Joke

Email from my dad. HIGHlarious!

A little humor with a good moral.

The Pastor's Ass

The pastor entered his donkey in a race and,
it won.

The pastor was so pleased with the donkey
that he entered it in the race again,

and it won again.

The local paper read:

PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT.

The Bishop was so upset with this kind of
publicity that he ordered the
Pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.

The next day, the local paper headline read:

BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS.

This was too much for the bishop, so he
ordered the pastor to get rid of the donkey.

The pastor decided to give it to a nun

in a nearby convent.

The local paper, hearing of the news, posted
The following headline the next day:

NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

The bishop fainted.

He informed the nun that she would have to
get rid of the donkey, so she sold it to a farmer for $10.

The next day the paper read:

NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.

This was too much for the bishop, so he
ordered the nun to buy back the
donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.

The next day the headlines read:

NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.

The bishop was buried the next day.


The moral of the story is . . .

Being concerned about public opinion can bring you

much grief and misery, & even shorten your Life.

So be yourself and enjoy life.


Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and
you'll be a lot happier and live longer!

Update

[source: the Star online]

* * * *
Wednesday Sept 23, 2009

No intention to patent local food, Dr Ng says

by FLORENCE A. SAMY

Malaysia does not intend to patent local food but wants its citizens to know their origins, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.

She expressed surprise over responses on her statement on local food and Malaysia’s intention to lay claim to several dishes, which were synonymous with the country’s identity and ideal as a tourism product.

“Neither did I say that no other countries can cook such food. We are not trying to compare with other countries,” she told a press conference on Wednesday.

“Malaysians must know about the origin of their food. We want them to start thinking about their food when they eat them. We also want them to improve on their dishes and be more creative.”

Dr Ng’s recent statement that nasi lemak, laksa, bak kut teh, chilli crab and Hainanese chicken rice are Malaysian dishes had sparked off a "food fight" on the Internet, including from some unhappy Singaporeans who insisted that chilli crab and the chicken rice were theirs.

Dr Ng said a study on the origins of foods in the country would be conducted and an apology conveyed if it was wrongly claimed.

“At the end of the day, tourists will go to where the food is tastiest,” she added.

The National Heritage website, www.warisan.gov.my has 100 types of food and drinks listed under its food heritage list.

These include nasi lemak, laksa, chilli crab and Penang char kuay teow.

Citing an example, Dr Ng said bak kut teh -- which is Hokkien for meat bone tea -- originated from Klang in the 1930s by a Chinese sinseh.

“Ba kut teh can be chicken or any meat because it is meat bone,” she said.

Local dishes, she said, could be part of the Malaysian tourism product branding as many were already in the heritage food list.

* * * *

Singapore attained independence some years later than us so isn't it possible that we might have the upper hand here? And what happens if a dish was created by a (now) Singaporean who was Malaysian in 1957 but then jumped ship and took up Singaporean citizenship in 1965?

Whose food is it anyway?

[source: the Star online]

* * * *
Thursday Sept 17, 2009

Laksa and nasi lemak among our pride, says Yen Yen

by TEH ENG HOCK

KUALA LUMPUR: Laksa, nasi lemak and bak kut teh — these are some of the food Malaysia will lay claim to.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said there were many dishes synonymous with Malaysia’s identity but they had been “hijacked” by other countries.

“We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chilli crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian. We have to lay claim to our food,” she told reporters after launching the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival yesterday.

The festival, which runs throughout October, is part of the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia campaign. November’s part of the campaign will centre around shopping mall food, while street and heritage food will be the highlight in December.

“In the three months, we will identify certain key dishes (to declare as Malaysian). We have identified laksa ... all types of laksa, nasi lemak and bak kut teh,” she said.

When asked how the ministry would go about labelling the dishes Malaysian after identifying them, Dr Ng said she would reveal her strategy at a later stage.

“That is Part Two. We cannot reveal it yet, but we will let you know soon,” she said.

* * * *

It's bad enough that the Indonesians don't like us, now the government wants to pick a fight with Singapore too? I may not love everything that is "Uniquely Singapore" but staking claims on food is downright ridiculous. We're happy to share our history with Singapee, Indon, Brunei and everyone else in the good ol' South of the E to the A for Asia (it's all about the gangsta yuuhhh!!!), so what's wrong with extending it to cuisine? You know what else, the Malay Mail asked a couple of people what they thought about Datuk Ng Yen Yen's suggestion and 80% of them were like HELL YEAH we should protect our food!!!!!!! Seriously, I just cannot see the point in giving certain dishes a Malaysian stamp of authenticity. It's not like it's going to boost tourism or improve the living standards of the community or reduce crime or extinguish political corruption. Besides, Hainanese chicken rice was brought in by the (China) Chinese so how can we call it our own? In any case the government had better not declare chicken rice to be a national dish. That would just put us to shame cos I can guaran-damn-tee you that Singapore has the best chicken rice this side of the South China Sea.

B is for Bak kut teh [image source: wikipedia]

Thank you my forefathers for bringing this humble dish to our shores. I am eternally grateful.

