Eating Out in a Kopitiam

I do not usually advocate eating out and what is going on out there should not be much of my concern. However, I itch to voice out what I feel about some hawkers serving Chinese food in kopitiams or food courts.

Every year the price of most Chinese cooked food rise by almost 10%. Never mind about the rise because the 'raw materials' are also getting more expensive. However, some hawkers are just too much. The food they serve has become poorer in quality and their attitudes worse.

The other day, the 'pork meehoon' that my husband ordered had too few pieces of pork in the soup. Poor him! I could see him trying to scoop out the pieces of meat out of the bowl as they 'swam' in it.  It was full of nothing but soup. For four ringgit, all he got was a few strands of 'meehoon' and a few thin pieces of pork. That was atrocious! He went home still hungry and had to buy a bun later to eat. What did I say, I told him. That pork must be air-flown from overseas, you know, like the Kobe beef. I had told him not to patronise the stall after the first time it had got to be so expensive but he would not listen.

Many hawkers do not serve the food themselves now and they employ Indonesian maids to help them. Often these maids or sometimes they themselves make mistakes but the customers will have to bear with them. If complains are brought to them, they are received with indifference. I remember there was once some news about a lady hawker being very haughty to her customer, and it was much publicised later.

Still these hawkers survive as there are too many people eating out, and some people understand little about good service, good hygiene and quality for money.

There was one chicken rice stall that I patronised last year and after that time, I have never gone back to it again. I was pissed off by the Myanmar worker who served the packet of rice to me. I requested for chicken breast meat and after taking the piece of meat down from the shelf, he started to cut it. He was cutting and slapping the meat on the chopping board as he did it.

Then he wiped his hands on the seemingly dirty looking apron he was wearing and his hands went back to the cut pieces again. He held all of them on his palms and put them into the styrofoam box of rice, pressing them down. I looked uneasingly as he prepared my order and when he handed me the rice, I told him I had changed my mind about buying it. I walked away quickly while putting back my money into my pocket. Of course, in return the Myannar shouted a stream of profanities after me. I was so embarrassed that I wished I had not decided to buy 'outside' food that day.

Besides that incident of the Myanmar 'playing' with the chicken meat, there was another bad antic of the 'beverage man' in a particular kopitiam . There was one whom I encountered when I went there for breakfast. A couple of times he had served my tea in a cracked cup and I only noticed it when I almost finished half of the drink. The hairline crack was very thin at the top but got thicker at the bottom. I was furious and immediately summoned the Indonesian maid to come and explain it. The reply made me even more furious. What is wrong with that, she asked. The cup had been cleaned and everybody used it without complains, she said. That was enough. I swore I would not step into another kopitiam again. I am not going to have substandard cleanliness spoil my day!

Evil on the Highways

What I am going to relate may have been stale news to some. However I am not going to leave 'any stones unturned' because there may be someone who is still not aware of the dangers other than the usual accidents caused by sheer carelessness of some drivers.

My jaw almost dropped off in surprise when I was told the first time because it had never occurred to me such things could happen. Whether they are whole truths or half truths, I suppose we shall use our discerning abilities to decide.  However, it is always better to prevent than to cure, so beware! 

I was told that some road accidents were 'planned'. The culprits behind these 'planned' road accidents were, as suspected by some policemen and some quarters who had the genes of Sherlock Holmes, none other than the car workshop mechanics, towtruck operators and fellows of related business.

A few fatal accidents were quoted as examples of 'planned' ones. In one, the survivor reported that the accident happened when the driver rammed into the divider and rolled over to the other side of the road while trying to avoid a tyre appearing from nowhere and coming towards their vehicle. Their vehicle was knocked into by an express bus which could not stop in time, killing the driver and two other passengers. What a heinuos act!

