Limited Editions

Eulogy For Elizabeth Mah Suet Fun

2011-10-17T11:43:00.003+08:00

EULOGY FOR ELIZABETH, 1966-2011

When one thinks of Elizabeth, one thinks of life, because Liz embraced it to the fullest. From the first time I knew her, the thing that struck me most about her was her effusive bubbliness, her enthusiasm, and her high pitched shrill exclamations. About 15 or 16 years ago, Liz had joined our church’s College & Career Fellowship, CCF for short. She developed such an earnest hunger to learn about the Bible, and Christianity, and she was always so eager to learn, and she truly lived out her faith, and rejoiced in all circumstances.

She had boundless energy, and was always planning exciting outings, such as trips to waterfalls, treks, hangkai at Petaling Street. And she always organized it with such gusto, that one simply did not want to miss a Liz outing. She plans each activity with such detail, a choc ful itinerary, so much so, I have to admit, I often wondered why she tried to pack so much activity into such a short time. She was always chirpy, which admittedly wasn’t always easy to stomach, for grumpy people like me.

She was a devoted wife, and an even more devoted mother. Her two boys, Nicholas and Ethan, are truly blessed to have had such a mother, and we her friends will make sure they never forget what a wonderful woman she was.

As a close personal friend, who has known them since before their courtship, and marriage, I was privileged to have a lot of inside information into both their lives. In the speech for their wedding, I had said this of this.

But actually, who was the real mastermind behind this love story? It was Liz. Why? Because unbeknownst to Henry, she too had set her sights on this man, but being the nice old fashioned girl that she was, far be it for her to throw herself all over the man. She played cool, but not too cool, she played coy, but not too coy, and she charmed him with her typical manja Elizabeth Mah ways. She also used the same spies that Henry was using, to lull him into the sense of security, and in reality, it was she who baited him. She was quite smitten by him, and would ask his close friends, “so how how how, he likes me or not” (in high pitch voice) Anyway, when I asked liz what was it he found most attractive about Henry, she said it was his brains and wit. (cough cough). Maybe I misheard. Maybe it was “grains and zits”. She says, “he has the knack of turning everything around him into a real life comic strip!”

In her fight against the devastating cancer, she remained optimistic and cheerful right up to the end. Always with a ready smile for her friends who came to visit, even when she was bedridden and had to breathe with the aid of the oxygen machine.

I quote what one of our friends Maureen said during the memorial service. Liz is not a jewel. She is a treasure chest. Indeed, our Liz was a treasure chest, with a jewel to give to everyone who crossed paths with her. Our lives have been so much enrichened by knowing her.

She will be missed dearly. Another friend of ours, Tony, wept that he was too busy in her last days to go visit her. I told him not to feel regrets. Treat it like she has taken an earlier flight, and you forgot to say goodbye, but it’s okay because we are also headed for the same destination, so really, it is not goodbye. We comfort ourselves with these thoughts.

For Henry (you've lost your Appie,( short for appendage)), Nicholas & Ethan, Aunty Jasmine & Liz sister Angeline, we pray for strength and God’s comfort to guide you through these difficult days ahead. We hope we can help in whatever way.

Goodbye for now, dear Elizabeth Mah.

Rest In Peace, Adrian Hoh

2008-05-06T10:23:00.003+08:00

His last communication with me was on Facebook, 17th April 08, when I responded to his status message where he said he wasn't well. At this age, one dismisses "not well" as a regular cough and cold.

May he rest in peace, and I hope he found the answers he was looking for. Below is the condolence message placed by his office.

Still On the Guest List

2007-10-04T11:40:00.000+08:00

I still recall my first invite to one of these legendary birthday parties, hosted by Red Planet. Very intimidating. All the glamorous looking people, the air kisses, the modern day equivalent of an English Tea Party in Queen Victoria's garden, minus the weather and scones. Long Island Tea probably flowed like waters old faithful, and I'm sure I had to down many to calm my intimdated nerves.

Fast forward, 7 years down the line, or so, and many themes later, from Oriental, to Black, to Black and Gold, Stripes, Pink, and no prizes for figuring out the latest.....

Anyway if it weren't for Red Planet, I really wouldn't have the chance to patronise any of the happening hotspots in town. The venue this time was TWENTY ONE, along the Bohemian neighbourhood known as Changkat Raja Chulan. And boy, the place was PACKED. A sign of age is when crowds, smoky rooms, loud music and breathing space that makes a space shuttle feel like a football stadium.

Well, after 7 years, it's nice to see that some people can still maintain their youthful rigour and party till the cows come home.

The Cycles Of Life

2007-08-16T12:49:00.000+08:00

The last update was 26 June. Gosh, time does fly.

If it were not for Digital Cameras, I probably would have NO recollection of the events of the last few weeks. Digital images stored in a pc acts as a default journal, for a picture paints a thousand words.

Highlights would be the visits of WOMAN I AM SCARED OF, together with NESTLE NICK at the same time, sometime towards the end of July. I had just met these people, who live in Melbourne and Kobe respectively, recently, so it was somewhat of a bonus to meet them again so soon.

Drinks at Labodega, BSC, where our favourite Bar Manager from Labodega Lounge, Khairul, has been transferred. Also met up with that Mad Air Traffic Controller, who no longer drinks, citing health reasons, and a shrivelled liver.....

A recent discovery, on one Friday night, when we played truant from Bible Study, was a new bar along Asian Heritage Row, called Sunshine. Live band playing music from OUR time. Abba, Rick Astley, etc etc....music that we could really relate to. Also dispelled the myth that Single Malt Whisky does not give a hangover.

A number of people have moved house, including Evil Twin, Godma, and Zand. We were invited to the latter's house, to celebrate the birthdays of Sultana Prunella, and K03. A game of Balderdash followed suit, which was great fun.

In the cycles of life, weddings inevitable form an integral part. Evil Twin's brother tied the knot. It's heart warming when those younger than you tie the knot, and you think you've seen them grow from adolescent, or youth, into fine young men and women, and who are taking the plunge.

There were the fair share of births as well, congratulations to Hotshot CIMB banker, aka King Of England, and his sweet wife, on the birth of their baby daughter. Also to Godpa on the arrival of his new Godson, courtesy of Choongsie and Mrs Choongsie. (and by extention, congrats to them as well). Himbo, serving God in China, also just became a dad, and the baby is still in our prayers due to some complications at birth.

And in the circle of life, there is also death.....

So My Friends Know What I've Been Up To

2007-06-26T11:16:00.000+08:00

Actually, my main purpose of keeping this blog is for friends near and far to know what I'm up to these days. After the last "photo fiasco", whereby some reader thoughtlessly blurted out something to the someone that resulted in the blog now being heavily censored, I wondered if I really should bother with this Limited Edition. Afterall, I already maintain a gym blog, and a food blog, but alas, in our busy world and lives, I still see a need to keep in touch with friends. This is my little way of doing so. Very unilateral, but well, at least when we meet, they tell me they know what's going on.

So, what HAS been happening? The school holidays came and went. Feeling guilty for leaving the kids whilst we attending WIASO's birthday in Vietnam, we brought them to Singapore for a holiday. Baby girl has just gotten her new passport and I was eager to use it. (First child, when got her passport, got to go on a trip with overnight flight and all....2nd kid, still got flight, but only 7 hours, 3rd kid, well, still managed a 7 hour flight...now with 4th kid, car ride to Singapore).

But not before the arrival of Nestle Nick from Japan which coincided with me suddenly being "happening" again. On the Friday night, I was at Isthmus, at a party hosted by the Hostess with The Mostess.... Free Flowing Champagne, Bollinger, no less, foie gras, tapas, finger food, and the most wonderful durian bavarois. The side entertainment, which is unbloggable, was also memorable. We then adjourned to Frangipanni, now a very one gender skewed establishment on Fridays, to continue partying. That lasted till 3am.

The following night, we were at Isthmus again, having dinner with Nestle Nick, his pregnant wife, Nestle Naveen, together with Mr CIMB, his lovely (also pregnant) wife, Plankton Pussy and KTT. (both of them) Because of the early impending drive to Singapore the next morning, it was a relatively early night, as I was still zombified from the late night on Friday.

Amongst the highlights of Singapore were the night safari, the DUCK TOURS (Msians pay the Msian Ringgit equivalent for the duck tour, ie, RM 33 per head instead of S$33....Singapore knew it was Visit Malaysia Year I guess). Also, I got to visit friend's bakery, in South Buona Vista Road.

We stayed, thanks to my elder Singaporean cousin, in Changi Beach Club, a lovely resortish styled private club, where accommodation is reasonably priced, by Singapore standards, and rooms large. I initially thought 4 days in Singapore would have been phenomenally long, but time zoomed by quickly. It was very nice of my Singapore rellies to turn up in large numbers to meet us, in what was almost like a mini wedding dinner.

Shortly after returning from Singapore, Chubby Sabahan threw his housewarming party. As Nestle Nick was still in town, I dragged him along, DRAG being the operative word. A very different kind of party, I have to admit. Again, very gender biased. The highlight had to be the "beauty pageant", where nominated contestants had to answer very difficult questions, such as, "If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?". The tiara eventually went to the most seasoned contestant of all, who probably made up the questions himself.

Left that particular party at 3.30am. Spouse had left about 1am, followed by Nestle Nick at about 2.30am, and me at 3.30am.

The next day, rest eluded me, as I was hosting dinner for the Red Planet crowd, (the same Red Planet who the night before was donning a tiara as if she was Venus, Goddess of Lurve), so that was another exhausting day. Slaving over the stove, hosting dinner.... the night before had sapped the energy of most of the guests, who are almost all above 35, and take longer to recover, compared with the nimble and lithe 20 somethings.

The next day, due to rain, plan A which was to have a picnic in Lake Gardens was scrapped, and I had to play host in plan B for the group of friends who had gathered in honor of our overseas visitors, Mr & Mrs Brash, and Rev and Dr from Cambridge.

Somewhere along the way, we got invited to the play, URMI, which was the local production of the Tempest. Courtesy of ExFCI who was in a starring role, the show was actually beyond my expectations. The props were visually quite stunning, and Shakespeare actually managed to keep me awake.

Brother in law's birthday drinks, held at Izzy's, Northpoint, made my record for skipping Friday Bible Study unparaleled.On another Saturday, we had a potluck at Glamour Groomer's house, with the more sedate crowd that ensured I got my 8 hours of sleep on a Saturday night. And last Saturday, I forewent an evening at Max's with the food bloggers crowd, to attend my colleague's housewarming.

And last night, was dinner with the Everybody Loves Raymond Group. Food review here.

So that's what I've been up to lor.

Yet Another One Hits The Big Four

2007-06-11T14:11:00.001+08:00

This post is mainly for the benefit of previously Bangkok Lawyer, now Singapore Lawyer, and the Khaws since their presence was sorely missed at this function, the 40th of WIASO. (Woman I am Scared of).

On the 26th of May, we all congregated in the Unesco Heritage Town of Hoi An, an hour's drive away from Danang, in Vietnam. The journey had taken almost 24 hours, door to door, because Air Asia only flies to Hanoi at night, and by the time we arrived in Hanoi, we checked in to our hotel, there wasnt much else to do. And first thing, the next morning, we were on our way to the airport again, headed for Danang.

Anyway, on the first night (25th May) we were just chilling out, and had a lovely local dinner at a place called Hong Phuc... The highlight was the 1 litre buckets of cocktails, at very cheap prices. In retrospect, I guess the alcohol they used might have been a bit suspect, hence the massive hangovers suffered by some of the people.

With a great warm up on the Eve of the actual Birthday, we were definitely expecting to topple the birthday girl on the night itself. Alas, she was suffering a migraine, and therefore did not partake in much booze at all. In fact, I reckon it was a pretty poor show all round in the drinks department, because of the 4 bottles (2 gin and 2 vodkas) we lugged there at the behest of birthday girl, 1½ gins and 1 vodka remained untouched. In fact, due to inconsistent aircraft rulings on liquids, even in check in baggage, we had to forfeit all the bottles. I digress.

