Pasar Ramadan 03

The Muslim normally buka puasa - resume consumption of food and water - by 7.30 in the evening. The Bazaar Ramadan therefore will be very crowded from 4pm - 6pm. However if the stall is popular enough, and when it's weekend, you can expect the crowd to start coming in as early as 3 in the afternoon.
Just like this Popiah stall. When I reached the bazaar at 3.45pm, there was already a long line waiting. It's the same condition every year. Sometimes if you reach there late, you are likely to go home empty-handed.
Festive is big business here.

Pasar Ramadan 02

Ahh..the glorious choices of Nasi Campur! :)
Nasi Campur literally means mixed rice. As rice is a staple here, each race will have their own variety of dishes that go well with rice.At Bazaar Ramadan, you are simply spoilt with choices. There are different types of curry, rendang, vegetables, fried chicken, seafood..and yes...even crabs! As rice itself is tasteless, the dishes that go with it will normally be rich with taste.

Pasar Ramadan 01

Time flies, the Ramadan season is here again. Going to the Ramadan Bazaar is a highlight for all Malaysians.
I always frequent this bazaar at Section 14 every Ramadan. This is a new stall I think.
That's a barbecued lamb you see in the picture. After the meat is cut, it is put on a grill pan to further enhance the taste with seasoning. This should be a nice dish to go with rice.

Mee Hoon Kueh

This is one of my favourite food. Not sure if it's a Hokkien dish, but I know only the Southern and Northern have this version. This version where the dough is torn into small little thin pieces into the soup. The version in KL - known more commonly as Pan Mee - has the dough knead into noodle-like strips.
It's real simple to cook. The secret however is in the dough. The kueh cannot be too thick or it will be hard to chew. It is cooked with soup boiled from anchovies. Customers can choose the soup or dried version.
This shop sells it like the way my mum cooks it at home. I especially like the fried anchovies and marinated meat which are served separately. If added to the soup directly, they will affect the clear sweet taste of the soup and they are likely to be softened. I normally dip the kueh into light soy sauce before eating. Tastes heavenly :)

Mid Autumn Festival

The festival of mooncakes and lanterns!
These are still traditional lanterns where they are made from bamboo and colored paper. There is a little metal stand for the candle to be lit. The lantern will be tied to a stick and children can carry them around. Normally the kids will walk around the neighbourhood in groups carrying these lanterns as part of the mid autumn festival celebration. The adults wll sit together enjoying tea and mooncake.
Nowadays there are battery operated ones made of plastic. Not as fun as it used to be though.

Theme Day : Sister Cities

One of the historical buildings in Kuala Lumpur in the Masjid Jamek area. Currently under maintenance.You can check out the other cities participating in Theme Day. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Short Break

Thank you for all the well wishes earlier on.
I am taking a short break to get some rest. Will be back by next week.
See you soon, take care and have fun :)

Decorating Cupcakes

When I was eating at a cafe, the cooks were preparing some cupcakes for the next day. It looks fun, doesn't it?

The Silent Reader

I guess she was waiting for the bus or taxi as she sat reading in the corner. The bag of groceries beside her showed that she had done some shopping before waiting to go home.
Sorry for the lack of posting and comments for the past few days. I have not been feeling well. Hope will be able to resume blog visiting soon.

The Silent Promoter

The mannequin and the sale banner were placed at the staircase leading to the boutique above. Perhaps a more lively promoter would be better to attract customers to venture upstairs to have a look.

Nurses at the bus stop

These were students from the nursing faculty of a local college. Seems like they were waiting for their chartered coach to come pick them up. The private college is new but attracting many students with their medical related courses. It must be affordable too.
The phone booth beside the bus stop was stuck with all the advertisement from money lenders. With the high penetration of mobile phone in this country, not many will use the phone booth.

How can they not hit each other?

Sorry for the blurred quality. This picture was taken from a moving vehicle. How many cranes do it take to build a shopping mall? And how can they not hit each other?

On Top of The World

I am afraid of heights. It's an irony that I have also always wanted to know how it feels like to be on top a crane, looking down.
I just like this picture.

Clamped!

When a driver 'misbehaves' at a parking lot, normally the punishment comes fast. This is the first time I am seeing this type of mobile clamps. The car was parked in the middle of the road. Therefore before the clamp is released, the little wheels on the clamps allow the car to be pushed somewhere else.
The fine is usually RM 50.

Nasi Lemak

 Nasi Lemak literally means Fat Rice. Although it is high in calories, the dish is not cooked entirely out of fat. The rice is in fact cooked with coconut milk. Pandan leaves are added to give an added fragrance. The dark gravy beside the rice is what we call sambal. Some prefer extra hot sambal and some prefer it with a little sweet taste. Besides boiled egg, nasi lemak is eaten with fried anchovies and peanuts and slices of cucumber.
The photo was taken at a cafe where fried chicken and keropok is added as well. Nasi lemak is one of the top 5 favourite breakfast of Malaysians. If you happen to meet any Malaysians in your country, try asking them which home food they missed the most. I'll bet Nasi Lemak will come out top of the list.

