The Good & Bad

We haven't had rain since before the Chinese New Year. It's been almost 2 months of scorching sun mercilessly turning the green grass into dry brown wasteland.


Flowers too are not spared. One of my rose plants is dead and so is the hibiscus.

Other flowers have diminished in size. The lovely lilac flowers from the anti-cancer plant (chart sim chim) have less clusters and smaller blooms.


Some of the leaves have dropped off, exposing the deadly spike clusters.


However, the ixora have bloomed more. THe heat has brought out beautiful heads of red flowers. In some gardens you can see more flowers than leaves.


THe bougainvillea too are blooming in full glory. Some plants have shed their leaves, leaving behind flowers only.


My jasmine plant has brought forth lovely flowers. At the end of the stems are cluster of 3-4 buds. Their sweet scent pervades the air, wafted by the sea breeze.



Thus while some plants shrivel and wither under the onslaught of the current heat wave, others have thrived. Not unlike the humans where some throw in the towel when circumstances turn bad while others choose to make lemon out of lemonade.

At the Hospital

Have you ever been to a government-run general hospital to see a doctor?

The average waiting time is about three hours, if you’re lucky.

First, you have to queue to register and before you can get a queue number to see a doctor, you have to pay at the payment counter (unless you are a government pensioner) which opens later than the registration counter. Then having got a number, you sit patiently to wait for your turn, if you can find any empty seats left. That’s one reason to go early!

Most of the people who come to the hospital are accompanied by members of their families and children.
Some are in wheel chairs, some on crutches and even a couple on stretchers. Such is the motley crowd that sit or stand, waiting for their turn. A few have their heads buried in newspapers but the majority will have their eyes glued to the small screen that will flash the queue numbers when the doctors begin their clinics. Some doctors do their ward rounds before their clinics so add another two hours to your waiting time.

The noise level is bearable except when you have babies bawling or small children running about and shouting like all kids do. In the background are sounds coming from the t.v. screen suspended from the ceiling. I wonder if anyone ever watches or listens.

Many people are lost in thought as they ponder over their health, oblivious to the noises around them. What they have in common is the look on their faces, quiet resignation. All know that they have to wait and wait in stoic silence.
If you don’t want to wait then you have to see a private doctor which will cost you a lot more. At the government hospital you only pay a nominal sum and the medication is free. Malaysians are ever so lucky!

After you get your prescription from the doctor you move on to the pharmacy, hand in your prescription and get a queue number. Then you squeeze into a seat among the crowd who are waiting to get their medication. It is quieter here by comparison. Everyone is lost in thought.

Everyone has the same look of resignation, some even have a dazed look, knowing they may have to wait up to at least another hour before their queue numbers are called and flashed on the screen.

As in the other waiting room, here all eyes are also glued to the small screen, willing their numbers to be called sooner than later. Specialist drugs take a longer time to be dispensed so you don’t see the queue numbers going in sequence.

So if you ever go to the hospital, be prepared to spend half a day waiting. It’s just wait, wait and wait. You don’t even dare to go to the toilet, or the canteen ( they are far away), just in case your number is flashed while you are not there. We were there yesterday, from 07:30 and left only at 13:00.

Welcome to Alice's Wonderland!

Mid-Valley is one of my favorite malls. It's easy to park and not far from my daughter's place. This time there is a beautiful showcase in the Centre Court where Alice in Wonderland is being promoted.

It's truly Wonderland with all its toadstools and flowers with faces.



There's also the setting for the tea party.


The backdrop showed Alice, a grownup Alice and not the little girl who fell down the rabbit hole and found herself in Wonderland.


There were many people eagerly snapping photographs and little children who were enchanted by the lovely setting.

Hmmmm...I might just go and watch the movie too.

Travelling, anyone?

Low cost carriers with cheap airfares have made air travel more accessible these days. With the dollars saved, one can visit more places.

If you are not fussy and are prepared to endure some discomfort in return for cheaper fares than the more expensive full-service flights, then travelling on no-frills flights shouldn't be a problem.

What can you expect from a low-cost carrier flight?

You can get some good bargains with airfares and hotel accomodation combined when offers crop up every now and then, online. However, children above the age of two have to pay adult fares.

Online bookings are straightforward and convenient. With a no-frills flight, it means that you pay for the basic airfare and the airport tax. You need to pay extra if you have baggage to check in and if you wish to reserve a seat, you have to pay for that privilege. Otherwise you sit where you are assigned when you check in and more often than not, it will be right at the back of the plane, near the toilets. Meals on board can also be pre-ordered online, or you can choose to purchase inflight.

In Malaysia, the discomfort is having to walk under the hot sun to board your aircraft or when it rains, you are likely to get wet, even though umbrellas are provided. The aircraft also has comparatively less leg room so those who are tall and have long legs will find it very cramped and uncomfortable, especially if the flight is more than two hours' duration.

However, as everyone knows, you get what you pay for.

There is healthy competition among aircraft carriers and the traveller gets to choose whichever suits his budget and travel schedule. Sometimes flights are timed at unearthly hours, so it is up to you. You can mix and match, using different carriers.

Bon voyage!

Cool Down with Barley, Gingko & Dried Tofu Sheet

The days are horrendously hot now and the heat haze contains minute particles
which irritate our throats. A faint smell of smoke lingers in the early morning
air, a sign that fires are burning somewhere. It’s so dry that spontaneous
combustion takes place.

Our body systems get heated up as well and there is no better way to cool down than to partake of the sweet dessert comprising barley, gingko and dried tofu sheet. ( Pakor, imai fuchuk ) This sweet can be taken at any time of the day and it cools down the system.

You need a handful of gingko nuts, half a handful of barley pearls, one dried tofu sheet, some honeycomb rock sugar ( I used 2 lumps ) and 2 screwpine leaves ( pandan leaves ).



Crack the gingko nuts open carefully so that the soft kernel inside is not smashed.

Cut open the kernels and remove the center shoot. If you don’t do this, the kernels will taste bitter.


Crush the dried tofu sheet into small pieces.



Wash all the ingredients except the rock sugar and bring to boil in a pot of water. (water level half to two thirds of a medium-size pot ) The screwpine leaves give a nice aroma.

Boil over medium fire for about half an hour ( the barley should have softened and bloated ), sweeten with rock sugar . Serve when cool.


This can be eaten cold or warm. It tastes delicious when cold.


I cook this three times a week. Barley is a great kidney cleanser and also has a cooling effect.

Shops that offer Asian desserts will have this one on their menu but they often do not add the dried tofu sheet.. It tastes better with the tofu. The crushed tofu sheet will dissolve if boiled a longer time but many people prefer to see small pieces of the tofu sheet in the dessert. You have to get the correct type of tofu sheet as some dried ones will ot dissolve and don’t taste nice.

Try this out. It’s good for you. Better than the fattening ice-cream!