Friday, April 28, 2006
Part 2- Top Hat Restaurant, KL
This post is dedicated to CJD, my dear friend who was so kind to fetch me from the airport, let me bunk in her house, took me out for lunch, and basically, making me feel just at home 
. This is for you.
Quoted from www.top-hat-restaurants.com:
“Top Hat is in one of the Kuala Lumpur’s older and swankier neighbourhoods, hardby the Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Petronas Twin Towers.
It is housed in one of the few remaining grand mansions still extant in the city, with a large garden of angsana trees, overgrown with heliconias.
The restaurant, at once relaxed and stylish, soothing and classic has a distinctive air of a more gracious and graceful past.
The dishes, cakes and desserts of Top Hat are created by the restaurant’s team of innovative young chefs. The chefs place a premium on food that intrigues, but above all that tastes good.
The menu is changed every 3 months.
It includes classic Western dishes with a subtle touch of Asian flavours. For starters, a variety of soups and salads are always on the menu. Succulent seafood platters, spice encrusted rack of lamb, grilled rib-eye steak, panfried halibut and seafood pastas are standard favourites as main courses.
The chefs also present local Malaysian Nyonya dishes: Top Hats (a signature starter and locally known as kueh pie tee), laksa and a variety of sambals and curries are regularly featured.
For desserts, the restaurant offers home-made delights such as ice creams, bread and butter pudding, crumbles, a rich variety of cakes and local Malaysian desserts like cendol, ondeh-ondeh, pulut hitam. Customers often order the cakes to take home.
The restaurant’s innovative menu is complemented by one of Kuala Lumpur’s most extensive cellars of carefully selected wines. With over 200 old and new world labels, there is a wine to match the customer’s food choice and budget.
Top Hat has devoted a section of the restaurant to celebrate and enjoy the noble grape. Top Hat’s resident wine expert and buyer will also arrange wine tastings.
For cigar aficionados, a discreet room is available for enjoying a fine Cuban with after dinner drinks.”
Located in the heart of KL city and housed in a double-storey colonial style bungalow, Top Hat restaurant offers patrons a fine dining experience in a classic environment. Aunty Maria, CJ’s mom and owner of the restaurant makes everybody feel right at home with her charming personality. She brings the restaurant to life, literally.
CJ suggested that we have lunch at Top Hat on Tuesday, which I readily agreed. It was a good opportunity for the both of us to catch up on old times.
Here are some pictures which I took of Top Hat during lunch while waiting for the food to arrive.
An overview of the exterior of Top Hat.
A view of part of the interior.
The appetising cake counter… delicious stuff I tell you…
For private functions, consider using the Antique Bar.
The wine room offers a dazzling selection of wines to cater to your taste.
Currently the major highlight of Top Hat is the weekly jazz performance at Top Room. For more information, please check out Top Room’s blog at http://thetoproom.blogspot.com .
Here’s a view of Top Room (located on the 1st floor of the restaurant)
Lovely isn’t it?
And here’s a promotional poster of the event:
Early birds who book by Thursday get one free drink! 
For lunch, I chose nyonya laksa… this is Grandma’s secret recipe…
This is devilishly good stuff I tell you. Yummy!!!
It comes with a set of Top Hats, the flagship dish of Top Hat restaurant. Lovely.
The taukehnio’s daughter had the seafood noodles. I tried some of it, and it gets the thumbs up from me!
For dessert, I had the Signature Tiramisu in Strawberry Sauce. This is Australian tiramisu, which is different from Italian tiramisu. Sorry ah HI, my friend says this beats the tiramisu at Alexis wor. One word for this tiramisu… Heavenly!
Dining at Top Hat is always a wonderful experience. If you do drop by KL, don’t forget to go to Top Hat Restaurant and savour the good food they have to offer… you will not be dissappointed.
location map of Top Hat Restaurant.
Opening Hours: Everyday (Including Sundays and Public Holidays)
Check out their website for more information.
by miracle8 at 11:25 pm
(4)miracles Permanent Link
Somebody stole my heart away…
Meet Lyana, a little girl with a big personality.
“Jie jie, ke yi bu yao flash mar? Deng xia wo de yan jing bu neng kai.” (Sis, can you not use flash? Later my eyes won’t open.
