Thursday light-hearted fun.....

1. COOL MESSAGE  BY A WIFE

Dear Mother-in-law,  " Don;t teach me how to handle my children. I'm living with one of yours and he needs a lot of improvement! "

2. SWEET DEMAND BY A KID

A kid was spanked by his mom. His Dad came hone and asked the crying boy, " What happened, Son?"

The kid replied, " I can;t stand your wife anymore. I want my own."

3. THROWING KNIVES

A wife was throwing knives at her husband's picture. All were missing the target!

Suddenly, she received a call from her husband asking " Hi honey, what are you doing?"

Her honest answer : " Missing you! ".

4. I WILL THINK ABOUT IT

When a married man says, : "I'll think about it," what he really means is that he doesn't know too hoots of his wife's opinion yet.

5. TALKING IN SLEEP

A lady says to her doctor, " Doctor, my husband has a habit of talking in his sleep! What should I give him to cure it?"

The doctor replied, " Ma'am, give him an opportunity to speak when he's awake!"

6. HEAD OF THE FAMILY

It is said that the husband is the head of the family but remember that the wife is the neck of the family. The neck can turn the head exactly the way it wants.

Sekinchan...

With the "kaki jalan" fun people......

Yup, I still look good...... I think!

The other day,I was talking to a friend who told me that it is expensive to travel to interesting places in Malaysia and that's why many are more fond of overseas trip for their holidays. In many sense, I have to agree as it is indeed too expensive for families to pay nowadays especially for accommodation and food for places of interest in Malaysia. Lodging & food had become ridiculously pricey over the years and I often wonder if we could still afford it the later years. The lure of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and even Myanmar plus Indonesian archipelago islands seemed more interesting and cheaper too. I guess, with the same amount of money I spent on local destination for the family, I could get easily get a 5 star hotel else where in any ASEAN countries except Singapore , of course. What has happened to tourism in Malaysia? Guess, greed and more greed had taken over.

Anyway, taking the holiday break in mid-week, I decided to take the long-awaited and much anticipated trip to Sekinchan, Selangor. Taking the cue from my colleague, Ms.Kok ( kaki jalan, really! ), I was given a good dose of information regarding this place. Knowing that it would be good to be out in the sun and catch up on some good air, Errol & Jessica plus their daughters Josephine and Jocelyn joined us for the trip. 

At the waterways and kunci air......

We started out earlier, zoomed through the morning traffic , exited to Guthrie Highway then travelled along the path to Ijok, Kuala Selangor and Tg.Karang before arriving at Sekinchan town at about 9.15am. We immediately made a stop at Old Friend Coffee Shop and had our breakfast of Hokkien mee, kueh teow Wan tan hor, fried mee, bee hoon with curry chicken and bee hoon with spicy chopped prawns. The food tasted good while the coffee was equally good. As for the toasted oats bread with kaya and margarine, the bread were soft on the inside and truly heavenly. Great start for the day.

Enjoying the gallery....

We then asked directions to the rice fields and paddy gallery. Not being that conversant in Mandarin, Jessica, Josephine and Jocelyn helped out in the translations. We made our way to the paddy fields first before going into the Paddy Gallery of Kilang Beras Rakyat Sekinchan. All around there was just lush green of paddy stalks. Though had yet to "fruit", the lush green is a spectacle to the eye and the soft breeze was quite nice ,actually. We took pictures at the water ways and the paddy fields. It was such a glorious morning indeed. 

SLing & Jessica .....

After purchasing the RM 5 ticket for the entrance to Paddy Gallery, we proceeded to the gallery where we were given a briefing of the paddy planting processes right up to harvesting and packing of the rice. 

Informative and interesting especially the buggy cart from Taiwan which easily made it so much easier for planting process whereby 1.2 hectares of land could be planted with paddy young stalks within 2 1/2 hours. That would definitely revolutionized the paddy planting process indeed! By the way, Sekinchan paddy are produced 2 times yearly and each yield will be about a whopping 40,000 tonnes. That's a lot of rice produced but still insufficient for the insatiable local consumption.

It was at the Sales Gallery that I noted that the Sekinchan rice size and texture. Learnt a lot that day about these small rice grains that fed the body. We then collected our souvenir vacuum packed rice for our trip there. Small , compact and wonderfully packed. We then headed towards Mango King place to get some mangoes for which they are known. Somehow, this was a letdown as mangoes were sold at RM 7 and RM 9 per kilo which is a norm anywhere.

