February 2005

We spent the weekend in Malacca, trying to run away from the smog. It looked like the clouds had descended upon the city, except that it was tinged gray and the heat was tremendous. But it was just as bad in Malacca so we stayed indoors for most, venturing out in the evening for a stroll along Jonker Walk.

It was there that we discovered a quaint little place called Geographer’s bistro. We stopped for some beers and enjoyed the live music, especially when a customer jumped up and took on the drums for a few songs. He was really good. Sitting just next to us was a lone traveller absorbed in his book and beer oblivious to the fact that his $20,000 camera on the table was easy target for a snatch-and-run.. but only for a while. Nothing happened. It was mainly tourists, but the atmosphere rocked.

We stuffed our faces with local fare and I left Jonker Walk with a new pet - Iggy the rubber lizard. I keep forgetting he’s fake and jump whenever I spot him out of the corner of my eye until I realize its Iggy. It’s fun. Today we spent the afternoon amongst the ruins of Famosa and St. Paul’s Church. It’s still beautiful, but it’s also sad to see the walls are marked with scribbles and the names of people who have no respect for history — it’s also the government’s fault for lack of concern that these old structures are not preserved properly. The tombstones at St. Paul’s are right out there in the open, and the beautifully engraved epitaphs are all slowly fading away with time.

I’d forgotten how nice a trip to Malacca can be, having only visited the city during my school days. If you somehow manage to visually erase all things modern from view, you feel like you’re someplace else.

22/2/2024

Things people say

Overheard in New York is my new blog stalk. Anonymously eavesdropping on strangers half way around the globe from my computer screen has a very strange appeal. If there were ever to be an ‘Overheard in Kuala Lumpur’, the site would be littered with lahs and lohs.. wouldn’t that be wonderfully authentic?

20/2/2024

The Pussy Expert

Being a voluntary designated driver on a night out on the town can be a bit of a bore, so when the handsome stranger next to me started talking, it was a pleasant diversion from a night of wall-staring. He was quite witty until he announced his profession as a Pussy Expert.. and I don’t mean the four-legged furry kind!

PE: What do you do?
Me: I’m a designer.
PE: What kind of designer?
Me: Print. What do you do?
PE: I’m a doctor.
Me: Oh. What kind of doctor?
PE: I look up women’s skirts
Me: !!!! (thinking ‘WTF perv how can he deliver that with a straight face?! WTF did he just imply that he looks at vaginas?! FOR A LIVING?! WTF!?’ and diverting my gaze to the wall again)

…5 seconds later
Me: Ohhhhh. You’re a gynaecologist!
PE: That’s what I meant!
Me: (big blonde grin; though still thinking WTF why can’t he just have said I’m a gynae instead of sounding like a total wanker?!)

Of all the different professions a man could have, trust me to talk to one that requires me to make an appointment if I want him to look up my skirt. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a gynae.. it was just a little unexpected. My gynae is a very conservative middle-aged woman who has an agenda against bars and clubs.

17/2/2024

Another 50 things

I think I have found my food soul mate.. ;)

Steph’s favorite fifty foods

1. favourite main entree:
A good medium rare steak, preferably a porterhouse or fillet mignon with a slightly creamy sauce. QBA at Westin has good quality meat that I like. I’ll order steak or ribs at most places and so far the best ribs I had were in Sydney.

2. favourite salad:
Ceasar salad, drenched in dressing.. or a Japanese Potato Salad. I don’t eat much salads because I don’t like the uncooked leafy vege taste.

3. Favourite soup:
Mushroom soup made the traditional way. Hate it when you order a cream of mushroom and they serve you Campbell’s with a few sliced mushrooms thrown in claiming it is ‘home made’.

4. favourite appetizer:
Shrimp cocktail, prawn salad, whatever you call it here. An oyster or two with Tabasco sauce at some places are nice if they are fresh. I also like all the cute little unpronounceable things at French/Latin places.

5. favourite dessert:
Frozen mud pie. Chocolate anything. Tiramisu at Alexis!.

6. favourite fruit:
I love indian mangoes. And oranges. And kiwis. And durians. And mangosteens. And lychees.. and most fruits with the exception of langsat and dragonfruit.

7. favourite vegetable:
For someone who doesn’t eat much veggies, I really like broccoli. Cooked, or course, with garlic and mince. Do potatoes count? I practically live on them.

8. favourite sashimi:
Sake (salmon).. I won’t eat anything else. Bad tuna experience.

9. favourite sushi roll:
I’m fussy. I have never come across a roll I eat whole. If I order California, I take out the avocadoes and the cucumber (I know it totally defeats the purpose) My perfect roll would have raw salmon, japanese mayo, ebikko with a tiny bit of cucumber thrown in and smothered in wasabi.

10. favourite soda beverage:
100 Plus original flavour.. yum.

