I get asked this question a lot, "Big Al, what is the difference between men and women?" or "Why the heck can't I understand women?" and "Why doesn't he call me????". The last question is really targeted at men who after a seemingly enjoyable date and after saying he will call, just doesn't. Why? Well, guy logic is simple. First he takes you out, then you fall in love, then you move in, then you get married, have kids, they grow up, have their own families and in his golden years with you, he takes a holiday with you to the Carribean beaches and they come across hot, semi-naked super models in a hot tub calling him and he WON'T be able to join them.
I don't understand women either. As Jerry Seinfeld said, "How can a woman take hot boiling wax, pour it on their upper thigh, ripped hairs out by the root.....and STILL be afraid of a spider??"
However, I think the article below from my very favourite author, says it all. You know its true so enjoy. The long article is worth the read!
Let's say a guy named Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine. He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.
And then, one evening when they're driving home, a thought occurs to Elaine, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: "Do you realize that, as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?"
And then there is silence in the car. To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself, "Geez, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he's been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I'm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of."
And Roger is thinking "Gosh. Six months."
And Elaine is thinking "But, hey, I'm not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I'd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward . . . I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?"
And Roger is thinking ". . . so that means it was . . . let's see . . ...February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer's, which means . . . lemme check the odometer . . . Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here."
And Elaine is thinking "He's upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I'm reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed -- even before I sensed it -- that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that's it. That's why he's so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He's afraid of being rejected."
And Roger is thinking "And I'm gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don't care what those morons say, it's still not shifting right. And they'd better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It's 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a goddamn garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600."
And Elaine is thinking, "He's angry. And I don't blame him. I'd be angry, too. God, I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can't help the way I feel. I'm just not sure."
And Roger is thinking, "They'll probably say it's only a 90-day warranty. That's exactly what they're gonna say, those scumballs."
And Elaine is thinking, "Maybe I'm just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I'm sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of myself-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy."
And Roger is thinking, "Warranty? They want a warranty? I'll give them a goddamn warranty. I'll take their warranty and stick it right up their ..."
"Roger," Elaine says aloud.
"What?" says Roger, startled.
"Please don't torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Maybe I should never have . . Oh God, I feel so ..."
She breaks down, sobbing.)
"What? What's the matter?" says Roger.
"I'm such a fool," Elaine sobs. "I mean, I know there's no knight. I really know that. It's silly. There's no knight, and there's no horse."
"There's no horse?" says Roger.
"You think I'm a fool, don't you?" Elaine says.
"No!" says Roger, glad to finally know the correct answer.
"It's just that . . . It's that I . . . I need some time," Elaine says.
(There is a 15-second pause while Roger, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.)
"Yes," he says.
(Elaine, deeply moved, touches his hand.)
"Oh, Roger, do you really feel that way?" she says.
"What way?" says Roger.
"That way about time," says Elaine.
"Oh," says Roger. "Yes." (Elaine turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse.)
(At last she speaks.)
"Thank you, Roger," she says. "Thank you," says Roger, just grateful no other wildlife was mentioned.
Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn, whereas when Roger gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a tennis match between two Czechoslovakians he never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it's better if he doesn't think about it. (This is also Roger's policy regarding world hunger.)
The next day Elaine will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it, either.
Meanwhile, Roger, while playing tennis one day with a mutual friend of his and Elaine's, will pause just before serving, frown, and say: "Norm, did Elaine ever own a horse?"
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Dim Sum Galore!
Here at our neighbourhood, a dim sum restaurant just opened and their business was for breakfast and lunch. Business is booming because the food is above average, price is just as pricey and the service is good, even though you wouldn't understand a Burmese trying to tell you about Siew Mai and Har Kau (both are dumplings in the western world, so don't sweat it!).
Recently, they decided to open to dinner and while I wouldn't fancy dim sum for dinner you would think that there are others who would. So far I don't think its working out. Still its a good place to have good dim sum.
The restaurant is situated at the square of shop houses around Atria and it is situated at the same row as Maybank.
Below is the crowd of people waiting for a table. You take a number, mention the number of pax, your name and wait around other people's table especially those who have finished AGES ago but would like to still chat while sipping their tea in a cup so small its just enough to wet your gums. It is specially advisable to do this while frothing at mouth to indicate that friendliness towards their leg.
Since there were only 2 of us, we couldn't order a lot but all was good and pretty decent. Prices were ok, not too bad.
