I No Understand - The Little Toe

Above: Why are you still there??

I've always wondered why we still possess five toes instead of four, like a bird. Perhaps we have evolved in such a way that God had invested so much in human-brainpower that he forgot about a bird's; or a bird's feet that he forgot about our feet. To make you understand what I'm trying to make you understand...about what I think I understand, our little toe is useless.

    Yes, the little toe, the fifth metatarsal and smallest toe on our feet. It is the one toe that always gets in the way. Slamming itself into corners of walls, doors and anything slammable you can think of. Everybody had been there, and everybody can remember the agony and pain associated with accidentally hitting your little toe on something. Apart from being a pain in the ass, the little toe also acts as magnet for deformities, especially associated with wearing shoes (which 90% of civilized people have on their feet), of which you can see it all here.

    Being such a burden, what benefits you may ask, does the little toe carry?

    It doesn't act as balance, as I believe I can very well balance myself if my little toe is amputated, so will you. It is also lazy, not being able to move by itself without moving your four other toes, even so only moving a miserable few degrees in a horizontal plane. It doesn't help keep your nostrils clean, which is taken cared of by your pinkie, or more formally known as your little finger. In short, it doesn't do much benefit other than getting hurt and diseased, much like the appendix lying in some of your abdomens today, including mine.

    So why is it still present? My theory is that the little toe is nothing more than a remnant of our evolutionary past. To put simply, a vestigial organ. Very much like our appendix, which was once used to aid in the digestion of cellulose but today just swells up spontaneously, or otherwise, our coccyx (assbone) which brings much pain to our behinds when a friend plays the pull the chair prank on you or even sometimes when you do situps on the ground. Maybe sometime long ago our little toe was used to dig out grubs from a rotten log, to grasp onto branches of trees, to make us hang upside down and sleep. All we know is, it doesn't serve it's previous function anymore.

    So where do we go now? How do we deal with our little toe? For me, I would let God and nature act. Maybe someday, thousands of generations later, the little toe will shrink in size, which I think it has for mine, but not for a few of my friends. Maybe, just maybe, future humans will have four toes and birds can speak and the little toe will be embedded somewhere in our feet, much like a whale's vestigial hind legs, a reminder for us of its past. We never know.

    However, if your little toe is too big and unbearable, you can either head down to the clinic or hospital to get them amputated or save costs and do a little DIY at home. DO NOT forget painkillers and ice!!

Source: Medscape

Makaning - Instant Noodles

Instant noodles, you might hear people around you always telling you that instant noodles are carcinogenic and unhealthy. However, think about it, how would life be like without instant noodles? If ever you have one of those days that you just woke up late and have no idea what you would want for brunch, and at the same time you feel lazy as hell to just walk a few feet outside to your car, instant noodles are always the saviour in such emergency situations. Pop the bag, boil some water and 5 minutes later you have chicken soup noodles in front of you. It is no doubt that instant noodles are one of mankind's most brilliant creations and one of the most underlooked.

    In Malaysia, instant noodles are no doubt a hit, a staple diet among locals. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack, you can find people eating instant noodles at anytime of the day, even 3am in the morning at the mamak stall. Unhealthy? Who cares?

    Instant noodles also form a base to brush up our cooking skills. The first step in cooking every Malaysian child has to take is to learn how to cook "Maggi mee". They also serve as a base for food experimenting, you can fry instant noodles, boil'em and eat'em with home cooked soup, add any leftovers to them for added "nutrition" and nowadays some can even be eaten out of the pack when you feel too heavy to move more than 6 inches. Ask any Malaysian and they'll all have their personal preference how their instant noodles should be like and what ingredients are to be added. Same story with every mamak stall, they all have their different styles of Maggi goreng.

    Personally, I like to add my ingredients according to what is shown on the picture on the packet. I don't like to add seafood to chicken noodles or meat to seafood noodles. You might think that I'm mad but I don't care. Here, I am to share with you one of my favourite style of cooking instant noodles.

