Enjoying herself. With my Compaq 64GB, playing continuous music for her.
Where have the 23 years gone? I ponder on this question as I sit here, in the car, thumb typing this essay out on my Samsung Galaxy Fold 5, while in the mood of pondering or is it wondering? I will have to go with “pondering”.
I am sitting here in the car, waiting for Jeannie and Laura, while they shop for groceries at Aeon in Subang Jaya (1). We had just come from Mid-Valley Shopping Mall (2) after having lunch at Oriental restaurant and then doing a bit of shopping. Oriental was crowded, with a long queue as usual. While Jeannie and Laura waited in queue and made the orders at the same time; I made a bee line to Harvey Norman. It was quite a nice afternoon at Mid-Valley. As I wait for Jeannie and Laura; I tap, scribble, write and gesture-make commands on the Fold 5 with the S-Pen (besides the thumb-typing, coming up with this article; they, the two ladies; are getting groceries to stock up for the weekend.
I made a quick round to the usual favourite shops while we were at Mid-Valley, to check out special offer deals, if they had anything new. I stopped in at Planet Traveller, Crumpler, Samsung, Flash Gadget, Hat Attack, Teva, Harvey Norman, Timberland and the Nescafe booth where they sell the capsule coffee machines. It was more of a browse through. I was done in about an hour. So was Jeannie and Laura. I caught up with them at Bath & Body Work.
As we headed back to Subang Jaya, I suggested we stop by at Good Ground Bakery on our way in. (Story for another day). We had a nice, late afternoon slice of dark chocolate cake, a big pastry puff for eats. Laura had a chocolate drink while Jeannie and I both had a calamansi cooler each. The drinks were real thirst quenchers on such a hot Thursday afternoon.
These two pictures of Laura are at my work station.
Laura did the two pieces of art above 👆 on my Samsung Note 2 (at that time in 2012), using the S-Pen. Notice her eye for details. Amazing! Laura was nearly 12 years old when she put the Note 2 through its paces.
Singapore
At Universal Studios, Singapore.👆
A couple of recent pictures 👆taken at Starbucks, Empire Gallery Shopping Centre..
This was taken at The Carpenter’s Daughter (TCD) on Mother’s Day. With us (Jeannie, Laura and I) are Praga, her fiancé, (sitting on her right); and Christopher (my cousin), and his wife; Evalina.
Much of our get togetherness was always at the dining table, be it at breakfast, lunch, coffee / tea afternoon or dinner. These were the times when we all needed to do the same thing – eat / have our meals. And, many times when we were with family.
One for the album. A recent Atkinson family picture.
An evening recently, when Sarah Atkinson, was able to join us for coffee at Marks & Spencer, Sunway Pyramid.
“O.K. You caught me. I am still gonna eat.”This was a good candid shot.
When Laura was there to celebrate Jeannie’s and my MBA graduation. Not too long after that, some 20 years or so; Jeannie and I, were there for Laura when she graduated from university.
This was a time when Laura was embarking on a new adventure; when she was leaving for the U.S. for her tertiary education.
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAURA! MAY GOD SHOWER HIS CHOICEST BLESSINGS IN ABUNDANCE ON YOU. LOVE YOU MUCH MORE THAN FOREVER!
NOTES: 1. Subang Jaya is an urban city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. 2. Situated in K. L.. Kuala Lumpur or K.L. as it is commonly known in these parts, is a bustling metropolitan city. It is the capital of Malaysia.
Phew! What a hot day, today is! The skies had a bit of an overcast, which looked like a good time to do my 10km walk.
I started my walk at around 2.30pm. The weather was very warm, with times when the sun’s rays (or sunshine) sneaked past or through the overcast skies where the light grey clouds provided the shade. The walk was hot but not as hot as yesterday. Yesterday, was not piercing hot, but dry, humidyfying hot.
It was cooler today, but make no mistake, the humidity was as uncomfortable as ever.
Had a refreshing cold shower when I got back and was ready for the rest of the day.
