The Power of Dualism

The subject or idea of dualism was only presented to me fairly recently. Say in the past couple of years. I have a strong suspicion that it's because of society today that it did not exist for me to consider the good in every bad, the love in every hate, or more simply, the non-existence in the existing.

It is easier to understand that one fails to exist without the other, but applying that to all emotions and experiences is the hard part. Although when done, it churns out the beautiful magic of empathy.

Yesterday, Michael and I were invited to go to this Hindu temple down the road to a "mini" Thaipusam festival, which didn't turn out to be so "mini". For those of you who don't know, Thaipusam is a Hindu festival that celebrates the greatness of Lord Murugan, a son of Shiva. By showing their appreciation for him, the devotees pull large beautifully decorated Kavadis (chariots) to and from temples using metal hooks and rods pierced through their skin. What's so amazing about this is that no pain is felt, as all devotees are inducted in a trance where it is believed that they are wholly under the protection of the deity who will not allow any blood shed or sufferance.

Guess what? This was actually the inspiration for me to write this post :)
(Excuse the crap quality photos)

Being a Malaysian, we celebrate all cultural and religious festivals native to our homeland, so I've been to Batu Caves many times to celebrate Thaipusam with my Hindu friends. From what I know, Thaipusam is a happy and colourful festival that celebrates faith, perseverance and penance.

Not so "mini"

A devotee must be completely immersed in a trance, induced by chanting, loud drumming and incense, before he or she is allowed to carry a Kavadi. Some may be totally freaked out by this and some may even say that bad spirits have possessed them. After hearing all this, I realised that this is where the power of dualism comes into play. It is all a matter of perspective, surface analysis and most of all, us trying to categorise things we don't understand.

Stole this image from Google #mycitation

Whether it be a deity or a bad spirit, these are two separate entities that require the same amount of energy from us, just like love and hate, making them both the same thing.

Before you jump at me, the statement below is just a thought...

So, if I apply the same concept to God and the Devil, the two extremes of all religions, I can conclude that they are the same thing. It is our perception that makes one different from the other, giving it our very own opinionated levels of good or bad, based on our previous experiences and memories.

You are as bad as your enemy ;)
World peace.

My View in 360°

Let's not dwell on and dramatise the metaphorical meaning of the title, because you're not getting it!!! hahahah!

When Christopher Colombus discovered the Earth was a spherical mass (based on mainstream history, not going to argue about that now), I don't think many people, besides the obvious super gung-ho existentialists and pantheists, think about this enough times to fully absorb the meaning of 360. Honestly, I haven't even tried. After all, what each of us see through our eyes is a matter of perspective, isn't it?

Sri Lanka has given me a taste on what it's like to experience the 360 limit of our perspective. Okay, maybe not "limit", it makes it sound like I'm putting a cap on the human ability, even though it's true. Let's try... magnitude. Yes, the 360 magnitude of our perspective.

So apparently, you get blue whales in Sri Lanka. DID YOU KNOW THAT???? Good. Nor did we. On our third day here, we were invited to go whale watching by our neighbours, the nature conservationists - Daya and Chamila. Still not convinced we were going to see any whales, off we went on this whale escapade at 6 in the bloody morning.

Sunrise in Trincomalee

We got in a boat and as it started scooting towards the horizon, the land we left behind got smaller and smaller, and eventually it disappeared. Looking around, you only got the same frame as the last - blue water, blue water and more blue water. It was then that I fully absorbed the magnificence around me, where I stood amongst all the other things on this planet, and most of all I was given the chance to admire the beautiful curvature of the Earth in its full natural colour that we sometimes neglect to see.

Before I could go on daydreaming further about what was spherical and what was not, this little pup popped up to the surface. (Only that it wasn't really a pup, it was a full-fledged water-spouting, tail-flapping, krill-eating blue whale.)

Trincomalee, where we're based right now, has been a very nice surprise so far, especially for its heart-warming people with heart-warming smiles, and of course, the amazing food. Besides the lack of jellybeans, this wonderful little place will always mean something special to me because this was where Michael and I began a new chapter in our lives.

