over all the earth, asking, will you
Come back? Will you leave me here, dying?

by Pablo Neruda

Public service announcement

It is so typical of us to take things in life for granted.
We don't give them the love and respect that they deserve.

Like your esophagus for instance.
How many of you truly appreciate its function? Do you even give it any thought? When did you last say "I love you, esophagus?"

I sure wish I appreciated my gastro track a little more. I have been experiencing difficulty in swallowing since Thursday and boy, does it HURT! Nothing gets through without my wincing in pain and sometimes, just for kicks, its spasms and I look like I just swallowed a can of wasabi.

I am going for an endoscopy tomorrow and a have a tube with a tiny camera at the tip inserted down my throat to find out what the heck is wrong with me. Uhuh, can't wait.

So people, appreciate your esophagus. It will love you back.

Thots

A few random thoughts.

The call to remove Pak Lah is loud and clear.

But certainly that is not the be all and end all of our political problems. Its given that the results of March 8 was based on the Asal Bukan Umno sentiments of the rakyat.

So you do not have confidence in Pak Lah.
Do you have confidence in the alternative?

Will kicking him out on the Asal Bukan Pak Lah fervor mean that corruption will lessen, prices of gas will drop, Malaysia will remain a secular nation, native rights abolished and we will finally produce worthy education system that does not yo-yo every few years?

If you think Umno Youth is bad, try Pas Youth. Until the Sultan of Selangor had to step in to shut them up. And DAP, their fuss over a songkok for their swearing in at the Selangor State Assembly among others, betrays their "you must change but I ought not' non-compromising reactivity. And many would not let Anwar forget that he was an Umno leader before that swore to their name and cause.

Calling a cangkul, a cangkul - Pakatan IS a marriage of convenience. The only glue that holds them together is their determination in destroying BN. While they make a great opposition, will they be able to put aside their differences, hardline ideology and racial sentiments to be true statesmen. The public bickering that goes on within Pakatan is pretty embarassing. Do they consider themselves a coalition in the true sense of the word because they certainly need to mature very quickly if they intend to seize power

One strong argument for change, whatever it is, is nothing can be as bad as things are now.
My question is, can't it? I don't have the answer.

Open ended questions to ponder on the way to work. (ok, so I have a long commute)

Clarion Call of No Confidence

Interesting news indeed.

But I am a little confused. Is SAPP going to support a vote of no confidence or tabling it in parliament? I would have thought Anwar, through his vassals of course, would relish the opportunity to be the one to table for a vote of no confidence.

Does this piece of new have serious repercussions? You betcha.

For the uninitiated, we follow the Westminster system which is modeled after the parliamentary system of our ex-colonial masters and is favoured by most of the Commonwealth.

Generally a vote of no confidence in the leadership is called by the Opposition to weaken or defeat the ruling government. The government usually responds by calling a vote of confidence and MPs will then decide. If the majority of our lawmakers says no, we do not have confidence in the government, the PM will have to resign or the Agong will be asked to dissolve parliament for a fresh call for elections.

Nevertheless Barisan still holds a majority in parliament. Votes of no confidence will fall short if Barisan close ranks and all rally behind Pak Lah.

However with the tabling of a no confidence vote by a member of his own coalition, a first in Malaysian history by the way, this is evidence enough that Pak Lah is not able to count on the support of his own MPs. With voices in UMNO calling for his resignation and Gerakan (now roaming in political wilderness) blaming UMNO for its stunning defeat, the National Front may just be that – a front.

Interesting days ahead.

Just don’t buy stocks.

Losing it at the cubicles

They say that revenge is a dish best served cold.

But seriously, killing no, MAIMING a particular person now would be OH so beautiful.

I don't condone violence.
Unless I inflict it.
And that's usually ok because I am a nice person.

And if I wanna cause grevious bodily harm to a person you can be assured that all I am doing is ridding the world of evil.

So its all ok.

The only problem is how to hide the body. The bitch is cow.

