Saw some tins of Danish butter cookies today and I couldn't help but grin.
I wonder when I'll get to sample the real thing, hmm.
Hint hint lalala...
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Random Bitching
I gave up. Finally decided to drive to KL, can't handle Puduraya anymore. If I wanted to kill myself by way of inhaling hazardous air, then at least let me choose my poison, any strong 'kretek' would do I think. Or petai-flavored shisha.
Look at KLIA. Then look at Puduraya. Then look at KLIA. And look at Puduraya again. Attracting foreign investment issit? Oh, I forgot that the bigwigs don't use public transportation but they do use the airport. Hell, even Melaka has a nice bus station. And keeping the muhibbah Malaysian copycat spirit, it was fashioned after KLIA too. I doubt Kurosawa did the design for Melaka Sentral. Oh you noticed that the name is similar to that badly designed transportation hub in KL too?
Actually I don't really fancy the design of Melaka Sentral, but at least waiting for your bus at the platform there doesn't quite pose the same health hazard risk as standing downstairs in the dark dingy interiors of Puduraya's surreal platforms. Or maybe that was the exhaust smoke which has gotten to my head talking. It doesn't take much to get me high. I am that innocent.
Before you accuse me of being a snob, let me tell you that I've done the whole hanging out at Puduraya thing while I was in high school. Been there, done that bebeh. Not that I wanted to, but what choice did a 15 year old kid have to go back to her hometown? I could in theory take a bus to Kajang, then either get on the bus or the commuter to Seremban, and then from there get on the bus to Melaka. Sounds tedious eh? Well. It was. Suddenly poisoning my strong 15 year old lungs didn't seem like a bad option.
-----
I went to the Gardens, the latest addition to that parking nightmare called MidValley City. For a place called the Gardens, it was the most ungarden-like space I've ever been to. Dude, placing a few palm trees (which I strongly suspect are plastic) in that sorry excuse of a planter box does not constitute a garden, neither here nor in the Middle East. Trying to appeal to Arab tourists who can actually afford to use your RM5 loos (maybe they wash your bum in there for you) and buy shirts at Thomas Pink? Well. What do I know. It probably works. I have no idea how their minds work (the Arabs I mean, not Malaysians).
And yes, Pink has arrived all the way from Jermyn Street, and I still harbour a not-so-secret obsession with Pink shirts which interestingly I don't own any. Actually it's not that interesting. I just couldn't afford any. And I hate all of you who own Pink shirts.
-----
Would you like to sign up with the MBA? No, not for an MBA, but with the MBA. Malaysian Bridal Alliance that is. I wonder what they do. Kick the asses of those from the Malaysian Groom Service? Now that would be interesting to watch. No I am not bitter at all. Didn't find out though. For some weird reasons our legs were on auto-pilot and we steered away from the Wedding Exhibition at MidValley.
-----
Two of my close friends are about to become parents! Nani and Rudin, I'm sure you'll be great =) There's always Auntie Ayien to corrupt, I mean, spoil your kids. Rudin, nice work with the crank call. I might have not driven a car for a long time, but I think I could have managed a sudden U-turn at the busy intersection at The Curve to speed to the hospital. Which I didn't remember the location until I passed by it this evening.
Once the baby has popped out, do share how it feels like to be able to make your own people. Not the process, I do have some ideas on how it works, a stork delivers the baby to you right? Told ya I'm innocent. What I mean is that whole geez-a-person-actually-came-out-of-me feeling.
Have fun my friends =)
Look at KLIA. Then look at Puduraya. Then look at KLIA. And look at Puduraya again. Attracting foreign investment issit? Oh, I forgot that the bigwigs don't use public transportation but they do use the airport. Hell, even Melaka has a nice bus station. And keeping the muhibbah Malaysian copycat spirit, it was fashioned after KLIA too. I doubt Kurosawa did the design for Melaka Sentral. Oh you noticed that the name is similar to that badly designed transportation hub in KL too?
Actually I don't really fancy the design of Melaka Sentral, but at least waiting for your bus at the platform there doesn't quite pose the same health hazard risk as standing downstairs in the dark dingy interiors of Puduraya's surreal platforms. Or maybe that was the exhaust smoke which has gotten to my head talking. It doesn't take much to get me high. I am that innocent.
Before you accuse me of being a snob, let me tell you that I've done the whole hanging out at Puduraya thing while I was in high school. Been there, done that bebeh. Not that I wanted to, but what choice did a 15 year old kid have to go back to her hometown? I could in theory take a bus to Kajang, then either get on the bus or the commuter to Seremban, and then from there get on the bus to Melaka. Sounds tedious eh? Well. It was. Suddenly poisoning my strong 15 year old lungs didn't seem like a bad option.
