We were in the home of an American chemist in Mindanao’s Davao del Norte Province.   ”My wife…Mrs. Hines…and I first came here back in 1964…sent here by Goodyear,” he said slowly.   With his indistinct accent, he was obviously from the Midwest or the West.

      I listened with great interest.   I let him talk.   I knew our time there was so limited.   I had to know what he thought of Mindanao, what Goodyear was up to, whether Mr. Hines felt safe in Mindanao…whether he and his wife planned to stay.

      “But you haven’t told me whether you like durian.”

      “Heavenly as a flavor of ice cream, but don’t ever try to take it on an airplane.”   He was right about the foul odor.

      In spite of several attempts to get him to talk about it, he never really told me about his work.   Perhaps he couldn’t say much about it, but I now think it is more likely that he had learned to be cautions around strangers and especially around inquisitive ones.   It was one thing for him to share with me his life as an American living in the Philippines and how much he and his wife loved it, since they planned to live on Mindanao until he retired.   It was quite another thing for him to talk about Goodyear…though he took us on tour and we got to see how the rubber was harvested… and where Goodyear had a vast network of small farmers producing rubber for them.   But I couldn’t get a full picture of the conflict between these farmers (Christian “rats”) and their Muslim neighbors (Moros) until we ran into Nick again.   Susan’s letters to our parents never mentioned the tension either.   (But I kept a journal most of this time, which considering the political climate was dangerous.   This document has helped me reconstruct our experience.)

      January 20

      Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City

      We heard a little boy sing “Hey, Jude” and couldn’t stop singing it ourselves.   It seemed as if everyone was singing today.   For the first time in days, we feel optimistic.   Maybe we’ll get out of this after all.

      January 21

      They’re truly trying to live the American dream here: to taste Pried Chicken again.   They homesteaded land they thought they were entitled to.   Looking for treasures in Mindanao: copper, rubber, bananas, and pineapple.   Susan and I rode all day looking out the open window.   This was a narrow, rough road, which seemed familiar to us.   I wished I had a camera.

      Randy Ford

Here are some photos that we took in and around Langkawi island and nearby our house and yoga center and in our little garden. This is why we have moved to Langkawi from Kuala Lumpur. We are surrounded by beautiful nature here. There are many types of birds, animals, insects, trees, fruit, vegetation, padi fields, flowers, beautiful beaches, refreshing waterfalls, forest hiking tracks, local food and many more.

Yum.

I mentioned this in my first post, but I’m all about streaking into the unknown. Or so I say. Last night on my way back from a friend’s apartment I was terrified of tumbling down the steep, muddy shortcut to my room. I kind of inched down the hill on my butt to keep my center of gravity as close to the ground as possible. The way I explained it, I was imitating a kabuki show I watched when I was a kid – one about mushrooms that spring to life and wreak havoc. I inched downhill like a kabuki mushroom. I’m clearly a badass…
Anyway… I need material for stories to tell my grandkids when I’m 125, incontinent and subsisting on a low-cholesterol, high-fiber diet of prunes and celery. Assuming I live that long, of course. (Here’s hoping!) I’ll come up with a “things to do before I die” list eventually, but here’s one for starters:

21 Semi-Whacked Out Things to Do Before I Turn 21

1. Try eating grubs. Mm, protein.
2. Read at an open mic night and conquer one of my worst fears
3. Visit a sex club in Amsterdam – you know, for the cultural experience

4. Go on a Buddhist retreat in Kyoto – meditate, eat bean curd, meditate.

Ryoanji Temple

5. Eat an entire durian – They’re called “The King of Fruits” and smell like ripe ass – so much so that many hotels and airlines in Southeast Asia forbid people from carrying them into their establishments. Perhaps I can try this recipe for durian chocolate cheesecake.

