Runaway Ostrich on Highway

Now here's news you don't see everyday!

PETALING JAYA: An escaped ostrich caused a commotion when it was spotted bolting down the Federal Highway.

The video of the flightless bird speeding down the fast lane at about 3.20pm was uploaded by Jeff Sandhu on social media website Instagram.



When I came by it, the ostrich was running from the Universiti Malaya bus stop heading towards the Federal Highway. It blocked traffic at the bus stop as cars stopped to see what was happening," he told The Star Online on Thursday.

"After the bus stop, it started running on the road. And the next thing you know, it ran all the way to the RTM building," he said.

It appeared that the ostrich also had no regard for rules, and ran "afowl" of basic road etiquette.

"It blocked up five lanes on the Federal Highway," said Sandhu, who explained that it took up so much space because the indecisive ostrich kept switching lanes.

"Everyone wasn't sure whether to overtake it or not so we stayed behind it," he added.

However, the ostrich adhered to at least one road rule.

"It was running within the speed limit, so that's OK," said Sandhu, who estimated the bird's general speed at about 35kmh before it grew tired and slowed down.

Sandhu stopped tailing the feathered fugitive at the RTM building because he had a meeting to attend.

"I had to stop following it by then because I had a meeting. I don't think anyone would believe me if I told them I was late because I was chasing after an ostrich," he said.

He also expressed some worry for his new friend, hoping that the bird finds its way home unharmed.

"I hope the ostrich doesn't get hurt and finds its way back home! Raya is coming and I'm sure everyone wants it to be home safe," he said, echoing the concerned sentiments of netizens who commented on his video.

There is no information yet on what the ostrich was doing or where it came from.

The Star Online is in the midst of contacting the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and the Department of Veterinary Services to the status of the ostrich.

All attempts so far to apprehend the ostrich have been futile.

"We sent a team to locate and capture the ostrich but it could not be detected. It is likely that the bird has run to another area," an officer at the Seksyen 7 Petaling Jaya Fire and Rescue Department told The Star Online.

However, catching the bird was a delicate manner as it required some "interstate coordination".

"It is difficult as the bird was spotted at the border (between Kuala Lumpur and Selangor)," he quipped.

source - http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/06/16/ostrich-sprints-down-highway/

This week's cookies. I made them for my vet.

Rice Dumpling Festival

Happy Rice Dumpling Day, pallies!

 Today, Chinese the world over celebrate the Duan Wu festival.

Rice Dumplings

An absolute favourite, the Duan Wu or Dumpling Festival was one of the celebrations we looked forward to when we were little. Back then, it was the only time of the year we got to enjoy those yummy rice dumplings and Grandma's kitchen would be abuzz with activity and chatter as we helped the aunts and older cousins with the preparation of the dumplings.

Part of the fun besides eating is the exchange of dumplings with neighbours, friends  and relatives. There's always an element of surprise in  unwrapping those pyramid-shaped packages. You never know what 'treasures' are buried in each package as the fillings used  differ from one cook to another.

These rice dumplings aren't the easiest of things to make.  A lot of work goes into the cooking of the meat and other fillings, boiling the bamboo leaves and cleaning them, wrapping, tying with reed strings  and then the long hours taken to boil the dumplings. The wrapping itself can be quite a frustrating and fiddly task for newbies.

Ingredients that go into the dumplings

These days, we can enjoy those sticky dumplings any time of the year as they are sold by vendors all year round.

A rice dumpling vendor

A little trivia about the Dumpling Festival.

Celebrated by the Chinese worldwide, the festival falls  on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese calendar. On this day, the Chinese will  feast on dumplings as a holiday tradition and in memory of the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan.

 The tragic story goes like this…......

A long, long time ago in ancient China,  there lived a poet by the name of Qu Yuan who served the Emperor of the  Chu Kingdom.  He was a good minister and was loved and respected by many. However, this did not go well with  jealous and corrupt court officials who successfully influenced the weak-minded emperor to dismiss and exile him.

The Tragedy

Devastated and angry, Qu Yuan tied himself to a rock and jumped into a river as a protest against injustice and corruption. Word about his suicide got out and the common people went to the river to search for his body in boats. When they failed to find his body, they started beating their drums and splashing the water with their paddles,  hoping to scare the fish away so that they would not devour his body. Others started making rice dumplings to throw into the river in the belief that the  fish and other aquatic creatures would feed on their dumplings instead of Qu Yuan's body. However, late one night, the spirit of Qu Yuan appeared before his friends and told them that the rice meant for him was being intercepted by a huge river dragon. He asked his friends to wrap their rice into three-cornered packages to ward off the dragon.

