Hujan emas di negeri orang,
Hujan batu di negeri sendiri
Lebih baik negeri sendiri

Roughly translating to:

Golden rain overseas
Rocky rain at home
Its better at home

Merdeka had been a very significant day for me in the past year. It is a day to reflect on the past, the present and the future. Of how my country had evolved in many different facets and take on various guises.From the days where my prawn mee during school recess cost RM 0.10 and the RM5 plate of char koay teow I had recently.From the hot, dirty sand-blown and mud-caked kampung house that my grandmother used to live in - and now she lives in a low-rise apartment.Now that it’s so clean and cool inside, it’s not the same anymore. Good or bad, it is still home to the best nasi lemak and char koay teow in the world, not to mention the world’s largest pencil just round the corner from my place

Last year I was contemplating on the irony of having to work on Merdeka for a company belonging to the colonist that granted us Merdeka.This year irony don’t even begin to describe my thoughts as I contemplate working every single Merdeka day in the future in the land of the colonist. But then again, is there anything really to celebrate as I watch the country of my birth turn a ripe old age of 49?

As I watch from afar the political infighting of the cream of our political society, I cringe at the thought that I am labelled an outcast in the country I called home. As ethnic chinese, we are now being accused of trying to take over the country and cause racial uproar. That the very country promoting the muhibbah (happy happy joy joy racist-less society) shiet are pointing fingers at the chinese race that we are communists and want to take the country over from the ‘bumiputras’ (earth prince - aka the malays). I cringe at future merdekas filled with dread, as we are being osctracised from our own country.Is it absurbd for us to be treated like fellow countrymen and not racially quota-ed out from the higher education system which,by the way, our tax money pays for?

It has been 49 years since special rights are given to the ethnic Malays to help them improve their lives with better opportunities at work and at school. Which means two generations of Malays who had grown up accepting the fact that the government is there to help in work and in school with the imposed quotas. But people tend to forget that it is also two generations of ‘the others’ with broken,trodden down spirits leaving the country, seeking greener pastures elsewhere so that they are not osrtracized in their own country. Mostly not even greener pastures, just somewhere where we are not treated like second class citizens.

I remember when I first moved to Fresno ,filled with wonder at the fact that ethnic minorities i.e. chinese americans, korean americans ect are actually covered by the affirmitive action policies,therefore are given priority in student loans ect to help them better themselves and therefore the ethnic minority society .Absolutely amazing. I found that a wonderful, brilliant idea. Until I found out that most western countries have affirmitive action policies similar to the one in the States. And I started to question my identity as a Malaysian, about how I love and call Malaysia my home,but for Malaysia to treat me like a second class citizen.

Happy birthday Malaysia. In the spirit of Malaysia, let’s work towards acceptance that we are all, afterall, fellow countrymen.

And don’t forget; merdeka is also the birthday of many people in Moo’s family.Happy birthday family Moo.

Not many things in this world makes me cry - other than breakups and fights with the bad boyfriends . But this is making my heart ache and my eyes wet.

My last view of Redang

Yes, I have an obsession with marine life. I love beaches more than anywhere else on earth, even big bustling cities. I am never happier than when left alone with the fishes or just lazing on the white sandy beach. Swimming with sharks and turtles has left me awed with the beauty of the ocean, and how lucky Malaysia is to boost some of the best islands in the world (in my experience - miles better than the famed Bali or Philiphines’ Boracay). Being a grumpy cancer, it helps that I have been brought up close to the seas on an island to adventure loving parents who brought me fishing when I was a month old, by 4, I was expertly stringing worms as baits.At age 24, I wake up early in beautiful Perhentian and join the dive shop owner as she trawl the beaches picking up yesterday’s rubbish.

Like many things, beauty is exploited when no proper training/warning/education is given to the gazillions of tourists that throng the famous 3 of the west coast of Malaysia; Perhentian, Redang and Tioman. It’s sadder still that those who regularly pollute the islands are Malaysians. But there are no lack of irresponsible uneducated overseas tourists as well - I nearly strangled the bro-in-law when he mentioned that it would be nice to have an aquarium filled with corals and coral fishes i.e. nemo-like. Bacon had to hold me down I kid you not. I can’t understand why would someone kidnap nemo for their own viewing pleasure.

