2.0.0.9

Ah Boy & I wish everyone Happy New 牛 Year 2009.

p/s: Ah Boy wants siew pai kuat :)

2008

Two more days and 2008 is coming to an end. Too many things happened this year. My younger brother just get married recently in Kuching, Sarawak. I had done the Silk Road Tour and visited Western Australia. Not forgetting to mention I managed to meet back online with lotsa long lost classmates, schoolmates, coursemates, uni friends, ex colleagues via Facebook. I have also bought few lenses this year ~ Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8, Sigma 18-200 mm f/3.5-6.3 with OS and Canon 50 mm f/1.8. Get myself an 8Gb Ipod Touch too & I love it very much. However, just recently, my MacBook Mackie had a "heart transplant" due to hardware failure. :(

Two most heart breaking events that happened this year were I lost two dear close friends and colleagues, Dr Tan Bee Hooi and Dr Alison Lim Yee Hoon within few months this year. Their passing is really shockening but their presence will always remain in my heart. I'm truly glad knowing them and to have them as my friends. Their passing reminds me that I shall treasure and cherish what I have and and do not take things for granted nor procrastinate as life is short. And to those who loves to complaint about small matters in life, I want to tell u that "Just being alive is such a lovely and wonderful thing". Some unfortunate ones are denied of that priviledges. I miss both of you dearly, Bee Hooi and Yee Hoon. Although both of you are no longer here with me physically, your spirit will continue to live on...

Hopefully 2009 will be a better and more promising year...

Winter Solstice

I have totally forgotten that tomorrow is Winter Solstice @ Dong Zhi (冬至/过冬) till I visited Air Itam market this evening (for few bowls a bowl of pipping hot mouth watering delicious air itam longkang laksa) and saw several road side stalls selling the colourful GRB (glutinous rice ball) or tang yuen next to the market. Time really flies. It's the time of the year again...

I haven't made any fish ball tang yuen yet. Will only do so tomorrow (I still have half a packet of glutinous rice flour). The above glutinous rice ball or tang yuen photo was taken during my brother's wedding end of last month, and yeah, I made those tang yuen. ;)

Related Entries :
* GRB Attack
* Klang klang ball
* Sweet Potato Tang Yuen
* tang yuan/汤圆 or glutinous rice balls

Coconut Jelly

Yeah, Coconut Jelly. I'm not talking about Nata de Coco, but this....

I get to know about the Coconut Jelly (aka Manjung Jelly) from CK Lam's post few days back :)

Bought few coconut jelly back home since I love coconuts at the price of RM 3.70 per coconut (from the coconut shop in Dato Keramat Road, nearby the Patani Road Police Station). Instead of coconut water, u get the smooth and yummy coconut jelly. I'm lovin' it. :)

Marmite Breadstick

While buying my groceries @ Cold Storage today, I saw packets of Marmite Breadsticks on the shelf. I remember reading it somewhere (Can't remember whether is it from Fibrate's blog or somewhere else?). The product is pricey, one small packet for RM 6.99 (product from UK). But since I never tasted it before, and out of curiosity I bought one packet back home.

Errr.... My verdict is... I won't buy it again cos I can hardly taste the marmite. :( I rather have marmite on my bread or toast instead of eating this. Btw, that's just my own personal opinion. Anyone here tasted it before?

It's Durian World

It's liulian durian season again... not in Penang, but in Sarawak, the land of hornbills.

I have no idea what is the English name for this species of jungle durian, but so far i haven't see it in Peninsular yet. I haven't tasted it for almost 10 years already... This time I was lucky, since it's durian season :)

Yeah, the fresh is orange and the seed is dark brown in colour. There is another different variety (yellow in colour, and the fresh is more sticky and tasty, with thinner but sharper thorns but I didn't manage to find it in the market) :(

Next, back to the "normal" local durian.. Unlike those durian with names or grades from Balik Pulau, Penang.

The white flesh local durian, which is equally tasty. :)