Let’s meet…

I got a message via Messenger on Facebook from my ex-student, Soon Yiew, telling me that he would be coming home to Sibu mid-March and he would like to meet me, if that would be possible. Of course it was possible and after all these years, I certainly was looking forward to it.

Soon Yiew was in school in the 90’s and left after completing Form 6 – I never saw him again but we did bump into each other briefly in 2010. He furthered his studies in Singapore and is a doctor, living there now with his wife and two kids and it certainly is amazing that his eldest, the boy, is already doing his O Levels and yet, Soon Yiew does not look a day older than what he looked like when he was in school so many years ago. I must say that he looks as handsome as ever!

We did not have anything in mind so that day, we just stopped by here for lunch. I ordered the belimbing prawns…

…and yes, he sure enjoyed that!

We also had the kacangma chicken…

…and yes, it turned out that he had that before so he did not have any problem with its uniqueness which is an acquired taste for some, something quite different from everything else.

The Payung rojak…

…was less colourful that day because Peter had used up all the torch ginger flower (bunga kantan) and the kedondong leaves for his dishes at his party the night before but thankfully, the taste was not adversely affected.

Of course, we did not miss out the pomelo salad…

…I would always order that here.

We sat there for hours, chit-chatting and catching up with lost times since when he left school to this very day. I did know a bit about what had been going in his life through Facebook but not much and this was the opportunity for me to put the pieces together.

This is indeed the perfect place to meet and talk because there are very few people around and they will just let you sit as long as you like to talk…and talk…and talk…

…recalling all the wonderful memories in our lives and enjoying each other’s company.

Of course, I did not forget to show Soon Yiew the key chain he bought for me from Singapore…

…when he went there for some interview during his school days. I am still using it to this very day, believe it or not, truly a treasured possession…for the key to the car I am driving now!

He did ask me what I wanted from Singapore but I told him to just come. Getting to see him again would be good enough for me but no, he had to bring something along and gave me this tumbler…

…and also an ang pao! That was so very sweet of him, indeed.

Personally, I feel that it is indeed such an honour when an ex-student from so long ago remembers an old teacher and cares enough to want to come and meet him/her and for that I am very much obliged, thank you so much, Soon Yiew! This reminds me of Adele and her English teacher – it sure does make me feel your love…and thank you also for the lunch treat and of course, the gifts you brought along to give to me. I wouldn’t know when I will have this pleasure of meeting you again – in the meantime, I pray that God will bless and protect you and your loved ones in your family abundantly and that your days will be filled with blue skies and everything nice. Cheers!!!

PAYUNG CAFÉ (2.284049, 111.833014)…

…is located at No.20F, Lanang Road, Sibu, Malaysia, back to back with the multi-storey car park of the Kingwood Hotel which faces the majestic Rejang River.

He is back again…

Needless to say, Andy of Payung Café needs no introduction. After all, he is a stranger no more around here, having worked here for around 10 years already.

His younger brother, Karan, was working here too at one time and while he was here, he was trained as a hair stylist by Peter, the proprietor himself, who once ran a hairdressing school here. He has gone back to India and is currently working at a salon there but the other day, he had a few days off and he came back all the way to Sibu on a holiday…for old times’ sake. In fact, he did come back once in 2019.

I guess everyone knows from my recent posts that I have not been well so I did not manage to drop by to see him until his final night here. He was leaving on Sunday morning and the two brothers were hosting a vegetarian banana leaf dinner that night. Of course, we had to go to church and were only able to make it at around 8.00 p.m. but no, they insisted on waiting for us…

They also invited my sister to come along and Andy’s very sweet and pretty West Malaysian Indian girlfriend who is presently working here in Sibu.

What we had were all 100% vegetarian and the two brothers served us a bit of everything bit by bit, all laid out nicely on a banana leaf…

According to Andy’s girlfriend, if you go and eat at an Indian banana leaf restaurant, they would not give you so many things, maybe just a few but a bit more of each. The two brothers had gone out of their way to prepare a whole lot of stuff so we would be able to try first hand for ourselves.

