Someday we’ll be together…

The day finally came…8th February, 2010 and my daughter was scheduled to leave for New Zealand on the 9 something flight that evening. Around lunchtime, the officer in the ministry called her handphone but she did not realise it…and all attempts to call him back failed until around 2.30 p.m. when we were already on the way to KLIA. It seemed that one of the students had called in sick and he thought it was my daughter. I told him that she was as fit as a fiddle and we were already on our way to the airport…

Of course, we arrived there VERY early – around 3.00 p.m…

…and we waited…

…and waited till 4 something as the rest began to trickle in one by one…

*Melissa with fellow-coursemate, Christina, from Bintangor…

Then, they proceeded to check in…

…and thankfully, everything was done in an organised and systematic manner…

…and all too soon, at around 7 something,  it was time to say goodbye. No, those were not “the track of my tears” but it was SO very hot at KLIA that I was literally swimming in my perspiration…

…and thanks to Mandy and Zul for taking the trouble to come all the way to KLIA to say goodbye to Melissa. It certainly meant a lot to her…

She arrived safely in Auckland and I received messages from her and my brother around 8.00 a.m. Malaysian time  the next morning. It seemed that she had to take a connecting flight to Wellington at 2.30 p.m. NZ time – ALONE. The rest would follow suit on another flight an hour or so later and she would have to sit and wait for them at Wellington airport. Luckily, my brother was there to take her to the domestic airport for the said flight. At 10.51a.m. (Malaysian), I got word from her that she had landed safely in Wellington and there were two student-reps from the uni already waiting for them, praise the Lord.

Take care, love…God bless and someday, we’ll be together…

Thanks also to those of you who called or smsed…and for the dinner/lunch treats, the ang paos and gifts as well as all the good wishes in my blog and also on Facebook. With so many wishing her well, I am certain things are definitely gonna be all right…

This time I know it’s for real…

We arrived at KLIA on Saturday afternoon and Mandy met us at the airport to take us to the hotel. At around 6 in the evening, she took us to…

…for dinner with the rest of my TraxxFamily – not all of them, just Zee, Zul and Mubarak. We went to this place at the mall…

From the name, it sounds like a place for cannibals…or some amorous illicit activities involving some very delectable nyonyas. Hahahahaha!!! But I was pretty certain that I would have some real nyonya delights – not like the pale imitations that I had had back in Sibu at those so-called nyonya restuarants. I had the nasi kunyit with chicken rendang…

…which was very nice while my daughter enjoyed the nasi tomato with gulai ayam ros that she ordered…

My missus had the fried noodles…

…and my daughter’s good friend, Gin, had the pineapple fried rice, served in a pineapple this time…

We had some kuih pai tee for our side order…

…which, I thought, were not as nice as the ones I made and we can get cheaper and satisfactorily yummy ones in Sibu.

The rest has steamed rice with these dishes – fried beef with ginger…

…spicy assam fish…

…and sambal petai.

I tried a bit of each and found that they were all pretty o.k.  For dessert, we had cendol…

…and ais kacang…

…and I had pulut hitam (black glutinous rice) with santan (coconut milk)…

…which was not that great. I think the one I had at New World in Penang was a lot nicer.

All in all, it was a delightful meal and needless to say, the company was great. The members of my “family” insisted on splitting the bill among them and giving as a treat, thanks so much – Mandy, Zee, Zul and Mubarak. It certainly was my pleasure to see you all…and we’ll get together again soon – in Sibu perhaps!

Those were the days…

Those were the days when everytime Chinese New Year was round the corner, my mum would join my grandma and aunties to make the delicacies for the festive season.

They would make some kuih gunting…

…and tins and tins of kuih kereta…

I got these from my foster-cousin who used to live with and work for my grandma and aunties and took care of them when they were old/sick until they passed away.

They used to make kuih bangkit too…

I bought these from the nyonya stall in the Food Avenue at Spring in Kuching when I was there not too long ago with my daughter for one weekend.

And of all the things they made, we always looked forward to the pineapple jam tarts. Unfortunately, I do not have any the way they made them this year but my missus did buy these miserable-looking homemade ones from somebody…

…but of course, they are totally different. Well, as they say, beggars can’t be choosers. People say some things never change and I guess it is just as true to say that on the other hand, nothing stays the same…

Moving away from the festive mood, my daughter’s flying off tonight from KLIA to Wellington, transit Auckland. This is one of my all-time favourite songs from New Zealand. It is sung in Maori and the lyrics may not be very appropriate as it is a love song more than anything else. Nevertheless, it does not change the fact that it is a hauntingly beautiful song and I would like to share it with everybody here…

Have a safe flight and a pleasant journey, love…God bless and take care. Daddy loves you…always.

