Diwali. Divali. Deepavali. Different variations on the same name, the same celebration. For though the languages and dialects and foods and rituals may vary, it is still the Festival of Lights that is being celebrated by Hindus all round the world, and here in Malaysia, a joy shared by everyone.
Yet when I think of light, when I think of good triumphing over the evils of the world that seem to always crash upon our paths, I think of a certain lady I met more than four years ago, on a blessed night not unlike Deepavali, filled with food, drink and great cheer… and the light in her eyes.
2007: When Meena Met Kenny
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It was love at first sight.
Of course, it was. There couldn’t have been any other. When my best friend and I walked into the restaurant, there were already plenty of people chatting at tables and posing for photographs. This was a food event, after all, one that is hosted by a lifestyle magazine and some brand of hard liquour. People came here looking pretty and dressed up, ready for their close-up.
But I had no eyes for anyone but you. Nisa chose to sit down at your table. Sometimes I wonder if this is why I love my best friend – it’s as though she could read my mind. I said hi. I turned on the charm, as best as I could. Thankfully you already had some drinks in you; I learned later you were always a classy lady that way. I offered to get a drink. You told me you already have one, no, two. The glasses were in front of you. I had seen that, but I said you looked like you could do with more.
You smiled at me, and said thank you, you know what, I think I could.
I headed off to the bar to get more drinks and if I could trust my best friend to do her job, Nisa ought to be telling you wonderful and untrue things about me whilst I was gone. I returned with fistfuls of shot glasses. You smiled at me, a different sort of smile this time, one that had earlier expectations confirmed. Fabulous. Girl did her job after all. I winked at Nisa. It was her cue to leave us alone now. She had already spotted a nice target at the next table and was already wondering if her lipstick was perfect or if it needed touching up.
Which left me and you. The restaurant was one of those abominable Tex-Mex places, with lots of reds on the walls and ochre tones everywhere. The food was nondescript but the alcohol helped to keep the conversations flowing. None of this mattered, of course.
I couldn’t take my eyes off you.
We would proceed to getting fantastically drunk over the course of the night, chatting bashfully and furiously like a couple of blind dates that struck that rather rare vein of gold; we would promise to meet up again (and so we did, at a 24-hour mamak stall, talking and batting our eyelashes bashfully and furiously like a pair of schoolgirls in love, our very first date).
But for all that came later, that night, that night will always be magic. I couldn’t take my eyes off you and wondered if I ever would.
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2008: My Fair Lady
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Your husband is overseas, you tell me, on a business trip. I am in between lovers, I think. No, I correct myself, I am quite done with lovers and dating and the whole romance game. I am decidedly alone and am determined to be happy about it.
You are not convinced. You give me a couple of weeks, a month at most, before I fall in love again. Someone cute is going to come my way, you assure me, someone almost always do. I have a knack for attracting trouble, you say, but oh, with such nice bums they have! I smile and tell you you’ve got quite an ass on you too.
You smack me on mine, a swift punishment for me and a small treat for yourself, then pinch it as well, almost an afterthought. You can be greedy that way. It’s very alarming and very attractive.
We walk into the theatre and find our seats. Couple seats, they call these. The Lovers’ Couch. The light goes out and the curtains are pulled back. We are watching a monster movie, a new one from the guy who created “Lost”. The scary bits are great for cuddling closer, for our fingers to intertwine and your hair to fall onto mine.
It’s not as long as it used to be, I tell you. You just had it cut, you say. Do you like it, you ask. It looks good on you, I say, but then you always look good. You are my fair lady. Shaddup, you admonish. My skin is far from fair, you say, especially in this dark, in this cinema.
Oh but you are fair, my dear, you are fair, my lady. None other has kept to me so faithfully through all these days that plagued me, through all my stupidity and my little triumphs, none has cheered louder and more happily. You are happy for me in ways I don’t even know I ought to be happy about.
Idiot, you say, what rubbish. Watch the movie.
But in the dark, I can tell you are smiling and even when there aren’t any scary bits, you cling to me closer. My fair lady.
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2009: An Affair To Remember
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It’s the happiest day of my life, I tell you. My thirtieth birthday. I never even imagined I would get this far, and surely not with so many loved ones sharing the same table as me – my friends and now, my family. You have all made me very, very happy.
There is almost no time to be alone, amid the chatter and the paparazzi-like photographing of the food, the drinks, the guests. We know all of this will be up, in a matter of hours, as blog posts, as news, as some sort of shared diary by our small and wonderfully incestous group.