On the night of the birthday, we gathered (after earlier secretly gathering for a rehearsal for a "surprise presentation") for pre dinner drinks in one of the rooms. Verve cliqout flowed freely, and the dangers of drinking of an empty stomach were soon to become obvious, for me, at any rate.

Not sure if WIASO's other half or the hotel had arranged this....rose petals on the bed with a teeny piece of cake and candle. Looked very wedding budoir.

Guest had actually flown in from all over the world. Hong Kong, Perth, Romania....

The Malaysian entourage.

Dinner entertainment, at the restaurant (name now escapes me). The restaurant has fantastic ambience, by the seafront, and in yonder sea, a string of floating lanterns. Not sure if they were meant to be decorative, or squid bait. By this time, I have to say the verve cliquout had gone straight to the head. In case you're wondering what the heck I have donned on, it's an Egyptian galabia, deliberately given to me by HRH, so that I can look like his slave.

After dinner, which ended pretty early, we adjourned back to the hotel. By this time, I have no coherent recollection of the night's events, but am having my memory jolted by pictures taken on my camera. We obviously then presented our surprise presentation, a parody to the tune of Tom Jones' DELILAH.

Now by this time, I REALLY cannot remember a thing. We obviously were causing a ruckus, and other guests must have complained, prompting the hotel to move us to the bar, the Amsterdam Bar. A suitably loaded Ipod provided the much needed retro music.

Well, vows of temperance aside, the next day, (and an entire day in bed, wretching and nursing a major headache), it was a delightful experience. Wonder who's happening 40th will be next.

Forty Is the New Thirty

2007-05-09T12:31:00.000+08:00

That's what people are saying. Forty is the new thirty. Which means ten year olds in standard four theoretically still belong in the womb.

Anyway, this was a belated 40th birthday bash, and I think it was largely due to the cajolling of friends who insisted he cant get away without having a party.

Of course, I have to show case my work...the 2.5kg birthday cake. That, and a rum and raisin pie, were my contribution to the night's festivities. There was also a buffet dinner, catered by the very charming Mei Lai.

Red Planet in the background assumes the role of MC..... or diva..... oh, by the way, no prizes for guessing the theme of the night.

Despite this photograph, let me clarify that there were a lot of gorgeous ladies present as well. There was a "best dressed" contest for both the ladies and the guys. That chappie, 2nd from the left, was runner up for the male crown.

Now, despite the fact there were like 4 professional photographers, with their larger than life camera equipment, by the time the real party started, none of them were to be seen, so it's a good thing I had my trusty old ixus with me, or we'd have no memories of the later parts of the night.

I can't for my life remember what they were doing here, probably some choo choo train thingie. Anyway, it was a fascinating night, and a great party. Great to meet up with everyone again.

Type A Personality

2007-04-23T14:04:00.000+08:00

A colleague recently told me that I have a Type A personality, and if I don't watch it, I may suffer consequentially, coz I am perpetually fidgety, can't sit still, always packing in things to the max in a limited time, etc etc. Not a bad thing, if you ask me. Anyway, I just took the online test and here are the results. Quite interesting.

If you're interested, go to this site.

You Have A Type A- Personality

You are one of the most balanced people around
Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want
You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you.

When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back
Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love!
You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Kampar With The Cell Group

2007-04-16T13:56:00.000+08:00

Firstly, I should like to say that there shall be no more posts with pictures of the kids, since someone went and alarmed the wife to the dangers of doing so. So, although we've been down this road before, I guess it's better to err on the side of caution. All previous posts with their pictures have been taken down. It's sad that we live in such a paranoid world, but such is the reality.

Anyway, recently our cell group arranged a trip to Kampar. Actually, there's lots to do in Kampar, for the outdoorsy. There's the famous gua tempurung, there's a local Kampar waterfall, if you don't wish to tackle the larger Lata Kinjang. You can go fishing, in one of the lakes, fly kites in the large open areas near the Grand Kampar Hotel, which is where we stayed. The hotel is spanking new, and very comfortable, and reasonably priced.

The Rooftop Swimming Pool of the Hotel

Gua tempurung is really quite fascinating, world class. They offer 3 tours, of varying difficulty. Fascinating stalagmite and stalagtite formations that really tickle the imagination. At the end of the easy tour, there is a fascinating wind tunnel, that seems to blow aircond temperature winds perpetually.\

The stream just outside the Gua Tempurung. The stream runs through part of the caves.

In line with VMY 2007, why not go for a trip to Kampar. Food is cheap and good, and it's only 2 hours from here. The city kids will have a whale of a time going back to nature.

The local Kampar waterfall. Clean crisp cool waters. Such a treat for city dwellers.

Heroes Personality Test

2007-04-09T11:36:00.000+08:00

I've become an addict to the TV show heroes.

The Heroes Personality Test
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=4885834462883321217

Nathan Petrelli
You scored 8 Idealism, 20 Nonconformity, 16 Nerdiness

I'm a shark, Pete. Congratulaions, you're Nathan Petrelli! You've got all the qualities of a stereotypical politician. You're ambitious, practical, and you've got more than a healthy sex drive. Still, as much you want to succeed in your field, you don't enjoy the attention that comes from being "different", and you are willing to lie to fit the image you want to present. Your worst quality: Ambition--you will make your way to the top of any career. Your worst quality: Anything for the votes--you will do whatever it takes.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 2% on Idealism
You scored higher than 5% on Nonconformity
You scored higher than 2% on Nerdiness

The 3 Divas

2007-03-26T11:05:00.000+08:00

Although I enjoy the music of Kris Dayanti and Ruth Sahanaya, (don't their names just cry out for Diva-dom...so exotic), I ordinarily probably would not have gone out of my way to buy tickets to watch the show, and jostle with my fellow Malaysians in the heat of the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil. But however, since a friend, over some wine and champagne at a friend's dinner party, said he could possibly get some comp tickets, I leapt at the opportunity. Of course, what I did NOT expect was the three letters at the bottom right had corner of the ticket stub.

I have to say they were really fantastic. Such powerful voices, despite sometimes being drowned by the overpowering band and orchestra, which were also great, under the maestro of Erwin Gutawa. Our local "divas" were represented by Noryn Aziz, Dayang Nurfaezah, and Nurul....never heard of them. They could quite easily pass off as African or African Americans though, looks wise.

One particularly nice moment was when they paid tribute to OUR own music legend, Sheila Majid....and well, Siti Nurhaliza. Sheila looked glowingly pregnant. Siti, to her credit, is rather attractive in a young innocent way. No comments about that Datuk K seated next to her. Also present was the old Tun....

What a busy busy week it's been. Book launch, Malaysian Philharmonic, 3 Divas concert....

Hob Nobbing With the Literati

2007-03-22T09:27:00.000+08:00

Friend of mine, or more precisely, former wife of a friend of mine, although she is also my friend on her own right, Dina Zaman, launched her book last night, titled I AM MUSLIM. A collection of interviews, stories, experiences etc of a self explanatory title. It was held at the annexe of Central Market which I think is an art gallery in its day job, coz there were many canvasses there on the wall.

I bumped into an acquaintance whom I hadn't seen in years, and he gave me a mock sneer, (or was it mock) and asked, "what's a plebian like you doing here?". Anyway, it was the usual thing, speeches, presentations, and the unveiling of the book. It was also featured in NST yesterday.

Being late, we were stuck behind, and could only hear, not see.

I'm not sure what this is. Just held the camera up high and snapped.

The unveiling of the book.

The author autographing copies of the book.

After leaving the launch, me and wife were ravenous, so we trotted down towards Petaling Street, and had hokkien mee and pork soup (seems a bit of a ahem, paradox, having just come from a book launch titled I AM MUSLIM). Wife spotted some furry rodents lurking around in the background. After that, we headed to Petaling Street to pick up an Ultraman watch for baby boy. (as in kid no 3).

I love Petaling Street. It's so pulsating, and full of life. When Central Market had long gone to sleep, Petaling Street was still hustling (in more than one sense of the word) and bustling. With camera in hand, and wearing "decent" clothes for the launch, I must have looked like a tourist.

Somehow it reminds me of a scene from My Fair Lady. The market scene.

Another thing that caught my eye, when we went for the book launch, was THIS:

So much controversy surrounds this exhibition, and I remember when it first showed in Shah Alam, I was actually going to go all the way there to take a look. AFterall, they even have a fossilised mermaid on display, and I've ALWAYS wanted to see a mermaid. So, as we headed back to the car park, I told wifey that I absolutely HAD to satisfy my curiosity. So I paid RM6 for THIS:

That picture on the ticket stub is meant to be the mer-creature. Anyway, I can think of much better ways of spending RM6, in retrospect. eg, buying 7 pears in petaling street, or a fake spiderman watch. What I can't fathom is, there was talk about doing DNA testing on these displays to prove they're real. The toyol looked positively fake. Some miniature ghouls (forgot the name) male and female version, complete with genitalia hair at the correct parts, looked plausibly real....

The mermaid...or merman, surely, SURELY the entire scientific community should be tripping over themselves to verify its status and authenticity.

Wife had more sense, and opted to browse in the stalls outside, and managed to pick up some stuff. Anyway, to cap the very busy evening, ended up in Labodega with Red Planet, and friends for a nightcap.

Pangkor Island Getaway

2007-03-19T13:25:00.000+08:00

Barely like 2 weeks after Chinese New Year break, comes the mid term school break. Holidays with the kids is actually no holiday at all for the adults. But since wife's bro was organising us, and managed to get fantastic rates, and there would be his kids to entertain mine, I guess it wasn't a bad idea to head off to Pangkor, ....not it's more famous sibling, Pangkor Laut, but Pangkor Island itself, staying in Pangkor Island Beach Resort.

I dunno WHY Samy Vellu allows highway lane closures for road works during school holidays. A good stretch of the North South Highway was one lane, and we barely cleared a long jam caused by a bad accident before we joined another crawl because of road works. Its exasperating to pay good toll money only to be stuck in jams worse than the trunk roads.

Its been awhile since I've done any driving on the provincial roads. The road to Lumut, after Bidor, is trunk all the way. Actually, when I was working in Sitiawan in days of yore, I favoured the coastal route....mainly because there was no highway yet up to Bidor. (gasp, I'm that old). Driving on the trunk roads made me realise young people of today just arent trained to drive like that anymore. For a good length of time, I was stuck behind a convoy of cars behind a truck, coz none of the drivers dared/knew how to overtake. Nor are lorry drivers very cooperative, unlike days of yore when they would actually assist you in overtaking by signalling the appropriate signal. Anyway, provincial road driving definitely keeps you awake. That road always reminds me of that memorable trip years ago, with Lawyer from bangkok, and a whole group of friends. Ah, the friends, the laughter....

Due to the delays, we missed the 1.45 ferry and had to wait for the 3.45 ferry. Actually, I reached Lumut Jetty by 1.35 and COULD have made it but had to wait for the inlaws in the other car.

What can I say about Pangkor? It's rustic alright, very little development, hardly a town, with a very laid back population. Shops, what few there are, close by about 9.30pm, (though I was reminded that is Australia, shops close a lot earlier), and eating places are hopelessly slow. On the 2nd night, our dinner, at this place called Ye Lin(?) or Yin Le or summat, took one hour to reach our tables. It was quite worth the wait as the food was really good, and cheap.

Kids of course had a gala time, by the beach, flying kites, building sand mountains, swimming. I tried to maintain a constant buzz by infusing myself with carlsberg special brew....so heart warming to see city kids fly a kite. Of course, darling daughter got her kite stuck in a tree, only seconds after warning her to steer AWAY from the trees. I think kids hear something else whenever parents talk to them.

We also had to lug a cake all the way from mainland, as it was darling boy's 7th birthday. Fortunately, it was one of fatboybakes' hardier cakes....a real man cake, that doesnt require tender loving care, or refrigeration.....

