Farewell Ratty

It's only hours away to our reunion dinner but the feasting has started since yesterday.

Had a good time catching up with old freinds last night at Halo Cafe. The place would be quiet without the 20 odd people we had there. Willie even made some of us sing on stage. It'll be hard to meet gain the next few days with everybody dashing around to meet up relatives and in-laws.

Got to go help out with dinner preparations soon. This year we'll have 'Or Ni' (Yam dessert) for dessert ...

Here's an early Gong Xi Fa Cai to all. May you prosper and stay healthy this new year. Huat ah!

Ghost of New Year Past

New Year Eve reunion dinner at Sin Kee Ting, hearts a leaping when thunderclaps explodes in the night skies, firework fumes in the air, uncles and aunts at the blackjack table, never-ending crackers at midnight, ketupat and sate for first day guests, lion dances at the neighbour's house, 'Jackie Chan' movie at Rex cinema, visiting on bicycles, dinner at parit jawa, cards till the wee hours of morning, early dim sum breakfast thereafter, counting ang pows, .... memories from the days when I was truly excited for the New Year.

This year I'll just be contented with my prawn rolls and braised duck, and maybe a few rounds of 'banlat'.

Candies at the Exit Door

I have switched my broadband plan from Singnet to Starhub. At the end of the whole process, I found out that I could have just stayed on the same plan at the same monthly rates. It's a story that began late last year, just before my previous Singnet broadband plan expired.

A Singnet rep called me in October to remind me of my expiring plan and to dangle a sweet carrot for renewing the plan. 8Mbps for only $36.90 (I was paying $47 then). I decided to resist, thinking that there would be better deals during the November IT fair or at least during the month of December where the Internet Service Providers would be going all out to meet annual sales quotas. Alas there was no sniff of such good deals.

After Christmas, I checked again. Singnet was still charging $45 for the 8Mbps plan, even to re-contracting clients. The best on the plate was the Starhub Triple Freedom Pack Plus that cost $59.62 for 8Mbps broadband, Cable TV (basic channels) and digital home (telephone line). That roughly translates to $36 for the broadband, but I would have to get a wireless LAN card ($33) for my PC and a wireless home phone ($99).

So I called Singnet again. I explained to the staff that I wish to recontract and wanted to know whether there were any promotions for people like us. $45 per month, they would not budge. The plan was not an improvement of my previous plan I explained, cause I had 4 months free subscription the last time. No such promotions for now, but I could wait till end of the month.

I was fed up so I took up the Starhub plan. After spending a night hooking up the new voice-enabled modem and figuring out the router settings, it looked like I was all ready to terminate my old plan. So I called Singnet and they referred me to the 'Termination' department. A lady asked me why I decided to terminate, then came the clincher ... "Sir, what if we offered you 8Mbps at $36.90 per month and free home phone line subscription for two years..."

I do not know whether to laugh or to cry. I just wonder why they had placed the 'Candy' lady at the 'Exit' door and not at the door that reads 'Recontract' !

Home Kitchen Recipes

I don't usually wander into the kitchen when my Mum is cooking (leave it to the pro) but I couldn't resist picking up the recipe of my favourite 'Chilli Pork with dried shrimps and belacan' when I was back during Christmas. I not only got the recipe, but also the home-made blended chilli (a blend of 'cili padi', onion, ginger and garlic)!

We managed to test the recipe out a few weeks ago in our own kitchen. First a spoonful of blended chilli went in. I was ready for what was next to come. The spicy aroma that rose from the sizzling wok starts tickling the nostrils. With a hand over my nose, I just had to bear with it. Next the dried shrimps and belacan chili (we couldn't find belacan powder) went in, followed by the pork belly slices. Then a dash of dark soy sauce and a teaspoon of sugar for taste. The verdict? It was a super spicy (too much chilli) and could do with better pork. Nevertheless it was a good first try. Well there's enough chilli for a few more rounds of this dish, so fret not.

In the wok

Ta dah ...

We also learnt how to cook chicken rice while back in Muar.

Onions, Garlic and Ginger into the fry

Whole chicken on the boil

Frying the rice in spices and butter

Into the rice pot - with the boiled chicken stock

Ode to the Ox

hey bovine-lovin' mister ox,
hear you're movin' into town
to take the keys to the keep
on the zodiac merry-go-round

now here comes a new year
even before I sober up
from the countdown parties
where I puked over my party garb

we'll celebrate in pomp
to usher you in
red packets (ouch!) I'll impart
over 'lip-smackin' good' home cookin'

but oh what tidings you bring
to the rest of your peeps
especially to the dragon kind
who'll be glad for some tips

on how to survive
the gloomy sullen markets
and the weary sounding horoscope
without losing our heads

so how now brown cow,
before I run out of rhyme
promise we'll treat you right
in three years time

Cafe Amour

We love coffee and what we love to do during weekends is to savour a cup (or two) of kopitiam coffee. Not the ones at the nearby coffee shop though because those taste really awful and should be banned. We used to frequent the Ya Kun outlet at Lot 1 or the Toastbox at Causeway Point, but since late last year we have been regulars to the western-most outpost of Jurong Point. Why? Cause they now boast of the Old Town White Coffee, Ipoh's own favourite blend of White Coffee. One sip of the Nanyang Memorable and we proclaimed it the best in town. The taste is a delightful mix of bitter, sweet and sour that certainly stands out from the common sweet coffee found at the Ya Kuns or Toastbox. So good that we have been there three times since December. The food there is not too bad either. I have enjoyed both the Chicken Rendang and Nasi Lemak.

A cup of Nanyang Memorable

Nasi Lemak ... looking at it just makes me hungry

Curry Chicken

We missed the taste when we went back to Muar during Christmas, so we went hunting for good coffee. Unfortunately the 'Old Street' cafe on Jln Abdul Rahman isn't quite in the same class (though it has a similar-looking old town pic as a logo). Rather than let that spoil the image of our Muar coffee, we went to the 434 Sai Kee coffee shop at Jln Salleh the next day and our confidence in our local coffee was restored. As the espresso machine was down, I tried their 'Elephant bean' coffee (yeah, it is bigger than the normal beans) instead. I will definitely be back the next time to taste the 'Queen coffee' with the coffee flower on top.

Muar's own 434 Sai Kee Coffee