Homecoming 十三鞭

(Pic Source : http://wiki.d-addicts.com/File:Ssb.jpg)

13 strokes. 十三鞭. 4 good friends were involved in vice, and were incarcerated. 3 of them were caned thrice for their crime, while Chen Hanyuan (Rayson Tan) was caned four times. He was purportedly the mastermind of the group. 3 strokes x 3 person, + 4 strokes = 13 strokes.

Hanyuan was deeply traumatised by the caning, and bore deep grudge against his 3 friends as one of them had betrayed the fact that he was the instigator of the crime. He vowed to find out which among his three friends had betrayed him.

Many years passed, Hanyuan manipulated his way to practise law in Singapore. He also married Sessy (Constance Song), who was the ex-girlfriend of his buddy, Dong Weihong (Li Nanxing).

The story began with the reunion of the 4 friends after many years of separation, when Weihong went home to Singapore from the United States. Thereafter, Hanyuan, who was schizophrenic, made use of all those around him to achieve his end - the details of which were very complicated.

I did not really enjoy this drama, but I enjoyed the acting by top artistes like Li Nanxing, Zheng Geping, and Brandon Wong.

My favourite character is Ryan (Jarren Ho), the little boy who was Weihong's son. He was so cute and charming. No wonder all the lady characters in the show adore him so much. I am amazed that some children, being so young, are just so talented! Way to go, kiddo!

Lunch @ Double Star Cafe

Having no idea where to go for lunch, my friend and I went to Double Star Cafe at Pelita Commercial Centre, Miri. There were quite a lot of people eating there at around noon.

Double Star Cafe serves a variety of food - they have breakfast items like toasts. snacks such as spring rolls and fried chicken wings, rice set meals, baked cheesy rice and western food such as lamb chop, and fish and chips.

Today, my friend ordered the Teriyaki Chicken & Rice Set.

Teriyaki Chicken

The teriyaki chicken is slightly sweet, and dusted with a little toasted sesame seeds. There is a teeny weeny bit of salad on the side, and a dipping sauce. The rice set comes with a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup.

Teriyaki Chicken & Rice Set

I ordered the Wasabi Chicken Salad Rice.

Wasabi Chicken Salad Rice

It consists of deep-fried chicken pieces, drizzled with wasabi-flavoured mayonnaise. I think chicken breast meat is used. On the side, there's a bit of salad. My platter comes with a bowl of soup too. I dislike the soup today, as the taste of the preserved vegetable is too strong.

Well, the wasabi chicken salad rice was a bit too dry for my liking. Plus, I think the portion is quite little. My friend said that the chicken has shrunk. ;( Dismal, eh.

Spring Rolls

We ordered a set of spring rolls. A set of four costs RM3.20. Now , I have always liked the spring rolls. Each spring roll is compact with bits of minced chicken and vegetables - I think there's shredded carrot and jicama. The spring rolls are best eaten when hot, as they are really crispy. The sweet and sourish dipping sauce that accompanies the spring rolls is also nice.

Well, lunch today left me full, but not satisfied.

Loh Mee & Kolo Mee @ Good Taste Bak Kut Teh

My friend and I went to Good Taste Bak Kut Teh at Centrepoint here in Miri for breakfast. Good Taste Bak Kut Teh serves breakfast dishes from 7.30 a.m. t0 about 11.00 a.m. Thereafter, noodles are longer served, and the shop concentrates on bak kut teh and the works.

This morning I wanted to eat something really hot to warm my stomach, and so, I ordered the loh mee or the braised noodles.

Loh Mee

The version here is unlike the dark soy sauce version available over in West Malaysia.

At this shop, the thick noodles are baised in a thick egg-y gravy. Ingredients used include crispy lard bits, fresh pork slices, prawns, and green vegetables. This morning, stalks of bok choy are used.

Our noodles came piping hot. But, both my friend and I like our noodles gravy to be sour. So we asked for malt vinegar. Somehow, the vinegar that came wasn't really that sour. Even after we added a small saucer full, it was still not sour enough for our liking. Next time, we vowed to bring our own vinegar.

Kolo Mee

We ordered kolo mee too. It was quite a big bowl noodles, topped with minced pork, bok choy, but there was no char siew. Instead, there were char siew-like sliced of pork cooked in soy sauce gravy. Hence, the taste of kolo mee just wasn't there. Both my friend and I did not like the kolo mee at all.

Plus, I thought the old man who took the orders was quite rude, seeming like he was rushing us to place our orders ;(

Dinner @ Dynasty Hotel II : Thank You Prefects

Yesterday evening, my school organised a thank you dinner in honour of the outgoing school prefects. We wanted to acknowledge the students' contribution to the school.

We had the dinner held at Dynasty Hotel.The kids wanted a buffet, instead of a sit-down dinner banquet.

There were an assortment of salads and dressings.

A fresh assemble of pineapple and cucumber pieces

Crisp green salad greens which consists of lettuce, tomatoes,
cucumbers, onions and green peppers

Potato salad

Steamed cauliflower, broccoli and carrots

Assorted Dressing

The mains were chicken curry and potatoes, beef rendang, bok choy with mushrooms, steamed fish in hot and spicy sauce, and fried prawns in soy sauce.

Among all the dishes, I liked the fish the most! Soft, and sweet and spicy.

There was also mee mamak & fried rice.

My platter

Then, there were the desserts.

Sweet and juicy watermelon

Sweet papaya

Crunchy starfruit

And the yummy sweets were not to be missed.