You can see the kite flying in the background. Hornbills are a plenty in the resort.

Something In the Air Called Weddings

2007-02-12T14:55:00.000+08:00

Last weekend alone, I had 3 wedding invites, 2 on Saturday, and 1 on Sunday. I had already booked the airasia goholiday package for the one on Saturday, in Kuching. Little did I know then, that our dear Miss Dee would also decide to get hitched, and have her wedding reception on that night of all the 365 days of the year, and 52 saturdays.

Anyway, I was quite glad for the chance to visit Kuching. I grew up there for a year or so, when I was 2 years old, so don't really have much memory, if fact, non at all, for it. The food aspect has been blogged about here. The city itself is really quaint, lots of old colonial building, very clean, a lovely riverside walk, interesting water taxis that ferry people to and fro across the Kuching River, for a mere 30 sen each way. Of course, things could be better sign posted. One of the attractions, Fort Margherita, is so badly signposted, its main entrance is closed, as is the fort, but one can access it via the police grounds, which have a large sign saying NO TRESPASSING, etc....which would have turned away any faint hearted tourist. India Street and Chinese street sell a wide array of food stuff, near the wet market, whilst The Main Bazaar focuses mainly on handicraft.

A visit to the Sarawak Cultural village, 45 minutes from Kuching town, near Damai Beach, is a worthwhile trip to make. The cultural show showcases the dances from the various tribes, such as the Melanau, Bidayuh, Ibans, Orang Ulu and Malays. The Iban fellow was able to lift a 20kg mortar with his teeth. Someone remarked it would be a good toothpaste ad. Was quite impressed with the accuracy of the blowpipe.

The various designs of longhouses, life size, were pretty interesting as well. The village offers homestay rooms, but obviously everything is orchestrated, for the Penan fler that I took a picture with wasn't even a real Penan.

The wedding reception of friend with american wife (both working in China) was held coincidentally at the same hotel, so that was convenient.

On Sunday night, yet another wedding of a friend from church. It's always nice to be at a wedding table where you know everyone, and can really be yourself, as was the case at last night's banquet. The food at the Eastin was surprisingly, not bad. But the company was sterling, and I had a gala time from the moment I walked into the hotel from the carpark.

Long Overdue Post

2007-02-06T11:03:00.000+08:00

Actually, I've been meaning to post this for the longest time, but always somehow forgot. It was how my best friend celebrated my 40th birthday with me, wife and godma, or rather, how much thought and effort went into the buying of the presents.

I did blog about the sumptuous feast at Cilantro, which was hosted by him as well. Anyway, to start with, there was a dazzling array of presents, which had to be opened in order.

Firstly, there was a note which I had written, on my wedding, thanking him for being such a good friend, for flying back all the way from Melbourne for the wedding, (actually, he flies back for lesser events than that, such as tea parties etc, so it really wasn't THAT great a deal, for him to fly back for a wedding), and spending so much time, but overall, being such a great friend. With that note, was a thank you gift of a flight to Bali..... which I still haven't honored till today. It's a good thing I've been in debt so long, coz these days, with proper planning on air asia, a ticket to Bali can cost less than RM100.

Now, this is a rather normal card, but for the print on the back page. Bob's Your Uncle. We have a mutual friend called Bob, (Bob of Bangkok), ...so apparently it was partially in tribute to Bob.

The first presents were to remind us of youth, ie, a yoyo (???).

This is one of the most cute presents I've ever got. He knows, from numerous holidays together, that I must wash my feet every night, religiously, or I cannot sleep. This is supposedly a Peruvian, Mayan/Incan foot scrubber, made from terra cotta. It actually gives a lovely tingly feeling while scrubbing the feet.

A set of cookie cutters for Fatboybakes.

A pair of silver cufflinks, with my initials engraved. Apparently from a famous Peruvian silversmith who makes for the Jordanian Royal Family.

A bottle of vintage Virgin Hills wine, 1995.

A set of vouchers for 11 massage sessions at PB Blind MASAT centre in Brickfields.

A gourmet cookbook.

A bag of macadamia nuts.

A picture frame with various pictures of us on holiday, etc...

And of course, the lovely dinner at Cilantro.

Meanwhile, an update on my darling baby daughter. Here's what she looks like these days:

Not crawling very much, in fact, not at all, and she's already 10 months. Like her sister, I guess. Jie Jie hardly crawled, but started walking much earlier than the boys. (at 11½ months). She's soooooo adorable, and is absolutely stuck to her mommy.

KLUE Martell Dinner At Isthmus

2007-01-29T12:48:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, we attended the Klue Martell Function held at Isthmus. It's been a while since we caught up with people from the Chubby Sabahan (actually, not so Chubby anymore) crowd, so it was an inspired idea if you ask me, to get together the gang, for the dinner, because, 1. it was at Isthmus, 2. it had free flow alcohol, all be it brandy(not my favourite, but heck, who cares)

We were greeted with Martell punches, (as in the drink, not a physical sock in the face), which were actually rather palatable. Legendary food blogger, Masak Masak aka Boolicious was also there on different table with Splashie Boy. On yet another table, another prolific blogger, MeiYen was there with her other half.

It's always fun company, when Red Planet and gang are around. The recently married Miss D looked resplendent in her new conservative outfits. Gone are those days of plunging necklines and sleeveless clothes, now that she is a good wife.

We had the avocado starter, which is always yummy, and a side order of the monsoon oysters. As we were all ravenous at this juncture, I completely forgot to take pictures. I had the fish for mains, and the dessert, homemade mango and coconut icecream was absolutely yummy. We also supplemented our dessert with an order of the chocolate truffle cake.

Poor Turtle

2007-01-15T12:28:00.000+08:00

Wretched Civet Cats. They reached into Boy's turtle tank and helped themselves to a turtle feast. Feel quite sad, coz when we bought the turtle, it was the size of a 50 sen coin, and just before it's untimely death, it was almost the size of my handphone. All that was left is the shell!!!! How horrible!!!!

Countdown And Beyond

2007-01-04T11:15:00.000+08:00

Can't complain. From Christmas right up to New Year, I had something on every night, be it with family or with friends. Hosted a few dinners, ...intimate dinner parties of 8-12 are becoming the preferred types these days, rather than a party for 30, or 40, a potluck Christmas champagne hi tea, was invited for several wonderful Christmas parties, ....this liver needs a rest. New Year's resolution, though resolutions are for the imperfect, is maybe to .......err.......no lah, I can't.

New Year's eve was spent atop the Empire tower, where we were afforded a fantastic view of the city, and the fireworks. One of those rare occasions when we were actually higher than the fireworks.

The view from where we were

Anyway, suffice to say, I was suitably high, in every sense of the word, on NY eve.

As 2006 Comes To An End....

2006-12-26T14:16:00.000+08:00

I always feel a bit melancholic towards the year end. The phenomenally quick passage of time does make one reflect..... but since I've become shallower compared when I was a impulsive youth of yesterday, let's not wallow in what we have failed to achieve, but rather reflect on the blessings of the year.

On top of the list, for Highlights of 2006, is the birth of my darrrrrling baby girl, who is now almost 8 months, and is absolutely adorable. Children are really a blessing from the Almighty, and my sweet baby is the best 40th birthday present I could ever hope for.

At birth, and recently

Kid no 3, ie boy no 2, started kindergarten this year as well. Of course, as usual, the first week was trying, with the tantrums and the "I dowan to go to school" kinda thing. Separation anxiety, etc. Wife stood by the class to watch, and the kindy teacher, who has seen the previous 2 kids through the school, said, "I can't believe you're still worried after 2 kids".

Next, is that it has been a much better year than 2005 as far as business was concerned. Also, unwittingly I stumbled across a money generating hobby, ie baking. December was a bumper month, in as far as oven activities are concerned. I thank all the blog readers out there, especially on the fatboyrecipes blog, for all their support and encouragement.

Also, 2006 brought many new friends. Some from the gym, some from socializing, some from the blog. Notable newbies for the year are....drum roll, Mr & Mrs Lionheart, FDI, (Favourite Diva Instructor), Blogger from Living In Food Heaven, and that famous food blogger, Boolicious, the lovely Hajjah lady who runs the restaurant Dilinea in Gita Bayu.....and a few others who don't read this blog, so no point mentioning them.

All the new (and old) gym friends are in this picture.

Friends opened a new restaurant,

which arguably is my favourite restaurant. Opened in time for me to host my 40th birthday bash, which if I may say so myself, by all accounts, was a great party, thanks largely to the wonderful and accommodating venue and restaurant owners.

Then there were the wedddings. We had the one that I made the wedding cake for, dear dear friends, who've moved to Hong Kong, but had their wedding here. Then there was that couple that lives here, but had their wedding in Hong Kong. Young Lawyer and Young Bride also tied the knot, very disappointing that he was sloshed to the ground. Another tied the knot after a fascinating hen/stag night, and left for America. The surprise nuptial was Miss D, who's akad nikah I had to miss!!! Drat!!!

Live in KL, wedding in HK

Cowboy Hen/Stag Night in preparation for life in America

This couple, (they dowan pic on blog), moved to Hong Kong after they ate my cake

One of the youngest people I know to tie the knot

And of course, a it stands to reason when you turn forty, a lot of your peers do too.

KTT turns 40

Hmm, trying to relive our youth at this party

Good friends left our shores, some were back on holiday, some used to work here and have left for good. The kids still ask about our New American Hero, the only guy strong enough to lift the kids on their shoulders.

Beam me up, Uncle Scott

Don't know if this qualifies as a highlight, but FCI did Body Jam. (if I didn't at least mention him, I'd hear no end of it)....

HAPPY NEW YEAR DEAR FRIENDS!!!!! MAY 2007 be great.

Turning 40, and Thanks To All

2006-11-27T10:44:00.000+08:00

Well, what can I say. I had a blast on Friday night, turning 40 and all. The venue, Isthmus, the restaurant opened by Mr K and KTT (name changed from KSL, after we found out See Lai means middle class housewife), and what a GREAT venue. I could not have hoped for a better venue. The food was excellent, everyone was raving about it. The layout was .... well, better than any hotel. We had the mezzanine all to ourselves, to have cocktails, and chit chat, and the upper mezzanine, two rows of 20 each, for a sit down dinner.

To be honest, I can't quite coherently recall what happened once the mains were served. I recall a touching toast read by dear Chinese Woman Married to Malay Man, on behalf of Woman I Am Scared Of. Margaritas, shots, wine and bubbly flowed freely. It's been a long time since such a large group of us have met up for some serious drinking. Then again, was it only me who was plastered? Well, I know of a few casualties. The night before, ie Thursday night, was celebrated with the family and kids.

Anyway, it's a myth that the day you turn 40 you immediately need reading glasses.

Thank you all for a wonderful time; and the wonderful presents; the wonderful Ipaq pocket computer, the mini compo, the extra Kenwood Bowl for the Kenwood chef, and whisk, which has already been used, the Louis Vuitton Wallet, my first LV product, (as in not from Petaling Street), the beautiful cake plate from Godma and book, the electronic scale (not to weigh myself, but to weigh food ingredients), the nike shirt and nike bag, the certificate for the patisserie course in HTC, the Wedgewood double tier cake plate, ....I love them all, and I love you all. Oh, and the astromax from my darling sister.

By the way, I made all my own birthday cakes. One for each decade. There was a lemon cheesecake, a rum and raisin pie, a chocolate mudcake, and a walnut coffee sour cream cake.

Congratulations On Your Opening

2006-11-17T12:35:00.000+08:00

To my dearest dearest friends, KSL and Mr K, may I offer my heartiest congratulations on the opening of your new restaurant Isthmus, which I am sure will offer a host of dining pleasures, to the socialites and non socialites, gourmets, gourmands, gluttons, plebians of KL.

We await with great anticipation for the grand opening.

