Facts about Chinese schools in Malaysia

Malaysia is probably the only country in the world that practices different school systems. We have the Chinese schools, the Tamil schools, the Malay schools and the Agama schools. Other countries especially in ASEAN  such as Singapore, Thailand , Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Brunei have only one education system. In Thailand, the Muslims are killed for demanding schools that teach Bahasa Melayu . In Myanmar, the Muslims are 'terminated' and erased completely. In Singapore, all the Malay schools are closed down. In Indonesia, there are no Chinese schools, the Chinese speak Bahasa Indonesia beautifully. In this country the Chinese schools via their NGOs such as the DONG ZONG , HUA ZONG are making unreasonable demands. The sad thing is that the present government is really weak. Najib is pandering to the Chinese by dishing out millions of ringgit for Chinese schools. The Malays in Malaysia are divided are politically  as they are  aligned to too many political parties such as PAS, PKR, UMNO and  others in Sabah and Sarawak have their own parties. They are in a state of disarray and the de facto opposition leader who is trying hard to woo the Chinese voters   would just shut his mouth. Below are some of the facts about Chinese schools.

Independent Chinese schools

1. Did you now that there are 1294 Chinese schools in Malaysia

2. The  Government aka BN government spends RM 1.8 billion a year  just to manage these schools.

3. In 2012 ,  the BN government has given RM 100 million special allocation  for just Chinese schools.

4. A total of 455 of the Chinese schools have a total less than 500 students.

5. There are a total of 60 Chinese Independent schools in Malaysia with their UEC examinations.

6. A total of  25% of Chinese students drop out from Chinese schools at various stages of their schooling.

7. A new Chinese school in Kuatan, Pahang  is being built at a cost of millions of  ringgit by BN government

The Malaysian Chinese are making more excessive demands  The demands are being made by the Chinese extremist groups such as Dong Zong and Hua Zong . These group of Chinese people  are taking advantage of their untouchable Chinese educationists' positions and  attempting  to promote their  extremist Chinese education and not taking into account the cultural reality of the situation in Malaysia. It's Chinese first and all the way Chinese  mentality. These are the Chinese extremist groups that are polarizing the  Malaysian community .There are many ramifications of this. A personal one is that  I have come across many Chinese children who can even speak Bahasa Malaysia.I am not surprised that the BN government under Najib will succumb to these Chinese extremists' demands . Below are their 8  more excessive demands that they have asked from the BN government in their  26th  of September gathering at the Parliament

Dong Zong

1. A total of 100 counselling teachers (read Malay teachers) who are not proficient in Chinese must be expelled immediately from the Chinese schools

2. Bahasa Malaysia and English teachers must be proficient in Chinese (read  Only Chinese teachers will teach in Chinese schools)

3. Bahasa Malaysia and English teachers  teaching at Chinese schools  with less student must be those who have Chinese qualifications.

4. A total of 20 Civics teachers (read Malay teachers) who don't understand Chinese must be removed from the Chinese schools.

5. Chinese Language trained teachers teaching Bahasa Malaysia and English would have to be given further training after teaching the subjects for more than 5 years.

6. More Chinese lecturers needed in the IPTAs to train more Chinese teachers.

7. A total 98 teachers who have diplomas in Education specializing in Chinese must be sent to Chinese schools immediately

8. A total of 392  interim Chinese teachers (Chinese only teachers)  to be appointed straight   by the headmasters of the Chinese schools.

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Some of these demands are reasonable but most demands are just ridiculous  I only wish that the Malays and Agama schools would be able to make similar demands. I believe the Tamil and the other Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak would  also be able  to make the same demands as made by the Chinese extremist groups. But the unfortunate thing is that the present government is weak and I believe that they will comply with those demands. It is  a sad day for education system in Malaysia. It is really sad.

Can Pakatan Rakyat govern?

The 13th general election is not that far off. It must be held by April 2013. But pundits have predicted that it will be held after "Hari Raya Haji" or the latest by January 2013. As it is, the jet setting de facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is convinced that Pakatan Rakyat would be able take over Putrajaya in this coming election. But I doubt that the Pakatan would be able to garner enough seats to form a simple majority government. I strongly believe that the Pakatan Rakyat could not be able to govern Putra Jaya  Below are the reasons why I personally believe that the Pakatan Rakyat can't govern Malaysia .