“Jie jie, ni hen piao liang ar!” (Sis, you are very pretty)
“Jie jie, wo bei shan zi jing gei ni ting.” (I recite the chinese poem for you to hear)
“Jie jie, ni she me shi hou hui jia?” (when are you going home?)
And the heartache moment when she said bye bye to me, as I saw her off at her school. 
all smiles for the camera… without flash, as I promised. 
all ready for school… giving the camera her megawatt smile. Muaks!
She speaks English, French and Mandarin. Her dad is French, her mom Chinese. We hit it off like old friends the moment we met.
I miss her now….
by miracle8 at 10:45 pm
(2)miracles Permanent Link
Brief Stint in Twin Towers City and Pearl of the Peninsular
I was away for a short trip to KL and Penang earlier this week for official business. “Business” aside, I have to admit that I had a wonderful time. I met up with my elder brother, who is currently calling KL home for the time being, and my best buddy in university, CJ, who was so kind to fetch me at the airport on an early Sunday morning! We spent quality time together (albeit in her car most of the time, 
–traffic jam in KL lar, what were you thinking?
I will divide my write up into three parts–first part being my overview of the whole trip in KL, together with loads of pictures. Second part will be solely dedicated to promoting Top Hat restaurant, which is owned by Mrs Maria Danker, lovely mom of my dear friend CJ. Ever since I came back from the UK, Top Hat restaurant has served as a crucial meeting place for Archangel, CJ and myself whenever I go to KL. I’ve always enjoyed the quaint ambience Top Hat has to offer, and quality of food at Top Hat is second to none. The menu changes every three months. I shall elaborate more on the second part of this post. The third part will be dedicated to my brief stint in Penang, where I fell in love. With who, you ask? Hhehe… I shall let you know.
Part 1- Kuala Lumpur
I arrived in KL on Sunday morning and was whisked off to my brother’s place, courtesy of CJ who came all the way from her house! She’s so sweet. Met up with my elder brother (who looked a tad thinner… must be starving himself silly) and we headed off to KL for some “serious” business. (I.e. sampling food, buying stuff and generally playing tourist for the day).
First stop-Alor Street (did I get the spelling right?)
Of course, before we start walking ourselves silly, we have to fill up right? Even cars won’t move without gas. So we headed off to Alor Street (behind Imperial Hotel).
Still don’t know where it is? Well here’s a picture:
And this is what I had:
Char Siew Noodles
Looks very nice, but I found the char siew (bbq pork) to be a tad too sweet for my liking.
Basically we just walked around Bukit Bintang area… he talking about life in general and me taking photos like a Korean tourist.
Purple flowers which caught my attention…
Samsung promotional booth..
Took the KL monorail to Berjaya Times Square and admired in awe at the roller coaster (which looked like it would go on forever)
There were some boys who thought they would make a Malaysian version of Brokeback mountain…
Everything going for RM10! No I didn’t get anything… not until lil bro sponsors my Marie France lipo job…
The interior deco of Sungai Wang Plaza…
Attended a dinner at Corus Hotel which was held in honour of a member of Lincoln’s Inn Alumni Association, Malaysia, who was recently appointed as a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department of the Government of Malaysia. It was good.
On Monday, I didn’t leave my brother’s house until 11am–says a lot about the fine wine I had during the dinner the evening before (CJ complained that I had one drink too many).
Anyway… I had a sudden craving for Nando’s chicken. Don’t ask me why…
So I went.
And I ordered…
A not so brave chicken.
This branch of Nando’s (at Jalan Sultan Ismail, the street next to Petaling Street) brings back a lot of fond memories. This was the so-called cool hang out place for collge students who were on a tight budget (read–poor!) hahah. So digging into the “not so brave” chicken, I felt like I was a college student once more, sitting at the same table I always did…
Bliss is the word.
That’s it for Part 1!!
by miracle8 at 07:15 pm
(4)miracles Permanent Link
Thursday, April 27, 2006
A Taste of Europe— A night with Marie Vassiliou and Loo Bang Hean
The Sarawak Music Society organised “A Taste of Europe”, a Soprano and Piano Recital by Marie Vassiliou and Loo Bang Hean on 21.4.2006 at the Sarawak Tourism Complex, Kuching. I was lucky enough to get tickets at the door, as I only found out about the recital yesterday morning. Tickets were such a steal at only RM20.
