Hard Bread Story

 I got carried away during dinner last night and had to spend the next thirty-minutes walking around town.

That was when I passed by the back alley of a completely unimpressive shop with its kitchen door wide opened to passers-by. What's interesting wasn't the look of the shop, but the smell that caught my nostrils right from where I was walking by - the opposite side of the road.

It was the smell of flour doughs baking in ovens. The fresh aromas from the types of flours they use in the making of sourdoughs, baguettes, or any of those European 'hard breads'. I salivated. Though I had just cleaned half of a plate of chicken beriyani not thirty minutes earlier, such is the power these tough breads have over me.

So I crossed over to the kitchen door. Peeking and sneaking, if it was unlocked I reckon I would have barged through.. for what exactly, for a loaf of whatever that's baking, pray that they're selling.

It was locked and I turned into prowling mode. I walked and walked picking up pace into different alleys to get to the front side of the shop. Thugs be damned if they ever tried standing in my way or I'll break their neck.

I reached the front of the shop. The heritage door was slightly ajar. I could see the heavy bakery machineries. Just as I was pushing the door leaf on the right, the Adhan call for prayer began out loud from a mosque just 100 metres away. I wasn't about to shout into the shop with my inquiries so I waited for the Adhan to end. In the three minutes it took, I recalled of how I missed home when I was first introduced to these hard breads seventeen years ago. Malaysians aren't used to hard breads and I was a long way from home then. But perhaps from the days and nights sitting by the window watching the snow falls, savouring slices of these breads served in their baskets while waiting for my meals was when I started to love them, these hard breads. I've always loved it when it snows, so much so that it was enough to associate these hard breads to pleasant memories. So much so that it was enough for me to literally prowl this night following its scent from one back alley to another. I just had to have it, something.

Unfortunately I was told that they were not for sale. This place was merely the factory supplying these breads to a restaurant in town. I tried my luck and my charm, would've gotten away with a loaf if there was one that was ready, but every one of them was still baking in the ovens. Thankfully I had those three minutes to calm down earlier. So I had the information of the restaurant wrapped in mind instead and went home. At least that's something.

Thus today, I had some of the sourdough slices for lunch at said restaurant. It was enough. A warm-up to my upcoming new year's celebration trip to a nearby city with its very own 'French Quarter', and as highlighted by a European colleague, is where you can find the best baguettes ever.

Shop: Yin's Sourdough Manufactory @Promenade

Original post: 13th Dec 2022, Facebook.

Thank you for reading.

Sexhibition Art

I got invited to a sexhibition last weekend. Yes, it’s an exhibition around the topic of sex. Before you imagined anything like a back-alley thing and dark dingy room, no, it wasn't anything like that. Nothing scandalous other than of course, the obvious. Allow me to walk you through it.

New Year in Chiang Mai - part 1

I am here in Chiang Mai solely for the New Year, thanks to the very encouraging write up by https://www.ensquaredaired.com/chiang-mai-new-years-eve/.

I've always been curious with the mass lantern release experience. Whenever I heard anyone mentioning a personal experience of being in the middle of it I'd tend to lose my cool, get one step excited and insisted them on narrating their feelings on it. Well now I'm here, and we're about to find out in three days' time. Meanwhile, let's narrate a little bit on my journey to Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand.

Being Charming

     If you've been to China House in George Town, Penang, you'll notice how narrow the corridor of this cafè is; and somewhere along this corridor, we were sitting minding our desserts when the usual happened quite unusually.

Final Part: KL - Central Market

My travelling partner and I unanimously chose the Central Market as one of the places of attraction to visit in KL. It wasn’t because we have never been here, it was more to us being what I would like to call, the tourist-have-beens.

Who has not been to the Central Market back in its glory days in the 80s and 90s?

It was even part of the essential place to visit in any school trips to the capital city of Malaysia. The real reason we chose to make a couple of hours stop at Central Market is for reminiscing sake – of the times we were here with our parents, barely the height of their chests, still holding on to their hands. Recalling the times spent with friends when we were still in school uniforms for after school extra classes, or just a spot for meet up before the high-end shopping malls, Starbucks and the “20-Cool-Cafes in KL” trends began.