Anyway, guys and girls, it's a lovely set up, in the new Northpoint buildings, next to midvalley megamall. Basically it's on the route to Seputeh, if you're going around the megamall loop, and is on the ground floor, where the large open courtyard is, and as you enter, its in the building on the left, ie, block B I think. The restaurant is called ISTHMUS, and is affiliated to that chain of restaurants in Melbourne, Isthmus of Kra, Monsoon and Madam Fang. (ie, one of the owners owns or used to own those restaurants). I hear their trademark baked oysters in terra cotta plates will be featured here as well.

Please call me if you want further information and directions.

Happening 40 Year Olds

2006-10-30T10:48:00.000+08:00

Stands to reason that since I am in that age bracket, I should have a 40th birthday to attend every week, almost. The recent celebrant to hit the big four was none other than our dear Khaw Si Lai, whom we've seen evolve from a happening party animal, popping tequilas, telling dirty jokes, some 15 years ago, to now, a 40 year old happening party animal, popping tequilas, telling dirty jokes...well, at least they tried to relive the tequila pops at the party, albeit all of one round.

The ladies trying to recall how to do a tequila pop

Venue, BOND, in Avenue K. Well, whoever wants to check it out better do so quickly, coz if Friday night was anything to go by, then its days are sadly numbered. However, it suited OUR purpose fine, as we could hear each other talk, and it was smoke free, and we had the place almost to ourselves. The crowd comprised of us, her old friends, the mandatory tai tai's PILATES crowd, and some other old friends. She and suave hubby, soon to be restaurateur, polished the dance floor with the remnants of the moves from their ballroom dancing days. Trying to snap a decent dance photo is like a filming a natural geographic documentary waiting for some rare almost extinct species to mate.

Anyway, it was a fun night, regardless of the fact that the venue was a tad quiet. Afterall, with the company of goof friends, some alcohol, you could be on a desert island, and still have fun!!!

Happy 40th KSL!!!!

My Wasted Public Holidays

2006-10-27T11:00:00.000+08:00

...as in, I spent the first day of the holidays wasted, and subsquently, wasted the rest of the 4 days, coz I fell sick.

Champagne brunch on a public holiday is always a hoot. Nothing like that feeling of holidayness as drinking in the day time. And nothing like some bubbly to really get you into that state of light headedness. I have to say I am getting more and more efficient at mass preparation of food. The usual brunch spread comprised of Bacon, Sausages, Smoked Salmon, Sauteed Mushrooms, Creamy Mushrooms, Sauteed Onions, Corned Beef, Baked Beans, Eggs, Salad, and enough bread to feed 5000 thanks to the Yeohs. There was a wide assortment of bubbly as well, one in particular that King of England picked out (but brought by someone else) cos it had "by appointment of her majesty the queen". We ate, we drank, we played articulate and taboo, and true to form, someone had to break a wine goblet. No party is complete without the shattering sound of crytal.

Anyway, 6 hours, 11 bottles, later, the rest of the day was a blur; and on Sunday, I paid the price as I lay bedridden with fever on Sunday night. (but not after going for dinner with the kids etc etc).

1kg of Sauteed Mushrooms

12 bottles of bubbly, and 1 bottle of kickapoo

Wild women

What A Great Picture

2006-10-20T14:08:00.000+08:00

Photo courtesy of Maz of RB, during a buka puasa dinner at Alexis, BSC. Of course, the quality here has been reduced, but don't you just love the expressions on the faces of the people. It is so reminiscent of the sitcom FRIENDS.

Actually, what happened was, Mr Roadbuilder has this fancy smancy camera, and had to assist the waiter in taking the pic. All of us with cheapo cameras had our group photo already taken. But with all his fancy lens etc, he had to keep moving further and further away, until Red Planet remarked, "are you going to Esquire Kitchen??" It's one of those situation comedies, whereby it doesn't sound funny on the retelling, but it was HILARIOUS at that moment.

Another One Hits the Big FOUR

2006-10-11T13:01:00.000+08:00

Well, it stands to reason that I should a lot of friends hitting the big four this year, as I myself will be doing. I hear that the day you hit forty, you need reading glasses. In survey forms, 40 is in a category of its own. Usually its 20 and below, 20-25, 25-30, 30-35,35-40, and 40 and above. So we slip into this cosmic age ocean where there are no longer anymore distinctions, be it 40 or 100....

Last night we celebrated old school mate's birthday. SYY together with LYMC own a chain of successful restaurants in town, but opted to host the birthday dinner at neutral grounds, mainly so we could attack a hapless piglet, I suspect. Made a new acquaintance of fellow flogger, who was amongst 6 of the very honored guest. Actually, 4, cos 2 comprised birthday girl and husband. SYY, LYMC, DK (no NY) and I all went to secondary school together, and I was rather chuffed that I had the honor of being invited.

Dinner was at Neroteca, apparently the non-halal sibling of Nerovivo, further down the road. It's a rather nice set up, located in the Somerset Service Apartments. As Paprika says, the picture of the main meal is not for the squeamish and die hard animal lovers. Even me, who's motto regarding animals used to be, "I only like them on plates", felt a twinge of guilt, but was placated when LYMC told me, oh, don't worry, it's made of marzipan.

The meat was juicy and tender, and accompanied by roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables with a lovely grilled smoked cheese, but the skin wasn't crispy enough, so later on we sent it back for crispyfication. As usual, I seem to be the main consumer of bubbly. My culinary contribution to the affair was the Lemon Meringue Pie, which I didn't know earlier on was also meant to be the birthday cake. Superstitious chinese would probably find a lemon dessert taboo for a birthday, but I decided that I am going to promote it the following way:

WHY IS A LEMON MERINGUE PIE MOST SUITABLE FOR A 40TH BIRTHDAY CAKE?

The crust represents the firm foundation you have established after 40 years.
The ZEST in the lemon curd is the Zest that we have for Life.
The mildly sour curd layered with the sweet meringue is representative of reality, we all have our sweet and sour moments in this life.
The rising meringue shows the risen and established career. The whiteness shows the purity of heart. And the golden brown glaze an overall wealth of life.

TAH DAH, thank you thank you.....

Anyway thank you LYMC for a lovely dinner, and YWC, nice meeting you, and of course, dear SYY, happy happy 40th.

Hong Kong Revisited

2006-10-09T14:34:00.000+08:00

I never expected to be back in Hong Kong again so soon, as we were only there last December, with the kids and family, in HK Disneyland. But when J&D invited us for their wedding reception there, I thought it would be nice to check out HK again without having kids in tow. And the food there is splendid, and food in HK weddings are usually very good too, so we thought, why not.

Stayed at the L'Hotel, which till now, I'm not sure if it was meant to be pronounced Lotel, like the french, or really L as in the letter L. But the HK ppl pronounce it as ELLO hotel. Situated just opposite Tin Hau MTR station, it was a really convenient base. Quite decent, supposedly 4 star, which is why I guess they had the token gym and swimming pool on the roof top.

All plans to surprise the NGXM, aka wonder woman, in the Grand Millennium Plaza Fitness First went down the toilet. See other blog for related story. Nevertheless, that gave us more leisure time before the Roast Goose Dinner at Yung Kee, courtesy of goduncle and god aunt. The latter had brought us to the Louis Vuitton shop, in Landmarks, which was huge, though I dont for my life know WHY she thought it would interest us at all. Everything had two zeroes too many. Dinner at Yung Kee was fabulous. Melt in the mouth century egg, artery clogging roast goose, (some more only wife and I had to work our way through half a goose, as our host didnt eat red meat), deep fried garoupa and the fluffiest sticky rice possible.

Day 2 saw us up bright and early, doing the token sightseeing at the Chi Lin Nunnery, in Diamond hill. Its claim to fame is its architecture, Tang Dynasty, and method of construction, not a single nail. Yadda yadda.

Amongst the topics that came up were the prohibitively expensive costs of dying in HK. Charming isn't it. The costs of cremation and interning the ashes are to die for.

After lunch at the Dynasty Club, next to the Grand Hyatt, we had to make our way to the highlight of the trip, ie, the wedding. First was the civil ceremony at the City Hall.

It was quite a novel experience, coz here people don't wear their wedding gowns for the civil registry. In place of a church service, I guess the civil registry is the most important part, legally. There they were, in their full wedding accoutrements, looking rather dishy. The legal ceremony lasted all of 5 minutes, the registrar feigning a look of remote interest, in what must have been his 100th transaction for the day.

After the registry, we headed for the exhibition centre where the Sotheby's pre auction display was on. Masterpieces from Van gogh, Matisse, etc, commanding USD12million and above, reserve prices, Ming Dynasty Artifacts in the millions, panerai watches, Emeralds the size of blocks of constipated s***, just simply bedazzling. I politely declined the offer to inspect one of the Bulgari pieces, having feigned a little too much interest. The highlight was the bowl of beef brisket noodles after that, in the Harbour Cafe of the exhibition centre.

The wedding reception was at the Park lane hotel, Causeway Bay. This delightful sight greeted me upon arrival.

Nothing like the sight of bubbly to lift one's spirits. And my favourite brand as well.

The toasts and cake cutting are done before dinner. And, YAM SENG is a Malaysian thing, much like yee sang, and bak kut teh.

The wedding cake was elegantly simple, and consisted of a very spongy sponge, interspersed with fresh cream and peaches. Quite light and refreshing, and served as a stomach liner, pre dinner. Dinner was up to standard, of course. Suckling pig, sea whelk gratin, (still dunno what a whelk is), sharks fins, chicken, fish, etc etc. And the best part was, after the initial toast, no one seemed to care much for the moet, and after awhile, the waitress more or less dedicated the whole bottle for my personal consumption. Surprisingly, by the end of it, (which was quite early), I was still sober, which was proven the next morning when I could get up without a hangover, and in time to meet GW for breakfast.

Wife and I had to share a breakfast, coz lunch was a buffet at the Shangrila Island, and we had been warned by hostess, Godaunt, to MAKE sure we came hungry. The spread is somewhat like Lemon Garden's, if not a notch above. The yellow tail sashimi was wonderful. And the desserts.....migoodness. Usually sponges with many layers of colored creams are nice to look at, but bleagh to eat. But these were sublime. So was the souffle.

The debaucherous lunch was followed by another sinful dinner at Godaunt & Goduncle's place. It being the mid autumn festival kind of warranted a major feast. Sharksfins, (I daren't even blog how much fins there were, for fear of WIASO lobbing my head off), abalone, fish, chicken, etc.

After that dinner, we took a walk to Victoria park where the remnants of the mid autumn festival carnival was still happening. Quite an interesting experience.

Saturday morning, finally met up with the newlyweds, Mr and Mrs Ng, for whom I had made the wedding cake. (not the most RECENT newlyweds). Lunched in a dim sum place in Times Square, followed by dessert, a lovely mango puree with pomelo shreds and mango ice cream and sago.

These were my main purchases throughout the trip:
Yup, cookie cutters.

Sunday - hosted a pot luck dinner for Woman I am Scared Of, who is in town for her nephew's wedding, together with her housemate.

Eat, Gym, Eat

2006-09-25T10:50:00.000+08:00

What a grossly unhealthy weekend. Eating and more eating.

Had to skip bible study coz there was a rare invite from old friend, non practising doctor cum funiture magnate, to the matrimonial house, and also to get acquainted with her new husband. (as in, they got married recently).

Twas a lovely gathering, old friends, good food, laughter over the dinner table, all very civilised. Godma, Oldest Friend and Sweetie, Mr Acid Tongue Lawyer, wifey and the hosts, over a dinner of carrot & leek soup, roasted lamb with rosemary, salad, and my contribution of flourless chocolate cakes for dessert. Lovely home.

On Saturday night, it was my turn to reciprocate Lion Heart's and yhsmom's previous dinners, and since it is the week before the next FF launch, managed to get a number of GXIs as well. Alas, FCI and Richelle couldn't make it. The former coz he had a wedding in penang, and the latter coz she had other plans. Despite the fact that there was a dearth of female instructors, it was still an enjoyable affair. The notable new face was ex FCI, who up till now, had always been very difficult to invite.

