I did mention in an earlier post that they would have this nasi pengilan every week on Friday and yes, we did hop over once again the other day last week for another round (RM15.00, with a complimentary drink)…
Once again, it was very good, very much to our liking and satisfaction and yes, as they had promised, they made sure that they had different items in the platter this time around.
The ayam masak merah…
…was very good but personally, I am not so into masak merah anything. Gimme our Sarawak’s own daging masak hitam…
…anytime and yes, I must say theirs was very good, better than many of the rest. However, even though this was very nice too, personally, I would prefer the curry and the kurma that they had in the set last week.
I loved the pajeri nenas…
…though and yes, theirs, if compared with all the rest all over town, would win hands down just that I was wishing the whole time that they had been a bit more generous with it, the same thing with the salted fish pickle…
…that we enjoyed so much the last time. It looked like they had given even less this round!
The rice…
…was even nicer this time, more flavourful, a lot more fragrant and tastier.
My missus had what I had but my girl wanted something different for a change. She tried their nasi goreng pattaya (RM11.00)…
…but she found the rice a little on the hard side…
…so she did not finish it. As for her drink, she had their teh tarek ais (RM4.00).
And now the question is: Will we be going back for more next week? I’m afraid the answer is no because we would want to go back to our usual no-meat Friday, now that Chinese New Year and everything is over and the season of Lent will begin soon on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd, a day of fasting and abstinence.
I was delighted that day to see my favourite busker (the girl in a wheelchair) there entertaining the lunchtime crowd. She probably read my blogpost the last time because when she saw me, she started playing Teresa Teng’s “Yeh liang tai piao woe ti sing” right away and of course, I went and gave her an ang pao…and she said Kong Hee Fatt Choi. She sang a lot of English songs while we were there, enjoying our lunch and the music – my favourite, of course, was this favourite song of mine by Adele/Bruno Mars. Well, in the words of William Shakespeare, “If music be the food of love, play on!“
MAT LAKSA(2.308351, 111.820696)…
…is located at No. 67 & 69, Jalan Kuda 2, Kampung Nangka, right across from Cabe Ijo in the next block, both facing the main entrance of Bisonte Grocer & Deli.
TEN years ago, in 2013, my cousin in Melbourne, Australia went to see Cliff Richard live in his Still reelin’ and a-rockin‘ concert there and she bought me a souvenir t-shirt and a cap and sent them to me. I did use the cap a lot when I was doing my gardening – I loved the cotton material, very light and very comfortable to put on.
Unfortunately, the t-shirt…
…was too small for me despite its XL size so I was not able to wear it at the time. However, now that I’ve lost a lot of weight, it fits me like a glove…
…and of course, I couldn’t wait to put it on and go out to show off. LOL!!!
All my clothes are now way too big for me. My shirts and t-shirts will hang so very loosely on me and flap in the wind when I walk around, making me look like a scarecrow!
As for my trousers, it would take TWO of me, to fit into one! I managed to dig out the suit I wore in 1981 when I got married…
…but the trousers were a little tight around the waist. Goodness gracious me!!! Was I so very thin then? Thankfully, I managed to buy a nice pair at one of those bundle shops for only RM5.00 and my missus passed to me one that she had bought a long time ago but it was too big for her (the one in the above photograph). It sure fitted me very well, don’t you think?
In the meantime, she also went digging for t-shirts that nobody, for whatever reason, wanted to wear so in fact, they are still brand new. There is this Linkin’ Park one…
Yes, I loved their songs once including this one…and this one…as well as this one! Anybody else are fans of the group too?
There is this very cute one…
…as well as a rather plain one, B.U.M. brand. It was so very popular at one time but I do not seem to see it much anymore these days.
I did drop by a rather trendy shop here where they sell those Burberry products and I almost fainted when I saw the prices! For the uninitiated, our former PM used to wear those branded shirts that cost an arm or a leg and everybody did not mince their words when they blasted him for his extreme extravagance. I did buy a shirt though, long sleeves, RM150.00 after discount for Chinese New Year but no, I quickly put back that nice one with a RM300+ price tag, thank you very much!!!