    I like seafood noodles and on this particular packet of instant noodles I had today, I see prawns in the picture. Furthermore, it's a Thai product and it's Tom Yam flavoured and Tom Yam always goes well with prawns. Dug out some massive prawns from the freezer and defrost them. Peel them and devein.

    Keep the prawn shells and head for seafood broth. Throw them into the pot with some fish bone and ikan bilis(dried anchovies) and boil them for at least 20 minutes.

    Orangey red broth will form. Drain the broth into another pot and throw away the shells and shit.

    Add some water to broth and cook instant noodles. Add any seafood, for today(prawn, scallop and fish). You can also add vege but I ran out of vege today. Thank God.

    Done and serve. Might look like a bowl of rubbish but trust me it's fine fine food.

  

My Denim Adventure - New Purchase!

Above: Finally my 1st pair of APCs, Petite Standards.

Got a pair of new denims all the way from the USA to break in after I'm done with my Dr Denims, and they are none better than APCs, which are famed among denim enthusiast for producing great fades. The difference between this pair and my Dr Denims is that they are much much more stiffer, more starch, better fades and they are also selvedged, a method of sewing associated with quality denim. Can't wait to get them smelly and break them in. =)

Above: Selvedge...my 1st pair of selvedged jeans, finally. =)

NY > Dubai > Home

Above: My last proper NY meal. Pita brad with loads of meaty shit.

Above: Still confused. Did I misplace my HK photos in my NY album?

Above: So this is how it feels to be on stand-by. Like shit.

It was a very tense moment while waiting at the airport for our tickets to be confirmed for the flight to Dubai. I could only sit down at one corner of JFK International and pray that we can get on the flight. I didn't really want to leave NY yet but I didn't wanna go back to NY after traveling all the way to the airport with our luggages all packed and ready. Went to the toilet and walked back to the place where my parents were waiting and our prayers were answered, we are going home after all. Exhaustion overwhelmed me. The only relief came in the form of the Airbus A380 that we were going to board to Dubai. Basically a really huge, double decked plane with massive wings that you can literally fit a futsal court onto. Got on the flight and it's 12 hours of agonising sleeplessness, stress and air sickness. I was so tired that I suggested to my parents that we should stay over in Dubai for at least one night, since my sister was also free at the moment, they agreed.

Above: Airbus A380. Two bridges, one connecting to the upper deck and one to the lower. Brilliant, and I sound like a geek now.

Above: What huge wings you have Mr Plane.

    Reached Dubai at about 8 or 9pm Dubai time. Waited at the carousel for our luggage but it never showed up. Dad then checked the boarding pass and found out that they actually checked us right into a transit flight on the same day back to KL, which means that we will not be able to stay back in Dubai which got me really pissed.

Above: Hi Dubai....bye Dubai.

    Anyway, went for a dinner with my sister and then took some shots and headed to my sister's apartment to clean ourselves up. Rested for a while and went back to the airport. Another agonisingly slow 7 hour flight back to KL. Felt sick and uncomfortable throughout the whole journey. Finally reached KL and 2 hours later, home. Home Sweet Home! Phew...nono....PHEW!

    I really hate flights. I wouldn't wanna get back on another plane for the next 5 months at least. Plane flights are torture for me, they are as comfortable as being stabbed. For now, I need some good rest. Jet lagged and feeling unwell.

NY Day 4 - Going Back??

Woke up this morning to find out that my sister had just informed us that our flight which was supposed to be on the 11th was overbooked and us, having bought unconfirmed tickets had a very slim chance of boarding. The only flight not fully booked is tonight's, so this left us no choice but to board the flight tonight, which we....hopefully can make it. Another few hours of sightseeing in NY and on to Dubai. =( I'll be back.

* Until I'm back in Malacca, there will be no further updates here.

