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Oh me, Oh my, Oh Umai-ya August 29, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Drooling & Cooking , 14comments

I always equate the Klang Valley with great Japanese food. Somehow Penang just doesn’t have as many good Japanese restaurants.

I remember when I stayed in The Eastin during one of my business trips sometime back, I savored the excellent Japanese food at the Japanese restaurant in the hotel. I was travelling by myself then. Grabbed myself the daily newspaper, traipsed down to the restaurant at about 8:00p.m., and ordered a meal fit for a queen :)

I also remembered having had great Japanese buffet meals in KL, with a delectable spread that left every diner for want of more.

Last Sunday I had the chance to try another Japanese restaurant, this time in Damansara Uptown. Called Umai-ya, the restaurant is sandwiched between Izzi and Starbucks. They have an area for tatami-like seating, where the tables are lowered in such a way to allow patrons to be seated in a normal way but the table height is at chest level. We chose not to dine this way because there was no way we could fit a baby chair in.

The bento sets were priced quite reasonably, and we each ordered one. I, of course, had to order the sashimi set.

Freshness is essential when it comes to eating sashimi, and I was pleased to note that each and every piece was succulently fresh. Even the raw prawn didn’t had that raw taste which was apparent in some raw seafood. I especially love the thick chunks of salmon sashimi, especially when I had them coated in wasabi.

They say the way to evaluate a Japanese restaurant is to taste its chawan mushi. And boy was the chawan mushi good! For one, it had all the mushrooms in the world. And being a mushroom lover, it was all I needed to know this was one of the best chawan mushis I have ever tasted. It also had one gingko nut in it, which was a pleasant addition.

The one thing that is an absolute must-order is the dragon maki. Tempura prawn wrapped in sushi rice with unagi and slices of avocado, each bite was made even more sensational topped with the compulsory wasabi. This was rather pricey though but very worth it.

Would I come back again? What do you think? I’m still dreaming about it, even now.  Anyone wanna courier some dragon maki over to Penang soon? :D

Time to start saving August 29, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 1 comment so far

Okay, I admit it. I suck at saving money. I don’t know why, but with never ending expenses, like grocery shopping, mortgages, insurance, housing and car loans and of course some entertainment factored in, I really find it difficult to put aside some moolah for a rainy day.  I know I ought to start somewhere and while reading this month’s Mother & Baby magazine, I’m determined to make that change.

One of the best ways to save is to first know where the money is going.  I used to keep a record of my monthly expenditure so that I could look back and see where all my hard earned cash was used.  I had an estimated expenditure column and an actual expenditure column too.  In a way, it helped me keep abreast of how I spent my money and deterred me from overspending.  Perhaps I should revisit this idea again.

I also find that making a list while shopping helps to prevent over-shopping.  It really does wonders, especially for shopaholics like me :)   Also, when I shop with my hubby in tow, he would remind me not to buy stuff I don’t need, especially impulse buys, which I am very fond of.  And trust me, it is easy to fall prey when I shop alone.

However, the main drive to saving money is the motivation to do it.  And I hope I am motivated enough to carry it through :)

Much Ado About Mar-shay August 28, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Drooling & Cooking , 15comments

Since our visit to Marché in Singapore, hubbs and I have been craving the Bundaberg Root Beer sold there. I have also been craving for the calamari, grilled chicken breast and the swiss cross buns, more so because during our second visit there, I was not feeling well and thus, did not manage to eat much.

So when we were planning our one-day trip to Damansara at The Curve last weekend, I straightaway decided that a meal at Marché would HAVE to be factored in. Somehow.

Now how did Marché The Curve compare to Marché VivoCity?

It was a disappointment. Really. For starters, the one item we were looking forward to, the Bundaberg Root Beer, was nowhere to be seen. We did see the bottles on display though, but that was a really mean decoy because the restaurant supervisor told us that those were empty bottles! Dang…

Marché The Curve used a paper card system instead of the ATM card-like system employed in Singapore. The paper card was way bigger and harder to handle compared to the convenience of the ATM card-like system.

No calamari, and even though the grilled chicken breast was on the menu, I was told that they were out of it that night. The swiss cross buns was not soft, and felt unfresh. it was sticky on the outside and dry on the inside. Of course it could be masked if I dipped it into the soup, but that’s another story altogether.

The mushroom soup was okay, but not as thick as I would have liked it to be. I did like the dried bread cubes which I sprinkled liberally in my soup though. That certainly added some texture to the soup. The grilled sausages were all right, but felt like they were fresh from a freezer. The ones in Singapore tasted meatier and more authentic in comparison. I did like the veal sausage though, and that one went down really well with Ethan too.

That being said, the two items that get the giddy thumbs up from me are:

The sautéed mushrooms. Well done, tasted not too mushy and went down really well. It cost only RM8++, and was worth every sen of it. My BIL commented that some evaporated milk could have been added into it.