Since then, the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar was set as "Duan Wu Jie" (i.e. Dumpling Festival), to commemorate the incident. Dragon boat races are also held annually on this day of his death.

image credit - http://go2taiwan.net/mobile/blog/42

image credit - http://www.tofoodwithlove.com

An unwrapped dumpling  

This week's cookies

The Walking Dead

Wait!  Before you give me credit, these insanely jaw-dropping cookies weren't done by me! Yep, you read it right the first time. These are COOKIES! They are the amazing creations of fellow cookier Gerry Marsh. Wish I had half of the man's talent. Do visit his Instagram page @ https://www.instagram.com/gerry_marsh/ for more of his mind-blowing masterpieces. That guy is a creative genius!

Daryl Dixon cookie

Michonne

Rosita Espinosa

Carl Grimes

Hubby and my teen boys are big fans of The Walking Dead and have been watching the series since Season 1. I only started watching the show midway in Season 6 and I am now SERIOUSLY hooked!
Finally, dinner conversations at the table are no longer monosyllabic answers!

So true except that I did 5 1/2 seasons in 3 days.

No cookies to show off this week. I have been 'busy'!  LOL!

Are you a big fan of the series too? If you are, who do you think was lucilled?

Have you ever tried binge watching?

Precious Moments

My friend,V, is a huge fan of Precious Moments figurines. She has a display cabinet entirely filled up with those adorable statuettes that she has amassed over the years.

Can you imagine the look on her face when I gave her these cookies?

This is just one of the many joys of cookiefying things people love that money can't buy - the very reason why I don't sell my cookies. The expression on her face? Priceless!

Moles

When Rodney was little, he had this cute wee mole above his right upper lip. That was his most charming feature. Females of all ages would gush over him. Everyone seemed to adore his cute mole. But as he grew, so did the mole. Mole in Malay is "tahi lalat" which translates as " housefly poop" and Rodney's mole had often been the brunt of jokes for unkind kids in his school. He hated his mole and wanted it removed.

The Hubs and I had been mulling over Rodney's request for quite some time. According to Chinese and Indian beliefs, a person's future is based on the position of moles on his/her face and removing a mole may change one's fate. Rodney's was a good mole, as it suggested abundance of wealth in his life. This mole also would bring him fame and recognition according to The Chinese Almanac. Well meaning friends and relatives advised us against the removal,  Maybe it was just a coincidence but a friend became bankrupt when his business failed soon after his lucky mole was removed.

I reasoned, how could it possibly be a lucky mole when it was causing Rodney so much unhappiness? And so, against all caution, The Hubs and I decided to accede to Rodney's request.

It has been a week since Rodney had his mole lasered off. What used to be his snot-size mole is now a scab. It takes a little getting used to seeing him without his mole - he looks different!  But I can clearly see that he is very much happier so I know we had made the right decision.

Abundance of wealth, women, fame and fortune, huh?

This week's cookies

Old Wives' Tales, Taboos, Superstitions....

When we were kids, Mom used to remind us to eat up every grain of rice that was left on our plates or we would end up with husbands with pock-marked faces. Hubby and both my brothers-in-law have smooth complexions so I guess Mom was right!

In a multi-racial country like Malaysia, I grew up with many old wives' tales, taboos and superstitions from our diverse cultures. While some are just downright silly, made up to frighten silly kids into obedience, some are not to be scoffed at, I've learnt.

Here's a list to share

* Uncultured pearls, worn as a necklace will cure hyperthyroidism
* Condensed milk treats scalds, relieves the searing pain and prevents blisters from forming (I swear by this home remedy- works every time!)
* Wearing a black ring made of thread on the ring finger cures sty. (Trust me, this works too)
* Cutting the ends of a cucumber and rubbing them will draw out the bitterness.
* Fruits on a tree will turn bad when touched by a pregnant woman.
* Singing while cooking will land you an old man for a husband
* To predict the sex of a baby: Suspend a wedding band held by a piece of thread over the palm of the pregnant lady. If the ring swings in an oval or circular motion the baby will be female. If the ring swings in a straight line the baby will be male.
* Dressing a baby with his/her shirt back to front will sooth an inconsolable crying baby and ensure that he/she will sleep peacefully through the night.
* Wiping a dog's tears on your eyes will enable you to see ghosts/spirits.

