Anticipating the Year of the Tiger

I love Kuala Lumpur for the variety of food it offers, never mind the traffic jams. A food lover will always go to where the good food is, traffic jam or otherwise.

The little roadside stalls also have their attractions, now that the Chinese New Year is a few weeks away. All the must-haves are now on sale, ranging from assorted cookies to waxed duck, sausages, etc. Chinatown is glowing red with all the house decorations on which are printed auspicious words to usher in a prosperous new year.


Flowers, fresh or artificial are a must, especially the peonies, peach blossoms and pussy willows.


The streets are also decorated with red lanterns and the pavement outside the Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur has its “peach blossom trees”.


Outside the main entrance is the lovely crystal fountain against the backdrop of long strings of red lanterns.


Most of the clothing for kiddies as well as for adults are red too!! Red is an auspicious color for the Chinese so come the New Year, you will find many people donned in red. I’ve bought a couple of outfits in red too! In my grandmother’s time, no one ever sees or hears of a grandma dressed in red! Greys and blues were their colours. I’ve also bought the traditional red Chinese apparel for my granddaughter. She loves those.

However photos of these clothes will only be taken when they are worn during the Chinese New Year.

If you come from a Chinese ethnic background, you will be busy preparing to usher in the New Year which falls on February 14 and coincides with Valentine’s Day. So have you got your new clothes yet? Have you got the red packets to be given out as “ang pows” on the 1st day of the New Year? Crisp new bank notes?
These are to be inserted into the red packets and the amount varies according to your pockets! If you have very deep pockets, you can be generous and give a large sum of money. The children will love you for it!


So are you looking forward to the Chinese New Year? We will be welcoming in the Year of the Tiger and everyone is hoping it will come in with a big roar, bringing with it prosperity, peace and goodwill. I read somewhere that a Tiger Dance will be making its debut this year, instead of the usual lion dance. I hope to witness this!

Shopping is Fun!

Today my daughter and I went shopping!

It can be very tiring, trying out one dress after another. We spent about 2 hours in one shop, trying out the various garments the saleslady brought out for us to try.

She has a good eye and I must say that the dresses she selected for my daughter to try were very pretty indeed. She brought out casual wear and dinner wear in lovely colours and styles.

My daughter looked very elegant in the light green gown. On the rack it didn't look that great but when she put it on, it became striking. The color was vivid and she really looked elegant in it.

Oh, to be young again and be able to carry those creations! Yesterday after having lunch with my Kuala Lumpur golf buddy, she took me to a small shopping mall and one of the boutiques there had some lovely dresses but not for our age range. It really made us wish that we were 20 years younger! Then we would have been able to wear those lovely high heels and wiggle and strut our stuff!! However, the clock does not go backwards. So we shook our heads regretfully and walked out to console ourselves over a cup of delicious rainbow ice-kacang. ( an iced concoction of jellies, red beans, ice-cream, sweet corn, atap seed) Strange how food always makes us feel better, huh?

I purchased an evening gown while my daughter bought the casual and evening wear. She bought me a shawl to go with my gown. We're busy shopping for clothes as the Chinese New Year is around the corner and my son is also getting married this year. So there is a reason to go shopping.

I must say that my daughter looked gorgeous in all the outfits she tried on. It was hard not to buy all of them. However the saleslady gave us a good discount and the alterations are done for free.

Photos will have to wait until the occasion arises when the clothes will be worn. Shopping is fun and therapeutic. I'm almost recovered from the bout of food poisoning and have been enjoying my food once more.

Star fruit and Sweet Potatoes- poisonous combo?

I’m having a bout of food poisoning. It all began with breakfast. I had a few pieces of starfruit followed by steamed sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes contain complex carbohydrates plus other nutrients and I thought it was good for me. These were washed down with warm water. I don’t take coffee or tea at breakfast time.I felt good having eaten the fruit and the sweet potatoes.

Then at about 11 a.m. the pains began, just after I boarded my flight. The upper part of my abdomen had sharp pains and I felt very uncomfortable. I thought it was gastric pains brought about by my having ingested a painkiller the previous day for the aftermath of a steroid injection in my elbow.

The airhostess who noticed my distress, kindly gave me 2 tablets to chew, thinking that it would help alleviate the pain. However it didn’t. She gave me a couple of buns and hot milo instead of the usual lunch. I ate part of it. Soon I felt feverish.

Once we disembarked, I took a cab back home and rushed to the toilet where I vomited for the next two hours. Sweat was running down profusely yet I felt very cold.Those of you who have had vomitting spells will know how awful it is, throwing up and sometimes retching without anything coming up. The pain didn’t get any better and I lay down, exhausted. I must have dozed off for the next thing I heard was the key in the door.

My daughter had returned and when she felt my forehead, she said I was very hot. So she sent me to the doctor who prescribed some medication and gave me a jab to ease the pain.

She said I should not have eaten the sweet potatoes as they have a lot of wind.
My abdomen had a lot of wind, she said and she gave me some pills to remove the wind and told me to go on a light diet of bread and plenty of water for the next couple of days. She also said that people who have gastric should not eat starfruit. I told her I do not have gastric but it could have come about because of the painkiller.

