Penang food, my roots

Bestnya balik Penang ! This year we didn't celebrate Raya in Penang because since my grandma's demise, there is nobody there except for Mak Ngah, Pak Mat in Jitra and a handful of my dad's cousins and aunts.





For awhile now we have been doing our raya sakan-ing in Perak. My mom and my Maksu are the only ones who are not in Perak. My grandma, Uncle Kamal ( Ayah Alang ), Uncle E ( Ayah Uda ), Uncle Mat and Mak Nyah plus my mom's cousins and aunts are still there. Therefore Raya in Perak equals sheer exhaustion and near exploding tummy.





But going back to Penang has always been a pleasure. I love Penang because Penang is my childhood and my roots. It is hard being kids this age. I say I am a Penangite, but I have never lived there. But there was where I go for Raya and where my relatives are and hailed from. Also, I speak with most of my words ends with a q and rather bahasa baku like pronunciation. So I am a Penangite. But no, some said. You are a Selangorian because you live in Shah Alam ( some even dared to say I am a Terenganuian because of the 11 in the middle of my IC number ).





Eii ? I said ayaq ( sometimes even ayor ) most of times. Besides, what do the Selangorians eat ? The best food seems to come from Penang. Laksa, rojak ( even rojak buah is best eaten in Penang ), sotong bakaq, keaw tiaw goreng, cucuk udang.... Heck even the best keropok udang is sold at Padang Kota Baru.





Let me tell you. Penang is mamak country and you can only get the best mamak food in Penang. Don't believe me ? You try Kayu Nasi Kandar in Damansara and then try the one in Bukit Jambul. The food in Bukit Jambul would make you roll in gastronomical delight.





If you head up north a bit to Kedah, you would not be dissapointed too. Laksa Kedah and Kedah mihun sup are simply devine. Emm... the mihun sup daging with kacang... hmmm.... Lovely. The best kuah kacangs are usually prepared by the northern people too. Dodol ? Try the ones sold at Pekan Rabu... gorgeous. And let is not forget kuih peneram. Still hot from the wok, melt in your mouth heaven... Emmm

Jom pi Penang ( and Kedah pas tu na.... ).

Selamat Hari Raya

Selamat Hari Raya !!


So sorry that I only offer my greetings on the 11th day of Raya but I was busy. Busy celebrating and being with my family.



Had a good raya, albeit a rather sad one. But good nonetheless because really I have so many blessings given by Allah that I need to concentrate on, rather picking on all the bad things that happens to me.



Raya is special because it is the time to remember family. Either down under or still well and firmly on the ground. You could not help but cry during raya, thinking about the dearly departed.


Raya is also the time to mend fences and seriously to seek forgiveness without any explaination. A coward's way of getting forgiveness ( a non-muslim local dee-jay remarked that what he likes about Raya is that it is the only religious festival that has the tradition of seeking and bestowing forgiveness.... hmmm... )


Selamat Hari Raya, dear friends. Mintak ampun mintak maaf dari hujung rambut ke hujung kaki. Sorry yek ? Yek ? Yek ?

Book Review : When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

I read this book years ago when I still resided in England. I was intrigued by Ishiguro-San’s The Remains of The Day and wanted to experience his other works. I liked it, as it was haunting, just like his Never Let Me Go.

I re-read it again about a month ago and just finished it. I don’t remember how I felt when I read it then as but now it has renewed my vigor for his books. I will endeavor to read all his writings.

Anyway, this book is about Christopher who lived in Shanghai in the 1920s with his parents. His father worked for a British company that surreptitiously sells opium to the Chinese. His mother hated the fact that they are doing it and is a strong advocate for the practice to stop. His mother held meetings in their house, fighting for the cause while pressuring his father to try and put a stop to it all.

One day his father disappeared. Sometime later, his mother too vanished. Christopher had to return to England to live with an aunt, leaving behind his still missing parents and best friend and neighbour, Akira, a Japanese boy.

After his parents’ disappearance and through out school, he developed investigative tendencies and to no-one’s surprise became the most celebrated private investigator in England. But of course, his biggest case would be to find out what happened to his parents.

This is a good book. I like the way the daily happenings in his life reminded him of occurrences and incidents in Shanghai, some leading to the fateful day his parents vanished, somewhat giving him more clues to investigate. I also, rather bizarrely I might add, like the silly way Christopher and the British government was portrayed during his investigation. His parents had been missing for a good 20 years, in suspicious circumstances due to opium trading and I think at that point, he had just returned to Shanghai to start his investigations. Imagine my surprise when upon his arrival, they were planning a party of Mr and Mrs Bank’s return. A notion that he did nothing to dispel. Even I was skeptical that he might ever find his parents alive. At that point, the only smart cookie who grasped the absurdity of it all was the wounded Japanese soldier that Christopher thought to be that of his friend Akira. Before they were found by the Japanese army, he tried telling Christopher that they could have been dead !!

But at the end, one guy held the answer. A person whom he looked up to, so much so that when his father went missing he thought things will be all right because uncle Philips is around. It turned out the Banks' disappearance was not sinister at all. Well, at least on his father’s side that is. His mom’s circumstances were pitiful and sad and he did find her in the end. 1 month before her death, he found his beautiful mother but sadly, she couldn’t recognise him. She was suffering from dementia and living in a care home. She couldn’t identify his name either, only when he mentioned his pet name, Puffin, did her eyes lit up and she was so happy, thinking about the little boy she had to leave behind, never realizing her beloved Puffin was in front of her.

Sad and haunting.

Book Review : Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows by J.K Rowlings

Haa……. Closure at last. I finally got the answers to the questions that built up since I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Let me tell you this, although Ms Rowling definitely was inspired by works of J.R.R Tolkien, Eva Ibbotson and others, enough for some critics to accuse her of plagiarism, her books was a well thought one, and I am sure it was all done by her. As if, when she wrote the first one, she had already known what is the ending and all the small details in between and cleverly divided the concept into 7 installments and ingeniously add and embellish to make the books whole and the stories longer and linked. So that must be her own ingenuity then, yeah ? Just like Tolkien. Just like C.S Lewis.

What I like about her style is that her books are easy to read. I also love how she made her characters constant that we could predict how each and everyone would re-act. She had also cleverly developed the characters, not making them stuck to their childish behaviour, allowing them to grow and mature. She had skillfully maintained the essence of the books. Wonderful woman.

