Nyonya Cuisine in Melaka

It was a few weeks ago when i paid a visit to the Restoran Bibik Neo, a restaurant serving nice Nyonya Cuisine. My ex-neighbour, who has moved to Melaka went along with me and my mum, and not to forget my nephew. Frankly speaking, despite the short distance from my place to Melaka, i have never had Nyonya Food before!! What a shame~~~

The exterior and interior design of the restaurant is kind of....antique??? The wooden door, ceilings that made of mats, and the old-fashioned curtains has definitely eased us off with a feeling of home! I think the design matches the home-made food they serve, all revolve around the theme of "home".

My mum and my nephew, bryvan. He was so busy looking at the food on the table.

Stir fried brinjal with belacan. I remember telling a friend about brinjal in Australia and he asked me "what's brinjal?". It's obvious that Aussies don't eat brinjal and they don't have it there.

The salty fried squid. There was a sauce/dip for it. It's the sauce that made it different from the normal fried squid that we can get in any seafood restaurant.

Spicy Chicken with Gula Melaka. Besides the spicy sensation, you can feel that it's sweet in some ways. Wow, don't worry, it doesn't not cause diarrhoea anyway!

Grilled fish with specially made topping. I think they mixbelacan with something else for the topping. I can't exactly tell you what're the ingredients used.

Anyway, people go for Nyonya Cuisine when they feel like having home-made food. Despite the nice food served, it's the feeling of home that prompts the second visit or perhaps more! The sincerity while preparing the food and the warmth you get while eating the food sum up the uniqueness of Nyonya Cuisine. :)

感动

很久很久都没用华文写部落格了。总觉得不管我英文说得再多，英文歌听得再多，不论澳洲的文化多么地根深蒂固，我还是离不开对华文的那股热忱。就是忘却不了。13 年正规的华文教育，总是扎实地屹立在心里，我不舍，也不会忘掉自己是那么地热爱这个语言。

有好一段时间了吧，我都没有收听华文电台，更别说听华文歌了。说真的，我差点儿就忘了自己以前对华文歌曲的那份痴狂，以及华文歌曲对于塑造一个多愁善感的我的那股力量。

刚刚听了萧煌奇深情地诠释 '你是我的眼'，我重拾昔日被歌曲打动的那种感觉，那份被因为感动而落下的泪烫伤脸颊的激情。对，眼泪在旋律的伴奏下，不自觉地掉了下来。或许是因为萧煌奇他唱出了自己的心声。撇开歌曲的催泪旋律和打动人心的歌词，只要能感受到萧煌奇演唱时的那份真诚，那种经历了多少沧桑及艰辛日子才有的历练，泪水就会簌然而下了。值得一题的是，林宥嘉也把这首歌诠释得很棒。

我们能够看到很多东西，就之因为我们有双健全的眼睛。相对的，我们 '用心去感受' 的那份能力也为之逊色了。萧煌奇恰好相反，他失去了视觉，但是他感受到东西，都比我们多了好多好多倍。虽然看不见，但是他看透的东西比任何人都多。多讽刺啊。

记得老师曾告诉过我，唱歌一定要有感情，把自己溶入歌曲里头。每个人都能唱，但是真正能够找到唱歌的感觉的并不多。好抽像, 也没能做到。但是从萧煌奇身上，我具体地看到了那些东西，开窍了。唱歌时情感要铺陈，要有层次，我也都领略到了。唱歌其实是在阐诉一段故事, 一开始是比较平淡的，唱的技巧也比较平淡，但语气与情感也要跟着故事的演变而有所变化。有了这些元素，再加上自己的唱功，以及一把好嗓子，就能把一首歌诠释得很好。


很想抱着你 给你个痛彻心扉
说我残忍 我欲哭无泪
缤纷的世界
霎时间 黑白交织
无能为力之际
我 选择离开
离开的 是躯体 不是灵魂

很多话想说 却不能脱口而出
想见你 却不知你的意愿
牛郎织女也会相见 却比这还苦情

消声匿迹 真的好吗
花凋了 也再盛开
我却一路冲向末路
柳暗花明何其有

望着苍穹 我的心静了 淡了

Sabah Trip: Kundasang and Kota Kinabalu

After three days in Sandakan, i set myself free from boredoom by getting a bus ticket to Kota Kinabalu. Yeah, i was on my own, six hours in the bus all the way to KK (Kota Kinabalu). I was planning to take a flight there but it's meant to be a budget trip despite the cheap flights offered by Air Asia.