My daughter has one like this…
I think I bought two, one for her and one for the mum. She uses hers very regularly to this very day but the one for her mum is still brand new and she passed it to me. I guess that is a perfect description of what a retiree like me does every day – eat and sleep!
It certainly looks like I do not have any problem when it comes to clothes. I hardly go anywhere these days so I do not need that many decent-looking ones. Most of the time, I can still wear my old t-shirts and my drawstring pants at home, never mind that I look like a scarecrow. LOL!!!
And talking about Chinese New Year, the other morning, my dear friend/ex-student, Alex, formerly an ex-blogger at jienster.com, dropped by my house to pass me these cookies/tarts…
…and layer cakes…
Gosh!!! Isn’t that so very sweet and thoughtful of him? Thank you so much, Alex, and a Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year to you and all your loved ones. May God bless you all abundantly throughout the Rabbit Year! Cheers!!!
It’s New Year’s Day today, the 1st of January, 2023 – the start of a brand new year, a new beginning…
It was not a very good year for me, 2022. I had a lot of health problems and could not eat a lot of things. I did not have an appetite most of the time so in the end, I was skin and bone left. I was actually thinking at the time that I was about to join the heavenly choir and was getting ready to go.
Gradually, towards the end of the year, I got better and I have been eating well. Right now, I am still very thin, half of what I used to be but at least, I am stronger and getting on fine. I am as thin as I was in the 70’s when I starved myself so that I would be able to dress up nicely and go out and have a lot of fun…
…but I was young then, not old and shrivelled and wrinkled.
Thankfully, I managed to survive and got through those terrible times. Hopefully, the new year brings everything new, a new beginning, new hope and all that is good. You’ll say a little prayer for me too, won’t you?
I have these lilies in my garden for as long as I can remember. They would bloom sometimes, not that regularly but I would get to see the blooms once in a long while. Eventually, I moved them to another part of my garden and even though they grew very well in their new location, they NEVER flowered until now…
I was pleasantly surprised to see the lovely flowers and of course, I was delighted! I do hope this is an indication of a new beginning and I look forward to seeing more blooming a lot more frequently from now on.
A very Happy and Prosperous New Year to one and all…
…may God bless us abundantly with a very long life…
*my favourite longevity mee sua in town from New Hee’s Food Corner*
…good luck, good health…blue skies and everything nice!
Here’s a little New Year’s song Don’t worry it won’t take too long Just a bit of New Year’s cheer To say I’m glad you’re here…
This place has been around for quite sometime. If I remember correctly, it had a different name and it only changed to this one quite recently.
I did not bother to go as it got a lot of not-so-encouraging-reviews from my Malay friends. An ex-student of mine went not too long ago so I asked him for his opinion. All he said was that the sambal that came with the ayam penyet was very nice.
Finally, at long last, we decided to drop by the other day as we were at a loss as to where we could go for lunch. Much to my surprise, there was quite a crowd there and the one next door/on the other side was pretty full as well. I sure did not expect that!!!
There was a female wheel chair-bound busker…
…singing, entertaining the crowd with her soothing, sentimental Malay songs. She sure drew a lot of attention when she sang Teresa Teng’s “Yue liang dai biao woe de xin” (The moon represents my heart). Yes, she had a good voice and sang very well but I did not see anybody giving her anything. I walked up and dropped my contribution into the donation box and I was delighted to see a lot of people doing the same after that.
An older lady took over the mike for a while and sang Bob Tutupoly’s “Widuri“ and she did such a good job at it that I gave her a round of applause. Honestly, there were so many people there but nobody bothered to show any appreciation of the display of talent and the pleasant (free) entertainment. The lady sang another song, the Hetty Koes Endang classic, before she left to do her shopping at the supermarket in the vicinity.
This was truly unprecedented and I really enjoyed myself so much. That sure brought a lot of pleasant memories of those wonderful days when I used to frequent pubs and music lounges to have a drink and listen to the live music at those places.
Oopssss!!! To get back to our lunch that day, my girl decided to try their Sarawak laksa, biasa (RM8.00)…
…which was very vaguely like what it should be. I guess one look of the colour would tell you that. They have a lot of so-called specials on their menu including one Sarawak laksa Pattaya where it is served in a bowl lined with a thin piece of omelette. There are others with extra prawns and clams (lala) – the extra sweetness may help enhance the taste, I wouldn’t know.
