DISQUS

quaintly: A Little Bit Of Home

  • reallybites · 1 year ago
    do they sell maggi in chinatown?!
  • takemoto · 1 year ago
    LOL I feel exactly the same!

    I'm really grateful to have these places that keeps reminding me of Malaysia even though I've been away for a year. Every time you see something that reminds you of home I'll go beserk and just get that thing no matter how overpriced it is compared back there. It's a pity they don't have mamak stalls!! I wonder if anyone noticed it's business potential out there...people are dying for my daily fix of mamak food u know T.T...

    Yea and it happens usually when you speak properly to the locals and one sec later you'll be lah and tah all again ^_^

    Only two months more and I can go back and grow fat again!!! XD
  • anonymous! · 1 year ago
    hi su ann, i've been reading your blog for quite sometime but this is my first time commenting. hahah actually i secretly wanted to be the first to comment but oh well too late now =)

    oohhh they've got Ramli burger all the way there?? lucky you! im glad you're enjoying yourself =)
  • Albert Ng · 1 year ago
    Quick one, but I'm sure you'll read this yay - I blogged about somebody who looks like you!
  • ceres · 1 year ago
    i was feeling rather frustrated and angry over some things just now and decided to go online. then i came to your site, and saw it updated, a very lenghty post about malaysia at that. so now i'm so much happier and cheered-up =) sigh the power of your writing su ann!
  • may · 1 year ago
    i am very very curious..how do u pronounce taman sri UKAY?
    is it like U.K or urm..canot think of others... hehehe!
  • sylvanna · 1 year ago
    you should've recorded him "taman sri ukay" cuz i'm really curious! how can a foreigner pronounce it properly amid his perfect american english? *_*
  • nyrac · 1 year ago
    hehe pau, malay is the first language that comes to mind when we meet fellow malaysians abroad!
  • lysha · 1 year ago
    eh whats the name of the shop selling 'bak kua' u kno i brought back alot of bak kua but they took it away from me. that was expected but they also took away my instant noodle from Indonesia and some cooking stuff because they were chicken flavored =(
  • songjun · 1 year ago
    lol which reminds me of this indonesian woman who lives in NY but used to live in malaysia for a bit that i bumped into in Morocco at a restaurant. I was talking and she must have caught my accent and suddenly said "eh.. you boleh cakap melayu?" :D haha
  • chm · 1 year ago
    y in the world is my name automatically songjun? ........... weird........ i used 2 love dat candy... bought it last year jus 4 da hell of it n discovered i cant tahan da taste anymore >.< so sad..... we r already tanned enuf thak you.... we r being roasted all year round so we would like snow over here ^^ dats wat us should tell em!
  • makcik · 1 year ago
    and why am i automatically chm? the next commenter will be a makcik....hehehe..fun!

    so heartening to know that you are doing well. the sun back home is set at 'high' the whole year round so at times it is just necessary to run away to get some reprieve. yessss.....there are many tze chings and darrens..for different reasons...count me in for the simple reason of just 'couldnt take the heat' :))
  • makcik · 1 year ago
    and why am i automatically chm? the next commenter will be a makcik....hehehe..fun!

    so heartening to know that you are doing well. the sun back home is set at 'high' the whole year round so at times it is just necessary to run away to get some reprieve. yessss.....there are many tze chings and darrens..for different reasons...count me in for the simple reason of just 'couldnt take the heat' :))
  • CraSH · 1 year ago
    i am sure you will grow to love NYC... there are tons of malaysian in NYC. i was told that back in the 1970's, 40% of the chinese in chinatown are malaysians. anyway, stay warm and cozy, winter is around the corner.
  • kreazi · 1 year ago
    Is the bak kwa very, very expensive? Ohhhh Suet Li is visiting you, how nice~ Make sure you both capture some crazy shots okay :)
  • Billy · 1 year ago
    I totally understand your excitement having spent a few years studying abroad here in the UK. I would often be delighted when i find things esp. food stuffs that come from home. We can find almost anything here - durian, petai, and even 'hiong piah'. Unfortunately, bak kwa still not to be found! Last year, managed to sneak in a packet through airport security! To solve the mamak cravings, when you cook curry chicken, store the leftovers in small containers in the freezer and buy frozen parathas from Asian supermarket. That way, you will get roti canai and curry ayam in few mins whenever you want! Ideal for supper! Oh and.. have it along with 'instant teh tarik'! best ;)
  • pinkyboo · 1 year ago
    just like comment #5 above, I love it when you update! Your posts are always so interesting, plus it keeps me updated about whats happening at new york. I miss nyc alot. Anywho....have fun shopping at Woodbury! The things there are soooo cheap :))
  • kennysia · 1 year ago
    I spoke to a French guy when I was in London last week.