Dinner comprised Roast Chicken Fajitas, with Guacamole, Sour Cream, Mango & Tomato Salsa, (ARGHHH, I knew I forgot something!!! Sauteed Onions!!!), Tuna & Mushroom Tartlets, (which was the least popular), Edamame beans, Cheese Platter, Mains of Roast Boneless Leg of Lamb with Honey Mustard Glaze, Zuchinni Mushroom Pie, Salad with Quails Eggs and Pine Nuts, and Roast Duck Pasta. Dessert was Tiramisu, embellished by the FRANGELICO that Leon Lai brought, (absolutely divine, that Frangelico stuff), Lemon Tart, which FSI recoiled in horror upon the first taste, coz it was too sour, and some flourless chocolate cakes that were leftover from the night before.

Leon was in his elements, and provided much of the Diva type entertainment, while Lionheart regaled us with tales of the gym. We toasted Boy Wonder, (robin), who had just turned 20!!! Sheesh!!! Shades and gf were the first to leave, as Shades' gf had to sing early in church. Leon and exFCI stayed on till quite late, as Leon kept breaking into broadway mode.

Me with No 1 in Tianjin, and GF. (same name as gorgeous woman)

And Lionheart brought the most divine dessert wine!!! Tokai? Absolutely orgasmic. Not to mention the bottle of Cloudy Bay, which still remains unopened. Anyway, it was a great night, if I may say so myself.

Sunday night, we celebrated Kung See Lai's birthday, age undisclosed. Dinner at Deutschehaus, where we literally pigged out. Aiyooo, so much meat. Shudder. Age shows when dinner conversation revolves around cholestrol, hepapitis etc etc... But it was still an enjoyable affair, and we adjourned to their house to cut the cake and drink more wine.

Was entrusted with the cake, and she had requested a lemon cheese cake, which was my first attempt. I guess since it was a "free cake", people could be honest, and the reviews went quite well.

Birthday girl seemed thrilled with her presents, a handbag and TWO donna hay books.

What an exhausting weekend. I need a weekday to recover.

Celebrating his Birthday For the 5th Time...

2006-09-11T14:29:00.000+08:00

In 2002, the venue was Chill, the theme was oriental. In 2003, the venue was Chill, and the theme, BLACK. Twas quite funny, coz when they sang the birthday song, there was a gong going CHIANG, every time we finished, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU....wearing black and all, one wondered if it was a Chinese Funeral....

In 2004, it was Bar Savanh, theme...hmmm, I forget. 2005 was stripes, in The Ivy. From the photo archive, the 2004 party didn't seem to have a distinct theme, either that, or the guest didn't cooperate, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it was black and white. Like zebras.

This year, the theme was PINK. Pretty in Pink or what. Venue? Bar Savanh. As usual, everyone seemed dressed to the nines, you'd think that Tatler would be featuring the event. The usual array of drinks lined the table, as the 80s music was belted out.....and this time we were really showing our age. King of the Chinese kept exclaiming how good the music was, and when they played boney M's By the Rivers of Babylon, I was reminded of my school bus days in form 1 & 2, when they used to play Boney M. Nevertheless, I reckon the 80s music is classic dance music, and with adequate amounts of plonk in the system, it WOULD be the music to which you might catch my gyrating to.

Gliterrati of KL

The Birthday cake, which I was commissioned to make. It comprised 34 pieces of flourless chocolate cake with brandy chocolate sauce

.Dancing to 80s music

Oh, did I mention it was Red Planet's Birthday I was talking about? The annual event of the year when I can look forward to a hangover with certainty. However this year, the hangover was a 6 out of 10, 10 being that year 2003, when Mr Reliable bundled me into a cab and I was still sick the next day at dinnertime.

I vaguely remember leaving at 3.30 am in the morning, and I believe it's the first time I've actually left at the same time as the birthday boy. What a great night. You do host the best birthday parties, Red Planet. (of course, cannot count Bordeaux in the comparison list).

Spent most of Saturday morning in a daze, as I attended nephew's birthday lunch. Body combat in the evening helped detox somewhat, which was followed by some intensive baking, which was then followed by gambling. Oh my goodness, it DOES sound like I lead a pagan, hedonistic lifestyle!!! It was wholesome gambling, much like harmless mahjong amongst old folk.

Sunday church as usual, followed by preparations for baby boy's 4th birthday party. What an exhausting weekend!!!

One Night In Bangkok Makes A Lard Man Crumble

2006-08-21T12:56:00.000+08:00

One of the major things that struck me about the food courts in Bangkok, is the abundance of that very haram meat. There's virtually no escape!!! I wonder where the Jewish people eat.

That aside, Bangkok is really quite a culinary paradise. Lots of good food, and very cheap too, wherever you turn. A lot like here really, people seem to live to eat. My kinda place. Thanks to air asia's free ticket giveaway sometime last year, we managed to get to and from bangkok for a total of RM356, airport taxes, for two, return!!! Now if that is not a steal, I don't know what is. And, accommodation courtesy of dear old friends, Bangkok Lawyer working for Swiss company, made it a really economical holiday. Food, glorious food, and lots of it. The only BAD meal we had was the "buffet" lunch on board the barge which was part of the tour package for our trip to historical Ayuthayya.

Evil Twin happened to be in town on Thursday, so met up for dinner with him, together with Mrs Bangkok Lawyer, and other half, in some restaurant in Emporium. Leon Lai had suggested I buy local prepaid phone card for cheaper sms-es, but it still worked out to nearly RM1 per pop, for a thai to msian number. But at least the prepaid card made me mindful of the unnecessary sms-es and the accumulated sms bill, unlike when we were in Hong Kong last year, and spent RM200 on sms-es alone. (each was RM1.60 per pop, on roaming).

Evil Twin and Me

This is an embarrasing confession, but the first night, after dinner, we hungout at Carrefour....check out the humongous durians...nice to look at only, but Thais eat theirs really dry and hard.

Day 2 saw us waking up yet again at some ungodly hour, to catch the tour to the historical capital, Ayuthayya. It's actually quite a good tour, coz it covers a bit of everything, the usual mandatory WAT, (temple), which housed supposedly one of the largest bronze Buddhas in Thailand, 12m high. Then there was the ruins, of the old capital, which was well worth seeing, and finally the modern Summer Palace.

WAT chamayacallit

Stupa -fied

Pimping the Pachyderms

Historical Ayuthaya

The tree trunks that have grown around this old water tower

Spectacular old ruins

Took this because of the interesting name of the Princess, which means something intriguing in Malay. "Dara Rasmi - Official Virgin"

The scenic summer palace....part of the grounds.

That was day 2 gone. Dinner again with Mrs Bangkok Llawyer, as Mr was still overseas. To work of the heavy dinner, we walked a bit.....

DAY 3, Bangkok Lawyer had arrived earlier in the morning, from Beijing. Headed for our favourite breakfast joint, Au Bon Pain, which sells the loveliest bagels, with bacon and eggs. Their adorable little girl came along too. Shopped a bit in Emporium, had vietnamese beef noodles for lunch, yummy, followed by ice cream, followed by massage.....(the third in the trip).
Another scrumptious dinner in Chinatown....courtesy of Bangkok Lawyer. Feel really bad doing a "Sponge Bob...." (ie, sponging off Bangkok Lawyer). I did offer to bake him something.

After dinner, we went jalan jalan in Patpong. The range of fakes isn't as good, I feel, compared with our petaling street. Pimps abounded, selling tiger shows, etc etc...

By this time, the rest were tired, so dropped me off to meet my Nestle friend, in this pub called the Dubliner. Alas, Nestle friend was nearly an hour late, but it was worth waiting, coz after that, he and his friend, the L of YSL, whisked us off to Q Bar on Soi 11, very very happening place, packed like sardines, predominantly with Europeans. Apparently all the "local" girls there were available...talk about your proverbial meat market. I found it a bit demeaning, but nevertheless, it was a great experience. I expected a bar brawl to ensue when a russian prost threw a drink at one of the swiss guys in our group. He was surprisingly gentlemanly about it, and didn't retaliate.....

Got back at 3.30am!!! (not before L brought us around to see if there were any other spots opened...apparently Q bar has to shut at 2am coz they don't pay the police enough).

DAY 4 - Breakfast with hangover...... and back home!!!!

Ta Ta For Now, Our New American Hero

2006-08-07T10:56:00.000+08:00

My first memory of talking to this huge, strong, wholesome American was in church, asking him if he was a missionary. He has that clean cut look, the type that would appear in show like "Married to the Kellys", or "Everybody Loves Raymond", but not in "Friends" or "Sex and the City".

Anyway, his 3 year tenure in this country has finally come to an end, after several few false starts. (We had earlier on hosted a farewell for him a few months ago). Anyway, this time, it was more organised, with proper agenda, etc, and it was an added bonus that the Lees from Amherst were also in town.

Mushroom & Zuchinni Pie

Roast Leg of Lamb with rosemary, garlic and honey mustard glaze

Mango and Tomato Salsa For The Fajitas

Salad With quails eggs

Fajitas, with Roast Chicken, Avocado, Caramelised Onions, Sour Cream

Pasta With Deep Fried Aubergine

The Cookie Cutters I got from The Lees of Amherst

Signature Flourless Chocolate Cakes

Lemon Meringue Pie

Silicone Bakeware, given by Mr & Mrs Tiger Chin,
which I've been meaning to put up, but forgot earlier on.

Anyway, the night progressed fairly well, with light hearted banter, and a game on HOW WELL DO WE KNOW SF!! Planned by Mrs Lee, basically we were asked questions about him, with 3 multiple choice answers to choose from, and if we got it right, he gets to do something, and if we got it wrong, he gets something from us, as can be seen from the pic below, where all those below 35 had to give him a 1 minute massage.

We ended by praying for him, God Speed be on his way.

Well, we'll miss you, and I'm sure the kids will miss you loads, but I'm sure we'll meet again sometime soon, so take care, buddy, and see you soon.

Fatboybakes Goes Commercial

2006-08-03T10:31:00.000+08:00

Was at the Lake Club introduction night, with Director of Investment Banking, Famous Merchant Bank in town, and lovely wife, when I got a "distress" call from friend of a friend who runs a restaurant in suburbia. She urgently needed two types of dessert for today, and being a sucker for a damsel in distress, I obliged, although I was wondering HOW I could accomplish the task, given that I was half intoxicated on cheap plonk, and it was almost 10pm.

Anyway, I promised her my orange mocha chocolate brownie, and a lemon tart....since I had the ingredients on hand, at home. Had to stop over at 7-11 to pick up some eggs, and actually, by 11.30pm, had completed the task. Applause please, thank you. This MIGHT be the birth of fatboybakes into the commercial arena.

Then again, she or her customers might pan it, and it may herald the premature death of a baking career.

Out Partying On Monday Night

2006-08-02T11:33:00.000+08:00

I got an sms on Monday night asking me to join some friends at Zeta Bar, KL Hilton. Truth be told, I am morphing into a couch potato, especially on Monday nights, coz usually after bringing the kids for our routine jalan jalan in the mall, and after body pump, I'm pooped, and want to watch Seinfeld.

But when the next sms came, saying, "do come, it's my birthday", well, that about closes the door on any plausible excuse, and really, I didn't have any, apart from the fact that I was waiting for a cake to bake in the oven. Literally. Not an euphemism for pregnancy. Anyway, Zeta Bar is quite quiet on a Monday night, so it appears. Wife actually commented that it was nice and relaxing. Was a very pleasant evening, talking about wedding plans, etc.....
R of ELR group had a bottle of vodka leftover from Young Lawyer's Wedding, so drinks were kinda on the house....thanks Mr R.