NY Day 3 - Down South Manhattan

Above: Now...how have I ended up in HK?

Mr B. came and took us to visit Chinatown today. Had another Dim Sum breakfast today. Nothing much to talk about, but the Dim Sum is really as good as those in HK. Chinatown really reminds me a lot of HK. The sights and smells, it's really just HK with the streets widened and with more rubbish.

Above: "What cold, steely balls you have Mr. Bull"

    After our meal, walked a few blocks away from the Chinatown area to Broadway, a long street which spans almost the whole length of Manhattan from north to south. Along broadway lies many designer stores and the famed Wall Street which is a few blocks away from the site of the 911 attacks. Walked down  Broadway to Wall Street to look for the famous Charging Bull. Apparently grabbing it's balls will bring good luck. So, all of us did exactly that for a few snaps of the camera. =)

Above: Manhattan skyline.

Above: Need I say more? Statue of Liberty you idiots.

    Later, we walked a short distance to the pier to take a ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty. Bought the tickets, sailed over to Liberty Island. Although it wasn't snowing, the weather was freezing cold today which made it hard for us to enjoy our walk but what the hell, we were on Liberty Island after all and it's not like we can get here everyday. Walked around the island, snap snap and back to the pier.

Above: Big pieces of joy.

    Went back to Broadway, walked along Broadway up north, shopping along the way. Stopped by a restaurant for some very good pizza and lasagna. A taxi ride and ended up in our hotel room watching tv to find out who was murdered today. Decent day just because I came back empty handed. =)

NY Day 2 - Factory outlet shopping and shit

Above: Suede desert boots in snow....bad idea. These were as new as my boots looked before the snow totally ruined them.

We were supposed to be visiting Chinatown and the rest of the Soho district today but then as we woke up in the morning, it snowed. So at the last minute, we had a change of plans.

Above: Woodbury Wonderland.

    We will be going outlet shopping today. Basically, factory outlets are stores that sells clothing and other stuff that are either on clearance or already off season so you get better deals there especially for designer items. I'm a frequent visitor to Hong Kong's Citygate outlets near HKIA, however the USA will always be the country with the best deals all around and I was going to realise that I was right after all. I did some online research and Woodbury Commons Factory Outlets seemed to be the closest to NYC and also the biggest, it's also rather famous among tourists visiting NYC. We were told that in summer, the place would be packed with tourists, particularly Asians...lol. However it's snowing and it's winter now, so the place is less packed. The only thing bad is that the place is an open air mall, I knew this all along but I kept quiet just to prevent my dad from changing his mind. So...we went over to Port Authority Bus Station (which is kinda like Puduraya because both are near the Times Squares in their respective cities =.=) and went on an hour long journey to Woodbury Commons.

Above: It's getting dark? We've been shopping for 6-7 hours?

Above: Our haul for today. =) 

    I've always believed that I have a curse on outlets. I'm never able to find something that I really like at outlets and sometimes I just end up getting stuff out of desperation, which I will sell off in the end. It was the same here, I really couldn't find anything that I really like and those that I really like are always out of my sizes or out of my reach. In the end, I ended up with a pair of shoes bought by my mum.

Above: I swear I was at Times Square NY.

    Another hour of bus riding back to Port Authority and walked two blocks down to the legendary Times Square. Times Square is great, it really has a certain vibe and aura, it makes people feel happy and is just a special special place. There's just an indescribable feeling about being at Times Square, like the heart of the great city itself where all the activity is taking place. Hard Rock cafe is here, Madame Tussauds...great!

Above: A very big building called Madison Square Garden.

    Anyway, made our way down the streets back to our hotel and stumbled upon a big building named Madison Square Garden. =) Reached hotel, relaxing and preparing for tomorrow.

MyDailyRoti is finally in the Big Apple!

