klcc aquarium

 Visited marine n freshwater aquarium at klcc.dazzling displays of colourful exotic fish and huge freshwater species like araipama.even saw seahorses and i petted the starfish n horseshoe crab.the best was the lionfish .preserve the ocean and the sea creatures and i felt a tinge of guilt eating steam garoupa after seeing the magnificent fish.

The UN High Seas Treaty would allow the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) and allow other conservation efforts on the high seas - ocean areas that exist outside national borders and have previously never had a legal mechanism to cover them.

Sunday funday

 Changed my zumba to taman jaya as zumba instructors have better music and dance moves.the ones at taman kiara are boring and non zumba as they cant ceorograph moves to the beat of music and the moves are more aerobic,non rhythmic.

Sat zumba

 X

Live the beat

Dinner

 I still got leftover fromChinese New Year reunion dinner dried treasures of the sea like fish maw or swim bladder of fish and sea cucumber.i cooked a favourite cantonese meal of braised chicken with shitake mushroom,

sea cucumber and fish maw.i used red bean curd and salted ferme ted soy bean paste.it tasted like  festive food for family .yummy i

braised sea cucimber for an hour.the smell wafted to the bedroom.its a taste thats rich and yummy.

Menu rahmah affordable meals

 Renovation took a toll on my budget.my part time salary is late as its 6 days after hari raya.out running errands i like to eat menu rahmah as the portion is just ok for a small eater

I had rojak at rm6.90 yesterday with a glass of iced water anf today i had gulai kawah curry at haji samsuri satay.it was melt in the mouth soft n fragrant .very delicious and i ate a sliced papaya for fibre.haji samsuri has a satay menu and fried rice too

They offer the menu the whole day during operational hours unlike lotus food court economical rice which has a limited quota and finishes very fast.so im thankful i can get a quick meal for less than rm10.i wish they extend it to vegetarian food n chinese economi cal rice too

Good for students ,retirees n B40 workers.

Today i went Lotus to buy grocery.At 12 noon,i went to medan selera foodcourt for lunch.the sign of menu rahmah penuh kasih sayang made me happy.there was noodle,rice with ayam masak merah and even fried ikan kembung on the poster advertising menu rahmah.

In front of the queue ahead of me was a skinny and frail old man who had just come out of shopping at Lotus.looks like a B40 retiree in shabby shirt and he put his dollars n coins in a transparent small plastic bag.he was searchjng for coins to pay the rm4.30 mixed rice.he could only afford one vegetable and ask for lots of curry sauce on it.i felt like he looked like my late father jn his old age so i asked for the menu rahmah with chicken masak merah for him.i felt like buying him lunch as at least he will get protein as nutrition..i was pissed off when cashier told me they are still cooking the ayam when 20 to 25 dishes were all cooked and ready to be sold.when i go at 2pm,they say menu rahmah all sold out.when i go at 12noon,they say still cooking.maybe tbey only sell 10 plates menu rahmah from 1 to 2pm.

this is misleading .unlike haji samsuri satay,ive eaten tbere 3 times at different hours and its available any time.so dont offer menu rahmah as nasi campur if you want profit and claim penuh kasih sayang when its penuh tipu orang.

They charge rm1.80 for white rice,

rm 2.50 for vegetable and rm 2.30 for a potato bergedil with no meat in it.my miserable lunch cost rm 7.10 for a vege,a bergedil and half a salted egg.a rip off as its not economical rice.

Malay cuisine

 In  a  festive mood so i cooked malay ayam masak merah or red cooked chicken which is cooked with tomato ketchup,chilli sauce,spices like clove,star anise and cinammom stick.i adfed chunks of fresh tomato and big onions

Eat with vegetable lontong tumeric curry woth a dollop of peanut sauce.some fi

sh fritters like keropok lekur will do greaf and a glass of syrup bamdung.

Painting lotus

 Spent morning painting the sketch of lotus i made.when im in this mood,dont feel like cooking.i go with the flow.the calligraphy is written by my old neighbour who retired as a chinese calligraphy teacher and ive known him for more than 4 decades.he write part of verses from the heart sutra although he is a devout Christian,his knowledge of ancient chinese culture is really deep as he also teaches classical literature.i really respect his self discipline to continue brush writing practice on old newspapers.now its very hard to buy rice paper and im lucky the art and design department in my college has ink wash painting enthusiasts. So i dont need to hunt high and low for rice paper scrolls.im  gonna

ration my rice paper carefully.