6. Donate 15+ inches of hair
7. Study abroad in Samoa

8. Save $5,000
9. Go on a walkabout in the Australian Outback

10. Spend the night at Wegmans

11. Attend a Twi-tard convention – try to gain some insight into the teenage female demographic’s lust for pasty, glittery vampires.
12. Bathe in a red wine hot spring again. At this Hakone resort you can also bathe in coffee, green tea and sake.

13. Swim in a fountain

...but probably not THIS fountain (Dillingham, Ithaca College)

14. Jump off a gorge (into water, not to my death)

15. Have a conversation with Pirate Man – so called because he dresses and styles his hair like Jack Sparrow. I watch his one-man tambourine/raving show whenever I’m in The Commons, but have never actually said anything to him.
16. Enjoy a beverage and jazz show at Village Vanguard
17. Spend a day at the Ghibli Museum – I heard that tickets sell out six months in advance, but I’ve wanted to go since I was a kid!

18. Shake it like a Bollywood star

19. Attend a service for a religious sect I’ve never heard of
20. Go on a train-trip (an eco-friendly version of a road trip)
21. Watch the sun rise from the summit of Mt Fuji

Hung out today by the beach in Santa Monica and Venice Beach.  Gorgeous sunset, great people watching…and that’s all to be expected from this place…although it’s not every day you are sitting in a cool raw food restaurant where Harvey Keitel’s getting takeout!

I only have time for a super fast update since I am staying with a friend and minus my laptop.  But let me say this…the raw food scene is insane here!  When I get back to Palm Springs I will give a full report on the delicious stuff I ate here and the cool people I met.

It’s a crying shame I can’t stay longer and check out some of the other raw eateries…but I have a girlfriend with Midnight movie tickets for New Moon and, oh yeah *&^%$ work!

What I ate today:

• a big juicy pineapple (yup, a whole pineapple)
• tangerines
• carrot/apple/orange juice
• LARA bar
• drank the juice out of a coconut
• watermelon juice (JUICE PLACES EVERYWHERE HERE! COULDN’T RESIST!
• Sampled some raw ice cream
• A big messy raw burger called a “BIG MATT”
• Sun dried durian dipped in chocolate
• tangerines

Start planning your raw vacation to Santa Monica!  You’re gonna wish your bags were already packed after you read about what I found here.  Good thing I only live 2 hrs away! Good night. Details coming soon…

Eeep! It’s been so long since my last post. Life without having to report to a job daily is sweet. Let me back up a bit during my last days in Japan. Since I had to consume as much of my stocked food (I hate wasting food!), my meals were repetitive, weird, and involved loads of bread. Salsa, soba, sesame seeds, and random vegetables? That combo made a quick meal when I needed a break from sorting and packing.

{Nope, not your usual oats-in-jar!}

I had no problem packing my clothes and other stuff since I don’t have loads. Ever since I read about getting more value with less, I’ve streamlined not only on clothes but also in other areas. It’s all about getting quality items over cheap things that one doesn’t end up using and just taking precious space. I couldn’t help buying these Japan-made plates, bowls, cups, and saucers. These will definitely be put to good use.

{All that for around $8! Crazy, I know.}

These were a steal from a school fund raising sale. Quality can be affordable. It’s all about making wise purchases and knowing where to get the good stuff.

What I didn’t pack though were the rice cooker and microwave/toaster oven. Rice cookers in Japan are more complicated than the usual types. There are settings for different kinds of rice, cooking methods (porridge, risotto, etc.), and timer functions. That small oven was what I used to bake my goodies. Since it isn’t a normal oven, it was simple enough for me as a way to start baking. Of course the results weren’t as great as those baked from real ovens. The rice cookers we have in the Philippines are the one-button type and I haven’t seen a microwave/toaster oven here yet.

{Only foodies would understand taking such pictures, no? }

It’s almost been two weeks since I got back to the Philippines. Aside from just hanging out at home, I’ve managed to keep myself busy. There’s a running track nearby where I run in the mornings. I also completed my first race last Sunday – a 10K run at my university. Recap and pictures to follow in my next post.

