Friday 29 July 2011

Moxi Moxi Mee Rebus

Ask any non-Malays about Chinese prepared Malay food, and they will tell you it is a poor imitation, be it Assam Pedas, Mee Bandung or Mee Rebus. There are a few imitations in the old town, but the closest to Malay Mee Rebus is the Kuang Ah Restaurant by the river side, and that I suppose, is because it caters to a largely Malay clientele. I personally feel that the Kuang Ah version isn't exactly the Mee Rebus I would like to eat again and again. But Moxi Moxi? That's different. I have heard some people give glowing reports of its unique flavour. I wasn't convinced however, until I was teaching English to a group of apprentice techicians for repair of sewing machines. The training centre was close by and one afternoon, a good friend came by during lunch hour and brought me there.

How shall I describe the Mee Rebus. I don't really know, but it seems to be like a cross between Mee Bandung and Mee rebus. Apart from the usual stuff we get for Malay Mee Rebus ( boiled potato, tofu and boiled egg), this Chinese Mee Rebus seller added tofu skin to it with a liberal splash of sambal. The real difference lies in its gravy and the sambal. It's really delicious for a light lunch. Cost: Rm3.30.

How to get there? It is after Square One, which is next to Carrefour. Facing Square One is a block of double storey shop houses. Walk along the shophouses and you will find a prominent signboard announcing its presence.


Sorry for the rather blurry picture. It was taken with a phone camera.


Moxi Moxi. It is actually two shoplots, selling pre-cooked food as well as western food. A rather unusual name, but it sticks in your memory.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Bersih 2.0: Summer of Discontent

People took to the streets for different reasons, despite the threat of racial violence, police intimidation and arrest. But the present generation of Malaysians, regardless of race, seem less fearful than the older generation. Bersih 2.0 seemed to have provided them with the opportunity to vent their frustration at the government. This anti-establishment sentiment seemed to prevail among those young demonstrators. Fahmi Reza's political art apparently reflects this sentiment.

















Wednesday 13 July 2011

Bersih 2.0: A Life Changing Event

What is it that forced a docile population under threat of a repeat of May 13, teargas, water cannons, beatings, and arrests by the Police to come out in the thousands in defiance of the government's ban and the Police? Bersih 2.0 was a defining moment in the history of a people that have been too trusting of a government that has betrayed their trust. Bersih 2.0 has galvanized a nation of diverse people to stand up to claim their right to a fair and clean government. Bersih 2.0 is no longer only about fair and clean elections; it is about a government of the people by the people for the people.

What made more than 170,000 Facebook users support the call to urge the Prime Minister to step down? The Prime Minister has exhorted the silent majority to speak up against illegal street demonstrations, and within a couple of days after the Bersih March, the 'silent' majority thumbed their noses at him. Bersih is different things to different people. Some took to the street to have 'fun'; some to record the historic event that could change the life of the nation; to some it was a catharsis to exorcise and bury the ghost of May 13 that has haunted them through the machination of government controlled media and politicians of divide and rule. Whatever the motivation, Bersih 2.0 was like a collective expulsion of air most foul that has suffocated the people for too long.

Scores of personal narratives in July 9 My Story revealed how it has forever changed the lives of those who marched. The thread that runs through all the narratives has been the same: the palpable sense of unity, of oneness, of shedding bigotry and embracing humanity, of people caring for and helping each other without thought to colour of the skin or religion in the face of batons, teargas and water cannons.

And the wondrous thing about these personal accounts are that they were written by young people who have been until Bersih 2.0, self-centred, apathetic, consumed with only one thought: to lead a comfortable life surrounded by the trappings of comfort. To them it was a rebirth, an awakening to the possibility that they could shape a new nation, without the baggage of the older generation. What of those who didn't march or were afraid to? They had taken to Facebook and Twitter with a vengeance to throw their support behind those who had descended on to KL.

That is the greatest gift of Bersih 2.0 to these young people, to this nation. Their stories henceforth will be read again and again as inspiration to the young and old alike. It is a beginning, a very good beginning.

# More personal accounts on Bersih 2.0 on the side bar.

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Monday 11 July 2011

Images of Bersih 2

Some images of Bersih walk for fair and clean election. Despite a lock down on KL city, people could still find their way into the city to voice their demands.





Dato Samad Said, National Laureate


The Sarawak group





Business as usual


Kicking away a tear-gas canister


Dousing a tear-gas canister






Sunday 10 July 2011

Aunty Anne of Bersih

"Why do we have to feel so scared (and threatened) in our own home land.. and by our own countrymen?".

AUNTY ANNE


More about Aunty Anne. The latest on Aunty Anne.

Other supporters of Bersih.

A disabled supporter of the "Bersih" electoral reform coalition is taken away from water cannon and tear gas during clashes in downtown Kuala Lumpur.



In moments of crisis, it brings out the best in humanity too.


Facing off the riot squads and police.