The bus took off by 7.30 am. I woke up at 6am, you might think that is bloody early only if you're not told my cousins woke up at 5am. The sun starts to set by 5am and rises by 6am in Sabah. Therefore the time we go to bed and off the bed have to be adjusted there.

i stopped over at Kundasang for an hour or two. There wasn't much to explore round here, but at least i had left my footprint. :)
Kundasang is renowned for its vegetables and flowers. There is a row of stalls selling fresh vege and flowers.
It seemed like i was in Cameron Highland didn't it? yeah, Kundasang is like the mini Cameron Highland except that they don't grow strawberry and cactus there! lol. The weather is not that chilly either.

Nevertheless, it has a great view. The life in Kundasang is simple and peaceful. The kids there have no PS2 or Nintendo, but i bet they have the best childhood. They fly a kite, play hide-and-seek, helping out in their parents' farm. they are not in touch with the high tecnology yet living their life to the fullest.

After that, i decided to go to the National park which is in the vicinity. i took a taxi from Kundasang and paid rm10 for a short distance to the National Park. Well, i couldn't complain, the taxi driver will certainly take the advanatage of the inconvenience of the transportation there.

During the visit to the Kinabalu Park, i had a strongest urge ever to hike the mountain. but due to the lack of company, i couldn't help but to call of the idea. :(

I was asking around to get a mean of transport to KK. To get a taxi cost around rm100 for an hour journey. WTH!!!!!!!!!! A nice lady told me i could signal any bus on the road to get onboard that cost only rm10. They were those express buses from either Sandakan, Lahad Datu or Tawau that were going to KK. argh, i was blessed!!

Sorry for the bad picture. i couldn't get a nice seat to take a nice picture on the way going down the hill where Mont. Kinabalu was in sight. mountain hiking next year anyone???

Since i brought my laptop along, it'd be risky to spend the night in the backpacker~I stayed in a budget hotel instead for rm60. After leaving all my luggage (a backpack and a laptop) in the room, i went out to explore the town.

This is the famous Gaya Street in the city centre of KK. There is a big market every Sunday morning selling all kinds of stuff. I was there on monday therefore missed the chance to see the happening Sunday Market. :(.

By the look of it, KK is nothing different from the busy KL. It's the capital city of Sabah afterall.

This is the handicraft center in KK selling all kinds of handicraft made by the aborigins and some Filipino. i wouldn't want to miss the chance of getting some authentical handicraft at a lower price compared to those selling in the shops.

There are many skillful tailors along the handicraft center to help people with the editing of their clothes.

There is a night market held everyday (not sure if it's held daily) next to the handicraft center selling food, vege and fruits. People started to get ready for the market from around 4pm.

This is the only picture taken in the night market as the battery of the camera had gone flat. lol.

KK is a city by the seaside thus the torrid is inevitable. Exploring the city on my feet and exposed under the sun for hours had definitely given me a hard time. Coconut juice anyone??? oh yeah~~~~~~~~~~~

It cost me rm2 for a coconut much bigger than those in West Malaysia.

Last but not least, it's me savouring the refershing coconut juice. :)

I spent a night in KK and took a flight straight to Tawau the following day. This will be the ending post for the sabah trip as i didn't have any pictures taken in Tawau.

During this Sabah trip, i have seen the big contrast among the rich and the poor. Some of them are as rich as a millionaire while some of the poor will be more than happy to have their daily meals settled. The illegal immigrants from Philipines are leading a miserable life there and i could really imagine how crappy a life they had had in their own country. However, they seem to have found the contentment from their life. Perhaps as what people told me, the richer you are, the more troubles you will have to deal with in your life.

Happy Chinese New Year

It's Chinese New Year's eve, had my Reunion "lunch", but it wasn't as reunited as i had expected it to be. There were only 6 people gathered around the table having lunch together. Dad, Mum, Grandma, younger bro, sis-in-law and I, oh not to forget the little nephew (he wasn't at the table anyway, lol).

