Other benefits include: North Pole sky diving FOC, Free bike if you help to catch a snatch thief, get roped in as campaigners during by-elections and the list goes on.

But then again, there are some "requirements" that we may not meet.

The best thing is... my brother is going to name him after the name that I suggested :) Next month will be flying off to Sabah with mum and dad to see cute cute nephew. Another nephew coming from 2nd brother soon too! Praise God.

anyhow, I would like to introduce the Southern style otak-otak. unlike penang's huge, steamed and soft otak-otak, this Southern style is wrapped in coconut leaf and barbecued like satay. haha.. so much nicer than the ones in penang (this is my preference lah, no offence to the folks who think otherwise). All time favourite since kindy. Way to go!

But life is like that.. people grow up and an ending is usually a beginning to something else. We just need to accept the ending and learn to look forward to the beginning. So here's to M & J.. a new beginning soon (man.. the days passes by real quickly nowadays. another 298 days to go only)

http://www.lensamalaysia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3802

Well, M is still polishing his skills on SLR which I must say, improving from day to day. The day started with ~2 hours of photography at Tanjung Bungah, followed by dim sum at Tai Tong. We then journeyed to the Khoo Kongsi Clan building just for photo shooting. It took >30 minutes from our parking spot to the entrance - not because of the distance, but because of the amateur photographers taking shots of every single corner of the jalan. Not to mention from the entrance to the building itself, must have been an hour or more. Btw, entrance is RM5 per pax. No tour guide, chiak chi kei.

Anyway this is the product of my hands and the camera. My Kodak c433 which I bought 2 years ago produces almost the same quality of photographs. It's more expensive than the C743, but well, that was 2 years ago...

1. Being able to sit down, at home, in office or in the car.

2. Being able to go out and sit down while eating.

3. Being able to go to office (yes I still don't like the thought of going back work after 2 weeks break) and a boss who allowed you to work from home during the "house arrest" timeframe.

4. Having friends who care for you, bringing flowers, fruits and home cooked porridge to cheer you up

5. Having a bf who comes every other time he is free to visit you in the hospital, as well as ta pau for your every single meal while you were under "house arrest"

6. Having parents who without fail, asking your condition everyday and even taking a flight to Penang to take care of you. At least I don't have to worry about house work and laundry after being discharged from the hospital.

7. Last but not the least, a God who oversees everything. I may not understand why He did not heal me much earlier or faster, but I think He'll reveal this slowly in my life.

Later, I went to church as usual and this pastor's story caught my attention the most:

One day, a young pastor was walking with a barber. The barber asked, "If God loves the world so much, why did He allow people to sin, kill others etc etc. The young pastor just kept quiet. later they came upon an unkempt man with very long and messy hair. Then the pastor told the barber "If you are such a good barber, why do you allow this man's hair to be so messy and long?" The barber replied, "Well, i can't help it if they don't come to my shop. My shop is always open and if they would come, I would make sure their hair is clean and neat." Then the pastor replied,"that's exactly how God feels. Don't blame Him for what other people wouldn't accept, His doors are always opened."

Well, this Christmas morning was a lazy one after spending the past 2 days shopping and Queensbay. Decided to made the "Pao" which I used to made during Uni times. M helped making them too while i steam the "Pao". Well, it didn't turned out as nice as Uni times, but it's ok for a start lah... not bad too the taste. Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!

Started to “uli” the tepung at around 9.30 pm and we started rolling the dough into little tiny “yuans”. M made a piggy, rugby ball and berak shape tang yuan. Haha. Boiled they tong sui for an hour and ta da… here’s the tang yuan meal at midnight. You can actually make the soup clear by just adding ginger, sugar and pandan leaves. Or I prefer the gula melaka taste so i use it instead of sugar. it's pretty difficult to get pandan leaves if you stay in an apartment.

I got to understand that in ancient times, family  come together to roll the tang yuans together - signify unity in the family.  I want my family to keep this Chinese tradition for the years to come :)

And 1 year's countdown to the important day

Anyhow, it's much satisfaction to see the outcome of your cooking, though sometimes it might not be super nice but at least you know it's clean and no MSG.

Well, first for the Foo Chow dish, Freid Rice Cake Stick, the first time I've seen this thing was in Sarawak. Well, I thought you can't find it in Semenanjung so I bought a packet back home. Mana tau, Tesco pun ada. For the recipe, I actually got it from Auntie chan lilian's website... Have a look here... Haiya, mine not bad lah. Looks almost like the si fu one.

http://penangfaces.chanlilian.net/page/14/

I couldn't find the Chinese wine in Jusco or Sunshine... so finally i found it in the ah pek chinese medicine shop for RM9. It's quite an important ingredient in this dish.

Next is the Macaroni Cream and Herbs. I bought the can of Prego cream and herbs (1 small can for around RM4.50) and created my own recipe. M loves this cream and herbs thing a lot but i still prefer the traditional tomato puree sauce.