Of course there are aspects of this final book that I don’t like. Well one, is the body count. I have learnt to love the characters so much that I shed sad tears whenever one died ( especially since I already know what they are supposed to look like from the movies ). And I hate the ending… 14 years later what happened to Harry Potter. She allowed us a glimpse of his future, but it was so scant, that I thought, surely, there should be an 8th one ? I just want to know how Harry proposed to Ginny, their wedding and all and of course how did Hermione and Ron got hitched ? Also, who is the new Minister of Magic ? Where are they working now ? I mean what are they doing ? Is Harry an Auror ? A Quidditch player ? How is George keeping up with Fred’s death ?

I am not satisfied with the book because I want to know more. Damn !! ( what an oxymoron, closure at the beginning and its very opposite at the end…).

Oh... dear, dear Severus Snape.

Abang Ramlee

If you ask me whom do I really want to meet, I would say P.Ramlee. And if you ask me what questions would I ask him, I would say I am going to ask him if he heard beautiful music in his sleep, if when he bled did music flow with it and if his heart is filled with joy or sorrow. Then I would ask him to sing.

“ Sing for me abang Ramlee… “ he he…..

I was on the way to work when I heard the beautiful entry of Geteran Jiwa. P. Ramlee’s voice when it came stirred my heart and twisted my feelings. That voice….Oh man… menusuk kalbu ( if kalbu means what I think it means ). Suddenly the voice altered and I thought there was something wrong with the radio, brutally forcing me out of my reverie. Rosak ke radio aku ni ? Eh, bukan… radio ku okay. Suara KRU yang tak okay, destroying abang Ramlee’s soulful serenade.

Apa raaa…. Potong stim gila…… But when abang Ramlee sang again, it was simply marvelous. Lovely. The deep voice, unmarred by any glitches was just so divine. So smooth, a treat to the ears. And I of course wept, because it just touched my soul. Can you imagine him reading the Quran or even reciting Adzan….. ?


But lets concentrate on his talents, especially his song writing. Exquisitely composed songs. Calming but can jump-start your feelings at the same time. They are mostly romantic, making you ache for your lover. Tunggu Sekejap and Malam Ku Bermimpi were some of my favorites. How can he write such beautiful melodies and have the voice to sing them ?


Malam Ku Bermimpi

Malam ku bermimpi

Hai dengan satu bintang

Berkata-kata ku di jendela

Ku lihat kanda tersenyum memandang

Asmara bergelora

Meresap ke dada

Malam ku terlihat

Oh sekuntumlah bunga

Baunya harum menarik hati

Tak sanggup menahan rasa asmara

Meresap mendalam

Mengusik di jiwa

Sayang jauh di balik awan

Wajahmu tetap berseri-seri

Laksana bulan sedang mengambang

Menawan dan menggoncang dalam kalbu

Oh angin meniup

Bawa daku ke sana

Hasratku ingin bersama-sama

Tak tahan rasa hati menderita

Gelora asmara

Selalu menggoda

He actually sang this song with Saloma. I really love this one. It is so romantic. The yearning, the missing, the love… you can almost feel it. The melody is the best of all………. Beats Kenny G any time….. he he…. ( However I amnot sure about the lyrics. He did pen some lyrics but mostly they were penned by S. Sudarmaji ).

His movies are precious too. They engulfed our lives and shape the way we talked sometimes. Me, I love to use his “ Banyakk…., jarang – jarang and kadang – kadang “ as per Nujum Pak Belalang. What about his “ Oii orang sebelah !! “ scene in Masam – Masam Manis that became a sort of joke between a lot of married couples when they fight. Or his kutu babi stint in Bujang Lapok. There are too many to mention.

One of my colleagues doesn’t like his movies because she said they were filled with expletives, from bahlol to haram jadah. True, but well… that is P. Ramlee for you, I suppose. Level of censorship back then was not the same as now and to me it is just a reflection of society back then.

I love the way he looked in Sarjan Hassan and when he spoke in English, I almost swoon with pride at his intelligence. Come on, he didn’t sound awkward at all speaking English.

I remember reading the papers about one of the veterans lashing out at the reporter when they tried to interview him. He was angry because all the while all people would talk about was P.Ramlee and he felt left out. He said he is not doing any interviews as he felt it was too late. He asked the reporter to do another piece on P. Ramlee instead. Whoa !! Relax brother…

When I was working in Klang as a Trainee Engineer, a colleague of mine told us of a story that happened to her cousin. Her grandma lives in Keramat or Kampung Baru, I am not sure. One day her cousin was sitting outside their grandma’s house and she saw a guy walking by. He was clad in white suit and wore white shoes. It was P.Ramlee. She was frozen when P.Ramlee approached her and left a message to not watch his movies anymore because it hurts him every time his movies were being watched.

I told that story to my family and I remember saying that whatever it is we have to take that story with a pinch of salt. Ye ke tidak. But my mom and some of my sisters were really cute. If they happened to chance on a P.Ramlee movie on the telly, they would squeeze their eyes shut while attempting to change the channel. He he….

Nevertheless, the story is good for my Abang Ramlee. After that, my family and I would always mention him in our prayers. Praying for him to be saved from seksa kubur and api neraka. He died too young but I believe because Allah loves him. His generosity and kindness is wildly known.

Al-Fatihah.

PS : It is worth noting that P. Ramlee died on the 27th of May, 1973 in Kuala Lumpur and my abang was born on the 28th of May, 1973 in Ohio, U.S.A. He does look like him a bit.

Book Review : Nobody’s Baby But Mine By Susan Elizabeth Philips

This is quite a good book. It is definitely a romance, just like those Avon romances but set in current America. Sadly the plot is rather familiar, as I think I might have read something like it in one of those Avon romances. However the book is still enjoyable, even though it is rather simple.

Brainy Jane is broody but needs to find a partner that is stupid, to offset the intelligence her son/daughter would definitely inherit. Jodie conveniently knocked on her door while she was crying, who just so happened to be a groupie for the state’s football team, who happened to be looking for a woman for their star quarterback or something. Such luck.

Anyhoo, Jane was presented as a birthday present to Cal and did the deed and got pregnant and Cal found out and they had to get married because Cal doesn’t want his child to be born out of wedlock. That is the Avon romance bit. So of course they fell in love blah, blah, blah.

It is quite a good book because the reading was smooth and there were romantic parts that will make you go aaaahhhh………. The only problem is that it was kind of familiar. I said it is quite a good book but am not really singing its praises huh ? Well trust me, it was just the plot.

Dn't worry, I bought an interesting book already by Mike Haddon who wrote the lovely and smashing Incident That Happened In The Night. I am however reading Harry Potter, so the next review would be about that, I suppose. Where am I with Harry Potter now ? He just got captured... Wargghhhhhhhhhh.....