Picked Jeannie and Laura up from their respective places of work. The traffic was good, not too heavy. The weather was clear all the way, compared to what seemed like torrential rain at this time, yesterday.
We were a few minutes early for Laura. Jeannie walked over to the MyNews store nearby, to get us a couple of cold drinks. She of course, took the opportunity to buy some of her favourite junk snacks.
Laura and Jeannie both, talked about their day at work. Some ups, some not so ups, busy – their day at the office was good.
Got Laura to the gym just past seven. So, now, “What to eat?” Since we had some grocery shopping to do, we thought we’d have dinner at the SS15 (1) Kwai Sun coffee shop / Kopitiam / restaurant. After dinner, we could walk next door to K. P Mak, the fruit grocer, to buy one whole watermelon. The whole watermelon, even when cut into big, chunky slices; would last us for nearly a week. A refreshing fruit for hot weather like this.
Jeannie order claypot noodles (2) and I, my usual – “Sing Chow Mei Fun” or Singapore fried noodles. (6)
Jeannie’s meal order: Claypot noodles. It came with egg and lup cheong.
Jeannie’s meal was cooked in a… you guessed it: claypot. I am not too sure whether it is just for style, the noodles being served in a claypot or whether there is a distinct benefit in cooking the noodles in a claypot or whether there is a difference in taste. #2 in the notes, suggest there is. I have yet to try a meal like this.
The claypot noodles is prepared and cooked with a black sauce. It comes with a single-fried egg (3) and lap cheong (4) in the main dish. To me, lap cheong is an acquired taste.😁This meal also comes with a little side dish of cut chili padi in black sauce. (5)
Having fun with this new fangled feature. Trying out the A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) camera feature. Here, I created a copy of the rim of the claypot, separately.
Jeannie said her meal was “a bit on the salty side” (local description for being a “little salty”). This was her main meal for the day as she did not have time for lunch. She visited a relative who is in hospital during her lunch break.
My “Sing chau mai fun” or Singapore fried noodles, tasted good as usual. The meal was not overly spicy this time. The “volcanic heat” spicyness (that is not even adding the chili padi yet) was toned down this time. It sort of made me think that this meal was prepared by a different cook. The guy that usually prepares this dish – you perspire (drip in sweat) profusely just by looking at it. That is how chili hot this meal usually is. You suffer eating it. However, you will come back for more.
Most restaurants, coffee shops or kopitiams prepare this meal with tomato sauce. The taste will tend to be more tomato sauce or sweet in taste. However, here, at this restaurant, you get to taste the noodles as it should be. You can actually taste the noodles with the fried egg in it, long beans, fishcake, 2 small prawns (which I put in Jeannie’s plates as I don’t eat prawns), carrots, bean spouts, cabbage and spinach.
It comes with a small side dish of chili sauce. Don’t let its orange colour fool you. It is really potent and should be eaten with caution. The best way of eating this is to lightly dab your chopsticks in it, then pick an amount of the meal with it that you are going to put in your mouth. In this way, you will safely eat your meal, at the same time get the taste of the chili sauce. It does taste very good.
Kwai Sun Restaurant is the place to come for good “Sing chau mai fun” or Singapore fried noodles, at least in Subang Jaya.
When you ask for “Sing chau mai fun”, the taste and even what it looks like will vary from one restaurant / coffee shop to another. Most of the chefs (cooks, really) are not formally trained. One cook to another will give you what they think this meal should be. Through experience, they improve on their cooking skills. This is one way of trying the variants of this meal.
Fooling around with A. I. (Artificial Intelligence) photography. Here, the prawn was separated from the meal.
After our dinner, Jeannie and I walked over to K. P. Mak, nextdoor; to buy a watermelon. We asked their “expert” watermelon chooser worker to pick a good fruit for us; which he did (I think. Hope the fruit is good).
