Girls and tidbits.

I wrote once that when I was little, my mother took me to a fortune teller to have my palm read. The Monk told my mother that I have flower power. I took to believe that I was irresistible to girls, I was wrong. He was wrong, the Monk.

The actual truth is that I am always outnumbered by girls, at times overwhelmingly outnumbered, like in my family. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining, girls are some of my best friends.

It is just that the hormonal requirement in me behaving like a homing pigeon seeking the company of the “boys will be boys camaraderie” and the need to check against the benchmark of being a male specie.

As a matter of fact, I am enjoying myself in their company because through my close association with the ladies, I understood the male role in their domain and the behavioral consequence of their monthly stupor that I once wrote as the second worst thing about being the male in female world.

I also wrote that I have mastered the art of disappearance, during those trying period, of the ability to blend in with the furniture and the wisdom to be “seen not heard” and “heard not seen”

What I didn’t write was the worst thing about being the male in the female world and the taste buds acquiring the liking of the lady that male specie wouldn’t be caught dead with:- the love for Dom Perignon instead of Whisky, the craving for all things sour and sweet and worst, tidbits.

I love tidbits......all sort...sour....preserved...sweet...salty and more. ..
[ munching and sucking the deliciously sour preserved mango now ]



I took a detour to the wonderland of tidbits to do a short video clipping.

New found love..

We celebrated Sam’s (my wife) birthday pigging out at one of the swanky joint offering buffet in ‘all-you-can-eat’ Japanese and ‘fusion’ cuisine. The “kiasu” - thou shall not lose – mode kick in and I was in a combative mood trying to eat all I can to recoup the initial investment besides pure gluttony. I am ashamed of myself but it was FUN with a capital and fun I did have stuffing myself with all those ‘to-die-for’ cuisine. It was suicidal.

Kamikaze – come to think of it.


The story today is about my new found love...the love at first bite...the craving for an ala carte sourish spicy ‘green curry’ seafood cuisine ...the Tom Yam. I have developed the craving a few months back when Sam insisted that I take a sip of the spicy soup that she had loved for years, one sip there was no turning back. It was love at first sip to be more appropriate.

The perfectionist that I am...the fastidiousness of my character drove me to seek the best bowl of Tom Yam that I could find and each gastronomic journey lifted the taste buds to a higher level. I deciphered the ingredients of each bowl of Tom Yam and fed the information to Sam.

Today, Sam makes the best bowl of Tom Yam...an enticing blend of saltiness to accentuate the sourish soup in fiery spiciness of deliciously sweet seafood herbal brew.

Oh Heaven!......Sam is cooking fried noodles with Tom Yam paste....NOW!!!!!! 8.08pm.


November 20, 2009 – Friday.

Next door to Alice.

In the family old house...we had a neighbour staying right behind us...and there lives Alice.

.....in Alice’s backyard were Rambutan trees (hairy strawberry)... ....my sibling and I would steal the fruits during the seasons.....and Alice would come out to chase us away....it went on for years......like a game of cat and mouse.

As we grew older...my sisters would chat with her over the thick fencing undergrowth............they became friends.......... I have never seen her in person....I mean..............how she looks like........

..........there were times when I saw her walking home from school..........she was always in front...............................

..over those years...... we became friends ....we chatted .......cracked jokes.....[never to see her face]......................realized that she was a caring and kind person.........and I like her friendship..................she was a few years my senior.


..One fine morning.....she called me when I was at the back...

Robert...Robert......bye!......
......see you!...I am going to Australia.


That was the last time.....I heard from her......and of her......
.............30 years ago today.



Alice...if you chance upon this site...say Hi! to me...


I chance upon a situation with the song “Living next door to Alice” over the radio and made a short video clip that somehow fits appropriately. ....The ‘lady’ in it is the perfect representation of the girl whom I knew as Alice.....a girl whom I never know the look.



.....for Alice.

The week that was...

Chinese wedding dinner was never on time....and is always late.


During my grandfather time...it was late because some of the guests arrived on foot.......some on bullock carts.......some trekked through jungle.......most do not have watch and relied on the sun’s position.....