Corals which take thousands of years to grow and mature can be broken with a kick of a swimming foot. Some people believe that since everyone else is doing it, why not them? Dead corals,washed up on the beach, disintergrate and turn into the beautiful white sand that you lie on.

Leave nothing but footprints, bring nothing but memories. In Redang’s case, it it too late now…but there is still time to rescue whatever that is left. Do not allow Redang to turn into Pangkor, where even the locals have not seen a live coral in years.

Meet my new best bag

An accidental purchase over the weekend in London.From £35 down to £14.99, this was my pick since Bacon is only allowing me one bag from all the treasures in the shops. Seeing that I am seeking for greener pastures and really,really need a bag to stuff all my application forms in a stylish manner, I had to go for urban formal rather than kitschy cute. Well, we always really,really need a bag.

For those heading towards London - there is a little known secret that Aldo has an outrageous discount centre in Camden Market with bags,shoes and accessories at more than 50% off.With all that choice, it was really hard limiting my purchases…I woke up the next morning mumbling, “I need a new bag…and also shoes…*snore*”

And ooh, guess what, I got a pair of matching shoes as well

I *heart* Aldo!

……..sorry lah, no pictures nor updates yet.Been so so busy this week,all I want to do is take a day or two off to recharge.Why you ask?

Bacon off somewhere south on work all week
…finding it hard to wake up without someone kicking my butt awake at 7am
Paid a deposit for Plot 10
…so busy trying to clean the house and make nice when the evaluators come on friday
Still trying to recover from V
…still sleeping at 10 everynight
Going to London this friday for Notting Hill Festival and catching up with Pammy
…need to pack and plan itinerary..sigh.
Drowning in work
…Been piled with things that I don’t know about and frankly can’t be bothered with
Moving on to greener pastures
…Had enough of this shit, it’s time to move again,so need to reevaluate my situation

On other good news, I’m off again to wagamama’s tonight…hmm,what shall I have?

How does 60 hours of shower/bath deprivation and trodding in mud without somewhere to even wash your hands sound? Or waking up at 4am dying to pee,but unable to face the long ,cold mud-caked walk to the nearest smelly portaloo?

Quite fun actually.

Back from WW2…too tired..couldn’t even climb up the stairs..need a few days to recover…be back with pix and videos when the huge swelling on both my poor feet subside.

I did not realize how much I’m into noodles until I moved here. Spoilt by the variety of Vietnamese pho shops and mid night wonton place in San Francisco, I had never experienced a country which deprived me of my noodles.Until I moved to the Land of the Greasy Chowmein.

So it was with pleasant anticipation when I heard the name wagamama’s mentioned. I remember slurping down steaming bowls of noodles a long time ago when it had a branch in Bangsar - where Red Chamber now is (or has Red Chamber closed down too?!). I remember the cool PDA thingys that they used to key our order in…hey, in 1998 PDAs WERE a novelty ok!! Huge bowls and huge spoons were a novelty then as well - and wagamama’s were the first to use impossibly huge bowls and spoons.

It opened its Leeds doors on 31st July, and like good little puppies, I dragged Bacon and mommy bacon there the day after - don’t blame me, I didn’t find out it was open until the 1st,otherwise I would be there waiting for it to open its doors.In the typical style of a posh noodle bar, communal eating had never been more in-style in the UK. Long tables and long benches…it serves its food whenever it is ready ,so starters arrive after the main course.Which is good in a way; get it down you whilst its hot.

Prawn gyoza - strange how they deep fry gyozas and not panfry. The usual dipping sauce of red vinegar is replaced by some poor imitation of rice vinegar dilluted with some sort of liquid.Apparently their duck gyoza is so good it sold out the second day it was open for business.

Chicken Katsu - if you’ve ever eaten at any Jap restaurant with me,you would spot that this one’s mine! Extremely cute presentation..the rice is shaped into a bottom-down currypuff with strips of fried chicken underneath it like legs. Japanese sweet curry is splashed all over it like ice cream topping. It came with a small salad-like thing at the side - yummylicious!