I wanted to try their belacan bihun – I did not like the one I had at one place in Kuching but I really enjoyed one at another place so I thought I would give the one here a try. However, when I opened their menu, I saw that they had ikan keli (catish)…
…so of course, I asked for the pecel lele/nasi keli penyet (RM15.00)…
…instead. The sambals that came with it were so very nice – I must say that I really enjoyed what I had that day – I am quite sure it wasn’t because of the nice music in the background.
My missus had the nasi ayam geprek (RM14.00)…
Initially, she did not know what that was and wanted something else but I encouraged her to give this Indonesian dish a try. That sure was a lot of sambal on the chicken and they also give another one in a saucer by the side…
My missus said it was nice and yes, she did like her order as well.
The two ladies had their teh tarek ais (RM4.00 a glass)…
…while I just had the complimentary soup that came with my order since I am on a low/no-sugar diet.
This place opens throughout the whole day starting at 7.00 a.m. until 10.00 p.m. The girl whom I asked noticed the surprise on my face and she quickly added that they worked on shifts here, not the same people the whole day through. Yes, I must say the service was very cordial and very efficient and when I wanted to pay for my bill – customers are supposed to do that at the cashier’s counter themselves, I told the girl that I was not that mobile (pointing at my walking stick) and the sweet girl happily did everything for me.
The ladies went browsing around at the supermarket while I sat there waiting for them, enjoying the music. She did play some English songs – John Denver’s “Leaving on a jet plane” and Lady Gaga’s “Always remember us this way”, just to name two. I wonder if she will be there every day – if she is, I sure would not mind dropping by a lot more frequently.
MAT LAKSA(2.308351, 111.820696)…
…is located at No. 67 & 69, Jalan Kuda 2, Kampung Nangka, right across from Cabe Ijo in the next block, both facing the main entrance of Bisonte Grocer & Deli.
These days, they have live streaming at this karaoke pub in London and yes, I’ve been watching week after week without fail even though I would not say the singers are all that good. LOL!!!
Why do I bother to watch then, you may ask? Well, I love singing and I’ve always enjoyed karaoke…
To me, it’s a whole lot of fun even if one’s singing ain’t that great and I do derive a bit of enjoyment from just watching it. For one thing, it brings back fond memories of those wonderful nights at the pubs when I was in Plymouth, England in the autumn of 1994.
I did not venture out at night the first month I was there but I did go around in the daytime, weekends especially, to familiarise myself with the place and I saw that they had karaoke once a week on Monday nights at Bruno’s Bar, a small, dark and unimpressive pub right beside the Prince Regent…
…at one end of Union Street, Plymouth’s red light district, I was told.
Sometime in my 2nd month there, I finally made my way there and sang my heart out, my first time in the UK! The song I picked was this one and I was delighted that they had an excellent karaoke sound system and those Pioneer karaoke laser discs that I liked a lot. The video clips are great and the music is exactly like the original songs so if you can sing the originals, you would be able to sing to what they have on those discs. Besides, I used to frequent a pub in Sibu – they did not have the discs but they had the tracks on video tapes…and I knew exactly whether they would need to lower the key or make it higher and by how much, if necessary.
So how did my debut appearance go? Well, I must say that they were stunned! Obviously, they never had an Asian in their midst before, much less one who would go up on stage and sing…and the deejay said that he expected me to sound something like this – and he started speaking like Peter Sellers as a Chinese character or one of those in the popular TV series, “Mind your language”. Since then, there was no turning back and I was there every Monday, week after week until it was time for me to pack my bags and leave and come home.
I also found out that the mobile karaoke guys would be here at The Good Companion…
…along Mayflower Street (I read somewhere that it has been demolished already) on Wednesday nights and of course, eventually, I made my way there too and it became my routine, going to sing my heart out twice a week. The crowd here was younger and they told me it was because the Plymouth University was close by so they would get a lot of international students from Russia and places in Europe at the pub.
Beer was only a £ a pint there and the exchange rate at the time was RM3.50 to £1, so cheap. Back home in Sibu then, I would have to fork out around RM10.00 or more for a mug of draught beer. This may come as a surprise to many – they did not open till late over there, believe it or not – singing started at 9.00 p.m. and ended by 11.00 p.m.
