Dagang Pak Malau

I was washing the dishes just now when the fireworks burst into the sky from across the main road from where we stay. Merdeka Day party was and is still going on as I am typing this. I called for the husband to hurry to the backyard to see the fireworks which was very close [...]

Of green popiah and old friends

Trying quite hard to describe to me what he had at tea break after a discourse the other day, ‘ …so I had bee hoon and some green popiah ‘
‘ Errr.. Green Popiah? ‘ I was curious. I mean innovation is the in thing in culinary industry now but green popiah sounds like a page [...]

The Kelantanese Rhapsody

During our ‘masuk kampung’ moments, we usually try whatever kampung delicacies the state had to offer. For instance, in Pahang, we were hooked on Gulai Tempoyak Ikan Patin, in Terengganu, we never leave the state without buying bagfuls of sattar and keropok lekor, in Melaka — laksa Nyonya and cincalok, Kelantan– akok and Nasi Dage [...]

And many years later

Today, 2 of my really old time friends, as in waay back then friends are in town. And caught up with them I did. j/e/ha/n/rg/s and ma/s/tu/r/ah/ce/d/ar. That rounded them off from my batch who have made the much apprieciated efforts to meet up with me here, starting from Cake, then F.T and then Nymph.
J [...]

The Return of The Mami

Two of my students, whose mother is from Seberang Prai, Penang mainland where Anwar is contesting tomorrow excitedly announced to all of us they are going back to Penang tonight. Their mother, grandmother and aunties are going back to vote, they said.
Out of curiosity, I asked them. So who are they voting for ?
” Anwar [...]

The Cry

Raise me, elevate me with You
Make me pleasing to You
I can’t even provide for myself
Without You
Guide me
Take me by the Hand
Heal me from the calamities
Whom none other but me
Who imposed it upon myself
For You are my Focus
For You are my Direction
For You are my End
For Your Blessings and Love
Are the only things I seek
Amongst other [...]

Book Tales

After much deliberation, I finally finished A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon.

Image taken from wikimedia
I didn’t enjoy it as much as his previous, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, about the autistic boy who wanted to sit for his A Levels Maths. A Spot of Bother is to me, [...]

Some things just gotta go

Multi-tasking seems to be the mantra of many women, especially in household matters. I used to wonder upon wonder how my grandmother brought up 13 kids single handedly in a single income household, which means whatever my grandfather brought home was enough to feed the family– maids were unthinkable.
I used to think that I could [...]

Launching…

Before we got married, we told ourselves one day we would want to have a family business together. Books seems the natural choice for book geeks like us. We cannot afford to franchise MPH or BORDERS or TIMES or what have you, but baby steps have to be taken.
So on behalf of the husband, we [...]

Of Life and Aikido

We have been asked several times, out of curiosity perhaps on why we both chose to learn and practice Aikido, amongst all other things.
Aikido teaches the harmony of body and spirit, of the yin and yang and of non resistance but going with the flow… while being in one with those who [...]