small world

Entrance of The Sultan's Palace

i am reading Stephen Clarke's 1000 years of annoying the French. Hilarious. Bila ni ada buku 100 years of annoying the Indon. it'd be super hilarious, i guess. looking at what's been going on between our countries.

Pasar Burung

i was in Jakarta and Jogjakarta last week, to see the temples (Borobudur and Prambanan). Indonesia is very rich in cultures and specialties. i still hate Jakarta (phobia for a metropolis) but, we had a wonderful stay in Jogja.we visited the new Pasar Burung, Kraton, Water Castle, Parangtritis Beach (which reminded us of Bondi Beach minus the naked people, of course) and the temples.

one of these days, i'll put the details of our short tour in the form of a travelogue and i promise to link it to this post. but, until then...

it'll be a sin to compare Borobudur/Prambanan with temples in Siem Reap. if you've seen the intricate carving at Angkor Wat/Thom and the grandeur of their structure and expect to see the same in here. you're in for a huge disappointment. Borobudur/Prambanan are for commercial tourism use, no active monk or devotees can be seen performing any prayer ritual anywhere in the compound. there's not even a place to stick burnt incense, the place is not functioning as a temple but merely a museum.

Parangtritis Beach, sunset

Second level of Borobudur, west gate, with Dawn

the food as always, were good. but, because i'd developed a taste for Indochina's (Vietnamese + Thai hybrid) cuisines, the food somehow lacked the depth and the surprising factor. so, its a bit flat with one major exception of Bakpia. The sweet kuih like biskut tambun/piang. i highly recommend to try Bakpia, preferably, filled with mung beans and cheese.

 

one thing i came to a conclusion after the short vacation is that, culture is a very dynamic thing. our surrounding shaped the way we are. our faith, upbringing, values instilled and it influenced our way of thinking, our action. the more we open up and experience others cultures, hopefully a better enlightenment, more openness for a greater understanding dawned on us. and if that cant make us a better person, i wondered what was the point of braving out to a foreign land.

and in line with this thinking, i am wondering what was all that fuss about claiming one culture as a sole nation's heritage. culture evolves, its dynamic. what used to be yours exclusively might be not in the future. thats what we call globalisation. ooo ya, not to end with a sour note, but, really, Indonesia should improve on their wi-fi service. maybe then, the idea of this evolving, culture sharing become mass spread.

Welcome To Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan

i thought i was safely passed the Kinsella period in my reading preference. and i usually cant stomach much of those lovey dovey cute stories (not when you're on the wrong side of early 30's and still very much a single lass). that would just be too much and terrifyingly, horribly accusing. 

when i first saw Jenny's paper back on the shelf of Boulevard's Popular bookstore, i just gave  it a passing glance, especially when i saw sophie kinsella's comment on the front cover (a real downer, since the shopaholic series not exactly suited my taste). but because a very large man was blocking my way on that tiny aisle, i nonchalantly picked the book up and read the back cover. something in the mentioning of Lipton (a village in Derby where the story based) stirred in me to open up the book and read on. (Lipton is my favourite tea brand)

the Roald Dahl quotation sealed it for me and also the recipe on page 441. my all time favourite peanut brittle recipe. right away, i bought the book and i am hopelessly waiting for her next book: Come and Celebrate Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe, coming by the end of this year. i love this Colgan lady!. she incorporated love story with genuine recipes, i'm drooling to try.

synopsis:

Rosemary was raised in London and now settled with her boyfriend of 8 years. her job as an auxiliary nurse on call and life with Gerard, the boyfriend made her tired and plunged on a request from her mom to take care of her great grand aunt, Lilian who was bed ridden at a far away village in Derby. Lilian own a sweetshop. the plan was to settle Lilian at a good nursing home and sell the cottage and shop to cover her expanses, the whole plan should take less than 6 weeks to sort out. 

but, complication arise when Jake, a handsome farm helper, Moray, the village doctor and Stephen a mysterious wounded stranger, one by one appear in Rosie's life. where will fate leads her?

