I went to the post office to renew the road tax for another year and the nice girl at the counter said, “Uncle, next year, you have to go and pay at the Land Transport Department office as we have been printing all over the card and there is no more space left. You will need to get a new one.” For the uninitiated, we can do this at the post office and for a fee of RM2.00, we can get it all done there and then without a hitch…and what the girl said would probably give you an idea how old my old car actually is.
It has been running pretty all right and would probably be better had it been given more tender loving care but lately, my missus seemed to have a lot of difficulty getting it started in the morning or at anytime of day. It couldn’t possibly be the battery as she just had it replaced with a new one not too long ago. Her mechanic told that that there was nothing wrong with it and that it was quite typical of old Proton cars…and she insisted on taking his word for it. Eventually, I decided to take it to my mechanic and true enough, the timing was all out and had to be readjusted. The automatic windows in front, both the driver and the passenger side, had not been functioning for years and years now. Imagine entering the car on a very hot day and not being able to wind down the windows!!! I asked the guy at the shop and he said that I could replace the automatic controls with manual ones and I agreed to the proposal.
Now, everything’s ok again though I would not know how long it would last…and after I had left the garage, I stopped by this coffee shop in the vicinity…
I was here before and did not think that the mee sotong that I had was all that great and I never came back again. The cafe next door in the corner of the next block had closed down and there is now a pub in its place. This time around I decided to try the rojak mamak (RM3.50)…
…from this stall…
…in the shop.
It was quite nice with an egg…and some bits ofΒ cucur (fried fritters), fried tau kua (bean curd cake) and cucumber and sengkuang/mangkuang cut into thin strips and the kuah (gravy) was pretty good, I would say.
After I had left the place, I stopped by my regular Malay kuih (cakes) stall at Bandong and I was attracted by these…
At first, I thought they were what they call batang buruk (rotten log) but they were not. They call them jejari Vico (Vico fingers) and the lady said that they were nice and would melt in the mouth…
I tried them when I got home and they turned out to be like some kind of biscuit with a generous sprinkling of milk powder and maybe, sugar as well. I’m afraid they did not really tickle my fancy, unfortunately and to me, they were not something that would blow me away, not in the least…and at RM3.00 for 10, I thought they were a bit too expensive.
I would very much prefer these…
– fried popiah (spring roll) coated with sweet chili sauce and topped with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts. Inside, they had a little bit of taugeh (beansprouts) and thinly sliced cabbage and carrots…
When cold, the skin may no longer be all that crispy and may be a bit hard but I like the taste…and at 3 for RM1.00, I would think that these would, at least, be very much more affordable.
So what have you been doing lately? Anything interesting going on in your lives?
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
in penang, the rojak is named pasembur, the gravy is slightly sweeter and less nutty. the boyf loves it to bits and it’s a must-eat whenever he’s in penang!
Yes, the best I had was at New World – a bit different from elsewhere but very very nice. I had at the famous sup kambing place, Penang Road and also at another place, can’t remember the name liao…ok, ordinary…not great.
Your old car reminds me of my father’s old Peugeot 504. My father loved that car a lot. The windows were not working properly. When you try to wind down the window the handle will come off just like in a comedy show. Then the whole backseat can slip off if you didn’t sit on it properly and bits of foam would come out. But Pa was so attached to the car. Finally he did change for a new car much to our relief.
Thank goodness, mine isn’t so bad. I’m still hanging on to it till my daughter comes back and is settled here or some other place. Will get rid of this one and get a brand new one for her to use. In the meantime, it’s still running o.k. so we just continue using the old jalopy lah…
oooh, i have not had rojak pasembor for quite a while, a looooong while i think.. this one makes me wanna have some already, hahaha!! jejari vico?? some kind of chocolate fingers, i mean when i heard Vico i link to those chocolate powder, hmmm, i wouldn’t fancy that actually..
