I am a Filipina but Malaysia has been my home since 1993. Yes, home, complete with all the warm, fuzzy feelings that go with the word. I don’t hesitate to call Malaysia as my home, even if my PR application is still pending despite having lived here for the past 15 years, having married a Malaysian, and having borne and given birth to 5 Malaysian children.
I will always love the Philippines, the place where I was born, but I’d very much prefer to stay in Malaysia for good.
Why do I love Malaysia so much? I’ve thought about it late one night and quickly narrowed it down to three reasons:
1. Malaysia has excellent infrastructure. The roads and highways are wonderful. The world-class banking system offers all sorts of perks and services — internet banking, cash deposit machines (they don’t have them in Indonesia!), debit cards, sukuk financing, among a few. The ports are efficient — it only takes 2 to 3 days to clear a container in Port Klang versus the agonizing 10 to 14 days wait for shipments arriving at Jakarta’s Tanjung Priok port. True, there’s still some red tape in Malaysian government offices, but the Immigration Department can issue a passport within just an hour. How’s that for efficiency? Despite a few grouses or two, things still get done most of the time in Malaysia…yet the cost of living remains relatively low. Singapore, for instance, may have a superior public transport system, but I wince at the cost of a food there. Everything works like Swiss clockwork in Europe but it’s too darn expensive. Thus, for me, Malaysia is the place to live in, invest in and do business in.
2. Malaysia is green. Just before reaching KLIA, you are greeted by a green carpet, which turns out to be fields of palm trees as the plane goes lower. They line the highways and the smallest kampung roads. But they’re not just in the kampung — you go into the city and you find trees, plants and flowers everywhere. KL’s City Hall a.k.a. DBKL (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur) faithfully replaces the flowers and shrubs in dividers and by the roadside and regularly prunes the trees. Then, right smack in the middle of KL, you’ll be amazed to find a forest in Bukit Nanas, where the KL Tower is located. And don’t forget KLIA, often described as “airport in the forest, forest in the airport.”
3. Malaysia has cultural and religious harmony. Ya, ya, it sounds so trite by now, after reading and hearing about it all the time. But it’s not just hype. It’s the reality. Three cultures — Malay, Chinese, Indian — under one nationality: Malaysian. Various religions — Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Hinduism — co-existing harmoniously in the same country. The result? A more tolerant society. All types of glorious food — from the Malay nasi lemak to the Indian roti canai to the Chinese char kway teow. National holidays that cover everything from Chinese New Year to Eid ul Fitr to Thaipusam to Christmas Day. Chinese customers maintaining Islamic bank accounts, a Malay nasyid group with an Islamic song in Mandarin, Indian and Chinese ladies wearing baju kurung to the office. It’s amazing. It’s refreshing. It’s something that most Malaysians may have taken for granted.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to wait patiently for my PR application to be approved. I’ll continue to queue in the ‘Foreigners’ queue at the Immigration Counter in the airport, while the rest of my family goes to the much shorter queue for Malaysians (although, when travelling with my family, most Immigration officers are kind enough to allow me to tumpang my passport with the rest of my family). And I will explain patiently to the Filipino Immigration officer at NAIA that I am the mother of the children who are with me, and not their yaya (nanny)!
When Lola and I were in Amsterdam last April, I chanced upon some stroopwafels. Also known as syrup waffles in English, they are thin waffles with a syrup filling, said to have been first made in Gouda in the Netherlands, during the 18th or 19th century. It was love at first bite for me!
Here is a photo of one that I was nibbling on, while waiting for a tram on our second day in Amsterdam. See that ooey-gooey syrupy caramel goodness oozing between the two wafers?
I didn’t expect to miss them so much now that I’m back in KL. On those days (nights?) when I wake up sometime after midnight, I find myself longing for them. Which makes me wonder if there was some other secret ingredient that was snuck into the stroopwafels that makes me crave for them so much!
Today, DH and I got treated to the high tea buffet in Prince Hotel and Residence in Jalan Conlay, Kuala Lumpur by some friends who are visiting KL. OnlyGirl and RoundBoy were with us, as well.
The best part of the high tea? The chocolate fountain, without a doubt! Skewers of strawberries, marshmallows and mixed fruits were placed strategically right beside the fountain of chocolatey goodness. There were also cut up pieces of cake and some cream puffs, for your dipping pleasure. OnlyGirl and I helped ourselves to some strawberries with chocolate before anything else. I told my friend that life’s too short, that’s why we started with the dessert first ;) Mmm-mmm-good!!!
The ice cream bar is to-die-for: 5 different flavours of ice cream, 5 different types of sauce, plus an assortment of toppings: strawberry, lychee, toasted almonds, M&M’s, jellybeans, cookies, white and dark chocolate chips, chocolate rice, wafers, among a few. When OnlyGirl saw the ice cream bar, she immediately blurted out, “Oh. My. God. I think I’m going to faint!” I couldn’t have said it better myself!