Jet setting Anwar Ibrahim

For one , I don't think the cabinet members would have enough experience to run  the country. The only person that has much experienced is just Anwar Ibrahim. The others are just novices. Karpal Singh is someone  that I might consider a good lawyer but he  might not have the experience of running a country. His view of the world  is very legalistic. You can't run a country with only law in your mind. There are other things that you need to have or to consider for example economy, culture, language,  customs, nuances, and music. This guy only knows how to talk and criticize the National Coalition. Most of his life is just doing that. He never develops or builds. He only destroys using the courts as a test case. Is this the guy that you want to run the country the country that we have developed together and successfully managing it. 

Abang Sabu?

It's just not only Karpal singh , Mat Sabu the PAS candidate for the proposed Pakatan Federal cabinet is also new in this ball game. He does not have the experience of running a  government. He has not even the experience of running the area of Gua Musang. He was just appointed as the Timbalan President of  Pas or the Deputy President in 2011 after defeating the pragmatic.Nasharudin Mat Isa. Although Pas is a Muslim based party, Mat Sabu is the first non-ulama to be appointed  as a party leadership. His leadership is also questionable when he said that 200 communist terrorists as "national heroes". What kind of sick mind does this guy possess? Is this the kind of person that you to  place your future in?

Over my dead body?

Another point is that these coalition can't even cooperate. Pakatan is a group  consisting of PKR, DAP and Pas . DAP is a party that believes in secularism. Karpal Singh a Benggali  will fight to the death to defend this. Nik Aziz a pious  Muslim  however wants Malaysia to be ruled by Hudud or Sharia. How can these two people of two different views of the world   work together? I believe these people will just fight amonst themselves and fighting  for the posts instead of developing  the country. These people have no idea of how to run the country. All their lives have been criticizing and fighting the Barisan  Nasional . The country will be in "topsy turvy" if you give all these  lunatics the chance to rule the country. Let them be opposition members as they are good at it. We need a strong opposition to counter the Barisan Nasional weight. They should serve as check and balance.

In a nutshell, the Pakatan people are just a group of power crazy people that are willing to do anything for power. They have no people's interests at heart. They don't the have any ideas how to run the country. Don't give them a chance to run Putrajaya as the main ramification would be that the country will disintegrate and destroyed  Do you want to take that choice. The Pakatan does have an important role to play. Make them strong . Elect them as opposition members to ensure that the BN government is not corrupt. Let the "professionals" run the country.

Be damned the Malays

Lately in Malaysia, the Malays have been under severe  threat politically from all sides of the political spectrum and the Chinese community as a whole. Economically, the natives are continually under siege and and will remain so for so many years to come. The Chinese are the emperors in business as they control the Malaysian economy. They decide most of the day to day business practices and conventions despite the government's affirmative policies to help the weak Bumiputeras.The Malays are actually  the victims of the economic, linguistic  and political games in .their own country. But the foreign media and the opposition sympathized news media  websites like FMT, Malaysia Kini and Malaysia chronicle  are demonizing UMNO to break the Malays back. Presently the Malays are weak. They are now gasping for breath and the delay of the 13th general election will aggravate the situation. The Malays are being bombarded mercilessly and their rights and existence  are now being questioned without impunity. 

One clear example of this is the action by the Chinese  DAP member Ngeh Koo Ham who is the assemblyman for Satiawan Perak. Ngeh is a lawyer by profession and he practices Christianity- the Methodist Church.( He was very active in the Methodist Youth Fellowship and served on the local Church executive Council of the Ayer Tawar Chinese Methodist Church)  He goes to (guess what) Anglo Chinese School in Perak. He has insensitively questioned the Muslims anger towards the so called Sam Bacile for his anti Islam video clips and videos. How could an assemblyman who was almost set to become the Menteri Besar of Perak and a so called pious Christian belittling the Malay Muslim majority in this country? He has no sensitivity towards the Malays and Muslims in this country. I really thank The Sultan of Perak for not appointing this sick mind and chauvinistic DAP member as the Menteri Besar. He is a bloke of lowest value and respect for the Malays. His so called apologies are a lie. This is one clear example of of an action of a non Malay in Malaysia belittling the Muslim Malays. 

Bloke of lowest value?

