H1N1 Communion Package

Dear Little Bulldog,
H1N1 has hit worldwide. Fortunately it is now found to be a mild strain, not unlike the seasonal flu. Singapore has stopped reporting the number of infection, and also getting more relax in our daily life. Church has stopped taking temperature, but I wonder if the H1N1 communion cup will continue to be used. The juice taste like bubblegum, and no where near the wine taste. But it is an innotive design with the double layer plastic covering the bread and the juice.

Alor Gajah Mixed Rice

Dear Little Bulldog,
It is now almost lunch time, and how I wish I can have the Alor Gajah mixed rice. I had it many years back, but only recently due to the constant travel to Alor Gajah for the SPMY project, that I revisit the stall. It is still delicious: Braise Pork + Curry Chicken + Egg + Vege+ Drink. All for RM4.
Too bad, you are allergic to pork, if not i will treat you to this wonderful rice.

Video Games Live!

Dear Little Bulldog,
I have been too busy and too lazy to update my blog recently. Today has been a well deserved rest day to do some postings.
YC and I has gone to attend the Video Games Live ! Concert last month in Indoor Stadium, and here are some of the pictures taken.
The concert was fun, but the venue was not exactly good. The chair is the main complaint. Indoor Stadium badly need to upgrade the chairs, it was very uncomfortable to sit in.
Many classic video games songs have been played: Mario, Tetris, Zelda, WOW, Halo.....Also managed to get a door gift package that I later passed to ZH, which I thought he will like it. I like the Animax cap, and YC is using that to block the office glare now.
The concert ended at about 11pm. Since we went to the concert empty stomach, we were hungry when we exited the carpark at about 1130pm. Had a very late supper at Jln Kayu, something we have not been doing for a very long time.

Di Tanjong Katong....

Dear Little Bulldog,
I like the show "The Ways of the Matriarch" so much, that I am always humming the song that Pearlyn Chew sang "Di Tanjong Katong"..."Di Tanjong Katong, airnya biru..." So after a long craving for some Ayam Buah Keluak, yc and I went to have a Peranakan dinner in Katong yesterday night.
Parking was difficult, but forunately got one eventually. There is this Charlie's Peranakan Food restaurant just next to where we parked, so for convenience we just ate there.
We ordered Ayam Buah Keluak, Nangka Lemak, Sambal Sotong and Chinchalok Omelete,
The food was excellent, especially the Ayam Buah Keluak. I even ate all the gravy...I will ask YC to cook this dish next time...really good!

Muar Asam Fish

Dear Little Bulldog,
I went to Muar last Wednesday for some work, and ended up having a long lunch in a restaurant along Batu Bahat highway.
Muar is famous for Asam Fish, and that was what I was having. It is a small little hut restuarant. We sat at a bench where you can see sugar canes and plants behind me. Yap ordered fried fish 1, fried fish 2, asam fish, otak and salted fish bean sprout. All fish meal! Not too bad though, quite home cook taste, but the price is not that cheap. Rm105 for three persons.
On my way back, I took a picture of the road name. Remind me of our good old Jalan TAR, but minus the Tuanku. So our Jln TAR is higher class.

Bubble bubble !!

Dear Little Bulldog,
I have been busy working for the past two weeks, hopefully can it will turn out to be fruitful, and plus my bonus too..
In order to get away from work, I embarked on my second batch of homebrew beer. I decided on Wheat Beer this time round. Started yesterday night, and it has since bubbling non stop. Whenever I look at the bubble, I will feel so happy and relax. Hopefully it will turn out delicious in one month time. Too bad the piling work was so noisy in the background, if not the bubbling sound will be even more melodious.

Working in Melaka

Dear Little Bulldog,
Melaka is always a place where I will associate it with tourists. But I ended up working in Melaka on Vesak Day eve till about 6pm. I thought it was a short meeting at TNB at 11am, and has planned to have some Peranakan food there for lunch. Instead of a leisure business trip, it ended up as a full day working trip. I need an urgent internet connection to do some submission, and I ended up having my very late lunch in Starbuck of Dataran Pahlawan. Thank God, things work out well eventually, and that is why I was still in jovial mood at 6pm in Melaka, and took two pictures. Can you see the A' Farmosa in the second picture? It has been the symbol of Melaka, and I have not failed to visit this place everytime I was in Melaka...including this working trip. It was not an intentional visit though, so happen this shopping mall is just next to it. I guess you will never be able to see it for yourself, unless there is a dog passport.