Back then, Central Market was the place.

Hotel Putra, Jalan Tun Razak, KL

Despite having been here close to the fifth of time, I have only realized that this hotel is situated amongst these buildings last weekend.

Venice's Menace

The man took our picture leaning against the ponte and his partner did not seem very amused. Reason why at times I prefer to be exploring a certain new places by myself or in the company of other photography junkies. That way, we can possibly take all the time in the world, keeping completely to ourselves during the journey.

This is not the best picture I took of Venice from my trip 5 years ago, but this shot relates too very well with what I've come to learn today.

Part 3: Little India, Kuala Lumpur - what's there?

Little India is a town filled with lively colours. We’ve picked the month of Deepavali to visit this part of the city to witness the livelihood in the highlight of its vibrance. Allow me to share some of the pictures from the stroll we had in the midday sun.

Part 2: Little India, Kuala Lumpur - Lunch

We arrived at the hotel around 11am. Although the check-in time is 2pm/3pm (displayed as 2pm but confirmed over the phone at 3pm), there was already a room available for an early check-in for RM50. Thinking that the money should be better spent on food instead so we asked the ever helpful receptionist to help store our bags first, until we came back for check in.

After a simple refreshment of ourselves in the privacy of an early morning deserted hotel lobby washroom, we head back towards the LRT to our first target of destination: Lunch at Little India!

banana leaf mutton curry yellow rice

Part 1: ETS Train to KL

Now this time around, I had a 2-night hotel stay at my disposal in October. Well, it was actually prepaid by yours truly for making the rookie mistake of accidentally booking a non-refundable hotel stay.

It was supposed to be for my Standard Chartered run weekend, but as it turned out, my knee pains had developed into an arthritis upon having them checked up in May. Thus, with a heavy heart, I had to forego the half marathon event I registered in February. Lucky for me tho', the hotel management was kind enough to reschedule my hotel stay and we've picked the recently passed weekend to plan a quick excursion to the city center, KL.

We took an early train at 6.15am from Bukit Mertajam train station in Penang (mainland). If you're travelling from Penang Island, you can take the ferry to Butterworth train station to board the same ETS (Electric Train Service) train from Penang to KL Sentral (Kuala Lumpur). 

Hatyai Trip - Part 2: Foodies in Hatyai

We arrived in Hatyai at 1pm. Aloha Hotel was just about 4 minutes away from the Hatyai Junction train station. I turned on my offline map and we made our walk towards the Hotel (50% on my hunch..shhh don't tell my travelling partner).

We passed by a KFC restaurant along the way and they had a big banner of cheesy chicken on display, the one that was discontinued in Malaysia some time ago, the same one that is dearly missed. Hunger immediately made a nasty nudge on our tummies, considering our body clock was way passed 2pm Malaysia time. Lucky for us, the hotel room was ready and check-in process was a breeze. Dropped our bags, refreshed for a bit and made our way for the first food stop in our list.

Centara Hotel's PadThai - well, I don't know if this was the best PadThai in Hatyai but it served us well. It wasn't complicated, the place was nice, proper and it got us recharged for our next quest.

Hatyai Trip - Part 1: Train to Hatyai

We had an extra Public Holiday at our disposal on Tuesday of 30th July 2019. We thought, let's excite what would be a normal weekend of eating, shopping-malling, be on the road, with something not so different but not entirely predictable either. What we had in mind was basically, let's do 'Penang' but with an extra zest.

So we took Monday off for a trip out of town, which eventually became out of the country, to another food haven, shopping paradise, massage treatment, cheaper hotel rates but with the same crisp bedsheets, that is Hatyai.

We measured our options, booked a hotel with a location between the train station and the town, and yes, we ditched the car and chose to play a little backpacking by riding the trains.

A Picnic for Two

A throwback to July to that time when we accidentally outdone ourselves in the kitchen for a picnic for two.