Roadtrip

We just got back from a short trip to Penang to visit the matriarch of the clan. After the scare she gave everyone last week, she is looking and feeling much better now. The moment she gets fussy about dinner, its a sure sign that she is bouncing back. A Penangite through and through who is uncompromising when it comes to food, even in the aftermath of a stroke.

My grandma looks like she belongs in X-Men, no? As Prof Xavier's um, ok, maybe not protégé, but say, first generation mutant grand aunt? With the power to recite any 4 nombor ekor without consulting the nombor ekor almanac.
Cool or what? Her hair will give Storm a run for her money.

Yang Arif?

The Malaysian judiciary is in the spotlight again. Well and Good. The Malaysian Bar website has the lot. Shocking to the nation as the allegations are, most lawyers will tell you that its just a day in the life of an officer of the court. Zaid Ibrahim's comment that "I can't say that I am surprised (with the latest allegation) as there have been such stories in the past." is actually accurate.

After the VK Lingam issue, calls for commissions of enquiry have become standard operating procedure. Failing which a Royal Commission will be the next recourse. The government has rejected calls for this claiming that reforms will be conducted, hence investigations are not necessary. But are reforms now too little, too late.

Between executive interference, professional misconduct, cowardice and apathy, its a no brainer that little confidence is left in the judiciary.

I still remember Dr Bryn Perrins' words during our first week of law school. "Banish all thoughts of justice when it comes to the practice of the law." And here is proof.

Why so Serious?

As more superheroes develop an affinity for PR agents and the bright lights of Hollywood, the best of DC and Marvel now come before us.

And all for a very affordable price of RM10 per cinema ticket.

We had Spiderman 3 last year, together with Ghost Rider and Fantastic Four. Iron man started off this year.

But what I am waiting with oh so bated breath is, of course, Batman. Scratch that. I am waiting to see Joker. Heath Ledger's Joker.

He looks awfully devious. Awfully deranged. Awfully good.

Yup, my kinda guy. You can keep Christian Bale and the debonair Bruce Wayne. Gimme the guy with bad lipstick. Its a pity about Heath Ledger. I admire his versatility and talent. The movies isn't even out and already his Joker has outshined the hero.

The trailers are simply awesome. Watch it here

And it will also be available in IMAX. WooHoo

Engrish right here

More on attire.

Found a listing on ebay Malaysia for an Armish Bikini.
If the Amish are turning militant or going for a very liberal swim, I wanna see it.

Turned out to be a bikini with a camouflage design. Hehe. I bet the seller is clueless.

Keropok Lekor Part 2

Honestly people, I am not sure how many parts this will have. See previous entry on keropok lekor for the full extent of my fascination.

I am on a quest for the best lekor in KL. Don't ask me to go to Terengganu ok. That is not an option at present.

I must agree with the disgruntled lekor enthusiast who wrote that piece to the papers lamenting the rubbish that is being passed off as lekor here.

There is this stall near my house that claims to sell lekor. But it is so pale that one tends to wonder if the only fish that went into it was an ikan bilis.

The authentic fare is brownish grey but the ones sold looked (and tasted) more like vegetable crackers. I was deflated. Even at RM1 for 5 pieces, its no bargain.

Nevermind. When I went to Pertama Complex, there was one stall that specializes in deep fried bananas, tapioca and yes, the keropok lekor losong. All things dripping in oil and oh so unhealthy. Yum.

All I can say is that it smelt like keropok lekor. It even looked like keropok lekor. But it tasted like char kui perisa ikan ( fish flavoured eu char koay in other words.) It was so hollow inside.

It did not have that satisfying chewy goodness that defines a losong. Hence the quest continues.

Chariot O Chariot

There has been no updates for the past 2 weeks mainly because I have been up to my eyeballs in work, both office and personal. Freelancing as a translator means that my weekends are not mine anymore. Whoring my weekends away to afford hair colour is so wrong but feels so right.

Its been a very productive 2 weeks but also a harried one. A holiday right about now would be wonderful. But with the price of fuel going up, what else can we expect but everything else to promptly follow suit. Except our salaries of course.

Looks like I will not be getting my car anytime soon. Would it be cheaper to raise a horse? I would name it Hidalgo but that's the name of Biman's car, so no go.