I count my blessings as I know I would have regretted it had I not made it for the recital. Marie Vassiliou’s voice was beautiful. She had grace and poise… and mesmerised her audience with her charismatic performance. She exuded confidence and determination… even with such a small audience, she did not compromise on the quality of her performance. I have to say.. it was a shame that not much publicity was generated for the event. Many classical music lovers would have loved to attend this concert.
More information on Marie Vassiliou and Loo Bang Hean can be found here. Briefly, Marie Vassiliou was born in Hertfordshire of Greek-Welsh heritage. Loo Bang Hean hails from Ipoh. Both performers have won numerous awards–please read the excerpts below.
Exerpts taken from Sarawak Music Society’s Website:
MARIE VASSILIOU was born in Hertfordshire of Greek-Welsh heritage. She studied Viola and Singing at the Royal College of Music, where she won numerous prizes including the Tagore Gold Medal as outstanding student of her year.
She has sung in most major concert venues in the UK (including The Barbican, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall), under conductors including Martyn Brabbins, Sir Andrew Davis, Vernon Handley, Wayne Marshall and Sir David Willcocks, and has broadcast on Radio 3, Classic FM and Radio France. She has an extensive oratorio and concert repertoire and has recently returned from a triumphant debut recital in Zurich (‘Freunde des Liedes’) for which she was critically acclaimed.
In opera she has worked in Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the USA. Her roles include: Desdemona, Gilda, Leila, Micaela, Anne Trulove, Tosca, Violetta; Foreign Princess (Rusalka), Maliella (Jewels of the Madonna), Miss Jessel (Turn of the Screw). Contemporary roles include: Belisa (The Nightingale’s to Blame by Simon Holt; Vienna, Austrian premiere), Desiree (Jago by Mike Westbrook, world premiere, role written for her).
As a baroque singer she has made four CDs with Janiculum and appeared in the Palermo Scarlatti Festival, Eisenstadt Haydn Festival and on tour in Japan with the Purcell Quartet. Handelian operatic roles include: Emira (Siroe), Il Pastor Fido (title role), Poppea (Agrippina) and Theodora (title role).
Miss Vassiliou has especially established herself as a gifted interpreter of contemporary music and has performed as solo soprano with Composer’s Ensemble, Continuum Ensemble, Contemporary Consort, Endymion and The Philharmonia.
She has given premieres of works by Dutilleux, Tippett, Judith Weir & Mike Westbrook and world premieres of works written especially for her by Richard Chew, Anthony Gilbert and Kenneth Hesketh.
Engagements have included: Tippett’s ‘The Heart’s Assurance’ (Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival; also Poland premiere at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival), Julian Anderson’s ‘Sea Drift’ (BBC Proms season), Anthony Gilbert’s ‘Beastly Jingles’ (Royal Festival Hall with The Philharmonia) and Gilbert’s ‘Long White Moonlight’ (Purcell Room with the Endymion Ensemble). Anthony Gilbert has just completed a song cycle, Encantos, written especially for Miss Vassiliou and the Endymion Ensemble, which will be performed next year.
Later this year she will be performing the role of Florence Nightingale (from Richard Chew’s opera, Mary Seacole) at the Linbury Studio, Covent Garden.
LOO BANG HEAN won the First Malaysian National Mozart Piano Competition in 1987. Following his success in the LRSM performing diploma in the same year, the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music awarded him a four year scholarship to study piano at the Royal College of Music (RCM), London.
In England, Bang Hean studied the piano with Yonty Solomon, John Blakely and Dennis Lee. He has won numerous prizes at the RCM. He was invited to appear in a Royal Gala Evening at St. James’s Palace attended by Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. With the awards from the Anthony Saltmarsh Prize and the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, he spent a year studying the Piano with the Hungarian tutor Professor Ilonka Deskers in Milan, Italy.
Back in Malaysia, Bang Hean appears regularly in solo recitals, chamber concerts and concerto performances. A frequent guest soloist of the National Symphony Orchestra in concerto performances. As a keen supporter of local music talents, he and fellow pianist Ng Chong Lim and soprano Cecilia Yap pioneered a series of concerts aimed at providing young musicians the experience of public performing. His recent concerts include a series of two-piano recitals with Ng Chong Lim and a performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Penang State Symphony Orchestra.