August Theme Day - Metal

I know the tools behind are called spanners. What about the ones in front? I took this shot from a car workshop. Sometimes I think the mechanics are like Inspector Gadget. They seem to have all the tools to reach and fix any part of the car.

There are 184 blogs participating in this month's theme day.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Long Shot

Look at the left corner and you will see the head of a lady. She was 'watering' or spraying the plants from 1 level up. How much of the water that eventually reached the plants is a puzzle.
Guess it's either because she couldn't find a nearer water point or it was simply too hot to stand under the sun to water plants, that she resort to this.
I find it amusing watching her :)

Purple Cupcakes

These cupcakes were specially made for an occasion where the theme color was purple. They look unique, don't they?
Besides brinjal, what was the last purple food you consumed?

The Shoe Doctor

This a mobile Klinik Kasut or Shoe Clinic. The 'doctor' sits patiently waiting for his 'patients' to arrive.
He works fast, to fix a broken heel, all he needs is 5 minutes and he only charges RM 3 for it. It's a one-man show.
Having your heels broke while you were walking or stepping on a nail is a modern hazard. While you are in these situations, it certainly helps when the friendly 'doctor' is near.

Cooks United

There are a few Shanghainese and Chinese restaurants that currently have such interesting 'window diplay'. Instead of showcasing the finished food or the menu, they present the stars behind the scene - the cooks.
I guess it's to showcase how clean the kitchen and utensils are and how skilful the chefs are. The chefs are normally seen making those delicate dim sums, chinese noodles or other pastries.
Looking at how these people work simply fascinates me. The details, the concentration that goes into every dumpling is mesmerising. These chefs, obviously used to the attention, do not turn an eye on the bystanders. They don't even smile when they look up occasionally. Well I guess when you are in a fish-tank kinda evironment, you just wanna finish your work and get out asap.

Outdoor Buffet

There is nothing more that can attract Malaysians, especially the Chinese, than buffets. Whether it's a RM 88++ per person buffet dinner at a 5star hotel or this RM 10 durian buffet.
Complaints about price increase in food, fuel hike are rampant currently. Some innovative entrepreneurs took the opportunity to combine value with public sentiments and ta-da...ALL YOU CAN EAT DURIAN BUFFET!!!
Durians is one of the unique fruits in our country. It is an acquired taste. They have always come in grades, as usual the higher the grade, the more expensive it is. Prices range from RM3 - above RM 18 per kg. Patrons of this buffet probably realise that with the different grades, they probably won't get the best ones by just paying RM 10.. but what the heck..RM 10 for buffet is quite irresistable. Besides, you don't have to take the trouble to open the fruit and throw away the shells later on.
There are tonnes of Malaysians who are willing to take the trouble and pay a high price to savour good food. Therefore there are some durian-lovers who organised trips to orchards to enjoy the best durians. The last I heard, one such visitor paid RM150++ for this.
Phew..how much are you willing to pay for fruits?

Eating on my own

Eating on your own is one of the first few journeys one takes towards independence.
Once I can eat on my own, haha, watch out Ma, there are a couple of items on the menu which I hope to discuss with you.
For instance, I like soupy stuff - splishing and splashing out of the bath tub is quite fun, I discovered.
I also like cute little colorful stuff - bits, M&Ms, jelly beans, boy are they fun to play with on the table as well.
And Ma, lastly, if I can eat on my own, it means I am in charge now. No more feeding, no more 'open your mouth, sweetie, and eat this for mummy'. I will choose what I want to eat.
Yours sincerely, Junior.

Green Lung

A nice pond within office buildings. It's soothing to look at, especially from the top. There are japanese carps swimming in the pond. Believe this is maintained by the building management.
Not many of the office workers drop by to relax, probably due to the hot weather and the lack of chairs or benches.
Maybe the purpose of having this feature is to enhance Feng Shui rather than recreational. According to Feng Shui, water is wealth. By pooling the water, I guess the purpose is to accumulate wealth.
Have you done any changes to your home with accordance to Feng Shui?

Congestion

This is an area close to PJ. It amazes me the number of cars and houses one can see from here. With almost every working citizen having their own car, we can't blame traffic for becoming slow. What about houses, after we encroach every piece of land, we move uphill, if there is not enough still, we move up to build higher buildings.
I wish I could tell our children of the future that they would grow up in a beautiful environment where they could get all the green fields, trees, flowers and fresh water and air they liked. Sadly it's impossible.

Nice Ceiling

This was constructed on top of the platform at KL Sentral LRT station.
It shows some graphics which are normally seen at mosque. Some islamic elements I think.