Another example  of insensitivity of the non Malays is the action of these two  Indian guys by the name of Herukh and Kahabaer who  are poking fun at the guidelines of LBGTs provided by Yayayan Guru  Malaysia. They are giving away free biryanis at their restaurant called Fierce Beriyani House (is the restaurant halal ?). The intention of the Yayasan Guru Malaysia was to identify some of the unacceptable traits of the teenagers of our youngsters who might be confused in their orientations due to the barrage of western movies and videos hilighting and  promoting these abnormalities   . Remember that Islam is the official religion of this country. As a Muslim I want those guidelines. I do not want my children to become gays or lesbians. But instead of supporting  the guidelines, these opportunistic Malaysian  Indians (I really hope that these guys are Malaysians because their names sound foreign.) are ridiculing it .This is a clear example of actions of non Malays   doing things recklessly with no respect for the Malay - Muslim majority.   Poor Malays . You are now under barrage and that even your Malay politicians are not supporting you. The UMNO politicians have no balls . They are afraid of being labelled racist.

As a show of my unhappiness of the actions of these two bengalis,  I would advise Muslims not want to dine at the restaurant . The fact that the owners are poking fun at the "Islamic"" guidelines make me think twice about eating there as a Muslim. Remember they mooted the idea of poking fun at the guidelines at a bar. Do Muslims want to go to restaurants whose owners have no respect for the guidelines. Their actions make me questioned  whether they understand of  the issue of halal and haram. Good Muslims should not dine there. 

Fact: This is a non Muslim restaurant.

In short,the Malays are now being bombarded with issues that question they existence, their ethnicity, religion and language. These are done mercilessly and with no impunity. The sad thing is that they just keep quiet. Please wake up. You future will be decided this December.

Nasi goreng kampung/ ayam goreng kampung/ Madu tiga

The use of certain words either in Bahasa Melayu or English would persuade people to buy or consider buying certain things or products. In western countries words like "chemical free", "home cooked, "free range", "country style" would warrant premium prices.  These special words would give seemingly value added to the products.The same thing applies to Malaysian linguistic scenarios. I feel that the two most frequently used words that are  used in Bahasa Melayu that connote positive vibes are are "Kampung" and "Madu".

Nasi goreng kampung

If you enjoy fried rice  and visit any restaurants especially  Thai style restaurants or any Tom Yam restaurants  you will see that they have a dish in their menu that is called "Nasi goreng Kampung". " Nasi goreng kampung" is interpreted as having fried rice with the acquired taste anchovies in the "nasi goreng". Sometimes the anchovies are fried together with the rice. But occasionally for crispness, the anchovies are fried separately and put on top of the "nasi goreng" as condiments with "Telor mata" or a fried egg sunny side up. Once, while shopping for household items at Carrefour Hypermarket in Nilai, I was so hungry and decided to visit the food court and order  "Nasi goreng Kampung" and so I went to one of the stalls which fortunately or unfortunately manned by two Bangladeshis. I was hesitant at first to order because I wasn't  sure whether these Bangladeshis really know how to fry "nasi goreng kampung."  Before ordering it,I told them I didn't want "nasi goreng kampung" Chittagong or Dacca style and I only wanted "Nasi Goreng Kampung"- any "kampung"  in Malaysia. They cynically smiled at me. It turned out that their "nasi goreng kampung" was better and delicious compared to  nasi Goreng kampung that I have tasted  prepared by experienced Malay chefs. 

Yesterday, while on my way to buy some auto products to clean my car that I have not washed for more than  three weeks at  the Giant Warta Bandar Baru Bangi , I came across a Malay middle aged man selling fresh soya bean drinks at the always occupied  parking lots opposite the Tabung Haji building and he labels the drink as "Soya Bean Kampung" or "Village style soya bean drinks. I didn't really know that you can actually have "Soya Bean Kampung". I know we can order  "kopi Kampung" or "village coffee". Kopi kanpung conjures additional ingredients added to the coffee such as butter, spices, and sugar to make the local coffee tastes better. But  that was the first time that I saw someone  selling soya bean drinks with the word "kampung" or village attached to it. Probably kampung is not Jenderam Hulu or Dengkil in Selangor . Probably, he is referring to a place somewhere in Delaware  or Wisconsin in the United States. I don't think we have soya farms in Malaysia.