Going to the market used to be a chore. Now, it’s fun especially when I go with my friend Maria. We joke about being weekend moms whenever we go to the market after our weekend runs. We never went to the market before and our usual meet ups were at the mall, going to the movies, and eating out. Things have changed indeed.

{Watermelon, Durian, Kaki (from Korea), Jackfruit}

Philippines has tons of delicious fruits such as langka (jackfruit), mangoes, papaya, pineapples, and bananas. I’m not fond of the durian though. Vegetables were also aplenty at the market. They make pretty subjects, too.

{Various vegetables, dried fish at the weekend open market.}

Today, I’m going to my raja yoga class. It’s not the usual stretch/pose type of yoga. It’s more on meditation but I thought I’d finish the entire basic course. It would be a great complement to my running and I hope to develop more positive thinking with the exercises. Have a great day!

While there, we also made a beeline for Peace & Joy coffeeshop located at Lebuh China. This distinctive building, houses to me, one of the best curry mee stall. The boss was rather generous with the toppings made up mainly of beancurd skin or “tau pok”, cuttlefish, cockles and best of all, pigs blood.

Noodles were cooked right and the gravy was not milky with enough spice and Ooomph…!!!Add the sambal for more kick and to give a refreshing twist, mint leaves was added which gave it another dimension. Try it…

This trip was partly about curry mee and we made a trip to another stall located at Lorong Seratus Tahun just off Jalan Macalister. There we had a bowl of curry bee hoon which was also loaded with the same toppings as the one at Peace & Joy.

Though the gravy was a little diluted compared to the previous one, the sambal was simply fantastic. Adding a dollop of it made a world of difference to the dish, one can tell that a lot of effort was taken to slowly cooked the sambal giving it that deep color and a spicy fragrance which to me can be called a “poor man’s XO sauce” Thumbs Up for the sambal!!! I would say that if I were to add this sambal to the curry mee at Lebuh China, it would be the best combination…

While happy after breakfast, we decided to take a stroll along Chowrasta market and soak in the atmosphere, the walk took us all the way to Lebuh Keng Kwee and the cendol stall. This time though, we tried the stall that’s opposite the famous teochew one. To my surprise, it was so much better than the famous one that everyone recommended. The green strands of cendol was springy, not mushy with better flavor and texture. Somehow, the dark palm sugar was also more fragrant and I must say, one must not be blinded just because the other stall is highly recommended. I was a culprit of this and I would now change my vote. Give this stall a try and you will know what I mean…

With our stomachs filled, we took a leisurely stroll to our hotel and checked into our room.

Rested and refreshed, we headed straight for Ah Teik durian stall yet again, this time for the long awaited “Ang Hay” or aptly called “Red Prawn”. Even though it’s the short season towards the tail end, the durian was still good.

The flesh was tight, sweet and creamy, followed by a dose of bitterness and a prolong finish with a hint of alcohol. It’s really wonderful, my vote for the King of Fruits…!!! While there, we also tried another that’s called “butter” which Ah Teik recommended and to my astonishment, it really tasted somewhat like butter.

The flesh was thick, really creamy like how you would taste butter except that it’s sweet and milky. The creaminess can be a little overwhelming so take your time to appreciate it and I would likened it to having a really thick “milkshake”.

Fabulously sweet with a short finish, another wonderful specie. The durians here tasted and smelt so much fresher due to the close proximity to the plantations and Penangnites truly has an edge when it comes to good quaity durians…

After a short rest and chat with ah teik, we took a short walk across to Lorong Selamat, towards Cafe Heng Huat for Char Koay Teow.

There, we were greeted with a coffeeshop full of customers waiting patiently for their noodles. We managed to find a table and placed our order. Be warned, the waiting time is easily half an hour so order a drink, chat and wait. When it finally arrived, the plate of koay teow smelt so good, loaded with the usual prawns, cockles, bits of lard and chives.