So now, I was looking to couch potato on Tuesday instead, but get YET another sms from gym friend whom I havent caught up with in a while. He said to join him for drinks at the newly opened Jarrod & Rawlins outlet, a nicely renovated bungalow in Lrg Dungun. It's a pretty cool concept, a deli and wine shop, where you can order stuff and eat there, and drink there. The range of delicatessen is quite interesting, although I didn't eat this time. Well, it's non halal, and one of their claim to fame is real bacon and eggs breakfasts.

Had a fascinating conversation with the people present. One of them sells this contraption for the total well being and health, using aqua therapy. The other was an Indonesian (Chinese) who's lived in San Francisco for a long time, and is now living in Singapore. Had a good time. Nice place to chill out.....

Still Happening Oldies

2006-07-26T13:34:00.000+08:00

I think I've been going to this girl's birthday almost every year since 1998, probably the only exception being the time that they were in Cambridge. In my mind, she's still in her twenties, although she has long since crossed the Big THREE threshold. Time flies.

Anyway, last night, after family dinner, I was about to start playing with my new digital imaging software, when the familiar dit dit of an sms caught my attention. It read, "Oi, are you coming?" It was then, I realised that to my horror, I had COMPLETELY forgotten about the birthday drinks get together. Not only did I forget entirely, I also couldn't for the life of me remember where the venue was!!!! Instead of diplomatically masking my amnesia, I rather foolishly, in my brutally honest way, replied, "AIKS!!! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!!!! WHERE'S THE VENUE?".....

Of course, took a while an and earful before the birthday girl finally forgave me, bless her, the dear sweet young thing. It was nice to see everyone again....this particular crowd shows that one can be parents, in the late 30s, or early 40s, or heck, even late 50s, and STILL be happening. If one considers hanging out in Labodega Lounge sipping orange juice as happening that is. But give me these nice quiet places anytime, compared with places with loud blasting music. Already get enough of that in the Les Mills classes in the gym.

Birthday girl had a flaming lamborghini. I am still a Flaming Lamborghini virgin...I don't recall ever having sampled one of those vile concoctions....in any case, I seem to have developed a dairy alcohol intolerance. Give me dairy mixed with alcohol, and inevitably, it will be followed by wretching and puking. So wines with dessert that contain dairy are no no...

I also don't understand why in photographs, the pictures of the flame always disappear. Maybe its the flash. But I have yet to be able to capture a picture of the streaming flame that flows through the glass of sambuca to the chalice below.

Anyway, dear girl, Many Happy returns, and God bless you always. Thanks for a lovely night.

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

2006-07-17T13:30:00.000+08:00

Many years ago, when I was a young impressionable year 12 student, naive and innocent, a certain gentleman, who was a defacto mentor in my cell group, gave me this advice, which resounds in my mind till today. He said, "Fatboy[sic], make sure you study HARD for your HSC, because it will determine which university you go to, but once you're in university, you can take it easy, just study enough to pass". Which I thought was brilliant advice, until it dawned on me, that all the filthy rich amongst us were mainly commerce and econs graduates. In those days, commerce and econs were the easy courses to get into. Engineering, on the other hand, wasn't so hard to enter, but was a major slog, with 40 contact hours per week, as opposed to what? 10 hours the commerce students had? And who's raking in the money now? Who???

So, in retrospect, it was BAD advice. He should've just said, take it easy, both for HSC AND univeristy. That way, I would have failed to get into engineering, and would probably be swimming in wealth now.

Anyway, that self same gentleman, was in town with his lovely wife, (aka Mr & Mrs Tiger Chin), so of course, the least I could do is to host a dinner party for imparting such stellar words of wisdom so many years ago.

As Tiger himself hails from the noble profession of Hippocrates, most of his contemporaries here are also in a similar league. I have never been in the presence of so many intellectual luminaries before...I must have single handedly brought down the average IQ of the entire room.

Anyway, the menu is posted above. It was an interesting crowd, but I can safely say, all older than I, as they were from Tiger's vintage. So, for a change, I was the baby in the group once again. Made the durian poppy seed cake, with durian cream, and flourless chocolate cakes with molten centres for dessert.....

Mrs Tiger Chin gave me this dazzling array of silicone bakeware, which is absolutely fabulous. Thanks soooo much, I am genuinely thrilled to bits.

It was very nice catching up with you guys, and hope you had a good time. Hope the food was up to scratch as well. And dessert.

Yo Ho Ho and A Bottle Of Rum

2006-07-14T13:32:00.000+08:00

I actually baffle myself that I liked this movie, as I also did with the prequel, Curse of the Black Pearl. For the latter, I had watched it on DVD, with zero expectation, and was delighted especially by Johnny Dep's Jack Sparrow. Other half obviously wasn't that enthralled by it, nodding off to sleep at certain parts.

The new online pre-paid ticketing system is really a godsent as far as buying tickets is concerned. I am amazed that not more people use it, considering the fact that the youth of today must probably have a credit card, as banks virtually shove it down their throats the minute they're weaned from formula milk. The ticketing queues are still amazingly long. One of my pet peeves is waiting in a queue. I get impatient waiting at the express queue in the supermarket. Wild horses and naked women prancing couldn't drag me to the movies if I had to queue for tickets.

I am not sure how Disney thinks that these movies are suitable for kids. Then again, kids these days seem sooo desensitized to violence and gore. Even Superman I found a tad violent. Storyline wise, it was an interesting premise, but the ending sucked big time. Better not inadvertently give away the plot, but suffice to say, there'll DEFINITELY be a Pirates 3. As usual, stellar performance by Johnny Depp. Not sure if I like Orlando Bloom. Keira Knightley's okay. Jonathan Pryce, I am amazed at his ability to switch between playing a villain, and a good guy. He actually has quite a kindly face, but yet, capable of being sinister. Of course, he was the original "Engineer" in Ms Saigon, the musical.

Was commenting that in a space of four days, we've watched Orlando and his girlfriend, Kate Bosworth (lois lane) in two separate movies.

Actually, there has been quite a lot happening, even socially, but trying to keep the limited edition....limited.... .

Yay, Superman Returns!!!!

2006-07-12T11:33:00.000+08:00

I am unashamed to admit that I am an ARDENT fan of superman. To me, he personifies everything that is good, and pure, and he doesn't have that whole baggage that other superheroes carry around with them. Batman is bordering psychopath, Spiderman, well, blames himself for his Uncle Ben's death, and is only an accidental hero, Wonder Woman was a chick in love, chasing after a man in mortal land, Hulk.....well, not even in the same league, then the Fantastic Four fellows....

Frankly, I was a bit wary about the movie, as I had gotten a text from friend saying Superman was a waste of time. What do these kids know, they didn't grow up with this iconic role model. All they had were the power puff girls and Mr Bean. Did they go through the life and times of the Man of Steel, from his death by Doomsday and his subsequent marriage to that trollop, Lois. I think he deserves so much better. But anyway, the movie storyline, apart from the Origins from Krypton, I think do not follow the DC comic strips.

I remember back in 1978, or 79 it must have been, when Christopher Reeve was Superman, and how he turned the world backwards to save Ms Lane from that earthquake at hoover dam. Honestly, she's quite the klutz isn't she, getting into scrapes only possible for Lois Lane. Who walks into a suspicious looking luxury yacht with no invitation, leaves her cellphone in her car, and brings along her 5 year old kid??? Who????

Brandon Routh bears an uncanny resemblance to the young Christopher Reeve, with that likeable, trustworthy look. Unlike actors like Tom Cruise, or Brad Pitt, who look so full of themselves. Brandon looks like a down to earth but yet incredibly good looking chap, and really, perfectly cast for the role. Granted, there were some cheesy moments in the movie, in the Lois - Supes love dances, but ah, the nostalgia....I'm so glad they kept the John Williams theme, and even the "Can You Read My Mind"...... Kevin Spacey was great as Lex Luthor, then again, give him any role and he'll shine. Actually, I quite liked this Lois. (Kate Bosworth). Didn't seem quite so helpless.

So, to that young kid who sms-ed me that it was a "waste of time", may you rust in peace. Superman, YOU THE MAN!!!!

Tai Tai-dom and Chef-dom All At The Same Time

2006-07-04T11:34:00.000+08:00

Our dear friend, Kung See Lai, has been on a cooking rampage. Whipping up desserts, at first, and now into full fledged chinese/asian cooking. Which is no mean feat!! I reckon asian cooking is one of the hardest cuisines, due to the lengthy preparation times, and cooking times. We were the lucky beneficiaries of her newly acquired culinary skills, and were treated to a lovely sit down dinner at the hallowed halls of their home.

Dont you just love these intimate soirees, good food, good friends, good wine, ah, it doesn't get much better than this.

The darndest thing was against my better judgement, I had some coffee because Lanky Lawyer had brought along yow char kuai, (chinese cruellers), and ham cheen peang, which were crying out to be dunked in thick local coffee.... this moment of weakness caused me an entire sleepless night. It's like having a hangover, without the highs of the night before.

Beancurd With Dried Shrimp and Chilli

Kailan With Beef

My favourite, ribs with an assortment of spices, cardamom, cinnamon, with Lea Perrins sauce, if I am not mistaken.

Prawn Vindaloo

There was also a steamed fish, but by the time I remembered to take pictures, the food was almost half gone. For dessert, we had the tiramisu that I brought, doused in a bit too much kahlua I think.

Thanks for a lovely dinner, Kung See Lai.

Another One Bites The Dust

2006-07-03T11:11:00.000+08:00

It's that time of the year, the christmas decorations equivalent for weddings, everywhere you turn, it's there... weddings weddings weddings. As the groom put it, it's one of those events where you actually pay for your own dinner....

Anyway, this time, it was the wedding of our former youth pastor. The event was held at the Holiday Villa. He had originally asked me, about a year ago, to emcee the event, but seeing as to what a shy and low profile person I am, I had to politely decline the honor. (also, I have emceed about 25 weddings, and have completely run out of material). Next, he asked me to be wedding coordinator. In retrospect, if I had accepted, I'd probably be in a box by now; what with having to contend with making a wedding cake for last weekend's wedding AND becoming wedding coordinator for this one. Cannot, cannot. So, I had to politely decline that request as well, as was beginning to feel like a lousy friend. I repeatedly asked him if there was any OTHER role I could play in his wedding, and for the longest time, the answer was no, thanks. I couldn't help feeling that he might have a bit slighted at my earlier two refusals. Nevertheless, about a fortnight ago, he calls to ask if I can help out at the reception, ie, registering guests and collecting ang pows etc. Of course, this time I said yes.

It was a mammoth wedding by any standard. The expected guest numbers for the church reception, which was at a different ballroom, was about 400 plus, and 800 plus at the dinner. We were to greet guests by saying, "[Groom] and [Bride] appreciate your presence here today". I couldn't resist adding "would you like fries with that" for people I knew.

As we (the ushering and reception team) had to sit outside most of the time, I missed most of the vows, and sermon. Managed to catch a glimpse here and there, but what was really touching was the groom's thank you speech to his mother. His mother is really quite something, raising him single handedly.

Waiting to enter the ballroom

Couple cutting the fake cake

Because the church reception was at the same hotel, most of the guests were already there, so dinner started unusually early, for a chinese wedding. But with 80 odd tables, we figured, if the couple spent a minute on each table, that alone would be almost 1½ hours. Dinner ended at 10.15, leaving me enough time to go for my phase 2, a housewarming party in Izen Kiara.

To my horror, they were watching football, the Portugal vs England game.

After the match, Mr Red Planet said he had prepared a Ms Universe game....we were to pretend we were finalists and answer very difficult questions. As I had one too many Canadian Club with soda, I really can't recall my questions.

Pictured below is the Ms Portugal, who was runner up....

Ended going to bed at 4am. Thank goodness, that was the last of the happening weekends for now...

It Must Have Been An Auspicious Date

2006-06-26T10:09:00.000+08:00

I'm wondering if it was an auspicious date in the chinese calendar, or whatever other calendar that people follow to track auspiciousness. It's been one of those weekends that have rendered me SOOO exhausted, I need the weekdays to recuperate from the sheer hecticness of it all.

