A Little Bit Of Home
September 27th, 2008
the corners of my mouth are still a little bit greasy from the half-slice of bak kwa, or yuk kon as my family prefers to call it, that i generously allowed myself to have, a few minutes ago. the wonderful sweet meat is from a little shop that i stumbled upon while walking along Allen Street in Chinatown today. this is the first time i’ve seen bak kwa being sold in NYC, and i was so glad and relieved to have found the shop. i couldnt wait to sit down and open the packet to have some bak kwa! and now that i have, i am experiencing that sticky and double-chinned but satisfied feeling that i always get when i eat bak kwa. this city always gently holds out to me little slivers of home when i least expect it.
i had some very fascinating conversations with several fellow freshmen the other day. it was during an event for international students, and while talking to this Swiss guy who seemed to know a fair bit about Malaysia, a Polish guy joined us and shared that he was vacationing in Penang during the 2004 tsunami. so we all started talking about Malaysia, much to my delight. the Swiss guy seemed to have the impression that KL is a very ugly city because he was told that we have many highways and that the city is very pedestrian-unfriendly. undeniable on both counts, but i assured him that there are very, very few cities in the world that are more beautiful than KL to me. the Polish guy then chimed in and said that he found it very amusing that Malaysian girls seemed to hate getting tanned, because when he was at the beach in Penang, he noticed that a lot of Malaysian girls darted quickly under trees or were constantly in long-sleeved shirts despite the heat. i couldnt help but laugh because i immediately thought of Tze Ching. and Darren.. although he isnt exactly a Malaysian girl.
the novelty of people knowing about Malaysia’s petroleum industry and Anwar Ibrahim has worn off a little bit, but i got very excited when i spotted from across the room, a guy wearing a shirt with a Malaysian flag on his sleeve. he was in the middle of a very heated discussion, and i was fidgeting for about 5 minutes wondering if i should just interrupt and ask him why he was wearing that shirt.
i eventually did, and he told me he was in KL last year for a Model UN conference at ISKL. i got even more excited and squealed that i lived really near there. “oh my god, you live in Ampang?” he asked, equally excited, and i was extremely impressed that he pronounced it correctly (äm-päng, not ām-pāng). he went on to say that he thought the best thing about Malaysia was the mamak stalls, also pronounced with the correct ‘a’, and that he loved tosai with dahl. amazing. he knew and could remember so much about KL even though he was only there for 4 days and was at a conference most of the time. it kinda mitigated the slightly depressing conversation with Swiss Guy who heard KL is ugly and the one with Polish Guy who said his first observation of Malaysians was that they nonchalantly threw trash everywhere.
after all these weeks of talking mostly about politics when the topic of Malaysia comes up within my new friends, it felt strangely - but i guess not unexpectedly - good to talk about something trivial like mamak stalls. apparently the one that Model UN Guy went to all the time was in Taman Sri Ukay, because he lived there with his host family. to hear a foreigner say ‘Taman Sri Ukay’ in perfect intonation is an experience everyone should have. i felt proud, a glowing feeling that lasted a couple of hours, that Malaysia was so interesting to this one person that it could captivate his fancy this much.
spotted in an asian mart, next to some cans of 100 plus and milo
i also love hanging out with the singaporeans here because they ALL (except this guy called Chang) still have their accents and can switch back to it within a split second. lah leh mah meh wah sibeh ex. i loooove the fact that after a full day of straining to speak in an American accent and practicing Italian speech for my classes, i can meet up with the singaporeans and let my tongue loose (in a purely linguistic sense of the phrase), and we can compare notes on the little Americanisms that we’ve observed over the course of the day. like.. how everyone here holds doors open for the person behind them and how everyone in your vicinity says ‘bless you!’ when you sneeze.
but of course, there are no proxies that are better than the real thing. in my first week here, i was introduced to a whole bunch of Malaysians (of course, by means of Chen Chow, because EVERYBODY knows Chen Chow…) working here in NYC. i’m really glad to have met them because they are so much fun to hang out with, and they remind me a lot of my friends back home.
i met up with some of the Malaysians over a buka puasa ramadhan bazaar at the Malaysian UN Consulate sometime last week, and the array of food drove all of us crazy. it was so good to see onde-onde, satay, asam laksa, karipap, cucur udang, bubur durian, nasi dagang, nasi lemak, popiah and RAMLI BURGER all under one roof, cooked by the wives of malaysian ambassadors and delegates working here in NYC. it was also nice to speak malay again, ‘berapa kak?’, ‘pedas tak?’ ‘ni buat apa?’. even though i didnt know any of those ambassadors or their wives, it was so easy to strike up conversation in Malay and talk freely like friends. if there is any reason for our government to insist on children learning 11 years of Bahasa Malaysia, this is it. the ability to speak malay is an access to unity that i have sadly taken for granted all of my life.
us girls very excited to see sugar cane and lychee drinks at the bazaar
i was also really amused while listening to the young children talk. they all had flawless american accents when speaking amongst themselves, but they almost always reverted to colloquial malay when speaking to their parents. the kids were the ones manning the Ramli burger stall by the way, and i must say they make a very mean burger ayam special tambah sos cili!
Carol is staying over with me right now, because tomorrow we’re going with the singaporeans to Woodbury Commons for a full day of fabulous shopping. i’m really glad to have her here with me :) next week Suet is coming to stay and that will be much fun too. Carol will join us, and then we will have a night of Malaysian dinner and a lot of good ol’ gossiping and catching up.
i feel thankful for these little slivers of home (though sometimes they feel larger than life) that i am serendipitously finding in little nooks and crannies of New York, but sometimes bared out in the open for me to just reach out and grab at. whether in loud or subtle ways, my transition from home to away is eased by these things, and i find that every day that i spend here in this new city, i love it more and more.
