Happy New Year! (Especially To Myself)

What?!!?  What did you say Mr. Grouch said?

He told Mommi to lock us up in that claustrophobic balcony when she invited him for Chinese New Year lunch.

But why???  I behaved quite nicely when he visited us, although he did tell me to shut up once.

Because he was going to invite his son + daughter-in-law + many grandchildren to our home.  Without Mommi's consent.  He's afraid you might scare the kids and they don't like it when we lick them.  They will have to wash themselves 7 times.  We are dirty to them....even though Mommi washed us and we're smelling like fresh jasmine.

Oh no, Coco!  Is Mommi really going to lock us up?  To be honest, I don't quite like Mr. Grouch.  No, I am not having conjunctivitis,  those are unshed tears.  I am worried...it's no fun getting locked up for so many hours while they talk and eat and laugh.

Just look at some of the goodies they'll be munching on while we're cooped up in that hot, stifling balcony!!  Boo-hoo-hoo....hate that Mr. Grouch!

Relax my doggy siblings.....Mommi will not lock you up at all.  She boxed Mr. Grouch's ears with a scathing text message which sent him and his brood packing.  We won't be seeing them for many a Chinese New Year, not even when the dragon has made a full circle after 12 years.  She said anyone who insults her furry kids insult her.  Heh...heh....heh....yawn...zzzzzz.

It's a new dragon year!  The dragon has been spewing fire on Aunty Tooki's head since day one.  Today she had to miss a lunch invitation that she was so, so, so looking forward to because someone passed her the FLU (hate!!) and someone's car broke down and she wasted ALL DAY helping out with that.  She also came across many, many annoying humans and has decided that dogs are way better company than all of them put together.  However, Aunty Tooki will splash water on this dragon because Jesus lives in her heart, yay!

I want to extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to Haopee and Bowie for giving me the One Lovely Blog Award together.  Of course, I will pick it up as soon as I can!  Wow, that's a bucket of water right on Mr. Dragon's nose, thanks!

Tegan, thank you for visiting my blog, I do not know what breed Wawa is because he is a homeless pup born in my workplace.  We call such dogs pariah and they lead a life that is full of suffering and is looked down by (most) humans and sometimes very ill-treated.  So ill-treated that many a times I shed buckets of tears for them.

Gong Xi Fa Cai (blessing of prosperity) to all from Tooki, Coco, Wawa and Wei Wei!

Now I Am Tall.....

.......and Christmas trees are small.....

A merry Christmas to everyone from Tooki, Le Le, Coco and Wawa!

A Malay Wedding

I attended a Malay wedding yesterday.  A friend's daughter got married.

I got lost a few times because she lives in a kampung (village).  Was taken aback to see rather a huge crowd!  Not all kampung houses are as delapidated as the one in the photo.  Folks have become wealthier and most have concrete bungalows on their land now.  However, everything is built rather haphazardly and there'll be all kinds of design and all kinds of color (what? Siti painted her house green? Ok, abang, I want ours ORANGE or else!) and houses could be facing north, south, east or west.  That is typical of most things in Sabah.  Everything that God has made here is beautiful but everything that man has made is in dire need of improvement.  Oh, by the way, that branch jutting out on the top right corner is a curry tree.  The leaf is what gives curry that particular aroma.

 Here is the radiant bride in all her glorious splendour!

The kulintangan seems to be a necessity in every important function.  A guest was playing it and the music had the aunties and uncles dancing right away.

Please, can somebody watch my bag for me?  Oh, never mind...I'll just dance with it!

The groom looked rather nervous - well, there were a lot of people looking at this "raja sehari" or one-day-king and huge cameras were pointing his way.  Poor chap, I spared him another camera and shot his hand instead.  Brides apply "inai" on all ten fingers but grooms are only allowed three (for each hand, I should think).  Inai is a dye obtained by crushing a certain type of leaf.  You know someone just got married by the inai on their fingers.

The groom sports a keris (knife) in his waist, just in case ya all have any designs on my bride!  His gold necklace was also very eye-catching.  I was told that Islam prohibits man from wearing gold.  I guess the rule is relaxed on his big day.

On my way home, I dropped in at a Chinese temple (for photos, not worship).  If ever you are in Malaysia, do visit one because there are many interesting things inside and outside a temple.  Here's a dragon sunning himself on the roof and warning the gods if there are bad intruders.  I am a good intruder so he didn't say anything.

Every inch of wall is covered with interesting drawings.  This is legendary child god, Na Ja, slaying his own dragon.  Just look at that dragon's expression!  Love it!

The doors had angry-looking gods painted on it.  That ought to send bad spirits packing with their tails between their legs.