Amazing…

There is this bookstore in town located along Old Street, now Jalan Chew Geok Lin…

I have never been there as I seldom go to that part of town but the other day, after our lunch at Cafecafe, my daughter and I dropped by the place which is just a few doors away from the restaurant.

I was amazed by what I saw on the glass panel…

A book discussion club! In Sibu! And an English book some more! Wonders will never cease!

In small print, it read…

“Purchase your own copy and sign up to join our book discussion meeting…Light finger food and beverages will be served.”

I must say that I am impressed, VERY impressed. We do have cultured people in this little ol’ town after all!!! Thumbs up to whoever the people involved may be and good luck to you all!

And should any of you be thinking that I’m a little bit harsh on good ol’ Sibu town, well…can you blame me when you see something like this being stated in the menu as momorchacha or something that sounds like that?

If that is in Mandarin, I guess it can be translated as some exciting Latin dance – the “touch-touch cha cha”…or something else depending on how one pronounces it.  LOL!!! Well, in case you’re wondering, the correct name for that is bubur cacar/caca/cha cha and I had that at Thomson Corner at Pusat Tanahwang (opposite Sacred Heart School) but was quite disappointed with it as there were only a few bits of sweet potato and yam in it. The ang tau (red bean) cendol would have been a better option…

AH^KAM_KOKO’ and I had those for dessert sometime ago after we had had a very light lunch at the coffee shop in Sungai Merah. He had the roti canai from the Muslim stall…

while I had the kway chap (large) for RM5.50…

I am positive that it used to cost RM4.50. Good grief! The price had gone up by one ringgit! I certainly would think twice about having that next time…

So long, farewell…

Louis J, my ex-student now a lawyer, invited me and my daughter out for a farewell treat for my daughter. We went for lunch at the Red Carrot and my daughter had what they called their “baked chicken leg” dish…

…which was nice but it looked as if it had been deep fried first before baking. She also had a side order – these deep-fried spring rolls that she liked a lot…

I had the tomato kway teow…

…which was quite good but I would very much prefer what I had at the Garden Hotel. However, this was very much cheaper – RM6.50, I think compared to RM10.00++ at the hotel.

Louis had the lamb curry with steamed rice…

…and he was full of praises for it.

I had this drink – their freshly-squeezed Bintangor orange juice…

…and loved it very much. It was sweet, so I guess they did not use the notoriously sour variety from that nearby town, an hour’s drive from Sibu.

Thanks, Louis, for the lunch…from both my daughter and me. It certainly was very nice and thoughtful of you.

You’ll be in my heart…

Tomorrow, I will be leaving for KL with my missus and my daughter who will be flying off to Wellington on Monday night, transit Auckland, to do her 2nd and 3rd year there at the Victoria University of Wellington in her pursuit of a B.Ed (TESOL) degree.

Parting is always such sweet sorrow and I guess the words of this song says it all…

Come, stop your crying…it will be all right
Just take my hand – hold it tight

I will protect you from all around you
I will be here, don’t you cry

For one so small,you seem so strong
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm

This bond between us can’t be broken
I will be here, don’t you cry

‘Cause you’ll be in my heart
Yes, you’ll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more

You’ll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You’ll be here in my heart, always…

Why can’t they understand the way we feel
They just don’t trust what they can’t explain

I know we’re different, but deep inside us
We’re not that different at all

And you’ll be in my heart
Yes, you’ll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more

Don’t listen to them ’cause what do they know
We need each other, to have, to hold
They’ll see in time…I know

When destiny calls you, you must be strong
I may not be with you but you’ve got to hold on
They’ll see in time…I know
We’ll show them together

‘Cause you’ll be in my heart
Yes, you’ll be in my heart
From this day on, now and forever more

Oh, you’ll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You’ll be in my heart, always…
Always

I thank God each day for His gift to us, though most undeserving, and pray that He will guide and guard her, that He will protect her and keep her in good health and safe from all harm. May He bless her and grant her strength physically, emotionally and spiritually always…

UPDATE:
Somebody from the ministry called my daughter yesterday morning saying that her flight to NZ had been rescheduled from the 8th to the 10th. I called the officer saying that the last time they changed from the 11th to the 8th, I had to pay RM500 in cancellation fees and asked him if he could give some special consideration to people like us from Sarawak. Besides, I would not be able to come home till after Chinese New Year as the flights would be fully-booked. He promised to call MAS and discuss and would call me back later in the afternoon. He never did.

