Medicine*Music*Chocolate*Life

Good grief, I'm awake

It's 0400H. I'm just sitting here on the edge of the bed, watching my precious little Bean and big ol' Hubby lying in exactly the same position - asleep.

Supposed to be working tomorrow, then hopefully some shopping. Then dinner, and drinks with friends.

More of the same on Sunday, barring any changes.

Yummy looks

Haven't done this for a while. From the couture and pre-fall collections.

                           

Thankful

It's Chinese New Year today, and although this year was a quiet celebration, I thought I'd best put down all the things that I thought of at the temple today. We went to pray to the god Tai Suey, to give thanks for a year of safety and harmony, and to keep our wishes for another peaceful smooth year ahead.

OK. So. Things I am very grateful for:

1) That I still have a job, and not just a job, but a job which I like, that actually makes a difference.
2) My child. My little Bean, my little miracle. Safe and whole and beautiful and sharp. Now sleeping on my chest as I type this, and I can't help but tear a little just watching how tenderly she sleeps.
3) My families - mine and Hubby's, and the bestest of friends that I consider sisters and brothers.
4) The use of my mind, not addled by madness; the use of my body, from which I will demand yet more as the year goes by.
5) Liquid assets, in a time like this when even financial institutions set in stone show that they may crumble.
6) An education, out of which so many things can come. Knowledge. Something that no one can take away from me. And something that I can give to others freely. In fact, the only thing that I can give to others freely which may make the world a more tolerant and better place.
7) The unseen but certainly-felt angel who constantly watches over me and mine. Whoever this may be.
8) I breathe. I feel. I comprehend. And I learn.

NYE in KL '08 to '09

Long overdue post. I skipped a couple of days in the telling, bu suffice to say everyone ate well and drank even better.

NYE was another family affair. Dad had booked three tables at the Annual Ball at the club, and we brought the japanese tourists there to usher in the new year. Everyone was dressed to dance. Dandies in tuxes and suits, ladies in gowns and jazz-baby numbers.

The entertainer was a boisterously-camp Aussie lady and her two exotic dancers. Towards the end, the house band took over and we rocked on into the countdown, and then into the new year!

Some of us started out shy, but as the music and atmosphere took over, everyone was shaking their booty on the dancefloor. Diana's aunt kicked off her shoes so that she could feel the floor better, and even Grandpa got in on the act.

It was a great way for us to end our trip up (we drove back to Singapore the next day). Most surprisingly, one of Diana's little girl cousins came up to me and told ,me that she'd like to grow up just like me. I was mystified. She is a hip and happening Tokyo medical student with a hank of waist-length raven hair, dollie eyes, a tiny waist, and porcelain skin. She was often in a coloured camisole, shorts, and her mum's LV tote.....I just went "Don't be silly. You're fine the way you are. You'll grow up just perfect." and left it at that.

Interlude: Bean talk

Ye gads, she's developed a few rather alarming behaviours.

One's the screaming. Random, screeching, piercing screams. As aptly described by a mother in an online forum as the "I'm Touching Your Mind With My Vulcan Mind Screech" scream. Apparently not unusual. And usually at 6 months.

The second's the panting. Deliberate displays of heavy hyperventilation, which doesn't have any odours. I got quite distressed at first, and frequently whipped out the stethoscope to check that she wasn't asthmatic or anything.....but no, apparently that happens too.

Thirdly, she's realised that her throat can create sounds both on exhalation AND inhalation, leading to forced stridorous and rather scary breathing. Hubby awoke in the middle of last night thinking that she had difficulty breathing.....but she was fine.

All this is rather like crying "wolf" so the challenge is not to be desensitised to it, just in case it IS for real one of these days.

Her first tooth's popping out. Erupting, we call it. The lower right incisor. We're watching this little miracle in absolute glee.

Kuala Lumpur December 2008: Part Four

Monday was a day off. Everyone got up late, ate too much (again), and generally chilled out. We took Poppy down to the Pavillion, her favourite hang-out, and she promptly disappeared into its commercial depths for the better part of the day. Meanwhile, I did a little bit of my own shopping, and Hubby similarly did his.

After an afternoon spent in retail heaven, we rejoined forces and headed back to the Ascott. Poppy was due to fly back to Singapore that night, so she stayed at home to pack. She later took a cab to the airport.

