Surreal Sunday

February 25th... The day started out like any typical Sunday... getting myself up in time for church service and then, getting home to do some house chores. What was needed to change this routine is Cheryl Lim (editor and writer and 'fishtarian' extraordinaire) . Just one phone call and I was on my way with Ms. Lim to Kanna Curry House (Section 17).


Banana leaf rice was not what exactly what I had in mind, but Cheryl's suggestion was more appealling compared to fried chicken with 15 herbs and spices (which I suddenly developed a crave for). Besides, Cheryl was pretty exacting about the whole indian food affair.

Not too long after putting our orders, Jill ( fellow lawyer, Hello Kitty fan and diver, as I discovered) and Kok Chen ( Jill's company who came back from the US about a year ago) came along to join in, at the behest of Cheryl.

I thought Jill was quite a Sarah Michelle Gellar look-a-like. Needless to say, I couldn't resist to express my thoughts...ordinarily, not a very smart thing during an intro session. 'Corniness' is something I seldom display these days, but hey.... something's gotta give on a Sunday afternoon...

Cheryl and I left for The Curve after binging, whilst Jill and Kok Chen parted ways to make a short visit somewhere.... I must say, spending an hour over in a bookstore reminded me of the times I could actually afford to hang out. Suffice to say I was pleased to stock up my Star Trek book collection.

I got my hands on 3: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, complete with all 167 episodes, all synopsized, Star Trek Star Charts (an atlas of the Milky Way Galaxy) and The Starfleet Survival Guide (would you like to know how to overload your phaser? or repel unwanted lifeforms by calibrating your tricorder?) Well, what did you expect ? We were waiting for Jill and Kok Chen to join us for dessert, which by the time they came, had turned into tea time.

We ended up at the Empress Cafe, a quaint little cafe located at a corner in front of Cineleisure with rich, sinful chocolate cakes sharing the same base and presented in variants. he he... Choc banana, choc caramel and plain choc, all choc...economies of cocoa usage at its prime, I reckon!

Tea was only halfway into our journey of culinary delights. After parting ways with Jill and Kok Chen, Cheryl and I moved on to One Utama where we, found ourselves AGAIN in a bookstore.




Finally: Dinner! Our palates were satisfied once more, this time at Miss Read (Delicious). I had their Sambal Udang Tumis while Cheryl (not suprisingly) , a plate of fungi with a side serving of what appears to be some plants and herbs you could find in an English garden :)

Get together at Dean's place

Deanaharan Nair, my favourite Malayali friend (of origins, but very much Malaysian), returned from Perth. Been almost 2 years now since he left to Perth to pursue his masters at law, undertaking interesting subjects, namely O&G law, Advance Contract and Taxation law. Dean and I met during our undergraduate days. He was my junior and was one of the best debators and public speaker I've ever met. He's partner in crime then...and possiblly still is, David Livesy, a horribly rich English business man who decided to read law in the later years of his life. Hats off to good ol David.

Not so suprisingly, Dean's currently working for an oil & gas company in Perth, Clough Limited (it's pronounced as 'klaff', in case you were wondering) I suppose it makes sense to be in an industry which is never seen to be affected substantially by recession.

Earlier this week, I met Dean on 'Chor Yee' (Monday, 2nd day of Chinese New Year) after obliging his invitation to his place in Ara Damansara. As usual, Davin Nair, Dean's younger brother, reunites with the family everytime Dean comes back to M'sia. Davin recently gratuated from flight school and our beloved pilot (or as Charlie Chin, Dean's childhood friend, pronounces it as "Pee-Lot", which incidentally jinxed Charlie's drive as he discovered when he got pulled over by the coppers whilst he was making fun of Davin ) will soon be serving MAS. Once again, I found myself embraced by Dean's parents' hospitality, the same I've always received over the years. That meet-up was quite an interesting one. There, I met Dean's cousin (forgot her name) and her husband, Ralph, a German dude with a flare for cooking...curries!! and is described to be an Asian at heart, who is an execellent cook. Good ol Ralph baked butter cookies (kurang manis somemore) which I thought went well with whisky...

On Wednesday (when I was still on leave), I met Dean at the Megamall, Midvalley City to have lunch. We satisfied our palates at Madam Kwan's. Unfortunately, our meet-up was shortlived as Dean had to meet up with an acquaintance.

Last nite, I found myself at Dean's house again, just a little get-together before he flew back to Perth today. Charlie Chin was there and I had the privilege to meet Lincoln Liew (right pic) (who, of course, disliked ppl's association of Abraham Lincoln with him), an efferversent character, working for British American Tabacco as a contract administrator. Lincoln was justa bundle of laughs. There was also Bruno (not any relative of Brutus or Spike), Guat Hong (Cambridge-educated lawyer turned agriculturist) and Hanisha & sisters (Dean's ex-classmate from Institut Nirwana). As expected, the booze never stopped flowing. No moment was dull with everyone around. With Lincoln and Dean on a roll, I didn't think we'd be able to stop laughing without serious cramps.