But as everyone continues, cracking lewd jokes and over-sharing on details of my formerly private life (all the more reason to never invite your ex’s to a party), we catch each other’s eyes from across the long table. We are seated at each end, like a queen and her soon-to-be-lost consort. We hold a moment of silence in our glance. We know.
All things fade, as surely as the colour from your favourite silk saree. All things fade, as the leanness of my body give way to flab. Love handles, you called them, and about time too. You are too thin, you tell me. This Devil you have met, you whisper, this Devil is good for you. Love thickens you, feeds you and fills you up.
Ah, but you were enough for me, I tell you, you were enough to keep me never wanting more. Shush, you say, that’s rubbish. We were never meant to be, not that way. Not the way the Bald Eagle complements you and the Devil completes me. I shudder from a sudden chill. I make to laugh, and say that is unbelievably cheesy of you, almost worthy of my reputation for all things mushy.
Shaddup, you say, with gentle love. You know it’s true, you tell me. I nod, I know. It’s true. We were wonderful, once, we were. But that time has passed. Now we have our own paths to follow. Our hearts are not bound, not to each other leastways. We have made promises to others. We intend to hold them, we always will.
But you will always be my lady, I say. And you, my friend, you say, will always be an affair to remember. The very best.
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2010: Serendipity
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Days pass. Weeks, then months. I travel often for my work, I go missing. You are kept busy yourself, drowned in paperwork and clients throwing hissy fits and various choice pieces of undergarments in the air when they don’t get their way.
Life, as the cliché guarantees us, does get in the way.
We have celebrations. Surprise birthday parties. Anniversaries. Halloween and Valentine’s Day. We meet, sometimes, and sometimes not. We catch a word here, maybe recycle a juicy bit of gossip there, then our attention is drawn away by our friends and our partners. No amount of champagne or foie gras can fix this.
The distance grows. I forget your number. I have it always on my handheld but I used to hold in my memory as well.
Then one night I decide to call you. I ask you how you are, if you have had dinner. It’s an Asian thing, this, but it’s a good habit as I discover next that you have not. You are famished. It is late. Have I had mine? Yes, I have. But I don’t mind coming out again. The Devil is busy playing Scrabble. Probably with your beloved Tangechi – they are sworn rivals on the board; each claims the other is a terror and thrashes every game. But yes, I could come out again. I want to.
We meet at Sanuki Udon, in my neighbourhood. You manage to arrive before me. Are you excited, I wonder? About what, I ask myself, and answer, nothing. I’m being an idiot. This is just a meal. In fact, only you are eating. Your late dinner. I’ll just be watching.
I’ll be holding my breath as you slurp each my strand of udon, as each long noodle passes in between your lips and disappears. You notice me looking at you, finally. What, you ask. Nothing, I say. Just that. You are beautiful. You still are. You always will be.
Rubbish. You say. Idiot. You say. But you smile. You are happy. You remind me again of the ways of happy I never knew till we met. All those years ago. I couldn’t take my eyes off you then. I can’t take my eyes off you now. You order a bottle of cold sake and we share it. It is a hot weeknight, and it has just gotten hotter still.
You used to have such long hair, I say. You remember, you say, you remember. No one else does these days. I miss your long, lustrous locks, I tell you. Lyrical Lemongrass’s Long, Lustrous Locks, I try alliteratively, as I always painfully do. Idiot, you say, in the way only an adolescent Japanese schoolgirl saying “baka” (ばか) could. You mean that I am a fool, a goddamn fool, but still, you can’t help be fond of me. Call me idiot, call me baka, for I am also terribly fond of you.
Really? I dread to find out what you might call me then, you say.
I smile. The others may call you Queen, but in my eyes, you will always be my lady. You don’t need honorifics and you don’t need titles for your grace and your beauty to stand out. You may be the Queen, you may be my fair lady, you may be my dove of hope, you are the Bald Eagle’s winsome wife, but these are just titles.
You are you, my dear, and I am me. Who knows what new names we may incur in the future? For now, you are you, I am me, and tonight, today, now? We are we. And that is good to be.
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Here’s to four years of friendship with my fair lady!
Here’s to four years of A Whiff of Lemongrass!
Happy Anniversary and Happy Deepavali!
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A Whiff of Lemongrass • A Malaysian Blog about Food, Family and Friends
Food, for Meena a.k.a. Lyrical Lemongrass, represents the love of family, the fellowship of friends, and the community and communality it brings. Her husband, Tim a.k.a. Bald Eagle insists that he is her muse and her inspiration. (He’s probably right.)
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Copyright © 2010 Kenny Mah Ying Fye.