Okay, back to Ms Philips' book, since the cover girl was very pretty, si I magined her to be Dr. Jane. I couldn’t think of any huge football players so I imagined Brendan Fraser as Cal. It might work…

Book Review : My Best Friend’s Girl By Dorothy Koomson

This book is about Kamryn who left her fiancée and best friend when she found out they had slept together. For 2 years she had no contact with them what-so-ever when one day on her birthday she received a card from Adele to say that she is dying.

She had to return to London to see Adele, who was already in hospital, ravaged by leukemia. Adele asked Kamryn for a big favour, to adopt her daughter, the result of her one night stand with Nigel, Kamryn’s ex-fiancée.

It is a beautiful book. How can Kamryn adopt the product of a betrayal ? But under the circumstances she did and the story of their journey is wonderful and sad. Luke, her boss, entered their life and Nigel, who never stopped loving Kamryn also came knocking.

What a girl to do ? New daughter and 2 wonderful men to choose from ?

The book is wonderful, so much so, I wonder if Ms Koomson would mind writing a sequel. I want to know more. Did she have more children with the man she chose ?
As I read, I would try to put a face on the characters. And since I met Amelia and we had a session of trying to match the characters in Flowers in The Attic with the current movie stars when we were 14, I have been doing that on my own too.

I imagined Luke to be that handsome lawyer on The Practise. Adele I imagined her to be Dr Meredith Gray from Gray’s Anatomy ( maybe because of the hospital connection ) and he he…. initially Oprah as Kamryn… but I changed it that lady in Waiting To Exhale. The one her husband cheated on. Soft but feisty. Not easy to penetrate. And she looks better sitting next to my imagined Luke than Oprah. Nigel… well…. Ms Koomson’s description of him is rather vague, but I think the best candidate is a serious Ben Stiller. Take all his funny bones out, and make him a more serious actor.

There…..

Book Review : Be Careful What You Wish For by Alexandra Potter

I first read Ms Potter’s Me And Mr. Darcy. It was good and I enjoyed it immensely. I of course started to get desperate for her other books. I called MPH but they only carried that one title and then tried Kinokuniya. They have one other title called Be Careful What You Wish For. I asked them to keep it aside for me. Funny really because she has like 5 books under her name and they only carry 2 titles ?

Moving on. I like this one too. It is about Heather who likes to wish for things. Like a seat on the tube, or for her car keys which she misplaced… you know normal everyday things like that. But she also loves wishing for a thoughtful and romantic boyfriend and a job at one of England’s major newspaper, instead of just being an assistant wedding photographer.

On one rather yet unlucky day for her ( she was caught in the rain while her gorgeous neighbour was dry, sharing an umbrella with an equally gorgeous girlfriend ), a gypsy lady approached her and offered her lucky heather. Now if you have been to Europe ( and especially London ), these people are everywhere. Either they beg for money or try to sell heather bunches for a quid. She of course refused to buy them but the lady insisted and told her that she needs a bit of luck in her life. Entranced, she took it.

Almost immediately, her life started for the better. She got a new housemate, the gorgeous neighbour actually fancied her like forever and just got the nerve to approach her, she got a job interview with a big newspaper and bought a winning lottery ticket. Perfect ? So it seems…..

Her brother warned her that she should be careful with what she wish for… and did she listen ? Well…..

I like her style of writing and I like her ideas. However, the ending was rather predictable and she really should explore more on her relationship with the neighbour. It ended too quickly without delving deeper about her own feelings.

It is still a rather enjoyable experience.

Read, if you want.

Trip to Bandung 2

The next morning we wondered how we were going to fill our day. We have finished our shopping and I was too tired to go anywhere else. We then decided to go to Rich and Famous again, hoping that I am well enough to get more clothes. Heavily drugged with Panadol ( ha ha ), I found an Esprit shirt and 1 Mexx shirt and more baju for our kids. Since Bandung has a cool climate Dan asked me if I was okay for a walk. Sure, why not. I actually feel better when I am walking than when I was being coped up in the room. I was also feeling rather uneasy because usually I left the kids with my husband and since both of us are together, who is taking care of them ?

We walked and had a lovely time. We ate at Pizza Hut ( no surprises there ) which turned out to be so much better than the Pizza Hut at home. Why ? More extensive menu. We tried the food that is not sold in Malaysia. They were superb. I drank a chilled melon juice and Dan drank something called Strawberry Surprise. Yum…..

I felt terrible after lunch and Dan readily took me back to the hotel where I slept fitfully again and barfed and barfed and barfed. Penat….. I was too tired to go out and we ordered room service. The food was good but I couldn’t keep anything in and barfed again. It was the longest night.

I woke up dizzy and disorientated. I was so dreading the flight back home. When I opened my eyes, all I could say was “ Panadol Indon ni tipu. Tak jadi pun … “. I was popping the pills like nobody’s business but I was never relieved, not even slightly relieved from my pain.

In the cab to the Bandara, I begged Allah SWT to spare the agony of flying. I am never a good flyer to start with. I need to take anti-motion sickness pills every time I fly. I recited Al-Fatihah and Surah Kursi many, many times while begging Allah to give me a good 2 hours. Luckily, the airport had upgraded its services and offered a First Class lounge for passengers for a mere RM 15. Dan took it without much thought.

I was so relieved to see the room very comfortable and that the service included breakfast. I couldn’t eat anything but was grateful for a cup of piping hot tea. I barfed again and steeled myself for the plane ride. Allah is great. He listened to my prayers, as I was okay on the flight. I was chatty and happy and was just okay. Dan and I talked non-stop and was having a wonderful time.

But as soon as we landed and got out of the plane, I was feeling my bad health again. My 2 hours was up. Dan chastised me for not begging for my wellbeing instead of just a 2 hour respite… aduhai…. How would I know ?

Dan’s parents picked us with Titi in tow. She ran to hug me and kept asking what business do I have at the airport. In the car, Dan’s mom regaled us with the stories of our kids while we were away.

The first night Dan’s parents took my children to sleep in their room. However in the middle of the night, Umar woke his sister up and led his sleepy sister to sleep in our room. He switched on the fan and the bathroom light and went to sleep. Dan’s mom found them curled up to each other on our bed.

The next night, Aida came to play and invited Umar and Elsa to sleep over at her house. Umar refused but Titi wanted to go. Umar was at the top of the stairs, Elsa was on the landing on the middle of the stairway and Aida was at the bottom. Umar told Aida to bring his sister home by 9 pm. He said he wants to sleep at 10. Aida then spoiled everything by asking if it is okay to be slightly late ? Umar upon hearing that started crying. No, he said. Elsa has to be home on the dot at 9 pm. Elsa by then had quietly went up to her brother, took his hand and led him to our room. There they stayed together watching the telly and fell asleep. She didn’t even say goodbye to Aida.