...but dinner back then was a full day affair.


During my father’s time.....dinner was still late....though there was public transport...and many haves cars..........

People do not arrive on time.. (to save face).... because they do not want to be seen as desperately hungry for a good meal they could not afford......so they purposefully arrive late.........to signify one has plenty to eat all the time.......at the same time get notice by the guests already there...........................and it inflates their self-importance.

.....and dinner starts eventually...2 hours or more later......


During my time.....on the invitation card....Dinner start: 7pm sharp.

[ I arrived at 7.15pm. .........the 1st. to arrive ]

..............and dinner still starts late....even on a Sunday!!

People feel uncomfortable being on time because they will be greeted by a full platoon of Host’s family members...and they probably couldn’t remember the names of who....and who-is-who...

.....and the more pertinent reason is that people expect the dinner to start late.......
So...no need for excuses..........everybody taking their own sweet time.............and be fashionably late.......


.....dinner starts eventually at 8.30pm

.....by that time the host and family would have stood fashionably for 2 hours at the main entrance since 6.30pm to welcome the arrival of the guests.


I had a great time feasting with my family members and friends.....no beggar’s chicken was serve.....in its place was the roasted suckling pig...delicious.........and we had ‘18yrs. Chivas Regal’ .....Sumptuous!!


As if the price to pay for my indulgence....I was struck by the flu bug on Wednesday...I suffered terribly from body aches ....more so because I was into weight training the day before...and the 10km run on Monday [ to make up for the gluttony on Sunday ].

Consulted the Doctor....he prescribed anti-biotics.....muscle relaxant ..... ponstan (for the pain)....antacid for the acidity.....and 2 days off.

......I continued working as I couldn’t afford to rest........with all the bills to be paid...the children’s education.......daily expenses..........staffs pay.......rentals......incidentals.......installments........bank charges..........and so on..........my food bill........beers.........Dr.Kanda (the Vet)..........dog’s food.......Trusty’s Fido Dog soap..
.....Whisky’s food list...and....and........:faint:


I posted a video clip on a slide show of the bride and groom.......to show you all how it is done here....and for all you aspiring photographer..... it might inspire you to the next level.
....see the professional at >> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com


*I am feeling better now.

The Beggar's Chicken.

I accompanied a friend, who had a sudden urge, to a restaurant at the remote end of a small town bordering the jungle. This friend of mine yearned for the taste of wild-life....and it seems to me he wanted to boost his libido.

The restaurant serves games such as wild boar....snakes....sang kancil (deer)........ant- eaters........iguana (monitor lizard)....monkeys and animals that are caught by the aborigines.

We ordered Curry Wild boar and Claypot iguana. .......and the soup of the day - Snake’s Skin.............I ate just the curry wild boar ..............and left the rest to my friend............he ate whole heartily ...the herbal concoction of iguana and drank the snake soup....
...we washed it down with ‘toddy’...a strong alcoholic brew made from the sugary liquid discharge from the young shoot of the coconut.

The patrons of the table next to us had beggar’s chicken ..........

The Beggar’s chicken is a closely guarded ancient recipe born out of necessity....and ingenuity of a group of desperately hungry ‘street people’..... These people stuffed the chicken with a combination of herbs discarded from the herbal shop.....then wrapped with a large banyan/bamboo leaves and pasted it with clay to be baked over an open fire.

This slow cooking process retains all the nutrients and goodness which would have been otherwise destroyed by heat......and together with the nutritional properties of the herbs it protected the vagrants from succumbing to pneumonia.... in the harshness of the weather.

Today...this herbal preparation became one of the grand ancient Chinese cuisines passed down from the ancestry of the vagrants to their descendants who became restaurateurs and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine.

There are many variations of the beggar’s chicken....and copycats.....only the connoisseurs can tell the difference.............I can.

>> feast your eyes on it......seeing is believing.


Put the journal up a day earlier because I am attending a wedding banquet tomorrow evening...25th-10-09..............and seriously I have too many dinners... at least one almost every other week...and I cannot stand-down on the invitations because...I love socializing and the food............hoping that they serve beggar’s chicken tomorrow.

