When love and hate collides...........

Was listening to this song over the radio while driving back from Butterworth just now...and of all a sudden the title catches my attention " When Love and hate collide ".

U know , when there is a time when there is love between 2 people ..... then things happen and things doesnt seems to be the same anymore ,no matter how hard you try to maintain the way it used to be ....and in the end turns into hate and anger ??

Have you experience this ?




BTW : Was surprised to met a friend who happens to read my blog that day. Damm it AVIS, I dont even know that you reads my blog too !! Anyway thanks AVIS..u make my day !!

Duan Wu Jie( Rice Dumpling Festival) - A tribute to a special poet

Every fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar chinese calender marks as Duan Wu Jie to remember the death of a chinese patriot by the name of Qu Yuan . There were several versions of legends and stories that indicate Duan Wu has existed way before Qu Yuan's death, the tradition still carries on. Most importantly for me is that on this day , I am able to savour this once a year delicacy commonly as CHUNG !!!

Qu Yuan

Duan Wu Jie is a widely celebrated festival amongst the Chinese, to pay respect to the patriotic poet, Qu Yuan . The legend involves a really long and complicated throne-fighting war and political history. But to make a long story short: Qu Yuan was an important minister back in Chu Kingdom in ancient China. He had been known for his loyalty for the emperor of Chu, and loved his country greatly. However, His Majesty had not taken Qu Yuan's advice seriously, and he eventually got himself trapped and captured in a foreign land by his enemies, which then lead to his own death.

Sad and angry at the corrupted, dying Kingdom, Qu Yuan tied himself to a big rock and threw himself into the River of Puo Luo. The people then made rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and threw them into the river. They believed this would stop the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body. Some would even row down stream in a boat, beating drums and shouting out loud in the hope to scare the fish away (it was believed that it is how the Dragon Boat event is related to the festival.

Another popular version is that, the festival pays respect to court official and poet Qu Yuan, who stood up to the corrupt Chu government in ancient China. Unfortunately the patriotic statesman was wrongfully accused of treason. Later upon hearing that the present government was defeated by the Qin Kingdom, Qu Yuan, in despair drowned himself in a river.

People who came to know of this selfless act made dumplings and threw it into the river to appease the poet’s spirit. And the practices still last till today, and we are bestowed with such a delicacy !!

Itis a traditional delicacy that has been around for centuries but over the years the art of making yuk-chung (Chinese meat dumping) is said to be dying. The art of making this dish is handed down from generations. Fewer people from the younger generation, including housewives are unfamiliar with the preparation of this delicious dumpling, preferring to buy them instead. And this includes yours faithfully's family !! We hasnt had this practice of making our own chung since my grandmother death 20 years ago.

The Chung making process

To make the yuk-chung, five basic ingredients namely stir-fried and seasoned mung beans, chestnut, salted egg yolk, dried mushroom and pork are used. This are then wrapped in special bamboo leaves, normally imported from China. But modern businessman nowadays has created variety of chungs from the humble plain 'kan sui ' commonly eaten with sugar or plain kaya to some ultra luxury which consist of luxury ingredients like dried scallops, dried oysters , abalone and even pate !!

For me..nothing beats a traditional Bak Chang ( Ham Yuk Chung ) filled with dried shrimps , mung beans , salted egg , dried black mushroom , water chessnuts and a piece of fatty pork belly , eaten steaming hot with a dash of Maggi Chilli Sauce !!

The binding process

The art of stuffing and binding the dumplings, is a meticulous process. The most important part in chung making is actually not the stuffing, but the binding part. Too loose the rice would fall out during boiling, too tight it would burst as the dumpling would expand during the boiling process !! The completed dumplings are then simmered for six to seven hours before it is hung to dry.


Click here for a complete step by step guide of Bak Chang making.

Warning : Do not overeat this delicacy . I once downed 3 helpings at one go,and ended up blurping and suffering from indigestion for the rest of the night . Best to go with some really hot chinese pu-ergh tea !!

Petrol rise again !!!!!!! Pump in water now ??

I believe all Malaysian knew that Mr Sleeping has just announced that the petrol price would increase tomorrow to RM2.70/litre wef 5th June 2008 !!! Just a few days ago..he just announced that the petrol price would increase in August..so guess that he must has made the remark while sleeping !!!!

As an effect almost whole of Setapak suburb was jam just now... thanks to some smart aleks motorist who caused it by queing up to get petrol at the few gas stations leading into Setapak..Aiyo..how much can you save lar.... ???? Also u burn petrol while seating inside the car also mar.....right ?