We then stopped by at Jaya Grocer in Empire Gallery Shopping centre to get a bottle of decaf coffee (it has been quite a while since I last had a decaf), and a few other items; which included another cold drink. The temperature seemed to be climbing as the evening wound down. What would be nice right now is to have an A.B.C.…
NOTES: 1. SS15 is a bustling town centre (the first town centre) of the city of Subang Jaya, in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. “SS” or Sungai Way-Subang The SS in the neighborhood’s name stands for Sungai Way-Subang. Addresses in PJ are standardized. The town is divided into numbered sections (seksyen), which are denoted with just S (eastern PJ), SS (central and western PJ), PJU (northern PJ), and PJS (southern PJ). 2. Claypot Noodle also known as “nga poh meen” or “sar poh meen” is a popular hawker dish in Malaysia. The dish came piping hot, usually served in the individual clay pot the noodles were cooked in. Health Benefits. Despite being relatively low in some nutrients like fiber and protein. marketboy.sg Is Claypot good for health? According to Ayurveda Specialist at Dr. Vaidya’s, Dr. Surya Bhagwati, “cooking in a clay pot not only has a variety of health benefits but also makes for an easier cooking process and in the end, a more flavorful and nutritious dish. Due to its numerous health benefits, Ayurveda suggests cooking in a clay pot. mitticool.com 3. In central and northern India’s English-speaking middle classes and mid-level restaurants, “single-fried” refers to sunny side up (also known as a “bullseye”). 4. Lap cheong (Cantonese, or simplified Chinese; traditional Chinese; pinyin: làcháng; Jyutping: Cantonese Yale: laahp chéung) is a dried, hard sausage usually made from pork and pork fat. It is normally smoked, sweetened, and seasoned with rose water, rice wine and soy sauce. The taste of lap cheong is distinctly different from better-known dried sausages, such as pepperoni, dry chorizo, or dry salami. Instead of a burst of garlic and spice, you’ll get hit with a tinge of sweetness and a bit of saltiness. 5. Bird’s eye chili or Thai chili or more commonly known as chili padi in Malaysia; is a chili pepper variety from the species Capsicum annuum that is native to Mexico. Cultivated across Southeast Asia, it is used extensively in many Asian cuisines. wikipedia 6. Singapore noodles, or Sing Chow Mei Fun as they are commonly known here, or Singapore mei fun; is a very popular dish in Malaysia as well as the US. It is made with thin rice noodles stir fried with a rich savory curry sauce and loaded with vegetables, meat and seafood. It is a matter of debate where this dish really originated.
Phew! What a week it has been. Sunday is almost up. I used to have calendars and time system planners with the week starting on a Sunday. I can’t remember why. I mean I was following the Time System programme. I purchased their most expensive leather binder and every accessory they had. I believed in the system so strongly, that I encouraged my circle of friends to use the system.
Before I got married, I encouraged my then girlfriend to then fiancé to now wife, to use the Time System by getting her a set, too.
Time System Planner
And before long, this form of time management system became a thing of the past. At least for me. I was a techy guy and soon everything was on this gizmo called a smartphone. Fast forward to today, I have everything on my smartphone (hope it does not get too big for its “boots”?, as technology on phones are constantly evolving.
The company from what I gather on its website, is still doing well. It is a system worth following. Though I am not a Time System user now, I still implement many ideas from what I learnt when I used it for over 12 years.
Now, my week starts on a Monday. Has been for many years. It also means that I am in tune with schedules of other people.
Right now, this very moment, while working with this essay, I am eating one of those commercially made fruit cake slices, which is very (very!) dry, and below o.k. in taste; just eaten two Panadol and drinking a mug of ice cold milo. Fruit cake – not much of a choice since I bought it from a convenience store nearby. And I am hungry now, since dinner was light and eaten fairly early. And yes, eaten two Panadol (paracetamol tablets) – it is the local way, the Malaysian way of saying “just taken” when it comes to medicine.