As of now, I am sitting on a cosy chair in our hotel room typing and feeling quite satisfied. Started my day off alright though I really wasn't looking forward to another plane flight, I was however very much looking forward to be in Manhattan. Pittsburgh was really cold today, about -3 deg celsius. Just as we were about to reach the airport for our flight, it started snowing a little and then it got heavier while we were abroad the plane. Great, my first experience of snow. =) Had another great breakfast and we were ready for our flight.

Above: This is some nigga shit man. No prob fittin 5 bodies and 6 packs of cocaine in 'ere.

Above: Real prawns, real meaty and real tasty. You still think the dim sum in Ipoh is good?

    Anyway, after a 1 hour flight, we finally landed at JFK International. The weather in New York is better compared to Pittsburgh, cold but not as cold and no snow, yet. Mr B, a family friend came to receive us at the airport and off we went for a Dim Sum lunch in his friend's Caddy Escalade. Bling bling. Anyway, the Dim Sum restaurant is run by a Malaysian and ironically the Dim Sum here is so much better than what we get back in Malaysia, which is really just pathetic shit. 

Above: It's really confusing. Americans really like their gas guzzling V8s, but they really really adore their hybrids as well.

Above: Going on to Manhattan. No stray planes in sight.

    After lunch, got back onto the Caddy and headed for Manhattan. Along the way it was interesting how Mr B told us stories of our ministers and how they spent our tax money on boxes and boxes of designer items everytime they visit the USA, especially you-know-who(Mr B is the chairman of the Malaysian Association here and he accompanies officials from Malaysia during their trips to NY, including our Prime Minister). Checked into our hotel and I had to force my mum to not take her nap so we could get down and stroll along the famed 5th avenue just nearby. 

    Manhattan is really a concrete jungle (Keys, A 2009), packed with skyscrapers and buildings that are made from reinforced steel and concrete rather than dreams. 5th Ave is a famous shopping street, more of a main avenue. It is here where a lot of the flagship fashion stores are located. Louis Vuitton, BCBG, Prada, Abercrombie & Fitch (they have semi nude models in their stores all the time) and my favourite designer store, Bottega Veneta as well. It was also along this avenue that I got my first haul from NYC. Something I had been looking for for a long time and I knew exactly where to look for it and I bought it in an instant. I was also considering to finally buy another pair of raw jeans, APCs but they cost a little bit too much, plus my parents were there. I do feel like killing myself now.

Above: Chrysler Building.

Above: Empire State Building lookin sick.

Above: Kinda like the one back at the Portugese Settlement except in every detail.

    5th Ave is really pretty with all the buildings lined up at the side, including the famed Empire State Building, once the tallest tower in the world. Trump Tower can also be found here, easily spotted as it has the Gucci flagship beside it. Also visited the famed giant Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center. Very niccce place.

Above: Looks shit but tastes the shit man. Just like Ramli burger.

    Finally we walked back to our hotel and along the way brought back some food. I've always believe that street food is the ultimate expression of every food culture. I love street food, street food is so much more authentic compared to some shit like McDonald's and so we bought some Kebab wraps by the roadside. Not very American you might say, but what's American? The US is a melting pot of so many different cultures and they are all represented in the street food found here. The kebab wraps were absolutely fantastic. Just wanna say, I <3 New York (Empire State of Mind playing in the background).

Last Day in Pitt...Day 3

Woke up dizzy in the morning, had a very good, hearty and very redneck breakfast of eggs, sausages, bacon and more eggs.

Above: Maybe I can just stuff these into my sweater for awhile.

Above: The Cathedral of Learning. The second tallest university sturcture in the world and a landmark in Pittsburgh.

    Later, my brother went to get some stuff done at his campus so me and my parents went off for a walk around the surrounding area. The weather today was really really cold, I was the cameraman today, like everyday and for a few times I couldn't feel my hands and couldn't push the buttons on the camera properly. I was also properly pissed to be the cameraman everytime as nobody can really help take decent pictures of me.

Above: Excuse him, he's cold-blooded.

