Publika

If I keep this up the Eats posts will soon outnumber the Cooking ones.

Despite the recent spate of bad news about malls in Klang Valley in general, I have fallen in love with this place. This, despite the super confusing mall layout, and the shops are so spread out that it takes some sturdy shoes and a little bit of bravado to explore the place proper.

But one's curiosity is rewarded with some really quirky shops. Not your run-of-the-mill MNG, Zara and the such - lots of local stuff, which is really nice to see. My faves - Kaleidoscope - a "lifestyle" outlet that stocks really nice accessories and cute homeware (they have clothes as well, but I found the collection nothing to shout about), 34 Bespoke - Malaysian-designed leather goods (didn't buy anything but the stuff looks of top notch quality - especially love the leather cuffs).

Foodwise - the food court boasts some really excellent versions of Yam Rice, Pan Mee, Beef Noodles and Zhang. For breakfast last weekend, we decided to be a little adventurous and try out the Red Bean Bag. I had the French toast, which was lovely (although I did flinch at shelling out RM12 for a slice of bread, I will be honest). AK ordered the baked eggs, and let me tell you, I was truly jealous when I dipped a fork into the dish and took a bite. It was a molted Middle-Eastern-esque concoction of eggs baked with minced lamb, sausage, aubergine in a passata sauce, topped with oozy mozzarella. Worth every bit of the RM17.90 we paid for it.

And did I mention B.I.G's, or Ben's Independent Grocers? Who says grocery shopping has to be boring? With its chalkboard quotes at the produce section, and the fact that you can find everything from Bunga Kantan to goose fat under one roof. So I pay a little more for my groceries - at least I know I'm buying kampung eggs, washed organic spinach (for RM1.30 a bunch - not bad for such an upmarket place), organic oyster mushrooms (RM2.40 a bag - cheaper than Miri), freshly cured bacon (at RM5.89/100 g, really reasonable) and environmentally-friendly handsoap and washing liquid (which you should too, by the way).

Lovely planter in front of The Red BeanBag

Quotes to grocery shop by at Ben's Independent Grocer

Kaleidoscope

Snippets of KL so far

Greetings from the big city (wow I finally get to say that)! I have been totally delinquent, I know, but I offer some bits and pieces of our little family settling in. In a nutshell - lots of eating, lots of shopping (in my case), and Boo remains ever the center of attention.

~ Boo caught a cold in our cold apartment. Poor fella's sneezing non-stop since we moved in. Hence the sweater. His appetite, however, is as good as ever. Hence his roundness in this shot.

~ Unique dim sum choices (stuffed crab shells, minced pork wrapped in bacon) at an outlet in Damansara Uptown.

~ A rather nostalgic dinner at the almost a-century-old Coliseum restaurant. Senior citizens, or "uncle" waiters dousing ginormous steaks with sauce on hot plates, causing great sizzle and steaming, and much fanfare.

Vacation eats recaptured

At the risk of repeating myself, we haven't really taken a break since Chinese New Year, which was a short, hectic obligation anyways. I have been consoling myself by going through my past vacation photos. We had quite a few memorable meals while on the road, and I've attempted to capture some of them here. I have done this before, blogging about our meals in Spain specifically. And while not all-encompassing (I will eternally regret not taking any photos of our meal at the Pizzaria de Buffato in Rome, still the standout meal for me), the list below still brings back the most lovely memories, and of course, more than a touch of gratitude that we managed to experience them.

In limbo, in comfort

So the ridiculous saga that is the acquisition of our first home is still ongoing. The somewhat consolation is that we get an extended 2 weeks in this current service apartment (on top of my allocated 30 days). The price I have to pay for that is a two-week long business trip to Miri to support my old team, but at least I get to fly back on the weekends and spend precious time with AK and Boo. This gives us another one and a half months to sort things out - I am just grateful for that.

In the meantime, AK and I are scouting for furnishings (he is on the hunt for a beanbag), getting Boo adjusted  the his surroundings, and eating up a storm (over the two weekends past so far we have indulged in Spanish tapas, Japanese fusion, tons of hawker fare including zhang (glutinous rice dumplings with meat, mushrooms, beans and slated egg yolks - it is the festival after all), a 50-ringgit chicken rice meal that had us in regret later,  plus durians, mangoes, Belgian chocolates and red velvet cake.

Now that I am holed up in the Miri, I have resolved to try and enjoy the perks of business travel as much as possible. Last week was a bit of a blur - working till it was dark outside (so uncommon in the Miri office), followed by late dinners (room service) in the hotel, with a few gym visits throughout. This week, I am going to take the time to enjoy my room service, swim in the gorgeous, lagoon-style pool (the one good thing about the blazing weather is that the water is so warm and silky - so no muscle cramps or anything like that), admire the sun set over the South China Sea (not gonna get that in KL) with a cold drink in hand, more gym visits, even getting my laundry done for me.

What I look forward to this weekend - my parents coming down to KL. Life, while far from perfect, is good.



Sunset



Poolside

View from the balcony

Room service + Seafood dinner

Eternal

Viva Espana, again!

Forgive me, for I am about to gush. I guess it must be my destiny not to watch major football tournaments in HD. The last World Cup I watched on my half-dead CRT TV, this year thanks to my move I have been resigned to watching repeats on state TV and streaming the final on my laptop. Regardless, I loved every moment of it and am truly grateful that, somehow, in between the packing and quite a few hotels (I even switched hotels at one point after discovering that a certain 5-star resort in Miri wasn't showing the games), managed to catch (almost) everything. And all the hassle was worth it.

