SPOT THE ERROR 150

What is "grown beef"?

But I know "blackpaper" should refer to something else.

[FROM MY JAKARTA TRIP MARCH 2020]

THE LUXURIOUS PACIFIC PLACE, JAKARTA

15th MARCH 2020 ~ I was a mission, hunting for something to take back home and the outlet was situated at this luxurious mall in Jakarta, for the very rich people in the city. There were malls with names I could not even pronounced. However, the place was empty when I was there late in the afternoon as the city had just started it lockdown procedure to combat the C19 pandemic.

At times, I felt like I was the only one in the huge building.

Mission accomplished - to get a fridge magnet from Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta.

WHAT DID I WATCH ON NETFLIX: "WHITE TIGER"

Being clever but poor has made Balram wants to climb the social ladder and he successfully secures the job of the driver to Ashok, the son to a rich man. The first intention is to be the loyal servant to his master, but his grandmother states: "The city has corrupted your soul." Isn't money is the root of all evil. According to Balram, "but for the poor, there are only two ways to get to the top: crime or politics." He chose the latter and murdered his master in cold blood. He did get what he wanted but was it the right thing to do?

An Indian movie which portrays the oppression of the poor, and the society where the rich wants to become richer, while the poor will have to do the extraordinary to be rich.

One serious movie that makes me feel thankful for the life that I have.

LIFEHACK: CLEANING A STUCK, BURNT PIECE OF CLOTH OFF YOUR IRON

 

Have you ever experienced burning a fabric while ironing and to make matter worse, the burnt material got stuck on your hot iron and could not be removed? Now you shall worry no more as I am going to share with you unbelievably easy life hacks to solve this problem.

All you need is: TOMATO KETCHUP. Yes, you are reading this right. Any brand will do and you just need a small portion of it and not the whole bottle.

You just put a drop of tomato ketchup on the surface where the fabric is stubbornly stuck and leave it for a few hours.

I left mine for like 4 hours and the small piece of burnt cloth could be peeled easily off the iron surface just like that.

I would have to thank my friend, Puan Shamsul Niza, for sharing the tip with me and now I can iron my working clothes happily.

MY NEW TOY FOR 2021

23rd JANUARY 2021 ~ It was high time to get myself a new gadget, to replace the tablet that had been used for about three years. I opted for a phone this time round as the big tab was a hassle to use to scan the QR code before entering any premises. Every time I used my tab, most people who was on duty at the scanning counter would exclaim: "that's big".

So far, everything goes well and as long as I manage to use the phone to make and receive calls, and use the Whatsapp and Telegram apps, I am a happy man. It is not actually a toy - it is a necessity.

It is time to give my Samsung Tab A the long rest it deserves for now.

 

WHAT DID I WATCH ON NETFLIX: "TRIBHANGA - TEDHI MEDHI CRAZY"

 The story of three women of different generations:

[1] Nayan, the mother of Anu. A renowned writer who is hated by her mother-in-law she is staying with. [Mother-in-law who is portrayed as an evil and wicked person is not something new]. Until one day she runs away, taking Anu and her younger brother along, living the life as a single mother with another complicated plot.

[2] Anu, the victim of a broken marriage and is sexually abused by her stepfather. She hated her mother and was not talking to her. She had a relationship with a Russian man, is pregnant with Masha. Unfortunately the man is also abusive and Anu lives her scandalous life as an actress/dancer.

[3] Masha, living the life which is the consequence of the sins of the mother and grandmother.

A very interesting story as everyone is telling her own story of the life she has to live in order to compete an autobiography of Nayan. Another Hindi movie which does not contain unnecessary dancing and singing scenes but should get you thinking - who is to be blamed for everything that happens.

And Kajol is the main lead of this movie, which makes it worth watching.

Someone is already recommending another Hindi movie for me to watch on Netflix.

WHAT DID I WATCH ON NETFLIX: "IS LOVE ENOUGH? SIR"

If you are widowed when you are 19 in a traditional Indian village, your life is practically over. That is the fate that befalls on Ratna who decides to move to Mumbai and becomes a domestic helper [READ: maid] to a rich architect, Ashwin. Ratna also has a dream to be a fashion designer and with her master's consent, she takes up part time tailoring classes. To cut the story short, Ashwin falls for his own maid but Ratna is confused and hesitant as she knows this is something unacceptable and will never end happily. She goes out of the apartment to Ashwin's dismay and that leads to the ending of the movie - which I will not tell. Living in two different worlds, will love be enough?

What I like about this movie is that it has no singing and dancing and running around the park and tumbling down the hill. The actress does not have to be sexy or beautiful with heavy make up or do lip sync to songs not hers. Everything is just so naturally done and I am thinking I am watching scenes taken from real life.

I am hoping for a sequel but definitely with more complications and conflicts - at the same time still praying for a happy ending for both the hero and heroine.

MY JAKARTA GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - EATING NASI AYAM PENYET AT KULINER BLOK S IN JAKARTA

14th MARCH 2020 ~ Kuliner Blok S was actually quite far from the hotel where I was staying. However it was worth traveling the distance just to get Nasi Ayam Penyet, another food originated from Indonesia which is also popular in Malaysia.

Kulinari Blok S was rows of stalls selling all kinds of food but most of the eating places had not started operation when we were there in the afternoon at about 3:00 p.m.

The difference between Nasi Ayam Penyet there from the one you get in Malaysia is there is no soup and the sambal [squashed chili] is super hot, you could feel your eyes filled with tears while eating. I love it nonetheless.

water with a slice of lime to wash your hand

That would be my last gastronomic adventure with Mr. Adam Shukri Ebi Shahrin before he went back to his place. I had had good food in Jakarta and it did not matter even we could not explore the city as planned beforehand.

 

MY JAKARTA GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - BAKSO SOLO SAMRAT

14th MARCH 2020 ~ The dinner for the second day was the local Indonesian Bakso at Bakso Solo Samrat. Believe it or not, I am not really a fan of Bakso so I couldn't remember whether I had eaten this before at home - compared to other Indonesian dishes like Ayam Penyetor Pecel Lele.

Bakso is basically noodles cooked in soup with meatballs, and the taste is something similar to other Malay dishes like Soto.

The food was good but the most important thing was that the place was spacious and clean.

SHOPPING BATIK SHIRTS AT THAMRIN CITY MALL IN JAKARTA

14th MARCH 2020 ~ One of the main objectives going to Jakarta this time was to find batik shirts for the Angklung Group that I trained in SMK Taman Universiti. One place that we found was Thamrin City Mall, which was actually not that far from the hotel we were staying.

This was a multi-level mall that sold mostly batik shirts and fabric for both men and women but there were other non-batik materials as well.

The biggest challenge would be to choose as there were just too many shops that were offering all kinds of designs and patterns, I was spoiled for choice. You could get items from very cheap to very expensive, depending on the quality of the printing and fabric, as well as how the shirts were tailored.

Mission was successfully accomplished and I walked out with a bundle of batik shirts. Unfortunately, they have not been worn up until today as co-curricular activities were not allowed to be conducted in school since the C-19 pandemic started in March.

There was a food court on the top floor of the mall so we just got our lunch there.

fried rice

This place was huge. I discovered there was another building attached to the one I went earlier, selling batik too. Definitely the place I would go back for more batik in the future, and I just cannot wait.