So extra

- buttered rice

- sweet and sour ikan bawal

- ikan goreng and fried trout

- banana choc muffin with a touch of cinnamon 😍😍

- keropok ikan and keropok lekor

- karipap

- papaya and cavendish

- nasik goreng from last night

Typhoon's Tail

This post is a bit lengthy, recalling the typhoon that hit the northern region on the eve of the long Hari Raya Aidil Adha weekend, 9th August 2019. Though the impact was not as bad as how Langkawi received, the 100km/h typhoon tail was still terrifying to a certain extent over in Penang.

At the time this post was written (15th Aug 2019 in Facebook), news websites reported some 300 trees were uprooted, softening the impact of the typhoon for the residence. Dubbed the costliest typhoon, the recorded total damage exceeded RM60 million.

Meteorology department circulated warning did not reach most of us in time. Thus, how me and my partner in crime ended up caught in the middle, along with thousands of other road users en route home for their Raya holidays over the weekend.

My Review on the NEXX XG100 Purist White

Wore it on a Sunday ride of 233km around Penang Island. Tested it along the highways, the Penang first bridge (not so strong winds but with open sea left and right), the Teluk Bahang-Balik Pulau hill curves, the busy Georgetown area, the ride on the road along the seaside, and also...carrying the helmet around the world heritage area and Esplanade G'town Festival on 31st July 2016. Was with the helmet from 9am to 12am.

Awesome.

Making A Wish.

My crowd is too defensive or blank for yours truest.
Please, impress me with your talk, knowledge, be cleverer than me by all means, don't be too modest. Challenge my stance, move me to agree with you. Have a conversation with me. I need that to be alive.

But keep in mind, small minds talk about other people. 

My testimonial on Jus Annona

If she didn't ask, I wouldn't have noticed. Coz it feels so natural that to frown a question wondering why is just not natural. After almost 3 weeks consistently taking a dose of jus annona in d morning on an empty stomach, the most obvious change I'm feeling is no more that dragging lethargic feeling in d evening after work. Used to feel it everyday, n used to blame the hot n wet malaysian weather for it.

I can't remember exactly when my energy was improved, but I did notice that after a day of fasting on a fine hot day of Monday this week, I was still pumped for a 2hr session of badminton with the girls at 9pm-11pm. I guess I was pretty 'excited' around the court, my chondromalacia knee condition gave me a visit d very next day n im still in recovery mode since. Nevermind that but this just goes to say that, my energy really improved!

I want to wake up to this, every morning. Smiling silly.

I had a bad case of fever on Yuna's first home coming concert in Penang. It was dreadful enough for me to function, my brain couldn't overcome the thought of, "it seemed like I couldn't remember what it was like to feel well.." But once the live electric guitar of Kyoto Project came to life, the vibrations shot through every cell, waking my nerves and my body forgot the sickness, and so was I, came back to life.  

I had a period of melancholy once. I knew it would drag me down to depression. At this moment of my life, I would say that I have not reached that period, but if I were to describe it then, I would certainly have categorized my case as being depressed. My brain kept trying to remedy me out of the case but the heart wants what the heart wants just as the heart feels what the heart feels yeah, so there I was, shutting down my facebook account, wallowing in me, myself and I. And then I listened to Yuna. The ones, before she sounds all too tribal-harmony for my taste nowadays. The ones where she renders heartbreak and happiness, fears and frustrations, infatuation and love in a melody that is deep, dark but combine that with her voice, strangely becoming therapeutic to my well being, bringing both the heart and the brain in sync for the recovery. They still are my go to recovery choice whenever I, at times, wonder around the edge of that territory again, not a spa and massage, not a hot bath in a tub, but Yuna's songs.

      "In high defenition, I'm dreaming of you
      With my disposition, I'm losing my cool
      With my everything, I'd give anything to be with you.."


Opera. I cannot handle this genre. It is too overwhelming. Always telling the human emotions in the deepest possible way, be it of sorrow or despair, it always sounds so tragic. Be it of triumphant or about love and happiness, these genre will just raise me to a point where it gets too overwhelmed, a content too heavy to hold and I'd eventually breakdown. I hate breaking down. It still did not help me from having hit with the same effect when I attended the Beauty and The Beast the musical, although it wasn't exactly an Opera. But, the sensation it triggers is just too raw but yet too fine to dislike, I just have to have a dose of Opera once in a while. Tell me if this rendition of O Mio Babbino Caro isn't too overwhelming, and, Broadway has to be made available in Penang (or Kulim, why not??) on a permanent basis.

