Chong and Low
September 29, 2009
“See you at Chong and Low!” said my friend, Angel.
“What’s that, a law firm?” It turns out that Chong and Low Cafe has some pretty fantastic stuff on their menu, legalistic name notwithstanding.
The kueh tiaw (flat rice noodles) is deelish. The barbequed meat is the real thing and not a watered down version with the fluorescent red colouring. It comes in a plate instead of a bowl, which is always a psychological brain-teaser for me. Just because it’s a plate, it’s not really kolo kueh tiaw. There is a mee (egg noodle) version of this of course; plus, the noodles are handmade and extra yummy. What can I say? this is old fashioned goodness from my childhood. How can anyone resist tastes and smells from halcyon days?
The piece de resistance that Angel had been eyeing for was the Hokkien mee. It is absolutely essential to eat it with the belacan and lime that comes with it. I’m not much of a Hokkien mee person. I tend to be the uppity connoisseur of kolo mees – the noodles are just the wrong width, the texture is too soft, there’s a funny smell, there’s too much sauce, it’s too wet, yadda yadda yadda… BUT, with the belacan and lime, I concede that the Hokkien noodles at Messrs. Chong and Low are not bad. Not bad at all. The combination of spicy, tangy and savoury packed a very nice zing in the mouth.
There’s other stuff at the establishment. The nasi lemak looked pretty tempting to me. There’s also laksa, and claypotty things that I’ll try the next time I go.
Chong and Low Cafe. Corner shop at BDC, next row from Hiang Mun Low. Definitely worth trying, and as far as the prices of food are going these days, pretty reasonable.
Fit For All Seasons
September 26, 2009
In the eyes of many, only the beautiful and the glam are found in gyms. Why? Because only they look good enough for the gym? Wrong. Because the fashion industry says thin and made up is good and most of us get suckered into that. Come to the gym I go to. I’ve never seen so many shapes of people in one place – round, pear, gourd, lumpy, apple, Spongebob, stringy. You name it. All of them beautiful in their originality.
When we tell people that health is more important than looks, everybody nods sagaciously and agrees. When it comes to the crunch, we all tend to be like lemmings and follow the leaders; and when we think we are too fat too thin too ugly too short too tall, we think less of ourselves and become walking self-fulfilling prophecies of failure.
Looks do not matter. Seriously, they do not. Why worry, fret and spend on something so flitting that few people have in the first place? Being fit and healthy is what counts. If you’re already fit, fantastic. You can always be fitter. Fitness is for life. Don’t stop just because you think you’re too old for it.
Impossible, you think? Why? Is it because being super fit means having to look like a Calvin Klein model? No. Being healthy is about taking care of three things: your physical fitness, your mind and your spirit. That’s holistic health and one of the keys to happiness. I’m going to concentrate on starting a fitness regime in this post. There’s really no big secret to it:
Decide whether you want to be physically fit and commit 110% to it. Why 110? Because most of us, no matter how determined we are, tend to have about 10% slack or down time. Put in 110% and you have 100% commitment. Go the extra mile. It’s not hard. All you have to do is take that first step.
Fitness is a path, a journey. It MUST be part of your lifestyle. If you’re going to treat it like a diet – i.e. a temporary thing, don’t bother. What’s going to happen is you’re going to end up in an exercise-diet-stop cycle and end up nowhere.
Know this: fitness comes first. Looks come last, if at all. It’s better to be big and fit than skinny and unfit. In a study of 5,400 adults, weights and cardiovascular risk were compared. The results showed that half of the overweight subjects and one third of obese subjects were metabolically healthy. That means that these overweight people had healthy levels of good cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar (read more here). This DOES NOT mean that you can now go ahead and be unhealthily overweight. It does mean that you can be fit and big at the same time.
Make time for healthy food and exercise. Make it part of your daily routine. Do it so regularly that not doing it feels strange to you.
Exercise can be anything – walking the dog, running, group fitness classes, taichi or yoga classes, martial arts lessons, tennis, go-carting (I hear it’s pretty intense), swimming, sex. Anything that makes you move your body and gets your heart pumping over an extended period of time. Variety is best; but whatever you do, you have to love it so that you look forward to doing it regularly all week. I do 4 different types of group fitness class in a week, plus swim and jungle-trek (whenever I can). I love all of it. I recently learned how to kayak. Whilst I don’t do that regularly, I love it enough to want to do more of it.
Start slow and build up.
Watch what you put in your mouth. You ARE what you eat.
Minimize sugar. Bad oils give you high cholesterol. Sugar makes people fat.