I believe I did blog about the starfruit sometime back. It’s a lovely fruit but it contains a neurotoxin that is not present in other fruits. This toxin affects the brain and nerves.

A healthy person is able to filter the toxin out of his system but those who have kidney problems are not able to remove the toxin and the consequences can be fatal. The symptoms of starfruit poisoning are: hiccups, numbness and weakness, confusion, agitation and in some cases, epileptic fits.

So those who love starfruit, like me, do beware.

I’m still not ok yet as the pain comes back and there is still a bit of fever and I feel very lethargic. It could have been the unwise combination of these two types of food. I've always had starfruit without any problems. This is the first time I've eaten both starfruit and sweet potatoes together so I'm inclined to think that this is a bad combination leading to food poisoning.

If You Have a Heart Attack.....

How does one know if one is having a heart attack?

Let me share with you the contents of an email that I received.

Besides the pain on the left arm, there are other symptoms of a heart attack.
There is an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating.

However these symptoms may also occur less frequently.

Do note that there may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack... The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep, did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep.

If that happens, you should immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water.

There is now a new type of aspirin.


Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve under the tongue and these work much faster than the tablet form.

If you're on your own, phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by and inform them that you've had a heart attack and that you've taken 2 aspirins. Then sit near the front door and wait for their arrival. Do not lie down.

Whoever comes to help you will have to send you to the hospital for further treatment.

So I guess it's good practice to keep aspirins by your bedside as you never know....

Tips to Lose Weight before Chinese New Year

Are you one of those who are on the heavy side and need to lose some weight? The Chinese New Year is just around the corner and it will be one big round of reunions, open houses and ‘eat, Eat, EAT ’. That translates into more kilos, Kilos, KILOS of weight. Guess where all that excess baggage will land? Around the tummy of course! Or on the bum!

So before the festive season arrives, we should lose some weight. Then we can eat and eat to do the food justice. Otherwise, you will definitely have to get a new wardrobe before the season ends. Remember, it’s a 15-day festival!

So let’s see what we can do to start shedding the kilos.

Here are 5 proven tips to help you .
1. Have a regular exercise routine.

It will boost your metabolism and help you to burn more calories daily! When you
burn additional calories, you lose more weight. Try to exercise 3-5 times per
week,spending 30 minutes in each session.

You can include some moderate weight lifting exercises to build lean muscle
mass. As you increase your endurance, you should increase the time spent on
exercising and the intensity during your workouts.

2. Eat a well balanced diet.

Make sure you eat a well-balanced diet, incorporating protein, fruits,
vegetables and whole grains.

3. Reduce your calorie intake.

When you consume fewer calories than you expend, you will lose weight.
Forget about cakes, chocolates and ice-cream for the next few weeks!

4. Eat smaller portions more frequently.

Eat 6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals. This ensures that
your metabolic rate is high all day long and you will continue to burn calories.
Doing this daily will make it a habit and this will help to maintain your weight
loss levels.

5. Include acai berry into your daily diet.

This is a great way to hasten your weight loss results. The acai berry promotes
natural weight loss while giving you many health benefits because of its
components.

By following these 5 easy tips, you will be well on your way to achieving your desired weight loss goals.

While weight loss is challenging for some people, those who consistently follow the tips will experience greater weight loss and keep the weight off over the long term.

Now where can you get the pure acai berry weight loss supplement?


Swing by to http://peggy-chan.com/blog to read more about the pure acai berry and where you can get it.

Happy weight loss!

English can Tickle your Ribs!

Hi,

Need a cup of cheer?

When something has been translated literally from the mother tongue into English, you can get hilarious situations such as the following, which I would like to share with you.

No offence is meant to anyone. The humour arises from the incorrect translation. I hope you have a good laugh as I did when I received these in an email. They are notices taken from different parts of the world.


In a hotel in Japan:

YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.


In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:

YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY

From an advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand:

WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?

In an airline ticket office in Copenhagen:

WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

In a laundry in Rome:

LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.

In a cemetery:

PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.

A Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations

GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:

OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.

In a Tokyo bar:

SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.

In a City restaurant:

OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.

In a Nairobi restaurant:

CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER

In a dry cleaner’s in Bangkok:

DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.

In a cocktail lounge in Norway:

LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.

In a Bangkok temple:

IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A
FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.

On a poster at Kencom:

ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.


This is a good reminder to use proper English. A direct or literal translation will only convey the wrong message!!

A Weakness but also a Weapon

Have you ever found yourself in a situation which you wish you weren’t in?

I remember the occasion when I attended the funeral of a friend’s spouse. I didn’t want to go but felt obligated to do so as she is a friend and we used to teach together in the same school for many years.

My reluctance wasn’t because of the lack of sympathy but more because of the fact that I cannot see people cry without shedding tears myself. Somehow the sight of tears in another’s eyes is enough to put my tear glands into overdrive.