I really appreciated the fact that Ms Marie took the trouble to give an introduction on her repertoire enumerated on the programme. It was akin to a music appreciation lesson– with a lovely performance to boot. I was very very impressed.
There was an opportunity for the audience to interact with Marie and Bang Hean at the end of the concert. I found both Marie and Bang Hean to be extremely friendly and approachable musicians…true professionals in their own right. I just hope the audience’s applause gave them the recognition that they so truly deserve.
Here’s an overview of the concert program and Ms Marie’s introduction for each composition:~
A Taste of Europe:
By Purcell, Henry (England)
Come Ye all Songsters
Music for a While
Sweeter than Roses
By Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (Austria)-
An Chole (a shepherd declaring his love for his lover)
Als Luise (A lady who is burning the love letters from her unfaithful lover)
By Ralph Vaughan Williams (England)
The Sky above the roof (Composed in 1908 in French and translated to English, depicts the ambience of a hot summer’s day)
Silent Noon (song of two lovers lying on the grass)
By Ravel, Maurice (France)
Cinq Melodies Populaires Grecques
-A combination of 5 Greek folk songs, Ravel completed the piano accompaniment in 36 hours. The five songs consisted of the following-
a) A Greek Pheasant on the day of his wedding
b) Song of a religious ceremony, with a church feel
c) A Masculine song, where the man sings ” Look at my pistols and my swords etc”
d) An ethereal song
e) A happy, nonsensical song
INTERVAL
Chopin, Frederic (Poland)
Andante spianato & Grand Polonaise Op. 22- performed by Loo Bang Hean
Chopin composed this piece when he was about 21. (Gosh! what was I doing when I was 21…)
By Sibelius, Jean (Finland)
Flickan kon ifron sin elsklings mote-A dialouge between mother and daughter which starts off on a humourous note
Demanten pa Marssnon
Varen flyktar hastigt
Var det en drom
Italian Composers
L’alba separa della notte l’ombra Tosti
Sole e Amore Puccini
La Danza Rossini
And here are some pictures I took during and after the concert. Enjoy!
This is an overview of the concert hall at Sarawak Tourism Complex (the old courthouse, entrance at the first right turning after Little Lebanon. Note the “starry night” effect of the lights on the ceiling. Lovely isn’t it?
Miss Marie Vassiliou serenading the audience with her powerful voice, accompanied by Loo Bang Hean on piano. Absolutely divine.
Loo Bang Hean performing Andante spianato & Grand Polonaise Op. 22. Flawless performance. I loved it.
And the two stars of the night up close. May I present to you, Mr Loo Bang Hean and Miss Marie Vassiliou.
Thank you, Marie and Bang Hean, for giving us such a wonderful performance. I hope to see you again soon.
by miracle8 at 02:09 am
(2)miracles Permanent Link
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Night out at Thymes
Since lil bro was going through a “eat full nothing to do” phase, we went out to Thymes (next to the infamous Luciona at Chong Lin Park) somewhere last week to pig out (or rather, he pigged out).
I have to say, their pizza rocks. Don’t know what you think about thin crust pizzas but I sure love them…
Drowning in a sea of mozzarella and other goodies… yummy…..
lil sis said: “Not fair! You take him out for dinner. What about me?”
Your turn will come, my dear sis… once you have finished your exams and the incidentals.
Aren’t you guys lucky to have me as jie jie. heheeheh
by miracle8 at 01:40 am
(2)miracles Permanent Link
Friday, April 21, 2006
Slow dance…
p/s: Posted earlier last year in my msn blog and reproduced herein.
I got this lovely poem through a fowarded email. It was written by a terminally ill girl, suffering from cancer who only has 6 months to live. Its really touching and I’d like to share it with my friends who happen to stumble upon this blog.
SLOW DANCE
Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last. Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.
Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste ,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,”Hi”
You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last .
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.
——————–
I love this poem. Hope you do too.
by miracle8 at 04:20 pm
(2)miracles Permanent Link
Say a prayer for SCB
JomelDear bloggers and friends,
A blogger, SCB aka Lisa is currently in ICU in Gleneagle, Ampang. She collapsed while in Rum Jungle and has been in a state of coma since 8.4.06. I personally do not know her, but I understand from Jomel, Rojaks, Mumsgather and Maria’s blogs that she has a very young daughter. For more details and updates please go to Jomel‘s blog.