Africa - The Motherland

There are only TWO words to describe Africa - Big and Braai

I have to say, I had a wonderful time in South Africa. Finally saw my man after four long ass months, it got to a point where I was starting to forget what he looked like in real-life. Four months may not seem long for some, but it was tough for me. As I was saying, I had a wonderful time there, I touched a cheetah, swam in great white shark infested water and met his whole family for the first time - the warmest and most pleasant people I know.

Again, I can't describe how amazing this experience was, just like my Nepal trip. It's the type of "WOW" where you can stand looking forever at the postcard perfect picture in front of you. What blew me away the most were the beaches, they went on and on for miles, and when the view does stop, the horizon cuts to the Indian Ocean that promises more miles to come.

 Massive sand dunes on Nahoon Beach

Yellow Sands on the way to Chefani.

So whilst chillin' in the home of the Big Five, I thought I should probably pay them a visit. Inkwenkwezi is a private Game Reserve in East London (Buffalo City), about a 20 minute drive away from Michael's place. Here I met the lions, cheetah (singular as there was only 1), the elephants and the odd rabbit now and again. And yes, they were all pretty big :)

Here... kitty kitty :)

BFFs for life.

The massive safari truck

My "glamour" shot on the massive safari truck

Kisses from the elephant. 

Peekaboo, I see you!!!! Mr. Zebra.

See? I told you everything is big here.

I will also never forget this experience, because this is where I came up with a theory on Parallel Universes. Which I tried my hardest to explain to Michael, but it came out in a whole salmagundi of words, bless his soul for giving me the time of day to try and understand my gibberish. So I figured it's probably for the best that I take time to plot it out step by step and when that's done, try and share it again. #paradigmshiftinmybrain

Upper deck : ME ----- Lower deck : Also ME

Paaaaahahahahah..

While I was there, we looked for work that would hire the both of us as a couple, and we landed ourselves with a job in Sri Lanka, The Pearl of the Indian Ocean. So from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other, Ayubowan.

Wanderlust

Only defined by : A strong desire to travel.

After being questioned by loads of people and getting stared back at with blank faces when I told them I don't know what I'm going to do, and it really doesn't matter where I go, it has made me realise that I am truly happy with my life, my decisions and most importantly, myself.

A few epiphanies have hit me whilst day-dreaming behind my desk during a full-on workday.
ONE : I don't belong here.
TWO : I don't belong here.
THREE : I don't belong here.
FOUR : It's time for change.
FIVE : I want to swim with manatees.

Early 2013, I landed myself with an office job. Something very new to me and only seen in the movies. I thought I did it, I found the ultimate solution to the difficulties in life. Here, I get a pretty decent salary every month, with health and EPF benefits, and if your teeth need fixing, dental benefits too. I actually managed to convince myself that this was a good idea and that this was the best solution to a balanced lifestyle. Balanced, my ass.

So here I am now, sitting at my desk on my last day of work, with no mixed feelings or regrets, ready to take on any new experiences that life has to offer. (Inside, fireworks are exploding and gorillas are shaking my ribcage, super excited, feeling like a little girl again.) - True story, the evidence is in the bad punctuation in that last sentence.

FIRST STOP, SOUTH AFRICA!!! Finally seeing my man after 4 fucking longggggggg months!!
Stay tuned for updates!!!

Make-up for the Soul

Happy New Year!!!

As promised here's the homemade make-up recipe. It doesn't provide much coverage, but it's enough.

The cosmetic industry uses thousands of synthetic chemicals in their products, which I thought, can't be that good for you if it's used to clean industrial equipment, stabalise pesticides and grease gears. As we all know, there are many loopholes in the federal law everywhere, so the consumers end up having to deal with cancer causing ingredients in things that they think are harmless to them, something as simple as a bottle of hand wash.

Here's a more friendly foundation/bronzer you can use to substitute the nasty stuff.

- Arrowroot powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cocoa powder
- Jojoba oil (optional for making the mix a compact)

In a big bowl, start with a tablespoon of arrowroot powder if you have dark/tanned skin like me, and 3 tablespoons of it if you're fairer.
Cinnamon, nutmeg and cocoa are three different shades of brown, so just mix them into the arrowroot powder, adding one or the other until you get the right tone. SIMPLE!

