Never learn…

I may have blogged about my love-hate relationship with reality shows before but it does not stop me from watching year in, year out without fail. We only have the “American Idol” on satellite tv (I don’t watch the local ones…no, thank you)…but I get to see some of the others online.

The end result can and has been pretty frustrating. I was rooting for David Archuleta and the other David won…and how could Adam Lambert not win, you tell me? This year, Crystal Bowersox was way better than the other fella in the grand finale but didn’t win either. What’s the name of that guy now? Gee! He’s so forgettable…

I was disappointed also when Susan Boyle lost out to some dance group – I can’t remember the name either – on Britain’s Got Talent 2009…and in last year’s X-Factor, I thought Danyl Jonson was the best but he did not even reach the final. Still, that does not keep me from watching…

…and this year, my favourite in X Factor UK 2010 is Mary Bryrne…

I am not too sure but it seems that they have different categories – one for the young, one for the not-so-young and one for the groups. I do not know how it will work out in the end, whether there will be one overall winner or three winners – one in each category.

Anyway, back to Mary, I think she has a powerful voice, she sings her heart and soul out and she does not need any of those distracting back-up singers and dancers. Every performance is just Mary, all by herself.

Down Under, in X Factor Australia 2010, my favourite is Sally Chatfield, …

Of course, she’s nowhere near half as good as Mary. I suppose experience is an important factor that separates men from boys, ladies from girls…and she lacks the confidence, the class and finesse that Mary possesses but she isn’t too bad, not bad at all.

Well, I guess I have a soft spot for plus-sized people…even though usually, they will not win in the end as there is a bias against them. It seems that being fat, you do not have that so-called “star quality” but anyway, there can be no denying that both Mary and Sally are pretty good. What do you think?

Stand by me…

This is my 1,000th post…

…so I guess it is only right and fitting that I thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for dropping by every day or as often as you can and for leaving a comment or more each time.

Based on the latest statistics, over a span of less than 3 years ever since the first post on 7th March, 2008, there have been 375,484 page views and 24,718 comments. Knowing that all of you will, without fail, be here to stand by me each passing day, that is motivation enough to keep me going.

Here, I would like to dedicate this song specially to each and everyone of you:

Footnote:
To those of you who dropped by earlier, I’ve changed the video clip as it seems that VEVO video clips cannot be viewed Down Under owing to copyright control. Hope this one’s o.k…..

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

I wonder…

This is the novel that has been designated to the state of Sarawak to be taught in Form 5 starting next year…

I managed to get hold of a copy and read through it. The language is simple enough for the average and above-average students, so that is one good thing about it.

The story is interesting but I find that there are too many characters and students may find it difficult to place their finger on who’s who as they read. Perhaps the teachers would have to draw up a chart indicating the names of the characters and their relationships with one another.

Another thing that may make  it difficult for the students to follow is the frequent use of flashbacks. It may be of some help if the teachers can get them to plot a time-line and jot down the significant events in the story in chronological order.

One thing that struck me was the absence of the author’s name. It is not on the cover, unless it has been hidden from view by the school’s SPBT (Skim Pinjaman Buku Teks or the Textbooks-in-loan Scheme) barcode sticker. I did not see it in the inside cover page either…

It only appears on the spine of the book and in very small print where the copyright is indicated. There is, however, a write-up on the author at the end of the book but I wonder how many will actually bother to go through that. After all, I have seen with my own eyes candidates in the examination writing something like this, “The novel I have studied is ‘The Pearl’ by K.S. Maniam,” even though the names of the novels and the authors are listed in the question without fail every year.

They did not neglect to add the 1Malaysia logo on the cover though…

…and the Rukun Negara on its inside page. I wonder how patriotic that would make the students become in the end.

In the text proper, one thing that caught my attention was this:

I like the phrase used: “…that country of white ghosts and falling bridges,” but I wonder how many of the students these days do know about the bridge that is falling down. There may be some, of course, owing to their home background…but I do not think many of the kids today, if any, play those “childish games” that used to give us so much fun and joy during our time. As a matter of fact, I wonder how many of our young teachers know…and whether they do know also that the bridge is not the Tower Bridge of London, but another less impressive one beside it.

I had something similar in one of my comprehension passages about an old settlement in a setting similar to Sungai Merah here in Sibu way back in the colonial days:

“…Sometimes, it was so quiet that one could hear the voices of the children in the Christian mission-run school a stone’s throw away, reading the story of Little Red Riding Hood or chanting about the house that Jack built. At other times, they would be singing, despite being in broad daylight, about twinkling little stars, or reciting the timetables in chorus…”

Unfortunately, when I was teaching that, to my dismay, I discovered that most of the students did not have the slightest inkling as to who Little Red Riding Hood was nor were they in the least interested in whatever house Jack had built…and some probably knew of the twinkling stars but in a language other than English.