They had very good singers there, not like the ones in the aforementioned live streaming. There was a guy, Tony, who would sing “Mandy” without fail and a very young plus-sized girl would sing Sinead O’ Connor. I never got to know them personally though, never got to know their names but ever so often, I would meet some young people in the city centre and they would all be calling my name and waving at me and I could jolly well guess that they were “my friends” from the pubs.
My final night was at The Good Companion and the deejay announced that I was leaving and he did not think they would ever have anybody like me coming their way again. This was the last song I sang and everyone took out their lighters (no, they did not have handphones then) and waved the little flame in the air – I was so so touched, to say the least. Sadly, all I have left left now are the beautiful memories at Bruno’s and the Good Companion but one thing’s for sure – they are forever cherished and will always live on in my hearts.
Going back to the live streaming, they also have this one from a place called Two Friends at Key West – if I am not mistaken, that is in Florida in the US. They seem to have better singers there and they sure do have a lot of fun too. Too bad they did not have this when I was in Plymouth – the folks back home would be able to watch me singing live on Youtube. That would have been a blast!!!
Back to my weekend in London, England, 1994, on my first day there, Friday, I was in the vicinity of the Piccadilly Circus when I spotted a booking agent’s office among the shops close by. I approached the guy there quickly and asked for a ticket to Miss Saigon, the matinee the following day, Saturday. I was not all that keen on venturing out alone at night in a strange land. He said that would not be a problem at all and he collected £25 from me after which he told me that I would have to go back there the next day to collect it.
I went back the next day but he said that he could not get the ticket for the matinee, only for the show that night but he was willing to refund me the money. No, my mind was made up – Miss Saigon, I wanted to see so Miss Saigon I would get to see! I took the ticket from him and walked away.
Then, I turned and went back to the booking agent and asked him if there was any other show that I could watch since I had the afternoon free.
“What do you have on mind?” he asked.
“Phantom?” I replied and he burst out laughing, so amused by my response.
“Come back next year!” he said.
He told me he had a ticket for Grease at the Dominion Theatre, not far away from where we were. walking distance and the show was about to start. He would give it to me at face value, £28.50 and yes, I took the offer. The next minute, I was on my way to the theatre – the guy walked with me most of the way to make sure I would not get lost and would get there in time.
There I was, seated so near to the stage…
…when I started having second thoughts. What was I doing there? I had watched the movie so many times in the cinema and on video tape and I knew all the songs. The exchange rate was only RM3.50 to a £ at the time – still, that came up to RM99.75 for the ticket but as soon as the show started, whatever reservation I had disappeared into thin air.
It sure was a fun show – everyone was clapping, cheering, singing and dancing away and of course, I happily joined in. This was the first musical I had watched in my entire life and it sure was an unforgettable experience! What I did not know then – I found out much later while browsing online – was that Debbie Gibson was playing the part of Sandy! Those of you who are familiar of the pop songs of the 80’s would probably know her big hit, Lost in your eyes.
It was dark already when I came out of the theatre – it was late autumn, coming to winter so it got dark very quickly. I had to rush back to Malaysia House (where we were staying) to bathe and change and head to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane for Miss Saigon…
…that same night.
As I was walking, a car pulled up by the side of the road right beside me. I saw a lady at the wheel and I thought it was one of those in our group. Probably she had been to see her relatives or friends residing in London and had borrowed a car and wanted to give me a lift. I approached the car, passenger side and the lady screened down the window. She was not very young, definitely no spring chicken, all dressed up in a fur coat.
“I need company!” she cooed, seductively.
“No, thank you!” I fumbled with my reply and quickly turned and went on my way as fast as I could. In my panic, I took the wrong turning at the junction ahead but luckily, I realised it soon enough so I went back the way I came and finally, got to Malaysia House, safe and sound. Phew!!!
In no time at all, I was on my way to the theatre and yes, I made it in ample time before the show started. There I was, perched high up in the gallery – we were given binoculars but I did not bother to use them and yes, I enjoyed it tremendously!