The noodles was fried to perfection, with what I called “wok hai” or a slight burnt smell due to the use of charcoal and the intense fire. It’s been years since I last tasted such a wonderfully “controlled” fire plate of char koay teow. Nothing more said, the description ends here… My personal vote for the best char koay teow in Penang!

While in Penang, these are the other food we’ve tasted and recommend, the “chee cheong Chok” or “mixed pig innards” porridge, the cuttlefish and kangkong salad, roast duck stall outside new lane coffeeshop, where the duck is flavorful and succulent.

The dessert stall that serves equally good almond tea and the stall that sells kuih ketayap. All these stalls are located along New lane, just off Jalan Macalister. Staying at Sunway hotel, these stalls will be of easy access.
If you still have the time or stomach, take a walk to Cafe Kek Seng along Jalan Penang and try the Lor Bak.

Though not as well known as the one further up at Cafe Kheng Pin, this stall serves it equally well and the rolls comes with tender pieces of pork. Try also the chicken wrapped in beancurd skin. Not forgetting also, the “tau sar piah” at Him Heang along Jalan Burmah is a must get for some people too…

Till the next review, eat well and be happy…!!!

klik gambar untuk melihat tampilan penuh

Olá pessoal. Tudo em paz?

Eu poderia ficar dando várias desculpas sobre a minha demora de postar mas elas se resumem a “pouco tempo para muitos afazeres”. Em breve estarei colocando o material das minhas últimas palestras aqui no blog, se possível junto com algumas fotos.

Bom… o assunto de hoje já era pra eu ter postado faz tempo. Então, tirando o atraso, venho trazendo uma primeira parte do meu acompanhamento do projeto Durian da Blender Foundation, que está produzindo um Open Movie no estilo fantasia medieval, a lá Eragon, Senhor dos Anéis e Final Fantasy.

O nome desse novo filme, até o momento, será Sintel, que também será o nome da protagonista. Digo “até o momento” porque é possível que o nome final do filme venha a ser modificado durante o processo de produção, assim como ocorreu com o Big Buck Bunny, que no início do projeto Peach seria chamado “The Rabit’s Revenge” (ou “Revenge of Rabbit” ou coisa assim). Enfim… independente do nome, o projeto anda de vento em popa… e não serão mais 3 dvds como foi indicado no início do projeto… serão 4 dvds. O que dá cerca de 24Gb de material.

Para a produção do filme a equipe está metendo a mão no código do Blender também, contribuindo para o avanço da versão 2.5. Mais especificamente o Brecht e o Campbell, que são os desenvolvedores da turma. Eles, além de consertar bugs e trazer alguns recursos da versão anterior do Blender, estão trabalhando também em novos aprimoramentos para a versão 2.5. Mas vale a pena ressaltar que toda a equipe já está trabalhando em cima do Blender 2.5 desde as primeiras semanas. E os artistas dos projetos são os principais responsáveis por encontrar diversos bugs que vão sendo consertados com rapidez.

E em termos de produção artística? Nestes primeiros passos o Script do filme é o que levou mais atenção, ficando para a parte artísticas apenas testes a serem feitos para já ir entrando no clima. Agora que o Script já foi finalizado já vão começando a surgir as artes finalizadas. Como, por exemplo, o modelo final da cabeça da protagonista feita pela Angela já foi aprovado. Confira abaixo um vídeo do modelo em rotação e logo depois uma pintura 2D a partir do modelo 3D feita pelo David.

Sintel by David

Lembro que o cabelo final deverá ser totalmente em partículas, sendo usado a malha apenas inicialmente. Até agora o que tem de “definitivo” é isso. Mas os diversos testes de recursos já deixam uma água na boca, como por exemplo os testes abaixo de olho procedural feito pelo Soenke e de ação de luta feito pelo Lee.

Os arquivos blends e maiores informações podem ser encontradas no blog do projeto Durian: durian.blender.org

Ah… só pra complementar, uma apresentação da equipe Durian e suas funções básicas no projeto.