This programme has been going for a number of  years now and I wonder how effective it has been in inculcating the love for reading and Literature in the students and in raising the standard of English. I guess we all know the answer…

Here, there and everywhere (2)…

I went back to the Sibu Bus Terminal Kopitiam because Alfie was praising the beef noodles there to the skies and I just had to go and try…

It was all right but I did not think it was really great. The soup was nice with the fragrance of the spices used but it was not rich enough and besides, there was simply too little beef in it…

…for RM5.50. I think they sell it for around RM4.50-5.00 here, here and here and I feel they are just as good, if not nicer.

Besides, for that kind of money, there are many other things  that I can have instead – for example, the char siew (barbecued meat) rice at this place…

I used to go for the Sarawak laksa there but they’ve closed shop and gone off on a prolonged holiday. This particular stall used to be occupied by somebody selling all kinds of variations of tang yuan/tong su (glutinous rice balls), so either they’ve closed shop or moved elsewhere.

For RM5.50, I got this plate of chicken rice which, in my opinion, is not as nice as Chopsticks’…

…and this plate of char siew and barbecued pork ribs and one braised egg…

It’s not bad but I do think, however, that what they have at this other place is much nicer.

I also went back to this cafe for the nasi lemak, as I said I would…

…and I must say that it was overrated. I wouldn’t be singing its praises, that’s for sure…and I very much prefer the old lady’s  nasi lemak at her stall at Peter’s Cafe, also in the same neighbourhood (Sungai Antu) – opposite Courts Mammoth…or the RM1.50-a-packet ones that I usually buy from my regular Malay kuih stall at Bandong.

Sad to say, I have not had anything lately that I would strongly suggest that everybody should go and try. Rest assured, however, that should I stumble upon something, I would definitely let everybody know. Do stick around…

New beginning…

I think everyone must be getting tired of reading about how I recycle leftover food so as to take the easy way out. Well, this post is not going to be about that but instead, it will be on another of my hassle-free easy-to-cook dish starting from scratch, right from the very beginning.

Nope! This isn’t the exotic meat that I featured in a post not too long ago – this one’s beef. In the past, I would usually use fresh beef but since it is virtually impossible to get hold of any these days, I settled for the frozen meat imported from New Zealand for this soup dish…

You just cut the beef across the grain into thin slices…and throw it into the pot of water, with 1-2 whole Bombay onions, peeled and a handful of peppercorn and bring that to boil. Throw in some potatoes, cut into chunks and simmer until the potatoes are cooked and the beef has become tender and then, add salt and msg according to taste. Normally, I would garnish with daun sup (Chinese celery) and serve but that day, there wasn’t any at the supermarket near my house…so I settled for some chopped daun bawang (spring onion) instead….

I also added some wolfberries that day, but that is optional.

In the past, the old folks would put in a porcelain spoon or one of those small porcelain soy sauce saucer. According to them, the porcelain would “fight” with the beef and the beef, being not as hard, would lose and turn tender more quickly. Well, there wasn’t any porcelain crockery in the house that was small enough to go into the cooking pot, so I threw in a stainless steel teaspoon instead…and true enough, I did not have to simmer very long before the beef became nice and tender, believe it or not. LOL!!!

Note that I did not add any ginger, and I also did not put any of those spices that you would usually find in the Malays’ sup tulang (bone soup) or sup ekor lembu (oxtail soup)…or the Indians’ sup kambing (mutton soup) as I do not like their overpowering smell.

There wasn’t any garlic in the house that day, so I smsed my missus asking her to buy some on her way home from work. Unfortunately, she is one of those who hardly ever check whether they have any messages…and more often than not, she would fail to hear the handphone whenever I tried calling. So, she only saw the message after she had got back to the house and there being no garlic for me to use, I had to use shallots instead to fry these sweet peas for our vegetable dish…

It turned out all right…but I still think it would have been nicer with garlic.

As a matter of fact, I always fry vegetables with garlic, or most of them, at least. What about you?

Misteri cinta…

In an earlier post, I said that I would be attending the wedding reception of my blogger-friend, Chris, who tied the knot on Saturday, 23rd October. It was held at a leading hotel in town…and as at all wedding banquets, there was the cutting of the wedding cake…

Chris certainly was so very beautiful that night, looking very much like those Filipino stars that we see on television and on film. Here, you can see her and her hubby, Winston, pouring the wine…

The food was quite nice but I only managed to snap a few of the dishes like this steamed fish…

…and the roast chicken…

The fried sotong (squids) was very nice but it came last and by then, everybody was already too full to eat much of it…

I kept my promise to Chris – that I would sing at the dinner and this was the song that I chose. I don’t think I did it very well…but anyway, it’s the thought that counts. There I was, a Chinese/Melanau singing a Malay song at an Iban wedding – now what can be more 1Malaysian than that, right?

Anyway, what was most important was that it was a happy night, not only for the newly-weds, but for all the invited guests present at the dinner. Thanks for the invitation, Chris…and here’s wishing you and Winston once again every happiness in the years ahead.

Together as one…

I mentioned in an earlier post that I would be attending my ex-student’s wedding service in church…

…so there I was with Mark…

…just before the bridal sedan arrived…

…bringing the radiant bride-to-be, Sylvia…

The father walked down the aisle with his daughter…

…to hand her over to the groom, standing at the altar waiting…

The service started, the vows and rings were exchanged, the papers signed and the newly-weds walked out the church as man and wife…

…together forever as one.

