Missing Malaysia, no, I mean just the food...

Today is the end of my second month in Bangkok. Time flies! Coincidentally, today is Malaysia’s 51st Merdeka Day (Independence Day). It makes me think of what would I be doing if I was in KL today. Perhaps nothing special, as every Merdeka Day is just another day for me to rest and do things with my family or friends. Somehow, being away from Malaysia makes me miss home (just a little bit more than usualJ) on this specialy day.

What I miss most besides my family and friends is Malaysian food. Me being in Bangkok, one would think that I have the advantage of enjoying Thai food everyday. Yes, I admit that at first I was excited to be trying different types of spicy Thai food. I still enjoy eating Thai food. But the truth is, after a while, I crave for food that can comfort my heart and soul. That is Malaysian food. I really miss Malaysian food. I miss nasi lemak, roti canai, teh tarik, jawa mee, mee goreng, maggie goreng, pork noodle, prawn noodle, curry noodle, cendol, chee cheong fan… etc… There is so much food to be listed. It also happened when I was living in the USA. But somehow, this time I miss Malaysian food more than before. Malaysia has so many varieties of food and flavours thanks to contributions from all different races in Malaysia.

When I think of Malay food, I think of nasi lemak, rendang, satay, and etc. It is hot and spicy that challenges our taste buds. Then, we also have another spicy food from our Indian community. I miss roti canai, roti telur, curry rice served on banana leaf, teh tarik, cendol and etc. I really miss mamak stall that is always there for us whenever we need it. 24 hours a day, I can always find one around the corner to fill up my stomach whenever I am hungry, or just to hangout and chat with friends over teh-o-ais-limau (iced lime tea). In Bangkok, there is no place like this to hangout with friends unless you go to a bar and have some beer.

Last but not least, I always miss the taste of chinese food. There are so many types of noodle to choose from. Whenever I go to a hawker center in Kuala Lumpur, I always have take a long time to decide what to eat. There are always so many choices but my stomach can only take so much. The popular chinese food include wantan noodle, curry noodle, pork noodle, pan mee, yee mee, chicken rice, yong tau fu, chee cheong fan, and etc. And these are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Chinese food. There are always something new to be discovered.

Most of all, I miss home cooked meal that I used to eat at home every evening. Home cooked meal has its unique flavour that we can’t buy from any restaurant. My aunt is the person who is responsible for my family’s dinner every evening. I miss her cooking. She made the best ‘woo-tao-gou’ (yam cake) that I have ever tasted. Her ‘bachang’ (triangular sticky rice), veggie bao, and ‘chap-chai’ (mixed vegetable stew with roasted pork) are also famous around my neighbourhood. I want to learn to cook from my aunt. But i just never had the time to do so when I was in K.L. Now that I am in Bangkok, it is even more difficult to learn from her.

My mission now is to find a good Malaysian restaurant in Bangkok. But nobody seems to know where if there any Malaysian restaurants here. I guess Malaysian food is not popular. So, is there anyone who is reading my blog, interested in opening a Malaysian restaurant here? I will be your first customer!

Bye Bye Beijing 2008

Beijing Olympic 2008 has ended with magnificent closing ceremony on 24^th August 2008. I watched the ceremony last night and I wished I could be there. It was colourful and fun. After so many years of anticipating, China had showed the world what she had to offer.

At the closing ceremony, all the athletes looked like they were having fun at the Bird Nest. I saw people from all around the world, gathered in a stadium celebrating a wonderful event. It truly reflected the theme of the Beijing Olympic, ‘One World, One Dream.’ Through sports, people gathered in one place for the mere 16 days and compete for glory. There was no conflict among them. Why can’t the world be like this? Why do stronger countries have to invade or attack smaller nations? How nice it would be if there is no war or conflicts in the world.

For the past 2 weeks that I watched the Olympics, I saw Diving, Boxing, Weight Lifting, etc. These are the sports that I wouldn’t have the chance to watch if it wasn’t for Olympics. I guess we only have chance to watch these sports once every four years. Or, perhaps we can see them at Asian Games or Southeast Asian Games too. Sometimes I wonder what the purposes of these sports are. I think, for athletes, they all aim for the gold. But I don’t know why countries like China and USA always fight to be number one in the Olympics. So what if they are number one? Sometimes watching them fight over number one provides some excitement when we watch the games. I’m glad that China won 51 gold and be on the top of the chart. It is the pride of all Chinese in the world. Well done!

The show has come to an end. The world is now looking forward to London Olympic 2012. Judging by the brief performance by London at the Closing Ceremony of Beijing Olympics, I’m sure we can expect an awesome Olympics from London.

Let's Begin!

At last, I have decided to start my own blog. Today, 24th August 2008, is the end of 2008 Beijing Olympics, but it marks the beginning of my blog.

The title, "Life Is A Series of Fireworks", comes from my love for fireworks. The first time I saw a real full blown fireworks was my first year in college. I was at the homecoming football game and they had fireworks. It was amazing! Fireworks always makes me excited and happy. I want life to be always beautiful. And I think it is...

I think life is colourful yet unpredictable. Nothing last forever in life. It's just like series of fireworks. We should appreciate it when it lasts. We should appreciate our family and friends around us. Never afraid to show our affection to them. We shouldn't wait for them to act. We can take the initiative to tell them we love them first. Well, I know it's hard for Asians to do so. But at least try it. Everything is difficult at the beginning but it will only get easier after a few try.

Like fireworks, life is beautiful. I guess it all depends on our views on things. We always hear people always say 'life sucks!' I guess sometimes we might have to go through some difficult time, whining and bitching won't help the situation.Try to stay positive, think and act positive is very important. I believe that it will create positive energy to improve the bad situation.

I may not have a lot of life experience as I don't think I have been through a lot in life. But I think blogging doesn't have to be so serious, right? I will just blog about my stories inspired by my daily experience and share with anyone who is interested to read about it. I guess it is also a way of communicating to the world.

2008 Beijing Olympics lasted for 16 days. It began with fireworks and also ended with fireworks. It has ended beautifully and become part of our memories. I hope my blog will last longer and also be remembered for a long long time.