I am beginning to believe in the law of attraction.  There was a dog relaxing inside the temple.  What a godsend!  A pet blog post will not be complete without an animal in it!  He didn't bother me and didn't even get up to sniff the air.  The splendid aura around me (visible only to dogs) must've read feeder-of-homeless-dogs and rescuer-of-puppies-in-ditches.  She's one of us.  Hey, hey, you!  Are you pointing that thing at me??

Friends, You Are Fantastic!

My 2 colleagues decided to have an "open house" (or open office, rather) for the Raya celebration today.  Open house is a tradition among the Muslim community where anybody can go to your house uninvited for the celebration.  That would include strangers who will not be turned away.  And strange children popping into your house and popping their hands into the cookie jars and asking for money gifts.  I take my hat off to these 2 ladies who cooked up a sumptious lunch with almost nothing in the office kitchen.

My office is a delapidated building and all of us are just waiting for it to be demolished.  We are hoping for a better building, preferably concrete.  The ladies sweated and cooked in the delapidated kitchen and the preparation probably began at dawn in their homes, judging from some of the cooked food that they brought.  This is "lamban" - glutinous rice wrapped in leaves and steamed.

When you peel the leaves open, it's that white thing on the plate which you eat with chicken rendang (doesn't look very appetising in the pic but it is DELICIOUS) and sprinkled with "serunding" (spicy beef floss).  Of course, you can eat it with other things like peanut gravy, curry beef and vegetables.  The ladies also whipped up "mee laksa" (spicy noodle soup) of which there is no photo because I was hungry and too weak to hold the camera and it was too delicous and before I knew it my plate was clean.

If all that food is not enough to stave off your hunger, there are all kinds of cookies.  Home-made, not store bought.  I understand that throughout the fasting month, the women in the house will be laboring over these cookies for the big day.  The chocolaty one in the middle is called "Almond London" - an almond inside a cookie insulated coated with chocolate.

 These are modern cookies - bright and colorful.  I just can't get over the purple ones made to look like mangosteens (my favourite fruit).  In order to eat them without guilt, I popped over to the lab this morning and had my glucose tested.  It was IDEAL, so cookies, here I come.

These are traditional delicacies.  I just admire the way these 2 colleagues could whip up all these in one morning for everyone at the office.  I struggle to cook for a small crowd of 6.  I will get hot and flustered and by the time I sit down at the dinner table, I have no appetite to eat.  To show my appreciation I helped them to wash up.  A little.  They were too hospitable and didn't like to see me wash up.

Selamat Hari Raya, Satu (1) Malaysia!

It's Hari Raya again!  This is Coco's 2nd Hari Raya and Wawa's 1st.  I still remember Coco eating too many sweet cookies and getting sick last year.  My colleague gave me 3 boxes of Hari Raya cookies -- I was surprised and touched by her gesture.  When she shook my hands just before she left for the holidays she wept.  It's usual for the ladies to get emotional during times like this.  Just before Raya they will go round shaking hands and seeking forgiveness and some can get really weepy.  A bit of Chinese culture has crept into Hari Raya celebrations in Malaysia - fire crackers.  Before the big day there will be daily reports of police seizing crackers or some kid's fingers getting blown off.  Fire crackers are illegal in Malaysia although judging from the booms I hear, they are probably closing one eye (or both).  This morning felt a little like Chinese New Year to me.  This is one of the positive things about One Malaysia.  Our Prime Minister is advocating harmony and unity thus there is a One Malaysia everything -- 1 Malaysia Health Clinic, 1 Malaysia grocery store, 1 Malaysia e-mail, 1 Malaysia Foundation and 1 Malaysia Youth Fund.  The term is said in friendly jest by almost everyone I know.  Once I was attending a function and an Indian friend was sitting next to me.  So there we were, a Chinese, an Indian, a Kadazan and a Malay.  Abu Bakar Ellah @ Ampal was the MC/singer at the function and he came forward and said, "Waaah, this is 1 Malaysia!".  Wishing all Muslims a happy Hari Raya!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Chinese new year came and it is now about to depart. The nicest part of any festival is the anticipation. Waiting for loved ones to come and enjoying each day to the full and subconsciously dreading the day when they will leave. Then the house becomes empty and the heart too. The best remedy? Get back to work!

Year Of The Tooki

Sabah is known as "the land below the wind" and the only time when the wind blows is during Chinese New Year. The festive expectancy coupled with the wonderful breeze makes me happy everyday. For the first time this year the wind blew all day and it isn't warm wind, it is cool wind. The new year will begin on 3 February and it will be the year of the rabbit. I like rabbits and "tooki" means rabbit in Korean. It's a nickname I call my sister who was born in the year of the rabbit. Wawa was born in the year of the tiger while Coco was born in the year of the ox.