Hubby and I went to the Saloma Theatre to join the rest of the family (ours, mine, Diana's) for a buffet dinner and cultural dance presentation. After a stunning performance which included blowpipes, we dropped everyone off home. I went with my brother to fetch one of the family cars, and the two of us drove Diana's cousins to a truly Malaysian pastime - the mamak stall.

The word "mamak" is actually the name for descendents of Indian Muslim settlers, and used to describe a very unique sort of informal (and usually roadside) cafe run by them. These cafes open for dinner and stay open until the wee hours of the morning. Many Malaysians are used to growing up around this culture, which reflects the 24-hour nature of the people. It was not at all unusual for teenagers to call one another up at 2300H with a request to meet up at the mamak stall for a chat, some teh tarik ("pulled tea" - frothed by pouring milk tea from a height, armlength to armlength, between two tin mugs), and perhaps a Ramli burger.

The Ramli burger itself is completely Malaysian, completely unlicense-able by the US FDA, and totally scrumptious. Singaporeans have even composed a song in ode to its greasy glory. A halal (slain in accordance to Muslim rites) beef burger spiced with pepper, cooked in butter, topped with cheese, wrapped in a flat-fried sunnysided egg, thrown between two mildly-toasted sesame buns, paired with a lively mix of raw onion, lettuce shreds, mayonnaise, ketchup, and more butter on the buns. It sounds like a coronary waiting to happen, but trust me, there's nothing like it anywhere else in the world. Even Facebook contains a Ramli Burger Appreciation Society, and some ardent fan has even posted up a video of Sloppy Jo (a famous stallowner/burgermeister called Johari) doing his thing.

We took them to a much more amenable location - all the way across town to the Bestari restaurant (yup, they upgraded) in Sri Hartamas. We ordered one or two of each local peculiarity and everyone had a great time trying these alien tastes and textures. I will describe each in its mouth-watering turn, but here is the list: paper thosai, lamb murtabak, mi goreng Ramli spesial, bandung susu, and of course, the Ramli burger.

Because of their clear Indian origins, most mamak food is based in South Indian cuisine which gas been adapted as the settlements matured into the local population over centuries.

The paper thosai is a giant thin crispy crepe which comes rolled into a loose cylinder, or a standing cone. It comes with three dips: a lentil (dhal) yellow curry dip, a white milky dip with finely-grated dried coconut flesh, and a red plain veg curry dip. All are delicious, and the lightness of the thosai makes it a great choice for girlies. It is my favourite mamak munch.

A murtabak is a millefeuille version of a pancake. Minced lamb is "folded" into the bread as it is toasted on a flat metal cooking surface, resulting in a slightly crisp, slightly cakey texture with bursts of deeply-flavoured lamb bits.

The mi goreng Ramli spesial is Hubby's personal favourite. It is a dry-blend instant noodle, but tricked up with a chopped-up Ramli burger pattie, an egg sunnyside up, and thin slices of veggies. It's quite a party in the mouth, and a hearty supper option.

Bandung susu is rose syrup in milk, and has its origins in Indonesia. It is a drink, curiously pink in colour. Alongside this, we also ordered teh tarik, whole young coconut (for water and flesh), and another of my faves - teh halia. It is a variation of the teh tarik, with the addition of ginger during the boiling process.

After food and much chatting, we called it a night.

NB: The blowpipe, mentioned much earlier, is an East Malaysian weapon used by the indigenous tribes of Sabah and Sarawak. It is a long thin hollow bamboo (or similar) rod/staff through which a sharpened and poison-tipped shard of wood is inserted. A short sharp blow sends the dart whistling through the trees to fell a monkey, deer, or enemy warrior.

Kuala Lumpur December 2008: Part Three

Sunday. D-Day! The bridal party had risen much earlier and gathered at my aunt's house (we used it for Diana's "Chuet Muun" - "Exit Door" - since her own home is in, erm, Kobe).

The Fetching of the Bride ("Tzhong Muun" - literally "Bash Door") is an age-old tradition in which the groom and his groomsmen ("heng dai" = "brothers") have to pass a set of trials set by the bride's "sisters" ("jee mui") that test their manhood and allows each a chance to show off his abilities. It's akin to storming the keep to fetch away the prize of the day (the bride). Indirectly it was also traditionally a great time for parents to size up eligible young men and women for their sons and daughters.