So feel free to drop by and dig in. If you see a gorgeous Malay-looking Chindian frothing at the mouth, for God's sake just give him your table.
Recently, they decided to open to dinner and while I wouldn't fancy dim sum for dinner you would think that there are others who would. So far I don't think its working out. Still its a good place to have good dim sum.
The restaurant is situated at the square of shop houses around Atria and it is situated at the same row as Maybank.
Below is the crowd of people waiting for a table. You take a number, mention the number of pax, your name and wait around other people's table especially those who have finished AGES ago but would like to still chat while sipping their tea in a cup so small its just enough to wet your gums. It is specially advisable to do this while frothing at mouth to indicate that friendliness towards their leg.
Since there were only 2 of us, we couldn't order a lot but all was good and pretty decent. Prices were ok, not too bad.
So feel free to drop by and dig in. If you see a gorgeous Malay-looking Chindian frothing at the mouth, for God's sake just give him your table.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
My cousin, Sow Yee, got this article started on Facebook and I wrote some things about me to put in. I thought it was kinda cool and maybe you would like to know more about me. So below are the 25 random things that you may not know about me. I hope you enjoy it.
1. I can remember lines, songs, expressions, exact nuances from movies or songs that I love.
2. But I can't remember why I walked over here in front of this person. If this carries on, I may even forget my children's names.
3. Movies and TV are my life. I cannot live without cable TV or a cinema or the internet.
4. I love comedy and action movies. More blood and laughter pls!
5. I can't stand sad movies. If I wanted to be sad and wanted to cry, I would have looked at my bank account....FOR FREE!!!
6. Titanic is 3 hours of my life I will never get back. I blame the female gender. If it wasn't for them, this movie would never have been made.
7. I love Pork...all kinds of pork. I will travel far and wide if there is good roast, bbq, grilled pork.
8. I am a good driver but will get into accident with stationery object, so if you see me coming, MOVE!!!
9. I can't tell left from right. If I say left, you must ask "Whose left?".
10. I almost became a priest but my priest felt that I didn't get the calling. I wonder why he thought that...hmmm....
11. I love road trips and love to drive. I especially love to travel with my family (brother, cousin brother and sisters families and in-laws).
12. I think Russell Peters, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Dave Barry are the funniest people on the planet!
13. I have a great sense of humour but do not appreciate lame jokes!
14. I will insult you if you irritate me.
15. If you hide something important of mine like my wallet or car keys and I look frantically for it, I will have the urge to do a No 2 in 5...7 minutes tops.
16. Same effect if I drink a lot of milk or drinks and dessert with lots of milk.
17. Tha's why I don't get constipated.
18. Every morning is No.2 time....without fail.
19. I snore like a buffalo passing a small car from its ass. If we are room-mates, you better be asleep before me or better yet...deaf!
20. I love Liverpool Football Club. If you don't know what that is, stand stationary when I am driving by.
21. I used to run the 4x100m for the school. Now I only run if there is pork at the end of the line.
22. I love history and general knowledge. I will read anything on these topics. That's why my head is full of useless information but I can't remember if I brushed my teeth this morning or not.
23. My wife and I have only 2 things in common. Our total and absolute adoration for our children and our love for eating. Everything else is totally opposite.
24. I love reading blogs about food and checking out new places to eat. I love doing it with my cousins who seem to only go to the tried and tested places and eating the same selection...EVERY TIME!! (Except my youngest cousin....she is cool!).
25. I am a Catholic but I am not sombre. I am told that is unusual....not sure why.
1. I can remember lines, songs, expressions, exact nuances from movies or songs that I love.
2. But I can't remember why I walked over here in front of this person. If this carries on, I may even forget my children's names.
3. Movies and TV are my life. I cannot live without cable TV or a cinema or the internet.
4. I love comedy and action movies. More blood and laughter pls!
5. I can't stand sad movies. If I wanted to be sad and wanted to cry, I would have looked at my bank account....FOR FREE!!!
6. Titanic is 3 hours of my life I will never get back. I blame the female gender. If it wasn't for them, this movie would never have been made.
7. I love Pork...all kinds of pork. I will travel far and wide if there is good roast, bbq, grilled pork.
8. I am a good driver but will get into accident with stationery object, so if you see me coming, MOVE!!!
9. I can't tell left from right. If I say left, you must ask "Whose left?".
10. I almost became a priest but my priest felt that I didn't get the calling. I wonder why he thought that...hmmm....
11. I love road trips and love to drive. I especially love to travel with my family (brother, cousin brother and sisters families and in-laws).