Because Espana took it home. Again.

Man, what a final! IMHO The Spanish team embodies what every other hyped-up team lacks (England, France, Holland) - a total lack of showboating, a kind of team spirit and togetherness that makes you think believe that these guys are not just teammates, they're a single, lethal unit built on a foundation of true friendship. The team above all else. While the attacking midfielders defended, the defense uncompromising, the goalkeeper unwavering, it was how they gelled together that really captivated.

To quote the game commentator,it really seemed that LaRoja had more than 11 players on the pitch during the final game. Everytime the much-touted Mario Balotelli or Andrea Pirlo had the ball a swarm of red shirts converged upon them, applying pressure and forcing retreat. When Iniesta or Xavi had the ball another flurry of reds run forward in anticipation. And the passing, oh, the passing, have you ever seen anything that majestic?

Now I am just repeating what every columnist/reporter says. But most reports gloss over the fact despite such success, despite the praise, the expectations, that this team has managed to avoid the egoism, selfishness and one-upmanship that we see too often these days (Wayne Rooney cutting a sulky figure during the match with Italy, Arjen Robben's petulant reaction of jumping over the adboards and not even acknowledging his replacement when he was subbed, even Mario Balotelli's "I'm hunky" reaction (which, BTW, is getting lots of hilarious photoshop touchups - can't resist putting one here) when he scored against Germany. And let't not forget Samir Nasri's off-field antics and tirades against the press.

Contrast all that with Cesc Fabregas applauding Fernando Torres, who cost him his place in the starting line-up, when the latter was subbed out after 2 goals against the Republic of Ireland, and vice versa when Torres replaced Cesc in the final. Look at how they celebrate their goals - Xabi Alonso pointing to Jordi Alba when he scored from Alba's cross in the match agains France,and a truly hearwarming moment when Fernando Torres flicked the ball to Juan Mata for a goal, eventhough he had a clear shot and would have been guaranteed the Golden Boot should he had scored himself. It was just a wonderful, unselfish moment of team play -one friend helping another. And, Mata's appreciative reaction and Torres's grin after the goal - truly heartwarming and a really rare moment in today's cynical world of professional football. And to cap it off, what did Torres credit for the win? "Togetherness." Ditto Cesc Fabregas.

And what about this amazing story - while Italy was down to 10 men and Spain was practically toying with them - their Captain, the one they call San Iker (Saint Iker) in Spain, asks the assistant referee to stop the game early, out of "Respect for Italia." What sportsmanship. Pure class.

These are the moments (and these adorable post-match ceremony photos of the Spanish team's children invading the pitch) that I will remember for years to come, and I will measure all the future matches I watch, whether club or nation, against. To quote Pep Guardiola before Barcelona's Club World Championship final began, "Gentlemen, if you lose today you will continue to be the best in the world – but if you win today you will be eternal." In my mind, they are.
 

Packed up......

On careers and choices

Call me old-fashioned, but I have never been much of a feminist.
See, I don't believe in things like "levelling the playing field", "diversity and inclusion", crap like that. I believe that either you stack up or you don't, regardless of your gender.

Meaning, if you want to be a CEO that has to wine and dine clients, then that means many nights of getting home after your kids go to bed. It means sacrificing your weekend to cut a red ribbon at some official event. Why should concessions be made just because you're a woman and you want to read your kids a bedtime story? And, even more ridiculous, if you have jobs that require people to stay offshore for long periods, why bother to even try to get women into long term careers there? I have observed female technicians offshore having to pass on tasks that require some physical strength to the guys. Which means, they could not pull their weight. Where is the equality there? I have always found it strange that women expect concessions to be made for them in the workplace, but when it comes to other folks (i.e. the men) having to do more to cover for them (if something has to get done, it has to get done, no?), become strangely silent. I know it must be terribly politically incorrect to say this - I firmly believe some jobs are just not cut out for women (offshore, the Army come to mind). As with everything else, it is merit that counts, not some laughable policy of having women in leadership just for the sake of having women in leadership.

So here's the thing. I recently received a couple of job offers, and I found myself considering stuff I would have never expected to, as someone who always considered herself not only ambitious, but who never expected any concessions to be made just because of her gender.

So I don't expect anyone to level my playing field or give me a leg up because I'm female. So it makes some sense, don't you think, that I never expected to have to make my own concessions or compromises when it comes to getting ahead. Now, being a woman in a relationship (marriage, family), with a career, I am starting to feel some of these contradictions. Who gives way in a dual career family? Who follows whom?

I received an offer from a competitor company, and declined as it would be better for both of us to work in the same organisation and progress together. Fair enough.

Then there was another offer to work in the Middle East. I have never worked, nor studied, abroad before and that has always been on my must-do list, although I will admit that an Arab country was not what I envisioned. I am giving it up also as I should not be going alone, I am not getting any younger, we need to stay together to start a family, etc etc. I know it's the right thing to do, but that doesn't mean giving up an opportunity like that was an easy decision. And what irks me is that had the situation been reversed, it would have been easier for me to follow my partner. It's normal. But not the other way around.

I know it's for the best, that many things are more important than climbing some ladder and money (heck I even wrote about it), but the truth is and call me naive, I never expected to make these kinds of decisions. I always imagined myself as a go-getter, and here I am declining offers left and right. And while I would not give up my relationship with my partner for anything, that I love the mutual support, the prospect of a life together, I will say this - these decisions don't come easy.

Oh man, now I wonder if I'm really ready for kids.

Update: It turns out that that so-called offer to work in the Middle East, was never that great to begin with. So all's well.