Someone who loves to have her picture taken...

Looking for Shrimps to use for baits.

Making Laksa Penang Gravy

Penang is most famous for its Laksa a kind of noodle soup that has fish soup stalk as the basic ingredient. Yesterday the catering business was preparing for the Chinese new year Open house event that was officiated by the Prime Minister,  organized by MCA of Penang.

Preparing Laksa for what was expected to be 50 thousand people was an enormous effort to say the least eventhough only ten thousand or so did turn up more Malays it seems than the Chinese although it was for the Chinese New Year event. Tons of fish had to be boiled ,well not tons but enough to give you the impression though. Then the boiled fish is sieved and the fish is grounded in a huge blender.

It was a messy smelly job done by one of the Bangladeshi  helpers a bucket of boiled fish at a time a real tedious job but hey, someone had to do it. or no Laksa and what would the Prime Minister say!

The grounded fish is then further sieved to separate the bones from the flesh  which leaves the fish meat like a thick milky soup.

The fish is then cooked again with added ingredients to turn the whole fishy soup into  the gravy for Laksa to be later eaten with white noodles and added with more ingredients such as pineapple slices and mint leaves, onion slices and cucumber.

Laksa Penang, it is said you have not tasted Penang if you have not tasted the Laksa.

Rokok Daun

On the second day of the Chinese New Year I spent the evening with Lee Khai and family chatting with his younger brother who came from KL. Among the things I shared with him was my idea for my ' Art Installation' project which uses the local from made from palm leave sticks called in Malay 'Penyapu Lidi'.

Everyone present liked the idea and offered their suggestion on how to go about getting it accomplished especially in not getting carried away but start with smaller pieces first. I am glad to have shared my plans with them as it gave some insights from the feedback i got.
I went to Balik Pulau to visit my two grand nieces Suhana's girls and spend the day with them soaking in the rice field and the surrounding hills of BalikPulau. Ishak whom i call Sahak is a very humble man and most obliging and respectful to me I am beginiing to look forward to spending the weekends with the family and came up with another project which will take place tight there. I will do a painting of the panoramic view from the house on three separate panels. It will be my connecting link with the kids watching me painting unfold and it will not be a total waste of time being there.

While at their house I was pleasantly surprised to discover that both husband and wife were busy making 'Rokok Daun' the local Malay cigarette made from the Nipah palm leaves. The leaves have to be prepared and dried for it to be used filled with local tobacco. The cigarette is becoming more and more popular these days among the Malays as the ordinary cigarettes are getting to be too expensive and unreliable in quality.

Yeah, I know smoking is bad for you butt... if smoke you must why not smoke original, it may smell a little stronger.

Japanese Manga Exhibition

A walk with Karim

The Wedding of Shamsul and Alia.