A not so lazy sunday stroll

Supposed to have spent a relaxing Sunday at home, to recuperate from the busy and hectic week, but somehow, it was not meant to be.

Woke up early last Sunday to go for breakfast with my church members, a pre Chinese New Year shindig. Had a mini fiesta at one of the coffee shops near Jaya. Famous for its curry mee, chee cheong fun, and other what nots, the food was highly recommended, but I decided to opt out and had the dry spicy pan mee instead. It was ok-ok only but I did get to try other dishes.

Then off I went to KLPac for its very first open day. The open day was scheduled to start at 10:00am, but I got there super early after breakfast at about 9:40am. Still, there were things to see already with the various exhibitions having been set up earlier, showcasing of a local artist's paintings, a themed disability photograph exhibition, various rock gardens transformed and "art-ified" and coincidentally, a private wedding function being held there itself. It was a garden wedding, with guests all dressed up to the nines. I felt and thought that the morning sun's heat was pretty intense, and pitied the groom standing ceremoniously in a suit, with some other guests similarly attired.

Vibrant colours depicting local scenes, and various other abstract art paintings, told of many a story. As saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words... Nearly purchased some of the cards on sale by the same artist (I forgot her name), but I was looking more for other type of scenes which may hold my interests a lot more.

Of course, it wasn't just the visual stimulant, but of the aural as well. I got there early, and managed to hear the KL Young Singers sing. I have been to their previous concert, and have seen them performing elsewhere too, and generally, they have improved. They were slated for the 10:00am slot at the lobby area and it was their chamber group (smaller choir). Not bad, they sang a couple of songs but suffered from a lack of audience. I guess it was kind of a bit early still. During the day, there were various other acts at the lobby, from a saxophone quartet, to a children's choir, to a secondary school's chinese orchestra, a young pop indie singer, and many other such acts. Of course, the performances weren't limited to the lobby area, but extended inside and beyond.

There were backroom tours of the place, a short skit, short local movies, rhyhmic dancing, stomp, dances in the park, wakaido performance, origami classes, acting workshop, gamelan ensemble jamming session, and many more activities. I can tell you that it was certainly an activity packed day, and my friends and I had to forgo certain activities just because other performances or events were happening at the same time.

Not forgetting the sights, be it still life or people watching. Some friends were camera trigger happy and enjoyed the various eye candies intermingling amongst the lesser beings so to say. There was a Japanese Koi farm situated a very short distance away, and my friends and I explored as much as possible in the almost unbearable early afternoon heat.

Of course, the highlight for me was the 2:00pm slot, whereby the acapella group I sing with joined in the merry making and good wishes. We sang about six songs, and some were better delivered than others. Certainly looked as though we had a lot of fun singing and got the crowd going. I saw a few people mouthing the words of certain songs with us as we sang. Some swayed and bounced to the music, and others simply stood transfixed. I guess many would still not have been exposed to acapella music, and hoped that by just that six songs, it showcased singing is "not just singing", and promote the potential of vocals as a powerful art form. Combine that with a group of people who seemed to be enjoying themselves (or should I say ourselves?), add little movements here and there, sing with a certain wickedness, observe the little twinkle in the eye, engage the audience with a little zest,... and what do you get? The Wicked Pitches of course! :) And here, thank you especially to my friends who braved the heat and crowd to come hear and see us do our bit. Hope they had a good time and enjoyed themselves as much as we did.

And after all that, I wanted to stay on longer, but felt mentally and physically drained. There were a lot of other events lined up which I would have liked to stay on for, but I simply couldn't keep the energy up. I guess the week just caught up with me at that point in time, and I felt like sleeping the rest of the day away...(but alas, didn't get to do so. But that's a story for another day)...

To pant or not to pant...

When I first heard of the pacesetter run which the company I worked for was sponsoring, I was so excited and eager to join. There was the 10km, 20km, and 30km categories, and since I have never tried, I submitted the joining form way in advance for the 10km category.

The day approached, and I almost couldn't sleep in anticipation of waking up early and be there early at the starting point to get "early bird" prizes. With the roar of participants eager to depart at the 6:50am flag off time at the Lake Gardens, I went up a gear, and match the runners pace for pace.

After a good 1 hour and 10 mins, the finishing line was in sight, and the thunderous cheer from the crowd welcoming runners amidst various congratulatory greetings boomed through the area. I stepped up another gear, and ran my fastest along the home stretch, passing a number of other runners and crossed the finishing line amidst the welcoming cheer. Alas, I didn't manage to rank within the top 30 runners (there were more than 300 runners), but I got a medal at least to show for my effort.