* The third consecutive cry of a crow is a harbinger of death.
* It's bad luck to have three people in a photograph. The person in the middle will be the first to die.
* The presence of a praying mantis in the house after dark is a harbinger of evil. It is sent by the person casting a spell on you.
* Clipping your nails at night brings bad luck.
* Stabbing a pair of chopsticks into a bowl of rice is bad luck.

* Owls and tortoises/turtles bring back luck (according to the Indians). The Chinese, however, believe that tortoises/turtles bring good luck.
* A suicide victim dressed in red will return to avenge his/her death.
* If a dead person's eyes are left open, he/she did not go willingly.
* Opening an umbrella inside the house will invite snakes into the house.

* Trees will sprout in your stomach if seeds are swallowed
* A pinching crab will only release its grip at the sound of thunder

* Eating crabs during pregnancy will cause your child to walk sideways.
* Consuming soy sauce will darken the scar when one has a wound.
* Consuming excessive fried foods will cause canker sores
* Hanging out clothes after dark brings bad luck.
* Getting crapped on by a bird is good luck.(How is that lucky?)

* Males consuming stale hard-boiled eggs will end up with swollen testicles. LOL, I've never met one who took the challenge.
* Eating live ants will give you perfect eyesight
* Placing a piece of wet paper on your forehead can cure hiccups
* Swallowing a live, newborn mouse cures Asthma
* Chicken saliva can be used to treat scorpion stings

Do you have any to share?

Sheet Masks

Did you already know that sheet masks are a staple in Asian skin care? I didn't!  Apparently, they are a Korean beauty favourite. I am always so behind when it comes to beauty stuff.

To the uninitiated, a sheet mask is exactly that; cloth or paper with handy cut-outs for your nose, eyes and mouth drenched in skin-pampering ingredients that are left over your face for 10-15 minutes so your skin can marinate in the good stuff.

I was window shopping with a friend when she suddenly dashed into a Korean beauty shop that was buzzing with shoppers. I ran after her, not having the slightest clue what the hooplah was all about. "Quick! Grab as many sheet masks as you can before they are sold out," she said excitedly. "What the hell are sheet masks?", I asked. She rolled her eyes at me as she pointed to all the customers in the shop who were each carrying armloads of colorful packets. There was a 70% discount on sheets masks while stocks lasted. The normal price was RM4,20(USD1.07) per packet which meant the masks were going at RM2.90 (about US70 cents) per piece and that was a steal! Following her, I grabbed as many as I could without the slightest inkling what they were for!

My haul!

The packaging looks so attractive and yummy with all sorts of scents, ingredients, vitamins and essences to luxuriate in. From ginseng to green tea, to mulberries to snail slime - they have it all!

Note to self - Warn my son Josh that these are not edible when he sees them in the fridge. That guy eats anything that looks remotely edible. Once, he tried to eat my DIY coffee mask!

I tried my first -  Pomegranate & Collagen Lifting Silky Mask. My face looked hydrated, brighter and slightly firmer after 20 minutes of use.  Sheet masks are so refreshingly perfect for our hot and skin-parching tropical climate. This is life changing!

Have you tried sheet masks? If you haven't, you really should give them a shot. It's like a mini facial, but way cheaper and you don't have to leave the house. Sheet up, pallies! They are heavenSCENT!

I was told that sheet mask selfies have been inducing instagram hysteria and even among celebrities!

photo via Lady Gaga / Instagram

 Guess who?

Hello! It's me!

A cute video to share

Goodbye pricey serums!  Hello sheet masks!

This weeks's cookies

The Legend Of Chang-E

If, on a full moon night, you happen to see the silhouette of a lady clutching a big rabbit in the moon, you would be seeing Chang-E (嫦娥), the Chinese moon goddess. Like all legends, there are many different versions of the story of the moon lady.
Mid-autumn Festival is one of the three most important festivals in China (the other two are the Chinese New Year and Dragon Boat Festival. There are many interesting stories explaining the origin of the festival and the legend of Change-E is just one of the many.

The following tale is my favourite as told by my grandma.

The Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven, had ten unruly sons. One day, they transformed themselves into ten suns, heartlessly scorching the earth from high up in the heavens. Unable to stop their mischief, the Jade Emperor summoned Houyi, an archer renowned for his marksmanship. The emperor commanded the immortal to teach his sons a lesson.