Above: Instead of porn, this used to give me boners when I was 5.

Above: My favourite dinosaur when I was younger, Triceratops. I used to hug a pink one to sleep.

    On our walk, we stumbled across the Carnegie Museum of Natural History which houses some of the most extensive dinosaur fossil collections in the US. I've always been fascinated by dinosaurs since I was a young kid. If you give me a piece of paper when I was say, 6 years old, the only thing that I could draw with a pencil that you would have the faintest idea of what I was trying to sketch, was a dinosaur. The closest that I got to seeing a real dino fossil was in China many many years back. I remembered how excited I was and also later, how pissed I felt when I was told that the skeleton was a cast. But here, at the Carnegie Museum, it was real, well, at least 80% of them are real. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to tour the entire museum as my brother had to get stuff done so I went back to the hotel while my parents went to help out.

Above: Fly Beef Noodle.

    One thing I had to try in the US was the Chinese food here. I know Chinese food is aplenty in Malaysia. Hell, I'm Chinese Malaysian and have Chinese food most of the time but I'm always curious as to how people interpret flavours in different places. Mum and dad brought back some Beef Hor Fun and Fried Rice with Roasted Duck. The Hor Fun was alright, somewhat a milder flavour compared to the more strong flavours I usually get in Hong Kong. Fried rice was bland while the roast duck tasted similar to most average tasting roast duck back at home. One similarity with everything here, the portions are huge. One portion can easily feed two of us.

Above: Yank Beer.

   Nothing much to talk about then, dinner with again, very big portions at our hotel. Hit the gym to cure my obesity. Also, I've been having a little bit of a sore throat today, so my parents went to get some beer for me. I just found out the other day on the flight, while trying to get a free beer with my coupon, that in the US, you can only drink when you reach 21. We probably have a similar law back in M'sia but as always, nobody really abides by the law. Things are much different here, you really need to show your ID to get a beer and you better abide by the law. As in the movies, there are probably eyes everywhere and Bruce Willis is probably now on a helicopter heading towards my direction. Anyway, New York tommorow! Until then, goodbye Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh Day 2

Above: Bomoh?

Above: Some real pizza.

Above: Our haul for the day.

My brother had his orientation programme today and so being me, I stayed back in the hotel to sleep. Later when my parents and brother came back, we went to get supplies for my brother at the Ross Park Mall. Had pizza for lunch, real pizza, thick and good. I also realized there and then, how cheap the items here are. I can actually get the same pair of boots that I'm wearing now for less than half the price I got it for on Ebay and it was here that I got my first haul from Abercrombie & Fitch. I was a big fan of A&F a long time ago, not really now. However, I couldn't pass the opportunity to shop in a real A&F as I have never done that before. The good thing was, it was 40% off storewide. Great! =)

Above: Essentially leftovers wrapped in roti.

    Anyway, we waited more than an hour in the cold for a cab and finally went to get the supplies back to my brother's dorm. Good God, the dorms here are so much nicer than the dorms we get back in Malaysia. Using apartments as a comparison, the dorms here are akin to The Gardens Residences at Midvalley while my dorm at Sunway, which is freaking expensive is comparable to a flat in Kampung Baru.

Above: Starbucks Frappucino for less than RM10.

Above: Big tub of Ben & Jerrys for less than the price of two scoops of Haagen Dazs in Malaysia.

    Later, we were looking for a restaurant near our place. Restaurants are aplenty around the area and we chose to have Mexican food just because you can hardly find any in Malaysia with a decent price. Burritos it was and with fat fillings. Rice, beans, meat, cheese, sour cream, salsa etc. Very filling and quite good. Also got a cup of Dr. Pepper, which tasted like a mixture of Pepsi and cough syrup to go along with the burrito.

    Back in the hotel room for now and will be hitting the gym later. The area around the University of Pittsburgh is real nice. Will take more photos tomorrow. Countdown to New York. 2 more days!