Western meal

 I miss the kebabs i ate when i visited Turkey years ago.the turkish pizza or pide was scrumptious and the mouthwatering stuffed eggplant  karniyarik with minced meat,bell pepper cubes ntomato paste was unforgettable.the shopkeepers were so friendly and served us cups of apple tea.i still have the porcelain blue wall clock ftom Izmir.

I baked mashed sweet potato topped with butter n parmesan and the crust smells fragrant.better than scentless cheddar.

After that i marinated chicken breast with greek yoghurt,oregano,cumin,paprika,garlic n onion for 4 hours before grilling with tomato,onions n bell pepper.then made a salad of mango n blueberry.had a pomegranate cranberry juice.the cost of meal is only rm13 per person but would cost a bomb if i dine out with sales tax n service charge n parking fees.its healthy to cook ar home. Now my next recipe will be stuffed eggplant but its hard to find middleeast spice like sumac in malaysia.ill substitute with lemon juice .in upmarket supermarket now i buy truffle sauce in bottles.i love the pungence 

Hari raya cooking

 I cooked thai pineapple fried rice with the sweet MD 2 pineapple i bought.added shrimp,chicken ham,fish ball,crab stck,mixed peas ,green bell pepper n sprinkle tumeric powder and belacan powder.garnish with red chilli and roasted cashew nuts.yummy with cool jasmine green tea.tonite i

 will cook Malay cuisine.dinner is vegetable lontong of cabbage,pumpkinand long bean cooked in tumetic  oconut milk with eggbwancurd sheet and glass vermicelli,grilled chicken satay and peanut sauce

Hari raya eid al fitri day

 

Gu qin or gu zheng

 I like the early hours of morning before sunrise as the air is cool,its quiet and you can hear the birds chirping.its the time for me to meditate,reflect,draw and paint.as i was in my garden in looking at the shadows on the plants,i was listening to classical chinese tunes on the gu qin and gu zheng.the gu qin resonates with the soul.its slow,meditative,sonorous,deep but the gu zheng resonates with the heart.its sound  is light and airy,reflective of nature,playful and blissful.shall i learn again one of this instrument as i have the time now to practise.i shall follow my heart.i would love to play the sound of snowfall from the story of Yanxi palace,meditating in a buddhist temple and high mountains,flowing water.

I am sketching a lotus and thinking of how to represent transience in its essence in ink wash abstract.it has to be still,vibrant and carry the seed of hope in it.

 

Pragmatic

 人死不能复生

Ren si bu neng fu sheng

The Chinese wisdom is based on pragmatism and stoicism.That proverb is distilling the essence of Buddhist philosophy on transience and impermanence like one lives a happy life just before one dies.

No point to live in the past and cling onto the dead.They have exited planet Earth and their soul resides in otherworldly realms.

So in Buddhism we dont cling to attachments and learn to let go.

Live for the living as life goes on.The water in the river flows to the sea and will not reverse its flow to go back to its source in the mountains.

Insomnia

 Insomnia is good for stirring up creative juices.Necessity is the mother of all inventions when i set my imagination free,it runs wild but as Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge.when others see things,they ask why but i ask Why not?

Here is prototype of wonder potty,a conceptual engineering drawing.

Hokkien mee

 I cooked thick noodles hokkien mee style with no latd or pork,just chicken cube,fishball,crabstick salmon balls n shrimps.taste so good .wok hei is smoky but sentul coal fried ones are th

e best.

Good food,good friends ,good times

 

Trying naked for first time

Hope naked has ehem virgin coconut oil  in it

Yipee its extra virgin..

 

Light meal

 

Trying new recipes

 Home cooking calls for culinary exploration.love new recipes. I ate mixed meat porridge at tasty porridge.then i used minced chicken to cook lionhead meatballs.added spring onions,carrots and  jicama. Braised in oyster soy sauce.eat with flower roll buns.then dinner i cooked vegetarian meat loaf with chickpeas,beetroot,celery,carrot n onion,added rolled oats,marmite,barbeque sauce n tomato puree and it really look like minced beef.yummy eat with cornbread i baked and salad of pineapple n cucumber. I made an avocado milkshake with chocolate.for tea,i had chai masala with sarawak kek lapis n malay tumeric rice cakes .kuih caras.so being Malaysian,i eat chinese food,western food,indian and malay food all in a day.i love good food.of any kind.