12. I think Russell Peters, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Dave Barry are the funniest people on the planet!
13. I have a great sense of humour but do not appreciate lame jokes!
14. I will insult you if you irritate me.
15. If you hide something important of mine like my wallet or car keys and I look frantically for it, I will have the urge to do a No 2 in 5...7 minutes tops.
16. Same effect if I drink a lot of milk or drinks and dessert with lots of milk.
17. Tha's why I don't get constipated.
18. Every morning is No.2 time....without fail.
19. I snore like a buffalo passing a small car from its ass. If we are room-mates, you better be asleep before me or better yet...deaf!
20. I love Liverpool Football Club. If you don't know what that is, stand stationary when I am driving by.
21. I used to run the 4x100m for the school. Now I only run if there is pork at the end of the line.
22. I love history and general knowledge. I will read anything on these topics. That's why my head is full of useless information but I can't remember if I brushed my teeth this morning or not.
23. My wife and I have only 2 things in common. Our total and absolute adoration for our children and our love for eating. Everything else is totally opposite.
24. I love reading blogs about food and checking out new places to eat. I love doing it with my cousins who seem to only go to the tried and tested places and eating the same selection...EVERY TIME!! (Except my youngest cousin....she is cool!).
25. I am a Catholic but I am not sombre. I am told that is unusual....not sure why.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Cuisine Cameron Style
Continuing our Cameronian Adventure, we checked out many eating places at Tanah Rata and Berinchang. Most restaurants were either steamboats or Chinese restaurants with dishes. At Tanah Rata for some reason, there were about 5-6 Indian restaurants at the main stretch of about 2 blocks or 200 meters. The steamboat restaurant we chose at Berinchang was reasonable but not very good. At Triangkap, there were lots of Chinese restaurants which did not tickle our fancy. However from the internet, my ever resourceful cousin-in-law Caryn was able to find a very quaint and humble restaurant that served the only strawberry scones in Cameron Highlands called TCafe.
It is located at the floor above the Marrybrown chain. With a humble stairs that leads to a small narrow stairs, we found good food and a very relaxing atmosphere that catered to backpackers. There was a book shelf that you can exchange books, chess set, some other board games and just folks (mostly foreign) just chillin'.
We ordered some dishes but the best were Lamb Chop, Chow Kuay Teow, Cantonese Fried Rice and some other noodles. Of course there were scones and the strawberry ones were not bad, not great but ok la for non-scone eating culture. The chicken pie was a bit dry and the curry chicken could be missed. It was the 2nd best meal after Sg Palas. Just comfortable and us just chatting while the kids played chess and just entertained themselves. So ambience and company very important to my dietary needs!
The humble stairs leading to TCafe.
Just in case you didn't see the sign.
More narrow stairs! What's with the fascination with the stairs??
Finding our seats away from people who want privacy.
Boys playing chess while waiting for food.
Tender and delectable lamb chop.
Equally enjoyable Char Kuey Teow. Should also try Hokkien Mee (not in picture)
Not happening Tom Yam
and curry chicken.
Chicken Pie was good though a bit dry.
It is located at the floor above the Marrybrown chain. With a humble stairs that leads to a small narrow stairs, we found good food and a very relaxing atmosphere that catered to backpackers. There was a book shelf that you can exchange books, chess set, some other board games and just folks (mostly foreign) just chillin'.
We ordered some dishes but the best were Lamb Chop, Chow Kuay Teow, Cantonese Fried Rice and some other noodles. Of course there were scones and the strawberry ones were not bad, not great but ok la for non-scone eating culture. The chicken pie was a bit dry and the curry chicken could be missed. It was the 2nd best meal after Sg Palas. Just comfortable and us just chatting while the kids played chess and just entertained themselves. So ambience and company very important to my dietary needs!
The humble stairs leading to TCafe.
Just in case you didn't see the sign.
More narrow stairs! What's with the fascination with the stairs??
Finding our seats away from people who want privacy.
Boys playing chess while waiting for food.
Tender and delectable lamb chop.
Equally enjoyable Char Kuey Teow. Should also try Hokkien Mee (not in picture)
Not happening Tom Yam
and curry chicken.