This brought back memories when Dan followed me to Singapore for work. We left Umar with my parents. Umar apparently held on to his overnight bag for dear life, refusing to let go. He took the bag with him everywhere. After every bath, he would collect all his dirty laundry and stuffed it in his bag, ready to leave at a moment’s notice, waiting for his parents to return and collect him. He was less than 3 at that time.

Hai nampaknya susahlah Mummy and Babah nak pegi Umrah berdua ni…

Bandung Day 1

I had a romantic getaway two Wednesdays ago with my husband to Bandung. Romantic ? Wa ha ha ha ha…. It was as romantic as watching paint dry because a day before we left, I was plagued with sickness. I started coughing and had a fever.

The plane ride was okay as I was not that sick at the time. When we arrived, we went straight to the hotel and were allowed to check in. When I laid down, I found it hard to get back up again. Dan was concerned but I dismissed it away as we were already there and I promised to take Dan around.

I forced myself to get up and took a cab to Pasar Baru. Dan hated the pasar. At that time I was already quite under the weather and didn’t know where to go. I remembered that I wanted a new telekung so I took Dan to the shop where Amelia and I bought ours last time. I was sick and disorientated. The pasar looked more crowded than it did last time. We went around and around, trying to find that particular shop when I spotted it by chance. What a bummer. There were not many telekungs around and the style was out-dated. All that for nothing.

I insisted for a new telekung and therefore visited about 3 shops before Dan pointed out that all the shops carried the same telekung. He was pressuring me to just pick one. O-kay….. Right then I was thinking Amelia was nicer to walk around the pasar with. I hastily picked one. I hate doing that because I know I will feel discontent ( and how right I was ) with my purchase.

It was already 12 and I suggested we sit down for lunch. I needed to take my medication anyway. Up we went to the 6th floor to the food court. I was raving to Dan about the food Amelia and I had there. However Amelia was the one who bought the food. I sat at the table and waited for her. So when I got there I was confused. Nothing looked like the food Amelia had cleverly bought. Aiseh. I was getting dizzier by the minute and Dan had a look of consternation on his face. I hate being a tour guide.

I finally decided to eat the safest thing that was offered there, Soto. At least there will be no surprises there and I do feel like having soup. We sat down and ordered 2 sotos. The alarm should have been raised when after 10 minutes of ordering the food failed to appear. It is just soto and in good ol’ Malaysia, it usually takes less than 5 minutes to put everything together. I was sick and was just relishing the comforts of the chair and was not thinking much.

The first to appear were 2 plates of rice. Aiik ? Nasi ? I thought we ordered soto ? Then came 2 steaming pots ( yup, pots ) and when we opened the lids, it revealed burbling beef soup ( or more appropriately broth ). Dan looked at me but hey, I gave a him a look that said don’t-look-at-me-mister-I-am-as-confused-as-you-are !

We dug in. It was nice enough but Dan hated it because it was littered with timun air. I had no appetite and Dan didn’t like his food ( he is fussy, that one ). The waiter raised his eyebrow when he saw the uneaten fare.

I took my husband to Rich and Famous next. Luckily he was happy there. Since I only have the clothes on my back and a pair of pyjamas in my bag, I had to choose an outfit. I was rather ill by then and couldn’t choose anything. Dan had to do my shopping for me and chose a long-sleeved t-shirt that is too short for me. The next day I had to walk around with my tudung covering my chests ( as it was just not too short, it was one size too small too ) while looking for a more appropriately sized baju ( thank you honey for thinking that I was that thin ).

We then went to Rumah Moda. Dan luckily loved it there too as the ambiance was calming and the décor was superb. He quickly found clothes for himself and we bought loads for our kids. None for me though. No baju ( semua long sleeves t-shirt yang Britney Spears nak lah pakai or short sleeves ) and not even bags. It was so much different from when Amelia and I went.

Then of course I went to got my feet reflexologied… he he… That is the best reason to go to Rumah Moda actually. I practically ran there as my was body aching and my head was throbbing. There was only 1 chair left and I quickly took it. Dan refused to be massaged and sat next to me. Boy was that a killjoy. I found out that day that it is very disconcerting and very unnerving being massaged while somebody watched in boredom.

We then trudged back to the hotel. Well, not exactly trudged as we did take a cab. Despite the massage, my body was killing me and I had a fever. I was alternating from being hot to cold at very regular intervals. Luckily I had my supply of ponstant with me and Dan thoughtfully packed some Panadol Actifast. Come 7 o’clock we were hungry again ( I barfed twice ) and decided to head to the shopping complex just down the road from our hotel.

We were debating whether to go on foot or take a cab. I felt we should walk as it is so near but Dan said he doesn’t want us to walk where the pavements are housing various stalls and had to walk on the road instead. He apparently mistrusted Bandung drivers. As we were discussing ( more like bickering ) the hotel’s pak guard approached us. He advised us to take the Angkutan instead. We apologetically told him the smallest denomination we have on our person was Rp 100,000 and therefore will pose a problem when paying the Rp 1000 fare each. He then whipped out his wallet ad gave us Rp 2000. We were horrified and horribly embarrassed. He kept pushing the money to us and we kept pushing it back to him. I finally took the money when I saw how adamant he was and frankly I did not have the energy to play Rp. 2000 tug-of-war with him. He was so proud I felt guilty for refusing in the first place.

Where did we go ? First to find a Wartel. Dan was so homesick ( read missing Umar and Elsa ) his eyes went watery as he talked fondly of his children ( their monkey-like perangai mysteriously vanished from their father’s memory ). We found one but it couldn’t make calls to Malaysia. We tried at the hotel before we left and the receptionist said “ Belum biasa buat panggilan ka Malai-sia pak ”. O-kay.

We went inside the mall to look for a pharmacy. I bought a packet of Panadol for flu and fever and bought some cough drops. Then we went to search for food. My husband took me to McDonald’s. He said he doesn’t trust Indonesian food anymore. Yelah tu Rashdan. Just admit that you are a junk-food junkie.

Admittedly, my mouth watered looking at the Indonesians eating friend chicken with rice but luckily I remembered the frogs in my throat. I ordered Fillet-o-fish and some fries ( which oddly was okay for the frogs… he he ). The chilli sauce was hot I tell you. It was super hot but yummy….

Anyway, went to their supermarket and Dan bought more junks for his tummy. Then off we went back to the hotel. I slept fitfully amidst Dan’s channel search for something that he could understand. Finally he shut his mouth when an English movie appeared on the screen at 9pm, but with as much iklan as before ( there were so many iklans on their telly, we watched more iklan than real shows. All about keputihan baju and kulit muka, menghilangkan ketumbir and entah apa – apa entah ).