Lemang.

I stopped by to buy Lemang for supper the other day. The Lemang is glutinous rice flavored with coconut milk and bake in the hollow of a bamboo over open fire....absolutely delicious ...you can eat it on its own........

......but it’s best to go with the “Rendang”..... a traditional Malay fare of beef/chicken cook in a concoction of spices and grated coconut.... ..creating one of the better curried dish of tendered... very delicious dried spicy meat.

The Lemang that I bought here was a big disappointment because I was looking forward to a great supper at home.......only to realize that it was not completely cooked...it was raw at the center...and the coconut milk soured the glutinous rice.

The dogs had a big feast though.....Lucky ate a bit......Ashitaka didn’t like it........Steady had a little....and TRUSTY loved it...and ate all........slightly more than a foot of it.

I deviate a while..........[ SAM just show Trusty a bottle of FIDO....a dog shampoo she bought at the market...specifically for her ].

....back to my story.......we were left with just the ‘Rendang’........drove over to 7 eleven to buy a loaf of bread........came home and had a great time.....simply delicious!

....the unfinished portion of the Rendang went to Trusty.....all of it.




..



** Trusty is not too well.....she will be operated next week.

TGIF.

I never got round to watch “Thank God It’s Friday” the movie...and I don’t know why!!!...and I never got round to dine at TGIF restaurant because I gravitate towards the Sushi Restaurant next door...every time I was there.

....and as with Every Friday....I sigh with glee “Thank God It’s Friday” this Friday as I made my way back home after a very difficult Friday.......TGIF!!!

It was not to be...I was caught in a massive traffic jam lasting more than an hour...and I was caught with my pants down, literally, ........in sheer agony TGIF [The Gallbladder Is Full]......instinctively I look around for trees.....bushes......small shrubs to “pour out the liquefied agony”. ........the only possible standing structure to do it discreetly....was the lamppost...........and I chose to labor on....the agony.

....I looked to the right...I saw “That Guy Is Freaking”..(TGIF).....probably from system overload...(you know what I mean)...I gave a reassuring nod.....[ hey, Bros..we are in the same boat, we will sail out of it together]

...then......I looked to the left...I saw “That Girl Is Fidgeting”...she is probably overloaded too........I smile reassuringly ...[ hey, Sis...don’t worry...hang on...the traffic will soon clear....and we will make home run and “zero in” on the loo all to soon..YuP!! ]

Over the radio...the song “Have you ever seen the rain” by CCR was aired....

.[ Gosh!...what great timing ..............you could see Torrential storm, I sneered.....]

...followed by the Traffic Update/Report.....blah!...blah!...blah!....traffic is at a standstill..

A little more than an hour later...I arrived at the Petrol Station......less than 5 minutes away from home..........all commonsense blurred out...all logic purged...I did the unthinkable...I stopped ...to go to the toilet.

Walking calmly and purposefully to the loo so as not to “spill the load”...I inched forward
...only to be beaten by a chap to the door.......[What could be worse, I sighed ]...
...I was wrong.......

All hell broke loose!........ more than a minute had passed....and the guy hadn’t done yet.....he is too long ..That Guy Is #$%@ing....... (TGI#) too long.......what seem like eternity.

...I knock on the door...BAM!!..BAM!...BAM!!!

Abang! ...cepat..tak tahan lagi.
(Bros.....faster...can’t stand any longer)

Hey abaaang!!...berat lah.
(Hey broooos!!...shitting lah)


I...then leaned on the wall in a cool fashion with my legs crossed tightly to plug the leak..
.. ...cold sweat permeated........and finally ...the door opened...he apologized...I rushed in
.......rained out all my woes..

....and boy!....TGIF...(The Gas Is Fouled)...what has he been eating!!!!!

I reached home finally..........TGIF.

Today is Sunday as I spilled my heart content out on the journal........I feel better now!.......

...Thank God It was Friday............that very day.

Go over to >> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com >> to watch boring traffic jam and listen to the Traffic Update/Report .........all 41secs of it.



Clicky the advertisement.

Thank God Its Friday.