Chicken Pie was good though a bit dry.Tea, Tea everywhere
I spoke about my recent trip to Cameron Highlands and thoroughly enjoyed my stay there. I expected it to be warm and tons of development happening but found that it was cool and good balance of activities for the family. It was also important that we had good company and folks whom you can enjoy a trip with. My cousin KLY's family and my sister-in-law are such folks. Just a note, it you intend to go up Cameron, take the Simpang Pulai exit about 40km farther than Tapah. That route is wider and more comfortable (something like going up Genting) while Tapah is more narrow, windier and is much more prone to landslides. This posting, I wanted to elaborate more on 3 locations in Cameron that I enjoyed. This posting we will elaborate on Sg Palas Boh Tea Plantation.
The road into Sg Palas is very narrow and your first impression would have been, "Is there something at the end of the road or is it going to end down a ravine with tea tree spokes up your nostrils?!". When you are there, the view is gorgeous and they have a tea house which is built on a jutting out platform. Do take the tour as it is very informative. The food was very reasonable, the view excellent and the company delightful. I almost elected to stay there all day but they only had snacks so I had to go down for solid food.
Enjoy some of the pics.
Mikey at the car park.
Platform of the tea cafe.
Admiring the little ones with their queens as well as the view.
3 key ladies in my life. (R to L)My wife Melissa, sis-in-law Jessy, cousin-in-law Caryn.
A tea tree can grow this tall and is useful for 150 years.
Shovelling the tea to be packed after all the processing.
The family at the tea cafe.
All at the tea plantation,
Going down the path into the plantation.
Tea Plantation behind us now.
The road into Sg Palas is very narrow and your first impression would have been, "Is there something at the end of the road or is it going to end down a ravine with tea tree spokes up your nostrils?!". When you are there, the view is gorgeous and they have a tea house which is built on a jutting out platform. Do take the tour as it is very informative. The food was very reasonable, the view excellent and the company delightful. I almost elected to stay there all day but they only had snacks so I had to go down for solid food.
Enjoy some of the pics.
Mikey at the car park.
Platform of the tea cafe.
Admiring the little ones with their queens as well as the view.
3 key ladies in my life. (R to L)My wife Melissa, sis-in-law Jessy, cousin-in-law Caryn. 
A tea tree can grow this tall and is useful for 150 years.
Shovelling the tea to be packed after all the processing.
The family at the tea cafe.
All at the tea plantation,
Going down the path into the plantation.
Tea Plantation behind us now.Sunday, February 8, 2009
Part VI - Welcome to Perak
Continuing our travelogue or at least a wannabe travelogue into the state of Perak. This is our second largest state in the Peninsula. Historically, it was one of the richest state, especially during colonial times. Perak was rich with tin ore which was mined by immigrant Chinese workers. The tin is now gone and Perak is full of disused mining pools and goodness only knows what they have done to it. They could have filled it up (and some of the pools are half a mile deep)and built roads or houses over it....Good luck!
But not all of Perak is mining area...just be careful where you step. We start from my mom's hometown. My mom is from a small village very famous for its freshwater prawns called Tanjung Tualang. It is very small and very quaint very if you drive too fast, like engage in 5th gear, you will drive past it.
The capital is Ipoh which is a great place for food! Food here is better than Penang's selection and there are still many places that are not commercialized. It's been a while since I went there so I can't comment on all the food places. But beansprout chicken rice is a must, so is salted chicken, giant popiah and if you can find it, peanut broth. I plan to make a trip here and will share more info on food places in Ipoh. Apart from that, Ipoh is quite quiet. You can check out the temples which are situated in limestone caves and pomelo stalls. Pomelo are the largest of citrus fruits and I really dislike it.
Due to its historical significance during colonial times and the fact that they found one of the earliest fossils in Peninsula (called Perak Man. I think its a man because it looked lost in some cave and probably died because it didn't want to ask for directions), Perak has a few impressive museums like the Perak Museum, Lenggong Archaeological Museum and Geological Museum. Along the south of Ipoh, there's this unfinished mansion called Kellie's Castle which for some reason is a tourist attraction. Why would anyone pay RM4 to see a bunch of bricks and unfinished building is quite beyond me.
Let's move on to many other interesting sites in other towns in Perak that you may be interested but being a large state, I will just focus on what I think are more interesting sites.
1) Leaning Clock Tower of Teluk Intan - nice architecture which stands about 25.5meters but nothing much else in Teluk Intan though.
