Sinks need not be boring

Have you come across those multi-coloured eggs that are on sale at those trinket stalls run by foreigners? I have always been fascinated by them, their multi colours and how cute and pretty they look.

I always thought they were made from marble until I found out later that they are made from onyx. Onxy is a stone with multple uses. They can be used to make vessel sinks and they can truly turn out to be rather pretty just like the ones shown here.

Friday Frolics: The Wizard of Oz

Let's do something different this week on Friday Frolics.

All of you know or at least have heard the story, The Wizard of Oz. But do you know the differences between the classic books and the classic movie? Test your knowledge, take the quiz to find out.

Trivia Quiz: The Wizard of Oz

UEFA Euro 2008 Championship Finals - Spain & Germany

So, it all boils down to Spain meeting Germany in the finals for the UEFA Euro 2008 Championship. I can imagine the mamak stalls being packed this coming Sunday.

For foreign readers, mamak stalls are our local version of roadside cafes, al-fresco eateries. Ever since cable television came on the scene in Malaysia, these mamak stalls have tvs fitted to draw in the crowds. People who frequent these eateries are mostly sports fans who enjoy watching live games with lots of other like-minded people, er...maybe. Other times, mamak stalls are great places to meet up with friends for a chat, for some gossip or simply to hang out in addition to savouring the local fare.

The term "mamak" is actually a locally-coined term which refers to Indian Muslim migrants from India. When they emigrated from India, they brought along their cuisine and from there, the mamak phenomenon was born.

Mamak stalls are popular in the big cities of Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru and most of them are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. If you have read or heard that one can find food at any time of the day or night in Malaysia, these must be the places that are being referred to. This feature of food being available any time serves well for college students as they keep irregular hours and these young growing people are hungry at whatever time their tummy growls.

Food at mamak stalls are cheaper (compared to food at other food outlets) and the fare they serve is popular because they can be consumed by everyone, of any religious faith, being pork-free. The staple food at the mamak stall has to be the roti canai - pronounced 'roti chanai'.

Roti canai is a flour pancake quite like the base of a pizza, served with a variety of curry - chicken, fish or beans. There are other variations to this pancake. You can add an egg or egg and onions or even sardines. This simple delicious pancake is nicely washed down with the mamak stall's trademark beverage, the teh tarik or literally translated as "pulled tea". This beverage is actually tea with condensed milk, poured from the mug to the glass, back and forth a few times, to produce a frothy tea drink. Yum!! Tea keeps me up the whole night so if I need to stay up, this would be my keep-me-up!

Here is a video of how a roti canai is made:


Of course, the food variety is not limited to just the roti canai and the teh tarik though these are the most popular choices. Other food served include fried and soup noodles, local soups (ox-tail, chicken, beef stew), rice and dishes that go along such as fried chicken, fried fish and fried fish roe, fried calamari, curry dishes, fried vegetables, pickled vegetables, bean crackers, and many others.

As I was saying, this Sunday should see a huge crowd at mamak stalls. Of late, mamak stalls have evolved from al-fresco to indoor modern mamak stalls just like the one in the (Wikipedia) picture below.

Mongolian Murder Case continues - Altantuya Shaaribuu

Remember the case of the Mongolian lady, Altantuya Shaaribuu, who was murdered by being blown to bits? If you are still interested, her case resurfaced a week ago when Raja Petra, the editor of online news portal Malaysia Today, who was charged with sedition last month for implying the Deputy Prime Minister was involved in Altantuya’s murder, made the statutory declaration on June 18 claiming to have knowledge that three other persons were present when the body of Altantuya was blown up on Oct 19, 2006.

The frontpage of today's The Star paper has this headline: "Total Lies" with this story: Najib: Pathetic attempt to taint my political image.

Also read two other related stories: Cops record statement from Rosmah
and Khairy denies having military report on Altantuya murder

Footnote:
Datuk Seri Najib Razak is the Deputy Prime Minister;
Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is his wife;
Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin is the Prime Minister's son-in-law


Related posts:
Altantuya Murder Trial
Altantuya murder case - More updates
Altantuya's Family performs soul prayers
Altantuya murder case - Razak Baginda OUT on bond
Talk on Altantuya case sub judice

My own Holiday Space in a Villa

Summer is a popular season for taking a holiday. Kuala Lumpur is now bustling with holiday-makers primarily from the Middle-East and hotels are running at pretty high occupancy levels.

When holidaying, some of us prefer to join guided tours while others prefer to travel on our own time and schedule. Both preferences have their merits, of course.

On a guided tour, you have the luxury of almost everything taken care of from lodging and transfers to meals and activities.

On the other hand, travelling on your own, would give you better flexibility of schedule and choice of accommodation and other arrangements. For those who prefer to venture out on your own, having a reference list of contacts would come in handy. Here is one to add to your list:
St. John villa rentals. Happy holidays!

It is Worth Investing in Quality Travelling Bags

Travelling on holiday can be educational and a lot of fun, that is, if nothing untoward happens. Recently, a colleague came home from a trip to the States but his luggage did not.

He was concerned (and rightly so) that he might not get his luggage back which also held souvenirs for his family and friends. He was relieved when after two days of arrival, the luggage arrived and to his relief, everything was in order.

Another colleague was not so lucky. He too returned from the States but his luggage zipper was tampered with and he lost many valuable items. When it comes to buying luggage, there are many quality bags in the market, ones that are tamper-proof, like those by Briggs and Riley which carry a "Simple as That" lifetime warranty and if your luggage is ever damaged (even if damaged by the airlines), Briggs will fix it, free of charge...simple as that.

Oprah Winfrey - Are you a Fan?

The DJs this morning talked about Oprah Winfrey. What? You don't know who Oprah is? Anyway, listeners were asked whether they are fans of Oprah, why and why not. I managed to catch a few callers and all of them (including a man), said they are fans of Oprah.


Except from Wikipedia:

Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29, 1954), often referred to simply as Oprah, is an American television host, media mogul, and philanthropist. Her internationally-syndicated talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, has earned her multiple Emmy Awards and is the highest-rated talk show in the history of television.

She is also an influential book critic, an Academy Award-nominated actress, and a magazine publisher. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century, the most philanthropic African American of all time, and the world's only black billionaire for three straight years. She is also, according to some assessments, the most influential woman in the world.

I know that audiences to her shows were given great gifts, one time, even a car each.

Back to where we started.... So, do you watch her show and do you consider yourself a fan of Oprah?

Pens make great Corporate Gifts

There is certainly no shortage of corporate gifts as a company marketing tool. The choice is endless, from the common items of t-shirts, drinking mugs, caps, travel bags to all kinds of stationery and more.

However, the one common corporate gift must be the ordinary yet useful pen. The pen must be the most common giveaway that you can pick up at an event. If your company is looking for pens, there is no shortage of cheap pens in the market.