New Toys

Chinese New Year is around the corner! Its my other favourite time of the year besides Christmas. I went with dad to get new clothes, something that my family do each year. New clothes to wear while visiting relatives and friends during this time of year.

I got a little something extra. I managed to convince my dad to make a stop at Low Yat plaza to get this little gizmo for my camera. I suck in flash photography and I avoid it at all cost. So in the spirit of the new year I will attempt to master flash photography or at least produce some decent pictures while using flash. I got this wireless trigger for my flash so this means I can position my flash anywhere and fire it remotely from my camera.

Happy Chinese New Year! I'll be looking to a long 10 days break which will be occupied with good food and company.

Bubble Time

We were having fun playing with bubbles at the cricket field. (I have to specify the field because we have so many fields in KTJ, so yes, cricket it is. Not football, not hockey nor rugby.) It was Jovi's birthday, and Win Sern summoned us halfway across the field to give her a nice little surprise.

Apparently there was this really well thought out elaborate plan. Here's the version I was told. Hui Yi watches a sad movie with Jovi, after which she would feel sad and urge Jovi to accompany her on a walk to ease her sadness. Elaine would by 'coincidence', jog pass them and fall, thus requiring them to carry her to the medical centre. Somehow they would end up at the cricket field where we would be waiting for her.

Well it did not exactly worked out as planned. Thing is Jovi really wanted to sleep so it was quite a challenge to get her to walk halfway across the school to the cricket field. So this was how we occupied our time while waiting for her. Bubbles!

Donald and Lily's Nyonya Food @ Melaka

Melaka is also famous for its Nyona or Peranakan food. One of my favourites is the ayam pongteh, which is basically chicken cooked with potato and oyster sauce. My mom cooks it really well, a recipe that one of our dear neighbours passed to her. So we get to have it for dinner once in a while. Despite the nature of this dish which is tame to the tastebuds, Nyonya food is famous for being spicy. So if you can't handle the heat, you have been warned!

So the last time I was in Melaka my friend brought all of us to Donald and Lily's for some nyonya food. I reckon that this is one of the better places to get your fix of the peranakan delicacies because I remember visiting this restaurant the last time I was in Melaka with some local family friends.

We had some chicken rice prior to this visit so were still a little stuffed. So we shared portions of the food; everyone gets a few mouthfuls! The food here is good. I particularly like the ayam pongteh which reminds me of the one mom's version. Their cendol is good stuff too. They have lots of sago in it, which I really like.

KTJ Got Talent'10

Ah I remember this night very clearly. A bunch of my peers decided to do something really interesting and joined the school talent show. Lo and ho you got a bunch of guys pulling off wicked korean dance moves, invoking ear piercing screams from the crowd whose hearts they stole the moment the music came on. They stole the show that night! Singing performance were really good as well. I thought that the whole event was really entertaining.

Outward Bound School (OBS) @ Lumut, Malaysia: Expedition

Good times. Good times!

No one would have thought that spending ten days disconnected from the world would make us feel so connected. Its true when people say that tough times bring people together and I found it amazing to see people thrive in such situations. I really appreciate the people in my group and grew fond of them over the ten days.

We climbed three peaks with heavy backpacks filled with rations and that includes water which is really heavy! Here are some pictures from a guy who is crazy enough to bring his camera along for a camping trip.

Subways @ New York

Back to more stuff on New York. Subways are so iconic it inspired my favourite sandwich chain restaurant. Pepperoni, crab meat, lettuce and tomatoes on a parmesan oregano bread topped with mayonnaise and barbeque sauce. Heaven on a slice of bread!

I initially thought that subways would be similar to our LRT system here in Malaysia. On the basis of principal and function they're similar. But the whole feel and atmosphere is unique in its own way. The foundation is made of steel so when the train approaches, the whole platform vibrates subtly and the train makes this really loud chugging sound.

KTJ Crossing Woodstock

Today we had our first Saturday night event at the auditorium and it was amazing! Its save to say that the millions spent on the sound system is worth it. Tonight's concert is a fund raising concert organised by the world changing Global Debates team. I thought they did a brilliant job organising this event.

They even got a local act "Pesawat" to close the show. Everyone went wild, ran to the front of the stage, and started jumping. Our home acts were really good as well especially the one by Daniel, Agu, and Saiful singing Halleluyah and Rihanna's Love the Way You Lie. Agu can rap! Talk about embracing your culture.

"Tuckshop Auntie" was also selling some stuff outside the hall. She made this finger food thing that looks like a nugget made of scallops and cheese. So good! Never tasted anything like that before. I really do enjoy the food she cooks. I can still recall the other time when she cooked us a feast during Deepavali, when a bunch of us had to stay back because of exams. She charged us only two ringgit. Then the other day at the bazaar she sold these rice with minced meat and oxtail soup. So good! I really appreciate her adding variety to our usual culinary regiment in KTJ. Food at the cafeteria is good but it tends to get repetitive after a while.

On a random note, I can't seem to be able to force myself to attend breakfast even on nasi lemak mornings! This first week have been hectic. There's this whole juggling of tasks between maths exams, interview preparations, meeting new students, the prefectorial board, and cross country. Most days I'll slump on my bed at two in the morning totally drained of energy and wake up six hours later to repeat the whole process again. But its great to be back in KTJ. I do have to admit that I kinda miss this hectic environment. I think the stress is giving me a sort of adrenaline rush. Yeah you heard me. High on stress.

Hoe Kee Chicken Rice Ball @ Melaka

Its fascinating how this take chicken rice to a whole new level. Before this its just chicken rice. But now, its chicken with BALL SHAPED RICE. How cool is that?! This twist on the conventional Chinese lunch staple is commonly found in Melaka. Chicken Rice Ball is definitely one of the must haves when visiting the quaint historical town. Beware though during the holiday season because its when the Singaporeans evade town for good food and cheap petrol!

Had this chicken rice ball at Hoe Kee which from what I heard is extremely famous. Its central location in Jonker Street also means that it is very accessible to the public so expect to line up with all the other tourists. Jonker Street is PACKED during weekends!

Times Square, New York

This is one place in New York that truly never sleeps, the rest goes to bed by eight in the evening. I remember attending a function in the evening and came out late at night wondering why its still so bright. Turns out that the neon billboards are so numerous and bright that it induces daytime. One can't help but marvel at the sight. My conscience however made me wonder how much electricity those things are using! After all, I was there because of an environmental campaign. The irony of life.

Wood Carving

Here's some old pictures I took in Thailand. Found them while looking through the hard drive. This was in 2009 I think and it was right after the trip to the floating market. We took this tour thing so we 'had' to make these few compulsory stops. Interesting stop but I did not buy anything because my house is not in desperate need of any wooden ornaments!

Hello 2011

Last year was amazing. I'm amazed myself because 2009 was really good and it was definitely hard to top but I stand corrected. There were many wonderful moments amidst the also numerous occasion when I felt like tearing my hair out. But I appreciate those moment too because its when you find out a lot about yourself; self reflection.

I just want to thank God for being so good. Pastor in church have been talking about 2011 being the year of the double portion blessing. So I'm really looking forward to what God has in store for me this year! Its going to a very important because things that will happen this year will take an effect on the rest of my life.

Besides that, school resumes this Wednesday! I've had a really good break from the hectic life of KTJ and its time to get back to it. Last six months in school and I intend to make it count. I'll do my usual recap of the past year soon. Until then, take care.