-----
I went to the Gardens, the latest addition to that parking nightmare called MidValley City. For a place called the Gardens, it was the most ungarden-like space I've ever been to. Dude, placing a few palm trees (which I strongly suspect are plastic) in that sorry excuse of a planter box does not constitute a garden, neither here nor in the Middle East. Trying to appeal to Arab tourists who can actually afford to use your RM5 loos (maybe they wash your bum in there for you) and buy shirts at Thomas Pink? Well. What do I know. It probably works. I have no idea how their minds work (the Arabs I mean, not Malaysians).
And yes, Pink has arrived all the way from Jermyn Street, and I still harbour a not-so-secret obsession with Pink shirts which interestingly I don't own any. Actually it's not that interesting. I just couldn't afford any. And I hate all of you who own Pink shirts.
-----
Would you like to sign up with the MBA? No, not for an MBA, but with the MBA. Malaysian Bridal Alliance that is. I wonder what they do. Kick the asses of those from the Malaysian Groom Service? Now that would be interesting to watch. No I am not bitter at all. Didn't find out though. For some weird reasons our legs were on auto-pilot and we steered away from the Wedding Exhibition at MidValley.
-----
Two of my close friends are about to become parents! Nani and Rudin, I'm sure you'll be great =) There's always Auntie Ayien to corrupt, I mean, spoil your kids. Rudin, nice work with the crank call. I might have not driven a car for a long time, but I think I could have managed a sudden U-turn at the busy intersection at The Curve to speed to the hospital. Which I didn't remember the location until I passed by it this evening.
Once the baby has popped out, do share how it feels like to be able to make your own people. Not the process, I do have some ideas on how it works, a stork delivers the baby to you right? Told ya I'm innocent. What I mean is that whole geez-a-person-actually-came-out-of-me feeling.
Have fun my friends =)
Monday, May 5, 2008
Labour Day at that place I call my hometown which I barely knew (and my knowledge is not getting any better either)
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Weekend
I'm just gonna rant a bit about my final weekend here in London. I don't know how long I'll be away, and I want to remember this weekend. Hence I feel compelled to write this down as I have a rather shitty memory which chooses weird things to remember and very apt at forgetting the really important ones. Nothing spectacular happened, but it was just another nice weekend in good old Stoke Newington where a lot of Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and apparently lesbians live. I swear I didn't know before I moved here.
It was a pretty relaxing weekend. I went all the way to Portobello Road in west London yesterday to find something for dear Pak Lang, and although I didn't manage to get you riding goggles as promised for your Norton, I bought a pocket watch designed for the Russian KGB for you. I remember you berating me for not getting you that Chairman Mao watch when I went to Shanghai, and I'm not about to make the same mistake again. Though the only watch/clock I think iconic enough for London is the Big Ben, I don't think they'll let me take it home for you. Hence the pocket watch. For someone who is creative enough to turn old gauges from the oil rigs into clocks, I reckon you'll be able to appreciate the pocket watch. It's a real beauty. I'm haf in love in with it actually.
Of course since I was in Portobello Road, a part of town which I rarely venture into, I just had to pop in to Hummingbird to get some cupcakes. Credit to Mooke for introducing the cupcakes to me. It was a life changing moment. My life has a purpose now. Those cupcakes are worth living for. I heard that there's this craze for cupcakes in Bolehland now, maybe I should check out the cupcakes scene in KL when I get back. i like cake, big or small. And cupcakes are just so handy because of the size.
As a firm believer in spreading good things around, I got cupcakes for the Scandinavians too (Tall Dane, Mad Bag Lady [also Danish], and Mad Bag Lady's friend who's Swedish). And so I sat with them at the Safehouse later that evening and had my second cupcake for the day. Red velvet to the fore baby. How such a small thing like that can taste so good is beyond me. Really.
Spent the rest of the evening talking to the Tall Dane. It was like the old times; society, religion, personal issues all thrown in. Went to bed very late as I was surfing the internet like mad on her laptop. I still haven't bought a Mac yet ever since I lost my laptop in January, and although living in London without the Internet is comparable to having your right hand amputated (I'm left handed so maybe that doesn't apply to me), at least now I have the time to read No Logo. So you can understand that I just go berserk when I come across a laptop with internet connection. (I am typing away on her laptop now).
Went to this nice Turkish place on Stoke Newington High Street for brunch this afternoon. The food was excellent and it doesn't break your bank. I had this Menemen thing, it's like scrambled egg with minced meat and spices and spinach (I think that's what the green thing was). It was rather spicy so it was gorgeous. Downed it with a glass of OJ and I was happy. Credit goes to the Tall Dane for introducing us to that place.