then, come a story of her great grand aunt bittersweet love story, of missing chance and regrets. 

this book reminded me of time, so precious little to sulk on other unimportant things in life and to cherish love more, cherishing people we have around us better and to tell them often that we love them, to be warm and loving, even to the coldest neighbour/ colleagues. and those lucky people who found residing place in the heart of their loved ones, to know and experience love. treasure it. 

and to never underestimate the power of instinct and chance. trust your gut for a good catch (yeah, this cover for a good book selection and other matter too)

Being never been to England, its a bit hard to imagine that quaint village in Derby, the closest image i can think of is that quaint little village of Berrena? (what was the name?) we accidentally encountered on our road trip from Melbourne to Sydney last year.  i am grateful, there's a night off in the Euro match. so, i finally got time to read this off. and i am super happy for Germany next match. sexy Gomez, bring it on!

june's update

It's done. i pasted my blog's address on my Facebook account (ya, come on, roll your eyes.. FB?). oh.. ya, it really helps to locate my stray, all over Sabah, Sarawak kids, especially since they changed their phone numbers repeatedly, i lost track of most of them. at least, once each semester, i am a FB full time user, PMing my kids their results pointer. and i, actually love doing it (more than i'll ever admitted). i think i'm already a facebook junkie, it's the last thing i checked on my hand phone (apart from the i-hope-u-texted-me wistful thinking) before i go to sleep and the first to be seen in the morning after i hit the snooze button. (i know, i know, should change this new habit to a more manageable bites). macam telampau pula beberapa minggu ni.

i am way behind my reading progress. barely 19% of my intended annual target and it's almost half of the year gone. i dont wholly blamed FB addiction to my diminishing amount of time to read. internet is more enticing than TV. can i count online magazine read as a book read?

will go away for a short (much needed) vacation by the end of this week. i need to find a good footwear (my BUM sneaker is in shoddy condition). was thinking of posting this on my FB wall, but, then, it'll make me a double junkies, right? 

have a good week ahead kaibigan!

when you cant go home for Kaamatan

May mau habis sudah. dan confirm tidak dapat balik Ranau untuk Kaamatan* (not that we're big in celebrating the celebration). but it's good to have a family gathering, simple afternoon picnic (did i tell, my kampung house is very close to a river? -Sg. Moroli) and dinner, and movie marathon, watching  old series of Merlin (which is our parents favourite), betting our coins on lap-lap-pu**, or simply go fishing and kena tanduk by Harry the goat or even, go panjat-panjat pokok, when nothing else seems to amuse us (that, and also to get a better internet reception). ya, i'm kidding on that last part. or not.

I am lonely and missing my hometown. 

Trying hard to finish vol 1. of Sherlock Holmes complete adventures to while away the loneliness.

*Harvest Festival = Thanksgiving
**game of cards

i am itching to write about book #16 or #17 in my book list, because those two are really good. but, i dont have the luxury of time to compose a decent post. so, i'll write about those two books when i can. besides, i am having this weird emotion blockage (deep melancholy, i associated with loneliness) and  super busy weeks with piled up works to do against time. i am just tired, thats all. 

something happened earlier this month and it shook my world. gently. its good to come to a point where, i knew, i am not that easily intimidated anymore with the largeness of things (real or imaginative). i only have this life. just this.

Footprints in The Sand

it's good to be reminded of God's everlasting love and care. for those clueless of  "Footprints in the Sand" story, read it here. for the skeptical, yeah, the story sounds cheesy (it's a dream after all). but, hey, even if it's just a placebo, its working and i'm buying. 

on the matter of preference

My favourite seafood is fish. i was 6 when i saw the sea for the first time. our dad brought us to KK (Tanjung Aru) for jalan-jalan and i remember telling him that, that's a huge river. he told us to sample the seawater and can you imagine how surprised i was when i tasted the salty not so clean seawater?. its an amazing experience, experiencing the sea for the first time. that was years ago, but, i never really got off the sense of how small i was when i faced the ocean.