I sometimes really dont understand Malaysia as a petroleum producing nation, we still need to import petrols from overseas ?? Also as Petronas is making so much money exporting petroleum to overseas.why cant they channel all their profits to subsidise the petrol..rather than chanelling to some pockets ???

Also the move to subsidize private car owners RM625 for each car below 2000cc wouldnt help much either. For the 78 sen increase...its just to offsets about 800 litres of petrol on price difference only. If to be divided into 12 month.......its barely enough to subsidize 2 tank full of petrol..on just price difference, in a month .

So its very clear now...BN = Bil naik, barang naik !! Bila naik ?? Baru Naik !! Berapa Naik ?? Banyak naik !!!!!! Gaji saja tak naik !!!!!

Click here for Asian petrol prices

Also that our PM keeping on stressing that our petrol prices is cheapest in da region ... Yes if you were to count in USD/litre... but dollar for dollar ?? For example your salary is RM3000, compares to someone in Singapore who gets SGD3000. He pays SGD 2.15 to 2.35/litre and yet we pays RM 2.70/litre. Then a bowl of wantan mee already cost RM4 in Kuala Lumpur, while in Singapore its SGD2.50 only. YOu get the picture ??? Our folks there can stretch their dollar more than we folks stretch our ringgit here !!

Women to carry condoms ??

"In view of the rising number of women contracting HIV, every woman should carry a condom with her for her own protection" , said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad. Check out here

What on earth has our boleh land ministers has been thinking and has in their mind ? Dont they have better things in their mind , or they are just are plain sex discrimination againts women ? Also recent call from a certain Ministers that for women to enjoy themselves while during rape ??

So are we looking into the scene below in Malaysia in the future ??



Imagine this scene in a quiet lorong somewhere , a women was walking alone and being a serial rapist is following her closely behind..and when she reached a certain blind spot....deng deng...

RAPIST : Yeah, baby I am gonna enjoy you, right here right now.....
GIRL : o..please dont...please..i beg u......................
RAPIST : Hehe..i am going in RAW..............

at this moment..the women pulls out a condom from her bag........

GIRL : Please..dont go in RAW...please use a condom...

as she shoves the unused rubber to the would be rapist ..................

The Chrocicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian

Its been a while since I watch any movie...and thanks to an invitation from a new friend of mine, Cherlyn , we watched The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian , at The Gardens over the weekend. Overall this movie reminds me of 300, of several scenes which resembles the former.


Its about 4 ex kings and queens of Narnia, who find themselves back in Narnia after 1300 years has passed on, thanks to amagical horn blown by Prince Caspian the 10th. The Kings and Queens of Narnia find themselves back in that faraway wondrous realm, only to discover that more than 1,300 years have passed in Narnian time. During their absence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct and Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz, who rules the land without mercy. The four children will soon... The story continues with its protagonist Caspian (Ben Barnes) looking to claim his rightful throne of Telmarine kingdom in Narnia.

Caspian is betrayed by Miraz (Sergio Castellito) who claims the throne of Telmarine Kingdom and rules it with a corrupt and iron hand. Caspian flees for his life when Miraz’s son is born. Caspian calls for the help of the human children from the first Narnia film and they all tag along to look for Aslan the Lion.

Director:	Andrew Adamson
Cast:	William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Ben Barnes
Genre:	Action,Science Fiction
Run Time:	2hr 30m

We are the champions ( again )

United are Champions of Europe for the third time after beating Chelsea in dramatic fashion... 6-5 on penalties. 2 titles in 2 weeks !!!!! Congragulations to Man Utd for winning the title again ...and sorry for the reds, kobs , gunners out there...better luck next year !!!!!

Back to nature..Bukit Gasing explored

Its has been 2 weeks since we talked about trekking up Bukt Gasing forest reserve, but it has to be cancelled due to the weather, and we finally maked it on Labours Day holiday. It's been quite sometime since my last hike, and my first to Bukit Gasing. I would be ashamed that since its so near to KL, but I've not done it before....but now we've done it...half way.

There are no less than 10 different trails of varying difficulties in the forest today, giving anyone – from the beginner to the super-fit – a decent workout. It’s also a favourite with nature lovers who come here to view the leaf monkeys and do a bit of bird watching.