Ayam kampung

Another food item that is familiar to Malaysians is the phrase " Ayam goreng Kampung" . The word kampung signifies goodness, purity and chemical free. " Ayam kampung" literally translated as "Village chicken" But the more correct word is free range chicken. Talking about free range chicken my late  grand mother would just refused to eat the so- called free range chicken at her kampung/village . Her Kampung is known as  Bagan Belat which is not far not far from Sungai Dua and  Butterworth .The village people in Bagan Belat had the habits of rolling up their sarongs to cover their heads but naked at the lower bottom and practically do their business quietly near the beach or behind a tree. Later, the "kampung" chicken would do the cleaning up of the "leftovers". So much of the goodness of " Ayam kampung".

Madu Tiga

Another word that is of frequent used in the business industry is the word " Madu" or "honey" Everythng is "madu". You can get "Nangka Madu (Honey Jack fruit)" Langsat Madu  ( Langsat is a kind of fruit that is as big  as dark grapes but with really sweet fleht but having  slightly  bitter aftertaste ) , "Ayam Madu" ( bread crump coated fried chicken baste in sweet sauce that is sugar based rather than honey), "rambutan Madu" ( The hairy fruits with thick and really sweet flesh). But sometimes "madu" does not sound sweet in the case of the first wife having additional house  partners thanks to the husband. This kind of "madu" is actually "racun" or poison to the first wife.This is the only "madu " that does not have any value added or benefits added to the product.

In a nutshell, "Madu " and "kampung" would signify goodness and freshness but in a relationship or nexus with the husband's second and third wives the word " madu" can be really a bitter medicine.

Malaysia Merdeka

Malaysia Tanah Airku

Engkau Tanah Air pemilik perut yang bebudi

Penampung hujan, penyedut sinar Matahari

Lahirlah anak-anakmu dari semaian-semain petani

Engkau, ibu murni dengan jasa abadi

Berdetik di denyut darah kami

kerana kaita adalah satu dan sama di punyai

Telah kau rasa segala seperti kami

Dalam kengerian perang dadamu dibongkat besi

Di mama-mam wajahmu tidak pernah mati

Tapi begitu sejarah hidup zaman-berzaman

Yang pernah merangkul pahlawan kemerdekaan

Malaysia Tanah Air ku

This poem is for Malaysia . This is the place where we were born and brought up. There's no other place in the world like Malaysia. Regardless of whether you are PKR , UMNO, DAP, PAS or MCA members this is your country. You can support any political parties that you desire. You can have any personal orientation or preference. This is your hinterland. We don't need Sang Saka Malaya. We only need our "Jalur Gemilang".  We are here united by our love for the country. Malaysia our country. 

Welcome to the Republic of Malaysia?

In southern Thailand recently ,the insurgents probably PULO fighters fighting for religious freedom had proudly raised  the Malaysian flag. They  wanted parts of southern Thailand especially around Yala and Nakhon Sri Thammart to be the provinces of Malaysia. Thousands of Thai Malay Muslims have lost their lives fighting to have their own schools and speak their own language and practice their own religion . The Malaysian flag is the symbol of their struggle to be Malaysians and to be part of Malaysia and to be free like Malaysians . In the process, thousand of have of innocent  lives have been lost in this this ongoing struggle. Not too long ago, dozens of  civilian  Muslim Thais who were praying   at a mosque were slaughtered by the Thai army  masquerading as PULO fighters in Southern Thailand.

Indian lawyer and DAP assemblyman

But here in peaceful Malaysia some historically blind  and culturally stupid "idiots" like Serigala Selatan  are trying to replace the Malaysian flag with the flag called "Sang Saka Malaya". They however claimed that there were just having fun with the flag .But I doubt it. It looks like the opposition parties like DAP and PKR  are encouraging and condoning the acts of these people at their gatherings. They did not stop the some of the youths from raising the flag at the  " Janji BERSIH" gathering instead they seemed to 'approve' of them.The "Sang Saka Merah or Sang Saka Malaya" flag looks very much like the Singapore flag with its white and red hues. For your information, Singapore is a republic. There is no Sultan as the head of state of that country. You only have a China man by the name of Lee Kuan Yew and his Lee's Dynasty. Those idiots  are implying that the "Jalur Gemilang " should be replaced with the red and white colored flag. What they  are doing is a seditious action encouraging and promoting Malaysia as a republic just like Singapore. Dear Malaysians especially Malays  please ponder the intention of these members of the opposition particularly  the racist  DAP and Chinese supported  PKR. This is not a joke or a small matter. Please come to your sense. 

