Tuesday, August 19, 2008

The Big Happy Green Elephant


I love fine dining,especially trying out new places to eat. I am quite adventurous in trying new things to satisfy my palate... sometimes it work and sometimes it can be disastrous. Unlike a friend of mine who always order spagehetti bolognaise wherever she goes... I am the one who would choose the dishes that I never heard of.... or any dishes that can catch my eyes with catchy names.
So we went to a place called Ali Yaa that served Sri Lankan dishes. I had no expectations at all.... just thought it would be fun to eat in a place that don't cook a patte placed between 2 buns in less then 2 minutes.... or in a place where I don't have to queue with a tray... I was excited to be served.
The place had a very cozy ambience, friendly and witty waiters.... and a menu that tickles my funny bone silly. They named a simple vegetable Bryani - The Happy Big Green Elephant. It caught my eyes instantly so I had to try it. I was not disappointed. It didnt look at all like a happy elephant but it was tasty and I soon forget that it has no meat at all. Even their rasam was good.... a simple tamarind broth made regal with an addition of crab... something that I enjoy to the last spoonful. We top it all of with payassam(hope I spell it right)....
One think for sure... being adventurous with food has its rewards.... last night I hit the jackpot. Just have to tell myself to stay away from my weighing scale for few weeks....at least till I burned all the the fat I consumed last night.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Frangipanni In My Hair

Bali to say the least was amazing. It was a dream holiday for me. My whole life, there are only 2 places I dreamt to see... saw Paris... and now Bali.
We arrived late afternoon and I was geared up to see more. But that first day was spend enjoying the quiet quaint Seminyak Suite's pool and people. It was lazy.... and relaxing. Balinese are very friendly as in any resort place but they were pleasant as well without being intrusive. I like that.....

The next day we saw a batik factory. It was only natural because we were in Indonesia... and we girls do what we do best....shop. But the highlight of the day was having lunch in Ubud . We had a heavenly view of Gunung Batur.... I didn't want to leave the place.

















We went snorkelling the next day and I got stung by a jellyfish. That didn't damper my spirit and I set forth to discover the colourful world of marine life. Sadly I had no pictures of them cause I didn't have any underwater camera....but trust me.... they were beautiful. Our trusted snorkelling guide were agile underwater and made the experience unforgettable.

We visited the turtle sanctuary but I thought it was sad because it was unnatural to see such peaceful creature caged up. Lunch was at Kuta beach..... view of the rolling waves was all I could take as I was not brave enough to try surfing.

Had a lovely Italian dinner in Kuta beach , walking with a Frangipanni flower in my hair.... it was the best pizza I ever tasted. Who knew that I could have the best pizza in Indonesia. I went mad at shopping for souvenirs the next day in Kuta beach.


Second last day was spend doing the most famous Balinese tradition.... head to toe spa. It was just what the doctor would prescribed.... Shirodara treatment is the best treatment for stress..... you would never look at Valium ever again. i think I am already addicted to spa. I would definitely go back to Bali....one day....

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Third Prime Minister




They say that Tun Dr.Ismail was a reluctant politician. I never understood that and I never bother reading about him even though my brother bought a book about him. Politic is a subject that interest me as much as watching a mould grow on a stale bread. But a musical is something else.... it could sweetened up the sourish subject such as politics.
So we went to watch Ismail, The Last Day.... It was an interesting takes on the our second Deputy PM, who actually died as our acting PM. It turned out that Tun Razak was away visiting Canada at the time.
I went there expecting to be bored with political story but I was pleasantly surprised. The musical focus on the emotional states of the late Tun. At the end of the May 13 riot, he was ready to quit the political life but realised that he was still needed to stabilized the country. He sacrifed his family.... his wife.... his unborn child... and himself ..... to ensure that the country united, which was thought to be impossible at the time. It was moving and at the same time enlightening. I had a lump in my throat through out the show.The music were simple and yet beautiful. Johari Salleh proved why he is one of the most talented composer in the country..... he managed to potray the emotional depth of a man gone years ago into the present so that all of us can understand what he went through, the struggle of trying to do the right things when everything is wrong.
I realised a lot were sacrificed by our early politician to ensure that Malaysia becomes what it is right now..... it is sad to see the political scene now. Everything seemed to fall apart and what our Tuns fought for seemed to go to the undeserving fools.... Oh well....