Bersambung esok kay sebab karangan ni dah melepasi 3 muka surat...

Where iklan Petronas took me

Haiii Petronas… menyusah kan aku aje. I fill my petrol at Petronas and because of that I have like 10 pieces of entry forms for the Saya Anak Malaysia contest. I am very much not into entering competitions especially those that require me to write slogans, but since I got loads of them ( not counting those that I have actually scrunched up and thrown ), I think well … why not.

Before I have to think up some witty words that will get me one of those cars, I have to match the messages written to the correct Petronas commercials. So I went to their website and watched all 5 iklans and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

I love my country. Each iklan stabbed my heart because it reminded me how much I really love my country. I mean that is the reason why I buy only Petronas, bank at CIMB Bank and RHB Bank and try to buy Malaysian first whenever and wherever possible.

Those close to me also know how much I love my people. Amelia and I, we share the same values and that is why it is so easy with her because with her, I do not have to explain. She is with me all the way.

But those Petronas iklans taught me a few new things too. First, I have to value being anak merdeka. Hari Merdeka should not be just another holiday, another reason for me to have an extra work free day, but a day to really thank Allah SWT that I am living in a wonderful and free and safe ( to some extent ) country. Sadly, the current government failed to see that and I see them failing to keep us free, safe and wonderful. And I foresee that soon, we will again be colonised.

The second thing it taught me is that, I have to love my fellow Malaysians. I have to love and cherish my friends more than I currently do. We are too caught up with our work and family that we forget the community. Sadly, it is something that the current government has failed to notice too. Poverty is everywhere. It is not focus on any particular race, but a problem that is faced by every type of ethnicity in Malaysia. What they are interested to do is just fattening their pockets. I can show you the house of a local politician who if I am not mistaken, was just a government engineer before. It is so huge and that is the second wife's house. The first wife ? Fooo.... words cannot describe it. How can you steal rakyat's money for your family's extravagance ? If your family were living on the street, I would've understand it but they were not. Sure you were not living on a sprawling estate but you you do have a roof over your head. How can you let some poor people starve so that your kids could be kitted in Rolexes.... ?Neraka jahanam for you...

What I am most saddened by is that no matter what we do, no matter what we try, we only have small hope for all Malaysians to unite and stand together because we were never united in the first place. Simply because of our failure to speak in one language. We failed to be educated by the same school system. How can we unite when we each have our loyalties elsewhere ?

Indonesia had done and is doing the right thing.

Article Review : Hidden Dangers in Your Car

Very eye opening article featured in this month’s Reader’s Digest. It discussed about the importance of securing every item and person in your car when you travel. This is because when you are involved in an accident and your car brakes suddenly, every unsecured objects ( including humans ) would become projectile, fly at a high speed and could be deadly to you.

What Malaysians are practising is only passengers sitting in the front seat would be safely belted. Even that is a hit and miss. We never consider unbelted passengers behind and stuffs on the backseat floor that can fly if not restrained. All these are hidden dangers.

One guy put his credit card on his dashboard. When his car stopped on impact it flew and cut his throat. A measly credit card, kay ? Luckily the cut was not deep enough to be fatal. Another guy although survived when his car collided with another car, was killed by his tool box when it flew and hit him on the head, hard.

A team analyzing car crashes concluded that risk of death for belted front passengers rose 20% higher when there are unrestrained passengers behind. Whereas you have 120% higher chances of surviving the crash when your passengers put on their seat belts. Logic really, the front passengers became the back passengers’ airbags. You actually have to brace yourself from impacts internally when you’re involved in an accident.

MPV owners are more at risk because their cargo area is not separated from the main body of the car. Prams and whatnots that you stow there can potentially hit you or your children when accidents happen. Therefore they suggest getting a cargo divider, a gate that separates the cargo area from the passengers.

One lady luckily heeded that particular advise. Her car hit a curb and was forcefully stopped but when she looked behind, her son was not even bruised because the stuffs she had in her cargo; prams, first aid kit, can of food and auto supplies slammed on the cargo divider instead of her son.

Be aware. Be safe.

Book Review : Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter

Ms Potter is an unknown author to me. I chose the book because I like Mr Darcy and there were promises of special appearances by the enigmatic man himself !!

To those who had read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen would have known and loved Mr Darcy, the fictional hero. He is the perfect gentleman, the tall and silent type, handsome and brooding. His problem is that he could be quite arrogant though, thinking that he is vastly superior to anybody else. But did I mention that he is handsome ?

He he… however his cold, arrogant attitude actually masked his loving, compassionate and kind nature. There is where the pride and prejudice comes from, by both Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Proud of their own heritage and family and then prejudiced against one another. Aiseh.. please read this marvelous book if you haven’t because it is such a total loss if you didn't.

Pride and Prejudice has been adapted into the big screen many times but the most popular ones are the BBC drama featuring Colin Firth ( say aaahhhhh…………… ladies ) as the dashing Mr Darcy and one actress I have forgotten her name and most recently on the big screen with Keira Knightly and the delicious Matthew Macfadyen ( you can catch him on Hallmark and Channel 26 in the tv series Spooks where his smoldering good looks and somewhat Mr Darcy attitude makes me forget what the day’s story is all about ).

Anyway, when I read this book, I alternately pictured Mr Darcy as Colin Firth ( who is just wonderful ) and Matthew Macfadyen. This book is somewhat like Kate and Leopold where two different eras somehow merged, and in this case a fictional character became real.

Emily has sworn off men. She had always fancied Mr Darcy and decided that the man in her life from then on would only be him, in her head. Magically ( and due to her best friend who wanted her to go to Mexico for some serious partying which is totally not her scene at all. She is after all a bookworm ) she joined the Jane Austen tour to England ( did I mention she is American ? ). All the participants were old biddies, except for one Spike Hargreaves, a journalist researching why women would like to date Mr Darcy or even be Mrs Darcy. Emily then actually met Mr Darcy in bizarre circumstances, dated him and well… read.

The book is well written and I enjoyed her style. I also love her ideas as again I always look for something that hadn’t been written about. I also love the idea of resurrecting Mr Darcy as well… sigh… I wanted to know more about him.

Apart from that, the book I have to say is rather predictable. Spike from the very start showed his Darcy like tendencies. And the way they met and the prejudices they harboured on each other from the very beginning.. well… gave the ending away.

But, it is still a very good read. So much so that I am buying another one of her books today for me to decide if Ms Potter is a keeper !!

PS : Can I say that although I love the brooding Mr Darcy, why I feel like strangling brooding Mr Dan ?