Kenny Mah believes in the good in people. He has been blogging for over ten years. No, his hands aren't tired. Yet.
Very touching moment. Happy Deepavali. ^o^
@Edmus: Wow, that’s fast! I just posted this!
Happy Deepavali to you too!
Idiot. Exaggerations, I tell you! :-P I where got ho-hands with you wan? Lol.
Funny, but I remember exactly when each photo was taken.
I’m touched by this post. Of course, there have been many other precious memories…when we went to Attic, and to Leonardo’s, and yes, even at Starbucks. I still remember our conversations. We’re so different, you and I. You’re a sentimental fool, and I’m too blunt for my one good. But I’m glad that through blogging, we became friends. :)
Thank you, Mr Mah.
@Meena: HAHAHHAHA…
(See, everybody? She does call me ‘Idiot’ and with such a lovely timbre to her voice some more…)
Eh, you so got hold hands with me lah. Don’t you dare blame your greying roots on selective memory lapses. A quick dye job and you oughta be up and running again.
I remember each photograph too, and all the memories and places and conversations. But I figured if I tried recounting ALL of them, I’d be sitting in front of my notebook till the next Deepavali, and that won’t do at all, would it?
Lubs you, woman. And thank you for being my friend and my fair lady.
WOW! Meena’s a lucky lady to be classified as all my fave movies.
Happy Deepavali to Meena. :)
@jemima: Hahaha… If you have to know I had to rack my head and go through my list of soppy, romantic films to find the ones that match each year.
‘Serenditipity’ is my favourite.
And oh yes, I gotta agree with you: Meena’s a lucky lady!
*trying to imagine the BIG O scene in “When Meena met Kenny”* :P
You’ve got yourself a great friendship here. =)
Here’s to many more years of friendship with your fair lady. =)
@jemima: Oh doncha know? With Meena and me, our entire relationship is one big BIG O scene… Ahem.
@Michelle: To many, many more years indeed! Thank you, dear, and Happy Deepavali!
All I can say is AWWW! Lucky thing tat u guys sat together four years ago :p
love the post, love the ending even more :)
@ladyironchef: One must thank Nisa/the Diva for choosing that table.
@rokh: Not ending lah. More of “The Story Thus Far”… Hehe.
Friendship like that is to be treasured. How absolutely wonderful. :) And any more of ‘The Story Thus Far’ will be an even more beautiful chapter because things like that, they just deepen with time.
I’m so glad I met you and CK!
@Shuku: I love how you describe friendships – “… they just deepen with time.”
Such a beautiful way to put it, and so true.
CK & I are very glad we met you too, and are proud & privileged to call you our friend!
P.S. You read very fast, dear! Most folks (including myself) would probably have taken longer to finish this rather lengthy post. I *LOVE* fast readers (mostly cos I used to be one myself, many decades ago).
Heh heh. Lubs you both.
@Msiagirl: (Speaking for Meena, CK and myself…) We lubs you too. Lots and lots.
P.S. Doesn’t change the fact you still owe me a poem. Hehe.
P.P.S. Fun & refreshing to say the above line instead of having it said to me instead.
*stares pointedly at Lyrical Lemongrass, A Lil Fat Monkey & Ciki*
I love this post. It gives me…hope. :)
Thanks, Kenny gor gor.
homaigod… speechless… bromance overload (with the Thamby). wonderful post :)
omigosh, i just had a vision of warm tears trickling down meena’s cheeks as she reads this post! see, good things can happen even when u’re not writing esoteric entries about eccentric people sitting in coffee shops where time stands still :P
u all change hairstyle every year wan ar. though admittedly, every one of both your hairstyles looks consistently good (sigh!). looking forward to reading someday about your 40 years of friendship together, charting your progression toward hairlessness and hers toward gray hair (though for all our sakes, perhaps there’ll be a magic pill to cure all that by then).
p.s. one doesn’t have to leave one’s mouth open all day to wait for a mosquito to fly in lah. all one has to do is let a mosquito land on one’s body in hopes of sucking one’s blood, and then slap it dead before consuming it whole :D
love the progression thru the years.. meena’s cool hairstyles and you.. your skinny EVER CHANGING face! LOL.. gr8 post.. here’s to great friends!! may we have TONS!
Happy Diwali to you and to your beau :) and may your life be filled with lights of joy and may ur are able to eat and eat and eat and still remain thin LOL
Happy Diwali Kenny!!!! and i never ever thought u would do a post on this … !!!
Awwww this is very very sweet indeed.