I remember there was something with chick peas and also kidney beans – I guess these would be two of the main sources of protein in the vegetarian diet. My girl enjoyed both of them while I was more into some pumpkin dhal and something sweet potato. My missus enjoyed their mint chutney and everyone loved the pakora (Indian vegetable fritters). We were served a little bit of rice to eat eveything with and we also had this Indian puri/poori…

…as well.

Each of us was served a glass of raita…

…too by the side.

My missus and I were invited to a banana leaf dinner once in 2020 when Andy and Varun, the Indian chef at Payung at the time, prepared a special and an elaborate thali (a set Indian meal) to celebrate the Maha Shivaratri, Hindu festival. That sure was an unforgettable experience and we really enjoyed the evening to the max.

I think my girl was stuck in her school in the jungle at the time so she was not able to join us. Of course, she would not miss it for the world this time around and yes, she enjoyed very moment of it, using her hand/fingers to eat every little bit of whatever was served to her on her leaf…

*Payungcafesibu photo*

Thank you so much, Andy and Karan, for the invitation. We sure enjoyed the exquisite dinner and the company. It sure was nice to see you again, Karan! Have a safe and pleasant trip back to India, take care there and hopefully, we will get to meet one another again sometime soon. Cheers!

PAYUNG CAFÉ (2.284049, 111.833014) is located at No.20F, Lanang Road, Sibu, Malaysia, back to back with the multi-storey car park of the Kingwood Hotel which faces the majestic Rejang River.

Ain’t so bad…

In my childhood days, I dreaded falling sick as that would mean going to the doctor. That was why I would just go to school and not let anybody know until I was on the verge of collapsing.

My dad would take me to see our family doctor, Doctor Yong (Soon Kai’s wife) whose clinic was a few doors away from his shop along Old Street (now Jalan Chew Geok Lin) and an injection would be mandatory. According to my father, any doctor who did not give an injection would not be a good doctor and we would never go to see him or her again.

Of course, my Oscar Award winning performance would follow right away whereby I would cry non-stop till my dad said he would take me to Bee Guan to let me choose a comic book. The crying stopped instantly…and we were on our way!!! LOL!!! Those days, a DC comic (Superman and the rest) was 50 sen each and the thicker Classics Illustrated was 70 sen. There were smaller ones like those Schoolgirls series or the cowboy ones that were 30 sen each only.

In the meantime, back in the house, my mum would be preparing the standard meal for anyone who was sick. There would be plain porridge and to go with it, we usually had Bovril.

We had run out of that in the house that day so I went out to the shops to buy a new bottle. I was shocked to discover that the current stock being sold here were all MADE IN CHINA! I didn’t know whether it would taste the same or whether it would be as bad as Baoril, the Chinese imitation, which was horrible, to say the least! In the end, I bought a bottle of Marmite…

…instead. Thankfully, it was still made in the UK…

…but no, it was by no means cheap – RM34.80 a bottle, don’t play play! I don’t mind Marmite – in fact, I liked it more than Bovril so it did not matter to us which one we had in the house. When I got married, my missus would not touch Marmite, not at all, so for a while, I was buying two bottles, one of each and eventually, when they became too expensive, I stopped buying Marmite together.

We would just add a bit…

…to the porridge, just a bit, around a teaspoon will do as it would be very salty. Usually with Bovril, we would be more generous with it.

My mum would, without fail, fry one or chio (black pomfret/ikan bawal putih)…

…and she would shred the meat and sprinkle all over the porridge…

…and mix everything well.

There would also be some salted eggs…

…but no, during our growing up years, my dad was the only one in the house who would eat those 皮蛋 (pídàn) or century old eggs…

Nobody else would touch those with a 10-foot pole way back then but these days, we have acquired the taste and we actually like them a lot!

Actually, when one is not feeling too well, he or she would not feel like eating so my mum would fry a slice of this long kiam hu (salted fish, the “long” variety)…

…to whet up one’s appetite. My missus did not have that the other day so she made this pickled salted fish…

…which was nice but no, it was simply not the same.