Halal Food

Last week I read in disgust on JAIS’ claim that only 3 hotels in Selangor have Halal certification. Halal food in my Muslim country has been a real sore point in my life. Malaysia is an Islamic country. I don’t care if is Islam is just the official religion ( which I have been reminded of many, many times ) but being an official religion has to mean something doesn’t it ? Then why bother putting Islam as the official religion ( whatever that means ) ? The majority here are Muslims. We have mosques and suraus littered everywhere, but when it comes to food the halalness is not a sure thing. As JAIS put it, halal certification is a voluntary thing. Ada ka ?

This means all this while, all the food I have consumed is not guaranteed its halalness ? When I was living in the UK, I had to scan and check every food item I intended to buy to ensure its halalness ( read vegetarian ). I memorise all non-halal ingredients like gelatine, whey, E315 or more obviously animal fat to ensure that the food I eat and feed my family with falls within the requirements of Allah SWT. It was tiring.

In Malaysia, I took for granted that everything is halal. Either the displayed food items in the supermarket, or restaurants ( except those clearly non-halal ones lah ) or hotels, any place that sells food. I thought being in a Muslim country, I am safe. Apparently I am not. I felt cheated somehow.

I was in a mall in KL the other day and was at the food court. I saw a stall that said Nasi Padang manned by 2 female employees clad in tudung. I was in a hurry and although tudung wearing Indonesians are not a sure guarantee that the place is 100% halal, but the name of the stall was Nasi Padang. Surely…. Right ?

Anyway, I went there, asked for nasi tapau and as to my customs chose vegetables only. When I waited for the kitchen help to calculate the price of my food, I took a good look around. Then I noticed quite a few items that were noticeably not Padang people’s food. Fine. Sometimes you know, to attract wider customers, you have to offer food that suits everybody’s palate. Then as 1 policeman asked for nasi bungkus, I blurted out the question that had been plaguing my mind. Is the food is halal ? Yes, was the answer.

Who is the owner ? I asked. One looked nervous and the other one said campur – campur. She then added that the cook is a Javanese. I then asked again who is the owner ? She reluctantly said it is not a Muslim. But then she quickly added that everything is halal. Yeah, I said, who buys the fresh produce ? I looked at the policemen and he appeared nervous too. He smiled at me. I smiled back and left.

Sure the cook is a Muslim but where did the owner buy the meat ? I know for a fact that non-halal chickens are 50 sen cheaper. For unscrupulous people who just don’t care, they want to save that 50 sen, correctly thinking that the unsuspecting public wouldn’t know. I am not saying that every restaurateur in Malaysia is unscrupulous, but not all in the rose bush are flowers. There are thorns. Can I just remind my friends on the sausage debacle last year ( or was it this year ? ). I am not so trusting anymore after that.

I once saw a nasi ayam restaurant receiving its stock of chicken for the day wheeled in by non-Muslims deliverymen. I went red in the face and asked the cashier. She assured me the chicken is halal but when I pointed to the 2 deliverymen, she coloured a bit and she said campur – campur. What do you mean by that ? She explained half of the chicken from a Malay and the other half from a non Muslim, but she said even from the non-Muslim they are halal. Really ?

When I asked for halal certification, they have none. I left. When I called JAIS he advised me that as Muslims I should go to restaurants with halal certificates only. But, I stammered, I am in a Muslim country. How can that be ? What about those Arabs who come here and eat anything they want thinking that all the food in Malaysia is halal ?

From then on, whenever I am unsure if I will be served halal food, I will only take the safest option, go vegetarian. Therefore I eat laksa assam a lot and no more curry laksa. Please do not add more headaches to me by asking about plates and cutleries. As long as it is not pork… he he… boleh ke ? Hmm… one step at a time…

Masterfood announced their infamous confection Mars is no longer halal. They will start using rennet, an animal based product. Will Mars bars have a non-halal stamped on it from now on ? Or at least a sticker, to warn us that it is not suci for us anymore ?

Please, make halal certification a must. If not, produce a non-halal one. Employ more people to ensure that fresh produce is bought at halal certified abattoirs and manufacturers. I wouldn’t know the identity of the owners until I take the liberty to ask. Seriously, I don’t want to do that. Apart from that, please create a system that can clearly indicate where these halal certified restaurants get their meat from. Sure it is a lot of work and requires real enforcement work but isn’t Jabatan Agama Islam’s job to ensure ( at some point ) that we live the Muslim way ?

Movie Review : Transformers

I don’t know what to say. Dan and I when we heard they made a Transformers movie jumped up and down with joy. When it’s date of arrival was announced, we bought the tickets 2 weeks early.

Come Saturday, I leapt from my sejadah when I heard my husband came into the room. We almost collided. Dan was jumping up and down. “ Transformers !! “ We shouted at the same time, giddy with excitement.

Dan and I are big fans of Transformers. One of our special moments was when we realized that both of us watched the sad Transformers movie where Optimus Prime died. We cried ( I was at Seksyen 8 and he was at Seksyen 7, oblivious to each other’s existence then ). I cried for days whenever that scene re-played in my head. Him, lying there on the hill ( I said hill Dan said no hill ) alone, while the rest of the Autobots stood and watch. I forgot what his last words were but the leadership was passed to Ultra Magnus ( although he didn’t want it ), then Decepticon’s Galvatron got the Matrix before Hot Rod recovered it from Galvatron and became Rodimus Prime. But none matches my Prime. None. He was kind and compassionate, such a gentle giant.

We both looked at each other in wonder when we found out how we both felt about that scene. I was thinking if he could feel the way I feel that day, then he is definitely the one for me. I looked at him with renewed respect starting from that day. We were glad that we had something special to share. I would say, Transformers made us closer… he he.

Anyway, wow ! The cinema was full. When it started, people started clapping their hands. Then I know I was in the cinemas with people my age, people who grew up watching them. Dan kept showing me his hands, where all hairs stood on its end. Me too babe, me too.

The US in Qatar was attacked first by Decepticon Blackout and the survivors was then attacked by Scorponok. Bumblebee by then had weaseled his way to be Sam’s car when Barricade assaulted them. Bumblebee annihilated him.

When the rest of the Autobots came in a meteor of some sort after Bumblebee called them, I knew one of the 4 was my heroic Optimus Prime. “ There ! Optimus is coming !! “ I shouted. When he stood, and emulated the famous blue and red truck, I thought I could burst.

When they converged, re-uniting with Bumblebee and revealing themselves to Sam, and they transformed with the sound that I knew and remember so much, I wept. I wept when I saw Optimus Prime for the first time. He is so handsome. Man. His light blue eyes were familiar and his voice was the same. It was still Peter Cullen.