Houyi descended to Earth and saw its suffering with his own eyes. Everything was charred and lifeless, and the people were in agony. Filled with righteous indignation, he acted. Plucking an arrow from his satchel, he took aim at the suns. First one fell down, then another. In the end, nine of the Jade Emperor’s sons were dead. Houyi left only one sun alive, to give the earth light and warmth.

Upon hearing the news, the Jade Emperor was furious. He banished Houyi and his beautiful wife Chang’e from Heaven, stripping them of their immortality. They were now forced to live on Earth as ordinary mortals.

The pair found human life hard and miserable. Though a hero to mankind, Houyi had a single wish: to avoid the death that awaited all mortals and return to heaven with his beloved wife. She, at least, did not deserve to suffer.

Fortunately, Houyi recalled that the immortal Queen Mother of the West, who lived on Earth, had a rare supply of the elixir of immortality. The hopeful archer left on an arduous journey to seek her aid.

After countless difficulties, he finally reached her palace on sacred Mount Kunlun. Learning of their plight, the merciful Queen Mother gave Houyi two things. One was the elixir; the other was a warning.

“Drinking half the elixir will grant everlasting life. The entire elixir, however, will make one ascend to heaven as a full-fledged immortal.”

Half for himself; half for his wife. It was all Houyi could have hoped for.

When Houyi reunited with Chang’e, she was thrilled over his success. Yet while her husband was resting from his journey, she could not resist peeking at the elixir he brought back. Her eagerness to become immortal tempted her into drinking the entire potion. Before long, she felt her limbs grow weightless, and she began to float into the sky against her will.

As a banished deity, she could no longer return to heaven. Earth was now beyond her grasp as well. With nowhere else to go, Chang’e drifted to the desolate Moon, where she would spend the rest of her days in a lonely palace accompanied by a white rabbit who lived in the moon. She wept bitterly for her husband Houyi, who was condemned to live the rest of his days on Earth as a mortal.

source -  Shen Yun Performing Arts

Here's a video of another retelling of the folklore to share.
You may want to turn up those speakers. The music is  hauntingly beautiful!


Interestingly, did you know Chang'e was mentioned in a conversation between Houston Capcom and the Apollo 11 crew just before the first Moon landing in 1969?

Houston: Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, is one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-O has been living there for 4,000 years. It seems she was banished to the Moon because she stole the pill of immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is always standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not reported.
Michael Collins: Okay. We'll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.

Wearing Clothes Right Off The Rack

I was going to meet my friend  for lunch at a shopping mall when a pencil skirt on a mannequin behind a display window caught my eye. It was that elusive skirt I had been searching for a long, long time - denim, front-zipped, knee-length, perfect colour ....

I hopped into the shop and tried the skirt. It was a perfect fit! I have a big butt and tummy and pencil skirts don't become me but this one looked like it was made just for me.

Without hesitation, I bought the skirt and walked happily out of the store , wearing my brand new purchase as I made my way to the cafe a few metres away to meet my friend.

As soon as we were seated, I gushed about my new skirt to my friend. She gasped in horror! "Eeeek!  Take it off! NEVER wear a new clothing until it has been washed!", she cautioned me.  My friend, who's a dermatologist, then went on to share with me horror stories about the diseases her patients had picked up from wearing unwashed new clothes.

Dang! Can't wear new clothes? But that's the only time clothes aren't wrinkled!

If , like me, you don't wash new clothes before you wear them, below are 2 reasons what you should.

As Donald Belsito, a professor of dermatology, told Wall Street Journal, new clothing often contains harmful chemicals that can cause rashes and itchiness. Despite the "made-in" label on many store-bought purchases, items are often stitched, dyed, and sent out from various countries, each with different chemical use laws. Clothes containing common ingredients such as azo-aniline dyes, or formaldehyde resin can cause skin irritation — although, sending them through a wash can prevent this.

However, the ickiest clothing culprits come from the stores themselves. According to Belsito,   dressing rooms are breeding grounds for bacteria, lice, and fungus. “I have seen cases of lice that were possibly transmitted from trying on in the store, and there are certain infectious diseases that can be passed on through clothing,” he tells WSJ. There's no way to really track who's tried on the clothes before you did, so rather than take the risk of a possible allergic reaction (or worse), Belsito recommends running the washing machine, twice. After all, waiting a couple extra hours before you slip on your new outfit is a small price to pay for health and hygiene.

Strange, but no one had ever given me the heads-up before. Save for underwear,  I had been wearing clothes right off the rack all my life!

Do you wash new clothes before wearing them?

This week's cookies

Game on, but is it Team UK or Team GB?