At times like these we get to see the power of love and unity amongst a community who is brought closer by way of a common interest–blogging. I was indeed very touched by the comments and well wishes as well as prayers for SCB, wishing for her speedy recovery.
A blogger, JKN even wrote a song and recorded it for her—its absolutely beautiful.
Here’s the link:
My prayers go out to her as well. I hope she wakes up soon….
Quoted from http://month-of-may.blogspot.com/2006/04/record-your-message-for-scb.html:
Blogger Lin Peh is organising a recording of voices campaign – Voice for a Cause. This recording would be played to her in hopes that she’ll hear us and speed up her recovery. Whether you know her in person or just as another blogger online, please do lend your voice and record a short message for her. Send your MP3 format recording to Lin Peh at xymalaysia [at] yahoo [dot] com.
by miracle8 at 02:56 pm
Make a miracle happen Permanent Link
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Helibely can draw…
These three cartoons best depict what I am going through right now… and my lil sis, Helibely is such a talented cartoonist, don’t you think?
Blogging has become an intergral part of my life, and to label my blogging habit as addiction is in no way exaggerating. My backside is literally glued to the seat… aiks
The other seat which I am occassionally glued to is the piano stool..
It is one of my life long goals to shed off the excess weight I carry… and trust me, its a nightmare trying to haul a body of an elephant using the engine of a motorbike.
Nightmarish…
There you go. Three lovely cartoons done by my lovely lil sis. Isn’t she just the best?
Enjoy!
by miracle8 at 03:33 pm
(11)miracles Permanent Link
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Why younger brothers can be such pests
Excerpts from smses which transpired last night:
*Me*: Waseh, just now somebody told me I am very pretty leh** *over the moon*
*lil bro*: Who was that blind fella? Hahahhaha…
*Me*: Celaka!! *falls down from moon with a thud* ow.
*lil bro*: You can expect nothing from me except honesty, this is from your little bratty bro…
*Me*: speechless…. grrr…
I swear if he actually said that in my face I would have beaten his arse to a pulp.
** a lady who was in the same flight as I was actually told me that. *smug smile*
*names changed to protect the brat.
by miracle8 at 04:39 pm
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Sunday, April 16, 2006
Because they say, life is a circus
Would you believe me if I said that the last time I’d ever been to a circus was when I was 6 or so?
Its been that long. And I wouldn’t have gone to the circus last night, had the purchase of the ticket not been for a good cause (ahaks… being the supportive sis that I am, I had to buy a ticket from my lil sis. )
The premier performance last night at MJC was graced by YB Datuk Alfred Yap. All proceeds derived from the performance were channelled to the Red Crescent Society.
I am not sure if I would go to another circus again…I can’t help feeling sorry for the animals who seemed to know no other life except the one they’ve led.
Here are some pictures I managed to snap during the show which lasted a good three hours (with an intermission of 10 mins)
The circus of life….by miracle8
And I was born, to a stage where I would perform, amidst the flashing lights and blasting music, this is where I will belong…
And because your flesh is weak, my body is hot, I bare to thee… my all…
I am the stage, the stage is mine. With my make-up and stage costumes, I am the star of the night.
I do whatever it takes, to put an awe on your face, to make your jaws drop on your lap, even if it means hanging my old arse from a thread…
Day in, day out, my life is nothing but a facade… chained as a calf, trained as a performer, when the lights go out, I lie in the hay, wondering what would be of me, when I am no longer in shape.
I defy gravity in the cage just to make you pee in your pants.
We stand united herein, drenched in sweat and blood, just to get a standing ovation from you, the audience, our greatest solace.
I may look cute, I may look sweet, but my little pony heart longs for love and caress…
….
by miracle8 at 12:09 pm
(5)miracles Permanent Link
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Mini blogger meet~Fish, Wil & Me
After the embarrassing episode of me not recognising my screen name (duh!) Dr Fish fish, Wilson and myself met up at Song Kheng Hai Hawker centre for some old school food- rojak and sotong kangkung. The beautiful Dr Fish fish is the most friendly person I’ve ever met.. and the three of us hit it off like old buddies! The last time I attended a major blogger meet was when Chef Edwardo aka Cook Ah Wong came back to celebrate his birthday. (And of course not forgetting lunch at Roti’s You Kick curry, thanks to Mr. Ho of Fh2o. )
Anyway, for the benefit of my friend (you know who you are) who is now feeling absolutely tu-laned right now because he declined my offer to ask him to come along to the meet, here are some pictures:~
Devilishly delicious rojak. Yummy…
Sotong Kangkung…
And gifts from Dr. Fish fish!
