My Longkang

Living in condominiums is wonderful especially if it is well maintained and have excellent facilities. Temporarily I am living in a condo and I am well satisfied. The place is clean and the everything seems to be orderly and well managed. However i have noticed that living in condominiums is a little bit different from living in ‘landed’ properties.

Due to the scarcity of land on Penang Island, many are living in high-rises and the prices of units are astronomical in some cases. It promises a life of ease, comfort and security. However nn matter how well managed, a lot still depends on the neighbours. When many people live together , we just have to pray and hope when we sign the sales and purchase agreement, we have nice neighbours. We come across them every day at the lifts, car parks, hear and witness each others’ lives being played out like a soap opera. To cut it short, we suffer a loss of privacy unless we keep our doors and windows closed most of the time.

Last night, was a very disturbing night.At about midnight a few floors up could be heard the sounds of a woman being beaten and we could actually hear the blows. The sound of the disorder, the cries of the children, the cries of a female elderly person, presumably the mother-in -law, the victim herself and basically, it represented the cries of human suffering.

I have never been under such circumstances and wasn’t sure what to do. But it was very disturbing to hear the sounds of raw pain and hopelessness and fear. Neighbours were milling about here and there, moved by the cries but none were brave enough to go up to investigate. I too was there. I wanted to go up and try to stop the cries by hopefully talking some sense into the situation. I was held back. It wasn’t the right thing to do. I was told, ” Security will come along and handle the situation. There is no need to get involved.” Security never came possibly because it is a domestic conflict and the wailing, cries and beatings subsided after an hour.

It takes a lot to live with so many other people sharing a common environment. We tend to get drawn into peoples’ lives. What would you have done under similar circumstances?

On a more positive note, I share some more food pics

This type of Chinese jelly is eaten with black coconut sugar or gula Melaka

Traditional Chinese cakes/finger food

Deep fried tauhu or bean-curd to be eaten with chilly dip

That is how I feel when I am in Penang, a country bumpkin. The traffic is so heavy and the traffic system has changed. Everything is so near and yet so far. All the one-way traffic system is confusing to me.

Yesterday, I was driving a car and found it difficult to find parking spaces and the experience with illegal ‘thug-like’ jaga kereta or parking attendants persuaded me to use a motor-cycle today. I have noticed the motorists in Penang have their own system and are generally law-abiding. I saw the police at work issuing summons!

It is a little dangerous riding a bike in busy Penang. This morning I went to the Pulau Tikus market for breakfast. I had popia. The fillings are made of vege, mushrooms, a little shredded meat possibly sea food and wrapped in this hhaaha i don’t know the name and then steamed.

For lunch we went to this quiet little place called Padang Brown or simply the ‘Padang’. It was deserted but my hosts, a former Penang state councillor assured me the ‘chehu’ or literally translated green fish there is superb. There is no fish at all in it. It felt great to be sitting in his comfortable car whilst his still very lovely wife regaled me with current going-ons in the state. She hasn’t aged a bit since I last saw her.

It is basically a salad dish with strips of turnip, cucumber, fried bean-curd and a sweet sauce poured over it.

This is the infamous Penang Laksa. You can’t find it anywhere else in the world of the same quality as you can find it here on the island. I have tried making it myself a few times without much success even with all the correct ingredients.

It is a noodle dish but the sweet and sour soup is made of a kind of fish stew with many types of herbs strewn in. The best is still to be found around Air itam near the market and the Kek Lok Si pagoda and temple.

I have so many programs on and so many invitations to so many places from so many people I really don’t know how to space out my time. Anyway, I expect these invitations will cool down in a day or two Then, I hope to venture to the beaches and soak in the sun for day or two. Life is great. To be on holiday and forget everything except Benghui called me this morning.

Benghui: Daddy come home.
Bengbeng:Why,what happened?
BH:I want to give you a hug.
BB:That day,u already gave me a hug.
BH:That is not enuf.I want a hug now.
BB:(feeling pleased) You be a good boy and study your books.
BH:Don’t forget to buy me a watch, with lights in it and i don’t want the ones with hands on it.

Aiii, i was almost taken in. I thought he missed me. He just wanted a watch .Hahahahah. Anyway, his auntie has already given me money to buy him a watch

By the way, thanks Mr Ex-councillor for the lovely pics. I forgot to bring my camera out today and he was kind enough to use his camera to take pics for me. Thank you ever so much. There is still one more photo you haven’t sent yet, though..the last one!

Fortunately the disease is not fatal or life threatening. There is a lot of it in Penang this past few days. The symptoms: driving round and round the island looking for the best food items on the island. The traffic is becoming choked with guys like me on the island. Tourists are so obvious, they usually carry a pouch or a sling bag to carry their valuables, cameras and what-nots.

I went to New Lane as recommended by Dr Chen. Thank you dear doctor. You sent me to a place guaranteed to give me high cholesterol, high blood pressure and many other diseases in the far-far away future.haahhha. But for the present, it was a paradise. There was so much to choose and I have only but one stomach. Everything looked so delicious and yummy. I could only take cha koay teow and chee cheong fun. For the time being there will be few photos as I am traveling and it is inconvenient to upload photos.