The jee mui had been ready with their tricks at 0800H, and the groom's party arrived at 0830H. The bridal car first, followed by three or four cars driven by the heng tai (with Diana's japanese family within, since they had to be fetched from the city centre beforehand), with horns blaring from the end of the street. This was also traditional as the making of much noise signaled a happy event as well as chasing away fretful spirits.

The japanese guests were ushered into the house, and then the games began! The heng tai were stopped at the main gate, and made to perform some wordplay. The scholars amongst them wowwed the crowd and the jee mui managed to obtain the first of their angpows (yes, the groom also has to pay a "bribe" to the jee mui to pass through).

They next used the main lounge to test the boys' dancing and singing (Westlife, argh). Then they were in the courtyard, where the boys had to perform some physical tasks. The kicker at the end was really fun. The groom was singled out, a Rambo-style bandanna tied around his forehead, and then asked to break two boards - a 1-inch and a 2-inch. This was specifically because my brother is a mid-rank blackbelt in taekwondo, and his flying fists have met far more than a 2-inch piece of plywood.

A punch and a chop later, and the groom was at the door of the bride's hideaway room. His last task was to free the key to the room - frozen in a block of ice - with only his mouth. He crunched through the ice, and with the key at last, entered the bride's room.

She was seated at the window, already veiled by her parents as is the custom (this section is the last parting gift from a girl's parents to her before she is wed) who were standing behind her. He lifted the blusher veil and kissed her gently after handing her the bouquet (brought in by the heng tai as a symbolic gift). Then he asked his final permission from her parents to marry her (at this point, Diana's mother teared) and Diana's father nodded. It sounds simple but is actually a very meaningful and sometimes heartrending part of a chinese wedding because it is at that point in time that the bride's parents truly feel that they have finally "given away" their daughter, in hand to a man who will hopefully cherish her as they have. Then the bridal couple paid their respects to the bride's parents, and begin the car-ride to the groom's family home. On the way out, the bride was shielded by her father, holding a red umbrella, from door to car - a last parting gesture of his fatherly protection.

The rest of us (as part of the groom's family) were already anxiously awaiting their arrival. Mom and my aunts had prepared refreshments, and the traditional roast pig was waiting in the kitchen. The rest of the family, including Bean and the grandparents, were already in place. As the bridal party left at the other end, the heng tai telephoned Dad to alert him.

As they approached, they sounded the car horns again. Everyone was excited. My brother's wedding would be the first one in our generation which observed the customs in their entirety. As they alighted, the groom's family hid away, for none of us were supposed to face the bride and groom in their arrival and walk (shod all the way) up to their marital room. This symbolically meant that none of us would ever block their path from anything, and that the bride was a welcome addition to the family. During this walk, even the doors must all be left open, and all the lights switched on.

My brother and Diana safely reached their room, and the door closed. Usually at this point, the couple would change into traditional chinese clothes (the ornate red beaded top and skirt called "kua" for her, a dark mandarin collared men's dress for him) but they opted to stay in their morning attire (a suit for him, the white wedding dress for her). We welcomed our guests, then the tea ceremonies began.

Again, a small departure from the traditional. Usually the groom's family had theirs, then the wedding party would return to the bride's home to perform the same for her family, but since they were foreign, we did both at the folks' place. Usually upon returning to the bride's home, she is then welcomed as a guest, now no longer a daughter of the house, but a wife and daughter in her husband's family.

Hubby and I left after Bean paid her respects (yes, even the tiniest member of the family must obey this custom) to her new aunt and my brother (her uncle). Bean was tired and grouchy, and yelling for a quiet place to sleep. Meanwhile, the wedding party had lunch and roast pork.

At 1530H, we drove from Ascott over to Sunway Lagoon Hotel where the wedding banquet was to be held. Poppy and I had hair and makeup scheduled for 1600H so that we could head down to reception early to help. She was in a jewel-green bias-cut gown done in a fetching 1930s silhouette, and I opted for a strapless amethyst gown reminiscent of Lanvin's Spring/Summer '08 pieces (but with less volume). They gave us both big hair. For her a loose beehive with a neat upturn at the nape, and for me, a bombed-out version of a 1950s 'do, which went surprisingly well with the pearls I chose to wear.