Entry Filed under: College Life, New York City
65 Comments Add your own
1. reallybites | September 27th, 2008 at 5:06 am
do they sell maggi in chinatown?!
2. takemoto | September 27th, 2008 at 5:09 am
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
3. anonymous! | September 27th, 2008 at 5:10 am
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 =)
4. Albert Ng | September 27th, 2008 at 6:10 am
Quick one, but I’m sure you’ll read this yay - I blogged about somebody who looks like you!
5. ceres | September 27th, 2008 at 6:11 am
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!
6. may | September 27th, 2008 at 6:40 am
i am very very curious..how do u pronounce taman sri UKAY?
is it like U.K or urm..canot think of others… hehehe!
7. sylvanna | September 27th, 2008 at 6:57 am
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? *_*
8. nyrac | September 27th, 2008 at 8:12 am
hehe pau, malay is the first language that comes to mind when we meet fellow malaysians abroad!
9. lysha | September 27th, 2008 at 9:04 am
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 =(
10. songjun | September 27th, 2008 at 9:14 am
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
11. chm | September 27th, 2008 at 9:33 am
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!
12. makcik | September 27th, 2008 at 9:56 am
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’ :))
13. makcik | September 27th, 2008 at 9:56 am
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’ :))
14. CraSH | September 27th, 2008 at 9:57 am
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.
15. kreazi | September 27th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Is the bak kwa very, very expensive? Ohhhh Suet Li is visiting you, how nice~ Make sure you both capture some crazy shots okay :)
16. Billy | September 27th, 2008 at 10:49 am
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 ;)
17. pinkyboo | September 27th, 2008 at 11:55 am
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 :))
18. kennysia | September 27th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
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?
19. Jeff from LA | September 27th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
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?
20. yosie | September 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
mm ramli burger! but what is bubur durian? is it like bubur with durian?
21. voooon | September 27th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
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=)=)=) )
22. pik | September 27th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
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.
23. sweatlee | September 27th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
woodbury commons T__________________________________________________________________T
24. sweatlee | September 27th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
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
25. oiyen | September 27th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
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!
26. Jenny | September 27th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
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!
27. Fu Han Liang | September 27th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Will I get to stay in your room too if I come over! *big wet eyes*
28. Kiran | September 27th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
How lucky you got a chance to indulge in Malaysian goodies at the consulate. Can you courier over? *drools*
29. vvens | September 27th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
did anyone ask you if Malaysian live on the tree?
30. karmen | September 27th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
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)….
31. pinkpau | September 27th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
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…”
32. st | September 28th, 2008 at 1:43 am
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!!
33. kreazi | September 28th, 2008 at 1:49 am
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!!!
34. Hanson | September 28th, 2008 at 3:21 am
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.
35. Blogging About Woodbury C&hellip | September 28th, 2008 at 4:35 am
[...] Ann says she is going to Woodbury Commons tomorrow. Hope you find some great [...]
36. Jimmy Choo | September 28th, 2008 at 4:49 am
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!
37. sheon | September 28th, 2008 at 4:50 am
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.
38. martian | September 28th, 2008 at 4:59 am
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.
39. carol | September 28th, 2008 at 7:07 am
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
40. Billy | September 28th, 2008 at 7:53 am
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.
41. tze | September 28th, 2008 at 9:23 am
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.
42. ShaolinTiger | September 28th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I bet they don’t have BACON BAK KWA HAHAHA.
43. TheRealAnonymous | September 28th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
HAW FLAKESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS…. gimme gimme gimmeeeee !
44. chareli | September 28th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
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. @_@
45. KH | September 28th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Hmm… is this chen chow happen to be from penang?
46. Kevin | September 29th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Hahaha a lot of things I’ll miss when I leave Wichita
47. chimpanzee | September 29th, 2008 at 2:01 am
who is chen chow by the way? i’ve heard of his name for many time.
48. Teddy | September 29th, 2008 at 2:34 am
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…
49. cel | September 29th, 2008 at 2:50 am
dam unfair…USA got ramli..nz takde…wtf
50. BakKutTehBoy | September 29th, 2008 at 3:40 am
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
51. Anonymous | September 29th, 2008 at 8:16 am
nw onli i noe theyre called haw flakes lol… thx 4 the education pau!
52. whimsicaljottings | September 29th, 2008 at 9:54 am
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*
53. Charlie | September 29th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
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!!!
54. pinkpau | September 29th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
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!!!
55. Michelle | September 29th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
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!
56. sheon | September 29th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
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
57. sean lon | September 30th, 2008 at 12:23 am
wow! really an eye-opener reading yr experience overseas!
It must be very comforting 2 find elements of ‘Malaysia’ there!
Cheers , keep more coming! :)
58. Simon Seow | September 30th, 2008 at 7:11 am
Glad that we study Bahasa Malaysia.
59. Chen Chow | October 1st, 2008 at 9:13 am
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.
60. sanne | October 1st, 2008 at 12:18 pm
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!
61. TheRealAnonymous | October 1st, 2008 at 7:20 pm
LoL… haha. Yea, memang pun got! LoL… u want anything from here that cannot get there anot? =p I send 2u looooorrrr….
62. skyler | October 3rd, 2008 at 1:20 am
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
63. bubbles | October 3rd, 2008 at 9:03 pm
hi there :) i think its very kind and sweet of u for writing this post.. u are such a great person !!! hugs..
64. Andrea | October 5th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
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.
65. -Princess Shin- | November 9th, 2008 at 8:42 am
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?
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