Baby Log Cabin Blanket

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Mabel

Since the bootie frenzy (I actually have about three pairs more to finish off which won’t take long, actually), my knitting has taken a slow turn…well, I’m still knitting, just that I’m not exactly knitting ALL the time. There is the cooking, cleaning, baking, and so forth…even writing about things like custom promotional product. I even squeezed in a bit of spinning.

Anyway, here’s a glimpse as to what I’ve been slowly working on alongside my Entrelac stole (which is turning out rather beautifully actually) – Baby Log Cabin Blanket modelled after Mason-Dixon’s Modern Baby Blanket. It’s all about knitting garter stitch non-stop, mind you and thus, it can be quite boring. It’s like writing the same word over and over again despite using different colour inks!

Since I’m off the whole “buying yarn for a project”, I’ve decided to dip into yarns that I probably won’t use for projects that I’ll never get around to. The result so far is a rather soft yet sturdy “fabric” texture, which can stand on its own but I intend to back it with some fabric like fleece to give it some extra warmth. Still, with another four months to go, I really really hope I can finish this before the baby arrives.

So far, I’m done with two colour blocks (out of seven or ten – I’m still deciding) and have just started on the 3rd. I really really hope to keep up the mojo so wish me luck, ya?

Swiss system vs Malaysian system

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Mabel

A recent entry made by a fellow blogger (who has asked to remain anonymous) prompted me to ruminate a little about Swiss bureaucracy in comparison to the Malaysian red tape when it comes to the issue of visa and permit application/renewal as a foreign spouse of a citizen.

His note detailed his frustration with the Malaysian system after seven years of residing in the country as a married Muslim father and the following info for the Malaysian system is taken from that said note.

Bear in mind that the requirements of this “general and loose” comparison is basically this – the couple is a citizen/permit-holder and foreigner mix, educated or skilled with some work experience, and married before residing in the country.

The Swiss System
Over here, upon arrival of a foreigner like myself, I’m required to drop by the town council to register myself and state my intentions of staying permanently. About a couple of days later, I receive a letter in the mailbox from the Permit & Residency Office, asking me to show up at the local office (town council) with the complete list of documents that I was to provide along with my application. These documents include the following:

Our marriage certificate
A copy of our home/apartment rental contract with my name on it as the co-tenant
Nil’s salary slips for the past six months
The name of my employer and working condition (temporary, contract, etc), job contract/offer letter (if needed)
A copy of my medical insurance or the application
My resume and copies of certificates
A letter stating my future plans and intentions
Good conduct letter from Malaysia

After submission, you have to wait for about three weeks and voila, another letter appears in the mail asking you to drop by the town council to collect your permit. It costs around 70CHF for me and in my case, it’s a yearly permit.

I received the renewal notice last Friday by mail – about time too since my permit was due to expire in March. The process was very simple. All I had to do was show up at the town council that I went to get my soon-to-expire permit with my passport and the permit in question plus the letter. In exchange, they fill out a form for me, ask me if I was working and then printed out a receipt that I would keep stating that my permit has been taken away from me for the purposes of renewal.

My new one is due to arrive in three weeks and it’ll be the same as before – a letter will be sent and all I have to do is take the letter and go collect it. In fact, someone else can collect it for me, if I’m too busy (which was what I did when Nil got his permit changed!).

The Malaysian System

This lady was able to tell me the Spouse Programme has indeed been discontinued (but only after I asked, because one thing about these immigration officers is that they won’t give you the right information unless you specifically ask for it, and even then you’ll be lucky to get it). In its place is a similar programme, or rather two: one for foreign wives, another for husbands. She gave me some forms and a list of documents I’ll need for my new pass. Here’s the list:

…

Some of the items on the list aren’t clear as to whose information is needed (like the bank book, evidence of income, pay slips, etc.) so both of us will have to provide the information, otherwise they’ll just tell us we’re missing some items on the list and tell us to come back another time. Some items on the list make no sense at all, notably the ‘Copy of wife’s citizenship’ which is apparently different from her birth certificate, passport and identity card.