It was an epic drama…
…and I loved every minute of it right from the moment it started. I loved all the songs and luckily, I did not know them at the time so I was not singing my heart out – I would probably have done that if I had gone to see The Phantom. No, it wasn’t Lea Salonga anymore, playing the part of Kim but if I am not wrong, John Barrowman was Chris at the time. Anyway, I wouldn’t know him even if I knew it was him then. I only got to know him much later via Youtube.
When it came to the part when Kim had to say goodbye to her son, suddenly I missed my little girl back home in Sibu and the dam burst and I cried buckets!!! The young girl sitting beside me must be wondering why but at that parting scene where Kim shot herself and Chris came back into the house and they said their last goodbye, I saw the girl crying her eyeballs out! My friend in Auckland, New Zealand went to watch when the musical opened there and after she saw it, she grumbled that I did not tell her it was so so so sad. I guess she too cried her heart out! LOL!!!
It was already past 11 after the show ended and this “Cinderella” had to rush back to Malaysia House before they locked the door at midnight. Luckily, the couple behind me helped me and got me my ticket for the London Underground (I paid them, of course) – the machine rejected all the British currency I had with me! Yes, I made it just in time (many could not believe I had never been to London before seeing how I could get around without any problem whatsoever) and that was indeed a truly memorable day, one that I will never ever forget – TWO musicals in ONE day, believe it or not!
Incidentally, if anyone is interested in watching Miss Saigon, you can try these links in two parts, Part One and Part Two, on Youtube or you can try this link, for the better and clearer production than any you can find on Youtube, with Eva Noblezada as Kim and Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi in the 25th Anniversary Gala Performance at the Prince Edward Theatre, London. Do make sure you have a box of tissue paper beside you and don’t say I did not warn you!
…inspired by a poem by W.B. Yeats – I so love how he incorporates the classic La Vie En Rose into his song, and whatever you do, do not click this link for the one this handsome singer sang for his father – it is so beautiful, so very emotional that I am very sure you will break down and cry! I cried buckets, I tell you, the first time I heard it and every time I play it!!!
The older I get, the more I think You only get a minute, better live while you’re in it ‘Cause it’s gone in a blink And the older I get, the truer it is It’s the people you love, not the money and stuff That makes you rich…
The older I get, the fewer friends I have But you don’t need a lot when the ones that you got Have always got your back And the older I get, the better I am At knowing when to give And when to just not give a damn…
And I don’t mind all the lines From all the times I’ve laughed and cried Souvenirs and little signs of the life I’ve lived
The older I get, the longer I pray I don’t know why, I guess that I got more to say And the older I get, the more thankful I feel For the life I’ve had, and all the life I’m living still.
I guess there is no need for any further elaboration – these lines from the song say it all.
And on this my special day, I sure would appreciate it very much if you would whisper a little prayer for me and ask that I shall continue to be blessed abundantly with lots of love, endless happy days and good health in the year ahead and for that, I thank you all. Cheers!!!
…premiered in Malaysia on the 28th of November and since we were in Miri at the time, flying back the very next day, I made it a point to go and watch it there instead of coming back to Sibu and catching it at our not-so-nice trioplex here.
…in the new wing here and according to my cousin’s wife, the latter is newer and nicer. I sure enjoyed the movie, light-hearted entertainment and I love the music of George Michael that sounded so nice with the super-duper sound system of the cineplex and yes, the place was super-impressive too.
We came out past 9.00 p.m. and we wanted to go some place for dinner/supper. I had this very nice soya bean milk (RM2.80) and equally nice tofu fa (RM2.80) earlier…
…at the food court on the ground floor and the selections for their nasi campur looked really good but it was already closed by then. We went to one place there serving Malay cuisine and I spoke to the fat snooty lady sitting beside the cash register to find out what time they would close and she just replied harshly, “Last order at 9.40!” We walked out of the place instantly, stunned by that kind of unbecoming attitude.
…and she enjoyed it but unfortunately, my girl’s meatball pasta (RM15.00)…
…was so very disappointing. Obviously they did not drain it well – you can see the water all around the pasta in the plate and when I saw her struggling with it, I told her to just eat the meatballs and leave everything else behind.
