What I have been up to...in the month of November

Yesterday we went Christmas Shopping at Midvalley. The decorations are up......after visiting Bangkok everything in KL seemed expensive in comparison. I bought one magazine. And spent the rest of the time window-shopping. Don't you think the christmas trees look gorgeous?

The most recent trip would be to Bangkok.We spent 5 days there...and we left for home via Suvarnabhumi international airport just two days before the fiasco at the airport. Such a shame, Bangkok is a shopping haven. Loads of stuff to buy. It's difficult to shop and take pictures. No prizes for guessing which dominated the trip. The picture above was taken at the grounds of the Grand Palace. No shops there....no reason to spend money so I concentrated on taking pictures. Loads of people including local school children....I saw 2 girls posing and asked for them to pose WITH me in this shot. These kids....they keep us young.

Some time in November,the catholic korean community pitched in for a fun raising event. There were tents pitched up in the old parish hall grounds and after mass, the next obvious stop was these tents and the promise of authentic Korean fare. And we had a taste of home-made korean kimchi...korean pancake, korean rice ball and korean sushi. The women-folk were chattering away in Korean. Too fast for me to make out any words. ( I dun speak korean but after having seen at least 6 korean serials...I should have been able to make out some words.) These ladies are making rice ball. It's rice with different types of filling.

Jimbo wrote that there's a conspiracy re number of hours in a weekend is significantly shorter than the weekdays. I have another theory, as the year ends, your system slows down ( like it knows christmas is around the corner ) and what takes 30 minutes to complete, now turns into a 2 day event. The picture above was taken in Port Dickson, that's my kipling monkey being squished into the sand. It was done cos there was nothing else amusing on the beach. And it felt therapeutic.

Presents from Friends!

I have good friends. They feed me well. Which makes it difficult to diet at times but I'm not going to complain. The tarts were from Mas...and the variety of cookies in a famous amos tin were from Sue. If it hadn't been for a growling tummy two afternoons back, I would have honestly gone on thinking the tin of famous amos cookies...contained famous amos cookies and nothing else. A very pleasant surprise...which I'm sure the friend didn't meant to...but it was.

Kerepek Bawang

How do you make this keperek bawang? Why do I ask? Mainly because it's very addictive to eat and getting your hands on a crunchy , non oily, cracker with just a tinge of onion taste is hard. The more commercially produced ones are thicker,less crunchy and oilier. This came from Pahang courtesy of Adda. ( THANKS very much....)

Little luxuries in life..

There is a reason to feel euphoric today. After just one working day we are thrown headlong into the weekend. And it rained which made it seem even more like a day to indulge self in something nice. Food was out. There is only THAT much of good food you can stuff into your stomach in less than 48 hours. And unlike cows, we've been short-changed with only ONE stomach. A nice buff , a pink-glow peppermint and lavendar scrub later..and I have nice shiny nails with a touch of pink to call my own. The holiday spirit made me chatty, so Phoebe ( not her real name ) and i chatted while she buffed my nails. She thought me some tagalog and I taught her some Malay. Barter system...

Now comes the hard part...it takes a full 24 hours for the nails to dry properly. In the meantime I'm handicapped. Hair washing post-poned to tomorrow, typing on the laptop with the pulps of my fingers is harder than I thought...plus doing just about anything is hard. I want to keep the shiny nails as shiny for as long as I can you see. Is that too much to ask?

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What I'm reading today...

One of the many books I bought during the TIME warehouse sale at Plaza Damas last month. A steal at RM 15. Good condition, no dog ears and no scribbles inside dedicating the book to some obscure name which you find in most second-hand books. Am at page 19.

This is the FIRST time reading this author. ( Oh oh I've only just realise this is Cheek's second book I'm reading. ) Why her? OKay I admit, the cover ( shallow, shallow ) attracted me, the paper quality was to my liking and the synopsis at the back seemed intriguing. It isn't until this morning, that I took a GOOD look at the author. Once again, the face is not ugly, so that rule of ugly auhors writing well must surely be thrown out the window at this stage.

