HAPPY NEW 2011!

Here are things, food, events, places and people from my 2009 blog posts (and all which has stayed on my mind from the early days of blogging since 2006 till now are included too ... e.g my yummy Daniel Henney!) I had fun doing this and hope you have fun too trying to spot the keywords. Do you remember what were the key events that took place in your life in 2009? Let us all look forward to new and brighter things in the coming new year while never forgetting all the blessings from the past. It just keeps getting better!

HAPPY NEW 2011 to everyone.....see you next year!

Charismatic Canada! Part One

With my post on USA done....Canada's up next!  I spent about 12 days on a road trip to Toronto & Ottawa in Ontario, Quebec City and Montreal; seeing another part of Canada for the first time.  Having been to Western Canada years ago and covered the scenic Canadian Rockies, I was looking forward to the road trip.  Flying from San Francisco at 10.50 pm, we arrived in Toronto the next day at around 6.40am.

Off we went to pick up our car rental (good ol' bro-in-law planned the whole itinerary!) and we drove around Toronto for awhile, checking out the sights to kill some time before we could check into the hotel around noon.  We dropped by Toronto's City Hall which is a famous landmark. Its modern design by Finnish architect Viljo Revell, is the highlight of this building as this City Hall building was built back in 1965! 

Hmmm....Sir Winston Churchill standing akimbo :o)

Winston Churchill 1874-1965
His faith and leadershp inspired free men to fight in every quarter of the globe for the triumph of Justice and Liberty.

In front of City Hall, there's the Nathan Phillips Square where the public gathers for special events apart from enjoying the vast area as is  (it's named after the Mayor of Toronto who was in office from 1955-1962)...

Friday Quick Bites - Indian Rojak @ Nasi Kandar Pelita SS2, Petaling Jaya

(HALAL) 24 HOURS

Ahh....Friday is here again and the year draws closer to an end.  So much to do, so little time - so much to eat, so little tummy space :o).

Today's highlight for Friday's Quick Bites series is one my fave places for Indian Rojak.  Nasi Kandar Pelita is a place I drop by often for my teh tarik fix and Indian Rojak (daytime or night time).   Sorry, I'm not really a fan of Nasi Kandar though, here or anywhere else for that matter :o)

Foong Foong Yong Tau Foo @ Ampang

When K was in town over one weekend, Ilene and I caught up with him over food (what else???).  Since we both met up with Ilene in Ampang, she suggested that we do a Yong Tau Foo lunch at Foong Foong.  It has been ages since I last ate there and wondered if the stuffed goodies still delivered as it did before.

The Lost Art of The Ting Ting Candy?

Am I the only one who feels this way? I feel elated whenever I stumble upon another stall that sells the ting ting candy (made from honey and maltose), maybe it's the "sugar rush"? Hahaha....  I find that stalls like these are near extinction ... I came across one in Klang and one in Ampang so far in the last few years - one sold the malt candy stick too while the other one didn't. Would you happen to know where else one can find stalls like these?

It is said that during the dynasty period, the emperor's concubines were the only ones who had the luxury of consuming such treats (the sweet were called Gui Fei and were traditionally made from glutinous rice, white sugar and maple syrup). When I was a kid, I remember the ting ting candy sellers would pedal their bicycles around and try to attract the attention of customers hopefully by knocking the metal chisel and hammer together.  It's still pretty much the same modus operandi; just that they now travel around on motorcycles, with the candy trays resting on the back of the motorcycles.

Night Scenes - Las Vegas Part Two Final

Here's more ...

Night Scenes - Las Vegas Part One

Vegas streets come alive at night!