So, the week has been pretty interesting. Jeannie, my wife; took a couple of days leave from work. We visited a couple of new places to eat. My good friend, Dick Black from South Carolina, U.S.A.; remarked that we seem to be eating out all the time. Good point. We are. I think it has to do with traffic jams too and from work. It takes a good chunk out of our day, each day. Which means we rather eat out and make our way back when the traffic presumably has eased up.
We welcomed the public holiday, Wesak (celebrated by people of the Buddhist faith); when we took a break from travelling through traffic jams. In the evening, I had an accident when I momentarily was airborne, while leaving a pharmacy in Taipan. I injured my knee and hands. Jeannie was with me at that time. She rushed me to the clinic to have my wounds treated.
Thank you family members, friends and readers for the hundreds of messages of concern and wishes for a speedy recovery. The wounds are healing nicely, though there is still some pain. I have been off my daily 10km walk. Waiting to get back on soon.
“Yes” that was what she said – she has announced that she is engaged to be married. Laura, our daughter; is very happy. We, the Batik Influencer, Jeannie; and I, the Hatted Writer; her parents; 😁, are very happy for her.
The weekend at Amcorp Shopping Mall was pretty exciting, quieter than most weekends. However, it did have its fair share of great moments. Jeannie met and introduced batik and her JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape creations to many people. Her batik capes are simply vibrant – for official, casual, anytime wear.
Perfect!
“Can I dance in it?” The lady seemed to be gesturing with her actions.
We met with a person working with a NGO for refugees. He talked to us about the refugee status in Malaysia and with neighbouring countries. Malaysia has been accommodating. There over 250,000 refugees here. They are still “stateless” – waiting (some for many years) to get some form of recognition. People are without jobs, children without school. They don’t have identification papers (lost when they left their home countries). To make things slightly easier, they are all born January 1st. The NGOs have been working at their best to help see to the needs of the refugees. We are sure to meet this person again as he hails from Klang. He went to the same school I did (he is many years my junior).
Jeannie, in a songket – like JEANNIE’S OWN Batik Cape.
Now, that the week has past, which was the future before it started, which had multiple unplanned for events together with those that were planned, we take all the “+”s and bring it with us to the new week ahead. We will strive to put in more than just our best in the journey ahead of us and aim for happiness as the result of all that we have achieved.
Just as one is published, another becomes due. An essay just published recently, COFFEE SHOP AT PARAMOUNT, somehow took more time than usual to complete and publish.
Or are the days losing its value by becoming shorter? There are several theories floating that each day made up of 24 hours or 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds, are actually losing it’s value in terms of time. Maybe, a couple of seconds or so, every 50 years… Whether these theories and studies have merit, is left to be seen.
I have mentioned this before. Maybe, we, as individual, ordinary people, cannot control the shortening or lengthening of time. But what we can control, is what we put into that given time.
I didn’t have a good enough sleep last night. I thought that since I was so tired, I would have been out like a lightbulb switched off. But I wasn’t. Toss and turned, got up several times, so, yeah not the best of nights. Night went and as usual, the next morning showed up as always, on the dot. Maybe, the night was too warm. I don’t know if it is just me, but the past few nights have been unusually warm. However, the early mornings become very cold. Same thing happened today. By time it was 8.30am – 9.00am, the temperatures started climbing and the humidity bringing with it – perspiration.
Ain’t nothing gonna spoil my day (not exactly the Queen’s English [have not heard the phrase “King’s English”. I wonder if it is referred to that as such]). We were about to leave for Amcorp Shopping Mall. I had a quick brekkie – had two vadai (one made from beans and the other, a donut [American spelt version of doughnut]) which we bought from Star Bhavan – the latest Indian restaurant craze of Subang Jaya.
I was not feeling all that “awake” , yet it was almost 10.00am. Yes, we were still at home. Our neighbourhood contractor, Mr. Teoh; had some of his men come to out house to help repair the fencing. We left for P.J. shortly after that but not to Amcorp Shopping Mall. We had to make a detour to the hospital first where Jeannie wanted to visit a close relative. By the time we got top Amcorp, it was close to 11.15am. We set our booth up within a short while.