Proudly displaying the "Sang Saka Merah"

Singapore like flag?

The worst part is that  the DAP assemblyman of Indian origin Manoharan whose forefathers probably from the state of Kerala who represents the  Kota Alam Shah constituent proudly said in his facebook that once the  Pakatan takes over Putrajaya  "Jalur Gemilang" will be replaced with another flag. I supposed the flag that will replace the "Jalur Gemilang" is the Red and White " flag" pretty much like the Singapore flag. Damn you Manoharan for having said that. You have no love for Malaysia . I suggest that you just migrate back to India or Singapore. Don't ever come back to Malaysia. Please voluntarily renounce your citizenship. We don't need you.You don't deserve to be a Malaysian .But the 'best part' is that some historically blind and culturally distorted young neo- liberal Malays like "Serigala Selatan" are supporting this racist idiot. The non Malays especially some of  the disgruntled DAP members of course will be happy with the new "Sang Saka Malaya" flag.

Our "Jalur Gemilang" is the symbol of the peoples of Malaysia. Regardless of your political parties this is the flag that we should raise and respect. Although it seems to look like the American flag, we will  not get confused our flag with that of the American flag. We know the design of our flag by heart and we love our country . Only racist people like Manoharan and some DAP and PKR members who who refuse to accept Malays and Islam as the pillars of Malaysia are proposing to change of the flag. We should get rid of these kind of people as they don't deserve to be Malaysians.

I hope that Malaysians especially the Malays realize the evil intention of some members  of our misinformed community whose grandiose and evil  plan is to change Malaysia into a republic. We have to stop this madness. We need to get rid of people like Manoharan and the some of the racist DAP party members. Get rid of  "Manoharam" politically by not voting him for  the Kota Shah Alam constituent.  Also,  those people people who attempt to change the constitution and mock the sacred "Jalur Gemilang" should be charged under Section 4 (1) (a) of the sedition Act for doing , attempting or conspiring to do an act of seditious tendency.We should protect our sacred institutions the Constitution and our "Jalur Gemilang" . 

Acronyms-NKRA / UMNO / DAP / PTD / Rosmah

In life you can't always be serious all the time. You need to take a break- sometimes. If you are serious and good all the time , you will die soon as illustrated by Billy Joel's song that "Good people die young ". I mean good and too serious people will die young. I notice that people who do not smile and stern looking  often look really old when they reach their 50s. But some people especially the go- lucky ones look young and energetic. They don't look their age (50s) they look more like people in their late 30s. Yours truly has a fried who is almost 60 but he looks like he's in his mid 30s except for the obvious white hair. And this guy smiles a lot and always cracks jokes especially when he's around people. Today I'm being naughty, I want to share with you some lite and interesting acronyms and abbreviations.

AIDS = Another Idiot Dying Story.This acronym is really cruel. I don't think we should  stigmatize AIDS sufferers with this kind of funny acronym. But it's really funny.

BN     =  Barang Naik and not Barisan Nasional. This is an important issue in this coming election. The prices of food items are getting more expensive. The poor and the pensioners are the ones that will suffer the most. Even government servants are feeling the pinch. This issue might decide whether BN remains in power.

C4     =  Carrefour. It's actually pronounced as "ka fu". This C4 is not related to Altantuya.

FAM = Football Akan Merana.  This is really true. We have been suffering far too long since the glory  days of Mokthar Dahari and   Santokh Singh. We have not won against the Koreans and the Japanese of late. I think the sufferrings  will  continue in the near future.

DAP  = Donkeys and Assholes Party. Wow!  This is a  funny acronym and it's also very true. The racist   party is full of assholes. They recently appointed council members who can't even read and write in Bahasa Malaysia. Thanks to anti Malay and anti Islam Comrade Ronnie Liu

JAIS  = Jangan Asyik Ingat Sex. LOL (Laugh out Loud). They always think of sex and nothing else. They should be propagating Islam but their main focus is to get those  people who commit close proximity.

NKRA= Najib Kerja Rosmah Arah. This is the funniest of all and it's reflective of the current political situation . Rosmah is the real power. She even replaced Najib to meet Clinton when he was hospitalized.  Where was the Deputy Prime Minister? Mind you she has all Najib's schedule and appointments. Everything goes through her  first.

