IWA Christmas Bazaar

I recently went to this charity bazaar organised by the International Women's Association in Straits Quay. Just curious to see what was on sale there. The answer? Everything, from Christmas decorations to small pieces of furniture. The only thing I couldn't find was a double-barrel shotgun.

Most items on sale were related to the Jingle Bells season.

Save the planet. Buy a tree now!

There were some very nice decorative items on sale. Sadly I didn't buy any, because I didn't have any space in my room for them. They'll only end up collecting dust somewhere in my cupboard.

I like this one. The photo's blur cuz' my hands ain't steady.

Little houses, snow globes, reindeer plush toys...

Straits Quay has also been decorated to welcome the festive season. I didn't get much photos of the deco because there were too many people around. Inconvenient for taking pictures. I'll post more when I visit the place again next time. Yes, I like the place very much.

Lighting in the foyer.

They modified the lamp posts too.

Finally here's the most exciting part of my trip to Straits Quay.

Mars appeared above town! ALIENS!!!

Naah... that was just a large floating helium balloon. :P

Failed Raja Uda Tom Yam

Our friend Shun Mu came back from Kangarooland, and his first request was to go to Raja Uda for Tom Yam. My guess is either you don't get Tom Yam in Australia, or them Aussies do a horrible job when it comes to this Thai delicacy.

I've been to Raja Uda once, but that doesn't mean I know how to get there again. My sense of direction is about as good as my culinary skills, and suffice to say that the only reason I'm ever needed in the kitchen is because there are dishes to be washed.

Unfortunately, after arriving we realised that the 'original' Tom Yam wasn't open, so we had to settle for another Tom Yam stall. A counterfeit, you may say. The soup was just okay, but we ended up being charged an unusually high price. So next time, only go for the original. Don't ask me where the original is. Mesa sense of direction no good. I agak agak only.

After that we went for a walk at some sort of pasar malam. It wasn't a full fledged night market. There weren't many stalls. But I don't know what else to call it.

Eu Zha Koay!

We got some of that stuff on top. Apparently there's a stall famous for it, and for good reason. I've never tasted Eu Zha Koay as good as the ones over there. I can tell you the stall is somewhere opposite a Caltex station, on the same road as the Tom Yam. That's all the info I can give you.

Si Ko Th'ng

I haven't had Si Ko Th'ng for a very long time. It was an excellent thirst-quencher after walking around the night market. Sadly though there was nothing special about this dessert over in Raja Uda. You can get better versions of it in Penang Island (for a higher price).

Also, if you get bored after the night market you can go to the alley behind, where there is a makeshift stage. You'll get to enjoy some singing if there is a celebration on for whatever deity in the area. That, or the singing will make you even more bored.

Wei Zhe's Birthday

It's time for another birthday post. This time the birthday boy is none other than

This guy (left. I don't know the guy on the right).

His cake was a birds' nest, complete with its wingless owners desperately in need of anger management. Cakes with cartoons are getting popular with people our age, it appears.

Pissed-off, flightless birds.

Make a wish. He looks kinda cute in this photo :P

Despite stuffing ourselves with Japanese food that came in not-so-small portions, we still managed to finish the cake, though the process was downright ugly.

The demolition squad doing their work.

And of course, true to our tradition, no birthday is complete without a...

...group photo!

It's hard to believe that one more year and we'll all be 21. No longer the little kids we used to be, we'll be eligible voters, and the word 'casino' probably won't sound so foreign anymore. Not that I'd go there though. I'm way too stingy. Heheh

The Little Boy

He walks up to a mirror, this little, young man

he sees his own reflection, and holds out his hand.

This is not me, he says,

And this is not the only me.

For though the hands touched he knew,

they were separated by glass unseen.

Behind the glass lay reality,

and no matter how he tried, he could never step there.

He smiles and his reflection smiles back,

but somehow the smiles were different.

He knows he is observed,

by him , and him, and they.

They were similar, but different.

Very different.

So he asks himself if he should hold on

and perhaps, just perhaps cross into reality.

He knew he could cross, but he would never be the same.

He risked being incomplete.

But then again, he knew that to discover, he had to discard.

Such was life.

He was cursed to walk alone,

though he never really was alone.

For they were him and he was them,

and they who gave him the courage were now giving him fear.

He is confused.

His knowledge was his power, but now it was his curse.

And because of that, he knew if he lost himself,

he would never be able to come back.

The mirror told him a thousand stories

that only he understood.

They were all stories without endings.

These unfinished tales were heavy as gold,

but not the least bit as precious.

He wished he could let go.

He once could,

but that once seemed another dimension away.

Just like the boy in the mirror.

The thousand stories were a thousand tears,

some of which were replaced by blood.

He had no other choice.

He had to discard to discover.

But not everything can be forgotten.

He has come this far,

regardless of how he got here.

In the end, he will have to discard

himself.

He prays it will not happen,

his fading glimmer was his prayer.

For the times he died

And the times he knows he'll have to

In return for an exchange

Transforming his dreams

Home towards his reality.

They always said he was complicated.

How he wished they were wrong.

Paranormal Activity III

Although this is already the third installment in the series, it's the first Paranormal Activity I've ever watched. I skipped the first two because movies filmed using hand-held video recorders make me dizzy. Parts of the alien movie District 9 made me feel as though I've been on a merry-go-round spinning at 3x light speed.

Demonssssssssss...

This time I was wrong. The movie didn't make me dizzy. I actually found it quite entertaining (yeah call me a psycho if you want to). I heard it's not as good as the previous movies in the series, but obviously I'm in no position to make such a comparison.

It seems they managed to do everything without using special effects. I'm interested in knowing how they suspended a whole bunch of kitchen utensils in mid-air, before letting it all fall to the floor (very loudly). That plus a lot of flying furniture and floating objects makes me think they have an unlimited supply of invisible string at their disposal. Maybe I can borrow some to suspend my goldfish bowl over my study table.

Highly recommended for those who want to see a a ghost/demon without actually seeing one, and for those who believe their mother-in-laws are evil witches. Also recommended to those who want to know what a demon kid's face looks like. I hope I'm not giving off too many spoilers.

Mangoes

Mangoes, just like people, exist in all shapes and sizes. You have the larger ones and the smaller ones. Some look cute, while some are pure butt-ugly. So here are a few examples to illustrate.

This is a small mango.

This is a medium-sized one.

This is a...well... oversized one.

And, when I put the smallest mango on top of the largest ones, it looks like this:

Comparison.

And in case you're wondering, yes our family loves mangoes. That's why we have so many types at home. The largest ones were given by relatives. I have been thinking whether those were genetically modified. I've never seen mangoes that big. Hell you could literally knock someone's head off with those.