Ben – Texturas

Soenke – Iluminação

Colin – Câmera

Angela – Modelagem

Lee – Animação

Nathan – Rig

David – Arte

Jan – Sonoplastia

Brecht – Desenvolvedor de Software

Campbell – Diretor Técnico

Ton Roosendaal – Produtor

Se eu esqueci de alguém depois eu edito. ^_^

Por enquanto é isso pessoal. Em breve trago mais novidades.

Abraço.

Tanah Pertanian Untuk dijual di Jasin, Melaka

Freehold

• 2 lot tanah (10.269 ekar & 9.199 ekar) tersebut mempunyai pokok getah yang masih lg mengeluarkan hasil
• 1 lot tanah lagi (9.472 ekar) mempunyai rumah batu 1 bilik, pokok durian, rambutan, manggis, duku, langsat yang juga masih mengeluarkan hasil
• Harga tanah sekaki persegi = RM6.00 RM5.80 (slight nego only kerana mengambilkira hasil getah & buah yang masih banyak)
• (1 ekar = 43560 kaki persegi)
• 1 lot tanah dianggarkan hampir RM 2.3 juta (RM5.80 x 43560 sqft x 10 ekar)
• Tanah adalah terletak berdekatan Melaka Watercity Resort di Jasin, Melaka
• 4km sahaja dari MITC Ayer Keroh, Melaka (5 min drive)
• Setiap lot tanah adalah berasingan tetapi dalam kawasan yang sama
  

# Jika ada sebarang pertanyaan boleh emel kepada azry97@hotmail.com.

Google Maps <– Lihat peta kawasan

masih cerita di tanggal 7 November 2009, yup malam minggu yang menyenangkan…. cerita dimulai dari hari jum’at… saat itu adekku nelpon..

dia bilang “teteh ju ikut lomba dance”…. sdkt kaget dan heran sieh… masa sieh dia mo ikutan lomba dance…. agak sedikit tidak percaya, mengingat pacarnya yang “…………….”, sensor aja yaa, takut marah yg bersangkutan….
namun karena dia bicara begitu meyakinkan maka aku percaya aja…  “oce deh nanti teteh nonton”.
singkat kata singkat cerita… malam minggu niat mo nonton lomba dance di rebatic banjarbaru.., maka ku cari teman buat nemanin aku nonton lomba dance…. bis ga enak jg jalan nonton di mlm minggu sendirian…    ntar ketahuan banget “……..” na…

ku sms teman SMA ku, n ternyata di balaz “handak penangkapan pembunuhan di kertak hanyar”… huuhhfff…   penangkapan mulu…..
akhirnya ketemu kk ku forester di dunia facebook n dia mo nemenin ku nonton lomba dance, kebetulan dia ge ada di banjarbaru… maklum lah dia kan kerja na di kota Batu Licin jd jarang ketemu….
tambah gendutz rupa na kk ku yg satu ni… perut na buncitttt…. xixixi

langsung selesai sholat isya ku menuju banjarbaru, n apa yang kutemui disana… hahayyyy… ga da lomba dance…. yg ada tampilan band indie…. haahhhh…. langsung ku telpon adekku yang nakal itu…

me : ju dmn?
adek : teteh dimana?
me : teteh dah di lapangan basket…
adek : hihihi… nieh…
(telpon beralih ke pacarnya)
me : mang na dmn??
pacar adek : wid dmn?
me : kalian dmn?? mn juli… mana??
(telpon dah ditangan adek lg)
me : kalian dmn??
adek : hihihi… dirmh om yul…
me : hahhh??? loch kok disana??? ga jd ikut lomba dance…
adek : siapa yg mo ikut lomba, di dustai kok…
me : juliiiii…. kurang ajar…. knp ngebohongin teteh???
adek : hihhihihi… teteh ma siapa??
me : ma tmn ku, kk ku…, awas ya km kalo kermh….
adek : xixixixi….
klik

haahhhhhh…. ku di bohongin…. dasar adek nakal……. mo ku jitak deh kepala na itu…. huhh… awas yaaa…..