Mommy Bacon contemplating her huge ginger and lemongrass yaki soba.Very light tinge of lemongrass and ginger, it was not flavourful enough for my tastebuds,but she loved it and polished the whole platterfull off - using her chopsticks,she was proud to add.

Bacon’s Spicy Beef Ramen. Nicely sliced medium-well done beef atop rice sticks (beehoon). Did they not realize ramen means instant noodle aka Indomie or Maggi? Nice nonetheless, but nothing will beat Yo Sushi’s Spicy Beef noodle.At £9.20, I thought it was a little overpriced, although it did come with a fair amount of veggies and good quality beef….still nice though,in fact, I polished off half of it.

I ordered a portion of non-refillable miso soup,which was just mediocre, and had the free green tea which was amazingly lukewarm. The mil had a £4 glass of white wine and Bacon had his Asahi

Total damage? £38 = RM 255

can.die.com

But like all idiots, I’m heading towards it again next week.

Sunscreen, check
hat, check
tent, check
bikinis, check
raincoat, check,
Phua Chu Kang wellies, check
sleeping bag, check
glo-stick, check
mosquito repellant, check
bottled water, check
toilet roll, check
torchlight, Oops, not checked

Yes children, the bacons are heading for V Festival on 18/08 ! In other words, like a rave ,but lasting over a couple of days.Compared to what I’m used to,it’s more rock-like and candypop music (read: Girls Aloud),but peppered with some dancey acts. Due to depleting “fun time funds” no Global Gathering nor Creamfields this year, but there’s always next year (fingers,toes and hair crossed).

Two full days of hedonistic fun-time.I can’t wait.Will probably come back burnt, piss dirty,mosquito-ravaged and dehydrated with a bad case of diaorrhea.But really, who cares. We’re there and we’re not square.

Highlights of this year’s V Festival:

RADIOHEAD and MORRISSEY to make V Festival debuts as headliners
Plus
FAITHLESS who will co-headline with Morrissey, Beck, Paul Weller, Keane, Razorlight, Kasabian, The Charlatans, Editors, Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada, The Go! Team, Rufus Wainwright, Bloc Party, Hard Fi, The Ordinary Boys, Starsailor, Girls Aloud, The Beautiful South, The Magic Numbers, Sugababes, We Are Scientists, James Dean Bradfield, Kano, Gomez, Sandi Thom, The Cooper Temple Clause, Mew, The Dears, The Cardigans, Delays, Echo And The Bunnymen, Nerena Pallot, My Morning Jacket, Pipettes, Matisyahu, Bell X1, The Divine Comedy, The Dandy Warhols, Orson, The Feeling, Xavier Rudd, Imogen Heap, Regina Spektor, The Crimea, The Dead 60?s, Kubb, Kula Shaker, Morning Runner, Matt Willis, Richard Hawley, Jamie T, Oceansize, Daniel Powter, Gavin De Graw, Biffy Clyro, The Rifles, Phoenix, Bic Runga, Art Brut, Liam Front and the Slowdown Family, The Saw Doctors, Dogs, The Young Knives, Jim Noir, Rushmore, Lily Allen, Pure Reason Revolution, Mute Math, Boy Least Likely To, Captain, Lorraine, The Upper Room, James Morrison, Paulo Nutini, Butch Walker, Seth Lakeman, Director, The Grates, The Milk Teeth and The Dodgems.

To tell you the truth, I dont know half of the acts that would be performing. I do much better with the dance music lineup for creamfields and global gathering, it’s ridicullious really that I’m not going for either one of them. I’d love to catch fatboy slim and I’ve seen Groove Armada at a Kent event and caught Beck when he performed in Fresno eons ago.But hey, we’ve paid for the tickets and so we’re going.At £120 a pop, this better be good.

The only immensely sad news is that there would probably be rain and cold windy weather of around 20-11 degrees…not good for mulching around fields in the planned bikini. I’m not sure if I can shuffle with Phua Chu Kang wellies,probably stomp more like it. Due to the miserable weather and the scarcity of the lineup, a mate just bought a ticket off ebay for £54.I am so angry.So,so angry. We got ours at £120 and it was sold out within a few hours,now people are hawking it for £54?!So here’s hoping for the best…but the best is sometimes not good enough.

Dance, baby dance.