It started with Friday night, with pre wedding dinner buffet at young lawyer's house; he and his family have just moved into a huge mansion, where the dry kitchen alone, is the size of a small apartment. The refrigerator, not available locally, can probably fit 3 of me, easily, which is saying A LOT!!! Food was excellent, by one of my favourite caterers, Han Nam Fong, who have been very consistent so far. Their roti bom is to die for, and their roast lamb, curry mee, etc, all very very palatable. Young Lawyer understandably was busy as a blue arsed fly, but nevertheless, we had a leisurely and enjoyable dinner. Enigmatic Woman (of ELR group) is now leading the race in the FONG FEI KEI (standing up at the last minute) stakes, and is pretty much certain of the FFK Queen crown. Previous FFK champion, Mr Actuary, was actually there early. Forgot to take pictures.

Then it was time to adjourn to yet another party, a housewarming in Andalucia, Pantai Hillpark, where Young Looking Doctor, ex Paed, (Paedetrician, not paedophile), had set up nest.... he is sharing an apartment with Mr "Articulate Lawyer". Now, as I mentioned at the party, and Red Planet concurred, that the event was most blogworthy, alas, it's not bloggable. Mr Bad was in top form, while chubby sabahan was as usual, teetotalling. Young Steward represented chubby sabahan in the drinking. Mr Reliable was in a foul mood probably from the football score. What? Was he supporting KSA???

One of the highlights of the party was the impersonation of opposite gender show, ..... or more crudely known as drag.

Quite honestly, if no one told me, I would not have been able to tell that the who the person was, when dressed normally. Anyway, because of other obligations, such as having to put finishing touches to a wedding cake, I had to ensure my sobriety and left the party early.

Saturday began unusually early for me, as I had to wake up at 7am to ensure I got the decorations onto the wedding cake on time, (for the full story of the wedding cake, go read about it here), and get the 1st bride's (I had two weddings on saturday) house for the cheep sun leong. (collecting the bride).

The coven of witches had already congregated at the bride's house,

brooms all parked neatly in a row, as they waited for their male prey. We were assigned our tasks; the groom had to roll a giant dice; which indicated the floor to which they were allowed to take a lift up to. Since he tossed a 4, he could take the lift to 4th floor, and walk the rest of the way to the 7th floor, where the bride lived. As did all of the other guys as well. Some later confessed to cheating, and taking the lift all the way to the top, because it was a matter of principle, and they could not let the women have the victory. Way to go, guys. The first game was to pass a polo mint relay style via toothpicks in the mouth. I seriously wonder which cauldron the women picked out these ideas from.

The other task was to compose a song containing the words, Piaw Liang (pretty), Dim Sum, Sweetie Pie, Honey Bun, Darling Dearest. .... writing songs can somewhat be considered my forte....ahem, so to the tune of Shanghai Bund, the groom sang;

Daling Dearest, (teng terreng), Sweetie Pie, (teng terreng)
You so piaw liang, you make me wanna fly,
My dim sum, my siew mai,
Honey Bun, I'm so glad you are mine...

One interesting task was for the groom to pick out ice cubes with his toes to spell out the words I LOVE YOU..... talk about literally giving him cold feet!!!!!

The other one, that fell flat, was having to form a pyramid to lift the groom for him to reach above the barrier, because, unbeknownst to the girls, we had Samson with us, aka Greatest American hero, who could single handedly lift the groom like a father lifts his toddler, on his shoulders.We finally got through all the barriers, and the bride made her appearence, looking resplendent with her bouquet interspersed with kumquats. The same fruit that she wanted on her wedding cake.It was then time for the church wedding. It was a lovely ceremony, and one of our friends, (name of old shopping centre since gone bust), gave a solo rendition of SOME ENCHANTED EVENING.

Very nice, save for the last stanza which he missed a beat, .....but valiant effort nonetheless. Well done, (name of old shopping centre since gone bust)!!!!

There were also hilarious sms-es being exchanged, but none of which are bloggable. (not pertaining to the bride and groom...more to do with ppl in the congregation).

After the church wedding, it was over to Sunway Lagoon Resort, for the luncheon, which was a full 8 course chinese dinner thingie. Evil Twin kept saying how surreal it was that it was still daytime, and we were feasting on an 8 course dinner, with wine. It was nice milling around the foyer for pre lunch cocktails, lots of old friends are in town, Hox and Hax, (aka quodlibet), Mr & Mrs Brash, and another surprise, Freon Mind, whom I completely didn't recognise....because of the socialising, I missed the cake cutting, much to my regret.

I was also entrusted with the toasting, which was an easy enough task. A lovely afternoon, indeed, and a lovely wedding it was. God bless you both, dear friends, as you embark on your new life together, and as you move to Hong Kong, we hope you won't forget us, and please keep in touch.

Moving on to the next big event. Of course, before the night dinner, I collapsed into a short deep nap, and even 3 screaming kids failed to wake me.

Dinner - Young Lawyer and Pretty Young Wife, KL Hilton....

Ah, what a lovely glittering gala it was....lovely food, lovely wine, lovely company.....our table consisted of mainly the original ELR (Everybody Loves Raymond) Group....even the fong fei kei kings and queens were there, (we had young engineer, his sister, patriarch of the ELR group, mr actuary, ms enigmatic, cousin in law & gf) ....we seem to have quite a number of common friends, so saw more familiar faces, some which were at the wedding this afternoon, like Pits and Chungs. FCI and GF were there too.

The traditional toast. Young Lawyer's Cork flew rather far,
when he popped the champagne.

A toast with new old friends.

The ELR group

Where the boys are....

FCI and his GF....

The party went on till late, .....the gents toilet was like a warzone. Blood colored (coz of the red wine) spew all over the place.... Haha...they don't make the young people like they used to.

We wish the happy young couple a lifetime of bliss, and joy together. (as in the bridal couple).

SUNDAY DINNER - Potluck at LTA's house, in honor of the PhD returnees for their summer hols.

I expected to be severely hungover from yesterday's activities, but surprisingly wasn't. Even had the energy to whip up 3 pies, ie, one chicken pie, one bacon quiche and one lemon tart, for the pot luck.

The food was great at the pot luck....Cantonese yee mee and hokkien mee, BOUGHT by pits and chungs, lovely potato salad with bacon bits, by the new Mrs Tan, Greatest American Hero's Potatos with cheese and sun dried tomatoes, (YUMMM), Quodlibets Baked Chicken With Onions and Potatos, Zan's tiramisu, and my stuff. Oh, and the cherry tomatos with cheese and cucumber, and Haagen Daz ice cream fromSai Low.

My Lemon Tart

That lovely potato salad with bacon bits

Twas nice catching up with all the old friends.....

Birthday of Chungs and Greatest American Hero

Boy having a gala time pretending he's superman.

And while we're at it, a recent picture of my darling baby girl.

She Leaves For Boston

2006-06-14T12:25:00.000+08:00

Remember the Hen Night that we attended a few months ago, with the Brokeback Mountain theme? Well, time has flown, and that "hen" has since roosted with her rooster, and since she's Malaysian, and he's American, she is uprooting from her tanah pusaka, journeying across distant seas to be by the side of her new husband.

After several foiled attempts at a farewell, a few of us finally got together, thanks to the impeccable planning skills of Red Planet (it's quite disturbing that most of my limited edition entries revolve around this particular social group) we got together for a quiet night of mainly non alcoholic drinks, at CLEAR. When we first arrived, the only drinks on the table were mineral water. Had to quickly rectify that dry situation with a beer. More people trickled in as time went by. The celebrant had a house red which she swore had turned into vinegar, (and actually, I had a taste and thought it quite suspect as well, and I am no connoiseur, and usually knock down anything without much complaints), but the waitress very authoritatively avered that that was how that particular wine is supposed to taste. A bit sweet, sourish....Hmmm, very suspect indeed.

Anyway, if you are reading, or ever read this, here's wishing you all the very best in your future life together as wife and man, and do keep in touch. The good thing is, in this day and age, the physical distances don't seem so big anymore.

Dinner With The Queen

2006-06-05T13:29:00.000+08:00

...as in the Permaisuri Agong.

Anyway, on Saturday night, I bumped into old friend, in BSC, who had a trolley full of very expensive packaging boxes, like RM40 each. She was telling me that it was for cupcakes, for the Permaisuri, no less. Of course, I had to up the ante, and announce that I was having "dinner with the queen" the following night, and if I do speak to her, I would tell her, "oh, I hope you enjoy your cupcakes tomorrow".

In actual fact, I was invited to a wedding dinner, where their majesties, the King and Queen (of Malaysia, that is), would be present. So, in a way, I was having "dinner" with them, albeit with 800 other guests. No big deal la, actually. Wedding dinners with royalty are full of protocol, and can be tedious, and in the case of Muslim weddings, there is no alcohol either. These are usually sure recipes for boredom, BUT for the fact that your own table is full of fun people, and the ever handy hip flask, filled with vodka, acts as a perfect complement to the blackcurrant cordial that is served.

Nevertheless, we were very honored to be invited for this glittering gala. It truly epitomises the Malaysian Muhibbah spirit. The groom is Indian Chinese descent, whilst the resplendent bride is Malay. It doesn't get anymore Malaysian than that, unless you throw in some Kadazan/Iban/Dayak blood somewhere along the line. The bersanding ceremony was a colorful affair, of course, the first to bless the nuptial couple being the King himself.

Mr Reliable and Red Planet had foreseen that dinner would be more like suppertime, and had earlier on had their fill, with Mr Reliable tucking in a club sandwhich at the hotel lounge. By 9.15, I was getting ravenous, and had walloped the wedding cake. (as in the little complimentary pieces on the table, not the main cake on the dais)

. Anyway, we initially had some problem getting a table to fit all of us. Complacency had us entering the ballroom a bit late, assuming that there will be an entire empty table, but as luck would have it, this group is good friends with the emcee, so we conveniently plonked ourselves on the table marked EMCEE/USTAZ.
The emcee was famous ex newscaster, Mahadhir Lokman.
He is a friendly guy, rather jolly, and very down to earth. Pantuns and sajaks in tow, he glided through the protocol like an old hand. Ampun Tuanku Beribu ribu ampun, sembah patik harap di ampun.....
Wonder if you have to say that with the british queen. I can't even begin to translate.

Food was finally served at 9.23pm, (I checked my watch for precise time, coz Red Planet and Mr Reliable said no earlier than 9.30)...the usual fare for malay weddings. Briyani rice, rendang, chicken curry, etc etc. Very tasty. Problem with this kind of menu is, its a carbo nightmare, as all that lovely saucy food MUST go with rice.

Our happening table, with the bersanding dais as the backdrop

Well, it turned out to be a rather enjoyable night. Good company, good food, glitterati all around, not a bad way to spend a Sunday night.

The bersanding dais.

Welcom Home, Narco Nic and Mrs Baumgartner

2006-05-23T11:39:00.000+08:00

The highlight of last week was the return of the Baumgartners. He used to work in an unnamed Swiss Company here in KL, where he led life to the fullest. Scuba diving every 2nd weekend, partying till he dropped, and ironically, it was in KL that love between him and his pakistani wife blossomed.

Now based in Kobe, where the famed beef comes from, they came "home" for a holiday, the 2nd time since they left our shores for the land of the rising sun. I guess KL as a holiday destination for expats or people earning USD, is a cheap destination. The night they arrived, it was quite late by the time they settled down etc, so we had a quick drink at Q Ba, in the Westin, next to the Marriott where they were staying. The Q Ba is really filled with an older, but happening, well heeled crowd, who clearly can afford to pay the exorbitant amount for drinks. (forgot camera that night, so no pics)

Day 2, we brought them to Bijan for dinner. Bijan, pronounced Bi Jan as in Janakuasa, not bee jhan in the french way, and it simply means sesame seed in Malay. Seeing as to how Japanese, and Western food were out of the question, I thought some traditional Malay food would go down well with their palates. The food, I have to say, without bias, (the owners are my friends) is rather good. Makes you eat lots of rice. Corkage is exorbitant though, at RM50. You are probably better off just buying their wines.

