in memory

http://blog.sina.com.tw/skyocean/article.php?pbgid=3980&entryid=389133

......

It all started with an email from Old Law. And I had an online conversation with Tien Yang, who confirmed that our classmate Leong Sheong Seng has died from an accident.

tienyang says:
I call his mother just now
tienyang says:
it's confirmed that Sheong Seng is passed away
tienyang says:
in an accident when he was snookering at Sabah
tienyang says:
about one week ago
tienyang says:
he was cremated there and his ashes was brought back and spread to the sea at Port Klang
Lip Hooi says:
....
Lip Hooi says:
this is so saddening
tienyang says:
but his mother says he left with joy
tienyang says:
because he seems very joyful this few weeks
tienyang says:
just before he accidentally died in the sea
Lip Hooi says:
did u contact him lately ?
tienyang says:
na at all
Lip Hooi says:
his mother ok ?
tienyang says:
now what I can remember is his smiling face with a "Buddha" face
Lip Hooi says:
any chance of paying him the respect ?
tienyang says:
his mother says they rather not incite their sadness on his death
Lip Hooi says:
he is a christian right ?
tienyang says:
I think Christian might not cremate their body, isn't it?
tienyang says:
his mother tell me these in sobbing tone
Lip Hooi says:
i don't know. they might
Lip Hooi says:
i see
tienyang says:
I think she might broke out, so I quickly hang up
Lip Hooi says:
this is so heartening

还钱

最近陈水扁最新的把戏是去中国化。比如，中华邮政改名为台湾邮政，把蒋介石的塑像推倒，去普通话...

如果他真要跟大陆切割，我奉劝陈水扁先还钱。蒋介石于一九四九年把大陆的国库，金条，全部运到台湾，留下一个一穷二白的大陆，这笔帐一点要算清楚。当年的几万两黄金，合折目前的多少百亿，请全数归还，别懒。

第二，故宫四分之一的文物，精品中的精品，也是漏夜运道台湾基隆港口的。王曦之的兰亭序，慈禧太后的玩意玉白菜，全部要归还中国。台湾的故宫只可以展出阿里山的姑娘服饰，慈禧太后的东西关你屁事?

按照一般情理，一个女生要跟人家分手，也会自动退还一些名贵的赠物。更何况，国库不是赠物，是老将偷的，更没有不还的道理。华人之中赖皮至此，台湾当局算是达到最高境界了，我甘拜下风。

NewYorker 002 - Kajang

This year is the year of tourism for Malaysia. Overseas tourists are expected to tour popular attractions such as Batu Caves, or Genting Highland, or Melaka.. Eventually every tourist will need to go to KLCC and take a snap shot of the Twin Tower before going home. That’s probably about it. Malaysia, strictly speaking, is completely devoid of interesting stuff.

Some time ago, I read about a tour package designed to show the scary side of KL. One of the stopovers is the Guang Dong cemetery, 10 minutes from KLCC. The tour guide was presumably bullshiting about all the local ghost tales, and about the Japanese cruelty during ww2. I thought that was quite innovative. I do not know whether such tour package is still on going.

So what other interesting thing can we do in Malaysia?

Now, some friends might also suggest, what about having Satays at Kajang ? I would say Kajang is great to showcase, but definitely not for the reason of Satay. Satay is so trivial compared to what I’m going to propose below.

When the New Yorker Magazine 2006 ran a story on the communication breakdown between CIA and FBI, it became clear to me that Malaysia was very important in the whole development of September 11^th attack.

On Jan. 5, 2000, the top management of Al-Qaeda was having a corporate conference to plot the September 11^th attack. They were not having this meeting in Pakistan or Afghanistan or Saudi. They were having this meeting right here, in Kajang. To be exact, they met at Hazel Evergreen Park condominium, in Kajang. And according to the magazine, this condominium is next to a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, one of the best golfers of all time, according to wikipedia.

This meeting is now being labeled infamously as the Malaysia meeting. It's hard to tell whether the original idea of airplane attack grew from this meeting, but it's certainly true that they brainstormed about the attack, and worked out the logistics, and after this meeting, two of the meeting attendees flew to San Diego and waited until September 11th. This meeting simply was a project kick-off meeting for September 11th.