Goat Milk for Little Bulldog

Dear Little Bulldog,
I have been buying goat milk from Hay Dairy farm for the past 2 months. One of the main reason is not the taste or the goodness of goat milk, but rather the experience of driving there. Driving to Lim Chu Kang area is a very therapeutic exercise. I can temporarily leave the concrete jungle of Singapore, and be with the nature. The small roads in Lim Chu Kang reminds me of those kampongs back home. Going to farms really is a great and refreshing time.
Ok, now come to the Goat Milk. It is supposed to be "... more than a food. It is nutritionally superior to cow's milk and is suitable for everyone even infants, elderly people and invalids. It is the next best thing to mother's milk!
Goat's milk is filled with naturally fresh goodness. It has more calcium, chlorine and vitamins while having less lactose than any other milk from domestic livestock..."(extracted from website). I do think that what is said here to be true. It will not leaves a slimy feeling in your throat unlike cow milk, and I feels better drinking it (maybe its due to the farm visit instead of the milk). It is not exactly cheap though. S$7 for a 800ml bottle. Almost 5 times more expensive than normal cow milk.
I read from Doggiesite that some of those people feed their fur kids every morning with goat milk. Seems like there are people out there who will pamper their dog more than yc. Please understand that it is not because we stinge on you that we don't give you goat milk. It is all for your own good...You are already a fat boy, more milk will bring you more harm than good.

Little Dog Team

Dear Little Bulldog,
I wanted to apologize that despite this blog is suppose to tell your story, I have not mentioned too much on you recently.
Let me make it up to you...first with a photo of you sleeping...
Next...Let me give you a quiz...

Question: Do you know why those reporters that always follow the celebrities are call Little Dog Team or 狗仔隊？
Answer: The origin of this term comes from Mr. Paparazzo, who is a photographer in one of the movie. The plural of Paparazzo is Paparazzi, who are those reporters/photographers who took candid or unstaged photographs of celebrities. As Paparazzi sounds like puppy, so Chinese (I guess must be Hong Kongers) just translated it to become Puppy Team, or Little Dog Team - 狗仔隊.

My Student Story

Dear Little Bulldog,
Long before you know me, I was a tutor during my vacation from A-Level. I was tutoring two secondary school guys and a girl in Sri Sentosa, along Old Klang Road. Their mom is a kind lady from Sabah, whose husband is in some logging business. Naturally they are very well off, and they seems to have a worry free life. During the that time when email and handphone was non existence, I have lost contact with them.
When you grow older, you started to want to reminisce some good old time, and I started to search for these students of mine. Surprisingly I managed to find them in Facebook, and we started to reconnect back.
The story that follows is something that I do not expect at all. Instead of having a good life, and go on to study in some oversea university, my students family business has collapsed. The sister even has to abandon her study in the US and come back to KL to work. The brother did not even have chance to go to the university and has to go and become a waiter in UK. Good thing is they are all doing well now, abeit having to work harder than they should. Their mom has just opened a Bak Kut Teh stall recently with the younger sister. The former Tai Tai is willing to put down her pride and make a business which must be tough on her.
I salute this family for their positive outlook, never say die attitude. This is surely something I can learn from my students. I have been always so fortunate without having to go through this kind of hardship.
May the Lord shines His face upon this family.

Crab Celebration for Little Bulldog

Dear Little Bulldog,
I found an excuse to celebrate, so we can justify our crab dinner. It is to celebrate the disappearance of your pimple on your ear. I am glad you need not go to Dr. Hsu on this pimple. It save me $50 and this can be used to a have good dinner!
Cold crab is one of my favorite way of eating crab. It is not so saucy and its clean on the finger. I have tried the one in 丽都 and 万兴, this time I want to try the place that is the first to start serving cold crab 星洲 restaurant. It is a foochow restaurant, and I wanted to see if I can find some childhood memory taste here. It is located along Selegie Road, besides a HDB estate. The restaurant has a very old fashion neon light, very similar to the old restaurant that I went during childhood time. The front glass door has a simple Cold Crab sticker, that assure me that I am coming to the right place.
We ordered the cold crab, 红糟鸡汤冬粉，虾卷 and 福州炒面. The crab was good, but no surpise. The best surprise comes from the 红糟鸡汤冬粉. The soup is so thick and it taste really good. We ended up drinking the whole claypot of the soup. The rest of the dish is good, but again no surprise. I will come back next time and drink the soup again. I read the 福州鱼圆is also good, how I wish i am able to find one that taste like what father made. That is the best fish ball I have in my entire life!