I never got round to watch “Thank God It’s Friday” the movie...and I don’t know why!!!...and I never got round to dine at TGIF restaurant because I gravitate towards the Sushi Restaurant next door...every time I was there.

....and as with Every Friday....I sigh with glee “Thank God It’s Friday” this Friday as I made my way back home after a very difficult Friday.......TGIF!!!

It was not to be...I was caught in a massive traffic jam lasting more than an hour...and I was caught with my pants down, literally, ........in sheer agony TGIF [The Gallbladder Is Full]......instinctively I look around for trees.....bushes......small shrubs to “pour out the liquefied agony”. ........the only possible standing structure to do it discreetly....was the lamppost...........and I chose to labor on....the agony.

....I looked to the right...I saw “That Guy Is Freaking”..(TGIF).....probably from system overload...(you know what I mean)...I gave a reassuring nod.....[ hey, Bros..we are in the same boat, we will sail out of it together]

...then......I looked to the left...I saw “That Girl Is Fidgeting”...she is probably overloaded too........I smile reassuringly ...[ hey, Sis...don’t worry...hang on...the traffic will soon clear....and we will make home run and “zero in” on the loo all to soon..YuP!! ]

Over the radio...the song “Have you ever seen the rain” by CCR was aired....

.[ Gosh!...what great timing ..............you could see Torrential storm, I sneered.....]

...followed by the Traffic Update/Report.....blah!...blah!...blah!....traffic is at a standstill..

A little more than an hour later...I arrived at the Petrol Station......less than 5 minutes away from home..........all commonsense blurred out...all logic purged...I did the unthinkable...I stopped ...to go to the toilet.

Walking calmly and purposefully to the loo so as not to “spill the load”...I inched forward
...only to be beaten by a chap to the door.......[What could be worse, I sighed ]...
...I was wrong.......

All hell broke loose!........ more than a minute had passed....and the guy hadn’t done yet.....he is too long ..That Guy Is #$%@ing....... (TGI#) too long.......what seem like eternity.

...I knock on the door...BAM!!..BAM!...BAM!!!

Abang! ...cepat..tak tahan lagi.
(Bros.....faster...can’t stand any longer)

Hey abaaang!!...berat lah.
(Hey broooos!!...shitting lah)


I...then leaned on the wall in a cool fashion with my legs crossed tightly to plug the leak..
.. ...cold sweat permeated........and finally ...the door opened...he apologized...I rushed in
.......rained out all my woes..

....and boy!....TGIF...(The Gas Is Fouled)...what has he been eating!!!!!

I reached home finally..........TGIF.

Today is Sunday as I spilled my heart content out on the journal........I feel better now!.......

...Thank God It was Friday............that very day.

Go over to >> talkthreetalkfour.blogspot.com >> to watch boring traffic jam and listen to the Traffic Update/Report .........all 41secs of it.

The Chinaman.

Ah Kow (not his real name) is the very proud owner of Ah Tee (his real name) meaning Younger Brother.
...Ah Tee is a miniature cockerel who had done Ah Kow proud by winning several local competitions for the best poise and the handsomest cockerel...

......Ah Kow is head and heel over Ah Tee and pronounced him his “King Cock”...

.Ah Kow takes Ah Tee everywhere he went........

I quote Ah Kow..

“I take Ah Tee, my King Cork everywhere.....even to the whorehouse...haha!
..Don’t worry ......I got many hens for him.......hehe.......right or not!!....Ah Tee ......my King Cork...right or not!!”


[I include the quote........... to show the special relation between Ah Kow and Ah Tee.]


.....the man himself.....Ah Kow...is the perfect personification of a “Chinaman”

......allow me to elaborate...


A Chinaman is a person usually in their forties and had slogged his entire life as a business middleman in trading... as retailer ... and wholeselling ...he worked tirelessly day and night....piling up his pennies into fortunes...investing in properties and agricultural lands.....They are the “Towkay”... meaning Big Boss.

They are typically pot bellied...dressed in floral shirts and Gold Rolex with bracelet a size too big so as to shake into position so that everybody notice...a Du pont Gold lighter to clink open to get the waitresses attention.......... ...they are gregarious........generous to a fault .......they like to keep a few thousands in their shirt pocket ........Paying for few dollars worth with a huge pile of Dollars to show.....