@Vern: There’s always hope, Vern mui mui. There’s always hope.
*hugs!*
@Jek Tan: Hehe, yeah, man. ‘Tis a bromance, innit, since we all call Meena ‘Thamby’ (or at least her ‘Tangechi’ does; he who is also known as the Fat Boy Who Bakes, ahem).
@Sean: Idiot. My post about Tuaran is not an esoteric entry about eccentric people sitting in coffee shops where time stands still… It just reads that way.
Good gosh, no, we don’t change our hairstyles every year! Who would? We alter our appearance at least once every two-three months, I reckon. At least. It’s to avoid us from being recognised. We’re really in the Witness Protection Program, we are. We aren’t failed lovers or friends, really. We are actually a pair of separated Siamese twins… don’t you see the resemblance?
For what it’s worth though, I won’t mind losing my hair (though I doubt I’d look anywhere nearly as dashing as Bald Eagle) and I am sure Meena would look fabulous even in grey.
P.S. I can’t believe you just described how you came about eating that mosquito. Urggh.
@ciki: My face where got ever changing? The same ugly mug ma. Tak tukar pun.
@vimesh: Happy Diwali to you, mate! (And trust me, I’d do a post on just about anything if the muse strikes me…)
@babe_kl: Ooh. See you for lunch on Sunday, dear!
ahhh, but this entry is cut from a completely different cloth from your other recent ones. and i can prove it too! just like every film needs a soundtrack, each blog post can benefit from one too.
while reading ‘deepavali duets,’ one would do well to listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZUOHz3ZXnw (watch quickly, cos it’ll get taken down by youtube soon due to copyright infringement!!!)
for ‘a town called tuaran’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXKvtcUAJ3I
for ‘mamutik island’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maVqQzwJxFM
and for ‘tua pek kong’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXinfJK4jHA
see. everything else had a classical, wistful vibe, while ‘deepavali duets’ sang and soared. so irrefutable, i love it :D
no, there’s a stunning lack of physical resemblance to prove your ‘siamese twins’ claim … though it still be possible, if u argue that during the surgical separation, the doctors were forced to allocate u the heart and she the brain :P
p.s. mozzies are such clean creatures anyway. u’ll never see one hinggap-ing on a trash can or tepi longkang, unlike flies. but it’s hard to taste anything if u only manage to catch a solitary one. it’s like a speck of dust on your tongue.
@Sean: This post may be somewhat different in tone when compared to my most recent entries, but if you reached deep enough into my archive you will discover similar posts to ‘Deepavali Duets’ too – everything has its cycle.
That’s why I chose ‘Life for Beginners’ for the title of this little blog – it’s not just about food or love or travel, but everything and anything that strikes my fancy.
Of course, the most common topic is ‘Kenny Goes M.I.A.’ when I disappear for weeks on end without a fresh post in sight. But you are already used to this, yes?
As for the soundtrack/score choices for the four posts, what can I say? BRILLIANT. (And, dude, you got a lot of free time to surf on YouTube hor?)
Are you trying to say we only had ONE brain between the two of us, and the doctor gave it to her instead of me? The nerve! (If we are the Tin Man who found a heart and the Scarecrow who found a brain, you must be the Cowardly Lion who got some courage to say this. Not that it will do you any good when we hunt your Cowardly/Courageous ass down and whoop it but good. Grrr.)
P.S. What are you gonna suggest next? A recipe for a storm of skeeters? *fainted*
hmmm, the title ‘life for beginners’ always meant something a bit different for me. i kinda assumed u wanted to it to serve as a manual of sorts, not really for others, but for yourself … to chronicle the lessons u’ve learned, to chart the course of how we all fumble through our lives, to capture what’s precious and what’s possible.
but many of your entries are rather cinematic, in a style reminiscent of film directors; u might ramble too much like a kevin costner movie, with the indisciplined weirdness of david lynch creeping in often, but there’s still a poetic lushness in your images that’s sometimes worthy of zhang yimou and a fragile sentimentality that can momentarily be as moving as a charlie chaplin classic.
why must i be one of dorothy’s silly sidekicks? i could just be the wise, wonderful glinda, the good witch of the north :D
p.s. i’m still crossing my fingers that there’s food out there that we haven’t eaten that will knock us out. when’s the last time we ate something revelatory that we had never even sniffed before? too long, i think. true, there might still be spectacular sashimi and prodigious pork ribs in our future, but i’m on the lookout for something untried and untested. if it be leeches, then bring ‘em on! :D
@Sean: “the title ‘life for beginners’ always meant … u wanted to it to serve as a manual of sorts, not really for others, but for yourself … to chronicle the lessons u’ve learned, to chart the course of how we all fumble through our lives, to capture what’s precious and what’s possible.”