Come to think of it, it ain’t so bad really when one falls sick and gets to eat all these nice things throughout the day.

I’m not well…

I came down with a terrible cough and running nose but thankfully, I think I am recovering right now. My missus had it first and was coughing vigorously, so much so that it drained all her energy and most of the time, she would just lie down and sleep the whole day through. My girl started coughing a bit but hers was not serious. In the meantime, I had to go out to tapao food for our meals and it sure did not help that it had been drizzling quite a bit and eventually, I too came down with it.

For one thing, I was running out of fruits in the house so after our lunch on Sunday, we stopped by a shop along the way home to buy some. I got myself some apples and a papaya while my missus was attracted by the lovely-looking mangoes on promotion and she could not resist grabbing a few. I think that was what caused it all – she peeled a few and we feasted on it.

Well, since I am not feeling too well, I would not be going here and there to eat this and that. That would mean that I would have nothing to blog about so if I do not get better quickly, I may have to close shop for a few days. We’ll see!!!

Thankfully, my missus was able to cook a couple of dishes for our lunch today. If I am not able to go out to buy, we may end up with nothing to eat in the house. Well, she came out with this delightful Hokkien braised/stewed port leg/trotter…

…which was very good. It was soft enough but personally, I wouldn’t mind throwing it into the slow cooker for a bit so it will be even softer.

If you look carefully at the dish, you may be able to spot some bits of pig’s tail in it. We had those once at a restaurant here…

…and we sure enjoyed it. My missus managed to get hold of three at the pork shop and this was the first time she cooked them.

I was rather disappointed that she did not throw in a few hard-boiled eggs too. I simply love those!

For the vegetable dish, she fried this bitter qourd with fermented black beans…

…and yes, it was nice, not bitter at all.

I do hope I’ll be o.k. over the next few days, fingers crossed so I would be able to go around in search of things to blog about.

I remember it well…

When I was little, everytime there was a wedding in the Malay or Melanau kampung (village), my mother would bring me along to what she called the “pengilan” (wedding reception). Of course, I was so very delighted – who wouldn’t be when there was all the nice food to enjoy! I would just go and eat and more often than not, I would not even get to see the bride and the groom…nor the hosts, the parents, that is, not that I was thus inclined. LOL!!!

I always admired the communal spirit of the Malays or the Melanaus. The whole village would show up and set up the kitchen in the house compound to cook the food in HUGE cauldrons…using (boat/rowing) oars as the ladles. They would shop for everything for the feast and one would not even need to use one’s own crockery and cutlery – they would bring everything and all throughout the pengilan, they would do the serving, the clearing up and the cleaning…or in other words, everything!

Upon reaching the house, all the guests would have to sit on the floor in groups of 4 and the food would be served. I cannot remember exactly now but of course, there was curry – four big chunks of beef, one each but the whole time, I would be wishing nobody would join our group so I could eat more than one chunk. Hehehehehe!!! Everyone had to eat with their hands but more often than not, I would just take one of the (serving) spoons from the dishes served and use that. I did not know how to go about it – eating with my hand and I would get the rice all over my face whenever I tried!

It was the general practice then to give money as gifts, around RM3.00 only. I thought that was so cheap compared to what they would give at a Chinese wedding, RM10.00! Of course, people give a lot more now! Once done, we would have to leave and vacate the space so other guests would be able to sit there and eat when the food was served. This would go on and on and on the whole day.

Gosh!!! That was so long ago though I remember it all so well. That was why I was delighted when the people here were having a promotion here last Friday – their nasi pangilan (RM15.00)…

…and I wasted no time at all in making a beeline there for it right away to give it a try.

It wasn’t quite the same though. They used to serve the dishes in separate small plates for four persons to share – here, we got everything in one plate, to each his/her own! There was ayam kurma (chicken korma)…

…and beef curry, both of which were so very nice and even though I am supposed to stay away from red meat, I simply did not have the heart to leave the meat by the side of my plate. I was glad they had potatoes…

…too – I always love potatoes in my curry.