The Hotwheel cars, key chains and fridge magnets were top on the list today, as people seemed to have a renewed interest in these items. The Batik Influencer was as usual, entertaining and enlightening people on the “Why Batik? ” – old times, current times and the future – in vogue, always.
I got the opportunity to meet with two other writers, one focusing on ladies’ fashion; the other on food. They are establishing a foothold in K.L. and P.J.. Both these cities are so vibrant, that it would take a very long lifetime to cover everything. Come to think of it, not really. It definitely will take more than a very long life time, as K.L. or Kuala Lumpur and P.J. or Petaling Jaya, are both vibrant cities where the landscape for food and fashion are continuously evolving.
Hmmm…This looks interesting; they were both, thinking to themselves.
Looking chic in batik.
Bond’s cars, Swatch watches, a incredibly uniquely, rare Parker Duofold laquered blue, ball point pen.
The evening arrived faster than we realised. I think it’s because we were having fun as usual. In fact, we did not have much time catching up with our friends who were running the other booths. We plan to do so tomorrow. We got back home after 7.00pm. Just in time to think up of something new for future essays.
Yay! It’s the weekend again! Actually… – I don’t like to use this word as I have learnt the meaning behind it. It means, “the truth is” or “honestly” or “to tell you the truth”. There I go , slicing through the English language. So, when you hear people use one of these terms, phrases or words…you begin to question, “Does this mean they weren’t telling the truth before this?” You will hear many public figures and celebrities use any one or more of these, often. … Just having fun with the English language… after all, it is Friday mah (English – Mal;aysianized 😁😂
So, as I was saying… Actually…I think I will use “As a matter of fact”, everyday is “Yay” for me. Every moment ahead which turns to seconds, then to minutes, then to hours, then to days is the future that unfolds in front of me. It allows me to do my thing, starting anew. Like an artist starts with a blank canvas, which awaits his or her inspiration.
The Batik Influencer, Jeannie; and the Hatted Writer, me, of course; will be having a booth, tomorrow, Saturday, May 18th, and Sunday, May 19th. We are looking forward to it as we get to meet lots and lots of new people, and friends, readers and subscribers of this website and the community of the other people who operate booths there on a permanent feature.
The Batik Influencer has multiple (the American version of the word “many”) new designs to showcase. They keep getting snapped up ever before we get to our booth. The numbers are limited. Here’s an opportunity to own at least one of the Batik Influencer’s latest creation under the “JEANNIE’S OWN” label.
Batik
As for me, I look forward to meeting all you readers and subscribers of leatherpotato.com. I can tell you now that I am putting together a manuscript for my first book. Yes, not the only book. This first book which is under wraps for the time being, was a suggestion put forward by several readers. I look forward to talk about this book, without revealing too many details.
I am formulating ideas, mission, vision of my next book. It looks like a three genre seems to be forming. Which one will I move into, Que Sera, Sera. I find it fascinating how a thought, just a fleeting momentous thought; can turn into an idea and become real. It must be magic!🦸🏻♂️
I will also be selling many of our personally pre-owned & pre-loved items.
Come over and let’s rock the whole place with fun and laughter, like always. We will be at our booth from 10.00am onwards. We, the Batik Influencer, Jeannie; and I, the Hatted Writer; look forward to see all of you.
And, as for the video below; I am not that man who knew too much. I am still learning.🕵🏻♂️😅
Booth F1.03, 1st Floor, Amcorp Shopping Mall,8, Jalan, Persiaran Barat, Seksyen 52 Petaling Jaya, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Date: May 18 and May 19, 2024 Time: 10.00am to 5.30pm (can be extended to 7.00pm
Soundtrack from the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” with Doris Day, James Stewart, Brenda de Banzie, Bernard Miles, Daniel Gélin, Christopher Olsen & Reggie Nalder.