The crépè with ice cream. I ordered the mango and banana crépè, which was served with chocolate ice cream, and drizzled with chocolate and raspberry sauce. Sinful, yes… and delicious too. Unfortunately the ice cream that it came with was not the Movenpïck kind. I was told that I had to pay an additional RM8 or so, if I chose to have a scoop of Movenpïck ice cream added.

And what about our root beer craving? Well, we saw bottles of it on sale in Cold Storage, so we grabbed a few then and there. :) Don’t need no Marché to serve us ‘em root beer, huh?

Insurance…more or less August 28, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 1 comment so far

These days, we can’t survive without insurance. What was once taboo is considered an essential part of our daily life. There’s life insurance, personal accident insurance, medical insurance and education insurance policies to cater for all our needs. I just renewed my car insurance policy, in fact. It’s an annual mandatory affair. And while I also have home insurance, I am deliberating as to whether to revisit my life insurance policies. I am wondering if it is in fact sufficient for me now that I have a dependent. Isn’t it odd how it is compulsory for us to have car insurance policies year in and year out and yet, some people don’t feel it is mandatory to insure their lives?  Do these people love their vehicles more than their lives?

Think about it.

The Dora Lesson August 24, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 10comments

~Overheard during my last visit to Toys ‘r’ Us, Queensbay Mall~

Man (to daughter): Girl, come and look at this ugly doll!
Daughter: Where, Daddy?
Man: There, see…this doll, ….. or-or wan… (or-or is Hokkien for black)
Daughter: No la, Daddy. Where got ugly doll? That is Dora!
Man: Huh? Yes ah? I thought ugly doll….

Children are oblivious to the color of skin. Babies are born treating everyone equally. It is the adults that inculcate this sense of *difference* between a fair-skinned person and a dark-skinned person. Are kids these days being brainwashed to become future racists? Okay, perhaps *racists* is too harsh a word, but still, you cannot deny the harm that is being done to that little girl in that scenario above just by what her father is indirectly teaching her.

I have also heard people saying things they deem “harmless” but are actually “harm-FUL” if you look at it deeper. Statements such as, “I don’t know if I should take my son to the barber shop for a haircut. He might be intimidated by how *black* the barber looks. The last time I took him there, he cried immediately upon entering. It could be because of the barber.”

Do we want our kids to grow up shunning people of different races or do we want them to embrace racial unity? In the spirit of kemerdekaan, it is embarrassing to have some official forms still requiring us to fill up a column called RACE. And I have a feeling this could go on for a long time still. Perhaps because of the upbringing, perhaps because some people are still poisoning the minds of their kids. And it is sad that they are already doing it without their even knowing it.

Lunchtime at the P.O. August 23, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 14comments

A couple of days ago, hubbs and I suddenly realized our water bill was due the next day. The problem with the water bill is that we can’t pay it online so even though the amount is not even RM10, we have pay the bill in person. And what irks us is that we can’t pay in advance, for example, pay RM50 up front for the next few months. Advanced payment is only allowed if we go directly to the PBA, which isn’t very convenient. So we made our way to the post office in Tesco during lunchtime to pay the miserable seven-something bill. There were many people waiting in the post office already and it was disheartening to find out that we were about 50 numbers away from being called. SIGH.

Boredom does weird things to people, I tell you. Have you ever flipped your water bill over to see what it says on the back? Well, sometimes there is a need to state an estimated amount on the water bill and here is a list of codes associated to why a particular amount is estimated:

Hehe…. the funny ones are:

G: Anjing Garang (Fierce Dog)
L: Pembaca Meter Bercuti (Meter Reader on vacation)

…and so the wait continued. More and more people arrived at the mini post office and took their respective numbers but only one counter was available. The man behind the counter, who went by the name of Yee, was handling each and every customer with tremendous efficiency. Parcels, registered mail, stamps, bills, ASN accounts…. and he didn’t look the least bit frustrated that all of his colleagues had walked out for lunch. Yes, in the midst of the huge lunchtime crowd, I witnessed 3 of Mr Yee’s colleagues walk out, waving a cheery goodbye to the poor man, leaving him at the mercy of all the tired and restless customers. Tsk tsk… to think they can’t even reschedule their lunch time to accommodate the crowd. But kudos to Mr Yee, for here was a man that faced adversity head on and handled every customer with ease.

So finally after about 40 minutes of waiting around, my number was called. Paying the water bill took less than a minute. We even took the opportunity to change our voter’s registration address. Hubbs and I are registered voters and have been so since we hit the age of 21, but our voting address had been still in our hometowns of Ipoh and Taiping, and since we changed to the MyKad with our Penang addresses, we have yet to change our voting address. Up till that day. Changing our voting address would mean a change in our voting constituency. Mr Yee told us it would take THREE WHOLE MONTHS for the change of address to be reflected in the voters’ registration database. Why so long, no one knows…. hopefully the change would have already taken effect by the time the national election comes round.

Try Again August 23, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 8comments

‘Cos if at first you don’t succeed….
Pick yourself up and try again
You can dust if off and try again, try again…..