I also ordered their pumpkin soup (RM9.00)…
…which was a let-down too. It was not rich and creamy and nice like what my missus would sometimes cook at home but to be fair, it tasted quite all right and came across like they had their own original recipe for that. Too bad it was not what we were expecting and did not quite tickle our fancy!
My pork burger (RM10.00)…
…was all right…
…but it was getting late and they had turned up the music and dimmed the lights (hence the not-very-nice snapshots), all ready to get the party started so we quickly finished eating and left the place as soon as we were through.
MING CAFE, MIRI (4.397216, 113.988902)is located at one corner of the traffic lights junction of Jalan North Yu Seng and Jalan Merbau.
Personally, I do think that it matters a lot the songs and music that people play at their cafés and restaurants, and needless to say, the volume at which it is played. For one thing, what they pick should fit the theme of their eatery – if it is Italian, then some nice Italian melodies would be very nice, not the current or retro pop hits that stick out like a sore thumb.
…and yes, I did go to the kitchen at the back to talk to the guy – he is Indonesian all right, assisted by a not-so-young local Malay lady. It is located in the vicinity of what they call the Sibu Twin Towers…
…near the Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum in the Sibu Town Square Phase 2.
It is not a very big place, somewhat simple with hardly any decor or ambiance to talk about…
…but you can go up the stairs to the air-conditioned section on the first floor. I was quite happy to stay where I was, with my feet on the ground.
Looking at the prices on their menu…
…it certainly appeared that things here do not come cheap or at least, not as cheap as at the regular coffee shops.
Even water was RM2.00…
…but at least, they served the much-talked about MOMA water – if I am not wrong, this costs more than mineral or drinking water.
My missus had their sotong bakar (RM14.22, inclusive of GST)…
…but it did not come with rice so we had to order that separately (RM1.60, inclusive of GST).
The sotong or squid…
…was very tasty and also very nicely done, just right and not overdone till it became hard and rubbery.
I had the ikan tenggiri bakar (RM12.40, inclusive of GST, with rice)…
And of course, the music that they played helped…in one way or another.
Presently, they do not have any off days so they are open 7 days a week from 11.00 a.m. till 11.00 p.m. and till 12 midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
SARINDU (2.291510, 111.821170) is located at No. 15, Jalan Lau King Howe in the vicinity of the Sibu Twin Towers at the Sibu Town Square Phase 2, a stone’s throw away from the Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum.
During my growing up years, the only pata that I knew was the name of this song…
…by one South African singer and in the spoken part in English in the middle of the song, the singer says it’s the name of a dance but according to Wiki, the song’s title means “touch touch” in the Xhosa language.
More recently, I came to know about another pata – the crispy pata except that the people around here call it the Philippine pork leg, pata being tagalog for pork knuckles.
This place was probably the first or one of the first, at least, to come out with this dish…
*Archive photo*
…and anyone dropping by to eat there would definitely order that. My cousin’s hubby who was posted here from Kuching would buy a few home to stock up in their freezer to take out and enjoy whenever they felt like it.
…and it was pretty good as well but the restaurant has since moved here, the chu char place at the back, no longer where it was way back then and I think they were some place else before they moved to their present location. I have not had theirs for a long long time now so I wouldn’t know if they are still serving that and if I do, I don’t know if it is still good or not.
…were quite different but they were nice too which was more than what I would say about the one I had at that full-fledged Filipino restaurant in Kuching but then again, that was a long long time ago, before I started blogging even, and considering it is still open to this very day and doing well, they must be doing something right. Perhaps they have something better now but I have not been there since so I am in no position to comment on that.
I do not recall having any others but this one from this restaurant…
…that I had the other day was really so very good that it left me craving for more!
No, the skin is not crispy but what won me over was how it was bursting with flavours and with the very nice sauce provided by the side…
…it absolutely swept me off my feet. The meat inside was moist and tender and it wasn’t too fat (not like the one I had in Kuching and that was what put me off). Still, I’ve already had three over the last two weeks so I guess I’d wait a while before I have another go at it.
BEIJING 2008 RESTAURANT (2.291109, 111.827983) is located along Jalan Kampung Nyabor Road around the corner of this road and Brooke Drive. It is located at the block of shops, where a Malayan Banking branch is, to the left of the entrance into Hua Kiew Road, somewhere opposite the Sibu General Post Office.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 