Watch it people. It was wonderful with serious military action. It was high octane. It was funny too. It will make your goose bumps have goose bumps.

Megatron is so huge. Damn him.

Anyway, Dan and I agreed, this movie was so excellent, it surpassed all other movies. Not Fantastic Four, not Spiderman, not Pirates of The Carribean... nothing. I do not think Harry Potter's new movie is going to standout. No way... no way....

However, if you are not a fan, then you will be confused when the action starts. You will be thinking which are the Autobots and which are the Decepticons. That complaint came from my boss anyway....

Transformers ! More than meets the eyes…

Why I hardly ever walk up the stairs

2 –3 days ago, I ran upstairs to our surau. My colleagues were already in the surau and as I opened the door, one remarked “ Naik macam apa entah. Macam kena kejar.. “ or something like that.

I replied, “ Sorry, none of my siblings berjalan naik tangga. Semua orang berlari sebab kalau jalan ada yang tangkap bontot… “.

It is true. Dan’s father once made a remark somewhat like my colleague’s when he heard my sister ascending the stairs when we were in Nottingham.

Can’t be helped. Because if my father was home, as we unsuspectingly took the stairs, there will be somebody creeping from behind and grabbed our butts. After that we learnt to run as that is the safest. Running and looking behind, just in case. If you walk, you are an easy target, my friend. Believe me.

“ Waarrgghhh ! “ Grab !!

“ Wargghh !! Janganlah !! Ayah jahat !! “

That is the usual exchange of words at our stairs at home.

I do not like walking in front of anybody when I ascend the stairs. But now… well… we never learn do we. My children would also run when they use the stairs. Because.. well there is me to grab their cute behinds now.

Ohh… well Dan, somehow knew that I miss the tooshie grabbing routine and would sometime grab mine whenever we were on the stairs. Aaahh…. Bring back fond memories of childhood.

But… no matter if it was us or my children, we would dissolved in laughter whenever ayah ( or me ) did that. It is rather exhilarating, somehow…

I have to say, sometimes we were disappointed when ayah didn’t do it. That is a secret. Don’t tell my daddy…

Maid

Last week an interesting article on maid abuse surfaced in the papers. This article was of course spawned by the week before’s 15th floor maid incident. NSTP interviewed some abused maids who are currently seeking shelter at the Indonesian Embassy. There were many horrifying stories. But what is more appalling is that one abused maid’s employer was let go after paying a fine. Only fined ?

What a load of crap. Abuse is abuse no matter to whom it was done to. The last time I checked, Malaysia is not an apartheid country. Foreign workers although do not have full rights as we Malaysian do ( like voting or free education or whatever ), still have the right to be safe and to be paid for the services they have provided, among other things. They still deserved to be respected, to be pitied and most importantly to be treated as human. Basic human rights that is given to all people no matter if there are on their own soil or not.

I condemn the authority that let abusive employer’s go with a mere fine. Just a stupid slap at the wrist. These things can put a permanent label to us. I mean we Malaysians endure labelling our whole lives. You know, every Malay is lazy, or this race are liars and people of that ethnic group are thieves. I mean come on, we do not even have to look at other races, we Malays even dissect our own people by the state they come from. How Kelantanese is like this and Kedahan is like that etc. Do we want to be known as a country of abusers ? It will stick to you, you know. Especially when stories of fined abuser leak out to the whole world. It shows that abusing maids are the norm of our countrymen. “ Oh everybody does that here. Just yesterday, I poured hot oil over my maids body because she didn’t wish me good morning !! “ The acts of a minority can effect the whole nation.

Having a live-in maid is part of our culture. When I was small, all our maids came from Johor. I don’t know why but they just did. One stayed for 6 years until she got married and after that we had a succession of Johorian maids with 1 to 2 years stint each. We usually lose them to their boyfriends and after that we got ours from Indonesia.

So when I moved to my own abode 4 years ago, there was no question of whether I am getting a maid or not.

Our maid was good to us initially. The house was clean but most importantly my children were happy. We have two tellies and which ever one we used, she would use the spare one. I once cooked alone because she wanted to watch a Hindustan movie upstairs. I let her be as to me there is no issue there. She was at home the whole day and as far as I am concerned, if I get to go home and relax, she can too. Her condition is worst than mine as I can leave my office. She can’t. She sleeps and breathes her workplace.

Everyday I will leave her some money just in case she wants to do a little bit of shopping at the nearest shop or too lazy to cook. When I found out that she liked to read, I bought her new Malay novels every month. Sometimes I even furnished her with Malay magazines ! All in the name of compassion and pity.

When we went out, the kids didn’t want her to assist them at all. Dan and I still had to feed and mind them. She is left with carrying our things. I didn’t like that. My mom didn’t like that either. I remember us taking the maid out only once because mummy didn’t like Kakak trying to make herself useful by carrying whoever is youngest at that time or our things and then walked 2 – 3 paces behind us like she didn’t deserve to be with us. Therefore Dan and I always asked if she wanted to come along. She usually didn't. So we stopped asking knowing that if she wanted to come, she could just say so. She was relieved because she said she preferred to stay home to relax and watch the telly anyway. Why not ?

Whenever we were home, the kids were our responsibility. She never bathed or fed them whenever we are around. They are our kids and therefore our duty. I do not have the stomach to let somebody else be with my kids, nurturing and loving them whenever I am around. Therefore whenever we were home, the kids were completely ours.

So you could imagine her life. We respected her, we called her Kakak and she just called us by our names. I learnt to buy Malay DVDs to keep her entertained and watched them with her so that she had somebody to watch them with. I bought her RM 100 shoes, real leather ones because none at Bata fits. I bought her a set of pots, the ones that she had been dreaming of. I even paid for her intelligent son’s monthly school fees and promised that I would give her the money to buy her own cooking gas tank.

Then I found out that she had been abusing my kids. Not just physically but she had been yelling and cursing them too. She even spread lies about us to our neighbours, lies so outlandish that luckily none wanted to believe. Our neighbours saved us by ratting on her. Apart from that, before we found out that she was doing those things, she was offensive to us. About 5 months after she entered our homes, she started to be cynical and rude but since we needed her service and didn’t want her to hurt our precious ones ( which she did anyway ), we just closed one eye.

What did I do ? I did nothing. I sent her to my in-laws’ house without so much as a harsh word and soon after that showed them her true colours to them and were sent back to Indonesia, pronto.

Did I want to kick her sorry arse ? Yup. Did I want to slap her face ? Badly. Did I want to rant and rave until I get hoarse ? Until now the feeling is there. But I didn’t want to because I still have empathy. But most importantly because I am a Muslim, I got more class than that. I would not stoop that low.

