Book Buying Binge at the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale

Bookaholics and bibliophiles must be bingeing at Sri Kembangan still... because the annual Big Bad Wolf book sale there at the Malaysian International Exhibition & Convention Centre (MIECC) has been extended to the 21st of December. Started since the 5th of the month, the 24/7 sale event has been attracting quite a lot of people, especially now that it is the school holidays.

A and I went there on a weekday to avoid the probably overwhelming crowd on weekends rummaging through the purported 3.5 million volumes on sale. I bought 18* books for RM175 while A got 50 books (from two forays). At an average of less that RM10 per book, it works out to be quite a steal! So we reckoned we'd keep our book buying to this particular sale only, but we ended up with too many caveats (like special occasions, author book signings, etc.). So I guess we'll keep on buying books whenever and wherever. As a constant reader, I am seriously thinking of binge reading as a 2015 resolution... err, but this is what I have been doing since forever!

* My 18 books (because A's 50 is too long to list!)
1. Jane Austen; a celebration of her life and work/Lauren Nixon  2. Bold strokes; dynamic brushwork for oils and acrylics/Mark Christopher Weber  3. Practical container gardening/Stephanie Donaldson  4. Decorating with books (House Beautiful)  5. Grandma's kitchen journal  6. Give it up! My year of learning to live better with less/Mary Carlomagno  7. Five star billionaire/Tash Aw  8. Until I say good-bye/Susan Spencer-Wendel  9. Culinary pleasures/Nicola Humble  10. The Private world of Georgette Heyer/Jane Aiken Hodge  11. France (The National Geographic Traveler)  12. Traveler's South Africa/Mike Cadman (Thomas Cook)  13. Nigella Fresh/ Nigella Lawson  14. Jamie's America/Jamie Oliver  15. The Meryl Streep movie club/Mia March  16. The Goddess guide/Gisele Scanlon  17. Essential kitchens/Terence Conran  18. Borneo, Celebes, Aru/Alfred Russel Wallace                        (Ex Libris CNB 2178-2185)

SA Garden Catalogue: Gynura Procumbens

Scientific name: Gynura procumbens 
Malay name: Sambung nyawa/Akar sebiak/Kelemai merah
Family: Asteraceae
Origin: Myanmar and China

This perennial plant is very, very easy to grow from cuttings. It is a shrub found in South and Southeast Asia particularly Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, and is a well-known traditional herb in the region. It grows well in shade and very rarely flowers (orange/yellow).

The leaves of this 'Longevity plant' may be consumed fresh or dried but I have read in some herb books the warning that not more than 2 leaves are to be consumed at a time. Yet in other information sources the leaves are touted as 'vegetables' (for diabetes and hypertension). Below is information found at the Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam on the considerable medicinal values of this plant. It is no wonder it is also called Longevity spinach or Leaves of the gods.

I have two containers of this plant, originally obtained from my sister's garden in Taman Keramat. I have heeded the 'two-leaf rule' and usually pluck and eat the leaves fresh. Best not to eat too much of these leaves of longevity lest one wants to live forever?

The December rains have brought the usual annual floods especially to the East Coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu. Here in Shah Alam, it rains almost daily, usually in the late afternoons and evenings.

A Vicarious Travel to Ecuador (at MAHA 2014)

While visiting the MAHA Show recently, at one of the main exhibition halls, we were drawn to the booth of the Embassy of Ecuador. First by the very colourful posters (of roses, tagua beads, mangoes, chocolate, quinoa) and products exhibited; then by the smiling personality manning the booth. Surprisingly she is not from Ecuador but a Malaysian!

Marion is a physiotherapist married to an Ecuadorian attached to the Embassy of the Republic of Ecuador here in Kuala Lumpur, hence her presence at the booth. A and I had a lot of questions about Ecuador and she kindly showed us videos of this rather fascinating South American country. I found out that this country's main exports are petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee, wood and (canned) fish.

Among other products, there is the rather fascinating tagua (beads, jewelry and carvings made from palm nuts). The tagua nuts are from the Phytelepus, commonly known as ivory palms, ivory-nut palms or tagua palms. The tagua nut are also known as vegetable ivory. A very kind alternative to elephant tusk products.

                                       

                                       
Then there are some surprising food products, including quinoa which are grains 'from the Andes (Mountains) to the World' and award winning chocolate made of Ecuadorian cacao. We also had a taste of their banana crisps which was quite delicious.