And then, there are some songs that just makes my day, probably like a quick dosage of C17H21NO4 for good feeling. Add another one to this list is Paramore's Still Into You. This song got me smiling silly. Makes me forget the heavy topics in my head. Is it the guitar or the lyrics or the way hayley sings it? You know, I don't know. Didn't I say this song makes me forget the heavy topics in my head?

      "I should be over all the butterflies
      but I'm into you, I'm into you
      
      Let them wonder how we got this far
      Coz I don't really need to wonder at all.."
   

Enjoy: Paramore's Still Into You

Can't count the years on one hand

That we've been together

I need the other one to hold you

Make you feel, make you feel better

It's not a walk in the park

To love each other

But when our fingers interlock,

Can't deny, can't deny you're worth it

'Cause after all this time I'm still into you

I should be over all the butterflies

But I'm into you (I'm into you)

And baby even on our worst nights

I'm into you (I'm into you)

Let 'em wonder how we got this far

'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all

Yeah, after all this time I'm still into you

Recount the night that

I first met your mother

And on the drive back to my house

I told you that, I told you that I loved ya

You felt the weight of the world

Fall off your shoulder

And to your favorite song

We sang along to the start of forever

And after all this time I'm still into you

I should be over all the butterflies

But I'm into you (I'm into you)

And baby even on our worst nights

I'm into you (I'm into you)

Let 'em wonder how we got this far

'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all

Yeah, after all this time I'm still into you

Some things just, some things just make sense

And one of those is you and I (Hey)

Some things just, some things just make sense

And even after all this time (Hey)

I'm into you, baby, not a day goes by

That I'm not into you

I should be over all the butterflies

But I'm into you (I'm into you)

And baby even on our worst nights

I'm into you (I'm into you)

Let 'em wonder how we got this far

'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all

Yeah, after all this time

I'm still into you

I'm still into you

I'm still into you

Soon....

Day 04 – A song that makes you sad

This topic falls on a Saturday, I was not about to get melancholy over the weekend, so I decided to postpone to Monday. Naturally, Monday is a mourning day. 

Or it should be but today, mostly everything conveniently went according to plan, despite the scorching hot weather. Makes me wonder for a bit if i should stall this topic a little bit longer.

But I think it is a little bit unhealthy to have a lingering melancholic topic somewhere in the back of your mind. I have to let it out.

So for a song that makes me sad is actually a compilation of songs. Some are poetic, some are romantic, but nevertheless, listening to them makes me feel...sad. The songs are mostly composed and sang by the same person. It is not because that I used to live in a melancholic time frame where this set of songs were famous back then, it is rather, the the person, who composed and sang these songs struck a chord deep inside, not just me, but many others. I couldn't help from feeling, i'm sorry for repeating this word over and over again, but no word resonates more accurate representation of what I feel than the word, melancholic, whenever I listen to his songs. So here are some of his songs lyrics, which I hope would trigger the same feeling, or at least understanding why I have chosen them as my sad song(s).

Getaran jiwa melanda hatiku
Tersusun nada, irama dan lagu 

Andai dipisah lagu dan irama
Lemah tiada berjiwa… hampa

As the next generation born after the death of P.Ramlee, we have had only his movies and the songs from his movies to remind us of him. Amazingly, one thing registers amongst us about him, he is, legendary. No other malay movies touch him the way his movies touch us. Though I grew up listening to Radio 4 and living my young adult life to hitz, mix and fly fms, I dare say, and on behalf of many others, P.Ramlee is our pride. 

