Fritz and Sparx – Best Friends

Let me introduce to you, Sparx the Golden Retriever I adopted, and his friend, Fritz the Miniature Schnauzer.

As you can see from the video clips, they are really a pair of wonderful, playful and loving friends.

A Song I Wrote…, 5 Years Ago

It took me 5 long years and now I finally done it – upload this song that I have written on You Tube and share it to the world.

I have written about 15 songs and this is one of them which I have done as a home recording project. I wanted to do a album but then, in 2005 I was diagnosed with throat cancer. To be precise it’s cancer of the larynx (voice box). In 2007, I had a surgery to remove my larynx and since then I am unable to talk again let alone to sing.

This song was recorded at home on a ZOOM Mini Recording Studio (MRS) which I bought for about RM1300. Everything you see and hear on this video is done by me, from writing the song, singing, doing the music, mixing, video editing, etc, except for the help of a good friend, Su Mei who did the harmony. The song was recorded at the time when I was going through a 32 courses of radiation (radiotherapy). I still was able to do a bit of singing then, so I quickly recorded this song and few others, knowing that soon I will have to lose my voice completely for good.

And just a month ago I picked up some basic video editing. Took out some of my old video clips and started editing to produce this video.

Now you know why it took me 5 long years to do this video.

If you have been a regular visitor to my blog, I guess you may not know that I do sing, at one point of my life. Even while writing this article, a tiny teardrop rolled down my cheek. Yes, I once could talk, shout and sing but now I can only listen to my own voice.

If you enjoy this song, and do wish to use it in anyway, please do contact me. Thanks.

Frustration and Ferarri!

This afternoon I received a call on my mobile phone. When I looked at he number I can guess where it came from. On the other side of the line, a lady kept asking for me – calling my name over and over. Then I heard her telling another lady that someone answered the call, but he is not talking. Then another lady took over and did the same – asking for me, and repeating my name over and over and over.

Before I go any further, let me just explain, just in case you wonder, hmmm!!!

I had throat cancer and about 2 and 1/2 years ago I had a surgery to remove the tumor. I doing so, the doctors have to also remove the larynx (voice box) and thyroid gland. So now I am unable to talk. We are called Laryngectomees! People who have their Larynx removed.

So now you understand the frustration I have to go through.

But the thing is the call was from the Penang General Hospital. The place that I had my surgery. I have been doing my regular check-up for the last two and half years since my surgery. And with three different clinics. And in every clinic they know that I am unable to talk and that I had my larynx removed.

The last time I saw this doctor, she sent me for blood test and said she will call me if the results are not good. I told her don’t call me, text me through SMS. She smiled and I told her to make a not on my record which she did. She wrote.”SMS only” under my mobile numbers.

So when I received the call this afternoon, I was very annoyed. Why can’t they know that  can’t talk, it’s all over my record! And the ironic of it is that, when I went to the clinic, I found out that the reason they called was because the doctor wanted to increase my “L-Thyroxine Sodium” dosage! They should have put two and two together and know why the person on the other end is not answering. It’s in my record that I am a laryngectomee – that means I cannot talk,  “SMS ONLY” is written under my phone number on the record book, and I am prescribed to take L-thyroxine Sodium, which obviously has to to do with my thyroid.

So I really wonder how did the nurses miss this?

On the lighter side, when I was driving back home, I saw this beautiful black Ferarri  just on my right about a few cars away. The driver was trying to overtake the cars in front but couldn’t as the road was crowded.  This was on a two-lane one way street. And you know what? I OVERTOOK THE FERARRI! YES! I DRIVE A “KELISA” AND I OVERTOOK A FERARRI! And the Ferarri has to follow from behind me till we reach another junction where I went to the left and the Ferarri went to the right.

This made up for the frustration earlier with the hospital. And who say, “A KELISA CAN’T OVERTAKE A FERARRI?” I DID! HEHE!!!

Of Curry Mee And Char Koay Teow…

Why do they use cockles instead of clams in Penang curry mee? Why do they have chicken or pig’s blood? And why “tau pok,” cuttlefish and prawns instead of “tau kua,” beef or fish? Have you ever wonder why?

Maybe you will say, that’s the way it is! I know, but why those ingredients? Who started it all?

But nowadays, you can have your curry mee with all the “extras” – such as , curry chicken, curry chicken feet, curry squids, fishballs, etc etc.

But I am just talking originally, why the cockles, tau pok, cuttlefish, blood and prawns. In fact, prawn was only added later. When I was young (not that long ago lah), it was just cockles, tua pok, blood, and some stalls will have cuttle fish.

My question is why those particular ingredients? Think about that!

And the same with the traditional Penang char koay teow. Why cockles, prawns and lap cheong? Why not other ingredients?

Honestly, we eat but we never wonder why do they use  those ingredients instead of others?