The nite was just not about getting rambunctious and inebreated. I did learn few things (you learn something new every day) :

1) Bruno taught me how to properly remove the seal around the cork of a wine bottle (most ppl would open it from the mouth of the bottle, near the rim of the cork, but it is easier to preforate the seal just slightly lower than the rim of the bottle)

2) 'Mechatronics' is NOT a major in robotics, but mechanical and electrical engineering. Then again, according to Lincoln it's doing the 'robot' in the land where pilgrims go to (Do the Alhamdulilah...as Lincoln would jostle) (this started when Davin told us of his first degree in Mechatronics)

3) A plane taking off produces wake turbulence. These vortices poses a danger to aircraft intending to takeoff and those in its path (again, this was from Davin's input, needless to say)

4) An Indian actress who is named ASIN (left pic) is really HOT! (speaking of my penchant for the brown kind)

I knew the nite was too much for me when I was awoken by Dean in my own car. I decided to head for home after sobering up. Already missing the guy who claims to pay homeage to Indian villains ala Tamil movies (characterised by the distinctive moustache Dean grew when he came back). Well, let's see if I brush aside my routine for a trip to Perth this September...I will try not miss Dean's graduation...nah...that's not it. I should be saying, I going to need a break, so I'm gonna take the excuse to go to Australia.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Today, the eve of CNY. One of the most anticipated times of the year for us chinese, the time to get together with family and close ones, a time to re-unite and a time to relish the harbinger of a new lunar year.

I've heard that for couples desiring to bear a child in the zodiac year of the pig, such an intention is a good thing. The pig or in chinese zodiac, the boar, so happens that this year is the 'Fire Boar' (Roast pig?) year. It is also said that this is a fortunate year. Fire is one of the five elements. It is associated with the planet Mars, summer and the south, and the colour red. It is believed to govern the heart. Fire is associated with the qualities of dynamism, strength and persistence, and with restlessness and a sense of adventure.

It is said that children who are conceived this year will be happy and honest. Hmmm....two very important aspects of a meaningful life, I suppose. Anyway, enough of that.

TO ALL MY BELOVED FRIENDS!!!
WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

Dinner At Hooked

10th February....Cheryl Lim, my schoolmate from SMDU (Sekolah Menengah Damansara Utama), unexpectedly smsed me this afternoon about a dinner at Hooked, the Curve this evening. Was elated to know that Ainul Ezral, our quirky gas-selling classmate, now in Petronas and Zeti, now working for BNM would be joining. So, I took to the road after I got back from the officer and a quick nap. Man, the traffic was heavy. Then again, it's the week before Chinese New Year!

Well, Cheryl is a writer for and editor of 'The Property' Magazine , now claiming to be Malaysia's number one property magazine...a pretty cool job seeing that Cheryl doesn't need to HAVE an office, just a camera, a PC and a whole lot of creativity...as a matter of fact, Cheryl just interviewed Jit Murad recently... Cheryl was reading out loud on the 10 things we 'need' to know about Kolkata (formerly Culcutta). We also learned that Bangalore is now Bangaluru (Bang-a-la-roo), which sounds like an Australian slang for bestiality acts with a Kangaroo....:) Fact: On December 11, 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted the proposal by Jnanpith Award winner U. R. Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to its Kannada name, Bengaluru. Now that I'm on it and Mumbai was formerly Bombay and Chennai was formerly Madras.

Ah yes...there is Ezral. Besides a few pounds gained, nothing much of him has changed perceivably. As rambunctious as ever, it takes one cynical remark to get the whole group into a rambling session. Ezral is now stationed in Kuching, Sarawak and works for Petronas. He's back for a short while and will be jet-setted for east Malaysia this Tuesday. Miss the guy already. Now, I have a reason to go to the Cat City...to watch a guy sell gas...:)

Zeti, (who came later) was preceeded by her husband, Idhal and son, Imran. Cheryl and Ezral had their hands full making sure that Imran was well entertained and fed with. Zeti works for the Central Bank and that is where she met Idhal, who works for Bank Muamalat. Zeti a mother? A stark contrast from the 'rock chick' I knew back then.

Last but not least, Harry, our old friend from SMDU, now working for a film company and does regular shoots. And if you're wondering, the picture of the kechup or 'catsup' bottle was taken as a reminder that harmless recepticles may not be so harmless after all. This one had enough pressure to pop the cap on its own...scary...we all saw what it did and wondered what ingredients were put inside.

After picking up the tab, we all adjourned to Baskin Robbins, savouring the sinful delights and reminiscing on old movies and TV series...also, witnessed Imran go sugar-high...that boy was just hugging everyone which according to Zeti, is never seen before....

After 6 years

Yesterday evening marked my 2nd badminton game for the season. I started playing with the boys at the office's sports complex last week, but had to see how well I could still play. Anyway, looks like the game still requires that much of resilience and stamina, not to mention technique and agility. I must say that my rally is ok, but need to improve my backhand. Net play is ok, but somehow, lack the power during smashes. In fact, I'm suprised I can go on after literally no exercise for years.

Nonetheless, definitely a good avenue to vent out my frustrations in the court. Nothing like a sweating-it-up workout for the day.

Last weekend, I went to Sungei Wang Plaza; this shop called "Dynamic Sports" (G045), where I got my new badminton court shoes and my new racquet, Yonex brand, of the 'Muscle Power' series, the ones with the isometric head designs (where the top of the head of the racquet is flat) supposed to reduce shocks and reverberations, making it more stable in your grip....oh well, all that and I forgot to buy a proper grip for it, so, was concentrating on playing without losing the racquet...incidentally, that was the game I lost, using the new Yonex.

I'm looking forward to next week's game, before the Chinese New Year week.