Not that i am upset about the lack of people having reunion lunch, it really made me wondered what's the point of having that "reunion lunch" as we have always had lunch or dinner together on a regular basis. I like the idea of us all sitting around the table and having meal together while chatting to each other happily. What makes a normal lunch different from a reunion lunch is that you have new people (people you don't always have lunch or dinner together with) to have lunch with!!

Yet, my reunion lunch has no difference from the normal one. and what has made it worse, my elder brother wasn't there having lunch with us. lol. However, i am cool with it and was happy as usual to have celebrated the CNY's eve. :-).

who cares about the number of people? and who cares about the absence of someone else? Appreciate those who have been there! :-)

Happy CNY everyone~~~~~~

Sabah Trip: Fish Noodle

One of the thing you can't afford to miss when you are in Sabah is the local "fish noodle". I was brought to have fish noodles on my second day in Sandakan. When i first heard about the noodle fish, my first impression of how it's like was funny yet typical, which was "just noodles with a fish inside (ikan kembung in particular)".

This is the fish noodle i had on that day. When the bowl was served, i didn't start eating right away, but kept on waiting for something else to come. So my uncle asked me "what are you waiting for?".

i looked puzzled, and the question marks above my head led to the question "Waiting for the noodle?".

"That's the noodle, what do you expect?" my uncle then said.

ok, i was so wrong! i thought that's just the fish, and the noodles were served separately like the normal noodle we usually have. Such an embarassment. Maybe you are still wondering "what's wrong?".

Ok, this is the noodle. It's made of fish, and you would have fish cake, fish ball and vege inside the bowl as well. That's where the name comes from, "FISH NOODLE!!!". So, the fish noodle actually tastes weird, the smell of fish of course, yummy nevertheless. :)

This is the fish noodle i had in Kota Kinabalu. They taste the same, but just different shape for the noodles. :)

i teased myself afterwards for being such a stereotype when it comes to interpret the name. We tend to muse in a more complicated way while the things couldn't actually be simpler.

Simplicity is a blessing. So just sit back and enjoy the fish noodle. :)

Sabah Trip: The Horny Proboscis Monkey

i am back, back from Sabah after 10 days integrating myself into a Sabahan's life. Went to my uncle's place in Sandakan for a few days before setting off to Kota Kinabalu and then Tawau.

My uncle took me to the sanctuary of Proboscis Monkey during my stay in Sandakan. Proboscis Monkey???? i was puzzled and totally intrigued to see how it's like since i have never heard of it let alone seen one. Sandakan has always been known as the biggest Orang Utan Sanctuary, but now it seems that Proboscis Monkey has gradually taken over~

The sanctuary is located in a very secluded place around 25km inside of an oil palm estate. Meandering through the muddy estate paths, i was more looking forward to seeing that mysterious Proboscis Monkeys. I actually wondered at times that do the monkeys actually worth of all the efforts? lol.

Ok, that's how a Proboscis Monkey is like! Give it a once-over, you would probably say that "oh well, it just looks like a normal monkey!" aha, that's what i thought as well when i first looked at the poster.

This is the place where the staffs feed the monkeys. The monkeys actually live far inside the jungle where nobody can find them and come over here twice a day during the feeding time. It really amazed me that they know the exact time to come over despite the fact that they don't have a watch and they don't use a watch! It's such a shame that we human beings always late for something even though we have watches! lol.

Here is something interesting story about the Proboscis Monkeys. There are two groups of them living on two sides of the land separated by a river. One is called the "alpha males" and their families (which includes his WIVES and babies). Another one is called the "bachelor group" which consists of all the male monkeys.

Alpha male is so called the strongest monkeys. The Proboscis Monkeys fight with each other and the winner will then become the alpha male and have female monkeys to reproduce. The loser is going back to the bachelor group and beating the time until he thinks he is strong enough to defeat the alpha male in a fight. If the current alpha male loses the match, he will then go to somewhere secluded and never show up himself again.

This is the bachelor group. Obviously they are all male monkeys. We have always known that "monkeys love bananas". But Proboscis Monkeys don't eat banana and they are not allowed to eat bananas either. Why is that so? Proboscis Monkeys can't digest sweet stuff that's why they are not fed with bananas but cucumber! Interesting isn't it? lol.

