Valentine's Day and Chap Goh Meh

Let me introduce to you Valentina Kim, a lovely lass who was born on Valentine's Day.

The 27-year-old runs Kim's Florist and Floral Supplies, established in 1981, at Jalan Sungai Chat in Johor Bahru. 

Valentina Kim (centre) with me and Norbaiti Phaharoradzi

At Kim's Florist, luscious red roses are the best-sellers for Valentine's Day.  A bouquet with 101 roses, where a single white rose is found among 100 red ones, translates to "You're my one and only."
By the way, a bouquet like that costs RM950.

This year's "Chap Goh Meh", which is the 15th day of the Chinese New Year celebration, also falls on Feb 14.  Some have dubbed the last day of the CNY as the Chinese version of Valentine's Day.

In the old days, Chinese girls are not allowed to go out on their own.  But on "Chap Goh Meh", they get to go for a stroll, albeit chaperoned, in the hope of finding love.  Single ladies also get to throw Mandarin oranges into the river for single men to pick up.  This tradition is still practiced today among the Chinese community.

Come Friday, I, too, will celebrate this day but I pretty much doubt there'll be roses or Mandarin oranges.  It'll be a quiet day with

My Valentine

A Happy Boring Day

Don't forget to head over to Setia Eco Cascadia, Johor Bahru, for the SP Setia's Carnival on Feb 15.  If you're lucky, you may just win yourself an iPad Air or an iPad Mini.

It'll be a wonderful way to bond with family and friends at this fun-filled outing.

The article appeared in today's JOHOR STREETS (a pullout of the New Straits Times)

By CHUAH BEE KIM

ATTRACTIONS: The event will feature 150 performers, a special lion dance and a Candy Street with giant lollipops

JOHOR BAHRU: EXPERIENCE the "Festive Colours of SP Setia" at the Setia Eco Cascadia Show Village on Saturday from 5pm to 10pm. The event is organised by property developer SP Setia Bhd Group and will feature 150 performers ranging from fire eaters, samba dancers, stilt walkers, cheerleaders, bhangra drummers and Spanish masqueraders.
  SP Setia property division (south) general manager Hoe Mee Ling said the fun-filled street carnival will also feature a dragon and light emitting diode (LED) lion dance performance.
  Hoe said the children will be captivated by Candy Street, which has been filled up with thousands of sweets. She said that visitors will also be enthralled by the numerous giant lollipops standing three metres in height at the entrance. There are also candy seats which is a waiting area for parents while their kids explore Candy Street.
  "Also, look out for the balloon candy trees that line the walkway and Candy House, where visitors can redeem free candy, popcorn and cotton candy. "To make the experience a memorable one, visitors can head to the 40-metre wide three-dimensional wall to snap a photograph. The wall can fit 50 faces.
  "After the snapshots are taken, visitors can collect them at the counter," she added. Visitors can also check out the Face and Body Painting booth as well as the Sand Art area. Children will also have a fun time playing the Inflatable Game. There will also be a limited number of free Chinese New Year goodie bags.
  If you have been dreaming of buying the iPad Air or iPad mini, these two gadgets are going to be among the lucky draw prizes.
  Meanwhile, the developer is also opening new double-storey terrace houses and bungalow show houses for viewing. Home owners are entitled to a one-day special bonus worth up to RM30,000 for bookings made during the event.

***

 LUNCHTIME INDULGENCE: Grilled Norwegian Salmon.  

Grilled Norwegian Salmon

OMG! An Angry Note

"I'm sorry for the fate that has befallen your family, but that is the result of your karma."

"Through your actions you have confessed to others that you're evil"

"You need medication more than divine intervention."

These were just some of the words from a note that I had stumbled upon yesterday.

OMG! Where was all this anger coming from?

It's not that I was poking my nose into other people's business but the note was put out for all to see.  So, I guess it should be ok for me to give my two cents on the matter.

Clearly the person who penned the note must have been in a state of extreme and utter anger to churn out such a dazzling display of talent for cussing.  Dwelling in such a state only causes distress, depression and maybe even dementia, in the long-term.