....and their wallets (which they keep in the pant pocket) bulked up with addresses and phone numbers of clients, nightclubs, mistresses; ..............herbal cures and remedies... ....some money..........and lucky charms for protection.

They made good friends...dependable and honorable business associates...but the worst competitors because they can survive scrapping the bottom of the rice pot for crust ...................for years....... and generations if necessary.

Never also rob a Chinaman...he is BAD.......just ask, he will give.....he understands life being the underdog, he was one ........ all his life..... he took the honorable path and found wisdom and fortune.


Ah Tee is the perfect representation of Ah Kow........self-important.... imposing ...showoff ....loud.....shrewd and resourceful......companionable........honest........kind-hearted........simplistic and an economic juggernaut all roll into one.


* The better educated more visionary Chinamen became......Founding Chairman of large multi-national corporations... and World famous Entrepreneurs.


I became talk3talk4 ................... just Airs...................Talk only.

The Ghost Festival.

The Ghost Festival.

The Ghost Festival also known as the Feast of the Wandering Souls is being held on the whole of the seventh month of the Chinese Calendar (August). The ghosts from Hell are let loose during this time. Open air operas are held in market places and temples as part of the feast.

Fast forward.....today.

We have concerts by Singers singing pop songs performing on stage in front of rows....and rows of empty chairs .....RSVP for the “You-know-who”......only some front seats were taken by the brave audiences (human)......me being one of them.

The concerts this year were pale shadows of last year.........we have Pole-dancing by skimpily dressed ladies and very VERY hot performances.....GHOSTS need entertainment too.

....the Authority forbade the act citing indecency.....the Temples’ official worried that the “audiences” might enjoy it too much to return to where it came from.
..and we..... the few brave human enjoyed first class entertainment F.O C....and the food too........

“You-know-what” need to eat and BOOZE...[symbolically] as offering...... ...while the few brave men among us feast on it till heaven comes. YUM..YUM!!

The most important lesson here is not about the culture but about the Performers ...... the Chinese specifically are the most pragmatic people on Earth....who in the world would perform to an empty audience ......where rows of empty chairs are seated with invisible “you-know –what”..... and giving their very best as if performing for the human.......cajoling participation....lively world class emceeing ....pyrotechnic display......disco lighting and what not...

...all being said...the Moral here is that the Chinese recognizes only MONEY.......
..from who ...to who.....does not matter ......to do what and for what...no problem.... as long as it is LEGAL.





***Also note here is that I was there for you all.............I enjoyed the food though.

Sorry Dude!

From the corner of my eyes....... I spotted a flash of moment about 50meter away....and as I turned to scrutinize, I saw a dog ‘galloping’ daintily...I went after it.

..[ It was in a new housing estate.....and most premises were unoccupied... ]

...I brisk walked in a purposeful manner so as not to startle the subject.... and as I was closing in on him......the ‘Dude’ stopped. .....I frisked out the camera slowly...and inched my way closer with no sudden untoward tic ....to record the episode.

The ‘Dude’ is one of the sweetest dude of any kind I have seen....and I would love to care for the mutt if I hadn’t had so many dogs at home...( Dude is a stray ).

Dude is a victim of childish prank.


...and for all the “show and laugh”.....I was no less guilty when I realized 15minutes later that I should have removed the facemask for ‘dude’ ....because if left ‘unattended’ for a longer period....the elastics would have ‘eaten’ into the flesh and cause insufferable damage....[ I’m so sorry Dude ]..

*......I prayed that some good Samaritan would remove the offensive mask for Dude....... who have given us so much joy in his misadventure...and in that laughter we learnt of our indifferences and cruelty.

Born free.

Born free, as free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
Born free to follow your heart

Live free and beauty surrounds you
The world still astounds you
Each time you look at a star

Stay free, where no walls divide you
You're free as the roaring tide
So there's no need to hide

Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'cause you're born free

Stay free, where no walls divide you
You're free as the roaring tide
So there's no need to hide

Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'cause you're born free