Find Something to Celebrate

Dear Little Bulldog,
I was planning to go have crab with YC yesterday. My sis asked, "What occasion for celebration ?" I have no answer, because this is to me a normal eat out occasion. But I thought to myself, "Why not find some excuse to celebrate something, anything." Celebration mood does give a great lift to our ordinary life. Here is a 庆祝 song...

Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream

Dear Little Bulldog,
I come across a very inspiring video recently. It is an audition on Britain's Got Talent. A seemingly unattractive woman has surprised everyone and bring tears to my eye every time I watched this video.
Susan Boyle has had a hard life but so full of talent. Someone in the forum said, "God will give everyone something special.". He has truly given Susan Boyle a long due opportunity for the world to discover her talent. He is indeed fair to everyone of us, just that we are not able to see His grace most of the time.

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
Uploaded by dwarthy

Article from Lianhe Zaobao has a very vivid report on her:

英国乡下大妈 天籁歌声一鸣惊人

用歌声扭转人生。英国选秀节目“英国也有大明星”自两年前出现歌剧歌手保罗帕兹后，上周末又一名奇葩爆红，她是外表平凡的英国大妈苏珊波伊尔，47岁，未婚也未接过吻，身材臃肿。

英国47岁的“欧巴桑”苏珊波伊尔（Susan Boyle），上周末参加英国知名选秀节目“英国也有大明星”（Britain's Got Talent）一夕爆红，成为YouTube点选大热门。外表平凡却满怀梦想、才华洋溢的她，很可能复制另一名选秀奇葩保罗帕兹（Paul Potts）的成功路，用歌声扭转人生。

波伊尔来自苏格兰西部农村，目前无业，在教会当义工。本月11日参加选秀节目时，臃肿的身材与老土的打扮，一上台便被尖酸刻薄的评 审赏白眼。她的头发似乎没有梳好，在介绍人口只有5000人的家乡时还口吃起来。当她表示自己从未接过吻，更未结过婚，但梦想做歌星，成为像英国音乐剧天 后伊莲佩姬（Elaine Paige）一样的红星时，台下观众更是窃笑不已。

苏珊波伊尔目前晋级第一轮，未来美梦能否成真，还是未知数。

臃肿老土，从选秀红到全球

然而当她演唱音乐剧《悲惨世界》的名曲“I dreamed a dream”时，才刚唱出第一句，全场就听得目瞪口呆，继而爆以热烈掌声，有的站立鼓掌，有的疯狂呼喊。三名评审一致给满分，一名评审说，这是节目播出三 年来“最大的惊喜”，她的梦幻般的声音和感染力无人能比。就连以“毒舌”对待参赛者而出名的柯维尔也称赞说：“你可以昂首阔步回家乡。”

波伊尔的精彩表演被人上传至影音分享网站YouTube，截至16日晚为止，全球已有1700万人点击了，就连美国知名影星狄美摩亚与艾什顿库奇夫妇也在Twitter留言说感动得热泪盈眶。

波伊尔目前已是“英国也有大明星”的冠军大热门，也是Google的热门搜寻字，而评审之一（同时也是知名音乐制作人）赛蒙柯威尔（Simon）亦有意与她签唱片约。

脑损无业，“冒一次险”

波伊尔在家乡受访时说，她出生时因缺氧导致脑部受损，因此产生学习障碍，加上其貌不扬，从小常遭同学欺负与嘲弄。多年前母亲生病，歌星梦更无可能实现，只有全心照顾母亲。

波伊尔的歌唱经历是在教堂圣歌队活动，全部只到12岁为止，她说参加选秀节目是母亲过世两年来首次献唱，也算是完成母亲的遗愿。“母亲在两年前去世时嘱咐她‘冒一次险’。人们通常只看外表后，过早地评判一个人，我想告诉人们，有时事实并非如此。”

一夕爆红 波伊尔感觉很愉快

苏珊波伊尔回到家乡小镇，有关参加电视台节目的邀请不断，并且很多出版社、唱片公司建议她出书、出唱片。

波伊尔目前和一只10岁的猫“小石头”共同生活。对于一夕爆红，她说：“感觉很愉快。现在走在街上，小孩会拦下我跟我道贺。”家乡教会牧师则透露，波伊尔“从未炫耀自己的声音”，这是她第一次受外界肯定。

波伊尔的走红之所以感动这么多人，无非是表现远超过观众与评审预期，一如当初默默无名的保罗帕兹。目前波伊尔晋级第一轮，未来美梦能否成真？能否和帕兹一样出唱片，到世界各地巡回演唱？能否再次印证小人物只要有才华，亦能走出自己一片天？就靠实力、人气与运气了。

(联合早报）