The dessert spread was generous and serving dishes were frequently refilled, as is befitting a high tea buffet, and it’s the first thing that will greet you upon entering the Eccucino Brasserie. The Oreo cheesecake is worth mentioning, as is the carrot cake (if you like carrot cakes with a strong cinnamon undertone). They also had chocolate cake, an assortment of other sliced cakes, chocolate pudding with vanilla sauce, mousses and jellies arranged artistically with slices of fruit and bits of chocolate inside tiny glasses, as well as fresh fruit, some local sweets (kuih) and sweet corn porridge (bubur jagung).
If you’re not much of a sweet tooth, fear not, as high tea buffets in Malaysia are almost as good or even just as good as lunch or dinner buffets. There was a huge selection of meat dishes (roasted chicken, beef medallion, lamb korma), seafood dishes (grilled giant prawns, squid with tumeric), rice dishes, vegetable dishes, salads, as well as some pizza, sushi, chicken siew pau and sio mai. I dare say that high tea is even better than lunch or dinner because the dessert spread offers a lot more selections! Plus, you have more time to enjoy your meal, as high tea is from 12 noon to 4 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. You can, therefore, take your own sweet time enjoying the delectable dishes while talking with your business partner about your intended investment in the Outer Banks, or murmur sweet nothings with your significant other, or simply to indulge yourself in all things scrumptious and fattening divine.
Normal price is RM55++ (i.e. subject to 10% sales tax and 5% service charge) per person.
The twins have one special word that I forgot to mention in my previous post, ‘When Egg Was Yellow’ — meto-meto. They use the word ‘meto-meto’ to refer to either one of two things: tomato ketchup (’sos tomato‘ in Malay) or mashed potato.
My children just loooooove mashed potato. When I’m pressed for time, I usually just buy KFC’s whipped potato with gravy. Personally, I don’t like it that much because it looks like the type that’s made from potato flakes, like one of those things that come in boxes which you only have to mix with hot water. I very much prefer my mashed potato slightly chunky. So every chance I get, I try to make some for my kids.
For me, the key to great mashed potato is the type of potatoes that you use. My personal favourite? US Russet Potatoes. These babies are flakey and will not get sticky like some kind of glue once boiled and mashed.
Here’s how I make mashed potatoes:
Ingredients:
- 1 kg US Russet Potatoes
- approximately 65 grams butter — about a quarter of a 250-gram block (or half a stick for our American friends)
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- salt and white pepper to taste
Method:
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into halves or quarters, so that they’ll cook faster and can be mashed with less effort later.
- Boil the potatoes. You can put a bit of salt in the water, if you like.
- Once the potatoes are fork-tender, turn off the heat and drain the water.
- Put the potatoes in a big bowl.
- Put in the butter, milk, salt and white pepper together with the potatoes.
- Mash, mash, mash! (Which reminds me — MyEldest used to call it ’smashed potato’!)
Please take note that you can add a bit more butter or milk according to your taste. The 65 grams of butter that I mentioned is just a general guideline. You can add more or less, depending on your preference. As for the salt and pepper, start with a teaspoon of each and keep on adding until you get the taste that’s to your liking.
And now, for the twist.
The Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival is back! This year, it started on 5th July and will run up to 1st September. That’s 59 days and nights (as most Malaysian shops close at 10.30pm daily!) of shopping and bargain-hunting. Everything is on sale everywhere — clothes, shoes, hand bags, sector watches, golf sets, electrical items, kitchenware. Discounts are up to 70% off. For instance, designer items like Gucci and Coach offer winter season items for clearance at 50% off at the newly launched Pavilion shopping mall in Jalan Bukit Bintang. Samsonite travel bags — which rarely go on sale — are offered at 40% discount in Isetan at Suria KLCC.
If you are a MasterCard holder, great discounts and special offers await you all over Malaysia in a number of leading malls such as:
- Mid Valley Megamall
- The Gardens
- Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
- Sunway Pyramid
- Sunway Carnival
- Jusco 1 Utama Shopping Centre
- AEON Bukit Tinggi Shopping Centre, Klang
- Jusco Queensbay Mall, (Penang)
- Kinta City Shopping Centre (Ipoh) and
- AEON Tebrau City Shopping Centre (Johor)
No MasterCard? No problem. Just present your passport to apply for a Tourist Privilege Card at KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport), major hotels and shopping malls to entitle you to a special 5% discount for your purchases.
So postpone that trip to Europe or the Bahamas for a while and book a flight to Malaysia instead. Make sure you bring along some empty suitcases to fill up with all your shopping. Or just buy yourself a whole new set of bags while you’re at it! :D
Stumble it!