Happy 52nd Birthday Malaysia!

Happy birthday Malaysia!

You have come very far since your first Merdeka.

In the spirit of oneness, I'd like to share Pete Teo's 2008 track "Here in My Home" performed by Malaysian Artistes.




SELAMAT MENYAMBUT HARI KEMERDEKAAN!

And happy holiday!

August is for Malaysian Delicacies

We always try to make it a point to Buka Pusa once with our dear R during Ramadhan month so we did our break fast session last night at PJ Hilton. We were supposed to do Subak but due to the perpetual rain we then changed the venue to Al Nafourah at Le Meredien, but we were dissapointed to hear that Al Nafourah was not serving Middle Eastern cuisine, rather they were merely having local food, but at the same exorbitant price.

I've never been to a Buka Puasa Buffet in a hotel before, and boy it was FUN! There's so much more variety compared to you usual buffet. I see all my favorite local delicacies such as lemang, ketupat, serunding, nasi minyak, satay, rendang, and loads more. There were Tempura stuff, Chinese dishes and Indian dishes and mamak favorites like murtabak and mee goreng as well!

Once you're done, you can move on to dessert, and there was no shortage here; you can choose from cakes, chocolate fondue, creme brulee to the local stuff like kuih muih, sago, putu piring and loads more colorful stuff I can't even name! And at the end of it all, you can take home a box of Bubur Lambuk for you sahur the next morning. I'd say all in all that's worth the RM98++ we're paying.

I didn't take much photos for fear of being kicked out in public, but here are two photos; the first is my greedy starter platter; a medley of everything! The second is of my all-time favorites; lemang and ketupat with fragrant serunding ayam and daging plus a couple of succulent beef satay!

Crazy mixture of stuff ... I'm hungry just looking this photo!

I think food like this sums up why this is a great country!

The beef satay was truly superb.

Oh but we girls really had fun with all the stories and catching up on each other's lives. The stories went on and on and the there was virtually no end to food! But alas, we out-talked them, they started to clear away the desserts before 10pm, which was rather dissapointing, but we had our fill.

Look look, I even wore a brand new custom-made Baju to get into the mood of things, here's headless Shortcake and R.

Overall, great talk and great food. Splendid.

Preparing for Raya?

Here's an idea ... if you've got the moolah to splurge, why not make your Muslim friends, family, colleagues or bosses really happy this Raya with goodies from Crabtree & Evelyn festive hampers ... look, the last hamper's even got a hand wash and lotion! You know how everyone recycle festive gifts? I know I'll never trade aything I get from Crabtree & Evelyn!

Guaranteed to earn brownie points in the glam and class division for sure! I'm loving the baskets and boxes. Pweetty. I'm guessing you can customise these at their stores as well.

August is for Malaysian Stories

August is a time of reflection for Malaysians ... I won't say I'm a patriotic zealot but I do love my country and I'm immensely proud of the creativity of Malaysians artists. P1 and 15Malaysia brings us 15 short films to celebrate the beauty of our diversity ... here are a series of short videos created to show us who we really are, so stay tuned ....

Excerpt from 15Malaysia's site:

"15Malaysia is a short film project. It consists of 15 short films made by 15 Malaysian filmmakers. These films not only deal with socio-political issues in Malaysia, they also feature some of the best-known faces in the country, including actors, musicians and top political leaders. You may think of them as funky little films made by 15 Malaysian voices for the people of Malaysia."

Screenshot taken of 15Malaysia's site.

These videos will be released one by one between 17 August till 16 September. So far, two videos can be viewed; Chocolate by Yasmin Ahmad and Potong Saga by Ho Yuhang. Get the latest buzz on their Facebook site or follow their tweets.

You may watch and even download the videos, go to: P1 or 15Malaysia

What to expect? Well, some are funny, some are sad, ironic and even a little bit silly; they may make you laugh or cry or invoke all kinds of emotions ... and some may even make you go "huh?"

Have fun everyone and enjoy being Malaysian!

Our Cuddly Friend

My crazy brother posted this photo of our family mutt on his facebook and I can't help but steal his pic and post it here, it's one of those rare moments where Cuddles actually look stoned and sad. She's normally running around panting like a crazy puppy on caffeine overdose. Anyway, she's looking like this because my brother was fixing his car outside the house instead of playing with her. Poor girl.

Cute hoh???

A Poetic Moment

We seldom have fights with our girlfriends, especially when you're in your thirties! The last time I had a major fight with a girlfriend was probably back in high school! Alas, recently, I had a major fight with one of my babes, that was probably over a month back. It was the kind of situation where you start raising your voices till the point someone screams, then someone cries, or maybe we started crying together, it's all a blur after that, and then it ends with hugs, love, forgiveness and more tears. Real drama la. The stuff that "gem of life" are made of (popular Hong Kong drama series rife with emo fights and tears)

As with most quarrels, it always turn out to be a turning point. For me, I felt that this gave us a chance to finally be really open to each other and understand each other better. It was a turning point for our friendship. Anyway, I've never believed in keeping it all in; kills you silently in the end. The drama may be uncomfortable, but sometimes necessary.