In the end, I had no choice but to extend our stay in KL and cancel our return flight to Sibu on the 9th…and as there are no more flights available, my missus and I will only be able to fly back on the night of the 14th. I hope there is a vacant room in the hotel to allow us to extend our stay. SIGH!!!

Better than…

I first went to this café…

…when it initially opened along Kampong Nyabor Road in the same block as the Academy Book Centre. They said that the mee mamak was very nice but I was not impressed and I did not like the place as when the lunch crowd came in, it was as noisy as in a coffee shop.

I went there again in 2008 on my birthday when my godsons, Elias and Kelvin, and their family invited me there for dinner. By then, it had moved to its present location at Old Street, now called Chew Geok Lin Road. I liked the place and the food that we had that evening but I still did not like the mee mamak. And not too long ago, I went there when a student, now studying in Concord College, UK, held his farewell party there and asked me to join them. Again, the food was good and the place seemed pleasant and cosy.

Last Saturday, my missus took my daughter there for lunch and she had their grilled chicken chop while my daughter chose the fish and chips. When they came home, she was praising what the mother had and regretted that she did not order that. So, I told her we would go again before she would leave for New Zealand…and she could have that.

And so we did…

…the other day for lunch. We were early, so the place was nicely quiet and at least, they had some decent cutlery…

…and my daughter’s freshly-squeezed orange juice (RM8.00) was not that translucent…

I ordered the pasta with creamy sauce and turkey ham (RM15.50)…

…which was very nice and had generous chunks of the ham. However, it did not exactly taste western and I thought it had hints of Asian – but then again, they never said it was a western restaurant and fusion, being in style, you can find all kinds of dishes on the menu.

My daughter got the grilled chicken (RM18.00) that she wanted…

…and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Of course the prices were higher that the cheap stuff that I would usually be more accustomed to…but when you go to places like these, you should expect to fork out a little more. What’s most important is the food and ambience must be good enough and worth that kind of money.

Well, that was most certainly true about the food here and the service was very great though the lunchtime crowd that came in later did get a bit rowdy. The waitress said that grilled chicken was actually on the dinner and weekend menu only but since we wanted it, they would do it just for us. One thumb up for them! And they even gave us complimentary clear soup like when eating kampua noodles in the coffee shop but I would think it would take more than that for them to get another thumb up! LOL!!!

Anyway, my daughter said that she and her mother did not get the soup at all when they were there and besides, they also gave me copies of their Chinese New Year Reunion 8-course set dinner menu (RM350)…and also the various menus available for couples for Valentine’s Day (RM199.99 per couple here and RM299.99 at The Queen next door). I did not see them giving that to anybody else…and my missus and daughter were not given that either that day.

Good grief! Do I look like someone who will go for a candlelight dinner for two on Valentine’s Day…at those prices? ROTFLMAO!!!

In the mood…

It was exactly two weeks to Chinese New Year’s Eve last Saturday when I took AH^KAM_KOKO’ who was in town for the weekend shopping, as he needed to stock up on some groceries and provisions before going back into the middle of the jungle. LOL!!!

The festive mood was already in the air…and the supermarkets in town were all very crowded…

…and you could get to see and buy all those pickled stuff and nuts, waxed duck, Chinese sausages, smelly dried sotong and stuff…

…as well as the bak kua (barbecued meat slices)…

…with the loud and boisterous Chinese New Year songs which never fail to drive me up the wall, bashing your poor delicate ears!

It certainly did not look like we’re in the midst of an economic downturn right now…or is this indicative of the age-old belief that everyone must have everything in abundance during Chinese New Year so that the year ahead will be blessed with prosperity?

Anyway, while I was standing there, I saw a young mother of two in this pair of gladiator shoes…

To be honest, I thought they looked like those pads that self defence pugilists tie around their ankles – the ones with heavy steel bars inside to build up the strength in their legs…or somebody who has broken his or her legs and has to wear stilts for support. Ok…ok!!! Stop bashing me! I know! I know! It’s the fashion…and I’m such a dinosaur! LOL!!!

