The Cheek of Some People!!!!

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last 5 years, you would know that you can get really cheap (pirated) CDs and DVDs throughout Asia. In Sibu, they cost about RM$5 (NZD$3) each. These pirated DVDs retailers are everywhere and the merchandise are displayed blatantly. There's no need for a suspicious man in trenchcoat to come up to you and flash you. In this case instead of being greeted by dodgy male parts which resulted in you running away screaming and/or pointing and laughing, you are greeted by replica watches hanging off the inside trenchcoat which resulted in you pointing and laughing (with joy. Score!).

But THIS is just cheeky:

Looks normal, right? Take a closer look:

Not only did they rip Jay Chou off, the pirated CD had this message on the back. Copting?? If you are going to copy the whole thing, at least copy it word for word, ok?

This is cheeky too. Duplication is a violation of applicable law. All trademarks and logos are protected????? Apparently not. Tsk tsk tsk.

Don't judge me for buying pirated goods. I'm a poor, unemployed (amoral) accountant with five mouths to feed, ok? Ok, just one but feels like five most days.

The Sixty Four Thousand Dollar Question

From whom do I inherit all these superior (gorgeous) genes from??

Heheheh... check out this cute chubby baby..... that was my Dad.... looks a bit like Logan/Lauren.

Dinner At Paramount Hotel - Auntie's 80th Bday Bash

It was one of my aunties' birthday last night so we were invited to her birthday bash at Paramount Hotel. The Hiis all tarted up for the occasion.

Mum in her new top and pretending to wear my sky high heels:

Dad the poser wearing YSL shirt and CR pants that Ah Here bought him (she knew what size to buy by trying them on.. same size as dad ... so sad):

Me, poor me have to take self portrait... do I look like Mum, Dad or combo?? Lots of people kept saying I look EXACTLY like dad. What the?!!!!? I do not!

Mum and Dad:
Anyway the dinner was banquet style so the dishes came out one after another, once the previous one had been finished. I was very controlled and didn't eat too much. Most photos were my own individual servings because I didn't want to draw attention to my alter ego : blogging freak.

First up: noodles with a hard boiled egg with a deep fried coating. Typical dish for birthdays.

Second dish: Shark's fin soup... yum yum.... I know I know it's a bad thing. Second dish in Sibu is always always always a soup dish.

Third dish: Steamed fish with garlic. So soft.
Fourth dish: Deep fried chicken with cheese, mango slice and toast. This was different and quite nice. Like a giant hors d’oeuvres.
Fifth dish: Obligatory vege dish with an eggy gravy. Was alright. I had 2 servings of this to feel healthier and in a bid to not eat two servings of the other dishes.

Sixth dish: Sweet and spicy spareribs. The one on the left is beef and the right is venison.. had two servings *drop head in shame*

Seventh dish: Gigantic prawns with a spicy curry eggy gravy and deep fried dipping bread. Ahhh save the best for last... This was THE dish that deserved pics of the whole thing instead of just my own serving. We've heard that this is Paramount's star dish and I've been looking forward to trying it. Trust me, it didn't disappoint. I was going to have another serving but everyone else obviously liked it too. Boooooooo. Yummmm

All gone..

Saw quite a few people that I haven't seen for a long time. Sigh, time really doesn't wait for anyone.

Typical Snacks I Eat in Sibu

I haven't had chocolates for 2 weeks now. There's no room in my life for chocolates at the moment due to all the other food vying for precious real estate in my stomach everyday. Anyone who knows me well would know that it's a huge deal for me not to have had any chocolates for 2 weeks and not miss it all. Not even a little bit.

Typical snacks:

Kompia with a piece of barbeque pork peeking out shyly. The closest thing to a kompia is a bagel except a kompia is about the size of the palm of my hand and is a lot crunchier and thinner than a bagel. Logan loves this too.

Another variation of kompia : kompia with stewed meat and gravy. Yum yum, Mum is the best cook ever.

Pineapple tarts and pandan flavoured moochi.

4 for RM$1. This is basically a super thin crunchy pancake sandwiched with peanuts and sugar inside. It is so delish and so deadly but then again what isn't in Sibu.

Tiny cakes.. these were RM$1.20 a bag. Nothing special and a bit tasteless to be honest.

This One's For the Children aka Ah Here

Look Ah Here, the things I do out of love for you? You can't eat this so I had to eat it for you. Freshly fried, scrumptiously crunchy and oh so tasty. Yum yum.... oh what a chore!

For those who don't know what this is, it's deep fried bread with a little bit of mince inside. Very similar to those fried things that Sarika makes except hers are vegan. 60 cents each.

Behold! Bobo the Genius Dog!

My mum has been training all our dogs for years. All our dogs can do the following:
- Sit
- Shake hands.

But Bobo takes the cake in terms of intelligence. He can do the following:
- open doors
- close doors
- only eat food fed by Mum (in case thiefs tried to poison him).

I've tested him. I've chucked food into his living area and he sniffed it but didn't eat. And the amazing thing is I chucked him dog biscuits that he eats everyday so it's familiar food. I am very impressed.

Check out Bobo in action:


The video is a bit longer than needed because we were trying to get Bobo to let Brownie (his neighbour) out. But he wasn't in the mood. The voice you hear is Mum, the drill sergeant trying to get Bobo to obey. So pretty amazing huh? Don't judge him by his stupid name, ok?

Thankful

Before I forget, I just wanted to say that I was very grateful for the way things turned out on this trip. I remembered praying to God before hopping on the plane from Sibu to KL, asking for the Bangkok airport to be open so that we could get there (so that I can shop). I also remembered being slightly disappointed when we realised that we definitely won't be able to go. At that stage we didn't realise how serious things were. We thought it was just a peaceful demonstration and everyone was just inconvenienced. Obviously hindsight is twenty twenty and we all now know that things turned violent very quickly. Anyway, this experience taught me that sometimes, prayers go unanswered for a reason that we may not understand at the time and all we can do is to go with the flow and put our faith in Him. Sermon over, class dismissed.