Don’t starve yourself. Only people who want to look thin starve themselves. There’s something very wrong with that frame of mind to start with. Look around you. Number one, 99.9% of people around you DO NOT look like super models. Number two, many super models are not that healthy. Number three, there are things called Photoshop and make-up to make people look super beautiful in magazines. Get over it. You are beautiful already without having to compare yourself to other people.
Keep at it. Love yourself enough to take care of yourself. Exercise is health insurance. Don’t scrimp on it.
Consider this: people from 5 generations ago never talk about diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity. Why? Because they led an active lifestyle by default. In Borneo, people farmed and hunted a lot. I believe it wasn’t much different in the West. We’ve been so successful at getting ourselves out of back-breaking manual labour that we now have to pay through the teeth to be as healthy as our ancestors. For that matter, most of us don’t even make it that far.
I’m off to the gym.
Photos courtesy of Tigre sin Tiempo and Alternative Wellness.
Popiah, Laksa and then some
September 19, 2009
Hak Guan is a strange little eating place in the middle of nowhere. It’s a stand-alone kopitiam at the junction of the 5th Mile traffic lights. It’s easy to miss because it’s so unassuming. The only clue to its presence is the number of cars parked in front of it or along the side of the road. It’s only open for breakfast is always packed.
The handmade kolomee is famous, but everything else is pretty good. There’s kueh chap, bak moi (porridge), lui cha (strictly an acquired taste for hardcore health nuts), the usual must-haves of a good old-fashioned Kuching breakfast.
I had the popiah and laksa this time. Popiah is a healthy spring roll type wrap, with stirfried vegetables, crushed peanuts and a sweet sauce – a pretty good combination. I love that this spring roll is not deep fried but maintains that light oil-free taste. It’s one of the few things in life that both tastes good and is healthy. Laksa is rice noodles, omellette in littel strips, shredded chicken and bean sprouts bathed in a special spice curry gravy, garnished with green coriander. Laksas MUST come with the belacan (prawn paste) and lime. These are the oomph producers. No belacan, no lime, no oomph.
There’s curry laksa, Penang laksa, laksa mee, laksa with clams and every conceivable lak and sa throughout the region. But Kuching laksa is entirely a unique entity. As far as I know, nobody outside of Kuching has been able to reproduce Kuching laksa. Legend tells of an establishment in New York that serves “Borneo Laksa”. What came was a slosh of rice noodles in a sea of milky liquid. It didn’t taste bad. It just wasn’t laksa.
Popiahs are everywhere, but good popiahs are not easy to find. The wrap can be too thick, the filling can be under-cooked, too soppy and the sauce could be too sweet. Twenty things could go wrong in the making of a popiah. The one in Hak Guan is not too bad. One of the better ones around, I’d say.
The sight of those five fresh, large, juicy, sweet-looking prawns on my laksa pretty much put the lak in my sa. However, I felt that the laksa aunty was a little below her usual form that day. There’s usually a little bit more zing to the gravy. I was one of her last customers, though, so I’ll concede that she had to scrape the bottom of her pot for me. Still, I’d go back again anytime.
Money and Debt
September 16, 2009
Some people just can’t save money. Some people just can’t get out of debt. Financial wealth, like all wealth — no, wealth is not just money –is a state of mind. Understand why you’re in debt in the first place is the key to getting out of debt. If you don’t do this, you will NOT get out of debt just because you get a pay rise. You will NOT get out of debt even if you work another job. You will NOT get out of debt even if a long lost aunt dies and gives you a million bucks. Saving money has nothing to do with how much you have or how much your boss pays you every month. It’s about you spending your cash on things you do not need.
Here’s why you’re having a hard time saving or getting out of debt:
- You buy things you don’t need. The Hobbits call these ‘mathoms’. It feels good to buy them; owning them makes you feel terrific. After a while, they become clutter. Mathoms. Not a good idea. If you don’t need ‘em, put the money in a piggy bank instead.
- You eat out at expensive places often. Treating yourself to a nice meal is perfectly acceptable, once in a while. Steak and sashimi two to three times a week is way too much. Again, put the money in a piggy.
- Use plastic because you don’t have enough cash. It’s 18% interest per annum. If you can’t pay off your credit cards in the same month, leave them at home.
- You don’t have a budget plan. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate worksheet. Just work out how much you should spend a week, set that aside, keep to it, and let the rest care for themselves.
- You have a get-rich-quick mentality. Few people get rich quick. Those that do spend most of it in a very short time. The sooner you get over this, the better off you are.