2) Kek Long Tong Temple in Ipoh. - houses some cool bronze statues
3) Sam Poh Tong temple - nice architecture and works of art with well sculptured landscape
4) Mekprasit Temple - Has a 24 meter reclining Buddha
5) Taiping Zoo and Night Safari - reputed to be one of the best in Malaysia (not saying much though)
6) Felda Residence Hot Springs in Sungkai
7) Pangkor Island - One of the more lazy and popular island getaways
8) Pangkor Laut Resort - It is a very expensive and high end resort but soooo worth the money!
9) Bukit Merah Laketown Resort and Lost World of Tambun - water theme parks for the whole family. Good place to spend the day.
10) Nature Parks - Royal Belum and Lake Temengor in Gerik, Gua Tempurung near Gopeng and Bukit Larut in Taiping are worth a trip to get yourself back to nature.
So, this is just a snapshot of the great state of Perak. It is so great, it has 2 Chief Ministers now. Those of you who follow world events will know that the National Front party of BN has now taken control of the state but the People's Alliance refuses to step down. It's so big and cool, it needs 2 leaders. Well enjoy your stay and next we will talk about my home state.
But not all of Perak is mining area...just be careful where you step. We start from my mom's hometown. My mom is from a small village very famous for its freshwater prawns called Tanjung Tualang. It is very small and very quaint very if you drive too fast, like engage in 5th gear, you will drive past it.
The capital is Ipoh which is a great place for food! Food here is better than Penang's selection and there are still many places that are not commercialized. It's been a while since I went there so I can't comment on all the food places. But beansprout chicken rice is a must, so is salted chicken, giant popiah and if you can find it, peanut broth. I plan to make a trip here and will share more info on food places in Ipoh. Apart from that, Ipoh is quite quiet. You can check out the temples which are situated in limestone caves and pomelo stalls. Pomelo are the largest of citrus fruits and I really dislike it.
Due to its historical significance during colonial times and the fact that they found one of the earliest fossils in Peninsula (called Perak Man. I think its a man because it looked lost in some cave and probably died because it didn't want to ask for directions), Perak has a few impressive museums like the Perak Museum, Lenggong Archaeological Museum and Geological Museum. Along the south of Ipoh, there's this unfinished mansion called Kellie's Castle which for some reason is a tourist attraction. Why would anyone pay RM4 to see a bunch of bricks and unfinished building is quite beyond me.
Let's move on to many other interesting sites in other towns in Perak that you may be interested but being a large state, I will just focus on what I think are more interesting sites.
1) Leaning Clock Tower of Teluk Intan - nice architecture which stands about 25.5meters but nothing much else in Teluk Intan though.
2) Kek Long Tong Temple in Ipoh. - houses some cool bronze statues
3) Sam Poh Tong temple - nice architecture and works of art with well sculptured landscape
4) Mekprasit Temple - Has a 24 meter reclining Buddha
5) Taiping Zoo and Night Safari - reputed to be one of the best in Malaysia (not saying much though)
6) Felda Residence Hot Springs in Sungkai
7) Pangkor Island - One of the more lazy and popular island getaways
8) Pangkor Laut Resort - It is a very expensive and high end resort but soooo worth the money!
9) Bukit Merah Laketown Resort and Lost World of Tambun - water theme parks for the whole family. Good place to spend the day.
10) Nature Parks - Royal Belum and Lake Temengor in Gerik, Gua Tempurung near Gopeng and Bukit Larut in Taiping are worth a trip to get yourself back to nature.
So, this is just a snapshot of the great state of Perak. It is so great, it has 2 Chief Ministers now. Those of you who follow world events will know that the National Front party of BN has now taken control of the state but the People's Alliance refuses to step down. It's so big and cool, it needs 2 leaders. Well enjoy your stay and next we will talk about my home state.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Land of Land Rovers, scones and tea!
Here is a trivia fact. Outside of a British Army Garrison, which place has the highest density of Land Rovers? This small little mountain top plateau has more than 2000 Land Rovers (albeit most of them are falling apart and spewing thick black carbon monoxide soot!) being used by folks who live here for their everyday life routine. I was there during the Chinese New Year Holidays with my cousin KLY, his family and my sister-in-law Jessy's family. Contrary to popular believe, this place is still cold (about 14-16 degrees is cold by Malaysian standards, development has slowed and they have build more farm for tourist to knock themselves out! I will come back to that later.