UMNO = yoU Must Not Object. This is an accurate description of the main political party in Malaysia.    Most of the members are apple polishers. They will only 'bodek' their political leaders. Their main  aim in   UMNO is not to hel;p the Malays but getting the fat contracts and the important posts in the party.

PTD  = Pegawai Tak Diplomatik. This is how the PTD  administrators  should be described. They are so  arrogant and disrespectful of their subordinates who are more experienced and more qualified  academically who were not promoted because of the different schemes (DH and DS). Just go to MOHE (Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia) and you will see many of these young administrators who are "Pengarahs" and they just know how to   "tunjuk"  and "arah". They never contribute anything but still  hold all the important posts.

LOL

Pendekata = Literally means -in short. This is not an acronym but an abbreviation. This is a taboo word. No ministries in Malaysia would use the word- Pendekata which now refers to what "Rosmah says". Pendek means Rosmah and "kata" means says. You will not hear the word used in the 2013 budget announcement on the 28th of September by Najib. If Najib uses the word we know that it's Rosmah who says/orders it.

That's all that I have for today. Just take it easy in life. Set your priorities right. We don't live forever. If one is already 50s  just ponder how much more time do we have to live. Be happy. 

Harga Ikan mahal/ Boikot ikan

During the leisure time especially during the weekends I would devote some of my time to cook for the family. Cooking has been in my blood. My mom was  a good cook and I learned informally from her how to cook nice dishes . She was frequently invited by women's groups in Kedah and Pulau Pinang to teach them how to cook traditional Malay dishes. Her specialty was the unique "acar buah" which I regret for not learning how to make it. But my hobby in cooking is now adversely  affected by the high prices of food items especially fish in Bandar Baru Bangi. The prices are now sky-rocketing. 

RM 25 a kilo

The price of fish has gone up uncontrollably. Someone is actually making so much money. I don't understand why the prices have gone up too much. The petrol and diesel are subsidized by the government. The deck hands on the fishing boats are mostly foreigners which means that the salary is not very high. But why are the prices of fish so expensive? It's even more expensive than in Singapore because the fish sold in Singapore are of good quality.Ikan Merah is now almost RM 30 ringgit a kilo. Ikan Jenahak RM 30 per kilo. The so called rich man "Ikan Bawal Hitam " fortunately hovers around RM 20 ringgit per kilo. Even the farmed bred ikan Siakap is RM 20 a kilo. It seems that the price of fish is nothing less than RM 20 a kilo. I really hope that Dato Saberi Chik who is the minister responsible for consumer items would find a solution to this really big problem,. It must be solved immediately and I believe that  it's now becoming a liability to the BN government.

It's just not fish that has seen the price going upwards. Even shrimp prices have seen an upward trend. It is now sold for RM 20-25  a kilo. Even the smallest shrimp that looks very much like "udang karai"  is sold for almost RM 12 a kilo. The small shrimp is not even fit to make" cucur udang" (shrimp fritters).Squid prices in Bandar Baru Bangi are sold for around RM 22 a kilo.  Five medium size squid would weigh more than a kilo. The dried squid is almost RM 50 a kilo. If your nasi lemak man is rather stingy with his sambal sotong it's because the crazy prices of these items.My favourite dish "ketam masak gulai"  Kedah style - with "tumis darat"-is now a less frequent main dish served to my family because a kilo of that crustacean sets you back RM 26 and that is just for 2 medium size crabs. Definitely its not enough for my small family. My big son son who is studying at Asis would need more than a crab to satisfy his cravings. To prepare the dish I need at least 2 kilos which means RM 52  just for the "ketam".

RM 9.90 a tray of 30s

If fish is expensive and seafood is also beyond reach what do we have for lunch and dinner? I suggest that you buy "Telor ayam". Even the eggs have not escaped the price increase. A tray of grade "C" eggs that was sold for RM 7.90 a few months ago is now sold at RM 9.90 and those are only available at the hypermarket. Your typical tray of 10 eggs will cost you almost RM 4.50 at your Speedmart store or Indian own sundry shops. But the prices of eggs are still bearable. I suggest that you cook " sambal telor" "kurma telor", "telor kicap", "telor masak lemak", "telor masak tomato", "telor goreng"," telor rebus salad" to beat the price increase of fish and other types of seafood. However, you must be warned that too much " telor" is bad for you.