Now, that is a very good dream eh? And the reality?
a. I did go for the 10km run, albeit reluctantly.
b. Saw company emails flying around promoting the event, but kept quiet about it. Definitely don't want to sign up.
c. But alas, got an email from "the top", politely worded to say "JOIN"! *(@#$@*&@$
d. Had to get up at an unearthly 5:30am to ensure I get to the starting point on time.
e. Left house, and noticed that there were police blocks on roads heading to the starting point for those (beep-censored-beep) running the 30km stretch whose flag off time was before 6:00am! Began to worry about reaching venue.
f. A policewoman let me enter the cordoned off road after I explained my predicament. She said I should have been there earlier before the road closure. Bitch!
g. I should have just turned around and headed for home.
h. Got to the venue, and hunted quite a while for a parking space (near the Bukit Aman car park), which incidentally, took me a good 15 to 20 mins just to get to the starting point (the boathouse). Looking at the bright side, the long walk at least served as a warm up exercise.
g. Got the starting point with just four minutes to spare.
h. Wanted to moan and groan that it is too early in the morning but overheard that there were others in the same boat. Heard that another department head signed up his staff for the run. Like being coerced.
i. I walked and walked and walked. Ran a bit on the downhill stretches, but mostly walked.
j. Finished my 10km in exactly 1 hour 48 minutes. Best time for the men's category was under 1 hour. So, what's another hour right?
k. Was given vouchers for nasi lemak (seriously!), sandwiches, cendol and drinks to replenish energy and strength, which I heartily consumed.
l. After resting for a bit, tried to find my way back to the carpark, and subsequently spent a good half an hour walking around looking for it. *&@*&#@#*#
m. Finally found my car after almost getting lost, and went home.
n. Yeah, got a medal to show that I actually finished.
o. Almost sprained my left ankle after stumbling twice running downhill (see? I must not run, must walk).
p. Middle toe on my right foot had a bad bruise. I forgot to cut my toenails, and the nail kept pressing on my socks and running shoes. Till today (a week already), it is still bruised. Blood clot there already I think. Not a pretty sight.

And for those who still don't believe, here's "the other side" of my medal to show that I actually completed the 10km distance even without going to the gym to prepare. Also for those who are in the 4-digit business, here's my number and hope you strike the lottery. Just remember to share it with me as I did all the hardwork ...

Of winter solstice and what to eat

Do you know what this is?

It's home made Tong Yuen (also known as Tangyuan)! Yes, yes, the winter solstice festival has passed quite a while back, but then, I have been very behind in my blogging activities. More on the Winter Solstice and other Chinese Festivals can be found here.

And yes, I made them! Learnt how to make tong yuen over a decade ago, but hardly make the little round ones nowadays. This batch of tong yuen had different fillings inside. Half was peanut butter, and the other, chocolate. Made mine over a pot of pandan flavoured base. Quite nice actually, even if I do say so myself! SLURP! :P

A journey up north

Now seriously, don't tell me you have never been on a foodie trip? The last post on Melaka was actually a foodie trip, but I stayed clear food pictures, and after a few days later, a couple of friends and myself journeyed north to Sitiawan. To do what? To hunt for good eating spots of course. :)

This time, we had a kindly host, Sharon, who kindly showed us the way around, and brought us to the little known haunts, the places only locals would know. And yeah, there were defintiely more eating sessions comparatively to the Melaka trip. So, can't help but post some of the pictures I took.
After all that, scouring for the heong pengs, bak kut tehs, chee cheong fun (but it was closed), cendol, wu kok in Bidor, and other what nots, I fear for my waist line, but yet ta-paued back somemore food for a later feast.

More on this trip can be found here and here. Ok, ok. Won't just show pictures of food, although they still look delectable. There were various sights as well, and most memorable was a private trip to a meehoon factory, courtesy of Sharon our host.

With the onset of Chinese New Year, and a spanking new haircut (same style, but shorter), my face does look "a bit" fuller. The various planned gatherings, and the thought of all the food amidst the festivities is enough to give me palpitations. Think I need to lie down for a bit to rest my heavy bulk. But seriously, time for exercise I hear? Well, I did do some, more of a 10km pacesetter run, but that's a story for another time...

Of Babas and Nyonyas

Been kind of behind in blogging activities, what with going outstation for food trips as well as rushing reports for meetings since the beginning of this year. Where do I even begin to catch up. Well, someone told me today that I gained "a bit" of weight (which is a highly subjective word), but I kind of agree as I feel that my pants are a tad tighter.

Firstly, went on a foodie trip to Melaka, as well as for the sights of course. Historically rich with many a stories, ancient relics, famous for its Baba and Nyonya culture, and of course, the various religious sites following the arrival of Catholicism to the shores of Melaka.

Will leave Melaka with a couple of pictures, and for more detailed adventures, can check out here.