A prayer by Thomas Merton

I first saw this in a booklet celebrating the ordination of a priest in Eugene's church. It was really beautiful. So heartfelt. It truly encompasses the feelings I hold about this great journey called life.

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always,
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

-- Thomas Merton (1915-1968), "Thoughts in Solitude"

Ambitious?

Behold my most recent purchase


*beams proudly

When I showed my mum, she sniffed and gave me this scornful look like I was some pathetic twit that ought to be squashed. She said, "HAAA??? LEARNING FROM BOOKS???" and then proceeded to launch into a lecture in Mandarin, only bits of which I was able to comprehend, "... you should be learning by speaking!... yakyakyakyak... come on I can speak to you in Mandarin!... yakyakyakyak... haiyo... yakyakyakyak". Isn't it funny how haiyo is still haiyo even in a foreign language?

From Mon to Tues I was in Taiping with MF and JG. I haven't been to Taiping in ages, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that nothing's changed (save for a new hotel or two, and a Tesco). The journey there was traffic free *ahem thanks to my great idea to leave the Merdeka crowd in KL behind to eat our dust. Before reaching Taiping, we made a pitstop in Ipoh to grab lunch. Had an assortment of foodstuff, including curry mee, fuchuk+meat/fishball soup and chee cheong fun. The chee cheong fun tasted a little different from what I'm used to... it was slimier and was mixed with minced meat. It had an interesting taste, edible nonetheless.

Our accommodation of choice in Taiping was the newly opened Flemington Hotel, just overlooking the Lake Gardens. It's bright and clean, and the interior decor is simple and modern. Our room was a little small though, with no proper cupboard. There was only a tiny, as-tall-as-my-knees cabinet on the floor and you can't exactly hang clothes in there can you. Behind our hotel is the infamous Taman Elia Thamby, a hotspot for ah kua watching. The Lake Gardens is beautiful during the day, but at night it doubles as a place for maksiat activities. Hahaha! We saw so many couples out to berpaktoh when we were on our way to the Night Safari. Speaking of which, the Night Safari is not fantastic. When I was in Singapee last month, I went to the Night Safari there and it was amazing! There was a guided tour, and the tram would stop at certain locations for you to get down and walk. Sometimes the tram would drive right through a bunch of animals feeding so that if you stretched your hand out you could actually touch them (although nobody did that la, but I'm just explaining how close we were). The tour guide would also point out where the animals were in their enclosures so that everyone could get a good look. Whereas in Taiping, it was kinda like "if you see then your luck la, if you don't see then too bad." The pathways were also really dark, although maybe it's better for the animals that way? There are, however, alot of animals in the Taiping Zoo, and it looked like a generally well-planned place. I just think I'd have enjoyed it far more if I went there during the day rather than at night.

Taiping is actually a great place to retire. Good (AND BLINKING CHEAP) food, nice weather, peaceful (don't have to worry about snatch thieves) and lots of retiree-type activities eg. pa san-ing up Maxwell Hill, taking leisurely walks around the Lake Gardens, watching the sunset from Flemington Hotel. Coincidentally, the town is also filled with "mature" people. It's kinda like the Cambridge of Malaysia. All in all, it was a very relaxed and relaxing trip. We didn't have to use our brains much except for when we were hunting for food. The highlight of the trip for me was probably the thor tau th'ng, a groundnut soup dessert. Took us awhile to figure out how to get there but we made it eventually, thanks to MF and JG's friend Michelle, who is from Taiping. It's reaaaaaaalllyyyyy good!!!!!!!!! I think it's just groundnuts boiled for a long time in soyabean water... the texture is akin to red bean soup and the taste is exquisiteeee. Ugh I can't even find a nice picture of it on Google. Just thinking about it makes me salivate, but it's gonna be awhile till I get my hands on some again :(

P/S No pictures cos I didn't bring my camera with me but I think MF will prob post some on her blog.

Testing 123

Whittled the afternoon away by test driving cars. Checked out some Hondas (THE CITY IS NOT ALL THAT JAZZ --> uhuhu get it?), Toyotas and a VW CrossPolo. Given that both driver (me) and sponsors (F+M) have to be happy with the eventual decision, it's probably safe to say that it's gonna be a showdown between the Vios and Altis. Parents seem to like the Altis. It's roomy, relatively quiet (engine), relatively solid (cabin) and relatively decent (performance). Why relatively? I guess when you're used to driving a continental car with a 2.0l engine, anything else below that kinda falls short buahahahaha

Ok note that I only tested out the Jazz and City, but I must say that Honda really needs to do something about their cars' interiors. Ugly. Plasticky. Big knobs sticking out here and there! The insides of the Vios and Altis are sleeker, more streamlined and much more pleasant on the eyes. I quite liked the feel and handling of the Jazz. The Honda salesman told me that their male customers tend to choose the Jazz as a second car for their wives. I can see why women would like the car though. It's cute, compact, with an ample view of the road and makes for a nippy drive despite being such a wee little thing. Although, it IS rather pricey. Which is why we turned our attention to the Altis because for that price range, you'd probably want a bigger, less toy-ish looking car right? Anyway, I have yet to make a decision and I'm kinda like 60:40 Altis:Vios at the moment. The main question is - should I opt for a high spec lower range model (Vios 1.5G), or a low spec higher range model (Altis 1.6E)? Thoughts, anyone?