Errmm… I think my entry today veered from my original plan. I got sidetracked because of course this issue reminded me of HER. So… well.. I have lost my original train of thoughts. I basically wanted to voice my displeasure of all these monsters who abused their maids because my maid abused my family mentally and physically and I didn't lay a finger on her.

Maybe I will get them back… My thoughts that is...

Book Review : For One More Day by Mitch Albom

Waaahhh….. What a touching book. Sedihnya. This book will teach you stuffs, my friends. It will teach you about forgiveness, parental love and especially teach you about the sacrifices they make. It will make you want to reach for your mammy or your daddy or even better both of them.

It will make you reflect on your relationship with your parents and this book will make you weep for the wrong things you have done to them. When I read this book, I imagined myself as the narrator. After every anecdote, I will remember almost similar incident that happened to me and then I will be overwhelmed with regret. Children will always hurt their parents because they don’t understand. There is no maturity. It is quite okay if you don’t mean to hurt but if you do it with intent… well, then….

This book is about Chick who totally lost it when his mom died. He lost it because the last time he spoke to his mom the conversation was full of deceit and he couldn’t wait to leave her. All his life since his father left, he had been angry with her and the last time they spoke to each other was no exception. When she died he drank his sorrows away and became a person that his wife and daughter could not live with. The failure of his marriage made him turned to alcohol further more and he lived in the shadows.

Until one day when he received a letter from his daughter announcing her marriage. He was not even invited. He didn’t even know his new son-in-law. He was overcome with grief so momentous that he decided to take his own life. But before that he wanted to visit his childhood home for the last time.

He was involved in an accident on the way there and escaped unhurt. Since the accident happened near his home, he decided to resume the journey on foot, still fresh from the disaster. Imagine his surprise when he opened his door, his momma was there to greet him.

Then, like all moms are wont to do, she consoled, supported, and guided him.

His dad once told him “ You can either be a momma’s boy or your daddy’s boy. You could never be both. So choose, “. Chick said, he chose his father because unknowingly, you will cling to the person that was most likely to leave. And he was right. His daddy left. I felt so sad because to me his father leaving changed him. If his father had stayed, he wouldn’t be a drunken man, living his regrets.

Books like these are important. It could either teach or make you realise about certain aspects of the life you lead, or better still both. To me, kesedaran itu penting. It is good if the kesedaran is long lasting but even it if it lasted for a short while, giving you enough time to make a difference even a smidgeon, that is good enough for me. This book reminded me again that I do not know every little thing that effects my parents’ decisions. That even at the times when I hate them, even if at that time their decision seemed cruel or stupid to me, they did it out of love and for my best interest.

We do not exactly have a clear guidebook on how to be good parents. All of them are usually vague and very macro at best. We make mistakes. Parents make mistakes. Therefore it is crucial for children to understand whatever mistakes parents did, it was out of love.

This is my third book by good old Mitch. My first was Five People You Meet In Heaven followed by Tuesdays With Morrie. Both books were out of the normal topics that people usually write about. Although love was still the main staple, but it was presented to us in unique plots.

Read it.

Book Review : Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot

I grabbed this book as soon as I saw it. Firstly because it was a Meg Cabot masterpiece and second because it was the lone copy there. I didn’t even want to think about it. Grab, pay and oh shucks, my kids are running to me with their own books, rummaged for more money. Oh well..

The book is about Lizzie who went to England to meet her English boyfriend only things didn’t turn out well. Well it was a disaster in fact. Luckily for her, her bestfriend is holed up somewhere in France in a castle helping her boyfriend’s bestfriend Luke, to organize a wedding for Luke’s cousin. Phew.. !!

Lizzie and Luke of course fell in love in the midst of Luke’s parent’s coming divorce, Luke’s scheming girlfriend and the wedding planning headaches coupled with a spoilt bride and a few other wedding disasters. But Lizzie and her big mouth ( she doesn’t think when she speaks and regrets her words as soon as they came out. Happens to the best of people many, many times – aku le tu ) saved the day. Hmmm…….

The book is funny. I like funny stuffs so I like the book. I mean I have recommended Size 12 is not Fat and Size 14 Is not Fat Either and I was not disappointed with the book… well at the end of it anyway.

Seriously, the first few chapters weren’t good. It was not the story line, I have no problem with that but the way she wrote it. The words she used and the style of writing was so cliché that I was hugely disappointed. She wrote like any other chick lit writers out there. It was cliché… unoriginal. But then she began to pick up pace, she might have worn her usual hat when she wrote the rest of the book as it sounded more like her. All in all, I gave a huge, satisfied smile at the end.

Read it.

Movie Review : Sumolah

Watch it. That is all I am going to say. Watch it. Hilariously funny. If it is too late to catch it at the cinemas buy the original dvd when it comes out later.

No lah, that is not all I am going to say. I have a lot to say actually. Praises first. The dialogue is funny. It had us laughing the whole movie. There is a believable storyline with the right amount of love story injected into it. Afdlin was brilliant during the sumo tournament scenes. The action, the snapshots of sumo wrestling, the wrestlers themselves and the audience coupled with brilliant music ( all kinds of drums from the Malay, Chinese, Indian and Sikh version ) was amazing. I didn’t know my people had it in them. Directorial capability that is.

Afdlin’s acting was of course amazing. But I have to give a special recognition to Awie, Radhi Khalid and Kartina Aziz. And well…. Gurmit Singh. Wah lau wei…… He is such a good actor. We are so used to his Phua Chu Kang altar ego that when he played a baddie, he looked like a totally different person. Like he was not Gurmit Singh at all. He was brilliant. He looked Japanese somehow and his portray as a Japanese was convincing. I like the essence of Manga that was incorporated in the movie whereby whenever a hero or villain makes an entrance they will pause at the door for their goodness/badness and usually handsomeness to take effect. He he… so cute. The conclusion ? Gurmit Singh’s embodiment of a villain ( albeit a soft one ) was realistic.

The criticism ? Again, lack of attention to detail. Patrick Teoh should spend more time being around Japanese who could speak Malay or English. I cringe whenever he speaks because well, it was horrendous. That Thai girl who played Honda Siti ( isn’t that just funny ) although very lovely, suffers from the same problem. Her Malay was… well just not there yet. Some would argue that she is half Japanese and half Malay and therefore her Malay is not perfect but she doesn’t sound like a Japanese speaking Malay either. It was neither her nor there.

Whatever it is, Sumolah is funny. Like I mentioned earlier I love the tournament scene which I find very well planned and inspiring, a stroke of genius. Although Afdlin is still not there yet with the likes of Hollywood greats, but he is definitely getting there, fast.