                                     
We liked the Panama hat (of Ecuadorian origin, hand made from toquilla straw) that Marion had on and so we posed for pictures wearing similar ones - A in yellow and moi in pink. Oh, of course I had to buy a set of tagua necklace and earrings. So even if I have not been to Ecuador, I have a beautiful reminder of this faraway country, that straddles the earth's equator and owns the wonderful Galapagos Islands.

26 November 2014

A Kesuma Dance Showcase at the Universiti Malaya

The Kesuma Dance Showcase "aims to demonstrate the learning outcomes of practical courses offered to students during the semester, assessed by dance lecturers and instructors throughout the staging of the dance showcase. This showcase also serves as a platform for students to create, manage, and present a stage production as well as to introduce and promote programs offered by the Dance Department of the Cultural Centre, University of Malaya".

For Kesuma alumni like Ani, Amah, Kazi and moi, it was a trip down memory lane when we attended the dance showcase recently, because we were the pioneer batch in 1971/1972. But I was a member of Kesuma only for a year while the rest lasted for the duration of our Varsity years. (They had the reward of touring Bangkok, Hong Kong and Manila).

                            Alarippu (Bharata Natyam)              Ayak-Ayak

                            Terinai (Perlis)                                  Tarian Songket

                            Zapin Pulau (Johor)                          Tarian Cinta Sayang (Kedah)

                            Igal Tabawan (Sabah)                       Rejang Beuh (Sarawak)

                            Da Qing Ma Qiao (Yunnan China)     Joget Serampang Pantai

Indeed the ten dances of the showcase were performed well (with just one or two obvious glitches). The dancers' costumes were rich and 'classy'.

A memorable end to the evening was when Professor Dr Mohd Anis Md Noor (Advisor of this Kesuma Dance Showcase and witty compere as well!) called on the Kesuma alumni to join the performers on stage. Thank you for enabling us to relive our Kesuma experience.

3 December 2014

An Island Sunset

This golden sunset over the hills was captured from the multi-storey carpark of the Queensbay Mall, Pulau Pinang on 5th December 2014.

Our Family Day 2014 in Pulau Pinang

Over the weekend we went on a road trip back to the kampung. It was for the occasion of our end of year Family Day. With B in the driver's seat, we started off from Shah Alam in the afternoon and it was good weather along the North-South Highway until we reached the vicinity of Taiping. As if on cue... black clouds engulfed us and the rain fell. But then there was light ahead. Though we moved towards the light... the black clouds followed us for quite sometime... This wettest place in the country certainly never fails to shower on us every time we pass by.

When we got on to the Second Penang Bridge it was quite lengang (quiet, traffic-free) so it was a fast and smooth ride across the 24 kilometres of it. But then we run right smack into the Island traffic jam as soon as we got off. Such is life!

We reached our family home after stopping by the Queensbay Mall for dinner at the Seoul Garden, B's choice of course (after discovering yet again that Tasha Dhal Kandar in Sungai Ara was closed! Note to ourselves: this TDK eatery is closed on Fridays).

The Family Day activities started early the next morning with a big breakfast of roti canai, serabai (my favourite), and other kueh-mueh. For lunch it was a catered kenduri menu of nasi hujan panas, kambing (aqiqah) masamah, kerabu timun nanas, dalca daging, ayam ros. All very delicious. Later in the evening, we all got together (some forty of us) for lucky draws where every single one was a winner. Your luck is really what you get to take home - there were hampers, vouchers, kitchen appliances, and other goodies including some coveted handphones. The day ended with a 'serious' meeting of the 'elders' of the family, including moi.

The very next day at noon we had to drive back to Kuala Lumpur. This time we used the (first) Penang Bridge to cross over to the mainland. (Certainly much busier than the rather traffic-free Second Penang Bridge. Which begs the question - do we really need an undersea tunnel to connect the island and mainland? I say definitely not!).

The sky was downcast when we were in the vicinity of Taiping and there was some drizzle, also in the area of Ipoh and the verdant blue hills there. But soon enough we reached KL and home long before dusk.

5-7 December 2014

Snapshots: Laman Seni Seksyen 7 Shah Alam

Street art at Laman Seni Seksyen 7, Shah Alam.
Except for A and moi, it was serendipity with all other 'models'. Thank you for being there.

25/11/14