11. favourite non-alcoholic beverage:
Ice lemon tea, ice peach tea, ice apple tea

12. favourite alcoholic shot:
vodka, with lemon and sugar

13. favourite alcoholic drink:
It’s been the Caipirinha for the past two months

14. favourite cake:
Double chocolate

15. favourite pie:
Shepards’ pie with loads of filling and mash

16. favourite ice cream:
Hokey pokey!!

17. favourite milkshake:
Friday’s Oreo shake, and McD’s double thick vanilla shake

18. favourite cut of beef:
Porterhouse, fillet mignon and short loin

19. favourite cuisine:
I’ll just take the easy way out.. global cuisine. It’s impossible to pick just one. There are so many elements that I like of specific cuisines.. ie. The use of lemongrass and basil in Thai! ok I love Thai food. And Jap. And Mexican.. and how good is Indian banana leaf rice?! I rest my case. I’m a part time pigger-outer.

20. favourite part of chicken: (leg, wing, thigh, breast)
thighs.. yum.

21. favourite fried food:
Shredded crabstick for snacking on. And a million other local favourites like fried banana fritters…

22. favourite cookie:
Butter cookies! With loads of butter.

23. favourite indian curry:
OMG how is it possible to choose just one!? Vindaloo. Heh.

24. favourite gum:
Old fashioned Wrigleys Spearmint.. I still remember that old TV commercial circa 1980s where the dude eats satay with onions and the girl offers him a gum after smelling his breath. Cracks me up.

25. favourite candy:
Gummy bears. Starburst ones filled with that gel thing. Can’t get it here unfortunately but thanks Deb, I reaaaaally enjoyed the pack you sent.

26. favourite crepe:
Must be salty. And preferably with mayo.

27. favourite sandwich:
Turkey ham and cheese, toasted on wholemeal bread. I also like it with a slice of pineapple ala Oliver’s turkey toastie.

28. favourite pizza:
pepperoni with extra pepperoni and loads of cheese. Or Sarpino’s New York Deli pizza with all kinds of meaty stuff on it. Even Domino’s thin crust pepperoni works.

29. favourite mexican dish:
Enchiladas and fajitas. Chili’s mushroom jack fajita with truckloads of sour cream and guacamole rocks my socks.. nyah.

30. favourite vietnamese dish:
Beef noodles that you find in stalls around Vietnam. Alexis does a nice version although not quite authentic. Spring rolls, of course, with the special chilli dip.

31. favourite korean dish:
Bulgogi! And beef with that thick chili paste. Not many good Korean food places in KL though.. I haven’t found one I really like.

32. favourite chinese dish:
Tough. I’m gonna stick to my heritage and declare rice wine mee sua my favourite, although dim sum and tai chau stuff comes a close second.

33. favourite filipino dish:
Haven’t tried much of this cuisine actually. No, it’s not the baloot.

34. favourite southern food:
Hot dogs.

35. favourite instant noodles brand:
Nissin.

36. favourite juice:
Freshly squeezed orange juice from refrigerated oranges. The BOMB.

37. favourite snack food:
Chicken and Bacon in a Biskit from Nabisco. Munchie killer.

38. favourite fish:
Salmon

39. favourite cereal:
Weetbix.. with bananas and sugar and milk.

40. favourite pho:
Pho gha

41. favourite breakfast food:
French toast and cheese on toast.

42. favourite french food:
Soupe l’Oignon gratinee

43. favourite mcdonalds food:
Orange McFizz and Oreo McFlurry!

44. favourite pasta dish:
I love all kinds of pasta with the exception of squid ink pasta. Can’t get past the colour. Beef Lasagna tops the list followed very, very closely by Fettucini cream anything.

45. favourite bread:
Hard, warm dinner rolls.. with mountains of full cream butter.

46. favourite tea:
Earl gray with honey.

47. favourite 7-11 slurpee flavor:
Tropical. The blue one. Haven’t had one in ages but that’s what I always used to get when I went there.

48. favourite hershey’s kiss:
Original. Eek.

49. favourite flavor of m&m’s:
Regular ones. Favourite colour, blue.

50. favourite candy bar:
This woman is from Mars. Yum.

There goes another year. This one kinda cheekily smacked me in the ass as it flew by, leaving me gobsmacked (ass-smacked?) as I do a double take. Har. I enjoyed it, as far as smacks goes, because this one happened so fast that I wasn’t sure if it’d happened at all. It could’ve all been fabricated in that head of mine. It was also hell fun, as far as smacks goes, not because it was a smack in the ass but because it stands as a reminder that I’m still here. Alive. Reeling from that smack. Ouch.

So what are you supposed to do on your birth day? I’m not blowing any candles this year and I’ve already gotten embarrassingly smashed last week.. I guess that leaves dinner. Nik’s coming back from Kuantan today with uncles Tony and Terry in tow. They’re the bomb. We’ll have mad fun at dinner, with Tony being a chef and all.

Can’t wait!

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