After making a pit stop at my place, we went for a walk in Abney Park which is really close to my flat. Abney Park is a cemetery which is wonderfully messy. It's so dense with a lot of graves and almost forest-like with the trees and plants growing wildly. I've spent 3 Sundays going for walks in that cemetery now. I've seen it in 3 different weather and it was gorgeous whether in snow, rain, or plain old sunshine. The dates on the graves range from the 1800's to 2000's and reading the inscriptions on the headstones, I couldn't help but think about the person lying inside. I thought about the life and aspirations and dreams and loves and lovers and families. I couldn't help but to contemplate on my own life.
Almost immediately after emerging from Abney Park, we found ourselves seated at the Tea Room on Stoke Newington Church Street. We all had Rose tea which tasted very delicate save for the Mad Bag Lady who had Peppermint tea. We sat too dangerously close to the cakes on the counter and it was with Herculean effort that I managed not to stuff my face with any of them. I lost my battle with the Rock Candy though. In my defence, they were within hand reach. I fell in love with them and took 4 to take home to Bolehland.
And here I am now back at the Safehouse typing away. I am going to walk home in a bit. I'll just plan my week ahead when I reach home. From the look of things, I am going to have a tough week ahead. I'll just have to bulldoze my way through until Saturday night when I get on that plane.
To friends and family in Bolehland, I look forward to seeing you!
To London, I look forward to coming back.
It was a pretty relaxing weekend. I went all the way to Portobello Road in west London yesterday to find something for dear Pak Lang, and although I didn't manage to get you riding goggles as promised for your Norton, I bought a pocket watch designed for the Russian KGB for you. I remember you berating me for not getting you that Chairman Mao watch when I went to Shanghai, and I'm not about to make the same mistake again. Though the only watch/clock I think iconic enough for London is the Big Ben, I don't think they'll let me take it home for you. Hence the pocket watch. For someone who is creative enough to turn old gauges from the oil rigs into clocks, I reckon you'll be able to appreciate the pocket watch. It's a real beauty. I'm haf in love in with it actually.
Of course since I was in Portobello Road, a part of town which I rarely venture into, I just had to pop in to Hummingbird to get some cupcakes. Credit to Mooke for introducing the cupcakes to me. It was a life changing moment. My life has a purpose now. Those cupcakes are worth living for. I heard that there's this craze for cupcakes in Bolehland now, maybe I should check out the cupcakes scene in KL when I get back. i like cake, big or small. And cupcakes are just so handy because of the size.
As a firm believer in spreading good things around, I got cupcakes for the Scandinavians too (Tall Dane, Mad Bag Lady [also Danish], and Mad Bag Lady's friend who's Swedish). And so I sat with them at the Safehouse later that evening and had my second cupcake for the day. Red velvet to the fore baby. How such a small thing like that can taste so good is beyond me. Really.
Spent the rest of the evening talking to the Tall Dane. It was like the old times; society, religion, personal issues all thrown in. Went to bed very late as I was surfing the internet like mad on her laptop. I still haven't bought a Mac yet ever since I lost my laptop in January, and although living in London without the Internet is comparable to having your right hand amputated (I'm left handed so maybe that doesn't apply to me), at least now I have the time to read No Logo. So you can understand that I just go berserk when I come across a laptop with internet connection. (I am typing away on her laptop now).
Went to this nice Turkish place on Stoke Newington High Street for brunch this afternoon. The food was excellent and it doesn't break your bank. I had this Menemen thing, it's like scrambled egg with minced meat and spices and spinach (I think that's what the green thing was). It was rather spicy so it was gorgeous. Downed it with a glass of OJ and I was happy. Credit goes to the Tall Dane for introducing us to that place.
After making a pit stop at my place, we went for a walk in Abney Park which is really close to my flat. Abney Park is a cemetery which is wonderfully messy. It's so dense with a lot of graves and almost forest-like with the trees and plants growing wildly. I've spent 3 Sundays going for walks in that cemetery now. I've seen it in 3 different weather and it was gorgeous whether in snow, rain, or plain old sunshine. The dates on the graves range from the 1800's to 2000's and reading the inscriptions on the headstones, I couldn't help but think about the person lying inside. I thought about the life and aspirations and dreams and loves and lovers and families. I couldn't help but to contemplate on my own life.
Almost immediately after emerging from Abney Park, we found ourselves seated at the Tea Room on Stoke Newington Church Street. We all had Rose tea which tasted very delicate save for the Mad Bag Lady who had Peppermint tea. We sat too dangerously close to the cakes on the counter and it was with Herculean effort that I managed not to stuff my face with any of them. I lost my battle with the Rock Candy though. In my defence, they were within hand reach. I fell in love with them and took 4 to take home to Bolehland.
And here I am now back at the Safehouse typing away. I am going to walk home in a bit. I'll just plan my week ahead when I reach home. From the look of things, I am going to have a tough week ahead. I'll just have to bulldoze my way through until Saturday night when I get on that plane.
To friends and family in Bolehland, I look forward to seeing you!
To London, I look forward to coming back.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
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