Another case which had just happened at the beginning of this month, involved three Indian nationals who purposely 'swiped' a Chinese man's car. The Chinese man offered to send the 'injured' man to the hospital but while on the way to the said hospital, the Indian national wanted to go home instead. The Chinese man , unsuspectingly, obliged and when he reached the 'injured' man's house, a group of about four men came out and grabbed hold of him. They shoved him into their house and forced him to give them his ATM card. He waited in the house while one of them went to withdraw money from a nearby machine. Later they took him in his car and abandoned him somewhere in the outskirts. His car was found in another spot. He was lucky to be alive for he could have lost his life if the Indian nationals were 'more evil'.

It reminds me to be careful while travelling alone in my own car on the highway. Someone who is on the motorbike or in a car may be your next enemy with 'planned' evil intentions.
Let's pray you are not the victim of the 'more evil' kind, who will not consider taking another's life a big deal. This 'evil' kind must be high on drugs or pills. Only God can help them!
　

Safer Travel By Express Bus Now

The Transport Ministry should be lauded for its never ending efforts to improve public transport. For the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, the ultimatum of their decades of struggle, after going through countless trials and mistakes, is the much improved terminal at Bandar Tasik Selatan, to name one.

I was impressed by the technology employed ,and the presence of the police personnel and security guards makes one feel safe and at ease. I remember how my parents used to worry each time I had to go to the old Puduraya Bas Terminal to take a bus to go to Johor Bahru. It was not a safe place and my parents used to describe the place as one that had 'the bad, the good and the ugly', meaning you would expect the worst criminal in your midst. Poor mum! It was no wonder that she had so much grey hair; it must be all that worrying about me, a young girl then, travelling all alone and there was no mobile phone to check on me once in a while.

I am really glad now that I shall no more be too worried about my children travelling outstation ,thanks to the Transport Ministry for making it safer.

For those intending to travel by express buses to the northern states, namely Perak, Kedah, Perlis or Penang, they must go to the renovated Puduraya Terminal which restarted its operation a week ago.

As for those heading south- Johor,Malacca or Singapore, they shall have to go to the Bandar Tasik Selatan Bus Terminal.

Revival

This picture is taken from a 1974 magazine.  Gosh! That means it was 37 years ago but look at the lady in the picture.  She belongs to 'now'!
Sister, if you have a dress which you think is out of date, don't give away yet!  You might regret later especially if you had loved it very much.  Keep it  properly for a while especially if it had cost you  a 'heap'.

 

Still a much loved style; love the colours,the blue against the yellow and white. Undoubtedly beautiful!

Published Procrastination

It is a delay of six years. The shop lot that I bought is still not ready despite many promises to get it delivered soon. Last December, I was told that I could get it by February 2011. Well, February came and went.

The shop lot looks almost the same except for the roller shutter which is rolled down and the place is used by the contractor to keep his things. The other day I saw a forklift carrying bricks to the front and was getting them ready to be put in. There seemed to be much activity on this side but nothing to do with the completion of the shop directly.

Months before they had used it to house the contract workers. Wooden compartments , each with its own door, were built inside the shop, about six of them. I saw an Indonesian worker going into one of them. A lady used the sink counter to put a gas stove where she cooked her meals.

The six years of just serving the bank the loan interest has robbed me of my freedom. Instead of collecting rental to cover the instalments or instead of starting a business in my own shop, now I am doing something far from what I had planned. While I am faithfully doing my part and patiently waiting with no aggressive action, it seemed that the contractors are shortchanging me. Shouldn't they, at least, write and ask for permission to use the premise for whatever purpose they want? The contract workers used the shop next door to rear chickens!

　

One's Dream House, Another's Pain in the Neck

  Ah Choi, my 'qi gong' friend, was looking very tired lately and I wondered what had happened to her. Was it her three month long absence from her 'qi gong' routine that had the better of her, I wondered.

I showed her my concern and invited her to have breakfast with me at our favourite mee stall. She was soon pouring out her woes to me. She was so vehement about the injustice done to her that her noodles went cold waiting for her to finish her story.

Her 'dream' house was 'shattered' by the massive renovation that was going on in the house next door. Her tiled walls cracked due to the weight of another half storey added to the one storey house next door. She was not very sure how it happened but she guessed it must be the 'lending' of her part of her house pillars or wall to carry the new weight.