This is the close-up look of a proboscis monkey. sorry it's a little blurred out. I used the binoculars to help take the picture. I wouldn't otherwise get such a picture. The special thing about a proboscis monkey is its nose! Have a look, it's relatively longer than the normal monkeys'. That's why it's called "the longest nose in Borneo".

Look at the monkey. It looked like it is wearing an underwear. And look at its back, it looked like it has used wax to style its hair. lol.

oh yeah, this is the picture taken using camera with binoculars from afar.

This is another interesting fact of Proboscis Monkey. It has perpetual erection, in other words it will have erection all the time. Why is that so?? well i couldn't give you a precise answer. Maybe the bachelor groups don't have the chance to have sex until they become alpha male and that's why they are always horny. lol.

Proboscis Monkeys are very rare. i really respect the owner of the land that first noticed the monkeys and decided to conserve them instead of chasing them away merely to develope the land to make more profit. Or we wouldn't have chance to even see one at the moment.

Better Safe Than Sorry

I am sure that once in a while you will come across this kinda converstion, or maybe you have been the one that cried out the new or received the news.

"oh gosh, my period is late!" you might have said or heard.

"i did put on condom! " again, you might be saying that or hearing that.

Why is that so?

Here is the deal. According to some research (i forgot where did i come across the research, you should judge how true is that), condom is only 85% effective in preventing pregnancy. That's why some people still get pregnant even though their partner wears a condom during the process.

aww, then what's the point of wearing a condom?

well, it's to prevent STDs (sex transmitted disease) as well as to prevent pregnancy to certain extent!!! It'd be more ideal if you can convince yourself or your partner to have take birth-control pill. lol.

It has left me with a lot of questions. Why do people so eagerly want to have sex while it actually gives people so many troubles? You will have to wear a condom to prevent STDs, you will have to take birth-control pill to prevent unwanted pregnancy, you will be scared the hell out of you for the whole month if you forget to do both. Also, there are so many measures invented to prevent all the consequences caused by having sex so that people can have it without any anguish.

You might say " i want to do the most intimate thing with the people i love" or reasons like that. Yeah, that might be part of the reasons. But the ultimate reason why do people keep searching for it: The pleasure you get from it outweighs all the troubles you get yourself into.

No matter what, it's always better safe than sorry!!

All the way up to Genting Highland

My spontaneity had given me a thrust to go all the way up to Genting Highland on the first day of 2008. None of us was expecting the heavy traffic up the hill !!! Frankly, to go to the top of the hill in a 1300CC car is not easy at all, not to mention was to stuck in a traffic jam on a HILLY road. Having to see the car in front reversing a bit due to the gravity and the lack of skill in controlling the car was a terrible experience. Hsiang claimed that his phobia of getting into an accident had been exacerbated in that situation.

Hsiang and me in front of the marvellous decoration outside the Genting Hotel.

Mao and Hsiang in the already closed indoor theme park in First World Hotel. Looking at the miniature Eiffel Tower had indeed worsen my desperation to go to Paris. Can that be my new year resolution?? It's time to get in touch with my ex french roommate Fox!!!

Mao with greying moustache??? damn macho huh??!!!!

Hsiang, with his overly-sweetened mocha something something. lol.

ok this is interesting. cellphone, car and gold to be sold?? on the spot??? erm, guess he must have lost all his money in the casino !~~

haha, welcome 2008!!!!!

wow wow, fighting on the first day of 2008??? that would not be good!!!! It's time to reconcile people hoping for an auspicious year !!!

Hsiang, mao and me! The three lame people that spontaneously (or i should say madly) decided to go to Genting at that wee hours! See how great was mao to wear only a super short pants, and with no sweater?? so was i, but left out the super short pants, that'd be disgusting! lol.

hoho, luckily the "deer?" didn't defecate! phew~~~

wow. winter wonder land! who doesn't want a White christmas and New year??? T.T

well, that's how i celebrated my new year. Actually we went to The Curve hoping to see the fireworks and to meet my friend, but screwed the traffic jam and we just happenned to see part of the fireworks by the roadside. lol

ok new year resolution? hmm, don't think i have one. i just want things to come in unexpectedly and so i won't have much disappointments without any expectations! well, there is always a surprise and i am looking forward to it ~~~~