    French: Where are you from?
    Kenny: I'm from Malaysia.
    French: Malaysia? Where's that?
    Kenny: You know where Singapore is?
    French: Yeah! Singapore I know! I've been there!
    Kenny: You know where Thailand is?
    French: Yeah! Of course! I've been to Phuket, Bangkok, etc.
    Kenny: Well, Malaysia is between Thailand and Singapore.
    French: Oh, ok.
    Kenny: But that's only part of Malaysia though. I'm from Sarawak, which is on a whole different island.
    French: Oh! Sarawak! I know where that is! It's on Borneo, right?
  • Jeff from LA · 1 year ago
    After reading about the part where you and your Malaysian/SIngapore friends discuss all of the interesting Americanisms that you've noticed, I'm curious. What are all of the interesting or maybe irritating Americanisms that you've noticed?

    Or is that the topic of a future post?
  • yosie · 1 year ago
    mm ramli burger! but what is bubur durian? is it like bubur with durian?
  • voooon · 1 year ago
    yeah u need to work on explaining lah's and lo's to americans next. then maybe you could write a guide (which i can useeeee=)=)=) )
  • pik · 1 year ago
    if ya decide to have Japanese on the way back. stop by my parent's restaurant.

    Sakura Hibachi Steak House
    949 Rt 46 East,
    Parsippany, NJ 07054
    973-335-8818 for reservations.

    ya, a few malaysians there.
  • sweatlee · 1 year ago
    woodbury commons T__________________________________________________________________T
  • sweatlee · 1 year ago
    hahahha why my comment so retarded looking! anyway at first i damn sad cause u're going to woodbury with carol and sporeans and eat msian food and gossip then i reread again eh actually with me wtf
  • oiyen · 1 year ago
    Ah I want to go to Woodbury too! Have you found the ballet flats?

    Can't agree more-- I am also glad for the people in the city too. The skyline is beautiful and the vibe is amazing, but when the city feels like the loneliest place in the world, well, then a Sunday dimsum pig-out is definitely in order!
  • Jenny · 1 year ago
    Hi Su Ann! I've been reading your blog for awhile since I found out from RBJ that you are studying in NYC! Welcome to NYC! So it seems like you are having so much fun here! Maybe we can have a RBJ meetup in NYC with the other New Yorkers. Take care!
  • Fu Han Liang · 1 year ago
    Will I get to stay in your room too if I come over! *big wet eyes*
  • Kiran · 1 year ago
    How lucky you got a chance to indulge in Malaysian goodies at the consulate. Can you courier over? *drools*
  • vvens · 1 year ago
    did anyone ask you if Malaysian live on the tree?
  • karmen · 1 year ago
    I agree, that it is just so easy to revert back to Malaysian accent, I'm also studying the States, Wichita State University to be exact and I speak pretty much formal english much of the day, but when I get together with the Malaysian gang, I speak the way I do back home. THANK GOD for makan sessions with them. If not I would have died a long time ago! =P BTW, do you realize that if your American friends asked you to speak malay, you can never seem to get it right? Or is it just me, I can't ever seem to get the correct accent to speak Malay in front of them, it just sounds like a White person speaking Malay (way wrong)....
  • pinkpau · 1 year ago
    reallybites : i havent come across maggi the brand so far, but there are lots of other brands of instant noodles

    takemoto : sigh i know what you mean.. the bak kwa i bought was 4 USD for a quarter pound :(( and i have three more months to go.. huhu..

    anonymous : it's not the real ramli burger and actually doesnt taste very much like the real thing cos the patty is different :) but those boys did a good job with what they had!

    albert ng : haha albert that's awesome. but you told me before about how she looks like both suet li and me

    ceres : thank u ceres :) high praise. but i'm glad to have help cheered u up, even if by accident!

