0 Through the gloom..

  If we can find the beauty in everythingThen through the gloom we will see that silver liningAbove despair we  will rise It will lead us out into sunshine and blue skiesAnd we will fall in love with life again Overcoming our heart's pain… ~ Sharon Das, 28 Feb 2013 Taman Tasik Titiwangsa ~ Where the "Eye on Malaysia" was. ...

0 Art : Hair Piece

I admire artistic people. They create beautiful things out of ordinary items, produce life-like portraits using any material and so forth.....me? I have trouble just trying to pencil-draw the stick-man. But there are days that I actually squeeze something out of my right brain like this hair piece I did some years ago. Not only did I amuse myself, I actually felt I had 'a lot' of creative potential. That's my hair and hub's, curled in a frame. Creative, isn't it? Did I hear a snicker? I used hub's white hair to contrast it against the black paper on the left side of the frame and did the opposite for mine. What inspired me? A need for something...

0 Instant Noodle Day - UFO Big Yakisoba

Instant noodle days are usually a sign that I'm unwell or just not in the mood. I'm sadly that easy to read. One not-in-the-mood day, I tried something fairly expensive out of curiosity...also because I was naively attracted to the word "UFO" ~ really! I wish I could say, "RrRRrewrrr...it flew into my arms, babe. I was zapped into compliance. No fault of mine." Take a look at this - UFO Big Yakisoba (Instant Fried Noodle), which I purchased from a Japanese Fair. In all honesty, would you not have added this into your shopping basket? Wouldn't you? ...huh?....huh? UFO identified ~ springy noodles. It comes with some pretty fancy packaging....

0 Getting old and into handicrafts

Sometimes I wonder how my twilight years will be. Will I be on that rocking chair smiling peacefully out into the horizon, holding on to a pair of knitting needles trying to finish that "Panas Gila" (Crazy Hot) long -sleeved sweater for my favourite person or will I be like Aunt Deb, that cute crafty old lady who still dresses her hair with ribbons, is active in church, adept in the kitchen and an ace at making handicrafts..? I'm posting some of Aunt Deb's work of art below. It's so beautiful to look at. I wish I could show you more but there's just so many. If growing old was as easy as picking a character out of a magic hat, I'd love to...

0 Mee Suah on the 1st Day of Chinese New Year

Long Life Brand Mee suah for breakfast on the first day of Chinese New Year (CNY) has been a tradition for the Hokkien side of my family for generations. In case you don't know, mee suah is noodle made from wheat flour. For the Chinese, it is usually served long and uncut as a symbol of longevity. I always look forward to having this bowl of "long life" noodles which is specially cooked by my mother-in-law (mama). I get this warm tingly feeling with every slurp because I know a lot of love and laughter went into making this dish of soupy goodness. And I am also reminded of faithfulness. Mama has been making this CNY dish for the clan for...

0 The "BIG" Curry Bun at Restoran Tin Hoe Hweeh

We had just finished our breakfast of wonton noodles when a lady walked passed us - with a hUuuge(!) bun on her tray. Excitement was written all over our face. We followed her to the glass display cabinet lined with local made cakes, pastries and bread. "What is this, arh?"  We asked. "Curry bun. RM16." Outrageous."Huaaa...want or not?"  Machoman looked at me. "Wantlahhh..once in a lifetime!"  Such an eager beaver I am. We tapao-ed (packed) one home. There you have it. One expensive bun in the bag .. but well worth the experience and a warm way to share food. I imagine bringing this along to a picnic or having it at small cosy...

0 Passion..it says a lot about dreams

What's in a dream? Everyone seems to have one but do you know what drives it? Passion, I say! Just a blog post out of a "pep talk" I gave myself earlier and "think" I have been enlightened. I am often inspired by good hearted ordinary people whose lives revolve around laughter and a deep appreciation for the things they do. I ponder, assess ~ "What makes them different? How is it that they seem to "live" their dream without really saying that they are. You know their passion by their actions! And this, I think, makes a lot of sense.  You hear of their activities in their daily conversations, they are full of energy about it, you see...

0 Sabah - State Museum and Heritage Village

If you're on a shoestring budget and find Sabah's guided cultural tours a little too expensive, then the State Museum is the place to go. I got to know a little about the historical background of the Land Below The Wind and the ethnicity of the locals for just RM2. The museum is a short taxi ride away from Kota Kinabalu town. There are taxis for hire at the museum itself so we didn't have to make prior arrangements for transport back. Lovely fountain beside the museum RM2 per entry (for locals) Vintage cars outside the museum Photo-taking is prohibited inside the museum *sob* but I've plenty of nice shots of the heritage village...

0 Inspired to 'rock' my garden

Revamping the garden ~ a necessary ...joy. And all because I stumbled across two lovely decorative rocks while shopping the other day. Engraved on it were words of wisdom that affirms some of my spiritual beliefs. "Bloom where God plants you". Anywhere. Whether you're a homemaker, an office employee, in school or a bus driver, be the best you can be in your field, do good and take pride in your work. God said to do good wherever we are. He never said one role was better or more important than the other.  "On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand". In God I trust, for He will never forsake me nor...