Lontong

I finally got to eat my favourite lontong - before Ramadan that is. There is this stall which will be
selling lontong at Sect 14 Ramadan Bazaar. They have the perfect kuah kacang - peanut gravy.  Well finally found their stall at 
the foodcourt inSect 14. So I can have lontong anytime of the year :P
For those who is not familiar with asian food, lontong is made of compressed rice that is then cut into
small cakes. the dish is usually served cold or at room temperature with sauce-based dishes such as gado-gado and salads, although it can be eaten as an accompaniment to other dishes such as curries - definition from wikipedia.

Rainbow Hair

Colorful Hair

Cupcakes 3

Another cupcake from the fleamarket.

Cupcakes 2

These cupcakes are sold in fleamarket. I am not sure on the price, though. RM 2.50 for just 1 cupcake this size is quite expensive to me.
How much are cupcakes sold in your city?

Cupcakes 1

A trend started sometime last year where city ladies start to go ga-ga over cupcakes. Cupcakes entrepreneurs started to spring up one after another.
The varieties of cupcakes just keep increasing. Actually I don't think the trend will stop here since there is no limit to the person's imagination.
Aren't they lovely? Cupcakes are sold at fleamarkets and can be ordered for private functions. Some are even given out as wedding favours.
Will start to post a series of them, whenever I spot any new patterns :)

Sweet House of Mine

These are actually contest entries. The basic 'House' was given to kids who would decorate them with candies and biscuits according to their imagination. Cool huh.
I wish there were these contests when I was young.

Have you seen it all?

The usual 'window display' of any DVD shop. Our government is serious on cracking down piracy. However with the quality and price of these pirated copies, you won't be surprised that many still opt for the cheaper, illegal option.
Some movies are released earlier here than US, hoping to curb piracy. Does it help, you asked. Judging from the titles you seen above, I don't think so.

Stranger's Portrait Challenge

Mirage, does this answer your challenge?
These boys are part of the lion dance troupe. I used to think it's not such a good idea to let kids take part in these activities.
Now I feel it's an honour to be part of our chinese culture and preserving it for our next generation.

Damansara Uptown

  

This is part of the Damansara area, the busy working district. The name Uptown came from the name of the few blocks of business buildings at the center of the area.
As this area is next to residential areas, you can find a wide variety of shops here that cater to consumers as well as business corporates.
There are banks, restaurants, fast food chains, cafes, boutiques, pet shops, bookshop here. Compared to other working areas, DU has a wide range of eating places which makes it a lunch haven for the working crowd. The variety of food ranges from Italian to Indian, Thai to Japanese.
The number of boutiques has also mushroomed here. Probably will become another Bangsar area soon.
One thing that bothers everyone is parking. The space provided is never enough.

CNY 15 - See you next year

Today is Chap Goh Meh. Translated to English it means - The 15th night. Today is the last year of CNY. After 15 days of celebration, the Chinese finally end their biggest annual festive.

After today, all the CNY plants will be out of sight till next February. The picture above is a flower from Belgium. Not sure of the correct name though.

Chap Goh Meh is also Chinese Valentine's Day. The single girls will throw mandarin oranges into the river, seeking for their Mr Right. I am not sure how this tradition came about, but apparently there are mass crowds at the various rivers nationwide.

Till the year of Moo Moo, folks...

Goreng Pisang

This is one of the must-haves when I am at my kampung (hometown). The fried bananas aka goreng pisang are sliced thinner and crunchier compared to those sold in KL. You dip it into a sauce made up of soy sauce and chilli. Simply delicious.. Yum Yum... Besides fried bananas, the stall also sold fried sweet potato.

CNY 14 - Seasoned Goodies

These are seasoned food for CNY - sausages, ducks, chickens. I think these are consumed by certain chinese clans, is it Teochew, Cantonese? I know it's definitelly not Hokkien or Hainanese because I have not eaten them at all, except the sausages.

We call the sausages - lap cheong. They are cool ingredients for fried rice and claypot chicken rice.

CNY 13 - Tong Tong Cheng..