Can’t read Japanese… but this biscuit tastes good. Dr Fish says it has fish powder in it.
Pocky strawberry pretzels–with 50% real strawberries!
And I introduce to you my partner in “crime”:
Wilson, who in his great haste to meet our dear Fish fish, forgot to comb his hair. This is the proper version of our pic. I think Dr. Fish has a twisted pic of us-the monkey boy elbowed me until my hand blue black already…grrr…ah bish!
Last but not least… a group pic of us:
Sorry ah H, I promised Dr Fish fish… only her cartoon version of her face can appear on the blogsphere. So yeah, this will have to do…
It was a great meet up. We were yakking non-stop for almost 2 hours. O_O And we’ve got further plans lined up… hehehe
C u guys around! Thanks again Dr. Fish for all the yummy Jap biscuits!
by miracle8 at 06:20 pm
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Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Momentary hiatus
Dear friends,
I will be working on my other blog for the time being, updating stuff on my little music projects so I won’t be updating this main blog that often. If you are a music enthusiast like I am, hope over and have a look.
by miracle8 at 12:24 pm
Make a miracle happen Permanent Link
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Duh! Sorry ah Fish fish…
Fish fish called me just now~and in my haste, I forgot my screen name was miracle8 (which was the only name she knew me by) so I said she dialed the wrong number in the first place. So sakai of me! aarrgggh.. Poor fish fish she must have been so bewildered. Sorry dear! Thats what Baileys do to you (mental note to self: must not drink and talk on the phone at the same time).
Anyway, I think she has the most beautiful voice, and I can’t wait to meet her! Eddie, your Chef Edwardo will have to wait lor…
by miracle8 at 11:16 pm
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Sunday, April 09, 2006
Oh you could but only love her
Meet Chelsea Mia, a tiny tot who stole my heart. With angelic looks and a fond liking for the camera, she was a joy to be with. She allowed me to carry her for the most of the evening, and she smiled for my camera! Without me having to make monkey faces (as is the case with most kids).
The header image is going to stay there for the time being.. so say it with me, people: “We love Chelsea Mia!”
by miracle8 at 01:05 am
(2)miracles Permanent Link
Friday, April 07, 2006
A second chance
5 months ago, she was brutally attacked by a robber, who snatched her handbag, slashed her left hand, and almost severed her left thumb and nose in the process. Her young daughter witnessed the horrifying sight of her mother being attacked in broad daylight.
A delay of 8 hours followed the harrowing incident as there were no operating theatres available in the GH to attend to her. Frustrated, her brother made a decision to send her to a private hospital, where she was immediately attended to and a surgical operation was carried out to save her nose, her left hand and her thumb.
I visited her the day after her horrifying ordeal, telling her to concentrate on her recovery and not asking any questions about the incident. I frowed upon some of her relatives, who said “Aiyo! Ker Lian Lor!” (aiyo, you poor thing) as they made their “grand” entrance into the ward. I just held her right hand tight, and looked at her in the eyes and told her that everything was going to be ok. It was hard. She was obviously traumatised by the incident, and tears welled in her eyes as she thanked me for visiting her. I tried hard not to cry.
5 months later, I met her again. This time, in Limbang.
I was happy to see that she had regained her bubbly self, and she looked radiant. I was fortunate enough to meet up with her after we had completed our official duties respectively, and she showed me her left hand.
“Its healed, but the scars will remain forever,” she said, calmly.
I hugged her tight. The emotional hurt and trauma she endured far exceeded the physical injuries inflicted upon her. When another fellow acquaintance saw us, he asked:
“Geez what happened to your hand?”
I could not bear to see her reliving her nightmare by telling her story over and over again, so I said: “Don’t ask her what happened. Whatever it is, she survived and thats the most important thing.”
“Yes, I was given a second chance,” she agreed. “My hand and my nose are still with me.”
Only the close friends and immediate family of victims of snatch theft would understand the heartache they go through. Especially those who suffered physical injuries and lived to tell the tale. It is not just a matter of robbing one of one’s personal belongings anymore. The intentions of these pond scums, are to kill. To take a life of another fellow human being. And actually feel good about it.