one of disadvantages living far off from the seaside is the lack of fresh seafood. maybe, i learned to favour fish to the other seafood because growing up, we rarely indulged in the other relatively more expensive seafood (prawn, squid, crab etc.). a very dear friend once commented 'kalau hari-hari makan pucuk ubi, tanpa tahu sayur lain, kita fikir itulah sayur yang paling sedap'. that's village venus effect (the prettiest girl in the world is the prettiest girl in a village for the lack of comparison). our limited experience tends to distort our preference.

fortunately for me, after sampling numerous dishes of other seafood (our dad was relocated to Pitas, and stayed there for more than three years), my favourite is still fish. the best and safest dried anchovies are from Pitas (they dried it off on their bagang with no strayed cats/dogs/chickens/kids around). while living in Pitas, we get acquainted with lots of seafood types. fresh seafood every day and wider choices to choose from (that sound almost like heaven, no?). my mom complained bitterly of the lack of fresh veggies and the salty hot breeze (being used to the abundance of veggies and hill breeze). again, our life-long experience tends to steer our preference.

preference is made out of perspective. perspective is made out of experience and knowledge. we see the world not as it is, but as we are. i was mildly annoyed last week because a long-time friend suddenly unfriend me in FB (i know, this rather sound foolish and childish - in my part for posting this, but i need to get it off my chest). and the reason for the act was because i posted a different view on the topic discussed. i should have known better not to provoked a closed, stagnant mind and her preference. i thought, i was being generous of sharing my perspective over the matter (and i might be on the wrong side of the argument too, naaah.. she's just being silly). 

sometimes, being blind sided over some matter is a bliss. as i knew of late, there are things better left unsaid, even when our intention is true. it'll save many heartaches.  i prefer being blind sided over matters close to my heart, but, i knew to make a relationship works, we need to open up our perspective and see the larger picture of the matter. and work on our preference.

slow me down

Emmy Rossum. you should see the official video. she's gorgeous!. i use this one, because i need to see the lyric.

April's gone. somehow, that makes me glad. certainly not my favourite month for the past 3 years. it brought more challenges and pain than all the other months, collectively. so, i've decided, if it's up to me, i'd like to leave the world in April. when my heart's leaded with aches and regrets. it'd be easier to leave when you're sorry, no?

May, come with that fresh hope and promise of a new beginning. i need, desperately need a new starting point. re-adjusting my course. and focus to what's matter the most.

 

for 4-8 years old (in us)

ooooo... i'm so tempted to buy and mail this book to my sister who work at a construction site and let the book tell her on the importance of a good night sleep. but, i'll hurt her pride by doing that. this is for 4-8 years old.

i'm attending a colleague's daughter's birthday party tomorrow and i'm getting her a book for a present. that's my earnest effort on converting her attention to book. i know, i'm doing good deeds. in hope, she'll grow up loving books better than watching ASTRO. (Can we just fire parents who allow their kids watching TV for hours on?). hahahha... iyala.. i'm no mum, senanglah cakap.

let's see if i can find any good book for one pegawai, demoted to a filing clerk position. ya, i'm trying to cheer you up. (lame joke, i know).

you'll never walk alone

I dont know if ZAR is still operating in UKM, Bangi or not. during my uni days, they operated at the UG of PUSANIKA building. i frequented their cafe (like, 6 times per week). they open officially at 8.00 am, but, they didnt close their door when i came usually at 7.30 am (obviously their first customer each day). a few minutes later, an Indonesia guy with a battered sling bag would emerged and sat on the next table. except for hi at the door, i didn't rarely exchanged pleasantry with the owner. and they didn't bugged me either. early morning were especially busy at their little bakery. after 8.30, customers started to flood in and i usually leave before 8.30 for Tun Sri Lanang library.