I think that’s always been part of what LFB means to me, or rather, what is represented. But on the whole, it’s quite simply me rambling on and on, if I have to be strictly honest about it.
Comparisons to Costner, Lynch and even Zhang Yimou are far too flattering. And I doubt LFB can touch hearts (and mirthful bellies) the way a Chaplin classic can. But it serves its humble purpose, which is basically reminding me what Life is, how I get through each day and how I celebrate what is good about it, and sharing this somehow makes it all better and more meaningful somehow.
The thought of you dressing up in drag to appear as Glinda, some sort of campy, medicated fairy godmother… well, I don’t even need to go further than that, do I?
P.S. I think I’ll settle for my babi feast tomorrow at Ad Hog. Too bad you avoid society in numbers exceeding three pax; else I bet the food bloggers would love to trade wisecracks with the wisest crack of them all – Glinda the Wise née Eat Drink KL!
ahh, but there’s nevertheless artistry in how u weave your tales. and the cinematic aspect makes it easy to find musical scores to match each post. though i’m hoping u’ll someday write an entry that will sound perfect with a new kids on the block song in the background (have u heard??? they’re going on a co-headlining tour with the backstreet boys soon! tragically, kl is not on the itinerary)
after watching ‘wicked’ on stage recently, i have a newfound appreciation for all things oz. though to backtrack a bit, who says u managed to find a brain after all (or she a heart? heheh). anyways, i’d happily wear a kilt, but not a dress :P
p.s. the owner of ad hog is such a character. the food was excellent, but it was him and his wife (i think she’s his wife) who provided us with the most merriment; at one point, he lifted his t-shirt to flash my table with his belly to prove that he doesn’t have a beer gut, while she kept accusing us of trying to steal their porcelain pig placed on our dining table. heeheee. alas, i might have considered joining u all tomorrow, but i do not, under any circumstances, rise from my slumber before 1 p.m. on sundays :P
@Sean: Oh dear me. At this rate, with mentions of New Kids On The Block and Backstreet Boys (what would their co-headlining tour be called – The New Backstreet Block Boys?) and ‘Wicked’ and other less-than-flattering allusions to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (quite certain our comment-conversations would have L. Frank Baum rolling in his grave), you’d imagine I am writing a musical next…
Though, I suspect, this may well find favour with you. Heh. I’m not Rufus Wainwright, I’ll tell you that. He’s someone you should look to for operas and musicals and the such. A true genius. Oh, and Stephin Merritt too.
I’ll ignore your last brain/heart statement (and blame it on your ever excitable, pseudo-cannibalistic self) and simply ask, well, did you get a kilt when you were in Europe? (Not sure if you visited Scotland on that trip.)
P.S. Cool beans. We’re up for a great time tomorrow, then. Puns aside, this trip to Ad Hog is certainly not ad hoc… I don’t think I’m cut out to be a makan session organiser at all. If only you would get up before 1pm on Sundays, then maybe you’d take to the role better. Ja?
Sorry to interrupt. But I’m gonna thank you for two things. One for writing a post with simple language and not being chim at all. Very refreshing. The other thing I’m gonna thank you is for inviting me to your 30th birthday party and introducing me to my now BFF. I remember that photo of the both of you (and the ones after where u were eating her beautiful melons…oops did I say too much?) cos as fate would have it I was just seated right across from her, much closer compared to u. And that was the day, I found my Queen, my BFF.
The rest is history. Nothing like your long winded story lah. :P
@A Lil Fat Monkey: ROFL. Dumbass. That’s for your first comment about simple language and chim-ness and all that.
As for your second comment, oh that is just it, isn’t it? We all discover her in different ways and we all have our own tales to tell (some less scandalous than others, of course). She’s just amazing, this Lemongrassy creature, she is.
P.S. I am sorely tempted to do a post on you and your delicious little finger…
@A Lil Fat Monkey: P.P.S. Weren’t you also introduced to your then-future-Ah Pa at my 30th birthday party? He Who Called Me ‘Datuk Mah’ for reasons I fail to remember…
it’s really nice to have good friends like that. hope you continue to be friends for many many years :)
@luuworld: I hope so too. In fact, I know we will. She can’t get rid of me that easily, muahahaha…
Ok ok, I’ll thank you for finding my Ah Pa too.
Lets see you do wonders with that finger post. Show my ugly side to the world. But that’s only if it ever happens lah. That’s a really big IF.