Oh, aside to that, I just set up a tiny Christmas tree at home. The breakdown of the cost:

Wyoming tree (tesco): RM7.90

Blue bless (Living Cabin - 2 packets): RM3.90 per packet

Snowflake chin (Living Cabin): RM3.90

Blue neon lights (Tesco): RM 8.90 (i think so lah)

Merry Christmas deco on top (Tesco): RM2.90

Tiny presents at the bottom of the tree: FOC - sendiri wrap lah, find some old boxes and some old wrapping paper

Going home at night was cool.. Everyone got stuck in the jam, but out EX5 just squeeze by the Bus Kilang, Van Kilang and those Queensbay freaks. Pretty dangerous also lar. We went to Tesco and on the way back. guess what. Tayar belakang pancit again. Sigh... this time got no shop around, so have to call Mr Mobile tukar tayar. Charged us RM16 man.

The next day M went back to the motor shop. It seems that the tyre was too small. The motor guy said we can actually go to Boon Siew (in town man) to verify the problem and get refund if possible. Haiya, just changed to a bigger tyre there lah. Dunno it's some cost saving project or partnership with Dunlop or Michellin.. forced us to changed the tyre of a 3 days-old bike.

Anyhow, the bigger tyre survived for 2 days liao. I hope no more tayar pancit. For the first time in Penang, I sat at 2 different bus stops in the same day - but not waiting for bus. hahaha.

Still looking for the microchips kar? Well, I don't see anybody Looking or Checking. Maybe should look for them in PCs or laptops now?

Anyhow, this is just what i SEE. Maybe men in blue has placed some secret camera on the road block signs... Whatever is it, prevention is better than cure. I'm expecting my EX5 today. Coz I may not be a Tok Bomoh, but I can predict that tomorrow will be mother of all jams (equal or worse than last Friday's) as Queensbay's opening, PC Fair is starting and Pesta PP is commencing. Maybe Road Dividers also will be there to join in the fun and torment.

But then again, I might be wrong. this is just what i OBSERVE and PREDICT

KUALA LUMPUR: Toll rates for five highways will go up on Jan 1 next year as the Government can no longer afford to subsidise toll increases, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Monday.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/27/nation/20061127135027&sec=nation

Everything is going up except my salary

4 ppl went fishing, i got 1 fish about a short ruler's length. 2 others had no fish, and 1 guy, i dunno what was the difference, got so many fish (i think it was around 6-7), but all are tiny fish (<15cm)

this is my 2nd trip liao, first trip langsung tadak ikan. i'm gonna ban this fishing spot.

the only comforting thought is that the sea breeze is really cooling and the place is shady, so it's a nice spot to zzz

Well, it was fully air conditioned with peaceful atmosphere. We ordered an Oyster Fried Tang Hoon (RM5), fried rice (RM4), honey chicken (RM8) plus drinks. Comes together with the food are 2 complimentary dishes: soup (terung soup, not those cheap ajinomoto soup) as appetizer and fruits as dessert. Bill adds up to RM18.80 for 2, no tax!!! well, try it out if you are adventurous in food. Their main branch is in Jalan Terengganu.

2 days ago, went to the Golden BBQ steamboat in town, behind giant, near swa tow lane. RM16.80 nett per pax, great variety, good food, good drinks, good service, great atmosphere. It was packed even on a Wednesday. The shop is opened everyday except the first monday of the month; from 4.30pm onwards. Jovial boss - rounded young guy. Our mistake was to eat fried food (ready to eat) because we were starving, and ended up not eating to the max on the "hou liao". The soup part of the steamboat has 2 compartments, so you don't have to ask them to change soup if you want a new taste. You can either sit at the open air area, inside or upstairs, but to secure a place, make a reservation first! (name card not here with me lar). Sorry didn't take photos, else all your air liur will meleleh on the computer keyboard.

Will be feasting in TAO e-gate tonight, can't wait!!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hives

Cast 1st time, 2nd time, semua lari angle. Got the touch of it after some time. And after 5 minutes, my first catch in my life!!!!! some fish with yellow stripes, around 5 inches long. hahaha. so happy. didn't bring camera though :(

now the guys felt challenged. kekeke. Got my 2nd fish after around 10 minutes. i think it's called gelama, and so did the guys.

The weather got a bit hotter so i guess the fish could see the fishing line... the ate a lot of the bait but not the hook. haiya. after around an hour plus, got a tiny cat fish. that's when the guys started some campfire thingy and actually panggang the fish there. i tak berani makan though, nanti sakit perut. oh btw, 2 mata-mata were also by the beach. motor parked there for so long. hehee. no comments on what they were doing.

while the guys were "nomad-ing" with survival skills, i decided to continue fishing. hehe. got my final Gelama fish, also around 5 inches long. It's so rewarding, 1st fishing trip with 4 fish, and when you feel the rod shaking and when u wind it up... you see a fish (sometimes is sampah or nothing lah, just they curi your bait)... feeling is... GREAT!!!

anyway, if you're planning to fish... hehe.. take note (no scentific proof lah.. just the difference between the guys' 1st fishing trip  - no fish, and the 2nd one - total around 20 fish):

1. don't eat roti sardin of kari ikan for breakfast

2. use squid as bait (not ikan kembung)

3. bring a newbie along (like me :P)

4. go early in the morning. the fish are "blind" and you won't be burnt like satay

5. for girls.. umm.. there's no toilet around. so pandai pandai lah.