Ya, Vico is that not-as-popular-as-Milo chocolate drink…so I guess that’s what they are – chocolate fingers with a lot of milk powder sprinkled over them. Had your pasembur already? π
Hmmmm…. I am not really appreciate rojak mamak, I still prefer Chinese rojak . Kekekekke
Oh, I love Malay fried poppiah!!! Usually, if I see it I will buy . I can eat 7 pcs in one go!! Yummy!!
7?…If 1 pack, there’s 3…2 packs 6…and you eat 7, there will be 2 extra. Who will eat those? LOL!!! π
hmmm.. normally the problem is on the function relay switch on the automatic window…..
There is no AC in your proton?
over here we call it pasembur or indian rojak….
There are some good ones over here..
AC? Aircon? Got lah…but if parked out in the sun for a long time, when you get in, it’s like an oven inside…so it would be good to wind down the windows for a while and let the hot air go out. Yes, we also call it kayleng-nga rojak…but some people say that is very racist…like rojak thamby. I wouldn’t know – so few Indians in Sibu so we do not know all these things.
This reminds me of my dad’s old proton saga, which he sold off 4-5 years ago. The car have the same problem with yours. The automatic windows is not functioning, and we have to replace it with manual winding. There are a lot more problems associated with the car, and finally dad decided to sell it. But, this is the good old car that accompanies the childhood memories of me and my brothers. My dad used to fetch us to the market with the car, and we always enjoy the ride with daddy. Good old times!
Eh, I love fried popiah too. I prefer this over the normal ones. I can gobble a lot of this when my wifey is not around…haha
Yes, it is very solid – the 1st generation Proton Saga. Not like my Wira – it feels like an empty tin can. But I guess like people, when you are old, you may not be that good anymore… π¦ Hah!!! My daughter likes her popiah deep fried as well. Young people – prefer deep fried stuff…but that is not so healthy lah. π¦
Ya, that one we call pasembor. STP, the fried popiah is my all time fav.
Yup… Had that in Penang and in Sg Petani. Never tried at other places.
Aiyo…$$ go out again π¦
i think WK will like the popiah very much. Got kacang
It’s ok, just do a bit at a time… Not much, Malaysian car. Better than all conked out and then have to send for major overhaul. This popiah, very nice. Like the sauce. They have the ordinary fried ones – nothing special…and inti very little.
Sigh…talking about car. Hub’s car has broke down twice this week. Starter problem..ishhh.
Not an old one like mine, I’m sure. The new ones, not necessary no problem…especially the computerised or the auto-this, auto-that ones. Lots of headaches and heartaches, I hear….and very expensive to service.
hmmm… would not want to ride in your car then… i know wat wira/saga can/cant do… oredi broke the chair of my wira, twice… muahahaha… shh… now, where is my popia… (checked with AA oredi, to sibu in jan is like RM64, KCH-SIBURM24, KL-KCH RM64) cheap cheap… btw now stuck here in timika (go and google if dunno where izzat…)
I wouldn’t want you in my Wira either – like tofu…but the Saga is ok, heavy duty. Still, once you leave, sure have to change absorbers – suspension habis!!! LOL!!! So coming in January? Hmmm…over there, eat a lot of tembikai, is it? In the end, tummy also like one. Oops!!! Too late, already like one – giant one! LOL!!! π
SWK, Sibu mid Sept la..mana ada Jan…Sirikei too
Current AA sale is for Jan-March next year (but not cheap for Chinese New Year). Sarikei, you mean? Lots of watermelon, is it? I know pineapples a lot there – very nice ones! π
Cheh balik tak sampai 10 days how to do so many places.
Coming to Sibu mid-September? Better confirm and let me know early. I’m actually thinking of going to Sg Petani around that time… Melissa’s birthday.
Oh yes, I would most definitely prefer the fried popiah than Vico rolls. I’m wondering if the name Vico comes from the beverage Vico, something like Milo? I can just imagine eating solid Vico coated with milk powder.. argh.. not my cup of tea too π
I think it’s chocolate biscuit-like fingers…and I guess they use Vico to make, not sure… Not really nice, anyway – nothing great and rather expensive. π¦
Rojak Mamak looks good, the gravy color and not too watery.