An array of local delicacies, in a non mamak setting. Rendang, Curry Pineapple with Prawns, Duck in Dark Soya Sauce, Chicken in Sambal and Petai. The teh tarik ice cream was rather yummy; have been trying to get the recipe off the proprietoress for ages now, but its a jealously guarded secret.

The next day, the couple left for Tanjung Jara, Terengganu, and stayed on for the next 5 days, returning only on Friday. I had arranged for their old friends to meet up for drinks, at his favourite haunt, La Bodega Lounge....sadly, it must have been something in the air, only 2 people showed up for drinks. A bottle of Anejo Cuban Rum, several whiskies and a bottle of champagne later, we were in high spirits. Turned out to be a great night, thanks in a large way to the wonderful staff at Labods.

That's me doing some dialogue from some play

The following night, was their last night here, and they very kindly bought dinner at Thai restaurant in Bangsar, Lanna. Godma was there to catch up, and we brought the kids as well to say hallo.

It was great to see you guys, do come home again soon.

Grease Is The Word

2006-05-19T09:42:00.000+08:00

Of course, when I first heard that Grease was coming to town, I was completedly indifferent, as I had seen a production in Melbourne before that was err.... put it this way, it gives some of our local crap a run for its money. (eg the recent Pygmalion, etc). But when the members of the distinguished Cheese Platter mooted the idea, my heart kinda fluttered a little, because, to get a "date" with these people is almost as impossible as meeting John Travolta or Olivia. So, the idea of spending an evening with them and others, did seem like a pleasant alternative to Thursday night shopping in Tesco. And with that affirmative answer, in retrospect, I see the wings on my dollar notes flapping.

After blowing RM170 on tickets, dinner had to be a semi spartan affair, in the KLCC food courts. I usually enter KLCC from the Lorong Kuda end, and know exactly where to park and which escalator to take, when I go for the MPO. This time, because I was running late, I took the nearest entrance, which was off Jln P.Ramlee, and I must have spent 10 minutes going around the deepest basement looking for a familiar spot. Of course, what I didn't realise was that I usually parked on a different level, so nothing looked familiar. Anyway, despite being almost last at the food court, I finished my food first, as I was ravenously hungry.

The anticipation built up as we traipsed through the underpass in KLCC leading towards the KL Convention Centre. I discoverd that "Queen of Sorr" is soooo easily embarrased. Just do a jig or sing to her in public and she'll flee you like you have the bubonic plague. It was with great delight, therefore, to embarrass her by suddenly bursting into song and dance in that KLCC underpass. The others, namely Duke Onesto, KO3, Princess Pariah, Principessa Oliva, Lady Gray watched in mild amusement as the Queen turned a darker shade of scarlet.

The foyer area of the Plenary hall was Arctic conditions, I half expected so see some escaped penguins from neighbouring Aquaria. Anyway, we trooped in, after numerous loo breaks, to our seats which were like 3 kms from the stage. The plenary hall is humoungous. Not a suitable venue for musicals, because its too huge.

Anyway, from the start, the speakers were experiencing some kind of delay, ie, front speakers and rear speakers not in sync, which was terrible, for it resulted in some kinda shockingly annoying echo. Didn't help when the broads came on in their high pitched falsettos. Lady Gray who was sitting next to me was equally irritated. I had to resist the urge to stand up midway and go and report the matter. But fortunately, miraculously, almost, toward the end of THOSE MAGIC CHANGES, they rectified the mike. (I think it was then). Having ruined the first 20 minutes, you'd have expected a marked improvement. Mooning was good. Freddy My Love was good. Greased Lightning was crap. Completely so no oooomph. Might be suitable for a 80s disco. (as in a disco for 80 year olds). The first half was only an hour. We spent the entire intermission bitching about how bad it was. KO3 even fell asleep, wasting a good RM85.

But the worse was yet to come. The 2nd half did nothing to redeem itself, except for Beauty School Drop Out, which was a new take, coz the teen angel was sung by this black woman, gospel style, which was excellent. The highlight of the entire show. Hopeless Devoted to you was HOPELESS. One of my favourite songs, It's Raining On Prom Night, wasn't featured. Rizzo's There Are Worse Things I could Do, well, true, there were worse songs that were sung, so it wasnt the worst. The "I got chills, in my direction", was prophetic, as it sent chills down our spine. I am amazed at how bad the quality of singing was.

Well, if you are reading this, and are contemplating going for the musical, PERISH all thought. You will derive more entertainment with your money just by flapping it around in front of your face.

The stage at the Plenary Hall.

This is us posing for a groupie pic after the show. Forgot to do the thumbs down sign.

PS: I've started blogging about gym again on http://fatboybakesatgym.blogpsot.com

When Old Friends Remarry

2006-05-02T12:21:00.000+08:00

He is a widower, she a widow. Both have 2 boys. He's Malaysian, she Singaporean. Now what are the odds of these two people hooking up? Oh well, as I said before, a measure of how close a friend is, is how far you are willing to travel to attend their wedding. Since this one was in Singapore, it was kinda a no brainer, that I had to be there. Only hitch was, the wedding dinner, which was to be at Raffles Hotel, was on Sunday night, whereas the church wedding and luncheon on Saturday morning. Of course, being the good Christians that we are, (cough choke), I guess our presence at the church ceremony is more important than being seen at the Raffles. So, it was a painful choice I had to make. Staying on for the dinner would mean staying an additional TWO nights. Which will make it 3 nights in Singapore, which is a long stay. Very Long.

The ceremony was held in the Chapel of the Trinity Theological College, in Upper Bukit Timah Road. I figured that everything in Singapore is within 10 minutes of each other, by cab, so took a leisurely breakfast (near where I was squatting, courtesy of good friend, in UE 2, Clemenceau Ave), trying to recover somewhat from a night out with friends the night before. (nothing that is bloggable here).

The ceremony is singularly one of the nicest, and most memorable I've attended thus far. The bride was accompanied by her two sons, down the aisle, and she stopped halfway. The groom started crooning "My One and Only Love". Now, usually I would cringe, and find it exceedingly tacky that a groom would do this, but in this particular case, I found it exceedingly moving instead. It helped that the groom's voice wasn't like William Hung's. Then he walked down the aisle, and greeted the bride, rested her from her two boys, and walked back up the aisle towards the altar. I love ceremonies when the couple kneel. They knelt at some point. My ideal wedding is that of Maria to Captain Von Trapp, in the Salzburg Cathedral. Long aisle, beautiful church, kneel, stand, walk, kneel.....

I digress. And the presentations....now, I've heard some pretty awful presentations at weddings, but I have to say, this was a talented crew on board. The soloist who played the piano at the same time, and the duet-ists who gave a pretty good rendition of "Household of Faith", a difficult duet actually.

A lovely wedding. God bless you both.

The younger crowd.

Habeas Corpus

2006-04-27T10:13:00.000+08:00

When a friend acts in a play, I guess it is only good friendliness-ship to attend the play in support. So, since my ex favourite combat instructor was playing a role in the above mentioned play, albeit a cameo role, I thought I really should check it out. Now, getting people to accompany me to watch local theatre, after the last horrendous outing that was Pygmalion, is a feat almost equal to getting me to go for RPM in the gym. Anyway, short of grovelling and begging, I finally managed to coerce two old friends, evil twin, and joshua's dad, to come along. Another friend, who would have made up the male Sex and the City Foursome, gave a wuss of an excuse saying he has to file his taxes. Of all the feeble, lame, jelly like excuses!!!

After the trauma of the last locally adapted british script, we went with little expectations, although I had an inkling that this would be far more entertaining. Us boys wolfed down our cheap-ish set dinners in Hatsuhana, (actually, the sukiyaki set at RM20 only gives u two slices of meat), and mozied over to the actors studio.

The show was rather entertaining. Evil twin erupted into guffaws that I swore the whole theatre must have heard. A particular scene involving fake boobs and the president of the british medical association was hilarious, and my all time favourite line was when the female lead said, "All those nights while my body was wasted waiting in the moonlight...now I know how the Taj Mahal felt" (or something to that effect), and the famous quote "He whose lust lasts, lasts longest". It really did have it moments. My own laughter was probably fuelled at least 50% by evil twin's guffaws.

Oh, and the friend who was acting....had a hanging scene, which reminded me how one thespian supposedly died while playing the role of Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar. Anyway, I hadn't counted on seeing my friend in his briefs....he was suitably comical in his role.

My only err, grouse, would be about the role of the maid, mrs swabbs, who was supposed to have a cockney accent, but occasionally slipped into proper british, and a whole mishmash of accents that made her quite hard to comprehend, which is a pity, because she was the defacto narrator of the play, and I must have lost out at least 50% of what she was saying.

Rose's 21st Birthday

2006-04-26T13:41:00.000+08:00

When girls, just wanna have fun.....

Fatboy being molested

Seven Ate Nine. Clever name for restaurant, that was the venue for Rose's 21st birthday. (Wouldn't take a genius to figure out which one is the birthday girl) What used to be Nine on Ascot is now 7 ate 9. Apparently owned by the people who own SOULED OUT.

As with all Malaysian functions, arrival of guests spanned a one and a half hour period. Okay, some had valid excuses, like just hopping off a private jet, or entertaining some folk from Cambridge. Excuse me, Cambridge, from England, no less. (in pompous english accent). Not Cambridge spectacle shop in Sungai Wang plaza.

The theme of the party was hawaiian floral for the guys, and white for the girls. That'll explain the shirt on me that is VERY uncharacteristic.

It's always nice to party on a Friday night, even (or maybe especially) if it means having to skip bible study. Very liberating to have a glass of wine in hand to unwind from the week's events, and all the more so when celebrating the birthday of good friends. Francis and Rose played the gracious hosts, where wine flowed copiously, and later on, champagne. It was one of those occasions when you KICK yourself for having driven. Food was rather palatable. The mains were tasty enough, probably embellished by the fact that we were ravenous. The mains was a choice between cod on a bed of soba noodles, or rack of lamb with rice. (which Mrs Miranda said, oh, Indian food ah?) The salad was one of those hit or miss things. Very strong cheesy dressing, and the saltiness of anchovies that would elevate your diastolic and sistolic readings by 20 points immediately. But I liked it. The cod was excellent. Not being a cod person, it was actually a lucky call, as I had relied entirely on the waiter's recommendation. While the cod was great, the soba was like very mediocre. Overcooked, and sticky.

The party went on till nearly 1am. Not bad for this particular demographic group. Thanks Francis and Rose for a lovely party.

Rob's 40th Birthday

2006-04-24T13:03:00.000+08:00

When you tell your guests that pre dinner drinks is at 7.30, and dinner is at 8.00pm, something automatically re-programs their brains to tell them that pre dinner drinks is at 8.00pm, and dinner is at 9.00pm. Such is the Malaysian brain.

2nd 40th birthday in a long line of many hitting the big four this year. KSL very graciously organised the event for her darling husband, with a guest list comprising, rightfully so, of close friends.

Pre dinner drinks at the bar was enough to give me a buzz. By the time we adjourned to the dinner venue, I could have sashayed in like a prima donna. Anyway, the people at the venue comprised mainly people in the 70s or above. So we were the youth of today. The thing is, we could actually identify with most of the music. All of us save one young lass on our table, who recently married one of our peers.

The escargots look rather appealing actually.

Now, this Rib Eye steak was really succulent, and the mustard was superb. The accompanying vegetables COULD have been better.

Deep fried oysters. Very tasty actually.

Fresh oysters for the birthday boy. Obviously he was going to get some action, no doubt part o the 40th birthday package.

Well, as they say, a picture paints a thousand words, so thanks again, Mr and Mrs KSL, for a lovely time. Good company of old friends and good food, good wine, what more can a person ask for.