If you prefer compact, while stirring the mixture of powders, slowly drop in 5 drops of jojoba oil. When it's well mixed, pour everything into a container and press it down hard with a spoon. VOILA!

Pressed to a compact.

Body Chow

I wouldn't call this an epiphany, but I guess it is. On Wednesday last week, 18th December 2013, I decided to ditch all body, hair and beauty products that contained chemicals in it. My dad thinks I am now insane after he witnessed me cracking an egg over my head.

It all started with an annoying and painful battle with dandruff that led to a sensitive scalp. I had always subconsciously wanted to be chemical free, but never really thought it through or gave it any whacks. So maybe a year a go, I decided to make this a conscious effort and stop using conditioner. It was good for a while, and then, it all went downhill when I switched to the Satan of ALL hair products, Himalaya Protein Shampoo, obviously by none other than The Himalayan Drug Company. My scalp was in ruins.

I only realised after reading other healthcare blogs that shampoo, conditioner and all these other products actually aren't very good for you. So from then on, I began on my journey of discovering what I should be giving my body, instead of what I should be force feeding it with.

DISCOVERY 1 :
Yahoo to No 'Poo!
It's been 8 days, which means, my second installment of the Egg and Lemon combo. I'll be keeping this to a weekly routine (Wednesdays, if anyone wants to join in), just so I can have a clean scalp throughout the working week, and leave the intensive oil treatments for the weekends. At least this way, the oils have a day or two to soak in, and my hair won't look stringy and gross at the office.

Le egg mon recipe :
Simpler than beating a drum. Beat in an egg and juice of 1 lemon, pour over hair and massage into scalp. I usually leave it in for an hour, then wash it off with water.

On days that are not Wednesdays, I just rinse and massage my scalp with water and on the weekends, COCONUT OIL!!! I also keep a bottle of Argan oil in my bag to apply daily during the day.

Now, the trick about coconut oil, is getting rid of it. I leave it in for an hour, then do the first HOT WATER rinse. Rinse twice daily with hot water for 2 days and it should almost be out of your hair. It must be hot water so that the oil doesn't harden. I have to say, after these 7 days, my dandruff has completely disappeared!!!

DISCOVERY 2 :
Aging with Grace.
I only started this yesterday, but my face is already feeling radiant and fresh. Be it a psychological or physical improvement in my complexion, I'm pretty sure the natural stuff is better in the long run than the clinical bottled products I used to use.

The curer of them all, saviour of acne, and the protector from all baddies, COCONUT OIL. I use just a tiny bit everyday to remove my makeup (I will be writing another post on homemade makeup). I've also made this paste-like facial scrub, for my face to be exfoliated 3 times a week.

Cinna-comb recipe :
It's just a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and honey. You may adjust the consistency of either ingredients depending on the smell and the feel you want. Take a step further and add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil for those of you with dry skin for moisture.

Recipe taken from this site.

So far so good, I smell like a walking dessert and my pug, Eva, won't stopping licking my face after a wash.


Next post will be about making homemade makeup and a touch of coconut oil pulling.
Keeping it real.

Kehe-kehe

First of all, Merry Christmas!!!

These past few years have been a whirlwind of a ride. From obsessions with alien invasions, the UFC, Nassim Haramein's finite theories and spirituality, to air frying everything, crossfit, finding the man of my dreams and hiking in Nepal??!!

Only to discover that the latter group of experiences are the finer things in life. 

I also learnt that information is all around, what you choose to do with it plays a big role in how it enhances you, as a person.

Trekking the Himalayas, I must say, is one of the most phenomenal things I've ever done in my life. I have said many times before that everything should always be about the journey and not about the result. Something I thought I understood, but it was clear that I was no where near the comprehension of this concept until I experienced this journey.

I used to question the point of hiking a hill/mountain, when all you do is struggle to go up and when you get to the top, come straight down. Then, it dawned upon me that this was what experiencing the journey meant.

BY NO MEANS was this hike an easy one. It consisted of a 5 day hike, 8 hours a day, some freak weather where it rained for 3 days non-stop, eating the same food almost everyday, fighting with other hikers to dry your clothes, no electricity, no water (meaning no showers at times) and the most difficult one of all, you questioning your own willpower. 

Besides willpower, which HAD to be questioned every 5 steps, the Himalayan mountain range has one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen in my entire life. The mountains are draped with millet and paddy fields, farms, villages and most of all, the most beautiful trees on this planet.

Here are some of the photos from the trip. I can't really describe what it was like because no words can actually describe what I experienced. I only know that I almost passed out when I was standing on this hilltop, and suddenly, the clouds cleared revealing the majestic Annapurna South and Machapuchare (The Sacred Fish Tail).

Kathmandu, where everything started. Especially the shopping.

So happened we arrived on the first day of Darshain. 

The Nepalis' equivalent to Deepavali.

There's me getting blessings from my parents.

Mom and dad putting barley in my ears. 

 Landscape of the Himalayan mountain range - Paddy fields.

The beautiful Pokhara lake.  

 Child who showed me his wee wee after I took this photo.

Little old lady who hosted us and made the most amazing Tibetan cornbread. 

 Machapuchare poking out of the clouds. Hello!!

 Omg, Annapurna South, I was speechless at this point.

 Moo

 The village on the other mountain, is actually Landruk. Well done for signage.

 Baby lambs on our descent towards Syauli Bazaar (last stop).

Millet, to be fermented into a local alcohol called Raksi. My dad's best friend for quite a few nights.

Here is the Poon Hill trek :)

So we made it. That's important. Went up to an altitude of 3210m and I don't really want to know how long and how far we walked, but it was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, not even WiFi.

I am at peace with the world, and it with me.. (I hope)

The moment has finally come, the moment we've all been waiting for. Well, at least the moment I've been waiting for, but I speak for all of us now. Our emotional endeavours have finally come to a nice halt filled with optimism, complacency, relief and, in today's world, some even consider happiness.

As much as I would like to suggest that Steve Jobs has come up with an OS that also generates food and free money, or that John Frusciante has re-bonded with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which of course, no such attempt has been made to make these things possible yet. The latter is a fact I'm still pining over, but I guess the show must go on. Which is what all artists respectfully practice. And Anthony Kiedis, being one of the music industry's most profound individuals, along with RHCP bassist, Flea, have finally decided to push on and give me some peace of mind this 30th of August. I am definitely with you!!

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are born again.  I wouldn't consider this a brand new start, even though Frusciante has been replaced by Josh Klinghoffer. (Pine, pine, pine) It's more like picking up from where they've left off, maintaining their style, yet making the evolution of their music unmistakably prominent. Finally, the 21st century will remember the meaning and the real, distinctive sound of Funk.

Here's their new single, "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie". The link will lead you to their official site and all you have to do is click play to hear it. They've just released the tour dates and locations. annnndddddd also the track-listings for "I'm With You". Can't wait for the other 13 tracks to be out next month!!! EEEEeeeeekkkk!!!!

I'm going to be rational and mature about Josh playing OVER DISTORTED solos, and say... sure, I'll learn them anyway. Well apparently, one of the guitars that he plays is a Sunburst Tele, of which, according to some speculation online, was gifted to him by Frusciante himself. So, because of this, I will be patiently waiting and will be expecting only the best. Or else...
NOOOOooooo no no no no!!! No or else... I'm going to buy the album anyway.

"I'm With You" album cover.

Ba Da BOOOOOMMM!!!!

Finally!!!! The world is soooo much sweeter with internet!!!
If you're trying to figure out which company to go with... TM Unifi is HIGHLY recommended by me :)

Right.. First things first.... WHAT THE (&^^&$%$^&(**&@@#%^&!!!!!!?????? Explosion in the building next to mine?! Not only did it blast itself out of proportion, but the impact was sooooo great, my door blasted open and sent us scurrying like ferrets trying to get to the nearest exit. It was Mother's Day when this happened, so I had my parents over for dinner. Suddenly we heard a massive BOOM and my door came flying open, breaking the lock in the process. Without thinking, we ditched everything (including the yummy nachos we were having for starters) and just ran out the door and started down the stairwell.
"Are you mad?!" is what I'd like to say to the people who taught us not to bring anything with us during an emergency. That was what I stuck to, and that was such a bad idea. Like anyone with common sense in the case of an explosion, we took the stairs. (Yes, we ran 17 floors down the stairs, I happen to be on the same level as the unit "En Flambe" in the building next to us.) Anyway, bad bad idea to ditch your shoes. We all ran barefoot except for my head-locked-on-shoulders dad.. and little did we know, the whole stairwell was covered in glass, floor after floor after floor. It felt like we were running for a long time. At one point, when it felt like we had reached the bottom, I looked up and saw the number "8" on the wall... and was like OMG... 8 more floors to go. We're gonna die. In my head, all I could think about was GET OUT GET OUT!!! IT SHOULDN'T TAKE THIS LONG TO GET OUT!!! and also what the bejeeeeebus could've caused this havoc??!! What could cause a 33 story building to have all the windows in the stairwell shattered?! I was filled with fear, desperation, tears, and in between all those things, ANGER, because of how the property value would decrease. Adding on to that fruitful experience, when we reached the ground floor, it was pitch BLACK, so instinctively I took a left after the exit point. Thank GOD we ended up in the loading bay.. FRESH AIR FINALLY.. I looked out at the whole scenario, and all I could see was glass. EVERYWHERE. and people screaming and running for their life. I remembered to trod carefully over the glass... and to step on it, and not to swish my foot against any of the edges. So we ran past the guardhouse and onto the road, looked up, and finally I understood what had happened, Standing tall above up was the fiercest and the biggest fire I've ever seen in my life. It wasn't just burning, it looked like what I would imagine the fires of hell would be, it was reaching out from its side trying to burn every single thing that it could touch.
Despite all the glass in my foot, I had tears down my cheeks just praying no one was in there and that no one was hurt. Without wasting another second just in case it were to collapse, we jumped into a cab and summoned it straight to my auntie's house as none of us had our keys with us. Here's the newspaper article to answer any of the questions you have in your head. My apartment is just next to that tree.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/9/nation/8645263&sec=nation
Below are pictures of the aftermath I took early this morning. 

 Stairwell Windows

 Taken from my corridor

White wash in your eye???

Right, firstly, IT WASN'T ME!!!!!
Can't believe my last post was in January!! Hmmmm.. How do I explain this.. lets just say, a train of events have strutted through my life and left me dry with no internet connection. Actually, it left me with no internet connection and computer for these few months.
Although, not all is bad, good things have had a brief appearance in these past couple of months.
Finally got my keys to the new pad. That's where my reason for no internet connection fits in. With no power yet, I had to sit on the hard, cold marble floor and watch hours and hours of different batches of people coming in to install essential things like.. the lights, fans, cupboard doors, washing machine pipes (which is still driving me mad), and the bed of course!!!
Decided to go for a rattan themed living room, so that cost me an arm and a leg. Or maybe 2 legs. Speaking of installing, half of my kitchen is still in boxes. I'm just waiting for all the festivals to be over so people actually start working.

Daunting event 2 would have to be the rise and fall, and the rise and fall again of my dear laptop. I kinda realised my track pad wasn't working. Percussive repair (a forceful fist to its touch sensitive surface) kind of revived it now and again. Nevermind, it's something I can live with. So I carry on with my normal daily life.. and one day after the famous Macintosh DING (completely distorted and slightly flat as my speakers are long gone), a folder with a question mark on it appeared smack in the center of the blue screen. The only understanding I had of this strange image, was folder (My hard drive) and the big "?" (nothing inside). Calmly, I closed the laptop as I took a long deep breath, hoping this was just some ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character that is useless in today's society. Convincing myself that it was, I lifted the screen for the second time. And there was that bloody thing flashing in my face!!!!  >>> Fast forwarding to Low Yat Plaza >>>>
Had to buy a brand new hard drive, because guess what??? everything was wiped out. Like I said, there is always a silver lining. Bringing in my laptop made perfect sense in the world of coincidences, because when the mac dude took out my battery to replace the hard drive, the battery was completely swollen and would have probably blown me into smithereens if I hadn't taken my laptop in.. and the nice man installed the new Snow Leopard OS X for me :) Anyhooo, couldn't afford a new battery just yet, so I had to settle with my laptop getting its power straight from a power point. Which is fine.
One fine day, I plug the adapter into the socket, and waited for the "charging" green light to come on... IT NEVER CAME!!!! It just never came :(  So this will lead on to - expedition at the Mac shop no. 2.
And Jesus, besides having to argue with the salesman what model MY macbook is, a nonchalant looking 60 watt 3 pin power adapter with magnet as the connection tool cost me RM300.


Let"s not talk about the other unfortunate incidences which have strayed me away from updating this page. Let's just say, high delusional fever, bad food and extremely bad tummy aches, which led to a treat : weight loss. NO LONGER WILL I HAVE TO RUN THE HILLS OF AMPANG AGAINNN!!!

Why Are We Waiting???

Life in Malaysia is great.. just great. As you never know what to expect on a day to day basis. It’s flourished with amazement and oooohh!! Don’t even get me started about the weather. It swallows you in and spits you out by surprise, some may even consider it similar to a roller coaster ride.

Take 2 : Without sarcasm..

Since all these astounding things are constantly rotating around us, sometimes, it’s hard to keep up. That is why.. all the birds in town, follow you…. Just kidding. That is why we need a constant in our lives. Something that weighs down your sanity to make sure you’re not firing away like a loose cannon.

Now, the constant that we Malaysians have is waiting. WAITING.. WAITING.. and more WAITING… No matter what you do, who you meet, where you go, you have to wait. According to my recent survey (on myself) revolving around my daily activities, which consists of going to work, coming home from work, going to the supermarket, going to visit friends who live in silly places like Petaling Jaya, or sometimes if I’m lucky, a meeting on the other side of town. I realized that I spend more time in my car than actually getting things done. Which I guess all of us have come to terms with. Jump in any one of your friend’s cars and you’ll find out why. The backseats are probably draped with 10 different types of magazines, kacang and snacks in the glove compartment, Sudoku books and of course, lets not forget the fancy “throne” for our mobile phones that are most of the time angled perfectly to our desired line of sight, so that we don’t hit the wrong point when playing Tap Tap Revenge 2. We know it’s coming, hence the preparation. Some may even choose to have their car activities on rotation and even with a combination. OK, Monday, I’m gonna read my KL Lifestyle magazine at 5:46pm because then I’ll be in the middle of a circus on Jln Tun Razak, then open one bag of the kacang at 6:00pm as I head into the 2^nd underpass, and thank god I brought my suede cleaner so I can clean my shoes for tomorrow’s meeting at 6:19pm just before I hit the AKLEH, and BOOM! 7:00pm, I’ll be home just in time for dinner. Fabulous.

If it’s not on the road, it’s waiting for a friend, waiting at GH, waiting for our fantastic broadband service to open the next page on Firefox, waiting for food (this is sometimes inflicted by choice), or for the nice parking spot right next to the elevators, or for a colleague, or even worse, for a colleague that is of a higher rank than you that INSISTED the meeting be at 0900 hours SHARP, and at 10:30am, he’s on his way (which means just left home) or stuck in traffic (which also means just left home). AND the worst one of all, everyone nonchalantly assumes that our peers have what we call “Malaysian Timing” and then end up waiting for one another at the specified location.

More often than not, each rendezvous point has a certain time line, and because of that, the same meeting may have to be held at 2 or sometimes 3 at different locations. Say the original point is at Pelita’s on Jln Ampang, but Mr. Yap has to be at Hard Rock Café (on a Tuesday morning??!!) in the next half an hour. This is when a mass text message is sent out to inform the latecomers of the new meeting point. It stops here if you’re lucky.

For those of you fortunate ones who have reliable and punctual friends, there’s still no escaping!! I believe the universe is made with a fair amount of balance. So it’s either one or the other. If you have nice, punctual friends or co-workers, the rush hour traffic will start right outside your door. And if you don’t have a license or a car, or simply choose not to drive, you still have to wait for the bus.

It's A Man's World

If you think we rule the world and that we’re so special, big brains, bigger ambitions and probably the biggest personalities, check out what these creatures can do. 

The thorny devil lizard from Central Australia has an amazing feature that it’s born with. Only reaching the solid length of 20cm, and having to reside in the scorching deserts of Australia, it somehow needs to find enough water for its body. So what these little fellas have are feet with absorbing powers that allows it to absorb water from whatever surface it touches and during the odd occasion when it rains, capillary action allows it to absorb water from all over its body. Which I think is a pretty handy trait to have, especially when you’re thirsty.

From the same part of the world, residing more in the coastal areas of north Australia also lives the Taipan snake (Oxyuranus scutellatus). It can grow up to 3m in length, and one drop of its poison can easily kill a 6 footer. Imagine what it can do to an average sized human. In these kind of environments food doesn’t come by easily. It’s not Jalan Alor on a Tuesday night. So, anything that decides to stroll by this snake, can be potentially taken out in one nibble.

 

As humans, being the most dominant species on this planet, next to mosquitoes, the way we’re built is basically almost the same as most mammals when talking about the placement of organs and what not. The only gift, if you want to call it a gift, is the complexity of our brains. I suppose you can say it’s the most vital part of our bodies. Having been given this gift, we have the ability to think a lot quicker and more in depth than other living things. Although, sometimes our decisions and actions may contradict that whole statement completely.

As time has proved, the more we progress into the future, the more unaware we are of our insignificance in the world. What are we to the amazing redwood tress in California or the majestic blue whales in our oceans? Not a lot really if you think about it. So what gives us the right to log down a forest that’s been around for longer than our ancestors? I’m not even kidding those trees have been around for millions of years. Which I’m pretty shocked about myself.

If creatures like those mentioned above that have such amazing “super powers” are put on this earth purely for surviving, shouldn’t we do the same and not play the Dr. Evil game and try and destroy our beautiful planet with just one push of a button. I’m probably exaggerating, but that’s what it’s leading to slowly. If it means using our brains to create deadly and destructible substances against each other, then maybe we should find another planet to do so. Just like a fight at a bar. If you’ve got issues with one another, take it outside.

 

Check out my weekly column, TGIF, on Loyar Burok.
Also if you have the same problem as me figuring out what to wear everyday, and trying to justify that by telling yourself you've got no clothes to wear,  well, Loyar Burok would've solved your problem. They've just printed brand new t-shirts. Pictures and info on where to buy should be up on the website soon.

GOOD MORNING MALAYSIA!!!

Ah Ouiiiii!!!! Bon Jour!!!

Since I got back to Malaysia in 2009, my domestic and culinary skills have been dying down gradually. Being on my own for about 4 years in the UK, kinda forced me to learn how to cook, clean and all that jazz, and before I knew it, I was a domestic goddess!!!! (I'd like to think so)

Recently, and by recently I mean 2 days ago, besides making inconsistent cookie dough, I've managed to whip out a loaf of BEAUTIFUL banana bread. I think it was inspired by the Chimpanzee documentary I was watching on Nat Geo Wild :)

Unfortunately, this recipe was not created by my innate cooking skills, but cheekily stolen from an amazing banana bread website. It's a website devoted solely to banana bread. It has any banana bread recipe you can think of. But the one I chose was the "Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe". It even has a recipe for curried pineapple banana bread. I think that's taking "fusion" a bit too far. Well, check it out anyways.
http://www.banana-bread.biz/

The other thing I came across was a measurement for butter. Normally you would say 200 grams of butter, or if you want to work with melted butter, you'd say half a cup or something more realistic. This one just said "One STICK of butter". I stared at the sentence for a good ten minutes trying to make sense of this measurement in my head. One stick... does that mean a horizontal stick, a short fat vertical stick (No... that will make it a square), or just the whole slab of butter, which i thought would be a bit too much for just one small loaf of banana bread. Lo and behold, it is an actual American measurement for butter. It equals to 113.5 grams of butter. Oh yes!! I would've guessed 113.5 grams!!! That is a perfect stick of butter. Oh well, it's nice to learn something new everyday.

Anyway, I tweaked the recipe slightly. After finding out that this was an American site, I immediately reduced the sugar amount to half. And of course, ignored pecans in the ingredient list. Well, below are some shots of my pride and joy.

 What a beautiful perfect loaf :)

 

Everyone needs a profile shot.

Looks good, but it tastes better. Pah!!