…

Having gone through the whole process several times, I’m anticipating a rough ride here. For example, even if I get all these documents, when I present them I just know I’ll be told something is missing, likely something that wasn’t even on the list. The worst part is that I’ll probably only get a 6-month pass at first, which I’ll have to apply to renew barely three months after I get it. Since the old Spouse Programme no longer exists, I can’t just renew my pass; my application will be treated as a first-time application, despite the fact that I’ve been here since 2002.

The list of required documents include things like -a marriage certificate from his home country, their Malaysian marriage certificate, a wedding photo, the “Additional Information of Husband” form, the “Declaration of Wife” form, a declaration of marriage that must be made before a Commissioner of Oaths, his spouse’s birth certificate & identity card & proof of citizenship, security bond, a copy of every page of every passport he had since he got married, a copy of his spouse’s bank statement/assets list, payslips, income tax info, offer letter, job contract, resume, application letter and so forth.

So now, which would I prefer? (This is like asking someone if they prefer luxury hotel rooms or a backpackers’ hostel when they aren’t paying for it.) It’s easy to tell, no?

Penang Hokkien goodness!

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Mabel

It has been a while since I last reviewed anything related to entertainment much or less talk about it. Sometimes it seems that my life only revolves around food or knitting…or worse, rants about Malaysian politicians and so forth. Kind of depressing or limited if you think about it.

So when I sat down in front of my lappie and decided to install iTunes, I hadn’t exactly thought about using it for anything else other than classes. Somehow I ended up subscribing to a variety of podcast services ranging from those relating to the study of language, documentaries and just cultural stuff. One in particular has always caught my attention – Penang Hokkien Podcast (note that the language and topic can be explicit in nature!).

I first heard about this podcast about two years ago, about a year or so after John Ong first came up with the concept of promoting Penang and especially, the Penang Hokkien dialect which is, in my opinion, a dialect that is fast disappearing from the Chinese communities. At that time, I hadn’t thought much about subscribing regularly because when you’re in Malaysia, surrounded by people who do speak Hokkien (not much though) and some (very minimal) Hokkien shows over the radio & TV, you don’t really care for anything related to your roots. It’s sad, I know…

Being half Penang Hokkien-half Hokkien, my Hokkien is perhaps slightly better than my French simply because I spoke the dialect to my grandmother until she died. After that, it was mostly Cantonese at home. Since my move to Switzerland and after spending one year surrounded by nothing by French, German or English speakers, I had really begun to miss things that reminded me of my roots and most of all, my family.

I have always felt that Hokkien is a down-to-earth language, informal and witty to listen to, not to mention earthy when spoken. Any cruder and you could say that it’s a marketplace language. Well, you won’t be far from the truth because if you look at the evolution or history of Penang Hokkien, it used to be the lingua franca in Penang and the surrounding northern states of Malaysia. According to Wikipedia’s entry on the Penang Hokkien dialect, Penang Hokkien is a local variant of the Minnan dialect.

Minnan is one of the sub-languages of the Chinese language and is mainly spoken in southern Fujian, Taiwan, Hainan and parts of Guangdong, with the main standard dialects being Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese. Within Hokkien, the Amoy dialect is the prestige dialect. It is also spoken by many overseas Chinese in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Penang Hokkien is based on the dialect of Hokkien spoken in the Zhangzhou (?? Hokkien: Chiang1-chiu1) prefecture of Fujian. It is said that it most closely resembles the dialect spoken in the district of Haicang (??) in Longhai (?? Hokkien: Liong5-hai2) county and in the districts of Jiaomei (??) and Xinglin (??) in neighbouring Xiamen prefecture. In Southeast Asia, similar dialects are spoken in the states bordering Penang, and in Medan. In contrast, in southern Malaysia and Singapore, most Hokkien speakers speak a dialect based on the Amoy standard.

Listening to John and his guests going on and on in Penang Hokkien brings back fond memories of home, of my family and well, of the closeness I have and feel with them. You could say that it’s a way of connecting with something that I have left behind a long time ago; I feel nostalgic, giggly and strangely…complete. As I’m writing this out, I have come to understand why John started this podcast.

Nil, on the other hand, doesn’t know any Hokkien at all. In fact, he’s tone deaf so Chinese dialects – Cantonese and all that – are totally out of his league. So he can’t understand what’s so hilarious or interesting about these fellas. I have given up explaining because when you translate what these folks are talking about, it just loses its uniqueness.