I am talking about Cameron Highlands. It is a very popular tourist spot for the British and the affluent folks during colonial times. Some of the hotels are still around and the most expensive is this place called "Ye Olde Smokehouse". Since it is built during colonial times, it has the colonial look which means stiff, old and haunted.
It is a great place for your photo ops but I can't feel comfortable there. It makes you feel that if you make too much noise or cut the scones the wrong way or even smell tea differently, a headmaster or mistress type of person will jump out of the woodwork and whisk you away to a place where they will force Victorian manners on you. And this person may already be dead, if you get what I mean!
Anyway, we had a great time! We stayed at the Equatorial Hotel which was on a peak so it was a colder there. If you take the road up from Simpang Pulai, you will hit Equatorial first without going through Ringlet, Tanah Rata and Berinchang. Also its a much more comfortable road to travel but it will set you back by about 40 minutes. Good price to pay for not throwing up at the end of the trip.
Some interesting observations:-
1) There are more farms or markets where you can basically get the same things which are vegetables, strawberries, honey and dried strawberries. Many are now using the "Pick Yourself" as a selling point. So let me get this straight, I pay for the produce but I pay extra because I pick it myself? Talk about fleecing city slickers!!!
2) While there were many, I strong recommend Kea Farms market which is walking distance from the hotel. It is large and looks more like a market.
3) There are some tea plantations and they sell lots of scones (English tea product) and cakes. And scones are over rated. You must check out Sg Palas Boh Tea Plantation and have tea there after a tour of the facilities. After Triankap, you will see a Cameron Valley tea plantation. That's not bad either.
4) Rose gardens are a big con. They charge you entrance fees for you to climb up heart stopping slopes to see some flowers and view of the Cameron Highlands valleys and farms (which you can see for free at all places in Cameron).
5) There are something like 6-7 curry houses along a single stretch of shop houses at Tanah Rata town. I am very baffled by this.
6) Berinchang has a good pasar malam on Fri and Sat but I would suggest we stick to the markets. Almost all restaurants offer steamboat.
7) Those of you born in the 70s and before MUST see the Time Tunnel museum. I will share more with you in later postings.
We stayed for 2 nights at the Equatorial at an apartment with 3 rooms. We were given a food voucher of RM250 a night. Whatever we didn't use, they gave us back 50% in cash. Personally I thought it was an excellent deal. I will share more photos and talk more about some interesting places in Cameron Highlands, the land of Land Rovers and Scones!
I am talking about Cameron Highlands. It is a very popular tourist spot for the British and the affluent folks during colonial times. Some of the hotels are still around and the most expensive is this place called "Ye Olde Smokehouse". Since it is built during colonial times, it has the colonial look which means stiff, old and haunted.
It is a great place for your photo ops but I can't feel comfortable there. It makes you feel that if you make too much noise or cut the scones the wrong way or even smell tea differently, a headmaster or mistress type of person will jump out of the woodwork and whisk you away to a place where they will force Victorian manners on you. And this person may already be dead, if you get what I mean!
Anyway, we had a great time! We stayed at the Equatorial Hotel which was on a peak so it was a colder there. If you take the road up from Simpang Pulai, you will hit Equatorial first without going through Ringlet, Tanah Rata and Berinchang. Also its a much more comfortable road to travel but it will set you back by about 40 minutes. Good price to pay for not throwing up at the end of the trip.
Some interesting observations:-
1) There are more farms or markets where you can basically get the same things which are vegetables, strawberries, honey and dried strawberries. Many are now using the "Pick Yourself" as a selling point. So let me get this straight, I pay for the produce but I pay extra because I pick it myself? Talk about fleecing city slickers!!!
2) While there were many, I strong recommend Kea Farms market which is walking distance from the hotel. It is large and looks more like a market.
3) There are some tea plantations and they sell lots of scones (English tea product) and cakes. And scones are over rated. You must check out Sg Palas Boh Tea Plantation and have tea there after a tour of the facilities. After Triankap, you will see a Cameron Valley tea plantation. That's not bad either.
4) Rose gardens are a big con. They charge you entrance fees for you to climb up heart stopping slopes to see some flowers and view of the Cameron Highlands valleys and farms (which you can see for free at all places in Cameron).
5) There are something like 6-7 curry houses along a single stretch of shop houses at Tanah Rata town. I am very baffled by this.
6) Berinchang has a good pasar malam on Fri and Sat but I would suggest we stick to the markets. Almost all restaurants offer steamboat.
7) Those of you born in the 70s and before MUST see the Time Tunnel museum. I will share more with you in later postings.