However, there are lessons to learn from this angry note.

I write too when I am angry, and say things that I would not have said when unprovoked.  It's best not to re-act when consumed by anger, but sometimes we let our emotions take over.  And I guess the ocassional vent is acceptable. "Drama drama a bit".

But if you can, always try to be mindful of what you're doing or are about to do.  I know too much thinking also holds one back, but think of the consequences before embarking on any action.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (Science) and there is the law of cause and effect (Religion). 

Have a good day everyone. 

Hot Sauce Experiment

Today is sambal making day.  I'm experimenting really.  I am making two variations of sambal.

Sambal 1 (Recipe)

15 fresh chillies
three limes
a piece of belacan (dried shrimp paste cake)
salt and sugar

Put the cut chillies into the blender.  Add a cupful of water with squeezed lime juice and a spoonful of sugar and salt and blend at low speed.

Meanwhile toast a piece of belacan in the frying pan.  Pour the blended mixture (not too fine) into the pan with the belacan and fry till the spicy condiment looks and smells nice.

No cooking oil was used for the sambal.

Here are the two sambal that I made today.  In case you're wondering where's the recipe for Sambal 2 where dried chillies, garlic, ginger and onions were some of the ingredients... errr, I think that one didn't turn out well.

At least one sambal was a success. Yes!

Feb 15 Street Party in Setia Eco Cascadia

If you haven't made any plans yet, mark Saturday (Feb 15, 2014) in your calendar for the "Festive Colours of SP Setia" street carnival from 5pm to 10pm at the Show Village of Setia Eco Cascadia in Johor Bahru.

There will be 3D fireworks set to blow your mind, and 150 street performers who will entrall and captivate you.  There will be fire eaters, Spanish masqueraders, Samba dancers, stilt walkers, cheerleaders, lion and dragon dance performances as well as lucky draws with attractive prices such as an iPad Air and an iPad mini to be won.

Children will love the inflatable games and Candy Street which will have an array of sweets.  There will be activities like sand art and face and body painting.
 

Setia Eco Cascadia

And if you decide you want to stay in this paradise, the Aurora double-storey houses and bungalow units are open for viewing and booking during the "Festive Colours of SP Setia" event.

The Bungalow Show Unit at Setia Eco Cascadia

An artist impression of the backlane garden of the Aurora unit.  If you book a unit on Feb 15, 2014, you are entitled a special bonus worth up to RM30,000.

Don't miss the opportunity, and don't miss the fun.  See ya on Feb 15.

For further info on the development, go to Setia Eco Cascadia

The Monkey King

The TGV cinema at Bukit Indah, Johor Baru, was packed yesterday.  Tickets for The Monkey King was all sold out for the 8.30pm screening, so I had to watch the 9.30pm show.  The previous day, both the 8.30pm and 9.30pm shows were fully booked when I got there at around 5pm.

I have always been a big fan of Donnie Yen.  The Hong Kong action star has such awesome moves.  My all-time favourite Donnie Yen movie --- SPL --- love the knife-baton fight scene in the alley.

Donnie Yen then went on to star in movies like "Seven Swords", "Ip Man" and "Dragon Tiger Gate".

In the Monkey King, the story of Sun Wukong started with the battle between Good and Evil, and how the protagonist was born from the crystal of a deva/goddess.

Sun Wukong has many negative traits such as arrogance, brashness and impudence, but he also has a big heart and cares for the well-being and happiness of all, not only his own.  Both the dark forces and the light wanted him on their side, but eventually it is Sun Wukong who has to decide which side he wants to serve.

The Underworld resorted to trickery while the Heavenly beings offered free will.

The CGI effects was nothing to shout about but the storyline and  Donnie Yen's stellar portrayal of Sun Wukong deserved a thumbs-up.  There were also moments where I had burst out in laughter.

The Monkey King reportedly grossed $1.8 mil on Jan 31 and took in $20 mil throughout China on the first day of the Chinese New Year. And it garnered $4.5 mil during the three-day CNY weekend holiday in China.

The film will undoubtedly achieve number 1 status in both the Malaysia and Singapore's box office.