This is how expensive char siu pau look like.

Would you pay RM6 for these two char siu pau? These steamed buns usually cost about RM1.20 each at roadside stalls and slightly more at dim sum restaurants. Wuan and I had these two buns together with several other dishes for dinner at one of the restaurants at The Gardens Mall in Mid Valley City last weekend.

The bun was fluffy. In fact it was fluffier than most of the steamed buns that I have ever savoured. The filling was another story altogether. The barbecue pork filling was rather tasteless. It also did not exude the aroma one would expect from a good char siu pau.

For the premium that we paid, the location aside, I would have expected something that tasted as good, if not better, as those that I normally buy from the uncles selling them by the road side. On the contrary, we paid more than twice the price for two char siu pau that did not even taste than half as good as the cheaper ones.

The next time I have a craving for char siu pau I will satiate it with one from those roadside stalls. Thank you. There are two places where I usually buy char siu pau from around Kuala Lumpur. One is outside Guardian Pharmacy at Pandan Perdana. The other is Restoran Hock Leong Hin at Jalan Sungai Besi opposite Shell petrol station. The char siu pau from both places are the better tasting ones in Kuala Lumpur.

With the fuel price increase, my friend Robert and I wanted to take a bus to Suria KLCC two Saturdays ago. We wanted to avoid driving there like we always did to save on petrol and the exorbitant parking fees. We stay in Pandan Perdana which is about a 15-minute journey by car from the landmark. We knew that RapidKL buses serving our housing estate were inaccessible but we wanted to try our luck to see if anything has changed since. The following two pictures tell a compelling story that disabled people all over Malaysia are facing.

Photo by Wuan.

Photo by Wuan.

Without an accessible public transport system, most of us are stuck at home watching the world pass by. We have to miss out on educational and employment opportunities. Our social life is limited to people who come to visit us at home which is far and few in between. We are unable to participate effectively in social, cultural, religious and political activities. We are like katak di bawah tempurung (frog living under the coconut shell) not due to our own doing but because our needs are ignored and are often delegated to the lowest of priorities. If nothing is being done to address this issue, disabled people will still be in this deplorable situation when Malaysia becomes a developed nation by 2020 which is just a short 12 years away.

The water pressure has gone back to normal today. Water supply was restored two days ago actually but the pressure was low. It was better yesterday. I emptied my bowel today because of that. Nothing cleans as well as water. I am a happy camper. I have never gotten used to cleaning with toilet paper. Somehow it just never felt clean even after I have exhausted one whole roll.

The cloudy urine has cleared somewhat. But I am still tired. I think I may have drank a little too rapidly. My urine is too clear to be urine. Turned on the air condition in the room and tried to sleep at around 2.30pm but could not. Called Jocelyn to confirm with her that Wuan and I will be attending her wedding. Congrats auntie! Looking forward to seeing you all decked up. Called up a few friends from Penang to chat after that.

I am still tired now. Dang. I believe the weather has a part in this lethargy. I am looking forward to the weekend. Wuan and I have planned a trip up to Ipoh. We are going to hit two birds with one stone. One of them is to get Patches neutered. He turned 6 months old on May 1. The thought of Ipoh food is making me salivate. No, ngah choi kai (bean sprout chicken noodles) is not one of them. The rest… yum yum.