@A Lil Fat Monkey: But, but, but… wasn’t that your GOOD side? *cackles evilly*
i’ve not listened to rufus wainwright’s or stephin merritt’s theatre work (errmm, out on cd, issit?), but coincidentally, if you (and a certain number of other people) ring me up, the ringtone i’ve designated on my phone for this group of you is rufus’ ‘one man guy.’ :P
nah, i never managed to get anywhere near scotland. but i did get to eat authentic haggis in london. i liked it (though it wasn’t what i expected)! it’ll appear eventually on the blog :D
p.s. u don’t want me organizing anything, cos i’m a ruthless dictator! i’d call up the restaurant and place our entire order in advance … so when u all arrive, u’ll have to eat exactly what i’ve selected! (though my penchant for advance planning has its benefits. that’s how i managed to secure two servings of babi guling for dinner that night, even though they only really offer it for lunch, heheh) :P
Awwww.. I can imagine Meens wiping the tears off her cheeks and sniffling while she calls you ‘Idiot’.. :)
Such sweetness indeed,
Like the gulabs and barfis,
Sweet tender friendship.
sweeter than the deepavali sweets i tell you..!
@Sean: Isn’t it conceptually problematic to have the tune ‘ONE Man Guy’ attached to a select group of people (which, obviously, numbers more than ONE)? Pedantic gripes aside, how sweet!
If I were to attach ringtones to my friends, I guess the theme song to ‘My Fair Lady’ would work for Meena, and for you, perhaps Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’? (Very drama one, like the ride of a swarm of cannibalistic mosquitoes…)
You ate haggis! Good job! Better you than me, I mean. Heh heh. Can’t wait to read your review of the experience.
P.S. Trust me, ruthless dictatorship/dictatoring (what’s the right noun for this?) is loads better than the chronic indecisiveness that plagues me when faced with endless menu options.
P.P.S. Devil was asking about ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ so I found a YouTube of it here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V92OBNsQgxU – with illustrations are by Arthur Rackham, no less. Sweet!
@gfad: Sweeter still is your gulabs-and-barfis poem – I like!
But Meena where got tears wan? She too man (she’s the Thamby, after all) to weep. Maybe her Tangechi might though. He’s a sensitive chap, that one.
@lotsofcravings: But far less diabetes-inducing, no?
Such a sweet n touching post! It’s amazing how friendships can start n last, thru the most unexpected ways :-D
@Pureglutton: Good morning, good morning! Everyone’s up rather early today – getting ready for our Big Babitarian Sunday Lunch, I hope?
And I’m glad I’ve met you (through our blogs) and made a wonderful new friend. Life is good to us in its strange and unexpected ways, as you put it.
eh, ‘my fair lady’ got theme song ar? i can only remember the songs like ‘i could have danced all night,’ ‘get me to the church on time’ and ‘on the street where you live’…
p.s. there’s really only one solution when confronted with numerous menu choices. order EVERYTHING (and then tar pau the leftovers lah, if necessary) :P
p.p.s. eeee. never been a fan of that music. or these medieval-ish drawings :D if i could choose your ringtone u for me, it might be bruce springsteen’s ‘brilliant disguise’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzYhNKYbfUA&feature=related i’m a huge springsteen fan. surprised? :D
@Sean: We’re at Ad Hog now so I’ll reply ya after all of us are finished with the most excellent babi feast! Hehe.
@Sean: Back from Ad Hog, and man – that has gotta be the Best Babi Feast of the Year (so far)! Thank goodness for your review and Meena’s – I’d not have known about this swell, porky place otherwise.
Now that my greasy little fingers are well and clean, let me get to your comment:
Heh. ‘My Fair Lady’ punya theme song could just be any other songs lah. I’m not very fussy.
P.S. Two reasons why I wouldn’t do that: One, even if I tapau-ed the leftovers, it’s highly unlikely I’d get round to reheating and consuming it given my crazy travel schedule, so that’d be wasteful; and two, most of us CAN’T afford to order EVERYTHING on the menu, mate… *fainteds*
P.P.S. Springsteen? He does good theme songs for movies. Like ‘Philadelphia’ and ‘The Wrestler’, to name but two. And oh yes, I am surprised. I’d imagine you a classical music fan or something kitschy-campy like The Culture Club. It’s certainly from your era, hehe.
ooh, too sweet for words! better make sure Bald Eagle doesn’t tear u to pieces and feed you to the vultures! ;P
@Jun: Shhh… Don’t let Bald Eagle read this. Hehe.