Walked quite a bit, and also checked out various museums around the area, and one or two went almost nuts with buying stuffs. Given the heat, dehydration was the greatest concern, but had more than enough to drink as we hopped from one eatery to the next (especially along Jonker Street) and tried out various local flavours. Yumm!

Did I see any Babas and Nyonyas? I reckon so, simply because they look just like another Malaysian. :P

Of one advert and another

My colleagues were discussing about the "availability" of a particular banker we know, until I happened to walk pass, overheard, and told them that the banker just "registered" last year. Faces crushed and fallen, they turned the focus of their incessant natter inhouse.

A few minutes later, I got this email from one of them, all ready to advertise for me:

Cicakwoman* (who is already married with a family) wrote:

No need to be shy. How about like this :
Truly Malaysian but speaks like an Englishman.
Strong passion for food & a flair for writing = a "pretty big" but still hmhmm "adorable" blogger.
Can sing and dance.
Strictly no alcohol .
Can gossip .

If you need to be dined (but not wined), entertained, love to communicate intelligently and also like juicy conversations, call AJ.

*more stories of cicakwoman may be found here, here and here.

I almost laughed out loud as another email subsequently came with a frightful picture (which I hope will never see the light of day). Instead, I sent back a picture taken recently from an outstation trip last Thursday (which I will blog about later):

Not that I am advertising of course ... Hahaha... But seriously, sometimes I wonder why all my married friends keep pestering their unmarried friends to quickly tie-the-knot, especially given all the jokes about married life (the one with the three rings? and numerous others), and how married life is usually not what is expected or as rosy as perceived. But seriously, no, I do not need to advertise already (ahem...) ... LOL!!!

A Happy Celebration

Been behind a bit on my blogging activities, and December had been a busy month. Celebrated my younger sister's wedding, firstly in early December in Sarawak itself, and another celebration a week after in KL/Klang. I suppose I could write quite a bit on this, but this post would then be a tad too long. Will leave it with a few pictures instead, and as they say, a picture paints a thousand words. Suffice to say, it was a fun, happy, joyous, stressful, and a marvelous time for family and friends to get together to commemorate the special event.

Some pictures from the celebration in Kuching/Serian:


Some more from the celebration in KL/Klang:


December was also a month of celebrating christmas. Celebrating the birth of Christ, be it spiritually or in the secular sense. My acapella group has been lucky enough to continue getting gigs and spreading the christmas cheer in various malls and for one or two other events. This is the time to really sing and just enjoy ourselves, and count our blessings for another year.

Yes, in retrospect, 2007 has been a good year in many ways, and I am indeed grateful for all the wonderful things that have happened during the year. Too many things to list out, but here's not to forgetting family and friends...

Signs and Symbols

Someone once asked me, why do Catholics genuflect or make the sign of the cross?
Taken from here.

Genuflecting:
Catholics believe Jesus is truly present in the Tabernacle. If I ask an Evangelical what he would do if he saw Jesus standing in front of him he would say "I would fall to my knees." Although a Bible Christian may disagree on the real presence of Jesus, he will certainly not disagree that bending to one's knees is an appropriate response to the real presence of Jesus. One Evangelical told Father Bob Bedard, "If I believed what you believed, that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist, I'd be at Church every day and I would fall to my knees when I entered." Ditto, I go to Church every day and fall to my knees when I enter.

Sign of the Cross:
Evangelicals see this as a way of spotting a Catholic from a mile away. But this is a very old practice. Christians have been doing it from early times. The theologian Tertullian recorded it in 211 A.D. I got an email that said:

"I was wondering what it means when before the gospel we make a sign small sign of the cross on our forehead, lips, and heart." (original spelling)

Mark Bonomero responds that it is a silent prayer --a response to the announcement of the Gospel reading where the priest or deacon says: "A reading from the holy Gospel according to John." And the congregation, tracing the cross over their forehead, lips, and heart, is supposed to say to themselves (silently); "May the Words of the Gospel be on my mind, upon my lips, and in my heart." At the same time, of course, we vocally respond: "Gloria tibi Domine" ("Glory to you, oh Lord.").

Tracing the little cross over our forehead is actually the original form of the Sign of the Cross -the one used by the earliest Christians, before the Council of Nicea. What it is, is tracing where the bishop placed the oil (in the form of a cross) on your forehead at Confirmation. The present Sign of the Cross was developed around the time of Nicaea itself so as to deny the error of Arianism and express belief in the Trinity as the Council of Nicaea defined it.

More reading on signing of the cross.

A little bit of Mozart

Mozart Piano Concerto No 23(K. 488) in A Major- 1.Allegro

Brings back lots of memories, although I wasn't as young as this when I played this for my college's summer term concert. Was in the Upper 6th Form then...

Tears In Heaven

First heard this in one of the CDs I have. Finally found it. Beautiful voices...

2007 ... 2008!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll drink a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne.