Famous Seremban beef noodles @ Seremban market
On our way to Melaka, we stopped by Seremban for our 2nd breakfast.
The 1st was dim sum at Taman Megah and your life did not change for the better upon knowing that.
Apparently Seremban is famous for BBQ crabs and beef noodles.
And of course, Cheesie 
I think there’s one more thing but it slipped my mind at the moment.
The famous beef noodles is in the food court inside the big Seremban market.
There are two other shops also, operated by family members.
Sorry I can’t give you directions to the big Seremban market.
You could always ask someone else though.
Or use your fancy schmancy GPS or something.
Can’t be that hard, even my aunt and uncle use their GPS to great discoveries.
Locate the food court. Have to climb some stairs.
It’s a friggin’ HUGE food court selling all sorts of food!
Look out for stall no. 748.
The younger generation is taking over the business.
It’s Hainanese-style beef noodles, you can get just meat or a mix of beef with spare parts (tripe etc). One bowl goes for RM6.00, the ‘dry’ version comes with a bowl of soup. The noodles are hand-made and you can’t get them anywhere else, the lady owner told me proudly.
So this is Hainanese beef noodles – fat rice noodles (not unlike those used for assam laksa)= but thicker) drenched in a savory + peppery sticky sauce with peanuts, salted vegetables (kiam chai), spring onions and sesame seeds.
Having been brought up on soupy Batu Pahat beef noodles, I’m still not quite sure what to make of this. Definitely interesting and you should try it for yourself when you’re in Seremban.
Famous Melaka chicken rice balls @ Chung Wah
We visited Melaka over the long break, turned out that the entire world had the same idea.
Or at least it felt like the entire world.
The entire town was jammed to the max.
There were more people all over Jonker Street than a weekend crowd at 1U.
The waiting lines to eat at the usual well-known places were RIDICULOUS.
Screw it, there’s no way we were gonna line up like that.
Under the merciless scorching sun, no less.
Plus I was sick, so my face must have been blacker than soot.
Justice Bao had nothing on me.
That’s by the way. The next morning we were going for breakfast.
And saw this little line forming at the most well-known restaurant for chicken rice balls.
At 8.27am. When the shop wasn’t open for business yet.
Are you freaking kidding me?
What’s wrong with these people?
Isn’t there anything else in Melaka to eat?
Don’t they need to wake up the shop owner???
Oh turns out that they would be open for business in 15 mins time.
Hmmm …
This might be our only chance of having any chicken rice balls.
So….
The shop only had a few tables so they were quickly filled up.
An older guy seemed to be the only one taking orders.
By taking orders, I meant that he approaches your table…
asks how many would be eating…
and 5 minutes later your food would have arrived.
So efficient.
The balls were awesome. So was the chilli, omg so pedas so good!
The chicken… yes it was nice.
But I prefer my chicken to be nicely cut.
This one, they just like simply chop chop it up only.
But apparently Malaccans prefer it this way wor.
Say it’s nicer and juicier.
So what do we know… 
Confucius says; Chinese New Year house no red, not Chinese
True story.
You know come Chinese New Year we’d (the older us) would go, yeahh no need to buy new clothes lah. Yeahh no need to buy decoration la. Yeahhhhh no need to buy all red red la.
Lies all lies.
Or maybe it’s just me. I say all these things because I’m cool like that. But then as Chinese New Year approaches, I find myself in a flutter to get new clothes, at least one set. I want to buy festive decoration. And I want them all in bright red!!!
I think it’s my subconscious training thyself towards inevitable auntiehood. I really can’t help it, bright colours make me happy! And so the world will have to live with that.
I was very happy at IKEA recently when I went to check out their Chinese New Year offerings. It’s my thing: you know how some people like to go to shopping malls and for the elaborate festival decorations? Well my equal is at IKEA. I love themed + colour coordination items and knick-knacks especially during our local festivals, i.e. CNY, Raya etc.
See their displays, so red SO HAPPY!
They have these dragon patterned wash cloths, mats and pot holders. I was so tempted to get them and I had to stop myself ‘cos I have too many of these things that I don’t use.
(But they have DRAGONS… 
)
The CNY dragon shades are for sale too. The small ones for RM6.90 each, the bigger ones for RM9.90 each. So cool, right?? But I don’t have anywhere to place them
Chinese New Year isn’t Chinese New Year without… PUSSY WILLOW! It’s supposed to be lucky… or something but that’s like saying Chinese people like money, duh 
I like it ‘cos it’s tradition.
Enid Blyton had a story about fairy kittens and pussy willows. Do you remember it?
There are pots of Flaming Katy for sale for RM6.90 each. I think they’re gorgeous and I’ll go back and get a couple.
So, are you like me in that the older you are, the more you gear towards things you remember, were accustomed to and loved as a kid?
The silliest Chinese New Year-related argument ever
This has to be it.
It has been on-going for a while now.
So much grey matter poured into this debate.
And it’s a really non-life changing discussion.
So one day I tweeted something along the lines of,
“I CAN’T WAIT TO TONG TONG CHIANG!!”
K obviously it meant Chinese New Year, right?
Tong3 tong3 chiang1.
Perhaps I should have included the intonation.
So that it doesn’t come off as:
Tong1 tong1 chiang3.
Apparently one sounds like CNY,
and the other sounds like a Chinese funeral march.
I insist that it sounds like CNY.
But my friends got into this argument also.
Horng especially has been trying to convince me..
that the CNY tone is: tong tong tong tong chiang,
and not just tong tong chiang.
On Twitter, Facebook, in person…
In Carrefour when they played Chinese New Year songs..
So just now AhFa told us that there was a CNY procession at her office.
And they played TONG TONG CHIANG, TONG TONG TONG TONG CHIANG!
Not.. qi de long tong chiang tong chiang.
Then I realised…
That this debate has to be the silliest CNY-related one we ever had.
That’s why friends make everything so fun <3
Customers’ rights: do you pay for non-service?
My friend Shirley is upset.
She bought a deal from her local group buying site. To cut the story short, she felt that the vendor was not fulfilling its promises, thus she wants her money back.
So she wrote to the vendor telling them so. Good for her, I hope she gets her money back.
It reminded me of an incident years ago. Actually it happened to my eldest sister and she related it to us. It left a deep impression on me because it was the first time I learned that customers have rights.
Li suo dan ran de shi qing but I was a lot younger and very sheltered back then lah.
My sister was at a (now-closed) restaurant in Lot 10. It was the same restaurant where she’d went with a Caucasian friend earlier and received prompt, excellent service.
This time she was alone. She ordered a drink.
She waited 45 minutes. Then she stood up and went to get her drink herself.
When the bill came, she asked to see the manager. She explained that she would pay for the cost of the drink, but because of what she experienced, she would not be paying the 10% service charge so could they remove that from her bill please.
They were puzzled. They didn’t understand the concept. After all, isn’t it a given that your bill comes with RM xx ++ ? Everyone pays it, no one questions it.
But my sister was patient. She explained it to them over and over, and insisted on not paying the service charge as she did not receive any service. After a long while, it was sorted: she paid the full bill and the manager gave her back the 10% in cash.
A lot of people would have grumbled, complained even. Then pay up. If it’d happened today, it would be on their own Facebook, Twitter or blogs. But not directly confront the vendor.
After all, why make such a big fuss over a few ringgit? That was what I thought and did, until I learned to stand up for myself. These days, I’ve no qualms making a fuss over things. I don’t feel *shy* anymore because when things are not right nor fair, you’ve a responsibility to speak up.
In my case, it’s especially drummed into my head as I’ve strong-minded siblings who’d have no problems telling things as they are.
Of course the purpose is not to be antagonistic but to be fair. If I was receiving due service, I’d happily pay what’s fair. In my sister’s case, she’d leave additional gratuity even though it’s not the norm here as the 10% service charge is already included in the bill.
If the service was above average or exceptional, she’d make it a point to write them a compliment and e-mail it to the company HQ. I think it’s a nice thing to do.
So, any thoughts? Have you ever been in a service situation where you thought you weren’t treated right? Did you speak up or let it go?