To our dismay find out that our usual trail has collapsed due to a landslide, some trees have fallen from the heavy rains. Gone are the stream and bridge and we has to walk thru some half walkable trail, lining behind some houses to bypass.

Cutting thru some forest trail in the first leg of the trail.

Since its been quite some time since my last trekking, I was quite tired being put thru the pace of climbing some steep earthtrail,coupled being hurt my knee due to an earlier fall just minutes ago,which my shoelace got entangled with a water pipe and being a humpty dumpty and fell flat on the floor.

Bukit Gasing should be rich with plnats and insects but unfortunately we didnt manage to catch a glimpse of that. Maybe we got on the wrong trail ??

A suspension bridge which cross over a small stream. Not frightening at all !! Was hoping for some Indiana Jones things, but its securely built with steel ropes.


Its been a good workout, my first to Bukit Gasing,but definitely wouldnt be the last. So we target to get to the top at 160m the next time aroundwhich gives a panoramic view of both Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya.

Getting There: From the Federal Highway, exit at the EPF building on Jalan Gasing. Follow the road before taking a left at Jalan Lembah 5/2. ( Take a Chinese Temple as a landmark . The entrace is just beside the temple on your left ). At the next junction, turn into Jalan Tanjung 5/4. A wooden arch opposite a children’s playground marks the Bukit Gasing entrance.

Vintry Cellar..The hidden gem of Damansara

Its been quite a while since I wrote something about food....which was the main reason this blog was born. So naturally the food has to be good, in order to be reviewed here !!

The Vintry Cellar , is a hidden gem among the rows of shop houses in Medan Damansara, off Jalan Damansara. Hidden behind Victoria Station this place offers , a fair selection of premium wines and good food, which mainly features pork on its menu. The menu might not be extensive, but its good enough to complete a satisfying meal here. Oh yeah..if you are not satisfied with the menu on offer, you can always order from the restaurants along Jalan Kasah like Kah Soh Fish Head Noodles, The Rib Shop , Red's Japanese Restaurant. But trust me, once you had a starts to indulge on the menu, you wont be ordering anything else !!!!



Freied caramalized pork with spagetthi !! A perfect East meet West combination which surprisingly combined very well with our selection of red wine for the night.

The deer fried pork strips ( Rm 8 ) a must try !!! Fried marinated fah lam ( pork belly meat ) meat with fuh yue ( fermented bean curd ).


Our selection for the night. Ocio , a remarkably nice 2005 Chilean Pinot Noir produced by Cono Sur a premium renowed Chilean wine maker. Remarkably rare with only 1500 cases produced and its among the 59 bottles in Malaysia !! And we finished 2 of the 6 bottles available here !! At RM250, its a little bit expensive for a 2005 wine , but considered cheap for a Pinot of such a quality. It would be nice, if we could keep it for another 5 years ....................

The all time favourite Cuban Sandwich ( RM 18 ) . A thriple deck sandwich with loads of bacon , ham , gherkins and cheese. Would satisfy even the biggest appetite !!!!

Over all the bill came out to RM585 , which is due to the 2 wines which we finished !! Other wise the food only came out to a reasonable RM85 for 4 pax , which I would consider as reasonable for a cosy place like this...............

Oppsss......almost miss out one thing..their roast pork ( siew yoke ) is another dish to die for. Too bad since, we were too hungry, I didnt manage to snap any photos of those !!! Go try for yourself !!!

Address :
130, Jalan Kasah
Medan Damansara, 50490,Kuala Lumpur

Tel : 2094 8262

Location : Along Jalan Damansara heading towards KL direction. Located just behind Victoria Station.

Other reviews :

Boo_licious, Masak-Masak

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Weird Restaurants

Japan, the land of the rising sun...is also home to many creative businessman with crazy idea's on creating some weird themed restaurants . At first we has the infamous restaurants, where fresh slices of sashimi is layed upon a naked lady, with just some leaves covering up some important assets, jail themed restaurants, toilet themed cafes..now we have this cross dressing restaurants where mans cross dressed as maids !!

Japan's vibrant, fast-moving culture delivers daily doses of the weird, wild and wonderful! Take, for example, theme cafes. First popularized by nerdy "otaku" geeks and then embraced by the public at large, the theme cafe phenomenon shows no sign of running out of steam. Just the opposite - it seems new theme cafes pop up every week, each one seeking to be just a little weirder than what's come before!