Look out the window. What do you see? Bright dark rain clouds forming. Bright dark? Got meh? Got la! Look properly. I love throwing in “meh”, “mah”, “la”, “lor”, “hi meh?” into an otherwise, perfect(?) English, sentence, paragraph or essay.
What is a perfect English sentence, paragraph or essay? A perfect English sentence, paragraph or essay is without those funny sounding add-ons, usually at the end of a sentence or question. It was how we were thought English in school.
Here, I am talking about English in Malaysia. People in Malaysia will hardly miss an hour or day (let alone skip a heartbeat) without subconsciously adding either “meh”, “mah”, “la”, “lor”, “hi meh?”, or a combination of these colourful expressions to their conversations. These” colourful expressions” are not exhaustive to the words(?) stated above.
So, ya; bright dark rain clouds forming. The dark coloured shades of the rain clouds are very brightly dark. Then, it rains like there’s no tomorrow…and continues after that. At times, they just tease us with a few drops, “That’s all you are going to get. Live with it. Not a drop more, today”.
However, over the last few, or several or multiple (many, for most people) days and nights, we’ve been getting heavy showers of rain, up to a point where the roads and highways began to flood with a few inches of water.
The thing is with rain aplenty pouring down, we would expect to have cooler or cold late evenings and nights. But they aren’t. It becomes quite uncomfortable as temperatures rise from the evenings onwards. Maybe, it is due to the fact that there are hardly any winds blowing in the evening; not even light breezes. The humidity is probably the main culprit for our discomfort. I can’t tell for sure, as I am not one of those weather people you see on tv who give us the weather report like they are running an auction. That is why I don’t watch the weather news.
Jeannie, my wife; said, “Let’s go for some ice-cream”. Without giving it a second thought, I said, “Yes”. We jumped into the car (not literally), and headed to the nearby Scottish restaurant. It would be the only restaurant opened, that served ice-cream at that hour as it was already after 10pm.
Jeannie ordered the vanilla soft ice-cream; I went for the McFlurry. The McFlurry looked interesting enough on the menu, so I had to give it a go. I am not really an “ice-cream” person. I can eat it once and not have any for months. Another reason we came for the ice-cream was that we just wanted a short break from the work we were doing at that point.
Our ice-creams were ready in a short while. Jeannie’s order of the vanilla soft ice-cream in a cone looked good as usual. It tasted good as usual. I remember years ago when we used to frequent Subang Parade because we had to take our daughter, Laura, for music lessons there; we’d see on most days, a long line of people queueing to buy either the vanilla soft ice-cream or the one with chocolate fused into it.
Jeannie’s vanilla soft ice-cream.
My Oreo McFlurry looked as unusual as in its advertised picture. It even sounded unusual. Crushed, almost fine, Oreo cookie crumbs was the top layer. As I broke the top layer and went into the ice-cream proper (which was vanilla), I tasted a bit of the gula melaka in it. I could also get the taste of fine coconut shavings, not really noticeable at first. As I got deeper into the ice-cream, the presence of the coconut shavings was more evident. So, was the gula melaka.
In the beginning…the layer of oreo biscuit (oh sorry…cookie) was penetrated and the vanilla ice-cream revealed itself.
I think the coconut shavings helped create a balance to the taste of the gula melaka and the ice-cream.. Otherwise the sweetness of the gula melaka would have been over-powering. The gula melaka was awesome. It was in a thick syrup form. However, I still thought it was too sweet in large quantities. At this stage of the eaten ice-cream, most of the crushed, fine, Oreo cookie crumbs was eaten.
As the spoon dug into the crushed Oreo cookie layered surface; a white volcanic vanilla ice-cream emerged.
We headed home after our ice-creams. The short break was much needed. The change of scenery, though it was not too long, was quite fun, too. “Was quite fun, too”? What Englander is that?
At this stage, the molten lava (gula melaka) was very evident.
NOTES: Having fun and testing the different strokes of English.