But I’ll say this – if you understand Hokkien, particularly Penang Hokkien and am in the mood for something casual (mind you, these folks are not into serious stuff – it’s all about having fun!), do check John out over at Penang Hokkien Podcast k?

Some spring colours!

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Mabel

While I’m making good progress on the knitting front, I decided to put Serenity, my wheel, to some good use after several days of no-action. And so far, the fiber is spinning up well – the resulting yarn is shiny, soft and well, welcoming considering that spring is just a month away!

So yes, if you have been thinking that the wheel has gone into hibernation mode, think again!

The first year.

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Mabel

Time certainly has passed by quite quickly. Just yesterday, I received a letter from the cantonal office asking me to drop by with my passport and current permit for renewal.

Since my arrival last year, I have gone from a newlywed femme au foyer to a pregnant, part-time business owner, part-time language teacher and almost full time femme au foyer. Being pregnant means that Nil has to help out with the chores and cooking more often than usual! *beams* We have also gone from being comfortably and gainful employed to facing our first major financial challenge as a couple, and so far, we’re doing just fine. You could say that as a couple, we are growing, which is desirable. Staying stagnant is never a good sign.

For the past one year, I have developed a love-hate relationship with Switzerland, which is normal considering that perfection doesn’t exist in this imperfect world. It is also a sign that I have become more grounded and realistic, not to mention knowledgeable of how things work and function in this country. The good things, I learn to appreciate every day and the bad things, well…I am still learning how to cope with it. One thing that is remarkably different is that despite being surrounded by more “exposed” nations, Switzerland is still very much close-minded (in some aspects) BUT that, I can see, is slowly beginning to change as people move out of their comfort zones and begin to exposure themselves to different cultures, practices and even personalities.

A couple of weeks ago, I had taken a seat in front of my laptop (with its Swiss keys) and churned out an entry, that until today, remains unfinished and unseen by the world. It was a entry laced with rants and explanations (to put it politely) about this love-hate relationship I have. At that time, I was in one of my ranty moods – being pregnant obviously didn’t help – but looking back, I realized that it is the same any where you go. There will always be great AND bad things about a country. It’s just a matter of being honest about it.

Now, a few weeks later and right after my first year here, I can say that I’m beginning to get used to the craziness of it all…

Aiii…on another note, I think I’ll go off now to look up for info on degree programs in the United States and Canada.

When thieves profit…

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Mabel

There is a huge case going on in the food blogsphere over in the States which has Bee of the Rasa Malaysia website and Haalo of the Cook (Almost) Anything taking up arms and a stand for the rest of us bloggers – even those of us who don’t talk about food, much or less put up yummlicious shots.

Now, while plagiarism has always been one of the dirty secrets of the Internet, it still shocks and amazes me how people can profess to be ignorant of something so natural as to asking for permission and/or giving credit to where it is due. Especially more so if the person in question is 1) famous and/or 2) gains from the use of stolen materials (monetary, traffic, etc).

Over at Rasa Malaysia and Cook (Almost) Anything, the point of contention lies with the fact that Bee and Haalo has had many photos stolen and replicated without their knowledge much or less permission by people who supply or sell food. Among the culprits is a an organic food business in Florida (and its chef) and a coffee shop owner in Penang.

Even more shocking was the reply that Haalo got from the chef attached to the Florida organic food business. You be the judge of the man’s character…

“FIrst (sic) of all your mediocre photo is all over the internet. You go ahead and seek further action, if you have time to do that you probably are still looking for work. Don’t threaten me and I’d govern yourself accordingly when calling people names and making allegations or you might find yourself on the other end of a libel suit you petulant starving artist.”

*sigh*

Another point which was made clearly to me recently by Mum was the fact that people can be unscrupulous as to steal recipes and make books out of them without ever having to lift a finger. Now I’m no food specialist or great cook but I’m not that naive and I wouldn’t say that finding out that people have used my recipes without giving due credit doesn’t hurt. Because I’ve been doing a lot of cooking (and with each recipes comes experimentation and so forth), I find it hard to disagree with Mum. It’s not so much the recipe book or profiting that angers me but the lack of acknowledgement.

It doesn’t kill to mention where you got your instructions and etc from…so I can’t, for the life of me, understand why people would go through all those lengths to steal stuff BUT can’t write a simple line stating that they got it from someone else.