We stayed for 2 nights at the Equatorial at an apartment with 3 rooms. We were given a food voucher of RM250 a night. Whatever we didn't use, they gave us back 50% in cash. Personally I thought it was an excellent deal. I will share more photos and talk more about some interesting places in Cameron Highlands, the land of Land Rovers and Scones!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Chinese New Year for a Chindian
Since my mom and wife are Chinese, it is not surprising that I truly enjoy Chinese New Year. I am also very aware of the Chinese astrology and this year marks the beginning of the year of the Ox. Those who are aged in multiple of 12 will share the same zodiac year but that doesn't mean that this year is always made for you. For me, I get to enjoy the superstitious input about the Chinese Zodiac while putting my trust in the Big Guy upstairs. So how do I spend CNY?
Well, for me the excitement starts when you start shopping for different products for your family members. It is customary for you to have gifts, like mandarin oranges, mushrooms, abalone, fruit cans, Chinese sausages, etc when you visit your family or friends during CNY. Of course it is not limited to these and it is really up to your budget and of course the people you are buying for.
For us, we will make a list of family members that we will shop for like my aunts and uncles, cousins, in-laws and some close family friends. Each have their own liking and favourites. Putting it together and getting it from different stores can be fulfilling especially if its for people you love. My popular products are the famous Chinese sausages from Dongguan (which is my ancestral home town and if you ask which side of the family, pls proceed to put your head under the hood of your car and slam it real hard!), mushrooms which look like giant boogers from a T-Rex, chocolates (as I have many nephews and nieces as well as sweet tooth sis-in-law), canned abalone, dried meat (my absolute favourite), tangerine oranges (sooo much better than mandarin oranges and of course so much more expensive) and peanuts (not groundnuts for goodness sake, this is the 21st century).
New Year's eve is spent at my elder uncle's house together with my second aunt, my youngest uncle, my mom and my bro. Since we don't celebrate, we always get invited to meals for CNY. Cool eh?! For some reason meals at my uncle's house is very quiet with very little chatter and is finished quite early. We will head on home and by 8pm and will have our own celebration at home.
First day is the coolest. My second aunt will cook the HUGE feast for us all. All of my mom's siblings and their extended family will cram into her house and there will be a lot of noise, festivities and a lot of love. While it for lunch but we will stay until about 5pm chatting, laughing and of course the most important Chinese past time.....eating and my favourite past time, eating pork!! My Ah Yee will cook yam pork, pork knuckle in vinegar, roast pork, steam chicken, prawn in soya sauce, lots of vegetables like peas with chicken gizzard, broccoli and cauliflower, roast duck, chicken feet with mushroom and lotus root soup. She excels in everything! We eat, laugh, eat some more, laugh some more. The day is is made better is my Ah Yee's third son comes back for the holidays.
He is definitely a much better looking Chindian than me (and that is very rare mind you) and stays in Singapore. If he comes back, we have more things to gossip about and I will have a FIELD day updating him on the happenings for the year. Gosh, I feel like one of those old English Victorian geezers, gossiping about everyone in the village! Its fun to watch his expression though. He is well loved by all and while he has a great name, his nick name is Baby and I call him Baby Koko which means elder brother Baby. What an oxymoron....elder brother but Baby. For short, we call him "Beh" where we made a short word even shorter.
First day dinner is with Club 29 cousins. When Beh is back, he will join us and this year he treated us to a good dinner and desert at Alexis at Bangsar Shopping Complex. We will trade stories and gossips all night and I will even put the girls to shame. Wait a minute.....is that something to be proud of?????
Second day morning is when I go back to Kuantan which is my wife's hometown. We will arrive in time for lunch at my eldest sister-in-law's house. She will have a huge lunch party with a buffet line and a lion dance performance. Usually its 2 lions and they will have to climb on each other's shoulder's to get the ang pow from the ceiling, cut a pomelo into a nice shape for prayers and slice mandarin oranges arranging the slices to form words or 4-D numbers.
The next few days is hanging out with my in-laws, watching movie, dinners at home or outside, more lion dances, visiting friends, just hanging out at the beach and gambling (small amounts though). This year I allowed Mikey to join the gambling and the bum took home a cool RM50 from 2 days of gambling. No mean feat for a rookie and when you are betting RM1 per game.
