Celebrate in Pyjamas

So it was National Day (for Malaysia), right at the end of the month of Ramadham.

Flags everywhere - even we got a sticky one to put on our car.

We noticed the men were all getting about in their national dress, even in the shops. (The women, of course, get around in their special Malaysian gear ALL of the time.)

So, what is the national dress?

Here is a very serious, important man. He is wearing something that looks very similar to silk pyjamas, with a special cloth wrapped around his waist. The wraparound cloth is usually very heavy material, often with inlaid (actual) gold designs ... apparently rather prickly and uncomfortable, hence needing the layer underneath.

The chaps wandering around the shops, though, were just wearing the 'pyjamas' part, mostly in pastel colours (favourite being pink) - looking very comfortable, if not relaxed. In some cases you see all the men in one family wearing matching sets. Very cool.

I did notice that some of the young cool guys have developed their own style. They wear their shirt out, over the top of the wraparound, with the sleeves rolled up.

This young chap serving in our favourite restaurant (Secret Recipe) typifies the modern style, with his shirt hanging out and his little black hat perched jauntily on his moussed hair! Cool!

Making a point

or at least pointing the finger.

It's just not done, unless you use your thumb like this ... or you can use your chin or lips. :)

Friday Morning Out and About

We returned to the wet markets - where the man with the gun was last week - and bought a bunch of fresh veges. Then Peter took the bags to the car so we could wander a bit more, and I wandered alone for a few minutes. I saw an interesting little stall / cafe-de-wheels.

Well who wouldn't be curious? I don't know any of the words, and although the things on the left look like pieces of fruit (Google Translator tells me it's 'mixed fruit') I couldn't see anyone consuming it. I noticed that people were queueing for the stuff on the right.

I saw a businesslike Chinese man and I asked if he spoke English. He was pleased to explain to me that on the right was some sort of coconut milk (with ice), the next one (with what looks like green worms) he simply explained as 'powder' and I still don't know. The third from the right is something else with coconut - that would be the long white strands ...

So then he bought me one.

It's a coconut-milky iced drink, with green worms (they tasted like jelly as they slid through the wide straw!) and brown stuff in the bottom which tasted like the (sweet) brown beans the Chinese like to use. It was actually quite pleasant!! :D

Oh yes, and 'air' means water - 'air batu' is ice, but Mr Google was unwilling to tell me what 'cendol' is. And 'pulut kacang' is glutinous beans - what a tempting treat! It's a learning curve.

Back to the Supermarket - Problems with the White Powders

I wanted some rice - there it is in sacks piled against the wall ... not the sort of quantities I'm used to, and there didn't seem to be any small packs (after all, why would anyone want that?).

I thought I would buy some flour ... this one is tapioca starch ...



... and this is glutinous rice flour ...

... but I just couldn't work out this one.

In then end I found a packet with a picture of a corn cob, figured I was probably buying cornflour.

Most other things are recognisable.

Like those are obviously chickens - and at least they are already dead and plucked (not like buying in Chinese market.) Yes, I am still vegetarian.

Home Sweet Home

We really like our apartment here in Kuala Terengganu. It is furnished, but we found we needed to add a few things like a new (bigger) fridge (to hold all my veges), and some desks for us to work at when we are not at work.

We purchased a water filter that delivers hot, tap-temp, and cold filtered water (no more need for a kettle) and the little men delivered and installed it at 10.30pm the other night.

We were also seriously lacking in bench space - the gas stove (with bottle hidden in the right-hand cubby space) has a drop-down lid which we had mostly been using as a work surface, but, obviously, there are times when that is no use.



So ... sitting comfortably now with this new bench that we bought, complete with a tiled top.