Chinese New Year won't be the same without Lion Dance. Chinese associations have their own lion dance troupes that will perform for homes and offices during CNY. It is considered as something auspicious. Especially for businesses. This was taken at a shopping mall. The outlets will pay the troupes to perform. The more 'lions' they engaged the higher the price is. The lion dance is accompanied by drums and cymbals.
A truly authentic symbol of the Chinese culture, at its best.
I used to be scared of these 'lions' when I was a kid. Now I think they are cool.
If you have not seen a lion dance performance, do head down to the nearest Chinatown during CNY next time. You won't regret it.

Green Roses

I have the same plant on my balcony. Sadly it is not doing well : (

An item

Some people are just meant for each other. They may be poles apart, but they can't spend a day apart. Happy Valentine's Day to all. :) May all of you find true love and happiness.

Strawberries taken at Cameron Highlands.

CNY 12 - One in a Million

This is the last post on CNY plants. I don't know the name of this plant, but suspect it's a cross breed between the money plant and the pineapple :p Can you spot the resemblance?

Many of the CNY plants will just bloom during the 1 month period. After which they either wither or bloom after a long time. I prefer the non-seasonality plants. Currently the mini-chili plant on my balcony is not doing too well..I hope it survives :( Despite me talking to them every morning and calling them by unique names, sometimes they just refuse to cooperate.

Do you have any secrets to grow strong plants?

CNY 11 - Green + Red = CNY

We call these the money plant. I remember the first time I saw them, I thought the leaves were made from plastic. My then super-plant-friendly colleague said I hurt the plant's feelings by saying that. :P

I now keep one of them on my balcony. It is recommended to leave it indoors, it will still grow beautifully with little sunlight. I guess it's the same with money, better dun leave it out in the open...hahah..hence the name, I guess.

Do you have any special plants at home?

CNY 10 - Hang In There

These are some other CNY wall decorations. As this year is the year of the Rat, the animal is depicted in most of the decorations. Another popular figure will be the God of Prosperity.

Today is the 5th day of CNY. Gong Xi Gong Xi!!

CNY 9 - See You At The Top

Trees of Little 'Kam Quats' . This year there seems to be a contest on getting the tallest Kam Quat tree. Previous years people are delighted to buy those cute little pots of kam quats. They looked cute! This year, the sky is the limit, literally.

I am not sure how the retailers managed to plant or tie these fruits together so that they appear as Trees and not just potted plants anymore. These Trees can be as high as 6 feet, and the fruits are abundance.

I will be away for a few days, back next week. Finally tomorrow is CNY!! Gong Xi Fatt Chai to all!!

CNY 8 - Ang Pows

Ang Pow!! Literally this means Red Packets. There seems to be an inexplicable connection between Chinese and money. Although it does not mean we are a materialistic race, I can't vouch that the love of money is in our blood, or at least in most of us. :)

Angpows are given during CNY - a red packet with a little token. I believe the original idea was just to spread a little joy and wishe that the recipient will enjoy wealth and prosperity. Nowadays CNY angpows come in subtantial amount - children look forward to it and married couples sometimes dread it. Married couples are jokingly urged to have kids soon in order to have Return of Investment (ROI). :)

Traditionally angpow packets are just plain red envelopes. As you can see, there are lotsa varieties in store now.

Invisible Image Post

Saw this at Marley's DP. Thought this was rather interesting. The idea originated from http://missbinnyc.blogspot.com/

Dec 2007 - Shoots of green. Taken from below.

June 2007 - Window at a cute little cafe.

November 2007 - Kids queing for games

May 2007 - A cafe with local flavour at Malacca

November 2007 - Details on a wedding gown

CNY 7 - The Queen of Tarts

Fenix, Neva, Marley and Pat.. these are the pineapple tarts I mentioned in the last entry. Sometimes I feel CNY won't be completed without them.

The yellow / brown portion in the middle of the cookie is made from pineapple paste. Takes lotsa pineapples to make the cookies. I think the pineapples are mashed and cooked for some time till they are sticky, then they are baked together with the batter made out of butter and flour.

Malaysia's historical city - Malacca is well known for their delicious pineapple tarts. Be sure to buy some when you are there.