For the fried popiah (spring roll) coated with sweet chili sauce….over here they usually sprinkle with sesame seeds instead of peanuts. Fasting month begins tml…can start to buy alot of kuih-muih edi =)
The rojak was ok and I like the popiah… Lots of that at the Ramadhan stalls, I’m sure. Not too keen on going anymore these days – so many stalls, every Tom, Dick or Harry…and I wonder how many are actually good cooks – bought so many times, not nice…and threw away. Very wasteful.
Had that pasembor rojak for the past two weekends near my home. It gets along very well with a cooling cendol. A small mini food bazaar on the weekends near my house where punters linger around like flies allows me to get all these including taufufah, chee cheong fun, asam laksa, etc…
Lucky you… We don;t get these pretty much here and not really good ones at that…and chee cheong fun, we’d have to go to the dim sum places and only a handful here as well. π¦
Time to get a new car. Lol! Nothing much interesting happening to me over here, except it has been a wet and cold week and we had a blackout in whole Kuching on Wed!
No money, TOTO tak strike…what to do? Sobsssss!!!!! Ya, seen people complaining about the rain, the blackout…and because no electricity, no water…. Good thing, all’s ok in Sibu. π
Mr. Suituapui Sir!! Long time no visit your blog liao, your blog makes me drooooooool as always!!
Guess what, I’m back a-bloggin’ again =D
Oh ya, I used to be lazyautumn but got that closed am now blogging as autumnresonance instead =P
Welcome back…and enjoy drooling! LOL!!!
aww mr arthur, it has been so long since i last blogwalked. im glad that my exam is over, and now i see lots of good food on your blog again. im surprised with the vico fingers which i have not seen it anywhere before. hope to really get to sibu someday! π
Latest: Moroccan Buffet
Ya, long time no see… Busy, eh? Hope you did well in your exams. Semester holidays now? Come, come…come to Sibu! π
As long as the car still can move, utilize it to the fullest! You are only traveling around town, right? But if you often outstation, then get a new car!! π
Over here they sell the popiah without the crushed peanuts… nowadays my canteen is selling 40sen per kueh… boycott! π
Yalor, only around town and I hardly go anywhere plus Sibu is so very small, not a problem at all. Wah…so expensive! Like that, must boycott lor…
Hey. I blogwalked from missyblurkit’s site. =) Anyway, I know how the Proton car works at times. Our family’s first Proton car gave so much hell that it eventually stalled at a traffic light somewhere in PJ late at night. And my friend’s Satria Neo is like a walking “music player”.
The mamak rojak doesn’t look too different than the one in SS15. Does it include the option of adding squids inside? =D
So far so good with mine… Touch wood! But my dad’s very new Mercedes Benz died halfway on the road…and they only had one computer in the whole state to re-programme everything – took ages to get it running again. He sold it off straight away! Oooo…that would be nice! Squids! Yum! Yum! π
P.S. Welcome. Thanks for dropping by. Will link you in my blogroll. Do come again, eh?
Changing cars always lose money. I usually use our cars till they almost konk! I guess it will be another 20 years before we will change cars. I guess this time, we might konk before our cars. LOL! My Quay Lo prefers Indian Rojak and mum and me likes the Chinese one better.
Hahahahaha!!!! 10 years, I will be 70… Oh my! I’m so old!!! π¦ Hah!!! I’m with Quay Lo – not really crazy about the Chinese one – the Penang fruit rojak. Just ok with it…but I love the Bintangor one I had the other day with the sweet potato fritters and what not inside. Yummmm!!!!
i like everything in the rojak except the mengkuang! >.<
Not a fan of that myself especially in Chinese/Penang rojak…but in this one, it was ok. Maybe because thinly sliced and did not add so much.
Batu Lintang open air market has a stall selling very nice indian rojak and it is always very crowded. It has a piece of chicken in it. Yum!!!..
I know. It has been there for a long long time…since the 70s and 80s, I think. They say Tok Janggut is related to that one.