Creme Caramel

Coconut Tart

Banana Cake

A delectable sponge cake with sinful cream and kiwi topping

It was great to see the students enjoying themselves away. I, on the other hand, had a great time catching up with my colleagues. In the midst of our busy schedules at school, there is just no time to talk about the lighter things in life. So, it was a great opportunity for us to relax and unwind.

Oh yes, I even came home with a hamper, thanks to the lucky draw!!

My hamper

Exercising Again!!

Well, I'm not particularly active. When I exercise, I normally go for walks at the park. I've been to the park as early as 5 a.m in the morning. Alone! But I was not worried, as there were always a lot of old folks exercising there. The old folks go as early as 4 a.m. Once, when I was just starting my walk at about 5.30 a.m., a middle-aged lady jogged past me, and she said she'd done 7 rounds. Gosh!

Recently, my friend went to the park after 6.oo a.m. in the morning, and parked her car at the roadside. She was careless enough to leave her wallet and her brand new handphone in the car. Someone broke into her car and stole her belongings. Fortunately, they did not drive the whole car away!

Scary, eh. An old uncle whom I'd chatted with at the park did advise me to park my car in the allocated car parks within the park compound as it's safer there, with the security guard keeping an eye on the cars. Being a regular there, he shared a few incidents which happened to fellow joggers.

Sometimes when I'm lazy to drive all the way to the park, I climb the steps at home. Climbing for 1/2 hour is indeed draining, especially for an inactive person like me. But, it works for me in burning fat!!

Anyway, I'd stopped exercising for a while. It was too hot for the past few months, and then there was the haze, and then I was addicted to watching dramas, and then I started blogging. Heheh.

Recently, I'd gained weight. So it's time to start exercising again.

Just In Singapore

Fiona Xie & Chen Liping

Just in Singapore 一房半厅一水缸. Well, the title did not really attract me at first. After about 3 episodes, however, I was hooked. This drama is really quite enjoyable.

This drama focuses on 8 families who live in rented one-room flats in the poorest area in Singapore.

There is a treasure in the midst of the squalid surroundings, and this treasure is in the form of a large antique water vat. This vat is reputedly to be worth US$5,000,000. However, all are ignorant of this fact. Hence, it is really amusing to see the vat being passed from one household to another. So ironical. Lol.

Of course, when all realised the value of the vat, all try to outwit each other to search for the it. Each and every character is motivated by their own selfish puposes.

My favourite character in this drama is Xiuming (Fiona Xie). Xiuming is tomboyish, loud and brash. But she is honest and straightforward. She is also kind-hearted and generous, and helpful to all those around her.

Xiuming runs a stall at the night market, selling fried food. Her business is not doing very well, and her mother often compares her to her more intelligent elder sister, Xiuzhen (Paige Chua). Her mother also often chides her for not being as smart and capable as her Xiuzhen. Xiuming always gives in to her sister.

I am interested in the love story between Xiuming and Su Dingyi (Kang Chengxi). Actually, their story is not so developed, as the whole drama focuses more on the water vat. Nevertheless, I feel that their love story is rather sweet.

Su Dingyi is a film lecturer at a university who aspires to direct movies. He chanced upon Xiuming when he films at the night market. She mistakes him to be a pervert, but he is attracted by her open nature and intends to woo her.

Dingyi is such a sweet guy, who is attracted to Xiuming like bees to honey. He helps her in her business by recommending that she learns from notable fried chicken stalls all over the country. He sends her to the hospital when she falls ill and pays for her medical bills. He pays for her rental for her stall. He is not ashamed of who Xiuming is, and even helps those around her, namely Grandma Ma.

I'm glad that Xiuming and Dingyi got together at the end of the drama.

Well, I think Xiuzhen is terribly manipulative. She is after Dingyi, not because she loves him. She is after his money. And because of her overriding ambition, she schemes and manipulates all around her. There's no limit to what she might do. She is such as scary character. I wonder what Dingyi's mother sees in her. If she only knows how manipulative Xiuzhen is, I'm sure she will not want her for daughter-in-law.

Another character I cannot stand is the cheapskate Aunt Auto. She is so really miserly that she tries to take advantage of all those around her. Plus, she ill-treats her daughter-in-law. On the other hand, Mom watched the drama a bit, and she can't stand Mary and Robert. I'm just glad that they turn over a new leaf at the end of the drama, even though it cost them their eldest son's right leg.

Overall, a really heartwarming drama. Plus, good performance from the casts, notably Chen Liping, Huang Wenyong, Fiona Xie, Li Yinzhu, Adam Chen, Pat Mok, Nelson Chia, and Apple Hong. A must-watch.

Savoury Glutinous Rice

It's back to work. I'm a bit busy now, as I sort out the marks for the previous examination. On top of that, there's the usual lesson planning and all.

Mom made some savoury glutinous rice for me to bring back to Miri. I had it refrigerated and eaten for breakfast for 2 mornings already.

Mom's savoury glutinous rice

Well, the savoury glutinous rice is the filling for the infamous Teochew Perng Kuih. However, at home, we also eat the glutinous rice, unwrapped.

Personally, I prefer to eat the glutinous rice on its own, as I do really fancy it being wrapped in a layer of glutinous rice flour. It's EXTRA carbs which I don't need. The glutinous rice skin for the kuih is pretty much tasteless anyway.

Many ingredients go into the savoury glutinous rice

Mom uses many ingredients to for the savoury glutinous rice, such as chopped preserved radish, chopped dried prawns, diced pork, diced beancurd, chopped roasted peanuts, and Chinese parsley. Yum.

Well, though I'm away from home, I like to bring a taste of home with me, enough to last me for a few days at least.

Ciao. Got to go back to work.