RM 6 a kilo

The price of food items have gone up. we can't just sit idle and do nothing about it. We have to play our role as consumers. We need to beat those middle men  and those who hoard the items. I believe that one effective way to stem the price increase is not to buy the items that are too expensive. My suggestion is to boycott the expensive fish. Use more of the eggs. If you still need to buy fish get the cheaper ones like "ikan Kedera", "Ikan Keli", or" Ikan Tilapia". The prices of those types of fish are less than RM 10 a kilo. Those whose hobbies are cooking and dining try to change your menu to more of dairy based.I mean you should use more of the ubiquitous eggs.

Hari Raya open house

The invitation

The holy month of Ramadhan has just  recently passed and more than a billion Muslims in Malaysia and other parts of the world are still celebrating Eid Mubarak or in this country it's more popularly known as "Aidil Fitri". As usual after Ramadan, Muslims in Malaysia will be competing amongst each other to find the most suitable dates to have their open houses. Normally ,the open houses are celebrated during the weekends.Yours truly have a number of open houses to attend this weekend. Today , there is one open house invited by Prof. Rujhan in PutraJaya after 2.00 pm.  Yesterday, it was an open house by our young, esteemed and car crazy  Ustad somewhere in Kajang Utama. Next week, there are also more open houses to attend. Basically, for the weekends my other half just does not  have to worry about preparing lunches. This is not to say that she cooks everyday.

One thing that I notice about open houses is that it's getting more formal and more elaborate with more  variety of dishes churned out or  ordered from the best caterer. The open house yesterday was reasonably elaborate with "Kambing bakar golek" or the  whole lamb skewered and barbecued. Guests at the open house were lining up to have the tender lamb served together with garlic bread and mushroom soup. The sauce that was served with the lamb slices was slightly tangy and hot but suits nicely with the Malaysian taste buds. It was not just the barbecued lamb but  "Otak-otak", "Soto", "Bihun soup', "Ketupat"," Lemang" and 'Rendang" were also served. Last year, at the same house the host was only serving satay and the usual traditional Malay dishes. One would say that the types of dishes served have improved by leaps and bounds. Yours truly also attended another open house last week in Bandar Baru Bangi and the host served the long grain "Nasi Arab". It's the real nasi Arab.  It's so unusual for the host to serve "Nasi Arab" during the Raya open house.My children of course would savour the main dish until they were really full like a food laden python.

I also notice that the open house practiced today has become more of the "touch- n -go" thing meaning the guest would come in and give  salam to the host and would just find a place  to sit and and later immediately lining up to get the best tasting dishes. After having the dishes the guest would do a survey of the buffet spread again and get more food to consume. After having an almost full stomach as usual he or she will find excuses to leave the open house. The whole process will be completed in just 20-25 minutes. There is  no exchage of greetings among the guests and no long chats beteween the hosts and the guests. The host would just move around for that " touch and go greetings". The open house has become a " hi and bye bye thing"

Open house is almost like a wedding ceremony?

I also noticed that the open houses that I attended recently all are getting more elaborate in terms off their preparations especially in terms of the "Khemah" or the canopies. All the two open  houses that I went to were planned  with 2-3 giant "khemahs". It's also prepared like a wedding occasion but minus the bride and  groom. Everything else was much like a wedding ceremony. I think even the food served at the open house is even better than a "kenduri" ( wedding feast). Eating the "kenduri" dishes is like a chore and very mundane. Hosts of the open houses normally spend around RM 5000 to have that supposedly "simple" occassion. The dishes at the open house are getting better. How  time has changed.

Nowadays, the open house is actually a "closed" system. Previously, an open house is minus the special  invitation but the open house of today comes with a proper invitation very much also like a wedding ceremony. To attend  an open house you need to be invited using a very formal invitation card but not the thick card that looks more like a book  that you order from Indonesia or Thailand. This is not really open in the real sense. Previously, when I had an open house I would just make a open and general invitation and people would just come. Sometimes there were people at the open house that you have not met before. This is a true meaning of an open house. The one that we have at present is not an open one except for  the one celebrated and organized by the royalty  and the government ministers. The open house today is not truly open. It's sad.

I think we should go back to basics and celebrate "Aidl Fitri" in its true sense. Have open houses but make it truly open where people can come and chat and strengthen their friendships. This tradition should be continued. Yours truly home in Bandar Baru Bangi is always open. Please come as you don't need a formal invitation. "Selamat Hari Raya".