Booked my flight ticket to Boston today as well. Phew. That's one entry less on my ToDo list. Man, flights from London to Boston are not cheap!!!! I thought I'd be able to get a budget flight on Ryanair or Easyjet but it turns out that neither of them do flights to the States. I'm travelling on Icelandair for GBP260. I initially checked out BA, but it was waaayayayayyayayyy more expensive... GBP500+ wei!!!!! And then I have to make my US visa as well... that's gonna cost MYR500. Sigh, money doesn't grow on trees but why does the world depend on it to turn? There's this ad that they show during trailer-time at the cinemas; it shows people doing business as usual, but getting paid with hugs and kisses or some other form of useful consideration. The ad ends with the tagline 'In an ABSOLUT world'... (O_O) No prizes for guessing what they're hawking. Frankly, I'd like to see the barter system return to this era. There's way too much junk and wastage being dumped and buried. People end up reaping in far more than they need. I'd like to say technology is to blame, but then again our greed and materialism also has a part to play. Why can't we pay with the things we already have that we don't need anymore? If A needs a pair of sport shoes and I need a badminton racket, and A has a spare badminton racket and I have a spare pair of sport shoes, why shouldn't we just trade? Sure there may be a difference in the value of our belongings, but what the heck can't we just make up the deficit with goodwill and large dollop of love? Ahhhhh perhaps one day I shall rethink my youthful and vigorous idealism...

In the meantime, I have an old study desk which is still in good condition (if you don't mind overlooking the childish stickers stuck all over). Anyone wanna trade me for a Toyota Altis or Vios? HOW ABOUT AN AUDI Q5?

Can't stand lizards

They are

creepy (beady eyes that look like they're about to pop),
disgusting (vomit-coloured skin, long wiggly tail),
dirty (stain walls with their crap),
noisy (those 'tskk tskk tskk' noises they make, gah),
and plain inconsiderate (hiding in random corners like behind the dustbin so when i pop the lid open it dashes out and gives me a heart attack)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Toads are gross looking too, but I'll have toads in my house any day rather than lizards. Cos toads eat flies (another annoying creature), they stay outdoors and out of sight, and they're slow moving so you don't have to worry about one jumping out at you in the dark and scaring you half to death.

Anyway, sorry about the long break from blogging. As soon as my exams were over, I had to pack up all my belongings to ship back to Msia, and then as soon as I landed in KL it was here and there with friends and family, and then Eugene + family came to KL, and then I went to Brunei + Singapore for 2 weeks... but now I'm back! And spring cleaning! I didn't actually plan to clean this much, but it so happened that I got a new desk and chair (the leather and swivel-type wahoo) from Ikea. My old desk is cluttered with books and random junk so I have to sort that out before setting up my new desk. I wanted to shift the books to the bookroom but there's no space. So I have to clean up the bookroom. My new desk is also bigger and longer than the old desk, so I have to move the cabinet next to the old desk to another location. But the cabinet is filled with clothes and random junk so I have to sort that out as well. I wanted to put the clothes in the cupboard, but again no space! So I have to clean up the cupboard. It doesn't stop there, cos my grandma has moved into the little room downstairs so I also have to help her clean the room and rearrange her stuff. As you can tell, I am having a productive holiday.

On Sunday night, I was happily munching on some bak kwa when I heard this funny clink sound on my chair, as if something had dropped on it. I didn't think much of it cos I was engrossed in a hilarious chapter of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge. When I finished my bak kwa I looked down at the chair and this is what I saw -

[ooops i just remembered that i threw my tooth away.]

But yes, my filling (re broken front teeth from gokarting accident) dropped out! Luckily my dad managed to book me an appointment with Dr Ng the next day. I must say, going to the dentist's is quite an unpleasant experience. The bright lights, masks and funky headgear, random apparatuses stuck into your mouth, the screeeeeeeee sound of the drill... very goosebump inducing.

Went out for dinner after that with Nad, Toi, Dian, Phing and Cheah. Reunion! Ah, it's been a while since all of us were together.

"Are you sure your finger tastes good Cheah?"

"Hooo, and then what happened?"

"Tchh, no lah I don't think that's how the story goes"

Dian's having mee soto ayam if I recall correctly

*sniff sniff* Milk or santan?

Kopi Ipoh

Someone's telling another interesting story

Smileeeeeeeee

Strike a poseeeeeeeeee

Cheeeseeeeee

Phing's toink toink face

Cheah Suan Ee, long time no see

Guess who?

Nad testing out her souvenir from Vietnam

But name of the clinic not included?

One more shot of HRH Dr Fateh's MC, with the sambal