Nothing fabulously fantastic in their menu offering. theirs was a simple bakery with limited baked goods. the owners were elderly Malay couple who speak English with brits accent. but, the runner of that shop was their plump (very good looking) son. i enjoyed my uninterrupted morning tea (they got quite a selection of Earl Grey teas). those were the times i spent looking at plants nomenclature (i did a bit on plant taxonomy for my MSc Theses) and the times i think, i was so much at ease.

maybe it's the rarity of time spent just to be on my own that i treasured those early mornings so much. coming from a large family (of 9 siblings), its really hard to find a place or time to be alone. maybe that's why i love reading so much, it allows my mind to drift and escape. don't get me wrong, i love socializing too. i enjoy hanging out with friends or just talking nonsense with my brothers and sisters, i enjoy companionship. but my heart quietened when i am alone, collecting my thoughts, reading my favourite book, browsing through old photos, doing my cross-stitch, writing on my spiral bound note book, daydreaming.

The last time i went to ZAR was in 2008. the lady owner looked shocked seeing me and asked "i thought you already finished your course? why are you still here?". after all those years, she did remember me. "i did. i work in Kuching now. i come to visit a friend working here. i thought, you'll not recognize me". "of course i remember you. i baked apple pie, because you always asked for it". oooo my.. yes, i love apple pie, still do. only then i realized, even in my search for solitude, there's someone helping with the details to ease the way. and that's comforting to know.

The Happiness Project

ermmm... no, i dont usually read a self-help book like this. and i certainly wont buy any book teaching people how to be more happier. i always believe i am a naturally positive, optimist person. happiness is not something i lack or something i eagerly pursue. this might sound boastful to some, but, that's the truth. there were days when i grumbled and felt really down, but, i never really reached sadness to the point of suicide.

this book belongs to my sister, Popong, who abandoned it after reading a few pages. i felt the familiar nauseating loath for gloat after reading a chapter. (the chapters were divided by month to her objectives to achieve in the pursuit of happiness). however, she had me with her sharp writing style. i like the way she put out her argument and explanations. she is totally right with most of her arguments, she was, after all trained to make convincing arguments. except, she lacked the experience of  significant unhappiness to talk about happiness. 

its like talking on how to become a millionaire when one's born a millionaire. interesting, but not inspiring. (she's happily married to a man devoted to her and their two daughters, live in NY city, doing what she love the best, still living parents and supportive in-laws, no significant financial problem. the husband have Hep C. her sister have diabetes). ha! ko try tanam kacang dulula..

its only April and i already have 2 books in my 'pointless' category. i should stop reading crappy book. i know.

can you hear my heart

i am watching this Korean drama and taking my time with it. heart wrenching, stuffy. and now i've found my favourite Korean actor. that, the non-smiling guy in the picture. he is 남궁민. i've always thought, Korean actors to be pretty and romantic, but not sexy (like in sensual, seriously physically attractive). this guy, challenge that thought. he is better than Ryan Gosling!

so far, i'm in 12th episode. 18 more to go. ya, if i'd checked earlier its 30 episodes drama, i might not started watching it at all. but, up to 12th episode, no disappointment yet. the storyline moves rapidly giving no chances of boredom. the plot is not so predictable, so it catches attention. wonderful script (or should i say, great sub-titles?), interesting and funny. and ahhh.. yes, the Korean trademark; heart wrenching.

i am not so convinced of the grown up Woo Ri's poverty (the little Woo Ri is more convincing). i cant feel her suffering. as for all the others, bad/good characters, they're very convincing. i especially like the grandmother's character. flawless. 

18-20 more hours to go. I'm pressing myself hard to limit my viewing hours to only 2 hours per day (that's 2 episodes). my life will really go berserk if i'd listen to my heart and watch the drama, marathon way. I've learned not to trust my heart when a sexy guy mingled in the equation. ahhhh... damn!

until you come along

i am too lazy to compose a lengthy post about book today. so, i'll just embed my favourite Youtube video from the recent weekend. i discovered her, browsing Griffin House. JJ Heller.

until you come along. please excuse the video, for the softporn, emo displays. enjoy the lyrics. and here's another one, Love me. ooooh.. while you're there, check out all her songs. she's a darling.