While we have theme restaurants in the west like Medieval Times where the audience gets into the swing of things, Japan's theme cafes don't usually involve cosplay by the patrons. It's the staff who provide the mood and the atmosphere, creating a soothing world where customers can feel right at home with their particular obsession.

The first Maid Cafes that appeared around 1998 deserve credit for jump-starting the boom in Japanese theme cafes. Simply stated, your average maid cafe appears normal from the outside, yet customers are greeted by subservient young women dressed in frilly French maid outfits.

"Hibaritei" cafe in Tokyo's Akiharabara district April 12, 2008. The cafe, which servers are all men dressed as maids, only opens its door in irregular basis at various locations in Akihabara district, once merely a Mecca for electronics buffs but now the centre of the capital's "nerd culture".

Other crazy themed restaurants worth checking out in Japan are as follow...

This vampire-themed joint in Ginza is both creepy and strangely kinky at the same time. the waitresses wear French maid outfits and the vermilion red decor is complemented by crucifixes, spiders, and Dracula’s coffin.Info:
Address: 7F La Paix Building, 6-7-6 Ginza, Chuo-Ku.
Tel: 03-3289-5360

What could be more Japanese than a Ninja-themed restaurant? At this cavernous underground Ninja-hideout in Akasaka, the food and booze are classy, and the waiters are dressed-up as Ninjas and perform brain-bending magic tricks. It ain’t cheap, though- you’ll need another drink when you see the check.
Info:
Address: 2-14-3 Akasaka Tokyo Plaza, Chiyoda-Ku.
Tel: (03) 51573936

At this truly macabre prison-hospital-themed eaterie in Shibuya, the waitresses wear nurses’ uniforms, the drinks are served in test-tubes, and your drinking is occasionally interrupted by a deranged escaped convict in an ice hockey mask. A classy joint.
Read about it here.

Info:
Tel: (03) 37707100
Alcatraz ER Website

A trippy destination for a party, this place is based around Lewis Carroll’s delirious story, with all the psychedelic decorations and costumes you might expect, and over a hundred different cocktails to choose from. Prepare for mental meltdown!

Info:
Address: Taiyo Bldg, 5F, 8-8-5 Ginza, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 104 0061
Tel: (03) 35746980
Alice In Wonderland Website.

So whats in store next ??? Jurassic park ????War famine inspired ?? Lets wait n see...

7 month

Woke up this morning in a foreign land.....only to be reminded that its been 7 month since that faithful day. Your sweet smile, smell and voice....wat we did...what we said...came playing in my mind again.

Its been 7 month..but the feeling has since been going strong as ever............

No matter how strong a man is....Love and feelings still defeats us...

Pleasure of love lasts but a moment, Pain of love lasts a lifetime.

Bette Davis

A tribute to Leslie Cheung ( 1946-2003 )

Leslie Cheung Kwok-Wing (September 12, 1956 – April 1, 2003), nicknamed elder brother (哥哥), was an actor and musician from Hong Kong. Cheung was considered as "One of the founding fathers of Cantopop," and "combining a hugely successful film and music career".

In 2000, Cheung was named Asian Biggest Superstar by China Central Television, and voted as The Most Favorite Actor in 100 Years of Chinese Cinema in 2005. In 2000, Cheung held his last concert series, Passion Tour. Passion Tour included 43 concerts, lasting from July 31, 2000 to April 16, 2001. It was his most disputable, and possibly best concert. Cheung worked at the first time as the art director as well as the singer for the concert

Cheung committed suicide on April 1, 2003. He leapt from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, located in the Central district of Hong Kong Island. ^[26] He left a suicide note saying that he had been suffering from depression. He was 46 years old.

As one of the most popular performers in Asia, Cheung's death shocked the Asian entertainment industry and Chinese community world-wide. Rumors about the cause of his death spread so fast that his family urged tabloids to let Cheung rest in peace, and not to sensationalize his sexual orientation and reasons for suicide. The day after Leslie's death, his long time partner, Tong, confirmed that Cheung suffered from (clinical) depression and had been seeing psychiatrists for treatment for almost a year. He also revealed that Cheung had attempted suicide in 2002. Later at his funeral, Cheung's niece disclosed that her uncle had severe clinical depression and suffered much over the past year (2003).

Despite the risk of infection from SARS and the WHO's warning on travels to Hong Kong, tens of thousands, including celebrities and other fans, many from other parts of the world such as mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia, the United States and Canada attended Cheung's memorial service, which was held for the public, on April 7, 2003. Cheung's funeral was on April 8, 2003. For almost one month, Cheung's death dominated newspaper headlines in Hong Kong and his songs were constantly on the air.