yay! phew, i’m glad the place managed to live up to your expectations! i think my top three favorite dishes there are the roast pork, babi guling and chicken pogs :D
hmmmm, in the battle between ‘my fair lady’ and ‘the sound of music’ … well, no contest. i’ve probably only watched the former three times, versus maybe 30 times for the latter :P
p.s. actually yeah, that was my dilemma at ad hog. we were only supposed to have supper there, since we had already eaten dinner elsewhere before that. but we still wanted all their specialties! in the end, my friend ended up tapau-ing some of the pork ribs back :D
p.p.s. hmph. but i do like culture club. if i’m flipping through radio stations in the car, and i hear ‘karma chameleon,’ i’d listen to it all the way through (though i don’t sing along to it, unlike how whitney houston’s ‘one moment in time’ always compels me to sing along) :P
@Sean: I am with you on that – the roast pork, babi guling and chicken pogs are my Top Three at Ad Hog too (though who knows, given future trips there, new specialities may be revealed and the pole positions may see new entries).
Ah, ‘The Sound of Music’… There was a time when I could sing (well, my rendition of what singing is to most able-throated mortals anyway) every tune from that film. My fave was a toss-up between ‘My Favourite Things’ and ‘Sixteen Going On Seventeen’, I believe.
P.S. Hmm. Colour me curious, but is this ‘friend’ the same one who accompanied you on your recent European trip? Oh why oh why haven’t we seen/heard more of this companion of yours? Hehe.
P.P.S. Oh heavens. I am not sure which is greater – the relief that you DON’T sing along to ‘Karma Chameleon’ or the cringing that you DO sing to Ms. Houston in the car. *sniggers*
hmmm, u like the friskier songs from ‘the sound of music.’ i prefer the more emotionally evocative ones, ie. the title song, as well as ‘edelweiss.’ oprah recently featured the entire (surviving) cast for an interview on her show in conjunction with its 45th anniversary. must watch it online one of these days :D
p.s. since u’re not fond of felines, i figure u might not care what curiosity does to them :P but no, the europe friend and the ad hog friend were different ones. the ‘we’ in my blog is an interchangeable ‘we,’ used to represent different friends who feast with me. if u like, u can submit an application to join the ‘we’ club too, and i’m sure it’ll secure a favorable response :D
p.p.s. ‘one moment in time’ is a difficult song to sing! that bit before the final chorus where we climax with, ‘make it shiiiiiinnnnnnne’ requires real vocal flair and dexterity to pull off!
@Sean: I used to not get ‘Edelweiss’, feeling it was the solo old man song of the bunch. Now I’m older, I get it and appreciate it for its simple beauty and music and sentiments deeply.
Either that or I’m becoming an old man faster than I thought.
I don’t really watch Oprah, not since Tom Cruise became forever associated with an assaulted sofa in my mind. Eeks.
P.S. Ceh. So un-scandalous.
P.P.S. “that bit before the final chorus … requires real vocal flair and dexterity to pull off!”
Yes, it does. Hence, when you try, we run. Like, really fast.
ya, ‘edelweiss’ is a song about loving and longing. loving something so much, u can see only its beauty, and longing for it to stay that way forever. a sentiment that the young probably cannot fully appreciate. and its meaning might grow even richer as we age further…
but i do think they don’t make ‘em like they used to anymore. for example, (although they might be two different beasts), if u compare ‘the sound of music’ with something more recent, like ‘chicago,’ well, one has heart, and the other … just razzle-dazzle :P
i wouldn’t mind watching oprah’s interview with the ‘sound of music’ cast, though i dread seeing how the kids have all aged…
p.s. bah, u wouldn’t want me to make something up for the sake of scandal, rite :P
p.p.s. if u’re holding a wine glass in your hand when i hit those notes, u SHOULD run :D
@Sean: Wah, so moving (re: your analysis of ‘Edelweiss’). You know, I was chatting with some other bloggers (mutual friends of ours, naturally) over the past meal or two, and everyone marvels at how much you share about your life and personality here (in my blog comments) vs. your actual blog posts, where brevity and wit rules the day.
I find that interesting to observe, and flattering, in an odd, round-about way. Just sayin’.
Me, I like the heart AND the razzle-dazzle, but not always in the same musical/show.
Oprah aside, I wonder what those kids did in the interim years between the movie and her interview. Like Julie Andrews did some nudie bits on stage, right?
P.S. I would. But nah, you’re right, I rather read about your REAL scandalous & secret life. Hehe.