Those are the lyrics from the late Aaliyah’s song Try Again, that I try to keep in mind… and things have started looking up for me again, I am happy to say. There is no sign of the silver lining as yet, but linings in all other colors are beginning to make their presence felt, albeit in small ways. But it’s these little things that mean a lot, right? And yesterday I accomplished many things which I am proud of. I hope it is the start of good things to come.

Slam, Bam and Wham! August 23, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 1 comment so far

When I first got my driver’s license, I was obviously excited by the prospect of taking the car out for a spin. What could be more liberating than being behind the wheel, knowing fully well that I am in total control of the car, and with a valid license to boot?

Well, unfortunately my Dad’s car was an old Peugeot with no power steering whatsoever. Although this was a Used Peugeot, it served my family well and was a great sturdy and hardy car. It was not purchased from any of the Peugeot Dealers because we got a great deal from the owner who was willing to sell it off at a good price. At that time, anyway.

My Dad did not allow me to take the car out on my own on my first attempt, mainly because it was rather heavy to handle and it was very much different than the car I was driving when I passed my driving test. I could handle the manual transmission (stick shift) but it was a different story altogether handling a big car like a Peugeot. So my Dad sat by my side while I drove the car out. Everything went well until I stopped at a junction and waited for the coast to clear before I turned left. Somehow I hit the gas pedal too fast while releasing the clutch, I momentarily lost control of the car, it swerved to the left, hit the curb and the car came to a halt. When we got out to check, one of the front tyres had gone flat! :( We had to get the tyre changed and my Dad drove home after that, obviously. I was a little bit paranoid about driving the Peugeot after that, choosing instead to drive my Mom’s smaller car. Once bitten, twice shy, they say.
Nevertheless, it was definitely an eye-opening experience driving Used Cars like the Peugeot, although it can be a mind-boggling one, depending on how you see it. You know what they say…. you never know what you’re gonna get! *wink*

Pining for the Silver Lining August 21, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 13comments

Is the silver lining a mere cliché or is there indeed really one somewhere out there? Because all I see now are dark, dark clouds that are slowly but menacingly rearing their ugly claws all around me. Waiting for that opportune moment when I am at my weakest to launch their deadly attack. There ain’t no silver lining, and no lining in any other color too that can be seen. Nuh-uh. Not from where I am standing…

And what about the saying, “Everything happens for a reason.” I myself have at many times said this in consolation to many a friend. I believe it to be true. But yet, I am still trying my best to say it to myself now. I know that God has a plan for me and that I should put everything into His Hands for now, because who am I to question Him?

Although these circumstances are making me call out in desperation, I endeavor to be strong at heart. It’s difficult and is taking every ounce of my weary being. I persevere. For that one last gasp attempt.

And I am hopeful. Still.

Hoping and praying that maybe,…just maybe…. that elusive silver lining will make its presence known. SOON. And when that happens, I will welcome it with open arms.

An Interesting Story….or is it? August 21, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Blogging, Rainmakers , 1 comment so far

Some bloggers blog for money
But all bloggers blog for popularity!

Isn’t that absolutely true? So how does one gauge the popularity of a blog? When I started blogging about a year or so ago, opening up my blog for comments was something that I did not do. It was pretty much a one-way traffic kind of thing, but then I revisited the idea and it occurred to me that blogging is not in the same vein as keeping a conventional diary. Where a diary totally prohibits comments, much less prying eyes, blogging is just the opposite. Because a blog is open for all the world to see, we bloggers are a proud bunch of people, and we totally live on blog popularity.

A blog’s popularity is not solely judged by the number of links in from other blogs, although that is one of the factors that is taken into consideration. Popular blogs are those that generate tons of comments, often from loyal readers or from thought-provoking posts. But then, do we crave for just mere comments or comments that add value to the integrity of the blog? I, for one, would like to know if a post I have taken the effort to churn out really made a difference in someone’s life. Or in fact, if it is at all interesting to my readers. Because when it comes to the crux of it, what good is a blog if it is just plain dreary, right?

So I was in for a treat when I discovered this really cool blog post ranking system called the ThoofRank. This ranking system is implemented by Thoof, which is a site that I feel was created with the everyday website user in mind. Upon registration, which by the way is free of charge, I get access to personalized news and articles submitted by other bloggers and users worldwide. With this ThoofRank system, I am able to now gauge how popular or interesting my post is in comparison to other posts of a similar topic. The ThoofRank is a measurement in percentage that shows how interesting a story is relative to other stories that have been submitted. So a ThoofRank of x% means that that particular story is in the x% bracket in terms of interest. You’ll want your story to be at least 50% to be above average in terms of interest! With this amazing ThoofRank badge, I can now have a surefire way to tell how interesting my post is. And for good posts, I can also proudly display the ThoofRank badge for a particular post on my blog, just for bragging rights! :) It’s definitely bound to make my blog popular!