- You are going through or went through a divorce. Face it folks, divorce is financial murder. If you’re not sure about the other party, don’t get married. It saves a lot of pain and cash.
Obviously, dealing with the above is a good start. Beyond that, here are some more suggestions to help you get started:
- Learn about money matters. Google it up. There’s lots of free help online.
- Take care of your health. It will save a lot of medical bills later. Use the money and join a gym instead. Get with a group of like-minded friends and workout.
- Thoughts lead to feelings. Feelings lead to actions. Actions produce results. Get jiving with the right vibes. Like I said, it’s all about mindset.
- You are the architect of your own future. Where do you want to be five years from now? Eight years? Ten years? Are you heading that way at the current rate you’re going? Rectify your life accordingly.
When you figure most of that out, you’ll be able to deal with getting out of debt, staying out of debt, and putting extra cash aside.
This post is as much for me as it is for the next reader. Drop me a line and tell me what works for you and what doesn’t. If you’ve got it down pat, tell me how. I’ll buy you coffee and we can compare notes.
Asian Recipes at Asian Recipe
September 13, 2009
People love food in this country. If we were any shorter than the standard 5 foot 5, we should take off our shoes, grow hair on our feet and call ourselves Hobbits.
Asian Recipe is tucked in a row of shops bursting with kopitiams, restaurants and yuppie coffee places. Because of that, it doesn’t really stand out. It’s a small but pleasant little place with a good variety on the menu, many with an original twist; like the squid special (sotong) and the boneless chicken. The midin (indigenous fern) was pretty good too. Surprising, I found myself digging into the chicken feet salad. I don’t normally go for chicken feet. They look quite grotesque. I always imagine a bunch of sad little chickens limping about in crutches in some farm out in the sticks. It’s enough to turn one vegetarian. That aside, the buttered prawns are not too bad, though I’m not a fan of buttered anything in general.
What I really loved was the Tom Yam soup. It’s nowhere near spicy at all, but it’s so zesty, it could pucker one up well and good. By my second helping, I felt like a lemon, but I loved it.
The Wordsmith Lifesmiths, Part 2 - Meditating the Downstroke of A Paddle
September 10, 2009
The first time I ever sat on a kayak, I went straight off the coast. It was fantastic. But I almost drowned. My lifejacket was too loose. When I sped in past the frighteningly choppy breakwater towards the shore, I capsized. I couldn’t touch the bottom. Worse, I couldn’t breathe. My lifejacket was pulling me upwards and the top strap was choking me. I kicked towards the shore until I could stand. It wasn’t that far away. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here to write about it. There was no fear, no real panic. Strangely, I just felt irritated at my lifejacket. Something that was supposed to save my life was choking me to death instead. I got quite philosophical about that even as I fought towards the shore.
That was four years ago.
A few Sundays ago, I went kayaking on Sungai Sarawak Kiri. It was my first on a river. Few things are as fantabulous as a flow downriver. Yes, the group was somewhat uncoordinated, to say the least. Yes, we capsized six times in all and I whacked my knee on a submerged rock, got a wonderful near-unstoppable wound and almost cracked my patella. But as long as it didn’t wipe the smile off of my face, it was all good. I was with a group of friends whose company I thoroughly enjoyed, the river was perfect, the rain was perfect, the durians were perfect.
A week after that, I got invited for another kayaking adventure down the same river. That was when I first felt the semblance of zen on a kayak.
“Kayaking is meditative,” said my Sifu Master Kayak Yoda Superman. “There are an infinity of ways that the downstroke of the paddle cuts through the ether and into the water”. OK, so he didn’t quite use those words. But Yoda couldn’t have said it better.
Well, I’m far from Kayak Yoda level, but when I was on the water, I did notice how flow of life is not dissimilar to the flow of water in a river:
Sometimes, there are ominous rocks under the surface, waiting to whack the patella of your life. Other times, you go through a rapid or two. It can be exhilarating and you go “Woo hoo!” because you made it through. Or it’s “Ouch!” and other expletives when you capsize. Either way, you survive and you move on with the flow of the river. Most of the time, it’s serene and utterly beautiful. You can busy yourself paddling away, or you can stop and take it all in.
Here are a few observations that struct me when I was on the water:
- I love paddling in the rain. You’re already wet. Forget the umbrella. Embrace the rain.
- The same river looks different 10 different ways the 10 different times you paddle on it. Enjoy it every time.
- I paddle with a partner. If I stop, or if she stops, it’s easier to get into trouble. Depending on a friend is not a weakness.