    may : taman sri ukay is pronounced taman sri yu-kay. usually ang mohs will pronounce taman as "te-maaan" when it should be said like tah-mahn. this guy pronounced it right though

    sylvanna : he probably learned it from his host family

    nyrac : yesyes correct.. haha.

    lysha : yes i heard they confiscate bak kwa and maggi :( though i was lucky cos they didnt check my bags. and one of my singaporean friends had his mother bring him bags and bags of bak kwa, also with no problem! as for the shop, i didnt notice the name :( but it's on Allen Street, opposite Skyway the malaysian restaurant

    chm : haha sorry my comments script screws up sometimes. by that candy you mean the haw flakes in my picture? hehe yes i told him about the tan thing. he said that we dont know how lucky we are to have nice tan skin :P and i told him that THEY dont know how lucky they are to have fair skin!

    makcik : ya my comments script screws up sometimes. hehe i just thought it was very observant of the polish guy to have noticed something like that

    crash : yes i just went winter shopping today!! and last weekend as well. bought new gloves *wiggles fingers

    kreazi : it's USD 4 for a quarter pound, which is like 4 pieces of normal size. haih. T____T

    billy : i wonder why bak kwa isnt allowed.. is it cos it can go bad? ah i wish i could do that with the curry but i dont have a fridge or a freezer in my room :( maynbe next year when i move into a bigger room. what is instant teh tarik!! is it like a tea three-in-one? i've not seen that here!

    pinkyboo : OMG I LOVE WOODBURY. I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I WANT TO LIVE THERE

    kennysia : WOW hahahaha that's so cool !!! but damn weird.....

    jeff from la : a whole different post indeed :P i'm compiling material

    yosie : it's like.. a sweet sticky durian dessert with the consistency of pudding! or bubur..

    voon : hahaha i have tried. but there are lot of exceptions to the rules wan..

    pik : unfortunately we didnt stop anywhere on the way back from woodbury :( but if i ever drop by NJ, i will know where to go for japanese! thanks for the heads up :)

    sweatlee : dont cry liewsuetli! i wish you were here with us today!! then u could have mitigated the effects of carol cleverly persuading me to buy things i didnt need T_____T but actually i need wan.. i just.. maybe shouldnt have bought so many things..

    oiyen : i loveeee woodbury oiyen!!! and yes i found the shop you told me about. i tried on this pair of $250 flats and it felt as if i was walking on air!!! but i shall wait for it to go on sale first... T___T bought a pair of pink flats there for $60 though!

    jenny : hey you :D yes yes let's please meet up! we'll call mojay and jigg out! or ben but i'm not sure if he's from NY?

    fu han : haha see how first!

    kiran : i wish i could but we devoured all the food the moment it touched our plates. haha. tapau also didnt even last more than one day

    vvens : not even one! everyone here knows about malaysia and knows at least one or two things abt it, usually abt the politics or about the social problems hahaha

    karmen : hey i have several friends in WSU :) you probably know them all. but then again the msian community there is pretty big. haha no la i can speak malay/manglish in front of ang mohs just fine. it's quite funny to watch their face turn incredulous while listening to us speak manglish. hahaha one guy told me "omg you guys arent even speaking english..."
  • st · 1 year ago
    Why americans know so little facts about M'sia? (between singapore o thailand)!? haiz

    Some pulau in M'sia is far better than that in Phuket..They had bad experience cause they didn't know the real fun place here. Haha, btw, Selamat Hari Raya!!
  • kreazi · 1 year ago
    On Kenny's comment, well, I do get that a lot when we travel to Taipei for business. Huh? Where's Malaysia? But when I mention Spore they'll bloody know! And don't they know that there are a lot of famous Msian singers in Taiwan now? Michael Wong, Nicholas Teo, Fish Leong, Penny Tai, Chao Ge, just to name a few... One supplier even stare at us when we said we don't have 4 seasons like their country. His jaw practically dropped, I swear! He was shocked that we Msians can speak mandarin fluently (he asked if we've lived in Taiwan for 10 years or have relatives there), wth lar, I'm sure he thinks we still live up the tree!!!
  • Hanson · 1 year ago
    Haha. Taman Sri Ukay - I live there now. Recently moved there from Bangsar. Sniff. I miss Bangsar, and being closer to non-halal food in PJ, plus Bangsar's more happening. TSU's got good nasi lemak around though.

