Ye Lai Xiang 夜来香 Go West........

Here is a popular Chinese song Ye Lai Siang sung by the Concert Choir of Lenape High School, located in Medford, New Jersey, USA. How do you rate it ? I love it.

Eating Out @ Kocha........

Kocha Taiwanese Delight is a restaurant owned by a Penangite with a Taiwanese wife. So the reason for the delicious and popular Taiwanese cuisine served as the wife must be the cook behind it. I have been to this place a number of times and what attracted me to this place is their succulent "too kah" or pig's trotter. There are many other dishes that comes in a set meal with complimentary drinks and dessert at a very reasonable price.

Close up view of my favorite 'too kah' with huge peanuts....

A set meal of main dish of your choice, rice, soup, omelete,vege, fruits, and 'tong sui' (sweet soup) plus the a complimentary drink.

The famous pearl milk tea which I order hot with some 'pearls' in it. This complimentary drink can be served cold.

Besides the rice dishes there are steamboats and Taiwanese noodles to choose from. For the ambience it is a bit crowded but you will have the company of the colourful fishes in the few beautiful aquariums put there by the owner.

Address:229 Jalan Burmah

10350 Penang

Tel: 04-227 5048

OMG...I have GERD.....!

I was admitted to a private hospital last Saturday after feeling some chest discomfort for days giving me sleepless night what I thought to be connected to some heart problem. But after going through a series of test and some ugly moments here , I was diagnosed as suffering from GERD which stands for Gastroesophageal reflux disease. Been reading up a lot about this ailment as this is my first time experiencing it. So this is what it is......

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close properly and stomach contents leak back, or reflux, into the esophagus. The LES is a ring of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus that acts like a valve between the esophagus and stomach. The esophagus carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

When refluxed stomach acid touches the lining of the esophagus, it causes a burning sensation in the chest or throat called heartburn. The fluid may even be tasted in the back of the mouth, and this is called acid indigestion. Occasional heartburn is common but does not necessarily mean one has GERD. Heartburn that occurs more than twice a week may be considered GERD, and it can eventually lead to more serious health problems.
Anyone, including infants, children, and pregnant women, can have GERD.

I do not know what causes it. It might be due to the food I take or my arthritis medication or my hormone replacement therapy. The symptoms may include these......

*Persistent heartburn and acid regurgitation.

These are the main symptoms GERD, though some people have GERD without heartburn. Symptoms of heartburn include:

*A burning feeling starts in the chest just behind the breastbone (the sternum) that occurs after eating and can last a few minutes to several hours.

* Lying down and bending over often makes symptoms worse.

* Symptoms are often made worse by eating food.

*Burning in the throat.

*Sour or bitter taste in the mouth.

*Swallowing can be difficult.

*Belching (I had a lot of this)

*Chronic coughing

*Hoarseness

*Loss of voice for no apparent reason

*Wheezing or other asthma-like symptoms

*An antacid usually provides relief

*If an infant spits up or throws up almost every time he eats and seems fussy, the infant may have gastric reflux

*Symptoms of heartburn are often mistaken for signs of a heart attack. Pain from a heart condition is usually made worse by physical activity, but heartburn is not usually caused by physical activity. However, if you think you are having a heart attack, or you're not sure, it's important that you go to the emergency room immediately. (That's what I did)

*Pain in the chest

*Hoarseness in the morning

*Trouble swallowing

*May feel like food is stuck in the throat

*Choking sensation

*Persistent dry cough

*Bad breath

For care and treatment I look up here. I am now on medication and hopefully I pray that I will get better in a few weeks. Those who have gone through this ailment are welcome to share their trauma here.

License To Rob......

Do this sounds familiar to you?.......

Guy A has just finish his business appointment with someone whose office is somewhere in a block of flats unfamiliar to him away from the main road. After driving out less than a hundred yards into a narrow lorong or street while trying to find a way out into the main road, Guy A realise that he is on the wrong direction on a one way street after seeing the position of the parked cars along the street. So he quickly turn into the nearest right lane to turn back. As he was reversing to turn back 2 uniformed policemen on 2 motobikes were right at his side window and signal him to get out of the car. Guy A show them his identity card and told them he is not familiar with the streets here and he is trying to find his way out. Instead of showing this poor guy out the 2 policemen ask the guy " APA MACAM?" meaning " WHAT NOW?" For those who understand the word "APA MACAM" will know its true meaning. Guy A will be thinking like this....to give or not to give.......give means I was being robbed.....don't give, I have to be summon to court which will cost even more and my precious time. These "APA MACAM" robbers knows what they are getting. There is no right way out for those "fishes" they have trapped or caught. You and I know the ending........

Be Careful of Micro-Waved Water..

I have a number of times boil a cup or 2 of water in my microwave oven without knowing the danger it poses until recently when I got this info from friends and relatives in my email. I would love to share this info with my dear readers.

"A 26-year old guy decided to have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before).

I am not sure how long he set the timer for, but he told me he wanted to bring the water to a boil.
When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven.

As he looked into the cup, he noted that the water was not boiling, but instantly the water in the cup'blew up' into his face.The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand but all the water had flown out into his face
due to the build up of energy.
His whole face was blistered and he had 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face, which may leave scarring.

He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor who was
attending to him stated that this is fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should
never be heated in a microwave oven.

If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as: a woodenstir stick, tea bag, etc.
It is however a much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle ."

General Electric's (GE) response:

Micro waved water and other liquids do not always bubble when they reach the boiling point.
They can actually get superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid will bubble up out of the cup
when it is moved or when something like a spoon or teabag is put into it.

To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating, let the cup stand in the microwave for thirty seconds before moving it or adding anything into it.

If you pass this on ... you could very well save someone from a lot of pain and suffering.

Welcoming the Ox.........

I rush home to my hometown after the reunion dinner in Penang. I reached there just in time to see the wonderful sights of fireworks and hear the thunderous sounds of firecrackers all over the small town at the stroke of midnight to welcome the year of the Ox. The place sounds like a warzone and nobody cares about the law anymore regarding the lighting and playing with firecrackers. Everyone is having fun in welcoming the new year.

A videoclip of the fireworks.......