Ah Mah's Place.....

Did not see anything special about them mangoes but we bought some anyway ( one kilo each ) just to try out. Guess, too much commercialism and hype had caught up with the mango seller till he forgets to price his mangoes right and way too expensive la... I believe RM 5 per kilo is a fair price. BTW, the proprietor was kind enough to recommend us to Restoran 168 which he says served the best garoupa fish head dish and other dishes. It was quite difficult to understand him as I was not conversant in Mandarin and it was like nod my head and pretended as though I understand it when I don't and too shy to ask again. Sheezh......must polish up my Mandarin a bit la..... Friends called my Mandarin - the chapalang Mandarin! Hahahahahahaaaaaaaa............... 

Those days milk bottle....classic!!

We hit "Ah Mah's Place " next. Rustic old house being renovated to accommodate a kuih bahulu business and a sampling of grandma's place. The idea is truly wonderful and you could see flashes of brilliance especially the display of items from the yesteryears plus the furniture. Green bean ice-cream icicles and some simple fares will bring you back to your childhood while for those who might want to get some healthy drinks could indulge in the RM 20 per bottle bird nest elixirs. I saw some red dates, white fungus and some bird nest in the clear concoction. Should be good la.... because there are plenty of swallow house around at the paddy fields. For me, I enjoyed the "modern" rustics of the place.

Two oldies having fun....

We then headed out to Pantai Redang to the beach. Travelling along the road there, we saw plenty of seafood restaurant around and the fare that they are offering. Interesting and definitely mouth watering dishes indeed but our destination was Pantai Redang first. I could now understand why this place is not for the faint hearted as one exits the car, the pong that hits your nostrils will definitely either drop you or you'll cringe with discomfort. As this is a fishing village with fishermen wharf, the smell from gutted fish, crates of sea produce and fishing vessels, the smell can be quite challenging for many. Me, it is just the produce from the sea....as far as I was concerned. No matter how bad the smell could be, your nostrils will get acclimatised with it within minutes. 

Ribbonised tree with the beauties.....

The ribbonised tree as I called it was really interesting especially with the "resting" seat and hammocks while the prawn crackers sold at the beach was stupendously good and fresh. The tree houses around the trees were also ingenious and rustic. Though it was blistering hot, the shades provided by the tree houses made it easier to get through the place. I must say the beach ain't clean and there is still a lot to do when it comes to cleanliness. Yeah, rubbish, plastics and discarded materials could be found on the beach and definitely there is a need to educate these people to keep the beach clean. BTW, the quantity of fish processing plants at the wharf doesn't help much too as fish discards are thrown back into the sea ways; ending up at the beach and so on. 

At the special Red Treehouse....

Stomachs growling for food made us all head down to Restoran Cha Po Tion for our late lunch. The proprietor is a friendly, burly, bespectacled lady with a good taste for food , I must say. She recommended us a couple of dishes which is fantastic.We had fried sotong ( non-cholesterol kind....hahahahahahhaaaaaaaaaaa.....so she claimed! ) , sweet potato leaves, chillied small prawns ( delicious! ), lala Teochew style ( very fresh, tasty and nice! ), Clatter Hot Pot [ a combo of good fish slices, bittergourd, tua chai, lady fingers, slices of sotong, fish maw and fermented bean paste (tau cheu ) ] and fried flat fish with fermented bean paste. ( I love this fish a lot! Just have fried flat fish itself will make me a happy dude, actually!

Clatter Pot goodness...yummy....

Will not expose the pricing here but suffice to say that it was cheap for a seafood meal...really...really cheap. We were stuffed to our faces with the seafood fare. We were informed by the proprietor that most shops would be opened for dinner by 4.00pm but they ( the restaurant we were having our meal ) do not open for dinner. I could actually see why they are not opened for dinner as the lunch crowd itself is good enough business for them.

As we headed out for home, we still managed to do a stop to get some sweet corns and a view of the Elephant Tusk mango species ( that's why they are so huge lar.... ) which we see a lot being posted in the social media.

To me, it is all hype and awe for nothing. I guess, the best mangoes are the ones you plant in your home or your kampung. Why? Simply because your parents or you would plant only the best and sweetest mango seedlings at your plot in hope that you will harvest the same juicy, succulent and sweetest mangoes ever , right? So, nothing beats that species of mangoes at your garden. True, right? 