It is hard to imagine now that the two hijackers, which slammed into World Trade Centre, were here, in Kajang. And very likely they have also tasted our infamous Satays. If I were to make a movie, I would shoot them discussing about the plot at the Satay joint. One guy was holding up two sticks of Satay to symbolize the twin towers, while the other guy was using his two fingers to pierce through the Satays to symbolize an attack.

In almost all countries, the original venues that hosted important meetings were important tourist attractions. Ministry of Tourism should realize that Hazel Evergreen Park condo is not a normal condo anymore, but rather, it is the place that kicked off September 11th attack. It is therefore a place of huge significance. Establish a monument there. Set up a billboard that tells the stories of the meeting. List down all the names of the attendees. Establish a place for people to drop flowers. I am sure such a place is of significant historical and sentimental values to a lot of visitors, especially those from the States. I am ready to bet with you that any American would rather go to Kajang to visit the condo than going to see the 30-million Eyes of Malaysia.

Newyorker 001 - Fatty Crab

In New York city, there is a restaurant named Fatty Crab.

For all Malaysians who live in the vicinity of KL, Fatty Crab is pretty well-known. I know of two shops, one in SS24, and the other near the Mines Shopping Mall.

Their flag-ship product is crab. They seem to have only two cooking styles (Spicy, and sweet & Sour). And overall, I do not think that they are really special. Probably the white boys will be impressed by that, but I have lived long enough to have tasted much better crabs.

When the Table for Two section of The New Yorker (Jan 16, 2006) features a restaurant named Fatty Crab, at first I thought it's only mere coincidence. This Fatty Crab restaurant is located in 643 Hudson Street, New York City. However, it's quite evident, after I have finished the food review, that the owner of this restaurant is aware of the Fatty Crab in Malaysia.

Evidence : "The chef, Zak Pelaccio, lived in Malaysia for a little more than a year."

Zak Pelcaccio must have visited Fatty Crab in Malaysia, and was amused by the name, and subsequently used it as his own. What's the odd of an italian chef being inspired by a cheap, ugly name of a chinese restaurant? Now, this is what we call globalization.

Zak Pelaccio doesn't sell crabs though. It sells Assam Laksa, and also Fatty Duck - "a small plate of brined, steamed, and fried pieces of duck served in a palm sugar syrup studded with black peppercorns.". Fuck, the writer is so full of shit, but surely the description sounds alluring.

What really surprises me is this. New Yorkers have not tasted Ikan Bilis. Owen Phillips, the writer, describes them as "a hundred little fish eyes looking up at you. They belong to tiny anchovies called ikan billis, which, if you ignore their plaintive stares, are a pleasure to crunch". I have to give it to this guy. He gives a whole new meaning to Ikan Bilis.

Zak Pelaccio even brings along a weird tradition of Malaysia to New York. On the tables of his restaurant, customers would find Wet-Nap. You would need to pop it before using it. The blondes probably would find it funny.

Footnote : From now onwards, periodically, I will randomly blog about my thoughts after reading the magazine of The New Yorker. To be exact, I need to write 100 articles of this kind, to fulfill the obligation of a contract. On March 2, 2007, I have entered into a contract with a Harvard grad (Pan Swee Ting). The contract requires this : After I have writen 100 articles based on The New Yorker, I will be entitled to a gift from her, a DVD collection of all old issues of The New Yorker dating back to 1920s.

午夜电视

不知道什么时候开始，十二点半的凤凰台已经不再播放<<李敖有话说>>。我记得他曾经在其中一集节目里说过，节目做到年尾，也该结束了，因为他的年事已高，开始常常说错话。看来，<<李敖有话说>>真的走到了尽头。

大概半年前，有一次他在节目里谈谈前妻胡茵梦。有趣的是，至少3次，他把胡茵梦说成胡适。这个Freudian Slip，除了透露了胡适在他心中的分量，也还说明他的口齿真的有点不灵光了。

大概已经有几个月了，午夜十分，我的手指还是自然拿者遥控器，调到37台，希望奇迹出现。

前夜观看<<2100全民看讲>>，李敖大师意外出现。他还是穿着那身红色外套，精神依旧亢奋。他抬出了许多旧文件，立证台湾二二八事件是一件错综复杂的权利斗争事件，而不是单纯的外省人杀本身人。他立批陈水扁制造假悲情，三字经也骂出来，实在听得痛快。

想到他老一天，说话能力就会被削弱一分，不由地悲从中来。