Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Dear Siti (lagi)

Dear Siti,
Asalamualaikom.. (tak jawab dosa)
Saya masih menunggu surat siti yang tidak kunjung tiba. Kenapa tak balas balas lagi?

Saya sebenarnya sudah risau sebab Siti lambat balas surat saya ni. Mak saya dah mula buat hal sejak kebelakangan ni. Dia sibuk nak menjodohkan saya dengan sepupu sepapat setelah ralat tak dapat bermenantukan anak sedara dia baru baru ni yang telah pun kawin sebab kecewa dek kononnya saya yang endah tak endah dengan 'proposal' (BM= cadangan) makcik saya Raya tahun lepas.

nak buat macam mana - cerita macam main-main aje. Biasalah saya memang suka jawab main-main bila cerita pasal bab kawin kawin ni. Ada aje jawapnya , "Saya gay lah", " Nak cari badut pompuan lah". Pendek kata, memang ada aje jawapan saya yang pasti berjaya mengzipkan mulut mulut yang tak makan saman tu.


Pasal ongkos hantaran, tak usah dibimbangi. Baru 2-3 hari lepas saya minum teh tarik dgn Dr Elie Yousef Najem di Toronto, Canada setelah 3 jam aje naik karpet terbang milik Dr Elie dari Padang Terbang Ladang Selborne ( ala dekat Batu 11 Jalan Lipis-Raub tu). Dia cakap segala kos perbelanjaan dia tanggung tapi saya kenala buat press conference kat kedai mamak- sebab dia nak low profile la katakan. Ok ka?

Pasal kawin kawin ni dia dah biasa dah settle dengan tok kadi upahan. Senang aje, akad nikah boleh buat kat pejabat kontraktor, kalau nak buat kat Supermarket Tong Fatt Jerantut pun boleh.

Dia juga cakap (dalam hal ini dia kata dia tak tipu punya ) dia dah plan nak beli Kilang Papan Ah Kow di Benta sebagai hantaran kepada Siti nanti. Nasib baik la saya sempat tempeleng muka dia hari tu sebelum dia terus merepek.

Dr Elie jugak mintak no akaun Bank Simpanan Nasional Siti sebab dia nak masukkan 1.4 billion duit kulit kerang sebagai duit mas kawin kita nanti.
Saya harap Siti cepatla bagi respond ( dalam Bahasa Malaysia maksudnya - tindakbalas) kepada surat saya ini.

Siti, Dr Elie sekarang kena tahan reman tu sebab ramai yang tak puas hati sebab kena April Fool awal sangat!Tapi jangan bimbang Siti dia dah beli Bukit Aman tu dengan harga 2 billion duit "pokok pisang".

saya yang tak pernah tipu mcm dr elie,


DR Bubbles bin Bubblay
Hartawan yang Jujur

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Visit to Tamaakhung Centre

My dear friend, Xuyen Thi Dangers, actress*, cancer survivor and a social worker never fails to amaze me with her boundless energy. This time, I am so impressed to see her newly set up Tamaakhung Centre at Ban Simeuang, Vientiane. Tamaakhung means Papaya Salad. It is a drop-in centre for former drug addicts and local children in the heart of Vientiane to fill their time with pottery work, batik, music and poetry. Her young protege, Bounmy, who just came back from Vietnam with her social work degree is helping to run the centre.

I met Xuyen for the first time after 2 years since I left Laos in 2003. The thing about Xuyen, you will fell under her "spell" the moment you meet her. In fact, within minutes after we met, she already asked me to teach the teens how to juggle. So, I did. Teaching Soukasem and Ket, two young men, from the neighbourhood known for its drug problem and high crime rate, to juggle.

Perhaps it is a simple skills they could easily learn, but the time they spent away from drugs is priceless.


Tamaakhung (Papaya Salad) Centre, Ban Simeuang, Vientiane


From left: Xuyen Thi Dangers, me, Soukasem, Ket, Perry Smith from CWS America


Soukasem, former drug addict turned craftsman

Dragon from clay and recyclables made by Soukasem and friends


* Bright Shining Lie (1998) and Oliver Stone's Heaven & Earth (1993)

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Kafe Lao Nom Yen



I am not a coffee drinker.

But Kafe Lao Nom Yen ( Kopi Ais Lao) is something i can't resist.

The best Kafe Nom Yen in Vientiane is found at the shop across Malaysian Embassy at Route That Luang. I came to know about it from my colleague at IFA during my days as an asaa-samaak (volunteer).

At my recent visit to Laos, I managed to capture the 1-2-3 steps to make the famous kafe nom yen.


Put susu pekat first.setengah gelas!


tambah gula.


tambah kopi pekat.


tambah lagi kopi pekat!


kacau!


dalam plastik tu tambah susu cair.


last sekali campur kopi yang telah dibancuh!

Gambar-2 seterusnya tidak diambil kerana sudah khayal menikmati kafe lao nom yen.

Monday, January 02, 2006

in vientiane

arrived yesterday. will be here until saturday. kind of nostalgic visit. will blog more later this week. this place changes so much even after 2 years since I left.

sabai dee wiengchan, sabai dee...