Till the next adventure then! 

Kopi@The Road....

Rocky Cafe....one and only.....

Coffee is like the liquid stimulant and booster running through my veins each day and keeps all the "rusted" parts in my body to run and function well enough. I dunno ...I just love the smell, aroma and taste of this wickedly good brew each day and not having one is like having withdrawal symptoms of epic proportions as the mind goes bonkers a bit. Hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa........the small little indulgence that I love a lot, actually. 

The coffee machine from the car.....

If some people are hung up with their individual liking on something or ritualistic endeavors each day, mine would be coffee addiction. Nothing beats a nicely brew cup of good coffee. There is so many theories whether coffee is good for your health or not but as far as I am concerned, take in anything and you'll eventually die anyway. So, might as well indulged and splurged on a something that you'll enjoy and die happily, right? Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa........

Anyway, my colleague, YiVon ( another die-harder coffee fan! Starbucks, listen here, you people should reward her astute devotion to their brand coffee !!!! ) mentioned to me the other day regarding this Rocky Cafe. You see, we always keep each other informed of any new cafe outlets whereby we can try out some coffee brew and so on. So, it was nice to add another cafe outlet to my cafe listing. The only problem with Rocky Cafe is that it is not situated in an outlet/building but along the Kota Laksamana road near the sea.  

Nice coffee making area....

As an enthusiast of a good cuppa, I went out to check it out myself at Kota Laksamana with SLing and Syuen last night. Boy, it was a good breezy night and the evening heavy showers had indeed taken off a lot of the heat away making the evening a cosy, breezy and cool evening. What better way to celebrate this by having a good cuppa of Laos coffee for myself and an iced coffee for SYuen. The proprietor ( I forgot to ask his name! Can you imagine that???) was a crew cut Chinese fella whom I shall call Rocky. He is averagely built, happy -go-lucky, smiling and dark skinned. He wouldn't look like some fancy coffee barista but more to like some escapees from some prison somewhere. But, it was easy to speak to people like him as he is easy going and always a smile away. With a few teeth missing at the front row, he looked genuinely happy serving his customers with a willing smile. I guess, that's what made the situation such a warm and easy one. What attracted people to his "stall" is actually his nicely decorated car which doubled as his coffee making area at the trunk area. What an ingenious idea indeed!

Sitting on camper chairs & enjoy the breeze

I then struck a conversation with Rocky as he served me my Long Black coffee. Ahhhh! It was nice and I love the aroma. I guess, my only tiny complain was that it could have been a little bit hotter but then coffee served at 80 degrees  hot would be good/ideal for a good cuppa, actually. As I speak to Rocky , I am amazed by his tenacity to stay in the business despite being hounded/harassed by the local authorities each month even though he had applied for the usual permit to do his business. Travelling to and fro from Tampin town is another thing.  I guess, I see a man who is just eking out an honest living and trying to bring a good cuppa to the people. The Laos coffee beans aroma seemed medium strong , slight hint of bitterness but nevertheless, good bodied than most coffee I have had. ( BTW, I still love Budan's Brew of Lorong Argus, Penang which I felt gave me the best cuppa of Americano by far! So, CONGRATS to Budan's Brew!!! )

Anyway, I learnt from Rocky that the idea to serve coffee from a car was mooted by a Westerner friend. He soon picked up the idea and started his business. It was good speaking to him and knowing that he had to rough it out with the local authorities made me marvel at him actually. 

Sharing a joke with Rocky...

But I guess, in many ways, his resilience and the tenacity to make it makes it all such a worthwhile effort to have a cuppa with him. You could see that this was an experienced man who scouts for the best place to do his business and at the same time knows his beans,man. I purposely engaged him on the coffee beans he was using. He spoke to me of the coffee beans that he is using and how Laos Arabica coffee beans taste and so on. Here was a man who looked like some hard core escapee from some prison  cell somewhere serving some hard core years but he knows his stuff, man. Earlier of the day, I had gone to another cafe whereby the proprietor don't have an aorta of idea what blend of coffee he was serving me lest telling me it was some Indonesia coffee when I asked him what type coffee beans is he offering in his cafe. He kept repeating Indonesia coffee bean and I am sure ( I bet my last dollar in my pocket!!!! ) the proprietor of Budan's Brew of Penang would  give him a shelling for bringing disrepute to the Indonesian coffee beans! 