The perpertrators of this crime, unfortunately, are still at large. Sighs.
by miracle8 at 01:42 am
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Thursday, April 06, 2006
Limbang in pictures
Just came back from the other end of Sarawak- Limbang, a quaint town, home to our resident bloggrapher Wilson. Too tired to do any write up– enjoy the pics!
Purnama Hotel (taken from overhead bridge)
Limbang Airport.
Speedboat…
Jetty…
Batang Limbang from another view.
Sunset at Baitulmakmur, Kuching.
Wilson, you homesick yet?
by miracle8 at 10:38 pm
(3)miracles Permanent Link
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
“Come here, be with me”
was his suggestion after what seemed like an open ended conversation of work and life in general.
“Hur? To do what?” was my reply.
“To be here, with me. You know me so well, I couldn’t think of anyone else.”
It did come as a shock. We’ve known each other for 8 years. He was arguably one of the more decent looking fellas in class. He told me of his first love, how smitten he was by her beauty, how he never got over her even after we graduated from high school,etc.. to an extent where I actually lost my patience and suggested that if she really meant so much to him, he should do something about it.
But he never did.
Fast foward many years later, we kept in contact, and he filled me in with the latest news on his job, his life in a foreign land, his new found acquaintances. And I would listen, give my advice only when he asked for it, and encouraged him when he felt down.
He constantly disapproved of my male acquaintances, saying that I deserve men of much better quality.
And he always said this to me when we finished a conversation:~ “You know, you are the only one who truly understands what I think, and how I feel.”
Can I assume that I was born to fill in that role? An advisor, a confidante, someone whom you could talk to and rely on? And nothing more?
Perhaps I had assumed that role for so long, it never occured to me that he would actually ask me the question above.
Of course, one may say, it is I who put too much thought into those insignificant words of his. It is I who is thinking too much. Perhaps, he was just bored and blurted words at random without paying heed to the consequences. Perhaps I am being too “perasan” or taking him too seriously.
The thing is, after you have known a person for so long, its highly unlikely that you would be able to take things up another level. We hardly come across friends whom we can really trust, whom we can really relate our experiences to, and whom we can count on to give us a moral boost when we need it. So when we do come across one, we treasure the friendship and hope that it lasts.
As I did not want to upset the friendship that we had built over the years, I declined his offer.
(“Dont be so “wu liao” la. I still need to work la”)
I do know that he is going through a very difficult moment in his career, and perhaps he just needed someone to be there for him. But it does not mean that you can immediately expect your “buddy” to suddenly upgrade to “companion” material. Cannot ler… (shakes head vigorously)
by miracle8 at 02:24 am
(8)miracles Permanent Link
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Recipe Sunday-Beef Stew
After a certain friend of mine complained that my blog was beginning to look like an obituary of sorts (you know who you are ), I decided to whip out my wok this morning–and I present to you, my very own beef stew. I used to cook this pretty frequently when I was in Newcastle, and it sustained me through the cold hard winter months.
What you’ll need:
400 grams of diced beef
400 grams of potatoes, cubed
4 large onions, peeled and diced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
200 grams of button mushrooms, halved.
Seasoning-
Two Knorr Beef Cubes (or four OXO beef stock cubes)
McKormick’s seasoned salt
Mixed herbs (oregano, rosemary, basil, chives, thyme)
Salt and pepper
Golden churn butter
cornflour and water to thicken the sauce
Method:
In a bowl, marinate beef cubes in cornflour, salt and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Boil 1 litre of water and throw potatoes and onions in. Bring to a boil.
Heat up the wok and sear the beef cubes in Golden Churn Butter. Once browned, pour beef cubes into the soup.
Add beef stock cubes and stir.
Bring to a boil and switch to low fire. Cook for 30 minutes or until beef is tender.
Mix cornflour with water and add in the soup. Stir thoroughly.
Add in cherry tomatoes and button mushrooms.
Add dried mixed herbs and seasoning.
Serve hot with rice.
Enjoy!
Here’s a pic of the finished product:
On a totally unrelated note, the Fish is back in Kuching! This is her email, so get in touch with her for more food adventures in Cat city! Welcome home Fish fish!
by miracle8 at 02:47 pm
(3)miracles Permanent Link
how to add your blog to rss reader, I have some troubles…