Cheung's last album Everything Follows the Wind (一切隨風) was released three months after his death.

• Cheung's suicide note (translation): "Depression! Many thanks to all my friends. Many thanks to Professor Felice Lieh-Mak (Cheung's last psychiatrist, 麥列菲菲). This year has been so tough. I can't stand it anymore. Many thanks to Mr. Tong. Many thanks to my family. Many thanks to Fei-Fei (Lydia Shum Din-ha). In my life I did nothing bad. Why does it have to be like this?"
• Cheung's suicide note (Chinese): "Depression! 多謝各位朋友，多謝麥列菲菲教授，這一年很辛苦，不能再忍受， 多謝唐先生，多謝家人，多謝肥姐. 我一生沒做壞事 為何這樣?"

Let us enjoy one of my all time favourite song of his , 风继续吹 .

3rd month

3 months has passed, the wound hasnt really heal.....but its heading towards the right direction at this moment. Do I still miss and care her ? I must be lying if I told you I dont. There has often been sleepless nights thinking bout her and miss her smell and her touch.....

Everytime we have a family dinner, seing my mum and my sister in laws laughing away...reminds me of her. I just cant stop this feeling, but it just came like that. Only time can heal my broken heart ......... At times I've asked myself, what I did wrong to you till I deserve such an ending ???

Below is a song, which really suits my feeling now.......




Love, dont be sad it ended. Be happy coz it started and cherish the good moments........

Dont view your past as a failure, learn from it.........

Tag .....

Slowcatchupkuan tagged me wor..sure must give face lol.........


Tagged! Random Questions

Instruction: Remove ONE from below and add in your own personal question, make it a total of 20 questions. Then, tag 8 people in your list and list them out in the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged. Whoever does the tag will have blessings from all.

The person who tagged you is: Slowcatchupkuan.

1. What's your favourite anime at the present time?
Err....long time no see leow wor...All time fave can argh ? Must be Initial D lol...

2. Given the chance, what special ability/power would you like to have?
I wanna have the power to cast love spell...so me n my BB can get back together..and make all the people around be to be in love and belove.... terror leh ???? Also can I ask for one more ?? To predict the future...so can buy loterry and strike rich lol..hehe

3. What's your favourite colour? Why?
White.......hmm...coz looks clean mar...Dirty cat always want looks clean rite ?


4. Where is the place you want to go the most?
Must be Italy !!!! Can go one more time argh ?? I missed the last Supper on my last trip...wanna see agian lol...

5. If you have one dream to come true, what would it be?
Also to have back my BB by my side.. (2) To strike a super lottery and be a billionaire.

6. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?
Seen it leow..( I am not colour blind )..so must believe lor...

7. Do you think friends are important?
Yes..friend are forever. My friends stood by me in the time i needed them most ! Thanks Mike, Edwin , Olivia ,Alan Lim !!

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do?
Buy more shares and 4D's with it and generate more M's !!!!

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
Yes !!!!! BB I still luv U !!!!!

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.
She stays in Kepong near my office, she's lovely.....and she blogs good stuff !!!

11. Which type of person do you hate the most?
Who betrayed me !!

12. What is your ambition?
To be rich, handsome and powerful !!

13. If you have fault, would you rather the people around you point out to you or would you rather they keep quiet?
Point it out to me in a nice nice way coz I am very blur !!!

14. What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
My BB......

15. Are you a shopaholic or not?
I could be if I have tons of money !!

16. Find a word to describe the person who tagged you.
Slow.....

17. If you have a chance, which part of your character you would like to change?
Be able to read one's mind....

18. Is there anything that you have done which you regret?
Too many to list down..............

19. What makes you different?
I'm lovely and cute !! Si beh ai bin !!!!

20. Do you feel good to be friend with the person who tagged you? Why?
Yeah Y not ????

Alright.. I am done! I'm tagging...

Mikemmery
Kenny the Mat rock
Lasilasi
Dr Cecilia
Princess Eileen
Missmynx
Horny Angmoh,
Cmate

Last not least....... our mysterious Adrian Lee

Mariah Carey's latest hit song..check it out

I nearly laugh my head off when I receive this in my mail. The Bulgarian version of Mariah Carey's hit song...named after a chinese guy, Ken Lee.

Go figure it out !!