FLYING VISIT TO KUALA TERENGGANU

Last Friday, I took an early Firefly flight to Kuala Terengganu. Although the flood situation has improved, I saw many houses still surrounded by water.
After breakfast at the wrong nasi dagang joint, Ramli took me to Cendering Beach where our Scout troop used to camp. There were no picnickers there at all.
Everything was I remembered i even down to the this trio of coconut trees.
They still do not know the proper name of the popular market. The jury is still out on the name of the market. The name on road signs is different from the name on the market itself.
There were some changes though. The whole road running through Kampung China is now paved. Prasad told me that there is a plan to turn the street into a pedestrian mall.
Some things do not change. For many years now, Kuala Terengganu does not have a cinema hall. This is the old Rex Cinema. It has no movies, but shops. At least you are guaranteed a future. What kind of future, this billboard doesnt say.
The other cinema in town, Cathay, is also converted into a shopping place. I did not go there to look for condensed milk. After failing to get any at a hypermarket, Daud, who, over the phone, assured me that condensed milk are everywhere, took me to Astaka at Tanjung. Awang Goneng's house sat forlornly deserted beside this supermarket. Security at the Astaka was seemingly tight. The guard stopped me from entering because I was wearing a windbreaker (it was raining cats and dogs at the time). I was about to turn back and forget about my condensed milk but Daud removed my jacket and deposited it at the authorized place. I did not find condensed milk at the Astaka either.

I wish security was just as good at my condo. Last Wednesday my phone went dead. With the phone, my internet also vanished. Telecoms was duly informed. On Saturday Mimi phoned me in Terengganu that Telecoms checked and found that the cables in Block 8 and Block 2 were stolen. With the red-tape over at DBKL, I will be lucky if I get my internet at the end of the week. Thus, 3 of my grandchildren will be without internet for a while because I have hijacked their mummy's broadband modem so that I can surf and not go crazy with withdrawal symptoms.

Have a meaningful holiday, friends.

Labels: Condensed Milk, Kuala Terengganu, security

SU..SU...SUSU

When I read about the tummy-ache (and worse) of the students in Kelantan and Kedah, I hummed the late Zainal Alam's song "SUSU". It is a mystery to me (and to the Educational Ministry people) how the tetra-packed UHT (Ultra Heat Treated) milk can be contaminated in those unfortunate schools. I hope this second time around, some answers will be found and some lessons will be learnt.

Meanwhile, I am facing a milk crisis of my own. I have discovered that sweetened condensed milk is being elbowed off the shelf by Sweetened Creamer. My neighbourhood mini-markets tried to palm me creamers instead of condensed milk, twice. Creamers are not milk. They are made from soya bean and other stuff. I have never liked creamers, sweetened or otherwise. I grew up on condensed milk - Susu Chap Junjung, Frisian Flag, Dutch Baby, Gold Coins, Teapot, Blue Cross and lately F&N. Now I can only get my condensed milk from a shop in Jalan Gasing and not at the usual places. Even TMC doesn't stock them. Why? Cows dried up?

If it is a question of price ( it has gone up by 20 cents actually), condensed milk addicts like me would not mind the hike, justified or not. Cigarettes shot up too but I did not see many people giving up cigarettes. Neither do I see shopkeepers trying to pass off ersatz cigarettes as the real McCoy. The existence of ersatz cigarettes is not the question here.

So there I was this morning at DSH Cafeteria, suspecting my Nescafe. Remind me to ask Jiwa Lara whether they used creamer instead of condensed milk.

Labels: Condensed Milk, Milk Scheme