This is perhaps one of there reasons why I, of lately, feel hesitant about sharing recipes that I’ve worked hard on perfecting. Recipes from books, I have no problems putting that up but those that have been handed down to me by my mother or those that I have perfected with time and lots of practice…well, those are a different story altogether.

Perhaps this is a shortcut tactic on my part to tackle the issue. I just don’t want to have to go through the hassle and heartache of having people steal content and then put up with the lame justification/excuse that “imitation is the best form of flattery” because frankly, it isn’t. It hurts and it hurts deeply as people like Bee, and Haalo will tell you. For people who pander off that line regularly, I would love to ask them how they would feel if they went to work every day and their salary plus promotion & the little extra perks goes to someone who does absolutely nothing but sit on their ass all day long.

Because that’s what plagiarism is. It’s nothing but blatant thievery.

Homemade Prawn Mee/Penang Hokkien Mee (Hae Mee)

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Mabel

Penang, the Pearl of the Orient, is notorious among Malaysians for its flavourful and delicious dishes and rightly so, since each dish is fused with Malay, Indian and Chinese Peranakan influences. Dishes like asam laksa, nasi kandar, char kuey teow, kuihs and this Penangite dish, the sweet seafoody prawn mee or hae mee have slowly made its way around the Peninsular, so much so that sometimes people confuse the Penang Hokkien Mee for its Kuala Lumpur counterpart – a stir fry dish made with dark soy sauce and thick egg noodles.

Traditionally, the prawn mee is made with broth made from pork ribs, and shrimp heads plus shells. Later on, it is served with beansprouts, water convulus (kangkung), cooked shrimp, boiled egg slices and pieces of pork belly or pork ribs topped off with some chilli paste, fried shallots and a piece of lime.

I’ve had to make do with several changes, especially with regards to the chilli paste. While the recipe calls for dried chillies, the ones available here are made with Thai chillies – too spicy for comfort and well, definitely not quite suitable for this dish. A too-spicy broth is a bad idea for this dish. Anyway, despite the not-so-red tinge and the strange chilli paste that I bought from the Thai store (note to self: never use it again!!!!!!), this was tasty and very filling! Nil gave his thumbs-up and while he approves, I’d definitely try this out again but this time with a different cooking technique with the prawn shells.

In the meantime, I’m off to get my second bowl for the dinner (we had this for lunch and there is enough for dinner too!).

Roast chicken and fluffy pancakes

Posted on February 21, 2009 by Mabel

Nil has two favourite dishes for breakfast – pancakes and char siew paus. Sometimes I think it’s funny considering that he doesn’t exactly grew up in a culture that promotes pancakes or paus as a staple breakfast meal. Pancakes are a Northern American dish and while it is known in France, it’s not a common item at the breakfast table.

Because he likes to sleep in on the weekends (who doesn’t?) and I can’t really go past 8:30am every day, weekends are just about the only time that I can take my time to whip up something. Weekdays are out because Nil just likes cereal and yoghurt or juice. To him, anything more requires appreciation, which requires time.

These are quite simple to whip up – all purpose flour, baking powder, milk, eggs, some sugar and salt – and voila, fluffyness! I usually take these with just a small dollop of homemade jam or a tiny sprinkling of sugar (icing or brown) while Nil likes his with a healthy dose of honey. I surmised that they would taste excellent with fresh fruit on the side as well…especially bananas! YUM!

Anyway for dinner, we decided to take out the whole chicken we bought last week and cook up some Hainanese roast chicken based on this booklet I got. The overall result was tender and juicy meat with a crunchy skin (Swiss chicken are not exactly fat so that’s a bonus!) but the marinate was a bit tad too strong for my liking so I might decide to change a few things to the recipe the next time. We had this with some garlic rice and Chinese cabbage soup on the side but somehow I forgot to buy the cucumber…o’well…*shrugs*

Tomorrow the kitchen will see some heavy action in the form of prawn mee which can be quite complicated…not to mention expensive. Luckily we’ll have at least four servings of this and will probably also be able to have leftover raw ingredients like prawns, eggs, bean sprouts, noodles and so forth which can keep for another meal or dish.

So until tomorrow then…