hehehe jadi malu deh ku ma kk ku…, ternyata ku di bohongin ma adekku yg nakal itu…, so akhirnya mampir deh ke rumah makan WONG SOLO…. ku pesan ayam goreng tanpa nasi (maklum ge diet hihihhi…..)

n kk pesan paket ayam bakar penyet n plus nasi tambahan….. *geleng2 kepala* hualaahhhh katanya mo kurus tp porsi makan na ga berkurang…. walhasil bis mkn perut na tambah buncit… pantes aja dah dipanggil om om…..

dari WONG SOLO berpindah tempat ke simpang empat banjarbaru, tepat na ke stand para pedagang duren alias durian….  berhubung kk ku ga bisa makan durian maka ku makan smua durian na disana…. beli cm satu durian aja sieh… harganya masih mahal, 1 durian kecil Rp. 15.000,-…. hhmmm…. yummyyy bnget deh… durian na lezatttttt….. distand sebelah ada 3 bapak2 jg yg ge nikmatin buah durian dengan nikmatnya….

eh ada pemandangan di luar dugaan, tu bapak2 atau kakek2 lbh tepatnya makan durian mbil foto2…. berbekal blackberry yg mang ge di gandrungi mereka narsis aja jepret sana jepret sini mbil pose mam durian…..  hihihi… ga yang tua ga yang muda ternyata narsis yaaaaa… palagi kalo dah ngumpul bareng tmn2 na….
pengen ngalahin kenarsisan tu bapak2, sreekkkk (ngambil handphone dlm tas)….
uppss… hehehe HP ku ternyata jadul…. ga bisa foto di malam hari…, ga terang sieh… *jadi malu*
saat mkn durian dah hampir habis, (ending durian) tiba2 ku lihat ular didepanku…. langsung ku lari ketakutan….  eh tu kk malah ngetawain…

“pulang yuuk k… ntar di gigit ular”, ajak ku  (kayak na sieh ular tadung)…  “ya iya lah pulang, wong durian km udah habis gitu…” celoteh kk ku….   hehehehe

akhir na mpe rmh juga….  mksh kk dah traktir aku malam minggu ini…. ntar gantian deehhh….

uupppssss…. lupa, kata na mas ku mo nelpon?? kok ga da bunyi ya HP ku…  waduh waduh… apa HP mas ku msh error yaaa…. atau dia ge telponan ma mbakyu  shg lupa nelpon adek na yg satu ini… *huuhhh mas yg payah deh lupa janji ma adek na, padahal dah pengen curhat*

eiiiittttssss tuk adek ku yg nakal, yang dah berani bohongin teteh na… awas ya kamu… ntar teteh pites kepala na… ingat itu…

hhhmmmm thanks god… nice night.

It struck me as I was making my way to college yesterday, just how interesting and so completely different to anything you’d experience in the UK my daily walk to class is. The sights and sounds that buzz around me during my ten minute stroll have become so commonplace, I’ve begun to think of it as just normal life, which must speak volumes for how settled I am feeling here now.

As I leave the MRT (underground) station at Bugis, I walk through Singapore’s largest market-stall shopping area, which is full of vendors selling everything from clothing to crazy chinese children’s toys, to sex aids! Passing from the undercover part into the open air, your nostrils are assaulted by the pungent smell of durian and other exotic fruits being hawked by the side of the road. Next I walk by the the tri-shaw depot, where a wizened old Chinese guy tries to get me to take a ride in one of the three-wheeled rickshaws that are such a common sight on the roads in the main tourist areas. A permanent crowd of bemused locals and tourists surround the snake charmer with his well-trained “pet” - the yellowy white snake  is so still in his trance that he appears to be made of wood until you get closer … something I tend not to do!