And guess what I spotted at another supermarket in the section where they sell women’s beauty products and toiletries…

Good grief! Can’t they think of a better name? Or is the herbal soap meant for restoring lost virginity? Hahahahahaha!!!! Bet it would sell like hot cakes then!

And that reminds me of this…

So, have you done all your Chinese New Year shopping yet?

Big spender…

This song always reminds me of my daughter when she was younger. We were on our way home from school – I was driving and she was in the back seat…and the song came over the air waves on the radio. She listened to it and remarked, “This song is about you, daddy?”

“Oh?…A man of distinction?” I asked.

“No,” she replied, “Big suspenders!!!”

LOL!!! Sometimes she can be naughty too, the chip of the ol’ block!

Anyway, I’m no big spender…and call me a miser or whatever, I do not care. But the truth is I do not mind spending my money even if it may be more than usual…provided it is TRULY worth it.

Just look at what I bought from my regular stall at Bandong. For RM12.00, I got this HUGE bowl of really deliciously spicy udang galah (freshwater prawns)…

…and this very nice ikan tenggiri (mackerel) curry was only RM10.00 for 5 huge pieces of the fish that is getting more and more expensive at the market, it seems…

…and this telur masak merah was RM1.00 each. I asked for 5 and the man gave me one extra – with his compliments.

The cempedak muda masak lemak (young cempedak cooked in coconut milk) was only RM3.00 for this much…

…and this sambal timun (cucumber) cost me RM3.00 as well…

That came up to a total of RM33.00 and was MORE than enough for an absolutely super scrumptious dinner for four persons! Even though it was not inclusive of rice and drinks, that would be a lot more satisfying and definitely a much wiser choice than what I had at that place in my previous post for RM40.50 for two!

Times are hard, the economy doesn’t look like it’s getting any better…so do spend wisely!

A house is not a home…

As far as I know, this is the third restaurant here that has the word in its name…

…or the second, at least as one of them uses the word “baba” instead. That was the first one to open and at least, they have the decency to declare in its name that it is a blend of nyonya and Thai. I have not been there but the reviews I have read or heard have not been very good.

I posted something on the second one not too long ago – the one that seems confused between the words “Islamic” and “halal“…while this one that I went to with my daughter last week is the third one…

Well, I don’t know why there is this sudden obsession with the name. Maybe it is because of the recent Chinese series that was really popular among some people. Anyway, I cannot for the dear life of me, figure out what’s so nyonya about it when we can get umai (raw fish) which is a local Melanau delicacy, cream of mushroom soup and chicken chop…and even the Foochow meat cooked in ang chau there.

We ordered the pineapple fried rice (RM19.00…and it was not even served in a pineapple) which everyone knows is originally Thai…

…and the sambal tempe (RM8.00)…

…and the telur acar (RM1.50)…

…as our side orders.

Truth be told, we quite enjoyed the fried rice along with its acar timun (cucumber pickle) and keropok (prawn crackers) though I would think they should be able to get much better quality ones of the latter locally. The lady attributed the steep price of the item to the presence of three udang galah (freshwater prawns)…but when it was served, I must say that I was not in the least impressed. They were SO small and though very delicious, they were so hard that the fork and spoon bent when I was trying to remove the shell. At those prices, they should at least invest in some decent cutlery!

Maybe the prawns were overcooked but I had the feeling that they were not freshly cooked as it seemed that they had been reheated…probably in a microwave which would usually render food into that kind of dehydrated, far from succulent state.

My daughter found the tempe too spicy but I thought it was quite good despite the fact that it was a bit hard for me – in my toothless state, so we did not finish that even though there was so very little in one serving. The egg was a disappointment. Period. I can get something similar AND cheaper but a whole lot better from my regular food stall at Bandong.

Having said all that, as you can see, cheap is the last word to describe what one can have at the place. I ordered kopi-o-peng as stated in the menu…but what I got eventually was a glass of very mild/weak iced Nescafe-o (RM5.00). My daughter ordered their fresh orange (RM7.00) and you can judge for yourself from the photo below…

…how diluted it was.

All in all, it was a disappointment. It wouldn’t be that bad had the food been really good and special…but for RM40.50 for two persons, I would much sooner go elsewhere and enjoy something far better in terms of quality and quantity.