The garden had exploded in the past few weeks to now resemble a mini jungle.However,this explosion also meant that all my plants which I had given up on had started to grow at an alarming state

Its a sun shinny day after all in le garden

Well, he loves it.

Something to remind me of my time in California - they’re actually quite fiery

Fuschia & orange of my all time fav blooms

Still waiting for my tomatos to ripen on the vine.

And my teeny weeny carrot which is not exactly ready…

….but yummy otherwise!

I actually have 5 more tomato plants that are comming along nicely, a couple chillii plants and a whole row of beetroot..just not thought of taking a pix of.The only thing I regret is missing lavender season this year - I have no lavender in and its right now smack in the middle of lavender season.Aaargh!

If he wasn’t married, Bacon would’ve been thought of by some people as gay. Very gay. He cooks,he cleans,he arranges flowers in the house, color-coordinate my clothes….all the happy housewifey stuff that I am too lazy to do due to the fact that I have grown up with maids…and even when I was maid-less, can’t be bothered to do all that. Apart from that, Bacon can also do electrical and plumbing around the house, put together shoeracks,mow the lawn…all husbandy things that I *pretend* to not be able to do.

One of Bacon’s skills is the granny-like art of jam making. When the wife is not around, he made some cherry jam…and this time around, I’ve managed to document the art of making jam:

Blackberries on a bush

Picking

ta-da!

picked raspberries

blackcurrants from our garden

Stuff them all in a pan and boil away

Add apples-they have pectin which what gels your jam together

mulch it

When boiled, add sugar. He uses the type with pectin in it as well so it is more jelly-like.The only part of the recepie that needs to be rememebered: The weight of the sugar should equate the weight of the fruit

…and a stupid grin

Cool it for 30mins in the pan

And pour in glass containers!!!!

Ta-da! Now YC needs to design me jam jars labels.

The British (like the Americans) are crazy about their reality TV. It’s a wonder if they can recall a time before xfactor,pop idol,Celebrity Fat Club,Britan’s next top model,The apperentice, i’m a celebrity get me outta here,love island and the most insane of all…UK Big Brother.

Now, I had watched different version of Big Brother before, as most countries around the world have their own series.It mostly faded away after a season or two.For those clueless few, this show dumps a dozen or so people in a house where they will need to live together without tv,internet,radio,reading materials ect. No communications with the outside world,bla bla bla..basically you have more freedom in prison,other than the fact that you can shag each other. Oh,and learning to live with your every move being televised on national tv…there are cameras even in the loo where you can see housemates wiping themselves after having just done one. Eew.

Big brother season 6 started 90 days ago in the UK..with the grande finale this friday.Everywhere else on earth, this will be treated with nothing more than a cursary mention in the papers.Here, ALL papers, including the Times,Guardian ect has full page spread on Big Brother and who’s backstabbing who. And the tabloids will have full Big Brother editions, paying mega bucks to anyone who had slept with anyone in the house for a spill-all interview…which is nothing more than a so-and-so is soooo great in bed.

Anyway..I decided to check out what all the fuss is.And I am very ashamed to say,I am hooked.Hook line and sinker.I don’t know what is the appeal of a house-full of backstabbing,bitching,whoring men and women, but le bacon have been so hooked we make sure we’re home every friday to watch the eviction process.So hooked that Bacon had started voting for who to win;seeing that this week is the final week.

The thrill of this all is being a voyeur and judging who’s a bitch and who’s a good boy,who’s bound to sleep with who ect,somewhat like The Sims but more emo.I guess in a way its like blogging.People who blog exposes so many different facets of their life to to general public withot realizing that little by little, readers do paint a picture of you.And somehow,there are so many other facets of a person that you don’t see,therefore you judge them on what they want you to see or what you believe you see.You might believe that the people on reality shows are who they choose you to see,but you DON’T KNOW THEM. Maybe people just like to be given the opportunity to bitch about someone they don’t know personally.I know le bacons had started discussing about who we hate more, essentially bitching about people we don’t know personally.

And its just ironical that on the final eviction, le bacons would be out in a field somewhere with no access to tvs.By chance,not by choice.What is your experience with reality TV shows, and do you think they should replace mainstream TV shows?