Anyway, Rocky spoke of blending it right and making it a good cup while his iced coffee is usually the clientele favourite. I asked SYuen about it and she said that it was good and so did SLing. So, it must be good as I like my coffee black. 

Anyway, if you are passing by the Kota Laksamana road by the sea side heading towards Klebang, you won't miss the nicely decorated car and a few simple campers chairs near the beach front. Support that guy, man by having a cuppa of iced coffee. Nice breeze, nice fella and nice iced coffee.....couldn't asked for more, actually.

As I left that place with family in tow, I am glad that the entrepreneurship spirit still lives on nicely. People with dreams will always have something to dream about and to move forward unlike. The most important lesson I learned from this fella is "Be Happy and You can"! 

Yup, "Carpe Diem" - Seize the Day, right?

Hometown museum......

The museum - side view....

On Saturday morning, SLing and I decided to make a little trip down town to visit the Melaka Museum. Yup folks, you heard it right - Melaka Museum.....incidentally, it ain't because we are two old birds having nothing to do over the weekend but we just thought that we have been to numerous museums outstation, it would be a shame if we hadn't visit the  one we have in our own backyard, right? Moreover, we wanted to play our part to know what is in store  for our friends when and if they want to make a visit there. So, off we go merrily to the museum after filling up our stomachs with breakfast.  

We were told that the museum had seen some renovations and upgrading works over the years. After paying the entrance fee of RM 5 each, we entered the museum and what greeted us was the nicely made fibreglass figurines of the early Melaka era from Hang Tuah to the Japanese General figurines. Impressive start I would say. 

My partner in crime....

The main walkway with figurines from the different eras..........

As we walked into the exhibition areas, one would be transported back to the historical eras this Melaka land had seen. The artifacts of ceramics, potteries and plates, weaponry, rich history and culture plus a good dosage of facts hits you like a ton of bricks. Sure, we read of the Portuguese , Dutch, British and Japanese invasion culture and lifestyle but the significance of such conquest were far more interesting as far as I was concerned. 

Metal baggage....

The culture within the races in Malaysia such as the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians and other races were highly exciting and interesting too. I took my time to walk, float and at times imagine what was happening in those days which getting a good dose of my childhood days, exuberant & exciting games and miniature fanfare of culture. That's what museum make you do - think, feel and even go back in time. Of course, we somehow would have some good and bad experience along the way, right? 

Anyway, the artifact displays were very good and I enjoyed every minute of it, It was such an eye opener as we moved from rooms to rooms of display. I enjoyed the tiled flooring a lot especially the olden day tiles and the smoothness of it all. The wooden architecture were simply marvelous and wood grains were good. I enjoyed all these minor details because I generally love museums and their interior set-up. There is also adequate lighting but air-conditioning does leave a lot to be desired especially during hot season like this time. I guess, I do enjoy the main museum building while the Literature Museum, Governor's Museum ( lots of the former Governor's memorabilia ) and even the Democratic Museum does have its own attraction.

Yup, imagination can run wild with bed like this.....

BTW, I am more into the arts, craft and the relics of the yesteryears at the main museum building. The metal trunks with their intricate floral designs and superb looking hinges were just fascinating indeed. The long boat carved out from a single tree trunk was equally impressive together with the bird theme boat. I just love the wooden structure and grains of the wood. As usual, the Peranakan corner is always the most impressive corner especially with their mother of pearl in-laid table and chairs plus cupboards and bakul siah. The wood carving are truly lovely. Not forgetting, the wonderful Chinese bed carvings and design leaves a lot of wild imagination running , actually! The Malay house replica looks interesting too but a little too modern for me. There were plenty of cannons though and there is this exhibition hall for Admiral Cheng Ho exhibits including a small replica of his tombstone in China. 

Bird theme boat .....impressive indeed......

There was also tin money and types of money on display that would rock your socks off ! Imagine carrying those money to trade. Imagine this : - " I will have one tin of Milo, please?" The shopkeeper will answer , " Two crocodiles and one chicken money, please!" Yup, my imagination do run wild after spending time in museums............Yeah! Data base in the head had been corrupted! Hahhahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa.........

Tin monies of the 14th century....

All in all, I had a great time in the museum....I wonder if the figurines would come alive at night? Hmmmmnnnnnnnn........OK!OK! Just having an adrenaline mind bomb after moving around for some time in the museum. Look, I ain't dying any sooner, so , cheer up and see some old historical stuff... who knows, you might be enriched by the experience like I did.