More for your Five Ringgit.

It's been a very hectic week, been enjoying having someone else looking after this site while I read others. Now back to square one and this will get back to once or twice a week 'RPM'.

Having to spend a lot of time on the road makes me crave for so many things as a way to reward myself.

Boy! I miss drinking A&W Root Beer served in chilled mugs.

When they serve it in paper cups, we complain like nobody's business that this is not a picnic, also concluding that they're trying to save costs. Padahal, really, it's because the mugs asyik kena curi.
When they bring back the chilled mugs... why on earth do people choose to drink pakai straw pulak niiihhh????? Letak la straw in your beer mugs too eh!

The scene was too much to bear that I just HAD to blog about it.
THIS WEEK'S CAMPAIGN:

DRINK A&W ROOT BEER STRAIGHT FROM THE CHILLED MUG.
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I used to patronise Kopi & Ulam in Hartamas for its 1 inch thick Roti Benggali served in so many ways [with condensed milk, butter and strawberry jam, butter and pandan kaya, pineapple jam, butter and sugar and peanut butter... awwwwsuummm!!] - it doesn't stop there, dunk the toasted jam smothered bread in their many kinds of local 'kopi' and then makan..emmmmmm... sungguh sedap! Then look at the oil swirls left in your 'kopi', down that after you finish all your roti bakar, BLISSSS!!!!

Kopi & Ulam has unfortunately closed down. Other coffee and toasts outlets are available around me namely: Killiney Kopitiam D'sara Utama, Kopi & Time D'sara Jaya, Coffee Corner (night only) TTDI. The feeling is just not the same as what I had in Kopi & Ulam UNTIL I discovered a full blown Yik Mun Pau outlet in Plaza Damas, Hartamas! The one in One Utama is too small to lure eat-in customers.
In fact, it's double bliss, they serve the Mee Hainan just like what you can get in their original shop in Tanjung Malim, except it is RM8.90 per plate instead of RM2.50.

THIS WEEK'S CAMPAIGN:

MAKAN WEEKEND BREAKFAST KAT YIK MUN'S CAFE, PLAZA DAMAS.

Barangan Buatan Bukan Malaysian.

Chinese saying: If you have good fortune, do not contemplate spending on a good pair of shoes and a good mattress.

Every girl is a shoe person, and lately I've been spending so much on sports footwears instead of buying boring court shoes for work.

The latest addition is a pair of Clark's footwork shoes which I can also use for indoor rock climbing.

But I must say, the most long lasting pair of outdoor footwear I owned was bought from BATA, the valcro strap type which I bought for my first white water rafting expedition 4 years ago. It's only RM56.90 although it's all leather, lightweight and and has very good grip.

If it's not because the shop closes the last on that night, I wouldn't have bought it. I'm brand prejudice like that, I thought I had enough of BATA when I was in primary school, now it has to be something foreign! - perhaps to set myself properly in my age bracket (yeaa... bleaaghh!).

Anyways, I was impressed with its durability as compared to its price when Clark's or Scholl will cost quadruple or more.

Well, it has finally failed to serve me recently, the left sole broke into two. I can't bring myself to buy a pair of RM290 valcro strapped sandals to dunk them in the mud, walk through puddles, leave em carefreely in the porch and all that. Why on earth must most of them be made of suede upper? I don't get it.

Much to my surprise, BATA is not made in Malaysia, it is originated in Chechoslovakia by siblings of three: Anna, Antonin and Thomas Bata. Two of them went their own ways and Thomas and his onwards groomed it to what it is today.

It was once diversified into a bicycles, tyres, machinaries and aircraft making organisation! Back then, it did well at localising its image. It's not a very good idea now as we don't want people to keep saying, "Laaaa, kau pakai kasut BATA?"

BATA Ad: India BATA Ad: Toronto.

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Oh, oh! You know what? Although Boh tea is made in Malaysia, the founder is actually an Englishman, John Archibald Russell! Read on on how he and his siblings got into mining, rubber estate and railway construction back then here in our country!

"His whole career has been a businessman romance of such magnitude that it cannot be compared with the achievements of any other European in Malaya. past or present".
The Malay Mail when J. A. Russell's passed away in 1933.

High on His Persona.

18SX... not really.

At first I hated the sight of his face, especially when he boasted his courage to be in any part of the world to try out anything most human won't even think of. Maybe it's all David Copperfield's fault, he's got that high cheek bone, tall-dark-handsome and deep set eyes too. I thought he's just.... an actor like DC, with real pretence.

But I kept going to the same place, therefore, couldn't help bumping into him now and then. Later I found that slowly, my focus is only towards him.

Over time, he became the subject of conversation among me and my friends. Later, he became quite an inspiration, even towards my guy friends! And... I am comfortable with this new view I have of him.

Soon after, through a friend, I finally started to know him better.

Funny, when in most circumstances, you'll get drained in no time hearing someone's pathetic past. Especially when the conversation is full of these words, 'dope', 'cocaine', 'screw', 'kitchen top', 'sluts', 'sleepless', 'resigned', 'booze' yaaada yaada.

But I guess, his success now is so obvious that he is worthy of his past. In fact, it is so gripping that I got wet throughout the whole elaboration. Hell, it spasmed too often in the stomach too that I had to let myself off three fifth of my weekdays!

I like this hi. I like his sense of humour, a masterclass of brutal honesty; makes me lose my conscience and just break into evil laughters.

I remember him saying, "NOW, this was a truly a significant event. I remember it like I remember losing my virginity - and in many ways, more fondly". That's regarding his first experience tasting super fresh oysters right in the middle of the sea. !

I thought, maybe he should experience losing his virginity on another higher level with me! Grrrrrrrr! Slurrrppp! Sluurrrpp!! Okey, just fantasizing.

... and how he and his colleagues mocked up a murder in their workplace just to get a worker ousted. Oh, yeah! For real!

Hmmpphh... but me and my naiveness. When I'm all too crazy about him, after I told all my friends about him, was when he just had to mention the word 'mother in-law'. Dang!

Oh, yeah! His name? None other than Mr. Anthony Bourdain, when clothed, still sexier than The Naked Chefs.

Then I knew he's exactly who he is in the TV; speaks food, sleeps food, worships food, sexes food.

He's the reason I look at food, restaurants, restaurateurs differently ever since I read him. Do you know that if mussels are kept above a certain temperature after a certain hour will drench itself in its own pee?

Read "Kitchen Confidential". A great holiday companion. Don't pause too long in between reads, hopefully you won't find him more seductive than your man.

And if you haven't watched 'Decoding Ferran Adria' on Travel & Living, do so. You'll discover how someone makes food instead of cooking food in its own form. Also, get this, Ferran, hires an Industrial Engineer as a vital part of his team, which made him (Ferran) one of the world's top 100 innovators!

And thank our lucky stars we get to know this food genius through Bourdain's eyes, doubly lip smacking!

Sign,

'Man-handling Maine'.

In commemoration of MI's week for entries rated 18sx or PG only.

M Ideas is now one year and one month old.

Pulsating Poncho! Your turn pulak to make us wet!