will i am's delayed diary

When traveling with family, it is wise to wake up early to slot in morning skank session. And of course, muffle those moans when your mother staying next door! Once we started our day right, we freshened up, and went out looking for breakfast. Just a short walk away was Cafe Makan Nyonya . The cafe is decorated with Peranakan antiques and serves Baba Nyonya cuisine. Thankfully it wasn't too crowded although it was one of the few eateries open in the area. Tried their Kapitan kari mee, shredded chicken hor fun, nasi lemak, and Penang prawn mee. The shredded chicken hor fun was the best among the lot. Together with The Tribe, we drove to the middle of town. Traffic was horrible. We managed to get park near Masjid Sultan Idris Shah II. Right opposite the road was the Birch Memorial Clock Tower, built to commemorate J.W.W. Birch, the first British Resident of Perak. As hated as he is in the Malaysian history books, the clock tower is in surprisingly good condition. Even looks lik...

One of my colleagues was born and bread in Batu Gajah. Her alma mater was SMK St. Bernadette's Convent located just beside a Chinese cemetery. Imagine all the stories. Anyway, I buzzed her while I was at the chapati shop, asking her about things to do in Batu Gajah. Strangely, her recommendation was for me to go to Pusing ( just 5 KM away la ) for some delicious kuih . Wing, an ex-colleague of mine, was nice enough to volunteer as my official Pusing guide. Picked him up from his aunt's home, and he directed us to the stall. The famous stall wasn't open, so the competitor stall was enjoying brisk business. All sorts of kuih were sold, and of course fried stuff. KH was also on a road trip of his own, and he met us there. Can't believe we actually loitered by the roadside, chatting, munching on kuih , and sipping cold soy milk. Moving on, Wing brought us to Papan, a small town that looks like it's on it's last legs. Papan is a historic tin mining town, o...

Surprisingly, mum decided that she would not be visiting relatives on the second day of Chinese New Year. Instead, she wanted to go on a road trip, and have fun. Worked for me. The only challenge was to decide where to go and what to do. The general idea was to drive north. Our first stop was Kellie's Castle located near Batu Gajah. Arrived there an hour past high noon. As one can guess, it was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. For a small fee, we entered into the compound to admire the beautiful mansion built by the Scottsman William Kellie-Smith. Located beside the Raya River, the mansion looks imposing, as it is on higher ground. The architecture is also unique, employing the use of much marble and red bricks in a mash up of Scottish, Moorish, and Tamilvanan Indian influence. Although it was very hot outside, one could find refuge inside the vacant mansion. The interior was surprisingly cool. Kellie started with Kellas House, and started building a grand extensio...

The Lunar Chinese New Year Mass at my parish is a major affair that involves many ministries working together. Planning started months ago. Kudos to the altar ladies for their beautiful centerpiece at the altar. Gratitude to the volunteers who had unpacked and washed all the mandarin oranges before the big day. And also gratitude to the kulis who came early to move the few kilograms of mandarin oranges into position ( never fails to work up a sweat! ). This guy even had to climb so high to hang the 'green' ( Chinese lettuce ) for the lion dance. And there were many, many, many, many chairs to be arranged outside the church. The liturgy was led by the Chinese-speaking congregation, but they also roped in the English-speaking congregation for added hands. Setting up the table for commemoration of ancestors also takes special know-how by the liturgy group. And look at the special offerings just for the occasion. So pretty! And at the end, mandarin oranges an...

Note : Let's revisit CNY! As usual, before mum started work on the reunion dinner, we would make a trip to AEON Equine Park for some fresh ingredients. She started cooking at 3 PM, serving up dish after dish : Pak cham kai Fried threadfin Pork stew with mushrooms, fish maw, and tendon Lotus root soup Salmon sashimi salad Pan-fried soy sauce prawns Pan-fried scallops Braised duck Just a little bit of everything and we were full! So lazy to move after that, but had to wash the car and floors before CNY! Tok-tok-chiang !

One Utama recycled their giant Christmas baubles into giant polyhedral pigs. Bro treated us to Samsui chicken at Soup Restaurant . "Cobra Commander wishes you a happy Year of the Pig!". Once you generate 10,000 steps at One Utama, it's time to sit down for cookies and coffee at Cookies & Coffee .

People had started turning up in hordes at the morning market during the final weekend before the lunar Chinese new year. New products continued to make an appearance at the last minute. A new store also popped up selling ikan belah belakang with sambal filling. Trust the Chinese to charge RM12 per fish, where you can get it for at most RM5 at a Malay mixed rice stall. Breakfast was YTF at Ker Yuen Kitchen instead of my usual breakfast noodles. Family Mart had just opened near Equine Park, so we went to give it a try. The sofuto I can understand, but I was a bit skeptical about the tomyum oden . Got a starter bowl and randomly selected a few stuff. I was sold on the first bite. The Tribe jio-ed us to have dinner at Say Cheese , The Link 2. Big Monster ordered their signature pork chop, so we were treated to dinner display with a butane torch right at our table. Alexander the Gay was in town, so I went to meet him at The Augmented Cafe , a Cina-Muslim cafe...