    Plus you can wash your car anytime you like, wee hours, etc. There's a car wash at every corner of the area. No joke.

    ;-) LoLz.
  • Jimmy Choo · 1 year ago
    Make sure you tell us all about your trip to Woodbury Commons! Can't wait to hear what deals you find. Check out the Jimmy Choo store if you can!
  • sheon · 1 year ago
    good to hear that you're enjoying the States so much!!!! it makes me wish i was there!.....

    i already miss KL very much even tho i'm just 5 hours away.

    take care now Pinks.
  • martian · 1 year ago
    walaueh pls dun adopt the singlish. si beh kia. it's not quite you. you are more the valley girls accent. as in klang valley.
  • carolyong · 1 year ago
    pinkpau do you think i can carve out an initial career as a personal shopper ah haha get paid to shop for people / convince them to buy stuff :D

    that said ah i thought i only advocated the deals that were REALLY GOOD! =P would have said no to $250 ballet flats..... :D
  • Billy · 1 year ago
    Meat products are not permitted on international flights.. though often passengers still bring them in. However, i dont know why local shops dont import them, not even in London Chinatown.
    The Instant Teh Tarik that i brought frm Malaysia is Aik Cheong brand. They also do Coffee Tea 3-in-1. Tehcino by Boh is also not bad. I have seen them in the shop here, i think it's of a diff brand and it's probably called Milk Tea.
  • tze · 1 year ago
    ya la if u get under the sun too much u get a) spots b) wrinkles c)pigmentation problems do u want that at a tender age of 20! didn't think so wtf.
  • ShaolinTiger · 1 year ago
    I bet they don't have BACON BAK KWA HAHAHA.
  • TheRealAnonymous · 1 year ago
    HAW FLAKESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.... gimme gimme gimmeeeee !
  • chareli · 1 year ago
    OMG HAW FLAKES!
    GIMME SOME TOO!
    hahahaha.

    it's always nice to see something close to the heart when you're in a place so foreign.

    i'm quite embarrassed to admit that i have not tried ramli burger. @_@
  • KH · 1 year ago
    Hmm... is this chen chow happen to be from penang?
  • Kevin · 1 year ago
    Hahaha a lot of things I'll miss when I leave Wichita
  • chimpanzee · 1 year ago
    who is chen chow by the way? i've heard of his name for many time.
  • Teddy · 1 year ago
    It's when we're far away from home that small, insignificant things become significant and we start to appreciate home more. It's a learning experience, and have a great time in NYC...
  • cel · 1 year ago
    dam unfair...USA got ramli..nz takde...wtf
  • BakKutTehBoy · 1 year ago
    Lu punya ingerris manyak terror la. Gua tak bleh faham apa tu serendipoopooapatu. Tapi gua manyak salute you girl. Cerita you manyak mengingatkan pengalaman gua kat negara orang puteh tu dulu. Ingatan manis manis =) TQ
  • Anonymous · 1 year ago
    nw onli i noe theyre called haw flakes lol... thx 4 the education pau!
  • whimsicaljottings · 1 year ago
    I tell you, you make me green, green GREEEEEEEEEN with envy with your tales of bak kwa, and China Town and all that Malaysian stuff!!!!! It sound as if you are almost in Malaysia! Arghhhh... *transmogrifies into Hulk*
  • Charlie · 1 year ago
    Oh my god what the fuck! Ramli Burger?! I am so damned jealous right now. :(

    Haha yeah it's always refreshing to revert back to your la's.. this is why I hate being the only person with a Malaysian accent in Northfield : P The other Malaysians and Singaporeans here all speak with American accents!!!
  • pinkpau · 1 year ago
    st : but i just said all the americans i've spoken to here know a lot about malaysia.. :) anyway if we asked an average malaysian to name all the states in america he probably wouldnt be able to do it either.

    kreazi : ahh that's why malaysia has us to spread the word! :D

    hanson : hey you live really near me then!! :D eh but iwould kill to live in bangsar.. so convenient! dont have to travel there back and forth everyday =(

    jimmy choo : oh i DID :D

    sheon : faster come visit me :D your dad's alma mater right, last time you said?

    martian : hahaha like, omg, like, so totally!