Entering the bustling Waterloo Street, lined with yet more stalls, it feels like a microcosm of the QVC channel. Tens of stall-holders are shouting out the benefits of the super stain remover or vegetable choppers they are purveying, enticing shoppers to come and view their demonstrations. The sweet scent of incense permeates the air all of sudden as I enter the stretch of ornate Chinese and Hindu temples (Kwan Im and Sri Krishnan), where masses of prayer-goers offer up bunches of smouldering incense sticks to their god, or bouquets of colourful flowers – all of which are being peddled by old Chinese ladies outside. There’s even a large gold effigy of a Buddha outside one religious artefacts shop alongside a temple which people stroke for good luck.

In amongst all these stalls you will see stands offering face-mole removal services, fortune readings, foot massage and many more that I haven’t been able to decipher for the signs are all in Chinese characters. Not to mention the semi-clad old men, seated on rugs, selling packets of tissues to the passing public or the crazy old man who cuts drinks cans up into thin metal strips that he then uses to weave mini-metal baskets to sell.

Within moments of passing the temples, I arrive at the air-conditioned sanctuary of the Fortune Centre, where my class is located. A walk through the lobby in this very local building is almost as interesting. You can see plenty of office workers tucking into breakfasts of fish-head soup, laksa noodles or roti pratas, washed down with iced fruit blends of every colour and flavour.

It’s certainly a walk less ordinary. I’m trying to make sure I appreciate it for what it is while I have the chance. It is amazing how soon you can become blasé when you get so accustomed to things that should seem special.

Ni saje nak update sikit, sebab tiba-tiba terfikir pulak pasal benda ni.

Saya selalu jadi ’silence reader’ dekat blog orang lain. Bukan apa, selain dari tak mahu jadi penyebuk dan memberi komen yang tidak perlu, saya selalu experience orang macam tak suka je kehadiran saya. Saya selalu je kena, komen saya seakan invisible, sedangkan blogger tu layan je komen orang lain. Ada tu plak, tiba-tiba terus saya dah tak boleh access blog dia. *atau blog engine ada problem?

Kadang-kadang, rasa macam nak kecik hati je. Tapi kemudian saya fikir, takpelah kalau orang tak suka. Ahahaha.. macam bila minat kat orang pulak caranya.

Itu tak ngeri lagi. Saya ada pengalaman yang lagi ngeri. Saya rasa mesti ramai yang pernah experience. Bila kita jadi too open tentang diri dan pendapat kita, ada plak makhluk yang tak dikenali dok marah-marah dan kutk kita. Bukan saja saya kena, saya pernah lihat blog-blog lain pun kena. Kadang-kadang tu saya rasa blogger tu tak ada buat salah apa pun, tiba-tiba ja ada orang tak suka dan beria-ria kutuk blogger tu. Kesian..!! Kalau pun blogger tu salah, atau pendapat tak masuk, tak payah la mengutuk tak tentu pasal. Cakap lah elok-elok, kan? Atau memang jenis suka cari pasal kot.

Oklah.. saya masih di KT. Hari kurang produktif. Aktiviti jogging cancel, pegi kerja lambat, user tunggu lama *kesian user.. maaf, saya tertinggal laptop kat hotel, terpaksa patah balik! dan macam-macam lagi. Tapi Alhamduillah, semuanya ok. Tapi ada sekali tu, ada seorang user ni tiba-tiba je macam nak mengamuk-ngamuk pula pasal system. Erk.. nasib baik tiba-tiba dia tak jadi nak buat session pula. Tapi esok-esok dia akan datang juga.. huhuhuu.. (-_-!!) Tapi tak apalah, bos saya ada!!