I guess it’s one of those days…You know… when something does not go your way… I was working on this article and had put together something. Was half way done. Then, my wife Jeannie had to go on an errand to the shops nearby. I volunteered to go with her. I thought I had saved my work before shutting down my pc. It didn’t save. I think my pc shut down faster than it could save. Well, that means, my re-written / typed / Logi keyboard thumped work, should be better than the first one lost.
It was a good day to start with. It was like a day off with plenty of time…no I will rephrase that, “quite a bit of time”, free. The tasks I set out to do until now, was completed ahead of schedule. So, extra time to spare. After a couple of hours extra rest, I felt I needed to do something.
I have talked in my earlier articles that we may have forgotten how to enjoy the extra free time we have (1) . People become fidgety and load their time-schedule with more things to do and then complain that they are so stressed with too much to do and too little time to do these tasks.
It is something somewhat like the phrase, “No choice”. It is very common among Malaysians. However, there is no such thing as no choice. There is always a choice. Whether you choose to take action or not doing anything is a choice.
Wanting to jalan-jalan (2), my wife, Jeannie, the Batik Influencer; and I, the Hatted Writer😉; decided to take a drive down to Starling Mall in Damansara, P.J.. (3) It has no connection (I think) with Star Bhavan and Starbucks, just because of it having “star” in its name. It was more of Jeannie wanting to go there – change of scenery. The last time we visited the mall was several months ago.
Traffic was slightly heavy. It was smooth flowing. We arrived at the mall in under half an hour. The first thing we got there was to look for food. No wonder I am 76.8kg!
We came across this little restaurant at Foodies’ Nest called “Triple Happiness”. Their menu was basically noodles or rice based. We ordered “Roasted Pork Mihun Curry”. Jeannie and I had a heavy brunch, so we decided to share 1 bowl of this meal.
Roasted Pork Curry Mihun or Curry Mihun with Siew Yuk.
It did not just look good, it tasted great to the very last drop of the curry. Simply delicious. It came in a normal size noodle bowl. There was a generous serving of big pieces of siew yuk, half a hard boiled egg, tofu, green long beans, bean sprouts and spring onions. The meal was spicy, but not to the extent that you would perspire profusely. It was so good to the very last drop. It is a “must try” for those who can eat this. After our meal, I went up to the lady at the Triple Happiness restaurant and complimented their food as “excellent!”. She thanked me for the compliment.
The Curry Mihun with siew yuk. It tastes better than it looks.Seated with a “scenic view”.At the Foodies’ Nest.The whole setup is very oriental.
After our meal, Jeannie and I will usually go our separate ways – she to the stores she likes, and I, to the ones I like (which were very few). However, whenever we come to this mall, we will together, visit “Tiny Bench” first. It is a store that was started by two young ladies, selling local leather products. When I last spoke to one of the owners a few years back, she said they put in many a day with very long hours. They have done well for themselves.
The first product I bought: an A5 6-ring note binder in 2015.
The first product I purchased from them in 2015 was an A5 notes 6-ring binder which I still have today. My decision to buy this leather binder was because I was impressed by the quality build and the leather materials they used for their products. Their prices were reasonable, too.
Over the years, we have bought more leather note binders for Jeannie and Laura, leather key-rings, leather bookmark tags and other items from Tiny Bench. They have an interesting range of multiple product lines and have opened several branches in various shopping malls.
The smaller leather note binder is the right size for me to have it with me in my carry bag wherever I go.
Note the key-rings, and bookmark tags, too.
Neatsfoot oil leather preserver.
Jeannie shopped for some clothes and got something for Laura, our daughter. It is a local traditional outfit in a very nice, striking, elegant shade of red.
We spent another hour or so at Starling before heading back home. Our ride home was smooth traffic all the way. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable evening.
I’ve completed this essay, and saved it, too.😅
NOTES: 1. http://leatherpotato.com/2024/03/10/lemon-coffee/ 2. Jalan-jalan is a Bahasa Malaysia word for travel. 3. P. J. short for Petaling Jaya, is a bustling city in the state of Selangor, Malaysia.