We left Bean upstairs while we did some lastminute prep. The two mums turned up at 1700H for their hair/makeup and Diana started hers at 1730H.

Guests began to arrive at 1815H and it was all systems go from then. I brought Bean down for a short while to mingle, then back up again. She was dressed in a little red frock with a blowsy leopard-print flower at the waist, and matching patterned soft-shoes.

The food has always been good at the Westlake restaurant, which is why it was chosen. Aside from the fact that it was also done up in a very chinese dynastic decor, the layout was friendly. We heard my father first. Then the best man spoke, and we ended with the bridal couple giving two halves of their speech: Diana first, in english and japanese (she brought a tear to her brother's eye), then the bro in english AND japanese. He had been very nervous about getting the pronunciation right in thanking his new japanese family but methinks it went down well.

We made the three traditional toasts with loud shouts of "yam seng!" (loosely translateable as "drink to your maturity"). The first was for the wedding itself, and that it came to be. The second was for life together "til you both are snowy-haired". The third was for the promise of healthy happy children.

Dinner concluded with the folks (both sides) and the bridal couple going round to take photos with each table of guests. The rest of us carried on drinking and merrymaking. Even after the last distinguished guest had been thanked and left, the cousins were still hungry for more entertainment, so they took Diana's japanese cousins down to the Ministry of Sound to continue the partying.

I later found out from my brother that it was happy chaos. Diana's family was esteemed and studious, with no less than 11 doctors. Because of their upbringing, these were not pink-haired punks from Harajuku, but diligent medics who had never seen the inside of a discotheque. It was an awakening. Luckily Diana's elder cousins were also there, and helped to carry the semi-conscious but giggling young ones back to the hotel.

Kuala Lumpur December 2008: Part Two

We woke lazily on Saturday 27th to a hearty breakfast (woo, the breakfast bar was PACKED) and then bundled everyone into the car and drove over to my folks' place. This family home had been the scene of many a rowdy clan gathering, and we were yet again readying it to receive one more. A very special one. The wedding of my brother, the eldest boychild in our generation (and thus the future head of the clan) and his cosmopolitan statuesque bride Diana.

When we arrived, my mother was already bustling about the house sweeping and dusting and mopping and planning. Grandpa was busy too - talking. We parked Bean and Annie in the guest room to play and dug in to help.

Up went the curtains in the bridal room. Up went the tapestry that was a gift from Diana's father. Up went the red chiffons and the festive scarlet doorveil ("Muun Houng" - literally "Door Red") that marks the celebration of any chinese wedding.

There was a little scare regarding the promptness of the marquee crew (Mom was almost at the top of her voice and the end of her tether when they rolled in at 1500H to set up tentage and tables). Mom, Grandpa and I then got out the peonies, tulle, and ribbons and bedecked the bridal car.

During the madness of the red marquee going up, Hubby had gone to fetch Poppy (his sister) from Sentral station. I drove Bean and Annie back to Ascott to rest, then bought charsiu rice for their lunch, and rushed back to finish the decor.

We were done by about 1600H, and I sped back to the Ascott to shower & change. That night was the first part of the celebrations. Dad had booked the entire Ozeki, famed for modern Japanese cuisine and a huge variety of sake. The crowd comprised family and friends of the bride and groom. Five long banquettes in the middle of the room were filled with young and dashing friends, and the elevated partially-hidden tables (quieter) were reserved for the folks. Wine and sake flowed freely, and dinner was better than even what I had expected.

Bean stole the show transiently from the wedding couple. It was, after all, her debut presentation to the extended family. She was in a dusky-pink shirt-dress and matching socks, and looked really sweet and gentle. Hubby was in a dark suit and I was in a terracotta BCBG cocktail dress.

We exited Bean back to the Ascott (just a short walk away) when it was time to sit down for dinner. Diana's japanese relations were here, and we all had a pretty easygoing time punctuated by my bro & Diana dancing a sizzling number, and later yet by bro's band of brothers having a rowdy high time.

Poppy, Hubby and I left early after watching the younger japanese girls whisper "ohhh, kakkoii desu!" about my baby brother (the youngest of us sibs, with a Wang Lee Hom smile), helping to host the older japanese guests, and hearing one too many drunken renditions of the brother's alma mater anthem.