Fried koay teow

An interesting incident was I saw a guy dragging his foot along and moving at a snail’s pace, eliciting glances of sympathy and offerings of cash mainly coins to this middle-aged man. I too wanted to give him RM2.00 but felt guilty as it is not enough to pay for a bowl of curry mee which is RM2.50. My reader Goh-Teow-Lo who is taking me on a food tour told me not be taken in. True enough, after we had a meal, the same guy was dragging himself inches by inches across the road. A car came and honked impatiently as he was holding up traffic. This startled the guy who then miraculously walked across the other side Ah, the smart Penang folks…the gullible tourists are people like me.

I am staying at a place called Ocean View. You can see the Penang Bridge from the condominium and there is a lovely swiming pool. But poor me, I have lost the feeling of living in condominiums. Looking down from the topmost level gave me a giddy feeling. Had a lovely haircut from a mamak for RM6.00 who twisted my head left and right and then gave me a gentle massage. Wuah..super value for money. My headache too seemed to disappear like magic after that. ( the jerking of the head to the left and then to the right movement )

I had dinner at an old pre-war terrace house. It was lovely to be surrounded by all the lovely children, friends and some of my ‘phantom readers’. Hey guys and all the children! Thanks!!. Needless to say, I had an enjoyable dinner cooked by this 70plus matron cooking all the best nyonya food..in the authentic style. I am feeling so pampered But I am bujang baru again. meaning that I am a single man now as my family didn’t follow me on this trip.

Stayed up till late watching of all films ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’. i am a sucker for happy endings. Yeah! Life is great!

It has been quite a day. Benghui has been acting up with this invisible magnet between him and the idiot box. Also the sounds he makes as he mimics the heroes on television. I tell him it is not real, it is just television but I might as well be talking to the wall.

Mrs Bengbeng is also very busy. She is busy doing some work with Adobe photoshop 6.0 and powerpoint and microsoft word. She was busy till late last night. Today, it continues. So, I guess if I don’t want to take instant noodles again, I have to cook.

I cooked midin. Ingredients : midin, garlic, onions, ikan bilis, salt. ( belacan is optional)

Black pompfret low heat fried and chilly dip with ikan bilis/anchovies. It is this way bcoz Mrs bengbeng doesn’t take spicy food so I don’t pour it over the fish.

Benghui cam whoring…he seems to take after daddy and likes to dip food into the chilly paste.

The other is white carrot, tomato, chicken, and salt soup
Another is tauge, tahu, eggs and tomato..left overs from this morning’s breakfast.

What a day! I think I will just leave the computer and run away to the gym again: run away from the chores I have not done- the leaking faucet, repairing the roof, trimming the garden: run, run, run….run from being daddy and hubby for a few hours. Sometimes I fantasize what life will be like if I had not married

The above topic will be the hottest topic of discussion in Sarawak today. It has been a bone of contention between the people and the state government. It would not be too imaginative for me to say that this land premium issue has prior to this alienated the state government from a segment of the citizens.

There used to be a joke. *Have you signed the petition requesting the state government to give more clarification on the land premium issue? We better do it soon before the state government sets a premium for petitions to the state government.*
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TheStar

Just when Malaysians thought the issue of a pay raise is finally over for the time being, Cuepacs has come out with a new list of demands

1. Abolish the Efficiency Level Assessment (PTK)

2. Increase of the civil servant retirement age from 56 to 60 years.

3. Fully-paid maternity leave to be extended to cover seven children instead of the current five.

4. An increase in maternity leave from 60 to 84 days

5. Pensions to reflect the number of years in service.

6. Increase in promotion opportunities.

What do you have to say or comment about these new demands?

Read also this writer’s impressive coverage on the pay hike in the form of a poem by kerissilau

To read more,sagaladoola

Originally I prepared some pics of colorful local delicacies to post for this week’s theme. But this morning I had to go out of town to a saw mill and on the way back, we stopped at a canteen for some drinks. I heard Iban music and we all went over to investigate. See for yourself. Doesn’t it fit the theme well?

Pay attention especially to the elaborate costumes.

It may take months to prepare as each is elaborately stitched by hand to create dazzling patterns according to tribal motifs.

In a way, I should be grateful. No greater damage was sustained. And thank God it didn’t rain. There was a strong wind this afternoon or last night in my area. I have no idea. My oscillator flew off. The function of the oscillator is to keep the house cool. Apparently it worked because when I went up to the attic, it was cool and not warm. It works on the principle hot air rises. A fan oscillates when blown by the wind and sucks up hot air. Cool air then enters the house to replace the hot air.

We found it in the back garden under the mango tree.
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Mother Horn is about 50 today. She used to have lovely rich long hair, big, bright dazzling eyes and well endowed with ‘physical’ assets. She has only a little education and used to work for a small factory. However as she was much needed to help with her father’s noodle stall she soon had to stop working.

She had her heart set on marrying. However her dad just found her indispensable. Her brother was given a small set-up capital to start a small business. Poor Mother Horn had to sacrifice herself. She was needed at the noodle stall the whole day. She is also called Martha.
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It is a Thursday morning and i have just had a bland halal fired rice.Rice fried with an egg and a small piece of salted fish thrown in. So boring! Why am I so frisky? ( interesting choice of vocabulary? ) hahaha

It is because i will soon be enjoying all the hawker fare of Penang, Kuala Lumpur and every where in between and enjoy. i can imagine myself surrounded by all the lovely choices of food over there.

Fried koay teow
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