Session hari ni habis lambat. Kesian Farah sebab asyik menunggu saya saja. Jadi dia balik awal, dan bila saya siap, terus dia pick saya di hospital, dan kami bergerak ke Pasar Payang. Huhuhu.. sangat gigih!! Tapi sayang, mission still not accomplish! Yang dicari tidak ditemui, apatah lagi Pasar Payang tutup awal. Tapi kemudian kami makan durian di depan Pasar Payang.

this only durian we ate, and share by 3 person.. *I'm not a durian freak..

Kemudian, kami jalan-jalan tepi pantai, dekat Masjid Terapung. Hari ini angin bertiup kencang, menandakan musim tengkujuh sudah bermula. Itulah, ntah siapa asyik tanya pada saya, Terengganu hujan tak.. it’s cursing!! Kan sekarang dah hujan. ahahaha.. takde lah, saya main-main saja! Kemudian ambil gambar masjid dari dalam kereta saja sebab hujan sudah mula turun. Kemudian makan di Restoran Tatai, berhampiran Pantai Batu Burok. Saya order char kuew teow. Ok, saya suka rasanya. Tapi Farah order mee udang, dan rasanya tak sedap. Kesian Farah. Terus jadi tertekan.

It's windy.. see Farah's scarf..

Masjid Terapung.. ntah kenapa, saya mcm expect lain.. so it's under my expectation.. huhu..

Harap-harap mission esok tercapai!

regards,

~Ha~

I think we’ve been durian crazy since last 2 months. We went from the east up to the west coast looking around for good fresh durian. Namely, Papar, Sipitang, Tuaran, Beaufort and even up to local supermarket.

This durian craze used to happen anually in my family. Usually, when August or September approcahes, we, the greedy fella will begin with our durian hunting =P

I think this is the 6th or perhaps 7th time we have been eating durians for this season. Each time, it takes up to approx 9-10kg(s) (inclusive of shell) to fit the 5 starving tummies of ours. LOL ;P Some of them were sold for RM5/kg, RM7/kg as well as whopping RM10/kg (but, this worth eating afterall – No regrets) according to their grades ranging from good quality, fine quality and the superior Grade 24D respectively. =)

Hier soir, j’ai fait ma sortie culturelle de la semaine (du mois ? de l’année ? je sais plus !) en allant à l’Esplanade Théâtre ! Oui parfaitement, j’ai osé mettre les pieds dans le Durian géant !

Pour ceux qui n’aurait pas suivi le Durian, c’est un fruit, et c’est un peu la spécialité de Singapour … le seul problème, c’est moche, ca pue et c’est pas bon ! Parait il ! Car j’avoue je ne m’y suis pas encore aventurée !

Bref toujours est-il que très fiers de leur emblème fruitique (fruitique, oui oui tout à fait !), les Singapouriens ont dressé un théâtre sur les quais de la Singapore River en son honneur ! Allez comprendre !                            

Bon tout ça pour vous dire que je suis allée voir le spectacle A Ballet Gala Evening with Paloma Herrera, faisant parti du Danse Festival 2009.  Une dizaine de danseuses et danseurs, tous premiers danseurs de grands ballets internationaux  ont donc interprétés quelques extraits de Giselle, Carmen, le Lac des Cygnes etc …

Mais aussi trois chorégraphies plus modernes que j’ai adorée …

Vous pouvez jetez un coup d’œil à mon passage préféré :

A mon humble opinion, Paloma Herrera n’a été ni la meilleure ni la plus ovationnée hier … Je lui ai préféré de loin les deux ci dessus, ainsi que Mizuku Ueno, trop chou en mini Carmen … même si Ok c’est quand même un peu bizarre de prendre une japonaise pour jouer la sensualité méditerranéenne ! Mais l’énergie était là !

Bref que vous dire à part … la danse me manque … tellement …

The most memorable part of Saigon for me is the traffic… imagine trying to cross a road with 15 motorbikes in a row traveling one direction, and another 15 forming a row going the other direction.  If I wasn’t hiding behind locals, I waited for 20, 30 minutes and held my breath while crossing, too afraid to look.