P.P.S. Or wear protective face and body gear, even.
must cultivate air of mystery lah. interestingly enough, several people whom i met recently (as a direct consequence of my blog) said one of the main reasons they like it is that i use very few words :D
but yeah, i think most readers would be able to glean a lot about your personalities from many of your blogs.
if we look at your babitarian list, min displays fierce intelligence and a keen sense of observation in her writing. ciki shows off her restless spunk and wandering eye. babe appears to be loving and devoted to her family. pureglutton seems to have uncomplicated, pure and honest passions. boo is authoritative and reliable to a fault. and you? ermmm, well, that goes without saying :P
oh, the ‘sound of music’ kids? *deep breath* liesl got married early and had kids and basically quit showbiz. friedrich starred as peter parker in the spider-man tv series (remember that?). louisa married robert urich, the star of ‘spenser for hire.’ kurt became a geologist (and interestingly enough, is married to an austrian nanny now). brigitta starred as one of the daughters in the ‘lost in space’ tv series. marta became an interior designer. and finally, gretl later acted in everything from ‘the brady bunch’ to ‘lassie’ :D
julie andrews bared her breasts in a 1981 movie, ‘s.o.b.’ i think i have the dvd if u want to watch :P
p.s. u’ll have to stalk me to find out, cos u won’t be able to read about it! :D
p.p.s. ahh that’s right. u’re not used to wearing protection, eh :P
@Sean: Mystery? Over-rated lah that. But aye, it’s one of the reasons most of us enjoy reading your blog, indeed. Simple words. Not many words. Easy to read.
Like mine lor. Ahem.
As for the Babitarian blogger list, hey! you can’t go and do a CliffsNotes on everyone but me! What goes without saying? Uhm, say it?
Oy vey, that’s one productive band of Austrian kids. Impressive. Speaking of impressive, I think I’ll give Ms. Andrews’s breasts a rest, thank you very much.
P.S. I never stalk, only get stalked. Or spammed, at least.
P.P.S. Why does this conversation smack of Dustin Lance Black suddenly?
ahhh, suffice to say, you and i are polar opposites in so many ways, based partly on what our blogs reveal about us. and i very strongly suspect, very much different in our history and our current lives too :D
i can probably find that clip of dame andrews on youtube. u could gather your colleagues around to huddle at your cubicle and watch the clip for a minute’s merriment to chase away the monday afternoon dreariness :P
p.s. i couldn’t finish reading that post u referred me to, cos i fainted briefly from the shock of learning, in the opening lines, that u underwent body balance instructor training :D
p.p.s. huh, u want to smack dustin lance black? which part of him? :P
@Sean: Oh dear. You aren’t gonna start belting out the late King of Pop’s “Black & White”, are you now? Everyone’s a little of another’s opposite, I guess, but then again, everyone’s similar in some other way too.
We need enough of the former to keep things interesting; enough of the latter to even want to engage with another.
Even Julie Andrews. I bet we have something in common with her too. No clue what it is though…
P.S. And passed, too. But now tak boleh lah. Too many years ago oredi.
P.P.S. Uhm, that’s not what I meant, but you sure gave me an idea… Hehe.
i dunno about u, but i do have something in common with dame julia andrews! our respective renditions of the title song from ‘the sound of music’ could hush an entire auditorium and bring every listener close to tears (not that i’ve tried, but some things, u know for sure) :D
p.s. three years isn’t that long ago! even in dog years, it’s barely a decade, rite :P
p.p.s. i’m sure u didn’t need ME to plant such ideas in your head.
[...] Kenny Mah brilliant writing [...]
@Sean: Oh yes. But the reason Dame Julie Andrews has the effect on the audience and the reason you bring them to tears (or do I mean fear) are two entirely different beasts, I believe. Nay, not believe, I know. (Some things, you know for sure, what.)
P.S. Long enough for me. I am old. End of discussion. Bleh.
P.P.S. Can’t deny that that statement is not entirely without merit or basis in reality…
bleahhhhhhhhhhh…… so soppy. choke choke cough cough… i seriously dont remember the queen having such long hair.
@fatboybakes: She had hair that long before la, I assure you. Not fake extensions, haha.
2007 @ my elephant! Ahh, that was the first time i met most of you too! How time flies, eh? :)
you and meens are meant for each other la, bro. Here’s to more great duets frm you guys and…erm, makans, of course! :)
@Nic: Aye, that pic was from My Elephant (though Meena and I actually met first at the now-defunct Sandias, but I always thought this My Elephant pic was nicer).
Hey, you and Meens are meant for each other. A lot of us are. She’s like sticky jelly, in a good way. Hehe.