Before reaching the church where the funeral service was held, I bit my lips and resolved not to disgrace myself by crying. However, when I saw my friend and her children shedding tears of grief, my own came gushing out no matter how hard I bit my lip to stop the tears from spilling over.

It was so very embarrassing especially when her spouse was just a nodding acquaintance at the golf club. I couldn’t help but notice the looks of surprise among the attendees when they saw the copious tears running down my cheeks. I was really annoyed with myself and from that day I decided not to attend any more funerals.

I’m such a stupid cry baby. I cry when I read books, I cry when I go to the movies. My spouse used to laugh at me for paying money to go and cry in the cinema. Even watching tv can be a crying experience. To be so emotional over a fictitious scene on the screen is silly and a weakness. But not all women cry when they watch movies. That’s a bonus because their eyes aren’t swollen or red when the lights come back on.

However there was one exception. I recall how a teacher’s tears did not move me at all when she came to my office to request for a transfer to another state where her betrothed was teaching in a small town. I turned her down because I could not afford to lose a Biology teacher teaching the examination class. Instead I suggested that her betrothed get a transfer so that he could avail himself of the facilities available in a bigger town to further his studies and get a university degree on par with hers. Thankfully she took the advice and my school retained a good teacher.

Perhaps on that occasion when one was sitting on the other side of the desk, and the students’ welfare was on the line, the tears were kept in check. The teacher had thought that tears could be used to achieve her objective but fortunately I was able to harden my heart.

Children are adept at using tears to get what they want. They cry, shriek and throw tantrums to embarrass their mothers into giving in.

So are some women whose tears will weaken a man’s resolve. “Please, please don’t cry. I can’t stand it when you cry.” Sound familiar?

However, a word of advice to my fellow sisters, don’t use that tactic too often. It will lose its potency. Ever heard this? “Hum la, pie pie hum. Hum toh pau, choi lei toh gnong. Sei hum pau.” ( Cry la, always crying, cry all you want, to take any notice of you is stupid. Uselss cry baby)

Use it sparingly and its effect can surprise you.

Melting Moments

No one can say that the life of a teacher is dull. Going to school and having your day dictated by the bell that punctuates the timetable can be mundane routine but once you return to the staffroom, tales from your peers either horrify you or have you dissolve in helpless laughter.

Even marking exercise books, especially English essays, very often a sea of red ( corrections are done in red ink, why, I really don't know ) has its melting moments.
Spelling errors can be a source of humour and literal translations from the mother tongue often lands you in stitches if not frustration.

"Huh?...." I hear a colleague wonder. "This guy's trying to rape a parcel!"

"Ai yah, it's wrap, lah!" says another colleague.

"Hey, listen to this! Can you fathom this? 'My mother buy a four tail chicken for Hari Raya' ( a festival )."

Ever heard of chickens with four tails? Does a chicken have a tail in the first place?

After eleven years of schooling and English lessons, this is what an English teacher often gets from his students.

Another classic is "I'm going to eat wind tomorrow". Hello? When can one eat wind? Open one's mouth when the wind is blowing and take a big gulp?

The 'four-tail chicken' actually had us puzzled for a while. Then the penny dropped. It's direct translation!! From Bahasa Melaysia to English. In Bahasa you say "empat ekor ayam" which means four chickens but because the student translated it literally, it became a four-tail chicken!

Oho! Now I see why it is "eat wind"! It is the literal translation of "makan angin" which means "an outing".

I guess such hilarious moments make up for a stressful day at times.

Being a language teacher these days is very challenging especially when you have a mixed-ability class of 45 students.

But when you have a really good class, it is such a joy to impart your knowledge to them. What I enjoyed most in my years as a teacher was the teaching of English Literature to the upper secondary and form six students. That was when the medium of instruction was still in English and we had meaningful discussions of themes and symbolism in plays and poetry. I especially enjoyed reading Shakespeare with my classes. The tragedies have a special place in my heart.

Gone are those days. The level of English proficiency among the students is very low these days and some teachers of the English Language are not proficient themselves. It is a shame that the youngsters are no longer able to hold their own when it comes to communicating in this international language that is so important.

You need to use it even when you surf the Net, you need it for the latest information, you need to be good in it if you want to progress in your career, etc etc.

My stint in teaching English Grammar in a teacher-training college made me realise the urgent need for a simple English Grammar Handbook that could help a person, be he a student or an adult, learn how to use the English language correctly. I authored this handbook and a series of English grammar books that contained exercises to familiarise learners with English Grammar.




Lucky are those who have parents who can afford to get good tutors for them, and luckier are those whose parents are good in the language and can guide them in learning it and its usage.

The simplest method to improve is to read and read and READ. By so doing a student can learn the structures, the vocabulary, and even the style of writing. When he reads, he slowly internalises how the language is structured and used. This is where the public libraries and school libraries play an important role. The teacher has to take her charges to the library and show them how to use it and help them to select the books that are suitable for their level. This is important so that they will not be frustrated. Reading a book that is beyond their ability will kill the joy of reading and effectively, the desire to learn the language.