When you hear Tudor, what comes to mind? Tudor, England; houses with thatched leaf / hay / straw roofs; white walls with black lines drawn on them. The weather would be semi-gloomy to cool-cold, the roads (yes “roads”. Not “streets”. We are talking about England of Great Britain, not U.S.A.), narrow and winding, carved and dividing miles and miles of green countryside. Tudor USJ 4 – close.
Tudor USJ 4 is a small village of 224 households. Nestled in Subang Jaya, a bustling city of the state of Selangor, Malaysia; it is within a stone’s throw (you have to be strong to throw a stone to reach the destination you want) distance to reach your favourite makan-makan restaurants, cafes and grocery shops. A few minutes drive away will take you to the town centre where you are spoilt for choice when it comes to food. With this choice begs the question, “What do you want to eat?” Spoilt for choice causes confusion.
The Residents’ Association EXCO committee planned a gathering of residents today to hold Elections for new office bearers. This was to be the real local elections.
We had a couple of tents set up within the vicinity of Tudor homes. The area was surrounded by plants and it sort of gave us the feeling of being with nature. 😀
First to be there were the current committee. Then, the other residents started streaming / walking / strolling in. By 10.00am, we had a quorum to start the meeting.
The first of the residents to sign in.
The first item on the agenda was that we observed a minute’s silence for the late Alice Kang, who passed away when she became a victim of a fire that broke out in her house. Her husband, Peter; is recovering in hospital. The community was shocked by this fire incident and deeply saddened by Alice’s demise. We hope for Peter’s speedy recovery.
Residents going through the agenda, Minutes of our last AGM, the financial statements and other matters.
We, then proceeded with the other items on the agenda. The chairman, Deputy Chairman and the Secretary, took to the floor, and fielded questions mainly about our neighbourhood security and the need to continue to support the Residents’ Association by paying subscriptions on time. The treasurer took to the floor to state that subscriptions were collected to cover the cost of security and other items that aid in the security. Currently, there is a shortfall in collection due to 15% not paying and 26% not paying on time. Those on the floor, encouraged residents to help promote to their immediate neighbours the need to pay subscription fees and to pay them on time.
We soon came to the part where everybody was waiting for (I think😉). Elections of new office bearers for 2024 – 2025. The fun part was those nominating office bearers worked hard to convince the nominees why they should stand for elections and if elected, they should accept the positions. On the other hand, the nominees gave every reason in the book (and out of it) why they did not want to accept nomination.
With the democratic process firmly in place; a new team of office bearers were finally elected. Congratulations are in order for the new 2024 – 2025 EXCO team. It would be a challenge to continue from the high level of dedication and work set by the immediate past EXCO team and those before. The bar has been set and the new team has its work cut out for them.
With a smile like that, how not to be nominated and elected Chairman. He finally accepted, returning unopposed.
The most high tech, overly environmentally friendly, no batteries needed, especially the types found in E.V.s – the same type that damages the environment during its manufacturing process, no need for solar power; very simple white board, with multiple, countless use and re-use capabilities. On display, are the chosen ones for 2024 – 2025.
Every single person on planet earth that is here, present; has a story of their own to tell; whether it is in their mother tongue language, English or a different language; whether it is in the form of pictures, dance or any means of communication; with the hope that what is communicated to the audience; will be received by the audience in exactly the way that it was communicated, without losing the essence of the message. What is most important is that each story is different.
This is something that A.I. or Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT can never do as these can only generate information that was pre-installed with data. Whatever information that is churned out from these two software is sort of a “done this, been there” information. Admittedly, “can never do” could be a bit far fetched.
Don’t surrender decision making to computers all in the name of making life easier for us. The truth is: it doesn’t.
While on your own path, wherever that leads. Run your own race, wherever that goes. Quit comparing your life with another. We are all on a journey, but our paths are different. Our stories are unique.