PENANG – The Pearl Of The Orient Or Is It “The Mud Of The Orient?”

Yesterday I went to the Gurney Plaza and watched the movie “Ice Age 3″ Man, it was really cool.  I watched the one with 3D effects. And so happened I parked my car away from the Gurney Plaza, about 5 minutes walk along the promenade. And what I saw when I was walking back to my car was really heart-breaking. Just look at the pictures below. Pictures don’t lie, of course unless you a “photoshop” it.

Maybe I should photoshop it and bring the pictures back to the days when Gurney Drive was a paradise to the people of Penang. I can remember form my childhood days where my family would cooked nasi lemak with beef rendang and we go picnic at the “beach” along Gurney Drive. Now you can’t see any beaches expect maybe a beach of mud!

Even in my schooldays, we would go swimming, fishing or net dragging for prawns, yes prawns, there! The sea was clear and blue. On Saturday and Sunday. The sandy beach would be packed with picnickers. A day of family outing. Now you could swim in the sea of mud and maybe catch mud crawlers! And school children can only play with the mud as seen the picture above.

And have you ever wonder why there were rocks along the walls along the promenade? As I recall, those days, the waves would pound against the walls and damage it. Yes waves as high a 4 -5 feet. So the city council lined the beach with rocks to stop the waves from reaching the walls. Now what’s left on the rocks? Not waves but rubbish!

I read in Anil’s blog on a report by video journalist Chanlilian (The Gurney Drive swamp) on the pathetic state of Gurney.  And also did post an article of it on my other blog www.danielykl.com (If it swims, we have it)a while ago on the same topic.

According to Lilian’s report, it was the previous BN state government who is supposedly to blamed for what Gurney is today. The previous state environment committee chairman Teng Chang Yeow from Gerakan blamed the global warming situation and not the reclamation land which is just about 500 meters away. I don’t whether you have seen or been to that piece of land which is now a housing project with houses that cost anything form RM800K and above. It is a huge piece of land. And surely it has blocked the tides from reaching gurney Drive.

I’m sorry for the next generation Penangites. Soon the beauty of Gurney Drive will be just another main road in Penang.  And the sea and beaches along Gurney Drive will be gone forever.

A Tribute To The King Of Pop

Jacko finally finds the peace that we didn’t give him in his last days as King of Pop. Despite several rumours of skin cancer and other illnesses, he veered his fans off his health concerns and promised them one last comeback concert. But it wasn’t to be.

The moonwalker was found dead at his Los Angeles home at 12:30 pm yesterday by paramedics.

Today, we remember the man who became an icon during the 80′s with his innumerable hits that transcended racial identity and geography. But as is his human nature, we threw him off his throne when he wasn’t delivering #1 singles anymore.

Yet, his star power never waned. Though it wasn’t fed by anything positive, scandals kept him in the spotlight. Now that he’s gone, we only feel the presence of his legacy strongly and not the headlines that hounded him.

RIP Michael Jackson.

Happy Father’s Day

A Happy Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful papas!

Are You One Of Them?

They can walked for hours and covered maybe about 1 kilometers or more when they do their shopping in supermarket or hupermarket. They have no problems doing that.

But when they are done and have unloaded their groceries and whatever into their car boot, they just chucked the shopping trolley wherever they are at. I really get annoyed when I see that. And like I said, they can walk and shop for hours and covered a few hundred meters but they can’t even walk like maybe  10 or 20 meters away to return the shopping trolley to the trolley return areas.

And the most annoying is when you find a trolley parked right in front of your car. On one occasion, while waiting for a friend in my car in shopping complex parking lot, I saw through my rear mirror, a lady just pushed her cart away and it came rolling down towards the rear of my car. I quickly jumped out from my car to prevent it from knocking on my car but was a bit late. Good thing the trolley slowed down as it reached my car and just lightly knocked on the bumper. And you know what? The lady just simple got into her car and drove away. Like nothing’s wrong!

Why do they need to that? Lazy? Tired after shopping for hours? Do they just expect the trolley attendants to do the job? Or simply inconsiderate and don’t bother!

While reading this is your conscience pricking you? Am I talking to you? Have you not done this before? If the answer is “yes” then start doing the right thing, Just a push the trolley back to the trolley return areas. That’s not  hard to do, right?

Michael Jackson?

With a good make-up kit and a skillful hand, you can make anybody look like somebody, even Michael Jackson!

I’m bad, I’m bad…, I say beat it, beat it!

Banana & Blueberries Muffins From Peng’s Thots

Got this recipe from Lai Peng from Peng’s Thots and its just awesome. Let me assure you it’s better than Starbucks anytime! Trust me.

Banana & Orange Blueberries Muffins

Baking at 175c in the oven

Banana and sunflower seeds Muffin

Orange Blueberries Muffin