Sooner than later…

I had not had it for a long time…and sometimes, I was wondering if I should buy some from one restaurant in town – they serve that there but I never got round to doing that. My MIL gave us some once but it was not really nice – not enough ginger (not “hiam” enough) and not enough white wine. Then my friend tried cooking it and gave me a bit and it was really good and not long after that, I had some more at our family reunion pot luck gathering in Kuching…and then, my missus decided to cook her own and just last week, I had it again at my foster-cousin’s house blessing. As they say, “It never rains; it pours…!!!” LOL!!!

I have yet to try and cook it myself though…and I assure you that I will get down to it sooner or later. As I have mentioned in my last post, I have to cook dinner these days but that day, there was still some of the gravy in the fridge – left over from that time when my missus cooked it – just the gravy, no chicken. So taking the easy way out, I went and bought some chicken, mixed it with the gravy and steamed it…

It tasted just as good…and that conveniently took care of the meat dish.

Then, I rummaged through the fridge and found these…

I call them “khiew chai” or curly vegetables. Normally, I would just boil some pork bones in water with two or three cloves of garlic…and add some chicken stock. Just before serving, I would bring the stock back to boil, throw in the vegetables and serve immediately. It isn’t nice to put them in to boil in the soup too early…and they are not really suitable for frying as they would shrink until there wouldn’t be very much left. I didn’t want a soup dish, so what I did was to fry chopped garlic in a bit of oil till golden brown, add a few prawns and sliced chillies…and a bit of chicken stock and then, I threw in the stalks, adding just a bit of water for the sauce. Finally, I mixed all that with the leaves of the vegetables and served immediately. Thankfully, there was enough for two…

So we had the kacang ma chicken with rice plus the fried khiew chai for dinner – a simple meal for two… Now, what shall I cook today? SIGH!!!

She wears my ring…

Congratulations to my blogger-friend, Chris and Winston who are taking their marriage vows today to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do they part…

*Photo from Chris’ Facebook album*

Actually, I had promised to attend both her church wedding ceremony in the morning and the reception in the evening but I received another wedding invitation – this one came from an ex-student of mine.

So, congratulations to you too, Mark and your pretty bride, Sylvia…

*Photo from Mark’s Facebook album*

I shall be attending Mark’s wedding service in the morning but would not be able to be present at the dinner – I owe Chris that…and I always keep my word.

Congratulations also to another ex-student, Darren and Agnes who tied the knot on October 1st, if I’m not mistaken, in Penang…

*Photo from Darren’s Facebook album*

…and will be holding their wedding reception in Sibu this same night. My sincere apologies – I’m afraid I just can’t possibly make it.

Another ex-student of mine will be getting married today in Miri, so congratulations to you too, Chuang Bing. Unfortunately, I’ve committed myself here, otherwise this would be a good excuse for me to go over to Miri for a short break and to join in your joyous celebration.

And talking about Miri, another blogger-friend, Cibol, otherwise known as Bernard Archibald, and Lily registered their marriage a few days ago on that very auspicious date – 20.10.2010 in Miri…

*Photo from Cibol’s Facebook album*

Congratulations to the two of you. I certainly look forward to attending your church wedding and grand reception next year.

Well, according to Chris, she would want to dance her first dance with her hubby to this song…

All the best to everybody and here’s wishing all of you endless days of bliss in the years ahead. Cheers!!!

I keep coming back for more…

I had a post on this man from Penang who runs a stall in the Bandong area here selling very nice murtabak at RM2.00 per piece – with beef or chicken filling…

*recycled pic*

…but lately, I have been stopping by for his roti canai instead…

I guess everybody knows what roti canai is. It is actually some kind of dough that is kneaded and stretched thin…and even thrown into the air like what they do with pizza dough, and then folded into squares and fried on a hot plate. I’ve always thought that it is thus called as canai in Malay is “to knead” but I read somewhere that it is called roti pratha in Singapore and the name canai is derived from Chennai, a city in India (formerly Madras) or channa, a dish made with boiled chickpeas in a spicy gravy from Northern India which this type of bread was traditionally served. Whatever it is, I was never a fan and to me, it was something that I would eat if it was there but I would not go out of my way to look for it.

For one thing, I did not like the dhall dip that is provided…and would prefer it more if they gave curry instead – like at one stall at a coffee shop in Sungai Merah here. However, the complimentary dip provided at this Bandong stall for the roti canai is really very nice, so nice that I wouldn’t mind just eating it like that…

The roti canai itself too is extra fragrant…like there is some kind of butter in it which I would think is not likely. Perhaps it is the margarine that the man uses…but I actually like it a lot.

The best part, of course, is that fact that it only costs RM1.00 a piece. I am sure you cannot get it at that price anywhere else in town…and definitely, not anything that is as nice as this one. Unfortunately, I don’t think he is open for business on weekends, Satudays and Sundays, so if anybody would like to give it a try, you will have to catch him early in the morning between Monday and Friday. Usually by 8.00 a.m. or so, everything would be sold out and he would pack up and go home. Good luck!!!