The nasi minyak (oil rice)…

…was so good, bursting with the flavours and fragrances of all the spices that went into the cooking.

I do not recall any soup served at the pengilan I went to and I never had this pineapple soup…

…before. They call it kecini nanas and according to a Malay friend of mine, she had not had it for a long time and she loved it so much!

All in all, what stole the show was this salted fish pickle…

It was very nice and there I was, wishing that they had given a bit more. LOL!!!

All of us loved everything in the platter that came with a complimentary glass of grenadine syrup…

The very friendly lady proprietress, for reasons unknown, came over to our table the instant everything was served and took this photograph of us…

…that appeared eventually on their Facebook page.

The promotion was a success – everything was sold out so fast that they had to apologise on their Facebook page. They did mention that they would have it again the following Friday and there would be different dishes in the platter the next time around. Who knows, I may just show up there for another round of this!

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.

Cycles…

A Blessed and Happy and a Bountiful Chinese New Year to one and all!

*CNY gifts from my dear cousin, Mohd Syaiffuddin Suyong and wife, Saliah Japaruddin and all loved ones in the family, thank you so much*

It’s the Rabbit Year this year so that means it is the end of the 6th cycle in my Chinese zodiac – next year, the Dragon Year, I will be 72!

We are keeping it somewhat low key this year so we have not been busy doing all the preparations. I have not put up any decoration – the idea of having to climb up and down the ladder to hang up the lanterns and everything else sure does not appeal to me, not at my age and in my condition!

But worry not! We do have quite a lot of things in the house. My missus insisted on cooking for our reunion dinner even though I asked her not to bother. She did not make any nyonya acar (pickles) though so I went out and bought a bottle…

…to eat with all that keropok (prawn & fish crackers)…

…in the house. She did make some cookies – two types and some light snacks such as that seaweed wrapped in popiah skin that my girl likes a lot. Other than those, she did buy some pistachios and baked some cashew nuts too and I got a whole lot of groundnuts and kuaci from my ex-student that day.

Other than those that she made herself, my missus did buy some cookies from our local bakeries and I went and bought these pineapple nuggets…

…from the bakery not far from my house. Yes, they…

…are still as nice as the first time I bought them from that same shop many many years ago when I was still teaching but of course, they do not come cheap anymore these days. There were jars and jars on the racks when I went but when my brother-in-law dropped by as Chinese New Year drew near, they were all sold out! He did not manage to get any at all!!!

My missus did not make/bake any cakes but my girl’s coursemate, Mona, dropped by the house to give her these…

I last saw her in 2011 when they were coming back from Wellington, New Zealand! Now teaching in Daro, she was driving home to Bintangor to spend the week-long Chinese New Year break there. How thoughtful of her to drop by to pass the cakes and whatever else to my girl! I did get two from my friend/ex-student, Alex that day and one from one of my cousins from Kuching (and some cookies as well) that day…so there should be enough cakes to serve to any family members or friends who care to drop by.

In the meantime, my girl also got these cookies…

…from her good friend, Dayang. Thank you so much to the two of you, Mona & Dayang!

Because of the widespread ASF (African Swine Flu) in West Malaysia, the import of pork bak kua from there is banned at this point in time. I did not feel like buying any of our local ones or those from Sabah either but I did grab a couple of boxes of the chicken bak kua from Loong Kee…

…which isn’t too bad as well.

And talking about West Malaysia, I sure had a pleasant surprise when my ex-colleague/student, Richard dropped by my house. He is home from Johore for Chinese New Year and it sure was so very sweet and thoughtful of him to give me this HUGE box of honey ponkam (oranges)…

…thank you so so much, Richard! The last time I saw him was when our borders first reopened in 2021 after the pandemic.

I must say that I am so very glad and thankful, praise the Lord, that I survived this past year. I actually thought I was going to kick the bucket and join the Heavenly Choir when my health was not too good and I had no strength to do anything nor the appetite to eat anything and started losing weight like nobody’s business. Thankfully, I am a lot better now – it sure looks like I’d still be around for a while.