CLockwork

I am watching West Wing. I've watched the same episode at least 3 times. And like clockwork I fall asleep at exactly the same point. Stubbornly I restart the DVD from the begining, which means I'm incredibly well versed with the script right up to the point where Sam Seaborn gets interviewed re election in California.

This morning, something good is happening, I'm passed that point and can finally learn what happens after...and whether the heart-lung transplant actually gets done.

Souvenirs from Ho Chin Minh City

These pictures were bought from Saigon. It shows the traditional costume which is a tight fitting top worn over pantaloons. A cross between a cheongsam top and a punjabi bottom. I didn't see any overweight women in Saigon. Is this a sign of healthier eating? Or a sign of a struggling economy? True or fale...one in two Malaysians are overweight!! The next time you are tempted to take a second helping, just remember, being overweight is unhealthy.

Pet tupai named Poo-poo

Plucked from the jungle in Raub, Pahang, this baby tupai had the misfortune of falling off a tree. It was "saved" from obscurity by a couple of do-gooders ie my dad and his friend Uncle Sonny-boy. The journey doesn't end here, this tupai then took a trip to KL and stayed overnight at my apartment. Not bad for a small-town tupai!

It's name is poo-poo. Possibly inspired by the pooh it emanates? The do-gooders are cagey over who named the poor little tupai. Suffice to say if it was my Dad, I need to be very thankful I got named something sensible. I could have had pooh as my middle name? *shudder*

Things I have learnt from watching West Wing

1. Martin Sheen is a really really good actor. He was initially signed up to play a couple of episodes. The plan was for the story to be centered on the people working at the White House, rather than the focus being on the President himself. That didn't quite work out. On shooting the first episode, it was plain to everyone, that Sheen's role as Jed Bartlet would be central.

2. The presidential debate plays an incredibly important role and is used as a marker of who will actually win the elections.

3. The oval officer has more than two doors and is indeed oval in shape.

4.Martin Sheen had a weak arm as a child and he puts his coat on in a distinct manner. Flicks it over his head. It's done in a split second. So unless someone points it out to you ..you'll probably miss it.

5. Stockhard Channing, matches Sheen word for word in any argument they may have on screen. And it's a testament to both their acting skills.

6. Aaron Sorkin is a genius.

Tips for writing by Melissa Hill

No less than 4 minutes ago, I finished reading my fourth Hill book " Wishful Thinking". A friend ( who shall remain anonymous ) has this rule on how to decide whether an author writes well. It's a simple rule. First thing to strike most people when they choose books is the cover. Yes, go on admit it. We're shallow sometimes that way. Of course, the next step would be to read the back..and turn and possible read the first two pages...just to get the feel of the author's writing.
I'm detracting, the point is, in addition to the steps above, it might prove useful to take a look at the author's picture....the friend states and I quote " the writing skill is inversely proportional to the beauty of the author".

I no longer believe this. Melissa Hill is not ugly and she 's a brilliant brilliant writer whose plot at the end with a little twist is different and unpredictable. If you visit her website...Melissa Hill's official website there's a bit where she gives tips for writing...and it 's all sensible and inspiring. So I'm blogging today because Hill says we're not meant to think too much but just get on with the writing.

Growing grapes

Many things are just not meant to grow in the tropics. Grapes being one of them. So...finding these grapes finally taking shape in the garden ( not mine obviously ) was a big thing. It was planted a year ago, maybe longer.

A quick internet search tells me...there are three steps to grape growing

1) For the first year and a bit, you're meant to be patient in tending it.

2)You then have to confine their growth. ( They apparently tend to dominate)

3) Find some where of securing / promoting pollination.

Our grapes are sour . Not a candidate for making table wine..plus the great growth ammounted to 4 measely grapes. We were down because the nasty birds got to them before we did. I hope the birds got a tummy ache for their trouble.

Selamat Hari Merdeka

I think in the light of recent political mini turmoil, it's taken some of the thunder away from the celebration of Merdeka. 51 years ago, Malaysia walked out of the shadow and into the light of independence and with it such dreams of achieving so many good things. I have faith ...in God...and in my country.

Selamat Hari Merdeka ke 51!!