- There are many revelations in the downstroke of a paddle, or in the way you grip it, or in the way you guide the paddle through the water. Being present in all that we do brings many rewards in the way life reveals itself and how we perceive it.
There’s a lot more to kayaking that meets the eye. There’s a lot more that I could learn, but these five are my favourite.
English in the 21st Century
September 6, 2009
To boldly go where no man has gone before….. but really, if I had a choice, I’d rather that I go boldly where no man has gone before.
Traveler or traveller?
There’s rumor of humor, but I think I shall humour the rumour.
To split or not to split, that is the question…of infinitives.
The Queen’s English, American English, ghetto speak, Singlish, Manglish, Indian English, Australian, Canadian…… My professors were Australian, my ex-boss was British (she tells me Australian’s can’t speak English), my big big boss is American and I live in an ex-British colony where everybody mixes up their verbs and nouns whether in American, English, Australian or what have you. What is a writer to do with all these varieties in spelling and style?
And don’t get me started on punctuation.
Here’s how I survive:
- I tend to use the Queen’s English in all forms and functions, simply because I was weaned on it.
- Having said that, once you learn how to string two sentences together, store it away and develop your own style.
- If you’re doing a publication for a client, check with them what sort of English they prefer. Some will come back with all sorts of typos pointed out to you and it turns out that they were using a different spell-checker. It can be embarrassing. Trust me, I learned this the hard way recently. If they have no preference, use whatever is usual for you.
- Check spelling. I’m often guilty of not doing this when I’m in a rush.
- Re-read. I’m also guilty of not doing this when in hurry.
- Remember how the teacher always said not to start a sentence with ‘And’ or ‘But’? Chuck that out the window.
- Write with your heart. That’s how you connect.
- It’s all about rhythm. Feel it, move with it, develop your own groove.
- Re-read.
- Rules are meant to be broken.
- Be consistent. Once you have started on a project, keep a notepad beside you and take notes on your approach.
- Short sentences at all times.
- Verbosity is NOT a virtue.
- CHECK SPELLING.
- RE-READ.
And the most important thing of the lot, ENJOY YOURSELF.
Now get writing.
What They Don’t Tell You About Indiana Jones
September 3, 2009
Six hours on the road on a leaky four-wheel drive, past scenic pepper and rice fields and quaint little towns bypassed by the passage of time. So far so good. Then it’s another six hours up a river so dry at times the water’s only ankle deep. There’s more jumping out of the boat to pull than time in the boat. For the boatmen, anyway. Seasoned traveler as I am, a townee is a townee and we have no sense of balance. The best help I can offer is to stay put in my seat. I’m so far upriver, I’m almost kissing Kalimantan.
Then it’s a 7-hour trek across the very heart of Borneo, across the water catchment to get to an entirely different river system. How cool is that? There’s not as much wildlife as I expected, but I see bearded pig, four species of hornbills, pygmy squirrels no longer than my index finger and a water monitor. I hear talk of a cobra up front but I’m not waiting to mingle with that particular reptile.
Down the other river, it’s beautiful. The sight of a fast-flowing river in the rain, wide as a four-lane freeway, flanked by riverine forest is pretty breath-taking. This is the Katibas, artery off the Rejang, longest river in Sarawak.
The journeying is almost over. The work to be done seems trivial beside the traveling. I’m so high absorbing the wildness the work is a breeze. Then downriver, down down down all the way to Song. Such a small town but bustling in my eyes. The density of human bodies affront me.
The express boat is so full I half expect it to be the floating coffin it is known to be. These floating pieces of welded metal are death traps should they ever overturn, God forbid. I clamber on top and sit with my face to the sun, reveling in the freedom of the moment.
Could Indiana Jones do any better? This is real life. No directors, no cameras. But here’s what they don’t tell you about Indie and his adventures:
- Bathing in the river in a sarong and figuring out how to do that without mooning the locals.
- Wet underwear and bikini rash.
- The feeling of wet socks and shoes first thing in the morning.
- Leeches. Sometimes in various cracks and crevices.
- Slogging uphill in the rainforest in torrential rain.
- Excruciating knee pain coming down treacherous hills.
- Pulling friends waist deep in rotting wood, sand and mud.
- Do you ever ever see Indie washing his mud-stained clothes? I rest my case.
But what’s a good adventure without all the works in it? I’ve done this for neigh on 13 years now, and I enjoy every bit of it. The views are always worth it. Being amidst such wildness is a constant reminder that we’re not really as big as we make ourselves out to be. There’s a lot more to life than what meets the eye. Get over the ego and move on. It’s a privilege to be alive. Live.