Moreover, it was discovered lately, as it had been raining a lot, that most of the rain water from the roof of her neighbour's house drained onto hers and the amount was so great that it leaked into the ceiling. Her plaster ceiling was stained and spoilt. Poor Ah Choi!

I could understand how she felt because she was once a very proud owner of her newly renovated house. Now, it has become a pain more than a joy. A leaking house with cracked walls. It has become dangerous too because her wiring may be short circuited.
　

Four Ringgit I-phone!

I was savouring my morning breakfast at a 'kopitiam' the other day when I overheard the most
interesting piece of conversation.

Two elderly ladies were talking quite loudly as they compared how much each other had prepared
for the coming 'All Souls' Day', a Chinese festivity whereby the Chinese go to the graveyards and pay respects to their dead relatives.

One boasted about the numerous items she had bought for her dead mother.  It seemed her mother had told her in one of her dreams that she needed a communication device to connect with other relatives in Hell City-a few names were mentioned whom the other lady was familiar with.  She was contemplating of getting a handphone but the other lady suggested that that was out of date.  How about getting her a laptop, her friend asked, but that was rejected because the dead mother was not educated and did not know how to read nor write.

Finally, it was settled that she should get an I-phone which cost RM4 because it is the most 'in' thing to buy.
Sure or not, I heard her asking.

The Golden Heart

While some of us are irked by irregulaties of the law, others have the opinion that some irregularities will not be that 'sinful' due to 'humanitarian' reasons.

Sometimes it is bad if we take actions according to the book.  For instance, it is against the law
for someone to take the streets as one's abode.  You may be disgusted at the sight of dirty men , women or even children sleeping in alleys or under overhead bridges.  You may even think they are putting you or your country to shame or you may even want to complain to the authorities about them. Right that you may be that they are flouting the law but HOLD ON, are you sure that by taking the matter to the authority you are more right than them?

Have a heart, make sure they have somewhere to go before you attempt to chase them away.  Sometimes
they are not just taking the easy way out.  Sometimes it is just their inability to cope with problems. They could be lost, trying to cope with the demanding city life.  Similarly, we can have children who drop out of schools, we can also have grown-ups who 'drop out' of society.  They need our help and understanding.  We should not classify them as failures just because they could not keep up.

I feel Malaysians are generally kind because they do not complain about these people too much.
I see office workers passing by these poor souls and none of them ever jeered or sneered at them.  Some may even say a silent prayer as they pass by these helpless people.

 A proud country need not be one that looks so clean like a hospital. More importantly, it must be one that has a heart for its fellow citizens, rich or poor, whatever race, colour, religion or intelligence level. Of course I do not mean we will not be bothered about having a clean city.  Maybe a cleaner place will make these people without homes more comfortable while they temporarily take shelter on the streets.

Maybe we can follow the example of Japan where in Tokyo, there are box-like clean looking shacks which has space enough for one person to sleep in and to keep his very simple possessions of a few pieces of clothes , shoes, slippers, some bowls, plates , cutlery and maybe a small pot and portable stove. These are located at well paved non foul smelling river banks away from the sight of the public. Somewhere they are provided with public baths and toilets.  These are the very people who sweep and clean the city's road and parks.  I suppose these are more suitable for the males rather the females because I did not see any of the latter gender.  How well provided for, at least we are able to do away the unsightly beggar-like individuals sleeping on the walkways, back alleys or under bridges.  We do not have to pinch our noses as we walked past some old shops where they answered their nature's calls.
These pitiful people are someone's children or parents or uncles or aunts.  We will be very wrong if we show benevolence to people of other countries but remain blind to those in front of us. Here, I do not mean we do not help people of other countries but just a caution that we so often forget the ones so near to us.

  I am one who at one time was quick to judge and have now learnt that I was very wrong indeed!
Now, I am careful of judging people harshly when they break a rule or a law or two.  I must also remember not to judge too quickly.