    carol : but but but the ballet flats were like a dream come true........... michael kors bag ftw!

    billy : wow i didnt know about hte meat products. i used to bring back roast goose from hongkong and that was ok! ah yes tehcino i've had that one :D

    tze : correct!

    shaolin tiger : you mean pork? of course it's pork la! why would they care about halal stuff here.. haha

    therealanon : as if malaysia dont have like that!!!!

    chareli : WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!!

    kh : haha yes

    kevin : like what! like meeee? :D

    chimpanzee : he is a secret agent designed to save the world !

    teddy : true :)

    cel : hello! it's not real ramli ok! haha they used this very american tasting chicken patty. but the chili sauce + mayo + onions made it taste kinda like the real thing

    bakkutteh boy : gua manyak suke bak kut teh!!!

    anon : most welcome!

    whimsicaljottings : omg dont jealous *sayangs back* there's nothing like the real thing la :)

    charlie : haha it was a pseudo ramli burger. nooooo you must convert all the msians/sporeans there back to THE accent!!!
  • Michelle · 1 year ago
    I miss your blog man! Without Internet life is just terrible! I'm currently staying in my new home :D. Which is a good thing but a bad thing because I have no Internet, can't even do my work...

    And I think KL is a beautiful city in its very own way. Well, regardless of whatever shit is going on with the politics in our country, it's still a nice place. With huge shopping malls located within driving distance and all...

    I've cooked my first meal, YAY!
  • sheon · 1 year ago
    Columbia...yes! hahaha.....and my mom spent some great time there with him also!!! and even got married while there were there!!!!

    maybe Christmas '09 ok?.....i need to plan out my resources.... :P
  • sean lon · 1 year ago
    wow! really an eye-opener reading yr experience overseas!
    It must be very comforting 2 find elements of 'Malaysia' there!
    Cheers , keep more coming! :)
  • Simon Seow · 1 year ago
    Glad that we study Bahasa Malaysia.
  • Chen Chow · 1 year ago
    Su Ann, great to hear that you enjoy the company of your new friends in NYC. I know a few people only lar... Am sure you know a lot more. :P

    Great to see that you blend in well at Columbia, and able to mingle with Americans, people from around the world, and also not to forget our roots of Malaysians (and maybe Singaporeans also lar).

    Agree with you that if everyone can speak BM, then it would help us to be more united.

    In fact, in one of the open houses that I went this afternoon, we were talking about having every single Malaysian kids learning Malays, English and everyone should pick up 1 additional language of own choice (be it Mandarin, Tamil, Jap, Spanish, French, Arabic etc), and it would be compulsory for everyone to learn 3 languages.
  • sanne · 1 year ago
    ms pau, post request!

    can you write a post about application essays? it would really really help me and a bunch of other people. i love reading your blog 'cos you write very well ! k la, aside from a wide variety of content. XD

    hope you can accommodate this request in your busy schedule!
  • TheRealAnonymous · 1 year ago
    LoL... haha. Yea, memang pun got! LoL... u want anything from here that cannot get there anot? =p I send 2u looooorrrr....
  • skyler · 1 year ago
    eh why the haw flakes so cheap!!! I thought they would inflate the price for being authentic asian food wtf but I hate haw flakes.

    I also see the brownish gray striped packet thing with a man's face on the cover (to the left). that one very nice!! why never post that one
  • bubbles · 1 year ago
    hi there :) i think its very kind and sweet of u for writing this post.. u are such a great person !!! hugs..
  • Andrea · 1 year ago
    oh my god you are hot and very intelligent Su Ann. I came across this blog site and immediately i got hooked reading it. An officemate of mine here in Cebu, Philippines actually credited you in his wikipedia entry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:MichaelNikki - on a certain blog post you wrote about your fellow Malaysian who happens to own a Wiki entry too. I am still trying to find that article you wrote in your archives though but i am quite having a hard time navigating through this site. Anyways, just wanna let you know that some of my officemates here are reading your blog courtesy of Mike.

    Cheers from the Philippines.
  • -Princess Shin- · 1 year ago
    Ooooh.. you found 100 plus in New York? I miss 100 plus soo much!!!! Can't find it anywhere though.. =(

    And Malaysian consulate? Haha.. how did u manage to get it touch with them?