Now that the brand new year is here, let us pray that God will bless and protect all of us with good health, blue skies and everything nice in the days ahead throughout the Rabbit Year. Do drop by if you’re in town – there should be enough for everybody to munch, don’t you think?
新年快乐!…恭喜发财!…身体健康!!!

Fits like a glove…

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!!!

Far apart…

I received a call from a NO NAME number the other day. Normally, I would just reject such calls but somehow, that day, my instincts told me to answer it. It turned out to be somebody from a courier service agency who wanted to confirm that I was home as he would be delivering something to me.

I waited and I waited…for about an hour till my patience was running out so I called the number in my call log. The guy answered. He said he was at the traffic lights, very near my house already and he would be there soon. True enough, he showed up soon after that to pass me this box…

I had no idea who had sent it – nobody had said anything about sending me something and when I opened the box, I saw the note…

It was from my very dear friend, Mandy, in KL.

She probably had been busy with her work and everything else and had not been following my blog nor was she active on Facebook these days. She did send me something in March last year but I wasn’t expecting anything from her this time around.

It so happened that she saw one of the photos that I shared recently – I think it was the one at my cousin’s anniversary dinner and she was shocked!!! She was wondering if I was all right as I had lost so much weight. Yes, I am so very thin now – half of what I was before but thankfully, I am feeling a lot better and eating very much more than say, a few months ago…and of course, I told her that and reassured her that I was fine, not about to go just yet!

I like what was on the other side of the note…

“Far apart but near at heart…here’s a box of love for you” That’s Mandy for you – always so concerned, so thoughtful, so full of love for others. Obviously she could not wait to send something that may help in some small way the instant she heard that I had not been well.

Inside the box were these packs of herbs…

I do enjoy steamed chicken with these added, four of them altogether plus a cute free gift…

They are supposed to help recuperate, revitalize and reinvigorate and it is believed that cordyceps are good for anyone with kidney problems.

Thank you so so much, Mandy! I cannot remember when the last time we met was – perhaps it was on one of your working trips here when you showed up at the house when my father passed away…or was it my mother? You no longer travel, it seems but hopefully, you will take sometime off to come over here for a few days to relax – just let me know you are coming and I will make all the necessary arrangements on this side! The first time you came was over 10 years ago, just imagine that! It would be great if we could meet again…one of these days. Take care there, love and God bless always!

A new beginning…

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…

Haven’t seen for a while…

My sister dropped by here for the noodles and the lady boss asked her about me – she was wondering how I was doing since she had not seen me for a while. I thought that was rather sweet of her to show some concern for one of her customers.

We had not gone there since October, if I am not mistaken, and the other day, we decided to drop by for my favourite pek chang kay (steamed/poached chicken)…

I do enjoy theirs a lot more than the rest here.

We were given these…

– the one on the right looked like an attempt to come out with something like the dip they will give you at all the chicken rice places. I don’t know if it was any good or not because we let my missus have both of the dips – she can’t survive without chili! LOL!!!

After the one that we had here that was not as nice as this one here, we simply had to order their lemon chicken…

…my girl’s favourite and frankly, so far, we have yet to come across any elsewhere that is nicer than this one.

For our vegetable dishes, we had the bitter gourd with taucheo (fermented beans)…

…and the cangkok manis fried with egg…

We did not feel like having any soup that day so we did not order any.

The bill came up to RM77.00, excluding the rice and the drinks. I did expect that as we asked for two meat dishes – usually, we would just have one and a vegetable dish and a soup and the total would be a bit less. Never mind! Most importantly, we enjoyed everything and we sure would be coming back again sometime.

Y2K CAFE 千禧餐馆  (2.294220, 111.825753)…

…is located at No. 16, Jalan Tunku Osman, round the corner from that block of shops where the branches of AmBank & RHB Bank are located, with its back entrance facing the side (right, not the main one) entrance/exit of Methodist Secondary School.