26 March 2008 9:27 p.m. i've just realised i know only the barest minimum about chinese paper offerings (car, cell, cash, condo, credit card et al) - the frames are made of cane, and covered with paper. information on the internet is not forthcoming, and i had a vague idea of what they look like. who knew bank notes could be so varied? does the shop paint the fine detail on? or are there printing or sticker companies that carry out special orders (i saw a picture of a detox foot bath thing that had buttons and stuff)? how much do pieces cost? is the business passed down through generations? i have always only seen old chinese men making the pieces. are there apprentices cutting the material in the back of the shop? are curious people allowed to browse?
mum probably wouldn't like it
way to start your day
plain yoghurt + a drizzle of honey + dried fruit (optional) = happy.
i think it's a sign i need more practice that my hand is strained from doing actual writing yesterday.
13 March 2008 9:19 p.m.stepping back
you know you need to get a grip when you discover you've stepped in monkey poop and your first thought is to scrape it off and pop it under a microscope, even though you're in the midst of writing up your dissertation. yes, still. doing nothing gets in the way of work a lot of the time.
***
little birds
the best political analysts in the country are not merely found in coffee shops, taxis and barber shops - they also stalk the hills of Taman Tun, dispensing their wisdom to all who care to eavesdrop while working to keep their cholesterol levels down. methinks that their thoughts are more lucid by virtue of the extra oxygenated blood that exercise sends to their brains.
03 March 2008 9:23 p.m.occasional burble
if you have short, curly hair like mine, i.e. the type people covet but never imagine caring for, then you should try conditioning with diluted apple cider vinegar after shampooing. cover with a shower cap for a few minutes and rinse well before tying a towel turban to blot away most of the moisture. then, you oil your hair lightly and fry on both sides till golden brown.
i use olive oil but apparently jojoba oil is REALLY GOOD. i don't know, i can't find it on shelves. something tells me it'll probably be out of my budget too.
just thought you'd like to know that. it might be good for straight hair too, but no one i know tries it.
that reminds me - on my walk today i saw a daisy chain thing comprised of juvenile long-tailed macaques. i don't know how i know that term.
29 February 2008 10:33 p.m.slightly hostile
Enfant Terrible: what superpower would you choose?
ItchyMicchi: bitch slap.
ET: that's not a superpower!
IM: BITCH SLAP IN TO NEXT WEEK.
ET: you need to watch less rugby.
query
you know that feeling when you're running and you suddenly become aware that, without realising it, you've covered more ground, run further uphill or gone faster than usual? i don't know if it's endorphins, delirium or shock.
27 January 2008 10:04 a.m.allergic to statistics
my throat seizes up when i remember how dengue mortality rates come about. i didn't even know what he looked like, but to lose a friend he's known since his school days is surely very hard for bro20.
12 January 2008 9:40 p.m.conversations for non-party people, or those who are just lonely
"are you a medical student?"
"...no, i'm just looking through this (Foundations of Parasitology) to see if the information is current."
"oh! what do you do? i'm retired, i'm just walking around."
"i'm doing my masters."
"in what ah?"
"medical science. i focus on parasitology, that's why i'm flipping through this."
"can i see? oh, interesting pictures!"
"ya, that's why i flipped through."
"my father has scabies ah... i wonder if i should get this."
i started edging away as surreptitiously as i could.
"i think it's better to see a doctor about that, you know."
"oh, ya, of course! actually, i'm fine now. i mean, my father is."
this is why ET doesn't like me to wander around on my own.
12 January 2008 9:33 p.m.moist
cocoa butter glides
on my skin
tasty!
notes on Kuching
i spent christmas there, away from the countdown lists and retailers' exhortations that one should show how much they care for their family by spending a lot of money. and tantalisingly near the hotel that housed the contestants for Mr International 2007. Mr. Brazil won. i was rooting for Mr. Guatemala.
- hardly anyone honks in Sarawak. i saw people getting cut off on the road and not a single peep, or finger, was raised.
- all the motorbikes have both their side-view mirrors. until i went to Kuching, i thought the opposite was the norm. oh, KL, how you've stunted me.
- girls are bigger than boys there.
- the best coffeeshop is the one with the lowest cleanliness rating (isn't that true everywhere?).
- the mee jawa in said shop is prepared by a man of actual javanese descent.
- result: an awesome brown, not orange, noodle gravy that is redolent of cloves and pepper that makes even the standard-issue yellow noodles luscious.
- if you order a "special", the dish is accompanied by the most perfect hard-boiled egg ever. you wonder how to divide one egg between 5 people even as the golden yolk stares up at you from its snowy white bed of egg white, cos you had the laksa earlier and sort of regret it (because now you have less room for the mee jawa).
- the same coffeeshop also has the best sarawak laksa (proprietor: "mine is the original one!"). i can never go back to the Bangsar version ever again.
- coffeeshops open only up till noon (unheard of in kl!!!), after which they close up and everyone chills till the next morning. seafood restaurants open from afternoon, so everyone's happy!
- Blue Tab beer is for enemies only. reliable sources, i.e. father, uncles and granduncles, state that it tastes like watered-down tuak (the local rice wine). in fact, the kampung relatives all did a double take when they heard what the city slickers had bought.
- everyone has open houses at christmas!
- actual wild boar has skin like rubber cement, and really pretty pinprick-type pattern. it is not advisable to have a go.
- the ubiquitous mee kolo is served al dente. mum does not fancy it. most vendors use lard.
- my cousins. they scream. a lot. and then one of them got her itty bitty hands on a recorder. only, she didn't know any songs. she made up for that with enthusiasm.
- the staff at Damai Beach Holiday Inn are pretty snotty. but the sunsets are awesome (see below). the staff are not responsible for the sunsets.
- awesome is my new favourite word.
- there is an awesome creation at the roti canai stall at Kopi-O Corner in Satok town: roti Robin Hood is an onion roti folded into the shape of Robin Hood's cocked hat (er?), topped with a sunny side up egg and drizzled with black pepper sauce. you don't even need the curry that accompanies it.
- the mee kolo special there comes with a beef shank thing. with a bone in it.
- if you agree to copy some pictures to cd for one relative cos their memory card's full, be prepared to do the same for 5 more. others will get wind of it and ask for copies too. this is how you kill 2 hours at an open house.
- none of your toddler cousins will bother you because you're the eldest cousin, and therefore, Ancient. enjoy the peace and empathise with the rest.
- Sematan beach is overrated (sandflies, muddy waves and dirt, sry), but Pandan beach makes up for it (soft sand, secluded, no sandflies). the round trip is nearly 200km. fun!
- there are tens of thousands of Bidayuh in Sarawak, but millions in Kalimantan!
- cheesecake and chocolate kek lapis is awesome.
- i have many distant relatives. most of them have very few teeth and very big smiles :D
- food notes: 12, non-food notes: 12. a tie OMG.
clearly, the gravitational pull in KL is stronger than in Sarawak, cos everyone weighs a kilo or so more than before.