The downsides are that my in-laws don't have HBO so I am usually bored without any TV shows. Luckily I have Mandy's iPod Touch this year so I was able to entertain myself. The other downside is the ang pow. The giving part. Even though I am only half Chinese, I am expected to give full. For those not sure what ang pow (literal translation, red packet) is, its a CNY tradition where married adults will put cash in red packets to be given to children or those who are single. It is to signify good luck. Next year, I will not be giving ang pow to those single above 30 year olds. Hey I am only half Chinese! So sue me!
Well, for me the excitement starts when you start shopping for different products for your family members. It is customary for you to have gifts, like mandarin oranges, mushrooms, abalone, fruit cans, Chinese sausages, etc when you visit your family or friends during CNY. Of course it is not limited to these and it is really up to your budget and of course the people you are buying for.
For us, we will make a list of family members that we will shop for like my aunts and uncles, cousins, in-laws and some close family friends. Each have their own liking and favourites. Putting it together and getting it from different stores can be fulfilling especially if its for people you love. My popular products are the famous Chinese sausages from Dongguan (which is my ancestral home town and if you ask which side of the family, pls proceed to put your head under the hood of your car and slam it real hard!), mushrooms which look like giant boogers from a T-Rex, chocolates (as I have many nephews and nieces as well as sweet tooth sis-in-law), canned abalone, dried meat (my absolute favourite), tangerine oranges (sooo much better than mandarin oranges and of course so much more expensive) and peanuts (not groundnuts for goodness sake, this is the 21st century).
New Year's eve is spent at my elder uncle's house together with my second aunt, my youngest uncle, my mom and my bro. Since we don't celebrate, we always get invited to meals for CNY. Cool eh?! For some reason meals at my uncle's house is very quiet with very little chatter and is finished quite early. We will head on home and by 8pm and will have our own celebration at home.
First day is the coolest. My second aunt will cook the HUGE feast for us all. All of my mom's siblings and their extended family will cram into her house and there will be a lot of noise, festivities and a lot of love. While it for lunch but we will stay until about 5pm chatting, laughing and of course the most important Chinese past time.....eating and my favourite past time, eating pork!! My Ah Yee will cook yam pork, pork knuckle in vinegar, roast pork, steam chicken, prawn in soya sauce, lots of vegetables like peas with chicken gizzard, broccoli and cauliflower, roast duck, chicken feet with mushroom and lotus root soup. She excels in everything! We eat, laugh, eat some more, laugh some more. The day is is made better is my Ah Yee's third son comes back for the holidays.
He is definitely a much better looking Chindian than me (and that is very rare mind you) and stays in Singapore. If he comes back, we have more things to gossip about and I will have a FIELD day updating him on the happenings for the year. Gosh, I feel like one of those old English Victorian geezers, gossiping about everyone in the village! Its fun to watch his expression though. He is well loved by all and while he has a great name, his nick name is Baby and I call him Baby Koko which means elder brother Baby. What an oxymoron....elder brother but Baby. For short, we call him "Beh" where we made a short word even shorter.
First day dinner is with Club 29 cousins. When Beh is back, he will join us and this year he treated us to a good dinner and desert at Alexis at Bangsar Shopping Complex. We will trade stories and gossips all night and I will even put the girls to shame. Wait a minute.....is that something to be proud of?????
Second day morning is when I go back to Kuantan which is my wife's hometown. We will arrive in time for lunch at my eldest sister-in-law's house. She will have a huge lunch party with a buffet line and a lion dance performance. Usually its 2 lions and they will have to climb on each other's shoulder's to get the ang pow from the ceiling, cut a pomelo into a nice shape for prayers and slice mandarin oranges arranging the slices to form words or 4-D numbers.
The next few days is hanging out with my in-laws, watching movie, dinners at home or outside, more lion dances, visiting friends, just hanging out at the beach and gambling (small amounts though). This year I allowed Mikey to join the gambling and the bum took home a cool RM50 from 2 days of gambling. No mean feat for a rookie and when you are betting RM1 per game.
The downsides are that my in-laws don't have HBO so I am usually bored without any TV shows. Luckily I have Mandy's iPod Touch this year so I was able to entertain myself. The other downside is the ang pow. The giving part. Even though I am only half Chinese, I am expected to give full. For those not sure what ang pow (literal translation, red packet) is, its a CNY tradition where married adults will put cash in red packets to be given to children or those who are single. It is to signify good luck. Next year, I will not be giving ang pow to those single above 30 year olds. Hey I am only half Chinese! So sue me!
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