Tunggu sekejap
Wahai kasih
Kerana hujan masih renyai
Tunggu sekejap
Dalam pelukan asmaraku

Try listening to this song for once, and tell me if you are not smiling. ;)

Bini muda, Hasnah : ohhh sebelum awak nak kerja kan saya, saya koooreeekk biji mata awak
Bini tua, Tipah : amboi dah dirampas laki kita, bijik mata kita dia nak korek
- filem Madu 3

hai mambang biru mambang kuning mambang angin mambang laut...
.. mambang mabok minum brandy - filem Pendekar Bujang Lapok

I Want Iblis Tonic ... Give Me Syaitan & Tonic .. and then give me Haji Bakhil & Tonic, get out, get out! - filem Labu Labi

hey owang sebelah, apa yang ngko wel wel wel kan tu hah - filem Masam Masam Manis
awat yang galah hang terjuloq terjuntai masuk bilik aku ni hoh? Nah hai.. Hang taghik la balik - filem Masam Masam Manis

Watching his happy go lucky movies, led us to imagine that everything used to be pleasant sunny sunshine way back when. No matter how many times I watched his movies, I would never fail to laugh at the characters' antics. Again, I dare say on behalf of many others, we  would wait for our favourite lines in the movies and would burst out laughing like it was the first time us hearing those lines. That is how incredible he is, thus lands him the legendary stature.


Then the true revelation came from History Channel. The life of P.Ramlee, his version of 'THS' was made and aired on History Channel through Astro, instead of RTM. Why you ask, coz RTM fucked him and they fucked him real bad, all those SENIMAN people, they fucked him to his lowest, and to a point where we, the future generation becomes, "..a nation that can't quite forgive itself for the way they have treated.." a legend. 

Dengar
Oh! Jeritan batinku
Memekik-mekik
Memanggil-manggil
Namamu selalu
Sehari kurasa sebulan
Hatiku tiada tertahan
Ku pandang kiri
Ku pandang kanan
Di kau tiada…

Risau
Batinku menangis risau
Makin kau jauh
Makin hatiku bertambah kacau
Mengapa kita berpisah
Tak sanggup menahan asmara
Oh! Dengarlah
Jeritan batinku

To this day, there will never be another P.Ramlee, a common phrase many would utter on TV. But here is the reality check, for the way the seniman people ill treated him in the past, local movie industry, post P.Ramlee to this day, are cursed. Rubbish are produced every year, as I have blogged before, local movies, "tak sah kalau lelaki tak jerkah2, pompuan tak jerit2 and scene rogol2". dafuq. really. How degrading. Tak cukup dgn tu, gangster, rempit, bohjan, bohsia, berturut-turut. Tolong interview mai sat mamat n minah ganster rempit bohjan bohsia mana yg insaf lepas tgk muvi-muvi ni. Seriously. Karya-karya post P.Ramlee era are cursed, with bullshit. Open your mind and start analyzing local films and tv dramas, kenapa ada dialog-dialog kurang ajar banyak sangat. Is this the legacy we are living for our future generation about us? I have a glimpse of how it was way back when in P.Ramlee films. I DEFINITELY CAN'T CONDONE rempits, bohsia, bohjan, kl gansters, kl menjerit, pontianak, kuntilanak AS OUR LEGACY WHERE OUR FUTURE GENERATION CAN HAVE A GLIMPSE ON OUR WAY OF LIFE! Filem2 P.Ramlee tak payah buat script watak-watak kurang ajar pun, and they are legendary! 

"bapak yang bersalah..bapak yang membesarkan sazali dengan penuh kasih sayang dan kemewahan. segala kemahuan sazali bapak turutkan. segalanya sudah terlambat!!"

Now, people, this is how a watak kurang ajar is done in the legendary way.


True, there will never be another such great artist. But just what is wrong with our people , the Malays, to have treated him with such disrespect and devalued him during his post-Singapore days. He came back to develop local film industry and they treated him like they would the lepers. When he passed away, they awarded him Tan Sri and this and that, like they were glad finally nobody would steal their spot light and shit. 

I am so sorry, deeply saddened and full of regret by the way he left this world, poor, despite the many movies and songs, probably feeling defeated, alone, having not completely accomplished his dream to the fullest.  

Nevertheless, the Malays will never learn. Dengki khianat is too deep within them. History seems to be on its way of repeating itself with the way Tun Mahathir is being treated nowadays. When he is gone, when we will be cursed with rubbish leaders, maybe then we'll know? I don't think so. 

Tiada kata secantik bahasa 
Untuk ku puji adinda 
Tiada gambar secantik lukisan 
Nak ku tunjuk perasaan.