We made up nicely after our fight, and I was so touched that she wrote me a poem right after that, so with her permission, I will publish it here.

I am sorry for screaming earlier.
I am sorry too for my past action.
had you feel left out,
it should not have happen.
my walls to you are broken.

I had to reply in like fashion too ...

I won't hate u if u scream
it's better than silence
I'll take u for ice cream
as a pledge of my allegiance

We have yet to have that ice cream, but I think our friendship will survive the odds.

This post is a humble tribute and a small gift to this special friend. If and when you read this, may I just add a few more words I would probably find difficult to say in person .... I have not always been the perfect friend, I would have wounded you in many ways with my insensitivity, but know that you're special and I want to be there for you. I may not know how, I won't truly understand what you're going through, and I will never be able to be the comfort that you long for, but I will be your friend, I will listen if you want to scream, I will shut up if you wanna cry and I will hold you if you're weak. Babe, if all that fails to give you the slightest comfort, know that you're in my prayers, and there is a Greater Friend that knows our hearts' sorrow and cares for us beyond our imagination, I know cos He's been there there for me in my deepest darkest nights, and I know He will comfort you if you want Him to.

Meanwhile, let's do that ice cream kay? *hugs*

Kuriya @ Bangsar

Hubby and I have been going to Spring Hatsuhana at BSC for years, almost a couple of times a month or monthly at the least. Why? Spring was the place for great variety and value for money Japanese food in a cosy and quiet, non-pretentious place. When BSC started renovating, Spring disappeared and we were devastated, so the hunt for a new Jap haunt began. We started to get quite fond of Yuzu at Gardens Mid Valley but alas it's alot of effort going there (parking, jam etc)

Imagine my delight when I discovered that a new Jap place found it's way into BSC ..... here are the pics of our rendezvous to the brand new Kuriya Japanese Restaurant last night ....

Kuriya is located on the newly renovated third floor at BSC (Bangsar Shopping Centre). Unfortunately Kuriya is not affiliated with Spring Hatsuhana. Kuriya is in fact a Singaporean chain. The BSC outlet opened in June 2009.

If you opt to sit outside on the balcony, like we did, you will have this view! Superb on a clear night, but may be rather warm for some. Having a mist curtain and some ceiling fans would be really GOOD!


Menu: here are some of the sashimi & sushi offerings on the menu; for those all out to indulge.

There are special lunch sets on the menu, decent variety and more value-added than ordering the individual ala carte. Alas, there are no dinner sets.

Salmon Salad: salad leaves with a yinyang combination of salmon sashimi and deep fried salmon and a tangy savory dressing on the side (RM18)

Chawan Mushi: taste like any decent chawan mushi (RM10)

Tori Karaage: Deep fried chicken pieces, thankfully no 'breast' parts, meat was tender and juicy and not heavily breaded at all. Good enough as a starter or snack for 2 average eaters, or 3 small eaters (RM16)

Enoki Hoiru Yaki: 3 types of mushrooms cooked in foil. Get a spoon to enjoy the soup inside! (RM16)

Hiyashi Kamo Seiro: Soba noddles with duck breast; an interesting savory cold dish with a runny egg, an adventurous option! (RM24)

Matcha Azuki: I love this; a combination of green tea pudding, green tea ice cream and red bean at the base, plus the bits of fruit for texture (RM16)

Oshiruko: Red bean paste porridge with mochi rice cake aka chewy glutinous rice cakes; a must for all red bean fans! Believe me, it taste much better than it looks ok! (RM8)

What we loved?

• The fact that it's in BSC is great; convenient and easy parking.
• The food we had were fabulous; would definitely order the Tori Karaage again.
• The dessert array is truly tempting - loved the Matcha Azuki!
  
• Alot of thought has been given to the interior decor; authentic and classy
  
• A good place to impress bosses, international business associates and high maintenance clients.
• The dim and moody lighting makes it a great date-place too.

What we didn't quite like ...

• The price, nothing like Spring Hatsuhana, I suppose BSC is trying to upgrade itself.
• Hubby prefers some bento options for dinner, his rationale is you want to 'sample' and try bits of different things at one time.
• A wee bit on the pretentious side, not exactly a place for casual dining
• They were so busy that it took some time to get a seat and to get some good attention from the waiters etc.

Will we be back? It's not a very strong yes, maybe for lunch.

Can anyone tell me where Spring Hatsuhana's gone to? I miss them *sniff*sob*

Itching to try Kuriya, details below;
3rd Floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre (old wing)
285 Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya,
59000 Kuala Lumpur
Contact: 03-20939242