"Why is the British Olympic team called Team GB and not Team UK?", my son asked me. "What's the difference between the United Kingdom and Great Britain? Is Britain the same as Great Britain? Why is the UK a country when it is a union of countries? So, is England a country?"

If you are as clueless as I was, don't worry! I heard it can be very confusing even for the average Brit! I have asked many British pallies the difference between the UK, GB and Britain but could never get a straight answer.

Wikipedia says
"The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[nb 5] (commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea."

Did that get your head spinning? Hello, someone please explain to me in kindergarten terms!

Then, I found this pictorial representation in a website for Woodlands Junior School.

Finally, a clear explanation! It got me straight in a flash!

Countries within a Country - The United Kingdom
The name United Kingdom refers to the union of what were once four separate countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (though most of Ireland is now independent, only Northern Ireland remains part of the UK).

The United Kingdom

The UK's full and official name is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

Great Britain
Great Britain comprises only England, Scotland and Wales.

Britain
Britain comprises England and Wales and does not include Scotland.

Hope that helped! You are welcome!

Back to my first question - so is it Team UK or Team GB?

According to Wikipedia
Great Britain was the name assigned to the United Kingdom team by the International Olympic Committee[citation needed] for the 1908 Summer Olympics along with the IOC country code GBR. The team is also referred to as Team GB.[4] Representatives of the devolved Northern Ireland government, however, have objected to the name, which they argue creates a perception that Northern Ireland is not part of the British Olympic team, and have called for the team to be renamed as Team UK.[3][6]
Under the terms of a long-standing settlement between the British Olympic Association and the Olympic Council of Ireland,[citation needed] athletes from Northern Ireland can elect to represent Ireland at the Olympics, as Northern Irish people are legally entitled to dual citizenship.[7]

But I still see Team GB on all the Olympics Merchandise at the malls.

British pallies! I'd love your answer.

Asian Squat

I was scrolling down Facebook when I saw a tutorial  on how to do the Asian Squat. "Duh! All humans can do this!', I voiced out to my son Rodney.
"Wrong, Ma! Only 13.5% of Americans can pull it off", he corrected me.

Seriously?!! That was news to me!  Squatting with my feet flat on the ground has always been second nature to me and I have yet to meet someone who can't do that! I could squat like that for hours, thanks to the squat toilets we grew up on. As kids, we used to squat that way in the park so our tooshies didn't touch the wet ground when the benches were wet from the rain.

A video to share.

Squat Level : Asian


Can you pull off the Asian Squat?

This week's cookies

Hungry Ghost Festival

It's that time of the year again, so I'm republishing this old post for pallies who missed it the first time round.

August ( the 7th month of the Chinese Lunar Calender) is the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival. The Taoist Chinese believe that for the entire month, the gates of Hades are open and spirits are allowed to wander the earth to seek food and avenge those who had wronged them.

Here are some 'spooky' facts to share about the festival.

The hungry ghosts will visit their loved ones and a lavish spread is prepared to welcome them.

In Penang, roadsides are lined with giant joss sticks

Prayers are offered to the deceased and joss sticks and paper offerings are burned to appease the ghosts. These offerings take the form of paper replicas of money notes, credit-cards, houses , luxury cars, designer bags, flat-screen TVs, etc ( hell, even in Hades you have to keep up with the Joneses ) because the Taoists believe that these offerings when burned will reach the ghosts and help them live comfortably in their after life

A paper car

Paper cell phones with charger included - What's the area code for hell?

Paper replicas of LV bags

Paper designer shoes

Sexy paper lingerie for the dead.

Paper booze

Just because you have expired doesn't mean the partying has to end!
There are stuff like paper viagra and paper effigies of heavily made-up female escorts too. Paper cigarettes are also available!! A male buddy said he'd go to heaven for the climate and hell for the company!

Paper Laptop

Hell Bank Notes - Only these are legal tender in Sin City!!

In Singapore and Malaysia, shows and concerts are performed on outdoor stages in some areas to entertain the ‘wandering ghosts.’

Note that the front row seats are always left empty for the 'guests'.

A 'Condominium' gift for the dead

Paper McDonald's

There are rules to observe too.

Swimming is prohibited lest you be drowned by a ghost.
Children are advised to return home early and not to wander around alone at night. This belief is due to the reason that the wandering ghosts might possess children.

15 days after the feast, the festival will be over and the ghosts return to the lower realms.

So, if you are out alone at an unearthly hour, do be careful. You might bump into someone .. er something very hungry or angry!!